davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

of the enemy's she'll and delay destruc-
ton.
Some time ago | recommended the
trial OF fighting ship built somewhat
on the lines of the present fast cruiser,
but carrying only very thin protective
armor. In other words, | recommended
that heavy armor should be sacrificed
for greater speed and greater gunpow-
er pointed out the fact that such a
cruiser, armed with I6-inch or IS-inch
guns, could choose its own position and
keep out OF the range Of the guns of
any battleship in the world, while it
could reach the battleship with its own
guns and sink it. The conditions of
such a fight would he about the same
as that Of two men-one on foot and
armed with the old muzzle-loading
smooth-bore, with a range OF, say, half
mile; and the other mounted on a
feet horse and armed with a modern
repeating high-power rife with an ef-
fective range OF couple OF miles The
mounted man with the modern rife
could choose his own position, keep his
enemy out OF range, and kill him
spoke 10 an eminent American naval
officer about this plan. and he said that
We could already shoot effectively as far
as We could see. and that it was neces-
sary for hGhtinE ships TO come within
sight Of each other IN order to night. My
answer was that hghting ships should BE-
provided with means "f observation
which would enable them 10 .ocate an
enemy bevond the horizon and destroy
him hefore he came in sight. and this is
now actually the trend Of modern naval
tactics In the future naval battles will
he fought between ships so far apart a.
to be out Of sight Of each other.
But th.ra is another enemy Of the bat
tleship whInh has been in process Of de
veIopment FOR the past fifty years-it j.
the submarine armed with torpedos.
The Submarine Cruiser.
During the latter part Of the SOS and
the first few years OF the present century
I developed and perfected an invention
for the propulsion OF torpedoes Of the
Whitehead type through the water AT
much greater speed and at longer ranges
than they could be propelled by the use
Of compressed air. l spent about 5000
in conducting these experiments. Ny sys-
TEN was to propeI torpedoes by means
Of steam generated by the combustion OF
a self-combustive material which called
Motorite consisting OF a compound Of
20 per cent nitroglycerin and 30 per cent
gunootton. The motorite which ! made
for my last experiments was in hars five
feet long and seven inches in diameter.
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

dered to turn the car about and
wait for morning.
With this sort OF an argument
there was nothing to do but to
obey. As the driver started to turn
the car he pointed toward a bridge
straight ahead. The soldiers
thought he was trying to pass
them, and they threatened to pune
ture the tires with their bayonets.
But Miss Brown assured them that
she would do as they asked her to
do, and at length she was allowed
to return to the nearest town for
the night.
Miss Brown watched the passing
of midnight-La Frances sailing
hour-with sorrow. Was all her
trouble to come to nothing? she
wondered. At all events, she con-
soled herself, she had done her
best.
She recalled the tact that there
was another boat at Havre, the
Chicago, which was scheduled to
sail little later. She determined
to resume her journey early the
next morning, as soon as it was
light enough to travel without a
night pass.
Early the next morning, they
proceeded eastward and soon
reached Havre without interfer-
ence. And there, at anchor, lay
La France. She had already been
lying in port a week beyond her
regular sailing date and she was
still held.
With a lighter heart, Miss
Brown boarded her with the cher
ished models all safe and sound.
The fact that the steamship re-
mained in port for four days long
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27
AN AMERICAN BUYERS
GOOD FORTUNE
By OSBORN MARSHALL

fuSing trunks and. obviously,
trunks were impossible in the auto
mobile. So she packed the precious
freight in big willow baskets.
One morning she received word
that La France would sail at mid
night. She sent for her automo-
bile, and after much uncertainty
and delay all her baskets and bags
were slowed in the car and strap
ped on it, and at four in the after
noon she started for the port, one
hundred and forty miles away, by
a road that was fairly bristling
with rapidly-moving troops.
By dark they reached Rouen,
where they we're forced to stop
for pass so that they might travel
after nightfall. Their progress had
been slow. for every few miles a
French soldier had halted them, to
examine them, look at their pass
ports and question them as to their
destination. But at half past nine
they started out from Rouen and
had reached a camp about twenty
FIVE miles from Havre when they
were again halted. They showed
their passports and their night
pass, but the sentinels would not
let them 60 on. While they anX-
iously counted the minutes, an Of
hcer was called from bed. He
looked at the passports and the
pass.
You cannot go on, he said.
He called another officer, who con-
hrmed his decision.
Your night pass from Rouen is
not dated,' explained the officer.
In a moment the automobile was
surrounded with soldiers with fixed
bavonets. The chauffeur was or
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27
Copyright. l9li.l

A'oI4ElELAS - 81
THE name Of the woman buy
er who is the heroine Of
this true story and who
made big scoop for her firm need
not be given. For convenience S
sake she may be called Miss
Brown.
When war broke out in Europe,
along about the first of August,
hundreds OF buyers for various
American dry goods and clothing
firms we're in Paris. There had
been rumors of war in the air.
Finally Austria and Servia became
entangled. But the American buy
ers had no fear that they them
selves would be unable to get the
models they wanted and sail safely
for home with them.
These buyers were men and
women famous in their world,
some OF the men whose names are
known nationwide as those Of
great merchants-for it is not
above the dignity of a great mer-
chant to travel to Paris for in
spiration and ideas. And suddenly
one afternoon as they were walk
ing on the boulevards, driving in
the parks, taking tea and dancing
and chatting with one another, they
were surprised to look up and see
posted about them a notice saving
that France was mobilizing her
troops.
"Mobilizing" exclaimed one.
What does that mean for u.s."
1t means that we must leave the
country within twenty-four hours
or else run the risk of staying for
three weeks, until mobilization is
finished" replied another whose
knowledge of the French language
made it possible to get information
more rapidly.
Yes, and it probably means that
there will be no openings. The
great dressmakers will all be called
to their regiments" said another.
For a few hours everything was
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

! impact is instantly converted into heat
by the yielding metal of the plate, caus-
ing the plate to flow like wax from the
path of the projectile.
Such has been the advancement made
by the art and science of war during
the past half century. At first thought,
one would imagine that with all these
improvements in the methods of kill
ing men the slaughter would be vastly
greater, but as a matter of fact, Just
| in proportion as the implements of
war become more deadly. do they COM
pei corresponding change in tactics,
so that fighting distances and methods
of attack and defense are modified, with
the result that for the numbers of men
engaged within a given time not more
than a tenth as many are now killed
as there used to be before the advent
Of firearms.
Difficulty in Getting Inventions
Recognized and Adopted.
Although the advancement in the de-
velOPment and perfection OF fighting
ships and all the implements and para
phernalia of war during the past fifty
years has been phenomenal, yet the ma
tiOnS have made haste with cOmpara-
tive slowncss. and conservatism has
dominated the councils OF militarism.
The many new inventions that have been
adopted have found their way into
service only by as hard fight for place
As they were destined ever to fight in
service The inventor and the progress
sive manufacturer have waged a con-
slant war on hyper-conservatism and
red tape
The breech-loading cannon was used
in China before the dawn OF Western
civilization. and was used in Europe as
early as was the muzzle-loader, and yet
the brcech-loadIng cannon was not final
ly adopted in England until 1874. 1t
was first tried and then abandoned The
guns used in Ericssons Monitor were
muzzle-loaders. and consequently had to
he drawn back into the turrct TO be
loaded and then run out again TO be
fired.
Ericsson went to Washington with a
complete model OF his Monitor and
showed it to the Navy Department
The Ordnance Bureau mistook him for
a fanatic, and politely sneered him out.
He was. however. discovered by a pa
triot with brains and means in sufi-
cient time TO save the nation. lie was
taken back to Washington, where he
explained the Monitor all over again.
One of the wise men Of the bureau VEN
tured the suggestion that, whereas his
boat was to be made entirely of iron, he
ought to know that. iron being heavier
than water, the thing would sink
One day while the Emperor Napoleon
Was looking from the bleak rock OF ST.
Helena over the ocean toward France
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

he saw a roll of black smoke winding
around the horizon, and, bit by bit, the
funnel and then the hull came up OF an
approaching steamer. He remarked to
Las Casas, Had l only recognized the
value of Fulton's invention when he
presented it to me in Paris, l would not
now be here"
Smokeless gunpowder has had very
long and a very hard fight for recogni-
ton by naval and military authorities
Smokeless powder was suggested soon
after the invention of celluloid. Sir
Frederick Abel actually made some very
good smOkeless powder as early as 1865.
Although it did not work well in the
firearms OF that time and proved fail
ure, yet it would work well in modern
firearms, although not, of course, any
thing like as well as the present smoke
less powder.
! When | brought out my multi-per-
forated. smokeless cannon powder grain
in the early 'oo's found much opposi-
tion to the idea that a smokeless pow
der grain could be made to burn pro-
greSsively in a predetermined way, ac-
cording to the size and length OF the
grain and the thickness OF material be-
tween perforations, but the ballistic re-
suits by actual tests demonstrated my
theory and my smokelcss powder grain
was adopted by the United States gov
eminent. All cannon powder in the
United States has since been made ac-
Cording to my invention In TACT. il
would he absolutely impossible TO use a
pure, nitro-celluIosc powder, like that
used in this country by making the
grain in any other form In foreign
countries, where the multi-perforatcd
grain IS not used. pure nitro-ccllulosc
powder cannot be employed in big guns.
but has 10 be combined with nitrogly
cerin, nitrate Of barium, or some other
adulterant.
All foreign smokelcss powders are
much more corrosive in tneir action
upon the gun than is our powder. and
consequently our cannons last much
longer on account OF the superior quail
ity Of our smokeless powder Not only
this, but We get greater vclocitie, with
lower pressurcs; in other words, better
balistic results than any other country
in the world and this means also bet
ter craftsmanship.
When I first proposed the use of
high explosive bursting charge for ar
mor-piercing proJectilc, in England in
1897 in a lecture before the Royal
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

Iup in the air. Crowds of patriotic
citizens surged through the streets
singing the 'Marseillaise." There
was steady tramp of feet toward
the railroad stations; for there
were many who would take no
chance OF remaining for three
weeks in Paris. They made their
way with all haste to England.
Rumors were passed from buyer to
buyer.
The Worths arc going to war,
said one.
SO is Paul Poiret," said an
other
The steamship offices are be-
sieged,' said a third, and mil
Iionaires are paying a fortune for
passage home in the steerage.'
And l cannot get a cent on my
letter OF credit" complained an
.other. The hotels are closing and
the government is taking over the
cabs and automobiles"
The fashion openings have been
indefinitely postponed" said still
another.
All night long the troubled
crowds of foreigners mingled with
the enthusiastic band of citizens
thronging the streets, singing,
cheering and talking. Before
morning, many of the American
buyers who had Travelled three
thousand miles to attend the Paris
openings and buy French models
for their American clients had
taken what accommodations they
could get for London. They went
to the coast in cattle trains, in bag
gage cars, in third-class coaches.
They stood on the deck all the way
across the channel. But they got
safely out OF France.
In the midst of all this excite
ment, Miss Brown arrived in the
French capital The situation that
confronted her was one to dampen
the spirit even of an American
business woman. She realized that
she might be forced to go home
modelless, and then her summer
trip would be fruitless. For doubt
less that was the fate of most of
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27
(Copgnght. lslL)

During the past half century the ma
tions of Europe have been preparing
for the present conflict; consequently
invention has been intensely stimulated
and science enlisted as never before in
the production of naval and military
fighting machinery and war materials.
The advent of the ironclad fighting
ship during our great civil war revo-
lutionized the navies of the world and
relegated the old wooden-sides to the
scrap heap. From Ericsson's Monitor
with revolving turret has been evolved
the modern Dreadnought. The old
muzzle-loading musket, requiring a
minute to load. has been replaced by
the magazine rife, firing faster than
one can count, and by the automatic
muchine gun. firing ten shots a second.
The muzzle-loading field gun, firing
round bombs with d lighted fuse, and
grape and canister. with a range about
as great as that of a stone thrown by the
old Balearic singers. has been replaced
by quick firing, breech-loading guns,
having a speed of fire fifty times as
great and a range ten times as far
The old round musket ball had about
force enough TO 60 through a two
inch pine plank at a range OF a quarter
of a mile The modern rifle ball will
pass through fve feet Of solid pine at
the same distance. 1t strikes foot
ton, and IS capable OF going through
an inch of mild steel
The 7o-pound. II-inch. cast-iron pro-
jectiles OF Ericsson's Monitor, which
we're capable OF merely bending the
railroad iron on the roof OF the NIerri-
mac have been replaced by the long,
sharp, conical, hardened steel projec-
tiles. hurled with a velocity of 5000
feet a second, and Weighing all the way
from 100 pounds to ton and capable
OF penetrating from six inches to two
feet OF the hardest ard heaviest armor
plate
No one who has not witnessed their
action can form the least conception
Of the tremendous force OF the high
power gun carried by the battleships
Of today Our I2-inch navy cannon
throws proJectile weighing hall a ton
and having d striking energy great
enough. if so applied. to lift the battle
snip Oregon bodily to a height OF four
feet-an energy equal to that OF a half
ton weight falling from a height of
more than twenty miles This IS an
energy sufficient, ii converted into heat,
to melt 80 pounds OF cast iron. There
lore. when one OF these projcctiles
strikes the face OF heavy armor plate,
either the projcctile or the plate must
Weld II the nrolcctile is strong
enough. ,hcn il actually fuses its way
through the plate The energy OF the
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

the buyers who had gone TO Paris.
From everything she could learn
most of them had returned home
without extra luggage. On the
other hand, she reasoned, she
might be able to get some of the
models which she had travelled all
these many miles to secure.
So Miss Brown went the rounds
of the famous dressmakers. Most
of their shops were closed. Their
owners were already in their uni
forms prepared to 60 to war. Some
of them, however, promised open
ings, of sort, in few days.
At one or two OF the great dress
making establishments Miss Brown
managed to obtain few models.
Finally she reached the house Of
Bechoff-David. 1t was about to
close. NJ. Bechoff had been called
to arms and had responded gal
lantly.
But cannot | have some mod
els?" Miss Brown begged.
Yes, YOU can have them all
the whole two hundred-at half
price" she was told.
Miss Brown took every model in
the house.
She was exultant. Her risk had
proved to be worth while. But her
troubles were only beginning.
She had secured passports and
transportation home on La France,
lying then at Havre. She had en-
gagged an automobile to take her to
Havre at a moments notice. The
next problem was to get the two
hundred models-and there were
few more than that, counting those
she had purchased at other houses
to Havre The trains were re-
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

United Service Institution of Great
Britain, many of the British newspa-
pers ridiculed my idea of throwing high
explosives from guns They predicted
that if should try it l should be very
quickly hoisted by my own petard; that
the high explosive would be set off by
the shock OF the discharge and would
blow up the gun.
One of the London papers said ::
Shoemaker Maxim, stick to your last.
Return to your writing and book pub
fishing, for you evidently know more
about that than you do about gunnery."
However, within four years from that
date Maximite had been tested and
adopted by the United States army, and
armor-piercing projectiles charged with
it had been fired through heavy armor
plate and exploded behind the plate with
a delay action fuse, and this govern
ment was placed, at bound, far ahead
of all the nations Of the world. OF
course, other nations have since come
forward, and the whole world is now
using high explosive proJectiles.
Curiously enough, upon the appear
ance OF my book. The Science
OF Poetry and the Philosophy of Lam
guage." again got the same advice
from the critics Shoemaker Maxim,
stick to your last" They said that
might know q lot about explosives and
gunncry. but that evidently | did not
know much about books and poetry
That book is about as much of an ex-
ploSive in the literary field as MaXimite
in the military field
Thc FiEhtInE ships Of the Future
Today the main reliance on the sea
is the battIeshrp. The modern Dread
nought is certainly a most potential en-
gine OF destruction. 1t can piow
through all seas. in all wcathers. and
command with its guns everything with
in the circle OF the horizon, while its
sides in vital portions are protected with
a belt Of the hardest and toughest steel
from a loot to twenty inches in thick
ness; but this tremendous engine costs
a vast sum OF money Already the big
Dreadnoughts cost SIoooo.ooo. and plans
are in the making for Dreadnoughts
costing SI5,ooo.ooo, In battle the Dread
nought is met by Dreadnought. and the
armor plate OF neither can successfully
resist penetration by the heavy guns of
the other The best that armor plate can
now do is to ward somewhat the shook
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

honor to herself and credit to her
employer.
But probably at no time has Miss
Browns feeling OF satisfaction been
more real than when she motor
ed into Havre that August morn
ing, after a night OF wakctul ex-
citemcnt. a night filled with the
percmptorv Halt :" OF many a SEN
try, a night OF uncertainty and al
most terror, to find La France still
anchored in the quiet harbor.
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

cr did not trouble her at all. She
had secured her models, she had
them on board with her and she
knew that she had accomplished
a feat in which She might take a
proper pride.
Miss Browns successful home
coming gave great satisfaction to
the head of the firm she represent
ed. He assured her that She had
indeed accomplished a feat to he
proud Of, something that brought
The Washington herald., 1914-09-27
How Wars of the Future VIII Be FOught-How Blow Up Bateshps-Sus
and Limitations of the Sumarne-Heavy Gun Fire and Its Limitations
Fighting Ships of the Future Built Lessons Of the Present War
By D.. Sc,
xPreadnt o TIT Aronuh Society," o America

Ex-President Of the AeronautcaI Society Of America.
Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-12-09
CHANGES PLANNED
IN CITY OFFICES
The Buildings and Grounds
Committee Held Opening
Meeting Today.

Several changes in the. arrange
ments of tho city offices we're taken
up today at tue !; sttlGg of the new
buildings and grruEGs Committee of
the city council appointed by Mayor
]. A. Linn:e Monday night.
The session cpenei this morning,
and was continued this afternoon.
several cna .es for the Improvement
of the presen: situation being consid-
cred.
1t is probable that City Assessor M.
]. Londergan will be moved to the
county court house in order that he
may cooperate to greater advantage
with the county tax officials. If this
is done, City Justice r. ]. Purcell will
occupy his Office in the city hall.
The meter repair department. now
located in the basement of the city
hall, will probably be transferred to
the pumping station, and the extra
room turned over to Mrs. E. M. Pierce
in charge Of the city poor relief.
1t had been suggested that the en-
gineering offices of the city water and
light departments be moved to the
city hall, and occupy the former
quaIters Of the county auditor and
treasurer. 1t is unlikely that this
plan will be adopted, however.
TIL, committee visited the city wa
terworks this afternoon to determine
on possible changes at that plant.
Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-12-09
BIGAM|ST SENTENCED TO PEN
Much Married LII. Taylor Must spend
Two and One Half Years Behind
the Bars at Bismarck.

L. Fl. Taylor, alias ]. r. Jacques,
entered a plea of guilty to a charge
of bigamy before Judge G. NJ. Cooley
late Tuesday afternoon and was sent
enced to spend two and one-half years
in the state penitentiary.
He was taken to Bismarck today
to commence serving his sentence.
Taylor's local wife. his marriage to
whom was the cause of the bigamy
charge being lodged against him, WIS.,
tied her husband at the Jail Tuesday
morning She promised to ''stick to
him" 1t is understood, and will rejoin
him at the end of his prison sentence
The prisoner says that he has 'got
ten what was coming to him. and
that when he gets out of prison he
will stick to the straight and narrow
path.
Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-12-09
BIG MEETINGS TO
Be HELD IN CITY
January and February Two
Important Convention
Months.
IMPLEMENT DEAL
ERS TO MEET HERE
Mid-Winter Fair and Live
Stock Breeders Gather
ings in February.

During the first two months of the
new year, Grand Forks will entertain
several of the largest conventions In
the state.
There will be eight meetings during
those two months. and, among them,
are several of the most important
gatherings of the year.
During the first week Of February.
the annual North Dakota Corn and
Glover convention and mid-winter fair
will be held.
In connection with this, the annual
meeting of the North Dakota Live
Stock Breeders association will be
held here. This is the first time that
this association has come to Grand
Forks. Its meetings usually have
been held in connection with the tri-
state gathering.
The biggest meeting in January will
be that Of the North Dakota Imple-
ment Dealers association. This will
be held here January 1928. In con-
nection with the annual convention.
the dealers will hold a big exposition
in the auditorium. This convention
is one of the biggest and most i'm
portant held in the state. and will
bring several hundred prominent bus
mess men to Grand Forks.
January 13. IA and 15 are the dates
for the meeting Of the employees Of
the Bovey-Shute Lumber company.
All employees in the northern half Of
the state will gather here for the an
nual conference.
Another important meeting will be
the session of the North Dakota Tax
association. Tho dates for this meet
ing have not been determined.
The Northern Fire and Marine In
surance, company stockholders also
will gather here. either the. latter part
of January or early in February.
The State Funeral Directors asso-
citation meets in February.
The county commissioners of North
Dakota meet here in February. This
also is an exceptionally important
convention.