Newspapers / The Roanoke Beacon and … / Nov. 25, 1910, edition 1 / Page 2
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pjJTO American Gibraltar in Manila Bay WASHINGTON. About two years hence if passengers on steamers entering Manila harbor and passing be tween the several small islands that guard the principal port of the Philip pines should inquire with indifferent interest as to the name and use of a small dun-colored rock, hardly discern ible any distance away and looking much like an irregular shaped house boat floating on the ocean, they will be told that they are looking at El Fraile Island. Perhaps, also, they will be told that the little island, scarce two hun dred feet square, is the most diaboli cally effective fortification of its size in the world. For eighteen months army engineers have been directing the work of forti fying what is intended as the backbone or keystone of the strong defenses in Manila harbor. They have resorted to a plan suggested by a young engineer officer after their superiors had thrown up their hands in despair at the pros pects of attempting to fortify the rock ;which showed its head above the water for so small an area. It involves the leveling of the island almost to the sur face of the sea and erecting a struc ture in the form of a battleship deck stripped for action. The artificial forti fying will be of steel and cement. The defenses of Manila bay entrance Treasury Building ER THERE WHEN the small army of architects and artisans has finished the work now in progress on the Uni ted States treasury building, the beau tiful old structure will show the first material change since 1S69. Architec turally it still will represent a pagan temple, indicating, many folk say, the American people's worship of money. But visitors to the nation's capital who have not seen the treasury in 40 years will find some changes for efficiency and economy. The nucleus of the present building, located where President Jackson, irri tated by the procrastination of con gress In choosing a site, put his hick ory stick down with a thump and ex claimed, "Put 'er there, on that spot," will remain unchanged, but the double stone staircase leading up to the colon nade on the Fifteenth street side has been torn away. Architects said it spoiled the beauty of that side of the fix.?- v , in ( w-a Big Job to Fill the Supreme Bench THE seven justices of the Supreme court of the United States, led by the venerable Justice Harlan, called on President Taft the other day to pay their respects. This annual call of courtesy reminded the president of a duty which is uppermost in his mind and occupying it almost to the ex clusion of any other consideration, for the president is called upon to re model the highest tribunal in the land. The president has appointed two justices already Hughes in place of Brewer, who died, and Lurton in place of Peckham of New York, also dead. TLese deaths removed a Republican and a Democrat, and their successors were of the same political faith. Since then Chief Justice Fuller, a Society Soldier Out at Fort Myer ALBERT J. MYER, the American army's gentleman soldier, is no longer wearing the uniform of an en listed man. He has left Fort Myer. the army reservation named for his Illustrious grandfather, and has gone back to Boston. " Not only was the passing of the dandy soldier sudden and unexpected, but the manner of his going sensation al. Mr. Myer, who was a corporal in the. signal corps, has been in the guardhouse since August. A recent verdict of a court-martial which tried tiira sentenced Corporal Myer to be reduced to the ranks, to be confined at hard labor for three months and to forfeit $50 of his pay. The court-martial was a little slow and Myer escaped its imprisonment penalty, having been discharged in present the most picturesque as well as the most complete set of fortifications Uncle Sam possesses. Stretching across the mouth of the harbor are a series of islands. The largest of these islands and the one which will be used as a base of supplies for the others is Corregidor, from which the first hostile gun was directed against Admiral Dew ey's fleet In 1S9S. On Corregidor the army is installing a 24 company post Warehouses of a capacity to contain supplies for a whole year for 20,000 men have been built. This island is considered impregnable from the sea side. But the most interesting of all the islands is the El Fraile, at present a tiny rock rising in a pinnacle ISO feet above the bay. The shape of the island will, as stated, be changed by means of steel and concrete walls which will extend below the water line, to resem ble the hull of a battleship. No sec tion of the island ground will be ex posed to fire. It will be surrounded and covered over by steel and concrete walls, about fifty feet thick on the sides and almost solid steel on the top On the surface of this "deck" two tur rets will be placed, each turret con taining two 14-inch guns. Besides the four large guns, four six-Inch rapid fire rifles will be placed in embrasures at the seaward end, and like batteries of small guns will be placed at othei points of advantage. Quarters will be provided for only a sufficient number of men to work the guns and machin ery. The cost of this powerful little fortress, the most dangerous fort of its size on earth, will be $3,000,000, guns, walls, turrets and all. Is Overcrowded building, plans for which were drawn by William T. Elliott, a surveyor, who came to Washington in 1813. The 30 granite monoliths, each of which cost $5,500 and weighs 30 tons, now stand in an unbroken row. They are said to be the finest example of their kind of the stonecutter's art. It required ten men, working 60 days, to produce each of them, and a solid train of 30 flat cars brought them to Wash ington from the quarries in Massachu setts. To make more space inside the build ing all the files of letters and docu ments will be stored in the old coal vaults under the lawn on the Pennsyl vania avenue side, and new coal vaults are being built on the side opposite the White House. The completed building, as it stands, represents three stages of construction. The nucleus, located by Jackson, was finished in 1842. The south wing was finished in 1864. The north wing, fin ished in 1869, is on the side of the old state department building. The long colonnade of brown stone, erected in 1864, deteriorated in the southern climate and was replaced by the present granite monoliths a little more than a year ago. Democrat, appointed from Illinois, has died, and Justice Moody, a Republic an, of Massachusetts, has resigned because of ill-health, and President Taft will have to fill these two va cancies. In addition to judicial fitness, poli tics and geographical qualifications must be considered. Moreover, the president is brought face to face with a task which will be of tremendous importance to the United States for the next generation. With political beliefs changing over night and great er zeal in governmental supervision being urged by the dominant party, the court which President Taft must reconstruct will pass on all the changes in the organic laws of the United States which may be made by congress. The problem will not be solved for the public until after congress meets, as it has been definitely an nounced at the Wrhite House that no judicial appointmeats would be sent to the senate until the Monday fol lowing the reconvening of congress. the meantime. He was given an hon orable discharge and the army knows him no more. Myer created the biggest sensation the army has had for a long time. He trie.! to get into West Point, but wa3 barred by age, and from the naval academy because of his size. Then he eniisted in the cavalry, but that did not suit his liking and he trans ferred into the signal corps, where he was promoted to be a corporal. At Fort Myer the dude soldier was the envy of his comrades and a par ticular bore to his officers. After a hard day's drill, or the attendance on some other military duty. Corporal Myer would go to hi3 bachelor apart ments, have his valet rub him down and then don the habiliments of a society man. That night, perhaps, his commanding officers woidd find him in the same ballroom with themselves. The youngster rode and walked with the faire&t of Washington's belles, and had money to burn. He never did anything to excite the anger of his superiors except to play the dual role of a soldier and a dandy, too. L Grit That Won How "Tommy" Holcombe's Nerve, When One Eye Was Disabled, De cided Famous Rifle Match In England in 1903. Some weeks ago the cable brought the news from Peking that an Ameri can team had won over all competitors in an International rifle match open to teams of all the legation guards in the Chinese capital. The captain of the Yankee team was Capt. Thomas Hol combe, Jr., who was a member of the victorious American team that com peted in the great international rifle contest held in England in 1903 the most famous contest of the kind ever held. And it was at this contest that Captain Holcombe displayed the grit that, on the authority of the captain of the team. Leslie C. Bruce, ultimately gave America the victory. It is a story that hitherto has escaped publication. "Seven teams took part in the match," said Mr. Bruce, "and as Amer ica had been the victor in every sim ilar contest held previously, a very honorable but nevertheless very ear nest attempt was made to take the prestige away from the United States. Especially did the Englishmen go in with the idea of wresting this glory from their American cousins, with the result that when the shooting was finished at the 800-yard range they had us distanced by three points. I have been told that when the cable dis patches informed our countrymen that we had been beaten at the 800-yard range the general impression was that at last an end had come to America's victories. To us of the team the out look was somewhat gloomy, 1 must confess, and as captain I was consid erably worried as to whether or not we would be able to manifest at the nine hundred and one thousand yard ranges that esprit de corps w plays so Important a part In win contests in which teams are enga "I was still wondering whether this particular kind of enthusiasm, or con fidence, which is so hard to describe in words, would be with us, when President as Night Watchman How General Arthur Kept Guard Over the Nation's Treasury Department While Regular Man Did an Errand for Him. Shortly after Gen. Chester A. Ar thur succeeded to the presidency of the United States, he took into his cabinet, as secretary of the treas ury, Charles J. Folger, whose pre decessor in the portfolio, William Windom, had resigned in order to un dertake a canvass for a seat in the United States senate from Minnesota. For years President Arthur and Judge Foiger had been intimate friends, and with the latter a member of the cab inet that friendship served to secure Mr. Folger unannounced entrance to the president's room at any hour of the day or night. The president, too, showed his friendship by calling upon his secretary of the treasury informal ly whenever the spirit moved him. General Arthur, incidentally, was as unconventional and Informal in his relations with his cabinet as Lincoln was with his, and he was the first president in years to accept Invita tions of a social nature at private houses. It so happened that one afternoon, about an hour after the treasury de partment Iftid closed for the day, the president, having some business to talk over with Judge Folger, deter mined to call upon him at the depart ment. Walking thither unaccompa nied and gaining the long main cor ridor of the building, he made his way along the deserted passageway to a point near the door which opened into Secretary Folger's private office. Here he met a man who seemed to be of some minor authority. "Do you know whether or not Sec retary Folger is In his office?" asked the president. "No, sir, I do not," was the reply. "Well, are you employed here in the treasury department?" "Yes, sir, I am. I am one of the night watchmen, and I have just gone on duty." "Do you suppose you could find out for me whether or not Judge Folger is in his office? I'll stand watch for you while you are doing so." "Yes, sir, I will try to find out for you." And suiting his actions to his words, the night watchman disap peared, leaving the president of the United States standing guard in the corridor of the treasury building. Presently the night watchman re turned. "No. sir. Secretary Folger is not in. He has been gone for about half an hour." "I thank you very much," said the president. He touched his hat to the man before him and was leaving, when another night watchman came along the corridor and, with a pro found bow, paid his respects to the president of the United States. In another moment the newcomer had turned to his fellow employe. "Do you Great Contest Tommy Holcombe took his position at the nine hundred yard range. Of course we watched him with intense interest, and you can imagine the hor ror that rose in our breasts when, just before it came time for him to fire, his smokeless powder cartridge exploded prematurely and the gas from it saturated his right eye, so to speak, closing it completely. "As speedily as possible I got a cloth and some cold water and bathed the bruning eye, while bitter thoughts ran through my brain, for I had counted greatly on Tommy Holcombe's shoot ing at the nine hundred and thousand yard ranges. But the water did the eye no good the pain was too severe, it was burning like fire, I afterwards learned and so I finally had to say to Holcombe: 'Tommy, I guess you'll have to retire and let me put a sub stitute in your place.' "Tommy jerked his head around and with his good eye looked into mine. 'Not much,' he reported, grimly. 'As long as I have got fe good eye I can make the mark." Stage Venture Fast Trans-Continental Trains Origi nated With the One on Which Pal mer and Jarrett Took Lawrence Barrett to San Francisco. This hitherto unpublished story of how the country's mail service was vastly improved through the medium of a theatrical idea was told to me by Henry M. Jarrett, one of the greatest theatrical managers this country has ever had, about two years before his ?.?,ifh, which occurred several years rc-V Now vhen Mr. Jarrett was an old man. vith my partner, Mr. A. M. Pal mer, we had been playing George Rignold and a very fine company In 'Henry V.' at Booth's theater in New York city for an entire season," said Mr. Jarrett. "Rignold wanted to. go know who that was I bowed to?" he asked. "No, I do not," was the reply, "but the gentleman had some conversation with me. He asked if Secretary Fol ger was In his office and said he would stand watch for me while I found out." "He did?" gasped the second nlglt watchman. "Well, that was the pres ident of the United States, and I never saw a president In this place before." "President Arthur, was it?" ex claimed the other, astonished in turn. "Well, he's a fine gentleman." Then he added, as the full significance of the situation sank in upon him: "He's president all right, but he was a night watchman In the treasury de? partment for ten minutes just the same." A few days later the,, night watch man who had revealed the president's identity to his colleague narrated this Incident to Secretary Folger, who carried the story to President Arthur, who in turn, assured the secretary that the incident had been correctly reported. And so far as I know this is the first accurate publication of the incident that gave rise to the story, widespread in 1881, that President Ar thur had been a night watchman in the treasury department. (Copyright, 1910, by E. J. Edwards. All Rights Reserved.) Value of the Bride. A Methodist minister in Baltimore recently married a young man of the Bowery type who asked him, at the conclusion of the ceremony in the parsonage, how much he "charged." As a hint to the clergyman to keep his fee within reasonable limits, the young man drew a half dollar from his pocket while speaking. The min ister explained that no "charge" was made for his services. Whereupon the delighted young husband exclaimed: "Do you hear that, Mag? he don't charge nothln'!" and dropped the half dollar back Into his pocket. But the pastor had mora to say. He told his visitor that the fee de pended on the valuation he placed on the service rendered. If it was worth nothing to marry the young woman at his side, very good; but if he val ued her his fee would give some evi dence of it. The groom was im pressed. Slowly h. produced the half dollar an laid it hi the minister's hand. A one-dollar bill followed. Then he grasped his bride's arm and moved toward thu door. Frederic Walter Norcross, in the Christian Herald. Furnishing London's Gas. There are seven London companies furnishing gas, and the charges vary from 49 cents a thousand cubic feet to 69 cents, the illuminating candle power being from 14.8600 to 16.9200. There is a discount allowed by most of the companies from 2 to 5 per cent, to large consumers, 10 to 20 per cent, for power and 10 to 25 per cent for gas engines. "The way he said it, the look in that one good eye, the superb confidence of the man sticking out all over him, decided me. 'All right,' I said, and a moment later Tommy took his posi tion, coolly and carefully aimed, and at last fired. Hurrah! Tommy Hol combe, one-eyed though he was with fire burning at his closed eye and fill ing that member with intense pain' had made a clean bull's eye! "The effect upon us was instantane ous. A few seconds before we had been in despair. Now. we seemed like men Inspired esprit de corps was among us again in victorious measure, bull's eye after bull's eye was re corded in our favor, and when the shooting finally concluded at the range we found that we led the Eng lish by seven points. "A little later the greatest of all In ternational rifle contests was ours by a margin of 15 points, and I have al ways felt that the grit displayed by Tommy Holcombe at the nine hundred yard range and his resultant bull's eye decided that contest for America by giving us the proper esprit de corps at the critical period of the match." (Copyright, 1910. by E. J. Edwards. All Rights Reserved.) Improved Mails to Australia at the end of the sea son, and we suggested to him that he stop over at San Francisco for a few weeks and give 'Henry V.' there. He wouldn't listen to it. His success bad been so great In New York that he had got a case of badly swelled head. "But the Jdea was born, and Mr. Palmer and I undertook to carry it out in another way. We saw Law rence Barrett, and offered him the part of Henry V., on our part agree ing, when he consented, to furnish a great company and as perfect stage settings as it was possible to procure. Then we determined to see If the railroads would undertake to carry us from New York to San Francisco in half a week's time. "My, when I think of it, that was a daring proposition. This was in 1878, and the railroads, in the far west at least, were far from being as perfectly equipped as tbey are at the present time. However, the idea ap peared to appeal to the railway man agers, and they made the contract. We were to leave New York one hour after midnight and be delivered at San Francisco three and one-half days later. -And thye contpact was -kept to the letter. But I never want to ride again as we did then. "Of course, that trip has become a tradition. Now I am going to tell you of another feature of it which has never been published. It occurred to me that, if we could get the postof flce authorities to consent, we would undertake to deliver a mail, made up in New York, in San Francisco three and one-half days later. I went to see Thomas L. James, then postmas ter of New York, in fear and trem bling lest he might turn the proposi tion down. Instead, of that he grew enthusias tic. 'That's a great Idea, Mr. Jarrett,' he said, 'and by means of it we can show the government the feasibility of establishing a fast railway mail service that will bring New York and Chicago within less than twenty-four hours' communication, New York and Omaha in less than thirty-six, and New York and San Francisco in less than four days. We will make up malls for Pittsburg, Chicago, Omaha, Ogden and San Francisco. We will have the postmasters at those places on the lookout for the mails. Then we will make reports of the result to the government, and 1 think the re ports will give us the long desired fast mall trains.' "Do you know," continued Mr. Jar rett, "that the head of the express company which had the contract for carrying mails from the railway sta tions to the New York postoffice him self actually drove the mail wagon, rich a man as he was, from the New York postoffice to the Pennsylvania station? We took on the mall just before one o'clock at night. Before eight o'clock that morning the mail for Pittsburg was delivered and with in an hour distributed. By nine o'clock in the evening Chicago, for the first time, received a mall the same day that It left New York. Omaha got its mail early In the morning of the sec ond day, and San Francisco's mall was distributed on the afternoon of the third day. "That experience demonstrated to the government the feasibility of adopting through fast railway mail trains. And as I recall the history of the passage of the theatrical special from New York to San Francisco in as yet unbeaten time, I am convinced that, after all, the greatest service that it performed was to show both to the government and the railroads generally that the latter were capab t or cutting down time for the delivery of mails by one-half." (Copyright. 1910, by E. J. Edwards. All Rights Reserved.) Successful Aviating. "An airship is a strange place for a cat." "Oh, I don't know. A cat always lands right side up when it falls." FOR TWO HUNDRED LEGH0RNS Structure Shown In Illustration Prov ed Entirely Satisfactory During Severe Winter. During the severe weather of last) winter the house shown in the illus tration gave us entire satisfaction J writes F. T. Tiffany in Country GentleJ man. In this house we had 185 pullets! and 15 cockerels, and had no trouble with colds as was the case with ant open-front house. This house is 30 feet long, 14 feet wide, 10 feet high in front, and 5 feet; high in the rear; on the front side of the house, facing south, are two open ings 3 by 4 feet 6 inches each; thesej openings are covered on the outside, with inch mesh wire to keep out thq sparrows; these openings have framesj on the inside covered with muslin, which on cold nights is placed over; the openings. , I The addition in the front is 13 feet long by 4 feet 8 inches wide, and is 6 feet 6 inches high where it joins thei building, and 3 feet high at the lowef, side. The roof of this comprises 4 hot-bed sash 3 feet wide by 's feeti long. This is used as a dusting room,j and the roof furnishes light for the rest of the building. These sash are; made so they will slide down in hot weather or when we wish to put in! new dust. There are also in front two openings 18 inches high to let the fowls out; these openings have slid- ing doors on the inside. On one end of the building we havej a door 3 by 6 feet for entrance. Alj weather boarding is white pine Ger man siding, except on the north side, which is boarded first with bam boards and then with siding over it.' The roof is covered with shingles. In3ide the house on the north side isj the roosting place; the dropping-board is 2& feet from the floor and Is 4' feet wide and runs ,tho length of tha building. Under the dropping board are the nests, 14 by 16 inches. These Practical Poultry Houss. R, Roosts; D, Dropping Board; N, Nests; P, Perch. rest on a platform compose of two fence boards about 4 inches apart and can be taken out separately to ba cleaned. In the rear of the nests is. a board 4 inches wide for the hens to light on to enter the nests. The nests are 15 inches from the floor; in front of the nests is a muslin curtain which; hangs within 9 Inches of the floor;! this makes the nests secluded. Tha roost poles are about 6 inches abovei the dropping board and are one foot cpart and run the length of the build-i ir.g. This house can be built for less than $2 per fowl. PROFIT IN MIXED POULTRY Most Money Is Made Where Chickens Are Kept as Adjunct to Other General Farm Crops. There is no doubt but that the great est profit is made where poultry is kept as an adjunct to the other farm, crops. On the general farm the feed: item and the labor item, as well as the item of land, are of smaller account than on larger poultry farms. To the farmer who is willing to give as much) attention to the poultry as he does to any other part of the farm operations, there is a good profit to be made with very little expenditure of tlx:4&! M 1 mm&r fiiini iimiftif. illtij Plymouth Rock Cockrel. money. Wherever it is possible the colony house system is strongly recom mended for the general farm. It has the advantage of being able to move poultry to any part of the farm, and many times a corn or stubble field for the fowls to range over would mean a great saving in the feed bill. The drippings would also help to fertUize the land, as they are richer than that of any other domestic animal. Poul try kept in this way and receiving the proper attention should prove to be one of the bejst paying branches of the (arm. V X'
The Roanoke Beacon and Washington County News (Plymouth, N.C.)
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Nov. 25, 1910, edition 1
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