WORLD WATCHES THE
BIG PACIFIC FLEET.
Oreatest Naval Fighting Strength
Under Flag for the Long
Cruise.
jlOWEB OF AMERICAN NAVY.
Movement Is Significant, Marking
Transfer of Theater of Action
from the Atlantic.
. Not since the war with Spain has
there been such a tense feeling In naval
circles as that which marked the pre
parations for the departure of the
great fleet, under Admiral Evans, for
the Pacific. All the vessels which were
to be a part of this greatest naval dem
onstration In our history assembled at
'Hampton Roads.
The President's yacht, the Mayflower,
swung Into historic Hampton Roads
bearing President Roosevelt and the
li!gh ofllclals of the Navy Department.
Promptly sixteen huge battleships of
the United States navy dressed ship
and began firing the President's salute
of twenty-one guns each. The May
flower came to anchor In the roadway.
Gigs and cutters put out from each
battleship bearing the flag officers to
the Mayflower, where they were, receiv
ed on deck by President Roosevelt and
his official party.. On their return to
their ships the Mayflower hoisted an
chor and proceeded down the roads to
ward the entrance. Here the little
yacht stood out of the roadway while
the same sixteen battleships passed by
lier, decks and fighting tops dressed
and roaring from their guns another
President's salute.
Rands aboard ship played the na
tional airs. This was the farewell to
the commander-in-chief of the army
end navy to the American battleship
squadrons, wihlch then began their
cruise to the Pacific ocean.
The torpedo flotilla bad already
started, as Its progress Is so much
THE
The vessels prominent in the
and Torpedo Boat Destroyer.
slower than that of the buttleshlps that
two weeks more will be consumed thau
y the latter In tho Journey toward
their destination San Francisco.
' All tho nuvy yards of the Atlantic
coast have been busy for weeks in fit
ting out the ships. At Hrooklyn, New
York, Ronton, Norfolk, Philadelphia
ami Charleston painters, carpenters
ttml machinists have participated iu
the great activity. High up on the
amokestackft the paint brushes were
moving back uud forth and tlie sound
of hammers and saws has been cease-
loss. Nor has there been any chance
for idling by the enlisted men. The
IKiwder magazines have hud to le filled
and the quantities which have been
taken aboard have caused some specta
tors to wonder what It Is all about.
The large supply of ammunition Is nec
essary because of the project to have
target practice on the long Journey.
Then also there will be many salutes
to tire and these will eat up thousands
of dollars' worth of powder. Further
more, In case an emergency should
arise while the fleet Is In distant wat
ers there will be no lack of ammuni
tion, No such emergency Is expected,
but the fleet "will keep Its powder dry"
while trusting In dlvlue Providence!
GreateM Fla-MIn stroaa-th.
The fleet which Admiral Uvans takes
to the Pacific Includes all the new
tiattleshtpa and the best armored cruis
ers. It la the flower of the American
navy, far superior to that which de
atroyed the Spanish fleet nine yearn
ago. The Louisiana carries the largest
crew 050 officers and men. The Con
necticut, which Is the flagship, la the
finest ship of the navy, costing $4,000,-
000. Among the other battleship are
the Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, ; Vir
ginia, Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode 'Island,
Kentucky and Vermont In all there
re 32 battleships and armored cruisers.
besides the flotilla of torpedo boat de
stroyers, repair and supply thtpa. Toe
nTt,i,,,MMit-,J.ii, ,..)fcj.y..v .ww!?'. v-.r.a.g'rt v Ml ,,,
"GOOD-BY, BOB: TAKE
Chicago Inter Ocean.
progress of the fleet will be watched
with Interest by the whole world, and
will be accompanied by the prayer that
no occasion may arise tor a display of
that awful power of destruction which
lies within Its guns.
The significance of the transfer of
the battleships stamps the event as an
eoch In the history of the United
States. It transfods the theater of ac
tion of the navy from the Atlantic to
the Pacific Ocean for the flrs time since
the United States became a nation. It
reduces "(the naval representation of the
country In the Atlantic from second
place to the lowest place among the
naval powers of the world, but It raises
Its representation In the Pacific ocean
to lit; highest place, where the United
States Is now a poor second. Whether
"for fun or for frolic," as Rear Ad
miral Robley Evans has expressed it,
GREAT AMERICAN PACIFIC SQUADRON.
picture are the Battleships Wash ington, Tennessee and Rhode Island,
' i
the battleships upon arrival in the Pa
cific will do the United States full
honor. ,
The date of arrival at Rio Janeiro
Is Jan. 11, 1008, and the day of de
parture ten days later. Here the crews
will he alolwed shore leave. Leaving
Rio Janeiro on Jan. 21, the fleet will
proceed Blowly to Punt a Arenas, or
Sand Point, where It is due to arrive
on Jan. 31.
Punta Arenas Is the last stop before
rounding the Horn, and five days will
be passed here In coaling from colliers
hired by the government The distance
ADMIRAL EVANS.
of this leg Is 2,230 knots. On Fib. 5
the fleet will round the Horn, regarded
by all naval officers as the most dan
gerous point In the trip, and Feb. 23,
It Is due at Callao, Peru. 2350 knots
from Punta Aretas. Another stop of
ten days will be made at this point for
coal and shore leave. "r
The last leg of the trip which la fixed
as to dates calls for th departure from
Callao on Feb. 28 for Magdalena bay,
Utxlco, where the United States has
ZETEB YOUBSELP."
maintained a target practice station for
several years. Magdalena bay la on
the peninsula of Lower California, 3,012
bnnta frnm tl 11 n n nif 1 (Wl Irncita trnm
San Francisco. Here the fleet will re-
main at least a month engaged in target
practice. Upon the completion of this
work It will sail for San Francisco,
where It Is expected to arrive about
the middle of April or the 1st of May.
On the Journey around the Horn the
battleships will pass the second torpedo
boat flotilla, which sailed for the Pa
cific on Dec. 2, and at San Francisco,
If not at Magdalena bay. It will be
Joined by the armored cruiser squad
rons under Rear Admiral Stockton and
Sebree, consisting of the cruisers Penn
sylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and
Colorado and the California, South
Dakota, Tennessee and Washington,
the later two ships now nearing their
destination after a trip - around the
Horn. In addition the battleship Ne
braska, which has Just . been commis
sioned, will Join the fleet as well as the
protected cruisers Charleston, Chicago,
Milwaukee, St. Louis and the gunboat
York town.
Rattle drill will occupy the time of
the fleet for some days, no complete
fleet of the American navy, having been
trained In sea evolutions in recent
years.
In all probability a part of the fleet
at least will visit Puget Sound before
returning to the Atlantic coast again,
No plana have been made for the re- peciauy or wooien socks. Amazing it "" -,.
r k,.j k 1h how manv male blushers have a was that the effect of trees on wheat
determination of the President that it
m v sn i - jv iw; uai1 trnow.
shall return at some future date.
Bell AlrahlD I.an netted.
The successful launching of Dr. Alex-
ander Grshara Bell's recently completed
Baddeek, Nova Scotia. Tho .hip ta buill
up of 3.050 unit tetahedrons. which are
.o disposed a. to make the ship Itself one
great leuiuearon, wuica uas tor its Daae
- . . , . i , .
aT-ugiu. -a. uc sft- ritu nuns a in twpreu (ill
two of their sides with silk. Th. tntl
urrace tnus exposed is over 2,000 squars
feet The motor uaed Is of toe Curtis
type, four cylinders, 20 horse-power. It
weighs 120 pounds, which brings the total
weight of the ship up to Jim pounds.
Owing to snowstorm in progress at the
time of launching, no attempt was made
to fly the machine. While Dr. Bell has
", " .T .V --"- -
great faith In the success of his Invention,
hs does not aseome to have entirely solved
the problem of aerial flight
Jawa to Protest Tnetr Rteata. "
Representative Hebrews from ail parts
of the country met at New York to or-
ranis, a committee or central bureau to
-hirh amtlicatlona for r.lif
ttoo may be sent by any members of their
have beee interfered with In any coon try
throughout the world. Delegates to the
burean will be ta proportion, to tne pope-
INGENIOUS THEATER FLOOR. -
i
Cam Convert Auditorium in Few
Bflnntea Into u Ballroom.
The movable stage which Steele
Mackaye attempted to make a feature
of theatrical construction many years
ago Is outdone by the reversible audi
torium floor introduced In a new Apollo
music ball on the Rue de Cllchy, Paris.
This device makes It possible to change
the parquet Into a dancing floor in sev
en minutes.
. The floor is reversible. On one side
It Is fitted with 500 chairs of the usual LdNv Down Barrow for Capacity.
folding variety. On the other side It The drawing shows a low down bar
Is planked with hard wood, waxed and row ln sufficient detail to enable any
polished. one to make a similar one. We tJhlnk
During the performance each night it that next to the low ' down cart it Is
Is pitched at an angle of about 15 de- the handiest thing around the buildings
grees, like the floor of any other the- and garden that we have, says a writer
ater. When the show Is over and the in Farm and Fireside. Its capacity Is
dancing begins it is absolutely level. more than double that of the ordinary
AH who patronize the house will see kind, and the load is much more easily
the transformation every night. When put aboard. It has the advantage of
the curtain falls the seatholder will be getting into close quarters where the
hustled back Into the orchestra circle cart would not go, and for use about
and the foyers. Then the mechanism the feeding alleys, the stable, the lawn
will work. and the garden there is hardly anything
The floor, or rather the two floors, that will take Its place,
are built on each side of a framework For the framework get two pieces of
of steel girders. This Is hung on, plv- hardwood two by two inches will
ots and when the machinery Is set in project to form handles on one end
motion It simply turns the other side and for the wheel frame oh the other,
up the huge seesaw it measures about At front '.end of box in rear of wheel
45x50 feet stops at the appropriate a piece of the same dimensions Is mor
angle when It la to be an auditorium tlsed Into the frame to hold It rigidly
and Is secured there by strong i sup- and to make the front end of box
ports. frame. Pieces 1V61V4 Inches are also
When it reaches the level position to mortised Into the bottom of the legs,
serve as a ballroom equally strong sup- both front and back. These form the
ports hold It there and provide for the 1 ;
safety of the dancers. When it stop
In either position It Is in' Immediate
communication with the- other parts ol
the hoU8e' a9 a11 tne necessary "tept
are attached to It either to reach the!
orchestra circle when ft Is level or ths
stage when It Is inclined at an angle.
Stage and floorare continuous when
used for dancing, the electric footlights
being attached to a disappearing frame
work, while a section of solid flooring foundation for the floor, which should
takes their place; o of three-quarter-Inch boards. The
The entire contrivance- cost $14,000, 'es are mortised Into the shaft or han
of which $9,000 was- spent on the floor ale pieces, the front ones resting about
and Its mechanism and the rest on the three inches from the ground and the
twenty-seven foot deep brick-lined well rear n securely braced, as shown In
through which: the floor revolves. New
York Sun.
A) plutocrat has It; a demagog wants
Most men can be honest, unless they
have a chance not to be,
A woman's Idea of social standing is
being so snippy that everybody hates
bcr. v
A girl that doesn't get married can
make everybody believe she Is glad of
it but herself.
It makes a woman feel about twenty
times richer to call her
husband's
money his estate.
The difference between pleasure and
duty Is the difference between going
fishing and to church
, A woman will work harder to get a fact that In many Instances conslder
nlce, Tresh complexion than a man will ble difficulty Is expressed In obtaining
to get a million dollars. ( i growth of grass under trees. There
As people always give ten times as distinct evidence that plants produce
much in wedding presents as they get, xlc conditions In the substance In
where does the difference go? hlch they grow; as a rule the ex
Whore womnn la p.im i. nr. off the roots of a cer-
tending she Isn't so she can put the
responsibility for such thlngs.on her
A man has to know a lot about some
particular tning not to be always try-
lng to show what he knows about ev-
erythlng.
A woman's enjoyment of a visit f
writing long letters to those at home,
telling them all the grand things she
is doing Just as If she really were.
Male Bluahera and Their Care.
"A good many men blush." said a
physician ; "some so painfully that they
come to me to be cured. The cure I
recommena is an old one. Is the
abandonment of overheavy clothing, es-
. . . . ,
predilection for thick socks of wool.
I But some blushers wear light enough
clothes. To them I can only recom
mend a nerve treatment I advise
them to make speeches at banquets,
to witnesses In murder trials, to go
th wrestler develons hi.
- ",!BIt diSt dlsor
f Iu8f'n
A m a ., m
As a rule, It passes away
c v" " - " ---j
OOlll jcuii i'vn viiwub Aituca'tvui"
.e '
rathar'a Adherent.
"Wasn't that Mlsa Bancs who lust
passed 1" ,
"Yes, that was my 'Aunt Helen
-v,.r aunt, .hi Ah. on vonr moth-
.. T.,nnoaer
' side, r suppose r
"Not much! She always sticks up
for dad. Philadelphia Press.
uamaiir trn War. -
"Spent your vacation In the moun-
tain. ht Did you stay there long?-
"Yes : but I came home short"
Houston Post
' - wben 3roun Tl w,nt M
Wax dress, her mother Is liable to
say: "Mercy, what do you want to go
Into mourning rorr
LOW DOWN BABBOW.
the cut
If desired the sides may be built
from the floor solid and straight up,
but' we find It better to have a per
manent bed from floor to top of han
dles, with removable side boards to slip
on for use in handling bulky stuff.
' Heavy material, such as bags of fer
tilizer, large stones, etc., are easily han
dled with this type of barrow, as they
may be loaded between the handles di
rectly from the ground.
Fruit Trees and Graaa,
Extended experiments recently con-
Jucted m England have shown clearly
mat fruit trees suffer very materially,
and are often killed outright, when
trass Is allowed to grow under the tree
ind close no to the trunk. Various
orobable reasons for this effect such
M the removal of plant food and of
water by the grass, also the supposed
liberation of carbonic acid, which might
prove Injurious to the roots of the
trees, were respectively demonstrated
outBlde the Vmm cause of In-
ury, and, finally, after seven years'
irork. It was concluded that the Injurl
Mia Dftoot pnnld nnlv be due to some
?ol9on0U9 BUhstnnce formed In the soil
By the roots of the grass.
On the other hand, it Is a well-known
tain plant are more toxic to the same
"5,
rron-Rpeniiuga on lue kiuwiu ui vy hv-u l
wa8 tested, and after eliminating, as
, 0f injury, such factors as re-
m0val of plant of food or water by the
roots, it seemed that the roots of
the latter bad some direct effect on the
growth of the wheat- which suffered In
ill the experiments. The seedlings were
placed In plant pots, benee the roots of
i the tree and those of the wheat plants
were In dose Contact
Trees of various kinds were used In
the experiments, and the retarding In
fluence, although noted in every in-
anc. u.ucr .u u.,,
least active In checking growth, pine
PPears to De one to ine excreuon or
v "
The Peaah Crop of 1008.
The fruit crop the past year
was
n8ht- but 11 brought a very good price,
homa m have an elco,lent crP In
betln Issued by the
State, The drought during the summer.
,T0PS8ive prow-th and; the
. . , Tt j
l lr"' v "u,k "?
that were well cultivated have now
passed Into winter quarters in good
sondltlon. There Is a great variation
i hi the number of fruit buds set.on the
lifferent varieties of peaches, and In
, lifferent orchards, but the plums seem
to be uniformly full of fruit buds.
Trees tnat nave not oeen prunea wen
'-..ti aesaon have relatlvelv noor set.
"cn .
tins of fruit buds. Plum and cherry
trees do not require as much pruning
is do the peach trees. Peach trees may
be pruned any time, from the first of
December to the middle of March. The
branches should be cut back to about
sue-half of the length of last season's
growth. This form of trimming will
thin the fruit and keep the tree from
This Is a distinct advan-
in gathering' the fruit and In
praying the
Carina- Hama and Shonldera.
As soon as possible after the meat la
cold all through, the hams and shoul-.
ders should be cured. They should be
placed on a table in the cellar, skin
side down. Then for every 100 pounds
of meat make a mixture of four pounds
of the best fine salt, two ounces of pow
dered saltpeter, and four ounces of
brown sugar. This mixture should be
well rubbed into the hams all over, and
some pushed Into hock end around the
bone. Keep on rubbing until the meat
will take no more ; then let them re
main on the table for a week, when the
remainder of the mixture can be rubbed
in. "Allow them to He for about two
weeks altogether, and then hang up by
a string placed through the hock, In a
cool, dark smokehouse.
For two or three days keep up a good v
smoke from hickory chips, smothered
with sawdust during the day. ' Keep in
a cool place, and before spring exam
ine to see that no Insects have deposited
eggs. Dust a little cayenne pepper,
then cover with coarse muslin to fit the .
ham exactly and stitch tightly. Give
a coat of whitewash or chrome yellow,
and hang in a cool, dark, dry place.
For curing In pickle, to one gallon of
water take one and a half potinda of
salt, half a pound of sugar, half an
ounce each of saltpeter and potash. In
this ratio the pickle can be Increased
to enough to cover any amount of pork.
Boll together until all dirt rises to the
top and la skimmed off. When cold
pour It over the hams or pork, which
may be pickled in this way. The meat
must be well covered by It and should
not be put down for at least two days
after killing, during which time lry
should be slightly sprinkled with Salt
peter, which removes all the surface
blood, leaving the meat fresh and clean.
A good way to keep hams is to pack
in dry salt In a dry place, not having
any part exposed or touching eacfc
other.
Bar (of Drying Clothes.
If your wife- wants a clothes bar so
she can dry her clothes In the bouse,
then borrow a -inch auger, a plane
and a saw if you have none. Get some
light pine lumber 2 inches wide and 1
Inch thick, cut 8 bars ; 4 bars 3 feet 11
Inches long, these are for the lower
ones. . The 4 bars for the top are 1
foot 11 Inches long. You can make It
an wide as you wish and 8 rods are
needed to go crosswise for holding the
bars together and to hang the clothes
on. Dress the rods to about 1 men
square and make them smooth so as to
not tear the clothes. For bars the size
as given above the rods need to be of
the following lengths: Fd,ur rods 4 feet
long ; 2 rods 4 feet 2 Inches long'; 2
reds 3 feet 10 Inches long, 1 rod 4 feet
BAR FOR DRTINQ CLOTHES.
3 Inches lung, this Is the center rod
and must project 3 Inches at one end;
cut another rod 4 feet 4 Inches long.
use It for the top and have It to pro
ject 2 inches so ns to receive the piece
shown In the engraving to regulate the
height You can shut or open it to any
width you want It Exchange.
Winter Shelter for Stock.
With the approach of the cold
month as the farmer Is making prep
arations for his comfort, he should not
forget to similarly provide for the ani
mals on the farm.
Especially young stock demnnd good.
warm shelter, and this should be pro
vided for them before the real cold
weather sets in. Warmth to a young
animal is equal to a moderate amount
of food.
Animals exposed to the frosts and
storms of winter are almost sure to
catch cold. If not contract some other
disease that will either enfeeble them
or prove fatal.
Farmers that do not take this matter
into consideration often have animals
take sick and mope, and, perhaps, die,
without the fact for a moment being
taken Into account that their sickness Is
due to the cruel exposure to which they
have been subjected.
Truly it has been said that the merci
ful man Is merciful to his beast and
the man who Is not is not only unfit to
have the care of animals, but deserves
to, lose them.
Stndr of Mnahrooma.
A singular and very Interesting and
useful institution has been established
In the little city of Tarare, near Lyons,
France. It Is a mycologlcal bureau
where expert Judgment Is furnished -concerning
mushrooms, many of which
are poisonous. Since the establishment
of the bureau nobody buys mushrooms '
which do not carry Its ticket of Identi
fication and guarantee, and all the
country people frjom miles around bring
their mushrooms for examination. One
surprising result has been the discovery
of scores of edible mushrooms, which
before nobody dared to touch.
tnartera for Fowla.
When comfortable quarters are pro
Tided for fowls, says Prof. Watson,
the nutritive ration of the food should
be about one-fifth; that Is, one part
protein or muscle-producing compounds!
tr M,e n.rta Af rtrhnliTftrtB mm v a
1 and fat-producing compounds.
4