LARGEST STRONG BOX.
One of Two Stories Which Will Defy
Any Sort of vfolence.
A huge armor-plate storage vault,
two stories high and proof against any
sort of violence that might be brought
to bear against it. has been construct
ed in Bethlehem, Pa., for use in a
New York safe-deposit building. The ,
building of armor-plate vaults, we are I
told by a writer in Machinery, is com- [
paratively new, having sprung up in ;
the past eight or nine years, and this !
particular vault is so much larger than
anything else of its kind that an un
initiated mechanic would be perplexed j
to be equipped on a scale of magnifi
cence exceeding anything of the kind
previously Installed. The whole room
is to be finished In solid bronze, with
all the fittings of the same material.
* * * The vault Is so Uir'ge that It over
flows the unobstructed floor of the
sub-basement, and includes two rows
of the columns of the building within
Us area. To take care of these, sever
al openings, entirely cased In, are
made through the vault from top to
bottom.
"Besides being remarkable In Its
general features, this vault is unusu
ally interesting in its design and con
struction. As stated. It is intended
to be fire, burglar, mob. and earth
quake proof. Danger from fire Is ob
viated by the heavy 16-inch coating
of concrete and fire-proofing material
which surrounds the top, bottom and
sides. The burglar's chances for suc
cess are small, as the walls of the
vault are made of four-inch Harvey
ized steel armor-plate, of the same
kind as furnished the government for
1
Lower Story of Vault on Erection Floor of Armor-Plate Shop.
to state the use to which it is to be
imt. The writer goes on to say:
“This armor-plate vault is a sort of
glorified,safe, to be filled with strong
boxes. * * * The advantage claimed
for the armor-plate vault over all oth- j
er types of construction is that it is
fire, burglar, mob and earthquake
proof. This one is built in two stories
* * * with a connecting passage be
tween them carrying a stairway and
a passenger elevator. The lower story
is 9*4 feet high, 106»4 feet long, and
“014 feet wide. The whole structure
weighs about 1,200 tons. It is pro
vided with an ‘emergency door' in
the right-hand corner of the fore
ground of the figure. The upper floor is
82 feet long. 9 feet high, and 19 feet
wide, provided with two doors for reg
ular service, one at either end.
"The upper vault, in particular, is
war vessels. Not only would the bur
glar have to perform the task of getting
through this case-hardened surface,
but to even reach the armor-plate he
wouki have the re-enforced concrete to
reckon with. The vault is made of
separate steel plates, with numerous
joints; but these are all dovetailed to
gether and held in such a way as to
make their separation impossible from
the outside, and the fitting is so finely
done that the joints are impervious to
nitroglycerin.
“Barring those for the doors, the
armor-plate walls are free from open
ings of auy kind, which a burglar
might use in beginning his vault
breaking operation. There are no
holes through the doors for the lock
ing mechanism. The automatic time
lock is the sole means of opening the
vault once it has been locked.”
BUILDING POSSIBILITIES.
Skyscrapers 100 Stories High Pos
sible, But Drawbacks Are Many.
Heinforced concrete buildings. 100
stories high, towering 1.000 feet Into
the air, may yet be seen by people
now living, according to a prominent
The 100-Story Possibility.
New York engineer and builder. Be
fore auch a feat can be accomplished,
however, two great obstacles must be
overcome. The lack of adequate fire
protection at such a height is one,
and the other is the impossibility of
providing elevator service under the
present systems. Even now in 30
Story buildings the weight of the
cables supporting the cars is enor
mous, and buildings of over 40 stories
would pass the safety line in this re
spect.
’The 100-story building is sure to
come,” says one New York architect.
‘‘We may not be ready for it yet, but
the larger and higher buildings we are
certain to have in the near future.
The next stage in the development will
be the 50 and 75-story building con
structed of steel and concrete.”
Already the 40-story building has
been reached and passed in the com
pletion of the Singer building. The
50-story goal is practically here with
the construction of the Metropolitan
Idfe building, which, when completed,
will be 48 stories high.
J„ess than a dozen years ago a 20
story building was a world wonder.
Now it is insignificant. The census
of skyscrapers in New York, not tak
ing into account the Singer building,
gives a total number of 22 buildings
more than 20 stories in height, and
405 buildings ranging from 10 to 20
stories high.
ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.
How You Can Make One Yourself for
Use at Home.
A simple acetylene gas generator
used by myself for several years when
■ .m ■ —| out on camping
ii ipa was uiauii
of a galvanized
iron tank, with
out a head, eigh
teen inches in di
ameter and 30
inches deep, B, as
shown in the
I E— —-h | sketch, writes a
Sectional View of correspondent of
Apparatus. Popular Mechan
ics. Another tank,
A, is made the same depth as B, but
its diameter is a little smaller, so that
inverted it will just slip easily into the
tank B. In the bottom, or, rather, the
top now, of tank A is cut a hole and a
little can. D, is fitted in it and sold
ered. On top and over can D is
soldered a large tin can screw. A rub
ber washer is fitted on this so that
when the screw top, E, is turned on it,
the joint will be gas-tight. Another
can, C, which will just slip inside of
the little can, is perforated with a
number of holes. This can C is filled
about half full of broken pieces of
carbide and then placed In the little
can D. A gas cock, H, is soldered on
to tank A, as is shown, from which
the gas may be taken through a rub
ber tube. Fill tank B with water and
set tank A into it. This will cause
some air to be inclosed, which can be
released by leaving the cock open
until tank A settles down to the point
where the water will begin to run in
the perforations of the little tank. The
vrater then comes in contact with the
carbide and forms gas, which expands
and stops the lowering of tank A.
Then the cock must be closed'and
tubing attached. It is dangerous to at
tempt to strike a match to light a
jet or the end of the cock while air is
escaping and just as the first gas is
being made. Wait until the tank is
well raised up before doing this.
PEAT AS FUEL.
Effort in Thia Country to Make Its
Use Practical Unsuccessful.
Peat, which might almost be called
the national fuel of Ireland, has never
been very successfully exploited in
the United States. While peat can be
converted into a fair quality of fuel
for both domestic and steam purposes,
all methods of handling it so far de
vised require heavy machinery and
considerable hand labor, and both of
these are expensive. Several experi
mental plants have been started to
test the feasibility of manufacturing
peat fuel, but they have not com
menced work on a commercial scale.
It is estimated that from 500 to 1,500
tons were produced in 1906. During
the year there were imported into the
United States 8,557 short tons of
peat valued at $45,344.
'.Copyright^
"Well, that is too bad!’’
She was sitting on the floor of one
of the rooms of a Fifth Avenue hotel,
anxiously examining the contents of a
small traveling . valise, which were
presently scattered in a semi-circle
before her. That the search was un
successful was apparent from the
gathering frown on her face. At last
she thrust the various articles back
into the valise and walked impatiently
to a window.
Several minutes of silent consterna
tion, then the frown vanished in a
clear, ringing laugh.
“Sure, this is one on you, Miss
Flighty Head," she cried, merrily.
•'Wouldn't Reggie reign triumphant if
he knew! But he shall not find out.
Xo. indeed!” with a grimace. “He
would never let me hear the last of it
if he did. But what shall I do? Three
thousand miles from home, with only
five pounds in my purse, and not the
remotest idea in what part of this
hurry-scurry New York Reggie is to be
found. Well, nil desperandum, as papa
says. A Fitzgerald never gets to his
wits’ end. But what a ninny to lose
that address.”
She remained for a long time gazing
abstractedly at the kaleidoscopic tides
of humanity in the street below, then,
a sudden flash came into her eyes.
“Why, of course," she said, as
though she had come to the one
natural conclusion; “I wiTl earn my
living until I can get the address from
papa. He will be up at Ballyshannon
with his guns and dogs before this,
and it will take at least six weeks to
hear from him. I have often read let
ters to the servants from their people
in America, and they always go to an
intelligence office. I will go to one
myself.”
me notei cierK was expeneuceu m
his profession, and prided himself 0:1
an intuitive recognition of breeding.
He had been rather impressed by the
young lady when she put her name on
the register, an hour before, and he
now bowed very low as she ap
proached.
Did he know of an intelligence of
fice? Certainly, several of them. And
he wrote the addresses for her with
ceremonious courtesy, and even told
her at which place she would be likely
to find the best servants.
When she thanked him and turned
away he reversed the register and
stared meditatively at her signature.
•'Esther Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ire
land.”
“Name suits her,” he muttered.
“Some of the old nobility, most like
ly"
On this very day it happened that
Mrs. Van Maurice, of Advanced
Thought fame, was unexpectedly de
prived of a housekeeper. She was in
the midst of a round of engagements
and social duties, and this defection
filled her with momentary consterna
tion. She visited the intelligence office
and the young lady who rode home
with her- “Esther Geraldine,” as she
called herself—suited her very much.
Before the end of the second day she
had all the details of the menage at
her command, and Mrs. Van Maurice
was already congratulating herself on
her acquisition, the only drawback to
her satisfaction being that said ac
quisition refused to engage herself for
more than two months.
One morning Esther was in the mu
sic room arranging some folios on a
table when she heard quick, approach
ing footsteps. Thinking it was Mr.
Van Maurice, she went on quietly with
her work.
“I beg your pardon, I didn’t know
Aunt 'Lisa had company,” said an
eager, almost boyish voice. “A serv
ant told n»e she was up here.”
“Mrs. Van Maurice just went into
the library,” and Miss Esther turned
toward him quietly. It was a very
handsome, athletic young man she
saw, and as their eyes met, a puzzled
expression of dawning recognition ap
peared on each face.
“Thank you. But—excuse me—
haven’t I seen you somewhere?”
“Why, on board the Aurora, of
course!” cried Miss Esther, suddenly,
as she stepped forward with out
stretched hands, and then for sqme
time they exchanged reminiscences of
the trfp.
The next day the young man called
on his Aunt ’Lisa again^ and again, in
the evening. And the next day and
the next and the next, and after that
two or three times each week. Aunt
’Lisa was pleased with his devotion,
and gave him small errands to exe
cute, and allowed him to turn her
music when she played; and chess-lov
ing Uncle Van Maurice grew more and
more urbane, and actually told him
one evening that he really playedi a
fair game.
The young man went through it all
heroically, and never even by a change
of expression indicated that he was
bored. And for reward he saw Miss
Esther several times in the distance
and once actually spoke to her as he
passed through the hall.
“Why don’t you bring your friend
with you occasionally, Harold?” asked
Mrs. Van Maurice, one morning. "He
must be a remarkable young man.
Your mother was telling me about him
the other day.”
"He Is a remarkable young man."
answered Harold, warmly. "Just now
he is absorbed in a new invention, and
can hardly be dragged away from it.
But perhaps I can bring him out to
morrow.”
The next evening they were all
gathered, in Mrs. V^n Maurice's cosy
music room, when the hostess sudden
ly turned to her guest.
“Would you mind telling us some
thing about yourself, Mr. Fitzgerald?"
she -asked. "Something about your
meeting with Harold, I mean. It must
have been very romantic.”
The young man looked embarrassed.
"It was nothing,” he demurred. “I
just pulled him out of a hole.”
"Hole!” echoed Harold, indignantly.
“Do you call a crevasse like that a
hole? And is my life nothing? Look
here, Fitz, if you can't tell a better
story than that, just keep still. I will
do the yarning myself. Hole, indeed!”
He settled himself comfortably in
his chair, and then looked across at
his friend.
"You don’t mind my giving the
whole yarn, do you. Fitz?” he asked.
"Aunt 'Lisa is getting interested in
you, and will not be satisfied with less
than the whole story. Well, then,
here goes.
"In the first place, and as a sort of
preface, I wish to say that I am an
honorary member of Fitz's family. He
has told me so much about his people
that his brothers have become my
brothers, and his sisters my sisters. I
have never seen any of them, but am
going across some day and put in my
claim. His father is a gentleman of
large estate and colossal mortgage,
and numerous children. Cornac, the
oldest, was given a fine education, and
two years on the continent; and then
he joinod the Royal Engineers, where
he is now a shining light. Reginal
Cuan Fitzgerald, the second son—our
friend here”—with a low bow—“early
displayed signs of mechanical genius.
He received the customary education
and tour, which was somewhat cur
tailed by an unfortunate stringency of
the family purse. It was on this tour
that he pulled my unworthy self from
a hole, and thereby endangered his
neck and broke an arm. Naturally we
vowed eternal friendship and contin
ued the trip together. When it was
finished, I induced him to cross the
Atlantic with me. My father was an
extensive manufacturer, and it seemed
to me that this was a golden oppor
tunity for the encouragement of fallow
genius. Time proved I was right.
Reginal Cuan Fitzgerald among ma
chinery was as dry gunpowder in a
burning building. Before we couid
collect our dazzled senses he had
flashed across the horizon of inexperi
ence into a positioners superintendent
of the works.”
He paused a moment to sip the tea
which Mrs. Van Maurice banded him.
and then went on:
“The third scion of the family is
Miss Essie, a musical genius, who was
obliged to assume charge of the house
hold on account of her mother's in
validism. Stress of finance and this '
duty have hitherto kept her genius
somewhat in abeyance, but now," wav- ■
ing his hand toward Reginal, "this 1
young Croesus comes forward with his
savings of four years, beseeches her to
cross the big pond and avail herself of
all the musical advantages offered by j
our proud city. There is a family con
sultation, in which it is decided that
Elisabeth Tara Fitzgerald, the fourth
aspirant, is competent to assume the
family dictatorship, and that sup
pressed genius, in the shape of Miss
Elsie, shall find its natural expansion
in America—and—er—I believe that
brings us down to contemporaneous
history?” glancing at his friend.
"Yes, I suppose so,” answered Regi
na], with a wry face. “When I have
occasion for a biography I shall cer
tainly apply to you." Then his face
grew serious. it seems strange mat ,
I have not heard from home. Essie
wrote that she was all ready to start,
and at least five or six steamers have
been in since them. But at this season
father usually goes up to Ballyshannou
for a few weeks' hunting, and perhaps I
she concluded to wait .until his re- '
turn.”
“It is all right, undoubtedly,” said :
Harold. "From what you have told me I
of her, she is like the traditional pussy ;
—or. more happily, like her illustrious
brother—when she strikes America
she will be on her feet."
During the' conversation Mrs. Van
Maurice had occasionally regarded her
guest with a puzzled, inquiring ex
pression. She had never seen him be
fore, but somehow his features seemed
familiar; and that peculiar way he
had of throwing back his head—why,
she had seen it dozens of times.
Suddenly a mirthful gleam of recog
nition swept the uncertainty from her
face, and she rose quickly. With her
a thought was to act.
“I suppose you and your sister re
semble each other, Mr. Fitzgerald?”
she asked.
“People used to say so. I believe;
but Essie appropriated all the beauty
and grace which rightly ought to have
been divided between us."
“Those attributes naturally go to
the sister.” said Mrs. Van Maurice,
smiling. “But would you mind going
downstairs with me a moment? I have
something to show you."
As they left the room, Mr. Van
Maurice rose with the remark that he
would go into the library after the
chessmen. Hardly had he disappeared
when Harold heard a slight rustle at
the door.
“Is Mrs. Van Maurice here?”
“Esther!” Harold's face was in a
glow as he stepped eagerly toward her.
“No, don't, go," as she drew back. “I—
I must speak to you, dear. 1 have been
coming here for weeks, and have only
just been able to catch glimpses of
you as you flitted through some dis
tant door. I cannot endure it any
longer. Uncle Van Maurice and the
others will be back in a moment, and
I want this settled before they return.
Darling, will you—”
She raised her hand quickly. Her
face was in a glow now. She had not
been prepared for this precipitous de
nouement.
"Why—I—” Then she burst into a
merry peal of laughter. “What absurd
ity! We do not even know each other’s
names.’’ |
He looked blank, but only for a mo
ment. Something even in her raillery
gave him courage.
"What of it?” lie asked, boldly.
“Names don't signify. We know each
other. And, besides, the names can be
easily remedied. 1 am Harold Allyn
Ferrers, at your service."
“What?” The glow faded from her
face, and then came back in a quick
flood of eager questioning. “Not my
brother’s friend?"
It was his turn to look surprised. |
“Your brother? 1—don't—under
stand."
"Reginal Fitzgerald. He is my bro
ther.”
"O—h!”
There were sudden footsteps, then:
“Here you are. Esther. We have
been looking for you eevrywhere. I
wish to introduce you to my friend,
Mr. Fitzgerald."
An hour later, Reginal and his sis- j
ter were standing in the hall, waiting
for the carriage that was to take them
home.
“It has come out all right, Essie.”
he said, a little soberly, "so perhaps
it will be as well to say no more about
it. But why did you not look in a city
directory ?”
Her hands went up with a quick ges
ture of dismay.
"Reggie, I never once thought of
it.”
Harold remained half an hour
longer. When he left, his aunt fol
lowed him to the door.
“By the way, Harold," she said, as
she reached up to brush a stray fleck
of dust from his coat, "you must allow
me to congratulate you."
l Copyright.)
NOVICE GOT THE MONEY.
Twice-Told Tale of the Noble Ameri
can Game.
“One thing is certain, ;«id will never
be disputed: I will never play poker
with a beginner again,”
The man wiped a perspiring fore
head and then took up his tale in awe
struck tones.
“I sat in a little game last night.
Two of the players were old friends
of mine and old hands at the game.
The third man was a stranger to me
and a novice at poker. All of us old
er hands said we would show the
green man how to play, so after tell
ing him the principles we stacked the
chips and started the game.
“Never in my life before did I see
a man hold such hands, and never did
a man have such a continuous run of
luck. That novice fairly chewed us
up. He didn't play the game. He
didn't need to, he simply held his hand >
and raked in the pots.
"I remember one time I had two
pairs. Well. I opened the pot, and
everybody but myself, including the
novice, discarded three cards. It was
a cinch that nobody had anything
higher than two of a kind. I didn't
draw anything on my own discard,
and everybody but the novice dropped
out. He bet against me and kept on
raising the pot no matter how high I
went. I thought that he was blufTing
me at first. Then I began to get
scared, so at last I threw in three
chips.
“ 'I call you,’ I said. ‘What have
you got?’
nt' U1UI1 l Si A} tx «UIU, awu wuiuo,
heaven knows, were idle things then,
for he held up four face cards of a
kind. He had drawn four of a kind
on a discard.
"Well, sir, the bunch of us got
cleaned out after awhile. Just to try
his luck I dealt three hands.
“ ‘Throw out the face cards and
count the spots,’ I said.
“The novice had just twice as many
spots as any of the rest of us.
"No, sir. I don’t play cards with
greenhorns any more. If anybody
says to me in the future: Come, I
have got a young friend here w’ho
wants to learn the game,’ 1 am going
to tie my pocketbook in my trousers
pocket, and hike out."—Washington
Post.
Troubles Endured by Austria’s Ruler.
As to Francis Joseph, the man, it
has been always the same. Blessed
with the most beautiful and gracious
lady in all royal Europe as his con
sort, he early suffered estrangement
from her, which, although an effect
rather than a cause, brought him the
consciousness that as a husband, in
the eyes of his empress and queen,
he was amenable to the same rules
which governed the hearth of the hum
blest of his married subjects. He saw
their only son grow up a reflection of
his own weaknesses, unredeemed by
his own worldly honesty and mental
and physical strength; and he saw this
son die a tragic, mysterious death. His
beloved brother. Maximillian, found an
unpitied grave in Mexico. One of his
wife’s sisters, the queen of the Two
Sicilies, lost her throne in vanity and
strife; another, Duchess d’Alencon,
lost her life in the horrible Charity
Bazaar fire of Paris. And then, at
Geneva, September 10. 1899, came the
hardest blow of all—the death of his
saintly consort by the knife of an as
sassin.
I I
Copyright: 1307: by Byron Williams.
Astronomy.
r
Dill you <#or study Venus by the*;; r •
of the moon.
While the silver-laden voice# of ti r,: .t
were all in tune?
Di<l you ever seek Orion and iRe L •
Dipper, too.
In the brown eyes of a woman you * *
striven long to woo?
Have you sought to read her answer :n
the glimmer of the stars'*
Have you stared your eye* to a- mg at
the Pleiades and Mars'*
Have you found the meadows studded
with forget-me-nots of lov
As you gaze into the grand* ur of the
firmament above?
Have you striven, man. to gird *
earth” within your arm
As you note the constellation* !
shimmer with alarm?
Have you seen the mistv vistas ..af
fright within her die
As ytm win
yours for aye and aye"
Have von felt the rocking - o
universe that dips
As you press her closer. loser p y
honey from her lips?
If you have. O happy lover, yoa *
seen the system right —
For the way to heaven opened t » as
tronomy that night?
Eddies.
In some e*torial sanctums i»ie'ry
Is not recognized as a gift.
The trouble with a good many fe!
lows who would share their las' <*r is*
with a friend is that they never have
the crust.
Impressionism is what you feel
when you see the girl you the .ght
you loved, chewing glint.
A Wisconsin woman told her n.-nth
bo t that her husband had a new cat
down at the office. The nigh* i-‘ »
in his sleep he had told her 'o fcee •
out something for the kitty.”
A Milwaukee humorist said '’One
nice thing about balloon racing is that
pedestrians don’t have to dodg>- \na
the next day a bag of ballast hit hi n
on the ‘coco” and made him sorry
that he didn't.
A neighbor of mine planted a 1 •' of
string beans this spring and has been
wondering al! summer why they didn *
sprout. Recent developments show
that the man forgot to open the • =s
of the cans before planting.
Some one wants to know bow hot
the hereafter is? I don't know Ask
that fellow down in Georgia who has
been married seven times.
If there is anything in the transmi
gration of souls. I hope mine won't
pass through the medium of a Chicago
horse
The difference between a vat and
some men is that the vat isn't a tank
The married man always can hav**
buttons on hfs nice overcoat—but th
trouble Is he hasn't the overcoat
A friend of mine, in looking through
my new house, spied a barrel sta*..- a
the cellar. "Ah. how that reminds
me of mother's biscuits.” he said s id
ly, brushing away a tear from :»
eye. P. S.—He was watching m- fix
the furnace.
One nice way to make lemonade i»
to let your best girl hold the leu 'a
while you squeeze 'er.
Pie.
The editor of the Farmland dnd >
Enterprise does not desire to earn th**
title of "yellow journalist, though
is free to confess that he faith d
served that title on a certain af’er
noon not long past. He says:
After purchasing from Miss l.it'i*
Hill, at the church market, on- of tt -
most toothsome cream pies that n r:a!
ever tasted, made by one of Farmland'*
most accomplished cooks. the ed:’ or
strode up the street like a drum major,
looking neither to the right nor left »nd
most unfortunately, not below John
Mendenhall, who stood In front • f Bash
la's restaurant. spied the news
paper man and began waving his arm*
frantically, while he yelled
about a "spitUn." The editor had alwri>«
entertained the idea that John was a hu
morist and thought the Utter had ''some
thing up his sleeve” in displaying su< >
remarkable interest in the editorial move
ments. He was convinced to the con
trary, however, on coming up to John,
who scornfully pointed to the pie be -.g
carried so tenderly, from which a yell"wr
stregm had bean. steadily flowing o-. -r
tile wulstcoat and pantaloons of the ^
happy newspaper man. who looked ilk*
a walking advertisement for the * S i -am
Deal" tobacco, but who felt as thou* i
he had received a very "raw" deal.
Been Busy.
Editor C. O. Robertson, publisher of
The Benjamin (Tex.) Post, has hi,
own ideas about newspaoer editorial*,
as expressed in the following from his
newsnaper of recent date:
We haven't much to say editorially
this week. The editorial column Is but
u place for the editor to express i :«
views, anyway, and he might as wv:! ex
press them at the corner grocery. Be
sides. we haven't had much time to think
this week, which is a sign that we harw
been pretty busy, for we had much rat -
er sit down in an easy chair and ex-T
eise our thought manufactory than n
roll up ottr sleeves and go to work. N it
week we will try to think some.