davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09
SOME INTERESTING ITEMS

The first sewing machine of which
there is authentic record was patented
in England in 1853, 81 years before the
first American machine.
The net investment of the United
States reclamation service at the be-
ginning Of the present fiscal year was
approximately $1OO,OO0,OOO.
w. C. Condit has completed SO years
as pastor of Ashland (Ky.) Presbyter-
ian church. He succeeded his father
and never has held any other pastor ate.
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09

Cost of government meat inspection
is said to amount to four cents per
capita annually.
The Victoria Falls and Transvaal
Power Company Utd.), Of Johannes
burg, is by far the largest power and
lighting company in South Africa, and
it supplies from it's four large stations
nearly all the gold mines and reef
towns with both power and light trans
mission being by three-phase long-dis-
tance, 10000 volts overhead. Distribu-
ton is by 10000 volts under ground
and 10000 overhead.
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09
BITS OF INFORMATION

Electrical railways in the United
E+ates represent value of about $780,
100000.
So thoroughly have the men been In
.tructed to avoid it that trenchfoot Is
now regarded as crime among Cana
dian troops in France.
Turkeys celebration of victories Is
said to be done by order Of the police.
4 heavy fine being the penalty for not
uniting UP the dag when one Is told 10
O. 10.
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09

cOlOniZed by the Dutch, who were sue
ceeded by the English. Then came the
Danes, who have held the island
since 1871. st. John was settled by
the Danes in 1854.
Both the Dutch and English settled
st. Croix in 1925, and in later years the
island was ruled by Spaniards and the
French. In 1868 Louis XIV sold st.
Croix to the Knights of Malta, and
they in turn gave way to the French
West India company in 1865.
The island proved to be poor in
vestment and was abandoned by the
French in 1896, the whole population
going to Santo Domingo. st. Croix
was virtually uninhabited until l733,
when the French sold the islands to
the king of Denmark for $375,OOO.
The early prosperity Of st. Thomas
was due to the fact that in 1854 the
Danes declared it a free port, to which
all vessels might come. st. Thomas at
once became a distributing point for
much of the West India trade, and for
many years an immense business was
carried on there. Now there is pos
sibility that new and perhaps bright
er chapter will be added to the mari
time history of the port.
| From the deck of a vessel in the
| harbor the town Of Charlotte Amalie Is
strikingly beautiful, covering three
spurs of mountain clad in tropical
foliage. From the heights above the
town one may see on clear day the
islands of Porto Rico Bieques or the
Crab, and st. Croix in the distance, and
there are many other extensive views.
Sir Frederick Treves, the famous
British surgeon, in his book, 1.-The
Cradle of the Deep" calls Charlotte
Amalie the most picturesque town In
the whole sweep of the Windward
islands.
1.-THE walls of the houses" he says,
'are for the most part a dazzling
white. Some are yellow or gray or
orange: certain of them are blue. The
roofs are always generous bright
red. Between the houses and over
shadowing the roofs are clumpS Of
green trees. Here and there can be
seen stone stairs climbing up through
the town, gardens with creeper-cov-
cred wallis a tufted palm, many
arched arcade, the baluStrades of
shady terraces. Viewed from the sea
Charlotte Amalie would seem to be a
Mace for those who make hOliday-all
gaylv tinted villas and palaces, where
the factory chimney, the warehouse
and the woeful suburb are unknown.
st. Thomas was famous retreat of
buccaneers, one of whom was Teach,
or Blackboard, who had IA wives.
Sir Frederick tells how Master
Teach was killed in bloody duel on
the deck of his ship, and how his con-
oueror. Lieutenant Maynard of Fl. M.
S. Pearl, cut off his head and hang 1t
on the bowsprit of his sloop. with
this strange ornament swinging from
the bows" he adds. land with Ii pi-
rates safe in the hold, Maynard set sail
for Bath Town in North Carolina.
Here the 13 were promptly hanged
All of the Danish islands are of vol
canic origin and surrounded by coral
reefs. The surface of the land varies
from low coast plains to mountains,
but springs and streams are not plen-
tiful and at times the country has
suffered severely from drought.
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09
Charity.

"Please, kind lady," said the way
farer, 81 amt had bite to eat in "a
hours"
"You are just the man I'm looking
for" replied the lady Of the house.
"My husband gathered mess of mush-
rooms this morning, and I want to
make sure they are not tOadstoOls.
Just wait moment and I'll bring you
a dish of them"
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09

flag. Thus the hopes of Germany or
any other power that covets the
islands are doomed to disappointment.
Last February Copenhagen dis
patch told about pamphlet having
been published by M. Hageman,
planter of the islands, who advocated
their sale. He was pessimistic about
their future. Their sanitary condition
was bad, he said, infant mortality had
reached rate of 62h per cent, while
the population was decreasing at an
alarming rate.
the inhabitants are colored-is per-
haps the best index of the gradual i'm
poverishment of the Danish West In
dies. In 1928 their population was
$4,000; in 1S41, Al 1000; in 1890, $4,000.
while the census of 1911 fixed the num-
ber at 27.OS6.
Absentee landlordism, combined with
land monopoly, has induced poverty
and discomfort in the islands, and the
people have cast envious eyes upon
Porto Rico, from which they are sep
arated by only a few miles Of water.
They have seen Porto Rico and her
people f1Ourishing under American
rule, while the sugar plantations of
their own islands have steadily yield
ed less, and individually the people
have become poorer. The result is
that many negroes have emigrated
from the Danish West Indies to Porto
Rico and the United States, and, hav-
ing tasted the benefits of American
, government, they are undoubtedly
willing that their brothers still under
Danish rule should change their allie
| glance.
| 1t would hardly be fair to accuse the
Danes OF misrule in the West Irdies.
Their failure, which is acknowledged
by their willingness to sell their trop-
ical possessions, has been due to vari-
GUS causes, economic and social. 1t
was not many years ago that the Brit
ish government had to make grants to
several of it's colonies in the West In
dies in order to avert financial diSas-
! ter, and the Danish islands have had
| to contend with the same economic
conditions, while possessing fewer ma
tural resources than the British
| islands.
If the United States takes control of
st. Thomas, st. Croix and st. John it
is probable that they will again be-
come prosperous. The black man will
take up the unused land he cannot get
now, new capital will go in, and the
sugar growers will have better facili-
ties for marketing their crop-the sta
pie product of the islands. And the
islanders themselves will feel quite at
home with officials who speak English,
for they have always refused to use
Danish. the language of their rulers.
The Danish islanders have a meas
ure of self-government, and it is rea-
sonable to assume that they would de-
mand similar rights from the United
| States.
| Like all islands Of the West Indies
the Danish possessions have had a
checkered history. They changed
hands several times in the days when
the nations of Europe fought for sea
power and a share Of the wealth of
this hemisphere. Columbus discovered
the islands on his second voyage. They
were then inhabited by Caribs and
Arawaks. In 1857 st. Thomas was
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09
FOR HAIR AND SKIN HEALTH
Cuticura Soap and Cutcura Ointment
Are Supreme. Trial Free.

These fragrant, super-creamy emol-
lients keep the skin fresh and clear.
the scalp free from dandruff, crusts
and scales and the hands soft and
white. They are splendid for nursery
and toilet purposes and are most eco
nomical because most effective.
Free sample each by mail with Book
Address postcard, Cuticura, Dept. L,
Boston. Sold everywhere.-Adv.
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09

f DENMARK finally cedes her
West Indian possessions 10
s@ the United States, as she has
SnS&l threatened to do on several Oc-
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09

Smile on wash day. That's when you use
Red Cross Bag Blue. Clothes winter than
snow. All grocers. Adv.
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09
Economic Endeavor.

II am like that dog chasing his tail"
"HOw SO?"
II am trying to make both ends
meet"
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09
How Aviators Get Messaqes.

Helmets for aviators have been in
vented with wireless receiving tele-
phones built into the ear flaps.
The Benson signal., 1916-09-09

The first experiment in Japan in the
ing tried at YoneZawa.
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25

which have not occupied a I@cog-
niZed place in the nutrition OF man.
The discussions Of these topics are
interesting because of their lnhcren.
significance In the science Of nutri-
tiOn quite as much as for their ref
erence TO q novel s:iuI'.on.
In this sp'r- reference has al
ready been made to the possible use
Of yeast as food. Decidedly more rad
ical Is the suggestion to employ fine
ly ground straw in the ration of man
in the belief that It might furnish
not a little nutriment in ;he case Of
emergencies. Thee are enough scien-
tific data already available to indi-
cate that in general coarse plant prod
ucts of the type rich in cellulose arr
at best poorly utilized because Of the
difficulties which the texture of the
materials inevitably puts in the way
OF alimentarv processes. 1t is not to
be denied that chemical analysis
shows straw to contain some OF thc
familiar nutrients The first desid-
eratum in the case of a substance Ike
this is communion into extremely
fine powder to permit of more ready
attack by the digestive secretiohs.
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25
Big Muddy Dome Well May Mean
Another Fie. d Opened in Wyoming

section 10-33-76 has now reached
a depth of 1,150 feet. The drill has
already passed through 80 feet Of
Shannon sand, which was muddcd off,
and the drilling will he continued to
the Wall creek sand for a deep test.
The drilling is being delayed while
waiting for an underreamer. which
the contractor ordered from Chicago
by wire. This very necessary tool, it
is expected, will arrive tomorrow,
when it VIII be put in operation"
Both Mr.. Humphreys and Mr.. Mer-
ritt are very optblistic about the
prospects of the Big Muddy field.
The oil that has been taken from this
company's well shows conclusively by
the assay that 1t is one of the best
grades of oil in this section Of the
country and is on a par with the
grade of oil taken from the best
Pennsylvania fields.
They are confident that more and
better wells will be struck In this
field and that as a direct result Cas-
per will experience a commercial
boom, the scope of which cannot be
realized at this time.
Both men state that they are op-
timistic because the field has proven
in itself that it will be a big pro-
ducer. They do not care to nave their
optimism Wclsn on the Opinions OF
others because they have nothing to
gain by the spreading of such op-
timism, owing to the fact that they
are not selling shares in their com
pany, it being a close corporation.
Mr.. Humphreys announced that
the Merritt Oil company had let II
contract to the Standard Exploitation
company for the drilling of eight new
wells in the Big Muddy field. The
work will be started on these wells
as soon as possible. The grill at the
producing hole will be moved tomor-
row and work will be started on one
Of the new wells at once.
One of the mottoes Of the Merritt
company is, "Optimism without ac-
ton does not bring beAeficial re-
suits"
A. e. Humphreys sons have sue.
ceeded him in ownership of his stock
in the Merritt company. which is con-
trolled by the Humphreys-Merr in
terests. hut he Will continue to give
personal attention to the development
of the property.
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25
This Single Brand of Red Iar
Costs $4,000. 900 u Year.

Transferring farm ownership from
seller to buyer should not be the oc-
casion fer a hold-up, says Farm anu
Fireside. but too often this is eN-
actly what occurs in two senses.
From $4,000 900 to S10,000,0OO is not
too great an estimate of the needless
expense involved in the transfer OF
American farms annually.
In certain states and parts of states,
among which are Illinois, Minnesota,
New York, Massachusetts, and wash
ington, the transference of farm
from seller TO buyer is merely th~
matter of minutes after the transac-
ton is brought to the attention Of the
registrar of the county. The cerifi'
cate of the registrar thereafter SET
ties the matter. There is no going
back Of his certificate. Lawyers
and abstracters' fees are no longer
necessary. Every time tract Of land
changes hands the certificate of title
is transferred to the owner.
This new plan, which makes pos
sible the quick, safe and sane chang
ing of land ownership, is known as
the Torrens system of keeping TIM
record of land titles. All that is re-
ouired under the Torrens system "a.
for the owner Of land to take his abb
stract to the registrar Of titles OF
the county. If the iced Is found good
a certificate Of title is issued by tao
registrar.
Then why not make use of this sys-
tenn the country over? All farmers
are keen for the this new system as
soon as they realize its advantages,
but efforts to adopt ii are met by
strong opposition from lawyers and
abstracters and the makers OF our
laws. be it remembered, are practi-
cally all lawyers.
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25
Tn the Oil Fields
-e,cx,Tr KIND OF LEASES.

OKLAHOMA CITY, June "a
o,-Iers of oil leases on Usage or re-
e,rtrted Indian lands who also have
s,'ni1i,nercial leases, in a letter sent out
tOi', ,o5sy by state Auditor Howard were
.oC,,ested to designate in their reports
leH -, ross production which are the de-
UDrar1mental Ur leases ana which are
plo,-'nIercial leases. This is done fol-
Io,,ing the action OF the federal
-, for the western Oklahoma dis
&c. &C., in declaring illegal the per
- - aToss production tax so far as
49, dcpartmental leases are con,
,nrred owners of the departmental
Ieas,s may send their production tax
.o tbo auditor, but 1t is explained in
SJs letter that he will put this money
in, ~" senarate fund credited TO the va
II, r,ous ldssees and IL 1t be finally de-
termined by the highest court that
he lax is illegal as to the depart,
,rncntoI leases, then the money Will
Le rafunded to the owners. Thc
auditor asks for separate reports be
oa,Ise in event the money is ordered
c"tlrned the records will be complete
as to the owners of the money. Their
oun reports will show.
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25

The following from the Caspar
(WyominE) Press gives some inter-
esting information in regard to the
new field just being opened up there:
Scores of Interested parties visited
the Big Muddy oil field yesterday
for the purpose of getting flrst-hahd
information about the new well that
had been brought in about eighty
hours previous by the Merritt Oil Il
Gas co. The well that is the cen
ter point Of interest in the field at
this time is the Merritt No. / on the
Big Muddy dome, located in ths
southwest of the southwest of section
3-33n-76w.
Thirty barrels Of oil flowed from
this well last night. This is consid-
cred exceptionally good, as the flow
ing of the oil depended solely on the
rock pressure. there being practically
no gas pressure. The official assay
of the oil obtained from this well
shows that II contains 20 per cent
gasoline. 3 per cent Kerosene, per
cent gas oil, 33 per cent wax distillate
and 26 per cent residue or fuel oil.
1t has a paraffine base. contains no
asphalt. and there is no appreciate
trace of sulphur.
Messrs. Humphreys and Merritt OF
the Humphreys Petroleum company,
an Oklahoma corporation. arrived In
Casper Wednesday morning to look
after the interests Of the Merritt COM
pany here and much to their surprise
on arriving at the Big Muddy field
were presented with this well by
Scott Yaus, their superntendent in
charge of production. They hau
planned to remain here but two days,
but after the well came in they de,
cided to remain here until they had
dispensed with much other business
relative to their interests in the
field.
In speaking of the field Mr.. Hum
phreys said: THE Big Muddy dome
was condemned by many oil geologists
after the same had been passed on
very favorably by the United States
geological survey.
In the spring Of 1916" he added.
+. julius Fohs Of Tulsa, okla, whe
is considered by oil men as one of
the best oil geologists in America,
made a survey of this field for the
Humphreys and Whitesides interests
and reported very favorably thereon
for the finding of oil in commercial
quantities in both Shannon and Wah
creek sands.
"The Shannon sand in the Merritt
well No. 1 in section was reached
by the drill at a depth oe 947 feet
This we'll will not be drilled in until
tankage has been provided for. Tanks
have already been ordered. and the
well will be tubed and put to pump
ing as soon as some Of the tanks are
installed
This cempany's deep test well In
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25

which has appeared on the scene IS
controlled by the American in
terests.
81 believe it is possible by visiting
the Mid-Continent oil fields to OBJ
tain a fair gauge on oil conditions
generally This is because Of the
dominant position of these fields in
the oil trade Gasoline is now tnc
man ket-maker and Mid-Continont oil
is the gasoline-maker. |, therefore,
was able to carry away some fresh
ideas about the oil trade generally
and chief among these was the con-
viction that prosperity in the oii
trade is here to stay. There would
not be such a ready Investment in
permanent plant If this were not
believed TO be the case. The end or
the war is not worrying those WHO
are putting up the capital and have
the most to lose in the event of a
period of depression. The opposite
is the case While they are drilling
wells ostensibly to supply present de-
mands they are also saying that there
will not be enough to supply demands
when peace comes and the Industries
abroad swing into normal stride. They
are thinking also of the expanding
use of petroleum and its products,
and of oils status as necessity.
'ke1lmng is, or course nOt inc one
outstanding feature in Mid-Continent
activities at this time. There is morr
drilling going on than at any time in
the history of the Development The
Prairie oil & Gas co. is leading the
way in expansion. The production
of the Sinclair Oil q Refining Co.
now amounts to around 26,0J0 bar
rels a day They think well of the
prospects Of the new Augusta field in
Kansas and of the El Dorado field.
While production will probably show
gradual increase as the result OF
this great field activity, l believe
there is absolutely no fear of over
production. In my opinion. produc-
ton will probably JUST continue to
keep pace with ever-inci easing de-
mand | see no indication OF a
lower market for crude for some
time to come"
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25
Sees no Danger of Depression
in the Oil Industry After War

w. c. Coles. well-known broker of
New York city, who for many years
has specialized in oil stocks, has re-
turned to New York after an extend
ed trip through Oklahoma. during
which he studied conditions AZ first
hand. Financial American quotes
him as follows on the results of his
visit:
Returning from trip through the
oil fields Of Illinois and oklahoma,
w. c. Coles OF w. G. Coles Il Co.
declares that from personal observa-
tion and from opinions expressed It
him 10y prominent oil men who are
on the ground, conditions in the oil
trade promise to he as satisfactory
for the remainder of the year as they
have been since the first of January.
In his opinion, prosperity in the oil
trade is here to stay, and Euro
pcan peace would not change the sit
uation, except POSSIBLY for the bet
ter.
Mr. Coles made the following stops
on his western trip: Pittsburgh,
Marshall, Ind; Robinson, Ill, and
Tulsa, Okla. Returning, he stopped
at Kansas City. Chicago and Pitts
burgh, arriving in New York Fri
day. -,
II was particularly impressed with
the activities in Oklahoma" Mr.,
Coles said. "Tho biggest change to
one who has not been in the fields
for several months is the mushroom
growth of refineries in almost every
direction. The magnitude CT this in
dustry in Oklahoma is not generally
appreciated, and from every appear
ance there will continue to be an
expansion Of this idea of having the
refineries close to the source of sup
ply The heavy content of gasolin"
in d-Continent oil is. Of course, the
answer for this activity, while the
curtailment OF transportation charges
is also an attractive feature. one of
the most active companies in the mat
ter of expanding refinery capacity is
Cosden q Co. 1t now has IL new
stills in the course Of construction.
The Constantin interests are build
ing a refinery and another new plant
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25
CHOKING OFF AMBITION.
Should a Son Go Into His Fathers
Business?

In the Woman's Home Companion
n writer says: "On my graduation
from college four years ago ! wanted
TO study law; instead, / allowed my
self to be persuaded by my father to
enter his business. He is the busi-
ness. He has built it up and dom
mates it, everything about IT, in
cluding me. He cannot understand
why Nam not grateful for the oppor-
tunity he has provided. Meanwhile
l have married and have two chill
dren; and every day the business irks
me more"
In the comment on this letter by
successful business man we read:
"If boy graduates from high
school or college with a strong pref
erence for one of the professions, II
is usually wise for parents to take
that preference seriously. They
should allow him to talk with men
in that profession, who will usually
seek to discourage him; they should
point olA to him. themselves. that
success in a profession waits upon
years of preparation. If in spite of
this. the boys determination remains
fixed. the chances are he will go
through with his training and make
good"
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25
OLD WELL SHOWS OIL.

RTNGLING, Okla, June 24.-One
NJ these freaks of nature occasionally
encountered in an oil field has showed
mn m section 1888. 1t is well
producing oil that was abandoned
t,,.o Years ago because there were no
indirations of oil. The well was drilled
bv Stau Brothers OF Houston, Texas
IN the northeast quarter Of the south
we west quarter of the section to depth
of 200 feet. No oil sand was en-
countcred. The well was drilled FOR
the Humble Oil company and the
drillers were to receive their pay in
oil Discovery was made recently
that the well ia full of oil. 1t Is sup
posed to have come from OIL SANDS
near the hole. The nearest producing
well is owned by the Producers com
many. 600 feet away. The Humble
company has begun drilling deeper
in the freak we'll.
Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-06-25
ABOUT STRAW AS A FOOL
German Scientist Sees Little Nourish-
mcnt I'm IL.

The search for a cheap. Nutritious
food is perennial Recently there
have been numerous references "a a
process said to have been perfected
IN Germany whereby common straw
is transformed into nourishing food
for man. The idea Of utilizing this
product, shich is almost waste. Is
alluring. but the following comment
from a scientific source indicates that
the day Of straw-fed human beings
is probably as remote as ever.
"In the face Of possible shortage
in the national food supplies Ger
man students of nutrition have been
considering with scientific acumen the
solution Of contingent difficulties The
soutcome has been series o. recon-
mendations which include a reduction
in the consumption of meat and It's re-
placement By foods from plant
sources. ard also various suggeftions
as to the employment Of nroducts