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About Bohemia nugget. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1899-1907 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 1904)
RAILROADS IN ALUtICA TOOT OF THE LOCOMOTIVE IS HEARD IN THE JUNGLE. Iron Home Now Goes Where n Pew Yearn Aicn lr liclit Till Uutitnii Siit-rl-flcce Were Practiced Civilization lie lillt listended In tlie Dark Contliii'iit. One of the greatest works which civ IllMtUiu today In accomplishing is the opening tip of blackest Africa by tin rnllroflil. l ive years ago Uiere were less limn 11,000 miles of completed rail road In tli.it coiitlncnL To-dn- then' nre over 13.0(H) miles. Very little of this railroad development In tho past few year has been In tlto civilised lands like Algeria nml Tunis, Egypt Cape Colony, nnd Natal, wbleli nre fairly well supplied, but the tracks liavo b(?n extended through the Jim tries, forests and deserts of the tropical colonies. In lStr.) the length of the.-e riiloulal railroads was only 1,220: to day there are -UTS miles of colonial railroads In operation, and thousands of native laborers are at work on over 1.7O0 miles, which will probably be Added to the completed mileage with in anouier year, lho prospects arc that within the next six years there will 1(6 25,000 miles of railroads In Af rica. The brain of the whites nnd the brawn of the blacks are earrylns on this wonderful work. The barbarous African lias been enlisted In It. Ho lias everywhere supplied the rough la lor except on the I'gauda liallroad. where sufficient hand could not be secured anionic Uie scattered herder folk of the Interior, and so some thou sands of men were Imported from In dia. Not only In railroad building but also In nil other Industrial enterprises throughout Africa the barbarous Afrl- Fkvlrxdj BjSldinq FiallnaJj Pro' MAP SnOWINO HAILrtOADS IN AFRICA. can la the Instrument that Is being em ployed under white guidance. In the colossal task of transforming the con tlnent He Is a powerful and neces sary factor In the work, and on the whole he Is doing his part well. Mnn-Hatlni: Lions a Hardship. All kinds of strange and unexpected experiences have marked the progress of this tropical railroad building. One day, as the Indian laborers were load ing dirt ou a train of flat cars oi the Uganda Railroad, a lion sprang among them, seized a man by the middle, nnd plunged away with him Into the Jun gle. Ills skeleton, stripped clean, ami fragments of his clothing were found a day later. Lions seldom make these bold forays. As a rule, they flee the presence of man unless they are brought to bay or enraged by a wound or an attack on their young. Hut it It ever happens that they cat human flesh tbey are likely to crave for more and Include the human raco among their prey. The man-eating lion, as he Is called. Is not numerous, but he creates the ut most consternation whenever he ap pears. In the course of three or four days three other Indian coolies were dragged off Into the Jungle, and the whole force of laborers quit work, went Into camp and prepared to defend their lives. It was nearly three weeks be fore another spadeful of earth was lifted. A large area ot Jungle was sur rounded and a grand hunt organized, with Uie result that several lions were killed; there was no more trouble with the man-eating variety. It Is a somewhat novel experience for a traveler to And his train brought to a sudden standstill, and to see on the track In the rear the mangled re mains ot a halt-grown cub which had stood on Uie track fascinated by the spectacle of the approaching train, and did cot know enough to get out of the way. This has occurred on several occasions. It Is almost Impossible. In the Jungle and forests to keep the rank growth of tropical vegetation from choking the track. It Is continually being cut away from the sides of the roadbed nnd from underneath and overhead; but as the train Jogs along at ten or fifteen miles nn hour the traveler often hears the swish of the leaves and twigs brushing against the roof or of the grass sweeping the sides of Uio car. Sometimes the vlow of undulat ing savannahs, as the panorama un rolls Itself from Uie car window, Is very beautiful; again tho Journey lies, for scores of miles, amid vast ex panses of high Junglo grass or amid the gloom of dense forests, and tho Journey Is then inexpressibly depress ing nnd monotonous. No Night Travel, nut one may sco Uie whole country ns far ns It Is revealed from the cars. Thero Is no such thing as night travel on theso roads. They are too new, Uio unexpected Is likely to occur, and Uie etaUons nro too far apart to run any risk of gctUng into trouble In tho hours of darkness; so all trains spend the ulght ot ono or anoUier of tho staUons. 1'ou sco no wood, cscept In the car RECUMBENT STATUES OF QUEEN VICTORIA AND PRINCE ALBERT IN MAUSOLEUM AT FROGMORE. In the royal mausoleum at Frogmorc, near Windsor Castle, repose the remains of tjueen Victoria aud her consort. Prince Albert, in one tomb When the prince died the queen had a recumbent statue of tilm made nnd placed upon the tomb. At the Mine time a statue of the queen was made, by the same sculptor, and when she died this was pl.nvtl alongside of that of her husband, In the space that bad been nvserved for it. A photograph of the stitues has recent. y been made, for the first time, by permission of Uie klnit. It Is reproduced herewith. The statue of IJueen Victoria represents her as much younger than she appeared to tlie present generation, the sculpture, of course, like that of Prince Albert, having been modeled when both were In Uie prime of life. The queen Is depleted In regal roues, wearing a Jeweled crown, and holding a scepter In her clasped bands. equipment aliout the construction aud fittings of these tropical railroads. White ants and other ravenous insects would make short work ot wooden bridges nnd timber ties. All such things are made of steel. There tire some stone bridges and they are ex cellent specimens of masonry; but most of the bridges are of steel that were cast In parts in Kuropean and American shops, giving skillet! work men a chance to see a lilt of Africa while spending a few months at this or that stream where bridges are erected. The loeomollve, however, triumphs over ono Insect pest, and that Is the tsetse fly. wliwf blto Is fatal to horses and cattle. A stage coach company forgetting all about the deadly nuls ance, tried to establish a route between the port of Belra and the gold fields ot Mashonaland. Some forty miners filled three coaches and off they drove In high spirits till they reached Uie tsetse belt where all the horses died In a day. The ruins of those aban doned coaches may still he seen from the cars as the trains now slip through that Jungle region. Where Hamuli Bacrlflces Abounded, In the tropical belt wherever the track winds along Uie sluggish rivers, the traveler Is usually regaled with Uie sight of the hippopotamus and the crocodile lazily watching the progress of civilisation from their oozy beds In the feUd mud; and during Uie nights at forest stations he becomes familiar with the hideous cries of every beast of prey that Africa harbors. Perhaps the story will never be told of the terrible sufferings that the rail roads have cost through the low Jun gles and forest belts. The dllftcultles, for example, In the building of the Ilelra Uallroad were almost super human, and a heavy toll In human life was exacted by tbe deadly soli and cli mate. The colonial powers are already be ginning to feel the great advantages derived from the lines they are pushing Into Uie Interior. Hefore the road was built around the Congo rapids It cost $200 a ton to move freight along this stretch of 235 miles. Hefore the Itlio- daslan railroads were built from Mate- king to Ilulawayo, 402 miles, the price of freight was $500 a ton. and a pas sage ticket cost $150 between the two places. The cost of freight and pas sage on all African roads Is still very high, but the railroads are reducing It to a fifth or a seventh of tbe former rates. Steam communication by water and rail sUH exist between France and the famous city of Tlmbuctoo, which twenty years ago no white man bad entered except In disguise. Through trains are running between the Indian ocoan and Victoria Nyanza, and a steamboat takes passengers from Port Florence to Mengo, where only a few years ago King Mwangu was burning hundreds or native Christians to death. The locomotive whistle Is beard dally at Kumassl, whose name Is Infamous In the history of the most horrible hu man sacrifices in Africa. A railroad Is rapidly extending along tho dry lands between Ilerber, on tho Nile, nnd Suaklm, on tho Ited sea, through the region where Egyptian troops battled In vain with the forces ot Uio Mahdl. POMPEII HAD SOME POLITICa Itctuarkable Ktldence Bald to Have lleen Found There, Recently Joseph Offord read a paper before tho Society for tho Encourage ment of tho Fine Arts In which ho described what must have been a municipal election In Pompeii shortly before, In 70 A, I)., tho ashes and lavu of Vesuvius overwhelmed It and Her culaneum. It Is Uio claims of candi dates that we read In these strango ond long undecipherable InscrlpUons on the walls. It Is the Pompelian way of nunouiiclng: "For mayor. Mlclin. , .1. Gracchus, the friend of labor" , Some of these placards are rudely 1 done. Some are set forth with skill 1 and with embellishments. One of them contains a bit of street car health food verse all painted In red. No thnn our own candidates of to-day. those of the year 70 were put forward by parties of supporters. There were the trades Interests. There was the money power to tie vituperated on the rtump. The spellbinder addressed as "Friends nnd fellow-citizens of Pom peii." the woodcutters' union, the fish ers, the performers and dyers, the barbers ami porters. He explained to them what were the mere rights of man and what were their more glori ous privileges as free and united ad vocates of the six-hour day. And there were faddists In those days persons to whom South Ilostou would apply the epithet "bughouse." These were the long sleepers, the deep drinkers. They ran a candidate In common who was solemnly pledged to the suppression of street noises and the chief plank In their platform was n club sandwich. The heterogeneous religion of tie city crept Into politics. Venus was principally worshiped we know, but by the side of her temples were shrines to Isis and Horus nnd Anubls. And at this last election we hear of a ndnorlty party who In caucus assem bled decided to call themselves the Isis passive registers. They seemed to de sire most of all representation on the police force. Iloston Transcript POINTS WHEREIN THEY DIFFER One of the Bex Contrasts American Women Unfavorably with Ungllah. Despite all Uie loudly expressed opinions to the contrary, nothing can touch Uie really smart English woman as one sees her at Uie Carlton or at Prince's at Uie luncheon hour. There Is a bewitching, graceful femininity about her that la In evidence In every detail of her costume and a certain something that for lack of a better word, we must call refinement Our most charmingly gowned women In America have all a tendency to ex travagance In dress and ornament Tbe well-dressed English woman Is simple In her style, despite her frills, and it is only In the evening, when she puts on her low-necked gown, that she allows any of Uie daring extravagance that one sees so freely displayed at our fashionable hotels on Fifth avenue where women meet for luncheon. Then, Uie English woman's face Is patrician even when she la far from beautiful. Tbe finely modeled noses and chins, the long, slender necks axe the rule, and, although good eyes and mouths are not so plenUful, the clear lines of the faces under the frilly hats nre very satisfying from an artistic standpoint. Our bifurcated girl and our gentle manly young business woman. In her stiff collar and her four-in-hand scarf, have, of course, stood for something fine, vigorous and gloriously Independ ent. We have chummed with our mascu line kind to an extent Uiat has made Uie most popular type of society girl, the racy, washing woman who above all scorns any suspicion of being an Ingenue. Many of our younger matrons have astonished restaurant groups by affect ing Uie style of the most popular ac tress or opera singer In the manner of coiffure or of corsage. It has been absolutely Impossible to detect the dif ference between the successful demi monde and Uie society leader, so far as cither dress or manner is concerned. And, at the same time, the English woman of society Is Inclined to be fast, but she Is never unfemlnlne. For that reason she never suggests that under her baby lace hat and Its chin Ues lurks the same deviltry, coquetry and desire for tho subjugation of man that first possessed Mother Eve and broke up the light housekeeping In Eden. Life. Wear King Night. "Women are not wearing rings as ttiey did several years ago," said a well-known gem expert when asked If rings nre no longer stylish. "They my more rings Uian ever before, but they use them only for full dress. Why, ns recently as Ave years ago tho sex had n craze for making pawn shop displays on their hands, and wore rings morning, noon and night, any where nnd everywhere. Even women In the deepest mourning did not dis card their rings. "Hut It Is not so now. The matron s content with wearing her wedding ring, even putting aside her engage ment ring, while her single sister. If she wears even one ling, usually adopts a plain dull gold seal ring adorned wiUi her coat-of-arms or somebody elso s. Kings nro brought out with the stars, but It Is now considered quite vulgar to burden tho hands with them In Uio daylight" A man always likes bis mother-in- law among his most distant relatives. A rich man nover refutes Uio pen nies offered him In change. JAPANESE AMI COSSACKS HAITI. 11 Willi. E Till: AUTILLLItY O V II 11 A i:.N M I NO LEU I I 1 1 I'll.Vl' OF EAltlll. The battle of Wa Fang knh was one of the bloodiest In the Itussn .lapauese war. with the possible cueptl.in of that which raged around Nanslmii hill. In which l,tt0 Japanese fell, and was one of the most let roi Ulng which the nilnd of man can well conceive. When tlie engagement was at Its height nml tlie Cossacks and Japanese were In deadly and desperate struggle a tremendous thunderstorm broke over the scene, nml for n time the artillery of heaven mingled with that of enrth In deafening and demoralizing confusion The hentens teemed to be rent asunder with the awful reverberations and the play of lightning was tit id mid blinding. LIFE. Give me the strength and bright Of glorious life The dazzling light. The straining and the strife, l.ove, passion, hope. In their divincst scops High winds on mighty seis. Not sheltered bay; The storm that frees Wild torrents, great and gay With sudden poner. Not the soft apriug-tlnie shower. And If the storm should kill, The torrent drown So be It still. Still let me snatch the crown Life has to give, And cry, but once, I live! -Harper's Macaiine. F IVE years before, when Solomon Green bad asked Tlrzah Hitch cock to become Uie second Mrs. Green, she had tartly refused the hon or. "I ain't much of a beauty," she had told him, "but no warmed-over af fecUon fur me, thank you, Solomon Green." Solomon had reasoned" all In vain. "Why, Tlrzah," be pleaded, "It ain't no ways natural fur wlmmen to live alone. Every mornln' your chlmbly is the furst thing I look at an' If l wasn t to see tbe smoke a-comln" out of It I'd be scared to death thlnkln' you was robbed, or killed, or sunthln. "What's Uie us In us keepln' up two houses, when one would do Jest as well" Since that time the two bad hardly exchanged a dozen words. Solomon had not married, nelUier bad Tlrzah, and now, on Uie night before her for tieth birthday, she sat looking around her orderly little home with the most desolate feeling at her heart she had known for years. To-morrow would be her birthday. Mechanically she had gone Uirough a few preparations for that rather du bious fcsUval. The smallest hen from her Hock was curled up ready for roasting Inside Uie same pan In which her hens had been roaMed for the last fifteen years. A green apple pie sat on tbe pantry shelf licslde a sour cream splco cake, while a plate of mealy tarts was waiting patiently xue nuing m grape Jelly to be theirs on the mor row. Never before, at that season of the year, had Ttrzah's hens been laying so well. Her cow had never been known to give so large a yield of milk. There were three new kittens In the basket behind the kitchen stove, and her ca nary bird was the loudest singer In nil Uie village. Hut for all this Tlrzah was not satisfied. She had hoard that day tnat tnc widowed cousin, who usually kept house for Solomon Green, had unex pectedly married. Of course, this was nothing to Tlr zah. but sUll here she sniffed two or three times, and then, without a par ticle of explanaUon to the astonished cat who bad come forth demanding her allowance of milk, sat down In her cane-seated rocker and burst out cry ing. For five minutes she cried, and then she dropped her apron and looked guilUly about A thought intruded Itself upon her, which she considered In the light of a secret crime. Over nnd over again, despite herself, she rehearsed Solo mon's's proposal; each word as it had been spoken, until, suddenly, llko the handwriting upon the wall, Uiero stood forth these words: "Every morning your chlmbly Is Uio first thing I look at" Had ho meant It? Did he Mill turn bis eyes with tho coming of the morn Ing light down the little hill which lay between them? Did her lonely chim ney still claim his thougthful care? Five minutes later Uie dark plot was formed, and Miss Tlrzah was hurrying about her prcparaUons for tho night wlUi cheeks Uiat burned with (Ires sho liad thought long since gono out for ever. The following morning more aston ished creatures thoro could not bo than were the kittens, cat, cow, hens and canary of Miss Tlrzah Hitchcock. Something, certainly, had gono wrong. Six o'clock came, and the stable door was not opened by Uio brisk mistress. BATTLE IN A THUNDERSTORM. W . tvl Hnlf-past sit, nnd still no lire In tlie kitchen stove. Seven o'clock, and no breakfast yet for the mistress and her Indignant dependents. IaiuiI nnd angry rose the protest of Itrlndle from her snug stall, while the old cat and canary did their best to stir things up Inside. Meanwhile, hidden by the tvirlor cur- talus, crouched Mlis Tlrzah, wrapped In a huge red nnd green shawl, her heart fluttering between shame and dread, while her eyes watched with fevered anxiety Uie house Just up the hill. Oh, how pitifully foolish now looked her deep-laid scheme, when faced In the broad light of day. Of course, he had forgotten, years ago, to watch her chimney. What was It to him now, whether she hail n lire or not? Slio would go Uils very minute and build It She Why, what was that? Some one was coming out of Solomon's front door. Some one why, It was Solomon himself, creeping forth as If he had Just been engaged In stealing his own spoons nnd was now making off wlUi them to a place of hiding. Where wna he going? Tho heart of Tlrzah stood still for one long and nerve-destroying second, then It went on again with such a ham mering and commotion beneath Uie red and green shawl Uiat a leu plucky woman would have tied for Uie cam phor bottle on the Instant Solomon was coming down Uio hill straight toward her tiny borne. Com ing, It la true, not as the conquerom come, with bold nnd martial tread, but after a timid, slinky fashion of a man who had had his last timid advances In Uiat direction scorned. When It was certain past ail shadow ot a doubt Uiat he was coming Into tbe house, Tlrzah, Uie crafty creature, betook herself to the cane-seated rock- wt. where, wrapped to the chin In Uio big shawl, she waited wlUi palpitating heart for the timid knock which at lengUi sounded on the door. "Come In," she then called, feebly, at which Uie door waa opened cautious ly. Inch by Inch, until tho entire fig ure of the middle-aged luvcr was dis closed to view. At the sight of Tlrzah, bundled up and In the nrmchalr, all of his hoslti tion vanished. "Why, Tlrzah. are you took sick?" came In the loud, cheery voice which had not sounded In the room for live years past. "An It s cold enough In here to freeze the hair off n dog's back. Let me fix you a fire." In a tew momenta a cheerful fire was roaring up the chimney. To be sure, there were more chips on the lloor than Miss Tllzah would have scat tered In n twelvemonth, and thn cat was spitting out her Indignation In n remoto corner over an Injury done her sleek tall by the heavy boot of Miss Tlrzah's now lireman. Tlrzah, however, noticed neither the chips nor the anger of her cut Not redder than her checks was the blnz Ing fire, for Solomon had taken cour age and was sitting beside her, inquir ing kindly when sho "wns took," and If lie shouldn't go and "fetch tho doc tor?" You see, Tlrzah." he said, wlUi a MOVING TARGET ADOPTED German army olllcers have adopted u new moving target In order to test the number of successful hits made by a forco of riflemen upon a hotly of charging cavalry a target has been invented which consists ot u number of llfe-slzo figures painted on a movable screen. This screen Is connected with nn Imnienso beam securely fastened to tho ground. l(y means of ropes passed over pulleys, Inserted In the beam, tho turget Is nttnehed to a team of horses. Tho team Is Uieu sot at full gallop, thereby drawing tho target nearer to tho beam, Uio Infantry firing Ineanwhlle. Tho troops huve devel oped grcut clllclency In marksmanship. guilty laugh, "I tillers look at your chlmbly the fust thing In the mornln1 I've kinder got Into the habit. 1 know you don't like It, but oh why, llrzah, woman, whatever nils ye?" "Solomon," chlcd Tlrxnh, and sho al lium Borcaincd It In her excitement. "11 do like. It I oh. Solomon I didn't build n lire a purpose." And Solomon Ho rose then and thero nnd kbued her! Housekeeper. TONS OF UHIGHT OEMS. Tbe World' Bupiilv of IIIiiiik.ii.Is Wcluli. 0,000,000 Cum l. It Is estimated that the total world pnaluctton of diamonds up to date np proxlmatci .".(HJ.(M emits, says tbe llaltlmore American. As we nre not In the habit of weighing our diamonds by the ton, we nro In some doubt con cerning tbe proper system of compu tation, whether troy or avoirdupois, long ton or short ton. According to Uie syHtcm used by those who do weigh their diamonds In ton quanti ties, the result would be in the neigh-. borhood of twenty or twenty tlve tons of sparklers now appearing aa factors In the Joys aud miseries of a world which has suhstlttititt diamond for Uie beaiU and wampum of Its ances tors. Tho regions contributing to this sup ply and the percentage uf their con tribution appear as follows: South Africa, H1.5 per cent; Ilrazll, 18 per cent, and the remaining .5 per cent dlt bled among Horueo, India, New South Wales and llritlsh Guiana, with North AnierKn and Itussln supplying specimens. Tho lat two of these couutrlna hare furnished Just aliout enough to equip an opera Ikix for a single evening. The deep obligation of society to South Africa is fully appar ent Tlie price of diamonds has been heavily advanced during the last year or two, but It Is simply appalling to think what the price would liave been without the KouUi African supply. So clety. American. English and continent al, should dally thank heaven for Klm- berley nnd Jagersfonteln. We are unable to give the ciiblr measurement of the total co'lectlon, but. so far ns weight Is concerned. It would mnke a load for a inedlum-slzisl freight car. Olio I'lcnsnllt Itanoe. Mr. Kluinsay I danced qulto a number of times with Miss (hitting Inst night Miss Fepproy Yes, she wns telling me bow much she enjoyed one of the dunces. Mr. Kluinsay Indeed? Which one was that? Miss Pepprcy Tho onu you wit out. Phllndelphln Press. Tim Mini Ulio Aitr.ioia lliislneaa. A sunny uinn attracts business sue cess; everybody likes lo deal with agreeable, cheerful people. We In Mlnctltely shrink from n crabbed. cross, contemptible character, no mat. ter how able hu may be. Wo tvou'd rather do n little less business or pay n little mora for our goons, nun deal Willi nn optimist. Success. When tbe sexes huve equal rights will men wear $0.03 millinery creations and kiss ouch other on the streets? BY THE GERMAN ARMY. NEW LINtt) OF I1AILIIOAD. HnutlirriiHIiitraHlion Most Activity In 'I Ilia Work, Thirty new railroad nro now under consliucllon In (ho Southern Hln'es, nccordlng to the New York Globe, Ittv port mini ilin'eri'iit localities rccenlly Indicate Hint with litre exception nil ol the Hnulhcru rnllroiiiU now build ing nro being pushed to eoinplellou it rapidly as possible. Tills I'limllllon of nlTiilis I regarded by Koiilbern busi ness men lis nlilindaut proof uf tint industrial prosperity of the Smith. Nearly SltKI.OiHi.lsN) Is being put Into these thirty new railroads, and Hot greater part of Ibis vast hUUI hiis n tallied prior to lho past few mouths. It Is estluiulcd that between P.I MO nnd 10.000 tulles of new railroad will be completed In the Soulh and thn Southwest this year. In Okhiliouu three new lines, aggregating I,2,"i0 miles, me now building. The most lin IHirtant of these I the Denver, Wood ward and Southeastern, which will ex tend from Hcmcr across the Indian 'territory aud Oklahoma to Texiirkaun, a distance of iibiuit l.tsil miles. This road Is designed to open up Oklahoma to the surrounding country. 'I he Mis ni'iirl. Kansas and Oklahoma llnllrnad I iiImi building an extension of lf0 miles from Oklahoma City to thn tenia Stale Hue. Not the least Inter cKtlng of the now railway prnpeels Is Hint of the Itnimlnn tlalteslon liner urban Hallway Company, which is building a fifty mile electric line from Houston to (Inhesion. In Louisiana n rullroad fitly inllci long I being constructed from I In "in Itouge to llreiiux bridge and a set on ly two inlle linn Is rapidly fonnivtlii Moreautlllo aud Crowley. Thirteen new roads are building- In Arkansas Willi a totnl of 1101 mile. Tho Arkan sas Western I the longest of these, extending from Waldrou to Hot Springs, a distance of eighty two inlles. Eastern capitalist are Inter ested In this project, which Is design ed to mnke Hot Springs more accessi ble. The lloxle, Strawberry lllver Val ley nnd Western Is building fifty six inllr of line from lloxle to Frank lin. Ark. Three new railroads of Importaneit nre under construction In Keu'ucky, nnd Virginia and Tencsseo report two ronds earh. Chattanooga la to be ben efited by a new road seventy-five miles long, extending from that place to Oli ver Spring, Tetiii., with a brunch to llarrtmnn. New railroad, rnch from ten to eighty miles long, lire building In West Virginia. Florida and Texas. Tim Goulds. E. II. Ilarrlman and tba Hock Island people are separately In tcratcd In the Trias llur. Construction work on nearly nil of these Southern railway projects Is being hastened In the expectation of a heavy Increase In trufltc. While tba railroad rompnnlea throughout thn country nre cutting down their work- lug forces as much ns possible, lbs new companies In tho South nre na a rule Increasing their construction forces. Some of tbe new lines will tap tlrgln coal fields, others will connect with new Iron inllla, and many will enable 1,000 or more recently estab lished cotton mills to get their prod ucts to markrt. FEATURES OF BUENOS AYI1ES. Lira, lluar Metropolis wllli u Popula tion of a Million. The city la laid out like a chesslioanl. bolng divided according to tho ancient plan of all South American cities, Into cuadras or squares, with rndlcss straight atreets which have the one advantage. It seems, during tho spells of revolutions, of letting the govern ment mnke a clean awtvp of the rebels with tho nld of artillery, or the other guns first In the older pnrts the streets aro narrow and always treeless, but Uio newer thoroughfares have (he ap pearance of Eurupeiii iKiulevard. Tim houses were orlglnaly all built accord ing to a prevalent one story type; but with tho rise In tho value of properly nnd the lucrisise of business, houses ranging from three to six stories linvo been going up In the central part of tho city. All the streets and public squares nre splendidly kept and well lighted, and there are a number of beautiful parks which have been laid out wlUi seeming disregard of the cost. Few people In Uie United Slates nro nwaro that this Is a city of almost n million Inbnbtnnts, will the area of Paris, ami that It recalls In Its Imuiensti business activity some of tho largo cities of North America. As a metrop olis, however. Hucuo Ayres Is an nnomnly. It will be rccnllcd that tha great source of wealth of lho Argcn Unit tuition lies In Its wheat and corn fields, its enormous herd of cattle and sheep, and tho exmrtatlou of meats, hides and wool, Hut, owing to tho absence of workable coal nnd Iron mines and tho Impossibility of exploit ing tho forests of (.oft woods because ot Uielr distance from tho ways of communication, there nro practically no articles manufactured In tho Argen tine. A few factories aro kept alive by a high tariff, but they nro looked upon as hothouso plants hardly capable of a prolonged existence. Iluenos Ayrcs thus represents a cosmopolitan con glomerate occupied In exporting what tho Interior of the country produces, nnd In Importing what It cannot man ufacture. Tho city In thus n national luxury mndo up of non-producing con sumers, an all-absorbing center which has done nothing but grow until It rep resents tho 11 fo of tho nntlon at tho expense of all other towns. Now York Evening Post. Wants Modern Mnn, "Excnso me, madam," snld tho bonk ennvasser an a spinster who was bo- glnnlng to enrry weight for ngo opened the front door, ' but nro you Interested In the study of prehistoric man?" "I should say not," replied tho giddy old girl. "I nm too busy trying to got a man of to-day Interested In mo." Mobile Ileglntcr. Ilofnro or Alter? Bcr.itchor So you'vo resigned, have you? Ilcforo or after? Scribbler Iloforo or after what? Hern tcher You wcro bounced, Now Yorker. A short man always likes to stand ou his dignity. i