The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922, October 27, 1908, Image 2

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    Paying With
I iiJL? RAYflOfiiD W. PULLMAtt
PROLIFIC ENGLISH SOW:
OFFSPRING 135 IN 4 YEARS
oe
The Passing of Brickville
Jfs Thero Any Sow In America That Can Beat That Record?
By Joseph N. Quail
TffAT flOrf HAVE Dtci 3AVZD
hi
Mill
RUlfttf Of CHJHOLM
lj -
" A
K7r 0 mw mnoNAiBAtm
Tho people In tlio section nrouml
Chlsholni, Minn,, say that It is (hu
driest yenr thnt thoy havo over known.
Tho wooiIb and tho bruBh growth on
cut-ovor land nro as dry as tinder and
HroB can bo Boon In as many as a half
dozen placoa nt ono time, starting
from what no ono knows. Tho natives
Klvo vnrloiiB causes of how tho Ilnmcs
start, tho most popular of which aro
sparks from engines, huntors and
camporn, carolcss brush-burning by
homusteadorB and lucondlarlos. Ono
man oven advanced tho theory of
spontaneous combustion, unll did not
ceom to 111:0 it whon I told him that I
Ruins of Chlsholm Hotel Getting Lin es for New Building.
thought this waB hardly tho case. In
many sections up hero tho ground Is
of pout bog formation and n spark may
burn for wcoks after it ilnd3 u lodging
boforo It Is fanned Into n ilnmo.
It Is hard and practically Impos
sible to figure looses accurately at this
time, and It will bo wooks boforo oven
an approximate cstlmato that la linn!
can bo made. Cruisers will havo to
bo sont over tho Inirnt-ovor nrons bo
foro close llguros can bo obtained mid
tho timber owners say that It Is ab
solutely uboIosb to do anything In thlti
lino until ti heavy rain comos and
tho end ot tho llres is assured.
Putting tho louses low, to bo on tho
eufo side, they aro commonly agreed
to bo $5,000,000 to $10,000,000. Tho
majority of pooplo say about J5.000,
000. This Is conBldorod n conserva
tive ostlmntu by thoso who havo been
over most of tho ground. At live per
cent. Interest tho amount of capital
lost would yield 250,000 a yenr. Thin
Is worth contrasting with what tho
Btato forostry board now has to spond
for protection. It has an appropria
tion of 111.500.
Tho burning of tho prosperous llttlo
town of Chlsholm on tho Mesubl Iron
rango Is tho Item of loss which llguros
uiost prominently in conversations
with all who havo anything to say
about tho forest flro destruction to
date. Tho pooplo In this country aro
used to fires, and hardly feel at homo
unloss thoro Is tho smell of Tmioko
in tho air. Until tho (lames menace a
town or a vory valuable stand of Mm
oor thoy aro fairly Indifferent to tho
tnngor.
A striking ovldonco of this ovor-con
' fldent feeling of imfoty was given on
tho day ot tho Chlsholm dro, tho losses
in which nro now conservatively estl
mated at $1,250,000 to $1,500,000, In
eluding real property, stockB of mer
chandise, and every other item of
direct loss. Tho sumo flro that de
stroyed tho town Had beun burning in
tho forests near by for tw than a
the rzw dwelling spared iyeec
TirRnED'WTO JT0RE4
week. It was nt flvo o'clock in tho
afternoon that tho flro entered the
city In tho clutch of a gnlo from the
northwest and laid tho placo In r'llus
In less tlmo than it takes to tell it.
Up to within a half hour boforo tho
(lames caught tho town tho people
wero confident thnt thoro wns no dan
ger, and, with fow exceptions, wont
about their business ns usual.
When tho flro camo all wero panic
stricken, and grabbing tho fow tilings
nearest at hand, which In numoroui
cases wero not nrtlclos of tho gront
esl usefulness, lied tho town, mm;
making for tho iron mines near by.
Had ordinary precautions been tr.Vnn
even as into as tho forenoon of the
lire, it is said that tho place could
havo boon saved. As It wns, all that
was spared by tho llamos wero tho two
churches, tho beautiful 125,000 high
school, tho grammar school, and two
blockB of dwellings on opposlto sides
of town, which wero saved because of
a peculiar shlftlngof tho wind.
Ono of tho fortunate things about
tho flro was that It struck Chlsholm
awake In tho afternoon Instead of nt
night after all wero asleep. There
was no loss of life n It was, but had
tho flames swept In In tho dark tho
holocaust which would havo rosulted
would havo been most horrible, for
thero lu no telling what pnrt ot the
6,000 pooplo would havo been cronnii.
ed In their beds, so quick wero tho
(lames, or what would havo hnnnoned
to the (lecimr. nnnlcstrlnltnn imnuin
and their children who might havo
boon awnko.
Many of tlto nconlo of tint nitv ivflrn
hard hit by tho flro financially nnd
somo met prnoticniiy all they had,
Tho snmo donations Bntiit thnt im.
polled lurgo cities llko Baltimore and
San Francisco to ariso from tho ruins
of ilro nnd rebuild Is In Mm nnnnin
of llttlo Chlsholm nnd nlrondy there
nro nnout ou now stores and dwellings
nenrly complotod. Whon I saw tho
pooplo going nbout their work In such
u cheorful go-ahead way, I was stir
prised, for ono can hardly expect such
quick action from a Bmnll town.
Thought Him a Mollycoddle.
John I). Hockofollor robukod n Cleve
land roportor ono day for wearing.
"Don't swonr," ho snid. "Say 'durn'
or 'pshaw.' Thoro Is as much comfort
lu Uioso mild words as in tho reddost
oaths.
"1 know," Bold Mr. Bockofollor,
"that Htioh Is not tho prevalunt opin
ion. Tho prevalent oplnlou but It Is
a wrong ono wns expressed tho othor
morning by my caddy.' Ho had Just
bcou nrouml with a minister. After
I drovo off 1 cold to him:
" 'What kind of a player Is tho min
ister, Joseph?'
"Joseph suorted.
"'Him?' ho mioorod. 'Ho'll never
mnko u golfer. Do you know what ho
Bayn whon ho misses tho ball?'
'"No. What does ho Bay?' I asked.
"'Ilo BayB, "Tut, tut,"' Joseph
Bnooruci. ,
t-
A Now York man, who has Just ro
turnod from his llrst visit to tho mid
dlo west, says: "I ha,vo always known
that thla was n great city nnd now I
know what supportu it in t( groat
noas.1 ,
Our Illustration shows an English
producer of bacon. She was born so
1004, and since then her records read
13; September, 1905, 17; February, 19C6,
1907, 20; August, 1907, 1D; February,
four years, 135.
Teeth of Horse
At fouf1 years old each Jaw shows four permanent teeth, whose tafiles
are worn to the same level. The dividers aro worn upon both of their bor
ders. Looked at from the side, the corner teeth are quite small.
At four and a half years the nippers show wear on both edges. The
corner teeth and the hook or canine teeth are In evidence.
STABLE AND CARRIAGE HOUSE
Will Provide Room for Two
Tho accompanying diagram shows
ground plan for stable nnd carriage
Iioubo 40x25 foot. Tho cows' stall for
two Is six foot wide and tho horso
stalls aro each flvo foot wldo, which is
tta proper width. This will glvo you
-iilago house 20x21 foot, and feed
tho Htock from tho front. A passage
leads from tho Btnblo to carrlngo
GARR.IAQE HOUSE
i
Groun
house, so n horse may lie hamosMd
and hitched up and loft Inside till
ready to go.
Tho following Is a bill of material:
Four sidu Bills 8x8 21 feot Bpllced;
cross sills, 8x825 feot; 39 lloor
.olsts. 2x1014 feet; 21 colling Joists,
1x825 feot; 2,000 foot plnnk, (Inch
noasuro) for floor; 1,000 feot Inch
unbor for loft; GO studs, 2x013 foot;
,0 plates, 2x011 feot; 12 scantlings,
Jxl 12 feot, for gnblo Htuds; 1,900
foot rough Biding; 42 rnlWs. 2x(i10
feot; 1,350 feet roof Bhcetlng; 25 M.
sow with a wonderful history as a
her owner Informs me about March,
as follows: March, 1905, Utter of
16; August, 1906, 17; February,
1908, 22; August, 1900, 15; total In
at Four Years
Cows and Three Horses.
shingles; 22 Btuds for partitions ami
stalls, 2x410 feet; 500 feet Inch lin
ing for stable; C70 feet plank for
stalls, 2x108 foot; 4 stall posts, CxC
8 foot; 2 plecos stnll caps, 2x8 S
foot; a ridge boards, 1x714 feat; 3
rldgo boards, 1x0.-14 feet; 150 feet
cornlco. If foundation bo built of con-
croto It should bo at least 2 feot below
surface, nnd If Bet on level, would ro-
COWS
CO
HORSES
d Plan.
qulro n wall of 3 foat at lonst. To
build such a wall of concrete would re
quire D's barrels cement, 3 yards
stone flllurs. and 11 yards gravel. It
Is admitted that dlpilng pests In hot
coal tar will add to tholr durability.
Money Well Spent. A fw oxira
dollars for n good puro4iriMl rum Is
money wall siiaiiU Ho tlocknmiter
who takae prldo in Ills flock and value
It ImprovwpaB"; en afford to sav
money by th, purchni or u cheap:
jSradu ram.
iCopyrlKht, by aiiortatory Pub. Co.)
Tho destiny of Brlckvlllu wns de
cided when Plkoy McGinn's chlmnoy
caught llro, and In Mint llnmo the
Drlckvllllnu hope of u motropolls In
the heart of the Und Lands wont up
in smoke.
llrJckville didn't realize It nt the
moment, because, paradoxical as It mny
seem, tho little ldnso which dbstroyod
the town wbb easily got under con
trol. The plnoe hndn't progressed as
far as a fire department, nnd It would
rot hnve helped matters it it lu.d. A
tipsy cowboy who had boon sampling
I'lkoy's hnrdwaro vaulted to the bnck
of n wolfish-looking caytiBO, yolled a
few times lu hearty Montana fnshlon,
nnd then swung his rinta nt tho chim
ney. As tho noose foil fair about tho
stack of bricks ho dug spurs Into the
sides of his mount nnd mndo n run
upon tho rope.
Tho chimney camo down with n
crash; the fire was out; tho fate of
Biickvillo was wrltton.
That 1b why tho town doos not ap
pear upon any map. But if ever you
have riddon over tho Northern Pa
cific you can probably recall n long
and narrow valloy to tho north as you
passed out of tho Bad Lands ot Dako
ta Into tho Bad Lands of Montana.
Thnt Is where Brlckvillo stood. Tho
soil all nbout la hard and dry and rod,
und thoro Is no verdure. Not any
whero In eight is thoro a tree. Tho
side hills nro seamed with black stra
ta, and the rains havo carried stains
from theso and streaked tho valley
with thorn on both sides of tho muddy
llttlo Btream which winds away to tho
south.
Tho black Btratn nro Beams of bitu
minous coal, nnd it wns In mining this
coal that tho Brlckvllllana made tholr
living. There Is still pay in theso
streaks, but tho peoplo who worked
them havo drifted nwny, and on tho
slto of tho town prairie dogs and coy
otes and rnttlosnakcs hold annual con
ventions which never adjourn.
If any placo over fully Justified its
name, that placo was Brlckvillo. At
tho height of its prosperity it had, ex
clusive of sheds nnd stables, 87 one
Story buildings, Including tho railroad
station, tho saloon and tho tonsorlnl
parlor, and ovory ono of thorn waB ot
brick even tho tlieds. Thoro wero
optimists who looked forward to a
brick court-house and n brick Jail,
and but for tho tiro In Plkey McGinn's
chimney theso aspirations might havo
been realized.
Pierre Succotash played perhaps tho
most prominent part in Brlckvillo's
destruction. Pierre wns a Fronch-Ca-nadlan,
whose roar name had come in
to collision with Brlckvillo's sonse of
propriety, and some of Its letters wero
dislocated by tho shock. Ho had
been gold mining In British Colum
bia, and no one had Inquired very
closely Into the reason of hla coming
from a gold to a coal camp; It would
have established an uncomfortable
precedent But he went nosing about
tho wreck of that chlmnoy, as ho wont
nosing Into everything that happened
In town; and Fred Ultchle, who con
ducted "tho tonsorlnl parlor," which
was acrofts the street from McGinn's,
saw him suddenly dart in and pick up
a broken brick.
Now Fred and Succotash had said
some unpleasant things to each other
once upon a time, and Fred, believ
ing that Plorro was courting trouble,
promptly ran In for his gun; but
whon ho camo out Succotash was no
whore to bo seen.
Next morning Plkey found that
somo ono had cairied off nearly half
ot his chimney bricks, nnd he prompt
ly declared It to bo tho work ot Slant
oyo McCafforty, hla hated rival In tho
hardware business. Mac denied this
In vigorous languago, and a gunplay
wa3 Imminent when the whisky
agent happened along and announced
a reduction In rated by tho barrel;
and then thoy had a drink, and or
dored half a barrel each, and tho
hatchet was burled.
But war was on hottor than ovor
next day, for the remainder of Plkoy's
looso bricks had disappeared In tho
night. Plkey sworo that Slantoyo was
planning a choap extension to his gin
mill, nnd Mac retorted that ho would
bo n fool indeed to go around picking
up hoodoos that had fallen from his
rival's lonky roof.
Then onch got a shotgun and stood
out In front of his saloon waiting for
tho othor to come aloug. And the
result of this was that trado foil off
In both placos, for Brlckvilllans know
that shotguns scattered their charges
and thoy rofused to slako tholr thirst
whon thoro was a chunco that a stray
buckshot might next moment spring
them nloak. So It was that buslnoss
lutorests Induced tho rivals for n sec
ond tlmo to declaro a truco, and thon
tho town breathed oaslor and drank
oftonor.
' A week lutor Succotash was a pas
Bouger on n west bound express with
a tlckot to Olondlvu In his lint band
And tho next oast-bound frolght
brought In a very scarco artlclo
Boma lumbor and a heavy Iron roll
or marked with IiIb nnmo. On his ro
turn he installed tho roller In tho
brlok shack whoro ho slopt and put a
big padlock on tho door. What ho did
In that placo was tho town mystery
But he wob Hush of mouoy, nnu ono
day ho caused n sensation, lie became
tho owner of a snloon, having bought
out PIkoy McGinn talcing bar, stock,
goodwill and building.
Then, to tho greater surprise of
Brlckyillo, ho promptly sold, to Plkoy's.
hated rival evorythlng but tho build
ing. Plkey sworo It wns all a put-up
Job. nnd loft town In disgust. Succo
tash said It was bocnuse ho intended
to tenr down tho old house nnd put up
a bettor ono. And tear down tho old
place ho did. and he carted tho bricks
away to his mystory shod to Btoro
them thero until ho wns ready to
build, he said.
But the only thing that Plerro built
nt that tlmo wns a woodon wator
trough, leading from his woll to tho,
brick shod. Most of tho dny and nil'
of tho night ho lockod himself In that'
shed with hla secret. Thoso who;
passed In tho rear of tho place de
clared that they could hear him grind
ing something, and because of a pool
of rod water which had accumulated:
near the shod they thought It must'
be the bricks.
Now, Fred Hltchlo was ono of thoso
who regarded Piorre's conduct as
most suspicious. Ilo gave n good deal
of thought to the mystery ot tho shod
and the touring down of McGinn's sa
loon, and finally ho recalled having
seen Succotash grab that piece of
brick and make oft with It. Thon It
occurred to him also that It was Pl
orro who had caused all tho trouble
between Plkey nnd Slantoyo by steal
ing tho chlmnoy. v And ono day whonj
succotnsn wns down in town uuymgi
provisions Frod sneaked out tho back'
way of his shop with a bit and stock;
and bored n holo in tho mortar be
tween the bricks of Pierre's shed to
discover what his socrot might bo. As
Plorro worked that night Fred had hla
eye gluod to this hole a nil noted what
ho was doing.
Noxt morning his neighbors were
surprised nt finding that Ititchio's
chimney had fallon during tho night,
and they woro astonished to seo Fred
carrying tho bricks Into his barber
shop and piling them up with great
care. lie wasn't going to have them
stolen, as Plkoy's were, ho told them.
And as they passed by tho Bhop Inter
mi tho day nnd looked In thoy saw him .
pounding nwny at tho bricks, breaking'
them Into bits nnd acaunlng each pleco
carefully.
One of lils customers was lot into
the sccrot, and another chimney fell.
Tho socrot wns a Bocrct no longer.
Succotash had found gold In tho pleco
of brick that Bltchlo had soon him
dart forward to pick up, and ho had
found inoro In tho bricks ho had stol
en from Plkey. With the, proceeds ho
had Bet up an arastra In the shed,
McGinn Saw Him Pick Up a Broken
Brick.
and In this ho was grinding gold out
of tho bricks of Plkey's- dismantled
saloon.
Rltchlo and tho others found scales
and grains and specks of gold. Whon
tho chlmnoy bricks hud boon ground
up tho wnll bricks followed, and In a
short spaco of tlmo Brlckvillo was a
town of touts again.
Thon It was announced suddenly
that Succotash and Hltchlo had
patched up their trouble and that Pl
orro had sold his arastra to Frod. This
was followed by Pierre's doparturo
from town." "lie has mndo hla pile,"
the Brlckvilllans Bald to ono nnothor.
. The coal pits had boon abandoned
for this now mothod of gold mining,
and there wasn't a whole brick build
lug In tho placo whon a frolght brake
man ono day brought a startling pleco
of news into the town.
Succotash had bought a clnybank
In Basin, and a brickyard as woll; nnd
ho had nstonlshed tho good peoplo of
that nook In tho mountains by con
verting this clnybank into a gold mlno
nnd this brickyard Into a mill In
which to treat his rich clay, for tho
gold could not bo freed by ordinary
procoss of placer washing.
Thon Brlckvillo collectlvoly klckod
Itself for not having thought to trnco
out this brickyard bororo tho man
from Canada; and tho Brlckvllllana
foldod tholr lonts and wont scurrying
away to tho mountains to search thoro
for othor claylmnkB that wero studded
with nuggets of gold.
J Mn Hi