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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 1920)
I TITE NORTH PL TTE SEMT-WEEKLY TTUBUNE. m JYrftrtJ j Till Nit!oJI GwgTtjiWZ PISA: AN OLD CURIOSITY SHOP PF HISTORY A city of 10,000 skyscrapers before Peter Mlniilt bought Manliattitii IhIiuhI for the present price of a supper ut u Hroudway cnburet. A city that warred and traded with empires, yet plunged Into 'a disastrous Btruggle with a rlvul city over the rights to a Inpdog. A city which was seized after a Florentine Hohson "bottled up" Its harbor entrance with sunken boats six centuries before tliu battle off San tiago bay. Such Is Pisa, whoso leaning tower was endangered by recent earthquake tremors In Italy. Pisa's record abounds In Incidents as freakish as Its famous tower; yet It possesses a history necessarily more significant than any British or Amer ican city. Indicative of IMsn's Importance In the thirteenth century wus her send ing an ambassador to Home. There by hangs the story of the lapdog. Dur big the coronation ceremonies of Frederick II the Florentine emissary admired the lapdog of a certain car dinal, so that dignitary promised to give the- tiny nnlnial to Its admirer. Noxtdny the I'lsan ambassador said u few kind words about the same dog. and (lie cardinal Just us readily prom ised It to him. The Florentine sent for Ills gift, nnd got It; the Plsnn sent, and received an apology. Florentines began Joking the lisnns about this In cident, and fights ensued on the Ro man streets. When the I'lsan home folks heard this It gave them an ex cellent chance to pick a quarrel that had long been simmering. A sort of medieval Huston tea party was staged by the PIsnns, who. seized all the en emy merchandise within their reach, and thus precipitated the tlrst of a series5 of wars with Florence which culminated In ho subjection of I'lsa by her long-time rival. The lapdog story seems trivial, yet characteristic of a certain childish quality 'noticeable among the Juvenile civic nationalities that preceded na tional Italy. As further proof one might recall the occasion when the victorious army of Luccu hung upon a I'lsan tower a mirror with the In scription "Oil women of Plsu, use these to look at yourselves." No oth er challenge wns needed for (lie 1'lsans to march to the gate of Lucca, and there to plant poles, topped with mlr -rors, bearing retaliatory comment. Were a super Hip Van Winkle of medieval I'lsa to conic with his latter day compatriots to Kills Island In 10120, not only the national bird of his adopted land, hut the skyscraper line of New York might mnke him feel at home. Towers they were called, these I'lsa skyscrapers, huddled together for nil the world like groups of tall apartment house, Two reasons are assigned for this method of building, common to Italian (owns of the twelfth century. line was that the wall permitted only vertical expansion when population pressure Increased. Another, hcllov- nlilii In view of the constant factional tights and family feuds, attributed them to the necessity for protection. Hrldges that couirt bo thrown from tower to tower further suggested the skyscraper likeness1. On these precur snrs of the modern lire escape, many a community battle has raged. The Leaning Tower of I'lsa served humanity well, aside from becoming the most effective bit of city adver Using yet devised, for It permitted Galileo, u native of I'lsa, to carry on his experiments with the laws govern ing the pendulum. THE FLAMINGO, A BIRD OF BEAUTY AND MYSTERY, IS SAVED FROM EXTINCTION Assurance that the Uamlngo, bird of beauty nnd mystery, will escape ex tinction Is contained In a letter from II. H. W. Grant, colonial governor of tlie Hahnmns, which says: "You will bo glad to hear that an order lit council has been passed giv ing complete protection to the lhuriln go. This glory of our mnrshes" owes the expudltlon a debt of gratitude." The action of the Unhamus council was taken following tin expedition, which trailed the ihunlngo, the most bunutlful of the world's larger birds, to Its last stand, took motion pictures of tho timorous creatures ; and brought about a realization of how near they were to becoming extinct In tho new world through annihilation by uatlvo spongo flshormon, Tlieso fishermen bunted 'them down for food purposes n i the nostlng and molting season. Tho first American naturalist to lo cate nml study tho gorgeous llamlngo was Dr. Frank M. Chapman In 1001, when ho estimated that somo 20,000 tlatnlugooH were to be found on ono of the little known Islands of tho Jtabunias group. SInco then .It Is be lieved thntx fully two-thirds of the colonies have perished. The -expedition that spent ten days In tlto abysmal Bait swamps of Andros fjlnurt. filming tho flamingo and study ing bis hnhlint for sclentlflr pur poses, was sent out by the Miami Aquarium association. yacht was the mother ship of the expedition and an express cruiser was used as n scout boat. Canvas canoes were taken along to get Into the shal low salt creeks, and nose Into the la goons for deep entrances to the murky swamps where the flamingo hides. A Hahama guide, I'oter Hnnnlster. who had aided Doctor Chapman's party 10 years ago, also went with the partyi After penetrating to the utmost navigable points with the canoes It was necessary to traverse tulles of the 'swash" or tidal mnrr marshes, carry ing the heavy cameras and motion pic ture machines, In tearch for the birds. Wading In water up to the waist, knee deep In the marl mud, was the daily- program, while blinding swarms of mosquitoes compelled nightly retreats o the yacht, anchored several miles off shore. Hut the hnrdshlps found a worthy reward when the party came upon col onies of several hundred birds, de scribed by n member of the party ns "a flaming mass of brilliant scarlet bodies, Jet black beneath the huge wings, with their long, slender necks gracefully lowering and raising their Homnn-nosed heads as they sought be neath the water tho tiny spiral shell known to fricntlsts ns Cerlthlum,' up on which the flamingo lives exclusively In Its native habitat," SARDINIA: THE ISLAND OF PYGMIES AND WOLFRAM A traveler of flue Imagination sug gests that travel involves a double oumey "one forward through space, the other backward through time." Your 'steamboat ticket from Clvl- aveccbla, the port of Home, entitles you to an eight-hour voyage to Sar dinia, but affords a premium of sev eral thousand yenrs backward' to Ku- rope's earliest traceable history. Sardinia has a double Interest Just now because of the reported native demand for home rule, and because Americans have found tracts contain ing wolfram, highly prized ns a source of tungsten. Second only to Sicily among Medi terranean Islands, Sardinia has been referred to as the lost Isle of that sea. lieograplucally It lias lieen said to turn Its back on Italy, for Its cast coast Is mountainous. This Isolation has n compensation In preserving tho homogeneity of n people who have a Sardinian Miners, special Interest for students of racial history. Sardinians arc small of stature. Even their soldiers have an average height a fraction under five feet, four Inches. Hut the most conspicuous curiosities of Sardinia are Its nuraghi, grcift round towvrs, relics of tho bronze age. which nerved as fortllled dwellings for sotno prehistoric people. There aro 0,000 or more of these towers, some GO feet high, usually about !10 feet in dl nmeter at the base, made of stone blocks and smeared with clay, on the Insldo. Stairways lead to upper cham bers and platforms. Interesting ns aro these relics of un known inhabitants, even moro fnsel anting are the traces of ancient clvlll zntlous to be found In the dally life of Sardinians of today. Ono mny find oxen plowing as they did in tho dnys of the Roman empire, Implements which were introduced by tho succes slvo occupants, ono Catalan town (Alghero) where there Is no Jarring note In tho Illusion of old Spain, and dances of the classic Greek period at tho mountain feste. Only in Sardinia nnd Corsica Is tho mutlonl, predecessor of our sheep, to bo found. Wild deer and wild bonr are plentiful In tho mountain districts, Tunny llshing is a major industry. In area Sardinia Is comparable to Vermont, but has moro than twice tho nonulation of that state. Tho Island lies directly south or uorsicu, anil is separated therefrom by the narrow straits of Honifaclo. In shape It has been compared to a human footprint. AIRPLANES TO WHIR OVER THUNDEROUS FALLS -Willie Niagara Falls will continue to hold their own as a mecca for hon-oy-uiooncrs and other travelers, ther must henceforth submit to comparison with unother miturnl wonder, tho Vic toria Falls of the Zambesi, as Africa becomes frequented by tourists. iFrom being a place of mystery, so feared that Livingstone, who discov ered tho falls In 1855, had great dltll culty In persuading ids followers to uccompnny him, the falls now are vis ible from n railway that crosses-fnc river hnlf-mlle below them, and the) He under the route of the proposed Cupo to Cairo aerial service. Louis Livingston Seaman, In a com inuulcutlon to the National Geographic society, describes a visit to Victoria Falls and contrasts them with Ni agara, as follows: "Early In the morning of tho third dny, we wero 'suddenly awakened by the guard and treated to a scene of beauty never lo be forgotten. Smo ten miles distant live enormous col umns of vnpor were shooting their rosente-tlnted shafts hundreds of feet heavenward, while the faint ronr of the falls told us the Moslnu-Tunga the smoke that sounds was no longer a mystery. "Kncli moment Increased the beauty nnd vividness of the scene. With the first rays of the rising sun xnme a picture, of color of wondrous loveliness. Delicate tints of violet, .crlmsou, and beryl played through the mounting spray as It shot higher and higher, ultimately disappearing ns virgin clouds In heaven, whllo tho ever-Increasing thunders of the waters lent an added solemnity to the view. "Hardly could we wait to reach our destination, so great was pur enthusi asm. Hut our hopes were doomed to momentary disappointment, only to be more than realized after a study of the environment; for, notwithstanding their magnitude, the first view of Vic toria Falls is decidedly disappointing. "Although nearly a mile In width nnd '100 feet in height, tho grandeur of their proportions Is eclipsed by tho sudden disappearance of the river, ns It plunges Into u narrow, rocky fissure extending across Its entire width. Only at a single central point. Is there a breach In this fissure through which the falls can be seen and appreciated In their full proportions, where the converging waters rush madly to the zigzag canyon below. So restricted Is this view that there Is an entire ab sence of that awo-lnsplrlni? nnd most paralyzing effect which strikes the vis itor dumb with wonder and amazement when Niagara bursts on his near vision. 'On first sight of tho Victoria Falls one Involuntarily exclaims, 'Oh, how beautiful 1' but they lack the innjesty of our grand Niagara.' "No Blngte visit can adequately re veal the fullness of their clinrms. but repeated excursions must be. made to their Islnnds nnd precipices, their grot tos nnd palm gardens, their rain for ests and projecting crags, their rain bows and cataracts and many-sided views of their exquisite setting jn tho emerald framework of tropic forests, before their Indescribable beauty can be appreciated. 'Had tl,e falls been In America, tho Indians would surely hnve named them Minnehaha. Laughing Waters." THE MARSHALL ISLANDS The Marshall Islands, ulong with tho Carolines, wero seized by Japan soon after the outburst of the war, and their permanent disposition has been under discussion. Their proximity to the Philippines has been referred to In this connection. Tho two chains of curlously-shnped atolls, or coral Islands consisting of low-lying coral reefs encircling la- goous, known as Hie Marshall group, He a little south of the center of an imaginary lino between the Philippines and Hawaii. Guam, Samoa and Honolulu form a triangle of trade routes, with Its sides not penetrated by Important steamship lines. Near the center of this isolated Pacific zone arc the Marshall islands. Hefore the war Sydney was reached by steamer, a voyage of more than H.OOO miles. Tho only other egress Is a steamer to Ponape which connects with tho French lino to Singapore. Like two loosely-strung chnlns of Jewels, the Islands stretch from north west to southeast, eacli with its In goon setting encased by a strangely shaped clrqlet of coral, some like trl angles, harps and stirrups, and one outlining n bull's head with Its horns Stralght-hnlred, dark-brown nntlves, still preserving tho religious slgnlll canco of tattoo and taboo, uro to be found. Woman was given a higher position than among most snvnges because suc cession was through tho female line, Hut tho chief's power was absolute, to tho point of life and death. One am hltlous ruler learned an alphabet and Is said to have beheaded nil his sub jects who seemed likely to acquire more knowledge than he had. In somo Islnnds tho mother was nllowed to keep only tho tlrst three children. She had to bury tho fourth. Skillful and fearless navigators, tho nntlves used bread-tree wood to make sailing canoes In which they would voyage for months. They ilovlseil charts, made of sticks, showing tho lo cations of islands and tho directions of prevailing winds. Ancestor worship was their predomi nant religious sentiment. With po tltlons nnd gifts they worshiped the departed whoso spirits were supposed to return to earth In certain palm trees which they set, Off In stono lnclosures. Hlrds and fishes sometimes embodied tltese spirits, they believed, and thus certain species became taboo. Homes of tho nntlves wero Hot pre tentious. Floors were raised above tho ground to escape tho rats, and tHitched roofs covered tho combination houso nnd storage room. Tho two island groups are known as tho Rntuk and Rallk chains. Their entlro area Is not moro than 100 square miles; their native population 15,000, with fewer thnn 800 foreigners. Tho scat of German government was on .Talult and the most populous Island la Majeru, with but 1,000 persons. Scouts on Their Newly Dedicated Reservation Hoy scouts on a slope of the Woodrow Wilson boy scout reservation, a 41-acro plot of land at Ilumt Hills, Mil., Just dedicated with hnpresslvo ceremonies. It was given by Robert S. Brookings to the 2,500 boy scouts of the Dis trict of Columbia. There are streams In tho tract, and wooded hills, a splendid swimming hole nnd an open stretch for every variety of athletics. Russian Nobles Cleaning Streets of Petrograd This photograph, one of the few reaching this country picturing conditions In soviet Petrograd, shows fonr..-r members of the czar's court at work cleaning the streets. Former grand dukes, dukes and princes, hnve been com mandeered by the soviet government, and many of them are forced to menlnl. tasks. John Paul Jones Statue Unveiled RECORD TUNA FISH Assistant Secretury of the Navy Gordon Woodbury speaking nt the un veiling of n tablet on the John Paul Jones-stivtue, Potomac park, Washington. Hundreds of people, including government olllclals, diplomats and navnl offi cers stationed In "Washington, paid tribute to tho founder of the Amorlcan navy. The ovent marked the 145th anniversary of the founding of tho United States navy. America Decorates French Heroes This .'125-pound tuna fish, cnught off San Diego, Cnl., Is the largest ever taken In California waters. It Is n yellowfln tunn ; n variety seldom found so far North. Hook and line were used In catching It. SAVING AN OLD TREE I 3 American ambassador Hugh Campbell Wallace, In tho name of tho United Stntes government, presenting distinguished services nnd navy crosseB to about one hundred oltlcers of tho French nrmy nnd navy. Tho presenta tion wns made in tho gardens of tho American embassy In Paris. One of tho only two Japanese acacia trees In tho United Stntes, both locnted in the Whlto Houso grounds, Is "sick!" from rot nt the ripo old ago of forty tlvo years. J. Rebaumc, the Whlto Houso tree doctor, Is trying to snvo It's life. That's Different. "Your husband told mo ho abhorred) nil kinds pf cats."' ' "Oh, you must have misunderstood him. He Is Just devoted to a llttloj kitty they have at tho club." j