davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

come along with nm interest in such things,
Captain O'Neill usually details Il young Of
ilcer to sllo everything. Ensign ARMS
lead Rust il the young gentleman h best
nils the assignment according TO Captain
ONeill's idea. Young Rust knows all about
the new guns. One Of these days no will DO
n big figure in naval ordnance--probably
rs big n figure as Commodore Folger aim
self. The nucleus of the big gun of to-
day is not II sand pit nnd a pot Of molten
metal. but n tremendous solid cylinder OF
forged steel. 1t comes from the Bethie-
hem or the Midvale steel works, and 1T
takes several fiat cars to carry it. II weighs
about fifty tons. 1t gets into the Washing
ton yard on trucks of the Pennsylvania
road, and n lGO-ton crane jerks the thing up
ms a grocer scale would lift n pound OF
cheese. and puts it on n steel carriage. Be-
fore the big cylindrical block knows it, Il
huge tubular boro is MT work on it's vitals.
The bore cnts slowly but unerringly. A
core comes out In a solid mass. This be-
ing bored in turn becomes the basis
of the four or five inch gun. One
set of machinery cuts out this core;
monster, planning and turning it for the
reception of the ''jacket." The jacket is
the first reinforcement of the guns
strength. 1t is a huge cylinder received
also from toe Bethlehem or the MidVafG
works. 1t, too, is turned on tho inside to
make its inner surface smooth. Then when
the great steel forging, now by the action
of the boring machine become a tube. is
ready, the big crane comes along, lifts it
out of the lathe cradle and carries it off to
a huge pit, where it is turned muzzle down,
seemingly into the bowels of the earth.
Then comes along the forty ton crane.
holding in its arms the JACKET. The jacket
is lowered into a roaring fur
mace, built in one side of the great pit, and
there it is left to it's own reflection for some
time. while satan and his imps get in their
hottest work. Nobody sees the fire. Nobody
feels the heat, but when NIL is reported to
be ready, Commodore Folger, Captain
O'Neil, Captain Bob Carmody and Lieuten-
ant ''Regy' Nicholson ret about. The
skilled workmen are all there with Their
hands covered with asbestos mittens. When
the gray-haired man i'll charge of the
furnace declares that all is ready,
the forty-ton crane comes over,
giant steel hooks seize upon
the cover of the retort, and away it goes.
Great flames hoo up. Down goes an
other set of steel hooks, and they grapple
the ten-ton jacket and in five seconds
more it is dangling in the air, sizzling and
spluttering in it's white heat. The point is
then to carry it and settle it upon the big
cold tube, whose stern is in the air to re-
ceive it.
BY this time everybody is busy. The
man controlling the crane gets orders at
the rate of sixty a second. Men it'll guy
ropes to direct the descent of the jacket
almost dance iigs in heir intensity of
purpose. Capt. O'Neill keeps his arms
going, and tries to shield his Lace from the
awful heat. The CRY of "Lower away!''
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03
With OLD MAIDS
A Newspaper Man Starts Out and
Inquiries If Marriage Is
Unpopular.
Much Emotion Noted and Twelve
Suits for Breach of Prom
Use Filed.
Total Dan Asked, 1900 900, Equal
tn His Salary For About "a
Thousand Years.
Written for The SUNDAY INDEpESDEar. |

Written for The SUNDAY INDEPENDENTLY
Maude was sitting at ny desk when ! en-
tered the room, and the big tears were fall
ing from her eyes upon a manuscript which
| had recently prepared.
"My DEAR" said ], in n somewhat acid
voice. 'you needn't complicate the OBJ
scurities of my chirography by crying over
that. IT was intended to be funny
son, Howdy, how can you,'' she sobbed,
how Can you write on the marriage ques-
ton when you know that every horrid
thing you say will be traced right straight
to me. You know that after II rs. Matthews
article was printed some OF Mr.. Matthew'S
friends wouldn't speak to him on the street,
and he a model husband, as kind MS a
kitten. Why. she got barrels of letters of
coincidence, including circulars from
nearly all the divorce lawyers in the coun-
try, who said that shs had a clear case in
any court. One of them wrote from way
out in Montana to say that he'd get her Il
divorce for nothing and then marry her
himself. And women wrote to Mr.. Mat
thews, rebuking him for his inhuman
cruelty, and quoting scripture at him by
the ward, till they drove him nearly crazy.
Oh, Howdy, will you destroy Or happy,
happy home for half a cent a word?''
''Nonsense,'' said |. the facts in that
article of mine came from tho unmarried
women who called ON you after your friend
Mile Smiths engagement to Tom Harris
was announced. I overheard their merry
%prattle. They all regarded Mile as a de-
signing person whose conduct was alto
gether reprehensible. They all thought
that Tom was a fool. Every one Of them
had refused at least half a dozen offers
from men much more desirable than Tom,
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

don't know what shn was talking about; |
really don't. The subject of marriage APP
poured TO excite her. / judged that she
held very violent opinions, but what they
were, l could not fully understand. She.
too, promised to write mo.
| skipped over to Morrisania to sec Miss
Lottie Linden who prepares tho Sunday
dinner column for II Saturday afternoon
paper. She is n hearty, robust woman of
40, who does not look ~ If she over med
died with her own prescriptions. ! intro.
duced the subject of marriape and begged
her to tell me calmly what she thought of
it but she Immediately bganchod off to
something quite different. 1t appeared to
be her desire to give mo her small savings
amounting to 5000, for the purpose Of
starting n New York daily newspaper of
which / was to be editor.
told her that, as the sum she named would
run the paper for only about IL minutes, !
was afraid thnt my glory would be too brief
to afford either Of us any satisfaction.
Then she burst into tears, and asked me if
/ did not think that II deep, strong love was
better than money. / was forced TO reply
that ! didn't, If it was n question OF running
a newspaper with one or the other of them.
She said that | was sordId and mercenary
and n number of other unpleasant things;
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

mo often, too often perhaps. | introduced
it much consideration. She would take n
day oil and think of 1t. 1t was 4 very serj-
Gus matter. She remarked that she made
all hor own clothes and was quite in love
with Homework. | couldn't sec what that
had to do with the case, but | was too polite
to say 40. However, as to her clothes, it
was honest of her not to let suspicion rest
upon anybody else. She would write me
soon. and meanwhile | need not despair.
This is the summary of Il conversation
which led me- to believe that Miss Lee was
somewhat eccentric. and perhaps Il tritle
sentimental for one of her age, which must
have been about thirty-ive.
My next GAIL was Mt the house of Miss
Helen Elizabeth Graves in Weehaw ken. |
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

guns of Faragut's and Dahlgren's day,
and the splendid armament that is to
adorn the new ships. The old ffteen-inch
Dahlgren, which was then the apotheosls
or marine artillery. weighed about $4,000
pounds. WAS about fifteen feet long. took a
charge of eiehty-ive pounds of powder, and
could carry a %450-pound solid shot, with eff
fectlve force. a distance of 2.0N yards. fhe
biggest gun now being made at the Wash
!nRton yard is the twelve-inch, %high-power
breech loading rifle. 1t, like all the
new guns, is built upon a forged
steel tube. jacketed and hcoped with steel
hoops or bands of varying widths but uni
form thickness, until over the breech there
are three th%icknesses, over the main body
of the gun, forward of the trunniores two,
and over the remainder of the gun clear to
the muzzle, one. Two of these twelve inch
guns are now on the lathes in the great gun
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03
EN- ESCAl.
\ Triple of Lowly Origin, but II Head
Sinner All the Same.

n ripple OF Lowry origin, Hut u Head
Sinner All the Same.
The humble but inspiring mescal is de-
rived from such imposing scientific terms
as the aguave Americana, maguey and
American aloe, saws the Phoenix (Ariz. Her
aid. In his report to Agricultural Secre-
tary Rusk. Special Agent poston, of this
city. says the plant is n species of tho mum
erous family of cacti Indigenous to Arizona,
Southern California, Texas, New Mexico
and Mexico. The Aztecs, when found by
the Spaniaras, used tho plant for cardape
mating, b:ooms. brushes, shoes, bedding
ana various domestic purposes. they
roasted the pulp for food md fermented
the juice into "pnlque." The latter has
been improved by modern civilization into
the strong, but not repulsive drink. called
mescal. The maguey plant natures in
seven years. cabbage-headed III share,
with pricklv guards. 1t weighs
from twenty-five to fifty pounds. Tho
various layers, as roasted by tho natives,
are nutritious and purpativc. The pulp is
termented IN arawhide vat. The CITY of
Mexico drinks 256.Oo0 pints of pulque daily.
or n punt per capita, which rate prevails
generally Throughout Moxico, puluue benz
beer IN Germany or "~budgo' IN, Yankee
dom. Mlescal flowers make excellent honey.
Deer and antelope sock them eagerly. Tho
stalk of the plant grows twelve To twenty
feet high, and is used in Mexican domestic
architecture. Mescal distilluries nse very
simple and more secret than any moon
still. Maguey has been immom2r-
tally cultivated in old Mexico. but 1t is not
raised north of the line. In Arizona for
twenty live wears past ,nescai hRs averaged
S2,50pe gallon new, with 81 added FOR each
year of maturity. A higher grade article liz
called tequila, and il worth over $40 per
gallon.
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

comes from every throat, and ''!Steady!''
''Steady!n fills the air. Sparks fly from the
great mass of metal. and when anything
goes amiss Commodore Folgor takes n
hand. J hen the fun begins. The sparks,
the heat. the general excitement go for
naught when Folger bursts forth. The
brilliant young commodore in charge of
gun manufacture has a vocabulary of in
~vective which for forcaful picturesqueness
and variety would shame anybody in sa-
tan's dominion. When the jacket doesn't
so on just as it ought, the atmosphere is
not only hot but it is sulphurous.
But usually everything works smoothly
and in a few hours the gun and it's jacket
are sufficiently cooled to be removed. The
cooling process is done by the insertion of
a pipe carrying cold water to the inner sur
face of the tube; this makes the cooling
gradual and obviates the possibility of
flaws and cracks in the structure.
From the pit, the gun with it's jacket,
now adhering more closely than poor re-
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03
Newspaper Row 1T Night.

Newspaper Row bounds tho eastern side
of the square with the workshops of thu
grent dailies. They rise. ono above the
other, in the humorous hopat that tho public
will believe the length of their subscription
lists is in proportion to the height of thoiT
towers. They ara aggreasively active snd
wide awake IN the silonee of the night nbout
them. Ii Lights from tho hundreds 0e
windows glow like furnaces, and tina quick
and impatient beating of the gronning
presses sounds like the roaring Of the suas
There aho is-the great engIne-sho never
sleeps. Sho has hor ambassadors Ii ivory
quarter Of the world, her c~onriorH on oysyy
road. Her officers march along with armies
and her eiyoys enter lato tile Statements
cabinet" hut the ambassadors she sands
to the court to-day are q very different s0ro
of ambassadors from those Of whom M,
Warrington spoke, and they sre probably
not quito sc useful From .'ByoRdw way Y W
Il. IL. Davis, III May hcrtbnsr.
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03
Umbrella and Cane Fiends.

A nan just back from a winter In Ger
many says to a Now York Sun reporter,
"Ihe only way of stopping the dangerous
practice of carrying canes md umbrellas
horizontally has long been known to tho
people OF Berlin. There Il man no sooner
tncks his walking stick under his arm than
he feels n quick blow on ii from behind. n
either drops to the pavement or assumes
the only proper and 6afe position in WHOM
u stick can be carried. There ia no use IN
his getting angry with tho person who
struck tina blow, or in his trying to do him
up. Tor public opinion is with the regulator
OF tho harbarous and indefensible practice
of which | speak. ! have seen dozens of
Americans treated to this discipline III I'm.
ter den Linden while thoy werD e%ndhngor-
ing the eyes and dlsoommoding tho bodies
OF the crowds there. Most OF them whirled
about with fight br istling all over them, but
II glance or two at the angry facea around
them usually suliced to calm them down."
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03
THE SWALIOW'spsONG

I've secnl I've scent
flhe swallow cries.l
Whit have YOU seen
Meath springs cold Hkies2w
The children In tho fields ut plny,
The flowers coming mp this way,
The gay green things. more tsreeri each dRy,
Pyo sosn. Two seem
I've seen, I've aeon!
fIho6wnllow enid,l ".
what have you ne3n2
Last year III driai,
And clouds AFRO driving oserhead."
Two seep tie brides line their nestb
With yellow eatkins' sjlken Grests. e
And warm their dear egsa 'nsatll their breaets
Pvo econ! I've scent
I've seen! l've seen!
Nomes twitteriDgly.1
What have YOU teen2
cannot see." alf NJ
Tho deserts where tall palm trees ris0,
The wide blue water; and tho skies
Where warmth of III MINER ever lies;
I've seen! I've SOC n!
I've scen! I've seen! 4
oh, glad true gong!
I've nothing no
Ny whole life long. M
a child l've beeIa with blinded eyes;
Ieacli mo, y birdie, TO be wise; Il
-. u. hMoW that. afGer cold and min,
1 he sweet green gladneas comes again, 81
And even during winters reign
I4oyes law is strong
y ransiated from the French by Crona Tenn
dc for Caaseii's Magazine.
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

though he's young, rich and handsome.
Many of them had refused Tom himself,
'and they We're all single from preference
and from no other reason whatever. With
such evidence as that before me | was able
to answer the question, is Marriage Be
coming unpopular decidedly in the af-
tirmatlye.'
Maude was laughing now.
''You dear old goose" she said, II
hadn't read anything but the title of your
article. If it contains what you say it
does, l should advise you not to print it at
all.
l couldn't quite make her out. She
seemed to believe that the women | had
quoted were not wholly sincere, although
they were among her most intimate assoc
ciates. She made so much fun of them that
| resolved to supplement their testimony by
further Investigation.
/ made up Il list of the names of twelve
unmarried women living in suburban
towns. Most of them wrote a little but ap-
peared to be otherwise Of sound mind. |
had no real acquaintance with any of them.
but we had had some triAing correspondence
on matters pertaining to the mushv under
crust of letters and had met occasionally in
ill -ventilatei unte-rooms where We were
waiting till our turn came to offer some of
this literary dough to various editors.
Nevertheless. We did not despise each other.
l intended to interview these ladies on
the subject of marriage, without letting
them know that their views were intended
for publication. Or course in placing these
innocent victims before the public / shall
be obliged to provide them with fictitious
names.
1 first called upon Miss Lucy Gray Lee, CT
Hoboken. She writes fashion letters m is
the worst dressed woman in New Jersey.
This is not due to poverty, because she
isn't poor; it is the result of inherent bad
taste and the persistent following of her
own printed advice.
Miss Lee remembered me. and she
blushed to confess-that is, she said she
blushed, but l had her in n bad light and
couldn't honestly say that | noticed it--she
blushed to confess that she had thought of
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03
4 Rrnlrin Donna NALL

wyoming man has settled tho question
of how the prairie dogs obtain tho water
they drink, lie says they dig thor own
wells. each village having one with u con -
opening. He says he knows of sew
eral of these wells. from so to 200 feet deep,
zach having Il circular stairway leading
down TO the water.
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

fastening the RESI- onsihilsty of everything
upon some official by name. Here i'll hapuv
England the system is that no man shall be
responsible for anything. The country is
80 soft, so lndolent, 80 ignorant, 30 rich
and 80 careless. that 1t il perfeetly contented
with tlating down the stream gully to COM
ing disaster, when tho awakening will
be too late: but wise old Uncle Sam
insists upon some one naval Official being
re ponsible by name for each individual
thing. All these ~oilicers being on the ac-
tive list of the navy their w llvos may
depend, tho next yenr, on the car6tulness
of their work this year. 1t il then no Won
der that not ono of the Washington guns
has ever burst, or failed to do what it was
intended to do"
Everybody understands the general
points OF difference between tho monster"
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

built AT the cost OF about 80 cents a pound.
This will make the hirteen-inch guns cost
about $4,000 each. and the twelve-inc CHI
guns about $50. 900 each. The commodore
thinks he can build Il sixteen inch gun for
40 cents a pound, which would make such n
gun cost a little less than 100000. He
thinks, however, that the navy will build
the reason that the great 10O-ton guns of
European navies are practically failures.
IL. u. BoGART.
f.pI,
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

Terror, tho Maine, and partially urm the
Monterey. Eight twelve inch guns AFRO To
be III hde-four to arm the Puritan, two for
tho Texas and two for the Montctey.
Twelve of the big thirteen-inch guns are to
be, m%nde--four each for the three battieships
now building. The thirteen inch guns have
not been began. though the contract for
the forgihRH are lot. Commodore FolRer
says That all these great guns arc being
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

Francisco. mere is WuaG inc JWelVe-lncQ
gun can do, and a comparison with the
biggest gun of thirty years ago, is not only
interesting but almost ridiculous. Let US
put it in intelligent form for comparison:
THE TRIUMPH OF DAHLGREN.
Calibre of gun...........- ..............13 In.
Length OF gun . 1T. y IN.
Weight OF .....43,45o lbs.
Powder charge ...,...,. 30 lbs.
Weight of solid shot. .45O lbs.
The TRIUMPH OF FoLGER,
Calibre of gun II in.
Weight Of gun. As tons Gos, i67 lbs.J
Eife5 tive range for distance destruc- /, miles.
Thickness of steel which pro.ectile osl ;,a
will penetrate at muzzle...-.,.... goa ms
1t is perhaps unfair, however to call this
Pinch gun young Commodore Folger's
triumph, seeing that he is vet but a kid,
and has already contracted for twelve still
bigger gun That he can make them goes
without saying, for the steel forcings are
already contracted for. These are tsvelve 13-
inch gnns. four of which are to be mounted
on each of the three new battle ships. Indi-
ana, Massachusetts and Oregon. "It is
astonishing what an inch increase of cali
bre leads to in calculating the power of
modern ordnance" said the young commo-
dore, as he showed the writer the plans,
specifications. and a cute little steel model
OF this infant of ordnance.
almost as much in proportion said
Capt. Barber, who was present, "as an
inch in addition to the length of a mans
nose.'
Here are the figures on the thirteen
inch euns'' said Commodore Folger, Com
pare them with DahlGren's triumph"
NailDTe Oh gun. q. -, ~ IN.
Length of gun. 40 it,
Wpiphf of INN 30 tons 135 $50 Lbs
Powder charge. =. 550 lbs.
weight OF prOlcctlle. .-..s........,, ! 100 lbs.
"Ihe range and penetrating force of these
guns will be but slightly more than the
eleven-inch, but the crushing force incident
The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-03

shop. They are to arm the forward case
mate, or barbette of the coast defense YES
sci Monterey. about to be launched at San
Francisco. Here is what the twelve-inch
gun can do. and a comparison with the
biggest gun of thirty years ago, is not only
interesting but almost ridiculous. Let US
put it in intelligent form for comparison:
THE TRIUMPH OF DAHLGREN.
The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1891-01-30
Queer Race.

"The queerest race I ever heard Of"
said Maj. Wstherill in the Colonnade
to a Philadelphia Press reporter. Twas
proposed at Devon inn a few years ago
by one of the guests, IN Italian noble-
man, Count Montglas. A crowd Of us
were talking about horses one day on
the veranda. aud Montglas offered to
wager that he could successfully run
any active pig in Chester county
against any horse there. and beat the
horse, over n twenty-five yards course.
As was natural, we roared at the idea,
but the count persisted that he could
do so, aud then we supposed there was
some catch in the wager and nobody
took 1t.
after awhile Montglas and I were
left alone on the yeranda. aud he told
me that he vas sincere In the bet, and
explained how it was that a pig could
ontrun n horse over twenty-five yards.
OF course it takes a horse a long time
to get under way, and it was on this
alone that the count placed his faith.
He would have the course decided
upon, and over it would scatter q line
OF corn, at the end placing a big double
LituuluI. 4tcu uo NOuiu IelehS6 lL0
pig, and the latter would start along,
enting the corn as he went, until reach
ing the end, where he would find the
double handful. Later on that day the
process would be repeated and the pig
would move hurriedly, eat along The
scattered kernels, in an endeavcr to
reach the pilo, twenty-five yards away.
The next day considerably less corr
would be scattered over the course,
but the double handful would still be
placed at the end. Within n week
only a very few grains would mark the
line to the capital prize. and on being
releazed the pig would start off al
breakneck speed in his greediness tc
get the latter. well" continued the
major, ION the day of the race there
would be no corn at all scattered on
the course, but piggy would be squir,n'
ing and wriggling to get off toward the
pile. When NIL would be ready the
word "Gov" would be given; the pig
would be freed, and away he'd start n.
If shot from a cannon. By the time
the horse could get fairly under way
the pig would be half over the course
just tearing himself almost apart tt
reach that handful of grain. You see
Montglas didn't count on the pigs legs
but on his appetite"
The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1891-01-30

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A Book Of 100 pages, on "wo.
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