Feb. 21, 1909 (Monday)

SHIPS ARE ABOUT TO ARRIVE SAFELY HOME: The large fleet of "Admiral Sperry's fighting machines" are just about done with their spectacular 14-month voyage around the world. (That's Admiral Sperry at right.) The fleet, known in history as the Great White Fleet, has arrived off the shore of Virginia and is expected to enter Hampton Roads sometime tomorrow. To mark the event, today's Globe devoted a number of pages to the expedition and included this page-wide map (above) showing the general route of the ships. The front-page article is written by Winfield M. Thompson, (who would later report on the sinking of the Titanic -- partly while as a "Globe correspondent on the SS Franconia). He noted that the excitement is keen for the return of the fleet. That's a big change, he added, from the attitude among residents of Hampton Roads when the ships departed:
The departure of the ships 14 months ago was regarded almost with indifference in the country around the confluence of the Potomac and the James, the national naval rendezvous. Doubts of the wisdom of sending a fleet so far and political prejudices combined to affect the public mind.
Now that the cruise has proven to be a naval achievement without parallel, the fires of patriotism are blown into a blaze of enthusiasm. Politics and policies are no longer discussed here in connection with the fleet.
Once again, nothing succeeds like success.


STATE LOSES A LEADING EDUCATOR, SCHOLAR: Today's Globe also marked on its front page the death yesterday of Carroll Davidson Wright, a widely known sociologist and economist. He was president of Clark College in Worcester at the time of his death. Unabashed in its praise, the paper said "the output of his life, the sum of his activities, was enormous."

Feb. 20, 1909 (Friday)

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE PRESIDENT WANTS TO -- GASP! -- KEEP THE COST OF COLLEGE LOW: Alumni of Middlebury College of Vermont gathered last night to hear the school's president John Martin Thomas call for help in making college affordable for youths from "modest homes." (That's Pearsons Hall above; it was built in 1911.)
Today's Globe quotes him:
"One of our New England institutions recently defended its democracy by the statement that 10 percent of its students spend less than $600 a year. That means that 90 percent spend $600 or over, and that means that an education at that college is almost impossible to the youth of the average New England home. It is only the favored families of our common villages and hamlets that can afford even $500 a year for the boy or the girl.
"Now it will be a tragedy, a public calamity, if New England college education of high grade is placed beyond the reach of youth of modest homes."
He says he wants to build a "Mt. Hermon among colleges."
He claims that students at Middlebury "get through on about $300 a year each, and are the better for their economy."
Wonder what he would think 100 years later when he sees where Middlebury sits on the list of the nation's most expensive colleges.

FORMER MISSOURI GOVERNOR DRAWS A HUGE CROWD AT THE BOSTON CITY CLUB: More than 700 people filled the seats and aisles at the Boston City Club last night to hear former Gov. Joseph W. Folk (left) of Missouri. Today's Globe quotes extensively from his speech, which touted reform and civic involvement. He was particularly upset with the fact that "criminal wealth, when assailed, always tries to hide behind the skirts of legitimate business, and claims that business is being attacked. According to their argument, grafters should never be assailed, lest some assume that all in that city are grafters and lawlessness in business should not be fought, lest it be suspected that all business is lawless." He wants citizens to go on the offensive and push for greater enforcement of the law.
No city can be injured by the enforcement of the people's laws. To do otherwise is to substitute the will of the official for the laws of the people, and that is tyranny. No state can be hurt by exposing grafting; to do otherwise is to connive at it. There is no secret remedy known for evils of this character. They cannot be cured by hiding them. The disgrace is not in their correction, but in submission to them with supine indifference.

Feb. 19, 1909 (Friday)

A PUNCH TO THE CHEST LEAVES 14-YEAR-OLD DEAD IN WATERTOWN: The death of a ninth grader, Frank Crossland, has "created a sensation" in Watertown, according to today's paper. The boy got into a fistfight with classmate John Scanlon and was felled permanently by a punch near the heart. The sequence, according to the article, went something like this, beginning on the steps of the Marshall Spring school:
The story as told by companions of the two lads, and also by Scanlon, is that while the boys were leaving the schoolhouse, shortly after 1 o'clock, Crossland, who was in line directly behind Scanlon, tapped the later on the ear with the end of his book strap.
Scanlon resented this and the pair renewed the argument when they reached the street. They kept it up until they reached a spot opposite the home of William O'Brien, 17 Waverly av. Here they exchanged blows for a couple of minutes. Scanlon dealt Crossland a blow which landed under the heart.
The Crossland lad dropped to the ground.
Scanlon, distraught, tried to lift Crossland up, but he was unconscious. He then ran home and told his mother he had hit another boy and thought he was injured. The next sentence raises some questions:
His mother told him to eat his dinner and go back and see how badly the boy had been injured.
He couldn't eat so he left the house and returned to the scene, where he was taken into custody by police.
Here's the analysis of the principal and the boys' teacher, Miss Mary H. Moynihan:
They were both of the opinion that the tragedy of today was the result of carrying fooling too far.
Sounds like an understatement.

COULD THIS BE THE BEGINNING OF THE BOSTON-TO-NEW YORK SHUTTLE? Charles Jasper Glidden, the widely known Massachusetts automobilist announced in New York yesterday that his Aerial Navigation Company of Massachusetts has ended enough spots of land in and around Boston to allow it to build "airship stations." All this is in preparation for setting up THE FIRST REGULAR AIRSHIP SERVICE between Boston and New York, according to a front-page article in today's Globe (right). [The photo above shows an airship above Chicago in 1906.]
He wants this operation, the "first airship line in the world" can operate on a regular schedule for four months of the year, "with timetables of arrivals and departures." The line will feature stations at about 25-mile intervals between the two cities. Glidden said,
"We will begin by starting a regular schedule of runs from a place we have leased as a starting station, a short distance from Boston. We have also arranged for another station at Harvard bridge, a half-mile from the state house in Boston."
He sees a future in this kind of air travel:
"...the time is coming when it will be possible to run airships in all kinds of weather. In my opinion the dirigible will be the first kind of flying machine that will be of full practical utility. The aeroplane will come later."

Feb. 18, 1909 (Thursday)

UPON FURTHER REVIEW.... GLOBE TAKES STOCK OF CY YOUNG'S DEPARTURE: With more time and space available to cover the news (broken yesterday on short notice), the Globe takes a more thorough look at the departure of pitcher Cy Young to the Cleveland team, which was called the "Naps," but linked to the Indian image (as illustrated on the front page above).
Most of the complaining from fans appears to be muted, largely, it seems, because this is a deal that Young is happy with, and he commands lots of respect. The Globe quotes this analysis from the Record:
Cy Young is 41 years of age and his years as a ball player are numbered. He is strong and good yet, but he will not be much longer.
Pres Taylor and manager Lake have a bunch of aggressive young players of the style that make pennant winning teams. The old timber is being taken out, plank by plank, and the new men are fitting in nicely.
But not everyone's happy, according to The Traveler newspaper. The Globe says that publication "said that 90 percent of Boston's fans will disapprove of the deal" and were quite surprised by it -- among them the legendary "Nuff Ced McGreevey," whose name endures in "Tessie".

GLOBE NOTES THE PASSING OF AN ARIZONA LEGEND -- GERONIMO: The famous chief of the Apaches Geronimo died yesterday according to the report (above) in today's Globe. The article says he died at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, "where he had been confined as a prisoner of war for years." He surrendered about 22 years ago. The article says Geronimo surrendered to Gen. Nelson Miles after a 3,000-mile chase. The Globe does not mention that Miles had a Massachusetts background, but it does quote his with this description of Geronimo:
"Geronimo rode into our camp and dismounted. He was one of the brightest, most resolute, determined-looking men that I had ever encountered. He had the clearest, sharpest dark eye I think I have ever seen.
The Globe also notes that Miles "once said that Geronimo was the worst Indian that ever lived and his cruelty knew no bounds."


IT TOOK ABOUT 25 DAYS, BUT NOW SCIENTISTS KNOW WHERE THE EARTHQUAKE STRUCK: On Jan. 23, seismograph readers around the world noticed there had been a violent earthquake. Until Feb. 17, conjecture was that the disturbance had happened in western Asia, Asiatic Russia or, perhaps, in the waters of the Indian Ocean. Well, the horrible news has reached Tehran that the quake struck Luristan in western Persia (shown in bright green in the map of Iran at left). It wholly or partially destroyed 60 villages. Authorities fear that between 5,000 and 6,000 were killed. In addition, up to 12,000 head of cattle might have been killed as well. Survivors are flocking into Burnjurd [the way it's spelled in the Globe; it might be Borujerd].
The article notes that the province of Luristan is sparsely settled and mountainous and about 300 miles southwest of Tehran. Communication with the capital is limited to courier.

February 17, 1909 (Wednesday)

RED SOX SELL..... THE GREAT CY YOUNG: Pitcher Denton "Cy" Young, who was with the Boston team since 1901 has been sold to the Cleveland team for cash and two players. The news merited a large photo and presence on the front page of today's paper (above). The deal was made shortly before midnight and "caused considerable interest among the magnates who had not gone to bed" at the owners' meeting in Chicago.
The Globe received the news about Young "early this morning" in a report from Hugh McBreen (left), treasurer of the Boston team.
Here's the entire dispatch:
Cy Young has been sold to the Cleveland club for a money consideration and pitchers [Charley] Chech and [Jack] Ryan.
Boston has closed a deal for a left-handed pitcher, whom we cannot name at present but who won 27 and lost 2 games in the season of 1908.
What? He "CANNOT NAME" the pitcher, but he CAN say that he had a 27-2 record in 1908? Doesn't that narrow it down a bit? For some reason, nobody at the Globe looked it up. I have no idea who McBreen refered to.

Feb. 16, 1909 (Tuesday)

GLOBE PEEKS UNDER THE WAISTCOAT AT THE MYSTERIOUS LIFE OF HANNAH SNELL: Today's Globe includes, as usual, "A Daily Lesson in History." The focus is on Hannah Snell (above and at right), who is labeled as "a unique character of the British Navy in the eighteenth century." To say the least. She disguised herself as a man and served England in the army and marines. It wasn't all that easy for her to keep her secret. Here's a description of some of what happened at the siege of Pondicherri in 1748:
...the marines were called upon to participate in a move by land. Hannah bore herself as a veteran soldier and was several times wounded. One was a dangerous gunshot wound, but so determined was she to keep her secret that she extracted the ball by her own skill and bore her suffering in silence during the healing process, which well nigh cost her life by reason of the absence of the application of proper remedies.
Her secret was revealed after her discharge and she was retired on a government pension of 20 pounds sterling. She died before she was 40.

AMATEUR WIRELESS OPERATORS GET A JUMP ON THE NEWS: Today's Globe carries an editorial (right) pointing out in its first sentence that "a large majority of the bright boys on New England who have installed wireless telegraph apparatus in their homes do not intentionally interfere with the sending or receiving of messages of the navy department."
A statement like that leads one to believe that there's at least a small minority of those bright boys who DO intentionally interfere with communications with the U.S. Navy. This has caused disruption because some are sending false CQD wireless distress signal. Evidently one Washington teenager sent messages that were supposed to come from the Navy ship the Dolphin. Investigators found that the perpetrator had "a fondness for playing practical jokes."
The article in yesterday's paper included a quotation from a young wireless operator in Washington named John Hillers (not sure if it's the same one who pretended his messages were from the Dolphin). The student described how his device -- using an antenna at his parent's house -- helps him stay ahead of the news as reported by newspapers:
"The Cape Cod station gets busy every night between 10 and 12 o'clock, and sends out press messages to ships at sea. I isn't necessary to read the papers. From these messages I can get a line on the news of the day. When a certain ambassador's wife was thrown from her carriage and injured, I head it two days before there was anything about it in the newspapers."