The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-06-02

The WASHBURN TINES.
WAsHBURN, WITS.
PRINTING CO., Publishers
Paulhan, the daring French aviator,
says the American public has no interest
in a man who fies, This does not har-
monte with accounts of Paulhan's per-
fOrmances in this country, which inva-
riably noted the fact that the spectators
enthusiastically cheered the Frenchman.
=
Two things seem necessary to the as
Eurance of q sane Fourth-the enforce
ment of laws against selling and using
firearms and dangerous explosives and
the organization of parades, picnics, and
other peaceful programmes which will
afford outlet for the enthusiasm natural
to the anniversary Of American indie
pendence.
The report from Prof. Alessandrini of
the University of Rome that he has
discovered the bacillus of pellagra in wa
ter will lift a burden of accusation
against moldy corn, which has long been
supposed to be the source of the disease.
The report from Rome makes the
urgency of the pure drinking water prob
lem more obvious than ever.
When a car laden with ten tons of
dynamite jumped the track sixteen miles
from Tacoma, and the explosive let
co. blowing the two Du Pont powder
mill breakmen to atoms, something hap
pened that is within the range of pos
sibility every time q heavy shipment of
dynamite is made by rail. But dynamite
is invaluable in industrial operations,
and it must be shipped.
The selection by the federal military
board of a site on the Sparta army
reservation for national target range
is gratifying, as it will insure the regular
appearance on the Wisconsin reservation
of the best marksmen of the United
States army and the National Guard.
The decision of the board supports the
view heretofore held that the reserva-
ton near Sparta is superior in every
way for military manoeuvering and drill.
The killing of FIVE German bluejackets
of the mine-laying division of the Ger
man navy, while they were Vancouver
ing for practice, is an accident which
reveals the dangers of peace for men
who must be prepared for war. Fatal
gunnery accidents are not rare, and even
the maintenance on shipboard of heavy
magazines of high explosives that are
not needed except during actual HOSTILE
ties is a menace to the ships entire
compliment.
A well-known lake wrecker declares
that the government will find it diff
cult to get anybody to undertake the
floating of the battleship Maine for one
hundred thousand dollars. The Maine is
undoubtedly in such shape that floating
again is we'll nigh impossible; but a
task of lifting in pieces, after the
bodies have been taken from the wreck,
may be the limit of achievement in re-
moving the wreck of the ship from Ha-
Yana harbOr.
Rear-Admiral McCalla, whose death
occurred at Santa Barbara, California,
yesterday, was one of the conspicuous
naval figures of the war of 1898 with
Spain, and also of the expedition for the
relief of the besieged foreigners during
the Boxer rebellion. He was awarded
a medal by Congress for his gallant
service on these occasions. The name
of McCalla will shine in naval annals
with those of heroes who have given the
United States proud record on the
sea.
1t is early in the year for crop esti-
mates to have much significance except
as to winter wheat. The governments
May 1 report of winter wheat condi
ton represented by S2.1 shows a distinct
improvement since a month ago, when
the figure was sos. The area under
cultivation is 2.5 per cent. in excess of
that which contributed to the winter
wheat harvest of 1909. These are en-
couraging statistics, after the exagger-
ated proclamations of widespread dam
age caused by the April blizzard.
The western neighborliness advertised
by the fact that the friends of a North
Dakota farmer joined hands while he
was lying helplessly i'll in bed and
Dloughed and sowed one hundred acres
of his farm in single day, was not
an isolated example. The spirit dis
played by the friends of the stricken
farmer revealed a pleasant phase of pio-
neer enterprise which blazed the way
for settlement to the base of the Rocky
mountains. The pioneer is a man who
is willing to help himself, and to put