davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19

takes a true view on the subject. Expert
ments made by Notthart some years ago
,go to show that a common house-hv. for
instance, can not see clearly at a distance
| greater than a millimeter. and that the ut
most limit of its vision is two feet. while
it Is extremely doubtful that within that
limit a fly can distinguish colors. A fact
like this has a clear bearing upon Darwin's
theory of the way in which plants are aid
ed or retarded in the struggle for existence
by insect perception of color.
Lubbock seems also to have shown
through spectrum experiments with ants
that these insects can not appreciate light
waves, or rather vibrations of the ether.
until those vibrations exceed the bounds of
color as we know 1t, and that they hear no
sound appreciable by our ears. Under the
ultra vlolet-that is to say, under the most
intense chemical rays of the spectrum
ants were thrown into the most violent
perturbation, while they went quietly
about their business under the color rays.
A pistol shot over their heads caused them
not the least disturbance, except that which
was occasioned by the mechanical Earring
OF the earth and air, and sound plainly
was not to them what it is to us. 1t is not
Tx hAA1AuIC1CSS ttdl gives dllNS dIiOlLltI
world than ours, but the construction of
their sense organs.
To depart now from the insect world. 1t
Is a generally accepted theory that what
are called the rods and cones" in the
human eye are the true organs with which
we distinguish colors. These organs are
wanting In many animals, as, for instance,
they are wanting In the eyes of sharks and
reaches among the fishes, and In hedge
hogs, moles, and bats among mammals, so
that, if the analogy holds good, these ami
mails can have no sense of color. Among
birds the owl is but s~cantily supplied with
rods and cones, while birds of prey which
fly by daylight, as gulls do, are most plen-
tlfully endowed with them. Through eX-
animation of the human eye and the way
In which it perceives color it has been con-
Guided that to frogs the whole world they
see is yellow, while to certain birds the
entire creation must seem red-the sky,
the sun, the flowers, all In short, that
comes within the range of their vision is
red, because the construction of their eyes
permits of the perception of no other color.
10 them the world must appear as it does
to US when welook through apIece of glass.
This train of thought could be carried
further. Observations recently made in
regard to the microbe of malaria show
that at a certain period of its developments
this microscopic creature has enemies to
fight in a globule of blood, and that in
order to escape from them it makes use of
its lagella, or whips, with which it tries
to beat off the inimical microbe that is
bent on absorbing it and generally ends by
doing so. Here certainly is intelligent
adoption of means to ends, yet how diff
ferent from Ours must be the world that
the malaria microbe finds within a drop of
the blood that runs within US! The I'M
iverse appears to be as vast downward as it
is upward.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19

and supported the limbs. [ say one stalk
of sorghum that was two feet
How is the broom corn CROP
Broom corn! You never saw the like.
There hasn't been a cloudy day In South
ern Kansas for a month. Can't cloud up.
The broom corn grew so high that it keeps
the clouds swept off the face Of the sky as
| clean as a new floor. They viii have to
cut the corn down if it gets too dry.
Some of the broom corn stalks are so high
that
''How is the corn crop?"
Corn You never saw the like. Down
in the Neosho and Fall river and Arkan-
sas bottom the corn is as high as a house.
They use step ladders to gather the roast
ing years."
tAren't step ladders pretty expensive?"
Expensive! Well. | should say so; but
that isn't the worst of it. The trouble is
that the children climb up into the corn
stalks to hunt for eagles, nests and some
times fall out and kill themselves. Four
teen funerals in one county last week from
that cause. / attended all of them. That
is why | am so sad. And, mind you, the
corn Is not more than half grown. A man
at Arkansas City has invented a machine
which he calls The Solar Corn Harvester
and Child Protector 1t Is inflated with
gas like a balloon and floats over the corn
tops, and the occupants reach down and
cut off the ears of corn with a cavalry
saber. Every Kansas farmer has a cavalry
saber and
DO they make much cider in Kansas?"
Cider! You never saw the ikei Oceans
of it! Most of the farmers in Crowley
county have filed their cisterns with cider.
A proposition was made a few days since
to the water works company of Arkansas
City to supply the town with cider through
the mains, but the company was compelled
to decline because they were afraid the
cider would rust the pipes. They were
sorry, but they said they would have to
continue to furnish water, although it cost
more. | saw one farmer who
How is the potato crop?"
Potatoes! You never saw the like! A
man in Sedgwick county dug a potato the
other day that was so big he used the
cavity it grew in for a cellar. | saw one
potato that
The people must be happy over their
big crops?"
Happy! You never saw the like! I
knew men in the Arkansas valley who were
too poor this time last year to flag a bread
wagon, and now they have pie three times
a day. One fellow that"
But the reporter just at this point had a
pressing engagement elsewhere.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
Never Saw The Likes.

Every one who comes to Kansas City
from Kansas these days has his partieu-
lar stock of stories about the crops In that
State. Among the Sunlower pilgrims
who landed in the city recently was Charley
Burnett. He had spent four or five days
in Southern Kansas, and his mouth was
going at the rate of Eve hundred revolu-
fions a minute about crops, when he was
tagged by a Times a
WHEAT. he exclaimed. You never
saw the like The farmers down in South
ern Kansas had to rent the public roads
to get room enough to stack the wheat.
Wasn'troom enough in the fields to hold
the stacks. saw one
How about the fruit crop?'
"Frult!" You never saw the like!
Apples as big as cannon balls growing In
clusters as big as hay stacks. | saw one
apple that"
Don't the trees break DOWN."
Trees You never saw the like! The
farmers planted sorghum in the orchard,
and the stalks grew up like telegraph poles
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
Strange Worlds.

Prof. Flower, the president of the Brit
ish association, has recently said that he
agrees with Sir John Lubbock in the opin-
ion that in what we call the lower animals
there may be fifty senses, as different
from ours as hearing is from sight, and
that even within the boundaries of our
own senses there may be endless sounds
which we can not hear, and colors as diff
ferent as red from green, of which we
have no conception. The famil-
lar world which surrounds us may be a
totally different place to other animals.
To them it may be full Of music which we
can not hear, of color which we can not
see. of sensations which we can not con-
ceive Of"
On the part of Sir John Lubbock this
opinion is not mere speculation. He had
been led to it through long and close study
of insect life, and although the theory does
not meet with universal acceptance among
scientific men, and indeed was warmly ops
posed by the late NJ. Paul Bert, who main
tanned that the world of lower animals is
essentially the same as ours, yet there are
many reasons to believe that Sir James
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
Money" "Rupee" and Dollar"

In tracing the derivation of the word
money" | find it is from the Roman
word "Moneta," because the first regular
mint was established by the Romans in the
temple Juno Moneta. The word ''coin"
is, no doubt, from the Latin '%'cuneus, "
meaning a die or stamp. Many coins are
so called from their original weight, as
the English pound, the French livre and
the Italian Ira. The word rupee" is
from the Sanscrit, rupza, meaning silver.
The word dollar is short for joachim
thaler. In Bohemia the word is thaler,
which is also short for joachimthaler or
money of the Joachim-Valley,
where coins of this value were first struck
in the sixteenth century.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19

viii in all probability not believe-but,
furthermore. that the chances are they can
not even be novel
At frequent intervals applications for
patents on perpetual motion are received at
the Patent Office, and there appears TO be
little or no encouragement on the part OF
those who are struggling to solve the great
problem. Once let a man be inoculated
with perpetual motion ideas and he will
usually hold fast to them until he "shutles
off this mortal coil" And should he fail
to inoculate in turn somebody else, the idea
may be trusted to spread spontaneously, 50
the ranks of the experlmenters are kept
full.
After our perpetual motion friend has
reached a certain stage IN the disease he
proceeds to see about filing a caveat or
securing a patent. There are a number OF
persons who labor under the delusion that
not only our government, but also certain
foreign powers, offer astanding reward for
the inventor of a successful perpetual mo-
ton machine; while the truth is that there
is none offered whatsoever. To such APP
p~licants the Patent Office forwards a letter
WOrded substantially as follows:
This Office has no knowledge of any re-
ward offered by the Government for the
discovery of perpetual motion. Many ap-
plications forpatents for such an alleged in
vention or discovery has been received at
this office, but they has been found in
operative and opposed to well-known phys
ical laws. A working model is always re-
quired to be filed with an applicationfor a
patent on perpetual motion, in order that
the device may be fully demonstrated"
It will be observed from the foregoing
that an applicant for a perpetual motion
patent is pointedly advised of the %futility
of prosecuting further experiments in that
direction; also that the Patent Office does
not consider applications of that class; and,
moreover, that if an application is insisted
upon, a working model will be in ORDER
a requirement which the Office thinks i'm
possible for an applicant to meet.-[Ray-
mond's Curiosities of the q. S. Patent
Office.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
CARL DUNDER.
He Is Catching On to the American Way:
at Last.

"Hello! Mr.. Dunder!" saluted Sergt.
Bendall as hat individual entered the
Central station with a broad, satisfied smile
on his countenance.
Hello! Sergeant. Vhas eafrythings all
right NIT you?"
Il guess so. You look happy"
Sergeant, | vhas shust like sweet oil.
No more trouble for me. l vhas catching
on to do shust like Americans"
81 am glad of that. You used to be ter
ribly green"
80 | vhas. Three months ago | doan
know some beans in a bag. Ha! ha!
Der COWS come along und take me for
some grass. If it rains | shtandt right
out doors and get wet. Ha! ha! 1t
makes me laugh when I see how green |
vhas!"
Anything happened ately?' queried the
sergeant In a careless way.
'EVhell, not mooch. Some fellers try to
beat me, but they doan' make oudt. |
vhas too sharp for EN-. One Teller comes
along nit six pairs of sheep shears in a
but likes to borrow three dollars for one
doan' come back in one day dos shears vhas
mine"
Il see."
He doan' come back. Maybe he break
his leg or something, but dat vhas nothing
to me, sergeant, he shall have to get oop
very early in der morning"
there?"
Il hat. | believe you like to see EN-.
They are worth two shilling a pair, :"
said the sergeant. after an inspection.
You are out of pocket fourteen shillings,
and what do you expect to do with sheep
shears?"
"Heafens! | doan' think of dot!''
gasped Mr.. Dunder as he grew white in the
face.
Anything else?"
"Vhell, | get my life insured. | doan
belief | vhas sheated by dot. A teller comes
along und says / vhas Carl Dunder?
vhas. Well, der President of der United
States says he likes me to call on you und
insure your life. Dis vhas a new company
und a new idea. | let you go in by der
floor. | like your name to influence odder
people.
"'How vhas dot new idea?'
"You pay only two dollars eafry twenty
years, and if you die your wife gets S75,-
900. 1t vhas der biggest thing out. Shil-
drens cry for it. Vanderbilt, Shay Gould,
Russell Sage und all der big fellows vhas
into it. How Oldt vhas you-whO vhas your
grandmother-how many teeth have you
lost oudt-vhas you eater bit by some dogs
did you eater own a white horse-do you
ride on some bicycles, und dis vhas der
truth, der whole truth, und nothing bu
der truth"
"And he wanted the 81 in advanced
querled the sergeant.
'Of course. Dot vhas to pay for shwear-
ing me-"
well, you are beaten again, Mr.. Dun
der. Insurance men don do business that
way. Good day.
How you mean?"
you had better go home. Have you
got a tub in your house?"
''Of course"
ANY bran at the barn."
Yes"
"Well, make the tub about half full of
mash and then put your head to soak for
about ~forty-eight hours. When through
buy some No. 4 sand-paper and polish it
down to the bone"
Sergeant, vhas | some greenhorns?"
You are
Will l eater learn something's"
Never
Then, goodbye! | shan try no more.
st vhas a quer country, und nothing vhas
der same two times alike. When my body
vhas brought in here doan' make fun of
it. Shust use it silently und say dot I
did so well ash | could. Detroit Free
Press. .
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
REWARDS OF INTEGRITY.
What Small Inventors Have Done in Max
ing Fortunes.

The rubber-tip at the end of lead-pencils
has yielded 500, 900 in England.
A large fortune has been reaped by a
miner who invented a metal rivet or eyelet
at each end of the mouth of coat or trousers
pockets to resist the strain caused by the
carriage of pieces of ore or heavy tools.
In a recent action it transpired in evil
dence that the inventor of the metal plates
used to protect soles and heels from wear
sold upward of twelve million plates in
1879, and in 1887 the number reached
143, 000, 600, producing realized profits of
91, $50, 900.
As large a sum as was ever obtained for
any invention was enjoyed by the inventor
of the inverted glass bell to hang over gas
to protect ceilings from being blackened,
and a scarcely less lucrative patent was
that for simply putting emery-powder on
cloth.
Frequently time and circumstances are
wanted before an invention is appreciated,
says the Inventor, but it will be seen that
patience is well rewarded, for the inventor
of the roller-skate made over 81, 600, 900,
notwithstanding the fact that his patent
had nearly expired before its value was
a~scertained.
The gimlet-pointed screw has produced
more wealth than most silver mines, and
the American who first thought of putting
copper tips to children's shoes is as well off
as if his father had left him 50, 900, 900 in
United States bonds.
Few inventions pay better than popular
patented toys. A clergyman realized
S 1000 a week by the invention of a strange
little plaything to be seen for a long time
in every toyshop window and even the
streets of London.
That favorite American toy, a return
ball. "a wooden ball with an elastic
attached-yielded the patentee an income
equal to $4,000 a year, and an income of
no less than S75, 900 per annum to the in
ventor of the dancing Jim Crow" The
invention of "Pharaoh's serpents," a toy
much In vogue some years ago, was the
outcome of some chemical experiments,
and brought the inventor more than $780,
900.
Upward of $40, 900 a year was made by
the inventor of the common needle-threader.
To the foregoing might be added thousands
of trihing but useful articles from which
handsome incomes are derived or for
which large sums have been paid.
The sale of the little wooden figure,
John Gilpin," was incredibly large for
many years, and a very ingenious toy,
known as the wheel of life" is said to
have produced upward of 100000 profits
to its inventor.
One of the most successful of modern
toys has been the chameleon top" the
sale of which has been The
field of invention is not only vast and
varied, but it is open to everybody with
out respect or favor of any kind to sex or
age, station or means. The merest trif1e
may be the key to a fortune, if it be an
article that the public actually wants in
great numbers.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
perpetual Motion"

There are numerous advocates of, and
believers In, perpetual motion" still in
existence, not only In this country but In
others, and among them are found not a
few enthusiastic and ambitious inventors
who sincerity believe themselves to be the
inventors or discoveries of self motors, =
self running" motive power, and various
devices, christened under different names,
yet all come under the one head of per
petual motion" In the standard work of
reference on mechanics, Knights Mechan-
ical Dictionary, we find perpetual motion
lucidly defined as follows: An iqnis fdtuus.
which has led astray some persons of linn
tied scientific knowledge in all ages and
religions. As the knowledge of scientific
truth advances, we arrive at some aXioms,
and we know that motion involves an ex-
penditure of force, and that even a balance
beam, poised by steel edges on agate plates
and started ~pulsating, meets with the re-
resistance of the air and generates some
friction between the contracting surfaces,
and must come to a stop. Mr.. Knight
gives further expression In his views In
these words: 1T Is impossible to make a
motor, or which shall maintain the motion
originally impaired to it unimpaired for
an indefinite length of time, without re-
celvlng an accession of power.
Many learned and scientific men WIZ
have given perpetual motion and the prin-
ciples involved therein arefulinvestigation
and study, fully concur in the views above
expressed. And yet, upon the other hand,
individuals apparently well up in mechanics
and mechanical laws holdviews directly the
opposite. As far back as the year 1900 and
even earlier, and down to the present time,
we have record of various ingenious con-
~trivances that have been evolved for obtain
ing perpetual motion. And, in view OF
what has already been invented, would
'~discoverers" of the present day that not
! only in the likelihood of their %contriv-
! ances proving fallacies, they
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
m from the diary Of tourists
MI TN commercial travellers, bzGk
@S Meas man and nAharr -.

M0THO from the diary Of touriseS
MI TN commercial travellers, bzxk
men and others -
revealed:
That the Wisconsin Centrr, has tAs
unqualified endorsement Of all;
That the Wisconsin Central has today
the most popular line between Chicago
and Milwaukee. and St Paul, Mime
apolls and the Northwest;
That the Wisconsin Central is daily
adding to its admirers as the recoe
nized Pullman line between Chicaar
and Milwaukee and Ashland. Duluth
and Lake Superior;
That the Wisconsin Central touches
the most prominent points in Wiscon-
sin, and that it his more important
business centers on its through Inns
than any other railway to and from
the Northwest;
That the Wisconsin Central has nsds
an envIable reputation with its pssS-
less Dining Car Service;
That the Wisconsin Central runs faa
trains on which all classes of passer-
gers are carried with commodious and
distinct accommodation for all;
That the Wisconsin Central has repre-
sentatives distributed throughout th3
country, who will c~heerfully give any
information that may be desired and
that its terminal agents are specially
instructed to look after the comfort OF
passengers who may be routed via in
line.
For detailed information apply to yous
nearest Ticket Agent; or to represents
tives of the Wisconsin Central.
VIM. s. MELLEN, JAMES BARKER.
General Manager. GenI Passr. & Tkk 40
LOUIS ECKSTEIN,
Asst Gen1 Passr. & Tiki. Agk
MILWAUKEE,, WIS.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
Charged With EmbezzIement.

CINCINNATI, Dec. 10.-Richard D.
Kyle, late vice president of the Anderson.
Harris Carriage company, was today ar
rested, charged with ENLIGHTENMENT. A
few weeks ago he had a rupture with the
company and embezzlement was then sug-
gested. Kyle paid the company $4,000
and it was supposed that all the charges
were withdrawn, but the books of the
firm have meantime been examined, and
it is now said that the amount of his en-
bezzlement is about $40, 600.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
In a. Bad State.

Able, Kas., Dec. 11-Careful estimates
regarding the failure of the First National
Bank, place the liabilities at S131 900 and
the assets mostly western land mort
cages, S210 900. The comptroller of cur
rency has taken possession. The Kansas
Farmers Insurance Co., of which President
Bonebrake of the bank is also president,
will be somewhat affected by the failure,
but no danger of suspension is considered.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
Filling Oleson's Place.

ST. PAUL, Dec. 1.-THE board of trus-
tees of the South Dakote state university
have extended a unanimous call for DIR.
VIM. Harper, of Yale, to fill the presidency
the place made vacant by Mr.. Blossoms I'M
timely death in the Minneapolis Tribune
disaster.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
Cleveland Buys an Island.

NEW YORK, Dec. 11.-Ex-President
Cleveland and Joseph Jefferson have bought
the islands in Wakeby Lake, near Sand
witch, Mass, a very picturesque spot and
one noted for good fishing. It is said
that they will put up a club house on the
most central of the islands.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19

The Milwaukee, Lake Shors h Western
Railway has been well named the Fishing
and Hunting Line Of Wisconsin, passing,
as it does, through thousands OF acres OF
but partially explore woods and withtr
easy reaching distance of lakes and
streams that nave never been ished by
white men, all well stocked with the game
fish for which Northern Wisconsin waters
are noted The woods uOu with games
deer, bear, wolf, mink, beaver, pheasant
and other game are quite plentiful.
THE ONLY LINE
From Milwaukee to the new Iron Mining
District in Wisconsin and Michigan that
reachea ALL of the developed Mining
towns: GOGEBIC, WAKEFIELD, BES-
SEMER, IRONWOOD AND HURLEY.
Direct line to ASHLAND and DULUTH
Sleeping cars between LHLAND and
CHICAGO.
The GUIDE Book, and other d~escrips1v>
matter, containing full information, maps
and engravings of the country traversed
by the line, will be sent TO any address or
application to the General Passsngsz
Agent.
T. vLLET. City P. & 7. Agt CHICAGO
BiitDuukee Office. IS Wisconsin st.
H r WHITCOMB. GEO. s. MARSH.
Gent Manager. Geu1 Pass. & Tiki. ANk
MILWAUKEE,, WIS.