THE MEN
ARE OUT
300,000 Coal Miners Quit
Work in the Black
Diamond Fields.
MAY NOT BE A
SERIOUS MATTER
Not Probable That the Country
Will be Seriously Inconven
ienced: State of Pennsylvania 100,000
Ohio 45,000
Indiana 18,000
West Virginia 10,000
Illinois 72,000
Iowa 15,000
Michigan . 3,000
Kansas, Arkansas and south . . 25,000
Colorado '5,000
Western Kentucky 5,000
Total men idle 300,000
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., March 31
Three hundred thousand organized
miners of the bituminous coal fields
of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illi
nois Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Okla
homa and Arkansas quit work at mid
night, pending settlement of a new
wage scale. Officers of the united mine
workers of North America declared
that the walk out was not a strike, but
merely a suspension of work, because
no wage scale had been made to re
place the old scale, which expired w ith
the month of March. The miners
demand an increase of pay, in some in
stances of 5 cents a ton, and in other
instances, with certain changes in
working conditions.
Confidence was expressed by the
operators that there would be no gener
al coal famine, large supplies having
been stored in anticipation of ihc walk'
out.
While the miners predict that the
suspension will be cut short, by a
prompt signing of the wage scale,
some of the operators maintain that
the mines may be closed a month,
or longer.
The first settlement came in an
nouncement from Brazil, Ind., the
center of the Indiana block coal field
where the men's demand for a five
cent increase was granted.
The conditions in the various states
as reported to the national union
headquarters, follows:
Illinois: Nine hundred mines closed
and 75,000 miners out; joint confer
encc on wages called for Monday in
Chicago; operators say men's demand
increase of 10c per ton, possibility
of a four months shut down, two month
supply of coal on hand; no immediate
coal famine to Chicago industries.
Indiana: Eighteen thousand miners
out; conference arranged for Wednes
day at Terrc Haute.
Pennsylvania: Forty thousand men
ordered out; temporary scale expected
bv Saturday; settlement of the pow
der question to be held in abeyance.
Iowa: Every mine in Iowa ordered
closed, pending settlement of the wage
scale.
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and
Arkansas, comprising the south-west
interstate fields, 35,000 miners quit
early settlement expected, miners as
sert they have $100,000 to light with.
Ohio: All miners ordered to quit
Mate leader says that it will be a brie
suspension. At Lorain steel plant shut
down and threw ouv -1.000 workmen
because of coal shortage.
MONTH OF APRIL COMES
IN TODAY LIKE A LAMB
Fresh Strawberries and Many Gar
den Vegetables Are on the
Market Today.
(From Friday's Dally)
March went out last night with as
mild and gentle a character as any
lamb could ever wish to possess and
April was ushered in in a manner
that looks like there's nothing doing
for old Br'cr Lion this month. The
weather during the past month has
been as near ideal as a person could
order and it would be well if the salary
of Nebraska'a weather maker, Welch,
was given a little bopst.
The general apperances of the first
spring month are somewhat in advance
of the usual year's program and a con
tinuance of the early spring is being
looked for. The first straw berries
of the season were put on the market
this morning and are selling very rea
sonably at two boxes for thirty five
cents. The berries arc shipped from
the sunny south, and for the first ones
of the season, they seem to bo fine.
Besides the strawberries there are
many forerunners of the warm months
i ihc stores today, aa aspararajjus,
etture, radishes, etc., which are being
raised in this locality.
The early mornings are noisy with
the sours ot the returning birds and
once in a while a fly, that's trying to
rush the season, conies buzzing along
the window as a gentle reminder of
is troublesome swarm of brothers
that are now on the wav.
few ot the small white butterflies
have been out for a week or ;wo and
the bees are out doing a little pros
pecting for honey.
The confectionery men are shining
up their soda fountains and stirring
up their colored sky juice for the bene
fit of those who don't frequent the
buildings with the door on the corner,
and these buildings arc hanging out
their billy goat signs of "Bock." ,
The ice men are preparing for their
days that are to come and the coal
dealers have been given to understand
that we're through with them. The
shinny carp and cat that have unluck
ily found their way into the hands of
the fisherman adorn the side walkB
in the shady corners. The sample
mllots for the spring electiou are
scattered around the town, and in fact,
Spring is here!
APRIL FOOL'S DAY
CATCHES GOOD MANY
Young Boys and Some Old Ones
too Alter the Unaware
With All Fools Jokes
(From Friday's Dally)
Today is the first of April, All Fools'
Day, and it is the one day celebrated
in common by nearly every person in
town, whether they're Irish, Dutch,
Bohemian or Methodists. It is the
day that the little school boy looks
forward too and classes next to the
Fourth of July and Christmas, when
le can fool the teacher, put salt in his
mother's sugar bowl and tie a string
on a pocket book to jerk from beneath
the nose of the person who stoops
to pick it up.
With ham at forty cents a pound,
Colonel McMackcn's green pig cur
iosities arrived on one of the morning
trains from Omaha, securley held
in a heavy box and under a guard of
the train officials. The pigs were
carefully transported from the depot
to McMaken's office by the Colonel
himself who would not trust the por
kers in the charge of any one else
They were strongly caged in the show
window under the eyes of his stenog
graphcr who had instructions to
prevent the sight-seers from feeding
the little grunters any peanuts or chew
ing tobacco. The pigs are green all
right and arc perfectly formed seem
ing to have been raised on a diet of
Paris Green. The bright light in the
shop window was said to have af
fected the eyes of the animals for they
were stupid and stood with their backs
to the light and remained in the same
position for hours.
All day long the McMakcn office
was crowded with inquisitive people
who peered in through the bars of the
cage, but the three little paper machc
pigs sat on the big platter and never
winked an eye lash.
It is said that Sherwood, the shoe
man, and the chief of police went to
hunt up their smoked glasses and
field glasses to take in Halley's comet
which they heard was visible from the
corner of Sixth and Main. For some
reason, a few words to any fair femi
nine about brushing the powder off
of her cheeks, would catch them every
time; perhaps that isn't April Fool
though.
One of the young ladies at the court
house was fooled out of a fountain
pen she had found early in the day by
a law enforcer of the county. The
phone in her office was kept busy and
and the loosers of the pen flocked to
the office, but it took the glib tongue
county official that had never seen the
fountain pen before to tell the pi Ufa
talc of loosing the pen that went to
the heart of the damsel who turned
it OTcr without any hesitation.
Horses Started for River.
One of Bach's delivery wagons was
backed up to the platform of the Bur
lington freight depot loading on some
freight and while the driver was in
the building tho horses started off at a
speedy .clip in the direction of the old
Missouri to drown their troubles,
They were not very particular in schos
ing their course and when they finally
stopped at the old ferry landing, the
wagon was strung out on the install
ment plan over the two or three blocks
of road that they had traveled. The
animals were caught without being
injured.
Excitement reigned supreme at the
home of Cashier Lylc of the Burlington
last Wednesday and in fact the con
ditions have hardly subsided to
normal yet for a new nrrivul appeared
on the scenes the other day, and he's
a bouncing boy too. So strong has
the boy been on the cashier's mind
that he thought everybody was in
formed of its arrival and, in conversa
tion with the News representative,
displayed the characteristics of a clam
in letting the matter out.
A NEW TELEGRAPH CO.
MAY OPEN OFFICE HERE
A Corporation With Enormous Capital Has Written to
Commercial Club in Regard to Their Line.
SENDS MESSAGES AT RATE OF
THOUSAND WORDS A MINUTE
Ar eegram to Any Place
Twenty-Five Cents.
There is a brilliant possibility of
Plattsmouth having one of the most
marvelous inventions of communi
cation of modern science, installed
among the business enterprises of
the city. This invention is a system
of telegraphy known as the Delany
Automatic Rapid System and is op
erated by the Telepost Company of
the United States.
These and following statements arc
not air castles nor a welch rabbit
dream of the reporter's, but they arc
absolute facts and this system which
is here described is bound to be in
stalled within a short time.
It is hardly possible to comprehend
such an entirely different method of
telegraphy, wherein it is possible to
send messages at the rate of 1,000 to
8,000 words a minute, while the old
method averages 15 words. At the
slower rate by the new method, a
full page newspaper message can be
sent from New York to Chicago in
ten minutes, and at a fraction of the
present charge.
One wire can be used to send a num
ber of different messages on at the
same time, or, as impossible as it may
seem, a telephone wire may be used
without m any way disturbing the
conversation over the lines. All the
transmitting is mechanically done
and the chances for error arc greatly
reduced.
Little has been heard of the Telepost
Company in this section of the country
as it's bitter rivals are doing all in
their power to keep the new system
in the dark. The company has been
in operation in the east for three or
four years. It's capital stock is
518,000,000 and it has the govern
ment permission to establish and op
erate lines anywhere in the United
States wherever the mails go.
The new system is operated at about
one third the cost of the present and
sooner or later the old time telegraph
is bound to be doomed. The rates of
the new concern arc established on
an entirely new principal and the dis
tance the message is transmitted has
nothing to do with the amount charged
For the sum of twenty-five cents they
will deliver to any Telepost office in
the United States;
1. A Telegram of twenty-five words
transmitted by wire and delivered
by a messenger.
2. A Telepost of fifty words,
transmitted by wire and delivered by
mail.
3;- A Telctape of one hundred words
transmitted by wire and delivered in
the tape which has to be transcribed
from the Morse characters into En
glish. There are men in Plattsmouth who
have capital invested in the company
and the city Commercial Club has,
within the last few days received letters
from the company relative to estab
lishing an office in this town.
Tho nearest office in this section
of the country is at Kansas City.
The company is now trying to estab
lish a line between Omaha and Kansas
City and when this is put in, it will,
in all probabilities, make Plattsmouth
one of the intermediate offices.
This system which will revolution
ize the methods of communication
has been discussed considerably of
late in the scientific magazines and
the following description appears in
a recent number of tho Scientific
American.
"The Delany System is designed to
transmit and receive messages at the
AAAAAnnAAnnAAn
X X
X WASHINGTON DOPE jjjj
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Washington, D. C. March 31
(Special! The River and Harbor ap
propriation bill, which, in all prol)
ability will be reported to the Senate
this week, will carry between forty
eight and fifty million of dollars and
in many ways gives promise of being
the most scientifically prepared bill
which tho committees of the two houses
in the United States For
rate of one thousand words a minute
over a distance of one thousand miles,
though the speed of eight thousand a
minute has been obtained on a short
experimental line.
"Messages are sent by means of
a perforated tape, which is prepared
in the perforating machines. The
tape is drawn at any desired speed
through the perforating machines un
der a pair of steel punches. Each of
these punches arc operated by a mag
net. These magnets are controlled
by the usual Morse transmitting key.
A down ward stroke of the key causes
one of the punches to operate, and upon
release of the key, the other punch
operates. Thus, each operation of a
key, whether for a dot or a dash,
serves to make two perforations,
one near the upper edge and the other
near the lower edge of the tape. The
primary and secondary perforations
have an angular relation to each other
which is due to the fact that the tape
is constantly running, and which var
ies with the interval of time between
the downward stroke and the release
of the key.
"When a message has been perfor
ated in the tape, the latter is passed
through the transmitting machine.
Here the primary perforations co-operate
with the suitable mechanism to
send positive electric impulses through
the line, while the secondary perfora
tions permit the passage of negative
electric impulses.
"The perforated tape at the trans
mitting end passes between two pri
mary corrtact fingers and two secon
dary contact fillers. When the
primary fingers make a contact through
the perforations in the tape, they send
a positive impulse over the line. This
impulse is followed at the proper in
terval by the negative impulse by con
tact of the fingers through the secon
dary perforations.
"The signal or impulse is electrolyri
cally recorded at the receiving end on
a chemically prepared tape, by means
of an iron electrode connected with
the line and a platinum electrode
connected to earth. The current pass
ing through the moistened chemical
tape from the iron electrode to the
platinum electrode forms a blue mark
on the tape,at the contact point of
the iron finger.
"The practical advantages of this
system will bo readily comprehended
A number of perforating machines can
be used in connection with a single
transmitter, so that a large number of
messages can be prepared simultan
eously, and then passed through the
transmitter at Bpeeds of 1000 or more
words a minute.
"Furthermore, Mr. Delany has in
vented a perforating machine, which
is operated by a keyboard similiar to
that of the typewriter. This can be
operated by any office typist at twice
the speed at which the Morse keys are
ordinarily operated, and if desired, can
be used at any business office to pcrfor
ato messages on the tape. The tape
can be sent to the telegraph station,
and run at high ppced through the
transmitting machine. At the receiv
ing end, tlic record may be trans
cribed before being sent out (a tele
gram or a telepost,) or the original (a
teletape) may be sent to its destination,
where any typist who has had a few
day's instruction can reproduce the
message in type-written form, and in
this way absolute secrecy in trans
mitting the message can be obtained
mitting the message can be main
taincd."
dealing with the rivers and harbors of
the United States, have ever reported
In addition to liberal appropriations
for tho larger projects, it will carry
some interesting items affecting the
smaller rivers of the United States,
which arc sought to be improved for
the benefit of the communities along
their courses, and it will carry in the
neighborhood of $75,000 fur the de
struction of the water hyacinth which
grow luxuriantly in some of the streams
of the south seriously interfering with
navigation. These hyacinths orig
inally came from l lorida. hen New
Orleans had its exposition in 1SS1-5
the water hyacinth was brought from
Florida and sold as a curiosity to
visitors attending that Exposition.
They were planted in the states of
Louisiana and Texas and so rapid was
their growth that instead of being a
decorative plant they have almost
become a curse to the people living
along southern waters particularly
in the bayous of the Pelican state.
Congressman Broussard of Louis
iana, realizing that the work of the
Engineer Board of the Army, looking
to the destruction and extermination
of the water hyacinth, has been but
a drop in the bucket, contemplates
the introduction of the hippopotamus
as one means to bring about the exter
mination of the hyacinth and to that
end has introduced a bill in Congress
appropriating $250,000 to begin the
propagation of this animal. Re
cently a hearing was had on the
Droussard bill before the Committee
on Agriculture at which were present
Captain Fritz Duquesnc, formerly of
the Boer Army, Doctor Irwin and
Major Burnham a naturalist who
has had a great deal of experience both
in Africa, and in this country and in
Mexico. This hearing has aroused
the very liveliest interest and the news
papers of the country arc devoting
columns to the discussion, of what
promise of being of the first impor
tance in solving the problem, or at
least going far towards solving the
problem, of our meat supply.
Congressman Broussard in speaking
of his bill said: "If the government
fails to appropriate the amount asked
for in my bill I am in a position to
say that the introduction of the hip
popotamus into at least some of the
bayous of Lousiana will be undertaken
by a commercial company shortly
to be organized. Their introduction
into the waters of the south is believed
to be wholly feasible for tho climatic
conditions of my state are very sim
ilar to those that prevail in Africa,
the home of the hippopotamus.
"African streams and rivers arc kept
entirely clean of water hyacinth by
the hippopotamus and other animals
like the water buffalo. The pictures
of the Roosevelt expedition show the
rivers of Africa clean of aquatic plants
like the water hyacinth and our streams
could be cleaned up the same way
and navigation made possible where
it is now impossible for steamers to
operate, on account of the rank grow th
of this plant which we have been
endeavoring to exterminate for many
years by spraying, dredging and cut
ting. Then again the introduction
of the hippopotamus would go far
toward solving the problem of our
meat supply.
"The flesh of the hippopotamus
is highly esteemed and when salted
and cured is known in the Cape of
Good Hope as "Zce-koc-speck," or
Lake-cow bacon. The fatty mass
ying between the skin and the flesh
or muscles is considered one of the
purest animal fats and is in great de
mand among the Cape Colonists.
These massive animals were to the
English settlers in Cape Colony what
our buffalo was to the pioneers in
the settlement of our great prairies
and like the buffalo was heedlessly
exterminated. Then again the Afri
can buffalo, tho bush-buck and reed
buck would also be valuable additions
to the state which I have the honor
in part, to represent. Because these
animals have not been introduced is
not a sound reason why they should
not be. Seriously we need every ad
ditional species that it is possible to
secure before its extermination takes
place. Of the more than one hundred
species whose flesh is both palatable
and nutritious we can find a place
somewhere in our great country that
will be adapted to the successful
propagation of each.
"We are now consuming on an
average eight ounces of meat per day
for each inhabitant or fifteen billion
pounds per annum. At the same rate
of consumption as now, in 1950 when
we will have two hundred millions
of people, it will require one hundred
million pounds per day or twenty
million tons per annum, and in order
to provide for this enormous increase
in consumption we must secure ani
mals adapted to areas that arc non
producing. It's a condition and not
a theory that confronts us."
X
The Agricultural Committee of the
House has been one of tho very busiest
of the committees of Congress during
the present session. Besides the
regular appropriation bill which oc
cupied upwards of a month in prepa
ration, the committee has had long
drawn out hearings on the bill to
create a great forest reserve along
the Appalachian mountains as well
as upon the bill to prohibit the sale
of cotton or future delivery. The
later measure brought to Washington
cotton growers ami cotton speculators
from all sections of the country and
developed some veiy interesting in
ing" and depressing the price of that
staple, especiallyin New York and
New Orleans. But it is doubtful if
there will be tiny legislative outcome
of the hearings at the present session.
The next measure of National
importance to be considered by the
committee will bo the various bills
THE BOYS
ENTERTAIN
Another Delightful Evening
Spent By the Boys and
Girls of the City.
THINGS WERE LIVELY
AT TURNE HALLE
The Young Men's Class Again
Prove Their Ability as
Entertainers.
(From Friday's Dally)
The boy's class of turners very de
lightfully entertained the young lady
turners at a pleasant social evening
at Turnc Halle last night. During
the period of Lent the festivities had
been rather quiet at tho hall and last
night's affair was the first one follow
ing tho religious month. Tho crowd
was an unusually large one but the ,
boys, as is generally tho case, wero
fully prepared for the jolly bunch that
numbered nearly seventy-five.
No definito programme was carried
out but somo very entertaining se
lections were rendered during the early
part of the evening by a few of tho
talented young people present. There
were two pleasing piano numbers,
duets by Miss Genicve Howard and
Miss Etha Crabill. Although the titles
of the pieces were not stated by the
musicians they sounded decidedly like
"Games of Childhood" and "Under
the Double Eagle." A little later in
the evening Miss Howard accompan
ied by Miss Crabill favored tho mem
bers with two vocal boIos in her
usual delightful manner, the numbers
being "Honey Boy" and "Night and
Day."
Following the musical numbers the
'ivories" were handled for tho danc
ing by Miss Pearl Mumm and others
in a way that made the evening's
dancing a great pleasure.
At about ten-thirty light refresh
ments were daintily served at a long
table extending across one end of tho
room and when the jolly party broke
up near midnight the merry-makers
went away with a feeling that the
Turners were right royal entertainers.
Disgrace to the city.
The Commercial club is working
all tho time for the advancement of
the best intercstds of Plattsmouth an
the business men are holleiing their
heads off in an endeavor to attract
the country trade to the stores of this
city. In the face of all this it would
appear that the city authorities aro
doing all they can to keep the farmers
away. Our reason for making this as
sertion is tho disgraceful condition
of the streets leading into the city.
Take Chicago avenue for instance.
Deep ruts, ditches and hollows pre
vail to such an extent that the avenue
is a dangerous thoroughfare for teams,
especially at night. A half day's,
work with a team and a drag would put
the road into good condition. The far
mers arc kicking and so are all who are
forced to come here for any reason
whatsoever. Drop politics for a while
gentle men of the City Council and
fix up the bad streets.
Robert Newell came in from Cedar
Creek this morning and was iu the city
for a short time.
Fanner ladies, bring your produce
to Fangcrs Department Store and ex
change it for a swell hat.
Joseph Peoples of Wntson, Mo.,
came to Plattsmouth this morning on
No. 15 to be present at the funeral
services of his father who died yes
terday. The busiest place in town is Fangcrs
Millinery department where they trim
hats free of charge.
George Hansen, one of the prosr
pcrous farmers from out near Nehawka
is on the Plattsmouth streets today,
coming down to attend to some legal
business.
there aie nearly a dozen of them,
to amend the law relating to tho
manufacture and sale of oleomar
garine. While action bv Comrrcss at
the present session is unlikely it is
probable that in Hie near luture the
law will be amended to the extent
at least that manufacturers of imi
tation butter will be compelled to
pack their products in packages of
uniform size, sealed with an internal
revenue stamp, and that penalties
will be provided for selling oleo in
anything but the original packages
just us smoking tobacco is sold today.