davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
The "sand Anger" Phenomena.

One of the most curious wind phenome-
mons is the ''sand augers" which are OBJ
served on wide plains where the atmos-
phere is hot and dry. When the Union
Pacific railway was being constructed the
workmen had frequent opportunities of
witnessing the formation and progress of
these sand anger" whirlwirds. They
were especially frequent in the Lodge Pole
Greek valley, through which the railway
leaving the Platte river, runs in a norther-
ly direction.
The first indications of the near approach
of one of these "augers' would be the for
nation here and there in the valley of lit
tie dust whIrlwinds or baby cyclones
These would be whisked away by strong cur
rents of cool air coming from no one knew
where, but all drawing across the valley
toward the eastern range of hills, their
places being almost instantly occupied by
fast advancing, funnel shaped cloud, like
that observed hanging over waterspouts
which are forming at sea.
From under the surface of this low living
cloud a sway.ng tongue of lead colored va
por would prolong itself toward the earth,
from which, IS if to meet the monster of
the air, Woul| rise cloud of dirt and sand
This earth column would rise higher and
higher, with swift, whirling motion, be-
coming more compact all the while, until
the blue black vapor from above and the
brown mass from below would unite and
form the typical sand anger of the plains -
The diameter of these augers seldom eX-
ceeded fifteen or twenty feet at the ground,
but their bulk increased with their height,
until they were merged into the broad sur
face of the thick murky vapor of the cloud
above. When this occurred lightning
flashes would sport about the upper stra-
tum of the cloud and immense hailstones
be formed in the dark point beneath. When
all conditions were favorable these hail
stones would be thrown, by centrifugal
force, out from the revolving cloud. These
hailstones were almost invariably of a flat
disk shape, from three to six inches in
diameter, an inch to an inch and half
thick, and made up of alternate layers of
sand and ice.-St. Louis Republic.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
Victories of an OarSman.

My first great race was also my first
great victory. When 1 arrived at Phila-
delphia in 1876, there were assembled all
the great oarsmen in the world. I became
a laughing stock for them because of my
style of rowing and my rigging. The pre-
vailing rigging for SOULS then was the s.
inch sliding seat; oars, 10 feet 3inches long,
with blades 81 inches wide, and footboard
having an angle of 20 dogs. I went there
with 26-inch sliding seat, 81 foot oars, with
619inch blades and an angular foot brace
at 40 deg. angle. When the race came off
| won by several lengths.
Since then this rigging has advanced the
speed of racing a minute mile. l then
went to England. and they laughed there;
but l beat them out of s. ght. All England
then used my rigging. l met Trickett in
England and won 100000 for my friends
on this race Then / defeated Laycock in
the same way. then went to Australia
and was defeated by Beach through a col
lision with steamer. The Australian
climate undermined my constitution, and
l was defeated several times there, but
could never get the Australians to meet
me in neutral waters-Edward Hanlan in
Ladies' Home Journal.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
A CITY Victim.

1t is not always the countrymen who are
victimized by INSCRIPTIONS confidence
men. [ lately became acquainted with the
case of a young married lady who has re-
sided in this city all her life, but whose
knowledge of its ways was not sufficient
to warn her Of its rascality. Her husbands
business compels him to be away from
New York for several months at a time
During his recent absence she was visited
by very gentlemanly appearing person,
who persuaded the servant to allow him
into the parlOr by the statement that he
had called on important business.
When the lady of the house came down
he whispered to her in an impressiveiy
mysterious way that he was a private de-
tective, and that in the course of his pro-
fession he had gained possession of some
facts about her during her husbands alb
sence which would distress that gentleman
very much. The rascal then detailed the
particulars of his story, which, however
false, was cleverly constructed and showed
that he had made himself in some measure
acquainted with the friendships and the
social visits of his victim. Of course she
should have had the fellow arrested at
once But she was thoroughly frightened
at his manner and Mortified by what he
said She hurriedly gave him all the
money she had at the time, and not until
he had gone did she realize the complete
folly of her act.-New York Recorder.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
The Parrots Laugh.

Some years ago l possessed a parrot
which, among its other accomplishments,
could mimic perfectly the cooks call for
Kitty, the household cat.
Polly's cage hung usually i'll the kit
chen, and Kitty's favorite mode Of exit
in the summer was through the adjoin-
ing window and along the wooden parti-
ton fence which ran up to it.
No sooner would Polly observe Kitty
summing herself at the end of the fence
or in the yard than up would go the cry:
'.Here, Kitty, Kitty! Here, Kitty, Kittyp
and the deluded quadruped hardly ever
failed to respond by dashing rapidly to-
ward the window.
Then that mischievous parrot would
chuckle and flap its wings and yell, "Ho,
no, hor'-thereby clearly demonstrating
its intense enjoyment of the practical
joke played upon the credulous cat.
Do you think that Polly did not laugh!
If so, 1 don't know what laugh is
New York Telegram.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
Poultry Lore.

Grain is too high to feed to culls.
Two meals day are sufficient, except
for the late broods.
Whole grain is better than wet messes
for warm weather.
Fresh water daily and clean drinking
vessels will do much toward preventing
disease.
Put brood or two of late Matched
chicks in the asparagus patch to catch
beetles and slugs.
Open sheds should take the place Of
coops now. They afford shelter by night
and shade by day and ventilation at all
times.
The high price of grain will be real
benefit if 1t leads poultry keepers to util-
ize more perfectly the products Of the
garden and dairy as poultry food.
Yarded fowls should have daily run
of an hour or two. They can do little
damage if allowed the freedom OF the
lawn or garden for an hour in the evening.
While it is not well to count chickens
before they are Matched, it is prudent to
count them frequently afterward. If a
a brood grows less by degrees, or all at
once, investigate until you know the
reason why.-Farm Journal.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23

illness. am watching you. I am waiting
for you" With respect to your child the
words of my text have been fulfilled,
'Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat
will be empty"
AN INVITATION UPWARD.
My hearers, 1 have gathered up the
voices of your departed friends and tried
to intone them into one invitation upward.
1 set in array all the vacant chairs Of your
homes and of your social circle, and l bid
them cry out this morning: Time is short.
Eternity is near. Take my Saviour. Be at
peace with my God. Come up where 1 am.
We lived together on earth; come let US
live together in heaven" We answer that
invitation. We come. Keep a seat for us,
as Saul kept seat for David, but that seat
shall not be empty. And oh! when we are
all through with this world, and we have
shaken hands all around for the last time,
and all our chairs in the home circle and in
the outside world shall be vacant, may we
be worshiping God in that place from
which we shall go out no more forever.
I thank God there will be no vacant
chairs in heaven. There we shall meet
again and talk over our earthly heart
breaks. How much you have been through
since you saw them last? On the shining
shore you will talk it all over. The heart
aches. The loneliness. The sleepless
nights. The weeping until you had no
more power to weep, because the heart was
withered and dried up. Story of empty
cradle and little shoe only half worn out
never to be worn again, just the shape of
the foot that once pressed it. And dreams
when you thought the departed had come
back again, and the room seemed bright
with their faces, and you started up to
greet them and in the effort the dream
broke and you found yourself standing
amid room in the Neutrality-suspicious..
Talking it all over, and then, hand in
hand, walking up and down in the light
No sorrow, no tears, no death. Oh, heaven!
beautiful heaven! Heaven where our
friends are. Heaven where we expect to
be. In the east they take a cage of birds
and bring it to the tomb of the dead, and
then they open the door of the cage, and
the birds, flying out, sing. And [ would
today bring a cage of Christian consola-
tions to the grave Of your loved ones, and
would open the door and let them fill all
the air with the music of their voices.
Oh, how they bound in these spirits be-
fore the throne! Some shout with glad
ness Some break forth into uncontrolla-
Ole weeping Tor JOY. some SCand speech
less in their shock of delight. They sing
They culver with excessive gladness. They
gaze on the temples, on the palaces, on the
waters, on each other. They weave their
joy into garlands, they spring it into tri-
umphal arches, they strike in on timbrels,
and then all the loved ones gather in a
great circle around the throne of God-fa-
theirs, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and
daughters, lovers and friends, hand to
hand around about the throne of God-the
circle ever widening hand to hand, joy to
joy, jubilee to jubilee, victory to victory,
until the day break and the shadows fee
away Turn thou, my beloved, and be
like roe or young hart upon the noun
tains of Bether"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
ODDS AND ENDS.

Chicago will build a home for working
girls.
There is nothing fos which man has to
pay so dear as he does for the privilege of
being stingy.
He is the worst enemy of a woman's
reputation who seeks to defend it when he
has not the right.
''Trawl deep while sluggards sleep, and
you'll have fish to sell and keep" is the
Monhegan version of an old proverb.
In cooking vegetables always remember
that boiling water evaporates rapidly on
the approach of storm or when it is rain
ing.
Serpentine striped materials are made up
so as to bring them wound around the
body in a zigzag, snaky manner which is
rather startling.
To wash silk and satin ribbons plunge
them in gasoline and rub till clean. Rinse
in basin of fresh gasoline and hang out
to dry. Then press.
The feelings which make most show on
the surface are seldom summoned from
great depths, and the truest sympathy is
commonly the most silent.
Don't throw off your outside clothing
and sit in a draught when you are owe
heated unless you wish to affect an over
coat of ligneous composition.
A brother of Mark Twain is an attorney
in Keokuk, the old home of the humorist
He is well to do financially and devotes
but little time to his profession.
The legal adviser of the mikado of Japan
is Henry w. Denison, who formerly lived
in New Hampshire, but has been resident
of Japan for twenty-three years.
Beau Brummel, speaking of man and
wishing to convey his maximum of con-
temptuous feeling about him, said: ''He is
a fellow, now, who would send his plate up
twice for soup"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
Women and Men.

Society is composed, principally, Of
women and ladies. They call upon each
other and bore each other fearfully, yet
each would feel mortally injured if the
other did not call.
The natural prey of man is woman and
of woman, man; but man has less leisure
to pursue his natural instincts.
The appreciation by which woman is
held by the male sex gives a good index, on
the inverse ratio method, of the estimation
in which she is held by her own.
Nor, though husband and wife are one
and indivisible, does it follow that the
admirers ofthe one will be equally attached
to the other? Politically speaking, Eng
land and Ireland stand to each other in a
very similar relationship.
Intellect in woman is appreciated by man
only in so far as it qualities her to appreci-
ate it in him-Murray' Magazine.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
TWO MILES A MINUTE.
Great Things Claimed by Its Inventor
for a One Wheel Cycle.

A one wheel cycle, eight feet high, that
greenhorn can learn to ride in minute
and then write his name in the dust with
it in fifteen feet of space, not to mention
speed capacity of two miles in sixty sec
onds on good track, is the astonishing in
vention which Victor Beranger, of Wor-
cester, editor of LIE Courier de Wor-
cester, claims to have produced after two
years of hard work.
He says his brother in Montreal rode the
phenomenon seventy-three miles in one
hour on an ordinary highway, and that
was at the rate of much more than mile
a minute Mr.. Beranger himself, on a
wager Of 800, will leave Worcester some
day in the presence CT a number of wit
nesses, SO he says, at the same time the
new "Chicago flyer" leaves for Boston, and
he promises to arrive at the Hub at least
fifteen minutes before the express train
reaches there. Notwithstanding that he
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
The First Departure for the Worlds Fair.

A small, rosy checked girl picked up her
doll and her doll's trunk and trudged a
mile or more over frosty roads until she
reached railway station. There she
boarded the first train that came along
and contentedly settled herself and her
doll into a vacant seat.
By and by the conductor appeared. He
looked down at the little woman, who was
pointing out flying trees and other objects
of interest to her travelling companion,
the doll.
"Where are you going, little one?" asked
the big man with buttons.
'Why. Pm going to the Worlds fair, of
course"
The conductor coughed.
AREN'T you rather early?" he asked. 81
don't believe the doors are open yet"
'Dear me-" said the child in alarm.
"what shall | do?"
perhaps you had better go home and
ask your mother" suggested the conductor.
And she did. She was loaded with pref
ty things by interested fellow passengers,
and returned to her mother in safety. We
may reasonably expect that she will be
among the first visitors when the Worlds
fair opens its householder Days.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
A New Electric Fog Signal.

A fog signal has been invented by Mr..
Norman Standard, of Bath, England. The
apparatus for carrying and exploding the
cartridges is fixed on the locomotive and
is adapted to be worked by the compressed
air or vacuum of the brake reservoirs. An
outer fixed cylinder has smaller cylindt :
sliding into it, this latter having a tube
fixed Numerically across it. The COM
pressed air can only escape to the atmos
phere through this cylinder and tube. The
compressed air first forces a cartridge from
the magazine into the tube. thus closing
egress of the compressed air. The inner
cylinder is then forced along till the cart
ridge in the tube is in safe position for
firing. In moving up the two needles have
been forced into the cartridge.
An electrical contact wheel is suspended
from the locomotive. When this comes on
a rail fixed for the purpose an electrical
circuit is closed and a spark sent between
the two needles. The cartridge is exploded
allowing the compressed air to escape, and
the tube IS pulled back by spring, to re-
peat the operation. The moving parts are
simple and the working is free from shocks.
The electrical apparatus consists of a bat
terry and small sparkling coil carried on
the engine.-New York Telegram.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
Summer Furniture.

Decorations for summer homes are now
engrossing The wide vine shaded piazzas
are justly regarded as the most delightful
lounging places and receive much atten-
ton from the tasteful housekeeper. Hand
some rugs are strewn about, low sewing
chairs flank trefoii and star shaped tables,
and divan piled with cushions is a sine
qua non of all well regulated piazzas. For
the lower and most used veranda one COW
cred with corduroy may be recommended
to wear indefinitely. Dark blue or stone
blue are good colors, though one seen last
summer of r.ch scarlet corduroy was won
derfully effective after the sun went down.
These couches are usually covered plain,
with a box plated valance of the material
around the seat. They are wide and low,
and their pillows are of many shs0es.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23

square, oploug, big and little. to fit into
restful attitudes. Such touches are put
out in May and are not taken indoors till
November, and even under such conditions
keep fresh for number of seasons Other
piazza divans are done up in blue denise,
which requires a little embroidery at least
on the pillows TO be effective.
For the upper verandas, where the wom-
en- of the family loiter through the morn
ings with sewing. reading and writing,
cane sofas, with sateen and china silk pill
lows, are popular. The cane work table,
with brass tipped legs, is apt to be found in
this alfresco sitting room, and a cane
rack to hold newspapers and magazines
secure from an invading breeze is another
essential.
Some novelties are seen in foot cushions
Among such are those of embossed leather
red and brown, pretty for the library and
dining room. Small tufted oblongs, close
ly resembling mattresses, are covered with
rugs, and are suitable for foot rests in any
room. For the cool looking white and gold
parlors and drawing rooms of pretentious
residences, the llama foot stools with gilt
feet are effective, and the young woman
whose slipper rests upon one may fancy
her pet poodle is supporting it.-Her Point
of View in New York Times.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
ODDS AND ENDS.

The United States has !, OO0, 900 miles Of
telegraph wires.
1t has been discovered that almanacs
date back to the year 100 A. D.
Unbound palm leaf fans are effectively
used in decoration of summer houses.
Woman's love of admiration is apt to
vary inversely with her power of exciting it.
The caterpillar is making fearful havoc
with the fruit trees in southern New Eng
land.
The hardest thing to do is to get people
to think of the things that concern them
most.
Take iron stains from marble with lem
on juice or a mixture of spirits of wine
and oXalic acid.
In Great Britain there is one elector to
about six of the populations; in Belgium
only one to about forty-six.
On Irish railways women are much en-
ployed as booking clerks, and in Dublin
tickets are given almost entirely by women.
A Sonoma county, Cal, vineyardist has
purchased 10000 paper bags to cover the
young vines and protect them from grass
hoppers.
All that can be sad or very slow people
is that it is their duty to avoid converse
ton and get through life as inoffensively
as possible.
1t has been found after elaborate expert
ments that sewage can be more efficiently
filtered through open sand than through
sand covered with soil.
The first dress of embroidered bobbinet
ever woven in France was presented to the
Duchess d'Anguleme, who, it was thought,
would be one day queen of France.
The cheval glass is becoming more and
more necessary piece of bedroom furni-
ture to the modern woman, and with it
come into use the dressing table and high
chest of drawers
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
The TradeIess People of Paria.

In great city like Paris there are thou
sands Of persons who have no trade or pro-
fession, and who are obliged to resort co all
sorts of tricks to get their daily bread.
Some manage to accomplish this feat hon
estly, while others work unscrupulously
upon the credulity of their fellows. Vau-
devillists and caricaturists repeatedly exer-
else their wit at the expense of the untor-
tunate ones whom necessity forces into
strange and improbable callings. Doubt
less these wits often eXaggerate the reality,
but the fact remains that there are quantl'
ties of poor wretches here who really get
their living by pursuing the queerest and
most ingenious occupations.
If you question one of these tradeless IN
dividuals upon his manner of living he
will reply, "Oh, l have dodge! 1t IS
very rare that he will consent to give you
more ample explanations. For common
mortals his way of procuring food, clothing
and lodging is decidedly enlgmatlcal
These men who invent 'dodges" generally
live in furnished lodgings, where the
chambers contain several beds.
A "dodger' divines, so to speak, man
who is in the same line of business, and the
similarity of their characters unites them
on common footing. They club together
to get rid of the strange merchandise that
others have invented. The one who creates
does not reveal his manner of inventing to
his partner, and this one in his turn con-
ceals as well as he can the profits obtained
by the sale. The mistrust is reciprocal.
The principal dodgers are the street ped
dlers who hawk about the thousand and
one ingenious toys that are constantly in
vented in this great city, who sell newspa-
pers when they have few francs in their
pocket to buy a stock from the wholesale
dealers in Rue du Croissant, or who traffic
in theater tickets during the evening"
Paris Cor. New York Epoch.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
The Newest Thing in Refrigeration.

The latest elaboration of the refrigera-
ton process is a new thing entirely A
plant has just been established near Wash
ingtOn market from which there is to be
supplied a current of cold that will chill
all the refrigerators in the stalls of the
market-Over 800 in number One of the
men who have worked for some years to
perfect the scheme has said: ''The COM
pany proposes to do what the great steam
distributing companies are doing, with a
difference. What they are doing is to dis
tribute and sell plus units of heat. What
we are doing is to distribute and sell minus
units of heat"
The only sense in which this is new is
that it is done on larger scale than ever
before 1t is like applying the principles
of the telephone to the long distance tele-
phone. AS has been already explained, the
idea of refrigerating an icebox or house
is not new. The idea of doing it from a
central plant, and supplying minus heat or
positive cold through pipes is new. 1t does
away with the handling of ice at each box
owned by a customer, and enables the
butchers and other dealers in the market
to keep their wares as long and as we'll as
if they were packed in ice. In one up town
hotel, where the plan has been in opera
ton for nearly two years, the saving has
been found to be over 70 per cent. of the
former cost. 1t is distinctly one of the
great steps forward in modern progress
Harper's Weekly.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23
A Sweet Line.

Cumso-Here's something very sweet ID
the newspaper.
Mrs. Cumso-Is it poem! Oh, read it
to me, please, dear!
Cumso Creading)-Twenty pounds of
granulated sugar for one dollar-Ner
York Epoch.