Crescent City. railroad, intersecting all the railroads entering the city—the Illinois Central, the Southern Pacific, the Louisville & Nashville, the Texas & Pacific and the New A MISSISSIPPI RIVER STEAMBOAT. These boats are important factors in the commerce of tbe Orleans & Northwestern among others. The tracks of the belt road also run along the river front, so that a car of freight has been found easy to get able and can be set alongside any one of the pub- public-spirited men who are thus willing licly owned and operated docks. Con to give their time and best efforts for the nected with the belt road are switch common good, without receiving a cent tracks leading to nearly fifty of the of salary in return. The actual operation largest industrial plants in the city, put of the road is in the hands of a trained ting each one of them into direct touch railroad superintendent, a secretary and with all railroad, river and ocean trans- an engineer. portation. The plan of operation is simple. If a Up to the present time about eleven shipper along the line has freight to be miles of double track belt road have been moved from his factory he simply notifies constructed at public expense at a total the nearest belt line clerk, naming the cost of half a million dollars. The charge destination of the consignment. Next made by the belt road for handling morning the belt will deliver the proper freight is two dollars a car, regardless of cars on his siding. When the loaded cars tonnage and empty cars are returned or are switched out the shipper receives a delivered free of charge. For the past receipt from the belt line conductor year the receipts of the belt road have which is exchangeable at the office of the exceeded the expenditures by about three railroad to which the freight is conthousand a month. signed for a regular bill of lading. When The belt road already owns a right of inbound shipments are expected the belt way running in a half circle about the line clerk is notified that certain cars, city and it is proposed to shortly extend giving their numbers and initials and the line, making a total mileage of over place of origin, are expected on a specitwenty-two miles of double track. For fied date. Within a few hours of their the purpose of meeting the construction arrival in New Orleans they will be expense the Commission which has the switched into the consignee's side-track. affairs of the road in charge has authority When cars are held up by shippers the to issue bonds up to two million dollars. belt line pays the railroad which owns This Commission is made up of the them a per diem charge during the delay mayor and sixteen other members ap- and collects in its turn from the shipper. pointed from the ranks of the leading In addition to its primary work of thus business men of the city. In practice it offering equal opportunities to all ship an pers to and from New and distributing it, Orleans the belt line without change, exroad also does other actly where it is important work for wanted. the common good. Working in harLocated about two mony with the Dock miles apart along the Commission and the river front on special Levee Board—both switches connected state bodies—the Belt with the belt are five Road Commission, garbage-receiving sta appointed by the City, tions. Daily the gar BELT LINE TRACKS ALONG THE RIVER. absolutely controls the bage carts deliver river front and all its their loads to specially-constructed gar- approaches, "for the benefit," as Combage cars on these switches. Being first missioner Smith says, “of the entire sprinkled with disinfectants, the garbage community. is then hauled over the belt tracks to The South is supposed to be the most points far out in the swamps, remote conservative part of the country. Yet from the city, where it is dumped and not only has New Orleans set scattered, the idea being eventually to use example of the proper way to handle the the land so filled up for agricultural great question of transportation, but it purposes. has also revolutionized her city governThe Belt Commission now has under ment. Quietly and with no great exciteconsideration a plan for establishing a ment, under the leadership of one of the system of public lighters on the river for city papers, it has won a great fight transferring cargo from incoming ships against the old and corrupt gang, which to any desired dock. In this way it will has long had control of city affairs, and be possible to avoid the necessity of this spring it is expected that the adminsteamers moving from one dock to an istration will be put into the hands of other to discharge various portions of the same class of public-spirited and their cargoes. enlightened citizens who have made a Since New Orleans is located on low success of the Public Belt Road and other ground and since the Father of Waters municipal utilities. has a distressing habit of suddenly Plans are also under way for the swelling the flood which sweeps down organization of several steamship comfrom the north, the state has protected panies which propose to run new lines its metropolis by building great levees of of boats to Central America and, after stone and earth on either side of the the Canal opens, to the thriving ports channel. In the on the west coast building of these of South America. great protecting Public spirit and walls the belt road private enterprise, has been of service, working together, hauling the earth promise big things and other supplies for the future of for the contractors SHEDS AND SHOPS OF THR BELT ROAD. the Crescent City. NEW ORLEANS AND THE BIG DITCH 19 In the good old days before New Orleans will be ready to serve as the Orleans woke up, one or two railroad shipping and transfer point for all the companies practically monopolized the products of the great valley to the north. whole river front. They kept out the other Trains and steamers from the interior, roads or made charges, for handling their laden with freight destined for South cars, which were almost prohibitive. America or Asia, will find in her belt The state railroad commission regulated road and public docks a fair and equal these switching charges, but was quite service that offers the same opportunity unable to prevent the annoying and costly to all comers. So far as they are condelays which constantly resulted. The cerned, free and unrestricted competition belt road, under public ownership, was has been restored and the greedy hand the only way out. of special privilege has been cut off at the Now, when the Canal opens, New wrist. Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius q A man should be upright, not be kept upright. QA man's happiness—to do the things proper to man. What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee. q Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear. I No form of Nature is inferior to Art, for the arts merely imitate natural forms. q “Let thine occupations be few," saith the sage, “if thou wouldst lead a tranquil life.” To a rational being it is the same thing to act ac- WORLD AUTHORITY ON LIGHT PROF. ALBERT A. MICHELSON, Prof. Michelson is a graduate of the Director of the Ryerson Laboratory U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He of the University of Chicago, is the chose an instructorship in physics under world's most learned and famous physi- the late Admiral Sampson rather than the cist, in the department of light. What he usual ensignship in the service. Before doesn't know about light simply is not he was twenty-five he had startled the known. A man, who can take the Nobel scientific world by a brilliant research on prize of $40,000.00 for his contribution the velocity of light, attaining such accuto the illumination of men's minds on that racy in the measurement of this imporluminous subject, stands apart. There tant constant that it has been a standard are five Nobel to this day. prizes, of that Considersame size given ably later at each year, making Case School a total of $200, and again at 000, the same be Ryerson ing the interest Laboratory on a bequest of he carried $9,000,000.00 left out a reby Albert B. No search on bel, the Swedish the question inventor of dyna whether the mite. These ether, which prizes are for the pervades all most important space and discoveries or in carries light ventions in phys and elecics, in chemistry, trical vibrain physiology or tions, moves medicine, the best with the work in idealistic earth as that literature, and the body rebest work in the volves in its interest of univer orbit; his sal peace. Presi conclusion dent Roosevelt was that it got a prize in the does not latter depart That was anment; Dr. other strikMichelson ing contook the tribution prize in to our 1907 for knowldiscover T edge. eries in light. ELECTRIC WIZARD'S NEW WIZARDRY MR. THOM AS A. EDISON tells us that he is going to give us a new kind of furniture, and that we are no longer to depend upon the stalwart oak, the rich massive mahogany, or the finely marked circassian walnut. He's going to build our furniture from concrete direct. "And my concrete furniture will be cheap, as well as strong," says Edison. out a whole bedroom set for $5 or $6.” At present the weight of this concrete furniture is about one-third greater than wooden furniture, but Mr. Edison is quite confident he can reduce this excess weight to one-quarter. The concrete surface can, of course, be stained in imitation of any wood finish. The phonograph cabinet shown at the left of Edison has been trimmed in white and gold. Its surface resembles enameled wood. The cabinet at his right is in old style. This concrete cabinet easily withstood the no gentle usage of shipment by freight for a considerable distance. the oak that comes from Grand Rapids I wouldn't go into the business. If a newly-wed starts out with, say, $450 worth of furniture on the installment plan, I feel confident that we can give him more artistic and more durable furniture for $200. I'll also be able to put |