Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-03
IN THE MAGAZINES

| IA in the January Wide World Mag
a. azine of the meteoric career Of
the largest "dirigible balloon ever
constructed, and which was intended
to carry no fewer than a score Of pas
sengers between New York and San
Francisco. Nearly every well-known
principle of airship construction was
violated. The proportions were i'm
practicable, the craft being 4S0 feet
long and having a diameter of only
thirty-four feet. The gas-bag was like
! a huge snake, having no rigidity, either
horizontically or vertically, and not
being stiffened by trusting Of any ade-
ouate sort. The motive power was
supplied by six separate four-cylinder
40-horsepower automobile engines,
| hung below the balloon at intervals.
The balloon was one great, undivided
bag, containing from 100000 to 300, 900
cubic feet OF gas, but having no COM
partments or internal air-bags. Its
lifting capacity was from eight to ten
TONS so that 1t was much the largest
airship ever built in America even
exceeding in dimensions the great
"dirigible' Of Count Won Zeppelin. The
| account Of the voyage" when this ex-
traordinary airship once started with
it's twenty passengers is one of the
most exciting stories in the history Of
| balIooning, and how 1t was ever pos
sible to get so many sane individuals
| to intrust their lives to such ma
chine must forever remain a mystery.
The photographs which accompany the
| narrative are the most striking of the
kind we remember to have seen.
When Goal Oil Johnny bought all
the champagne in New York and emp
| tied it into a plunge bath, so that ne
| might take a, swim in the sparkling
wine, he was, by comparison, mean
| and penuriOuS miSer. The only real,
ginuine, open-handed and free-hearted
| spendthrift in the tides of time is the
government Of the United States. Tor
| instance:
| When Jay Cooke and his colleagues
were projecting the Northern Pacific
railroad they took off their hats and
made a bow to congress.
Were thinking Of building to the
Pacific coast" they said. Cant you
give us a little help?'
why, certainly the congress re-
piled enthusiastically. Just take the
| state Of New York and go to work"
"Oh!" said the railroad promoters in
q, panied voice, SIS that all? Why, we
really expected something substantial
| WELL congress answered, swelling
with philanthropy and putting its hand
| into the public pocket, of course, II
| nut Massachusetts, Connecticut, New
! Jersey, Rhode Island and Delaware on
the string, too. Now run along and
| get busy"
Stiu the promoters stood and looked
patheticaIly at that tender-hearted ag-
gregation of statesmen.
why, certainly sobbed congress
| finally, vainly endeavoring to conceal
| its emotion, ''we'll have the people
| lend you what money you need, too
| Please don't look at us in that tone of
voice any longer"
| In other words, the land grant of
| forty-seven millions Of acres made as
| a free gift to the Northern Pacific Rail
road company by the national congress
more than EQUALS in extent the total
area Of the states of New York, Massa-
chusetts, Connecticut New Jersey,
Rhode Island and Delaware.
Up to twelve years ago congress had
| given away the public domain to rail-
road and other corporations to the ex-
tent Of 266,O0o,000 acres, a bit of terri
| tory the total area Of France and Ger
many, two countries which support
| between them a population much great
| er than the whole population of the
| United States when the last census
was taken.-From Henry M. Hyde's
'eWho Owns the Earth and How Did
They Get IT," in Technical World
Magazine for January:
/ Dreams are tricksters. Prof. Titche-
ner Of Cornell university tells with
gusto Of his experience. AS a specialist
in psychology he has interested him
self in dreams Like a true scientist
he once set about gathering data. He
wanted to know what caused dreams,
where they came from, what they
meant, and all that. He determined to
watch himself when he slept and to
awake himself at once when he found
| himself dreaming something of value.
| So with a notebook on a writing table
near his bed he forced himself to waken
for several nights and to write down,
while the dream impressions were vivid,
| his remen1brances Of the details, and
| by study of the room, the bed and
his physical condition to attempt to
arrive at the possible causes of his
| dreams.
He was getting on famously. One
night he had a particularly vivid
dream. In accordance with his prac-
/ tice he forced himself to awake and
Immediately write down clearly every
thing about 1t. Then he went back to
sleep again. The next morning he
arose and was astonished to see that
| his note sheet was blank. He remem-
bered positively the notes he had set
down thereon in the middle Of the pre-
ceding night. The next night again he
wrote down his notes after his dreams.
only to have the same uncanny sensa-
ton the next morning at finding moth
! ing recorded.
The strange circumstances set him to
Wondering. That night he impressed