FZ W M<-_WMARADFORD,^
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Mr. William A. Radford will answer
questions and give advice FREE OF"
COST on ail subjects pertaining to the
subject of building, for the readers of this
paper. On account of Ills wide experience
HS Editor. Author and Manufacturer, he
is, without doubt, the highest authority
oil all these subjects. Address all Inquiries
to William A. Radford. No. 17S West
Jackson boulevard. Chicago, 111., and only
enclose two-cent stamp tor reply.
There are perhaps more square
houses built In the Middle West than
houses of any other style or design. I
Hy "square houses" is meant houses I
with plain, straight sides and square j
corners, in which the width nearly or I
quite equals the length. "Rectilinear," j
perhaps, would be a more accurate |
term, but that does not convey an im
pression of the square appearance that j
such houses have.
Economy in building and economy
in heating, both have their influence.
Houses of tlie "square" type range
from 22 by 28 feet to 30 by 36 feet in
size, and they contain from six to
eight rooms—seldom less than si* and
seldom more than eight. They are
built either full two stories, with an
attic: or like this one, witli some of
tile windows elevated above the eaves
to admit light to the upi»er rooms.
This particular house is one of six
rooms, 26 feet wide and about 27 feet
6 inches from front to rear. It is a
very economical house to build. It Is
all plain, straight work, except the
dormer windows; and these are as
plain as they can be and still look
well.
Such houses are so easily built that i
a great many of them are put up in
country places without architectural
plans; but that is, generally speaking,
a mistake. Good working drawings
are so cheap nowadays that no one
can afford to take chances on haphaz
ard work. You can always recognize
houses that have been built after the j
Ideas of a local carpenter, just the j
same as you can spot, a suit of home- I
made clothes by the amateur expres- j
sion that smiles at you when you see
them They may contain the best of
material put together in a good, solid
way; but when the job is done, it
lacks the stamp of finished excellence
that only years of experience in cut- |
♦ ing and fitting can give. It is a mis
take to take chances on amateur tali
ent when you can secure expert ad- i
vice and exi>erience for a few dollars.
In this house, what would otherwise
he a very plain living room, is made
attractive by a fashionable window
seat and a triple casement window in
the front part of the room. There ar<?
a variety of these windows to choose
from. Some are hinged at the side so
that the sash may be opened inward
like a door; in others, the sash is piv
oted in the center, at top and bottom;
some aro hinged at the top; and still
othvr deuigns are hinged at the side
—
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KITCHEN
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First Floor Plan.
HO as to o|>en outward. Where the
sash swing out. the fly screens are
fitted on the inside, the advantage •
claimed being that you can hang cur
tains in any way you want them, and
not have them disturbed by opening
and shutting the windows. Because
«uch windows are becoming popular.
It is only natural to suppose that wo
men like them. They certainly pro
duce a stylish effect, and that goes a
Jong way.
In building a house it pays to inves
tigate the new things, both by reading
and by observation. You can always
find a new house that contains some
of the fashionable ideas, ideas that
are popular, the ideas that up-to-date
architects like to work into their de
signs. Some of these are very attract
ive and add very much to the appear
ance of a house, while others are sim
ply suitable togo with certain com
j binations. The owner is the one most
vitally interested; but a little advice
from a successful architect goes a
! long way, and lasts a long time after
! wards. You don't build a house every
| year. It pays to be careful.
l.ong years of experience In build
| ing medium-priced houses has denion
i strated a few facts that everyone
MA
Bl D PJOVI |
Second Floor Plan.
should (••now. For the health of the j
family, you must have good drainage,
sufficient ventilation, and an abun
dance of sunshine. In the face of mod-' j
ern invention, every new hortse should 1
| be piped for gas and for hot and cold ;
! water, and wired for electricity. Ev- j
I er.v house should contain provision for I
I comfortable, easy heating; and every j
house should have a good bathroom. !
These things are essential, both for
health and for comfort; to neglect j
them means to regret it as long as |
you live in the house. Other things i
not so important, and still desirable,
will suggest themselves, and may be
adopted or rejected according to the
size of the house and the expense a
person feels justified ingoing into;
but the demands of health and com
fort come first.
Shattered Idoi.
"One of the greatest sorrows of fa
mous persons like m'.-alf," recently
observed a well known novelist, "is
'he realization that comes to us soon
er or later that it is impossible to live
up to the ideal opinions that the peo
ple whom we meet in the ordinary af
fairs of life have formed of us.
"Not long since I had occasion to re
mark to a waher in a cafe where I
sometimes dine:
\\ aitei, this beef is extremely
tough.'
"Whereupon the servitor looked at
me with a sad expression and sighed
deeply.
" May I inquire,' said I, 'why you
sigh in that fashion?'
" 'Ah, sir,' said the waiter, 'I took
you for a man who always said orig
inal things, and here you come and
say just the same thing that all the
rest of them do.' "
Egypt's Green Sun Rays.
In Egypt, where the atmosphere is
very clear, the green tints of the sun
set light are peculiarly distinct. As
the sun descends nearer to the horizon,
and is immensely enlarged, its rays
suddenly become for an instant of a
brilliant green. Then a succession of
green rays suffuses the sky well nigh
to the zenith, says the Youth's Com
panion.
The same phenomenon occurs at
sunrise, but less conspicuously. Some
times at sunset, just as the last por
tion of the sun's disk vanishes. Its
color changes from green to blue, and
so also after It has disappeared the
sky near the horizon is green, while
toward the zenith it Is blue. The
fact was of course observed by the
ancient Egyptians, and references
thereto are found in their writings.
M'ALEER OF BOSTON HAS EYE ON PENNANT
Jimmy McAleer, New Leader of Red Sox.
Jimmy McAleer, the new leader ot
the Hoston American league club, tlg
ures on speed and slugging to win
this year's pennant. McAleer is quite
optomistic of his team.
"I expect to see Stahl, Hooper,
Speaker, Wagner, Lewis and Carrlsan
Mullin's Don'ts for Yt j Pitchers
Don't try to pitch without first getting control.
Don't Imitate—be natural.
Don't try to bean the batters.
Don't lose your nerve.
Don't forget that there are eight others In the game.
Don't think because you afe young the other players are pulling
aga ! n*t you.
Don't fail to cover first base.
Don't blame individual players if they lose a game.
Don't try to strike out all the batters.
Don't fail to watch older pitchers at work.
Don't fail to take advice when offered.
Newark will get Pitcher Ragon from
Brooklyn.
Pitcher Chesbro has asked the Bos
; ton Nationals for a trial.
Howard Camnitz of the Pittsburgs
j is an alderman in Hustonville, Ky.
The United States League club in
I Chicago has signed Bugs Raymond.
[ Pratt of the St. Louis Browns is a
: graduate of the University of Ala
bama.
Hugh Leonard, a young California
j pitcher with the Red Sox, is. only 18
| years old.
Gov. Harmon of Ohio is a thlrty-
I third -degree fan and is rooting for
j the Reds.
Peaches Graham of the Philadelphia
Nationals owns farms in Minnesota
j and Manitoba.
Minneapolis has taken Frank Dele
hanty from St. Paul through the
I waiver process.
Manager Stallings of Buffalo is try-
I Ing to secure Shortstop Blackburne
| from the White Sox.
Howard Campbell, the University of
; Michigan pitcher, has signed to play
| with Omaha this year.
Mcßrlde, the clever Washington
shortstop, has missed three games in
j four consecutive campaigns.
Spokane has bought Infielder Davis
from San Francisco. He is a youngster
who hails from Auburn, N. Y.
President Ward of the Boston Na
tionals talks of taking his team to
; Bermuda to train next spring.
Comiskey says that California is the
j only place for spring l training and that
j the White Sox will go there next year.
On paper Topsy Hartsel's Toledo
j team looks to have a chance to finish
j at the top in the American association.
President Meyer of the Okla
homa State league has signed Bill
Setley as chief of his staff of umpires.
Kansas City has bought Everett
Hornsby from Houston, where he has
been a winning pitcher for thiee years. I
The Athletic inflelders are going to
wear leather shiuguards this year, 'tis
said —and block Ty Cobb on the bases.
Willie Keller may accept an offer I
from Japan to coach several native col
lege teams. He says he can get big
money.
There are ten bachelors or. t;>3
Brooklyn .earn ibis year. The teuai::: .
Wheat, Stark, Miller, Schardt, Dent,
Morrow, Bj;k, Alien Knetzar and
Kent.
hatting more than .300," he satd.
"Yerkes may come through, too, with
a higher average at bat. With Hoop
er, Speaker and Stahl, not to mention
some of the youngsters, tearing around
the bases, i think Boston has au ex
cellent chance for the banner."
'DRUCKE WINS DAMAGE SUIT
Giants' Pitcher Gets Enough to Buy
Ranch in Waco Country in Texas,
Whence He Hails.
Louis Drucke, pitcher of the giants,
] the other day settled for what l)e con
sidered a substantial consideration a
suit that he had brought against the
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
V a
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f—|
Louis Drucke.
n New York to recover s2r>,ooo for in
juries which he alleged he had re
ceived in October, 1910, in a subway
train, which left the rails at the Ful
ton street station.
Drucke had a grip on a strap, but
was swung around and struck against
the steel frame of the car doorway.
He said that the muscles of liis back
w ere ruptured so that he has not been
able to pitch a full game since. In
ducements to settle were held out to
him twice before the suit came to trial
and finally when the case was called
before Ptistice Pendleton i,i the Su
preme Court, counsel announced that
a settlement had been reached.
What the amount of the compensa
tion was, no one would divulge, but it
was said that Drucke got enough to
purchase a ranch down in the Waco
country in Texas, whence he hails. A
report finally got abroad that he ra
ceived half of wf.it he demanded.
Pittsburg l\»im Travels.
The Pittsburg (*lub will do more
traveling than any or the major league j
»e>.ii>s during the coming season Al
lowing 25 men on each trip, Barney
Dreyfus will have to buy 34U,ti73
miles of transportation.
FORMULA BY SCHULTE
Confidence is Secret of Knocking
Out Home Runs.
If a Ball Is Judged Correctty and Hit
Squarely on the Nose With a Free
Swing It Will Easily Sail
Over the Fence.
"Confidence! That single word lets
you in on the secret of knocking home
runs in the major leagues," says Frank
Schulte of (he Cubs. "When baseball
fans wondered at the number of four
baggers I bit out last season and asked
me for the key to the mystery I al
ways gave them that answer.
"One Instance will illustrate the
whole story. Mathewson is Justly re
garded as one of the hardest pitchers
to hit the game has ever developed.
Yet Joe Tinker can solve his deliv
ery as easily as if the great Giant
pitcher were a bush leaguer. For Joe
Goes up to bat with one thought, 'I
can hit that fellow,' and he does. I
have often heard it said that Mathew
son would rather face an entire team
of sluggers than Joe Tinker by hte
lonesome. It's confidence that makes
Tinker win so many games for the
Cubs from Mathewson. I know I hav
en't the confidence against Matty that
Tinker has, and I don't hit him well.
"It's not so difficult to score homers
as many ybelleve. It's mighty hard to
tell just how I do it. But after I have
rapped one out I know that I have not
swung at the ball as hard as I did a
few innings before, perhapa, when it
went only as far as the shortstop. If
you judge the ball correctly, hit It
right on the nose with a free swing,
not too hard, and raise It up, you
stand an excellent chance of making a
circuit of the bases. The hardest hit
balls generally goon a line to the in
fielders or outfielders. But the long,
tall flies are the boys that clear the
fence.
"I can't tell how I had such a year
for making home runs last season un
less it's because 1 didn't try to get
Frank Schulte.
them. If you stand at bat and don't
pull all your strength into your swing
it's amazing 10 see how many get past
the infielders. I've made a lot of ex
tra base hits that might have been
four-basers if I had hustled a little
more at the start. Because sometimes
the fielder fiddles around with the ball
when he gets 4t in his hand, giving
you a chance to get all the way home
on a ball that doesn't go over the
fence.
"The longest ball I hit last year was
at the Chicago park against Pitcher
Ames of New York. I didn't put any
more muscle into the drive than I do
in some grounders which are easily
fielded by the infielders. But I judged
the ball was going to be an out curve,
and I walloped It right on the heart.
It not only cleared the high bleacher
board, but would have gone a hundred
feet farther if a building hadn't
stopped it."
Baseball Season Promising.
Thomas J. Lynch, president of the
National league, is suitably opiimistic
regarding the baseball season.
"It will be a close, hard fought
race," he says In a statement given
out, adding: "Every club in the j
league is stronger this year than last. |
Some of the second division clubs are ;
so much stronger that I look to see j
them in the first division for the great- j
er part of the new season. The pen- |
nant race will be a sustained and hard
fought battle, holding the Interest of
the fans until the final days of the sea- |
son. I predict the most successful se,<i- j
son In baseball history."
Paddy Livingston Nervous.
Paddy Livingston shudders when
he thinks how close he came to miss- I
ing a share of the proceeds of two i
world's series. When a telegram !
came from Connie Mack in the spring ;
of 1909, offering Paddy a job at a good j
salary, Paddy's wife was on the verge :
of tearing it up. Needless to say, she !
is glad now that the telegrum wasn't
destroyed.
Wants Extra Benches.
Manager Jimmy Callahan of the
White Sox suggests that extra bench
es be placed on every Amerl<%an league
field for extra pitches*.
STORIES OR
I
OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR
Edmund Ruffin of Virginia Fired First
Shot at Fort Sumter—Story
Told by Judge Pryor.
"The first shot fired In tliC Civil
i war." said Judge Roger A. Pryor the
; other day, according to the New York
Herald, "was fired by the hand of Mr.
Edmund Ruffin of Virginia. It may
be recalled that Virginia stood out
long against Recession. At the Vir
ginia convention a majority opposed
| taking the state out of the union, and
the secessionists knew that without
; the border states, of which Virginia
| was the leader, the cotton states
would speedily be crushed. Wa all
felt. I In particular, that the one way
Ito get Virginia to unite with her
southern neighbors was to strike a
blow against the Union.
"After consultation with Mr. Jeffer
son Davis and others of the secession
leaders I went down to Charleston,
and from the porch of the Mills hotel
delivered a speech to practically the
entire population of Charleston. In
that speech I urged the southern
| troops to strike the first blow, and as
sured them tkat once the conflict was
| on Virginia would secede 'within an
hour by Shrewsbury clock.'
"The next meeting I was deputed
l>v General Heauregard to demand the
J surrender of Fort Sumter. We knew,
of course, that surrender was impos
sible, but I was instructed after sur
render had been refused togo at once
to the nearest battery aud order the
commandant to open Are.
"When I got to Battery Johnson and
was met by the young captain in
charge I presented my order, and he
with much emotion, embraced me and
said that it was my impassioned
speech of the previous evening that
| had made war possible, and he of
| feted me the chance of fame by firing
: the first gun at Fort Sumter. It was
\ an honor I could not well refuse, and
i yet I was not anxious for it.
! "Hack there in Virginia where the
; flglit for and against secession had
The First Gun of the Civil War Went
Off With a Roar.
been prolonged and bitter I had
known Edmund Ruffin, a gentleman of
considerable estate and owning many
slaves. When the Virginia convention
voted against secession Mr. Ruffin
was so incensed that lie shook the
dust of his native state from his feet
and became a citizen of South Caro
lina. Then, old as he was.he prompt
ly enlisted as a private at Charleston.
It was while I was in the midst of my
quandary with the captain of Battery
Johnson that I saw Mr. Kuffin, musket
on his shoulder.
"To the commandant I said: 'Sir,
I appreciate the honor you would do
me, but I could not think of depriving
others more worthy than myself.
Here is the man whose devotion to
the southern cause makes him worthy
of the honor.' I introduced Mr. Rffln
to the commandant and explained the
circumstances, and when I left th&
fort to watch, from the front, the ef
fect of that first shot Mr. Ruffin had
the lanyard of the gun In his hand,
preparatory for firing.
"Scarce had we got outside when
the gun—the first gun of the Civil war
—went off with a roar. We could fol
low quite distinctly the flight of tlyo
shell, and we watched it in its course
until it burst with terrific force right
over Fort Sumter.
"That was the first shot! Virginia
seceded at once, when, the first blow
having been struck, President Lincoln
called upon her for her quota of
troops. Mr. Ruffin, as soon as the
state had taken the course he deemed
right, went back to Virginia and re
sumed Ills citizenship there. He lived
during the rest of the war. He was
on a large estate of his 'n Amelia
county when the news came to him
of the surrender of Eee at Appomat
tox and the loss of the southern
cause.
"'1 cannot survive the liberties of
my country," be said, with a resolution
as firm as that of Cato. He loaded a
double-barreled gun. and. pulling the
trigger with his toes, blew the whole
top of his head off.
"Those were his first and his last
•bots in the Civil war."