The Oakes times., 1914-04-16

and classmate, Henry d. Neely and
his wife, of Omaha, whom we had
met in California two years ago for
the first time in nearly forty years.
They knew New Orleans we'll and
stayed with US until we sailed. Through
them we were invited to attend a re-
ception on the battleship Ohio, which
lay in the harbor at New Orleans.
The Ohio was under orders to sail at
sunrise the next morning for New
York, where she would be practically
Put out Of commission, her men being
transferred to other and newer ships.
This, we were informed by the officers,
was made necessary by the fact that
the United States is unable to secure
men enough to man all the warships
as fast as they are constructed. The
Navy Department is forced to set
aside the older ships and transfer the
officers and men to the newer ones.
Heavy Expense in Battleships.
The construction Of modern navy
is certainly great game. Today we
launch the largest, most powerful ship
in our navy, and a week or a month
later we launch one still larger. No
sooner is one constructed, launched
and equipped with armament, than it
is practically obsolete. A battleship
costs anywhere from seven millions
up. The armament and equipment
costs US much more, and to maintain
one costs at least a million dollars a
year. When launched, armed and
equipped, it is the biggest ever" for
few days, then it becomes second
. few days, the nit becomes second
foot of the class, and in two or three
years obsolete. But the game goes on
just the same, and the people pay the
bills.
We also met at the St. Charles Ho-
tel, New Orleans, number of our old
congressional friends, among them
Congressman Boutell of Chicago and
his wife, Mr.. Pujo of Louisiana, chair
man Of the famous Pujo committee
and his wife, also Hon. Washington
Gardner Of Michigan, Commander-in
chief Of the G. A. r. of the United
States. Later on, in Colon, we met
Hon. Geo. Shiras, ex-congressman
from Philadelphia, who has made q
worldwide reputation as a photogra-
pher of wild birds and animals. He is
engaged now in making pictures of
the wild animal life of the Canal Zone
At one time he was an enthusiastic
sportsman and hunter, but his great
love of nature led him to lay aside the
gun and take up the camera.
OF For Panama.
On the 2Sth day of February, about
noon, we sailed for Colon and the Cana
Zone on the United Fruit Company's
steamship Abengarez. (You are al
liberty to pronounce this your owr
way and put the accent on any ole
syllable you want to) One thinks
Of New Orleans as being on the Gull
of Mexico, but you travel one hundred
and twenty miles down the Mississipp
before you reach the Gulf. The countr,
is very low, fiat and uninteresting
Occasionally sugar plantation dots
the shore. On the plantation there
be big, old-fashioned southern home
probably badly in need of paint, ane
perhaps twenty board shanties up or
stills for negro quarters. A Nortf
Dakota farmer would hardly thinl
these shanties fit to shelter his live
stock in the summer time.
Mouth of the Mississippi.
We were unfortunate, both goinf
and coming, that we did not get goot
view of the Jetties, near the mouth
of the Mississippi, built by the famou.
engineer, Major Eads, whom, it viii
be remembered. constructed the fam
Gus st. Louis bridge across the Mis-
sissippi. Like most great things, the,
are simple in construction, being /:
series of winged dams built out from
the shore, of willows tied in bundle:
and weighted with stone, set just a
the right points and at the correc
angle to force the water of the rive
into central channel, increasing tn,
current to such an extent that tn,
channel practically clears itself to /.
depth which permits ocean going YES
sells to land at the docks of New Or
leans. Major Eads was years per
suading the government to allow hin
to demonstrate what he could do, am
having done it, t was years after hi
death before his heirs were able I,
collect the amount due him from tn,
government.