SOME MECHANICAL FEATS. WOWBEBFDT. ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF ANCIENT ENGINEERS. The Portable Roof Over the Colos | senm-Osar's Big Awning— i , Alexander's Enormous Tent. The ingenious M. Eiffel and the artis tic M. Barthohli have been gravely pon dering the Colossus of Rhodes—measur ing it and weighing it as per description; and they conclude that the thing was Bimply impossible. It could not have been set up, to begin with, and when set up it could not have stood the pressure of the wind. This is demonstrated by all the rules of modern science, and he who does not admit the demonstration must be prepared to show that two and two do not make four. These antique personages who professed to have seen the Colossus were victims of au ocular delusion or flat story-tellers, and that greater number who mention it inciden tally. and we might mention the rums of the Colosseum, were credulous gossip 3. The fact is that Messrs. Eiffel and Bar tholdi argued in the fashion usual with eugineers. Not all of them would pre tend that they know any law of nature which applies in such a case, lint very few would listen patiently if it were urgod that the ancients knew some luws With which they are unacquainted. So it appears, however, to the disinter ested student; aud we cau bring forward evidence enough. If it be true that the Colossus of Rhodes is really proved "im possible," according to the best modern authorities, this is a good illustration to begin with; for its existence is as well authenticated as the Temple at Delphi and the statue of Olympian Zeus—or the Torwer of London, for that matter, to bno who has never seen it. By some means it was set up, and by adaptation of somo natural laws it was made to stand until au earthquake overthrew it. One is embarrassed by the number and variety of illustrations to the same effect which crowd upon the mind. Since the Colosseum has been mentioned, we may choose examples of that class. Is M. Eiffel prepared to put an awning over j Trafalgar Square when the sun shines, ! nnd remove it promptly, without the aid [ of a central support, of steam-engines, j or even chains? The area of the Colos- i scum is certainly not less. This may I seem a trifliug matter to the thoughtless, I because they have never considered it. j Roman engineers covered in that vast ex- | panse with some woolen material, and they worked the ponderous sheet so j easily and smoothly that it was drawn I and withdrawn as the sky changed. The bulk of it must have weighed hundreds of tons, all depending by ropes from the circumference. But the ! ancients thought so little of I this feat that they have left us ] only one trivial detail of the method, j So Julius Ca;sar stretched an awning above the Forum Komauum and great part of the Via Sacra in tho space of a single night. Have any of our modern engineers pondered the contemporary descriptions of Alexander's durbar tent before Babylon? That, again, appears to have had uo central support. It was upheld, says Phylarchus, by eight pillars of solid gold. Of tho glorious plenish ing within we have not to speak, since our theme is mechanics. Around the throne and the great courtiers stood 500 Macedonian guards; in a circle beyond them 500 Persian guards; beyond these again 1000 archers, To fix a tent which held 2000 soldiers on duty with arms and accoutrements, surrounding, in successive circles, the most gorgeous Oriental court that ever was, with hun dreds of satraps, councilors, generals, eunuchs and slave, would perplex a mechanician of the nineteenth century. He will reply that the story is false— must be, because he could not match it. Happily, the awning of the Colosseum stands beyond dispute, and Alexander's tent is a small matter compared with that. But we undertook to deal with the engineering of the ancients in connection with the theater,having chanced on that class of illustration. Pliny tells how Metellus Scaurus, „-Edile, built & won drous edifice, which stirred his rival, C. Curio, to frantic jealousy. It may be worth while, in passing—since we are all so much interested in the theater nowa days and think so much of our new ones —to tell what sort of a building that Curio set himself to outdo. It had 360 marble columns, each thirty-eight feet tigli and thirty-eight feet apart. About three thousand bronz statues stood among them. The stage had threo floors, as was usual; the lowest paved and fitted with marble, the second with glass, the third gilded, boards aud all. It held 80,000 people. This account will seem so fabulous to steady-going Britons that it is prudent to give chapter and verse. The description will be found, with curious details aud passionate reflections on the luxury of the day, in Pliny's "NaturalHistory,"sxxiii., 24. Such was the wonder which Curio re solved to beat, and feeling himself un able to vie in outlay, he summoned the engineers of the period to design some thing to "fetch" the public. They built two enormous theatres of wood, each to contain an audience of 25,000, which stood back to back. When the specta tors assembled in the forenoon, Curio was chaffed, no doubt, on the issue of his attempt to excel Scaurus. But the au dience returned in the afternoon, for these entertainments were devoted to the manes of Curio's father aud lasted a month. In the place of two theatres back to back, they found an amphi theatre holding 80,000 persons, wherein gladiators and wild beasts contended until dewy eve. The two great buildings had been swung round and united; and, day by day for the month following, this colossal tiick was repeated. Tho per fervid indignation of Pliny could not make him altogether indifferent to the ingenuity of the thing. The fact is, in brief, that those who know what ancient engineers did, with their imperfect means, feel a qualified admiration for the of the modems. If Attained w or Staiicrates had been acquainted with the forces and the laws with which every old woman is familiar in these days, they would have changed the face of the earth and the destinies of mankind.— St. James'a Gazette. WISE WORDS. Force rules, but opinion govern* Method has always a partner—punctu ality. Leisure and idleness are the parents of cnuni. Prejudice, like the adder, is deaf of both ears. Those who compel our homage do so from a distance. Proximity is fatal to grandeur. Beauty and grace are twins. Who ever saw a handsome person that was awkward? Tho fragrance of spice fields is never borne against the breeze, yet pestilence easily travels to windward. Pride, like jealousy, feeds only upon its possessors' happiness, and both are born with insatiable appetites. Like appreciation but not admiration. The first is the offspring of sympathy, the last is the child of ignorance. Only those know tho sincerity and real force of prayer who have loved somo one far better than themselves, and have seen such in tho extremity of peril? Combination is the only secret of strength. Tho rope with which tho native hunter binds tho wild elephant is made of single spears of Ceylon grass. Tho opinion of the professional critic is only that of one individual, and "vere he not armed with typo metal would be of no more consequence than that of tho green grocer around tho corner.— Huston Cultivator. Exercise for the Luujfs. At the present era, when physical culture is a part of the curriculum of our most intellectual schools, uuil is so generally regarded as a necessary element toward supplying and maintaining tho \ sound body for the sound mind, it is worth while to consider a recent state ment of eminent physicians that tha mere exercise of singing is a great help toward the prevention, cure or alleviation of lung diseases. In the incipient state of such diseases it is even said to be a powerful aid to a cure. It is, indeed, somewhat curious that the medical fra ternity have not exploited the theory of lung exercise by singing more fully here tofore than they are now doing, for the action of calisthenics in strengthening muscular tissues has for years been a universal practice, although, as a matter of fact, the mere physical exercise of singing brings into play an extraordinary number of muscles that can hardly be suspected of action in connection with tho throat expansion. It was disclosed by statistics in Italy some years ago, ac cording to the New York Tribune, that vocal artists were usually long lived and healthy, and that brass instrument players, who bring their lungs and chest into unusual activity, have not had a consumptive victim among them. No matter how thin or weak the voice, children or young people should bo en couraged to indulge in song. There can be no happier medicine, and if hearers sometimes suffer, they should bo en couraged and strengthened to bear the infliction iu view of the good it may occasion. Ail Odd Bird that Likes Fishing. Away up on the mountains, near Tacoma, Washington, where the numer ous streams find their way through deep, dark canyons down to the pulse-beat of old ocean, is the natural summer home of the water ousel, the strangest of all strange birds. You seldom see more than one of them at a time. They are of a dark blue color, and are easily recog nizeed by a peculiar quick, jerking mo tion, which they never seem to tiro of. And as they flit from rock to rock they are continually bobbing up and down, performing such a polite little courtesy as would cause you to smile to see it. Owing to their peculiar habits and the isolated spots they select to build their nests, no one but the most ardent sports men and naturalists succeed in finding them. Hence a water ousel's nest with two or three eggs in it has a commercial value among nest collectors of $25. "They alwaj-3 build their nests just back of some waterfall or under some overhanging bank, where they have togo through or under the water to get to it. Another strange habit of this bird is the deliberate manner in which they ap pear to commit suicide. They will start slowly, very slowly, to wade right down into the water until they disappear from view, but if the water is clear and you have a sharp eye you can see the little dark forms clinging to the bottom in search of their morning repast, which consists of periwinkles. Commercial Advertiser. Revolution iu Naval Construction. Sir Henry de Burgh-Lawson thinks that he will revolutionize naval construction by his plan for constructing ships with three keels, between which their bottoms are curved in combination with special internal propellers worked and housed in chambers from which the water is par tially excluded, each propeller having a a separate set of machinery, working in dependently of each other. Sir Henry claims that rolling would be almost pre vented, and that the ship's power of climbing waves would bo immensely in creased.—Chicago Timet. A White Raccoon. William Jones, of Philadelphia, has received a white raccoon, which was cap tured in tho eastern part of Ohio. It is said to be the only animal of its kind and color in this country. It is not more than a year old, and the coat is as white as that of the whitest Spitz dog. "Whitey," as the raccoon is called, is quite playful and rather affectionate.- tHoayimt, SELECT SIFTINGS. Ancient anchors were made of atone. More people die in spring than in any of the other seasons. Charles Fairbanks, of Adrian, Mich., speaks twenty languages. Cincinnati manufactures 60,000 pounds of shot every day. The number of blind people in the world is set down at one million. Tea is said to be the only unadulter ated beverage to be found in England. The Indians at the Indian school in Lawrence, Kan., have organized a brass band. A bounty of twenty cents a dozen is paid in Ohio for the heads Jf English sparrows. The Japanese word for farewell means "If it must be so;" and the Chinese say •'Go away slowly." It is calculated that there is property valued at §50,000,000 at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. There are only seven absolute mon archies left: China,Madagascar,Morocco, Persia, Russia, Siam and Turkey. The Argentine Republic has an area as great as all Central and Western Europe combined; about 1,620,000 square miles. The cultivation of sugar cane in this country began in 1751 near New Or leans. The first sugar mill was erected in 1758. Sheet iron is rolled so thin at Pitts burg, Penn., that the light of day shines through a single sheet as through a piece of glass. There is a dog in Philadelphia that has a mania for tearing off door-knobs and plates and wrecking tlie woodwork of the doors generally. It is estimated that the number of passengers carriei by all the railroads in the world averages six million fivo hun dred thousand a day. A new cannon just made by Krupp is forty-two feet long, can be fired twice a minute, and throws a two thousand pound shot twelve miles. "The tallest schoolgirl in tho world" lives at Iticdnaun, near Sterzing, in the Swiss Tyrol. She is in her eleventh year, and is about six feet high. An ordinary elephant produces 120 pounds of ivory, worth §'3oo. England consumes 650 tons, for which it is neces sary to kill 12,000 elephants a year. An Indiana cow, five years old, has given birth to eight calves. At three years of age she gave birth to quadru plets and the two following years to twins. "Old Chabert," one of the best known socialist speakers in Paris, died recently. He spent his duys denouncing capital ists, and always appeared in public wearing a blood-red scarf. A traveler in Japan writes that the Japanese pay more attention to personal cleanliness than any other poople in the world. High and low bathe at least onco a day and sometimes oftener. Instead of paying the clergyman a cash fee a bridegroom tho other day present ed to the divine who officiated a set of vestments and an ecclesiastical ring en graved on tho inside to commemorate Vhe occasion. l'aths That Become Water-Courses. On the West Coast of Africa, forruiles inland, the forests are so choked with impenetrable underwood, that tho trav eler can only follow tho narrow patus that have been made by the natives. Thcso are only wide enough to allow people to march in single file, and as these paths always become water-courses during the rainy season, they are any thing but pleasant to walk on. Tho forests themselves are chiefly mado up of immense bombax or six-cotton trees, their smooth, gray trunks standing out like sentinels among the dark, gloomy bush and the quiet, death-liko silence. Enormous buttresses stretch out from their bases on every side, often twenty and thirty feet high. Between them, however, one can generally make a good camp, except for those pests of every tropical forest, the ants. One of tho worst places to camp in, though looking the most inviting, is in a cocoanut grove, owing to the danger of a nut falling and striking one. In these forests tho hum of life at night is as great as in the forests of tropical America. One need not go far inland to be awakened at night by the sullen roar of the lion, but the most awful cry to bo heard in theso forests is the cry of the small lemur. These ghosts of the forests begin with a low, plaintive cry that, gradually increasing, sounds as though some human being was in the last throes of torture. In the Ashantee war the writer remembers a sentry who was absolutely paralyzed with fear at the grewsomo noise. He stuck to his post, but few men have ever been so frightened as that man was. Snakes, as a rule, cause but little trouble. They will in variably crawl away from man, and only when trod on or attacked do they strike. —New York Tribune. Hood's Sarsaparilla Is Peculiar To Itself ! 00 Doses One Dollar _ NY N C—32 D C N c in II c rcndiuifo plication. Kmploy the old reliable Arm. J. B. CttHLK & CO., Washington, D. C. HIKimK£2K H iLliOlUliu Is Pamil. Father* are en ttt&X rU." }<££r» r £ e SSSte IZWJSSZVI Gnnter's Chain. Gunter's chain is a measure generally adopted in land surveying. It is twenty two yards in length and contains 100 links, each link consequently being 7.92 inches long. The length of the chain was fixed at twenty-two yards because a square whose side is twenty-two yards (one chain) contains exactly 1-10 acres; in other words, a rectangular plot of ground one chain in width and ten chains in length contains one acre. Eighty chains contain one mile in length,and con sequently a square mile contains 640 acres. For surveying and laying out plots and building lots, a chain of fifty feet, or one of twenty-five feet (the usual frontage of a lot) is usually employed by survivors.— New York Dispatch. A Ten-Story Steel liuilding. The new ten-story steel building at Chicago, of Rand, McNally & Co., the publishers, will contain,it is announced, fifteen miles of steel railway sixty-five pound rails in the foundation, besides the twelve-inch and twenty-inch beams. There will be twelve miles of fifteen inch steel beams and channels; two and one half miles of ties and angles in the roof: seven miles of tie rods; ten miles of Z 6teel in the columns; twelve miles of steam pipe, 350,000 rivets and bolts, and seven acres of floors, the boards of which would reach 250 miles, if laid end to end. Cleaning Stained Books. Often, through carelessness, the pages of valuable books become stained. An old grease spot may be removed by ap plying a solution of caustic potash to tlie back of the leaf. This may cause the printing to fade, but that can be re stored by a weak application of muriatic acid—about twenty-five parts of water to one of acid. A fresh spot is removed easily by chloroform or benzine, and ink spots disappear by an application of oxalic acid and hot water, which will also take .off rust spots.— New York Telegram. The Horned Toad Industry. One of the peculiar industries of Kern County, is the collection and shipment of horned toads'. They are sold to the Chinese, who use them for medicinal pur poses. They are considered especially valuable in the treatment of rheumatism. The formula is as follows: Two parts whisky and one part horned toad; mix and let it stand one year. It may then be taken internally or applied externally to the rheumatic parts.— Chicagollerahl. It is said that a bunch of clover hung up in a sitting-room or bed-room will clear it of flies. A coup that ix soft is full if water, half or two-thirds its weight probably, thus you pay seven or eight cents per pound for water. Dob bins'* Electric Soap is all soup and no adul teration. therefore the cheapen and bceL Try Dubbins's. TIIE illiterate inhabitants of Portugal are officially stated at eiglity-two per cent, of the whole. Conductor K. I). Loomls, Detroit, Mich.,says: "The effect of Hall's Catarrh l_'ure is wonder ful." YVrito him about it. Sold by Druggists, Tie. Thf. Christianity of Heligoland is purely English in origin. FITS stopped freo by DK. KLINE'S CHEAT NERVE KESTOKEK. No Fits after llrst day's use. .Marvelous cures. Treatise anil $2 trial bottle freo. Dr. Kline. 1131 Arch St., i'hlla.. Pa. If afTlicted withsore eye* use Or. isaao Thomp son's hvc-water. Druggists sell atioc.per bottle |||| S 1 ONB ENJOYS Both the method and results when Syrup of Pigs is taken; it is pleasant and refreshing to the taste, and acts gently yet promptly on the Kidneys, Liver and Bowels, cleanses the sys tem effectually, dispels colds, head aches and fevers and cures habitual constipation. Syrup of Figs is the only remedy of its kind ever pro duced, pleasing to the taste ana ac ceptable to the stomach, prompt in its action and truly beneficial in its effects, prepared only from the most healthy and agreeable substances, its many excellent qualities com mend it to all and have made it the most popular remedy known. Syrup or Figs is for sale in 500 and $1 bottles by all leading drug gists. Any reliable druggist who may not have it on hand will pro cure it promptly for any one who wishes to try it Do not accept any substitute. CALIFORNIA FIG SYRUP CO. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL l eotsviLu kv t/Ew row. n.\r IIAUr KTI!I) V. Boolc*xeepiui?, Husinetut forma ■■ WWIC Penmauablpi, Arithmetic, short-nauil, etc. ■ ■ thoroughly by MAIL. Circular* free, Brynnt'a College. 4.17 Main St., Hurt&io. X. V. Alliny HA HIT. Only Certain and Urlim K««y CUKE la the World. Dr. Wl IWIW J. 1,.. NTEPHEN*. Lebanon a CAKItIAUK JACKS GKINDIN'O MILLS, Ac. HKAPEST AND BEST. Send for Circulars. F. B. MAI.LOHY. M'fg. Flemlngton, N. J. CHICHESTEH'S SNOUSH PENNYROYAL PILLS aRCD CROSS DIAMOND BRAND. Bafr and always reliable. Ladlca, A ask I>ra*jrist far Diamond Brand, In A\ red, metallic boxes, aealed with Mat jjV\ ribbon. Tako *o ether. All pills \\jßr la pasteboard boxes, pink wrappers, are \y dtigfron* ooniterftlta. Rend 4e. V (stamps) for particular*, testimonial* and '•Relief fmr Ladle*," tm Utter, by retara Mall. Nmmt paper. , lllelaltr Oen'l Ce~ lalhw Em . PMk.I» mi prescrlDo ana fuiijr er* done Big (J as the only / Cam la specific for the certain euro TO 6 of this dfieaae. O. H. IKU RAH AM. U. fSM Amsterdam, N. Y. E9 Vr«Mlj by Si Ve have sold Big Q (of Tiiisaina fte many year*, and it has clTtn tho boat of sstls- faction. D. B. DYCHX * 00.. a Cblcafo, lift Rcldby Drararltt# Tls Ballsi'i OsifssiUi, I am not aa young as I was 'tis true. Yet for many a day and many a Tear I hope to sail o'er the deep waters blue. Returning ever and again (or a chat with Tou. was a lolly young tar. Free from life's Ills, strong as a bear, ▲s sailors ought to be and generally are. E'en to-day lis a marvel to some who know of my age That old Father Time his imprint dont show. Why they shonld I am at a loss to know. Unless tls simply this:l don't limp as 1 gol is due in all my travels far and To a faithful friend who is ever by my side. Not a stranger to you! its name well known fame. Especially to those on economy bent. For surely nothing can save doctor's bills And us old folks rejuvenate. Like that great slayer of pain— Dr. Tobias's wonderful Venetian Liniment! Too long deluded the unhappy victim of catarrh in the head. He's been told that it can't be cured. Don't you believe it. It can be, and it is—no matter how bad or of how long standing. It has been done for thousands—by Dr. Sage's Ca tarrh Remedy. Other so - called remedies may palliate for a time ; this cures for all time. By its mild, soothing, cleansing and healing properties, it conquers the worst cases. Its makers offer, in good faith, a reward of SSOO for a case of catarrh which they cannot cure. They are able to pay it. Are you able to take it? The symptoms of catarrh are, headache, obstruction of nose, dis charges falling into throat, some times profuse, watery, and acrid, at others, thick, tenacious, mucous, purulent, bloody, putrid and offen sive ; eyes weak, ringing in ears, deafness; offensive breath; smell and taste impaired, and general debility. Only a few of these symptoms likely to be present at once. Thousands of cases termi nate in Consumption and end in the grave, without ever having mani fested all these symptoms. Dr. Sage's Remedy cures the worst cases. 50 cents, by druggists. pEECHAMs PAINLESS. rILLd EFFECTUAL^ X BT WORTH A GUINEA A BOX. < For BILIOUS & NERVOUS DISORDERS B SS H ? Sick Headache, Weak Stomach, Impaired I s Digestion, Constipation, Disordered Liver, etc., > \ ACTING LIKE MAQIC on the vital organs, strengthening the ( ( muscular system, and arousing with the rosebud of health ( C The Whole Physical Energy of the Human Frame. C c Beecham's Pills, taken as directed, will quickly RESTORE \ C FEMALES to complete health. \ S SOLD BY ALL DRUCCISTS. S S Price, 25 cents per Box. > ) Prepared only by THOB. BEEOHAM, St. Helena, Lanaashire, England. ) S fl. F. AI.LF.S CO., Sole Agent* for Pnlted State*, 365 Write asandreoalvebTisearn null iwnilHililMt and foil teatrnettone lor yowcaM. wllfe a oopjotttM MW and liberal Law. UMIOaaZW * HAUJLRS, «<■»»■ given. Box «, Waafclagtnsi, P. g ml! faao A MONTH can be made working (or us. Persons preferred who can furnish a hone and give their whole time to the business. Spare moment* may be profitably employed alas. A few vacancies In towns and cities. B. F. JOHN BON * CO.. 1008 Main Street. Richmond, Ta. PENSIONS for blank applications and Information. PATBIOK 0»>«»n 1,, Pension Agsat. Washington. D. a ERAZERjAgWf Cures Pbomptlt akd Pikmanextlt LUMBAGO, BheumatUm, Headache, Toothftch% SPRAINS, Heuralgla, Swelling*, Frost-bite* B B UTS E S - THE CHARLES A. VO6ELER CO.. Balilmort. Ml K Y N P—3-j WALL PAPER BARGAINS! We will guarantee all tfceae clean new goods Jo* made, and full Itngllt-ll yard* to the roll. As 8-rd. rail White hack Paper, 3 to Aa 8-rt. rail Gilt Paper, 3 te 10c. Aa 8-yd. rail Eahaaaad Gilt Paper, tt ta tlo. Gilt Barbara. 4 ta IS inches wide, 'J and Sc. par yard. Berdera withaat Gilt, V te 9Mnehee lc. per yard. Bend 4c, In stamp* for samples of theVbakt and greatest bargains In the country. 3B». a. OADT, 3*3 HIGH STREET. Mention this paper. Prarldence. H. t. CANNABIS INDICA, The Great East India Remedy. Imported by Craddock A Co., 1032 Race Street, Philadelphia, l*a. Is warranted to cure Consumption, Bronchitis, Asthma and Nasal Catarrh. And will break up a fresh cold In 24 hours. Skeptic, ask your druggint for it. One brittle irlll ««tt«fy you of Its merits. $2.50 per pint bottle, or three bottles, $6.50. Send for circular. ■ Plso's Remedy for Catarrh Is the KJI Best, Easiest to Use, and Cheapest. ».< ■ Sold by druggists or sent by mail. 50c. JL T. Hazeltine, Warren, Pa. WM. FITCH & CO., 102 Corcoran Building, Washington, O. C. PENSION ATTORNEYS of orer years' experience. Sucoeasfnlly prose cute pensions and claims of all kinds in shortest possible time. tWSo KEK uwlkss roociMruL. PENSIONS FOR ALL w'owt i LliwlvllU charge. New Law. Application blanks sent free. H. €'• TANNER, Patent uini C laim Attorney, 1317 F St., Washington, D. C. MEfAIOIAMJOHN W.horbis, lICIISIUN Washington, D. C. 13 yraln last war, ISadjudleating claims, attyaluce. PATENTS ■ • » ■ i* ■ s&xd roa Cnorn^n. 4P I EWIS 1 98 .ral LYE I Powdered and Perfumed. (PATENTED.* The stronf/eit and pureit Lye Will make the 6e«i per •fumed Hard Boap in 90 mia utea without boiling. It latbo beet for disinfecting sink*, closets, drains, washing bottles, mm barrels, paints, eta ML PENNA. SALT WTQ 00 MHite Cien. A«ts., Fhlla.. Pa. / /jomesN / TON SCALES \ 112 OP \ S6O [BINBHAMTOAI \ Basra BoxTlrsßsam J \* N. Y. J V */ 0 .(j»