Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 216, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1915 — Page 2

With a Railroad Survey in Alaska

A SEASON’S experiences with a locating crew on the first government railroad in the interior of Alaska would fill a book. How we ran down a monster black bear in mid-stream with a river steamer; the everyday trials in our work; the wading and actual swimming of swamps, and the constant attendance of the “little singer,” the Alaska mosquito; methods of bathing; floods on the Tanana river—these are only a few of the occurrences that befell one of eleven engineering parties on this herculean government project. writes George Mayo, assistant United States engineer. The first 400 miles of railroad, the part only of the great system that now is to be a reality, has its initial point at Seward, a thriving town on the southern coast of Kenai peninsula; follows the now inoperative Alaska Northern railroad around Turnlgan and Knik arms, and then follows the Susitna and Chultina rivers to Broad pass, from where the projected railroad runs down the Nenana river to its junction with the Tanana, and up this river to Fairbanks. In order to reach the Fairbanks end of the line, where our work lay, we took a coast steamer from Seattle to Skagway on June 3; over the White pass and Yukon railroad to White Horse, and from there by river steamer down the Yukon river and up the Tynana river to Fairbanks. As the days went by the more wonderful grew the scenery. At times we would pass through a channel so narrow that it seemed as if we were trav-

ersing * great deep and green river, and the echoes from the screw were thrown back from both shores. The shores were precipitous walls, spruce clad and tilting down from snowcapped summits Little waterfalls trickled down every slope. We touched at Ketchikan and "Wrangel, and at Juneau spent a part of a very pleasant afternoon. Skagway, the breathing place for,many ’97 and ’9B pioneers who crossed the Chilcoot and White passes, and which lies at the extreme end of Lynn canal, a narrow channel with many small glaciers on its shores, is almost deserted. Leaving Skagway on the world-fa-mous White Pass and Yukon railroad, the train started the heavy climb almost immediately. There were places on the climb, where looking down an enormous depth,'We could see the tumbling Skagway river, like an uneasy streak of molten silver, and then, looking up, met only the overhang of a granite cliff, with the glare of snowcovered peaks across the canyon. We shortly tipped the summit and rushed through White pass, Bennett, Caribou, down into White Horse ip the ghostly midnight of an Arctic day. f Down the Yukon. I It was 4a. m. when we tumbled into our bunks aboard the river steamer Yukon, and we were well across Lake La Barge before I awoke. Several littH incidents occurred to break the tedium. We heard one morning an outcry on the forward deck. Leaving our bridge game, we rushed out to dis- . cover a huge black bear swimming not Ur ahead. With the helm shifted a little the steamer bore down directly upon the swimmer and in a moment

had passed over it Running aft, we saw the bear bob up unharmed, and, after shaking himself like a dog, swim serenely on his way. We arrived at Fairbanks on the afternoon of June 15. Fairbanks, a thriving town, is the market place and distributing point for a placer distri t that turns out from $3,000,000 to |4,000,000 annually. Then, too, it is the agricultural center of the Tanana valley region, where, despite the general idea to the contrary, large crops are grown of potatoes and other root products, besides a great deal of barley and oats. The country along the Tanana rivei has a weird sort of monotony. On the south side the country is one vast flat, mostly tundra, swamp. In this latitude the ground seldom thaws beyond a few feet in depth; consequently there is little or riosubdrainage. This is the swamp country through which our portion of the preliminary line ran. A great deal has been written of the Alaska mosquito, but nowhere have I seen accounts of the little insects exaggerated. During the period from May to August it was necessary that one wear constantly a head net that drooped from a stiff-brimmed hat to a bottom taken in and securely tied around the chest. To protect one’s hands one had to wear heavy canvas gauntlets, which were tied tightly about the wrists. The little pests would sting right through an ordinary cotton shirt, so I found it necessary to wear an additional flannel shirt. At lunch “on line’’ we would build a

smudge, and, somewhat relieved at least from the attack of the “bugs,” would eat our sandwiches in a bath of smoke. Bathing Under Difficulty. The matter of baths was difficult. Often in the evening we would paddle out to a bar in the middle of the stream, build a smudge of drift, and take a hurried plunge in the icy Tanana waters. We would be nearly eaten alive by the persistent little “bugs” before we could get back into our clothes and to camp. One man’s method of taking a bath was ingenious. He would drag the camp washtub, filled with hot water, into .the office tent, carefully kill off all the insects inside, and take his bath with the utmost luxury. We were fortunate in not having to depend upon pack trains for our transportation. All our work being near the river, we were able to do our moving with boats. In the actual field work we made great progress, unless in heavy spruce timber, where our speed depended upon the axmen. In the swamps—and there was swamp wherever there was no spruce—we were forced to wade for miles in water to our waists or higher. There were occasions, too, when a series of streams and lakes had to be crossed by swimming and by rafts. In this swamp work we wer» able to practice that beautiful athletic and modern dance, the “tiggerhead tango.” Niggerheads •' are tufts of coarse grass that grow in several feet of muck. V.Tien traversing a niggerhead swamp one must step quickly from niggerhead to niggerhead or else drop between, and as they are very unstable a peculiar step is evolved.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER. IND.

KEEPING BABY WELL

MATTERS OF GREATEST INTEREST TO EVERY MOTHER. Care of Infant In City Much Greater Than In Smaller Places—Welfare Socletiea Have Done Excellent Work. (Prepared by the Children’s Bureau, U. 8. Department of Labor.) There is no doubt that the problems which arise in taking care of a baby in summer are more difficult for the city mother than for the one who Uvea in a village or In the country. Overcrowded houses, lack of fresh air, of sunshine, and of open spaces for play and out-of-door life make very hard conditions under which to try to rear healthy children. During the summer months in most of the larger cities there is an enormous increase in the number of sick babies, many of whom fail to survive this period. These well-known facts have led to the establishment all over the country of what are known as infant welfare and milk stations. These stations are rooms in charge of trained nurses and physicians, to which any mother who desires may bring her baby for help and advice in his care.

The object of these welfare stations Is to keep the babies well, and to prevent Illness by watching the babies closely and by teaching the mothers how to take care of them. If a baby Is found to be sick the mother is referred to her own physician if she baa one. If not, she is usually sent to a dispensary. The principal factor In keeping the baby well is to have him properly fed. Accordingly the physician who cares for the baby should direct this very carefully. If the mother has no physician, the station doctor will examine the baby and order a diet for him. The nurse will be glad to assist the mother in following out his directions, and will visit her in her home for this purpose. These stations are sometimes maintained by the city and sometimes by a private society. The mother can find out the location of the station nearest her home from the papers, or by inquiring of the health officer. The baby is weighed at each visit, and examined to see if he needs any special care. If so, the doctor explains this to the mother. The baby should be brought back to the station at regular intervals in order that the doctor and nurse can watch him. In this way much of the illness from which babies suffer can be prevented and mothers and babies spared a great deal of suffering. The mother who is expecting the birth of a baby should go to the station about once a month during her preganacy for advice about herself. The doctor and nurse will tell her what food is best for her to eat, how to take care of the breasts and nipples, and help her to prepare for the baby’s coming In the best way. If she Is suffering from any ailment, such as vomiting, varicose veins, headache or swollen feet, she may learn what to do for these troubles, and if she desires ti go to a hospital for the birth the station doctor will probably be able to arrange the matter for her. After the baby is born and the mother is up again, she may, if she chooses, send word to the station nurse, who will come to see her, now and then, until the mother is able to take the baby to the station again. Mothers who are illor worn out with the burdens of home, may find in a visit with the baby to such a station unexpected help in their problems. Some effort is made to teach mothers the rudiments of domestic science in the home, when this is needed. Mothers especially who go out to work by the day, should try to send the baby to the station by a caretaker, for such babies need the welfare station’s help even more than others. If some member of the family is sick other than the baby and the baby is registered at the station, the nurses and doctors there will usually be able to advise her where and how to seek asistance. These infant welfare stations are intended for the use of all mothers in the neighborhood who need help in the care of their babies, and no one needing it, should fall to avail herself of this opportunity.

Oil Cloth Table Mats.

Oil cloth table mats for the children will save many soiled table cloths. They can be made by taking either a square or an oblong of white linen, drawing threads and hemstitching all around. Sew on a back, making the finished article look very much like a pillow cover with one end open for the pillow. Into this slip a piece of oil cloth the size of the mat, and yon will have a useful and attractive means of keeping the table neat. The child’s initial embroidered in the center would add much to the beauty of the article.

Dried Bread Crumbs.

Dried bread crumbs absorb more liquid and, therefore, are better for a moist dish, but crumbs grated or crumbled from a fresh loaf take a lighter, more delicate color, and are better, therefore, for a very dainty dish.

To Keep Pies From Burning.

To prevent cakes, pies and other pastry from burning on the bottom, sprinkle the bottom of the oven with fine, dry salt, and your cake or pies >lll bake perfectlv.

IDEAL FOR SUMMER HOUSE

Moat Attractive Table la One Covered With Chintz and Fitted With a Plato Glass Top. For the well-appointed summer house, a table covered with chintz and fitted with a plate glass top is exceedingly attractive. This is very expensive If ordered from a professional decorator; but if you buy the chintz yourself, fit it to your table and have the glass cut to measure, the cost will be much less and the effect quite as pleasing. Another device for an inexpensively furnished country house is the transformed kitchen table. A cheap kitchen table can be treated in a variety of ways to make an attractive bedside or writing table for the guest chamber. One that I have seen, for a green and white bedroom, had the legs sawed off to a convenient length and was painted an apple green. Over the top was stretched —and tacked on the under side —a cover of green denim; on the top of this was set a large green writing blotter, a rack for note paper and a green pottery ink well. The result was a pretty and original writing table at a cost of two dollars and a half. A kitchen table painted white and decorated to match the chintz or wall paper is attractive; but this demands some skill with the brush.

PANCAKES ON SUMMER DAYS.

Made in the Right Way Tleey Are Just as Welcome as Those Popular in the Winter. Very tempting griddle cakes may be prepared without a soapstone griddle —or in fact any griddle—if you have an ordinary frying pan and a good hot flame from an oil or gas burner. Summer pancakes should be thin, delicately browned and rather small, for the appetite is not as hearty as on a crisp winter morning. For two people, mix a cupful of flour, a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of sugar and a level teaspoonful of baking powder. Beat up one egg in about a half cupful of sweet milk and add this to the batter. If it is not thin enough to pour easily add a little water or more milk. Have the griddle—or frying pan very hot and well greased—and pour a little of the batter from the tip of a spoon to make each pancake. Turn with a knife as soon as the batter bubbles in the pan. If the cakes brown without cooking through the griddle is too hot; if they refuse to brown, it is not hot enough.

Rich Orange Cake.

Yolks of five eggs, two cupfuls granulated sugar, two cupfuls bread flour, one-half cupful cold water, one-half teaspoonful soda, one teaspoonful cream tartar, whites of three eggs, grated peel and juice of one orange. Beat yolks until thick, sift sugar three times and add. Beat the whites of eggs stiff and add to first mixture, next the water and soda, then flour and cream of tartar sifted twice. Lastly, add the orange juice and grated rind. Bake in a dripping pan, and when done cut in halves and frost with orange frosting. Frosting—Whites of three eggs, one orange juice and grated peel and powdered sugar to make stiff enough to spread. This cake is not good until the day after making. Be sure to use bread flour. Frosting may be made without whites of eggs.

To Save Work and Fuel.

I always cook enough vegetables to last two days, preparing them in some different way the second day. It makes things easier when you have to do your own cooking, and it is easier for the servants if they do it. In winter I cook potatoes for three days. It takes no longer than boiling a smaller quantity, and when you haVe a potato cooked in its jacket you have the foundation of most of the potato dishes. I do as mush of my cooking as possible in the morning, and I prepare the Sunday meals on Saturday so that I will have nothing to do on Sunday but to reheat them. Woman’s World.

Kentucky Spoon Bread.

Two cupfuls cornmeal, two teaspoonfuls salt, two eggs, one and onehalf cupfuls buttermilk, one teaspoonful soda, one and one-half tablespoonfuls butter. Scald the cornmeal with enough hot water to make it the consistency of mush. Add salt and butter, and set it aside to cool; then beat in the eggs whipped light; dissolve the soda in the buttermilk, beat into the mixture, And bake in a rather deep buttered pan in a quick oven for thirty-five or forty minutes. Good Housekeeping Magazine.

Inexpensive Summer Beverage.

A very nice cheap drink which may take the place of lemonade and be found fully as healthful is made with one cupful of pure cider vinegar, half a cupful of good molasses put into one quart pitcher of ice water. A tablespoonful of ground ginger added makes a healthful beverage.

Salad Dressing Hint.

Many housewives fail on boiled salad dressing because they add the eggs to hoU vinegar. If beaten eggs are thoroughly stirred into cold vinegar and the mixture is then boiled, the dressing will not take on a curdled appearance.

Baked Peaches.

Peel ripe peaches, put them in a pan, sprinkle generously with sugar, add a few drops of lemon juice, nearly cover with water and bake in a slow oven about two hours.

PICKLES THAT TEMPT

SOME RECIPEB THAT ARE WORTH ATTENTION. New and Old Varieties Mingled Here, But All Good —Baltimore Pickle Something That All Will Pronounce Delicious. If 19 the course of the year past you have particularly liked the pickled walnuts that you had at Mrs. Brown’s for dinner, or the piccalilli that Mrs. Thomas always serves with halibut, ask for the recipes for these dainties. They will probably be gladly given. It is usually flattering to feel that the food one serves is so appealing that others wish to know how It is prepared. Here are some reliable recipes for tempting pickles, each of which adds zest to the appetite and flavor to the food with which It is served: Ohio Mixed Pickles —Six green peppers and two red ones, one pint of small onions, one pint lima beans, onefourth peck of string beans, one pint of celery, one pint of cauliflower, one pint of tiny cucumbers. Boil half-gal-lon of cider vinegar, to which has been, added a quarter of a pound of white sugar, a little tumeric and a little celery seed. Boil all together for about twenty minutes, or until it is thick. Variety Pickles. —One gallon of cahr bage chopped very fine, half-gallon green tematoes, one quart onions, all chopped fine; four tablespoonfuls of mustard, two tablespoonfuls ginger, one tablespoonful cloves, one tablespoonful tumeric, one ounce of celery seed, two pounds of sugar, a little salt and a half gallon of good cider vinegar. Mix this well and boil for 30 minutes.

Ripe Cucumber Pickles. —Pare, seed and cut in pieces 12 large ripe cucumbers. Cover them with boiling water, a handful of salt and let them stand overnight. In the morning drain and boil in water until they can be pierced with a straw. Drain, cover with cold vinegar and stand again for 24 hours. Draifi and cover with the following: One quart of vinegar, three pounds of white sugar, three ounces of cinnamon buds, which have been scalded for a few minutes.

Baltimore Pickle. —Two quarts of ripe tomatoes, two quarts of green tomatoes, one large head of cabbage, 12 medium-sized onions, three peppers. Chop fine, salt overnight and in the morning drain, and add to it two quarts of vinegar, a pound and a half of sugar, half a cupful of yellow mustard sede, half a cupful of horse-rad-ish, one tablespoonful of celery seed. 801 l half an hour, or until well done. Chili Sauce—Peel and chop one peck of ripe tomatoes; boll until thick and not juicy. Add one pint of chopped onions, one-half dozen large peppers, chopped fine. Let this boil for half an hour and then add half a cupful of salt, one pint of vinegar, a tablespoonful of cloves, one tablespoonful of cinnamon, two tablespoonfuls of whole mustard seed.

Kitchen Economy.

There are many thrifty cooks who have not learned that green peppers have an eoonomic value equal to that which puts them at the head of savory dishes- They may be stuffed with anything left in the refrigerator except sweets. Using rice as a foundation, add chopped meat, tomatoes, onions, the last of the olives chopped off the pit, bits of bacon, cold potatoes or the cold corn left from some previous meal. Season the cut-off tops of the peppers, chop them fine and add them to the stuffing. Bake the peppers in a slow oven; they will incidentally enliven the family conversation by suggesting a guessing game —the one who guesses all the ingredients winning first honors.

Panned Baked Sweet Potatoes.

Boil sweet potatoes until done, drain, peel and slice. Butter a baking dish, put in layer of the sliced potatoes, sprinkle rather thickly with lightbrown sugar and dot with bits of butter. Add another layer of potatoes with sugar and butter, and so on. When dish is full, put in oven and bake, covered for half an hour, and uncovered for half an hour.

Eggs in Their Nests.

Two cupfuls of mashed or left-over potatoes. Shape into small nests in a buttered baking dish. Into these nests put a small piece of butter and break the eggs into them. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each one and then put in oven for a few minutes until eggs are set Very good served hot with cold meat for supper.

Sealander Organdie.

Sealander organdie is the name of a lovely, new, transparent fabric which has both stripes, and checks in a bit thicker weave. None of it could be called thick, however. It is as sheer as any material could be desired for summer frocks and has the merit of retaining its finish through laundering.

Clam Broth Cold.

Make one and a half pints of dam broth, season with salt pepper and celery salt strain and chill in the ice box. ** When ready for serving serve in cups with a tablespoonful of salted whipped cream on each cupful.

Chicken Patties.

Mince some of the white ineat of cold chicken and season with lemon peel, nutmeg, salt pepper, cream and a little butter; place over the fire and thicken with a little flour. When cold fill patty shells and serve.

HOME TOWN HELPS

CLEAN MINDS; CLEAN CITIES People Must Be Educated to the Necessity of Proper Appearance of Municipality. "I’m as good as you are,” said the dirty man to the well-dressed gentleman in the street car who had drawn away from him a bit. “You may be right,” answered the clean one, "but you certainly don't smell as good.” “Lord!” exclaimed a visitor to one of the most populous sections of Boston. “What smells there are here.” “Yes,” agreed the social worker of the party, “we’ve got to clean out a lot of minds before we’ll get rid of this dirt.” “You have to clean minds!” “Surely. Dirty minds make dirty people, and dirty people make a dirty town. The idea of cleanliness must be put in the minds of those whose present standards of cleanliness are elemental. “The woman who will tolerate cobwebs in the corner of her ceiling has cobwebs in the corners of her mind. Disorder in a home is evidence of the presence of minds that are disorderly. Our surroundings always reflect what! we are within. To make these streets clean we must create in the people who live here a desire for clean streets.” “Do you mean to say that the peo-> pie here are content with all this dirt around them?” the visitor asked with surprise. “The majority of them are. What the majority really and truly wants, the majority can have.” The speaker was silent for a few moments. When they reached the next corner, he said, “If there was on this street one man or woman who wanted more than anything else to have this street cleaned and made sweet-smelling, the work would be done.” “The old story of Sodom and Gomorrah, eh!” observed the cynic.—Ford Hall Folks.

ADDS TO CITY’S APPEARANCE

Form of Street Lamp That Is Coming Into General Use Throughout the Country.

Besides forming a very attractive support for a street lamp, this re-en-

Mechanics.

corner. —Popular

Making the Rock Garden.

The rock garden, to be successful, must be along the lines approved by nature. It must not, in any point, resemble a piece of masonry or other formal construction, says a writer in the Minneapolis Journal. The most satisfactory location for it is at the foot of a gentle slope, where it can climb the declivity and the rocks be given the appearance of jutting out from the hillside. But very excellent results may be achieved on flat surfaces if it is remembered to let the rocks appear to crop out on the surface rather than appear to be placed there for a purpose. The rock garden should have its highest point or beginning at some natural or artificial boundary—a wall, or better still, a clump of trees and shrubbery which will serve to mask its origin. From this vantage point it may extend in a natural way to the limits marked out for it; here an isolated bowlder, here a group of less pretentious stones and again a group of large stones may find room in their pockets for a small tree. The extent may be two or three rods in width at one end and gradually narrow until at the other it becomes an occasional rock on the lawn.

Many Factors Affect Cost.

Certain preliminary estimates given in connection with this series of house plans are necessarily subject to change. , For instance, digging a cellar in rocky, hilly ground would cost more than the same job might cost elsewhere. Materials vary in cost as individual tastes differ Most of the houses shown in this series have been built about Boston. The estimates given, therefore, are of actual costs. Do not neglect, however, to allow for the inevitable "extras” that crop up in the course of any building operation.

forced concrete post also offers a convenient place for displaying street tfigns. At the top of the pole is a 12in c h frosted-glass globe in which there is a high-candlepow-er electric lamp. Surrounding the globe is a square framework in which four strips of blue glass, carrying the street names in white letters, are held. During either the day or night, the i name of the street and its intersecting thoroughfare are thus plainly visible when the pole is placed at a