18
THE PITTSBURG- DISPATCH, SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 1891
beach below them. It waa about an sere in
nrca, and was shut in by rocks over whose
handsome reddish surfaces the breakers
swept incessantly.
Scattered over this stretch of Fand there
were many objects going to prove that hu
man beings had made a prolonged stay in
this pirt of the island bits of glass and
china, fragments of earthen ware, scraps of
iron, provision cans of undoubted Ameri
can origin; and in addition to these were
noted utensils common to shipboard, pieces
of chain, broken rings, parts "of rigging in
galvanized iron, n grappling iron, hoisting
tackle, a pump handle, fragments of spars
end floats, and pieces of sheet iron torn off
a water -cask as to the origin of which no
California sailor oonld possibly go astray.
"It was no English ship that 'ran on this
Island," said Captain "Willis, "it was an
American vessel."
'Yes," cried out Zach French, "and take
ay word for it, she was built in one of the
Pacific porte" an opinion that was shared
by the other seamen.
Eat still as yet there wMiiothing to show
that this ship had been the ill-fated Dread
naught. At all events, the question was:
Did not this vessel from whatever port slw
hailed go down in the open sea, since there
were no signs of ni.y part of her hull? Had
not her crew taken i-oiuge on this island by
means of the ehip's boats? 2io! for Captain
Willis suifii came upon proot that this vessel
had been wrecked upon these reefs. At
about a cable's length, wedged in among the
rocks and reofs, lay the miserable remnant
of a ship which had been driven ashore by
the fu.'y of the gale, and upon which the
waves hadbeaten with tempestuous violence
until oak and iron had parted and every
thing had been wrenched asunder, pounded
into fragncnts, scattered and strewn and
tossed up over the reefs by the mighty rush
of the sea. Sadly and silently "Willis and
his men stood gazing upon the prey, to
which these rocks still clung so tenaciously.
Of this ship's hull there was nothing re
maining, nothing of the upper works, no
trace of the masting, either from having
been cat away at sea or from having been
put to some use on snore alter the lounder
lc of the vessel.
'Let us set to work," oried Willis, "and
perhaps we may Und soa name, some let
ter, some mark which will fix the nation
ality of this craft."
'"es," replied Zach French, "and may
heaven grant that it will not turn out to be
Captain John's ship thai was reduced to this
awful plight."
The examination produced no definite re
mit. "While it was true that articles picked
up on tne beach were undoubtedly of Amer
ican rmir.ufscture, yet was there no ground
to niSrm thrt the- had once belonged to the
ill-fated Dreadnaught. One of the seamen
pson came upon the cave wiiich had been
utilized y the castaways. It penetrated
into an enormous mass of granite in the
ksIp formed b the pht-eau and the beach.
Captain W.llis and Zach made haste to join
the man who was hallning to them. It
siisht be that within this cave would be
rolvcd tha secret of the wreck: that in this
dark chamber would be revealed the name
of the vessel The only entrance to the
cave was through a narrow, arched passage
way, near which opening lay the ashes of
an exterior fireplace, the smoke of which
had blackened the walls. The cave proved
to be about 2C by 15 feet in size,
with a 10-foot celling quite large enough
to accommodate a dozen people. The
place was quite bare excepting the pres
ence of a rude bed of dried grass covered
with bits and shreds of an old sail, a bench
land ot pieces of u plant, two stools fash
ioned in the same ttvle, a ricketv table
Irem the wreck, possibly from the chip's
cabin. In the way of utensils the.-c were a
fw plates, a few iron dishes, threj forks,
two spoons, a knife and three metal drink
ing caps all eaten bv rust.
"Poor wretches!" murmured Zach Trench,
"what destitution they must have suffered
curing their stay or. this island."
"They don't seem to have saved scarcely
anything of the ship's material," replied
Gap.ain willis, ''and that proves the vio
lence with which she must have run on
these rocks and reefs. As everything went
to pieces how were these unfortunate beings
able to pror-ire food? Xo doubt they ha.d
a little gram which they sowed, some salt
tceat, some canned provisions which they
gradually exhausted. Hut what an exis
tence, and how they must have suffered!"
les. with this slender store eked out with
each fish as they might be able to catch
such were the only means they had to keep
body and soul together. There no longer
seamed to be any possibility that they
could still be upon the island. End yet if
they had been forced to lay their bones
here it was very probably that the remains
of the one who tad died last would be
found somewhere. But in spite of all
patient searching dono inside and out of
eav..', no trace of their bodies could be
found.
"This leads me to think," observed Zach
French, "that thKc castaways were taken
efftbe island."
"Cut hnv?" r.slred Captain Willis, "could
they Siave possibly, with the debris of the
wrock, built a raft big enough to put to
sea?"
"2Co, Captain; they didnt have -enough to
build a canoe with. I incline to the opin
ion that their signal must have been seen by
a passing essei."
"But, Zach, 1 can't bring myself to think
that"
"Why not, Captain?"
"Became, ii a passing .hip had seen them
and taken th-m off, the whole world would
have heard of it, uule8 that ship itself had
gone do-vn with every soul on beard, which
fs hardly possible. I therefore can't accept
the theory that the castaways of Urowso
Island were retcuod in any such way."
"Vou may be right, Captain," said Zach
sadly, "but if it was impossible for them to
build a raft still there's no proof that all
the ship's boats perished in the wreck."
"Even so," replied Willis; "but since
there lias been no report in the past few
years of a ship's crew being rescued in the
latitude of Western Australian, it's my
opinion that this vessel must ha e found
ered during its passage from the Australian
coast to this island."
Zach saw th.it he would have little show
cf overcoming this theory; but still being
unwilling to leave undone anything which
might aiil them in learning what had be
come of the castaways, he added: "But,
Captain, you suroiv intend to visit the
other parts of the island?"
"Vc, to keep my conscience quiet," re
plied Wiiiis; "b-it first, let's go and remove
that tigunl so that vessels will not be in
fluenced to leave their course to save people
who don't exist"
The Captain and Zach and the others now
made a last examination of the beach, then
havirg gained the plateau by passing
through the gorge, they turned tneir steps
toward the promontory.
They found it necessary to pass around a
deep excavation, a sort of toay pond fed
by the rains and cloudbursts, in order to
koep on their way.
Suddenly Willis came to a halt and point
ed at lour mounds parallel with each other.
Possibly they would have escaped his at
tention had they not been marked by small
wooden crosses now partially decayed. They
were graves. It was the cemetery of the
castan ays.
"At last," cried Willis, "we are in a po
sition to learn."
The two sailors set to work, making use
of their knives to loosen the dirt, but many
years must have elapsed since the burial,
for the graves contained nothing but bones.
Willis ordered them to be closed again and
the crosses to be replaced. The truth con
cerning the wreck on Browse Island had
again escaped Willis and his companions.
Ii tour human beings had been buried on -
this spot, what had become of him who had
rendered them this last service? And he,
too, when death struck him down, where
had he fallen? Would they not find his
bones on some other part of the Island?
Captain Willis could not bring himself to
think so.
"Why thouldn't this wreck be the Dread
naught?" asked one of the seamen.
"But why Ehould it?" replied Zach.
The fact is that there was nothing to show
that it was the Drcadnaught that had gone
to pieces on the reefs of Browse Island, and
the outlook was that this second cruise of
the Molly's Hope was fated to end as
fruitlcsslv as the first Captain Willis
stood with his gac riveted upon the spot J
where these poor castaways were now sleep
ing the last sleep which alone had been able
to put an end to their misery. "Were they
Americans, were they his countrymen?
"Were they of those whom the Molly's Hope
was seeking?
"Forward to the signal!" he cried out
Zach and the others followed him as he
made his way up the rooky slope by which
the promontory is joined to the body of the
island.
"When "Willis and his men reached the
signal they found the staff to be securely set
in a deep split in the jock, a fact which ex
plained its having remained standing so
long. As they had already discovered by
means of a glass the staff was the broken
end of a bowsprit and had come from the
wreck below. As to the rag nailed to it, it
was nothing but a shred of sail, unraveled
bv the winds and without any mark to
identify it
At an order from Captain "Willis, the two
seamen wore about to chop down the staff
when Zach French burst out with:
"Captain, look: look there!"
"What is it, Zach?"
"The bell yonder!"
Swung upon a frame, still solid and
strong, there was a bell, the clamps of
which were corroded by rust The cast
aways had not been content to set up the
stafl and nail a f!ag to it, they had trans
ported the ship's bell to this spot, hoping
that it might be heard by some passing ves
sel, uut should not this Dell Dear tne name
of the ship to which it had belonged in ac
cordance with an almost universal custom
among merchantmen?
Willis had taken a few steps in the direc
tion of the bell when ho suddenly halted.
At the foot of the wooden frame lay the re
mains of a human skeleton, or more cor
rectly speaking, a small heap of bones, to
some of which shreds of clothimg were
clinging. There must have been five of
them, five survivors who had taken refuge
on this bare island. Four had died and the
fifth had been left alone. Catching sight of
a ship in the offing this poor wretch had
one day crawled out of his cave and dragged
himself along up the rocks to the crest of
the promontory, with the thought to ring
this bell, to sound one last peal of despair
rather than hope, and had fallen in his
tracks never to rise again. After giving
orders to the two seamen to dig a grave for
the bones of this last survivor. Captain
Willis made a sign to Zach to follow him
in the direction of tne belL
Engraven upon it and still perfectly legi
ble were this word and this date: "Dread
uaught, 1875."
OKAPTEE XV.
LITE AT LAST.
Two letters had been received from Cap
tain Willis since the sailing of the Molly's
Hope. The first reported their fruitless
search among the passages of Torres Strait
and as far as the outer edge of the Arafouia
Sea. The second made known the fact that
Melville and Bathnrst Islands had yielded
up no trace of the Dreadnaught There
upon Mrs. Allaire had been notified the
steamer would follow the Timor Sea and so
reach the western coast of Australia, where
the search would be continued among the
different archipelagoes adjacent to that
coast, after which the Molly's Hope would
sail for home, but not, however, until she
liad ransacked the smaller of the Sunda
Islands and exhausted every hopo of find
ing some new evidence of the life or death
of Captain John and his companions.
Bv the end of February, however, Mr.
Hollist-T began to be of the opinion that
the second expedition was being greatly
prolonged, livery oay people could be
seen on their wav to Island Point in hopes
ths steamer would make her appearance in
the ofnng. As far as they could see her,
without waiting for her to display her 'num
ber, the sailors of San Diego would recog
nlze her by the cnt of her jib, just as one
can tell a Frenchman from a German, or
even an American Irom an Englishman.
Finally, on March 27, the Molly's Hope
hove in sight about nine miles out, steam
ing along'under full headway before a fresh
northwester. Before 1 o'clock she had en
tered the narrows and anchored just inside
the bay. The news had spread rapidly
through the city, and crowds of people had
gathered at different points, some on the
wharves, some offlsland Point, and some on
Xioma Point Mrs. Allaire and Andrew
Hollister, together with several friends, in
their haste to communicate with the
steamer, had taken a tug and were already
under way. A strange presentiment had
come upon the crowd, and as the tug
steamol by not a cry went up. They
seemed to ha) concluded that if Captain
Willis had succeeded upon this second ex-
E edition, the news of his success would
ave been known everywhere by this time.
Twenty minutes later, the tug bearing
Mrs.Allalrt, Mr.Hollister and their friends
came up alongside the steamer. In a mo
ment or so th jy had learned the results of
tho expedition. It was in the western part
of Timor Sea on Browse Island that the
Dreadnaught had gone to pieces. There it
was that the survivors ot the wreck had
taken refuge and there it was that they had
mot their death.
"All?" whispered Mrs. Allaire.
"All," said Captain Willis.
A terrible feeling of sorrow and despair
came upon the people as the Molly's Hope,
with her colors draped with crape, steamed
slowly in nearer the city. During the few
moments that Mrs. Allaire and Andrew
Hollister remained on board,Captain Willis
had briefly made known to them the facts of
the wreck of the Dreadnaught on Browse
Island. It waa decided to delay a report of
the expedition until later. After pressing
Willis' and French's hands, M0II7 had
walked toward the stem of the steamer and
sat down lost in thought, but, in spite of
these incontrjvertible proofs, not giving
herself over to despair, still unwilling to
consider herself the widow of John Allaire.
When the Molly's Hopj had taken up
her position nearer the city Mrs. Allaire
reappeared amidships and approaching
Captain Willis begged him and Mr. Hollis
ter, and also Zach French, to meet her at
her house that same day at a later hour.
A little belore J the men made their ap
pearance at Prospect Cottage and were
received by Mrs. Allaire in the parlor on
the ground floor.
"Captain Willis," said she, after they
had taken their places around a table upon
which was unrolled a map of" Northern
Australia, "be pleased to make a report of
the expedition."
Mrs. Allaire listened with the deepest
interest, uttering no word of comment, with
her clear and hopeful eyes riveted upon the
speaker. As the Captain in his report
entered upon the portion relating to Browse
Island she insisted upon the greatest par
ticularity. Captain Willis drawing from his pocket
a medallion tarnished by dampness placed
it in her outstretched hand. It contained a
portrait of Molly, a photographio miniature
now almost faded out She had given it to
John on the sailing of the Drcadnaught, and
it had been found oy Willis' men in a cor
ner of the cave upon a second examination
of the place. If this silent witness testified
to the presence of Captain Johu among the
survivors was not the conclusion inevitable
that he had perished with the others irom
want and exposure?
"Had we reached here a few years soon
er," said Captain Willis, "perhaps we
might have found John and his companions
some of them still alive."
"Yes, perhaps," sighed Andrew Hollister.
"Yes," he continued, "it was there that
Molly's Hope should have been sent in the
first place, but who could ever have thought
that the Dreadnaught had been wrecked on
an island of the Indian Ocean?"
"No one," replied Willis, "at least not
from the route he was to have followed, and
which he did in reality follow, too, for the
Dreadnaught was sighted to the south of
Celebes Island. Captain John having lost
control of his vessel, must have been swept
through some strait into the Timor Sea, and
was driven upon Browse Island.
"Yes, that must have been the way it
happened," added Zach.
''Captain," said Mrs. Allaire, "you have
only done what you should have done in
searching the Malaysian seas for the Dread
naught, but if we had only gone to Browse
Island on the first expedition; ah, yes, if
we had only gone there!"
Then, with s sudden change in her man
ner and with that same hopeful ring in her
voice, she cried out: "You found the re
mains of five of the castaways on Browse
Island, but what do you think has become
of the nine others, for besides Captain John
and his mate, Harry Shelton, there were 12
ordinary seamen on board the Dread
naught "It's a mystery," replied Willis.
"But not for me!" exclaimed Mollr. T
know, but I ask vorf what vou think?"
"Perhaps they perished when the ship
went to pieces on the reef," said Captain
Willis.
"You think, then, that only live of them
reached the shore alive?"
"Unfortunately, that seems to be the only
explanation." answered Mr. Hollister.
"I don't agree with you," came from Mrs,
Allaire. "Why should not John, Shelton
and the twelve men have been able to get
safely ashore? Why should not nine of them
have been able to leave the island?"
"But how, Mrs. Allaire?" asked Captain
Willis eagerly.
"By putting off in a launch, built out of
the remains of the wreck!"
"Mrs. Allaire," said Willis, "Zach will
bear me out in assuring you that from the
condition in which we found the debris of
the wreck, the thing would have been im
possible." "But the ship's boats"
"Admitting that they were not battered
to pieces, they would not have been stanch
enough tc reach the Sunda Islands or the
Australian coast"
"And still, remarked Andrew Hollister,
"if nine of the castaways were able to get
off the Island, why should the other five
have remained there?"
"In my opinion," added Captain Willis,
"if they ever left the island In a boat they
either went to the bottom, or else only
reached the coast to be slain by Australian
savages."
The brave woman didn't tlineh at these
terrible words.
"Zach," said sho calmly, "what do yon
think of what Captain Willis has said?"
"I think," replied French with a shake
of the head, "I think that if it was possible
for things to tarn out this way it was pos
sible for them to turn out in other ways."
"And, therefore," said Molly, "my po
sition is that we really know nothing of
what has become of the nine men not fonnd
on the island. As for you and your crew,
Captain Willis, you have done everything
that brave and devoted men could, have
done."
"I wish that I could have done more.Mrs.
Allaire."
"We are going to leave yon now, nvrdear
Molly," said Hollister, thinking that It
was useless to prolong the interview.
" 'lis well, my dear friend," answered
Molly, with a sad smile. "I desire to be
alone for a while; but whenever Captain
Willis wishes to confer with me concerning
John and his companions, I shall be happy
to see him."
"I shall be at vour command, Mrs.
Allaire," replied Willis.
"And you, Zach," added Mofly, "bear in
mind that my house is yours."
"Mine?" repeated the seaman. "But
what's to become of the Molly's Hope?"
''The Molly's Hope?" echoed Mrs. Allaire,
as if astonished at the question.
'Your intention no doubt is, my dear
Molly," said Andrew Hollister, "that if an
opportunity occurs to make a good sale of
"Wkot roll !, Hrll... TT9" nn'.
Mrs. Allaire. "No, Mr. Hollister, never!"
Mrs. Allaire and French exchanged
glances. It was plain that they understood
each other.
During 1883 nothing took place in any
way qualified to draw public attention to
the mystery of the Dreadnaught Captain
Willis went to sea again in command of
one 01 the Hollister fleet. The merchant
and Zach were the only visitors received at
Prospect Cottage. As for Mrs. Allaire her
time was wholly devoted to the children of
tho Walter Home.
The first six months of 1890 had gone by
when one of the San Diego papers, in its
issue of July 6, contained a piece of news
the effect of which was, it may be said, tre
mendous in both the old world and tho new.
To Bt Continued Next Sunday.
THE Y0TTNGEB DISBAEIX
A Rising Ha.; In tne Land "Where His Un
cle Was Pamoas.
New York Herald.
A very swagger young man is Coningyby
Ealph Disraeli He is the nephew of the
great Disraeli, and is making a heroio
effort to keep that great man's name green
and fragrant, for ha was the heir to his
uncle's name, as well as most of his estate:
He was his uncle's favorite, and was named
by him Coningsby, after his famous book.
Young Mr. Disraeli is quite as much of a
dandy as was his uncle when he was a strip
ling. As all the world knows, the elder
Disraeli was uncommonly fond of dress.
So is his nephew.
And the, resemblance does not end there
either. Like his uncle, he is going in for
politics, and at the moment is a candidate
for Parliament He lives luxuriously, is a
member of half a dozen clubs, keeps a man
servant and a carriage, and is much sought
after by marriageablo women, for he is
wealthy, handsome only 24 years of age and
the bearer of a distinguished name. Besides
he is thought to be a coming man. He is
particularly agreeable to Americans. He
has been in the States once and hopes soon
to go again.
"Are you in politics to etay?" was asked
him.
Mr. Disraeli laughed. "Wen," he re
plied, "I mean to go through the usual,
political routine. Of course, I cannot say
that I will be successful "
"What chance has a young man to suo
ceed in politics in England?
"Not nearly so good as in America. There
the field is always open. In England it Is
often closed even to brainy, dashing young
fellows, who aspire to political honors'."
I asked Mr. Disraeli for his views on
what is politically the most important ques
tion of the day in England, the labor move
ment "I think in the end these strike leaders
will cut their own throats," he said. "The
workingmen are beginning to see through
them. The dockers, who were the first to
bring Mr. Burns forward as a strike leader,
were the first persons to repudiate him
afterward. If these men got into Parlia
ment they would receivo no more attention
'than any other members. In fact, being
uneducated men, they would naturally re
ceive less attention than educated men.
COMPETENT TO TESTDTx-.
Sow a Witness Got the Batter of a Teryf
Smart Southern lawyw.
Atlanta Constitution J
The other day Judge Branham, of Some,
was attending Superior court at Cedartown.
One of the lawyers was examining a wit
ness who was not tho brightest individual
in the world. The question arose as to
whether the witness was competent to testi
fy. So the lawyer thought he would make
a test He looked at the man.
"Who made you?" he asked.
"Moses," answered the witness.
This satisfied the lawyer as to the incom
petency ot the witness, and ho so argued.
Then the witness turned to Judge Janes
and asked:
"Judge, may I ask the lawyer a ques
tion?" "Certainly," said Judge Janes.
"Well, Mr. Lawyer, who made yon?"
The lawyer thought he would still furth
er test the witness' competency, t,and
promptly answered:
"Aaron made me."
The witness was delighted at the answer,
and, pointing his finger at the lawyer,
drawled out:
"Well, I've read that Aaron once made a
calf, but I didn't ever expeot to see hit a
practicing at the law In this yere court"
The lawyer blushed, the court laughed
and the question of the competency ofthe
witness was affirmatively settled.
Judge Branham afterward went back to
the courtroom, sought out the judge and
told him the story. His Honor enjoyed tho
joke heartily, and himself laughed as loud
as the dignity of the benoh would allow. "
TIPS ON TIE LAND.
ffye Gives Points to People Who Look
Toward Sonth Carolina
WTIH M EYE TO SPECULATT05.
Eemarks About Agriculture, Pomology and
the Culture of Bees,
SEAS03JS ABB GENEBALLY UNUSUAL
r fWlICTTCT FOB THX DISrATOR.
"P. O. Box 1712. J
"B00MVH,LE, July 5, 1891. J
"Deab Bill It has been a long time
since I wrote yon, but you seem to be get
ting on about as well as usual. I write you
now not only to inform you that I am well
hoping these few lines will find you the
same but to seek some Information about
the location of your North Carolina
"Thought Works."
"I have the North Carolina fever myself,
and it Is getting less and less controllable.
You see I have been In this State long
enough to find out that its glorious climate
is a fraud. I don't know whether you were
here long enough to come to the same con
clusion, but It's a climate that you don't
want to put more confidence In than you
would in a New York bunko man. We
have jnst got through a six days' spell of
'mean temperaturo, with a daily range
from 99 to 105 or thereabouts, with a 'rela
tive humidity' of 60. I don't know what
this is, but I don't like It I have five
bushels of roastei apples under one tree,
and no demand for roasted apples either.
Of course this is only 'exceptional' weather,
but I have had so much exceptional weather
since I came here that I am blamed tired
of it
"Do yon intend to live permanently In
North Carolina, and. if so. would von ob
ject to having me live in the same county?
Of course I have entirely reformed: besides,
I have never been in the Legislature of this
State, and, therefore, I still look my friends
in the eye without quailing.
WANTS REAL GRASS AND BIO TREES.
"I am in search of a fjood, reliable, kindly
disposed, all round climate, and I like to
live among people who don't put on too
many frills. I want to live where I can
have some real grass (not the alleged sort)
without squirting water on it for eight or
nine months in the year. I want some big
trees and some sineine brooks with real fish
in them. Is Buncombe county that sort of
place, and about what does it cost an acre?
"I come to you with these questions be
cause I feel that I can believe vou, while I
would look on the information of a real
estate agent with great allowance.
"What sort of fruit do they grow around
Asheville? lam a sort of horticultural
crank, and I always grow fruit, though it
costs me S25 a bushel. I succeeded last
winter in growing 13 oranges here. The
hoodlums got ten of them one night. The
other three were nice looking oranges, but
they had no juice in them. I shall be very
glaa to hear from yon when you have time
to write. Sincerely, as ever. "
WHY THE NAME IS SUPPRESSED.
I have eradicated the name of tho town
at which the above letter is dated, also the
name of the writer, because I did not wish
to publish an unkind allusion to the State,
which is generally regarded as a very at
tractive one. 1 would nate to build up any
locality of my common country at the ex
pense of another.
The inquirer is anxious to know of the
horticultural and piscatorial merits of Bun
combe county, also regarding prices, pom
ology, etc, etc. Several of these questions
I have never answered publicly, and so a
few moments mav be nleftsimtfv nnpnt in
their discussion, if I may be allowed to do
the heft of it myself with the reader at a
safe distance.
I came here early in the spring of the
E resent year, partly because Mr. Vander
ilt, who is building a place near by, was
not much acquainted and desired a bright
young person, whom he knew and in whom
he felt an interest to drop in of an eve-ing
and play Pedro with him. I also desired
to benefit my lungs, one of whom had begun
to droop a little.making me walk one-sided,
I thought I had, besides, some symptoms
of collapse from grip, gout and so forth.
The physician, therefore, recommended
that I try a dry, bracing air of 2,500 or
3,000 feet elevation, but in a mild, isother
mal belt
HAD TO LOOK XTP THE TERM.
As soon as I had, after some trouble, as
certained the meaning of the term isother
mal I began to look about me for a belt of
that kind. I at once, almost, struck upon a
region of country about Asheville and in
Buncombe county, though Henderson
JSie tiiul the jtar.
county oners also very excellent oppor
tunities for those who need to build up
their health with the kindlv assistance of
nature. I presume that if Vanderbilt had
not made such a fus3 about it I would have
gone to Henderson county. Property is
cheaper there, and yet the climate lasts just
as long as it does here. But, as I say, I
came liere preferring to be among my own
folks, as you might sav, and where George
and I could take off" our lime spattered
overalls at eventide and play cinch, rather
than go to a strange neighborhood.
North Carolina 13 essentially a fruit grow
ing country. WiltJ fruit I have never seen
so plentiful. On tho mountain four years
ago myself and a large,hot-broathed mamma
bear ate persimmons off the same bush for
a little time, but I found another tree where
the persimmons, it seemed to me, wero
better and leas puckerful, so I went to it.
Besides I hate to have strangers watch me
while I eat
SOMETHING ABOUT UW USUAL SEASONS.
Berries grow wild here by the thousands
of bushels. This year I never saw so man v
berries in my life before as there are here,
though neighbors tell me it is an unusual
year. It is strange how the unusual year
pursues me wherever I go. I was in Cali
fornia a year ago and it had rained until the
entire State was a mighty lagoon, and Mr.
Hearst told me it was an unusual year with
them. Generally they did not have but
eignt leei 01 rainiaii. -liuu, year it was
nine. But he said it would be very good
for cereals.
In Oregon the railroad north from San
Francisco had not been in operation br
over 70 days, owing to the blockade and
feneral coma from snow and avalanches, so
had to ride on a coast Bteamer and swap
confidences with the wind-tossed waves.
Mr. Fee, of the Northern Pacific, said it
was an unusaul winter with them. In Lon
don, in the previous year, as I strolled
along tho lambrequin of Trafalgar square
with a nice new English umbrella over my
head, a bright and cheery voice at my side
said something regarding the dampness, and
a little shapely hand took my umbrella and
held it for me as a pair of merry, bright
brown eyes looked up laughingly into
mine.
didn't, do as KrrirKo did.
I presume that according to the method.
f studying American society adopted by-i
Mr. Kipling and Mr. Aide, I should pause
here to criticize the rather flippant and
coarse custom among ladies of London of
addressing gentlemen on the street, who are
thinking ofsometking else. But I was not
writing a book on England after eating
breakfast, buying an umbrella and coming
home, as some authors do.
"Excuse me," I said, taking out a new
card case that I bought on the Ene de Pink
turn, Paris, France, and presenting my
card. "I do not recall your face. I am a
plain American, passing through your town
and pricing a lot here and there. Would
you mind exchanging cards?" The voice
did not have a card with it, but spoke of
the backward spring. I said, "Yes, it was
rather cool and wet for July." "Yes," said
the musical voice; "this with us is a very
unusual year." I then did a very rude
thins. Very likelv it hurt me in Encrland.
I angrily wrenched my umbrella from the
little white hand, and dashing away down
the alley at a frightful pace was soon lost to
view.
ATPLES FOR FOREIGN- CONSTrMPTIOa'.
Pomology is that science which treats of
the vanety, growth, decay, disease and cul
ture of fruit Here the apple is the most
successful fruit, barring the grape. The
Limbertwig is a good apple to grow here for
foreign consumption, home consumption be
ing unknown here. I have done very well
with small fruits here, and my wife has put
down enough for two families for eight
years to come. All kinds of berries are to
be had at five cents per big, honest quart,
and with sugar at 20 pounds or thereabouts
for $1 it seems almost a sin not to put up
or down, whichever is correct, fruit
for the approaching unusual winter.
We have had a garden here this season
and it has been so far a great success. I
wished to eive employment also to my chil
dren, thus teaching them to earn money for
themselves, so that they will not have dis
sipated my large fortune before the grass is
knee high on my new-made grave; a grave,
I may add, that will have been made un
pleasantly sloppv by a nation's tears. So
we had a colored" man and brother, with
iron gray cotswold hair and a 2-year-old
roan heifer, plow up a space of ground, after
I had warned him not to injure the stumps
which grow here in great profusion. I paid
him and then I got my own valet to remove
the stone abutment on which the garden
stood. He took out several cords of mica
cious granite and had left soil enough to
just comfortably start ayoung orchard.
A GENTLE TONIC FOR THE SOIL.
Then GeneralWest said that he would
need something in the way of a gentle tonic
to the soil, so we got quite a lot of bone dust
We bought it at Asheville, and it waa car
ried by us to Charleston. Our station is a
flag station only, and we have ice brought
out from Asheville, too. It sometimes goes
by to Savannah, but it is brought back, for
the road is the soul of honor. Ice that has
been to Savannah and back these days has
that tired feeling we so often read of In
some of our most successful advertisements.
We got some bone dust and mixed it with
the soil at the rate of eleven pounds bone
dust to eight pounds of soiL We were told
afterward that we should have used more
soil, but everybody I knew was using his
soil and so I had to take what I could get.
We planted potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes,
melons, lettuce, radishes, peas and beans.
I got a good man to hoe them. Then the
children watched them grow, now and then
pulling up a hill of potatoes to see if they
were large enough to sell to their misguided
father. So far eighty cents' worth of vege
tables have been sold to me at half price,
the most of which sum has been used in the
purchase of firecrackers.
DIFFICULT TO DIE OF OOUT THERE.
You ask if I intend to live here perma
nently. I do not yet know. Land in the
country is S40 and 550 per acre, and, as you
may readily judge, is not worth that for
agricultural purposes. Is it worth that
alone for building sites? That depends on
what may be your lot in life. If you can
afford to support a farm here, you will llke
agrioulture in Buncombe county, but the"
poor farmer who has neglected to marry a
wealthy wife till it is too late, will have a
great difficulty in dying of gout
The country is beautifully watered.
Every half mile vou cross a crystal branch
or find a cool, delicious spring by the road
side. Bees do well here, making honev all
the day and foolishly acquiring much more
than they need, never dividing it with
those who are needy, showing through life
great irritability of temperand finally dying
miserably in the midst of plenty, like the
founder of a trust. I think that the bee
and the prairie dog are both greatly over
estimated. Insect life here is prosperous and blithe
some. Mosquitoes do not flourish here at
all for some reason, and flies are not so
plenty as they are in the North, but the
woodtick, the "jigger" or chigre, the black
hornet the spider and other non-vertebrates
do well. The bed insect also grows to a
great height and attains a wonderful age.
Some of the best blood of Pocahontas and
Georee m. flows in its veins. It may be
found on the crest xf some of our oldest
families in the United States,
BillNtel
A KOUNTAHT IK IAS0B.
The Bemar&able Moodos Noises That Alarm
tho People of Connecticut.
New Tori Tribune. 1
"The "Moodus noises" have been heard
again for the first time in abcut a dozen
years. They aro the most extraordinary
phenomenon in the history of Connecticut
Moodus is a quaint old village in the old
witch-town of East Haddam, that nestles
among tall hills on Little Salmon river, two
or three miles from the Connecticut river.
In the heart ofthe loftiest hill, Mount Tom,
whose grassy slope begins almost in the vil
lage street, and which towersabove Moodus,
the noises originate. They are heard inter
mittently. Sometimes the mountain is
silent for 25 or 30 years, then suddenly the
strangest sounds break forth, a deep sepal
chral, voluminous sound, like the moaning
of an imprisoned monster, that seems to
boom the subterranean caverns of the earth,
and is heard distinctly 10 or 12 miles away.
The noises begin with a seemingly far
away low rumbling note, that speedily
swells in volume and intensity, and cul
minates in a vast rolling sound, like the
muttering of distant thunder, and the
ground trembles as if with the throe of an
earthquake. For the last ten years the
mountain has been quiet But earlv Sun
day morning, July 19, the village folk and
farmers in neighboring towns were awak
ened by the familiar subterranean rumbling.
They sprang from their beds, ran to their
bedroom windows, thinking that a thunder
shower must be overhead, but the morning
was serene and fair. As they stood at the
windows there were several distinct shocks,
and they said to each other in tones of awe:
"It is the Moodus noises again." The
rumbling was not heavy last Sunday, and
continued for only a few minutes, then died
away, ending with the light shocks, that
sounded like explosions of powder tar be
neath the earth's surface, and made the
village windows tremble a little. The
rause of the Moodus noises has never been
satisfactorily explained.
Communion Wine.
Alfred Speer, the celebrated wine grower
of New Jersey, preserves the nnfermented
Juioe ofthe grape for sacramental use. It
has been adopted, and its use sanctioned
by prominent divines of this country. It is
used by invalids with remarkable effect
The port and claret are among the popular
wines.
Flowing Up a Spaea.
KEY TO THE CAPITAL.
Chile's Bebels Most Take Talcahnano
Before Santiago Falls.
YALPABAIS0 IS IMPEEGHABLE.
Yisit
to Concepdou When the
Were Taking a Siesta.
People
EES0TJECES OP THE SOTJTflElilf LAND
rc0EKSr0XDE2TCB or THE SISrATCII.
Taloahuano, Chile, July S. Return
ing from Crusoe's Island to our starting
point, Talchuano, I find this portion of
Chile so full of novelty' and interest that
the impulse is strong to stop hereabouts for
a time. Though the Northern half of the
Bepublic is richer in minerals and great
cities, the Central and Southern portions
comprise nearly all the agricultural area,
which will insure permanent prosperity
after the gold and silver and nitrate and
guano ofthe deserts in the North are ex
hausted. In a scenical point of view the South is
certainly to be preferred, with Its lofty
mountains, great rivers, green valleys and
dark forests, where dwell the yet uncon
quered Araucanians the bravest Indians
in South America. All the coal of the
country is found in the South ("which brings
from 25 to $30 per ton), and all the timber;
and thoagh it has neither a Santiago nor a
valparaua, the city of Concepcion is not a
great way behind, being reckoned third
in size in the Bepublic, while Valdivia,
Linares, Coronel, Imperial and other grow
ing towns are already of considerable im
portance. THB GREAT TVEST OF CHILE.
In short its northern half is to this coun
try what the great West is to the United
States, and it is a comparatively new pos
session, having been a part of Patagonia
until a recent period, when that territory
was divided between Chile and the Argen
tine Bepublic Another good reason for
tarrying awhile is that the "seat of war"
will probably soon be transferred to Talca
huano, and, therefore, one must visit the lo
cality now or not at all. It is not unlikely
that before this letter can reach the United
States and appear in print, the telegraph
may have brought you news of fresh hor
rors that this peaceful village is laid waste,
it3 citizens murdered and their property
destroyed.
The insurgents are now practically pris
oners in the northern provinces, where they
have set up an "opposition" government,
and so far all the better part of the country
has been beyond their grasp. Should they
fain possession of Talcahuano it will be the
est (or rather the worst) stroke of work
they have yet accomplished, except the tak
ing of Iquique, the nitrate port, which fur
nishes them with plenty of money to carry
on the conflict and correspondingly cripples
the federal treasury.
THE ROUTE TO THE CAPITAL.
Via Talcahuano is the one route by which
the rebels have the remotest chance of
reaching the capital, it being less than a
hundred miles distant and directly con
nected by rail. The port would make an
excellent base for future operations, for in
its well-sheltered bay their transport could
lie secure from all winds that blow; and
here, where wheat, corn, fruit and vegeta
bles grow in abundance, supplies can be ob
tained at much cheaper rates than in the
desert north, where everything in the line
of food is imported. Besides, Talcahuano is
virtually undefended, and might be more
easily taken than Iquiqne, Arica and other
ports which they have already secured,
where nature furnished admirable sites for
fortifications.
We are expecting news at any time of a
battle at Coqulmbo, the port next north of
"Valparaiso; and should the rebels come off
victorious there as is eminently probable,
that place being no better defended than
this they will undoubtedly sail direct to
Talcahuano, 200 miles south of Valparaiso,
giving the last named place a "wide berth"
by sea. However elated by past successes,
they would hardly be so mad as to tackle
Valparaiso, it being one of the best fortified
ports in the world.
THB FORTIFICATIONS OF VALPARAISO.
Its orescent-shaped bay is environed by
an unbroken line of hills, and upon them
guns are placed in such position as to sweep
it in every part and command all the land
ing places. There are SO guns one ten-inch
muzzle-loader, 11 nine-inch breech-loaders,
5 Krupp guns of 21 centimeters caliber, and
13 300-pounders. The masked batteries
show very small targets for attacking ships
to fire at, and destruction would be certain
to a much larger force than the rebels can
muster unless, as might easily happen in
this land of treachery, the gunners were
bribed to turn the forts over to the enemy,
after the manner of Captain Velasco, who
was hanged for the crime a few weeks ago.
So far as is known, the rebel fleet has
but 19 guns, the largest being a ten-inch
breech-loader. For along time past the
Government gunners at Valparaiso have
been given daily practice, using for targets
floating casks with flags attached. They
have a range finder, and know the distances
to an inch in every part of the bay. Be
sides, at this time of year (midwinter below
the equator), tho alleged harbor of Val
paraiso is an exceedingly rough place, ex
posed to tho frequent "northers," which
for days together keep vessels pitching and
rolling too much for action, or send them
scudding helplessly hither and thither.
GONE TOO FAR TO RETURN.
A woman's opinion may not count for
much, but it is my belief that the "opposi
tionists" are heartily tired of this whole
business and would abandon it at once did
not considerations of personal safety weigh
with the leaders. Should they voluntarily
give in or be defeated while Balmateda is in
power they know very well what to expect
at his hands. Having ruined his adminis
tration and darkened his future life and
made him anpear like a monster in the eyes
of the world7they could not look formdeh
clemency from his naturally revengeful dis
position. It will not be many weeks before
a new President grasps the helm, and it is
my opinion that then peace will speedily be
patched up lor tne good 01 ail concerned, Dy
concessions on both sides, which are not pos
sible now between itaimaceaa and nis op
posers. This Bay of Concepcion is about six miles
long by four miles wide, and is by all odds
the best and safest for large ships on the
coast of Chile. The port of Talcahnano oc
cupies its southwest angle, with the village
of Tome. Liriauen and Penco on the east.
the Island of Quiriguina (three miles long
by a mile wide), at the entrance, and the
important city of Concepcion only 20 miles
inland, reached by railway in a fer mo
ments. The name of this port, by the way,
is pronounced as if spelled Thalcah-whon-ho,
accented on the third syllable.
DISTANCE LENDS ENCHANTMENT.
Viewed from the deck of a vessel, the
village presents a beautiful appearance
but, like other South American towns, 'tis
distance lends enchantment. Its pictur
esque church spire forms a conspicuous
mark toward which ships steer to anchor
age, and a wooden pier puts out far into
the bay. There is a large dock, an arsenal,
a seaman's hospital, a signal station on a
lookout hill; and at the western end of the
village, close down to the sea, is the hand
some railway station, from which trains
run both north and south, thus bringing
the port into direct communication with the
interior. Repairing to the machinery of
vesseiscan ne enected at the Government
works in Concepcion, and I am told that the
yearly shipping In the bay averages 600 ves
sels, amounting to 500,000 tons.
Abont CO years ago Talcahuano was en
tirely destroyed by an earthquake. After
the first shaking up, the inhabitants, fortu
nately for themselves, fled en masse to the
low hills behind the town; and from that
vantage ground, with the earth trembling
ao violentlybeneath them that it was-im-;
possible to stand upright, they beheld en
awful sight. The ocean receded a long dis
tance and then advanced in three successive
waves each.
AN UNBROKEN WALL OF WATER
thirty feet in height, dragging ships from
their anchors and dashing some of them
far inland; then the subsidence of the
billows swept houses from their founda
tions and bore away the ruins, together
with flocks and herds, leaving the town
site desolate and the citizens homeless and
poverty-stricken.
Talcahuano has
now a population of
abou
4.000. and. like other Chilean vil-
iujjcs, 13 mostly built 01 acobes, tnougn
there are a few brick and frame houses in
the place, belonging to German and Eng
lish residents. Its narrow, dusty streets
are generally pavementless, and there is a
plaza, where if you share the native
fondness for that kind of amusement yoa
may wonder about among peons, dogs,
donkeys and fleas, and behold women sit
ting m their doorways strumming upon
guitars. During the summer time this
port i3 a favorite resort for whale ships,
though they are much less numerous than
formerly, apd then the streets abound with
drunken sailors who are generally found in
some sort of disturbance. Here, as at
v alparaiso, notwithstanding the' long pier,
ships are laden and unladen by means of
launches. The boatmen are a distinctive
class of citizens, who follow no business
but this from generation to generation.
HOW VESSELS ARE UNLOADED.
A launch is rowed near the beach and
then pushed up on it,stem toremost.asfar as
the depth of water will permit; and then the
men, naked, except for a piece of cloth
about the loins and sometimes a calico shirt,
wade through the surf carrying articles
ashore, no matter what their weight, from a
box of candles to a piano case. Their mus
cularframes become wonderfully developed
by this sort of exercise, and it is astonish
ing with what rapidity they perform the
work.
The country in the neighborhood of Tal
cahuano amply rewards cultivation, and
some of the valleys back of Concepcion are
said to be among the richest in the world.
All kinds of fruits, grains and vegetables
are produced in abundance; beef, mutton,
pork and fowls are well-fattened and cheap,
and fish can be netted in incredible quanti
ties on the beach at flood-tide. Speaking
of the fisheries reminds me of St Peter's
Day, which is made a great fiesta in all the
coast towns of Chile. Peter was a fisher
man, yon know, and this country has
many miles of sea shore, while its greatest
width is not so much but that a large pro
portion of the people can journey to the
ocea.i; on foot, if need be to worship the
saint in a fit and becoming manner.
BLESSING THE WATER FOR FISH.
Of course it is made a legal holiday, for
nobody dreams of working at such a time.
At the first peep of dawning all the bells
are rung, and in every church the usual 6
o'clock mass is celebrated. The largest
sanctuary in the place has been decorated
beforehand for the occasion with flags and
flowers and votive offerings around the
shrines of the- holy fisherman; at 10 A. at.
tho people congregate and a procession is
formed to march down to the ocean. A
life-size wax or wooden figure, dressed
richly, representing the Apostle Peter, is
carried at the head of the procession with
great pomp and ceremony.
Arrived at the water's edge, the Image is
placed in a boat and held over the sea, and
at Talcahuano it is rowed all around the
bay, while priest3 bless the waters that they
may produce nsn aounoantiy. xnose wno
expect to reap the reward of this saintly
patronage, the poor fishermen, are highly
taxed to pay for the performance.
Tome, on the opposite side of the bay
(pronounced Toe-may, accenting the final
syllable), is a famous summer resort for the
people of this section. A tiny steamboat
about CO feet long and 15 feet wide, with a
canvas awning to protect the passengers
from sun and rain, plies continually be
tween Talcahuano and Tome. It was
bought one day by an energetic German for
what loose change he happened to have in hi3
vest pocket, and now he realizes no less
than no.ow a year carrying passengers
across the bay.
A WHOLE CITT SOUND ASLEEP.
The road from Talcahuano to Concepcion
traverses a sandy plain, dotted here and
there with dwarf trees. As the traveler
approaches he sees what at first appear to
be a few scattered huts at the base of a
range of sand hills, and not far off the
mighty Bio-Bio; and is amazed to find him
self almost immediately afterward in the
midst of a city of 15,000 or 20,000 inhab
itants. It was noon when we entered Con
cepcion, and in passing through a long
street to our hotel, we saw only three ani
mated objects a muleteer, a boy and a don
key. It was the siesta hour, and the whole
city was asleep; and in broad day, among
thousands 01 numan Deings, utter silence
reigned.
The hotel to which we were directed is
quaint enough to merit description. There
is a tiassaire in the center, throutrh which
donkeys, laden with wood, water, sacks of
coal, baskets of vegetables, dead pigs,
sheep, etc, are driven on their way to the
kitchen. The only room to sit in is the
dining room, which is floored with brick
and has a bar of liquors in one corner. All
the bedrooms open on the patio, or central
court, and if you are partial to light and
air their interiors may be scanned by all
the neighbors.
AWFUL MURDER AND PUNISHBEENT.
That the quaint old city has made many
advances in civilization the following trne
story will show. Less than 40 years ago a
a beautiful girl, whose parents were among
the wealthiest citizens of Concepcion, mar
ried the son of another equally prominent
family, and the pair settled down to house
keeping with flattering prospects of future
nappiness. uniidren came to tne casa, and
for a few years their domestic felicity was
undisturbed. Then the demon of jealousy
100& possession oi me wiie wnetner on
reasonable grounds I do not know); and one
night while the husband slept she de
liberately poured a kettle of boiling water
over his face and head.
After a few hours of horrible torture he
died and so did she in a no less shocking
manner. Though her father offered the
whole of his wealth to save her life, and
tendered the Governor a million dollars in
gold, the woman who was still young and
beautiful was dragged to the "Hill of
Death," or place of public executions.
There, according to her sentence, she was
shot; and then her yet warm body waa sown
up in a sack, together with living rats and
snakes, and sunk in the middle ofthe Bio
Bio. Fannie B. Ward.
A I0XTEET OF CKDTA.
CnrionsFozm of Gambling Which Catches
High and Loir Every Day.
A curious gambling device of China, sayi
the Chicago Inter-Ocean, is called "Tapakoo-
poo. It shows what a strong and simple
faith the people have in man's honesty. In
"Tapokoopoo" one of the managers takes
a strip of paper on which are
written 80 characters, signifying, for
example, the sun, moon, earth, stars,
etc He is carefully shut up for several
hours in a room to which no one is allowed
access. During this confinement he marks
with red ink 20 of the characters on the
strip. As soon as the door is opened the
paper is put immediately into a box, which
is locked.
In the meantime a similar list of charac
ters has been struck off on a press and copies
are sold. The buyer marks ten characters
and hands in his copy at on appointed time,
when all copies of competitors are compared
in public with the original marked copy.
You must guess more than four char
acters right to win; if you gct five
you receive seven "cash;" if eight, 57;
if ten, $16. One person is permitted to buy
as many as 300 copies of the characters, but
he must mark the same ten letters in each.
To judge from the number of copies sold
everyday the profits ofthe managers of this
tame must be immense. Women and chil
ren, as well as men, are. devoted to this
form of lottery.
Bxor at the Hollenden, in CI ay eland,,
American and European plan
TALffiG TO EUROPE.
An Ocean Telephone Wonld Eeqnire
Cables as Big a3 Hogsheads.
HEALTH IE THE ELECTEIO LIGHT.
The Introduction of Telephones Has Hade
Honolulu People fat
KILEIM PACT LI TOOTH - PULLE18
rwBXTTTC? TOR tqx DisrxTcn'.i
The question has often been asked: Is it
possible to telephone across the Atlantic?
Such a communication has never yet been
mado. The difficulty with submarine tele
phony is the fact of considerable electro
static capacity in the cable, the result of
which Is retardation and formation of the
electrical Impulses transmitted. If a line
could be mado of exceptionally low resist
ance, so that the electric currents would
have the freest possible discharge, the evil
effect of this capacity would be in part done
away with. It might be possible to speak
across tho Atlantic over a cable as big as a
hogshead, but, as the cost and manipulation
of such a cable are prohibitive, we shall
have to be content to await further develop
ments in telephoning work. Becent dis
coveries would indicate that such develop
ments aro not far off, and It Is possible that
before many years have elapsed America
and England may he talking to each other
with the same ease as Boston has in talking
to New York.
The telephone is more used in Honolulu
than any other place. There are two rival
companies in the island, and the rates are
so out that every soda-water stand has its
telephone, and the marketing 13 all done
over the wire. Even railway trains are
started by telephone, and men use their legs
as little as possible now that the facilities
for verbal intercourse enable them to avoid
to a considerable extent the Inconveniences
ofalibt climate. An English electrical en
gineer" who has recently been engaged in
making a. series of surveys in the island says
that the introduction of the telephone has
had a somewhat ludicrous sequel. The
ladies, who were wont to do their marketing
with more energy than could be looked for
in such a warm climate, now stay at home
and send their orders by telephone, and the
business men to a great extent follow suit.
Tho consequence 13 that there is a marked
accession of avoirdupois among the better
classes of the community, male and female.
This phenomenon, which is vouched for as a
fact, can be easily understood, when the
sudden cessation of accustomed exercise Is
taken into consideration.
Klectrlo Sights for Ordnance.
The first application of an Illuminated
sight to ordnance was made by the Chileans
durins the late war in Peru. In 1873, during
tho bombardment of Callao, operations were
carried on after dark with the aid of lumin
ous sights. The method employed In this
case was, as Is general In carrying out new
Ideas, a very crude one. It consisted simply
in fixing a short length of platinum wire in
tho place of the foresight and beating it to
Incandescence hy meaus of a primary bat
tery, during theperiod of time required to
sight the gun. This manner of lighting up
the sight worked so satlslactorily, and wan
of such assistance to the gunners, that fur
ther attention was directed to the subject,
and great improvements hive been made.
One ofthe methods now generally used is to
introduce an incand scent lamp into a hol
low cast for the purpose in thegan: the steel
leaf or sighting piece at the point is re
moved and replaced by a glass or crystal
cone, which 13 held in its place by a nut, the
hollow of which corresponds with the tapor
of the rone. The surra ce of the tubnlar
space in which the lamp is placed Is brisht
and occasionally nickel-plated to intensify
the brightness of the li?ht of the
lamp, which, when it is switched on shows a
bright spot at tho point of the cone. In
somo cases a glass ball is nsed instead of a
cone, but with no better results. This bright
spot in the glass point or the sight Is suf
ficiently distinct for all the purposes of
sighting at night, and gives gTeat satisfac
tion to the officers whose duty it is to use if
Electric light for Domestic Use.
Many persons Imagine that tho electrlo
light eivos oat no heat. This Is a mistake.
So far as we have at present been able to
determine, there can be no light without
heat; but in the case of the electric light, the
heat is only one-twentieth part of that
evolved by gas. The way in which the elec
tric light, however, is destined to promote
the health of the people is in its non-vitiation
of the atmosphere. When it Is remembered
that a single jet of gas will consnine mora
oxygen than six men, the ill effects of living
In such a contaminated atmosphere for a
great part of mestnighesin a year maybe
understood. Another interesting fact bear
ing on this subject is, that where theaters
and other places of amusement are lighted
by electricity, the andience can sit through
a long performance with much less of tha
feeling of lassitude and exhaustion which
was the rule rather than the exception in
crowded buildings where gas alone was
used. Another advantage of the electrio
light is its cleanliness in making inevitable
its introduction into picture galleries and
public and private art collections.
Electricity In Tooth Extraction.
The extraction of teeth by electricity has
excited a good deal of interest and some cu
riosity. When the patient takes hold ofthe
handles of the battery the current is gradu
ally increased in intensity until the patient
can bear no more; then, whilo the lorceps
are being introduced, the current is turned
off for a second, and on again. Tha
rest is the same as without electricity. Tha
question: "Why Is it that electricity pre
vents painf was recently Ingeniously an
sviered by Dr. Arthur Harries. He saidi
"Electricity travels over the nerve at the
rate of 430 vibrations per second; pain trav
els from tho tooth to the brain in one
sixtieth of a second. My theory is that the
electricity, being so much quicker and hav
ing the greatest force behind it, gets to the
brain i-rst, and then keeps the line for itself,
crowding out the pain."
Electricity in Xavlgatlon.
The Captain of a ship is now saved muca
anxiety when sailing in shallow waters,
where constant soundings are necessary, by
the use of an automatic sounder worked
electrically. A beveled plate in the form of
a wcd(?o js suspended from the ship, to
which it is fastened by detaching hooks. This
wedge Is towed free at the required depth
so long a3 there is water below. As soon as
shallow water is encountered a trigger is
tripped, tho strain on the tow line is relaxed
and an electric bell sounds an alarm. An
other device which is ltcely to be appreciated
Dy tne snip caoiaiu is an electrical alarm
which sounds whenever the vessel shifts her
course.
magnetic Datton Eastencr.
A clever adaptation of electricity Is found
In the magnetic button fastener. The diffi
culty in the common machines has been the
absence of a plan sufficiently simple for
feeding the buttons from the receiving hop
per on the top of the machine down the tuba
leading to the stamping mechanism. This
is now effected by the magnet, which, play
lncr up and down in the hopper through a
slot in the bottom, attracts several of the
loose buttons at each upward movement. On
the downward stroke the buttons which
cling to the magnet are rubbed off into a
little trough.
Safety Apparatus for 311 ne Cage.
A greatly Improved safety apparatus for
miner's cages has been Introduced. A cur
rent of electricity is conveyed down the
hauling rope to four electro-magnets, which
sustain the gripping cams. Whilo the cur
rent passes the cams are kept away from the
guides, but directly the rope breats and the
current is cut off the cams immediately grip
the guides and sosustoin the cage. The rope
is. to all Intents and rrarooses. tha ordinary
hauling rope, except that it has two insu
lated copper wires in the hemp cote.
A Gravel-Pit Plant.
A railway company in Idaho, which uses
many thousand carloads of gravel in im
proving its roadbed, has advantageously had
recourse to electricity for the working of
Its gravel-pit at night. It is found that tha
arc lamps on incandescent circuits give ex
cellent results. Portable electric light plants
are now in use on many railroads to assist in
removing wrecks and doing night repair
work.
Housh on Prlnoe Tommy.
Lift.
The ilissust Yon oughtn't to leave the
floor in such a condition. Why don't yoa
take your chips with yon?
uarpenter: Who do you take meior, uia
n Jfio-vTirlctf
"we,