Democratic watchman. (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1855-1940, April 07, 1911, Image 6

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    Pew’ pan.
TE
Bellefonte, Pa., April 7, 1911.
PLAY WITH DEATH.
Men Who Are Reckless In Han-
dling High Explosives.
STORIES BY HUDSDY MAXIM.
The Accident by Which the Inventor's
Left Hand Was Blown Off—John Ben-
: der's Contempt For Dynamite—Mix-
; ing Fire and Nitroglycerin,
i “It is practiealiy impossible,” writes
Hud:<{ouw Maxim in Adventure, “to
make the ordinary Inboring man ap-
precizte the necessity of care in the
safe handling of explosives, and the
Ife of the careful! man is always en-
dangered by dhe actions of the care
less one.
“After 1 had sold the works at Max-
tin and had invented motorite | needed
d place in which to make the material
and hired a branch of the works there
r that purpose. It was winter. My
ife had accompanied me as a pre
cautionary measure. She was sitting
fn the laboratory to keep warm, near
a big barrel stove charged with bitu-
minous coal.
“On entering the laboratory for
something my wife asked me what
was iv those two tin pails sitting near
the stove. ‘She said that she had a
suspicion . it might be unitrogylycerin,
and she informed me that one of my
men had’just been in stirring the fire
and that the sparks flew ont in all di-
rections, some of them lighting in the
buckets to be quenched on top of the
oily liquid.
“ ‘Horrors! 1 said.
erin!’
“I ealled the man who had placed it
there and told him to take it away, As
it was necessary to keep ihe material
from freezing be took it into the boil
er house near by. A little later on, go-
ing into the boiler house, 1 saw one of
the men stirring the fire while the oth-
er was standing with his coattails ont-
stretehed in either hand, forming a
shield to keep the sparks from flying
into the nitroglycerin
“In the manufacture of high explo-
sives and In experimenting with them
a little absentmindedness, a very
slight lack of exact caution, a secem-
ingly insignificant inadvertence for an
moment, may cost one a limb or his
life. ‘The accident that cost me my
Jeft ‘hand Is a ease in point.
“On the day preceding that accident
T had had 2 gold eap put on a tooth.
In consequence the tooth ached
throughout the night and kept me
awake a greater part of the time. In
the morning 1 rose early and went
down to my factory at Maxim, N. .J.
In order to test the dryness of some
fulminate compound 1 took a little
piece of it, about the size of an Lag
Fish penny, broke off a small particle,
Placed it on a stand outside the labo-
wntory and, lighiing a match, touched
it off
“Owing to my loss of sleep the night
‘before my mind was not so alert as
wsual, and I forgot to lay aside the
remaining piece of fulminate com
pound. but instead held it in my left
hand. A spark from the ignited piece
of fulminate compound entered my
feft hand between my fingers, igniting
the piece there, with the result that
my hand was blown off to the wrist.
“Once when entering my storage
magazine at Maxim,
‘It is nitroglye-
in which were |
several carloads of dynamite along
| men are employed in taking census re-
with 37.000 pounds of nitrogelatin, I
saw John Bender, one of my employ-
ees, calmly but emphatically opening
a case of dynamite with a hammer
and a chisel
him.
1 promptly discharged |
“Not long afterward the innkeeper
at Farmingdale called on me to buy
some dynamite and said he had engag-
ed Bender to blow the stumps out of
his meadow lot. 1 told him Bender
was courting death for himself and
everybody around when handling dy
mamite, but Boniface still wanted
Bender to do the work.
“swell, aid 1. ‘the dynamite yon
want is 16 cents a pound, but if John
Bender does not succeed in blowing
himself up and Killing himself with |
the dynamite you can have it for noth
blow himse¢ f up yon must pay for the
dynamite.’
“A few days later there was some
hitch in Bender's exceptional luck. A
particularly refractory old stump had
yesisted n couple of Bender's dynamic
attacks. The failure to dislodge the
stump Bender took as a personal af-
“front because it reflected npon his skill
as a stump blaster,
«Next time.’ said he, ‘something is
golag to happen.’ He placed about
twenty pounds of dynamite under the
deep rooted veteran, touched It off, and
several things bappened in very quick
succession. The huge stump let go its
told on earth and proceeded to hunt
Bender.
“It was a level race, but the stump
won. Striking Bender on the north
quarter, it stove In four ribs, dislocat-
ed several joints and damaged him in
geveral other respects and particulars.
Boniface came to settle for the dyna-
mite.
“Sixteen cents a pound,’ 1 sald.
“Bender hasn't a chance in a hundred.
“Wait till the &octors are through with
him.’
* ‘What do you say to a compro-
mise, suggested Boniface, ‘of 8 cents a
Ba For, really, I do not belleve
that Bender is more than half dead.’
And the account was settied on that
basis.”
cm som
Shrinkage In Glaciers.
Reientists aver that, save over a
small area, the glaciers of the Nosie
are reireating to the mountains.
glacier on Mount Sarmiento, in oe
America, which deseended to the sea
when Darwin found it in 1836, is now
sepatated from the shore by a vigorous
growth of timber. The Jacobshaven
glacier, in Greenland, has retreated
four miles since 1860, and the East
glacier, in 8pitzbergen, is more than a
mile away from its old terminal mo-
yaine. In Seandinavin the snow line
is farther up the mountains, and the
ginciers have withdrawn 3,000 feet
from the lowlands in a century. The
Arapahoe glacier, in the Rocky moun-
tains, with characteristic American en-
terprise, has been melting at a rapid
rate for several years. In the eastern
Alps and one or two other small dis-
tricis the glaciers are zrowing. In
view of these facets we should not be
too skeptical when old wen assure us
that winters nowadays are not to be
compared with the winters of their
boyhood. ~-Dundee Advertiser.
Not Made Up.
Pushing her way through the crowd
on the ferrybout to the decrepit rig,
the middle aged woman sized up the
emaciated’ anhmni from every point of
view, and then, turning to the owner,
who had clambered out of the wagon
amd propped himself against the en-
gine room, said, “You ought to be
ashamed of yourself for driving a poor
horse like that; it should be at home
aud in the stable,” “What is the mat-
ter with her, lady?" wax the eusy re-
sponse of the owner, who didn’t seem
a whole lot perturbed. “What is the
matter with her?” denufnded the 8, 1°
Co AL tndy with inereasing warmth of”
tone, “Can't you see how skinny she
is? She looks starved,” “The hoss Is
all right, Iady.” ealmly rejoined the
expressman, as a sweet smile floated
through his scant crop of whiskers.
“You sec, she got up =o Inte this morn-
in® that she didn’t bey time to put on
her rats, pads an’ extenders, or she
would hey heen as purty an’ plump as
ther next one” — Argonaut,
Rooks and Cholera.
The present day security of this
country ageiust all danger of a chol-
era epidemic i= matter for thankful-
ness not only in human circles, but in
the rookeries too. When the cholera
slew nearly 60.000 people in the insan-
itary United Kingdom of 1831-2 the
rooks appear to have suffered with
them. This was stated, at any rate,
to have occurred on the estate of the
Marquis of Sligo, which boasted one
of the largest rookeries in the west of
Ireland. On the first or second day of
the epidemic’s appearance an observer
noted that all the rooks had vanished.
wring the three weeks through which
it raged there was ne sign of them
about their home, bt the revenue po-
lice found immense numbers of them
ded on the shore, ten miles away.
When the epidemic abated the rooks
returned, but some were too wes to
reach their nests, and fivesixths of
them had gone. London Chronicle,
The Japansce Policeman.
Japan has a police force modeled
after the French system. In various
places throughout Tokyo there are
small kabancho, which resemble sen-
try boxes, but are larger. Three men
are attached to each box daily. One
remains inside resting, while another
stands at the door, aid the third pa-
trols a beat, returning at regular in
tervals to the box, Stations are
changed every eight hours. After
twenty-four hours’ work the three offi-
cers are given the same length of time
to rest, and three other nen are sent to
the box. During their “off” days the
turns, making reports regarding the
condition of streets, bridges, embank-
ments, drains and cemeteries. They
also report weddings, births, deaths,
theatrical performances and the pres-
ence of suspicious persons.—Harper's |
Weekly.
The Horseshoe Legend.
Here is an explanation of the old
Dunstan |
One day while |
at work In his forge the devil entered |
in disguise and requested Dunstan to
horseshoe
was a skilled farrier.
superstition: St,
shoe his “single hoof.” The saint, al-
though he recognized his malign cus-
tomer. acceded, hut caused him so
much pain during the operation that
Satan begged him to desist,
made the evil one promise that neither
he nor any of the icsser evil spirits,
his servants, would ever molest the
inmates of au house where the horse-
shoe was displayed.
An Inconsistency.
There is a strange inconsistency In
sifamlet.” It is where Hamlet speaks
of “the undiscovered country, from
whose bourne no traveler returns,”
and yet the play hinges largely upon
the fact that he bas had interviews
with his father's ghost, who had, of
course, come back from the undiscov-
ered country.
The Obstacle.
“Why nou set your cap for that
young fellow? He's single and weil
off.”
“Yes, he's single, but he knows he's
well off.”
A Desperate Case.
John—T'Il bring you a fork, sir. The
Customer—What for? John—-The Ca-
membert, sir. The Customer—A fork's
no good. Bring a revolver.—Exchange.
Well Trained.
“Mr. Jonesby never interrupts one,
and he is the best listener I ever met.”
“No wonder; he's been married three
times.”
‘sultan approach,
This St. |
ing. On the other hand. if he does | Dunstan did. but euly after he had
CR 2 BRR 155 Tos BET
ABDUL THE TIMID,
The Crafty Turkish Despot Wore
a 3 Grown of Terror,
HIS PALACE LIKE A PRISON.
Yildiz, a Place of Mystery, Was the
Production and the Abode of Fear
Unutterable—His Dread of Assassi-
nation and His Horror of the Dark.
For long years Abdul Hamid had
been haunted and tormented by the
nightmare of death. In every shadow
he seemed to see an assassin, All his
vast power could not bring him one
moment of peace and happiness. Not
for one moment was Turkey's mon-
arch at ease,
Year by year his
growing upon him. He had on terror
of the dark. At night Yildiz always
blazed with lights. [His sleep had be-
come restless, and he would waken
at. the slightest sound. Sometimes he
would come out of his sleep with a
start. frightened by a nightinave, and
that would mean hours of wakeful-
ness. At such times he would find the
solitude of his room unbearable, and
he would send for a sorcerer, who
would explain the dream, or a slave,
who would read to him from one of
his favorite books, those giving de-
tailed accounts of assassinations, exe-
cutions and other horrors
He was always armed
were lined with cnormous pockets,
which served him both as arsenals
and archives and bulged with pistols
and rolls of spies’ reports.
Everybody nt Yildiz was afraid of
being shot by him. He was likely to
fire at the slightest action that might
seem to him suspicions. There is. a
story that one day a gardener working |
in the park of Yildiz, on seeing the |
rose quickly from a
stooping posture to assume un respeet-
ful attitude. Abdul Hamid, startled
by his sudden appegrance and suspect. |
ing some evil motive, at once fired at
him. The man fell dead. Later, as no
weapon was found on his body, it had
to be acknowledged that a blunder
had been committed. Such is the tale
told by the son of the late Prince of
Samos, who was one of the sultans
ministers.
Yildiz, scene of innumerable horrors,
had been built by Abdul Hamid him-
self, and he had made it more like a
labyrinth than a palace. It was the
production and the abode of fear unut-
terable. Surely no sane mind planned’
it. To guard pgainst conspirators get-
ting an plan of his residence iis master
was continually changing its internal
arrangements, walling up doors, open-
ing new ones, narrowing passages, di
viding rooms hy partidons, making
windows and closing them again. It
was a constantly changing maze,
To spare himself the danger of cross
ing the graveled path that separated
his apartments from his harem he had
linked his residence by flying bridges
to the harem on the one side and to
the imperial theater on the other. This
theater was an gloomy little place,
where the monarch would sit entirely
hidden from view in his box while ac-
tresses and singers from Paris and
other Buropean cities entertained him,
He never came into view, never ap-
planded, and the visible nudience con-
sisted of a few members of his family.
The building used by Abdul Hamid
as his private residence looked more
like a prison, for all the lower win-
dows were securely barred and the
heavy fron doors were of creat
strength and capable of being firmly
bolted inside.
Every room in the palace was pro-
vided with a couch on which the sul
fears had been
His clothes
tan could sleep if he felt inclined. No- |
body ever knew in what room he |
would sleep on any given night. Re- |
fore retiring to rest he would some-
times call his attendants and say to
them: “Keep nn good lookout. 1 am |
going to sleep tonight in this room.” |
But he wonld invariably sleep some!
where else,
On the roof of the imperial apart-
ments was an astronomical observa-
tory which had been fitted up with an
exceedingly mood telescope by a Pa-
risian firm. This observatory was a
favorite place with the sultan, yet he
took not the slightest interest in as-
tronomy. The telescope was there to
serve his own purpose of espionage,
for he used it almost exclusively for!
the purpose of watching the residence
of Prince Yusuf lzzedin, eldest son of
Abdul Aziz and heir presumptive to
the throne. Its glass was never turn
ed upon the heavens. !
But sometimes from his lonely look-
out the monarch saw stranger things
than the residence of Prince Yusuf,
things that no other human being had
ever dreamed of. There were times
when his morbid imagination played
curious pranks with him.
It was on ile day following an at-
tempt upon his life by onc All Souavl
and a revolt at Tcherngan, both of
which incidents greatly upset him,
that Abdul Hamid hurried down from
his observatory with a wild look in his
eyes and called his first secretary, who
at that time was All Fuad Bey. He
led the secretary to a window, and.
pointing to the sublime porte some
miles away, he said, trembling with
“Did you see them? They have met
yonder to proclaim my downfall!”
“Who?" asked the startled secretary.
“My ministers,” exclaimed the sul-
tan. “My own ministers are now iu
the act of dethroning me. Can't you
see them?”
This statement was quite unfounded
and it was n long time before the se
retary could calm his frightened mas
ter.—Philadelphia Ledger.
EE
His Thunderbolt Delivery Terrorized =
the Catters.
A veteran bail player who has bat- |
ted against nearly ail of the noted
pitchers in the last 1wenty years nam |
ed Amos Rusie as the uuiversal
ard of speed in shooling 1
the rubber...
“There have been {ast piteh
ers in baseball, and all of them in thelr
time when they cut loo for fair have
balled the best of bitfers with their
speed, but you will notice tht when
fast pitchers are spoicn of he one
remark Is always made ‘Has De the
speed that Amos Rasie had> And,
1 think, it will be that way
tall neross
sintd- |
forever. |
As long ag great nivmes are retsomber- |
ed or baseball is the
Rusiec will remain the champion speed
merchant, tho one pitcher who could
cord in the ball faster than any one
elze that ever lived When you say
‘fast ns Russie’ you don’t mean It.
either: vou only
nation’s game |
wish to show that |
your favorite plicher is a very speedy |
hoy
“Wards fall really
to describe the |
zpecd with which Rusie sent the ball. |
Ife was a man of great width. great
strength and the ability to put every
once of his welght into the piteh.
Coupled with this he had a set of daz-
zling curves which were manufactured
with the same effort required to pro-
duce the speed. Some men can throw
a straight ball with g
have to slow up in order to develop
curves, but Rusie drove in a curved
ball with all of his tremendous power.
at force, but |
“Facing Rusie to a timid man was |
like going into battle must be to an |
Inexperiencesd
wns shorter
The
Rusie
soldier.
then,
distance |
had the
whole hox to move around in instead
* twing chained to a slab, and he
imply drove the ball at you with the
ore of a cannon. 1 have stood up
to all the great pitchers of nearly
twenty years, 1 have seen scores of
them come and go, and none of them
inspired the terror in a
heart that was put there by the
mighty Rusie. The ball was like a
white streak tearing past you without
time to balance yourself, figure the
course of the ball or take ahm at ft.
The fellows with the wide curve might
batsman's
fool you into reaching out and missing |
them, but you weren't reaching out at |
Rusie -yon simply swung at a white |
strenk as it hurled past, and if you
took a full arm swing the ball was
gone and in the cateher's hands before
von had half finished the swinging
motion.
“The convincing proof of Rusie’s ter-
rible speed was this: If any other
pitcher hit nn man the man swore,
Hmped a moment and went to first.
If Rusie hit n man the man retired
from the game and sometimes went
to the hospital
To be hit by Rusie |
wis worse than to have an ordinary
man smash you with a rock.” — New
York Waorkl
He Didn't Know Them.
The Inte Rev. Horatio Stebbins of
San Francisco was a man
of large
mind and noble powers, but more fa- |
miliar
and scholastic interests than with triv-
in! aud timely things. His household
was blessed with a charming daughter
who grew up tall and beautiful, com-
manding the admiration of all who saw
her,
One day
doctor:
a visitor sald to the good
“Doctor, your daughter grows
more charming day by day. Why,
she's a regular Gibson girl”
“Al, thank you, thank you,” replied
the doctor in his best manner. When
the visitor had gone, turning to his |
wife the doctor asked, “My dear, who |
are the Gibsons?’—San Francisco Ar-
gonanut,
An Obliging Doctor.
“Doctor, I've tried everything and 1
can't get to sleep,” complained the
voice at the other end of the tele-
phone. “Can’t yon manage to do some-
thing for me?"
“Yes." said the doctor kindly. “Just
hold the wire and I'll sing you a lul-
labr.”- Success Magazine.
|
‘Medical.
A Corroboration
OF INTEREST TO BELLEFONTE READERS
. For months Bellefonte citizens have
seen in these columns enthusiastic praise °
of Doan’s Kidney Pills by Bellefonte resi-
dents. Would these prominent people rec-
ommend a remedy that had not proven re-
liable; Would they confirm their state
ments after years had elapsed if personsl
experience had not shown the remedy to
be worthy of endorsement? No stronger
proof of merit can be had than cures that
have stood the test of time. The follow-
ing statement should carry conviction to
the mind of every Bellefonte reader.
Mrs. James Corl, 361 E. Bishop Street,
Bellefonte, Pa. says: “A member of my
family used Doan's Kidney Pills in 1907,
procuring them from Green's Pharmacy
Co. and a complete cure of kidney com-
plaint was effected. At that time we pub-
licly endorsed Doan’s Kidney Pills and as
there has been no recurrence of the
trouble, we again give this remedy a
word of praise. You are welcome to
publish this statement for the benefit of
other kidney sufferers.”
For sale by all dealers. Price 50 cents.
Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo, New York,
sole agents for the United States.
Remember the name—Doan's—and take
no other. 56-12
with the world of intellectual |
|
“
i
=|
Yeagers Shoe Store
Are Children
Worth
Bringing Up?
It can’t be done without
RUBBERS.
This is what appeared in a recent
number of the American Journal oi
"Health :
The family doctor should din it into
the mother's head all the time, that
the health of their children lies in the
feet. Keep the feet dry. Never let
them get wet. No child should be al-
lowed to go out in snow or rain, or |
when walking is wet, without Rubbers.
Remempek, Yeager's Rubbers are
the best and the prices just a little
cheaper than the other fellows.
Yeager’s Shoe Store,
Bush Arcade Building,
BELLEFONTE, FA.
LYON & CO.
Special Easter Bargains.
.
Hindu Silk for Dresses, and in the best colors,
only 25¢.
Foulard Silks, all new and the best colors from
soc. up.
Silk Poplins, Messalines, Jacquards, in all the
new and desirable colors and black. All colors
in Marquesetts, white and black, special soc.
Rajah Silk, natural color only, regular $t qual-
ity, special price Ssc.
The largest assortment of Silk-ginghams, Fine
Lawns, Organdies and Linens in the town.
RovarL Worcester AND Box Ton Corsets.
Our Corset line is now complete. All the new
models. Royal Worcester from $1 to $3. Bon
Ton Corsets from $3 up.
Silk Hose.—Special price on Silk Hose in black
only. Regular price $1.25; our price soc. and
75¢.
Draperics.—A new line of Window Draperies
by the curtain or vard, in the new plain and fig-
ured scrims, Swisses and madras.
Rugs, Carpets and Linoleums.—New Carpets
and Art Squares, new Linoleums, new Mattings,
at the lowest prices.
Shoes, Shoes.—OQur line of Shoes for men,
women and children is now complete. Prices
the lowest.
SS ——
LYON & COMPANY,
Allegheny St. 47-12 Bellefonte, Pa.