The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-08-08
MODEL CITY FOR
70 - - e.. :, -
. AUSTRALIA CAPITAL !,
Already Clearing Ground for Can
berra-Wonderful Plans Have
Been Completed.
ONE OF SIX BIG EXPLOSIONS
Eruption Of Katmai Heard $50 Miles
Away-Its Fury at Short Range
Observed by Scientist.
BY Congressman G. H. Tavenner.

Washington, August S.-Out in
the heart of the Australian bush the
government of Australia is clearing
ground which in a few years will be
the site of a model city, perhaps that
of the most beautiful city on earth.
Canberra, will he the capital of Aus
tralia, and that government is now
sending out architects to scour the
earth for ideas which will be ineor-
porated in the city plan of Canberra
Some of these architects have recent
ly been in Washington, studying the
American capital, and they told OF
the wonderful plans of Australia for
it's new federal city.
Canberra is ito be shaped like a
dumb-bell, and the city, including
the narrow spindle of parks and
boulevard which will connect the
two main portions will be so miles
long. The Australians expect it to
surpass in beauty any capital of the
earth, including Washington and
Paris.
There will scarcely be a straight
line in the new city, except the lines
of long avenues which will radiate
from the great parliament house and
end in parked circles The streets
between these avenues will follow the
lines of concentric circles, so that
the street plan of the city will resem-
BILE theater-the straight aisles re-
presenting the avenues, and the curry
ed rows Of seats the streets. The
government will own every foot of
land to keep it out of the hands of
real estate spectators. 1t has profit
ed from the example Of Washington
in this respect, for real estate specu-
]ation in Washington caused the
city to grow in an entirely different
manner than was planned by the
fathers who laid out the American
capital. In Canberra sites for houses
can be leased from the government
for long terms, but the title remains
. always with the government.
The first building to be erected will
be the parliment house, which will
COSTS, 100000. The architects of
the world have been invited to sub
NIT plans for this building.
The Fury Of Katmai.
Scient lists who have been studying
the eruption Of the volcanic Mt
Katmai, on the Alaskan peninsula,
last year, are reporting tnat it was
'one of the six most terrific eruptions
in the history of the world. The
sound of the explosion when the top
of the mountain blew off was heard
at Juneau, $50 miles away. The
dust carried 900 miles, The sui
phurous fumes were plainly smelt
at Puget Sound, 1900 miles away
The fury of the eruption as observ-
ed at close range is described by a
scientist sent out by the National
Geographic Society. In his report
to the Society this scientist quotes
John ID. Thwaites, passen ger on the
steamer Dora, which was SIS miles
away from the volcano during the
eruption. Thwaites said:
"And now began the real rain Of
ashes; it fell in torrents; it swirlec
and eddied. Gravity seemed to have
nothing to do with the fall. Thu
under side of the decks seemed tt
catch as the sides of the deck under
our foot. Bright clusters of electric
light could be seen but few fee
away, and we had to feel our wa.
about the deck. It was with thu
greatest difficulty that the man a
the wheel could see the compast
through the thick dust that filed tn.
room. .Lurid flashes of Tightening
glared continuously, while a con
slant boom of thunder, sometime
coinciding with the flash, increased
the horror of the inferno around us
AS far as seeing or hearing anything
pertaining to earth. And still w
knew the sun was two hours abov,
the horizon. Birds foundered, cry
ing wildly, through space and fel
helpless to the deck ...-~ =,