Evening Star Newspaper, March 4, 1928, Page 84

2 Old and New Link Editor’s Note: Back from a vaga- bond journey around the world. and famous at 25 as the author of “The Roval Road’ to Romance.” and a Widely known lecturer, Richard Hal- liburton found himself unable to subside into the conventional life toward which he was drifting. Then A phrase from Tennyson's “Ulysses” struck fire within him: “To sail be- yond the sunset till I die: to striv 1o seek. to find. and not to yield." Why not follow Ulysses' example? Why not follow his very trail> In sudden enthusiasm he was off, with Homer as his guide, the Odyssev as his book, and a friend, Roderic Crane. as his companion. Last week in the first of a serics of five articles, he told of how they xealed Mount Olympus, to be greet- ed by a violent storm. Trapved for the night on the topmost pinnacle of Olymp nearly Killed by fa'ling stone. they Iad found a new and thrilling rcad to romance. BY RICHARD HALLIBURTON. ODERIC and L came down from Olympus feeling that it was a great stroke to have brought ourselves to Jupiter's attention | right in th2"beginning, and to have had it out with him—thunderbolts and -bacause now there would be no misunderstanding However. even Jupiter had no power over the Fates. With all his patron- ge we were not safe from disaster hed 1t been so foreordained. And nobody ir the world could advise us in regard th er of destfny except th» oracle | aL i, So we determined as our next move to consult this ommnisciert prophet of Apollo, realizing it would be | sheer folly—and certainly most unclas- sic—not to. No ancient Greek would ever have becn so injudicious. We took a motor car next morning for Parnassus. and watched this sacred n 18in grow i grandeur as we sped oss the plains of Thessaly—on tc phi, which lay upon the mountain's southern slopes. | The celebrated shrine is situated 1,800 feet above the Guif of Corinth, on the side of a wild, spectacular gorge 4hat in fts2lf fills one with awe and Teverence for the gods. Our motor ground up the steep slopes of the rocky canyon and deposited us at the hotel. | At once we hurried out to the holy| precinct. knowing, of course, that the | oracle had been dumb for 20 centuries, and that the shrine was only a field of | prosrate ruins, yet still believing that | in a piace of such dramatic associatio there must be adventure awaiting two faithfu! pilgrims who came bearing | fresh laurel wreaths from Tempe. Legend has it that goats browsing on these Delphian slopes of Mount Par- nassus were thrown into convulsions when they approached a certain deep cleft in the sice of the mountain, from which a pecuhar intoxicating gas arose. ‘The goatherd on inhaling it was af- fected in the same manner. The in- habitants imputed the convulsive rav- ings, to which he gave utterance under the power of the exhalation, to Apollo’s divi inspiration—and a temple was straightway raised on the spot. I feit that if the vapor could hypnotize goats amd goatherds it could do as much for Roderic, s0o we decided to seek the crevice, over which he 3 blingly. to sit and breathe deeply of the Apollonian chlorine. ‘To our complete disappointment, we learned there was no longer any crev- Ice. nor any mystic vapor. We must find a substitute! The hotel bar of- fered possibilities, but certainly the dreadful native Greek mastika would never inspire anybody to foretell any- thing but death and disaster. I'd never want my fortune told with that. And then we opened a beer bottle. Instantly | I knew we had found the correct as- phyxiator. Rod’s eyes took on a glazed, far-away ex) ion. He began to laugh softly. I jerked the potent bot- tie away from him, since it would never do to go into the mesmeric trance in the hotel bar. People might misunder- * xe x ESIDING in our hotel at the time was an arresting young English t, who was so amused at out oracu- | efforts that we decided to give him 8 leading roie in the ceremony. In ancient timcs there was always a con- secrated priest who interpreted the/ oracle’s mumblings, and Mr. Willlam | Watson Wright could play the priest's part to perfection, as he had the most gorgeous pink beard that ever adorned 8 pallid white tace. Roderic was more than agrecable for this assistance, since he was foreseeing some difficulty, even with the divine inspiration, in putting his prophecies into the customary fam- bic verse upon which I insisted. Our pricst was well informed on Del- g:u: ritual: It would not be possible, sald, for the oracle to bocome the purveyor of divine auguries without fir: sezking absolution in the sacred Casta- lian foundation which gushed out of the rocks {rom beneath a great hewn-stone altar The water was like ice and Rod- eric demurred. But I managed to get enough water down his back to cleanse sway @ good part of his iniguities. Thus prepared to receive Apollo's di- vinations, we sought the Rock of the Biby), where; although there vere no noxivus vapors, there was al least a crevice. The laurel we had been saving - for this very moment was nov brought forw: and. while it re o bend into & créwn for the prophet’s head, 1 naged W balance a nice sprig fetch- ingly over one eer. Everything vas set now for the adminisiration of the beers bottle affiatus The priest the cork and rested the gas tank on the rock be- nesth Rod's nose. Once more he breathed the celestial ether: once more he seemed W be transported b another fairer land. Priest Willlam now wid me my question. e Ocymey be a success?” 1 nuy, “Shell 1 gel wafely and then hold fast W Ulysses' Will the gods blow me home for Christmas, or will Neptune persccute me and keep me 10 yeare frum Po- nelope?” e interpreter turned Lo the laureled oracle and repeated my question. The prophet ook several more deep inhala- tions from the malty depths and began tter the reply, The priest clutched , and, putting his voyant y. the drew out dead — Ulys- undestak- of your shade on tmiles mest set great thiough — your hraviey — you'll from — all — the Circe - and — the with [t muny ainst —~ you B comrade’s excnpe — | [ Jd Crane sdviee — you'l it This oracle business warn't so bad ofter wl) 1 decided 1 ssk mrother ques ton that wes troubling me $nell 1 ever be recognizd as s Wit e Orce ceeply the prophel bresthed supernal fask conquer -~ Mount i’ i Taimne - would - aepire " highient [ the sun trom -+ the et goa -~ Apotio 1o liverary fire then — the you want - opinton whinlesale truly ore from the must Parnuso you ] from st ¢ . w the his even o if fruni thimt are . Invoke st proph- } hits Believes cerien domir “Tell tne orscle hie opinon 15 ot vequined " 1 rel, Al Wil him Vst e & B0l et wewered my Guestion d tal 3 he will give me 8 favorable 14 ey biis hotel U3l (On anclent sibe was known o hve Wifiu the Givine 1esponeet more (hin Gur el expenditures would THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €., MARCH 4, 1928-PART 7. ed When Acropolis Walls Are ! Immortal Landmark of Classic Fame Studied Under Modern Conditions by Seeker for Unique Adventure—Scenes at Night { on Forbidden Journey Among Most Striking of Halliburton Exploration. | cover two days or more. The offer had | instant effec {1 — th | wisdom, . — my — wor — onto — paper — you — will write, | | thousand — people | - v — story — will — Ah. worthy oracle! Wise Apollo! This | inspired medium had now best be dis- | enchanted quickly lest he also ask for | | his railroad fare and change his mind about my literary future. The incense | was removed; the prophet’s vision eame ck to Delphi: the priest let go his flaming beard. We called the ceremony | to a close and adjourned to the hotel. | { ok ok % AS we walked back the oracle's first, | ncere response to my inquiry re- | ting to my literary career kept ring- | g in my cars: “You musi conquer | ount Parnassus, if to fame you would | arpire, and invoke the god Apollo for his | literary as th* sun bursts frem the sea.,” Rodcric and L with Olympus | only three days behind us. had had enough mountain-scaling for a while, | - but with the oracle offering this one and | cnly hope of fulfilling my aspirations. I | must charge Parnassus—and at once. So in an hour we were off up the 8,200~ foot slope of this great symbolic moun- tain that has been sacred from time immemorial to Apollo and the muses. | All day long, from 11 in the| morning !l sundown, we press:d up- ward as our guide and pack- horse cou'a through cool. mur- muring piae woods, across little flat | piateaus, past the famous Korykian | Grotin, where the most notoridus Bac- chic festivals of antiquity were cele- | brated, reaching the higher slopes | covered with huge., tumbled blocks of jagged stones, around and over which we had to pick our way with the ut-l most care. The sun was low in the West before we arrived at the ruined chalet in a little vallcy seme thousand feet below the summit. Here we spent the night. | How luxurinis a fire and shelter secmed | in comparison with the ordeal on top Olympus! At 4 in the morning we moved on up the last great dome In | ample time to reach the top before sun- | rise, and dropped upon the summit bould>r to recover our labored breath. ! through the flocks of clouds that roam- Every momont now the light grew |ed across the Attic plain, fell like 2 brighter, and disclosed more distant searchlight on the Acropolis. En- miles. Olympus, and Ossa. and Pelion, | throned upon its crest, the far-famed to the north, thrust their summits Parthenon. haggard, but still majestic through the mist. To the south the.|n its columned splendor. sprang forth Gulf ot Corinth opened at our feet and | Irom the s the crawn of glory the Peloponnesus beyond. |set_upon the of this quecn of acr L A flietion tor wiiend R i (as RS \o AT 1 I Dt arcival Sk wubirmeo:.“ ‘:::";.Tni in the shadow of the Acropolis, rising of risin, t of 8k | back and sheer against the stars, Acgean Iates. CHutsey 1 e o | thought: “How beautiful it would be. to supplicate Apollo, in keeping with | % such a lovely night as this, to climb the oracle’s bidding, “as the sun bursts [ UP to the battlements!” 1 had learned from the sea.’ And then it came—a |i0 &dvance that the Acropolis was open great glow diademed from the rocky |0 the public for three nights each lunar island—brighter—clearer—with a show- | month when the moon was full, but by cr of light it broke through the horizon. ;’,‘";“g:l)‘;_:‘;n A e e ncrid *x % i 'Ampolh gate, as :uu:,léoh:d been mngr HE bluest waves I've ever seen sped | fast 8t sunsct, and 2,000 years ago the past as our coastal steamer from | Arobgun NALe, BAG been made proof Delphi crossed the sunlit Gulf of nn,l‘rzst ]us‘:e suc:'l lnpv-dfrs as mlyiexr. G 5 “Remember the Persions,” whispere m“a’y o anis s | Temptation, “They found n sccret smnl? s el Roderleomlumd ;’m_ | stairway. Perhaps it's still thore. ly gripped my arm. “But it's so dark—you'll break your I saw it! A surge of rapiure swept \neckmn‘i?n'\;zl‘lng ‘up those rocks.” ad- through me. There before us, painted | mon! cretion. against a violet veil of mnunmm a| “Then take matches, fool!” was the league or two from the sea, lifting high | sharp retort. into the air its temple-crowned rock- | I took matches, my own and all of altar, spread beneath its halo of im-|Roderic’s, since he was too busy get- mortality, gleamed the most ting us settled at the hotel to want to the most delicate, the most sacred shrine we were to find in all our pil- grimage—Athens! A sl beam | R | pedition our first night in Athens, and on second thought, while the maitre light, pouring 'd’hotel wasn't looking, I seized the pink Water BY MARJORIE MacDILL. | PORTSMEN and naturalists of the | istrict of Columbia and nearbv ¢ States are seriously alarmed o/cc | an_ insidious invasion of the his- toric waters of the Potomac. The obstreperous foreigner, responsi- | ble for gll the commotion, is a dainty | green water plant, known in its nnlve! naunts of southern Europe and north | Africa as the water chestnut, that has ! pushed the scene of its depredations | almost to_the shadow of the National | Capital. Like the cactus in Australia | and the water hyacinth in the South, it w4 welcomed first as an ornament, but is ropidly arousing resentment as a sc- | rious enemy. | The alarming spread of the wnrerl chestnut and the menace it presents to | the game fish and navigation of the Po- | tmac have been pointed out by Earl| V. 8hannon, a geologist of the National | Museum Mr. Bhannon is an amateur | naturalist whose training in careful ob- servations in geological field work hus been instrumental in his foreseeing the danger of the pest’s spread in the estu- | aries of the Potomac. In 1919, Trapa Natans, as this over. friendly ornament Is known to botan- irts, was practically extinet after its in- | troduction in this neighborhood some | years before. Whatever adverse condi- tions may have prevalled at that time, | spread in the lest nine years haw i phenomenal. Small colonies are ¢d in Bwan Creek and Gunston | nd there ure undoubtedly many | that have not been reported. The | largest is in Oxon Creek, Just across the river from Alexandria, In 1923 it cov ercd two aeres with a dense patch of | tation, with mony small seattered | plants surrounding it In 1926, in Au- | 2u-t, the sepmon of maximum growth. | Lad grown o nestly 90 acres, In| all of 1927, 4t the time when the | begin o disintegrate for the | Vinter, the main patch was estimated | at around 40 aer This gives some indication of the tremendous riate of wnerease in this climete, where ‘L natural enemies are few, 3 any. I its own home in southern Burops whiore the seeds are rossted and sold on the street Mke chestnute, iU hus never pestilential proportions. These bt four-horped seeds ure the soul of the penerie name Trapa, which ¥, £ abbreviation of “calcitrap” or £k top " The 1‘l“rn{m sn anclent instri- ment of war, that conststed of un fron — THE SEED WHICH GIVES THE ball with four sharp polnts so srranged that when three rested on the ur";mml one alll projected in the alr. These capable of ., e " e producing 200 frufts, The b3 ""f'l"“d,"v Faihe .,"""‘“‘,“ 1o l‘,::‘,]‘mllv of Inerease on such a basis 16w B e fvont bather | simple problem. 1 writhmetic. D R e |y e middie of July & colony of Loy e purts of the Potomas YU {rups ta n level wreen moraw, thigh " o Hio which U §s tmposiible W propel n boat e ol Ihe Kbt MR s | Hative agiati plents, are” sininlaice. Uiet conctiiute the parent nlant, §t fatls | gome fsh are driven from thelr breed- 0 the botom, Later & slight ,,,,,,,,,,m.! g grounda and all of the shallow wates tion tukes place Lhat glves it vmmulul g,, jad [ Caove Gr bowpps 3 A i |accompany me on any marauding cx- | buovanev to make it ot with the cor he trups has thown by its behnvl rent untd! the gos sl rejensed, it sin'os o the bottom wgetn, There it stays un- 11 the following Spring. It then sorouts [ nd sends un a Jong, fexibla stem to the surfuce. The empty seed shell, with jts I horny cost. drops off and weshes ashore, where 1t Joins meny others to form Utormidable earpet that dnspires all Hehitly-thod investigators with sympa- | thiy for the Roman cavalry The outermost leaves of the rosette are provided with sir bladders thut kl.‘l Ve plant wfloat on an even keel wl all s and Udes. JU s & besutiful wid prolific spnusl that blossoms and pro- duces frult continuously sll Bumimer The slem divides below the surface b form a5 many oo elght rosetbes from u elngle seed Eighteen mature frults | liave been counted on one roselte Blice & luige proportion of the seeds gening nate puccesetully a single plant s easily Lin thix Joculity over w period of four or ! five years," declurod Mx, Bhannon, "that [ constitutes u serlous menace Lo our nland rivers and ponds and the fish and plants that live in them. Ultimate- Iy, unless controlled, iU must inevitably tuke over all of the estuaries of the Po- tmae from the fall line to salt water, in water to & depth © I Nttle water out- channel which ex | Mnce It cun g of B feet and th wde the steamer coeds Unt depth “Bhortly stter the middle of August linum “remched & pecullay l]hN( HOMENRON 0CCUrs. Buddenly (he outer e Float bottom mnlumtmm avernlght Ing unatteched youte. Whether this sudden distntegran ton s & normal event i the life of the | ‘. wves decay and the stem which cnchors the plant to the cendle from our table. Then I moved forward to the grand assault, sparkling inside that such a noble and novel ad- (venture was still left on earth. My com- plete fgnorance of the citadel’s vulner- ohle points, of the distribution of night atchi more alluringly hazardous. | It was obvious, n as I climbed the encircling high road to th: Acropolls I|gates. that the eastern and southern (walls were climinated. They towered straight up above me, shzer and naked | Perhaps the western end, containing the i formal entrance, would be less hostile ‘to my plans. fAs anticipated, I found ths bronze | grill doors immovably locksd. and |there’ was no climbing over them, for | they were only indentations in a great | marble surface. Casting about impa- tiently for new routes, I otsarved a rocky terrace to the right, and, crawiing up this with the atdof my walking lcane, I saw that it continued in the |form of a lcdge, at a not unscalable {ongle, on up the foundation of the | charming little temple of the Wing- |less Victory. In my enthusiasm over | the finding of this steep but adequate rock ladder, I clambercd along it with !such careless haste that a shelfl of 1loose gravel was dislodg>d Rattling noisily down the slope, it | crashed onto the tin roof of a mod-m | cottage, the home of an Acropolis war- !den, which, bacause of the darknees, I R NEVER HAVE .Y AS TH THENON SPREAD BE] | had not even noticed. Instantly a half dozen huge watchdogs came bounding cut of nowhere and in a savage chorus ,announced to all Attica that I was &y~ ing to steal the Parihenon. The warien rushed after them, * jabbering and stosming and gesticulating. While it ! was all unint: ible to me, I supposed 12 meant “Cone Smarting from the turned to the left side of the entrance pyion to see what the northern slopes had to offer. In a moment I realized (his wes the weak link of the fortifica- ticn. The rocks were creviced and caverned and unguarded by Acrcplean hell-hounds, I continued my scramble, in and out. over and under the topographical confusion, and pres- ently found mysclf before the mouth of a grotto. Grateful for my pink humiliation, I candle, I lighted the poor little thing, | and plunged into the abysmal black- ness of the interior. Here, surely. I would find the secret stairway. But each fissure of the grotto ended in a blank wall. I was only In the anclent rine of Pan—a shrine dedicated to the vastoral god in tribule to the assisiance he lent the Athenians in the battle of Marathe Back i the open once more. T found a faint path and followed it hopcfully. 1t led straight up to a deep artificiel breach in tho cliff face, which ob- viousiy had once been a sort of postern gate to the Acropolis. The entrance this time wes closed by a thin wail made of wocden frames covered with tin, 4 feet broad and 20 feet high. Where this wall joined the rock facing there was o perfect ladder of cracks and crevices. It was but a moment's efort to reach the top of the obstruc- tion and descend by means of the Plant May Disturb Nafigation 0 Measures of ‘Extermination Proposed. WATER CHESTNUT 1TS BOTAN TCAL NAME, TRAPA | development b | ROCK SHOWING Ossit, REMAIN ‘ GIEW mases of (he roselten | dift wway, diopping ripened frults en ant o Ik & fungous disease 1 prob lematie. The Iaiter wonld seem proh ON THES CONTINENT MILLIONS O} IS PICTURE, OF THE ORE ME IN THE MOA} | quickened before STIRRED ME AS BROKEN PAR. LIGHT. horizontal cross-strips that braced the back. Twenty ancient hewn steps led up to the surface of the plateau The Acropolls guardians had locked the front door with a thousand locks. built a great wall around and left the back door open. The Persian leader who secretly gained access to this stoutly defended fortress by some such entrance as the one I had found. never raised his head above the rocky floor more rteaithily than I. nor set foot upon ii with a faster-beating heart. Yet how fTerent re the consequences of our milar strategy. He met the surprised rrison ond dragged them away into avery. I met the starlit Parthenonm, and before a biow was struck sur- rendered unconditionally to its giim ahd time-worn beauty. I was not a minute too soon. From the shat lack crest of Mount Hymet- tus a glow as from a burning forest was lghting the night. It was the late-rising moon. Straight out of the historic mountaintop it sa'led--a rim— a half—and then the glowing oval goddess revegled hersalf completely. * o ( INLY then did I look back at the Parthenon. It ros® in ghostlike majesty from amid a sea of fragments -not a misty, distant ruin, as seen from Salamis; no longer an elusive, obscure phantom {llumined by the stars, but & real and radiant temple come to life. One moment had worked a magic change. The pain and sad- ness had disappeared from its desolate face. The majestic marbie colonnades. ctained by the sunshine of 2,000 years, beaten by’ the Summer's wind and by the Winter's rain. had turned to ala- bast 1. My heart-beat n Geologist of National Museum Fears Spread of Ornamental Chestnut, Which Is 1 Likely to Become Pest—Spread Has Been Phenomenal in Last Nine Years. FRAPA NATANS, THE ORNAMENTAL PLANT WHICH HAS DRIVEN GAME FISH OUT OF THE POTOMAC ESTUARIES, S OF WATER CHESTNUES WHLC VEARS A0 appear free from 1t and W the earlior | vears when the colony was sl the | ple, mince scattered or tsolated plants | plants vemained green and fresh 10ok- | mouth bass, r s nature, | g until frost. Whatev inf this develops too late to be of value curtatling the growth of the plants and by setting (hem adrift both inereases | the nulsance of thelr presence and atds | i (hetr spread Although trupa has proved (o be an desirable allen on our ahores, vemote [ Scaled at Night the dawning light' hed disclosed my presence to the guards. I heard foot- steps coming toward me. some one touched my shoulder. I squeezed my eyes together lest T behold some ogreish night watchman, But there was no ese cape. 1 sc-cwed up my courage—and looked! Everywicre brilliant, was morni; | sunshine—and there, smiling ¢ such heroic har- | mony—moonlight and marble, serene | and eternal . | The prostrate columns, the shattered | capltals tecok shape and line and eolor. My fancy saw thern back in place. Once | more the statues ranged along the por-| I ticos; the gods returned from exile and took their places on the pediments. An| Athenjan procession with garlands and | music moved up the marble stairs to do honor to Athena for some well earned victory. In imagery the Golden Age of Pericles lived again Into this throng of worshipers 1, too, must go; into the temple. Bending low, moving forward noisciessly, clinging to the shadows of block and battiement, watching for the figures of night watch< | men, I crept toward the Parthenon. The massive steps were attained. A moving, half-veiled shadow, I climbed them one | by one, and, unchallenged, reached the | refuge of the marble forest. | What loveliness rose all about me' On across the gleaming flagstones I slipped on tiptoe. The wall toward the sea inside the portico was shattered, leaving receding stumps of marble that ciimbed like a gigantic stairway to the cornices. On hands and knees I pulled myself up these huge blocks until 1 {reached the crowning stone, and could stand and look back upon the en- chanted picture. Never have I faced a scene that stir- red my very soul as deeply as this pic- ture of the brooding. broken Parthenon spread below me in the moonlight. The <izhit of its haggard marble, its butchered v. made me faint and weak within. A Jump of bitterness filled my throat and a rage swept over me against the Venetian vandals who had wantonly gutted tRis sublime Palace of Art. With all its prostration, the Parthenon is still the most overpowerifig ruin ou ecarth—overpowering not from magni- tude or richness, but because of its se- rene and classic perfection of form. Its terrible beauty is intellectual, not sen- sual. It was reared to glorify Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. It was the idea of intelligence supreme expressed in_marble. From cold stone, the artistic giants who built the Parthenon embodied the pirit of the “Greek that hzs civi- lized the world. In Pentelic marble they wrought this immortal monument to the Greek passion for knowledge, for culture and for freedom. In this moon- 1it temple spreading in silver shades be- low me. I beheld “the supreme effort of genius in the pursuit of beauty.” the triumph of the ideal by which men once were able to become like gods. One need net look far in the Acrop- since every time-porn block has ty and every inch of it has mem- ories. The spirits of “half the imamor- talities of earth” haunt this hallowed reone. Here Pericles stood, there Phidias trod; here Socrates taught philosophy to young Plato, there Al ander the Great piled his captured shields. I .carcely knew which way to turn. In the dilemma my eye caught sight, a hundreC yards away. of the ex- quisite little “Porch of the Maidens.” | one of the most delicate and beautiful creations of a supremely artistic age. In a deep-shadowed corner of the portico I stopped to worship a moment at the feet of the ghostly maidens. How sweet it was to relax amid such loveliness! In the intensity of the da I had not thought to rest, but now dreamy lassitude came over me, and 1 half forgot the world. The bree: Mount Hymettus, like a soft whispered songs of bees and pine trees’ | murmurings. Al the earth. outside my shadow, was gowned in silver mystery. Touchsd by its hypnotic spell. T driftsd ;’Ilh the moonlight intg half-haunted reams. . Sadly I.erept away—back to my dark ,reecss. I had waited & moment too long. 5o enslaved was I by the charm of the marbie maidens. When I moved PoAtom ac !bream and crappie that used to fll Oxon Creek a few years ago have all deserted. Even the lesser fry like eels. carp, snakes and bullfrogs have left for other regions. It is an 11 wind. however, that blow no one some good. Thanks to th: erence of their larger enemies for open water, thousands of minnows sanctuary under the thick green ceiling They in turn have attracted hundreds of bird fishermen. such as the heron and snipe, that a footing on the tangled vegetation with its pontoons of air bladders. Hundreds of herons, of eral different spectes, with a sprin- Kling of snipe. kingfishers, sandpipers and plover, have been seen at one time using the flcating mass as a diving raft from which to pursue heedless young INNOWS. ‘Though wading birds have increased along the river with,the advance of the trapa. the ducks and other diving bird: find 1t as great an obstacle as the row- boats and canoes. Consequently the plant bids fair ty bacome as obnoxious to sportamen as it already is to river dwellers As a concrete example of the mis- chief wrought by this aquatic nuisance, that_promises to block navigation on the Potomac as effectively as the water hvaets has in the rivers of Florida. Mr. Shannon recited the history of an anclent char known along the water front as Copt. Bird “For abou! 20 years,” explained the seologist, “Capt Bird squatted in a tiny shack on the shore near the Home for the Aged and Infirm Here from a rickety landing he rented decrepit row- boa! fsherm 1 necessary (o ene of & few acres to 1926 he was eut o Tective against bating exnanse of dry land and s vilifving the” trava which he ¢ seaweed ' The old man died last Win- ter, and although i !t scarcely per missible to attribut his death to the trapa. this plant certamly deprived him of his means of lvelihood Astde from the dise s that causes the de of the colony the plant seems t0 have no natural | cnemles i this climate. The seeds are never the home of a ent grub while the leaves ave ceastonally Mty gnawed or punctured, ndicating that they do not furntsh an_ attractive ) addition to the bl of fare of local insects There seems lttle likelihood that the roasted nuts, one factor in Keeping the plant under contrel in Europe, will find o market as a deltcacy { favored by the great American public I competition with chewing gum and hot dogs The floating sceds and floating | rosettes, after (he stem has: deeayed. | bring about wide dispersal down stream Barbed spines with which the vipe | similar time led it disease 1t ors of the plant lved on s con- {frgge v faenished for a time are prob timent millions of years ago, added Mr. | Shannon Py lttle tosettes of a ably the means of certatn amount of | | distribution againat the current us well | Aneouraged member of the same family have been | (hrough adherence to the fur of swin- found 1 the shales of Wyoming and fining antmals and the feathers of water | nelghboring States. |v«hl|l\\ fonall n'w:.\‘h\n | volloted in the Nevadi dexett are MU= | wige the danger of (he sproad of | gly similar o those Browing tn the {5 MAY seem «\u-rfllmh:slml o Potomme toduy OVErdrawn, every naturalist who has The dense At of leaves Tdg on the | seen the Fotomae colony has appre- surtiee Htevally smothers all the under- | clated the menace that the plant pre watey rlnnl.\ that recelve thelr allot- | sents Tn the South 1t can besame fully ment of sunshine trough several laehes | as bad ax the water hyacinth, botanists | o water Even the “wading” plants beltove, and its havdier character will ke avtowlent and plekerel weed have ! permit 1t (0 extend far to the north of W disconraged mnd unbiealthy 00k when | the range of that pernicions. plant. 1 Uying o wiow i the middle of the sannot spread unalded fom: pond o green mavass Came fishoare sttty pond or river (o viver and ity distribu. | 1 may be (hat they are | tion along the coast will probably te | afvwid of Potentinl enemios (At may | Himited 1 salt water Prompt measures ' ek i the darkened water or that the | of externination are needed 1o protect thick vegetathon on the surface makes| the fish and fow! for which the his- | the water unacoeptable (o Ash tenants | ionle waters of the Potamae are sl Whatever the n\‘. 100 catses, the Targe | sty tamoggs White and yellow pereh, Conraheht [ wesy down at me—stood Rederic! (Capvright. 1978 1 Making Wooden Hecls. “HE word “shoes” naturally brings to mind leather, but there zrc made nowadays great numbers of wom- en’s slippers and shoes, for house and street 7nd dress wear, tiat are o with wooden heels. These wooden heels coft iess to make than leather heels but they are put on the finest »s weil as the less expensive shoes hecauce they are lighter than leather heels of the same size, and for the rea<on that in the tall, slender shapes, and cspe- clally in the narrow-necked heeis, they stand up better under weight. Then. too, being rigid, the covering on them remains smooth and perfect. ‘These wooden heels are made of haro maple. First, a block is grooved, put in 2 machine that cuts in that part of it that faces the sole of the shoe under the instep, the little incurving swees that gives the heel grace there, ard then the block goes into a molding ma- chine that cuts it into heel shape. The knives in this machine worl rapidly and smoothly and as the herl comes out it may seem perfectly smootk, and finisned and ready to be covered as it is if the material to be used ir the covering is comparatively thick but if the heel has an extension ir front under the instep, it goes to scouring machine to be finished on extending part. and if it is to be cov with ik or satin, very thin material, the entire heel is polished on a buff to a perfect silky smoothness. T heel is bored and piugged to reinfores and strengthen it. and then, finished in the wood. is ready to be covered. Many materials are used in covering wooden heels. and they may be use: in almost endless variety of colors or shades. Some shoe manufacturers buy the wooden heels and cover them in their own factories; some have wooden heel manufacturers cover and finish the heels completely, sending the covering materials cut or not cut. as the ca 1y and recciving from them he that are ready to go on the sh And wooden heels are commonly mad to order. for they are regit sizes and of many shap fasinons always changing. ‘The coverings are cut out by hang, though they are knife-cut, many at time, but each cover must be stretched or glued to each heel by hand. The there is glued into the groove of the heel, ra.-aneuly covering that surfacc. a piece of split leather of precisely the color and also of the same style of (inish as that of the bottom of the shoe, which the groove faces. and now there is nailed to the bottom of the heel a thickness of lsather lLike a layer on any heel. The leather protects th- wood from wear. the sound tha: the wood would otherwise make in walking and also protects the lower ed %hz trim liftle semi-circles of tinv | brass nails that are seen_in the hecls are really pieces of brass wire. sections from a coil of wire carried on 2 ma- chine which thrusts the end of th: | wire through the leather, and into the wood. It then cuts off the wire and drives the next nail in the same man- ner. and so around. From this the heel goes to a trim- ming machine. The leather may pro- icct & irifle beyond the heel's covering. It must be made fo that its edge sur- face is absolutely smooth and flush with the covering.. This is done in the trim- 5 colored us Jeather edges red. leather ming leather monly ase; - colored or black. The heel next proceeds to a buffer on which the bottem of the leather smoothed and polished. Then 1t ma: b colored artificfally, or if 1t is 1ot 1o be colored. the bottom of the leather may be finished with a velvet fi The finish, whatever it may be. is mace to b2 in accordance with the fnisa of the sole of the sHoe‘on which it ¥ to g0. and with the final finishing of the leather the heel is completed . Through the latter process the heel has baen handled with its covering on. and this may be of some delicate ma- terial or color. So now they are spected and finally packed in carto a dozen pairs of heels 1o the box. and are ready for the shoe manufacturer. It is stated that 25 pemcent of the women's shoes worn in this country are now made with wooden heels, of which are produced millions of pairs annual Measurement Origins. TATURAL measurements of distances were originally taken from parts of the human bdody before there was any to form regular tables of measurement. The inch, for insfance. developed from the exact length of the thumb joint. The old measurement called “the hand” was the 4 inches across a per- son's hand. and the hand measure still is 4 Inches. The span, 9 inches, came from the space from the end of the thumb to the end of the extended lit- tle finger. The foot. 12 inches, came as its name signifies, from the langth of the human foot it, an old measurs of about . is the distance of the fore- arm from the elbow to the end of the middle ger. The vard arm's iength from the stride. being still a star of 3¢ tnches or 3 feet. The fathom, & feet, was gauged by & man's height by his reach with both arms. The word tathom A verd still means to reach or to get the depth of a body of water The league meant at first an s walk so that now it meahs about 9f our ordinary present miles Fireproof Paint. THITE lead, mixed paint and fire- proof paint fought against fame ¥ i A test held by the muakers fire-resisting vartety, according 10 8 report recetved by the Glovertmer Sixteen niinutes after been started the bulldings cvated with white lead and ordinary mived. paint had collapsed. and the third, painted With the special mixiute to retard tive was still standing The three wood bdulldings used for the fest were placed 1 & Tow and Kindling Was sel about them equally The one hat he coat of spevial paint was placed w the middle, wher the heat would of necessity be devel oped Fourteen minutes after the bla. had been starfed in the various piie of Kindling the house patnted with white lead went down, and two minute later the one painted with mived pamt crumbled. At this thn the building which had been coated with fireproof pamt had caught fire shightly. the flame jumping house next 0 1 As soon as both o s ueghbors had toppled the fam cating At it had died out Cold Light. \ THEN the current of & Ruhmior Induction ool s passed throug! A glas ube A vacuum the b Elows with a britltans Hght. Thia & the lht of the future Hithero ¢ has Mot beep possidle (o produce lgh without producing heat. But reventh AN Improved farm of the delssler tub has been produced whish has 1t clamed. avervame (his difeulty. Th Ught Af the future will glow theougt fong transparent tubes of all sises an calibers. able o take the most varie Atrecthans ar b tun hoviantally, vers toally ar obliguely. forming stars, sotten spivels arabesques, ole The ubas radiate & diftused glow rom end (o end. The affect i a splen il tntense anar tight \!