davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09
Meet Him Coming Away From Sycamore HILL
Appearance Being Slightly With Himself"

Vile incident, and will receive the dstin-
guished visitor from the United States
with warmth. First. they're going to
drift down one Of the great African rivers
and shoot hippopotomi at night. This is
said to be a very exciting sport. Larry.
A floating hippopotamus can readily be
distinguished from floating Saratoga
trunk by the fact that the Saratoga trunk
has no hair on its ears. The approved
method OF Staying the noble creature is
to push the muzzle of one or more re-
peating rifles up his nostrils and con-
tinue firing until he gets topheavy with
lead and sinks slowly to the bottom of the
mighty stream. which in places is almost
four feet deep and correspondingly broad.
And then after some days they'll land AMI
STAY the crocodile travelling bag. the lion
skin dining room rug. the ivory card re-
ceiver and other modern conveniences. on
the hoof.
I've been reading up on that section
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

he's been shot at quite often. both stand
ing and on the wing, and Is qualified to
describe the sensations as they apply to
the party Of the second part. don't sup
pose the party will call on King Leopold
of Belgium. though. II the Gay Madcap
Burlesquers' or the Broadway Blondes
should happen to be playing at the opera
house there's not a chance of finding him
at home. and besides. as the only known
person that ever dressed the part of ST.
mon Legree with square chin whiskers
and a chorus of show-girls. it's sort Of
probable that Leopold won't be any too
enthusiastic over the prospect Of loc
Of inquisitive outsiders poking their noses
into those secluded rubber bearing locali-
ties where Richard Harding Davis almost
went one time.
But the real doings will come when
they hit the big game country. Advices
from Africa are that the inhabitants
cherish no hard feelings over the Browns
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09
OSCAR WILDE'S SON
ENTERS A MONASTERY
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

LONDON. July l. 1908.
~ SCAR WILDE'S younger son is now
a monk in a Roman Catholic mon
astery. Directly he left school he
decided that the world was no place for
him and determined to leave 1t. He is
said to have developed a mind Of extra
ordinary brilliancy. more luminous than
even that of his unfortunate father. Be-
fore long the literary world will stand
aghast at his work. declare his few in
Inmates. Incidentally 1t will be of a to-
tally different nature from anything done
by his father
He will make his literary debut entirely
on his own merits and under a nom de
plume. A mystic and a religieux, his
ideals are said to be of the highest.
His elder brother has managed to hide
his identity. though he resides In London
and draws considerable sums in royalties
from his late fathers plays and books
He is reputed to have a great love of
music and at present is devoting himself
to composition.
The tragic story Of Oscar ,Wilde's life
and death was carefully kept from these
two boys during their childhood. though
the mystery as to why their name was
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

begin to worry about what'd become OF
him when we put him out. You didn't
hear of any of them advertising in the
papers for a job suitable for an elderly
man of family with considerable ex-
perience as a President: no objection to
going into the country; white Protes-
tant family preferred. Yet still We wor-
ried.
But we won't worry about Teddy's fu-
ture. BY the time he gets back from At
RIGA there'll probably be a chance to show
Santos Dumont how TO run an airship,
and after that IT may occur to him to so
after the north POLE
IF ever he does he'll sure bring home
the goods said the House Detective.
But say" what's Taft going to do when
Teddy leaves the country"
IF it's as l suspect" said the Hotel
Clerk. land Big Bills got a few small
policies OF his own concealed about his
person. / have an idea that he'll be able
to bear UP nobly. He's almost large
enough to get along. without a nurse
now"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09
Going Too Far.
VIVIAN BURNETT. the o

VIVIAN BURNETT, the original OF the
still remembered Little Lord Faunt-
leroy" at the Chicago convention discuss
ed with a reporter certain party
maneuver
They went too far there" said Mr.
Burnett. They made themselves r.dic-
ulous by their excess. Do you know
what they reminded me Of? They re-
minded me of a Juvenile elocutionist my
mother often tells about.
This lad, at a school treat, got up to
recite the first piece of his life. He
was ambitious: he wished to make
great success of his piece; and he had
been told by his teacher that the secret
of elocution was the gesture-for every
phrase its fitting gesture.
THE opening line OF the boys selection
was. The comet lifts its tail OF Ere
THE overzealous boy. to Mt its proper
gesture to this line. lifted up the tail OF
his coat and held 1t out In q horizontal
position"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

some of them even fight for the right to
do a days toll at II cents an hour Al
7:3O every morning the police stretch
chain across one of the streets, ana
would-be laborers are allowed to line up
inside a sort of pen. Here foremen pick
out certain men. according to numbers on
tickets given to the regular COOKERS.
while all others have to take their
chances 1t is one of lie most pitiful
sights in the world to see thousands of
men turned away when the numbers on
the cards have been exhausted. when
the government takes over the nandEhe
Of these crowds there will be all the ele-
ments Of discomfort among men VINO at
present do not hold a private company
responsible for their economic troubles.
Aside from the purely economic and So
cial issues raised by the proposed gov
eminent purchase, the docks in them
that they are the largest in the world.
Most persons imagine that Liverpool.
Hamburg, Antwerp or New York does a
larger dock business than London. yet
New York put together. The volume of
foreign trade entering the port of Lon
don. according to recent returns, is about
100000 tons year, whereas Liver
pools tonnage is only 100000. While
Hamburg and New York come to about
100000 tons each.
Most Modern Equipment.
II the wharves and jetties forming the
docks Of London were strung together
they would extend forty miles. AS all
these docks are built of stone and equip
ped with the most up-to-date hydraulic.
electric and steam-driven cranes, the
amount of capital involved in their con-
struction approaches $120.oO0.OO0. In the
mere humble detail of money London
does far and away the biggest port bust
ness, for the value of her foreign trade Is
estimated at considerably more than
81. 800, 600 a year.
Besides being the largest in area and
doing the most business, the London docks
are the deepest Of any in the world. The
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

"Ain't Teddy and the others goin' to do
nothin' but just hunt on the trip?" asked
the House Detective.
"Oh, yes, indeed said the Hotel
Clerk They're goin' to stop over to call
on the King Of England and the Kaiser Of
Germany and few others on the way.
I've a notion, Larry. that the conversa-
ton is going to drag trife when they
settle down after dinner in the company
room at Buckingham Palace and unbut-
ton their vests and Teddy crosses his
legs and the king tries to cross his, and
they start in to discuss outdoor sports,
for while he loves an exhilrating out
door sport as much as any man in the
world, so long it consists in going to
the Derby or laying corner stone, still
the king begins to lose interest in the
pleasures Of the chase If his trousers
come increased. while Teddy's idea of a
pleasant afternoons outing is to climb
nine miles up section Of western land
scape that's standing on edge and shoot
a 1,OOO-pound gentleman bear In such q
manner as to smear him all over the
Sierra Nevada range. (See vol. xviii
of his published works-'Grizzlies I Have
Grinned At.D But he'll get along fine
when he hits Berlin. For the kaiser's a
true sportsman. I've seen upward Of
5000 authorized pictures Of his imperial
majesty and fully 5000 Of them showed
him dressed up like the second act of a
Tyrolean musical comedy. standing down
by the croquet grounds with his hands in
an ermine muff and a gun under his arm,
smoking one Of those large china cuspi-
doris which by the Germans are regarded
as pipes and waiting for an underkeeper
or an undertaken to shoe the Brahma
mems and the Pekin ducks and the hand
raised pheasants and the other wild game
OF the royal preserves out from under the
kitchen porch. SOS he can have a fair
shot at them in the open and not run any
chances of hitting the cook or some of
the trained dachshund retrievers: and af-
ter that I take it they have real hunts
mans repast of coffee cakes. kummel
and Bismarck herring served on the lawn.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

owns the telegraph system, and various
municipalities have their waterworks,
street car lines, electric and gas lighting
plants. public markets, laundries and
other enterprises. A big movement is also
on foot for the state ownership OF rail-
ways. as in Germany. The proposal to
take over the great London docks brings
to the fore more than ever the vital ques-
ton as to whether or not the state can
manage these businesses better than pri-
waite enterprise.
Magnitude Of Undertaking.
The reason the London docks have. so
far, been considered beyond the grasp
Of public bodies is their very magnitude.
The vast amount Of money necessary for
their purchase. the minute technical
knowledge required in their management.
together with the number of interests af-
fected, have made government off1clals
rather chary about getting mixed up IN
an undertaking of this character. The
fact also that more than 1900 employees
on the permanent staff of the dock COM
panies would have to be taken over" In
any purchase scheme has also initiated
against it's actual accomplishment.
However, all the technical difficulties
have now been overcome, and when the
bill passes the house of lords-whtch Is
in favor of 1.-THE docks will belong to
the people. To save the vast properties
included in the docks from falling into
the hands of lot of incompetent officials,
all the present 0ulplOyeS OI Tie OOCh Guile
panies are to be retained, including even
the high-priced directors who have for
years been identified with the manage
ment. The directors are to have block
Of government port stock for their in
terests, amounting to $63S.OOO, while all
present shareholders will also be paid in
stock the first issue Of which will be for
SIP, 452 SSS.
Pessimists predict that in taking over
the docks. the government has been look
ing for trouble and found II. The fact
that thousands Of casual laborers. drawn
from the lowest strata of the population,
are employed at the docks gives an ele-
ment Of danger when 1t is considered that
these men will henceforth be under gov
eminent control
No References Needed.
At the dock side is the only place in
the whole Of England where man can
obtain work without a character or
reference. and where a convict fresh from
prison stands as good chance Of en-
ployment as any one else. How the gov
eminent will handle these vast bodies Of
"casuals" remains to be seen. The pri.
vate companies have already had great
deal of trouble. and the famous dock
ers' strike" a few years back almost led
to a revolution. which was only averted
through the efforts of John Burns. Car
dinal Manning and a few others, who
prevented actual bloodshed on more than
one occasion.
Thousands Of men daily clamor for
work at the London dock gates. and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

after door into rooms containing price
less wealth and casually hands out amaz-
ing facts that play havoc with your ideas
of arithmetic. For instance. at the Royal
Albert docks-the largest and deepest In
London. where the big American liners
land-you can see $45,0O0,OO0 worth Of
tobacco 'in bond" They usually keep on
hand about 10000 tons of tobacco at one
time. This is the largest accumulation
of tobacco In the world. About one-half
Of this is from the United States. The
stock companies open every bale, box and
packet of tobacco that comes to the
docks. take out samples and dispose Of
the wares on behalf of the shippers. The
dock companies do the largest sampling
business in the world, and every day dis
pose of hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of tobacco. Quite large quantity
of tobacco reaches the dock side In a dam
aged condition, and all this is gathered up
and burned in what is facetiously called
the kings pipe" a nickname for large
furnace where Is constantly kept going
what is probably the most expensive fire
on earth.
Whiffs Of the Kings Pipe.
Though vast quantities Of the weed
are thus burned. the customs authorities
see to it that not single leaf is taken
away. Many "off class" tobacco mer-
chants would be only too glad to buy this
condemned stuff and sell it mixed with
other tobacco. but the English authorities
prefer to see II smoked in his majes-
tvs pipe. There Is a tradition to the eff
feet that people owning houses near the
tobacco furnace charge extra for rooms
because all a ledger has to do in order to
enjoy the effect Of good smoke is to
open his window and get Whit from the
kings pipe"
Inside the docks several strange bust
nesses are conducted. For instance. there
is special scent factory which gets most
of it's extract of flowers, mixed with fat,
direct from San Francisco. The scent is
made inside the docks SO that no duty
will have to be paid on the alcohol. save
on such goods as are sold in England
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09
dence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON, July 80. 1908
HIS month there will come be-
fore the British house of lords
momentous measure involv-
ing the purchase by the gov
eminent, Of the great docks OF
London. the biggest In the world The
property involved in this gigantic trans
action is worth $500. 600 900. and the pur-
chase will have a far-reaching effect. 1t
is said the measure is now certain to be-
come law.
In one way, the control by the British
government Of the port of London will be
an experiment on a grand scale in what
may be called state socialism The dock
undertakings of London have been Operat-
ed for centuries by private companies.
whose work has been interfered with
from time to time by various petty local
authorities whose efforts for reform have
only added confusion to chaos. While the
business done at the docks has grown into
the largest of it's kind in the world. the
great dock companies have been criticised
for acting more often in their own inter-
est than in that of the people and trade
Of London. From now on the docks will
be controlled by one central authority.
The modern tendency in England is for
all such public utilities to come under
state ownership. The government already
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

thrown out on the floor In huge piles and
mixed with wooden spades. This blends"
various grades and enables a uniform
price to be arrived at.
In addition 10 warehouses Tor every
conceivable sort of commercial article
ranging from drugs to meats. there are a
number of special storage places where
only extraordinary merchandise is kept
on view. Whole floors in one of the larg-
est warehouses are entirely given up 10
feathers. London being the worlds
greatest feather market. buyers from All
parts. including Italy and Russia, come
here TO purchase Ostrich feathers,
osprey plumes and all sorts OF feathers
are spread out in boxes arranged in such
a convenient way that would-be purchas-
ers can obtain a good view OF anything
to which they take fancy. The ostrich
feathers sold al $3.50 per pound. while
the osprey "aigrettes.'' tips and plumes
cost the modest sum of $50 per ounce.
On single shelf running along the side
of one OF these rooms you can see Sl2o,-
600 worth of feathers ION view" An
actual feather sale sometimes runs into
a million dollars.
Merchandise From Every Cline.
In these special warehouses. one may
also see articles from japan, China and
the east-works OF art, china. hand
wrought screens. teak wood carvings and
oriental art of exquisite workmanship.
Sales Of these articles take place two or
three times a month and regular dealers
are often able to snap up" wonderful
bargains. The sales are open to the pub
lie, but owing to the fact that they are
little known only regulars in certain
trades" take advantage OF them. The
dock companies. in disposing OF these
wares, are not interested as actual own
ers, but only as the agents OF the con-
signees.. The warehouses in which the
special sales take place are not actually
in the docks. but in a more central part
OF London-in Cutler street-nearer the
merchant community. though. OF course.
the buildings and warehouses form an
integral portion Of the dock system.
The immense docking system 10 Lon
in the world All the quays are OF stone.
and each dock 10 fitted with powerful
cranes OF the most perfect pattern. The
docks are provided with gates and locks
so that water to any depth may be OBJ
tanned. Immense pumping stations are
located at certain points. and they work
the gates, cranes and supply hydraulic
power for many purposes.
Whether the government, In taking over
the docks. will manage them better than
private industry has done remains to be
commissary department is TO an army,
and the step. which the government 10
taking is recognized as one OF the most
important moves of modern times, in
volving the direct issue OF state socialism
versus private enterprise. How the ex-
pertinent will pan out will be watched
with interest by politicians and economic
students all over the world
Copyright. 1905. by Curtis Brown)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

All the scents manufactured inside the
docks-and many thousands of tons are
produced each year-are exported TO for
eign ports without paying English duty.
With its enormous tobacco and its scent
factory depending almost wholly on
America. Uncle Sam is well represented
at the port Of London.
Another enormous business carried on
at the docks is the storage of wine. There
are twenty-eight miles of wine vaults.
which extend in series Of almost endless
catacombs under several of the largest
warehouses. A visit to these vaults is one
of the sights of London. Each visitor
must be accompanied by a guide. for
several people have been lost. and the
experiences OF one or two who accident
ally remained overnight have not been
pleasant, owing to the number of rats
which infest the place.
100000 Casks Of Spirits.
From the walls and ceilings Of these
endless passages hang down festoons OF
fungus and moldy growths. which are
not destroyed, as they are considered good
for the wine. These growths come from
the moisture or "breathings" Of the casks.
of which there are usually about 100000
stored away. Wines and spirits are also
blended at the docks In forty-six enor-
nous watts capable of holding 10000 gall
Ions. A large bottling business in wines
and spirits is also carried on. about 1.oOO,-
600 bottles being packed per annum. II
the government takes over the docks they
will thus become blenders of WHISTLES
"a rather peculiar function.
Besides being wine merchants, the gov
eminent would also have to take on a big
drug business. for 1t is through the Lon
don docks that the crude drugs reach
England. One entire building is given up
to spices. cinnamon. quinine, gum arabic
and other substances. Speaking of the
drugs, 1t is a rather singular fact that
during the epidemics OF influenza which
have recently visited London the men
working in the drug house" at the docks
were free from the attacks OF the disease.
This applied to the cinnamon workers
particularly. as no one on the cinnamon
floor had influenza. Other men in the
building, acting on the advice of the Gin
namon men, took two or three drops of
cinnamon oil per day on sugar, and this
kept them immune from all attacks, and
also seemed to stave on other forms OF
disease to which dock laborers are SUBJ
ject.
Handling Tea Imports.
One of the biggest businesses done at
the docks is the handling Of tea, for the
warehouses at the docks receive 169, 600
tons Of tea year. Most OF this comes
from India and Ceylon. these products
having displaced China tea recently Tea
being one Of the few dutiable articles in
England. every packet Is opened up by
the customs officials. 1t is then sorted
and arranged in shops" for the inspec-
ton of selling brokers, who come to the
docks in thousands to do tea tasting at
the expense of the dock companies. Most
of the Indian tea Is "bulked"-that is,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

biggest ships can always enter the Lon
don docks with ease. having at all times
thirty-seven feet of water. whereas IN
Liverpool such ships can only enter the
docks proper on what are called spring
tides and they usually have to lie out
in the MerSey river at landing stage.
Where these ocean leviathans. drawing.
when fully laden, thirty-one to thirty-five
feet. have to wait for deep water on the
bar at New York. there is always forty
three feet of water at the entrance to
the port of London. and plenty of depth
when the vessel reaches the dock side. AT
Southampton big ships rest on the mud
at low tide and they cannot get up to
Hamburg or Antwerp at all.
So much for the size, depth and accom-
mediation of the London docks, but there
is another phase of the question still more
surprising-the quantity and value OF the
materials which reach London. In the
great warehouses which line the dock
side you see materials gathered from the
four corners of the earth. For example,
in going over the docks recently the
writer was shown a warehouse which con-
tanned nothing but ivory.
Ivory Worth 81, 100000.
Spread out on the floor were literally
thousands Of elephants tusks from Afri-
ca, India and Ceylon, little tusks. big
tusks. long ones, short ones. tusks from
fossil elephants, from mammoths, from
baby Notwithstanding into the dim
distance Of the immense floor space al
most as far as the eye could reach. Many
Of the individual tusks weighed $50
pounds, and some were nine feet long AS
crude ivory is worth about So per pound,
each of these tusks would bring $54O In
the wholesale market.
How much is 1t all worth?" the official
was asked.
"Oh, not less than 81, 10000 he said.
in a casual way, as If such tremendous
accumulation of ivory, representing the
death of 10000 elephants. was the merest
matter of course.
Everything at the docks is simply the
biggest ever" Your guide opens door
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

John BULL Arranging to
Take Control of London
Docks Away From Private
Owners, Buying Property
Worth Two Hundred Mill
lions and Trying a Huge Ex-
pertinent in State Socialism
Strange Sights in the Vast
Warehouses, Where in One
Place You Can Find 10000
Elephant Tusks and in An
other a Million Dollars
Worth of Feathers, and in
Another You Can Get Lost
in Twenty-eight Miles of
Wine Vaults - When. the
New Measure Becomes Law
Tohn Bull Will Find Himself
Engaged in Many Unusual
Businesses.