davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

that particular newspaper and that he couldn't influence it. The reporter ven-
 tured the opinion that the Colossus of
 Roads would be powerless in stopping the | Independent newspaper in New York that | tue story would be telegraphed to. This | made the railroad man fume and answer. | Phelps seemed to enjoy the situation huge | ly. It really was ridiculous. Here were men of great wealth. who represented | hundreds of millions of dollars and em- | ploying tens of thousands of men. One of
 their great projects might be placed in
 jeopardy if a story went broadcast suc1
 as thls young man was going to write. l Possibly he had no Idea of the effect of
 publication that would make them the
 laughing stock of the financial world. MT, l Marlein. the banker, was a great figure | in the church. 1t was awful to contem-
 plate him pictured as q poker player, and
 not only drinking liquor, but endeavorns l to induce a young man to drink. This would not be so bad were i not that ihe
 negotiations for the talking over of the Mississippl- Pacific were at very tender
 stage Great as were Markleln, Ham
 mond Hemmingway and Poole, they had | powerful rivals in Wall street who would
 make the most of such an opportunity as
 this afforded to bring them into rldicule.
 Mr. MarlSlein didn't give expression to |! just this iact but Phelps was LOO cleVer not to understand what he meant when he
 said that it would be very unfortunate if anything was printed at that particular time. Then he inquired how much money Phelps received through his literary sf- forts. Phelps informed him that he was
 the highest priced man on the Star staff,
 and, as such, received $25 per week. MT. Marklein hemmed and hawed before he found fitting words to express what he wanted to say next. but he let Phelps uu- derstand that by forgetting he ever had
 been aboard that private car it would be
 greatly. yes, indeed greatly to his fnan-
 cial benefit Phelps scowled. He walked
 across the car and took his hat up from
 the chair on which he had placed 1t upon
 entering. Then he looked the five gentle
 men over coldly.
 This has been a rather unusual and | Illuminating experience" he remarked | q read once what an eminent lawyer had
 to say about a gentleman I shall not
 name, moving in a higher sphere that we
 ordinary mortals dare not enter. I had
 an idea that you great men of finance, | transportation and the law and the sena- l tors of the United States were superior
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

now. no large block of the common stock appears to be owned by any individual or corporation or other gov ernment John Bull Is said to have a large majority of the whole, and the next shareholder in point of owner ship is d Frenchman who has only little more than 1900 shares out of the whole 100000. As l remember il the British government. bought TO- 900 shares of the old khedive. Ismail Pasha, getting the same through q loan of $20.000,000, which was made by the Rothschilds originally, and finally turned over to the British gov ernment. That investment of S20,00o, 900 was one of the best John Bull has ever made. The stock which he has bought Is now worth more than $l50,- 900, 900, and 1t has paid $60,000,O00 or S70,000, 900 in dividends If Panama should turn out equally well II will give Uncle Sam a surplus big enough to point the Great Lakes to the gulf by a similar waterway.
 Besides the work of building the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

stream is 200 feet wide. It has stone flood gates managed by soldiers. It is fed by rivers and creeks. At one place a river is conducted into 1t, and the Chinese say that S00,000 men worked seven months to turn the waters of that single stream.
 This canal is now going to ruin. 1t used to take all the tribute rice to Picking, and was then sailed by 5000 government boats every spring. Since tie advent of the Chinese Merchant Steamship company this rice has been carried by sea. and the steamers have materially damaged it's other traffic. It still has numerous junks and bat winged barges, and in places it is tray ersed by steamers and steam launches
 As practical ship canal however, it Is a thing of the pa-,. and 1t would require hundreds of millions of dollars to fit 1t for the transportation of the present. Its value has so diminished that the department for its upkeep has been practically abolished, the office Of director general of the grain transport
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

"HE last thing Phelps had to do each
 day was to go to the Union station
 A to discover what had happened there that was of interest in the world of affairs and then see that it was chron- tcled Uusally he journeyed down to the station about II D. m. Earlier in the day he visited the courthouse and the city hall, for he did politics. Tn the afternoon and early evening he made a tour of the hotels. If anybody of any account came to town and departed without Iris knowl- edge he felt that he was a failure in his business.
 Phelps took himself and his profession very seriously. He dressed exqustely, considering his position in life; he was un- usually precise in his statements and to ht himself more fully for his position he read every eastern publication he could get his hands on. so he would be we'll in- formed about men of affairs and their doings. Few portraits escaped his eye He would study picture until he had it's characteristics firmly fixed in his memory No one of any account escaped him. He was as much interested in the actor as the statesman, the philosopher as the manufacture, the star of the baseball world as the star of pugilism.
 Many persons are likely to consider us as we consider ourselves. Phelps looked upon himself as an important individual Near the close of a very dull day he went /to the Union station, hopeful that he would run across something there that would relieve the dull monotony. Appar- ently there was nothing out of the ordi- nary. The trains were on time, there had been no accidents, there was no gossip, no news. The big waiting room had it's regular quota of anxious or tired fretful persons. The announcer droned out Fthe train calls in the usual dull and heavy voice, and the cang of bells and the es- cape of steam from the locomotives out side only added to the nervousness of the waiting throng. Phelps should have gone ito the telephone and reported that there was absolutely nothing worthy of atten- tion but he didn't. Instead, he wandered out into the train shed and marched along the tracks, exchanged a word two wirn trunk wrestlers, trainmen. and express messengers. hoping against hope that something would develop to yield what he called story" He was starting back, disappointed, when he happened to see a colored porter whom he knew slightly. The porter was an extra.
 What are you doing here at this time of night, Jim?' Phelps asked.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

Panama canal that of suez seems lit l tie more than a chore. The Suez canal 1 is only a great ditch through the des- l ert where the earth is soft sand and the ground is comparatively smooth IL is a sea level canal and that without locks At Panama the canal cuts right through the backbone of the Andes and at Culebra alone we shall have to cut cut more earth and rock than the Egyptians lifted in their whole excava- tion In the ditch at SueZ the dirt and sand could be left on the banks, but at Panama 1t has had to be earted miles away.
 The Suez excavation was soft in most places and fl was only here and there that rock had to be cut. At Panama some Of the work has been almost like blasting through irof, and it is only tEe steam shovel that has enabled us to conquer the difficulty.
 The Suez canal was eXcayated al- most by hand. Twenty thousand Egyp- tian peasants were employed at time and they scooped the dirt up In bas- kets. They got from , 10 15 cents 2 day, and many of them worked under the lash and were not paid al all. Our canal has been constructed with the mightiest of modern machinery; so ef- fcicnt that had il been used at Suez ihst canal could have been constructed at one-third of the cost and within one-tenth of the time.
 A Trip Through the Canal
 The trip on the Panama canal will be one of tho great sights of the world. it will take one through some Of the most picturesque scenery of the tropics. where there will be palm trees, banana
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

Copyright, 1912, by Frank G. Carpen-
 On the Gulf of Mexico,
 ET~route for Panama. Y AM on my way to the Panama
 canal. I left New Orleans last x Saturday on the good steamer F''Abangarez' of the United Fruit com pany and will land at Colon, at the eastern end of our big ditch. at ' st. m. Thursday morning next. This will be my third visit to the canal work ings. I saw them first in 1897, at the beginning of my tour around South America. The Frenchmen, who were then in charge, took me over the mountains and down the Chagres. They looked sad, for they were loaded with q Gargantuan job, which hung around xheir necks as oppressively as did the COld Man of the Sea around that of 'sSinbad the Sailor. They had 5000 men in their employ and they were laborin s only with the hope of selling out to the United States or Great Britain.
 My next visit to the isthmus was eight years later, when we had just ltaken possession. l then saw the first Isteam shovel installed in the Culebra cut, and watched it as 1t began to jgouge out the heart of the Andes. That Twas when Engineer Wallace had just taken charge and the .work was Tt ' It's beginning.
 Now the mighty construction is ap- preaching completion and I go with my pen and camera to show you just how 1t looks. By the time I reach the istl- mus the first water should begin 10 fill In Gatum. lake; and. before leave it, some of the greatest of the works will be completed, in prepara tion for the Joining of the waters of the oceans 2 which will flow together on or before a year from this date.
 On the Worlds Great Canals
 But first, I would like to take you on flying journey about the globe to show what other nations have done in canal building l have gone through the greatest of such works which have ye- been created; and during my recent trip around the worlo 1 traversed the Suez canal, the canal of Corinth In Greece, some of the chief canals of h. dia and the Grand canal of China, whica runs from Tientsin for 1000 miles southwark through the most thickly populated country on earth. This last summer, on a flying visit to Europe. visited Holland, which. as everyone knows, is cut up by canals; and l have made my way through the big ditch he Kaiser dug to give the Germa.i
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09
R~roemhaII's Rspert.

Liverpool, April 9.-At the opening
the market was firm and y to "a
higher than Thursday with short
covering on the strength in Buenos
Ayres yesterday and Argentine ship
pers offer mostly Cd dearer. Spot
markets opened firm and II to Id
higher. n cergoes in distant posi-
tons held IA to Sd advance. There
was a good demand from the CONT
nent with Paris at the opening very
arm. Following the opening there was
a disposition for profits and a decline
occurred on the liberal world ship
ments, large percentage to the United
kingdom. and expectations Of a large
increase in the visible here. Just be-
fore mid-day there was some specu-
lative support on the cooperative
power shown in American values yes
terday and this kept shorts nerVous.
AT. 1880 o. m. the market was steady
and q to hd higher than Thursday.
Corn opened u to Il higher and re-
manned unchanged and dull. The
steady undertone vas attributed to
strength shown in America late yes
terday. Buenos Ayres wheat closed
with a net advance Of 1h to INC with
shorts covering on the frmness of
shippers offers and a good foreign de-
mand with arrivals grading unsatis-
factory. Corn the near month was
firmly supported owing to the higher
foreign bR1s, while June was freely
Utcred on the favorable crop out-
lock here. Broomhall.
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09
The FRANCHISES Read
Revised Franchises for Street Railway
and Gas Distribution Read and
Passed First Reading.

The greater part of the time of
| aldermen, at the regular meeting Of
the city council, last night, was on
sumed in the reading of three fran
chises. Two of them related to the
proposed contraction, by The Fargo
and Moorhead Street Railway Co., of
an i~nterurban line to the village of
Dilworth. The franchises read are
revisions of those presented two or
three weeks ago. One relating to the
streets to be used definitely states the
thoroughfares which shall be used by
the company. The i~nterurban line to
DiIworth will leave the present court
house loop at Tenth street and Sec
ond avenue north, east to the city
limits, thence. $50 feet north to within
a short distance of the county road
thence to the village of Dilworth,
The gas franchise asked for is a
period of ten years ana with one or
two minor changes is practically the
same as the existing franchise. An
other franchise related to the cree
ton of poles for the transmission Of
power for use in connection with the
proposed interurban line. All of the.
franchise ordinances were read the
first time and formally referred to a
sub committee of the, council and then
it will be submitted to a committee of
the commercial club.
A communication was read from the
Civics club urging that the council do
all it can do in urging the work of
clearing the city of garbage. There
being no ordinance governing this
work and providing penalties for re-
fusal to properly remove unsightly and
health destroying dirt heaps. the city
attorney was instructed to prepare an
ordinance and present it to the coun-
ell with the least possible delay. Along
this line DR.. Verne, the local health
officer, made some remarks which
embodied valuable information which
he had compiled from garbage regu-
lations which existed in cities where
there were stringent local laws apply
ing to the removal of garbage. Sug-
gestions were made. for the establish
ing Of a cleanup day and Alderman
Lamb promised practical co-opera-
ton in tho way of the removal of the
different kinds Of refuse which can be
assembled by the aid of the children
who will be asked to devote Arbor
day to that work.
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09
RepubIiean PoIitieaI calendar.

About a month hence will come the
first engagement in the preliminaries
to the nomination of the republican
candidate for the presidency. For the
party the following calendar gives the
dates Of the and conventions
which are to be held, including the
state convention at ST. Paul for the
nomination of q. state ticket:
May 11-County caucuses.
May 13--County conventions to
elect delegates to the state and con-
eressional district conventions.
May 15-District conventions, to
elect delegates to national conven-
ton at Chicago.
May 16-State convention at Min
neapolis to elect six delegates at
large to national convention.
June 22-Caucuses will be held in
most counties on this date.
June 2S-County conventions to elect
delegates to state convention.
July 2-State convention at st. Paul
for the purpose of nominating a state
ticket.
So far the Minnesota democrats
have fixed only one date and that is
for the state convention to elect dele
gates to the national convention at
Baltimore, Md. The state convention
will be held at Duluth, June 9.
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09
SEEDING WORK
Being RUSHED
IN SOME LOCALITIES WHEAT is
ALL IN AND NEVER UNDER
MORE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS
BELIEVED ALL WILL BE IN 5Y
END or THIS WEEK.

In some localities in this part of the
Red river valley farmers have sent in
reports to Moorhead that wheat seed
ing has been finished and that
spring conditions were never more
favorable including the important one
OF moisture reservation.
A telephone message from Maker
Vallen, this morning, said that he had
finished seeding his 150-acre field to
wheat the seed for which had been
very carefully selected. He also said
that he expected to begin putting in
oats and barley tomorrow.
According to reports the work of
wheat seeding in Clay and adjoining
counties in the Red river valley will be
finished by the end OF this week. Ev-
cry available drill has been in serv-
ice since the work Of seeding began a
week ago.
G. r. Froling OF the J. B. Folsom Of
fee in Fargo made an auto drive this
morning from Ulen to Moorhead, ac-
companied by a prospective buyer Of a
considerable tract from Jackson coun-
ty, wisconsin, who was making his
first tour of the Red river valley and
who said that he had heard much of
the splendid fertility Of the land in
the Red river valley. but he never.
dreamt that it was as good as he was
finding it. Mr.. Froling said he found
that his man was well informed on the
potato industry in Clay county and
that he was contemplating a dip into
that enterprise and that he was favor
ably impressed with the systematic
work which has been done by the Clay
County Potato Growers association,
that an enterprise which demanded
such an important move was some n
terprise.
MI. Trolling also added that from the
information which had been given him
the acreage of potatoes, this year
would be largely in excess of what it
was last year, for the reaso that there
was now more certainty as to the mar
ket for the product-the trademark of
the Clay county association has done
good work.
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09
Moorhead Department
OOKFOOTBRlDGEAWAY
As Safety Precaution the Footbridys
Across Red River Between the
Cities Has Been Taken Down,

This morning the city authorities
gave orders for the removal of the
small footbridge which crosses the
Red river between the two cities op-
posite the Fargo waterworks. on ac-
count of high water and ice conges-
ton. Last year the water and ice
conditions were such that the bridge
was never in danger and the people
on tho south side of Moorhead did not
have to be Inconvenience by the tenn.
porary removal Of the structure.
The high water conditions above the
cam and the congestion Of ice near
the bridge was the occasion for much
concern to the authorities. Several
charges Of dynamite were used last
evening in the effort to break UP the
ice in small pieces, but that was futile
and the congestion continued. Efforts
will be made to secure reports of ice
conditions from points south so as To
be ready for future action. The opin-
ion prevails that a great deal of the
ice has come down and the disrup-
ton here will not be for a very long
period.
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09

ing the yield of other crops. although
these indirect results are the more
valuable Of the two. In fact the greaa
increase In the acreage yield Of Gera
manys crops has taken place SINGS
the general introduction OF the sugar
beet as q crop to be used in rotation
one year in four-that Is, since the
early eighties.
Il believe, however, that the AnnerfA
can farmer, Is gradually awakening I'd
the value Of the methods which have
put Europe 10 far ahead OF MS Ia get-
ting the greatest returns from the son
The value Of crop rotation and the use
OF the beet Is shown by the fact thar
through its cultivation In rotataon with
wheat oats, barley, rye and potatoes
in Germany their faxxners secure from
the land which they devote to these
f1Ve crops an annual yield work.
$500 OOO 600 more than our farmers se4
cure from q like area devoted to the
same crops. If from our total area
devoted TO these 1--WE crops our farm
ers secured as great a yield as do
q German farmers, our Farmers would
pc richer by 31.40e.000, OO0 q wear. De
plorable and ~unweicoHaa az Il the an
creased cost Of living cloud, it may stilI
develop q silver lining, If it brings our
Farmers to appreciate the need 81
methods which win enable them "a
work their land to It's fun eficaencv
ana at the same time to conserve I'M
future productiveness. There b no rea-
son why we cannot equal or surpaaa
wnat Germany has accomplisheT
through the careful application of cron
rotation. Incidentally by giving nnore
attention to the most valuable n an
rotation RODS. vi can also produce
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09
TWO YOUNG MEN KILL
HUNDRED PRAIRIE DOGS


New England Herald: Here is
a new record that we think is hard
hard to beat. Last Thursday
afternoon Rowland Sheldrew and
Albert Nelson took advantage Of
the high water and did some irri-
cation work that resulted in the
death OF 100 prairie dogs.
The north half of section 10
1897 is the home Of several
thousand prairie dogs. The ground
where they have their home is low.
Upon a nearby hill the bows did
a little work and turned the water
onto the low ground. flooding the
dogs out. With the assistance Of
a small dog and two spades the
boys killed 100 of the rodents.
This work was not done merely
for the pleasure Of killing. These
little animals that sit up SO cutely
and chatter at you when you pass
Use a great deal of land which
they make totally unfit for aori-
cultural purposes. This is rather
a novel method and could doubt
less be put into practice In. other
places, thus reclaiming much rich
land for forming.
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09
Kingston cruIlers.

Cream one-half pound butter with
three-fourths pound powdered sugar.
When smooth and light add one-half
teaspoonful of mace, the same quanti-
ty Of nutmeg, and the well beaten
yolks of six eggs. Stir in the stiffened
whites Of the eggs alternately with
enough flour to make a dough thai can
be rolled out. Roll into a thin sheet,
cut into circles or any shape desired
and drop a few at a time. into deep.
boiling fat. Test the fat with a bit Of
dough before frying any crullers ii it.
When golden brown in color remova
the crullers and lay in a heated col4
ander to drain. sprinkling with pow4
dered sugar..
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09
AUTO OWNERS MEET TOMORROW
Plans for Proposed Automobile Club
Ready to Be Submitted.

The committee appointed at the
meeting of owners Of autos in Moor
head and vicinity a day or two ago,
to arrange a plan of organization and
draft the necessary bylaws for the
proposed Automobile club of Moor.
head, met this morning In the parlor
of the First National bank. There
we're present, Messrs Harris. Walker,
Peterson and Huntoon, and they an
nounce that their report will be all
ready to submit to the adjourned
meeting to be held at the city hall
at 8 o'clock tomorrow night.
The purpose Of the club, which is
to be composed of auto owners in
Moorhead and vicinity, will be, first
and foremost, to stimulate the con-
~struction and maintenance OF good
roads, main roads which are the most
lraversed in making journeys over the
county and to the different lake re-
gions. Then there is the element of
good fellowship among the owners.
who, when organized, will be a unit
ter mutual benefit. The by-Iaws will
provide regulations which are used by
other auto clubs ana which have been
found to have been beneficial in many
ways. The officers Of the club will
be elected without formal nomination,
similar to the plan adopted by the
commercial club. The committee
named hopes that every owner viii att
tend the meeting tomorrow night If
possible.
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-09
Was Playing Checkers.

Joseph Smith, 81 years of age, a well
known resident Of Fergus Falls. passed
away very suddenly last Sunday even
ing, a few minutes after he had taken
a seat to play a game of checkers with
a friend on whom he was making a
call.
Mr.. Smith had been in his usual
health, and was about town during
the day. In the evening he went to
the home of DR.. M. L. Davenport, gov
eminent inspector at the packing plant
on Broadway, and a down to a game
OF checkers. He was apparently feel
ing all right, when without warning,
he fell from his chair. dead. The
death was due to apoplexy.