The San Francisco call. [volume], April 29, 1911, Page 2, Image 2

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

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I*l-1 JE SAN FRANC-SCO CALL, SATURDAY, -APRIL _9, 1911.—-^ITfE JUNIQR CALL,. ;
2
JUNIOR
EDITORIAL
CORNER
Good morning, Juniors! }.: <■■■/>■,
T^MKM&ci^M^i^BBKSHBca6SBB i'*vP^BV^^BHi^^
How many of you arc ready for May day? In England and many of the
European countries th,e Ist day of May is made the occasion for all sorts of
happy gatherings. It is aggreatt t day for the open fields and the woods, for
wild flower hunts- ami tramps along the streamside. "One of the favorite
ceremonies of the day is the time honored maypole, with it*-. Rowing stream
ers and groups' of happy children, and.from early morning until sunset the
merriment keeps up; rln America the custom prevails to a certain extent,,but
not universally. It's a pity, I think, for, May day is one of the most charming
■ gala days' or the year. ,
Very soon you will be entering upon the last month of school, Some of
you aire. looking forward to the final weeks with a great deal'of anticipation,
secure in the knowledge. of.a'passed year of conscientious study, while others
are shaking .with apprehension over the nearing "approach! of the reckoningl;
day, when examinations will tell the story. The boys'and girls who belong
to the latter group, each year. at the end of the semester, take solemn vows
% .* j •*■■ f> - - •* v*lttfif£iUP^il9„
to attend most zealously to* their studies during the coming year. Never, they.; :
declare, will, they neglect their opportunities again. . But by the time vacation..
jF&mW*l*XßamWKHSfTßmom9qrt*rtn ■,' •-'*■ • *•• JS^ HHWMiP'IJNHi J'ri'.lhC
has come and gone their remembrance of the 'anguishl,endured at that time ;;
has become a bit dulled. They take up their studies.' in the usual happy go
lucky sort of a way and put their faith in chance and the possibilities of cram-.'
ming's! the close of the year. ; , -*■.--.
lam sure that from..the. time you were little tots you have been told to
guard against the! dreadful habiti of procrastination. There is nothing more
insidious in asserting its influence. If mother tells you on Monday to do a
certain thing and - have it-in 'first*: class shape by Friday, it is -so easy to, per
suade yourself that Friday is a long way off, and ths^t there is plenty of time
ahead for the accomplishment of your task. In consequence, you have a
perfectly beautiful time all week, and "suddenly Thursday night awake to the
knowledge that your task, for .which you had been allowed plenty of time,,
was. staring you in the face uncompleted. Immediately:you dive into its
intricacies head first, and seek to do in an hour what you should have taken*
a day to perfect. If you manage,to finish it on-time, you only do so under a
terrific strain, with the result that you are entirely worn out for the rest of
the week. „.., :;. .
Try to cultivate evenness and moderation. Juniors. Don't leave your.''
tasks until the last minute,and then turn them out in an unfinished, unpolished',
state, simply because you were too much of a laggard* to do your work 1
properly in the first place. ' You will find it much more satisfactory in the :
long.run .'to-study an hour every day, than, to play- day in and day out and
then cram 12 hours a day-during the last month of: school. Take my advice
-and see if it doesn't work like a charm. This is not from experience, but
purely from observation. f : , -.
The hew contest makes its first appearance today, It i- not .1 prize con
test. We, the editor and 1. were* talking the other day on; tin* subject of the
new bird which Puppy and Thatched the Sunday before Faster.'! Said the
editor to"me:, "We'll have to name him, .Alonzo... What shall it ; her And
1 answered: "I. give ; the Juniors: a chance at the christening before^ we
decide upon anything definite." So here is your chance to cover, yourselves.
with glory. The new name must be out of 'the ordinary—something.funny,and
something appropriate. Sec what you can do with it. And -end your letters
to me direct,"as lam going to he the ornithologist on this paper.,;
- '■:* „.^t~i * ^^i t fCjßijflXt£^-*--i&.aMi, _y ' ____. . '■--:_..-■■«_ - - - .-' T*fl__l*«V__^-ai
• Now, let me hear from you nil this week. Keep up your interest ."in," the*,
writing contest and contintte;to.do,aß.gbod work as you have sent during
(lie-last, few weeks. \ Rpst '.wishes for evcryjone of you,; ami don't forget'
to .name the bird. -'*-* ; **•*.' ' AtOXZO.
SHORT BARKS FROM ALOXZO '■
Why did the hoard walk? . Because the woodpecker would peck her.
I am really very; much worried over , the situation in Mexico. Those
rebels don't, seem to he able to listen to reason. It's quite upsetting .when
think about it. In case war breaks out with the United States, I'll have
to put an extra clasp on my collar and hasten to the front. In that event,
the Pup would have to edit the Junior, which I*am;sure; would* be f fatal 1 to
circulation—both his and the paper's.; I think I'll wire Diaz to stop the fight.
"Mother.is planning to attend a convention on the other side of the world
some lime in the near, future. I don't know whethcr'you've noticed it "not,*'
but. women, whether they're ,dogs or humans,, arc expensive luxuries. .If they
stay 'at home,' they expend all of their spare energies on collars, and when
they're traveling they always choose some outlandish place as their destination
~-soine corner of the earth that no one ever heard of before.
The Junior Call, Third and Market streets,
San Francisco, Saturday, April 29, 1911.
A PUZZLE
IN HEADS AND TAILS
The head that is only part of the head,
The tail that grows slender and tall ; I
The head of large size that will hold a great deaf.
The tall thai makes some people fall \';'
Guess the name of tbe head that can swim with its tail
The tail that the epicures eat; 65l3K£fi
The, head without money who has what be wants,
, The tail with four lees and four feet
Dangers Threatening Electric Wires
"The* average person t might hardly
suppose," remarked an old telegrapher
the" other day, •'the strange dangers
that, threaten the-wires from the at
tacks of animals. From ants .to . ele
phants ; and fishes; to- birds * are includ
ed the enemies to telegraph and cable
lines in various parts of the world'
. "Not -long ago a newly erected.line
which runs through the forests of Aris
took, In the northern portion of Maine,
.was attacked by the black bears of the
region,, and; these animals persisted-in
climbing.the poles and breaking off the
porcelain eupsi'or insulators that sup-:
port the .' wires. What appealed Jo ; the',
minds of the animals in the little glass '
or earthenware knobs that they should
have taken'" such pains to get at, them '
and break them from their supports
might'form, food for conjecture to one
interested in such matters. It may have
been that the animals mistook the insu
lators for some new and curious kind of
fruit growing on these ; unfamiliar trees ■
—a sort of new.variety of plum or crab
apple.;. At all 'events, the damage thus
inflicted to the lines was considerable."
* It appears, from the reminiscences of
this knight of the Key, that: in the old
days, when . the buffalo;-* roamed the -
prairies 5' of, the '.west, in • vast herds, the
newly : erected", telegraph lines suffered
from ;a, propensity ■• on the, part ,of the
animals to utilize the poles as scratch-;
ing.posts,' from .whichsthey- seemed: to:
derive as much satisfaction as ' did the
Scotch highlander of traditional fame
from the thoughtful provision? of j the
duke Of 'Argyll.. "An ingenious' engineer,
employed on'the building of the lines,
thought to balk tlie buffaloes and safe- ■':
guard, 1 the.' poles by studding the. lower •
pact of 'the latter with Iron" spikes. ■■' So -
far ; from <- being deterred :In J their ' novel
use: of *, the* poles, however,' by ;■ this.'
means, the hirsute ..'animals, seemed f
greatly.to appreciate the addition of the "
spikes, which s they-appeared i>to regard
as being intended to form a sort of cur-"
rycomb.. V \ „'
A large kind of woodpecker has been
at; work for;some time past In Norway,
a-siduojjsly;' eating into ,the', poles and :
forming cavities lit various portions * of,;.
.the wood. The extraordinary, persistence
shown by the; birds In this apparently
aimless phut carefully executed proceed-.:.
--ing has] recently been explained* on the
hypothesis that the* woodpecker, deluded
byi the humming -."of the wires. which is
conveyed;by they body of the pole to.
BOine* extent,; fancies the latter to con-,
tain a, hidden swarm of insects which it
fis determined to spare no efforts to dis
cover. .; ■■■. ,V *'*'." ■'••' • '..*'■';"■■ •■.<■'■•'_ ."'
..'The green woodpecker of California,
-instead, of seeking a, phantom store of'
.insects with the telegraph poles, mani
fests; a"; more severely, practical, ;if,less
imaginative, j instinct - by: "utilizing ' the
red cedar posts sis convenient and ef- „*
fectlve 1 places'ln 'which 1. to 1 store his
rood supply. * The tops *of the j poles are r <
.often found riddled with' small pits,
which are; Ailed with. a.-orris—a nut be
ing neatly stored, in each cavity — thus
providing the [birds* against: a winter!
famine. Indian crows and "Australian
magpies have been known to pick' up
the wire clippina left'by the telegraph
engineers in t putting up the lines and
build; their nests with them on; the
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It is said that In some parts, of Africa
and 'India elephants have found what",
was apparently' quite an attractive di
version to their way of thinking In up
rooting telegraph poles ' by. the hun- :
dreds, their powerful being sin
gularly adapted 1 for this species of ex- \
ercise. '" I?i ■'-" .' " ' *
The. powers of "destruction possessed '
by ants in their war upon the tele-,
graph! line' might seem ridiculously
feeble compared *with those , of ele
phants. 'Yet, as a, matter of fact, in
certain countries ants work far more.
harm • in,: this wise than do the ele
phants, where Jhe latter most abound.
The : havoc, wrought in tropical coun
tries by the termites, or white ants,
may be seen by specimens In. the.col
lection of the Smithsonian Institution,
showing that. In one night massive
wooden posts, as well aa weighty books,
etc., can be almost * completely demol
ished by the inslduous creatures. Tele
graph poles.' in the places where! these
ants abound, are now, It Is said, Im
pregnated with oil of, creosote, or, in
especially Infested districts, iron posts
are - found necessary.-
In Japan there is a spider which gives
a good deal of trouble to the telegraph
men owing to Its habits of spinning
webs from wire to wire and causing , a
leakage of the electric current from one
wire to another, especially in the morn
ing,' when the webs are heavy with
dew. Wasps and other insects also are
known to build their nests between the
wires or about the insulators, and
these, in wet or dewy,weather, produce
a leakage of the -messages. . .In , this
city,' some years ago, according to the
veteran telegraph chronicler, a line was
put out of commission for several hours
%on account of a, swarm of .bees-having
■. taken ' up their; quarters ; ins a .box and
preventing linemen,from effecting some
necessary -repairs. "* After great trouble
• the insects were. at length. smoked out
of their, improvised abode.
,;;The small boy has,been known.toi en
ter the lists with the foes of the wire,
and It is said to have recently-been;
found desirable in Belgium and other
countries, to employ insulators •' of >an
Inconspicuous gray, color Instead "of
white ones, as offering, a less tempting
mark to aim at. In savage or barbae
ous countries the natives are prone to
destroy the lines, .which, however, they
are sometimes Induced to regard/with
superstitious awe. Occasionally' this
sentiment has been inculcated into their
minds by the expedient of letting! a
shock; from a, wire; into ; their system.*-*.
It might be supposed that submarine
lines are, securely: placed out of the'
reach of liai-m, but these, too. it ap
pears, have,their, enemies.- The liin
norla worm and the xylophagar shell
- fish* devour both' the 'hemp and gutta
percha Which protect the wire, and
permit the electric .current to ..escape
into the sea. ,'A ; single onslaught of a
i certain marine ' maggot "has"*- costl the
shareholders of a cable 'company many
thousands of dollars," because.it has
entailed .the.^expensive proceeding; of
lending a cable ship to -grapple for the
cable and cut out;the fault./i This is
,said to be 'an extremely.' trying opera
tion," especially .when performed in un
favorable /weather. '; , ' . „
Instances are ."on, record' where 5 the
depredation to a cable, has in till like
lihood been the* work of a .sawfish. Sev
eral :i sorts of ; fishes .are V effectively
armed by nature for penetrating sub
marine cables, and fragments of.their
teeth have;'actually ;. been extracted
from ithe Injured portions,; •• '.■'*.
;Cases j are• known;of a- whale ■becom
ing entangled in a submarine cable,
and meeting its death '\in;> this way
through• suffocation. A notable instance
occurred In the Persian gulf some years
ago.The cable was, it is said, lying slack,
and the repairing ship hauled up the
dead body of the animal. Fishing boats
and other "vessels sometimes'work- un
intentional damage *to submarine ' tele-'
1 graphs by? cutting.- cables with their
anchors,'"and in ' such cases* it :Is -.re
marked that "the 'depredators say noth
ing of the occurrence. A telegraph
engineer was ;once; on ; board \a* vessel
Which cut a cable with Iter anchor. The
ingenious expert i immediately set about
Improvising a battens and telegraphed
the exact position 'ST the accident to
the telegraph;company in its office in
the city.thus' saving the company much
expense and delay. "'