davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
The Voyage Of the Oregon.

The voyage of the Oregon, continu.
sng as it did over many weeks being
the longest ever undertaken by mod
ern ironclad, has called attention more
than ever before to the need of a ship
canal between the Atlantic and the
Pacific. The voyage of the Oregon is
an object lesson of no little value. For
tunately, the ship arrived i'll time to be
of service, but on some future occa-
sion ship may not arrive in time and
the necessity for quicker communica-
tion is emphasized by this voyage
which, better than anything else, gives
an idea of the immense distance that
must be traversed by our ships on
either side of the continent when there
is need of their services on the other
The military and naval Importance
of canal route can not be exaggerated.
AS it is now, over three months are
required to send fleet from New York
20 San Francisco, and, in sudden
emergency, the Pacific coast might be
at the mercy of foreign enemy for
that length of time, simply from the
fact that our government has neglected
to encourage canal construction across
the isthmus.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

manlty." On our part it was signed by
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas jefferson
and John Adams. Hon. S. J. Barrows
M. c., from Massachusetts, furnishes to
the Christian Register one article of
this treaty, copied by himself from the
original manuscript now in the archives
OF the department Of state at Washing
ton. From Doctor Franklin's we'll
known adherence of war and it's cruz
ties, as we'll as from the style of TIN
composition, We may guess from the
following which was drawn by his own
hand: If war should arise between
the two contracting parties, the mer-
chants of either country then residing
in the other shall be allowed to remain
nine months to collect their debts and
to settle their affairs, and may depart
freely, carrying off all their effects
without mOlestatiOn or hindrance. And
all women and children, scholars of ey-
cry faculty, cultivators of the earth. ar
tisans, manufacturers and fishermen.
unarmed and inhabiting unfortified
towns, villages or places, and in gen.
eral, all others whose occupations are
for the common subsistence and bene-
fit of mankind, shall be allowed to con-
tinue their respective employments, and
shall not be molested in their persons.
nor shall their houses or goods be burnt
or otherwise destroyed, nor their fields
wasted by the armed forces of the enc
my, into whose power by the events of
war they may happen to fall; but if
anything is necessary to be taken from
them for the use of such armed force.
the same shall be paid for at a reasona-
bic price and all merchant and trading
vessels employed in exchanging the
products Of different places, and there
by rendering the necessaries, conyen-
fences and comforts ON human life
more easy to be obtained, and more
general, shall be allowed to pass free
and unmolested; and neither of the
contracting powers shall grant or is
sue any commission to any private
armed vessels empowering them to take
or destroy such trading vessels or in.
terrupt such commerce.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Would Not Stay Sold.

dealer tells a story of machine
that he once took in trade but which
he could hardly keep sold. 1t was
thoroughly up-tO-date in appearance.
and in first-class order, so he readily
disposed of it. The next day the GUS
toner returned, said it ran hard and
paid more money for a different ma
chine. Shortly after it was sold again,
and with like result. The machine was
carefully examined, and overhauled a
second time, but no defects were found,
and the wheels spun beautifully. 1t
was sold and traded back three or four
times, and the last buyer disposed Of it
himself privately in very short time.
When no weight was on it, it ran with
great freedom; but as soon as ridden,
it seemed to bind somewhere in a most
unaccountable manner.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Greytown to Brito.

The route which was finally chosen,
and on which work was begun, is from
Greytown, on the Atlantic, to Brito on
the Pacific, distance of 1897 miles
apart. In detail the line Of the canal
extends from Greytown in a southeast
erly direction 9.25 miles through the
low grounds Of the heavily wooded
plains and swamps The cross section
of the canal here is to be 12O feet wide
at bottom, 23S feet at surface. and 2S
feet deep. Lock No. 1 will have a lift
of 81 feet: dimensions Of lock, $50 feet
By 80 feet. Lock No. 2, 125 miles from
No. /; lift, 30 feet. Lock No. 8, about
two miles from No. 2; lift As feet.
About three miles from No. 3 is the
eastern divide cut, 2.9 miles long; sum-
NIT depth of cut, 29S feet; average
depth entire length of cut, 141 feet
material mostly rock; dimensions of
the cut, so feet at bottom, 80 feet at
surface depth of water, 30 feet. The
route from the divide cut is through
the basin of the San Francisco river. 1t
and all other openings are damned up
to make an impounded reservoir ex-
tending from the divide cut to the
main San Juan at Ochoa, where the
river is to be damned by an immense
work Of loose rock, to be hauled from
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
MMMMNMEE&M
THE NICARAGUAN CANAL.
The Work Must Be Completed by the
People of the United States.


If civilization is to advance in this
country, about the first thing to be
done is the building of the Nicaraguan
canal by the people of the United
States through the government at
Washington. This work must be done
and done quickly. Woe unto the po-
litical party that stands in the way!
Let us at once get to work on it, and
there will be trouble for the European
nation that tries. to embarrass the
work. Great Britain has been throw
ing stones in our way, and through
various English syndicates succeeded
an stopping the grand work begun ten
years ago by private parties under
direction of our government.
Neither shall any foreign power be
permitted to parallel the canal; and no
European nation must be permitted to
own islands or maintain ports within
six hundred miles of either entrance
to it. When congress gets to work on
the plans all these things will be looked
after.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

Ehich is on good roads over a fine roll
icg country, with one long. hard hill
each way, and many lesser rises, the
round trip being fortyfour miles.
The lowest gear in the party was
6S 4-9 and the highest was 81. and extra
sprocket wheels were carried in order
that changes might be made on the
way, II desirable. When eleven miles
out. one rider became dlsgusted with
his SO1a gear and changed it to II So.
and was then able to proceed with
much greater comfort. Another
changed his S0k to 70, and thereafter
found riding more enjoyable. When
Morristown was reached the one with
6S 40 gear was as fresh as at the be-
ginning" while "the one with 81 was
used up and those who had reduced
their gears during the ride had bene-
fitted materially by it. The return trip
was made against head wind. and the
experience of the outward trip was re-
peated.
An experiment was also made with
the two combinations of sprocket
"Heelo tndt give seventy gear, VIZ,
SX20 and 1OX25, the larger chain wheels
being first used and then being
changed to the smaller ones; and it
was found that with the smaller sprock-
cts the chain ran more pleasantly and
freely and with less feeling of drag.
AS a result of the trip, it was con-
cluded medium gears are decidedly the
best for long runs, those from 68 40 to
II SO giving the best satisfaction. and
that medium sprockets, not larger than
nine-tooth rear. ensure better running
than the larger sizes.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

series Of explorations had been begun
by officers of the United States govern
ment, the most important being that of
a commission appointed by President
Grant, the report was printed in 1875
and discussed by congress during sew
eral sessions, and in 1884 there was
submitted to congress a treaty which
had been negotiated with Nicaragua for
the construction of the canal by the
United States. At the same time, Mr..
A. G. Menocal, civil engineer United
States navy, was ordered to Nicaragua
to make final surveys for the govern
ment The treaty, however, failed of
ratification by the senate, was with
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
MOltke's Reticencc,

Moltke's reticence was so proverbial
that as the Kings birthday approached
there used to be bets among the Of
ficers and the general staff as to how
many words Mo!tke would use in pro.
posing the toast of the day Some
backed nine word speech, others put
their money on eight words. Moltke's
habit was to say 'To the health of his
Majesty, Emperor and King" or 'To
his Imperial Majesty's health" In tn
year 1884 an oyster breakfast was
staked on the marshals not using
more than nine words. But. because he
began with the word Gentlemen" the
bet was lost. The loser comforted
himself by saying, Hes ageing, i
Moltke; he getting loquacious."
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Cycling Fills the Bill.

President Hyde of Bowdoin College
once said: The best exercise is that
which reaches the largest number and
does most for the weakest men; sec
ond, the best exercise is ,nat which
makes the hardest work attractive;
third, the best exercise is that which
most successfully co-ordinates body
mind and will intercollegiate athlet-
les cannot be made the basis of a ma
tional system of physical training, as
it stimulates only the few to action
The weakest men-thcy who need phys
ical education most-are eliminated
from the ranks of inter collegiate ath.
letcs at the outset"
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

solicited the Intervention of the United
States against the attempts of Great
Britain to secure control of the inter-
oceanic canal route. This resulted in
the negotiation Of the Hise-Selva treaty,
which, though never ratified, appears
to have been an important factor in the
negotiation Of the Clayton-B -Bulwer
treaty of 1S49, under which the United
States forced Great Britain to relin-
quish the attempt so obnoxious TO Mic
aragua. In 1849 a concession was
granted by Nicaragua to Cornelius Van
derbilt and his associates for an in
r-oceanic canal. Under it's provisions
a survey of the route was made, in 1850
81, by Col. o. w. Childs, Of Philadel-
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Early History of Canal Project

From the early history of the coun-
try the question of canal has been
under consideration. AS soon as the
exploring Spaniards discovered that
there was no open route from Europe
ito the East, they began to talk about
making one. Several of the early ex-
|plorers by no means appreciated the
value of their discoveries Columbus
twas disappointed rather than gratified
lat the fact that a continent lay before
{him, for his purpose was to find way
ito India and China, and he regarded
the American continent as an unfor-
ttunate barrier in his path. The Span
Eish viceroys and governors were all
charged by the government with the
lduty Of finding good canal route, and
before the middle of the sixteenth CEN
ftury every practicable line which might
serve the purpose was carefully exam
lined. The results of the Investigations
made by the Spanish governors are
summarized by Humboldt, who men
'tions five routes as possibly available
1or future use.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
A valuable Instrument.

An instrument has been devised for
measuring and registering upon dia-
gram the inequalities and the shape,
number and depth of the depressions Of
any road upon which it may be used.
says the English Cyclist, and the Road
improvement Association are consider
ing it's use in order to be able to dem
onstrate the condition of any highway.
Some interesting pictures would be
produced if few of these instruments
were put in use over some of our coun.
try roads.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
For Chain LubrlcatiOn.

The following method of cleaning
and lubricating chain is recommend
sene or benzine. Then put it in an
empty skillet and heat it until it is Just
warm enough mot hot) to melt the
grease in stick graphite. Rub the
graphite thoroughly on both sides of
chain, and the heat will make it run
into the joints. AS the grease will
harden the chain will run little stiff
ly for few minutes, but after that will
run finely from three to five hundred
miles.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Their WOea.

Il am here, gentlemen" explaine! i!
the pickpocket to his fellow-prisoaer.
"as the result of a moment of abb
straction." And l." said the incen-
diary, because of an unfortunate habit
OF making light of things" "And l."
chimed in the forger, ION account OF
simple desire to make a name for
myself" and l." added the burglar,
through nothing but taking advan-
tage OF an opening which offered in a
large mercantile establishment in
town" But here the warden sepavat.
ed them.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
To Start n Tight Cone.

Many persons make their first ac-
quaintance with things mechanical
when they begin to ride the bicycle.
and they are often annoyed and puz-
zled by the failure of the parts to work
in-what seems to them to be-a proper
manner. A case in point is that OF an
adjusting cone. shown in the picture.
which has bound up, and cannot be
moved by the fingers. In such a case.
hold a screwdriver against the milled
edge OF the cone. below the top and tap
il with wrench or light hammer A
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

separated the American countries for
ever from Spanish control. The prov
inces of Central America united them
selves into a confederation known as
''The States of the Center" and, in 1926,
Senor Canaz, of Nicaragua, began to
agitate the scheme of a canal. "In 1926 a
survey and estimate Of cost were made
under the auspices of De Witt Clinton
Stephen Van Rensselaer, and Monroe
Robinson, of New York, Edward For
syth, of Louisiana, and c. J. Catlett, Of
the District of Columbia, and others. In
1881 the secretary of state instructed
the United States charge daffaires in
Central America to protect the interests
of citizens Of his country in certain ne
gotiations concerning canal then
pending with the king of the Neither
lands. In 1885 Congress ordered an in
spection of the different routes, and an
agent was appointed, who, however,
failed to comply with his instructions.
In 1898 survey of the route was
made for the government of Nicaragua
by Lieut.. Bailey. In 1888 Aaron Clark,
Herman LIE Roy, William Radcliffe Of
New York, Matthew Cary of Philadel-
phia, and others, memorialized con-
gress concerning the subject, in con-
sequence Of which committee was ap-
pointed and report made, and, in 1889,
Mr.. John l.. Stephens was sent on a
special and confidential mission to Gen.
trail America, during which mission he
made an investigation Of the canal
route and subsequently submitted a
report upon it.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
The Nlcaraguan Route.

The route of the Nicaragua canal is
SO plainly feasible that the wonder is
any other should for a moment have
been taken into consideration. Even
before the middle of the last century
there was talk of ship canal, and the
Spanish government considered the
propriety Of authorizing company to
begin the work, but nothing was done
and, in 1920, came the revolution which
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Toll-Road Charges.

The rates of toll charged on turn
pixies leading out Of Philadelphia are a
source of complaint. The charge for a
wheel to some suburban points is near
ly as much as the fare by train; for
single horse it is more, and for a team
still more.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Put Broad Tires on Your Li:e.~

A country doctor, hurrying over a
horrible road on life and death er-
rand. exclaimed to his driver: 'If
those poor fellows bleed to death, it
will be the fault of the narrow tires
that have made this road almost i'm
passable. Never make ruts. my boy;
put broad tires on your life"
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

fabrication, sdys writer in Cycling
Referee, is the life Of machine con-
structed on the lines of bicycle. II
is impossible to r'ln without it. Lubri-
cation overcomes much friction, and
friction means loss of power, loss of
speed, loss of time, and much else.
When, by reason of weight or snug fit,
the contact is so close as to expel the
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
New Use for Mice.

New England bicycle dealers have
struck a new and effective device to at
tract the attention of the public to their
wares. The down-easters always were
clever advertisers, and this new adver-
tising scheme is one of the most orig
nal and striking of the many that have
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
s:ssSlszlSi;ISass--z.
DRIVEN BY MOUSE POWER

come from that section of the country.
A mouse cage with foorless extern
sion and a couple Of mice, together
with a bicycle, form the properties for
the act that is performed daily in the
show windows of several bicycle stores
in Connecticut and Massachusetts
tOwns.-EX.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

the divide cut. This dam is to be 10
feet high, 1000 feet long; it will raise
the water above it to a level OF 106 feet
above the sea, and this will raise the
level OF Lake Nicaragua from 1O5 feet
to ITO feet above the sea-
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
England Driven Out.

In 1914 the Nicaraguan government
solicited the aid of the French gov
ernment, but failed to obtain any val
liable cooperation. In 1S47, Nicaragua
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Advice.

Before you go to war say prayer.
Before you go voyaging On the seas say
two prayers. Before you take unto
yourself a wife say three.-JudI
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
NOTES OF THE WHEEL.
MATTERS OF INTEREST DEv-
OTEES OF THE BICYCLE,

Trial of Gears and Sprockets-A rev
Facts About Effective Chain Lubrica-
tion--How to Start IA Tight Gone
a Novel Method of Advertising.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Revised Charm.

Wheeler-Is Scorcher superstitiou.o
Biker-Very! He's got bicycle tire
hanging over his door for good luck
Puck.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

few light blows will loosen it, so that
it can be adjusted by hand, unless it is
defective in some way, in which case
it should be repaired or replaced
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
TREATY WITH PRUSSIA,

In 17S5, the United States and Prus-
sia entered into treaty, some provi-
sions OF which show remarkably ad-
vanced spirit Of civilization and hu-
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22
Trial OF Gears and Sprockets.

WING to the pre-
vailing fad for
high gears and big
sprockets, a party
of wheelmen from
Port Richmond, S.
l., recently deter
mined to give them
a practical test. and
chose for the pur-
pose the run to
Morristown, N. j..
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

phia. The canal proposed by Mr.. Van
derbilt was not built, and after several
notifications of the contract the con-
cesslon was declared forfeited by the
Nlcaraguan government. In 1858 a con-
cession was granted to Felix Belly, Of
Paris, for construction Of a canal by
the route proposed by Col. Childs.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-22

Various Projects.
Various projects were suggested be-
tween the time Of the failure Of M.
Belly and the year 1880, but in 1852 a
Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1898-02-02
TARDY JUSTICE.

D"rir o Tho civil war the Fe era
a shoriti"s ooh roese q OF the p b.
lishn plant ( the Me odist Episco-
pal Church, 8 nth a Mas wi lie, and
Us d the same for Tho pub ication Of
Federal matter.
Since the ar the Met cd st Chu Ch
has asked ong st reimburse teen
for tie damage don by foi chilly TAX
ing p sse,sl OF Their property. The
bill has been in Congress for years nd
several times has been fayorably re-
port d by the mrittee, but not un-
ii the present G ngress has the mat
ter been 80 ed,
he bill pay the Book Publ hing
Company of the Me hodist Episcopal
Church, South, 1888, 900, for damages
sustained by that corporation during
the war, after having encountered an
obsfin fiibuster, which had sta, ed
off vote on two previous private-bilI
days, was piloted to its passage in the
House Friday by Mr.. Cooper, Of, Texa. ;,
who was in charge of the measure.
The friends of the measure proved
themselves in an overwhelming ma
jority, aud the opposition finding It
could hold out no longer, reluctant y
yielded, The vote on the bill ives 1873
to 81.
Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1898-02-02
Auction Sale
OF A VALUABLE
HOUSE AND LOT
N
LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA.

In execution Of deed Of trust from W. l.
| Crigler and wife dated February 18th, 1856
and recorded at page 1856 in Deed Book \. \
in the Clerks Oflice of Rockbridge county,
and being thereunto requested by the creditor
| secured, the undersigned will on
| WEDNESDAY,, THE s3rd DAY OF FEB
RUARY, 1898,
at IL o'clock a. M. upon the premises, sell at
public auction that desirable house and lot
situated on Main street, In the town OF Lex.
ington, Virginia, adjoining the lots Of s. 0.
Campbell, b. H. Gorrell, and w. q. Charl-
ton and others.
The house is q franc one and contains
six good rooms besides small Kitchen
The lot Is level and very well located''
FERNS A sufficient amount In cash to
pay the costs of sale and the debt secured
amounting to 81 900 with interest from AAg,l
llst 18th, $780, and as to the residue upon q
credit Of one and two years, bearing interest
form day Of sale.
Terms can bs arranged with the creditor
by which the purchaser will DO given
time for the payment Of all or part OF the
purchase money.
ani9-4t Trustee,
Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1898-02-02
VIRGINIA WAR CLAIMS.

In the "omnibus bil' Tow being
considered by the committee on War
Claims of the House of Representa-
tives large number of claimants in
Virginia and West Virginia have been
provide ! for. These are seperate from
The church claims that are pending
before the same committee, and all
have been adjudiclted by the Court CT
Claims. 1t is believed that the bill
will pass at some stage of the present
session Of Congress.
The largest claim in the entire list
is that of the heirs of fac late Mrs.
Nary Ann Randolph Gusts Lee lin
connection with the famous Arlington
estate) for $217, 236.
Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1898-02-02
THE FIRE CLAY AND ROOFING
lyle COMPANY.
GBuena Vista Herald

This industry, which is destined to
be one of the most important in oul
city, is moving along slowly but surely
on to that success which it so well de-
serves. Mr.. Quandt, the president, IS
thoroughly educated in the art of clay
working, and anything he undertakes
will be done right. For the lasttw or
three weeks he has had a couple of clay
workers from Baltimore assisting him
in making nice lot of "tena co ia"
work for the College Hill Baptist
church, at Ly nchburg. This work is
about completed, and when put up will
become another great advertisement for
the work done by this company. Our
people should encourage this enter
prise by speaking of it to strangers, and
patronlzing it whenever they need any
hing in this lire.
Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1898-02-02

DoL't think that your liver nee d.
treating If you are bill. us. Il
! don't. It's your stomach, That is
your stomach is really what causes The
biliousness. 1t Las put your liver out
of order.
See what's the matter with your
stomach.
Sick stomach poisons liver and then
there's tronble Shaker Digestive
Cordial cures ste mach and then all's
well, That's the case in a nutshell.
Shaker Digestive Cordial is no recret
formulas on every bottle. But it's
the simple honest way it's made, the
honest Sh ,ker herbs and other ingred-
tents of which til composed, that
make it so efficacous.
Any real case of indigestion and
biliousness can be cured with few
bottles Of Shaker Digestive Cordial;
Try it.
Sold by druggists, price 10 cents to |
SLIGO per bottle.