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About The Athena press. (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1909)
Great Progress Already Made on Panama Canal The Isthmus of Panama has under gone tremendous changes . during the occupation of the Isthmian Canal Com mission, writes Dr. A. DeClalruiont. ex consul for Peru from Ohio, who recently returned from South America by way of the Canal Zone. The wonderful progress in the cut ting through of the canal Is now quite apparent to the traveler. From now on, it will be a question of hard work; hitherto it has been niore or less a question of organization, such as at tending to the sanitary department, put ting up dwellings and commissary stores for the employes. Hundreds of men are being discharged every week, uch as carpenters, machine men, boil ermakers, etc., who have prepared 'he double bed of the railroad and built the machine shops so that the work will go on without interruption. The regular employes and engineers will devote their time to the actual work, which is moving so rapidly that It is the belief of every one on the isthmus that steamers will he passing through the canal within five years, a prediction which appears quite reason able when It Is remembered that nil that has to be done now is the cutting of the Culebra. a cut of about eighty feet to canal level,- and the building of the locks. While the city of Panama is han dling many more millions of dollars than It ever did during the French oc cupation, there Is much dissatisfaction In that the profits are not so great as Company, Chilean Navigation Company and Pacific Mall Steamship Company, The first two conduct a regular passen ger and freight service between Ancon and the rest of South. America. The Panama "railroad and steamship line runs a regular five-day passenger and freight service between Cristobal (Colon) and New York city, and there are many freight boats bringing coal and various other supplies to both sides of the Isthmus for the canal, commis sion and the merchants. No duties or charges are imposed by the United States government on shipping facilities at the ports of Ancon and Cristobal, and no collections are made by the Panama customs authorities on any material or supplies for the use of the canal commission or the Panama rail road in accordance with the Taft agreement of December 3. 1904. Unusual opportunities are given to every one renting lands in the zone. Good agricultural lands that will grow all sorts of fruits and cereals, bananas, etc., may be rented for $1.50 per acre per year. The rent for building land varies according to the location. For the first three-quarters of 1907 the rev enue from land rent was $0,653.20. There are fifteen hotels In operation for white Americans and the price per meal Is 30 cenls. The stewards and cooks are generally white men. There are 23 kitchens for Indian laborers and a day's board Is supplied for 30 cents. The food Is prepared by Indian cooks. J lie Income from the notels last year any other disease. In 1907, 11,743 wsr treated at the commission hospital. new-comer on the isthmus now-day wonders at the absence of mosqultos at Panama and Colon and the settled parti of the canal strip. The reason Is found when It is stated that during the last year more tlmn 2,736 gallons of mosquito oil was sprinkled on the streets and low places. A very rigid Inspection is made of all passengers and crews on boats, and those touching at unclean ports are held In quarantine for five days. The vaccination against smallpox for 1907 amounted to 34,589 cases. The immigration for the same . . ." T j . Its' M 3! 9 a-? Z imMj? t; ..41 1 "v " VjT 's STATION OF THE PANAMA RAILROAD AT COLON. In the past, because the commissary stores of Uncle Sam supply Its em ployes with goods at a reasonable price. Admiral Walker, who first reported In favor of the Nlcaraguan road, so angered the French Panama company that they made a reduction of $70,000, 000 on their previous figure, so that of the $40,000,000 paid to the French company, $27,474,000 went to the canal. The Panama railroad received $I,8S0, 000, and there was paid for the plans, maps and abstracts $2,000,000. This also Included 30,000 acres of land that went with the railroad; 625,000 acres of land under the Wise concession, 2,265 buildings In the city of Panama, In Colon and along the line of the can al, and three steamers of 2,000 tons each. The Isthmian Commission, May 4, 1004, took possession of the property, which Included, at that time, 115 etore liouses, 15 large warehouses and 41 parks or yards scattered along the 10 uilles of canal road. French Inventory. According to the last Inventory of the French, the cannl property repre sented a book value of $29,000,000. Most of the stuff has been thrown on the scrap heap, and In 1906 a dealer In old Iron bought two shiploads, pay ing $!0,0H, while hundreds of tons have been going to New York As ballast on the Panama steamers. Many hundreds of engines and ma , chines have been put In service and are now at work on the canal. The Ancon hospital, one of the finest on the Isth mus, cost the French upwards of $5, 000,000, hih! l)e I-esseps' house, also at Colon, $21X1.000. The building now oc cupied by the American legation cost $60,000. The commission is now quar tering and caring for about 25,000 men, aud the experiment with lalmrers from Spain has proven very satisfactory. There were 4,317 Europeans at work on the canal June 30, 1907, as well us 14.000 natives of West India. The Panama railroad has a force of C.000 laborers and 0,999 Europeans. During the year 1907 nearly 1,500 men were out of the ranks every month. At the present time the lalxr cost is small er, owing to the progress of work and the reduction of forces lu matiy of the departments. It Beenis that the labor problem is still unsolved. The wonderful progress of the Ameri cans on the Isthmus Is seen every where. Cottages are well built and of pleturesqTfc abearance. There are 537 houses for married employes and 223 for single men; all told there are 528 ho tels, 10 metis houses aud 19 kitchens. There are 55 miscellaneous otilees snd club houses, making a total of 2,2(KS buildings. The American department, called the Canal Zone. Is divided Into two cus tom districts, known as Ancon, on the Pacific, and Crlstolutl, on the -Atlantic side. The steamship Hues entering Au vu ttie the Puclflc Steam Navigation was $492,000, expenditures $475,000. The average number of meals served iu a mouth Is about 1,000,000. Health On Isthmas. The Isthmus has been very healthful since the medical commission cleaned up the various cities and villages along the zone. There has been no yellow fever for three years. The department of sanitation is magnificently equipped and goes Into every part of the zone. There are two splendid hospitals at Ancon and Colon and line hospitals at all the principal settlements along the canal route. There are numerous dls Iioiisarlos, and a district physician and an Inspecting force a e maintained in each. When Dr. do Ualrmont passitl over the zone lu 1904 on his way to Peru, the Jungle reigned supreme In all the settlements built by the French. Now one sees numerous well ordered villages, with the Jungles and grass out away, drainage ditches run in every direction, there are good sidewalks and, In many places electric lights. It Is a pleasure to ride over the new road from one end of the Isthmus to the other, and A GLIMPSE OF THE CANAL. year was more than 30,000, out of which only forty-four were rejected. Fanlitona In Horsea' Talis. Horses tails have been subjected to curious changes of fashion. Iu the time of the Stuarts the English coach- horsed fall was worn long and flowing, and was cut square, like King Charles' charger at Charing Cross. English Country Life says that It was adorned with ribbons on gala days, and strap ped up In a leather case in winter weather; thus a certain harmony was preserved between the wig of the mas ter and the tails of his horses. Py the time of George II. a short wig and a pigtail had taken the place of the flowing curls in which the cava liers of Charles I. and the rakes of Charles II.'s court delighted. The brilliant idea occurred to Lord Cadogan, a cavalry officer of that pe riod, to reduce the tails of his dragoon horses to a short dock. Possibly this was with the view of saving his sol diers the trouble of cleaning those long tails, and avoiding the nuisance of the splashes uniforms and accoutermeuts must have received from such hair streamers. Or It may be that the debased taste of the age made him think the appear ance of his regiment was reallv im proved by bobbed tails. That is a question which history does not decide. The next step was to turn bobtails into plugtailB, by cutting all the hair for the last two or three inches of the dock. Having thus succeeded In dls- figuring the hind quarters of dragoon horses, some monster devised the addi tional barbarity of cropping their ears. Farm Induntry Prospers. ; No industry has equaled the pros perity of agriculture the past decade, Scientific methods of farming and im proved live stock have greatly increased the revenue of the farms lu all parts of the country. . The land has been cultivated to yield Increased crops, and prices have ruled uniformly high and stable. While other Industries feel the effects of the financial depression, the soil continues to yield bountiful har vests and values hold firm in contrast with depressed business activities. The government estimates that the value of the agricultural products of 1908 will total the enormous sum of $8,500,- 000,000. Farmers have Invested approximately in agriculture $25,000,000,000, which yields a gross Income of 30 per cent on the investment, according to the es timate of the value of this season's output. In some localities where farm lands are cheap the gross return Is up ward of 100 per cent on the Investment, aud fanners are able to pay for their land with a single crop. It Is esti mated that there are 6,000,000 farms In the United States that are putting on the market annually an output valued at $8,500,000,000. It is the leading in dustry of the country, and Its pros perity has had an ameliorating effect on the late financial panic. The farm ers are the only representatives of an industry who are not materially af fected by the current dull times. Live stock husbandry is becoming more paramount in agricultural oper ations. The assessed valuation of the horses, mules, cattle, sheep and hogs In the United States now totals $4,331,- 230,000. Dairy products now. equal the combined value of wheat and oats. The value of eggs and poultry equals the It Pays to Steam Fodde. Fodder cau be made much more pal atable by moistening the mass with live steam." A barrel or hogshead with a little ftteam.'plpe run from a small feed cooker will do for one to half a dozen head of cattle, but for feeding on a large scale the following plans will show how to build a cooker of sufficient capacity: The shed should be only large enough to house the steamer. There is a small door In the end next to the fire-box beside the boiller, v ' - The bins on the sides should be large enough to steam an ample supply for each day's feeding. The bin is filled one day before using and steamed thor oughly, but not enough to make it sog gy. It should be allowed to cool and then fed the next day. The. bin shouldv be provided with hinged lids. The steam pipes are run COOKEB FOB STEAMINO FOUDEB. from the steamer to the bottom of the bins, where they are connected with more pipes to give an equal distribu tion of steam. The pipes inside the bins are pierced with one-elghth-lnch holes six Inches apart to allow the steam to es cape. , . . .' To preserve the bins they should be lined, bottom, sides, top and lids, with zinc. . ' . .. : Cellar tor Root and Vegetables. Itoot cellars are usually built half below aud half above the level of the ground. Excavate sixteen Inches below the desired level , of. - the floor, and around the sides build a foundation twelve inches wide of one part Port land cement, three parts clean, coarse sand and six parts broken stone or gravel. Remove form and fill between A BIO SHEEP AT THE CHICAGO STOCK SHOW. Fiielng- the Enemj-. Major Cary, who died & few montho ago lu England, was the leader of the search party which rode through the African bush to 'find the body of the Pi;lnce Imperial of France. It was with Lieutenant Cary of the Ninety- eighth Regiment that he went out .on the fatal ride in the Zulu War. Ellen Karlee gives an account of the tragedy In her life of the prince, and alsa men tions a little Incident of his boyhood which Is curiously prophetic of the spirit he showed In his last light. Ihe prince was a bright, Jovial youth, -wth high spirits. "The Dear IJoy" he was called Iu camp. When the corps of volunteers under Cary's command found his body In the tall grass It was seen thnt he had received seventeen assagai wounds, all in front. When the prince was a small boy he was attacked by n dcejj-seated abscess In bis back. An operation was order ed, and the little fellow submitted bravely. Something troubled htm, IV Vi-J.- x, K-a. . SSii-: ff'fv 1 :J1V' VvT vjj. . 1 iiiilli DITltftiUl-l A STEAM SHOVEL AT WORIC every few miles there is a clean tropical however, which at last he confided to village. .his father, There Is a station ou the isthmus The abscess being lu.his back, he for lepers and new Insane quarters at wuld have a wound behind. Aueon. The lepers have now been plae-1 " "11" a scar rema'vs,' he said, "por ed on a jKilut iu the bay west of & hl,Ps my enemies Mie day will think Hoca, near ranama. The death rate on the isthmus has been as follows ; lu 1905 It was 53 ier cent, lu 1IHHJ 49 per eeut, lu 1907 42 ier eeut. and the total deaths lu 1907 num bered 1,273, of which 104 were due to accident. The native death rate, com pared to the whites, Is 3.21, and the cause or mis is mat the wnite man stands the conditions on the Isthmus three times as well as the negro, a statement that would have been con tradicted three .years ago, but which exiHrlence has proven true. rueuiuoula claims more victims thau I ran away.' Court and Witness Agree. An amusing incident occurred in one of the New York courts the other day. The lawyer for tle defense was maklug a very lengthy cross-examination of au old lady when he was Interrupted by the Judge with the remark, "I think you have exhausted this witness." "les, Judge," she exclaimed, "I feel very much exhausted." ud Most men, when they come to the end of their rope, also come to their sense. Old Favorites Down In a Coal Mine. I am a Jovial collier lad, and blithe as blithe can be, '; For let the times be good or bad, they're ..." all the same to me... Tis little of the world I know, and cars . 1pm for Its wsvR. i I . . , -.- ..-.. . For where the dog star .never glows, i wear away my days. - : -', '".."' ; : '-. p .'.n ; ' ; Chorus : 1 Down In a coal mine, underneath. th r ' ground, f '. ' . Where a gleam of sunshine 'never can be found ; , '- .. , i Digging dusky diamonds , ei) the season 'round, Down In a coal mine, underneath . the ground. .. "i a ; My hands are horny, hard ana black, with - r working in the vein, j ? And, like tho clothes upon W back, my speech is rough and ilain; Well If I stumble with my tongue, I've i .; one excuse to say, i ' . 'Tis not the collier's heart that's wrong, 'tis the head that goesjastray. : - - 'J . At every shift, be't.eoon or late, I haste my bread to earn, . i . -. And anxiously my kindred watt, and watch .' for my return ; For Death that "levels all alikle, whate'er . ' their rank may be, A Amid the fire and damp, may sirlke, and , '. ; fling his darts at me. , j How little do the great ones teare, who , .1. A , ' . ' . . li ai nome secure, ' What hidden dangers colliers dare, what . ... , , , v The very fires their mansions boast, to cheer themselves and wivea, Mayhap were kindled at the cost 'of Jovial colliers' lives. Then cheer up, lads, and make! ye much of every Joy ye can, , ( But let your mirth be always such as best becomes a man; . V However Fortune turns about, we'll still be. Jovial souls, . . What would our country be without the lads who look for coals? Y 5 1 -Old English Song. combined appraisal of wheat and pota toes. The combined value of dairy products, eggs aud poultry equals the value of the corn crop. The 0,000,000 farms produce a gross output of $8,500,000,000, or an average of $1,410 annually. This Is an aver age gross Income per farm of $118 per month. Even the 190,000 New England farms are credited with an annual out put of $200,000,000, or an average of $1,052 per farm. While there Is no magical transition from poverty to wealth In agriculture, there are such liberal returns from the soil and such attractive profits for farm produce that farmers as a professional class lead all Industries in stable prosperity. Commercial activity or Industrial de- pressiou do not materially affect the consumption of farm commodities. Coodall's Fanner. . Farm Notes. Sheep should not be fed ensilage ex cept In small quantities. It Is said that barley furnishes as much nutriment as the same weight of oats. Don't overcrowd the chickens. Win ter only as many as you can comfort ably. Clean dirty eggs with a woolen rag slightly moistened in water; never wash them. A teaspoonful of chloride of lime In a pint of warm water Is said to relieve wind colic In horses. The Idea of perfect comfort should predominate In every building that is constructed for -the hogs. The failures that we make, if wisely pondered and wisely used, may guide us to the success we long to achieve. Farmers are a power in the laud, but it Is only as they stand together on questions that affect their welfare that tLIs holds true. , Fourteen million bushels. of wheat were exported through Puget sound ports last year and 13,000,000 through Portland, Ore, New York exported 20,000,000, Galveston 8,000,000 and New Orleans 5,000,000 bushels. In Holland healthy paupers are set to work at farming. For this purpose the government has six model farms, and ou these a man who falls to sup port himself at another calling Is taught the principles of farming. He is then allowed to rent a small piece of land at a very low figure aud Is compelled to till it and support hini- tslf. -." the foundations to a depth of twelve Inches with porous material, tamping well. .''.. . , On the foundation and at equal dls tance from either edge erect a solid wall eight' inches thick, with one part Portland cement, . two ! and one-half parts clean, coarse sand and five parts cinders, broken stone or gravel, leaving an opening at one end for the steps. Build up the end walls, so as to form a point in the middle, aud high enough to give the roof a sufficient pitch to shed the rain. Near the top at each end openings CONCRETE BOOT CELLAR. for windows should be left, and the sash fitted and plastered In after the concrete has set and forms have been removed. If a concrete roof Is desired, forms should be erected and a roof two and one-half inches thick laid on. On the top of this, and before the concrete is dry, a layer one-fourth Inch thick of one part Portland cement and one part sand should be placed, troweled when partially set and smoothed with a wooden float Forms should not be removed from roof for at least three weeks. Roof and steps should ,be. reinforced with a woven wire fabric or with steel rods. - The cut shows a small cellar suitable for storing all kinds of roots, fruit and vegetables. Farm and Home Canning Sweet Potatoes. The LIndale canning factory has been running regularly for several weeks. canning sweet potatoes. This is a new thing and furnishes a market not only for au the sweet potatoes raised lu the vicinity of LIndale. but carload lots are being shipped In to supply the can nery. Wills Point (Tex.) Chronicle.- A Snow Plow. Take two pieces of plank one foot wide and four feet long and bolt them together n the shape if a letter V To this arrangement attach a horse and by standing on It to hold It down one can make a path four or five feet wide with my little trouble. . Jean net te and Tou are going faraway, ,1 Far away from poor Jeannette. t There s;no one-left to love me now, And you too may " forget ; 4 . But my heart will be, with: you, ft W herever you may go. Can you look me In the face And say the -same, Jeannot? When you wear the Jacket red, And the beautiful cockade, ' Oh ! I fear you will forget , . ' All the ' promises you've made; t With your gun upon your shoulder And vmir hn von fit hv vniir side, f - You'll be taking some proud lady , f . t t I ! J - . .. Ana De minting ,ner. y ouc unue; -i , You'll be taking some proud lady y And be making her your bride.-A ' ' r ' " 't -- "".. " Or when glory leads the way, You'll be madly rushing on, Never thinking If they kill you that. , My happiness is gone ; ' ' If you win the day, perhaps, I - - A general you 11 be. f ' Tho' I'm proud to think of that, V 2 What will become of me? ' Oh 1 if I were Queen of France, Or still better, Pope of Rome, I would have no fighting men abroad No weeping maids at home. All the world should be at peace, Or if kings must show their mlghi, Why let them who make the quarrels Be the only ' men to fight ; Yes, let them who make the quarrels - Be the only men :to fight. -Charles Jefferies. , s ' Walking- Sticks. The sixteenth century Is that In . wnicn me warning suck uecame not merely a useful implement, but an ar ticle of fashion, dignity and luxury. In the seventeenth century It was gold headed and made of rare woods. - It r was a sign of leadership. For a long period there was little variety among Englishmen in the ma terial used for the majority of walking mpflftflnr v rennm wnpn an onpmv ojns - to be "rubbed down," shared popular ity with' the crab tree cudgel, which,', among rural folk especially, was much valued and classic from the conflict In With many a stiff thwack, many a bang. Hard crab tree on old iron rang. " j Classic, too, is that stout oaken stick which sturdy Dr. Johnson, who, llkifr Knox, "never feared the face of living ' man," provided himself with when he went to the pit of the little theater lu thn T4a vrrirt rk At In full pIaw et TFrta. " W V " . V.M . V 1 WfctJt who had announced his Intention of . "taking him off" on the stage, an In-, tent Ion which In view of the stick he did not carry Into effect. Gentleman's 1 Magazine. The Road to Success. .. .1 John O. Johnson, Philadelphia's fa mous lawyer, was talking in the smoke room of a liner about work. i "In my youth," said Mr. Johnson I was ambitious. Ambitious In am aimless ami desultory way. In early youth, of course, one" understands! neither life nor one's self. ' - "An aged millionaire questioned met one day good-humoredly. 7 "You are ambitious,' he said. 'l am,' I agreed. " 'Why,' said the millionaire, do you f ' want to rise?" 'So that I can do as I Ilka' t in. ; swered. ', '", ' ' "The millionaire smiled and shook Lis head. 'Ah, my boy,' he said, 'It Is only when we do as we don't like thnt - succeed.' " " When a husband Is mean, patience In ' his ,wlfe is never regarded by any of the neighbors as a virtue, -