Westport High School - Herald Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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THE ARTLQ-ROOM.

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22 THEAWESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. wlcnt well until after they' had gone to bed in tliesleeping-car. Samantha wanted the win- dow open and Josiah wanted it shut. Saman- tha 'knew she would sutfocate if it was not opened, and Josiah knew lic would freeze to death if it was. -' N ow, Josiah, there hain't no use in talk- ing 5 it 's got to be opened. I canpt get my breathf' ' . J A Very well, ,hev yer own way, as usual. When ye bury me, you ,ll know it was just yer silly notions that sent me to my grave? The window was opened. -6'We-ll, that is something like it, how lovely that air islf' Samantha breathed a sigh of relief. ' Achoo lt' sneezed Josiah. 'CGoshl how cold it sis. It 's more expensive-achoo!-to bring a dead corpse back on the train than when it is alive-achool! ' . After all this talk they awoke next morning to behold to their surprise that the window was still shut, they had only opened the inner one. J osia.h looked' at Samantha and Samantha looked at Josiah, who drawled: Wall, S'manthy, I reckon we're a couple of old fools? About an hour later Samantha and Josiah started for the dining-car. Josiah was sure he knew the direction, so he led the Way through two cars, and when 'the third one was not the one they were in search of, Samantha sug- gested that he was going wrong. ' N ow, S'manthy, how could I go wrong- all you have to do is to follow yer nose? Then in this case I reckon yer nose is on the wrong side of yer head. I im sure the car is at the other end of the train-anyway, I ,rn going to ask. But, Simanthy, I saw--U began Josiah. 2ZSay, Mister, can you tell me the way to the eating-car C? asked Samantha. . 9'Why, yes, it 's four cars that way, said the stranger, pointing in the direction Saman- tha had wished to- go. Now see, Josiah,'J said Samantha, with a.n 'CI told you so nod of her head. Well, licre we are, said Josiah, as they entered lthe dining-car, 'fthat little walk just give us an appetite fer breakfast. You don't need to walk to iind yours,f' said Samantha, grimlyi I donit ever remember a time when ye had to hunt fer itf' Samantha ended her order by saying to the waiter: And bring me a biled pertater with- out the 'a la' on it. I 'im used to eatin, mine without. ' They .ordered a good breakfast, but when the bill came around, Samantha was scandalized. HA dollar an' a ha'f fer that little grub, she said, Nnever Ifd be fool enough ter pay thirty-five cents fer'a biled pertaterfv They went back to their car, and in a short time Samantha began to get nervous. C'AinJt we ,most to New York, Josiah P Yes, said Josiah, consulting his time- card, in about an hour. Air ye tired 'Pi' 4'Well, I'd sort of like to git my feet on firm ground fer awhile. They sat silent for seine time, then the brakeman came through the car, calling N ew York. Samantha and Josiah put on their things and got their grips down. Well, said Samantha, why don't they stop and let- us off 195' Q They will when we get to New York. 'fHe told us ten minutes ago that this was New York? Just then the porter came through the car and picked up their grips and started on. Say, look here, darkey, where air ye goin' with our things. We may be from the country, but ye canlt take our things right out from under our noses like thatj' Samantha said. f'Why, Sjmanthy, he 's just goin' ter take them out so we wontt have to carry fem. M ' Very well, let him go then, Josiah, but if that fellar steals 'em, donit ye blame me fer it, and remember that I warned ye. I never did trust them niggers anyhow. The train began to slow down, and when it stopped they got off. Samantha had never

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24 THE wEsTPoRr HIGH soHooL HERALD. seen so many people. She looked around awhile and then said: 'fSay, Josiah, do you see anyone ye know? you ,ve been here twice. You remember that Martha Ann Jones lives here--we must go and see her. I 'ni going to ask this man where she lives? Poor Samantha! She did not appreciate the difference between New York and Greenville. Gerfvmcle Smith, '05. THE EVOLUTION OF THE WARSHIP. What a commotion would have been created in the ancient or mediaeval world had a mod- ern, fast-sailing battleship of the first class, armed with long-range guns and all the recent additions to the war-machine, suddenly been launched by an enterprising ship-builder who lived a century before his time! This vessel would have had the commerce of the world at her mercy, no ship could have escaped her pow- erful guns. And yet there must at first have been some conception, crude and primitive as it was, of a boat, which, with little injury to itself, could destroy or disable an enemy, and that there was history gives ample evidence. Even in the earliest times thousands of years ago, builders of war-vessels realized the value of some material which gave protection to the crew, and prevented fire. Leather was one of the most widely used materials, as is shown by the modern French word 'fcuirassj' derived from cuir, which means leathe-rf' The Greeks and Romans often used on their ships a thick wall of hides, from which the missiles of their enemies glanced harmlessly. Hides, brass, and iron were used extensively in the ninth century, and in the tenth another material, felt, was found to give such good pro- tection that both the Normans a.nd Saracens employed it in a sea-fight off Palermo. The Saracens ha.d probably first used felt, for we read accounts of the beautiful effect of large mantlets of it, in red and yellow, hun 0' on the sides of their ships. C Leaving the armor, which was so important a consideration then, as it is now, let us turn our attention to the vessels themselves. At about the time of the appearance of felt armor, the inge-nious Venetians built for harbor de- fense a peculiar kind of ship. In the center there rose a high turret, from which any at- tempt at boarding could be repulsed. In front and back of this turret were the rowers, who forced the ship along at a fair speed. The Saracens were the originators of the dromonsf, which correspond to our battleships. These vessels were rowed by one hundred oars, each oar being manned by two rowers, so here we have a couple of hundred me-n accounted for at once. As these formed. but a part of tl' crew, which included, in additio-n, soldiers, sail- makers, and artificers, who worked the Greek fire-siphons, these ships must have been of con- siderable size. Later, all ships had bulwarks, which gave the crew greater protection. ' A new departure in the shape of vessels was instituted in 1187 by Conrad of Montferrat. The new ship was called a abarbotesf' or duck- backfi and was covered with a leather-protected roof, through which the archers could fire with- out exposing themselves. This fo-rm proved very effective against the Saracens. In the middle of the fifteenth century the Knights of St. John tried a new a.rmor on two of their vessels. This armor was lead, and it was claimed that., while impregnable to cannon, it did not materially lessen the speed of the ship. Half a century later, in Antwerp, the-re ap- peared a ship different from all others then built, which first deserved the name iron-clad. It was built for the purpose of breaking through the lines of the Spanish army, which was be- sieging the city at that time. It was a large, fiat-bottom craft, having a battery in the cen- ter, and was covered with plates of iron. Un- fortunately for the people of Antwerp, it ran aground before it came near the enemy, and was captured, after being abandoned by the crew. lt is curious to note that about this time