davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05

'uon nave been taking the measure of ali
its waterways. that the government and
the individual may know .Ae work these
rivers may be set to perform
From 200 stations scattered through
out the country the federal government
Is getting regular reports of the amount
OF water which every day flows past to
the sea. and has been getting that in
formation for two decades. 1t conse-
auently knows whether the floods of a
given stream in the west are adequate
for storage and irrigation of a given des-
ert. whether a manufacturer is warranted
In establishing a mill at a given water
fall of the Alleghenies, whether a line OF
boats drawing four feet of water may
wisely be put to work on given stream
whether an individual has dormant
fortune In a bit of river front land where
the spindles of the future may whirr and
whether water power sites I'm the west
should be withdrawn from settlement.
This stream gauging work of the gov
eminent has been going on for twenty
years. Today it takes the measure of
the floods that the Ohio pours into the
MISSISSIPPI, that the useful MerrimaC
sends past Lowell. that Snake river
rolls I'm the shadow of Clusters battle
field. and that the mere brook grown
large in your own community takes
beneath the old mill wheel.
In the bottom of the Grand Canyon Of
the Colorado there is a station from
which the waters that rush through
that mighty gorge before it becomes
the American Nile measured. All
the frozen streams of Minnesota are
visited every day by painstaking
gauger who chops his way through a
foot of ice that he may get his in
struments into the rushing waters be-
low. Where the oils of industry float
upon the breast of the Susquehanna as it
winds through metropolitan Philadelphia
a gauger looks from his window with
field glasses and reads the lazy observa-
lions Of the day. At 800 points in the
nation trim young women. teachers of
schools. are likewise agents Of the gov
eminent in this work. and these morning
and night, trip to the water front and
make a record of the elevation Of the
stream. SO Is varying dragnet of the
streams Of the whole country maintained.
and Is the basis laid for their future
usefulness.
Ii was to wrest these secrets from the
Deschutes river in far-away Oregon
that Engineer McCourtland last year set
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05
MEASUR ING A TLoOD

the White mountains, for stream flow is
dependent upon snowfall.
From this cabin in the wilds each of
these young men set out on SnowShoeS
each morning. There were certain points
on the mountain sides. in the valleys.
among the wooded solitudes, where these
measurements were to be made. This
region, which is so popular in the sum-
mer. is almost entirely deserted in the
depths of winter, with the thermometer
at 30 below. Automobile roads are
buried beneath great snowdrifts, and
horses are useless as an assistance to
travel. Only snOwshoe travel is possible
Upon these each yOungster made his
run of some twenty miles and took his
measurement. With each measurement
given cubic space Of snow must be
weighed. that it's density may be esti-
mated. So was it possible to get at the
amount Of water that this blanket of
five or six feet of snow would make in
the spring. The camp in the SHOWS was
maintained throughout the winter. and
the youngsters came through with but
a single casualty, this being upon the oc-
casion of one of their members falling
and breaking two ribs eight miles from
camp and being forced to make a most
painful snowshoe journey or freeze on
the mountain side
The girl school teachers. according to
Uncle Sam. are the most efficient and re-
liable OF his gauge keepers. He is anX-
ious to enlist the services Of many others
of their kind. He states that they never
fail him, and if his gauges wash out the
young lady school teacher always finds
way to leave record on the bank
that will give the basis of future reckon
ing
When there happens to be a convenient
bridge across stream the gaugers mere
ly have to walk that bridge. drop a line
at various places that will show the
depth of water. let down an instrument
that will record the swiftness of the
stream, and all the figures are in hand
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05
BY a BOULEVARDIER.

fOTH1NG in the world is quite SO
~ loathesome to the man unac-
customed to it, quite SO
~ pleasant to the man accus-
toned, as getting into evening
clothes. No man may say why this is so;
II is merely one of those facts which ex-
let, without rhyme or reason
The youth, wearing his first suit of
evening clothes. is probably just about
the most utterly wretched young person
in all creation. Like the boy in his first
pair Of long trousers. he is horribly self
conscious. He feels that everybody Is
cycling him critically. with knowledge
that his suit Is being christened. and he
also feels that something about his attire
10 probably awry. AS result. he is very
apt to show his nervousness. to show
that he % III at ease. Hence he is apt to
be awkward.
And the man who is awkward in even
ing clothes usually is about as sorry a
looking object as can he imagined. He
will b singled out Of crowd every time.
and worse still he will know 1t, a fact
which naturally cannot be calculated to
add 70 his peace of mind.
There W1s q noted wag who once de-
clared that the true test of a gentleman
was 70 put him In evening clothes. stand
him I'd before @ crowd and see whether
or not he looked like a gentleman OF u
waiter.
But that wag was absolutely wrong.
Wearing evening clothes gracefully is
simply a matter OF custom. The more one
wears them. the more one feels at home
in them, until finally DOMINIC them be-
comes an actual pleasure. 1t probably Is
dif1cult for the novice to realize that this
,s 80, but time will show him that 1t Is.
As for looking like a waiter" too, the
writer has seen garcons who wore their
clothes In a manner that would pass mus
ter with flying colors in any ballroom in
the land
but there are about three score and ten
little ironclad rules connected with the
wearing of evening clothes which are con-
tinually being violated. Perhaps one OF
the most common Of these Is the wearing
of gold cuff buttons. gold cuff button.
no matter how beautiful or how plain. is
utterly out OF place with evening clothes.
Dame Fashions rule on this point Is In
exorable. The buttons must be pure
white. They may be of pearl. mother Of
pearl. wood covered with some heavy
white corded material or Of any compo-
sition the wearer pleases. but they must
be white.
The same thing applies to shirt studs
Gold studs are even worse than gold cum
buttons. There are some men who wear
studs of precious stones-diamonds. tiny
rubies and sapphires. This is allowable
but on the whole IL Is not considered the
best form. The custom is too apt to SAVIOR
strongly of love OF display. or. to use an
ugiier word. of a tinge of vulgarity.
Vvening clothes are primarily intended to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05
Correspondence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON. December 10, 1912.
NE Of the latest stories of the meaii-
~ est man. now going the rounds Is
to the effect that he sold globe of gold
fish presented to him by his flancec on
the ground that he .'couldnt afford to
keep them If the gift had been IA BIRD
instead there might have been some eA-
cuse for keeping d feathered pet Is get
ting to be d more and more expensive
business as time goes on, even 50 COM
paratively plebeian a comestible as ca
nary seed having doubled in price recent
ly as a result of the Turko-1ta ian war
The truth is that cage birds a'e getting
to be out-and-out gourmets, ana as a re
suit of the eXtravagant tastes OF the
songsters they keep the birdfood bill oil
british fancierS Is now a bit over 80
coo. 900 a wear No wonder. either. con-,
sidering the costly delicacies, many OF
which have to be imported from distant
lands and the astonishing varieties or
diet that have to be provided TO tempt
the faded palates of the pampered birds
of TODAY Many of these now turn up
their beaks i'm lofty disdain at such fare
as birdseed worms and Jumps of sugar.
and on many of the cages at the show OF
the London Cage Birds Association at
Horticultural Hall last week were such
fruits diet limited to fresh eggs.
Takes only foreign meal worms" Food
is various insect cocoons," and so on
Spotless white canaries, with pink eyes.
which had been raised on cod liver oil.
grapes and apples were one of the fea-
lures Of this show, and there also We're
various kinds of sunbirds. Zosterops and
sugar birds. whose sole food is syn
thetic nectar" that has been produced as
substitute for the sweet secretions
which native birds plumber from tropical
flowers. The main ingredients of this,
as detailed to the writer by Allen Sill
Yer. one of the judges at the London
Cage Birds Association show. are as fol-
lows: Condensed milk, sponge cake.
honey. sugar. invalids' patent food and
fruit juice.
The expert declared that birds of plain
err tastes are often satisfied with a mix
ture of only two or three Of these in
gradients. but that others demanded the
whole lot with subtle and exotic addi-
tions before their palates were salts
fed
Other bird foods said Silver. ARE
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05

with gray hose if you SO desire, or you
may wear black patent leather pumps OF
plain black high shoes. or. finally. If you
so desire. you may even wear low SHOES
of brilliant tan.
When the first pair of tan shoes
appeared as part of 81 the costume
that goes with a dinner coat on the
Boardwalk at Atlantic City some five or
six years ago there was d mild howl OF
protest The conventions pretended to
be shocked. Everybody noticed the dar-
ing young man who dared parade the
walk thus clad. Even the newspapers OF
the resort took it up and made facetlous
comment on the young mans nerve:
But then came n change. Men looked
at each other and asked Why not:
The dinner coat was already losing prac-
tica1y all its symbolism OF formality-
for stag events. for which 1t Is primarily
intended, are rarely noted for their for
mality-and the touch of color given by
the tan shoes was rather attractive. so
other men tried it, then more, until
finally the habit is so common that 1t Is
more or less taken for granted. rms
does not mean. Of course, that one should
wear tan shoes with dinner coat. 1t
means merely that. if one desires, one
may do without fear of being con-
sidered ridiculous or even erratic
There used to be regular hat designed
for wear with the dinner coat. too. 1t
was called the tuxedo" hat. and was
a soft, small fedora of black felt of ex-
ceptionally fine quality. The sweatband.
instead of being of leather, was of heavy
silk The hat frequently was silk lined
throughout. sometimes. too, men wore
opera hats, or even silk hats, with their
dinner coats, but not now. Now they
wear whatever they wish, black fedora.
gray SLOUGH or derby, and in summer A
straw sailor or panama, according to
their whim. And one is just about as
correct as the other. There is only one
don't" to be observed in connection
with the hat to be worn with "A dinner
coat. This one strangely enough. is
don't wear a silk hat" The silk hat
is the badge of formality. The dinner
coat has come to be distinctly informal,
and the two don't go together.
When one prepares to buy "a complete
evening outfit he can figure on a minimum
outlay of $50. He can scarcely purchase
one for less. 1t is almost superfluous to
remark on the other hand. that he can
spend just about as much as he desires.
The cost of evening outfits may easily
mount up into the hundreds.
But such outfits include numerous little
luxuries and appurtenances. which, while
desirable, are not absolutely essential.
Sixty dollars will buy just about every
thing in connection with evening attire
that a man really needs. 1t is possible.
for instance, to get a most presentable
evening suit, ready made. for $50. They
can be bought even cheaper. but 1t is not
advisable to purchase one that costs less,
unless. of course, you are getting a bar
gain. Then one needs silk hat, which
will cost not less than S.. and gloves,
which will cost $50 One should really
have several pairs of white gloves. but 1t
is possible to get along with one pair by
having them cleaned after each wearing.
Then comes the question Of shirts. If
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05

ON II tear some years ago and two men
went out to measure it. The water had
undermined the braces which supported
the trolley at one end. and. while high
above the middle of the stream, the troll
ley gave way at one end. The two men
fell into the water and one of them never
came to the surface.
1t may often happen that one Of these
trolley wires may rust out as the years
pass, but that no attention may be
paid to its condition until 1t drops
man into the stream 1t may happen.
again. that gauger may appreciate
the danger he is running. put may
take chance in order that he may
gauge a stream at flood time. There
was gauger in Strawberry valley.
Utah. who was one day seen TO De
liberately take such a chance. HIS
river was on a rampage, and it was i'm
portant that the government should
know how much water was passing at
such a time. The advisability OF spend
ing S5.OW,WD for storage reservoir
might, at some time, depend on a knowl-
edge of these flood waters The gauger
unleashed his car and rode over the flood
So high was 1T that. when the car
weighed down the wire. it reached the
surface of the rushing waters. the nooo
would hit the car and it would be dragged
down stream and tipped in all sorts or
positions. The gauger figured that II MS
trolley wire held and he was not thrown
from the car he would still be able to
make his observations. He was fortunate
i'm these respects and his task was sue
cesSfuly accomplished.
In a log cabin far up in the White
mountains of New England. in the very
shadow of Mount Washington itself,
there was last year established camp
inhabited by half dozen youngsters in
the employ of the federal government.
The business of these young men was to
get reliable facts as to the snowfall of
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05

,niliar with the tiniest detail of their So
cial usage. 1t is with the plain. every
night evening clothes worn by the aver
age citizen that most of the little errors
of form occur
Several years ago at a function the
writer heard Beau Brummell beinoanins
tn another man the fact that our even
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05
Evening Clothes
Clothes

ing clothes We're so rgidly plain, without
color and never permitting of any de-
parture from the regular set lines. The
other man was not so accustomed to
evening clothes.
III m" he replied. Lets don't make
'em any more fancy, for goodness sake
They're trouble enough already
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05

you wish. You can get a fairly serNlceaDlc
stiff bosomed shirt for 81. The price OF
the new pleated kind soar skyward. rang
ing from -, to 81. 81 and 81 each. But
buying the cheapest kind, you Will need at
least six-you are apt to spoil one or two
in an evening, putting in the studs. Ihen
you will need six pairs of silk hose which
you can buy for 81, and not less than four
evening ties. which will cost 30 cents each
Four ties may seem SupeTf1uOuS for the
man who IL trying to he economical, but
they are not. You may tie a bow two or
three times before YOU get it exactly 10
suit you and in such case your tie VIII
lose all its crisp freshness in the process.
Hence you'll need another one. The man
with only one with even two evening
ties always runs risk Of having to go to
function with his neckwear looking
"mussy.'
i
After the ties. YOU must buy shoes
Pumps come in varying prices, but for
81 you can get pair that Will answer
all requirements After the shoes. with
the exception of dress collars. which cost
no more than any other kind of collars.
all that remains to be bought are the
studs and cuff buttons These are as
toundingly cheap There are several fash
ionable haberdashers in town who will sell
you complete outfit of studs and but
tons made of fine mother of pearl for 81.
In some of the department stores you can
get them, of not quite SO good quality,
but quite good enough for any function
whatsoever for 80 cents.
After this, if you wish, YOU may buy
any number of little knicknacks. You
may, for instance buy little guards of
gold, which fit over your tie and under
your collar. invisibly holding the former
in place. You may buy tiny patent rub
Der attachment to fit on the heels of your
pumps and keep them from slipping. You
may buy patent devices to keep your shirt
front from bullying, or hundred and one
other things. But while they are all de-
sirable you can get along very we'll with
out any of them.
In buying Tuxedo. if you already have
an evening suit. the expense is almost
trivial Men with whom expense is no
particular object consider it foolish to
buy an entire Tuxedo suit. Instead, they
buy merely the coat. and wear 1t with the
and vest of their evening clothes
1t is simple matter to see that the ma
terial is the same.
Besides evening clothes, there are, of
course, numerous other garbs of the sort
known as full dress. There Is the
sweeping-ta tailed graceful black broad
cloth Prince Albert, for instance. which
is intended primarily for afternoon wear,
but which may be worn with perfect pro-
priety by ministers of the gospel and
certain other professions in the evening.
Then. also. there are uniforms of all
sorts and descriptions-and any dress
uniform may be worn at any function,
afternoon or evening. with all
the propriety in the world But the men
who wear these, almost invariably are ia
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05

hands in your pockets is not good for
those white gloves. True. they may not
be soiled thereby. but the process is
practically certain to cause them to lose
a large part of their immaculate fresh
ness. For another thing. hands in the
pockets are very apt to spoil the hang of
ones trousers.
And finally. while "a man may feel that
he appears to better advantage with his
hands in his pockets, in reality he does
not Hands in the pockets may he con-
ducive to comfort, but they are not con-
ducive t. grace. and IF by chance milady
drops her fan or handkerchief. and one
must hurriedly withdraw his hands from
his pockets before STOPPING to retrieve
that fallen article he IS very apt in his
haste to combine the withdrawal with
the stopping, with results SO awkward
that they are ludicrous.
So important has this pocket question
become of late that the more fashionable
tailors are building their suits without
front pockets in the trousers. save the
little slit intended for the watch. Some
of them don't put in any back pockets
either for the kerchief. which with even
ing clothes, by the way, should always be
silk, should rightfuly repose either in
one of the pockets in the tail of the coat,
stuffed between ones low vest and shirt,
or tucked away in ones cum.
It may take some men many evenings
to grow accustomed to this style of trou-
sers AT a function a few nights ago
there chap whose trousers were
pocketless, and who couldn't remember
the fact. His hands were troubling him,
and every few minutes he would attempt
to stick them in the pockets that were
not there Then he would flush and look
sheepish. But that, perhaps. after ali,
he. to hrnn nna SNaIf nf
the habit, for 1t is a habit and bad
one.
There are any number of other little
rules which ought to he observed In the
wearing of evening clothes, but all too
frequently disregarded, not necessarily
through ignorance. but because the man
''forgets" Indeed il may be the number
OF these rules and the feeling which al
ways comes over one as he Is dressing
that they all ought to be observed which
keep evening clothes from being worn
more frequently.
Every gentleman, of course, has an
evening suit, or should have one. II Is
almost as essential a part of mans
wardrobe as a change OF linen. But
while practically every one has one. the
occasions on which they are worn are
all too rare. The average man let's his
evening suit stay in its mothprOof case
until he prepares to go to ball. a big
dinner or some other formal function.
And even then he is apt to don 1t not so
much because he wants to as because he
fees that ''all the other men will have
them on When he goes to make an
evening call he usually goes without CIV
ing his evening clothes so much as
passing thought. Or II ne does give them
a thought he may compromise by dom
ming a tuxedo or dinner coat, one OF
those short, .'open-faced" coats In which
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05

The government holds that water is
the country's greatest resource Coal
oil and other power producers are ex-
haustible, but the power of water.
never. So long as rain and SHOWS fall
moisture is evaporated and clouds form
ed and their particles precipitated again.
so long the endless chain will revolve and
power can be produced from streams in
their travels from mountain heights to
ocean level. over and over again and
again. But the government holds we
should know our rivers more thoroughly.
and eventually we should control them
with almost the certainty that is at
tanned in the handling of city water
supply. Where the government has now
one gauging station it should have
Dozen Power flood prevention and in
land navigation are all subject to intelli-
gent handling only through an intimate
knowledge of stream flow and river ca
pacity.
If one is fortunate enough to own land
along a river having a good fall, before
dispOsing of 1t to some innocent-looklnS
purchaser who may be looking for a good
thing in white COAL, the French term