davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
Origin of the Calendar.

The word calendar is derived from
cdlendtu1n, denoting the commence
ments of months, which, in the Ian
guage of ancient Rome, were called
dies cateadoe, or simply calessd9; l. e.,
days on which calling out" should oe-
cur, from ''calo,'' cdH This calling
out'' took place upon the reappearance
of the small crescent after new moon,
and at the present day remains the Gus
tom among those people who. as for in
stance the Turks, reckon time wholly
from the recurring phases of the moon.
This was loudly proclaimed from the
roofs of public buildings by appointed
priests or seers, who were required to
seek for the moons crescent in the even
ing sky either two days after new moon,
or four OF five days after the last APP
pearance of its light in the morning
sky; this, then, was established as the
beginning of the month, the single days
being reckoned by counting backward
or forward from the night, or from the
intermediate day of full moon. This
method of reckoning time from the rev.
olutions and phases of light of the
moon has been long practiced in those
countries in which the constant clearness
of the heavens enables people to deter
first appearance of the moonlight, the
so-called 'snew light" and, again,
among those whose limited intercourse
with other nations afforded no COMPARE
son of fixed standards. In countries,
however, where continued clearness of
sky was not afforded, or where the ne
cessity was urgently felt for regular
determination of future dates, the seers
at length desired that they be permitted
to calculate, upon the basis of the past
determinations of the duration of the
regular months, and to publicly record
the number and the method of counting
the days of the single months. Thus.
in place of the public proclamation
from the house-tops of the observed ap-
pearances, the calendar now came into
use, containing calculations of the
-" calling days. "-Professor William
Foester IN Popular Science Monthly.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09

New York World, Governor Butler,
if he has done nothing else during his
term, will have deserved well of the peO-
pie of Massachusetts by forcing an inves-
tisati on of the Tewkesbury Almshouse.
The investigation blythe legislative COM
mittee, though mot completed, already
more than bearsout all thai the governors
message charged, and uncovers a state of
things unapproachably hideous consider
ing the age in which these things have
been done. 1t is not i'm Tennessee or
South Carolina or Louisiana. states which
we are daily told are yet half barbarous,
but in the banner state of morality, in the
head and heart of New England, in Mas
sachusetts itself where every man forces
his neighbOr to be virtuous, that poor
people are starving in public asylum,
their clothes stolen, their babies drugged
to death and their bodies sold with no
more scruple, no fuller registry than if
they were so many empty bottles or bags.
Most of the women had neither under
clothing nor shoes nor stockings. An
insane woman, perfectly naked when seen
by Dudley, the Waterman, had been kept
in an attic cell for year; another was
found in basement CELL. filthy as all
these cells were, and there she had been
kept for nine days on nothing but water
in order to reduce her strength Released
from this place and decently treated, she
gave no trouble for year. These and
other unpublished denominations went on
in this state institution, unchecked and
unnoticed, till Governor Butler dragged
them into light. and the legislature found
itself forced to ask whether anything
could be wrong in the best of all possible
republican states. Fast day brought ont
good many pulpit orators, but the
Teweskbury sermon is the most serious
discourse Massachusetts has listened to
for ma ny q day.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
Plantains and Bananas.

The Banana tree has a sort of Cuban
South America look, inseparable from
a hot day. Some over-intelligenf per-
son viii say that the banana plant is not
a tree, and for his special benefit I win
call it bush. 1t grows from six to ten
feet high, takes about six months to ma
ture, produces one bunch of bananas
and then dies and is gathered 10 its
fathers. When you see a grove of ba-
mana bushes growing around the back
door, and few half-naked darky chill
dren playing among the plants, the
scene is truly tropical. I have seen, I
suppose, $4,000 banana trees on these
islands, but not a ripe banana on any
of them: They cut off the punches
while they are green and let them ripen
in the house For this reason / think
bananas in New York are Just as oood
as in Southern country, and ours are
generally larger and sweeter. They
have an unfortunate habit of making a
distinction here between plantains and
bananas, which is very confusing to a
Northerner. We New Workers don't
know anything about plantains. though
we are familiar with bananas. Anyts1ir1or
that has yellow inside and slippery
skin to break your neck on the side
walk, we know SIS banana. The big
and rich ones that we like best these
folks call plantains. -Bermudn Cor. of
N. 7. Times.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09

belief that Broadway, beneath the ROAD
bed is fearfully and wonderfully made
The work that has been done siR con-
nection with the schemes for rapid transit
under Broadway has resulted in the
making of very accurate maps of the
street beneath its surface. One of these
maps is in the offices of the Broadway
underground railway company in the
Boreel building. 1t is noteworthy pro-
duct of the draughtsman's art, showing
the exact location of every pipe or sewer
beneath the street, its distance from the
curbstone and below the surface OF The
street, its size, the material of which IS
made, and the use to which it is put.
The measurements were obtained IN
many ways, many of them having been
procured from the Office of city engineer.
The upper section of the map shows the
grade of the street from Morris street to
the grand circle of Central park. The
lower section shows the location of the
pipes, the scale being reduced iongftudin-
ally to one tenth, thus giving a clear idea
of all that is beneath the pavement and.
at the same economizing space. Ii is
done in colored inks, and is the work of
Frederick Blanc. engineer and draughts-
man.
From this map it appears that the
pipes beneath the pavement of lower
Broadway are those oftwo gas companys
two steam companies, the water pipes,
and short section of brick sewers, with
other short sections of pipes running for
block or so here and there. The pipes
nearest the surface are the street and ser
vice pipes of the gas companies. These
are from three to four feet below the
pavement The lowest pipes are the sew
ers, the interior floors of which are some
| thirteen feet beneath the roadbed, so that
the pipes all lie in stratum about twelve
feet in thickness, the upper surface of
| which is on an average some three feet
below the paving stones. The two gas
companies occupy opposite sides of the
street Each has a main pipe from 20 to
"a inces IN diameter, situated about 8
feet from the curbstoRe and some feet
below the pavement. Between the mains
and the curbssones run the two smaller
pipes-the street and service pipes
From Madison square to the battery
six feet below the pavement, runs the
| water main. tits thirty six inches in
diameter, and is situated near the middle
of the street. A distributing water pipe
| twelve inches in diameter runs along the
east side of the street between the gas
pipes and the water main. The steam
pipes occupy a great deal of room be-
meath lower Broadway. The New York
steam company has two large iron pipes,
some twenty inches in diameter. running
from Chambers street to near Wall street.
They are near the middle of the street,
and at a depth of about ten feet. Besides
these there is a smaller service pipe close
to the others, belonging to the same COM
pany. The American steam heating and
power company has five pipes from six to
twelve inches in diameter running from
John street to Wall. They are about
two feet from the eastean curbstone. and
from six to eight feet below the surface.
The pipes viii cross Broadway at or be
low Wall street, and come up on the west
| side near the curbstone.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
The Law of Legitimacy.

To check increase of population many
of the minor States of Germany have
had laws upon their statute books for
bidding marriage until the contracting
parties were long past youth. This re
suited in the formation of unlawful
unions and the birth of many illegiti-
mate children. The couples lived to-
gether till the legal age and then W, he
married. but the children born out of
wedlock We're held TO be illegitimate and
could not inherit property. The New
York Court of Appeals, recently, how
ever, decided that couple born in
Wurtemburg. and who had illegitimate
children there, upon marrying in Penn
sylvania legitimized their offspring. One
of our inferior courts had held that as
the law in the State of New York de.
clares illegitimate children shall not in
herit, even though the parents are sub
sequently married, therefore the elder
children of this Wurtemburg couple had
no claims on the property of their par
ents. As the marriage, however, took
place in Pennsy lyania. where marriage
legitimizes previous offspring, the Court
of Appeals justly held that there should
be no property distinctions between the
children. - Dcn0rcst's Monthly.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
A New Copper Zinc Alloy.

Engineering says that Mr.. Alexander
Dick has succeeded in producing new
copper-zinc alloy which exhibits charac-
teristics as essentially superior to brass
as those of bronze are to gun metal
The advantages claimed for the new al
10y, which has been named delta metal, )"
are great strength and toughness, and q
capacity for being rolled, forged, and
drawn. 1t can be made as hard as mild
steel, and when melted is very liquid.
producing sound castings of close fine
grain. The color can be varied from
that of yellow brass to rich gun metal
the surface takes fine polish, and when
exposed to the air furnishes less than
brass. These latter characteristics will
meet with ready appreciation for cabinet
work, harness fitting, etc. The metal
when cast in sand has breaking strain
of q to % tons per square inch; when
rolled or forged hot into rods, the break
ing strain is 43 tons per square inch; and
when drawn into wire of p b. w. G., OF
81 tons per square inch.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09

RrNe
Two years ago, according TO 'he DOS
ton Herald, newspaper correspondent
attempted to explore Florida jungle IN
which is ..De Debbil's Tar Kiln, deep
hole in the ground from which sdlphurous
vanors arise. Everybody in the neigh
borhood counted him as good as los', eA-
cept dark eyed Tallahassee girl In a
week he returned with scarce rag 10 MS
hack. almost blind and nearly dead from
exhaustion. The negroes were all AFRAID
of him, believing that no one couio get
out of there except by express PERMISSION
of ode ole bad man" The girl nufsed
and cared for him until he was able 20 re-
turn to his home in New York, where he
finally recovered from the effects OF the
inhalations of sulphurous acid gas. Inc
same train bore David Davis to Fayette-
vile to be married carried Thomas HOO
son on a similar mission to Palatka, where
he met and was united to his Tallahassee
oirl in the same house where she nursed
him back to life after his perilous adven-
ture
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
Gays Him Up.

DIR. Ike was called to see old Ned's
son, and after several visits the doctor
said to an anxious father:
Med, / doan wanter distress yer. but
dat boy can git we'll De coag1omera-
ton oh de membrens hab dun sot in. =
wall. | reckon dat will kill him, :
Ned replied II doan see how chile
wild his weak constitution an conven-
ton can get ober such oneaseness OBJ
de flesh So You gins up. doctors"
..Yaas, issues my decrement right
heah.. Dat boy can't live five hours. :"
About two weeks later Ned met the
doctor and said:
Il thought you gin that boy upP''
- did. Amt he dead yitP''
Dead repeated Ned. contempt
uously, '.why he's chopin wood dis
mornin'''
The doctor reflected for a moment and
said: Oats a nice way to fool wild med
ical science. How does yer expeck folks
to hab confidence in de advancement oh
medical diskiveries when boy aeks dat
way. Dat boy, sab, lifts hissef up to
dispute de Established rules OBJ de school
OBJ physicians. Use done Wid him. y
Use glad OBJ it, sab, but yo' sef must
hab made mistake. -"
mo didn't, case | understands my
business.
81 means dat yer mout hab lef' too
soon. Fl yer'd stayed dar awhile longer
yer might hab' Established de proof OBJ
yer proclamation.
Look heah. Ned, yer'd better let me
60 an see dat boy agin.
mo, Use much obleeged ter yer. Use
got a heap oh work ter do an need de
chile Go off somewhur an pizen a
cat ''-ArkdnSaaO IraUeier.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
A souu Plata That Fitted aHat.

A weIl-known New York paiiti..iss,l.
with smooth fat face, a stoyepipe Hat,
a rotund person, and sqnare-toed boots,
strobe Enthusiastically into busy Park Row
eating saloon on Saturday. and sat down
at one of the tables that stand in row
in the middle of-the room. An obsequi-
Gus coiored waiter seized his hat and
put it in the rack overhead. This rack
consists of three brass rods, about six
inches apart. in the form of Il triangle.
Ii a hat is placed with the crown down
warde and the rim resting on the two
upper rods, it is quite secure. But If
the hat is not carefully adjusted it may
slip through.
The eminent politician had an air of
aggressive spiendor. A bright green
scarf encireled his high collar, his frock
coat had quilted silk lapels, and huge
gold chain hung over bullying waist
coat. On all sides he was greeted with
immense respect. He ponderously ae-
knowledged the greetings of his friends,
tucked napkin under his chin, and,
glaring at the waiter, he said:
''Oi'1l have an Oirish stoo.
YES, sab
AN some pay soup first.
The waiter scudded away, and pres
Chilly TcIuTtltu Will Lftc SOuDs WHICH, III
set, with highly ornamental twist of
the arm. before the publicist. The pub
licist seized a spoon, and voraciously
fell to.
At this moment dapper little man
slid briskly in at the door, rubbed his
hands smartly together, and gazed
around with a blithe, business-iike,
''what' s. the-next-article?' sort of q
smile. He espied vacant chair, exact
ly opposite the seat of the eminent poll
tician, and, mincing over TO the table,
pulled oat the chair, whisked his hat off
his head and carefully tossed it into the
rack above. The hat was brown, and of
the soup dish pattern affected by gentle
men whose heads do not tower to an in
convenient hight above their eyebrows
The hat rose gracefully in the air,
struck the near rod of the rack, and
slipping through, came down with fell
swoop into the soup plate of the eminent
politician. 1t plunged into the soup
plate crown first, and fitted SO perfectly
that almost nothing else remained in the
plate. The soup was distributed, how
ever, with great thoroughness and i'm
partially over the person of the emf
nent politician, who sat as though petri-
fled, save that he seemed to be oozing
pea soup at every pore
well, for heavens saken' shrieked
the little man; ''did you evera"
In few moments the eminent politi-
clan said hoarsely: Take it out of my
soup"
The little man seized his hat and
slipped away. After the politician had
been carefully mopped of, he sat down,
raised his flushed face heavenward, and
roared:
will yez ever bring that Oirish
stoO?''
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
? ? 2 !? 2

A human Interrogation point went TO
an oculist the other day TO get glass
fitted to his eye. This is the weakest
glass you have?" he asked. Yes
well. what shall do when can't see
with this?'' why, you will probably
be compelled to purchase a stronger
one = And when I can't see with
thatP'' We'll, then You will have to
use still stronger one. And after
that?'' Oh, then you viii have to get
the very strongest The victim of de-
fective eyesight thought a moment, and
then asked: 'tAnd when I can't see
with the STRONGEST The occulist
didn't care to say what would happen
after his own skill had proved ineffectr
ual, and was rather indignant at the i'm
quisitiveness of the customer, so remain
ed silent. '.But tell me-. persisted the
knowledge seeker, what shall I do
when the strongest glass fails meP'
'sOh, ahem. well. was the answer, II
should say that the next thing to do
would be to buy a small dog with
string round his neck and let him lead
YOU
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
Atlanta has gained greatly by h

Atlanta has gained greatly by her
cotton exhibition of 1881. There has
been continuous inflow of people and
capital. and real estate has been in con-
slant demand for residence and mer-
camille purposes. A grain elevator and
cotton compress have been built; a
spinning company has completed and
nearly filled its capacious building with
machinery, and is preparing to double
its capacity; the fair building has been
purchased by company with a capital
of $3.50, 900. and is half filled with ma
chinery; companies have been formed
for building apparatus to prepare cotton
for the spinner; fertilizer and other
manufactures have been established in
and near tho city; and a concern has
been organized for the manufacture OF
oleomargarine. The aggregate capital
invested since the exposition in manu-
featuring enterprises is about 81, 500, 600,
employing no fewer than 1000 opera
fives, aud paying annual wages approx
imatiug $500, 900.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
SPORTING.
VigRaux Claims Fraud in the Late Bill
lard Tournament.

- CHICAGO, April THE prizes offered
to the winners in the billiard tournament
were awarded this evening. A purse of
81 200 and a miniature billiard table, EN-
belilshed after the worlds championship
was given to Jacob Schaefer; the second
prize, $500, to Maurice Vignaux, OF
France; the third prize, $500, to Maurice
DAILY; the fourth prize. $500. to William
Sexton, and the fifth prize, 5000 to
Alonzo Morris.
The great French player takes his de
feat much to heart, and to the Associated
Press representative declared that the
honors were not equally bestowed. He
asserted that Schaefer was allowed to
make push shots along the rail repeatedly
but he was particularly angry at the ref
cree in allowing Schaefer, during his big
run, to play when the balls were frozen,
the same as though there was no contact
of the balls. This claim of Vignaux ap-
pears to have been acknowledged as just
by disinterested parties closely identified
with the contest. Vignaux has a poor
opinion of the applaudits of American
audiences in an uproar, and declares that
it exceeded the tumalt at a Spanish bull
fight, and though it might not affect the
Americans paFticularlyif it was all showed
upon him it was. liable to discomfort q
foreign antagonist such as him. Vignaux
illustrated how several individuals picked
up chairs and pounded the floor
with them to increase the uproar
INDUCED in when Schaefer started
out on his big run. The features of the
contest caused certain newspapers here to
quote the opinions of various sporting
authorities in outlining the belief that the
last game was not squarely contested.
and intimating that Vignaux could easily
have defeated his antagonist at two or
three points in the game had he desired.
Vigneaux, in an interview, denied this,
and declared that he gave his best posi-
BILE exhibition under all circumstances,
and if any chicanery was employed it was
without his knowledge, and was in the
nature of attempting to organize vic
tory for Schaefer before the game opened.
The movements of the players are un
certain, pending the tournament in New
York in May. 1t is declared that Schaef
er viii not place his trophy in immediate
jeopardy, and that he will not consent to
meet Vignaux, even though the latter
should so select, before the expiration of
the sixty days time allotted him. Wig
neaux states that he will certainly enter
the contest at the New York tournament
CARD FROM scHAFFER.
CHICAGO, April 8.-Jacob Schaefer, in
a published card denies that as far as he
is concerned or knows, that there was
anything crooked in the closing game of
of the late billiard tournament between
himself and Maurice Vignaux.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
UNDER BROADWAY.
The Intricate System of Pipes and
Sewers That Depriyes the Pave
rnnuf 0f Rect
menJ OF Rest.


The average resident of New York
who has frequently visi ted lower Broad
way of late has come to regard the pave
ment of that thoroughfare as sort of
veneering, beneath which is a bewilder-
ing aggregation of pipes devoted to vari-
Gus uses, and occupying the greater part
OF the space between the sand in which
the paving stones are laid and the sea
level When a of laborers come along
with handcart full of tools, tear up the
pavement, and make an excavation, they
usually come upon, not single pipe,
but ske'n of pipes, and as the business
man slackens his pace to glance into the
hole he wonders whether it would be
possible to drive an iron rod through the
pavement at any point in the street with
out striking an iron gas, steam. or water
pipe or brick or cement sewer, and how
far beneath the surface the point of the
rod would have to go before it would
reach Level where there are no more
distractions of similar nature An oc-
casional upheavel, attended with an out
burst of steam an eruption of black mud,
and the throwing up of paving stones
and fragments of iron, has fostered the
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
Eduoated Chickens Which Fish.

Aaron Lowe, of Hawkinsville, has
some educated chickens. Among their
numerous accomplishments is the sagac-
ity displayed in catching jack-worms.
The fowls have been taught to takepine
straws in their bills, run them in the
holes where the worms live, and then
keep very quiet until the jacks move the
straws. When this is done, the chickens,
with great dexterity, snatch the straws
from the holes, and, nine times out OF
ten, they catch the jacks. Tom Jordon
says it's real treat to see them fishing
for jacks in this manner.-Atlantd Goa. }
Constitution.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
Georgia Thrift.

Young men who think they must ac-
cumulate fortune before marrying and
who are frcfting because of their inabil-
ity to do SO Will be somewhat surprised
and consoled to learn that one of our
most substantial farmers on being mar
ried twelve years ago. had to borrow
the money to pay for his marriage IL
cense. and not having a decent suit OF
clothes, the young lady whom he was to
marry tore the wool from a sheepskin,
spun, wove and made him a suit OF
clothes, and he is now worth So, 900 and
any merchant in the county would juml
at chance to sell him goods on time
Sparta Sunbeam.
The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-09
The German Barber.

J. Fl. Haynie the. Paris correspondent
of the Chicago Nes0s says:
An American gentleman of my ac-
quaintance once entered the shop of a
German barber-this was not in Saxony
for a shave. The barber wrapped an
old door-mat, or something of the kind,
around our friends neck, took up piece
of soap, spat on it, and started to lather
the tourists face The latter protested:
lis it your custom to operate in this
way?" he asked. =.
!. ''Oh, no. sir, said the barber; Il only
do so with strangers. =
.sAh, indeed Well, how do you lather
your regular customers?"
Il spit on their faces and then rub on
the SOAP"