TIMELY TOPICS.
Engineering in China has certainly
achieved a notable triump In the bridge
at Lagang, over an arm of the China sea.
This structure is five miles long, built
entirely of stoDe, has 300 arches seventy
feet high, thf roadway is seventy feet
wide, and the pillars are seventy-five feet
part.
Certain portions of New Mexico abound
in petrifications of various kinds. It is
no uncommon sight to see trees three
feet in diameter and fifty feet long pet
rified and often crystallized. The crys
tals red, yellow, black or white are
often very beautiful, and would make
handsome ornaments for Eastern par
lors. One of the latest anecdotes of Colonel
Burnaby, killed in the Soudan, is that
when in Africa with Gordon one of the
native tribes, captivated with his feats of
strength, wished to make him their king.
To convince him of their sincerity they
threw the old king into a river, and it
was only with the greatest difficulty that
Burnaby succeeded in inducing them to
allow the monarch to swim out.
In 1884 there was not a single death
from smallpox in either New York or
Brooklyn. Boston, Baltimore and San
Francisco had each one death ; Chicago,
two, Cincinnati twenty-two, Philadel
phia thirty-five and "New Oxleans 291.
New York takes the lead in deaths by
measles, diphtheria and whooping cough ;
Philadelphia in deaths by scarletina and
typhoid fever, while Boston heads the
list with deaths by diarrhoeal diseases,
having over 800 cases more than New
York.
This is an age of shams, and the art
of giving to bronzes an appearance of
antiquity is not the least of them. This
is readily done by applying a mixture of
ground horseradish and vinegar to the
places on the statue which it is desirable
to stain a verdigris green. It will take
three or four days to work the trans
formation. Meanwhile the horseradish
must be kept wet with vinegar. In the
Art Amateur, from which we glean this
information, we are also told that by
pamung a piaster cast wiih jew iueea,
wax dissolved in turpentine itan-in a
short, time be hardly distinguishable
from real ivory.
The New York Timet asserts that the
sagacity of cows is generally underrated.
A great deal is said of dogs and horses,
but the ingenuity displayed by cows in
opening barn doors, feed boxes, and
gates, and in upsetting fences far sur
passes that of any other farm animal,
and proves them to be thinking and
reasoning creatures. Oue who has
watched the eloquent eye of a cow en
gaged in withholding her milk cannot
fail to be impressed with her evident
power of thought and determined will.
And now as a further proof of the cow's
sagacity Mr. Coles Carpenter says one of
his herd goes to the pump when the
water trough is empty, and, taking the
pump handle between her horns, pumps
water into the tub and satisfies her
thirst, and will even pump more if the
supply is not satisfactory. This story,
perhaps, goes far enough, if not too far,
for it will certainly encourage the dis
honest milk and water men to charge
some ambitious and vain cow with dilu
ting her own milk for the purppse of in
creasing her record.
The sculptor of King George on horse
back, set up in the city of Hull, went
and killed himself when a young street
arab pointed out what all the critics had
overlooked, that the rider was without
stirrups. Boston has a similar case ex
cept that the effect of the criticism on
the sculptor has not yet been reported.
Boston has always been very proud of
her equestrian statue of Washington by
Thos. Ball, located on the public garden.
It is the one figure of all Boston which the
critics admit is excellent. Even foreign
ers state that there is nothing finer in
Europe. The horse has been declared
perfect. When they laugh at what they
are pleased to term our monstrosities in
the way of statues we have led the carp
ing critic to our Washington and ex
claimed with pride, ''Look at this." A
good Bostoman had a friend from the
country whom he introduced to the
atatue. The old gentleman looked at it
lynetime and finally exclaimed: "A
'erydid horse, but he hain't got na
erVe.". All these years no Bostoo
ti has discovered that a horse with
bus.
the bits in his mouth would naturally
show his tongue.
All the North Americans who have
spent any time in Venezuela think it
might be made one of the richest and
most prosperous countries on the globe.
It has three distinct climates, ranging
from unendurable cold to the intensest
heat. Mines of the precious and other
metals and coal these are unworked
and the finest tropical products abound,
with any quantity of valuable woods
and native cattle. The soil is, in the
main, very rich, producing two crops
without fertilization or irrigation. Ven
ezuela's greatest length is 000 and its
greatest breadth 770 miles, giving it,
with the islands, a territory equal to
France, Spain and Portugal. Its pres
ent population is not much more than
two millions about equal to this city
and its suburbs though it might easily
support fifty times as many people. The
curse or the so-called republic, as oi
all South America, is the character of
its inhabitants, chiefly half-breeds and
hybrids ; the whites not being more than
one per cent, of the whole. Occupied
by North Americans, Venezuela would
be one of the most productive and opu
lent regious of the earth.
There is a law in San Francisco, aimed
especially at the Chinese, requiring that
sleeping apartments shall contain 500
cubic feet of pure air to each occupant.
Recently two San Francisco police offi
cers made raids on two lodging-houses
in the Chinese quarter and arrested forty
seven violators of the law. As a matter
of precaution so that he might be able
to identify the prisoners when they came
into court, one of the officers marked each
with a small sign written with an analine
pencil. When the defendants were
brought before the judge they were rep
resented by counsel who declared that
as a separate cdmplaint had been filed
against each party accused, each would
have to be tried separately. The first
one called up was found guilty, he hav
ing been identified by the small mark on
his neck. In the language of the day,
the other defendants "got on to the mark
business," and in a few minutes forty
six Chinamen were each observed wet-
tip of the right index finger
f nfiva and rubbing the spot where
1 - vu
oru.
- mi ,vM.v, ua v--00"- x v
fr LvLZ--i-2ie called for trial, but each
?3en. Tiso-more of the
L JDe 'discharged, as the officer was
unable to find the identification mark.
The cases of the others were postponed.
Perhaps the sign of the three balls is
the saddest in a city. It is associated in
the minds of a great part of the com
munity with bohemianism and is never
mentioned in polite society. The pawn
shop, however, contains more that is in
teresting and romantic than the finest col
lection of bric-a-brac in the country. In
it is found the last trifle of many a poor
wretch, who has gone to the land from
which no traveler returns to redeem pawn
pledges. The spoils ' of murderers, the
treasurers of love, the homely possessions
of the pauper, are mingled indiscrimin
ately awaiting the return of owners who
never come. The Montreal Star pub
lishes a catalogue of unredeemed articles
for sale by a pawnbroker of that city.
The list is one of great interest and
doubtless represents untold volumes of
curious human history. The list num
bers thousands of articles, and includes
almost everything which pertains to
man's personal comfort or luxury. One
of the most striking features of the cata
logue is the large number of trousers un
redeemed by their owners. The con
trasts are striking in some cases. A dia
mond pin is advertised just under the
notice of a toothpick, while two pieces
of ladies' underwear appeal to the public
above a line describing a gold signet
ring. lo those who enjoy speculating
on the curious ups and downs, of human
life such a list is full oi suggestion.
For the first time in English warfare
balloons are to be utilized in the Soudan
campaign. The transport Queen has
sailed from the Thames with the balloon
and telegraph corps for the Suakim ex
peditionary force. Three balloons are
taken out with all the necessary appli
ances to be used for taking observations
of the enemy's positions. All have been
made at the school of engineering. Com-
)ressed hydrogen for inflating the bal
oons is carried in iron cylinders twelve
feet long by one foot diameter, but these
are only for a reserve supply, and, weigh
ing half a ton each, will be left behind
at the base of operations, where, also, a
gas factory and a pumping station will
be put ud. Materials for this purpose are
on board the ship, including a small cas
holder, and all the necessary chemicals
for making more gas are provided.
About a hundred lighter cylinders,
easily carried by men, form part of the
equipment. Each of these, which are
nine feet long, contains 120 feet of hy
drogen in a compressed state, and as they
are emptied they will be taken back to
be recharged at the Suakim station. One
wagon, containing one ton of stores, will
suffice for a balloon ascent. Captive as
cents only will be made, In which the
balloon will bo tethered by rope or wire,
both of which are taken. Communica
tion by telephone will be established be
tween the car and the ground, and the
chief employment of the balloons will be
to take observations of the enemy's
movements.
It is illustrative of our times that the
English government, as part of its plan
of bringing the Soudan under control,
ha3 contracted with an American firm to
run a line of pipe across the desert from
Suakim to Berber to carry water. The
distance is 260 miles and the tanks will
be placed about thirty miles apart. It is
claimed that 150 gallons of water a
minute can be delivered by this method.
This will overcome a serious difficulty,
and while it will require guards along
the line, it will not be a serious matter
to maintain these. Should a railroad be
built, England will have the facilities
not only for maintaining military control
but also for commercial development.
Thus as successive steps are taken, each
under the compulsion of necessity, the
revelation is made of new possibilities in
the desert regions of the Soudan. In
time artesian wells will provide abund
ant supplies of water; but pending this,
the pipes proposed will meet present
need3. Modern skill is meeting the num
berless emergencies of the race and facili
tating the conquest of the material
world. The new revelation of means
whereby supposed insuperable difficul
ties are overcome seems to just meet
emergencies that have hitherto not re
quired solution. It has become neces
sary to have speedy, certain and easy
communication with the Upper Nile.
The cataracts prevent the ascent of the
river, and the route from Suakin to Ber
ber across the desert i3 the only one feas-
im At. nnrA thu niftifiilrnn ara nn,
dimculties
rsidered. The rcrato will not admit of
jfche passage of a marching column with
out great difficulty and suffering. The
lack of water and the sands of the desert
are the trouble. The water difficulty is
to be met by the method we have in "use
for transporting oil, and the sands will
be traversed by iron rails
Coats of Mail Worn by Arabs.
uoats oi man are still in use among
some oi the bouaanese Arab tribes.
Whether original or a copy, says Colonel
Colbourne, in speaking of ne of these
coats of armor, it was undoubtedly the
dress of the Crusaders. The hauberk of
mail was fastened round the body by the
baltan, and formed a complete covering
irom neaa to loot, me long two
handed double-edged sword was borne
between the leg and the saddle. The
wearer of this medieval garb was Sheik
Mohammed Sebekh of the Halawin tribe
of Bagarra Arabs. His armor had been
in his family 310 years. The horse's
head was encased in steel, aud its body
covered with a quilt thick enough to
turn a spear. It was i-haped like the ar
mor one reads of in Froissart.
It has been asserted in connection with
this curious subject that the practice
survives in the Soudan aione. It may,
therefore, be well to state that it is alsc
found among the Khevsui people of the
Central Caucasus, who still habitually
wear chain armor, shields and helmets,
like mediaeval knights. In fact, it was
formerly general among all the Causas
ian tribes, and the Chechenzes of Daghe
stan still wore coats of mail down to tht
beginning of the present century.
The armor docs not appear to havi
been forged by these people themselves,
but was handed down, as among tht
Soudanese Arabs, as an heirloom fron.
generation to generation in the familiei
of the chiefs. Hence the inference thai
this armor dates everywhere from th
times of the Crusades, of which it maj
be regarded as a remarkable reminis
cence. London Athenamm,
Men of quality never appear more ami
able than when their dress is plain; theit
birth, rank, title, and its appendages are
at best invidious; and as they do not
need the assistance of dress, so, by theii
disclaiming the advantages of it, they
make their superiority set more easy.
Do; Teams In Siberia.
Engineer Mellville, of the lost Jean
nette, in his book describing the search
for Commander DeLong, thus tells how
the native Yakuts cover long distances
by aid of dog teams : There are inter
esting descriptions of the huts of these
Yakuts, .their mode of life, their food
and manners, which are too "highly
flavored " to quote. Their mode of con
veyance by dog teams is worth a few
words. "There were eleven dogs in
our team, the largest weighing about
forty-five and the lightest about twenty
five pounds, and they make the icy air
resound with their discordant solos and
chorus. I seated myself sideways on the
6led with my feet trailing on tho ground
or snow, allowing room in front for
Vasilli. Composing himself he seized
the great iron-shod staff with which he
guides the sled dogs, and when in
ill temper beats them, too, and grasp
ing the bows of the sled gave it
a gentle sway, shouting the while
to the team. Away we went with the
dogs in full cry, all yelping, snapping,
biting and seizing each other from be
hind, those in front turning round to
fight back until some were drawn off
their feet and dragged along at a fearful
rate; Vasilli, yelling at the top of his
voice, coaxed, scolded and anathematized
by turn, until at length, by dint of twist
ing and rolling over, the team became
entangled into one living mass of vicious
flesh. To pacify and disentangle the
crazy canines, Vasilli leaped upon them
with his iron-pointed guiding staff, and
the only astonishment to me was how the
brutes could live under such a heavy
basting. It if true, -some of them, after
receiving a severe blow on the small of
the back, did drag their hind legs for a few
minutes, but in the end it did not seem
to check their desire to bite and fight.
Yet they were considerably more tract
able after their first beating, and ran
along at a more even pace, following the
leaders, who in turn wero guided and
governed by Vailli's Mord of command.
"Directly the dogs had outlived their
excitement and settled strictly to their
work, they looked beautifully pictur
esque, with heads down and manes and
tails up and wagging, while only an oc
casional yelp burst from their ranks as
they scudded along the ravines and over
rivers, taking the top of the hard snow
at about six miles an hour. After a run
ofnn hour or less the dogs are usually
brought to a stop and. permitted to rest;
whereupon they stroll around and rub
the rime out of their eyes and ears, and
from their heads, and then stretching
out, lick their paws, which soon become
very sore from travel. A team can sel
dom endure more than ten days' con
tinuous work, for, no matter how well
fed, the feet wear out and bleed, and
the dogs are shortly so enfeebled as to
be almost useless. A rative will not
willingly drive his team two days in suc
cession, the custom being to travel one
day and rest the next."
. Attacked by Weasels.
Delos Lanto, an Elk county (Penn.)
farmer, has been annoyed greatly the
past winter by weasels in his poultry
yard and houses, the bloodthirsty little
animals having killed his fowls by the
score, and defied all efforts to entrap
them. On a recent Saturday Mr. Lante
was walking through a stony field on his
farm, and saw a weasel run into a big
heap of stones piled loosely in the mid
dle of the field. He had a walking stick,
and, going to the stone pile, began to
throw down stones to get at the weasel
or scare it out. Presently a weasel
jumped out and he struck at it with his
cane. It did not run away, but sprang
at Lante's throat the spot the weasel
instinctively tries to seize. The farmer
struck at it again and hit it, but it re
turned gamely to the attack.and, whether
in answer to a signal or not the farmer
does not know, weasels began to swarm
out of the stone pile on all sides, and in
a second were springing upon Lante,
climbing nimbly up his clothes, trying
to reach his face. They bit him with
their sharp teeth, and finding that he
would be unable to keep the savage lit
tle blood-suckers from fastening their
teeth in his neck without help, he shook
them off as best he could and started at
the top of his speed for liome. The
weasels followed him until he scaled the
fence. His hands were bleeding from a
dozen wounds, and if he had remained
to fight the weasels they would un
doubtedly have overpowered and killed
him. In the afternoon Mr. Lante re
turned to the stone pile with two men,
two guns and a dog. The routed out
the weasels and killed thirty a colony,
which had been devastating the entire
neighborhood for a year or more.