davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

started for their fishing grounds at 5
or in the morning. and flew in broad
stream perhaps $50 feet wide. This stream
continued for hours
The next bird In Importance is the pei
lean. This also nests in great fiocks. and
in the same neighborhood as the cormor-
ants. When the .pe1icans are feeding five
or six thousand of them may be seen
diving together. They fill the great
pouches under their bills. and carry the
hsh away to eat them at their leisure
Another bird is the gannet, whose young
are beautiful little creatures covered with
the purest white down. The gannets fly
in fiocks of from 10000 to 10000, and they
go down. like so many rockets, into the
sea.
The grano of the Lobos Islands is
found in pockets covered with layers of
sand from two to 10 feet deep. These
are old deposits. The sand is shoveled
off, and the guano is dug out The stuff
looks like fine sand. As it is dug up, a
strong smell of ammonia rises and the
workmen wear iron masks over their
faces to keep the ammoneal dust out
of their lungs. The guano is loaded upon
trucks and carried on tramway to the
shore, swhere 1t is transferred to the ships
for Europe or the United States. Such
loading is now being done on the Chincha
Islands as well, and upon the smaller
islands still in the hands of the Peruvian
government.
When these islands were first discov-
cred they had guano deposits 50 feet deep,
and Alexander Humboldt, who visited
them 10 years ago, said that they then
contained enough manure to enrich all of
the worn-out lands of the old world They
were not thought to be of value. how
ever, until about so years later, when
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

read They cut out the address. pasted
1t on the book, and sent the book back.
The address, they learned, was that of
the dead Russians mother.
Some German officers have been in
French or Russian captivity and have
got out of it. Lieutenant Meierholdt. a re-
serve officer who Is a professional mu-
sieian, spent three days as prisoner at
Chateau Thierry. Meierholdt was cap
tured at Quichy during the advance to
the Marine. The French surprised the out
post with which he was stationed killed
his senior officer and took him prisoner.
He was taken to chateau Thierry and
lodged in a private house. With him were
taken nine privates. These were locked
in stable. Meierholdt was to be taken
to Paris and later sent to Morocco. When
German shells began to fall in the town
the French made off, taking with them
the nine privates They forgot Meierholdt.
The German was afraid of being shot by
his own men. He sat at window and
played violin which he found in the
house. When the German infantry en-
tered chateau Thierry. Meierholdt put his
head out of window. A bullet went
through his violin. The Germans barred
his house door, refused to believe he was
an OFFICER or a comrade of any kind
and kept him two days in the house
Capt. Boyes, adjutant of brigade COM
mander General Won Heilingrath, got out
of captivity more romantically He was
locked up In Lille early in the war. He
stunned the jailer and reached the Ger
man lines after surviving a tempest OF
bullets from outposts and sentries
Only one German prisoner officer, has
escaped from Russia This is Lieutenant
Cries, who arrived at Lych last week
after being week at Orenburg on the
edge of Asia. Cries is the son of a Pet
rograd German merchant and he learned
Russian in a Petrograd school. Armed
with forged passport supplied by a Tar
tar. he travelled across all European Rus
STA, entered Warsaw when the Germans
were within eight miles and by risking
his life got into the German lines.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

known as Robinson Crusoe's Lookout,
and it is where he is supposed to have
kept watch fires burning to attract the at
tention of any ship that might pass. The
monument was erected In 1865 by some
English naval officers. | have a photo
graph of it. The inscription reads as fol-
lows:
IN MEMORY OF
ALEXANDER sELKIRK, MARINER.
native of Largo, in the County of
Fyfe, Scotland who lived on this island,
in complete solitude, four years and four
months
He was landed from the ''Cinque
Ports' galley. 90 tons. Is guns A. ID.
170i, and was taken off in the Duke -
privateer. 18th of February 1909.
He died lieutenant of II. NJ. s. "Wey-
mouth" A. d. 1923, aged AZ years.
This tablet is erected near Sell1irl's
Lookout by Commodore Powell and
the officers of II. NJ. S. Topaz
A. d. 1865.
Alexander Selkrk was rescued in 1909,
just a little more than 200 years ago. He
went to London and there met Defoe,
who had many talks with him and there
from got the idea and background of
his story. The work Robinson Grusoe'
was published 10 years later. 1t ran
through four editions in as many months
and was the big seller of its time. 1t
is one of the biggest sellers of today and
it ranks with the Bible and John Bun
vans 'Plgrims Progress as the great
est sellers of history. Robinson Crusoe"
has been translated into nearly every
known language 1t has been printed in
Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, Greek
and Arabic. 1t is one of the boys books
OF Japan, and a Chinese edition has been
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

the greatest risk. Many of the soldiers
in Poland are reservists of mature years,
landwehr or landsturm men, who have
volunteered to fight outside the empire
These men are brace, but they are bad
marchers. and many of them have for
gotten the elements of drill They have
to face Russians of the first line and
reservists who are largely veterans from
the Manchurian war Hundreds of Of
ficers have to sacrifice their lives in order
that the inferior landwehr and landsturm
men may learn their duties. Such a
hero was Captain Stauffenberg. who de-
Tended town with the remnants of two
battalions of infantry after all the other
officers had persisted. Stauffenberg was
in command of the town after the Rus
slams of General Zeionoff took the outer
defenses. The fragments of battalions
left to him were all Silesian landwehr
men, who could not shoot He kept the
flag flying all night. Next morning with
hundred-odd soldiers who survived he
boldly marched along the main street
down which the Russians were marching
in close battalions. He was shot dead.
Had his men been infantry of the line
they could have held off the Russians
longer; and given a chance of escape.
Grimmer still was the fate of three staff
and engineer officers at Vilianowo on the
Vistula 1t was here that general Won
Hindenburg made an Intellectual attempt
to cross the Vistula, and get at the rear
of Warsaw. Hindenburg made feint
to cross at Karatchewo. While his men
were finishing their pontoon the Russians
appeared In strength. The German shrap-
mel came across the river in solid masses,
and checked the Russian attempt to stop
the completion of the bridge. The Rus
slams bombarded the pontoons. linden
burg knew that he could not cross here.
He was trying to build second pontoon
bridge at Villianowo and hoped to COM
plete 1t during the night. BY this non
toon his army was to pass
Next morning a Cossack patrol near
Vilianowo saw beautifully made pom
toon bridge spanning the river. Germans
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

recently issued which is having an enor-
nous sale
Now that the Panama canal is complet-
ed there will probably be some special
steamship excursions to Robinson CRU
soes island. The round trip from Valpa-
raise can be made in three or four DAVIS
and 1t might include a look at the cave in
which Alexander Selkirk lived. at the
Lookout where for four long years he
scanned the sea for ships, and ! doubt
not at vestiges of Crusoe's man Friday
and perhaps petrified footprint of that
which the savage made upon the sand
Selkirk was found by ship that had
seen the fire on the Lookout. Accord
ing to the narrative of the captain who
took him to England he was clad in
goatskins and was running about as
though crazy. When he reached London
his talk was the wonder of the coffee
houses and his adventures were discussed
by every one. Sir Richard Steele told
of them In one of his papers, and Selkirl
published little pamphlet of l. pages
describing his wanderings
The Robinson Crusoe cave, where Sell
kirk lived, lies in a ridge of volcanic
rock 1t is easily identified 1t is about 80
feet deep, and it's roof is from 10 to
10 feet from the floor. The entrance is
about IL feet high, and is almost hidden
in ferns. The cave shows signs of having
been lived in, and it is like the description
of that in Robinson Crusoe" There
are holes and pockets scooped out of the
walls and here and there is a rusty nail
that had been driven in between the
stones. The cave is said to have been
the resort of the buccaneers. who once
ravished the west coast of South Amer
lea. There are other caves upon the
island, and there are also cave dungeons
which were occupied when the islnad
was used for criminals. Some of the cells
were far underground. and the prisoners
could not stand upright within them His
tory records that the convcts once mu-
tinted and murdered their guards They
captured the boats in the harbor, and 800
of them made their way to Chile and
landed there.
Within the past year or so the Chilean
government has decided to make Juan
Fernandez again a convict settlement.
The officials have visited it, aud they
have sent number of convicts there. and
are now erecting model prison upon it.
Another group of islands that will be inn
portant. now that the canal is complete
ed, is the Archipelago de Colon The
name on the maps is the Galapagos
Islands. These islands belong to Ecuador.
They are situated about as far from Pan
anna rs New York is distant from Chicago
and in such a location that they might
form an important coaling station for the
ships on their way north and south be-
tween the two continents. They are about
500 miles from Ecuador and 1000 miles
north of Valparaiso
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

@1ERLIN. November 4.-(Special
Correspondence.)- -War is wip-
ing out Germany's aristoeracy.
IV&3N This is a striking social result of
her unprecedented struggle
against seven enemy states. The corps
and regiments of which the fatherand is
proudest; the corps which in Fredericl's
time made feudal Prussia, and which made
feudal Prussia today. are being swept
into the abyss. The tragedy is outwardly
most visible at Berlin, where the Herr
Leutnant' is the traditional hero of the
sentimental. pigtailed "Backfisch." The
Bavarian journalist, Lachmann, himself
reserve officer, writes 80 terrifically
has our military aristocracy dwindled
that after the war we shall have a new
Economically differed army like that
of France
Totalng up 50 daily lists of killed and
wounded shows that the 10 regiments
which count as 'smartest" have lost IN
an average, half their officers. In peace
time these regiments have a fetal of $50
lieutenants. OF the lieutenants only rs
survive. The reserve officers taken into
these regiments have lost 40 per cent.
-Four of the regiments have lost their
colonels and two of them have lost two
thirds of their captains. Many officers
are only slightly wounded. They will
return to the front. But as the war
goes on few of the original officers will
be left. Two years hence written Ma
1or Lehman. 1.-The army will be COM
manded by promoted non-coms. These
men will excel, because they win have
had practice in fighting which will
place theoretical training. But the arts
tccrat with leadership in his blood will
have disappeared"
Every aristocratic name is in the list
of killed and wounded Among famous
military and political names l find Bis
maIck, Moltke, Buelow, Butcher. Bredow,
Kleist. and Stein. All the lost officers of
these names are kinsmen Of heroes of
past wars or politics In the northern
provinces all the males of several fami-
ies have persisted. Worse are conditions
In the west of Brandenburg Mark and in
Romerania, both old bulwarks OF Hohen-
noI1ern power. Fourteen princes belong
ing to some of the % reigning families are
dead or wounded. There are still a hum
dred of these princes at the front. The
losses of the reigning families are ex~
aggerated. Every day foreign kilograms
come to Berlin recording the deaths or
are described as cousins of the Kaiser.
In addition to his sons, Wilhelm III has
nine cousins and nephews at the front
Six are regimental officers. All these
undergo the same risks as do other Of
dcerp Of the line.
Descriptions of fighting in east and
west show that officers wilfully expose
themselves. Many perish through not
taking shelter in trenches; many more
through taking risks with the object of
inspiriting their men. A story is told by
the wounded linesman Seydel of the re-
cent fight between Roulers and Ecloo,
which shows the spirit In the officers.
The Germans, says Seydel occupied a
double row of trenches thanked on the
right by q copse; and on the left by a
stream which they made difficult to pass
by stringing barbed wire along the banks.
The French could not attack the trenches
In front. ~ here also was barbed wire.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06


Kaiser's second son, who, with his
brothers, are among the scores Of
German princes who are being sacri-
ficed in the cause of their country.
~ relations. A Russian officer promised
to visit the German trench on condition
that he was not made prisoner. An hour
later there sat in the trench gigantic
very hungry Russ who devoured vast
quantities of ''kalter Aufschnitt" and
not tasted since the beginning of the
war. The schnaps went to his head and
he fell asleep.
In vain the Hamburger Geese tried
to waken him. They had promised not
to make him prisoner and that gave him
a claim to their protection. They rea-
soned that If he was not back by night
fall he would be suspected of desertion
or even of treason. The big Russ was
Baltic province native with German
name, and that would intensity suspicion.
The geese" decided to carry him back
to his trench
AS they had no right to risk their mems
lives, the officers decided to do the work
themselves. They slung the tpsy Rus
sian in a hammock: swung the hammock
on two sticks. and entrusted it to two
lieutenants. AS the neutenants moved
forward there was volley. A bullet
cut the hammock rope. and the gigantic
Russian came down with flop. This
woke. him. He drew his sword and
slashed one lieutenant on the arm. The
other lieutenant disarmed him. Even this
did not induce the Germans to break
their promise not to make the Russian
a prisoner They threw him on the
ground. and sat on him. For two hours
in the darkness the Russians and Ger
mans in the trenches exchanged volleys
over the officers heads.
At midnight Russian officer carrying
a white flag In the glare Of an cleo
trio protector came out of the trenches.
He found the three men lying on the
ground The big Russian was handed
back to his comrades and the Germans
got back to their trench. Two days later
the big Russian was killed In an as
sault on the German trench. The Ger
mans found book on his body printed
in Cyrillic characters and the fly. leaf
q Russian address which they could not
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

Frenchman called attention to certain OF
the deposits, and claimed one-third of the
product by right of discovery The Pc
ruvian congress voted him 5000 tons, but
II Is said that he never got it, and died
in a poorhouse in Paris
Other deposits were discovered by an
American named Landreau, and he was
treated in the same way although our
state department took up his case. and
President Hayes referred to 1t in one of
his messages to Congress. The deposits
Landreau discovered were worth $500, co.,
900, and according to the Peruvian law
he should have had 1888, 900 from them
He received nothing
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06
Fighting an Unseen Foe

When people read that armies are en-
gaging each other at 1000 yards distance
they are apt to imagine that the combat
ants can see each other; but, as matter
of fact, they cannot. At that distance il
is impossible to distinguish between
man and a horse, and even at 1000 yards.
especially where there is any dust it re-
quires the best kind of eyes to tell infan-
try from cavalry.
At 900 yards the movements become
clearer, although it is not until they get
within $50 yards of each other that the
heads of the columns can be made out
with anything like certainty.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

numbering 5000 had already crossed. Their
engineers were already making a tete de
pont redoubt to protect the bridge from
a Russian blow while the crossing of
the rest of the army was taking place.
Forty thousand Germans were gathering
in the plain behind. Before noon 10000
Russians had arrived. They formed in
a crescent at a distance of six miles from
the pontoon, and began to shell and pour
shra pnel into the 1000 Germans already
on the right bank. Two crack regiments,
the Third Pomeranian infantry regiment
of Count Schwerin and the Life Grena-
der regiment of King Friedrich Wilhelm
III, crossed the pontoon safely. As the
last men of the Grenadier regiment were
crossing Russian shell destroyed the two
middle pontoons, and left a gap. The pom
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

penter.)
Valparaiso. Chile.
MT DINED the other night on
I%Il Holsters caught on the shores
ESs>ssSS of the island where Alexander
tszeASl selkirk, the real Robinson
Crusoe, was cast away. They we're
large, tender and juicy. and 1 doubt If
better can be found in the world Rob-
1nson Crusoe's island is becoming a
great fishing grounds. 1t has fine cod
IN its waters and it is noted for its
Holsters and other shellhsh. 1t has also
large Chilean fishing colony and the
Japanese, who are organizing a fishing
industry in northern Chile. are consid-
ering the exploitation of that territory
Robinson Crusoe's island Is known on
the maps as Juan Fernandez. 1t be-
longs to Chile, and lit lies about 400
miles west of this port of Valparaiso
and $500 miles south of the Panama
canal. 1t is reached by government
steamers, which go there to supply the
colony at certain times of the year. and
1t is ruled by officers of the Chilean
government. During my stay here 1
have met men who know the island
well.
They describe it as a paradise. 1t has
plenty of rain and Is covered with a
luxuriant vegetation. 1t is affected by
the Antarctic current which keeps it
perpetually cool, and the northern half
ON which the rains fall is covered with
green
The island is only IL miles long by
seven miles wide. 1t consists of a great
mass of rocks rising out of the ocean
TO a height of more than 1000 feet It
is made up of hills and mountains, with
many ravines and short valleys The
most of the shores are inaccessible, but
AT Cumberland bay there is an excel
lent landing place. Behind this is a set
Element of cottages and huts made of
cane wattled with straw. The houses
have gardens about them, and at one
time there was an attempt to start a
stock raising industry. One settler is
said to have had as many as 80, 600 cat
tie and an equal number of sheep. In
time, however, his business fell off and
the cattle ran wild. The island now
has wild sheep wild goats and will
mules and the animals thrive without
human care. The grass is excellent and
covers every open spot on the northern
side of the island. There are wild oats
on some of the hills and also wild vege-
tables. There are wild fruits which have
reproduced themselves from the trees
planted by Alexander Selkirk. and from
the same source there are wild grapes
as delicious as those which Robinson
Crusoe dried for raisins.
Alexander Sel<irk was the hero of De-
foes story, and the real Robinson CRU
soc He was cast away on this island
more than 200 years ago. and there is a
monument to him, consisting of a marble
tablet set in the rocks on one of the
higher parts of the island The place is
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

copyrighted, 1914. by Frank G. Car
penter)
A-n1r,a Ii r., C,l.il..
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

IERLIN. November 24.--(Special
Correspondence.)- War is wip-
ing out Germany's aristocracy.
This is a striking social result of
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-06

'INED the other night on
Holsters caught on the shores
of the island where Alexander
Selkirk, the real Robinson
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-04-23

buildings have remained sufficient in
point Of size. The result seems to have
been the use OF old rundown and de-
cidedly primitive school buildings I'm
many of our rural districts. The de-
signs submitted by Vermont architects,
l., S. Newton of Hartford f. L. Austin
of Burlington, Charles H. CrandalI Of
Burlington and F. A. Walker Of Mont
peller, are adapted 10 local conditions
both in point of expense and In pro-
vision for heating and ventilation dur
Ing Vermont winters.
It is one OF the discoveries Of com
paratlvely recent science that body and
mind are very closely welded, that
scholarship will be better in a room SEN
sibly designed to admit Of plentiful light
and air, than in a blind sitting box
Every discomfort Is n distraction from
the single-minded concentration which
ought to go to the learning Of lessons
! Everything which weakens the physical
fitness of children Is at the same time
counteracting the very purpose of the
school 1t is easy TO understand now
n-days that the most efficient school
must be sanitary school.
But this school question has more
important side stlll a. least It has a
side which comes more Immediately
within the province Of boards of health,
Tho school is one of the greatest II not
the greatest meeting place in any com
munitv Part of the adults meet in
church once n week, but practically all
the children In community meet In
the school every weekday That means
that the school must be the very strate-
Ric point in the fight against disease
particularly the fght against contagious
disease. If an epidemic gets under way
the contaglon Is most likely to have
been spread in the schools. II the gen
eral health of community Is kept goot
It is sure to be largely through gooC
school conditions. The fight against dis
ease to-day is preventive rather thai
a remedial battle. Proper sanitation il
the schools is a first necessity. It Is ais
true that since children during a grea
portion Of the year spend a majority o
their waking hours in school, by maxim
school conditions equal or surpass tn
conditions of the very bost homes W
can do more for democracy and an equa
chance in life than in any other way.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-04-23

If Congress authorizes President Will
son to act, as it Will without question,
It is believed that in addition TO Selling
Tampico and Vera Cruz our government
will establish a blockade of the Mexican
coast for the purpose of carrying out
President Wilson's aim to drive Huerta
from power. Some of the United States
senators and congressman Insist that II
a blockade Is established it must in
clude the northern border, thus placing
the rebels at equal disadvantage with
the federals in Mexico.
There is also a manifest disposition on
the part of many of our national lesis-
ators to authorize the President TO
blockade all Mexican ports and vote hin,
men and money enough to accomplish
this but to insist that having done this,
our government should leave the war
ring factions in Mexico to work Out
their own salvation or destruction, az
the case may he.
Precious American lives would T.,
wasted In trying to establish many OF