davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
WHAT 1sbAp ARP
Of Air land the Frequent
Catching IF Gold.

From the Lancet. II
That air which has been breathed is not
At to be breathed over again we all know
from experience: yet It is not easy to
give satisfactory scientific reason for
this fact. What is ths eyitiating constituent
of the human breath2poc
Certain it is that the chief constituent
added to the air by iration-namely,
carbonic acid CASPER sc has little or no
effect upon the health, Indeed, 1t has
been stated that men can breathe for two
or three hours without marked discom-
fort air which contains-with of course,
Its full complement of oxygen-as much
as 20 per cent of carbonic acid and the
presence of per cent has not the slight
est effect But II the carbonic acid in
the air be raised only to lilo per cent by
human respiration the resulting air is most
.unwholesome and detrimental There is
no chemical difference, of course between
the carbonic acid gas of the human breath
and the carbonic acid gas obtained from
chalk or from the combustion of carbon
or coal gas. The obvious deduction is that
the carbonic acid gas OF respira ton has a
poisonous companion, and this companion
has so far eiuded all attempts at isola-
ton and recognition. This poisonous con-
stituent may occur as constant quantity
in relation to the carbonic acid gas; pos
sibly 1t does not We do not know al
though 1t is very important that this point
should be determined.
We are content, however. to judge the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
Lloyds in Time Of Anxiety.
From the Worlds Wor

Only recently a great Atlantic liner was
announced to be three days overdue On
the third day there was no noticeable ad-
vance in the rate charged for those who
had neglected to insure property shipped
upon 1t. but on the fourth day, when anxi-
ETY. as to both the passengers and the prop
erty on board had increased, 1t was ON
inously announced from Lloyds that the
rate of insurance upon that particular ves-
sci had been advanced to SO in $500 This
was on Tuesday. On Wednesday. when no
further news had been heard, the rate had
jumped to $25 in the $500. On Thursday 1t
reached $50, and by Friday the enormous
sum Of 800 In $500 was declared to be the
rate in any and all manner of insurance
upon the missing vessel. 1t is needless to
say how horribly these announcements con-
frmed the anxious fears OF those most
deeply concerned in the arrival of the YES
sci. for all the world knows that II therA
is any hope it will be longest found at
Lloyds. 1t is also needless to say that
when the great liner in question finally
reached her dock In New York nowhere
was there greater rejoicing at the an
nouncement than In the room where It was
toiled out by the bell of the Lutine and
read by the crier to the assembled crowd at
LIoyds.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
London's Water Monopoly.
From the London Telegraph.

From the LONDON Telegraph.
Concurrently with the proposals to mu-
nicipalize the water supply of London
comes the far-reaching suggestion to nation
alize all underground water. Taking the
records over long period, from 1865 to 1871
there was an average rainfall, from 1872
to 1886 the fall was 8 per cent in excess
of the average, but from 1887 to 1901 there
was a deficiency of per cent. Many per-
sons consider that this shortage is due to
the deforestation and to better drainage,
which allows water to run off the land
more quickly. But coincident with these
natural effects spread over wide areas
there are artificial ones operating more
powerfully in special localities The re-
quirements Of the ever-increasing popula-
ton of the home counties have demanded
greater supply, and pumping operations
have seriously lowered the level. of under
ground water. DR.. Bruckner, in his work
on Variation of Climate" computes that
the dry cycle is an average of eighteen
years. and the wet and dry cycle one Of
thirty-fve and a half years. II that be So
the present dry period ought to come to an
end about 1905 or 1905. and the years from
1906 to 1921 should be wet.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
Might Be an American Nile.
from the Homemaker.


The great cost of such gigantic irrigation
systems would be necessary to utilize
the Columbia river or the Occur d'Alene
lakes and the Spokane river places them
entirely beyond the scope Of private enter
prise in any way, but government prof.
ects they are entirely feasible and practi-
cable. Suppose that it did cost $50OOO,OOO
to dam the Columbia and lift the water up
to the level of the plains. and carry 1t
out upon them in great main line canals
for distribution to farmers and settlers.
One million acres Of land so reclaimed
would be worth the whole cost of the IT.
rigation system.
The very reasons why our national gov
eminent should build these great irriga-
ton works on the Columbia and Spokane
rivers are the reasons why there has been
such an unusual demand for irrigated
lands in eastern Washington, and such
that section. The climatic and physical
conditions Of the country, and the mar
velous fertility Of the land wherever ir-
rigated. give 1t an established value and
insure its rapid settlement whenever water
for its Irrigation is made available. There
is no advantage which can be claimed as
an inducement to settlement by any irri-
gated section of the earth's surface which
cannot be claimed for eastern Washington.
The climate is ideal. 1t Is destined to be
oiio VI VIC 81 odleSl II VI l-SioW1H6 sectIoNS
of the country. The enormous and prac-
tically unlimited mining and numbering re-
sources of the surrounding country give
the farmers Of this favored region a local
market for their products, which insures
profit in production. The proximity to the
Pacific seaports and the establishment of
the great lines of steamers, which will
carry our farm products to the markets
of Asia, are a further guarantee of an
assured market to the farmers of east
ern Washington, and give an added value
to every acre of farm lands in the state.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
INSTINCT IS THE TEACHER.
How the Young Of the Feathered Tribe
Are Educated.

Are Educated.
From the Atlantic Monthly.
There is school Of the woods, just as
much as there is a church Of the woods, or
parliament Of the woods, or a Society of
United Charities of the woods, and no
more; there is nothing in the dealings OF
animals with their young that in the re-
hottest way suggests human instruction
and discipline. The young of all the wild
creatures do instinctively what their par.
ents do and did. They do not have to be
taught; they are taught from the jump
The bird sings at the proper age, and builds
its nest, and takes It's appropriate food,
without any hint at all from it's parents
The young ducks take to the water when
Matched by hen as readily as if Matched
by a duck, and dive and stalk insects, and
wash themselves just as their mothers did.
Young chickens and young turkeys under
stand the various calls and signals of their
mother the first time they hear or see
them.
At the first alarm note they squat, at q
call to food they come on the first day as
on the tenth. The habits of cleanliness OF
the nestlings are established from the first
hour Of their lives. When a bird comes to
build its first nest and to rear its first
brood, 1T knows how to proceed, as well as
1t does years later or as it's parents did
before 1t. The fox Is afraid of a trap be-
fore he has had any experience with 1t, and
the hare thumps upon the ground at sight
of anything strange and unusual, whether
it's mates be within hearing or not. 1t is
true that the crows and the jays might be
called the spies and informers of the woods,
and other creatures seem to understand
the meaning of their cries, but who shall
presume to say that they have been in
structed in this vocation? Mr.. Long would
have us believe the crows teach their young
to fly. He might as well say that the
rooster teaches it's young to crow or that
the cock grouse teaches the young males to
drum No bird teaches it's young to fly
They fly MISUNDERSTANDING their wings are
strong enough. zig
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
SPRUCE GUM.
The Best Comes From the Region of
Moosehead Lake.

From the New York Evening Post
Not until the gum gatherers of the coun-
try had formed union did the many pa
irons of the spruce, peach. plum and other
appetizing CONNECTIONS realize the existence
OF gum harvesting as special calling. 1t
would appear from the organization that
thousands of men, women and children
make a good livelihood from extracting
gum from the trees. 1t is not a business
easily learned. either. the best workers be-
ing those who have a knowledge OF the
proper condition of the trees, tapping those
which are ripe with gum, while not injuring
immature or barren ones.
The gum gatherers say that their trade Is
growing harder each year on account of the
pulp mills and other Industries which eat
up the trees for their uses and thus de-
stroy members of the spruce and other
families that make the gum harvest. They
are obliged to travel great distances to
CLEAN their gum products and the black
spruce trees, chief OF gum producers, are
growing scarcer and scarcer each season
They want higher wages and the price Of
gum raised.
Some of our best gum costs us around
GO cents a pound" said manufacturer.
''but We can afford to pay 1t. We make It
up into small bars or squares with other
mixtures and get cents apiece for them
The medicinal gums are. Of course, more
expensive, but customers expect them to
be and we have no trouble in disposing of
them.
THE old Indian guides and hunters gath
or the best gum. They seem to know by in
stinct where and how to find 1t, and have
a way Of preparing and packing II which
makes 1t exceedingly palatable. 1 fancy
the best spruce gum comes from the re-
gion Of Moosehead lake, Twin dam, Square
lake and Katahdin IN Maine"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
NAPOLEON'S HANDWRITING.
His Penmanship Blamed for Some of
His Defeats.
From Longman's Magazine.

From Longman's Magazine.
Napoleon. according to Alexander Du-
mas, lost such battles as he did lose be-
cause he wrote such fiendsh hand. His
generals could not read his notes and let
tiers. and the trembling marshals afraid
Of disobeying, and striving to interpret the
indecipherable commands, loitered, wan
dered and did not come up to the scratch,
or not to the right scratch. Thus Water
loo was lost. Cannot you fancy Grouchy
handing round .Napoleon's notes on that
sanguinary Sunday? II say cries the
marshal to his aid-de-camp, 'is that word
Gembloux or Wavre? Is this Butcher or
Bulow?" So proba bly, Grouchy tossed up
for It, and the real words may have been
none of these at which he offered his con-
lecture. Meanwhile, on the left and GEN.
ter, dErion and Jerome and Ney We're
equally puzzled and kept on sending cav
airy to places where It, was very uncom-
Portable. and did no, sort of good. Ma
poleon may never have been apprised OF
these circumstances. His old writing mas
ter was not on the scene of action. No
body dared to say Sire, what does this
figure or a centipede mean, and how are
we to construe these two thick strokes
fanked by dots?" The imperial temper
was peppery; the great man would have
torn off his interrosator's eqaulettes and
danced upon them. Did he not once draw
his pistol to shoot little dog that barked
at his horse? And whsH the pistol missed
fire the great soldierttEsw It at the dog
and did .not hit him. The little dog re-
treated with the horrors of war.
Such was the temper of Napoleon, and
we know what Aarlboraugh thought of
the value of an eqaaAS temper. Nobody
hand. SO his generals lived "a life Of con-
lecture as to his meaning,Sand Waterloo
was not a success, and the emperor never
knew why. OF all his seven or eight theo-
han
writing was not one. Yet if this explana-
ton had occurred to him, Napoleon would
certainly have blamed his pens. Ink and
paper. Those of Nelson at Copenhagen
were very bad "If your guns are not bet
ter than your pens,'' said Danish officer
(who came in under a flag Of truce before
the fight, and was asked to put message
into writing), you had better retire.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
CORN AS FUEL.
Acre of Corn Equals Over Two Tons Of
Coal.

GOAL.
From Casters Magazine.
Substitutes for coal have for many years
commanded attention, and especially so
during the past eight or nine months in the
United States, with coal prices at abnor-
NAL figures as a result of the anthracite
miners strike last year. Peat and bril-
quoted sawdust, wood, Oil and many other
substances have been under consideration,
and among them also corn, this last par
ticularly having been spoken Of as some
thing quite new, though, as a matter of
fact, corn has for a long time been used as
fuel in the farming districts Of the western
sections Of the United States, and that,
too, with very satisfactory results.
In a general way it was recognized there
that when corn was abundant and cheap
and coal was expensive the former made a
cheaper fuel than the latter, although no
scientific determination Of their relative
efficiency had been made until a short time
ago, when tests were made by the depart
ment of agriculture of the University of
Nebraska. These showed, among other
things, that of corn, which, If burned will
yield from 22,512 600 to 45,024, 600 units, not
counting the heat that could be obtained
from the stalk. Since ton of good coal
will give up from about 20,OOO,OOO to o.
600, GOO units an acre of ground is each year
capable of producing fuel which Is equal
to from O.S7 or 1.2S to LA or 256 tons Of
coal. The stalk will probably increase this
amount by one-fourth or one-third.
The experience gained from boiler tests
with corn fuel made it appear doubtful
whether corn would be a practicable fuel
for the generation Of power, unless it were
burned in some special furnace that would
insure the perfect combustion Of the vola-
tile matter which forms so large a per-
centage Of the whole corn, and which is
driven off at comparatively low heat
Some form of automatic stoker would also
be desirable, since the corn burns rapidly
and must be frequently fred, making the
work of the firemen very arduous and at
the same time tending to cause incomplete
combustion by the excess of cold air enter
ing through the fire door, Undoubtedly
corn may, at times. be cheap and eco
n6mical fuel for domestic use.- 1t is cleaner
and more easily handled than coal and
contains but a very small amount Of ash
1t burns rapidly with an intense heat, and
this Is apt to be destructive to the cast
iron Innings Of the stove. Here, again
therefore, some special form of fire box
that will not be injured by the heat and
That will utilize as much Of the heat as
possible should be used.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08

means of crowbars and screwJacks. raise
the block onto soaped skid of hard
beechwood, of which they have several to
hand. Before doing this they secure the
block by means Of three long three to five
inch hempen cables, with which they take
turns around the posts, and pay out suffi-
Client rope only to allow Of the ponderous
mass sliding over the soaped skids by its
own weight and the angle of the incline,
but not to allow of it's gaining too much
momentum.
During this descent. besides the men tail
ing onto the ropes. two or three men are
seated on the block man following closely
in its wake hands them up the skid Just
passed over, which they resoap and hand
down to man, who keeps Just in front of
the moving mass. to put down in its path,
and so provide a continuous slipway. This
aforementioned work has the most perilous
task. If one of the cables part at critical
moment, or if mistake be made in paying
out or slackening them, he must inevitably
be crushed 1t is a fine sight to see the men
at the last pinch, near the railhead, hand
lowering the marble over the rollers onto
the truck. At this stage all hands are yell
ing like demons at their work, but the mo-
ment their burden Is safely entrained every
man filings down his tool and all bolt for the
osteria, or wineshop.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
AsToUNDED THE ENVOY.
Meeting Of Lord Ashburton and "cus-
sing Jahk" Dade.

Il never think Of lace horses and races"
said Capt. Townshend Smith, 'but I am
reminded Of when Lord Ashburton, envoy
extraordinary from the British government,
to settle with Mr.. Webster the northeast
boundary question. yas in washington.
John Tyler was theils President, and, with
the politeness characteristic of the man
and OF Virginians generally, wishing to
entertain his lordship for a day, invited
him to ride out to the race course, which
was then beyond Anacostia, where the
sport was at that time rendered very at
tractfve by great contest between the
celebrated horse Boston and Blue Dick.
Among the excited spectators and partici-
pators was a well-known habitue of the
turf who had served with Mr.. Tyler in the
virginia legislature. This man was with
my cousin Jack Dade, better known as
'Cussing Jack for he could swear in every
known language. Jack saw the President
with the stranger, and walking up to the
President he extended his hand and said,
Hello, John Tyler, old fellow; how are
you? Mighty glad to see you. old horse.
Looking well. old coon,' and pursuing this
strain, mingling it with big oath between
every phrase, he completely astounded the
President, who could not stop him or say
word in reply All this time Lord. Ash
burton was sitting on his horse close by in
stately dignity and horror-struck at the
easy familiarity of the Virginian. The
President hoping that the name of his
possesses the secret of a process whereby
thing like respectful language his friend,
introduced him with great gravity to Lord
Ashburton. Lord, who did you say, Tyler?
The Lord Harry he roared out, extending
his hand in patronizing way to his lord
ship. No lords, no dukes, no nothing of
that sort in this country and so he dashed
on until the envoy himself entered into the
spirit of the occasion, and laughed heartily
with the President
After this incident Lord Ashburton and
Jack Dade became fast friends. and the
Ashburton to England he would guarantee
that he would come into possession of tire
Immense Townshend estates. Old JACK
told his lordship that he would not travel
that far on water even if he knew he would
own the whole of England after getting
there. 1t is fact that Jack Dade would
not travel by water"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
DAILY VACCINATION.
Cures Severe Cases Of Smallpox in a
Short Time.

From the New York Medical Journal
Smallpox is by no means an innocent
disease, though the ancient statistics of
mortality have been long since done away
with. Yet mortality of from 15 to IS
per cent Is not rare, even in vaccinated
persons. and various complications are Of
ten met with. Hubert ds99) found that re-
peated vaccination was useful in the treat
ment OF smallpox, but only in the prod
romal stages Of the disease. Kotowschikoff
went further than this. He found that re-
peated vaccination, performed daily for a.
number Of days, had marked SIGNIFICANCE
upon the course of smallpox. not only in
the prodromal stages, but also in the be-
ginning of the disease Since then various
authors have written on the subject, In
order to rest the therapeutic value Of re-
peated vaccination in smallpox the author
tried this mode of treatment In eight oasas
The majority Of these patients entered with
a smallpox rash fully developed-five in the
popular stage. one In the purulent stage and
two at the end Of the prodromal period.
The vaccinations were made twice daily
three scarifcations being made each time,
and were performed on the two patients
that entered during the prodromal period
only after the rash had fully set in. The
test was therefore, directed solely to And
the value OF repeated vaccinations in the ad-
Vanced stages Of smallpox, not in the early
part OF the disease. OF the eight patients
two had mild form OF the disease from
the start. the others q severe form, In gen
eral, the use Of repeated vaccinations gave
more or less favorable results. In the Sc
we're cases the Improvement was apparently
connected with the use Of repeated vacci-
nations. yet 1t is difficult to say whether
the cases would have taken just such a
course II no vaccinations had been made.
The author concludes that In smallpox
repeated vacoina tons should be used, the
earlier the better, and that the largest use
fulness could be expected from this treat
ment in the earlier stages OF the disease. A
larger number Of cases should be observed
to determine its value In the LATER s4a0os
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-08
LIGHT CURE IN ENGLAND.
Demand for z Ray or "High Ere
quency" Apparatus Very Large.

From the Pail Mall Gazette.
Notwithstanding the disinclination of the
older medical men to novelty, and the lack
of means which often handicaps the bud
ding practitioner, the call for appliances
for light curing is large and rapidly in
creasing. The head of the firm of Messrs.
Cox of Cursitor street, Chancery Lane,
told representative Of the Pail Mall Ca
zette the other day that even with staff
OF over thirty men constantly engaged in
manufacture it is next to impossible to
supply complete set of X-ray or high
frequency" apparatus from stock. so close
at present is the demand to the supply.
Hospitals and private members of the
profession have seriously taken up the new
work, and apparatus Is now in daily use
both for photography and for cancer, lu-
pus, consumption and other treatment and
experiment. The government, too, is a
good customer, the latest and most ap-
proved X.ray sets having been supplied to
large number of his maJesty's battle
ships. as we'll the royal yacht, while
no military force now takes the field with
out a bullet-discovering equipment. 1t is
curious to note that while Germany has
the credit for discovery, English appliances
owing to their high power, reliability, and
beautiful finish, are preferred all over the
world. Germany sends to London for ap-
Daratus, and were it not for the tariff q
very large trade in English appliances
d.
Since 1895. the year of the Rontgen dis
covery. there have been many improve
ments on the mechanical side. The radio
graphs, which formerly required hours to
expose are today more effectively taken
In a few seconds. This is chiefly owing to
the advance made in the quality Of the
induction coils which now have put into
them six or seven miles Of copper WIRE and
are most carefully insulate and finished.
The D'Arsonval-Oudn resonator, for pro-
ducing high-frequency currents. is still a
comparative novelty in this country 1t
has. however. during its twelve months
career proved itself to be most valuable
adjunct to the X-rays. 1t Is impossible
to say what affinity, if any. there Is be-
tween the two. but each is used to good
purpose in dealing with the many malig
nant cancer forms. Experiment seems to
point to the currents, which are applied
outwardly in a shower of sparks that
spread like jets of water from watering
can, being of inestimable value for inter-
nal application by tube Indeed, some sur
prisingly good effects on inward growths
have already been obtained.