davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily Alaskan., 1915-06-08
SECRETARY OF STATE BRYAN
 HAS RESIGNED HIS POSITION

Washington, D. C.. June S-Secre- taTy Of State Bryan has resigned. His resignation became known late today, following stormy Bcenes the cabinet session, dur ing which President Wilson's re- joinder to Germany was discussed. Secretary Bryan diGagreed with the
The daily Alaskan., 1915-06-08

Amsterdam June S-Advices re ceiyad here this morning state that persistent rumors are current that Germany and Austria will shortly announce ?eace conditions in which emphasis will be given to had been refunded and recommended the return of these of 1914, but stated that inasmuch as the rectory of the church is now being offered for rent, which it never had been before, the premises should hence forth be put upon commercial standing and be assessed for taxes the same as any ether city pro- perty. His recommendations were adopted.
 The town .treasurer's report for the month of May showed d deIlcit of $2O7S5. Report accepted and filed.
 The following claims against the town were presented, allowed and
The daily Alaskan., 1915-06-08

president and other members of the cabinet as to the position the Un- tied States should take. He insisted on moderation against the presi- dent's firm decision to reiterate that the United States expected It's rights md international law to be respected.
The daily Alaskan., 1915-06-08

Under the head Of new business Councilman Batson stated he had received an application from A. E. KiudelI for the privilege of running a single wire from his present wireless station On Fifth street, be tween Broadway and State, to the top os the first bench on the east side of the valley. it beins the in teution to install all aerial station there, which would probably later develop into a regular station of the Marconi wireless system in Alaska. His application was grant ed.
 Town Treasurer Martin Conway asked instructions as to the issu- anc: of cheeks to satisfy the claims aga!nst the town that had been al- lowed. He was told to hold them back until the B. NJ. Behrends bank can be heard from.
 upon recommendation of Mayor Ashley, who stated that at the reg ular meeting two weeks hence
Evening star., 1915-07-18
"TRUsTIEs" MOTT
KNITTING CoNvIcTs

KNITTING CLASSES FOR CONVICTS
the prisoners are allowed to share in
ruling themselves. At present in Sing
Sing 1t is called the Mutual Welfare
League. The members of the league
a is to the help 4sRt e that # tos
treat a human being like a wild beast
he will become wild beast; II you
treat him as human being ne Will Will
one. That is the Osborne idea. BY it
he Is willing to rise or fall.
When he became warden Of Sing Sing
he did not begin timidly. He began
boldly. These are some of his reforms: ::
He psrmittsd nit the men to. to talk he re.
called, from the work shops, mess hall
and yards. The men are now guarded
by members of the league. He put an
end to the notorious torture known as
himself, he placed the punishments for
infractions OF prison rules in the hands
Of prisoners elected by prisoners. He
permits them to write as many letters
in their cells over Sunday and holidays,
he allows them to spend the day in
the yard.
Fourth Of July fell on Sunday. the
prisoners were locked in from Saturday
until Tuesday. AS q result, holidays
and Sundays were hated. and regarded
msts as ae the men
to smoke in the yards. He allowed
them to wear such shirts, collars and
ties as other men wear. This may seem
a small privilege. but getting rid Of the
self-respect and every one of them who
could afford it availed himself Of the
privilege. or the twenty-five privileges
Evening star., 1915-07-18
*
'&E2|'l 'E2lf|
y

tion-finding Instruments. fixes the ex-
act angle of that leg. The ship will be
at the apex of the triangle thus found.
The exact angle once obtained. the
esta blishment of the precise range Is
mere matter of mathematics-intri-
cate. but positive and done quickly with
modern apparatus.
These scientific mathematiciane, then,
are the real gunners of a harbor works.
Thus the men who "aim'' the guns
never see the guns. and the men who
fire the guns never see the target.
All that the gunners and the officers
overhead. All that they are trying to
hear is the buzzer of the telephone in
struments that will convey to them the
orders from the fire-controi stations
They wait with every nerve concen-
trated on one thing-on catching in
stantly the order that shall tell them:
Lateral elevation. so-and-so much; So
and so-much elevation. Fire."
Their gun is tossed up by the man.
moth steel arms of the carriage, like a
pebble in a sling. 1t stops. dead. in
the firing position. There is a stun
ming explosion. While the emplace-
ment still is ringing with II. the gun
has been jerked back into the pit and 10
in the loading position.
s4
The gunners do not know II they have
hit or not. They will know nothing
unless the telephone tells them. Their
business in their pits is to make their
glistening. oil-sweating. burning. COM
plex engine ready again instantly. While
some wash out the hot chamber, others
are hoisting the half-ton projectile on
it's chute to send it driving into the
breech. Still others are ready with the
long bars of brown powder. An ex-
pert is putting the new primer into the
@l. axA hA al 81
cal spark. Engineers are examining
the oil and air pistons of the mammoth
mechanism. Every mans brain and
every mans hand are working to
achieve the utmost in fractions Of min
utes.
They are watching the swinging
breech that looks like the steel door
to a safe deposit vault, and Is almost
as complex. They are standing by the
batteries that are to fire the gun. They
everywhere to govern fire control, ex.
plosion. lighting and orders from
dozen different places.
Every one of these innumerable In
stallations is threatened constantly by
injury. The explosion of their gun
quake, and may tear the wiring like .
storm There may be half-ton pro-
jectiles pounding on the works, or on
their very parapets. Fragments ana
rubbish may pour on them and b9ry
them temporarily. Everything In that
pit is being subjected to the most fear
full destructive attempts that man ever
has devised.
The habit, the nerve-force and the
concentrated skill demanded to dre
coast guns in such conditions cannot
be improvised. 1t must be there. ready
from long previous training. when the
need arises
The nations lack of officers and men
so prepared will be the subject OF an
article next Sunday.
Copyright, 1915. BY J. ". Mulist3 -
Evening star., 1915-07-18

spare only a very small force, because
even when at it's maximum. II he can
do these things it will be not because
the harbor defenses are weak, but be-
cause the mobile army is weak.
So long as the American harbor
works prevent ships from forcing their
way into the harbor they serve their
full purpose. and so far as this second
line of defense is concerned the ma
fully adequate for the work.
AS regards construction, they may
be said to be efficient. The matter of
steel turrets for the guns is an open
question that will not concern the pub
lie until experts have agreed on it. No
Evening star., 1915-07-18

til he has invested it. The American
harbor defenses function as fortifica-
tions only in the sense that ships can
not pass them to seize the harbor and
cities behind. If combined naval and
land force can set troops ashore on the
defenses the latter form no factor that
the invader needs to take into account.
He need not invest them, unless he
wishes to open the harbor to his ships.
He can march past them. leaving them
intact, and they can create no danger.
because they have no army within
them that might sally from their pro-
lection to cut his lines of supply or
assail his army.
Evening star., 1915-07-18

NEARLY every business or occupation
IN contributes bits Of specialized knoWi-
edge to the common fund. It will strike
most people as a curious piece Of infoEma-
ton that plate glass insurance companies
class windows with black lettering on
them as extra hazardous" rislkA The ex-
PLANTATION given is that a black surface
absorb's the suns rays By this means.
it is pointed out, an unequal expansion
is produced throughout the plate. and un-
der the influence Of a sudden gust Of cold
or any other quick change Of tempera-
ture a strain is developed which may
break the glass
Evening star., 1915-07-18

other vital structural changes have
been urged. 1t Is proper to say that
American army engineers believe that
the works are excellent.
In armament little has developed
during the present war to shake the
American army's faith in the powerful
tweIve-inch steel mortars which form a
prominent part of the gun installation
of all the f1rst-class defenses. They
throw 700-pound conical pointed steel
projectile with "high-angle" fire. max
always have dreaded most. and that
they dread still, for even the most
nightly armored dreadnaught is
sides. The effect of 700 pounds plung-
Evening star., 1915-07-18

ing from a height Of a mile or more
(caysed by its curving fight may be %
remembered that the shell carries a
giant bursting charge as well. AS
there are sixteen of these weapons in
a battery. and all can be discharged si-
multaneously. they bear within them
potentialities of utter destruction for
the ship that falls within their range.
1t is assumed that good gun COM
pany with good fire control and range
finding should score four hits out Of
five shots at five miles. The extreme
range is nearly twice that distance.
The largest gun for direct fire mount
ed at present in American defenses is
the twelve-inch. It still is highly eff
Evening star., 1915-07-18

cient, though there is doubt that it is
outranged by the fifteen-inch guns on
the latest type of dreadnaughts. 1t
can, however. be SO mounted on an i'm
proved carriage as to attain a maxi
mum range OF $1,000 yards. which is
equal to the f1fteen-inch naval gun.
The projectile would have to be re-
duced to 700 pounds from the present
weight of 1000 pounds. thus entailins
a decided diminution of destructive
power.
The fourteen-inch gun now being
successfully built in government works
will give equal range with a heavier
projectile, and will have the important
advantage that the powder pressure
In the chamber Is much less, which
will give it a far longer life. 1t costs
little more to build. II expense were
be we'll that fourteen-inch guns should
be mounted not only in all the new de-
fenses. as they will be. but should re-
place all twelve-inch guns in other de-
lenses.
But there is a very decided considera-
tion-and that is. that all the arma-
ment in the world is useless without
effective means of operating 1t. 1t is
in effective means for handling even
the present armament that the Ameri-
The weakness is in material. both
human and mechanical. There is in
adequate provision of all the ap-
pliances that are needed to use great
and men enough to make efficient use
of the appliances were they supplied.
The only way to understand the acute
danger caused by these weaknesses
hidden under our formidable defenses
is to understand the problem that con-
fronts the soldiers in a harbor works
The reader must conceive himself to
be standing on the parapet of coast
battery that is about to go into action
against ships.
Where are the ships? Afar off. on the
line of the horizon. are tiny objects
the control tops and perhaps parts of
the hulls of ships. Each of these is a
dreadnaught. SIS feet long. and with a
feet out Of water-but il the observer
holds a lead pencil before his eye the
dreadnaught will be blotted out COM
pletely.
That, then, is the mark, less in ap-
parent size than a lead pencil. The
twelve-inch gun that is going to fire a,
it is seventeen inches thick from outer
rim to outer rim of its muzzle. 1t is ev.
ident that the human eye can do nc
aiming with that ponderous mechan.
ism against the distant speck.
How. then. is the gun aimed? 1t Ii
not aimed" at all.
Its men do not see ships or ever
ocean. They are in the pit of the CUR
emplacement. The men who do the
aiming" are nowhere near a gun
They are far along the coast at op-
posite ends Of the defenses. Their sta
tions, carefully concealed, are known
as base stations" A straight line
drawn between them and through the
defenses gives what is called the base
line.
OF what Is it the base? 1t is the base
of triangle. Now, 1t will be obvious
that when the observer at each end
of that line looks at the distant ship
of that triangle. Each observer, with
his ingenious range-f1nding and direc-
Evening star., 1915-07-18

a protected pigeon. The man wanted q
pardon. but for several reasons did
not see it was my duty to try to help
him. Later. under another warden, !
found him acting rs clerk. and !
asked the new warden why he had pro-
NOTED him.
"Had to promote him." said the war
den. 'aThe men found out that under a
former warden he had betrayed them;
that he was stool pigeon. And every
time he crossed the yard they tried to
get him. They threw knives and tools
at him from the windows. So gave
him a job indoors. not because he de-
served it, but to keep him from being
murdered"
The story is intended to illustrate the
happy family life that about two years
ago existed in Sing Sing. OF the es-
capes, the mutinies and the riots; when
the prisoners set fire to the ouiioinss, om
which took place shortly before os-
borne came, the public need not De re-
minded.
It may be that the presence Of a state ate
prison in Auburn, his home town. OK
plains Mr.. Osborne's interest In pehoi-
ogy.
Evening star., 1915-07-18

But whatever first attracted him to the
subject, for years he has made q study
of it. And two years ago. the better
to know 1t az a convict knows 1t. he
lived in q cell in Auburn prison. What
he learned filled him with horror and
indignation: and to improve the con-
dition of the prisoners he organized
in Auburn the Golden Rule Brother
Evening star., 1915-07-18

~
the only gross structural defect IN the
American system that will demand
wears to cure The other defects may
be remedied largely by the adoption
of a sensible schedule of management
and maintenance.
The creation of this system began in
1886, when the Endicott board laid be
fore Congress plan worked out py
the most eminent engineer omcers oi
the army So correct were their ideas
that hardly any changes in principle
have had to be made. although they
prepared their plans when guns stlll
had sharply limited range and when
there hardly was such thing as true
fire control or elaborate searchlight
installation either on ships or land.
The only real change in principle has
been to eliminate from the plans Ger
tain number of floating defenses, the
board having recommended either
armor-clad floating gun batteries or
heavy vessels of the coast monitor type
The provision for these was due partly
to the fact that the United States had
no navy then, and little prospect OF
any; but a direct reason was that no
guns then made could shoot far enough
to protect all channels from land.
A great American achievement was
correcting this defect even then. 1t was
works by army ordnance experts of an
a1l-steel rified cannon, twelve inches In
diameter, that could fire a conical hard
ened steel projectile weighing 1000
pounds to a distance almost undreamed
of before that time. The writer was
present when the first gun of this type.
under test at the Sandy Hook proving
grounds. threw it's projectile five miles
into the Atlantic ocean. Later, under
improved powder and firing conditions,
these weapons have developed ranges
of $4,000 yards, which is six and one
half nautical miles or a trifie more than
seven land (statute) miles.
With the completion of these guns the
Evening star., 1915-07-18

expressed the opinion that any man
who once got out of Sing Sing and then
went back to 1t was a damn fool.
Now he would be-" corrected my
friend, because now he helps to make
the rules that govern him and that
govern this place. And II he breaks
his own rules and takes away his own
privileges he is a damn fool. In the
old days the rules were made by
others, and they were silly, cruel
Evening star., 1915-07-18

rules. They made US worse than whom
We came in. In the old days Sing Sing
did not suppress crimes: 1t bred
crimes
What Mr.. Osborne is trying to do
isn't to make 1t pleasant for US while
were in here. but to fit us to make
our exit. He's giving us a chance to
come back We see that. and we're
trying to help him by making good.
But the public don't see 1t. They seem
to be afraid he'll make Sing Sing 20
pleasant that men will be breaking
Did you ever hear of a hospital 30
pleasant that a man would break his
leg to get into it? What the people
outside don't understand Is that you
could make this place a palace and II
would still be a prison. It's not what
you do to man after you put him IN
here that Furnishes him; it's what
you've taken away It's what he can't
get. The moment you put him in here
you've punished him.. After he's lost
the things outside. whether you shove
him in the dark cell or show him NOV
ing pictures won't help much"
/ could not agree with my friend. 1
called the moving pictures. have helped
very much. They have made at sing
Sing just the difference there Is be.
tween the atmosphere of a morgue ana
a busy workshop. They have made the
men normal. have given them self-re-
spect, an interest in life and. above
all. hope. Not to all of the men,. Not
will be that 10 per cent. I know no ono
has the right to assert that AS the
thief says in the Lodging for the
Night: who will deny the power OF
divine grace? Certainly not !. who 50
greatly need 1t"
Evening star., 1915-07-18


per cent. have heard in Sing Sing
some of that 10 per cent tell Of their
own deeds with such callousness. with
such utter absence of any moral in
stinct or sense and of deeds 30 horrible
that the only way to treat them seemed
to be as mad animals. I would per-
sonally have shot them, and though a
Judge and jury might have worried
themselves over the act, II never would
have kept me awake. And / think
when the writer's and the comic paper
Illustrators, and 1T is the latter espe-
cially who are doing the most harm,
attack the new regime at Sing Sing. II
must be this 10 per cent that they have
in mind. They feel that for q certain
is hopeless.
And so upon the moving pictures and
the base ball and the classes in stenog-
raphy they turn their ridicule. They
forget the 80 per cent. They forget
that in protecting them. in help
ing them to leave prison wanting to
make good' and not. as Of old. want
ing to "get even." they are protecting
themselves. I put this to my friend.
the convict who was serving his fourth
term. IF the Welfare League sends
straight instead of men like those Of
the old days. who. you say. went out
worse criminals than when they came
in, why. isn't it the taxpayer and the
householder who Is going to benefit?
Why. isn't the Osborne idea doing a.
much for the man outside as for the
inmate?"
Well" he said. you might put it
that way. too"
Evening star., 1915-07-18

and What They Protect the abos
Chesapeake Bay
Authorized Land
Not the Of Forts Caned Be
Evening star., 1915-07-18

A coward always is cruel. and because
the rules were born Of fear. the rules
were cruel. unjust. unintelligent
Against them the convicts rebelled in
Evening star., 1915-07-18

This month many headliners in the
theatrical world came from the Lambs
Club to Sing Sing to give the inmates q
vaudeville show. I found Mr.. Osborne
and the prison brass band and some
thirty delegates and sergeants-at-arms Of
the Welfare League by the side OF the
road some distance from tho prison.
They were waiting to welcome the &C
tors. There was nothing to prevent the
Evening star., 1915-07-18
REFUSE TO NSCAPDi
CONVICTS HELD BY HONOR.
LOO INMATES OF SING SING
RETURN TO THEIR CELLS.

Ossining, July-Today 100 convicts,
sentenced for from two years to twenty,
or for life, and including burglars, mur-
derers, gunmen. petty thieves and saw
ings bank presidents, with no one guard
ing them but fellow -conv1cts, were given
That is the truth. but it is not news"
Evening star., 1915-07-18

FNHE harbor defenses of America
are works of our young gener-
alton. They have not suffered
q from the swift changes that
have "junked'' innumerable types and
qualities of warships within the same
period They may be ranked justly
as among the big harbor works OF
the world, though the coast defenses OF
Great Britain and Germany probably
are vastly more powerful
F'irst-class defenses protect Boston,
Narragansett bay. the eastern entrance
to Long Island sound with its scores
of manufacturing cities. the eastern
and southern entrances to New York
city San Francisco and Puget sound.
Defense works with lesser but ample
armament protect enough ports TO
bring the number of efficient haroor
defenses to about twenty-five.
A sad gap exists in the fact that the
outer entrance to Chesapeake bay IS
unprotected Despite continual repre-
eentations to Congress. nothing was
done to correct this until recent ses,
sion authorized the acquisition OF land
on Cape Henry.
Evening star., 1915-07-18
A Curious "Risk."

Copyright, 1918. by the Wheeler S,
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-03-04
RANGE FOR GOATS ON THE Ma,
TIONAL FORESTS.

The District Forester at Portland,
Oregon, announces that there is
available on the National Forests To-
Gated on the west slopes of the Cas-
cades, range that will take care of
from 10000 to $4,000 head of goats.
1t has been felt for some time, by
the grazing men of the Forest Service
that the range on the west slopes of
the Cascades, which is covered quite
extensively with brush and heavy un-
dergrowth, is better adapted to goats
than to sheep and cattle. Further
more, it is thought that the browsing
of this brush would be of great ben
eft to the Forest, as it would remove
what now constitutes a serious fire
menace. Reports have been received
from all the supervisors of the west
side Forests, and 1t is now estimated
that from 10000 to 1000 goats can
be taken care of on the available
range. If the goat men are inclined
to avail themselves to this range, and
the experiment proves a success, it is
probable that other areas may be
found that are suitable for goats.
The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-03-04
GET A BOY AND YOU
WILL BECOME YOUNG
The Childrens' Aid Society of Port.
land Prescribe Cure For All
People Who Are Grow
ing Old.

Does the noise of ball game in
your neighborhood get on your
nerves? Do you scowl at the sport
ing page" and burn the comic sec
tom You may have even gotten
so far as to be tempted to put coal
ashes on your part of the hill when
there IS chance of good coasting Well
sir or madam you are indeed in dan
ger If nervous prostration. Your
symptoms indicate that you are
threatened with the most virulent
form of the dread disease-getting
DID, but here is the prescription.
Get some mud tracks across your
back steps, ball nit hung in the kit
chen and bit of "a shop in the cor
ner of the basement. Fix a room
up stairs with thick rug and strik-
ing bag, a few books and lot of
pictul cs-some Of them comic. Have
the bed springs strong, but do not
worry about them, the manufactur-
ers will keep right on making springs
after we are in the poor house, or
have passed on. Of course, a few
cards OF wood and a garden patch do
save the springs and help to develop
muscle and money-sense.
Now when these arrangements
have been completed write to the
Boys & Girls Aid Society, L. Goth
and Irving Sts., Portland, Ore, and
ask for boy to fit them. A boy in
the house is a sure cure for nerves,
even if he is red headed, freckle
faced and stubborn. In short time
you will be writing High School de-
bates, yelling your head off, at foot
ball games, and-growing young.