Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / March 20, 1909, edition 1 / Page 11
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SUPPLEMENT i -- . , . .. " r - .. . . . - ... :. r ... ... , . ., . ,, . - - I I STEADY PROGRESS OF ' THE INDIANS - : jfueh Has Been Accomplished by" Commissioner Leupp He Has Found Help in Congress and Has Se- cured Passage of Many Helpful Measures The Red Man Has B een Taught to Work . A Bit of Roose ve It Policy Applied to Him Some L eupp Reforms. VTASHIN'GTON. MARCH 20. Francis E. Ueupp. Commissioner, of jadlan .UTairs. sent his resignation to present Taft and later withdrew it, lv rQu.ft of the President. This is Bot an unusual proceeding upon the jncon'.iuir of a new President, but the f'ircum?tances In this case are such a3 to make it noteworthy. vCommls svnr Leupp has desired for some pcr.rhs to be relieved of the cares of f.it Koauso of ill health, and the rvcu ?t of the President merely postpones for a few months his eventual retirement: but the. reason tack of the request is that the Presl itnt !oi9 not want to fill the posi ta hastily or with any person not in sympathy with the general line of frf:ck-3 initiated and executed with 1?ca sicnai success py ine outgoing ror.mu-sioner. Xh admiration of Commissioner Lrur? is noteworthy In so many par tcnlars that a newspaper letter fonr.s a poor vehicle for discussion of all the questions which- it might b profitable to review. Like all in- cumbT.ts of this delicate office, Mr. IfurP nas met with his share of popular criticism In the performance of bis duties, and some of this has come from sources where less is kacn of the intricacies of the In ian question than In the office of the commissioner. It has been hon ttx criticism, however, : and as such .s ivepected: although so far much of it has failed to Impress President Rooeevelt or his successor with its talae. Th? essence of the Leupp - policy li bt-en that the Indian is to be re firJeJ ver much like any other hu- stn being: demanding certain pe culiarities of treatment, of course. but than some persons have im tr.neJ. If the ultimate solution of the " Indian problem"' unlike that tf the negro is to be assimilation with thef white race. It follows obvl ous'.y enough that the natural . and proper policy in dealing with him Is to fit him for. such association. The Indian absorbs rather than Imitates In fact, unlike the negro, he scorns taxation and Js tenacious of his own v&ys. To teach through absorption. lr example so unconsciously exer cj&d that the Indian himself, while comprthending It. Is given no occa f n to resent It has been the govern- tzg thought in some. of the most im portant phases of Indian work. jnIh Iron's Experiment. a 111.. . I AM wKa 4 n cay be cited In the experience of ene of the ablest-: and most critl cised of the Indian agents In the Southwest, William P. Shelton. who win be remembered as one of - the fakers at the last Mohawk confer ence. One of the tasks of the agents fci reservation centres Is the con fomction of homes for the Indians. Instead of trying to supply them with the bes- th could -be erected. 21r. Shelton has deliberately pursued the policy of building cottages of lo cal materials, like adobe, which are ccly a shade better than those con cructed by the Indians themselves. They contain one or two minor im provements, but otherwise are hard ly distinguishable from the ancestral tww.Unrs of their occupants.- The rult in practice has been that the Xs&t&ns have not been shocked by iaaoTations which, they thought were being forced upon them by the white an, while the Improvements sug rted in the new houses have been 1thin their comprehension. When they built for themselves, therefore, they almost Insensibly followed the tew design. The next step, of course, via carry them further. Another striking illustration of the alue of teaching through knowledge cf Indian nature Is furnished by an other agent, who wanted three men , la come to the agency to live as as- -stant farmers. They demurred. ayin? that they did not want to live m white men. Then come and live as Indians,' ill the agent. ' "But we do not want to leave our les and children," argued the in Clans. : "Bring them along with you. sug fested the a rent. But the Indians ere still unwilline. . "We do not want to eat off tables end use cups and spoons." persisted red men. ' "Come along and eat In the Indian !. suggested the agent. The Indians came and ocupled ree old shacks which the agent a about to tear down when the a of returning the Indians came lo him. Within a year. In their white 'nvironment. they were eating off ta- using cups and laucers and otn frtise imitating tHe white life around wem. - Iupp Thinks Well of Congresa. One of the most gratifying experi Jncs of Commissioner Leupp has ln that with the members of Con ps. It annihilates at one swoop jhe eld idea, still too prevalent, that ""Congress is out to do the Indian." He has had from the first of his ad ministration the heartiest co-opera- on of the Indian committees of both jnate and House, and has proved to complete satisfaction that all Con fress needs to legislate wisely for ne Indian is the advice of men in hose Judgment and experience the jnembers have confidence. One of the first acts of his administration aa to abolish a system of long stand ,a which in Itself constituted the '"t outrageous and unwarrantable ''flection upon Congressmen. This as the practice whereby the Indians rad been accustomed to hire private Jl attorneys, most of them shys rs, to obtain for them patents in for their land-when they desired j Change their original limited pa ints. The inference of this system a that these lawyers, by the use of "little money and "influence" In ashmgton. were able to get from e Department documents and con cessions which the Indians could not pt otherwise. Mr. Ieupp removed 's continual source of suspicion to ra members from the Indian states by substituting direct-negotla-non with the Department, which rec plxed the plain rights of the In- rined7UhOUt the necesslty ' an In" A Reversal of Policy, reversed -lo the former poller Cvl ktpt wfcita Taen'ovt cf t1-" T-- dian reservations and confined the Indians to them. He encouraged re putable white, farmers to take up lands among the Indians and the In dians to work o'utside, and thus learn the value of a dollar. The. plan has woraea wen. it has given the Indian the education he could not otherwise obtain and instructed him in the ways of the white man without appearing io ao so. -s ine law against he Illicit traffic was . a dead letter when Mr. Tnrn iuuk cnarge or the Indian Bureau four years ago. He at once placed us eniorcement In the hands of Wil nam E. Johnson, a "character" upon whom he could depend, and soon the wires Detween the Indiaif region and Washington were hot.-vlth complaint. Johnson's reports to the department "would make your hair stand on end," as one. Senator expressed It, and one of the reports finally got to Presi dent Roosevelt along with a howling complaint. . k "I don't know this man Johnson, or what he is doing." wrote Roosevelt to the commissioner. "You had bet ter look into this and see what there is to It." x . 'I know him," wrote Leupp. in re ply. "He Is doing in the Indian coun try Just what you are doing all over the country making oad people obey the law." "Tell him to keep at It," came back like a flash from the White House. Congress now understands how val uable Is this work among the Indians, and how well it is beina- done, and the appropriations to varry It on have Increased steadily from $10,000 to idu.ooo a year. . Indians Raisins Egyptian Cotton. One of the most important of -the agricultural experiments made bv the Indian commissioner came about in an odd way. Some people In the Southwest wanted to nut throueh what Commissioner Leupp regarded as an Impossible irrigation - scheme, which would cost the . government about $2.500. 000. The crater obtained rrom pumping would be useless " for farming purposes, they said, as it was alkaline. 'We don't know about that." said Leupp. "Let us first find out whether that water Is good Tor anything or not." ... He then hitched up with the ' De partment of Agriculture and found an enthusiastic sympathizer in Pro fessor Swingle, of the Bureau of Plant Industry. Certain tracts on the res ervation were laid out for experi mental , purposes, the exploration branch supplied the seeds, the de partment sent down a scientist and the Indian Commissioner furnished a local farmer and Indian laborer, be sides Installing a pumping . plant. This was only about a year ago, and to-day t that land is producing the best Egyptian cotton used in the United States and th'e best Bermuda 1 onions in the country, besides pro ducing them In larger luantitles than anywhere else. Commissioner Leupp believes that here is the making of one of the most Important develop ments of the. cotton industry since the Invention of the cotton gin,' and that befose long the cotton manufac turers of Mew England will be Inves tigaung ,tais new source of supply. The man who gets in first, will make the most money, too. The new farm ing industries thus produced, with 'impossible" water upon "impossible" soil, bid fair to give extensive and congenial employment to the Indians, and to enrich white men from the hoe to the dry goods' counter. The By-a-Lif-le Case. ' Starting with the idea that the In dian question is a human and not a race question, the Indian -Commis sioner has followed undeviatingly the policy he marked out for himself. Ior has he wavered under the bit ter criticisms launched against some Of the most worthy of his official acts. The so-called By-a-lil-le case. In which the critics rely upon a judicial decision of 1878, Is not yet settled, but Mr. Leupp awaits the outcome with great equanimity. This was a case In which certain riotous jNava hoes were arrested for depredations upon the persons and property of cer tain peaceful-v In'dians. ,They were taken by United" States cavalry, by order 'of the commissioner, and 'are now confined In Port" Huachuca. Their leader, By-a-Iil-Ie, was a "med icine man," and accustomed ' to boast to his people that if the government sent troops after him he would make medicine and strike them blind and send poisoned darts into them. The Indians flreavupon the troops, thus. making them "hostile," and were to be sentenced to ten years' imprison ment. Commissioner Leupp. Insisted upon Indeterminate sentences, how ever, on the theory that the pur pose of the governemnt In causing the arrests was only to make the hostiles understand that they must behave themselves, and that as soon as they were convinced of this they might go free. With the legal and other ques tions Involved readers are familiar through repeated discussions . in the press; but the principle followed by Mr. Leupp in these prosecutions is the same that has -underlain his whole policy that the Indian should be treated like any other human being. The United States District Court of Arizona already has decided In fa vor of the commissioner's contention In the case. .The. question 'Will now be decided by the full bench of the Territorial Court of Appeals. The question at issue, as Mr. Leupp un- I derstands It, Is whether the same le gal rule applies to Indians who lead peaceful lives as to Indians who are in a state of hostility. The Standing eBar decision recognized Indians .as persons" within the meaning of the law. with the right to go where they pleased: but the case was tried In another jurisdiction and under whol ly different circumstances; for. the In dians tried in the Standing Bear case were peaceably making their way back from the Southwest " to the homes in South Dakota from which they had been cruelly but legally ejected. ' - - Several Leupp Reforms, v The Leupp policy In dealing with the-Indian has. been the broad one of letting him alone "as to his habits as en inciviairai, ex?ept protect 7 m Sc f v -, .. I 1 t George W. Aldridge, . the . well known politician, who has been ap pointed surveyor of the Port of New York in place of James T. Clarkson. PARADISE OF THE COUNTERFEITER Bad Coin Is as Good as the Govern ment's .Money iu Spain. New York Press. The counterfeiter Is the hermit among criminals. He- never works in the light of day, and when occasionally he is run down by Uncle Sam's de tectives he invariably is found hiding in a dark hole, like a bat. Spain Is the counterfeiter's paradise. There he hardly takes the trouble to work un der cover, and Alfonso's is the only government which" gives official recog nition to him. A blg'percentage of the 600,000,000 five-peseta pieces Held in reserve lit' the vaults of. the Bank of Spain is made, up of counterfeit. coin. The Dons do not track the counterfeit- ers . because the counterfeit coin is equal to the government article in point of fineness and, weight., The counterfeiters . use dies that turn out coins exactly like those, made in the AN UNUSUAL FIGHT IN A;B1RD CAGE A Remarkable Duel to the Death Be tivoen Mouse, and a Canary Bird. New1 ;'York Press - ' -. A newspaper man, who calls ? a JVastiipgton square boarding house his home,' in a moment " of weakness consented to act 'as guardian of a ca nary ibird owned by another bdardor, on of the fair-sex, who had to go oul of town foj a week.: The bird s name is Vale"htfne. In his brass sage Valen tine was suspended ey.a spring hang er "tin the window of. the newspaper man's room, the top of-the cage being juei on a level with, .the top of the first, sash, but about ' three. .Jnches away from it. On either side of the cage a lace purtain draped to .the floor. The -first day of guardianship, in the afternoon Just befpre leaving far his office, the newspaper man filled Valentine's water bowl and seed cup and departed, secure in the beliefthat all would :be well. Returning about 3 o'clock the following morning he found Valentine wide awake and nex- vously hopping from7 perch to perch. honing his bill 1 and opening and shutting his wings On the floor seed hand sand: were- scattered thickly around for a radius of a couple of feet. . .. A. -dirty feeder," was the man's comment, as he swept up seed and sand-with a whisk broom-. The fol lowing 'morning conditions were, simi lar an excited bird and much eed and sand on the carpet. The third day was the: newspaper man's Vday off," .when he did not got to the of fice. That evening he was in. his room by midnight, settled down to the en joyment of book fend pipe: Back of hin as he sat in his. chair was the window, with .Valentine's hanging cage. In front and a little to the left of him was his bed. ' After reading for an hour or so the man happened to glance . from, his book in the direction of the bed. Ci eeping across the floor toward him was a mouse not much larger than a chocolate drop. A -movement of tho chair and the mouse vanished under the bed, to reappear when absolute stillness coaxed it out. Slowly at first, and then quicker and quicker, the tiny animal traveled, passing the watching man and reaching the bottom of the lace curtain. Up this it went with ap parent ease, pausing now and then in its climb 'as the curtain swayoJ slightly under its weight - and exer tion. Finally it was as high as the top of the 'lower window, where a cord-and-tassel Toop caused part of the cur lain, to rest on the sash. To gain the narrow ledge formed. by the top of the sash- was an. easy, v ma iter for .the mouse. The watching-"; man -turned noiselessly to face the-window. ..Along". the ledge , went, the moiise until it was opposite the bird. cage in which Valentine;:-head-.under wintj. dept. From . "the, ledge- to the top. of V Beckah WinitJirop, Aseistanit- Secre--tary. of the Navy antd the man wCio is s4iid to have the longest pedigree of a!uy roan in public, life in Washing tjn. ; ' .. - . - MONKEYS THAT ARE NEAR HUMAN TO EREC T MA TERIAL TESTING 'MACHINES United States Government, Spending :. Millions in- Con-, striiction Work Annually, Peels Necessity of Accu- rate Knowledge of Strength of Building Mate- . v m rial Machine Will Weigh 200 Tons. . ; WASHINGTON, " MARCH 20. -The largest machine, in the world for. test ing . the strength of structural mate rials used vin great buildings and en- government mints and, depend for .,' OM, tw,ea i,,ju profit upon the difference between IV lXr .V.- cost of the bullion in it. J cage 'violently. Ot from, 'under "hia Coin collectors are never" happier " '"H a crylns baby. ire counter-1 .. .- .. . i . "ihnrii;.:pi .than when .'fingering's' rare counter feit. Only- the. other day, a -spurious Spanish doubloon brought $60 under the auctioneer's hammer in this city. That was one of the rare Instances in which t the value topped that of the genuine piece. But this coin has been held by men wise in the lore of the numismatist as a work of art. It is taken as one of the finest specimens of the platinum "fakes," once fairly common, but now so rare as to rank as curiosities. The doubloon, made from platinum dipped in gold, ' cir culated freely two generations ago, but there is good reason for the coun terfeiter in these days keeping his fingers off platinum. It is - worth more than gold. The intrinsic value Of the doubloon in gold is $15. The plctlnum counterfeits the prevailing market rate has an intrinsic value of $17.50. So there you are. ' Before platinum became an aristo crat among precious metals it went into many imitations of United States eagles and British sovereigns. If the counterfeiters could have read the future they could have made money for their heirs by buying" platinum and waiting for the rise in the market. But there's nothing more uncertain than the law of supply arid demand, and other counterfeiters ' have beerr fooled. A bright Yankee a few' years ago scraped enough together to buy a .silver mine and struck off a heap of counterfeit Mexican dollars. The fraud was discovered in the Philadel phia mint, and. the story that was told w as enough to make the smart Yan kee whistle out of the other side of his mouth. His .coins assayed at an instrinsic value of $1.50, because, there happened to be a streak of gold in that silver mine, and every dollar had Its share of yellow metaT TThis is the most peculiar instance on. record of the counterfeiter being beaten. by simple rules Intended to keep him out of trouble. 'with -che white , race. These rules : relate - chiefly - .to - the de- cencies of attire, food and 'drink and to .sanitation. He has tried to influ ence him by reason,", yet avoiding sug gestions which .would De beyond com prehension. "The Indian - absorbs," says -Commissioner i.eupp, ."but ; he cannot be driven." - V - The establishment of an Indian la bor bureau, on - the theory to - which reference lias been made, was one of the first acts of the Leupp adminis tration. In the suppression of the li quor traffic the commissioner' has had to contend with" a decision .of the United States Supreme Court that li quor cduld be sold or given to an In dian without Incurring the penalties of the law, but Congress " has ap proved - the campaign' of.-Mr. Leupp by .voting him increased appropria tions for .this -purpose. - Trade- with the Indians has been opened up, the commissioner believing that progress lay - in - accustoming the - Indians to take care of -themselves-in bargaining, combined with : rigorjbus. investigation of susDicious white tradesmen. In dian art and Industry has been en couraged by inducing some - traders to: pay better prices Tor well -made than for-careless and Inartistic Indian products, like blankets, 'toats, baskets and ' wood - ' carvings. " - Important changes In the -financial relations be tween the v Indians and the ; govern ment have been made, each - tending to advance the status of the red man as an individual. . . The attitude of - ijie bureau -toward its field officers has undergone a com plete change, and a spirit of . co-opera-, tion - ana irusv is uuuiuwu . of systematic suspicion. Office clerks have been encouraged to ask r for transfer' toxihe field service, and vice versa, withjgx&tlf ying 5 results In the ?.:ect!dn cfrir?-v. ' mouth open to emit a screech. Paying no attention . to the bird, or to the man, who had risen and 5 approached to cbserve the affair, the mouse drop ped through the wires to the, bottom of 'the cage and scurried tothe seeJ cup, into which it crawled as far as it could. - Only its hindquarters were visible. Valentine by this time appeared to be quite mad with excitement. lie hepped about, whetting his bill on hi3 perch and his cuttlefish bone, and echteching in a thin voice with a rage that was tntirely too big for his body. All at once he stepped, poised himself for a second with outstretched win-s, and v then swooped ' down on the marauding mouse. The hindquarters projected from the seel cup received it-dig from the bird's bill that brought 'the gorging thief away from the stolen.meal in a hurry and. a ball of 'animated fur rolled out at Valentine's feet. 1 The battle was on. ' Valentine, with rapidly moving wings, beat the mouse unmercifully, landing a Jab from his bill now and then that, tore the enemy's hide open. The mouse, -rush-i;vj In under the bird, sought to seize Its opponent's legs. Screeshes, squeals, sand and seed filled the air, and as the sand and seed fell to the floor the onlooker acquitted the Talrd of the charge of dirty feeding. By the stress of the conflict 'the cage was banged against the window, and vi brated on Its spring .hanger until the man expected It to fall. . Several times the mouse pulled the bird down, and the fighters rolled over and over like wrestlers, but gradually Valentine drove the mouse to the side wires, from where hard, pushing digs of the bill forced it out to the plat form' formed by the . extension of the cage's bottom To the edge of this platform 'crept the mouse, beyond the bird s reach. The man thought the 'battle was over, but it was not. " After resting foryless than half a minute the mouse essayed to re-enter the cage. Around and around .the platform it went seeking ingress, only to be - met by lightning Hke jabs of the bird. At last it slip ped in and the contest was renewed. The second round was short. Jabs from bill and -blows f rom , Wings again sent the. mouse :to; the wires, against which It backed up as If at toay. Cease lessly the bird punished the - animal until, In a furious mix-up. the shining bill landed a blow that Jknocked the mouse - out through the - wires, clear over the platform and to the floor. The man picked up" the mouse. One eye was gone and the body was limp. There. was a twitch or two and a spir it great enough for a robber -baron of old was free from its" humble little casing of flesh. Opening the window the man tossed the corpse to the roof of an adjoining church. The fcird? Valentine closely watch ed the disposal of. the plunderer's re mains, and when ' the mangled mouse went into the .darkness he hopped stiffly to a perch and burst into a song that told in every note of the victor's glory in triumpA. When the man took him out of the: cage to dress his wounds with chloroform liniment he resisted fiercely Half :a dozen feath ers had been pillledyout, and -one leg had been skinned from the thigh to the foot. One toe was bitten off, the top of his bill was dulled 'and crack ed, and he still was a disfigured-Valentine when his - mistress E returned. Now he' is as well as ! ever, and r his seed- and' sand never" are : found-- on the carpet.' ' " : Soldier's Experience -With Three Simians hi the Philippines. Kansas City Journal. Do you know that there Is an un derstanding between a. man and a monkey that's almost human on the P&rt of the monkey, of course?," ask ed a man recently. who hati served as a soldier in the" Philippine campaign "Over in the islands," he went on, between puffs at a pipe, "there was hardly a company that did not have from one to a half dozen-.- monkeys, and sometimes more. -Of course, they were great pets fcr.. the boys, and they, ail tried ,. to . teach them trfeks. - Many of the "boys slept with, their simian plaj mates - when- they were not on a "hike, -und .when .leaving for & tramp 1 have seen them, tid the monkeys fare well as if .they were brothe-rs. On return " I shave seen th"e monkey bound on.,th,em,, bite their inecks soft and caressingly-and make a noise like Thcre -were three such monkeys in the -.town -of :-Balangi, . Province ; of Bataan -Island- of Luzon. Tom, Jerry and Jimmy .Hicks were their names, and they would answer to them with the regularity of a soldier at roll call. When you called Tom there was' a peculiar screech, and Jerry tand Jim my Hicks kept silent. If. either of them was called the others' paid no attention. They were well trained, and were the life of Captain Granville Se vier's Company E, Thirty-second Uniicd States volunteers... "These three shining lights were the sole property of two soldiers whom I can now recall only as 'Big Dan' and 'Dutch Emil.' They had worked hard with them, trained them, 'eaten with them, slept with them and al ways took them along when the com pany moved in quarters. - "One day two of the boys turned up with the smallpox. They were isolated in a little tent away from camp and the rest of the hoys were -vaccinated, as was the custom. One man, an im mune, was assignea to care ior tnem, and aside from that they were all alone. ' . "Tom, Jerry and Jimmy Hicks were always out scouting, -tut they knew where home was and- were regular as a soldier at mess. It so happened one day in their meanderings that '.they were playing not far from trie tent where the two boys with the smallpox lay Homesick', lonesome and knowing that, they' were, soon to die-as none of our men ever get well of the small pox " over there the poor fellows caught sight of the monkeys, and, not realizing the danger to their com rades, called to them "The little simians ran to the . tent and clambered ' onto ; the cots of the dying men. They seemed to know them, their guard reported later. He realized the danger, however, and at once secured the monkeys near t the tent and reported the matter to the major surgeon. " . . . ' . "The verdict was that the pets , must die, as they were easy agents for the transmission oi tne .disease. " 'Vnrcinate 'em.' said Big.Dan. Til stav with .'em 'till they're well. 'Me, too,' came, from Dutch Emil. Dan- an' me will stand th' yatch to- eedder day und night. -, . . "it was no use, the death sentence Viufl ; hsen. nronounced. and ' death ..- it had to be. The safety of the camp ,de rended uDon it. Not -a man- in that company, nor a soldier, in the camp could be found to carry out. the sen tence. Two natives took them out and; b-nier! them. and. . after they were buried, appropriate-slabs were erect ed to their . memory . by Big Dan, Diiteh Emil and. the rest of the com pany. The camp went -Into voluntary mourning and Dutch' Emil and Big Dan were "strong "for placing -the flag at half mast." ... . v ...y . .. -Anthony Comstocks! "65th birthday was the occasion -for :union. services by the Methodist and Baptist churenes cf i!tt, N. J. ' Rough Handling For Jojr ;Tliief ." . Le':Figaro., u;'.; . -, rs A voung girl of 15, Mile.. Yyonne Mever. living in he Rue-Petrelle, was taking for a walk her dog, which she held hv a leather strap the bother day, When a .man who - had been following her suddenly cut the - strap . with a knife "tad picking up the animal dash ed off. ':'--:: ':' ' -'-v":-- '.". Ef e witnesses of the scene ; pursued the thief, whom they had almost over taken when he "threw the dog under the wheels of a-passing autobus in the Rue -Rochechouart. ' The animal was instantly killed, and while Mile. Meyer, who had fainted ,from emotion at see ing her pet's v fate, was- treated ' at . a local pharmacy the thief "was -captured and rougftly' handled by the crowd.' He was handed over 4 to the - police, but r'-??9d. to'-reveal; his Identity."': , r - -. '.. gineering works is about to be erect ed by the United States government at the Geological Survey Testing Sta tion,. Pittsburg, Pa!' t will weigh more than 200 tons and will tower in the air to an extreme height of about eighty feet above the foundations. It will exert a maximum pressure of ten million pounds, which is equivalent to placing a load of five thousand tons upon the beam or, ' column to De tested. This great machine will be housed in a structure, one hundred feet in height and of unusual strength to wl hch the testing apparatus will be secured by great .rods, " in ' order to brace it against -any sudden pressure while the columns are undergoing the strain upon them. Elevators will run to the top of' the' machine so that the experts may examine the . columns being tested from any point of view to detect the first" signs of weakening. When the Quebec bridge collapsed with great loss of life, general com ment was made by engineers, and oth ers of the lack of knowledge concern ing the strength : of great columns used in such a structure and a plea was made that a testing machine of sufficient strength be erected' so that the engineerings may have accurate data as to the " amount of load such a . bridge should carry... With the construction of .this machine it will be possible to test steel columns one half the size " of the largest chords now used in any bridge. . This will be a decided gain to the engineering wcrld which has been anxiously await ing the construction of such a ma chine. ' .' However,' this is not "the primary purpose of this powerful testing appa ratus. Mr. Joseph A.' Holmes, ex pert in charge of -the -a technologic branch, United States .Geological. Sur- -vey, under whose general direction the investigations areO Be conduct ed, said to-dav: '"This machine was1 acquired -for-the purpose of testing the strength of large blocks of stone, col umns of concrete and brick used in the building and construction work of the government. , The Federal government is the largest builder in the world, and ft is essential, if the money is to be expended wisely, that there be -a complete knowledge of the strength of the ma-erials used. The building and engineering construction work will require during the present arid the .next few years more than 70,000,000 per annum. It embraces Jfhe most important and far-reaching engineering work . undertaken by any government at any time and a pro gramme f public buildings costing from $12,000,000 to $15,000,000 per ai num. ' ' "he testi'5 of this machine if lie stone, concrete and brick columns .will dt U-T-.ine the r-j'aiive saitty, 'adapt abiliiy.and rii iit:' of thee mate ri&jt, and hew tlw quantity of each mat. i al use! may-' ho safely rt'miniah !, his "rf.-J'ucing the tost of the con- tf ictio.- w.irk. j In ihe past It has peen necessary tj determine t e sfei.t-th of idrge 'coir uriMi? on the aisamJon of tl"j values jbtai-ied foir. s'r. smaller eolumns, In-the case of .t;PO, the small pieces :cted were iiii -.it the usun 1 c.uarrled effects and seams which are' to be found In large pieces , of stone, and such tests as have been made show that the strength of the stone de creases as the size, of , the stone in creases.'' In . the erection of large buildings J.he strength of "these col umns hee)mes a very Important mat ter and it is absolutely . necessary that there be accuurate data as to the strength which may be expected from these materials - when sed in larger masses;' " . - "In the rapid development of this country the enormous locomotives of constantly v increasing size and the heavier tonnage have ? demanded a Leenstant Increase in the-size of bridges, with built-up 'structural members of such hize' thatwe have .been unable to "keep pace with experimental data to serve as a guide for such' structures.. As a result, - to-day we have .practi cally no knowledge of the strength of these' structures from actual tests and mus,t mase our -. Information"' on the tests, of very much smaller members. Bridges' suchras that which-collapsed at Quebec, 'coriiposed of number of members held together by riveted con nections, depend largely upon the ' de sign and' workmanship, and this fail ure has - demonstrated' It Is absolutely necessary . that-, tests --or -targe sizea members ; be, made In oder that 'the engineer may know. to what extent the built-up structure ts 'affected by, the workmanship, so "that he ; may - have knowledge as : to ; what ..'strength to allow for, these ..riveterd . i connections. which failed la the - Quebec bridge at , the present time, or of the size of.' the recently completed; Black w'ell la land bridge."'. ,f A machine of the ca- pacity which we are building In Pitts burg would test pieces of onerhalf the full size of these large cords to.'., within the elastic limit of the mate- ' rial, and would give the necessary in formation which is s odeslred.by thejV engineer."- '. .' . ' ' ' . .-. PROPOSED POSTAL SAVINGS BANK There is ho.machla'e in the world that Funny Experiences of the British ,- .Government With It. Tid Bits. '. " - . When we consider that ' one. per son out of every 1 six ' in - the United Kingdom is a depositor.' in the Post-;", office Savings Bank, it-is not difficult to -realize that' there are great .possi- , billties of, humor, -which is often the more amusing as it is unconscious. In fact, a most entertaining' volume could be composed merely of the humorous answers to . official ques-. tions put to depositors. '. To the question, ' for example, whether the would-be depositor's ad- , dress is permanent, 'such answers as . these have been ; received "Here is - i no' continuing city," "Heaven is our home." "Yes, D. V.""and "This is not- our rest." " ' '"' " . One such - question,, asking for J?ar- " ticulars of an acount, evoked theTfol- lown igmansuion 9moa,cbluasotf lowing amusing, - if irrevelent, reply, , "He . is a- fall man deeply. 'marked with smallpox, has. one; eye, wears- a V billycock hat and keeps -a- booth at Lincoln Fair," . . . - ". . .. . . .. Equally entertaining- are some of the entries' on the withdrawal. forms. , '." Thus one' depositor, scorning figures, . but evidently wishing to. .draw his last " ; penny, wrote: "Sir, I -. want, to closeV the bank" and " ambition. whjch, hap- . pily, was not realized. Another, equal ly ambiguous, wishes '"to. make a clearance," while athird, who is not; a 'born financier,, writes ion his form, . ' "The book fairly puzzles me." For downrfeht- magnanimity, ( however,' It would -be difficult to beat the. school-' bo who, when , withdrawing his shlll- ' gins, wrote, "Never, mind ithe lnterestr . ti can go towards paying off the na tional debt." i ... . . C v. . ' - That the postal authorities may' load ' no , time in ; sanctioning the required sons are given, as- fDOn't delay, ' my N. boy must have a -hew suit" for next . Sunday," "Hurry up, please, ' the bail iffs are in the house," "I . want It quick, to buy a birthday, present for my young- man' arid - -'If-' you aren't . quick it'll have to go towards my " funeral." ( . v " , " Orie -depositor, after apologizing for closing her acount, proceeded to ask ' the postoffice to 1 procure- work for herself and her husband.) who -had 4 been out of work' for several months. I "If we could - get . some-': car'taker's " place," she concludes,- i"we - wood ' thank you, as we are nearly, starvin. . 1 can do" anything ' myself- needle, niting or -cooking. I have a coeen in . your postoffice."- ..- j- . . v There Is a charming frankness in the entries sometimes 'made under the. head of "occupation." Thus, one ' man describes himself 'as "married. ' worse luck!" Another as' "still "revel- ' Ing in single' blessedness;" while a , third sums" herself up ias 'waiting for woman's suffrage." "A widow have buried a three of them"," confesses a 1 lady who learly e'njoys her emanclpa- tion; while 'another widow euphemis tically puts herself ' down as "living . privately." ' When -a mother, .who recently ' claimed the, money deposited by her ' dead son, was asked 'if the boy's fath er was still-alive; she responded hrlef- , ly, but to the point, "Father living, insignificant." (Another lady. ' In - a - similar position,' when told that -the money could only be paid to the 'de- . psitor's father, who ; was missing, ' re lieved her mind, thus: "fam sorry for "' giving you-so much vaiii trouble1 re- 1 garding this. Your decision -is - law, I v presume, and I can, otjly say -In the', words of Bumble, 'If that's wpt the . -Law says, the; LaWs a hass ah' a , -hidiot!' " : i r ' The claims - made ;by the creditors '. of deqeased depositors are often very , ; Ingeniously framed. Thus,- "Loss, o f - ' time and money in consulting a" so- '. licitor, 1 pound 10 shillings," appear- . ed as one of - the : Items of a recent ' ' , claim, which was actually allowed by the- solicitor to "the, postdfflce. More -' original still was a claim made , by the son of a dead depositor, who, .as investigation proved, came into the - world., before his father's marriage. When he was. informed of this- awk ward fact he' responded with a de-' mand for 2 pounds 5 shillings, for , shock ; to system :. on -, .'earing of 'my. - illegitimacy.' This was 'moral and . Intellectual . damage", with - a , ven- , geance. . ; ' , ; f. ' FIRST OF THE SWIFTS. The -Refrigerator Car the Invention of a Cape Cod Yankee. - Cosmopolitan. , Gustavus Franklin Swift, the first of this commercial dynasty, was a Cape Cod Yankee who bought a steer now and then: and peddled the meat from . the .back of a certain! go-cart . which has since become famous. He moved to ' Albany, arid : went deeper Into meats, discarding one af ter another nartners'. who had not the foresight and daring which v he' pos sessed. He located in Chicago at the beginning of those days", of great pos sibilities In bringing Into touch the new -West and the older East.' - It; was hewho Invented the first re frigerator cars. . This, was the one rev olutionary act' which put his sons and a few other sons in. "very fair control of half of the meat 'of America. ? ." He saw the marketfor dressed beef extended only r after the ;' hardest 'of fights. All great revolutions are 'fought against All the East, fiu.'England, all . , , ' -JS-- , '-, n Lurope, iongni ine iaea oi,. aressea could test-a ,chord,of4herEi2e -of tha haot and -tH t r'---. -
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 20, 1909, edition 1
11
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