davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Jefferson City, Mo-, has come to the
front with a Courthouse Watermelon
club.
A peach 1874 inches in circumfer-
ence was raised in McMinn county,
Tenn, this season.
-Snake-hunting about lockwood,
Tenn. VIII Tedder killed in one day one
old snake and thirty-one young ones. ,
Until August Grand Sole, La, had
had but two showers since April IA
Wells had gone dry and vegetation was
whitening.
One of Wichita's leading physicians
is liable to be called to active service in
the German army in case of emergency;
He is on life furlough from the army:
One of the visitors to the Tennessee
centennial was a Rutherford county
man, 81 years old, who. until his trip
to the Nashville exposition, had never
been on railroad train.
The Santa Fe railroad has selected a
fuil-bIooded Indian as station agent at
Wilmore, Kan. He is c. II. lookout,
VI no once NOTTtu DIS Il St''llOI uCllld Ol
the road, but learned telegraphy and
educated himself in English.
Children of New Orleans are have
ing great times shooting improvised
chutes made of boards, down which
they slide in wooden boxes, first greas
ing the chute we'll with lard or tallow
candles. These chutes are put up ia
the back yards.
A Wichita map has invented an ap.
pliance which he says is to be attached
to brooms used in hospitals. 1t is q
tank to hold disinfectants. and is ar.
ranged so that the stroke of the broom
feeds the liquid to the straws, distrib,
uting it regularly as the broom is drawn
over the floor.
Great numbers of red oak trees in
the region of Long Beach. Miss, have
been mysteriously whitening in a day
and apparently dying. The only guess
made as to the cause is that in this
stage of the sap flow the trees are un;
able to withstand the drought which
has marked the season there.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23

how much romance was in after years
TO attach to the story of the fight, they
might have kept the old ship in re-
pair, as Admiral Nelson's old Victory
has been preserved. The Chesapeake
was sent to England, where she must
have been the object of great interest;
but in 1920 she, too, was taken to
pieces. This was probably done in the
harbor of Southampton, for her tim
bers were sold to one John Prior, the
owner of a -four mill in the little town
of WicBham, near Southampton. He
pulled down his mill, and used the great
beams of the American frigate in build
ing a new one. The great deck tim
beers, 80 feet long and IS inches square,
served for floor beams in the mill, and
the smaller ones for uprights, all with
out being cut or altered in any way.
OF course many of them were full Of
the shot fired by the Shannon in the
fight, and the shot are there still.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
THE CHEEK ELEPHANTS.
Queer Fenture of m American Claim
Against Sham.

\ crisis seems to be at hand in the
affairs of the Cheek estate. Within a
few weeks there must be decided wheth-
er aid will be given to the heirs of the
deceased tea king, or the last hope OF
something being gained in the suit
against the Siamese government aban.
dOned.
But there is one difficulty which con-
fronts the men who have thus far taken
charge of the case for the heirs of DR..
Marion \. Cheek. When the Siamese
government, in behalf of its claim that
il should compel payment of the inter-
est on its loan to DR.. Cheek, seized all
of his property and confscated the
main portion of the assets, the logs
in the streams, it allowed to be dissi-
pated this portion of the estate. Ly-
ing in the streams awaiting transport
tation to market were logs to the value
of 100000 ticals, or nearly 100000. but
there was no care taken to preserve
these assets of the American, so when
it came TO settlement there was fro1t
enough to pay the claims of the govern
ment. As a result the government at
once laid claim to the herd of 76 ele.
plants of DR.. Cheek.
Soon after this came the death of Dr.
Cheek. The administrator of the estate
found himself in a most peculiar posi-
ton as regards the principal assets in
the hands of the representative of the
dead lumberman, those IS elephants.
An elephant is not the least expensive
of luXuries when he is purely one. The
counter claim of the Siamese govern
ment, set up to prevent the sale of the
elephants. operated at the same time
to prevent the leasing or pawning of
the beasts. And they were being fed
and tended and literally "eating their
heads off" Now it is found that there
is not available enough money to send
counsel to prepare the case for final
submission.
Unless the state department will
agree to have Minister Barrett hire an
attorney, taking a lien on any iudg-
ment obtained for the expense. there
seems to be a hard road before the es-
tate in its efforts to collect damages
for what is considered a most out
rageous confiscation of the estate of an
American citizen. San Francisco
Chronicle.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
SCIENCE GAINS FACTS.
Prince Luigi's Expedition Answers
Questions About Mount St. Elias.

The expedition of Prince Luigi of
Savoy to the summit Of Mount st. Elias
has determined two facts of importance
to the scientific world. 1t has fixed
once for all the altitude of Mount St.
Elias at 1920 feet. The figures are
subject only TO such slight corrections
as may change the total 80 or 40 feet
either way. The expedition has also
answered definitely and in the negative
the question so long asked by scientists
as to whether or not St. Elias was ar
one time great volcano. There is not
the slightest indication of volcanic ac-
ton anywhere. \ new glacier was dis
covered by the explorers from the
eEinence of Mount St. Elias between
the Augusta mountains and great Lo-
gan. 1t takes its course apparently to
the sea, and was named by the prince
Colombo"
The route was absolutely unknown.
The advance up these glaciers and mo-
raines took 80 days, or until July 4, on
which day the prince declared for the
entire party general holiday. AT Pin
nacle pass was found the first evidence
of Russelfs expedition in 1891, in the
shape of a tent bottom and a single
rusty fork.
Finally the foot of the divide con-
meeting Mount St. Elias and Mount
Newton was reached with a supply Of
provisions to last 10 days. The elevation
was 5000 feet. The Americans in the
party raised the stars and stripes over
the camp in the great hills and Prince
Luigi and his party cheered again and
again in honor of the flag.
At one o'clock on the morning of July
81 they commenced the ascent of the
great mountain. For II hours the up
ward climb was made, and exactly five
minutes before ~ o'clock the summit
of St. Elias was beneath the feet of the
explorers.
When they reached the tOpmost peak
there was neither wind nor fog, and the
thermometer was only 20 below freez-
ing. The prince planted the Italian flag
on the topmost peak and photographed
it. He then cached the Italian and
American flags. The prince does not
consider the ascent ditficule except for
the last few hundred feet, which is a
solid mass of ice.-Chicago Inter Ocean.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
THE CHESAPEAKE MILL.
Building Made from the Timbers of
Famous Battle Ship

Eh"ous bhttAe snip.
In st. Nicholas there is an article
on The Chesapeake Mill" by William
Abbatt, accompanied by picture of
the interesting old building, probably
the first one ever printed. Mr.. Abbatt
says:
If there is a naval fight in our history
about which every schoolboy ought to
know-to use an expression of which
historians are rather fond-it is the sea
fight between the man of war Chesa-
peake and the British Shannon, off
Boston harbor, on the LIST of June, 1913.
1t has been so often told that l will not
tell it over again except in the brief
est way. The Chesapeake was cap
tured, chiefly or altogether through
the mutinous conduct of part of her
crew, who refused to work the cannon
on her lower deck at all. Capt Law
renee and Lieut.. Ludlow were killed,
or, to be exact, the captain died of his
wounds four days after the loss of his
ship, and the Shannon took her prize
into the harbor of Halifax, where her
arrival caused the greatest rejoicing.
The dying words of Lawrence, as he
was carried from the deck, Don't give
up the ship!" have been familiar to our
boys and girls for more than 80 years.
It is these words that make the com
bat most memorable. They are a good
motto in every trouble of life. Don't
give up the ship-don't despair, lose
heart, surrender, but take courage, and,
like Gen. Grant, Fight it out on this
line if it takes all summer"
With the Chesapeake's entrance into
Halifax harbor all trace of her disap-
pears from our smaller histories. Some
years after the war of 1912 was over,
the English naval authorities decided
that the Shannon was useless, and had
her broken up. think, if they realized
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.


AT sea level an object 10 feet high
is visible little over 10 miles. If 5OOl
feet high it is visible nearly 30 miles. -,
"A mole will starve to death in day
or two if not fed. This greediness
makes it a most valuable ally against
Insects.
1t rains on an average of POS days.
in the year in Ireland, about $50 in
England, at Kozan about 80 days, and
in Siberia only 60 days.
The records of So years show that
tornadoes have a width of ten to 10, $50
feet, length of track of 300 yards to
200 miles, and velocity of progression
Of seven to 100 miles an hour.
The mole's fore limb is enormous
" muscular for digging, in which they
work with front paws turned edgewise
toward the sun and palms outward,
working from the median line toward
either side.
Many OF the streets of Paris are
lined with trees. If a tree dies another
of the same kind, age and size is
u ought lIOll Illt state iOItSiS anu pun
in its place. The cost is tremendous,
but Paris is the most beautiful of mod
ern cities.
More than 5000 species of plants
are cultivated, and most of these have
been broken up into varied forms by
the hand of man. Horticulturists
create new species, and show numbers
of cultivated plants of which no one
knows the original form.
The mole's entire body is so shaped
thatiteasily works forward in burrow.
Its nose is pointed and shaped very much
like hoof. He tapers off behind so as
to offer a minimum of resistance, and to
his eXquisitely soft fur the soil does not
stick, so that while at work in making
his burrow his body is always perfectly
clean.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
THE SNAIL'S TONGUE.
1t Is One of the Most Wonderful
Things of Nature.

Things of Nature.
A snaiIs tongue is really one of the
most wonderful things in nature, and
if larger animals were endowed with as
destructive an apparatus in the way
OF tongue, in comparison to their size,
it would be dreadful thing.
A snails tongue is literally saw, and
a handsaw at that. 1t is long and COW
cred over the entire surface with teeth
so minute that 10000 of them have
been counted on tongue. The tongue
is kept coiled up and only about a
sixth of the length used At a time.
When the teeth of this section become
dull another section is uncoiled and
used. This is kept up until the entire
tongue has been used, when it is cooled
up again, and a fresh start made, for
the teeth on the unused part have in
the meantime grown to be as sharp as
ever.
The rouf of the mouth is as hard as
a bone, ard any substance that is to be
cut is drawn between the tongue and
this hard roof and literally sawed or
rasped off.
A man with knife could hardly trim
off a leaf and leave cleaner or
straighter edge than the snail leaves,
and there is nothing of the proverbial
slowness of the snail in its work.-Cin-
cinnati Commercial Tribune.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23

As well as losing Sultan, Paris has
just lost her famous cat. His name was
Bis and he enjoyed an income of 10000
francs. His mistress, Nine. Lelievre,
who lived in the Rue Quatre Fills, on her
deathbed drew up will in Bis favor,
and died happy. BY French law she
could not leave the money directly 20
Bis, so she hit upon the plan of leaving
10000 francs 10 the schools of her dis
trict on the condition that her grave
should be kept green, and that Bis be
allowed to trim his whiskerS in peace
and comfort as long as he lived Natur-
ally the bequest was not refused. Bis
was placed in charge of a concierge in
the Rue du Piatre, between whom and
the school managers a contract was
drawn up in due form to the effect that
the concierge was to receive IS francs
every three months, in return for which
she was to take good care of Bis and buy
him meat and milk daily. But now Bis
Is dead, and the schools will get the
money.-London Post.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
4 Neat Little Experiment..

If one wishes by means of a simple
optical illusion to obtain an almost per-
feet imitation of the wonders of radiog-
raphy he may take a small turkey
feather, and, holding it close to the eye,
look through the radiating ribs at the
end of the feather at the ends of the
fingers of his hand, held against the
window. The flesh will appear to be
transparent, with the Opaque bone run.
ming down in the center, as shown by
true photography. If gas light is used
a piece of ground glass must be held
before the fame, to diffuse the light
Chicago Inter Ocean.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
BURIED THE SNAKE.
How Prairie Dogs Disposed of mn
EviI-Disposed Reptile.

In conversation with gentleman who
has Just made a trip through western
Indian territory picked up something
new and interesting to me in regard to
the habits of the prairie dog and rattle
snake. This party said that few weeks
ago, while resting under small tree
in the territory where there was dog
some dogs near him; they would run
up to place and peep at something and
then scamper off. Looking 20 see what
was the matter, he saw that there were
about Is to 90 dogs around a rattle
snake, which at length went into one OF
the dog holes. AS soon as he had disap'
peared the little fellows began to push
in dirt, evidently to fill the hole up
but about the time they got enough
dirt to cover the entrance the snake
stuck his head up through the dirt and
every dog scampered off to a safe dis
lance, all the time keeping up an in
cessant barking. The snake slowly
crawled to another hole about a rod dis
tant and went in, and then up came the
dogs again and went to work to push
the dirt up before them to the hole,
This time they succeeded in their enter
prise and completely covered the en-
trance to the hole, and then went to
work, using their noses to lamp with
and pounding the dirt down hard, after
which they went away. My friend went
to the place and said he was surprised
to find they had packed the dirt in solid
snake well to the ground.-Forest and
S+raa1,
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
QUEER RACING.
Massachusetts Offers II House-BuiId-
ing Contest as IL Novelty.
clean.

The latest novelty in races is house
building race. The only one so far run
seems to have come out a dead heat.
Recently a real estate company auc-
toned off a number of lots in Western
avenue, Westfeld, Mass, and with the
idea of booming the neighbOrhOod Of
fered prizes. Five hundred dollars to
the first, $500 to the second, was offered
the builders of new houses. One of the
lot purchasers, a contractor named
Rivers, began at once to build. The
work was not hurried at first, as there
was apparently no competitor. One APP
pCared, however, four days after work
had commenced.
A Mrs. Lee was the owner, and night
ard day men worked on her building.
Rivers responded with double gangs Of
men, and. for several days the race went
pn without a pause until both houses
were finished almost exactly together.
The Rivers house, which was built in
nine days, has nine rooms averaging
II feet square, is trimmed with hard
wood is wired for electric bells, has
a furnace and running water, and is
completely painted outside as well as
papered and decorated inside. The Lee
house is not 50 complete. lacking fur
mace and gas fixtures, but it was COM
pleted in five days, thus breaking all
records so far as known. Both sides
claim the $500 prize. About 20 men
were employed on each building and
every device known to up-tO-date car
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
KITES PUZZLE BIRDS.
Amusing Experiences of Scientists
While Making Experiments.


Many amusing experiences have been
the lot of the scientists who have been
manipulating kites for scientific pur.
poses. Large birds are always inter.
ested in the strange devices floating in
the air and cannot make out quite what
they are.
No bird, however, has ever alighted
on a kite ol'attacked one, says the Chi
cago News. While one scientist was
flying a train of five kites a couple OF
years ago, a large silver-tipped eagle
came suddenly out of the higher air and
swooped round and round the first kite,
looking against the sunset sky like a
huge silver ball. AS the train of kites
was pulled in the eagle followed, visit
ing one kite and then another, seeming
uncertain just what to do. In few
minutes, when he seemed to have de-
cided that they were not good to eat,
and he knew nothing about them any
way, he Indignantly flew off and was
lost to view.
Another experience was had with
stolh IlldI CdIlle from inc we" Jersey
side of the Hudson and flew straight for
the queer object in the air. He appar-
emily had made up his mind to go
straight through it, but changed and
dived underneath, He went around and
above it, and through glass it could be
seen that he cooked his eye at the in
truder in a most comical manner. He
started away a few hundred feet,
changed his mind and came swooping
back. He finally reluctantly went
away, mystifjcd over this queer addi-
ton to the inhabitants of the air.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23

the handle bar of his bicycle. On this
he winds the kite string and pays it out
over his shoulder while his wheel is in
motion. He has been xperimenting
with this new device, and he thinks
he has made valuable discovery. Let
some of our other boys try this method
of kite flying and report how it works.
Chicago Record.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
Travels of the Eye.

Has it ever occurred to you to reckon
how far your eyes travel in reading? A
million letters in ordinary type would
measure hardly more than a mile
placed side by side. In a lifetime the
average reader wends his way through
1000 miles of print. The average novel
of 800 pages contains one mile of read
iD.r
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23

1t was at the summer resort where
there was only one young man.
THAT young woman is wonderfully
popular" said the middle-aged man.
What makes you think SOP" inquired
his wife.
''All the other girls are crowding to
the station to bid her good-by."
"Oh, they aren't really going for the
sake of bidding her good-by. They
want to make sure that she doesn't car
ry away the engagement ring. '-Wasb-
ington Star.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
The Vogue in Winter Millinery.

Certainly if there had been any doubt
of Henry of Navarro being forgotten
it would be dissipated by the fact that
on the head of almost everything fem
mime there waves, this autumn, his
historic white plume. 1t stands up as
bravely as possible. In addition, feath-
ers of all shades obtain, although they
have not driven either flowers, ribbons,
velvet or spangles out of the field.
The shape preferred is the one Elost
becoming to the individual. Furs, es
pecially sable and chinchilla, are fash
ionaible garnitures, and rich velvets and
silks are draped over soft frames, pro-
ducing wonderfully effective results.
Purple is still holding the imperial
sway it has for three years, although
wonderful deep red is a close rival to
it, while royal blue, silver gray, black
and white, white and black, all black,
and all white obtain. Brilliant buckles
and pins are used to fasten flowers and
plumes to position. Indeed, wherever
an effective bit of color or brightness
can be artistically arranged, there it
is in evidence.-Isabel \. Mallon, in
Ladies' Home Journal.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
The strength of sheIIash.

Ifthe human being possessed strength
as great in proportion as that of she'll
fish the average man would re able
to lift the enormous weight of 2,976,0 600
pounds, pulling in the same degree as
"a limpet; and if the man pulled in the
same proportionate degree as the cookie
ne would sustain a weight of no less
than a,1o6,5O0 pounds.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
4 Peculiar Plant.

The English botanist, NJ. d. Morris,
who has made extensive travels through
the tropical parts of South America, re-
ports a peculiar plant which, if eaten
by mules, horses, donkeys, hogs and
other domestic animals, causes their
hair or bristles 20 fall out The plant
S wild tamarind, and its scientific
name is "iaucRna glauca." 1t grows
everywhere along the roads all through
tropical South America. Jamaica and
the Bahamas, and is extensively used as
a food for sheep and goats, who are
not at all affected by the peculiar ma
ture of the plant.
Horses that eat the leaves of thaat
olant for some time first lose their name
md the hair of their tail, and if they
still continue this diet become perfect
bald. Sometimes the animals even
ose their hoofs. Hogs lose their bris-
les and even their soft hair if they are
ed on the leaves of the weed for any
ength Of time, but. if their diet is
hanged hair and bristles grow again
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23

Following up the researches of two
crman physicians, who were recently
d to conclude that the lines of oxygen
the solar spectrum were not atmos,
leric. Mr.. Lewis Jewell considers that
has proven conclusively that the
hes are produced by water vapor in the
rth's atmosphere, and that, therefore,
le spectroscope does not indicate oxy-
en- in the sun,-Chicago Tribune.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
BRIGHT CHICAGO BOYS.
They Have Discovered "a New Way to
Fly Their Kites,

Several North side boys have discov-
cred a great scheme for flying their
kites. Instead of running with string
and getting all out of breath one of the
boys starts the kite and then hands the
string to a companion who is mounted
on bicycle. He pedals off at good
speed, and up goes the kite, twice as
fast as it would ordinarily. Another
boy has designed a simple little reel fo-
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
HOME MEASUREMENTS.

Sister measured my grin one day;
Took the ruler and me;
Counted the inches all the way
One and two and three.
~Oh, you're Cheshire cat" said she.
Father said: That's no sin"
Then he nodded and smiled at me
Smiled at my three-inch grin.
Brother suggested 1 ought to begin
Trying to trim 1t down.
Mother said: Better a three-inch grin
Than little half-inch frown."
Nell Kimberly McElhone, in ST. Mich.
olas.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23

According to Homer's own account
Helen must have been at least 90 years,
oId when Paris fell in love with her.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23

What is an old-fashioned patriotT'
well, he is fellow who doesn't be
lieye that baseball ought to go aheat
OF statesmanship.'-Detroit Free Press