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VAN VALKENBURG IS JUDGE
Judgo Arba S. Vnn Valkonburgh, recently up
pointed United StateB district Judge, western di
vision of Missouri, Is one of tho youngest Jurists
on tho federal bench. Ho Is only 4S years of
age, but Ills friends say this will not prevent him
from making an enviable record.
Mr. Van Valkonburgh succeeded Senator War-
nor as United States district attorney for tho
western district of Missouri In 1905 and was re
appointed by President Taft In December, 1909.
Ho had previously served seven years bb assist
ant to Major Warner In that office Ho was born
In Syracuse, N. Y., In 18C2. Whon he was seven
years old his parents removed to Illinois and
later to Michigan. Ho wna graduated from tho
University of Michigan In 1884, attaining high
rank as a scholar.
Mr. Van Valkonburgh went to Kansas City In 1885 and entered the luw
offices of Dobson, Douglas and Trimble, being admitted to tho Jackson county
bar In 1888. Tho same roar ho formed a law partnership with D. J. Haft.
Ho wasjnarrlcd In 1889 to Miss Oruce lngold of Kansas City.
Mr. Van. Valkonburgh was appointed assistant district attorney by Major
Warner In 1898, suc6ecdlng William Draffen. Upon Major Warner s election
lo the senate in 1905 President Roosevelt uppolnted him to tho placo he slnco
has held. .
Law came naturally to Mr. Van Vnlkcnburgh. His father, Lawrence Van
Valkonburgh, was a Justlco of the pcaco back In New York In tho early CO's.
Friends of tho newly appointed Judge Hay that at tho department of
Justlco In Washington Mr. Van Vnlkcnburgh was consldored as ranking
among the ablest United States district attorneys In the country.
. As United 8tntes district attorney. Mr. Van Valkonburgh first nttractod
national attention In tho prosecution of all the packing compnnloa to compel
them to comply with the Interstate commerce laws regarding tho shipment
of meats for export. He brought tlio suit in this Jurisdiction and won It
before Judge McPherson, sitting for Judgo Philips.
POINDEXTER IN LIMELIGHT
Representative Miles Polndexter of Washing
ton, cnudldato for the Unttod States senate,
whose cause has been espoused by Theodore
Roosovelt, was born In Memphis, Tenn., fifty-two
years ago and has lived In Washington nlncteon
years. He has served only one term in congress
and has been identified with tho insurgents,
which makes tho action of Colonel Roosovelt all
the moro Important to national politics.
Mr. Polndexter has been a political too of
Richard A. Balllngor, secretary of tho interior
in tho Taft cabinet, with whom Olfford Plnchot,
former chlof forester and friend of Roosovolt, has
had a feud for some time.
Tho Washington congressman visited Colonel
Roosovelt at Sagamore Hill a tew days ago and
camo away in jubilant Bpirits. uooaovoit nau
promised to aid him In hla fight for the senate and ho had a right to "feel
happy, for help from Roosevelt means help of the right kind nnd Polndexter
needed it.
Mr. Polndexter was educated at Fancy Hill academy, Rockbridgo county,
Va., nnd at Washington and Leo university, Lexington, Va., In both the aca
demic and law courses. Ho located at Wallawalla, Wash., in 1891 and began
the practise of law. Ho was elected prosecuting attornoy of Wallawalla
county In 1892 and In 1897 moved to Spokane. Ho was assistant prosecuting
attorney for Spokane six years and' In 1904 waB elected Judgo of tho superior
court and remained on the bench until nominated for congress In tho newly
croated third district of Washington. Ho was electod by a majority of 15,000.
When Se'creta'ry Balllngor learned that Colonel Roosovolt had promised
to lend bis Influence to tho Polndexter causo ho oxpressod the belief that
tho former president had been misled as to tho situation In Washington. Tho
seat In the uenate to which Representative Polndexter aspires Is now hold by
Samuel Henry Piles, who Is not in tho race for re-election.
WO of tho greatest industries In tho
world nro railway building nnd tho
preparation of hides nnd nklns Into
leather. For tho formor tho Bleep
ers on which tho rails aro laid are
ossentlal nnd costly fftctors; for tho
latter nothing can tako tho placo
of somo vegctnblo extract which Is
tho tanning substnnco of tho trade.
Sleepers enn bo mndo of glass and
metal, but thoso do not glvo tho
satisfaction of thoso mado of wood.
Tho oak and tho hemlock have for
niioa Bunnlled tannin by which
leather Is cured; in fact, tho very word tann implies
by its derivation Its relation to tho oak, by which
namo tho trco was called In old Breton lnnguago,
Railway Bloopers have been mado from tno oait, mu
tho exponso grows higher year by xenr. No wonder,
thercforo, that the earth is scoured for trees to fur
nlfih either the one or tho other or both of tho sub
stances, and no wondor also .that manufacturers and
builders bailed with delight tllo announcement a iuw
years ago of tho avallnblllty for both purposes of tho
South American trco called "Quobracho."
Quebracho is a contraction of tho colloquial spnn-
Ish nnd Portuguese term qulcbrn-hacha, originally
applied to many trees In Latin Amorlcn. It means
'ax breaker," and tho charactor is itnpuea in mis
monnlng. Tho wood Is hard, flno grniueu, nnu lougn
nnd had been used by tho natives for agos In their
primitive construction work. Ot recent years, how
ever, quebracho is restricted in tho una nnu lnuui;
tries to a particular treo found only In South Amor
lcn, nnd oven hero only within broad Units of tho
drainage basin of tho River Pnrann. In Cuba there
Is a "quebracho," so-called locally, which Is a mom-
ber of tho Copaiba family. In Chllo aNquebrncno is
rather of tho Cassia family, and probably In other
parts of Latin America tho namo Is indiscriminately
given to any hard wood that has tested tho motnl of
tho native's ax. No such Indefinite use of tho worn,
however, can be permitted today, bocauso tho treo of
GIVES MILLIONS FOR BOYS
David J. Ranken, Jr., one of tho wealthiest
men of St. Louis, has actod literally upon that
much-advertised saying of Andrew Carnegie, that
"he who dies rich dies disgraced." and has turned
over his entlro fortune, estimated at a little moro
than $3,000,000, to tho David J. Rankon, Jr., School
of Mechanical Trados, which ho founded, reserv
ing only $3,000 a your for his own modest uses.
Tho school was established a year ago with
an endowment or $500,000, its purpose being to
give boys over flftoen years old a trade education
for a nomlnnl sum. Tho school has prospered
and to amplify Its usefulness tho additional en
dowment by Mr. Ranken has beon mado.
Mr. Ranken, who was born In Londonderry,
Ireland, In 1835, and who tins been a resident of
St. Louis slnco 18C2, mado his monoy In roal
estate nnd stock transactions. Tho students at tho Ranken school aro charged
only $30 n yenr, payable In three Installments, and aro given a two yeare
course. All their education is of a practical kind.
Ranken occupies three small rooms over a grocery. Whon ho enters
tho door and climbs to his rooms ho shuts out tho world and declines to
bo seen. Here ho has lived for years and worked out tho plans and ambition
of IiIb life the founding of tho trados school whoro poor boys can rocelvo
a trade education for a nominal feo.
Mr. Ranken visits his school every day and watches tho boys nt work.
He wastes no time In teaching theory in the lecturo rooms unless It has
Home practical application In the shop work. Geomotry Is taught, but Instead
of having tho boys compute tho columns of a cono, they aro taught tho hold
ing capacity of a funnel of like dimensions. Classroom work In all branches
of drawing, carpentry, bricklaying, painting and Hteam engineering Is along
similar practical linos.
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I I
ASTOUNDS CHOATE'S FRIENDS
Not only the Judges and lawyers of tho country
nut all clttzcna who follow the affairs of tho na.
Hon wore astonished when chi'i'gos of unprofes
sional conduct were mado against Joseph H.
Choato, former ambassador from the United
Statos to Great Britain.
Tho American Bar association, of which Mr,
Choato Is a former president, will thoroughly
probo tno charges at Its convention In Chatta
noogu, Tenn., next month nnd Mr. Choato's
friends say there Is no doulrt that tho verdict
will completely oxonoratn him from all blamo.
James R. Watts of Staten Island Ib Mr,
Choato's accuser. Ho alleges that Mr. Choato
caused him to lose hundreds of thousands of dol
lars through "omissions and wrongful acts" whllo
noting as his attornoy. Mr. Choato lost no time
in demanding a thorough probo of tho charges, the first ovor mado against
htm In his Ions nnd honored career.
Mr. Choate is 78 yeara old and Internationally famous as a lawyer, dlplo
mat, orator nnd nftor-dlnncr speaker. Ho was ambassador to tho court of
St. James from 1899 to 1905. His legal career began In 1855, when he was
graduated as master of arts at Harvard and admitted to the bar of Massa
rjiusetts. He went to Now York In I860 and with the exception of tho tlmo
ho Borved as ambassador has been practising his profession thoro. He has
been counected with many famous cases and was elected a bonchor of the
Innor Temple, England, In 1905, an honor conferred only on persons of dis
tinction.
Mr. Chonte'B many friends Bay the chargos against him nro duo to some
mistake and Is confident thnt tho American Bar association will so determine.
A SAWMU S7WSyy 77 WACO"
AA& CMUZATlOJi
tho South American Chaco baa becomo bo commer
cially important that It must be understood to signi
fy only that one treo and nothing else.
TUe genuine quebracho treo is found in Brazil,
Paraguay, and tho Argentina Republic. There aro
two Important varieties and a third has been dis
tinguished, although it has no great slgnitlcanco
botanlcally or valuo comniorclnlly. Locally ana m
the trade the names glvon aro Quobracho Colorado
(red), and Quobracho bianco (white). Quobracho
Colorado has tho scientific designation of , Lox
optoryglum lorentzll, and bolongs to tho order of
Anacardlaclae. This is tho particular trco rrom
which both tho Bloopers and tho hotter quality of
tanning extract aro dorlvod. The other, Quobra
cho bianco, Is neither bo straight nor so service
able as tho red variety, but Is. nevertheless of
definite commercial value, as It furnishes some
tanning extract and tho logs can bo used for
fence posts and axles. From It Is taken also a
drug extensively used for bronchial dUt-ases; in
fact, as a plant It was studied for this purpose
long boforo its other advantages were exploited.
Tho scientific namo Is Aapldosporma quobracho.
Railways muat hove sloepora on which to lay
tholr rails. In some instances woodon ones nro
Imported at great expense, or substitutes there
for aro used It climatic conditions are fuvorablo.
Aa a rulo, howover, Itjs preferred to tnko sup
ples from nutlve timber whenever procurable.
This was the case In tho Argentine Republic when
railway building away from tho coast had begun,
and no moro fitting wood could be discovered than
thnt recommended by tho natives, both by tho
name and by tho experlenco of those who had
used it. Tho quebrncho wood proved by far tho
most serviceable for sleepers on South American
railways, and its reputation grow so steadily thnt
today many miles of European rails aro supported
by sloepora brought frtJm tho River Plato.
In one respect quebrncho resembles rather ma
hogany than oak or pine. Tho trees do not grow
in clumps or groves, but nro dispersed through tho
forests and tho less denso woods, singly or In
groups seldom moro than four or live totho aero.
Tho treo Itself Is tall, about two or threo foot In
dlninetor, and is crowned by a rathor thin, oval,
or V-shaped, mass of branches and leavos, Tho
whlto quobracho la Bomowhat entailer thnn tho
red, and beglnB to branch lower to tho ground, bo
that It is not hard to distinguish them from each
other. Tho leavea are oval, or lanco shaped,
smooth, somewhat shining and leathery; they do
not fall completely In tho winter, but cling to the
brnnches in company with tho fruit. Tho treo
seems to thrlvo best on a sandy soil, where tho at
mospheric moisture is not very groat, but whoro
abundant water la provided for tho roots, either
by dews or sufficient rain. It Is neither n moun
tain nor a river growth, but Uvea beat In tho sub
tropical stretches betwoen water courses. Al
though the ago of tho troe has been given aa
measured by hundreds of years, it la well enough
established that at ton years from planting tho
first small shrubs aro big enough to use for posts
Tho future .promises, thereforo, an opportunity
for the actual cultivation of quebracho, because,
although savage inroads have boen mndo Into tho
supposedly lnexhnustlblo forests of the Chnco, It
la not too Into to restrict tho cutting of tho tree,
or even to adopt modern foreatry methoda of
planting und conservation for tho supply of com
ing gcnoratlonB. In fact, tho Argonttnu Republic
has already passed sultablo lawa In this direction,
ind lt la more than probable that under tho wise
idmluistrntlon ot that government thoro will be
-""
TH& BARM Of TH QUEBRACHO
developed an arborlcuUural Industry to proceed
hand in hnnd with tho preparation of quobracho
posts for fences and construction work, BleeporB
for railways, and of tanning extract, the threo
Industries for which this unique tree Is at present
utilized.
"Rolllzos" la tho Spanish wordlcommonly em
ployed in tho trndo tor tho rough and untrlmmcd
log8 (which tho word -means), from which only
tho bark has boen removed. Tboy nro still sup
plied, by smaller campa from dwarfed under
growth not gront enough for other purpoBoa than
posts, beams, cabin plllnra, or cart axlos. When
tho forost wns first invaded thoso loga ware tho
only product brought out of It, and tho stoilea told
of tho primitive methoda adopted by tho natlvoa
for transport carry one back boforo the days ot
Bteam and machinery. A popular way of loading
the logs wns to lay them on tho ground on ropes;
then tho animals wero unharnessed nnd the cart
was tilted bodily upsldo down ovor tho loga;
these wero then made faat to tho body of tho cart,
after which maneuver It wna brought back to Its
normal position. Of course only two-whoolod carta
wero used. Aa soon ns modern mothoda wero In
troduced, nnd bettor enrta or wagona bocamo
known, thoso primitive nnd cumbersome habits
disappeared, although in tho far Interior oven to
day rolllzos are still brought to market In this
manner. "Durmlontos," nccordlng to the Spanish,
or aloopera, In tho English Idiom, aro probably tho
most Important product of the quobracho ot tho
Argentine Ropubllc.
Tho Industry of making sleepers has assumed
hugo proportions. Tho difficulties of formor days
have been largely overcome by tho Introduction
of modern machinery, eapoclnlly sawa, und aomo
of the mills many miles distant from any main
rnilway aro equipped and organized In a mannor
which would reflect credit on any similar plant In
the United States. Special sawa aro needed to
penetrate the wood, but they nro furnished from
tho fnctorloa of England, Franco, nnd Amorlcn.
This mill business Is cnrrlod on by many com
panies, although the tendency Is to concentrate
the mnnagomcnt Into fewer but larger organiza
tions. One company owns a tract ot land of about
4,000,000 acres, nnd la prepared to cut timber,
fashion It Into loga and sleepera, prepare tanning
extract, and utlllzo every other roaource which tho
lnnd provides. Anothor company can turn out
20,000 to 30,000 sleepers a week. This number, how
ever, can by no moans meet the steady demand
for railway building which la characteristic of this
portion of South America. Sleepera are laid nt
about an tntorvnl of two feet from center to cen
ter. ABaumlng, thorofore, only 2,000 sleopora tor
every mile, It will bo Boon that 30,000 are enough
for only 16 miles. A yoar'a supply at fullest capac
ity will consequently build only 750 miles of rail
way. But tho Argentine Ropubllc, Uruguay, Chile
and Bolivia, all contiguous to the Chaco, nro con
structing moro than this mileage, so that It Is
easy to soo that every sleeper turned out from
modern mills can at once find a local market.
Thoso sleepers aro now flnlshod at tho mill, und
the mill U situated nt tho spot In tho forest Itself
most convenient for carrying on tho procosa.
Quebrncho extract prepared for tanning aklns
nnd hides Into leather' is, howover,
tho most servlcoablo product ot
tho treo. All tho ttmbor com
panies nro adjusting tholr plants
bo na to utlllzo tho wood, elthor
in Its entlro output, or In that
portion not roaorved for posta nnd sleopora, for
this oxtrnct. In "Paraguay and arena In tho Chaco
remoto from good roads, so that tho coat of sup
plying t)mbor 1b oxcoaslvo, evory pnrtlclo ot tho
wood la turned Into oxtrnct, becauso tho domand
is usually In ndvanco ot tho supply, and It la there
foro moro profitable to manufacture tho more
concentrated article, which can bo easier and more
economically carried to markot.
One fenturo ot quobracho, in which It la su
perior to other sources ot supply, la that tho barlr,
the aapwood, and tho whole ot tho cjontral part
of tho treo produce tho extract In considerable
quantities. Tho bark contnlna 0 to 8 per cent, ot
tannin, tho sap 3 to 5 por cent., and tho heart 20
to 26 por cent. Aa tho heart ropreaonta two-thlrda
nnd often three-fourths ot tho total quantity ot
wood, tho nmount ot tannin In tho Quobracho Colo
rado la seen to bo considerable It la merely a
chomlcnl quoatlon whother this tanning material
Is equal or inferior to that from tho oak, but later
methoda of preparation point to a full Justification
of tho claim that tho leather from quebracho ox
tract grades up to that resulting from any other
tanning substance. So serviceable la It, however,
thnt since its dlacovory, tho tanning Industry ot
tho Argentine Ropubllc has mado noticeable ad
vance, becauso, with both hides nnd extract as
great natural producta of tho country, tho govern
ment ia making ovory effort to foator the leathor
lnduatry within lta own border.
"Quebrncho extract," as it la called In tho trada
la easily manufactured when tho machinery la
onco Installed. All tho wood la passed through
a machine that cuta It into shavings or tho small
est possible chips. It la then colloctod Into Im
mense kettles, In which It la treated by chemical
processes until nil tho tannin la romovod; after
this tho fluid preparation ia reduced by evapora
tion to a thick, Jolly-llko mass, which is poured
into sacks, where It Is finally dried into tho sub
stance sold in commorco.
Tho difficulty of gathering tho raw material far
outweigha tho prqparatlon of tho flnlshod article,
especially na tho extract 1b no longer to bo con
Hidored n by-product, but la coming to have more
lmportnnco and vnluo than poBta and slooporB, Inx
Paraguay particularly, whero all tho wood la util
ized for extract, tho hardest part of tho business
Ilea In gathoring wood for the factory. Tho trees
aro cut In tho heart of tho virgin foreBt and
hauled by ox teama to tho nearest clearing. Only
native Indians have proven thomaelves suitable
for the work, aa thoy aro thoroughly acclimated,
understand the wlldernosa, nnd can withstand tho
plague of Inaecta which mnke life nt night mla
crnblo for the forelgnor; nnd expoauro for nights
as well aa days la unavoidable, bocauso tho cut
ting stations are usually remote from nny aettlo
inont. In 1895 tho first roal exportation of quebracho
extract from tho River Pinto was recorded. The
Increase has been rapid from 400 tona In tho first
year to 9,000 tona In 1902, 120,594 tona In tho next
five years, and 28,195 tona In 1907, Of this quan
tity the United Statea received 17,733 tona, or al
most 05 per cent.