FLOODS IN NORTH
H'hltp, Stuck and (irccn Rivers
Drive Farmers from Homes.
SMALLER TOWN'S UNDER WATER
Northern Pacific and Grunt Northtrn
Itjilrondt find Up Thru
Llvet Am Loit.
S. utl I.-, Nov. LV Hoods in II,.
While, Slie'k lill'l iti i'll livel, wliii'll
lieyiin Tuesday night, liitvi' swept away
mill hi, I i it 1 1 1 ui I tiuckagc, iiiumlnlcd
all lli' alley towns, n ii'li r I 1 1 u t n 1 1 1h
of f ;i I ii n I m IichihIi'hh and f I lime Ini'H
to lii I . t'nlillho Wei-tern I'niiiti
lilf 1 highl HIH eded III pelting ll wile
t' I r t html, Seal I lc was t ' 1 1 1 1 r -1 v nil
off from till- olsj.c World I iv cither
la i I road or fi li al i 1 1 1 1 lini'H. Tin' tele.
I 1 1-! i company kepi uplwu lines, lull
Ibis wiim I lie 1 111 1 y 1 1 1 . i r i m . f ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 .1 -1
1' hi Scat I If has had.
Tin' I hu e linn hh In t In- 1 1 ' i I m were
llliiUIM'1 while lighting III I'll', lit lip log
j. mi- lli.it I lin .il, in , I i,iiIiiiii, uii'l - 1 1 1 1 1 -I
y I ' t olges.
ll Will 1,1' l,i Wicks before Hie
Ni'illii iii 1'iii'ilii i iililr ,i resume ii--
III. II I I. llll l, (M ini bills. The I ileal
Northern i liiil up f,,r a cli,iilr j H-1
,,-l. ("I limilili' mi Unit i -i 1 it 1 1 1 1 - In
im a.ilaiiohc nf iiiii, I Unit swept nut a
JH, Inn i.f I tack.
Auburn, Knit, O'Cricti, I :iit m ,
Olicllia im, I I lit t f ll il'iiii s ma 1 1 ' ' I towns
in tin' valleys ,f three rivers are ninli-r
Water. Lcidenls nf O'Brien Will'
Compelled In 111, , III, , ,11 I heir hollies H IK I
lli'i' In Uii' hills. At Kent II raging to-
n iit is running through the i,wn aii'l
A 1 1 1 1 1 r 1 1 will suffer i- ! !!' i damages
llll less I In' Witters IriVili' immediately.
Till' .'ill employes nf tin' Pi-liliy Ilrli
t"li'l;lV Wi.lktt I'l.llll ill Lelitoti WITC
nit nil liy llii- ll'M-1 iwi'1 liii.l In remain
cooped iii in llii' warehouse until lin y
I'niilil In' li -rin-.l by boats.
FOH RIVERS AND HARBORS.
Croat National Agitation to Improve
Wuterwnyt fc very where.
A lint inn. 1 1 emigres i if A ini r ii':i n ( nn
lin ii'iiil bodies int. ri.', j:j tin- dow-l-,,ini
iit t .f iiili-tn.il waterways and har
lr iniinii iiii'iiN will meet in Wah-
illl.itl nil till' sih all, I M'W'lltll nf I ll'-
1'iiiiImT. llii', ill will In- represented
by il dclig.il lull (rmii (lie I'mtlniiil
chamber nf 1 1 1 1 1 1 n 1 1 .
Tin' ii i r j ihmi. i,f n. congress in inain
ly tn prevail iii.ii tin' I'mlcd St ali'H
nut lini it if H In pass ii measure calling
(nr UII ll'iri,.riHl inll n( 1 i f t v millions
annually (nr river iiii'l harbor impiove
1 1 ii -1 1 1 . Kvoii should Hiu'ti a measure
pass il Would ft ill In- I, ill ii (nii'linii i.(
wl ut ii'Iiit great nations nri' expending
iiimii. illy iimii ilirir waterways. The
lim I'lin'til la lialiniial expression nf
t he knowledge I hat water compel il ion j
is t In- niir iciit -lii':in'in r uf railroad'
freight rates railways that compile
itli rivers for (radio in n,, iav tx
t ravaant li v upon watered stock.
Ill llln-l- Sections nf Uii' ColllltlV
wherein Hit- railroads am mi ) k -1 1 1 l
'arry freight in compel it inn with riser
ecrufl llicrati" iiir frmn iitii'-lliil'l to
iiii'-mI Ii nf I Iiiim- riilin wIhti' waii-r
'nin't it inn in Imt a fai'lnr. It in n,
lf II Cnttntl M'l'l intl ill Tl'XIIH lllilt till'
'analiin uf u vi ry in-inilifanl ftrrain
hn iim In In-avai ladle (nr Hat Imt Imni'il
'ahiil Imal-, Inwi'ii'il (In- (ri ilil rati'.i
Ml l il 1 1 n , 1 1 1 ' 111 In Inaki' a h:i ill tn II
miiiiII ('niiiiniinity nf lliiri' iiiillimi ilnl
larx aniiiially. Amu Inaltcr uf fa'l tln
'anali,i ,1 i-lii'iiiii I'arrii il Imt uHtnall
irici'lilai' uf I In- Irallir npuii wliii'll'
tliif lairhaiii was i ffccii'i I, Imt tin '
(ai'l that t In- rcani was :i a i lahli- fur,
traHii1 t- 1 1 1 1 x -1 1 - I tin' railways In ini'i t j
till' Wilier eulnpel il imi.
The llivers all, I llallinis Cullless
Will ilii-i llf-s t he i 1 1 1 'l' i ellK-tl t uf the'
Orenil iiihI Wai-liintuii waterways an, I
t he I einuval uf ul n-l nut i n hi' Is at the
t nlraliees uf Ihe haihuis jiial will peek
In impress 1 1 1 ii il I the eulllesS uf the Mil
lion the i in pui taliee uf t hese i nipl'u e-
inellts to I he I. il mill nli.l iiieli'alil i le
puplllal iuji,
Commend Teaching System.
New York, Nov, I.V After two days'
inspect ion. the Knglisli teachers w ho
I'lllnc lu re lo sillily I'lliled Stall's luelll- '
oils of edili'iit inn have discovered seveml
Hood ideas wliii'll they intend lo sug
gest to the auUiorilies in lailand.
They like our system of medical inspec- ,
t ion, our law which teiuires children,
between the Hes of 14 and l.r years to
jitteiid evening schools if they work in
the da) I hue, our discipline, winch Ihey
all describe ns "easy," and certain
features of our kindergarten work,
dure teachers will urrive this week.
Ahead of Schedule.
Colon, Nov. l.r. The lirsl trip of an
A I I 11 I f I I 'II 11 t .!' IU I, I i II I I ilttlui,lll III' lllll
iiouniiaries m tne i niteii Mates was
successfully Concluded yesterday after
noon at half past one, when Ihe luillle
ship Louisiana, lim ing on board ('resi
dent Kuosevclt and his party, dropped
anchor in the harbor of Colon. The
Louisiana, which arrived ahead of
si'heilule time, was convoyed by (he
Tennessee and Ihe Washington. They
anchored during a heavy rainfall.
General William Q. Ely.
Norwich, Conn., Nov. 15. (leneral
Villiam (i. 10 ly died suddenly at, his
home here last, night of heart trouble.
IIo cunimanded Hie Kightrcnth (Nuince
Uciit, volunteers in the Civil wnr, and
wiim hrovetted brigadier generul lit its
close.
GRAOBINQ UP OIL LAND.
T cdnrnl Aulhorltint Taka Cor,nlnca
of Action of SUnilnrd OH.
San r'niiieisi'ii, Nov, I t. 'J'ln. ( 'all
toil, iv snvs: heiame kliuwii ill l'ei-
elal ein li M yeslelday Hull, risent, lora
lioiiM of land in Ki ln ruiinly hy nentM
of the Hamliird (hi eompany have lieen
Hindu Iim mihjei l uf ilivesl iat iuli hy
u erinnelil "llii ials. Ah ii lesnlt il is
lissi'iled ilidiel mi nts will follow. 'I'lie
land Was (alien up hy the pet roleilin
eoinhine, (iMteiiMihly (or Ihe ypsillll de
pofils, lull in reality for oil (imposes.
Thai Ihe ehaiaeler of Ihe land had heen
eiitefiilly slndied is shown hy the fai t
Unit Ik lluwin nil well has alien, ly hei ll
develuped.
The iliijiiiry is hei 11 made I hroilh
the nlliee nf I'nited Klales Alturney
lelin, nf Hall I'ralieiseu. I'ederiil
nrnls have heen ut wulk fur several
weeks in Kern euiinly. Prom their
preliinimiiy reports it is heihved tlnit
Ihe 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -r in whii Ii Ihe land was se
rnredwill warralil ilnl let melits on I he
pall of the I'edi till land jury.
The information seeiired hy Ihese
Heils will he plaied ill Ihe hands nf
l ulled States Attorney Kuhert T. Iev
hn, who iii turn will forward it to
Wiifhintuii to the attorney i m ral.
SELL NO MORE ALASKA COAL.
Governmonl Stop Sala Pending Ac
tion on Leaking Bill,
V,i"hilituii, Nov. I t. The seerelary
of t he inter iof 'uday isxiied Ik eneral
older w it hdrawin (rum entry all puh
lieeoal lands in Alaska. Mow mm h
land il affeijecl no one knows; ind I,
llu .pi rilie I rai ts euiild he withdrawn,
as A Ill-kit is still iinsim eyed Iklid the
extent of its eoal deposits linklluwil.
I'.ut this eneral order will shut uff all
entries nf land known lo cuntain run!,
ll is issued in line with Ihe pnliey re
eeently adopted m the states, and will
prevent wealthy mrpurat inns (mm mr
nerin Alaska's ma I resonrees.
It I- prohahie that further eff.,rt
Will Is- made In sei'llle leislatinll re
pral in the ' ml land law and siihsti
lulili il law whieh ailthuri.es Ihe ov
ernmeiil lo lea-e its mat lands.
A trai l of 1 , Tint ai res north uf Val
de, Ala-ka, lyinuii the laeial Hats
helow' Ihe N'ald' . laeier, has hren set
apart as a rille rane (or Ihi- use of
t ns ips at I'ut t I.isenin.
PLANTERS SHORT OF LABOR,
Cuban Sugar Men Ask Magoon to
Aid Immigration.
Havana, Nov. Tl. ( 'erlain memliers
uf Ihe Arariiui leane, whieh is eoni
poried uf prominent planters, acenin
panied hy it inimher of steamship
ueiits, held ii eniiferenee with liover
imr M.ioon Imlay on the ipiestioti uf
the pmhahle seareity uf lahor in tin
lialidlin of the inatiirili suar crop.
The planters lired Ihe Iieeesn it V nf
makilillseuf the f 1 ,(MI(),(l(lll upprn-
printed by I lie bite ( 'uban Coiire-s for
I he si i m ii hit inn uf i m mi rat inn, mid
pointed mil that Cuba was suffering
severely (mm the Compel it iu n( ut her
1
nations seeking immigration mid the
iinportat ion nf labor to Panama.
The next suar crop promises to be
very large, and the planters expressed
grave fears that the present labor sup
ply would lie iiisiillieirnt to handle it.
The governor arranged to hold fur
ther conferences with the planters.
Nearly Twenty Missing.
I .a 1'urte, Ind., Nuv. 14. Coroner
Carson bus received no complete list nf
I be dead and missing in Hie wreck uf
the I'laltiiimre ,V Ohio railroad. The
lits contains UK names, and it is believ
ed nearly L'O are yet to lie obtained. It
will be several days before the Cnioner
can return a verdict. The freight crew
insists that the lirsl section carried no
lights, but Ihe train sheet uf the niier-
alor at Sumati indicates that green
lights were displayed. As Ihe charred
bodies are taken from the wreck they
are being labeled and sent to the under
takers. Allows No Silver Exports.
Lima, 1'cru, Nov. 14. Although
there exists no law to the contrary, Ihe
government today refused to allow a
local linn uf bankers to ship IL',000 sil
ver suls (about ftilt.lMM)) to London.
Furthermore, t he aut lim it ics are search
ing Ihe hagage of passengers leaving
the country, and all silver coin in ex
cess of 11) sols is being seized. The
price of silver in 1'cru is advancing,
and the ministry of finance has been
in conference w'ith local bankers, finan
ciers, merchants and members of con
gress to discuss action in the premises.
Would Line Canal With Concrete,
Louisville, Ky., Nov. 14. A plan
for a concrete Hiatal ime highway across
the isthmus of ranain i, to be used as a
substitute for the .Idol, as at present
. .. : ... i i... . i i . :.. i . i...
! '. ., '" "' " m" '""m.-i ... . -ei-
I. lent hoosevell by t .duiiel Alexander
lloagland, known throughout, the
rniled Slates as the "Fat her of t ho '
Curfew." The plan is now in tho
hands of ( lie canal commission. It con
templates 1 ho building of a concrete
highway IIO feet above sea level.
More Boers on Warpath.
Cano Town. Nov. 14. Accord inir to
the latest iiifoi niat ion received hero, I
the colony has been invaded hy two
. . i ii
new pa uoMoi iHiei iroeoooiers in a. an-
t ion to the men operating under l or-
rcira. J he police have had an midfoot-
il i. ...:il. il.. r ! i .. I
ual brush with the Ferrcrai party.
TWO TRAINS COLLIDE
Immigrant Train In Disastrous
Indiana Wreck.
fORTV-SEVEN PASSENGERS DEAD
Were Nearly All Fugitive From Ru-
la Survivor! Lota Uaggago
and Other Poaeilon.
Chh iio, Nov. 1.1. - More- limn linlf
Hie pii.HHi'iii'i rH on im linmlkTiuit Inilri
on Hie Hall Imore K Ohio railroad wero
Idlleil nr Injured In u enNUIon today
la i ween i paiiHener iriln arid a
freight mar Woodville, In.. Olio !hmi-
ilri-d mid lUlyllve piiHHi'ni;crH wen? on
Hie train, nml of Hie.Me 47 weri; either
killed oiiIiIkIiI or were hurried to
lentil In Hie lire which hroko out In
the WPrk.'lK" llilllieillately ufter the
(oIIIhIuii. The iiiiiiieH of all the dead
will prohalily never he known, an ir,
ut Hie hoieH weie (on.'iunied III Hie
llaiiieM, or wre ho badly burned that
Ideiitlih atlnn In linpoHMlhle. Thirty-
lulit peojile wi-ie Injured, and Heveial
of tin-He will die. KlKbfy otlieiH mi
railed unhurt, hut lout nearly all their
li.U''iU'e and elol Iiln.
The illsaster w.'ih riiiiHed hy a blun
der of home employe of tin- railroad
oiupany, hut Jui;t where ih blame
les has not been ilelerinlried.
The I'.-iHKi nrer train, w-hb h wa
oaded with Russian Jews, ServlariH
ami I'OMH, all of them recent arrlvaln
In this country ami bound for Chic.iKo
or idacrH In tho NorthweHt, waH Hut
serorul HcrUon of a through train from
Halt Imore. The I llltieer rif freight
train No. '.HI. on Instructions, received
at McCool, Ind., walled at a Biding at
Halicoc k, Ind., to allow the Immigrant
tialu to pass.
As kio;i an the first section of the
Immigrant train had paKKcd tho nwltch
at H.ihcock. the freight, train, In charge
nf I'nidneiT Hurke and Condurlor
Mosie. started eastward. A llitht snow
was falling, whlcli Increaserl thu dark
iicsh of tin early morning, and, iih Hip
freight w.'ih rounding a Kharp curve
JiikI west of Woodvllle, Hie Hecoml sec
tion of the Immigrant train rarno In
sight a short dl.Htanre away, tearing
toward Chicago at the rate of 40 miles,
an hour. The two trains rnmo to
ether with unslackened Hpeed, and In
the crash idx passenger coaches arid
several freight cars, were knocked Into
kindling wood, and, together with tho
locomotives, went rolling down tho
embankment.
GENERAL SH AFTEF. DEAD.
Pneumonia Proves Fztal to Leader In
Cuban Campaign.
Hakersfleld, r.-il., Nov. 13. Major
General William Rufus Shaftnr. United
States Arm:;, retired, ilbd nt 12:42 p.
Jm. yesterday at the ranch of Captain
. 11. 311 IMIiriCK. HIS BOIl-IH-lltW , "
miles smith of this city, after an Ill
ness of seven days, despite the best
iim iMeal attention in California.
While returning from the polls last
Tuesday, he contracted a severe r liill
I whieh augmented a slight Indisposition
!nnd necessitated conllnem nt to his
. u,,,l'
111.
Wednesday nnd Thursday no Im
provement wi's noticed and Friday aft
ernoon Dr. M. Ii". Ilerzsteln, of San
Francisco, was communicated with, but
as he was unablr to depart at once,
Or. I. W. Thorne was despalch"d in Dr.
Ilerzsteln's place. Ir. Thorne arrived
early Saturday mornlnR and. together
with the locnl physicians, diligently
watched the pntlent nil that day. In
the afternoon a slight rally xvas de
tected and relatives and physicians
were extremely hopeful, but the change
was short lived. At 10 o'clock a sink
ing spell seized the veteran.
Dr. Herzsli In arrived shortly after
mldni;;ht Saturday night and a covsul
tation was hell with the other physi
cians In attendance. It Is stated that
Dr. Herzstein deemed tin operation the
only meat's of relief from the Intesti
nal obstruction, but Ihe condition of
the path nt would forecast nothing, hut
fatal results In such an attempt. Dr.
Ilerzsteln, accompanied by Dr. Thorne,
returned to San Francisco, nil hope
of saving the gallant war hero having
heen abandoned.
Dissolve the Trust.
Washington, Nov. 13. While no au
Ihorltative statement could bo obtain
ed In n rard to the matter, there Is
good reason to believe that the Gov
ernment has decided to Institute pro
ceedings against the Standard Oil
Company under the Sherman anti
trust act with a view of obtaining an
order of the court dissolving the com
pany as It now exists nnd restoring to
each of tho 75 or 80 constituent com
panies its proportionate share of the
stock and also compelling the obser
vance of the law Inhibiting them from
entering Into nay contract, ocreemcnt
or understanding with each other.
Considers Coal Steal.
Salt Lake City. Nov. 13. A federal
rand jury was Impaneled here today
'"d will begin Its sittings tomorrow,
H'mior has it that presentments will
of evl.loncc galn.d Dy the In,
torstate Commerce Commission durhu;
tg m.ont lnvoBtlKntlon nf TTnlon t,u..
r (,a, hollllm;8 nn(1 developments 'n
,.,mllecllon with the Government stdt
i( vecover land acquired by tho Utah
Fuel Company, but no official lnforma-
Hon Is forthcoming. Kvon the names
of the witnesses subpoened have not i
la en divulged.
Discharged From Bankruptcy.
Trenton, N. J., Nov. 13. Tho Iro
quois Theater Company, of Chicago,
wl,,1He theater was destroyed by lira
t.reo years ago at ended by great
loss of life, was discharged from bank-
runt(.y t0liay j)y Ju(!ge i.nnningin In
the undUeJ States court here. . The
company has liabilities of 12,000,000
. . . I
land no assets
HUMAN BODY 18 A BATTERY.
Telephone Is Operated by Current
Given Out By the 8tomach.
Han Frnrif Ihco, Nov. 13 Uefore a
number of meilb n men nnd sclentlstH
loilay, Mrs. Albert J. Alklna arid K. J.
Lewis Hiireccdcil ri rharKhiK n '!':
trbnl cireiit with human eleclri' lty to
mi'd a degre that external sound
waveK were transmitted and heard
Hirouidi an ordinary lep phone re
ceiver. The experiment corisbted of
ihe application of two platinum elec
trodes to the walls nt the llvlrit; stom
ach, liy means of cornier wires Hie
elect loip h wcj. i im hcr.t ed with tele
phone and microphone, a acTisltlve
Instrument, which Knatly Intensifies
sound.
The re was absolutely no rnec hanlral
or eh' rniral batte ry In th; circuit, ycft
tin: moment the c.ert rodes were; swal
lowed su!!!':leni ly to touch tin; walla
of t Ii e; stomach, human electricity
flowed ovr tho wires, rendering
kouiicIh audible:. The- ek-ctrle: (harge;
meuhiirerl frcim Hi'vcri to dht milli
volts on a Weston galvanometer.
C'lloin l V.. V. Kcidianlnon, the sub
ject of Uie experiment, Hwallowed v
elect i cub m anil succeeded In retaining
thorn for a c onslcjoi able time;. AfteT
a brief roM, In; was givifn a drink of
whiiky and on again connecting the;
oleetrodoH with the Interior lining of
his hlomach the- galvanometer rogis
li.red i; milll-volts.
Dis. Atkins ari'l Lewis claim that
by t Ll j experiment they have demon
htiatcil the; law of action of the- human
ho!iK"k. They re ason that, If sound Is
transmitted over a copper wire when
It la charged with human electricity,
It. is reasonable to consider the prin
ciple' the same when the auditory
nerve is, barge d with the same force.
In other words, we; hear when the
auditory nerve Is made sensitive with
human electricity on the same prin
ciple which we receive a telephone
message.
Furthermore, these scientists claim
that by a series of experiments they
have prove'n that digestion la an elec
trochemic process; that all life ac
tion In the body Is dependent upon the
activity of the electrical forces within
the organism, that variations of sense
manifestation, as sight, hfaring, etc.,
are caused by the different rates of vi
bration se t up by the human electrical
currents acting on the special sense
nerves.
BOERS ON A RAID.
Mounted Rifles Start In Pursuit and
Rebels Prepare to Fight.
Cape Town, South Africa, Nov. 12.
The latest advices from the scene
of the Uoer outbreak In the North
western part of Cape Colony agree
that the situation Is decidedly grave.
Native b who have never been In sym
pathy with the Hritlsh plans of govern
ment are flocking to the standard of
the rebel chieftain, Ferrlera. On Sun
day he attacked a camp of loyals at
Uppington and a fierce fight followed
last'ng hours, when the jolice, find
ing themselves outnumbered, fled
carrying their badly-wounded men.
Ferrelra, with his force augmented
hourly, is now in camp on a farm near
Uppington and It Is reported that his
command is bringing horses from the
farms in the vicinity. It Is believed
that ho plans a march toward Kuru
man, then, if able, to fight the troops
sent against him and go on to Kim-
berley.
Three flyinc columns of Cape Col
ony troopers and police, whose ranks
numbered many vettrans of the uoer
army who have taken the oath of al
legiance are now marching to engage
the rebels. It Is conceded here that
the loyal forces will have their work
cut out in putting down the rebellion.
For many months the IJocrs have hot n
dissatistied with the altitude of tho
British colony toward them and many
have declared their intention of leav
ing tho British possessions and try
ing their luck in other parts of Af
rica. Should the present uprising gain
a few initial successes, certainly the
discontented from all over British
South Africa will gather to nid Fer
rtira. and, if tho latter can arm and
equip all who come to him, the gov
ernment will sonn begin sending reg
ular troops into the field to oppose
him.
Quite Equal to Situation.
London, Nov. 13. Sir Thomas Ful
ler, agent general for Cape Colony in
London, attaches no importance to the
Ferroira raid, lie believes the object
to bo robbery and plunder and says
the country where Ferroira and his
nun are operating is sparsely popu
lated and tho farmhouses widely sep
arated. It Is not impossible, however,
I hat Ferroira may obtain some adher
ents and do some mlschit f. The Capo
Mounted Hltlea. Sir Thomas declares,
are accustomed to guerrilla warfare
and will have no difficulty Id dealing
with the situation.
Police Fall Into Trap.
Tlflls, Nov. 13 A deafening bomb
explosion occurred on rethanski street
at an early hour this morning, while
Ihe police were making a search of an
unoccupied house. Tho noise of the
explosion was audible for a great dls-
t:nce, and the entire city was shaken.
Throe policemen were killed and four
wounded, it is apparent that a Bnare
had boon arranged, and the police
lured Into it. The police received a
tip to search this particular house.
Taking Away Liberty Again.
Odessa, Nov. 13. All the electoral
committees in this city and In the
provinces have been suppressed end
their functions have been transferred
t the Town Council. The arrange-
roenta made by these committees have
ii.i
taen cancelled.
An fmfforfnnf Moclnl l'rolilm.
No tendency of modern time hnt
nilMi-d hi i much uneasiness In the minds
of so hil philosophers and re'forme'r hi
the drift of population from the rural
districts to the cities. That this ten
dency Is deplorable I admitted on all
hands, but there Is nc general agree
inent as Vi what flhoulc be dune to dlx
courage IL KeeenUy, hnwever, public
speakers and write- have Ix-cu Insist
ing that the way to keep the bright
young men and women on the farms
Is to ameliorate? the conditions of coun
try life. 'i"he extension of telephone
lines Iribi the country and the rural
fre-e mall delivery are steps In that
dlri'ctlon. But the general Improvement
of the country roads would be a far
more Important sti'p. Bad road A't
more than anything else? to pre;uote
Ignorance, Isolation, discouragement,
nnd disgust among the country jioopl".
enicl mails promote attendance at
sehcd unci tint church; they make so
flu 1 gatherings, literary societies, dra
matic entertainments, ami club ami
hslge mci'tlngs iios-dble during the; win
ter and spring. With bad roads the
farmer Is compelled to hibernate, o
ebilly, for three or four months In the
year. With good roads, those meit'1
In-come the most pleasant unci In some
respects the most profitable In the year.
The Improvement of the country
roads Is now recognized as ejie of the
greatest questions before the American
public, and It Is coming to tie recog
nized as a eiuestlon which concerns not
merely the rural jsipulntlon, but the
whole jieojile. Many public men have
declared their conviction that road Im
provement U a proj,er subject for na
tional as well as State legislation.
Among the reasons offered In supiwrt
of this view are the fcjlowlng:
First The Improvement of the high
ways Is too great a burden for the rural
population to bear alone. If left to
them tho problem will never be solved
Second The Improvement of the
roads would U'lietit all classes through
out the entire country ; hence, the who:e
people should share In the necessary
exis'iiso.
Third The Improvement of the road
Is necessary to the extension eu the
rural free delivery system, and Con
gress Is authorized by the Constitution
to "establish post-roads."
Fourth The Improvement of the
ron.Ls Is certainly as fit a subject for
natio,nal legislation as Improvement it
rivers and barters.
Bills are now U'fore both Houses o?
Congress providing for an appropria
tion of twenty-four million dojlars to
lie used during the next throe years as
a fund for national aid to road Improve
ment. The fate of these bills dejiend
largely ui'ji the attitude of the farm
ers on the- question. If they would
unite In a strong demand for national
aid, It would speedily become an ac
complished fact.
INTENSIVE FARMING.
Some Object Leitona for the Tiller
of Ihe Soil.
The Wall Stret-t Journal suggests
that Intensive agriculture be more gen
erally adopted as an Investment It
argues that thousands of ieople have
left the country and entered the cities
because of actual necessity. They
skimmed away the cream from the soil
and. by extravagant methods, exhaust
ed its vitality. Then there was no
refuge loft except the wage-earning cen
ters. But their presence in the cities
does not prove that they are any letter
off in the jiossossion of this world's
gnoi. On the contrary, It demonstrates
tho onoslti In commenting on the sit
uation the Journal says:
"Intensive cultivation of ton acres
should give bettor returns than exten
sive cultivation of a hundred acres.
This Is what tho agricultural depart
ments of the State and nation are all
sivklng to accomplish. They nre ac
complishing it much more rapidly and
thoroughly than Is generally under
stood. As they accomplish this work
agriculture will come to be a more and
more attractive field for capital Invest
ments, oven on tho part of people who
live in cities. Dispatches of a few days
ago stated that throughout the South
west investors from the city wore put
ting their surplus funds Into farm
hinds. The same thing lias boon going
on for ton jears throughout tho surplus
corn States. Land values have risen
rapidly In tho South also."
Wo have reached the day of Intensive
soil cultivation. It has required many
years of experimenting and unsuccess
ful crop returns to bring about this re
sult. The farmers wanted too many
acres to plant to com, cotton, wheat or
tobaevo. They permitted the rains to
wash away the surface soil and leave
the clav or limestone strata. There
was no economic system In the work
of retaining soli fertility. Now all Is
changed. The farmer, who iloes not
go to the city to find work, Is an edu
cated man In all that makes up a prof
itable tiller of the soil. IIo works not
only for a home and temporary aliode,
but because there Is profit In handling
the products of his fields.
Tho trend of thought toward the land
ns an Investment will not bo changed
In many years. There Is something
tangible in the cultivated fields, or
chards nnd gardens. Tho world must
be toJ f nun the products of the land,
ilf tlv t which humanity requires Is not
'growa In the United States It will be
' Imported from other couutrles. The
raelflc coast farmer ha a rlvnl In tht
Japanese farmer. It Is for him to
decide' which shall occupy the marked
nt borne and abroad. But the American
with business tendencies doc not. hi'sv
Itate. Mi. sees Hie opportunities In tho
land nnd Is hastening to grasp them
before It Is too late. Here Is nnollMT
lesson for the? young man of to-day.
Seattle Lent
LUXURY IN RANCH HOUSE.
fat (tana unit Ollvenrnr
f;lfl for linrMi,
A little one story, six-room. In:ig
rarich house- In Lander, Wyo., with
sage-brush hind stretching away from
It In nil directions and with only a
lumbering mountain stage coach,
drawn by four horses, connecting It
with the outside) world, has lu It moro
than any other house, public or pri
vate, In the State.
Arnpahoo txnists not near fifty Bonis
oil told. I'.ut the traveler going by
stage from Lander to Shoshone will
find Its ranch an uncommonly good one
nt which to stay over night, for Mrs.
Becke-r, Its gracious hostess, does not
spend all her money on ornaments for
her table?. She nhvnys makes enough
to pay two first-class Chines? cooks
nnd to supply her table with delica
cies. Many ranch houses look neither more
nor less Inviting from the outside
than does this one. Illrt, jsior food,
cracked dishes, wretches! service anil
Insufferably bad Is-ds c-omisise the ac
commodations. The traveler Is agree
ably surprl.-ed, then, when he finds the
wealth of cut glass, china and silver
ware which graces Mrs. Booker's table,
excellent service, every delicacy that'
a city market affords, cleanliness ev
erywhere, easy chairs and couches,
beds fresh and comfortable, and an at
mosphere of refinement.
Mrs. Becker's cut glass, china and
silverware are the pride and the de
light of Arapahoe, and all the coun
tryside round about It Even the In
dians who have got a glimpse of them
regard them with a sort of proprietary
Interest Not long ago Mrs. Becker
sent an order to New York for a thou
sand dollars' worth of cut glass, and
that thousand dollars' worth is not all
she has. Besides her valuable collec
tion of cut glass, china and silverware,
Mrs. Becker has many hundred dolIaraT
worth of Navajo blankets and Indian
curios. She made an army officer's
wife a present of $.") or worth
of blankets and curios recently and
thought nothing of It. She Is a West
ern woman and does things In a West
ern way.
Not long ago Mrs. Becker gave a
party at her ranch house, to which she
Invited some of the best known folk la
Lauder, and army olflcers and their
wives from Fort Washakie. It was a
unique society function. Each of the
numerous guests went home with a
costly gift from the hostess. One
young lady was given a saddle, an
other a beautiful and costly souveair
siHxm, with an elk's tooth set In the
handle, and others received gifts equal
ly valuable. Galveston News.
PRUNES CUTTING OUT PRISMS.
Supply of Fruit Com In if from Cali
fornia EnconraicInK to Landladies.
When one thinks of all the board
lnghouse breakfasts In the country It
Is not surprising that more than 100,
(.HXU n.hi pounds of prunes are eatea
yearly in the Luited States.
l'rior to 18-StJ the supply came al
most wholly from France and the Dau
ublan provinces, and sold under the
designation of French and Turkish
prunes.
In that year prunes of American
growth appeared on the market and
with each succeeding year the supply
has Increased, until the iiujiortation
of foreign fruit has heen reduced to
extremely small proportions.
Most of our prune supply Is from
California. In Santa Clara County
alone there nre 3,700,000 trees grow
ing on 37,000 acres, 100 trees to tha
acre. The quantity of prunes there
exceeds HO.OOH.ooo pounds more than
enough for the requirements of the
whole country, but tho excess Is need
ed to supply the export demand.
In September the fruit ripens and
is gathered hy spreading sheets under
the trees and shaking the branches.
The fruit Is taken to the warehouse,
whore It Is graded in size and passed
through a boiling hot liquid, in which
process it Is cleaned and the outer skin
softened. It is then spread out In
trays 8 foot by 3 feet In sh:e, nnd ex
posed to tho heat of the sun for three
to eight days, depending upon weather
conditions.
Ton thousand trays of fruit spread
out In one unbroken tract may be seen
In Santa Clara in the drying season.
When sulllciontly cured tho prunes are
stored In separate bins nnd there al
lowed to sweat, this process taking
from ton to twenty days, when they
nre ready for marketing. What to
Eat
Content.
"Don't you sometimes wish you had
your life to live over?" said the pessim
ist "And go through that spell of hot
weather again?" rejoined the optimist
"Not for anything." Washington Stir.
All llltlh Flyer.
"Are you Interested In airships, Mrs.
GotemoffV"
"Heirships! I am, Indeed, Mr. Swat
ley. I have three unmarried daugh
ters." Boston Trnnscrlpt.
When a man gets oft something
funny, it tickles him more than any one
else.
Considering how popular It Is, "L
forgot" U a mighty pour excuse