davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12
Alexander Graham Bell Talks of Progress Made in Aeral Navigation

creasing the angle of incidence Of the tips
at the lower side, and decreasing this angle
on the high side. This is how the machine
is kept on an even keel, the operator lean
ing instinctively to the high side.
The steering wheel is so arranged that
the machine can be instantly steered right
or left, as is an automobile, while an up
and down movement can he secured by
pushing the wheel In or out. The tail Is
composed OF two superposed surfaces very
similar to those of the Red Wing. This
machine Weighs 40S pounds.
The association staff, consisting OF DI.
A. G. Bell, @. H. curtiss. director OF eX-
periments; r. w. Baldwin, chief engineer;
]. A.. D.. McCurdy, treasurer, and Lieut..
T. Selfridge, secretary. assisted by Angus
tus Post, secretary Of the Aero Club OF
America, has recently h~~n engaged in putt
ting the finishing touches TO the u.GGA.aI
and in making experiments in actual flight
In the first test a running start OF a little
more than 100 feet was made on the leval.
and when a speed Of twenty miles an hour
had been reached the operator inclined the
front rudder to the ascending position and
the aeroplane rose quickly to a height Of
twenty feet and sailed away.
There seemed no reason why the flight
should not have been continued for many
miles, but at a distance of so yards the
operator. having a momentary hesitation
as to the effectiveness of his controls,
turned the front rudder to the descending
position and the machine gradually came
down and landed in a ploughed field
alongside the track. There was great
cheering from the large crowd assemble"
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

But, like others Of the same type, II
requires the greatest concentration and
presence OF mind as we'll as skill for its
effective operation, and mistakes are apt
to have serious results, especially in the
experimental stages, in which the operator
has to learn the new business OF coping
and overcoming the vagaries OF the
machine.
what I am now proposing to do In my
new cellular construction aerodrome -
to support the machine and the operator
In the air to begin with. My experiments
are CARED on over water. / fly the APP
paratus in the air as the schoolboy flies
his kite, attaching It by the kite ~string-or,
IN this case, by cable-to a steamboat.
The operator then starts the motor on
the machine. When he begins to travel
faster than the boat the line slackens and
the aerodrome FORCES ahead. When frou
any cause the motor stops the tow line
again becomes taut and the aerodromo
continuous it's flight as a kite.
'The advantage Of this Is that while the
essentially important matter Of xperi-
menting Is being carried on absolute safety
for the operator and the machine Is Insured
by the great stability OF this form OF struo-
ture. I get a slower speed. but am secur-
ing the guiding principles that we are all
In search Of in the new science Just as
surely as Is done in the faster machins.
without the element OF risk.
I'm point Of fact I want TO run ons OF
these machines myself and 1 intend b
do IL"
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

~ M A39 VA ANNO bNSA eNo
scene Of much activity in the construction
Of both dIrigibie ballons and Of heavier
than air. machines. notable example of
the latter type Is the White Wing, con-
structed by DR., Alexander Graham Bell.
chairman OF the Aerial Experiment associ-
alton, from the designs of F.. w. Baldwin,
the designer Of the Red Wing. which made
al excellent record On the ice of Lake
Keuka last winter.
The ASSOCIATION was formed about a
year ago for the purpose OF trying out the
ideas Of several men interested In the art
OF flying AID has already given earnest Of
good work. The Red Wins was the first
machine OF it's type 70 make a public flight
in this country. On March Il last it flew
S1s feet At q distance OF ten fest from the
ground.
The machine was forty-three feet long,
six feet six inches deep at the center and
four feel deep at the extremities. The
upper and lower planes were covered with
silk, and they had a combined area Of 1856
square feest.
The seat of the operator was arranged
lection was the rudder, eight feet across
Just above the lower plane in the center Of
the machine and was fitted with a silken
protecting guard. On the end OF this pro-
and two feet deep. This was under the
control Of the navigator.
A tail was attached ten feet in the rear
Of the machine. 1t was fourteen feet ten
inches across and three feet deep, giving
a surface Of forty-four square feet. TX
this tail was attached q vertical rudder
four feet square
The propelllng power was derived from
a forty horsepower eisht-cylinder engine
NyaRnhFHpu 40 -. yvA
was tsarted the runners slid along the
Ice for lO feet and then the machine rose
gracefully into the air.
This test showed Dr.. Bell ana his asSo.
ciatss that they were working in the right
direction and that il was possible TO build
q flying machine that would combine an
the advantages OF such European types
as the Farman and the Delagrange with
the rsputed simplicity OF the Wright
brothers machine. In a subsequent ex-
pertinent the Red Wing was wrecked. al
though the operator and the motor were
uninjured.
The construction OF another machine
was at once begun, and early in May the
White Wins was completed. This ma
chine was built OF heavier material and
with slightly larger plane surfaces. but
II had one radical improvement.
The Red Wing had shown a lack OF
means OF insuring lateral stability. and II
would at times tilt over sideways In a
fashion 10 try the nerve OF the pluckiest
operator. This fundamental fault was
.femedied effectively In the new machine.
The tips at the eNtremities of the winSs
which are used by the operator for correct
ing the fitting OF the machine. were fitted
with hinges about their fore edges, and
thus by a system of steering gears it be
came possible for the operator 10 chang
the angle OF incidence az Will II the ma
chine nclnss 70 one side the man bJ
leau4ns On the high side operates q ullel
which u connected bL steering nODs& N
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12
PortuGuese Native. for Miner,

Portuguese East Africa is now one of the
chief sources Of the labor supply OF the
mines of the Transvaal. Before the Chi
nese were imported four-fifths of the negro
workmen were brought in from the outside,
and most from this region. The miners
paid about So a head to the Portuguese au-
thorities. Within the last year /, as been
decided that the Chinese must be sent back
home as soon as can be, and a large num-
Der of natives will be required to take their
pisces. There are white labor contractors
now going through Portuguese East AZ
RIGA and British Central Africa looking up
men to work in the gold mines.
We took a great gang of such laborers on
the ship at Chinda, the chief port for Ny
ashland. as we came down the coast ia
Beira. The landing there is rough. We
anchored outside the bar and the negroes
were brought to the ship in a steam launch
and loaded by means Of a great basket.
This basket was about as large around as
a hogshead and about ten feet IN height.
There was a door at one side. The negroes,
to the number of a dozen at a time. stepped
into this. The door was closed and then the
basket, negroes and all, was raised by
means of a derrick to our steamer. The
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

This Is my first taste of Portuguese East
Africa. l saw the country first at Chinds
and sailed for miles along the coast before
l came to Beira. The territory is enormous.
1t extends along the borders OF the Indian
ocean as far as from New York to Omaha
and at the north It goes inland as far as
from Washington to Boston. 1t is larger
than Texas and 1t would make considerably
more than six states the size of Ohio,
Kentucky or Virginia. Its native popula-
ton is estimated at 100000 or 10000
but no accurate census has been taken,
and, although the Portuguese have owned
the country for more than 400 years, they
know almost nothing about 1t. The greater
part of it, as 1 have said, has been leased
to the Mozambique company and another
part to the company of the zambesi. Beira
belongs to the Mozambique company and
that company fixes the taxes and pays
Portugal for the privilege Of exploiting the
town. 1t runs the postoffice and sells its
own postage stamps.
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

go at it again and in all probability we shall
have something more to show. But, at all
events. while our former trial was truly
called an experiment, this can truly be
called a demonstration Every new trial
now will bring us nearer to the goal.
when the people see a machine flying
over their heads they have no further doubt
Of the ability of mar to fly. But, as a
matter OF fact, while we have today made
an appreciable step in advance. it is not
popularity that we are seeking. We are
concentrating ourselves on making actual
scientific progress"
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

machine made last year was thirty-nine
feet long and nine feet deep. The new
machine will be a trifle larger.
The operator sits in the center and easily
controls the machine. DR.. Bell when ques-
tiorad as to the prospect of developing an
effective and practical machine Of this typo
said:
The White Wings shows progress on the
exact lines it was intended to follow 1t
is an improved form OF the flying machines
that have so far been successful. 1t secures
high speed, at the expense possibly OF
some degree Of stability,
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

and the records were officially attested
for the Aero club.
DR.. Bell expressed himself as much
pleased with the showing made by the
new acceptance, which was exceedingly
good for a maiden flight. He Insisted that
the flight might have been continued for
a long time had not the pressure OF the air
on the under surfaces of the wind base
caused the base to buckle up and get in the
way of the propeller, and the consequent
fouling impaired the action of the machine
temporarily.
When that is repaired" he said, I'VE will
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12
Lourencs

Lourenco Marques, on the other hand, 10
rapidly growing. 1t is lighted by electricity,
and there are lines OF electric tramways
which connect It's various sections. 1t has
a new postoffice, a new railway station
and many new buildings. The great marsh
at the back Of the city has been drained
and tho mosquito plague is practically
wiped out. The town is rapidly becoming
the chief port for the Transvaal, and 1t Is
where our American goods for that region
are now landed.
The city has one OF the best harbors on
the African continent. 1t is known as Della
goa bay. 1t is twenty-eight miles long and
about fourteen miles wide, and II reminds
one Of Manila bay in its extent.
Laurence Marques began to grow when
the railroad connecting 1t with Johannes
berg was built. This was about thirteen
year ago, and its progress has been steady
from then until now. 1t is by far tho
nearest route from the sea to the gold
fields. The distance from Johannesburg IL
only about 8A miles. while from Durham,
the chief port OF Natal farther south. is
4S3 miles, and from Cape Town more than
1000 miles. The Portuguese government has
been doing much TO improve the harbor.
Trey have built a quay almost half a mile
long and nave equipped it with all modern
conveniences for loading and unloading ves-
sels. They have built great warehouses
and have also constructed q dry dock and
other marine works.
FRANK q. CARPENTER
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

Later the White Wings flew 1,m7 feet in
nlneteeu seconds. While DIR. Bell is greatly
interested in this form of flying machine,
1t is stated on good authority that his real
scientific pet bears little resemblance to II.
He is now preparing to build an improved
aerodrome composed of over 5000 cells OF
tetrahedral form.
These triangler cells are of silk. They
have a six inch base line, and are framed
in thin slips of wood. Instead OF having
the two plane surfaces of the White Wings
form. this aerodrome is virtually a bank
Of contiguous celia The experimental
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

human freight howled out in unison as it
rose, and the men thought they were killed
when the basket came down with a thud on
the deck. d.
During our stay we took about two score
such basketsful of ebony humanity, max
ing something like 300 negroes in all. l was
told that the men would be taken to Del
agoa Bay, and thence shipped in by rail-
road to the mines Of the Rand. They are
employed on short time contracts, and as
q rule serve only a few months, when they
are anxious to go back home The Chinese
came in on three years contracts, with the
privilege OF extending them to six years.
They have made much better laborers than
the native Africans, who, as a rule, wish
to stop labor as soon as they have accumu-
lated enough money to buy an extra wife OF
so who can support them at home.
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

lHVo' og tIunh -. Ehpenter)
- AMBOO CREEK. Portuguese
Va East Africa-(special CORE
spondence Of The Bce.)-
- Away out here in the Jungle.
Ek@k2A in the miasmatic lowlnnds
Slss6B back OF the Indian ocean,
about 1000 miles northeast OF Cape
Town, in the heart Of Portuguese Africa,
I find an American managing a cotton
plantation. lie is employed by the
Rhodesia company and he has set out a
tract of about 500 acres along the line
of the railroad which runs from Beira
TO Bulawayo. His work Is entirely ex-
perimental. The company owns three
miles on each side its tracks, and II
hopes to develop a great cotton industry
In the Portuguese possessions.
The cotton is now two months old
n 1t is already knee high. The plants
look thrifty and the fields are as clean
as a garden. They are watched day and
night 20 keep out the rhinoceroses n
hippopotami, and during the rainy season
one has TO be careful how he wades
through the rows for fear of losing a leg
TO a hungry crocodile.
1 rave had a long talk with the man
ager. His name Is Stillson and he comes
from Meridian, Miss. He tells me that
one of the chief dangers IL from the wild
beasts. Tit country has many lions, and
his men killed a young leopard with their
hoes the other day. The leopard was
asleep and they sneaked up on him and
sunk their mattocks into his brain. Mr..
Stillson says that the tracks the hippo
potami make are each as big around as
a dinner plate and hat II they get into
the fields they ruin the plants.
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

sc nv NNN - 'H1 800 AAffNN ANs
''Sweet MnrIe'' in Black Africa.
We were a curious party as we came into
the hotel for dinner, and our entertainment
was interesting. In the first place we had
the chief engineer of the Rhodesia rail-
ways and with him a nephew Of Lord
Roberts, who is also a civil engineer. We
had another railroad official, who has
charge of a line away up the Zambesi, in
British Central Africa, and the American
cotton planter Of whom ! have already
spoken. Among the other travellers are a
millionaire Wall street broker, who is
making a pleasure tour Of Africa, An Eng
lish commercial traveller, and a South At
rican miner on his way to the Transvaal.
We soon got acquainted and after dinner
we had a little entertainment in the tin
shack away out here in the wilds. The
chief engineer played the organ and gave
quite a concert, including among his selec-
lions a number of American songs. One
Of the best of these was sweet Marie"
which was written by Cy Warman when he
was the engineer on a railroad near Den
yer. The song was composed by one en-
gineer in the wilds of the Rockies, and
now far off here in the wilds OF Africa ii
was sung for us by another engineer.
After the songs we hao big game stories
including those of lion hunts, elephant
hunts, and struggles with hippos and
rhinos. Among these was a surprising
tale about a crocodile which the Contra.
African engineer had recently shot. He
said the reptile was an old one and that
1t had evidently been a great man eater
for he had found forty-eight native brace
let's and anklets in its stomach. His pre-
sumption was that the crocodile had eater
forty-eight negroes so ornamented, to say
nothing of numerous others who had left
off their jewelry when they went to battle
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

1t farms out the natives and makes
them pay taxes, which in some cases
they work out by giving their labor to
foreigners. This is known as the prazzo
system. The country is divided up into
districts known as prazzos. These are
put up at auction, the successful bidder
having the right to collect the taxes of
his prazza for a term Of three years. He
is allowed to levy a tax of SO much on
each native and he must pay that
amount in cash or work. The contractor
has also the right to force the people
TO do a certain amount on the public
roads and on house building for the off
cials. He has also other rights which
make the SYSTEM little more than legal
ICED slavery. The taxes are often paid
in goods, and the value of their work Is
measured by American or English cot
ton cloth. the price of which can be reg
ulated largely by the collector. A part
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12
Cotton in south Africa.

I talked with his man as to the pros
poets of raising cotton in his part of
the world. He tells me that there is a
vast deal Of available land, both in this
region and farther south. Some cotton
has been grown on the Maputo river, not
far from Lorenzo Marques, and expert
ments are being made in other parts Of
Portuguese East Africa. The cotton
raised here at Bamboo Creek has a longer
fiber than that from the same seed when
grown in America. Mr.. Stillson is ex-
perimenting with our cotton and with
Egyptian cotton. He uses a steam pillow
TO break up the ground and then runs
American o~ultivators over II. The cot
ton that Is now grown here was planted
last December and the first picking
took place In May. The plants ripen at
different times and the Egyptian cotton
later than the American cotton. The
picking season continues throughout the
summer.
1 understand that the Mozambique COM
pany, which controls this great territory,
has sold 5000 acres of land to a syndicate
in the province Of Mozambique, an6 that
this syndicate intends to raise cotton upor
It. The land is to be irrigated and tram.
ways are already being built on the plan.
tatlon. Steam and motor plows are to b'
imported and the estate will have the mos
u~p-to-datO OF labor-saving appliances.
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

"what punishment are used in such
cases7"
1.-The most common one is slapping the
man on the hand with a web strap which
sucks up the skin. The suction is like that
OF a piece of leather pressed against a flat
stone. It is very painful, but it does not
usually lay a man up for more than a day
or 80 at a time"
What hours do your men work."
From sunrise to sunset. They work
hard and I should say they are as good
hands in the cotton field as our negroes at
home. They are much like our negroes,
but they are on the whole better formed
and, II anything, more muscular
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12
odd Contract Labor system.

During my talk with Mr.. stillson l asked
him some questions as to the men who
worked his plantation. Said he;
I'VE use the negroes, and HE them
through the Mozambique company. This
company has control of the natives and
they are forced to do as It says. We are
now paying about $3.50 per month for a
good man. We hand this over to the COM
pany, and It allows the man So and takes
the 80 cents as its commission. That is the
way all labor Is furnished here. We have
now 16O men in the fields and we get them
all from the company. If a man shirks or
refuses to work, we send him to the mill
tary commandant for punishment, and If he
will not work after that he is put In jail
and, another man is sent In his place"
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

YORK. May So-Since the
beginning OF May the eyes Of
the aeronauts Of this country
have been directed to the little
village OF Hammondsport, N. Y,
which has of lata heen the
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

Of the labor is the hunting OF elephants
and the gathering Of rubber, both OF
which are exceedingly profitable. 1 am
told that the abuses of such men in the
faraway district are terrible and that
the people have comparatively few rights
that the tax collectors are bound to re-
spect. 1t Is said that slavery Is still
common In some regions, although It Is
not recognized by the government and is
contrary to law. The conditions are not
as bad as in Portuguese West Africa,
where slaves are still bought and sold.
but they are bad enough.
Mozambique a Back Number.
The cities Of Portuguese East Africa
are changing. 1t used 70 be that
Mozambique was by far the most i'm
portant. Situated on a little island, In
the wide channel between Africa and
Madagascar, It was for years one Of the
great ports Of the continent 1t was a
center of the slave trade and the resi-
dence Of the chief Portuguese officials.
The country has two capitals, one at
Mozambique at the north and the other
as Lourenco Marques at the south.
Mozambique is still the headquarters Of
the Mozambique company and its opera
lions are conducted from there. Lourenco
Marques is the chief commercial center,
and. with its magnificent harbor and its
short railroad to the gold fields, It is
fast becoming one of the most important
cities on the east coast of Africa.
Mozambique lies on q little island only
a quarter of a mile wide and not more
than a mile long. 1t L. close to the
mainland and canoes are always moving
back and forth carrying food and sup
plies, The island is covered with houses.
1t has clean paved with ce-
ment and its roadways are m-acadamized
It has a fort and public buildings, but
now the streets are practically deserted
Many of the good houses are vacant, and
others have been turned into the homes OF
coolies and petty trading stores. The bazarI
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12

in which the slaves were exposed for sale
have passed away and the town IL prao-
tically dead.
The city OF Beira is not as prosperous az
II has been in the past. Its population has
fallen off since the Boer war, and It now
has 500 or 700 whites, about 1900 negroes
and a considerable number Of East Indiana
II is a own OF banks, stores and hotels.
Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-12
Portuguese East Africa and Its Part in Working the Rand Gold Mine

tcOpyrlght, 1908. BY frank O. c~apenter)
Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1908-11-27
NEXT IN IMPORTANCE.

Following irrigation for this valley,
good roads are the next in Importance:
and in building roads the best are the
cheapest in the long run, for properly
constructed thorougfsre will last ages.
That this is 30 is proven by the fact
that the roads leading to Rome con
structed in the time OF the Caesars are
good roads today. Grants Pass has or
should have a deep interest in the
building OF roads for Josephine county.
This being the county seat and the
metropolis all roads should lead to this
city. The Commercial Club and every
business man connected with 1t
should become live advocate OF the
good roads movement ald the most
effective way to do this will be to assist
the Josephine County Good Roads
League, the officers OF which association
must be content to be judged by their
works. They have opportunity which
should spur the m on and public necess-
ity should cause them to enter upon the
Good Roads campaign without an
hours delay
Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1908-11-27

President Roosevelt has one more
surprise in store for the people OF the
United States before he retires from
Office, and this time II will be the tame
ness OF his message to Congress at its
convening next month. 1t is said that
he will not recommend any drastic re-
forms and will even leave the tariff
question to his successor. The mes
sage ia expected TO be in large part II
the form OF farewell to the people he
has served 30 we'll for nearly seven AND
one half ysars.