The Washington herald., 1907-10-06
AT THE HOTELS.

]
Capt D. G. Purse, Of Savannah, Ca, who
is at the New Willard.
| Capt. Purse has long been known as
one Of the most energetic men In the
South and has for the past three years
| been conducting q series OF experiments
with what was considered the worthless
lumber Of the South. He has interested
the Department Of Agriculture in his
process for redeeming this product, and
expects within a short time 10 begin his
output
Ten years ago." he continued such
wood as tupelo and the inferior pine were
/ thought incapable Of a treatment which
would make them even useful as hard
| wood. These two varieties we're thrown
away, not even being used as fuel by the
| poorest negroes Of the South. Il was
| thought that the tupel0 was particularly
useless for it is literally dripping with
gum and has never adapted itself 10 the
/ slightest practical use.
| Two years or more ago, I was i'm
pressed by an invention which dried and
vulcanized this wood, so that it became.
/ after short process, as fine as any
wood known except mahogany The same
result has been obtained with the inferior
/ pine, and am sure that within TWO years
the South viii derive as much money and
as much benefit from these. two products
as il has from its vast forests Of virgin
/ timber
/ Before the process the wood cannot
| be split with any sort Of an ak, it's shay
/ lngs can be wrung out like a sponge. and
viii drip with the slightest pressure.
After the vulcanizing process Il becomes
/ as durable as any wood known. and has
a strength Of 1900 pounds pressure 10
the square inch.
Il. in company with Prof Woolson. Of
Columbia, have been conducting expert
ments with this wood for the past two
/ years. and we have come 70 the con-
clusiOn that we have struck q great in
vention. which viii be Of benefit 10 tEs
entire South.
I am here at present at the request OF
the Southern Railway. 10 show them the
results Of our experiments and 70 give
them chance to use this reclaimed wood
for the building Of railroad cars. and in
side work Of all kinds. We are conduct
ing our experiments in Brooklyn. The
Bureau Of Forestry is also much interest
ed in our work
The inventor Of the process IS con-
/ fdent that IL can dry any sort Of wood
/ IN a short period Of hours, and he is
anxious to try even palmetto, which is
undoubtedly the most nearly useless wood
/ in the world He has dried cypress and
/ this tupelo. and myself believe that al
most anything IS possible.
1T VIII mean that the sticks. whiCh
now have 20 dry out for several years
after they are cut. can be taken from
hH forest 10 farforr- nd ~Hrr7 IN
the trains, in space Of two days. ana
| Il means also one Of the greatest Cod
/ sends that has ever come % the South"
/ Owen Wister. the novelist, author Of
The Virginian" and other weIl-known
/ stories. is at the New willard He viii
remain in this city for some time. at
I work on a new book. 1ir. Wister IS 4
great admirer OF President Roosevelt.
/ and may wait here to get another glimpse
/ Of him.
"Since the President has intimated that
he will sign the Oklahoma Statehood act,
am OF the opinion that the new state
must be added TO the Republican column,
and that be viii have the entire vote ot
the Republicans Of that State in the next
Republican convention, said Thomas Ma
gee, Of Indian Territory. at the Raleigh
last night.
Il am firm in the opinion that Okla
homa will be Republican from now on, and
that she would have been Republican in
/ the last campaign had II not been for
the fact that the question OF the Consti-
/ tuition forced many Republican voters ID
favor Gov. Haskell
The Republicans and many OF th5
/ Democrats are already announcing that
they will vote for Roosevelt and Go their
utmost TO make him accept a third term.
| They do not take so kindly to Taft, as hs
said many things while on his tour
/ through the country which somewhat dis
( pleased US. but the people are coming %
realize that what he said was true, and
think that they viii vote for Taft IL
/ the President desires IT,
They have just now, no settled con-
/ victi0ns as 10 who should succeed the
/ President If he does not do it himself, and
/ for that reason / think that the man he
/ desires will be the man they viii vote for.
I The Democrats are all for Bryan"
The enemies Of Bryan IN the Demo-
! cratic party are playing their strongest
cards now" said Thomas Jameson, Of
West Virginia, at the National Hotel
| last night. They are doing their best
| 10 cause his friends to desert him before
the real campaign, so that when he be-
gins 10 make a fight they viii be SO
! turned against him that they viii not
listen 10 his arguments.
They are in New York playing Chan
Ter 70 beat Bryan. This is ridiculous on
the face of il, and one has only 70 go
800 miles away from New York 10 learn
that Chanler has no boom at ALL and
that he has killed his chances Of any
/ political advancement by his attitude in
this matter.
Bryan is a power in the country. Re
publicans and Democrats both admit
this, and he viii continue TO be SO,
whether he is ever President or not.
In West Virginia and in Ohio soma
are booming Judson Harmon, Of Cincin-
natl. but this is merely local Delaware
comes 10 the front with Judge Gray. and
there is no doubt that he would make an
excellent President, but he is not 4
fighter, and under him the Democrats
have no chance Of winning Gov. John
son Is also mentioned. but even his
closest friends admit that while he will
be excellent Presidential timber In an
other four years, he Is not the man row.
Here and there. in other places. others
have been mentioned. but their bOOms
only live a day. while Bryan's gets
stronger every minute. He Will. without
doubt. secure the vote Of West Virginia,
and from what I can gather he is the
only seriously considered candidate in
the South and West. Right now he could
defeat ChanleT in New York State, and,
leaving Tammany out. l do not believe
there Is a district in the country where
Cbaplp~ would have pua-fanth &c many