itj i he Omaha Sunday jbee.
r
PAGES 11 TO 20. g
ESTAlJLISIIJ2I JU2n3 11), 137 J.
CttlAII, SUXJDAY TA2TJA1?Y 20, 1901.
SINGLE COPY ITVE CENTS.
ORGANIZATION IS PERFECT
Poms Facts About the Foital Sjitem in
Omnia.
GROWTH OF MAIL SERVICE IS REMARKABLE
First rnntmnnter f iiiln HI'. Who
Currlt-il .Mull In UN Hut, l.lvcn
to Wltnenn tin- Truiin
foruiti tloti.
t
Tho most perfect organization In thg city
for tho transaction of the business which
callh It Into existence Is the Omaha post
ofllco, nnd nothlni; better shows the gront
advance of tho country In all material ro
peels than tho ilovolojuncnt of this branch
of government machinery.
Tho first postmaster of Omaha Is yet
live, nnd upon tho day he received his
ppolntmpntr-Muy C, lSSl-ntJ whlto mnn
tad his homo on the site of tho present
city. A. I). Jones, tho first pastmnstur, had
entered u tract of ground embracing the
present home of Herman Kountzc on South
Tenth' street, and tho Indian ngent had
ordered him to leavo tho territory when, In
order to slvc him a right (o held his land,
ho, through friends In Council Muffs and
Influence In Washington, had a poslofllcc
established at Omaha City.
A postal routo from Council Muffs to
Lurnmlo had been ordered, but the contract
for tho currying of malls had not been let.
It was tho Intention of the pioneer post
master to bne Omaha City made n ntatlon
on tho through lino, but before thnt was
done ho received authority from Washing
ton to hlro a messenger to carry tho mall
between Omaha and Council Muffs and to
pay to him the entire proceeds ct tho route
for his services. All of tho postage on the
mall carried Into and out of Omaha would
not tempt an early resident of Iowa or
Nebraska to tako tho route, and tho first
pestmnater was reduced to the necessity of
carrying tho mall on his own account. This
lio did for Hcvcral monthB, tho first post
olllco being established In a building some
kerc south of tho present residenco of
Sir. Kountzc. Later the ollico was moved
Into n general store on Chicago atrial, be
tween Thirteenth nnd Fourteenth tlrcets,
nnd tho entire ofllco consisted of aft, axe
tnndlo box separated Into compartments.
Important Olltee Snw.
Today tho Omaha office Is ono of tho most
Important In tho United States, handling
moro mall than many olllcoa In cities of
Inrger sire, ami, In place of tho single un
willing messenger, forty-eight trains are
required In carrying mall In aud out of tho
In tho handling of tho outgoing mall
nineteen clerks uro constantly employed at
tho ollico. This mall comes to tho ofllco
from tho drops nt tho central office! from
each of tho thrco stations nnd from tho
collectors who gather it nt short intervals
through tho day from tho mall boxes
throughout tho city. When It Is brought
to tho olflco It Is an Incongruous mass of
lottors, packages nnd papers. Tho clcrkB
who jlrst take chargo of It separato the
letters from tho mass and nrrnugo them
vlth rcferenco to their j1z. .. Letters. of
tho ordinary slzo nro then taken by other
clerks, who postmark thum. For tho ordi
nary letter tho method of postmarking has
undergone n revolution In tho last few
years. Where, a dozen clerks formerly
postmarked them by ..hand, today an elec
trical machine, running at high speed, can
cols tho staui)3 nnd mnrks tho envelopes
much fastor than could bo dono by hand.
In addition to its Increased rapidity, the
machlno does, much clearer work than
could bo dono by hand nnd for thtB reason
u bnud machine, working on tho snmo prin
ciple ns tho machlno operated by tho iftotor
nt tho central ofllco, haa been placed at
Etatton A and was used for tho first tlmo
last week. Tho Irregularly shaped letters
uro still marked by hand nt tho ccntrnl
ofllco, but comparatively little hand stamp
ing Is done.
When tho letters nro postmarked thoy aro
passed to other clerks, whoso duty It Is to
dlstributo them In tho pouches. Theso
pouches, arranged on largo racks, are
marked with tho names of rnllroad routes
running out of Omahn or connecting with
routes lending from tho city. Some pouches
bear tho names of towns, In tho cbbo of
cities where Omaha mall Is sent direct or
In nn Irregular manner, llcforo tho letters
nro plnced In theso pouches they nro dis
tributed In a caHO, tho compartments In
tho caso bearing tho names of statcB or of
costal routes. At tho Omaha ofllco mall In
divided by stato only, with tho exception ot
tho states of Iown, Illinois, Missouri, Kan
bob, South Dakota, pnrtB of Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and
Montana. Mull for theso states Is not only
distributed nccordlng to states, but also
with reference to tho routes It will tako In
reaching Its destination.
Street Cnrn Carry .Hull.
When all tho mall for n stato or a routo
has been distributed It Is tied In a bundle
and mnrked to show Its dcslnnttou, tho
distributing clerk placing his Inlttnls upon
tho Inbol, bo that errors may bo traced to
tholr proper source. As tho flacks or
poucheB aro completed they aro locked and
placed upon tho platform for transmission
to tho trains. And hero ngalu Omaha Is In
tho forefront of olllces adopting tho latest
means ot transportation, us nil of tho first
class mail matter Hcnt out during tho day
Is sent to tho depots by means ot tho street
cars, tho new method giving patrons of tho
ofllco moro time to get their mull on tho
trains, This system has been n uso In
Omaha for several years. It was Introduced
In Kansas City last spring. Tho pnpers and
malls which leavo at nlgui nro sent to tho
depots by wagons, which still enrry tho
greater volume of tho mall.
To the thlrty-threo regular mall trains
nnd tho fifteen express trains carrying
mall, which lenvo Omaha dally, tho ollico
makes 102 dispatches each day, tho con
nlgnments being divided so that tho rnllway
postal clerks can bo nt work beforo tho
tin Ins leave.
Fifteen men have chargo of tho rccolpt of
malls for tho city. When tho pouches nr
rlve they nro turned over to n number of
clerks, who unlock them nnd pile the bun
dles of letters on tables. They ore then
' untied and passed through n machine, which
places on tho envelope tho stamp of tho
receiving office. Other clerks then dis
tribute tho letters nnd papers, using for
tho purpose cases, tho "pigeon holes" In
which contain tho numbers of tho seventy
eight cnrrler route, tho names of several
li-ttltutlons of tho city receiving largo
Quantities of mall, tho lock boxes nnd tho
general delivery. When tho letters nro
distributed thoy nro turned over to tho
cnrrlcrs, to tho lock box distributors or to
tint general delivery clerks. Tho work of
the carrier begins when ho haa rccelvod
hlf. letters from tho distributing ense.
Standing beforo n smaller rack he again
distributed tho missives, this tlmo with
rclercnco to tho restdenen ot tho person ad
dressed. Hy tho time he has finished this
wcrk each letter Is arranged so that It will
bo found nt Its proper tlmo ulong the routo.
Placing tho bundles In his mail bag he Is
ready for his walk or drive
Tho Omaha letter carrier U moro for-
tunato than his fellow in many of tho other
cities, for while his route Is sometimes
largo nnd his patrons scattered, tho gov
ernment provides n horse for htm when he
carries the outlying districts, nnd Omaha
has moro mounted cnrrlers than any other
city of the snme population In tho country.
The character of the work of tho carrier
has changed considerably In tho last few
weeks. One of tho older carriers, speaking
of hla work tho other day, said: "You would
bo surprised nt the chnngo In the character
of tho mall delivered today and that de
livered nt tho time I first started to work.
It his been but a comparatively few years
ago, but on tho routo on which I first
started wo thei delivered two magazines, a
dtzen weekly papers and not ono dally. To
day on tho samo routo n dozen or moro
dally pnpers from other cities nro delivered,
weekly pnpers without number nnd nearly
100 periodicals. Tho growth of this class of
mall Is amazing. Wo used to have heavy
dnys and light days by rsason of tho receipt
of certain popular weeklies and monthlies,
but today tho number Is so great and their
dnys of publication so varied that It really
makes no diffcrenco nny more. Tho In
crease In tho number of letters Is alko re
markable. I can remember a fow years ago
In families of my acquaintance on my routo
the receipt of n letter onco n week wns nn
event. Today In thoso samo families the
dally letter Is tho rulu. Tho letter-writing
habit has captured the American people."
I'orty-KlKli t Hour n Week,
At tho last session of congress tho law
governing the work of carriers was amended
so that Instead of working eight hours n
day tho carrier Is now compelled to work
forty-eight hours a week of six days; so
that It ho works but seven hours today,
tomorrow ho bns to work nlno hours, It
necessary, to complete his duty. This plan
works only fairly well nt tho Omahn office,
and It Is not unhenrd-of for a carrier to
stop work on tho middle of his routo Satur
day afternoon, having completed his forty
eight hours beforo tits letters were deliv
ered. This ho is compelled to do by the
regulations, but it Is no less provoking to
pntrons of. tho office who are compelled to
wait until Monday for their mall. Much
additional work nnd no little responsibility
has been ndded to tho duty of tho carriers
by tho extension of tho registry privilege,
permitting patrons to register tholr letter
with tho carriers. Tho privilege Is appre
ciated by Omaha people, who dally send
hundreds of letters nnd packages contain
ing money nnd valuables by hand of tho
carrier to tho general office.
HELP IS NEEDED AT ONCE
Snuilliov ICnu-rueiiey at C'lt Hit ShvIiik
Institute lleiilren riiiiui
il:il Aid.
Another enso of smallpox developed In
the Child Saving Institute and was removed
Friday to tho omergency hospital. Tho
patient Is John Manning,, a .boy about 3
yenrs old. Ono other child In tho instltuto
Is r.ho.vlng symptoms of tho dtsenso nnd
will probably bo taken away from Tho homo
In a short time.
Eighteen children, varying In ago from
3 months to 13 years, end five attendants
nro still quarantined In tho Instltuto and
will bo kept there for several weeks, Al
though tho Inmates will bo furnished with
medicines and" plain rood from public funds.
Dr. cofltnan snys they are grently In need
of clothing nnd bedding of a sort which
can be washed nnd fumigated.
"Thcro nro many dellcucles which theso
untortunnte children should have, that can
not bo provided by tho hcnlth officers, and
tno public should rally to tho asslstanco
of tho Instltuto at this time. Tho children
arc In too limited quarters and lack many
tuings wnicii would. mako their lot moro
endurable," said tha health commissioner.
"It will bo necessary to burn tho mnt
tressca, bedding nnd clothing which cannot
bo washed, nnd tho Instltuto Is grently In
need of supplies "
Superintendent 'Clark and his nsslstnnt.
J. S. I.eavltt, havo moved their ofllco to
room 310, McCaguo block, whero thoy are
receiving subscriptions. Their telephono Is
2098.
"Money Is our grent need at nresont."
said Mr. Clark. "Clenn clothing must bo
secured for all theso children and nothing
must uo lort unuono which will contribute
to their safety. Wo must have hotter fa
cilities for caring for tho children. In this
emergency wo nro In great need of finan
cial help and subscriptions, bo thoy great
or small, nro heartily appreciated. Our
expenses nro ,mnterlnlly Increased by rea
son of present conditions."
DUNN PLAYS A DUAL ROLE
1'alil by the County to PrOnecute, !!
Amu-urn :in n l)e
' fender.
Thll McGovern, who was fined $30 In po
lice court early In tho weok for stealing n
sowing mnchlno belonging to a womnu who
had been hla housekeeper, has taken an ap
peal In tho district court, James Whelan
sorvlng ns surety on his nppenl bond.
This Is tho caso in which I. J. Dunn, a
duputy county nttornoy, nppenred In tho
novel rolo of defending a mnn accused of
a misdemeanor. It scorns that McGovern
was Dunn's client In a civil caso. nnd when
ho was arrested for an offenso against tho
fltntutes the relationship between them con
tinued. Dunn did not appear In person In
pollco court, but wus represented first by
Attorney W. S. Shoemaker and later by
Attorney J. J.. O'Connor, who shares Dunn's
office apartment. After McOovern was lined
ho gnvo notlco of appeal, offering tho nnmo
of an Impecunious saloon koepcr a3 surety,
which Judge Learn of tho pollco court re
fused to hondr. Out of this gruw the habeas
corpus proceeding In tho district court by
which Judgo Learn wns reversed.
An attorney, who tins ' beep wntchlng tho
peculiar part played by Dunn In tha case,
lias this to say: "When this mutter finally
comes up In tho district court It is not
hard to predict what Deputy County At
torney Dunn will do with It. Ho will movo
to havo tho defendant (his client) dis
charged, of course. This 13 tho kind of
scn'lco tho people are getting out of tha
county nttornoy's ofllco."
NESSEN'S BODY IS SENT HOME
ClirHtenxoii, Who Xurrouly Kneaneit
Dentil, In Ileiiorted lte
enverlnir. Tho body of Peter Nesscn, the fnrraor
ifrom Harlan, lu.t who blew out tho gns
I-rldny morning In tho Henderson hotel,
was yesterday sent to Harlan for burial,
nucompauled by two brothers ot the
deceased. Iluth brothers wero satisfied
that tho death of Peter was tho result of
carelessness or Ignorunco In tho handling
of gns aud thought an Inquest unnecessary.
C. Chrlstrnson. a brother-in-law ot tho
deceased, who shared roam No, 12 In tho
hotel with him, Is resorted much Improved
nnd It Is thought he will recover from the
effects of tho gas. Ho is now nt tho Clark
ron hospital. The attendants e.iy Chrlstcu
son had a narrow etenpo and that for moro
than twelve hours his llfo hung In tho bal
ance. Chrlstenson nnd Ncsson aro wealthy
farmers living a tow miles west ot Harlan.
They came to Omaha lst Thursday to buy
Qvo bead ot hones,
OMAHA READERS ARE, LOYAL
American Literature it in Great Demand at
Pnblio Library.
NO TIME FOR THE IMPRINT OF ROYALTY
City I.llirnlnn nnA Annlntantn I2n
uomiter Sonic Deelileilly I.mll-
croti) Propo-il tloua In Tlielr
N Dully Itoutlnc.
Pntrons of tho Omaha Public library, re
gardlesa of nativity, are notably American
In their rending taste. Severuf novels over
which tho prluco ot Wales und others of
tho English nobility havo gone raving aro
conspicuously absent. They havo knocked
nt the door several times, but on such
occasions Miss Tobltt, tho librarian, has
never been at home.
If tho vcncrablo Queen Victoria were to
examine tho pootry section In tho library
n distressing sight would meet her eyes,
Dust-covered volumes of verso-by her poet
lnureato stand upon tho shelves nnd wait
patiently for someone to call for them.
The books nro well preserved. In fact the
public has taken such Rood caro of tho
poems that many ot tho pages nro uncut.
Omaha people can't go Austin's poetry,
dontchcrknow. Amerlcnns who tako kindly
to tho golf plaids of the royal family
balk when it comes to swallowing tho in
tellectual food of tho prince of Wales and
his long-lived mother.
American books by Amcrlcnn authors nro
what Omaha pcoplo uro rending. Irving
Hnchcllcr's "Ebeu Holdcn" leads tho list
of novels which aro In grent demand nt
the library. It Is Just a simple story of tho
Ufa ot n good old Yankee nnd bids fair to
become ns popular ns "David Harum."
Next In popularity Is John Url Lloyd's
"Strlngtown on tho Pike," nnd half a dozen
other novels ot Amerlcnu llfo appear in
tho list nhcad of books that como from
ncross tho wntcr. Itenders nro getting to
bo bo loyal to Americans that they even
niter titles which hnvo a trace of royalty
In them.
Cum on 111 Wheel.
An absent-minded fellow enmo Intq tho
library tho other day scrutchlug his head
nnd trying to remember tho nnmo of n
book which his wife wnntcd. Ho hesitated,
took a few side stcpB and finally braced up
and walked to tho delivery window with
tho air of n mnn who ncvor falls to mall
letters which his relatives hand to him,
"Give mo 'When tho Midnight Flower Is
In Moom,' " ho requested.
Tho young woman who wns standing nt
the window looked mystified nnd asked him
If It was a book on botany.
Ho was not n naturalist, neither was his
wife, but ho had stayed up tho night previ
ous to sco n nolghbor's night-blootntng
ccreu3 burst Into blossom nnd thnt llowcr
nnd tho tttlo ot tho book bad become con.
fused in his mind.
"No, it's a novel," ho admitted In a dis
appointed tone. Ho know ho could not go
to tho whist club thnt night It ho did not
provide his wlfo with tho book.
"Do you remember the author?"
Ho did not remember. All ho know was
that It was a novel and that In Its drama
tized form it Is bolng presented by nn
actress who fought with her husband and
got n dlvorco from him becauso his press
notices wero hotter than hers.
Tho description ot tho nctrcss might havo
applied to llfty stars, but library assistants
aro mlndrcndcrs. Tho woman know ho
meant Julia Marlowo and In n fow minutes
a happy man left tho building with a copy
of Charles Majors' "When Knighthood Was
In Flower." '
Hut this man was not as badly tangled
up . as n small boy who camo Into tho
library In great haste, spelling tho tltlo of
a book on his fingers. His too cnught on a
door mnt nnd when ho picked himself up
his faco wns a blank. After turning around
a fow times for luck ho began to think
hard nnd llnallyrecalled tho missing name.
He said his mother had sent him to get
Homer's "Idiocy."
All of thu books In tho library bear tho
letters "O. P. L.," tho abbreviation for
Omaha Public library, Ono borrower, who
belongs to various organizations which nro
supposed to furnish literary culturo to all
members, mado a request a few days ago
for another book by "O. P. L." "I liked
that last novel by him so much," sho ex
plained. "I havo often wondered why ho
doesn't wrllo out his full nnmo. I'm suro
I wouldn't bo nshamed to admit thnt I wns
nuthor of such strong books. Oh, ho's
wonderfully clever."
Dl'iiiIco of KIiiIIiik.
A facetious young man, who Is constantly
displaying wit which ho acquired from a
Joke book, called at tho library for Kip
ling's "Paradox." After tho assistants had
assured him that thero was no such book
ho explained that ho wanted "Plain Talcs
from tho Hills."
"Henry Soton-Morrlman'a 'Tho Wounds,'
please," was tho request of ono young man.
When shown n list of Mcrrlmnn's works he
picked out "Tho Sowora," explaining that
hq had never seen tho tltlo In print and
thought It was "Tho Sores." Heuco tho
contusion with wounds.
An admirer of Salntsbury Inquired for his
"Changed Opinions." A fow questions de
veloped tho fact that ho wnntcd Salntsbury's
"Corrected Impressions."
A comparison of tho nnnunl report of tho
library with that of other cities about tho
samo size ns Omaha shows that tho local
library Is well patronized. In 1&00 the
library contained 53.SS3 volumes nnd 19S.211
books wero drnwn. Tho 1000 census gave
Omaha n population of 102,53.1, so tho circu
lation was almosC two books to each resi
dent ot tho city.
Kansas City, with n population ot 103,732,
has between 40,000 nnd 60,000 volumes In
Its library nnd had a circulation of 179,093,
or a llttlo moro than one volume to each
person. Scrnntou, Pa., with a population
of 102,028, has 35.832 volumes In Its library
nnd circulated 121,022 books during tha
year.
Los Angeles holds tho record for largo
circulation, but this Is explained by the
fact thnt tho city Is populated by Invalids
and a lolsuro class. Tho population of Los
Angelea Is 102,179 nnd Its library contains
51,331 books. Tho circulation for tho year
wns 35S.S9S. In this library largo numbers
of magazines nro bought and circulated for
thrco days, whllo fiction Is allowed to ro
main out only one week. This In u measure
accounts for the phenomenal circulation.
HuRKleiii' Not to illume.
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 19. Judgo Leo Ilnssleur,
commaniier-lu-chlef of tho Grand Army of
the ltepublle, who has Just returned trotn
WiishiiiMou, whero 1m went on business of
die crdtr, ratents tho statement from
Denver that he u chtetly to blnmo becauso
the next mitlonnl ei.c-mr..ment wus not
k ..I
;iiniinuee.
Denver bus not given up hope of secur
ing the er.cumpim nt, nrd will huvo n strong
delegation present at the meeting of the
executive committor hero next Monday,
Washington, Cleveland and Pittsburg aro
also tru j Kt the encampment.
REPORT
City lllcetrloliui Submit Voluminous
Arrnr f I'luurc He Imille Thnt
Sjsteiit Will Not Pay.
It would cost $300,000 to build a munici
pal conduit system capable of nccommodut
lng all tho overhead wires In tho business
portion of tho city. A system constructed
at this cost would havo sufficient capacity
to carry twice as many wires ns now line
tho Omaha streets. Such Is tho cstlmato
City Klcclrlclan K. F. Schurlg has submit
ted to Mayor Moorcs In his nnnunl report.
Although Mr. Schurlg draws no conclu
sions In his report It can readily bo seen
from tho figures which ho has collected that
ho does not bcllcvo a. municipal conduit
system would bo n paying Investment for
Orcaha. In his opinion nny city which un
dertakes a conduit system should mako pro
vision for additional companies which may
enter Into competition with existing com
panies, This materially Increases tho cost
of construction. In discussing tho expenso
Mr. Schurlg snys:
"Under ordinary conditions when building
n conduit system nn Increase of 50 per cont
In business should be figured aud tho system
constructed accordingly. Hut when such n
system Is built by a municipality spneo
must not only bo provided for tho futuro
needs of present occupants, but tho system
must'bo nmplo In slzo for possible compet
itors In tho electrical field. Ono of tho
chief arguments In favor of municipal own
ership of conduit systems Is that they will
not shut out competition.
aitint Pliiii for Competlilon.
"Therefore such systems must bo planned
to provldo for futuro competitors In tho
electric lighting nnd telephono business.
For this reason It 1b not to bo assumed that
any great financial benefit can bo derived
therefrom In tho beginning, ns It Is moro or
less of n financial conjecture."
In his estimate Mr. Schurlg states that
1,503,856 fect, or 2S3.2 miles, of duct would
bo necessary for an adequato Bystcm. This
would necessitate 137,100 feet of trenches.
Orantlng that tho cost of laying terra cotta
conduit Is 11 cents per lineal foot, tho ox
ponso of tho conduits nlono would bo $210,
S19.8I. Manholes, scrvlco boxes and other
expenses would bring tho cost up to about
$300,000.
Tho rentnl charges for ducts varies In
different cities. Tho electrical commission
of Washington, I). C, considered 7 cents per
lineal foot per annum n rcnsonnblo rental
and In Ilaltlmoro tho electrical commission
estimated that terra cotta ducts should rent
for not less than 7U cents per lineal foot
per annum nnd that 1014 cents would bo a
reasonable prlco whero tho ducts had to
bo ventilated by nrtlflclal means. In Omaha
no provision of this sort would bo necos
sary. Allowing 5 per cent Interest on tho money
Invested In a conduit system, C per cont for
depreciation of plant nnd 24 per cent for
superintendent nnd maintenance, tho an
nual expenso of a municipal conduit system
would bo 124 per cent of tho capital In
vested. Granting that tho capital Is $300,
000, nnd that one-half of tho conduits aro
rented, nn nnnunl rentnl of -1.98 cents must
bo had from each lineal foot ot tho duct In
uso to moot tho expense.
Granting thnt an annual rental of 7 cents
per foot Is charged for ono-half tho duct's, or
753,000 lineal icet, .the, cltyquld dorlvo
n net Income of $15,210 on tho original In
vestment, which would bo slightly In excess
of 5 per cent.
Ma ruin in .Small.
In conclusion Mr. Schurlg says: "It Is
true that, as shown by this preliminary
estimate, tho city would not bo a loser, but
tho margin Is so sinall that an estimate
based upon actual surveys may wlpo out
this balanco nnd show n deficit."
Mr. Schurlg states that tho reports of tho
Washington and Ilaltlmoro commissions
show that tho municipal Bystcm of conduits
In thoso cities nro very successful, but ho
nlso adds that thg conditions nro far dif
ferent from what thoy aro In Omnha. In
Ilaltlmoro tho electrical business In tho
main portion of tho city Is nbout four times
as great as In Omaha. Tho city Is less
scattered.
It would not bo possible, In Mr. Schurlg's
opinion, to meet tho Increased cost of con
struction by nn lncreaso In rental. Seven
cents per lineal foot, or $309.00 per mile per
annum 13 as much as electrlcaV companies
can nfford to pay for tho U30 of conduits nnd
in portions of tho city whero tholr business
Is not great even that rental would bo a
burden.
In commending tho underground system
Mr. Schurlg says: "Thero Is no question
ns to tho desirability of removing tho wires
from our streets nnd alleys and placing
them underground. They must bo removed
sooner or Inter. Still there la no pressing
need nt this tlmo to rush Into a system
which requires moro than a preliminary
cstlmato beforo It can bo determined
whether It Is practicable."
SOME FIGURES ON LIGHT
City Klcotrlelnn 12. I Helnirlsr Snli
HilU IIIn Annual
Ileport.
Tho annual report of City Kloctrlclnn
10. Y. Schurlg Bhows that Omaha has one
commercial lighting plant which supplies
-iJ.OOO Incandescent lights, 8C9 nro lights nnd
232 motors with nn aggregate horso power
of 1,408. There nro two power plants In
tho city which huvo a horso power ot 3,500
and sixteen Isolated or prlvato electrical
plants which maintain 10,500 Incandescent
lights, 195 arcs and 27 motora of 170-horso
power.
" In 1900 392 permits for tho Installation
of electrical work wero granted nnd tho
fees derived from theso were $912.C3. During
tho yenr tho Nebrnskn Telephono company
placed 40,239 feet of cablo underground. To
accomplish this work 9.C0O feet of excava
tion was necessary. Two dynamos of 100
horso power ench, 110 motors with an ng
gregato horso power of 116,182 nro lights
and 11,332 Incandescent lights wero Installed
during tho yenr.
Ten thousand additional Incandescent
lights wero temporarily Installed during
Ak-Sar-Den week. Twenty-nino permits for
poles wero granted and SCO poles were set in
1900.
WANT JOBS DONE BY THE DAY
llrlcKIti '-r nnd MoMum Favor 1)U
eontliitiliiK of Contract Syntrin In -Miinloliial
llutldliiK-.
MILWAUKI3D, Jan. 19. The feature ot
today's session of tho llrlcklaycrs and Ma
foils' International union convention wns
tho Introduction ot a resolution calling
upon tho union throughout tho country to
wait upon city councils for tho purposo ot
Inducing such bodies to pass legislation
ns will do away with the letting of con
tracts by cities on all municipal building
nnd repair work, tho men to bo employed
directly per diem. Tho resolution was re
ferred. Stri'i't Cur Hun AiuiieU,
NRWCASTLK. Pa,, Jan. 19,-The failure
of tho brakes to work cuused a traction
tar to run wild on tho Pittsburg street hlli
today. It. left the track nnd dashed Into
tho city hull, tearing out an entire corner.
John lloke. motorman, Stephen . Allan,
Louis McC'urdy and a man named Mitchell
wero seriously Injured.
SCHURIG'S CONDUIT
FIRE FIGHTERS IS HARNESS
Interesting Pacts Abont Honei in tho
Omaha Department
TRAINED TO POINT OF HUMAN INTELLECT
Soiiip of These rnltlifut Anlnmli Are
Nnmcil In Honor of Stu tmiiirn,
"While Other Carry I.enn l'rc
tcutloiiN Coir nomciin.
Do you know thnt Admiral Dewey, Mil
McKlnley nud Jumbo frequently dash
through tho main streets ot Omnha?
They nro very good friends, too. Presi
dent McKlnley doesn't seem to entertain
any hard feeling ngalnst tho ndmlrnl on
account of his presidential aspirations. Of
courso McKlnley llkea Jumbo. He's sym
bolical of tho grand old party nnd Mc
K.nley Is his right-hand man. Dewey
serves on the left of Jumbo.
Theso notables nro tho horses that pull
tho now hook nnd ladder truck belonging
In tho flrcliou8o nt tho corner of Klght
ecnth nnd Hnrney streets and plungo down
Fnrnam street hill with tho velocity of n
Kansas cyclone. Jumbo is an oldtlmar In
tho servlco nnd runs botwecn his; younger
companions to hold them steady. Ho la
nlmost old enough to vote, but Is so well
cared for that ho docs not show his ago.
In splto of his yc:rs ho is moro coltish
than many n younger horso nnd ho takes
many n friendly nip at flrointn to let them
know that ho Is not ready to go on tho re
tired list.
Mil McKlnley is several years youngor
nnd not qulto ns largo ns Jumbo. Ho has
seen nbout ten yenra ot servlco and benrs
mnny mnrks which tell of falls ho has had
on granlto paving. Mil Is not tricky. Ho
Is trusted by nil tho llrotnen nnd has tho
best reputation of nny of tho horses at
No. 7. Ills Judgment is good nnd tho
flro boys sny ho has tho head of a states
man. Admlrnl Dowoy la a youngster. Ho hn
had but threo yeara of experience nnd when
ho was first bought tho firemen nlmost
gnvo up hopo of breaking him to hla work.
Tlmo has reduced his spirits somewhnt nnd
ho la now willing to lower his proud head
and pull with nil the steadiness ot n vol
cran. This trio of well known horses Is fairly
well matched. All threo of tho beasts aro
bays. In fnct nearly all tho fifty horses
which nervo In tho dcpnrlment nro bays.
Chief llcdoll Is partial to that color.
Worthy Pair of Veteran.
If tho flro horses wero to organize nn as
sociation for veterans Peto Smith and Dick
nro tho two horses whoso ago aud servlco
would entltlo them to tho chairmanship.
Theso two friends havo been driven to
gether for years nnd nro now on tho wator
tower nt No. 1. Peto wns formerly n hand
some Iron gray, but ago has whitened his
hair nnd his twenty-ono years aro showing
on him. Dick Is n bright bay and wns lively
as n colt when ho celebrated his twenty
first birthday n fow weeks ago.
Uoan Jim, who was shot two years ago,
was ono of tho most celebrated horses thut
has ever served tho department. For years
ho wns driven by tho chief. Kvcn after ho
beeorao blind ho pulled Chief llcdoll's buggy
occasionally. Two yeara ago ho wns retired,
but rest did not ngreo with tho old follow.
Ho sickened nnd wns such h sufferer that
tho firemen ended his llfo with n bullet. IJny
Johnnlo Is Jim's successor. Ho Is n chunky
llttlo fellow, who Is chldcd by tho other
horses on account of his Inexperience, but
promises to become a worthy successor to
Jim.
Torpedo Is tho llttlo bay which pulls As
sistant Chief Salter to fires In haste. For
years Hilly, n handsome gray, now nt No. D,
served Chief Salter and to fnlthful Mlly,
tho gallant fireman owes his life.
Many years ngo Chief Salter nnswored nn
nlnrm turned In from tho extreme western
portion of tho city. His course took him
west on Leavenworth Btrcot. Just na ho
was nbout to cross tho rallroad'track In the
vicinity of Fortloth strdet n train dashed
into sight. Houses nnd trees hnd mado It
Impossible for him to ceo his danger until
tho engine wns almost touching tho running
horse. Mlly realized tho danger and braced
himself nt tho edgo of the track. With the
chief's asHlstanco ho managed to stop tho
buggy and blood lmmovnble whllo tho engine
brushed his noso ns It passed.
Chief Salter makca regular visits to
Mlly's cnglno houso nnd says that no
other horso will ever displace tho old fol
low In his affections. Mlly novcr was a
very handsomo horso, but ho enjoys tho
reputation of having been tho speediest
fellow that ever served n chief.
Here In a Stubborn Hoy,
Sleepy, u big bay fellow who la now kept
nt No. 7, la tho only horso In tho depart
ment who has always had his own way.
When well treated ho Is a modelMorkor.
Years ago ho was sent down to Mo. 2 to
servo on a Jumper. Kvory tlmo tho two
wheeled cart hit n rough plnco It Jcrkod
Sleepy and strained his harness In nn un
comfortnblo manner. Ho refused to pull
tho Jumper. A headstrong captain tiled to
conquer tho veteran and a policeman In
terfered. Tho captain was reduced to the
ranks nnd Sleopy camo back to No. 7,
whero ho has sorved faithfully as an cnglno
horso slnco that tlmo.
Pickles aud Dan oro tho pets of tho
colored company, which Is stationed nt
Thirtieth and Spnuldlng streets, Whon
tho company was moved from Twcnty
soventh and Jonea streets It wns rumored
that tho two favorlto horses wero to bo
loft behind. Ono day when tho chief called
at No. 12 ho found tho men In tears and
was finally persuaded to allow them to
tako Dan and Pickles to tho now station.
Tho worst tragedy among tho horses of
tho dopnrtmcnt occurred about ten years
ago, whon Mlko and Darney, tho. hand
some blacka which served No. 2, fell on
a bllppory paving at Sixteenth and Wob
eter streets and sustained Injurlcn which
resulted In tho death of both horscB. It
was n tearful company of Art men that nt
tempted to relievo tho suffering of tho In
jured blacks. Tho tails and manen ot tho
horses aro still on exhibition at No. 2.
KiMViird for I.envriivrorth Lyneliern.
BKATTLK. Wnsh.. Jan. 19,-Tho Scattlo
branch of tho International Council of tho
World, nn organization of colored citizens,
has duclded to offer n reward of $J00 for thu
npi rchenslnn and conviction of each and
every person Implicated In tho death by
violence of Fred Alexander, nt Leaven
worth, Knn., on Thurtiduy night. Copies of
the resolutions passed at tho meeting will
bo forwnrded to tho governor of Kansas,
thu sheriff of Leavenworth county nnd thu
chief of prllco of Leavenworth. Tho other
councils throughout tho country nro naked
to co-operate. In tho work.
Clilnem! Milliliter a fluent,
RT LOUIS, Jan. 19. Wu Ting Fung, tho
Chinese minister, Is tho guest of the Com-mer.-iul
club. Uo reached hero hixt night
from Washington and tonight will bo tho
Kuest of honor at u banquet to bo given by
tho Commercial club, before which .h" will
deliver an nddrcss on "Comnierclar Rela
tions with China."
Today, under escort of (ucnmmltter, tho
Chinese minister visited points of Interest
In St. LoulH and was entertained at u
luncheon elven at the University club In his
honor,
HARTE GOES AFTER SHIELDS
Coitimliiqloner Arraign County Attor
ney In VIkoiou Manner Nrulcct
of Duty Plainly Pointed Out.
Tho feature of tho regular weekly meet
ing of tho county board yesterday was nn ar
raignment of tho county attorney and his
methods.
tTho discussion, which beenmo somewhat
heated, waa led by Commissioner Harte,
who startled tho board by declaring thut
ho had been' studying law, with tho result
of nsccrtulnlng tha fnct thnt tho commis
sioners hnd no moro right to fix the amount
ond approve tho bonds of tho county at
torney nnd his deputies than they had to
Impeach tho president of tho United States.
"Tho bonds of Deputy Abbott und Deputy
Dunn, filed -with this board nnd npproved
by It curly In tho month, uro not worth
tho paper they uro written on," declared
Mr. Harte.
Then ho Introduced a resolution to rescind
tho nctlon of tho bourd In adopting tho
Hoctor resolutions npprovlng tho bonds
filed by Mr. Abbott nnd Mr. Dunn, In which
ho cited flection 20 of chapter 7, Nebrneka
statutes, which provides that tho bonds to
bo given by tho county nttornoy and his
deputies shall bo fixed In amount and up
proved by the Judges of tho district court.
"Now," continued Mr. Ilnrle, "It tho gen
tlemen of the county nttornoy's ollico know
ns much of tho Inw ns I do, aud they aro
Presumed to know ll cnml ilnnt tnnrn Mirv
nro uwnro of tho fact that tholr bonds
filed with and npproved by this board nro
absolutely worthless."
.Mr. Ostrom expressed n wish to be given
un opportunity to tako In n llttlo Illack-
stono himself before tho resolution offered
Ly Mr. Hnrlo was put on Its passage and tho
matter therefore went over to Monday by
reiercnco to tho Judiciary committee.
Ai-UlcclM Hla Duties.
Then Mr. Hnrto catled the county nttor
noy to account In tho matter of collecting
from tho cIIIpr nr Dnmlm ninl SmiMi n.,nl,n
bills for board nnd lodging of city prison
ers nt tno county Jail. Ho recited In n
resolution tho fnct that tho county uttoruey
Wns ordered bv thn Imnnl nn Imm m, rid
July, 1S99, to buo tho city of Omnhu for
$i.'.uuu ami tuo city of South Omnha for
SS.900 oil this nrrmmt nml r..i,n, I il.ni
nothing hnd been heard from Mr. Shields In
rcgnru to tno matter. His resolution, which
went over to tho "next meeting. Instructs
Mr. .Shields to report nt onco what nctlon,
If nny, ho has taken to collect theso board
bills.
Commissioner Ostrom then moved to tako
from tho hands of Commissioner Hoctor
tho bid of A. Lamoreaux on tho grading of
n road on tho county lino, togothcr with a
check doposltcd by tho bidder. Tho bid nnd
tho check had been plnced In tho hands of
Mr. Hoctor ns n member of tho road com
mltteo and ho had unsuccessfully endeav
ored to pcrsuado tho commissioners of
Sarpy county to stand half of tho expenso
of grading tho rond. Now, Mr. Ostrom
thought, It was time to nbandon tho pro
posed Improvement nnd return tho check
to tho bidder. Tho motion prevnllcd nnd
Mr. Hoctor nnd tho check were nccordlngly
separated.
John Goodhardt, who wns elected Justtco
of tho peaco for Kast Omaha at tho last
election nnd failed to qualify In tlmo, was
appointed to tho position by tho commis
sioners. lliilllfT AiiiiiilntmetitN Knilomeil.
Tho board concurred In tho nppolntmonts
ot J. H. Hurlbut, Clinrlca Y. M. Morgan, F.
13. Heacock and Gcorgo II. Sherwood ns
bailiffs of the district court. Tho bond of
J. J. Daly as constable in South Om.ilm wna
approved.
On petition of II. II. Wallace and twclvo
other freeholders A. W. Jcfferles was cm
ployed ns additional counsel to advlso tho
board In tho mutter of tho frnnchlso nnd
right of way of tho Fremont St. Omaha Elec
tric Hallway company.
Hobert Z. Drake, tho bridge contractor,
was directed to construct a 200-foot steol
span brldgo ncross tho Klkhnrn nt tho Mill
tnry road crossing, ono nnd n half miles
west of Klk City.
Mrs. Dutchor of Minneapolis explained
tho work of tho Keeley league to tho mem
bers of tho board with a vlow to Interesting
them in tho local branch to bo established
here.
WOULD BE A DEATH WARRANT
Mm. Ada Hue lunula Ho I'li-uiU m'KIi
Governor lluelsery Amilimt Honor
ing Ileiiulxltlon.
JI5FFEUSON CITY, Mo Jan. 19.-GOV-ernor
Dockery, after listening to n dramatic
recital of tho story of Miss Alma Iiowninn,
now of St. Lous, who recently returned
from her homo In Shopardstown, Ky to
nvold tho alleged ill-treatment ot relatives,
today refused tho requisition of thu Gov
ernor of Kentucky for tho roturn to that
stato of her brother-in-law, Asa Iluchanan,
who is charged In n warrant with having
assaulted tho girl. Tho chargo against Ilu
chunnn was preferred by his alster-ln-luw,
Mlsa Ilowmau, Governor Docltory's refusal
to honor tho requisition was becauso tho
pnpers wero not In legal form. Iluchnnan
lu now under an est In St. Louis.
Miss Ilowmnn, accompanied by hor slstor,
Mrs. Asa Iluchnnan, nnd her attorney, for
'mcr Mayor K. A. Noonnn of St. Louis, to
gether with 8herlft Collins of Bullett
county, Kentucky, proscntcd tho caso to
the governor.
"It Is n conspiracy, governor," said Mrs.
Iluchanan, "to do away with my husband.
Mr. Governor, If you put your signaturo to
nny pnper for tho return of my husband lo
Kentucky you will bo signing his death
warrant."
MARCUS DALY'S WILL FILED
31m. Daly In Sole Kiceutnr ami CicU
L'Niial iii led of the
Kitate.
NEW YOItK, Jan. 19. Tho will of tho lato
Marcus Daly, filed for probate today nt
Anaconda, Mont., makes Mrs. Duly tho solo
executor of tho estato without bonds;
makes her guardian of the minor children
and gives her one-thlrd of tho estate. Tho
remaining two-thirds Is to bo divided
equally between Mr. Daly's three daugh
ters, Mrs. Mnrgarot llrown of Ilaltlmoro
and Misses Mary and Harriet Daly; and
hla son, Marcus Daly. In tho event of
tho death of Mrs. Duly beforo tho trusts
imposed upon her by tho will nro executed
tho four children .of tho testator or thu
survlvora of them nro to bo mado tho trus
tecs and executois lu her place, without bo
eurlty. Any of tho children may, during
tho llfo of tho trust, dlaposo of his or hor
sharo by will. Tho Instrument, which
bears tho date nf Septombcr 18, 1000, Is
witnessed by William Scalton of Ilutto,
Mont., John C. Lalor of Anaconda, Mont.,
nml Dillon Drown of Now York.
Pi'ofemior tiurnur In Sure.
WAVTAl'tJA, Tenn.. Jun. 19. Sirs, J.
Welsh of thla nlnce, sister of Prof. It. L,
tlurner, Iiuh telegraphic information trotn
Mrn. Garner lu Uoslon that tho profonsor
Is ullvo nud nafo. Prof, (lurnor, tho stu
dent of tho monkey languoge, Is now In
the heart of Africa, proceeding with his
work Interpreting tho monkey tongue lie
Ih n natlvo of Hulivnn county, Tennessee,
It was recently reported from Hon (on thut
' Earner had been killed In Africa.
LIFE INSURANCE THE ISSUE
Spirited Legal Contest Botween Stepfather
and Stepson.
MYSTERIOUSLY MISSING POLICY IS FOUND
fraternal Orgnnlrntlnn, IteliiK t'n
utile to Settle the .Mooted ()ue-
tlon, Thrown It Upon tlio
Dlitrlut Court.
Guy Haven and his step-father, Wllll.tra
Edgerton, nro tho contending parties In tho
district court for tho possession of $1,000
deposited thcro by tho Supremo Forest
Woodmen Circle. Tho money was paid Into
court on nn insurance policy on tho llfo of
Mrs. William Edgerton, who Is said lo
havo expressed a will to substitute tho
name ot her sou In tho plnco ot that ot her
husband ns tho beneflclnry a few days prior
to her death.
It Is nlleged thnt Mrs. Edgerton, having
a number ot llfo lusurnnco policies in favor
of her husband decided u few days beforo
her death that It would bo but proper to
provldo for her son by making him tho ben
eficiary under ono of these policies. Sho
Edit her mother to tho secretary' ofllco of
tho Woodmen Circle to ascertain what pro
ccduro would bo necessary to carry out thH
purposo aud tho pecrctnry sent word that
tho beneficiary could bo changed by making
a certain endorsement on tho policy.
Mrs. Edgerton then naked her mother to
bring from tho attic nn old trunk lu which
sho had placed the policy, and tho trunlc
was nccordlngly brought to tho dying
woman's bcdulde, but the policy could not
bo found.
.Mother I Turned Aiuiy.
It had been taken tram the trunk by hoiiio
unknown pntry. When Mrs. Edgcrton's
mother called to seu her daughter the next
day for tho purposo of iccurlug Information
to nld hor In tho search for tho missing
policy tdic was not permitted to enter tho
nick room by tho husband, so It la nlleged.
Sho asserts that sho was not allowed to boo
her daughter again until nttor death had
ensued.
A fow days nftcr tho dcmlso of Mrs. Ed
gerton her husband produced thu missing
policy and undertook to collect tho money
on It. Guy Haven, backed up by his grand
mother, put In n claim for tho money, as
serting it was tho Intention of his mother
to mako him tlio beneficiary and oho wns
prevented front doing bo by tho actions ot
his stop-father. With this Interesting dls
puto beforo them, tho officers of tho Wood
men Circle decided to appeal to tho court
to assist them In settling tho loss. Conse
quently tho money hns'bcou paid Into court
aud Guy Haven nnd his stop-father havo
been ordered to provo their respoctlvo
claims.
LOOKS
i.iici:
CA.MIII.l.VU IUVK.
llamenient Hooni In Court limine.
Slocked nlth I'M vturex.
Ono of tho rooms lu thu bnacmcut of tho
court houso yesterday took on tho as
pect of nn up-to-dnto und woll-nppolnteil
gumbltng house. Thcro wero crnp tables,
roulette wheels, faro layouts, slot machines,
Klondlko boards und other paraphernalia
dear to tho gambler's heart and all that wan
lacking to dispel the thought that thcro
wns "nothing doing" wns tho merry rattlo
of tho chlpa.
Theso tool8 of tho gambling crnft wero
brought to tho court Iiouho by Doputy
Sheriffs Jones, Hoacli and Neve, who raldod
tho place of Jorgcnson nnd Sherman nt
South Omnha Friday nftcrnonn. If tho
property is ordered confiscated by tho court
thero will bo n lively debate nmong tho
people of tho sheriff's ofllco ns to tho best
wny of doing nway with tho $22 In coin
that now peeps through tho window of tho
slot machine.
co.vrnsT kiiacs Tisniorsi.v ai.ono.
ParlNli-HlilelilM Content Cane Still On
In the County Court.
In tho Pnrlsh-Shlolda contest tho election
Judges of tho First nnd Third precincts ot
tho First wnrd, South Omahn, wero ex
amined yesterday. They declared that
none of tho election officers at tho polling
places whero tho wero stationed wero In
toxicated whllo an duty nnd thnt nothing ot
n fraudulent nature camo within their ob
servation, Tho witnesses Identified tho bal
lots returned from tholr respective pro
clncta aud then tho counting by tho tellers
was reaumed.
At noon tho count of six products hnd
been completed, rhowing a not gain ot ono
vote for Parish,
AVIiy lie Didn't I'ny Alimony.
Jens Thomson nppenred boforo Judgo
Ilnxter Saturday to explain why ho had
not paid $100 nltmony to hla divorced wlfo,
as ordered to do by tho court on December
9. Jens simply stated that ho had not com
piled with thoorder of tho court becauso
ho had been unnblo to get possession of tho
required amount of ensh, and Judgo naxtcr
deferred his decision In tho contumpt pro
ceedings. '
Maley'n Aliened Anniillnnt In .Intl.
Fred Stegemnn, who Is said to bo tho man
who look a Bhnt nt Joseph Mnlcy In n,
South Omaha euloou several weeks ago, Is
now safely lodged In tho Douglas county
Jail. Ho wns orrcatcd In Chicago nnd
brought back to Omaha.
QUALIFICATIONS OF VOTERS
Seellon Covcrlnir l'olnt Kur (Imler
DlMCimnlnii In the I'll 1 1 1 1
Iiluen, '
MANILA, Jan. 19. Tho section of tho
municipal codo relating to tho qualifications
of electors wus much dlscusicd today bo
foro tho Philippine commission. Tho bill
requires voters to own real eatntn to tha
value of C00 pesos or to pay taxes to tho
amount of SO pesos or upward und bo malen
of upwards of 23 years or age, who speak,
read and wrlto English or Spanish. All
aro required to swear nlleglanco to tho
United Stntcs.
Judgo Tatt, president of tho commission,
promised to amend tho bill so as to In
clude mon paying 20 pesos taxes.
Uuoncamlno and other federal party lead
ers objoot to tho fcaturo ompowerlng tho
provincial governors to dotorinluo tho le
gality ot tho elections of tho local officers.
Tho effect of tho section covering tho tux
ntlon ot church properties will bo to put
tho usscst-mont lurgoly Ju country districts
on persons to whom tho friars havo nom
inally transferred tho largo tracts of land
which thoy formerly elnlmed to own. Tho
f liars left all tho country districts during
tho disturbed periods. Largo holdings ot
land nnd business properly lu Manila aro
owned directly by tho churches. As a
similar provision for tho taxation of church
properties v.lll bo Included In a separato
bill for tho civil government ot Manila, that
question will then ho moro directly nt Issuo,
Mtohluaa IIiiiiU i'aiiiied.
NEW UALTIMOHE. Mich., Jun. 19. Wll
llum E. Hntidull Co.'s bank horo wus
broken Into Inst night by crucksmnu, who
forced ormn tho snfo nnd secured nbout
W.WXl. No ono was nroused by tho nolso
and tho thluveii oiicapcd with their boty
unseen,
I
I
