Jan. 13, 1908 (Monday)

UPON FURTHER REVIEW -- THE PARKER BUILDING FIRE EXPOSES POTENTIALLY SCANDALOUS PROBLEMS AMONG FIRE FIGHTERS: The New York Times points out today that there were numerous problems that contributed to the disastrous Friday-night fire that destroyed the Parker Building. The disaster "gave such striking illustration of faults in our building laws, in our water supply system, and in the equipment of our Fire Department." (The illustration above shows a fireman rushing to the scene of a fire in New York about 1900.) Firefighters, despite the incredible courage displayed at the fire, have some explaining to do, the paper says. For one thing, two water towers brought to the scene could not be lifted to a height necessary to combat the fire, which started near the sixth floor of the 12-story building. Then there was a noted LACK OF WATER PRESSURE and the "wretched quality of the hose which the firemen had to use." The Times says,
Length after length of hose burst as soon as it was subjected to pressure, and the firemen do not hesitate to say that for some time past their efforts have been handicapped by this equally needless and outrageous difficulty."
The Times' editorial points out that the fire was discoverd quickly and equipment and firefights arrived promptly -- in time to minimize the damage. However, the best work seemed to be in merely protecting the adjoining properties. The editorial closes with this sobering statement:
Even heroism is helpless in the conditions that confronted these firemen, and their courage was the undoing of some of them.

Jan. 12, 1908 (Sunday)

CROWDS HONOR MEMORY OF YIDDISH POET: Today's New York Times -- in its editorial page -- draws attention to the large crowds that turned out this week in Manhattan for the burial of Yiddish poet Abraham Goldfaden (above) (though it spelled his name Goldfaben), who died Jan. 9. Here's a comment:
Goldfaben [sic] was both a poet and a prophet. Many in the vast crowd that thronged the streets may have been impelled only by curiosity, but there was more evidence of genuine sympathy with and [sic] admiration for the man and his work than is likely to be manifested at the funeral of any poet now writing in the English language in this country.



DEAD FIREFIGHTER LEAVES A PENNILESS WIDOW: John Fallon, who works as a "fire patrolman," was killed in Friday night's fire at the Parker Building. His widow is totally UNprovided for, according to today's New York Times. The "fire patrolmen" are a private group of workers, employed by the Board of Fire Underwriters, who have NO recognition by the city and have NO pension system like police or city firemen.
The situation is tragic, as explained by a former member of the fire patrol. He's quoted in today's paper:
"We have no such standing as firemen, yet sometimes we run greater risks than they do. At a big fire, when a floor loaded with machinery is ablaze, it is our duty to go to the floor next below and cover up everything there to protect it from water and smoke. We know that sooner or later the machinery is bound to come crashing through the ceiling, but we have to take our chances of getting our work done and escaping before the collapse."
Fallon was given the job about a year ago and was earning about $800 a year.
The firefighters believe that the underwriters -- once they hear of the problem -- will "set it right."

THEODORE ROOSEVELT ADDS A CAVEAT REGARDING THE ACCURACY OF HIS QUOTES, ACCORDING TO WAR SEC. TAFT: A reporter went fishing for a comment from Secretary William H. Taft yesterday when the portly cabinet member was in New York yesterday. The reporter tried to get a comment from Taft by dangling a REPORTED comment from Roosevelt in front of him. Here's the exchange:
"According to a Washington dispatch President Roosevelt has declared that you will be nominated on the first ballot," a reporter told Secretary Taft.
"Well, that's good," he replied, with another laugh. "But, you know, the President has said that NOTHING should be regarded as coming from him unless his SIGNATURE IS ATTACHED TO IT. If President Roosevelt says a thing, it is so, of course, but if he doesn't, it isn't."

Jan. 11, 1908 (Saturday)

$5 MILLION FIRE DESTROYS PARKER BUILDING, LEAVES THREE NYC FIREFIGHTERS DEAD: One of the biggest fires in recent New York history swept through the Parker Building yesterday and caused about $5 million in damage. Three New York firefighters (some of whom are shown above, in 1905) are missing and likely died in the collapse of part of the building. Today's New York Times called it a "fire such as New York has not experienced in many years." It gutted the 12-story building at the southeast corner of 19th Street and 4th Avenue. The drama was intense, especially when sections of the building (shown at right, after the blaze) collapsed. At one point four men were spotted on the ROOF of the building -- when the top six floors were engulfed in flames. Firefighters raced to the roof of the nearby Florence Hotel and set up a MORTAR, which is designed to throw a life line across an alleyway. The men on the roof were worried that time was running out. Here's how the Times describes the interchange:
Above them the men begged that they hurry.
"The roof is burning beneath our feet," they shouted.
"Don't jump, on your lives," called back [Capt.] Gargin. "We'll get you. Keep up your courage."
A minute later the life line shot up over the roof and the four men grabed it frantically. They made it fast to a chimney and then started to slide down.
"Wait," commanded Gargin, and with [Fireman David] Curley he took a hitch around a chimney on the hotel roof with the end of the line. Made taut, this formed a slender line from the Parker Building roof across the fifteen-foot alley between the buildings to the Hotel Florence roof.
Down this line the four men slid. Their hands were burned by the friction and their clothes were singed as they passed windows from which came bursts of flame, but all reached the roof safely.
Regarding the three missing firefighters, thoughts are glum. The Times offers a double negative: "There is NO hope that the three are NOT dead."
There's talk of problems with HOSES and LADDERS.

TIGER CUB ATTACKS 6-YEAR-OLD DOROTHY -- IN THE FAMILY'S KITCHEN; FATHER SAVES THE DAY, THANKS TO THE GAS STOVE: Several months ago, Capt. Cyrus Weldon, who commands a craft involved in South American trade, picked up a two-month-old tiger cub in his travels and gave it to his friend, private detective Thomas Beet. Beet thought the cute little cat would make a nice pet for his daughters, Dorothy and Mildred. They named the cutie Empress, and she lived with the family at their home in Bensonhurst. All seemed fine until yesterday, according to today's New York Times.
While sitting in his parlor, Mr. Beet heard his daughter screaming in the kitchen. He ran in and found her trembling in a corner, face to face with their little Empress, who was snarling, with bared fangs and a swishing tail.
Mr. Beet kicked the animal in the head. Empress recovered and turned her attention on Mr. Beet, who yelled to Dorothy to run out of the kitchen. She did.
He kicked the cat again and then he got an idea. He thought of the stove. He flicked open the door. Here's what he did next:
Then he caught up Empress, despite her snarls and scratching, and whipped her into the oven, slammed the door shut, and turned on the gas.
For five minutes Mr. Beet held the oven door while Empress thrashed about inside. At last, however, her struggles ceased, and when Mr. Beet opened the door the cub was dead.
One tip for fathers: It's always a good idea to know your way around the kitchen.

Jan. 10, 1908 (Friday)

DOES SMITH COLLEGE WANT GIRLS TO STUDY LESS? Normally, students at the all-female Smith College basically ignore the annual report presented by college President L. Clark Seelye (right, as he looked in 1873). But yesterday there was, according to today's New York Times, a "wild scramble by 1,400 for copies of the document." The reason? Evidently Seelye thinks MARRIAGE is more important than ACADEMICS and Seelye wants the entrance requirements for the school to be adapted to that principle. Here's an excerpt from the report:
"The present requirements protract unduly the period of pupilage and they have made a higher education more expensive, and thereby less accessible, except to the wealthier classes, who do not always possess the greatest intellectual ability. As most of the ablest men come from the poorer classes it would be both a public and a private calamity if it should become harder for poor boys and girls of ability to gain the mental culture they desire.
"It would be a still greater loss if, by postponing the time of graduation, family life should be impaired. A college education should not contribute to the modern tendency to celibacy. Physicians also complain that the amount of study required for admission seriously interferes with normal physical development."
Wonder what he means by "the modern tendency to celibacy"?

PEOPLE ARE GETTING WORRIED ABOUT JACK LONDON, WHO MIGHT BE LOST IN THE PACIFIC: The front page of today's New York Times might have caused some readers to catch their breath. One of the headlines says "FEAR JACK LONDON IS LOST IN PACIFIC". The author (right), his wife and the crew of the Snark (they're shown above, on the boat) left Hilo, Hawaii, on Dec. 7. They are a MONTH OVERDUE at the Marquesas Islands. The article in today's Times adds, darkly, "The Pacific is called by mariners the loneliest ocean in the world."

Jan. 9, 1908 (Thursday)

ARTIST YANKS HIS PAINTING FROM THE WALL OF AN EXHIBITION: Impressionist painter Van Dearing Perrine was eager to see the art exhibit yesterday in the gallery of the National Arts Club. Only about a dozen people were in the room at the time. The attendant was standing on a ladder repairing the skylight. That made things pretty easy for Perrine (above). Accompanied by a friend named Mary Ford, he walked up to his painting -- called "Summer Fancy" -- SNATCHED IT FROM THE WALL and started to walk out. He was intercepted by the attendant but Perrine handed it to Mary Ford who damaged it. Perrine said, in a letter that he submitted to the Times last night, that he "spiked it on the nearest iron railing outside and then gave it back to the club."
He was upset because the organizers of the exhibit has asked him to submit a piece, but he had chosen not to participate. Despite that, one of the officials submitted a work Perrine had given him years ago. Perrine didn't like that.

CONVICTED MAN PREFERS FOUR MORE YEARS IN PRISON -- TO SIMPLY SAYING "I'M SORRY": About 15 months ago Myra Smith of Fayette County, near Pittsburg, eloped with William R. Wirsing, who is described in today's New York Times as "a poor young man." Myra's dad, James R. Smith was one of the county's wealthiest farmers, with a spread worth about $75,000 (multiply by 20 for 2008 values). The elder Smith was furious with the match. So, he sent a note to his daughter, inviting her to a visit and inviting her to bring her husband along. What happens next is what put Smith in Prison, According to today's Times,
As they came up the walk to Smith's home, Smith EMPTIED THE CONTENTS OF A SHOTGUN in his son-in-law's body, with the remark, "That's my greeting to you."
Wirsing survived, although he is likely to remain crippled for life. He sued his father in law and was awarded $45,000. The shooter was sent to Western Penitentiary for five years.
Since then, Wirsing made no effort to collect the money. He and his wife visited Smith in prison recently and told the prisoner "that if he would SAY HE WAS SORRY a pardon would be offered him, and no attempt would be made to collect the $45,000. Smith spurned the offer by saying, "You attend to your own affairs. I'll see you two when I get out in five years."
Wirsing yesterday decided to collect the $45,000.

Jan. 8, 1908 (Wednesday)

KING OF BEERS BUYS A KING-SIZED AD IN THE TIMES: Anheuser-Busch is making a big push against the Temperance movement. One tactic is exemplified in this full-page ad (right), which lays a traditional advertising pitch over what appears to be a page of regular news articles. All these "articles" tout beer. The headlines, in a "tombstone" layout across the top (above), are a great pick-me-up for the beer drinker. This is beer-propaganda at its finest. Some examples draw from historical annals, invoking the names of people such as Miles Standish and the duke of Wellington and drawing upon reverence for religion, military might and science. Here are three of the headline/subhead pairings on the page:
1. BEER ON THE MAYFLOWER: Pilgrim Fathers Drank It.
2. (my favorite) WORLD'S DECISIVE BATTLES WON BY BEER DRINKERS: Beer Drinking Armies Smashed Napoleon at Waterloo.
3. FOOD VALUE OF MALT BREWS: Scientific Evidence.


TRAVEL TIP: IF YOU WANT TO FLIRT, DON'T GO CROSS THE ATLANTIC ON THE EUROPA: The Hamburg-American Line is going upscale in its plans for the 40,000-ton Europa. The ship will include a TAILOR'S SHOP. The establishment will feature American tailors -- for travelers who prefer the English cloth, but don't like the English cut, according to today's New York Times. The paper adds that the liner will also have a modiste. The paper adds, "Whether women will feel spry enough to try on dresses in mid-ocean is yet to be proved, but Herr Balin thinks that the great size of the Europa, 40,000 tons, will preclude the possibility of rolling to any extent and permit women to keep their feet while being fitted."
There will also be a JEWELRY STORE on board. This might have a chilling effect on men who want to impress women on board. Here's the Times' explanation:
This latter feature may have a blighting effect on ocean flirtations, which, it is said, have owed much of their popularity to the fact that about the most expensive gift to be made to a woman on board ship has hitherto been a box of bon-bons.
This clearly ups the ante for those who want to play the game.
Also, there will be TANKS ON DECK so the ship can carry LIVE SOLES from Dover and Stettin.
All that's well and good; there's no mention of the number of lifeboats, however. That won't be a real issue until 1912, when the Titanic goes down.
(NOTE: The Europa name didn't stick. Two big ships produced by the Hamburg-American line were each originally going to be called Europa, the Imperator (above) and the Vaterland. Not sure which one this ended up being, if either.)

Jan. 7, 1908 (Tuesday)

NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS THAT THE TIMES OF LONDON IS GETTING A NEW OWNER: A report from London indicates that C. Arthur Pearson (right), whom the New York Times refers to as a "so-called 'newspaper magnate'," will take over The Times of London from the Walter family.
Here's how the New York paper describes the intergenerational affinity for the London Times:
Most of those who swear by The Times are, of course, in a class by themselves. Many of them read the paper because their fathers and grandfathers read it. The Times habit has been handed down from generation to generation in thousands of English households.
True to The Times tradition, these readers of the old Thunderer naturally resent the coming change. It is a serious matter to most of them.
(NOTE: The nickname referred to -- "The Thunderer" -- evidently dates back to about 1830, as explained here.)
(NOTE: The paper will be sold in 1908, but it will go to somebody else.)

HO, HUM; THAW GOES ON TRIAL ... AGAIN: Harry K. Thaw is back on trial for what some consider the murder of the century. This second trial began Monday. It should go quicker, according to today's New York Times. For one thing, the judge wants some nighttime sessions. The Times has no photograph or illustration from the trial, but it does have some "word pictures" of two of the principals -- Harry K. Thaw, the man on trial, and his wife, Evelyn: Here's a peek:

ON HARRY: As the prisoner made his way from the little door in the rear of the courtroom to the space railed off for counsel he showed a striking change in manner and appearance. His stride was that of a man sure of his strength. His demeanor was that of a man coolly facing a problem of serious import to himself. He was thinner than last year, but seemed stronger. He did not glance around the courtroom with uneasy, roving eyes as he did at every entrance during the first trial.

ON EVELYN: Beyond the railing on the south side of the courtroom sat Evelyn Nesbit Thaw. With her schoolgirl costume she wore a dark blue hat, with two bunches of violets tucked between crown and rim; a veil fell from either side, and this was pinned back from her face. She smiled and nodded to the lawyers, and seemed less haggard of face than at the first trial.

Jan. 6, 1908 (Monday)

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT IS AT IT AGAIN; HE CONTINUES TO PUSH ARMY TO IMPROVE ITS HORSE-RIDING SKILLS AND GET RID OF "FAT COLONELS": Here's how today's New York Times sums up President Roosevelt's warning to Army officers who are either too big or too disdainful for the saddle:
The "fat Colonels" of the army are not to be allowed to have the uncontested sympathy of the people when they cannot cut creditable didos at equitation.
(NOTE: For the meaning of "to cut a dido" go here.)
Roosevelt has submitted to the Secretary of War an illustrated handbook that shows some of the high-level horsemanship that's being done in various armies, such as in Germany, Italy and France. The handbook, put together by J. Franklin Bell, includes photographs (above) of some of the equine artistry that is apparently typical of European armies.
The Times evidently likes the way the battle lines seem to be being drawn in the horseback controversy. Here's a sample (emphasis added):
The President says that he wants the country to understand that knowing how to ride is no unheard-of thing at all, and his illustrated lecture is in answer to the criticisms of the press, as well as a sort of a second blow to the efficient COMMANDERS of ROLLER-TOP DESKS who cannot ride.

TRIAL WATCHERS IN NEW YORK ARE READY FOR THE SECOND VERSION OF THE GREATEST TRIAL OF THE STILL-YOUNG CENTURY: The second trial of Harry K. Thaw begins today in the Criminal Court Building before Justice Victor Dowling (right). Thaw is accused of killing architect Stanford White on the Madison Square Roof Garden in 1906. Today's Times reminds people of the publicity surrounding the three-month trial that began last April. Today's Times describes some of the preperation for news coverage:
The telegraph and cable companies ran trunk line branches to the dome of the Criminal Courts Building, dropped them through the centre, and established cable and telegraph offices within twenty feet of the doors of the Criminal branch of the Supreme Court, where the trial was proceeding. The trial was reported for all of the big English papers, papers in Rome, Paris, Berlin, and for one Tokio [sic] paper.
The restretching of wires to the Criminal Courts Building was started Saturday afternoon, and although it is not likely that as much newspaper space will be given this trial as was given the first, the accommodations for newspaper representatives provided in the courtroom are already used up.

Jan. 5, 1908 (Sunday)

SOME PATRIOTS URGE, "DON'T GIVE UP THE FLAG" -- OF THE CAPTAIN WHO (might have) SAID, "DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP": An auction in Great Britain has caused a flurry of patriotic fluttering in the United States. Among the tidbits of history, from the collection of T.G. Middlebrook, is a flag that's said to have been plucked from the USS Chesapeake after it was defeated in battle by the HMS Shannon off Boston in 1813.
The auction prompts the inclusion in today's New York Times, a large illustration of Capt. James Lawrence (right) of the Chesapeake. This is the battle that spawned the tale of one of the U.S. Navy's most cherished "last words." The final utterance of Capt. Lawrence is presented in today's article:
"Keep the guns going! Fight her till she strikes or sinks! Don't Give Up the Ship!"
He said this before he died, having been killed in action (see engraving above).
Whether or not Middlebrook had the actual flag from the battle is a topic that the Times considered worthy of pursuing in the article.
It did not question the tale of the "last words" attributed to Lawrence. But this is as good a time as any to refer readers to the wonderful publication called "The Yale Book of Quotations," edited by Fred Shapiro. He puts "Don't Give Up the Ship" under the entry for Oliver Hazard Perry, another War of 1812 naval officer. He notes, quoting another expert, that the phrase has been attributed to various people of the military persuasion. The reason to attach the comment to Perry is that he had a battle flag inscribed with the words and used the flag as a signal during the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813.
Other military relics up for sale seemed to be of interest. Among them:
1. the bugle on which was sounded the order for the Light Brigade to make its famous charge during the Crimean War;
2. the spear that killed General Gordon;
3. spectacles of Dr. Johnson;
4. a pair of gold buckles that Admiral Nelson wore at Trafalgar (which can be seen in animation here.