davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1904-01-10

AS a crop reporter Uncle Sam has in
great measure superseded the private
crop reporting organizations maintained
by large dealers in cereals or cotton and
prominent SPECTATORS Some firms have
spent as high as $4,000 in a single sea-
son in gathering confidential i1forma-
ton or private report upon some crop.
but the impossibility of competing with
the Government statistics in accuracy
and the danger that their reports will
suffer by comparison, with the array of
figures sent out from washington deters
many moneyed interests from making
public private crop reports. OF course.
a greater or less number OF such private
estimates are yet printed every year,
and in addition many interests affected
by the fluctuations Of the cotton and
cereal markets secure confidential adj
vices relative to the Forthcoming crops
for their own guidance IN buying CT SELL
ing for future delivery.
Sixty three Years IN Business.
The United States Government first
made provision for the collection of ag-
ricultural statistics siEty-three years
ago, or more than a sc1Te of years be-
fore the Department of Agriculture was
established, but the method inaugu-
rated then is still in vogue Perhaps the
most picturesque phase OF this novel
system is found in the -co-operation OF
nearly 10000 farmers. bankers. mer-
chants, cotton ginners, agents of trans
portation lines. mill and elevator pro-
prietors. and other persons All Of these
men are glad to help the Government
for the reason that each Is DESTROYS OF
knowing at the earliest possible moment
the extent OF the crop In which he is
interested. Moreover. a majority OF
these growers and dealers have only
Uncle Sam to look to for snch informa-
ton. Some Of the wealthy manufactur-
ling and exporting interests are able to
pay for the services of pr statisti-
clans and crop reporters to furnish them
advance tips" as TO conditions, but the
majority of the producing interests can
not afford such -luxuries. ard are entire
ly dependent upon the Government
The field marshals of the American
crop reporting army comprise thirty
The Washington times., 1904-01-10

gain time IN the dissemination Of re-
ports such as the cotton forecast. which
exert tremendous influence upon market
conditions and prices. There is the fierc-
est rivalry between the telegraph COM
panies in the matter Of time. Every
second counts, and a. minutes start on
an important report might involve
thousands of dollars An Illustration Of
the havoc which may be caused BY &
defeat in this monthly Geographic race
was afforded some time since, when
one telegraph company got the cotton
report to New Orleans a full minute
ahead of it's rival IT can readily be
appreciated that the broker who can
buy or sell on a stock exchange with
definite information up his sleeve.
in the form OF the first knowledge OF
the contents of a Government crop re-
port, can often make a fortunte in the
few minutes that interviews. ere the
news spreads. and the market adjusts
itself to a new condition
Many Schemes Matched.
Not only has Uncle Sam to be on
guard at all times to prevent the leak
age OF information Of any kind from
the crop reporting headquarters, but
constant watchfulness is necessary to
Illustrate the schemes. constantly hatch
ed by interruptions bucket-shop pro-
prietors to beat the wire. and. incl
dentally. the public One such race re-
Gently attempted. viii serve to ilIustrata
the tricks which are tried A man OBJ
tanned the use OF a telephone in the AE
ricultural Department. ans established
a long-distance connection with a bro
ker's office in New York As soon as
the crop forecast was given our a con-
federate who was in a position TO scan
the figures sung out the crucial figures,
but before the man at the instrument
could repeat them the quica-witted tele-
phone girl had pulled out the plugs
and broken the Connection Frequently.
messenger boys, who have been offered
large sums If they will get the market
sheets to brokers' Offices in quick time.
are arrested and locked up for fast rid
/ ing. as they tear along the highways
leading from the Department Of Agri-
culture
The Washington times., 1904-01-10

become a substantial steamer at Albany
going down the Hudson and out through
the Sound, and deliver it's cargo ac any
point upon the Sound. Providence, Bos-
ton, Portland, or, indeed, Halifax n
s., il desired
Some of the foremost builders OF
steamboats, for shallow water have been
trying for years TO devise some means
by which a screw propeller could be
used. Of recent years some few have
been built with a chanzsl, the simple
channel in the bottom Of The boat, IN
which the screw works. The results OBJ
tanned from this type OF craft were Tar
from perfect, for the reason that as
soon as the vessel came 10 a stop th7
propeller was more thar half out OF the
water, IL being a well-known fact
that air must be prevented from md
ing its way I'm the region Of the wheel;
but at the same time this class Of yes
sci made a better speed ard used less
steam than any paddle-wheei vessel
ever constructed fer shallow rivers.
namely. sixteen and eighteen miles an
hour. 1t is claimed for boats equipped
under the "COen system that they
ought 10 make thirty-two miles or more
per hour with prcportionateiy less
power and with no additional cost OF
construction OF hulls. provided the lines
are correct.
How the System Works.
Ever since the screw propeller came
into general use. il has been found 20
be more effectual the deeper it was sub
merged in the water. consequently Nes-
sells have been constructed TO dra1@aiore
and more water TO enable them 10 sex
deep solid. water for the propeller. re-
CARELESS of the fact that the hull
the vessel must also part this solier
water in passing through and over
This. of course. gives great speed. but
it also takes powerful engines and
mountains of coal. With the Coen sys-
tenn. however. this deep water result
and consequent power Of propulsion, IS
obtained without having the vessel down
deep but with it actually passing over
the top or through the surface wateEn
which is comparatively easily parted
the resistance against the propeller ID
ing controlled by the engineer There
may be twenty feet or more carried over
the screw propeller while the vessel may
be drawing only few feet. or indeed
few inches. depending upon the char
acter of the vessel and the water which
II is navigat11g.
The Washington times., 1904-01-10

eight statistical agents. each receiving
compensation at the rate of from $500 to
$500 per year. Each OF these maintains
a corps OF assistants or correspondents
entirely independent CT those reporting
directly to washington. All told. there
are nearly 10000 assistants of this class,
and their numerical strength in the diff
ferent States ranges from Il in Della
ware 20 more than 500 in Michigan. The
State-agent does more than merely tab
ulate the reports OF his correspondents.
He analyses them. and In the light OF
his own knowledge of conditions Graws
general conclusions as to the outlook in
his territory.
State and Federal Workers.
Aside from the State corps there Is
a double army of crop reportsers cover
ing the entire country and reporting
direct to Washington First, there is in
every agricultural county correspond
ent. who has from two TO four assist
ant correspondents. These county cor
respondents and neutrality-suspicious.
number in the entire country nearly H.
600. Then. in addition. every township
and voting precinct in the United States
in which farming operations OF any
kind are carried on. has a correspon-
dent. this force numbering more than
30, 900. The State statistical agents and
their correspondents, together with the
county and township correspondents.
numbering in all more than $1,000 work
ers. report eleven times In each year.
Still other legions of volunteer inves-
tigators lend aid to the experts at the
National Capital in order to render more
complete and reliable the reports upon
tie most important staples. For in
stance. in order to make the information
in the cotton reports doubly authentic
the statistician at the Department Of
Agriculture corresponds during the
growing and picking season With more
than e0.OOO public and private ginner-
les. and upward of 5000 bankers. me--
] chants. and other persons not actual
cotton growers. Similarly, I'm order 10
! make sure of his figures on cereal pro-
| duction he utiliZes the services OF near
| " % 600 millers. elevator men. and othel
non-farmers. and finally. at the end o.
The Washington times., 1904-01-10

more. In a year this force of seventy
workers handles more than 2.5OO.0o sep
arate crop reports.
For the most part the monthly reports
Of the crop investigators arc sent to
Washington by mail in sealed envelopes.
but State statistical agents residing at
points more than 500 miles distant from
the Capital report by telegraph. using
cipher or a secret code. The reports of
the county. township. and other CORES
pondents are tabulated by different
groups of clerks, working in separate
rooms. whereas the reports from the
State statistical agents, whether re-
ceived by telegraph or special deliv-
cry letter. 20 direct TO the statistician, or
chief of the division. and are locked up
with the seals unbroken until the day
on which the report is issued. nor do
they leave his hands until after the
report Of which they form a part has
been made public.
Secretary Wilson's confidence that no
leak will ever occur in the eagerly
awaited cotton reports or any other
forecasts is based on Che marvelously
efficient system which Is utilized in max
ing up the final estimates from the infor-
nation gathered from all the various
sources. Up to the very day on which
the official report is issued the work Is
divided among so manE clerks that no
employs can make head nor tail out OF
his fragmentary portion. nor indeed
could anything be ascertained were sew
eral clerks TO put their heads together
with a view 20 forestal1ing the verdict
On the eventful day when all the ends
are caught up the clerks TO whom is en-
trusted the task OF Transforming the
returns from an incomprehensiblC
| tumble of figures into one comprehen-
! sive estimate ass locked In their Offices
and put under close surveillance lesl
they communicate with the outside
world. All Is mystery until suddenly al
IL o'clock. noon. the door of the stats
/ ticians Office swings open and that Off.
cial hands to telegraph operators. who's,
wires are cleared to receive it, the all
important forecast.
Many attempts have been made t,
The Washington times., 1904-01-10
Copyright, 1904, by waid0n Fawostt.)

" HERE has never been a leak" in
the Government crop reports,
i and it is impossible that there
should be in future. This. in
substance is the emphatic declaration
of Secretary CT Agriculture James
Wilson with reference to the charge
recently made that the main facts
in the Government cotton reports
sometimes leak out in advance of
the time when these aIl-important
statements are made public The
Secretary declares that so complete are
the safeguards which have been thrown
around the present plan of crop report
ing, and so complex is the system itself
that no person, not even the chief stat
istician OF the department himself, could
know prior to The Hateful morning when
a report is given out what the magical
figures will be.
Preparing the Reports.
II ever absolute secrecy was neces-
sary, however, it is in the preparation
of Uncle Sans crop reports. This great
forecasting work constitutes practically
the only governmental activity which
exerts vital influence upon that great
mass of the American people who are
victims OF the fever of speculation
More than that, the hidden meanings of
these crop reports affect directly or in
directly the interests of millions of
workers in cotton mills. Touring mills.
and bakeries together with the employees
of railroads and transportation lines,
to say nothing of the farmers them
selves. and, indeed. their influence is
felt even in the homes of the bread eat
ers of Europe and Asia.
Simply Forecasts.
For the benefit of the uninitiated II
may be explained that these official
crop reports which are issued from
washington at regular intervals are
simply forecasts. or very accurate pre-
dictions, based upon secret. far-reach-
ing information as to the size and char
acter Of a maturing crop. In this age
of high tension when suspicion or a
runor is often sufficient to precipitate
a panic in the speculative world, It Is
easy to see how a trustworthy and de
psndable prophecy of a shortage in =
crop or an overproduction may upset
the stock market. Far wider than this
however. is the sweep of power o.
The Washington times., 1904-01-10

depth. OF course very heavy cargoes
could not be loaded upon this much
water. but there are many places where
this would be of incalcuIable value to
farmers and manufacturers whose bust
ness is located upon very shallow water,
such as iniets, streams or bays A FIVE
foot turbine wheel or screw propeller
can be operated on a river steamer In
twelve inches of water o. less.
The Turbine on E:vc- Boats.
The great consider ion in making it
possible to use turbine or screw wheels
upon river boats is not the only ques-
ton that this system solves. 1t does
away with the great cumbersome pad
die wheels and the long. slow moving
engines. required on either side of the
boat, replacing them with a small, high
speed engine connected direct to the
propeller shaft. not weighing as much
In hundred pounds as the old system
does in tons" point which the sIeam-
boat man will see at a glance. With
the Coen system. a wheel of three, five
or seven feet diameter attached to a
boat drawing but a few inches will be
absolutely and thoroughly covered with
water at all times by an ingenious and
simple arrangement of parts giving free
delivery of water from the wheel with
ample capacity at the induction end to
allow the incoming water TO reach the
wheel.
BY this system pleasure boats may be
made really pleasurable, as yachtsmen
and others who would like to possess
vessels capable of carrying out their de-
sires In both deep and shallow water
cruising, will find this meets all their
requirements and necessities, and here
the Invention win be highly appreciated
and through the same means the house
boat Will become practicable.
For Barges and Canal Boats.
Again for the construction OF barges
for canals or canal boats. wherein such
wide differences in the draft of water
exist at times, as for instance, very
deeply loaded crafts compared TO those
which are loaded with little or no car
goes, and when emerging from canals
to lakes or deep rivers, this system full
fills all the conditions which are met
with under these varied circumstances
In fact. with the new improvements
proposed upon the Erie Canal. canal
boat loaded with produce from Roches-
ter, Syracuse. OF at any farm along the
canal or on the connecting lakes, may
The Washington times., 1904-01-10

->HE good care that Uncle Sam
takes OF his national legislators,
L or, rather, the care that those
legislators take Of themselves,
II often commented upon. Every
visitor who comes to Washington
from a distant section OF the country
TO take a look at the workings OF the
Government goes away impressed with
the comfort. not to say luxury OF the
appointments of the Senate and the
House. The welI-furnished chambers Of
the two houses. the alluring cloak rooms.
with their easy chairs and large sofas,
covered with soft leather. the elegant
committee rooms. the marble room OF
the Senate and the members lobby Of
the House. all impress the uninitiated
with an idea that being in Congress is
not such a bad job after all. There is
one phase of the question, however, that
many OF those who are well acquainted
with the Capitol know nothing about.
and that is the ventilation OF the big
building and how carefully it is con-
sidered One might not be surprised 10
learn that much money has been spent
on ventilation plants. in fact one would
naturally expect IL from good super
intendent such as Elliott Woods, but
when IL is known that there is month
~ test OF the air breathed by the Sena-
tors and Representatives, a test both
chemical and meteorological. then, in
deed. one may form some idea Of what
minute care is taken of the health and
general well-being Of those who meet
from time to time TO make and unmake
the laws Of this great and glorious
Union.
'U. S. Senate Laboratory"
on B Street northeast within a stones
throw OF the House wing OF the Capitol,
stands understanding little frame
building with an American flag floating
over its roof and a sign above its door
The sign bears the words ~. $. Senate
Laboratory" Half the regular habitucs
OF the Capitol, including Senator's and
Congressman, pass by this little build
The Washington times., 1904-01-10

ing daily on their way to and from the
few of them know anything about 81.
Doubtless they notice It every now and
then and make up their minds to in
quire of the proper authorities as TO
what it is for, but forget all about it as
soon as they enter the Capitol, where
other more important matters claim
their attention.
What the Laboratory Is For.
1t is in the Senate laboratory. how
ever. where a monthly test Of the air
breathed by the grave and reverend
Senators. the strenuous Congressman.
and the august Justices Of the Supreme
Court is made. Elliott Woods. Super
intendent of the Capitol, conducts the
tests himself, with the aid OF an as
sistant. He does not confne his work
I'm the laboratory to looking for mi
crobes and other dangerous elements in
the atmosphere breathed by those who
do the work of the Government at the
Capitol. but also makes official tests OF
all the building material, electric wire
Insulation and electric lamps that arr
used in connection with the building
over which he has charge. When he
buys cement a briquette is made from
every fifth barrel and taken 20 the
laboratory TO be tested. If It does not
come up to the standard Mr.. Woods con
siders the proper one the whole barrel
is thrown out When the barrels Of
electric bulbs come in, every twentieth
bulb is tested by a standardizing ma
chine, and If FIVE bulbs fail TO stand the
test the barrel is rejected. Similar
strict tests are made OF the electric
wire.
TIE meteorological Air Test.
II is the air test. though. that is mos
interesting. Mr.. Woods makes two
tests of this. a meteorological test and
chemical test. The archaeological
test is made by means of the Petri dish
Several of these little vessels. which ar,
ai1out an inch and half deep and fou1
inches I'm diameter, are placed in the
The Washington times., 1904-01-10

Exciting Features of the Great Forecastng Work Which Rapidly Beo
One of Our Most Governmental Acvt-Nore Than
Quarter.of Million Persons Cooperate the Unique Undertaking.
Daring Attempts Steal the Races With the
Reports When Minutes Means Fortunes Won Lost
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-03-13

west To ParOwan; thence southwest 10
Summit; thence southwest 10 Cedar
City; thence southwest 10 Kanarra:
thence southwest 90 New Harmony:
thence due east TO the county line be-
tween Washington and Iron counties.
70 Kane county line; thence due south
between Kane and Washington counties
70 a line directly west of Mt. Carmel:
thence running directly to Mt. Carmel:
thence east to Alum; thence north aaD
Paria river TO HenFyville: thenPe
northeast to Esealante; thence east TO
Boulder creek; thence north 10 the
head Of Boulder creek: thence north
east to the head Of Pleasant creek:
thence northeast TO Kanesville:
thence north to Emery in En-
cry county; thence northeast 10
Ferron; thence northeast to Cas-
tie Dale; thence northeast to Hunt
ington; thence northeast to Price:
thence northeast to Smiths Wells;
thence northeast 20 Fort Duchesne:
thence north to White Rock. thence
northeast 10 Hallsville. thence north to
the state line; thence following the
state line around 10 Grouse creek on
the west TO the place Of beginning
Order Of the Board. All sheep must
be inspected and receive a certificate
of inspection before crossing said quar-
antine line from the winter range to
the spring and summer ranges.
When any sheep shall become in
fected with scab or any other infec-
uous or contagious diseases, the owner
or agent in charge must Immediately
notify the state sheep Inspector
Any person who violates any Of the
provisions of this act. or who disre-
CARDS any order or direction made by
the board in accordance Herewith, shall
be deemed guilty Of a misderneanor and
shall be punished by a fine not exceed
ing SOD. or by imprisonment not ex-
ceeding six months, or by both such
fine and Imprisonment.
(Sigred) JOHN c. SHARP.
President
JESSE N. SMITH.
State Sheep Inspector.
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-03-13
SAUCER TRACK BLACKLISTED
n G. A. Withdraws Franchise Privileges From Famous
Bicycle Course Until Prize Money IS paid for Last
Seasons Six-Day Race.

= HERE will not be a wheel turned or
the salt Palace track this coming
season until some one comes up with
the money alleged 20 be due the bicycle
riders who competed IN the six-day race
ct the close of last years racing. This is
the sum and substance Of the action
taken by the National Cycling association
at its recent meeting IN New York. and
this information has been impaired TO
REPRESENTATIVE John y. Sharp and also
the Heath family, who own the track.
In other words. * means that the Salt
Lake saucer track has been placed upon
the black list by the governing board OF
cycling in America until the claims Of
the riders have been satisfied. The y.
G. y Withdraws franchise privileges by
this action and leaves the field open 10
anyone 20 build new track. which. IL
built viii give the owner exclusive r.ght
70 run bicycle races Il salt Lake City.
Stands Against the Track. Says Sharp
According to AIR. Sharp. and also the
printed rules anC regulations of the y. G.
A., this black list stands against the
track itself, and not any manager vino
might have had control of the game AT
The time the question of the payment OF
ever may run the track this year either
by lease by purchase or as "a salafied
manager, will have TO settle The question
OF last year prize money before q sane
ton will be granted By the y. &. A.
such action is common in the cycling game
where the race promoter does not come
up with prize money. anu it always re-
suits in a case OF pay up or shut down
the track
The prize money in question amounts
70 nearly 500 and Is due so the riders and
Representative Sharp say. on the six-day
meet OF last fan The management of
the track caled off the race after two
nights had been run. because the crowd
did not look large enough 10 warrant the
payment OF the prizes. according 10 the
riders This action was taken, say the