Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-05-02

sion viii have ample powers. IL means
also that practical work VIII begin
during the current year and that the
commission will begin at once, the pre-
paratlon OF plans for letting contracts
The house dia not seem to think II
necessary 20 Inappropriate the SlV,OOU,-
900 10 be paid for the concession. But
the members OF the senate had inior-
nation which led them 10 insist siren
uously upon this particular paragraph.
II remains In the bill as II became law
and will serve to forestall the action
OF a band OF conspirators who saw, or
thought they saw, an opportunity 70 To-
ment strife between Panama ana CO.
lombia. II was learned that some
agents of the republic of Colombia act
ing with authority had taken prelim-
mary steps towards a series of lawsuits
by which Il was expected TO tie up, IN
the United States courts, the $4,000 900
which is 10 be paid Colombia TINS
they believed could be done because
Congress had not heretofore stipulated
In express terms that the money Is to
be paid over to the infant republic.
The action of Congress leaves the stu
alton clear and avoids even the chance
OF long drawn out litigation.
The title TO the property of the
French company Is now vested In the
United States OF America and just as
soon as the necessary preliminaries can
be arranged contracts VIII be made for
the physical work. Ten million dollars
Is available for this and the commission
is determined that the work shall be
pushed with sufficient yigor to convince
the world that the United States Is In
earnest in its desire to complete a wa
terway between the Atlantic and the
Pacific.
A WORK ON STANDARDS
The bureau of standards, which Is an
important division of the department Of
commerce and labor. has in press
volume OF great importance to the COM
merce of the country This work, which
will be published within few months,
viii exhibit the standard measures In
every state Of the Union and 1t Will as
tOnish those who see II, According to
the data gathered by Mr. Stratton, the
chief Of the bureau II appears that the
capacity OF bushel. for instance, va
ries so greatly in the different states
that ii Is difficult to understand how
business can be conducted with any
thing like uniformity This is partlc-
ularly noticeable In grain measure
inents for oats, wheat beans and seeds
OF all kinds are rated by a dozen diff
ferent standards in as many states.
Nor Is II in measures Of volume alone
that this diversity exists. In the mat
ter Of wire gauges there are no less
than four differen, standards recognize
ed by the trade. 1t is the purpose of
the volume now to be published to show
these wide differences and to pave the
way for Congress to enact some general
legislation which will fix national
standard, which will then probably be
adopted by the states A bushel OF
beans viii not then weigh Sc pounds in
Massachusetts,, which Is the case today
and 30 pounds OF oats In New York will
be regarded as of equal volume TO 80
pounds in some Of the western states,
whore the standard bushel today must
contain 80 or 35 pounds.
THE WALDsEEMULLER MAP.
After nearly four centuries OF mys-
terry the first map on which the name
Of America was used to designate the
western hemisphere has been found. II
was made by Martin Waldseemuler, a
geographer of the little city of st. Diel.
situated In the French department OF
the Vosges. Ever since 1907 every
body has known OF a little Latin book
printed In st. Diel and made famous be-
cause 1t first advocated that the lew
hemisphere should be called America
after Amerlgo Vespuccl. From refer
ences to the book 1t was evident that II
was accompanied by some sort OF a
map, but the map was missing Cop
les were found of the map which geog-
raphers believed belonged to the book,
but still no one knew what had become
OF the original. Search was begun and
after years was finally abandoned and
the subject of the first map which had
America printed thereon was almost
forgotten when German professor
stumbled upon the missing map In the
princey library Of the castle Of Wolf
egg. Tere it had lain for centuries hid
den amid tones Of morocco and parch-
ment. Now copies are to be made Of It
so that the world may be able to look
upon the map upon which America"
was first printed.