in of am
Tl r Occupation Is Fraught
ith Perils and Hardships.
OF LONG EXISTANCE
No Marina Industry I a Theoa Days
Brings Sjch Hazards Daily Dur
ing the Sealing Season Hundreds
of Men Ric!t the Dangsrous Ico
Plows.
There la a Bcal f.slierv which has
had a far longer existenco than tl'.o
Xur-soal finely :f the Pasilic, and en
joys gr Jitter vitality, r.t.d ir.at Is the
hair-seal fishery of Newfounuland and
Labrador. No murine Industry In
these days brings such hazards to
crews and ships us this one. Daily
during (he sealing season hundreds of
m--it rink their Uvea on the floes, and
tn . vessels face arrils "n.ps"' which
oft'.a crush them. When the hunt op
ci.3, stout steamers, lullt for this
: fishery and carrying 5,00 men, Ball
from various ports In q'icst of nitgMy
flots pwept south front Otcfnlai.d.
Son.rw 'lore timid tn si t'lo hr.ds v. 111
be fouiid, the tnothe.s 1 u'. i:i'4 mount d
ttio lea. to drop Uu!r yo;:u;j, whieli
are trailed there, the p.uvius l.sW.v.g
in the ndjiiceiit v.ateis for their s.:o
Bittence. The teal-ships must ven
ture uiivd the Hoes far their qtuiriy,
and l?te n al-:i a, rutst hu::t IIkbo
"pinnipeds." c; E.ientta call tin nt
acrtss the frcsen v.astcs, Hi.bjceted to
all the pLi ll.. of s icli a put suit, with
out tents or ot'arr shelter, fire, or
the means tf making any, and no
chance of ret: cat to their ships if a
blizzard resets them when they ae
far from the vessels, end cften they
go six or eight miles acrotJ uie crjs--tal
wastes in the excitement of the
hunt.
The crews elways start off at day
break and remain out till night. They
are clad In flannel underwear and can
vas outer garb, but carry no over
coats, that they may travel tue easier,
and lake along only a little food, for
the same reason. Hence, when bliz
azrds assail, they are ill provided to
defy them, and if tho storm is pro
longed, they cannot withstand the ri
gors of a night cn the floe, with its
benumbing cold and gnawing hunger.
Never a year passes but some seal
ship will shelter ten or twelve hun
dred men for a night or two, the
whole assemblage on the floes making
for the nearest steamer when storm
or fog threatens, lest they lose their
way in trying to reach their own and
fall victims to the perils with whicn
they are engirt.
One of the most serious tragedies la
the annals of this Industry befell thu
crew of the steamer Greenland on
March 29, 1898. Up off Labrador at
this time winter has by no means
eper.t its fury, and on this eventful
day, while her two hundred men were
scattered over the floes, a blinding
snowstorm began, with a startling
drop in the temperature, the vessel
was driven helplessly seaward, and
the hapless crew were leu to their
fate, no other ship being near and
they being far from land. When tue
tempest ended, after two days and
nights, It was found that forty-seven
bad perished and sixty-three were se
verely frostbitten, some so severely
Ha to be maimed for life. The story
of the sufferings of the wretched par
ty was appalling. A few years ago
the steamer Huntsman was penned
In a floe off Labrador and driven
against a rocky Islet, where she went
to pieces, forty-two men perishing
within an hour amid the contending
Ice, rcef3, and fragments of the ves-
. sel. Tho rest of the crew crossed the
floes to the land; but one man, named
French, had been left behind, uncon
scious. As the ship struck, he was
flung against the rocks, having hla
shoulder, two fingers and two ribs
broken and his head badly gashed.
But ho was wedged In a crevice, and
when consciousness returned he
crawled,, with the aid of his uninjured
hand, to the top of the rock, where
ho lay for forty-two hours drenched
by the spray and battered by chunks
of Ice, lacking drink and food, and
agonised from the pain of his wounds,
till. the ice closed in solid and enabled
him to make his way to the coast,
which he did safely and ultimately
recovered. That same man, aged 7P,
was seal-.unt!ng this year, it being
his E4th consecutive season.
Record For Good Cows,
James Miller, of Sehultzvllle, Lack
awanna county. Pa., lias a herd of 16
cows that yielded 15,631 pounds of
milk In one month, an average of al
most 1,000 pounds a cow, or about 18
quarts a day.
The laws of Norway compel a man
who chops down one tree to plant
three Bapllngs.
By emigration Europe loses 9G0.00O
natives every year, and in me same
period 200,000 return.
Ma's motto for framing: Keep busy
and you won't have to read books
on how to bo happy.
"When a man get away from home
ho can wear a blue shirt with a red
necktie, if he wants to.
Some weddings are little c'.n t'.i.n a
dress suit case.
AHAHS AMHtlH BAlll
Gathering Place for the Women Vo
tivt Offerings fay tho Religious.
Or. Georgies Martin of the ther
mal station of liamman-Rirha g'ves
an Interesting account of tho Arabs
who come in crowds to take tho baths
at that station. Their number every
year can be estimated at more than
20,000.
Of these bathers about two-thirds
are women. Besides tho medical ef
fect the baths aro for the Arab wom
an a meeting place whero she encount
ers her friends, ns they remain a long
time in the baths, three-quarters of
an hour or more. They dip then
selves In the water from time to time;
then, sitting on the curb, tlicy chat,
laugh and sing.
Sometimes one of them addresses
an Invocation to the Sultan Sliman
(Solomin), patron of the spring hid
den In the mountain. The moro be
lieving sometimes receive their roco-n-Tense
In seeing the steam rlje from
the waters. After the bath the native
rolls himself In his cloak and lies In
the sun.
To quench the burning thirst which
the very warm bath g'.ves, Arabs suck
the Juice of lemon? or oranges or they
go to the "cafe mnurn" attached to ths
biths to drink n. tiny cup of co'ira.
Many Arabs, instead of coming to tin?
establishment, prefer Ui take the bit'.i
hi the open air. On the side of the
hill a pprlng flows from the rvc r-r-.d
the natives ron'e to bathe In the nat
ural basin where the water gushes
cut.
As ft votive offering the wonrn
hai-g portions of their veils on t'ic
neighboring bnshe?. The h!'i
cot.o there piously to plunge In tl.i-lr
small Pttiff dolls. It Is there that V (
rrt-yrr la above all agreeable to fVd!
.c'H::.an. They Er.crltlce fowls to hl:n.
they burn ineence and rpicea In the
epi lhin braziers, tnd It Is in his hon
or that tho little innny colored was
tar'cra stuck in tho ground burn ao
often at night.
Crip H?.3 Twenty-one Name.
Bishop Thorn' on, who Is anxious
to find an alternative to the "smoo'.h,
3-iavo name" of Influenza, should con
sult ' La Grippe," by Dr. G. Andre, f.
work published last October. There
he will find a list of twenty-one navc-bc-stowed
by tho French on that un
pleasant malady since its first appear
ance In A. D. 475. The most appro
priate and popular name appears to
be "la grippe," which was given be
cause of the sudden and violent way
in which patients are seized. Anothoi
popular name in the eighteenth cen
tury was "petit courrler," because it
reached everybody. Most of the
Frenchnames, however, are quite as
suave as our own, but some of the
terms employed by other nations are
sufficiently harsh to suit the greatest
sufTerers, the most effective in Dr. An
dre's list being the Swedish "snufs
Juka" and the Dutch "zlnklngho
orts." London Chronicle.
The Vestal Virgins.
The number of the Vestals Was
limited to six, and no new election
could take place unless a vacant j
wa3 caused by the death of one of the
sisters. They were selected from the
noblest families. Both parents of a
Vestal had ,to bo alive, and Irreproach
able In public and private life. The
term of service was thirty years, after
which tho Vestal, then between thirty
?ix and forty yean of age, was free
to return homo or even to marry,
thovgh very few ever took advantaje
of the permission to re-enter the
world. So long as the Vestals ob
served their vow? they were practical
ly above all authority, the most pow
erftil members of the State. Their
-I'j'rcrt wlh overrode even ft decree
of the Senate or the proclamation oZ
tho n.!ghtle3t general.
War Without Notice.
P.eventlo'v, of the German navy,
says that the daya of honest declara
tic a of war or of open preparat!on3
.'or war are no moro ar.d that war can
'wilt out any old time without formal
lcLlce. Ha says tho next naval war
.viil begin in the bat of an eye, and
it a time when tho enemy Is not
re'ely for any attack, and tnat breaeti
of International law will be given as
tho cause of hostilities. Ho warns
Gcr.r.any to disregard any protesta
tions of peace. The pessimistic offi
cer think3 straightforward talk be
tween nations Is till poppycock.
Masculine Shyness.
A party of well-dressed women of
a certain maturity of age Is encircled
with an atmosphere of awe which
bears witness to their consclousnois
of power and superiority. For a com
plete stranger to enter among them
requires a bravery of which mere man,
unless driven by absolute necessity, is
often incapable. Black and White,
London.
Something Coming jure.
Mistress You know. Mdinda. we
are all voiy fond of you. I hope you
llku your room and are content with
your wages. I'm thinking of giving
you my silk petticoat. Cook Foh fle
Lawd, Mis' Howard! How many
folk ses has you beeu done cone an'
asked foh dinner? Puck.
A Useless Patent.
One of the requests for a natent rn-
celvtd in the patent office of Germany
was a device for making one's own
motche. Willi tho aid of it, anyone
can, by Ave hours' work, savo six or
seven cents!
Production Poorly Distributed.
Germany, Great Britain and the
United States produce four-fifths of
the world's supply of pig Iron.
THE COLUMBIAN,
CHARITY THAT 15
One Lone Minister Profits in Sol
itary Grandeur by Woman's
Rich Bequest
MYSTERY OF FUND'S FAILURE
Remarkable Story About the Splendid
Estate Which Mrs. Jano Mercer of
Ambler, Pa., Left to Support In
digent Presbyterian Ministers.
A remarkable story of charity go
ing begging Is to be found In the fail
ure of a fund that for tho last twenty-five
years has appealed In vain to
ministers of the Presbyterian faith.
Tho story begins a quarter of n cen
tury ago, when Mrs. Anne .lane Mer
cer, of Ambler, Pa., died. She had be
queathed her fortune with her fine
house and grounds nt that place lor
the use of Infirm ministers of tho
Presbyterian Church. It was a splen
did property, and the will was read
amid the despairing comments of re
latives who had hoped that different
disposition would be made of tho
Mercer wenlth.
The house and grounds were Ideal
for an institution such a.i tho woman
contemplated. The mansion wr.s
commodious and the park In which It
stood a large tract In one of the most
picturesque and healthful spots in
that part of the Keystone State. As
the amount In cash to be used for tho
maintenance of tho institution waa
$100,000, it looked as 'f the legatee
had done all she could to insure eo.ii
fort for the declining lives of a good
ly number of Presbyterian ministers.
But after twenty-five years the lino
home willed by Mr3. Mercer, houses
only one lone occupant, and despite
all the efforts of the trustees and
directors no more infirm Presbyterian
clergymen can be Induced to spend the
winter of their lives within Its hospi
table walls.
This much has come to light
through the attempt of the trustees to
have the courts make some other dis
position of the Mercer money, In
stead of permitting it longer to re
main dormant, appealing without re
sult to ministers who simply will not
be supported from this fund.
Some light is shed on the mystery
of this unsuccessful charity by thu
items In the bill praying for relief
from the terms of the will and for
some other project -for the expendi
ture of the Mercer fortune. It Is as
serted in this bill that only thirty-five
ministers have made application for
admission to the home In all the twenty-five
years that its doors have re
mained open to the applicants who
could qualify. Twelve were found to
be Ineligible fifteen were taken In and
the rest were not heard from again.
Of the lucky fifteen ten went away
for various reasons, four of tho re
mainder died, and that left one, who
Is now the sole beneficiary under the
will.
It might be supposed that sonio
"Joker" in the will deterred the min
isters from availing themselves of the
opportunity to end their days In com
fort, but there appears to be none, ex
cept, possibly, that forbidding the use
of tobacco. It is not easy to imagine
that in the case of ministers of the
Gospel this clause would prove an In
surmountable obstacle. What, then.
Is the reason that this charity has so
signally failed?
Tho lone survivor of tho fifteen was
asked this question, but could give no
valid reason for the failure other than
that the borne was too lonesome. It
cannot be denied that it Is lonesome
for him, this ancient minister, eating,
living and sleeping in a great house,
with none to speak to but the ser
vants who wait on him, and no object
in lifo except to make as great in
roads on the charity as he can. ' It
would not be lonesome If he bad the
company of a hundred or so of old
ministers like himself.
The "help" have an easy time of it
Thero are four of them, three big men
and one woman. With only one In
mate to wait upon, it may bo under
stood that time hangs rather heavily
on their bands.
A Dramatic Suicide.
A novel, but grewsomo, method oi
suicide is that of Lieut. Stanweklcz,
Gallca. He saturated the furniture of
bis room with naphtha, which he also
poured over the floor, and he placed
on ths carpet a number of ball car
tridges. Then he fired the room in
several places, so that In a few min
utes it was converted into a veritable
furnace, and finally hurled himself
Into the midst of the flames. The
smoke and a series of violent explo
sions alarmed the neighbors, who
hastened to help in extinguishing the
fire, but when it was possible to enter
the bouse only the ashes of the lieu
tenant were to be found.
Snowballs Rolled By Wind.
A correspondent from Nicholvlllo,
a town in the northern part of New
York state, tells of a etorm lasting
several hours, during which time the
wind made snow balls. It began with
small lumps of snow which It rolled
over and over till they were too largo
and heavy to move. The ground was
almost covered with these balls, some
being as much as ten inches in diame
ter, A great many people noticed
them, and some of the oldest Inhabi
tants of the place said they never had
seen such a thing before. Neverthe
less the occurrence Is in reality not
extremely rare. St Nicholas.
GO G
A-BEGGING
BLOOMSBURO. PA
SNAKES AREW3RSH1PE0
West Indians Put ths Doctor Serpent
Above All Others.
"I bave Just come back from a tour
of the West Indies,' said Dr. K. V.
Munson, of Chicago, "and while In
those Southern lands I got a clear In
sight Into some of the customs and
beliefs of the common people. In Hai
ti, where then natives are not far r
moved from savagery, I looked Into
the mater of voodoo worship, which 19
still very prevalent. Some of the mor.t
Ignorant venerate snakes as deities
nnd even those who do not go to the
extreme of worship look on serpents
with great awe ar.d lespect find
ascrlbo to them uncommon power and
wisdom. There Is a species they call
the 'doctor snake' that tho West In
dians put above all others; he Is tho
recognized head of the whole serpent
family, endowed with the most won
derful qualities and able to do the
most marvelous things. This doctor
snake Is terrlblo and deadly to human
beings, but to all of nis own sort ho
Is a savior.
"If a nntlvo wounds an ordinary re;v
tile, even to tho extent of cutting him
half In two the doctor snake, though
miles distant, knows about It In some
telepathic way and, hurrying to the
scene proceeds to apply temedles that
soon makes the Injured one as good
as new.
"Along with this belief, which no
amount of logic or learning can dis
pel from the natlvo mind. Is that of
faith in a snake doctor, who Is a noit
of pal, as It were, of the doctor snake.
The snake doctor is tho good angel cf
the remote communities, where pc's
onous reptiles are thick. When n rcr.'i
Is bitten he goes at once to this lii'g'i
ty personage, whoso first act is ta
put his hand on the wound. Ne.;t li3
sallies forth to catch tho rcrictit
that used Its fangs nud, catching It
In n firm grip, stretches it till tlia
bones crack. This dono the patient
gets well right away. "If by nny
chance the snake doctor has trouble
in locating the guilty party, his part
ner, tho doctor snake, is called upon
for aid and he never falls to carry tho
medicine man to whero the wrong
doer may bo found."
Through with Chance.
They were seated on separate
chairs, the young woman cheerful nnd
smiling, the young man distrait and
apparently struggling under some bit
ter disappointment some well-nigh
crushing blow from the pile-driver of
Fate.
"So you caro nothing for mo and
positively decline my offer, eh?" ho
hoarsely demanded, bending forward
and staring moodily at tho floor.
"Yes," was the frigid reply. "I am
sorry for you, but you have utterly
misconstrued my feelings. 1 can nev
er be your wife."
"Stung again!" bitterly remarkcl
the young man as soon as be could
command his voice. "I was Just fool
1th enough to bet Hank Perkins n
veek's salary that you would accept
me, but I've got tho throw-down, ns
usual, and am out 15 plunks in tho
bargain."
Jarred Queen Wilhelmlna.
Queen Wilhelmlna has a good car
for music, and once when an amateur
musician was playing at the court
she nearly disgraced herself from tho
point of view of royal discipline. His
playing wns anything but brilliant,
and it so Jarred on the young queen's
ear that she hastily Jumped up and
left the room. Her courtiers remon
strated with her. "I know I ought not
to have done what I did," sho said.
"I mean to bo polite to my people,
but 1 cannot bo polite to wrong har
monies." Later sho sent for the poor
musician and begged hia pardon, but
it was a question whether her conde
scension as a queen was great enough
to offset the fact that this only see n
ed to make a bad matter worse.
All Over.
While work on a new building w.is
going on in a southern town not log
ago an old negro entployed ua a hod
carrier suddenly clipped while ue.'.r
lug the third story and plunged her-.d-long
to tho ground. Several passes
by rushed over expecting to find a
man dead with a broken neck, as the
old follow had struck squarely on tha
top of his head. Finding the old man
still alive some ono emptied the con
tents of a whiskey bottle down hla
throat. In a few momeuts tho old
negro snt up and loo'.ed around.
"How do you feel now, uncle?" ask
ed a bystander kindly.
"Well, sar," come tho reply, "I wuz
sorter cornfused when I fust started,
but now dat I's hit I's all right!"
Fogs and Wireless Telegraphy.
It Is one of the many marvels of
wireless telegraphy that the. ether
waves which carry its messages, un
like light waves, suffer no absorption
in mist or fog. Quite the opposite, in
fact, Is the case, for the effect on them
of clear sunlight is so marked that
they can be sent with equal Initial
power only less than half the distance
by day as by night. For this reason
press dispatches and long distance
messages sent by wireless telegraphy
aro, whereever possible, committed to
the ether waves after sunset.
Children Ars Victims.
A member of the Society for Politi
cal Study in New York said the other
day that the factories claim moro vic
tims than the rivers in China ever
did, more little children going to their
death from these places. Tho mines
and the sweatshops are worse than the
factories, she said. In the course of
discussion the point was brought out
that there Is doubt as to whether the
mothers in China ever do throw their
children Into the rivers.
Bi...mttrnvill
AVcgclable Preparation for As
similating thcFoodandHcflula
ling the Stomachs andDovrcls of
Promotes Digcslion.CrVcrful
ness and Rest Contains neither
Opium.Morpliine nortincral
Not Narcotic.
Apetfccl Remedy forConstipa
Tion , Sour Stomach, Diarrhoea
Worms .Convulsions .Kevcrish
ncss nnd Loss OF SLEEP.
A.
Facsimile Sitfnnlure cf
NEW YORK.
412 "vm JF
maw nt
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