John Y. McKane, a Remarkable Product of Politics, JOnN Y. McKANE. The death of John T. McKane removes one of the most remarkable polit ical characters ever known to local politics in Now York State. He was born in the County Antrim, Ireland, August 10, 1841. He lived in Ireland until be was abont fonr years old, when the McKane family immigrated to this country and settled at Sbeopshead Bay, Long Island. McKane did not emoke or drink. He was a hearty, ragged, blue-eyed man with Scotch-Irish blood in his veins, who did not know what it was to become weary either of work or of political turmoil. As a boy he dng clams on the beach in summer and went to the village school in winter. Ho worked at gardening and other odd jobs nntil he was fourteen, when he was apprenticed to a carpenter. He learned the bnilding trade and laid the foundation of his wealth at this bus iness. MoKane always did what he pleased with the vote of Qravesend. In 1893 McKane was in the height of his power. William J. Oaynor, after carry ing on a fight against the McLaughlin Democracy, became a candidate for Juotioe of the Supreme Court. He made a demand on McKane for a copy of the registry lists of Coney Island. They were refused. He said over the telephone on Ootober 30. 1893: "Mr. Oavnor will find out that if he wants to get along with me the easiest way to do is not to fight me." As a result of the fight McKane became a convict in Sing Sing, and William J. Oaynor became Justice of the Supreme Court. McKane served his term, which, with rebate for trood behavior, was shortened to fonr and a half years. He was released from prison April 30, 1898. OOQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOg Terrible Effects of 8 Porto Rico's FJurricaije 8 coooooooooooocoooooooocood Poncr, Forto Bioo. The hurricane, cad as is the havoo it wronght, great as is the misery it caused, has ac complished in a day what would have taken diplomacy years to bring about. It has taught the natives that the Americans are their real friends. The Ainerioans, by their prompt and gen erous assistance, have wiped out all lingering prejndioes. Porto Bioo suffered more than any ' As regards the aotnal fiuanoial loss to the island occasioned by the hnrri cane, estimates vary. So far as I can fignro it out the loss to the whole isl and will amount to about seventy-five million pesos, or more than $30,000, 000. I This amonnt oo vers damage to bn ild ings and machinery, damage to ware houses and stores of ooffoe, tobacco and sugar; damage to this year's cane, cofl'ee and frnit crops, including esti mated loss on the next three years' BOBBB IN PONCX DEMOLISHED BY THE nuitniOANE. other colony by the hnrrionne of August 9. Every district in the isl and has been devastated. Thousands of homos have been rained, and crops upon which the whole population ile- fiendud for subsistence have been aid waste beyond retrieve for at least three years. r. -r GIBBET IN AIIECIBO. PORTO TttOO. DURING THE HURRICANE, 8HOWINU JUEIQUT OF WATF.lt ON THE HOUSED ' Porto Bico to-day is as barren as ires Cuba at the close of tue insurrec tion. Here, in Porto Bioo, fields that were onoe beautiful with waving eanea, fc...aidi bat a low dayt ago covered mm with the green coffee and banana trees now present a bare and sorry view. Homes that sheltered happy families have been washed away. The vil lages are crowded with shelterless people. The homeless to-day nnmber abont one-third of the whole population of tho island. I havo passed throngh every dis trtct from the capital to Ponce, and WRECKED CAFE IN TlkZk ADJOINING CUSTOM HOUSE, TONCE. often ridden for miles withont seeing a house loft standing. Whore the honses withstood the. wind the roofs were gone and furniture and clothing were ruined by the raiuB. It is the well-to-do who are, perhaps, to be the most pitied. Beautiful haciendas and powerful sugar factories were laid as low as the native's shack, crop; damage to live stock, and dam age to railways and shipping. It does not cover the loss sustained by the Publio Works Department, whioh will be heuvy; nor does it cover the loss to the island of capital that was con fidently expected to seek investment here this winter, and which may now bo frightened nvay. The Iobb of growing crops is, be- ttmsm -i I 1 yond question, the most serious item In the island's list of misfortunes. Everything hat been more or lets de stroyed. What t'ae burrioaue left the floodi carried away. The mar go, bread frnit and avsrate trees, upon whioh the natives depend to a great extent for enbaistenoe, have been swept bare or broken down. Only the most sheltered banana groves are left standing. The coffee crop ia wholly mined, and all but the small est of the trees have been destroyed. A coffee plant takes five years to ma tnre. The half ripe orange crop is on the ground. ' A few cane fields have escaped, but with the factories de molished these are only valuable for fodder. The wholesale, indiscriminate dis tribution of food is being stopped, else tho whole population would be como pauperized. In all centres I visited rations are now being dis tributed to tho old and infirm and to young children. To all able-bodied adults is offered work. At first this course of action caused some com plaint, but now the plan is beginning to work well, and the poor are all the more independent, and better con tented for it. The first care of the military authori ties has naturally beon for the troops. In Ponce the $5000 granted by General Davis to tho commander has been spent in cleaning np in and around the quarters. At every country station the troops are living under canvas, lu most cases the barracks have been blown down. At Aibonito not one wall of the whole barracks is left standing. The soldiers lost every thing they hod, and those in the hos pital had a narrow escape with their lives. The barracks collapsed during the 4TSC-T -MCt rTln-lnirt- first hour of the storm. Fifteen min utes after the walls had toppled in the men, who had even formed ranks out side in the pelting rain, had appointed a delegation to wait npon Captain Wheeler to ask permission to render assistance to the town. The captain joined his men. Without a thought of their own loss, without thought of any danger, the whole troop crossed the swollen river between the barracks and the town, and were soon engaged in the work of rescue, dodging pieces of flying zino or rushing into tumbling honses. On the night of the hurricane I was sleeping on my own plantation in the district of Bayamon, about ten miles from the capital. At abont half -past seven o'clock Tuesday night my cap itaza, or head man, came to the door and reported that the Government had sent out notice that a hurricane was approaching, via St. Thomas. Like many others, I did not give full cred ence to the warning. At half-past five the wind was blowing thirty miles an hour. Daylight was long in coming, for the sky was inky black. When dawn did come we could be sure the storm was not far away, and everpthing movable was taken in. Tenants began to run to us for shelter and we took them in also. At half-past seven o'olock the storm began in earnest, and in half an, hour it was impossible to stand against the wind. We had braced and tied down the roof as best we could, but one sin gle puff carried away all our stays. In half an hour our roof was gone and the rain pelting in. At ten o'olock the wind was blowing seventy-five miles an hour. Once we made a sortie, and rescued a woman and two children, but hardly had we got them inside when the bouse began to creak and groan, and we songht the open. Dodg ing flying branches of trees and stray bits of timber, we orawled along the lee side of a penguin fence to a shack, sheltered behind a bill, It was half-past twelve before the storm was over and we could venture forth. Oar house, we found, had not blown down entirely; but the wooden walls were slanted at an angle of thirty degrees. The roof was completely off and everything inside absolutely ruined by the water. It was two days before we could cross the river to get to market. Every peaaant's hut for three miles around was down. Four hundred houses on the outskirts of Bayamon were piled up in the publio road. The railroad running to San Juan bad been com pletely washed away. The higuwaj were blooked with rubbish. It was two days before supplies of bread roaehed the town. Iu the interim the people Uttd on half rip fruit. mm ts--m-e-'4-eve-n : CHILDREN'S COLUMN. j A Ills In Life. Deep In a pond lived Tsdily Pole (Tim poml win in a bog), Ami thnrn upon tho mud he met The lively l'olly Wng. Ho thotiKht hr t?rm!f fill. Bhn admired III si'tlrn twit nnd Ix-ndu, Ho snld, ,-l llko yon very ninoh!" Blie murmured, "Let's lie Irlcnds!" And frl'tKl they wore for quite awoek. Kaeh shnreil the other's swim. He never M rayed uwny from her, And ehe kipt Hof to him. Tho wntt-r hi'otle, imlllriK by. Would -mile mid rid"iy ntnro. V hilo newt ri'markml, "just look at ttant Inseparable pair!' Unt one ilny two thtnirs tmvpenod, and Thoir fri'-uiNhlp o"amd to be, For l'olly Wok nml Tnd.ly Polo Had b'ft tho p ind, you si-e. They moot m ulti'r "IriinniT now I'pon their native lion, For she's boeome n dragon fly Aud he's become a (rog. Felix Leigh. llnlthy nnd tile Mittrhrs. Bobby was unhappy most unhappy, lie knew that in the afternoon visitors were coming and that his very dirty little face would have to be wanhed. This worried Bobby to such an extent that he became quite sad at the pros pect. "Do yon know, Hobby," said the nurse, "you remind nie very much of some matches I have seen? The mere sight of soap makes them run away." Bobby was interested and begged to see them. Ho a shallow pan was tilled with water and the matches about a dozen of them placed in the middle, points to the centre. Then nurse poked the corner of a cake of soap among them; and they nil floated away as far as they co.ild. Bobby was delighted, nnd perhaps (let us whisper it) a little nHhniued. "But they love sugar," snid nurse, and, sure enough, to Bobby's astou iebment, he saw the matches coining nek again as nurse held a piece of sugar in the centre of the pan. Bobby's face is being washed now. fio while he is away nuuty will tell you the secret. 'i'he matches were ordinary ones, and yon can do the same thing yourself as nurse did, but I think it would be well to cut offtlio ends of the matches before you experi ment, Treuton Amoricau. Tnhn Krlcftnnn. John Ericsson, tho celebrated nnvi gator, inventor and builder of the Monitor, was born in the jtrovince of Vermoland, Hwedou, in 180'. His father was a mine owner, and his brother was a civil engineer, w ho be came chief of tho Kweditdi railways. As a boy, therefore, young Ericsson had a chunco to lenru nil about ma chinery, nml he early displayed a great interest iu it. Before he was eleven years old he made a miniature saw mill, and was able to draw plans of all sorts of mechanical contrivances which he had not the materials or the tools to make. His interest in war was encouraged by one of his teach ers, a German engineering ollicor, who had served with thecclebrntod Swedish o 111 cor, General Bornadotte. The boy's plans attracted the atteution of Count Platen, n celebrated engineer, who soctired him an appointment with the Swedish corps of mechanicul en gineers when ho was but twelve years old. When seventeen years of ago be entered tho (Swedish army as an en sign. After he had served several years in the nrmy ho removed to Eng land aud made some unsuccessful ex periments with an engine to be ruu by steam. In 18:);) he discovered the important use of the screw propoller in navigation. Ho came to America in 1840, where aid was offered him iu putting his inventions iuto pructico. He built for the government the iron clad steamer the Monitor that success fully tought the Mori imac in Hamp ton Boads in 1862 and practically re volutionized the navies of the world, as it made the introduction of ironclad vessels necessary. He died March 8, 1889. Birds Hutu (tames. That birds have games as perfect as those of children is well knowu. They not only play, but have play hours. This is particularly true of the bowor birds of Australia. I have been for tunate in seeing one iu confinement, and the habit was so strongly impressed upon it that even in a cage it took the various things offered aud attempted to decorate the door and walls. lu a short time this bird hud nearly a bushel of rngs of brilliant colors, pieces of shining tiu, bones, sticks, colored stoues aud shells, all of which it used in its games. Iu playing such things are picked up aud curried about by the uinle bird, dropped here and there, and changed about, undoubtedly to attract the atleutiou of the female. 1 have seen one of these playhouses in Australia that was five feet long, continued the traveler. It had noth ing to do with the nest of the bird and was just as much a playhouse as any possessed by a child. The bird had been wutched iu the act of making one. . Sticks were first selected, two or three feet iu length, and placed in the ground, the large end first, so that they fell over and met other sticks on the other side which thus formed a teut-shaped structure. In it the birds danced up aud dowu,utfocting miuciut airs, hung their toys on the branches and scutterod others about on the floor. The perfection of this playhouse babit is found iu uae of the great islands south of Malay, where a little bird kuown as ' ambliopsis erects a perfeut house, the work showiug that In constructive ability it is ahead of some human beings. The first one ever seen by white men was found by Baocuri.an Italian naturalist, who was traveling ia the heart of Borneo. He nddenly came upon it in a little i i t .i 1 1 i cisnnug, nun iur some nine coma not be convinced that it was not the work of native children; but he was taken aside to watch, and finally saw the birds about tho playhouse, which was a Vmrfect hut with ft nenkorl t-nnf. The birds had cleared away a spot noout a small tree, which was denuded of verdure on its lower port, and then a ffist m-nwtnf nl-nhbl n-nm nnnrtaA m timber and leaned against it, the birds iieiug careiul to leave a door or opeu- inff. I'll A ftt-otilila Innn rrrnw tnryotlinr forming a roof, nnd iu front of me noii-o a lawn was mmietne turns picking out the undesirnble weeds. TllA (rrnBA t-n iIoHaiI u.-itli fluu-Ai'ii. collected from far and Hear, and nt the buck of the house vns a heap of withered blossoms, fresh ones being provided evory day. Nature's Very Oneer Wnvs. Tho tortoise is not an animal one would naturally fix upon ns likely to be afraid of rain, but it is singujnrly so. Twenty-four hours or more be fore rain falls the (lallnpaqos tortoise makes for some convenient shelter. On a bright, clear morning when not a cloud is to be seen, the denizens of a tortoise farm on the African const may sometimes be seen heading for the nearest overhanging rocks. When that bnppous the proprietor knows that rain will como dowu during the day, and as a ritlo it comes down in torrents. Tho sign never fails. This pre-seusntion, or whatever yon limy call it, which exists in many birds nnd beasts, may be explained partly from the increasing weight of tho atmos phere when ruin is forming, partly by habits of living and partly from the need of moisture Which is shared by all. If we want to find a country where nature has turned things topsy-turvy tliut is, according to our notion we must 'go to Australia. Many things are reversed in that country. It is summer there while it is winter in America. Trees shed their bark instead of their leaves; fruit has the stone or kernel outside; swans are blnck; there is a species of Hy that ents the spider, and a fish, called the climbing perch, that walks deliberately out of the water, and, with the aid of its tins, climbs the adjacent trees after the insects that infest them. Wbeu to this w e add that most of the birds have no song aud the Dowers no odors, it is easily seen that it is on the other side of the world iu more senses than one. M sry nnd tier I.nnib, What little girl, who first opened her eves iu the latter hulf of this rapidly ilecliuing century, has not sighed with euvious longing as she lisiened to the story of "Mary mid Her Little Lamb," and folt inclined to pre fer a live animal with soft ornamenta tion of this sort to a "wax doll with real hair?" But how ninny little girls and little boys, or biguer girls and bigor boys, ever asked who wrote the famous bal lad? The few that did ask have not told ns iu print whether they received a satisfactory answer or not. At least, the present writer has never seen in print any statement crediting the authorship of the ballad to any particular poison, and has never heard of any one that did. Several years ago a contributor to one of the magazines callod the author of "Mary ami Her Little Lamb" a "Grout Unknown." But the author of this famous ballad is not a "Great Uu known." Iu hor day she was as well kuown as any American writer ever was. Her uame was Sarah Jo eplia Hale. Suruh JoHepha Buell was the daugh ter of a Mr. Buell of Saybrook, Coun. Hue was born in 1790 at Newport, N. II., where her parents were then living. Iu 1814 she was married to David Hale, a New York journalist, Mrs. Halo was early loft a widow with several small children to support. In 1828 she became editor of the Ladies' Magazine of Boston, which was afterwards niergod into Godey's Lady's Book. In 1H37 she removed to Philadelphia, whore she died 40 years Inter. During this wholo period of four docades Mrs. Hule edited Godey's Lady's Book. She was the pioneer woman editor. At the time of her death she had boon editor for fully fifty years, aud a writer of stoijcs, eseays aud poems for a still longer time. To Mrs. Hale also bolongs the credit of suggesting that Thanksgiving day bo made national. Through her in fluence President Lincoln issued his first proclamation recommending the last Thursday in November for a day of prayer and pruise. She'was one of a large nuiubor of Philadelphia women whose portraits were painted by Thomas Sully. You might think that, with such a record as this, Sarah Josepha Hule was sure to have immortal fame. Yet what reader can recull offhand the uatne of any of her serious produc tions, much lets quote a stanza or a line? The simple ballad of "Mary and Her Lamb" outlives them all. But this was u composition that its author thought unworthy of her, aud never openly acknowledged. Mrs. Hale wrote the poem to amuse hor own children and never cared any more about it. Boston Herald. Illrils Main for I'liniiiiKe. Mr. Haggard, British consul in Veuuzuela. describes the destruction of birds for the supply of aigrettes for ludies' huts as "really appalling," He estimates that the number of birds killed iu 18118 for this purpose was 1,018,738. No fewer than 870 birds have been killod to produce two and a quarter pounds of the smaller fea thers. "Jt is to be feared," adds the consul, "that this waste will, within an appreciable time, exhaust the tup piy." . ' HUE STATE Bl CONDENSED AN AGED H0RSETHIEF. Confessed to Having Stolen Hundred! Hortet Forty Years of His Lite Spent In State Prison. Peter Zimmerman, sllns Kllneen smith, Miller and a doxen of Mher Rlluses, 7! years old, confe5B.'l at Urpi-nsliura;, last week, aftr beliiR placcj behind the liars In the county prison thnt iluilmr his career he has stolen ncnrlv 111) Ihiikis. nml lin snoot 40 years of Ills Hie In Htnto nr.s iim In Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Inillnna and Illinois. The irrnv-hniieil ninn lionstcd thnt he hnd never receiv ed over 14 months hs a sentence for stenlhiK a slnRle nnlmal. 1'ielMht train No. oil and conl train No. 4."i on the lhirTulo, Rochi strr and rittHhtirx railroad tame ti'RPther In a head-end collision two miles below Uroekwnyvllle Tuesday evening. Both trilns were heavily loaded and wete roiiiicllnir a slmrn curve. The ensinea and fltteen cars were derailed and liniily wrecked. KtiRlneer John Mabey, who has charge of the engine of No. 45, was badly Injured. Dr. A. J. Wilson. Ihn Vmirterorrlft druKRlst who has been a fUKlllve from Justice for several weeks, Is now be ninu the bars In the county Jail at Greensburif. Wilson was captured at Toronto, u., near Wheeling Sunday nlKht by Deputy HheritT Seanor. Wil son was convicted of sellltiK li'iuor at his drug store without it tiriniilnllnn. nnd Just before the sentence was pro- nouiiieu ne aisappeareu. ills bonds man, L. Bteel of Vanilemrlf t. owner of the drun store of which Dr. Wilson was manuger, and who la now serving a term In Jail for his part In disposing of Honor lllesally. lent aid to the ofll- cers In tho hunt and furnished the clew that led to the docaor'a capture. W. 1. Newton of Alexander, N. T., arrived at Butler a few dayB ago nnd laennneu a horse and buggy that had been stolen from him July 1. The out fit was left August 4 by a stranger who had offered to sell It at a ridicu lously low price, but discovering that he was being suspected suddenly tied for New Castle, taking with him a valuable wheel thnt he stole in his hasty lllght. At New Castle he aban doned the wheel, stole another horsa and drove to Anderson, Ind., where he Was arrested under tho name of Meyers. The nervy thief was brought back to New Castle, tried on the charge of horse stealing and sentenced 10 in years to the penitentiary. A delicate skin grafting operation was performed at Mercy Hospital, Wilkesbarre, a few days ago. Three weeks ago Miss Kate Foy, a laundry employe, had the skin on her right nrm torn off from the wrist to the shoulder. Fifteen other girls employed In the laundry volunteered to give purt of their skin to be grafted on the injured , arm. The girls went to the hospital and the doctors took a piece tot skin the size of a penny from each one and grafted it on the arm of the patient. The latter is doing well and the physi cians think the arm will be as good as ever in time. The epidemic of smallpox around Normulville, In the mountains, is as suming alarming piopurttons. William Hhowalter, one of the victims, died Hunday afternoon. This Is the tlrsl fatal case, his wife and six children also having It, but recovering. The representative of the state board of health has quarantined tho place and Is endeavoring to stamp out the dls eace. The epidemic was brought to the community by a man from Al toonn. Ken Watklns, 20 years old, was ac cidentally Bhot by Charles H usher, aged 16 years. Husher Is night fireman at the Dlnsmore lltlek Works, between Hellevernon and Fayette City. He stuck the revolver out of a window of the engine room and fired, tho ball striking Watklns In the Jaw as he was about to enter. The phyBiclnn was un able to extract It and he was tuken to Pittsburg. A street enr on the New Haven St Lelsenrlng street railway was held up Tuesday at noon by eight negro ban dits near Lelsenrlng. The negroes re fused to pay fare, and covered the con ductor and motorinan with revolvers and threatened them with death. Pas sengers tried to leave the car, but were stopped by the negroes. When the car reached Logan's crossing, the negroes left. The borough council of Tyrone has passed ordinances providing SIO.IWO for the purchase of 100 springs for water supply and for submission to the popu lar vole at the general election on No vember 7, of a proposition to In crease the borough debt $35,000 addi tional for the establishment of water works. James Farrell, once convicted of mur der In the first degree on tho charge of killing Henry llonnecke, an aged miser, hut who escaped death on the gallows through tho supreme court ordering a new trial, was fatally Injured on the Pennsylvania railroad at Altoona. while attempting to board a freight train. Fred Prunty, the colored man who was shot through Jealousy by Jesse Clayborn of New Haven Just after a ball at Morrell, Is lying at the Cottage state hospital at Connellsvllle, In a precarious condition, and It Is not thought that he can lve. The ball pene trated his back a nd entered the right lung, where It now 1b. Much destitution Is said to exist among the families of the striking miners In Nantlcoke, near Wilkesbarre. An appeal has been Issued for food supplies. Local merchants have con tributed flour, potatoes and meat. The number of men on strike Is close on to S.D00 and they have been out now over two months. At the American Steel Hoop Com pany's plant In Greenville one of the big boilers attached to a heating fur nace let go Tuesday seriously scalding; Edward. Keck and Kdward Callahan, heaters, who were standing by, and doing considerable damage to that portion of the mill. Alexander Dnhringer, aged XI years, of Hliaron, accidentally shot himself In the right side with a revolver the othr morning at Uurg Hill, Indicting a dan gerous wound. The bullet penetrated one of his lungs. His recovery la doubtful. Captain Thomas S. Crago, of Com pany K, Tenth regiment, who la reor ganizing the men who returned from the Philippines Into a company for the National Guard, hus received more than the required quota of names. Farmers of Woshlng-m county have organized to hunt dowu horse thieves. Quo. Hollenbeck was accidentally Bhot und Instantly killed by llenjamin George In the woods near Tldloute a few days ugo while hunting, Hollen beck wob mistuken for game, The falsbury Farmers' club of ICantern PennsylvnnU havo determined lo boycott the Paris exposition by re fusing to send samples of wheat. Clyde M. Hotin, colored, agod 19 years, while pluylng about a lloat at (he foot of Chestnut street, SewU-kley. a few days ago, fell Into the river and was drowned. Each member of Company D, Tenth rsglment, was pieBei.ieu witn a nana , tome medal at the Mothodtat Kptsco pal church, In Connellsvllle, by Poet I lot, a. a. it.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers