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3?HE PITTSBURG DISPATCH," " SUNDAY," OtEtafflR 9, MOCC
JlS
,
THE RUIHS OF 11 COW
Cause Howard Fielding and His
Better Half to 3Iiss a Swell Wed
ding Down in Jersey.
HURDLE RACE BETWEEN TRAINS.
A South Jersevman Who Knew it AH Gets a
Great Deal of Quiet Censure
From the Travelers.
AX ADYENTDEE OX A PICKET FENCE.
CctgntaMcn ty Ei3 Wu All That Ecscari the
Kewly-Kunei Ccnpls.
rwBiTTrjr tob the dispatch.
If in this little narrative of hard facts I
seem to speak of the J. & X G. It. K. in
a tone of flippant familiarity, believe me the
oflense is unintentional. In addressing a
Jfew Jersey railroad personally I always
say ycur Majesty, for although I do not re
side in the State I have made a careful study
of her form of government and have had a
personal acquaintance with some of her
leading citizens. Nevertheless, the business
which took me there last week -was perfectly
legitimate.
We went to attend a wedding, my wife
and I. It was not a Camden wedding,
either, but a premeditated affair with invi
tations. The bride once went to school with
my wife, and they were dear friends. I
knew her before my marriage, and used to
think a great deal of her, but when her
father failed in business we somehow drifted
apart. If I remember rightly my anchor
dragged first. Later, however, the old man
pot upon his feet again; and now he has a
fine residence in Yellowtown with sufficient
laud under cultivation to produce almost
everything the family needs except quinine.
EXCITED THEIK CURIOSITY.
The wedding was to be very swell, with
point lace and other expensive trimmings,
and Maude wouldn't have missed the sight
for anything. I, too, had a subdned and
gentle interest in the performance. I wanted
to see how large a check the old man would
feel called upon to draw. It might have
borne my name if a spirit of prophecy had
dwelt in me three or four years 3go, hut it
didn't, and I do not repine. There are
some things which are better than money, as
I intended to remark to my wife when we
examined that check, and I thouebt that
the opportunitv ought to be worth a small
percentage on the amount.
The wedding was to be at 4 o'clock.and we
left 2f ew York at 9 in the morning. "We
were due in Yellowtown in time for lunch
eon. The express to Philadelphia took us
over there in a Little more than two hours,
and we crossed the city by cable car without
serious injury to ours&ves or .many pedes
trians. SOMETHING VTKNT WRONG.
Then we crossed the ferry to Camden and
took the If. J. & X. G. It. E. for Yellow
town. The distance was 15 miles, and
the running time not over an hour
under ordinary circumstances. "We es
caped from Camden and its immedi
ate suburbs at as good a pace as we
JIaud Preparing to Fly.
could reasonably expect, but after we had
traveled about six miles something went
wrong. "We stooped at North Sandbury
station and waited half an hour. Then we
crawled along to Sandbury and took an
other rest. Maude's impatience bordered on
frenzy. She had learned from the conduc
tor that there was a wreck on the track, and
I could hardly restrain her from rushing up
there to clear it off.
'If I were a man," said she, in a tone
which made the gentleman in the seat be
fore us naul his head down behind his coat
collar. I asked her what she would do if
she were a man, and she said that the least
;she would do was to go out and find what
n as the matter. I volunteered to do that
Tart of it myself, but she wouldn't let me,
iecause I would be sure to get left behind
when the train started. Furthermore I
didn't possess the high degree of intelli
gence necessary for such a task.
A COMPLIMENTARY COMPANION.
' "When you want to find out anything,"
said she, "you always ask somebody who
doesn't know."
By and by an expre train that had lelt
Camden tome time behind us pulled ud
alongside, and there were rumors in the air
that it would start before we did when the
wreck should be cleared away. Maude heard
the whisper, and u sounded to her im
patience like the voice of hope.
"Why can't we change cars, Howdy?"
said she; "we might save a lot of time.
Of course they'll send the express ahead of
this train."
"But we don't know whether it stops at
"Yellontown," I suggested.
"I teel perfectly sure that it docs," replied
Claude, with an air of decision. I have
."known Maude to doubt the .laws of nature
and the reality of observed phenomena, but
when she has feelings about the weather or
theliabitability of the planet Saturn or the
destination oi a tram which she never heard
of before, then she is sure or her conclusions
and argument is futile. Information on a
subject always confuses a woman.
We gathered up our few possessions
hastily, became that delicate and infallible
intuition peculiar to women told Maude that
the other tram was going to pull out very
soon. There was a low fence between the
two tracks, and after I had tumbled over it
I assisted Maude to do so. Then we hur
riedly got on board the other train and
waited 20 minutes for something to happen.
At the end of that time a brakeman came
through the car, and I asked him if that
train stopped at Yellowtown.
"Naw," said he, "that other one's the
Yellowtown train, and you'd better get
aboard livelv, 'cause 6he's likely to pull out
jnr minute."
"Oh, goodness, gracious mel" exclaimed
.Maude; and before I could catch her she
-was out of the car and scaling the fence.
I suggested that we walk around the lower
end of it,but Maude wouldn't hear of it She
accused me of plotting to miss the train
because. I didn't like weddings. This
unbindness cnt me so deeply that I
neglected to assist her over the fence; and
she got along mcch better than before, as is
frequently the case.
INFORMATION VOLUNTEERED.
On the other side we met a South Jersey
man with whom I have an acquaintance.
ftiNk. pr
"Hello," said he, "where are you
going?"
told him our destination.
"Come aboard the other train, then," said
he; that'll pull oufahead of this one."
"There, Howdv," aid Maude, "didn't I
tell you so?"
"But the brakeman said it didn't stop at
Yellowtown," I said, by way of self-defense.
The South Jerseyman grinned.
"Of course he told you so," said he. "You
don't suppose they want everybody to pile
out of this train into the other one, do you?
He was givine you enffi Oh, there's no
hurry," he continued, for Maude had made
another rush at the fence. "I just saw the
conductor of that train sitting on the cow
catcher eating doughnuts, and he said that
if he got anything else before supper time
he would consider himself in luck."
A COW ON THE TEACK.
"I think he was simply awful," said
Maude. "How can the conductor of a train
sit down calmly and eat doughnuts when nil
these people are just dying of impatience?"
"But I don't imagine we're waiting for
him, my dear," said L
"io," said the South Jerseyman.
'Th ere's a freight train and cow in collision
ifFW; III
The South Jerseyman Waves Adieu.
at East Sandbury. Nobody was hurt ex
cept the cow."
"I have heard a great deal about Jersev
cows," said I, "but I didn't suppose that
the ruins of one of them could block traffic
for half a day.
Meanwhile we were walking around the
end of the fence, and up the other side. "We
were just boarding a car when the bell ou
the engine ot the other train began to ring.
"By George!" howled the South Jersey
man, "they're going to pull the local out
first," and he made a dash for the fence.
Maude was already there. I gave her such
assistance as I could, and she beat the South
Jerseyman by a fraction of a second.
IMPALED ON A PICKET.
Then I made a dash for it; got one of the
pickets up my pantaloons' leg, and fell over
on my bead with the leg snspended in mid
air. Maude was weeping with excitement.
She seized one of my hands; the South Jer
seyman grabbed the other, and they straight
ened me out like a string. It was a ques
tion which would give out first the picket,
the pantaloons or my connective tissue. But
the picket finally yielded, and we all
scrambled aboard the train.
"Maude," said I, examining my torn
pantaloons, "what does the Bible say about
the man who had not on a wedding gar
ment?" "It says that he did not get there," said
she, impatiently, "and I guess it's the truth.
Ob, why does not this train startl"
The engine bell was still ringing, hut it
seemed to begetting more and more remote.
I went to the door of the car and took an
observation. In the distance I saw the
engine and baggage car of our train.
The latter was being switched upon a
side track. "We waited about two hours.
It was after 3 o'clock. Maude was
getting the South Jerseyman.s opinion of
the efficacy of telling the conductor that we
would bring suit against the company if he
did not start. The South Jerseyman nodded
sleepily. I was getting fearfully hungry,
and I suggested that Maude should threaten
the suit and then offer to compromise it for
a few of the dougnuts which the conductor
had been detected in the act of eating.
OVEB THE FENCE AGAIN.
Suddenly the South Jerseyman waked up
with a start, and pointed wildly out of the
window. Men could be seen hastily board
ing the other train.
"They're going to start her sure, this
time," he cried, and made a break for the
door. Maude and I followed him. As we
attacked the fence, the train began to move.
"We tnmbled over, pell mell, but the cars
had gained too much headway. It would
have been dangerons to attempt to board
them. The South Jerseyman swore in a
firm but respectful manner; Maude sat
down on a blind switch and wept; I looked
around for an employe of the railroad and a
club. Finally Maude uncovered her eyes
and looked severely at the South Jersey
man. He shivered and tried to get behind
me.
"I knew we ought to have staid here be
fore," she said, "but I am easily per
suaded by people who think they know
something. There is nothing to do now but
get aboard the other train."
MISSED BY HALF A SECOND.
The South Jerseyman had already climbed
the fence.
"Hurry up," he shouted; "she is pulling
out."
"We started another hurdle race and lost it
by halt a second. The train vanished in the
Likely to Miss Jlis Train.
distance, with the South Jerseymen waving
his arm and shouting like a lunatic I
found a railroad employe on the station
platform. .
"When does the next train go down?" I
asked.
'"Bout 7 o'clock, I reckon," said he.
"There's a lot of trains the other side of the
wreck waiting to come up, and there's only
one track open. The up trains will be
coming through now for two or three hours."
"Howdy," said Maude, "we don't want
to make onrselves ridiculous by getting to
Yellowtown after it's all over. Let's take
one of those up trains and go home. "We'll
write some sort of an excuse, and if that
South Jerseyman tells anybody the truth
about it I'll pursue him to his grave."
HOWARD FlELDINO.
Wbat "Wealth Cannot Boy.
HI Hlftrlntoa In West Shore.
A man may have honor, and wealth, and
power; woman may smile upon him, and
men may flatter him; his slightest wish may
be law, and his every word a command that
must be obeyed; the whole world may envy
him the gifts that the gods have given him
yet, with all these, he may not have one real
friend, and he may grudge the commonest
laborer the kiss of pure affection which can
not be bought. f
Culinary Transformation.
West Shore.
Snodgrass It is queer how one kind of
cake will turn into another.
Snively I don't understand.
Snodgrass "Well, I've known poundcake
to develop into stomach cake.
CUERENT MEASURING
Principles Upon Which the Amme
ter and Voltmeter Depends.
ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
So Intimately Associated That They De
termine Each Other.
HOW TO GET AT THE PEESSUEE
IWWTTKjr TOR THE DISPATCH.
As has been frequently stated, electricity
is not a thing that we can see, handle, touch
or weigh, but it is a condition of things
capable of doing work a condition of
things that can be changed, and when the
change is made, work is done. Electricity
is therefore a condition of things that will
prodnce effects, and, not being able to see or
handle electricity, we recognize its presence
by its known effects.and not only this,but we
also measure it by its comparative effects
under varied circumstances.
For example, if we wish to measure the
pressure of the atmosphere, we balance its
pressure against the pressure of a column
of mercury, as in the barometer, and by
noting the effect we are able to say that the
pressure of the atmosphere is greater or less
one day than another. If we have a fire
that will melt iron, we call the heat great,
that is, it is great compared with the heat of
a fire that will but just melt lead. "We
thus not only recognize the pressure of heat,
but we also make comparative measure
ments of its intensity by its effects under
varied circumstances. It is in this way that
we measure the electric current, that is, by
its comparative effects under varied condi
tions. THE MAGNETIC FIELD.
In previous articles we have studied the
lines of force of a magnet and the effect that
they have on a compass or magnetized
needle free to move in all directions. "We
have also shown that these lines of force
have closed circuits. Now an electric cur
rent will also generate lines of force similar
in character to those of a magnet To illus
trate this fact, take a wire with a current of
electricity flowing through it and pass it
vertically through a smooth piece of
cardboard, or better, a flat piece of
glass, held in a horizontal position.
Then if fine iron filings are sifted
on to the surface of the cardboard or glass
it will be noticed that the filings will ar
range themselves in concentric circles
around the wire.
These circles are closed lines of force and
do not represent any flowing motion, aB of a
current, but they have direction and they
influence a magnetic needle, free to move in
all directions, just as magnetic lines offeree
do. The space occupied by lines of force is
called a "field of force" or "maguetic
field" or often simply "field," for short.
"We have in a previous article shown how,
by exploring the fiold of a magnet, we
can determine and locate the poles of a mag
net. We can now also, in a similar way,
explore the field of an electric current and
determine not only the direction of the cur
rent, but also its strength, as compared with
some other current
A COMPASS IN THE FIELD.
If on the glass plate and close to the wire
wc place a compass, the compass needle will
at first vibrate rapidly and finally come to
rest in a position tangent to the rings or
lines of force. If the direction of the cur
rent is reversed, the compass needle will run
through 180; that is, it will still hold its
tangent position, but reverse the direction
of its poles, thus showing that the lines of
force generated by the current have changed
their direction. If the current is flowing up
through the glass plate, the lines of force
will have a direction opposite to that of the
hands ot a clock; that is, looking down on
the plate, the direction will be irom right
to left, If the enrreat flows down through
the plate, the direction of the lines'of force
will be reversed.
Now the direction of the lines of force of a
compass needle is from or out of the North
Pole and into the South Pole, and as the
lines of force of the compass and electric
current must have the same direction, it is a
simple matter to determine the direction of
an electric current For example, if the
current is flowing up through the glass
plate, its lines of force will be from right to
left, and the north pole of the compass will
point in that direction. Wo thus have the
following rule for determining the direction
of an electric current. Place a portion of
the wire in a horizontal position and a
compass under it, face up; the needle will
then place itself in a position at right angles
to the wire, and if we look at the needle
from its south pole toward its north the cur
rent will be flowing from left to right. A.
few practical applications of this rule will
enable the observer to quickly detect the
direction ot an electric current without stop
ping to think of the rule orplace himself in
the above mentioned positions,
MXASUBINO THE STRENGTH.
We have thus seen how by the effect of an
electric enrrent on a magnetic needle we can
determine the direction of the enrrent But
this is not all, for we can also determine its
comparative strength. For example, let us
again imagine the current flowine through a
wire piercing a glass plate as before and
again place the compass on the plate near
the wire. If now we fasten a permanent
magnet near the compass, the compass
needle will struggle to point in two different
directions at the same time, that is in one
direction toward the permanent magnet, and
in another direction, as we have above seen,
dne to the lines of force generated by the
electric enrrent In other words, we now
have two forces pulling the compass needle,
and if one of these is constant like the per
manent magnet and the other variable as
the electric current can be made, the direc
tion of the comnass needle will vary with
the -variable force acting on it, which, in
this case, is the current.
That is to say, if there is no current in
wire, the compass needle will point toward
the permanent magnet; if there is a small
current flowing through the wire, the
needle will be turned away from the magnet
a little, and if the current is increased the
needle will turn still more, and thus the
position of the compass will determine the
relative amount of current flowing through
the wire. But to make this compass needle
a practical instrnment lor measuring the
strength of electrio currents, it must be en
closed in a suitable box or case with a per
manent magnet attached and then properly
calibrated in the following manner:
GRADUATING THE INSTEDMENT.
Fix the instrument firmly with regard to
the electric wire; pass a known current
through the wire, say one ampere, and mark
the position of the needle on a suitable dial
with the figure 1. Then increase the cur
rent to, say two amperes, and mark the new
position ot the needle with the figure 2, and
so on. If then, at any future time, we have
an unknown current and wish to determine
its strength, the determination is readily
made by noting the deflection of the needle
and taking the reading off the scale. Of
course the position which the needle occu
pies when there is no enrrent flowing indi
cates the zero point or point indicating that
there is no enrrent flowing.
The sensitiveness of the instrument is
greatly increased by making many turns of
the electric wire around the compass needle
case. This coil can then be cnt loose from
the circuit,and if the ends are, provided with
binding posts, the instrnment is at once port
able and can be used to measure the strength
of any other electric current It is thus by
the external effect of the current that we are
enabled to determine both its direction and
its intensity.
ANOTHER SIMPLE DEVICE.
There are, however, other methods than
the above described, some of which are
more practical than others, according lo
circumstances. A very cooimon form of the
enrrent or ammeter is that in which a cur
rent, flowing through a solenaid, is made to
draw an iron core into. its interior. - If from
i
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a spiral spring we suspend a core o! iron
about the size of a short lead pencil, in sueh
a way that its lower end is just entering the
upper end of a solenaid (a solenaid ia sim
ply a spool of insolated wire, having a h61e
through it like a spool of thread) and then
allow a current to flow through the convolu
tions of the solitnaid, the iron core will be
drawn or "sucked" down, so to speak. And
the stronger the current, so much the fur
ther will the core be drawn down. If
the current is turned off the core will be pulled
back to its original position by the force of
the spiral spring. If now we put a pointer
on the upper end of the core we can make
a wale as before, by using known currents,
so that at any future time we can determine
the strength of an unknown current by not
ing the position of the pointer on the scale.
MEASURING THE PEESSUEE.
We have thus shown how the quantity of
current can be determined. The pressure is,
however, also determined by its effect For
example, if we take a straight piece of very
fine platinum wire and connect its ends by
copper wires to the poles of a dynamo, the
platinum wire will expand and contract, by
the heat generitid, according to the current
flowing through it, and this current in am
peres is directly proportional to the pressure
in volts at the dynamo.
It is ihen obvious that the change in the
length of the wire can, by means of a suit
able mechanical device, be made to move a
pointer over a cale, and then, if this instru
ment is calibrated with known pressures,
other unknown pressures may easily be de
termined as before described in the current
indicating instiuments. The enrrent indi
cating instruments are called ammeters, the
pressure indicating instruments voltmeters.
Sciei Facias.
THE ELECTBIO-WOBLD.
Possibilities of UieNew "Welding Process ana
-a -m. Other Applications.
" IWKITTK.T FOB TITS DISFATCIM
One of the most striking things in con
nection with the recent visit ot the British
Iron and Steel Institute to New York, was
the fact that so large a proportion of the
time of the association was occupied with
papers and discussions on electrical topics.
One of the most important papers was that
on electrical work in mining operations, in
which it was shijwn that a large variety of
work was now being done in onr mining
fields. Several papers treated on magnetio
processes for the separation of metal from
crushed ore, and the extent to which the
work has been carried on may be inferred
from the statement of one author, to the
effect that from a mine in the Lake Super
ior region 11,000 tons of cencentrates had
been shipped. Perhaps the most interesting
papers was that by Prof. Elihu Thomson,
on welding by electricity, in which he
called attention to the variety and behavior
of different metals under the welding
process.
He adverted, moreover, lo some new de
velopments of the most important nature.
Thus, for instance, the electric welding
method is already largely used for making
joints at the ends of wires. An apparatus
has, in fact, been specially devised so that
the lineman can make a weld joint while up
a pole. In the manufacture of pipes a ma
chine has been built which welds sections of
six-inch heavy pipe. There is thus no limi
tation as to the length of pipe which can be
welded. Another novelty is the manufact
ure of armor-piercing Bhells from sections of
varied grades of steel, and without screw
joints. Considerable attention has also been
given to the department of machinery for
chain work, and a working apparatus has
been made which takes wire from a reel and
turns out lengths of chain with electrically
welded links, the operation being automatic
thronghout Another very interesting de
parture is that of heating rivets In plates by
currents passed through them and welding
them while hot In numerous trials it has
been proved that short straight sections, may
thus be used as rivets and both welds
formed simultaneously, either as projecting
welds or as countersunk. Yet other depart
ures are an electrical brazing machine regu
larly in use in bicycle construction and the
application of electrical methods to many
tin-silvering processes.
As affording a contrast to the general up
ward tendency in the price of materials ot
nearly every description, the late reduction
in the price of incandescent lamps is some
what remarkable. When the incandescent
lamp was first introduced, its price was
fixed and remained for many years at $1.
A reduction was presently made which
brought down the cost to 85 cents. Last
year a further reduction to 75 cents was
made, and it is now announced that the
selling price of the 16 candle-power incan
descent lamp will in future be 44 cents.
. .
Tub signs that a good time is coming for
the storage battery car are increasing. Be
cently compiled figures show that there are
as many storage cars running to-day as
there were of the overhead system only two
short years ego. One of the cities
in which the storage car has achieved
one of its greatest triumphs is
New Orleans, where it is the only substi
tute for horses. Accounts from England
go to show that the Euglish electricians are
pressing closely on the heels of Americans
in the development of "the system of the
future for city car traction." The practi
cability ot working electric trains by means
of the storage batteries at present available
still remains an open question. Some con
tinuous trials have, however, been recently
made with results of a satisfactory
character. On one track four cars have
been operated during the last fonr months
with cells of a special railroad type. The
road has numerous curves, and grades as
heavy as 54 per cent These have taxed
the cells to their utmost, the 100 cells on
each car frequently being discharged at the
rate of 45 eleotrical horse power. In one
month these cars carried 59,000 passengers,
with frequent loads of 100 passengers on a
car. The batteries have made several runs
of C3 miles with a single charge under
these conditions, thus giving a good indica
tion of their increased efficiency where the
conditions are more favorable as to grades
and curves.
Some idea of the almost unlimited field
which electricians now find before them
may be gathered from the advice given by
Instructor Shepardson, of the electrical en
gineering department ot Cornell University,
to the senior electrical association, on "Op
portunities Open to a Technical Graduate."
He recommended craduates ot electrical
schools not to immediately enter some large
construction shop, but rather to strike out
in some undeveloped field. Among such
fields of work he mentioned the following:
Electrio metallurgy, electroplating appli
ances, electricity as applied to chemistry,
the simplification of the dynamo, electricity
from heat, improvement of the aro lamp
as to carbon efficiency, electric car
lighting, decrease of weight of storage
batteries, lar-seeing by electricity, the
telephone, the electrical utilization of
the energy of the tides, animalism electricity
orpcrsonal magnetism, "electro-therapeutics,
utilization of atmospheric electricity and
earth currents, improvement of gaslighting
apparatus, a constant enrrent dynamo regu
lator, an electric car truck in which the
armatures may revolve whether the car is
running or standing still, thus allowing (he
car to stop promp.tly when going down hill,
as well as to start easily; a method ot con
necting the armature to the wheels, so as to
dispense with gears and allow the armatnre
to revolve in the same direction, whichever
way the car is running; a trolley wheel com
bining good lubrication with conductivity,
the reduction of loss of energy when eoing
around curves, lightning arresters for cars
and the getting rid of magnetism within
electric cars.
Feoplo Who Don't Count
Boston Herald.
The people who don't count in this coun
try number somewhere about 3,000,000, as
near as we can calculate from a perusal of
Mr. Porter's census schedules.
A CHAMPAGNE PANIC.
Big Scare Over the Borages of the
Phylloxera Vastatrix.
THE WORLD MAY GO THIRSTY.
Observers Stationed in Balloons Can See
the Ocean Bottom.
DISEASE DDE TO USING TOMATOES
r WKITTXN rOB THE DISFJLTCIM
According to the sensational statements
which have recently bfen freely propagated,
the champagne vineyards are on the eve of
being destroyed by the phylloxera vastatrix,
and in another year or two there will be no
champagne. A writer on the subject gives
some perfectly reliable facts and figures,
which throw a somewhat reassuring light on
the matter. The champagne vineyards
yield on an average nearly 10,000,000 gal
lons of wine every year. Only a portion of
this is converted into sparkling wine, the
inferior growths supplying ordinary table
wine for the inhabitants ot the district, ex
cept in years of great scarcity, when they
are utilized by some of the shippers. At
the present time there are about 75,000,000
bottles of sparkling champagne in the cel
lars of the shipping houses who, moreover,
hold a stock of over 4,000,000 gallons of
wine in cask. The a5fmal sales, however,
average 20,000,000 bottles, so that the stocks
in hand, large as they seem, represent only
between four and five years' consumption.
If, therefore, the champagne vineyards were
on the point of being annihilated the wine
might become altogether unobtainabIe,either
for love or money, before the close of the
century.
But it is by no means certain that the
vineyards are about to be destroyed. No
one can deny the serious ravages of the
phylloxera in the Charente vineyards, but
the latter have been largely replanted, and
are now steadily recovering, for during the
past few years they have yielded at each
vintage au average of 44,000,000 gallons of
wine, the whole of which has been con
verted into brandy. The real champagne
districts, however, are confined to the De
partment of the Marne, and so far the phyl
loxera has not been found in any of them.
It has, however, been detected in Treloup,
in the Aisne, within 500 yards of the border
of the Marne, and it is this which has
canscd the panic It is thought that some
of the young vines which have been pur
chased at Treloup dnring the last 12 months
may have spread the disease through the
localities whence the best varieties of raw
champagne are derived. If such prove the
case, the situation will be very serious; but
at present it is impossible to arrive at any
certainty on the point.
The phylloxera virtually disappears dur
ing the antumn and wiuter months, aid no
one will know until next Slay whether it
has really penetrated the champagne vine
yards or not Meantime all precaution
ary measures are likely to be carried ont,
all the remedies indicated by the scientific
research of recent years will be brought into
play, and a large fund will be subscribed.
If the champagne growers and shippers are
only in earnest, they may succeed in an
nihilating the scourge even more promptly
than did their confreres in the Medoc. The
burning of contaminated vineyards, and the
saturation of the soil with the most approved
chemical preparations, may do much to
check further invasion. The situation at
the present time is certainly a threatening
one, but is clearly a little too early to assert
that there is to be no more champagne.
Balloons for Naval Purposes.
Some experiments have lately been con
ducted by the French navy which will have
an important influence on the future use of
the balloon in time of war. A balloon was
constructed with a capacity of 11,300 feet,
especially for experimental purposes. It
was inflated with hydrogen, which was car
ried in reservoirs under a pressure of 100 at
mospheres. A tail rope 130 feet long, served
to connect the balloon with a ship of the
fleet, when the balloon was required to be
kept captive for reconnoiteriug purposes. It
was found that on a clear day all important
objects within a radius of 18 to 24 miles
wero clearly distinguished. Another very
important point was that the waters of the
sea, when observed from a considerable alti
tude, were found to be singularly clear, and
the details of the bottom were in one of the
ascents perfectly distinguishable, even at a
depth of 80 feet This peculiarity allowed
an observer in the balloon to follow
the movements of the submarine boat Gym
note, during its recent trials, without losing
sight of it for a single moment, whatever its
depth of immersion. The balloon used on
this occasion was very stoutly constructed,
having been a short time before towed at a
speed of 10 knots an hour fora distance of
21 Knots, by a torpedo boat, without being
any the worse. Germany has now adopted
balloons for naval purposes, and during the
recent manoeuvres at Wilhelmshaven, one
of these was used from a warship of the
fleet for reconnoitering.
Preserve the Health.
Dr. William Pepper has been giving
some useful hints to those who are willing to
expend a little care and common sense on
the preservation of their health. He is of
the opinion that our object should be not
merely to be free from disease, but to
fully enjoy the blessings of per
fect health. He emphasized the in
fluence of heredity and environment upon
the constitution in general and the
effects of personal habits cleanliness, the
proper manner of eating, and sufficient rest
as particularly referring to the majority
ot ailments by which people are afflicted.
He said that hereditary tendencies and un
hcalthful surroundings might be very large
ly overcome by proper care of the scin, by
taking cool baths daily and inducing irie
tion afterward; by care in the matter of diet,
eating slowly and avoiding the inclination
to swallow insufficiently masticated food,
and, above all, by giving body and mind
proper rest. Dr. Pepper thinks, as do many
who are unable to carry out his prescrip
tion, that people should have plenty of holi
days during the year not for the sake of
idleness, but to effect improved conditions
of health.
Champagne In Forty Hours.
The discovery of electrical tanning which
reduces the time of the process from many
months to a few days has its counterpart in
the alleged discovery of a process by which
the time of the manufacture of champagne
is reduced from eight months to 40 hours.
It is claimed that no foreign or deleterious
substances whatever are added to clarify the
wine, or to give it the genuine and delicate
champagne color, but that these are simply
the result of the natural fermentation of
the germs and the sugar contained in the
preparation.
To Make Tobacco Harmless.
A physician, in commenting on the fact
that few smokers realize the extent of the
harm done to the mouth, heart and nerves
by tobacco, mentions a simple and effective
method of rendering tobacco utterly harm
les3,without destroying the aroma. This
consists of a small piece of ordinary cotton
wool steeped in a 5 or 10 per cent solution of
pyrogallio acid inserted in the pipe or cigar
holder. This will neutralize any possible
ill effects of the nicotine.
Tomato Poisoning.
A fllTlfrnln iAnvd li.. .. tt.an ao11a1 .a
... - u J" "" ""
notice by a prominent physician. It is a
form of recession of the gums of the superior
molars, which is said to be due to the use of
tomatoes as food. Great sensitiveness is.
manifested along the line bf recession, sim
ilar to that of an exposed nerve. The only
remedy has been found to be abstinence
from tomatoes. If the disease continues the
teeth fall out; not usually more than one
being lost in a season.
Accumulator Explosion.
Quite a sensation has been caused in
England by the recent explosion on board
Earl Ponlett's steam yacht The vessel is
lighted throughout with the electric light.
Formerly the accumulators were stowed in
the coal bunkers, but for convenience they
had been removed to the deck, encased in
lead, and covered with teak. The dynamo
was worked by a small boiler in the engine
room, which also heated the water for the
general supply thronghout the vessel. Dur
ing a violent storm of ram Lord Ponlett
had occasion to go to the dynamo. As it
was dark he struck a wax match, and im
mediately a terrific explosion took place,
the yacht being Bhaken from stem to stern.
It was found that the whole of the accum
ulators on deck had exploded, blowing the
teak cases to pieces, and sending the glass
fragments and splinters into the air. The
dynamo was running at the time, and only
ten minutes previously the engineer had ex
amined the cells and found them all right.
Each cell had a vent hole on the top for
escape of air and for ventilation.
Electricians declare it to be one of the ex
traordinary things in their experience, and
can in no way acconnt for it, as it has hith
erto been thought that under no circum
stances conld gas be generated in accumu
lators. The disquiet of the English public,
which has, of late, been taking quite kindly
to electric launches, at this occurrence, has
been somewhat allayed by a theory which
indicates that the mishap need in no way
be attributed to the use of accumulators es
pecially, as it appears they were properly
ventilated. The latest supposition is that,
during the violent storm of rain, water must
have collected somewhere near the main
conductors, or some uninsulated portion of
the system, and have been decomposing, lib
erating hydrogen. A sufficient quantity of
this gas, in conjunction with the atmo
spheric air, would naturally immediately
explode on a light being struck.
Hypnotism Not Reliable.
Hypnotism seems to be generally re
garded by English medical men as a neu
rotic epidemic. Its possible value as an aid
in the cure of drunkards has done as much
as anything else to attract favorable atten
tion to it; but Dr. Norman Kerr, whose ex
perience in the treatment of inebriates is
extensive, has given his testimony against
it. Since he discussed the subject some time
ago before the British Medical Association,
in a paper entitled "Should Hypnotism
Have a Recognized Place in Ordinary
Therapeutics?" he has been confirmed in his
distrust of the alleged hypnotic cure. In
republishing his paper he says bis own ex
perience, with that of his professional col
leagues, who, like himself, would have been
glad to find in hypnotism a safe and reliable
remedy, has shown him that hypnosis is not
reliable, and is, especially from its possible
after consequences, unsafe. He says he
keeps his mind open for further evidence,
but in the meantime he regards the alleged
advantages of hypnotism as far outweighed
by its disadvantages and dangers.
Epidemics Among Animals.
The epidemics which show themselves at
certain intervals in cattle and other domes
ticated animals have recently been the sub
jects of many reports and discussions.
Among these diseases none has attracted
more attention than that which has recently
decimated canaries and other cage birds.
Not very long ago upward of 1,800 canaries
died in one year at Norwich, England, and
occasioned a loss to the owners estimated at
$5,000, A medical man is now stated to be
hard at work inquiring as to the true cause
of the disease, which at present is thought to
partake of the character of diphtheria. The
subject is an important one, as the trans
mission of diphtheria to children from do
mestic animals has come to be not only fre
quent, but occasionally most serious in ef
lects. Firing Great Guns.
On the assumption that the rapid heating
of the interior shell, while the outer shell is
comparatively cool, is the chief cause ot the
bursting of great guns, an inventor proposes
to cool the gun after eash discharge by the
rapid introduction of liquified carbonic acid
gas. He claims that his special mode of
doing this, used in connection with a pecu
liar arrangement of the powder chamber, by
which it is much contracted in area at the
front end, can be utilized in discharging
high explosives. His theory is that the re
leased gas goes out between the projectile
and the bore, and keeps the former from
heating. Whatever may be the merit of
this theory, there seeems to be no authentic
record of its having been put into practice.
The Conduit System.
There are many signs which point to the
fact that the improvements which have been
made in the conduit system for street car
work have raised it very much in popular
estimation. Before long this system will be
in actual operation on an existing horse
road. The system appears to be the ideal
one to many who object to overhead lines,
and the first one proved to be a practical
success will reap a rich reward. A success
ful closed conduit system would be gladly
welcomed in many towns and cities which
are now waiting for electric traction, but
are not willing to accept the responsibili
ties and incur the inconveniences of over
head lines.
Kovolntlon In Diamond lining.
A writer on the subject of the diamond
supply of the world, which is steadily in
creasing, and which can be regarded as an
index of how mnch of its surplus earnings
it can afford to spend yearly in this particu
lar form of luxury, says that the romance of
diamond mining is all gone. It is now a
matter of excavating vast beds of blue clay
by machinery, washing it and sifting out
the diamonds, which, after being roughly
sorted for size, are sold in bulk by weight
The men who do the work are mere laborers
and their pay is proportionately small.
- Creosoted Wood for mining.
In all European countries creosoted wood
is used, wherever possible, on account of its
lasting so long. The process of creosoting
is not an expensive one, and in view of the
excessive use of wood in mines, it is sug
gested that it would be economy for all col
lieries to use only creosoted timber in per
manent haulage roads, shaftways, stairways,
etc., and in the case of the larger companies
it would pay to secure the right and erect
creosoting works of their own.
Poisonous FongL
The Berlin police have issued a "caution"
against the indiscriminate consumption of
dried mushrooms, which are largely used
in soups, stews, etc. It is asserted that
packets of these dried mushrooms frequently
contain poisonous fungi, and the public are
warned that edible mushrooms when dried
remain white, whereas the poisonous species
acquire a bluish tint
New Idea Id Jewelry.
A new idea in jewelry is the imitation of
grapes, both green and pnrple, in sardonyx
submitted to different degrees of heat until
it takes on the different hues ot green and
ripe fruit. These grapes are monnted on
sleeve links, with a gold chain connecting
the fruit, or set in diamond hoop, or with
diamond tendrils, for brooches.
New Torpedo Net
An English wire worker, now natural
ized in this country, has invented a torpedo
net which is soon to be submitted to an
official test, and which is said to possess
points of considerable merit The net is
constrneted of interlocking steel rings.
Parsimonious Christians.
Indianapolis Barn's Born.
What wonderful things would happen in
the church, if so many people who ought, to
lirlnrr n-rpn to the altar WonTrin't trv to -ff ftt
off with pigeons! " .J
r -l ,i;(u.TM' . 4Arc,abifcwA'
f ti. i jl i iV-iti. Jmsi
OWLS ON THE PERCH.
They Sit ."With the Middle Toes in
Front and the Others Back.
THEIE THUMBS "WORK BOTH' WAYS.
A Young Bird That Swallowed So llany
Mice the Tails Stack Oat.
WHY THEY BH0DLD BE PE0TECTED
Much may be learned, says the London
Saturday Review, from a visit to the "owls
cages" at the Zoo. For example, it is
hardly a matter of common knowledge that
the barn owl, the commonest and best
known of our British species, has practi
cally a world-wide range, the countries in
which it is not found being very few. Tet
that it is widely distributed will be palpa
ble to anv one who notices that two birds of
this species, the one from the "British
Islands," the other from Chili, ate confined
in the same cage.
Again, how many people are aware that
owls, when perched, sit with two toes in
front of their -perch and two behind? This
pieceof knowledge has most certainly been
acquired by very few bird-stuffers, and ap
parently is not possessed by many writers
on birds, or the artists who illustrate their
books (curiously enough, neither Yarrell
nor his artist appear to have been acquainted
with the fact), vet a visit to the Zoo will
convince the most skeptical that this habit
is possessed by the whole family.
COSSTBUCTION CI" THE FOOT.
The construction of the owl's foot is pe
culiar; unlike the well-known foot of the
parrot, which has two toes in front and two
behind it, like that of the eagle, or a more
familiar example the common sparrow, has
one toe behind and three in front, but the
first of these is capable ot much lateral mo
tion, while the fourth, or outer toe, is re
versible.and when the bird perches is turned
backward, so that the bird sits on its perch
with the two middle toes in front and the
two outer toes behind.
Owls are the farmer's friends, and are
practically harmless to the came preserver.
The food of the owl can be determined
with absolute certainty, as the bird swallows
its prey, bones, fur, feathers and all, and
afterward disgorges the indigestible parts in
the shape of pellets, numbers ot which can
always be found near his haunts a well
known fact, yet one of which neither the
farmer nor the gamekeeper takes the
slightest notice. "
WHAT THE FACTS ABE.
Dr. Altum, a German naturalist, ex
amined hundreds of pellets of the barn owl
and the tawny owl, among other species,
with the following remarkable results: TOG
pellets of the barn owl yielded the remains of
16 bats,3 rats,2,520miceof all sorts.including
voles and shrews, 1 mole and 22 small birds;
while 210 pellets of the tawny owl a bird
which, according to most gamekeepers, and
even to many writers on game-preserving
who should know better, is a most inveterate
poacher yielded 1 stoat, 6 rat?, 371 mice,
voles and shrews, 48 moles and 18 small
birds, to say nothing ot beetles and cock
chafers; and we are quite sure that anyone
trying the same expeiment as Dr. Altum
will arrive at the same results. Naturalists
have from time immemorial done their best
for the owl by describing it in its true char
acter as a mouser and a friend to the farmer,
and it is therefore extraordinary that in
these days of universal education the useful
ness of the owl should still remain as a lesi on
to be learnt by those to whom it spends if
existence in doing good. Yet so it is, and
the unfortunate birds are still persistently
destroyed.
GAMEKEEPERS FOOBATTHOEITT.
That the gamekeeper should be an owl
slayer need, however, cause little wonder to
those who are acquainted with him and his
ways; for we venture to say that there are
few people, with his opportunities, at all
events, who are so singularly ignorant of
natural history as the average gamekeeper.
He lives on tradition and is hard to teach;
owls were vermin to his forefathers, and this
ia sufficient tor him, he would rather not
argue the matter, vermin they are, and must,
therefore, be destroyed. Unfortunately he
is often encouraged in his senseless
slaughter of these beautiful and harmless
birds by his employer, who in many cases
is more ignorant of everything connected
with natural history than himself, and is
willing to pay so much a head for all the
"yermin his keeper can procure.
But that farmers should join in tho
slaughter is curious and shows most
lamentable ignorance; yet many of them
will remorsely shoot an owl whenever they
have an opportunity, under the mistaken
idea that it will destroy their pigeoas, and
utterly regardless of the fact that it is doing
its best to free their land of rats and mice.
ATJTHOBITY OF A LOED.
Under these circumstances we are pleased
to find that so high an authcritv as Lord
Lilford, the President of the British Orni
thologists' Union, has taken up the cudgels
in defence of the owl, and his remarks,
which are to be fonnd in a recent number of
his Colored Figures of the Birds of the
British Islands, are so trenchant and to the
point that they should have the widest pos
sible circulation, and, therefore, we make
no apology for quoting them very fully; he
says:
"The stolid and unenlightened game
keeper may plead that owls do eat birds.and,
as I have just stated, so they do; bnt if he
allows his young hand-reared game birds to
be ont of their coops at the time that owls
are abroad in search of food, surely the
blame for losing them attaches justly to
him and not to the tempted owl. I need
hardly say that wild-bred game birds, while
small' enough to be attacked by the barn owl,
are carefully stowed away under their
mother's wings at the time when the 'bird
of night is on the quest of prey. I have ex
amined hundreds of the pellets cast up by
this species, in end under their nesting
places, and never discovered either bones or
feathers of any game bird, the castings con
sisting mainly of the fur and bones of small
mammalia, with feathers and skulls of seed
eating birds, and occasionally a few bones
and scales of small fishes."
SWAIXOWED NINE MICE.
As showing the infinite amount of good
done by the barn owl, be adds: "A young
owl of this species, which I kept as a pet in
my school days, on one occasion, when about
half-grown, swallowed nine full-grown house
mice in rapid succession till the tail of the
ninth stuck out of his mouth, and he could
do no more, but within three hours he was
hungry again and was barely satisfied with
four more of the little quadrupeds. With
this appetite and capacity for stowage the
number of four-footed vermin supplied by
a pair of barn owls to a brood of six or seven
ravening youngsters ni3y well be imagined;
I have seen an old pair bring food to their
brood 17 times in halt an hour from a rick
yard near their nest"
Every right-minded man will sympathize
with the writer in his concluding sentences,
which are as follows: "A great number of
these and other owls are massacred and sold
to be made into fire-screens and plumes for
ladies' hats, barbarities upon which I can
hardly trust myself to enlarge. The bird
manglers who devote themselves to this
branch of art almost invariably put glass
eyes of the wrong color into the distorted
faces of their victims, and in every way
shock all the better feelings of our human
nature."
EXTENT OF A POPULAB ERBOB.
We have little doubt that the constant
persecution suffered by these useful birds,
and the constant diminution in their num
bers, has much to do with the plague of rats
and mice irom wnicn so many parts of the
country are at present, and have long been,
suffering. This is a plague which, if owls
were encouraged Instead of being destroyed,
they would doubtless do much to mitigate;
but at present the unfortunate birds have
no chance, theif very endeavor leading to
their destruction. .
J For example, vtr v'd by a farmer in
-,Af i
a highly-preserved district that his stacks,
being attacked by numberless rats and
mice, attracted, as he expressed it, all the
owU in the neighborhood; the unfortunate
birds, in their turn, attracted the keepers,
and were everyone of them ruthlessly
killed, lo his great detriment, but tothe
benefit of the keepers, whose master paid a
fixed sum per bead for nil "vermin" de
stroyed on his estate. Iu conclusion, we
will only add that whatever may be said
about other birds included in the game
keeper's list of "vermin" and mnch may
be said for more than one of them there
can be no doubt that the owl should have
no place there, but should instead become
an object of preservation as one of the best
bird friends that the farmer possesses.
BIVEBS ASH LAZES OF FI2E.
A Photographer Catches Realistic View oi
a Hawaiian Volcano.
I'aradl3eofthe l'aclflc.1
Mr. J. J. Williams, the well-known pho
tographer, who went forward, immediately,
to the volcano on bearing ot this latest out
break returned this morning (October 21),
and in conversation he stated that it was no
use to try or attempt to describe the awful
grandeur of this latest phase in the volcanic:
working.
"I h ive taken some good pictures," said
the photographer, "and such as no one else
is liable to run the fisk or have the appli
ances to obtain. The courtesv of the man
agers of Wilder's Steamship Company and
the Volcano House helped me to obtain
views that I never could have, nor any else,
obtained alone; the guides were detailed to
assist and they did.
"Do you see that," said Mr. Williams,
holding up a negative which looked like a
storm at sea, "now, that is something for
you to describe if you can. Those seething
waves are waves, but waves of fire, red-hot,
unadulterated volcanic fire. Thi3 smooth,
lake-like looking picture," holding up
another negative, "is a lake of solid file.
The changes are constant and grand and
beyond the power ot artist to depict or
writer to describe. Tourists there now are
in ecstacics and pay visits daily to the fiery
furnace, and each time are enthralled with
now changes in the volcanic pictures."
WAGEfG WAH BY WIHE.
Pride, Pomp and Circumstance No linger
rigure In Glorious War.
ilUwautee Wisconsin.
"The great General of the future," said a
prominent military critic not long ago, "will
be a quiet man at the end of a telegraph
wire." To a certain extent this description
applied to Field Marshal Von lloltke.
But it will be still truer of the successful
leader in the next European war. A dis
patch from London shows how England is
preparing for the change. It says:
An elaborate system of war telegraphing baa
been arranged bei wren tho Admiralty Depart
ment and the PoatofSce. It is now possible by
this arrangement, upon short notice, to con
nect every telegraph station on the coast di
rectly with the Admiralty ofiice.
Quite a contrast between the old picture of
"the Duke of Wellinston, riding about
amid fire and cannon balls," and a military
leader who does his work sitting at a desk
in an office like a merchant, conning bulle
tins from his various subordinates as they
come in on a "ticker," and dispatching
orders not by aides de camp, but by tele
graphic dispatch, just as a speculator wires
his broker to "buy ten September!" There
is nothing dramatic about that way of con
ducting a campaign. The picturesqueness
of poetry are knocked out of war, and it baa
become a grim business even in its super
ficial aspects, as it always was in its under
lying reality.
P00B IO'S BEST WEAPON
In the Struggle Agninstthe Cupidity of the
White 3Ian.
Tho following is an extract from Governor
Jones' ncent message to the Choctaw Coun
cil: "We are surrounded by the restless and
jealous white race and are daily brought
more into competition with its members. In
this struggle we must be well armed to hold
our own. Onr best weapon, onr surest de
fense, is education. We have done much in
this direction, and the history of the world
shows no such example of progress as haa
been made by onr people in the last half
century. Much yet remains to be achieved.
"There is a class of citizens among m
who, while they have equal advantages with
ourlndianyouthintheneighborhood schools,
are yet comparatively neglected in the
higher branches of education. I refer to
onr citizens of African descent If not
leeally we are morally bound to give to t'na
children of those citizens every possible ed
ucational advantage. It is, moreover, no
essary to our safety as a nation."
In Praise of Hawaii.
JoeBarnet, In Paradise of the Paciac.l
There's a little Island Klnc'lnm
In the dreamland of the west.
Resting like a jenelled necklace
On the Ocean's heaving breast:
Where tho lavish hand of Nature
Doth her choicest favors bring,
All the glories of the summer,
Ail the graces of the spring.
From the vale abloom with flowers.
To the glowinc mountain height
w d a parauie oi Deauir,
Wbat a world ot life and light!
Nieht a veil of shining silver;
Day. a mellow of golden glow;
Bky, a heaven of light above us.
Earth, a heaven of bloom below.
Over-Schooling Not Over-Edncation.
School Journal.
Bismarck believes that there is such a
thing as "over-education." There is such
a thing as over-schooling; of that there ia
plenty of evidence. He makes a mistaka
in confounding things that differ. Ha
says: "Over-education in Germany leads to
much disappointment and dissatisfaction;
in Russia, to disaffection and conspiracy.
Ten times as many young people are edu
cated there for the higher walks of life as
there are places to give then, or opportuni
ties for them, in the liberal professions, to
earn a decent living far less wealth and,
distinction."
Paid 89,000 for a Kiss.
Detroit Free Press.
A German baker kissed hia servant girl
32 years ago, and another German saw the
transaction. He agreed to keep still for 8
per week, and for 22 years he has been paid
that sum. The baker came to this country
and settled in Chicago, hut the blackmailer
came also, and it was only the other day
that the police broke him up.
MADAME A. RUPPERT
Comploxiop Specialist.
Mme. A. Support's world-renowned faea
bleach is the only face tonic in toe worli' which
po-Jtivelr removes freckles, moth patches,
blackheads, pimples, birthmarks, eczema and
all blemisnei of the skin, and when applied
cannot be observed by anyone. The face
bleach can only be bad at mv branch office,
Ne. 93 Fifth arenne. Hamilton building; rooms
203 and 204. Pittsburg, or sent to any address oa'
receipt of price. Bold at S3 per bottle, or three
bottles, usually required to clear the complex
lon.Ji Send 4 cents postatre for full particula
ocll-sn MME.A3RUPPEP
'MT fe?
jmmHjam&j&tia
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