New Nation Out
of Oldest Land
Supposed Site of Garden of Eden
Included in Territory of
Kingdom of Irak.
SLICE TAKEN FROM TURKEY
Under British Mandate and Arabian
Rule the 8ection, Better Known as
Mesopotamia, Is Expected to
Regain Former Glory.
Washington.—The Impending addl-
lon of a new member to the family of
latlons—the kingdom of Irak, to func-
lou under a British mandate—Is men
tioned In recent dispatches from Lon-
Ion. How this "new" country Is In
reality one of the oldest und most hls-
»ric patches of the earth's surface Is
told in the following bulletin from the
Washington headquarters of the Na-
tlonal Geographic society:
"Irak has existed as a geographical
lame for ages,” says the bulletin, “but
n recent centuries It has hud little
nore official sanction than ‘Manhattan’
¡or the American metropolis or 'Frls-
:o' for a thriving Pacific port. Yet It
¡overs more or less Indefinitely a re-
flou known, and often famous, In
(very age of man from the dawn of
:raditlon to the present—the fertile
>Ialn of the Tigris and Euphrates val-
eys, where the Garden of Eden Is sup
posed by many students to have been
iltuated. Strip Irak o f Its alias; call
t
Babylon — Nineveh—Mesopotamia,
ind It Is known to every school child.
ing the golden age of Babylon, rapidly
deteriorated.
Splendid, Gay, Wicked Bagdad.
"Under the Abbassld Caliphs, with
a combination of Arabic und Persian
culture, Bagdad was founded on the
Tigris In the very center of the river
plulu—the splendid, guy, wicked Bag
dad of the Arabian Nights. Mesopo
tamia’s prosperity, though much less,
was still relatively great, and Bagdad
was for awhile the metropolis of the
world. Its Inhabitants at one time num
bering 2,000,000 souls.
“When the Turks got possession of
the Caliphate and carried Its seat to
the wfest, Bagdad withered; und under
Turkish rule the Tigris und Euphrates
valley entered into Its darkest period.
Only a small percentage of the rich
valley has for generations produced
any crops.
"After the Young Turks came Into
power In 1008 reclamation work was
undertaken in the Tigris and Eu
phrates pluin and some heudway was
made. Since the British occupied Bag
dad in 1017 this work has been carried
much farther.
“It Is planned under the new Arab
state and the mandate to continue the
work of rejuvenutlng the country’s an
cient Irrigation system. But there Is a
Herculean tusk to be accomplished be
fore ’the Garden of Eden' blooms again.
It was estimated before the World
war that the ambitious project of the
Turks to reclaim 3,5011,000 acres would
cost $130,000,000. The total area that
might be Irrigated Is placed at about
12,500,000 acres.”
London.—A minister has been
found who Is willing to serve
on the Island of Tristan da
Cunha, according to the London
Daily Mall. Rev. Henry Mar
tyn Rogers, curate In charge at
Alexton, Uppingham, Rutland,
and his wife have volunteered
to go to Britain’s loneliest pos
session, Tristan da Cunha, a
little Island In the South At
lantic, to act as priest and
schoolmaster. There are 119 in
habitants of the Island, which
is 1,512 miles west of Cape
town and Is visited only once a
year by a British warship, and
on remote occasions by passing
vessels.
The Islanders have no Inws
and know no crime. They do
not barter, and during the whole
of last year the only sum of
money on the Island was 5s.
Tea. cocoa and flour are rare
delicacies.
Women Fight Eagle, Save Tot.
Homestead, Pa.—An eagle gave
battle to Mrs. George Williams of this
city and Mrs. B. Ruffing of Greens
burg, when the two women attacked
the big bird after it had seized
Mrs. Williams' two-and-a-half-year-old
daughter and was about to fly away
with the child In Its talons.
Mrs. Ruffing, armed with a club,
came to the aid of Mrs. Williams, and
the two, after several minutes of des
perate battle, forced the bird to flight,
though It hovered menacingly over
them for some time.
Barring deep scratches on her body,
the child was uninjured.
A Slice of Turkey.
"The Country which It Is proposed
» erect Into the practically lndepend-
(ut kingdom of Iruk was placed under
die mandate of Great Britain on the
»reaklng up of the Turkish empire fol
lowing the World war, and was gen-
“rally spoken of as ‘the mandate for
Mesopotamia.’
"It Is dlfllcult to exaggerate the ag-
•lculturul paradise thut might be built
ip In the lower valley of the two rlv-
•rs, supplemented by the mineral
Health taken from the regions farther
lorth, If the country were under a
itrong government, were peopled by
ilert, educated lnhubltunts, und if the
lecessary capital and modern ina-
¡liluery were available. Even with
h e factors as they ure, the British,
Hho will continue to hold the man-
lute, and the Arubluns who will be In
uimedlate charge of the government,
ire counting on the rise of u state
vhlch muy be compared without dlsad-
ruutage with some of the great gov-
irnmeuts that have occupied the land
u the past.
"To gain an Idea of what wonderful
levelopmeut can be brought about In
Mesopotamia one need ouly look Into
lie pust. At the beginning of history
he plain of the Tigris und Euphrates
vus a garden-spot teeming with a well-
led und wealthy people. If there wus
i 'grandeur thut wus Greece and a
(lory thut was Itome' there wus us
xuly a spleudor that was Babylon,
iud the splendor of Bubylon wus mude
possible O.tXHJ yeurs ago largely by the
Health thut sprung from the Intensive
¡ultlvation of the river pluin under a
(Igautlc system of Irrigation which
iven the most ambitious modern sys
tems probably have failed in luanj
Hnys to surpass.
“Babylon's agricultural Utoplu was
lot a short lived affair, but continued
lor nearly ten times us long us the
period which l i a s passed since white
neu settled In America. The country
hrove with only minor Interruptions
inder Babylonluns, Assyrians, Chai-
leans, Greeks und Romans, But always
h e settled civilization of the agricul
turists wus threatened by the turbu
lent hill people to the north and east.
Finally the Parthlaue captured the
¡ountry and were followed by the Per-
ilans. Under these more barbarous
•ulers the great Irrigation systems,
»ven then much less efficient thuu dur
Study Ways to
Better Leather
Noted Chemists in Conference to
Discuss Improved Processes
of Tanning.
LOWER PRICES MAY RESULT
Plan to Hasten Tanning Procesa W ith
out Sacrificing Quality— Promi
nent Foreign Chemists to
Take Part in Meeting.
New York.—Shoe prices may trend
downward as a result of new proc
esses of tanning based on studies of
electrical discharges and other unusual
factors, which will be discussed by the
leather chemistry section of the Amer
ican Chemical society.
The notable progress made In Amer
ican tanning has gained such recogni
tions abroad that sessions of the sec
tion will be attended by the largest
number of European leather chemists
which has ever come at one time to
the United States.
Some of these experts will also at
tend the meeting of the Society of
Chemical Industry of Great Britain,
which, after convening with Its Cana
dian section, will cross the border to
confer with Its American branch and
to hold a Joint session with the Amer
ican Chemical society.
The leather clienilstry section of the
American Chemical society will meet
ut Columbus university. At Its session
will lie discussed revolutionary meth
ods by which the tanning of hides can
be hastened without the sacrifice of
quality. The saving of time and the
releasing of large sums of money from
its Investment In raw material thus
would have the tendency to stabilize
and, perhaps, eventually to lower
leuther prices, American chemists be
lieve.
One of the marked Influences In the
sessions will be that of Alfred Sey-
Vast Amount of Gold Gathered Here
Called Most Beautiful Spot in Chicago
Loneliest British Isle
Has No Laws. No Crime
mour-Jones, the first president of the
International Association of Leather
Trades Chemists. He co-operated with
Lord Allerton in forming the leather
Industries department of the Univer
sity of Leeds, long reputed to be the
greatest leather school lu the world.
Foreign Chemists to Appear.
Another prominent figure in the
leather industry of Great Britain, who
will address the section, Is Joseph
Turney Wood. He Is the discoverer
of processes of tanning In which pan-
creatln Is used Instead of the crude
and obnoxious mixtures employed by
the old-time Journeymen tanners. Mr.
Wood was the first secretary of the So
ciety of Leather Trades Chemists.
Some of the noted foreign chemists
whose papers will be read If they can
not appear In person ure Prof. H. R.
Procter, affectionately known as the
father of leuther chemistry, who was
long Identified with the University of
Leeds; Dr. E. Schell of Havre, France,
and Flnl Enua o f Copenhagen, Den
mark.
How tanning as a science has ad
vanced In recent years Is shown by the
fact that umong those who are to ad
dress the leather chemistry section is
Dr. Jacques Loeb, a noted Americun
biologist connected with the Rocke
feller Institute for Medical Research,
Original and novel methods of tan
ning based upon the studies ot elec
tricity will be described by John Ar
thur Wilson of Milwaukee, chairman
of the leather chemistry section. Ills
discoveries have been termed revolu
tionary. His researches have shown
the reasons for the chemical changes
which take place In the tanning
process ns distinguished from meth
ods which rested merely upon ancient
traditions. Although tanning Is one
of the oldest arts In the world, It has
not come under control of scientific re
search to the extent that many other
Industries have. It Is expected that
the papers of Mr. Wilson nnd of other
leather chemists of the pioneer class
will cause an earnest and heated dis
cussion.
Studying
Electrical
The lagoon In Lincoln park, which la the home of the Chicago Yacht club, la said to be the most beautiful spot
In Chicago. It Is located off Sheridan drive at Roscoe street. At the extreme right may be seen the Sherldnn Road
Irlve and next to It the bridle path. The old schooner at the extreme right of the photograph Is the club's house and
)ffice. In the distance can be seen the Lincoln Park golf course.
Ohio Town Is
Being Moved
Ml Buildings of Osborn to Be
Taken to New Site to
Prevent Flood.
LAWYER CRACKS HARD NUT
Problem of How to Preservo- Cor
porate Exletence of Town and at
Same Tim e Deetroy Its Very
Exletence Aroused Interest.
Dayton, O.—The town of Osborn,
0., Is moving. The story, briefly told,
Is this:
In March, 1913, the Great Miami
river and Its tributaries overflowed
their banks. The resulting flood was
the worst in the history of the Miami
valley. It Is known as the Dayton
Rood. Hundreds of lives were lost,
ind the financial loss aggregated hun-
lreds of millions of dollars.
When the people recovered after the
shock of the disaster and looked the
situation over, they decided that they
would prevent future floods, cost
ichat It would. Experts were ordered
io find a way to keep the waters of
the Great Miami, Mad river, Stillwa
ter river, Wolf creek, Big Twin creift
ind smaller tributaries confined to
their several banks.
The plan finally adopted contem
plated a series of dams across the
streams. This simple method of con
trolling the flow during floods prom
ised the protection aiified nt. The
lams would hold the water back,
»mlttlng Just enough to fill the river
led below, and no more.
Under this plan the water would
lack up behind the dams for miles,
llllng the whole valley between the
bordering hills. These spaces were
¡ailed “dry reservoirs," which means
that In seasons of normal flow the
and bordering the stream would be
Iry, while in flood times It would be
submerged to a depth of many feet.
All homes located in the dry reser-
rolrs, all buildings of every descrip
tion, all towns and villages, mills and
•very form of structure; In fact, any
thing nnd everything that may be
Inmaged by water must be moved to
llgher ground.
.
Village Must Be Moved.
The village of Osborn, with a popu
lation of 1,000, was In one of those
"dry” reservoirs. It was necessary to
nove IL It was an old town and one
it the most attractive and most beau
tiful in Ohio, with hundreds of won-
lerful shade trees, many churches, a
splendid high school, great flouring
HONORS DAD’S MEMORY
Discharges.
Closely associated with Mr. Wilson
In his Investigations Is Prof. Arthur W.
Thomas, whd Is making Important
studies of the relation of electrical dis
charges of materials used In tanning
to the manufacture of leather. His
laboratory Is lu Haveiueyer hull, Co
lumbus university, where the sessions
of the leather chemistry section are
to be held, in It Is unique and costly
equipment provided from a special
fund given by a well-known Milwaukee
tanner. The results of these researches
are made available, however, for the
entire tannlug Industry.
Dn a bench In this laboratory, occu
pying an area of a square yard. Is
what Is reputed to be the smallest
tannery In the world. With It compli
cated processes of tanning are perfect
ly conducted although on a miniature
sval<\
Treasury officials weighing bars of gobi In the United States assay office
In New York. In this building Is about 250 tons of gold In tans and coin, ap
proximately one-fifth of the world's supply of the precious metaL It 1« worth
lljaki.ouo.wu.
zens will continue to occupy their
homes In the new location.
The work of removal Is simple, al
though It will take months to complete
IL Every house In Osborn has been
numbered. The place where each
building Is to go has been similarly
numbered In the new location. When
the day comes to remove any particu
lar building, It will be raised with
power Jacks, broad rollers placed un
der It, the building lowered onto the
Ten Dollars a “ Stick Up”
rollers, a powerful tractor hitched to
Is Scale for Assistants
It, nnd away It will g o t and before
night It will be dropped on Its new
Ten dollars a "stick up” Is
location.
the scale offered by New York
If the occupants so desire, they can
city holdup men for assistants,
remalu In the houses, and the Interior
or “swabbers,” according to a
arrangements will scarcely be dis
story detectives say they ob
turbed.
tained from Gerald Clair of Den
The actual work of removal Is be
ver, Colo., held for complicity
ing started. Every legal Impediment
In the robbery of two cigar
to the scheme has been overcome.
stores.
Without statutory law, without legisla
According to detectives, Clair
tive enactment, without ordinance,
said he held a revolver while
without precedent to guide him. Law
his employer rifled the cash reg
yer Rice worked out a plan whereby
isters. The two robberies for
the town of Osborn could be moved
which Clair Is said to have re
to a location a mile and a half away
ceived $20, totaled $100.
without destroying Its corporate ex
istence, or interrupting for a moment
Its corporate rights and privileges, as
mills, whose products had a national defined under the laws of Ohio.
reputation, waterworks, railways and
SAVED U. S. $10,000,000
scores of good residences. When It
became known that all of these had
to be removed, or demolished, the In
habitants were very much distressed.
Every expedient known to lawyers
was resorted to to prevent the sacri
fice. But the courts held that the law,
which created the Miami conservancy
district, the corporate body charged
with the flood prevention work, con
ferred all of the powers which were
asserted.
How to preserve the corporate exist
ence of the town of Osborn, nnd at the
same time destroy Its very existence,
became the problem of the ablest law
yers of the state. Finally a village
lawyer, Morris Rice, unknown to fame
until then, hit upon a way to save the
towrf as a corporate entity. He found
nothing In the law books to guide
him. Nevertheless, he brought the
question to the courts, where he de
manded an Interpretation of the word
“contiguous.”
The existing law of Ohio authorized
towns, d tles and villages to extend
their corporate limits to “contiguous”
territory.
Mr. Rice argued that the town of
Osborn had the right to extend its
corporate limits to suit Itself and that
the physical shape of the extension slves. These munitions, T. N. T. and
could not be defined by law. He pro picric acid are now being used In road
posed to take into the corporate limits building and for distribution among
of the village of Osborn, as It then ex the farmers. Major Connolly Is here
isted, an addition four hundred feet shown burning modified T. N. T. I f
wide and a mile and a quarter long, th.s were dynamite, the major as wall
at the extremity of which addition the as the photographer would be counted
plat broadened to Include sufficient among those missing.
area to accommodate the buildings of
the town as they then were.
NEW YORK EATS MOST SPUDS
Opposing lawyers laughed and
Jeered at the novel theory, but the City Leads World as Potato Consum
court did not. It handed down a de
er; Chicago Ranks Second, Fol
cision which upheld every claim of
lowed by Philadelphia.
Lawyer Rice.
Accordingly the town of Osborn ex
New York.—New York Is the great
tended its corporate limits by laying est white potato consuming center In
out a new addition distant a mile and the United States, it was announced
a half from the old town, and con by the bureau of markets and crop es
necting the new site with the old by timates of the United States Depart
a strip four hundred feet wide and ment of Agriculture. An average of
more than a mile and a quarter long. 19.263 cars of white potatoes were
The entire town will be moved to the unloaded here every year for the last
new location, with the exception of a five years,
Chicago stands sceond,
few large brick buildings, and the big with 11,510 cars, followed by Phila
mills, which latter have been reserved, delphia with 8,807, Pittsburgh with
and will remain as they are.
6.929, SL Louis with 2,943 and Kansas
A ll Property Rights Acquired.
City with 2,726.
In order to accomplish the removal
The city's potatoes come mostly
In an orderly way the “Osborn Re from upstate and Maine. The state
moval company” was Incorporated un supplies 5,926 cars and Maine 3,048.
der the laws of the state of Ohio. This Practically the entire supply of the
company purchased outright from the Intermediate crop is furnished by New
Miami conservancy district every Jersey, which ships 2,048 cars to this
building in the town, except those city.
mentioned. The Miami conservancy
district had previously “condemned’'
and had appraised all the buildings of O.K.’S NEW SAM BROWNE BELT
every description In the village, and
had paid for them In cash.
Pershing Favors United States Design,
The Osborn Removal company
Which Provides Two
bought and paid for all the buildings.
8trapa.
*
Title to the real estate did not pass,
but remained la the name of the
Washington.— A new type of Sam
Miami conservancy district. It Is the Browne belt, for wear by army officers,
present and future task of the Osborn with two straps, one over each shoul
Removal company to transport the der, has been designed by the quarter
buildings from the old town to the master general and approved by Gen
new location. In every instance the eral Pershing. A War department an
persona who now occupy the buildings nouncement described the belt as hav
will be given preference In repurchas ing two straps, removable pistol
ing them after the work of removal is slides, flrst-ald pouch, canteen, double
effected. This plan has been accepted magazine pocket and saber attacb-
by the cltlaens of the village, and It Is ment, thus differing distinctly
expected that a majority of the dtl- that now being worn.
Still Live In W ar Dugouts.
Dvtnak. Latvia.—Hundreds of fam
ilies In the war-devastated territory
about Dvlusk are still living In the
dugouts used by German and Russian
soldiers In the early days of the war.
IJttle or no progress toward recon
struction has been made la the scores
of razed villages because of the pov
erty of the people who for a long tints
King George of England unveiled
after the war between Russia and Ger this statua of his father. King Edward
many ended were under IlolahevIK ITH la London recently. The
rule.