Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 212, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1910 — Page 2

RAISE PLUME PRICES

Advance of 50 Per Cent, in Cost of Feathers. Ornament Becoming More Fashionable *nd Last Three Years Have Seen Greater Demand Both Abroad and In America. London. —Ostrich plumes,—always an expensive Item of woman’s millinery—are generally growing more and more valuable. During the last three years the price of these feathers has risen 50 per cent., was the information imparted by a West end merchant A feather that a few years ago cost only SSO Is now worth $75. “The ostrich plume L the most fashionable feather this year,” he said, and very few other varieties are worn. More ostrich feathers are being sold than ever before. *We are making one form of feather nearly two yards long in some cases, to be arranged round the crown of a large hat Other large plumes are sold In sets of three. The most fashionable colors are shaded grays, chinchilla, which will be worn on chinchilla toques in the winter, and blues, from royal to navy.— But the leathers now sent over are of a much better quality than formerly. There has been a great increase in the supply from ostrich farms. With the demand for feathers, ostriches, too, have become more expensive, and the farmer now has to pay $5,000 a pair for birds. “As for the reason of their popularity and increased cost, ostrich plumes have had a great vogue this summer in Paris. American women, too have helped to make plumes more expensive. At the April auction one-half of the whole quantity put up for sale was purc ased by American buyers to take over to the United States.” Hand-painted hats are also becoming something of a fad with the ’ smart B€ ,'" They are made in sofe white felt, with beautiful flowers and ‘ foliage feathers or any other kinds of ornamentation painted on them. Oil colors are used, and, according to Heath’s, th a Oxford street hatters, the headgear 8 to all intents and purposes indeBtructlble. •• EVe one ’” the mana ger said, which is covered with great red decorativ- poppies, and they are painted f.w r * &lis . Ucall y that they really look like freshly gathered flowers. “An ordinary flower trimmed hat can only be worn a short time by the welldressed woman, because the decorations get knocked about or are ruined by the weather, but the painted hat will last for the whole season, and more, with proper care.” The married man who Ms wont to tremble at the tremendous collection of hat and bonnet boxes which his wife insists on taking with her when on a holiday tour regards the painted hat as a godsend, for it can be folded up and packed away like his own Panama, and, moreover, it is calculated to cut down the millinery bills by half or more. If the wife’s taste does not lean to flowers or feathers, she can have lizard, snake or chanticleer designs painted on the felt, or even goldfish swimming in a shadv pooL ,

Glaciers Increase Speed. Juneau, Alaska.-The great glacier In Rainy Hollow, near Haines, Alaska Is moving at the prodigious rate of 12 feet a day. Huge masses of ice are falling with thunderous noise over the precipice, at whose brink the glacier discharges. This is a season of glacier advance all over Alaska. Never before has such rapid extension of the ice rivers been known. The theory is that avalanches caused by earthquakes are responsible for the increased flow. The National Geographical society has an expedition in Alaska studying the phenomenon.

RATS WREAK RUIN IN CANADA

Manitoba Farmer* Compelled to Use Drastic Measures to Rid Province of Pest. S Gretna, Man.—The invasion of rats is becoming a serious matter, and unless strenuous efforts are made to stop their northern trek, they will reach \\ innipeg before the end of the year. For miles in both directions they have crossed the boundary into Canada, and now it is no uncommon thing for a farmer to kill 20 or 30 of the rodents in a single day without going on a special hunt for their scalps. Reports show that they are doing a "vast amount of damage along their line of march, and estimates sent to the department of agriculture show that the lo£§ already incurred through them this year Will total over $5,000, 000. Farmers have beep supplied with liberal quantities of rat virus, but the use of this poison has proved a failure, for the farmers have not taken the pains to use it properly. Traps which will catch the animals alive will be used and every female caught will be killed, while the males will be allowed their liberty. It is an established fact that polygamous rodents, lacking a supply of mates, vent their spleen upon their young, either eating them or killing them in large numbers. The supply of females diminishing, tha tnales attack each other and the consequent strife proves fatal to the race and the object aimed at by

IS PISA’S FAMOUS TOWER FALLING?

THE world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa has always been popularly supposed to have been built out of the perpendicular of set purpose, but that interesting legend seems now to be untrue. And, worse still, it is eanlng more and more, to its assured and speedy fall, as the Campanile of St. Mark’s crashed down to ruin. That is the finding of Italian royal commissioners, who state that it cannot remain upright much longer, and demand the taking of immediate measures for its safety. They have found also that the foundations of the tower are only 9 feet 9 inches below the surface, and that it originally stood bolt upright. Also they state that the base of the tower is immersed in a watery sub-soil. The tower, which was egan in 1170, is known to have been affected by earthquake shock In 1829 the tower was 14 feet 4 inches out of the vertical line; it is now 15 feet 4 inches.

BRINGS ANT PLAGUE

Dry Summer Causes Little Insects to Thrive. Especially Active In Attacking Flowers, and In Some Localities Invading Homes—Moisture Is Chief Foe. Chicago.—Following in the wake of the plague of tussock moths, though not as serious in comparison to the amount of destruction wrought but more of a nuisance, the plague of ants has settled upon the city to an extent that has created a widespread inquiry for means to get rid of the pest. Experts say that the oversupply of ants is due to the unusually dry weather which has prevailed this summer, their favorite breeding places being in dry, sandy soil. While practically every section of the city has suffered to some extent from the busy little toilers, localities adjacent to the lake along the north and south shores have been most annoyed by the visitation. As a rule ants are not considered as a serious menace to growing things, and they have even been credited with destroying the parasites which Infest

those ridden by the pests is swiftly accomplished. Instructions are now being issued broadcast by the officials of the department and it Is hoped that in this way the invasion will be checked and within a year at the latest the rat will have disappeared from the province of Manitoba.

Kraut Outranks Beans.

Boston.—Sauer kraut is an ideal vegetarian diet. More people should eat it as a daily food. This is the health recipe of Dr. Samuel Wingersky, who has written extensively upon foodstuffs. Sauer kraut is an ideal vegetarian food,” said Doctor Wingersky. "No; I should not advise every one to use this type of food, but when we are discussing a vegetarian diet there is nothing so toothsome as sauer kraut “It is tenfold better than any bean diet Whatever good may be said of beans may be claimed likewise for sauer kraut” : :

To Give Radium Baths.

London. —The firsts radium bath in this country has been opened at the Buxton Hydro, wherein installation for the production of radium drinking water also has been fixed. Various experiments have been carried out and patients now are availing themselves of this treatment, which has proved so effective on the continent In cases of diabetes, Bright’s disease and other complaints, t

plant life, but this year, according to Information from many sources, the ants have fallen to eating flowers of various kinds and the tender shoots of growing vines. They have made homes in lawns hitherto free from the nuisance, establishing themselves under stone and cement sidewalks, and have even carried their Invasion to back porches and into homes, to the dismay of housewives. Among the flowers to which ants seem to have been paying particular attention are asters, whose succulent petals are attractive.. Householders have resorted to numerous expedients to exterminate the colonies of ants, but in most instances without much success. Kerosene oil is said to have been found effective in some instances, but the best remedy is declared to be any of the several exterminator powders on the market ‘‘■ies, we have had an unusual number of calls 'for advice with regard to ants this summer,” said the manager of a big seed house; “they seem to have been unusually prolific, and the reason for it is the dry weather. Ants thrive best and breed best in sand, and it is seldom that they care to remain in moist, loamy soil. "Keep the ground as well soaked as possible, sprinkle the lawns plentifully and use some good ant exterminator with persistence. That would be my advice to those who are troubled with the little nuisances. By filling the crevices and runways of the bugs with exterminator they can easily be kept out of walls and away from sidewalks.”

LOSE HAIR BY LARGE HATS

London Specialist Tells Women of Dangers Which Lurk Beneath Mammoth Shades. London. —The gigantic hat has been monarch of all it surveys, and ridicule and rage have left it as firmly fixed on pretty curls as though it intended to be fashionable forever. But danger is now said to lurk beneath its mammoth shade, and there is every likelihood that hat boxes will shrink to normal proportions. A West end hair specialist has come forward to assert that if women keep their hats large they will lose their 'hair. “As grass turns yellow under a mushroom, so women’s hair will lose its color and deteriorate under the gigantic hats which are now the mode,” said the specialist. “There Is every possibility of the fair sex going bald unless a revolution in hats is effected. “First of all, these enormous mountains of millinery shut out the healthgiving sun and air. “Secondly, they present such vast surfaces to the wind that they tug against the detaining hat pins like a kite on a string."

HOW BEEBE GOT HIS START

Btudled Hard to Become Mechanical Engineer, But Found Much More Money In Baseball. - jp rxvENS’BEEBK.) (Copyright, 1910, by Joseph B. Bowles.) W hen I completed my cpllege course at the University of Illinois I wenh out to make my living. My people had sacrificed themselves to send me to college. Now I had gone to Hyde Park high school in Chicago to fit myself for a college career. I liked baseball and pitched for the high school team, which was a good one, but was always neglecting baseball in order to study. When I went to the university it was the same way; I wanted to make something of myself and planned a mechanical expert’s career. They persuaded me to pitch for the Varsity team and I gave it as much tjme as my studies allowed. When I finished at school I felt I owed something to my people for educating me. I had gained some honors at school and because of this I received an offer of $55 a month ,to work at the profession I had spent three years studying. At the same time a semi-profes-sional baseball club was offering me

three times as much money to pitch two games a week. I pitched for a time while looking for a job but'made nothing. Once I pitched a winning game and was paid two pitchers’ undershirts and a glove. The prospect was not encouraging. The best offer 1 received from any firm which needed the services of a college graduate in my line was S6O a month. I began to regret that I had devoted so much of my time to study and so little to baseball. Then I received a good offer to pitch baseball professionally and accepted it. Several fellows from the university team had made good in the major leagues and they “boosted” me. The -result was I jumped right into the major league and began to forget my other profession. I never have regretted it. I have made more money in seven years pitching than I could have in 49 at my real profession and when my arm wears out I have my fruit ranch to go to and a lot of pleasant memories to -recall. .

OTTO HESS IS SUCCESSFUL

Delivery of Leading Pitcher in Southern League Deceptive to Batters— Has Fine Control. Otto Hess is the most successful twirler in the Southern league this season. In fact, there are several reason’s for the Dutchman’s wonderful success, reasons known to the ball players and to the fans and to nearly every one. The main reason of his wonderful success is his fine control. Otto has been slinging them across the plate this year with reckless abandon. He has been walking very few men for a left-hander and this has had a lot to do with the majority of winnings that he has accumulated. But there is one reason, known only to the ball players, to which his big success can be attributed. Hess, as every fan who has seen him in action knows, is no small man by any means. In fact, he is a six-footer, and this has aided him greatly in fooling the batter. To use the~~expression of the ball Y>layers, they have been “swinging at his motion.” Probably the fans don’t realize what this means. Hess’ height is an answer to the question, though a meager one. To be explicit, Hess is so tall that when he winds up to deliver the ball, the batters have become accustomed to catching this motion and not the ball when It is delivered.

McAleer, Bench Coacher.

Jim McAleer has given up coaching from the lines. He no longer dons a uniform, but directs his team from the bench. There is perhaps no doubt that McAleer can be of Just as much benefit to his team on the bench as on the coaching lines, but the fans have always taken kindly to the manager who got out and hustled on the lines. They have never displayed a liking for the leader out of uniform. Cantillon was on the lines most of last season, but gave up his uniform late in the campaign and came In for much criticism as a result

HIGHLANDER’S STAR PITCHER

The wonderful success of Russell Ford, the star pitcher of the Highlanders, is due,principally to the development of a freak spit ball curve. Lajoie was unable to find it the other day and did not get a single drive off the young architect. The regular spit ball is thrown by covering the tips of the first and second fingers with saliva so that the ball will slip off those fingers and not take a rotary motion. The ball therefore gets its direction from the thumb and wobbles to the plate in a peculiar jerky fashion. The only trouble with that curve is the

BRESNAHAN TO PITCH AGAIN?

Manager and Catcher of St. Louis Nationals Thinks Change Might Benefit His Team. Roger Bresnahan, catcher and manager of the St. Louis National league baseball team, is quoted by his friends as thinking seriously of going back to pitching If things fail to break better for his staff of twirlers. Bresnahan broke into the game as a pitcher for

Reger Bresnahan.

Washington, and it was at Baltimore that MeGraw turned him into a catcher. Only recently In Brooklyn Bresnahan startled the fans by stepping to the slab at a critical moment and warding off danger.

HOFMAN WAS LONG ON BENCH

Star Centerfielder of Chicago Nationals Was Many Years In Securing Permanent Job. Artie Hofman, who is one of the greatest mainstays of the Cubs, is Just about rooted in center field these days, excepting When he cuts in on the first base job, vice Frank Chance. You don’t hear any more of long Arthur as a bench warmer or as a utility man—he has to be in the game all the time, and there is an awful howl when he is disabled. And yet it took years for Hofman to gain this regular occupation. He was so classy as an all-’rOuad performer, so clever when placed on any one of the seven 3obs outside the battery, that Chance Wouldn’t work him regularly. Artie

Russell Ford.

Inability of the pitcher to make it; break “in” or "out” to the batter according to the wishes of the twirler* Ford has solved that problem by inventing a way of making the curv£' break In. Ford found that by moistening the knuckle of his third finger with saliva the bell would slip off from the side instead of the tips of the fingers, and as there is no friction on the right side of the ball it would gradually drop “inside” of the plate. He controls it perfectly. He can also make the ball break outward by moistening the thumb.

had the distinction of being the best utility man living, but he wanted to be in the game all the Um% and yet Chance wouldn’t put him there. Chance maintained that Rabbit Slagle, with his ability to negotiate bases on balls as well as timely hits, would be the goods for the regular center fielder. But after Slagle passed and Hofman took up the regular work in center it was evident that he ought to have been there long before. He hit harder than Slagle, he made more runs, he covered much more ground with his long strides, and his throwing arm was infinitely better. In short, the Cubs had been keeping a star batsman and magical*fielder in utility roles for years, and never realized that they were neglecting an element of power. Queer how baseball works its ways, isn’t it?

NOTES of the DIAMOND

Manager Chance is in a bad way now for left-handed pitchers. Davy Jones and Ty Cobb are going along in a peaceable manner again. Jack Coombs has already won more games this season than he did all last year. He is proving to be the best man on~the Athletic’s strong staff. Manager George Stallings of the Highlanders, still thinks the Tigers are to be in the running for the flag. That is saying a lot for a manager that expects to be there himself. Big Ed Walsh, the star twirler of the White Sox, Is disheartened. The reverses that the “Speed Boys” handed him recently, have rendered the former spit ball wonder bereft of his old-time effectiveness. Manager McGuire is planning on another switch in the Naps and putting Lajoie back on first. Turner will go to second in that case and one of the youngsters, Peckingpaugh or Knaup, will goto short. The average baseball scout earns his salary many times over by keeping his club from signing dead ones. The general opinion of a scout is that he is sent out to pick every player that is recommended to him. Fred Clarke is far from being too o»d to play the game yet. In Saturday’s game between the Pirates and tne Doves the Pittsburg leader made two two-baggers, a triple and a single, Not so bad for an old fellow. —Danny Shay is bolstering up his pitching staff in Kansas City very materially. Frank Owen, the old Sox pitcher, was secured recently and now he has secured Bill Rowell from the Pirates. Dusty Rhoades was with the Blues all season. The Cleveland team has added two more youngsters to the list for 191 D Outfielder Burns of the Danville Three I league team and Outfielder Callahan of the Eau Claire team of the Wiscon-sln-Minnesota league were purchased the other day.