IK '
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAXD, JANUARY
14, 10O6. 45
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CRATER LAKE BEAUTIFIED BY SNOW DRIFTS
One of Oregon's Wonders at a Season Inaccessible to
All But the Venturesome.
CRATJ2R IjAKE, Oregon's most at
tractive natural wonder, is always
beautiful, but never more so than
in the Spring or Fall, when the cliffs and
peaks are partly covered with glistening
enow. The accompanying pictures, were
taken by State Engineer John H. L,ewis.
in the month of June, after-the snow had
partly melted. Mr. Lwls went to the
lake by way of the road from Klamath
Falls, and the road within 'several miles
of the lake being hidden by . snow, he
found his way by studying the topography
of the country as shown by a map Is
sued by the United States geological sur
vey. At the rim of the "crater a com
panion of Mr. Lewis stepped out toward
the edge to get a better view whon glanc
ing behind him he. observed a lojig crack,
in the snow. He had scarcely stepped
back across the crack when the bank
upon which he had been standing broko
MINUTE MUSINGS
C Plan to Eliminate the Superfluous Givln-r of Christmas Presents.
ILL NYE once proposed an inter
national system of letter intro-
uuruons. jus uicory was some
thing like this: Suppose "William
Brown was going to Brazil. lie would
go to the bureau and get his letter of
Introduction to the agent in Brazil,
who would be instructed by private
letter whether it would bo safe to
trust Bill for his groceries or whether
he paid for his share of the drinks.
Thus everyone would be happy and no
harm done. Bill Nyo wrote some sam
ple letters, but the trouble seems to
have been that he did not syndicate his
idea and form si corporation and sell
stock to the clerks and widows.
Now. I have an idea, but I do not
wish anyone to be alarmed over that
fact, even if an idea is one of the worst
symptoms of impending degeneracy.
According to Dombroso and Nordeau.
having an idea is pretty near as good a
sign of degeneracy as having big cars
or' an un symmetrical head.
However, to proceed. One of the
great secrets of modern business suc
cess is the ability to eliminate super
fluous effort, to concentrate and to or
ganize the forces at your hand. One
of Victor Hugo's delightful anecdotes
of American life was the one of the
manager of a great commercial house
who was able to save the firm several
barrels of ink each year by instructing
the clerks not to dot their i's or cross
their t's in all the correspondence of the
firm. .
This elimination of superfluous ef
fort is most cloarly shown in the
clearing-house systom of the citi
banks. Instead of lugging the coin
around from bank to bank to liquidate
the various checks, all checks are
taken to one place and after balancing
up each account, only the balance is
paid in coin.
Now, my Idea is to have something
like this to eliminate the superfluous
giving of Christmas presents. There
is nothing so sacred at the present
time but -what it is allowable to get
up a revised edition and make it con
form to twentieth century methods, so
Rt the risk of being considered sacri
legious, I am going to tackle the
Christmas problem.
"We all know what an extra burden
of work the Christmas season brings
cn everyone. The housewife com.
menccs on her sofa piU6w some time
in October, and from then up to the
very Jast day it Is work all the time.
Then there are. the clerks in the stores
and In the Postoffices, and the ex
pressmen, and in fact, a little of the
extra burden touches every one of us.
This plan would stop all this, and Is
as follows: Establish a large central
clearing-house for Christmas presents
at Washington, D. C. Put some of the
bureau chiefs of the Pension Depart
ment in charge of it, and let one of
their first duties be to get up a nice
system of blanks to be used by the
clearing-house. The reason that I sug
gest the use of pension chiefs for this
work is because they have had so much
experience along this same line. The
blanks should go into minute personal
details, for after the system got to
working smoothly the data would
prove a great mine for Carroll D.
"Wright. He could undoubtedly deduce
from them that women with moles on
the side of their nose gave looking
glasses oftener than any other present;
or that anaemic young men had a pre
dilection for ballet-girl posters.' Any
way. I can guarantee that Carroll
would make something out of the data.
After the blanks were arranged and
printed they should be sent to every
citizen of the United States by the first
of September. Then he or she. as the
case might be. would set down and fill
it out. Suppose Almira Jones, of Cor
vaiiis. has one before her. She is
Planning to sond a volume of will
Carlcton-s poems to Cousin Sue back
in Indiana, and to Aunt Ann a set of
Almira one of E. P. Roe's novels, and
so when an the reports get In the
clerk le tl)at AImJra M;o
value aPnT?r balanC Cach other ln
It tho ? J' arC nromP"' notified
of the fact, and thus save both on post
er nUlal CSt by n0t
manJtU"0 PrVe a boon to
manit? as soon as I can iret som
of the flner details worked out I wm
vrUe,fv ThmaS LaWS"
-UAltUUS W
Grant's Pass, Or,
as a
ROBBINS,
COSSACK ONLY A COWARD
o Virtues Shown by Race i Jap.
anese War or Present Crisis.
aniw"' S8ack re bandits
and they seem to have retained all the
worst qualities of that disreputable class
and to have lost all trace" of the, rough
kindness which sometimes characterized
brigands in reality as well as in ro
mance, says the Philadelphia Record
They have by no means always support-
Sni nir8- bUt "en fou8ht gainst
thorn, and it was not until 1S14 that thev
uf rP .thelr ,brisandBe and became a
kind of irregular horsemen, who In re-
KJ fr f. Krant f land and freedom
from taxation, came out to fight when
called upon and brought their own horses.
rSnd eu,Pment. Nothing about them
resembles the smart cavalry of other Eu
ropean countries, for both they and their
ponies are small and insignificant, and
neither Is .properly groomed.
w-r rfpu.tat,on fighters was earned
2w!y .tf the NaPoleonIc Invasion.
nen the French cavalry repeatedly
charged them without effect Under the
conditions of modern warfare they have
Sel?f,s' nd s,nce ihy haye been
brigaded with the regular cavalry, they
have lost their chief source of strength
their Irregular method of fighting
In the war against Japan thev were a
lamentable failure. On no occasion did
they live up to their reputation or pos
sessing the single virtue courage. Dur
ing the present crisis the Cossacks hava
only proved themselves to be bullies and
cowards of the lowest kind. They resp'ect
neither age nor sex. but destroy their un
fortunate victims as relentlessly as a
hungry tiger kills an antelope. They ap
pear to pbey the orders of their officers
and observo some discipline" In behavior
If not in appearance, but when once set
upon their deadly task, they do not ap
pear td be checked until they have fin
ished it.
AUTOMOBILE THAT TRAVELS ON ICE Tta'SSSS:3S,,-'
SKATES and Ice yachts will not fur
nish a monoply. this year, of the ex
citing joy that comes from rapid
flight over the Ice.
The "motor Iceboat." a new contriv
ance, means a pport added to those that
make for the pleasures of Winter.
It is a development of the auto, the
motor-boat and similar devices which
man has lately been adapting for his
business" and his diversion. It was tried
last year and succeeded. The inventor
discovered means of Improving and cor
recting his model, and this year has a
craft that will act with all the certalnty
of an automobile.
The scientific name of the ice motor
boat is the "Pneumoslito." J. Bruce
Macduff, of Brooklyn, Invented it, and the
trials that proved Its capacity were made
on a lake at Long Island.
The motor-boat makes one think a
little of an Ice yacht, save that the lat
ter Is dependent entirely on the wind for
Its power, while the "pneumoslito" is
operated by a motor, and is always ready
for its lightning flight, no matter what
the climatic conditions may be. This
means that It not only has great quali
fications for a pleasure craft, but has
valuable possibilities from a business
standpoint.
A machine that can go bowling over the
Ice at a rate of 20 mlles'an hour and with
virtual Immunity from breakdowns or de
lays or any kind is an attractive business
proposition, and that Is the least that
can be claimed for the "pneumoslito."
New Yorkers who saw the tests of the
Ice motor-boat marveled not only at Its
speed, but at the graceful, easy way. It
gilded over the Ice. There was no more
Jarring than there would have been on
the bc4t-equippcd of modem railway cars.
The motor-boat skimmed over the Ice like
a great bird.
How the Motor Works.
The motor-boat looks like a sewing ma
chine mounted on a platform, the latter
being upheld by four sets of runners. The
platform is 12 feet In length by four In
width, and is made of stout wooden slats.
Its runners are virtually wooden skates,
with steel blades. The front ones are so
arranged as to respond to the steering
gear, very much as the giant coasting
sled, dear to the heart of every country
boy, who had a small sled In front, which
he could turn In such a manner as to
guide the big sled in any direction he
willed.
The steersman rits astride a narrow
plank seat, which runs from the propeller
and motor to the front end of the craft.
In order to protect him from the fury of
the Winter blast, there is a wind shield
In front which can cover the operator
completely or be brought only to the
knees.
The apparatus which steen the motor
boat is very similar to that of an auto
mobile. The levers for controlling the
sparking plug, the mixture and clutch,
are readily within his reach, and with a
handle rfmilar to that of a bicycle he can
in an instant whirl the fast flying ma
chine In any direction. The propeller is
four feet in diameter. It looks even big
ger, this queer wheel, and connects with
the motor by a sprocket wheel and chain.
That which gives the machine ito dis
tinctive feature Is the arrangement and
equipment of the blades. by which the
motor boat Is carried skimming over the
Ice.
These blades are enclosed by a flat rim
of their own width, riveted to them. The
outer rim, the shape of the blades and
the pitch of the screw, are features on
which Mr. Macduff put his most careful
work, and to this construction he owes
the success of the machine. Not a par
ticle of power Is lost, and the arrange
ment so lessens the friction that even in
going over rough places the action of the
motor differs hardly appreciably from Its
conduct when navigating the smoothest
of Ice.
There is no jerking motion either when
stopping or starting. At the beginning, of
a run the motor Is set In motion, the
clutch thrown in. and the propeller be
gins to revolve at a slow speed. The sled
opens up gradually, and gaining in speed
almost unappreciably. Is soon flying over
the ice at a lightning gait, but there Is
nothing In Its motions to tell the passen
ger tne difference between top speed and
an ordinary gait.
The motor which Mr. Macduff uses is
operated by gasoline, but this is not im
perative. To his model most any kind of
power could be adapted with equal suc
cess.
There is nothing that.a skilled chauffeur
cannot do with the "pneumoslito." He
can put it through all the gyrations that
are possible to the accomplished skater.
He can steer in circles and figures, run
against and across the wind, slow up to
let off passengers or freight, and dis
charge his cargo without coming to a full
stop. More remarkable still, he can go
just as fast against the wind as with It,
the power of the motor being so great
that the opposition of a strong current of
air makes no difference whatever.
The steel bearings are so perfectly ad
justed and so free of friction that it
makes no difference In the speed of the
Ice motor boat whether one. two or thrco
men are riding. .It goes along at just tho
same rate of speed.
The" success of the "pneumoslito" wifl
result in many adaptations. Already the
inventor is experimenting with skeletons
of racing, cabin vehicles for pleasure,
with steering turret added for military
or postal purpose?. Such an auto is also
going to have possibilities for use in
arctic exploration.
SLIGHTEST TOUCH IS ALI, THAT IS NEKDXD TO STOP OR START ICE AUTO. CHAKFEUK GUIDING HIS BOAT OVER TJUS ICR AT A TREMENDOUS SPEED.
SAVING UP THE GOLD DUSTi
Precautions Taken in tho Manufao
turing Jeweler's Shop
Washing machines seem all right
dnough In a laundry, but they would
scarcely be looked for in the establish
ment of a manufacturing jeweler. Yet
they play an important part In such a.
plant.
In a washing machine are washed daily
all the aprons and all the blouses worn
by the workers employed in the manufac
ture of articles of gold. Then the water
in which these things have, been washed
is piped to a room where the gold con
tained in It Is extracted and saved.
Particles of gold adhere to the hands
and faces of the workers in the precious
metal, and even get into their hair.
Twice a day all the operatives wash
their hands and faces and the water, like
that from the washing machine, is piped
to the extractlng-room.
Here there lo installed a big filter, with,
its filtering section made of canvas and
resembling outwardly the pleated section
of a giant square concertina, as it would
look partly drawn out. All the water
from the washing machine and irom the
wash bowls in the factory is forced
through this filter, and at regular Inter
vals the filtering section Is taken out and!
tho cold removed from it.
All the floors In the factory are cov
ered with tar paper, which catches and
holds all the gold particles that fall upon
It. From time to time a new paper cov
ering is laid on the floors, the old being
burned for the gold contained in it.
By these means there are saved in si.
factory annually thousands of dollars' j
worth of gold, which, without such pre-'
cautions, would Inevitably be lost. New '
York Sun.
Pompadour and Wealth.
Atchison Globe.
The higher a woman's pompadour, ths
less money she has In her pocketbook.
The wad Is in the hosiery of the woman
who hasher hair combed down so tightly
that she lofcks as if she had been scalped, l