The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-25
POLY, THANK GOD
The Man Who Felt This
is Now Wanted.
His Cherry aud Grateful YeIp Would
Rise Resembling in Thanks tor
Certain Political Blessings
We Enjoy.
We Enjoy
By CICERO w. HARRIS.


Thanksgiving day is goood one III
which to return tanks for all the
benefits the country has received at
the hands of the grand old RepupH-
can party, including President Roose-
welt, his tergiverSations, his moon
sistencies, his indecisions. what ne
will recommend to Congress can not
be forecasted by any man having re-
gard to his own powers of prophecy
or the Presidents peculiar character
and attachments.
But leaving all that aside, what
will Congress do beside pass the reg
ular annual appropriation bills and
adjourn sine die?
1t seems highly probable that the
subsidy lobby will get in a good win
ter's work. They are probably re-
turning thanks over their turkey and
cranberries today, for the fine pros
pect. The elections are over. The peo-
pie are not to be walked UP again in
two years and nationally speaking, not
for four years. The time is propitious
for any thing unpopular to get
through. Besides after a landslide
who is so mean-spirited in party re-
ceiving the fruits of the slide as to
fear to do things because of the peo-
pie? The Ship Subsidy bill is likely
to be one of the leading measures OF
the SESSION., ana II Is 1ihtiy di2O "
pass Congress. This is the bill on
which the late Mark Hanna set his
plutocratic heart.
Besides the usual necessary appro-
priation bills there is the river and
harbor Improvement measure. AS no
bill was enacted last session, one is
necessary this year, if 1.-The pork is
to be distributed as usual Many of
the North Carolina items in this APP
preparation bill are requisite for ma
tional commerce. They should be
there In them all North Carolinians
take a proper interest. But there are
some not SO evidently required for
public benefit. The measure is a very
costly one, and helps to foot the enor-
nous total of q billion dollar Congress.
Doubtless Messrs. Small, Thomas and
others will see to it that the great in
land water route fares we'll in the
bill as passed. The Committee on
Rivers and Harbors will meet in a
few days to prepare the way for eff
fective work when Congress opens.
The President, it is said, is devoting
much time to the subject of the tariff,
but does not intend to touch it in
his regular message to Congress.
Seasoning Tests OF Wood
Two classes of persons in North
Carolina are doubtless interested
specially in what 1 am going to write
here-the railroad and telegraph peo-
pie and those persons who make
business of preparing lumber for mar
ket The Bureau of Forestry of the
United States at it's new experiment
stations in Michigan and Wisconsin
is making seasoning tests of cedar and
tdmarack telephone ana telegraph
poles which have been submerged in
water for varying lengths of time. 1t
has been known for some time that
lit
ing, but not why this is the case. The
government undertaking alluded to is
an entirely new line Of experiment
1t is known that the sap of green
wood contains certain soluble sub
stances, such as albumen, starch SUI
gars, tannin, etc, which are leached
out of timber immersed in water to
greater or less extent. IN ordinary
seasoning these substances are left be-
hind as the water eVapOrateS and are
deposited on the cell walls. AS sea-
soning begins deposits act as dogs
which bottle up the water in the in
terror Timber seasoning is slow
work, requiring ten to twelve weeks
To be fairly well done and eighteen
to tWenty-tour months for thorough
seasoning. In the new tests it is pro-
posed that the poles be submerged for
different periods, from one week up
to decide what time gives the best
results An important point in sea-
soning is the loss in weight. Past ex-
periments with white cedar poles have
shown of one-third in sixty days of
drying. In the case of chestnut poles
the same length of time there was a
lass of ten per cent. Altogether, if
the soaking process fulfills expecta-
ton, it will have a notable bearing
on one of the large branches of TIM
Der consumption, as a single moments
thought of the number of poles in
use in the entire country will show
Besides, the matter bears on other
timbers besides poles affecting an in
duStry of increasing extent in North
Carolina and the entire country. The
experiment will therefore be watched
with deepest interest everywhere.
Fuel Testing Plant.
The Geological Survey calls atten-
ton to its fuel-testing plant at the
St Louis Exposition. Joseph A.
Holmes is one of the committee
having it in charge and the
tests are in the immediate control of
DR.. Joseph Hyde Pratt, of the Univer-
sity of North Carolina and the Geo
logical Survey of the United States
Twelve pages of descriptive pamphlet
matter are furnished by the Survey
The expenses of the admirable plant.
are betrayed out of two appropria-
tons of 100000 each made during the
latter part of the session of Congress-
ending April %, 1904
License to marry was granted here
TO William w. Goldsmith of Ashe-
vile, and Nina II. Townsend, of AthOI.
Mass.
Among hotel arrivals are L. c. Cald-
well and w. b. Bromby, n. c.. and j.
IIr.,,-