Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, March 03, 1889, Part II, Page 12, Image 12
12 'THE OMAHA. DAILY BEE : SUNDAY , MARCH 3. 1889.-SIXTEEN PAGES. C , J. WEBER C , J , WEBER [ Closing Sale , Will Stay To Continue. A Few Days-Longer MISFORTUNES SOMETIMESHre BLESSINGS in DISGUISE An Accident Prevented Mr.G.J.Weber Coming to Omaha on March 1 , to close up his DRY GOODS STORE , As he intended doing. This unfortunate circumstance will be a bless ing to many of the citizens of Omaha. Longer. During this Sale there will be Absolutely no reserve. Domestics , Linens , White Goods. Notions , Black Goods , in fact everything in the store will be sold for about Gas Fixtures , Safe , Counters , Desks , and all other fixtures for sale at Greater Bargains 114 South 15th Street , * d Next to the postoffi.ce. Greatest Sacrifice Than Ever atC Sale of the Season AT C , J , WEBER'S C , J , WEBER'S .5TANDEVEN . A SALAMANDER , .lortario Exposure in the Work of Inspecting Bailors. PISCOVERING CRACKED SHELLS. Importance of the Work , the Oppo- " ' sltinu Encountered Engineers' Cortillcutcfl , nail the Use of the Hnino Abroad. A Day nt a Hollar. Boiler Inspector Smndovon kindly Invited a reporter of Tun BKK to ac company him on one of his olllciul in- jfpcctiou tours ti day or two since , the Objective point being the Omaha fc Grant smelting works , which , by the way , is next to the largest plant of the Icltid in the world. In the machinery necessary to sep arate the precious and baser metals from their earthy surroundings in that es tablishment eight immense boilers are necessary , all of which arc Kept con- Btnntly in use except when undergoing inspection. On arriving ; at the works , the inspector - tor stripped himself of his outer gar ments. "This is no dude's job , " ho remarked , noticing the reporter's surprise , "I can assure you , as you will see in a few minutes , and I have to attire myself ac cordingly. " lie then commenced to envelop him self in a Btrango-looking garment of coarse cloth , similnr in pattern to the unit worn by I3nul Hoynton in his aqua tic exploits. It consisted of pantaloons , lacuot and hood all in one garment. Thus costumed , as the inspector termed it , Mr. Slandoven stopped before - fore one of the boilers under which the lira hud been extinguished only a few hours , The first object to engage his atten tion was the tuba in front of the boiler known as the water column , which hu examined carefully and decided to bo in proper condition , The reporter looked nt it also but was at a loss to know how the inspector could toll whether it was right or wrong and turned to ask a question concerning it. But lot the otllciiil had vanished as though by magic , A pair of boots was soon protruding from the furnace and a mullled voice about six foot inside revealed their owner and the whereabouts of the im- 'llvlduul. After several raps on the surface of the boiler above him the Miuflled voice said : "Hero's a chock that will bring mo back inside of three months. " The examination of the mud drum followed , "This appendage , " says the inspector , "is to catch all the seilimonl from the boiler. If it is not pronorlj cared for , it will rust out and give uwnj and a disastrous explosion will follow. ' "What are the vuriouuuuusosof boiler explosions'/1 Fasltcd the reporter. "Thoreuru four things that will causa an explosion , " said Mr. Standevan "First , a weak and defective boiler ma.\ oxiilodo from overpressure ; second , the safety valve often becomes corroded am rofui.es to work when maximum pros euro la raised , unil should the stoan gauge bo dofnctivo nt the sumo time thev could rulso an overpressure am tlmt would burst the bailer ; third , i vraUir hhould bo run in the bailer whoi the waUir fall * below the flues or crown hec- ( and tliu tube * or crown-shoot arc , an uxplonlou.is Inevitable burlh , if the mud drum should become ofectivo , tnon look out for an explo- lion , but the blowing up of a mud drum s not near as disastrous as that of the > oilor propor. " Tlio inspector then ascended a stoop lainvay leading to the top of the ) oilors and lifting the safety valve said : "Thu engineer must lift this every lay to keep it from corroding. If he Iocs not , and it is found out , ho will mve his license revoked immediately. "Hero's our next place , " and ho stepped on top of one of the boiler.-j , vhich only a few hours before had been alive with heat. The covering to tlio manhole had been removed and a blast of air as hot as though it wore fresh rom Tartarus came rushing ou. . A .hermomotor held in io registered Mo = . A moment later , to the astonishment of .ho . reporter , Mr. Standovcn was lowor- ng hunsolf into the cavity. Great > ends of sweat commenced to gather on us brow , but ho pursued his investiga- .ions . , earnestly looking for the slight est defect which , by being overlooked , might entail a frightful loss of lifo and l > roporty. "Uowdoyou stand it in such an in- .ensoly hot place ? " was asked. ' Well , it Is similar to taking a Turk- sh bath every day , but I lind it very inorvating. Tlio worst thing is this lot water dripping on me , each drop 'eels like a knife-thrust. " "Well , why don't you have the com- ) any got the boiler cool onouffh for you , o work in comfortablyV" "That would take too many hours and [ jntnil too great a loss on them. They Dave use for the bailers every minute , day and night. " In tlio coin-tic of his investigation Mr. Stundovon discovered the slightest crack , about one-eighth of an inch long , in the flro shoot , extending from under the edge of a rivet. Any purson would easily have overlooked it , and the inspector specter would not have found it had not the "hammer test" revealed its pres ence. Ho quietly relnarked that a now lire slicot was needed , and , without n word of expostulation , the engineer and Ills assistant proceeded to remove the old one. When questioned in regard to the dolnythis would ontnilthe engineer confidentially remarked that Mr. Standevon understood his business , and they wore always glad to have him in spect their boilers , Lutor , the inspec tor was asked if everybody showed such a readiness to listen to his suggestions. "Wo have no trouble'with anybody but the owners of heating plants , " said ho. "Most of the man , who own tone- motit houses , are a lot of Shylooks , who do not care in what peril their tenants tire as long as they can wring a dollar from thorn. Many a person who lives in these houses would nuvor slceu a wink If ho or she know of the danger so iiQar them.Vo used to have consider able trouble with other small plants , hut the loading shops nuvor give UR any trouble , In fact the proprietors are al ways glad to see me comound often Bond for mo. " "How many licensed engineers are there in the city ? " There are about ono hundred and fifty , Any man who runs a high pressure - sure boiler , that Is , over fifty pounds of steam , luust have n license , Tlio board of engineers has also licensed sixty ox- porlonced flromon. These flromon can conduct the heating apparatus in all public buildings , schools , churches , etc. 1'ho boilers used in heating prlvuto families are exempt from the law. There are about u dozen or llf teen low pressure boilers in the city and all are exempt. " 'Tho Inspection of boilers lias boon of incalculable bonellt to the city. During the eighteen months I have been in olllco the number of boilers condemned ind destroyed has averaged about ono a month. All of those would have ex ploded .sooner or later , and it is hard to compute the terrific loss of lifo and damage to property they would have caused. "I have had considerable trouble with inexperienced engineers , and since I came into oflico I hsivo nad the creed fortune to run about one hundred of thorn out of the city. As there is no state inspection law , these fellows can go to other cities in the state and pass themselves off as Mrst-class engineers. Many proprietors m neighboring cities feel the need of u state law and to a degree make up for it by refusing to hire an engineer unless ho comes to Omaha and gets a cortiticato from us. Nearly all the leading plants in Coun cil Bluffs tire run1 by engineers holding our certilicatos , and the same is true of South Omaha. In fact , it in hard for an engineer to get a position in Uioso places unless ho h6ldsone. Men have come hero from Fremont , Blair , and oven as far as Glonwood , Fa. , to ho ex amined for certificates. Many of them frame their certificates and hung them up in their boiler rooms. They are us proud of them as a college graduate is of his sheepskin , and they have a right to he. " I1OM2Y FOR TUB I/AIHKS. The finest of spring mantles are linoj with watered silk. Gauze edges to vary tbiclc repped ribbons are now , and wonderfully pretty. Wraps , whether inantlo or pelerine , will bo very small , and immensely varied. An English mother sent iior small daugh ter to a fancy ball us tlio Grcuk slave. Paris predicts a fioasoii of thin stuffs , among which silk mull IB likely to bo u favorite. Some of the handsomest of now theater bonnoU are inauo wholly of velvet flowersin soft , frost-like shades. Mourning mantles are big capes of flne.Uull , black wool , with fur linings and deep bands of urapo down the front. Accordion-pleated skirts are often bordered half yard deep with a contrasting colorwhich is also used for vest , culTs and 'collar of the waist. The newest black veil Is of plain net , hemmed nt the bottom , xvlth a faint pattern of gold thread wrought on the hem and other lines of ilt abov 'f ' Ulack , brown ur green wool , widely cross- barred with green , or blue or red , is very much used for house and school gowns for girls from twelve to twenty. Now jackets In all stuffs from velvet towatorproof will havu loot ; rovers and Inserted vests , usually of a color contrasting with the body of the garment. With empire gowns the length of the sleeve-puff depends on the height of the sash , as it is desirable that the puff should end just at tlio top edge of tbo girdlo. In thin summer stuffs shirred corsages will bo oven more worn than they wore last season. The trimming will take almost auy shape that woman's fancy can dovlso. Silk-warp Henrietta cloth in cruatu and magnolia tints is one of the best stuffs for empire and diroctoire evening gowns , espe cially for girls or very young women. Widows under fifty have risen In rebellion against the regulation pearl gray gowns , and now whnn making a second matrimonial ven ture array themselves In white velvet. The accordeon-nleatod skirt requires Just ten breadths for its duo aud proper construc tion , consequently it is heavier than any amount of drapery , or. oven kilt pleats. In the new brocaded ribbons the hand somest patttern Is a row of green laurel leaves running along one side of a very rioh old rase rlbboti , or else in white or gold on black. Lyons sends over an entirely now fabric- gauze , with u pattern of woven silk braid ruunlng all over it. It comes In nil colors , but gray , .vollowrgrccn , leather and bronze are accounted most stylish. The now India silks of mouse gray , with figures of deeper tone , are quietly elegant , but not so taklug as tuose of old pink aad dull blue combined or the blue and brown with big white palm patterns. Gowns of goo.i black castimere , made with long , straight redingote and brightened with vests , cuffs , collar and revcrs of gold braid mixed with black sillc Hercules braid , are as stylish as they are elegant and serviceable. Kmbroidered cuttoti gowns for next sum mer will be made with plain full skirts witli the embroidery all about the bottom , and waists xvith fitted polonaise backs and loose Jacket fronts widely belted over a full inner Dloiisc. Summer styles are plain and rather straight. Waists will DO long , though in the empire styles the sash will distinguish the fact. Sleeves will have Jockey caps , or else a slashing nt the outer seam through which another fabric will appear. for summer Paris fiends out flno cashmere embroidered in self-tones , witti either small boiuiuots or all manner of bue and caterpil lars. There are also chino stuffs in silk and wool and others with moire stripes through the woollen ground. SINGUIjAIUTlES A wonderful ice ca-ve , according to the Haklma Herald , w.13 discovered recently near Trout lake , Klickitat county , W. T. It is of great size , but eanmt be explored on ac count of the intense cold. A Texas steer lilted a carriage and baby olT a street ami over a hiijh fonro in Denver without the least damage. In Jced , the baby cackled with delight ever the performance , and the nurse did not have to stop her flirta tion with u .soldier. A dog belonging to IX It. Dingwall , of Fair Ilnvon , Conn. , aroused the family about 11 o'clock one night recently by persistent barking , and then ran to a place about u block away , came back , repeated the per formance , and ut last induced Mr. Dingwall to gn out and investigate Ho found a imin who had fallen and hurt himself so that ho could not rise. On thn Iflth of December last n straw strict ; on the farm of William Howe , in Doug las county , Illinois , toppled ever , burying a number of sheep. His nipn dug this animals out tlui sumo day , but by accident they over looked one. as was discovered this week , when the straw was lonoved to the nipw. "The buried sheep came forth after its con. iincuicnt without food or water in good shape , and on gaining Us freedom skippjd off to Join the flock as lively as if nothing had happened. " The Danbury ( fJuna. ) News says : " .lust twelve months ago 1 < \ A , Mitjh'ill , of D.m- nury , engineer on the passenger train that leaves'here for the east ut THO a. ni. on the New York amid _ New England road , met with a singular accUumt : about a mile ami u half this sideSandyildok. When running at full speed the tire wi the hind driving wheel broke , crushing through thn house and striking his rigjj t tool HO severely us to lame him for souiivlliu/i. Last Saturday Just a year from that U.nio when his train reached the scene of Dip former accident , the tire on the sumo''wheel ' broke , crushing through the house" iiftho same place and aealii striking tilvi rljfht foot , Injured him more severely thambaf4re. " How much bralii ti pf/f / possesses is a ques tion which aroused at spirited discussion in Freehold , N , J , Finally , It was decided to sacrifice the most iitoUUoiit ) pig in the town and have Its bralnFwcifthcu. "Tho adimal se lected was the property of Carson J. Em- mons , who had lontf'refrained from reducing it to bacon on account of its cleverness. Butcher T. C. HuUihlnson slow it and looked for tiio source of understanding. It was n Tain search , and tlio conviction slowly forced itself upon Mr , Hutchlr.son that the pig was wholly brainless. The cavity in which the brain should have been was extraordin arily smalt , and was empty. Hoth doctors uud butchers were astounded and 'silenced the clamor of debate' In the presence of the queer fact that the wisest pig in Freehold had no brain tissue at all. Properly Named. Npw York World : Old Friend Just seven children , and cull thoin Monday , Tuesday , Wednesday , Thursday , Fri day , Saturday and Sunday , hey ? But what if you have another ? What would you call it ? Father of the Crowd What would I call it ? I'd call it "Overproduction. " MONARCHS OF THE RAIL , How Thomas J. Potter Treated Newspaper Reporters. DICKINSON'S LARAMIE BONDS. liow ilo Scoured Nearly Hall'a mil lion ofllicm Wftlilii a Few Days 'Ilio Aliiuc Tunnel Two Miles Ahovc the Sea. Potrjr anil the Scrihoa. When the Into Thomas J. Potter wis called to the vice presidency of the Union Pacific , the member.s of the jour nalistic fraternity of Chicago , who were unsigned to the "railroad run" ( locked into his apartments in the Burlington headquarters at tlmt place , each bent on "scooping" his rival on the features of the appointment. Tlio great railroad man , as usual , received the reporters .smilingly , but when ho was questioned concerning the point at issue , ho was as mum as the proverbial oyster. Deter mined to ascertain the facts , the wcrlbes labored for two weeks , but without stio- cc.s.s. Finally , on the day Mr. Potter retired from the Hurllngtoi ; mid was preparing to goto Moston to complete arrangements with the directorate of the Union Pacific , ho invited each ro- portcr to the headquarters of the iiur- lington rond. Of course , onch scribe responded with the idea burning in his mind that ho was about to be entrusted with a large consignment of exclusive * news , lint such was not the cuao , be cause when the hour of reception ar rived overv newspaper in Chicago was represented. Mr. Potter then welcomed the gnntlemen into his ollico nnd un folded the much desired information concerning the proposed change. 4t W Hut Mr. Potter , unlike numerous railroad olllcinls , whono plnce of abode in not ever a thousand miles from Tun UKK building , had always a kind word for a reporter , oven if ho did not have much uowrt for him. When representa tives of the press were making their daily rounds of the railway headquar ters , thu door to his olllco was always open , nnd the news-gleaner had no oc casion to curry nrnund a tape factory In order to have certain rumors of impor tance substantiated or denied. Neither was be stopped by a &olf-imporlnnt hireling ami subjected to a microscopic examination. "Lot the boys come in and , if I have nothing for them , 1 will Iling them out quick , " was 1 ho instruc tion ho gave to his clerk when speak ing of admitting reporters. This was the policy of Mr. Potter as regards the omis-mrics of the press , and , while his ollico was often frequented , there is nothing mentioned upon the records of any reporter being "flung" to the outer world. When ttbkcd by a friend on a certain occasion now ho liked reporters , Mr. Potter said : "Tho average reporter is a queer HDCcimen of humanity , I have found that the best way to deal with him is to give him the desired information and lot him go away satislicd , because , if ' you don't'ho will llnd it out nnvway , nnd may find out some thing more , nnd the very tiling that most demands secrecy.1 Potter's theory was that when an effort was made to keep certain mutters out of the press , it failed to accomplish the desired end and resulted in taxing the reporter's ability to work so much harder , * "Whuduro hoi you've got to ohango datare cahr tin" you vvaht dis , niggn to shave white folks. Gosh , off 1 keep did sisom up fust ting dis niggn knows ho will bo gwine to do state prison. Got i fellah in do chair do odder day , dc ole coaoh she took a jump ] m. a.-/ /.i \vii/ scrnpin do fellah's neck , yah ! yah ! and by { rum I cum near cuttin'd'o while man's front. Yes , boss , 'taint safe fin any nigga to twist do razor on dat train. " The above is the opinion of Barber Singleton who presides over the tonsorial department of the Golden uate .special , the banner train of the Union Pacific. . The toilet car contains a full-fledged barber shop , but if Sin gleton's version of the predicament in which a patron of that institution is placed when ho sits down to have his chin shaved is trim , it is thought the company will cither have to discontin ue thu enterprise or connect it wih ( a lifo insurance agency. However , tlio genial son of Flam is said to have an oxton&ive patronage from the traveling public notwithstanding the danger re sulting from .sudden jerking or rockinir of tlio coach. * * Tt is only the Alpine tunnel , but it is the greatest altitude of any railroad channel in North America. Thu Alpine tunnel is a point where the Denver , South Park A : Paulllu , a branch of the Union Pacilic system , crosses the main range of the Uockies. The tunnel is 1SU miles wc.st of Denver and its nltitudo is 11iiiXi foot above the level of thu sou. The length of thp tunnel is 1,81,5 feet , 118 feet of which is cut through solid rock. The grade is Ull feet to llio milo , which , aside from a three mile road ever the white mountains , is the stoop- cot grade of any railroad in the world. It is haid to have cost a mint of money and the sacrifice of suveral lives in its construction , on one occasion , a man being killed and seven wounded by a premature explosion of a powder maga zine. It lias-been Mated that Marnlml pass , on the Denver & Uio ( JiMndu was the highest point traversed by a rail road in North America but'this has been retracted hineo the height of tbo latter was found upgn measurement in 1SS3 to bo euvoriil hundred foot lower. * * v A little episode happened In connec tion with the construction of the ( Jlioy- onne & Northern branch of the Union Pacific which illustrates the ability and ingonult.t of a certain individual con nected with the Union Pacillc at the nru.iont time , Tlieru is n. point on the road mentioned which was , and is now , known as the 'llfty-milo post. " Tlia Union Pacillis bound itself by contract with tin : commissioners of Lnramie county , Wyoming , to complete-tho road from Cheyenne to that point by Decum- hor-i'll , 1H8II , and in doing so Laratnto county was , in return , to give tlio Union Pacific company $10(1,000 ( in boiuls. Tlio contract wan lot and work was begun , but the con tractors soon observed that they had a Jonah on their hands , ami after sinking all their available funds relinquished their job , and work was stopped. Then it was that a skeleton was found In the closet. The road must bo completed to the given point upon the date spucilted or the 8KW.UOO would not bo forthcoming. Ud Dickinson win then assistant guner.il superintendent of the Union Pacillc , and his rocuiHl at that tmo ! was as enviable as it is at present. Mr. C'nllawny was general manager of thu Union Pacific , and lie called Dickinson in from his western nest and asked him if hu thought ho could complete the road fco as to correspond with the existing agreement. Solf-coiilUleiit , Dleltiiihoit responded in the alllnnntlnn , nnd , although the task promised to hn a dllllcult ono to perform , on December t , Dickinson bUirtcd for his flold of labor , having twotity'SOvon days in whlnh to construct nearly fifty miles of road. He at onca set to work with a large force of shov- elers , and , during the period that inter vened between the date of commence- incut nnd completion , there was soma model shovel-wielding done , and on numerous occasions by Dickinson him self. The days rolled by and it was evident that the odds on either side could not bo very large. On the night of December : ! 0 , as Air. Callaway was whining a favorite oigar in his palatial residence in Omaha , the door boll rang and , upon opening the door , the well- known ollicial was confronted with a messenger Doy , who handed him a tolo- gram. Ifc toro open the envelope and his eyes traced the following : 'We have made a hard null and nro played out. but wo drove the last spike to-night. Cheyenne has gone wild. Will &eo you in a few days. "E. DICKINSON- . " The above explains itself. The road was completed , and on Tecombor III Dickinson took the county commission ers over it. Tlio bonds were signed , and two days later Dickinson started for Omaha , arrived here , and laid down a package upon the gonOral innmigor'a desk. Mr. C'nllaway opened the puckngo and found that it contained the much ( losirud & 100.000 in bonds.Aside from being handicapped by a shortness of llmu , Dickin.ion on sovorul occasions wai almost driven from his post , toby - gelhcr with his men , by blinding snow- btorms. ICJIUGATIONAh. Piftccn boys in the 1'ittsburg cooking school havu taken | > ri/s for olUuioncy in cooking. Tlio students at Wellcsley are endeavoring to have the present system of examination ! abolished. Mn * David Drown of Princeton has given Princeton collnpo f 5,0 , ! ) ( ) in addition to the 5-lOJO ( which shu gavi' a fcxv months ago , Prof , KIclmrd Heath Dabney of tlio Stiilo University of Indiana bus been appointed adjunct professor of history at the Univer sity of Virginia. liev. Albert 7. . Or.iy , I ) . I ) . , late rcotor i > ] of Uacine college , died at the I.oland hotel , Chicago , recently , after an illness of but u few days' duration. It IH proposed to remove llio University of the Pacillc from San .loao. Cul.tu Sun l > 'ran > cisuo. President JIlrRt favors the change , and says an endowment of K > i"1 , ( > ' )0 ) Is needed. Preparations are now nia.clujr for the new course In electrical engineering at Columbia -Tin * nomination nf a prnfrmor and assistants mi bmm referred to Prof. Trowbridge , of .he engineering department. The recent nnhirgi.Mii.'nt of thu Harvard Mnsouin of Uomini'Mtlvo.oology direct * ntj tcntlon tu thu remarkable growth ol this no * uirtment of the university , under Ihoilirot- ion of the present curator , Alcxader Aga < > Hhi. | . . I ) , .Since Dr. Agassi/ ' * ! appointment n IbTI , the museum IIUH bcun more rapidly enlarged limn ever before. The annual catalogue of Smith colle o hat list been Hsuod. It Hhowitikil students m he regular collegiate department , Including HtudcntK , 5 resident graduates , : )5 ) studmiti in the music Hchool , HI in the art school and r esldcnt graduates la thciu < departments , a olnl of | : IT HUiil''iits. ' The llstof thq f. unity ncluctes ' . ' ! i mini CM of professors , InetnacUii.i Two now m'crot societies nro soon to bit started at Vain one , u University society , vill take Its members from all depart mints ; he other will be a loc.il ii'Mdenilo HOCI ty , uunlliiud to thn Junior class , and coiipLUIn vith Pal tami Delta Kappa Kp.llon which mvu recently llinltu.l tholr muniln'raliip to wciit.v men It IH lumorod thut Kupju Alpha will bo thu Universilv society WHEN YOU BUY A CIG-AE , ! * * SEE THAT THE "RED LABEL" IS ON THE DOX.