4 '
T1IE OHEOOIT DAILY JOUlWAt; rOUTCAND, TUESDAY " EVENING rEltlttTAHV "24,l903.'
THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL
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gpeakrnf of gavels. Oregon had one
but Bruwnell broke It.
A German scientist has discovered a
mwsgultw destroyer, but he need not
He who does wrong- doe .wrong against himself.
He who acts unjustly, acts unjustly to himself, because he makes
himself bad.
No longer talk at all about the kind of man that a good man ought
to be, but be such. Antoninus.
f l V4)' JO
ItOOiE X r
5.oo peat y
NEW YORK DEPOSITORIES
' e n
Kal
I WHY NO FLAT SALARY LAW?
I Tbt people Of Oregon will be apt to demand some explanation of the
failure 6f the Legislature Just erided to enact a flat salary law.
I i Botlr political parties entered the,, last campaign pledged to the en
Ictment of a law readjusting the salaries of the state officials. Under
the existing system of fees, the Secretary of State draws down annuully
ver J24,uO0,The prpflta .of the State ..Printer, are, sufficient, tq enable him
to retire at the end of his four years' term, Independently rich. The State
I treasurer Is permitted to pocket all the. Interest - on the public funds en
' trusted to his keeping, in addition to his salary, and the office yields to
- its Incumbent an Income out of all proportion to the servlaes rendered-.
It Is probabiy safe to say that the state official of Oregon are re
ceiving Jit least 150,000 more annually than their services are .worth, and
' this estimate does not Involve any disparagement of the ability or com
petence of the men now In office. It Is baaed merely upon the market price
for experience, Integrity and business capacity, sufficient to conduct the
' Affairs of the State. The extravagant compensation' allowed under the
' present system Is a gross waste of public funds, and Imposes an absolutely
needless burden upon the taxpayers of the state. The money thus wasted
; would have sufficed for many necessary public Improvements which were
' Ignored by the Legislature on the plea of economy.
' The Republicans had an Overwhelming majority In both branches of
the Legislature. The party has never had a better opportunity to carry
,' out Us pledges to the people, for It had the power to enact such legisla
tion as it saw fit. If the promises made in Its platform last year were made
In good faith, there was no obstacle In the way of their fulfillment.
Half a dozen bills for the readjustment of salaries were- Introduced
j during the session, but after various vicissitudes, they were burled in com
l xnlttee, with little apparent prospect of emerging. It was late in the session
when Representative Kay of Marlon presented his flat salary bill and begun
' the fight for Its passage. He met with vehement opposition from many
; of his Republican colleagues, but with the help of Democratic votes the
bill passed the House, and was sent to the Senate.
The Journal has exposed the methods which were resorted to there to
ig prevent the measure from coming to a vote. The bill was deliberately
; secreted, and but for the determined efforts of its author, Kay, it would
: have been heard of no more. His threat to expose the Jugglery that had
been practiced brought the bill from hiding and on the last day of the
session It was placed, upon final passage. Although It received the votes
of the Democratic Senators, It failed to pass.
For two years more, at least, the taxpayers must continue to pay ex
tortionate salaries to the state officials. This means a waste of $100,000,
and the' responsibility lies at the door, of the Republican party.
patent It. as we have for years known
Of a good and sure remedy.
He who holds that there is inevitable
greatness In store for him is apt to
find it consisting of a great surprise.
Future protestations of friendship on
the- pert e( Emperor WllheUn w(U be
received with great cordiality and large
mental reservations.
Senator Mason wants to get Arliona
and New Mexico Into the Unions and he
has no bill-board privileges down there
that anyone knows of.
Real estate is rising In the Island of
Guam, though the owners do not seem
to be pleased. It rose six inches dur
ing the last earthquake shocks.
His countenance was seen to light up
owing to his lantern-jaw.
Whether Oregon weather la begin
ning to weep for Joy over the senatorial
election, or just getting back Into Its
old ways after the excitement, la a
question like the weather Itself un
settled.
COMMENCE BUILDING.
J, From all quarters of the country come words of praise for Portland and
good, things are being said about Oregon. A busy spring and summer
season Are ahead and a rapid growth of city and state Is assured.
In a recent Issue, The Journal called attention to the necessity of
providing .better accommodations for visitors and. without desire to be
Insistent and tiresome, the paper again asks that the property owners
Acquaint themselves thoroughly with the conditions that exist and make a
study of methods for eradicating antiquated customs and Introducing new
Ones.
There are a number of excellent up-to-date lodging houses in Portland
and three first class hotels and some very fine flats and pretty dwellings for
' large families. Rut the supply Is entirely unequal to the demand, and
something must be done, and done Instanter. If plans are not drawn for
more lodging houses and contracts let for mors dwellings, Portland is going
' to create a bad impression on new-comers. Nothing Is more discouraging
r to the new arrival than when he finds that all the first-class lodging
houses are full and the first-class hotels unable to give him accommoda
' tlons. The prospective settler looks in vain for a house to rent and finally
begins to think in this strain: "What Is the matter with Portland? It is
J one of the richest cities in the United States, has millions of idle capital
f In the banks, and yet when I go to rent a house I find nothing but broken.
i down places vacant."
Tear down the ancient structures that have served their usefulness
i and build up anew. Make cUy ordinances that will govern men who main
I tain such public eyesores as that which stands water-logged and ill
: shapen at the corner of It prominent street near the city front. Form lm
; provement clubs, beautify neighborhoods and encourage your neighbor who
; owns land to put up houses thereon.
; Where is there a modern home in Portland today with a "To Let" sign
on it? Where is there a modern lodging house or hotel with empty
i rooms?
This is the early part of the year; what will be done with the big rush
r of visitors in the summer when our accommodations for new comers are put
to a severe test?
Those who write encouraging articles
on success for the Inspiration of young
men will make a great mistake If they
fall to point out how Henry E. Mc-
Olnn. once a barefooted boy, rose to be
the mouthpiece for the big newspaper
trust of the Northwest
A SCHEME THAT FAILED.
A good example of what can be accomplished by a fearless newspaper
In behalf of the people was furnished In the fate of House Bill 197 at the
' late session of the Legislature.
ThlB measure, designed by a few for the despoliation of the many, pur
ported to be an act to facilitate lumbering In Oregon. In reality it was
drawn with the sole purpose of giving a clique of speculators the right to
tax the lumber Interests of nie State at extortionate rates and with prac-
. tically no return to the taxed.
Under false pretenses the bill was railroaded through the House and
An attempt made to force Its passage in the Senate. . It was here that the
, Schemers failed. Knowing th;e true, nature of the measure The Journal
exposed the plot to corner the timber of Oregon and laid bare the Iniquitous
Scheme In all Its devious ramifications.
This newspaper pointed out that should the bill become a law many
millions of unearned profits would accrue to the manipulators, who would
be subject to no legal restraint on their rapacity.
The publication of these facts in The Journal defeated the bill and
Oregon was saved from one of the most shameless attempts at private
plunder ever attempted through legislation.
No other newspaper dared give the facts.
The Journal did dars and did give the facte.
The Journal defeated the proposed timber steal. .
The official life of a police court judge Is anything but pleasant. Day
After day, week in and week out, it is a continual jrrind of , cases wherein
those Who have fallen lowest in the scale of humanity are cencerned. Those
addicted to the various drug habits, petty thieves and such characters
constitute the bulk of the coses that' tome before such a court. What to
do with each case is often difficult to determine. Many plausible pleas
for mercy are made, and it devolves upon the court to determine the
degree of truth, If any, In each Instance. To properly handle such business,
requires careful attention to detail, and fearlessness on the' part of the
court. Even the Vilest man or woman has rights, and these rights must
be observed by the police court Judge, if he discharges the duty which he
la placed on the bench by the people to perform.
TAXATION OF CORPORATIONS.
One of the many Important meas
ures that failed to pass the Legisla
ture was the bill Introduced in the
House by Speaker Harris, for the
taxation of corporations. The Ohio
law upon the same subject, which has
proved eminently satisfactory in its
results, was closely followed in draft
Ing the bill, and provision was made
for insuring a full and equitable ap
praisement of the property of corpora
tlons doing business In this State.
As was to be expected, a storm of
opposition met the proposed leglela
tlon. Representatives and emissaries
of a score of big corporations were on
hand to fight the bill. The lobbyists
of the railroads, the palace car com
panies, the telegraph and telephone
companies were working like beavers
to protect the Interests of these
habitual tax dodgers.
Their efforts were successful and the
bill failed to pass the House, though
Speaker Harris made a powerful
argument in support of it. In the
course of the debate he alluded to the
fact that two years ago a similar bill
was defeated, despite the strong popu
lar demand for its passage, and he
warned his opponents that all of
those members who voted against it
had been retired by their constltu
ents to private life.
The warning was unheeded but It
may yet bear fruit. Legislators who
undertake to make laws for the cor
porations rather than for the people
Will learn to regret it. The remedy
lies In the hands of the people and
they will apply it.
Mr. Harris undoubtedly spoke truly
when he declared that such a law as
he proposed will eventually be en
acted, for it rests" upon the plain fun
damental principle that corporations
as well as individuals must bear their
share of taxation.
Persons walking through Pine 'tret nowadays often
stop near the corner of Nassuu and look through a cel
lar window at the strong-boxes of th new Hanover
National Bank Building. It l a. wonderful array ef
gleaming steel and shining brass that greet any eye
which chooses to behold it.
Two guards in their bright uniforms of blue And
gold sit watching the treasure house. The four little
clocks that regulate the time-lock tick away In full
view on the bault of the lu ton door that stands open
all through the busy hours of the day. and the gaser
from the sidewalk may see just a little way through
the grilled Inner door into the region where the money'
lies snug and seotire.
When the great doors swing to and the bolts click
every night there must be at least $16,000,000 within
the vaults, for the law requires that the bank shall car
ry 31 par cent of the amount of Its deposits. , Part of
this sum will be In real gold, much more In certificates
showing that gold has been deposited at the (.'leering
House and a still larger amount In gold and silver cer
tificates and other paper currency.
If you are curious to know the minimum amount of
money that must be stored In every bank In New Tork
just ascertain the aggregate of Its deposits and divide
by four, and you will know that the store cannot be lesa
than the result thus obtained, and of course may be
much greater. In the case of the National City Bank,
for example, the sum always on hand is not less than
127,600.000.
In the banks the bulk of the money will Invariably
be In the form of certificates showing that somewhere
or other the actual metal has been deposited and is
subject to the call of the person or Institution having
the paper. Some of these certificates, such as the bills
we carry In large or small quantltlea in our pockets,
are good in the hands of any Innocent holder, while
others, isMued by both the government and the Clearing
House, are, like a check, made payable only to a certain
person or institution.
When the Hanover Bonk recently put Its 10,000.000
of money and securities Into a trucir and moved around
from Its temporary quarters at 7 Wall street to Its
new home, much of its wealth was in such form that
rr it had fsnen ntir tn iirest sna tsen foond by
honest men It would have been Just so much worthless
paper to them.
The vast stores of actual gold and sliver in this city
are in two plaoes the Bub-Treasury in Wall street and
the Clearing House In Cedar street, between Broadway
and Naasau street, and of these two that of the Sub
Treasury Is much the larger, amounting usually to
about $200,000,000 In gold, $16,000,000 in Silver, and
110,000,000 in certificates. The Clearing House store
nowadays will average 180.000,000, though In -times not
long past It has gone as high as 1167.000,000.
The means adopted for guarding the great sums
that are stored in these places and in the banks are in
all cases much the same, and they are so ample and
so secure that, as an officer of the government put It
to a Sun reporter the other day, there Is far more anx
iety about stealing from within than from without
The Clearing House vaults are usually spoken of as
the most modern and admirable arrangements of their
kind. They rest upon a platform of steel supported
by pillars of brick and surroutiile i by a walk, so that
the wnt.'hman may, and do, go nil nrjunl them and look
under t lie m.
This scheme of elevation may have oeen KLSgested
by a bank robbery which occurred fn this city on June
2K. 1869. A bund of thloves h.red :i store next to the
Ocean Nutlonal Bank. At Ley and Greenwich streets,
and after a month or mor-j of burrowing entered the
vault from the bottom mi.1 cleaned it out.
That couldn't happen now. hnwevir, even If burglars
could mnke a breach in the t'ttom or the walls J)f the
Clearing House vault) for as soon ns they had blown
away Ms six and a h.ilf Inches of xperially prepared
steel and attacked the Moors within bells would begin
to ring in the office f a burglar alarm company and
armed men would pounce 'down upon them in a minute
or two.
In fact, there IS a series of buttons which the Clear
Ing House wutchman mum press In a certain order nt
certain tlmea, and this order Is frequently changed
Every button rings its appropriate bell in the burglar
alarm office, or "central." as It might be called, and if
each one doesn't ring at the proper time away gors a
squad of thief fighters on the run to find out what Is the
matter.
The same thing sometimes happens In bank when
the officers and clerks, remaining at their work later
than usual, come In contact with the electric signals
and turn In false alarm.
From all these causes from the Impregnability of
steel safes, from the care with which they are watched
the certainty that any tampering with them will give
alarms by means of electric wires and from the fact
that many of them are so exposed to view from tho
street that the police can see them at any time the
New Tork banker feel more secure about the millions
In his bank than .he feels about the sliver spoons in
his house.
The bank burglars taks the same view of It appar
ently they have gone out of business in the big cities.
No institution In New Tork of any consequence has
4
ON A VISIT
A
r - m
W-
I
r
Mrs. Guy Chetwynd. who before her
marriage to the son of Sir George Chet
wynd and the Marchioness of Hastings,
was a famous American Eastern society
belle, Is In this country on a visit. Mrs.
Chetwynd will one day be Lady Chetwynd.
fi-e-
I"
(-
-THE THIRTEENTH HOLD-UP
y rau e ZAoey. .
to
been even attacked by any of them since Jimmy Hope
IBB UTUTID OABTAABAOK.
By Northern sportsmen the canvasback has come to
be regarded as a sort of fetich, a fowl of Immense value,
much more delicious than other fowl, much more
worthy. This la .due to the folk who live about Chesa
peake Bay and liave an eye to the main chance.
These folk have circulated the fiction that the can
vasback tastes of the wild colery and other delightful
things upon which It feeds and Is altogether an aristo
crat of the air. Yet In the opinion of experienced wlld
fowlers it Js no better than a redhead and not so uood
as a young mallard, and It Is much more easily decoyed
and killed, which, from a sportsmanlike point of view.
Is a drawback. What brain the canvasbuck has is soety
and refuses to work. . '
A man on one of the sand islands about Aransas
Pass will see lots of canvasbacks In a day, and If he
hides will have opportunity to observe how they lack
intelligence. He will select a point where the water
la cear and ealm and from 10 to 15 feet deep, with celery
at the bottom.
In a little while he will see a V-shuped formation
of birds near the horizon, and 10 minutes later they
will come clacking In. throwing up the water with their
breasts. Then they will begin diving for celery.
They will be at work for not more than a quarter
of an hour when another V will show up. This will bo
made of redheads. They flutter In without salute to
the canvasbucks and settle among them determinedly.
The latter manifest some discomposure, out stay.
Then the redheads begin feeding from the citnvas
backs. A canvasback, tilting his tall up, will dive
straight down, grab a cetery root In his bill, wrench
it loose and start to the surface to eat it. Half-way
up he will be met by a redhead going down, who takes
the root from him, comes up, and swallows It
The canvasback will swim around, squawk a little and
go down again, only to be met again and robbed again
by the first redhead or some other. This will be kept
up until the redheads are satisfied, after which the
canvaebacks will be permitted to feed.
The canvasbocks are slightly larger and stronger.
They can either fight or leave, but they have not cour
, ., (Concluded Prom Saturday.)
.- "I have .been held up just one doteu times. : BlaoK '
Bart held me up three times. It was a pleasure to be '
held up by Black Bart that If. his work was not ilka'
that of the average highwayman. Black Bart under
stood hla business. He went about It vetamatix.n,
He "never lost his head. There was no danger., so
you sttended to your own business. But-it Is the work
of tne greenhorns that is dangerous. J can tell one.
as 'soon as he orders 'Hands up!" He is nervous. .lis"
shews it In- his manner and in his voles. Black Bart
went at It just like a veteran. His hold up worked
Just Ilk machinery. ''There was not a hitch anywhere '
until the fool boy made It so hot for him that he
dropped his handkerchief. That episode was the
undoing of Black Bart. lie would not have let It
happened, either, but he did not like to kill the boy.'
The boy was shooting close to him and he saw that he
either had to run or kill the boy. and he chaa t"
run. He dropped his handkerchief and the detective
got It, and that was the means of identifying him
aim caueo nis arrest, it naa nis laundry mark on it,
"But I have been held up by other experts. I can
always tell them. Tou noticed my lame leg? It was
shattered all to pieces by a greenhorn. I knew he was
a greenhorn as soon as he ordered me to 'Hands nn!1
I obeyed as quickly s possible, but through his nerv
ousness he pulled the trigger of his double-barrel gud
accidentally and filled my leg full of shot. He shat
tered it. I, had a large amount of money aboard that
night. I was carrying money up to the mines to pay
off the hands the following day. aud, the,, greenhorn
knew it. But as soon as he let his gun go off acci
dentally he ran like a Turk. I was left there alone for
hours on the roadside, but fortunately did not die. My
team ran on to tne next station and the agent knew
something was wrong and came and found me before
I bled to death.
"I had no passenger aboard, and if the fool had
only held his nerve he could have made, a, big haul.
T have been afraid of greenhorns ever since. In '
any line of business, whether it be a stage driver, a
merchant, doctor, miner, lawyer, or highwayman, a man
-nan got W learn- tH6 baslfiegH her&re he "caTf ftialrit " '
a success of it. I have always tried to impress this
upon my boy. But he will gamble with, men of more
experience and who understand the business better
than he, and It cost me lots of money Bute!"
"I have always had a desire to be on a stage in
a hold-up," I remarked seriously.
He looked around at me In his peculiar way an
expression mingled with contempt and pity. Then sev
eral seconds passed In silence.
"Damn fool Suxe! One time would do him," he
muttered, all but the "Buse," and he spoke this word In
his usual drawled out way.
We were now getting up to the summit of the main
range of mountains. Great sugar pines cast their lone-
shadows across the road and from down the mountain
sides. High peaks rose here and there above the ocean
of darkness beneath them far away to tne left. Dense
forests rose in irregular solid walls on the right. The
road lay before us like a snake, curving around the
pbints of rock and large trees along the way. A 'cloud
of dust rose up behind and obscured the Immediate
view In that direction, while for many fet in front the
bright moonlight made the road aa light as If under
an electric arc except where the trees and boulders
cast their dark shadows.
"Suse!" waa the only word that broke the solitude
along with the rattling of the stage coach and the
friction of the iron attachments on tne harness for a
long distance. I was half dosing ana half dreaming '
when the driver nudged .me In the side. He called
out to "Suse!" as If from force of habit. We had de
scended a long grade. A wide gulch crossed the road
near the point we had reached. Huge boulders lay
on the upper side of the road as lr ready to topple
over and pas on down the gulch whloh had an abrupt
decline on the left side of the road and ended on a
level plateau far below.
"Put up your hands!" came a demand from the road
side immediately following the nudge the driver had
given me, and his utterance of the word "8usel"
and his partners got away with 12.747.700 from the ; V V . ' " k"7 ""l cuur'
Manhattan Savings Institution on the night of October n' to , ny or Ke enouh for, "8
17. 1676. Almost 26 year, without a bank burglary ' 'he "B.!ld i'8!.'
and the race of really great safe-crackers died out.
No wonder the bankers have ceased to worry.
"It seems to me," said the vice-president of one of
the richest banks In the city last week, "that we go to
exces In our determination to protect our funds; but
that, of course, Isn't the right view of the matter when
you come to consider It carefully. That very excess of
caution Is our Insurance and the history of the last
quarter century shows that it is good Insurance.
Besides banKS and bang vaults are not Duilt ror a
day. They are built to resist not only the probable.
but the improbable. War may come. An enemy's
shell may strike this building some day and demolish
it. And if It does we shall find the vaults Intact when
the debris Is cleared away. That seems like going a
long way in search of trouble, doesn't It? But it's one
of the things a bunk-builder must think about.
"Then, again, suppose there Is a great riot and the
city Is temporurlly In the hands of a mob. There are
tendencies in mc present umen wmcii may wen ieua
to that. If such a situation arises the armor-plate
vaults In the hanks will be none too thick.
"Meanwhile, however, the bankers nfe among tne
least apprehensive property holders of New York. We
take out our money In the morning just aa the grocer
opens up his stock of peas and corn and flour and
susar. We puss so much out and take so much in,
and at night wo take account of stock, just as the
grocer may, and find that we have bo much more or
less than we hml in the morning. Then we put the
goods in the safe, and go home, more certain that they
will be there the next day than the grooor is that all
his cans of corn and peas will be on the shelf when he
goes to look for them. New Tork Bun,
and takes a crack at them, killing one or two. They
all get up and go together. The redheads will stay
away, but the canvasoacks will not. They will return
in half an hour, particularly if the man has waited
for the waves to bear the bodies to the beach and then
set them up on Sticks in shallow water as decoys.
Others will come also despite the shooting. If he
wishes to Bret canvaebacks from the start and has
other dead ducks with him, he will set them out. They
will do just as well, for the canvasback will decoy to
anything that looks like a duck, from a spoonbill to
mallard. New York Sun.
The mn who bsi the key to the situation is frequently at a loss to
find the
These days of strenuous activity
make some people believe that holi
days are no longer a necessity. It is
even advocated that they be abolished
and that the time heretofore thus
spent In idleness be devoted to toll.
The man who doesn't find a holiday
quite as profitable In reason of course
i a day of routine labor has lost
the fine art of living. .Some will al
ways contend that life is not wholly
made up of gainful Work; some will
never cease to long for those official
seasons when even the conscience may
legally rest. Holidays are, after all,
simply memorials. When our mem
ories cease to benefit and gladden and
tranqullise, hope will be a mockery.
Those who have, rested today will do
better work for It tomorrow.
BtrSBXA'S SXX.BXT BIW.OMATISI.
Count Lamsdorf, as all authorities agree, is the most
silent diplomatist in Europe, says the Literary Digest.
Me is the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, having
attained that dignity after years of" service in minor
posts. No man living Is believed to know more of the
traditional policy of hi country. The state secrets
of the present Czar and of the late Czar ore said to be
an open book to Count Lamsdorf. Language to him
is not an Instrument with which to conceal his thoughts,
but an instrument with which to. dispense almost al-toa-ether.
Every movement he makes, is watched In
tently, for he is deemed the embodiment of Russia's
foreign policy. "Count Lomsdorf," observes .the Neue
Freie Press (Vienna), "has as yet refrained from any
striking act that would serve as a clue to his person
ality. He has been handed on like a fixture of tba
Russian Foreign Office from one Minister to another. He
was the custodian o( Russian diplomatic tradition under
Foreign Ministers Glers ana Muravlerr. Long before
he was himself made Foreign Minister he came Into
close contact frith Alexander III, and he had many
oDDortunltles of gulning the confidence of Nicholas H.
Count Lamsdorfs personality is no whit less striking
tian that of his predecessor, Count Muraviefl.
But his ways and traits are the opposito of those
of the former Foreign Minister. Muravleff was oon
vivial. Count Lamsdorf le a silent, reserved man. In
no sense Is he a lion of the salon. He tolls unremit
tingly. In his walks through the streets of Bt. Peters
burg he chooses the quiet and lonely neighborhoods,
avoiding the crowded and lively thoroughfares. He
sroeS about with his eyes cast down, and apparently
he is ever absorbed Ifl thought. . . . The Count is
a red blonde. His hftir has begun to whiten about his
forehead. A reddish mustache, carefully trimmed, et.v-
ers his lip, lie is not by any means a sly diplomatist
of the old school. There, is about him nothing of the
subtle profundity associated in he general mind with
the idea of an experienced Russian diplomatist. There
Is, indeed, a look of sincerity about htm. and hi per
sonality denotes candor. It Is this frankness of nature
that endeared him to the Ciar. But those who know
Count Lamsdorf are well aware of the Impossibility
Of gaining information from him. He neyer, under any
circumstances, utters cue word more than is absolutely
necessary."
TKB rEBXX.8 Of BOMB.
Although the most distant region of North America,
1,700 statute miles from Puget Sound, the Seward Pen-
InBUla owes the rapid exploration and development of
Its coast to the fact that an all-water route was open
to Its shore, and that freight still costing a minimum
of $70 a ton Into Dawson la being landed on the Nome
beach for 110 a ton. Passenger rates, higher in the
first rush, have fallen to $40 and $50 first class, nnd $20
or $26 steerage. Owing to the freedom from hard
ships, as well as the low cost and shortness of time
required, impelled by stories that were indeed true of
rich golden beaches, about 26.000 people and their chat
tels landed on tne low sandy nplt at Nome, and were
left to the mercy of surf and storm. The Eskimos, very
numerous along this coast, who have none of the aloof
ness of the Indian, came in tneir umiaxs Dig sKln
boats that can carry 60 people and all their belongings
nd made camp with the whites; but the Eskimos,
needing no barometers, Intuitively flee severs! days be
fore a storm.
Not bo the whites, who every year have been caught
In September, 1900, when there were more than 12,000
campers along the beach, the surf rolled In, wrecked
much of the shipping in the offing and destroyed
abOut $1,600,000 of miscellaneous property ,pn the beach,
and every year since similar, if not so severe, disasters
have occurred. Driftwood, piled high landward 'from
Nome, shows that on occasion the sea sweeps the whole.;
site of the present city. This Is not the only danger.
Another is fire. The streets are narrow, and the
houses flimsy wooden structures stand in serried
rows. Because of the cold there are hot fires every
where. There are few brick chimneys, and in winter
there i no water supply. If a serious fire should occur
in midwinter, destroying shelter, food and fuel, no re
lief could reach the stricken people. The nearest open
port on the Pacific is 600 miles to the southeast. It Is
1,711 miles from Dawson, with no roads to either place.
Engineering Magasme.
As I awakened and threw up my hands involun
tarily along with those of the driver, I saw a man In
the shadow of the boulders on the right of the road,
who was covering us with a gun. I had but a second
to look, but I saw that he was holding the gun on a
range above our heads.
"A greenhorn!" whispered the driver, as the horses
came to a standstill.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Rang out three rifle shots
on the night air, and they reverberated up among the
gulches of the mountains and In the canyons below, as
if a hundred guns had been discharged.
My companion fell forward for a second and the
horses made a sudden start. "Suze!" he shouted feebly,
and fell back against me.
The horses stopped as suddenly at his last com
mand as if they had been shot through their hearts.
The old driver still grasped the reins. In a maud
lin state of terror I placed my arm around him and eased
him back against the baggage that was fastened be
hind us on the coach. The full moon fell upon his
face. It did not need an experienced person to read
the story, He was dead!
I took the reins from his hands and held them for
a moment. There was not a living thing in view ex
cept the team and my sell. To drive on was the first
Impulse, but I heard low voices itelow and felt the
coach tremble as if some one waa moving about In it.
I hesitated a minute longer. Then I felt tho coach
give a larch and a man with a rifle stepped to the
ground. He carried it ready for action. Another man
armed in the same way tenmedlatoly followed. They
walked over to the shadow of the rocks and then I
saw lying at their feet the form of a man. They ex
amined him, and one of them spoke in a low tone,
"Dead!"
"How's everything, driver?" one Of them inquired.
"The driver Is dead!" I replied.
XODGH OBAT'B LITTLE j6XB.
Judge Gray, of the anthracite coal commission, threw
a bomb Into the antagonistic' forces the other day by
asking if anyone could tell him the exact meaning "of
the word anthracite, or its derivation, j-iia query was
followed by an intense stillness. Even the learned
counsel, so sudden whs the query, remained silent.
Finally Mr. Darrow said: "We would be pleased to have
your honor enlighten us. juage uray men explained
that anthracite came from the tlreek. the word origin
ally meaning a. kind of precious stone. There waa an
audible chuckle as he continued: "It seems as though
we were getting back to first principles." Philadelphia
Record.
" .I.
01 COTJBSI TKXT WILL STOP.
Senator Cullom of Illinois possesses the faith that
is abiding. He was asked about the guay hold-up of
the Senate.
"Oh," said t fie Senator, "that will stop pretty soon.'
"But how?" '
"Why. Aldrlch will go to these Republicans that are
With guar and tell them to quit."
"Will they quit?"
."Certainly." Senator Cullom replied, a if aston
ished that there was any doubt Of It, "Why, AldrlcU
will tell them to." . 1 '
Then one of the men climbed up. and after examin
ing the body of my companion, said: "Poor old fellowl
It is true, he's dead. The scoundrel killed him as he
fell to the ground. I knew his gun was accidentally
discharged, but thought it had dropped too low to do
any harm!"
The two men then took the body of the driver from
the stage and placed it Inside below. They then brought ,
tne oouy or tne nignwayman anu pinceu ii miu we
gun in the coach with the dead driver.
"Can you drive?" asked one of the men.
l can drive, but I am not an expert," I replied.
"Then I'll drive while you set up with the dead,
Tom," he facetiously remarked to his .companion, and
mounted the stage and took the old man's former place.
"Get up, horses I" spoke ,tbe new driver. But not
one of them moved. He slapped them with the reins,
but still they did not start. He took- down the whip, but
this was equally useless. . -
"Suse!" 1 exclaimed as nearly in imitation of the
old man's voice as I could. The old animal looked
back at us for a moment, , Just as the old driver had
so often looked at me that night with a sort of look
of contempt mingled with pity. '
"Suse!" again I exclaimed, and she moved on, all of
the horses starting as one.
A two-hours' drive and we reached Sugar Pine,. - It
was 4 o'clock In the morning, but a motley crowd of
miners, loggers and hangers-on were up. They were
there for the mall.
But when they had put a dozen questions about this
thing and that and received no answer they looked
more closely. A great surprise came over their faces.
We were all strangers to them.
"Where'B old Bob, the driver?" inquired the post
master. "He's Inside," replied one of my companions. ,
"What'a he doing in there?" came a chorus of voices.
"He's dead," calmly replied the man who had driven
the stage in.
'The men all gathered around the stage and the Old
man's body was brought out and placed in the light
on the verandah of the postofflce building.
"Poor old fellow!" exclaimed a dozen husky voices.
"Who did it?" they Inquired.
"A robber," replied one -of my companions. . '
"A robber! Let's organise a posse, boys, and rim
him to earth!"
"He's Inside, too," remarked the man who had oc
cupied the seat with me.
"Bring him oUt! Tear him to pieces, the coward!"
shouted the men In a rage.
' My two companions went to the coach and brought
the dead highwayman's body out and laid It on the
verandah under the full light of the lamp so that they
and the crowd, might see him.
"My God! exclaimed a dozen voices when the light
fell on the face of the dead man. "It's old Bob's boy.
Dave:"
A large amount of money was aboard the stage and
the Wells-Fargo Company had sent two of their bravest
messengers to guard it.
It begins to look as if the efforts in Congress, to
save the fur seals would survive the seals. -Baltimore
Amerleaa. . : r"
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