davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1915-12-30
ANSON

ANS0N
Mrs. Edna BosWck and little daugh-
ter Dorothy of East Madison are
spending the Christmas holidays with
her parents Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Gordon.
Miss Gertie Smith started last
week for Florida She went in COM
pany with Mr. and Mrs. Alvah Beal
of N. Arson and Miss Corrine Salley
of Skowhegan. All expect to have
employment for the winter at Magno-
liza Springs and return home in
April.
The pupils of grades l, 2, 3 of the
Garfield school. aided by their teach
ers Mrs. Bell Mrs Loyejoy and Miss
Learned enjoyed a Christmas tree
last Thursday Sefine program was
given by the children and the occa-
sion was very enjoyable one. School
begins again for the winter term
January 10th, 1916.
Read Everybody's Column.
Mrs. Eta Witham is keeping house
for Frank Smith.
r. NJ Walker of Pittsburg, Pa.
came to town Christmas night tc
spend a few days with his parents
Mr. and Mrs. Orlando Walker. Mr.
Walker came part of the way on bust
ness so improved the opportunity by
coming home and surprising his
friends
Mrs Elsie Collins who went to the
c. NJ. G. Hospital at Lewiston. Dec
18th, to have tumor removed. re-
turned to town Dec. % and is now al
the home of Sherman Tinkham.
Mr.. and Mrs Sampson spent the
day Wednesday, Dec %. with Mr.. and
Mrs William Rogers Mr.. Sampson
has been for some months in the hos
pital at Augusta for treatment and Is
very much improved in health. They
expect to go this week to Foxcroft fol
the winter.
George Viles entertained his father
Marcellus and brother Willis and
family on Christmas Day.
Justin Fish left town last week fol-
California for the winter. He has
made the trip several times.
Everett Edwards, a student of Dart
mouth College. Hanover. n. H.. Is
spending his Christmas vacation a
the home of Orlando Walker. Mr.
Edwards own home is in the far wes
| so he has spent many pleasant days
in times past with his friends on Nut
! ton Hill
! Harry Gordon and sister Ruth wen
20 Portland to spend Christmas Day
In the last issue of the Reporter
it was stated that the installations o
Sterling Rebekah Lodge No 95 ant
Indian Spring Lodge I. o. o, +. wal
Jan eth which is a mistake Tit
joint installation of the two lodges
$ to be- Wednesday evening. Januar,
5th. Mr. Violet F'ogg of SkowhegaI
is the Installing officer for the Rebe
kahs.
Charlie Gordon Is quite Ill will
bilious foyer
The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1915-12-30
NORTH NEW PORTLAND

We would like to take your sub
scription to any single or combination
of Magazines Sampson & Ayore.
The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1915-12-30
HARMONY

Mr.. and Mrs. James Irwin and fam
lily spent Christmas with Mr.. and
Mrs. win Nelson OF Athens.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

which occasionally wounds only, allowing its VIC
tim TO 1--we out his natural days and to die in bed.
There are no wounded to be picked up after a
battery OF monoXide of carbon has been at its
work. The casualty list is one of the dead only.
Rats, as has been said, carry the parasite, which
is a flea, from which 1t is possible for man to
become infected with the disease, bubonic plague.
The public health service has classified all the
commercial ports of the world as follows:
Clean" Suspected" Infected" When a shin
bound for New Orleans, reaches quarantine, which
is a good ways down the river from the Crescent
City, it is boarded. There, if an unusual number
of rats are found on board, or If other conditions
seem to require it, there is a sulphur fumigation.
Then the ship proceeds on it's way to New Or
leans. 1t is then that the public health officers
take up a watch on the vessel,
There have been plague rats in New Orleans.
There are certain places where rats are more
likely to succeed in getting onto a vessel
than they are at others. There is no greater de-
sire that rats which possibly may be infected
shall get on to a ship than that rats in the same
possible condition shall leave it for the shore. 1t
is possible for precautions to be taken which will
prevent the rodents either from leaving or enter
ing the vessel. Their ordinary way of egress or
ingress is along cables or ropes which lead from
the vessel to the shore. To prevent entrance and
exit guards are attached to the ropes and no rat
is able to pass them.
When the public health officials find that II is
necessary to turn their monoxide of carbon bat
terry loose on a ship the matches are battened
down, every window of every cabin is sealed, and
all the cracks of the doors are closed with paper
attached by means of flour paste. Then the Nep-
tune steams up alongside, the coke in the closed
furnace is started burning and the generated
monoxide of carbon passes through a hose into
the hold of the ship until 1t is filled with the dead
ly gas. Then attention is turned to the cabins
and staterooms, each of which is given its full
charge of the o~verpowering fumes,
The vessel is left alone for six hours and then
the matches, doors, windows and port holes are
opened and the gas escapes. All that remains to
be done is to go in and gather up the dead rats.
The fumigating process kills not only the rats,
but everything else living that is on board and
this means everything living down to the minutest
form of animal life.
Danger is passing quickly from New Orleans
and 1t Is passing because not only the health au.
thorities of the state and city, but those of the
government took hold of the situation at once
and saved 1t, If it really needed saving, and there
are those who believe that If unchecked, the bu-
bonic plague might have obtained a firm foothold.
DIR. william c. Rucker, who has been in charge at
New Orleans, is experienced in antiplague work.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02
2ETHA%SiAvyG Il car RooNEaY~

having served In San Francisco, where he was
executive officer when the crusade against the
plague was instituted in that city.
The rat ship Neptune docs its work on the
waterfront of cities, but it must not be supposed
that vessels alone are the habitation of rats which
may carry with them the germs of a dread dis
ease. In any city which may be suspected Of har-
boring rats afflicted with the plague parasite, the
crusade against the rodents is carried on in all
sections of the town where the rodents abound.
Thousands upon thousands of the rats are caught
In traps and every rat caught is tagged, so that
the place where it was taken can be known def
nltely. The bodies of the animals are taken to
the public health laboratory and there they are
examined, the examinations sometimes reaching
the number of 1000 a day.
Each of the dead rats is examined thoroughly
and an experienced man can tell instantly those
which appear to be affected. In the case of a sus-
pect, or where 1t is definitely determined that the
rat actually has the disease, the tag is consulted
and the place of capture of the animal is learned.
Then the work of determination and of fumigation
and perhaps demolition of buildings begins in the
neighborhood from which the infected rat came.
Here is what Assistant Su-rgeon-General vii.
liam G. Rucker has said in one brief paragraph
concerning the eradication and prevention of bu-
bonic plague;
plague is primarily a disease of rodents, and
secondly and accidentally, a disease of man. Mans
safety from the disease lies in the exclusion Of
the rodent and its parasites. This is the basis
of all preventive and eradicative work. If a man
can live in rodent-free surroundings he need have
no fear of plague. because if there be no rodents
there can be no rodent parasites, and for all prac-
tical purposes the flea may be considered as the
common vector of the disease from rodent to
rodent and from rodent to man. The eradication
of bubonic plague, therefore. means the eradica-
ton of rodents
Now, in a layman's language, the path of the
bubonic plague from rodent to man is something
like this: A rat has the plague. Where it got it
we will say nobody knows, for the origin of the
thing is as much Of a question as which came
first, the hen or the egg. Every rat has feas.
The rat which has the plague is bitten by a flea.
which absorbs the plague poison. The rat dies,
We will say; the flea leaves it and in some way
gets on to a man; the parasite is charged with
the disease and If the poison is transmitted be-
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

with man. It frequents the great highways OF the
world, travels long distances in ships and occa-
sionally on trains. The ground squirrel does not
live in human habitations and 1t makes only snort
migrations. AS Doctor Rucker puts 1t, 1t Is al
most a negligible factor in the direct transfer OF
the disease to man. The ground squirrels great
function in the plague scheme Is that OF a rurai
reservoir from which from time to time the dis
ease flows over to the suburban rat, thence 10 MS
city cousin and thence to man.
In parts of the West the public health service
is conducting a crusade against the ground squir-
rel. This animal looks not unlike the common
gray squirrel, and the help of the scientists OF
the biological survey of the department Of agricul-
ture in Washington has been given to the work
of the determination of this animal over large
tracts of land.
The public health service has given in its re-
ports descriptions of the means which should be
taken to prevent the spread of the disease with
given in rattrapping, rat-proohng, in methods of
destroying rat habitations and to these are added
chapters on the natural enemy of rats, owls,
hawks, weasels, cats, dogs, ferrets and the other
creatures which either consider the repulsive rat
a delicacy or like to prey upon it from sheer love
of killing.
The country probably has little knowledge of
the constant work which is being done by the
public health service of the United States govern
ment to safeguard the people from disease and
death. The plague preventive work which has
been done is to scientists one of the most inter
esting works in the whole field of their study and
endeavor.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

The bulwarks Of liberty are totter-
ing to their fall.
Shall this country be ruled by pa.
triots or traitors?
is Bunker hill to go for nothing,
and are our liberties to be sold for a
mess OF potatoes?
Shall ! stand supinely by and see
this great and glorious country go to
destruction. or shall lead the move
ment to still further exalt her?
Shall the American eagle still con-
tinue to soar on pinions proud. and old
glory wave in every breeze that blows,
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

Only until the war closes. my
dear"
But don't see that 1t is necessary
for you to be out every night until
midnight. During the Spanish war
you were not out a single evening. In
fact. you said the men who were
whooping around nights were a pack
of soft heads"
$50 they were. dear. but last cam
paign is not this campaign. Last
campaign things ran themselves. and
there was nothing for the patriots to
do.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02
Kangaroo farming is a very impor-
tant industry in Australia.

But we sit not down and complain OF
our lot. We know that we have wom-
en- in our ace today who stand shout
der to shoulder with any ONE We
need and must make all the friends
we can with white people. They nec1
us and we need them. If centuries
were needed to bring the Anglo-Saxon
from the of central Europe
to the height Of today's civilization
they cannot expect us to be perfect
yet. We are like the wrecked ship
which to the call, Shall we lower the
boats and take you in?" gave answer
thus: mo. Lay by us till morning"
So say we to our generous, sympa-
thetic and true white friends. Our
record for this half-mile stone from
human slavery is ~unequaled. Let us
go on with the team work which en-
bodies the grand old motto of the
Swiss republic, All for each and each
foc all."-From An Address at the BIZ
ennial Federation of Colored Won
ems Clubs.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02
A~FRO-AMER|CAN CULL|NCS

Henry Mock, a Negro Of Mingo
Junction, o., has invented what he
calls a mine destroyer which will
not only prevent a ship from being
blown up by a submarine mine, but
will set of the mine without harm to
the vessel which is equipped with
his device. He also claims that his
invention will locate icebergs and
prevent vessels from running into
such "terrors of the sea-" and that 1t
Is a safe device for ~rescuing passen-
gers from sinking or burning ships.
Mock says he has not secured patents
on his invention, but has applied for
them in this and other countries. He
also says he has correspondence with
governments regarding his invention,
with gratifying encouragement of
their adopting 1t as an equipment Of
their navies.
Il have made a number of expert
ments with my invention said Mock
the other day, and everyone of them
has been an unqualified success. |
have experimental on an Ohio River
steamer several times with dynamite
bombs, and the steamer was as safe
from harm when equipped with my in
vention as though there was 40 dyna-
mite within a mile of it. The locat-
ing Of other dangerous substances in
the river in the path of the steamer
also was tried a number of times with
great success.
Il hope soon to secure patents on
my invention. When l do l will be
glad to have the secret of 1t made
public. 1t can be used on any sort of
steamer or sailing vessel, and l am
sure it will be the means of saving
thousands of lives at sea every year,
as well as locating and destroying
submarine mines and finding ice
bergs in time to prevent the destruc'
ton of ocean-going ships"
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02
HERE'S FRAGMENT or FICTION
OF Course No Such Deceptive crea.
ture az Mr.. Jones Existed In
Real Life.

Dinner had been over only ten min
utes when Jones made a move down
the hall for the hall-tree and his hat,
and the longsufering Mrs. Jones fol-
lowed after to say:
"You have been out every night for
a month. How long is this thing to
iant7"
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

An American visitor in Montreal re-
Gently saw a squad of boys whose ages
ranged from six to nine, being drilled
by two little girls of corresponding
age. Upon inquiry one OF the drill SER
geants explained that her father said
the war might last twenty years, and
then these boys might fight for the
union jack while their fathers came
home to rest.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02
MMoZuHH" COfMVG AOhucME NCJ5Z 10
A <NNMGAZ % LII NSTSNCZNOX

meath the skin of a human
being the plague results.
In the week ending Sep
TENDER &c, 1914, Assistant
Surgeon General Fuckers
report shows that 70 YES
sells were fumigated with
sulphur and, 10 with car
bon monoxide and there
were 1913, 1853 packages OF
freight inspected. In this
week more than eight
thousand rats were trapped
and examined. Hundreds
of premises were fumigat-
ed or disinfected and
many more places were
inspected. During the one
week 1919 buildings were
made rat-proof. Altogeth-
er the number of buildings
thus guarded against the
entry of rodents was 1,3OO.
Assistant Surgeon-G ener-
al Rucker follows his word
that the eradication of bu-
bonic plague means the
eradication of rodents by
saying that in America we
have two rodents which
are comprehended in the
problem, the rat and the
ground squirrel, and appar-
emily each plays a very
distinct role in the propa-
cation and perpetuation of
the disease.
The rat is distinctly do
mestic in it's habits, and
therefore comes in more
or less intimate contact
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

The Neptune is in charge Of Past Assistant Sur
geon Norman Roberts. while Assistant Surgeon-Gen-
eral William c. Rucker is in charge of the general
crusade being conducted by the public health service
against the rat plague and parasite. DR.. Claude G.
Pierce is also one of the determined workers in the
antiplague crusade. This rat.killing ship is worth a
thousand terrets, a thousand cats and a thousand
terriers in its work of rodent determination. With
one breath 1t can kill 10000 rats. 1t can kill the
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02
Aviator Makes Lsa..

Nearly forty one-legged people have
asked M. Desoutter. the aviator. to
supply them with legs like the one he
has made for himself. 1t weighs only
two pounds, has a padded calf. and is
composed OF an alloy OF aluminium.
the secret Of which is known only to
M. Desoutter- And 30 he has decided
to take up artificial legmaking pro
fessionally. and is setting about
patenting hia invention.
IAN the tools ! use are those ! have
Tor my trade, which Is Matchmaking"
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

In an electric gun invented in Eng
land, which seems to be successful, a
proiectile is hurled through a tube by
the action of electric magnets on the
outside.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

or shall the bird become a crow and
the nag become a dishcloth?"
why. Thomas. is It as bad as that?"
asked the wife in alarm.
Its worse. The next gale that
sweeps from the North"
Then hurry along. and be gone
as long as you want to-"
And Jones went down to his club
and played poker until three o'clock
next morning
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

The Negro farmer reads no bull.
letins, few agricultural journals, and
seldom sees the daily or semi-weekly
market reports published in our pa
pers. He has not taken any interest
in the subject of transportation.
Freight, express and parcel post rates
and their relative value and the i'm
portance of this service do not inter
est him, as he has nothing to ship.
Demand and supply appeal to him only
to the amount of food required or de-
manded to supply his appetite. He
has " been taught anything about
farm accounts, and SO his receipts
and expenditures have no safe check,
and often, more often han otherwise,
these expenditures are injudicious.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02
A SAD FAREWELL.

$50 you are going to make another tour?"
"Yes," replied the actor.
But you advertised your previous engagement
as a farewell occasion"
1T was one. We said good-by to nearly a
thousand dollars"
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

he said recently. "Legmakers want
me to share my secret with them, and
! have even had requests for my old
wooden leg. I have half a dozen or
ders now, which will keep me busy for
the next six months. for each leg
takes four weeks to make. l hope to
buy an aeroplane out of the profits"
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

LONG the levees guarding the cres-
~cent-shaped banks of the Missis-
sfppt river at New Orleans, the
good rat ship, Neptune, is at its
deadly work. Deadly work which
is life-saving work, done under
the direction of Uncle Sans pub
lie health service. Rats carry the
parasite which transmits the fright
full disease, bubonic plague, to
man. The Neptune's work is to
kill the rat and to save man. 1t
Is doing ito mnrk nnnrh nRnionA1u
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02
OUT OF COMMISSION.

Nervous Wife-oh. Harry, dear. do order a
mouse-trap to be sent home today.
Harry-But you bought one last week.
Nervous Wife-Yes, dear, but there's a mouse
in that.-Pearson's Weekly.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

The music of the Negro, like the
music of the Indian, has caused much
ink to be spilled. Some enthusiastic
souls have looked to the rhythms of
the red man for the melody that is to
create American music; in fact, some
have gone so far as to declare that
the only possible American music can
be Indian music. Which is all very
interesting and absolutely inconclu-
sive. The fact remains that Indian
composers, in any fair sense of the
term, do not exist; while we have
among us many talented and we'll
trained Negro creative musicians. It
was with one of these that a New
York Tribune representative talked
last week, with a man who has writ
ten a very large proportion of the
so-called modern dances. The man
was Jesse Rees Europe, the COM
poser of all the Castle dances, and
the director Of Europe's orchestra, an
organization which has all but secured
complete control of the cabaret and
dance field in the city. Mr.. Europe is
a well-trained musician and a man
who has thought deeply on the must
cal possibilities of his race, and Of
these possibilities he has firm and
well defined opinions.
Il am striving at present to form
an orchestra of Negroes which will be
able to take its place among the Sc
rious musical organizations of the
country" said Mr.. Europe.
The Tempo club now contains
about two hundred members, all mu
%sicians, and from this body l supply
at present a majority of the orches.
tras which play in the various cafes
of the city and also at the private
dances. Our Negro musicians have
nearly cleared the field of the so-called
, gypsy orchestras. The Negro, while
not generally equal to the demands
of the more sophisticated forms of
music, is peculiarly fitted foc the mod.
ern dances. l don't think it too much
to say that he plays this music better
than the white man simply because
all this music is indigenous with him.
Rhythm is something that is born in
the Negro, and the modern dances
require rhythm above all else.
Il myself do not consider the mod
ern dances a step backward. The
one-step is more beautiful than the
old two-step, and the fox-trot than the
schottische, of which it is a develop
ment. AS to the so-called dance craze,
it does not appear to be a craze /
have had probably as good an oppor-
tunity to observe the various dances
as anyone in the city, and l have
found that dancing keeps husbands
and wives together and eliminates
much drinking, as no one can dance
and drink to excess. However, these
are questions for a philosopher and
not for a musician"
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02
Here and There.

Shells the new chauffeur here?
He-You bet he's here. and he's GER.
talnly there when It comes to running
q a !.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

Siamese capital, employing Danish
engineers and machinery, is construct.
ing a large cement plant neal Bang
kok.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

During 1918, 1,73O,S72 British work
ers received a net wage increase Of
$S07, 566 a week.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

The Oldest known specimens of writ
Ing are in the British museum. They
are of Chinese origin.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

! Tampico, Mex. last year exported t
the United States crude oil valued a
$7,130,632.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-02

Argentina in January shipped 900,
900 bushels Of orn to the United
States.