The San Francisco call. [volume], January 21, 1909, Page 6, Image 6

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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THURSDAY
The San Francisco Call
JOHN D. SPRECKEtS ..:.... ...... . . . . . . .Proprietor
CHARLES W. HORNICK 1 ... L General Manager
ERNEST S. SIMPSON .'... . . . . . % . ;...... ;; ..JVUhaginx Editor
Addi-«-«s All Conimnnicntlonm to THE: SA3T FUAXCISCO CALii
TeJeybone "iiEARXT «T— AjiJc in TJwi Cmfl. -Th* Oper»t»* 'wiU Connect
You Wtth (be Department Ton Wlih.
}\u25a0 Cfcctdation Guarantee -.\
tSfesf Certifies £fct The San Francisco Call
is tEtt&a tp a gimcto raring fa - -. PAILY AITO SUNDAY
Z%t S^stxti2s'i 22!ue 3B«& ef Cartifirb zrd , Cirralfftimtf
C* fcrtina tftefctb tfcetf iecOiQp far a "ienpJfte exiimrutfien ,tA tinolstwn, pttmtttina;
osrcs&ctr* ezuts ia tbtbedU Mb rttcrW ot <S fe#Ktnußt* (or * tfeorstt&fi aubit «n> i
trz[?f \£. Ircn t&r japsr pcrffatrt crt ransomrt tfercugt tfc* fertailtf «f prtff prefcurtum
Mb *n tizzxxls o£ fcusntHCim to tfct toil usb tempts. -
I ; »"Q Francl.cc, C,I, U^/}"^^' ,
m r- <n n /o
The Blue Book lists and guarantees a pullioa&gn orJy afler^i complete
and thorough examination and, audit hat proved that chs publisher has
made accurate statements of circulation, and the rating which this exam'
maticn insures prcrides a guarantee that
The Call, Dully and Snndny. Smp Franctaco. Cal.
has proved by examination, thai the circulation -records are kept with card
Pand the circulation stated with such accuracy that advertisers may rely on
A cny statements ef earn* made by Its publishers under V# ownership and
L management in central October so, juuh. |
&^ «s£B
THE waste of time in getting. a jury to try Patrick Calhoun
naturally attracts attention all over the country, and the remarks
that are made are not complimentary to the criminal procedure
*of California courts. Of course, the difficulty
is not created by the trial judge, but is due to
rulings, technical to the degree of absurdity, by
which he is bound. Thus the process is seen
by the Pasadena News:
y0 They are now endeavoring to get a jury in the
. Calhouii case in San Francisco, composed of men who never heard of Patrick
• Calhoun. never knew of the existence of the United Railroads, never knew
. about Abe Ruef's trial and conviction, never heard of Boodler Schmitz and
• his boodle supervisors, never read the papers, have no interest one way or
.". the other in the enforcement of law and the punishment of criminals and
possess no opinion on any subject. That kind of a jury ought to be im
'• penetrable as well as incorruptible.
That may be a little bit overstated, but it gives a fair general
.' idea of the process. The delay is chiefly due to the ridiculous ruling
of the supreme court that a man who has read any part of a transcript
of te^imony in the case has by that reading made it impossible for
• him to give the defendant a fair trial. The supreme court is the
universal mind reader,
A man who declares that he can give the defendant a fair trial,
notwithstanding anything he may have read, should be eligible to sit
on the jury. Of course, he may be perjuring himself, but that is
the vice of the system in cases where there is danger of jury bribing;
and this can not be avoided by ruling out a man who/has read some
thing. A yenireman who wants to get on a jury for a corrupt purpose
' will not stick at a little perjury, more or less.
Why Hie
Jury Box
Does Not Fill
THE hitherto uninspected poverty .of the Wells Fargo express
company, that finds such clamorous expression before Commis
sioner Franklin -K. Lane, contrasts strangely with the jubilant
note of prosperity set by the annual report of
the corporation for the year ending with the
month of July last. In that report President
Dudley Evans of the company shows net earn
ings of 50.98 per cent on its- capital stock of
$8,000,000. As the- capitalization is more than
three- fourths water, that percentage does not point the wav to the
poorhouse. In the year preceding, the net earnings of the company
were 52.92 per cent on the capital stock. As the company increased
,'its assets by more than $4,000,000 last year, the slight decline in net
earnings does not appear important.
This company has accumulated from its" earnings a vast reserve
or burplus fund, of uncertain amount because the secret is carefully
guarded : but it is known to be in excess of $16,000,000, and may be as
much as $25,000,000. All that money, in addition to large and regular
dividends, has come out of shippers, mostly from. Pacific coast points,
and the figures raise a mathematical certainty that the rates exacted
are unreasonable and excessive.
It is with the purpose of bringing these rates down to some
equitable basis 1 that California shippers have the interstate
commerce commission for the hearing which is now in progress. The
obvious desire for concealment of the facts shown by witnesses for
the company in that hearing is proof that there is no defense to the
case made by the shippers. The witnesses dodge and squeal and'
squeal and dodge like a rat in a cellar.
Wells Fargo
Dodging
Inquiry
THE CALL welcomes the agreement reached between Governor
Gillett and the good roads association. It is a matter on which
all hands must pull together if anything is to be accomplished.
"**"" — *-:\\7 e ' believe that the governor has worked out a
broad and statesmanlike scheme for the creation
of a state highway system on a comprehensive
plan. It is designed with a view to greater
economy and co-ordinated effort than, the
alternative offered by the association. It se.ems
better that the work should be handled as a whole by the state. than
left to the unrelated and perhaps uncertain enterprise of the several
counties.
It is quite true that the good roads association had no thought
of politics in the plan which it advanced, but it : is the fact that
road building by the counties has mostly been a waste of jnQney by
reason of politics-. It will scarcely be denied that California, working
under the county system, has spent money enough in the past to
provide every important part of the' state with good roads; but the
fact is that most of the road funds have been spent in doing politics
to bujld up county rings and fortify supervisors in their jobs. The
whole political machine of the state "has its foundation in the local
control of road funds. .';'•" \u25a0*'
The Call does not.in,tlie least impugn ; the motives of 'the men
who formulated the plan propounded by the' good roads associa
tion, but we do not . believe; they, have an accurate or intimate
understanding of the situation in its political. bearings. \ It may be
urged, and doubtless will be urged, that graft is possible under the
plan of state administration, and to a limited extent this is true.
There is always a certain amount of waste in the administration of
public money, and however unfortunate this may. be it is 1 nevertheless
a fact to be reckoned with. But there is- not the slightest doubt that
the graft that might be possible in the work of a state, bureau would
be itibignificant compared with that which now exists under; county
administration. The operations of a state commission of this impor
tant character and function would always be subject to the closest
supervision and criticism by the public press. On the other-hand;
the administration of road funds by supervisors passes* with little : or
«w> notice. The supervisors have nothing: to lose by exposure of -the 1
Getting
Together on
Road Building
r 1 t irr A ' : PAt i r () H H r f /\ I
After tH& dotxst
/ \u25a0 •\u25a0 \u25a0' .\u25a0 • \u25a0* ;\u25a0 - '•-\u25a0 . . " . \u25a0". - ..- _' . . \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0"- .;' \u25a0••."..:.\u25a0.
The Pitchfork Is Much the Worse for Wear
\u25a0 .. . - —Baltimore American.
petty graft, which, multiplied by the number of counties, mounts
annually to a vast bum, with little in the way of results to show for it.
Commissioners appointed by the governor, working under the eyes of
the whole state, and having reputations to conserve, would act under
a corresponding sense of responsibility.
It might be urged locally that in accordance with Governor
Gillett's bonding plan San Francisco would be taxed to build 'roads
for other counties, and to a certain extent this is true; but it is a
narrow view of tlie situation, j The governor , proposes to issue
$18,000,000 in bonds, for which the whole state would be taxed to pay
the principal. The interest would be paid pro rata by those counties
in which road building was done by the state. Under this plan San
Franciscp would be taxed for its share of the principal, although its
participation in the direct benefits would be small.
San Francisco can not afford to treat the interior in a niggard or
selfish spirit. That would be short sighted and narrow. Interior
communities sometimes like to take a jab at this city, but they do not
really mean it, and in the sum of business affairs their prosperity is
our prosperity. Every dollar will come back with interest, and in
fine a liberal stand on this matter will help San Francisco tenfold, if
it only serves to promote a good understanding, among the folks.
THE enterprise of the chamber of commerce in undertaking to
provide a well planned and completely equipped, commercial
clubhouse and businessheadquarters makes distinctively, for: the
J ~ * common "good of San Francisco. The chamber
wisely believes that it should not be a merely
local'organization, but should invite affiliations
with business-men and merchants of the interior
and should provide them with accommodations
, t , «- HpsignpH to facilitate their work when they visit
the city. The chamber will provide a common ground with all the
appliances of a counting house, or business 1 office, wherein the visitors
may make themselves at home and meet on neutral ground the people
in their line of affairs.
It is proposed to erect a building that will be a credit to the city
and take its place on the leading thoroughfare as testimony of San
Francisco enterprise. It will fulfill the purposes of an exchange, with
all the modern appliances, and will provide convenient ground on
which large transactions may be arranged and completed. With an
expenditure of $500,000 on the undertaking, the chamber and its
affiliated members should be handsomely housed.
Chamber of
Commerce
Enterprise
Answers to Queries
PASSPORT — A. C. K. Whore must I apply
for a passport to go to Germany?
To the secretary of state, Washing
ton, D. C. .The" law regulating applica
tions says: A person who Is entitled
to receive a passport, If within the
United States, must make a. written ap
plication, in the form : of an. affidavit,
to the secretary bf state.
The' affidavit must be attested by an
officer authorized to administer oaths,
and if he has official seal it must be,af
fixed. If he has no seal, ;his official
character must be authenticated \u25a0\u0084 by
certificate of the proper legal officer.
If the applicant signs by mark, two
attesting witnesses to his signature are
required.
The applicant is required to state the
date of his birth, his occupation, and
the place of his permanent residence,
and to declare that he goes abroad for
temporary sojourn' and intends: to 're
turn to the United- States with the pur r
pose of residing and performing the
duties of citizenship therein. , \u25a0;.* \u25a0
The applicant must take the oath of
allegiance to the government of the
United States. _ :
The application must be. accompanied
by a description of , the person apply
ing, and should state the 7 following
particulars, viz.: Age, years; stature,
— feet — inches (English measure);
forehead, — ; eyes, — ; nose, — ; mouth,
— ;.chin, — ; hair,—; complexion,;. — *
face, — .
The application must be. accompanied
by a certificate from I at leasf.-ohe
credible witness that the applicant", is
the person he represents himself torbe,
and that \the facts stated in: tin; affi
davit are true to the: -best, of the wit
ness's knowledge an<r belief.
EYEBROWS— M. i. V.,. CAty. Is it .true tliat
tbe use' of alcohol , will ; Iblcten: eyebrows?..
. A writer to f a \u25a0. medical journal says:
"For those who have' 'scant^eyebrows,
pure alcohol Is said to be a good stimu
lant. . Take -a""- little on- the'endjof a fin
per, then massage it welli Into .the* skin.
Such a cure Is-ve-ryslmple' and: a-simr,
pier tonic can not be found. Of course,
one must \u25a0 take care ;tliat -. none of the
alcohol- touches, the eye,, for such an ac
cident would prove very ; painful, but
-with-; ordinary watchfulness; there is no
danger 'of such, a catastrophe."
•NOT-fA pUBIO — Subscriber.! City. Is a*. $20
gold piece . coined . in San .Francisco >In isfl.3 - and
not haTlns upon ; Jt the motto * "In God? we
trust,", a rare coin?; \\." v \u25a0.;'"-
: ; It .Is riot. The motto ,was ? firstf put
bn*j two cent; pieces, inVAprll,"-: 1864,' and
on' $20 pieces some;.tlrne;afterjthat;fby
authority -of ; the i act .of * March ;3,> 1865.
;\u25a0 : .-, \u25a0 ,->-\ .' •:• .- •;.• •\~', _•'. '. -\u25a0-;."\u25a0•\u25a0\u25a0--' '\u25a0-- \u25a0".'\u25a0\u25a0'.'•'-•>
KIT KAT CLUB— O. 1 V... City.:.- Pleaselpubllsl)
amuctbln* ahont the Kit ! Kat club and tell i.wben
It was founded. \u25a0 '''\u25a0'.-'\u25a0. '- : \u25a0"\u25a0'r'.'-\- :r )r''y ".[\u25a0'•' *
',' This f club was : founded i at" Westmihs^
ter,-,rEng.i: in ,1703, by.: Steele, V AddU
son and .some other literary.;: geniuses
of iJtliati;. time.:/ .The v:naniG,>was-A taken
from : Christopher *Kat,' common ly| called
,VK lt,"ia v pastry ? ; cook; ' at % "Whose 'C house
tbe elus tnetJ His M place"' was called
"The Cat and Fiddle" and .was near
Temple Bar, London. The club lasted
about 30 years. In- the summer the
members met in the house of. . John
Tonson, at Barn Elms, In a room spe
cially built for it. Sir Godfrey Kneller
painted the portrait of each of the
members to adorn this room/ but as
the ceiling was \u25a0 low the: canvas for
the portrait had to. be cut to 36 by
28. From this portraits of that size
became known as "Kit Kats" and are
still: designated' by that name.
CHANGE— H. X., Alaroeda. Cnl. Seyeral
young 'men have informed me that . while with a
young :. lady they - never . examine their change
after paying for.carfare, buying theater tickets
or coming from a restaurant, contending that it
looks, "cheap" In tbe, young lady's eyes to do so.
I» that proper?. \-~ v
A'young manwho-does that is, play-
Ing, a bluff to make ' it appear that
money is no object to him. A youngr
man, who looks to see that the correct
change Is returned to him creates the
impression that he is careful. '
- LOYAL LEAGbB--A Subscriber, City. What
was . the loyal .league . during the clril war
times? .;\u25a0;-. :',-'' \u25a0'-\u25a0.•.-' '',\u25a0-\u25a0 • .'-.\u25a0"\u25a0'\u25a0•:
That was a name given to many of
the organizations effected among the"
negroes of the south during;the.recon
structlon '; period "for protecting their
newly, acquired rights. -
NUMERALS— Two : Iteadettt, .Oakland. Cal.
Should a period he used • after. Roman numerals?
\u25a0„" No, for the- reason" that numerals are
not /abbreviations. It would ~'\ be just
as j much v out , of \u25a0 place) to put \ a period
after the'. word i"twelve" as it would be
to put It after XII. v !
'\u25a0' •\u25a0, \u25a0 " '•\u25a0.\u25a0\u25a0 !•! • . \u25a0': • '\u25a0'\u25a0• '\u25a0 ,:.'.
HENttY GEOlUJE— Sul)scrlber, City. '\u25a0'- Who
were the candidates -against lle"hry " George
wlien he : rnn for mayor of New York City in
1880? • , . ' - ',
. Abram S. Hewitt and Theodore
Roopevelt. \u25a0;.:,-'" ;;V* •'\u25a0\u25a0.\u25a0• ' .;-'O \u25a0.',.'
:•'=•\u25a0-.\u25a0'' '.: .' . .*.'.•';\u25a0' •-" ,'<-*. ... ".,.'\u25a0-
1 PANAMA CANAL— A.'- ; S.. Oakland, C«l.
Where .shall. I apply, for a position", on the Pan-,
nuia canal? -. ' \u25a0 . „ . . ."'
"Communicate with the Isthmian canal
commission, Washington, D.'C.?j l
VrilAßlPOSA— Subscriber. , City; ,What . is •: the
meantnff'of iMarlposfl,' the name oX one of the
counties of, California -H /^^^^^^^^o^gjSS&
It is Spanish: and means butterfly,"
also rushlight. . ' - , * \u25a0:
. FORT ROSS— M.vß.'pieasantoni Cal.' When
was ;. For t - in, Sonoma. county, 1 ; Cal., built ? : .
\u25a0'- About I the time ' that the Russian set
tlement was. founded there in 1812. '^
. : SOUP-^-John,' Oakiand; Cal. "ls it bad \u25a0 form to
tip ; one's soup; plate t while at; the .;> table?. •
• and is kh evidence of bad breed
ing. \u25a0.'.\u25a0\u25a0;*M^^^^^fe T ft;: -:.;" \u25a0"' : ; . ; ;;^mi
\u25a0V-.-' \u25a0.£\u25a0'•".>' ' \u25a0 •-••/ <\u25a0:\u25a0•* •* U* '.- \u25a0\u25a0:.-'-.•\u25a0 •\u25a0\u25a0;:" :.— '\u25a0'• \u25a0 •/•/ •
\u25ba JOHNSON— Reader, ; City, in; what year wn»
Rcverdy > Johnsou ?\u25a0 appointed U minister, from ; the
United fiiatcs to Great Britain? .•:\u25a0 • :
In; isb*9. v^^;-^-; - ; v;-,-. : ':'
. SO tin A -^.J;".: F.r '.,' City. . was John P.
Sousa,. bandmaster, Vboro* 1 ;-''
The Smart Set
MISS FRANCES NEWHAJLL, ' and
Miss Virginia enter
tainedyesterday at a^delightful
tea grlven at their home In Pa
cific avenue in compliment to Miss
Sara Coffln, and -despite the inclement
weather a number of the .debutantes
and younger girls enjoyed one of the
prettiest affairs of the month. Among
thosa who called during. the afternoon
were:.'. \u25a0 -' i :3-' rr Q -'•« > .-
Miss Avis Sherwood
Miss Dorothy Brace
M!»» Nora Et*b»
>llss Uorothy Boerlcke
Mlv Ruth Boerlcke
>U«» V Mice Ope
Miss Anita Mallllard
Miss El va de l'ue
Miss Clara Allen
Miss Jeanne .Gallolij-
Mlss I Maude WUsoa S
Miss 'Dolly MacUaTln
Miss Hannah da Hols
Miss Emlly.du BoU
Miss Janet Coleman
Miss Dorotbjr Woods
, Mlas Dorothy Van Slckien will cn t
tertalnatV a/, bridge party to ;be given
Wednesday, February 3, In compliment
to Mies Marian Miller and 'Miss Helen
Jones. Miss 'Marian Miller will be. the
guest of honor at the ;tea to be given
the i preceding r day by Mis* Suzanne
KirkpatrJck; .
Mrg.J.' Downey Harvey arrived yes
terday from Del Monte and Is the guest
of Mrs. Eleanor Martin at the home of
the • latter in Broadway. Mrs. Harvey
will remain In town for .an Indefinite
stay. ; • \u25a0.;'•. '. \u25a0
Mr, and Mrs. William G. Irwin will
entertain' at a dinner party; to be given
Friday evening at' their attractive home
in Washington street. Since the . re
turn of Mr." and Mrs. Irwin jfrom
abroad -they -have entertained fre
quently, at their hospitable home and
their daughter. Miss Helen Irwin, has
been hostess at a number of affairs for
the. younger, act.. The dinner Friday
will be for the younger married friends
of the host and hostess.
Mr. and Mrs, Eugene Lent entertained
atan'lnformaldinnerglven last even
ing at their home In Eddy street for
a few friends.
Mrs. Henry Foster Dutton - was
hostess yesterday at an informal tea
given at the Fairmont for over a score
of guests. The affair was one of a se
ries that Mrs. Dutton has been giving
this winter at the hotel.
Frank H. Buck was host last evening
at an enjoyable dinner party given at
the Fairmont. The. table decorations
were American beauty roses and covers
were laid for the following, guests:
Mr. \u25a0 • and; Mrs. " Alden Mr; and Mrs. de Pue
Anderson \ ' . Mr. , and Mrs. Joseph
Mr. -. and Mrs. Alexan- , Chanslor ' '
der BergeTln •
Mrs. Samuel Benson has sent out
cards for; a bridge party that she will
give Friday, January 29, at her home
in Clay street. Mrs, Benson will be
assisted by her mother, Mrs. George
Ames.
Mrs. Noble H. Eaton, will be- a -hostess
Wednesday, January 27, at a brldgp
party to be given at her home in~Val
lejo street. . :^"- vf >-:.*.'
Mrs. George Hill Stoddard will enter
tain next Monday at : a tea to be given
at the Fairmont' in compliment to Miss
Maizie Crowley, the fiancee of Howard
Bletheri, who has been the favored
guest at so many of the recent affairs.
A number of the debutantes from
town will attend the Saturday evening
dance at Berkeley. This is v the third
In the series of six dances given by a
club of girls In the college town that
have attracted guests from this side of
the bay. Among those- who will at
tend the dance are Hiss Cora Smith,
Miss Ruth and Miss Dorothy Boericko
and Miss Marjorie Patterson.
Mrs. Joseph Masten will give a series
of card parties next week and the dates
announced are January 27 and January
28 at the home of the hostess in Wash
ington' street.
Miss Marguerite" Butters, who is the
guest of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Augustus
Bray, will be hostess at a dinner party
to.be given next Thursday at her home
in Broadway for a dozen guests. Among
those who have received cards for the
affair are Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hayes
Smith, Missf Ethel Amweg, Walter
Scott. . . ..;"'\u25a0\u25a0 ;; ' :
Mr.. and Mrs. Richard Allen Keyes of
Salt Lake City arrived here yesterday
and are at the St., Francis, for an in
definite stay. Mr.: and Mrs. Keyes have
been visiting, friends in the southern
part : of the. state and will be the In
centive, for many affairs during their
visit in the city. - This Is their first
visit here since the fire, although they
we,re here every year preceding the
disaster and have. a. wide circle of
friends. -'~*gsX&
;Brigadier General Edward Davis, U.
S. A., who arrived here on the Man
churia from .Honolulu, has gone to
Byron Hot Springs for a few days' rest
before going, east. .. \u25a0 v/'A;
Mrs. 'Eleanor Martin presided at a
delightful: dinner given Tuesday a even-
Ing at the St. Francis -for less than a
dozen guests. Among those who en
joyed the hospitality of 'the hostess
on this occasion were: *•
\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0" -- :•: • ' \u25a0 - 1 " - ': ~ \u25a0\u25a0. - : . v * * .. .-"
Mr and Mrs: Walter S. Templeton Crocker ~ '
Martin . \u25a0. • Miss Jennie Crocker '
Mr. and Mrs.. Horace D. Miss Virginia Jolliffe
Pillsburj .-..; jjohn Lawton
Henry T. Scott will be host at an
'elaborate dinner to bo given Tuesday
evening, February 2, at the, St. Francis.
Mlsa Louise McCormick, the daughter
of. C. O. McCormick of Chicago, will be
the j guest f of ; friends in this city during
the • month of i February.' Miss McCor
mick will arrive here within a week or
two and will be entertained; by Miss
Ruth and Miss Dorothy; Boerlcke at
their home! In Washington, street. The
charming young eastern girl will prob
ably be the incentive for several of the
•February affairs. v • .
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Martin are at
the' Hotel Astoria " In Paris and write
enthusiastic letters from the /French
capital ; of their charming location: Mr.
and Mrs. Martin will remain abroad
Indefinitely. ,
General. and MrsADoherty .will' enter
tain next at a reception to
be given <at their VFrultvale : home In
compliment, to .the. Misses Morrison of
San Jose; who I . are guests at the Fair
mont; U ...-. - :
i Mrs^Burrell^G.: White, was hostess
this? week^ at the; meeting of an infor
mal bridge \\ club that has :been . holding
af series > of "?pleasant- reunions at the
homes ; :'ot Vthe 7 members. A
"score of guests en joyed. the}meeting this
week; at the home of the hostess in Pre
sidio.terrace. V %v . .' j--] \u25a0'
v Fay,! Boerlcke,: the .oldest son of Dr.
arid ; Mrs.% William. Boericke. leaves' Frl
day,ffor;the east land will remain away
probablyi f or- a year or : - more.- :
ELECTRIPYI2VG Y STJ CLAIR .TUNNEL
Consul Neal McMillan (of , Sarrila sends
a Canadian newspaper an account of V. tlv&
electrification ,;of the7st;,-Clalr J river
railroad v tunnel, which " has i been : ac
compHshed-:at,a;cost of: ?I.ooo.ooo,Vand
formally^ inaugurated C the ;* middle • of
September.*:' The 3 consul i; terms : it ; the
most tp.importantfienglneerlng';, achieve
ment »inselectric^ transportation,^ being
the -tunnel in • the
world. v-Each: electric locomotive Is' of
75Q|horsepower.^|^naHBnMBBBnHnfl
THE INSIDER
Tells How a Doughty Skipper, Who Had Weathered a
Thousand Gales, Quailed Before the Storm Raised by
Two Angry women, but Ended the Trouble in a Diplo
matic Way.
Skipper Wins With
.a Story of Shipwreck
diplomat until the last voyage. The first day out from San Francisco, when
the, captain took his seat at the head of the table, he was confronted by
two angry women, both of great social prominence, and both claiming the
scat of honor at the captain's right.
The doughty skipper, who had weathered a thousand gales,' momentarily
quailed before the storm, but quickly gathered himself together and begged
4he belligerent beauties to be seated temporarily on either side. "You know, 1 *
he remarked, "this reminds me of the time I was wrecked off the mouth
of the Amazon river." Interest was replacing the contending emotions, and
the two women, like tbe others at the table, listened with marked interest.
"Fdrtunately we all got ashore when the ship struck," continued the cap
tain, "and started up the river in search of some town. We journeyed
through the -jungle for ten days, eating. grass and fish and living on hard
ship. -The tenth day we ran into a lot of those savage natives, who attacked
us with spears and bows and arrows. We managed to beat them off and
took refuge in a bend of the river. We knew we couldn't last another day
and realized that our only hope lay in getting across the stream. But that
seemed impossible, as it was- a raging torrent and swarmed with crocodiles.
"The only thing we had saved from the wreck was about 2QO fathoms
of manila rope. Suddenly one of the sailors, who was an ex-vaquero, that is,
a cowboy, picked up this rope and after making a running bowline in it
started to swirl the loop around his head. Then I caught the idea and
realized that we were saved. The loop settled over a tall indiarubber tree
on the opposite bank. All hands laid hold, and with the aid of an improvised
block we managed to stretch that rubber tree clear across the river. We
made it fast to another rubber tree on our side of the bank, and as it was
then dark and we were afraid to risk our lives on the swaying bridge until
daylight, we turned in and got a good night's sleep. We were up bright
and early, but there was no river in sight! The rubber trees had contracted
during the night and drawn the banks of the river together!'*
One of the women, who had been growing paler, suddenly excused her
self and hastily left the salon. "And," continued the captain, "we walked
across on dry land, cut the lashings, and the banks of the river flew back
into place, leaving the savages on the opposite side. Then we sat down
to a good, hearty meal of rich,, fat salt 1 pork — " and the captain turned an
innocent gaze. on the vanishing form of the second woman.
"I knew that if I could keep peace for half an hour they'd both be too
sick to care where they sat," explained the captain as he began stowing
away the various courses.
Gossip of Railwaymen
A passage at arms between Inter
state Commerce Commissioner Franklin
K. Lane and Peter ' F. Dunne of the
Southern Pacific is being repeated with
much amusement by the railroadmen
who attended the Los Angeles meet
ing.
.It will be remembered that at a
former meeting before the commission
Dunne was most anxious to place
George W. Luce, general freight agent
of the Southern Pacific, on the witness
stand for the purposes of immunity.
Lane overruled this, request, and Luce
was not put in the exempt class.
The other day at juos Angeles Lane
asked Dunne:
"Have you any more witnesses?"
"No, your honor, I have not."
"Are you sure of that?" replied Lane.
"Yes, your honor, I am. There was,
however, one time when I was anxious
to place a witness on the stand and
you would not allow him to go ori."
] i "Ah, that was where you missed a
golden opportunity. Mr. Dunne,"
laughed the commissioner.
A new team ferry steamer has been
jusf.completed by the Southern Pacific
at its ship building plant at West
Oakland. It has a wooden hull. 272
feet In length. 42 foot beam and 1»
foot depth of hold, with four boilers
and tandem compound engines, with sa
loon deck accommodations for 100 pas
sengers. .
Owing to increasing business it Is
thought advisable to tmlld a duplicate
steamer for the ,excluslve handling of
automobiles, . ' carriages, team traffic
and baggage between San Francisco
and Oakland pier. Within the last year
this class of traffic has grown exceed
ingly and it Is? thought another boat
for this business will be able to cope
with the needs of automobiles and
those who use carriages In crossing*
the bay.
"One of the greatest afflictions that
has to be borne with heroic patience
both by the transcontinental lines as
well as by the interstate commerce
commission." said an old railroadman,
"is the claim broker. It Is only a ques
tion of time until the shipper will be
come as weary of him as are the trans
portation companies. These claim bu
reaus seek out the, little technicalities
in the tariffs on the basis of which they
make claims against the carriers, not
withstanding they themselves know
that the intent; of the tariff Is entirely
foreign* to their intention. They -call
upon shippers and tell them they have
been overcharged on a certain com
modity and will, collect their claim for
50 per cent for the amount paid. Of
course the shipper has nothing to lose
in an arrangement of this kind. These
claims are presented to the transporta
tion companies and usually~rejected. If
they are legitimate claims the shipper
Impertinent Question No. 87
What's a Cinch?
For the most original or wittiest answer to this question the
briefer the better— The Gall* will pay FIVE DOLLARS.
For the next five answers The Call vvill pay ONE DOL^
LAR EACH. Prize \vinning answers will be printed next
Wednesday and checks mailed to the winners at once. Make
your answer short and SEND IT ON A POSTAL
CARD to KHHHtti
IMPERTINENT QUESTIONS
:'\u25a0\u25a0•\u25a0. - ;. THE CALL.
Winning Ansuers to.*»\\liy Dont You Behavrr
J3 prUeto Mrs. A. Andersoa, 031*UniTer«lty «»enu#, Saa'Jose.
Eve \u25a0> didn't. '
$1 prlte to ,Thonj«» Flaherty, 2333 Fulton street, city.
$1 prlie to Mrs." J. J. Geti' : 1224 Forty -fl ftn arinue. cit j.
\u25a0 I have large brown' eyes, pearly teeth and lovely dimples.
' $1 prire to W. L. Crichton. Sansalito. *J^^
; I^thinW. she doesn't «ally want me to— but she thinks that
;'; ' $1* prize; to- M. L. : Melson, . Ulenwood.
What's the use? I'm happy this way. Bialfl
- 11 prize to Miss ;Effle' Fleldr 152 Water street, Santa Crua.
I can't ; I have more won't \u25a0 power than will power.
S/ANUARY2I, J9UV
CAPTAIN THOMAS DOWDELX,
master of the liner Alstmeda, never
fully? earned his reputation as a
could just as well present the claim
himself and not be obliged to pay an*
outside concern 50 per cent for collect
ing It. After these- claims are rejected
by the carriers In many cases they are
taken before the Interstate commerce
commission and the time of the com
mission and the employes 'of th« car
riers is simply wasted wtth questions
that are turned down usually by the
commissioners. The transportation com
panies have always shown a willingness
to pay a legitimate claim, and as far as
I can see there Is no valid excuse for
the claim broker. Ten'ttmes tb'one he
gets'all his Information from some em
ploye who Is Instructed by law to give
all tha Information possible consistent
with his duties."
• • •
An announcement has been made that
the Great Northern an<J Northern Pa
cific railways will operate in Manitoba
under the charter of the Midland of
Manitoba, and James Fisher, the com
pany's attorney, has stated that con
struction will be begun Immediately be
tween Winnipeg and the International
boundary, and trains will be running
Into Winnipeg over this line before the
end of this year.
Beginning May 23 the Burlington la
to run through passenger trains be
tween Chicago and the northwest, m
addition to two trains via the twin
cities a new one by the way of Billings
and the Northern Pacific is contem
plated. One of the others will be run
over the Great Northern from St. Paul
and the other over the Northern Pa
cific. There is also to be & new train
from Kansas City via Billings to points
In the northwest. The service is to off
set that which the Chicago. Milwaukee
and St. Paul will have when its exten
sion to the Pacific coast 1» finished.
S. M. Felton Is credited with having
said that the Mexican government will
have nothing to do with the practical
operation of the National railways,
known as the government merger. Al
though the government Is Interested
largely In the new merger Its influence
will be felt only In the direction of pre
venting unnecessary railroad construc
tion and in using the resources of the
company toward the development of the
republic and furnishing railroad facili
ties where they do not exist. The'
merger system embraces the following
lines: National, 1,710 miles; Central
Limited. 3,490 miles; International 922
miles; Hidalgo and Northeastern 15?
miles; Interoceanic. 752 miles— being a
total of 7,012 miles.
« •
C. S. Franklin, contracting freight
agent of the Santa. Fe at Cincinnati. 13
on the coast on a vacation.
L..M. Pom«roy of the Pennsylvania
lines has left on business of the com
pany to Los Angeles.