davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
MAKING ROUGH SEA SMOOTH.
Experiments with a Floating Net An
chored and Buoyed Mt the
Right Place.

Baron Benvenuto d'Alessandro, an
italian living in Paris, has devised
new plan for rendering rough sea
smooth in the vicinity of ships, light
houses and harbor entrances. He en-
pioys a netting stretched on the sur
face of the water and kept afoat by
buoys. 1t is also held in place by an
chors. The netting is made water
proof in order to preserve it, says the
New York Tribune.
An experiment was made a few
months ago off Havre, where a jetty
is now in process of construction, for
the protection of the harbor from
heavy westerly storms. The net used
on that occasion was of hempen Irvine,
with meshes little more than an inch
and a half in diameter. Two strips
each 800 feet long and 16h feet wide
were arranged parallel to each other
and 1872 feet apart near the unfinished
jetty. A short piece of net at the ends
connected the two so that they formed
a narrow rectangular Enclosure. I'm
der certain circumstances continuous
D'Allesandro believes that one formed
as here described will answer the pur-
pose equally well in most places.
The net at Havre showed DISPOSE
ton to assume crescent shape, owing
to the end anchors dragging. Heavier
anchors were subsequently used, and
an additional pair was introduced half
way between the ends. 1t was then
found that even in the worst storms the
net would retain its shape and position.
At the time of the last trial the wealth
er was so severe that the net could not
be approached closely enough for care
full examination. Previous expert
ments, however, satisfy the inventor
that his device will be more effectual
than oil in rendering a rough sea
smooth.
He says that ship can be protected
by his netting if outriggers are used to
hold it in place, but he reports no ae-
tual tests of this kind.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
TAKING THE CENSUS.
count of Ignorance and
Opposition.

An enormous number of people are
either ignorant of their ages or else
they are unwilling to tell them. This
might be inferred from general ex-
perience, but census statistics prove
it, says the New York Tribune. Cen
sus age tables are honeycombed with
error in every country in which such
tables are prepared. With fairly
steady flow of immigration and sta
tionary or increasing population,
there ought always to be fewerpersons
of given age than of any single age
preceding; less people so years old
than 40, less 60 years of age than SO.
and so on. But census age tables in
variably show the reverse. At the
last census 240 $50 persons were re-
turned as SO years old, while the num-
Der returned as 60 was 02,7ss. The
tendency to use round numbers arises
mainly from ignorance and careless
ness, and is noticeable at every period
of life. But the impulse to understate
the age is especially noticeable among
adults from 25 to 60. The greatest
proportion of errors is at the sixtieth
year, but the greatest actual amount
is at the thirtieth year or fortieth
year. In 1890 there were 618,641 per-
sons reported as 80 years of age, 1885,
1876 at 40 and 4S6,S53 at Al. Among
women, SCOTIA were reported to be
40, 290,977 80 and 224,551 Al.
Where immigration is slight the
persons of a given age at one census
must necessarily be less than the per-
sons ten years younger at the proceed
ing census. Thus, in 1890, the persons
25 years old are necessarily fewer in
number than the persons Is years old
in 1880, because the IS class of 1890 is
composed of the survivors of the Is
year class in 1880. These are facts;
but English women are not abashed
by facts. In England the number of
women returning themselves as from
20 to IS years of age is always greater
than the number of girls reported at
the preceding census from ten to fif-
teen years old.
If the age returns are incorrect,
it is impossible to determine accurate
ly whether the average duration OF
life is increasing or decreasing, to
compute exact life insurance tables
or ascertain the death rate, to tell
what portion of the men are of mill
tary age or what portion of the wom-
en- are in the collaborating class. Al
most every other set of statistical re-
turns must be classified according to
ages In this way it is ascertained
whether negroes have more children
and whether these children live long
er or die earlier than whites; whether
the criminals of the country are in
the main recruited from the younger
or the older element of the popula-
ton. and whether the employment OF
children is increasing or decreasing.
Strange to say, the age returns are
not so accurate in America as they
are in Europe. But studies of the
eleventh census give reason for the
belief that the last census were the
best in this respect ever yet taken,
and similar studies of the Massachu-
sets census of 1895 indicate similar
improvement in that state.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
News in Brief.

The store of Onstad, jacobson and
Woodbury's saloon, at Ada, was con-
sumed by fire. Onstad and Jacobson's
stock was about $4,000; insurance
$4,000.
Judge Lochren has decided that the
owners of the steamer Peerless, which
sank in Duluth harbor after a COLI
sion with the barge Stewart, has no
action in claim for damages, against
the owners of the tugs which were
towing the two boats. The plaintiff
sued for $4,000, as the cost of the
steamer.
Special postal service has been es-
tablished at Owanka, Murray county,
and William G. Humason appointed
postmaster.
Minneapolis has big frog supply.
According to dealers in this branch of
trade the receipts are fully so per cent
in excess of what they were a year
ago. The average weekly receipts
now are about 10000 frog legs in adj
dition to the large quantity of live
frogs shipped for use as fish bait.
A. L. Morris, of Bagley, on the Foss-
ton branch, went to Kansas City last
week and returned with a shipment
of 100 Angora goats, which he turned
out on his farm at Bagley. They are
valued at from SIS to $25 per head, the
lower figure being for kids.
If the newest survey is followed the
Fargo, Duluth and Northwestern rail
road will not go through Moorhead,
but will pass south of the city about
two miles.
The three-year-old son of j. A. Gill
bert, of st. Paul, set fire to a vacant
house and was nearly burned to
death.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
HAS A QUEER TRADE.
Man from New Jersey Who Imi-
tates Wax Figure.
He Calls Himself the Animated "Dum-
my" and Is the Hero and Victim
of Some Odd Accidents and
Adventures.

Joseph E. Hurst, of Newark, is the
name of the best imitation of wax
figure in the world.
He has followed the business for ten
years, and has had some peculiar ex-
periences.
"The idea came to me in this way"
he said to a reporter for a New York
paper.
"A druggist on a corner mad wax
figure of woman in his window. It
was advertising soap, bar of which
it would hold out to the public all day
long. was hungry, out of work and
about discouraged. looked at the
figure and then at the next corner.
Over there was large drug store that
had no wax figure, and that was also
selling soap. | went over there and
said TO the angry looking proprietor:
What will you give me to bring
that crowd over here and keep it
here? | can do it.
~ will give you $a5 week. he
said
IAN hour after ] walked into the
store. had on blond wig, my face
was highly decorated with rich paint,
and, all in all, flattered myself that
/ looked as much like wax man as a
real one. The proprietor watched me
in surprise.
Slipping into clean white suit of
ducking, l stepped into the window
and began to pose. / turned mechan-
ically from side to side If was five
minutes before any one across the
street noticed me. Then there was a
rush. For three weeks stood in that
window, and, at the end of that time
the general public was not sure as to
my constitution. l have been at it
ever since.
The funniest thing happened in
Philadelphia. l was figure in par
Cor scene in furniture store. 1t was
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08

late in the afternoon, and the place
was nearly deserted. Two fashionable
young women came in to look at fur
nishings, and the proprietor showed
them around. They came along to
where l was.
"'What lovely wax fgure!' ex-
claimed one.
'Adorable!' said the other.
"If I could find man like that
now!'
Perfectly kissable.
"'As long as it is wax it probably
would not object to being kissed said
the manager, maliciously.
"'I'll do it, said the younger of the
two girls. There was silken swish
in my ear, and second after her lips
were pressed to mine in warm
smack. The girl started back and fell
in heap on the floor. She had faint
ed, and for little while there was a
scene of CONSERVATION.
when she came to. of course, she
apologized very humbly and assured
her that / was her debtor. it was the
finest compliment to my art that
have ever received.
'In Omaha a woman fell In love
with me and wrote me letters. Every
day got letter from her. and at last
/ tried to pick her out of the crowd.
4 looked for all the handsome ones, and
fancied first this one and that was my
admirer. One day she wrote me that
she would wear bunch of violets the
next day. so that | might know and
pity her.
THAT day I naturally watched for
women with violets, and there were
81 of them during the day. They all
stopped and stared at me as they
passed, but along toward night an old
woman, homely and wrinkled came
along and deliberately pointed at her
violets in a way that was unmistak-
able. It was very difficult for me to
preserve my facial expression then"
81 pose for half an hour at time.
Th,n I walk mechanically out of the
window.
.I pose in all kinds of rigs. Some
times they want me to be soldier.
sometimes they want figure to ad-
vertise the new styles. In Boston l
posed as a young woman in a tailor
made dress. and the papers wrote me
aip as smart girl who was making a
living by initiating wax figures. Some
of the young fellows of the fast set
came around and asked for an intro
duction to the girl in the window.
SIN the summer time the most mis-
fortunes overtake me. I have some
times to stand for half an hour while
a fiy crawls leisurely over my face and
tickles my nose. Oh. no; it is not all
fun, if there is some money in it. 1t
is rather hard on the nerves, too"
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
MINNESOTA NEWS.
Crushed by q Boulder.

Early in the morning huge boul-
der rushed down the precipitous in
cline and crashed through the roof OF
the house occupied by John Dorgan,
st. Paul. James Dorgan, Is years OF
age, was fatally injured and John
Dorgan, Jr., was seriously hurt. Three
other boys sleeping in the room into
which the rock crashed escaped with
slight injuries.
The accident took place before the
family had arisen. The house is a
two-story brick structure, built close
to the bluff at the foot of the Hall
street shops. A crew of laborers in
the employ of Contractor Thomas Lin
nan were at work above grading and
preparing to boulevard the street. The
steep incline is sixty feet in height.
The boulder slipped from its place and
crashed down the slope.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
ALASKA'S BOUNDARIES.
Officers of the Coast and Geo.
detic Survey ONCE.

Otto n. Tittman. assistant superin-
tendent of the coast and goedetic sur.
vey, has left Washington for Alaska
where he will, trace the boundary line
established by the modus vivendi OF
October, 1899, between the British gov
eminent and the United States. He
will be gone about two months.
Mr.. Tittmann has been selected to
succeed Superintendent Henry s.
Pritchett as the head of the coast and
goedetic survey when Mr.. Pritchett as
sumes the presidency of the Massachu.
setts school of technology, which he
will do next fail. The appointment OF
Mr.. Tittmann as superintendent of the
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
Dog Took q Bite.

Stanislaus T. Rosenthal, a mason,
whose home is in Minneapolis, at
tempted to assault his wife with a
butcher knife while drunk. The wife
found protector in the person of
bull dog belonging to the family,
which took her part, attacking Rosen-
thai and painfully wounding one of
his legs. Officer Henry Brudigan
placed Rosenthal under arrest on a
charge of drunkenness and a physi-
clan was summoned and dressed the
wounds.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
Is A CHARMING WOMAN.
Mrs. Charles A. TOwne DevOtes Most
of Her Spare Time to the Study
of Music and Art.

Mrs. Charles A. Towne, of Duluth,
the wife of the populist nominee for
vice president. was before her marriage
Maude Irene Wiley, and she was the
daughter of one of the prominent fam
lilies of Lansing, Mich, where she met
Mr.. Towne, then a budding lawyer of
that city.
They were married 10 years ago and
came to Duluth, Mimi, in 1892, where
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
GLOBE SIGHTS.

Our idea of brigh: man is one who
remembers in an hour of leisure the
things he bas been putting off to do
when he had time.
A man finds no one as he joys along
as indignant over his wrongs as his
mother was years ago when the school
teacher licked him.
1t is pity that everyone hasn't the
privilege enjoyed by lawyer of send
ing in bill to those who insist upon
telling him their troubles.-Atchison
Globe.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
His Mfsfortune.

Mother-Alice, was very much sur
prised and shocked last evening when
1 passed the parlor door and saw Mr..
Woodbe with his face close to yours.
Daughter-Yes, mamma; isn't it q
shame the poor fellow is so awfully
near-sighted?- Chicago Evening News.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
Paternalism in Germany.

Hamburg policemen watch the street
cars closely. and if they find a car
which carries single passenger more
than the number allowed by law the
conductor is fined ~ cents.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
Mig Hospital In Moscow,

Moscow has the largest hospital IN
Europe. with 1000 beds. There are %
physicians and 900 nurses. and about
$4,000 patients are taken care of every
year.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
Bank Robbed.

The Bank of Dover, at Dover, in
Olmsted county, was entered, the
vault and safe blown open and $4,000
in cash, of which $500 was in silver,
secured. Though there were dwell
ings only few feet away, no one
seems to have heard the sound of the
explosions, and the burglary was not
discovered until Cashier E. E. Rank
went to open the bank in the morn
ing. The burglars had by that time
made good their escape. The bank
carried indemnity insurance up to
$4,000.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
To the Island.

Jinks-Pd take my girl to the Thou
sand islands if only had the "mon."
Winks-The Thousand islands?
find it hard to take my girl to one.-
Judge.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
A Pioneer Dead,

Colonel John III. Stevens generally
known as the pioneer citizen of Min
neapolis, died at his residence at
Tenth street and Sixth avenue south,
May %.
The death of Colonel Steiyens re-
moves one of the best known figures
of Minneapolis. Colonel Stevens was
looked upon as the father of Mime
apolis." His old house, the first built
on the west side of the river, near the
site of the Union depot-now located
in Minnehaha park-was the rendez-
vous of the early settlers. Here it was
that the, meetings preliminary to the
organization of Hennepin county were
held. Here also were held religious
services.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08

English and Americans Preferred.
The queen of Italy is fond OF the Eng
lish and Americans, showing them spe-
cial ,ourtesy at the Italian court
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-06-08
A Dry Month.

The month that ended at midnight,
May 81, was the second dryest in the
history of Minnesota. The precipita-
zion in Minneapolis amounted to but
.43 of an inch, and the northern coun-
ties of the state had very little more
rain. The dryest May on record was
in 1861, when the precipitation
amounted to 06 of an inch. This was
in the days before the weather bureau
was established in either Minneapolis
or St. Paul, and what observations
were taken were made by individuals.
The person who recorded the rainfall
of May, 1861, was a man of unusual
intelligence, and it is safe to believe
that his observations are trustworthy.
The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-03
A CROWD IN THE STREET.
Guessing at Its Number and Watch
ing It's Wave Movements.

ESTIMATING the size of crowd is the
hardest kind of guessing in the world"
said an old citizen. Nothing is more
elastic, more compressible and more de-
ceptive than a great throng. On tive
occasions a street or square may appear
to be packed to its capacity, and one
would say roughly that about the same
number OF people were present each time.
As a matter OF fact there may have been
a difference of several thousand. | am
convinced from observation covering a
number Of years that it is impossible for
anybody standing on the level occupied
by a crowd to form even an approximate
ly accurate estimate of its size. Such q
spectator has no means of arriving at
the density OF the mass before him, and
that is the vital point in the whole cal
culation.
"The proper place from which to size
up any great gathering is as nearly as
possible overhead-in other words, from
the roof or upper windows of some adj
jacent tall building. 1t is only by look
ing down on crowds from a height that
you can appreciate their great differ
ences. One will be full of lanes and
passageways. with little open spaces
here and there, while in another the peo-
pie will be ,nding shoulder to shoulder
with almost military precision.
"From above. too. the strange wave
movement which occurs in all crowds is
clearly discei nible, and it Is certainly q
curious sigh A slight stir will be seen
from some extreme corner. For few
seconds it will travel toward the center.
exactly like ripple over water, then
suddenly il will break and spread itself
along three or four irregular paths. each
ending in a crush which must be entirely
inexplicable TO the people in the vicinity.
What caGses these movements to take
such eccentric routes through a throng
Is at first blush a mystery, but | suppose
1t can be easily explained on the common
principle of force moving in lines of the
least resistance. Some chap on the out
skirts starts he thing by sheuldering his
neighbor, and the impulse is passed along,
always by way of the weaxest."-New
Orleans Times-Democrat.
The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-03
UNCLE JACKS PLEA.
u was Powerful Enough to save TTis
had Case.

hmn tMwE
When was 10 North Carolina. a
friend told me about an old darby who
was on trial for stealing turkey, and the
proof was positive, and yet he did not
seem TO be alarmed. His lawyer was dis
couraged and said: "Uncle Jack, 1t looks
like they have got you"
mo, deg amt, Mas John: dey amt
got me yet, and dey amt gwine to get
me. Tell you how it is. Mas John. Do
jedge seten up dar was my young mas
ter when de war broke out and not gwine
to send me TO de pen. No, sir, he amt;
he amt done forget what know"
But Mas John had lost confidence, for
he knew that the judge would do his
duty and execute the law. In a short
time the trial was over and the judge
asked Uncle Jack IL he had anything to
say in extenuation Of his crime. The old
gray headed man got up with a grunt
and, looking around upon the spectators
and then at the judge, said:
Muffin much. Mas ledge; muffin much.
Only dis, you know all about dat old war
which we all got whoopcd. and you hain't
forgot how / went out wild you TO de
army, for you was a cappen. and old
master told me 10 go long and take keer
of you. and you knows did de very bes'
l could for four mighty long years and
how one time You got wounded and
staid by you ontell you was well again
and how anodcr time you took de
measles and me, too, and I stay by you
and nus you and how anoder time dem
Yankees cotch me aud l got away in de
night and come back TO you and how
sometimes you get out of money and out
of sumfen 10 eat all at the same time.
and you call me up and say. Jack, you
mus go out a-foragin and get us sumfn,
and 20 out late in de night and bring
you chickens and roastin ears, and one
time bring you turkey, and yoa neber
ar me muffin about whar I got him and
you neber Civ me any money to buy him,
did You. Alas ledge? You call 1t foragin
den, didn't you, Mas ledge, and il it
was foragin den, how cum 1t to be steal
in nowT'
BY this time the courtroom was con-
vulsed with laughter. and the judge could
not conceal Lis emotiorS for his reeollec-
ton of the ed darky's faithfulness was
revived afresh. He wiped his brow and
his eyes aud said: "Mr. Sheriff, adjourn
court Uncle Jack, will pay for that
turkey, but you must not do so any more.
When you need anything. you must come
to me. / haven't forgotten ou."-Atlan-
tn Constitution.
The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-03
PAYING CAR FARE.
Times when the Conductor Does 70
For the Passenger.


For the Passenger.
"Do we ever pay car fare for people?"
said street car conductor in reply to tho
question of a reporter who had scraped
acquaintance through frequent trips over
the line. well, l should say we do. l
have a lot OF steady customers on this
run who ride with me as regularly as the
clock, and it's no uncommon thing for
one of them to get ON without any mon
ey. In such case l put up the nickel
myself as matter of course and collect
it next day. But there are plenty Of
others where l have TO take chances or
else seem brutal, and sometimes it's pref
ty hard to know what to do.
at seems queer, but most OF the folks
who suddenly discover they haven't the
price appear to be people of means, and
good many of them tell me they make
it rule never 10 carry any money except
little small change. which they are apt
TO spend without being aware. Of it. Gen
orally they give me their cards, take my
number and send around a servant with
the fare as soon as they got home. I'm
sorry to say, however. that some OF them
are far from being that considerable.
Last fall very elegantly dressed lady
got on the car and found she had nothing
in her purse. oh WE'LL she said, IN
JUST give you a. check and in spite Of
my protests she pulled out a book of
blanks and gold fountain pen and wrote
me a cheek for 8 cents Just for the fun
of the thing ! presented it for collection,
but the teller insisted on my being prop
erly identified. and the result was that |
missed my afternoon detail aud lost half
days pay.
Another lady, who is very wealthy,
gave me her address and made me prom
Use TO call next day. Her house is away
out in the suburbs, and after allowing
me to wait for half an hour in the hall
she sent down a servant with four cop
pers and a postage stamp. All in all,
though, / have actually lost very little
money paying passengers fares. 1t
wouldn't amount TO half a dollar in the
last two years, and during that time I've
certainly made good for several hundred
people. New Orleans Times-Democrat
The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-03
MERRITTs CAREER AT END.
Given Leave Of Absence Untu Time Of
Retfrement.

Washington, May 2.-Two Important
orders were Issued BY the var depart
msns today. One gIsassd Major General
Wesley Merritt, commanding the military
dep srtmest Of the east, lesss Of abssnoe
from the tsath inst, with permission 70
70 abroad. Ths 5thsr assigned Major
General J. Il. Brooke 70 the CON N an d
Of the dspaFtmsnt OF the east. General
Merritt virtually twminatss hls active
connection with tho military establish
ment for his leavs OF absence extends be
yond June i6th next on which date he
will retire from the army BY operation of
Law on account OF age. Ths vacancy
caused hy his retirement will be allied By
the promotion Of General Il. s. Otis,
commanding tbs troops In the Philip.
pines.