The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-12-30

AAs0
bit of a Central American village.
with the jungle steaming on one side
Of you and the sea blazing endlessly
on the other, with smelly kerosene
lamps for Illumination. and the lux
uries Of life fewer than you'd expect
to find in an Arizona adobe. says the
New York Evening Post. And then
suppose a tidal wave came along and
smashed things up pretty generally.
but. ended by picking UP a fine big
steamer and washing her over the bar
into shoal water near the beach. leav.
ing her there, high and dry.
And then suppose an cnternrisinG
citizen Of the village. seeing that the
vessel was intact and all her machtn-
cry unchanged. sent tn the nearest
source of supply. which in this case
was Tehuantepec. just 100 miles dis
electric cable and quantities IF lamps.
assorted sizes, and rugged UP the cable
between the ship and the shore. and
pumped current from the wrecks
dynamos. which he retailed at strictly
commercial rates. to all ambitious ma
tives who fancied the glow Of the in
%candescent bulb IN their PALM
matched corrugated iron homes.
Wouldn't that be interesting--if it
WCIC SIuCs Stidl 8. VI outS WV
don't believe it could be true. It's too
much like a chapter from a story
about a South American revolution.
with a dictator. a beautiful daughter.
an an athletic young American en-
gineer thrown in.
just the Same. It's True.
The funny thing about this particu-
lar story. however. is that it is true.
It actually happened. 1t was along
- 1>~,,k -. ~,>~ ~, 4~> kIok thN e,xo0 ~ a -
Osiris of the Kosmos line Of San Fran
cisco. was lying off Ocos. Guatemala,
when an earthquake shook that part
Of the world and IA followed by a
tidal wave big enough to pick up. the
steamship as II she had been q. fishing
smack. and carry her over the inter-
vening sand banks to a point ear the
beach. where it dropped her neatly.
between two reefs just sufficiently far
able cradle.
When her crew left her. judging her
to be Of no further use. a citizen Of
Oeos. who had some experiences of
civilized life. rowed out to the unin-
jured wreck and cast a speculative eye
yer her contents. Later. he sent" to
Mexico for the necessary materials
and proceeded to form the Ocos Elee-
trio Light & Power company. Oces
TOOK the nook all the way GOWN us
gullet-and then struggled for more.
To think of having a real electric
lighting plant! 1t was hardly to be be-
lieved. And every citizen of Ocos
lauded it over the citizens of the 9TH
er village seaports along the Guate.
malan coast which could not boast
such munif1cent luxury.
To be anywhere in Ocos society It
was necessary to be able to point to
at least one eight-candlepower incan-
descent. pendent from the roof of the
living room. The mayor and council
even proceeded to have the principal
streets lighted. Business hummed.
The padre had the church wired.
People came from far and near to adj
mire. Ocos was ny way of becoming
one Of the principal points of interest
in all Guatemala. and it was ruInored
that the president. himself. conten-
plated paying a visit to such ar ems
terprising community.
Joy Turned to Grief.
Then. behold, al Joy and pride were
at their height. what should happen,
but a brief communication to the Ocos
Electric Light & Power company
from the Kosmos line Of San Francis