THE OMAHA DAILY BEEt THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 39, 1001.
IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRICITY
Result tf Weather Bureau Experiments in
Wlrelen Telegraphy.
TROLLEYS IN THE DOMAIN OF STEAM
I,ocl Attnrkn on the Supremacy ol
llif Locomotive llrltnln's Trie
phone Syatrm Klahlnir liy
Electric l.lRht.
Prof. K. A. Fesscnden, who has beon In
charge of the weather bureau experiments
In wireless telegraphy since January, 1000,
has been no successful that tho bureau will
soon be able to mako use of a system fully
tho equal of that of any department In
any other country. In tho Electrical World
nud Knglneor, I'rot. Fesscnden says re
garding his experiments;
"In the first place, It has been found
posslblo In several ways to get over tho
old difficulty which troubled Hertz and
later experimenters, 1. e., that when tho
spark length was' Increased beyond a cer
tain length the discharge became no longer
oscillatory. An cloctrlcnl device was In
vented, which on being applied directly to
the sending ' wlro measured directly the
amount of energy radiated. A curve was
then plotted, showing tho relation between
spark length and energy radiated, and It
was found that tho curve gavo a sharp
bend with a spark about ono Inch In length
and no further Increases of radiation could
be obtained. Different kinds of colls with
different primaries and, secondaries differ,
ent methods of producing tho voltage, dif
ferent kinds of gases and fluid Insulators
In which tho balls wore Immersed and
dlfforent kinds of arrangements of tho ter
minals were tried, but oil without success.
Uutflnally tho solution was found, with
the' result that with tho later apparatus an
amount of radiation sixteen times ns-great
as that got with tho ordinary twelve-Inch
coll and one-Inch spark was obtained. This
means, of course, greater sending distance
and It may bo mentioned hero that trans
mission, without thu, use' of transformers,
Inductlvo dovlces, cylinders or any other
apparatus for raising tho voltago has. been
accomplished over n distance of fifty miles
without using moro than a fraction of tho
available energy. Tho samo result was
also accomplished In two other ways'.
"Other work douo by tho weather bu
reau has been along the lino of producing
a nonlntcrferlng system. Tho admirable
and beautiful work of Mr. Marconi has
resulted In a system by which within cer
tain limits messages' can bo sent without
Intcrfere'nce. But one great objection has
been found In tho weather bureau experi
ments to this method, although It Is de
scribed In some of the earlier patents
of the weather bureau experimenters. That
Is, that while It Is no doubt possible, under
certain conditions, to send and receive- in
dividual messages, yet by connecting two
brass scml-clrcles to a motor revolving
at several thousand revolutions per min
ute. It Is possible to mnko what may bo
called nn cloctrlcnl clren, which runs up
and down a scale of sown or eight octaves
eevcral thousand times a tntnuto and which,
as at some period of tho scale, it gives a
noto corresponding to nny given syntonized
receiver. Is consequently nblo to stop all
communication, when ut,cd In conjunction
with the apparatus for strengthening tho
radiation, within a radius of 500 miles or so.
Consequently this method hns been super
seded by several other methods, which per
mit of selectlro signaling, no matter how
strong tho Interfering radiator may bo or
how closo It may be, oven npproachlng the
Interfcring.radjatar within a few feet, pro-,
ductng absolutely no effect.
"Tho parallel manner In which n con
siderable part of this work has boon dono
may possibly bo taken as evidence of tho
fact that tho matter hns now got down to
a sound scientific base. Mr. Marconi and
his eminent collaboratour, Dr. Flomjng, nre
certainly to bo congratulated on th re
sults they havo so far achieved and no ono
Joins more heartily In wishing them tho
best of success than tho writer. Tho
future of wireless tolcgrnphy In their hands
Is certainly nssurcd and It cannot bo many
years beforo Mr. Marconi will see tho great
yotetn, which ho was tno nrsi 10 sen mu
nolnts of and to put In prnctlcal form, In
as universal uso as our present methods of
telegraphy."
Trotter nnit Sir-am Arrayed.
Thn successful . preliminary trials made
upon tho long-dl'stanco trolley system of
electric railways recently completed in mu
Tlon of Lako Como. Italy, havo attracted
the attention of eloctrlcol engineers and
traction, experts nil over tho world. It Is
believed by many that tho successful op
eration of this system is tho forerunner of
a icneral application of electricity to ex
isting railway lines, and henco a solution
of no small number of traction problems In
this country.
This system of heavy electric ttaitlnn,
which conslts of sixty-seven miles of main
line In the north of Italy, running from
' Leceo to Collco along Lako Como and from
Collco to Sondrlo and Chlavennn, Is the
first Installation or.wnat.'lsjcnown as tho
Oanz system of polyphase traction. The
company which installed .this great plant
was compelled to study tho electrical equip
ment and operation of, railways with a view
to utilising tho water powers, that abound
so plentifully lu Italy and with the hope of
solving the problem of the economical op
eratlon of secondary railway lines In that
country.
According to tho Klccjtrlcal ltovlow the
trials that' aro now being made are o,t .two
jt - ..ih nf uilill.ti'sAhurAp &rttttn1v-
the conditions Imposed by the regions In
which the linen, are .operated. For lines
comprising a considerable frolght traffic
and carrying numerous passengers tho sys
tern of a central generating station, with
distribution of onergy by a fixed conducting
lystem, has been adopted. For lines where
the movement of freight Is smaller, but
where the passengor service require
treater frequency of trains, a system of
storage battery traction was Installed,
All the electric power for tho throo
branches of the line Is produced directly
ns a three-phaso current at 20,000 volts In
the water power station, at MorbeKQO.. which
Is fed by a canal from take Como.-. in
necessary power for tho operation of tho
entire system Is 2,&Q0-horso power normal
and 3,600 maximum at the power house, the
Installation belug designed so as .to be
able to take euro of tho simultaneous trans
portatlon of 750 tons of trains at any polut
a weight that may be distributed between
fle passenger trains or two nassenger and
two freight trains. Freight trains are drawn
by an electric locomotive of 600-borso
power, capable of handing a 250-ton train
at speed of twonty miles an hour on a
10 per cent grade.
Tho preliminary trials of this system
have surpassed expectations. Tho operation
or the turoine raacninery and the varlou
automatic electrlo appliances, devised rape
dally for this system, appears to be perfect
There Is little doubt that Its success nave
the way for the gradual unification of the
vast networks of Inter-urban lines In thl
country. In many parts of the country
It will bring about conditions whore the
only remedy left for tho steam railroads
will be to electrify their own tracks and
to convert them Into vast trolley lines.
ItrltUli Telephone System.
The National Telcphono company, which
controls the business In the United King
dom, a the subject of an Interesting artJcl
In the Electrical World and Engineer. The
company has Just moved Into Its new honn
on tho banks of tho Thames, Into a build
ing which Is 250x60 feet, sevin etorlss high
and takes the place of five separate build
ings whtro tho work of administration was
carried on. In speaking of tho telcphoua
system of London, of which the new build
ing Is the head office, tho article eays; Lon
don Is divided Into six departments and
has forty-seven exchanges and the whole
countiy Is split up Into sixty-one dlsttlcls,
each of which Is Independent of the oihsr
and reports directly to the general man-'
ager at Telephone House. In December
last thcro were 9S8 exchanges throughout
the country, which tako care of 200,202 Mo
tions or subscribers, with the enormous
number of C82.857.861 raeeiages per year.
The business of tho National Telephono
company Is steadily growing In spite of thi
opposition which Is about to spring up In
the shape of municipal telephones t.nd gov
ernment poitofflce telephones, and arrange
ments havo recently been mado for the ts
tabllthment of Hnothor large exchange In
London, which will bn operated on the cen
tral battery eysteru, the apparatus for which
will be furnished by the Western Klectrl:
company of London. The apparatus at pr s
ent In uso by tho National Telephone com
pany varies somewhat, part being Amorl
con make, part English and part of conti
nental manufacture. The Natl
phone company has been In tho habit of
Duying wherever tho best market lould ba
obtained, a practice of whlch.lt will be l ard
to cure tho average Englishman of .n'elll
gence. At the annual dinner of the com
pany In London on May 17, when over 201
members of tho staff were present, Mr.
Oalne, who presided, stated that during the
year 29,221 subscribers hnd been added. Ths
business, or number of messages, had In
reased 15.3 per cont, up to 712.000.000. vhlts
tho postofflce telegraphs bad transmitted
90,000,000 telegrams an Increase of only 2 88
per cent."
I IkIiIiik liy Hlectrlc Micht.
A long series of experiments has bejn
conducted with success In catching fish on
largo scale by means of tho recently In
entett nlo submnrlno electric llrht. Tho
rcbults obtained, reports tho Sprlngtleld He
ubllcan, novo been so remarkably sltls
factory that W. S. Mead of Now York City.
nn elderly gentleman of means anl larg'j
oxpcrionco in catching llsh nlong thu coast
f California, has built four craft wblch
ro ui-uevoa uy experts to mark n ucw era
. I ll . i . . . .
n tho history of deep water fishing. Tho
ovoi noats arc designed, by the use of
suDtnarino light, to dlsplaco tho old and
cumbersomo methods of flshlnc which hava
soon little change for tho past half century.
The fact which has given tho Inspiration
ror tuo construction of theso boats is tho
peculiar fascination of nil dumb creatures
for a brilliant light. This fact, which hn
ocen used in many ways to tho dlsadvant-
ogo of animals, has been known lon to
zoologists. Tho fact has been illustrated In
most familiar form by persons who havo
approacned tho most ferocious animals btar
mg in tnelr bands bright lights. A well
known praetlco Is that of pothunters, who
placo a poworful light, commonly deslc
noiea a -jack light," In the bow of Ino
Boat and row about tho shores of lulus
where deer como down at night to drlok.
Tho animals become fascinated by tho lan-
crn, wttti its poworful reflector for direct
ing the rays, nnd will remain motlonloiB
while the hunter approaches within euy
range. With tho exception of the sea-going
zoologists, few people are familiar with tbo
intenre attraction exhibited by the lower
forms of animal llfo for tho electric light.
The eyes of sea fauna enablo them to seo
plainly what Is known as the ultra red or
ultra rays of the spectrum. Ultra red rnys
emanate from what has cooled Just bslow
what to our eyes appears to bo a heat.
Ultra vlolot rays arc given off most pro
fusely, by the. electrle urc light.1 Whera
ultra red rays havo llttlo or no effect on
human eyes ultra vlolot rays orodueo a
minding sensation. Tho effect of the latter
upon tho relatively lower grade eyes j,
therefore, at onco npparcnt.
The electrical apparatus which has been
constructed for this original work by Mr.
nan is unique in the extreme. Each boat
s to havo a separate electric plant of Its
own. The dynamo, direct. cnnnnniH with
a now typo of petroleum engine, Is to bo
placed with Its switches near tho main
engines, permitting tho ono engineer to
attend to It conveniently. Wires nre to bo
run rrom this point to different ports of
tho boat to supply current for, first, a now
portable naval searchlight projector to bo
Ubcd In picking up buoys, etc.; second, six
naval portablo deck arc lamps for general
illumination: third, several Incandescent
lamps nbout tho deckhouse nnd hold: fourth.
me storngo battery used to operate a spark
ing apparatus on all tho engines: fifth, four
huge Yalo submarlno nre lamps of several
thousand candlo power each, which nrn to
do tho actual fishing. In order to economize
space, everything on tho boat has been
made as compact as possible, for In handling
aucn unwiciny ana cumbersome dovlces as
nets unobstructed spaco Is Indlspcnsahle.
Tho success of the submarlno lights has
piacea tne construction of the boats far
boyond tho experimental stage. Its pro
moters boldly assert that tho introduction
of tho four boats Into the. Pacific will
revolutionise deep sea fishing.
Working Night and Day.
The busiest and mightiest little thins
that over was mado is Or. King's Now
Lite Pills. These pills change weakness Into
strength, llstlessness Into energy, brain
fag Into mental power. Thoy're wonderful
In building up tbo health. Only 25c nor
box. Sold by Kuhn & Co.
Send articles of incorporation, notices ot
stockholders' meetings, etc., to The flee.
Wo will give them proper legal Insertion.
Telephone 238.
Personalities of the Press
There Is an unpleasant amount of com-
plaint. In prlvato circles and sometimes
In print, concerning tho personalities to
be found In the modern newspaper. But
f tho prnctlco of prlutlng personalities
s an evl thero Is nn easy way to correct
It. and that Is to show no Intarest In
them. Tho press furnishes only what pco-
pie want and when they cease to want
personalities the press will cense to give
ncm- -
The presertt writer, lodging once In the
same houao with n woman who reported
with creat particularity and accuracy the
social gusslp of Washington for sovcral
Important Journals In different parts of
the country, saw a lettor this reporter
received from tho wlfo of nn eminent Jus-
tlce, telling bcr that she was going to
such a function and would wear such a
dress, with an elaborate description, and
enclosing a $10 dollar bill. Tho reporter,
who measured the honor and dignity of
the press by a high standard, sent back
. . - 'minA, nn ttin 1 1 1 a 1 1 n n' lmlv u-n.
no luwur). - .
at the said function and wns heard to say:
"Oh. there cornea that reporter: i.ei us
fi-nfiwiirv 'h.forn ghn'c&n seo What 'We 'havo'
nn '
Another letter ran: "Dear : Miss
So-and-So Is to visit us next week. Do
give her as pretty toilettes as you can. so
that she may send the papers homo and
let them see there what a belle she Is."
Miss Soand-8o was relegated to some one
else to dress up, for this reporter never
told anything but the truth as she saw It.
l
It was because people wanted her per-
sonalltles that she was Invited frequently
to dine In stata at ono foreign minister's:
REARING A MASSIVE BRIDGE
Intricate Work on the Steel Structure Be-
twetn New York and Brookljn.
WEAVING THE Gil EAT WIRE CABLES
Statement of the l'e4 of the Vnrlona
Pens find the Wny In Which They
Are I'nt Together An In
structive Story.
Not far from 200,000 persons cross the old
Brooklyn bridge dally and survey there
from the new one now In process of con
struction. But only a few of them fully un
derstand tho relation or tho different parts
of It to each other or the methods employed
In this highly Interesting work.
Tho most Important things In a suspen
sion bridge, relates the New York Tribune,
are tho towers which hold up the cables,
the anchorages In which the ends ot tho
tables are fastened, the cables themselves,
tho suspenders by which the bridge proper
Is hung from the cables and tho truss work.
The engineer who designs the bridge plans
alt of theso with special reference to the
work expected ot the bridge, and thinks out
almost every detail. Then the building Is
Intrusted to ono or moro contractors. Tho
John A. Iloebllng's Sons company, for In
stance, will construct tho cables and sus
penders. The towers and land spans were
built by n company that Is now merged In
tho United Steel corporation, but was
originally tho New Jersey Steel company
nnd the Pennsylvania Steel company will
build the approaches and tho truss of tho
main span.
It Is necessary that tho lowers 'shall bo
high enough to allow for the sag In the
cables and keep tho lower surfaco ot tbn
brldgo at the proper elevation above the
water, in the old brldgo tbo towers are
of stone. Thoso of the new one are of steel
and, n part from their foundations (which
extend nearly 120 feet below high-water
mark), weigh 40,000 tons each.
The Immense Anolnirne
Tho anchorages are enormous masses of
masonry In which are Imbedded colossal
ehalns. In each of tho new East River
bridge anchorages there are four sctsi ot
chains, ono for each cable, hacn set ot
chains Is composed of thirty-eight separate
strands 120 feet long, and following a
curved path backward and downward In tho
masonry. Tho links of these chains are
flat bars nine Inches wide, two Inches thick
and of various lengths. Now when It Is
romcmbcrcd that the anchorago In which
thoso chains are secured weighs about 120.
000 tons, wbllo the middle, span of tho
brldgo will, when comploted, weigh only
one-tenth ns much, ono gets a vivid Ides of
tho security of the structure,
Work on tho towers end anchorages was
conducted simultaneously, because tho two
are Independent of each other. But It was
neccssnry to bring both nearly or qulto
to completion beforo beginning tho cables
However, the masonry has been left open
on top of the anchorages in order to ex
pose the upper ends ot tho claims tempo
rarily. One Important prerequisite to thn
construction and placing of the cables Is tbi
c'roctlon of a light footbrldgo reaching from
one anchorago up to the nearest tower, and
so down to the second anchorage. Anothor
preliminary step is putting on top of tho
towers a kind of saddle, for each cable to
rest In. This must bo so designed as to
allow tho cablo to slide a little to nnd fro
under tho varying strains to which It Is
eventually subjected.
The footbridge serves the purpose of a
mason's scaffold. It Is a temporary struc
ture, on which, workmen stand while erect
ing the permanent edifice. Tho first step
In building tho footbridges for there are
two, parallel and, sixty feet apart was to
slrotch small cables from anchorage to an
chorage over tho towers. Thcro are four
of these. Their diameter Is 4 inches.
Tho space botween tho first and second
cables Is 1114 feet, that between "the second
nnd third 60, and that between tho third
and fourth 1114. The first nnd second hold
up ono footbridge nnd tho third nnd fourth
tho other. The length of tho cross timbers
of each brldgo Is upward of twelve feet, but
tho whole aiea Is not planked over. In the
Interest of economy "walks" only four feet
In width nre constructed along each edge.
Tho total length of the two bridges from
anchorago to anchorago Is 3,000 feet. While
the horizontal distance from tower to tower
Is 1.000 feet, tho sag of the cables makes the
middle span nf each footbridge 1,650 feet
long. Tho length of each land span, from
tower down to anchorage, Is 675 feet.
A Hellenic Undertaking.
To enable workmen to pass from one
footbridge to tho other crossbrldges have
been constructed. There aro nlno of theso
between tho towers and ono between each
tower and the adjacent anchorage. An ad
ditional advantago of connecting tho two
footbridges Is that this double structure
Is thus fctlffened and better resists the'
effect ot a wind blowing up or down stroam.
Further rigidity Is given to tho aerial
scaffolding by running a large number of
guys or Btays downwnrd from it to "storm
cables" stretched across tho river from
tower to tower. Eventually the footbridge,
storm cables and guys will be entirely re
moved. Tho footbridges hang Just three feet be
low the lovel of the futuro main cables nil
the way across. Thus tho latter will be
about opposite the waists of tho workmen
engaged in making them. Rightly to ad
Just tho small temporary cables which
sustain tho footbridges was probably one
of the most delicate and difficult tasks In
tho wholo undertaking. .It was necessary
to forsee changes which would result
that tho carriage of the embassy with
Its great gray horses and gold-aced llv-
crleB was sent to take her out after on
lllneEs; that dozens of flno claret wero
presented to her and that a foreign mln-
Istcr's beautiful wlfo gave her a string
of milky amber a yard nnd a bait long.
Another minister's wlfo begged her one
day, when her own hats came ovor from
Paris, to accept an exquisite one of Vlvot's
that would have cost 140 In New York, and
at another time an normous box full ot
silk artificial flowers, and when the mln-
tster was given another charge she sent
for our young reporter and told her that
what she had published about them had
been of great service nnd placed on her
finger an emerald surrounded with largo
diamonds.
One day a colored lad stole some trifles
n.f Jewelry bolonglng to our reporter. Tho.
local press took the matter up with good-
natured commiseration. Presently th
wife of one ot tho South American mln-
I . . . v i . , .
ibui iicr a pin huh earrings ot line
but small mhie. it w. th iim h.n
It was the time when
rt pinchbeck chain, big
blgP,niockffi 83S 'than
e who. in public, dislike
people wore short
vas ratilr -llh"T
nnn nf thn nar.nl.
personalities sent, her such a chain and
of the hugest. A charming bronze',, a lit-
He and lovely hound, came from one ot
the legations; from another of them camo
a fine gilt writing apparatus of great
beauty.
Nor were all these gifts from the foreign-
era by any means. A set of most delicately
carved pink coral was presented to this to.
clety reporter by an American lady, ask-
from stretching and other causes. As
originally hung these smalt cables were
ten and one-half feet higher than tho posi
tions they now occupy over the middle of
the river. But tho latter are correct and
the cngluccr's calculations have been beau
tifully verified.
Further preparation for constructing the
cables will be mado within the next few
week. This will consist of tho orcctlon
of wire rape tramways from, ono anchor
age to' rho other. The apparatus will
closely resemble that used by the tunnel
contractors for transporting rock and dirt
from n 'nolo In the ground to a wagon at
some distance. First there Is a stout wire
cablo stretched horizontally. This serves
as a sort of railway, on which rides a
traveler, a device so hung on rollers that
a slight pull will drive It In either direc
tion. Tho load Is nttached to tho traveler.
Finally thcro Is a cord, by means of wblch
tho traveler Is moved.
On the bridge there will be four tram
ways, or, rather, two double ones. Each
will be so arranged that n traveler will
go across by one route and come back
by tho other. Tho cord that does tho pull
ing will also bo endless and will follow
the samo path, of course. To operate
these tramways a nlxty-horsa power steam
cnglno will be called Into service on tho
New York sldo of the river.
StrlnuliiK the Permanent Cables.
When cable making begins there will be
set up on each anchorage suitable frames
In which drums holding tho material for
tho cables will bo suspended, so that they
can rotate. Tho wlro Is wound on a drum
as a thread Is on a spool, and It unwinds
when tho drum turns. In shape, however,
tho drum is more like a brood wheel than
a spool. Its diameter W six feet, while It
Is only eighteen Inches thick.. There will
be four tons ot wire on a drum, and ns It
wolghs a pound for every ten fect. thero
will bo upward of 80.000 feet In each coll.
On beginning work the end of a wlro from
o drum will be passed bver n pulley on the
trnvelcr, nnd then brought down to tho
nnchorago chains and fastened. As soon as
tho endless ropo start's, tho traveler Is In
tho eye of n loop or bight, the halves of
which lead respectively to tho anchorage
and tho drum. If nil goes well, tho trav
elcr will have gone elenr across tho river
In about ten minutes, nnd In doing so will
havo stretched two wires, not simply ono.
Thcro the movement Is Interrupted nn In
stant, while the loop is detached from tho
traveler by ono gang of men, nnd n bight
from nnother drum Is'cnught over the pulley
by a second gang of men.
Tho first pair of wires belong to one
cable, and tho other pair to a different one
Now, when tho traveler gets back to tho
starting point It will bo once more em
ployed to pull wire from tho first drum
Such connections will bo mado with the
anchor chains by tho 'workmen at each' end
of tho bridge that it will not be necessary
to "cut tbo 'wlro at nil. Tho operation of
pulling from each drum continuously will
bo kbpt up until the wholo 80,000 feet have
been used up.
Stationed on llttlo balconies wblch pro
Jcct from tho footbridges at numerous points
will bo men known ns "regulators." They
grasp and adjust each pair of wires as they
are stretched. Thoro will bo from twenty
five to thirty men In each of tho four gangs
employod. In order to prevent tangling by
tho wind, nnd to Insure the wires lying
clcso beside one another, strings will bo
tied temporarily around them at shr-t In
tervals, and as each fresh one Is added tho
old bonds will be removed and ne ones
substituted, so as to encircle tbo whole
number. In order that each wire shall have
tho right strain upon It, and take its proper
share in the future work of the bridge, the
men see that It lies, exactly parallel wun
those whlcn nave aireaay oeen piaceo.
Signals are given to, tho engineer to In-
crease or relax tne strain wnen mm aujuoi
' . i. j ai
mem is raauB. .
One Year 'to ftttklta Cable
Tbo wires nro'' of steel' and coated with
oil. When 208,Tiavo been strung they at
combined Into a. strand by tying them to
gether at Intervals of about ten feet with
two or three turns of finer wlro. Thero
will bo thirty-seven such strands and
henco 7.936 wires In each cable. When the
wholo thirty-seven strands are finished they
will be Incased In a covering of thin sheet
steel. Tho cables ot tho old bridge were
wrapped with wire. Tiut that procolure
will not bo adopted In tho present caso
Before tho addition of tho casing the cables
will bo eighteen and 'three-fourths Inches
In dlamoter. It will tako about a year to
finish this part ot the work.
Tho trusswork or frame on which the
floor Is laid Is a lattice ot steel. It Is so
designed as, to remain rigid when heavy
loads move over It and to resist the strong
est winds that strlko It on tho sides. The
sumo amount, of steel gives far greater
strength, vertically and Bldowlse, It put
In tho form of open frame than In one solid
plato or .beam. Tho land span trusses ot
tho new bridge aro already finished. While
thoy wero going up It was necessary to
sustain them with temporary wooden frames
built over the street. There will be co
suspenders to connect them with the main
cables. When the main span over tho rlvor
Is being built work will be pushed from
each tower and tho necessary support will
bo afforded chiefly by tho susponders, which
.will be rigged simultaneously.
One Important difference between the old
bridge and tho new will lie lu the provi
sions made for the expansion of the truss
work of tho main span. That of tho old
structure Is cut In two In tho middle acd
In zoro weather thcro Is a gap nearly elgh
teen Inchos wide, covered by metal plates
Eacb halt expands seven or eight Inches I
summer. In consequence the lower em's
of the suspenders, which aro here from
twenty to thirty Inches long, are dlsplacad
In very hot or very cold weather. In the
now bridge tho gaps or slip Joints will bo at
By Harriet
Prescott Spof ford
Ing her to accopt them, ns they had lost
their valuo for herself. And another per-
son, wlfo of a prominent member of coa-
.gross, sent her a fine gown, lined with silk,
almost unheard of at that period, nnd a
year or so later enclosed to her two $50
bills sayinc sho had hod nn Hm. tn .tiL
f" 1! 1 m" RttA
year and would our renortJr kinX h. A.
n'SS?!.?
ami s tho other in charlTi7.
U US lh ,ber cnarltle'1-
11 V"1B ,ne wlfe of ono ' the presidents,
'h0. on tne celebration of a private and
.personal anniversary, gave her, without be-
tnB requested, a place to review the pro-
cecdlngs and make notes. And It was tho
wife of anothor who displayed to hor the
trousseau ot a Whlto House bride. So much
were her personalities In demand tln
when this reporter sent a note to the first
lady In the land, asking what she was to
wear on a certain occasion, the note re-
celved satisfactory reply.
lnl8 8arao re'0"er was given bonri
'l Varl0US UmCS at ,eailln not' '
TOM.0' ahn8l'n,Bh.hter,lflthrR,deate1 frM
8 ' a.n l ,hat ' had free pastes and
Tho M como ..u,.!.. ,
That this some reporter was given bonri
"P"'8' n,,es on certain railroads, and fat
notner one wfl" Klvea the est acco.-nmo-
dntlons 00 steamship lines while paying for
Pore'. only emphasizes the fact that ths
wa,rcs thelr ''d were ln demand. And all
tn' success, If such It should be callod,
simply shows that people like there per-
sonalltles well enough to pay for tbem. and
that when people come to recognize their
vulgarity and offcnalveness the press ra
haa been said before, will cease to deal In
them.
the towers. Ml Is Iks aMdle. At thess
points tho suspenders will be near y 200
feet long and the same displacement cf
their lower .ends will hirdly throw them
out of plumb or strnln their connections
with tho truss. A new mode of attaching
tho suspendefs to the cables will bo em
ployed. The wlro ropo constituting the
suspenders will be doubled and tho ma n
cable will pass through tho loop thus
termed: The loop will rest In a ssrt cf
saddle iploccd on the cablo nnd not touch
the latter directly. The two lower ends cf
tho suspender wilt be fastened to the truss
work In much tho same way as on the old
bridge.
Afipronchea to the Hrlilite.
When a bridge crosses a river with high,
steep banks, ns at Niagara, the ends are
usually down at tho level of tho earth.
But when the shores are low, and yet It
Is necessary to raise the structure to suoh
a height as to allow ships to pass under
freely, then the ends arc far above ground.
In such cases It becomes necessary to build
sloping extensions or approaches. Those
of the old Brooklyn bridge nre of masonry.
Tho approaches ot tho new structure will
be of steel. That in Brooklyn will be short,
owing to the rapid rise of the land from
the shore. Already this approach has been
begun. It looks like a portion of an ele
vated railroad or the New York Central's
viaduct up above the tunnels. To handlo
tho hugo steel beams that compose It an
Immense traveler, or traveling crane. Is
used. This rests on the completed portion
of tho approach, and Is easily moved about
as occasion requires. Doubtless when the
river span Is built this same crano will bo
found useful there.
Wllhclm Hlldenbrnnd, engineer of tho
John A. Iloebllng's Sons company, the firm
which has the contract for making tho
cables, Is In charge of that branch of tho
work. Mr. Hlldenbrnnd Is one of tbo best
known bridge builders In tho country. He
assisted the Ilocbllngs In tho erection of
the old Brooklyn bridge and ot several
other suspension bridges. The reconstruc
tion of the Clnclnuatl-Covlngton brldgo
nnd the construction of the Wheeling and
Mnplml (Mexican) bridges were his work
exclusively. Three years ago Mr. Hllden
brnnd offered to rebuild the Brooklyn bridge
for J3.600.000 or M.000.000 nnd doublo the
capacity, and already a design of his for
connecting tho lowor ends of tho suspenders
with tho trusses has been adopted by Mr.
Probnsco. By substituting a roller and
metal plate for the old trunnion Mr. Hll-
denbrand hopes to diminish the possibility
of accident from expansion. Tho new de
vice will be Introduced for a distance of
only 160 feel each way from tho center ot
the brldgo under all tour cables.
A nUTXER SPOON STOIIV.
John nndil'a Defense of Ills Old Com
mander' Memory.
John Budd of Wlscasset, tho oldest and
quaintest toll gatherer In Maine, now haa n
mora singular talo to relate than the story
of his life; and Just one little chaptor In
his llfo Is strango enough for most people,
relates tho Now York Trlbuno.
Budd was one of twin brothers. Ills par
ents died when he waa an Infant and the
two little shavers were taken ln hand by
charitable people. No ono family desired
both ot tho twins and so the boys were sep
arated. John Budd waa adopted by a
French-Canadian family and was taken Into
Canada and there reared. His brother,
Thomas, was taken into a Scotch family In
the provinces and there arrived at manhood.
After thoy had become men the Brothers
traced each other out nnd met, but they re
quired nn Interpreter before they could con
verse. John had lived among French-Canadians
all his lite and had not then loarned
to speak English; the brother had a broad
Scotch accent that might bother even a
Yankeo ear.
For years John Budd had been tho toll
gatherer at the end of tho Wlscasset bridge,
the longest in the state of Maine. It la
built on treaties and is something over a
mllo long. Whenever Chief Justice Peters,
now retired, held court at Wlscasset each
April and October ho never allowed a day
to pass without calling on John Budd at
tho toll office. Tho chat of tho old man
amused tbo Justice very much, for, as the
most noted wit and raconteur In Maine, ho
loves plcturcsqucncss of character more
than any other attrlbuto. He knows Intl
mately every quaint old chap In the state.
A few days ago Budd was sitting ln the
sua at the door of his llttlo booth smok
Ing his pipe. Two young men, evidently
city boys on a pedestrian tour, camo along
across tho brldgo nnd stopped to pay their
toll. They casod their knapsacks oft tholr
shoulders and sat down on a bench at the
side ot the booth for a moment's rest
Budd naturally asked them whence they
had come and whither thoy wore going.
"Our home la In New Orleans," said the
older of tho young men. "Wo nro up hore
In Malno tor the summer."
"I stopped In New Orleans at one time,"
said Budd.
"When was that?"
"When I was with General Butler."
The faces of the young men hardened.
The older one said, with much bitterness
ot tone:
"Well, you can't be very proud of that?"
"And why not, you young snippet?" de
manded Budd, with Just as much asperity
"Because Butler was an Insulter of
women, a .tyrant and an old thief; that's
what he was, and the boys of New Orleans
who never saw him bate him Just as much
as the men and the women who suffered
from his orders. And, besides, he stole
all the spoons out of my grandfather's ho
tel."
"Ho did. eh?" snapped Budd. "What
was the name of your grandfather's hotel?'
"Tho St. Charles."
"You Just wait a moment, young man."
Budd went upstairs Into his living room
and brought down a hoavy canvas bog.
He opened It and took out a handful of
spoons. Ou the handle of each was en
graved "St. Charles."
"What do those look like?" demanded
Budd.
"Why, thoso are some of the spoons
from my grandfather's' hotel!" gasped the
young man. "Where did you come on
those?"
"I stole 'em," said Budd placidly. "And
I know who stole the rest of 'em and we
did It .at the risk of our lives, for If Qen
oral Butler had known It he would have had
us strung up. Now you take back what
you said about him. Take It back, or I will
dump you both over the rat) there."
Daunted by the glare In the eyes ot the
old man, the boys apologized for their hasty
words. Then the older said:
"Sir, my father will pay any prlco for
those old spoons. I don t know Just how
much money I have with me, hut I will
give It to you, every cent, If you will give
me thooe memorials of my grandfather
They can bo worth nothing more to you
now."
"Let me tell you," replied Budd, "that
you couldn't bring money enough In a two
horse wagon to buy one of them
I'm not a thief; I'm not try
Ing to make money by stealing.
I took those spoons as plunder ot war, and
I'm going to keep 'em. You can't buy 'em
nnd you can't tease 'em away. Nn use to
try. And It you want to save your spcons
that you've got now down there don't you
ever declare war against the north again
These spoons staying up here In Maine will
be a Jog to your memory."
And, In spite ot all their argumcnta and
protests, the young men were obliged to
trudge away without the spoons that be
longed to their crandafther.
HERE ARE 4 FEW
OF
Timely Articles
By Eminent Writers
that hnv appeared in The
Twentieth Century Farmer
during the first six months of 1901.
"What the Government Hns Done tor the Fnrmre," SEO
KETA11Y OF AGKIOULTUKE JAMES WILSON.
"The Advance Made in the Study of Insects," Prof. LAW
HENCE BRUNER, State Entomologist of Nebrnskn.
"Some Loading Fentures of Kansas Agriculture," F. D.
CO-BURN, Secretary of the KansaB State Board of Ag
riculture.
"Why Live Stock Men Oppose the Grout Bill," J. W,
SPRINGER, President of the National Live Stock As
sociation. "Arguments in Favor of the Grout Bill," J. B. RUSHTON,
Ex-President of the Nebraska Dairymen's Association.
"New Department of Agriculture in Iowa," G. n. VAN
HOUTEN, Secretary of the Iowa State Board of Ag
riculture. "Review of the Last Century in Dairying," Prof. D. II.
OTIS of the Kansas Experiment Station.
"Redeeming the Semi-Arid Plains," C. S. HARRISON,
President of the Nebraska Park and Forest Associntioa
"Pertinent Facts About Seed Corn," N. J. HARRIS, Sec
retary of the Iowa Seed Corn Breeders' Assocnition.
"Question of Feeds for the Dairy Farmer," E. A. BUR
NETT, Animal Husbandman of the Nebraska Expert
ment Station.
"Proper'Care and Treatment of the Soil," R. W. THATCH
ER, Assistant Chemist of the Nebraska Experiment Sta
tion. History of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture," Ex-
Gov. ROBERT W. FURNAS, Present Secretary and
. First President of the Board.
"Irrigation and Farming," GEORGE H. MAXWELL, Ex.
ecutivve Chairman of the National Irrigation Associa
tion. "Making Winter Wheat Hardy," T. L. LYON, Assistant
Director of Nebraska Experiment Station.
Articles on Soil Culture and Conserving the Moisture ln
the Semi-Arid West, H. W. CAMBEL.L
Special Articles each week, 7TAMES ATKINSON, of the
Iowa Experiment Station at Ames.
Letters of Travel FRANK G. CARPENTER.
Other writers contributing to The Twentieth Centur
Farmer, are:
Chancellor E. BENJAMIN ANDREWS, of the University
of Nebraska.
Prof. CHARLES E. BESSEY, State Botanist of the Uni
veralty of Nebraska.
R. M. ALLEN, President Standard Cattle Company. ' !!
O. R. THOMAS, Secretary American Hereford Breeders'
Association.
B. O. COWAN, Assistant Secretary American Shorthorn
Breeders' Association.
Prof. H. M. COTTRELL, Kansas Experiment Station. '
Dr. A. T. PETERS, Nebraska Experiment Station.
Hon. J. STERLING MORTON, Former Secretary of Agrf.
culture Father of Arbor Day.
Prof. A- Ij- HAECKER, Nebraska Experiment Station.
E. F. STEPHENS, President Nebraska Horticultural So
ciety for five years.
E. WHITCOMB, Friend, Nebraska, Supt. Bee Exhibit at
Nebraska State Fair.
O. H. BARNHILL, Shenandoah, Iowa, Secretary South
western Iowa Horticultural Society.
Women's Department conducted by Mrs. NELLIE
HAWKS, of Friend, Neb. '
"Veterinary Department in charge of one of tho best veteri
narians in the west. .
What other Agricultural papir can match this?
Every weak in tha yaar for ona dollar.
Send you name on a postal for sample copy and club
bing list.
Twentieth Century Farmer
OMAHA.
THL
Hi