Beworraic, Wadpian
Bellefonte, Pa., June 24, 1898.
WHAT IS DEATH
What is death ? Tis only passing through a door
That inward swings, and, closing, evermore
‘Shuts from our mortal sight the loved ones who,
The narrow, mystic portal, passing through,
Have entered into peace and perfect rest;
Into the fuliness of a life more blest
Than that of earthly potenate or king;
Into the joys that from God’s presence spring.
Ee: ————
What is death ? ’Tis but the crossing of the line
Between mortality and life divine ;
That life which changes not while ages go ;
Whose moments onward, swift, yet calmly flow
Like some great river, sweeping full and free
Into the ocean of eternity;
That ocean with no falling, ebbing tide ;
But ever swelling, growing deep and wide.
What is death? ’Tis just the fording of a stream;
The joyful walking from a troubled dream ;
A step from shore of time, bare, brown, and cold,
To shore where none are sick, and none grow old ;
To land where summer reigns the whole year
through; .
Where fadeless roses drink the heavenly dew ;
To city golden, without noon or night,
Or sun, or moon, for God shall be its light.
Who are dead?
door,
The line, the stream, exalted evermore,
In realms of higher, grander thought they live—
This inch of time a school hour is to give
A starting point to rise to higher plane,
Where clothed in immortality, they reign,
God’s kings and priests. O bliss, O joy sublime!
We, too, shall pass the line in God’s set time.
—H. L. Frisbie, in Chicago Inter Ocean.
There is no dead! Beyond the
THE RIGHT MAN IN THE WRONG
PLACE.
‘Who is the pretty girl you just bowed
to ?”’ said Captain Bigg to his friend John
Arminger.
“Well, she’s a girl with whom my ac-
quaintance began in rather a remarkable
way. You remember the eldest Stack-
poole girl 2”?
‘I remember the eldest Miss Stackpoole
—Freddy—the one who hunts; but I
should never dream of calling hera girl!
And what possible connection has she with
your charming young friend ?”’
‘A very close one as you shall soon hear,
if only you will keep quiet and give me
my head. You have evidently not heard
that, to the surprise and delight of her
friends, Freddy Stackpoole hecame en-
gaged last spring to a fellow called Herford
worth a lot of money, but rather ancient.
You see, I’ve known the Stackpooles all
my life ; we belong to the same county,
hunt with the same pack of hounds. I
sent Freddy a letter of congratulations and
a hunting crop—I heard afterward that she
got twenty-three—and accepted an invite
to the wedding, which was to take place at
St. Paul’s Knightsbridge, yesterday at half
past 2 o’clock.”’
“But this is all beside the question,’
protested Captain Bigg.
*‘It is not—it’s the main part ; so shut
up. Iarrived in good time and entered
the church. The church was crammed,
and I was a good deal surprised, I must
confess, for I had no notion the Stackpooles
had so many friends in London. However
I had no time to speculate, for an energetic
youth caught hold of me and breathlessly
asked : ‘Friend of bride or bridegroom ?”’
‘¢ ‘Bride,’ I answered.”
‘‘ ‘Here you are! Sit this side,’ and he
shoved me into a back seat, next to an old
gentleman who sat by the door, and whose
legs and stick I nearly tumbled over. He
was a little chap with a white beard and
red face, and wore an old fashioned blue
frock coat and a pair of baggy lavender
loves.
*‘I looked about me, and I give you my
solemn word of honor that among all the
crowd I did not see a soul I knew. Can
you believe it ?
*‘I happened to notice the old boy beside
me. [ caught him watching me furtively
out of the corner of his eye. Our glances
met and he said :
‘“ ‘A friend of the brides, sir?’
‘‘ ‘Bless you, yes,’ I answered, ‘known
her since she was in pinafores—’
‘‘ ‘Since you were in pinafores,’ he re-
peated, and he seemed rather taken aback.
‘“ ‘Why, yes,” and I was thinking of ad-
ding that she was 10 or 12 years my senior,
but, most fortunately, refrained.
‘‘He stared very hard for some time, and
then said : ‘I suppose you are acquainted
with most of the people? Can you tell me
who some of them are—any celebrities,
eh?’
‘You are aware, Bigg, of my fatal pas-
sion for a practical joke. Well, here was a
temptation I was powerless to resist. I fell
—and for positively the last time. So I
answered :
‘“ ‘Oh, yes, I think I can point you out
two or three well-known characters.’
‘ ‘Thank you,’ he replied, I'm a coun-
try cousin—or rather, country grandfather,
as you may see—and I very rarely come to
London. Now, who is that stout, very
dark woman in yellow, with the gold
spikes in her bonnet ?’
‘¢ ‘Oh, that,’ I promptly returned, is the
queen of the Sandwich Islands. She is
over here incog at present—just a visit to
her dressmaker.’
‘ ‘Dear me ! Why I always thougkt that
Mother Nature was her modiste,’ said the
old man, with twinkling eyes.
‘‘ ‘Oh, no, she is quite civilized—wears
shoes and stockings, and rarely touches
raw meat.’
‘‘ ‘And, pray, why does she honor this
ceremony with her presence ?’
‘‘ ‘Because one of the bridegroom’s cous -
ins is attached to her court as chief pearl
diver. He is called the Kingfisher, and I
need scarcely add that it is a purely nomi-
nal, but well paid post.
‘ ‘Thank you, I see. Now, can you tell
me who those two elderly men are who
have come in together ?’’
‘“ ‘With pleasure,” I answered. ‘The
short one is Henrik Ibsen, and the other is
Lord Salisbury,’
‘* ‘Dear me, this is most interesting ; and
the lady in the wonderful mantle ?’
‘‘ ‘Is Sarah Bernhardt, and the little
man just behind her, in spectacles, is the
Spanish ambassador—Don Jose Manolo ;
he is a celebrated waltzer, and his fandango
is a thing to see.’
“ ‘I'm immensely obliged to you for a
great and unexpected treat. Hullo! I
think she has come,’ he added, craning his
neck.
‘Yes, she undoubtedly had arrived—
there was the usual commotion and organ
pealing, the usual procession of choir boys.
Then the bride, walking very slowly—a
lovely bride, though white as her gown—a,
girl of 19, splendid as lace and diamonds
could make her, leaning on the arm of a
boy of 20—not my bride, but an utter and
complete stranger. She was followed by
ten bridesmaids, in white satin frocks,
white feathered hats, and carrying im-
mense bouauets of red roses ; and the pro-
cession passed, leaving me dumbfounded.
I was an uninvited man at the wrong wed-
din
“My first idea was to make a bolt for it,
| but grandpapa’s legs and stick cut off that
door of escape, so I determined to sit still
and make the best of an exceedingly disa-
greeable situation.
“The service over, the bridesmaids,
armed with baskets of flowers, scattered
themselves among the congregation, and
the girl you saw just now how to me came
down our way, all smiles, white feathers
and favors. She seized on my old country
grandpapa—as ‘Grandpapa’—and said :
‘ ‘How silly of you to sit so far down,
dear ; you couldn’t see.’
*¢ “Too hot up there,’ he said.
‘¢ ‘She behaved like a true British mat-
ron, and never shed a tear,’ she continued,
as she pinned in his favor.
‘ ‘Now, Gwen, you must decorate my
companion,’ he said, indicating me. ‘He
has been first-rate company, and pointed
out all the lions and lionesses ;’ yet there
was a look in the old man’s eyes that I did
not precisely understand.
‘‘As Miss Gwen reached across to me her
basket of flowers was upset, and over the
gathering up of these we became quite hi-
larious, not to say intima te.
‘‘When the wedding cortege had filed by
there was the usual rush for carriages.
Now was my chance. I rose, resolved to
slip off, but so did my venerable compan-
ion, who pinned me firmly by the arm, say-
ing :
‘“You may as well look after me. We
are going to the same place. I'ma lame
old chap, and want an arm’—I should
have said a leg. Before I knew where I
was, I was being carried off in a swagger
brougham, behind a pair of grand step-
pers ; destination, Cadogan square.
“The house was smothered in flowers
and crammed with guests ; my old man of
the sea clung to me like a very limpet, and
to my great dismay appeared to know
every one. We passed through the packed
masses, with a word here, a joke there, and
I gathered that his name was Sir Duncan.
It was no news to me that he was Scotch.
‘‘In the drawing room he had another
word with Gwen, and then he remarked to
me, with a malicious grin, ‘Well, I don’t
see the queen here yet, nor the playwright,
nor even the dancing ambassador. What
has become of them ?’’
‘“What was to become of me was of far
more importance, and, finding that my
companion was making straight for the
happy pair to tender his good wishes, and
being an absolute stranger to both, I broke
and fled, hoping to lose myself in the
crowd, to find some efficacious means of
escape, even were it through the kitchen
and scullery. But the mob, surging to-
ward the presents, carried me along in
spite of my struggles, and I found myself
figuratively ‘cast up’ in front of a table
covered with magnificent diamonds.
“‘I counted no less than three tiaras, as
many necklaces and of stars, suns, birds,
bracelets, bows, a great multitude. The
surrounding company appeared to he al-
most exclusively Scotch, and either inti-
mately acquainted, or of the same clan. Per-
sonally, I had never felt such a complete
outsider in the whole course of my exist-
ence ! There was one other man who stood
close to me, and whoalso appeared a stran-
ger to all, and this afforded me the only
crumb of comfort offered by the entire sit-
uation.
‘“As I stood gazing blankly at the dia-
monds, he gave me a premonitory nudge,
and then addressed me in a low voice, but
with elaborate courtesy :
‘“ ‘T beg your pardon, but can you tell
me the name of the bride ?’
‘¢ ‘No, I cannot,’ I answered, shortly.
‘“ “Then perhaps you can oblige me with
the name of the bridegroom ?’
“‘I am sorry I am unable to
assist you,’ I said, very stifly. I noticed
that, as his eyes wandered from me to the
diamonds and then back again, they wore
a very suspicious expression.
‘‘ ‘But this won’t do, you know,’ he
whispered. ‘I’ve had my eye on you this
good while—you swell cracksmen are get-
ting too fashionable altogether ; too fond of
wedding parties! Where’s the diamond
bracelet and three stars that was taken last
week at Lady Banks’ reception——eh? And
the two valuable rings, and the Spanish
point flounce from Mrs. Fleming’s in Lan-
caster Gates ; and, you know, you are not
above a few apostles’ spoons, or even a pair
of nuterackers? You see, I’ve caught you;
I’ve had your description and photograph.’
‘“ ‘What the deuce do you mean? I
asked, and I felt inclined to pitch him out
of the window.
‘* ‘T mean that I’m a detective officer, of
No. F division, and that I’m going to hand
you over to my men below, who will take
great care of you, and escort you in a cab
to Bow street, where you will be searched
and charged. Oh, we have heen expecting
you for some time.’
‘I made a feeble and utterly futile effort
to eecape, but he said : ‘The less trouble
you give the better for you, as you know
of old. You come away quietly ; don’t go
and make a row and spoil the party,” and
he gripped my arm as in a vise.
“ ‘I say stop! I said. ‘Here's my
says and I lugged it out and handed it to
im.
‘Mr. R. Arminger,
‘¢ ‘tArminger Park, Wilts,
‘‘ ‘The Apex club, Pall Mall.’
‘‘ ‘He read aloud, and then calmly re-
marked :
‘Oh, yes, of course!
these little dodges.
take a title.’
‘ ‘But I am Mr. Arminger, I swear.’
‘“ ‘Is there any one in the room will
swear to you ?’
‘“ ‘No one. I have come by mistake to
the wrong wedding.’
‘“ ‘So I should suppose,” he sneered.
And you’ve made this mistake once too
often.’
‘ ‘Our altercation had been carried on
in a window recess, and no doubt if any
one noticed us at all they supposed that we
were very dear friends enjoying an anima-
ted conversation after a long separation.
‘“ ‘You come quietly,” he repeated for
the third time, and as I saw no other alter-
native, I obeyed. As we crossed the great
landing, outside the reception room, I no-
ticed my old man of the sea, sitting on a
divan. He touched me with his stick and
said : ‘‘Hullo, going already? Won't
you wait and present me to the queen or
Madam Bernhardt?’ But I was too fur-
ious to reply. However, my companion
stooped down and whispered something,
and showed him my card.
“The old fellow glanced quickly at it,
then at me, and exclaimed : ‘I thought I
knew that nose! Why, you must be the
son of Teddy Arminger, who was my fag
more than fifty years ago—you are Arming-
er, of Arminger, eh ?’
‘ ‘IT bowed profoundly. Apparently I
had to thank my father’s nose for my wide-
spread celebrity, but it was the first time
that its reputation had “een of use to me !
‘“ ‘Mr. Hook,’ to the detective, ‘you are
quite mistaken for once. The gentleman
is well known to me. Pray resume your
I'm up to all
I wonder you did not
duty.’ Then tome: ‘Come here and sit
by me, and tell me all about yourself.’
‘“ “You are growing more and more like
your father every moment,’ he chuckled ;
‘he always got white when he was angry.
You poked fun at me, young sir, and I.
paid you out by bringing you here against
your will. Now we are quits. Gwen,
come here,’ he said ; ‘this gentleman, Mr.
Arminger, isthe son of an old friend of
mine. I give him into your custody. He
wants to escape, but don’t allow him to
stir. I hold you responsible.’
“Miss Gwen, delightfully ignorant of
my narrow escape from the custody of the
policeman, in a surprisingly short time re-
stored my good humor, not to speak of my
self-respect. She conveyed me into the re-
freshment room, commanded me to distrib-
ute cake, presented me to the bride (her
sister), and in short was so amusing, unaf-
fected and light-hearted that I remained
her slave for half an hour.”’
‘Well, that was something like a sur-
prise party!” exclaimed Captain Bigg,
who had been interested to a point of si-
lence. ‘*And the other function ?”’
‘‘Had taken place at the same church at
the same hour on the previous day. I had
made a mistake in the date, but about one
thing there will be no mistake. I swear—
I'll never go to another wedding as long as
Ilive,’?
“Oh, yes, my dear Jack, you will, to
your own. And here they are, grandpapa
and Miss Gwen, coming back again, and
grandpapa is going to stop and speak to
ou !
y This acquaintance promises to extend
further than the ladies’ mile, for Mr. Jack
will be one of the guns on Sir Duncan’s
moor this season.— From the London Tele-
graph.
The War in Brief.
A Succinct Diary of Recent Events Full of Interest.
Splendid for Your Scrap book.—Here is a List
of things that Many Persons are Constantly
Calling Up the Newspaper People and Inquiring
About.—Keep it for Future Reference.
February 24th, 1898 — The battleship
Maine ordered to Havana.
January 9th—The De Lome letter pub-
lished.
February 10th—De Lome resigns and his
resignation accepted at Madrid.
February 15th— Destruction of the Maine
in the harbor of Havana.
March 5th—Spain seeks to have Cansul-
General Lee recalled.
March 8th—Congress votes unanimously
and without debate for a defense fund of
$50,000,000.
March 28th—United States Board of In-
quiry reports that the Maine was blown up
by an external mine.
April 11th—President McKinley sends
his Cuban message to Congress.
April 20th—The government sends its
ultimatum to Spain, and the Queen Regent
opens the cortes of Spain with a warlike
speech. The Spanish minister at Washing-
ton asks for his passports.
April 21st—Minister Woodford asks for
his passports at Madrid and leaves for
Paris.
April 22nd—War opens with the Nash-
ville’s capture of the Buena Ventura and
the New York’s capture of the Pedro. Ha-
vana harbor declared in a state of block-
ade.
April 23rd—President’s call for 125,000
volunteers.
April 24th—Capture of the Catalina hy
the Detroit, the Canada by the Wilming-
ton and the Saturnina by the Winona.
April 24th—Spain declares war.
April 25th—Congress declares that war
began on April 21st by act of Spain.
States called upon for their quota of
troops.
April 26th—Chairman Dingley reports
war revenue bill to the house. The Presi-
dent adheres to the anti-privateering
agreement of the Declaration of Paris.
New York’s militia called out. England
publishes her neutrality, dated April 23rd,
reciting that ‘‘a state of war unhappily ex-
ists,” etc. Spain appeals to the powers.
April 27th — Matanzas earthworks
shelled and silenced by New York, Puri-
tan and Cincinnati. Steamer Guido made
a prize by monitor Terror. Dewey’s Asia-
tic squadron sails from Mirs Bay to Manila,
and the Spanish fleet leaves Manila to
meet him.
April 28.—Congress agrees to a naval ap-
propriation bill of nearly $47,000,000.
Tampa made the point for massing troops
for the invasion of Cuba.
April 20—House passes bill for popular
bond issue of $500,000,000. Naval bill
passes senate. Spanish fleet leaves Cape
Verde islands.
April 30th—The Paris reaches New York
in safety, and the Oregon and Marietta
anchor at Rio.
May 1st—Spanish fleet demolished by
Commodore Dewey in the bay of Manila.
Eleven Spanish warships completely des-
troyed.
May 2nd—Commodore Dewey orders
captain general of the Philippines to sur-
render all his forts. This was refused.
Manila cable cut at 6 p. m., when Dewey
was bombarding Manila.
May 4th—The fighting ships of Admiral
Sampson’s squadron sailed from Key West,
after preparing for a long stay at sea. The
Oregon and Marietta left Rio Janeiro.
May 5—Arms for the Cubans were land-
ed by the tug Leyden, the gunboat Wil-
mington assisting in repelling the Span-
ish.
May 7th—Commodore Dewey reported
via dispatch boat to Hong Kong that he
had taken Cavite fortress in Manila bay,
after destroying eleven Spanish vessels.
He reported the Asiatic squadron unin-
jured, and that, while the Spanish loss was
very heavy, no Americans were killed and
only a few men were slightly wounded.
May 9th—The President asked congress
to give Rear Admiral Dewey a vote of
thanks and commendation, which was
made unanimous.
May 10th—The Spanish cortes voted the
war credits.
May 11th—Major General Meritt was or-
dered to the Philippine islands as military
governor.
May 12th—News was received of the ar-
rival of the Spanish Cape Verde squadron
at Martinique, West Indies. The gunboat
Wilmington, the torpedo boat Winslow and
the auxiliary guuboat Hudson, while in
Cardenas bay, were attacked by Spanish
batteries and gunboats. Ensign Bagley
and four of the Winslow’s crew were killed
and the town of Cardenas was shelled. An
engagement was reported at Cienfuegos.
May 13th—Rear Admiral Sampson re-
ported that he had bombarded the forts at
San Juan, Porto Rico, with a loss of two
men killed and six wounded, the American
squadron being uninjured. The flying
squadron, under Commodore Schley, sailed
under secret orders from Hampton Roads.
May 14th—The Spanish fleet was report-
ed at Curacao, off the Venezuelan coast, | harbor, and Guayaganaco, two miles furth- |
and Admiral Sampson was on Puerto Plata,
Hayti. The first American report of the
er west, hoth of which points lie east of the
mountains surrounding Santiago bay. The
Cienfuegos affair reached Key West and | launches pushed their noses into a hornet’s
told of the killing of Reagan, a marine on
the Marblehead, and the wounding of five
others, while cutting the cable in Cienfue-
gos bay, in small open boats, under hot
Spanish fire. The Marblehead, Nashville
and Windom took part, razing the Spanish
defenses there.
May 15th—The flying squadron reached
Charleston, S. C. Rear Admiral Dewey
reported the capture of the Spanish reve-
nue cruiser at Manila, and that he could
still hold the bay.
May 16—The Spanish fleet left Curacao,
and Admiral Sampson’s fleet was reported
off Cape Haytien. The Spanish cabinet
resigned, and Senor Sagasta was charged
with the formation of a new one.
May 18—The Oregon was announced as
safe by Secretary Long, though her exact
location was not revealed.
May 19—Spain’s Cape Verde fleet was
reported to have reached Santiago de Cuba.
Commodore Schley’s fleet, which reached
Key West Wednesday, was expected to
leave for a secret destination.
May 21st—It was announced that the
monitor Monterey would be sent from San
Francisco to Manila.
May 22nd—The cruiser Charleston
sailed from San Francisco for Manila, via
Honolulu.
May 23rd—Troops were embarked on
the transport City of Peking at San Fran-
cisco for Manila. The British steamer
Ardanmhor was brought to Key West as
a prize, but afterward released.
May 24th—Admiral Cervera’s fleet was
reported bottled up in Santiago harbor by
the American fleets. The Oregon arrived
at Jupiter. Fla.
May 25th—The President called for 75,-
000 more volunteers. The transports Aus-
tralia, City of Peking and City of Sydney,
with 2,500 soldiers, left San Francisco
for Manila.
May 26—Commodore Schley reported by
cable that he was off Santiago and that he
believed the Spanish fleet to be in the inner
harbor.
May 28—The cruiser Columbia jwas
damaged off Fire Island by collision with
the steamer Foscolia, the latter sinking.
May 29th—Commodore Schley reported
fighting the Spanish fleet or part of it in
Santiago harbor.
May 30th—General Shafter was ordered
to embark 15,000 or more troops at Tampa.
Santiago was thought to be their destina-
tion.
May 31st—Spanish reports were received
of the bombardment of Santiago forts May
31st by Commodore Schley. The steamer
Florida reported landing in Cuba on May
26th, 380 armed men with large supplies.
June 1st—Details were received of the
bombardment of the Santiago forts hy
Commodore Schley on May 31st, with the
Massachusetts, Iowa and New Orleans.
Morro Castle was injured, and the Spanish
flagship, Cristobal Colon, which was near
the mouth of the harbor, was also dam-
aged. No American ship was touched, nor
was any American injured.
June 2nd—The house of Representatives
passed an urgent deficiency bill, carrying
nearly $18,000,000 for war expenses.
June 4th—Admiral Sampson reported
that Naval Constructor R. P. Hobson, with
a volunteer crew of seven men, had on
June 3rd sunk the collier Merrimac in the
Santiago harbor channel, shutting in Cer-
vera’s fleet. Hobson and his men sur-
rendered and were made prisoners. The
senate passed the war revenue bill by a
vote of 48 to 28.
June 2th—Capt. Charles V. Gridley, of
the Olympia, who was on his way home
from Manila ill, died at Kobe, Japan.
June 6th—Further bombardment of
Santiago and the landing of 5,000 American
troops near Santiago were reported. The
house sent the war revenue hill to confer-
ence, non-concurring in senate amend-
ments.
June 7th—Admiral Sampson reported
having silenced on June 6th, the Santiago
fortifications without injury to American
ships. The cruiser Charleston was report-
ed as having reached Honolulu May 29th.
The monitor Monterey and collier Brutus
left San Francisco for Manila.
June 8th—Spanish reports came from
the bombardment of Caimanera, Cuba. by
five American ships. Captain General
Augusti, at Manila, reported to Madrid
that the insurrection had assumed enor-
mous proportions.
June 9th—The house agreed to the con-
ference report on the war revenue bill.
June 10th—The senate agreed to the
conference report on the war revenue bill
by a vote of 43 to 22. The house set 5 p.
m., June 15th, as the hour for a vote on
Hawaiian annexation. Admiral Sampson
reported that since June 7th he had held
Guantanamo harbor.
June 11th—Six hundred marines from
the Panther, who had landed at Caimanera,
Guantanamo bay, Cuba, June 10th, under
protection from the Marblehead, were at-
tacked by Spaniards, four Americans being
killed and several being wounded or miss-
ing. The Spaniards retreated.
June I2th—It is reported in Washing-
ton that 29 transports, with General Shaft-
er’s troops, left Tampa for Santiago de
Cuba.
June 13th—The president signed the war
revenue bill. The Santiago expedition of
over 15,000 troops left Key West convoyed
by warships.
June 14th—Continued fighting at Caima-
nera was reported, two Americans and
seventeen Spaniards were killed. It was
officially stated that the last transports for
Santiago left Tampa.-——New York Mail and
Express.
Hunting a Landing Place.
Spaniards Closely Guard the Shores near to Santiago.
They Must be Shelled out before the Troops
Can Debark.—Admiral Sampson has told them to
Wait until he Finishes.—Lleut. Harlow Found
places Where a Landing is Practicable.
Several attempts to find landing places
for the United States troops within a dis-
tance of two miles west of Santiago have
demonstrated, along with previous inquir-
ies to the eastward, that the shore for 15
miles is lined with Spaniards. While this
will not prevent a landing close to Santia-
go, it will entail considerable delay, as the
surrounding country must be thoroughly
shelled and cleared before the troops can
land in safety. When Rear Admiral Samp-
son Saturday received advises that upward
of 30 transports were on the way, he
sent word that they should stand to the
south 10 miles and lie there until a landing
place had been secured.
At daylight on Friday the launches of
the New York and the Massachusetts rec-
onnoitered the shore between Cabanas,
two miles west of the entrance of Santiago
nest. The brush was fairly alive with
Spanish infantry and cavalry, and the fire
opened upon the launches was so fierce that
their retreat had to be covered by the
Vixen and the Texas. When the Texas
asked permission of Commodore Schley to
take a hand, he shouted to Capt. Philip
through the megaphone : ‘‘Yes, go in and
give ’'em——Jack.”” The Texas landed
several four-inch shells on the battery at
Cabanas, completely demolishing ir.
Lieut. Sharpe, of the Vixen, and Lieut.
Harlow, in command of the launches, were
complimented by Admiral Sampson for
gallantry.
It is believed that the insurgents, who
are in force under the command of Gen.
Garcia, about fifteen miles west, will rend-
er effective aid in driving the Spanish
skirmishers of the shore.
The following is an abstract of Lieut.
Harlow’s report to the commander of the
Vixen, dated June 18th :
‘The expedition consisted of a steam
launch from the Massachusetts in charge of
Cadet Hart and a launch from the New
York in charge of Cadet Powell, I took
passage on the Massachusetts launch, lead-
ing the way. Soundings were taken on
entering the bay close under the old fort,
and we were preparing to circumnavigate
the bay at full speed when fire was opened
from the fort and rocks on shore. The
Massachusetts launch was some distance
ahead and about 40 yards off the fort.
There was no room to turn and our one-
pounder could not be brought to bear. We
backed and turned under a heavy fire.
Cadet Hart operated the gun as soon as it
could be brought to bear, sitting exposed
in the bow and working the gun as coolly
and carefully as at target practice. Cadet
Powell has been firing since the Spaniards
opened. He was also perfectly cool. Both
launches ran out under a heavy fire of from
six to eight minutes. I estimate that
there were 28 Spaniards on the parapet of
the old fort. The number along shore was
larger, but indefinite. The launches, as
soon as was practicable, sheered to give the
Vixen the range of the fort. The Vixen
and the Texas silenced the shore fire
promptly. Istrongly commend Cadet Hart
and Cadet Powell for their cool management
of the launches. One launch was struck
seven times. Nobody in either was hurt.
A bullet struck a shell at Cadet Hart’s feet
between the projectile and the powder,
but failed to explode the latter. Coxswain
O’Donnel and Seaman Bloom are com-
mended, as is also the coolness with which
the marines and sailors worked under the
Spanish fire. Nothing was learned at Ca-
banas bay, but at Guayaganaco it is evi-
dent a landing is practicable for ships’
boats. The same is true of Rancho Craz, a
small bay to the eastward. Both would be
valuable with Cabanas, but useless with-
out it. I am informed that to the north
and westward of Cabanas bay there is a
large clearing with plenty of grass and
water. I think a simultaneous landing at
the three places named would be practica-
ble if the ships shell the adjacent wood.
A junction would naturally follow at the
clearing.”
Quicksilver and the War.
Why the Metal Has Risen in Price in the Last Month.
Mercury has been rising in price, not
rapidly, but steadily, since the outbreak of
hostilities between this country and Spain,
and its rise is due directly to the war, al-
though in a curious way, as explained by
the New York Zribune, Spain produces
more quicksilver than any other country
in the world. Until three or four years
ago thousands of pounds were annually
imported from that country into the United
States.
The next largest quicksilver-yielding
mines are in California, and have been
worked for years, but while the metal could
be brought from Spain free of duty, the
California proiuct was not able to compete
largely with the foreign, Since the Wilson
tariff bill of 1894 put a duty of 7 cents a
pound upon quicksilver (a rate unchanged
by the Dingley tariff), practically all im-
portation has ceased, and consumers have
bought the California mercury. Hence the
apparent strangeness of the fact that, al-
though we import no quicksilver from Spain
but produce our own, nevertheless the war
has sent up the price of the article here just
as it has in Europe.
The fact is, that the American prices are
ruled entirely by foreign prices, and are
kept at figures just below the cost of im-
portation. The great Spanish quicksilver
mines at Almaden are controlled by the
Rothschilds, who are said to have taken
them some time ago as security for the
Spanish bonds which they hold. Since the
beginning of the war they have raised the
prices, because of the riots in Spain and the
generally unsettled conditions among the
laboring classes. Now, the California mines
are also controlied by one firm, the Cali-
fornia Quicksilver Agency—it does not like
to be called a ‘‘syndicate !” Immediately
on an advance in foreign prices this Califor-
nia agency, ruling the American product,
raises its figures correspondingly, and con-
sumers have no choice but to submit.
It is stated by competent authorities that
one central control of the California mines
was made necessary by the fact that under
the old regime the competition among the
different mine owners was ruinous, and the
business could not be carried on at a pofit
to anybody.
Quicksilver, which is unique among met-
als in being fluid at ordinary temperatures,
is put up and shipped in flasks, containing
763 pounds each. The price now is 59
cents a pound. or $43.50 a flash, when in
quantities of from twenty-five to a hun-
dred flasks. In larger lots, of over a hun-
dred flasks, it is $43 a flask. This isabout
$3 higher than at the beginning of the war.
The respective quantities preiuced in Cali-
fornia and in Spain may be ascertained
from a comparison of the following figures:
Last year California produced 26,079 flasks,
and in 1896 29,863 flasks. Since practically
all of the Spanish quicksilver goes to Lon-
don, the figures of the imports there may
be taken as about the same as the output
of the Spanish mines. In the year which
ended on October 31, 1897, there had been
sent to London from Spain 46,577 flasks,
and in the corresponding period of 1896
40,999 flasks.
It will thus be seen that the Spanish
mines produce much more abundantly than
those in California. They are apparently
inexhaustible, for they are supposed to
have been first worked over two thousand
five hundred years ago, and still reveal
rich masses of untouched ore in their depths.
They are situated near the town of Almad-
en, Almaden del Azogue (the mines of
quicksilver), in the south central part of
Spain, fifty-five miles southwest of the city
of Cuidad Real, and about one hundred
and fifty miles northeast of Cadiz. Accord-
ing to Pliny, they were worked in 700 B.
C., and in his time sent annually 10,000
pounds of cinnabar (the ore of mercury) to
Rome. The mines have now heen excavat-
ed toa depth of nearly a thousand feet be-
low the surface, and the richness of the ore
increases with each lower level.
The ten successive floors or levels upon
which the mines are worked are nearly a
hundred feet apart. Masonry and pillar of
the ore itself are u-ed as supports for the
roofs of the levels. For many centuries,
and, indeed, until within the last twenty-
five or thirty years, all the mechanical ap-
pliances connected with the mining at
Almadan were of the rudest and most
primitive kind, but of late more improved
methods have been introduced.
Havana.
The Prevailing Solidity of Its Buildings Makes Old
Havana Expensive to Bombard Into Subjection.
The approach to the city from the sea
displays Havana to imposing advantage.
The houses of the old city, as that part
which was originally surrounded hy a wall
is called, were built almost altogether of
limestone and marble. The palaces of the
luxurious Spanish merchants and govern-
mental officials were erected on the same
scale and plan that their builders would
have adopted in Spain. The residences,
most of them two stories in height, are
built around central court yards, which
have pools of running water, surrounded
by dark foliage, palms, and walls painted
in every conceivable combination of bril-
liant colors. The Spaniard in Cuba never
lacks money—he would not have gone to
Cuba with any other purpose than to gather
it in. The prevailing solidity of construc-
tion and the small extent to which wood
has been used in the principal buildings
make old Havana to a certain extent an
expensive place (so far as expenditure of
ammunition is concerned) to bombard into
subjection. Shells will batter everything
in the neighborhood of the places where
they strike, but no conflagration is likely
to be started to assist in the demoralization
of the besieged. This was the experience
of the city when it was bombarded cen-
turies ago by the English under Drake.
The streets in the old city are narrow
and scantily and irregularly paved., but
the outsides as well as the insides of
many of the houses are painted with a
gaudiness of glaring colors and contrast
gorgeously with the tropical trees by which
the houses and streets are plentifully shad-
ed. Perhaps the most characteristeric street
in the city is the Prado, a broad boulevard
running from the Castillo de la Punta well
up into the middle of the city, where, close
by the Parque (Park) Central and Parque
de Isabella Cattolica, are the main railroad
stations, the principal hotels and theatres.
It has been the custom in days of peace for
a military band to play in the Parque Cen-
tral every other night, and it was consid-
ered an aristocratic way of spending the
evenings to be present in carriages or in
nearby cafe balconies.
There are five or six theatres, and of
course a bullring. In peace times bull-
fights took place every Sunday afternoon.
At the same time there were cockfights in
plenty in the authorized city cockpits. The
winter residence of the governor general of
the island and the principal administrative
buildings are at the inner end of the en-
trance to the harbor and command a view
of its whole circumference. They are
stately marble buildings. The Havana
cathedral was built in 1724, famous as the
resting place of the bones of Christopher
Columbus and his son, Diego. There are
many other churches. —New York Sun.
Blanco's Refusal to Exchange Hobson.
By refusing to exchange Lieutenant
Hobson and his seven comrades Captain-
General Blanco has set the offial seal of
Spain on a cowardly and despicable act.
The only reason for the refusal seems to be
that the Spaniards desire to retain the
American heroes in Morro Castle, Santiago,
which makes that place immune from at-
tack by the blockading fleet. This in it-
self is an unmilitary, inhuman and ungen-
tlemanly act.
It has always been customary, save in
the most barbarous of nations, to place pris-
oners at points of safety in times of battle.
No one is so defenseless in a hostile camp
as a prisoner. Even women and children
have no rightsand privileges that are deni-
ed him. Under these circumstances, to
imprison these eight American heroes in
the most dangerous spot they can find, a
place where any chance shot may kill them,
is a direct violation of every humane law of
warfare.
This, however, seems to be the Spanish
method of conducting hostilities.
The March of Progress.
The first suspension bridge at Niagara
Falls was erected within the memory of
many still living, and was regarded as a
marvel of engineering skill. Suspension
bridges have had their day, and the last of
the suspension bridges at Niagara is to be
superseded by a steel arch bridge now in
course of erection. The main span will he
868 feet in length, being the longest arch
in existence. The total length of the
bridge is 1,268 feet, the extra 400 feet con-
sisting of the two approaches on the Cana-
dian and American sides. The center of
the arch is 150 feet above the gorge, and
the bridge, which is 49 feet wide, includes
two footways, a double carriageway and a
double track trolley line. The old suspen-
sion bridge is being used as a platform
from which to construct the new one. The
substitution of the steel arch for the sus-
pension bridge where long spans without
piers are required only serves as a conspic-
uous instance of the rapidity with which
new inventions supersede old ones, which
iu their day were considered marvels of hu-
man ingenuity. The steel arch has super-
seded the suspension bridge for spanning
the Niagara chasm within less than half a
century, and it is quite within the bounds
of possibility that something else will su-
persede the steel arch by the time new
bridges are needed.— Philadelphia Times.
——There are few more interesting char-
acters in the country, says a Fort Clark,
Tex., dispatch in the St. Louis Globe Demo-
crat, than the famous old Seminole chief,
Dembo Factor, who at the age of 114, is
boiling over with patriotism and anxious to
go to war. He has enlisted fourteen of his
sons, grandsons and great grandsons in the
army. Some of them are in the volunteer
service and others with the regulars. The
aged veteran appeared at Fort Clark a few
days before the regiment started for Key
West, and went to headquarters, accom-
panied by six of his grandsons, who are in
the regulararmy, to beg the officers to allow
him to go along with them to Cuba. He
like nearly all the other Seminoles on the
little reservation, looks more like an Afri-
can than an Indian, and there must be con-
siderable negro blood in the whole race.
They, however have all the race character-
istics of Indians. They speak the Seminole
language, many of them being incapable of
understanding a word of English, and
nothing arouses their indignation quicker
than for one to hint that they look like ne-
groes.