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The Elk Mountain pilot. [volume] (Irwin, (Ruby Camp), Gunnison County, Colo.) 1880-19??, August 28, 1919, Image 3

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Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063397/1919-08-28/ed-1/seq-3/

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INTERESTING ITEMS
FROM THE CITIES
Here’s a Real Seadog—-Sir Peter, Naval Mascot
DENVER.— Every ship and station in the United States nary has Its mascot.
Sir Peter, a handsome black and white Scotch collie of endless pedigree,
owned by Lieut Com. R. B. Hammes, Is serving at the present In this capacity
He rises promptly when the ship’s captain or an admiral enters the room, but
he absolutely Ignores ensigns, junior lieutenants and other lesser folk.
The canine baronet has led an active and varied life, has broken two legs,
has been blown 50 feet from a navigation bridge to the deck without injury,
has been run over by a "flivver” whose owner narrowly escaped lynching at the
hands of Incensed sailors, has saved his masters life, and has performed
splendid service as lookout on board ship and as spy-hunter ashore during the
war.
During the war Sir Peter served on vessels of all types and was con
sidered a splendid sailor till he went aboard a tiny mine sweeper, the U. S. S.
Dahlgren. The Dahlgren had a roll all its own, and a saddened Peter Joined
the other rtokles at the rail*
Only once has he been known to lose his nerve. During a terrific storm,
while he was on the U. S. S. Virginia, he was attacked by a steel safe and a
perambulating piano. With a yell of fright at these unholy phenomena, ho hid
his head under a blanket.
Sir Peter knows all the bugle calls aboard ship. But how ho hated the
general alarm for battle stations! He knew the firing signals and each would
cause him to tremble until the detonation of the broadside. At "cease firing"
he was a different being, glad to be alive.
Clack of tiie Wooden Shoes Astonishes Chicago
CHICAGO.— State street in this town is what you might call sophisticated.
It hardly ever even blinks an eye at Dame Fashion’s humoresque. But
State street, Chicago, was agape when Miss Marie Dalton went clumping along
In her wooden shoes. Wooden shoes
are plentiful In West Pullman, which
used to be the "Holland settlement,”
but they are new to the loop.
"They’ll never be the style,” said
a woman In a striped sport suit.
Bald Miss Dalton, opening her
curvy mouth, "They are in style. Who
wquid be silly enough to pay S2O a
pair for shoes when these only cost
$1.25 r
Prices of leather shoes soon are
expected to tax the purse of Mr. and
Mrs. Buyer even further. The shoe convention held recently In Chicago dis
played boots and shoes that are expected to retail at SBS a pair next winter.
New York manufacturers prophesy they will be S2O a pair before next season.
With all the other little luxuries of life, like butter and brooms, soaring
sky-rocket high, the shoe purchaser has a problem to face.
The answer Is the pair of smoked wooden shoes on the double "A” fleet
of Miss Ifarle Dalton.
"There’s more than that to bo said In their favor,” dimpled tho wearer.
| "You don’t have to shine ’em—Just whittle ’em a little^
"And you don't bave to buy lasts to keep them In shape.
"And they don’t get wet when you play golf at sunrise.
"And they don’t run over at the heel.”
And thereupon Miss Marie Dalton went clumping along down the street
the observed of all observers.
Y. M. C. A. Girl Dances 1,271 Miles With 7,003 Yanks
EVANBTON, ILL.—The champion Y. M. C. A. girl dancer of the City of
Churches has returned. She Is Miss Margaret Torrlson, 1635 Hlnman
avenue. She is the daughter of Judge Oscar'Torrlson of the circuit court.
She is a Smith college graduate, class
teen service In France. She kept tab of the number of soldiers she danced
with and the distance she traveled while dancing.
"I spent s year among the outposts of the American army In France and
danced with the doughboys from Le Mans to Coblenz,” says Miss Torrlson.
"Our boys, for the most part, refused to learn the French dances, but in a few
minutes would instruct the French girls how to execute the American dances.
Then the French girls wonld like the American dances better than their own—
far better.
"I have danced with 7,003 men, for a total of 1,271 miles. I still have two
good dancing feet, too. Also a collection of hundreds of programs, fraternity
pins and trinkets.
"We danced In monasteries, barns, castles and in the streets. And the
American doughboy is the most enthusiastic dancer in the world—believe me!
We had a fine time, but I’ll say I’m glad to be back.”
Matrimonial Adventure of an Arkansas Traveler
HOT SPRINGS, ARK.—This city Is taking on airs over the wedding of Lieut.
Raymond Lee Hlles In Scotland. His matrimonial adventures show the
sort of enterprising young man Hot Springs sent to France. It appears that
Hlles eloped with a Gloucester girl.
They arrived in Edinburgh only to find
that residence of 21 days In Scotland
was necessary before the ceremony
could be performed.
The lieutenant and his fiancee
were naturally considerably perplexed,
not knowing any one In Edinburgh.
Then Lieutenant Hlles conceived the
brilliant idea of bribing two hotel por
ters to swear they had been living in
Scotland 21 days, and the first mar-
riage was performed. The lieutenant ,
and Mrs. Hlles prepared to return to America, and even got as far as a steamer,
but in the meantime the trivial matter of bribery had been discovered and
stern officers of the law arrested Hlles and his wife on the boat and dragged
him back to Edinburgh, where he was sentenced to a month's imprisonment.
The marriage was declared null and void.
But the friends of the two got busy, and even the smug tory London paper,
the Globe, printed s stinging leadter declaring that the action of the Edinburgh
authorities was Insulting and a blot on the fair page of Anglo-American
relations.
Mr. Secretary for Scotland consented to a proper legal marriage ceremony
being performed. • •
After the wedding the terrifying governor of the prison appeared to
announce that the said Mr. Secretary had ordered Lieutenant Hlles released.
at the Denver navy recruiting station.
Long years of experience, service, on
11 ships and at various stations, travel
by sea equivalent to a entire around
the world and of 12,000 miles by land
has given him a sagacity which the
i Denver bluejackets declare cannot be
equaled anywhere.
Sir Peter takes unto himself the
rank of his master. Adored by aH
enlisted men, be accepts their homage
as s matter of course, permitting them
to be friendly but not overfamiliar.
of 1014. That’s the winning combina
tion —Evanston girl and “college
learnt”—how can you beat It?
Anyway, Miss Torrlson was one
of s group of 16 girls who volunteered
for overseas canteen service and left
i under the care of Miss Sarah Gibson
* of Boston. In the eyes of her fellow
townsmen she Is entitled to the dis
tinction of being the long-distance
dancing champion among the Y. M.
C. A. girls who volunteered for can-
in ni MOPMTAnr mot.
WANTED: The DUNES
NATIONAL PARK
by JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN
PHc*gra|*s & FRANCES LA FOLLETTE
Y Natural >
Wonderland
in Indiana on
Lake Michigan
Should Be
. Saved for the
\ People /
ANTED: The Dunes National park
in the sand dunes of indiana on
the shore of Lake Michigan be
tween Gary and Michigan City!
The middle West has visited the
playgrounds of the people in the
scenic West—the national parks of
the Rockies, Sierras and Cascades.
It hus found them good. It has fullen
In love with the national park Idea.
Now It is asking: "Why not a na
tional park right here, instead of
half way across the continent?” For
t
■■ j
there I. not a acenlc national park worthy at tho
name between Hocky Mountain :n Colorado and
Lafatyette on the coast of Maine.
So Indiana, Illinois and Michigan want a na
tional park, and'they have picked out the duues as
the right place for it. . ~_K
How they are going to bring about lta establish
ment 4s a big question. The proposed park area
Is all under private ownership and Is held at spe<>
ulatlve prices on the chance of a second u ry
being built at the head of Lake Michigan. Even
at actual values it would cost about $2,500,000 to
buy the 13,000 acrea most desirable for park pur
poses. The acenlc parka of the West were takefi
from the national forests and the public domain
by congress. To date there Is no precedent for
the appropriation by congress of funds to purchase
a national park area. Lafayette was presented to
the government for national park purposes by the
owners of the property.
Congress has no national park policy. It dilly
dallies with national parks as It does with most
other things. It is now generous with appropria
tions and again niggardly; for instance, it gave
Yellowstone $334,000 und Yosemlte $255,000 in
1910 and kept Rocky Mountain, with twice as
many visitors as both parks, down to SIO,OOO.
Politics enters largely into all national park legis
lation. In the Sixty-fourth congress the interior
department supported the bill to enlarge Yellow
stone and the bill to add to Sequoia and change
Its name to Roosevelt. The agricultural depart
ment. because the proposed additions would be
taken from national forests, and therefore from its
control, opposed both bills, beating the former in
the senate and the latter in the house. So there
is no telling what congress will or will not do in
the matter of national park legislation.
Can congress be induced to appropriate money
for the purchase of private holdings lor national
park purposes?
This question has been put squarely up to con
gress by two bills introduced at* this session. One
calls for the appropriation of a million dollars or
so for the purchase of Mammoth cave, Kentucky,
and Its environs for a national park. The other
provides for the establishment of the Mississippi
Valley National park on both sides of the Missis
sippi in southwestern Wisconsin and northeastern
lowu. Here the two states own the land under
the river, the federal government controls its
navigation, pnrt of the proposed area Is a Wiscon
sin state park, some of the lund will be donated
and the land to be purchased by the government
hns been appraised at a very moderate price.
Can congress condemn private holdings for na
tional park purposes?
Nobody seems to know. Most lawyers would
say off-hand that the state of Indianu can con
demn the dunes for state park purposes. And
presumably the state of Indiana could transfer the
land to the federal government. The national park
service has been looking into the question of con
demnation. It is advised that the government can
condemn private holdings inside of national park
boundaries —in fact, a bill is pending to condemn
160 acres In General Grant National park which
the owner will not sell for a reasonable price. As
to the condemnation of patented land outside of
a national park the natioual park service is yet
undecided. Condemnation of the dunes has been
advocated by private individuals and by the press..
The creation of Lafayette National park has
established this precedent: The federal govern
ment will accept suitable land presented to it for
national park purposes. So, while other questions
are being thrashed out, the Indiana. Illinois and
Michigan federations of the General Federation
of Women’s Clubs are engaged In a campaign to
raise sufficient money by subscription to purchase
the dunes and present them to the government for
s national park.
There is no question that the Indiana dunes are
worthy of national park honors. October 30, 1916,
a public hearing was held In Chicago by the In
terior department In pursuance of a senate resolu
tion. In September, 1917, a printed report by
Director Stephen T. Mather of the national park
service was issued. This report eliminated from
consideration all of the dune country except a
strip along the shore of Lake Michigan about a
mile deep between Miller’s in Lake county and
Michigan City. After describing the dunes with
considerable enthusiasm. Director Mather says:
"Assuming, without further description of actual
conditions in this dune country, that the sand
dunes of Indiana are equal to those In any other
section of the country; that they are the most ac
cessible dunes; that they possess extremely inter
esting flora and fauna; that they offer unparalleled
opportunities to observe the action of the wind
and its Influence on the sand and plant life; that
the Lake Michigan beuch is beuutiful and offers
bathing facilities for n multitude; that the recrea
tional uses of the region are myriad, should they,
or a large section of them, be preserved for present
and future generations? If they should be pre
served, ure they worthy of Inclusion in a national
park? And if they are worthy of consideration as
a possible national park, would it be practicable
to establish them as such a park for the benefit
and enjoyment of the people?”
He answers the first two questions emphatically
In the nftlrmntive. He says this region should be
preserved to the people for all time und that it is
worthy of national park honors. As to the third
question, he thinks It oue of legislative policy to
be determined by congress, inasmuch as the dunes
are not public lands, nnd private lands have never
been purchased for national park purposes. He
thinks the park should contain from 9,000 to 13,000
acres, extending 15 or 20 miles along the lake. He
finds that options secured by speculators vary
between $350 and SOOO an acre, with one tract of
2,300 acres held at SI,OOO an acre.
“Manifestly." says Mr Mather, “none of these
lands are actually worth $350 an acre at this time.
A figure less than S2OO an acre probably represents
the actual value of the average tract of land not
under the influence of urban values, due to prox
imity to cities. Practically all of the larger hold
ings must be purchased in their entirety. I believe
that 9.000 to 13,000 acres of dune lands can prob
ably be secured for park purposes for approximate
ly S2OO an acre. The purchase price of a park of
the size suggested would therefore be between
$1,800,000 and $2,600,000."
The proposed Dune National park Is really a
wonderful place. In the first place* the dunes are
an uninhabited wilderness. The fact that there Is
an uninhabited wilderness within u few miles of
the center of population—in 1910 at Bloomington,
In ,l— n nd at the very doors of Chicago, the second
dty of the nation and the fourth city of the world,
is in itself u marvel. Incidentally, the dunes are
within a few hours by rail and automobile of 20,-
nnti,o(H> people. This makes them unique as a pub
lic playground.
Again: The dunes are a different world from
the monotonous flatness of the Chicago plain.
They are a country of hills and bluffs, gullies nnd
valleys. There are all sorts of Interesting varia
tions: Little lakes, streams, bogs, meadows. The
bluffs above the beach are Imposing. The bench
itself Is a wonder— broad, smooth, clean, free from
rocks and stones and quicksands, sloping very
gradually Into deep water. There is probably no
finer freshwater bathing beach In the world.
Don’t think of the dunes as heaps of bare sand
In a desert. They are exactly the reverse. They
have water, trees, shrubs, vines, flowers, grass,
birds and small wild animal life. The truth Is that
the dunes are a great natural propagating garden
with a most astonishing array of trees and plants
and flowers. This garden Is packed full of flora
from the Lake Superior region, the Atlantic coast,
the middle South and the western prairie. It
seems to have almost everything In the plant line
from cactus to cranberries and from pines to tulip
trees. A list of only the most characteristic and
Important plant species numbers 208. ’
To the ordinary visitor probably the spectacle
of the “walking dunes” Is the most Interesting.
Here he sees land In the mAklng. Here today la a
towering dune crowned with flowers and plants
and trees; tomorrow It is gone and where It was la
a great blow-out of glistening sand, with Its steep
sides strewn with dead trunks exhumed from an
ancient graveyard of a previous forest. Today
there Is a deep gash in the bluff; tomorrow Its
place Is taken by a very lofty heap of white
sand that has come up. grain by grain, out of the
luke, on which grasses and plants nnd shrubs and
treelets ure already struggling for a foothold. To
day stands a forest on the edge of a shallow pond;
tomorrow it is a cemetery, with even the tree
tops covered by sand marching in from the beach.
The accompanying map nnd diagram shows
where the material that builds the dunes Is com
ing from and how it gets there. Lake Michigan
has been taking material from the west shore and
depositing It nt the dunes for a period reckoned at
about 5,000 years. Previous to this period the
level of the lake was 50 or 60 feet higher than now
and the discharge was toward the Mississippi at
a point near where now are the dunes. When the
ice-gorge or glncer which prevented the discharge
of water into the St. Lawrence was removed and
the lake drained Into the Atlantic Instead of the
gulf, the level dropped, the present lake currents
set in and the building of the dunes was begun.
Public land surveys made In 1835 and soundings
of Lake Michigan furnish the data for these
estimates: During the last 5,000 years the waters
of the lake have washed away about 500 square
miles of land from the shore extending from the
Indianu state line northward into Wisconsin.
Where this land was is now water from 30 to 00
feet deep. The old shore line extends out from
three to nine miles; then there is an abrupt drop
of several hundred feet.
This Is an unparalleled erosion; It Is accounted
for by the softness of the shore, which is largely
composed of material that was ground very fine
by the glaciers that deposited it. It is estimated
that 7,000,000 tons of soil is taken**yearly by the
lake from the shore north of Chicago. So there
is plenty of material for building operations at
the dunes.
These facts suggest this interesting question:
What will happen to the dunes when the supply
of building material stops?
And stop it will, and that comparatively soon.
For the shore north of Chicago will in a few years
be pretty solidly settled by people who have money
to spend to prevent further erosion of the shore.
In fact, erosion has already been stopped over
long stretches, and In many places the shore has
beert built out. The time is coming when the west
shore will be protected from eroslqn by piers and
breakwaters. The supply of building material for
the dunes will presumably stop. Perhaps then the
dunes will stop “walking.”
Let us hope that long before that time the
Dunes National park will be a people’s playground,
dedicated to public recreation forever.

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