davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
THE BIG PANAMA CANAL.
Interesting Facts About The Link
That Connects Two Oceans.

The first survey for ship canal
across the Isthmus of Panama was
made in 1927.
The first survey for the United
States government was made by Col.
Hughes in lS49.
The French Panama Canal Com
pany was organized in 1879.
The French Panama Canal Com
|pany began work in 1881 and con-
tinued until 1889.
The New Panama Canal Company
was organize in 1898.
The United States paid the New
Panama Canal Company for their in
terest 100000.
The United States paid the Repub-
lie of Panama $10,000,00O.
The work upon the Panama canal
by the United States began May A.,
1904
The Panama Canal Zone is ten
miles wide, five miles on each side
of the central line of the canal chan
mel across the lsthnus of Panama.
The length Of the Panama Canal
from the Atlantic to the Pacific
Ocean is fifty miles.
The course of the canal channel is
from the northwest to the southeast.
The north or Atlantic entrance to
the canal is 25 miles farther west
than the south or Pacific entrance.
The Panama Canal is fresh wat
er canal. The water for the opera
ton of the entire locking system Of
the canal is taken from the Gatun
Lake, which is an artificial body of
fresh water with a surface elevation
of IS feet above sea level and a
surface area of 1874 square miles.
The Gatun Lake is formed by the
empounding of the waters of the
Chagres river by the Gatun dam, s.
600 feet in length.
There are six pairs of locks in the
entire locking system of the Panama
Canal, three on the north or Allan
tic end, and three on the south or
Pacific end.
Lock chambers can be filled or
emptied raising or lowering ship
% feet and inches in eight minutes.
Lock chambers are 1000 feet
long, ITO feet wide and have a nor
NAL lift of % feet and 4 inches.
Culberta Cut, length 8 miles; 800
feet wide at bottom of channel;
greatest vertical depth of cut 494
feet; bottom of channen 40 feet
above sea level.
Time required to pass a ship
through the canal, from 10 to ~
hours
Time required to pass a ship
through the six locks, three hours.
Number of men employed on the
canal work December ], 1912, 49,
150-the greatest number employed
at any one time on the construction
work; of these 1000 were employed
on the steel gates alone.
Estimated total cost of the Pana-
ma Canal when completed will be
1875, 100000.
Distance from Los Angeles to
New York, around the Horn, 1887
miles.
Distance from Los Angeles to
New York via Panama Canal, 4,SOS
miles. pe-''-, --a} II 49, -7>,'' :a
Panama Canal route shorter by
10,049 miles.
Times lessened from &c to 80 days
Distance from Port Los Angeles to
Balboa, Panama Canal Zone, 1927
miles.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
WONDERFUL FREAK OF NATURE
Wooden Stakes Left to Mark Infants
Grave Turns to Stone.

One of those curious and inexpli-
cable freaks which old Mother Ma
ture delights to perform is to be
found on the Clint Brown farm sew
en- miles northeast of CrestOn.
Over forty years ago a family by
the name of McGinnis were living on
the place when their little daughter
two or three years of age, died.
There was no cemetery in the i'm
mediate neighborhood, and the faith
er constructed rude coffin and
buried the remains on the place.
He marked the grave by splitting in
halves round piece of timber such
as is used for fence posts, and plac-
ing half at each end of the grave by
sharpening the stakes and driving
them in the ground.
The family moved off the place a
few years later and left this part OF
the country, and their whereabouts
at present are unknown. ..
Since the grave was made the
makeshift head and foot stones OF
wood have withstood tn IL ravages OF
the elements and have petrified, sc
that the grave of the little one is
now marked by real stone. Lincoln
Emerson of this city had occasion
to visit the farm a few days ago and
pulled one of the petrified stakes
from the ground. The marks left by
the ak in sharpening the stake were
as distinct as the day they were
made.
The curious freak of the petrifica
ton of the wood is not the only re-
markable point connected with the
incident. Even more remarkable il
the appropriateness of nature com
ing to the aid of the dead baby by
furnishing the little one with tomb
stones that will last throughout the
passage of many generations.-Cres
ton American. -a1
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
SCHOOL NOTES
G, ELSIE MITCHELL, Editor

= It = y
"Afoot and light hearted ] take the
open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me
leading wherever | choose.
Alma Mullins visited High School
Tuesday morning.
MANY we're absent Tuesday on &C
count of the rain.
The Webster Literary Society gave
a program Wednesday morning.
| There were four numbers:
Piano Duet-Dorothy Hull and
Ollie Foxworthy.
Paper-Benefit of Latin Course,
Ruby Gardner.
Violin Solo-Margaret Mcklveen.
Parody-Basebon Fey Hatch.
Mrs. Woodmansee visited Miss
Crawford's and Miss Peck's rooms
last Thursday.
Miss Grace Horner, OF Lamonl,
visited High School Wednesday af-
ternoon.
Little Audrey Cozad visited High
School Thursday morning.
| VlSltOrS III nigh SCuOO4 lool l. -
day were Miss Mabel Horner, Edith
Shields, Edith Stewart and Mabel
Still.
Mr.. Thompson, of Tarkio College,
Tarkio, Mo-, gave very interesting
talk last Friday upon the opportun-
tiles which a college career gives
one, not only in scholarships but in
athletics and soci.l life. He also pre-
scented us a picture OF the college
campus of that place.
Mr.. Spencer, our janitor, was alb
sent from his work, on account OF
the death of his mother.
Mr.. Gass was absent Monday, hav-
ing gone to Emmetsburg.
The seniors are very busy this
week practicing for their class play
to be given next Thursday evening
in the opera house
Mr.. Gass took his agriculture class
over to Mr. Reeder's poultry yard
last Friday morning to study meth
DDS of raising chickens with an in
cubator, as they had been having the
subject in their text books.
, All who are not exempt are look
ing forward with pleasure(? to
next week, when we are to have the
final exams.
The joint program between the
two Literary Sociell of the High
School will be given this Friday in
the assembly room of the High
School, Visitors are invited.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
SIS PER ACRE.
IMPROVED LAND. 100 ACRES ORE
MORE.

We know that many farmers in
Iowa are looking for cheap land
suitable for farming where they can
raise good crops of corn, wheat, oats
and other grains; stock, fruit and
vegetables. We also know that these
farmers want to buy at a cheap
price, as cheap price as is possible
to be had, and that many of them
desire homestead land. The best.
homestead land has been filed on but
there are claims to be had in or near
good farming sections of country
and within a distance Of from two to-
ten miles of railroad stations. We
have one ranch of 16O acres for sale,
2h miles from railroad station, with.
fair buildings, 80 acres under plow.
balance hilly pasture land with six
head of horses, and farming machin-'
cry for $4,000; $1,000 cash will
handle this proposition. We have,
1000 acres, 5000 acres of which
can be cultivated, located about ten
miles from railroad station in Ore
gon, that can be had for SIS per
acre. For those desiring smaller
farms, several could come together
to purchase this land and secure it.
at this very low price of SIS per acre,
and reasonable terms could be ar.
ranged. Would be pleased to an.
swer any questions you may ask re-
garding climate, and kind of crops.
raised.
For information regarding cheap
lands, write
J. NJ. CURTIS,
214 Bankers TruSt Rl60 as
TACOMA, WASH.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22

L. D. Young, the popular and pro-
gressive photographer, has purchas-
ed the moving picture machinery
which was used in taking the pic
lures in Abba last Saturday. Mr..
Young accompanied the gentlemen to
Des Moines and closed the deal for
the machine. He will engage extern
sively in the moving picture business
and some day we hope he will run
over to Alex Miller's town, Washing
ton, and get a picture of that city.
He might also take in Ollie Hull's
town of Leon and some day when he
is not busy the Knoxville people will
give him the glad hand to come to
their city and get them on the move.
If he goes to the latter town we in
sist that he takes a group picture OF
the school board who post notices
of election on the telephone poles.
The machine purchased by Mr..
Young is one of the finest makes and
will enable him to get good views OF
the Chautauqua, the Monroe County
Fair, and all other matters which
will boost Monroe county Abba Re-
publican. !. hi /
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
~hALF LICKED" BEFORE THEY
BEGIN.
Why It Pays to Grade Your Cor" to
Uniform Size.
NV Manson CampbeII.)

rN.,,ona1 Crop Improvement Servfce.1
Some farmers will raise anywhere
from 100 to 1875 bushels OF corn per
ncre while their neighbors who have
lust as good land will produce only
from 20 to 30 bushels per acre.
why is this?'
The man who raised the 100 bushels
per acre graded his corn and tested
Il before planting, and the man who
raised 20 bushels per acre is the man
Who planted any old seed that he
could get hole Of. He will 60 out to
his crib along about the first Of May,
and take out some fairly good looking
cars that have been frozen all win.
ter shell them and 60 and plant them.
Any person who follows this slip
shod method OF farming does not de-
carve "a good q crop as the man who
raises from 100 to 125 bushels, and
who can be seen in the early husking-
time going through his field OF corn
and taking out the very best ears to
use for his next seasons seed. These
ears are taken to the house or some
other good warm building and thor
ouRhly cured or prepared for seed.
then during the winter the seed 10
tested or terminated to prove that
It is Of good quality, and the ears
that show good strong termination
and lots Of vitality are shelled on
and graded In good seed corn grader.
This class Of corn will produce as
high as 100 bushels per acre. and any
man who will follow this method can
increase his yield Of corn as much %
80 or 30 bushels per acre.
win this pay?"
The way to make dollars out Of corn
is to grade it In q grading machine.
to screen out the refuse, the tips,
butts, imperfect kernels. and ungrow-
able particles leaving Only the pure.
rich, ripe kernels that will grcw-
|, thatss worth planting -oom.
M
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
TEST ALL SEED GRAIN.
No Grain Should BE Planted Which
Tests Less Than IS per Cent
strona-very Simple Method tor
Winter Evenings or for School
Work.
BY Prof. A. L. Stone.

National Crop Improvement Service.1
Every grower should test his SEED
before sowing. Age lowers Its vital
ity. A determination OF the SEEDS
mower to grow, is therefore absolutely
NJ cessary for the success OF the 1u-
ture crop. Samples for the germlnar
ton test, should be selected from
grain which has been previously
cleaned and graded. Cleaned to re-
move light and immatured Kernels
weedy seeds and foreign material.
Graded to secure the plumpest and
largest seed. a uniformity in size and
maturity of the grain, will insure an
even growth and maturity OF the
crop.
A tester for testing the samples can
be easily made by using two TIN
plates. one slightly smaller than tho
other. Cotton flannel or plotting pa
ner pads are cut of the same size as
the inside of the under plate. The
pads are soaked in water and squeez'
cd to remove surplus moisture. A pad
is nut in bottom of larger plate ana
100 kernels are counted and distrib-
uted over it. Another pad 10 placed
upon the seed and the smaller plate
inverted and used as cover to pre-
vent evaporation. This tester should
he placed in convenient place where
the temperature is between "A ana
30 degrees F. Water can be added to
pads Hhen they becLme somewhat
dry. Count sprouted seeds after ono
week.
There are a number Of good com
mercial seed testers on the market
No grain should give a termination
Of less than IS per cent. for the best
results. The higher the percentage
Of termination the better. That all
the grain terminates is not sumcient'
however. The termination should be
strong and vigorous resulting IN .
strong, rapidly growing young plant.
A the success or failure of the crop
depends upon it this is an important
point. ..r ...
Any child ten years old can
make thi. test Why not get your
school interested at once? .
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
School Report.

Pleasant Hill school, district No.
3, Decatur township.
Term commenced March "a, 1913
and ended May 16, 1918.
Number of pupils enrolled, Is.
Average daily attendance, 1874.
Average cost of tuition, 1924.
Total number of days attendance,
539.75.
Number of tardies, 3.
Those neither tardy nor absent
during the entire term: Edith Beers,
Ruth Miller, Francis Miller, Roy Mil
Ter, Elveta Greenhalgh, Ina Green
halgh, Ophie Armstrong, Esther Mil
Ter. F. Virginia West,
Tooobor
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22

Ralph Ivans, district No. 5, High
Point township.
Coy Smith, district Ne. 6, High
Point township.
Blanche Bodeen, district No. s,
Woodland township.
Ina Greenalgh, district No. 3, De-
catur township.
Rex Hamilton, district No. 4,
Garden Grove township.
Harold Duncan, district No. 4,
Garden Grove township.
Willie Young, district No. 4,
Garden Grove township. ~.
Clisty May, district No. 3, Fayette
township. .,
Leo Edwards, district No. 3, Grand
River township.
Lucetta Kyle, district No. 7, Grand
River township.
Amy Ramsey, district No. 8, Long
Creek township.
:: :: ::
A conference of county superin-
tendents has been called by the State
Superintendent to meet at the State
House, Des Moines, May 20 and q.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
A Record in School Attendance.

Miss Josephine Coffey, a member
of the Weldon High School has at
tended the same school for the past
twelve years without ever being alb.
sent or tardy. Sickness has never
prevented her from attending any
one day during her whole school life
This is considered the best record OF
any pupil in Decatur county.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
Lessons in Pictures.

The front page of a recent issue of
The Iowa Homestead contained the
picture of farmer engaged in the
timely work of oiling his harness
and getting it ready for spring bust
ness. This little picture, which was
made from an actual photograph,
tells more and, suggests more than
the same space would do were it CIV
en- to vivid description. Until the
days OF photo engraving a picture
like this would have been considered
work of art, and it's value would
have been estimated at sum pos
sessed only by millionaires. The pic
lures are just as good now as they
ever were, they speak as plainly,
they are as worthy Of admiration.
1t is of particular interest that the
pictures that appear on the first page
of The Iowa Homestead each week
are from actual photographs taken
with artistic skill and with the intent
to present some good thought. These
pictures alone are worth more than
the price of the Iowa Homestead
subscription for one year, yet they
may be obtained together with the
immense amount of practical infor.
nation given in that publication in
connection with our own paper fol-
the small sum of $3.50 per year.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22

county superintendent?
:: :: ::
The secretaries of school corpora
lions are required to send certifi-
Gates of election of school officers to
the superintendent, the auditor and
the treasurer of the county. Since
the March election, certificates have
been received in this Office from
eight independent districts. Forty
two secretaries have not yet compli-
ed with the requirements of the law.
Blank forms have been supplied for
these reports.
:: :: ::
Twenty-eight pupils, just one-half
of those who wrote the eighth grade
examination in the rural schools,
succeeded in passing the May exam
ination. This is an improvement
over the February examination, in
which only thirteen out of the TWEEN
ty-eight were successful. OF course,
many of these had made passing
grades in February in some
branches, and therefore wrote par
tial examination in May. Others
who wrote in February would have
completed their work in May no
doubt, if they had taken the exam
ination. 1t has been interesting and
encouraging to note the Improve
ment made by some pupils in the
interval between the examinations.
One girl who earned but 80 per cent
in arithmetic in February, earned
100 per cent in May.
:: :: ::
D,,p;1o ct iofc whore nn1v a
six-month school has been held are
of course at great disadvantage IN
taking these examinations. Even
when they succeed in passing, they
are still at a disadvantage when they
enter high school to compete with
; boys and girls from other rural dis
tricts who have had eight months Of
school training, and the town pupils
hope that this inequality of oppor-
tunity will soon be removed.
:: :: ::
There will be fortytwo pupils to
receive diplomas at Leon on School
Rally Day. Following are the names
of those who passed the examination
in May:
Harold Brenizer, district No. 6
Bloomington township.
Esther Osborn, district No. 5, Bur.
rell township.
! Hazel Roberts, district No. 8, Bur.
rell township.
Frank Myers, district No. 2, Cen
ter township.
Ray Wiley, district No 2, Cen
ter township.
Walter Scott, district No. 4, Cen.
ter township.
Ofie Leeper, district No. 5, Cen
ter township.
Francis Pearson, district No. 5
| Center township.
Joseph McMorris, district No. 2
| Eden township.
Helen Imhof, district No. 2, Elder
township.
Ottie Baker, district No. 8, Elder
! township. ..u.
Hazel Evans, district No. 7, Elder
township. d..
Winford Griffin, district No. Z
Eden township. .... .
Marie Campbell, district No. s
Eden township.
Tessie Trisler, district No.
Franklin township.
Geo. Livingstone, district No. 4
Franklin township.
Nile Mendenhall, district No. 4
High Point township.
Ivan Mendenhall, district No. 4
High Point township. 81
Lelah Smith, district No. 4, Higt
Point township.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22

If every person would adopt and
strictly practice the rule of not say
ing anything degratory of others,
only when truth and justice positive
Iy require facts to be told, there
would soon be an era of good feel
ing and a joyous atmosphere of
peace over every community, church,
school and family. The tale bearer
and the gossip monger are more Of a
curse to community than the small
pox and scarlet fever. The latter can
be quarantined, but who can corral
the former? The good book tells us
where they get their start of fire
from. y
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22

1t is very difficult to bestow SYM
pathy' on man who breaks his arm
while cranking an automobile.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
Copynght, 1913: a. E. kHschuaum CO.
ABSOLUTE DURABILITY
AS WELL AS SPLENDID
STYLE-IN OUR
KIRSCHBAUM SPRING 6
SUMNER SUITS

Guaranteed all-wool fabric means long
wear. The thorough cold-water-shrink-
ing gives permanent shape-keeping. Our
clothes retain their fashionable appearance
as long as you wear them.
One Of our specials-Kirschbaum Spc-
cial Serge Suit at S18-is woven with
two-ply warp for extra strength and
stauncbness in wear, Yet the hne twill
makes it the lightest of serges. See these
beautiful, deep, rich, unfadable blue
serges.
KRAFT CLOTHING co.
Kraft, Grimes & Co. 1.
(Incorporated)
Leon, Iowa.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
LIQUIDS Cannot Cure

Eczema because they dry too quickly
for the medicine to take effect. Zen
sal is a clean, pure ointment that
stops the itching at once and stays
on so well that after one or two ap-
plications the skin begins to heal.
For sale by Bell & Robinson.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22

Heating of all kinds, steam, hot
water and warm air at Cline's.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22

REPORTER FOR JOB WORK.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.
By Mabel Horner, County Supt.

Do you want a summer school! !
so, have you sent postal to tn
county superintendent?
TaÌˆgliches Cincinnatier volksblatt. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1885-1919, 1913-03-11

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