davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

1t has been done, and the result has revo-
rutionized practical electricity and the
city Of Buffalo. $50
It has been said in the foregoing that
the problem Of utilizing the forces Of
Niagara was a hard one and it might
be assumed that the sentence referred
mainly to the engineering work involved.
That was, perhaps, the very least Of
the difficulties. The main trouble was
the extreme cheapness OF steam coal.
No sooner had the plan Of utilizing the
forces Of Niagara been mooted than there
was brought forward the fact that good
steam coal could be purchased in Buffalo
and IN all the district north Of Pittsburg
for $1.50 a ton. Cheap coal meant cheap
steam power, and when those who had
the Niagara plan at heart went to capt.
talists with their plans they were met
with the objection that it would be i'm
possible to obtain from Niagara cheaper
power than that already obtainable from
steam.
There is a sermon in the fact that, of
all the capitalists approached on the
subject, j Pierpont Morgan, Francis
lynde stetson, John Jacob Astor ard w.
K Vanderbilt were practically the only
men who would listen. Under the title
of ths Cataract Construction company
these men, with some other capitalists.
provided the money and the brains which
built the first power canal at Niagara
Falls.
To-day stear1 coal is hardly used IN the
forty mile circle Of which Niagara Falls
is the center. Buffalo, from one of the
| smokiest OF cities, has become one OF the
cleanest. All thu. street cars are operated
by electricity. all the streets are lighted.
the newspapers are printed the docks
are operated and the power for the Pam;
American exposition is provided by elec-
trical current furnished by the falls Of
| Niagara.
{ And from all over the country factories
needing cheap and plentiful power are
moving to- Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
IT viii be interesting, Just here, to de-:
fire. as exactly as may be. what is meant
! by the force CT Niagara Falls
s TO the enginecr-and, for that matter
TO the laynan also Niagara Falls means
GOO cubic miles OF water pouring down
over 4 clin 165 feet high. That immense
amount OF waite ris supplied by res
ervoir area In the upper lagos OF 10000
square miles.
| This torrent OF water comes pouring
down the Niagara river until It reaches
point at which the rivers one mile Of
{
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18
Death Galley.
Il Brief Description of Most Interesting
" " Region. n

HW F ALI. the arid regions of Southwest
w ern United States could be gathered
up and placed beside any one Of the
Oriental deserts, It's vastness would
overflow their sandy expanses as the
Pacific would our own Salt lake, were
there no barriers between. Even the
Great Basin. which we are accustomed to
consider as only O small part of the true
American I'esert," is comparable only
with the Sahara or the wastes Of the Cas-
plan and I'ead Seas, THIS same basin,
bounded on the north by the watersheds
of the Columbia, on the east and south
by the Colorado, on the west and part
of the south by the San joaquin and Sac.
ramento river basins and by the Sierras.
embraces within its limits over 2lO, 900
square miles. Much of 1T has never felt
the white mans foot upon its sands
much of 1t DOUBTLESS never will feel it.
Only one other desert is like it in the
world, and that is the Plain of Tarapaca
in Chile, the plain wherein more men
have died than ON any other similar area
in the world save the great battlefields-
except Death Valley. The Great Basin
measures $50 miles in length from north
west to southwest, while from east to
west its average width is SIP miles.
In these limits are four great .evaporat-
: ing basins. similar so those of the Aral
and Dead Seas of Asia and Europe. OF
these the Great Sale Lake is one; the
Salton Basin another: enc not manned,
lying vet farther to the north. was the
third. while the Mohave Desert completed
the list
a PNieozofc Picture ia
N TO understand thoroughly the form alton
of these basins ard TIL, wealth hereafter
described, let us imagine ourselves back
at the end of the Paleozoic age. A great,
sea, through which the peaks of the
Rockies were just beginning to appear.
then covered this whole region. At the
end of the J uru- lriassic period the Sierra
Nevadas were born, enc the work OF.
evaporation began il, earnest. continuing
or down to the end OF the Tertiary, when.
Death Valley dhe PORTION With which 1
shall hereafter ceal, was probably very
much the same as to-day, except that It
was more arid. The eroch of evaporation
through which the valley had just passed
left It's indelible autograph In the de.
posits OF saliiies covered with a laye..
of mari and clay, which the terrible
forces OF the Glacial period. liquefying
and dissolving as they were. were unable
4 - eradicate ss
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

talns wear shoes neither in cold nor warm
weather. t" sf-E- 80 "
When the shlitteurs arrive at the foot
of the mountain with their lumber. thex
pack their empty sleds on their backs and
ascend the same way that they cama
down. This climb, which would tax or
binary human beings and torture them
before many miles have been covered, il
positive recreation for the shlitteurs
after their deadly and terrible fight down
hill. - - .s.... H-#
Weather is something that must be
watched carefully by these men, The best
atmospheric conditions for them are mild
days, with an overcast sky, but no rain.
When the sun is bright and hot, there is
constant danger that the runners of the
sleds will catch fire from the friction, and
as there is no way Of stopping and fight
ing the fire once the load is under way.
the men must either aim to throw the
sled over the preclpice at a conveniens
place or stick to it and endeavor to bring
their load down before the fire spreads
too far. They do this at the risk Of beina
roasted alive, for If they hang on too
long they cannot let go and run away.
The racing sled would catch them In
SAAe~AA
Rainy weather is murderous for the
shlitteurs. Scores Of men lie in these
mountain graves on account Of sudden
transforms. The wetness coats the rails
and makes them, SO slippery that no hui
man strength possibly can hold back the
towering monster of logs Down it slides.
overwhelming the wretched laborer in an
instant, perhaps nefore he has even
pnsI1f 0nIl th.,f l,n,~~
% For this reason, the shlitteurs study
.1 the SKY most carefully every morning be-
fore beginning their work. If rain il
threatened, nothing is done until it ceases
and the track is perfectly dry again. A
man surprised by rain when he is going
down, has only one chance. It is to
swing the SLED sharply so that 1t will fall
down the mountain. But to do this re-
qulres enormous strength and great
Agility, for the shlitteur must rot only
strain all his muscles one instant to give
the load heavc, but in the next must
straighten out and leap far ahead on
the rough rungs to escape the wreck as
it topples over.
On account of this Importance of the
weather, the autumn always Is selected
as the time when the most NUMBERING
Is done in these mountains. AS soon az
the first snowfakes fall the work ceases,
During the winter the laborers earn a
poor income by carving wooden shoes,
eoys and cheese boxes. No roads are to
be found in the Vogesen mountains In tho
winter. All is one wilderness of snow
The shlitteurs rarely venture out of their
Ihuts, which usually are completely COW
cred with snow from November to March,
They live through this time in complete
isolation. No one can reach them and
they cannot reach civilization. Terrible
tragedies of illness and starvation have
been played far away from human knowl-
edge in this grim mountain range
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

A turbine is a water wheHi with It's
blades SO arranged that 1T revolves in a
horizontal position. An ordinary water
wheel. revolves in a vertical position. A
turbine wheel looks little like child's
paper windmill. Hold such a windmill
upright and blow down upon it and you
will get a very good idea Of the way
turbine wheel reyolves when water falls
upon it.
These, turbine wheels, having been
placed at the bottom Of the tpenstccks,"
which were to furnish them with water.
had in its center big shaft reaching up
ward and into the power house. The
main shaft of each one of these turbines
was then connected with the main shaft
Of an enormous dynamo.
It followed that when water was ad.
mitted to the canal it would arrive at ths
power house. There 1t would be allowed
to fall down the various 'penstocks." In
falling it would operate a turbine wheel.
and that, in It's turn, would make the at
tached dynamo revolve at a high rate Of
speed.
In that way electrical current was gen.
Grated, which, by means Of wires, could
be distributed to the various ia ctorfes,
street railroads and lighting plants which
i
required such power.
That is the story Of the way In which
man has harnessed a part of the power
of the falls of Niagara and made nature
serve his purpose, but it is by no means
| the end of the story of the application OF
the power SO obtained. 1t is only few
years ago that practical electricians de-
ciare1 that two miles was as far as the
Niagara genepared current could ba
transmitted. 1t was said that the current
would all leak away il any attempt was
made to send It any further.
To-day the current which is generated
at the Niagara Fails power noiise is used
forty miles away and nothing is thought
OF It. In fact, when an electrician OF to-
day Is asked to define the available area
{ for Niagara's current he puts one point
OF his compasses upon Buffalo and ex-
tends the other point until its radius is
80 miles Then he draws circle.
That circle extends a little beyond Chi
cago, and. in its circumference. includes
most Of the important cities and towns
East Of Lake Michigan.
In every one Of those towns and cities
heap power is needed, and needed badly.
Modern insulation and the methods which
The tremendous power OF Niagara have
rendered necessary will probably solve
bis problem also. -Brooklyn Eagle.
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

width is reduced by interfering islands
!, to two channels aggregating only $500
feet. RI
At this narrow point the river becomes
a rapid, and, in less than half mile,
it drops fifty-five feet. - s5t .s-...s. q
Having obtained this momentum, to-
Eether with depth of about twenty feet
at the crest Of the cataract, the Niagara
river then plunges 1855 feet over the
Horseshoe Falls into the lower river. In
effect, therefore, the torrent. has fallen
40 feet from the upper level of the river.
Prof. Unwin of England is considered to
be the best authority upon what might
be called the mathematics Of Niagara.
He has estimated the ordinary flow of the
falls to be about 275, GOO cubic feet per
second.
This, in its daily force, Is estimated to
be equal to the latent power Of all the
coal mined In the world each day-an
amount which is represented by more
/. than 100000 tons day.
/ Professor Unwin says that the power Of
| Niagara Falls is more than {, 600 600 horse
power.
The way in which this vast storehouse
OF power has been tapped is simple
enough when It is understood.
Power can be obtained wherever there
Is a high and plentiful fall Of water The
Niagara river. as has been said in the
foregoing, drops go feet in going over
the falls. All that it was necessary to
do. therefore, was to cut canal which
should tap the main stream Of the river
at a point just above the rapids, and
which should then edge off sideways from
the river.
4. At q quiet place at the end of that
canal very deep and wide pit was dug
From the bottom of the pit a large tun
I mel extended to point below the falls.
To exprsss this in the very sin1pieg.
terms it meant that the Niagara Falls
Power company had constructed NINA
tnre Niagara for themse1ves-the cana
1 representing the Niagara river, the deer
pit taking the place of the Horseshoe
falls. and the tunnel at the bottom act
ing as the continuation of the Niagara
river below the falls.
Right over the deep pit at the end OF
the canal the power company con-
structed big building to contain the
power plant From the canal head there
opened number Of great ripes. called
1penstos. which dipped down to the
bottom Of the pit. At the bottom OF each
OF these ''penstocks'' was large tur-
bine.
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

Ia AAAooiAIdAlS, near the french
border. A shlitteur, missing
his foothold, was crushed by his sled
AeaV1ly loaded with lumber, which he was
guiding down hill. sa@ -s# :.
The industry of the shlitteurs ia ,,nio,1e
mo other method of numbering in any re-
zion IN the world compares with it for
nrudgery and deadliness Of particularly
appalling kind. -
The shlitteurs3 are German, French and
aleither or both, as you choose. Most of
fhem still seem to live in the days before
the Franco-Prussian war; In these bean,
fl1ul mountains, whose name is variously
,Vosges, Vogesen and Wasgau, according
no locality, 1T is hard to tell whether one
Is among Frenchmen or Prussians, or a.
people entirely different from either. To
get around comfortably, the stranger
must be able to speak both Gallo and
herman, and Alsatian besides, and the AL
satan idiom' is a terror. having been man.
hfactured much on the principle Of Penn
, sylvania Dutch.
Inc Vogesen mountains form g. natural
'Darr1er between the two great nations.
Who has not heard and sung of the blue
Alsatian mountains?
Almost all the numbering in the voge-
sen mountains is done at great heights,
Tor the best trees grow near the peaks.
80 steep are the inclines down which the
yelled lumber must be brought that no
mountain torrents are available for trans
porting it. Owing to the fact that the
only paths are winding ones, no chutes
can be built to facilitate the work. 1t
has to be done by sheer bodily labor of
individuals. r~~... 3-s.rE
These men are called sledders or SHIFT
aeurs. They generally form themselves
into gangs and either undertake a speci-
lied job for a lump sum- which Is divi-s
ded equally among the members, or they
work for a certain sum a day. Usually
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

roundabout ways Every precipitous place
must be avoided. Mountain torrents and
chasms must be bridged. ~ q.
AS soon as the line has been laid out,
the laborers begin with the building Of
It.. Huge trees are laid end to end and
spiked together to form the side rails,
cross pieces are fastened to them at about
the same distance apart from each other
as are the rungs Of a ladder.
The sleds are made of strong but Tight
wood, as the shlitteurs must carry them
up the mountains on their backs after
they deliver, their loads in the valley.
The runners of these sleds are covered
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

with thin layers Of wood which has to
be changed frequently, because it takes
fire often and chars, owing to the heat
engendered by the enormous friction.
AS these sled roads often are from four
to eight miles long, 1t is essential that as
large loads as possible be transported on
each trip. Owing to this fact, the shit
tours pile the lumber up In Incredible
quantities Then, when the sleds have as
much as even a shlitteur dares to pile on
them. he braces himself in front Of the
immense load, a comrade gives the sled
shove, and the huge mass begins to slide.
There is no appliance of any kind to act
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

min. north latitude and longitudes 116
deg. 15 min. and III deg. min. west. 1t
is directly east Of Tulare and owens
lake, about fifty miles from the latter,
while the California Nevada boundary
lime runs a few miles. east of its eastern
margin. Two hundred miles of lofty
;mountain and fertile valley separate it
from the sea. Two rivers flow into its
lsink-Furnace creek from the Funeral
mountains on the northeast, and the
iAmargosa from the south. This small!
general description is given in order that
Eastern readers of the Times may gain
some notion of the general location and
topography of a slittle-knnwn but much
'atked-of country.--Iarry H. Dunn, in
LOS Angeles Times.
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

faio. he viii probably lose none Of the
wonder in remembering that all of the
current used ia the exposition has been
furnished by Niagara Falls.
It was the engineers OF the Niagara
Falls Power company who first succeed
ed in Harvesting the force OF the Falls Of
Niagara, and IN doing 50 they probably
solved the most difficult mechanical com
merciaI problem that had ever confronted
these whose profession It is to work out
such puzzles.
Every engineer who had ever visited
Niagara Falls sighed to himself as he
saw the tremendous force OF the rivers
current apparently disappearing In the
abyss below, but few were able to do
more than deplore the loss. It was rec
sgnized that the power Of the falls might
Be utilized. but in order to make that
possible there was needed a scientist
60 compute the available power. an en-
Eineer to devise the means Of getting the
forces Of the falls under control, q syndi-
cate OF capitalists TO provide the neces.
sary money, and last. but by no meant
teast, manufacturers and power users
who would buy the force output Of the
falls
# has taken fourteen years 70 really
Ling those four essentials together. but
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

as a brake. All the ,braking must be done
by the man in front, and he needs the
strength of an OK to prevent his jugger-
naut from beginning to race.
Step by step he moves forward, never
moving one foot until the other is braced
tightly against rung. Even the least
slip means that the vast load will drive
down irresistibly on the shlitteur and
crush him. Let his knees weaken for an
instant, let his heel falter as he feels Tor
the rung-and the ponderous thing behind
him is ready to grind Kim to pieces under
It.
There is no chance Of escape for the
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

There is no chance Of escape for the
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18
POWER FROM NIAGARA FALLS.
How One OF the Engineering wonders o
the World was Brought About.

HEN a visitors adm1rarlon
is compelled by the marvel.
Gus display Of the power OF
electricity at the Pan
American exposition, as
well as in the CITY of Buff
The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-01-18

TRAssBURG. Alsace, Germa-
ny, J IA News has just
reached here Of another cruel
accident in the 'Vogesen
mountains, near the French
border. A shlitteur m,ss;nr
The evening times., 1902-06-14
CONGRESS MAY ADJOURN
BEFORE JULY FOURTH
Leaders Think Obstacles
May Soon Be Removed

Leaders IL both branches Of Congress
have set July as tae proposed date
for adjournment. and from now on viii
strain every nerve to bring about this
result
During the present week numerous in
formal conferences have been held be-
tween Senators AIdrich, Allison and
Hale on the part OF the Senate and
Speaker Henderson and Representatives
Payne and DalzeIl, or the part Of the
House, for the purpose of discussing the
progress Of legislation. and the posi-
bility OF getting away before the Fourth
Of July.
It is admitted, however, that the Gu
ban question may upset some calcula-
tions, but the general view OF Senator'S
and Representatives is that it is now
brought squarely to an issue. and the
decision, either for or against the Ad-
ministration, viii not be long delayed
or involve extensive debate.
Two questions Of serious controversy
between the two houses will be the
Philippine government bill and the an
archist bill But If the Cuban matter
and the canal are out of the way it is
thought the differences between the two
houses on these measures can be ad-
justed In time for adjournment before
the Fourth The appropriation bills are
we'll advanced, and these VIII not cause
postponemeut Of adjournment with
the money bills out Of the way" said a
prominent Senator today, you won't
find me remaining in Washington very
long in hot weather like this"
The evening times., 1902-06-14
SUIT AGAINST THE
BRlGHTW0OD RAILWAY
Fifteen Thousand Dollars Damages
Asked by Mr Charles F. Little.

Charles F. Little today, through his
attorneys, Wilton J. Lambert and
Stuart Mcnamara. brought suit at Law
against the Brightwood Railway Com
pany for the sum OF $4,000 damages
alleged to have been suffered BY him
by reason OF injuries received on May
6, 1901, at Takoma Park. The deciara-
tion alleges that at the place stated the
plaintiff boarded q car Of the defendant
company. intending to become pas
senger thereon, and was entitled 70 be
carried safely to such point upon the
line as he might desire to reach. but it
is alleged. the defendant, not regarding
its duty in this behalf. through its
agents, so careIessly started the car
that before plaintiff was enabled to step
from the running board into the car, and
by reason OF the sudden jerk on the part
of the car, and the defendant. it is al
legged having its trolley poles unlaw-
July close TO the track along which the
car was moving, the plaintiff was
hurled against one Of the poles, where
by his head was bruised and cut MS
skull injured, and his eyesight badly
impaired. Little also says he sustained
injuries of a permanent nature, on ac-
count of which, it is alleged, the plain
tin has been compelled 20 suffer great
lain and anguish of mind, and been in
/ capacitated from performing or trans
getting his business affairs. 1t is further
alleged by the plaintiff that he has been
compelled TO expend the sum Of $500 for
/ treatment.
The evening times., 1902-06-14
CAPT LBMLY OFF TO
VISIT HIS SICK SISTER
Leaves Washington Today
for North Carolina.
Says He Is Glad Seven Men May Take
His Place So as to Divide
Criticism.

Capt. Samuel C Lemly. Z. s. N.
Judge Advocate General OF the Navy.
left Washington today for winston
Salem, y. C, where his only sister is
lying critically i'll.
Although Captain Lemly has not yet
heard from the naval board. which re-
Gently examined him for retirement,
there SENS to be little doubt but that
his application VIII be granted. The
Judge Advocate General has been affect
ed by poor eyesight for some tine, and OF
late HE trouble became so severe that
he determined 10 retire from active
service
At first it was Captain LemIy's desire
to be ordered to sea with the hope that
relief from arduous desk work would
rest his eyes After a medical exami-
nation, however. he decided it would lie
wiser to go on the retired list. Speak
Ing this morning Of his proposed retire
ment. Captain Lemly said:
4 am glad that Representative Foss
thinks Of having my work here done by
seven men, instead CT one It not only
shows the Importance OF the duty. but
viii divide among seven the adverse
criticism which one has been forced tC
bear"
The evening times., 1902-06-14
FINE BOWLING ON
TAKOMA CLUB ALLEYS
First Match of the Season at
This Suburb.

The first bowling match On the Ia
koma Club and Library new bowling al
Ieys occurred last night and was pro-
nounced q great success both by. the
local team and its friends and by the
visitors from Washington and their nu-
merous supporters.
The Takoma team was defeated, but
by such a close score as seemed almost
a victory for team that has never
played together before. and is composed
OF men who have none Of them had
much experience in bowling. Three Of
the five Takoma men have never rolled
z tenpia ball before the present sum
mer, AID none Of them have had more
thar q casual acquaintance with the
game until very recently.
The total score of the Washington
team was 2,S25 for FIVE men in three
frames each, an average Of 77s for each
game. and an average Of 155 for each
nan per game The total score Of the
Takoma Club was 2.044. al average OF
6s2 in each game. and of 135 for each
man per game.
The teams were composed of the fol-
lowing:
Washington-T. Harlow, J. Scharf, H.
c. Barclay. E. r. Ford, and H E Rice.
Takoma Club-Dr. A V Parsons. F.
G. Fayorite, Chester Manakee, Norman
Jackson, and Al Lay.
The score in detail was as follows.