Lincoln County leader., October 29, 1909, Image 2

HOW ZEPPELIN PLANS TO TRY TO
REACH THE NORTH POLE BY AIRSHIP
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HE Kaiser and Count Zeppelin have Joined forces for the dis-
I made with the aid ot the most powerful Zeppelin vessel yet
cuuDu ucwu. a series 01 preliminary mgnts mrougn me polar
latitudes will be carried out from Cross Bay on the Island of
Spltzbergen during the arctic summer of 1910. Announce
ments to this effect have thrilled and electrified Germany with
patriotic excitement, writes a Berlin correspondent In the Philadelphia
Ledger. The Fatherland cherishes the confident hope that the laurels of
the arctic, for which gallant men of all nations- have struggled and died, will
finally fall to the conqueror of the air. The Kaiser takes an intense per
soual Interest in aerologlcal research, a branch of science in which great
things are expected from the Zeppelln-Hergesell expedition.
The expedition is to be conducted under the personal supervision of
Count Zeppelin and his meteorological expert, Prof, von Hergesell, the cele
brated Strasburg aerologlst. The Count has been rebuffed so long by heart
less fate and Prof, von Hergesell is so conservative a scientist that they
disclaim any official Intention of attempting to find the pole. They aver
that their expedition is designed exclusively to "investigate the unknown
regions of the arctic" and to make a series of scientific explorations and
measurements In the polar latitudes. That Is a sufficiently ample program,
however, to comprehend the finding of the pole which everybody In the
know understands full well is the real obejctlve of the expedition.
The 800-mile route from Cross Bay over Spltzbergen to the pole Is easily
within the radius of action of Zeppelin's airships. Zeppelin II. accom
plished a considerably greater task in its famous Whitsuntide voyage across
Germany six weeks ago. The reaching of the pole will depend wholly upon
the strength of the wind. As Zeppelin's ships, hbwever, have amply demon
strated their ability to resist the wind, the Zeppelln-Hergesell expedition
will proceed under incomparably more favorable conditions than any of
their predecessors In search of the pole. Andree, for example, was com
pelled to adhere to certain wind directions. He was driven from his course
and undoubtedly drowned.
The new expedltjon will certainly have to reckon with storms In the
arctic regions, but climatic perils will not threaten it In summer. The snow
danger is also unimportant, but the rays of the sun, will provide difficulties,
for the sun Is constantly In the heavens and in the pure atmosphere throws
off rays of stupendous degree. In the unexplored polar districts landings
from airships will be possible only on Ice floes, which are, however, admir
ably suited for the purpose. The reascent from these floes is purely a bal
loon engineering problem.
Fog, that arch enemy of the aeronaut In all latitudes, is a frequent
phenomenon In the polar regions in the summer. Nansen, during his three
years' voyage in the Fram, found an average of twenty foggy days In July
ami blxUen la August. On the other hand, the polsr fog Is tipvpr so thick,
but it leaves the surface of the Ice visible from an airship, and is therefore
an obstacle that causes Count Zeppelin and Prof. Hrgesell few qualms. A
technical difficulty of considerably greater seriousness lies in the fact that
the ordinary astronomical equipment, to speak only of the magnet in the
mariner's compass, becomes absolutely useless In the neighborhood of the
pole This will make It necessary, as Wellman discovered, for the airship
voyage to be carried out only a short distance above the ground, so that
some sort of control may be kept by simple observation of the direction and
speed of the flight.
Flower Blooms Twice In a Sc
Hu an. Exploalv Pod.
The common wild violet affords one
of the most remarkable illustrations
of the care and apparent forethought
of nature In preserving a species, a
writer In the St Louis Globe-Democrat
says. As everybody knows, the
violet grows In the shade, in pastures,
woods and fields where the grass Is
abundant and long. It comes up early
In the spring and flowers at a time
when the grass Is most abundant and
succulent. Of course, It Is liable to
be cut down by the scythe, but much
more likely It Is to be bitten off by
grazing animals.
The violets that come In the spring
either do not seed at all or very spar
ingly. But In the late fall the plant
bears another crop ot blossoms that,
are never seen save by the profession
al Botanist They are very small, ut
terly Insignificant In appearance, and
grow either Just at or below the sur
face of the ground. These are the
flowers which produce the seeds for
the next season. The flowers on long
stems blooming In spring are only for
how; the hidden flowers are for use,
and the number of seeds they bear
may be Judged from the ease with
which a wild violet bed spreads.
When the seeds are ripe the pod ex
plodes, scattering them to a consider
able distance, often to ten or twelve
feet from the parent plant, so that in
spite of its boastful modesty the vio
let not only takes care of itself, Wl
becomes a troublesome aggressor.
mm
ur-C
ONCE MOKE A FAILURE I
Another American Girl Find a For
eign Title a Burden.
Many as have been the disastrous
failures among marriages between rich
American girls and European men of
1 1 .-. x-'n tltle none has been
j JvvSiiSI accompanied by
U M4ffi$$$ more mental and
pnysicai misery
than that of Elea
nor Patterson, of
Chicago, and Count
Gizyckl, of Russian
&MA tered romance be
gan six years ago.
Eleanor Patterson
was the educated
and sweet-faced
daughter of Robert
W. Patterson, pub
lisher of the Chica
go Tribune, and a
sister of Joseph Me
d 111 Patterson, a
voune mllllnnnlra
COUNTESS 01ZTCKI. wldey km fof
bis socialistic views, in 1903 she was
4n St. Petersburg on a visit to her un
cle, Robert S. McCormlck, then ambas
sador from the United States to Rus
sia. There she met Count Gizyckl, a
man twice her age, with a reputation
as spendthrift and rake.
The following year Count Gizyckl
came to Washington and renewed his
acquaintance with Miss Patterson. His
wooing was fast and furious and the
Ctrl was carried away by his polished
manner and the glitter of his title.
Despite all objection, in two weeks she
married him. Her mother settled $20,
.000 a year upon her and she and the
count went to Vienna. Then the trou
ble began. The count's extravagance
and gambling habits at the Austrian
capital plunged him deeper In debt
than before, and because of his dissi
pations he became the mock of Eu
rope. In March, 190S, came the crisis. The
countess taxed her husband with his
wild habits and the nobleman knocked
her down with his fist. They separat
ed and she went to London with her
baby, the Countess Felicia, beginning
an action for divorce In Paris, a Bult
which ultimately she won. In April,
1908, In connection with her suit, she
crossed from London to Paris, leav
ing the baby countess in charge of a
nurse Just outside the British capital.
In the hope of stopping the suit for
divorce and of forcing more money
from his wife, the count made a rush
trip to England, stole the baby and
carried her to Vienna, . where he se
creted her In one of his castles Just
outside the city. Tmj countess was
frantlo over the loss of the child and
employed detectives by the score to
trace the baby. Once Felicia was lo
cated the. authorities Interposed so
many barriers against the mother that
the count had ample time to carry the
little countess to a castle near St Pe
tersburg. ,
Meanwhile Joseph Med 111 McCormlck
and another member, of the Patterson
and McCormlck families were bringing
very influence to bear on the courts
f France and Russia to recover Fe
licia legally. It was not until a secret
compact, which never baa been clearly
explained, was entered Into with the
Crar, mainly through the work of for
mer Ambassador McCormlck. that an
Ml
MRS. STANFOBD.
ANY native and foreign critics of American civilization have
deplored the spendthrift tendencies of a certain class of Amer
ican women, with little dwelling on the reverse side of the
picture the quiet," .unostentatious giving
away of millions of dollars annually by
philanthropically-incllned members of the
sex. Foremost -among the gifts made by
women in the United States is the endowment of Leland
Stanford, Jr., University with 130,000,000 by Mrs. Leland
Stanford. This institution was started In 18S5, In mem
ory of the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Stanford, by Mr.
Stanford. His will gave the university $2, GOO, 000, and
the 30,000,000 gift of his widow disposed of nearly the,!
whole residue of the estate.
Mrs. Russell Sage probably Is the most prominent of
living women' philanthropists. She Is disposing of the
$65,000,000 that her husband acquired In fifty years at
the rate of about $8,000,000 a year. The Russell Sage Foun
dation, with an endowment ot $10,000,000, is the largest single charity in the
world. It is Insured an annual Income of about $400,000. Its work, in the
words of Mrs. Sage's deed of gift, will be "to eradicate as far as possible the
causes of poverty and ignorance, rather than to relieve
the sufferings of those who are poor and Ignorant."
Miss Helen Gould's gifts likewise have been widely dis
tributed. She has spent more than $10,000,000 of the
fortune left her by Jay Gould, her father. Perhaps no
methods of moneymaklng have been more widely con
demned than those of Jay Gould, but, his daughter has
shown how great blessings can come from the wise use
of money. She has endowed schools and churches and
has given largely for relief and aid work among the sol
diers and sailors of the United States army and navy.
Mrs. Oliver H. P. Belmont, the first wife of William
K. Vanderbllt, gave $100,000 to the Nassau Hospital at
Mlneola, L. I. She has been actively Interested in diet
kitchens for the poor of New York. Mrs. Belmont
Intends, It Is said, to spend part of her fortune
In advancing the cause of woman suffrage, to which she
recently became a convert. Her daughter, the Duchess
of Marlborough, formerly Consuelo Vanderbllt, is also
known for her philanthropies among the London poor.
Miss Giulla Moroslni, daughter and heiress of the fa
mous banker who passed away about a year ago, spends
large sums in aiding children in New York, especially
at Christmas tlnie. She gives largely also to charitable
institutions. Mrs. Harold F. McCormlck of Chicago,
formerly Miss Edith Rockefeller, had much to do with
the direction of the charitable work done by her father,
John D. Rockefeller, before she was married, and is said
to spend largely, though quietly, now In aid of many
. v M188 GOULD.
There are countless others, less conspicuous than those named, whose
spirit of giving is manifested In widely varying forms, all testifying to the
American woman's appreciation of the fact that money Is most profitably
spent when used for the benefit of others.
MRS. SAGE.
PEASANT AND THE DIAMOND.
Monster Stone Fonnd by Antolne in
. an Abandoned Prospect,
Let me give you the actual episoda
of Antolne. Antolne was so humble a
peasant that when he left Vierzon and
took up prospecting in South Africa,
nobody asked what his other nam
was, Franklin Clarkins says in Every
body's. Having no capital save his
muscles, he asked leave to dig, on
shares, a clakn on the Vaal River with
which one prospector after another
had become discouraged. Antolne got
a Kaffir boy to help. The yield was
pitiful. He asked the boy to stop work
ing the center and try the side. When
the boy did not understand Antolne
impatiently drove his own pick in the
place designated.
"Suddenly (says one who knew him
on that day) he was spellbound at
sight of a large stone a diamond. For
some moments he could not move and
could not speak. He feared It was an
Illusion, like the mirage of water
which appears to men long athlrst. He
expected It to vanish If he winked an
eyelash. Collecting his energies, he
darted forward and clutched the stone.
Such was the tumult within him that
for two days he was unable to eat or
do anything but laugh and cry!"
Now, back home In Vierzon, where
he had been a peasant, he sits, as you
may see, In comfort and content, with
a glass replica of the diamond on the
tip of his weather vane, for the stone
Itself weighed 288 carats in he rough,
120 carats when cut 'and those who
purchased It paid hundreds of thou
sands of dollars to possess It.
imperial decree compelled the count to
give up the custody of the girl. After
recovering her daughter the countess
hurried to Cherbourg and sailed for
New York City. From New York the
party hurried on to Chicago, where Uie
Countess Gizyckl and the little Coun
tess Felicia will reside In future,
pleased to have escaped from the toils
of a nobleman lost to all sense of de
cency. How to Make a Farmer.
The foundation-stone of a nation's
success 1b revealed In an article In
All Ireland Review. A friend of the
author ,was in Denmark, and was as
tonlshed at the amount ot wealth got
out of so poor a country by dairies
and by farming.
"No doubt," said he to a well-edu
cated Dane, "the children are instruct
ed in the schools as to dairying and
farming."
"They are not," said the Dane, "but
they are taught the old Danish poems
(sagas) In the schools. That makes
good Danes ot the children, and then
they become good farmers."
I'p to Date.
Drummer So the coal oil got near
the butter and flavored It, eh? I sup
pose you'll lose ltT
Storekeeper Jason Oh, no, stranger.
I've JJust put a sign over it "Try the
New Petroleum Butter," and It Is go
ing like hot cakes.
When your ship finally comes In
the cargo will be more valuable tor
your loni wait
MOST RARE OF AUTOGRAPHS.
That of Thomas Lynch, Jr., Sinner
of Declaration, of Great Value.
"What is the most expensive auto
graph you ever sold?" Inquired the re
porter. "That of Thomas Lynch, Jr.," an
swered the dealer. The reporter look
ed perfectly blank. ."Never heard of
him," he confessed.
"Well, he was a signer of the Dec
laration of Independence. He signed
it as proxy for his father, who was ill
at the time. Soon after he went to
sea and was never heard of aagln.
Now, autographs of Declaration sign
ers are much sought by collectors.
None approach, in rarity those of
Thomas Lynch, Jr. In fact, so far as
I know, there Is only one in existence.
"This Is affixed to an autograph let
ter address by Lynch to George Wash
ington, which lends It additional value.
It was owned at one time by Jared
Sparks, president of Harvard College.
Subsequently it passed to Thomas Ad
dis Emmet, from whom I bought It for
the sum ot $4,000. I sold It to Au
gustln Daly, who was a keen auto
graph collector, for $4,500. "Later, Em
met repented of letting the autograph
go from his possession, and secured it
from Daly for $5,250, presenting it af
terward to the Lenox library, New
York, where It now Is."
Natural Deduction.
"I tell you," said the morallzer,
"honesty pays In the long run."
"According to' that," rejoined the de
moralizer, "I suppose dishonesty pays
best for a short distance."
ylfflVention
Your neighbors are very sure to
earn down to your expectations.
Germany has become the greatest
producer of cocoa butter In the "world,
turning out about 7,000 tons a year.
The best Turkish tobacco Is grown
in the low mountainous region border
ing the south ebore of the Black Sea.
The entire Are department of Frank-fort-on-the-Maln,
Germany, is to be
changed from horse to motor traction.
To prevent fraud In weighing, the
government Is having self-reglsterlng
scales built for use in customs ware
houses. The paper on which the Bank of En
land notes are printed has been made
by a secret process In the same mill
since 1719.
A resident of New Jersey has pat
ented a tapering stiletto on which
there Is a sliding gauge to regulate
the size of the holes It may make, to
save an embroidery worker from car
rying a set of tools of different sizes.
Contrary to the general Impression
that the country furnished by birth a
much larger percentage of leading men
In all walks of life then the city, Dr.
Frederick Adams Woods arrives at the
conclusion that It Is the urban popula
tion whloh takes the lead in this re
spect. He bases his results on the
birthplace statistics given In' a well
known volume containing brief biog
raphies of notable Americans. Tak
ing the total urban and non-urban pop
ulations, he finds that the town shows
a notably higher percentage of produc
tiveness in the way of talent. This he
regards as consistent with the laws of
heredity, since talent of all kinds
tends to seek the cities, and should be
expected, generally, to reproduce Its
kind.
On of the most Interesting achieve
ments of Lieutenant Shackleton's polar
expedition was the ascent of Mount
Erebus, the most southerly of all
known volcanoes, by a party led by
Professor David.' The highest peak
has an elevation of 13,120 feet. An old
crater, filled with feldspar crystals,
pumice and sulphur, was found at the
height of 11,000 feet. The active crater
at the summit la half a mile in diam
eter, and 800 feet deep. It was eject
ing steam and sulphurous gases to a
height of 2,000 feet when the party
visited It. The ascent was made In
March, 1908; In June the volcano was
very active, and photographs of the
eruption were made by moonlight
The neighboring volcano, Mount Ter
ror, was inactive.
Of course the ocean is not as old aa
the earth, because It could not be
formed until the surface of the globe
had sufficiently cooled to retain the
water upon it, but It seems chimerical
to try to measure the age of le sea.
Nevertheless Professor Joly has under
taken the task, basing his estimate
upon the amount of sodium it con
tains to that annually contributed by
the washings from the continents. He
thus reaches the conclusion that the
ocean has been In existence between
80,000,000 and 170,000,000 years. This
does not seem a very definite determin
ation, but then, in geology, estimates
of time In years are extremely dif
ficult because of the uncertainty of the
elements of the calculation. The most
that can be said of such results Is that
they are probable.
Men are usually wdlllng to arbitrate
only when the chances art they would
be whipped In a fljcb.