The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-21
DEMOCRATS LOOK
 FOR LONG FIGHT
Sentiment in Choice of Bal
 tirnore for Convention
SOME BRAVE WOMEN
Stories of Some Women Lighthouse Keepers in Employment of Uni ted States-Sharp Williams
 Reputation as Liar
By RALPH NJ. wHITEsIDE

Washington, January 90.-(Speciai) )-The democratic national committee was prob
 ably wise in setting an early date for it's
 convention, for unless all signs fail 1t is
 going to take some time to come to an agreement as to who shall head the ticket
 That thefe will be at least half dozen
 candidates voted for is certain. The num- Der may be twice that when the roll is
 called on the first ballot. It is regarded
 as practically certain that the names of
 Underwood, Wilson, Harmon. Clark. Mar shall. Hearst. Foss and Baldwin will fig
 ure with almost an equal number of pos
 abilities in case of prolonged deadlock | and with the possibility of stampede for
 Bryan always possible.
 The democrats will need time to unravel this tangle.
 There was some sentiment in the choice
 of Baltimore as the convention city. Ut
 may be recalled that 1t was in that city.
 the convention was held just previous to
 the civil war, which marked the long eclipse of that party. It Is impossible now to find q democrat who is not firmly con-
 vinced that the party is not only to be | successful this year. but that 1t is to re- tain power for many years to come. It is felt, therefore, that it is fitting that Bal timore, the scene of the party's down fall. should also be the scene of it's re juvenation.
 Along the coasts and rivers of the Limited States there are 27 women in the service of the bureau of lighthouses, De- partment of Commerce and Labor, as keepers. assistant keepers, laborers in charge or laborers at the light stations which warn vessels of the presence of dangerous rocks, reefs and shoals which in times past have wrecked many good ship.
 | All but three of these women are either married or widowed: there being ten who succeeded their husbands, two their moth | CTS, and one her father, as keepers of | the great beacons. Three help their nus- | bands with their hazardous work and a few lend helping hands to other relatives. Two are widows of lighthouse inspectors,
 one of whom in the discharge of his duty | lost his life by drowning
 | Were brave and loyal Ida Lewis living l today the record would show 2S women l on the rolls She was the most conspic- | uous of all these women during her life l time, which ended October A last, at the age of 69 years, as her record shows a
 saving of lS lives in six different rescues,
 each at the peril of her own life.
 | A few instances will serve to show the l heroic clements making up the individual | character of these women. The Angel Is- | land light station, California, is kept by Mrs Juliet E.. Nichols, widow of Henry E.. Nichols. Y. s. N, inspector of light
 houses It is the direct path of the larger part of navigation in San Francisco bay | Besides taking care of the lantern, Mrs Nichols looks after fog signal, or bell, | which is struck double blow by machin- cry During the two heavy fogs in July 1906, she spent 24 hours and 35 minutes one day striking the bell by hand, and the second day after that she stood all night hitting the bell with nail hammer. Botl | times she had neither food nor rest.
 On the morning of March 2S 1881. Com