davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1938-04-11

appealed to me very much. We
can do a lot Of good for these
poor people without troubling
ourselves, if her plan could be
worked out. Alaska has many
possibilities for industrious, fru-
gal people like the Germans and
Austrians.
Your suggestions to Ickes for
developing our n national re-
sources and aiding our I'M
healthy citizens without funds,
is splendid. If your plan Is car
ried out the whole country will
have to thank you for taking
the lead. More power to you.
H. LORING.
Ansver To can American"
The son of a great statesman
once was sent to foreign poten-
tateS on an important and deli
cate mission. His father, sensing
his lack of confidence. consoled
him with these words: MY son,
you would be surprised. if you
knew what fools some Of these
rulers are" And here I am
classified by IAN American" as
q fool, which is honest shooting
and much more complimentary
than being called a Narcotic"
However. my article has been
misunderstood, partly because
the Times did not print all Of it.
do not believe in ism rule in
this country, nor that the Sec
rotary of State wants to bring
over Communists. What is needed
is more social consciousness and
sense of responsibility by the
politicians, employers, profes-
sional men and labor. The
Army and the Navy have al
ways done their duty. These
forces should always pull in the
same general direction at all
times. And for this Forced
Pooling of Power" have Ger
many and Italy benefited by
their one-man leadership.
A few men here in Washing
The Washington times., 1938-04-11

Japan, the admiral explained, regards
itself as having a rightful sphere of in
fluence on it's side of the Pacific, and
would view with grave concern any en-
croachment on that sphere.
In our opinion, Admiral Kiyochi talked
common sense on this occasion.
Oil-burning battleships of present
times have enormous cruising ranges.
Sea domination rules must be revised &C
cordingly if friction is to be avoided. If
we should insist on our battleships hav-
The Washington times., 1938-04-11

wealth. o"P"-- 49,, =,
nize an equal Japanese right to do likewise in the
neighborhood of Hawaii of our West Coast
Of course for us to face the facts of life and admit that
at the present time Japan does exercise naval hegem
ony over the western Pacific involves concedng that the
Philippine Islands within such Japanese sphere of in
fuence. That is just what we should concede The Fill
pinos want independence from We could defend
them only at huge cost in and money, if at ALL We
should give them independence at the earliest posi-
BILE moment.
Speaking of oil-burning battleships-
The Washington times., 1938-04-11

Something like home that is
not home is to be desired: it
Is found in the house Of .
friend.-Sir w. Temple.
The Washington times., 1938-04-11

Wealth is to be used only as
the instrument of action; not as
the representative of civil honors
and moral excellence.-Porter.
The Washington times., 1938-04-11

He planned to return home to
write a book of important hap
peningS there, bring up his two
The Washington times., 1938-04-11

average types Of illness. I'd want
the older doctor"
The Washington times., 1938-04-11

Wear your learning like your
watch, in a private pocket; do
not pull it out, and strike it,
merely to show that you have
one.-Lord Chesterfield.
The Washington times., 1938-04-11

The recipe for perpetual ig-
norance is: be satisfied with
your opinions and content with
your knowledge.-Elbert Hub
bard.
The Washington times., 1938-04-11
MEXICO'S OIL GRAB

If oil-burning battleships-
Evening star., 1938-12-04

hammer lifted from the head, and
what was once a stately lord of the
forest Ii now a lowly pile, doomed to
hold its share Of a concrete pier
until time and tide have reduced 1t
once again to the dust from which it
sprang.
That was what I saw on my first
visit. But knew that another story
was there, and I went again and
again until I saw that also. saw
that here was an unsung group Of
men whose daily tasks are just as
hazardous as are those Of firemen,
policemen and others who live
dangerously.
Watching more closely, I saw that
the colored man with the dark
glasses did not merely wiggle his
fingers promiscuously, but that he
transmitted to the operator sepa-
rate signal received from the fore
man Of the crew, for every move
Evening star., 1938-12-04

the land along the Potomac River
northward, to and including Alex
anders Island and Gravelly Point,
and westward at least to a line run
ming, in a general way, north and
south at the west line of Fort My er,
was granted to Robert Howsing
Howsing did not keep the land
very long, but sold it the following
year for 5000 pounds of tobacco Tor
six hogsheads of tobacco, as some
say), to John Alexander. also re-
ferred to as John Alexander, jr., fer
whom Alexandria is named, as we'll
as Alexanders Island. John A,exan-
der died in 1877, few years subse-
quent to the building of Abingdon,
said to have been built of lumber
hewn by slaves from the native for
ests, the joists on the ground floor
being the size of a mans body
In 1778 John Parke Custis, son OF
Mrs. Washington, bought the hold
ings of Robert and Gerard Alexan-
der, located in the vicinity OF Four
Mile Run, to whom the property had
in part descended. Roberts planta-
ton included Abingdon, the old
mansion house of his ancestor. The
agreement entered into by John
Parke Gusts with Robert Alexander
on the sale of this estate was not
looked upon with favor by Gen
Washington, and in 1889, after tho
death Of John Parke Gusts. a court
order caused that part of the prop
erty purchased from Robert Alex
ander to be returned to the latter.
After the death of Robert Alexan'
der, in 1893, the property was soor
transferred to Peter and Georgt
Wise, and it was not long thereafter
before the title was again transferred
Evening star., 1938-12-04

ment of the huge machine. Like
wise, I noted that the operator
didn't really pull all the levers in
sight, upon receiving the signal. but
that each lever performed a certain
delicate operation. I say delicate,
because every single movement has
behind it tons of weight and power.
Consequently the levers must be
handled as carefully as the con-
trolls on an airplane. A movement
that was too fast, or carried too far.
might mean not only the destruction
of the crane, but the snufing out
Of one or more lives.
saw them remove the immense
hammer from the spud, or I-beam,
and lay it down on the deck. Did
you ever hit your finger with q
hammer? Well, just imagine that
hammer head as being 8 or 3 feet
long and weighing several tons, and
suppose it Is your head instead Of
Evening star., 1938-12-04
GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKE
CUSTIS,
Son of John Pdrke Gusts.

nected with Washington City by .
new and free national bridge. The
turnpikes to Alexandria and Fair
fax Court House pass through 1t,
and it is also intersected by the
road from Georgetown to Alexan-
dria, and by the location Of the
Alexandria canal. The railroad
from Richmond to Fredericksburg
is nearly completed and surveys
have been made with q view to its
extension to Alexandria and WASH
ington, in which case its terminus
will be Jackson City, and will open
direct communication with the
James River improvements and the
southwestern works, and thus at
tract a large portion of the rich
cotton crops of those fertile regions
to jackson City, where q transfer
to tonnage must necessarily take
place, and thus, of course, confer
a great advantage on that locality
for the cotton trade.
THE great thoroughfare of travel
between the North and South,
Southwest, will be through Baltl-
more and the District cities when
the works at present under way are
completed, and it is probable that
many years will not elapse before a
direct communication by means of
railroads will be open between the
District of Columbia and New Or
leans, and the former will become
the recipient of the advantages
which will result from those great
works, which will embrace a large
portion of the middle, Western and
Southwestern parts of the Union
and converge upon her as a common
center"
The laying Of the corner stone of
this so-called "Humbug City" was
q notable event in local history. The
population Of the District at that
time was around 10000 and of the
Evening star., 1938-12-04

City Of Washington about 10000
and, judging by the reports, nearly
everybody turned out to witness the
parade and the ensuing exercises, in
which the idol Of the people, for
whom the city was named, was a
conspicuous part.
Few Of the newspapers here or
elsewhere looked upon the project
seriously. nearly all of them taking
the whole matter as a huge joke.
OF course, there had to be parade
incidental to the exercises, for WASH
ington rarely celebrates any impor-
tant occasion without a parade, a
brass band and fireworks, and this
was no exception. The start was
in front of Browns Hotel at 10
o'clock in the morning, Browns Ho-
tel being the Metropolitan, removed
a few years ago.
First came the Marine Band, and
then in order: The Committee of the
jackson City Association. Grand
Lodge Of the District of Columbia,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
orator, heads of departments. men,
bers Of Congress, officers of Congress,
officers Of the civil departments of
Evening star., 1938-12-04
Sernans army crossing Long Bridge by .uay of Jackson
City for the grand reute1D, May "a, 1865.
Named jackson City
In Honor of Executive
Family of First President
Associated With Its
Early History

the high grounds south of Gravelly
Creek on the mainland.
There can scarcely be q more
beautiful position for q city than
these grounds afford. It rises gradu.
ally from the river to the height of
IA feet, but the general elevation
of the plain is from so to go feet, and
may be rendered perfectly healthy
with the exception of the marsh of
Gravelly Greek, which it is proposed
to remove or cover with gravel.
There is no low ground in the vi
cinity and no cause whatever of
disease. On the contrary, its eleva-
ton and exposure are conducive to
health and comfort.
THE marsh of Gravelly Creek, as
has been stated, is on an average
about 1000 feet wide. and would
be covered by every high tide If it
were not for the artificial means
used to prevent the flow of the
tides over or through it. It is pro-
posed to excavate a basin in this
marsh 800 feet wide C1lling up the
remainder above the actions of tides
and floods and 20 feet deep at low
water, which will admit vessels of
the largest class engaged in foreign
trade.
"Excavating a basin $500 feet
above the bridge or causeway on
the turnpike would give a wharfage
Of very nearly q mile in length,
with ample room on both sides for
the transaction of any amount of
business; while along the basin, on
both sides, would be built the ware
houses and magazines, receptacles
for the various commodities of
trade. The elevated grounds, more
remote from the business quarter,
are capable of accommodating an
immense population, and the ada
cent country offers most beautiful
and romantic sites for country resi-
dences and elegant villas. Alexan-
ders Island might be converted into
fine public grounds or useful gar
dens. to minister to the pleasures,
comforts and wants of the citi-
Zens.
jackson City. from its position,
will possess peculiar and important
advantages for trade. It is con-
Evening star., 1938-12-04

did carriage and prancing hunter,
down to the humble dearborn, and
rezinate, moved of from the rem
dxvous at Browns Hotel, in the di-
rection of the Long Bridge. The in
spring strains of martial music, the
gay paraphernalia of the Masonic
Fraternity and the green banners Of
the Hibernian Society. with the mot
ley and highly respectable appear
ance of the crowd, gave great excite
ment and an imposing effect to the
procession. 1t was fine sight, to
stand upon the opposite side and see
the dense mass as 1t poured across
the magnificent bridge which spans
the Potomac. For about an hour. the
whole length of that splendid struc-
ture was crowded with a stream Of
population, gathered from every cor
ner of the District and the neighbor-
ing counties of Virginia and Mary
land, and which kept pouring in one
continuous current toward the ap-
pointed spot"
"After the stone was laid the Presi-
dent and the gentlemen by whom he
was accompanied were conducted to
a platform erected for the purpose
from which G. w. P. Gusts, Esquire
addressed the crowd. After the COL
lation, at which appropriate toasts
were drunk, the company soon dis
persed."
But important events had hap
pened in this part of Virginia many
years before Gen. Jackson came To
Washington, or any one ever thought
of naming q city for him. Indeed
if we 60 back to 1869, We will find
that q large tract of land, containing
5000 acres, which embraced what is
now the city of Alexandria and ali
Evening star., 1938-12-04

Working Group Performs With Skill and
Faces Tasks as Hazardous as Any
of Those Who Live in Peril

weight-bearing capacity Of at least
100, 900 pounds, or fifty tons.
Accidents sometimes happen, and
then only the presence of mind born
of long years of practice prevents
death and destruction. The prev
iously mentioned levers which are
fastened to the feet of the operator
with toe-clips control the brakes,
which in turn regulate the speed of
any object that is being lowered.
There was the time when my friend
was lowering the entire assembly,
including the steam hammer, the
spud, and the 80-foot log, into posi-
ton to drive the log into the mud.
Several workmen were directly be-
low it, ready to guide 1t into place.
The operator was standing with his
whole weight on the brake levers in
order to keep the load from dropping
too fast. Suddenly a lever broke,
throwing him of balance and down
against the machinery. A couple of
hundred tons of death plummeted
earthward toward its helpless VIC
tins. But even as the operator fell,
his arm was reaching for the little
piece Of stiff wire projecting from
the dog" His hand touched it as
he went down, pushing it into place.
and stopping the falling load
scarcely q hairs breadth from the
men beneath. The dog" is q
rachel which operates on gears on
the brake drum.
The workmen take such little in
cidents as all part of the days
work. If you wonder why they re-
main on such dangerous job, there
are two answers. One Is that 1t
pays fairly we'll and most Of them
have wives and children to support,
and after all, jobs don't grow on
bushes these days. The other is
that they take pride In their work,
and their ability to do their job well,
ability that was gained the hard way,
through hard work. The fact that
they are still alive is one of the chief
attestations of their ability.
Next summer, or whenever the
project is finished, and you walk out
onto your new concrete pier, II you
feel apprehensive about what is be-
tween you and the deep, dark water
below, let your fears be at rest
There is good solid pine log, about
IS inches In diameter, driven from
thirty to fifty feet into the mud at
every five feet. For every one o1
these logs there is an unwritten epic
Of daring and proud labor, symbol
izing mans eternal conquest Of tn,
laws Of nature and physics.
Evening star., 1938-12-04

q finger that gets In the way OF it!
After lifting it enough to slide it
of the I-beam tracks, the operator
lowered it very carefully toward the
deck. Two men were standing be-
low it to catch it and guide it to
q safe resting place as soon as 1t
came within their reach. This was
ticklish Job. The crane could not
be moved about very much, because
the I-beam was still dangling from
the end of 1t. AS soon as the bot
tom of the hammer touched the
deck, 1t was still worse, because the
men must keep 1t upright at the
center of balance. OF course. the
cable from the crane would prevent
it from falling all the way over, but
If it got of balance, 1t could fall
and swing far enough to crush a
man like q fly if he happened to get
backed up against anything. I no
ticed the operator watching the
balance Of the thing like q cat,
raising q little or lowering q little,
If the top appeared about to swing
over. After the workmen had 1t
directly over the spot where they
wanted to lay it down, the next
Job was to stand from under and
push it of balance in the direc-
ton that it must lay, and keep it
from swinging or rolling while the
operator lowered it gently to its
side.
All this sounds very easy, and 1t
looks easy, until one realizes the
ponderous weight that they were
pushing around. The steam ham,
mer unit complete weighs 10000
pounds. The hammer head, OF
plunger, as it is called, weighs halt
of that. Steam is introduced into
a cylinder in the unit by means Of
q hose. The pressure pushes the
plunger up three feet. It trips q
valve, releasing the pressure, and
falls of its own weight down on the
pile, tripping another valve which
lets the steam under 1t again. II
strikes 60 times q minute, or once
every second. The force Of the blow
Is q variable quantity. depending
upon the distance the pile sinks ir
the mud, that is, the resistance Il
offers. II it goes down one foot
when the hammer strikes, the force
is 2, ATS. ~ pounds. The pile Is driver
down until the gage shows 100,00(
pounds for each Of 10 blows without
sinking to any appreciable extent
Thus the inspector can certify tina
each individual pile has q tes
Evening star., 1938-12-04

the United States, officers of the
Army and Navy, officers of the mi
litia of the District of Columbia,
members and officers of the councils
of Washington, Georgetown, Alex
andria and Baltimore; judges and
officers of the several courts in the
District of Columbia, officers and
members of literary, mechanical and
other societies: professors and stu
dents of seminaries of learning, citi-
zens and strangers.
We are told that the following cit
izens were appointed marshals for
the day: John Dulany, R. Beale. J. N.
Moulder, Col. Brearley. Col. Hodson.
Capt. Brockett, Col. D. Butler. Ed
ward w. Clark, E. Mason, j. Mason,
Maj. T. B. Rely and E. J. Hume
That the citizens might not doubt
that these men were Of distinctive
rank, as they marched along in the
parade, they were told to appear in
blue sashes.
"At 10 o'clock" according to the
press, "the dense mass Of popula-
ton, on foot and disposed in every
species of locomotive, from the splen-
Evening star., 1938-12-04
Pile Driving Puts Colossal Steam Hammer
Into Action With Force That Requires
Vigilance of Trained Men

octupus would be to a guy with .
job like that!"
A big colored man out on the front
deck, whom I secretly suspected of
being a Hollywood star incognito on
account of the very smoked glasses
that he wore, sticks up q cotton
gloved hand and wiggles couple of
pudgy fingers. Instantly my friend
pushes all the levers in sight and
things begin to happen. The crane
reaches down, picks up one end Of an
80-foot log, hoists the length Of 1t in
the air, and bangles it against q
great 1-beam which hangs from the
top Of the crane. A pair Of steel
arms on the I-beam close around the
log, embracing 1t with an air of utter
finality. You can almost hear them
say, I've got you now: you'll never
get away"
The colossal steam hammer,
weighing tons and tons, suspended
from the crane by still another
cable 30 that 1t slides down the
I-beam on tracks, fairly leaps down
on the upper end Of the log, jam
ming black steel cap down over the
face of it, for all the world like an
executioner's hood. The man be-
hind the dark glasses smites the
palm of his hand with his flst, the
operator pulls q throttle, the great
hammer lazily lifts itself the length
Of its steel legs, and then drops with
q resounding crash on the head OF
the log, amid q great discharge OF
steam. With an air Of great bore
dom, it gets up again, stretches it.
self, and jumps down on top of the
log again. Warming to its task, II
repeats the exercise, increasing the
rhythm, until, finally, it is jumping
up and down on the log with the
regularity Of clockwork. The log
sinks from 8 inches to Q foot in the
mud at each blow.
Pretty soon Dark Glasses wiggles
his fingers again. My friend closes
the throttle and pushes q couple o1
levers. The hammer straightens ur
to its full height and takes . breath
ing spell. The I-beam, whose name
is Spud, "rassles" with the log for .
moment, trying to get it to stand ur
straight and take Its beating like &
good log. Getting q hammer lock or
it, spud holds it up straight, ths
moving finger moves again, and tn.
hammer sighs and goes back to work
The hapless log goes on down ii
the mud until its feet strike bed
rock. The arms are unclasped, tn,
Evening star., 1938-12-04
By p. B. Sanc0mb.

Being a charter member of the
Ancient Order of Steam Shovel
Watchers, it was with some dismay,
mixed with feeling of righteous in
dignation, that I noted the high
board fence along Water street, ef-
fectively screening the operations of
several cranes and pile drivers en-
gagged In the new yacht basin beau
tification project. I was uncertain
as to whether I should take the
matter up with my Congressman,
stage sit-down strike on top Of the
fence, where I could see what was
going on, or picket the place with a
sign reading Unfair to Steam Crane
Watchers"
However, I discarded each Of these
ideas as impractical, after making
the acquaintance of q man who Is
the answer to a steam crane watch
er's prayer. He was none other than
the operator of the mightiest crane
on the job, and he invited me to
come aboard his barge and watch
operations to my hearts content.
And, after comparing his income
with my own, I have decided to give
up writing and become a crane
operator.
This gentlemans machine Is q
pile driver, equipped with q man.
moth steel crane and q steam driven
hammer. The works are mounted on
an enormous barge, about so feet
long and about as feet in the beam
In order to keep out Of the way Of
the crew, and also to avoid being
knocked for a loop by one of the
great logs that are constantly swing
ing through the air at the end Of the
chain, I had to approach the barge
from behind by rowboat. A set Of
iron rungs bolted to the side of the
barge provided . means Of climbing
up to the deck. Scrambling over 9
coal pile which lay right In front oi
the last rung, I found myself at the
portals Of the inner mysteries Of the
steam cranes.
My friend sat in the cabin at q
bench. around which bristled from
all sides q formidable array Of levers
throttles, brakes, pull-eadgets. push.
gadgets and whatnot. He had lever
fastened to each foot with toe-clips
he was holding down another level
by sitting on it, one hand was on Z
lever In front of him and the othel
was on throttle behind him.
I thought, What . help Oscar tn
Evening star., 1938-12-04

Directly aboue Arlington Springs the east of Arnq
ton National cemetey set aside as please resort in the
1Cho resided at Abingdon.
Center aboue historic Abingdon haze been built
6y John Alexander prior to 1877 the home
GUSTS son OF Martha Washington destroyed by fire
March 5, 1880. 30 ''
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Modern Inca Empire

Americans are accustomed to monarch ist movements in Europe. They know vaguely of pretenders to the non-exist- ent thrones of France, Austria, Russia, and so on. Such a movement in this hemisphere, however, is little startling. The existence of an Inca Monarchist party in Ecuador got into the news the other day when twenty-six-y year-old Huar- acha Duchicela of that country sent to the Lima Conference plea and program for restoration of the old Inca Empire with himself as its emperor. He calls himself "The Inca of America" In the ancient Inca regime the supreme ruler was known as "The Inca" or "Only Inca"
 It is unlikely that anything at all will be done in response to his communica- tion, even in the way of speech-making The Inca Empire, when Pizarro con quered it, extended from Quito, Ecuador, to the Maule River in Chile, some distance south of Valparaiso. That is an extensive area, and it is certain that Ecuador, Peru and Chile could not be induced now to surrender their respective portions of it. Yet the incident provides colorful footnote to past history and the history that is in the making at Lima.