davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Delta independent., 1904-07-15
Hslies d. Ezpc11isa Ssje.

':7,' y sss q am 9 l." I" sas s.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Tne LANGUAGE OF sHeLLr,sn.
Warn One Another Of Danger BY
Weird CLICKING Sounds.

Most seamct will tell OF curious
clicking sounds heard on calm nights
at sea. and the origin Of the no'ro
seems so altogether unnccountabio
that Il has often created some alarm
among supcrstitious fishermen
A distinguished naturalist made Q
careful study OF the sounds on many
occasions, and found that II was not .
suEtaincd note. but made ur OF n null
titude OF tiny ones. each clear and dis
unct In itself. and ranging from .
nigh treble down to bass. when tho
<ar was applied to the gunwale of tho
boat. tho sound grew NOR. intense.
and In some places. AZ the boat moved
on. II could not be heard ct all.
On other occasions the sounds Re-
semblcd the tolling Of bells. the boom.
ing of guns and the notes Of a.
Eolian harp.
For a long time he was unable o
trace the cause, but at length disco..
sred that the sounds were made by
shcllHsh. hundreds OF them opening
their shells and closing them with
sharp snaps. The noise. partly muiIled
by tho water, sounded indescrlbaS,y y
weird. He was finally led to tie
conclusion that, as the shcllfish made
the SQUADS. they probably had some
meaning. and that the clicks might
possibly be n warning of danger when
the shallow water was disturbed by
the boat.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Trees Tr,t Whistle.

The species o; acacia which grows
very abundantiy in Nubia and tho
Soudan IL called the ''whistiing tree"
by the natives. tts shoots are frc.
aucntly distorted In shape by the
agency of larvae Of insects. and swoi.
len into giobular bladder from one to
two inches In diameter. After the in.
sect has emerged from the circular
hole in the side OF tho swelling. the
opening. played upon by tho wind. be-
comes n musical instrument suggested
OF a swect.toncd flute.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Reduces Railway Curves.

The engineers Of the last few years,
in rclayinE tracks. instead Of starting
n true circle curve with the sudden
lift of the outer rail that causes tho
jolt and lurch that travellers know.
have laid n slight parabolic curve
from n point a hundred yards back on
the straight track. and have elevated
tho outer rail impcrccptibly along that
curve to the maximum. The result
OF the devicc-in practice quite new
has been the annihiiatior CT curves as
regards n passengers sense.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
JOTTINoS.

Tho tolcrhone is not deaf. but 1t -
often hard of hearing.
Makes hit oftener than the actors
The stage carpenter.
The timex rcper of a factory ncccs-
sarily has a watch movement.
It is the man who plays 10 the gal
lery that gets the cheap applause.
A man does not make his own load
Of troubles any lighter by burdenins
his friends with them.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Raises Plumeots.

Tho pIumcot is hybrid of the plum
and apricot produced on the Califor.
mia ranch OF Luther burbank. who has
raised s,onelcss plums and prunes.
white biackbcrrics. daisies four inches
across. and amaryilis blossoms ten
inches in diameter. The plumcot has
the general appearance of the aprico,
and the same outside appearance. but
is more highly coiored than either a
plum or an apricot. It has soft skin
and an indcscribably delicious flavor.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Cause Of indian Famines.

Famincs in India are caused by tho
failure of the monsoon. an agency be-
yond the control of man. The mon.
soon Is the periodical wind blowing
OF the sea and carrying with 1t over
tic great plain the wator.flled clouds.
which drop the fruitful showers rs
they ny. When the wind fails. or is
DETECTED, at the proper season. the
rain fails. the crops fail. and when the
crops fail untold misery and death
and ruin arc the result.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Japan's Determination.

Japan is. under ordinary conditions.
the Land of Tomorrow. When the
time comes to act quickly. she Is the
Land Of Instant Movement. She
strikes quickly, and. as an American
naval officer said the other day. that
Is why Japan has made 1t understood
that she Is going to carry on this war
as mistress Of the Eastern Seas"
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
American Beauty ExeeIs oreeian.

American women are more beautiful
than those of ancient Greece or Rome.
Our growing standard Of beauty ap.
peals Just as much to cultured for.
cigners as II does to Americans them.
selves. The American girl is envied
by her European sisters because while
abroad she attracts European men.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Wasn't Sure Which.

A Scottish minister. taking his walk
early in the morning, found one Of
his parishioners recumbent in a ditch.
where have you been the night. An.
drew" asked the minister. "weel. I
dinna richly KEN" answered the pros
trate one. whether is was wedding
or n funeral. but whichever 1t was, 1t
was a most extraordinary success"
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
pENEEN NOMINATED.
BY the Illinois State Republican Con.
vention.

Springfield. ILL.,, June by making
a combination with c. S. Deneen. l.. Y.
Sherman. Howland J. Hamlin and
John II. Pierce. Governor Yates yes.
terday broke the deadlock in the Re-
publican state convention and brought
about the nomination Of Deneen for
governor.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Hint to Nurses.

A floor should never be swept In a
room where there is contagious
patient. II should be washed with n
cloth dipped in borax water, 80 that
no dust annoys the patient and no
assortment of germs are flung up in
the air. to drift out of the window into
the hall en- route to fresh victims.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Uncle Sans Soldiers.

Recruits in the regular army must
be between 81 and % years old. They
must be unmarried. OF good antcce.
dents and habits. and free from bodily
defects. They must be citizens Of the
United States or have declared their
intention to become citizens. and must
be able to speak. read and write the
English language.
Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-06-10
Fores, Of papyrus Trees.

Very few persons know that Italy.
among her other treasures. possesses
a small forest of papyrus trees. which
grow on the banks of the Anapus.
near Syracuse. This Is most curious.
as It seems that this tree can only
live on the waters Of the Nile. the
Clane and this small and insignificant
stream Mt Syracuse.
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18

whatever angle in which the ship it.
self might be. Nothing else showed
above the deck but her funnel and ar
mored pilot house. The manner in
which she fought the Merrimac, COM
pelling the latter to withdraw and
eventually go out of service, created
positive CONSERVATION on the other side
or the water, and there was an imme-
date demand for the conversion of
English vessels into turret ships. Work
was at once begun, and the result is
seen to-day in the great fighting ships
possessed by all the navies of the
world. Progress was exceedingly rap
id, though our own part in advancing
naval construction did not begin until
number Of years after the close of
the war When at last we did enter
upon period of naval activity, there
were few navies which were not SUI
perior to ours. We had not seen the
need of an extended naval program,
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18

yards. was set afire to prevent her fall
ing into the hands Of the COnfederateS
when the place was evacuated: how
she but partly burned, and how she
was repaired by the Confederates. who
cut her down to the waterline and APP
piled sloping protection Of railroad
iron to her battery; how she destroyed
some Of the best ships in the Federal
navy and became the terror Of the
Atlantic coast and the hope of the Con-
federates; nor how the Monitor finally
appeared and stopped her in the height
Of her career. These things are all ia
miliar to every person who is at all
yersed in American history the battle
ranking perhaps as the most famous
naval fight in the world not. of
course, in damage inflicted, but in ulti-
mate results. For had the Merrimac
been successful, the whole north coast
of the United States. with the ports of
Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and
all other cities Of the shore, would
have been at her mercy. 1t may not
be Familiarity known that at the very
beginning Of the war, a special naval
board was appointed todetermine upon
types Of ironclads to be built for i'm
mediate service, the result being the
construction of three broadside YES
sells, the Galena, the New Ironsides
and the Monitor. The Galena was
the first to be tested. her armor
proving totally deficient in the very
first test The Ironsides did better.
She was covered with 41h-inch solid
plates backed with 81 inches Of oak.
During period Of six months she was
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18

and, besides, we were too much en-
gagged in reconstruction Of the nation
to be able to go to any great expense.
So it was that ali the nations of Eu-
rope took our ideas and DEVELOPED
them. 1t was in 1888 that we began
modern construction in building the
cruisers Chicago, Boston and Atlanta
and the dispatch boat Dolphin. In
1895 the United States took fifth rank
among naval nations. We are now
third (some claim we are stronger than
France, which has held second place
for good many years. and England is
first. England may always hold the
lead, for the naval program Of Great
Britain is so extensive that to keep
pace with it would be useless ex-
pense.
Late history Of naval development is
familiar to every person who reads.
The Spanish-American war gave an
impetus to naval construction which
has resulted in the addition Of large
number Of the finest fighting machines
in the world to our navy, including
all the approved types of vessels from
the monster battleship Of the States
group, like the Kentucky, the Indiana,
the Iowa, the Oregon, the Alabama,
the Maine and the Massachusetts; the
cruisers with the New York, Brook
Ign, and others; second class battle
ships and cruisers, gunboats, torpedo
boats and destroyers; dispatch boatss
f-c,f tod
golfers, repair ships and ammunition
carriers, with all the new things which
have been proved Of value or which
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18

Merrimac, one of theSe-the same Mer-
rimac which finally was compelled to
acknowledge the superiority Of the
armored Monitor-was taken to Eu
rope in 1854, startling naval admins
trations with the enrmous shell power
Of her battery. In the few years in
tervening between this time and the
Civil War, navies were in a practical
ly experimental stage. Some means, it
was acknowledged, must be devised
for protection against the new and
terrible shells, which could tear ship
to pieces with ease, but what it was
going to be was problematical. Arlnor
had been suggested as early as 1872,
when John Stevens Of HOboken, n. j.,
preached the idea. Nothing came of
it, however, perhaps because the ex
treme necessity of it was not appar-
ent, and it was not until 1913 that any
thing definite was accomplished. In
that year the Secretary of War was
authorized by Congress to enter into
contract with Robert L. Sevens, son
Of the man who originally proposed
armor, for the construction of a war
steamer for harbor defense shot and
shell proof, to be built principally Of
IRON The length of this vessel was
iron" The length of this vessel was to
have been 415 feet, and its protection
was to have been q belt or armOr Of
iron 6A inches in thickness. Work was
not begun until II years after the con-
tract was authorized, and when the
ship was about half completed Con-
gress refused further appropriate tons.
Owing to this fact, the honor of plac
ing the first armored war ship on the
seas belongs to France, the French
ironclad frigate Gloire taking the ways
in 1859, though previously to this the
French had placed in service several
floating iron batteries which demon
strated their power in the battle of
Kinburn, Russian port on the Black
Sea, in 1854. These batteries were pc
culiar things, about half ship and half
fort. They had engines and they could
steam four or five knots, but they were
upon fat keels and therefore totally
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18

may be useful, including submarines
The iron plates Of two or three inches
thickness have long been displaced
with hardened 17-inch steel armor,
and marvellous turrets, holding won
derful guns have developed from the
primitive cheese box" from which
Lieutenant Worden directed the fight
of the Monitor against the Merrimac.
And the barbettes on the center line
Of the modern battleship are but q
modern adaptation of another princi-
pie Of the turret. The step between
the Monitor and the great battleship
Of to-day is long one, but the con-
nection between the two is apparent,
for upon the former were first demon
strated the principles which have made
the battleship the wonderful thing il
is.
The advancement of guns has kept
pace with the development of armor-
in fact, has preceded it. Improve
ments in armament necessitated great
er protection and the steel ships of
to-day are the result.
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18

unseaWOrthy except in the SmOothest
Of water. Nevertheless, they were ex-
ceedingly effective. and in his reports
Of the first battle in which they were
engaged, the admiral Of the French
fleet said they had demonstrated them
selves to be everything that was hoped
for them. Anchored some 800 yards
from the Russian forts, they pounded
away until the works were reduced,
and not one Of them was injured,
though each was struck 60 or 70 times
by the solid shot hurled from the Rus
sian guns.
This enga cement showed that recon
struction of existing fleets was a ne
cessity, and the French led the way.
The Gloire was a wooden ship 25O
feet in length, plated entirely with
iron 4.5 inches in thickness to six feet
below the water line. She had ram
bow and could steam about 13 knots.
Trials alongside the fastest wooden
ships Of the French navy demonstrated
the Gloire to be superior to them ali
In every way. The English then began
to hurry work on ironclads, and in
1861 launched the Warrior. She was
larger than the Gloire, but she was ar
mored only for two-thirds Of her
length, bow and stern being unpro-
tected. These vessels were of course
Of the broadside type, the turret COM
ing only In our own Monitor, which
revolutionized naval construction, or
perhaps 1t would better be said, start
ed it IN the right direction.
On March 9, 1862, there was fought
in Hampton Roads the first battle be-
tween armored ships, when the Moni-
tor and the Merrimac engaged in their
| famous clash. 1t is not necessary to
| tell how the Merrimac, a 6O-gun frig-
ate under repair at the Norfolk dock
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18

faction and alarm of all governments.
Nevertheless, to the United States,
Great Britain and France the world
owes most Of the ideas Of naval con-
struction which have today apparent
~ come near perfection. The United
States began the change by applying
the screw as a means Of propulsion
in place Of the old side paddle wheel.
The American ship Princeton, 1912
1S43, was the first war vessel in the
world to have the screw. Though our
own naval authorities saw at once the
superiority Of this type over the old.
Europeans took up the idea with the
greatest reluctance, probably because
of the then belief that nothing good
could come out Of the United States.
Nevertheless, it became evident after
time that the Improvement must be
adopted If pace were to be kept, and In
1853 the French built the screw battle
ship Napoleon. The English had op-
portunity to see that this was the COM
ing method Of propulsion and as the
French themselves were so pleased
with the new ship that they immedi-
ately began the construction Of others.
Great Britain realized that mistake
had been made in not following the
lead Of the United States, and at once
began the construction Of several yes
sells Of the same type. By 1859, when
the first ironclad war vessel ever built
was launched, the renovation Of the
n nT
and the screw was in almost exclusive
use.
To Admiral Dahlgren Of the United
Estates navy must be given the credit
of making the shell what it is. He
icarried the application of this new
missile to great perfection in the
United States frigates Of 1854. The
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18
Short Suggestions.

To make ironing easier, rub the fiat
irons first on fine sand and then over
a piece of paper which has been sat
urated with kerosene.
When making pudding don't forgsj
to make a plait in the cloth at the
top Of your basin, so as to allow the
pudding room to swell.
When making soup or stew with
old vegetables add one teaspoonful OF
sugar, which will sweeten them and
make them taste like new.
To clean tinware first wash the tin
thoroughly with hot soapsuds, wipe il
thoroughly dry and then scour with
flour and well-crumpled newspaper.
To remove sewing machine oil
stains, rub the stain with sweet oil or
lard and let it stand for several hours,
then wash it in soap and cold water
To keep sponges soft and white wash
them in water with little tartaric
acid in it, then rinse in plenty Of cold
water. Take care not to put in too
rnuch tartaric acid or the sponges wiz
be spoiled.
It is said that If new tinware be
rubbed with lard and thoroughly heat.
ed in the oven before being used, il
will prevent it from rusting.
Stains may be taken off an enamel.
ed bathtub if it is rubbed we'll with
rough salt, moistened with vinegar
pans, no matter how burnt or dis
olored they may be.
When a spoonful Of borax is put
nto the last water in which white
Iothes are rinsed it has the effect of
rhitening them. Before it is added
the rinsing water the borax should
oe dissolved in a little hot water.
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18
Would Float a Big Fleet.

According to report Of the geo.
logical survey Of the United States
government, now nearly ready for
publication, petroleum was first dis
covered by Colonel Drake less than
half century ago in Pennsylvania
near Titusville. Men in those days
had no notion that petroleum was
among the necessities Of existence.
A tallow dip or a wax candle illumin-
ated sufficiently the nights activities,
and blazing log wood fire left no
room for desire for another kind Of
heater. Petroleum might have been
counted superfluity, but instead it
sprang into immediate favor, and now
it's list Of popular byproducts grows
longer every year.
The total production Of crude petrol
cum from 1859 to the end of 1902 has
been no less than 1,165, 28O, 727 barrels.
That means that if two and one-haIf
feet were allowed for the height of a
barrel, and if these barrels filed with
all the domestic oil that has been pro-
duced were laid so that their heads
touched they would encircie the earth
two and one-quarter times.
Of this total Pennsylvania and New
York produced $50 per cent; Ohio, "A Z,
per cent; West Virginia, 11.3 per cent:
Indiana, 80 per cent; California, Sc
per cent; Texas, 2.1 per cent, leaving
0 per cent to be supplied by the States
OF Kansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Illi-
nois, Missouri, Indian Territory,
Wyoming, Michigan and Oklahoma.
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18

struck 1913 times and was never once
forced to go to a port for repairs. The
Monitor, built and designed by Cap
the Confederates "a cheesebox on a
raft" She had very low freeboard,
there being but about two feet of her
sides out of water. Her deck and
slices were plated, and her armament
consisted of but two 150-pounder Dahl
grens. But she had one point of SUI
periority to anything that had ever
been placed upon the seas in the tur-
ret which protected her guns and
which could be made to revolve. thus
permitting the guns to be fired at
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18
Butternilk Bread.

Two pounds Of -four, brown or white,
one teaspoonful Of baking powder, one
eighth ounce Of bicarbonate Of soda,
pinch Of salt, q dessertspoonful Of
white sugar, if liked. Put the flour
into basin, and mix all the other
ingredients on board, taking care to
leave no Jumps; add to the flour, and
mix in a firm dough with sour but
termilk, knead it little, make it into
loayes and bake it at once Sour does
not mean rancid buttermilk. If it is
sweet, double the baking powder and
leave out the soda; but it will not be
SO good
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18
CO He war between England and
Russia in the early sos was the

CO He war between England and
Russia in the early sos was the
beginning of the development Of
the ironclad-or, as we now call it, the
armorclad-thoughn not to either Of the
combatants in that passage at arms
can the credit be given for the intro
duction Of the first vessel to carry
armor. Up to the bombardment Of Sc
bastopol, writes John G. Davis, in
practically those Of the previous two
centuries were in use. Naval devel-
Opment was practically unknown, and
it was not until the shell was invented
that the necessity Of a change was
made manifest. The English ships at
Sebastopol were Of the old two and
three-decker broadside variety, the
flagship Of the squadron, the Royal
Albert being a vessel of 300 tors
burden carrying 121 guns In those
days the ship with the largest number
of guns was "the best fellow prac-
ticaliy regardless Of any other consid-
GRAFTON. A few of the Royal Albert's
guns were shell guns, but nearly all Of
them were the long 32-pounders, exact
~ like those with which the Victor,
the flagship Of the famous Nelson, was
armed seventy years earlier. In near
~ three-Quarters Of a century, there
fore, there had been little or no real
progress in the matter Of cannon. And
beyond the introduction Of steam as 4
motive power, there was very little
development in the ships. AS said be-
fore, they were the same old two and
three deckers so familiar in the pre-
ceding century.
The Russians were the first to use
shell in warfare, and it was immedi-
ately owing to the battle Of Sinope,
Nov. 80, 1858, in which Turkish fleet
was annihilated by a Russian feet
having she'll guns that there came sud
denly demand for protection for
ships. The change was radical, but
it was necessary, the effectiveness Of
the shell against unarmored vessels
having been demonstrated to the salts
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18
Bean Soup.

One pint Of kidney beans, quarts Of
cold water, small piece of salt pork
or bacon. Cook slowly, covered, until
the beans are very tender about two
hours should do); then strain, mash
the beans through a colander, add a
pint of milk mixed with a level table
spoonful Of -four and a generous lump
Of butter. Return to the fire, stir and
cook until as thick as cream; ada one
half saltspoonful Of pepper, salt with
one scant teaspoonful to three pints
Of soup. The salt pork should furnish
the rest of the salt required.
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18
~~~~~~~~~
Mayounaise Dressinp.

Have all the ingredients very cold.
Into chilled soup plate put the yolk
Of an egg from which all the white
has been drained and pour upon it
few drops Of lemon juice. Stir with
a silver fork for a minute, then add
a few drops Of oil gradually and, as
the yolk thickens, add the oil faster
until half pint has been used. Now
season with salt, white pepper and
added gradually. If this thins the
few drops Of lemon juice or vinegar
dressing too much add little more
oil. Keep in the ice chest Until want
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18
Boston Brown Bread.

Mix together cup each Of graham
flour, wheat flour and cornmeal, adj
ding teaspoonful Of salt Mix and
warm a teacupful of milk and
dissolve in it a small teaspoonful Of
baking soda, then add a teacupful of
warm molasses. Into the mixed flour
and meal stir cup Of boiling water,
then the warm milk and molasses.
Beat hard and long and steam in a
creased mold with a tightly fitting
top for three hours. Set in the oven
for a few minutes after turning from
the mold.