davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Somerset reporter., 1902-08-14
The Somerset Reporter
Weekly Republican Newspaper.

Z. e. MoNEELIR.
n SMITH & CO., PUBLISHERS,
,oyArER STREET. sKoWhEGAN ME-
.rrvr1sMENrs; -Business and legal adver
lA.Iusnts inserted at reasonable rates, aulusteo
fseih e snace used, and the position given,
ps.o s quoted on application, No..
rn ICE Of Thanks and Resolutions Of Respect
,,..srted at cents per line.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
When paid in advance.
-aor 80 Six months,.............Ioc.
0ne Three months ..............3Sc.
81 IA will be charged If not paid until end OF year
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
ulylliulnIru|NN'lY
THROUGH THE WHIRLPOOL
RAPIDS or NIAGARA


the financial activity of the world, is
suggested. Although only square
mile in area, with day population OF
about 300, 600 and a night population
of only tenth of this, in single day
over a million and a quarter OF people
and 100 900 vehicles enter and leave its
limits. The general street traffic Is
carried on by about 200 miles of tram
ways; nearly $50 lines of omnibuses
and 10000 cabs. Internal communlca-
ton is also provided by two lines OF
underground railways, with suburban
connections. and three deep-level roads
operated electrically. Two lines are
| under construction, six more author
! lied and parliamentary rights are
| sought by existing or new companies
| for thirteen railways, or notifications
| or extensions thereof. Most important
of the existing roads for internal traffic
| and admitting of the greatest possibis-
| tiles are the existing Metropolitan ano
| the District railways. with their exten-
| sions. Unlike the roads of later con-
| struction they are of the cut and
cover" type brick arched and with fiat
roadbeds. Both lines of way are in
single tunnel close to the surface, and
at times in the open, the extensions be-
ing almost entirely SO. These roads
may be described as composed of an
inner circle Cor ellipse) about thirteen
miles around, with outlying branches
radiating and looping in various direc-
tions. AT present they are unfortun-
ately under separate managements, az
we'll as subject to running rights which
interfere with a reasonable schedule.
The class system and compartment
cars characteristic Of long-distance
lines. are maintained while fares vary
materially and in many instances are
almost prohibitive. The present oper-
alton is q travesty on rapid transit
says F. ]. Sprague in Engineering. The
inner circle presents ten-minute serv
ice between the upper and lower
halves, while with stations half a mile
apart, and with no grades or curve:
, worth mentioning. a schedule of onl,
11E miles an hour is maintained. Th'
, atmosphere is foul from the use o
steam and the wits are double wha
are necessary and the delays are aug
: mented by changing engines.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
German Prince n Fiddler.

The German crown prince promises
to exhibit the versatility for which his
father is famous. During the recent
visit to Lowther castle the Earl of
Lonsdale engaged a large band, which
was under the direction of Mr.. Ham
ilton, the senior conductor of the Lon
don county council park bands. and
played lo.g programmes of music each
evening The programme, it may be
mentioned. did not include an undue
proportion of German music. Perhaps
with the idea of remedying this omis-
sion the young prince on the last even
ing of his visit borrowed violin from
one of the orchestra and played Han
ders Largo" i'll very creditable FASH
ion.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH.
In Consequence of "A Collision. Railroads
Taboo 1t.


PENNSYLVANIA Dutch is spoken to
such an extent in various parts of the
Keystone state as to nave become an
issue that has created some feeling.
TIL Lehigh Valley Railroad company
has recently offended some of its pa
irons by ordering all crews on its
lines to use only the English language
while on duty. The order says that
under no circumstances shall Penn
sylvania German be spoken" and it is
said to have been issued for the rea-
son that recently a serious collision
nearly resulted because a conductor
gave directions to his crew in this
language. and a brakeman who did not
understand it perfectly shifted the
cars to the wrong track. AS the rules
are printed in English, the railroad
officials are plainly in the right in
insisting that this language shall be
exclusively used by its employees while
on duty What kind of a language is
this Pennsylvania German tongue.
which requires such an unusual or
der to be issued to railroad crews? 1t
is a strange combination of English
! and the German dialect spoken in
| northern Bavaria. a quarter of a cen
| tury ago it was said that this lam
| guage was dying out and would soon
! be no more Such prophecies, how
1 ever, have proved to be false, for it is
now spoken more widely than ever
before. Two millions of people In
| Pennsylvania. and probably million
| more who have emigrated from Penn
sylvania to the middle west, use it in
daily conversation. Even in cities
like Allentown and Reading no mer
chant can be successful in business
! unless his employees are proficient in
it's use On the troney lines and il
the railroad yards employees may bt
heard employing it constantly in so
cial conversation. These men speal
English we'll, but it is easier for then
to chat in this strange dialect, whicl
is governed by no rules of grammar
It seems that they are using it evel
when on duty, but the safety of tn
public demands that this practice shall
be stopped, and The employees them
selves will doubtless all agree tha
the Lehigh Valley railroad hos don
, a good thing in issuing the orders
: Pennsylvania Grit.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
Gave UP Wealth for Love

By marrying Lewis Herzog, an art
York girl may lose several million dol
lars 1t was a case of love or wealth.
and the young woman chose the
former
Miss McComb is the daughter OF
James j. McComb, multimillionaire,
who died March 81 last
Mr.. McCoE,b objected to Mr.. Her
zog as prospective son-in-law, and a
few days before his death he added a
codicil to his will which delayed the
wedding until the present
The McComb estate is said to be $20,-
100000 and the share of Miss Fannie,
which the will will make the same as
the share of each Of the other children,
would. it has been computed, yield her
$4,000 year. But The ninth sub
division of the third codicip' Of the
will reads as follows:
I'm case my daughter Fanny shall
marry Mr.. Louis Herzog. the provision
which she shall enjoy from my estate
shall be as follows:
can annuity of $4,000 year shall
be paid to her so long as she shall live
free and clear from any enjoyment OF
interference herewith on the part OF
her husband
There is also a provision that $780,
600 shall be divided among her chill
dren.
Some people predicted that the co
dicil would prove the means OF break
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
NEW PENCIL sHARPENER

Between the large crank operated
pencil sharpener and the small pocket
one there has hitherto seemed to be
no medium sized article which had
neither cost nor bulk as an objection
to it The picture shown below IL
lustrates a novelty in this line. The
upper view shows the front sections
cut away to expose the gearing and
show the position of the pencil. There
is an inner sleeve, in which the pen
ell is inserted with a clamp to aid in
holding it rigid. The gear wheels are
connected in train between the outer
hood and the cutting shaft seen at the
side of the pencil. The pencil to be
sharpened is forced into the sleeve un-
til it strikes the cutter. The oper-
ator then grasps the hub in one hand,
places the rubber-covered friction ring
in contact with a desk or table top
and rolls the ring on the plane sur
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
DIR. George n. Best.

A high and well-merited honor has
been conferred upon DR.. George N.
Best. of Rosemot.. N j., by his election
to the presidency of the Sullivan Moss
Chapter of the 'Agassiz Association.
which is one of the most prominent of
the organizations devoted to this line
of scientific research in the United
States. Dr.. Best is freely accorded by
the workers in the same field. the dis
tinction of being one of the foremost
bryologists in America, and his works,
which include a number. of mono
graphs, have received recognition from
the best moss students of Europe.
Though not a Philadelphian. he has
long been associated with and highly
esteemed by the botanists of this city.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20

somewhat resembles whaleback. The
wood used in the construction OF the
boat is oak, elm and pine. The deck
is of oak and pine. The total weight
of the boat is between four and hve
tons The wooden keel has an iron
weight or additional keel attached
which weighs about 2,1O0 pounds. At
the port of Chicago the boat is regis
tered as the "Fool-Killer." pleasure
launch. and Nissen by the papers is al
lowed to carry two people, which in
cludes the crew.
Two headlights. or windows, are set
about eli ght feet back from the stem,
one on each side of the engine room.
The glasses are about four inches in
diameter and of heavy plate, affordlng
ample light to look about the engine
room The propeller is four-bladed,
and % inches in diameter, quite large
! enough for a 40-foot boat. The lnte-
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
RAN FIRST LOCOMOTIVE.
First American Pull Throttle Dies
in an Almshouse.

First American to Pull Throttle Dies
in an Alm.house.
Wood Benson, pioneer engineer, who
acquired and disspated a fortune be-
fore the wage question became a factor
in railroad management, died recently
in the almshous on Blackwell's Island,
New York Marcus n. Roselle, of the
Arlington hotel Washington, whom he
had known in better days, was noti-
fed and arranged to have the body in
tered in a Brooklyn cemetery. Ben
son first went to Rlackwell's island in
January, 1896. at the age of 80, COM
mitted at his own request. Wood Ben
son was the first American to pull the
throttle OF an engine in motion, a dis
tinction of which he was very proud,
and which enabled him. incidentally,
to amass considerable fortune. He
is said to have enjoyed the friendship
and patronage Of the late Daniel Drew
and other famous men of that period.
Born on q farm on what is now West
Third street, Benson helped build the
first locomotive constructed for the
Harlem River railroad. and when the
trial trip took place he held the throt-
tie This was the beginning of Ameri-
the honors of an experiment that be-
| came historic. When the second en-
| gine was built Benson accepted the po-
sition of engineer. and for many years
| thereafter earned from $3.50 to S25 a
day. Having in 1870 something more
than 100000 to his credit, Benson re-
signed his position and entered Wall
street as a speculator. 1t was his am
bition to increase his wealth to $1,000
900. For a time he was successful
but in the panic of 1873 he lost all
He had lived for years at the Fifth
Avenue hotel and at the Arlington, in
| Washington, and was unprepared fol-
the life of a poor man. Friends assist
ed Benson at this time and for dozer
years He lived in comfort. Notwith.
standing his advanced age, says the
New York Herald, Benson was active
until very recently. He was six fee
tall as straight as an Indian, wrote
legibly and read without glasses.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20

So far as known, the first craft to
pass. through the whirlpool rapids of
Niagara with human beings aboard
was the small steamer Maid OF the
Mist on June 6, 1861. There were three
men on board this boat, the principal
one being Joel Robinson. who won
renown by the daring feat. From that
time until 1883 no person braved the
billows Of the wonderful gorge. In
1888, however. Capt. Matthew webb,
an English swimmer of note, crossed
the ocean and journeyed to Niagara,
bent on swimming through the rap
ids. He attempted the feat on July "a,
1888, and lost his life.
The death of Webb had a stimulating
effect on people who love -notoriety,
and at once number of schemes Tor
navigating the rapids presented them
selves, or were presented by people
who sought fame and dollars. One
such was Carlisle d. Graham, Phila-
delphia cooper, who announced that he
would build barrel in which he could
navigate the rapids and Whirlpool
| There was some little laughter at the
| thought of a human being rushing
| through the turbulent waters OF the
| Niagara gorge inclosed in barrel, but
| all the jokes cracked did not deter
| Graham from carrying out his scheme
! and on the afternoon of Sunday, July
| IL, 1856, Graham surprised everybody
| by not only going through the rapids
| and whirlpool. but by going down tc
Lewiston. the full length of the gorge
Since that time he has made four other
| rapids trips IN his barrel. One of these
was made on July 13 last, when he
landed at the whirlpool.
One of the results of Graham's las
| barrel trip was to arouse the amDltlor
of Miss Maud Willard to make siml
lar trip. the result being that Graham
and Miss Willard agreed to navigate
the gorge on Saturday, Sept. Z. I'M
plan was to have Miss Willard max
the rapids voyage in Graham's barrel
while Graham, protected by life pre-
server. was to swim from the whirl
pool to Lewiston. a feat never success
fully performed up to that time.
On the afternoon referred to Mis-
Willard and the barrel were cast adrlf
above the lower bridges at 3.5S O'Clock
Two minutes later she passed unde
the bridges, and at 4.O4 p. m. the bar
rel entered the whirlpool. 1t had bee
the experience that barrels and boat
were captured and withdrawn fror
the pool within an hour after en-
tering there, but in Miss WIZARDS cas-
the barrel was not caught until afte
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
INDOOR GOLF PRACTICE
Miss Fan lie Mcc ,mb.

is that it Indicates after each shot the
exact position of the club at the time
the ball was struck, and also the d.
rection of the stroke. 1t will be
especially valuable to beginners. also.
as it enables them to master the dix,
ferent clubs without the fatigue incl
dent to travelling over the links while
following up the ball. This apparatus
consists of fiat board, with lower
strip attached at the side, and q
curved spring at the end to carry the
tee. The club has a spring attaches
near the head, with a leather bulb az
the outer end. The tee is formed OF 2
tuft of vertical bristles, and the baH
is of wood or some other material.
which will not injure the walls OF
room. When all is ready the surface
of the board is chalked or smeared
with some marking substance. and q
glance at the marks after the stroke
is made will show its direction ana
accuracy.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
Statistics of Thunderstorms.

Statistics of thunder storms in diff
ferent parts of the world have been
collected by German writer. Java
Is said to have storms on an average
81 days in each year; Hindostan, Sc;
the Gold Coast, So; Rio de Janeiro. 81 !;
Italy, 50; the West Indies, SO; Canada,
and Australia, %; Germany, %; Bel
gium, 21; France, 16; Spain and Portu-
gal. Is; Sweden and Finland, 8; Eng
land, z; Norway, 4, and Cairo, 3. 1t
is observed that in East Turkestan,
as well as in the extreme north, there
are scarcely any thunder storms.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20

9 D. m. and she had been floating In
the pool over five hours. When she
entered the barrel she took her pet
dog for companys sake. When the
barrel was landed the dog was alive,
bnt Miss Willard was dead. The day
before Miss Willard's trip, Martha Wa
senfluhrer made the trip and was
taken from the pool alive. On Nov.
% 1886 Sadie Allen made the trip in
barrel of different construction, with
George HaZlett.
- Later a Michigan woman went to
her death in the attempt.
The latest venture of this kind is
that of Peter Nissen of Chicago, who
on Oct. l. successfully navigated the
whirlpool rapids in 2-foot cigar
shaped boat called the "Fool-klller.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
s
SCIENCE AND INVENTION
yyyy 8. -.

ing. as some other guards do. The ar
rangement consists of platform oyer
which the cattle must pass to- get
through the opening together with
swinging gates armed with sharp
prongs to- prod the cattle and drive
them off the platform. The latter is
permanently secured to a, tie at the
outer end. the inner end resting on
tilted plank, which is pivoted at either
side of the track and falls fiat under
the weight of the animal. The pivot
ed gates are connected either by gear
ing or levers to the pivoted plank. and
as soon as the latter falls it pulls the
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
Farmers Letter Box.

Since the government has begun to
establish free delivery in the rural dis
tricts it is obligatory upon each far
mer to provide a convenient and safe
repository for the mail matter. or the
carrier cannot be compelled to ac-
commodate him. The letter box re-
Gently designed by Edison w. Phillips.
of Cassadaga. N Y, and shown in
the picture. has number of advan-
tages to recommend its use in this SER
vice, the principal improvement being
a signal to indicate both TO the farmer
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
count rol.tors Manuscript.

1t took Count Tolstoi five years TO
gather the historical material for
war and Peace" The preliminary
writings from which the book sprang
arc now in Rumjanzoff museum, Mos
cow But they had hard time get
ting there. Some years ago, when
countess Tolstoi was ill, a careless
servant took the manuscript and
threw them into disused canal IN
the park near the house. They were
discovered after several weeks anu
rescued.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20

Cirsulates Warm Air.
Most people put away their electric
fans In the fall, thinking they will
have no further use for them until the
warm weather arrives in the spring.
but there is simple arrangement
which makes it possible to utilize the
electric fan for blowing hot as well as
cold air. It is the invention OF Edwin
F. Porter OF Boston. Mass. and can
be used to heat rooms and. offices
wherever there is gas jet handy
also keeps the air In circulation about
the room, instead of allowing 1t to re-
main still. and dead all day. In this
apparatus the frame or guard which
surrounds the blades of the fan is OF
hollow tubing and is connected
with gas jet by rubber tube Ine
frame being perforated at intervals the
gas is ignited as it flows from the
openings, the resultant heat beng
driven about the room by the action
OF the fan blades. The inventor de-
signs this heater especially for attach
ment to a thermo-electric fan. which
runs solely with the aid OF the gas.
generating its own current for rotating
the fan, butsth frame can be readily
attached to any electric fan with but
little expense.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20

Not few serious railroad wrecks
have been caused by cattle straying
from the highway onto the tracks
through the cattle guards provided to
keep them out, and there seems to be
room for the improved arrangement
for this work recently patented by
Charles E. Sansoucy of Eveleth. Mimi,
a picture of which is shown here
with. The intention of the inventor is
not only to erect barrier to prevent
the cattle from getting onto the rail-
road lands, but also to drive them
from the guard instead of catching
them and holding them On the CROSS
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20

and carrier if there is anything in the
box. This is accomplished by setting
the bright-colored metallic flag in
raised position. The mast which car
ries the flag is pivoted on the side of
the box and has a short finger lying
parallel with the mast. When the
mail matter is to be inserted in the
boxa turn of the crank releases the in
terror catch and allows the lid to be
lifted AS the lid falls the carrier or
farmer lifts the masts and sees that
the projecting finger enters a tube at
the side of the lid to support the flag
in an upright position. The box Is, OF
course. waterproof. and the interior
locking mechanism prevents the blow
ing opeu OF the cover by strong
wind
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
Staging in Yukon Country.

The first winter schedule of the
White Pass and Yukon Railway has
been received by the Canadian Pacific
Railway. Two stages a week run each
way. leaving White Horse Wednesdays
and Saturdays. The distance is $50
miles. which is travelled in about five
days. There are seventeen posthouses.
where relays of horses are obtained and
where meals are served.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
American Animals in South Africa.

The shipments of horses and mules
to South Africa by the British have
just passed the hundred thousand
mark, and requisition upon the re-
mount stations in this country for 50,-
600 more has been received. This ex-
portation of these animals is the larg-
est the world has ever known, and as
a military purchase by one country
from another it ranks with the great
est of any kind. Texas has been prac-
tically drained, and Kansas, Missouri.
Wyoming and other stock-raising
states of the south and west have been
so nearly depleted that the $40 ami
mails of 1899 bring $50 to-day.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20

This was his second trip, the first hav-
ing been made on July 8, 1900, when
in q boat of his own construction. On
his return home after his first exploit
he conceived the idea of rebuilding his
boat in order that he might take Sc
ries of soundings close 20 the falls and
also in the whirlpool. On this new
craft he expended much time and labor
and it was in it that he made his next
trip The boat is 81 feet in length,
has an outside beam of four feet and
a height of six feet six inches, and
draws nearly four feet of water. 1t is
claimed to be the smallest full-decked
steamer in the world. In shape 1T
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
ynatruction for Filip,nox.

Ira A. Collins OF Ridgewood. N. j..
has gone to the Philippines to teach
for the United States government 1t
is his intention to introduce the visual
method, using lantern slides in teach
ing geography, history, etc, to the ma
tives AS Mr. Collins is an expert
photographer and is also able to make
plaster life masks. he hopes to be able
to send some anthropometric data to
the museum of this country.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
PNEUMATIC PRESSURE
THE FILM.
HOLDS

at once and with less trouble than Is
ordinarily required to manipulate a
single printing frame. The lower
reel is provided with, handle to wind
the film after each printing, which is
much easier than to open individual
frames to remove the films. To insure
the maintenance of the films in fixed
position in relation to the negative
a pneumatic pocket is fixed in align
ment with the strip of film and air
is forced into this cushion by means
of the accompanying pump. To enable
the photographer to use the instru-
ments night or day a row of electric
lamps provides artificial light to re-
place the sunlight when the latter
fails.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20

rior of the boat is divided into five
spaces. one at either end for corks and
cans. an engine room. a coal room and
a boiler room. The corks and cans are
for the purpose of keeping the boat
afloat in case of springing leak and
that they serve their purpose is proven
by recent test. when it was found
that the boat would not sink even
though full of water.
Nissens voyage through the rapids
on Oct. - was witnessed by 15,OO0
people. He left the Canadian shore
from a point near the falls at two
O'Clock. and after cruising about in
the still water for two hours. he float
ed into the rapids. The Fool-killer
passed through the rapids in four min
The Jennings daily record., 1902-01-20
Would Develop Forests.

William L. Hall, assistant superin-
tendent of tree planting in the di-
vision of forestry. believes that the
time has come for an extensive devel-
opment of forest plantation through
out the middle West, in consequence
of the rapid diminution of the supply
of natural timber in the Mississippi
Valley, says Science. Over extensive
areas the prices of posts, telegraph
poles and cross ties much exceed the
cost of growing them.