The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1911-06-02
CURRENT NEWS

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The House Of Representatives has
elected committees to investigate the
steel and sugar trusts.
Gamblers plucked $4,000 from
cabin passengers of the Lusitania
during poker games at sea.
Baltimore has unveiled a memorial
and statue of Francis Scott Key, au-
thor OF the Star Spangled Banner"
The Mount Wilson observatory now
has telescope $50 feet long, which
magnifies the suns image to a dame
ter Of seventeen inches.
On May telephone connection be
tween New York and Denver, a dis
lance Of 1000 miles, without relay
stations, was opened for commercial
use.
Prof. @. r. Henderson, who has
been abroad investigating jails and
prisons for the Russell Sage Founda-
ton, says that American jails are far
behind those Of Italy and France in
management,
q
Spectators are trying to boost the
price Of cotton by publishing reports
Of shortage in cotton on hand. 1t
il said that 27,O0O,0O0 bales will be
needed by the cotton mills between
now and September l, and that only
22,500,000 bales can be delivered.
I.
Laura Robinson, a u year old girl,
Is the best speller in Oklahoma, ac-
cording to the decision of the judges
in the contest for the spelling
championship OF the state. After a
contest lasting twelve hours and thfr-
ty minutes she was the only person
standing, though many adults had tax
en- part.
The Pope directed the Cardinals of
the Congregation OF Rites, at Rome,
to hasten the proceedings looking to
the canonization of John n. Neumann
as a saint Though born in Bohemia
Bishop Neumann is regarded as an
American, since he spent most Of his
life here. He came to this country
in 1886, was made bishop of Phil
adelphia in 1852 and died there in
1860
In England a most remarkable ex-
hibition of aeroplanes was given on
May II before a parliamentary com
mittee investigating tine advantages of
aeroplanes in warfare. Fourteen
ayiators, using six different types OF
machines, flew before the prime min
lister and other governmental au-
thorities.
a new ice is certainly something
new under the sun. To make this
new ice, water was nrst put under a
pressure of 1900 kilograms per
square centimeter (6,614 pounds to a
square two-fifths Of an inch). Thus
condensed and made very hot, it was
cooled with solid carbon dioxide and
then with liquid air. The result was
an ice heavier than water.
Congressman Martin, of Colorado |
has introduced a resolution which, if
adopted, will abolish the prefix Mr."
used in calling the roll of the House. |
This will save time, but will dimin-
ish dignity, which in this case il worth
more than the same amount Of time |
that would be saved.
The British House of Lords is to
be shorn of it's power to veto acts
passed by the House or Commons, un- |
less it can find some way to save |
itself The Veto bill was adopted by |
the House or Commons, 1852 to 241. 1t |
IL not thought that the Lords will |
dare to oppose this reform any furth- |
er, but the subject may be postponed
until after the coronation
1t was thought that the waterways |
treaty with Canada had saved Niagara
Falls, but it seems now that there is
serious danger that the drawing away
OIL the water permitted by present |
laws will seriously damage the beauty |
Of the Falls, if, indeed, it does not
cause the drying up OF the American
Falls altogether. As it is, hundreds
of feet of rock on the American side |
are barely covered with water, the
Bridal Veil il much thinner than it |
used to be, and portions Of the rapids
have lost much OF their former i'm
pressiveness. The treaty with Cam
ada provides limit to the taking Of |
water for power purposes, but there
10 AO " IAC u5C VI WdLCl LOA II
sanitary and domestic purposes.
The seventh year Of work on the
Panama Canal, by Americans, ended
last month.
Magnificent progress has been made |
on this greatest of all engineering |
works, which the French engineers
abandoned in despair twenty-five
years ago after sinking $260,000,000 in
it. There is no doubt now that the
work will be finished In 1914.
Three-fourths of the excavation has
been done, for 138,O0O,000 cubic yards |
OF earth and rock have been taken out,
LAYING only 100000 cubic yards
vet to be cut away.
Some Oh the lock gates have been
finished. They are described as
staggering in their proportions" The
material is steel. Each gate consists
OF two leaves" or half-gates, and
each leaf is seven feet thick, sixty-five
feet wide and from forty-seven to
eighty-two feet high. There are
ninety-two of these enormous leaves.
The gates must be opened to allow
ships to pass In and out, and closed
to hold the water which il to lift the
ships to the different levels Of the
canal. Special hosting machinery
had hn mndn IN b,,ra