THE PITTSBURG DISPATCH. SUNDAY - APRIL 10. 189a 17 CQNVERTSJN CHI, The Commander of tlie Mon ocacy Convinced That We Should Xot Scoff. RESULTS ABE IN SIGHT. The 1-ayroan and Atheist Forced to Concede an Improvement. IMPORTANT MATERIAL BENEFITS. Missionaries in Talaco Cars Living in Oc cidental Inxurj IS TEE COMMON SENSE PROPAGANDA IWRITTZX FOR THE DISrATCII J As the status of allairs on the Yangtsi has attracted the attention of civilized nations for some months past, and is likely to do so for some time to come, it m3y be interest ing to American readers to learn the pres ent aspect of the situation from the point of view ol a naval officer detailed for the work. It is probable that few people in the "United States, no matter how much they may have read, can realize the enormous ex tent of the Chinese Empire, the density of its population along the coast and river banks, and the fact that the Yangtsi is a huge artery running from west to east, directly through the heart of the country, and supporting millions upon millions of human beings by its traffiic and the agricul ture of its rich valley. The width of the valley is so great that, for hundreds of miles from its mouth, the circumscribing hills and mountains can only be seen in dim out line, the whole lowland being one vast, rich, level plain, without a pebble as large as an egg to hinder cnltivation in all di rections, and with the most primitive of im plements. The KiTer Chinees Its Course. Through the broad valley the mighty river plows its way, utterly lawless as to direction, curving here and there for a num ber of years, and then, without warning or apparent reason, gradually eating away its own boundaries, and, in the course of a few years, cutting another channel miles away from its former trade The patient farmers sow and reap year after yeor, now on the left bank, now on an island, and again on the left bank, utterly regardless apparently of the stream in some parts, nnU yet ever watchful of it in others, as is evidenced by the huge dykes that are occasionally seen on one side or the other lor miles in extent. The yellow, turbid stream has a velocity of lrom two to four miles an hour, according to the season of the year, and a difference. at Hankow, 600 miles from the sea, of 50 to' r0 ieet between the summer and winter height. It is up this great channel, through the very vitals of the Flowery Kingdom, that Western enterprise has pushed its way, persuading the Celestials, much against their will, to open port after port to for eign traffic and foreign residents until, within the year, Chung-King has been opened, nearly 1,500 miles from the sea. American Progress In China. Think of it think of opening a port at Omaha, supposing there w ere a river from Omaha to Xew York, ind the Chinese wanted to go there and be granted a con cession on which to live and trade, and form a nucleus for the propagation of Buddhism or Confucianism! To be sure, the cases are not parallel, but in point of distance and some other things they are Eimilar. Between Shanghai, near the mouth of the river, and Chung-King there are now five treaty ports: Chin-kiang, 1G0 miles; Wuhn, 200; Kinkiang, 450; Hankow, 600, and Ichang, 1,000 miles. Of these Hankow is the most important, as it is the principal tea shipping port to England and Russia. American traders,however, are not nearly so numerous as formerly, and the failure of Russell & Co. has put an end to the last great American firm. The trade itself, ex cept in kerosene, cottons and ginseng, is not important. Our principal and increasing interest is in missionaries, and this brings us to the subject which has brousrht the Monocacy to Hankow, viz., the attitude of the Chinese toward foreigners on the Yangtsi. The Progress Is Cnmlstakab'e. "When I was in China last (some 14 years ago) I was struck, in common with almost everyone else who was not a missionary, with the meagerness of the results attained in proportion to the outlay, and the appa rent impossibility of their ever materially influencing so van a body of people who al ready had three systems of religion and philosophy which aute-dated the Christian laith by thousands of years. Now I find many of the oldest lay foreigners, men whom I had known before, recognizing the 'act that an impression is being made, which, independently of its benefit in point of spiritual influence, is undoubted as re gards the promulgation of Weitern civiliza tion. It is this which is permeating the inert mass of humanity, which has, in the main, so long lain dormant under the paralyzing in fluence of a superstitious belief in mundane ppirits, fairies, hobgoblins, evil eyes and the like. Many missionaries, too, have changed their method of teaching, accord ing to their experience, so that at present it may be said that there is no system which some one or other of the societies is not trying. Some societies still believe in itinerant preaching, and, while having sup ply stations in the treaty ports, they send foreign missionaries, both male and female, dressed in Chinese clothes, into all the provinces for hundreds of miles from the treaty ports. Not Cnlike alrntion Army Methods. These propagandists live in the native inns, and whenever an opportunity offers at gatherings and street corners they preach the eospel after the manner of the Disciples. An advantage of this method is that any caliber of intellect can be employed, com bined with faith and enthusiasm" and the lowest classes of people are reached, thus perpetuating the method by which Chris tianity was orginally developed in Europe, viz: from the bottom upward. . Other societies believe that though the itinerant method is useful in preparing the way, the itinerants themselves do not reap the fruits of their labors; accordingly these societies establish themselves in the treaty ports, buy land both in and out of the foreign concessions, build churches, schools, hospitals and comfortable dwellings for their ministers and doctors, with their wives and children; teach the Chinese chil dren almost everytbing that is taught in the public schools at home, as well as the trades, patiently instil the fact that their own ex ample as to home and family is the type to be lollowed, and, having educated the chil dienin Chtistian faith, send them out as native preachers into the provinces. The Charge of Immorality. An advantage of this system is that the example of domestic life afforded by the missionaries themselves refutes one 6f the most frequent arguments to be found in Chinese writings against the missionaries, viz.: immorality. Some of these societies have abandoned the -teaching of English, finding that much valuable time was lost which might have been devoted to the sciences, and also that, English taught con verts were liable to leave the fold and go into business before their education was complete. Some societies have found the lowest elass of Chinese utterly unteacliable as well as the highest, and find their most successful field among the great middle class, mer chants, farmers, etc Other societies have found in the upper class the scholars the best teachers for native work in the pTov Inces, and as it is the scholar class which is the most powerful enemy of Christianity, they thus carry the war "directly into the enemy's country in more senses than one. Meantime, while all the systems are being tried, the number of missionaries is perpet ually increasing; even Quakers are coming out and funds are continually pouring in to carry on the work. More money was de Voted to China missions alone this last year, both Catholic and Protestant, than was.ever before appropriated in any year for all the foreign missions combined. The rower of Present Methods. Fourteen years ago I thought that China was a country where even the continued dripping of the water of Christianity would never wear away the stone "of heathenism, but now that the water is applied with a steam fire engine and the principle of hy draulic mining is introduced, it is apparent to my unprejudiced mind that the stone will ultimately be forced bodily from its bed. Of all the missions, the Roman Catholic is first in point of importance and efficacy. It is the longest established, it has the best organization, and its teachings are the readU est of absorption. A map 01 cnina, Blow ing the location of its posts, appears as if it had been systematically peppered over. The objections to it on the part of the Chinese are said to be mostly due to the amount of property it holds. All the Roman Catholics are by treaty nnder the protection of the French Government, but both Germany and Italy are now asserting their right to take charge of their own missions. England has the greatest in terest in missions, and the United States comes next. Probably a Million Converts. There are now over a thousand foreign Protestant missionaries scattered through China. Probablv the number of converts of all kinds is in the neighborhood of 1,000,000. This is only about one-quarter of 1 ptr cent of the population, but the question of the number, genuine or claimed, Is not of much importance as bearing upon the present sit uation. It is doubtful if a genuine Chinese Christian with a longing for Immortality will be produced in China for very many years. The Chinese as a race care nothing for the hereafter except perhaps to haunt tneir enemies in a spiritual lorm. mine lower classes, especially, owing to genera tions of servitude, human life Is so cheap that there is almost an entire loss of in dividuality; the man himself sets the same small value on his life that his rulers do, hence is presented the extraordinary anomaly of a mass of human beings, who, though timid, have no fear of suicide, and n ho will not help each other when drown ing or exposed to other danger. They do care for tne comforts of this life, however, while they are in it, and the inevitable re sult of Christian teaching is to show that life is worth living, which is undoubtedly the first step toward the achievement of the "Western form of civilization; the desire for immortality will come in due time. Jystem About the Blots. It is the leaven of "Western civilization which is the remote cause of the late riots, the immediate cause being the publication of inflammatory documents against Chris tianity in the province of Hu-nan, which lave been circulated in all the other Yangtsi provinces, combined with the movement up and down the river of design ing characters belonging to the Kalon-hui and other societies composed of discharged and penslonless soldiers unemployed since the Taiping rebellion. These have stirred up the people, trusting to the local vaga bonds and beggars (of which there are a great number in China) to apply the torch for the sake of loot. A translation of one of these documents, entitled, "The devil doctrine ought to be killed," fell into my hands recently. It is full of false charges of immoral practices and indefensible doc trines. The riots have occurred in the following order: '. "Wuhn, May 12; Nanking, May 25; Wusueh, June 5; Ichang, September 2." It seems fairly evident that it was a concerted scheme, and the Yangtsi ports were prob ably chosen because of the great mass of discontented junk population whose busi ness has been sadly curtailed during the last dozen years by the introduction of steam navigation. Of course, it is the old battle of bard labor and machinery which has been long ago fought out at home, but here it comes particularly hard on those who are ousted as other walks in life are al ready filled to overflowing. The Chinese Government itself owns the principal line of steamers, but it is not probable that this tact has any bearing on the situation. Competition In Business. The Chinese expect to drive foreign com mercial people out of the country by sheer business competition, and they are in a fair way to succeed, but the missionaries can not be reached in that way; their societies are now established institutions in Europe and America; they are well organized on business principles, with paid officials, and are backed up by the great body of staid, substantial citizens in all countries. The societies handle large amounts of money and have extensive dealings with other great business corporations, and obtain special rates on railways, steamers, etc The spectacle of the heathen Chinee being pursued by the missionary and his family in a parlor car is rather startling at first sight, but analysis shows that it cor responds with the spirit of the age, and is doubtless economical, and certainly anyone who is willing to live in this country and devote the greater part of his life to the teaching of Christianity deserves to be well ca-ed for while here. All this without noting the undoubted benefit that they are conferring upon the people from the stand point of Western civilization. The Government Policy as to Foreigners. The exact amount of responsibility of the general Government in the riots is difficult to determine. There are clauses in the treaties binding the Government to protect foreigners, and particularly missionaries in the peaceful pursuit of their vocation, but could China have realized 50 years ago the condition of affairs that exists now, the missionary clause would probably have never been admitted. It must have been ad mitted, even then, only because China, as a whole, is pantheistic and could see no ob jection to adding Christianity to Confucian ism, Taoism, Buddhism and Mohammedan ism, which already existed. Probably the difficulty is not really with the religion, but with the powerful elements of "Western civ ilization wnich accompany it. China is composed of a large number of provinces, or States, over which the general Government has little real authority. It controls the officials, and can degrade them or take off their heads as occasion requires, but the people themselves are only con trolled bScause they are like large flocks of sbeep, peaceful and timid, willing to sub mit to oppressive taxes for the sake of peace; but if they are oppressed too much or other occasion arises, they are feared be cause of their enormous numbers. A mob ol such people is cowardly and cruel. Difficulty In Suppressing a Blot. Moreover (and here is a serious difficulty when it comes to suppressing a riot) it is against the theory of the Chinese form of paternal government to shed 'the blood of the people, they being the children of the Emperor. Hence the Taotai, or Mandarin, who orders the soldiers to fire on the people is in more danger of being degraded than the one who does not order, his soldiers to fire, but does allow property " to be de stroyed. It is allowable to shed blood in' defense of life, but not in defense of prop erty. ' There is no such a thing as patriotism, as we understand it, in China. People of one district take no interest in their neighbors; a whole province might be captured by for eigners, and Its neighbors would care noth ing about it and a large. portion of the pop ulation'would even know nothing about it. Patriotism will probably come with rail roads but not before. Tne province of Hunan furnishes most of the soldiers. They are brave when well led, but the Chinese are essentially a non-fighting people, and in a country where military leaders have a lower social status than scholars, good ones are naturally rare. The protection of missionaries by foreign gunboats seems to be essential for years to come on the Yangtsi; not the actual firing upon mobs, but the presence of a gunboat at each of the river ports where1 missionaries reside. Necessity of the Gunboats. "When there is no such a thing as publio opinion or liberal education, only the most vigilant authorities can repress sudden tumults which often arise from the most childish causes, and the foreigners here will never feel safe unless a tangible proteetion and shelter is at hand. "When the riots broke oat last summer there was not a foreign gunboat r in the whole length of the river. But even gun boats do not meet the entire situation. The foreign concessions in the treaty ports are directly on the river front, are laid outpn broad parallel streets, are walled In and can easily be defended, but the missionaries do not confine themselves to these quarters, and perhaps they cannot do so; they wan der all over the country, and the Chinese authorities allow them to buy property miles away from the concessions, where nothing but a flying machine could protect them. No sooner is a treaty port opened than they flock to it, regardless of its exposure, and form at once an outnost from which to throw forward their advance parties still further into the country. Chunking, for example, is already full of missionaries; it is 400 miles above Ichang, as already stated, and has never yet been reached by a steamer. To do so the vessel must probably draw not more than fonr feet ot water, and have post powerful machinery. At present it is reached by Junks which are warped up, against a five to eight-knot current, by a line from shore, like a canal boat, man power being used. Fountain of Pernicious Literature. European natives hesitate about bringing a combined pressure upon the General Gov ernment because of the late riots, and no wonder, for none can tell if it is not the case of the sick man in EuroDe over aeraln. A demand, however, for the opening of the port of Chang-sha, the capital of Hunan, and the fountain-head ot the pernicious anti-Christian literature, would:, in the opinion oi naval officers on the river, be an effectual check to this sort of trouble at least, and would .probably tranquilize the whole upper river. Chang-sha can easily be reached, by gun boats. It lies on a river which runs into Tuna Tine Lake, a body of water about 60 miles long by SO miles wide, and the lake connects with the Yangtsi abont 120 miles above Hankow. Meantime the Chinese Government appears to be exerting itself, and much is slowly being accomplished in another way; the Viceroy of the Provinces of Hunan and Hu-pe, who is an avowed foreigner-hater, has put up within the laat year, at "Wuchang, opposite Hankow, a cot ton factory and an iron foundry. He has contracted tor a railroad for opening up coal mines, and has introduced mathematics into the otherwise unpractical curriculum of the Confucian scholars, much to their per plexity and dismay. The Monocacy Is All Bight. And now a last word as to the United States steamer Monocacy, which I have the .honor to command. This steamer has been so sys tematically abnsed by the press at home as a miserable, worthless, useless old wooden hulk, that it is high time the public were differently informed. She is a powerful, side-wheel, iron river steamer, intended for this kind of work, and nothing else. She is 25 years old, and not fit to go to sea; bnt she is fit for river work for certainly six years longer, and probably ten years. She is recognized by all naval officers of all nations who have seen her as being the best vessel on the river. Her battery is composed of four 8-inch smooth bores and two 60-pounder rifles, with six Hotckiss revolving cannon. It is a heavier battery than is carried by any other vessel in the world on the same draught, viz: 9 feet aft and 8 feet forward. It is also a more efficient battery than any other on the river. Smooth bores do much reater execution against mud and soft rick walls than rifles. "With this draft of water the Monocacy can go to Hankow at all seasons of the year and to Ichang during five months of the year. No other vessel in the United States navy can do either of these things, or are we building .any that can. Bight Boat In the Bight Place. The vessel carries a fair-sized crew, but could easily carry more She carries an excellent apparatus for condensing a large quantity of water daily, and an abundant supply of tanks for preserving it (a most vital feature in this cholera climate). She is perfectly accessible in all parts, and is consequently the healthiest ship on the river. An increase of the marine euard to 36 men, for an additional landing party, and an electric search-light, which terrifies the Chinese, is all she needs to enable me to protect the foreigners of any two ports on the river at once with more efficiency than any two vessels now here could do it It is possible that if it is found that the Chinese Government cannot protect foreign lives and property, the European nations will seize territory along the river. It will never be the policy of the United" States to do this, but its increasing interests here de serve more efficient naval protection than they now receive There should be another vessel somewhat similar to the Monocacy, but of lighter draught, in addition to her, or else three gunboats carrying 50 or 60 men each with a heavy gun, and a powerful second ary battery of rapid-fire and machine guns. F. M. Barber, Commander United States Steamship Mon ocacy. SOMETHING HEW IN GLASS. Skylights Made With a Metal Netting for a Base Are Very Strong. Under the name of wire-glass, a new in veution has been brought on the market by a Dresden firm which marks an important development in the gloss making industry. The process of manufacture consists in fur nishing glass in a hot plastic condition with a flexible metallic layer, iron wire netting, for instance, which is completely enclosed by the vitreous substance, and effectively protected against exterior influences, as rust, etc The new glass, which has been patented in the leading countries, possesses much greater resisting power than the ordi nary metal, and is, it is claimed, indifferent to the most abrupt changes of temperature, and will even withstand open fire. A further proof oi its toughness and dura bility is stated to be the fact that it may, in a highly-heated state, be sprinkled with cold water without being materially dam aged. The glass is specially adapted for skylights, the powerful resisting qualities of the material enabling the usual wire pro tectors to be dispensed with. As wire-glass cannot be cut by the diamond, except un der the application of great force, and can not be broken without creating considerable noise, the substance is claimed to be, in a measure, burglar proof. , A GTO TO THBOW VITRIOL, Hideous Method of Warfare Proposed to Subjugate the Negroes. Several Paris papers announce that a dis tinguished officer of the French army, Com mandant Mattei, has just invented and sub- J nutted to the Minister of War a new kind of rifle so contrived as. to project at a dis tance of 70 metres a powerful spray of vit riol. It is added that it is not to supersede the Lebel rifle, nor to be used in European warfare, but only against savages and ne groes, on whose naked bodies the corroding liquid would tell with fearful effect, and would prevent the ugly rushes which these barbarians resort to against trained troops. It is calculated that the vitriol rifle would very materially assist the efforts of the pioneers of French civilization to reach Lake Tchad, unless, indeed, as seems to be expected in some quarters, the Military) Convention against the use of explosive bul lets for small arms ammunition should be held as a bar against the adoption of an en gine which seems inconsistent with the usages of modern warfare. ' SOUND IN THE WIND. Professor John Tyndall Explains Why You Don't Hear a Noise WHEN A GALE BLOWS AGAINST IT. Tha Air Current Deflects 'the Waves So They Go Over Tour, Head. ELECTRIC LTGHT ABSORBED BT FOG rWBITTElf POB TBI DISPATCH. IV is everyone's experience that a sound can be heard better with the wind than against it It is common to say that "the wind blows away the sotmd,"but from experiments I made while soientlflo adviser of the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, the Board of Trade and the Board of Irish Lights, I know that the Bound is not blown away, but only deflected so it does not reach the ear. In the year 1873, after my return from the United States, an elaborate investigation on fog signals was begun at the South Fore land. For several weeks we operated with trumpets, whistles and guns; but on October 8 an instrument was introduced which has continued to play an important part in fog signaling ever since, a steam siren, invented and patented by Mr. Brown (or Brann), of New York. The following is a brief description of the apparatus: "A boiler had its steam raised to a pressure of 70 pounds to the sauare inch. On opening a suitable aperture this 9 fit A l """ I ' 0 r ' ' . t l IK 'fit II A , 11 j DIAGRAM 8HOWIXQ DEFLECTION OF SOUND WAVE BY WIND. A, the bell; B, the listener: arrows indicate direction and velocity of the wind: c-d. front of sound wave at e: e-f. direction of sound wave from e; sr-li, front of sound wave de flected by wind at I; 1-J, direction of sound from Ij k-1, tront or sound wave further de flected Dv wind at m; ran direction or sound wave from m; c-p, from of sound wave still more deflectcrtpr wind at q; q-r, dliectlon of sound wave from q the sound now reaching steam would issue forcibly in a continuous stream, and the sole function of the siren was to break up this stream into a series of strong puffs. This was done by causing a diso with 12 radial slits, placed in the throat of a great trumpet, to rotate behind a fixed disc with the same number of slits. "When the slits of both discs coincided a puff escaped; when they did not coincide the steam was cut off. Each puff of steam at this high pressure generated a sonorous wave of great intensity, and the successive waves followed each other with such rapid ity that they linked themselves together to a musical sound so loud as to be best de scribed as a continuous explosion." With regard to the instruments employed, a uniform superiority could not be con ceded to anyone of them. Charged with proper powder, the gun is a first-class sig nal. Still our observations were so numer ous and long-continued as to enable ns to come to the sure conclusion that, on the whole, the steam, siren was bevond question the most effective fog signal which had hitherto been tried in England. It was especially powerful when local noises, such as those of wind, rigging, breaking waves, shore surf and the rattle of pebbles had to be overcome. Its density, quality, pitch and penetrative power rendered it domi nant over such noises after all other signal sounds had succumbed. The steam siren was, therefore, without hesitation recom mended by me as a coast signal." Provision was made for its rotation, so. that all' poinfs of the sea should receive by "turns the maxi mum or axial sound. Compressed Air to Produce Sound. I have no desire to be severe in my judg ment of the course pursued regarding it, but I have always regretted, and nave frequent ly expressed" my regret to the Elder Brethren and others, that this fine signal was not al lowed to remain for purposes ofoomparison at the place where it was originally used. It was, however, not only removed, but abolished. After the experiments were ended, and after my report "had been pre sented to the House of Commons, a few of the Elder Brethren went to the South Fore land with a view of determining whether a siren worked with air under pressure could not be substituted for a siren worked by steam. The air in this new instrnment was compressed by an air engine. There may have been grounds cogent with the Elder .Brethren lor tne adoption ot this latter. Be that as it may, although the pressure attained by the air engine did not approach that attained by the steam engine, and al though the -experiments of the gentlemen to whom I have alluded were, to the best of my reoollection, begun and concluded in a single afternoon, they decided that the air siren was quite as good as the steam siren, and recommended the abandonment of the instrument with which all our experiments had been made, and upon which all our knowledge had been founded; and the es tablishment of the air siren at all points of our coasts where such instruments were re quired. Effect of Wind on 8ound- - Curing the South Foreland investigation, wbenever tne wind was too strong-to permit of our going to sea, we turned our forced leisure to account by making upon land ob servations on the action of the wind. Two parties of observers, starting from the sta tion, woujd proceed, one to, windward and the other to leeward, 'noting as. they went their observations of tbe sounds. It was by no means uncommon to find tbe range to leeward five, six or seven times the range. to windward. Indeed, there were times when, if circumstances had permitted tbe observa tions to be made, the range to leeward would probably have been found ten or fifteen times that to windward. Everybody knows that sound is propa gated In waves. The point which the reader has now to bear in. mind is that a sound-wave always moves in a direction perpendicular to the front of, the wave. If the front be vertical, the wave will move in a horizontal direction. If-through any cause the wave be made to lean backward' or forward, the perpendicular will point obliquely upward or downward, and the motion of the wave will be in the same di rection. In perfectly calm weather we may suppose a portion ot a wave from a distant source to be perpendicular to the earth's surface. As long as the weather continues calm the wave will move in a horizontal di- Prof. John TyndaU. rection. But let us suppose a wind to blow in opposition to the direction of the sound. Bow a Sound Wave Is Deflected. Close to the earth's surface the wind's motion is retarded by friction; and, as the air is to some extent viscous, its successive layers, proceeding upward, will be retarded in their motion over the lower ones. In brief, the wind at a height above the earth's surface will move more rapidly than close to the surface. Consider, then, the case of a soundwave, that in calm weather would remain perfectly vertical, passing through air thus in motion. It is obvious that the wave cannot continue vertical. As a whole it will be pushed back by the wind, but because of the.quicker motion Of the upper air, it will be pushed further back above than below. The wave . would be thus thrown into a leaning attitude (if I may .use the term), its npper portion inclining toward the source of the sounds Bearing in mind, then, that the wave moves in a direction perpendicular to its front, and bearing in mind that the perpen dicular to that front points obliquely up ward, the wave will follow this oblique di rection. It will pursue its way through the upper air, eluding observers upon the earth's surface. The sound is thus deflected, not blown away, by the wind. The credit of verifying this theory is due to Prof. Os borne Reynolds. I have myself made many experiments on this subject, and verified the results of Prof. Reynolds. By means of a ladder planted on "Wimbledon Com mon I was enabled to raise my head to a height of 12 feet above the ground. The Theory Conclusively Established. The hammer of the bell that I employed was adjusted by a spring, so that the stroke should always have the same value. Carry ing the bell along the ground to windward, a point was at length attained at which an ear played near the ground at the foot of the ladder heard nothing. On ascending the ladder the deflected waves were recov ered, the sound becoming distinct! audible. The same thing was observed with the powerful siren I have described, and the fact is one of vital importance in fog signal ling. A wind may deflect the sound so a vessel near at hand may not hear it A great deal has been said about the loss of the Eider so near the powerful electrio light at St Catharine's Point, described as "the most intensely brilliant light in exis tence, and one which the country as a mari time nation might feel proud to see upon Its shores." Contrasting the new luminary with its predecessor, the latter was de scribed as an oil lamp of six concentric wicks with a nower of 730: while the new illuminant sent forth an almost solar blaze of 7,000,000 candles. My own hopes and enthusiasms regarding the electric light have been sobered down by experience. I knew from the first that it possessed con stituents more liable to be ruined by haze and fog than those of either oil light or gas 'light It is, indeed, the very waves which confer upon the electrio light its peculiar whiteness and brilliancy in clear weather that are most useless In thick weather, these being the first destroyed by minute sus pended particles. It-- was, however, possi ble that the electric lightmight possess a residue of the longer waves sufficient to ' SPECIAL FEATURE IS WEEK Are some very nice goods in REAL LACE IRISH POINT AND TAMBOUR SASH CURTAIN GOODS At prices that are less than it costs to import. See these goods. They are gems. Also a full line of NOTTINGHAM, IRISH POINT AND TAMBOUR CURTAINS, POLE CORNICES, CHENILLE and TURCOMAN PORTIERES, Etc. Over 100 Different Styles of Bedroom Suits to Select From. 60 Different Styles of Parlor Suits ,.,." . to Select From. Our Own Make. Parlor Tables without number. The largest selection of Stoves and Eanees in the city all the popular makes. Nineteen styles of Mattresses. Twelve styles of Springs. Thirty five "stvles of Chamber Toilet Sets to select from. An extensive line of Odd Dressers and Washstands. Thirty different styles of-Refrieerators and Ice Chests. The larzest line of Baby Carriages in the city- What would require you to vhit 19 different store? to purchase oriuiAJjii. iSo oo saved on eacn sewing render it effective as a fog light Bat ex periments have convinced me that electno lights are poorer than either oil or gas lights in fog because the waves of light from the electric lights are more easily absorbed. John Ttitdaia. AN INDIAN FAKTB'B THICKS. After Inhaling Poisonous Fames, He Buns a Knife Through His Tongue, An account of the performances of the Indian fakir, Soliman ben Aissa, is given by the .Vienna correspondent of the Lancet. ?be exhibition has very properly been for idden in publio places in Vienna, but a series of private entertainments has been 'arranged. An aristocratic audience was' present at the first of these. The fakir com menced his performances' by inhaling the fumes of burnt powder prepared from ex tracts of snake and scorpion poisons, and by certain.quick movements oi the dead he produced a foaming at the mouth. After these preliminaries needles and other sharp 'instruments were thrust through various parts of his body, including a stiletto a foot long and half an inch broad, which was thrust through his tongue. Another feat which is said to hare caused great sensation consisted in pulling forward the eyeball and presenting It outside the orbit to the view of the audience between two fingers. He was "invulnerable" also to the heat produced by a flaming torch held for a minute and a half atroinst the under snr- r face of his forearm. Chewing elass and Slaying with poisonons snakes were among is other tricks. The Lancet recalls the ex periments" of the celebrated "Fire King" who many years ago created a sensation In London by advertising his power to drink prussie acid without injury to himself. The history of his exposure, sudden downfall, and subsequent malignant challenge to Mr. "Wakley to fight a duel form one ot the most interesting chapters in the older volumes of the Lancet. The Lancet deprecates medical men lending their countenance in any de gree to such dismal spectacles. BS0UGHT ITS OWN AN5WEIL. Remarkable Coincidence Concerning Two Letters That Went to Sea. Among the stories of extraordinary coinci dences, writes the London correspondent of the Leeds Mercury, not the least curious is the history of a letter, lor the accuracy of which he can vouch. A short time ago a lady in London wished to write to a friend in America, whose address she did not know. The only means she had of procur ing the address was to write to a mutual friend, who also lived in America. This she accordingly did, .and the letter was duly dispatched. The ship which carried the letter was wrecked; and. the mails for a time lost They were eventually recovered and brought back to England, the letters, now much damaged bv sea water, being re turned through the dead letter office to the senders. The letter in qnestion was sent back to the lady; who -naturally examined it minutely. To her surprise she found that another letter had become closely stuck to it Holding up the' twofold missive to the light, she deciphered the address on the one which was stuck to her own. It Was a letter addressed to the friend to whom she had wished to write, and to discover whose whereabouts her own letter had been dispatched. Her letter thus literally brought back its own answer. Talne of a Lock of Hair. Fall MaU Budget. The other day we referred to the Grand Old Man's locks of hair. It would be in teresting to know the commercial value of these "lyart haffets." Now, we have to hand an American dealer's catalogue, in which one ot the items consists of locks of hair of Byron, Shelley, Keats and Leigh Hunt, neatly put up In passe-partout frame on a decorated card, and offered at the mod est sum of $100. THIS PAPER GUIMS OIRCULKTIDN OF 64,000' TO-DAY. We have every reason to believe this claim is true. Of course, all people do not read ads. We'll take it for granted'that 30,000 ont of th 64,000 read this ad. To those people particularly we wish to make a few remarks. It's the time of year that we desire to make a strong impression to give you to understand particularly what we do and how we do it. It's the time of the year that most all need Furniture, Carpets, Bedding, Stoves, Ranges, Etc 1 We have everything you want and at all prices and at terms of settlement to suit all purses. What "more could you ask? Why should you not have every comfort in your house when such inducements' are offered? We sell cheaper than any house in the city. Why can we sell cheaper? Because it costs us' less to do business. It's very easy to see that any firm paying z,ooo a year rent can sell the same goods cheaper than his competitor who pavs Sio.ooo. THAT IS OUR CASE EXACTLY. Macnine. we sell tne "DA via," ana guarantee lor nve years. I DD 307--WOOD ST.--307 CASH OJEt CREDIT In every department. Don't forget the address of the PIONEERS OF LOW PEICEa , 307 WOOD ST., NEAR FOURTH AVENUE. f ' " 1 " " ' AN IMAGINATIVE ROMANCE OF IMAGINATIVE ROMANCE WRITTEN FOB THE DISPATCH BY HERBERT D. WARD. SYNOPSIS OF PBETIorS CHAPTERS. In a sleeping car Journeying from the West to Chicago are six chance acquaintances, Millionaire Tanderjvn, ot Chicago: PTof. Wilder, inventor of the Aeropole: Sergeant Will trig, who was with Greelyand with Lockwood on their Polar expeditions: Royal Sterne, st teohnical institute student; Jack Hardy, who is going Into real estate In Chicago, and Fred erick Ball, an astronomical tutor. Out of a jesting remark a serious expedition to tha North Pole in Prof. Wllder's airship is arranged. Millionaire Vanderlyn furnishes tbo money, Wilder the conveyance, Wllltrfg the experience, and the three younger men tua enthusiasm. Just as they start officers arrive to serve an injunction on Wilder. The action is brought by Hennepin, who claims the airship Is his inv ention. CHAPTER HL THE START. The car of the "Aeropole" had been con structed especially for the needs of this ex pedition. It was 40 feet long and 12 broad, made of wicker work, covered with alum inum and lined with six inches of felting. There were five windows in the car, each two feet square; one on each side, one on each end and one in the floor. It was heated by a petroleum apparatus especially devised by Prof. Wilder. It was divided into three rooms. There was the dynamo or engine room, whence the ship was to be propelled and started. This was in the bow, so to speak. There was the middle or sleeping room, 15 feet long, and there was the pro vision room. No dogs were to be taken on. The party did not expect to have to travel on foot in the inacessible regions to which they were to go. Indeed, according io Melville, above the 8Gth latitude, dogs will be found a nuisance rather than a help. The car was designed to carry five men and their person al luggage. This footed up 1,175 pounds; six mouths' food for the men, 8,168 pounds; weapons and tools, 584' pounds; scientific instruments in charge of the tutor, 6,117 pounds; a patent car-boat, a Melville sledge, powder, fireworks, etc., 4,823 pounds; two rope ladders, 1,929 pounds; water and alcohol, 12,623 pounds; with a total of 35,418 pounds. As the carrying capacity of Hie airship was more than twice as great, there was added a further ballast of water, alcohol, etc., that brought the grand total up to 64,000 pounds. The "Aeropole," for such was she christ ened, was now able to keep for two months on the wing, with provisions for at least six months for five, men on liberal rations. Above the car was a platform of observa y CARRIES can be had from us under one roof. PROMPT AND CAREFUL DELIVERY OUR 5. A CO,, ARCTIC EXPLORATION. tion railed offand reached from the interior Here the sledge and the boat were lashed. The car itself was built to float, so that in case of accident she could be easily de tached and used as a miniature Noah's ark. On the night whose morning broke tha 1st of July every man of the five adven turers had slept within the three-acre in closure, while several men guarded the ves sel of the air. Ugly rumors had got about, and yet, up to this morning, Prof. Wilder had not been very anxious. Two days be fore, the board covering that protected tha huge airship from sight had been taken down, and the enemies of the plucky in ventor, ever hovering about the place, trying to spy out his doings and to servo writs, made up their minds, as we have seen, that a final trial must be made or their bird would soon fly. For three months Hennepin had vainly endeavored to serve that injunction, and in the meanwhile he had been hastening the construction of an airship from the same lines and design, in order to prove his title' before the courts. Backed by Mr. Vanderlyn, Prof. "Wilder had gained some hot preliminary judicial skirmishes, and things looked hopeful up to the time 01 this forcible, illegal attack. Tbo early train had brought 20 special officers, whose instructions was to stop the work un dertaken by Professor "Wilder, if not to de stroy the completed wonder. "Open in the name of the lawoflllinoisl" shouted the leader of the gang again, as he battered at the bolted, oaken gate that pro tected the polar expedition. Five minutes leftl It was 8 o'clock in the morning. Tha five held an immediate consultation with the foreman of the machine shop. Through minute peck holes they could see that the crowd was determined. A hundred roughs and sightseers had collected. Any act of violence seemed. possible. . "Why on earth can't we cast off and let her go? asked Jack Hardy. He seemed in nowise troubled, and had already en sconced himself in the car by the window Wifef DC s. rflSrt- llfl'Hl".. tOC1- ""J J iUJlwII There is not a firm in the city that can sell Carp!:; ait He ana Lay The same as promptly as we do. We may not have such an extensive establishment as some others, but we have enough variety to give any sensible person a good variety to select from. There are no styles made either in CARPETS OR - RUGS But we have in stock. LINOLEUMS, OIL CLOTHS, &c. i 1 I ij 1 IjilfTD
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers