The Washington herald., 1907-04-11

Probably the best known poultry au-
thority in America is Grant M. Curtis,
president OF the American Poultry Asso-
citation. president of the Cyphers Incu-
bator Company. and editor and principal
owner Of the Reliable Poultry Journal
If you are ever in doubt about anything
pertaining to poultTydom, ask Curtis. He
is one Of those restless, tireless fellows
who can have more fun at work than
doing anything else. He used to be a
reporter in Quincy, H., years ago. and
when he got the chen fever" his boss took
him in the front room and gave him
fatherly talking to. The cid man de-
plored the fact that the poultry craze was
going 10 spoil Il good newspaper man. It
did spoil Curtis. as far as being a hired
man was concerned. but his fortunes have
been ever in the ascendency since that
time
He has number Of strings to his bow,
and each one is a blue ribbon. The Re-
liable Poultry Journal is a power and
big money Garner. The Cyphers concern
is the giant Of the incubator world. The
great plant in Buffalo has more than five
acres Of manufacturing and floor space.
II has a string of branches across the
continent. and agencies and distributing
depots in the principal cities OF twenty
foreign countries. Curtis has made q
personal study of poultry conditions in
England, Ireland, France. Belgium. Hol-
land. Denmark, Germany. and Russia. and
has been granted two patents covering
improvements on his Matching machine.
Although he IS prominent and pros porous. !
he sticks right to the gait thar brought |
him through. He works as hard as ever. I
aud his most peruiciOus diversion is /
chewing gum. Grant Curtis belongs 10 /
the species Of American that never viii 1
down-that was born 20 be on top.
stephen Vail. son Of Alfred Vail. who /
co-operated with Morse and Henry In the /
invention Of the telegraph, and grandson /
of stephen Vail, who built the first /
steam engine that ever propelled ship 4
across the ocean, Is one Of the most In l
teresting men 10 be met about Washing /
ton. He Is q man OF great learning. /
musician Of more than ordinary ability, |
and a lover Of mechanics. It has been 1
the earnest endeayor OF his life 10 cor 4
rect the popular errors regarding the /
early history Of the electric telegraph, /
maintaining that the share his father 4
had in that enterprise was far greater |
than is usually accepted.
Not only was his father partner of !
Morse, as Is shown by the contract be-
tween them, made in 1851 after Alfred /
Vail had seen Prof. Morse's first crude
model. but he had an important part in /
the development Of the instrument The
writings of all those scientists who have |
made a complete study Of the question
justify Mr. Vai in his efforts to pre-
serve 10 his fathers name that honor |
which Is its due. In the words OF the 1
Hon. Amos Kendall friend and asso-
ciate Of both Morse and the elder Vail: /
If justice be DONE the name of Alfred /
Vail will forever stand associated with 4
that OF Samuel +. B. Morse in the his
tory and Introduction 10 public use of
the electromagnetic telegraph
While Mr Van's voluminous scrap
books contain the history Of the telegraph
from its infancy until the present day,
there are other subjects in them none
the less interesting. Many years ago ne 1
began clipping odd bits of humor and /
stray newspaper and magazine poems that
pleased him. These he collected with in
finite pains, and now he win permit his
chosen friends 20 have peep into one
book which contains eco jokes about
kissing. Another is devoted 10 music, /