Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-11-19
REVIEW OF Ten YEARS
Many Great Twentieth Century
Achievements Hitherto Were
OnIy Dreamed Of.
AVIATION AND EXPLORATION.
Completion of Pacific Cable and
Many Engineering Enterprises
Visions Realized.

Through the achievements of DR.
Frederick A. Cook and Commander
robert A. Peary the years 1908 and
l9O9 have been made remarkable fol
all time.
So rapid was the development OF
the latter years of the nineteenth cen.
fury in all departments of human en-.
deavor, so wonderful the results, that
upon the threshold of the twentieth
century the traveller paused and
Gueried: is there anything more to
be done? Are there any more worlds
to conquer? Is there any more glory
to be gained? Must not wonderful
achievements, those which are to be-
come a part of the worlds history be-
cause no accurate history can be writ.
ten without them-must not such
achiements become rare in the TWEEN
tieth century,"
To such a pessimist the events Of
the last few weeks must have been
a shock, says the New York Herald.
Across the English channel, from
French soil to British, sped a ina in
the air, Bleriot, on a flying machine,
a contrivance of wood and metal,
heavier than air, with the speed of a
bird-in the realm of birds.
Mems Dream Are Fulfilled.
Men dreamed of such things in the
nineteenth century. They dreamed of
them when men first saw birds fly, but
until the twentieth century came they
never developed their thoughts and
ideas into a practical reality tina great
nations must give up their gold
if they are to stay in the race for SUI
premacy.
And while the Wrights, those won
derful and successful %aviators, and
Curtiss and Bleriot and Farman and
others have been developing the
heavier thar air flying machine, Count
Zeppelin has been developing the di-
rigible balloon into a great air battle
ship.
In the excitement produced by the
achievements of DR.. Cook and Com
mander Peary the feats of the Maure-
tania have gained but slight recogni-
tion. Eastward and westward has this
noble vessel crossed the Atlantic, each
way, in less than five days, and so
close to four days that she may we'll
be called a four-day boat.
This has been the dream of steam
ship men and those who so down to
he sea in ships ever since the ocean
flyer was developed. 1t was the dream
Of the declining ear of the old CEN
fury. 1t is the actuality of the early
years of the new. The Lusitania &C.
complished it a short time ago. 1t held
the record just a week. The Maure-
tania surpassed it by seven minutes,
making the run from Daunt's Rock, off
Queenstown, to Ambrose Channel
Lightship in 4 days II hours and 35
minutes.
Some Recent Accomplishments.
Turning to other fields of twentieth
century achievement, it is to be re-
corded that on Feb. 25, 1901, J.. Pier
pont Morgan startled the financial
world by the incorporation of the bill
~lion-dollar United States Steel Corpor-
alton, the greatest corporation in the
WOTld or Id history.
In 1903 the Pacific cable was com
pleted n on July 4 President Roose-
vent sent the first message over it to
Gov. Taft Of the Philippines, and the
President also sent another message
around the world by cable in twelve
minutes.
March II, 1904, an achievement of
crooio1 i,faro,t T.. \Tor, vor1. e-I.
was the completion Of one of the tun-
nels under the Hudson.
In the latter part of May Admiral
Togo won everlasting fame by destroy
ing the Russian fleet and President
Roosevelt was hailed as the great
peacemaker when he interviewed to end
the war.
April 1.-The Simplon tunnel, the
longest tunnel in the world, was
opened from the Swiss and Italian
sides.
Rockefeller and Sage Gifts.
John D. Rockefeller achieved addi-
tional fame in the year 1907 by Civ
ing $32, O0O, 900 to the general educa-
tional board.
March 12-Mrs. Russell Sage created
the Sage Foundation with S1O,O 600, 900
for philanthropic work.
Judge Lands of Chicago sprang into
fame with a hop-skip-and-a-ju.mp on
Aug. 3, when he fined the Standard
Oil Company s29, 24O, 900 in the United
States District Court.
On Aug. 7 the Belmont tunnel was
opened from AID street to Long Island
City.
The same a saw the American
battleship fleet start on it's voyage
around the world, completing it on
Feb. %, 1909.
Jan. 9, 1908, the East River tunnel
from the battery to Brooklyn was
opened.
New York people have always be-
fore them in Madison Square a great
achievement, the Metropolitan Life In
surance Building, the highest building
in the world.
Commuters hail the opening Of the
Hudson River tunnel, which makes
Jersey City but three minues away, as