The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-02-04
Evening Chat

Evening hat /
AZ the new reporter was hurryfngs
down the street 70 the moving PEE
tuFe theatre. where he spent hi5s even;
in ms After thel days work was done
In attention was suddenly drawn
nom the future and the anticipation.
On Sseeingi Edna Mayo on the screen
EtoIthaFpresentt and the brightly lighted
drug store on the corner.
loud hum Of excited voices came
from the store and through the large
Il plate glass windows he could see q
tightly packed crowd of young men
Z and boys, which filed the store.
AIWayB ION the alert for news, the
reporter said to himself "Ha, I am IN
deed lucky. for here is evidently q
story Just happ ening and am tortu'
Z natelys on the spot and Will see Il de.
Yel0p. If 1t Is at least an accident
which Is probably serious, or maybe
bold attempt at a robbery OF tho
door pharmacist. will stop and see.
What Sft "a that has attracted such a
large crowd"
while all this was in the reporters
: mind he acted with characteristic de-
ScisionF and entered the drug store.
SPuafiing through the crowd in the.
front Sof the store he saw the proprte.
tor standing In the back near the en-
trance to the prescription room with
aSWorried look upon his face. He ap
Epfoached him and said: what is the.
trouble? Why is the large crowd Of
young men and boys here? Has there
been a fire? l see the room is full OF
Is.No,. said the patient pill roller,
s.tthey are only the usual evening loaf
ers..'
The reporter listened with a sym.
y pathetic expression, so the pharmacist
continued his sad tale. They are
scomposed In the majority OF young
Z men and boys OF good families that
i can not afford to offend, and they
< gather here every evening while they
are supposed by their parents to be
4 at the Y. M. C. A, or in some ap.
pToprtate place; yet IL were to tell
( the parents that their children we're
running my. business, they would be
offended and would lose their pat"
ronage. So what shall do?"
The reporter with "a muttered,
Ss'Tough luck old man, I'd call a COPS"
turned and hastily resumed his way
:, to the moving picture shop.
q An average Of 95 tons of soil and
loose rock Is washed into the ocean
every year from every square mile OF
the United States, according to the
Geological Survey. This estimate
does not include the Great Basin. The
immensely Of this contribution may be
q better comprehended when It is real
lied that the surface Of the United
z States covers 8, 0sS,500 square miles.
The large prehistoric lake which
flooded number OF the valleys Of
northwestern Nevada at a very recent
geologic date but has now passed
away was named Lake Lahontan, In
honor of Baron La Hontan, one Of the
early explorers Of the headwaters of
the mississippi. The lake covered ap.
y proximAtely 8,4Q0 square miles at it's
greatest expansion, and In Its deepest
paft, the present SITE OF Pyramid
Lake, 1t was atl1east $50 feet deep.
that is; Its surface stood approximately
q 500 feet above the present water sur;
face OF Pyramid Lake according to
4 Statements made in the Overland
4 Guide book Just issued by the q. s.
Geological Survey. The ancient lake
had no outlet except the one that led
\ straight up, Its waters being dissipa..i
ted entirely by evaporation.
4 "a large area q few miles north OF
sEVinnemucca Is covered with sand
h dunes formed since the disappearance
NJ OF Lake Lahontan. The dunes are
4 fully rs feet thick, and their sleeper
slopes are on the east side, thus indi-
eating that the whole vast field of
sand Is slowly travelling eastward.
This progress has necessitated num-
Der OF changes In the roads in the
southern part of Little Humboldt Val
ley during recent years. In some
places in this region the telegraph
poles have been buried SO deeply that
they have had to be spliced In order to
keep theswires above the crests Of the
dunes. The sand Is of light creamy
yellow color and forms beautifully
curved ridges and waves that are GOV.
cred with network of wind ripples.
and many OF these ridges are marked
tnSthe most curious manner by the
footprints OF animals, which form
strange hieroglyphics that are some.
times difficult to- translate.
The present one probably will go
down In the annals of the Ohio river
aasS the Black winter. So far there
have been number OF disasters of
first rate and there Is no telling what
the end will be. The record of mis-
fortune began with the ,Kanawha dis
aster which stands well up In the list
offall Ohio river wrecks In the mat
ter OF fatalities. Then on the same
II day came the Sam Brown explosion
and the destruction by fire Of the
packet Lorena In addition to these
Sbig affairs there have been an un-
Susually large number of minor trou-
bles and TO top It all of the Consol-
idated Coal and Coke company dealt
3 the river carrying trade solar plexus
blow by declining to renew the con-
tracts Of masters and pilots who have
spent q lifetime In the trade.
Z i d l.