davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
BRIDGES OF NE lNlDIAAs' Is,
Structures Found Ia North British e,
4 lumbia Are Built on the Can't
: H. ; .e5 lever Principle. 4s S;5sE T

Some interesting examples Of In
dian ingenuity are afforded On the
River Skeena and it's tributaries In
North British Columbia, according to
writer In Scientific American. These
waterways in their upper reaches flow
swiftly and for the most part through
deep ravines. As it Is impossible for
the Indians to cross them by means
OF canoes they have resorted to bridg-
ing. .s :.,....
Their bridges are interesting struc-
lures from the engineering point OF
view, inasnuch as the cantilever prin-
ctple Is adopted. A bridge Of this de-
sign spans the Bulkeley river where
1t Is about 100 feet wide. and the
height from the bridge to the water
level is about 80 feet.
1t is built of wooden logs, the logs
Of the structure being formed Of single
stout logs varying from 60 to 80 feet in
length. The task of lowering them
into position must have demanded con-
siderable ingenuity on the part of the
builders.
They are buried some Is feet, at
their lower ends and anchored by the
superimposition Of masses Of Large
rock rolled and carried to the site. The
longitudinal members of the shore
spans are similarly buried in the
ground and dashed to the ends of the
diagonal logs.
These main members-correspo
ing to deck Orders, are about 120 feet
in length. and to either end the A
members Of the superstructure are
dashed. Elaborate cross bracing is
resorted to in order to secure greater
strength.
When the bridge was first erected
the different members were simply
secured together by willow thongs,
but when the British Columbian gov
eminent erected more substantial
suspension bridge lower down the
river the Indians assembled and fol-
lowed the white mans operations with
great interest. They observed bow
the thick wire cables were slung and
anchored, and accordingly decided to
introduce wire into their own struc-
ture.
They procured the material for this
purpose from wherever they could and
introduced 1t in a most fantastic man.
ner. Also when the Grand Trunk
Pacific railway engineers commenced
working on their track near by the.
Indians procured odds and ends, such
as bolts and spikes, from them for
introduction in their bridge, so that
now it is strange looking piece Of
work, though the fundamental can't
lever lines are still distinct.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Primitive Men Of Giant Stature.

Eleven skeletons of primitive men,
with foreheads sloping directly back
from the eyes. and with two rows Of
teeth in the front Of the upper Jaw,
have been uncovered at Cralgshill, at
Ellensburg, Wash. They were found
about twenty feet below the surface,
twenty feet back from the face Of tho
slope, in a cement rock formation
over which was layer Of shale. The
rock was perfectly dry. The jaw bones,
which easily break, are 80 large that
they will 60 around the face Of the
man of today. The other bones are
also much larger than those Of the or
binary man. The femur is twenty
inches long, indicating man Of eighty
inches TALL The teeth In front are
worn almost down to, the Jaw bones,
due, 1t is believed, to eating uncook-
ed foods and crushing hard substances
with the teeth. The sloping skull
shows an extremely low order Of in
telligence.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
STRANGE AFRICAN TRIBE

An African tribe with some most
extraordinary customs has just been
discovered by DR.. C. G.. Seligmann Of
the Welcome Tropical Research
laboratories. one of the branches OF
the Gordon Memorial college at
khartoum. This tribe Is the Shilluk,
which lives in a narrow strip of land
along the banks Of the Nile on the
northern edge Of the Bahr-El- Ghazel
province. There are about 100000 of
them. They live In small villages of
huts surrounded by fences of dura
stalks.
The most striking feature is the
generation paid to the king and the
marked line of demarcation between
the aristocracy and the eommoners.
The former is constituted entirely Of
the royal family-children, grandchil-
dren and great-grandchildren Of the
king. Royal descent, however, is not
recognized beyond the fourth genera
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
DENTISTRY ON AN elephant

It became necessary recently to cal!
a dentist to one of the elephants In
the Geological gardens at Rio de ia.
Metro. The dentist saw at once what
the trouble was-a hollow tooth-but
confessed his inability to fill 1t or to
pull it out without assistance. The ele-
plant was not in happy frame of
mind, for it had really elephant1ne
toothache. But the dentist and the
keepers devised a method. They tied
a strong rope to the tooth, fastening
it carefully and securely with platinum
wire, and then IL men took hold and
pulled. The elephant seemed to know
that something for it's good was being
done for it kept quiet and showed no
sign OF anger-that 10, until the IL
men gave the fourth pull, which
brought the huge tooth out. Then the
elephant trumpeted WITH pain and an
ger and the Is men deWsaed it wise to
run. But after a few mtEates Of wrath
the beast, now relieved 4: it's pain, be
came es!m.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
FIRST BANKNOTES IN CHINA

It IL held that the oldest banknotes
are the flying money" or convenient
money" of China. Originally these
notes were issued by the Chinese
treasury. but experience dictated a
change to the system Of banks under
governmental control. The early
Chinese banknotes were, in most es.
sentials, similar to the modern bank
note, bearing the name of the bank.
the date of issue, the number of the
note, the signature Of the official is
suing 1t. indications of its value in
figures, words and pictorial represen.
tations of coins or heaps of coins
In amount to the full value Of the
note, together with a notice Of the
penalties for counterfeiting. There
was also a laconic exhortation to in
dustry and thrift In these terms.
,'" Produce: all you can: spend with
seconomy." The notes were in blue
link on paper made from the fiber of
fthe mulberry tree
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Would Make Natural Gas,

Sir William Ramsay, one Of Eng
lands famous scientists, says there. Is
absolutely nothing. so far as he car
see. to prevent bore-hole from being
put down until the coal stratum il
reached and the setting Of the coal
on fire by electricity, thus converting
the coal in the bowels of the earth
directly into gas Air would be sent
down to enable the coal to burn, the
amount of air being restricted when
sufficient heat had been engendered:
steam would be sent down to provide
mixture Of hydrogen and -carbonic
oxide, or water-gas; great gas en-
gines would be mounted at the mouth
of the pit or bore-hole, and the, gas
would be used to develop electric
power.-Popular Mechanics.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
New idea for Polishing.

BY introducing steel balls into q
rumbling barrel, says the Engineer, It
IL possible to polish castings and, in
fact, actually to burnish. them to 4
very high degree. Since the process
is completely mechanical, it can un-
doubtedly be introduced in many
brass foundries with the result Of
saving labor costs. It appears to be
customary to use enough steel balls
to make up approximately twice the
volume Of the pieces which are. rum
hed, the Size Of the balls ranging
from one quarttsr inch down o. one,
slxteGa1 iasA . 1lan1ter
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20

There is now on view at the Zoolog
ical gardens in London a specimen OF
the shoe-bill or whale-headed stork,
one of the most remarkable of living
birds. Its scientific name ia Balaeni.
cops rex, and it inhabits the swamps
of the "sudd" region OF the Upper
Nile. Its bill is of immense size, re-
sembling a large shoe Of horn. Its
food appears to consist chiefly Of
small fish and other aquatic animals
though how it manages to capture
them with its extraordinary coal-scut-
tle-like bill is uncertain. The bill car
RES large hooked nail at the ex.
tremity, and the edges are extremely
sharp and possess enormous crushing
power, while the birds color is pale
gray, like that of a heron.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Pigs VALUABLE DISCOVERY

1t was q pig that discovered the
healing waters of Bath, England,
about the radium and nitro in which
Sir William Ramsay has been lectur-
ing. So the old legend runs about
Bladud, who cured himself of leprosy
by following the example of a herd of
swine that wallowed in the black
marsh where Bath now stands. A
similar story ascribes the discovery Of
the sulphur springs at Harrogate to .
bora AZ Lunsbsrs. IN Hanover.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Waited Long for Promotion.

Waited Long for Promotion.
During the old days tho promotion
Of all trainmen. including nremen, was
very slow. Many fremen had to flre
an engine from four to nine years BE-
fore their turn came, and the wages
of all were very small compared With
wages Of. trainmen at the, present
time. Telegraph operators were paid
1876 a month. brakemen tho same; fire-
men earned mot to exceed $50. Z
month, freight conductors. SIS; pas
senger conductors, $685. engineers ~:
eraged $s5 to $50. / have stated tliat
promotion was slow In the old days.
which brings TO my mind that Billy,
Lanfear fred nine years and was tie
Oldest fireman on the road when The
elevated road was opened IN Nov
York city. Billy ana several others
were given employment % engineer.
from the b. ". 4 O., all 81 vhom
made ood-New York Sun. q
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20

Tho aeeompnyne picture the wonderful abaser Sphinx that
object single block aaas world The
magnificent
Sir
British School Egypt found eurious object sticking
hen but this tho
Tho Sphinx being
borhood this Sphinx
The
Petr director the British
.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Peculiar Island Formations.

The Maldive archipelago, lying in
the Indian ocean, several hundred
miles southwest of the southern point
Of Hindustan. is inhabited. but 1t
rarely sees visitors from the civilized
world. These islands, all composed
Of coral rock, are no fewer than four
teen thousand in number. Few Of
them rise more than seven or eight
feet above the sea level, although
they contain cocoanut palms and 9th
er forms of vegetation. Hundreds and
hundreds of little islands, ranged
around in a circle, with narrow and
shallow channels between, form atolls
or rings, having quiet waters within.
Occasionally, in this unique group, an
individual island is found In the form
Of q ring with smooth lake Enclosed
In its coral embrace.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
DICK TURPIN'S H0RSE-PIST0L

This double-barreled horse-pistol.
which was found by workmen who
were dismantlirg the Globe room of
the Reindeer inn at Banbury, England,
is believed to have belonged to Dick
Turpin, the hero" of the famous ride
to York. 1t bears the inscriptions:
presented to Dick Turpin at the
White Bear Inn. Drury Lane, February
Z, 1885," An American collector has
offered $4,000 for the weapon, but its
ownership Is in dispute.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Success and It's Friends.

When a man makes any kind of
success, however small, he finds that
his friends resolve themselves into
three classes. The first class turn
sullen, and show their envy in many
mean ways. The second class wax
more friendly than ever, and come
showering their attentions. The third
class show a reasonable pleasure at
your success and remain just az they
were before. God bless the last kind!
God mend the second! and God pity
the first!--Robert Nelson Stephens.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Estimate Cost OF, Living.

The official bankruptcy depart.
ment at Zurich, Switzerland, has just
prepared, after careful study, min
imum wage tariff for both sexes. It
is a curious documents, attempting to
prove what are the lowest sums upon
which persons can live. The follow
ing are some OF the tariffs per month
which are considered absolutely nee
essary: Single men, $40; single wom-
en-, $17.28; married couple without
children, 1892; with children up to
six years of age, an increase of $1.44
per month for each child; children up
to fourteen years, 1892; and up to
twenty years, $3.42 each per month.
In this minimum official list are in
cluded life and illness insurance and
doctors fees,
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Not Old at Sixty.

That a man is not too old to work
after he is sixty years of age is proved
by the figures Just made public by an
eastern railroad, which has in active
service Att employees who are be.
tween tho ages Of sixty and seventy.
Under tho roads pension system. an
employee may retire at the age Of
seventy. and there are now 172 men
receiving pensions who have served
forty years o. more In the company's
service. But there are even more
active employees than that who have
worked for the road forty years or
longer, the total number being 2.040.
The Argonaut.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
ms \ } ElET


The fundamental law on I'll rail-
roads Is to take care OF the regular
trains. Passenger service must fol-
low the time tables Mail and o.
press cannot be held up. Fast freights
with perishable goods have to be
moved with all speed. i 5s. >s.s YEA. a {
q After these problems receive atten-
ton there arises the puzzle Of nov:
ing extras Of inferior grade with the
least loss Of time. Suppose an up;
bound passenger on regular schedule
runs behind an extra freight which II
not fast enough to clear the division.
The freight has to proceed as far o.
It can and. run on to a, siding In time
to let the passenger pass. Five min
utes is. the leeway ordered in such.
circumstances. e. C.
An excursion train follows the pas
senger. The dispatcher, studies his
sheet carefully, figuring whether the
siding-bound freight can get into. the
next harbor safely before the pleasure
seekers arrive. Two or three extra
freights south bound must also. be sent
ahead as far as possible In the inter-
vals.,. :. 81.
For the purpose of traffic operation
trains are divided into three classes:
each of which: possesses certain rights,
In the first class are passenger trains,
in the second through freight and com.
bination freight and passenger trains
and in the third such rank and flo
as work and construction trains. =
There is a rule that trains moving
In certain direction take precedence
over trains of the same class moving
in the other. In the east tho right Of
way is at all times accorded to trains
moving east and north; In the west
1t goes to those travelling west and
south. These rules Of precedence
must not be ignored. In the minds Of
the men Is firmly fixed the provision
that inferior trains must clear the
time of superior trains by not less
than five minutes.
In addition to the laws Of the road
dispatche r, has to take into consid-.
Grafton the condition of the locomo!{
tive. the grades and curves. the state
of the roadbed, and above all the hui.
man element as embodied in the train.
crew. .
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
;WHERE OXEN WEAR TROUSERS

The latest thing in the sartorial
lime In Capetown is trousers for oxen.
! This method Of clothing beasts of bur.
den Is not due to any accession OF
: style In South Africa, but the gar.
ments have become necessity to pro-
tect the animals from the tsetse flies,
which are torment and often fatal
enemy. The tsetse flies swarm about
sunset, travelling near the ground.
and they have been known to poison
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20

Let US consider 9
one for q mo-
ment IN the time
of its greatest tor.
ture, and see.
The express IL
coming. It Is
drawn by two en-
gines. The 1arg.,
est weighs 100
tons-77 tons OF
the weight are
carried on the six
driving W h e e ! 8,
which means al
most 10 tons to
q wheel! That
means 13 tons of
weight infringing
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
canada's MANY >Rallroads,

~1ndoaB "dUy EU11UOAOU' 4
Canada has the greatest railroad
mileage in proportion to population Of
any country in the world, with posi-
bly, one or two minor exceptions, and,
according to the Railway, Age Gazette.
she is probably about to enter upon
an era Of great additional expansion in
railway building. One Of the project
ed railways is to provide an outlet for
the great wheat crops to Hudson Bay
and thence by steamer to Europe.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Found In Old Battle Ground.

Found in Old Battle Ground.
While cutting turf in Corlara bog.
County Roscommon Qreland) on the
estate Of Mr.. ]. J. Doyle, J. p, a num-
Der Of copper battleax heads, armof
and military utensils were unearthed
the other day at. depth Of about
thirty feet. On this spot was former
~ fought fierce battle between the
clans of the O'Rourkes Of Brenni and
a sept Of the O'Connors Of Roscom-
mon. s=5 zs7s ~. q j :gSzz5Ez
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
"a eulid Record Lol,c,omotl,v,e..s 3

=. TO BUJIo RECORD Iocom0t1Ve.E 2
The largest locomotive In the
world" Is to be built BY an American
locomotive company. This one will
weigh $4,000 pounds, viii have six
tesn driving wheels, and win push
freight cars up 2 steep grade ID. West
Virginia. permitting the use Of much
heavier trains than q present
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20

there is treasured in the town hall a
ham, in costly glass case, with the
inscription: "Passers-by contemplate
here the mortal remains of the pig
which acquired for itself imperishable
glory by discovering the salt springs
of Luneberg."
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20

entire herds of cattle. Mr.. Ok re-
ceives bath before he ions the hab-
i1ments of civilization. This bath
consists OF oil and resin, and Is sup
posed to free the animals of all ticks
and parasites. His pants" are then
thoroughly soaked in oil and resin,
and when the swarm, of flies come in
contact with the trousers legs they
die by thousands.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
SARK'S MINIATURE PRISON

Sark. the beautiful Channel Island,
boasts OF one tiny prison, consisting
Of two cells. There are no paid po-
lice n Sark. except one elsctsd con.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20

stable, and It is some time since the
prison was put to use. On one occa-
sion the prisoner was put inside and
the constable omitted to lock the
door. When he came back next morn
ing he found the prisoner sitting Oh
the step outside.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
Reseryatlonl,.l,

shs Let me b hrst nd g tho IN
51red. ~ So.
yours sule e vee't = -
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-09-20
UNDER VIII TRAIN
HARD 70. REALIZE WHAT. Steel
IS. RAIL HAS 70 STAND. p
Just What Happens When N Express
: Train ls Rushing Over the4L'ne-.:: s.
!: h. Marvel 10 That Rail IL Not -s 4
p: - =" Crushed. r.; 70

y. Have you any idea Of the strain to
which a steel rail is subjected today?
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-14
RACHEL ROBSON is
TAKEN TO BURLINGTON

Rachel Robson of Rome, Iowa, the
aged woman who fell on the street at
Fourth avenue and Twenty-fourth
street, last Tuesday afternoon, frac-
turing her hip, was taken to Burling-
ton this afternoon by her son, Grant
Robson of that city and her daughter,
Mrs. Emma Wicks of Rome, Iowa.
Mrs. Robson had left Rome last
Tuesday to go to Sherryville, Wis, to
visit relatives and while waiting for d
train here wandered of and met with
the accident. She was taken to st.
AnJhony's hospital. Wednesday morn
ing a handbag was found in the pas
senger depot which contained a ticket
over the Burlington from Rome to
Sherryyille, and a note which stated
that the woman was hard OF hearing
and asking those who came in contact
with her TO assist her as much as
possible.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-14
35-CENT HAIR CUT
DUE HERE FEB. |
BARRIERS Union Proposes to In
troduce Chicago Rates in
Three Cities.

Being bald will have added com
pensation for Rock islanders ere long,
fer the 35-cent haircut is on the way
here from Chicago, where II recently
kicked up such big hullabuloo. The
BARRIERS union, which controls and
regulates all things tonsorial, except
Ing the safety razor, has decreed.
With the added dime that will make
It just 40 per cent more difficult to
keep your locks shorn, will come a
tax Of cents for neck shave, which
is clear gain for the barber, who has
been throwing in neck shaves free ev-
cry time he scraped your face at Is
pents a scrape.
The three cities, as usual, are to
be- among the first OF the smaller ur-
ban communities to be favored with
metropolitan tonsorial rates. II was
the intention to put them into effect
the first OF the year, but there was
some sort of a misunderstanding
which set us back a month. The date
agreed upon now is Feb. l.
After Feb. ] when you get out of a
BARRIERS chair shaved and shorn you
vii be debtor 10 the barber for an
oven half q dollar. II is emphatically
denied that decreased revenues due
- the growing popularity Of the safe
ty razor have anything TO do with the
new rates. 1t is our old Nemesis, the
h of l., the BARRIERS aver.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-14

laundry work Each shirt finished
by hand and put up in a carton, insur-
ing work. Delivered to you in good
condition. We guarantee no cracked
collars OF cuffs. City Steam laundry.
Reid & Bollman, All Seventeenth
street
Johnson's Wood Dye is not a mere
stain-not simply a surface dressing.
1t is a real, deep-seated aye, that goes
to the very heart of the woodland
stays there-fxing a rich and perma-
nent color Johnson's Wood Dye IS
made in II standard shades. For sale
by Lerch & Greve. 2O02-2O04 Fourth
avenue.
There is a great world OF comfort to
the eyes in a perfectly fitted pair of
glasses or spectacles. The lenses should
be accurately adapted 10 your individ-
usl requirements and should be set IN
frames or mountings that rest comfort
ably upon the nose. We give comfort
IN the frames as well as in the lenses.
Fred Bleuer. eye specialist. 1902 Sec
ond avenue.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-14

all kind sof poultry. It makes the
hens lay every day.
Community silverware for Christmas
gifts at the Mill Store
Mems silk hosiery and ties in fancy
boxes. just the thing for a gift for
father, mother, brother or husband
The Mill Store.
Kahn & Reinhardt cigar store still
takes the lead. Most literally patron
lied. Everything in tobacco. cigars
and smokers supplies. Man is never
better satisfied than when smoking
their choice brands
Mechanical toys. dolls and books in
our toy department. The Mill Store.
The Rock Island Lumber and Manu-.
featuring company, lumber and build
ing material for all purposes. houses,
barns. granaries. We will give you an
opportunity TO save big per cent Let
US be OF service to you.
Christmas table linens and fine da.
mask towels al The Mill Store.
Maths bakery and confectionery
store. the finest in the ti-cites.
Bread, cakes, pies, cookies and hot