RUSSIA'S
HELPLESS fLEET
Black Sea Squadron
Made Ineffective by
the Treaties Which
CloscthcDardanellcs
r OQO-
FULLY one-third of the Russian
navy U Itiipr.W'iiit a by treaty in
tli Black Kra. l-'xceptlng for
four destroyers which were built
on the Baltic, and wero permitted by
the Porte to ilum to Kebntpol after
their armament had been remove.!, and I
tho merchant vee which are In the
auxiliary and volunteer fleet, none of
the ship hna ever panned through (he
Dardanelles. Tho entire Black 8n
fleet, Including all classes of ships,
number Ki3 vckhcN, and include 8
battleships, 0 cruisers, 12 Run venae!,
1 auxiliary cruiser, in' volunteer
stcamahlpM. 10 dcatmycrs, it) flrt-in
and 03 second rlaa torpedo lxatH. The
tonnage represented dy the trj la
considerably morn ttinu than half of
the entire Japanese navy, yet, owing
to Uio nuineriMiM trentles and conven
tion which have cum. 4 the Darda
nelles to all foreign lighting ships, the
RInck Sen fleet renin In Inert
Since the time when It been me evi
dent that hostilities In the fur Hunt
were Inevitable several diplomatic at
tempt to have tliN powerful fleet re
leaned f io)ii lt Imprisonment were re
jMtrted to hiive been made by Russia,
itomo of the fleet, It must be admitted,
would be uiuible to mnke the long voy
age to the fur Kant, and perhnpa would
lie of little effect If they did. On the
other hn lid, the formidable battleship
uadron, while not of tho Intcat type,
European aide, called the "Key to
Contant!nople;M Ak bath I LIman, the
ancient Krt of Kestoa; A by do, Juat
opMMte tlit arene of lender's awlm
tiling, and, later, of lord Byron's. Ro-
tow una uea inanak-Kaieaai, aouie
tlme called Dardanelles.
Hugged Beauty of the Dardanelles.
A tho Dardanelles, the Men of Mar
rrora and the Bosphurus are all with
in tlie Ottoman Empire, the Turklah
Covernment has always contended
that no foreign warshlg should be al
lowed at any time to pats through.
Owing to the same International Jeal
ousies which have prolonged the life
of the Rick Man of Europe, the Porte
has been able to have Its position
strengthened by treaties and by a con
vention of the European powers. Tho
various treaties, etc., referring to the
cloning of the atralt to foreign ships
of war may be autniunrlzcd ns follows:
IStiO, January 5. Treaty. Great
Ilrltaln and Turkey. Dardanelles and
I'oNphoru cloned to ship of war of
foreign atatcs when the Tort Is at
peace.
1822 Notification. Turkey. Bon-
phoru closed to merchant ships of
power not having treaties.
1-S2U, October 7 Treaty. Russia and
Turkey. Trade to be opened to all
friendly power.
182J September 14 Treaty. Russia
and Turkey. Iilack Sea and straits
the United BUte will sooner or later
be compelled to depart from tradition
A GENTLEWOMAN.
ed trd!y git to the trough thout
help an' he'd say. 'If I'd on'y held off.
I might a b'en dxlvla' around ta my
ami aotlla foe !1 time tha t.1 Near ft the far. SO dear the TeS
Eastern question by turning out the LicU mirrored each uw thought's sor-, ktrrUjM ter-dai
Turks and becoming reponlbl fori - . . -it got so at last folks hated to be
the peace of the Turkish States In Ba- ttlta tL. bf0W I f I around him, he was so everla.tla' de-
rojie. Dreamlike as this proposition jo nrrlm stranrer oa'sr would know prested about that oil welL But one
day a tramp coma along an' ast V.ux
' I fer a job o' work. Old Man Kennedy
not Th children wished that ah could see, j made a Jump an' ketched him by the
coat collar.
but lurkM that, tr some alchemy
Of till divine.
Dear grandma felt the aunset'e gold.
And drank. In deep draught manifold,
October's wine.
sppeara. there are those in Europe who ; Graudma waa LliuJ!
hare faith in it accomplishment.
the United Mate the Idea has
even the stability of a vision.
Not only Is the Dardanelles forti
fied, but the Iioephorus bristles with
forts In pairs strung out iUmg It
length at Interrals of two mile. As
th Russian Block Kea battleships art In ,arI, .pr,0Ct lhronsh otWi TltWf
the roost heavily armored In the world No tender bud of paleit hu
i.oiild pu her by;
Th starlit nitfht were more aereD.
And brighter wer th leave' first green,
And April's sky.
With Joy ih heard th robin's song
When other deemed th winter long.
And only tmiled;
Then, In th firelight' rosy glow.
lold quainteHt tale of long go,
tor tah grandchild.
Jler rraolon life had aervtd its day,
let lingered atill to (how th way
To atrajrinf feet:
To pour the cup of water cold
or thou who eoaght th path of old.
Faint with th heat
Thua, gliding gently down the yearsj
She cave, to many, irnile for tear, '
lir Ixve'a great law:
Till, aa a mountain' mixt la reft.
Death broke the, seals which life had left.
And grandma saw!
Home Journal.
It has been suggested that th was
dons for the purpo of attempting th
parage of the straits, should necessity
erer arise.
The fthlpe of the Fleet.
Two of the Mark Kea battleships,
the Knyai Totemkln and the Trla
Zvlatitella, are very speedy ships for
their else, both being able to do sevej
teen knots an hour.
Id addition to the fleet mentioned,
two powerful 13,0ton battleships
the Zlatoust and the Eratafl which
are to have an elghteen-knot speed, are
being built, and two protected "miseri,
a new tyi for the Black Sea, of 0,643
tons, with twenty-three-knot speed,
sre also being built These are to be
named the Kngul and the Otchakow,
and are part of the new Russian naval
program, which provides for five in,
tlOOton battleships, the largest In the
world the largest English tttlehipi
being in,XV) tons each, and the Con
necticut class for the United States but
30,00) tons, the nearest approach to
which claas are alx French ships of
14,602 tons each.
One advantage the Russian Black
8ea fleet possesses over those of other
powers Is the sbillty of some of the
fchlps to burn oil. The Caspian oil
field are not so distant that petroleuoi
1
e r
is, on the whole, henvlly armored, and
nrries batteries of effective, size. Th
destroyers nro of the most modern
type, and from the first-clnas torpwlo
bouts a strong flotilla could be formed.
. It is nliiiont lmpoBHibe to entirely
divorce any consideration of the Rus
sian Iilnck Sen flet and the history of
tho Durdnelles, for the fleet has been
-organized and built expecliilly to meet
the conditions. Originally it win con
ceived' with the Idea of commanding
the shores of thnt immense Inland
eea, nnd to bo able,-If the necessity
should arise, to usHlst any operation
against Turkey.
A Vast Inland Sea.
The Black ISeu is a very large body
of Inland water. Some Idea of Its sl?e
may best be given by calling to mind
that Its area Is about that of the Mid
die States and Mississippi combined.
In figures it mny bo expressed as 1(13,
711 square miles. Us only outlet Is
through the Bosphorus, the Bea of
'Marmora and the Dardanelles into the
Aegean Sea, an arm of the Mediter
ranean. The Bosphorus and the Dar
danelles are two narrow straits, and,
consequently, easily fortified, although
It mny be asserted thnt the Turkish
forts are not Gibraltar's, by any means.
At Its greatest width the Bosphorus
is not over two and a quarter miles,
and Us tortuous course is nineteen
miles long. The Dardanelles Is a wind
ing body of water, forty-five miles
long, and avernglng two miles, In
width. The latter Is at one point only
800 yards .wide, and here, on the
Asiatic side, are the fortresses of
Channk-Kalo and Kum-KaH, and on
tho European side Sed-ll-Buhr and
Knlld-Bnhr. The latter Is generally
apoken of as "The Key of the Sea," or
4,Tho Castle of Europe." All four forts
liave some modern ordnance, the
Asiatic being commanded by 200
Krupp cannon, yet there remain some
ancient brass cannon of Immense size
which are capable of hurling stoneshot
of from 20 to 29 Inches In diameter,
which are not nearly so terrible as
their appearance would suggest
' The forty-five miles of the Dardan
elles, whose shores, although not such
a panorama of beauty as those of the
Bosphorus, are still full of fine plctur-;
esqueness, are bordered by rugged
mountains, rising one behind the other,
brown and barren on the European
side, and by low, wooded hills on the
Asiatic. Important towns dot the way,
Among them, at the entrance to the
Sea of Marmora, are Galllpoli, on the
opened to merchant vessels of Russia,
and to those of all powers at peace
with the Porte.
1S40. July 15 Convention. Great
Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia and
Turkey. Dardanelles and Bosphorus
closed to foreign ships of war when
the Porte Is at pence.
1S11, Muy 3 Convention. Great
Ilrltaln, Austrln, France, Prussia.
Russia and Turkey. Dardanelles and
Bosphorus closed to foreign ships of
wnr when tho IVirte Is at pence. Fir
mln for light vessels of war for service
of missions.
1844, Dec. 24 Regulation. Turkey.
Protection of Dardanelles and Bos
phorus as to passage of sailing vessels
and steamers through the straits bo
tween sunset and sunrise.
1850, March 30 General treaty,
Great Britain, Austria, France, Prus
sia, Russia, Sardinia and Turkey. Lim
itation of Russian and Turkish naval
forces; non-establishment of military-
maritime arsenals.
1871. March 13 Trenty, Great Brit
ain, Austria, France, Prussia. Italy,
Russia and Turkey. Abrogation of
treaty of March 30, 1836, respecting
non-limitation of forces and establish
ment of arsenals.
Russia' Obligation Largely Moral.
While these documents distinctly
shut iu the Russian Black Sea fleet, it
has been held that the obligation of
Russia to live up to the treaties is
largely moral. On tho other hand, the
United States has never recognized the
right of the Turk to close the Sea of
Marmora or the Black Sea to fighting
(-hips, and in 1808 a bint that Admiral
Sampson and the fleet that had swept
Cervera's squadron from the. seas
would knock at the gates and seek re
diess for the Armenian outrages, had a
good effect upon the Porte. It has been
held that Russia, believing destiny will
make her mistress of Turkey sooner or
later, is secretly glad of the acts
which have closed the entrance to the
Black Sea. If the great White Bear
ever does get control, It can easily be
imagined how such treaties would be
cherished and Insisted upon.
The hopes of Russia, In this direc
tion, If they do exist, must be of the
slightest England desires the Dar
danelles closed because It would com
pel a very considerable Increase of her
Mediterranean, squadron, for she here,
as in other parts of the world, finds It
essential to her national existence to
be mistress. Some years ago a certain
United States Senator predicted that
may not be economically transported
i . i. i. , , .
iu iuo ooruers or me sea, and, as
against coal, the fuel is cheap and
economically carried. Unfortunately
nn on uinic is not protection to the
boilers when tho ship is in action; but
wnen an 18 Inch armor belt girds tha
ship the likelihood of a projectile find
ing Its way to the vitals is rather re
mote. Yet owing to a desire for high-
nngle fire, the Russian designers have
made ships that are considered dan
gerousiy nign out of the water. They
loon, terrible and Impressive, but, un
luckily, they are tho best of targets.
roiwiuistanaing tne reported at
tempts to have this large fleet released
there are reasons to believe that at the
present time Russia feels much safer
having It where it is, for It is no secret
that the ships were built with the
single idea of punishing the "Sick Man
of Europe" sooner or later. Philadel
phia Ledger.
The Country Store
41 1 ,,,..t....H.44" H-
1
'D AS lief trade with yon as send
for my groceries," said the old
farmer to the country storekeeper,
but by Jucks, I don't propose to pay
you no four prices for sugar."
"The way I flgger It I'll be makln'
half a cent a pound," said the store
keeper, sarcastically. "That sounds
purty steep, I know, but by the time
I allow for shrinkage an' storage an'
pay my taxes an' s'port my family out
o' that half cent I ain't goln to lay
up much fer my old age."
The old farmer grunted and then.
laying that he would look around a
spell, he slowly departed.
I had a chance to sell ont here
four years ago," said the storekeeper,
You're the dum villain 'at beat
me out o my oil well In Peansylva-
nlaT he says. 'I've a notion to lick
yer.
The feller looked at him sorter
hard an' then he aays, 'Well, consarn
me! I'd never have knowed yon. Yon
was as lean ss a rail when we made
that trade an' now I bet yon weigh
250. Bay! What are you klckin' about,
anyway? Do you own this farm 7
"Yes, says Kennedy; 'but If yon
hadn't bilked me out o' my oil well I
might have owned ha'f o' Pittsburg.'
" 'It you hadn't met me you'd have
b'en grubbln' rock on that place yet
If you wasn't In the poorhonse,' says
the feller. 'Your denied oil well gush
ed Jest long enough to get me to put
my $150,000 back Into It an' then It
gushed out You bilked me out o
$5,000 that's what you done an' I
gueis the least you c'n do now is ter
give me a Job an' suthln' ter eat'
"That took Old Man Kennedy back
an' be finerly give the feller a Job
plowln' corn an' the feller worked a
week an' then talked Kennedy Inter
advancln him a month's wages an'
stole his best horse an' buggy an' lit
out fer parts unknown."
That orter 've cured him taikln'
about his oil well," observed the store
keeper.
"It did," replied Hancock. "But be
never got over taikln' about the pedi
gree an' gait of the horse the feller
stole." Chicago Dally News.
BBS?!
;l,:ih S8H:l1
HOW CODFISH ARE CAUGHT.
"THET DICKERED ABOtntD."
Reed Save 8ues Banks.
When the Suez Canal was first con
templated there were many misgivings
as to the possibility of preventing the
sand from filling up the channel and
many suggestions were made as to
the best means of preserving the In
tegrity of the banks. But it has been
discovered that nature has provided
the most efficient means of protecting
the water way from injury, and a bet
ter one than the sun-burned brick or
sandstone in use along certain parts of
the canal.
This natural safeguard Is a fringe
of reeds, which grows thickly oa the
African side below Ismallla. The Sues
Canal Company Is making an attempt
to raise these reeds for transplanting
to other places, but the difficulty Is
that they must be reared in fresh wa
ter, although in after life they readily
adapt themselves to salt waters.
On the Asiatic shore of the canal no
fresh water Is procurable, but the
difficulty should not be Insuperable,
and then the Suez Canal will grow Its
own embankment When this time
shall have come a waving green bul
wark of reeds will mark both banks
of the great ship canal
, Wheat Yield of Russia. '
The average yield of wheat in Rus
sia Is less than half that of the Unit
ed States, '
Occasionally a man declines a nomi
nation for office If thwe la no chance
for his election.
addressing Sol Baker. "Blame my cats
if I know why I didn't There ain't
no money in the grocery business any
more. Every time a man gits $10 In
cash he studies up the St Looey mar
ket quotations an' then comes around
to figger with me on a bill o' goods. If
I make him a price on a pair o' over
alls or a plow clevis he pulls a mail
order catalogue on me an' shows me
how much cheaper he can git It by
sendln' off fer it If I'd 'a' sold when
I'd had the chance I might have gone
Into the hotel business an' made
money."
"An' you might have gone Inter the
hotel business an' gone busted," ob
served Hank Judklns, the Gooseneck
school trustee "Quit your kickin',
Rufe."
"Rufe reminds me of old man Ken
nedy an' the chance he missed," said
Wash Hancock. "Afore he moved in
ter Mizzoura an' bought the Bush
place with its brick bouse an' 500 acres
o' corn land, pascher an' white oak
timber he owned a forty-acre farm in
Pennsylvanler where he had to dig
holes to bury the rocks he'd pick off
the land, after he'd fenced with 'em
an' built his house an' stable with
'em. He jest made out to keep the
breath o' life In his body an' hide on
the ribs of his ox team an' that was
all, for years. But finerly a feller
come around an' 'lowed that the rock
was an extra fine quality for bridge
fillln' an offered ter buy the place an'
take his chances o' findin' a bridge fer
fill.
'Old Man Kennedy sorter smelled
suthln' an' 'ast the feller ter make an
offer. tThe feller offered $1,000 straight
up. Kennedy'd be'n glad to have
taken $200 afore that, but he smelled
Buthin' stronger "ylt an' he said $10,000
was the lowest flgger he 'lowed ter
take for it. Well, they dickered
around the best part of a week an'
finerly the feller gave him $5,000,
Then he socked down a drill an' the
nex' thing he had an oil well that he
sold fer $150,000.
"That broke - Old Man Kennedy's
heart His grief was suthln' perthet-
lc When he come here an' began
dlckerln' fer the Bush place he looked
s if he'd Jest berried all his kin.
"Well, he done well with the place.
He was a worker from away back an'
that there bottom land is mighty good
land. Inside o' three years he had the
$3,000 balance o' the purchls paid an'
money In the bank besides. But he
couldn't git over sellln' his Pennsyl
vania rock pile fer $5,000 when he
might have got $150,000 for It
"He'd lean over the hog pen where
the hogs was so rollln' fat that they
Trawls with 3,000 Hook Baited in th
Day and Left Over Might.
Cod fishing Is done with dories and
trawls. The dories are flat bottomed.
sloping sided boats, which fit into one
another in the ship's waist, economiz
ing space thereby.
Each dory takes two men, and the
whole crew, except the captain and
the cook, go off In them every suitable
day, and set the trawls in the water
outward from the ship like spokes
from the hub of a wheeL Trawls are
long lines, each .with 3,000 hooks at
tached at intervals of a yard, every
hook baited with some smaller fish.
either herring, caplln, or squid, that
the cod affects. The trawls are an
chored at each end, baited In the day,
left lying over night and are stripped
of their accumulation of fish next
morning, being baited again when
overhauled." -
The fish are taken to the vessel in
the dories, eviscerated, washed, and
salted. This routine continues until
the bait Is exhausted, and then the
vessel returns home, lands the fish,
takes more bait and salt and goes out
again. At St Pierre her catch is taken
In hand by the graviers and women
who submerge it in crates until the
salt has been washed off. Then they
scrub each fish with a hard, coarse
brush, and pile them in heaps to drain.
This done, they are next spread on- the
beaches to dry in the sunlight and air,
The beaches consist of several acres of
flat ground, covered with basalt stones
worn round by the motion of the sea
for ages.
The stony fields surround St Pierre
and thousands of cod are displayed
there on a fine day. Every evening,
or if fog or rain threatens, the fish are
gathered up again and are covered
with tarpaulins. The process ie repeat
ed until the fish are quite dry and
hard. Dry fish are piled in round
stacks, the rest In oblong ones. When
a sufficient quantity to load a vessel Is
obtained it Is packed Into her bold and
shipped to market The extent of the
cod fishing of Mlquelon and St Pierre
may be Indicated by the record of the
catch of those islands in 1902, which
waa 72,500,000 pounds. Booklovers'
Magazine.
Neuralgia. This dlaease so common
In Colorado Is difficult to cure.' Try
one drop of the fluid extract of aplos
in a spoonful of water every half hour
until relieved. Keep the feet and body
warm.
Inflamed Eyes. A very good forma-
Is composed of acetic acid twenty
grains, sulphate of morphia thirty
grains and glycerin one-half ounce.
Shake well and place one drop in the
eye night and morning.
Hives. In urticaria, known other
wise as nettle rash or hives, a dram
of carbolic acid to a pint of water Is
said to give Immediate relief to the
itching. The addition of four drams
of boric acid and two ounces of alco
hol give, more positive results.
A Remedy for Chlggers. A small
dose of pulverized sulphur, about
twice the size of a pea, taken every
two or three days will render one Im
mune to attacks from chlggers. A
person may go with impunity Into the
worst infested places after taking in
ternally a small amount of sulphur.
Flatulency. This almost universal
stomach disorder among people of sed
entary habits can be overcome by tak
ing two or three grains of the sub
nitrate of bismuth before each meal
and following thereafter with a five-
grain tablet of some of the peptonoids
procurable at any drugstore.
Cure for Night Sweats. This com
plaint may be cured by sponging the
body with salt water and patients who .
are suffering from fevers may be made
cool and comfortable by frequent
sponging with soda water. In all
cases where the patient is likely to
chill during the sponging one limb or
a small portion of the body should be
sponged at a time and then covered
up before the next part Is touched.
To Open a Boil Painlessly with a
Knife. Take a piece of soft linen,
smear a little vaseline or other unc
tions substance on one side, pour chlo
roform on the other side and quickly
apply over the boll or carbuncle. Place
a bandage or compress over It It will
smart a little at first, followed soon by
a pleasing cool sensation. Change the
cloth often, applying the chloroform
each time and In from two hours to a
day the boll will soften and open no
matter how bard It may be.
Nose Bleed. A very simple and
easy method for controlling nose bleed
that may prove valuable to manv per
sons living in the country where a
physician is not procured as easily aa
in the cities. Is to take a piece of fat
bacon two and one-half , Inches in
length and of sufficient size, cut It :
the proper shape and as large as can
be easily forced into the nostril. Press -into
the bleeding nostril and let It re
main several hours. It controls the
hemorrhage and is not uncomfortable.
The Human Figure.
The ancient Greeks produced the
greatest sculptors the world has ever
seen, and made the human figure their
especial study. It Is to them we owe
the measurements here given, and by
which they made all their statues.
From the crown to the nape of the
neck Is one-twelfth the stature of a
perfectly formed man. The hand.
from the wrist to the end of the mid
dle finger, is one-tenth of the total
height man of good proportion is
as tall as the distance between the
tips of his fingers, when both arms
are extended to full length. The face
from the highest point of the fore
head, where the ' hair begins, to the
end of the chin, Is one-tenth of the
whole stature. If the face, from the
roots of the hair to the chin, be di
vided Into three equal parts, the first
division determines the place where
the eyebrows should meet, the second
the opening of the nostrils. The pro
portions of the human figure are six
times the length of the right foot
Whether the form is slender or plump
the rule holds good, on an average.
Any deviation from the rule is a de
parture from the beauty of proportion.
LIGHTS FOR THE MARINER.
United State Have 9,000 finch filgnala
on Coast and Water Ways.
There are 9,000 burning lights and
signals stretched along the American
coaBts, forming a perfect link, so that
the navigator never need be beyond
sight of one of the beacons. One thou
sand of these are located on the At
lantic coast, 1,500 are scattered along
the rivers and inland waterways, 500
on the great lakes and 200 on the Pa
cific coast
Of the grand total, including light
houses of different classes, buoys, bea
cons and danger signals 3,000 are light
ed, giving forth their warnings at
night time. Of these a score or more
throw a beam of 100,000 candle power.
To maintain the light house service a
corps of over 4,000 men Is constantly
employed and a fleet of more than fif
ty vessels. No service in the world
exceeds in completeness and efficiency
that of, the United States.
A modern American lighthouse of
the -first class cost betwen $100,000
and $200,000, and of this about one
third is spent for the electric light and
apparatus alone. Beside one of them
Egyptian Canopus or Rhodes' "perfect
Idol, with profulgent brows," whose
rays streamed down the purple seas
to Mlzralm, would shine as tapers In
the Mediterranean night, with no place
among the Beven wonders of the world
and hardly worth noticing. :
Failed to Recognize It,
"You told me that moonstone pin
would bring me good luck," said the in
dlgnant heiress, "and now Count Slim
purse has proposed to another girl and
this morning my poodle was found
cold in death."
"My dear young lady," calmly re-
poined the optimistic Jeweler with the
bald pate, "what better luck could you
ask fori"
Getting His Money's Worth.
Jinks Yes, I always take my boy
along when I go to the minstrels.
That's the only way I can get my
money's worth. ,
Blnks How so? ' '
Jinks The music is new to me, and
the Jokes are new to him. New York
Weekly.
' A Proviso -"Do
you think a candidate ought to
talk?"
"Oh, yes," answered the candidate.
"He ought to talk now and then; but
at the same time he should be careful
not to say anything." Washington
Star. .,'