Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-07-26
active interest in the exposition.
Experiment Failed.
Ihe Experiment. made bY Id. a.


The experiment made by'D. n. Kent,
formerly assistant professor of ag-
ricuiturc in the agricultural college,
who tried to make tillable land out of
an immense swamp. has ended in at
least partial failure. He secured
1900 acres of lake bed between Web
ster City and Jewell Junction, in Ham
ilton county, paying $4,000 to the gov
eminent for the land on the theory
that it was swamp land. He theL bor-
rowed $22,oC0 and proceeded to drain
the land. This was in 1898. He has
now been obliged to surrender the
property of Nathan Schee. of Des
Moines, who loaned him the money.
He has not been successful in draining
all the land, although he has drained
large part Of it. Mir. schce will carry
on the experiment.
Visiting His Doyiood Home.
Gov. Shaw is taking two weeks va
cation, visiting his aged father and his
sister In his boyhood home in Vermont.
His father, who visited him last win
ter and was present at the inaugura-
tion of his son, is now SO years old and
is quite feeble. The governor was able
to leave the state upon receiving
private assurances that no call for adj
ditional troops would be made during
the time lie intended TO be absent. lie
was much worn in body and mind by
the strain to which he has been sub
jected during the past 80 days.
May Not Go to Manila.
There seems to be some doubt about
whether the Fifty-tirst Iowa regiment
will go 10 the Philippines or not. The
good showing which the regiment
made in San Francisco was overcome
by the appropriateness of the raw re,
cruits who were added to the regiment
In order to bring il up to the maximum
strength of 1,326 men. There is NO
doubt that the regiment was the best
drilled and best prepared for service
of any in the camp prior to The arrival
of these recruits, but they made a
sorry looking spectacle of the regi-
ment, because they We're without
equipment and without training. This
is one of the results of sending out So
CttilCNs WIN oAip
$50 men each. The regiments were too
light to be put into service as they
were, and the addition Of recruits held
the regiments back after they might
have been fully ready for service. The
same is true of all The IoWa regiments,
for the last of the recruits have only
been in camp about week in some OF
the regiments.
Repairing Camp Mckinley.
A force of carpenters under Maj
Harry Martin, engineer of the national
guard. is just completing months
job in making repairs at Camp Nc
Kinley. The repairs will cost about
$780, but the lumber used to replace
that which was cut up for kindling by
the soldiers is mostly lumber that was
used for the bathhouse, for sinks and
other purposes around the camp
Adjt. Gen. Byers says he will put the
grounds in just as good condition as
the soldiers found them, if not better
In Place of a Fair.
The business men of Des Moines are
preparing to furnish an entertainment
to take the place of the state fair. 1t will
probably occur during the first week
in October, and the plan now is to pre-
sent great fireworks spectacle repre-:
senting the battle of Manila bay. This
show will be given at the expense OF
the business men of Des Moines and
will probably be free show as fa1
as the public is concerned. The bust
ness men expect to get their money
back out of the increased trade with
the great crowds they expect to come
here to see the show.
w RJcKNEII.