davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
united Fruit Company Estate.

Within a short distance of Nipe bay is
Banes bay the lands about which are
owned by the United Fruit company whose
steamers run regularly between Nipe bay
and Banes bay, and New York. This COM
pany has 72,OO0 acres of land, and about
Is. 900 acres under cultivation. II has almost
5000 acres in sugar cane, and its sugar mill
alone cost $4,000. 1t is now grinding out
about 10000, 900 pounds Of sugar a year. It's
annual banana shipments to New York are
about 1900 900 punches. The Dumois COM
pany has an enormous acreage under fruit,
ana 1t has also several Thousand acres in
cane.
The Nipe Bay company is composed OF
Yankees, who are largely interested in the
United Fruit company. II has capital OF
about 100000, and II its plans are carried
out it will have the largest plantations in
Cuba. II Is now preparing to build the
largest sugar mill in the world, one which
will grind 5000 bags per day, and which
will eat up as much sugar cane as can be
produced on 1900 acres
All this land, as l haYe said, is now in
large tracts, and its owners consider its
present value TO be something like $40 per
acre It may be years before II is offered
20 the public but the probability Is that
much OF It will eventually be subdivided
and that this whole region will be covered
with fruit farms OF greater or less size and
OF enormous value.
But let me tell you something about NiP'
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

sound in the receiver. varied directly with
the number Of contacts made in the trunk
of the tree. The best ground connection
was obtained when an iron peg was driven
into the earth at least fifty feet from the
base OF the tree used in the direction of
the sending station and connected with the
detector by an insulated wire. Raising the
insulated wire of the earth between the
peg and the detector invariably improved
conditions. Many experiments were made
in moving the peg radially to and from the
tree station, with the result that generally
the approach toward the tree diminished
the sound in the receiver. The many vary
ing results obtained create the impression
that the results are due to the underground
conformation of the tree root system,
which is naturally the continuation of the
antennae After many attempts no d.
minution in the intensity of the sound in
the receiver could be detected, due to the
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
sixteen Miles of bananas.

Directly back OF the buildings the banana
plantations begin. They extend along the
shore for miles, rising up the hills so that
the whole side OF the island is banked with
a great mass OF green leaves. The planta-
ton has excellent roads. and during my
stay took a horseback ride through these
banana fields OF fully sixteen miles. The
banana trees were far above my head as 1
rode through them on a little white pony.
and. indeed, could hardly reach the fruit
by standing upright on my saddle. The
trees were not over six feet apart and
riding through them is iikI going through
a forest OF green trunks supporting great
Tibbon-liks leaves which inset oYSThSsd
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
Another valuable Pointer.

After many experiments the writer be-
came convinced that the greatest activity
took place within the electrolytio cell de-
tector when the earth peg was planted in
a right line between the sending and the
receiving stations and that any shifting
of said peg in azimuth from the position
named diminished the sound in the tele-
phone receiver until the minimum was OBJ
tanned when the earth peg has been shifted
$50 degrees and was in the rear of the
receiving station in the prolongation of the
right line Joining the sending and receiving
points. The value Of thus being able to
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20


OF Sir William Van Hornes Cuba railroad,
on Nipe bay. The place now consists OF
some matched huts, a railroad depot and
large warehouse which serves as quarters
for the civil engineers and other Americans
who are laying out the town The railroad
has been opened only short time and the
wharves, although such that great
steamers can land at them, are far from
completion.
The plans are upon a grand scale, and
when carried out. Antilla will be one of
the beautiful cities of the world. As it is
are thousands of acres OF forests in every
direction with here and there a great fruit
or sugar plantation. cut out of the woods.
Nevertheless. this country will one day
be the winter vegetable garden for New
York, and 1t has already begun to supply
our markets with oranges bananas. pine
apples and other tropical fruits. 1t is only
two and half days by fast steamers
from New York City, and next winter a
line of large vessels will be going back
and forth, carrying freight and passengers.
The port is already connected with Havana
by railway, and the Cuba road will make
such freight rates that large part of the
products of eastern and central Cuba will
be shipped to the United States via Antilla.
The loading arrangements will be such that
freight can be cheaply transferred from the
cars to the vessels, and lower freight rates
will be given than are possible via Havana.
Indeed, 1t is expected that large part Of
the travel from the United States to Cuba
will be carried this way, and that this
whole region will be rapidly developed.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

company owns 10000 acres and of this only
one-tenth has been planted. 1t is expected
that the planting will continue, SO Mr..
Dumois tells me, until they have 5000, 900
pineapples, 100000 banana trees and $780,
600 orange trees, These, when in full bear
ing, should net about 100000 cases of pines,
100000 punches OF bananas and 100000
boxes OF oranges every year. The COM
pany mas capital stock of Sl,00o,O0O and
when its plantations have reached the above
condition they should bring in about 81 100000
a year. This condition will probably come
within two or three years. The company
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

detect the direction from which oscillations
are coming and thus being able to detect
the direction OF the enemy's station will
be OF great value In the field
The theory OF the wireless system is not
difficult or mystlfying and the appliances
used are not complicated for the distances
involved in the case Of an army operating
in the field and maintaining communication
between its various units and base
Viewing the immense advances made in
wireless telegraphy in the last year, the
possibilities of the future of field signalling
are almost too stupendous to contemplate.
The signal corps field signallist OF the fu-
ture, with the possibilities of the wireless
telegraph and the future storage battery,
may carry in his haversaok all the aps
paratus necessary to converse readily with
any distant station.
CHARLES NICK. SALTZMAN,
Captain Signal Corps, U. s. A.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

he attempted to obtain ground for the
return circuit Of an electrical wire by means
Of nails driven into trees The experiments
were surprisingly successful, and inasmuch
as the empirical discovery thus made has
already become the subject of systematic
investigations which may contribute ma
terially and substantially to the scientific
knowledge of the world 1t is desired to
make a permanent record OF the initial
steps in the premises"
This incident referred to was made the
subject of much investigation and many
experiments by Major George o. Squier of
the signal corps, who has, as a result, an
nounced an original conclusion to the effect
that living vegetable organisms may be
used as a part Of a circuit for the electrical
oscillations used in wireless transmission a
discovery which has made. possible the use
of ordinary living trees for receiving anten-
nae at wireless stations. For the limited
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
Trees vastly serviceable.

In order to read any wireless message
passing between any Of the stations named
IL was found only necessary TO send line
man up the tallest living tree available,
drive a nail in the same and connect the
nail by suitable insulated cord to the re-
ceiving apparatus below, which, of course,
was suitably grounded-the messages thus
intercepted being heard by the use Of an
ordinary head telephone, plainly and dis
tinctly, regardless of the noise Of the wind
and Of enlisted men moving about and
talking in the vicinity Of the station.
Messages we're received when the receivs
ing antennae consisted only of barrel
hoop crossed with several bare copper wires
connected in parallel with the receiving APP
paratus below, the hoop being simply
thrown from the ground TO the upper
branches of tree at a height of about
thirty feet and with an electrolytic cell de-
tector messages were read from a station
eight miles distant when the antennaS
consisted Of only about thirty feet Of bare
iron wire stretched horizontally between
two barracks at a height of about ten
feet. When using a ffty-foot aerial, con-
sisting Of a seven-strand insulated cord
suspended from the post fiaEstaf. no DIM
Guilty was experienced in reading messages
sent from the naval station In the Farra-
lone islands These signals could be family
read when the detector was simply con-
nected to a nail driven in a tree branch
at the height Of about thirty feet,
In the majority of the work the receiving
instruments consisted of DeForrest
electrolytic cell detector a synchronizer and
some insulated cord wire, all of which can
easily be carried in two soldiers haver-
sacks.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
FAC SMILE OF THE COMMISSION OF

THE original document is in the
possession OF the State Historical
society at Iowa City. General
I6Sfgl Robert Lucas was appointed hrst
- governor OF Iowa Territory by
President Van Buren,. The commission
bears the date OF July Z. 1888. This precious
document has suffered very much from the
lapse OF time and possibly from lack OF
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

came with Mr. Dumois from Santiago
70 Antilla, and I have spent several days
with him on his estate during my stay.
Leaving Antilla, we rode across the bay
in the plantation launch to Saeta, where
Mr. Dumois has 100000 pineapples.
1000 900 banana trees and several hundred
thousand orange trees now growing
Five hundred men are there employed and
the homes OF Mr.. Dumois and his sons and
OF the various officials make quite a
colony. Their houses line the shore near
the wharves, with a beautiful park be-
tween them and the beach. There Is an
Office, store, blacksmith shop, a ma
chine shop and a number OF comfortable
homes the largest OF which is that OF
George C. Dumois, the son Of Mr.. II. Du-
mois
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

care during earlier years OF its existence.
Wherever blanks were filled with pen writ
ing the ink has become much faded In
some instances even the printed lines are
so worn that II 10 quite. dimeult 70 trace
them. While the work is in some respects
faulty. Il is certainly as good as can be
produced without better copy. which at
this time - wholly out Of the question. Il
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

shows as nearly as practicable what the
commission was at the date OF it's issuance.
The Iowa state Historical socieSy is max
ing every possible effort TO recover the
commissions OF Governors Chambers and
Clarke. but up to this time without success.
II Is extremely doubtful whether either Of
them Is IN existence, and a matter OF re-
greet that they have not been preserved.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
All Piece work.

The plantation is kept clean by contract.
each man being allotted as many acres az
he will care for at from 90 TO IS cents per
acre per month. One man can keep clean
about forty acres. This nets him from t2S
to $50 per month, and he has time to make
extra money by cutting cane or bananas
or doing odd Jobs about the place.
All Of Mr.. Dumois work Is done by con-
tract, and his men make from $40 TO 80 q
month The man who does not keep his
tract clean is fined and If he sights It much
he is discharged. Inspectors go about reg
ularly to see that the work is properly
done. During the thirty or forty miles
ride which took over the property I saw
no gangs at work wedding. although I did
now and then pass a boy pulling weeds
out OF the roads and putting them In little
bags 70 be carried away.
FRANK. q, .cARPMyyEA
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
ass Tee9raphy in the United States Army Signal Corps

areas covered by armies IN the field all
military men will at once appreciate the
Importance Of this discovery to future field
signalling
1t was the good fortune Of the writer to
be permitted to do experimental work
quite recently on the Pacific coast in the
use OF Vegetable antennae for wireless field
signalling The scene of the experiments
was the vicinity of the post of Benicia
barracks, California, about twenty-five
miles north of San Francisco, in which
region other wireless stations Of the United
States navy were already in operation at
Yerba Buena island, near San Francisco;
at Mare Island navy yard, in the Farra-
lone Islands, and on several war vessels In
San Francisco harbor.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
Fruit Kline az Nine.

Before I describe my visit to this estate,
let me tell you something Of its chief
owner. This is Mr.. Hippolyte Dumois, the
fruit king of Nipe bay. He has been rails
ing fruit in Cuba all his life, and he knows
more today about the country and how to
get the most out Of it than any, other man
In 1t. His father was a coffee planter near
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

"1N 1899 General Greedy, the chief
ISL signal officer of the army. follow
kAA ing his we'll known custom of in
kQ&dAoI vestigating and developing all new
49, appliances pertaining to military
signalling, made it possible for the signal
corps of the army to devise and maintain
the first system of wireless biography pub
liciy operated in America. Since that date
the signal corps has kept pace with the i'm
provements in wireless systems with view
OF being prepared at any moment to pro-
vide the army with the best and most mod
ern wireless appliances for the field, where
the final test OF all military machines must
be made. In connection with the expert
mental work done in wireless telegraphy by
the signal corps mention must be made Of
an incident which occurred last year during
the army maneuvers in California, where a
signal party following advancing troops
with buzzer line came upon ground so
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
value of chance Discovery.

Major General Arthur Macarthur, U. s. A,
says in his official report of the maneuvers
of 1904 under his command: 1.-THE most
notable event connected with the field ex-
ercises herein referred to resulted from the
exceedingly resourceful manner in which
First Lieutenant w. NJ. Goodale Signal
corps, discharged his duties at American
lake. Under the pressure OF emergencies
which arose In pursuance of his field work,
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
Four Thousand Nores Kept c1an,


These millions OF bananas and pineapple
and the hundreds Of thousands of orange,
coffee and cacao trees were a wonder to me,
but the greatest wonder Of all was the faot
that they have all been planted within the
short space of four years, and that four
years ago the land on which they stand
was a jungle Of forest, more wild than any
part Of the lower Mississippi valley. Within
that short time these 1000 acres OF woods
have been cut, cleared and made into =
farm more clean than the finest rose gar
den in the United States. The woods were
cut and burned over and the plants, with
out blowing a bit of cultivation, were set
out in the ashes Since then not q ploW
has been used and the only tillaEe has
been to pull out the weeds and dig the
grass. Today in all the cultivated portion
Of the estate there is not enough grass to
give one meal to good-sized goat and
there are absolutely no weeds WhatsoSveA
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
PIneappIes and Oranges.


In another part of the estate pineapples
grow between the bananas. They seem to
do as well there as in the open. Indeed,
saw pines by the thousands as big as a
mans head surrounded by red and green
cactus-like leaves. In another part oranges
grow among the bananas. The orange
trees are of a rich green. Many of them
are pure Cuban, but thousands are budded
from the best Of the Florida and California
varieties.
Later crossed the bay to the Tacajo
plantation. which also belongs to this same
company. This contains %, 900 acres and 10
has even more bananas and oranges than
are on the Island OF saetia. rode about
twenty miles UP and down the hills through
the bananas there, and at times was so
lost, in going this way and that over the
plantation roads, that. had not the manager
OF the estate been with me, might have
ridden about for days and not found my
way out
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
Agricultural Garden OF Eden.

This land, as have said, was a jungle
four years ago. Today It is an agricul-
tural Garden OF Eden. II contains 100000
banana trees. l.Oo0,oOO pineapplss. 800, 900
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

Best Trees for the Purpose.
Many experiments with tho use Of tn,
electrolytic cell detector impressed tn
writer that the most suitable trees To-
antennae were the tallest trees with tn
most foliage and that the intensity Of tn
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
Cubas New Port and the Vast Fruit Industry Has Deveope
Copyright, 1sC

nt, 1906, by Frank G. Carpenter)
Cuba, Aug. 17.-(Special
Correspondence of The Bee.)-I
date this letter at the future
great city of eastern Cuba, the
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

orange trees, $1,000 cacao trees and 10000
coffee trees, all thrlftily growing. The
cultivated lands cover 1000 or 5000 acres
There are not as many weeds upon this
tract as in the best kept kitchen garden
OF the United States. 1 rode on horseback
thirty-five miles over the plantation, taking
two days to it, riding sixteen or more miles
at trip, and ! did not see a dozen weeds
nor a dozen blades of grass. The crops
are kept as clean as floor, and the growth
of everything is beyond belief.
This plantation is just at its beginning.
The property is only four years old The
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

dry that It was found impracticable to Sc
cure return earth circuit, or a ground"
as 1t is Familiarity called. In the emergency
an officer seeing a living tree nearby drove
a nail in the trunk of the same, attached
his ground wire to the nail and found. to
his surprise, that the minute streams Of sap
which extend upward from the roots of the
tree furnished an excellent ground connec-
ton for the buzzer line.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
How the Fruit is Harvested.


In cutting bananas trees are chopped al
most in half. AS they fall the bunch Is
caught and cut of, after which the tree
is chopped off to the ground, to allow tho
sprouts at the foot to have the full strength
of the roots. Bananas here will -sprout up
six. seven, eight or more years from the
same roots; and sugarcane will. am told,
yield crops for twenty-five years without
replanting.
All bananas intended for export are cut
green. There is not bit of yellow to be
seen in any of the fruit when 1t is shipped,
and 1t takes a week or more before such
bananas are ready for eating. There are
packing sheds along the coast throughout
the plantation, where the bananas are put
into lighters and carried to the central sta
ton to the steamers. Four days after that
they are in New York. and within two
weeks are on the breakfast tables all over
the country.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

and shade the ground. Now and then we
passed a tree in blossom. Each tree had
but one; but this was from six to ten inches
long and at It's base was as big around as
my arm. 1t looked like great bud rather
than a blossom, and 1t formed the end OF
a bunch of bananas which extended out
from the root of the leaves at a distance
OF from ten to fifteen feet from the ground,
AS I looked noticed that the stem Of the
bunch hung down and that the bananas
grow upward instead Of downward, as many
suppose. 1 counted many punches which
had fifty bananas upon them and was told
that a single bunch may have as many an
100
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20

ROBERT LUCAS GOVERNOR TERRITORY OF IOWA
Sistersville daily review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1905-1907, 1905-06-23

Clarksburg, ". Va. June %
Philip Bert Willett, eldest son Of
Attorney Philip WilIett, while
working near the elevator shaft
on the seventh floor of the EN-
pire building, in course of con-
struetiOn at the corner Of Fourth
and Main streets, lost his hold and
fell to the basement meeting in
slant death Yesterday afternoon
at three O'ciock. He struck on
his head, breaking his neck.
Just how the accident occurred,
no one knows. James McClintie,
Of the Stove and Plumbing Com
pany, was standing near the ele-
Sistersville daily review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1905-1907, 1905-06-23
River Nay Reach 20 Foot Stage

The river may reach a stage Of
twenty feet at Wheeling. was the
general opinion Of rivermen last
evening. Their calculations were
based on FOrecaster Frank Ridge
ways predictions for a stage Of
at least II feet Of water in the
Ohio at Pittsburg by this morn
ing, and further intlmatiOns that
a greater stage may be reached,
if the rains continued along the
Allegheny and MOnongahela val
leys. as they have been for the
past twenty-four hours. As yet,
there are no indications Of the
river reaching a dangerous stage,
although should the continued
rains bring anthing like 80 feet
for this section Of the valley,
many crops in the lowlands will
suffer. and there will be a general
losses to the farmers who are un-
lucky enough to have their main
crops planted this year in the bot
Sistersville daily review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1905-1907, 1905-06-23
Newspaper Comment

be competent evidence. Mayor
Kirkland has been associated with
newspapers suficientto knowthat
and when he summoned the pro-
pritor of the Review, he knew the
character of the evidence which
would be adduced, and could only
have been actuated by a motive
of revenge, because the existence
of such a house would be retiec-
ion upon his immaculate admins
tration of the affairs of Sisters
vile. There are a great many
things published in newspapers
because they are established by
general reputation, and it would
be difficult to specifically prove
them, and when published the
editor of a newspaper does not
put himself in the light of pos
sessing positive and specific infor-
nation, but only current and gen
eral rumor.-New Martinsville
Republican.
Sistersville daily review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1905-1907, 1905-06-23

In the great central coal and
timber region embracing West
Virginia and part of Kentucky
and Southwest Virginia are CEN
tering the most gigantic develop
ment forces of America. In that
section there is an eager scramble
by the leading financiers and the
great industrial corporations to
secure control of large properties
and y still further develop prop
critics already owned. Railroad
construction, coal-mining, lumber
|Mg operations and vast industrial
movements are generally under
way.
In order to present to the world
a comprehensive story of the re.
sources of that territory and OF
the forces which are now COM
bining to make that region one
of the greatest industrial eenters
in the world, the Manufacturers