davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
A kMp leaf (Ahana fsulosa me of the three commercially important spedes) feet II
inches wide

must have n rocky bottom to grow
upon. In water from thirty-five to
sixty feet deep its so-called roots
grasp a stone or other solid object.
They are not true roots. but rather
branches modified for clinging. fisher
men call them the holdfast.
From the holdfast extends upward
a stem ninety or more feet long-it
may even exceed 500 feet in length
terminating in a hollow float. egg
shaped, with thick. fleshy walls and
filed with air. From the float extend
a number Of long fronds or leaves.
which. together with the stem. the
float upholds.
Now. the problem OF harvesting
these huge marine plants has already
been successfully solved with n num-
Der OF contrivances. mos; of which
employ the principle Of the hay mower
found on every farm. A machine of
this type, described by the Gyperts
as very satisfactory. mas recent.y.been
operated owe the kelp beds in the
neighborhood OF Point Fermin, Cal.
Mounted on n barge. with n gas
engine driving arrangement Of ro-
tating knives at the extremity of an
endless belt submerged six feet below
the surface of the water. it gathers
in the seaweed at "A rate of twenty
five IONS an hour. a launch pushes
the barge slowly through the beds.
! while the kelp. brought over the side
by the belt, falls into n hopper
through n set Of knives that cut it into
short pieces.
BY such means thousands OF tons
of kelp have been cut on the Point
Fermin beds and landed at san Pedro
at a cost of less than 90 cents a ton.
In n fresh state II contains from so
to 90 per cent. OF water, bling of a
pulpy consistency with little or no
fibre, and the first thing requisite is
to dry It.. The most effective method
Of accomplishing this yet devised is
to expose it to n draught of hot air
while IL IL passed through n revolving
tube or drum. out of the lower end of
which 1t falls in n nearly water free
condition.
Dried in this way the kelp Is easily
pulverized and converted into n sub
stance useful in compromising mixcd
fertilizers. Samples prepared in the
laboratories Of the Department of
Agriculture were found to contain
about Is per cent. OF pure potash. .
per cent. of nitrogen and ~ per
cent. of p%hosphoric acid. In view of
the low cost of production and OF it's
suitability for employment in mixed
fertilizers a large demand for the
dried product is expected to arise.
The problem OF cheaply separating
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

game we had our dream Of fortune
over night. but il melted. probably like
the other dreams. We found Il man
who desired to purchase forty million
rounds of cartridges. and ten million
were TO he spots" or delivered i'm
mcdiatoly, ana ten million more were
to be turned ger to him in August
and twenty million in September.
This buyer was willing to pay $50
"A thousand right through for the
goods, and we dug up n nan who
was n friend To a friend to a friend
of n cousin of an ammunition manu-
faCturer. and he had W. hundred
million rounds TO sell. Certainly he
could furnish us with the forty mil
lion delivery as desired at s44.50 a
thousand, except the spots" We
could afford to lose a little money
on those.
1t was a cinch. We sat up all one
night figuring our profits. 1t required
a lot of paper and took us n long time
to reach the conclusion. for none Of
MS was n banker except Bud" Fisher.
and he doesn't do his own figuring.
lie hasn't time. The result was amaz-
ing. After reaching it approximately,
ii TOOK MS n long while to recover.
The next morning. when the deal was
closed, we would make in the vicinity
Of $500, 900 between rs.
But:
Early the following day the tclo-
phone rang. and the friend to n friend
Of the cousin of the manufacturer
said:
II saw my principal last night. and
he can't let forty million go for the
deliveries as demanded unless the
whole two hundred million are con-
tractcd for, These other deliveries
would u until December, 1916"
ON buyer did not want so many at
that price on such hong futures. We
lost $500, 900 that morning and decided
not To buy the new motor cars we
had been looking ut. And We had
learned u lesson in futures.
A young drug clerk was employed
as travelling salesman with a whole
sale firm last fall and was going West
when he heard, by chance, where
some medical and hospital supplies
could he purchased. He investigated
the information and found it to he
substantially true. lie acquired title
to the supplies, and a month ago
he had accumulated 500, 900 and had
ii in the bank. lie is no longer n
travelling salesman, but an operator
in supplies and doing very well. His
assets were practically nothing when
he started.
~ wss only last week l ran across
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

ing for some time on the price he
asked:
How many head have YOU"
"Eightcen.' replied the seller.
tn" agent quickly eascd ott the
caller and returned to bed, mumhling
on the stupidity of certain folks.
Again this man had "A caller who
said lie had three hundred thousand
head Of horses for sale.
1T didn't take me long to move him
elsewhere, remarked the agent for tho
Allies. at costs 30 cents a day TO
feed n horse, He was spending sl50,-
coo "A day for this purpose. Some
%spender,"
Again he purchased n lot of horses
in the Northwest which were being
shipped East. He received this tele-
gram:
Mare had colt en- route. Colt not
contracted for. How dispose OF IL?
Mother and colt doing well"
He sent back this reply:
Drown colt if no other use for it,"
And the Joke of it is they did, Some
folk, are very literal. Or at least
they reported they drowned the colt.
Il1A Nil'lt are lll'~' VIM llttN q litll
doubts
Still the English are buying horses
in great quantities. White horses are
rejected in almost every instance I'M
less tioy are for drauEht purposes.
They furnish too conspicuous "A tar
! get, Eut agents for England have
found many of the animals purchased
as bay or chestnut have faded to
white in the weather.
The dealers o learned of the re-
striction and began TO make up their
white horses 50 they would pass in
spcction. The inspectors have been
instructed TO he careful in eX-
amining the animals as to color.
1t is impossible, or practically i'm
possible. to insure the shipments nov
on account of the activity of the Ger
man submarines. 1t is too big n
risk for the insurance companies.
Thousands of dollars are hazarded on
a cargo Of this sort by the English.
Richard Schayer, an American
newspaper man, spent seven months
in the remount branch of the British
army. which is a noncombatant part
OF the service at the front. His COM
ment on the supply of horses on hand
IL interesting.
"Thc British continue to shin
cavalry ponies to the western battle
line he declared to me soon after
his return, land let them eat their
heads off, although the French have
begged them not to, There is no use
for cavalry in that war Of trenches.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

work. The paper profits in this sport
are enormous, and "A man can easily
become a millionaire over night, only
to be forced to report az usual at his
$50 a week tCb in the morning because
of some slight hitch in the deal. He
generally finds he Is holding this job
by n mere shred on accOun of lack
Of sleep due 10 worry We his bigger
operations.
But like gold strikes. this Ammu-
milton Stampede has produced some
real winners, and their stories SAVIOR
of romance. OF course, the big bank
ers and dealers in supplies have made
fortunes out OF the war in Europe.
but here and there some free lance has
piled up the gold.
The game has caught men from
all lines OF business and from none
at all, the adventures. Since l have
dabbled in 1t I have encountered.
among others, n bond broker, a physi-
clan. a ~cartoonist, an automobile
agent, n hotel manager, n civil engi-
neer and a moving picture man. All
are doing well at this writing, includ-
ing the author of this article, since
we have come across a gOodly source
of supply and have the buyers at the
other end of the telephone. Where?
Don't ask me. 1t is our professional
secret.
The first step in dealing in ammu-
milton and supplies is to learn the pc
culiar verbiage which has sprung up
in connection with the trade. You
must he nhln IN rnff1A nN'nb. fr.S ~
"~irrevocable credit" Qualifying"
spots" &c, off your tongue as if
from "A rapid fire gun if YOU are to
impress your audience. That indi-
Gates you are "in the know"
My experience in the business has
been gained in association with Bud
Fisher, the Cartoonist, who Is quite MS
good "A buyer and seller of ammunition
as he is n comic artist. 1t was chance
which drew us into the stampede, and
now we can't get Out-and don't want
to.
\ "Do you know" asked Fisher one
day, ANY u who wants to buy some
ammunition? ?"
why" was my natural inquiry.
"Iiave you got some?"
"A lot OF it,"
We were financed and in business
from that point. The rest meant
much rushing about, telcphoning and
talking with hand to mouth. We
soon caught onto tricks of the trade.
| knew an automobile agent who
had sold n Of the Governments ut
| war several motor trucks and me
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

The only animals they can possibly
require are heavy draught horses"
To return to the ammunition end
of the game for a minute. probably
he san" question is puZalinC the
reader which puzzled mo at first. Why
didn't IN" agents of the various Gov
ernments go direct 20 the manufaC-
turerSr Dnc answer j. that somebody
contracted for the entire estimated
output Of all the bigger ammunition
factories. AS a result the price of
spots" has asccndei and the manu-
facturers hate To lose the chance to
sell at the higher price. Therefore
the great quantities Of goods on the
market are what the sharps OF the
trade call "overaEes," an amount
manufactured above the estimated
output 10y dint of working the fac
tories night and day ana putting on
every pound Of pressure possible. II
Is said that the contract referred TO
above calls for deliveries at about s3G
a thousand, while spots" are now
selling at about $50 a thousand. Some
margin,
In eliminating a deal. the prln-
cipals We meet, hut the contract
Is completed through two banks.
One represents the purchaser and
qualities for him. In other words,
ii assures the manufacturers bank
he has the necessary funds ready to
make good un his end of the contract.
The manufacturers bank "qualiiies"
Tor him ANA notifies the purchasers
bank its man is ready to deliver the
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

's
1919 or Whereabouts and the
dash through the Northwest TO
Alaska in later years-years
which even we of the younger gem
Grafton recall-are now being paral-
leled with another scramble, quite as
attractive and almost as romantic as
the pursuit of the yellow metal. The
war has made it. 1t is the Ammuni-
ton Stampede.
A few men, and parenthetically n
very few, have gathered fortunes over
night by buying and selling the food
for the guns of the armies of Europe.
Hundreds nave heard of these few
fortunes, have beer tempted and have
gone seeking ammunition and then
searching for buyers.
The two essential elements of n
transaction in this game are mystery
and secrecy. If you see one man
backing another up into h corner
of a hotel corridor n whispering in
his ear nowadays you can be sure
he is not conveying a tip on the
races or trying to start a Mexican
revolution as heretofore. He Is i'm
parting the Information that he knows
where there are three billion rounds
of ammunition which he wants to
sell.
lie does not say where II is or who
has 1t, or even how he knows 1t is
there. This information is a secret.
He probably does not possess 1t him
self.
II has been my misfortune at DIFF
ferent periods to he in ne%ighborhoods
where tips IN the horse races were
srreau o ~profusely with eXpep-
slve results and even where Mexican
revolutions were being i~ncubated, and
] thought both processes the limit in
secrecy until ! encountered this am
munit!on game. After a man gets
through Whispering in your ear YOU
don't know any more than you did be-
fore, n yet he has conducted Won
into a ~soundproof room and searched
for "A photograph before informing You
OF the delicate news so susceptible TO
spread.
II is an easy business to break into.
II requires no capital but merely a
niue listening and some good leg
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

kelp beds from Cedros Island to Cape
F1attery. and of a large part of the
grovcs in Alaskan waters. The Asti-
mate of the annual crop available
tj9.30O. 900 tons) IL based upon a reck-
oning of the quantity that could be
cut without going deeper han six feet
below the surface of the sea. II is
entirely practicable to cut to twice
that depth. If desired. The Macrocys-
tbs will yield two crops n year.
This species of kelp Is a perennial.
II is not relieved that the cutting of
the beds to n depth Of ten or twelve
feet would be at al likely to I'm
pair the stand. Observations on cut
over areas near Point Iona and Point
I'crmin showed n much heavier
Growth "A a later. the indication
being that the cutting caused the de-
velopmcnt Of more leaves. In other
words, it actually improved the
groves. a%ugmenting their productive
ness.
Presumably the same will be found
TO be true of the Nereocystis. which
Is the prcdominating kelp species In
The Puget Sound region But this
| species is an annual and al be har-
vested only once a year.
The Department OF Agriculture is
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

a strange paradox and one which had
the note Of real tragedy in II. Two
men were in partnership, and one was
selling ammunition to the Allies while
the other was finding "A fine market
for medicines and hospital supplies
with the Germans. They pooled the
profits from each branch and split
them tf:y-iifty.
1T is like a physician and an un-
dertaker being in business together"
was the way Fisher sized up the
situation.
Somebody has to furnish the
armies with ammunition, and some
body has to supply them with sur
gical Instruments. bandages. &C." de-
clared the ammunition half of this
firm rather alphabetically. why not
combine on it,"
There are strange kinks in this
complex game and constantly new
ones. We thought we had found n
fine lot of cartridges last week. and
We soon got n buyer for them. The
deal was ready to GO through In the
indirect way in which all these trans
actions are made when the purchaser
asked for the name If the maker of
the cartridges. We told him.
Those won't qualify" he promptly
said. They won't pass inspection.
You see, this ammunition Is for the
Allies, and so many Germans are m
ployed in that factory that We can't
afford Ia take the risk. We did buy
some Of hat brand OF cartridges re-
nAY,tlts aud f,ttr1 N .yn .s, q
them packed with sawdust instead of
powder"
This was n real form of patriotism.
The heads of h firm, of course. were
unaware of the substitution of saw
dust for powder, but their employees
evidently could not bring themselves
to make the messengers which might
NOW down some brother. And still
they could not afford to lose their
jobs. They had adopted this sawdust
means 10 accomplish both purposes.
and in the meantime had greatly
damaged their employers market for
his wares.
There are all sorts OF false trails
leading away from this main trail in
the game of buying and selling sup
plies. heard Of "A man who is in
this country purchasing horses for
the Allies and who buys only in enor-
nous lots. He was awakened by an
insistent knocking on his door at 6
o'clock one morning.
On demanding who vas on the other
side, he was told it was a man with
horses to sell, He arose sleepily and
invited the visitor In. After dicker-
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

Rue de Ia Paix here in Paris showed
me lunches Of silvered sables, the
most precious in the world. worth
1000 n skin. They were almost a
dull amaranthine black with little
white hairs" as the American women
say.
cor these" he said, with darker
lines down the back. which | prefer.
A mantle or long coat requires 100 to
115 skins. You can have beautiful,
natural dark skins from $3.50 apiece.
good, not extra, to $500 and $500 for
extra and down to $50 and 800 for
cheap. \. child can calculate 1t. Mmc.
Vanderbilt had one made twelve years
ago for $50. 900. To-day 1t would cost
double"
Loving the beauty OF "only the best"
even our rich hesitate at a
sable coat that costs $4,000 or $780,
900. This hesitation Is the first step
toward the trimming RAE
These beautiful sables are only
exceptionally used for garments"
said the dealer. but rather tor stoles.
muffs and parures."
So It Is true of the ''heautiful' furs
in general-black fox, silver fox. chin
ch.ila. Kamchatka beaver and ermine.
y '%heautiful' chinch!lla mantle costs
$4,000. The cheapest, at $1,000. no
American woman would look AT it,"
~ Dcmidon might order n black
fox pelissc,' said the fur experts. IL
have made nantes lined with black
fox for 10000, but not recently for
men. Even astrakhan has gone away
up in the past five years. \ long coat
may Cos from $500 TO 81 900"
Which makes the second step toward
the fur trimming craze. Scarcity
and the dye brush. lie brought out
two lovely !ustrous black FOX stoles.
| chose the most beautiful 1t proved
10 he a "lustrc"-rcd Canadian fox,
tinted black with the dye brush. worth
$50. The other, exactly like it, but
seeming, 10 me. slightly less beautiful.
was a real. a natural black fox worth
5000.
Ten dyed black foxes are sold for
one natural one" said the dealer,
even to rich woman The difference
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
FUR TRIMMING CRAZE ON WAY.

CTRANGE styles are in the air for
autumn. What are all these
~ queer shapes? Silhouottos 20
set off fur trimmings. The
women will he wearing shoulder Capes
with falling tabs as big as aprons.
striped with fur; also coat CapcS.
bumped, fiounced and putting. hor-
dered with vide bands Of fur. In short
it Is to be a season of furs.
one Of the greatest dealers in the
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

z.,.. a, aa
40 hoa,,ieuI rn, "ycd
1891 "a o. - wv" OK "
1,a"daw ., ,s hondso,n" ."' rash.
~ ii. 1, 49, ,.S, '. 'Solt
.e.h,nm ,ha, rasa, ''' H.
49,, -, ,o,,ch, a., ,.t,h 49, gong
r,.,.c a. ~ r,,h. ,.,.1 Wv ''I'n.
TS. -. ,LI.u
III. r.stoh ~. N"" me
sn., " MING the
"T,. uos, ,oo,,,,r,
,..." Ia ~ -. e.. "' MAS
n..non, ,aLos oara ''.'' ',-v'
hun. 10 restricted and n,t,. en-, ne
,oan soa, ma or,or Nh,t'
go .. r,,, haon,ir,, an'a We
sie Nv, ,o, o,n.a, h. ''" as
400 hoant,,ni saa, '''" Tor
oos, saoo I'll, ,.a, ','l TO
W. noyor n,aro sa S'.'''.
...,..,n ,aa,s 80 ~ p.'hdii
S',I, 20 ,,orn 5orr ,. '''''N ate
.aro..mnLar" t. .. ,"pF't' 'Ht
Tho dyo brush n,us , shara NIiih
on, Evon Tho eroo, r,sht.. ''Ht'
rior. homer tho nradn.. 'ur'
ciinnod or sb,,od go, -" Is
-. ~ nra.s.s 49,. inventor
to w., ,aL. 80, 49," d '''"ioA-
and n lot more Sow tho,, .'"rr
side like n na,rbvorL nrt. S''r ny
n hair cut-,bo mach,no w
hougb, ~ m,s, bo ro,,aI ne
Tho smoothing chez '''d'y'
Then ve u dol, ,t-by rrna, next
cret processes ~ So
NusLrat n,,,o, a..
musouosb maLos tho val
seaIskir Th.axa DN''nS'.e
iona b,o houses nr,v mi; '"Sn-
seal but the bir bronn eon,ar ash
a charming nroduct o,d \ w.
rat-excen, ,ba, HE sLt. ,'o'N
NOT m mention r,,or rn,n rr.'
America. @ nIentif,, ,Ln, ''H'n
invented a mochIna 20 at. .in aus
tomatically. The real na,nro, "
invariably. must no dvod : ',".
the rat seaI2 IL u boau,trrto ..'
Is IL durable, Almost 'S'
These questions .a,,s,,.
swered rho od,.,,t,ro -, - nm
the modern woman A ,,rra ,u''Hes
vested in n single yarmor. :. 4"
|, "How avoid mo,bo" asho ."
~"Insure," laughed mo frr,ta.
Such. indeed is tho nr,c,toI
| ionable women-evon ui,b .ha -
| tations-who have 4, l,rno5 ,.. "a,
| storage. never keepinr ,boir ,,,r.
| home through the summer xo.,,'
| the great houses refuse - .aI, .,',,
trick. The premiums aro om u..
| profit. It is said thev ,ovor
| skin or garment. =
"It all comes 70 ,b,s" .,ta
rier. Women Of all catornrt,s I
| or otherwise. know and l,,., h.a..ir''
| things NOWADAYS ana arc ma, c,-.,r,
| with n single fur rarmer,
1T is not our f,uI, bo ro,
1T is n world currnnt ~ ,
natural skins so dear Tho u,rgr, ".
continually rising. Since the v,r h,,s,
out in August last there has hoo, ~,
market. The Leipzig fair took rl,.,
for Germany only. Great |ouan.f,i.s -
beaver and astrakhan were Sold c,-
rich officers. The rest Was army fur.
nishing. sheep. lamb, SC"
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
of the Tremen-
dous Profits Are Only
on Paper---Some
Cases of Big Strikes

a lot Of real business Is hp.-- .. '
in the Ammunition STAMP, foo.
some folks are getting rich r..
But there is much more ta,h,l t...'
A man who has furnished many g..
trial and South American rey..n'
with guns and ammunition SAT- p. r,
recently:
"Thirty-fve billion rounis are
every day in New York I'm 'r., E
OF us have the real goods. .
every thousand dollars the pgr,H .'
puts up I'll bet five | deliver N
| say | will"
When a purchaser buys f.tu-.. I'd
does not pay down the fll| aw "a
after he has qualified" lie ~.
% per cent, of the gross ON '. '.
lures ms a guarantee OF good g.
More are getting into
every day. \ bond hrukrr
last week he hadn't been D., g.
office for two days. lie WIS f...
IT "A dentist leaves You in ~.
Just when he is pulling a '..
will know he is out to clu-.
for some ammunition. ann @
my physician friend of the .,
spectacles has any patients
either well or dead 10y ruN
his aid. And he must hr a.
because We all call HIM 'l'.
though | have tluga'.
him directly about H.
Mr.. Lloyd GEORGE has s'''
country ID. \. Thomas, tN'
coal king, now To try To- s
ont the tanglo. W" don't k..
he Will do to tn lmc e,
is certain. He won't lee shp''
To harvest his amr .nition ''.'
needs them There VIII h-
volunteers. The modern
has caught many. and | g.. '.
him with the address Of ~
c~nterprising young men W..
liver the goods if h" want
dress.
There are no prairie scl'..
Indians in this gold rush, ..
just as exciting, Fortunes ..
made. And a lot of mou,.
Ia he lost If the war stop
But humanity viii he Ia" t''
there will then he other r.
reconstruct Europe, which N
more fascinating and quite u. '.i
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
Government Expert
menting on Proposal
to Replace German
Supply From Beds of
Giant kelp in Pacific
ny RENE BACHE.

ECAUSE the supply heretofore
X received from Germany has
- been affected by the war. the
I7nifod Statna Coyorpmont hoe
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
Fortunes M4de Over
Night by Buying and
Selling Food for War
ring Guns of Europe
by JOHN y. WHEELER.

>HE gold rush to California in
1919 or Whereabouts and the
dash through the Northwest 10
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
'Holdfast" of a Nereocystis
kelp clinging to a rock.

conversion into fertilizing material or
for the extraction Of their potash
salts.
Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1915-01-09
OR BUILDING MATERIAL HANDICAP

Quo 90 Do. m.H .pu. need. % .hr great
Panhandle country hp. u' home building ma
f.rlI Boz other u0rds hrs. and kindred .HE
products
SOM. sraa ... So. Imported a.I building uu
from Ihr l1fI.s.H. distinct of kousar-.iryc 1uu.
"f,d mile. away With ih. exhaustion OF natural
.,s 900 tlaI locality. tb, uu.. OBJ common builder.
uuard b. t... ,..-t... with freight B. Irt. h.i 0N.
pI.U..s. pom. .. .r .. SSH. er., concerned
..I contractor. v..- l.rr compelled 'a |.,. '.l
another mako. and ,,aI au.r h... been .au
a,I-U .. .auJ... ,a.u..... ..'u 1900 uI.r.I Nu..
..ur. .... I.... point. boz. $40 o.. h.u..|
.H.H .. considered .. .,a.u..ut uu.. boot . .h.
Undo. ...0 condition.. 81, ..,, o., |....,I.. ..u
..IrI .0#t .. construction DO aH 20 h. POM
..rI.. .us.. .. ...u .Ir.y ,.Dud.t 900 p."
s.ar. taH . .af.m estimate hy .u 'al.
u..t ..Ui.... r...... ,I. la,f thHf within u..
.n.I.. ..u.... ...m ..gbir-u .p Ju.rr million
Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1915-01-09

d .nul nr.e. soar much higher ", vIII coon
Do compelled 20 resort 90 a,rships 10 bring down D.