davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
RAILROAD GRADES AND CROSSINGS.

How to obviate the danger and inconven-
fence of railroad grade crossings is not
new question, though it has not yet reached
a satisfactory settlement Like many other
knotty questions between cities and corpor-
atoms it grows out of the American fash
ion of net looking ahead and OF giving away
too much at the beginning. In the early
days of railroad building cities were so
anxious TO get roads that they granted
whatever was asked without trying to get
an equivalent or retain any control over
the question. If it were to do over again
it would be done differently, but as this
cannot be the question is how to repair
past mistakes. 1T is an open question in
other cities besides Indianapolis. In Boston
it has been under consideration for ten or
twelve years, and after much agitation the
Massachusetts Legislature passed a general
law requiring the railroad companies to pay
Go per cent. of the cost of elevating the
tracks where it was necessary the State
to pay % per cent and the cities 10 per
cent. So far as the city of Boston is con-
cerned the work has been substantially
completed at great cost. The cities of
Philadelphia, Buffalo and Chicago are
wrestling with the same question. A pro-
vision in it's charter gives the city of Phil
adelphia general authority over grades of
crossings and the work is done under con-
tract between the city and the railroad
companies, the expense being borne by them
in about equal proportions. Extensive
works of this nature are now in process by
one of the roads entering Philadelphia, at
a cost of about $6,OOO,OOO one-half Of which
is borne by the city. The city of Buffalo
was able to get a special act passed by the
New York Legislature under which it pays
one-ffth of the cost of grade changes, the
railroads being required to pay four-fifths.
Chicago has a very stringent ordinance
and summary mode of proceeding, under
which the roads are required to pay the
entire cost of grade changes. During the
present year no less than forty-four miles
of tracks are being elevated in that city
at the cost of the companies. AS TO the
proportion of the expense of such improve
ments which should be borne by the COM
panies something depends the rule of
taxation, which differs in different cities.
Our charter gives the Council power ito
authorize and require railroad companies to
change the location. grade and crossings OF
their respective railroads; to compel them
to raise or lower their railroad tracks to
conform to any grade which may be estab-
lished by ordinance, and to compel them to
construct bridges, viaducts or tunnels, and
approaches thereto, across their respective
railroads or rights of way, at street or
alley crossings" Under this provision the
power of the Council is complete and
ample. The only question is as to the best
mode of exercising it and the equitable
division of the cost between the companies
and the city.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
PENNY,s WORTH OF GAS.
London Companies collect $1,OOO,OOO
Yearly from Slot Machines.
w. E. Curtis. in Chicago Record.

w. E. Curtis, in Chicago Record.
over in London the gas companies have
introduced nny-in-the-slot' meters with
great success. There are said to be nearly
IS goo in use, most of them in tenement and
apartment houses, and the receipts from
this source alone reach nearly 81, 10000 an
nually 1t IS a measure OF economy both
for the companies and for consumers The
latter do not have to pay for leakages. and
can buy their light as they need it for
penny, while at the same time they cannot
cheat the companies by jumping their gas
bills or make trouble by disputing the
charges. The meters are so arranged that
the weight OF penny when dropped into
the slot opens a valve and releases TWEEN
ty-seven feet of gas An ordinary burner
consumes about five feet an hour, so that
this allowance will last five and one-half
hours which is about as long as needed.
The same amount of gas is sufficient to
cook ordinary breakfast or dinner, and
used as fuel is a great economy and con-
Venience. This arrangement is causing
great many gas cook stoves to be intro
duced into apartment houses and tene-
ments, and their advantage can be appre-
ciated, particularly in the summer, and in
flats where there is no storage room for
fuel.
1t is a serious problem with the gas COM
panies however, to prevent cheating, and
new law, imposing heavy penalty upon
such misdemeanors, will be asked for at
the next session of Parliament. 1t is easy
for blacksmith, a machinst, for that
matter, TO cut any number of discs the
size anu WEIGHT OF a penny out or a sheet
OF copper or brass or iron. and the gas
machine cannot distinguish between
bogus and a genuine coin. The only re-
course of the gas company Mt present is
to demand restitution for all such discs
and spurious money when it is found in
the meter, and if it is refused the gas is
shut off and the meter removed. Another
method of cheating formerly used was to
drill hole in a coin and withdraw it after
the valve was opened, but that has been
prevented by a simple apparatus. The coll
lectors say there is comparatively little
cheating and the loss to the companies
from this source is very small.
AT intervals of fortnight or so colIec-
tors call at the houses in which the slot
meters are used and remove the coins
which are so numerous and heavy that
they have to be transported in wagons. The
collections are continual. The collectors
have districts which require about two
weeks to cover, working ten or twelve
hours each day and every night a ton or
more of coppers is passed over to the re-
ceiving tellers at the gas offices. Even with
the frequent collections there is perpet-
ual penny famine in some parts of Lon
don. and the collectors have been authorized
to exchange their collections with custom
ers and small merchants for larger coins
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
An Exploded Theory.
Cleveland Plain Dealer.


There is one exploded theory about the
BICYCLES benefit to humanity. And that Is
the one which tries to make us believe that
wheel riding will reduce the flesh. AT least
a Cedar-avenue lady says there is nothing
i'm it, She is a lady of extremely generous
proportions. Early in the spa she tipped
the beam, as they used to say of the Cd
fashioned hay scales, at 203 pounds. Then
she took to the wheel. OF course, the
wheel would reduce this too evident sur
plus of flesh. She would ride 1t earnestly
and faithfully and in all sorts of weather.
She did. She developed into an excellent
wheelwoman, and the way she would pump
up steep hills was lesson for much thin
ner riders. Scarcely a day passed that she
wasn't on the saddle, and sometimes she
rode as high as thirty miles at Il stretch.
She didn't weigh herself. She thought she
would wait until the season ended. She
looked at herself occasionally III the cheval
glass and she wasn't quits sure what the
final result would be. Anyway, she was
perfectly well and had robust appetite.
Last week she looked up at the sky and
shook her head. Then she packed her
wheel away in the attic. The hiking sea-
son was over. Later I'm the day she went
over to the butchers and weighed herself.
Naturally she stared at the figures with
fear and trembling. 1t took her long time
to get the indicator properly adjusted. Then
she stopped forward and looked. She
weighed exactly 211 pounds.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
BARRELS Made of Paper.

John Vandevelde, of Cleveland. is the in
ventor of two articles which will have a
tendency to decrease the price of several
commodities. His inventions are paper bar
rels and paper bottles for beer or other
beverages. For q long time the price of
many liquid commodities sold in bulk has
been gagged by the price of the barrels in
which they are transported. The barrels
are constructed for the greater part of pa
per cardboard which is impervious to water.
They are slightly shorter in height than
the ordinary barrel. but will hold as much,
as they are without the usual blge of the
wooden barrel. The paper in the walls of
the barrel is three fourths of an inch in
thickness, of many plies, between which
are thick coatings of a specially prepared
glue. About the middle of the barrel is
Single hoop of steel, three inches wide and
three-eighths of an inch thick. This there
fore extends from the barrel to such dis
lance as to permit of the barrel being read
lily swung about on its center. Pressed over
the ends of the walls of the barrel are rims
of pressed steel three-fourths of an inch
thick and extending downward three inches.
It is on an indented surface in the inner
portion of this rim that the head of the
barrel rests. The heads are also made of
paper slightly thicker than that in the
walls of the barrel. They are held in place
by three bolts passing through the barrel
from end to end. Nuts on each end hold
them in place and permit of the heads be-
ing easily removed or placed in short order.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04

There can no longer be any doubt that a
distress that we know nothing of prevails
over a large part of Cuba, since the reports
come to the State Department and the
Spanish minister. We may get some idea of
the terrible situation from the statement of
a United States official that thousands more
must follow the 10000 people who have per-
ished by reason of that policy of Weyler
which drove the masses from the land into
the towns without any provision for their
sustenance. Weyler depOpulated. the country
and destroyed the crops to prevent the in
surgents from consuming them. Now that
the people are permitted to return these
lands their condition is not improved, since
Weyler destroyed all the crops and all the
means of sustenance. But for his policy the
people who were not participating in the
war could have taken care IF thousands,
but the Weyler plan of conquest involved
the depopulation of Cuba by starvation. For
a time most people in this country refused
to believe the report of wholesale starva-
ton, but now that it has been officially
confirmed there can be no doubt of it.
Prompt measures of relief will be taken,
but it is feared they will come too late for
many thousands who are yet alive Weyler
seems to deserve the title of Nero of the
nineteenth century. III
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
Strikes and WaCes.
j. S. Jeans, in Engineering Magazine,
The Ohviouc lagoon touobt IN, +ba 20 n

j. 5. Jeans, in Engineering Magazine.
The obvious lesson taught by the facts as
certained at the German industrial works is
the 1nutifty of labor OrganizationS--or at
any rate, of strikes-for the purpose Of Sc
curing reasonably high rate of wages. The
delegation speaks as if trade unions were
nonexistent in Germany and Belgium, but,
whether common or rare, they nave owl
IDENTIFY very little influence; yet the rate of
wages paid to unskilled labor in Westphalia
IS stated to be as high as in Great Britain.
The laborerS in German steel works did not
secure their IS, Cd to is per day by the force
of agitation and physical pressure. No more,
for the matter of mat, did the laborers in
Victoria or Queensland, Idaho or California.
Fhe truth is that the rate of wages is a
function of the economic conditions prevail
ing in a particular place or country at "a
particular time and the wages are higher
in Germany than in Belgium bs use Ger
many happens to have better competitive
circumstances-at any rate in it's iron in
dustry, which, for number of years., has
been exceedingly prosperous. Our uade
unions would do well to lay to heart and
profit by the facts as to this matter which
their colleagues on the British iron trade
delegation have disclosed. There is no peril
that enVirons the British manufacturer of
which he stands in more dread, or to which
he is more constantly exposed, than
strike, and the average employer would es-
TEEN himself lucky indeed if he enjoyed the
mmunities that appear to be the recognized
heritage of his continental rival, from this
point of view.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
American Tools in Germany.

Hiram S. Maxim, in Engineering Magazine
When the German government commenced
to make rifles on the interchangeable plan,
they imported a large quantity of gun-mak-
ing tools from the United states, nlanutac-
tured for the most part by Pratt & Whit
ney. The superiority of these tools was at
once apparent. The result is that the Ger
mans, at the present moment, are making
machine tools of the American type in vast
quantities, but, vast as the production is,
the demand is still greater, and to-day the
great firm of Ludw Loewe & Co. has four
times as many orders as it is able TO till,
and is now putting up extensive works at q
cost Of $500 900. 1t was only few years ego
that anyone equipping a machine shop IN
Europe obtained the greater part OF MS
metal working machinery from England,
but to-day the obsolete, awkward and COM
paratively high-priced English tools have
been completely driven out of the market
by the German-made American tools. Not
only have the Germans secured this mar
ket but they are also sending their tools in
large quantities to England. 1t is true, how
ever. that these German tools are not quite
up to American standards. The iron Is not
quite so good, and the accuracy Is less. New
ertheless they are very much superior to the
ordinary English tools, and Germ any To-
day is the most serious competitor that Eng
land has This may not be very agreeable
reading for Englishmen. but there Is notn-
ing to be gained by suppressing facts
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04

days, and the stray policemen looked on
with an interest which almost suggested
that they were sorry they could not JOIN
in the scramble themselves.
One little incident showed that the crowd
could quickly resent anything that they
considered beyond the limits of the days
lawful fun. A man who appeared to be
rather we'll dressed. inaEmuch as he bad on
dark suit and a tall hat amused him
self by throwing a bag of -four from the
sidewalk into the air over the middle OF
the street, and the contents fell and lib
orally besprinkled about a dozen people,
including a soldier and costermonger,
who was attired In his best .'pearly'' coat
In honor of the OCCASION. The next mo-
ment there was a. rush. and the man who
mad thrown the flour was seized and rolled
in some mud about half a foot thick which
had been scraped UP 20 the side of one OF
the lampposts. Then he was ducked in a
temporary horse trough. which happened to
be conveniently near, and finally another
bag OF flour found in one of his pockets
was opened and poured al over him. He
was then placed in the middle of the road,
ana the crowd made a lane. through which
the poor wretch had to run for several
yards, pursued by the jeers and occasional
blows OF his tormentors. Finally q COM
passionate policeman seized him by the coll
lar and enabled him and his rags 10 dis
appear down a back street. AS practical
joker he will probably so out of business.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04

1t is evident that the treaty anneXing
Hawaii will have serious opposition in the
Senate, and if it should be sufficient to de-
feat it there need be no surprise. One of
the arguments against it is That annexation
involves great injustice to the natives cf the
island, who, while opposed to annexation,
have not been consulted. That argument
will not bear severe scrutiny. The natives
have ceased to be a potential feature, eX-
cept in numbers, and In numbers they are
rapidly declining. Long, ago they practically
lost control of the island because of their
weakness, which seems to involve an in
ability to meet the demands of ordinary
civilization. Against this claim that the
Hawaiians should be consulted can be
placed the certainty that, sooner or later,
the island Will fall into the hands of some
foreign power. Even should the natives dis
pose of it, they would be quite as likely to
turn it over to a power in whose hands it
would not be well for us to place the key to
the Pacific Annexation in no manner re-
quires that Hawaii be made a state Ter
ritorial government would be adequate and
better for the natives than any government
by incapable rulers of their own race.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04

1t is said that in view of the condition of
national finances the President and Repub-
lican leaders in Congress will unite in OPP
posing any river and harbor bill during the
coming session and all appropriations for
public buildings. 1t is argued that with a
large accumulated deficit and the revenues
still short of expenditures the appropria-
tions for the purposes named should be
postponed until it has been fully demon
strated whether or not the Dingley bill will
provide sufficient revenue to run the gov
eminent. 1t must be admitted that in the
present situation a policy of strict economy
is demanded
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04

There is a judge in, Cleveland who be-
lieves that it is the duty of a jury to agree
on a verdict. A civil case of comparatively
little Importance involving claim for
personal damages, was tried before him
few days ago. The case was given to the
jury on Wednesday. Three times on Thurs
day they sent word to the judge that they
could not agree. Finally he had the jury
brought into the courtroom, and after a
plain talk as to their duty, he said:
You will now go back to the jury room,
and if you do not come to a decision by 4
o'clock will adjourn until o'clock to-mor
row morning and remain in session until II
O'Clock. If you have not agreed by that
time you will reconvene at O'Clock and re-
main until O'Clock. Then if you have not
agreed you will reconvene at O'Clock and
deliberate until 10 o'clock If you have by
that time still failed to agree you Will re-
convene at 8 a. m. Saturday and remain UNI
til u O'Clock. At l p. m you Will recon-
vene and remain until p. m. Then If you
still have not agreed you will reconvene at
D. m. and remain in session until mid
night. I will be compelled TO go out of the
city this evening, and during my absence
you will be in charge of Judge DtsSette. BY
IL o'clock Saturday night, however, i will
be back and in case you still are without
an agreement l will give you further in
structions.
There is a itdee who means business.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04

The slot machine evil has assumed pro-
portions that are attracting public attention.
We speak advisedly in characterizng it as
an evil, for while many of the applications
of the device have a semblance of honesty
and legitimate business, they are all based
on the gambling element. The slot ma
chine is essentially a gambling machine,
and therefore the ease with which it can
be adapted to apparently harmless pur-
poses makes it the greater evil. AS a me-
chanical kindergarten for giving children
primary lessons in gambling and a means
of popularizing the vice among young and
old there is nothing else to be compared
with it. The matter has attracted attention
in some communities, and cases have been
made to get a judicial ruling as to whether
the machines are a gambling device or not.
Judge Thompson, of Louisville, has no
doubt on the subject. In case before him
few days ago he said:
l believe that any slot machine that is
used to sell commodities, and by which the
purchaser may receive more than his
a gambling device or a lottery. Any one
who operates such machine is, in my
opinion, guilty of a felony.
That goes to the bottom of the question,
and because it is good sense and good NOR
ais it must be good law. A judge who
takes different view has a warp in his
conscience or defect in his judicial vision
that units him for judge. The slot ma
chine in all its forms, in so far as it comes
under the above definition, is a gambling
device and should be so treated
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04

An association of business men in Chi
cago has been formed to oppose the depart
ment store. One of the schemes under con-
sideration is that the small retailers unite
in forming purchasing syndicate which
will enable them to obtain their goods as
favorably as the department stores, and a
syndicate plan for advertising which will
give small dealers all the advantages OBJ
tanned now by the large establishments.
This is wiser than asking for legislation
against such stores.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
RED-HOT PENNIES.
Rough Jokes Played During the Lord
Mayors show.

London Letter in New York Mail ana EX-
press. 80.
But while the crowd were still occupying
the roadway well az the sidewalk there
ensued the real fun of the day. The strand
was very muddy and the crowd was about
as mixed as the divers elements of Lon
don's permanent and transient population
could possibly make 1t. There were, OK
FANNY loafers: but there was large pro-
portion of the respectable clerk and shop
man order a goodly sprinkling q soldiers
i'm undress uniform; here and there man
i'm frock coat and a tall hat and. or
course several women with babies in their
arms The throwing of red-hot pennies ac-
cordingly--a wicked amusement, am
afraid-caused very remarkable comno-
ton A hundred persons in second We're
pushing and scramhling for the coveted
coin and the first half dozen who succeeded
in grasping 1T dropped ii again very. very
quickly. Meanwhile, a dozen people at least
had rolled in the mud. and when one OF the
rollers happened to be a soldier or per-
son wearing a decent coat the JOY OF the
spectators at the windows was immense.
Nobody seemed to mind. The custom : a
regular London amusement on procession
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
There is a judge who means business.

The Presidents thrilling midnight race
with the grim reaper to the bedside of his
stricken mother will give the graphic" re-
porter an opportunity to display his vocab-
ulary. The occasion, however, does not
warrant an unrestrained use of adjectives.
The President did nothing more than any
other manly man" would have done under
like circumstances 1t is true the fierce
light that beats on the throne" would have
beaten more fiercely had he not dropped
his official cares and fastened to the afflict
ed household In the little Ohio city, but it
was not fear of criticism that governed mis-
action. 1t was the same impulse that has
ever stirred mankind-love of mother. Most
men respect and admire the father, but it
is a different feeling they exhibit toward
the mother; it is a sentiment that combines
all that is good and grows stronger as both
advance in years. Mr.. Mckinley. in obey
ing that impulse. or sentiment, did only
what the humblest true man in the land
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
American and English NoveIlst-.
Review of Reviews.

.
If any broad distinction may be maue pc
tween the best current fiction produced by
English writer's and that which our Amerl-
can authors are contributing to the present.
day literature of the English language, 1t
is largely distinction of style. AS literary
artists our American writers are superior
to their English fellow-workers. The Eng
fish writers like Mr.. Hall Caine, Mrs. Hum
Dhrv Ward and a dozen more OF almost
equal popularity and accredited standing,
seem to be comparatively wanting in q re-
fined and delicate literary perception, They
produce powerful novels through an intense.
and sometimes strained. exploitation OF
ethical and social problems; but these novels
are not always, in the high sense of the
word. literature. our best American novel
lists. on the other hand are masters or an
exquisite art in the writing OF English