davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
PERIL NJ ELEcTRlc WIRES.
Fires Ar frequently Caused b1
Badly Protected Conductors
Gases IN Montreal 01tsd.

II was claimed at one time that the
substitution of electricity for gas and Pc
troleum in lighting would result In .
lessaning Of the danger from fire. But
recent report issued by the Montreal
fire and light committee tends to show
that the daurer has been increased rath-
or than diminished by the change. says
the Toronto Globe. The report gives
\ record of $50 fires due to electric cur
rents during the last three months Of
1903, with an aggregate loss Of $780,
900.
When classsd according to causes the
list shows that 20 fires were due to the
contact of telephone. telegraph and 9TH
er low potential wires with electric
light and other high tension circuits.
Wires grounded on gas pipes were re-
sponsible for 10 fires. Eleven fires were
due to the defective wiring of gas fx-
lures. five to the puncturing of gas pipes
by the currents OF flexible cords wrapped
around them, three to short circuits in
holdings, three to open link fuses in
porcelain cut out bases, 10 to overheated
resistance coils and heating devices and
nine to incandescent lamps coming in
contact with inflammable material In
the same report 1876 fires are recorded In
which electricity was supectsd Of being
the cause, but in which all material EVIL
dences of origin were destroyed.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31

hundreds OF thousands Of dollars. The
police jury has prohibited coon hunt
ing in the parish as consequence.
The police juries of all the coast
parishes are likely to take action sim
liar to that of Vermillion, not In order
to protect coons and rabbits, but to pro-
tect the Inhabitants against the reck-
lessness of the fur hunters But for
this action these animals, now prob
ably more abundant in southern Louis
lana than In any other part Of the
country, would be wiped out this year.
The recent raid on the coon. pos
sums and mink Is due to the great de-
mand for furs and the destruction Of
fur-bearing animals In the northwest.
The price paid for pelts is 80 good
that the hunting OF 6oons and 'possums
Ia highly profitable, and good hunt
er makes from IS to 326 day.
1t is more profitable than shooting
ducks or other game. The carcasses
are thrown away after being skinned.
or else they are converted into oil.
They furnish lubricating oil worth SO
cents a gallon. and good sized coon
will yield nearly half gallon OF oil.
Coon skins have been selling for
several years. bringing from 20 to 80
cents. 'Possum skins have never been
sold in this region before the present
year, but are now in demand at from
10 TO 20 cents, and even rabbit skins
bring cents apiece.
Squirrels have heretofore been with
out value, but In the last few months
there has been a demand for SPUR
rels' tails. The minks have always
been in demand, but they have been
few until recently,
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
czAREWITcH's REGIMENT.
Russian Troopers Who Have . Sin
gular Distinguishing
Feature.

When the baby czarevitch was a few
hours old he was gazetted to Pavlovski
regiment Of the guard, one of the finest
looking bodies of troops in Europe. No
man can belong to this regiment UNI
less his nose is decidedly turned up,
and the more retrousse 1t is the more
desirable the result.
AS might be imagined, says the Bos-
ton Herald the regiment is not marked
by comeliness, but 1t is because En-
peror Paul. whose nose had nostrils
that caught the rain. conceived the idea
that he would collect a company of
soldiers and offices possessed OF the
same extraordinary style OF feature
that the Pavlovski regiment was SO
named. but his conservative descend
ants still pay him the honor of retain
ing his nosy regiment and recruiting II
from the ugliest men in Russia.
Another conservative observance in
stituted by Emperor Paul is compelling
the Pavlovskis to blow their noses i'm
mediately before the appearance on the
scene of the sovereign on the occasion
Of any inspection " him of the regi-
ment. Baby Alexis. II he ia as OBJ
serving as other kids, will be certain
to comment on the proboscides OF his
guard. However, 1t won't hurt their
feelings. That is why they are there.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
pope Plus sim 1sarnine.

Talking to some cardinals who came
to congratulate him on his SEVENTEEN
birthday, Pope Plus said: II never
thought would learn as much in my
old days as l am doing. For instance,
can now write my name without muss-
ing up cassock worth 200 francs.
For years INDUCED in the habit OF WHIP
ing my pen on the left sleeve OF my coat
before | began and during writing. OF
course that didn't matter much as long
as I wore black clothes, but when
donned the white papal habit things
looked different. and so did l when
came from my writing-room. For q
time my valet didn't know where to get
enough clothes for me to wear. Then
determined to break with this bad hab-
1t, and did. One can give up anything
II one tries hard enough"
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
Thibetan Women.

As II nature had not been unklnd
enough, the Thibetan woman heightens
her ugliness by smearing her face with
q horrible black ointment to keep her
skin from cracking in the dry wind. Her
dress Is not very different from her hus-
bands. Her browning glory is her hair!
Plastered down with butter from the
part to the ears, it goes off behind into
sunburst OF small braids, to which ls
fastened a great fan-shaped headdress
falling to the hem of her garments. 1t
is of spreading strips of red and blue
cloth, Joined horizontally by iron bands.
and ornamented with countless coral and
malachite beads. silver coins and tiny
bells The one poetic thing about Thu
betan woman is the sound of her going
a soft, melodious tinkle, belying the gro
tesuuepeSs of her face
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
WILLARD OF POSTCARDS.
Germany Leads the List Of Nations,
Using 1,1el 900, 900 IN
One Year.

"A return which has Just been Issued
by the postal union for the year 1903
contains some interesting items, es-
pecially with regard to the extent to
which post cards have ingratiated
themselves with the public, says
Lloyd's Weekly.
1t appears from this return that In
the matter of post cards the German
empire heads the list with no fewer
than 1.161 900. 900 posted there during
that year.
Even the United States. whose popu.
lation is about one-half In excess of
that OF Germany, can boast Of only
7705o0,0O0 Of those missives. Great
Britain comes next with 613,0W, O1o.
Japan, which previously used next to
Germany most post cards, is now
fourth on the list with 4s7, 100000.
The Inhabitants of Germany alone,
therefore, are now availing themselves
of nearly as many post cards as the
United States and Japan together. 9th
er countries are greatly left behind in
the race; not one of them reaches the
number OF 300.C000O0
AS to letters, however, the United
States Is far ahead of all other coun-
tries. The total number Of letters post
ed there during 1903 was 4,l09 900, 0.
Great Britain follows in Its wake wish
2.59T 100000. and then Germany with
1.64S 900, 900. France posted $4,000. 900
letters.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
THE sue GOOSE MYSTERY
Tale Of . Dutch Ship That Was Re-
gardsd with Suspicion by Early
New Workers..

When New York was still young .
sturdy Dutch merchant by the name Of
Van Linkle acquired wealth by his VEN
lures in shipping. In those days, writes
Dan Beard. In Recreation, the differ
epce between pirate and an honest
merchantmen was often as slight as 1t
Is to-day between an honest merchant
and trust magnate, and 1t had little
or nothing to do with business ethics.
Van Linkle sent many ships to the
"Red Sea-" as 1t was called, loaded
with gunpowder and shot, which was
traded of for silks. spices and orien-
tai goods. These were brought back tc
New York by vessels manned by
strangely dressed and fierce-lookins
sailors. The details of the trade did
not appear on the books of Van ltnkle
though his less venturesome neighbors
shook their heads and threw out dark
hints and even suggested that the gun
powder was exploded and the shot ex-
PEELED through the brass and bronse
threats of the comical old cannons be-
fore the trade was effected. However
that may be. Van Linkle invested his
earnings in land and generations OF
people who needed the laid as an op-
portunity to carry on business willing
ly aid large sums for the privilege of
using It, and the Van Liniile Estate
grew and fattened on the necessities of
the community until now. without Ia
Dor and without effort, 1t had so in
creased that its value was estimated in
millions.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
ESSENCE OF THE STEER.
Beef Juice in Large Quantities II
Manufactured for the
Market.

Meat extracts have become steadily
more popular within recent years. es-
pecially for use by invalids, and the
quantities of beef consumed In their
manufacture are astonishing. One fac
tory in Fray Bentos, in Uruguay, uses
from 400 to 500 cattle daily for this
purpose, its output amounting to about
5000 pounds of the concentrated prod
uct per diem.
It Is well understood that such ex-
tracts contain no nutriment; a person
fed on unlimited quantities Of them
would soon starve to death. They hold
merely the flavor of the meat, and.
while very palatable, are useful as n
stimulant. Beyond this, owing to their
palatability. they are good for dys-
peptics. encouraging the secretion Of
the digestive juices. and physicians
frequently prescribe them In cases of
debility where the vitality Of the pa
tient is at low ebb.
Experience has shown that the meat
of steers furnishes an extract Of dark
err color than that of cows and with a
strong suggestion of game flavor. The
essence of the COW has n milder taste
and a lighter hue. The flesh Of anil
mails under four years of age is not
used for this purpose because the ex-
tract possesses an insipid flavor like
that of veal.
The beef is chopped by machinery
and exposed for some hours to live
steam under pressure. In this way
everything in 1t that will dissolve is
converted into broth, which passes
first into centrifugal apparatus for
separating the fat and thence into
great kettles. In which the albumen
and flbrin settle to the bottom. The
pure extract is finally drawn off, evap-
Grated. filtered and put up In suitable
receptacles for market.
or the residue the fat Is purified for
use as machine oil and In soap max
ing. The gelatine is employed in the
manufacture of printers rollers and as
finishing material in cloth mills.
What remains is dried and utilized
either as fertilizer or as food for pigs
and fishes. Some of 1t also is said to
be made up into dog biscuit, for which
purpose 1t Is well suited, inasmuch as
the stuff left behind after the removal
of the extract contains all the nutri-
ment that was in the original meat.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
ON THE PARIS 'cnANoE.
Three Million Francs In the Cost Of
Place Among the seventy
on the Boursa.

It may be said that scat among
the seventy (they call 1t a charged
costs about 100000 francs $500, OOO)
or sometimes $500 900, and a charge
earns from S to 15 per cent. (neD a
year, SO that the annual profits are
from $4,000 to 90,000 or more in e1-
ceptional years. writes Cleveland Moi
felt in THE Paris Bourse" in Cen
fury But these are usually divided
among several associates, for 1t rare-
ly happens that an agent is the sole
owner Of his seat More often he has
paid for only half Of It, or third OF
1t. and has three or four silent part
ners who own the rest and who may
again have subpartners, SO that you
will hear OF person owning an eighth
or sixteenth Of seat. or even thir-
ty-second. these being simple invest
leges on the bourse.
AS to procuring q charge. the thing
has none OF the stock exchange sim
plicity. where the main requirement
for getting seat Is to be able to pay
for it. Here candidate must be q
Frenchman and at least rs years old.
He must have served four years in GER
tain forms Of business. He must be
personally acceptable to the agent
from whom he would purchase the
seat, and often to his family. includ-
ing the ladies. He must be passed
upon by the seventy with formal vot-
ing, as II he were joining some select
club. which he is. There must be 10
stain on his business record, and no
slur on his personal character. A
candidate was rejected recently for bad
habits. and another for no fault OF his
own, but because his brother had been
concerned in quesi enable transactions
With all this ia Jrably settled, there
is still needed the approval Of the min
lister Of finances and the sanction OF
the president. This makes 1t clear
enough why many Of the ablest dealers
on the bourse have not been members
of the parquet. but of the coulisae.
They could not get into the parQuet.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
FARMER HAS STRANGE PETS
Tamss Snakes and Trains Them to
Exterminate Mice and
Moles.
In a large cornfield on the farm OF
Josiah Sack are two tame nine snakes

In a large cornfield on the farm OF
Josiah Sack are two tame pine snakes,
one measuring seven feet in length and
four inches through the thiaksst part,
and the other six and one-haf feet
long and nearly as thick. Sack handles
the reptiles as he would pet cat, and
even children are able to fondle them.
reports the Philadelphia Record.
The reptiles live on toads. mice and
moles. and thereby rid the farm OF Its
greatest pests. During the day and
evening the snakes may be seen bur
rowing beneath the ground searching
for moles They are not in the least
dangerous and show no fear when they
sre touched.
At night or at MONDAY the reptiles
coil ur together under brush pile be-
meath the fence and sleep until they
become hungry.
Farmer Sack cautions everybody
who goes to see the snakes to 10 them
no harm whatever. and declares he
would not part with them for large
sum. as they are not only harmless.
but of great benefit by killing mice and
moles.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
VNLUc Of DOMESTIC AlvlM~L-
Rrodigious Amount Of Money Invest
Cd In Agriculture In the
United States.

II the average city man were asked
how he thought the price of domestic
animals in the United States compared
with the market values year ago. he
would doubtless think first OF the cost
of meat Then. says the Cleveland
Leader, he would remember that auto
mobiles were much more In evidence
than they were IL months back In the
history Of the motor carriage business
He could not be expected to have more
than dim and uncertain notions Of the
price of sheep. which is greatly affected
by the marl'et for wool
So the average town-dweller would
be likely TO guess that cattle were at
least as high as they were year ago
He would have the same opinion as to
hogs. aud he would thin of what the
butcher asks for lamb and mutton srd
put sheep in the same class. He misht
estimate the average price OF horses
somewhat less than 1t was at the be-
ginning of 1903.
Once a year the American Agriculture
alist, q weekly paper devoted to farm
interests. takes much pains to ascertain
the market value of domestic animals
In the United States and the changes
which have taken plfre in the IL
months preceding. This winter Its fig
ures seem to prove that the natural
guess OF the city man would be wrong
in all respects.
Cows kept for milk are about 81 per
cent cheaper. Other cattle are report
ed to average 10 per cent less in mar
ket value than year ago. Hogs are
about nine per cent lower. Sheep have
lost 7k per cent. of their market price.
But horses are rated six per cent. more
than they were last winter.
1t Is clear that the automobile has
not hurt the market for horses In any
such sense as might have kept the ad-
vance from being as great MS it would
otherwise have been. AS for the de-
cline In the price OF farm animals used
for human food and the lack of any
corresponding change In the cost Of
meat to consumers. that is sore point
with many people who are obliged to
consider carefully what they buy. II
the great packing companies and the
retail dealers in meats have any good
explanation for the conditions reported,
they keep it to themselves. The curl
osity Of the public is not satisfied.
The enormous val1e OF dome site ami
mails. In he aggregate is shown most
strikingly by the fact that the decline
in market prices during the past year.
change which has not been more than
about three per cent. Is calculated at a
net decrease of $500 to00. Nothing
more is NEEDED to show how vast the farm
ing interests OF the American people are
and how prodigious the investment Of
the nation in agriculture has become.
1t 10 still the greatest of all industries.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
To Restore the sphinx.

"A project is on foot in Alexandria for
restoring the Sphinx, near the Great
Pyramid of Ghizeh. to Its original con-
dition. Thick layers OF soil completely
cover the head of the monument, while
the lower parts are greatly obscured by
accumulations of sand 1t is proposed to
clear all these accumulations away and to
clean the head completely. When the
work has been completed the Sphinx will
once more appear, II not in Its first
freshness. at least in the grandeur Of Its
original proportions.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
DROWNING a QUICK DEATH.
Under Water More Than Two
Minutes at Q Time.

Tho story frequently repeated about
professional divers who have been able
to remain under water for over two
minutes is silly, DIR. Joseph Boehm
says. according to the St. Louis Globe
Democrat. No one can remain under
water that long without drowning.
whether they are trained divers or not.
At Navarino, where the sponge divers
are reported to be able TO remain un-
der water three and four minutes, tests
were made recently and resulted con-
clusively proving that none of them
remained down longer than a minute
and a half. Ninety seconds seems a
long time to the watcher on shore. and
1t Is about the limit Of . divers en-
du-ahce under water. At Ceylon,
there time tests were also made
among the famous pearl divers. 1t was
'sscertAined that few Of them remained
below the surface as long a. minute
and other tests made on the Red Sea
among the Arabs proved that min
ute and quarter was the longest they
could endure without fresh breath.
On the coast Of England several
years ago a diver. trained diver, one
Of the best on the coast, renowned Tor
his endurance, went down and was
pulled up slowly when he gave the sig
nal that he was under water about
two minutes and I'VE seconds. He was
drawn out of the water insensible,
with blood flowing from his nose and
ears, and 1t was only after long and ar
duous work that his recovery from the
AfPActa nj that two minute stay under
water was assured. Drowning is
quick death. Even though the water
IL kept out of the lungs. insensibility
will ensue in one minute. and complete
unconsciousness in two. The stories
Of people who have been In the water
ave minutes being resuscitated are
generally mistakes or untrue. A man
could not be In the water five minutes
without coming to the surface several
times. and be restored to life.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31

The reported production Of salt in the
United States during 1904 was 22,030,-
O02 barrels (of $50 nounds), valued at
$6,O21 ,222, as compared with 1S,9GS,0S9
barrels, valued at s5,2S6,SSs in 1903
This is the largest production ever re-
ported except in 1902. but the average
net price per barrel (27332 cents) is
lower than that reported in 1903 (27.s73
cents) or in any previous year. with the
exception of 1902, when the average
net price realized was only 23.76s cents
a barrel.
The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1907-08-31
-leLEUs,l.MS WITHOUT WIRES.
Machine That Transmits and Receives
In Writing l,lsssages from
Distance.
The xeragrnph is The name bestowed

The xeraernph is the name bestowed
upon new mechanical and electrical de-
vice by M is o. witch messages by
wireless "a rapi ~ be 81. OF re-
ceived az pewri i ccI..es Ia IL au-
tomatiea. 1t is az, a s-i,, ~ lotion.
but the Liion o. an LIE ~ hman.
says So iiiic exchange il appear
anceitres = q. cGuinsry t! typewriter.
but II Is Q. .nup!er construction, with a
lie. i;oaro n-0red with the Signs Of the
leti rs az .umersa, which can be
pri- t.d O. IsGrGp-et 10 any number OF
irSrcm'uis, EaUf instrument. the in
We. or a!ns, is al once artceiver and
tt'esn r. enabling operators to con-
verse Wit pue another in writing, and
thus ob'latiEg Misunderstanding,
which art spt to occur in teiephoDic COM
mupicatioNs, So far messaf S have been
sent Only for shGrt distance, but 1t Is
INTENDED TO expe rmcni over wider
spaces. aui it is icDcd that messages
can be sat 10 any Gistajce that either
waves VIII carry, Ths machine is always
ready Cor immediate use, and rs there ia
10 moe' I'm which requires to be
ism. tho operator has both hands free
for naturalization.
Anotatr advantage claimed for the
inventor viii be Of especial importance
in military affairs Messages cannot be
picked up. To quote the inventors own
words: in sending a message you are
sending two ether waves which allow
you choice of sc signs, and these are
given direct print either as letters or
figures. Absolute secrecy is thus OBJ
tanned The only way TO intercept mes
sagee would be to employ similar in
strn!nent, which would have to be syn
chroEized to The same degree as the
transmitting instrument. Lastly, these
mnchi-es will receive their messages
twh'ch 0r' "fyen ~ present al speed OF
IS W minutoi without any body be-
in ard would thus b. of great
adv - a signal box, as the signal
mn: si'i rsrCiye ciearly printed instruc-
tic rulG lie he absent at ne time the
ne Is sent to him. Nor 8 t the ma
chire work. only without wires. save
q lecture In Paris before the Society of
Civil Ell siueers Of which am a member,
during witch | sent messages to Brus-
| sells while telephone communication
wos going on over the same wires
have sent messages also between Ber-
lin and Frankfort"
The apparatus rorsists of a typewriter
which by depressing n key sends two i'm
pulses. Each Letter only requires two
| imru's7s and the G4f;erentte'tersa are OBJ
| tai'fd h. means OF the time interval be-
twce: thesa impulses. For wireless pur-
poses these impulses operate a switch
connection with the induction coil. thus
mr. irp the sparl for sending the ether
| We cs. The induction coil is connected
with an aerial as well as an earth wire.
To turn the apparatus into a receiving
Instrument it Is only necessary to move
switch which is placed beneath the
typewriter. This makes all the con.
nections to the receiving apparatus
which consists Of . coherer and very
sensitive relay.