thefictionvixens Page 639
Page 639
In fact, from Xu Fu's perspective, it's easier to see this woman, as if she were dug out of the dust.
"I'm sorry, sir."
Reflecting on her pitiful state, the woman apologized to Xu Fu and hurriedly went into the kitchen to wipe her dusty face with tap water.
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"Sir, perhaps you can too..."
After washing the dust off her face, the woman turned around and prepared to suggest that Xu Fu also wash the sand off his face.
However, she soon noticed that although Xu Fu had experienced the same sandstorm as her, his body looked surprisingly clean.
"Maybe it's because, well, I didn't stay in the sand for long."
Amid the woman's surprised gaze, Xu Fu began to explain.
As his [Super Defense] ability was upgraded to [Bronze], Xu Fu also seemed to have gained some super standing ability, although this standing was not very effective in the positive world.
Thanks to his [Super Butler] ability, he is able to maintain a clean appearance even in swirling sandstorms.
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This ability is more useful than you think.
Without dwelling on Xu Fu's question for too long, she simply washed the dust off her face, and with Xu Fu's help, used a damp sheet to seal the gaps in the doors and windows. Then, the woman sat on the sofa, holding her daughter, completely unaware of what was happening.
Crackle, crackle-
A sandstorm seemed to have swept outside the house, shaking the entire house, with dust piercing the glass like knives.
In addition, the overhead lights flickered nervously, emitting light, due to the static electricity.
"We've come here to start a new life."
The woman told Xu Fu to comfort her frightened daughter in her arms.
From this woman's description, he learned the name of another woman, Lois Walton, a Broadway dancer and actress, one of many Broadway actors who lost their jobs due to the Great Depression. The hardships of life in Los Angeles forced her to give up her career and move to New York.
However, Louise was very confused by this sudden and severe sandstorm.
She could hardly imagine what she would do if her daughter went missing in a sandstorm.
This massive sandstorm made things difficult.
She came to New York for a new life, but now they can't even breathe.
Dust storms not only damage the environment, but anyone who inhales dust will suffer from pneumoconiosis, also known as brown plague, for life.
Chapter 749 Acquisition of the World Journal
The dust storm that swept over New York City lasted all afternoon before finally ending.
The dust storm may be over, but the problems it caused are just beginning.
When they left Louise's house, the streets were covered with a thin layer of dust, and shovels and brooms were everywhere in the streets and alleys.
Visibility in the city had become so low that, if it weren't for the presence of [surveillance], Xu Fu wouldn't even be able to see the direction of the Messenger's office around the corner. Residents of the neighborhood could only grope their way forward through the fog-filled streets; some had even tied ropes around their necks so they wouldn't be lost when they looked back.
However, New York City remains the least affected city.
It is said that as much as 1200 million tons of dust fell into the city from as far away as Chicago, and it took months to clean it up.
Even ocean liners 300 miles from the Atlantic coast were covered in brown blankets by the "200".
Dust storms have also led to a boom in "rainy day business," not only in cities and towns but also on the streets of New York City.
The history of America's "rainmaking business" is not long; it first appeared in 1902, thanks to a salesman named Charles Hatfield who formulated a reagent with 23 chemical ingredients and called it a "rain-inducing agent." This was due to his astronomical knowledge and his talent as a salesman.
In just two years, from 1902 to 1904, the cost of Charles's artificial rain rose from $50 to $1000.
Nevertheless, people flocked to him to pray for rain, and Charles thus earned the nickname "the rainmaker."
With his identity as a rainmaker, Charles lived a comfortable life until the end of 1915, when he was invited by the San Diego government to lead the Rainmakers Mission.
At that time, Santiago experienced severe drought, with little to no rain for most of the year.
As a result, the government had no choice but to turn to the famous "rainmaker" Charles to make it rain.
Upon receiving the invitation to negotiate the price, Charles quickly got to work.
He built a six-meter-high platform on the edge of the Morena Reservoir and placed a large pot filled with water on it. Then he poured a bottle of "rain enhancer" into the pot, and a thick fog rose from it.
According to an eyewitness who was present at the time, "It smelled like a cheese factory had exploded."
Charles's rain was a success, or rather, a little too successful.
On January 5, 1916, heavy rains began and continued until the 10th. This turned into a flood, causing enormous damage to Santiago. As a result, both parties went to court, and the litigation has continued for more than a decade since 1916 without ever stopping.
Although the American National Geological Survey subsequently conducted new studies on hurricanes and floods, and found that as early as January 5, 1916, meteorological observatories near Santiago recorded heavy rains that began in and around Santiago.
However, the result was a booming "rainmaking industry," and during the decade or so that Charles Hatfield became famous, all sorts of people appeared under the guise of artificial rainmaking. Especially in arid and sandstorm-ridden areas, people placed their hopes on these individuals.
Xu Fu once saw an advertisement in the newspaper about this issue, in which a man named Tex Thornton swore that he possessed a potion that could cause rain and even stop sandstorms.
Such an obviously absurd description has surprisingly aroused the belief of many people.
A group of people in New York City reportedly planned to raise funds and hire each other to stop the dust storm that was apparently sweeping across the city and casting a huge shadow over many people's hearts.
However, this method was clearly useless to Xu Fu.
The sandstorms raged for ten years, leaving everyone with an indelible memory of the "dirty 1930s".
The gritty 30s may be over, but its legacy will remain in the memories of a generation.
Accompanying their memories is the same "Superman" dust storm series in the Daily Courier.
In the decades that followed, those who witnessed the dust storms could not forget the story of Superman whenever they spoke of this terrible disaster.
...
The dust that blanketed New York City didn't completely dissipate until the following day.
At the Messenger magazine office, Xu Fu and John Jr. spent a little over half a day trying to thoroughly clear the dust from the roof and surrounding area.
Radio reports indicate that the sudden sandstorm caused dozens of deaths and over ten million US dollars in damage.
Many homeless people on the streets had no time to seek refuge, and hundreds of families in Hooverville lost their only home due to the sandstorm.
Those houses, simply built with wooden planks, could not withstand the violent force of sandstorms.
The city streets were cleared for traffic use, but the railway remained unusable.
According to the railway company's instructions, they needed about a week to clear the dust from the railway tracks, but during this time, the hurricane struck not only cars but also two trains, causing serious damage.
A severe sandstorm caused Xu Fu's planned trip to San Francisco to be delayed multiple times, but it also brought him unexpected gains.
"The World Journal's current owner, Scripps-Howard Newspapers, intends to sell the newspaper."
This was the day after the dust storm that had swept through New York City left, and this was the message Lang-Worst brought to Xu Fu.
To this day, people are unaware that the World Journal had three owners.
In 1911, Joseph Pulitzer stipulated in his will that the World newspaper must never be sold.
But the Great Depression changed everything. In 1931, Pulitzer's son, Herbert, sold the *World Journal* to the Scripps-Howard Newspaper Group. Herbert even hired a lawyer, and after a rather convoluted trial involving a change of the newspaper's name, Pulitzer's will was finally altered.
Since being acquired by The Daily World, Scripps-Howard Newspapers has been working to keep the newspaper running smoothly.
To this end, he made 0.9 of each effort, including serializing "Fake Superman," which was also done while Scripps-Howard was incarcerated.
In addition to the fact that the Great Depression was stronger than expected, the previous Superman knock-off incident dealt a blow to the Wall Street Journal.
Xu Fu's bestselling book "Superman" led to the birth of the "Messenger Daily".
However, the World Journal continued to struggle, and the final straw that led the Scripps-Howard Newspapers Group to decide to sell the paper was the massive dust storm that swept through New York in the past few days.
According to Lange Worst, some of Scripps-Howard Newspapers' assets in New York City suffered damage due to the "dust storm," forcing the group to reduce its holdings and divest from some less profitable or unprofitable businesses. The World Journal was undoubtedly considered a loss-making business by Scripps-Howard Newspapers.
Chapter 750 This may not be a good thing
In fact, the Scripps-Howard Newspaper Group, which owns more than a dozen newspapers, clearly had its own purposes in acquiring the World Journal.
Only the Great Depression and the dust storms dealt a huge blow to the newspaper group's plans.
According to information revealed by the Scripps-Howard Newspapers Group, in addition to selling the World Journal, the group also has another idea: to shut the newspaper down completely.
“Contact the Scripps-Howard newspaper group through me and tell them that Xu Fu of the Messenger is interested in the World Journal in his possession.”
Xu Fu had no recollection of the person Scripps-Howard reported on.
However, her influence in the American newspaper industry was enormous. The predecessor of the Scripps-Howard Newspaper Group, Scripps Publishing House, also known as the Scripps-McRae Newspaper Group, was the first newspaper group in American history.
The business of the 11 Group of newspapers is mainly based on cheap, popular newspapers with headlines and short messages, omitting unnecessary words and phrases so that the newspapers can publish as much news and commentary as possible.
Under this development philosophy, the Scripps-Howard Newspaper Group acquired a wide variety of newspapers that year, leading to the closure of 15 newspapers between 1923 and 1924.
Perhaps if Xu Fu hadn't intervened, the World Journal would have been one of the newspapers that no longer existed within this newspaper group.
...
In the evening, at Club 21.
Subsequently, Xu Fu met with Loehn Howard, president of Scripps-Howard Newspaper Group.