THE POLK COUNTY OBSERVER, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1915.
THREE DAYS IN ONE
This Queer Condition Lasts Half
an Hour Every Day.
A FREAK OF CHANGING TIME.
Whw It la Noon on Monday In Lon
Vift, Tuesday Has Just Begun at
Capo Doahnef, Siberia, but 8unday
Hot Not Yet Ended at Attu Island.
Three days can exist at the same
time! It sounds Impossible, but It Is
nevertheless a fact that when It Is very
late Sunday night at Attu Island It Is
Monday noon at London and Tuesday
morning at Cape Deshnef, Siberia!
If one travels westward one loses a
day In going round the world. It one
travels eastward one gains a day.
Could one travel at the rato of 15 de
grees a day one would lose exactly one
hour each day. In twenty-four days
the circuit would be complete. ,
Inasmuch as suu and earth are con
stantly revolving and day merging Into
night, Sunday passing Into Monday,
etc,, It Is obvious that at one point on
the world's surface an arbitrary line
must be set, to the east of which is one
day, to the west of which is the next
day. This immediate "Jump" of a day
regulates the calendar for one circum
navigating the globe.
This "International date line," as it Is
called, passing north and south and di
viding our world into two equal parts,
Is the one hundred and eightieth merid
ian and crosses the Pacific ocean
where, fortunately, there is very little
land taking a slight bulge outward to
Include Siberia, and one the other way
to Include Attu island, which belongs
to Alaska geographically. The map
will show this. West of this line is
Monday and east of it is Sunday.
When it is noon on Monday in Lon
don Tuesday has already begun at
Cape Deshnef, Siberia, but Monday
morning has not yet dawned at Attu
Island. Nearly half an hour of Sunday
still remains there. We are thus con
fronted with the paradox of three days
coexisting at the same time.
We must remember that every day
begins at midnight If we could travel
round the world at the same rate that
it travels, beginning our flight at noon.
It would be perpetually noon all the
way round! Yet we should lose a day.
While at any particular point on the
surface of the earth a day is twenty
four hours long, every day, as a mat
ter 'of fact, lasts forty-eight hours
sometimes even longer. This seems
another contradiction. Yet it can be
explained.
Any given day, say Christmas, be
gins (as that day) immediately west of
the 180th parallel. One hour later
Christmas dny begins 15 degrees west
of the date line, two hours inter 30 de
grees west of t!n line and so on round
the globe.
Those living Just west of the date
line would have enjoyed twelve hours
of Christmas when it reached England,
eighteen hours when it began in the
United Stntes and twenty-four hours
(a whole day) when it began In Alas
ka. Already Christmas had existed
twenty-four hours on this globe, but
having Just begun In western Alaska
it will last there twenty-four hours
longer.
We have Just seen that each day
lasts for forty-eight hours. As a mat
ter of fact, a day lasts in some places
more than forty-nine hours. This Is
because of the irregularity of the date
line previously mentioned.
Let us begin an imaginary Journey
from Cape Deshnef, Siberia, at mid
night As midnight sweeps westward
successive places see the beginning of
the day. When the day begins in Lon
don it has been that same day at Cape
Deshnef twelve hours and forty-flve
minutes.
When this some day arrives nt Attu
island It has been twenty-five hours
and twelve minutes since it began of
ficially at Cape Deshnef. Since the day
will then last twenty-four hours at At
tu island, before it is spent forty-nine
hours and twelve minutes will have
elapsed from the beginning of thrt day
until the time it closes.
Thus three days can exist at one
time, as before explained. Hereward
Carrlngton In New York World.
THE NATION'S CAPITOL
Main Dimensions of Our Beautiful
Building In Washington,
Our national capitol at Washington
Is a beautiful and impressive building.
It fronts east and stands on a plateau
eighty-eight feet above the level of the
Potomac. The entire length of the
building from north to south is 701 feet
i Inches, and its greatest dimension
from east to west is 350 feet The area
covered by the building is 153,112
square feet
The dome of the original central
building was constructed of wood, cov
ered with copper. This was replaced in
1858 by the present structure of cast
iron. It was completed In 18G5. The
entire weight of iron used is 8,900,200
pounds. The dome is crowned by a
bronze statue of Freedom, which is 10
feet 6 inches high and weighs 14,985
pounds.
The height of the dome above the
base line of the east front is 287 feet
5 inches. The height from the top of
the balustrade of the building is 217
feet 11 Inches. The greatest diameter
at the base is 135 feet 5 inches. The
rotunda is 97 feet 0 inches in diameter
and its height from the floor to the top
of the canopy is 180 feet 3 inches.
The senate chamber Is 113 feet
inches In length by 83 feet 3 inches in
width and 36 feet In height The gal
leries will accommodate 1,000 persons.
The representatives' hall Is 139 feet in
length by 93 feet in width and 36 feet
in nelgnt PMladelpbta Press.
Poor Literary Pay.
Dr. Johnson is commonly reckoned
as a successful author, yet he received
for many of his compositions a com
paratively small sum. His most prof
itable undertaking was the Dictionary,
for which he asked 1.575 and received
more. But the task occupied his time
for seven years. Pearson's Weekly.
rocky
Necessary Precaution.
"Life is Just one long and
road."
"Of course. It is constructed that
way purposely In order to keep nine
tenths of the human race from lying
down and going to sleep." Richmond
Times-Dispatch.
PLANETS AND OUR WEATHER.
Despite Popular Belief There Is No
Connection Between Them.
That the planets and the moon have
an effect upon the weather on the
earth is a common belief. This belief
is baseless, for all changes of weather
depend upon differences In tempera
ture. Rainfall is due to the accumulation
of water in the atmosphere. This wa
ter can accumulate only by being evap
orated from the surface of the earth.
And evaporation requires heat Winds
also are due to heat greater warmth
In one place than In another causing
the air to rush toward where the warm
air is rising.
If the moon and the planets could
furnish heat they might affect the
weather. But the heat they furnish Is
so lnfinitesimally small that It is not
enough to change the temperature an
appreciable fraction of a degree. The
amount of heat they send us has actu
ally been measured, but it needed ,the
most delicately sensitive of Instru
ments to perceive it
Another proof that neither the plan
ets nor the moon have any effect upon
our weather Is that careful compari
sons of the weather with the positions
of the planets and the moon show that
there is no. relation between them. If
there were we should have' the same
weather when the planets were in the
same position, which is not the case.
New lork World.
QUEEN MARY'S PANTRY.
A Dazzling Array of Gold and Silver
Plate at Windsor.
Among the famous pantries of the
world Is that of Queen Mary at Wind
tor. This pantry comprises two rooms
of no great dimensions, but It contains
treasures In the form of plate and
household articles that are valued at
more tbun a million pounds sterling.
Many of these possess historic inter
est For example, there is a conspicu
ous exhibit In the form of a table of
solid silver. This is nearly a. yard in
length, and its top, with an area of
several square feet, bears the royal
arms and exquisitely chased designs
of the symbolic' rose, thistle, harp, etc.
Every reign since that of Elizabeth
has contributed to this table a design
of some sort
The most imposing of all the daz
zling array of plate Is the bo called
gold dinner service for occasions of
the highest state.
The walls of the two rooms of this
royal pantry, the larger of which is
by Hi feet and the smaller a square
of sixteen feet are lined with cases of
plate glass and mahogany, and in
these and similar cases occupying the
center of each room are some of the
most extraordinary examples of art In
gold, silver and precious stones that
the world bas ever seen.
There are tall, graceful epergnes,
each of which would tax the strength
of two men to lift; there are dishes
in gold and silver any one of which
would be too heavy to run away with;
dainty toilet services In gold and sil
ver, candelabra, communion services,
flagons, vases, punch bowls, wine cool
ers, fountains and fonts, in silver,
wrought in designs of great beauty by
the most skillful of artists. Washing'
ton Post
BARBED WIRE IN WAR.
It Is
Japan's Good Roads.
Japan is peculiarly well off in re
spect of good highways. The Toknido,
which runs from Kioto to Tokyo, is
over 300 miles In length and, as the
writer can testify, is admirably con
structed. There Is also the Nakasendo,
which is even longer and passes
through some of the finest scenery In
the world. The reason of Japan's ex
cellence in the matter of roads is that
in the old days, not so very long ago,
the daimios. or territorial nobles, bad
to Journey to Tokyo once a year in or
der to pay their respects to the sov
ereign. They traveled by road, with
great retinues, and if the highways
were not In perfect condition, feudal
Justice was meted out to the delin
quents. London Spectator.
Good Company.
As friends and companions, as teach
ers and consolers, as recreators and
amusers. books are always with us and
always ready to respond to our wanU.
We can take tbem with us in our wau
derlngs or gather them around us at
our firesides. In the lonely wilderness
and the crowded city their spirit will
be with us, giving a meaning to the
seemingly confused movements of hu
manity and peopling the desert with
their own bright creations. John Al
fred Langford.
Used In Various Ways and Is a
Deadly Defense.
Barbed wire Is today as necessary a
part of an army's equipment as pon
toons or trenching tools. In war barb
ed wire is used in various ways, but
Its main object is man stopping. It is
interlaced with ground pegs in front of
trenches for the purpose of tripping
charging troops, it is strung across
bridges and main roads to prevent the
passage of cavalry, and it is used for
fencing In camps to guard against
rushing tactics on the part of the en
emy. Whenever possible barbed wire en
tanglements are hidden in long grass
or in hedges, so that advancing troops
will be trapped while the enemy rakes
their lines with shot and shell. Barbed
wire concealed In undergrowth is par
ticularly deadly where cavalry Is con
cerned, for the wire grips the horses
hoofs, causing them to fall on the
spike strewn ground.
At times certain roads that it Is de
sirable to have passable to townspeo
ple have to be rendered Impassable to
an army. To accomplish this zigzag
fences of barbed wire are built from
one side of the road to the other until
they form a maze. A peasant with
time to spare can pass this barrier by
laboriously threading his way through
the narrow zigzag passage left open,
but an army of several hundred men,
especially if they have guns or are
mounted, must halt to destroy the en
tanglement The barbed wire used for military
purposes possesses long. Jagged Joints,
which Inflict most painful wounds on
the body, especially when men and
horses fall on to them headlong, as so
often happens. Philadelphia Press.
Rescued by Nature.
"Were yoo ever lost In the woods?"
"Almost"
"Who rescued you?"
"Nature."
"What do you mean?"
"The wind was blowing so hard that
the girl didn't bear me when I pro
posed." London Standard.
Worker and Worked.
"So you worked your way through
college? Your father must be proud of
you."
"Not much! He's the man I worked."
Boston Transcript
Some Dreams.
Archie Papa, what fa meant by "the
stuff dreams are made of?" Papa (ab
sently) Paint powder, padding and
false hair. Judge.
Never add 3 burden of yesterday!
trouble to that ef tomorrow. The one
Is past: the other may never come.
Smoked Ceilings.
Smoke from a lamp or gas often soils
celling in the one particular spot
while the rest remains beautifully
white, it is useful to know that soiled
ceilings caused by lamp and gas will
be rendered less conspicuous if rubbed
over with dry whiting.
The Daffodil.
Originally the daffodil was known as
the asphodel. From this to daffodil
was the first verbal transition. The
name gradually rounded itself Into daf
fodilly the form adopted by Milton In
the beautiful line, "The daffodillies fill
their cups with tears." However, be
fore Milton wrote, the flower bad come
to be generally known as the daffodil,
and It figures under this name in John
Parkinson's "Garden of All Sortes of
Pleasant Flowers," published in 1629.
Parkinson found more variety in the
daffodil than in any other flower, near
ly a hundred kinds being described in
bis work. London Chronicle.
The Right Place.
"Really, Kate," said the young man,
in considerable agitation, "I am very
sorry I lost my head and kissed yon. 1
didn't think what 1 was doing. It is a
sort of temporary insanity in our fam
ily." "Well, Hoy," replied the young wom
an, "if you ever feel any more such at
tacks coming on you had better come
right here where your infirmity is
known, and we will take care of you."
New York Times.
SOMETHING NEW!
TlNKERTOV
The Wonder Builder
This new toy will
construct a thous
and Moving Marvel
ous Figures
Make your children happy with
, ; "Tinkertoy."
Price, BO cents.
Hayter's Book Store
428 Main Street.
DR. STONE'S
POISON OAK
REMEDY
A snow white medicine, soft and
soothing to the skin, applied every
hour at once relieves and soon cures
POISON"
Price 25c. and 60c.
druggists.
OAK
For sale by all
Country
Auto Parties
Listen!
DON'T START ON THAT VA
CATION WITHOUT ONE OF OUR
RED CROSS EMERGENCY CAS
ES. FULL LINE OF THE MANY
LITTLE THINGS THAT BRING
COMFORT TO THOSE ON AN
OUTING. GOGGLES, AUTO
SPONGES, CHAMOIS CLOTHS,
SOAPS, HAND PASTE, BRUSH
ES, ETC,
See Our Display in the
South Window
THE FULLER
PHARMACY
Main street, corner Mill.
II sax OFFICE I
I
Just What He Meant.
"Is the rain still keeping up?"
"Why. what d'ye mean? I haven't
seen any rain."
"That's what I asked you. If It waa
still keeping up?" Exchange.
Cheap.
"Mrs. Gabby Just lovea to Indulge in
http talk."
"Then let her try a little conversation
on the line between New fork and San
Frartcisco." New York Times.
' Children of Today
"If yon don't give me a piece of your
chocolate. Edith. Ill tell mamma that
you are secretly engaged." Flleende
Blatter (Munk-bl.
The Difference.
Johnny Father, what's the differ
ence between cannibals and otber
folks? Father Cannibals, my son, eat
their enemies; other people generally
go no further than to live on their
friends and relatives. SL Louis Post
Dispatch. Easily 8een.
"I don't believe that Jack's new
automobile has been any pleasure to
him."
"Why do you think that?"
"Well, be hasn't been arrested once
since he's been running It." Baltimore
American.
Cause of the Effect.
The table groaned.
It was no wonder.
For the food upon It waa not only
heavy, but Indigestible as welL Phila
delphia Ledger.
When We Hand
You Our Estimates
of the cost of the lumber yon require
yon can depend npon it that the fig
ures will be as low as first-class, well
seasoned lumber can be sold for hon
estly. If yon pay more yon pay too
much. If yon pay less yon get less
either in quality or quantity.
Willamette Valley
Lumber Co.
DALLAS LIVERY AND
FEED BARN
SADDLE HORSES AND 8 INGLE
BIOS, BUGGIES, CARRIAGES,
HACKS AND AUTOS FOR
HIRE.
Burk & Shepherd
'
The Brilliant
Suction Gleaner
Only
19.50
GUARANTEED TO BE BETTER
AND LAST LONGER THAN ANY
$35.00 CLEANER AND TO DO THE
WORK AS WELL AS ANY $75.00
CLEANER. A PHONE CALL WILL
BRING ONE TO YOUR HOUSE FOR
A DEMONSTRATION.
Large Hoover Vacuum Gleaner
for Rent by Day.
Polk County Electric Supply Co.
Phone 531
DALLAS
624 Court St.
The Newspaper that
Gets Results
Is the one read by a people who
want the news while it is news.
When subscribers anxiously
await the arrival of the home
, newspaper it is a sure indication
that that paper is read. You read
the Observer from first to last
page, because it is chock full of
interesting local news matters
in which you are directly inter
ested. Others do the same. They
read your advertisement if you
have one with as much interest
as any other feature, because it
is artistically displayed by en
who are adepts in this line.
I POLK COUNTY OBSERVER
DALLAS, OREGON
The Home Paper Read By People Who Buy
A" I ( 1 r v.'v.'j
Reserve Your Rooms
for the big
EXPOSITION
$1 TO $2 A DAY
Address:
HOTEL THOMAS
Next Door to Everything in San Francisco
971 Mission Street
. Near Sixth
ON DIRECT CAR LINE TO THE EXPOSITION AND DEPOTS
San Francisco, Cal.