Neb. Stat HUcrkal gjfi. month Journal be SEMI-WEEKLY EDITION EIGHT PAGES VOLUME XXVI11 PLATTSMOUTI1, NEBRASKA. .MONDAY, MAY Ji, 1909 NO. 213 Matte TO REMODEL BATTLESHIPS Navy Department Docidos to Overhaul Dig Floot New .York, April 30. The New York World today prints tbe follow ing from a pergonal correspondent in Washington.. "The navy department today an nounced that the sixteen battleships which made the trip around the world are to be remodelled. Thus practically confirming the reports that have been current since the re turn of the fleet that the Toyage practically wrecked the navy. Since the return of the fleet it has been reported at several times that that masts were sprung, that plates were loosened, that the intricate electric machinery, including the fire control, was hopelessly out of order and that other things had happened. Nevertheless, the navy department Insists that the ships stood the voy age better than expected which leaves to the imagination what the original expectation or fear had been. "The sixteen battleships have been laid up for repairs and that sixteen battleships are to be remodelled are facts admitted by the navy depart ment and these facts seem to bear out the reports that the United States navy today is practically useless and out of commission. If the plans of the navy department are carried out, it is proposed to go back to first principles. In other words, it Is pro posed to make the sixteen battleships Several Fire Alurms. Frpm Fridays Dally. .. An alarm of fire was turned in last evening from the home of Isaac Ce cil In the second ward, a chimney having caught fire and burning out. The department responded quickly but even before they could get the cart out of the central station and start for the blaze, a phone mes sage headed them off with the an nouncement that the fire was out. Later In the evening Chief Kub bek was called up by phone and In formed that there was a fire at the saloon of J. E. McDanlel. Instead ' of turning In the alarm to the shops and the central station, the chief I concluded to investigate and hur-1 rled over to Mr. McDaniel's where he found the alarm groundless as there had been no fire anywhere near there. Chief Koubek is Justly Indignant , over the habit of turning in false alarms and promises to make It de cidedly warm for the parties doing so if he can locate them. It Is a prac tice which should be stopped at once as there Is nothing funny or huhumorous in It and it is a decidedly serious matter. There Is the .iver present possibility that the turning in of these alarms will cause the members of the department to over look a really serious fire and fall to respond until the flames shall have gotten too great headway to be cheeked. If there Is an ordinance providing a penalty for turning In such alarms, it should be enforced to the letter and a heavy fine adminis tered to the guilty parties. It Is not so much the loss of time It oc casions the chief ns the danger of some real fire alarm being neglected. In addition the matter might be a source of expense to the city for if the cart Is called out and a team is used the city has the bill to pay whether there Is a fire or not. Putting In Plume. As a further evidence that tele phone train dispatching has come to stay the Burlington railroad has in stalled, a telephone line for the use of disoatchers between Lincoln and Aurora, and the line is now In use. It is understood this Is to extend to Ravenna, the end of the division. Trains are now handled by tele phone on the Lincoln division over the Columbus line and over the main line northwest of Ravenna. In addi tion there are telephone lines reach ing stations west o fhere, which are used for train movements In emer- gencles. On the Omaha division nil of the lines are hnndled by telephone with the exception of the Sioux City and O'.Velll trackage. State Journal. W. I). Howard of PersJav.laA.ast In the city last evening returning to his home this morning. a type of something like the old monitor, save that the new type will have more free board. All th cumbersome superstructure which at present adrons the battleships and affords a splendid mark to the ene my's guns, will be taken off. "All that will appear above decks will be a turret, fore and aft, and the funnels for the boilers and a wire 'waste basket' type of mast, which will be used for the outlooks. "It is asserted by those who crit icize the navy department that this remodelling is an admission that the armor belt on the battleships were misplaced. The s innovation 'ralsard the armor belt to a point where It will become more effective, because of the taking off of the superstruc ture will, it is calculated, raise the ship one foot higher in the water and consequently the armor belt will be in the desired position. The ships could not have been raised otherwise without danger of turning turtle or becoming unseawortthy. "The fighting masts are to be dis pensed with. They have not only proved useless, but cumbersome and easily put out of commission. "On the other hand It has been proved that the wire basket type of mast is practically invulnerable and may be punctured many times with out danger of collapsing." i Are Improving Some. From Friday's Dally. McMaken & Sons are engaged to day in putting in a concrete retain ing wall back of the Matthew Gering store on Main street to protect the property and It is a timely one. This firm has also just completed the con struction of a retaining wall along the front of the I. F. White prop- lerty on South Sixth street, which will protect the bank from sliding. They have also just finished a com plete set of walks around the prop erty of Mrs. Ida Campbell on Kim street which are a decided improve ment to the property and add much to the beauty of this already hand some property. In addition they have made some improvements to their property on South Sixth street putting down a fine concrete walk in front of their building and also con crete steps to the office. In fact they are kept busy everywhere with their numerous contracts and seem to be satisfying their mnny patrons as Is evidenced by the work they are do lng and the orders they have on hand. Aged Soldier at Itest. From Friday's Dally. Abner Mason, an aged soldier liv ing on Lincoln avenue with his sons, died night before Inst from old age The aged gentleman had a home in Shenandoah, la., and a wife at that point. He came to this city several years since and has been making his home with his sons, several of whom live In this city and vicinity.- He also has several daughters living here who are married. The old gen tleman had a fine record during the civil war and was a member' of the Co. K. 113 111. Inf. Hls'age was 78 years. The funeral will be held this af ternoon at two o'clock under the aus pices of the O. A. R. He will be burled from the late residence, the services being conducted by Rev. L Moore. The pall-bearers will be mem hers of the local post of the Grand Army. Interment will be made at Oak Hlli cemetery. , Known In This City Porter Smith of Chicago. 111., the traveling shoe salesman who yester day shot and killed Miss Helen Mor den at Smith College, Northhampton Mass. and then committed suicide was well known by the shoe men o tll city. He was In the city abou t one month ago on his regular trip He was well thought of by those who had the pleasure of meeting him and whs a plensnnt, well disposed an' 1 bright -mart. His acquaintances hpre i were much surprised to hear of his rash art. Draw Federal Jury. The grand and petit jurors for the May term of the federal coifrt to be held at Lincoln were drawn yesterday. The term convenes on May 11. There is only one Cass Coun ty man on the grand Jury, he be ing John Wunderlich, the well known farmer near Nehawka. Two other Nehawkaites ' were chosen members of the petit jury being Fred L. Nutzman, a prominent farmer, and Charles St. John, a well known citi zen of that town. This term will be quite an import ant one from many standpoints. The railroads in particular are interested having a large number of cases pending against these corporations. One of the biggest and most interest ing cases to be heard will be that of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Com pany vs. the Co-Operatlve Elevator Company of Manley. The amount involved in this particular case is not so large as the principle. It is the power of the railroad commission to order the railroad company to to construct a sidewalk to an elevator on its right of way. If this power be sustained it means thousands of dollars to the several railroad com panies of the state.' Other cases include that of Eva Ford against the Burlington for $25,000 for the death of her husband, Joshua Ford, a brakeman on the Burlington who was killed at the stone quarries near Louisville last summer. There are a number of other very interesting cases to be heard several of which Involve Cass County parties. It Is All Over. The bitter fight between Mary A. Latky and Mayme Cleaver over the position of grand chief of honor of the Nebraska Degree of Honor, An cient Order of United Workmen, ap pears to have been settled in favor of Mrs. Cleaver by the dismissal of Mrs. Latky's suit in district court. When Mrs. Latky moved for the dismissal of the suit Thursday morning, which she instituted to oust Mrs. Cleaver and have herself declared grand chief of horor, her action was generally construed as a throwing up of the sponge on her part. Mrs. Latky iheld the position of grand chief of honor for many years and was leader of the faction that controlled the affairs of the Nebras ka grand lodge during that time. At the annual meeting of the lodge last spring the contest between the two factions was so close that It was only after several ballots that Mrs. Cleaver was declared elected by a majority of one vote. The election was contested by Mrs. Latky on the ground that the vote cast by Dr. J. C. Mosshart, former grand medical examiner., was unlawful. She claim ed that Dr. Mosshart had no rlph to vote and that without that vote Mrs. Cleaver was not elected and the plain tiff as incumbent was entitled to hold over. The defendant showed that H. M. Waring, who voted for Mrs. Latky, has exactly the same nualifl- flcatlons as Dr. Mosshart. Lincoln Department Omaha Bee. Takes Over the Goods. Mrs. John Fitzgerald of Greenwood and some lady friends from Lincoln called at the police station yesterday afternoon to look over the trunks full of linen which were recovered from Andrew Bloom, the man who stole the large leather steamer trunk full of linen at Greenwood some time ago and who was recently sentenced to four years in the penitentiary at hard labor for the offense. The trunks which were taken from the man at Greenwood have been held In the city detective's office since they were taken and an Inventory was tak- en of them yesterday afternoon. De- tectlve Malone said yesterday, that so far as could be learned, no ar ticle was missing from the linen or iginally sent from Lincoln to Green wood. The trunks full of fancy Im ported table wear and similar goods wcir valued at between two thous and and twenty-five hundred dollars. As soon as everything can be stralght ened out and the elulms of Mrs. Fitz gerald against the Burlington rail road arranged the goods will be turned over to Mrs. Fitzgerald. State Journal. Tornado Insurance. We will write your tornndo Insur ance for CO cents per $100 for flvp years. Tnke no more chances. Call Phone No. 98'. Windham Investment Co. Stock Wanted. I hove 20 acres of pasture and will t"V" a limited number of cattle and horses for the season, Frank Vallery, Murray, Abstract of (iame Law. Dan Gelllus, chief game warden of Nebraska, has prepared a new folder and abstract of the game and fish laws now In force in Nebraska. Sev eral changes were made by the last legislature. The bag limit is twenty-five birds or ten suuerrels and twenty-five game fish In one day; ten geese and fifty other, game birds or fifty other game birds in posses sion at any one time. The bill was passed with an emergency clause and is nw In effect. Tbe limits are: Ducks, geese and waterfowl, open season, September 15 to April 5. Prairie chickens, grouse and sage I hens, open season, September 15 to December 1. Jack snipe, Wilson snipe, and yel low legs, open season, September 15 to June 1. Plover, opn season, July 15 to September 1. Quail, doves. Swan, white crane and insectlverous birds, no open sea son. Squirrels, open season, September 30 to December 1. Deer, antelope and beaver, no open season. Bass, not less than eight Inches In length, open season, June 1 to No vember 15. Trout, not less than eight inches In length, open season, April 1 to October 1. All other fish, open season, April 1 to Novembej. 15. The penalties are For killing or having in possession at any time, deer antelope or beaver, $100 to $300. For killing or having in posses sion at any time quails, doves, swan, white crane or song birds, $5 for each bird. For killing or having in posses sion during closed season any birds or animals protected, $5 for each bird or animal. For dynamiting fish, $100 to $300 or one year In penitentiary. For fishing with net or seine with out a license specifically permitting such $100 limit and $5 for each fish taken. For whipping game or fish, unless accompanied by owner. $50 fine and $5 additional for each bird or fish. For hunting without a license, any sum not exceeding $50. For selling game or fish taken from public waters at any season, $5 for ench bird, nnlmal or fish. It. Is lawful under penalty: To shoot song or Insectivorous birds. To destroy the nests or eggs of all birds. To kill antelope, deer or beaver at any time. To pursue game In any manner during closed season. To fish with lines having more than five hooks thereon. To fish with seine or nets without obtaining license designating waters in which same may be used. To hook bass or trout less than eight Inches in length at any time. To hunt or fish without license except in county of actual residence. To hunt or fish upon the land of another without permission. , To shoot upon the public high ways. To ship game or fish from one point to another within or without the state unless accompanied by the owner To sell game In any manner or to sell flli tnkn from tho public wa ters of this state. Tliey're Satisfied. A small but merry crowd of our Modern Woodmen, consisting of (George F. Whltelow, Elmer Chapman Louis Anderson. John Huback, F. A Flnkle, Jesse Dysart, George Stltes and Charley Hoback, went to Plaits mouth on the Wednesday evening train, taking with them Will Ripley and Oney Mend, two good pieces of 'new timber" to be Initiated. Slnrethe Woodmen hall here burned the Pluttsmouth camp has been frying all Union candidates for us, and Will and Oney admit that the I'lattsmouth boys can do the work to their entire satisfaction. The county sent Wood men always treat our boys in royal style when they go up there. Union Ledger. Total Payment Twelve and Half, Notice has bein Issued announcing the declurntlon of a final dividend of seven and one half per cent on nil cIhIiiis against 'George E. Farley and the News Publishing Company. This make n total of twelve and one half i per cent dividends upon all claims In 'th's bankruptcy case and ends the litigation. BAD WEATHER STAYS WITH US Snow, Hail and Rain Prevail in Contral and Western States From Friday' Dally. Weather more freakish and wild than ever before heard of oldest Inhabitant has by the been three preval,lng for the pa8t or four days throughout the entlra northern part of h.j United State". In this Immediate vicinity, It ha taken the form of mow squalls and ratu with sunshine for a few minutes at a time. This morning dawned fair and bright, the clouds which hung over theentire heavens for the entire night breaking away just be dayllght and the sun rising upon a sky blue and fair as summer. Be fore the sun was an hour high clouds came from the northwest and by eight o'clock snow flakes were once more In the air. A light rain also fell at Intervals throughout the day and snow squalls with sleet also took place. The day was a very dlsagree- aDle one and business was conse quently nearly suspended. Reports from the west and north Indicate that the storm was more se vere In these sections. In Colorado and Western Nebraska snow fell to the depth of eight to ten inches and trains on most roads Into Omaha are reported as being delayed more or less today with the exception of the Burlington which is getting Its trains through on time. Denver re ports a great snow storm over the entire state of Colorado and that stock on the range In that state is suffering fro'm the severe and un usual cold. South Dakota reports snow throughout the Black Hills region ranging .In . depth from six Inches to a foot. In the eastern part of the state the snow is about six Inches. The far northwest reports are of quite heavy snow. Helena, Mont., re cords a snow of several Inches last night and still falling. Other points In that state report the same condi tion. Cnsper, Wyo., reports five Inches of snow last night with more In sight and the .same reports comp from Sheridan, Cody, and Cheyenne, showing the storm to have been gen ernl. Minnesota reports very cold weather with heavy snow and wires down In every section of the state. In Iowa the storm took the formJ of snow, rain, hall, sleet and wind and every part of the state suffered more or less. The northern portion was struck by wind and snow and train service Is badly demoralized the Chicago lines bring especially af- fected and having trains annulled and schedules disarranged by tho big drifts. Iowa City reports a very bad Dentil of Iowa I'ioneer. Emerson, la., April 29. Mrs. Henry C. Smith, one of tho pioneers of this section passed away at her home east of Emerson, Wednesday, April 21, after a long period of sickness and poor health. Tbe funeral was held Friday af ternoon from the Presbyterian church in Emerson conducted by the pastor, Rev. J. J. Linn and was largely at tended for she was well known j this vicinity. Her mnlden name was Rachel Dopp and she wns born In Lincoln county, Penn., May 19, 1R.10. She moved with her people to Henry county, la. In 1860 and resided near Davenport for nine years, after which she moved to Emerson near which place she has lived for the past 31 years. She was married December 4, 189 4. to Henry C. Smith who survives her. To them were born fourteen children all of whom arc living and all but one, Mrs. Clark were here to attend the funeral. The children are Jacob, who Is at home, Al of Carson, A. W., of Council Bluffs, G. W. of Wagner, S. I).; H. A. of Omaha; Harry of riattsmouth and David of Ash Creek, Minn.; and the girls, Mrs. Annie Jacobs of Emerson, Mrs. Lizzie Meyers of Aurora, 111.; Mrs. Ida Evans of Henderson; Mrs. Kate Steen of Red Oal.; Mrs. Magglo Clark of U'nrllng, Wye, Mrs, Ella France and Mrs. Julia l-nng of Emerson. She whs a good woman and will lie missed. Her death was "remark able from the fnct that this family of husband, wife and fourteen child ren hers. Is the first death. Malvern Leader. hail storm which destroyed property valued at many hundreds of dollars while the high winds also destroyed mi-en property. At Cheroke. la, the fctorra developed into tornado fury and caused a loss of many thousands of do'ars of, property In the shape of barns and outbuildings destroyed, windmills overturned and cattle and hogs killed. Webster City, la., also reports terrific rain and wind storms sweeping over that section with great loss of property and some injuries to persons. In Illinois, Chicago was visited by a terrible wind and electrical storm and five persons were killed at least with possibilities of the list being increased when full reports were re ceived. Telephone and telegraph communications was cut off for sev eral hours and today tbe same diffi culty prevails according to reports In some quarters although the Platts mouth Stock and Grain Company re port that their wires to Kansans City and Chicago are both working and that the market reports came through as usual. Chicago also suffered from the heavy rain, two Inches fall ing last night. Both elevated and surface cars were impeded by the se vere weather. In addition to all this a fire caused by lightning striking the big Illinois Central elevator caused a loss of $1,000,000 killing one fire man, Injuring eight others and with one more missing. The department was kept busy throughout the storm answering fire alarms caused by lightning striking all over the city. In Peoria the wind and rain with the great electric storm caused an Im mense amount of damage also while Pekin and surrounding country suf- fered severely. Missouri also reports a very se vere wind and rain storm sweeping the state with great loss or properly. Further south tornadoes swept over Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky causing In juries to many persons and great de struction to property. In Wisconsin snow fell over prac tically the entire state and Is badly drifted by the high wind which also caused great loss by the destruction of property. Railroad travel In this (.tale is blocked from one end to the other by the huge drifts which the wind caused and communication be tween points Is very difficult. The storm In general Is one of ttio most widespread and disastrous (in years and there Is little doubt but the property loss will run Into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. A Small Cyclone. Wednesday evening about 5:"0 a cyclone (or tornado) ninde n trip across the country north of town, the south edge of it brushing this plate Just enough to ' make people look toward the cellar doors. The : tonn came from the west and appeared to bo eastward bound so as to shake up Ed Mougey, Creed Harris and Abe Becker's tenant farm, doing con I niil.-ruMo damage to small building and sheds at those places. It seem ed to have a special grudge against Harris, for In addition to smashing small buildings it struck bis large barn with such force that the struc ture was moved several inches on the foundation and Joists were pulled out' from their fastenings. So far as wo could learn no further seii-us damngo was done In this neighbor hood and nobody hurt. Union Led gr. At llotoii in loan. The Journal Is In receipt of a copy of the Boston Herald giving the an nouncement of a movement which Is on foot for an observation of tho three hundredth centennial of the landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock.' It Is planned to hold the ob servation In 1920. the pilgrims hav ing lauded In 1(820. Should this cel ebration bo held It will be the first exposition ever held In New England. It is flrnred that the field would be fairly well cleared by Hint time ns the last precdlng exposition WM-ld be that at Teklo, In 1918. There Is small doubt but the exposition would draw heavily from New England and during the summer fro mtlie middle west.