Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-29
SOME GOOD READING
FROM NEW BOOKS
Ezra Cornell and the Early Telegraph.

Ezra Cornell and the Early Telegraph.
From Andrew D. Whites Autobiography" By
Permission Of The Century Company.
Especially interesting We're his ezra Cor
| nelfs) references to the beginnings or
American Geographic enterprise, with which
| he had so much to do.
| His connection with 1t began In a curious
| way. Travelling in northern New England
to dispose of pow which he had invented.
| he entered the office Of a gentleman who
| had taken the contract for laying the first
| Geographic wires underground between
| Washington and Baltimore, and found him
in much doubt and trouble; the difficulty
was to lay the leaden pipe containing the
| two insulated wires at cost within the
| terms of the contract Hearing this. Mr..
| Cornell said: II will build you a machine
| which will dig the trench, lay the pipe and
| wires, and cover them with earth rapidly
and cheaply.
This proposal was at first derided: but.
| as Mr., Cornell insisted upon 1t, he was at
| last allowed TO show what he could do.
The machine having been constructed, he
exhibited 1t to a committee: but when the
| long line of horses attached to IL were
started, 1t was thrown about by the in
equalities of the surface that the commit
tee declared 1t failure. Presently Mr.
| Cornell took them to the ground over which
| them q line of newly turned earth. asked
them to dig in it. Having done this they
| found the pipe incasing the wires, acknowl-
| edged his triumph, and Immediately gave
| him and his machine permanent employ
| ment. But before long he became con-
| v'nced that this was not the best way.
| Having studied all the books on electricity
| that he could find in the Congressional
| Library. he had satisfied himself that 1t
| would be far better and cheaper to string
| the wires through the open air between
mol 1t0 idha t.r,11f,
| scheme for a time resisted. Some of them
| regarded such interference in a scientific
| matter by one whom they considered a
| plain workfngman as altogether too presum-
| ing. But one day Prof Morse came out to
| decide the matter. binding Mr.. Cornell at
| his machine. the professor explained the
difficulties In the case, especially the dan
| ger of shaking the confidence of Congress,
and so losing the necessary appropriation.
| should any change in plan be adopted, and
| then asked him If he could see any way
out of the difficulty. Mr. Cornell answered
| that he could, whereupon Prof. Morse ex-
| pressed wish that 1t might be taken. At
| this, Mr.. Cornell gave a word to his men.
| started up the long line of horses dragging
| the ponderous machine. guided 1t with his
| own hands into a boulder lying near and
| thus deranged the whole machinery.
| AS natural result it was announced by
| various journals at the national capital that
| the machinery for laying the wires had been
| broken by the carelessness of an employee,
| but that 1t would doubtless soon be re-
| paired and the work resumed. Thanks to
| this stratagem, the necessary time was
| gained without shaking the confidence of
| Congress, and Mr.. Cornell at once began
| stringing the wires upon poles; the insula-
| ton was found far better than in the I'M
| foreground system, and there was no moro
| trouble
The confidence of the promoters of the
| enterprise being thus gained. Mr.. Cornell
| was employed to do their work in all parts
| of the country; and his sturdy honesty, en-
| ergy and persistence justified their con-
| fidence and laid the foundations of his
| fortune
Very striking were the accounts of his
| troubles and trials during the prosecution
| Of this telegraphio work-troubles from
| men of pretended science, from selfish men,
| from stupid men-all chroncled by him
| without the slightest bitterness against any
| human being, yet with a quaint humor
which made the story very enjoyable.
How William II Posed as Emperor.
| From 1.-THE Kaiser He Is" by Henry de Nous
| same. By Permission OF G. P. Putnam's Sons.
| There is a certain photograph of the
! kaiser which has only been seen as a rare
| privilege. incidentally 1t is the result of
| an ipdiscretion. 1t illustrates better than
all other pictures his monomania for sensa-
| tional appearance. which he must, perforce,
assume since he is incapable of rendering
| r. otherwise. This photograph represents
him seated on the throne, an ermine cloak
| upon his shoulders, the imperial scepter
| and globe in his hands, while on his head
| reposes stuccowork imitation Of the crown
| of Charlemagne.
William II has never been crowned en-
| peror To be so crowned has been his most
| cherished desire-to have the crown placed
upon his head amid great pomp, in a cere-
| mcny the cal efully calculated effects of
| which would produce an everlasting impress
| sion on the minds of the people. His dream
| has been to bring back to life for his own
profit, the glory of the sacred past; but
1 ha stf
| tioral The princes of the federation, in
whose gift lies the bestowal of the honor
| are opposed to granting it, and they desig-
| mated him, they had his grandfathe be-
| fore him. simply as Deutscher Kaiser Ger
| man emperor, not emperor of Germany,
and they gave to this title official consecra-
| ton.
1t is unlikely that the kaiser foresaw this
veto, as he had in 1892 a special throne
constructed after the antiquarian drawings
| of Emile Doepler with this ceremony in
view. He even ordered reproduction of
the ancient crown which had formerly be-
| longed to Carlus Magnus Emperor of the
| Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation,
! but which was quite too small for his own
brow.
Throne and crown had to be relegated to
| what may be called the property room
at Potsdam, but not before they had served
| as accessories to a photograph. The pho
| tographer solemnly promised to destroy the
plates after having printed a few pictures
| for the emperor. He also kept two or three
| for himself, ind later on they were I'M
| earthed by a wealthy American, who hap
| pened to visit his studio. The find was to
be sure, very valuable, and the Yankee,
completely carried away, offered in ex-
change for these photographs a wad of
bank notes of respectable proportions The
photographer did not have the courage to
resist the temptation: and thus it Is that
the citizens of free America may learn that
in the only instance In which the German
emperor sat on throne with the crown of
Charlemagne on his head he was obliged to
be satisfied with property" diadem.
Women as Authors.
From ''The Confessions OF Publisher" by per-
mission Of Doubleday. Page & Co.
One woman, ow one of our most sue
cessful novelists-successful both as a
writer of excellent books and as an Garner
of good income-was kind enough to seek
my advice about Of her early novels.
1t was book that she ought not to have