davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
German Walters Condition of Mind
Furnished Food for Some
Quiet Thought.

An example of the happiness result.
ing from individual thought was EN-.
phasized in a conversation with a
German waiter in a New York depart
ment store, jolly, affable little chap
to whom it was a pleasure to offer
the customary tip.
One day as we sat at table talking
business and hurrying through our
luncheon betimes, some one called at
tention to the content reflected from
Adolph's smiling face, and asked him
if he really felt as happy as he look.
ed. The waiter said:
Yes, I am happy-very happy. l
have two sons in college. I have a
fine wife, who works every day as
do, and often we go to see our boys.
They are not ashamed Of their
father and mother; they are proud to
tell of the help we have given tham
IN getting an education, with every
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
SAVED BY LIGHTNING FLASH
Train With Two Hundred Passengers
Kept From Destruction by
Narrow Margin.

The engineer of train that runs
thrilling experience on recent trip.
The train had a clear track, as was
supposed, and was running at high
rate of speed. The night was as dark
as pitch, and the rain beat unceasing-
ly against the car windows. The
headlight was of little use, and the
engineer could see but few yards in
advance. Suddenly a flash of light
ming, followed by a terrific peal of
thunder, lit up the track half-mile
ahead, and the engineer saw some
thing that sent the blood from his
cheeks. A hundred yards ahead four
freight cars were standing on the
track. Grasping the reverse lever, he
pulled it back to the last notch and
shouted to the fireman to put on the
air brakes. The greet engine creaked
and groaned, while the fireman and
faces, with the cold perspiration on
their foreheads. Then the engine
tottered and stopped with shock so
sudden that the passengers in the
coaches were thrown from their seats,
the chandeliers swung from the CELL
ing and two of them fell to the floor
After the excitement had subsided
the engineer and conductor Investigate
ed the situation and found the pilot
of the engine showed a foot beneath
the caboose of the freight train
ahead. The fash of lightning was all
that saved the lives cf two hundred
passengers.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
When Love Was Blind.

In the negro car OF railway train
in one Of the Gulf states, a bridal
couple were riding-a very light, rath-
or good looking colored girl, and a
typical, full-blooded negro of possibly
a reverted type. with receding fore
mead, protruding eyes, broad, fiat
nose, very thick lips, and almost no
cain.
They had been married Just before
boarding the train, and like good
many CT their white brothers and SIS
ters, were very much interested in
each other, regardless Of the amuse-
ment of their neighbors. After vari-
Gus billings and cooings,' the man
sank down in the seat, and resting
his head ON the ladys shoulder, look
ed soulfully up into her eeys.
Sh. locked fondly down upon him,
ana after a few minutes murmured
gently: Laws, honey, amt you
'shamed to be sc han some!'-~Y outh's
Companion.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
British Locomotives.

Although the British locomotives.
limited as they are by the narrower
clearances Of tunnels, bridges, etc.,
have never reached the size of loco
motives in America. there has been
a steady growth in dimensions, and
some Of the latest engines are ex.
tremely powerful. Thus 10 OF tho At
lantic type. built for the East Coast
Scottish express use, have a total
heating surface of 3.456 square feet.
and crate area of ~ square feet.
The barrel Of the boiler is feet 6
inches in diameter and Is feet 1Oh
inches in length. The tank has ca
pacity Of 4,125 gallons of water and 5
tons Of coal. The total weight of the
engine alone is nearly 80 tons.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
RECORD AS.RAlLR I Bun DEB
Don Juan Whittemore Retires- at the
p Age Of 81 After Most Re. !
markable Career.

Internationally one of the most re.
markable careers in the history OF
American railroading that has fur
n1shed so many illustrious examples
OF brilliant or faithful work is that of
Don Juan Whittemore, who recently
retired as chief engineer Of the Chi
cago. Milwaukee and st. Paul rail.
road.
Mr.. Whittemore is 81 years of age,
he has been building railroads for a
little over sixty-three years, and has
held the Office of chief engineer for
the st. Paul system continuously for
forty-seven years, or virtually
throughout the entire existence of the
company.
Mr.. Whittemore not only enjoys the
distinction of having built and locat.
ed railroads all over the United
States and a part of Canada and
Cuba while most of the present big
transportation systems of the coun-
try were still undreamed Of. but he
has himself supervised the construc'
ton and reconstruction during nearly
half century of one of the biggest
of them all, from almost nothing to
some 5000 miles.
In fact, the GROWING achievement
Of his life. undertaken at the age of
u, many years after the time OF re-
.tirement for most men, was the super
vision in many of the most essential
features of the construction of new
railroad reaching half way across the
continent. This is the Pacific coast
extension of the St. Paul system.
known since it's completion during
the last year as the Chicago, Milwau-
kee & Puget Sound railroad, extend
ing for 1900 miles west of the Mis-
souri, river to Tacoma and Seattle.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
Stamp Dealers "Find."

AS boy in 1863 Mr.. Gibbons had
developed business in selling stampi
while engaged in his fathers shoE
in Plymouth, and portion of .ha
window was devoted to show Of hi
philatelic treasures. These were no
ticed by two sailors, who for five
pound note sold him a kit-bag full Of
stamps, which were all triangular
Cape of Good Hopes, thousands and
thousands of them, and including
considerable number of the "wood.
blocks" :
The sailors explained that when
their ship reathed Cape Town they
had leave to go ashore, and there
they were persuaded by some ladies
at bazaar t. take shilling ticket in
4 rattle. Sc they won the bag of
stamps, which the ladies' had begged
all around Cape Town. Their shilling
was we'll repaid by flve-pound note
ind the sacx went into the dealers
1T ,ck, in due course yielding him not
Tess than 500 pounds profit.-From
The London Telegraph.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
RARE WOODS FOR ITS TIES
Panama Railroad viii Be Laid on Lig.
mum Vitae and Other Most
Costly Varieties.

The Panama Railroad will lay It's
tracks over the rarest and most valu-
able cabinet woods. The road is now
being relocated incidental to the con-
struction Of the canal over part of
the old line and 1t has become neces-
sary to replace the old soft wood
Eight thousand hardwood ties have
just been received at Colon from Co.
lombia. Most of these ties are hewn
from Guaicum, or lignum vitae, but
there are also many of polvillo, cor
tea and balsamo.
These hard woods should last in
definitely even in the tropical climate
of the 1sthmus. but they can be laid
and rallied only by the use Of special
machinery which bores holes for the
screw bolts and chisels out faces to
form the rail seats.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
Gustavus v. Fox, Carrying Message
to Car, Crossed Ocean In Mon
itor Miantonomah to Prove lts
Seaworthiness.

ITO Gustavus V. Fox, assistant Sec
rotary of war during the Civil war,
was popularity credited, and rightly,
the plan for opening the Mississippi,
for the capture Of New Orleans, and
the selection of Farragut for high
command" said Frederick w. Seward.
assistant secretary Of state during the
war and also under Johnson.
Il think l am safe in saying" con-
tinued Mr.. Seward, who is now in his
e1ghty-irst year, that Of all the men
who had an influential part in public
affairs during the war Fox was the
most modest and the freest from any
Of the tricks of self-advertisement.
But while he was personally one of
the most retiring OF men, he was a
curious combination of great bravery,
great ability, and tremendous ca"
pacity for work and self-assertion
when important official action was de-
manded of him.
"Often during the war, the closest
cooperation was necessary between
the state and navy departments. At
such time my father would ask Fox
to take dinner with us, and while at
dinner the whole subject would be
threshed out, Fox never failing US
with pertinent suggestions and ad-
vice. He was a man who could al.
ways be depended upon, and his sole
aim was to do what he could, and do
1t as well as he could, for the Union
After the war was over 1t seemed
to my father that there should be
some high official recognition of Mr..
Fox's work during the war. Others
high In the administration agreed
with the secretary of state, and so a
hint was carried to Fox that If he
would ask for appointment az rear.
admiral-he had served for eighteen
years In the navy before retiring to
private life as wool manufacturer
In 1S56-that appointment would
surely be made and confirmed. But
Fox absolutely declined to ask for the
appointment. l knew the reason; he
felt that high appointment should al
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15

night fasten candle to it; then back
off till nothing can be seen but the
candle flame.
Let the wheel revolve slowly, free
from the ground. The candle fame
makes a circle of fire all right, and
goes around the axle. Now lower the
candle until it rests on the ground
and start ahead. The flames sudden
~ stops going in a circle and begins
to make a wavy line, first high and
then low. It goes around nothing at
all.
Men with clear minds can perform
the experiment satisfactorily by tying
handkerchief around the tire In day.
light, but to do this takes keen
mathematical Imagination, because the
eye is confused by other moving OBJ
jects and is not able to see the hand
kerchfef free from these other in
fluences.
At night the candle flames alone
can be seen, so that Is perhaps the
best time to try the matter out. Tie
torch to locomotive driver and
then send the engine slowly back and
forth while the observer is off some
hundred feet distant in the dark. The
torch does not move in a circle.
Nov we will say that a man has
Just performed this experiment. He
has seen with his own eyes that the
torch does not 90 around anything at
all, but that It simply goes ahead
somewhat like q flying machine rising
and falling to the wind, coming to a
dead stop at its lowest point and 60
Ing twice: as fast as the engine when
at its highest point. Well and good.
Without touching anything on the
first engine, just board a second en-
CINE and ride back and forth and
watch that torch, or candle flame.
This time it goes around the axle.
Leave the second engine and stand
still on the ground and the flames at
once begins the wavy lines. Why is
It? No one knows.
THE fact that the bottom of an
engine wheel always stands still is
more easy to learn than the fact that
the top Of the wheel moves just twice
as fast as the train. but this can be
proved easily with piece of board.
Take piece Of board. say ten
feet long, and lay one end on top Of
the wheel. Now move the engine for
ward two feet and you will find that
the board has gone ahead four feet,
just twice as far as the engine. Lay
down the board and tie two pieces OF
string to the wheel, one at the top
and the other at the bottom, where
it rests on the ground. Now run your
engine forward two feet and see what
happens. The bottom string has
moved forward too, but not nearly as
far as has the top piece of string, al
though the ends were even at the
start"
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
His Fight Against extra Billy
Smith Which Settled Point That
President and Cabinet Cannot
Be Mandamused.

Under tWenty-SiX postmasters-gen-
eral of the United States did James
Henry Mari serve before he was gath
cred to his fathers. He entered the
department in 1885 under Amos Ken
dali, who has gone down in history as
the brains" of Jackson's two admin
1strations, and he died a chief clerk
when William F. Villas was enjoying
under Cleveland the distinction Of be-
Ing the country's first Democratic
acknowledgement since Buchanan's
administration.
Kendall has been called the man
who really put Jackson up to many OF
his best-known acts as president"
said Mr.. Mari to me one day in the
early eighties. II remember that 1t
was freely said all through Jackson's
administrations that Kendall was the
real author Of most Of old Hickory's'
state papers. But however that was,
I do know that it was Amos Kendall
who made the fight, with Jackson
back of him, which established the
fact that the federal courts could not
mandamus a president or any mem
Der Of his cabinet.
THAT fight all came about because
of the persistence of Extra Billy
Smith. Extra Billy as young man,
in the late twenties, had established
mail routes running across Virginia
into the Carolinas and even into
Georgia; he was what good many
years later would have been called a
Star Reuter-. Now Extra Billy was
not content with the regular CON-
pensation from the government; he
was always asking for extras, and
when he did not get them he usually
made a fuss; hence his nickname,
which gave him national notoriety
long before he was elected governor
Of Virginia in 1886
well, when Amos Kendall became
acknowledgement he made up his
mind that some of the mail routes in
Virginia In which Extra Billy Smith
was interested were costing a good
bit more than they ought to, and that
still other routes were unnecessary,
and he proceeded to act accordingly,
only to find himself at once in hot
water with Extra Billy who threat
ened all sorts OF political conse-
quences.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
Story About Amos Kendall
"Mr. Kendall, in his dilemma, called
upon the president and laid the

mr.. Kendall, in his dilemma, called
upon the president and laid the
whole matter before him:
He threatens, does he?' cried old
Hickory when he had been told Of
the rage Of Extra Billy We'll, you
can say to him that If he threatens
you he threatens me. Let him under
stand that l have never yet been
frightened by threat
Amos Kendall went back to the
postofflce department and gave final
and emphatic mo- to Extra Billy
who swore nightly that he would
have the law on Kendall: and sure
enough, few days later, Mr.. Kendall
was served with papers in a proceed
ing asking for mandamus to issue
against the postmaster-general to
compel him to grant extra compensa-
ton to Extra Billy and to restore
certain of his mail routes.
again Mr.. Kendall laid the situa-
ton before the president. old Hick-
ory's' ire was up on the instant.
Kendall he said-and I had the
conversation direct from Kendall him
self-'Kendall, don't you pay any at
tention to that paper. If the courts
try to commit you for contempt, you
turn to me. I'll make it speedily un.
derstood that the executive depart
ment Of this government is indepen-
dent of the courts. No court can man.
damus me or any member Of my cab
met. We can be impeached, but we
can't be mandamused. and it is time
that the courts understood IT,
$50 Amos Kendall went back to the
postofice department and paid no at
tention to the mandamus proceedings.
Then there began a move to have him
punished for contempt Mr.. Kendall
told me that he believed that had it
been necessary, President Jackson
himself would have gone into court
and denounced the court to its face
for even daring to summon a member
of the cabinet to the court to answer
charges of contempt But the law
officers of the government took the
matter up, contending that the courts
could not mandamus the executive
Departmental president and the
cabinet Understand the higher court
sustained that view, settling the issue
once for ALL"
Copyright. 1911. by E. J. Edwards. All
Rights Reserved.)
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
Throuxh the Lines,

The young mkn who had core with.
in an inch Of Icing run over, said ha
always butted across the street that
way to keep felix's from finding out
he was country chap unused to city
waya
'Is should hang back" he said,
Everybody world take mo for
Grecnhorn, and I want people to think
tina: I at least fnow how to cross tho
street city fashion,"
"3ut the real town man doesn't
cross the stree. in that bulldog FASH
ion," said gr*y-haired relative. "tHe
drifts with the tide. Instead Of butting
th1>ugh the riddle of 4 wagon no
ambles along reside It watching for an
op>ning. Som7times he is carried
block out Of r's way In the midst Of
vehicles before he finds a way out.
bit he is never in danger because he
II going with !ae current. So If you
Want to be SEE down as a man who
faows the life of city streets, don't
Freak through = heavy line Of trafic
~ main force, .'ut follow the stream
Fnd take advantage Of the point OF
T.ast resistance
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15

New Motor Cars suppiant the Camel.
One by one, slowly, but none the
less surely things old and venerable
are aside, destroyed OF disregarded by
trade, progress and other relentless
instruments of change. The latest ID
the attack on the Asiatic caravan, by
means of which the best tea has been
brought from China across the Great
Cobb Desert Of Central Asia to Russia,
crossing enroute three high mountain
ranges. This picturesque Transports
tation by camel will soon give away.
before the motor car. A line, running.
at regular intervals. has already bean.
established and two weeks ting = est
or {
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
Character In Handwriting.

II you write q small, almost Aem-
nine hand it may be q sign that you
IRE destined to be a great statesman,
according to David N. Carvalho, who
3nds that small handwriting is often
characteristic Of great men. Grover
Slevelands handwriting was OF this
type and so was William McKinlsy's.
''You find this type Of writing IT, the
large handed men," said Mr.. Carval-
no, "the men who are broad Shout
dered and we'll built, not perhapH tall.
If you are a woman and mako little
2othooks at the end Of your flnal
ms and els you are not likely to
.pend much money on the latest nov
,lties in dress. nor are you apt to
bother to do your hair up in pufRs.
Indeed these little twists on the end
Of letters indicate that you would
make a sensible and economical wife.
Your defect would be that you might
emharrass your husband by eccen.
tricIty in dress through carelessness.
A eIurring penmanship indicates liter.
arr ability.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
STALE. PHRASES ARE NEEDED
Writer Who Expressed 4 Powerful
Emotion Must Say What hss
Been Said Countless Times.

:. Our dramatic critic, In, his review
OF Sardou's play above Suspicion"
said Of one Of the characters that his
lips were sealed" and remarked that
such phrases necessarily accompany
such plays. They do, indeed. and the
use OF them makes one understand
the emotional quality Of such plays
better than the most elaborate aualy-
sis of them.
There are hundreds Of phrases like
this; containing metaphors both vio-
lent and stale, which are only: used
seriously by writer's who snatch at
the easiest means of expressing an
emotion which they do not feel. For
II writer has real emotion Of his
metaphor suggested to, him by that
particular emotion or none at all. This
is a matter Of instinct, not of literary
art; for fresh emotion will not be
satisfied with stale phrases but will
feel itself mtsrepresented by them.
That is one reason why. when power
fully moved. we are often SO inarti-
culate. We feel that commonplaces
will not serve OFT turn. but we have
nothing to put IN their place. Tho
writer's task is IT, be neither inartcu-
late nor commonplace. He must not
be artless, nor must he give us bad
art for good. II he has a new idea
to express he is not tempted by stale
phrases, For they are associated with
emotions rather than with thoughts,
since emotions are not discoveries.
like new ideas, and when expressed
In literature are valued, not for their
novelty, but for the power with which
they are expressed. Thus, a writer
who expresses a new idea says what
has never been said before, but
writer who wishes to express q pow
erful emotion has to say what hab
probably been said thousand times.
and by bad writer's as well "a good.
These bad writer's haxo burdened our
memory wiz metaphors. some of
them lifeless fram the fsst. some kill.
ed by constant repetition, or in appro-
pirate use; and their metaphors stay
in our minds because they have been
so often repeated. The good writer's
mind is often ihfested with them. so
that. before he can find the phrase he
wants, he must reject half a dozen
that he does rot want. This Is the
penalty that hi has to pay for living
at time wheA literature 10 old and
language Sophisticated. - London
Times.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15
.QuARRELED OVER TREE
IT HAS COST $4,000 RUPEES AND
A DOZEN LIVES. !
Long Series Of Feuds Between Two
Bengal Estatee Ended by Calcutta
Business Man,

A certain mango tree, it appears. in
growing up would not observe the
boundary line between two Bengal es-
tates and distributed it's foliage and
fruit 1mpartialy over both. AS a con-
sequence tho owners of the estates
have spent about $4,000 rupees in
litigation, killed q dozen people and
fought the bitterest armed fights.
During the bearing season the tree
was productive of many mangoes. The
first quarrel seems to have started
among tie women folks of the two
families, who insisted that the man
goes belonged to one, then tho other.
They even resorted to picking the
mangoes at night until one party hap
pened to catch the other poaching. A
fight followed in which, it is said, two
were killed.
After this quiet reigned for some.
tlme. when the two principals met one
day In a neighboring village and par
ticipated in a free-for-all fight over
the innocent tree. They were sep
arated in bloody condition and were
fined by the police. Then followed q
long series of feuds and battles COW
er1ng period of many years, during
which the tree yielded its luscious
fruit to the one who happened to be
cunning enough to pick it first. Final
~ both sides established armed
guards around the tree and kept
w0f0h ~}~
This went on with occasional fights
for several years. 1t was q case OF
one trying to wear the other one out.
Thousands of rupees were paid out
for these special parties and fines, for
burtals Of victimo. court expenses and
ammunition. It was not until just re-
Gently that a prominent business man
OF Calcutta was able to settle the dis
pute. He asked the two land owners
to joirtly deed the tree to him II re-
turn for many favors he had rendered
both 81 them. This was finally done
and he has caused large cement cir
cular wall to be erected about the
tree, to which he has acquired full
title and possession.
The quarrel has not only been ex.
pensive and fatal, but has kept COM
munity In constant state of hostility
for many years. Any one travelling
In eastern Bengal can easily hear the
story and visit the scene of the feud,
If sufficiently interested in the case.
The gentleman whose strategy saved
the situation desires that his name
should remain unknown.-Calcutt
Englishman.