AMERICAN ALMANAC 1910

Monday, March 7, 1910

This past week the newspapers have shared sad stories about earthquakes. Last Tuesday, the deadliest avalanche in American history killed 96 people, mostly railroad passengers, who had been stranded by snow since February 24^th. Two different rains were on their way from Spokane to Seattle in Washington State, when they were stopped at Stevens Pass by heavy snowfall. Shortly after 1:00 a.m., the earth began to shake as snow came down the mountain and tossed the trains down into a 150-foot deep canyon. On Wednesday 37 young men were killed at the Treadwell mine in Alaska, and on Friday, a rockslide blocked the railroad tracks at Rogers Pass in British Columbia. The Canadian Pacific Railway sent men to clear the debris, and a second larger quake caused an avalanche that buried the group, killing 58 people.

Aero planes are in the news again: The very first American Military pilot is Lt. Ben Foulois from Fort Sam Houston. He received 30-minutes of flying instructions from Wilbur Wright, and made four flights, including his first solo takeoff, his first solo landing, and his first crash. He wasn’t hurt, but the plane is going to need a lot of repair. He will probably make the new Wright Military Flyer very famous. Foulois said “I think the aero plane will replace the horse in reconnaissance.”

There is interesting news from the world of photography. A ‘panoramic’ camera has been developed, and can take a wide angle picture. One of these fella’s took a picture in Janesville, and it gives an amazing view of the growing city.

Until next week…

Monday, February 28, 1910

Thursday, February 24^th, The "American cinephone" was unveiled at a New York press conference, showing technology that might make it possible to have sound on films. A trained cinephone operator would be able to synchronize a film's speed to a phonographic record "so that the gestures of a singer and actor appear at practically the same instant as the sound of the voice". Can you imagine? A movie with words. A 'talkie'?

Friday, February 25^th, Thomas Edison's "trolleyless street car", powered by storage batteries rather than by overhead electric wires, was publicly demonstrated on New York's 29th Street horse car tracks, with rail executives, transportation engineers and members of the press as passengers.

According to Ralph Beach, the "canned current" electric streetcar would "make 150 miles on a single charge", and would be recharged overnight at a power station. It seems like a good idea to get rid of all the overhead wires - we can't help but wonder how they store electricity in this thing called a battery?

Saturday, February 26^th, Western Union created a forerunner of long distance telephone calling, with the inauguration of its new "telegraph-telephone" service, set up on a network of telephone connections between New York's Western Union Building, and local telephone company switchboards.

If a phone user wanted to send a telegram from home, the switchboard would, "in less than a minute" connect the caller directly to Western Union, which would then relay the message to the nearest telegraph office, which in turn would deliver the telegram or telephone the recipient, at no extra charge.

As I promised last week, I would like to share a story from Part 1 of Baden Powell’s Scouting for Boys.

"WHAT SCOUTS ARE"

"I SUPPOSE EVERY Boy wants to help his country in some way or other. There is a way by which he can so do easily, and that is by becoming a Boy Scout.

"A scout in the army, as you know, is generally a soldier who is chosen for his cleverness and pluck to go out in front to find out where the enemy is, and report to the commander all about him.

"But, besides war scouts, there are also peace scouts-men who in peace time carry out work which requires the same kind of pluck and resourcefulness.

"These are the frontiersmen of the world.

"The pioneers and trappers of North and South America, the hunters of Central Africa, the explorers and missionaries in all parts of the world, the bushmen and drovers of Australia-all these are peace scouts, real men in every sense of the word, and good at scoutcraft. They understand how to live out in the jungle. They can find their way anywhere, and are able to read meanings from the smallest signs and foot tracks. They know how to look after their health when far away from doctors. They are strong and plucky, ready to face danger, and always keen to help each other. They are accustomed to take their lives in their hands, and to risk them without hesitation if they can help their country by doing so.

"They give up everything, their personal comforts and desires, in order to get their work done. They do it because it is their duty.

"The life of the frontiersman is a grand life, but it cannot suddenly be taken up by any man who thinks he would like it, unless he has prepared himself for it. Those who succeed best are those who learned Scouting while they were boys.

"Scouting is useful in any kind of life you like to take up. A famous scientist has said that it is valuable for a man who goes in for science. And a noted physician pointed out how necessary it is for a doctor or a surgeon to notice small signs as a Scout does, and know their meaning.

"So I am going to show you how you can learn scoutcraft for yourself, and how you can put it into practice at home. It is very easy to learn and very interesting when you get into it.

"You can best learn by joining the Boy Scouts."   "Campfire Yarn No. 1. What Scouts Are."   Baden-Powell, Scouting for Boys, 1908.

Until next week…

Monday, February 21, 1910

 Tuesday was a banner day for working women in New York. On November 23^rd an estimated 20,000 women went on strike over issues of wages, working hours, and their right to be unionized. On Tuesday of this week, the strike was settled, and among the successes they gained, was reducing the mandatory working hours from 56 hours a week to only 52 and an increase in wages that allow them to make over $400 per year! Scott Nearing published a book about wages: “In Milwaukee, approximately one-third received less than 85 cents per day ($260 per year); a half received less than $1 per day ($325 per year); three-quarters received less than $1.15 per day ($360 per year); while only one-twentieth received more than $125 per day ($400 per year).” He found that throughout the state of Wisconsin (in 1909), that were making clothing, had an average daily wage of $1.14, but could make $1.17 if they were employed as chair makers. The lowest paid category was for women making ‘boxes, paper, and cigars’, as they only received an average of $0.97 per day.

 The Chicago papers are talking about the new baseball park that is going to open this summer. Comiskey Park is going to be the biggest and best when it opens this spring. There is talk that some of the players may be paid as much as $9,000 to play baseball. Hard to imagine. Cy Young is going to be playing for the Red Sox this year – I think he could turn out to be a great ball player. The Cubs won 104 games last year, and their strongest player was Three Finger Brown with a 27-9 record.

 The first installment of Scouting for Boys has made its way to Wisconsin. The chapters start with hints to instructors, and have campfire yarns that will appeal to the boys. This first installment has 70 pages, divided into four chapters:

1. Mafeking boy scouts, Scouts work, “Kim”
2. Summary of scout’s course of instruction, the Elsdon murder
3. Boy scouts’ organization, the scout’s oath, Scout’s salute and secret sign, scout’s uniform, scout’s war songs, patrol signs
4. Scout law, scouting games, scout’s play

 Authorship is attributed thus: “By B-P (Lieut Gen. Baden Powell C.B.) It is an amazing book that will help move the Scouting program forward.

Next week, I will share some of the material from this book: Part I. Scoutcraft.

Monday, February 14, 1910

 The newspapers in the east are writing stories about Ernest Thompson Seton, the man that appears to be the frontrunner for the new Boy Scout program. He immigrated to America as a youth in the 1880s. His fascination with the wilderness led him to become a naturalist, an artist, and an author, and through his works, he influenced youth and adults. He is an amazing artist, and has had many of his drawings published in books, magazines, and newspapers. His ability to draw something as common as a chipmunk shows his keen eye and talented hand. If he is chosen to lead the Scouting program, his artistic talents will certainly support his efforts.

 Seton established a youth organization called the Woodcraft Indians, and his background of outdoor skills and interest in youth will make him a logical choice for the position of first Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts. His has written many volumes of Scoutcraft, which could become an integral part of Scouting, and his intelligence and enthusiasm will certainly help turn this Scouting program into reality.

 Four years ago, in July of 1906, Ernest Thompson Seton sent Baden-Powell a copy of his book The Birchbark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians. A few months later, in October of 1906, Seton met Baden-Powell, and they shared ideas about youth training programs. These two men have a great dedication to the youth of our Country. This Scouting program will surely grow under their guidance.

 February 11^th was the 63^rd birthday of Thomas Edison. His contributions to our Country have been amazing. It is hard to believe that it was just 30 years ago that he started the commercial production of light bulbs. 20 years ago he patented the cylinder phonograph (Edison and his cylinder phonograph pictured right), and the motion picture camera.

For the last ten years he has been working on a small cylinder that actually ‘holds’ electricity. He is calling this new contraption a ‘battery’. The New York newspapers are advertising a metal tube that holds Edison’s battery’s and can create a beam of light. Not sure it will ever replace my trusty oil lantern for late night trips to the barn, but there sure would be times when this kind of light would be handy.

 Speaking of birthdays, we are reminded that February 12^th was the birthday of our 16^th president, Abraham Lincoln. The Sunday Chicago newspaper had a story about the National Negro Committee changing it’s name to the National Association of Colored People (NAACP) this week. Lincoln worked very hard to help bring our Country together: he would have been 101 years old this year.

 Until next week…

Tuesday, February 8^th, 1910

Today is an exciting day for the young men of our country, as the newspapers from the east have announced that William D. Boyce has incorporated the Boy Scouts of America in our nation’s capital, the District of Columbia.

 W.D. Boyce is an interesting 51-year-old newspaper man, entrepreneur, magazine publisher, and explorer. I have been reading about him in the papers, and learned that he was a school teacher and coal miner before he got into the newspaper business. After becoming a multi-millionaire, he embarked on a two-month trip to Europe last year, where he met a young boy in London. According to the papers in London, W.D. Boyce became lost in the fog and was guided back to his destination by a young Boy Scout. He learned more of the Scouting for Boys program, and was so impressed that he has now started the Scouting program here in the United States. I can’t help but believe this is going to be a great organization. We need to help our boys become better men.

 The papers this week have been filled with troubling news about young boys being killed mining for coal. Last Monday, (January 31, 1910), 75 coal miners will killed in an explosion at Colorado Fuel mine in Primero, Colorado. Tuesday, (February 1, 1910), 34 more miners will killed at the Broward Coal company in Drakesboro, Kentucky. Wednesday, (February 2, 1910) 68 miners were killed at the Palau coal mine in Mexico, and Saturday last (February 5, 1910), 11 more were killed at the Clearfield Coal mine in Ernest Pennsylvania. It is so upsetting that many of these miners were young boys. I hope this new Scouting program will help get them off of the streets, out of the mines, and teach them how to become great men.

The Federal government is going to conduct a census this year. They are estimating that Wisconsin has grown at only half the rate as the rest of the Country. Just ten years ago, they counted all of us Wisconsinites, and we numbered 2,069,042.

Hard to believe that many people are living here, as there were less than 30,000 when we were organized as a territory a little over 70 years ago, in 1836. There are now 124 cities in our great state, and Milwaukee is the largest with over 373,000 people.

Madison is growing too, and they estimate more than 25,000 people living there, but that number is less than La Crosse, Oshkosh, Racine, Sheboygan, and Superior. Where do all these people come from?

 Until next week.....

 Sunday, January 31, 1910

The news this last week included many articles about aero planes, or airplanes as they are being called. One fella that made the news was Glenn Curtiss. Last week there was something of a airplane convention in California, and Curtiss took the opportunity to attach a wood float to the underside of his airplane. The paper in San Diego reported he made three successful takeoffs and landings. Why would we ever want to land and take off in an airplane on the water?

Thomas Crapper died on Thursday (January 27, 1910). Our modern bathrooms would not be the same without his unique design for a flush toilet that we can use inside the house.

The Newark News newspaper debuted a new story about ‘Uncle Wiggily’, an engaging elderly rabbit with a walking cane that looks like a red and white peppermint stick. He has friends such as Sammie Littletail (a rabbit), and Neddie Stubtail (a friendly bear cub).

We are reading about a man named Ernest Evan Thompson Seton. Currently 44 years old, he spent his youth in Toronto, and received a scholarship to the Royal Academy in London, England, because of his amazing ability to draw animals, especially wolves. He has become a successful writer, artist, and naturalist living in New York City.

Eight years ago, in 1902, Seton's property had been vandalized by a group of boys from the local school. After having to repaint his vandalized gate a number of times, and with the blessing of the local constabulary, he went to the school and invited the boys to his property for a weekend, rather than prosecuting them. He sat down with them and told them stories about Native Americans and nature. It is reported that the young boys were so impressed, that they returned frequently to learn from Seton.

We began to learn more of Seton when he published articles in the Ladies Home Journal four years ago (1906), the same year he began the Woodcraft Indians. The unique feature of his program was that the boys elected their own leaders: a "Chief", a "Second Chief", a "Keeper of the Tally" and a "Keeper of the Wampum". At the urging of his friend Rudyard Kipling, Seton published Two Little Savages (1903) as a novel.

Four years ago(1906) Seton traveled to England to look for people interested in his outdoor organization for young boys. He met Robert Baden-Powell, who was working on a similar endeavor for boys in England. They corresponded for a couple of years, until 1908, when Seton received a letter from Baden-Powell stating that Baden-Powell was going ahead with his scheme for scouting, based very much on Seton's program. Baden-Powell incorporated many of the ideas, honors and games into his book, Scouting for Boys.

I think this Scouting program is going to be very influential here in the United States….

Until next week....

Sunday, January 23, 1910

Today’s Sunday News Paper is exciting and worrisome.

Last Thursday, (January 13^th, 1910), the first radio broadcast of a live musical performance took place at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Wireless radio receivers on Park Avenue and Times Square were able to pick up the broadcast – that is almost a mile away!!!

The Shoshone River Dam in Wyoming has been completed. It is the tallest dam in the world, measuring 325 feet in height. Just 15 years ago, the Milwaukee City Hall building was finished, and at 350 feet tall, it was the tallest building in the world. This weekend the Metropolitan Life Insurance company is having a big party to celebrate the completion of their new building – 700 feet tall. Woolworth Department Store is planning on a new building that will be 792 feet tall. Where will it ever stop?

There is a boycott against the high price of meat. It started in Cleveland, Ohio two weeks ago, and spread to St. Louis last week. Today, the newspapers are reporting that the strike may be working, as the average cost of meat has dropped by two cents a pound. Wisconsin grocers’ are advertising ground beef for 28 cents a pound: still too expensive.

There is good news from Battle Creek Michigan where the Kellogg brothers are making boxed cereal. I wasn’t sure that flakes of corn would catch on when they were introduced four years ago, but when they dropped the price of a box of their Corn Flakes from ten cents last year, to only nine cents a box this year, I think I may try a box.

President Taft wants a law requiring congressional candidates to make public their campaign contributions and expenditures. I’m not sure why this should be such a problem: shouldn’t we expect our elected officials to freely tell us who contributed to their campaigns? The Chicago Tribune said that there is “a majority of all members of each House are ready to vote for a bill applying the principle of the President, when it comes up – and that it will never come up.” A Campaign Financing bill: this should be resolved in a few days, shouldn’t it?

On Monday (January 17^th, 1910) the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill calling for statehood for the territories of Arizona and New Mexico. Although it seems logical, one must wonder how many more states will be united in this great Country of our? We already have 46.

There is big news about aero planes. There is a big gathering near Los Angeles (over two dozen aero planes), where a French aviator Louis Paulhan set a new cross-country record, covering 47½ miles in a little over an hour. I know a fella in Whitewater, that made the 47 miles to Madison in just over two hours with his two-team hitch. Not sure why we care if an aero plane carrying one fella, can get someplace twice as fast as a wagon being pulled by two fine horses: the aero plane can’t carry grain, milk cans, or family. They’ve been racing horses at a Derby down in Kentucky for 35 years, and I hear some of them horses can run over 30 miles an hour.

Another interesting thing about aero planes: seems the U.S. Army was able to get a plane 350 feet in the air, and then they dropped bags of sand on targets they painted on the ground. Somebody thinks they might be able to use an aero plane to drop a real bomb some day. We only wonder why?

Folks in France have been having a rough time with all the rain. Water in their Seine River overflowed its banks, and the water rose 24 feet. Much of Paris is without power, hundreds of thousands of people have had to flee their homes. Now their water is contaminated with disease. They have never had that much rain in France. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Until next week...

January, 16, 1910

It was just two years ago this month (January, 1908), that Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys first appeared in England. There are many good programs for young men, including the Boys Brigade and the Woodcraft Indians. There is talk among those involved with programs for our young men, that William D. Boyce is planning to incorporate the Boy Scouts of America. We believe there will be more news about this in early February, and with many great men involved, this program will surely grow.

President William Howard Taft has been our president for two years now. Of course he was handpicked by our previous president, Theodore Roosevelt and they both recognize the importance of a program that helps young boys. Perhaps this new Scouting for Boys program will be a success.

President Taft has been traveling across the country, including our newest state, Wyoming, which joined our great land in November of 1907. A few weeks ago, President Taft ordered two U.S. warships to Nicaragua in response to the death of 500 revolutionaries and a few Americans at the hands of Nicaragua dictator Jos Santos Zelaya. We are pleased that Zelaya is going to retire: war is not something this young country wants to enter in to. There is great opposition to sending our young men to foreign lands to fight a war.

Robert Peary is appearing in New York next week. It was just nine months ago (April 6, 1909) that he reached the North Pole. He has written his book, The North Pole, which will be available later this year. Peary has talked about living in a hut made from ice: something he calls an igloo.

It is hard to believe that it was just seven years ago that the Wright brothers took their first flight in at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Last month the Wright brothers sold the patent for their plane to a group of New York investors for $100,000. Imagine spending that much money for the right to build airplanes? This week a loaf of bread has risen to three cents, and a quart of milk now costs four cents. With a gallon of gas selling for seven cents a gallon, it is doubtful that air travel will ever catch on. They should have kept their motorcycle business: it is difficult to imagine that they will ever be successful in putting a 35-horse power motor cycle engine on something they think will fly.