Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-12

events ~ the National capital
Perhaps there is no relation between the
unseemly excess Of hot air In circulation
just now and the extra session OF con-
gress. but the weather man. who is onto
his job, in fashioning his tables OF mean
temperatures can hardly ignore the output
Of s,77e,OOO published words at both ends
Of the capitol as factors in the case. II
should be remembered also. that only one
end Of the capitol was In active eruption al
a time. Had both ends worked together.
the consequences appals speculation. The
national treasury, too, perspired to the ex-
tent OF 100000, and countless corporate
bodies nearly as copiously. II had prepared
a statement showing what the extra SEES
sion was going to cost the treasury said
Senator Curtis Of Kansas, but did not get
quite to the speechmsking stage of it. II
l had, it would have prolonged the session
some more and cost the government more
money. As near as l could make out it
was costing Uncle Sam about Ii5OyOO a
week at the very lowest estimate"
Congress was in session this time twenty
week. Twenty times $4,000 is t3,0Oo,0Oo.
Add to this sum the thousands Of items Of
cost that the government must pay, long
aIter the session Is enueu,l Dul winch VIII
be either directly or indirectly caused by
the meeting Of lawmakers, and the gov
eminent may consider itself fortunate II it
gets inside OF the N,O0O,Oo0 mark. 1t is
a conservative estimate to figure the money
spent in Washington and in getting to
Washington by the lobbyists at another
million.
Champagne flowed like water while they
! uvare Iahprtpo NTH tho nnnCrae0unap. THAR
hotel and automobile bills were of the first
magnitude, and the fees they gave to help
full assistants would probably sstonish a
layman to see. Adding the million spent
by the lobbyists to the 1900. 900 to be paid
by the government, your arrive at the S.
900, 900 mark without stretching the prob
abilities one cents worth.
AS from 700 to 500 people are killed. twice
as many injured, and an immense amount
of property destroyed by lightning every
year. Prof. Henry. of the weather bureau,
thinks more attention should be given to
protection from lightning. The professor
has recently prepared a paper on this sub
ject, and It has been published as Farmers
Bulletin No. 9s7 OF the United States De-
partment OF Agriculture. In explaining what
lightning is and how to prevent buildings
from being struck, he gives an instructive
r elementary discussion OF electricity, con-
ductors and nonconductors positive and
negative Identification, and electricity in
D thunder storms.
1t is the practical part OF this paper,
however, which will appeal most strongly
to the farmers OF the country. Prof. Henry
shows how lightning rods that are lin
expensive yet effective" may be put up By
anybody. The following is his list OF the
necessary materials: Enough galvanized
iron telegraph wire to serve for the rod,
a pound of galvanized iron staples to hold
the wire In place, a few connecting tees
and a pound of aluminium paint. He says
while iron is not so good a conductor
as copper, it is less likely to cause danger
Gus side flashes, and It also dissipates the
energy of the lightning flash more effect
lively than does the copper"
The methods of putting up the rods Is
explained and illustrated, This bulletin is
for free distribution.
DR.. Harvey w. Wiley, chief chemist OF
the Agricultural department and guardian
of the pure food laws, has started a crusade
: against embalmed cucumbers and gherkIns
inoculated with alum. He asserts thai
withered and half spoiled cucumbers are
given generous HypOueTmlCb Oh alum, dnO
! under its magic influence the once soft
soggy and generally disreputable pickle OF
y is pumped out, rejuvenated and
e becomes so pleasing to the eye that few
persons can resist it's alluring attractive
u ness.
. Although the board of food and drug in.
r spection has had the question of the use
I of alum as a preservative under considera
i ton for several weeks, no decision has We
r been given.
Meanwhile, DR.. Wiley is working assidu
ously against the embalmed pickle and til,
alleged INSCRIPTIONS undertakes. Alum
he says, is one Of the lesser known pre-
servatives, its use being more circumscribec
d than that Of benzoate of soda, borax, for
maldehyde and other chemicals on which
manufacturers wax fat while the consum
> ers grow lean,
What benzoate of soda Is to the decay
a ing tomato and borax to- embalmed beef
alum is to the limp and lifeless cucumber,
says DR.. Wiley. The public does not ap
preciate the woes and misery concsale,
g beneath the verdant jacket Of the innocen
d looking pickle"
The new vault In the treasury for emer
i gency currency has now been completed
and wagon load after wagon load Of bill.
has been deposited in It. This vault is 8
u triumph OF the safemakers' art and in
genuity. 1t is considered TO be proof
against fire, earthquake and thieves. 4
cost A 5000. 1t Is two stories high, with
= interior wall OF harveyized steel, half al
inch thick. all incased in masonry anC
! cement which is more than two feet thick
The chief protection to the vault lies be
tween the cement and the steel wall
This Is a network OF wire u
a connected with electric bells that even 1
robbers could get to the vault, as soon a.
any instrument whatever cut through tn,
walls to the wires, there would be al
!, alarm given in the watchman's room, jus
n a short distance away. The electric ap
paratus is under constant surveillance
There is a "buzEer" attached to it which
is put In operation automatically ever!
fifteen minutes. day and night. II tn,
a signal wires were to get out OF gear fl
N any way, the buzzer would not work, ant
the Waterman would Immediately repor
the fact.
Inside the vault there are racks for tn,
- receDtion of the money. and in there 4