WHITE POLAR BEAR.
HABITS AND CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE ANIMAL.
General Greely Writes Interestingly
of This Largest and Strongest Mem
ber of the Hear Family LiveaAmong
toe Drifting Ice-Felds.
HE aquatic mem
ber of the bear
family the Tbal-
a s sarctos marlti
m u s of natural
ists, la also the
strongest, largest
and most interest
ing species, writes
General A. W.
Greely, of the
United States
army. While its
shuffling gait
leaves its broad
..M . iJfclV!t-.;
trails along the
northern continental coasts of Asia and
America, yet this animal's favorite
hunting fields are rather among the
drifting Ice-llelds or open water-holes
of the Tarry, Spitsbergen and Franz
Josef archipelagoes, and the bordering
islands of continental Greenland.
The polar bear Is an animal of strik
ing contrasts. The snowy whiteness
of its fur Is sharply set off by the black
ness of its snout and claws; its short,
rounded ears make Its long head and
neck most pronounced: Its tiny tall
seems a most ludicrous ending of Its
Immense haunches, which are In keep
ing only with the enormous teeth and
ponderous claws. Some of these con
trasts are but faint In the specimens In
captivity, whose abnormal methods of
life naturally modify their characteris
tics. The most northern latitude In which
the track of a bear has been observed
Is that noted by Lieutenant Lockwood,
of my expedition, in eighty-three de
grees, three minutes north, near Cape
Benet; and strangely enough this ani
mal was traveling to the northeast
Occasionally a polar bear, luxuriat
ing in rich hunting afforded by an Ice
pack, Is carried by drift far Into south
ern latitudes, and thus this species
sometimes reaches the coasts of Labra
dor and tho southern shores of Hudson
Bay, or meets Its fate In the North At
lantic as the disintegrating floes finally
dissolve. ,
It was long asserted that these bears
could swim neither very far nor fast
an opinion arising, doubtless, from the
awkwardness that marks their move
mentsbut It Is now held that the ani
mal Is almost amphibious. Payer says
that four men, on one occasion, could
not pull a boat fast enough to catch
either of two swimming 'bears. Capt.
Sabine, while with Parry's expedition,
midway In Barrow Strait, forty miles
wide, saw a bear swimming strongly;
no Ice was visible from the ship, and
the circumstances seemed to Indicate
that the animal was crossing the strait
from shore to shore.
No systematic effort seems to have
teen made to obtain data as to the
largest animals killed by hunters, but
Sir John Hons measured sixteen bears
killed In Boothia Felix, North Ameri
ca, of which nine were males and sev
en females. The average length from
snout to end of tall wai ninety-four
ON TUB WATCH FOR SEALS.
Inches for the males and seventy-eight
and seven-tenths Inches for the females.
The largest measured one hundred and
one and a half Inches, and weighed ten
hundred and twenty-eight pounds, the
animal betng in poor condition.
The largest specimen of which I have
personal knowledge Is one killed In
Bering Sea, whose skin Is owned by
Beuator William P. Frye, of Maine. It
measures nine feet seven Inches, exclu
sive, of tho tall of two Inches, and Its
girth around the body Just back of the
forelegs Is ten feet
The largest specimen recorded by a
clentlllc observer was one of the
Iimuy bears killed by tho expedition of
Leigh Smith, which was shipwrecked
ou the southwest part of Frana Josef
archipelago, ISHl-'K!. Ir. W. II. Nealo.
the naturalist of the expedition, says
tlwt some ot the wars were very large;
that; one measured eleven feet exclu
sive of tho tall. There Is. then, no rea
Boimhlo grouud to question the veracity
of the statement of Gerlt De Veer, a
companion of Barents lu his third voy
age, that there was killed In Nova
Zembla, lu 150", a bear which was
twelve feet long, possibly including the
tall. .
While the polar bear Is by preference
non-vegetarian, living upon fish and
the flesh of the seal, when he can pro
cure It, nevertheless he will occasion
ally eat seaweeds, and In cases of ne
cessity has been known to subsist for
some time on land vegetation, Norden
sklold relates that Dr. Theol shot at
Port Dickson an exceedingly fat old
bear which had evidently been living
on grass for some time.
Tho skill and caution with which
Bruin does his sea-hunting are do
scribed by the Eskimos as follows:
The bear Blips quietly Into the water
and swims to the leeward ot the seal,
from wheuee b :inn mroachea by
a aeries of dives, t the last being so
timed that he rises in front of the spot
whore the seal Is ylng. If the alarmed
ylctlin attempts as usual to roll lutq the
sea he falls into the clutches of the
bear, and efforts to escape on the Ice
ore equally futile.: V j ? '; S ji
The polar1 bear, while rarely attack
ing man, has frequently visited the
tents, ships and houses of Arctic travel
ers; but as a rule he speedily retreats,
doubtless through caution, at hearing
unfamiliar sounds.,
The most notable of all the fatalities
resulting from an unprovoked attack
on man by the white bear Is that which
occurred In connection with Barentz's
voyage to the Arctic regions. It is said
that the beast seized one man by sur
prise, killed another who came with a
party to rescue the first, mangled both,
and was finally killed by shots fired by
other members of the party.
It Is not unusual to hear the polar
bear stigmatized as a coward no more
dangerous to meet than an old sheep.
Others liken him to a North American
Indian for his treachery, cowardice and
Intraetlblllty. The polar bear is not a
dashing, impulsive animal, but he is
endowed with caution and sagacity to
an unsual extent. In nearly every in
stance the success of the bear in ob
taining sustenance depends upon
stealthy and concealing methods
"
A GOOD BIDS VIEW.
whereby he is withdrawn from the
view of bis victim until he is ready to
strike.
While it Is true that a skillful hunter,
with good firearms, stands In no great
danger from the polar bear, which he
usually attacks at a disadvantage to
the animal; nevertheless It requires a
man of Iron nerve and dauntless cour
age to face one which has been wound
ed or otherwise enraged. And yet
manyof the Eskimos, without firearms,
and provided only with their dows ana
arrows, lances or knives, do not hesi
tate to attack a defiant female, she be
ing ravenous with hunger and ready to
die for her cubs.
SYMPATHETIC KIPLING.
How He Cheered the Spirits of a Sick
Elephant.
A writer In the San Francisco Argo
naut tells the following anecaote as
coming from the Hps of an American
traveler who spent some time In the
company of Rudyard Kipling in Lon
don lately:
One afternoon we went together to
the Zoo, and while strolling about our
ears were assailed by .the most melan
choly sound I have ever heard, a com
plaining, fretting, lamenting sound pro
ceeding from the elephant house.
"What's the matter In there?" asked
Mr. Kipling of the keeper.
"A sick elephant, sir; he cries all the
time; we don't know what to do with
him," was the answer.
Mr. Kipling hurried away from me In
the direction of the lament, which was
growing louder and more painful. I
followed and saw him go up close to
the cage, where stood on elephant with
sadly drooped ears and trunk. He was
crying actual tears at the same time
that he mourned his lot most audibly.
In another moment Mr. Kipling was
right up to the bars, and I beard him
speak to the sick beast In a language
that may have been elephantese, but
certainly was not English. Instantly
the whining stopped, the ears were lift
ed, the monster turned his sleepy little
suffering eyes upon his visitor and put
out his trunk. Mr. Kipling began to
caress It, still speaking In the same
soothing tone, and In words unintelligi
ble to me at least After a few minutes
the beast began to answer In a much
lowered tone of voice, and evidntly re
counted his woes. Possibly elephants,
when "enjoying poor health,' .Hko, to
confide their symptoms to sympathizing
listeners an much as do some human in
valids. Certain It was that Mr. Kipling
and that elephant carried on a conver
sation, with tho result that the elephont
found his spirits much cheered and Im
proved. The whine went out of his
voice, he forgot that he was much to
be pitied, he began to exchange expe
riences with his friend, and he was
quite unconscious, ns was Mr. Kipling,
of the amused and Interested crowd
collecting about the cage. At lust with
a start, Mr. Kipling found himself and
his elephant the observed of all observ
ers, and beat a hasty retreat, leaving
behind him a very dlffereut creature
from the one he hud found.
"Doesn't that bent anything you ever
saw?" ejaculated a compatriot of mine
as tho elephant trumpeted a loud and
cheerful good-by to the back of his van
ishing visitor, and I agreed with him
that It did.
"What lungunge were you talking to
that elephant?" I asked when I over
took my friend.
"Language? What do you mean?" he
answered with a laugh.
'Are you a Mowgll," I persisted, "and
can you talk to all those beasts In their
own tongues?" but he only smiled In
reply.
Cold Water as a Stimulant.
According to a high authority, cold
water la a valuable stimulant to many
If not all people. Its action on the
heart la more stimulating than brandy.
Ills own experience Is that sipping half
a wlue glass of cold water will raise his
pulse from 76 to over 100.
Many people are like the boy who
cries longer over a piece of work than
It would take to do It
SHEEP BATH WHICH
1 '
One of the unique sights at the Onion stock yards in Chicago is the sheep "dip."
The "dip" is divided into three sluices arranged alongside each other forming the
letter "S." Each is thirty feet long and twenty inches wide just wide enough for
' an ordinary sheep to get through. - The depth is five feet, so that the animal must
swim, when he Btrikes the bath, a distance of eighty-nine feet. At one side of
the plnnt is a stationary boiler, with two wooden vats, holding 1,000 gallons each of
nicotine solution, used in the bath to kill the crab and bacteria, which infect the
animals' bodies and hoofs. The boiler is used to heat the solution in the vats to a
temperature of 112 degrees before it is turned into the bnth. also to keep the bath
at the same uniform temperature during the process of dipping the sheep. The
animals approach the bath in single file through a narrow chute, which is connected
with the pens. When they get to the mouth of the "dip" a driver pushes them
down a slide into the hot solution. They then swim about the S-shaped sluices
and leave the bath, after many duckings, administered by the drivers with long
pronged poles. About eighty run the gantlet at one time. Then another lot is
driven In. The solution In the dip is sufficient to bathe 1,000 sheep. It is then
turned out and another solution, from one of the vats, turned In. About 1,100
sheep are bathed per hour.
KEELY, OF MOTOR FAME.
Man Who Promised the Working of
Miracles Is Dead. .
John Ernest Worrell Keely, of Keely
motor fame, who died recently In Phila
delphia, was a strange character a
genius according to some, a humbug
according to others.
Keely and his motor have been before
the public for a generation. He was to
have accomplished wonderful things
with this motor and he Interested capi
talists to the extent that the Keely Mo
tor Company was formed and poured
out money lavishly for the Inventor.
Even yet those who have been In closest
touch with Keely believe in the strange
invention. In the last few years Keely
has worked on a manuscript revealing
the mystery of his peculiar motive pow
er and Mrs. Keely now has It In her pos
session. It is not known, however,
whether the inventor made disclosures
sufficient to permit others to go on with
the work.
Keely surrounded himself with a halo
of mystery and worked for a long time
in absolute secrecy. But he made the
most extravagant claims and promises
as to the miracles which he would per
form with his mysterious "lnter-ctherlc
JOHN E. W. KEELY AND
liberator" and marvelous vapor. Speak
ing In 1875 he sold:
"I propose In about six months to run
a train of thirty cars from here (Phila
delphia) to New York at the rate of a
mile a minute with one small engine,
and I will draw the power all out of as
much water as you can hold In the palm
of your hand." And, as though this
were not sufficiently startling, he add
ed: "A bucket of water contains enough
of this vupor to produce a power sufti
vieut to move the world out of Its
course. An ordinary steamship can be
run so fast with it that It would split
in two."
Keely gave some exhibitions In his
little workshop. He at last succeeded
In puzzling everybody. ' Aside from the
mechanism, which was not taken apart,
Keely operated with a couple of tuning
forks and a fiddle bow. He struck his
timing forks and set a brass ball rotat
ing at 000 revolutions a minute. He
rasped the fiddle bow across a tuning
fork and raised a heavy weight at the
end of a long lever, the power exercised,
it was said, being equal to a pressure of
25.000 pounds to the square Inch.
Though he never accomplished any
practical results with his motor, he
made a very comfortable living out of
It To the last many persons believed
that he was a genius of the highest or
der, and he succeeded In getting the
financial support of solid business men
who consider themselves armor proof
against any species of humbug.
The late Mine. Blavatsky said that
Keely had really made a wonderful dis
covery, but that the "Mahatmas" would
never let him develop It, because in the
present state ot civilization nations
would use the terrible force for mutual
extermination. And so the "Mahat
mas" kept the motor from "moting."
Friendship for Friends.
The dogs of Constantinople are the
scavengers of tho city. For this reason,
as well as from Innate humanity, the
Turks are tolerant of them, although
visitors to the city find them unamla
ble. As a proof ot their Intelligence and
KILLS BACTERIA.
recognition of friends, Major Johnson
relates an experience of his own.
One evening I was walking with an
English officer, when a dog came up
and licked his hand. He told me to no
tice that she would follow us to the
boundary of her district, as he had once
petted herand she had never forgotten
it Exactly as he had said, she follow
ed us a little way, and stopped short In
the middle of the street. She wagged
her tail and looked wistfully after us,
but did not stir when we called her.
A few nifhts afterward, returning
alone to my hotel, I passed the same
spot, when I suddenly felt a cold nose
put into my hand and a tongue licking
my palm. I looked down and saw the
same dog. She had recognized me as
having been with her friend, the officer,
and as before she followed me to the
boundary of her district Youth's Com'
panlon.
Could Not Shoot.
A Hindu looks upon the slaughter ot
an animal with the same dread and
horror with which he would witness
the taking of a life of a human being.
It would be well for some of the hunt
ers of our own country to learn from
such pagans a lesson In humanity. Rev.
B. Fay Mills tells the story of a hunter
THIS
tlKMW
HIS LATEST MACHINE.
who employed as a decoy for deer a
peculiarly constructed whis-tle,-which
closely Imitated the voice of a young
fawn calling its mother.
With his rifle in hand ready for In
stant action, he was one day blowing
his whistle, when sudenly a mother
deer thrust her head out of the bushes
and looked straight toward him. There
she stood, trembling with fear, yet
looking this way and that in search of
the little one, which she supposed to be
In danger. The hunter said:
;"AS I looked Into those eloquent eyes,
anxiously glancing here and there with
maternal fear, my heart melted. I
could not shoot"
Young deer that have not been chased
or fired at by hunters will frequently
come very near to unarmed travelers.
The writer, while driving along a road
in northern Maine, has had a deer walk
Just In advance of the horse for some
distance; and It Is well known that wild
deer often come Into pastures and feed
with the cows. To take advantage of
this confidence seems very near to mur
der. . Geography for Women.
The Introduction of Tai-ken ton's
"Modern Atlas," published In 1815, has
a reference to "the sex" which ought to
be very interesting to our modern col
lege girl. The learned author says:
Geography Is a study so universally
Instructive and pleaslug that it has, for
nearly a century, been taught even to
females, whose pursuits are foreign,
from serious researches. In the trivial
conversation of the social circle, In the
dally avidity of the occurrences of the
times, pregnant. Indeed, above all oth
ers with rapid and important changes
that affect the very existence of states
and empires, geography has become an
habitual resource to the elegant female
as well as the profound philosopher.
The American people are not buying
as many prescriptions at drug stores
as they formerly did; they are now
spending their money for patent medi
cine. .
s OR. TIMOTHY DWIGHT.
01 Longr Career as an Educator Has
Earned for Uim Deserved Rest.;
, Dr. Timothy Dwlght, who surprised
the educational world by his resigna
tion from the presidency of Yale Uni
versity, was president of that great In
stitution by Inheritance, one may say.
His grandfather, who waa Timothy
Dwlght also, was president of Yale
from 1795 until 1817. Yale has had few
If any abler presidents than the first
Timothy Dwlght, and the grandson has
proved himself a worthy successor.
Dr. Dwlght, when he took his seat In
1886, said that he would withdraw
f rora the post whenever hes became
convinced that his usefulness to 1 the
university, was at an end. , Two years
ago there was gossip .about his resign
ing, but It came to nothing. President
DB. TIMOTHY DWIGHT.
Dwlght was born Nov. 10, 1828, ait
Norwich and was graduated from
Yale with the class of 1840, of which he
was the salatatorian. He was out of
the university only two years, when he
returned as tutor. After passing four
years In the Yale theology school he
went abroad for two years to be spent
at Bonn and Berlin," and then returned
to be ordained a minister of the gospel.
In 1858 Dr. Dwlght saw that he could
not escape from the profession of edu
cation and he was glad when he was
elected professor of sacred literature in
the theological school of the university.
From that distinguished .chair he
passed to the headship of the great In
stitution in 1880. His long career as an
educator has earned him the rest
which he will soon enter upon at the
ripe old age of 70.
EXPENSES $300 PER PAY. .
Twrf English Girls Tonr the United
States In Royal Fashion.
Miss Dollis Richards and Miss Kate
Roberts, of England, have been trav
eling through theRocky Mountain re
gion viewing; the 'sights at an expense
of $300 per day. Miss Richards Is the
daughter of a steamship millionaire
and Miss Roberts is her cousin. Both
girls are handsome, stylish and vastly
Interested in ail they have seen and
heard In this country. Having been
all over the East and a good part of the
South they have seen and heard a lot
They travel in a special car fitted up
so as to be a veritable palace on
wheels. They have with them their
own porters, cooks, coachmen and
maids, and their car has a well-stocked
refrigerator and pantry. The car is
the private vehicle of an Eastern rail
road president, specially fitted up and
decorated for their use. Muslin cur
tains overhang the windows, and
palms spring from Japanese Jar
dinieres on each side of the door lead
ing Into the reception or drawing-room.
A bookcase holds a complete assort
ment of books on the United States,'
while rugs cover the leather divans,
and gorgeous pillows ore scattered ar
tistically about Charming pictures
hang on the walls, soft cushions He on
the inviting looking conches and a
casual glance at the Interior of the ear
gives one the Impression that It Is the
temporary home of refined and culti
vated women.
Wild. Ks-s. -
Every continent on the globe, with
the exception" of Australia, produces
wild roses. There can be little doubt
that the rose la one of the earth's old-
est flowers. In Egypt It is depicted on
a number of very early monuments, be
lieved to date from 3000 to 3500 B. C.
Rosewater, or the essence of roses, Is
mentioned by Homer in the "Iliad,"
and the allusion made to the flower In
the Proverbs of Solomon indicates that
It had already been long known.
El Morro a Curiosity.
El Morro Is one of the grandest pos
sessions, in all Cuba, not as a fortress,
but as a curiosity. The damage done
the castle proper by our navy could be
repaired for $50,000. Its construction
and mysteries are wonderful, and the
scene from Morro ridge Is unsurpassed
In Cuba. Our guard there has explored
tt pretty thoroughly, but has not yet
discovered the entrance to the subter
ranean torture rooms.
Fooling the American Buyer.
Australian rabbit skins are being
converted Into "sealskins" for the
American market
Fans from China.
Over 11.000,000 fans are exported In
one year from Canton, China,
SLANG' FROM TrlE SAILORS.
Terms that Come from tie t-ansung-e y.
; , v of the Sea. ( ',. " !
In the vast amouut of narrative ,
which: has of late been read regarding
snips ana tne sea rew persons nave ,
stopped to inina to wuat uu eiieui me 1
English language has been enriched by 4,
sea terms. For Instance, In response to '"
the every-day query,' "How are you?"
nmnywiu answer, "u irst rate, tnanKS."
1 1 irr liLLLd aiitaiLtTL luia lit, luim. iiiili. mm ...
is perpetuating tue rememorance 01 tne
utiYj ju jaai uajB uuu aui rams, or
classes, of vessels. Sea proverbs are t
also met In dally use. For example,
1 i.ti . .. .1 1, . , . . , . . ...
iue uevn 10 pay, ana no Ditcn not.
f kll ,. 1. I ., 1. 1. ttjt 11,1 n ,.
vuo ucyci uiuuiB vvuy uevu or dhv
should be mentioned. The saying orig-
muuja m me mystery or caiKing me 'f
AAJima nt a chin's rianb- Tho nnfolila
seam, called by sailors the waterway .,
oetiui, uuiuiueu among earners tne term
of "the fievll," through the difficulty of
calking It; to "pay" Is to run hot pitch
along the calked seams. We say of a
man who Is going wrong, "He Is on the
wrong tack," sometimes In error using
the word track.: A vessel on the wrone
hick may arive asnore, or, u in a hur
ricane, be engulfed in the heart of the
storm.
Suppose some one "spins yon a yarn."
He may tell you of the unlucky fellow
who Is "among the breakers;" of the
villain "sailing under false colors;" the
heroine showing "slgnuls of distress;"
the hero striving bravely "against wind
and tide," yet true to his love as the
"needle to the pole;" presently the two
are "wafted" by a "favoring gale" safe
ly "Into port'? In politics the "ship of
state" blunders on with Lord Tom
Noddy "at, the helm;" occasionally
some high official is "thrown over
board" by his party.
Coloquially, we growl at an Interpre
ter for "shoving in his oar;" we speak
of two scoundrels as "tarred with the
same brush;" we advise our friend to
"go. with the current," and we speak of
hira to others as all fair and "above
board." Jack Is a bit "rakish." and
sometimes "hnlf amis nvorr" f ha rlnuu
not reform he will some day find him
self "high and dry," and "laid up" for
good.
Such terms as In "good trim," a "snug
berth," to "carry ou," at "close quar
ters," to "fit out" and so cm, are famil
iar to all. Here are the derivations of
three of the last mentioned: "Rakish"
In the old war days privateers, pirates
and such gentry depended upon the
speed of their vessels; these had their
masts "raking," or slanting; such a
vessel was said to be "rakish," that is,
a fast and doubtful customef. "To car-'
ry on" Is to keep sail set longer than a
very prudent man would do; reckless
ness. "Close quarters" the modern
meaning Is well understood; the deriva
tion is curious. ''Close quarters" were
strong wooden barriers stretched
across the deck and used for retreat
and shelter when the ship was boarded.
The old slave ships were thus fitted In
case of the slaves getting loose. In the
old naval wars the term meant two
ships In action, with their sides touch
ing, as was often the case. Chicago
Chronicle. .
Dp a Cburch.Steeple.
Two riggers In a Western city a few
years ago performed a feat that for
daring and steadiness of nerve equals
anything on record, says the Philadel
phia Times.
'. Repairs were necessary at the top of
a very high church steeple. There was
no way to reach the spot from the In
side, and the riggers procured a number
of light ladders and lashed them, one
above the other, to the outside of the
steeple. The topmost ladder, however,
was not high enough to enable them to
reach the desired spot, and ns the upper
part of the steeple was too small to per
mit the proper lashing to It of a ladder,
a daring expedient was resorted to.
One of the men, carrying a pot of
melted solder, climbed from one ladder
to another until he had reached the last
one, and then, bracing himself, he rais
ed an extra ladder that the other rigger
had brought up In his band, and leaned
it against the steeple. Then the man
below grasped this ladder and held It
steady while the man above mounted it
to the point where his work was to be
done. He began the work at once, and
all promised well till suddenly he Jos
tled the solder pot, and the fiery stuff
ran out and fell over the hands of the
man who was holding the ladder.
But the brave fellow did not move.
With a presence of mind and a courage
worthy of a monument, he maintained
a firm hold of the ladder until bis com
panion could come down from his peril
ous perch.
Reviving His Credit, !
A man Is said to have caused the
banns of marriage to be published in a
Yorkshire church between himself and
a lady to whom he was not engaged
and who had no Intention of marrying
him. The man, It was alleged, had
come to the end of his credit, and as
tonished the town by having the banns
published between himself and a rich
lady, who he had ascertained was on
the continent At once his credit re
vived. Aberdeen Journal.
An Emperor's Break fast.
, The German Emperor takes for his
breakfast a small white loaf, the top
ot which Is covered over with salt, and
which accordingly goes by the name of
salt bun. After this he consumed a
small special kind of bun, known as a
"lucea eye," then some sandwiches, for
which another kind of bread is requir
ed, baked until the outside Is quite
black.
Safety lor Parisian Theafriroers.
New theaters to be erected In Paris
will hereafter have to be approach
able from all shies.
Playing Card Ta.
Moscow's orphan asylum, fonnded by
Catherine II., is supported by a tax on
playing cards.