davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04
DARING MEN WHO CROSS THE OCEAN IN DIM

Smaller even than Eisenbraun's boat
is that which bears Captain Howard
Blackburn, who set out from Glouces-
ter in a fifteen and a half foot dory with
the luck giving name of America Cap
tain Blackburn. unlike Eisenbraun. is
veteran in the art of navigating the
ocean in small boats, for he has al
ready made two trips across the At
lantic. While at sea once he lost all
his fingers and toes from frostbite,
drifting about for five days before
help came, a companion dying in the
meantime. But old ocean has no ter
rors for Blackburn, who plans on this
occasion to return from Havre, his OBJ
jective point, by way of Gibraltar the
West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico,
thence sailing up the Mississippi to st.
Louis, where he will exhibit at the
Louisiana Purchase exposition. His
boat is decked all over with the excep-
ton of a cockpit; it has a mast seven
teen feet long. carrying a fifteen foot
boom and a six foot gait, and there is
also a small jib.
The smallest boat of the three is that
which carries E. T. Warren, a middle
aged American. who sailed from North
Sydney, n. s., intending to cross to
England. Warren's liner is but a
twelve foot sailboat. so diminutive that
it would seem as though a good sea
would speedily batter it to pieces. The
daring navigator expects to restock his
larder from the vessels he will meet on
the long journey.
1t is difficult to say why men are will
ing to take such chances where there
is so little to gain and so much to lose.
Staring these ocean wanderers in the
face are the warnings conveyed by the
histories of such men as Andrews and
LOwler. Captain Andrews was 4 piano
maker who in 1878 decided to visit the
Paris exposition and to make unique
II ansatlantic passage. Accordingly. al
though he had never handled a sailboat
he built a twenty foot vessel and start
ed from Boston, despite the warnings
of his friends. To everybody's amaze
ment he carried his Undertaking to a
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

radium rivals that of the sun in print
ing photographs.
Still more astonishing is the state
ment made within the past month by
Dr. Lunden, a German scientist, that
radium rays will enable the blind to
see more or less clearly. 1t has further
been found that the strange mineral
imparts its light giving properties to
any substance with which it comes into
contact. Thus Sir William Crookes.
operating with fiftieth of a gram of
radium, found that everything he used
in handling it-tubes, glasses, his fin
gers-became phosphorescent in the
dark, even after vigorous washing. 1t
is this quality which has suggested the
feasibility of supplanting gas and cleo
tricity with radium- A very small
quantity of the mineral will give suf-
ficient light for reading purposes, and
it is asked why streets and houses can
not be Illuminated by coating globes
with some sort of radium paint and
hanging them in convenient places.
Similarly ships could be made visible
even in the darkest nights; trains
would be seen for miles speeding along
their iron paths; automobiles, scOrchlng
bicyclists and trolley cars would give
ample warning of their approach
Radium thus utilized will be sudden
death to several industries. but before
it can be put to any commercial uses
some method must be devised whereby
it can be extracted at much less cost
than at present In her first expert
ment Nine. Curie used a ton of pitch
blende from which she extracted but
two decigrams of radium at a cost
of 50 900, or at the rate of $40 600 900 a
kilogram which is equivalent to two
and one-fifth pounds. Even then the
radium was not absolutely pure. 1t is
now stated, however, that there will
soon be on the market a chemically
pure radium which viii be sold at Sc 000
per gram, or S3.43s. 900 per pound. The
expense lies both in the methods of ex-
traction and in the scarcity of pitch
blende. It is hoped that it will not be
long before biologists have located
many spots where the precious ore
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

that time his address was Wall street,
New York where he occupied a seat in
the window of a banking office.
Thirty-three years of age. five gen
erations of American parentage have
left the young baron typical English
man in appearance. although he has in
herited many of the qualities of his
American forbears. He is of medium
height. well built and athletic looking.
with no superfluous adipose tissue, his
quick, springy walk testifying to the
elasticity of his muscles. He cultivates
the American ha bit of being clean shaven
but his light yellow hair is distinctively
English, and so thin is it that at a
distance one would be willing to make
an affidavit. that the youthful peer is
bald. Like many real Englishmen Lord
Fairfax is extremely self conscious, a
characteristic most in evidence when
he is talking about himself. He also
has long been accounted one of the
most modest of men, his aversion to
publicity being so pronounced that not
a few who knew him refused to credit
the news that he had decided to take
his seat among the lords. That his
father, the late DR.. John c. Fairfax
would never have countenanced this
step is certain, for it was DR.. Fairfax 8
proudest boast that he would have no
British handle to his name.
The present peer is the twelfth Lord
Fairfax, the title having been created in
1927. Even before that time the Fairfax
family numbered some eminent mem
bers, perhaps the most notable of whom
was Sir Guy Fairfax, who during the
Wars of the Roses became lord chief
justice of England. The first Lord Fair
fax-Thomas-grea grandson of this
worthy jurist, was knighted for dis
tinguished services before Rouen. The
second baron was one of the few mobiles
who went over to Cromwell's side when
/ the civil war broke out and had a COM
mand at the battle of Marston Moor,
where he defeated the royal army. AL
! though chiefly remembered as a famous
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04
RadiWWl lamp

mate division of matter. All this has
started eminent scholars thinking along
new lines. and even if the present laws
of nature maintain their integrity i'm
portant additions are certain to be made
to the sum of human knowledge.
Like many other discoveries of mo-
ment radium was found through an
accident NJ. Becquerel, the French
physicist, one day noticed that some
salts of uranium that had fallen upon
a Photographic plate in dark Rom
produced a black mark on the plate.
Feeling convinced that there was no
way in which light could have entered
the room, NJ. Becquerel came to the
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

conclusion that the uranium must be
giving off rays similar to those pro-
duced in the Crookes tubes. and by ex-
perimenting found that the uranium
rays were actually much more active
than the Crookes rays.
Becquerel's deductions gave Nine.
Curie a hint, and in conjunction with
her husband, himself a noted French
scientist she resolved to reduce ura-
MUM to its elements. For this purpose
she procured from Bohemia a quantity
of pitchblende. the ore from which ura-
MUM is extracted and after subjecting
it to chemical tests finally discovered a
mineral which had in a high degree
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

illustrating the x ray character of the
mineral Mr.. Hammer succeeded in OBJ
tanning a photograph of a steel tool laid
on a dry plate that had been covered
with two thicknesses of heavy black
paper, a single sheet of which is i'm
pervious to light. Another interesting
Photograph shown by Mr. Hammer. who
is making a special study of radium, is
that of mouse. The tiny animal was
laid directly on the plate, which was
wrapped in three thick rugs, placed
in the bottom of a trunk the trays
replaced and the whole left in a dark
room for twenty-four hours. Investiga-
ton has also shown that the light from
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

successful conclusion, landing at Null
lion cove after a voyage of forty-five
days marked by great privation. Eleven
years later there was another big fair
at Paris. and to Paris Andrews started
again in a small boat.
This time he did not succeed in get
ting more than $50 miles from shore,
although it was more than a month
before he was rescued from his storm
swept boat by passing ship. He was
brought back to Boston, defeated, but
not discouraged. Then Lowler came
on the scene, announcing that he in
tended to duplicate Andrews first voy-
age. At once the captain offered to
race him across the Atlantic, and a
match was arranged for prize of 81, 900
and a silver cup. Andrews had hard
luck from the very outset, his boat
being capsized five times, and he was
finally compelled to take refuge on a
steamer Lowler was more fortunate
reaching Cape Lizard. Soon Andrews
proposed another match, and the rivals
again started from Boston, Andrews
making the coast of Portugal within a
month. 1t was LOWERS last voyage
however. for he was never seen again
That Andrews had not profited by
this lesson later became very evident
When he was married in 1901 he deter
mined to spend the honeymoon by tax
ing another transatlantic voyage in a
small boat. He set sail. accompanied
by his young bride, and the couple have
never been heard of since, their fate
being one of the many secrets locked
in the bosom of the deep.
On the other hand. Blackburn and
Warren can encourage themselves with
the remembrance of Captain Joshua
Slocum. the Nova Scotian who outdid
On lafr or tod faxrf
predecessors, for Captain Slocum cir
COMMUNICATED the world in a forty foot
yawl, the Spray, which he himself built.
This remarkable voyage was begun
| in April, 1895. when Captain Slocum
! left Boston for Gibraltar, where he
arrived a month later. He had in
| tended sailing down the Mediterranean
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

all the characteristics of the Crookes
rays and which she named polonium
in honor of her native land. There still
remained another substance a thousand
times more active than polonium This
too, she ultimately extracted. giving it
the name of radium on account of the
extraordinary radio activity it pos
sessed.
Among other things Nine. Curie found
that the new element possessed the X
ray property of taking photographs, or
photographs, as they are termed. Sir
William Crookes has since obtained
some remarkable photographs. as has
William ]. Hammer in this country. In
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

plain Albert Kirby Fairfax. one of the
position unique in the annals of the
house of lords in that he is an Amer
lean born nobleman whose family has
had an American citizenship ever since
the war of independence. Until COM
paratively short time ago the present
Lord Fairfax had no intention of as
Stunning his titular prerogatives, prefer
ring to remain an everyday American
working out his destiny in the land of
the free. But circumstances in the
form of business conditions conspired
to change his views on this most i'm
portant subject. Being sent from New
York to London as the representative
of a banking house, he not illogically
decided that his prospects in England
would be bettered if he took the step
which has since been the subject of
much discussion.
At present Lord Fairfax is being Law
ishly entertained in England's highest
social circles, where he is regarded as
undoubtedly the most interesting mem
Der of the peerage Popular attention
was first directed to him when the in
vitations to King Edwards coronation
were issued for he was the only Amer
lean out of so, 00O, 900 to be summoned by
proclamation to attend the great cere-
mOny in Westminster abbey. In the
call issued by the Duke of Norfolk he
was specifically ordered to send his ad-
dress to the earl marshal of the United
Kingdom in order that the royal sum-
mons might be forwarded to him. At
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

the northern part of Virginia, and to
Virginia he journeyed in 1875, taking with
him his cousin. Sir William Fairfax. as
manager of his colonial domain. 1t was
through Sir William that the Fairfaxes
became related to the WaShingtons, for
it was Sir Williams daughter Anna,
who became the bride of George Wash
ingtons elder brother, Lawrence. She
lived with her husband at his estate.
Mount Vernon, later immortalized by
becoming the home of the first presi-
dent.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04


pernetual motion. that will O. the wisp
which has led so many wiseacres mao
dance. During the past few weeks sew
eral well known scientists who nave
been irving to answer the riddles pro-
pounded by radium have almost come
to the conclusion that radium generates
energy. 1t is known that the mineral
will reflect light indefinitely. hurting
streams of tiny particles with velocity
of many thousands of miles every sec
ond, apparently tearing itself to pieces
and yet suffering no loss of size, weight
or force. This peculiar property mas
led savants to suggest that radium VIII
some day be used to light the world
for it will provide light that can never
fail a light unaffected by meteorolog-
ical conditions and beside which the
lighting powers of gas and electricity
fade into insignifcance.
If these scientists are correct the
present theories of the nature of matter
and the conservation of energy must be
discarded as obsolete. Paradox after
paradox is presented the more one
studies the peculiar powers of the new
element. 1t has been found that radium
emits sufficient heat to melt more than
it's own weight of ice every hour and
that this heat, like the radium light,
maintains itself without intermission.
although apparently not replenished
from any outside source. Again the in
finite particles that radium throws off
in a constant bombardment are much
smaller than atoms, which in the nat
ural state have been deemed the ulti-
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

counter with band of piratical Pata-
gonians, from whom he had a very
narrow escape. Once he collided with
a whale and on another occasion was
caught in tidal wave. In relating his
experiences the captain declared that
although the solitude of the ocean af-
fected him strangely. he was always
able to get all the sleep that he wanted
II might be mentioned that his voyage
in the Spray was not the captains first
attempt of this nature. Several years
before he girdled the world the bark
in which he was sailing with his wife
and family was w-acte-f f. the cr.o~t
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

from Gibraltar. but was warned against
pirates and therefore headed for Per-
nambuco. on the coast of South Africa.
Thence he sailed to Rio Janeiro, to
Buenos Ayres, then through the strait
of Magellan to Juan Fernandez. the
island made famous by Daniel Defoes
novel, Robinson Crusoe."
From Juan Fernandez the Spray
started for the Samoan islands, making
them after a run of sixty-two days, in
which time 5000 miles were covered.
From Samoa the plucky captain sailed
for New South Wales stopping at sgd
ney: thence he ran down. to Tasmania.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

After remaining in Virginia for about
a year Lord Fairfax returned to Eng
land. There, as the story runs, he met
with a disappointment in love and re-
solved to wind up his affairs and live
permanently in the colonies. Whatever
the reason, he reappeared in Virginia in
1745 and assumed control of his vast
land holdings, which covered more than
100000 acres. embracing the section
between the Potomac and the Kappa
hammock. For a time he lived with
Sir William at Belvoir. where he met
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

returned up the coast to Queensland
and then passed through Torres strait
and on into the Indian ocean and
to Mauritius. From Mauritius he made
for Natal, whence he sailed to Cape
Town and was at last in the Atlantic
once more He now coasted up South
Africa to st. Helena, returning home
from ST Helena by way of Grenada
and arriving in Boston in June, 1898.
after having covered a total distance
of $4,000 miles.
OF course Captain Slocum had some
very exciting adventures, probably the
most perilous of which was an err
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

army in 1915, in which year he won
the battle of Naseby.
But it was around the sixth Lord
Fairfax-another Thomas-that the ro-
nance of the family clustered. The for
tunes of him and his descendants have
been an inspiration to several writers
of fiction, notably Thackeray and, more
recently Halle Erminie Rives. who
introduced the old nobleman in her
Hearts Courageo From his moth
er, daughter of Lord Culpepper, Lord
Fairfax had inherited large estates in
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

general his memory is revered by a
great body of English scholars. since
had it not been for his efforts the Bod
leian library at Oxford would have been
burned by the Puritans. who wished
to destroy it on account of Its large
number of papistical and idolatrous
writings" Luckily Lord Fairfax heard
of their intentions in time to throw a
strong force about the library Thomas.
the third baron, was another noted
fighter for Cromwell, being appointed
general in chief of the parliamentary
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

of Chile. From the wreckage Captain
Slocum built a small yawl. in which ne
made his way down the coast of South
America, around the Horn and up to
New York, a distance of 1000 miles. It
was the success of this trip that inn
PEELED him to build the Spray.
Whether any of the present transat-
lantic voyagers nursesa secret ambition
ultimately to emulate Captain Slocum
is impossible to say, but it is certain
that the perils OF the worldwide jour-
ney would have no terrors for the
doughty Adventures.
CTTtN>-I--~ q -sFTOw
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

oceanic trip in a cockleshen and alone.
The dangers of the sea appear to have
an Irresistible attraction for such hardy
voyagers, no less than three of whom
started not long ago to cross the At
lantic in small boats. Undeterred by
the fate which has befallen others en-
gagged in similar undertakings. all
three set out in their tiny craft amid
the enthusiastic cheers of hundreds of
spectators. Not that the travellers did
not realize the risks they were running,
but they had supreme confidence in their
ability as sailors and in the seaworthi-
ness of the boats to which they were
intrusting their lives.
OF the three the first to make a start
vas Ludwig Eisenbraun. a German,
who left Boston in a Swampscott dory.
seventeen feet from stem to stern. with
a sixteen foot mainmast, a boom of
fourteen feet and leg of mutton sail.
exactly the type of vessel used by the
shore fishermen who make Boston their
headquarters. Not much of an outfit
wherewith to give battle to Father
Neptune. one might think, but quite
sufficient in the opinion of Eisenbraun.
an old sailor, although but thirty four
That Eisenbraun's confidence was
misplaced became evident when he put
into Gloucester. Mass. and announced
that he had given up the voyage. He
said that he had become stiff with
rheumatism on account of the preva-
lence of fog, which had kept him damn
ever since he started. Concluding that
he might get into a condition that
would make. it impossible for him to
navigate his boat, he made up his mind
hat it would be the part of wisdom to
return to shore.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

CHEMISTS are begin
ming seriously to ask
themselves whether or
no in radium, the won
derful mineral discov-
cred a few years ago
by Nine. Curie, a tall
ented Polish woman.
there lies the secret of
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

HERE is no member of
the British peerage
more in the public eye
at present in this
country than Lord
Fairfax of Cameron,
a Scottish nobleman.
better known on this
side the Atlantic as
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

HERE are some men
who cannot be in
duced to take an ocean
voyage even in the
best equipped modern
liner; there are others
who like nothing bet
ter than to brave the
perils of a trans
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-04

Radiograph
taken through a
ltrunk.tke mouse
being wrapped
i'm three rugs.
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-08-06
Provide for Their Friends.

Another assistant attorney has been
appointed to represent the govern
ment in suits and cases before the
Spanish treaty claims commission.
There are ten other attorneys holding
the same positions. Some of these at
torneys are in Spain, some in Cuba, and
others elsewhere, supposed to be look
ing up facts and testimony. How long
the commission will be doing business
Is unknown, but it is safe to say it will
continue at the job as long as there is
an appropriation available, Congress
made a provision that the president
should continue the life of the COM
mission for periods of six months until
it was certain the commission had fin
ished its labors. The appointment by
the president of an additional attorney
indicates of two things, either there
must be more business before the COM
mission than was expected, or such a
soft snap, with large salaries and an
ample travelling expense fund is a load
stone that attracts republican politi.
clans, and the magnetism is so great
that they cannot be shaken from their
hold when once fast to It. A little
strenuous advice by q thoroughbred re-
former would hasten matters. or con-
gress might stop the supplies, which
would have an immediate effect.