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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1914)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. NOTES f?M r i A William Pitt J-y'T x4&Jil'F5Si )r A 3 k ry CUD festi TRTPNTTn J7TP Trh ATriTTT TTm7T?(W"7KS'', MEAD0WBR00K n leu.'ix if r ?T?f ,(.,.? .,.. tf" r?&&$m$S& SS M1. n aBmBSwPseass asamHaw. sswsrssj tv'-" - w"-'-""' -....w... v -i&sKi .4m?&&&mm&E!4gp, ntrwismw'.diM .sr'5a2s3L $''s&&wsM2E7?s. zmMm&n, .mwvT HWK''9Wfr. ..'' ... .fl?"'WMMrjayM.0'-(Zl4.,.'''- vSOfV Mjr.WAT-r,v S,,.'j7W.'.'l...V,.. "t.WA'rT iflSBBKfl WIIm ifiii,. . ri" .. ax,4w :mMtefmi$8r'i?.ir''',r. wmM&s?:i: vi&fs&r v r1 x &3&&i7 WJSsw&r?"&zB VY SBCSfiaTKiaB W NKW&WW'S ,. r caJrr z&im ." Vif .. ' --r- v. 4 " "T3J0 eminent an authority as Admiral Hir I'crcy acott or tno uriiiHii wavy doclarcd tlio otlior day that the doom of the droadnnught had boon Bounded by tho development of Bub marlnoH. Ho assorted unequivocally that even tho superdreadnaughtB worn archaic and Hint experiments had proved conclusively that no fighting Bhlp was safo from tho ut tack of tho Bubmarlno day or night. Why, thon, upend millions for nrmorclad titans? he asked. Tho pronouncement Is tho moro lmpresslvo bo. cnuso Admiral Scott has probably ilono moro than any other living naval man to make tho battleship tho offoiiBlvo fighting maehlno It la today. I3y u uyHtom of director Iking ho Improved tho capability of making lilts quite 100 por 'cent, and Bhowod how n wholo battory of monBtor rlllcs could bo manipulated as a unit and tho tremendous inalvo brought to boar upon u (distant target with amazing precision. In a word, ho mndo Itho drcadnaught a wonderful !y formidable instrument of (attack, and yet today, In tho tfaco of that unparallolod rec lord, ho saya: "I aeo no uso 'for bnttloslilps." There is in this country an (authority of a kindred way of (thinking, Simon Lake, who iltas dono a great deal toward making tho submurino wimt It la. In Bubstnnco. nitnr,,, .... '&z?&'i ?&&& 0fa$. '"'J-efc&ttvatoi,. "&?J i '.-. JZte .zL.a- -VWJry; kjv pwZZT?'' ," y .. -is .. T?P&i ir ii duBMZRzm? wttzre Fo j&m&c i in nuuiii.ag mszg3m& " '""" Mm0A ,J":msr,,26&"'. &? " AK ujT. -'' M&tm&iSfs? surface. ifMnM. $uBmiw& Jpaz&zr $imxv&G$D ntif tnl rmtnil A I. mlral Sir Percy Scott by many years In predicting tho passing of tho heavy ahhin nr ,. .,!!, iii Ho wau nBkcd tho other day for his opinion of tho uniiBii mimirars Bwooplng vlown. "I Btill bollove, na 1 always have, that tho sub murlno will drlvo tho heavy armored battleship from tho Bean." ho ropl'ed. "and that It will bo ho niennu omployod by all countries with a sea- nonru to provont invasion from tho sea. "Tho partisan of tho battleahlp points with irouBonablo prldo to tho apcctncular perfonuuncca of IiIb giant turrot guns, and ho tolls you of thu iiimny inclioq of hnrdonod iiteol that tho points (of hla armor-iiicrcing projoctllos can porforato. Truly these dolnga aro Ilttlo short of marvelous. Hut tho udvocato pf tho gun Is a prejudiced ex- Iport withal, for ho will not believe tho torpedo to 'bo a formidable rlvnl. Why? Simply becnuso gen erally ho takes little lnterost In thta order of ,woapon. l "But tho torpedo is coming Into Uo own. It la nn instrument of precision and stupendous do slructlvo might. Where it could not travel moro than 1,800 yards with any chanco of hitting tho (targot a few years back. It can now cover a dls tnnco of 12,000 ynrdB and mnko that run at an ay (erago of nearly UO knots. "In Bomo particulars It la even moro accurate than tho gun. It travels far enough below tho aur faco to bo unuffectod by tho stato of tho sea. With ,itn warhead churgo of several huudrod pounds of jlilgh oxploalvc, atlaeklug a ship where she is least .prepared for assault, tho detonation of that bu1 Blanco will cuubo u far greater wound than It Is (posslblu to produco with a number of thu biggest .projectiles j "Yob, I think Sir Porey Scott Is right, and his admlsBlon means much moro becauso It comes ifrom an oxport who lui'j herotoforo favored the gun and tho dreaduuught. f ''What do I think of the BUbmnrlues of tho fu Uure? How big do I think thoy will bo? Well, l jliavo dono some prophesying in tho past and Ihavo boon frankly pooh-poohed by the unbollovera, fmi you will underBtund my present reluctanco to '.predict just how largo submarines will eventually I bo hUltt. Thero aro mechanical problems that JmuBt bo overcome first. Tho development of tho Hubinurino has not boon ns rapid as I anticipated, ;nnd this hnu been duo to tho dllllculty of securing 'Hatlflfactory engines "Tho gabollno engine has been somewhat dls .credited bb a motor for underwntor bontB because 'of tho explosive character of its fuel. Wo huve Iliad a number of distressing uccldouta duo to tho unexpected Ignition of tho fumes of gasoline. Yos, ,tbo heavy oil engine promises to meet tho needs, 'but there has boon a good deal of dllllculty In Bocuring a reliable heavy oil, reversible, lutornal .combustion engine. Thanks to tho gunlua of Dr. jlludolf Dloaol, tho way to buccobs has boon blazed, 'mid as tho heavy oil engine evolves tno size ami Who upeed of submarines will Increase proportion ately. "As a matter of fuct, wo have already in mind submarines of 2, COO tons, with the speed of u bnt tlcshlp, and It may bo possiblo to build them of a speed equal to that of tho fast cruisers, but tho hundlcap In properly cnglnlng them baa caused us to hesltute In putting propositions forward for their construction. Tho moment a rollablo ongiuo la provided that will furnish n speed equal to that of the Kurfaco vessel, of whatever typo such sur faco vessel may bo, that moment surfaco vossoIb of that order will becomo obsolete for purposes of war; their only uso will bo to train seamen and to carry tho flngjn times of pence. "How did I begin my work In submarine navi gation? Well, tho Btory Is not a long one. Of courso, you will expect me to tell you that Jules Vorno'B 'Twenty Thousnnd Leagues Under tho Sea waa my Inspiration, and you shan't bo disap pointed. From my boyhood days that scientific romnnco gripped mo Irresistibly, and I was not moro than nineteen when I began experimenting In u crudo.wny. "it was thon 18SG, and I waa living at Toms Hlvcr, N J My preliminary Investigation was in an overturned rowboat, under which I crawled to see how long I could tsurvlvo in tho air confined close up to tho lnnor bottom of that cruft. I stayed there so long that a passing llsliormnn thought mo dioned nud righted tho boat, ex pecting to tow it nahoio nnd to report my loss. "In ISM, ns you possibly recall, the navy de partment asked for bids for a submnrlno boat. I submitted tho design of ono intended to travel on tho nurfneo, in betweon tho bottom nnd the surface or on the wntorbod a sort of underwater auto mobile, so to speak. I had no tlnnncinV backer, and the government oxnetod that tho suecesstul bidder should put up a bond ns a guarantoo of contract fulfillment. Needless to roinnrk, 1 did not get any recognition of n substantial sort, but I did obtain favorable comment from somo of tho olllolnl critics. That, at least, gnvo mo encourage ment. "Shoitly afterward I moved to Atlantic High hinds, nnd thoro, thanks to the ilnanclul assist, nnco of an aunt, I built tho submarine which I jok ingly named Argonaut, Jr. That was In 1894. Tho Argonaut, Jr., was n colllnllko box built of yollow pine- tlnibor in two layors, coated with coal tar and lined with felt to make It water tight, It was II feet long, 4V4 feet wldo and hnd a depth of 5 foot. It was mountod upon wooden wheels. "Tho vessel wnB Intended to navlgato only on tho bottom and was drlvon by hand, power; u crank shaft, ending outfildo with sprocket wheels, was geared by a chain belt to the two rear drivers. Inside, tho bow jmrt of tho boat wan partitioned oft by an air-tight bulkhond which made tho foro most compartment a verltuble diving boll, with a water-tight door In the iloor that could bo opened "For air htorngo tho boat carried n soda water tank, and a plumbor's bund pump did duty as an air compressor. When tho confined air roachnd a suitable pressuru tlio bottom door could be dropped without foar of tho water coming In when tho Argonaut, Jr., was submerged. ' Tho craft was finished on Christmas day of pcamoirarJimtfiwmzz ojmmfjzxiiBQR 1S94 and then launched, but she waa not In the water moro than a quarter of an hour when a sudden storm swept her ashoro and damaged one of the wheels. When tho spring of 1805 came I was faco to faco with something of a problem. The Argo naut, Jr., was at the bottom of 14 feet of water and partly burled In soft mud. My task waa to refloat her and to make her ready for further experiments and for demonstrations looking to tho Interesting of very much needed cnpltal. Nov, regular diving suits nro an expenslvo matter, and my funds were so oxtromely low that I had run around well nigh bnrefooted dur ing tho winter In order that every penny available could bo used In connection with my emuryo suo murine. "Whon milder weather camo I had ready a diving dress of my own devising. For a helmet I uti lized a framework of light kn rods covered with painted can vas and mndo It fit snugly over my shoulders and to strap under my arms. For a faco plato I used tho glass deadlight from tho dir port of an abandoned sloop, and to help mo to submerge I tied sash weights to my legs. Common garden hose wound with wire aerved to carry my air supply In this fashion I reached tho Ar- . . .1 a. : lnnn r n.imn gonaut, Jr., closed ner up nnu vai m yijea w ,...... her out. In my anxiety to succeed I tolled under wnter for sevoral hours, and in consequence spent tho hotter part of a week In bod afterward. In that brief tlmo I lost 40 pounds in weight, but I didn't mind thnt because tho boat waa afloat again. "Tho Argonaut, Jr., was not designed to submerge deeper than 20 feet, nnd my main object in building her waa to show how a craft of that nature could bo made to travol around on tho bottom and, by means of tho diving compartment, mako it possiblo to recover things lying upon tho waterbed. To mako a long story short, my performances were so suc cessful that I obtained mpnoy and we organized a company in November of 1895. Dut wo did not havo funds enough to build the big boat I had planned, and accordingly wo had to curtail our am bition nnd conflno our efforts to a Binallcr craft for tho purposo of demonstration and as an Induce ment to additional capital. Fortunately I won tho confidence of tho late William T. Mnlster of Bal timore, then president of the Columblnn Iron works and afterward mayor of the town. "The Argounut was a cigar-shaped structuro of steel, 30 feet long nnd 9 feot of beam, and was fitted with an 80 h. p. gasoline engine, a dynamo, an air compressor, a searchlight, water ballast pumps the appnratus necessary for succesaful Bubmarlno navigation, Sho had accommodatlona insldo her for a crow of live, and during 1898 a crulao of moro than 2,000 milo3 was mado in tho Cheaapeako bay and on the Atlantic coast, travel ing both on the surfaco and nubmerged, nnd over all kinds of bottom. That boat, doslgned for com mercial purposes, was tho ploneei of a larger military underwater craft which wo built In Bridgeport some yenrs later. "As tfLT back as 1901 I offered our navy depart ment a boat that could carry guns In addition to torpedoes. I wns generally laughed at, as I was for my bottom-traveling wheels. As you know, most of tho big British submarines now carry guns nnd other nations nro profiting by those ex amples. Tho big boats built by mo in Russia for tho czar's navy wore designed to have this very feature. "In view of tho actual advances, nnd knowing tho increasing destructive might of tho torpedo, I Hnd no difficulty In subscribing to Admiral Sir Porcy Scott'n prediction. Yes, of courso, tho Idea Is of revolutionary portent, but with the gun to batter her above water and tho torpedo to do oven greater damago bolow, what chance of surviving has tho accepted order of dreadnnughts? "Tho Proctor was tho first underwater craft to provldo comfortable quarters for hor crow nnd to bo oqulpped with cooking facilities In order that thoy might live aboard of hor. I3ven so, tho ruling spirit of our naval board of Inspection In 1903 pooh-poohed this provision, declaring that a moth er ship would always bo necessary and that the men would live aboard tho larger craft. How far that mlstnken nuthorlty erred can be Gathered from tho performance of a sister boat. "After that Ilttlo vossel became part of tho czar's (leet sho mndo a run from Kronstndt to Llbau In October of 1905. Tho ofllclnl report of tho commander of tho vessel best tells tho btory: " 'This trip confirms onco more tho good sen going quulitlos of boats of this particular typo, us soveral times wo woie out tii cold weuther and ox posod to high winds and heavy sous, yot, notwith standing these conditions, thu submersible stood the woathor overy tlmo quite enslly. At ono tlmo, for 21 hours, by reason of tho violence of tho wind nnd the nature of the sen, It was not possiblo to pnB food from the convoying vessel During that period the deck was swept by heavy seas and tho crew wero ublo to tako tho air only on top of the conning tower; but notwithstanding this whon I proposed to thorn tho next day that thoy might go over to tho convoy If thoy liked thoy again asked pormlsslon to remain on thu submorslble,'' "Yes, tho underwater craft aro coming Into their own." Cultivate the lato cabbsgo. a Chickens like alfalfa pasture Clean the peltry house every day. a Feed all fowls couflnad In the yard green food. It in a mistake to regard sheep sim ply as scavengers'. Ovcrprunlng induces tho growth of suckers or watersprouts. Thero is no better property on a farm than good brood mares. Calves may bo fed silago as soon na they aro old enough to eat It, ' Do not throw away old broken plas ter and mortar. Put it In the poultry yard. A dairy thermometer can bo had for a few centa. It beata gueaalng all hollow. Keep tho owes in a barn on dry feed for a few days after being separated from tlio lambs. It is always the case that sweet cream poured Into that which Is sour does not all churn. Alfalfa cured too .long In tho sun sheds Its leaves and with them a good shnro of its food value. 4 The hlgh-produolng milk cow muBt havo a liberal allowance of grain In order to do her best work. Tho keeping of individual cow rec ords Is becoming more and moro an absolute necessity each yoar. Variety In food is something the hens need. A fowl grows tired of ono tyind of food in, a short time. An acre of grain can bo placed In the $llo at a cost not 'exceeding that of shocking, husking, grinding and shred ding. If the fanner today would house his poultry with as much care as he does his cattlo greater dividends would ensue. Spray your trees whether they have a crop or not. Spraying in off years Is just as important as In years of heavy crops. More than $500,000 Is annually be ing spent in the New England states alone In the endeavor to control the brown (ail moth. Capons are superior in overy re spect to nil other fowls. The public demands them and the poultry raiser must produce them. Tho "gentleman of tho herd" will make a gentleman of you If ho is a good one, and holp you to mako your dairy the best possible. Tho labor of thinning fruit trees can bo considerably lessened if tho trees are pruned with tho idea of removing a portion of the fruit buds. Crops can be put In tho silo during weuther that cannot bo used In ma king liny or curing fodder, which Is an important consideration in somo lo calities. Wood ash Is a good fertilizer for the trees, and in tho garden, but do not put it In tho poultry houses, as It has a tendency to Injuro tho lega of your fowls. Not only do turkeys about 100 to each quarter section of land gobblo up tho grasshoppers effectively, but they do little If any damage to tho alfalfa ileitis. Before buying a bull study closely tho production rocords of his fcmnlo ancestry, particularly hla dam. Great producing cows are very likely to ret produco their abilities In their sons, v Preservation of tho poultry build ings means tho fnme as cash In tho bank. Keep them well painted out side nnd whltowa&hod Inside. It also adds to tholr attractiveness and sanitation. Bo regular in milking. Be gontlo with tho heifers. Look out for lico on chickens. Every farm should have somo clover. Cabbago thrives best in a cool, moist climate. Alfalfa should not bo cut too lata In tho rieason. Summer pruning decreases tho vlg: or of tho plant. Fashions' change, but a good cow Is always In tho fashion. Pioper cultivation is un impoant factor in crop production. -; Pure air and plenty of it is nn ab-j soluto necessity for turkeys, ' When cowa nro In tho pasturo do! not send a vicious dog to drive them! in. ; Growing lambs for mutton la a pay-, lng business independent of the wool crop. Pruno weak growing varieties hcav-', ily in winter; strong growing sorts,1 lightly. ' l Tho quarters of lousy hogs rnusU also bo treated If vermin Is to bo do-; stroyed. , Any futuro lncreaso in tho produc-; tlon of sheep must come mainly from' the farms. Do not sot apple trees too dose twenty to twenty-five feet Is about thoj right distance. ' Altnough a llock of woll-foathored ducks or ducklings, geese or goslings will not suffer from staying out In tho rain, thoy will Immediately show tho bad offsets of housing In damp quar ters and their buildings must bo thor oughly dry Tho lemody for sour land la lime and proper drainage. First Iraln off nil moisture and allow the soil to be como dry. Then Hprand ground llmo stono rock and na this worku down Into tho soil you will find all traces of sourness disappear. Nest boxes should bo built low and; tho entrance somewhat shaded, aa tho) hens seek privacy. Where the number of chickens 1b) great, it is n good plan to plant clo-j ver just for their uso. Never permit a hog to becomo lousy, using crude carbolic acid and' coal tur aa a preventive. Fro3h, clean, cool water'tbr hens and chicks and other kinds of poultry la very essential in hot weather. Always water tho horse after he has eaten his hay at night. Do not go to bod leaving him thirsty all night. Planting cucumbers In continuous rows insures fruit from ono to two; weeks earlier than tho hill method. If the strawberries have been picked two seasons, spado up tho beds and sow tho land for somo lato planted crop. Tho woodpeckers do a wonderful amount of good by digging out and de vouring young worms and insects on. treea. More cleanliness about our hog pens, coupled with proper care about intro ducing Infection, will keep cholera out of tho herd. i 0 Uivo the chickens all tho lawn clip pings and waste leaves and vege tables. Glvo plenty of green food to the laying hens. a m Tho hog depends to a certain extent on grain during tho growing period and muat be fattened almost entirely on concentrated feeds. Remember never to strike a cow. It sho Is mean, that la no reason why you should be. Turn her off and put a good cow in her placo. 1J Is stated that one-half tho applo, crop in Iowa, representing a v-.lue or $3,000,000, is lost annually becauso oC damage by the codling moth. Keep tho chicks out of damp plnces and watch for roup. Dampnoss affects the feet and legs of tho chick. Tho higher tho breed, the greater tho caro must bo, Thero aro still torao prptty poof bulls in this country. Wherever you Hnd one of thosejnnlmala, you will find a man with whom dairying is a dis mal failure, Fruit trees In tho orchard must bo fed like so many pigs in a pon If tho trees nro to produce well. Unfertilized fruiting plants will not yield enough to; pny for their caro. "Soil" is a mixture of earth, wator and air. Too much of either Is bad: too Ilttlo means partial or entiro crop failure. Cultivation, early and often. gets conditions right. Tho world nover yet saw the beat cow. Don't bo afraid you will bo lonesomo In your hunt for her. Thero aro a lot of mon looking, and you may aa well bo at the head of tho heap as not. Barnyard manure, available on overy farm, makes ono of tho beat organic fertilizers to use, and ovory farmer ought to consider ways nnd means of proserving It. Whon left In tho opon in pilos for oven a short tlmo tho losa Is very large. Fertility may bo restored to worn out land by saving all animal mnnuroa nnd putting thorn on to the Vi.id; by making use of all crop residues that Ib, putting back Into tho soil every-, thing not used for feed; by turning under green manuring and catch crops,
