davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21

Nou were looking for a. woman with { the true spirit of adventure, one to A blaze new trail, you would not be likely to invade the conservative pre- cincts of a big New York trust company and pick your candidate from in front of a typewriter. Of course not.
 But Wall street has some queer growths and has given some quaint characters to the world. Occasionally it's people--even the ones of minor degree--show them selves picturesque in the extreme. It never harbored or developed a more sDriGbtly argonaut than Miss Mary, the pretty private secretary to Charles s. Iairchild, one time lord of the treasury of the United States in the cabinet of Grover Cleveland.
 Certainly MT. Fairchild, when he dlc- lated his correspondence to his secretary or turned papers over to her to be filed, had no idea what was in the mind of the young woman. Men of many schemes and of vast interests sought MT. Fairchlld. Fe was president of trust company that was an adjunct to great insurance com apany. and upon his judgment millions of dollars were invested. Men from the mid dle west who planned to combine large Interests put their projects before him. Men with holes in the ground which might have the richness of a Comstock or the thinness of a fivver talked to him as only promoters can talk. Dreamers and doers came and went The girl heard thsm all.
 Of course. she should have been-as a good Wall street clerk always is sup posed to bean animated piece of furni- tnre. But she was not. There was TO- nance, tragedy humor, pathos, life, in everything that came before her eyes. She was interested particularly in mining propositions. If she only had been man New York could not hold her. Nome was In it's glory. Nevada was startling 1he world with some of its mineral mar Nels Godfeld, Tonopah and dozen other camps were beginning their amaz- 5ng history. Millions were being made in a night.
 Miss Mary, clear eyed. cool headed and rather critical. had seen enough of the mining game from the Wall street end to appreciate one of it's great weak nesseS. The honest western man was suspicious of Wall street and Wall street was suspicious of the average western man. Each look ed upon the other as trying to get the better of him. Good talking often meant more than good prospects. The man with mighty good claim, but a blunt manner and 1nlmpressive address would get foot sore and weary hunting for somebody to listen to his story. while another, Who knew less about mining than about mixing, found a ready entree.
 Occasionally Wall street got stung. More often the west got stung. The Sirl at the typewriter thought if she could get out west she could do her
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21

1 Gold leads to madness-money madness.
 In week Miss Mary was the storm cen
 ter of all the excitement in that part
 of the world. Men who thought she had
 run upon Goconda were eager to wrest I it from her. Others wanted to share it. 1 Those who wanted to take 1t from her, l in their madness would go to any lengths | Miss Mary had travelled all through that southwestern country previous to this time without having any particular use | for her firearms. But now the deputy sheriff insisted upon her packing a gun for her own protection She was sup posed to have any quantity of almost virgin gold in her shack. That she only
 had a few chunks like that shown in the picture made no difference. She got credit for having it; that was sufficient.
 With every telling the story grew more
 lurid and the amount of her gold in- creased.
 Miss Mary had been two years in the west when she made that strike in Gold Mountain She had staked many claims some good, some bad. Some were gold,
 some silver, some copper. The best were
 the copper. Some were in Nevada. some
 in California, some in northwestern Ari- zonia, some in southwestern Arizona. A I few of them she held in partnership with
 Albert c. Wandel, doctor of metalurgy
 and chemistry.
 She had seen him in Goldfed, and met
 him again in the hills. He was a miner
 and metallurgical engineer a seeker | like herself of gold. Dr. Wandel had the
 technical education thS4 Miss Mary of Wall street lacked. He was born in Hol- land and was a graduate of the Univer- sity of Zurich and the Royal Polytechnic Institute at Stuttgart. He was a soldier
 of fortune. sure enough. He had fought
 in the Boer war on the side of the heroic
 Dutch colonists. He had mined in South
 Africa, in Australia. in the Dutch East
 Indies and In the United States.
 l It was more than the lure of gold that
 drew them together. Miss Mary of Wall street did not like to confess it, but pros-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21

Copyright, 1912, by Frank G. Carpenter )
 Washington, D. C.
 NCLE SAMS greatest victory in Porto Rico has to do with a worm.
 l have written how he has raised the island from beggary to prosperity. and how his foreign trade has been null tiplied 400 per cent. How the wealth of the people has risen from almost noth- ing to s10o0 per family. and how they are now growing rich off of coffee, tobacco and sugar. Further on in this letter will tell how mountain trails have been changed to stone roads, and how justice and good government have taken the place of disorder and graft.
 Uncle Sams fight with the worm has been bigger than any of these. And still the worm is so small that you could lay It on the little iingernail of your baby and it would just reach around the edge where the nalS is joined to the flesh, Nevertheless at the time we took hold of the island it was sucking the life and strength out of 90 per cent. of the peo- pie Almost every one had it. We did not know what was the matter. We thought the Porto Ricans were a degen- crate nation and that their pasty pale skins fiabby muscles and lackadaisical ways were hereditary and could not be changed. It was some time before we
 
 strong as we are and that their weak ness existed because they were sick. Ii all came from this little work which was gnawing their vitals
 Dr. Ashford Discovers the HoOkworm The presence of the parasite was dis covered in 1900 by Maj. Bailey K. Ash ford. United States army surgeon, ant since then a great fight has gone or against 1t, resulting in the cure of hun 4l l.. s.. ,E.~t. q ravases to the poorest classes of laborers who are far off in the mountains.
 The discovery of this worm in Porte Rico led to our knowledge of it in tn, southern states and to the great hook worm experiments which have been taker under the Rockefeller fund to control ir The first active hookworm campaign however, was undertaken by Major Asn ford in Porto Rico, and today there art 45 dispensaries scattered over the fslanc to which such patients come to be treated During the past year 49.000 men, womel and children have been doctored at thes, dispensaries and of them 19000 have beer completely cured and 1000 more are stil improving under treatment. In all the island more than 3O00OO have been treated and the hookworm has been practically wiped out of the towns and villages.
 The Deadly Hookworm
 II IS que to tne Notk III ioTtO ttiSe that we now know all about the hook worm and how to control it. It is be- leved to have been brought there from Africa at the time the first slaves wes- imported. It is known to have existed among the African pygmies, and it is thought to have come to Porto Rico In l5s0. with the founding of the first three sugar plantations. The worm began its work in the lowlands and gradually made its way through the island. It is nos strongest in the mountains, and it Is found almost everywhere on the coffee estates. The hookworm comes from an egg
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21

not mountain it is desert except where it
 is cactus. It is warm, very warm, most of the time, which is about 364 days out of 365
 There is one gentleman down In that beautiful land who advertises in large letters on the whole front of his one story hotel thuswise Free board every day the sun doesn't shine" So far, every patron of the house has paid for his bed and board
 Miss Mary prospected in Pedrorosa, in the Dos Cabesos range, in the Chihuahua Hills, in the Perillas and in the Guada- lupe peaks and canyons. For a time she thought her everlasting fortune was made. In Gold Mountain she made a strike. It would have been a worlds marvel if 1t had been a. big vein. But It vas only a pocket From this pocket she got ore that ran $40 per pound. That was at the rate of $S0.00o a ton. The picture printed on this page is from a photograph showing her with chunk of the rich ore in her hand. The chunk weighed three pounds-or bearing $l20 in gold. The pocket only contained enough of this rich ore to net her few thousand dollars; then it played out.
 On her way back to civilization after making this strike her wagon broke down at a particularly rough place and she had fall, in which her left arm was broken. She was travelling at night when the accident happened. All that night she tramped along, her broken arm in an
 improvised sling, and when morning dawned she discovered she had been wan- dering practically in a circle, for she vas lost in the desert.
 She did not know at that time that 1t
 was only pocket she had struck in Gold Mountain. She thought she had mine of marvellous richness. So did those who saw her specimens when she finally got her bearings and managed to reach the little town of Warren, Ariz., where she
 was making her headquarters. The wild
 est of stories went afoat at once. The girl tenderfoot was reported to have cleaned m three millionSi
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21

service, connecting it with all parts of
 the world, and it has wireless telegraph stations maintained by the United States navy It has also street railways run by
 electricity, and San Juan and other towns
 are lighted by the power project of tho Comerio dam.
 Justice in Porto Rico
 In the days of the Spaniards, justice in Porto Rico was a matter of bargain and sale. The man who had the most money got the decision of the courts in his favor, and even today the judges are still offered bribes. I heard of . case in which a woman the other day called upon the attorney general and
 asked him just how much money 1t would take to get her son out of pris-
 on. She said she had been saving for the past five years, or ever since he had committed manslaughter, and that she thought she had now enough to buy him out. It was hard for the attorney
 general to make her see that money could not compensate for crime
 Today the judicial system of Porto Rico is much like that of the United States. There are 5S justices of the peace, but
 they cannot fine a man more than $ls
 or imprison him for more than 30 days.
 Their jurisdiction is limited to violations
 of municipal ordinances and petty crimes.
 They are much like our police judges.
 There are also municipal courts, where
 suits are tried in which the rental does
 not exceed s1000. The officers or these
 are elected by popular vote, and each
 for term of four years. Above these
 are the district courts, the prosecuting
 attorneys of which are appointed by the
 governor and higher still, the supreme
 court composed of five judges appointed
 by the President. This court sits at San
 Juan. and it possesses general appellate
 jurisdiction over the island. ~
 A Spanish Country Without Graft
 one of the most remarkable things in
 Porto Rico has been the elimination Of graft Under the former government everything was bribery and corrupt1on Nothing could be done without greasln8 the itching palms of the officials, and this was so even to the recording or deeds and all transfers of property, Everything was taxed. even to the smallest bit of furniture of a banana-roofed shack. The noor had no rights that the rich were bound to respect, and it cost money to get a hearing in the courts.
 At the time we took hold there were 2000 prisoners in the jais awaiting trial. and many of them did not know the charges upon which they had been arrested. One man had been kept in prison for five months for stealing an empty bag. and another a year for stealing a chicken. A third prisoner. charged with stealing a hog, had been kept in jail a year await ing his trial. The courts of Porto Rico then cost si6o.000 year in salaries alone, and every official had large allowance for writing materials.
 Today all the accounts of the island pass through the hands of auditors se- lected by our Treasury Department and e,'A-v cent must be satisfactorily ace counted for. This is so of all branches of the government. and it Is impossible for any of the public money to be spent
 otherwise than as laid down by the law.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21

San Juan to Ponce. As it is now, one
 can leave San Juan after breakfast in the morning and be at Ponce, on the
 southern side of the island, for lunch
 It used to hustle one to get there is
 two days
 The New Steam Roads When I was in Porto Rico, at the close of the war, there was only one
 steam railway. This was made up oi
 short strips running from San Juan around to Ponce. with numerous breaks It was part of systems that had beer planned to belt the island, but only bits of which had been built
 Since we have taken hold, this road has been improved and extended. The
 breaks have been filled. and the steam cars now run clear along the northern and westest ends of the island from San Juan to Ponce, and from there te the port of Guayama. This completes | four fifths of the circuit of the island and, in addition, there are many short line railroads which supply the sugar plantations. A very little more track would give roads through all the coast 1 lands of Porto Rico.
 In 1898 the car service was miserable I The passenger coaches were little better 1 than our box freight cars and it was a rare occasion when the dinky engine did
 not break down. Today there are good American locomotives and comfortable
 passenger cars.
 Steamships to Porto Rico
 Since the United States took hold of | Porto Rico the steamship lines connecting
 with it have steadily improved. New
 ones have been added, and the island has
 now steamers for all parts of the world
 The wharfs of San Juan and Ponce are
 crowded with American goods There are | twelve fnac r.,I,i : | Portos Rico. The chief ones going to the l United States are the New York and ! Porto Rico Steamship lines. the Red D l line and the lnsular line The latter has
 three steamers which ply regularly be-
 tween New York and San Juan. The
 Red D has five, which call at San Juan
 on their way to Venezuela. and the New York and Porto Rico line has a weekly l service, it's boats leaving New York every
 Saturday and reaching Porto Rico l Wednesday. The fare is $40 or s50. The l Spanish Trans Atlantic company plies be- tween Spain and Santo Domingo. calling
 at San Juan. and French line goes | from France to Haiti, calling at the same port. The Hamburg American line has 1 boats to Porto Rico. and there are ltal- | ian and Cuban boats as well. One can SC | to Porto Rico from the United States two or three times every week.
 Posts and Telegraphs
 The telegraphic and postal service ol the island. which was very poor 10 years ago, is now as good as that of any par' Of our country. The United States gov ernment manages the post offices, and the | telegraph system is under the government of Porto Rico. being directed by US ue' | partment of the interior There arc | s7 telegraph stations, covering all tlis | larger places, and these are connected bs | telephones with all the smaller towns Messages are sent by telegraph and trans rnitted From the stations by telepnone ! The telephones are owned by private par
 ties. The island has also good capl'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21

caused new cemeteries to be opened, and he has established in remote districts many new ones, where free burial is given to the poor.
 Porto Rico has now it's own health de- partment, with an advisory board, con sisting of health supervisor a physic- ian, a druggist, a lawyer and a civil en- gineer. A great deal is being done to wipe out tuberculosis, and the general condition of the people is 100 per cent, better than 1t has been before.
 Automobile Roads for Porto Rico
 Next to the hoolSworm one of the big gest things Uncle Sam has done in Porto Rico has been in the good roads move ment. He has started the work, and the people have furnished the money to do the business.
 There is no part of the United States which has such road development as has had Porto Rico since we took hold At that time the island had ITO miles of good highways. These were built by the Spaniards and mainly for military pur- poses. They consisted of one long road across the mountains from the Caribbean sea to the Atlantic and some branch roads running here and there. These military roads were as good as any drive ways in the United States. They were as smooth as the floor, without pebbles or ruts, and they wound their way in
The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, 1912-06-04
MUSICAL MARE WRECKS A
BAND
BAND
The interesting

The interesting story of the
vengeance of a musical mare is
being told in the New York dis.
-trict court in the case of Paolo
Corcuruto, a musician, against
Gustav Gross, a baker. Katrina is
the name of the mare.
The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, 1912-06-04
BOOSTING ROME


~ = - - = 50 =.
Just think. Rome, ancient and
famous Rome, has decided that
she must do something to attract
capital, industries and popula-
ton. Like any ordinary town on
a new railroad in the west, they
will doubtless have the Rome
chamber of commerce-yes, and
the Roman boosters.
The trouble with Rome is that
neither good nor other building
materials are found in its neigh
borhood. Result, high cost of
living, stagnation and hard times
for its $4,000 people.
The only real good asset is the
tourist, and just when he is most
needed he doesn't come.
What's to be done? Why
Rome is to be made a seaport.
Deep water is IL miles away, and
the Tiber is no good except for
poets. There is to be a big canal, |
and then gigantic basins and
docks. This means cheap food
stuffs and building materials, to
be followed by industries and
commerce.
The generation that does it will
rank with the generations that
built the Coliseum and St. Peters.
Keep your eye on Rome.
MUSICAL MARE WRECKS A
BAND
The interesting story of the
vengeance of a musical mare is
being told in the New York dis.
+,-;cF COURT ~ fba COCO of Dali
The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, 1912-06-04

1t appears that Gross was driv-
ing Katrina up Second avenue
when an Italian bands strong
marched along playing hymn,
Boom, boom" went the drum;
crash" went the cymbals, and
the sensitive ear of Katrina took
afront.
She reared up and raised her
fore feet in protest. Then she
charged on the musicians, cleav-
ing path through them that was
Uttered with broken instruments.
Corcuruto Jared poorly. Kat
rina busted the bass drum to
smithereens and wrapped its re-
mains around Corcuruto's body,
thus doing great injury to his
frame, his feelings and his uni
form. Hence the suit.
Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1912-06-14
BIG FORTUNE WELL HANDLED
Millions Left by the Late Russell Sage
Are Being Expended for the We'll
fare of Humanity.

While the lata Russell Sage was in
the flesh he was one of the most pru-
dent, shrewd and persistent money
grubbers in Gotham. The astute finan-
cier never plunged nor risked any
money in wildcat schemes. He was
"sure-shot" operator in Wall street,
and when he died he left in the hands
of his lone widow a fortune of some
thing like $75,000,000. Since becom-
ing possessed of this enormous for
tune she has worked as persistently
and assiduously in scattering the
money as her husband did in gather
ing it. The scriptures tell us that
the miser is the man that "heaps up
riches and cannot tell who shall gath
er them" Russell Sage knew better.
and the good lady upon whose shout
ders was imposed the burden OF this
enormous sum of money has worked
hard in tightening the burden. Her
philanthropies have been productive
of as much wisdom as marked her hus-
bands operations in the market. She
is reported to be failing in health, and
her task is only begun. Should she
be taken from the world thousands
wills regret her departure, and it is
very earnestly to be hoped that fur
Their care of the property will fall into
good hands.
Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1912-06-14

of erecting the larger plants has depended to
great measure on the success of those already
working This is evidenced by the Arlington sta
ton, which is across the Potomac from Washing
ton and near the military reservation of Fort
Myer.
From Arlington the north Atlantic ocean
be covered and the naval base at Guantanamo.
Cuba, is within its radius. is also San Fran
cisco. This, IL is pointed out, brings the canal
zone into direct communication with Washington.
The Pacific coast will be dominated by the station
at San Francisco.
At the Brooklyn navy yard the sailors who
to take places in the wireless room of the battle
ships receive training in their work. For this
branch of the service building 300 feet long. so
feet wide and two stories high has been apart.
The course in wireless proper takes seven weeks.
The first week is given over to the study of the
theory OF wireless communication and the next
week sees the pupil at a sending key studying
and practcing the continental code Messages
are sent by an automatic transmitter.
During the seven weeks of the wireless train.
ing the pupil receives instruction in making da.
grams of transmitting and aerials and tries
his hand at repairing and overhauling the various
sets in use. At the end Of the seventh week II
he is able to send and receive fifteen words
minute he is stationed at a receiving booth where
he can have actual experience Two weeks
allowed for review before the final examination.
Before actual wireless work is taken up by the
students each one goes through short course in
the ground work of electrical equipment He
starts at the blacksmith shop where he learns TO
build fire properly. Then he is taught forging,
welding and tempering iron and steel. and in
structed in the of soldering iron. In the
chine shop he practices the lathe shaper, drill
press. milling machine. emery wheel and bench.
Engine work follows. for the naval electrician
is expected to be competent to repair any part of
the ships electrical equipment Simple. com
pound. turbine. oil and gasoline engines taken
apart and assembled, lined up and repaired
Valves, condensers. air and circulating pumps are
mastered. There is also three weeks instruction
in the work of Interior communication and light
ing of a ship which teaches the student how to in
stall and inspect the entire electrical equipment
of battleship. The authorities of the navy yard
believe that the student is not ready to take up
the actual study of wireless communication until
he has first mastered the details of the machinery
that makes the electrical spark possible
While everybody knows that wireless messages
being sent. it is not generally understood how
this is done