THE SCUANTON TRIBUNE-WEDNESDAY. A1MUL 0, 1808.
8
I0W A BATTLESHIP
Disasfrotis Pou)?rs o!
th? Massive Steel
Sirticttire That Htirls
Shots Weighing Half a
Tod uMh Deadly
Aim at Targets SiJ$
Mils Distant.
Ii, CS KkOf'cli n tlir Clilmfc'i Tiliic-lle''-
aid
Tlin linttu tdilp In iietlon Is not an
untried factor in modern warfare. We
know somethtni,' of ItH dlwintrouH pow
ers In the himdn of Chinese, even hump
red by tampered ntnnumltlnn and oili
er conne(iietif es of olllelal peculation.
Hut Just what to expect of a
t-trlctly modern battleship In the hands
of either I'uropouns or Htilclent Amer
icans Is oinu'tliltiB too iiiTiieritous to
predict
A modern battle ship Is the most
typical acKrecatlon "f all the fruits of
present etinnliur, and the man that can
Utilize suecesHlUlly all the po'Mrs
plared there at his command will be
able to 'leal such blows as only the
most vl HI unnglniitlon can begin to
compass. Awed as we are by nature's
worklnp in the evidence of a thunder
storm, still the worst furv of tlRhtntnir
is modest beside this Individual force
of some of the kiiii" carried by a mod
ern battle ship.
As the most formidable example of
our commissioned battle ship, con
sider how we have prepared the Iowa
to nlve and take, and try to follow In
part what inlKht reasonably be expect
ed of her In action.
MASSIVE STKBI. STItrCTI'llK.
Clothed in her peace-time dress of
white paint, one scarcely Imagines her
a massle steel structure of otnethiuR
over IL'.OOO tuns, so lightly docs she
seem to rest upon the water, and cloth
ed in her war-time garb of ghostly
gray she would be even more delusive.
Hut wait till tdie is seen to lie un
moved upon u wliito-cnpped sea that
makes her smaller neighbors rock, and
then her ponderous might is .realized.
Think of the force within that must
be generated to make vr move along
against wind and tide at the rate of
sixteen knots an hour, and then try.
if possible, to picture the blow that
would fall upon the craft so unlucky
iim to lie across her rushing course.
The Iowa is really a navigable fort
ii'ss SCO feet long,, a trille over seventy
two feet wide, and, omitting her smoke
stacks and bridges, is fifty feet tall
from her keel up to the top of her
superstructure amidships. Laden for
sea half of this body lle.s below the
water lino. That she may bo compara
tively insensitive to moderate injury
below water, she has a double or inner
bottom reaching from the keel up to a
short distance below the load line, mid
the space between these two skins, so
to speak, is minutely subdivided Into
numerous water-tight compartments to
further localize Injury,
GIRDED HY AU.MOH.
Her loins for a distance of quite two
thirds her total length urc girded by
a broad band of heavy armor seven
and one-half feet wide, about equally
divided above and below the water line.
Along the sides, amidships, for IS.", feet
i his belt is fourteen Inches thick and
proof against ull but the heaviest 011
' ray's shell at very close range. The
uitboard ends of this girdle then turn
nboard at a sharp angle and termin
ate on the center line, wheie they form
he main support for tin- pondeinus
barbettes that abetter the vital mcchnn
' Isms of the big 12-inch guns. This for
mation results in a massive hexagonal
bulwark of hardened steel, which pre
sents a well-nigh Invulnerable front to
shot or shell from any point off the
bow, the stem or either of the sides.
1'pon this slx-slded wall .1 laid the
middle portion of the protective deck
two and three-fourths inches thick,
which houses ner the vital of the
i raft, lletow this deck, behind many
feet of sheltering coal, so wisely is her
Mipply of i.SfiO tuns distributed, and
neneath the water, lie her eni;lnen. her
Pollers and hi r rJ7 loi: of ammunition
hat await tin lomhu of a fo'iuan
'vorth.v of that powder and hardened
-Hieol From the lower edges of this
urmor belt Inboaid the protective deck,
"lightly thicker, tuns forward and aft
! tlic ends, and forms at the bow the.
pine for the ponderous ram which lies
lust fur enough below the water line
' oii an enemy where he Is weakest.
TOHI'KDO TKHf.tf.
Til- a distune of ninety fen amid'
-lup and to a height of seven feet
nii 'i- heavy watot-llne belt, the
lew uiT ii'" armor live inches thick
mid it is from behind the protecting
lu-p.i nf this steel wall that the tvo
iipi'il-i tube" on each side are worked,
'Pi.,, mis i f this thinner belt uln-i unit
iliiitiiiKi. mhoard and athwurtships
.xid 'i minute likewise against the bur
uettes foi the twelve-inch guns. Kor
mini ami .ilmfi this lighter armor the
sides an iv-cnloi(cit by a broad band
if corn-pit. li (llutose, which will mwc'11
and automatically plug all shot hole
.idmtttiug water,
'Plie whole Interior or the craft is cut
Up into something like un water-tight
compartments, and powerful pumps of
groat capacity stand teady m hold in
heck the consequences o' accident or
leak "N'oodwoik Is grudgingly allowed,
ground tork and white paint standing
instead for appcuranies and healthful-
l.csd, and such as Is present, ft out the
Keaman's ditty-box to th admiral's
f.s chair, ts tlreproof i,.. u process of
tried elllciency.
The fewest possible passage ate cut,
throl-gb tile protective deck, and. with
tin- exieptlon of the air passages to
tin- engiue-rooniH ami ilierooms and
the uptukes for tlni smokestacks, are
cered by heavy armored grating', to
k'-ep nut shell. The rest of the upon,
inns ure closed with solid eoverlncs ax
h ..vi as Hie neighboring cleik.
KOKMIDAHI.K 01Nf.
Tito main battery consHts of four
ltMneh and eight S-lneh lilies of great
power. A secondary fon-e of six -Much
and twenty 6-pouuder lupld-llro guns
will guard ugninst the approach of
torpedo craft and sweep destructively
tlio exposed positions and lluhtly ar
mored parts of an enemy's deck.
Thu 12-incli guns are. mounted In two
inaKslvu turrets of 15-lncli Uurveyized
armor tho defetiHivo equivalent of
quite 20 Inches of normal nickel steel.
BEHAVES IN ACTION
These turrets revolve within barbeUei
or great columns of like material unit
thickness riltig bodily from tho pro
teitlve deck below. Within this great
tube of hardened steel rest Hie founda
tions for Hie turtets and thu mechan
isms ltal to the management of tho
tutrels nnd tho guns; and up tlirouith
this sturdy passage are brought the
powder nnd shot from the sheltered
folds of the magazines and shcllroouiK
way below.
Kach of these guns weighs 15 tons ah
It icflts upon Its carriage; has a toti.l
length of 3S feet, nnd a grijatost (Unmet
et of nearly 4 feet nt the breech. T'-.e
bote I rifled with 4S twisting grooves
that bite into the copper band on the
base of tho projectiles and give thorn
that taplit rotation so essential to ac
curacy of lllght and high nowe- of
penetration. With an Impulse of -);!'l
pounds of powdet the S.'0-poitnd shot of
hardened steel goen speeding on its
mission of destruction with an initial
velocity of 2,100 feet a second tho
equivalent of something over 1,400 miles
nn hour. With the greatest eleva
tion permitted by the turret ports, 1.
(., lli.degtecs. each, of those guns has
n range of quite V2 miles. llombard
ing a city from that distance the shot
would reach Its destination In n scant
twenty-four seconds three whole sec
onds In advance of tho sound of tho
discharge that sent it. At the muzzle
one of these gnnn could send an armor
piercing shot right through 24 Inches
of solid steel, and a mile and a half
away the same kind of shot wiutd go
undeformed through l!i Inches of the
same kind of material. The destruc
tive impulse latent in that shot us It
leavers the gun is equivalent to the
fcrce required to raise one foot twice
the total weight of the whole ship
vi hen heavy laden.
Fint; 250-1'OUND shots.
The 8-Inch guns are protected by f
and S inches of hardened metal, and
fire n LViO-ponnd shot Willi force enough
to pierce 12 indies of steel a mile
away.
The 4-Inch guns can fire eight thlrty-threo-pound
shot In u minute, easily
able to bore their way through seven
Inches of steel 1 .00(1 yards a way, while
the twenty-slx-potinder.. could main
tain a murderous hall of explosive
shell into open ports and upon the tin
armored portions of a foe.
The torpedoes, each witli Its deadly
burden of 1.10 pounds of that three
fold powerful gun-cotton, could tear
their way through the toughest fabri
cations of steel, and make the might
iest battle ship bow in submission.
These are some of Hie powers placed
at Hie captain's command.
l.V TIMK OF AVAR.
Take your watch in hand, and at the
sharp, shrill call of the boatswain's
whistle all hands are called to clear the
ship for action, and scarcely has the
last note drifted off on the breeze be
fore every man is at his post and hard
at work, except the prisoners.
Yoi, who have known the craft In
tinier of peace and dress parade,
watch tier now. Down come alt the
shining railings and polished hatch
way canopy frames, and over the open
ways In Hie wake of the guns ate. fas
tened buttle plate's of heavy steel. All
unnecessary ventllutors are stored lie
low, and their deck-holes tilled with
metal disks. Croat anchor cranes are
turned down out of the way of shot
and shell, and the decks left bare but
for the Hash plates that take the (list
blast of the greut guns. The anchors
are freed from their cables, and the
chain. 11' not stowed below, is wrapped
for protection about unarmored parts.
AMMUNITION .SUPPLY.
Boat davits are detached and stowed
either down along the sides or bodily
removed beyond the sweep of the guns.
All awnings are soaked with water,
and either placed safely below to
guard the ammunition supply from
splinters and sparks or swathed about
such of the boats as are not lilled with
wa.tr or set adrift. Overboard go the
turpentine and other intlaminable
stores, and all chests, furniture, and
other movnble woodwoik calculated to
shed splinters and cause injury an
ient below or stored where they may
do no damage. Down below the pto
tectlve deck are sent the compasses,
chionomoteis and other delicate in
struments of navigation; and the pub
lic funds are placed in such shape that
they may be either eas.ll temoved or
desl toyed, as tile case may need. All
needless steam supply Is cut off above
the protective deck to prevent scald
ing in case of accident! and tio?e are
eotiplid to lire mains and the pumps
aie sei puiing tor instant use.
Into the tubes the torpedoes', ate put
with their war-hiad on; and liv the
magazines the nun stand ready to pass
uii the ammunition. Down In Hie sick
bay or upon the bioad expanse of the
watdroom table burgeons liuve spread
their Instruments and dressings, and a
certain number of rots, and lifts have
been plepared for handling the wound
en. Tlte signal books are clothed In
their weighted cover." nnd an- ready to
be cast overborn d when oidered.
fJTItlPPKD TO Till; WAIST.
I.cioU at the ship now. in just mL.
hour ami fifty minutes she has been
stripped to the wnlst. so to speak, and
nil her bulky llne. stand out in haro
jellef, doubly emphasizing the might of
bet murderous guns now peering
.straight ma with an ominous absence
of tuutpioiis. At the masthead, In un
spoiled beauty, Itiltter the ptoitd folds
of Old Oiory.
A few short tups or the drum nnd all
hands hasten to their several stations.
most of tlte men bared to the waist for
, the sake of thai freedom of movement
I demanded by iters ous.tmmtienc-. Tho
chaplain, who has really endeared him
self to the crew bv u feeling of manly
fellowship, goes about quietly taking
II i t fiom one and then another of the
men a little packet which Is to be sent
to the loved ones at home ill case any
thing should happen, or exchanging a
few winds of kindly, helpful cheer with
those that seek his meeting. In a few
minutes he will go below to help tho
doctoiH anil to smooth the chilling blow
id' some poor shlpmuie.
WAITING FOlt T1IK E.NK.MV.
With Hie delivery of thu last report of
readiness, and with one w(de, unre
stricted glance at those smoking specks
Just coming above the horizon, the cap
tain steps into the conning tower and
behind Hie sheltering folds of Its 10
Inch steel glances at the tell-tale dials
upon its rounded walls and reads the
messages that come up to him from
eery part of that great craft beneath
him thiough the armored tube that
leads below to thu protcctlvo deck.
With bared hands and naked feot tho
guns' crew cluster about Hie lurgur
Pieces, waiting with beutlng heurU for
the moment that will bring Hie enemy
In ranee and give to their tingling
nerves thp Bulf-forgetfulness of activ
ity and din, whllo the crews- of Hie
lighter pieces nte mustered handily be
hind tho nearest protection till rioter
quarters may call them Inio service
and the open exposure of the tops and
superstructure.
About each gun a number of rounds
of ammunition tins been gathered, and
quick-footed bearers bring the fixed
ninmunltlon from tlte passages to Hie
stations of the waiting guns.
AM. I .SIMSNC-'U.
Silence reigns on all slilcc, save for
the quiet communds of the divisional
olllcer, tlte rush of Hie water without,
lite steady rumble of the driving en
gines and tlte pulsing sound of tlte
running pumps.
Up on their bridges the men nt the
range finders keep Hicni bearing on
the approaching foe, whom we near
ut tlte rate of thirty knotn an hour,
and down in the conning tower, the tur
rets, and before the principal gun sta
tions, tho dials register the distance
of the coming ships.
Way below the protection deck the
men stand leody at Hie ammunition
heists, Hie shell whips and the nans-ing-rooms.
The shellrooins unit mng
i.iiH? are manned by nimble, naked-
footed crews, and by the torpedo tubes
Hie men stand ready to launch their
burdens fraught with such Irresistible
t'oi eo.
in the englne-rooma Hie steady roar
of tho machinery litis the eats, unci the
air reeks with the hot smell of oil
and escnplng Fleam. At the throttles
Maud Hie englneetsand at every journ
al nnd crank n watchful aoslstant.
Shining piston rods, tong steel arms,
mid jlggering levers lly hack unci forth
In and out, with dazzling speed. The
Journals and bearings foam like Hie
bits of champing war horses. Tho air
itmtM pant and wheeze. The floor
swlnw with oil nnd water spattered
from tho moving parts, and but for
the thundering life ot the ponderous
engines one might almost think the at
tendants ghosts as their Ions shadows
glide through that steaming mist hark
ed by Hie ghastly glow of the electric
lights. Such are the conditions In each
of the enginerooms.
IN THE FIltKUOOMS.
Forward, through a water-tight bulk
head, closing the door behind us, we
ntnnd in one of the four great fire
rooms. Above us tower tho cumbrous
boilers, and before us glare the glow
ing grates of the roaring furnaces. In
the hnlf-llght of the swinging globes
the firemen and stokers rush buck and
fotlh. bringing coal, tending valves and
watching the pressure in the shivering
gauges. With averted heads, panting
brcast.'i and blistered eyes they goad
those seething beds of tlames or throw
into ttiose (luring throats the coal that
must satisfy their greed and keep the
boilers pulsing with n mighty pressure.
The air, hot. dry, nnd of a hundred
and thirty degrees, is laden with dust
and grime as It rushes Into the flaming
pits backed by the impulse of great
blowers and eagerly sucked upward by
the draught of those great smoke
stacks towering a hundred feet above.
TOItMKNT FAIl HELOW.
A great cloud of smok" and a thin
wreath of escaping steam way up at
those funnels' tops tell the story of the
torment far below, shut down below
the protective deck, ignorant of the tide
of battle, and almost sure of certain
dentil In case of h blow from either tor
pedo or rum.
AVith the first flash and n momentary
veil of smoke from the bow guns of the
enemy, still quite two miles away, the
game is opened, and as the shatp cut
ting splash lllrs Inboard through the
open ports of the i-incn guns, our own
12-inch rlile-i belch n mote telling re--sponse.
From that time till the clme
found us victorious, though badly shat
tered everywhere but about the two
bip- turiets, the enemy's shot toie gieat
masses of our lighter armor from their
fastenings nnd bailed them Inboard In
tangled heaps of dismounted guns,
bleeding bodies nnd mazes of twisted
plating. Old Glory still waved, but
only over a modest part of the men
thai carried the ahlp into action.
( I VII. .1IAKKI
Miizs li:cai
Tho !
eililetit I'eut Kuui I') Aeniuit
ii Sung.
I'Yont the Philadelphia Pre-.
A notable victory for civil and re
ligious liberty has lately been won In
Peru. The mails have brought details
which supplement lvidly the bare tel
egraph!" dispatches The question at
issue was the recognition and reglri
tratiou of civil marilages. Heretofore
the only marriage recognized as valid
was that solemnized by the priests of
tin Roman Catholic church. The agita
tion began over the marrlusje of a
daughter of Hex. Dr. Wood, a .Metho
dist missionary, to h Protestantgentle
nian. There- wnc no way to 'legalize
that marriage in Peru. The president
ol tho republic, even took pains to pro
claim In a special edict that all non
Catholle marriages were Illegal unci not
entitled to let'lstiatlon.
After a two years' struggle in which
the clerical party employed all their
lnlluence and resorted tu ever, device
to prevent it, the cnngress passed the
civil marriage bill with a great hurrah
........ Mtu ........ 1. 1,.. . . .......
,,! ..If" l l-nil, 1111 (- It'lU,
"I'll i: TOWN VtM.OOl).
.Mj
f 1 loud, have
of Nogood,
you lieurd of the town
nn the Im.ik of the ltlver Slow.
Where blooms the Wallawhlle l!owr lair.
Where the Somftlmeoiothcr Mi-nts tlio
air
And the Mitt (iueusys grow'.'
It lies in tlio valley of WliatHtlit'.Mi.
In the province- of Letersllile.
That Tlrcill'eellng is native then.
Jt's tlio homo of the rccltles: liluiitcare,
Wliero (3ieltupu abide.
ll stands at the bottom of Luzyhlll.
And is easy to reach. 1 declare,
you've only to fold up your hamU unci
glide
Down the slope of Woakwlll's toboggans
slide
To be lauded quickly there.
The town Is as olit us the hiimtm nn e.
And it grows with the Meat ot eiiri.
It Is wrapped In the fog of idiot t-' driii'iH
its streets ato paved wllh dlbvaulecl
schemes
Anil sprinkled with um 1om tears.
The Collegebrei'fool and the Illchmiiii'i.
plentiful there, no doubt.
Tin rcht ot us ciowcl ure a motley rivw,
With ever" elan except one in view
The Koolklller Is bailed out.
Tlio town of is'ogcod Is all hedged about
lly tho mountains of Despair.
No sentinel Htnncbi on Its glooniv walls
So trumpet to battlo and triumph call,
l-'ur cowards alone are there.
And livo up to it each day.
Just follow your duty through good and
III.
Jly friend, from the dead ullvo town No.
good
Take this for your motto, "I can, I will,"
W. K. Penney, in New Huven tteulstflr.
ANTHRACITE IN
NAVAL OPERATION
Interesting Article on Subject In April
Letter of Operators' Association.
TIIH ADVANTAGES OF HARD COAL
lly Day the Alunuco of Smoke t Im
portant and at Night Tlieto Is No
I'lu mo nt Top nt runnel Sticli iih
Soil Coal tiivus I'ortb Mhon Under
n Heavy I'oic.cd Draught -- Mnnv
Other ArguiiiuuU lor Hard Coal.
The Apt II Letter of the Anthracite
Coal Operator' association has the fol
lowing Interesting article on the value
of Anthracite In naval operations:
"In view of the possibility of active
service by the vesseln of the navy,
much surprise has been expressed that
a smokeless coal has not been provid
ed both for coast service and foreign
coaling stntlous. Following tins wide
spread use of smokeless powder, It
would seem that as nuiny ndvanlngea
would nttach to a fuel from which no
soioke wus produced. Instead, how
ever, the navy lias purchnsed and Is
using soft coal which, when burned,
and especially under forced draught,
yields an enormous volume of black
smoke. As a coticquence of this, the
presence of a vessel can be discovered
nt nearly fifty per cent, greater dis
tance than If no smoke came from Its
funnels. In other words, where in at
tacking an enemy, a vessel burning
soft coal may be discovered while at a
dit-taiice of some eighteen miles. It
eiiitld, if burning anthracite, move to
within twelve miles without being ob
served. "In blockading, and especially for the
coast defence vessels, this is a matter
of the greatest consequence, as during
the day time there is every advantnge
through the absence of smoke, unci at I
night theru is almost as much, since ,
bituminous coal, when under heavy '
forced draught, often produces a Hume
at the top of the funnel.
DISADVANTAGES OF SOFT COAL. !
" further nnd motv important ills-
ii'lvantnge caused by smoke is in the i
fact that, when n squadron of vessels i
x in motion, u dense cloud of smoke '
Ii,uig3 around them, preventing- a
prompt reading of signals or the abll
iiv to locate each vowel, and, in an '
engagement, scilously Interfering with
ai curate firing by obscuring the range. '
This is especially true when the atmos- ,
phciv Is heavily charged with mois- '
lure or the wind blows in tlte same
direction as the vessels are moving. I
"Still another serious disadvantage in I
soft coal is In the constant danger from '
spontaneous combustion in the shin's j
bunkers. This Is a matter of such ,
common occurrence on board the ves- j
sols of the navy that it creates little I
remark, though the least inattention on
the nart of those whose duty it is to i
I observe the temperature of the various
compartments might result In the loss j
of the vessel and all of Its men. This
ame clllllcttlty arises in tlte supplies of
.'oft .-oal kept at coaling stations. They l
are liable to take lire and be destroyed, !
so a vessel or squadron depending upon
securing coal at that point with which
to continue Its cruise, might havo Its
iKeftilnos soriousy impaired through
a shortage of fuel, and even be com
pelled to seek another port before be
ing able to carry out Its sailing orders.
Still further, even though the stock of
oft coal diu not suffer from spontane
ous combustion, it is a well-known and
frequently demonstrated fact that It
deteriorates rapldlj through exposure.
Keep Your
On Our Windows.
.
0
Our new Spring Stock of Boy's and Children's Clothing has been marked much lower than
to meet the cry of hard times. Here ire three specials for Eiister week, and the prices quoted could
pected in any store but this. We buy lower because we buy much.
Vestee Suits for Boys from j to 8 years of age,
overplaid and plain coverts, beautifully braided on front
questionably sold for $4.00 and $v-;o'.
e
Our Price
For This Sale,
i -
SPECIAL NO. 2.
Boys' Two Garment Knee Pants Suits, all the new stylish Spring patterns, made of
the ever standard "Berwvne and Forest Mills" double and
o
o
o
lined throughout with the
where is our advice to voi
Our Price
For This Sale,
SPECIAL NO. 3.
Boys' Confirmation Suits, long and short pants to tit the boys, in ages from 12
to 18 years, in black or blue, fine twill all wool "Condone Cloth," black unsheared worsted
or the'quietgrey mixed. Now the time has arrived for you to buv that bov his dress suit.
You have paid 'double these prices.
Our Price
ForThis Sale,
Its steaming value declining sometimes
Ilfty per cent.
"These mutters are of tlrst moment
In naval movements. Fuel is the vital
and most Itnpottunl factor In tlte ef
fective service of a war vessel, and un
less in abundant supply and of suitable
quality, the vessel will tie so seriously
hampered as to be of little use. and 11
Is of no less Importance that there
should lie an entire absence of smoke.
MAUD COAL DISPLACED.
"For many yea is it was the practice
when making trlnls of new cruisers, to
use anthracite coal for fuel. Later,
though for what reason cannot be as
certained, soft coal replaced tlte hard,
and by degtees the latter has come to
Ih used almost exclusively on board all
the vessels on the navy. Indeed, In tin
reports of the Hut can of Equipment
from lS!t:i to ISiiO. tlte reports of the
ninny vessels show Rot recoid tests of
soft coal; one of foreign anthracite and
only two of Ameriran anthracite.
"In almost everv instance the line
otllcers recognize the advantages of un
thrnclte. They have stated that owing
to the fact that anthracite Is smoke
less, a vessel using It can approach
nearer an enemy or. when wailing for
the approach of a hostile ship, can dis
cover the latter pome time before it
Itself can be seen. Further, as already
indicated, wliere a fleet Is engaged In
j maneuvers near an enemy, the absence
j of smoke permits the prompt and cor
' reel reading nf signals and insures
greater safety in the movements of the
vessel when close to each other or when
engaged in llrlng. They state, nlso.
that in a cruiser. If anthracite were In
the coal bunkers and n shot should
penetrate, the coal would not deterior
ate and when the How of water was
stopped, that which had run into tho
coal could be drawn off. leaving the
fuel in satisfactory condition for use
and altogether free from any clangor
of spontaneous cumbustlon, such as
would take place If soft coal were used,
AN IMPORTANT POINT.
"Still another impottnut point 1.
that If anthracite were supplied to the
various coaling stations, a hostile Heel
capturing such a station would be at
a disadvantage, since Its lite grates
would not lie calculated to obtain the
best residue from anthracite and.
further, Its men would not be accus
tomed to It.
"From every point of view nnthracite
offers decided and substantial advant
ages over soft coal. Its steaming pro
pensities are as great; it is easier to
handle and safer to store; It is smoke
less: and free from danger of spon
taneous combustion."
With reference to the ptesent condi
tion of the anthracite nuirket the let
ter says;
"The past month of March lias proved
one of unexpected and exceptional dull
ness In the anthracite market. The un
usually mild weather reduced house
hold consumption to n minimum and, as
a consequence, there has been practic
ally no demand on retail dealers, and
they, in turn, have not found it neces
sary to lay in supplies from the Initial
sellers. Notwithstanding this, how
ever, the latter have maintained price
with unexpected flrmnes. and while
there have been tin usual rumors of
material concessions, in no case have
they been substantiated, excepting as
to some small sales on coal which was
claimed to lie below standaid.
"April has opened without imv im
provement as to buying, and with an
added uncertainty as to the possibility
of a spring circular being announced.
The situation will undoubtedly be
helped materially by keeping the pro
duction within the estimated consump
tion ot 2,000,000 tons, as with even a
small buying movement tills should
permit the marketing of all freshly
mined coal and a fair portion of Hint
carried in stock. Jt is fullv expected
that this estimate will lie adhered to,
and. while the result may be a scarcity
1 WW
. a. Ml A.
For
SPECIAL NO.. 1.
$2.25
best Italian cloth and rib serge.
They will cost you every cent of $v; and 6.00 later on.
$3.00andM.50-
hbmhbhi nam
1 "
m HHIH
CLOTHIERS, FURNISHERS AND HATTERS.
THE GREAT STORE.
Items of iluch interest
Tersely Told.
Spring
i An addendum 1
to the Openinc
Millinery iw w:ls vestelr
day s great crowds
in THE Milinery Store. The
assortment could not be bet
ter, for in it is show n the best
of the world's best. In addi
tion to the Imported Hats are
shown the Beautiful Conceits
of our owns miliiners under
the direct supervision ol Mr.
Edward Long. Personal at
tention is given to the depart
ment by Miss Bristol and a
large corps of competent as
sistants. Remember, if our Trimmed
Mats don't suit vou, we'll trim
one that WILL "suit.
Flowers, Feathers and or
naments of every kind at
every price always lowest.
SECOND FLOOR.
DRESS GOODS AND SILKS, :r
New as the morning, Beautiful as the Rainbow. But 'prices within
reach of all durinu- this Festal Week;
I'.-lneli All-Wool French Novelty l'il'- ,
nils, the "lmilow eleiliKcable weave. In cli
tlKhtfal affects of the latest Spiillli ello
ttiss: a labrle
hlKh-class wear.
kjII tor $1.7.1 yd.. :
pre ssly ite.slened tor
Hnix.rtP.1 to $.25 i
S'Mnuli All-Wuol lhif-IMi Coven c..il.
In miitfiillleeut iiilcir mixtures, uuimllv
Mold at T.'e ,l. A wotiledf'il lnr- JO,.
li.i!'! at tVL.
JONAS LONG'S SONS
In certain sizes, the market situation
will be i",reatly MretiKthened.
' I'titll there is some clellnite an
nouncement an to spline prices, no de
cided buyinir movement can lie looked
for. Even after this jtei lias been
taken, there is little hope that then
will be any larse purchases for Invest
ment, in view of the utter failure last
year to maintain prices, or keep the
output within the consumption in the
most critical months.
"Taken as u. whole, the maikel may
be stated as llmi In price, but with
little demand, and th April move
ment depending on the action us to
sprltiK prices."
STOl NIOAKINC
I'UATJIIIUS.
The Only Way to Stop the
Slaughter
ol' Hints.
It has been ,ald, but with how much
truth we have no meuns of knowing,
thai the agitation by newspapeis. the
eiu.avors of Audubon societies, and
the appeals of humanitarians, have had
no appreciable effect as yet In dimin
ishing the slaughter of birds for the
sake of their feathers. If it In title
that this wholesale destruction of our
harmless and beautiful little friends
has shown no diminution, we must not
Jump to the conclusion that it will not
come at all. It takes time for fashions
to chaiiKe, or for a movement that has
common uonse as its Inspiration to Ret
under full headway.
The principle upon which the present
Specials
tiaST-Of0
of nobby Scotch coatings, latest
of vestee suits. These suits un-
and $3.
twist suitings, strongly built
See them before buying
$
and
$
THE GREAT STORE.-
Kid
Here's a true story
about Kid Gloves.
GlOVeS Tlwt those who be
lieve in buying the
best to be had, will thorough
ly appreciate.
control in Lackawanna county
of the sale of the two best
makes of Kid Gloves in tho
world,
Trefousse & Co.
and
Ph. Courvoisicr & Co.
Nothing more commenda
tory can be said of them than
that in New York city their
sale is confined to the two
high class dry goods houses.
For perfection of fit, ele-
gance of finish andctwearing
qualities,, they starjHywithdut
a peer. :i-1?C: '
OLOVE
AVCNue.
DEF'T-MAIN
Aiat.e,jroMiNa
-.- -.
Tliu mm- Hills riicckx .ire 'a prevailing
Hlvle for tilts Bprlnx. Pliey coma in
blocks of whlti combined with all llm
new .dmilcs. Very slylWIi fur vmliit
and entire rii.itiiinct. V irth Tl.i'ii BOf
ui yl'
Moire Vclour In Kuyiiderc flfCeelSi
Yei spunliil at
98c
ir.-ini'h l'Yoiu'h itranll
Cloth, light,
i't.i.v. llKht lull, toul blue. len'tlu. irol
urn
Town, "tc . Kxecjitionu! viiIiich
79c
I thin week n r .
crusade againsr the slaughter of blrdt
has been -stalled Is certainly coriect.
II women will agree not to wear leath
ers, tlte destiuctlou of tile birds will
cease. The question is, however,
whether women will ever be persuaded
that they can dlspeiiM- with this ud
dition to their toilets. At a single auc
tion of birds in Loudon last year, there
were, among the articles sold, ll.S5'J
ounces of osprey plumes. .'28,2S'J Indian
pnirots. IIC.4',10 bumming birds, and
thousands of bodies of other vui'rjtles.
This fale was followed by others later
In tile year, but it, alohe, was large
enough to mean the early extinction of
many beautiful species, for the sake of
a vanity that does little credit to the
fair sc x.
rnfortuimtely. fashion is proof
against the appeals of common sense
or of morality, and as the English
press lias shown, in a voluminous cor
respondence upon the subject, the Brit
ish mation will be unmoved by any
thing butAhe example of royalty Itself.
If an empress, lie she the empress even
of China, will pronounce against the
fashion. English society will sweetly
submit to be shorn of Its feathers. Tim
same may almost be said of Ameri
cans. The tiieless energy of till the
societies fol the protection of birds
cannot begin to do the cause so much
good an could a few of our autoeratH
of style in pronouncing against the use
of -such ailorntnonts, quite regardless
i of tlte gioiincls upon which the edict
I was made. Current Literature.
Keep Your
o
o
On Our Windows.
last season
not be ex-
anc
else
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