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TlK OMAHA SUNDAY P. EE: .HUL 14. 1007.
Government Reclamation Service as a Builder and Maker of Homes
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fredeiiick hatks newelu director op nrn i-nited states re-
CIjAMATION SERVICE.
oniv"Tnv Ani-il n fstnerlnl
A Corre-spotidonce.)-In Its role- ns a
I v,,,ii,ir. n,i lu.memiekc-r tho re-
chimatlon service, since its en-
tabllahriicut in 1902. has become
known throughout the nation and Its re-
ults a r lnrere-lv traiviLblc to Frederick
II. Newell, who but recently was appointed
hy Jiunra A. Oarfiold. secretary of the In-
terlor. as director or the reclamation ser-
Vice, and Its erection Int.. a separate bu-
reau of the Interior department. ,
The revenues from tha sales of public'
New Developments and Experiments
Washlnilton to Daltlmorr by Trolley.
ffHIO promoters of electric lines
I ri I have completed financial arrange-
1 J merits for a double track electric
lino connecting Washington and
Baltimore. Passenger travel be
tween the two cities Is large, frequently
taxing the capacity of steam roads which
run trains every hour. The projected line
will have trains every fifteen minutes,
which will make the run as speedily as
the steam trains. The trolley cars will be
operated singly for the ordinary service,
with special limited trains of two or three
ears at Intervals during the day when
traffic Is densest. A cafe car wilt be a fea
ture of the service.
- The cars to be used will be the longest
ever built for regular service on electrlo
lines. They will be sixty feet In length,
and pnobably the most costly In use on
any Interurban line In the country. .This
will not be on account of luxurious fur
nishing, but because the alternating cur
rent system to be used require a very
heavy and expensive motor equipment.
An Initial order for twenty-five cars has
been placed, each to cost t21,fltX, the motor
equipment In each costing lit. (JO1
The roadway will be double track be
tween Washington and Raltlmore with a
I per cent grade, which will permit of a
maximum speed of seventy-two miles an
hour nnd an average of sixty miles an
hour between terminals.
To get a perfectly safe roadbed for this
fast service an enormous amount of ex
cavation and filling in of grades Is neces
sary. It Is estimated thnt fully l.awvxw
etublc yards of earth will have been moved
In the preparation of the grade for the
TuV-m.
To conserve spee-d and safety over the
terminals Is always the monumental task
In the building of a railroad. In entering
Paltlmore the Washington. Raltlmore ft
Annapolis has erected an Immense steel
Viaduct and bridge, carrying the road over
the several main and branch line tracks
of the ltaltimoie ,v Ohio and the Penn
sylvania. All of the highway and railroad crossings
re under or over grade, with concrete
abutments, and tin- trolley ears will hav-f
n absolutely clear light-of-wny frun cltv
to city, with not a single crossing at grade
lo Impede the high speed desired.
Check on Telephone Beirti.
The latest Invention to preetert telephone
Companies from long-winded users cef their
lines and at the snie time to prevent their
patrons from being cheated is a wonder,
ays the Philadelphia Record. Although
the new attachments have not yet be'en
placed in the ordinary pay station, they
Meat-Eaters Have Done Things
IliC lwvivel erjlielt vl
IJ I after exhaustive experiment uso.i
1 forlv-ntne- student,. e.rof.-il eo
and physt. tans, rinds that the
nejn-nic-'it-i ater- oute-iass the meat-
eaters in ouch t -sts of physical endui an
as holding the arms out horu. nially against
time, deep knee-hemtlng and Koose-sl.-p
Jrill. v'ue vefTct-llau he ld his jr us out
niore than th-ee hourj, while a in. at -e ct tig
track athlete cr'.ej quits in nine minutes
Now, men do not make a living by bold
lug their arms out lmrlzoutally. rr it mo
te admitted that mo.-t people csn ge: along
Very well us indivldutls without meat.
Frost t-rous America r. who leud a se leii-ury
life cat tar too much of It. Put that d ee s
Hot prove tha case In its l-ter aspects
History Is half made up of the comicst
of
by
vegetarian or seini-ve jetarl in nations
meat-eat'ng cues. The lueat-eatins
Jroquols Indians of central New York held
the flan-eating tieuwanbakas of Long
Island In subjection. The buff alo.chas.ug
Bluux were more doughty warriors than
the Chinook. The (loths that overran
Hpaln, the Mohammedans that conquered
the vegetarian Buddhists of India, the
Normans that mude their name feared
from Kngland all the way to Greece, were
valiant trtmcheiuien. Ia later day th
Ksfymfrm : '-7
Inniln In trlH and seml-arld staffs hnvn
bwn employed In constructing Irrigation
works which, when completed, will reclaim
1,3V0 acres of tlie public domain. Canals
are being built, tunnels dug and ditches
run equal In length to th distance bo-
tweon Washington and Omaha. 1 his nn
mense work has been accomplished
promptly, quietly and without friction In
refreshing contrast to the troubles that
have Impeded work on the Isthmus.
And this achievement, notable as It is,
must be primarily laid at the d-jor of Fred-
will most likely be Introduced In the near
future, as they are rapidly being perfected.
The patron drops In his nickel when the
attachments are In place before he can
get the central office, and he talks to tha
operator over one wire. Then, when the
operator getB the connection completed she
switches him to another wire, over which
he talks to the person called. The Instant
he begins talking on the second wire a
clock starts and at the end of five min
utes breaks the connection, but It can be
renewed with another nickel without both
ering central. If central failB to connect
the patron with the party called the nickel
rolls down a chute In front of him us the
operator calls, "They don't answer."
Seeklnar Freight Business.
The latest electric railway to seek the
privilege of carrying express matter and
freight Is the Boston Elevated company,
which has petitioned the Huston city gov
ernment and the Urookllne selectmen under
the permissive statute enacted a year or
two ago. It will meet with strong oppo
sition, it Is said, both from the various
suburban express Interests about Hoston
and the steam roads, for the latter realize
that a grant of the privilege to the Boston
street railway system will clear the way
for establishing an express and small
freight service over all the electric lines
ramifying out from Boston. Thus the Bos
ton & Worcester Electric Railway com
pany has already secured the privilege,
but cannot use It because It depends upon
Boston Elevated company trackage to get
Into that city.
Music by Wireless Telephone.
Music, conversation and telegraphic sig
nals from a steamship In the bay were
transmitted by wireless and heard through
an ordinary telephone receiver in a room In
the top floor of the Norniandle hotel, Now
York, the other afternoon. Dr. lvte Defor
est, Inventor of a wireless telegraph sys
tem, gave a public demonstration ut ap
jiaratus for the adaptation of tlie wireless
method to the telephone. Music was trans
muted by wireless from Telharmonlc hall,
Thirty-ninth street and Broadway, by tha
New York Electric Mu:c company, and
was plainly heard through a telephone and
wireless re. elver Installed In the hotel, a
block away. Through the same telephone
the operator manipulating the telharmonia
apparatus In Thirty-ninth street anounced
what selections would be played, asked
when the music should be started and
stopped, ind was distinctly heard In Thlr-ty-eighth
arret by the several ersonb
g-.itheied to witness the test. That the
etc nmc.hlp s w lress should have cut in
w as an ac clde-nt. Its apparatus hapiter.ad.
to be attuned In accord w.th that In tha
to Make the World What it Is
Englishmen "tie. e-meal, meat-fed men,"
Kip'.li.g e ulls them -have I uled an area
sixty times us great as their own chill
Island home.
Natuie does things waste fully. Meat
eating may not nourish an enduring body,
but nature docs not mind that. It Is noth
ing to her that a few Ciousand fat-waisted
nun of affairs ellg their grars with their
teeth in city restaurants, there are plenty
of rosy-cheeked country lads to take their
places. A superabundant el let feeds the
nerves: it imparts the itch for actiein; It
rouses or s ista.n the c ombative inttlnct.
The grumbling lint in goes bated, perhaps,
but resjee tej for his tightlrg spirit, where
the philosophic Hindoo. wl.e.e relig.on
tea he the sacrednes of animal bfe. Is
rul.-d In millions by corporal s guard.
Meeut nia!.es It eater quarrelsome, they
sav. Japanese school boys, though brave
and sensitive to a point of honor. d'" not
fight about trtt'.i-s like English or Ameri
can lads. And though vegetarian Japan
defeated carnivorous Russia In war, Japa
nese army physicians have put meat Into
the military diet to cur berl-berl. It 1
probable that meat t not necessary to th
contemplative mind, to a Kant or an
Emerson. But could there have been a
Washington without lt?-Nw York World.
rlrk ITnyrs Ncwi',1. who ha been ap
pointee! director nf the reclamation service,
vice Charles 1. Woloott. who t en
electee! ji-i rotary of the Sinl t ),oiiiaii In
stitution to succeed the Ire I'rof siannt.i
rii-rjiont I.nngl -. To tl.o;.-.. who know Mr.
Newell he is lino of the mildest manner
of m n. and yet with a dctet m i n:t t ! n th.it
brooks no niTeiftretiee. 1 1 1 ft capacity for
Work Is prodigious mid be love nothit.g
better than to survey great prnect. over
come seemingly Insurmountable- obstacles
and make grass prow where but a short
time before there was nothing but barren
wusto, the habitat of the prairie elog and
the rattlesnake.
To be a home builder is In i'se If n crown
ing ntiibltln. but ;o be a rational homo
builder, or providing the laud upon which
thousands of homes may be built, -.villi
every advantage of ngrleii'.t'.ire and horti
culture. Is indeed the r.-allBalli.n of most
ambitious desires. This is what Frederick
II. N"Wr Is doing he is building holms
for the people.
Frederick Haynes Niwell was boni in
ltradfoid. J'etiu-:yh inla. March u, lv:.'. H"
gratiui'ed from the eiiislneeriiis course of
the .),is.ac hu.'etts ItiKtitut.- of Technology
In IKC and la'er t.mk a post-graduate
course in hydraulic work. The graduates
of this colleye. oli'.g to Its lilgli standards
and excellent facilities, are found lu the
front rank of the technical profession.
Immediately after compleilij; his course
Mr. Newell took up his professional work
In Colorado. Here he came into direct
contact with practical irrigation on a lurgo
scale. His stay in Colorado left a deep
and lasting impression, which was respon
sible lu no small degree f.ir Ills accepting
R minor position as hydraulic engineer In
the Irrigation survey In lS. During the
fnrniatixe st;ige of this survey its rather
chaotic- conditions afforded nn excellent
field for tie exercise nnd develop
ment of young Newell s capacity for
organization. Through all the vicis
situdes, which the new bureau passed lie
never wavered In his purpose of doing
well and thoroughly everything as
signed by him. Tlie Irrigation survey
proper was short lived, as congress failed
tu provide for It aft.T ism. Authority,
however, was granted to continue tho
measurement of streams and to se lect sur
vey and seyrecate reservoir sites. All of
this work was placed directly tinder tho
charge of Mr. Newell.
Ills star was national reclamation of the
Great American lcsert, and for eighteen
years ho has devoted all of his skill and
energy to the work of acquiring Informa
tion concerning the resources and needs of
the arid west. It Is said that he has first
hand knowledge of every Important stream
In the west. The extensive and valuable
results obtained through this work at
tracted widr- attention, and the demand
for data led congress to Increase the np-
propriauou SrM ...m no-,
amounted to KMO.f.o annually,
The early work was mainly In a vast
wilderness, fufl of obstacles to civilized
occupation, and the results were largely
responsible for the subjugation of many
Normandle, and the hisses of the wireless
appartus miles at fen Hliot anioni? tho
melodies of Mendelssjolin's "Spring Sotiig"
and others airs. Keeping their purpose a
secret ut first, the Telharmonlc hall man
agement and Dr. Deforest erected the
wireless pole on top of the Schubert build
ing in Thirty-ninth Btrcet and fitted up the
receiving station In the Normandle. This
was a week ago, and experiments were
maJe with which It was supposed no one
would become acquainted. This Illusion
was summarily dispelled last Tuesday even
ing when a man dashed Into Telharmonlc
hall. "How are you putting this music on
the wireless?" the visitor asked. A diplo
matic general denial was forthcoming.
"That won't do," was his reply. "You
can't fool me. I'm O. S. Mac-IXxiuild. chief
electrician In charge of te wireless sta
tion In the Brooklyn Navy yard, and I
know I heard 'William Tell" and 'Ave
Maria' over my wireless, and It could not
come from anywhere except here." Dr.
Deforest explained that new apparatus was
necessary for tho transmission of the voice
and music over the wireless by telephone.
Ho is using nn oseillator or enormously
high frequency f oscillation, and the voice
or music Is made to increase or decrease
the Intensity of the electric voltage affec
li'.tj this oscillation.
Electric Motors and Curves.
The Scientific American In an editorial
based upon the inquiry made Into the
cause of the Woodlawn wreck on the New
York Central, sounds a warning against
what It terms the danger of applying
heavy electric locomotives to steam roads
until the trae-ks at the curves have been
put in condition to meet the heavier
stresses which it says are Imposed by a
higher rate of speed. It says that the dis
aster should call an immediate halt to
King Ak-Sar-Ben
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MR. XKD
desohite valleys and the development of
large areas fur agriciiltui e. 11 s w.nk
opened new c 'lat.nels for industry, how
employment for many thousands and con
tinues to affor-l opportunities for the hot-.ie-sc-eker.
The reclamation act of June 17, 1.J, was
the log.jil Uevi loptm-nt if the Investiga
tions i f the previous twlve years under
Mr. Newell. Naturally its adniinl-tra'in-i
was placed In his h;uids ;is chief engineer
by the director of the geological sirvey.
Ills n ppoin! ment to tiie position of dir. ctor
f.f the riclamatien service, now an inde
pendent bureau of the Irte-ior depailnient.
Is a proper 'Cognition of the invaluable
services he has tendered tile go e-e-nme-nt .
It fuir.ish'.4 also an Inspiration to t'-.i s
who are devoting the- best years of tlcdr
lives to gove rnment work.
Mr. Newell's lltm ss for gieat responsib.il
ties lies cbi -fly In Ids .ill-round pcifi ct bal
ance, supple nie nted by good comnn n sense
and a Judicial attitude of mind by which
In can at any time patiently be ar and give
due weight to the suggestions of others.
Thus to a remarkable de-gree he Is able to
bring to his work the combined wisdom f
many mind", avoiding the errors if tho
cock-sure- ecoii-t on the one hand .".ml i
the? pliant tool or weekl.ng on the other.
If Mr. Newell has anything that may
b" called a hobby It is his Insistance on
a cleese personal a 'iiuaintance with tile
weirk of which he has charge, lie spend.
a large share of his time in camp discuss
ing details on the ground with those who
are designing or building works, thus
eiUlplng himself for quick and wise de
cision or. the many points of Importance)
that constantly demand executive action,
lie Is an incessant worker, and has the
capacity for an immense amount of busi
ness, jet never appears to be hurried nor
overwhelmed with tlie duties of his ofrcc
An Invaluable element of Ins extraeii
dinary success In organization lies in hi.s
capacity for chiming wisely the men Hooded
for responsible positions, ami in maintain
ing an esprit de crops among them that
has challenged the admiration cef all who
have e'ome In contact with the reclamation
service.
As a result of his forcslghtedness and his
ability in organization, tine reclamation
service entered upon actual construction
within a year after tho passage of the act,
and two years later a great project in
Nevada was formally opened to settlement.
At the present time construction work Is
going forward on twenty-live protects in
twelve states ard two territories. Involving
the ultimate exeenditire of Jtn.ixm.frtl and
the reclamation of l.l'OOA") acres. In less
than five years the service has practically
conipleteel four projects and will supply
water this year to 2N2.i acres of desert.
It has dug 1.21.7 miles of eaml, several
of which carry whole rivers; its tunnels are
moree than nine milea long and the excava
tions of earth and rock amount to ;I3.'',"I
cubic yards, or about one-fourth the esti
mated yi.rdage of the Tananm canal. It
has constructed ninety-four large struc
tures. Including two great dams, one In
Ne'vada and one in Idaho. It has built 376
electric operation by the New York Cen
tral, as well as the New York, New
Haven & Hartford, which Is about to In
stall electric service, until the curves can
be changed to meet the new requirements.
In an argument on the probable cause of
the wreck the editorial points out that,
while from all the viewpoints of steam
railroading the Woodlawn curve waa safe
enough, the low elevation of the outsUle
end of the ties was not sufficient for the
electrical locomotives, whose horse power I
nearly twice that of locomotives operated
by steam.
The statement ndds:
'Evidently there existed in the ill-fated
train sumo novel comlltions which were
sufficient to couse the wreck, and one does
not have to look very closely Into the
matter to find ample evidence that the
now conditions were to be found In the
heavy concentrated weight and low center
of gravity of the electric locomotives, and
the enormous horse poweT, bet wen 6.tt
and 7.000. which the motorman had at command-
The center of the steam boiler of
the present expresses of the New York
Central road Is about nine feet six Inches
above the track, and when the engine
lurches against the outer rails of a curve
there Is something of a cushioning effect
due to the fact that the weights are rela
tively high. But in the electric locomotive
the heavy motors are placed concentrically
around the axles, the wheels are small In
diameter, and the massive frame Is hung
low, with the result that there Is a heavy
concentration of weight near the rails.
Moreover, the heavy motors are fixed
rigidly upon the axles.
"Taken altogether, It can be seen that
the lateral hammering effect against the
outer rail must be very much more severe
In the electric than In the steam locomo
in Land of
e
SIRS. GOULD DEETZ Of OHA. HA AT
Ji-v -
miles of road in miinttn'is country and
through heretofoie tnae ccssi'ole regions It
has erected and In ..p.tatlon l.STH miles of
telephone lines. It has 1.1. horses and
males on hnrrl and at work. Is operating
nine locomotives. I'.lt cnr. twenty-three
miles of railway, thirty-nine stationary en
gine, i. twenty-seven pimps and tlve electric
lichl plants. The work Is giving employ
me m to lee. ovi peeejile and Involves the ex
penditure of approximately H.e'.'V a
iiinir.li
As a result of the operations of the
re. lan aiioii service eight new towns hnves
b-.11 established, po codes of branc h reiil
was hae be.n constructed and I'M")
pooo I. hae taken up their residences In
the desert. The w rk has given a decided
lmpe-ius to evcty line of in. lastly In His
W e s;
In a talk with Mr. Newell the other dajr
ho said: The work cf reclaiming lands
Is Interesting from its very nature. It
means the furnishing of homes to thou
sands of persons and an enormous Increases
to tiie revenues of tlie country. Hundreds
of th.oi'sands of acres of land that are now
practically vain-less wdl, when cultivated,
sustain one person to the acre.
"During t.ne coming summer I shall di
vide my time hotwe-e-n au inspection of the
various jire ejects in tin- west and in Wash
ington. The work l as continued through
out tho winter wherever possible, though
st e re weallier conditions have retarded it
In a num. ..I- of instances. The work on
the Itoosevelt clam on the- s!Hlt river above
l'hoeniv, Ariz., which, when completed, will
ho one of tte largest st itict tires of the
kind in the world, has been delayed lee
cause of the niHtiy Hoods which ha e con
tlnueel throughout the winter. The rail
road tracks n ar l'ho. nix, 1 am informed,
w- ro washed out eleven times during the
.year.
"I have bei'ti connected with teclamation
work since ss. ami it has always proved
intensely Interesting. The w"ork of trans
formation of a ib-se rt into homes has a
fascination easily accounted for.
"While working In the Nevada desert,
which for forty n.lles Is covered with tha
bom s of animals and men. we found water
within liftun feet of the surface. This
land is possible of cultivation and In a
few ye-ars w iil bo a land of farms, supply
ing homes lor thousands.''
Xew t'lilef Knglnf rr.
On the, recommendation of Director
Newell, the secretary ef tho Interior, ha.s
promote el Mr. A. 1". "Pavls to the position
of chief engineer from that of assilatajit
chief engineer of the reclamation service.
Arthur Powell Davis was born in Illinois,
February 9, IMil. Ho was educated In the
public schools cef Junction City and Em
poria. Kan., a ml later completed an
c nguieerlng course in the Cloorge Wash
ington university. At the age of 2? ho
entered the: I'nited States geological survey,
ns a member of the U-isiBraphlc branch and
since then has been closely Identified with
the topogi aphic. hyeliiigraphlc and crgtneer
nifj work of the government. His early
work was In the west, where he spent
in the
tive. Furthermore, about seventy tons out
of the ninety-five tons total weight of the
locomotive Is concentrated on the four
drivers nnd within a space of only twelve
feot. This wherl base of the drivers Is
rigid, and must necessarily act with an In
tense local side thrust against the particu
lar rtiil over which It Is moving; nor did
that rail, In tho case of the recent acci
dent, receive any assistance from tho rail
behind It, since this rail also was sub
jected to similar stress from the second
locomotive.
"There Is no cause for wonder that In
their second attempt to Iron out the curve
Into a tangent, these motors so far buo
oeoded as to shear off eighteen spikes and
push tho outer rail several inches out of
place?."
Electricity Versa Steam.
The steady advance of electricity an a
factor in the transportation problem in this
country was emphasized In papers pre
sented at a lute meeting of the American
Institute of Engineers In New York. . Iewls
R. Htlllwell and Henry St. Clair Putnam
discussed the substitution of electricity for
steam from different points of view and
laid particular stress on the advantages
of the electric motor over the steam loco
motive. Mr. Stlllnell In th beginning of his
address declared not experimentally or
lioieefully. but as a fact that the electric
motor may so far as science In concerned
be well substituted for the steam locomo
tive engine. For already both the thre
phase and the Blngle phase alternating cur
rent railway motors are perfected so that
they may confidently challenge the steam
locomotive. That challenge extends not
merely to passenger traffic, but to that
involving long-haul freight service. Tlie
direct current motor, too, has demonstrated
the Pharaohs
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ARTHFR
several ycarsi In surveyln.u reservoir sites
In the. high mountains and in measuring
tho streams of th.i great American ds-rt.
His name is attached to many of the.
original maps of Arizona, New Mexico ami
California. The rc.pe.rts of his Invi-sU-gations
arc valuable contributions to our
knowledge of the arid country hii.1 its pos
sibilities, and have been of special value
in tho preliminary work of the reclamation
seen ic e.
In IK9S-PIU0. Mr. Davis had clinrgo of the
hydrographlc- work of the Nicaragua and
Panama cannl routes and his reports fur
Field of
Impressively, Mr. Stlllwell asserts, and
upon a great scale, Ita superiority to the
team lumomotive in operating single car
and short trains and even in freejuent and
heavy passenger service In which tho
length of the train Is limit.-d only to the
length of the station platform. Or to Illus
trate, in the New 4'ork subway, whose
operations made possible many of the In
vestigations carried on by Mr. Stillwell,
eight car train weighing 320 tons are In
operation, equipped with motors which de
velop traction power that Is fully equivalent
to a drawbar pull such as steam locomo
tives exert of reS.OOO power.
So, also, on the Erie railroad the heav
iest hcomotlvo, exclusive of tender,
weighs 200,000 pounds, of which a Uttlo
over 50 per cent Is effective upon the
drivers pf the locomotives. Therefore,
the motors of the eight cars of the elec
tric train of the subway exert a tract! in
energy equivalent to more than twice the
drawbar pull of the Erie locomotive.
Mr. Stillwell asserts that If all the rail
way of the I'nited States weru now oper
ated by electricity, and particularly If
operated by the use of the single phase
alternating current system at 'he poten
tial adppted for the equipment of the New
Haven railroad, the aggregate cost of tne
operation as compared with the cost of
present operation would be reduced about
j:50,000,000. This practically would pay
the cost of the generation of electric
energy, so that fnnm this point of view
the saving In the operation cef tho rail
roads of the United States by electrifica
tion of the system and the apparatus de
scribed would be so great as In compari
son with the cost of tho present operation
practically to eliminate the cost if the
power houses.
Regarding the reliability of train serv
ice the records of the elevated railways
In New York City, which were run bv
steam from 1872 until 1902, and since thei
by electricity, are cited. That the re Is ar.
Increased capacity of line Is -iaimed by
the argument that electric- traction as
compared with steam enables the develop
ment of much greater sustained tractive
efforts with given weight on lrlvers by
reason of niyire uniform rotative effort.
The frequency of stops In also claimed as
n advantage.
After a long discussion of the relative
cot of operating various systems, with an
elaborate kummary of cost of maintenanc e
of way and structures, and maintenance
of equipment, conducting transportation
and general expense s, tho con iuslon is
Sleeping Giant of Asia Perfecting
Cil'i&V f'teinii' solil-ers n re nreie-rl
" I I with the best products of Oe-nnHn
I nod .lament-He skill. Thev ate
trslned by Japanese officer In
strategy and tactics. Tiny are
equipped with signal bslloons. wireless tele
graphy and a Bed Cross s ciety.
Their officers are graduates ef excellent
military schools, established in various
parts of the empire. In tie faculties of
which are to be found a large proportion
of German nnd Japnnese instractors Mod
ern history has but one other e xainpie of a
nation thoroughly, so rapidly, and so
earnestly renovating an a!it1oua--el and
useless military system as China. That
example is Japan.
China's army Is en route to perf-ctlon.
Will It arrive-'.' Has it weniieel by the
way? Is the inarch ahead of loo treat
distance? These are the epiestlons now
asked a the result of the second annual
maneuvers of the Chinese imperial army,
which took place iie.tr Cbang-te I'a.
As was said by one of the experts: "The
maneuver were good, but not -.ariih.g
Tbey were mora or leg of a disappoint
ment. I-ast year those who came to scoff
remained tu praise.
"Enough could not le sal.l in approba
tion. The press went mad The ye llow
peril wa Imminent at hand, In fact. All
,1urop waa agitated. America wondered
P. DA3.
nished much noeNloil and important lwfor
tiiatiou concerning both plans. He Joined
tho reclamation services Immediately after
the. passage of the ree-lamatlon act and
since that tlmn has been closely blent Hied
with all of the engineering work connected
therewith. Tho bureau of which he haa
beraiie chief ougluisT l.s now expending
more than Jl.ana.aon er month In the con
struction of twenty-tlvo large irrigation
projects, which will reclaim 3."0a.i, acros)
of land. Tho work gives employment to
more than 10.000 peeeple- and has already;
reclaimed nearly 3i',.ihk) acrca of desert.
Electricity
drawn that the operation by lectrlcltr
costs IS per cent lus than by steam.
Itegardlng tho getioral comfort of pas
sengers the argument Is: "Tho great ad
vantages of electric traction In respect to
comfort of passengers are well known.
Cleanliness and Improved ventilation madj
lepsslblo by the elimination of emoke and
cinders; lighting practically without heat
and at low cost by a system which make
It easy to place lamps In any desired loca
tion, and heating apparatus effectively and
conveniently controlled, are factors of
very great Importance In building up pas
senger business under conditions of com
petition. In operating thruigh tunnels,
ventilated with difficulty, the electric mo
tor, in eliminating smoke and th gases ?f
combustion, possesse-s an udvantago which
is frequently controlling."
electricity on the Hand.
The company which is proposing to sup
ply the mines In the Rand with elect-io
power from tho Victoria falls, 7-0 mile
away, hopes to have Its system nt work
inside of two or three years. The power
developed by tho falls Is almost inconceiv
able. The width or the river nt that point
Is 1.900 yards, and the drop is mor- thtn
4e feet. At the bottom of tlie falls the
river Is, as It were, shut In by another
high ledge, and the whole of the enormou
volume of water rushes through a narrow
riz-zag gorge for several mlle-s. There I
no such natural concentration of water
peewer anywhere else In the world, and It is
this power which the company design to
tap. It Is interesting to note thnt the
necessary buildings and works are to ba
constructed so ns In no way ti Impair the
beuuty of the most stupendous spectacle
In the continent of Africa. The power
house will be situated 3ja feet below th
falls and will be completely out or sight.
He-re the electricity will be gem-rated and
driven through rabies suspended on Steel
towers LOW) feet apart over tV miles of
practically uninhabited country to th
Ftiburhs of Johannesburg. The pressure of
the current Is still a matter to be decided,
but one of no less than IVlmO Volts Is con
templated. To ileal with fluctuations In the
matter of supply and tee prevent the waste
or power, the- generation of which Is neces
sarily continuous, all spare power will bo
used to pump water into a reservoir at th
top or a high bill, where It will constitute
n reserve supply of energy. By allowing
the water to run down again to the bottom
of tie hill an artificial waterfall will bo
constituted, which can be utilized whenever
liece-ssaiv for the ii g.-neiatlon of power.
an Army that May Be a Wonder
unci the world at large entertained new
ideas of Chins and Its nrim.
"This year there was no Illusion. Critics
ciime to criticise, ns they it. ought, a mod
ern array; the n realized h ew unfair ll.ey
hael be-e n.
"Tbey found that China hael not produced
a model n army, as wet-tern eounti l. under
stand the term: that oond'tlor.s. lis found
in China, ware too great a handicap; that
its armv, ns a boioo'eueous unit, do-- not
e lst; that It Is epilisl imjie rl el and f uhlee t
to tile force s cef tlie- en p;r- . fi.el lhat there,
for- the present eluy standing of western
t.aiioiiH cannot be applied. '
other critics look iiM.n chime's military
fittur- with ('ii'husltiai'i. ';'!" re e a id tho
Chinese- soldier with contempt no loiujer.
lie has proved bis c a pa I.il i i . Ills dls
ciplila is excellent
"eiive me- a few ibeaie-aial of h loh men."
s.id one attache-, "and 1 would rot be
afraid to march from I'ekin to Canton
In the face of any opposition ihet China
at pres,.,,t can pro.iu. e ."
Winn it is remi-ral.e-re.1 1 1 : t toes.- smei
soldier which are ic.-.v calling for tl.-j
admiration of the militiry critics of tin
nations were only yesterdnv the spearmen
of Chinas anUUiluvlun army, and ns such
the expression of Its anachronistic art, on
Is able to grasp the progress which Chin
bus made toward military re generation.-
Harper Wtekl.
n