Rhode Island
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Rhode Island. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a State in the North Atlantic Division of the North American Union; bounded by Massachu- ✓setts, Connecticut, Narragansett Bay, Block Island Sound, and the Atlantic ocean; one of the original 13 States; capital, Providence; number of counties, 5; area, 1,248 square miles; pop. (1910) 542,610; (1920) 604,397. Topography. The State is divided into two unequal parts by Narragansett Bay, which extends inland about 30 miles. The surface of the W. portion or mainland is hilly, but the hills are all low; the greatest height, Durfee Hill, having an altitude of 805 feet. There are numerous salt marshes along the ocean. The E. part consists n mainly of islands. Of these the largest and most important is Rhode Island from which the State derives its name. Others are Conanicut, Hope, Patience, Starved Goat, Prudence, Perry, Dyer's, and Dutch Islands. The principal rivers are the Pawtucket, navigable as far as Pawtucket, where it changes its name to Blackstone, the Pawcatuck, forming part art of the boundary between Rhode Island and Connecticut, and the Pawtuxet, flowing across the central part of the State, and emptying into the Providence river, an arm of the Narragansett Bay. There are numerous coves and bays branching off from Narragansett; among them being Greenwich bay, Sakonnet river, Mount Hope bay, and Providence river. Block Island, 10 miles from the coast, belongs to the State. Geology. The islands of Narragansett bay are of Carboniferous origin and contain the most extreme bed of anthracite in the United States. The W. part of the State and the E. shore of the bay are of Azoic formation, while Block Island belongs to the Tertiary era. The mineral resources of the State are not very extensive, though considerable anthracite coal, excellent for smelting purposes, and much magnetic iron have been mined at times. There are about 20 large granite quarries in the State; those at Westerly being noted for their value in monumental work. The value of the mineral product is about $1,000,000 annually. Manufactures. In common with New England States, Rhode Island is noted for its manufacturing interests. In 1914 there were 2,190 manufacturing establishments, employing 113,425 wage-earners. The capital invested was $308,444,- 563. The value of the materials used amounted of the output was $279,545,873. Rhode to $162,425,219, and the value Island is among the first of the States in the dyeing industry. It is also among the leading States in the production of cotton, woolen, worsted, and silk goods. The manufacture of rubber and elastic goods is also an important industry. Agriculture. The acreage, production, and value of the principal crops in 1919 was as follows: corn, 11,000 acres, production 495,000 bushels, value $921,000; hay, 57,000 acres, production 86,000 tons, value $2,752,000; potatoes, 5,000 acres, production 425,000 bushels, value $765,- 000. Banking. On Sept. 12, 1919, there were 17 National banks in operation, having $5,570,000 in capital, $4,442,000 in outstanding circulation, and $9,929,000 in United States bonds. There were also 3 State banks, with $520,000 capital and $6,066,000 resources; 14 loan and trust companies, with $8,528,000 capital, and $10,562,000 surplus; and 15 mutual savings banks, with $101,259,647 in deposits. The exchanges at the United States clearing house at Providence for the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, amounted to $555,- 301,000. Education. There were public elementary schools, 2,585 teachers, in 1919 2,093 and 82,300 enrolled pupils. There were 163 high schools, with 8,756 pupils. The total expenditure e for educational purposes is about $4,000,000 annually. Under the control of the Department of Education are the School of Design, Providence, and the Institute for the Deaf, Providence. The Rhode Island Normal School, and Brown University, at Providence, are the principal educational institutions in the State. Churches. The strongest denominations in the State are the Roman Catholic; Regular Baptist; Protestant Episcopal; Congregational; Methodist Episcopal; Free Will Baptist; Unitarian, and African Methodist. Railroads. The railway mileage in 1919 was 550. Practically all of this was included in the lines of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford railroads. There was no new construction during the year. Finances. The receipts for the fiscal year 1919 amounted to $5,321,722. There was on hand at the beginning of the year $496,240. The total disbursements amounted to $5,142,533, leaving a balance on hand on January 1, 1920, of $675,429. The net bonded debt of the State in 1920 was $6,410,140. The total assessed value of the property was $850,000,000. Charities and Corrections. The institutions under the control of the State include a hospital for mental diseases, an infirmary, a workhouse, houses of correction, State Prison, and a reform school, all at Cranston. The Exeter School for the Care of Feeble Minded Children is under the control of the Penal and Charitable Commission. There is also under control of this board, a State Home and School for Children, at Providence. State Government. The governor is elected for a term of two years. Legislative sessions are annually, beginning on the first Tuesday in January and are limited to 60 session days. The Legislahas 39 members in the Senate, and ture 100 members in the House. There are 3 Representatives in Congress. History. It is claimed that the Northmen visited this region about A. D. 1000, and certain antiquities have been ascribed to them, but the question of the location of Vinland seems never likely to be definitely settled. The first English settlement was made at Providence in 1636 by Roger Williams, whose religious opinions had caused his expulsion from Massachusetts. He and other settlers bought lands from the Indians, and an unwonted degree of religious toleration was established. The charter granted by Charles II. to the colony was so liberal in its provision that it remained the fundamental law of the State till 1842. Rhode Island was firm in opposition to the King Philip War, yet that State suffered more severely therefrom than any of her sister colonies. King Philip himself was killed in what is now the town of Bristol. The great "swamp fight" occurred in 1675, in the Narragansett country, where more than 1,000 Indians were killed. The charter was temporarily suspended from 1686 to 1687 by Sir Edmund Andros, who, however, was never able to gain possession of the original document. Andros was deposed in 1690, and a new government was immediately organized under the old form. This continued till, in 1841, a legally unauthorized people's convention met and framed a new constitution which action precipitated a crisis, culminating in the "Dorr rebellion," and the adoption of a new constitution in 1842, this going into effect in 1843. Under this charter suffrage was limited, about 9,500 men composing the electorate in 1840, out of a population of 109,000. The present suffrage laws were adopted in 1888. Rhode Island was the last of the States to ratify the Federal Constitution in 1790. It took an active part in the Revolutionary War, being long held by the English.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
rod i'land, one of the New England States. It is situated on the Atlantic coast between Connecticut and Massachusetts. It is the smallest state in the American Union. It is divided into five counties. The extreme length from north to south is forty-eight miles; the extreme width, about thirty-six miles. The area is 1,250 square miles. The population in 1910 was returned at 542,674, an average of 434 people per square mile. About one-third of the inhabitants are of foreign birth. Among these English, Irish, and Canadians predominate. There are also many Swedes, Italians, and Hebrews. The eastern part of the state is intersected by the arms of Narragansett Bay. The island from which the state takes its name is a body of land about fifteen miles in length and three miles in width. It contains the city of Newport, the most noted summer resort in North America . Granite is the underlying stone of the country. The mineral wealth consists chiefly of granite and limestone quarries. Mines of coal and iron have been worked to a limited extent. The state reaches its greatest altitude, about 800 feet, in the northwestern corner. There are several rapid streams of some volume, affording valuable water power. The agricultural interests of the state are not extensive. So much of the fertile land has been occupied by manufacturing villages and suburbs that the area under cultivation has diminished. Hay, forage, garden truck, and dairy products are the principal results of agricultural activity. The state was once noted for its shipping, but this industry is now confined to the coastwise trade. The ocean liners have deserted the harbors of Rhode Island for Boston and New York . The state has in all about 200 miles of railway. It is also pretty well covered by a network of trolley lines. The fisheries are of importance. The shellfish and fish products of Narragansett Bay and the immediate coast are valued at $1,000,000 a year. Directly or indirectly, the majority of the inhabitants of the state are engaged in manufacturing. Rhode Island was the first state to engage in cotton spinning. American methods of making cotton yarn and clothing, as well as most of our machinery, originated in Rhode Island. The production of cottons, woolens, and silks is still the leading manufacture of the state. Rhode Island is also a noted center for the manufacture of rubber boots and shoes , electrical apparatus, paper, jewelry, silverware, locomotives, engines, carpenter's tools, and cutlery. Boats are built at Bristol. The first permanent settlement in the state was made in 1636 by Roger Williams. In 1647 the various settlements in this region were united under the name of Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations. This is still the legal name of the state. Owing to its small size, and the apprehension that it would be overridden by the rest of the states, Rhode Island was the last of the thirteen original colonies to give its assent to the Federal Constitution. It took no part in the election of the first president. It ratified the Constitution May 29, 1790, more than a year after Washington's inauguration. Rhode Island was the first colony to limit the length of time a slave might be held; the first state to abolish human slavery. For a century or so the legislature met alternate seasons in Providence and in Newport. In 1900 Providence was made the capital of the state. The new state house is located in this city. STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 1,050 Water area 200 Valuation of property $799,000,000 Bonded indebtedness $3,900,000 State revenue $2,283,000 Population (1910) 542,674 Providence 224,326 Pawtucket 51,622 Woonsocket 38,125 Newport 27,149 Warwick 26,629 Number counties 5 Members of state senate 38 Representatives 72 Salary of governor $3,000 U. S. representatives 2 Presidential electors 4 Agricultural Products-- Corn, bushels 428,000 Oats, bushels 62,000 Potatoes, bushels 900,000 Wool, pounds 35,000 Dairy products $2,000,000 Eggs, dozens 3,250,000 Domestic Animals-- Horses 34,000 Cattle 36,000 Sheep 9,000 Goats 23 Swine 13,000 Fowls 500,000 Bees, swarms 1,681 Manufacturing establishments 1,617 Capital invested $216,000,000 Operatives 97,318 Raw material $112,000,000 Output of manufactures $202,000,000 Cotton goods $30,000,000 Woolens and worsteds $53,000,000 Jewelry $14,500,000 Silversmith work $5,328,000 Quarry products $937,000 Miles of railway 209 Teachers in public schools 2,198 Pupils enrolled 74,000 Percentage of male teachers 8.3 Average monthly salary of teachers $63.63 Average annual expenditure per pupil $41.08 See Baptists ; Williams ; Roger; Hutchinson ; Anne; Providence , etc.