davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-11

The Kentuckians, it seems, have
much yet to learn in the economical
handling Of whisky. For instance, last
year Scotland made 2S,OOO,O0O gallons
Of whisky, consumed 3O.OOO,OOO gallons
Of it. sent 100000 gallons to Eng
land and another 100000 gallons to
this country. The Scotch handle
figures or water very skillfully.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-11
From the Fargo Argu

The Forum heads an editorial: ''Mr Hills
Coup MAZE. the chicken show has adjourned
to st. Paul.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-11
TRUSTS and Parties.

This is admirable, excepting that SO far
as we know, neither Mr.. Silver nor Mr..
Cradle are elocutionists.-St. Paul Pioneer
Press.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-11

There is double compensation in
helping along a good cause and at the
same time getting ones moneys
worth in entertainment and instruc-
ton. There is 200 per cent
dividend on such an investment. And
that is what the teachers and patrons
of the Franklin school offer. Their
library sorely needs replenishing. The
school board can neither do it nor help
do 1t. The local school union under
takes it and asks assistance. 1t has
engaged Mr.. Seymour for a course Of
three lectures. to be given Friday,
Saturday and Monday evenings, in the
assembly hall Of the high school. The
subjects Of the lectures are Marie An
toinette, Philip II. of Spain, and Fran
cisco Pizarro. Fifty cents covers the
cost of Il ticket for the course. We
need not enlarge on the attraction Of
the lectures. Mr.. Seymour has estab-
lished that. We may ask the cooper
alton Of our readers in this laudable
effort to the Franklin school to help it's
library.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-11

revenue. They were simply using their
customary implement to gain an end,
RECKLESS alike of truth Or conse-
quence. Now that the condition exists
that then existed, without the conse-
quence they then declared inevitable,
they are silent, trusting to the pro-
verbal shortness of memory to cover
their hypocrisy. There is an occa-
sional sneer at the last administration
for its increase of the interest-bearing
debt. but they go no farther. Their
prudence is commendable, from their
side. They could hardly venture on an
explanation that did not convict them
Of Justification. If it is the ''restora-
ton Of confidence" that stopped the
CHAIN why was not the lack Of con-
fidence then the sufficient cause Of it's
starting?
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-11

The quaint comedian. Tim Murphy, Will
appear at the Metropolitan Thursday ard
Friday, Feb. is and 10. in a double comedy
BILL consisting OF ''Old Innocence" and his
new pathetic comedy. ''Sir Henry Hypno-
ti1ed
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-11
AT THE 20 HOTELS.

AsToRIA-T. G. Akin, Sioux Falls; F. W.
Loring, Winona;LE. o. Jasmer, Chicago; J..
G. Kirsel, Shakopee; G.1H. Galloway, Chippe-
wa Falls: j. B. Stone. Milbank; F. G. Kinney,
Birmingham, Ala; N. Geib, St. Cloud; c. E.
Krause, New London, Min; A. G. Anderson,
Rock Island. H., ]. Staples, Saltwater.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-11

The sale of seats for the engagement of
James ]. Corbett is the largest up to date
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-11

CLARENDON-Fred1 Baldwin and Son,
Jamestown; A. ". Rieke. Fairfax; D. H.
lin and wife, Duluth; William Russell,
Stephen; F. E. Jor1osk, Chicago; G. Kuster
and wife, Willmar; d. F. McGrath. Barnes
Smith. Chicago; W H Davis La Crosse.
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

of men in this big Government work shop at Mare Island, and already about 1900 new names have appeared on the pay roll, making the present working population over 2000 American citizens. And American citizens they every one of them are or they wouldn't have had inc ghost of q chance to even put in an application for employment, unless indeed they served in the army, navy or marine corps during the civil war, or. have served this country in one of these lines for a period of twelve years since.
 At the present time although any one filling the above requirements has a riorhf to register there is very little probability of securing employment un- Iess one is skilled in some trade es- nacially pertaining to the building and fiftfng of ships. And the man who aenires to be a laborer or helper only is simply wasting time and ink in ap- n1vine for such position since Veter- ane of the civil war fill nearly all such positions.
 All the Board of Labor Employment work is done under navy-yard order No. 26, revised, which declares that every applicant must present in per son 10 the board at the navy-yard in which he desires employment, an ap- nlication, and evidence to establish his napacity for the work he desires, his character and habits of industry and sobriety.'' The board furnishes the prescribed blank forms, enabling the applicants to carry out the provisions
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

 blanks are plain and simple enough for even a child to understand and follow, but it is astonishing to see into how intricate a tangle carelesSneSs, or ig- norance, or attempted duplicity, can snarl the straightforward statements.
 Some bring these documents rein forced by letters from Congressman and Senators and others high in authority, but these extras" serve no purpose whatever.
 Tt is fair field and no favor here, !" says the lieutenant, and all this pill ing up of recommendations is a sheer waste of time. We receive and take account of only these official blanks properly filled out, and anything else is waste paper as far as this office is con- cerned''
 As if to prove his words a. small hard-faced man makes his appearance at this juncture, elbowing his excited way through the throng with an inn portance of manner that makes even the boldest fall away before hin as if. indeed, he were a mounted policeman.
 He bears an open letter in his hand and with look of triumphant pride essays vainly to give it into the keep ing of the head of the board. It is written on the executive mansion sta tionery, and the little man says: This is from President Mckinley, sir. He knows me. I would like you to put it with the application that I filed the other day." but the lieutenant shakes his very decided head
 Not allowed" he answered briefly,
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

of this paragraph, and it is because of these forms that Lieutenant Braun ersreuther and his clerks are about the hardest worked of any of the Govern ment officials, even at the present time, when they are all working harder than they have done for many years.
 The whole matter is managed in the most regular, business-like and impar- tial manner imaginable, the only ore feTred" persons being veterans of the Civil War, and men who have served twelve years in some branch of the fighting force of the United States. and 1t seems as if no possible msconcep- tion or trouble could follow such plain directions, simply and honestly carried out, but a day spent as a volunteer aid to kindly and efficient Lieutenant Braunersreuther shows one the fallacy of this idea.
 The F o'clock ferry boat comes swimming into the small dock, and from it there marches regiment of children laden with pails, and baskets, and lunch boxes, and paper bags, and milk cans.
 Those are some of the children of schedule A and schedule B, explains an assistant They are bringing their fathers lunches," and looking up the shaded avenues 1 behold platoons of men marching down to meet the baby ravens who have come to feed them.
 They will have to bolt like Pip himself today" he continues, flor HOO of the men are to be paid off this noon
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

the summons: the bit of blue paper, which is a statement of account and a receipt previously signed by the work CT, is exchanged for it's proper cash laden envelope, and the procession of sight the happier for the possession of two weeks pay and the overtime" :" which counts time and half.' and being frequent in these days of hurry, swells the amount gratifyingly.
 In a little more than thirty minutes by the watch S64 900 is divided among 1140 men. Then the window is closed, the tired wage disbursers sink into chairs and wipe their perspiring brows.
 I hurry back to my post of observa- tion and arrive there just in time to escape the crowd of applicants for work, They swarm off the ferry-boat and up the stairs to the office door. The space outside the separating rail IS packed almost instantly; the doorway is full of showing shoulders and eager faces the landing is a jam of anxious humanity and the stairs groan under their burden of impatient feet.
 The lieutenant advances smiling to the fray and with a few concise dIrec- tions evolves something like order out of this animate chaos. Half of them poor fellows-have toilfully travelled here for the purpose of securing blanks and information which they could have got at home by the expenditure Of l cent invested in postal card.
 The directions accompanying the
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

hour, so as not to interfere with work ing time, and that won't leave them many minutes for lunch" And just then the doorway is filled with the am- pie and dignified form of the smiling lieutenant.
 We have an hours respite now" he says. Would you like to go up to the paymaster's and see how much Gov ernment money can change hands in half an hour?"
 We go out through the barnlike store room to the paymasters quarters, the drive and veranda in front of which are already packed with men in work ing garb Each of them carries in his hand an oblong bit of pale blue paper
 The side window of Colonel Barry's office locks out into a mass of bOWery green, and the front gives a view of the quiet, orderly crowd of workers waiting patiently their different fore mems orders to line up." Inside the office are big shallow boxes covering the tables and the floor, each full of small envelopes Of stout manila paper, sealed and standing bolt upright On each of these envelopes is a number a name and a statement of cash, and they are passed, dozen or so at a time, by the officer in charge of them to an officer who stands at the shelf and hands them to their rightful own CTS.
 The department clerk sits on a high stool and calls a name and a number: the gang foreman" stands outside and watches that the right man answers to
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

'but man with letter like that need not waste his time waiting for a job that may never come here at Mare Is- land. It's a kind of civil service up here, you know. but if you take that sheet of paper down to the city among the politicians you won't need be out of work long,.
 And with this crumb of encourage ment President McKinley's protege de- parts. somewhat humbled, but still hopeful, while the smile disappears from the lieutenant's face as lie glances over the next lot of papers handed to him and then looks the man who brought them sternly in the eyes.
 The signatures to this trade and character certificate are forged" he says quietly, and you have laid your self liable to serve a term in San Quen- fraud is already sinking through the crowd without even an attempt at ex- planation.
 Forgery of this kind is common and there are certain enterprising individu- alS in the pretty town of Vallejo who for two bits or so will fill out certif- cates galore for utter strangers. One man, depending on the fact that his Is only one in crowd of strange faces secures his blanks and brings them back in the course of half an hour nicely filled out and signed by parties in Salt Lake City. Another claims to have made trip to Oakland and back irrespective of car and boat timetables, in an hours time. and produces the sig natures of two of Oakland's well-known business men in proof of his assertion.
 Others, like the first culprit men, toned bring certificates signed by the proprietors of the Union Iron Works, not knowing, as does the board, that these gentlemen never deviate from their rule of non-recommendation
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01
Soooccccocccccccc cc 0 . 6 6

parts are mixed in the presence of a liquid whicls has a solvent action upon the guncotton. A dough-like substance is the result. This mass is placed in a press similar to that used in making macaroni, from which it emerges squeezed into flat ribbon shape. After running 1t between rollers to obtain the proper thickness it is cut into grains and dried"
 In answer to a question the superin- tendent said that nitro -glycerine is not used in the manufacture of smokeless powder.
 Ut is not adapted for sporting pur- poses, though an admirable component of military power. In a shotgun it's combustion is not complete and the fumes from it give very violent head aches to the shooter. Only the finest of gun is used the other ingre- dients being quite small in quantity The most of our cotton comes from Georgia"
 Those screens between the cannon and the breastworks are electric chro- nographs, one hundred feet apart from each other and the cannon and they register the time of the projectiles flight with absolute accuracy"
 And absolute accuracy is-what?"
 ''The millionth part of a second"
 Given these marvellous modern meth ods and the spirit of 1776 and what may not Columbia do when the enemy con fronts her?
 In the keg shops where steel kegs are being made by many thousands to ship powder in to Washington; the work rooms where gun-cotton is made sol vent by ether, dried by alcohol, pressed by hydraulic power and finally leaves the machines like an endless rope of perforated Ia roni of diam ter to fit the guns then chopped into a tray and dried; the dry house where powder from the prismatic press is dried and the combined odors of nitro- -glycerine, ether pear oil and the heat are over towering if one dareS to venture within the compartments where the trays are the shotgun cartridge factory, where the black powder must be con- duCted like water through a pipe so dangerous is it to work with so quick of ignition when confined, and where, the inky stream turned on and off at a faucet, the cartridge shells are packed, sealed, boxed labeled, the ca- pacity of the cartridge machines in loading being fifty thous1nd per day; the machine shops; laboratory with it's delicate mechanism for testing velocity; the great tanks of gun-cotton in the puIper house, where combustion is cer- tain unless the cotton is provided with a certain amount of moisture daily, be- ing so impregnated with free acid as to ignite readily until washed in the tanks awaiting it; the houses where
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

pounder, the former weighing 3O,oOo pounds They carry respectively pro jectiles weighing 250, 100 and pounds and two men are constantly at Work polishing and cleaning their brass ana steel. for moisture gathers quickly m the depth of the wooded canyon ana It takes much muscle to keep the weapons of war in condition. The six-inch can non has already taken human life. It's first blood was shed on the deck or the Olympia The man WI fired forgot to inspect the recoil cylinder, which was empty of glycerine.
 One day last week two workmen were busily engaged on the earthen breast works into which the projectiles blow their way when practice is going on. They had somehow misunderstood or ders as to the time of repairing the bank of earth. 4 250-pound proJect1le awaited the touch that would send 1t through the screens into the breast work beyond. Everything was in read mess for the test. The signal Fire was upon the lips of the Superinten- dent when premonition ot something wrong stayed the command. He walk ed to the other side of the works, where two laborers, unconscious of their peril, were shoveling the earth high in air.
 There are miraculous things happen ing every day in this world of ours These men, literally digging thelr own graves, were warned in time and led back to safety.
 "Velocity and pressure" explained the superintendent, are the two main requisites in proving powder. The Gov ernment is very specific in it's contracts. It demands that when fired under ser vice conditions, in the gun for which it is intended, powder must give to the projectile muZZle velocity of at least a certain number of feet per second without producing a pressure of more than a certain number of tons to the square inch. For modern guns the velocity required varies from 2000 to 230O feet in a second. and the pressure is not allowed to exceed fifteen tons to the square inch. In some of our guns of the present day the amount of en- ergy stored up in the powder charge is so tremendous as to be almost in- credible. The limit of energy upon the projectile cannot be estimated, so vast are the possibilities.
 For example, 1 may cite the Ore gons thirteen-inch rifles. Five hun dred and fifty pounds of powder in these guns impart to an eleven-hun- dred pound shot a velocity of 2100 feet per second, and the energy of the pro- jectile is nearly thirtyfour thousand foot tons. This power is sufficient to lift such a vessel IS the Oregon eight feet out of the water.
 "Of military smokeless powders the
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

" HE time officially set for the
 daily opening of the doors of the
 Board of Labor Employment's $
 office on Mare Island is a. m,
 but the press of business now adays forces the portals apart very much earlier Lieutenant Brauners- reuther and his assistant and his as- sistant's assistant are all very nearly as busy as a certain influential indi- vidual is popularly supposed to be in 2 WhirlWind.
 Since the l2th of March" says Lieu tenant Braunersreuther as he installs me in a big arm chair beside the office table. there have been from one hun dred to five times that number here every working day and even on Sun days the office is kept open to stamp the cards of successful applicants, so we have been simply rushed right along. Talk about the value of ad- vertising! 4 few lines in the two Re- publican morning papers of San Fran cisco have brought down upon us human avalanche which has been al- most overwhelming and there are no signs of cessation. Our mornings are comparatively qulel, since we nave then ,nly last nights left-overs and persons from the surrounding country to deal with and can put a good deal of time n on clerical work; but when the boats begin to land people from the city ther the real business of the day begins"
 The problem of war which has sud- denly confronted us during the past two months has made necessary the employment of large additional force
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

charcoal is burned-madrono for blast ing and low-grade powders, willow and alder for better gradeS-the red ana brown coalS by superheated steam, delicate operation; the making or Wads' the blending room with it's machine like a merry -go-round. from the compart- ments of which the prisms are sorted and made into bag sections according to weight; the house where nitro glycerine, mixed with acetone to insure perfect safety. is stored-all this ana more is kaleidoscoped in my memory, for each process is Wondrously inter- esting in it's way.
 But there is one impression more vivid than the others which l snail think of and shudder at so long as l live. A great machine at work seems almost human, but this creature of iron. fiendish in it's power, sullen in It's movement as a lion pacing in dull rage the confines of it's prison-this thing of monster proportions, travelling It's circle like a horrible Juggernaut, IS neither beast nor human, nor yet ma chine.
 'We call it the wheelmill,' said Su- perintendent Peyton. "There are four others on the place, and the men are blasting rock to make bed for two more. to be placed in a granite house. Each of these wheels weighs 15,OOO pounds: the new ones will weigh 2O,OOO, solid iron, connected like these by short axle and running on an iron bed. Powder must be thoroughly incorpor ated. Placed upon this bed the char coal and saltpeter are ground to the fineness of powder. This becomes high ly explosive.
 "To keep it together and render it safe a certain moisture must be main tained. Should the man at the wheel neglect his duty-should he jet the powder reach the explosive degree of
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

matic powder, answered my question:
 "Afraid?" he repeated cheerfully. No. fellow can't die moro than once, you know. Besides, you get used to it and don't think much about get ting killed when you've handled the stuff as long as I have''
 The assistant chemist smiled at the suggestion that a powder mill was a dangerous place in which to live out ones life.
 Tt is more the idea of it than the reality" he remarked. 'I got used 10 it after a while.''
 An old man turned a bearded face to the light and laughed good naturedly.
 I've worked in this powder mill since the War of the Rebellion broke out ''s said he. Does that look as though it were a dangerous calling? I guess I'll live to see America whip Spain"
 In a room where brown powder Is pressed into layers, and it's dust, rising thickly, is so inf1ammable that the workmen must wear wooden pegs in Hibernian showed set of gleaming teeth in a smile that sent. the powder dust in flakes from a face the color of the layers he was handling.
 Dangerous? Why of course not" he assured me, mot half so much as a sawmill or a limestone quarry, or a common road. for that matter, for a man who worked here thirty years was killed one day on the way home by a fall from his horse. But we are care ful, to be sure; very careful since two men were blown up in the very cor ner where you ~-o e+ending now, not wishing to frighten you,' he added kindly.
 In the cartridge factory something had been said about bicycle riding
 T could never make use of a wheel" remarked the superintendent.
 "Why not?" I asked.
 Because, said the man who lives, as 1t were, over volcano of the deadliest explosives, '1 think that bicycles are too dangerous.'
 2 Which shows that there is everything in the point of view.
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

dryness-there would be an explosion sufficient to wreck the place. This ma- chine has killed two men. It Is hard to tell by just what act of carelessness. One of them may have miscalculated the time for adding moisture. or in cleaning this blow which scrapes the powder from the sides he may have used metal instead of wooden instru- ment. It takes very little friction to cause spark, and the tiniest of sparks will do the mischief
 Tn black gunpowder as all the world knows, there are three components- charcoal, sulphur and saltpeter, the latter supplying the oxygen producing
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

brown being developed from the black.
 Yes, we use materials in big quanti- ties here. That lead-lined brick tank over there holds 10000 gallons of alco- hol. Sulphur by the shipload comes to us from Japan and Sicily, saltpeter in hundreds of tons from India"
 One woman-such a mite of woman she is, to have so much bravery-earns her living at the mill.
 Do you ever feel afraid?" I asked, watching her deft fingers as they pasted labels to cartridge boxes at the rate of 1000 a day. She smiled up at me with blue eyes, her cheeks flush
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

combustion of the first two. The com position of sulphur and saltpeter Is fixed, whereas charcoal is a mixture of many chemical compounds. An al- most indefinite series of charcoals can be obtained, from wood to a nearly pure carbon. each of which, made into pow der, differs in quickness and energy and the manner in which that energy is manifested. Black and brown powder are variations of the same thing, the
The San Francisco call., 1898-05-01

ing at the unusual experience of seeing a visitor where visitors are not al- lowed.
 "Oh, mo-" she said, simply. At first I was, little. But you get used to it after a while. My husband is the gate keeper. An accident? Well, if it should come we would all go together our little boy and ourselves
 A black-eyed lad, not pausing in his work of loading layers of pressed pris-