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THE PITTSBURG - DISPATCH,- SUNDAY. APRIL 10, 1893.
JfHS..VI
and was puffing away at a Regalia, as much
at his case as if he were contemplating a
tonr of Mexico.
"Nonsense," said Boyal in a blast of in
dignation. "Gire ns a'jjunl Give me any
thing! I'll be hanged it we'll be put to
flight by a pack of curs!" As he'spoke the
sound of axes against the high fence re
sounded ominouilv within the enclosure.
"Only as a last resort," said Sergeant
Willtwig coolly to the terrified inventor.
"We must wait for Mr. Vanderlyn. It is
Ill's due. And he may bring relief. Atany
rate he brings 550,000 in gold in case of
need. "Wc must wait for him. He is due
at 10."
Trofessor Wilder tried to look calm. His
life's work, nav, his life's glory might at
anv moment be shattered. The huge air
thfp rested on her six sriltsas unconsciously
as if there was no hoodlums Tinder the guise
of law" seeking its annihilation. The air
was clear and still; not a leaf stirred.
Sounds dropped crystallized from the
toncuc, so pure the atmosphere. Oaths
clicked from without upon tpe tympanums
of those within, and came like sudden
shocks of a galvanic current.
"Open in the name of the' law, or we'll
batter your blank walls downl"
"Have you got an extra wire?" asked the
Sergeant, "turning sharply upon the bewil
dered foreman.
"A couple of miles of 'em, J reckon."
"Then let's have them quick! Have your
men tack them up two ana four feet respec
tively from the ground upon that fence, and
turn on the current, I'll wager they Won't
come in."
There were 12 men under the foreman in
the workshop whence the airship had
originated. The shop contained a powerful
dynamo, which had filled the airship's stor
nge batteries. At the Sergeant's command
the inclosure was encircled with this mys
terious all-powerful protector. Men have
cause to fear a dead wire more than an
armed desperado. The axes resounded.
There was a crash, and an opening large
enough to admit a man yawned in upon the
airship suddenly. As suddenly tnere came
a shriek, a dull thud. The wires, carrying
TOO volts alternating current as an experi
mental charge had done their bidding. Sur
prised, another man from without touched
the offending wire with his forefinger and
dropped in convulsions. The crowd fell
back with horror, with execration. They
began to crowl like wild beasts foiled. It
would go'hard if they got within. They fell
back and consulted. The besieged waited
and drew breath.
"How goes the fun?" asked Jack Hardy,
leisurely descending from the car to the
scene, in his Epotless dress. The Sergeant
was inclined to sneer at him, but instinct
ively felt the difference between supreme
sancfroid and cowardice.
"But how is Vanderlyn to get in through
this mob?" asked Jact, critically looking
about him.
Mr. Frederick Ball, the astronomical tu
tor, pale as the under side of a beech leaf,
took up the w ord.
"He can't get in. Let us go now while
we may. Think of my precious instruments.
TJicy'ie yearly Murdered 3Te.
Even a slight jar might spoil their accu
racv." Pro). Wilder was about heartily to acqui
esce in this sentiment, when Sergeant Will
tig turned upon them.
"It you gentlemen are frightened by this
little thing, what will become of vou when
vou encounter the horrors of the most terri
ble cotintrv that has never been explored?
We will stay here in spite of 1,000 such
hoodlums aye. and protect ourselves, too,
like men." His eyes flashed. Here stood
the essence of arctic heroism in this man's
contempt of danger, his dauntless discipline
and obedience.
"I'm with vou," said Koyal Sterne,
planting himself beside his chief.
"I'm in this, too," Jack Hardy spoke
leisurely. He was really the coolest one
present- "Ten sets of brains can beat a
hundred pairs of hands. That's my creed.
But thev are up to some new deviltry out
there. They are much too quiet Whew!
A stone!" He pulled the tutor to one side,
just as a big stone whizzed past them.
It was now almost time for Mr. Vander
lyn to appear. His was to be the last word
of encouragement, the last wave of the
hand. It had been a severe task for the
millionaire to refrain from speaking of the
enterprise, so strong had his faith in it
grown. But he controlled himself. If the
expedition and the airship failed he would
not be held responsible for a disaster, and
if it succeeded gloriously, his very reticence
would ultimately redound to his honor. His
movements could not be wholly concealed.
His friendliness toward Professor Wilder
in the lawsuit had become known. His
business friends came so near the truth as
to suppose he was backing up an airship
company.
His speculations were respected. Mr.
Vanderlyn, the- argued, would not go into
the airships, the most precarious investment
imaginable, not only liable to a shrinkage,
but to a learful drop, an utter fall, unless
lie were sure that the aerial ship was to be
come a more practicable means of trans
portation than the railroad or the steamship
of the sea.
At this crisis Jack Hardy had a bright
idea. It was now afttr 10 o'clock. Their
patron was due. The "Aeropole" was
ready to ascend at a moment's notice. Tho
electric engines were in perlcct order, Her
powerful aluminum fan-like screws were im
patient to make their hundreds of levolu
tions a minute. Etcry detail was attended
to, and the car was complete. The ballast
of water had been added ith experimental
accuracy. This intelligent exponent of
the machinist's highest genius stood her
ground like a horse untethered. She was
confined to no tracks, deterred by no fric
tions, troubled by no fear of collisions.
There she Ftood, the mistress of the ether,
ready to take possession of her rightlul
kingdom at the slightest touch upon her
metal heart.
'I'll tell you Hick me out, boys, as a
traitor!" safd Jack. "They'll believe it,
outride there. I'll talk to them about
dynamos all the same's dynamite to them!
I'll get a ch.ince at Mr. Vanderlyn and put
him up to saying a thing or two and he'll
bet the crowd up the beer, and then he'll
come in.
"No, let me
said Eoval Steme,
eagerly. "I've dealt with Indians on the
plains I can manage such a tough lot
tasier than you can."
"It runs in our family to run into dan
ger," said Jack Hardy, quietly. "We're
always the ones. We have to be. I'll go,
Sterne."
Off with his fine-fitting coat! It took but
a moment. Dishevel and tear him a little
there's a minute more! Now, a great out
cry was raised within; the current was cut
oil from the protecting wires, and quickly
enough, to the astonishment ot the out
" eiders, ? young man shot over the high
Jtnce and landed among them, all but bleed
ing. At this moment Mr. Vanderlyn drove
up in an open carriage, astonished at the
unusual sight, but no one paid any atten
tion to him in the moment ot this new di
version. "Oh, gentlemen, protect a poor man!
groaned Jack Hardy. "They've shot me
out!" . , ,
"An' that us will, sure!" cried the
roughest of the assaulting party.
"I'm nearlr murdered," continued Jack,
rubbing his "shoulder, and edging toward
Mr. Vanderlyn, who began -to be greatly
troubled. .
The crowd was now nearly unmanageable.
They gathered stones to fire over the wall.
"Don't do that! The machine's fast
There's dynamos enoughtofinishher. She'll
bust fast enough, you know, when she's
ready to do it!" proceeded Jpck.
This statement was greeted with a round
of tremendous applause.' The mob cheered
and cheered again. Mr. Vanderlyn did not
recognize Jact He drew back haughtily
when the young fellow got near him. But
he recognized the daring eyes, when the ir
responsible fellow clapped him on the
shoulder familarly, and cried out:
"The dvnamos are working, sir! Air
ship's in there, all fast! Shake!"
There was time for a swift whisper, while
the cr.owd hooted about them.
The clever merchant quickly took In the
situation. He soon "had the leaders by the
ears, and a suggestion to wet their whistles,
together with a crisp 550 bill, had the effect
of making the crowd melt away like snow
before the sun. Then Jack took Mr. Van
derlvn inside to his waiting comrades.
"You shall be treasurer, Mr. Hardy, in
recognition of your presence of mind," said
the merchant heartily. He unloaded pound
after pound of British, American and Rus
sian gold, and delivered it into the keeping
o! the real estatp agent In case the expe
dition failed or fell upon strange soil
there was gold enough to insure a safe re
turn from any point,' so far as gold could
avail.
But now the hour of starting had struck.
In awe and wonder the mechanics of the
shop stood and stared around this vessel, so
soon to wing her gilded way through the
air. Even thev did not know where she
was bound. She was the first vessel of her
kind to go where her designer should de
cree. The six stood silent for a moment in
the padded car.
"It looks a little different from the old
Pullman smoker," said Koyal with a light
laugh, as he tossed his curls back and
touched the woollen ceiling with his crown.
Each man looked sober enough.
"Is these anvthing else I can do for you
gentlemen?" asked the merchant with a
voice trembling with real feeling. "As
soon as you start you are heroes! If you
come back successful you shall live in the
pages of history forever."
Sergeant Willtwig, who had inwardly
wept, as he had buried many a comrade
dead ot starvation and cold in the hopeless
disappointment of Artie effort, looked as
resolved as the trip-hammer when it is
about to crunch a mass of cold steel. Pro
fessor Wilder was almost beside himself
with the excitement of achievement The
tutor thought of his mother, who had
prayed with him vaiuly not to go. The
two young men thought of nothing but the
unique venture. They were not ignorantly
brave, but still by the very limitations of
their knowledge on this special subject
they were incapable of appreciating their
undertaking. They did not think about the
possibilities of accident, or breakage to the
vessel upon which they were to travel. The
words careless enthusiasm are tame terms to
apply to their confidence in overcoming the
unexplored 16,000 square miles about Ihe
pole.
"Well, I suppose we might as well be
off," said the Sergeant, as naturally as pos
sible. "L will take charge of this expedi
tion as soon as you go ashore, Mr. Van
derlyn." Farewells were soon said. Men do not
weep when they part, even though they go
to certain death" Prof. Wilder took his
position in the engine room and started his
lour lifting screws lightly. The other four
men stood upon the platform above the car
and waved their hats. The mechanics looked
up with gaping moutha, Instinctively,
they stood bare-headed.
"Is there anything else?" shouted Mr.
Vanderlyn. "There ought to be the most
distinguisded crowd in the Union to see
you off. It's a shame! We'll do it better
when you come back!" He raised his hat.
"God keep them sate!" he added to himself
under his breath.
Faster and faster the lifting wheels
whirled. There was an uneasy motion of
the vast vessel, as if she were deciding
whether to obey the familiar laws of God,
or the newer laws of man. But man pre
vailed. The screws whirled with" a pene
trating whizz. She starts! A wild hurrah
goes up from the slowly receding earth.
The vessel conquers 10, 20, SO feet! Now,
you men!
"Hold!" cried Sergeant Wiltwig.
"Sir!-" he shouted, leaning far over the
rail and looking eagerly to the grass a
hundred feet below him. "Sir! In five
months send for us! But not before!"
"Aye, aye! I will!" came indistinctly from
the earth. There was an instantaneous
poising in the silent air. Then came a
rushing, as ot many winds. Like a torpedo
In Five JSIontht!
the air ship, with a leap.shot ahead. Where
could that speed stop? Twenty-five! Fifty!
A hundred! Two hundred miles an hour
she sped. Faster than the eagle's flight;
laster than the heart of the homing pigeon.
Had it not been for the stout railing the
four would have been swept into eternity.
A stiff hat dropped to the earth below.
Stupefied, frightened, cowed, dumb, the
travelers, trembling, crawled down into the
still car. They dared not look out The
sersation ot such flight was unparalleled,
uncatalogued. It was prostrating. They
lost their breath. They dropped to the
floor.
The inventor, with bleod-shot eves, bnt
with the expression of a conquering god,
sat at his post unmoved. He had expected
this. The intoxication of success was too
fine to filch his senses. A half an hour later
Sergeant "Wiltwig staggered to his feet and
motioned to the entranced engineer: "Where
are we?"
"Over Lake Michigan, liook belowl"
They were a thousand feet over the sur
face ot the earth.
"My God!" cried the Sergeant suddenly
striking his head with both knuckles.
"What's ut?" asked Prof. Wilder.
"I forgot that large box of matches! It
was in the shop. I forgot it this morning.
I don't believe we have over 25 aboard!"
To Me Continued Ji'ext Sunday."
American Bisons In England.
Pall Mall Budget.
The Zoological Society has just acquired a
specimen of the American -bison. It is a
fine, large beast, though a trifle dilapidated
as regards its skin. There are now severa
bisons at the Zoo, which is an excellent
thing, for this fine creature has got a con
siderable distance along the road leading to
extinction. Formerly it- existed in count
less herds on the North American praries,
but now there is only one herd left. The
American bison is, indeed, quite as rare as
the European bison the Aurochs. If it
were not for the great care taken of the
few survivors of these two ruminants they
would have been by this time as extinct as
the dodo.
X FnrTH avbhuz property, near Harlret
street, lor sale at auction. See Black &
Baird's ad., UtU page. su
FL00R0FTHE0CEAN.
Bits .of Knowledge Scraped
From Thousands of Feet
Below, the Waves.
ANIMALS WITHOUT EYES,
And Accustomed to Such Pressure
That They Burst When Baised.
FIVE MILES OF SOLID SALT WATER.
Sediment of Great Elvers Carried 600
Miles From the Coasts.
RAND PE0GRESS IN OCEAXOGRAPHI
rwarms for the dispatch, i
A few years ago, wnen the steamer Ga
zellewas dredging the depths of 'the South
ern Atlantic, many hundreds of miles from
land, the scientific staff was greatly sur
prised to haul up from the sea bottom many
grains of quartz. These heavy deposits
could not have been carried from the land,
for the ship was far north of the track of
the Antarctic icebergs. It was believed
this quartz in the middle of the ocean might
afford another proof that igneous or erup
tive rocks, now and then, are thrust by sub
terranean action up through the deposits on
the ocean bottom. Another explanation of
these quartz finds was advanced. Suppose
a ship with sand ballast was lost in the mid
dle of the ocean. In that event its millions
of quartz grains would be sifted over the
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DEEP SEA BESEAKCH, 1888-'90.
This map gives the names of vessels engaged in deep sea research and indicates, by
broken lines, the location and extent ot their surveys. Many of these vessels are war
ships commissioned to undertake scientific work, particularly deep sea soundings. Among
these vessels are the Albatross and Blake, of our Fish Commission, and the Adams, Dol
phin, Swatara, Trenton and Alliance, of our navy. The Egeria, Ketrievcr, Westmeath,
Investigator and some other vessels are English.
sea bottom; which goes to show that sci
entific men cannot always, with safety, at
tribute to mighty phenomena the accidental
finds they make.
The map shows the wonderful interest the
world is now taking .in deep sea explora
tion. The science of oceanography is still
young and. strangely enough, it was not
naturalists but engineers who first began to
explore the ocean depths. It was when the
first submarine cable between Europe and
America was laid that the scientific world
turned its attention to the study of the
ocean abysms. The English vessel Porcu
pine, in 1869, fairly ushered in the era of
deep sea research. Then followed the
memorable expedition of the Challenger in
1872, and later came a crowd of investiga
tions in every sea.
The Ocean Bed Is n Plain.
It may De said that in their broader feat
ures the contour of the ocean bed and the
phase of deep sea life are now revealed.
Here are some of the most interesting facts
that have been learned:
It was supposed a few years ago that the
ocean bottom was largely a counterpart of
the land features of the globe, with its
mighty mountain ranges pushing up toward
the surface of the sea, and deep valleys and
glens sinking to almost unfathomable
depths. This is found to be true only to a
limited extent. Here and there, to be sure,
mighty mountains push toward the surface
or rise above it, forming islands; and then
again the bottom sinks in a narrow trough,
as off the northeast coast ot Japan, until it
seems as though the sounding line could
never measure its depth. But the ocean
bed, in the main, is found gently to undu
late, and would present the appearancet if
it could be observed, of a slightly rolling
plain.
It has been found also that we used to
hswre very exaggerated views of ocean
depths. Maury, in his day the great au
thority upon "the ocean, popularized the
idea that a depth of eight or nine miles
misht be found in mid-ocean. We know
now that a depth of five miles is very ex
ceptional. General Von Tillo, who lias
made the latest determinations of ocean
depths, fixes the mean depth of all oceans
at 3,803 metres,, or about "12,700 feet, less
than two-and-a-half miles. The Pacific
Ocean averages about 1,100 feet deeper than
the Atlantic. The North Atlantic is deeper
than the Southern Atlantic, and Arctic
Ocean grows shallower the nearer the pole
is approached.
Ueposlts From Rivers and Icebergs.
Very interesting facts have been discov
ered with regard to the great distances from
land at which the sediment brought down
by mighty rivers is spread over the sea bot
tom. Those giants among rivers, the Niger
and Congo, produce most marked effects
upon the nature of the deposits at the bot
tom of the ocean. Buchanan has found that
the sea bed for hundreds of miles from land,
from the Gulf of Guinea to Luanda, has
been filled up to an enormous extent by the
dark-colored soft muds brought down by
the rivers; and off the mouih ot the Congo
the shore mud has been traced to a depth of
18,000 feet at a distance of 600 miles from
land. In the Bay of Bengal and. the Ara
bian Sea the sediment from the Indns and
the Ganges is spiead out over the greater
extent of the ocean's floor. Antartic ice
brings as far north as 40 south latitude the
debris from lands perhaps still unknown.
Dr. Murrav says, "however, that toward the
central parts ot the oceans it is difficult to
trace the oTdinarv river detritus in the de
posits there forming.
Before the Challenger expedition only
six deep sea fishes were known. To-day
about tn times as many forms of deep sea
life are familiar to oceanographers. We
can form some idea of the abundance of life
existing in some regions at a depth of 2)4
miles, when it is said that at a 'single haul
of the trawl only 12 feet wide and dragged
over the bottom lor a very short distance,
as many as 150 specimens of the' higher
forms ot deep sea life have been obtained.
Two Kinds of Oceanic Life.
One very interesting fact seems to have
been established by the recent investigations
in the Pacific of our Fish Commission steamer
Albatross. It has long been known thati
the group ot animals characteristic of the
upper part of oceanic waters is entirely dis
tinct from the forms of life near, and at the
bottom of the sea. The Challenger in
vestigators thought they had established the
fact that another distinct group of animals
exists in the intermediate depths between
these upper and lower forms of life. This
theory seems to have been upset by the
work of the Albatross. The naturalists of
this vessel have found that the forms of sea
life in the upper portion of the ocean waters
may desoend to a depth of 1,200 feet or so
from the surface, but there then succeeds a
barren zone which continues to within 360 to
300 feet from the bottom where the deep sea
animals begin to appear.
As a rule, these deep sea animals have
no eyes, showing that they have no need of
them. The fact that they are subjected to
enormous pressure, is shown by many ' of
them bursting open when brought to the
surface. Some of them have very bright
colors, and they are found most abundantly
along the courses of the great currents,show
ing that these rivers in the ocean bring a
-large amount of food for the deep sea
fauna.
Cnrlotu Incidents or the Work.
A narrative of the minor and curious in
cidents of deep sea exploration would make
an interesting story. It was a distressing,
though rather ludicrous mishap, that befell
Dr. Hansen, who unfortunately wrote his
labels and description of the sponges col
lected by the Norwegian North Atlantic ex
pedition in fugitive ink, and the records of
his work became indecipherable. One ther
mometer now in use registers the tempera
ture at any desired depth, by means of a
weight which is sent down the line at the
depth required, and striking the thermome
ter inverts it Awhile ago a small flat fish
was investigating the instrument at a depth
of 1,200 feet, when the weight descended
and caught the animal.
These expeditions have demonstrated the
interesting fact that the knowledge of deep
sea deposits has now advanced so far that
experts at home, from the examination of a
specimen, can tell approximately at what
depth, and in what latitude it was taken
and, with certain reservations, can roughly
determine the longitude. To give an illus
tration or two in tropical regions distaut
from land, and at a depth of 18,000 feet, the
deposit seems without exception to be a
clay arising from the decomposition of vol
canic matter. In the greatest depths there
is hardly a trace of carbonate of lime, but at
depths of 12,000 feet more than half of the
deposits consist of this deposit Within
100 to 150 miles of land all the pelagic
organisms are more or less completely hid
den by the large amount of coast or river
debris with which they are mixed.
Facts About Enormous Depth.
The Dolphin found a depth of 20,646 feet
south of the Azores, which was the greatest
depth discovered during its long cruise.
The Seine discovered that the now famous
Trinidad depression (over 20,000 feet) was
not so extensive' as it is represented on the
maps. The Pola's investigations in the
Eastern Mediterranean resulted in record
ing the depth of 13,316 feet, the greatest
depth yet found there, and the great de
pression in this sea must, therefore, be
moved quite a wav east from its former
central position on the maps. The Black Sea
has been sridironed by lines of soundings,
and the important fact has been discovered
tbat below COO feet there is no organic life,
the loner stratum being so much impreg
nated with sulphuretted hydrogen. The
work of the F41a in Denmark Strait, be
tween Greenland and Iceland, had the im
portant result of showing that the warmer
Atlantic waters pass north through the
strait under the surface Polar stream flow
ing south.
lue oceanic studies have been rich in re
sults concerning the nature and extent of
the currents, the color and transparency of
sea water, the temperature at various
depth, polar ice, the formation and di
mensions of waves, and various other phe
nomena, and the extensive literature now
accessible relating to the sea in all its as
pects shows that rapid progress is making
in oceanography, the youngest of the
sciences. Cyrus C. Adams.
THE NEGLECT OF LANGUAGES.
Even the Iearned Men Are Not Able to
Keep Up Their Acquired Tongues.
The present state of linguistic education
gives the most unsatisfactory results, says
Philip Gilbert Hameston in the Forum.
Languages are first very laboriously and
very imperfectly learned and then generally
abandoned in aiter-life. Even the learned
themselves rarely pursue them unless they
have some special reason for doing so con
nected with their professional business.
Modern languages are neglected almost as
much as the ancient when they are not
wanted for business purposes or travel. An
Oxford man who is a ripe'Italian scholar
tells me that young ladies in England inva
riably give up their Italian after leaving
school, as young men throw aside their
Latin. University degrees are evidence of
past labor, but not ot interest, nfl'ection or
facility. Lord Dufierin raid that although
he had taken- a degree he could not really
read Greek until he had learned it over
again for himself, and in his own way.
An English Judge who had taken his de
gree at Cambridge told me that he could
not make out Greek in mature life, even
with the help of the lexicon. A fellow of
the French university, a prizeman especial
ly for Latin in a severe competitive exam
ination, told me that he should never think
of reading Latin for his pleasure he did
not know it well enough. An English
professor, reputed to be one of the best
Latin scholars in his own country, gave .up
Latin and Greek entirely when he turned
his attention to modern languages. The
principal of a French college once confessed
to me that he never read Latin or Greek,
which were taught in the place by the
specialist masters under him. All these
were what he called "learned men," cer
tainly educated men. What, therefore, are
we to expect from the half-educated?
AN AIAEM FOB POISONS.
Contrivance That King a Bell When a
Deadly Bottle Is Taken Up.
A medical correspondent of the Lancet
says: When reading an account of Mr. Men
nell's bottle Stand, by which ihe inadver
tent use of poisonous drugs may be avoided,
a very ingenious electrical contrivance
which I saw about two years ago in the es
tablishment of a chemist at a well-known
seaside resort was called to my mind.
Under each bottle containing a poisonous
substance, as it stood on its shelf, was
placed a small metallic disc, which was con
nected by a wire with a battery. When a
bottle was removed a bell was immediately
rung, and continued to ring until it (the
bottle) was replaced, thus giving unmis
takable evidence of the fact that a poison
oifs drug had been touched. In a word, the
action was that of an ordinary electric bell
reversed i. e., the bell rang when pressure
on the disc (caused by the weight of the
bottle) was removed, and vice versa.
AN IDEAL FIGHTER.
Lord Wolseley Sets TJp Forrest as, a
Model fonthe Soldier.
COULDN'T DRILL A C0HPAHT
And Couldn't Write an Order, lrat Ho Knew
How to Lead His lien.
LEATES FROM HIS WiE EEC0ED
rWKITTIlf FOB THE DISPATCH.
The officer of regular troops intrusted
with the duty of quickly raising levies for
immediate war service is often too prone to
think that his one great endeavor should be
to '!set them up" and so instruct them in
drill as to make them look as much like
regulars as possible. As a matter of fact,
he almost invariably fails to accomplish
this aim. and in his well-meant efforts too
often robs them of their onlygood quality
in a military point of view, I mean the
fearless dash and go so often possessed by
undiclplined fighting men. Like the well
meaning missionary, who, in persuading
the heathen to believe no longer jn their
idols, robs them of their only spiritual faith
without being able to induce them to accept
Christianity in its place, the result is
usually disastrous in both cases. The
troops, especially the horse, raised by Mon
mouth during his rebellion, are a very
good illustration of what I mean.
General N. B. Forrest, of whom I wrote
a few days ago, never fell into any such
error. He had no knowledge of military
science nor of military history 'to Jeach him
how he should act, what objective be should
aim at, and what plans he should make to
secure it. He was entirely ignorant of
what other Generals in previous wars had
done under very similar circumstances.
This was certainly a great misfortune for
him, and a serious drawback to his public
usefulness.
He Never Got In a Pjnlc.
But what he lacked in book lore, was, to
a large extent, compensated for by the
soundness of his judgment upon all occa
sions, and by his power of thinking and
reasoning with great rapidity under fire,
and under all circumstances of surrounding
peril or of great mental or bodily fatigue.
Panic found no resting place in that calm
brain of his, and no dangers, no risks ap
palled tbat dauntless spirit Inspired with
true military instincts, he was, most verily,
nature's soldier.
His force was largely composed of wild
and reckless men, who all looked to him as
their master, their leader, and over whom
he bad obtained the most comDlete control.
He possessed that rare tact unlearnable
from books which enabled him not only
effectively to control these fiery, turbulent
spirits, but to attach them to him person
ally "with hooks of steeL" In him they
recognized not only the daring, able and
successful leader, but also the commanding
officer who would not hesitate to punish
with severity when he deemed punishment
necessary.
He thoroughly understood the nature and
disposition of those he had to deal with,
their strong and their weak points, what
they could and could not accomplish. He
never ventured to hamper their freedom of
action by any sort of stiff barrack-yard
drill, or to embarrass it By any precon
ceived notions of what a soldier should look
like. They were essentially irregulars by
nature, and he never attempted to rob them
of that character.
They Knew He Meant Business.
Bnt the most volcanic spirit among them
felt he must bow before the superior iron
will of the determined man who led them.
There was a something about the dark-gray
eye of Forrest which warned his subor
dinates be was not to be trifled with, and
would stand no nonsense from either friend
or foe. He was essentially a practical man
of action, with a dauntless, fiery soul and a
heart that knew no fear.
To take my readers through his military,
career would be to rewrite the history of
most of the war in the Southern States of
the Confederacy. He was present at the
eventful battle of Shiloh, a brilliant Seces
sionist victory one day, a defeat the day af
ter. When General Beauregard's line of
battle halted on the evcningpf Sunday, the
Gth of April, in the midst "of the Federal
camps which had been taken, his troops
were thoroughly exhausted, and thought
onlv of- obtaining food from the captured
supply waeons. Forrest on his own initia
tive pushed forward his scouts to watch the
enemy's doings, and soon discovered that
large Federal reinforcements were being
ferried over the Tennessee Biver.
He , at once perceived the gravity of the
position, and did all he could to communi
cate this to his army headquarters, but no
one knew where thev were. In his search
to find them he fell in with the officer com-
manuing an juinuiry unguue, iu wiiuui lie
said, in his own rough colloquial vernacu
lar: "If the enemy come on us in the morn
ing, we shall be whipped like ( )." His
prophecy was not far wrong, and by Mon
day night General Beauregard's army was in
full retreat.
One, of His Characteristic Charses.
General Sherman pressed the retiring
Confederates very hard all Tuesday, the 8th
of April; upon one occasion during the day
Forrest with about,S50 men keenly watched
his opportunity from an ofiensive return
from behind a ridge which afforded his sol
diers good protection. The Federal ad
vanced guard of two battalions of cavalry
and a regiment of foot, upon reaching the
,ridge, at once proceeded to attack it
witn great spirit, jout in crossing a nine in
tervening ravine and stream, fell into some
confusion. Forrest, with his usual quick
military perception of such an opening, at
once told his bugler to sound the "Charge!"
and, pistol in hand, dashed in among the
astonished Federals. The effect was instan
taneous. The enemy's horsemen fled back
panic-stricken through the woods, scattering
their own infantry, who quickly doubled
after them. A scene of the greatest confu
sion ensued, and Forrest, pursuing for some
distance, killed many and took some 70
prisoners.
With his usual hardihood, i"pushing on
well ahead of his men, he soon found him
self face to face with the enemy's main
body, and nnder a galling fire from all sides.
A ball struck him above the hips, and hurt
ing his spine, at once benumbed his right leg.
His horse, though mortally wounded, still
enabled him to bolt for his life through a
crowd of the enemy, who shouted, "Kill
him!" "Shoot him'" etc An unerring shot
with his.revolver, he soon cleared a path for
himself, and found once more at least tem
porary safety among his own men.
It was many weeks before he was again
able to take an active part in the war.
Celebrated' His Birthday Jn Carnage.
A couple of months after the battle of
Shiloh Forrest was sent to command a
cavalry brigade at Chattag ooga,and bidding
goodby to tils old regiment, set out in June,
1862, for this new sphere of action. With
in a month of entering upon this new com
mand he had taken Murfreesboro in Ten
nessee. It was one of the most remarkable
achievements of his life. . His force con
sisted of not more than 2,000 badly-armed
men on horseback. A five days' march
brought him before that place at early dawn
the enemy being in entire ignorance of
his presence. Surprised in their camp, and
charged in the streets of the town, the place
.was soon taken. It was Forrest's birthday,
and the evening before, when he told his
men this, he begged they would celebrate it
by their , courage. His appeal was not in
vain, for they never fought better or against
greater odds.
After the town had fallen, there remained'
two camps outside in which the Federals
still showed fight. Before setting out to
attack them manrv who did not know For
rest regarded this enterprise as dash and
doomed to failure: and now several of his
officers urged the propriety of being content
with what he had already achieved,, and
begged bim to fall back at once with the
stores and prisoners he had taken before his
retreat could be interfered with. They
little realized the fiery temper or the mili
tary genius of their new commander, upon
whom they pressed this advice. This was
the first time his new force, demoralized by
previous failures, had seen him in action.
They were not yet infected with the fire
which burned within him, and he had not
yet had time or opportunity to catch hold
of their imagination or their spirit They
had no enthusiasm for this stranger, nor
any great, confidence in his ability as a
General.
Forced Them to Believe in Him.
He was, bow ever, determined they should
believe in him before the day was -out, as
his own regiment bad long done. His fur
ther operations that day showed a rare mix
ture of military skill and of what is known
by our American cousins as "bluff," and led
to the surrender of the camps attacked.
The General in command and 1,700 infantry
were made prisoners, a vast amount of stores
were burned, and four field guns. 600 horses,
many wagons and a large quantity of arms,
ammunition, clothing and food were taken.
It was a brilliant success, and as it was his
first great foray it at once established his
reputation as a partisan and as a daring
cavalry leader to be dreaded by all com
manders of Federal posts and stations
within his sphere of action.
His raids' upon the enemy's lines of com
munication were frequent and most success
ful. No rivers stopped him, and any de
tailed accounts of the railways and valu
able military stores he destroyed and the
fortifie'd posts he captured would alone fill
a volume. His pursuit of Colonel
Streight's cavalry column for four days and
nights in 1863 reads like an exciting novel.
It ended in his saving the great arsenal and
workshops of Selina, and in the capture of
Streight and 1,700 of his men by the 600
troopers he then bad with him.
He toot part in General Bragg's retreat
from Tennessee, and one 'day, being with
the tail of the rear guard, an excited old
lady rushed from her house and, upbraiding
him, urged him to turn round and fight.
As he took no notice of her entreaties, she
shook her fist at him an,d cried out: "Oh,
you big, cowardly rascal, I only wish old
Forrest was here; he'd make vou fight!"
Such was then the public . estimation in
which he was held.
What Hn Did With a Kow Force.
But, as-we sometimes find in all armies,
his commander in chief did not agree with
this popular opinion of his merits and abil
ity as a soldier; for, later in the autumn, he
was superseded by a very inferior man as a
cavalr leader. He forthwith resigned his
commission; but, instead of accepting his
resignation, the Central Government pro
moted him to the rank of Major General,
assigned him to the command ot North
Mississippi and West Tennessee.
There he hid to raise, organize, arm and
equip an entirely new force. With it he
did great things in 1864, against large num
bers of well-armed and splendidly-equipped
Eederal cavalry.- The cavalry force of
about 7,000 men under General Sooy Smith,
and belonging to Sherman's army, he com
pletely defeated in a fairly open and prairie
country suited for the action of regular cav
alry, had either side possessed any. General
Sherman officially described Smith's division
as'composed of "the best and most experi
enced troops in the service." This part of the
campaign had been expressly designed by
that General with a view to the capture or
destruction of Forrest's force. But Smith
was no match tor his opponent, who out
generaled him, and the result was the
reverse of what Sherman had intended and
anticipated. Forrest's force during these
operations numbered about 3,000 men, one
half of whom were raw and badly-armed
recruits. General Grant says: "Smith's
command was nearly double that of Forrest,
but not equal man to man, for lack of a
successful experience such as Forrest's men
had had." And yet they were, as soldiers
went in this war, well drilled and com
manded by a regular officer, whereas
Forrest's men knew little more of drill
than their General, who, his friends alleged,
could not at any time have drilled a com
pany. Sherman's Efforts to Destroy Him.
A small brigade of about 700 Kentucky
infantry was now handed over to him. but
having found horses for these foot soldiers
they were thenceforward reckoned as "cav
alry." His little army now consisted of two
weak divisions, with which, in 18S4, he
took Union City, attacked Paducab, had a
most successful engagement at Bolivar, and
finally captured Fort Pillow. In these
operations he inflicted great loss in men,
arms, horses and stores upon his enemy,
largely reinforced his own command, and
refitted it with captured equipments. Re
peated efforts were subsequently made by
General Sherman to capture or destroy
Forrest's apparently ubiquitous force. He
several times drew a great cordon ot bri
gades and divisions around him, but all to
no purpose; he defeated some and escaped
from others. His hairbreadth escapes from
capture when thus closely surrounded by
numerous bodies of troops, each larger in
itself than his whole command, read more
like the pages ot romance than the history
ot military events. All through his
operations one great secret of his
success was his intimate knowledge
of the enemy'B movements and in
tentions. His campaigns were made in dis
tricts wnere uie lnuaoiiams were Heart ana
soul with him, and it was therefore much
easier for him than for the Federal Generals
to obtain useful information. His system
of recennaissance was admirable, and, tor
the reason just given, he could venture to
push his scouts out in twos and threes to
ery great distances from headquarters.
One Federal General was removed from
his command at Memphis for having failed
to do anything against this now redoubtable
commander. Shortly afterward Forrest
himself marched into Memphis and took
possession of the newly-appointed Federal
General's uniform which was found in his
room. The disgraced General, in vindica
tion of his own conduct, wittily said:
"Thev removed me because I couldn't keep
Forrest out of West Tennessee, but my suc
cessor couldn't keep him out of his bed
room." Forrest sent this uniform back to
its owner, who, in his turn, sent Forrest
some gray cloth and gold lace to make into
a Confederate uniform.
He.CouId Slake a Good Citizen.
The war over, Forrest at once recognized
the necessity ot patriotically accepting the
fact that the North had won, and that the
South must accept whatever terms the
humane Mr. Lincoln might dictate. He
published an address to the gallant men
who had so long followed his plumb in
battle, and who were not only personally
devoted to him, but thoroughly believed in
him as a skillful and an eminent leader.
He reminded his men that the terms granted
by Mr. Lincoln were satisfactory, and mani
fested "a spirit of magnanimity and liber
ality on the part of the Federal authori
ties." The last paragraph of this famous
order was as follows: "I have never on the
field of battle sent you where I was un
willing to go myself; nor would I now ad
vise you to a course which I felt myself un
willing to pursue. You have been good
soldiers; you can be good citizens."
Like most of the planters who had become
soldiers, the end of the war had found him
financially ruined. But with that pluck
and energ'y which characterized every action
of his life, he at once set to work to retrieve
his fortune. He went back to his plantation,
and from it he extracted enough to keep him
from want; he also embarked as acontractor
upon some of the railways then being pushed
over the Western plains, and although he
was never rich again, his gains placed him
above novertv.
He died about 12 years after the close of
the war, from the effects of the wound near
the spine which he received at the battle of
Shiloh. He had been four times wounded,
and had had 18 horses killed and 10 others
wounded under him during his four years of
of war service. What a record! It would
be. difficult in all history to find a more
varied career than his a man who without
any learning, and by sheer force of character
alone, became a great fighting leader of
fighting men a man in whom an extraordi
narv military instinct and sound common
sense supplied to a very. large extent his
unfortunate want of military education.
Wolselet.
THE. MEAT OF PAftlS.
An Army of Poor Would Suffer if
Horse Flesh Were Not Used.
FIRST DSED DURING THE SIEGE.
The Scientists Justify the Custom in
Sound Arguments. '
IT MAT COOL THE FEENCHMAS'S HEAD
rconBESPOsDBsa: or the dispatch'.'!
Paeis, March 30. I have never failed to
go out of my .way to get even a passing
glimpse of a fine horse; but it has been the
horse as a splendid example of fire and
grace, of strength and gentleness, that has
interested me. That I have gone out of my
way to study him as an article of diet is all
due to the Fiench chit-chat I have been
hearing. For the last month horse meat as
a topic of Parisian conversation has rivaled
the vagaries of the German Emperor, the
Catholic question, and the Anarchists'
threats to blow up Paris with dynamite.
I wouldn't dare say how many times I
have been told that, according to the sta
tistics of 1891, there are 194 shops in this
city where horse meat is sold, and that in
that year there were dealt out to consumers
21,231 horses, 61 mules and 275 asses. I
have had it repeated to me at half the
dinner tables at which I have sat that these
figures meant that the Parisian stomach had
made an effort in 1891 to digest 4,697,990
kilos (10,335,578 pounds) of horse, ass and
mule.
Originated With the Siege.
This conversation has not all been sta
tistical It has been enlivened by personal
reminiscences of the Siege of P.tris,when of
the best patronized of the street hawkers
was he who cried "cheval" and "mulet."
I have heard vivid descriptions of groups
of soldiers roasting whole the carcass of
some fine steed which had succumbed to
German bullets or siege privations. My
stock of French curiosities has been in
creased by the .following novel menu
accurately presented in 1870 at a banquet
given by the members of a society advocat
ing the eating of unusual meats. Here it is,
translated:
soup.
Consomme of Ilorse, with Barley.
BELEVES.
D03 Liver a la Maltre d' Hotel.
Cat Croquettes, Mayonnaise Dressing.
KITRKS.
Fillet of Dojt, Tomato Sance.
Civet of Cat wlt'i Mushroom".
Dog Cutlets with Green Peas.
Bagont or Kats, Robert Sauce.
ROASTS.
Dos with Pepper Sauce.
Vegetables.
Plum Fnddlnif with Rum and
Ilorse Marrow Sance.
Among the guests who ate through this
dinner was the famous scientist, de Quatre
fages. Once or twice I have encountered a
live hippophagist who has loaded me with
historical facts, contending that the preju
dice aiainst horse meat is due in the Orient
to the Koran which forbids Mohammedans
to use the meat, and in Europe to the early
Christian priests who forbade it to their
flocks because the Teutons and Celts sacri
ficed it to their gods and ate the flesh at
their religious festivals.
Meat Seasoned With Cannon Powder.
This same propagandist has proved to me
that in Germany, Austria, Holland and
Bussia the horse had long been an article of
diet, and he had furnished me a most enter
taining account of the use made
of this meat in Napoleon's wars', espe
cially of that notable time when after the
battle of Essling, the French troops were
shut up on an island in the Danube with
nothing to eat and the horses were ordered
killed and cooked, and in default of 'salt
were seasoned with cannon powder.
These advocates tell with emotion the
story of the modern debut of horse meat in
Paris. It was a work of philanthropy, and
oddlv enough a woman was responsible for
it. This woman was a .oiaaam lioueiie, me
wife of a Prefect of the Seine. Madam B.
was a devoted friend ot the poor. She was
greatly troubled by the fact that the work
ine people could not afford to buy sufficient
meat at the usual prices. She believed
horse flesh to be nutritious. She knew it
cmiM hn old cheanlv. In 1866 she per
suaded her husband to allow a shop to be
opened. The 194 shops which exist to-day
are a sufficient monument to her good
sense- .,.-,, i.
All this information did less, however, to
m.t. mo feel that horse meat was a fact
than the brilliant banquet at which the hip-.
pophagists celebrated tne aavaiice oi ineir
doctrine in February. The menu was char
acteristic It included horse sausage, horse
d'la Geoflrey Saint-Hilaire, mule brains,
smoked horse tongue, filet of horse a' la De
croix, mule ham and horse pates. The menn
was not completely equine. The cheese and
drinks were ordinary. Why not follow the
Arabs and add cheese of ass milk, and the
Russians and make a drink of mare's milk?
r!nnispnev is a iewel. A sect 'which sings
the praise of mule sausage ought not to hes
itate at mare's cheese.
One or two of the names in the above list
need explanation perhaps. A la Geoffrey
Saint-Hilaire is in honor of the famous
scientist of that name who was the first to
give authority to pating strange flesh. A
la Dccroix is'in honor of an old man of 70,
a member of the Legion of Honor, who has
given his life to popularize the use of meats
rejected by French palates. He is an hon
est advocate and eats regularly of all that
he preaches.
The Test of Actual Experience.
One does not like to be behind all his
neighbors. I resolved at last to look upon
horse steak in its oricinal shop, to buy and
to eat. I made my first application at a
rather swell place. The polite butcher
raised his .eyebrows at my inquiries. He
did not keep eheval. No first class shop
like his did. Did mademoiselle want it for
her dog? Mademoiselle didn't She wanted
it for herself, but her pride was too much
for her and she faltered a cowardly oui and
went out. ...
The next shop was less stylish, but it
j:jfc .Alt 1.a AmAn. llnwirir it frflTP:
U1UU .CI1 UWl.-CWSHIt -..w.w., -- q .-
the information that there- was a stall in
each market where it could De louna, ana
that in certain quarters, and on the out
skirts especially, there were shops which
were licensed to keep it; that in all cases
the law required that it be plainly .marked.
A number was given me. It proved cor
rect. Here I found information as well as
steak and sausage.
The first related to prices. The roast costs
20 cents a pound: the "beefsteak" 6 to 14
cents; the leg, 8 cents; ribs, 3 to 4 cents.
. Do Not Be Deceived.
Persons with weak lungs those who are
constantly catching cold should wear an
Allcoci9s Porous Plaster over the chest
and another between the shoulder blades dur
ing the cold weather. Remember it always
strengthens and never weakens the part to which
it is applied. Do not be deceived by imagining
any other plasters like it they are not
may look it, but looks deceive. Insist always
on havine Allcock'S. the onlv reliable plaster
I ever produced.
The average is 10 cents a pound, half, and
in Kome cases less than half, the price of
beef. As to the meat I bought I ate it.
However it is not a subject on which I care
to write. There are experiences in life
which are best d'scussed at a distance of
years. My dinner on cheval a la Geoffrey
Saint-Hilaire is one of mine. Not that the
meat was not savory. It is the idea. Many
of the French working people will not touch
horsemeat because they believe that dis
eased animals are used. This is quite false.
The police restrictions are severe, and every
animal passes nnder an inspector, who re
jects him if there are any signs of any dis
ease or if he is excessively lean.
Tho Supply for tho Abattoirs.
It must not be imagined that the horses
used are raised for the markets. The sup
ply is from animals for one reason or an
other unfit for work. Paris alone furnishes
large numbers. Every day one sees horses
slipping and falling on the glassy asphalt.
If they do not break a leg out and out they
frequently sustain a rupture or strain which
makes it neces'ary to kill them at once.
The owner is glad enough to sell the dead
animal, which ordinarily is in capital con
dition and makes most juicy steak. Those
whose injuries are not fatal perhaps might
be sold for 53 or 54, to be used in hacks, bnt
when they will bring 510 to 520 at the
butcher's the question is quickly settled.
Agents are kept constantly in the country
for 100 leagues around Paris looking np
broken-down horses.
There are two abattoirs in the city where
they are bntchered. At the larger tho
number Killed per day is never less than 50.
It is a dreary place to see, sitnated within a
stone's throw of the famous factory of
Gobelin tapestries. Everything around the
buildings fills one with disgust. The place
of execution is a chamber of horrors. I
confess I have looked into the revolutionary
Iirisons of Paris and upon the guillotine with
ess shivering than I felt in this place. The
animals are led in one by one. A mask of
leather is fitted over the victim's head cover
ing the eyes. In this mask just over the
center of the forehead is a movable nail of
iron. When it is adjusted the executioner
approaches, and with a heavy hammer
strikes a quick blow. The animal imme
diately falls dead.
Ulce Witnessing an Ex-catloo.
When I visited the abattoir they were
fitting the death mask over the head of a
noble Perchon which that morning ha4
fallen in an omnibus and sustained a mortal
wound. I had the comforting fancy that I
had been behind the poor fellow when ha
went down since such an incident had
marked the ride I had taken on the omni
bus that morning. I did not stay to see the
dreadful business ont. It was too much like
assisting at the execution of a friend.
The great reason for encouraging the use
of horsemeat is economic. It gives a per
fectly healthful and nntritions food to tha
poor at a very low price. The matter fs
most important in Paris where wages are
low and prices high. It bids fair to be mora
important, as the new tariff is already begin
ning to bring up the price of meat.
But Paris is not the only city which has
multitudes of inhabitants who are insuf
ficiently fed. Every city has them and it is
a question of vital importance to furnish
them food at the lowest cost. Philanthro
pists in the United States could do much
worse than to study whether it wonld not
be worth their whil'e to begin a propaganda
in favor of horsemeat.
Hay Make Frenchmen Steadier.
There is another argument for the prac
tice, one for the Society for the Prevention
of Crnelty to Animals, to consider. The
misery of broken down, lame, worn out
horses which are bought for a song by poor
hucksters, teamsters, jacks-of-all trades,
and beaten and starved through a miserable
old age is one of the most pitiful facts ot tha
horse race. If when a horse is worn ont he
could be turned promptly into plump saus
age he certainly would be savedgreat suffer
ing. No doubt if he had a voice in decid
ing his fate he would raise it emphatically
in favor of the sausage.
If we could know the effect on a race of
hippophagy we might have still another ar
gument in favor ot it. France ought soon
to be able to speculate on mat, ior ine prac
tice is increasing rapidly in all her largo
cities. If we are "wh3t we eat,
as some wise men argue, will
France acquire vigor, persistency, patience,
steadiness, in proportion as she eats the
animal which is the personification of these
qualities? If so, then mayit not result that
the Germans, who, by their siege of Paris
are reallv responsible for the fame of horse
meat in France, have given to the French
the very weapon with which in the future
they shall conquer and win back the much
mourned Alsace-Lorraine. It "is certain
that if France could add a level head to her
brilliancy there is nothing she might not do
In the way of conquest. Let us hope, not
for the sake of the boundary line, but for
that of human progress, that hippophagy
will give her the qualities she lacks.
Ida M. Taebell.
A CAT WHIPS AH ALLIGAT0B.
The Battle T-asted Several Hoars, bat Tabby
TV as a Stayer.
Boston Herald.
A house cat belonging to Mr. Walton, of
Vernon, Fla., was in the habit of going to
the river and feeding on 4nus3els and such
fish as it could get, and it was noticed sev
eral times that when the cat moved along
the bank a ripple in the water showed that
an alligator kept pace with it in the water.
The cat, however, was aware of the alliga
tor's presence, but showed no signs of fear.
One day recently the cat approached too
near the water in its eagerness to get a fish,
and was suddenly grasped by the hind leg
by an alligator about three feet long. The
cat made a spring and got away, but tha
leg was bitten badly and bled freely. Tha
taste of blood seemed to put the alli
gator in a frcnzv.for it came out on the bank
and tried to continue the pursuit. The cat
turned on its enemy.and then began a fierce
fi"ht. The cat was so quick that it wa3 impos
sibleor the allicrator to get a bite at it, and
the result was that the saurin was soon en
deavoring to beat a retreat to the water.
But the cat now began an offensive attack
and cut off the way, nipping the alligator in
the throat and tender spots under the arms,
until the reptile was bleeding and almost
exhausted. This fight continued for several
hours, and when at last the alligator gave
up it was bleeding from over 100 wounds. .
The cat was seemingly unhurt except in tha
wounded leg which was injured before tha
fight began.
The Next Point.
Detroit Free Press.l
"I have been in nineteen engagements,"
boasted Colonel Battles, the old war horse.
"And how many times have you been
married?" asked Miss Elder, with deep in
terest. Sppjukle a little Bngine In the cracks and
crevices around the kitchen sink, and It
there are any roaclies or other bu?" there,
tlioy will swarm out and drop dead. 23 cents.
We pack and store furniture; clean, dry
warehouse: charges reasonable.
Uacqii & Keesas, S3 Water street.
wsu
i
, AH. -.