Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-03

II Record during forty-seven years,
- and with a record of fifty-seven
years in the newspaper business, N. E.
stevens in point of continuous service
the oldest newspaper man in America,
if not in the world, has decided that
the time has come when he must make
way for younger generation. Mr..
stevens is nearing his eightieth birth
anniversary, yet he is at his desk every
day and keeps longer hours than the
average day laborer. He's going to re-
tire, though. He says so himself, but
as yet has not determined the exact
date.
Paxton is little town in Illinois.
The Record editor, however, is not a
native of that state, having been born
In Ohio. When he took charge of the
paper in an early day, most of his
subscriptions and advertising accounts
were paid in farm produce. And here,
by the way, is a glorious opportunity
for the yellow journal statistician.
Why not print a picture of a cow gaz
ing placidly over the roof of the Flat
iron building; of a sack of potatoes
which easily dwarfs Mount Mckinley;
and of a hog big enough to uproot
Manhattan island, together with fig
ures purporting to show that if all the
COWS, all the potatoes and all the hogs
paid to Mr.. Stevens on account of his
paper could be rolled into one they
would make the formidable showing
depicted.
incidentally 1t naturally follows that
if all the words he has written in his
busy life were placed in a straight line
they would reach to Halley's comet and
back again.
r. b. Watrous, secretary of the
American Civic association, is planning
a novelty for the entertainment and
instruction of patrons of the moving
picture theaters. Mr.. Watrous says
American civilization Is f1y-specked.
He says the common or garden variety
of house fly is a greater menace to lon
geyity than all the plaques and pesti-
lences of the world rolled into one.
1t is just barely possible you may
have heard all this before. Certainly
you have heard of the yellow fever
danger lurking in the trousers pocket
of that siren-voiced singer, the Jersey
skeeter. However, Watrous is going
to show you. He has taken moving
pictures of a colony of flies engaged in
their diverting little paStime OF spread
ing disease among humans. and these
pictures are to be exhibited all over the
country. The films will be provided
free of cost to proprietors of all picture
shows who may apply for them.
Instinct, after all, is a good teacher.
When a bald-headed man makes a
vicious swipe at the fly which has
alighted on his pate it isn't because he
is tiekled. Not at all That's instinct,
acting under the law of self-preserva-
tion.
The wonder of it all is that any of us
grow up. With all the flies and other
wild beasts n kind and beneficent
Providence permits to camp on our
trail, the chances would seem to be
largely against our ever arriving at
maturity.
Clarence L. Burger has invented a
torpedo boat upon which the navy de-
partment is now experimenting. If the
boat survives the tests it will be adopt
ed for use later in case the insurgents
attempt to build a navy and attack
New York.
One of the craft already has been
turned out at a cost of $2250 It's a
sort of a semi-submarine, being con-
structed to ride the waves, or plow
way underneath them, just as the
man behind desires. 1t is forty-siX
feet long and it weighs about six tons.
1t is designed to be carried on the deck
of battleship until such time as the
ship arrives in the battle zone. Then
the torpedo craft will be dropped
gently over the side. 1t will have a
cruising radius of 100 miles at twenty
knots an hour and of two hundred
miles at ten knots.
It can be operated either as an ordi-
nary torpedo boat, or, with half a ton
of gun cotton in it's bow, it can be
aimed at a hostile battleship and de-
serted by its crew. If it ever strikes
under these conditions the coroner can
go home to his dinner. His services
will not be needed.
Corporal Albert ]. Myer, u. S. A,
has lust succeeded in solving a prob
lem which threatened to stump the
army college. The corporal is a grand
son of Brigadier General Albert Myer,
founder of the signal corps, who served
in the Civil War and after whom Fort
Myer. near Washington, was named.
His father, also, was a major in the
recent unpleasantness with Spain. In
cidentally the corporal is a millionaire
and a polished society man.
That's where the problem comes in.
Myer, in the army, had to mess with
the men and share their quarters. II
he met the daughter of his captain on
the parade he might salute, but he
couldn't stop and tell her how exceed
ingly becoming was her new gown.
In Washington, on the other hand
the corporal was 1t. Fond mammas
with marriageable young debutantes