Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-04-04
NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL
Des Moines. April /. 1an1.

ICES MONIES, aprll 1, lcOl.
Smallpox has crept into the schools
of this city and orders have been
issued by Superintendent Hiatt and
Sheakiey closing every door for one
week.
Reports coming in to the Office OF
the secretary of the state board of
health indicate the small pox cpl
demic is serious at Mason City. Seven
persons have died recently of the
disease. This is the largest Number
of deaths to be reported from any
one point in the state since the cut
break last fall. The number of
deaths in Iowa, however, is larger
than generally supposed. Serenity.
five persons are estimated to have
died from small pox in Iowa since
last October. Two deaths have Just
been reported from Atlantic. An
other death was reported from Thur
man. In the meantime, the number
of cases reported daily to the board
of!health continues large.
Justice Iris has notified every pro-
prietor of every establishment in
which slot machines are worked that
the operation OF such a machine is
gambling, and unless stopped at once
he will Issue warrants for arrests,
according to the statute prohibiting
gambling. This notification has re.
suited in the closing of every machins
In West Des Moines.
A general canning plant will prob
ably be established in Des Moines in
the next few weeks with a plant at.
tached for the manufacture of cans
and boxes and a capacity for putting
up a couple of million cans of vege-
tables and fruits each year. 1t will
probably be located on the Rock
Island tracks between this city and
Valley Junction.
The city council has directed the
purchase of Tracy Home for a small
pox and contagious disease hospital.
The hospital costs $4,000.
William Mcmillan of Des Moines
has loaned to the state historical col
lection Barge number of rare guns.
running from bitmderbuss of the
fifteenth century down to modern
rifles. A relic in theshape of an oak,
ten inches thick and four feet long,
in which are imbedded three grape
shot, a solid shot six inches in dame
ter and innumerable pieces of shells,
Is in the collection. This came from
Chickamauga. The iron is ingrown
in the wool, evidently having been
imPotent to kill the tree. A soldiers
button, in which is minnie ball i'm
bedded by it's force like the setting of
q ring, accompanies the collection.
The board of control has received
the report from the warden of the
state penitentsary at Anamosa giving
the information which had'been asked
regarding the valuation OF the state
property there ard statement of
losses which had been sustained by
fire. The report shows the state has
suffered loss eof $4,000 in the last
five years. In 1896 fire occurred in
what was then the dining hail at the
penitentiary. Fe'e protectioR,was in
adequate and the loss on the build
ing was $1,000 and on personal prop
erty $4,000. The valuation of the
buildings will be estimated at IA later
date.
Over three million dollars IN i'm
provemeGts will be made in the cities
and towns of Iowa during the COM
ing season. Nearly three million sione
represents the assured outlay in
forty of the leading centers of the
state. the figures being based upon
statistics gathered through numerous
Iowa correspondents. The exact