THE CONGO,
J wonder III wlui ( ilUlnnt ilnrn
Hwi'iit "Atllilu lllmnoy" mIIII la ln'iinl,
Wlii-ro "Onlay Hell" linn hlil Imt fnee,
WIiitb "Doris" tells of hope, deferral?
If atlll sunlit tender rliiinl la stirred
lly "Hi'iirletlii," lillllin mid tiny,
IV Imi never nl n fon l itiiiinirri'ilT
W lie i'o nro lliu aonga nf yoati'rdny?
Jf, In annul diiaky, tnoiiiilll ainc',
"O I'roiiilau Mo" la gently purred
lly amiiu old tuhby, whose emlirni'ii
Wna iiuvit naked 11 henrt to gird?
Ami, Willi hnihiirltf ncient ahirrcil,
In some alnuiKo riiiiiilry, fur awiiy.
If '"rniiiiny Alklna' " cniiae la spurred?
Whore nro the annua uf yesterday?
A Nil where Urea In Ha nnclent grace,
"love's Old Htveut Hong," by Tlmo
tiiihhirrcd?
WIiito dura "llt'ti Unit" Ida thoughts re
Irncu
To feed cm snrrun's wlioy nnd curd?
Does "Only Me" atlll beg n word,
Una "(lolilen llulr" turned In gray,
Does "Nnliey" iihinrii, lii-r vnnlalied bird?
Where nro the annua of yeattrdny?
ENVOY.
Prlnrea, wlman loynlly liaa erred
Tn llii'ai', who worn In liirn the liny
The and, lint Joyful, tlin nliaurd
Wlicru nro tho souks of yeaterdsy?
I,lf...
"KIDDY."
rirtOU lind better let mo rldu to
y Mnrvlllu nnd tnko Unit money to
" tlui Imtik; thero nru ugly rtiinum
nliroad concerning Ioril Jim' nnd hi
liiinil. Tlirru times within n furtulKlit
it Imu'ly settler's shanty lina been
rushed' liy those gentlemen, mid lliu
third wns lit '.Miner' a Corner,' nut twen
ty mlli'it from herwl Besides, you
iiiKht not tn i'iHiau your wlfo mid
Kiddy to mi liivnaloii uf Hint kind; tho
fright would lie enough to kill n ncrv
oiih girl like Lucyl"
Tlio tqtenker, Jnek Hartley, wna n
lull, ninilitirnt young limn, brother to
tho owner of "Tho llungiilow," n nowly
erected, low-roofed house, to which
immu four years linck tho latter liail
brought his young hrlde.
After mouths of Intnt work and
ninny n dliuiiiHliitmi'iit, tho ground
surrounding tho Iioiimi lind Itccit re
claimed from lliu liuali liy tho young
fellow, who, llko ninny another, having
found It Imponallilu to ninku n decent
living Iti lila nntlvo land, lind decided,
on receipt of n small IcKicy from n
ninlden mint, to try hi luck nt cnttlo
retiring mid shccp-breedlng In Austrn
lln. For ouco fickle fortune, lean Mind
thiiti usual, wn In n generous mood,
mid, nfler n few year of bnrd work
mid ceaseless effort, Ned llnrtley
found himself sufficiently well o(T to
mnrry tho "ttlrl ho hnd left behind
him," mid to bring her to n homo
which ho hnd literally built for her
with hi own hnnila. In tho course of
tho following yenr a son wni liorn.
nnd "Kiddy." nn ho wns called by rein
tlven mid friend, noon liecnmo n Tery
linportmit member of tho small com
muiilly. Jnck llnrtley, Ned's younger
hrothor nnd Kiddy's moat devoted
"IIKVOIIK TIIElt STOOD A MAIf
slnvo, hnd been a resident In "Tho Bun
galow" about six months.
"Nonsonso, Jnckl When you hnvo
been a llttlo longer among us you will
not bo so rondy to bcllovo all tho ru
morM thnt arc spread among tho
'hands.' And then, you see, I received
tho six hundred bounds from llnrton
only last night, nnd no ono with tho
exception of Lucy, you, and myself
en II have tin) slightest notion thnt such
n mini of money is In tny possession.
Lucy has been ailing lately, nnd I
promised to tako hor to Melbourne as
Boon us 1 could spnro tho tlmo nud
money. Now tho Hhenrlng Is over, I
menu her to tnko tho holiday with tho
Kiddy nnd myself. I know you will
look after things for me, old man. Now
don't wear such n worried lookl It
doesn't suit your stylo of bonuty half
iih woll as your elegant sombrero nnd
clonk, not to spenk of that six-shooter
1 neo In your bcltl Going for a rldol
Woll, tn-tn, boo you by-nnd-byl"
Jack did not seem much convinced
by bis brother's arguments and ban
tering mnnner. Tho "rumors" ho had
heard wero nlarmlng; thero was no
dotibt that tho desperado and ex-con-vlct
knowu as "Lord Jim" hnd been
seen In tho neighborhood nnd thnt dar
ing nttucks had been mndo on solltnry
Bottler. "Htlll," thought tho young
man, "tho results might hnvo been ex
aggerated, and after all Ned Is not
likely to run any unnecessary risks,
Ilowuver, will rldo ns far as 'The
Copso,' nnd bring Sergeant Gilpin and
a couplo of his men buck with mo. ICx
trn precaution can do no harm."
As ho was about to mount his horso
a shrill vol co cnllcd out: "Undo Jnck,
Undo Jack, tnko mo with you I Kiddy
wants n rldo on your big horso I Walt
for mo I"
"Novor mind,- Kiddy," cnllcd out
Jock, "you can't eomo out wllh mo to.
dny, yon know; It's your bed-tlmo,
Isn't It? Ilcsldes, peoplo don't go for
rides In night-dressi There, don't cry!
you Bhnll flro unclo's revolver all by
yourself, scol"
And, having assured himself that tho
rovotvor was unloaded, Jnck proceed'
cd to Instruct tho child In tho nrt of
aiming, pulling tho trigger, otc, nnd a
wild romp succeeded, In which Imagin
ary wild bensts wore "killed dead," tlio
said wild beasts being represented by
himself, running ou all fours, and
LIFE OF A TEACHER IN PHILIPPINES
YOUNG Indy who Is leitdilug
school In llio Philippine, Wl'lles
brightly mid oiilcrtitliilngly of
Bonin conditions there, In tho followlim
purngrnplis:
Wo hnvo Just moved tho girl's school
In Unguium Into n now building, a prl
vnto natlvu hotiso, hired for tho pur
posit. Hut wo chose thu ilntii of mov
lug hndly, for It Is tho beginning of
tint llestn, mid tho cock-llghtlng will
Inst two weeks, It Will bo llilposslblit
during Unit tlmo to get nuy onu to do n
dny's work for us, Tho benches nro
too long for tho rooms nnd wo will not
bo nblo to get n carpenter to saw them
on or nuy ono to put tho btncltboiirds
In place. Wo nro so nenr thu cockpits
thnt tho nolso Is deafening. Ho 1 1 imi I
linx to bo ciirrled on Inrgely by signs,
Tho rocks crow continually, tho
swnrinlng children shriek nnd cry mid
tint women nro forever pounding rice.
In going to school wo hnvn to cross tho
rlvor In n Imnca. It Is nothing morn
tlinu n log hollowed out, In which wo
crouch nt tho bottom nnd nro puddled
ncross by it small Klllplno boy.
Tho Islands swnrm with Insects of
all kinds, Ants nro most plentiful mid
most troublesome. As I am writing,
thu "tlckeys," ns tho children call them,
or little lizards, dnrt across my writing
tnliln nnd catch tho bugs thnt fall
nround tho lump, Hevcnil times liz
ard hnvo fallen from tlio celling on to
my neck. Now mid then It Is n centl
pedo thnt nnuoys, Cockronches nrn
GOING TO
everywhere. Ono finds llko standing
and holding one's umbrella and lint all
thu time, thnt thu cockroaches may not
riddle them before they nro lined ngnln.
They will it it tho stamps off letters If
they nro not hurried Into tho malt
(touches.
lllnU nre tho principal plnythlngs of
tho nntlvo children. There nru severnl
kind no larger than humming birds
thnt are often to bo seen tied by n
thrend to a stick or to tlio hand by
Tom, tho rotrlover, who, entering fully
Into tho spirit of tho game, would
stnnd qulto still while Kiddy, labori
ously nlmlng tho harmless wenpon at
him, culled out In his clear treble voice,
"Hhootl Ilnngl Tirol" This wns tho
signal for tu "wild boost" to full
down.
Kiddy's delight nt this nowgnmo was
boundless; and when at last Jack,
breathless with tho exertion of his ro
peotcd "dentil struggles," declared thnt
It wns tlmo for him to bo off nnd re
took jtossesslon of his revolver, thu
child sobbed.
"Kiddy wnnta tho gun! Kiddy wants
to shoot ovlybodyl Nasty, unkind un
cial tllvo mu the euul Glvo tno-tho
gu-u-u-unt" ho cried.
lly this tlmo his undo hnd mounted
his horse, nud, with n wnvo of tho
bund, rodo nwuy, whllo .Muster Kiddy
was recaptured by his mother, u gen
tle, dellcute-looklng girl, mid nfter n
prolonged struggle, was tlually dls
tiosed of In his llttlo bed.
Two hours Inter Ned Hartley and his
wlfo wero sitting out on thu verandah,
ho smoking a short pipe. I.ucy slowly
rocking herself to nnd fro mid now and
theu applying licrsclf to bouio needle
work. They had been discussing their plnns
for tho loug-tnlked-of and often-deferred
trip to Melbourne, and thero wns
nn unwonted look of animation in tho
young woman's face.
"And you renlly think wq Bhnll bo
nblo to go this tlmo?" sho Bald. "Oh,
Ned, how I do long to get nmong peo
ple, to bco houses, streets, carriages,
nnythlng nnd everything to get nwuy
from this eternal, monotonous bush!"
And with a sigh sho hid her faco on
her husband's shoulder.
"Nothing will prevent us this time,
dear; uulcss" with n short laugh
"Jack's croaklngs Bhould tnko detlnlto
shape unless, In short, wo should bo
'rushed' and tho money taken. Then
thero would bo no trip for us this
year, at nuy ratol"
"Don't!" sho exclaimed, looking fear
fully around her. "It could not hap
pen! I cannot think that "
Tho sonteuco was unllnlshed. ltcforo
them stood a man who had seemingly
dropped from nowhere. Ned throw
himself In front of his wlfo.
Tho stranger was attired In shabby
corduroy breeches and n tattered wool
len shirt, tho color of which might hnvo
been ouco bltio; tall cowhldo boots en
cased his feet and legs; In ono hand
ho hold with mock politeness nn apolo
gy for a hat, In tho other, pointed
straight at Ned's head, was a murderous-looking
six-shooter,
"Sorry to interrupt tio billing nnd
cooing, but might I troublo you to
hand over to mo that six hundred
pounds you received last night from
llarton's? Stopl No humbug hands
up!" tlio drnwllng volco changed Into
a shurp growl. "Noyor mind your
wlfo; I'll look nfter her." Poor Lucy
hnd fainted nud was lying In n heap
ou tho lloor of tho verandah. "You
walk In front of mo and show mo
whero you put tho swag; mako nn at
tempt to get at your 'Iron' or to call for
help and I'll shoot you llko a dog!"
Thero waB no help for It Ned, his
faco contracted with rago nud hopeless
misery, led tho rulllan Into his room,
where, In a llttlo cot, Kiddy, fnst
asleep, was smiling In his dreams.
In it Binall cupboard which Ned hnd
built into tlio wall by tho sldo of tho
bed lay tho result of two years' hard
work and prlvutlous-tho mouoy that
VBSBNSVaSKBSaiaHMM
x
A OlllIJi' SC'HOOU
some baby. They do not llvo long
nfler they nro captured and sometimes
a baby will MM bo drngglng n poor;
llttlo feathered thing nlmut even nftcr'
It Is dend. Onco I hnd n present of
throe of thrso llttlo birds, but they
were nil dend within twenty-four
hours. When I next received a like
present I wnlked to tho school houso
window nnd let It go. I nlso hnd
given to me three little parrots, beauti
ful risl nnd green birds nbout six Inch
es long, but these, too, nfter a few (
dnys, I freed. Tlio children bestow
dowers nnd fruit on their tenchcrs,
Kometlmes they mnko llttlo baskets of
bniuboo nnd wind them with red, whlto
KC'IIOOU
and blue worsteds and make tassels of
the yarn. Tlicie they All on the out
side with paper flowers and the Insldo
with real ones. The school children
will nlso buy nnd bring with great
eagerness nny little cheap ornament to
their teachers.
Sometimes wo tako trips on horse
back. There nro no side saddles nnd
wo ride nstrldc. Tlio horses nro very
small and easy to mount Thero Is ,
only one fear that our feet may drag, i
wns to hnvo brought back hcnltb and
hnpplncus to I.ucy.
In silence ho bunded tho bng nnd
notes to tho rulllan, who. still keeping
Ned covered with his wenpon, forced
him hack to tho verandah.
"Now, mnte, having called upon you
Just about supper-time, It would not bo
manners for mo to depart before I'vo
had tho plensuru of sharing tho family
meal!" Lord Jim remarked In pitiless,
mocking tones. "Ladles' company Is
always pleasant, even when they nre
In n faint! Huw long does this young
lady generally stay In hers?" with a
grim chuckle. "Not having the felicity
of being married myself, I nm not ac
quainted with tho means of restoring
young and sensitive females to their
senses! l'erlmps a kiss might do It!"
As tho brute approached bis wlfo
with tho Intention of fulfilling his vllo
threat, Ned, with a yell of fury, re
gardless of consequences, unarmed ns
ho was, threw himself upon tho ruf
linn. Surprised by tho sudden nnd
unexpected onslaught, "I-ord Jim"
dropped his weapon, which rolled a
few feet away from tho two comba
tants. Each then endeavored with all
his might nnd mnln to throw down his
ndversnry and tako possession of It
Physically tho men wero well match
ed, but slowly "Lord Jim" was getting
tho upper hand. Ned's breath camo in
short gasps. He know that now It was
no longer for his money alone, but for
his very Ilfo that ho was wrestling!
Could ho keep up? The perspiration
was pouring down his face. Another
minute would bco tho end of tho con
flict! "Lord Jim's" sinewy arm wub
gradually squeeilng the llfo out of tho
young man's body, when a burst of
childish laughter startled tho two com
batants. There, his whlto nightshirt gathered
up In his chubby hands, his curls still
moist, his cheeks flushed from his first
sleep, nud his llttlo naked feet stamp
ing tlio ground In wild excitement.
stood Kiddy!
Tho nolso had disturbed htm, nnd
tho sight of his father and tho 'gen pel
man" playing at wrestling, llko ho and
Undo Jack so often did, caused him
tho liveliest satisfaction; ho clappod
his llttlo hands as ho caught sight of
tho revolver, for tho possession of
which each of theso two men would
have given nnythlng.
"Dnddy big lion, genpelman tiger,"
ho shouted. "Kiddy shoot big Hon!"
and ho grabbed tho revolver eagerly.
Ned buw that tho child held the
menus of deliverance or death In his
lmiuls, and ho rallied his wanlug
strength.
"Shoot Uio tiger flrst, Kiddy!" ho
cried.
"No, lion first!" shouted tho child,
tho spirit of contradiction awakening
within him.
"No, no, tho tiger first, darling," Ned
repeated, "and daddy will buy you a
gun nil to yourself!"
Something In his father's mnnner ap
pealed to tho child. Fearlessly ho
crept near tho men, and dollbcratoly
putting tho muzzlo of tlio shooter to
tho bend of "Lord Jim," whom Ned In
a supremo effort wns holding down,
tho child said:
"Shoot! llangt Flro!"
A sharp report, a scream from the
surprised child, and "Lord Jim" had
gouo to his account
Ned and bis wlfo and Kiddy had
their holiday at Mclbourno after all.
Family Herald. , ,
I
ALL ABOUT BUTTONS.
TIilr Hlatorr Traced from Tim
When Wfiwlen Molda Were lined,
Tho original button was wholly a
product of needlework, but wns soon
Improved by tho uso of a wooden mold,
over which n cloth covering was
sowed, From this It was only n step
to tho brass button, which wns Intro
duced by n hardware miiuiifneturer In
lllrinlnghnm, In IB!!). It took WXJ yenrs
to Improve on tho method of sowing
tho cloth on tho covered button: then
mi Ingenious Dnno Invented tho device
of making tlio button In two purls mid
clamping them together, with the cloth
between.
In 1760 ono Caspar Wlslar set up tho
manufacture of brass buttons In I'hll
ndelphlii, and soon nfterwnrd Henry
Whltemmi begun mnklng them In New
York, Tho buttons of George Wnsli
Ington nnd most of the continental
army wero mndo In France. Connec
ticut presently camo to the front nnd
iM'gmi making buttons of iwtcr and
tin at Wntcrbtiry, tho present center
of thu button Industry.
IluttoiiH nro now mndo of almost ev
erything, from senweed nnd cnttlo
hoofs to niolber-of-penrl nnd vegetable
Ivory. Hxcellent buttons nro mndo
from potatoes, which, treated chemic
ally, become as hard as Ivory. Largo
button factories mnko their entire
product from various mixtures of gut
tn iierchn, skim milk and blood; others
from celluloid nud horn. Tho paten
olllco bus Issued 1.355 puteuts for link
ing buttons.
The most Important branch of tho
button Industry of the United States
Is the making of itcarl buttons, the ma
terial being obtained from shells gnth
ered nlong tho .Mississippi river. The
Industry hnspr'nctlcnlly grown up with
in tho last ten years, snys the Ileho
liotb Sunday Herald, and Its Introduc
tion Is duo entirely to J. F. Itoepplo of
Muscatine, Iowa, n native of Germany,
who had learned the trade abroad.
Hu saw that millions of dollars were
going to waste In tho shells known
ns "nlgger-heads," of which tons wero
piled up on tho bankB of tho river.
Thousands of iteople nro now employed
In turning these shells Into buttons,
tho llttlo plnnts being found nil the
way from .Minnesota to Missouri. Mus
catine Is still tho great headquarters
of the Industry. It bns forty factories.
The vnlue of the shells bns risen from
BO cents to Jf-'M) n hundredweight And
yet Amcricnn buttonmaklng Is In Its
Infancy, 'tis snld.
One of the fire department horses In
IlalUmorc Is extremely fond of Llmbur
ger cheese nnd cats It with evident rel
ish. Connecticut pays a bounty of 1 for
each fox killed within Its borders. Last
year tho payments on this account
nmounted to $1,272.
A whlto bndger, which Is almost ns
creat a rarity as a white blackbird.
was killed recently by the Axo Vale
(England) badger hounds.
Tlio total number of farms In Ala
bama 1. given nt 223.220. of which
120,137 nre operated by white farmers
und &I.083 by colored farmers.
Sweden's last census records the low
est death rate yet attained by a civ
ilized nation. During the last ten
years It only averaged 1U.40 per 1,000.
According to Dr. Flugge, ulr will go
through the walls of a closed room nt a
rate depending on difference of temper
ature between the Insldo and the out
side
Instead of being a modern notion, the
plan of preventing destructive storms
by exploding bombs among the clouds
wns suggested nearly 100 years ago by
Professor Parrot of Itlga. In Itussla.
In respect to park area tho chief
American cities rank In the order fol
lowing: New York, Phllldalphla, Bos
ton, St. Louis. Chicago, Cleveland, Sou
Francisco, Baltimore, Pittsburg, New
Orleans and Cincinnati.
Saloin, N. J., was recently rid of a
caterpillar plague by national guards
men. The concussion of tbclr rlflca
when discharged caused the caterpil
lars to loose their hold on the tries.
Then they wero swept up.
In llussla no meetings of private citi
zens for any purpose aire permitted;
tho privilege of holding meetings Is
granted, only to chartered corporation
or associations. All crowds, except In
places of amusement or worship, are
dispersed by the police. No premises
can be hired for the purpose of holding
a meeting without a permit from the
police.
Salt has a peculiar afllulty for water,
and as It cannot easily uulte with that
substance when the latter Is In the
form of Ice or snow, It tends to melt
tho lco In order to satisfy Ita craving
for drink. Tho temperature at which
fresh-water lco melts Is higher tban
that at which salt water freezes. Oth
erwise liquefaction would not take
place when salt and Ice are mixed.
Every bead of clover consists of
about sixty flower tubes, each of which
contains an Infinitesimal quantity of
sugar. Decs will often visit a hundred
different heads of clover before retir
ing to the hive, and In order to obtain
the sugar necessary for a load must
therefore thrust their tongues; Into
about 0,000 different flowers. Some
times a bco will draw the sugar from
120,000 different flowers In tho courso
of a single day's work.
Would DIseourago a Ilurglar,
Before a burglar could tunnel Into
tlio money vaults of the Philadelphia
mut ho would have to pierce a Bolld
rock so full of veins of water that tho
smallest opening Is Immediately flood
ed. The gold vaults are of steel seven
Inches thick, and the Bllvcr la pro
tected by ono Inch of steel.
Thoy Looked Cheap.
Nell I stopped lu at a bargalu sa!o
to-day.
Bdlo Dd you sco nuythlug that
looked real cheap?
Nell Yes; soveral men waiting for
their wives. Philadelphia Ledger,
Polo Goes ItacU to It. U. Days.
Polo Is probably tho oldest of ath
letic sports. It has becu traced to
000 B. a
Undertaking Which Will Trans
form the Mississippi.
FOR DEHP-SEA BOATS.
Ulllmsle Kciult of lite Stupendous Work
the Government lias In Hand.
itany Million tn Ilo Kipiniteit In Mnlc-
liiK the MU.la.lupl the Uramjeat Wa
ter I'uaaatto In the Worlil Obstruc
tions to He Kemoreil ami Channela to
He OibiikkI-Hunk Protection and
)'.!!, llaliiiicut of Alternate Levee
Hjratenie ISfTect on Trade,
The Mississippi Itlver, "Father of
Waters," from Its source to Its mouth
traverses 13 degrees latitude, is along
the lowest line and through the most
fertile belt of the United States. There
Is tho vast alluvial strip from the
mouth of the Ohio to the Oulf, several
times the area of thnt great valley of
the Nile which has played such an Im
portant part In the world's history.
Hack of this strip, to the west lu
Southern Missouri, Arkansas and North
ern Louisiana, Is, a great resourceful
land In almost virgin condition, and
having a climate as favorable as that of
Northern Italy. To tlio cast are the par
tially developed areas of Illinois. Ken-
tucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. To
the westward again are almost limit
less areas of undeveloped and unex
plored forests, where conditions would
be most favorable to the production of
all tbe crops of tbo middle latitudes.
Beginning at the Gulf, at tbe south,
flrst comes tho natural home of rice and
sugar cane; then the cotton belt of the
future, and then the corn lands of the
Middle West The Mississippi's source
Is practically at the door of the cereal
country of the North. Here also ores
and fuels and building materials are
cheaply assembled. This region might
Indeed under favorablo circumstances
become the dominant manufacturing
center of tbe American continent No
other part of tho country possesses fa
cilities for navigation so extensive, con
venient and safe,
Tho mouth of tbe river at the Gulf is
within easy reach of tbe Caribbean Sea,
along whose shores aro countries whose
development has scarcely begun, while
UOW BXAOS ABB RAISED AMD SAWED.
tho Isthmian Canal will In the near fu
ture open lines of coinuierco to new re
gions along tho Pacific coast All the
great water courses, from tho Rockies
to tbe AUeghcnlcs, and from the great
lakes to tho Gulf, are tributary to thl
noble stream, which thus becomes the
common outlet for more than two-thirds
of tbe arable area of tho United States.
It Is small wonder, then, considering
tlio possibilities of , this magnificent riv
er, that there Is great Interest in the
work the Government has undertaken
hi an effort to restore It to the position
It onco occupied In the- commercial
world. It Is comparatively but a few
years ago that tbe Mississippi was the
dominating Influence lu all business re
lations between the two great sections
of tho country. Tho advent of great
trunk lines of railroads saw the diver
sion of the river trnlflo to other chan
nels and tho days of boating seemed
forever past Tho river was neglected
and gradually has fallen Into compara
tive disuse. That It will sea the return
of tho old days, with tbo enlargements
and benefits of modern Ideas, Is the
hone of all rcstdnts of the great cities
which rest upon Its banks a hope
which seems about to bo realized.
Uncle Sam's Plaits,
The Government appropriation of
f 12,000,000 for tho Improvement of the
Mississippi, which includes not-only the
dredglug of a channel of sutllcleut depth
to admit of the passage of largo steam
ers, but tho establishment of adequate
means of protection to thoso districts
which aro periodically flooded by Its
overflow, Is but the beginning of stu
pendous operations which shall mako
the river In every teuso tbo grandest
.-waBja. T . - , h-hui n aiwMaaiyllJlijLM.
MISSISSIPPI IHVKIt 8CB.NU
watcrwny In tho world. With ono con
dition, however. Tho work of the en
gineers must, show In n prncflcn! wny
that the great rushes of water which
come down from the North, from the
Ohio and the Missouri can be success
fully withstood. That only will deter
mine tho future of the river. It will be
the deciding balance In the scale which
shall decide whether or not the Missis
sippi shall become a waterway capable
of bearing deep sea ships upon Its
bosom, thus opening up to the South
tho commerce of Chicago and the whole
northern lake region. That such a re
sult will bo attained, the greatest en
gineers produced by this country be
lieve. They are working enthusiastical
ly with the Idea of "making good," nnd
are sanguine that the work of the ensu
ing four years, which Is tbe time limit
A MISSISSIPPI niVEU STEAMER AT FULL SPEED.
set by the Government will be as fruit
ful of results as shall satisfy the most
hopeful. In 100U, there will not be a
"crossing" shallower than eight feet
all tbe way from tbe Gulf to St Paul.
What this means can now ltd realized
only by those who are familiar with tbe
Mississippi and Its workings. It can
then be seen by all, for with a channel
of eight to many times eight feet, river
traffic will be a sight worth sclng.
In four years, however, It Is practi
cally certain that vessels of medium
draft will be able to come up ns far
as St Louis. To get a minimum depth
of ten feet the estimated cost is ?35.
000 a mile, though to get double that
depth would not cost twice as much.
The beginning of tbe work, which Is
now well In band. Is directed toward
giving the current Its proper direction,
especially at bonds where tbe circular
sweeps of water pull In acres and acres
of land yearly.
The average man has very little con
ceptlon of the amount of matter de
posited In the river every year. The
floods bring down a vast amount every
high-water, but there Is bank wash
that Is stupendous. From Cairo to Don-
nldsvllle (1)00 miles), a yearly average
of nine and one-bnlf acres of ground,
sixty-six feet deep- falls In the river on
every mile of river front The value of
the land that goes Into the river would
pay for protecting the batiks.
In protecting the banks from rush
ing floods, dikes are built for the pur
pose of changing the wash. "Mat
tresses" are placed about points where
there Is a tendency to eat These are
great flat areas of young trees so wov
en together that they form a homoge
neous mass which cannot be mined, es
pecially when It has become thoroughly
Imbedded In the mud. "Hurdles" are
also placed at flats and reefs. An ac
companying engraving shows their con
struction. These are placed very solid
ly In position, soon banking up with
mud and sand, and thus throwing tbe
water to one side or toward the middle
to form a new and deeper channel. At
theso places, so swift Is the water, lit
tle dredging has to be done. The diver
sion of tbe water Into onepolntllterally
scours out the channel to the depth
desired.
The effect of the new order of things
Is already seen, new steamboat lines
between St Louis and New Orleans
MAKING. XH ISMIUyNIiMUNX TO BA.YH A VILLAGE.
TUB HLL'FFS AT NATCHEZ.
being now organized, with others to
come In the near future.
One has but to pass through a flood
on the lower Mississippi to reallzo what
adequate protection from the high wa
ters of the river mentis to the dwellers
of the States along Its borders. Whilo
It Is not expected that the overflow can
ever be entirely prevented, It Is certain
that with the proper attention, much
the greater part of tho damago can
be averted. It Is no exaggeration to
say that the money loss which, from
flrst to last has come from Mississippi
floods, will run up Into hundreds of
millions.
It need not be wondered that tho peo
ple of tbe lower Mississippi, with thoso
of tbo higher waters as well, for that
matter, aro thankfully regarding tho
work Inaugurated by the government
Tbe harnessing of the river means
their salvation.
Methods of Work.
Snag boats are essential features ot
channel making In the Mississippi.
Snags have done more damage to river
traffic than all other agencies com
bined. Snags are water-soaked logs
and bunches of roots which come down
In tbe floods and lie In tbe path of traf
fic, a constant menace to river boats.
The construction ot Mississippi boats
Is such that it is comparatively easy
for a snag to pierce their bottoms.
Snags are removed with vessels con
structed for the purpose They aro
hoisted out of the water and cut up
with steam saws. An accompanying
picture shows how It Is done.
Not the Baine Tiling.
Sir Henry Irvlng's dresser at the Ly
ceum Theater Is a young man who
wns recommended for the position by
Clarksqn, the wig-maker for the the
atrical world of London,
Soon after his engagement says the
Loudon News, Clarkson noticed that
be did not g!t as many orders for wigs
from Sir Henry as be formerly did,
and suspected that the young mau
sent from his establishment had some
thing to do with It One day, seeing
him going by his shop with a bandbox,
be called him .In.
"So you are making Sir Henry's
wigs, arc ynu?" he asked sharply.
"Yes, sir, sometimes."
"I suppose you have one in there
now," pointing to the box. "Let me
see It."
The wig was produced.
"So you call that a wig, do you?"
sneered tbe Irritated wig-maker. "Do
you mean to tell me that you believe
that thing looks like a wig?"
"No, sir, I don't!" retorted the nettled
servant "I mean to say it looks like
tbe 'air of the 'uman 'ead."
Prlnoess Takes to Fishing.
Princess Victoria Louise, tbe Ger
man Emperor'B only daughter, who Is
in her tenth year, has taken to Ashing
during her holidays at Codlncn, Her
brother, Prince Joachim, who Is eleven
and a half, was allowed to go out duck,
shooting, and managed to secure a
very fair bag from a boat among the
reeds that fringe the banks of the so
called "duck pond" on the estate.