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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1909)
j ) i 71 hi in Ml fii'i? 1 I I ' .it i & Phelps County One of Richest of All 'MitM PUBLIC LIBRARY AT HOLDREQEl HEI.ra county l decidedly an PI inluHtrlal county, more than any other part of the atate! It manures tne motlva or Ita very-day lira by the Indua trial acale. Tha principal pro- tSUcH are wheat, corn. oaU, potatora, al falfa and ilva rtorle, all of which are raised and ac-.lfl hy the farmer at a stood profit. Cia na of all kind do well In all parta of the muuty, while mont of the alfalfa la raised on river bottom land, principally along the platte. The average production of trfteat In ahiut twenty Vuahi-la per acre, while Inat.inceg re commnn whore thirty buahela have hern raliwd. Corn averac;ea twenty-five buelu-lg ir acre, while many mps from aeveral farms have run as hlfch fts fifty bual:el3. Alfalfa a a Reneral rule Blve two cuttinpg a year, with a total ylfld of ive tona per acre. All products of the county find ready sale and the facili ties for shipping- the products to market are not exrelled In any part of the state. Alfalfa fcrlnK IB.M tf ton In the Mack, end hcn baled Its value Is Increased tl.W per ton. Phelps county Is situated on the hlnh table labds. or upland prairie on the divide between tha Platte and Republican river. In extent It Is twenty-four miles square. Tha only streams anywhere In th county are In the nut hern part, and these are the headwaters of Fprlng and Turkey creeks. The surface of the land of the county Is comparatively level, being but very gently rolling-, and nearly every acre la susceptible of cultivation. The soil Is fertile and very productive. The county Is well adapted to forming and a very large acreage of crops Is planted each year. The population or the county Is about 14,0fK. The Pliitte iMver extends alona; the north ern border of the county, and In the early days of freighting across the plains, long before the building of the Union Paclflo railroad, the old freight and emigrant road extended along the extreme northern part of the county, up the Platte river, plum Creek Station waa about on the line be tween what are now Dawson and Phelps counties. During , the time of overland travel the freighters and emigrants poured up and down tha Platte valley and In this locality more daring murders were com mitted by the Indians than at any other point on tha route. In the northweat part of th4 county, and on what was formerly the claim of Will Dtlworth, Is a grave yard In which there are fourteen graves, the resting place of people murdered by the Indians during the trouble of 1804. An other station on the old overland route wua at Hopevllle, toward the northeastern corner of the county, and about eight miles wet of Fort Kearny. This was a ranoh and postofflce, kept by Mosea Sydenham, who located at the fort In 1854. When the Union Paclflo railroad was In the Field Electrlo Krelarht Service. ROF. J. B. WHITEHEAD f John Hopkins' university, In an article In the current number of tha Popular Science Monthly, contends that the electrlo en gine maintains Its drawing power better than a steam locomotive after the train once gains headway. He says: "A typical western freight locomotive, weighing with Its tender 166 tons, can develop continuously a drawbar pull ot 16,000 pounds up to a speed of fifteen miles an hour. An electric engine, weighing 100 tons, can develop thlapull up to thlrty aaven miles an hour," and aa the latter does not pound the track so badly as the other It may be driven at high speed with greater safety. "Fast Freight" Is now a relative term. If electricity can give it a new meaning, equal to a gain of the dif ference between fifteen and thirty-seven. It cannot be. Installed any too soon. It has generally been assumed that the substitute of electricity for Steam on the existing railroads would be practically limited to paasenger business, but with the street car lines eager to be permitted to carry freight by electric power the day should not be wholly remote when the lesson which thry teach will be adopted by tha existing railroads. One great Incon venience in the combined system near New Tork City today cornea In the effect ot the smoke of the freight locomotives In coat ing with an oily substance the' overhead Wires on which the passenger trains depend. This would all be avoided by putting the entire service under electricity. Prosrrrsa In Llghtla. Before the British Royal Society of Arts (lie other day Mr. Leon 0ter delivered a lecture on ''Modern Methods of Artificial Illumination." The lecturer said that, al though the modern tendency waa In favor Of the extended "e of the metallic fllameat tamp, ha did p tbellve that the carbon filament lamp I at been wholly superseded, experiments having shown that by some lecrlflce of the life of the lamp It was pos sible to obUln Increased efficiency on a eemmerclal basis. The Hopfelt lamp ex hibited. In which the carbon filament waa enclosed In an inner tube and subjected to the pressure effect of mercury vapor, furnished an example of how this might be achieved. Under tbls System the lamp oould be overrun without undue deteriora tion and at a reduced current consumption. Tha. Econ lamp represented a combination &t ,J,kp ordinary carbon and tha metallic filament lamp. Great Improvements had bven effected lately In metallic filament lamps, resulting In a much Improved Illum ination for the same expenditure ot energy and making It possible for the light to be employed economically under more fa vol able physiological conditions. This waa a point be daatred to emphasise, as those associated with lighting developments were apt to pay too much attention to Increased efficiency and to disregard the effect of tha lllumlnant upon sight. Several improvements la are lamp had also to be reoorded, the latest development being the employment of a dloptrio glass, which, as la the Union lamp, dispersed the light la a horlaontai plana and would. It v .- v '. .' . 1 V, V. .': ' . ........ r y- :f y;f-f Vvl" FT-v .y... r;viuw FOURTH built along the northern side of the Platte river in the fall of 1S6S the overland freight road was abandoned, and for a few. years there waa no settlement in Phelps county. In the year 1872 a few settlementa were Snade In the northern part of the county and a few homestead claims entered. Early In the year 1873 quite a heavy Immigra tion commenced and a large number of settlers entered claims during the year. This was mostly in the north half of the county. The first election of the county was called for April I, 1873. The county aeat was located at f rst at Williamsburg, but was removed lu November, 1879, to Phelps county. The only court house ever lh extstenoe at Williamsburg was a large Iron aafe that atood out on the prairie. The county schools in Phelps county have grown Into a complete, well equipped and high-grade system of educational Institu tions, efficient in a marked degree; In fact the chief pride of the county Is Its schools. No county In the state can show a smaller per cent of illiteracy, for it is entirely un known in this county. The directors of tha schools have been a sturdy, Intellectual people who have not lost sight of tha ad vantages and the vast importance of the educational development in the rapid ad vance made by the country along other re munerative llnea of activity. Phtlps county has seventy-five school districts in the county, supporting a teaching force of over 126 trained lnstruotora and the children of 1 ilin amln. . J I .... 1 A . . -,v .-.,,. -,i;l,,u,8 me upporiunj- ties of acquiring at least the common achool education. The city of Holdrege supports a high school of twelve grades, of Electricity was claimed, effect an Improvement In Street lighting. Other new arc lamps were the "Jandua," which waa In service at the Marble Arch, and the "Blondel," which gave an improved horixontal distribution of light. Tha Orrlflamme constituted an Im provement In alternating current lamps. The latest form of mercury vapor lamp on the Cooper-Hewitt system waa designed to give instantaneous Ignition without tilting, and the smaller quarts glass tube employed In tha Kuch lamp was claimed to have the effect of giving Increased efficiency to the mercury arc. An Interesting question arose In connec tion with lamps which permitted the pas sage of a large percentage of ultra violet raye. and It was doubtful If the physical effects of such rays had been aufflciently Investigated. In, the Euphos lamp these raya were absorbed. The Moore system of luminescent gases waa an interesting de velopment, the light being produced by a high voltage discharge through a tube con taining either nitrogen or carbon dioxide. The difficulty had been to discover and to maintain automatically the particular vac uum required to give the best results. He believed that phosphorescent methods of il lumination might eventually be employed. A very small quantity of radium would cause a substance to become fluoresoent and after a time to become phosphorescent for a long period. He commended to elec trlo lighting engineers the desirability of following American practice and working In conjunction with central station au thorities tor the general achievement of the industry, .it, Progress 1B Gleetrifl tatlaa. The electrification of steam railroads Is not advancing at the rats that the travel. Ing publio would Ilka to see It. says tha Boston Transcript, but it is making soma progresa The consulting engineer ef the Illinois Central at Chloago aays tha Investi gations have thus far ben directed to tha feasibility ot the change. Now ha is en gaged In a study of various systems to sea Which is the best adapted to the local eq uation. The temper of the people ot that city will not tolerate a long delay. They have swallowed trala smoke Until they are tired of It. In this section ths prediction of 8tephen XX Field ef Btockbrldge that la tea years the main lines of railroad la the United States will be electrified. Is en couraging since It tha main llnea are elec trified the suburban lines, which most need the remedy, are pretty aura to be. Mr. Field Is one ot tha pioneers of tha trolley system and in the next decade he expects also to sea the Berkshire and Naug atuck divisions of the New Haven road changad over to this motlva power, which avea la the dryest sea sua can be maintained by ths falla of the Housatonie river at Falls Village, Oonn. Should he prove a true prophet, that might solve tha tanglud problem that Is so troubling the people of tha waetra part of the stata If the New Havea electrifies all Its service In that sctloa It oould hardly ba prevented froia extending Its electric llnea for tha develop ment at business, especially if It had tha United oo-operatlon at the cMlaena in such entwprlaes. Where needs are so palpable tnve&Uoa will ultimately find a way. i.,.,.., je.. - I il4"7 - - AVEN'irE. IIOLDREQB. ,?,!,: tr - 'i : and tha vlllare of Atlanta la planning to install eleven gradea In Its high school. . . m . county aupcrinienaeni m. parson n encouraged the library movement until over two-thirds of the district schools have libsorles. Over 3.500 children will attend Woman's Club HB Holijrege Woman's club was organized In the fall of 1903. MUa Sadie Smith, now Mrs. Trail of Lincoln, was principal of the Holdrege High school, a lady of much culture and re T finement, who having had experience In club work, knew even better than did the permanent residents of Holdrege the need of a woman's club and the benefits to be derived from such an organisation. The Masonic hall waa full of eager, earnest women who met in response to her call and fifty-two enrolled aa charter members. It may be Interesting to note that of the original fifty-two only twenty now reside in Holdrege and ten remain active mem bers ot the club. . From the beginning of Ita existence the Holdrege Woman's club has been a band of workers, not only for the Individual benefit to be derived from study and friendly association, but for tha real help it might be In all things pertaining to the growth and uplift of ths community, having adopted for Its motto: "I shall pass this way but once; therefore, if there be any good or lovely thing that I can do, let me $ I I . ;l.t ! i.p t;; ,, i t -if ' f if , M ' ' - jj i;,i3h,-r . . i ..... in i'J-t n.. '. i'Vi. tn-fttiii s'lm-'t m iJ THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: MARCH L- . .-'i 'rzZZzz FIRST BAPTIST CHURCIL , Lmmh I VIEW IN CITY PARK, ROLDREQB. the rural schools this year. Land In Phelps county twenty-five years l. I . V. lkt.,.k . -AC i w wun.i m mo nmtuwi nuu per acre, but the eastern farmers could easily see the great possibilities of the then partially civilized west, and as the years of. Holdrege and Its Busy Career do It now." The publls schools have held the first and deepest Interest of the club, "for the children of today are the citizens of tomorrow," and the proceeds of a Turner art exhibit Were expended in pictures, one for each ot the grade rooms and two for the high school room. These pictures ara fine photogravures of paintings by recog nised artists. The Woman's club has placed manual training In tha grammar grades for one year and part of another. The members unitedly stand ready to con tinue the manual training whenever the school board shall deem It advisable and are holding a reserve fund for that pur pose. The Woman's club haa placed Iron seats In the court house square for the comfort and convenience of the general public. , The club entertained the fifth district convention In - 1907. Last year It was visited by ! two of the state officers, tho stata president, Mrs. Cole of Omaha, and the president of the art department, Mrs. Morey of Hastings. Mrs. J. I. Rhea, tha present treasurer of the club, Is now vice president of the fifth district and is already in touch with ;1 m v : v (MEMBERSHIP OF TUB HOLSREQB WOMEN'S 21, 1909. Nebraska's Fertile I .( V i i .ifct!! " , . - rIW&w ; :;:;.;:, . ::,.rM:.' " : --II iissmMbMsiI lsii I r Jw1JJJJMMMMii.MashawaaaMasMMssajMa EAST AVENUE, HOLDREXJE. v 7 ; , . . , . .,.. pasaed the farmers of Illinois, Indiana and other eaatern states began to move West- mfm-A m A h- In ValllA TATt- " " --- --- Idly until now Phelps oounty land Is worth on an average of from 375 to 1100 per acre. The sod houses of the early days have all the clubs of that district, and Is arrang ing a program for the coming convention to be held In April at Mlnden. The club meets every Saturday after noon with the different members as host esses. There are six departments: "Child Study,"' with Mrr. McMlchael as president this year; "Art," with Mrs. A. H. Warren; "Literature," with Mra. Julia Taft Bayne; "Domestlo Science," with Mrs. J. A. An drews; "Federation Study," with Mrs. W. H. Cowglll, and "History," with Mrs. Maya Dunham. The present officers are Mrs. 3. C. Slosson, president; Mra Frank Parsons, vice president! Catherine HJelm felt, recording seoretary; Mrs. Dunham, corresponding secretary, and Mrs. J. I. Rhea, treasurer. These officers, together with the department presidents, constitute the executive board. At the tuberculosis exhibit during- tha winter, tha Woman's club furnished two of the four programs and otherwise took a very active Interest. The club with Its seventy-five members is ever on the alert and stands ready to promote any enter prise that" might be of either clvle or educational advancement. o CLUB. HOLDREaB ROLLER I1 J - '' i given place to modern structures built ac cording to the latest designs for oomfort and for making Ideal homes, with most of the Improvements found In the city resi dences. Excellent roads connect all tha towns of the county and the country dis tricts are well supplied with up-to-date school buildings, with efficient teachers, Holdrege, the county aeat, was laid out in 188S and has had a growth and period of municipal Improvement In the last three years equaled by but few cities In the state. It boasts ot long, clean avenues, flanked by rows of beautiful shade trees, miles of cement aldewalka and curbing, public j and private parks, a Carnegie li brary, new business blocks, whloh are looked upon as models by business men; a water system of greatly Increased capacity and a sewer system Just completed at a cost of many thousand dollars. A good, substantial brick block constructed at a cost of 110,000 waa recently raaed to tha ground to make room for a modern and artlstlo building. Holdrege has not ao oepted any obstacles, ho dlf floulty has been long considered of any aerioua obstruction; but with a faith and enterprise matchless In its persistence its business men have built la the heart of the "great American desert" a city of 6,000 souls, a city which In Its architectural beauty and stability tells tha history of Us founder, a race of pioneers who have been builders and who . ... . .. Holdrege is on the main line of tha Bur- . ,hi., rw.n. mh. via-h ltagton from en ow " V""1 n or tne auntngion runs irom iMoiarega to Cheyenne, wyo., ana uia line rrom rioi- , Gossip About Am EplMdo la Cleveland's Life. HE story of why Orover Cleve- ww- I land did not go to war is torn I I by George F. Parker in Mo A I rMur' u, tra!n. Mr. Cleve land had been criticised for his order tor the eturn of tha baiim iiugs taken during the civil war, said to Mr. Parker: "See how I am misjudged. It la charged In the press that I had no sympathy with the union armies. When the war came they were three men of fighing age In our family. We were poor, and mother and sisters depended on Us for support. ' We hald a family council and decided that two of ua should enlist In the union army and the third stay home for the support of the family. We decided It by drawing outs. The two long and one shorts pieces ot paper were put by mother in the leaves in the old Bible. She held It while we drew. My two brothers dtew the long slips, and at once enlisted and I abided by my duty to the helpless women. Later on I waa drafted and borrowed U.000 to hire a substitute, and It took years of hard work to repay that loan. So of three men of fighting age, our family furnished three recruits for the union army, and I would have been a monster If I had had no sym pathy with that cause for which my broth ers were fighting and for which I had sacrificed." - Ollaablagt tha Ladder of Saeeeea. The election of Frank A. Vanderbllt as president ot the National City bank of New Tork. recalls one of the most pictures que stories of preserving up-hlll work aver related of a poor American boy. Thirty years ago, Vanderllp was plodding away In a machine shop out west, at 73 cents a day.. His father had Just died In Indiana, leav ing a widow and her family with nothing but a farm and a few hundred dollars. The farm eould not be worked to advantage, so ths young man took the place In the ma chine Shop as the only means of supporting tha family. He went at it like a Tro Jan he still works that way and, after a ten hour day, came home to plod a portion of the night over a short-hand text book. After saving a little money, he took a year's cowse at the University of Illinois, and later, when serving as a newspaper reporter in Chicago, he supplemented this course by attending lectures at the Univer sity of Chicago. Moat of hla education, however, was acquired la the "university at tha wide, wide world," where haid k nooks are the only athletics that the stu dents are treated to. Finally, young Vanderllp became financial editor at tha Chicago Tribune, and soon look rank as one of the best financial writers la the country. lis bought a part interest In the Chicago Economist in 194, and served as an aasooiate editor of that Journal until Maroh t 1897, when Lyman J. Oage, who was than president of the First National bank of Chicaaro, was appointed secretary and treasurer. Mr. Gage asked Mr. Vanderllp to go to Washington aa his private secretary. Tbls position ha re tained for only three months, after which ha became aula '.ant secretary f tha treas ury on June 1, lo7. T) Sections i V If - MILLS. drea to Nebraska City is also a Burlington bran oh. The three railway lines place Hol drege In a position to command an exten sive tributary trade from the west, north west, southwest, south and east. Holdrege has a good water system, an electric light plant and an Independent telephone ex change. No city of Ita class has a better representation rf church societies. All ot the leading fraternal and beneficiary so cieties are represented. The school system la strictly modern. Holdrege schools of right are the boast and pride of Ita peopla. A gas company has a franchise and are In stalling a system of gas works.. Its whole sale and Jobbing houses cover an extensive territory. Tha city la the home of a large number of traveling men who locate whore there are the beat facilities for reaching the territory made by them. Holdrege la a city of beautiful homes. Many are striking, most of them are attractive In architectural design. The modern conveniences, suoh as steam, hot water, and hot air heat, bath rooms and electrlo lights, secure the home oomforts required these daya. Well kept lawns, concrete walks and curbs, terraces, ornamental and shade trees, all combine to throw a charm of beauty and attractiveness about the residence districts of the city. Phelps is a county where small, farm holdings predominate. All the orchard and small fruit of this section ot the west do well, such as apples and smaller fruits. This county at present has In. full bearing 14,000 apple trees, 16,000 peach, 8,000 plum and 11,000 cherry trees, while nearly every farmer in the county grows a liberal amount of strawberries for his own use, as well as other kinds of small fruit. All vegetables for tha middleweat are grown. The potato yield is a large surplus for shipment. Phelps county led all other counties of Nebraska in wheat yield for three succes sive years, vis. 1903, 1904 and 1906. Last year the farmers of this county sold and shipped out 1,171,000 bushels of corn, 1.900,000 bushels of wheat and 44,000 bushsla of oats. This county also manufactured and chip ped put last year 8,383,000 pounds of flour and 1,122,000 Of mill feed. Last year these farmers sold and shipped out Of the county 10,300 head of beef cattle, 34,600 fat hogs and t,400 sheep. This oounty Is fast taking the lead over other western counties in the dairy Industry. Tha farmers at tha present time have over (,000 cows on their farms, and last year they were using 360 hand sep arators. These ' farmers manufactured and shipped out 282,000 pounds of butter and 344,000 gallons of cream, while tha dressed poultry shipped out amounted to 350,000 pounds. At the present over 8,000 acres are seeded to alfalfa, whloh Is returning a bet ter profit than almost any other crop pro duced to its oost. Noted People In 1901 Mr. Vanderllp became a vice-president of the bank, and on concluding, a few months ago, to retire from active service and become chairman of the board. Mr. Stlllman selected Mr. Vanderllp as his suc cessor for the presidency. So this Is how the young machinist, who was born at Au rora, 111 only forty-four years ago, had risen to tha presidency of the largeat bank In tha UaiUd States. When Roosevelt Failed. An Arkansas man relates that when President Roosevelt was In the southwest on one of his bear hunting trips it was found that the dogs which had become sick on tha train going down, wouid not hunt. The president and the members of his party were greatly put put and a search for good bear dogs waa Inauguar ated. After the party had suffered a good deal of discouragement a native of the country brought in word thut a negro who lived at the edge ot a nearby clearing had some fine bear dogs, but It was said that there waa no possibility of persuading him to lean them, to anybody. "He wlU lend them to me," said the president in his well known deetslve man ner, and, mounting his horse, ha started tor tha clearing. "I understand," said Mr. Roosevelt when ha was met by the old colored man In front of hla oabin, "you have some fine bear dogs." "Taasir, yo' la shore right Dam dawgs ob mine am de best b'ar dawgs in din whole bUln' ob kentry." "I wish," said the president, "to borrow them for a few daya" "Not much, boss. I nsvah loans dem dawgs out to noboddy nohow." "But you evidently do not know who I am. I am Theodore Rooeevelt, president of the United States." "Ah caln't help dat, boas. Ah couldn't loan you dem b'ar dawgs et you was Booker T. Waah'n't'n heself." Lincoln's Cettysber Speech. 'The usual stories about Lincoln's Gettys burg speech were told In some of ths papers on the morning ot his anniversary, most of them centering about the circum stance that few of the newspapers on the mo Tilng after published any report of Lincoln's address, though It was only 208 or 301 hundred words In length and although they gave full reports of Edward Everett's two hou.s' address. The late John Russell Young, says a writer In the New York Press, once explained this to me, and bis explanation Is worth repeating, If only be cause he was the representative of what Is now ths Associated Press, and who re potted the met-tlng. Mr. Young said that he made a shorthand report of the speech, but hesitated to put It on the wire bs cauae the tolls to Washington in those daya were such as to give pause to a then feeble Institution like the Associated Press. Moreover, none of the president's auditors appeared to appreciate the value of hla ut terance; It waa as short and, as delivered in. his high key-voice, so unimpressive after the big bow-wow of Mr. Everett The latter'a speech was prlnte In full, partly because the printed proofs of tha speech were in the newspaper offices in advance and required no transmission by wire. V