davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Kusko times., 1935-02-02
SPEED OF A FALLING BODY.

The popular belief that a person falling from great attitude will be killed or rendered unconscious before reaching the ground has been exploded by Army fliers, says the War Department.
 "The experimental department of Wright Field of the Army Air Corps,'' it declared, "can definitely that a man falling from any alti- tude with aparachute pack attached never attains a velocity of greater than 1ls miles per hour and does not lose consciousness"
 A dummy of the size and weight of 1s0 pound man, with a service parachute attached and unopened, attained, it was found, a velocity of lis miles per hour within a period of II seconds and after falling 1.200 feet in quiet air, but from thata, time on no increase in speed Was attalned.
The Kusko times., 1935-02-02
doubtless has come to stay.

doubtless has come to stay.
 Very likely he will prove worse than the wolf as he can. live where the timber wolf would starve.
 This wolf problem is like a. pol itical football game heinz played by politicians who do hss4 know the rules of the game, If we should decide to get rid of the wolves be- fore the moose and caribou are des- :, Js 1u, there are 'some things that have proven successful other, oc- aiities We should try.
 irso get professional wolfecs after them. Men who do nothing gut Io.ew them through the year. At present the work is largely done .n...-urs who are only teaching the wolves and wolves learn easily.
 Second permit the use of poison. under regulations. At present it IS prohibited.
 Third, pay a good bounty but not
 d!SS. A HrSS DOuAty HedIlS smuggling.
 It is a question whether the Ter ritorial treasury can stand the strain; if not, we should have Fed eral aid.
 .Are the thousands of square miles of Game Reservations sanctuaries
 
 for all wild life, even predaceous animals? A few think that prim- tive conditions should be maintain ed that wolves should be protected. Others oppose poison and condemn steel traps as inhuman and cruel. It is unlawful to trap wolves dur fig closed trapping season for fear one might accidently get furbear- CT and it takes plenty of red tape to get. a permit.
 Even, the wolf has friends.
 A. H. TWITCHELL.
The Kusko times., 1935-02-02
Auto Horn Guides
 Mate to Port

Twas a dark and foggy night when Eugene Clark second mate for the Northland Transportation company, set out on a. cruise over Seattle streets. He had been to a dance and a little theme song, "Lost Tn Fog" seemed still appropriate. i"Cape St. Elias was never like this!" Clark muttered to himself, nor Seymour 'Narrows, nor Cape I7lattery, nor Harding Rock!''f
 Resourceful Second Mate Clark hit on scheme Why not apply to principals of Alaska navigation 0 the streets of Seattle? Why not use the automobile horn instead of a boat whistle (which Clark did n't have at the time).
 If the horn echo came back from both sides at the same time, Clark was in "mid-channer and all was we'll. If one echo beat the other in 3ouncing back, then the automobile was off course. If there was a period of delay and the echoes sounded far away, he probably was at an intersection.
 If ther was no echo at all and oniy dull thud, then the machine >robably was aground on fire hydrant.
 The plan. worked fairly well, es- pecially in the business section, where the "canyons" made fine sound reverberations. + was T problem, though in the outskirts of |. fly. where the buildings are over.
 Second Mate Clark got home, all right, but his automobile horn was sot worth toot at the end of the voyage.
 Seattle Times.
The Kusko times., 1935-02-02

In the Probate Court of Ophir, -nnoko Precinct, Fourth Division, Territory of Alaska, Before, Jessie M. Howard, U. s. Commissioner md ex-officio Probate Judge.
 In the matter of the Estate of Anna Miller, deceased.
 Notice to Creditors.
 In the matter of the Estate or Anna Miller, deceased, notice is here by given that the undersigned has been duly appointed administrator. of the Estate of Anna Miller, deceased. All persons having claims against said estate are required to present the same fully verified with proper vouchers attached, to the undersign- ed, at my store in Ophir, :. Alaska, within six months from the, date of this notice.
 Dated at -Ophir, Alaska, on Oct ober 29, 1884.
 P. w. CARLSON,
 Administrator. Date first pub. Nov. 10, 1884. Date last pub. April 27, 1885.
The Kusko times., 1935-02-02
Come in Cycles Asserts
 Reindeer Man

Timber wolves are increasing in tins part Of Alaska and this is why:
 Everyone knows how the rabbits increase to abundance every few y-lls and disappear, almost to the lal~ one. This also true of the I,la1igan and so it is of foxes and tl2 smaller earnivorous animals tlis t feed upon them.
 N.'hen the rabbits disappear or dit tl,o small furbearers perish or mi g. e and we say there is no game. Tiny each have their cycle. They core and go. So do the moose and caribou with the larger carnivorous as..-las that feed upon them but in 1ch longer cycle.
 The moose has reached the heigth o1 heir abundance and it is time for wolves to deplete their numbers and unless extreme measures are taken for his extermination, that is what IT. Wolf will do as soon as he has finished the caribou. In fac. the wolves are already clean ing up the moose in some places.
 re than 30 years ago 1 talked with old Indians, who knew nc sea2 j. but Natures, and they: told nc of this cycle of game and fur bea CTS, coming and going. Tn tlo3e days. wolf sign in the. vicinity of Bethel were not infrequent. Pits ait deadfails for thelr destruction were still in evidence. The Indians sa.G they will come again. thought it was superstition. It was a superstition founded on fact as t. the coming and going. z"
 They, however, believed that the game and furbearers migrated from tie, upper river: Ito the coast not to return and that the. spirits of such animals as were killed sank in,o the ground and made their way to @l1e upper river there to wait ard return with. the next cycle.
 Alaska now has something com paratively new in the wolf problem. It is the coyote. He has made lis first appearanc in the last few years, seems veryfmuch at home and
The Kusko times., 1935-02-02

The annual election of. officers and judges. of the Nenana Ice Pool was held at Nenana Saturday, Jan uary 12. George Hupprich was el- eceted manager. The Ice Pool con- n3ittee elected include Tom Jones Joe Treml, Ed. Lund. Calhoun and Charles Wilson. Officers of the el- ection were A. A. Johnson, chair man; MT. Calhoun, clerk;~ Earl Par sons, Joe Treml and Charles Will @on, judges.
The Kusko times., 1935-02-02

IN THE PROBATE COURT FOR OTTER PRECINCT, FOURTH DIVISION, TERRITORY OF AL ASKA.
 In the matter of the estate of John O. Johnson, deceased.
 Notise, of, Final Hearing Notice is, shersby given, that the administrator. of the. above, entitled estate has filed his final report in the Probate Court above named, and that said report will be heard before the said Probate Court. for Otter Precinct at Flat, Alaska, on Wednes- day, the. 18th day of May 1885, at two o'clock PM: of said day, at which time and, place all persons interested may appear and show cause, if any. they. have, cwhy saii report should not be approved, allowed and confirmed.
 Harry Donnelley.
 Administrator. Date of first pub, Dec, B, 1884.
The Kusko times., 1935-02-02

Subscribe for The Kusko Times.
Evening star., 1935-10-06
s"CHiG,:' Philip NJ. Nicholson, 'OM Nick; "
GlancS BLACKBOARD Through the Smoke Rings
to Some of Cuy5 Most Memorable and Tragic
H0L0cauyts:
"OM Nick. -

as the courage Of the men assigned to
battle them. AS result, a system OF
fire fighting was built up in Washing
ton that makes the city now safe
from the most dangerous kind OF
blazes-for the Washington fire fight
ers do not go haphazardly to the fires.
Like the players in the Casino at
Monte Carlo, they have system.
Take "Old Nick" now: When he
landed at a fire, and looked the situa-
ton over, he knew Immediately just
what he was going to do-and what
his men were going to do. An old
campaigner learns from years Of ex-
perience. And all that Chief Nichol-
son learned, and all that he knows,
has been handed down to the men
who followed, so that today f1remen
are strengthened by the active practi-
cal experience of their predecessors.
THERE is more to this fire-fighting
business, of course, than meets the
eye. The onlookers at big blaze
see lot of bustling activity on the
part of the firemen, hear orders
shouted through megaphones, or
cupped hands, see ladders shot up to
windows and roofs, and hose un-
wound. They see white smoke and
black smoke curling toward the sky,
and occasionally they see sparks fly
ing from windows, walls falling, and
hear the creaking of timbers and
the breaking of glass; but all this
stuff is just the picture.
Under the helmets Of the firemen,
and in their hearts, other thoughts
and emotions are working. They are
following a well-conceived plan to
put out a fire, in business.lke preci-
sion and without any fuss and fur
below. It happens that -"Old Nick"
taught most Of the boys the tricks of
the trade-tricks that he learned him.
self from the finest fire fighters that
ever 6onned uniforms. These were
the old chiefs of Washington fire de-
partments, men whose names still are
revered: Chief Cronin, Chief Paris,
Chief Dutton, Chief Belt and Chief
Wagner.
The best known of the old chiefs,
undoubtedly, was Chief Belt. He
served longer than any other man al
chief engineer. In the estimation of
"Old Nick" Chief Belt was also the
greatest Of them all. As Nicholson
phrases 1t, "Chief Belt was the great
est fire fighter Washington ever saw"
In the memoirs Of the gallant Mich
olson Is this brief notation:
Evening star., 1935-10-06

more the boys ran to q fire at the
Pintach Gas Works, at 1872 and E
streets southwest. "Chief" Nicholson
describes all this. and the resultant
safety effects set up, in his interesting
narrative:
"The manufacture Of this gas was
very dangerous and highly explosive.
ger trains. On the morning of April
1S, 1904, there was an explosion which
not only rocked the neighborhood and
partly destroyed the plant, but the
saddest part is that five of its employees
lost their lives Stephen Henson,
white, age At; Charles Grisby, white,
age %; Joseph Cumberland, white,
age 80. and an unknown colored man
were burned to death or died from
their injuries.
AFTER this sad occurrence a regu-
lation was adopted requiring the stor-
age tanks placed under ground. The
Pintach Gas Co., however, moved its
plant and erected model plant, with
underground tanks and every safe
guard provided"
lust such experiences as these are
" what make Washington fire regu-
lations what they are. The main idea
in fire fighting Is to prevent fires.
Half the time, according to old fire
fighters like "Old Nick" and his tribe,
fires would never get under way II
certain precautions were taken.
Nowadays, Of course, fremen have
all the latest equipment-gas masks
and what not; but in the years gone
they had to wade through smoke and
fumes without knowing what might
attack them in the way Of poisonous
smokes and gases.
After fighting fires for nearly half Q
century "Chief" Nicholson can almost
tell by the smell of the smoke what
manner of fire 1t is-and throw out
his plans accordingly.
The element Of danger, Of course,
is what makes fire fighting thrilling
occupation.
When you go past a fire house and
see the firemen sitting around playing
cards, or reading detective stories, it
seems as If they are leading the life Of
Reilly. All to the good till the fire
alarm sounds. Then they may be go
ing to the last roundup.
: In recounting his career, "Old Nick
can tell you some interesting things
that actually happened to fireman.
When he passed the physical exami-
nation before appointment to the de-
partment, back in 1882, young Philip
w. Nicholson stood as q magnificent
Evening star., 1935-10-06

william T. Belt, assistant chief,
was appointed chief engineer, District
Of Columbia Fire Department. July
l, 1908. He had been assistant chief
since 1885. The old chief passed out
of the picture rather suddenly, in
December, 1908-fghting fires up to
the last. He died December 18, but
on December IL he was charging full
speed ahead of his men at the burn
ing Of Tophams Trunk Factory, at
lexington place and @ street north
east-when suit cases and valises,
Saratoga trunks and Boston hand bags
were going up in flames.
Elegant to the last was the old
chief, and if any one wants to get
a vivid idea Of action all he has
to do Is thumb the pages of Mr.. Mich
olson's manuscript, giving the history
of Washington's important fires in the
days and nights when Chief Belt was
on the job.
One month after Chief Belt was
handed the insignia of his Office Philip
w. Nicholson, then foreman of Truck
D, was appointed assistant fire mar
shall.
These two old cronies had hardly
got their first baptism of fire under
their new orders than they were called
upon to go over to Baltimore to lend
helping hand at one Of the greatest
city fires Of all times.
1t was on the 7th day Of February,
1904, that the Baltimore fire got under
way. A cold Sunday morning. About
IL O'Clock some one discovered flames
in q building on Eutaw street near
West Baltimore street. Before the
combined fire departments could check
that blaze it had gone 3 miles south,
to Jones Falls-and the damage
reached into the millions.
AS Mr.. Nicholson records the after
math Of that experience: Several
members Of the Washington Fire De-
partment suffered for more than a
week, after their return from the
Baltimore fire, with their eyes and
lungs, due to the smoke, because their
positions at the fire we're at hazardous
points in endeavortng to check the
spread Of the fire. They were COM
PEELED to stand the brunt of the fire,
which they were successful in check
ing with the assistance Of other COM
panies."
Two engine companies and g.
went to Baltimore, and the boys got
o lot of practice fighting q fire.
Nobody had to tell them they had
been to q fire.
Shortly after returning from salti-
Evening star., 1935-10-06
Fire Pyeveuton Week D,u1us Hearty Mdo,se7
ment of Man W>ho Learned Re,pect for an
Enemy of Life and Properly He Fought tor
So Ulany Years.
Hearty Mdorse7
So Many Years.

that old Chief Cronin-Martin Cronin
of blessed memory-ever attended. He
was injured later on the roof Of a
building that is now Kann's Depart
ment Store. Chief Cronin came in
contact with live electric wire, was
almost thrown off the roof. It sounded
his doom. anyway, and the late Joseph
Paris was appointed 20 take the old
f1refghter's place.
Chief Paris had been in Office only
q month or so when his entire depart
ment was called out on general alarm
to fight a spectacular blaze in the
grocery store of Barbour g. Hamilton,
on Pennsylvania avenue between sixth
and Seventh streets northwest. That
fire occurred July 81, 1886. 1t lighted
the entire downtown section. It was
here that the young, athletic Nicholson
had the closest call of his career. He
was standing on a wall. directing the
removal of material, when he stepped
to the roof proper. Then, to his sur
prise, he plunged through the tin on
the roof-heated to melting point.
Only cat-like activity saved him. He
was rescued by brother firemen-his
only loss that Of his trousers.
THRILLING rescues Of families I'M
l. prisoned In burning edifices, fire.
men carrying unconscious persons
down ladders, other victims jumping
from window sills-all these are part
of the memories left to "Old Nick"
He recalls some Of the great fires
the time the stables burned at
Heurich's old brewery, when Alexan-
der Graham Bells house caught flre,
and when the residence Of Gen. Ben
iamin F. Tracy, a former Secretary
of the Navy, burned-entirely de-
stroyed, with two members of the FAM
ily and a maid burned to death. Tracy
was in President Harrison's cabinet.
The Secretary's home was on street
between Connecticut avenue and Sew
enteenth street northwest.
Long before there was a fireboat
on the Potomac the Washington Fire
Department was called into action to
save a steamer-the good ship w. w.
Corcoran, on fire the morning Of
September 8, 1891. The firemen re-
sponded to the alarm, but some Of
the boys at the wharf let the old
ship slip her moorings-to save the
old Charles MacAlester-and the Cor
coran burned to the waters edge.
Then there was the fire In the
Church Of the Covenant, at Connect
Evening star., 1935-10-06
BY John Jay DAILY.
. ULL up your chairs, lads, and
. I'll tell you the story of one Of
the finest frefighters that ever

S4AA oP youI SAldAc, 4dSto, oklo
- III tell you the story of one of
the finest flrefghters that ever
i ate smoke
Twas way back in 1888 that former
Deputy Chief Engineer Philip w.
Nicholson, feet tall and straight as
an arrow, celebrated his entrance into
mans estate by joining the Washing
ton Fire Department.
In later years they got to calling
him "Old Nick"-and that was good
name for a man who worked like the
very devil around fire. Until they
retired him in 1931-after 48 years
active duty-"Old Nick" had poked
his smoke-marked nose into every i'm
portant fire in the City of Washington.
Like the fellow who was so often a
best man but never bridegroom, "Old
Nick" on several occasions acted as
chief of the Fire Department, though
he was never officially crowned chief.
Still, to his men, he was always the
chieftain-and they do say, behind
the engine house doors, that had it
not been for bit of politics "Old
glorious career with the full title Of
chief engineer.
Anyway, here lie Is today, in the
sweet Autumn Of his 70's, still the
straight, stalwart scrapper Of yore,
straight as he was at 81, and ready to
60 to the fires, If he ever is needed.
In those early days of washington
when "Old Nick" first donned his blue
uniform, there were only six engine
companies in the city and two fire
trucks. Those were the days Of the
galloping horses and hurrahing crowds
along the cobblestone streets.
Here comes the chief" they used
TO shout, as "Old Nick" and his ro-
mantle brethren bumped and thumped
over the uneven avenues and side
streets, bound for the conf1agration.
They had horses then, and helmets,
and crowbars and pick axes, low water
pressure. plenty of courage. and none
of the modern conveniences-but they
got there just the same.
Screeching sirens had not come into
being, the fast-f1ying fire apparatus,
driven by gasoline, had yet to be in
vented, and the changing Of big brass
gong on the dashboard of the chiefs
buggy one-horse shay affair--was
the main alarm in those days. Yet
It was sufflcient to stir the blood and
imagination, and the whole town stop
Evening star., 1935-10-06

cut avenue and N street-called then
1.-The Presidents Church" That was
back in 1892 Word Of the fire reached
the White House and President Har-
rison left the executive Offices to see
the f1refghters at work.
Also, there was that day when The
Evening Star Building went up in
f1ames-on April 13, 1892. Three
months later the Post Building went
the same way.
For a real blaze, Chief Nicholson
points to the conf1agration known
as the Knox Express Stables fire.
This occurred on July rs, 1894. The
stables were located at Second and
B streets northwest. Three members
Of No. Engine Company lost their
lives in that flre-pinned beneath q
great falling door, as they were trying
to rescue horses. More than so horses
burned to death.
At the beginning of the present cen.
tury Chief Joseph Paris was retired
and r. w. Dutton made chief en-
gineer. Dutton was one Of the first
men appointed to such post from
civilian life. He served only from
May /, 1901, until Chief William T.
Belt took over the reins on July l,
1908. The burning Of the steamboat
Columbia marked the high light Of
Dutton's career.
A FTTR getting his initiation with
= the Baltimore fire, Chief Belt
found a round Of activities with such
blazes as Downey's Livery Stables, the
Metropolitan Club and q host Of
others. He relinquished his post to
the late Frank J. Wagner, who took
office in 1908. During the Wagner
regime the city saw that greatest Of
its catastrophies, notably the Knicker-
booker Theater disaster.
All these and more are stored away
in the memory and memoirs Of former
Deputy Chief Engineer Philip w.
Nicholson, who was decorated for
bravery after the Knickerbocker dr.
aster. In his active career he saved
many lives. Also. he saved much
property, for he was a fire fighter
who knew how to go into action
against his enemy.
After all his years at it, the old
chief has supreme respect for firs.
Carelessness, the chief believes,
causes most fires.
Evening star., 1935-10-06
H0L0cuusts.,

ped whatever 1t was doing and ran
pell-mell in the wake of the fire en-
gines, drawn by three dashing horses.
Flames flew from the chimney of the
fire engine, sparks and black clouds
strewn like a veil over the road to the
fire.
A s HE looks back over the vanished
years, all Of them checked full Of
excitement, romance, adventure, death
and destruction, "Old Nick" now sits
in an easy rocker out in his home on
upper Thirteenth street and contem-
plates the remarkable development Of
the Washington Fire Department. Al
though not given to boasting, "Chief''
Nicholson testifies there Is no fire de-
partment in the country that has a
more glorious record than that operat-
ing in Washington.
"The records go to prove il" he says.
"just look at them!" And If any one
wants to see what Washington fire
fighters have done over the years
"Old Nick" can point to his history
Of the Washington Fire Department,
just completed. In a monumental
! work which has taken years to finish,
Mr.. Nicholson has sketched the his
tory Of the Washington Fire Depart
ment from the beginnirg g to that time,
four years ago, when the author him
self turned in his equipment and went
into retirement.
If you glance only hastily through
that book you will find that "Old
Nick" was an active fire fighter In
some Of the greatest blazes that ever
lit the skies over Washington. He
was present, for instance, on that
memorable night Of May 18, 1895,
when the old commission houses down
on Louisiana avenue burned. Six
alarms were turned IN that night
Brave men went to their deaths fight
ing the fire that threatened all down.
town Washington-and the old chief
was there, with his ak in hand, through
1t all.
Then there was the burning of St
Dominic's Church, down in Southwest
Washington, and the Power House, and
Knox's stables-fires that old-timers
remember because they we're outstand.
ing events in the life Of a'growing city
One could listen all night to the
heroic tales of these fires-all listed
chronologically in the Nicholson His
tory-and not be bored for one mo-
ment. They were fires fought under
the greatest difiiculties. They were
fires that tested the ingenuity as well