davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1918-05-19

had branches or agencies in the
larger cities. Tho financial control.
however. was very slight. There
have been some evidences. neverthe-
what extent they progressed doubt
less only the State Department knows.
Failing to influence the present
government. IT may quite readily be
assumed. from a knowledge Of Ger
many's methods. that an attempt
revolution and secure German pup
pet in it's place. Talk of this kind
meant Zelaya.
Little has been heard of Zelaya
since. during President Taft's admin
istration. Secretary Knox insisted
tails Of his dictatorship were SO alb
horrent that 1t was felt there was
no hope for Nicaragua as long as he
remained. This knowledge, when laid
before members of the United States
Senate. caused some Of them who
Knox policy to change their mind
and support 1t. One of these was
the late Senator Isador Rayner Of
Maryland.
Porfrio Diaz at the time exerted
his influence to persuade the United
States to adopt more tolerant policy
toward Zelaya. He sent a special
envoy to Washington in the person
of Enrique Creel to represent the
views OF the Mexican government.
The mission. however. was not sue
cessful.
Zelaya was driven into exile, and
the last heard Of him he was living
at Barcelona, Spain. Occasional hints
have been given that he would prom
Use to be good II he could be allowed
to go back. President Wilson's ad-
ministration has been Just as deaf
to these hints as was President Taft's,
but Zelaya, like most exiied dictators,
has q following and manages to keep
in touch with II. Germany, therefore,
would naturally turn to Zeiaya as its
tool in stirring up trouble and thus
keeping Nicaragua from lining up
with the United States. but the pres
ence of the United States marines at
Managua. the capital. is the stern ad.
monitlon to the Zelayistas. as well
As to other revolutionary factions.
that the United States. does not think
well Of revolutions at "ths~ present
Esesr.isllesMsssav1tS EAasll
Evening star., 1918-05-19
No Wonder.
n HE late Sir George Alexander sal

IT. HE late Sir George Alexander said
u one day to an American corre-
spondent:
What is the matter with your prom
ising young playwright. Dash? That
was rafting good play be wrote be-
fore the war"
Dash" said the correspondent. with
a sigh. Dash has written nothing
since 1912. His laurels seem faded and
bedraggled."
'swen. no wonder '4eaid Sir. George
9Re'4 h&en resttpEQrf&hetQSt6d dk2oo&p
Evening star., 1918-05-19

brought before Congress at the be-
ginning of the war in Europe. when
the bureau of ordnance asked that
storehouses be erected and reserve
supply of 3e.5o0 tons be imported for
the possible demands of the future.
AT that time it was said that we had
ONLY s5,oO0 tons on hand. which was
about twentieth the quantity
Germany had laid in to make her ex-
ploSiveS. The amount she had was
several hundred thousand tons. Never
theless when the war began it was
all used within a few months. Her
guns ate up gunpowder at the rate OF
s1,000.000 day, and it is only through
the nitrates she has taken out of the
air that she has been able to continue
the struggle.
Indeed. it is said that Germany went
into the war only upon the compile
trates. She knew that her importa-
ticns from Chile would be cut off as
soon as war was declared. and al
though she believed that her reserve
supply would last her for the short
time to elapse before victory came,
she did not dare to risk long war
until she could make nitrateS of her
own. 1t is said that she has spent
500, 100000 to this end. and that she
has made 100000 tons of nitrates
since she declared war She has now
several great plants. which has sup
piled not only the bulk of the nitrates
for her explosives. but also n part of
the nitrogen needed as fertilizer and
as feeding stuff for horses and cattle.
The Germans are making nitrogen
Yeast which is good not only as fod-
der. but as food for human beings.
and it is said that they will soon be
Independent of the outside world for
nitrate supplies of all kinds.
Our nitrate situation, at the present
writing, is just the reverse of that of
Germany. We are importing the most
of the nitrates we use. Before the
war broke out we were paying to for
eign countries an annual tribute of
more than s4o.o0o.0oo for materials of
went to Chile, from where we got
more than half million tons of nj
trate of soda per annum. Another
large part went to Great Britain and
Germany, which countries sold us am
we are getting as by-product from
our coke plants and gas works: and
about 10000 tons came from Canada
in the shape of calcium cyanamid.
The latter is form of fixed nitrogen
which the Canadians are taking out
of the air by means of a great cleo
trio plant located on their side of
Niagara Falls. Just prior to the war
they were taking out $4,000 tons per
annum by means of the cheap water
more than $5.000,000 worth of nitro
genous fertilizers in tankage. fish
scrap and other refuse animal matter
from different parts of the globe, and
we imported other nitrogen COM
pounds. in the snaps of chemicals.
Evening star., 1918-05-19

tory, but the last one Is based upon
much the same principle as those now
applied in the arc process OF getting
nitrates from the air.
The atmosphere which is all about
US and which extends for miles over
our heads is a mixture OF two gases.
nitrogen and oxygen. More than three
fourths of 1t Is nitrogen. and this
nitrogen contains all the values of the
stuff we are importing from Chile at
a cost Of millions of dollars per year.
According to DIR. Charles E. Munroe.
the eminent chemist and expert on
explosives. there are $3.50 tons OF nj
trogen in the air over each acre Of
ground. There is so much that a few
thousand acres has blanket above 1t
which contains more nitrates than is
now left in the desert of Chile. There
is so much right above us that IL We
twenty-acre field and extract the nj
trate we should have enough to sup
ply the Army and Navy with all the
nitric acid 1t needs for explosives.
give our farmers all their nitrogen
GUS fertilizers and the refrigerator
have enough left for our other indus
tries Ct every description.
This nitrogen is floating around free
in the air with its little sister named
oxygen. and all that has to be done is
to get out the nitrogen and harness IL
in combination with some other ma
ferial. SO that it cannot get loose. AS
free nitrogen 1t has no value what
ever. 1t has to be combined with
some other element. In the Chilean
is known as nitrate of soda. In am
monia 1t is combined with hydrogen
and in nitric acid with hydrogen and
oxygen.
The work of getting out the nitro.
gen and combining it has been sue
mi hyy atHarort
esses within the past fifteen years.
All of these processes use electricity.
and the chief plants have been built
where cheap, water power could be
had.
One way is by the arc process. In
combustion of nitrogen and oxygen in
the electric arc. The process requires
cheap water power. The Norwegians
cheap yater power. The Norwegians
have used their waterfalls for 1t and
by means of the electricity generated
thousands of tons of nitrates out of
the air.
The second process depends upon
the combination of nitrates with cal
cium carbide. This also requires a
great deal of cheap power. although
less than the arc process. 1t is the
process now being used at the Cana
dian plant at Niagara Falls. and it
has also been successfully installed
as cyanamid. 1t can be used in ferti-
lizers or can be converted into ann
monia. which then can be oxidized
into nitric acid by process they are
now using in Europe.
The third process. which seems to
Evening star., 1918-05-19
The Observer Visits Camp Meade and Talks With Soldiers

in: but I can't be telling that to
every soldier I see."
what did you do before the war
started?" I asked him.
'Oh, nothing much" he said. Il
just owned the only magazine of its
kind in the country and had SO mCc.
advertising that couldn't take II all.
But that's nothing compared to hav-
ing a real job in the war where I
wouldn't have to defend myself
against the charge of Stacking"
THE OBSERVER.
Evening star., 1918-05-19

when Uncle Nick" Altrock got into
the game. nobody cared who struck
out. scored or won-he was that
SEal While the tinted states government
10 staying UP nights trying to get
some one to entertain the soldiers
''over there" and to teach them base
ball. they could not do better than to
draft Nick: He certainly is a hard
worker. And II you don't believe
that you should have seen the man
ner in which he rolled around in a
foot Of dust, putting on his one-man
wrestling act. just because he wanted
to make the boys laugh. And when
he went into the pitchers box and
actually struck out the first two men
that faced him the soldiers were
tickled most nigh foolish.
I left them laughing At ito kill at
Nick and hurried home to meet the
Pershing LIan.
4
reckon he must be what you'd call q
genius. A genius for putting his whole
heart into things. I've known him for
years and never yet have known him to
go into anything in a half-hearted man
ner. The first time I ever saw him he
was a messenger boy, working for the
Western Union in Kansas City and
striving industriously to learn the run of
the wires. He kept at 1t, too, and in
later years. when he became a news
paper man. he kept on studying teie-
graph wires and finally. a few weeks
under a hot shellfire and was COM
mended for it. shouldn't be at all sur
prised If he rigs up q telephone con-
nection with Mr& Hohenzollern's clothes
line when the boys finally reach Berlin.
Anyhow, he says he was scared to
death the first time he was under fire,
and he thinks every one else is.
For about thirty seconds after that
first big shell broke above me ! was
just paralyzed. that's all" he said.
Gas? Sure, lots of it (! But he doesn't
know much about it, because he is not
the least bit curious.
Il don't know how gas smells. and
believe me I'm not going to If can help
second a gas alarm is given and I take
1t or as late as possible. They tell us
that q good way to test Tor gas 19 to
eI open one side Of our mask and & see how how
beats that all to death: wait for some
other fellow to remove his mask. 1f-he
keels over know that I'd better keep
my mask on.
OHo Jay Wneh we got INTO d HieoS ~
gas, and I was wondering whether !
should remove my mask, a little bird
settled the question for me. I saw it
sitting on limb of a tree. apparently
enjoying life. That convinced me that
there was no danger. so I removed my
mask in safety"
The soldier also told several interest
ing stories about the shortage Of to-
bacco in France. the best of which
pauy Jealous by uRf1tinR a cigar St an
oqs5 III S eedas &2naH ,1AnJzaSssufh,
Evening star., 1918-05-19

the rain-and, by the way. in France.
1t either IL raining or about to begin
raining all Of the time-and, finally
at night. we pitched camp in a field
devoured several huge helpings Of
corned beef hash, coffee and bread
and then. the thing that every man
wanted, but none but myself had. was
a cigar. I dug one up from an inside
pocket. lighted it and started to
a lighted cigar knocked everybody
cold, "A man sprouting a cigar! the
captain groaned, falling into faint.
It was only a scent cigar, too: bat
it was mighty good"
incidentally, this same soldier wore
the same suit of underwear in France
for two months without having a
chance to change. Others Of the
party were in the same fix. Few OF
them had money, either, yet were
sent as far west as Chicago to make
liberty loan speeches. And when
patriotic citizens gave them money
and clothing-which they accepted.
of course. just as you or I would have
done-they were sharply criticised for
their actions. Upon their arrival at
Fort Myer here. a captain who, I am
informed, has seen no active service
in the present war. lined them up and
read them a speech in which he called
them ''panhandlers" and public beg
gers" How would you like to como
back home to such a welcome from an
ink well patriot?
) The returned soldiers comment on
the officers in bullet-proof uniforms
was interesting.
81 used to be sore at the officers
who stay at home here in perfect
safety. looking after sanitation in the
War Department, or something of an
equally hazardous character, but I
don't any more" he declared. They
are missing the biggest job that man
ever had-helping clean up the world.
Could anybody ask bigger assign
ment?"
incidentally, when a publisher ask
ed this soldier to write a book about
the war for him. he refused. He said
he had q bigger job on hand
wanted to enlist and could not get
in. He dropped into my office to ask
me If I knew where he could find a
place in the government service
Wnere ne Woulo not nave TO explain
his near-military record every few
minutes.
What are you doing now?" asked.
I'm with the Y. NJ. c. A." he said.
We'll. that is honorable work." I
commented. THE Y. NJ. c. A. is being
Endorsed on all hands"
Il know that, but l have to wear
this uniform, and 1t takes up too
much Of my time explaining why I
don't get into khaki" he said. Z look
strong enough to, break into the
Evening star., 1918-05-19

the American marines that has count
ed. Their numbers are few, but their
presence means that, IL necessary.
larger forces would arrive at Blue
fields and Corinto in a very short
time Now. since Nicaragua. by the
declaring a state of war with Ger
many. becomes an active ally of the
United States. this country is more
than ever bound to see that her war;
making ability is not checked by
backfire revolutions.
Guatemala Is in q somewhat differ
ent situation from Nicaragua as to
internal conditions. President Es-
trada Cabrera has managed to keep
In power for eighteen years. usually
by forestalling proposed revolutions.
When President Wilson. soon after
taking ONCE, gave out that revolu-
tionary governments in Latin America
were not to be recognized, this was
a moral force which President Cabrera
appreciated in its application to Qua
temala. Since then most Of the revo-
lutionary troubles have been in con-
relations with the Carranza govern
ment have not been extremely cor
dial.
Carranza officials have charged that
Guatemala was encouraging revolu-
tionary attacks on them. and Cabrera
officials have retorted that the Car
ranza government was allowing ite
southern strip Of borderland to har-
Dor persons having inimical designa
on the integrity OF Guatemala. But
nothing serious as yet has resulted
from these disputes ana Guatemala
has not been subjected to any revolu-
tionary upheava1.
The policy of President Estrada Ca
brera has been sympathetic to the
United States. In taking this stand
he has had to combat very pronounced
German interests. Much OF the coffee
crop OF the country was controlled by
German planters who marketed 1t In
Hamburg. Guatemalan finances were
largely In the hands Of German banks
and they exacted q heavy toll for
tho accommodation they extended
Numerous efforts to reform the
AnAnces met with opposition from
femiS % 6sui6 lStSr1t ~ ~
Evening star., 1918-05-19
Copyright, 1918. by Frank C. carpenter.)

Copyright, 1918. by Frank G. Carpenter.)
can call spirits from the Vastly deep.
Why, can ]. or SO can any man:
But will they come when you do call for
them?
0 HAVE come to Arlington to show
you how Uncle Sam is calling
spirits. not from the vasty deep.
S but from the circumambient air.
He Is calling them to assist us in our
great battles in Europe. and. more
than that. they come when he does
call for them. / refer to the nitrates
that we are to bring from the clouds
to aid US In making munitions for
fighting the Germans and the fer
tilizers needed for the food supply of
the nation.
Over here on the edge of the Poto-
mac, within a stones throw of Ar
lington cemetery. the government has
erected an experimental laboratory to
study some of the great problems
connected with the war. One of these
is to extract nitrogen from the air.
The problem is that for which, in
1916. Congress appropriated s20.000,-
600, and the one for which tens of
Department at Muscle shoals, on the
Tennessee river. in northeastern Ala
bama.
The progress of the work at Muscle
shoals is war secret. The plant
there is to supply nitric acid for the
explosives for the Army and Navy.
and its construction is being pushed
in every possible way 1t is to sup
@plement the nitrates we are import
ing from the deserts of Chile, and in
time to make us Independent of the
rest of the world in supplying the
materials for national defense. The
machinery here is much the same in
miniature as that of the mighty plant
there. and both are very similar to
the hydroelectric plants of Germany.
which are grabbing from the air the
explosives for the kaiser's great
army.
Nitric acid is absolutely indispen-
sable in the munitions of the wars of
today. 1t is used in the manufacture
Of powder for cartridges, and of high
explosives for shells and torpedoes.
1t is used in making guncotton. dy-
Mantle and gunpowders of every sort
and description. 1t is a part of all
tant to US that If our nitrates should
give out we would be out of the war
in a very few weeks. At present all
of our nitric acid is obtained from the
Saltpeter we import from the deserts
of Chile, and the greater part of the
nitrogen we are using comes from
that source.
The necessity for a supply of nj
trates within our own boundaries was
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-30
TRAVELETTE
THE NATIONAL lIUsEUM.

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.
II its desperate search for office
1 quarters in Washington, the gov
eminent has taken over markets. pri-
vate homes. stables. even the National
museum. and turned them into con-
ventionaI business establishments by
installing shiney office furniture and
retinue Of clerks and messenger
boys OF all these .nprovised offices
the National museum IS undoubtedly
the most interesting.
Valuable collections % the hundred
and one articles that make up regu-
lauon museum are boarded uD or
draped artlstically in sheets. but
traces OF the museums past can Still
be seen in almost every room OF the
Even the unromantic click OF
dozen typewriters cannot dispel the
LnriH OF working in the room with
Few OF the choi>est OF prehistoric
monsters o. OF having a miniature sir
plane suspended just above ones
desk TO serve as a diversion For .
long time the girls IN one room suent
their spare time admiring the g0rg-
eous brocade reception dresses OF
MIS- Buclan-n and other ladies' o.
white house histo-y- New Mrs. Bu-
IA-e---4A- = Ne1A AI0GA IS LA-lrI LEllI
the acmirinE gaze beneath an impene-
trable layer OF board. 10 the great
sorrow Of the young ladi-- OF the vi
entity.
One long hallway. once a sports
mans paradise Of trophies OF the
chase. is now identified with the past
only BY a scant dozen animal heads
which adorn one side OF the wau-
Fortunate IL is for the proud rhino-
cer0us. deer or antelope that he is
hung well above the reach OF z nan
for otherwise he would surely be re-
duced to the status OF the domestic
hatr-ck by the irreverent government
clerk
For some time after the govern
ment invasion. the museum still
opened the exhibits OF its upper halls
20 the public as usual Now. however
this territory too is needed and the
National museum has Joined the list
OF Washingron's buildings ~Not Open
To the Public"
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-30
Hand Organ Man AwakenS Memories
OF Youth; Some Fond RecoHectionS


TO THE Hand organ Man.
on THE street
BELOW NY window.
DEAR ORGAN Man.
a Long time ago.
I CAN remember.
THAT IN sPringtime.
WHEN THE Nay flowers came.
AND THE meadows.
WERE GROWING green
AND ALL little boys.
CHANGED FROM woolens.
TO SOMETHING lighter.
AND THE Drawer boys.
BEGAN TO swim IN the lake
THAT EACH year.
THERE WOULD come to our town.
A HAND organ man.
WITH A little monkey.
THAT WOULD run around
AND PICK up pennies
AND DOFF a little red hat.
AND BRING a lot Of JOY.
To ALL OF the kids.
AND think how.
THAT IT used to bring joy
TO THE grownups.
AND ANYWAY.
WHEN THE hand organ came
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-30
Bedtime Story For The Little Ones
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE DOG FISH.
- by HOWARD r uanIs. -.

DOWN on the bottom Of the ocean
u lot OF bad animals were talking
together one day as the waves washed
to and fro. and made pictures in the
sand.
I know how we can catch him.'
dubbed a lobster.
How" asked a crab.
BY filling his ears with sand. so
he can't hear US coming. and then
grabbing him all OF a sudden" said the
lobster.
Who are you talking about2''
parked the dog fish. swimming up and
wagging his tail. almost as your Edo
might do. Who do YOU want to catch
oy filling his ears with sand7
Uncle Wigglly LOngsars. the rabbit,
who is spending part Of his vacation
on the beach in his hollow stump
BUNGALOW" answered the crab.
But who is going 10 fin his ears
with sand2' the dog fish wanted to
know
Down on the bottom Of the ocean
none Of the bad animals answered for
a moment
Maybe you'd do IT," said the saw
fish, waving his long nose TO and fro
He had sharp teeth Of bone on each
slQe- and ne could saw through cake
OF ice II YOU gave him time.
Not T." barked the dog fish in
the first place don't like sand. and.
in the second place. Uncle WiEgily
would never stand still long enough
for me TO DO It He's a jumpy rabbit
But why do you want TO catch him,
anyhow
'Oh, the Skeezicks wants US TO catch
the bunny" said the lobster. The
Skeezicks says II we catch Uncle Wig
silly for him we'll each get a loIlypop."
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-30

the lot It surely does ne good 10
see the way they treat the soldiers a
girl who will stand back because she
is ashamed 10 90 with a private IS not
true TO herself OF her country Off
GERS are all right. but the army would
be in mighty poor shape II Il didn I
have the private. Just let the girl
consider that in the L S army every
private has a chance to be b-'sa-
der general and the private who IS
turned down now may come back with
gold on his shoulder straps
at does me good down 70 my toe
lips TO see old crusty, pessimlstlc
travelling men. who have always been
accustomed 10 com pam ana IN. - -
at everything in the world, take one
lump OF sugar and be apparently
thankful" said E H. Morton, Of FL
Worth. Tex They would give hall
Of their lives to be able to express
themselves on many points where war
conditions have left their influence
They do not restrain themselves from
patriotic impulses, not at all They
are afraid both Of secret service men
and Of the public generally Il IS NOT
healthy at this time for ANYBODY 70
complain about anything A Few
months ago. the papers OFTEN con-
tanned accounts OF how grum olers had
heen entertained by irate citizens and
the effect has been wonderful Lots
OF hotels have taken advantage OF the
spirit that exists and impose on the
travelling public. It might be a good
thing for some OF them to get their
dues. but there seems to be little
chance Of IL. since they would cry
food conservation and likely get
away with it"
a number Of the women's war
saving stamp organizations have full
filled their pledges in reply TO recent
notices sent out from local head
quarters" said Mrs A. s Peatross,
"and they have almost unanimously
purchased through neighborhood sec
retaries. The secretary OF the Central
Baptist church. which organized for
the purpose Of donating stamps to
the church, called at headquarters and
showed a neat sum which viii be
used for the building fund Mrs. J. L
Gilbert turned in one Of the best re-
ports 20 be received in some time. A
little more than a month ago she
took a neighborhood under Mrs n A
Warner in district II. and since that
time has increased the membership