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Pittsburgh Develops All-Aluminum Street Car
Exterior view of the new aU-aluminfhn street ear built under the direction of the engineers of the Pittsburgh
Railways company. This type of car is much safer in case of accident than the old-fashioned wooden ones.
Navy’s New Metal Dirigible Reaches Home
The new navy all-metal dirigible, ZMC-2, landing at Lakehurst, N. J., after a flight from Detroit. An inspection
disclosed the fact that the dirigible had been shot at, two bullet holes being discovered.
Home of Myles Standish Is Marked
Members of the Ancient an Honorable Artillery Company of Boston oflici
ating at the dedication of the stone which marks the site of the home of
Capt. Myles Standish, tender of the Pilgrim soldiers, in South IDuxbury, Mass.
Mystery of the Blue Goose Solved
Out of the frozen North comes word that J. Dewey Soper, special investi¬
gator of the northwest territories branch of the Department of the Interior,
has found the nest of the enigma of ornithologists—the blue goose. For years
the blue goose has baffled hunters. Nobody ever saw a blue goose’s nest, or
a blue goose egg, or a blue goose fledgling. The blue goose appeared every
summer, but nobody knew whence it came, or where it went in the autumn.
Soper found Its habitat away off up in Baffin land, and brought back with
him to Ottawa blue goose eggs, nest, goslings and mature birds. Soper is
shown above, in the Far North.
CLEVELAND COURIER.
WASHINGTON HOLDS
TO OLD ART IDEALS
Bizarre Design Avoided in
Nation’s Building.
Washington.—While New York arch¬
itects are favoring Babylonian, cubic
and Egyptian pyramidal effects for
buildings that climb ever higher into
the skies, planners of the nation’s
capital are abiding strictly by the old
ideals of Roman domes and Greek
columns and leaning toward long hori¬
zontal lines.
With a $50,000,000 public building
program now well launched and vari¬
ous projects now visible in model or
under construction, it is apparent that
the fine arts commission and the
responsible architects have not been
swayed by the,trend elsewhere toward
bizarre and novel forms.
Agitation for increase in the Wash¬
ington height limitation has not been
heeded, so the capital will not soon
be listed among the cities that boast
a “sky line.” The official planning,
according to authoritative spokesmen,
is strictly in conformance with the
plan for the federal city originally
prepared by the French engineer
Pierre Charles L'Enfant, under the
direction of President Washington.
The L’Enfant plan embraced ideas
in city design derived from the French
royal city of Versailles, planned for
Louis NIV by his architects in asso¬
ciation with Le Notre, greatest of
landscape architects. The original
piau was redefined by congressional
authority with some changes in 1901,
but in its major features accords with
architectural and landscape principles
established in the earliest days of the
American republic.
Fine Arts Commission.
In 1910 congress treated the com¬
mission of fine arts, to be consulted
concerning questions of art involved
In congressional appropriations. This
body, consisting of distinguished
architects and artists, has thrown
the weight of its influence toward
classical styles, so that the capital
has tended to develop along monu¬
mental lines.
Congress and civic enthusiasts here
are now exerting their efforts to
promote building and highway con¬
struction and general beautification
to the maximum possible point for
the bicentenary of the birth of George
Washington, which occurs February 22,
1932. By that .time the permanent
housing of all major governmental
institutions will be under way or
definitely envisaged, and the long
dreamed-of unified scheme of parks
nnd boulevards will have taken long
forward steps.
At tlie present time a so-called
' -IftY-million-doIlar^ building pro¬
gram” is in progress. That amount
has been authorized by congress, but
only -$10,000,000 is actually appropri¬
ated annually. Buildings under con¬
struction are those of tlie Department
.of Agriculture, near completion; the
Department of Commerce, the bureau
of internal revenue, and an addition
to the government printing office.
Buildings planned, but not yet un¬
der construction, include new homes
for the Department of Labor, the In¬
terstate Commerce commission and the
Department of Justice. There will
also be an independent offices build¬
ing, and a national archives building
for tlie storage of public documents.
Arlington Memorial Bridge.
There now approaches completion
across the Potomac river tlie second
great bridge of monumental type, the
Arlington memorial bridge, to connect
the Lincoln memorial with the Ar¬
lington estate. This building is in¬
tended to symbolize the union of
North and South, and will be ready
for use in 1930. An earlier monu¬
mental bridge, the Francis Scott Key
bridge, commemorates the author of
the national anthem, “The Star
Spangled Banner,” and its George¬
town terminus was near his former
home.
The completion of the Arlington
memorial • bridge, at a cost of $14,
000,000, will mark the greatest single
physical Improvement in Washington
during recent years, and - will facili¬
tate further development of boule¬
vard and parking plans.
Drivers Held for Drink
Must Walk Chalk Line
Lynn, Mass.—A chalk line drawn on
the floor of police headquarters in
Andover is the guiding line on which
the sobriety of alleged drunken op¬
erators of motor vehicles is deter¬
mined.
The line is about two inches wide
and extends the entire distance of a
room. In the future, when a driver
is brought in on charges of drunken
operating, lie will have an opportu¬
nity to refute the officers’ claim by be¬
ing given the opportunity to walk the
line. The test is made before a jury
of police officers and, if the fine is
closely followed by the walker, he is
pronounced not guilty; if he falters, it
means he faces the judge.
Renew Courtship of 50
Years Ago; Will Wed
Fort Wayne, Ind.—A half century
ago Frank Wilson courted Mary E.
Christie, then went to India as a mis¬
sionary. Miss Christie became a
school teacher. Wilson did not forget
her. He had lost her address, but, L
through the Post Office department re¬
gained it. He wrote to her, and a few
months ago returned here. Now they
are to be married. She is seventy-six
and he 's eighty-two. - --c —
BEST TOWN CRIER
Here’s W. Baker of Torrington,
Devon, winner of the town crier cham¬
pionship of England and Wales, la a
Held of seventeen competitors.
CHIEF OF ENGINEERS
Maj. Gen. By tie Brown, appointed
chief of staff of engineers of the Unit¬
ed States army by President Hoover.
General Brown, native of Nashville,
Tenn., will be in charge of the federal
government’s great flood relief pro¬
gram jn the Mississippi valley.
Plenty of Wear Left Yet
Giles had been sent by his master,
a wealthy farmer, to make a few pur¬
chases in tlie town. Among the shops
he had to visit was his master’s tai¬
lor.
The assistant in this emporium no¬
ticed that Giles really required a
new waistcoat, and he tried to per¬
suade the old fellow to order one
there and then.
“Look,” he cried, “this is gone, and
that’s gone 1 You’d better have a new
one.”
But the old chap shook his head.
“No,” he replied firmly. “If me wife
puts a new back and front in it, the
arm’oles will last for another yeai
all right.”—London Answers.
DASHES ACROSS SEA
TO BE U. S. CITIZEN
Defeat in Race Meant Youth
Would Be Swiss.
New York.—George A. Madigan, in
iiis first day on tlie soil of what of¬
ficially is his native country, was
somewhat disillusioned with the
American citizenship * he bad raced
across the Atlantic to retain.
Madigan, a shy, blond youth, is
an American who never had seen the
land lie calls his own before. And if
lie had arrived here two days later,
according to the citizenship laws, he
would have been a Swiss.
He was born in Locarno, Switzer¬
land, of American parents. Both his
father and mother, lie explained, were
circus artists. They met in Stock¬
holm, teamed up in a bareback rid¬
ing act, and were married. After
George’s birth they continued to tour
through Europe with various circuses
until tlie war left them stranded in
a village near Brussels.
His gather Dies.
When tlie United States entered
tlie war the Madigan family was
thrown into a German internment,
camp. George’s father died there. He
was, George declared, one of the best
fancy riders in the world.
With tlie restoration of peace
George and his mother were released
and drifted to Paris. George became
a goldsmith’s apprentice. When lie
had learned the trade he decided
America offered him a brighter fu¬
ture than Europe.
He visited tlie American ambassa¬
dor’s otliee in Paris, where he was
informed that unless he got here be¬
fore lie was twenty-one lie would
lose his citizenship.
His birthday was fast approaching,
and although he had little money laid
by George told his mother lie was
going to America as quickly as lie
could.
Wins Race With Time.
He shipped from Havre on tha
freighter Collamar. When the ship
churned Her way into the harbor of
New York, recently, George was so
relieved that he had won tlie race
with time that he scarcely glanced
at tlie majestically towering skyline.
But his troubles were just begin¬
ning. Custom officials, puzzled by his
case and dubious about tiis passports,
decided he would have to stay at Ellis
island pending investigation.
George has only $20 in his pocket
and no prospects for a job, but be is
not worrying much. Besides English
he can speak French, German and
Dutch, and this knowledge, together
with his trade experience, will help
him get work, lie expects.
Scientist Tells of War
Toxin to Kill Millions
Loiidon.—Terrifying results of ft
new secret deadly poison, a product
of “a certain bacillus,” so powerful
that a tiny spoonful will hurl swift
death to n million people.” was
visioned recently by Prof. Leonard
Hill, great British scientist. Profes¬
sor Hill, in delivering a presidential
address before the Sanitary Inspec¬
tors’ association at Lowestoft, de¬
clined to disclose the name of this
new death-dealing monster.
“1 would call your attention to cer¬
tain bacillus, which shall be nameless,
hut easily cultivated,” the scientist
said, “if man is susceptible as guinea
pigs to tlie toxin produced by this
bacillus it appears that one gram or
a salt spoonful of dry toxin would
kill a million people. Tlie toxin acts,
if inhaled or if it falls on the eye, as
a powder.” '
Tlie professor then pointed to the
moral: “If men set out to prepare
such toxin and scatter it by airplane
what would be the use of tlie panoply
of war? Is it not time then to end
tlie waste of money on preparations
for war and to apply the money saved
to preventing disease?”
Chinese Women Grov*
Ashamed of Boun^ Feet
Peking.—For the first time in Chi¬
na’s tong history, Chinese women with
bound feet are becoming ashamed of
them. “Lily feet,” always regarded,
as indispensable to beauty, are be¬
coming a disgrace.
A foreigner who has recently trav¬
eled in Honan province reports that a
number of Chinese women whose feet
are deformed by binding* are usiag
large shoes to cover them up.
The usual tiny shoe is used, and
over this a considerably larger one to
placed, to give the impression that tt
feet are not bound.
But their walk always gives them
away, tlie traveler states, because
bound feet prevent women from walk¬
ing naturally. >
Ohio Child Ties Record;
Has Ten Grandparents
Springfield, Ohio.—-Little Miss Betty
Love Beaty, three-year-old daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. It. C. Beaty, is tied
with a child in Warley, England, for
the world’s record for living grand¬
parents. Until the death of a great
great-grandmother Betty had the rec¬
ord all to herself.
When Betty wants to visit relatives
she has a long list to select from, in¬
cluding, among others, four grand¬
parents, five great-grandparents and
one great-great-grandparent. The lat¬
ter is eighty-two years of age. She i3
Mrs. Rebecca E. Clum of Rushville,
Ohio, who married when she was fif*
*** ** ’
teen. - '
-
LIGHTS By GRANT i
DIXON
of NEW YORK
Clemenceau’s Kitchenette
A friend of mine once asked Clern
enceau to what he attributed his
long life and bis good health. So lie
invited this friend, who is a prom¬
inent man, to dinner to his house
one night and about nine o’clock an¬
nounced lie was going to retire. Be¬
fore retiring lie filled a combination
hot water bag and a vacuum bottle
with a mixture that was a sort of
gruel and placed it in a handy posi¬
tion. He explained be was always
awake at three o’clock in tlie morn¬
ing. He consumed the contents of the
vessel at that hour so as to have
something warm in bis stomach,
read until seven, when he arose* and
devoted himself to his gardening. In
other words he kept his own kitchen¬
ette by the bedside.
* * *
Calories En Route
So keen have travelers become in
weight reduction and calories that
some of tlie menus in the diners now
carry tlie amount of calories con¬
tained in each item so that the cus¬
tomers can add up and find out
whether they are within their limit.
A pencil and pad will he furnished
on request to simplify the calculation
for those who are slow at mental
arithmetic.
« * *
Tho»e Bankers
My experience as an humble ob¬
server of things lias been that most
prominent bankers go around with
their heads in tlie air and their
hands in their pockets. Usually,
although one is introduced to them
frequently, the bankers do not re¬
member the ordinary citizen. There¬
fore, I have adopted this practice
to make a banker remember me,
if desirable. If the man’s first name
is Charles, for example, when intro¬
duced I always say to him:
“Hello, George,” and he says:
“George isn't my name,” and I say,
“I know it.”
The other way is to owe him
money. A banker never forgets the
face of a borrower and tlie more lie
is owed, the better his memory.
* * *
Putting Him in Hi» Place
Playing a crowded golf course re
cently in a foursome which had start¬
ed early and moved slowly was tlie
president of a big locomotive com
panj'. This foursome was an obstruc¬
tion to all players on the course nnd
was also a stone wall when it came
to letting anybody behind them
shift through. Finally one wit in a
foursome which had been held up on
every shot, turned to his companion
and said:
“As far as I am concerned I have
bought my last locomotive from that
guy.”
“Even if he built battleships,” re¬
plied the irritated companion of the
first speaker, “I’d never buy another
battleship from him.”
* » *
Strange Price*
I can't make out the whims of those
who attend auctions. Something that
I think should bring a good price in¬
variably sells for a song, and some¬
thing else that I don’t consider val¬
uable brings a neat fortune. The
other day 1 attended an auction of
some hooked rugs.- There was one
whose center depicted a schoolhouse,
with tlie American flag on it. It
brought, as I remember, $3.50. The
auctioneer was disgusted. “If that
flag had been British,” he said, “the
rug would have brought $30.” Now,
I’d have thought the reverse to be
true. Similarly, a recent sale of gold
coins revealed that coins dating as
far back as 400 B. O. are wortii $35
or $40, yet one that was struck in
California during the gold rush
brought $7,500.
((c) by the Bell Syndicate, tnc.)
Spanish Prisoner Likes
Idea of Term in Lockup
Alicate, Spain.—Miguel Baeilo thir¬
ty-two, arrested for disorderly con¬
duct, refused all information when
brought before the bar, confining him¬
self to remarking on the advantages
of prison life, where one was freed
from tlie worry of preoccupying ones
self with getting tlie next meal. To
insure an even longer stay in jail
than the original offense called for,
Baeilo assaulted his guards as they
conveyed him to his cell.
The Fired Firemen
Kick the Engine Out
Lyndhurst, N. J. — Firemen
who own the firehouse should
not be fired unceremoniously,
Mayor Horace Bogie, of Lynd¬
hurst, learned after lie commit¬
ted tlie social error of tendering
tlie air to 11 members of Vol¬
unteer Fire Company No. 3.
It seems that Mayor Bogle
had three constituents he want¬
ed taken care of, so he named
them fire department drivers;
but the regular force of the en¬
gine house refused to recognize
the newcomers.
“If you don’t like my men,”
Bogle decreed, "you don’t like
me, so get out.” Whereupon the
II opponents of the mayor's
choice in drivers said:
“Okay, we’ll get out, but so
will your apparatus. We own
the firehouse.”