Image provided by: Independence Public Library; Independence, OR
About The Independence west side. (Independence, Or.) 18??-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 1900)
8 Saved by a 0 CGGGCOGOGeeoeeQQOOOGQO 5tREClSKLr what all tha raw was Jp' about, I don t proress to rtaseiu- bur, tald tbt old quartermaster, I ho lit hit pl afresh, ami puffed and pulled at It until It wa under full headway, and flowing Ilka a lira coal; ."but tha Cblllaua and Peruvians wore la th harbor two wwki, blockaded by th former, who bad a flue fleet outside. AYa wart havlug altogether a laty tlma of It In our steamer, and had nothing lu the world to do, until the blockade aliould bo raised or an earthquake ahould abaka out aome new channel through which we might get to sea. Of course tha captain and agcnta were out of temper, but the rent of ua didn't rare bow long tha blockade lasted, a we were drawing good pay right along, ( "The town lay In a basin like forma tion of the shore, with large white atone forta at both euda of the harbor, mounting a few heavy rifled guns, of English make; and there w ere h.ii telle back of the ahlpplng wharves at the foot of the hllla. Our ahlp lay Inside of the forta, and well protected by a atone Jetty. She wna Just out ot range of tha Chilian fleet, which generally rode at anchor ,lu a line across the har bor's mouth, 1 "The blockade was not exciting. Tor days not a shot would lw tired by either aide; but at other limes the men-of-war, taking advantage of a good tide or wind, would mount lu closer ami lire away nt na In a laity fashion all day, the forta replying at long Inter val. Occasionally the enemy's ahell would strike the water or buret unite near us, but usually the (hots passed over ami tieyoud the vessels, failing among small houses, of the poorer class, lu the town down by the water. 1 "The blocknders ventured In too clow one day, and, a stiff off-shore breeite aprluglng up. some of the big guns in the fort, served with extsa powder charges, plumped a few holes In them to their evident confusion, for they promptly got out of range and there rrmalucd. We were usually very quiet at ulght. but one dismal rnlny morn- HOW A SHOT lug there wa a great eomiuotiou out- j side, with much banging of guns. The reports sounded at oue moment like muffled thunder, or, wlien the wiuu shirted against the fleet, like some oue shutting a heavy barn-door sharply. At about breakfast time, we were sudden- ly startled by escaping steam. e rushed on deck to see. lying bcalde ns In the misty rain, a long, low torpedo j boat. We expected Immediately to he blown up, and our captain wna on me bridge vociferously assuring those on the little stranger that we were neu trals; nor did he slop until one of her officers politely assured hltn that they were Peruvians, and that, under cover of the attack of a Peruvian liouclad on the blockading fleet, they had stolen in quietly during the confusion. "It did not take long for the block aders to And out that tho town had been re-enforced by a torpedo boat, for she Immediately began a system of . ittack and annoyance which made their lives both day and night oue continued round of apprehension and misery. "She was a handy little open bout. with a good outfit, and could steam about eighteen miles an hour. She had been brought from England by specula-' tors and sold to the Pruvlans down the ' ... 'ri.nw l.n naiitn.l lin, ! n I i , i, r " , "" "'" onsly from her funnel, hut It was evl quite.' the Little One. She would llc'dcnt ,bM ,wo 0,)(.r , Jo beside ua all day at the stone pier with W(:n, owtklng her. although the men 1UM1U1 wr ..-m,S .mum the decks in the hot sun, most of the time, while her officers played dominoes under an awning aft, and plotted mean while some novel method of frlghcning the blockaders. Occasionally, when they knew the enemy were at dinner, they would make a rush dow n the har bor in a most warllke'aml threatening mannen Then the foe would bent to quarters, slip their anchors, and put themselves In a state of commotion, whereupon the torpedo boat would come leisurely hack to the dock. In this way they made the Chilians burn tons of coal which It was difllctilt for them to get, and for which they imd to pay big prices. "It waa at night, however, that La Chlquita was lu her glory, for In a few minutes ofter her departure from the dock there would be banging and boom ing of guns along the enemy's Hue. nml we could tell about where she was by the uproar Around her. Ouce she stole out close along shore and w ith a rush came In from the sea through the Chil ian ships. "Their guard boats were unprepared for this attack; aud before they knew it she was alongside the admiral's ship, aud exploded a torpedo which blew up two or three small boats at the gang way, hurt several sailors, and smashed glass and windows. The she made off : Into the harbor before a gun In (lie fleet could be brought to hear on her lu the darkness. "Tills scare was too much for the 'Dons,' as the Chilians are called, so they pat their heads together and sent j to Valparaiso for help. It came finally, In the shape of two brand-uew topedo boats of German make; each of them was larger end faster than La Chi qulta. "The day ofter they arrived, a slight defect had been discovered In the ma chinery of our little dock companion; and as her native engineer had fallen sick of a fever at the same time, and was not quite up to duty, oue of our engineers, a Yankee boy by the name of Clark, from fellow he wan, Boston (and a smart loo), volunteered to tinker up the engine. While thole own man was up In town getting some sup plies, Clark wni putting the enpine to rights, w;.en a telegram arrived aboard stating unit the enemy's two torpedo boats iiad started early that morning to eo down the c:nst. The lookout at the Juurbor entraj" 0 had tent word that tb Single Shot. fog was becoming heavier, and tba Pe ruvian commander ordered I .a Chlqulta out to take advantage of the altuattou hy doing what mischief alio could. "The boat of course, was ready In a few tuluutes, but their own tug I nee r was ashore, and the fog prevented their signaling his recall from tht town. (Jo tliey must, aud something must he domt at otic. But bat T While they were, discussing the question, Clark, who bad finished repairing the engine, whs about putting on bis Jacket, when the captain drew him Aide and, after explalulng matters, asked If ha would act as engineer for that trip, saying It would be nothing more than aa excurs ion or frolic aud that be would be well paid. Now, tha Yankee boy bad loug been wlahtug for a trip of this kind, hut despaired of getting leave of ab sence for any such purpose. Here waa an opportunity, and an excuse for tak ing advantage of It, ami while coolly replying that- ho would do It 'as a favor,' he turned on steam, and In a few minutes the saucy little boat was lost to our view and speeding out Into the fog with a grand scheme of sur prise for the Chilians. "Hut, us very often happens, the sur prise was destined .to coma from tba other side; for the Chilian torpedo boats had started down the roast only aa a ruse, and under rover of the fog bad stolen back again, and were quietly lying behind their men-of-war prepared to give their little aimoyrr a warm wel come. "Quietly and swiftly U Chlqulta stole on until the largest of the' enemy's ships was seen to be hour a dull gray mass without a sign of life about her and apparently at anchor, Still closer ran the torpedo boat, and all was quiet on the big ship. She was almost along side, and yet the sleepy sentry did not htd. The young Peruvian captain rubbed his hnuds In glee st the glorious opportunity afforded Mm, and be had Just made the algnal for tlie lowering of the torpedo when 'Hnug' went the sleepy sentry's gun. FICJIIT. "'Never mind,' cried the gay captain, or he felt the bullet pierce his cap. 'You are awake at last, my boy, and just too later Hut no! A dark object darted out from beyond the ship's iern, and behold-there was oue of (he 'absent torpedo boats! To add to the consternation of tho C'lili)ulla's crew, the second torpedo boat now hove In hf, rouudlng the frigate's Itow. 'ye are In a trap,' jelled the cap- tllin .g,op Ul,r; j,U,k gjliriMwrj your helm. Hard! aud he fairly danced with rage as the hulk-Is began to sing about him. "In less time than It takes to tell It, tho Peruvian 'surprise party' was In rull retreat through the fog, followed closely by the Chilian boats and a ball of small shot which dashed up the spray all around them. The big ihlps, too, were In pursuit, surging aud rock ing, their black smoke and their masts visible above the low-lying fog-. "For ten minutes the race progressed finely, the crew of the fleeing craft do ing their utmost to escape the fierce pursuers. The officer distributed his men nlMHit the bout so as to give her the best possible balance. Soft coal was being burned aud douse black smoke and sparks were pouring furl- ' v .,... tml)11,llr lull, I tif' "The officer looked auxlously at Clark and asked, 'Can you not make her go rater? Clark glanced at the steam gauge and at the safety-valve, from which a Jet of steam was already fly ing, and shook his head. He screwed down the valve a little, however. The gauge showed ten pounds more pres sure, but that wasall he dared put on. La Chlqulta was rushing 'like a streak' through the water, ftistcr than she ever went before, but It whs of little use. The larger boats were steadily gaining. A few minutes more would have ended II. It was too bad, for La Chlqulta was almost lu the harbor. She had run out of the fog and could sue the forts, which dared not (Ire, however, for fear of hitting their own vessel. The Peruvian sailors crouched In the bottom of the boat while Clark coolly tended his engine, parts of which moved so fast, as he afterward told me they looked like a whirling blue mist. " Heiior,' said the officer to Clark, 'we have done our best, but It won't help us. They are too near to ns; we must give up,' and as he said thla'be proceeded to tnke from bis pocket a handkerchief to wave lu sign of sur render. Clark glanced back, aud there, not four hundred feet awny, was the hi" pursuer, her sharp snout cutting the water like a knife and throwing the spray to each side. He observed quick ly that from her brow projected a spar, on the end of which was a large, black, pear - shaped, vlclous-looklng torpedo, Its head studded with percussion caps. This torpedo was ready to he thrust further forward to blow up La Chl- qulta as soon as they should come with in slrlkitt, distance. As Clark's keen glance returned along the boiling wake of his own boat, ho noticed In the stern slicets a rifle which belonged to the captain. It was Just like the one with which the engineer used to 'pick off squirrels In 'the States,' He motioned to the captain not to wave his flag of surrender. Me gave t Tie engine one more drenching of oil, and the safety valve another twist, then seized the rifle, carefully adjusted the ' rear sight, wiped the oil from his trig ger finger, raised the piece to his shoul der, and took aim. He stood solid as a rock, with feet wide apart to steady himself against the rolling of the boat. His head was bare and bis sleeves were .rolled up to bit elbows. 'What ess h be going to shoot at? muttered tba cap tain. 'No' one Is visible on the other host.' Hut he noticed that as the pur suing boat, now but three huudied feet away, rose and fell with the swells, and its torpedo foeut aud swayed from aids to side on the ud of the spar, the m na si of Claik's rifle was following It, Now, up, uow down, now this way. now that, It swung, as If avoiding Hint keen eye look lug through the sight. Hut, Dually, for oue moment 11 paused nml was quiet. It was that for which Chirk whs waiting. There was a Kharp re port from the rltle! the torpedo, struck by the bullet fair and square on on of the raps, exploded with a tremen dous repot I The par aud loepodo flew lu fraumciiM through the air, and, as the oil rushing boat emerged from the cloud of smoke, It was seru that her bow was shattered and spllL-tffud that she waa sinking rapidly, while lutr crew were heard calling upon the other Chilian boat for help. "Clark laid down the rllle and turned bis attention to his engine again as If nothing had happened, and,' amid the booming of guns and the dipping of flags lu salute, La riilqulu ran Into the harbor and was soon at her moorings, thanks to the cool Yankee boy who had saved the vessel with one shot," TROGLODYTES JOF AFRICA. M antra an4 Castama ParhanatJ for fwveral Cealarlea, If you want to lie Introduced to the slowest people In the world you must visit North Africa aud make your way across tha scorching desert that separ ates from the rest of the Inhabitants of Africa the race known lo the au dents as the Troglodytes, from the Ureck "truglols," a hole. They were given this name on account of the habit of living In holes In the giotiml-a habit that probably owe Its origin lo the fact that old Hoi In that quarter l a very merciless old tyrant, ; and life sltovs ground Is scarcely bearable ex cept when the sun has retired for the night. The Troglodytes are In the line of caravan travel, and are visited by thiu freight trslui of the African desert, No outside Influence has been able, however, to wean them from their an cient bablts, their antique gsrb, aud their peculiar mauuer of living. Ho far as Is know n, the ninouers ami customs of the Troglodytes have not changed since Hlble times, aud any oue coming upou a group of these pcopl In the present day, and comparing their a p. pearauce w IfTf descriptions extant that some historians have regarded as fabu lous, will see that they are precisely the iiame'uow as they were many cen turies ago, A Troglodyte city is the most curious dwelling place In the world. Prom the exterior It presents the aspect of Itomau circus. The babltatlou are built In layers oue aboie the other, and form a circular wall with a single eu trauce from the outside. All the doors of the bouses open on the Interior of the circular city, Kach habitation has a door aud a window. To get lo (hem you climb a flight of steps cut lu the wall, which brings you to the lower layer of houses, f you wish to go higher you climb auother pair of sli ps to the bouses almvc, aud from heie lo the third row, If you siv visiting some one llrlug on the top of the pile. The doors are all fuau-Wd with the most primitive lock, which Is turned by means of a wooden key, Heslde provldlug protection from their euemy, the sun, the circular habl latlons with the dead walls outside form a strong fortress to guard the lu habitant from the attacks of neighbor ing tribes. In these more peaceful days, however, they have no such fear before them, and so they use the walled city mostly for storing of crops, w Idle they live lu boles dug In the ground within the walla, aud frequvutly chauge their position lu search of pas ture for the animals. The age of the cities Is Immense, The exact date when they were built Is un known, but It Is believed that they antedate the birth of Christ. The people are peaceably disposed. In which phn-e of character they are superior to nnmt other natives of Northern Africa. They are Intelligent and hard-working, tend Ing their flocks aud farming (heir laud with pat leu t energy. The approach to their country Is so dlltlcttlt and danger ous, on accouut of the frightful gorges It Is necessary to traverse, aud the risk of being overcome by the deadly sirocco, that the Interesting people have been disturbed but little hy Euro peans. Now that archeologlsts are turning their attention to the ancient people, something more Is being learn ed of them than was known heretofore, St. Paul Dispatch. PONY AND SNAKE Ho. tha Llttt Animal Killed Nattier. Pew of u have ever seen a horse kill a sunke, but Mrs. Custer describes the performance lis the St. Nicholas; As they were pushing out of a Juir;le on foot one day, the colonel said: "Hamaiithy Is a little too attentive, Alf; he shoves himself alongside of me, and when I remonstrate he backs n little, but keeps so close Hint he almost trends on my heels." ' 'Well, father, I suppose he thinks nothing can go on without him. He's been In everything I ever did yet." As they came to a barrow defile, with the branches of the trees festooned with moss and the ground tangled with vines and thick underbrush, Samanthy forgot his manners and crowded to the front. There wn hardly room foi' two abreast. The colonel, peering Into the thicket for birds, heard what he took to be the whirr of pheasants' wings, and he lifted his gnu to lake nlm. The Kid, pressing on, saw with his keen eyes that It was nothing so harmless as the rising of a covey of birds. A hugo rattlesnake, overlooked by the colonel In bis Intense concentra tion on the thicket, lay colled directly in front of him, the vicious mouth hissing, the eyes gleaming with fire. Alf was In agony. He could not Are, for his father or the pony would have received the shot, as they were placed. . , But a more vigilant pair of eyes tin n even the Kid's Jhad discovered the rep tile, and with a spring In front of the colonel, and with the nicest exactitude, down came the pouy with a buck Jump, his hoofs close together on the head of the snake, rrtmhlug In the deadly fangs, and flattening the skull Into the soft soli. Still there waa an ominous rattle of thctnll.and the little nng gathered him self again, bowed his supple hack, aud drove his hoofs Into the mottled, akin of the deadly foe of mankind. j You have pertiaps noticed that In every poor brass barid there Is a good bass player. Do you know why? Th bass born Is easy. There Is no quality that women ad mire In men so much as generosity. No one Is so bold that he Is not afraid of a danttat- , SURVEY OP THB MASON AUD DIXON'S LIN& 'sWsWswjbi ajMsjaamBaal m!--- P cn'niYkyAPiiA . a JH X I (( (&r Keeently there was begun s resurvey of that famous aid boundary helwreo Pviiusylvauls aud Maryland known as Mason and Dixon's llne The object of the resurvey Is to r-tabllsh the Has monuments and to place monument oo the wcHiern end of the Hue where none bar hitherto existed. The Hint of Pennsylvania and th Htat ot Msrylsad have each appropriated f I.IKK) for (lit purpose. Tli remarking of th line will he for th distsure from the norllienst comer of Msrylsad to about to northwest corner. Th rrmsliider of Hi I'rno sylvsnla line to the southwest corner at PennsyK.anl was surveyed and r uisrked In m. ' It is Interesting to know that ltfsrs. Mssnn snd Dixon marked nut other lines besides th sst and west south boundary of Pennsylvania. Their Journal, a copy nt which Is In th possession of the Maryland Is ml amc and another ropy In th Pennsylvania Historical Society library, state tbst (hey resurveyed the entire writ boundary of IMswsr ssd sIm determined th distance from th northeast corner ot Msrylsad I th Del war river Briers mile below Phllidel phis. . . &vention Dr. K. Larroqu reports to tba French Academy of Sciences that bis studies of 'the action of sounds upon tbs ba nian ears prov tbat.th auditory ap paratus of each ear operates lodVpeod ently of lb other. This appears lo bav a bearing upon th question whether loss of bearing by on ear exercises an lojurlous effect upon Its mate. Under th best conditions obtaining at presenr, out of every hundred tous of coat delivered at gas works or elec tric light statlous, something Ilk nine ty elght ton ire, as far as th produc tion of light Is concerned, absolutely wasted and go to pruduc useleu beat. When on consider th enotmoti quantity of coal used anuuslly for tha production of artificial Illumination, th absolute waste of ninety-eight percent of It seems little short of criminal, Yt scientists ar engaged In solving th problem, Th French scientific Jourust, La Na ture, warns Its readers against the time honored custom of using spiders' webs lo slop bleeding. Remarking that old wrb from stable ar preferred by those who resort lo this remedy, It pcluts out that such webs ar peculiar ly llabl lo b Infected with lu nil rroUs of various disease whlrh may be communicated from animals to man. Among other afflictions that have been traced to the use of old. dusty spiders' webs bound upon wounds Is th dreaded tetanus or lockjaw. One scientist counted th hairs on a fly's feet aud found an average of be tween ten thousand and twelve thous and, from esch of which flowed tht minute specks of oil The oil lolutely neceoary to th fly when walk ing on a vertical surface. If a pan of glsss should liecome wet or very dusty It would be Imjiosslbl for the fly to walk over It. In th ou esse he rs use of the flowing of the oil bet seen the hairs of th feet and destroying th strength of lb capillary action; lu the other, because of tbo clogging of th hairs with th dust. Prof. It. II. Thurston of Cornell fnl verslty calls attention lo th fact that since the Hpsnlsh War, the manufact ure of chilled Iron turrets for coast de fense has been established In this country. He regard the "chilling" of the surface of cast Iron so a to give It a hardness exceeding that of tool steel as "on of th moat remarkable scien tific achievement of the tlm," The chilling of cast Iron for car wheels has long Wn prscllsed almost exclusively In this country, but although It Is at bottom an American luventlon, (he use of the process for making turrets for coast defense has hitherto been devel oped only In Europe. Professor Thurs ton remarks that American Iron Ik the finest In the world for litis purpose. K. D. Preston, of the Coast and (leo detlc Survey, who has recently studied th laugnage of Hawaii, calls attention to a remarkable peculiarity lu which that language shows a sharp contrast to others. Usually when a foreign word Is adopted Into a language It Is debased In Its meaning. Thus, "saloon," mean ing a drlnglng place, conies from the French salon, a parlor; and the Span ish word hahlar, to talk, la transformed by the French Into a. word signifying a babbler and a liar. Many similar ex amples ate found In European lan guages. Hut In Hawaii the opposite rule prevails, and words that have been adopted from the tongues of whlte Wn have been elevated in meaning and des ignate better things than they did in their original language. DOOTOR WAS NOT DECEJUfJX,. Witt Mon He KiBa4 Olrl Who Prateniled to Ha Blind, v Physicians often bav to exercise great car to avoid becoming to vic tim of Imposition. If a dishonest ap plicant, for a pension can hoodwink some doctor the hitter's certificate mtj be made the means of perpetrstlng a fraud upon (he Uovcrnnieot, and social parasites who seek to spong on public and charitable Institutions ar always trying to Inveigle a physician Into say lug tht word or writing the Hut which would gain them admission. An interesting case In point was re lated by the leading oculist ot Moot real, a man whose practlct extended far outsldo of tbt bounds of the city. Out day a young woman came Into the office, acompanled by an older woman, apparently tbt mother. Tbt young woman wore colored glasses, which one might have assumed to be superflu ous, as It was claimed that the girl was totally blind. What was wanted of the doctor was a certificate authenticating this claim of blindness, putting It be yond dispute, and It was fraukly stated that tbt object In seeking this was to obtain certain aids and advantages of a philanthropic naturt Impossible of access otherwise. The standing of the oculist was such that a statement from him would carry full weight wherever presented. On examination the surface of the eyes gave no Indication of any defect, but that might be so and blindness still exist. Applying tests of tht strongest light, tht girl professed herself to be absolutely unable to distinguish be twees light and darkness. Th doclot wa puxxled and battled. Apparently tba girl watston blind, but L was tin able to solv Hi problem of those eyes, to discover the cause of (be blludues or say Just where Hit defect lay, Th doctor was mot than half dis posed to giant th desired certificate, when, at a last expedient, he lilt upon a novel experiment. He dismissed th patient with Instructions that h should come again at a certain hour the following day. When she cam the doctor had her securely blindfolded with a heavy bscdage over her eyes, wu nt took a tiny mouse, which h nao ready, and held the lively little tujug by Its tall before the girl fact, though not touching her, while he or dered the bandage to be removed. N soouer was the bandage off limit her creams rang through the place and her eyes were wide with terror at the harm less little rodent, which bad thrown he so completely off her uunrd and exnosei1 the Imposture. Of cours she saw II or h would not have screamed. Needle to say, th applicant did not get tint wtineale.--MlnneajMdla Tribune. PUBLIC PARK FOR OREGON. . ropoaai la rratarv tcravrv Araiint lrlr Lake. It has !en propositi to park Ilia re- glon about Crater lake In Oregon, one Of the inoal remarkable bodies of wad in iu woiui, n juia a large, deep crater In the mountains, nml the wall rls sheer lo a dlxxjlug hcluht almve lb surface, lu the Indian tradition It was the alsale of dangerous mmi stem creatures thai doubtle Hy iii)h1 Uet the fear created In the minds of the savages by Its wllilm, hut that, among the civlllxed, give plme m n sense of admiration for It sublimity It would take little. If any, money to set aside this district for a park, and It la hoped that the measure offered for that purpose will he successful, We bav allowed the vamlal to dspnll our wonderful natural seem ry at his pleas ur In the past., A grow lug seiiw ot the Attic of things denuuids I hut hi pernicious activities shall ccnie and that th great body of the people nIuiII advantage by what la finest am) no blest In the landscape a lu the re sources of the country. rf)ur finest and mot Impressive seen ery Is In the West, where Hie popula lion Is stilt sparse and w here real es tato value are still low. Indeed, It I not unlikely that the region aisiui Cm ter take na never nccii taken up, j nose who nave seen n uciare it to it the scenic equal of the Yosemlte, and In allow the chopper, the bluster, tin shanty builder, the slgi painter, Die en glue driver lo mar It will ho to dlseour age visits to the place ami to disgust and dishearten Just the class of peo ple who are most mitiirnlly drawn lo spectacle, In this country we have no Immense private parks for titled aris tocracy. Whatever Is ln-sl Is for the people. Let Ihoiu tnke that best while It is still to be had and before selfish commercialism bars them fimn It, There should be a park in every Slate Hrooklyn F.agle. Mtlll He Camctit diatomcr. A well-kuowu portrait painter was1 not always (he receiver of such hand some honorariums as are now puld him for his portraits. Time was yvheu 4ie lived In a common lodging house nea the Pantheon at an altitude of no less than seveu stories. Necessity Is the mother of Invention, but how to lihluce a discriminating public to climb seven pair of stairs lie put up a placard In the Imwncnt of the house, "Portraits tnken here. Only ten francs. Studio on (he third floor." Whiui the would be purchaser had ar rived at (he studio-designate, he found himself confronted by a placard, "Ten franc portraits, The studio has been removed to the fifth llovr." After much pulling and panting the fifth floor wos reached, where a new bill met the Inquiring eye, "The ten franc portraits, The studio has, owing to rebuilding of the premises, been tem porarily removed to the seventh floor," Having suffered so much, the victim did not mind suffering once more, and the aspiring artist got another cus tomer. ' Prance In ICitglnnd. Tbo Invnsion would he at the mouth of the Thames, we landing our troops simultaneously at Heme Hay ami Southend. Karly the same morning a number of torpedoes will have quietly been guided under London bridge, and a French fleet would Insure communi cations between (lie banks of the river, while two armies would march on Lon don, one lL-taklng Chatham on the way, and the other proceeding hy Til bury and Barking. A few down tor pedoes skillfully sunk In front of Shoe buryneas would bar the entrance to the Thames of tha British fleet, and the tld would couvey I he rest of the French troops on lighters (chnlamla) to th heart of tho clty.-La Patrle. A Matter of Principle. "I attppos you will take a great In terest In the campaign." " I should say so!" answered Senator Sorghum. "I would be culpable If I failed to do so. It was always my be lief that when a man Invests his money It la bla duty to stand by and seo what becomes of It'-Washlngton Star, X poof brass band It a sign that the community In wblch It xlsts lacks r flnamtnl and oivllliatloa. Hp Iteflerl: "Destiny." said h pen sive boarder "Is Ilk a chlckn-it Isu'l everybody who con carv It to hi en tire atlfactloa."-iPuTk. Amicus-Ko you havt another baby at your bouse; what la be like? Kmlneut t'rltlc-Well, he Is not very Interesting, but he I mighty convlnclng.-Llfe. The Ideal; Tbo Vegeiarlau-Wbnl kind of a dinner did my wife put up? "Finn We had greeiis and salad, and, In fact, a dinner lit for a cow-1 mean for a kingr-Llfe. Mr. Clmtter-Do yon believe all th dlsugreeablu thing you rend lu Hi pa per about people? Mr. TimlOh, dear, iiol-only when they art about people I know.-Chicago News. "I must bt rull of electricity," sold C proudly, "When 1 stroke a cat, all hor hulls stand on end." "Oh, that's nothing," replied T.j "my dog can makt her do that by Just looking at her." Tramp-. Minium, hav you sn axT I-ndy of the House-No. Tramp-IIavt you a saw? Lady of Hie House--.No, I have no saw. Ti amp-Then givt mo a little something to cat, please.- Har- Witt Life, "ISIIxn, why do you write so many let ter In such but weather?" "Well, David, If I don't keep nllaiur relatives puMcd on the awful heiii here they will be landing on lis to vUli."-luii;u;i polls Journal, Evidently tht Head of th House: "No," said the uuui at (he door, "I luive is it view oil politics. ' "Well," I I ui lied the political cnuvaer, "lu that cnac I'd Ilk to Interview your wife." Chicago Post, ,, "Mrs. tiahbe," observed a friend of the fa mil)', "I n very superior woman. Kite . can converse lulelllgeully, 1 he lit-ve, on a thousnud different topics." "Yes," sighrd Mr. Cabbe. "and th does."-Tlt Hits. How It Happened: First CllUen-I hnf attended dcr bolltlcnl meeting of tail' partlc dcr last ten years. Hecoud Clilaeii-Ah! Yon like lo hear both dtle? First Clllwn-Nelii! I pclong to i prasa pitmll-Piick. Not Afraid: "Slu talked to hliu Just to let hliu know she wusu'l afraid of ild bachelor." "Yis?" "And he miked lo her lu Id her know (hat ho wasn't afraid of widows." "Welly "Oh, lu-y're iimrtlcd uow." Chicago llecord. A Double Hluw: "Yea, we had quite t blowout at our house this morning." "Peculiar time for It." "Yes; the uew hired girl blew out Iho gua lit the gas stove, and Hie gas blew out the side if the kitchen."-Cleveland Phiiu Deal rr. 'Did you dame until the nee sma' hours" ithked one yuuug man. "No, 1 didn't We danced till the last car had k'DUe, and f had to walk three miles. They were the blggenl hours I'tvcr re member having encountered." Wash ington Star. Ityles- Did you ever com across a more conceited fellow thau llulger? They say he Isau atheist; and 1 bcllev ho Is. Hunter-1 wouldn't like to go a rar as that; but I do know Hint li ibii-Mii't recogtilrc the existence' of a su pertor belug.-Ilrooklyn Life. Impressed on Her Memory: "It's Uecti four year uow," suid Hie descried only, "since he left me mid hU happy iioiite, I remember It Just a well as restenliiy-how he stood nt the door, milling It opcu till six Hies got lu th iiiiiise."-Indianapolis Press. Stranger-1 noticed your advertise ment lu the paper this morning for a man to retail Imported caunrlc. Pro prietor of lllrd Sioiv-Yca, sir. Ar you looking for a job? Stranger Oh, no. I merely had a curiosity to know how the canaries lost their tails. Chi--ago News. t to- I niiw Hull farm Unit was adver tised, ami I think I'll buy It. She-Ohl Then we'll move away from the hateful city for good? He Yes. It's a lino place; fourteen nmea and a pond ou It. She Won't that be ttlce? We can raise pond lilies and watermelons lu It.-Phll- adelphla Press, There was a piece of cold pudding on the lunch table, nud mum mil divided It between Willie aud IClsle. Willie looked at his puddlng-thcu al his mother's empty plate. "Mamma," be said, earnestly, "I can't enjoy my pud ding when you haven't any. Take F.lsleV-I.lfe. A I.OUS felt Wnut: Hoss-I don't know whether to discharge Hint new boy or raise his salary. Manager What baa be beeU dolug? Hoaa-Ho rushed Into my private olllco this morning and told me (here was a man downstair who would like to see me. Manager Who was II? Hons-A blluil man.-TIt Hits. -i A Contradiction; Polltlciiin-My boy, the door to every successful business Is labeled "Push." Thoughtful Youth Isn't your business u successful one, ilr? Politician-Well, yea. I flatter my self that It Is very successful. Why do you ask that? Thoughtful Youtli- Hecnuse sir, 1 see your door Is labeled "Pull."-l)etrolt Free Pre. ltcportec: Observing the manager of the drug department, the womun ac costed him lu a spirit of badinage. "1 have kleptomania," she said; "what would you advise mo to take?" "The elevator, by nil menus!" said (he m Hu nger, wittily. "And not something Just as good?" exclaimed the woman, affect ing great surprise. Detroit Journal. Diamonds Said to Ho Allvo, A diamond Is as much nlive as a man. Thus declares Professor vou Schroen of the Naples University. According to him the so-called Inorganic bodies possess quite as much tlfo as organic ones, lie aiso ciaiuis to nave pnoto graphs of the chief events In the life of a crystal, from Its birth Inward. On of the most curious of these Is thus de scribed: "The crystal meets another one from a different mother. The two strike at each other; they fight, strive and clasp with each other. It Is war to tbe death. It Is a case of tho survi val of the fittest. Ouo must die. Hut no two crystals from the same mother ever tight, no ma iter when they meet." n which particular crystals seem to bt superior to huninn beings. How They Uot Evou with Itlni. If a man In China doesn't pay bis debts at the usual time, the New Year, his creditors carry awny the door of hit shop, thus permitting all the demons and evil spirits to enter. Vacant Land In South, Dakota. South Dakota has an aggregate of 11,- 600.000 acres of .vacant government; mu. nim.-u . u buuj w ujW,0M that nave not been satisfactorily qualified applicants. .... antwered.-Phlladelphla Fraaa. . I BARONESS VON SWARTZENSTEIN If f Oermaajr' Mlalater China Wa An America Olrl. Maud Itoosevelt La Vlosen, now Bar- us von Bwamensteln, whos hnt- Mm nil h hn meantt annalnlvn II In. band ha been recently appointed Mia Ister from Germany to China, was ona of tbe belles or Washington Hire win ter ago. She I an American woman of th highest type beautiful, well ed ucated and well born. She Is a blonde, whose blue eyes ar the glory of a fact (hat Is dullest of feature. Her ngur Is slender aud graceful. A member of Hi Itoosevelt family, aud a second cousin of Governor itoosevelt, slit was, after her debut lu New York City, a conspicuous beauty lu tbt most ex clusive et, but sht wa truly "a penni less Ins lu a long pedigree," and ben face wa ber fortune. She spent her winter with ber mother' cousin, Bar oness von OrvndorfT, In Washington, with whom th frequently went abroad. Th acquaintance with Baron Mil in in von Hchwarzcnstelu began la Washington, when the diplomat was at. iachtti to the German legation. Th Haroq was also principal of an Interna tional school of languages, for Germans do not tliluk It beneath tbem to turn llielr talent and accomplishment to iccouut. even though they may be pos sessed of wealth. Tbe handsome ypnng Harou was 35 years old when be first met the beautiful American girl. Tbey fell lu love at first sight. When the llnroiiess von Orendorff took her nice" i In ond. the hurou followed, and their little romnure had for a background ninny ICuropcnn countries. There was a wedding by snd by In Germany, and (he bride said to her friends: "I would have married my dear tierman flauc If he had been plain Tom Smith, with ut a coat to his back." ABLE TO SKATE ON WATER. How German Sea Captain Mov In Mines Thirteen feet Long-. Cnpl. CroRsmaun, a German sailor, Is the Inventor of a pair of -ahoes for walk Ing on water. He recently gave au exhl billon ou the Ilhlne at Worms near the new ami Imposing bridge across the stream named. The shoes are made of :ln. weigh twenty-two pound each, and together are capable of sustaining a ft' onosRiUMN ox WATitn skatks. weight of more than '-"-'O pounds. They are about thltteeu feet long aud are provided with throe-hinged metallic flukes, which admit of easy movement forward, but retard movemeut back ward In the water. Capt. Orossmann uses a paddle to assist him lu his watery promenade, and finds It espe cially useful In turning. It Is said he has saved twenty lives by the use ot these shoes. , MARTINEZ CAMPOS. H Wa Oue of Spain's Foremost Sol dier and r'tutcamen. Spain lost oue of her greatest military heroes lu the death receutly of Marshal Arsenlo Miirtlnez Campos. For the past thirty years be has figured largely In the affairs of bis couu try. He was nearly tW years of age. Ht Joined the mllltdry at an early age, aud bis conspicuous abil ity won him rapid promotion. He went through Ihe Morocco campaign lu 1859, aud first served In Cuba from 1804 to 1870, (he rank of u a iiti.vk caucus brigadier general be ing conferred upon tyin for his services ou tbo Island. He was In several en gagements with the Carllsts, and aided greatly In placing Alphouso XII. on the throne of Spain. He was afterward made captain general of the army snd In 1S77 was appointed commauder-ln-?blef of the army In Cuba, where he brought the ten-years' war to a close In 1878. He again went to Cuba in 1803. but his liberal policy of treating with the Cubans resulted in his withdrawal and tho substitution of the notorious Weyler. He was twice premier of Spain, had held the portfolio of war, and at the time of .bis death was president of the Scuate. A Summer Ice Hole. Near Coudersport, Potter County, ' 1 Peuusylvnula, Is a hole In tbe mountain 1 from which flows freezing air. A man 1 was sinking a well ror mineral-wealth, At tho depth of tweuty feet he was compelled to quit or freeze. About Mny Ice beglus to form lu It, and coutluuea to freeso until October. There Is no Ice In the hole In winter. The warmer the day, the more Ice there Is In the i mine. The air becomes more frigid the ' ;loser one goes to the cavern. There . I. nr. water In the bottom of the shnft. but the water dripping down from Its' sides freezes. The Ice begins to form less than a foot from the top and coats tho sides of the shaft several Inches thick. What causes the Intense cold and where the air comes from are ques-j ifStr -CA lUnoXBS VOX SWARTZKXSTKl.. Ml lii ftTtmirn WiTM kwind urii futtnw Salnt of tht Cain Eatpr VUIU n Kraitt laco. Leung Kal Tin, a fellow-student of . Erapvrgr Kw,n, u,u of Cu,D(l lB ' .. .. ... . .. . M Ban Frauclsco, Even to s th Em peror Is a rar privilege, drnled th great majority of th almond yd. Tb fortunate Celestial who rub elbows with his majesty Is iliiguUrly honored by his countrymen. But bo who break through tho sacred inner circle- and live In dally communication with ti Kmperor of China Is almost a divinity to tbe half a thousand million lets for tunate subjects. Much a dignitary I Leung Kal Tin. who owes th proud privilege of hi personal communication with th Em peror Kwsug Hsu to the fact that b Is a pupil of Kaag Yo Wei, greatest of Chinese scholar aud reformers. It wsa Kaug Yu Wei who first started th re- j S;rm b"Zl!l,, ,n Jai bonnet- Tbe young Kmperor finally lent a list ening ear trf the teachings of Kang Yu Wtl. He became a pupil of that great teacher. This naturally made the Em peror eager lo meet tbo most brilliant scholars of Kang Yu Wei. Among tbt young men brought Into the royal pres cue were Leung Chi Tso and Leung Kal Tin. Iuug Kal Tin was the young er brother, but equally clever for bit years, aud an ardent reformer. When Jealousy made It Imperative that the young Kmperor have less fre quent counsels with Kaug Yu Wei it was decided to confluc their lutcrcour to letters and to have these missive carried to aud fro by some trusted friend of-reform. Leung Kal Tin was on of tboso who bravely offend b service fur this delicate and danger ous tank. When the Emperor saw that his re formers had endangered his own safe ty and that of his advisers, and that uin Iters were nea ring a crisis, he sent a secret message to Kwaug Yu Wcl. In forming him of the peril Hint wss threatening all reformers. ,He bad them fly at once. . , Six of the most promising advocate of reform were butchered at the Insti gation of tbe Empress Dowager be for (hey could make their escape, but Kang in Wei, Leung Kal Tin. Leung Chi Tso, aud several others managed to es cape. Leung Kal Tin came to the Paclfle coast to carry the doctrine of reform to every city and village where bis brother Chinese congregate. In San Francisco there are no especially large njimber of progressive Chinese, bo believe that the light of modern civil catlou should penetrate the gloom of China. Their battle cry Is: "Give back the throne to (ho young Emperor Kwnng Hsu." They would have the Empress Dowager divested of every vestige of power. Leung Kal Tin. though still In bis twenties. Is a man of marvelous ability. He Is a scholar, not only learned In tbt musty philosophy of the Orient, but well versed In the history 'of other na tions and what bas made their success. He Is an eloquent speaker, and his lec tures to bis countrymen lu the United States hove stirred them greatly. FLIES HAVE EYES TO BLIND. Four Thousand in a Hunch on Each Hid of the Head. Whoever thlnki the male tbe supe rior animal duds no rest for the sola of bis foot lu the contemplation ot what we. In th sublimity of our self-con-?elt, call "the lower animals." In our general Ignorauce of the housefly we rlo not know Just how foolish aud no accouut the male is, but we may rea sonably Infer that be Is as markedly -deficient as usual, seeing that bis eyes are so close together that they touch each other. That's always a bad sign. If you see anybody w ith eyes close to gether you are entitled to thluk 11M1 of bis Intelligence. Tbe fly has two sorts of eyes, the big compound oue, 4.0(a) lu a bnucb on each side of tho head, for knocking about In daylight, and there are simple eyes on the top of the bend for use In a poor light, sewing and flue print. Be fore golug into ecstasies of admiration over the creature that has 4,000 eyes ou each side of Us head it might be well to remember that they are uot of much uvivwut, V..0V v. v... u.a nciJ, VC( winter the compound eyes rave In and get broken, yet the fly seems to get along and flud food. One kind gentle man varnished over the simple eyes and plucked off the wings of some flics. He found that he might hold a caudle close enough to burn the com pound eye of Ihe fly before It had a suspicion thai anything out of the com mon was golug on. In daylight he took a knitting needle and brought it up In front of the fly close enough lo touch bis nutennne before It dodged. If th knitting needle was brought up on ou side Mr. Fly picked up his sticking plasters quite lively. A luslee's Maga slue. . - Electroplating the Dead. Dr. Varlot of Paris has discovered a process for embalming bodies which It Is thought will p.ve n great success. He not only embalms but metallizes the bodies by the Knott process. Just 98 It is don; with a fork or a spoon. In this manner tuey win be preserved in definitely, nud In such perfection that (he most Imperceptible wrinkles sud lines arc reproduced, and the embalmed body bas the appearance of a metal statue. The process Is ns follows; (Vftcr a bath In pure carbolic acid, and being strongly rubbed with nitrate of silver, the body Is submerged in a gai-" vano-plnstlc (?) bntb, after which a slight layer of nitrite Is applied to It. Lisbon O Dia. A Question of Precedence. ' t Senator Hoar's wit hus kept pac with his learning. Not long ago, as he was wnlklug through one of the corri dors of the capitol, he was Joined by aiio ot his former colleagues In the Sen ile. . . , . :, - As they approached tbe entrance ta the Senate-chamber, Mr, Hoar motlou fd to his companion to pass In first. "After you," said the ex-Senator, drawing back politely. ' ; "No, Indeed," retorted Senator Hoar, "the X's always go before the wise." uontie sarcasm on Athletics. w ioi reierence to tne ueiricatlon of the athlete at public schools, the Ox- ford Magazine has the following: "It appears that a few days back tbe vie' chancellor received the following let- ter from a gentleman:. 'How much would I have to pay for the education of my son In your university? Let me know ir t snail nave to pay more In case my son, besides rowing, should wdsh to learn to rend and write." "-St. ' Tames' Gazette. 'K -'oon rianta ior Texas. Tne larSest cottoa 6lnuln8 l)lttnta ln the wor,d 18 now under construction at Corsica, Texas, and the nest largest beln constructed at Bryan, Texas, hlrd ,8 beln Put ,n at Mexia, Texa. thera anything much homeliai averaB. family oun la a htorh! - ' i l