davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

death rate at Andersonville. I have
read that one cause Of that high death
rate was smallpox. There were charges
of ignorance or Indifference on the
part of the Union authorities there in
not isolating smallpox patients. There
were also charges that prisoners suf-
fered cold and hunger. though I be-
lieve it was not charged that the Fed
eral War Department did not author
lie the issue of enough food, clothing
and shelter. Hill charged that there
was a higher death rate among Con-
federate prisoners in Federal camps
than among Union prisoners in Con-
federate camps. He said that of the
100000 Federal prisoners in Confed-
crate hands % 900 died, or 9 per cent,
and of the 100000 Confederate pris-
oners in Federal hands 20 900 died, or
IL per cent. 1 have not verified the
figures.
We have the painful memory of
high mortality at Camp Alger in 1898.
That camp was in Fairfax County,
one of the healthful sections Of the
world. Typhoid fever was the cause
Of nearly all deaths there. Military
men would deal with such a condition
today better than it was dealt with 2s
years ago.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
Petrifed Forest.

The petrified national forest, one
Of the 90 national monuments estab-
lished by presidential proclamation.
is the only region of hundreds of
places in the Southwest in which
silicifled wood occurs in such abun-
dance as to deserve the name of q
petrifed forest. 1t Is in northern
Arizona, south of the town Of Ala
mana, on the Santa Fe road, and
was designated as a national monu
ment in 1906.
Many of the tree trunks exceed
100 feet in length and cross sections
reveal the fact these these trees
which are cedars, probably grew be
side an inland sea.
During decomposition the cell
structure of the wood was entirely
replaced by material from sandstone
in the surrounding land.
The state of naturalization in
which much Of the wood exists almost
places it with gems or precious
stones. Not only are chalcedony
opals and agates found, but many
trees approach the condition Of jasper
and onyx.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

in time between Washington and Lin
coin, Nebr.?" the voice pursued.
zone hour difference" Miss Wake
field said.
"One hour, Ell? What time would
that make it now in Lincoln?"
Exactly one hour earlier than it
is here" she responded without hest
tation.
The man broke into laugh.
1T wouldn't work. after all, he
concluded. hanging up.
Miss Wakefield, who had charge OF
he time calls, said that these inquiries
at times flooded the sWitchboards at
the rate of 20 minute. At the peak
of the rush as many as five operators
We're required to handle these calls
alone. Sometimes the nine trunk
lines assigned to this service were I'M
able to care for the load, and the CEN
trail telephone operators then would
plug the overlooking time inquiries
onto the regular business lines Of the
company, to the detriment of bona
tide telegram traffic.
1t was this oft-recurring spill
over" problem that led company Off
Gals to abolish the time information
service altogether, according to c.. H.
Dexter, traffic manager for Wash
ington.
The rush periods occurred most fire.
quently during school terms and on
bargain days" Mr.. Dexter said.
School children seldom seemed to
depend on the family clock for time
advice, he declares. always depending
on western Union" to get them to
classes on time The operators were
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

time advice. The wheels of govern
ment, 1t appeared, started turning or
came to a standstill at the direction
of the pretty operators in the tele
graph office.
| Former Secretary of Labor William
B. Wilson was a daily patron of tele-
| phoned time, Traffic Manager Dexter
asserts. He called so frequently to
| inquire the time that he got quite IA
miliar with Dexter, preceding his
query with the remark, This is your
old friend, Wilson" 1t is presumed
the Labor Secretary was checking up
on the clocks of his department. Mr.
Wilson invariably asked for the man
, ager in making these calls
Clocks at many of the embassies
were regulated by Western Union
phone service, and the operators have
experienced much difficulty in making
it clear to diplomats and attaches that
the time system no longer is in vogue.
Here is substantially the converse
ton that took place a day or so ago
between one of the girls and a foreign
attache:
"Geev me the time, pieez."
Sorry, but we have discontinued
giving the time"
Yes, pleeze, the correct time
IT say, I'm sorry, but we have dis
continued giving the time"
"Eet eeS the time WeeSh, Madame"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

that for compromise 1t was nearly de-
cided to build the monument at Rich
mond. capital of the Confederacy.
Then, there was held a special con-
vention of the Georgia Daughters of
the Confederacy, and it was voted to
build the monument at Andersonville.
A report on that action, written by
Katherine Latham. contains this:
Each delegate went up with a firm
purpose of carrying her point with
out any unkindness or unpleasantness
or without any hard feelings to the
other places which would be offered as
a site for the WirZ monument, and
this spirit of friendliness was mani
fest throughout the session. Each
woman who spoke for the site in
which she or her chapter was in
terested did so with calmness and de-
liberation, dealing in no personalities
or criticisms, and at last, when Ander-
sonville was selected by the largest
vote ever cast for this site, it was
moved by an ardent adherent for
Macon that the action of the session
giving the monument to Andersonville
be made unanimous"
THE Rambler has seen no account
l. of Andersonville that does not tell
a state of horror there during the last
year of the Civil War, particularly the
Winter of 1S64-5. 1t is on the ques-
ton of responsibility for those condi-
tons that men have differed. Con-
federate authorities repeatedly sought
exchange of prisoners and the Fed
eral authorities knew the situation
of Federal prisoners at Andersonville.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
Noise Shields.
THE terrific noise that will

THE terrific noise that will result
from a number of committing
airplane expresses starting to take
off at the same time, in the future
days when commuters will ride in
planes. may not be so terrific after all
BY studying the effects of ripples in :.
tank Of water, scientists at the Brit
ish National Physical Laboratory
have been able to find out how such
noises can be dissipated and blocked
Off
They constructed model tank com
prising the principles of construction
Of the surrounding buildings. includ
ing a hangar. Wave lengths in wa
ter to the same scale as the sound
waves were produced by ripples. By
photographing these ripples it was
possible to detect the effect OF tn"
various obstacles. In this way shiel'S
ing effects were worked out by whiC
1t is possible to place accurately Cd
the flying field parallel plates %
sound screens, thus doing away with
much noise disturbance. p.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

in a position to play mean trick on
these unsuspecting youngsters, had
the girls been of such disposition,
for by sending the students to school
a few minutes late a city-wide wave
Of Staying in after school, no doubt
would have been precipitated.
I'VE always knew when it was bar
gain day, too" Miss Wakefield pointed
out. Whenever one of the large de-
partment stores held a big sale hun
dreds of women called us between
$50 and 9 am. to find the correct
time. They wanted to get to the store
before it opened. all ready for the big
rush to the counters at 9:15. In this
way we helped thrifty housewives
save money, 1 guess. We could pic
ture the melee that was to ensue-per-
haps with somewhat envious eyes,
Another class of regular customers"
was composed Of Government en-
ployes and other office-goers. They
wanted to know when it was time to
go to work and when it was time to
quit. None of them depended on their
watches or clocks for this important
information.
X X
THE White House, cabinet offices,
embassies and legations and other
distinguished places depended often on
Western Unions Franklin 7112" for
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
Sketch from photograph.

haps he did not do all that any man
could do.
Reference is made to a Confederate
regiment on the hill. / have read that
two Confederate regiments were on
duty at Andersonville. In the last
year Of the war a Confederate regi-
ment might have a hundred or less
men. | know that one of those regi-
ments was the Sd Georgia Reserves.
That word reserves is significant.
Those men were disabled or too old
for active service. The Confederate
government In the Summer of 1854
and the following Winter did not de-
tail combat troops to guard prison
camp. There may have been man
power enough at Andersonville to po-
lice the camp and bring in wood and
water. There may have been man
power enough to move the stockade
to unpolluted ground. When a thing
has happened a thousand men will
tell how it could have been prevented.
Old people who lived in the theater Of
military operations remember that
there was cruelty. Federal armies
cared nothing for the suffering they
caused the civil populace of the South
old men, women and children. They
held that such measures were justifi-
able in crushing the rebellion" The
South did not look on Northern pris.
oners with tenderness. They thought
of Northern troops as invaders who
were ravaging their country, killing
their kin and with blockade and torch
striving to starve the population
using as their argument that it was
necessary to cut off supplies for South.
ern armies.
Benjamin II. Hill Of Georgia, reply.
ing to James G. Blaine, charged that
the death rate among Confederate
prisoners In the Union camp at Fl.
mira, n. Z. was htghsg tAAa tn
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

Sometimes these intoxicated gentry
forgot they were talking to ladies and
embellished their questions with re-
marks not generally passed in Sun
day school. Some Of them were will
ing to outline all their troubles to the
Western Union girls. but these were
quickly cut off.
Men are not the only ones capable
of indulging in strong language. Ell
Their. One woman Miss Wakefield
studiously avoided calling her LADY,.
when advised that the time could not
be given! hung up temporarily. and
then, her ire thoroughly aroused.
called back to inform the operator
what she thought Of her, in no uncer-
tain words.
Miss Wakefield is a Sunday school
girl and she would not repeat the
words this woman used, but it is un-
derstood one of the adjectives began
with the letter ID"
This quip about Miss Wakefield be.
ing a Sunday school lass is not to be
taken lightly, by the way. Pinned to
her dress is a Gross and Crown" SUM-
day school badge. from which are sus-
pended II additional decorations, evil
dencing the fact tnat she has not
missed attending her Sabbath classes
during the past II consecutive years.
Only two other persons in the United
States have done as we'll one of them
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

cut it were in that part of the coun-
the army, and an ak was hard to find
outside Of the army. With all men
and nearly all the boys in the army,
such crops as appeared were raised
by women, old men and devoted
negroes who stood by "missus'' and
de OIL plantation. Barns, stock,
crops and farm tools were destroyed
or carried off when Union troops came
on them. Great areas were devas-
tated under the policy Of cutting off
food supplies.
X X X
TN last Sundays Star / told you
something about the report of DR..
Joseph Jones, Confederate service, to
the Richmond authorities on condi-
tons at Andersonville. Similar re-
ports had been made by other Con-
federate inspectors. DR.. Jones' re-
port is part of the Records of the
Rebellion" I have before me this ex-
tract from that report:
II have carefully analysed the wa
ters; found them all remarkably pure.
The well water upon the summit of
the hill, when the Confederate General
Hospital is situated, Is of remarkably
purity and. in fact, it may be consid-
cred as equal to the purest water in
the world. The waters of the Sweet
water Creek. before entering into the
stockade where the Federal prisoners
are confined, are equally pure. The
bakery Is situated near this stream
and while one of the Confederate regi-
ments is camped on the hill above. this
source OF contamination Is too far dis
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

as emitting these persistent persons
to abrogation of the ban.
Judged by the number Of calls
we got the day after we abolished
the time service. two-thirds Of the
citizens Of the National Capital must
have been catching trains" Miss
Ethel Wakefield, chief up. B. x" op-
orator Of the Western Union Offices
here, declares.
Nearly all Of them said they were
leaving town on the next train. and
wouldn't we give them the correct
time in view Of that" Miss Wake
field said. "A lot Of them must have
missed their trains by arguing so
long with US. when they could just
AS we'll have consulted a reliable clock
somewhere. Not one of them got the
information wanted, either.
"A number Of women called in and
explained that It was absolutely nee
essary to have the correct time in
order to give a very sick patient his
medicine. That's an old one to US,
however, and it didn't work once. All
they got in reply were regrets"
MISS WAKEFIELD proved that
she is just as quick witted as
a certain gentleman who employed
novel method Of cajolery the other
day in an unsuccessful effort to catch
her off her guard and thus learn the
time in spite of the rules. ."
rs this Western Cnion?" the man
inquired naively.
Yes" came the reply.
We'll, can YOU tell me the difference
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

Yes, know. but 1 can't give it to
you any more"
You have not got the time, MOI"
"Oh, yes, but I'm not allowed to
give it to you. It's new rule. I'm
sorry"
"All right. 1 call later, thank you. 1"
If he called later, he made no fur
Their efforts to understand. for his call
was not noted among the others.
x X X
THE flow of requests for correct
time usually let up appreciably
after midnight. but along toward 2
o'clock in the morning the operators
learned to expect a few sporadic calls
from husbands DESTROYS of getting the
latest time data before heading for
home.
1t is supposed that this information
was used as ammunition in the event
the indignant spouse pulled any funny
business with the clock, such as set
ting it up an hour to make matters
look worse than they really We're.
1T was easy enough to tell
drunk" Miss Wakefield said. IF we
couldn't tell by the thick voice, we
could distinguish them by the way
their voices alternately faded and
grew strong. That variation was
caused by swaying away from the
telephone mouthpiece."
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

residing in New York City and the
other in the West
She is assistant superintendent Of
the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church
Sunday school, leader OF singing.
teacher of a boys class and organist.
During the past 80 years she has
missed but five Sundays. all due to
illness.
The Western Union officials have
take cognizance of Miss Wakefield'S
remarkable record and she is afforded
special immunity from day work on
Sunday, so that she won't miss church
duties. She works Sunday nights to
make up for it. She has been answer
ing calls for the local Western Union
Office for the past nine years.
"It takes this type of operator to
deal with the many varieties Of human
nature with which we come into
contact over the telephone" Manager
Dexter explained. 1T requires un-
usual patience and tact to turn away
these people who can't understand
why we won't give them the time any.
more. When you consider the fact
that Washington is exceeded only by
New York, Chicago, Dallas and Kansas
City in number of messages handled
yearly. you will better be able to APP
preciate how busy we are. without
answering time questions.
The telephone company discontinued
similar time information service
several years ago. Now that the
Western Union Co. has followed suit,
persons desiring accurate time data
must call either the Weather Bureau
or the Naval Observatory itself.
Fears are felt that the great JUMP in
telephone queries which will flood
these bureaus as a result of the
Western Union action may force
Uncle Sam to give very thought
full consideration to this problem, also.
The first thing we know we may
have to depend on our clocks alto
gether. Which is as it should he, the
clock dealers assert
Anyway. you can't beg. steal or
borrow the time o day from the
Western Union, and that's final, Mr..
Dexter AYERS.
THAT applies with equal force to
the White House. too?" that trafiic
manager was asked.
''Er-er-well, that remains to be
seem" he replied with a smile.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
Queries for Frankn Zip" Continue Despite Ban Time

w estern Union
Operators Kept Busy
T elling Washington
Public Their Office Is
No Longer Able to
Regulate Clocks and
Watches-H O w t h e
Staff Knew w h e n
There Were Bargain
Days in Town-One
Cabinet Officer Was a
Regular Patron of
STRENGTHENING De-
mands of Procession
of Family Men Home
ward Bound Late at
Nieht-Chief Oper-
ator Has S u n d a y
School Record of Ma
tlonal Importance.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
ute to their honor, be inscribed on said
monument"
The resolutions were adopted.

THE convention of the next year
met at Americas. Ga. and visited
AnderSOnville. I have the following
extract from a report of that conVen-
ton:
The visit to Andersonville i'm
pressed more and more upon the
minds of the delegates the fact that
the monument should be raised. not
in a spirit of bitterness. but simply to
vindcate the man who had been so
vilely slandered, and to show to the
world the truth of Southern history
and that Andersonville was the logical
place where a monument to Capt.
Wirz should be placed. Many pictures
and placards placed in the national
cemetery gave very false idea Of the
truth concerning the matter
There arose the question as to
whether the monument should be built
at Andersonville, Atlanta. Macon or
Americas. Americas, l think, is the
nearest large town to Andersonville,
being 10 miles southwest of the old
stockade Oglethorpe is about the
same distance northwest Of Anderson
ville, but l haven't time to look in
gazetteer to tell you whether Ameri-
Gus or Oglethorpe is the larger. and II
l did, some fellow from one of those
cities would come to the office to call
me down.
There was such competition be-
tween representatives of Anderson
vile, Atlanta, Macon and Americas
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

HIN ofnclalS or the West
A/ ern Union Telegraph Co.
wv decided recently to discon-
tinue the custom Of giving
the time over the tele-
phone to any who might ask they
congratulated themselves upon the
solving Of a large problem.
Their troubles, they unused, were
ended
AS a matter Of fact, their troubles
an this respect were only beginning
And in an aggravated, triple distilled
form, so to speak.
IellinS the curious public what
time 1t is, they now are inclined to
opine, is a "cinch" compared to the
onerous task Of trying TO tell the
same curious public just why the
company cannot now answer the once
familiar query:
Correct time please?"
Despite the wide publicity given the
company's announcement of it's
change in policy, the phone girls on
the eighth floor Of the Western Union
offices, at Fourteenth and G streets,
are besieged still with reQuests-nay,
demands-for the time
Washington just doesn't seem con-
WINGED that the Western Union really
meant what it said when il raised
the barrier against time questions.
Every one seems to think that a
little carefully conceived argumenta-
ton will win he girls over. either
by bringing them to the point Of tears
or by soaring them with threats of
what might happen if they don't
respond.
The former requests now have
turned into pleas or demands. fla
vored with amusing cajolery. but in
the face Of it all the adamant op-
orators hold steadfastly to their
ground and refuse to divulge the COW
eted information.
Advised Of the new rule against
giving the time, the inquirer will
launch into a long explanation of
why he or she, of all persons. should
be specially favored lust this once"
Trains and medicine are at the root
of a ma jority of the reasons cited
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
BY REX COLLIER.

YHEN officials Of the West
M ern Union Telegraph Co.
wv decided recently to discon-
tinue the custom Of giving
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
bier Studies More Reports of Andersonve Conditions

MONUMENT was erected at
Andersonviile, Ga, in memory
of Capt. Henry Wirz by
the Georgia division. United
IL L. E. 4
Ellsworth American., 1926-08-11
6Om0SYilla

S0mesville
SMrs. Gale Hinckley and son Ken.
meth returned Sunday to their home
m Bluehill, after a week with Mr.
and Mrs. Herschel E. Reed.
Walter A. Fuller of Boston, for
merly of this village, called on old
friends here last week Mr. Fuller
Is spending few weeks at South
west Harbor with his father, George
r. Fuller.
Mrs. Carl Saltmarsh Of Allston,
Mass, formerly Miss Azelea Pray,
is visiting relatives here.
Mr.. and Mrs. E. A. Webber Of
Hartland, who have been here
while Mr. Webber was employed as
engineer on the State road near here,
have gone to Ellsworth.
H. r. Hyson left last week for
Boston. after two months at his
home here.
James B. Allen returned last week
from Baltimore, Md, where he has
been since early spring.
Aug, 10, s
Ellsworth American., 1926-08-11
Be sure to meet
".Bin" and "May''
ELLSWORTH FAIR

Big Program Planned for Aug 81
and Sept. 1-2-Gov. Brewster
to Receive Old Citizens
Opening Day
Fair time Is coming! The third
year Of Ellsworth's big fair will
begin August 81. The members of
the Hancock County Fair Associa-
tion are making active preparations
for three days of lively entertain
ment.
The racing program will be ex-
ceptionally fine. There are many
fast horses in the State and the
drivers all like to come to Ellsworth
where good racing is assured.
The opening day of the fair, Tues
day, August. 81, will be Governors
Day. Governor Ralph o. Brewster
will be present and would be glad to
receive all the citizens Of the county
who have passed the three-quarter
century milestone, especially those
who were unable to come to Augusta
last year. The association would be
glad to send complimentary tickets
to these old citizens Of the county.
The first day of the fair will also
be devoted to the boys and girls
clubs Of the county. Then, TOO,
there will be a horseshoe throwing
contest, which will give each section
a chance to send aspirants for the
county championship. Another
novelty attraction will be sott-beer
drinking contest, which will give the
ing ing tis their ability as we'll as capacity.
It is believed the evening shows
will be even better than last year.
All who saw the fireworks last year
we're greatly pleased, those who
failed to see them were disappointed,
Both pleased and disappointed
people can see displays this year
equal to those of last year. There
will be a street dance Tuesday night,
following the evening carnival.
Music for the fair will be furnished
afternoon and evening, by Fogg's
band of ten pieces, Of Brockton,
Mass.