THE SEMI-WEI KtY IMBIBE
inA. I BAKE, Publisher.
TBIIMS, $1.25 IK ADVANCE!
NORTH PLATTE
NEBRASKA
HOW BLOCK SIGNALS WORK rr
I A LITTORAL DEFENSE CORP8.
i Recent developments suggest the
thought that tho tlmo mny have nr
Tired for tho creation of a littoral do
Xcnso corps ns n distinct branch ot
'tho military establishment. The
strength of tho movement to exclude
tho marines from navnl vessels and
onflno their functions to tho guarding
of navy yards and bases soems to
Ibavo becamo npparcnt oven to the
knarlnes themsclvea, Bays tho Now
Work Tribune Tho Trlbuno's Wash,
incton bureau roiiM'tB that tho com
missioned porsonnol of tho marine
porps seriously contcmplatoa asking
congress to transfer tho cntlro corps
to tho army, with tho hopo of finding
thoro more congonlal surroundings.
Gon. Murray, chief of artillery, after
an extended inspection of tho coast
dofenses, announces tho necessity of
an additional force to guard "tho back
doors" of tho modern fortifications
and those portions of tho coast bo
yond tho reach of tho fortified ord.
nanco. Tho amalgamation ot tho man
ilno and coast defenso corps In a lit
Itoral defense) corps might sotvo all tho
jdifllcultlcs. The marines under such
an nrrangemcnl would retain buW
'dent mobility to cnablo them to guard
naval bases, the rear approaches to
ttho fortifications and unfortified por
tions of the littoral, whllo practically
tho en'tlro supervision of that Impor
tant branch of defense could bo con
fined to n slnglo head of tho nowly
created corps, who In turn could bo
mndq responsible to either tho secre
tary of tho navy or tho sccrotary of
war, ns circumstances might dictate
Operation. of .ingenious System That
tniUrei the Safety of Railroad
Passengers.
CornDarntlvcly fow dcodIo know
Just what Ms meant by block signals
when they read that a railroad has es
tablished tho system on Its linos.
Tho block is a length of track which,
.on doublo track roads, has at its on
tranco a post and movnblo arm, and
on slncle track lines ono at each end.
To say that a lino hns every inch
protected by this system means that
tho cntlro Jlno 1b divided into consoc
utlvo blocks. Only ono lino from Chi
cago to Now York is thus protected,
and of tho total In tho United States,
one-third is on tho Union and South
ern Pacific.
Tho operation of tho block system
Is Blmplo but absolute. In a fow
words, It means that a train cannot
movo from one block into tho next
until tho latter block la empty. As a
train movos forward, tho signal arm
Is set to show that tho block just left
may bo entered by the uuxt train
following. When a train enters a
block it so affects tho on
orgy that la a part of sig
naling that tho sema
phore arm remains horl-
Washington Whisperings
Interesting Bits of News Gathered
at the National Capital.
Tragedy and Romance of the Dome
Next to tho tragedy of tho doino Is
A
, Coaling Rccms to bo destined to bo-
como a matter of vital importanco to
warships, not only bocauso ot tho ab
solute necessity ot tho fuel, but bo
causo of tho dnngors which havo boon
rovealed by tho fact that high explo
sives havo been found in n number ot
instances, of late, In tho coal for tho
bunkora of British war vcbscIb. Un
less coal supplies 'itro closely guarded
night and day, nnd every hushol put
nboard is closely lnspocted, it would
bo comparatively easy to destroy tho
mightiest ot ships with sticks of ex-
ploslvo proporly udJuBtod In lumps of
tho fuol. This danger has received
mora or Jess consideration during
times of war, but novor In days ot
peaceful sorvlco havo ships boon mon
need as British cruisers and battle-
Bhlps scorn to ho at tho present tlmo.
Tho virulent outbreak ot corruption
In Montreal Is of special Intorost to
Americans ns proving that municipal
graft Is not limited In Its oxtent by
national boundary lines. Canada has
nn admlrablo fedoral government, bu
polor in sonio respects to our own,
nnd tho lato development of tho coun
try's institutions has pormlttcd tho
rulors of tho Dominion to hoed many
a lesson taught hy American experi
ence But tho enso ot Montreal Indi
cates that, with Canada's rapidly in
creasing population and wealth, tho
mlsrulo and looting ot cities mny oas-
ily distinguish the futuro development
of tho Canadian municipalities.
tiio recent mortality of govornors
of states has boon striking. Within
year Cloy. Johnson of Minnesota,
Ueo'rgo h. Lllloy of Connecticut, Sam
uol Q. Cosgrovo ot Washington and
John Sparks of Nevada havo passod
away. This la cortaluly an oxtruor
dlnary niimhor ot gubernatorial
deaths, nays tho Hartford Times
Govs. Cosgrovo nnd Lllloy had boon
In oulco only a short tlmo when tho
summons thnt no man may Ignore
or Qvudo .carno to thorn. Both woro
Inaugurated In January, nutf Gov. Cos
grovo died In March and Gov. Lllloy
In April.
uaricer grows mo snnuow over
Spain. Following tho troubles in Mor
occo comes tho prediction ot n rovolu
tlon and tho overthrow ot tho mon
nrcny. uut as ma prophecy comes
froui. a socialistic source much allow?
nnco must bo mado. Socialism of tho
Btrlno' marklnc most of tho ntrltnttnn
In continental Europo Is not usually
tho kind that would bo satisfactory
oven if successful.
A cloak modol In Now York ob
tained a place' ono day, was kissed by
her employer tho uoxt, sued him for
SGOO for the klsn.i which' woVso. vlnor
ous that oho had to wash her faco, and
got tho damages domandod. It is not
on the stage only thnt the beautiful
cloak model "got? dramatic revenge.
A' sudden rdlnoa nny"uummer Sun
day afternoon can wet woro peoplo
andwet.-them wetter than any other
kind ot downpour.
It Booms that as far us hazing' Is
concerned, somo.nstprn public schools
are not Doner man tuo pnvato institu
tlonu.
, Every automobllo driver should bo
ablo to tell lu tho dark the dlfforcnco
between an accelerator and a band
broke.
zoutal until the block Is
vacated, when the nrm
automatically drops and
points diagonally toward
the ground. Thercforo,
as long as tho englncor
seen only drooping sig
nals ho can keop on go
ing, but tho instant ho
finds tho arm strotchlng
out over tho track, ho
must como to n stop,
knowing thut that block Is occupied
by another train.
Tho energy mentioned nbovo Is elec
tricity, tho current being obtained
from a battery near each post. Tho
rails ot each block nro made as If all
ot ono plcco by connecting tho Joints
with wire. Tho oxtrcmo ends nro then
conncctod and thus a circuit is formed
In which tho current flows. "When no
train 1b in tho block, tho mochnnlsm
operated by tho current pulls tho arm
down and holds It there. When a
train outers tho block tho whocls and
axles, combined with tho rails, form n
shorter circuit, tho energy that hold
the arm down Is withdrawn and up it
swings to a horizontal position.
Each block la indopendent of all
other blocks. When tho Inst wheels
of a train leavo It. tho current re
Btimes Its flow nnd tho nlgnnl arm
at the entranco Is pulled down to tho
"proceed" position. But before tho
hind wheels have finished doing this,
the front wheels of tho locomotive
havo ontorod the next block and
causod tho arm thero to rlso to tho
"Btop."
For a single track lino tho auto
matic arrnngoment is tho snmo, but
thoro is a signal at each end of tho
biocK. To nrovont two trains on a
slnglo track lino entering n block at
tho samo tlmo from opposite ends, be
foro the entranco to a slnglo track
block Is reached tho train cots n stop
signal at tho far ond of that block,
nnd as It enters It sots tho entranco
signal to Btop Just as Is done on
double track. Halt n milo or moro
boforo reaching tho entranco signal of
each block the engineer comes to
what Is called tho "distant," which
tolls him how the other or "homo"
signal is set.
As tho nutomatlc signal is con
structed, It cannot show "go ahead"
unless tho ontlro combination of rails,
wire, current, magnet, etc., Is work'
lng perfectly. If n wiro parts, a rail
bronks, a battery
fnlls.n switch point
opens tho slightest,
tho combination
falls and tho re
leasod nrm re
sumes the hori
zontal position. So,
whon tho englnoor
sees tho Btop sig
nal, he knowB that
there may bo a
train on the block,
an open switch, or
a broken rati or
signaling appa
ratus.
At night colored lights are display
od on the samo poBts. Tho lamps
will burn eight days without replon
inning, but nro refilled overy four or
flvo days. Whon tho home signal Is
at stop, the engineer boos the llamo
through a red glass. Tho caution light
on tho distant is yellow. A green
lights moans go nhend and Is used
on both tho homo and distant signals.
Where two or more lines cross at
grade the general plan of semaphore
arms for day and colored light for
ulght Is the same, but owing to the
complications all Blgnals are con
trolled by levers oporatoa by men
from u contral Btatlon. Tho crossing
and contiguous tracks nro governed
by tho interlocking system. When
this Is In porfoct order and tho cross
lng unoccupied, It displays "stop" to
overy track approaching the crossing.
Any change must bo mado by tho slg
nalman, and to display "proceed" ho
must first lock ull other approaches
with the stop signal.
- Thoro are now about 11,000 mllos
of railway equipped with tho block
syBtem. Tho only lino thus protoctod
every inch from Chicago to California
Is via tho Northwestern, Union and
Southern Pacific. One-third of tho
11,000 miles ot automatic signaling Is
on tho Hnrrimnn Hnoa and tho North
western has moro miles of double
track automatic than any other rail
way.
WASHINGTON. Tho great white
United States capltol building is
n sort of central mngnet of great pow
er which attracts many queer people
from all sections of this broad land.
Capt. J. I'. Megrow, n union war vet
eran with n splendid record, is in
command of tho capltol police- force,
and tho peculiar people who flock to
tho big building como under his ob
servation.
Away back in tho '70s, boforo Capt.
. f . l a . . 1 1 . I
Aiegrew ucwimu cmei oi uiu capuoi
police, the "tragedy of tho domo" oc
curred. A young Catholic priest, who
had become demented from ovorstudy,
ascended to the platform Just below
tho Goddess of Liberty, moro than 269
feet nbovo terra flrmn, nnd plunged
headlong Into space. In striking tho
thick copper sheathing of roofing over
tho rotunn tho body mado n deop In
dentation in tho metal, which is now
pointed out to visitors by the capltol
guides.
a recent occurrenco which Is desig
nated ns "tho romanco of tho dome."
A young couplo secured permission
from Cnpt. Megrow to bo married be
neath tho great bronze Goddess of
Liberty on tho lofty congress steeple.
A preacher tendered his services, nnd
tho novel ceremony wns performed In
mid-air beneath tho goddess with two
capltol pollcomcn nnd a sprinkling of
visitors ns witnesses.
Then comes tho "comedy of tho
dome." An eccentric fellow who had
Invented a parachute mado nn inef
fectual effort to test his invention by
sending down from tho domo several
of his parachutes with cats attnehed
to them. Ho was evidently afraid to
risk his own precious life, so decided
to use felines. His purpose was
thwarted by tho capltol police, ro-en-forced
by the Washington Humane so
ciety. Statuary hall is ono of the most In
teresting npartmcnts In tho capltol.
It contains tho stono nnd bronzo
statues of a number of Americans,
distinguished alike In war and peace;
famous generals, statesmen, explorers
and diplomats contributed to tho gen
eral government by tho sovernl Btates,
each atato selecting Its most Illustri
ous sons.
Quickly Cures Rheumatic Pains, Also
Splendid System Builder.
Go to any good prescription drug
gist and get tho following nnd mix
them: If ho docs not havo theso In
gredients ho will get them from his
wholesnlo houso.
Ono ounco compound syrup of
Sarsaparilla, and ono ounco Torls com
pound. Add theso to a half pint of
first-class whiskey, and uso a table
spoonful boforo each meal and at bed
tlmo. Tho bottle must bo well shaken
each time. This Blmplo remedy Is
ono of tho most effective known. Tho
restorntlvo action will be felt aftor
tho first fow doses.
For Consideration.
All pertinent facts must bo consid
ered when you nro dealing with the
great problem of prosperity. Would
you put the plus or minus sign before
the Horn that tho county Jail has a
grcnt falling off In patronngo? De
troit Free Press.
Finis.
Wlgg Scrlbblcr'3 stories all havo
such sad endings.
Wngg Yes, thoy gonorally find their
way into tho wastobaskeL Philadel
phia Record.
Snuff
Takers of the U. S. Senate
HERE aro two snuff takers In the
United States senate, Mr. Over
man ot North Carolina and Mr. Cartor
of Montana. For tho benefit of theso
two men tho senate still maintains tho
official snuff boxes, which nro kept
carefully with fresh malorlal for pro
ducing sneezes.
Theso boxes nro llttlo lacquered af
fairs about four Inches long, two nnd
u half Inches wido nnd nn inch deep,
and nro fastened by scrows to tho
top of tho projecting Icdgo, ono on
each sldo of tho vlco-presldont's dnls.
fho Bimff Is purchased by tho ser-
gcant-at-nrms lu four eight pound Jars,
at n cost of 7D cents a pound, nnd It
takes nn nverago of nbout llvo pounds
a year to replenish tho boxes twico a
week during tho sessions. Tho work
of refilling tho boxes was for years
ono of tho duties ceremoniously per
formed by tho lato Capt. Bnssott, tho
venerable assistant doorkeeper of tho
sonato and lnvotornto user of tho pow
dered weed; but sinco his death, llvo
years ago, tho task has fallen to tho
lot of ono of tho pages, who, naturally,
does not bQstow upon It tho loving
enro of his nged predecessor.
Capt. Bassott whon ho died had
completed nearly sixty years of coiv
tlnuous sorvlco in tho sonate, nnd wna
almost tho solo relic ot tho days whon
tho uso of snuff was general In that
body. For many yenrs beforo his
death his dignified, almost ccremonl
ous, muunor of Indulging in tho hnbit
oxcltcd the wonder nnd nwo of the
modern page
Ho was very proud of a gold Bnuff
box presented to him by tho senators
upon tho fortieth anniversary of his
entry Into tholr sorvlco, and ho kept
It filled with a cholco brand of tho
powdor. Ho carried it in n tall pocket
of tho frock coat In which ho always
appeared, and tho force of his habit of
reaching for It caused n laugh at his
exponse.
It wns during tho troublous times at
tending the Hayes-Tilden contest, nnd
It was thought best that Capt Bassott
ns custodian ot ono of tho boxes con
tninlng tho disputed electoral votes,
should be armed. Ho wns according'
ly provided with a revolver, which he
cnrrled in tho pockot of tho empty
coattall
As tho procession was about to start
on tho march from senato to tha
houso Cnpt. Bassott was asked It he
had his rovolver with him
"Yob," ho replied, "hero It is," and
diving Into tho wrong pockot, ho pro
duced not tho rovolver, but his cher
ished gold snuff box.
Thero had been threats of attack
ing tho procession on tho wny to the
house, and tho members of tho party
were in rather a sober fraino of mind
but tho tension was relaxed for tha
moment by tho lnughter which was
caused by tho mistake
Perhaps tho most noted of the sen
ators who wero addicted to snuff with
in tho memories of tho old employes
was tho Into Allen a. Thurmnn of
Ohio. Mr. Thurman wns n froquont
visitor of tho official snuff box on the
Democratic side.
Vice-President Wilson, who died In
his room at tho capltol, was another
noted patron of tho senato snuff box,
and so was Senator Edmunds of Ver
mont..
9eflrf
C8k
Queer Piece of Red Tape Is Found
D fcK I oeeae 1-- f
HE United Stntes post-ofTlco de
partment has had brought boforo
It Just rocontly n quoor ploco of red
tape. 'Way up on tho Canadian bordor'
at Becbe Plain is a post of lice. Right
lu the samo building with It is an
othor post ofTtcc Bcobe Plain Is In
Vormont nnd Becbo Plain Is nlso In
Canada.
Two olllces nro undor tho snino roof,
within ton foot of each other. In caso
u resident of Beobo Plain, Vt wants
to Bend n lottor to gomobody who
lives In Beobo Plnln, Cnnnda, If ho
malls his letter In this post ofllco It
mnkoB n trip ot 294 miles to roach
Peoho Plain, Canada, and likewise a
lottor addressed to neobo Plain, Vt,
and mnlled in Beebo Plain, Canada,
goes 291 mllos, 67 of them in Canada
nnd the remainder lu tho United
Stntes, Just exactly as tho other letter
does, for tho reason that that Is tho
way that mail is routed, and, of
courso, it has to follow that string of
red tape, whereas If tho follow who
has n letter to mail to somo ono in
Boobo Plain, Vt., but lives in Canndn,
simply walks across from one sldo of
the post ofllco to the othor and sticks
his letter In tho Vormont post olflco,
tho Vermont man will probably get
It within n couplo of hours.
The remarkublo thing about It is
thnt thoro are soparato entrances to
theso two post ofllces, thoy havo tho
samo lobby, and thoro Is not a sig
of n partition to mark tho division bo
tweon the domain of Undo Sam and
tho possessions of King Edward, and
yet somo railroad company Is carrying
tho letters of theso two places, If ad
dressed to tho other, 294 mllos, when
thoy need not bo carried nt nil oxcopt
in the carriers' bags.
Uncle Sam Worried Over $10 Error
' IMK nnd money nro being expended
ovory day by tho government In
offorts to locate claimants against
tho United States. For months tho
pout olflco department has been direct
ing a search for George W. Woart,
ono tlmo postmaster nt Deal Beach,
N. J., to whom Is duo $10.
On Juno 15, 1905, a registered pack
go was mailed by Mrs. Estelle Uo
ott to Mrs. E, D. Lcdgerman of Deal
lieach. 'Che aackago wna reported
lost and tho vnluation, 10, was paid
by Postmaster Weart. Subsequently
post ofllco Inspectors discovered thnt
tho pnekago had been delivered to tho
nddrossoo Bnd tho records mislaid.
Whon tho facts woro disclosed
overy effort was mndo by tho do
partment to return tho amount to
Postmiister Weart. Uo had moved
from Deal Beach to Hood Rlvor, Ore,
Inquiry showed that ho had died
there An effort to locato his heirs
proved unavailing. Neither of his
two sous could bo located, although
they both woro traced by post ofllco
Inspectors from placo to place The
search already has cost tho depart
meat sovernl times tho amount ot tho
original loss, but tho disbursing of
llco of the department still has tho
chock ready for delivery to Woart'
estuto if his holey can bo located.
DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION.
School children
should eat
Quaker Oats
at least
twice a
day
Auorted china In the Family Slta PoVgt
Paper-Hangers & Painters
You can areatlr IncwMO your tintlneas with no ai.
tr Intontment.tir teUina Alfrwl rents' Irl
wnupnper. ho wni one eooa worsar in
vtrtnltr. and to the flrtt worthy applicant will
by prepoiil nsnwas, flTO Inrro aai
dooki anowina a 90
for ciutomeri to Mloct
to oar rnpmonUtltoa.
repnlil aipma, nro Inrro sample
ia a '.i&O.OOO.UO Wnllpuper Mock.
to Mloct from. We offer lllwral profit
ntatWM. AnawAranlcklr that roil may
cot the Burner In four tlttnlty for 1910. .
Alfrwll oota Co.. AVnlxuU Are., Chicago.
nCCIiyOC eriOnU nerentleki
to thi Iron.
The Wizard o Horticulture
Hon. Luther Burbank
says: "Delicious Is a gem tha finest apple in all tho world, It is tho best In
quality of any apple I havo so far tested," and Mr. Burbank knows.
Delicious is but ono of tho hundreds of rjood things in Stark Trees tho good
things you should know about boforo you plant this fall or next spring.
Let us tell you nbout them by writing today for our complete, illustrated price-Hst-cataloguo
which describes our complcto lino of fruit trees, ornamentals, etc.
Wanted A Bright, Capable Man
in each county of tills stato to sell Stark Trees on commission. No previous ex
perlenco necessary. Tho worlds pleasant, clean work, highly profitable, and tho
positions are permanent to tho right men, who apply immediately.
Many of our salesmen aro earning 850 to SBo per month nnd expenses; soma
aro making more. You can do as well or better if you'ro a hustler and trying
to succeed.
No investment called for; wo furnish complcto order-getting outfit freo and
tho most liberal contract.
For complcto information address tho Sales Manager of
STARK lMtO'S NURSERIES & ORCHARDS CO.. LOUISIANA. MO.
For
Rheumatic
Pains
f As we get older the blood becomes sluggish, the mus
cles and joints stiffen and aches and pains take hold
easier. Sloan's Liniment quickens the blood, limbers
up the muscles and joints and stops any pain or ache
with astonishing promptness.
Proof that it is Best for Rheumatism.
Mrs. Daniel II. Diehi, of Mann's Choice, R.F.D., No. 1, Pa., writes:
" Please send mo a bottle of Sloan's Liniment for rheumatism and stiff Jointt.
It is tho best remedy I ever knew for I can't do without it."
Also for Stiff Joints.
Mr. Milton Wheeler, 2100 Morris Ave., Birmingham, Ala., writes :
"I am glad to say that Sloan's Liniment has dono mo more good for stiff
joints than anything I havo ever tried,"
Sloan's
Liniment
is the qickest and best remedy for Rheuma
tism, Sciatica, Toothache, Sprains, Bruises
and Insect Stings.
Prlco 25c, COo,, and $1.00 at All Dealers.
Hcml for Sloan's Free Vook on Horses. Address
DR. EARL S. SLOAN, BOSTON, MASS.
LHmTTTnTinnavWH
MADAM: Do you remember that best cup
of coffee you ever drank? It must have been
PAXTON'S GAS ROASTED COFFEE because
the delicious flavor and captivating fragrance of
Paxton's Gas Roasted is always remembered.
Try Paxton next time you buy.
2 lb. - 25c
Red See If your Jrocer ham It I Per,l
Cans ----- Pound
Children's Coughs
Caua tt
UtU.
Onea Much Unnecessary Suffulnv
CURE
Circa must ttCef toothta ami bull tK. Hula
UuoaU and pwrratt men acnous fflaoa. Children
liko U too plcuut to taki mi does Dot upact
the stomach.
AU OniEgUU, 20 cents.
Millions Say So
When millions of people uso for
years a medicine it proves its merit.
Peoplo who know CASCARETS'
value buy over a million boxes a
month. It's the biggest seller be
cause it is the best bowel and liver
medicine ever made. No matter
what you're using, us try CAS
CARETS once you'll See. tu
CASCARETS lOo a box (or week'
treatment, all ilraeslsts. Blff&rett teller
la Um world. Million boxes month. 1