davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The evening times., 1899-03-07
The Farmer aud the MiIiiner.

There have been many attempts to ex-
plain why farming is not as profitable as it
used to be, and Western competition. the
gold standard, the eNtortions of the money
lender. the development OF the railroad
and a change of ideals among the farmers
themselves, have by turns been given as
reasons. A recent report of the Agricul-
tural Department however. gives a posi-
BILE explanation, which is different from
any of these.
or twenty years a general raid has been
made on the bird population, partly as a
matter of sport, and partly because there
has been a great demand for them by mil
liners. The result of this has been that
the birds have been absolutely destroyed
in some districts. and have been thinned
out in others. AS everyone knows. birds
are uncompromising foes OF many insects
birds disappear the bugs multiply even by
the tens of thousands. This ends in per-
sonal loss TO the farmer and the florist.
When the bird population in any dis
give the farmer very much trouble. A
lively bird can account for more bugs. flies.
grubs, and slugs in a day than anyone
would wish TO count, and do it all in the
enough insects in district TO feed cer-
The evening times., 1899-03-07
,duIterated Food for the Mind.

The New York Tribune is daily orna-
mented with collection of articles printed
under the caption THE Only Woman's
Page" As the average woman's page, or
what goes by that name, is occasionally
worth reading, a natural curiosity may be
felt about the article dubbed by the "Trib-
une' 49, only specimen of its kind.
There are three columns OF strictly femi-
nine literature. One column is given to
fashions, another TO children and a third
to the affairs of a thing by the name of
Corner We come upon this interesting
statement:
To Mrs. -, of Hartford Conn, the ''Trib
ure'' is indebted for the following sweet little
story about her cat Tommy:
CAT TALE-BY THE CAT
OF course nobody can tell what may be
the cats feelings in the matter but it is
perfectly safe 10 say that the average child
will repudiate the cat tale which follows
with supreme disgust. 1t has evidently
been published TO crafty the desire of the
author 10 see her name in print. OF course,
il the Tribune" wants to conduct char
liable association of that kind it is no.
body's business, but the average news
paper outside the class of the ''Podunk
Gazette does not cater to just that sort
of reader Perhaps it is a work of charity
to satisfy the lifelong yearning of hu-
man being who longs to have his CT her
name in the paper, but most dailies have
not time for that.
The Sunshine Society" goes still fur
ther in this direction. 1t prints miscel-
| laneous pieces of poetry, adding TO each
the name Of the person who forwarded it
/ to the Tribune" office-something as the
/ county newspaper remarks: Mr. Lyman
Ginger left large and elegant squash on
our table this morning." And some of
! the poetry is very squashlike. For exam
| pie, the column for one day is headed with
/ this:
VIII they meet us, cheer and greet US,
Those we've loved who've gone before9
Shall we find them at the portals,
Find our beautiful immortals,
When we reach that radiant shore?
The Rev. Mr.. Rankin, who wrote this
touching rhyme, Constructs some five
verses on the very simple plan of repeat
ing lines and stanzas or parts of stanzas
wherever possible, a. la gospel hymn. That
| is an easy way TO make poetry. He de-
scribes how we often, as days soften, sit
they (our beautiful immortals) still think
The evening times., 1899-03-07
A Natural Soap Mine.
(Tacoma Correspondence of the Chicago R

(Tacoma Correspondence of the Chicago Record)
A natural soap mine and paint mine are two
of the latest mineral discoveries in the North
west. Several soda lakes have been found in the
foothills near Ashcroft, B. G.. Their bottoms
and shores encrusted with a natural washing
compound containing boraX and soda No two
analyses agree exactly as to the composition of
the material. A New York analysis gives 26 per
cent borax, while Montreal chemist, from the
same sample, gives 16 per cent borax. An Ottawa
analysis showed only a trace of borax. Tests
prove the substance to be equal to the washing
powders in common use for cleansing purposes,
Trials by blaeksmiths and farm workmen show
that it will remove grease and dirt quicker than
soap. After many such tests a syndicate of
British Columbia men has been formed to put
the product. on the market One OF the members
is now in New York for that purpose.
About 275 tons of the compound have been cut
and taken out OF one lake. 1t is handled pre-
cisely as ice is handled The blocks are more
than nine inches in thickness; are sawed in
blocks fifteen by eighteen inches, and weigh fifty
pounds each. 1t is estimated that this lake alone
contains 20, 900 tons, proving that the industry
if successful, will reacf large proportions.
The evening times., 1899-03-07
ROUGH WEATHER AT SEA.
Captains of Vessels Report Heavy
Gales and Wrecks.

New York, March Eighteen steam
ships were lying at Quarantine at one time
yesterday seven of them having come in
during the night. Among them was the
British ship Algoa. twenty eight days from
Hamburg Captain Hansford reported run
ming into gale upon leaving the English
Channel against which he buffeted for flf'
teen days. In that time he made only 300
miles and drifted 80 miles to leeward.
Finally he gave up his course and ran
south to the Azores. and after that had
smoother steaming.
One of the seamen, a Lascar, died on
the ship from beri-meri March 2 and was
buried at sea Nearly all the other skip
pers had similar tales to tell, but all had
escaped serious damage. The Langbank.
from Calcutta, reported passing a sinking
wreck, apparently that of an American
three masted schooner of about 500 tons,
on the morning of February %. in latitude
$500. longitude $500, and on March j. in
latitude 1928. longitude 1929. she sighted
a broken mast with white painted top pro-
jecting about six feet from the water as
though from a submerged wreck The
Hero from Hamburg, on February ~
passed the abandoned British steamship
Rossmore drifting on her beam ends.
The evening times., 1899-03-07
THE LATEST COMET IN THE SKY.
Opinions of Prof. Swift at the Lowe
Observatory

oDStfNatOry.
San Francisco, March Professor Lew
is Swift, of the Lowe Observatory Echo
Mountain, Cal, referring to the comet dis
covered on the evening of March 8, says
whether it is a member of our solar system
or a stranger, cannot be ascertained until
three accurate phases have been obtained
with at least day beteween them If il
be found that its orbit is an ellipse it is
member of our own system and has visited
us before and will again.
If its orbit is found to be parabola, ii is
visiting our system for the first and last
time q wanderer through the starry sys-
TENS, but a deniZen of none.
Whether this one will be much brighter
cannot be told as yet, but circumstances
look favorable. For a telescope comet it
is a bright one, and is also large, with
broad short tail pointing toward the sun,
and has star-like nucleus near its CEN
ire. 1T was discovered" he says, with
my four and one-half inch comet seeker.
with which l have discovered nearly all
my comets"
1t is still not far from its discovery place
in the constellation of Eridanus, right as
cension 3 hours 40 minutes, declination
south 80 degrees, moving slowly northwest
1t is rather unfavorably situated for obser-
vation, being low in the southwest and
therefore, setting early.
Professor Swift reobserved the comet
yesterday evening. At 7:30 o'clock its place
was right ascension hours AZ minutes 10
seconds, declination south % degrees 80
minutes. He is sure the comes is fainter
that when discovered.
The evening times., 1899-03-07

tain number of birds, and the bird popula-
tion slightly exceeds that number, no bug
dares poke his head out from under leaf
lest hungry robin or sparrow should see
it, But this state of things has ceased to
exist in many parts OF the country today
The consequence is that the farmer has
to rise at dawn and spend his time looking
over his broad acres, and spraying poison
over everything that may be infested with
bugs. The pleasing industry known as
hunting potato bugs is still indulged in
here and there, but some insects are too
numerous and too active to be hunted in
dividually. They must be removed with
poison. or. as in the case of the chinch bug,
by the insidious means of disease. This
calls for much scientific knowledge, and
the farmer must understand entomology
fairly well TO know the antidote for each
bug The study of science costs money.
So do the various supplies of arsenic to5ac-
co. hellebore. whale oil. carbolic acid, coal
tar pine tar, and other things, and the IN
struments by which they are applied
When the farmer has paid for all these
things and learned how to use them, and
sent his boys 10 the agricultural college,
and paid his subscription to scientific pa
pers which tell how to get rid of the
pests and spent money for different ex-
/ periments which do not succeed, and for all
the various agricultural implements which
/ are needed to enable him to keep abreast
/ of the times, ii is not much to be wondered
at il he finds that his bank account is not
! increased at the end of the year He has
! spent half his surplus and his time in do
! ing painfully and laboriously what the bird
does joyfuIly for board wages. 1t looks as
/ if there were a terrible waste of energy
| somewhere.
One reason for the fearful slaughter of
native birds in the last two decades is. of
course. the prevailing fashions. Fifty years
ago only rich women wore bonnets covered
| with feathers, and most of these orna-
ments were imported. Nowadays it Eas
been found that the piumage of native
! birds can be made TO look almost as beau
tiful. by skiIlful treatment as that OF the
rare foreign specimen; and the birds have
been massacred accordingly. Now every
woman must have bird on her hat, even
if she is able 10 spend only nickel for 1t.
And the result of it all is that the farmer
is losing money.
1t seems as if the farmers associations
would do we'll to take up this matter II
every farmers wife and daughter would
repudiate the inartistic and unpleasant
custom of decorating hat with the dead
body of a bird il would save some of the
birds. at all events. Perhaps some day. be-
fore the feathered creatures have been en-
tirely exterminated, we shall become suf
fciently civilized 10 abandon this Fiji Gus
tom: and then the farmers will have reasol
10 rejoice. and so will other classes of Gu
population, for there will be more food il
, the world
The evening times., 1899-03-07
sNowBouND AND STARVING.
Passengers on Montana Train
Lived on Beans and Coffee.

Lived on Beans and Coffee.
Cheyenne, Mont, March 7.-Telegraphic
communication was established yesterday
with Superintendent Rasback, in charge of
the Cheyenne and Northern train which
has been showed in at Iron Mountain, lif-
ty miles from fere, for the past seven
days.
He reports that forty mine persons, train
men, and passengers had been living sew
eral days until yesterday morning on beans
and coffee. Sunday two range steers were
captured and killed and the danger OF
starvation averted.
Iron Mountain Is simply a station, with
several ranches in the vicinity. The ranch
ers we're short of supplies and would care
only for the women passengers, five in
number.
Seven passengers left the train Friday
when the prospects for securing food Were
slender, and walked to Cheyenne. Three
CT them, John McDermott, of the State
Legislature, and John and George Foxton
reached here yesterday. They had walked
thrty-five miles and hired ranchman TO
bring them the remainder OF tne distance.
They reported the passengers and train
men remaining with the train in pitiful
condition through lack of food and the
loss of sleep, and relief train was at once
made up and sent out with provisions and
several hundred shoyelers.
The train proceeded twenty miles and
was forced to return, the deep cuts being
frozen solid with ice and STOW. four OF
the party who left the train Friday reach
ed here yesterday after a perilous trip.
They had wandered from the track in a
blizzard Saturday night and were lost on
the prairie all the night. They were found
| Sunday by a ranchman when they were
| about to give up the fight against the
storm All are badly frostbitten.
The evening times., 1899-03-07
Clean Modern journalism

(From the Brooklyn Eagle.)
In journalism fair reporting, clean statement,
and vigorous comment are the signs of the times.
journalism was never at higher estate of infu-
encc and excellence in this country. The one or
two exceptional instances quoted to the
trary only by the shallow minds that find false
significance in sensational and transient fact.
There are fewer offenders and there are fewer
offences against high standards in journalism
than in law or medicine or the ministry or the
army the navy.
No newspaper man ever thought that his call
ing was all that he would make it, but all con-
temporary newspaper men have lived to see the
skirk the drunkard, the backmailer, the striker,
the loafer, the idler, and the beggar disappear
from the spelling of white paper with black type
in nearly every city of the land Every conf
munity's journalism is a better mental and moral
representative to that community than its Office
holders as a rule, can be said to be. In proper
ton as journalism is solvent it is likely to be
free and strong, for dependence in that calling,
as in any other calling, is likely to invite meet
with temptations that test virtue, strain charac-
ter, and demand the charity of silence the si-
Ience of charity.
The evening times., 1899-03-07
FAMILIES HOMELESS.
BIizznrd Adds TO the Suffering i'm
West Virginia.

Huntington, ". Va, March 7.-Great
suffering prevails throughout southern
West Virginia as the result of foods in
all streams The Ohio is still rising here.
and at Central City the water is UP 10 the
second floor in number of industries
1--WE miles up the GuyandCtte River
yesterday morning G. ". Merritt's -four
ing mill was washed away and heavy
gale is playing havoc with old structures.
The Guyandotte is now falling very slO -
iy. but hundreds of families are homeless
along its upper waters. To add TO the
suffering a blizzard nov prevails. the
thermometer having dropped - degrees in
the past five hours.
Parkersburg, W. Va. March IA ter
rife wind and snowstorm ragged here last
night. The mercury is rapidly falling
The evening times., 1899-03-07
STRIKING AT THE SUGAR TRUST
Ohio Makes a Heavy Claim Against
the Censbfne.

Columbus, Ohio, March 7.-Attorney
General Monnett is now after the Ameri-
can Sugar Refining Company.
Suit was brought on Monday by him in
the name of the State against the trust to
recover $50, 900 claimed to be due the State
by reason of the company failure to com
ply with section 148 OF the Revised Stat
utes.
The action is in the nature of an attach
ment and garnishee proceedings, and in
the affidavit it is alleged that several To-
cal firms have properly belonged to the
defendant company.
The sheriff served the firms mentioned
in the affidavits this morning.
In the petition the attorney general al
leges that the American Sugar Refinery
Company is q foreign corporation, and
following this are the usual data connected
with the incorporation and the passage of
the law which Is alleged to have been
broken. -t-.r-
The law requires that thirty days after
the passage of the act the defendant COM
pany shall be required to male and file
with the secretary of state a statement
under oath containing all figures and data
relative to the amount of business trans
acted in Ohio. Not until this is done is
| there a certificate issued authorizing the
| company to do business in the State
! The petition alleges that the defendants
| failed to comply and refuses to do so, ard
that by reason OF this they are subject to
| a penalty of $1,000.
| In the second cause of action it is alleged
! that the company has named certain per-
sons as factors or agents to whom por-
| ton of its goods were billed. The bills were
made out against these agents when in re-
| ality the goods were owned and held by
| the American Sugar Refinery Company.
A copy of letter bearing the names OF
II. G. Hayemeyer, President and John E.
Searles, Secretary and Treasurer and
signed by he company is embodied in the
petition. The object of the letter is tC
show that the defendant company retained
ownership of all goods sent.
Then follows the prayer OF the petition
in which it is alleged that the defendant
company is subjected 10 a penalty of 81 00t
per month for ffty-five months. and 81 %,
as stated in the first clause of action. max
ing S5G. 900 in all.
The evening times., 1899-03-07
vanity of Canary Birds.

''Do YOU know" said an observant gentleman
this morning, "that, barring a man and pea
cock believe canary bird is the vainest of all
creatures? / have had occasion before to observe
this have never met with finer example
of it than came to yesterday. Both my wife
and myself very fond of pets, and We keep
several of these little songsters always in the
house One of the cages old affair." which
had been in the family for years. and used
as much for traditions for economy's sake.
had frequently remarked to my wife that
believed the occupant of this cage somewhat
ashamed of his shabby dwelling place and OBJ
served with envious eyes the fact that the other
songsters more artisticaly lodged. Well,
yesterday the old cage finally collapsed. and it
became necessary to purchase a one. In
order to test my belief in the intelligence of my
feathered friend made 1t point to get him the
prettiest little brass house | could find The
effect was magical No sooner was he tuned
into his new home than he began to sing as he
had never sung before, completely drowning out
the music of the other birds and behaving other
wise in a manner altogether becoming his sud-
den rise in life. No proud pauper coming unex-
pectedly into an inheritance of great riches could
more gracefully have assumed greater degree Of
vanity" 4. /. LIZ
The evening times., 1899-03-07
CHARLESTON IN DARKNESS.
Wnterworlss, Gas. and Electric Light
Plants Shut Down.

Charleston. W. Va March The
Kanawha and Elk rivers, which rose to II
feet at this point and flooded all the low
er parts of the city. fell about four feet
yesterday. The fall is very slow. and it
is feared now that a second rise NAV
come, as it is raining and showing The
water works. gas and electric light works
have been shut down. owing to the high
water, and at night the city is at the meT-
cy of frebugs and thieves.
Fortunately no fires have broken out.
and the police have the town in such COOL
shape that no danger Is appreheHded from
the bad element. There has been no loss
of life from the flood, but considerab, e
damage from high water II is estimated
5000 people have been driven from their
homes. 1t may be a week before the peo-
pie can move back into their deserted
homes. Fortunately the people in the Low
lands expected the rise and got their
household effects to places of safety. thus
saving much. All banks were closed yes
terday but will open today
The evening times., 1899-03-07
Mr. AIGer's Possible Resignation.


The report that the President has finally
had a plain talk with Secretary Alger.
looking 10 his dismissal from the Cabinet.
may or may not be true. but the country
viii hope that it is.
II is asserted Alger told the President
thar sooner than subject the Administra-
lion to any further embarrassment he
would retire. The Presidents answer
should be obvious II it did not embarrass
him TO ride through the streets of Boston
in the midst OF distinct and numerous
Kisses. plainly directed toward his Secre-
iary OF War ne would be something more
or less than human. The populare could
not have manifested its disapproval of Al
ger more plainly by any means short of
actual personal violence and the country
has not yet reached the point of attacking
a high official of the Government in the
street and stringing him up 10 a lamp
post. In France. of course, it is different.
Mr. Alger naturally added that he would
not retire under fire" He is fond of the
phrase and never misses a chance to use
it, According to all accounts. he did not
=
himself out of the way before the firing
began; but the cases are different. If he
Is waiting now TO see whether the public
disapprobation of him is not going to die
down, there are many hundreds of cred
ible and earnest people who can assure
him that nothing of the kind viii happen.
Congress has adjourned; there is nothing
10 draw the attention OF the country away
from Algerism in general and the beef
scandal in particular, and if he is wise he
viii resign speedily. before the Military
Court of Enquiry takes decisive action.
II Mr.. Alger will subscribe to any good
clipping bureau he can get a thousand
documents a day TO prove TO him just
what the people think of him. and just
what they want him to do.
The evening times., 1899-03-07
MADE HOMELESS BY FIRE.
Thirty Families I'm Tenement Houses
Ousted by Flames.

New York, March At 80 o'clock this
morning fire was discovered in the base
ment of a five-story tenement at 79l East
Fifth Street. The flames spread rapidly
to the floors above and escape by means
OF the stairways was cut off. The firemen
responded quickly and rescued the fifteen
families who occupied the tenement, from
the fire escapes. Nathan Riechenthal car
ried his three-y year-old daughter Belle
down the freescape to the first floor He
became excited then and threw her to the
sidewalk. The child was picked up un-
conscious and will probably die.
At 8 o'clock, when the fire at No. 7S1
was under control. flames burst from the
adjoining tenement, No. 129. The interior
of both buildings was gutted and thirty
families are homeless. The circumstances
surrounding the fires point TO incendiarism
The loss is estimated at $40, 000
The evening times., 1899-03-07
Late Inventions.

(From the Philadelphia Ledger.)
The day of great industrial inventions is not
yet ended Two discoveries OF Importance are
just announced, which, if the claims made for
them can be substantiated. will work wonders in
the industrial world. one is a process of
hardening steel far beyond anything known
before; the other is the commercial production
of liquid air and its adaptability to many, if not
ALL of the processes for which steam is now used.
The latter claims TO obviate the disadvantages
under which steam labors, and, though this is
too much To believe, il does seem probable that
the new, strange substance will be substituted
for steam in many of the departments of in
dustrv where the latter is now indispensable.
The evening times., 1899-03-07
THE DOVER BANK CASES.
Impressions That Senator Kenney
VIII Not he Retired.

Wilmington. Del, March 7.-District At
torney Vandegrift has announced that the
trials of the men indicted for alleged COM
plicity with William N Boggs in the en-
bezzlement of funds of the First National
Bank of Dover. would begin on March 81
Mr.. Vandegrift asked Judge Bradford for
a jury to try the cases. Those who are
under indictment and have not yet been
tried are State Senator J. F. Alice Harry
Ford, J. H. McGonigal, Amos Cole William
E. Cotter. and Charles H. Butler.
Mr.. Vandegrift said that he had re-
ceived no instructions from Washington
in the case against United States Senator
Kenney, who has been tried twice, the
jury disagreeing both times The impress
sion here is that Senator Kenney will not
be called upon to face jury again.
The evening times., 1899-03-07
STRANGE DOUBLE CEREMONIES.
Wedding and Funeral Are to He
Held Together.

Allentown, Pa, March THE unusual
combination of wedding and a funeral
will be witnessed in this city. This strange
mixture of ceremonies was brought about
by the death of Mrs. Daniel Troxell,
wealthy woman, on Saturday. With her
lived for many years her granddaughter,
Urseda " Minnich, who had issued invita-
tions for her wedding next Thursdav .
Charles T. O'Neill, clerk in the Lehigh
Valley Railroad offices at Bethlehem.
After Mrs. Troxell's death the prospect
tive bride and bridegroom decided that the
marriage ceremony should be performed at
the side of the old lady's casket, and that
the funeral be held Immediately after the
wedding