Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 January 1918 — Page 3

LOCOMOTIVE USED IN EUROPEAN WAR

ENGINE COMPLETED IN TWENTY WORKING DAYS.

Announcement is made, of the completion by the Baldwin LocomJrtive works of Philadelphia of the first specially designed locomotive arid box car for use in the European war zone. The engine was completed in 20 working days. This was in spite of the fact that the design was entirely new and contained the complicated “superheating” machinery. The locomotive is not so powerful as the type commonly used on American railroads. It weighs 116,500 pounds without the tender and has a driving wheel base of 15% feet. There are eight drivers. The tender has a tank capacity of 5,400 gallons and a fuel capacity of nine tons. The cars are of the open type with an inside length of 36 feet and are to be fitted with removable tarpaulin covers so that the contents may be protected from Inclement weather. Coupling equipment is the same as on French lines, making complete interchangeability possible.

RAILROADS SOLD BOD LY FOR WAR

Equipment of Once Promising Lines on Way to France. JUNK BRINGS FANCY PRICES England and France, Building Thousands of Miles of Lines Behind Trenches, Make Far and Wide Search for Material.

' * If the war has done nothing else for certain Wall street men who have been playing the railroad game—and the chances are that it has performed many miracles for them —it has created a bullish market for any old railroads they may have had on hand for some time, observes a writer in New York Sun. The long and hungry arm of war has reached out into America and Canada in search of surplus and unused railroads. and the plains and junkyards of the two countries have been ransacked of the materials required in France. As a result the itann who was wise enough to hold onto his old railroad or who was compelled to retain possession of the property because there was nothing else for him to do, is thanking his lucky stars for being able tb unload, at fancy war prices, the veriest railroad junk. Old Roads in Demand. One of the thousand and one industrial romances brought about by the war has been this keen demand for old railroads. England and France have been working overtime building hundreds and thousands of miles of railroad lines behind their trenches along the western front.. Naturally they have been compelled to go far and wide \in search of the material for these supply lines, inasmuch as the steel mills of the two countries have been working 24 hours a day making shells ap'd supplying munitions. The tremendous demand for steel rails and rolling stock for the allied armies in France caught the steel trade unprepared, and rather than wait for months for the rail equipment factories to catch up England has gone into the world market in search of old railroads which could be dismantled and transplanted to France. Hundreds of miles of railroad have disappeared completely from, the face of the North American continent, only to appear a few months later in eastern France. Engines, cars, rails, bridges, ties—everything real and tapgible in the Way of railroad property has been running the submarine blockade for months, and the end is not in sight. Successful “War Bride.” Junk dealers, or waste material men, as they call themselves now that war prosperity has made their business one of the most successful “war brides,” havt? been-scampering about the country buying up all the decrepit railroads they could get their hands on. And as “junk” the road properties have been sold at prices 300 and 400 per cent above the “Junk” market of four years ago. Within recent months approximately ' 1,000 miles of Canadian and American railroads, including all rolling stock worth salvaging, have been snapped up and prepared for shipment abroad. Even hungry junk dealers from Japan have appeared in the market. Scattered about the middle west are numerous relics' the days when railroad promoters scourged the country 0 like a plague of locusts. Little railroad ..lines were built, the public mulcted of its hard-earned dollars, and soon the railroad system ceased to exist. Railroads Were Failures. One of these purchased was the Chicago, Anamosa & Northern, a 36-mile line which had been operating in northeastern lowa. Another short line in southern lowa, about 25 miles long, soon passed into’ the hands of “Junk” dealers and was then resold to agents for the English government. Several lines of this character, some of which only gave up the struggle within the last few months, were added to the

string of railroad properties purchased by England. The junk yards were ransacked for old car rails still fit for service. Canadian railroads sacrificed many miles of track and much rolling stock for the mother country. Side and switch" tracks at small stations were shortened or eliminated, in some cases portions of double track equipment being taken up in order that the English armies might not suffer from lack of shells and food. Whenever economy in use of roadbed could be brought about trackage was sacrificed. In a number of cities, where street railway and interurban lines were being relaid with heavier steel the old rails passed into the hands of agents who had been collecting such property for sale to foreign buyers.

HAS REDUCED CAR SHORTAGE

Ra i I road War Board Gets Info rmat ion That Merging of Roads Is Big Success. Information gathered by the railroad war board indicate* that the voluntary action of the roads merging themselves one great continental system, has ngtfe the transportation problem mucfTeasier to handle; Concrete instances of what has been accomplished are summarized as follows : . , ■ Car shortage has been reduced 70 per cent.' The carriers have achieved the astounding feat of adding to their freight service an amount equal to the joint traffic of Great Britain, Frairfte, Russia, Germany and Austria. Approximately 20,000,000 miles of train service a year have beert saved by the elimination of passenger trains not essential to pressing needs. This has released locomotives and cleared thousands of miles of track needed in the transportation of necessities.

RAILWAY HEAD IS BORROWED

Vice President of Illinois Central Loaned to Chicago Grea>; Western for~YVar Peried. A very unusual move was made in railroad circles the other day when W. L. Peck, vice president of the Illi-

W. L. Peck.

nols Central, was loaned to the Chicago Great Western for the period of the war. The announcement was made by S. M. Felton, president of the Great Western, who Is so busy at Washington that he has no time to run his own road. That is what Sir. Peck will do for him as vice president.

OFFICIAL SIGNALS ON TRAIN

Flags Indicating Kind of Weather Expected Are Placed on Smokestack of Engine. In western Kansas, whenever the daily weather bulletin in the general offices of a certain railroad company indicates a storm, a blizzard, or a cold wave, the facts'are wired to all train conductors of that railroad, who promptly place signal flags indicating the kind of weather expected, on special stafTs mounted on the engines at each side : of the smokestack. Farmers and other residents along the road also have the benefit of the signals, and appreciate It

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN. RENSSELAER. INP.

WITH THE SCIENTISTS

Electric lights that can be used for signaling are included in policemen’s helmets that --haxe.-been, invented In England. A steel for safes that breaks the best bits and defies hydro-gen-acetylene blow pipe flames has been perfected in Europe. By treating young chickens with high frequency, high voltage currents of electricity a London experimenter has made them grow more rapidly. A highly nutritious bread has been invented by a European scientist who replaces milk and eggs with beef blood, blanched, sterilized and deodorized with hydrogen peroxide, which itself is a substitute for yeast.

MUCH IN LITTLE

Lying is in the East an art more than a vice. \ Germany is trying a new style of locomotive capable of a speed of 68 miles an hour. It is to be used for heavy passenger serviceon the Breslau-Dres-den and Breslau-Berlin lines. The bureau of standards has found that better glass melting pots can be made of clays found in the United States than the clays imported from Germany, heretofore considered accessary. House movers rolled Max Brodow’s dwelling out in the street in Minneapolis, Minn., and struck for more money. Brodow appealed for police protection until the movers came back to work. A market for electric light plants could be developed in South China if American products can be sold as reasonably and give as great satisfaction as British plants, which have been recently installed. - ——“ Francis Jones, New Tork negro subway porter, threw a bucket of water on what he thought was burning paper and went back to work. When he discovered it w r as a bomb he fell down a flight of stairs. To remain beautiful eat an onion, half a pound of cabbage or spinach, half a grated turnip and a handful of cranberries daily, Mrs., Anna Peterson, domestic science lecturer, told club women in St. Paul, Minn.

WITH THE SAGES

Pythagoras desired to be called not wise, like those who preceded him, but a lover of wisdom. —Quintilian. Put oil on the wound and it will heal; be meek and the anger of thy brother will abate. —Parsee Bannerjee, 1798. i / Born for a very brief space oi time we regard this life as an inn which we are soon to quit that it may be ready for the coming guest. —Seneca. Old age is the consummation of life, just as of a play from the fatigue of which we ought to escape, especially when satiety is super-added.—Acero. The days are ever divine. They ‘come and go like muffled and veiled figures; but they say nothiiig; and if we do. not use the gifts they bring they carry them as silently away.—Emerson. " Obstinacy Is will asserting Itself without being able to justify itself. It is persisteuce without a reasonable motive. It Is the tenacity of self-love substituted for that of reason and conscience.—Amiel.

WORDS OF WISE MEN

There is a vast difference between Information and ideas, and the man of information may be useful like a dictionary, but may never be a force in the community. Great men not only know their business, but they usually know that they know it, and are not only right in their main opinions, but they usually know that they are right in them. r If you desire not to be too poor, desire not to be too rich. He is rich, not who possesses much, but who covets no more, and he is poor, not who enjoys little, but he who wants tod much. He who thinks that he can find within his own breast that which may enable him to dispense with the whole Sorld'ls much mistaken, but he,wtto links that the world cannot do without him is still more mistaken.

THINGS WORTH KNOWING

By lifting three floor planks In a new motortruck seats are formed upon which 38 men can be carried comfortably. K — mmm A wire clip to hold* a cow’s tail against one leg when she Is beinfe milked has won a patent for a Michigan inventor. * . As a less-expensive substitute for an electric hair drier, an electrician -In Europe has invented a device for warming combs. *

HOME TOWN HELPS

300 D PLAN IS ESSENTIAL Efficient Directing Hand Necessary If Building Is to Be Properly Constructed. The house that has not Integrity, that has not staunch, honest character from basement to roof-beams, is builded upon the sands; and while It may withstand the ordinary winds of heaven, it will not withstand the breath of professional criticism, and, in the end, may be almost as much of a burden and a loss to its owner as if it had fallen before the storm, declares an experienced builder. The house that is to be built upon the rocjc, that is to have integrity of plan and material, must be well planned. Back of the designer, the architect, the builder and various contractors must be a mind capable of correlating all these functions Into a harmonious working force* driven to a single end. If the owner be capable of this achievement so much the better; if' not, he should call upon one who is. He lays the foundation upon sand who does not take thought as to the fitness of his architect, his builder and all the functions of a building operation —to rear in wood and iron and stone the dream that is his. An inefficient architect,- a conscienceless builder, contractors working at cross purposes with no direct hand —anyone of these makes for disappointments in buUding. The best assurance of the integrity of a building is the union of the ideals of the owner and the builder. A house has an inalienable right to be well built. Its construction is a task thqt should be approached with a sort of reverent enthusiasm. The owner who realizes this fact, and the builder who insists upon it as due to his reputation, will produce a structure that neither winds of heaven nor breath of criticism can shake upon its foundations.

ODD SHELTER FOR FLAGMAN

House, With Appearance of Mosque, Constructed From Parts of Discarded Locomotives. A flagman’s shelter house, made up of old locomotive parts, guards a street crossing on the Southern Pacific at San Jose, Cal. The shelter, which looks like a mosque was constructed

Looks Like a Mosque but Is Flagman's Shelter.

by the consulting engineer from old engine wheels, springs, tires and other parts of discarded locomotives. Besides being an oddity in appearance, it is solidly built and one of the most elaborate shelters for flagmen In the state. It is the curiosity of the locality.

Reclaimed Brick in Construction.

Reclaimed brick makes an interesting wall, with much variation of oolor and texture. An effect similar to that of the finest brickwork of colonial times, usually obtained only through the careful selection of new bricks, may be easily produced by the use of reclaimed bricks. Upon removal from the old buildings these bricks, are cleaned, and after they are laid in the new work are treated with a sand blast, which restores them to their original condition. Efflorescence, which sometimes appears .upon the surface of new brickwork, seldom appears upon reclaimed bricks.

More Tinplate Next Year.

The demand,, for tinplate from all; corners of the globe and the consequent high prices prevailing have not only attracted more capital and resulted In the erection of new mills, but have led the existing mills to tin a much greater portion of their black plate production than is ordinarily the case. This practice, says a statement Issued by the bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, department of commerce, will also be followed next year, indging from figures made public by he tinplate conservation committee, vhlch are based on returns from the urge producers.

CAPITAL of WURTEMBURG

WHEN the German airmen a little while ago bombarded the beautiful and ancient city of Bar-le-Duc in France, the French promptly retaliated by an air raid on the model city of Stuttgart. No two cities could be more unlike or more characteristic of their respective countries than Bar-le-Duc and Stuttgart. As Bar-le-Duc Is the symbol of poetry, romance and antiquity, Stuttgart is the personification of all that is ihodern, scientific and military. Stuttgart is the capital of Wurtemberg and before the war had a population of 280,000, which Included some of its suburbs and a garrison of 32,000 men - which was stationed there. It Is delightfully' situated, surrounded by atractive suburbs and amid vine-clad heights. It is two and a half miles from the Neckar river, In the valley of the Nesenbach. ‘All around It are vineyards which cover the nearby hills, while the distant mountains are in sight. It la a thoroughly modern town, although Its charter does date back to 1229. There are few buildings of an earlier date than the nineteenth century and many of them are of architectural importance. The stately appearance of the city is owing to the pronounced adherence of its architects to the Renaissance type of building, instead of the varieties of styles most cities permit. Nowhere else in the world is the revival of the Renaissance style as well illustrated as in Stuttgart. Some of Its Great Building*. " A spacious street, the Konigstrasse, extends diagonally from southwest to northeast through the city and borders the beautiful park, the Schlossplatz, which Is adorned with statues, flower beds and pleasure grounds. In the center is a jubilee column in memory of William I. The most prominent buildings are clustered around the Schlossplatz. Among these are the old palace, from the sixteenth century; the new palace, from the eighteenth century and containing 276 apartments; the splendid Konigsbau, a huge modern building with a fine collon&de containing ball and concert rooms; the Akademie, formerly the seat of the Karlschule where Schiller received part of his education; the Royal library, the Court theater, the palace of the Dnchess Vera of Wurtemburg and the palace of the crown prince. Besides these there are numerous fine churches, museums and other institutions. Not far from the Schlossplatz are the court of justice, stables, the new post office, the Central railroad station, the finest in Germany, and many fine statues. Besides the jubilee column there is another to the memory of Emperor William 1; one to Duke Eberhard the Bearded; a really splendid one to Schiller by Thorwaldsen and one to Christopher, duke of Wurtemberg. galleries and museums of Stuttgart are numerous and .valuable. The Museum of Art has a fine collection of pictures, casts and engravings. The Royal library contains about 603,000 printed volumes; 5,550 manuscripts, many of them of great value, and the largest collection of in the world, there being 7,300 volumes in more than a hundred different languages. There are 2,400 specimens of early printing. It is perhaps the finest library In Germany and Is considerably larger than our own Carnegie library of Pittsburgh. V- Fine industrial Museum. The Industrial museum contains samples and specimens of the textile fabrics, machines, tools, patterns, models, etc., of nearly every country In the world, all labeled withe specifications of patents, trade marks and

Street Scene in Stuttgart

price lists. The importance of this collection to the German Industries cannot be overestimated. Of French and English fabrics alone there are 280,000 samples, while of French and German carpets there are 70,000 specimens. There is a museum of natural history that is wonderful and valuable. In one of the palaces Is a collection of Majolica vases that was purchased in Venice in the eighteenth century. The Wurtemburg Museum of Antiquities contains every sort of relic imaginable from royal cabinets and armor to a pack of cards painted In the fifteenth century. To see all the objects in these museums arid galleries would take a lifetime and then one would not have seen half. Stuttgart is the center of a network of railroads. It Is also the center of the bookmaking and publishing Industry of south Germany. It is noted for its excellent educational institutions, and especially Its Conservatory of Music, where many Americans have received their musical education. It has a technical high school that confers the degree of doctor of engineering, also a veterinary high school, and a school of art. Home of Famous Men. There are a number of great men who have lived in Stuttgart. Among them are Hegel, the philosopher, who was born in 1770; Dannecker, the sculptor, also claimed It as his birthplace ; the poet Schiller was educated there, Jils father being the inspector of the. gardens of the Karlschule; Gustav Schwab, the poet, lived there and is buried in the Hoppenlau cemetery ; and the tomb of Johann Reuchlin, the humanist, is In one of the churches. We can Imagine the pride the Germans have in this beautiful city, which is a model for all municipalities, and the consternation there must have been when it was attacked by airplanes. It seems an outrage to destroy .what Is beautiful and valuable, and when the Germans realize the danger and perhaps loss of some of their own art treasures it is to be hoped they will recognize the perfidy of their own act in destroying the cathedrals of Louvain and Reims.

In Gen. Sir George Higginson’s “Sev-enty-One Years of a Guardsman’s Life.” there is a good story of Bean BrummelL The author had it from the late Lord Lyndhurst, who knew him welL Someone, who no doubt wished to disconcert him by allusion to his parentage, asked in the presence of some of his admirers: * “Pray, Mr. Brummell, how are your good father and mother?” "Thank you,” was the reply, “quite well when I left them half an hour ago; but by this time they have probably cut their throats!” “Good. heavens!” exclaimed several of the bystanders, “you must be speaking in joke." ' “Not at all,” he said with a quiet tone of appreciation of the motives of his questioner; “they were eating peas with their knives.”

“Lizzie, will you be dUnef* “Not on your life 1” “Don’t you love me?" “No, I don’t and new did." “Are you sure?” “Absolutely sure! I would rattier be shot than marry you I” “Thank you for them kind worts, Lizzie. I had to ask somebody to mar-, ry me in order to do my duty, but now that I have been refused I will never have to ask anybody else. Now my conscience will allow me to be a merry old bachelor and have money for my old age.”—Exchange.

Beau Brummell Story.

Conscience Satisfied.