davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
HOTELS IN SUMMER DRESS.
How the Frequent Changes in the Sea
 son Are Met at Big Hostelries.

From the New York Herald
 While hotel might apepar better in winter dress until the last of the chill winds have died away, we find it advisa- ble to put on summer decorations early, and shall probably go through the rather unique ceremony next Monday night" said B. L. M. Bates, proprietor of the Hotel Belmont. Last year l ordered the heavy hangings down on April 1. but re- gretted it later, for the weather turned cold and we all felt rather depressed for a week or two.
 The whole change from winter to sum- mer Is made in one night. We employ few expert men from the large decorating shops and supply the rest of the force here. About 40 men do the work of taking down heavy velvet and plush hangings at windows and doors. They remove winter rugs from the main lobby and the recep- ton rooms above. Lace makers take the huge panels of lace that are stretched on frames when made. They are cleaned and mended on these frames. few expert lace workers from France are in New York for the purpose of keeping tho hand some panels used here and elsewhere in repair.
 ''The heavy curtains and portieres are brushed cleaned, dried and then put in cold storage. It is necessary to keep the cold storage room absolutely dry and for this purpose there are ventilators to per init dry air to pass through the room continually. This overcomes the moisture that collects on the cold pipes.
 "In place of winter furnishings we use linen curtains, reed chairs and other things that are not ruined by dust or stray draughts in bad weather.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
Capital, $1,O00,O

ton the same day but more often 24 hours after the date or the weather prediction.
 But there are only seven of these district forecast offices in all our many thousand miles of territory; Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Louisville Den yer, San Francisco and Portland Ore. The Chicago office, from which I get my Sleepy Eye service, is obliged to cover IA states and also one or two special regions. such as the Upper Lakes, etc. l do not get any local fore casts at all.
 Such large cities as Milwaukee and Cleveland are allowed to publish local forecasts provided that the local ob server for at least two years has shown himself qualified" to make such forecasts. But these local forecasts for large cities are good for only 20 miles Where does that leave me at Sleepy Eye? What I really get at Sleepy Eye Is a remote and general prediction, handed out to my state from dis trict office some hundreds of miles away; and my prediction is always hedged with the statement that the bureau does not claim to predict local conditions!' The obvious answer is that I ought to move my farm to Chi cago. Cleveland, or some other large city.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
Honest for Hih Age. :

i Every day oI his life, and in many ht- tie ways, Robert. Murdock discharged some portion of his hereditary obliga- tion. and felt the responsibility of that peculiar relationship which the ante bellum patriarchs sustained toward their people. He was not their master, but the Almighty had endowed him with greater gifts than theirs. Noblesse oblige.
 ..Well. Uncle Andrew, I'm glad to see you Sit down."
 ! Murdock's voice grew softer as he spoke to the old negro who came in, leading a small boy by the hand. Un- cle Andrew was an old-timer, one of the remaining few.
 .'Marse Robert. please, sun, take dis boy in de sto an teach i'm sumpin' l can't do nuthin' wid i'm. He kin sweep out an fetch water an run errands"
 Murdoclk glanced at the shrinking, white-eyed little negro: Well, Uncle An drew, is he honest?"
 Andrew scratched his head, considered a long time, and replied. Dunno, Marse Robert-dunno yit But I spec he's tol- erable honest fer he age."
 Every well, Uncle Andrew; the boy can stay here if you want him to. Send hin, down tomorrow; Aunt 'Cindy will take care of him at the big house."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
KEEN COMPETITION BRINGS BIG ORDERS Finished Steel Products Reach
 Low Price WEEKS SALE 100000 TONS The Curtis Publishing Company Of Philadelphia Places Largest struc- turaI Contract for the Week.
 Calls for 15,ooo Tons.
WEEKS SALE 100000 TONS

New York, April 25.-The keen competition among the steel mills for orders of finished products has resulted in the placing of large vol ume of business during the week at very low prices. In some instances, notably for steel pipe, the lowest prices in Il years have been made. Wire products, prices for which have been better main tained than for other material, with the single exception of rails, have yielded from s1 to s2 per ton, nails now selling from $1.S5 to $1.95 per keg.
 Contracts have been closed for finished steel products aggregatinS about 4oo'ooo tons. including 10000 tons of rails, TO- GOO tons of bilets, 5O,ooo tons of structural and fabricated steel, 4o,o0o tons of wire uroducts, 4O,O0 tons of plates and 25,OOO tons of bars.
 The largest rail contracts were 65,OOo tons for the St. Paul, and the lowest contract was 5000 tons for the Central Railway of New England, a branch Of the New Haven.
 The largest structural contract was 15,- 900 tons for the Curtis, Publishing com pany building at Philadelphia, awarded to the American Bridge company.
 The Erie has divided it's contracts for sooo tons among three different interests
 Export business for rails and bridge material has been placed, calling for 3D. GOO tons .,
 Tn the eastern territory the buying movement of pig iron has developed ad- ditional sales of about 3OOOO tons or pasic' malleable and gray foundry iron ana pus- mess is still pending for about 5OOOO tons out of a total of 150,0OO tons in all sections. Prices have been relatively low but better sustained than in the central
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
THE TORNADO MAY BE
 FAMED, SAYS BUCKLEY

of. water. Immediately the water is try ing to seek it's level rushes through the pipe to the barrel containing the lesser amount of water. and instead of coming to perfect rest or level at once, it oscil- lates backward and forward into the two barrels, until after a few moments the water finds it's level
 "The water represents the electrical charge; the opening of the valve repre- sents the breaking down of the air space between the two clouds, while the water oscillating backward and forward repre- sents the lightning.
 "The barrel that contained the larger quantity of water represented positive electricity, while the barrel containing the lesser amount represented negative electricity. Having capitalized they are now both positive and negative, as the case may be, and so on until the barrels tain an equal amount of water, at which time the electrical conditions may be said to be balanced.
 Ut must be borne in mind that unlike the slow movement of the water, electri- cal effects oscillate al a tremendous speed, at the rate of S5,0G0 miles a second. The finding of a perfect balance would, there- fore, consume but very small fraction of second.
 Waterspouts Are the Same.
 ''Waterspouts may be classed as forna- does of less magnitude. The cause and forma ton are identically the same but of much less speed which is due to the weight of the water rushing up through the vacuum of the air, caused by the magnetic whirls, rather than the cause of any great lifting tendency of the disturb ance. At times the potential, in finding a resistance through the water, overfows, to to speak, and form other spouts in the mediate vicinity, until it may be said the potential becomes satisfied.
 But the storms or the lines of force do not always concentrate or confine themselves so vigorously to a narrow path, for the air may be eleetro-magnet- ically strained throughout a large area, in which case a much milder and broader effect would be produced, as in the case of ordinary storms.
 "In the beginning of the world, when the air was too feeble to swell its mag netlc lines of force to the position they now occupy, air punctures or tornadoes were many and severe, and doubtless hap pened without an intermediate body, even coming out of blue sky. This state of affairs will again apepar toward the last ages of the globe. when the air will have lost the density and strength as a dielec- tric, and will permit the earth's currents to short-circuit into storms undreamed of as if they would efface from the land of the earth the last footsteps of mankind.
 If tornadoes, then, are the result of the breaking down of the dielectrc by the earths lines of force, may 1t not be reasonable to presume that the tornadoes and cyclone disturbances of the sun may be the same origin-the difference be- tween the earth and the sun being in the fact that the suns dielectric Is too weak to support its lines of force, which would account for the frequency of storms on it's surface?"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
A MYTHICAL PAGANINI.
Branded as the Devils Ally, a Mur-
 derer and a Mailman.

From Everybody's Magazine.
 Paganini is always alluded to as the greatest" violinist (which he was not) and as the craziest man who ever heId fiddle (which he was not). Techni- cally considered, he was the most as founding eXecutant in the history of his art. No one has riyaled him in dex- terity, in extravagance, in passionate outbursts. His peculiar personality coupled with his enormous command of the fingerboard and bow, completed his conquest of the public. From the first he set Italy on fire, and to account for his genius he became the center of network of fairy tales. It may be ad- mitted that he did not seek to deny the ridiculous reports spread about him. He was said not only to be an ally of Signore Satan but murderer who had served his term in the galleys, where leisure gave him an opportunity to per feet his matchless mechanical skill. Furth ermore he had gone to the gal- leys because of a love murder. An, they had passionate press agents" in those days!
 Beaten in early youth by cruel father, his liberty when it did come, only drove him to excesses. He gam bled away his money as soon as he earned it, nor was his private life a matter for publica tion. He hurt his health and was forced to retire from the public for long intervals This practice. gave rise to the legendary Paganini. We know that he never mur- dered any one except himself, that the only devil who haunted him was the devil called gaming; but he did dis sipate. and several love affairs played important roles in his curious career. He wrote a piece for two strings, the and stripUs duO and nafura I1V it was set down to a love affair at Lucca. Followed a fantasy for the c string, at the suggestion of Napoleons sister, It was called "A Military Son ata, Napoleon though the sonata form never bothered the composer.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
CHfNA'S BENEVOLENT DESPOT.
Empress Dowaeer Arranged the Sue
 cession as She Willed.
From Everybody's Magazine.

From Everybodys Magazine.
 The law in China provides that the Emperor shall appoint his successor from the most worthy of--hls descendants or next of kin, but since the beginning of tho last stage of the reign of the great Elm press Dowager-from 1898 until her death the only law in China has been the Empress Dowager herself. She could have said with greater truth than the French Louis, IL etat, c'est moi"; and so far as will ever be known. it was by the sole act of her excellent wilr' that the broth- CT of the late Emperor, Kuang Hsu, was made Prince Regent, an office which con- stitutes hiR absolute ruler of China dur ing the minority of his son. This son, the baby Emperor by a process of double adoption, was made successor to Tung Chih, the son of the Empress Dowager. who died in 1875, and ''heir' to Kuang Hsu, who was himself the adopted son of Tung Shih's father. This eliminated Kuang Hsu from the imperial line on the ground that he was of the same genera tion as Tung Chin and hence could not worship him as ancestor. It was this that the Great Dowager tried to do In 1898, when she 6ethroned the Emperor and appointed the son of Prince Yuan sue cessor to her son, Tung Chin; but the world objected, and she yielded. Now her wish has become fact,
 This is all very strange and compli cated to the western mind, but it was the excellent will' of the Empress Dowager; and the power which her imperial majesty wielded, if one ignores the simple force of her gigantic personality, is best explained by MT. Ku Hung ming, who, in brave but mistaken defense of her position against attacks in the foreign press, says: By the first fundamental law of state iii China, resting upon the principle of
 .I.s .I.. the supreme authority in the Chinese body polite of H. l. M. the Empress Dow ager, as mother of the nation, or country, admits of absolutely no question or doubt" And that majority of tho people in China were in harmony with
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
 THAT DON'T PAN.
The Farmer Gets, at Best, Only Gen
 eral Guess at the Weather.
oA, Everybody's Ma agazine.

F'roh Everybody's Ma agazine.
 Suppose that my name is John Smith, and that I live at Sleepy Eye, Minne- sota, and that I get a bulletin of the weather by act of Professor Moore. In the first place, this bulletin was not meant for me at all. It did not even come from my state. It came from Chicago; which Is to say, in this case, from the North Central Forecasting station. Either I get this district fore cast, or I get a national>forecast made by wire from Wash ington. Every night there is forecast made ep at Washington which Is sent all over the country. Every morning there are sent out district forecasts; which Is to say. state forecasts made up at district sta tions. These bulletins. printed about Il a. m., some times reach their destina-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
Can't Give Plants Away.

From the Boston Journal.
 By one of those funny slips which some times happen even in the best regulated of legislatures the House yesterday passed to engrossment bill which forbids any person to give his neighbor plant, tree or shrub without a growers license under penalty of from $25 to S100 fine.
 The bill got by the committee on bills in the third reading and this clause in the original bill was carried along with the plain intention. as it's packers stated, of having a state nursery inspection to protect trees and plants from disease and insects.
 A motion to reconsider will be offered today.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
A Fair Exchanqc.

From the Baltimore American.
 "Whcn Binks was courtins his wife, he opened his heart to her.
 "Well?"
 "She exchanged with him. After they were married she opened his eyes.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
UNION STATION
and Nashville Railroad.
Birmingham Mineral Railroad.

Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic. Arrive from Depart to- Brunswick ..12:20 pm Brunswick =. 4.10 pm Trains marked thus @ run daily except Sunday.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
Getting Elm Out of the May.

From the YonlSers Statesman.
 Penman.A certain society has made ma an offer to buy all of my poems. Wright-It must be the Humane society.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
An Early Day Prediction.

Tn those same days of teaching school this quiet young woman, who attended so strictly to her own business, was 'in so- ciety" in Cincinnati It is recounted now how, among other places. she spent an afternoon at the home of Mrs. John l.. Stettinius. one of the aristocratic families of the Queen City. Among others, Mrs. George H. Pendleton, wife of the senator, was there. Mrs. Pendleton was a woman who knew the world, had met diplomats and their wives in Washington, and else- where, but she Is quoted as being partic- ularly struck with the lovely manners and sweet demeanor of Miss Heron. Girded and shod and bid me play
 What first lady of the land she might make!' she said to a friend in speak ing of her that evening. That was al- most 30 years ago.
 Miss Heron had abundant time for both social and pedagogical duties. School then lasted from until ?, with a noon recess of perhaps half an hour. She came up in the old Walnut Hills cable, now a memory, or else, oftener than that. she took the horse car through the park. That was far pleasanter, for it was but short walk from her home on Pike street. almost around the corner from the Tafts present residence, to the foot of the in cline. Then up the hill, at whose top the Rockwood pottery, labor of love of Mrs. Bellamy Storer, was later to arise, and through Eden park, where the elder Longworth had his vineyards years be- fore, she passed
 A quarter of a century later, little did the woman dream, from the great water tower then unbuilt in the park. fireworks would gleam to welcome her husband when he came to receive the news of nomination to the presidency. That was in 1882 In 1908, In this park, crowds thronged the bluffs overlooking the Ohio to watch the night illuminations for Taft on his notification day.
 But the young school teacher rode in the poky horse car and ohatted with the grizzled old driver, now memory to many, and perhaps, while the horses stopped to rest under the naples, picked a handful of red clover as so many did in those days. .
 After the third year Miss Heron gave up school teaching. It wasn't so very long before she changed her name to Taft.
 The house where William H. Taft was married is still intact, occupied by John Heron. It stands almost across from Charles P. Taft's, where notification day ceremonies were held
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
DRS. DOZIER & DOZIER,s

DhS. UOZlEk & DOZIER' MEDICO-sURGiCAL AND ELECTRO
 THERAPEUTIC INSTITUTE.
 I17H North Twenty-first Street
 A strictly high-class instifutaa VIA: IA, the scientific treatment of all Chronic and Genito-Urinary diseases, Defornn'iiee fnie ties Tumors. Stiff Joints, Cancer Tm i- pus, Malignant Ulcers, Rheunatisu,,, and Consumption. Venerial Disease of every name anu
 nature, form and characfer are
 also treated and q legal
 GUARANTEE OF CURE WILL pr
 GIVEN IN EVERY CASE bE Our equipment consisting of we'll kept Prescription Department. X-RaI Violet Kay, Static and Galvano- -Fara,, die apparatus. Superb eated Air. Eea- tric Light Cabinet. Eureka NebnIieecc, IIecr and Ozone Inhalatfons for nose tLer and lungs ana thoroughly equipped to-date in every particular piua au up prestige over all competitors us bang %nw IH Sar oT naSa ,psSiS ns Of practice ata FROM THE PRESS sEMENTs
 The Birmingham Ledger: Tho Dozer are without With doubt the the best prst their fame is due entirely to to tba,a and The Birmingham News: Roth ). IT, ana BypSh nb.osic,s pozier are reliable eeons who deserve the greatest s,,csur- sur Which has been and is theirs. success The Age Herald: Drs. Dozier's lone standing and approved abilities entitis them to the proud distinction of stand ing at the head of tn cir profession. Correspondence InvIted--Con0uItation
 and Examination Free. | Question list sent free on request of out t-of-town persons.
 Terms liberal and confidence held in- violate. office hours a. m. to p. m. SundavA a. m. to D. m.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
Central of Georgia Railway.
Seaboard Air Line Railway.

Arrive from Depart to- Washington 9:50 pm Washington s15 am Atlanta .,... 2:10 pm Atlanta ...... 4:15 pm
 Illinois Central Railroad. Arrive from Depart to- Chicago ..... 3:15 pm Chicago .. 200 pm
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-26
CERecfiYe April ID, I9a0.) TERMINAL STATION.
Southern Railway.
Queen and crescent Route.
Frisco System.

Arrive from Depart to-
 Kansas City. 4:o5 pm Kansas City .12;2o pm Kansas City. 500 am Kansas City. .10:3O pm Winfield .....10:3o am Winfield ..... 3:45 pm Memphis .... 6:00 pmMemphis .... FPS am
The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-15
eoTHAM's RAINY.DAY cAvERNs
New York's Financial District Honey.
combed with Tunnels.

No city In the world can present
such rainy-day conveniences as New
York. says writer In the Telegraph
of that city.
Take the financial district, for in
stance. 1t is not known to any but
those whose business carries them
through that district enough to know
the paths. but on a rainy day one can
travel almost all around downtown
New York without going outside ex-
cept at certain places where they have
neglected to make tunnels
The knowledge OF all these subter-
ranean ways In lower New York is of
immense value TO the men who handle
the millions in that section and to the
clerks who chase around on various
errands. especially on rainy days.
was downtown the other day and
1t was raining. / had stopped In to
see banker friend and be proposed
that we go to a certain place for lunch.
l remarked that / had no umbrella
1T makes no difference" he said.
"We1will not go outside"
arose and followed him. wondering
what he meant. He took me down to
basement in an elevator, Then we
wound around through the basement
of one great office building after an
other, We arrived three blocks from
where we started and we never went
Into the outside air
IL was a revelation to me. He said
that was nothing I'VE Travelled over
but little bit of the ground we might
have gone over. or perhaps 1t would be
more proper to say gone under, this
way. You may travel all over the f.
nancial district without going outside
except at two or three places, and
these Will be tunneled within the next
year or two. 1t takes an expert
knowledge of downtown New York to
get through these passages. however.
There is no danger OF getting lost. It
Is not cave. But If you do not know
the way you are liable to fetch up at
some other point than the one you
started OUT for"
The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-15
FOR THE FIRST TIME.

For the first time since the Central
Pacific WAS completed in 1869. pas
scnger trains wcst-bound will be di-
verted at Ogden and started for Cali
fornia via Salt Lake City.
Union Pacific trains arriving this
afternoon. instead OF proceeding over
the Southern Pacific, will be switched
to the Oregon Short Line and trans.
ferred at Salt Lake to the San Pedro
rond, on the first leg OF triangle
which will carry the passengers to
Mojave, In Southern California, from
whence they will proceed north to
San Francisco, total distance OF
about 1000 miles. or half across the
continent.
The railroad bridges over the big
rivers In the neighborhood OF Sacra-
nento have been washed out, and the
tracks through the snow sheds and
along the Truckee river are swept
by streams of water from the rain
and the rapidly melting SHOWS, maxi
ing great part OF tho Southern Pa
cihc a storm disturbed railroad.
Years ago. when the winter SHOWS
OF the spring rains blocked the road
across the SIerras or over the low
lands. trains were held for days, wait
ing the raising Of the blockade. Oc-
casIonally snowshed was destroyed.
closing the line to traffic. Then there
was no alternative-passeng were
forced to trust to Providence or mans
ability to lift the blockade. Now the
San Pedro offers escape and, while
II affords a circuitous route through a
barren waste. the longer journey is
welcomed by those who are eager to
reach their destination.