The Mankato free press., 1909-09-17
WHO'S WH0ANDW
THE NORTH POLE DISCOVERY
STARTS GREAT TALKFEST.
Rival Friends and Partisans Engaged
in Savage War of Words; One
Careless Chauffeur on His Way to
Serve Six Months in Prison; Mighty
Mermaid That Has Poked Her
Head Out of Waves.
Especial to The Free Press.1

loPCCidi " fHS fTCC FTcSSsl
New York, Sept. ll.-Backed by hun
dreds of thousands of the rival friends
and partizans of Peary and Cook, the
greatest war of words that ever swept
over Gotham is today being waged at
every corner and turn of this town. All
Brooklyn has risen to defend the ex-
elusive claims to the pole of its citi-
zen, DIR. Cook, while an army of the
followers of Peary's Arctic club are
taking up the cudgels for the long
suffering lieutenant. While partizan
spirit runs high between these two
great bodies Of New Workers, who as
sert that only one explorer is entitled
to the honors of the discovery of the
north pole, many of the clamoring null
titude are convinced that both adven-
turers are either successful beyond
question or grossly deceiving their pub
lic Altogether the engrossing question
of this polar problem is turning tine
metropolis into sad Bedlam, which
only the arrival and examination of the
rival arctic scouts can ever quiet.
NLd cuIS Ale SueCKeQ.
With one careless chauffeur on his
way to serve six months in prison and
every officer of the law alert to make
other examples of this deadly tribe.
New York city is today opening the
most drastic crusade against reckless
motor driving that has ever been at
tempted here. Only by great luck was
the death and injury of scores of
passengers I'm street car averted i'm
the accident that is sending this taxi
driver to Jail and possible after-trial
Tor lack OF license. Light fines or
useless reprimands have usually been
the only penalty inflicted for such
criminal carelessness in the streets of
this town; but today it is assured
that prison cells will in future house
every motoring menace to public life
and limb. If the courts will back up
consistently this first move to enforce
the traffic laws, the long delayed curb
ing OF Gotham's mad motor whirl is
believed to be at hand.
She Is Mighty Mermaid.
Scores OF the sturdiest men who
guard the beaches as professional life
savers are today envying the feat of
Adeline Trip, the pretty girl of eigh-
teen, who has just succeeded in swim
ming the turbulent water of He'll Gate
where few men have stood the test of
seven miles of mighty cross currents
and whirlpools. After battling for two
hours and a half with eddies that
turned back, beaten, dozens of the best
men in the prize contest, this smiling
slip of a girl has crossed the worst
channel of all the island, the first
woman of the deadly water course. No
accomplishment of athletic woman has
ever excited more interest here than
this. startling exploit of Miss Tripp
and, it will be many day before
her daredevil plunge along the rocky
rapids is forgotten among the fre-
quenters of the water front.
Fate of Clyde Fitch
All Broadway is today regretting the
fate that cut off Clyde Fitch in the
zenith of a career that was making
merry the multi de of its frequenters.
As prolific pla. wright the theatric
men of this town declare, Fitch has
no equal in the later history of Amer
lean amusements. To the pen of this
versatile playmaker they looked each
fall for much that would entertain the
winter army of theatre goers and en-
gage the talents of galaxy of stars.
About the lobbies and clubs of the
Rialto here Fitch had become one of
the most familiar figures, and his
ready quips will be missed by the
few of his personal acquaintance, as
audience public. To mirror real life to
the millions to whom he spoke was
the aim which Clyde Fitch always
said he sought to reach New York
can afford to lose little of its small
store of dramatic talent devoted to
this artistic end
Time Tarries.
i Hundreds of souls have been trou-
bled throughout the skyseraper belt
today solely because the tiny time
ball has failed for the first time in
years to mark noon by dropping from
its official pole on an adjoining roof.
Crowds blocked the streets all about
the signal station for hours after the
familiar old ball halted in its regular
noon descent and other crowds are to-
day watching to see that their steady
time keeper does not fail again. Some
trifiing hitch in the mechanism that
signals noon from Washington to all
New York has been found to be re-
sponsible for this upset of routine, and
now with this adjusted the famous old
ball will still continue to regulate the