SULLIVAN JSSk
W. H. CHENEY, Publilher.
VOL. XI.
Philadelphia has 23,000 more women
than men.
The Chinese postal service, which id
slow and crude, is controlled by many
private companies.
According to life insurance statistics
the average of man's life has increased
five per cent, during the last twenty-five
years.
Lord Dunraven values the English
"pleasure fleet" at §50,000,000, and
says it finds employment for six or seven
thousand men at sea, besides those on
shore.
A woman writer for an Eastern pub
lication attempts to explain why so many
rich Americau girls marry titled
foreigners. It is, she says, because the
young society men of this country ape
foreign manners, and the girls prefer the
genuine article to the imitation.
The Rural New Yorker says: The
day is coming when every milk dairy
man will be compelled by law to have a
veterinarian examine his cows regularly
and give them a character for health.
Why shouldn't wc know there is health
in our milk as well as wealth in out
fertilizer?
It is a curious fact, muses the Chicago
Herald, that the father of Alexander
Grabame Bell once devised an alphabet
of "visible speech" to represent all the
sounds of which the human voice is
capable, and that his son, from teaching
deaf mutes, should have enlarged the
possibilities of sound almost to in
finity.
A food enthusiast has arisen, who says
that the banana is the universal food and
clothing of the human race, nc claims
that before long bread, muflin9, por
ridge, soup, pies, and sausages will be
made out of bananas. Besides that, an
indelible ink can be made out of the
skin, and a beautiful cloth can be made
out of the fibre.
Says the Boston Transcript: "Few
geographies mention the district in tho
South known as the 'Poor Man's Belt.'
It is a tract of country generally very
sar.dy and producing little tiiubor save
the long leafed pine. It begins not far
south of Richmond, Va., and extends
along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts into
Texas. Its length is not far from 1800
miles, whilo it is from 50 to 150 miles
in width. The soil is poor, but the
forests produce not only lumber iu
abundance, but also large quantities of
pitch, t«r and turpentine. It got a bad
uamc during anti-bellum days because
no cotton was raised in it, but, since the
South is beginning to look elsewhere
than to the cotton field for its wealth,
the 'Poor Man's Belt' promises to be
come oue of the richest paits of the
Southern States."
One of the most remarkable schemes
cf the day, in tho opinion of tho New
York World, is the plan of Sir Cecil
Rhode;, the Premier of Cape Colony,
South Africa, to build a telegraph line
from the Cape to E:jypt. Sir Cecil, it
is said, is now on his way to Cairo to
look after details, and the project, chi
merical as it may seem, has been indorsed
by many public men in England. Sir
Cecil's proposition takes the British
fancy, because his telegraph is intended
chiefly as the first thread upon which r.
great British empire in Africa is to be
strung. It is believed in England that
tho Germans will yet get out of Africa
and leave their extensivo possessions on
the cast coast to the Union Jack. Then
England will have tho unbroken right of
way from the Cape to Cairo, by the way
of Zanzibar aad the district of the Great
Lakes.
The Society for the Protection of Birds
appears to be making headway in Eng
land. According to its second annual
report, which has just been issued, the
number of members has increased from
1200 to 2500. There is evidently plenty
of work for them to do if they wish to
preserve birds of bright plumage from
the annihilation threatened by the de
mands of fashion. It appears that even
so common, hardy and prolific a bird as
the goldfinch is in danger of extinction.
The fashion of mounting whole birds on
hats and bonnets has been peculiarly
fatal. What the society is anxious to
bring about is the extension of the wild
birds protection act, the operation of
which begins too late and ends too soon
In the year to be of much practical ben
efit. The report points out that it is
not only the direct slaughter of birds
for which fashion is responsible. There
is an enormous demand nowadays for
real winter berries for the purpose of
feminine adornment. As a result a good
many birds which escape the snare of
the fowler die of starvation for lack of
their natural food. Artificial berries last
longer than the real and look just as
pretty, while the manufacture of them
would provide employment for many
destitute women.
THE SWEET, SAD YEARS.
The sweet, aad years, the sun, the rain.
Alas I too quickly did they wane,
For each some boon, some blessing bore;
Of smiles and tears each had ita store,
Its checkered lot of bliss and pain.
Although It idle be and Tain,
Yet cannot I the wish restrain
That I had held them evermore.
The sweet, sad years!
Like echo of an old refrain
That long within the mind has lain,
I keep repeating o'er and o'er,
"Nothing can e'er the past restore,
Nothing bring back the years again,
The sweet, sad years."
—Rev. Charles D. Bell.
DUALLA.
BY HENRY M. STANLEY.
»HILE proceeding
the chartered
steamer Albion, we
own canoe, swung
himself aboard our
tie craft with a
lanyard, accosted me with, "Want a
boy, sirl"
"No."
"Me good boy, sir. Do anything."
"No, thank you."
"I hear you goto Africa, and want
men. I been to America, been 'fore the
mast, been coachman, been butler in
Brooklyn, with Mr. Hincs. I'd like to
go with you, sir."
"Why, you are quite a prodigy I How
old are you?"
"Seventeen, sir."
I now examined him closely. He was
a tall, shapely, comely, intelligent young
man, with curly silk hair and a look of
"quite ready for anything" about him.
"Well, what wages do you want?"
•'Anything you like to give, sir. Dol
lar, two dollar, three dollar a month.
You find out yourself bj-m'-by what I
worth. If I'm no good, no money."
'•Why, you are extraordinary; I'll
give you ten shillings a month, and we
shall see afterward. Eh?"
"Aw-right, sir."
And upon these terms Dualla, the
Somalia boy, entered my service. For
several months I did not pay much heed
to him. There had been no occasion for
any exhibition of superior ability or
courage. 1 observed, however, that on
Sunday Dualla attracted every eye by the
splendor and varigated colors of his
dress. One time he would resemble a
young Genoese dandy, another day he
would astonish us by a rich Mussulman
attire, the text he would emerge from
his cabin a la Zanzibar, in tarboosh and
khansu, but always exceedingly trim and
clean. Still we had several smart young
Zanzibaiis, who, though not such
exquisites as Dualla, were, nevertheless,
favorites for their intelligence and dash,
and as yet there was no chance for
promotion.
One day new rifles were served to
Company No. 1. They were taught
how to manipulate them, and how to
disconnect their parts. Finally a target
was set up at a point blank range, and a
prize was offered to the best shot, and
in order to show the Zanzibaris what
good shooting was, five European
officers were requested to step forward
and exhibit their skill. But, to my
shame, not one white man hit the target.
Dualla was called upon. Straight as
an arrow he stood a second and fired,
plugging the target near the center.
A few weeks later while engaged on
the highway for the wagons. I wished
to make an "indent" for provisions on
the Main Depot below, and asked the
commissariat officer how many rations
he had distributed that morning. He
took out his note book and turned the
leaves over backward and forward so
often that at last I got impatient and
said:
"Do yon mean to say you do not re
member how many rations you are daily
serving out?"
"I'll tell you directly, sir." I waited
pen in hand for another five minutes.
My time was valuable; every minute
was precious.
"Here, Dualla," lat last cried. "Tell
this gentleman how many rations he
served out this morning," never suspect
ing that he did know, but as an indirect
chaff at the commissariat.
"One hundred and forty-eight, sir.
One hundred and forty-eight pounds
rice, one hundred and forty-eight pounds
beans," he replied.
"How do you know," I asked, aston
ished.
"I help weigh them, sir."
•'That will do, thank you."
At Stanley Pool an officer requested
the loan of our new steel barge that he
might proceed up river and visit his
friends at the next station.
The steel boat pulled twelve oars and,
completely equipped and launched on
the Upper Congo, had cost us about
SBOO. It was lent with an injunction
that on his return he should draw her
up carefully on the beach out of barm's
way and padlock her chain. The Lieu
tenant faithfully promised, went up
river, and on coming back reported him
self and assured me of the security of
the boat.
The next morning the boat was need
ed for special service. But she was not
on the beach, and no one knew what
had become of her.
The Lieutenant was questioned, and it
was discovered that he had given the
orders lor securing the boat, but had not
waited to see his orders carried out.
The crew, it then transpired, had simply
rowed her ashore, and each man had
sprung out and gone to bia own mess.
It was then obvious to all of us that the
surge from the Great Cataract, which
was but two miles below, had entered
LAPORTE, PA., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1893.
the cove, lifted the boat clear of 'the
strand, and receding toward the terrible
vortex, had borne her away with all her
equipment aboard.
Though it appeared hopeless we
should ever hear of the boat again, four
several triplets of messengers were dis
patched in as many directions across
country to warn the natives down river
and offer rewards for her recovery; and
I set off with Dualla and another toward
the Great Cataract of Kintamo, over the
hill of Leopoldville.
On reaching the summit overlooking
the cataract, Stretch, one of the young
attendants, with his sharp eyes, de
tected the boat about midstream,
stranded upon a reef, the lower psrt of
which seemed to hang over the edge of
the roaring cataract. With my glass I
could see her like a tiny speck compared
to the mile-wide river. Above the reef
the puissant Congo was treacherously
placid, but we, who bad so often crossed
it two miles above the station within
view of the gulf, had often occasion to
dread its terrible velocity, and below the
reef it was all a scene of remorseless
fury, a countless series of tossing waves
and spray crowned crests, and here and
there veritable towers which were no
sooner formed than they seemed to be
swung bodily into the air, to be fol
lowed by others. The oye was fascinated
by the wild picture of tremendous
strength and incessant rage which the
Great Cataract furnished at this view of
it. One could gaze at it for hours, for
its suggestion of ceaseless passion,
power and its awful engulphing
ness, while its hoarso roar is in fit
volume accompaniment to the watery
horror.
I sat down and studied the river above
the reef. From our side the boat was
quite seven hundred yards, and about
one thousand yards from the opposite
bank. The low rock on which she lay
was probably fifty yards in width, and
rose a boat a foot above the water, and
by one of thoie surges caused by the
vicinity of the cataract and shifting cur
rents the beat had doubtless been swayed
aside and rested in what appeared to be
the beginning of a groove or a channel.
Various plans were vaguely formed for
saving her, but were dismissed,owing to
the imminent danger. A foot rise in the
river wou'd also sweep the boat over the
reef into certain destruction.
We returned to the station. At our
beach were a paddle steamer and a canoe.
We set a mark by driving a peg at the
water line, and resolved to wait and see
whether the river rose or fell.
Twenty hours later the river had sub
sided six inches. I went back to the
hill of Leopoldrille. The boat was
higher out of the water, the reef was
larger and extended further up the river
in a low gray tongue of rock. That was
one great comfort,
On the third day the river had sub
sided several inches more; the reef was
still larger. Dualla was by my side, and
looking at the river I conceived a plan
which I audibly revealed, saying that,
"If I were younger and had not so many
responsibilities on me I could save her. I
would have likod such a job. But whom
have I that could be trusted for a deli
cate task as this? And if a single life were
lost I should never forgive myself. Yet
if ] had a man who could remember in
structions and obey them to the letter
that boat would be in our cove in a short
time."
"Can I do it, sir?" asked Dualla, as
though I had been addressing him.
"You, sho! I was thinking of a dar
ing young officer who could learn his
lesson by heart, and act according.
What could you do?"
"I could try, sir."
"No doubt you could try, my boy;
but it wants a head as well as a bold
heart here."
"Well, sir, I do not see myself how
anybody could get to that boat. I think
she is already lost, for she is only five
yards from the cataract, and long before
we could get to the reef we should be
over the falls, as the current flows like a
flying arrow. But how do you think,
sir, any one could get there?"
"Well, the thing is easy, provided
one was sure of his crew. I would take
that new coil of Manilla rope which is in
our store room and which is 300 yards
long, and I would tie one end of it to
our steamer anchor. I would then
choose the best canoe men in the camp,
man our canoe at the beach, strike out
boldly for the centre of the river from
our cove, and when I saw that the boat
and Teef were directly below me I would
sieer straight toward them. When
about two hundred and fifty yards above
the reef point I would then drop my an
chor and pay out the hawser half its
length. The other half, after making
fast at the bow of the canoe, I would
pay out along the length of the canoe,
make fast at the stern, and then the best
man shouldswim down to the boat with
the other end of the rope and make it
fast to the ring bolt at the boat's bow.
Then the rest of the crew would float
down by the rope to the reef, and all
hands, after putting an oar under her
bow, would roll the boat up bit by bit
over the reef until she waa afloat. All
the crew, except the steersman, would
S then haul themselves hand over hand to
the canoe, and when all were aboard
would haul the boat abreast of the canoe.
Then I would transfer all the crew, ex
cept the steersman, into the boat, and,
pulling up boat and canoe until the an
chor was near atrip, seat everybody in
his place with every oar out and ready;
then, at a word, lift the anchor into the
boat, and away we would fly for this
shore, and we should fetch up well
above the Cataract. Do you see?
What do you think of that, Dualla?"
"Oh, I can do that perfectly," cried
Dualla.
my lad; you would forget
every word I said, and then I should lose
you; for no boat can live in that cata
ract."
"No, sir; I feel I can do it; and, if
you leave it to me, it will be done."
"Very well, then; but take your time
and think of it. Take all day and think
of it. The river is falling steadily and
ths rainy season it over. Now, I should
like to heur first whether you can re
member what I said." And Dualla,
with his wonderful memory, repeated
the operation word for word as I had de
scribed it. After that Dualla was left to
himself for the day, and when I retired,
for the night I had heard no word. '
The next morning, while I was taking
my bath, I heard a great shout in the
station, and looking out of the window,
I saw the Zanzibaris rushing frantically
to the beach. They were shortly after
seen marching in procession to my house
with Dualla hoisted high, and seated like
a hero on their shoulcktrs. At the door
I met them, and, gravely taking off my
cap, said, "Good morning, Mr. Dualla."
Dualla le&ied smartly to the ground,
and saluting, said, "The boat is at the
beach, sir."
"Thank you, Dualla; there are three
cheques for you, for £25 each. One is
from Lieutenant ——, who was the cause
of the great danger you have been put
to; the second is on behalf of the Inter
national Association, for saving their
property; the third is from myself, for
your bravery.
Out of the jaws of death.
Out of the mouth of hell.
Thank God I"
Dualla performed many other brilliant
feats, but after six yoars' service with me
on the Congo he had £4OO pounds in
Bank of England stock and a complete
kit. He subsequently took service
with Captain James in his expe
dition through Somaliland, and latei
was employed by Mr. G 8. Mac
kenzie, of the I. B. E. A. Company,
in East Africa, at a salary of £lB
per month. He is the same Dualla who
is mentioned so often and so creditably
in Captain Lugard's dispatches as having
assisted him so loyally and so cleverly
in his negotiations with the Mahomme
dans of Uganda.—Pall Mall Budget.
A Bird's Eye Tiew ol Dahomey.
Although previously but little known
to outsiders, Dahomey has been brought
by tue recent French invasion into the
light of the world's attention. It will,
therefore, be timely to call to mind some
of the more important features of this
African State, a few of which are here
given:
"Dahomey, situated on the western
coast of Africa, comprises an area of 4000
square miles, and reaches from the Yor
uba States on the east to Ashanti on the
western boundary, which is marked by
the river Volta. On the north lies the
Wangera territory. Once the largest and
most powerful kingdom on the slave
coast, it has been greatly reduced by
long and disastrous wars with neighbor
ing States. Its population is estimated
at 250,000. The capital is Abomey, in
the interior, and its seaport is Whydah,
seventy miles away.
"The monarchy, /ouuued early in the
Seventeenth Century, is of an absolute
type. King Behanziu maintaining, be
sides ordinary soldiery, the now famous
body guard of 6000 Amazons, or female
troops, who are well disciplined and
formidable warriors. The natives, who
are fetish worshipers and of pure Afri
can blood, are industrious farmers, pro
ducing and exporting maize, cattle,
ivory, India rubber and the
oil made in Upper Guinea. The hostili
ties with France first began in 1890,
arising from the disputed stations, on the
South coast, of Porto Novo and Eotonu.
A peace was concluded in October of
that year, but lasted only until this sum
mer."
In spite of their extreme barbarism the
Dahomeyans were found by the French
to possess tht of modern warfare.
They hav > been accustomed to practice
cruel out Ages upon traveler! and mis
sionaries in the past, and their subjuga
tion by France, after a most stubborn
resistance, is a matter of congratulation
to the civilized world. —Mail and Ex
press.
Photographing Towel Sounds.
At the recent International Congress of
Physiology at Liege, Professor Herman
demonstrated his method of photograph
ing the sound of vowels. The vowels
were sung out before one of Edison's
phonographs. Immediately afterward
they were reproduced very slowly, and
the vibrations recorded by a microphone.
The latter was furnished with a mirror,
which reflected the light of an eleotric
lamp upon a registering cylinder, covered
with sensitized paper and protected by
another cylinder with a small opening
which gave passage to the rays of light
from the reflector. By this means was
obtained very distinct photographic
traces, and the constancy was remark
able for the different letters.—New York
Commercial Advertiser.
Traeing the Name "Ches9."
The word "chess" is said to be a cor
ruption of the Arabic word "sheikh,"
meaning chief or king. The.game came
westward by way of Persia, where the
word sheikh became shah. It was the
game of the king. The term "check"
is merely to give notice that the king is
attacked, and "checkmate" means "the
king is dead;" tho verb mata being from
the same root as the Spanish matador, the
slayer of the bull. The word check,
whether verb or noun, may be traced
through several curious ramifications
back to the Persian and Arabic. Even
the word exchequer is curiously tangled
up in this verbal network.—Churchman.
Marvels of Shoemaklng.
The Boston Globe says that in a pair
of fine shoes there are < two sewed pieces,
two inner soles, two stiffenlnga, two
pieces of steel to give a spring to the in
step, two rands, twelve heel pieces, two
sole linings, twenty upper pieces, thirty
tacks, twelve naila in the heela and
twenty buttons, to say nothing of thread,
both silk and flax, but the wonder is
found in the rapidity with which these
multitudinous pieces are combined in a
single completed work, for, as an exper
iment, some shoe factories have from
the leather compteted a pair of shoes in
less than an hour and a half, and, as a
test, a single pair of men's shoevhave
been finished in twenty minutes.
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.
Metal money is bacteria proof.
London omnibuses are to be lighted
Jjj electricity.
It is twelve years since Pasteur began
his notable experi nenta in germ culture.
The atmosphere, if compressed, would
make a sea thirty-five feet deep around
the globe.
.A case of bleeding through the sound
skin is the subject of a European med
ical report.
The moon, whether full or not, has
not the slightest effect either upon food,
the weather or the mental condition of
insane persons.
The English Board of Agriculture has
classed glanders and farcy as one disease,
and any animal suffering from which is
to be slaughtered at once.
Statistics in London show that in that
city the consumption of gas is steadily
increasing, notwithstanding the more
general adoption of electric light.
Some of the English pumping engines
perform work equaling the raising of
120,000,000 gallons one foot high by
the consumption or 100-weight of coal.
Experiments with bi-sulphide of car
bon show that it will destroy all stages
ef the insect known as bean weevil
eggs, larvae of all sizes, pupce and adults.
The moth has a fur jacket and the
butterfly none, because the nocturnal
habits of the moth require it; the
diurnal movements of the butterfly do
not.
The Queen of the Belgians has just
ordered two or three phonographs, the
purpose of which is to record her maj
esty's extempore compositions on the
piano.
Comparison of results of the sunshine
recorder at Greenwich, England, for
fourteen years, shows that throughout
the year the average daily amount of sun
shine is little more than three hours.
The first hos Ital in America devoted
exclusively to the treatment of dogs was
opened December 30th, as an adjunot
to the veterinary department of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Compressed air for cleaning can is
used on the Union Pacific Railroad at Its
Portland (Oregon) shops. The air, un
der a pressure of fifty pounds per square
inch, Is delivered from a flexible hose
with a small nozzle, and is used as water
would be.
Ice one to two inches thick will bear
men. Two inches thick is estimated fit
to bear infantry; four inches thick to
bear cavalry or light guns; six inches to
bear teams with moderate loads or heavy
field guns; eight inches teams with
heavy loads.
Charles H. F.cqfc, the New York State
botanist, claims that thirty new species
of fungi have been found during the
year. Of the fifty-nine edible species
illustrated in his annual report, he states
that at least ».<rty have been used as food
by him. "The more I experiment in this
direction," he further savs, "the more
firmly I am convinced that the number
of really poisonous or dangerous species
of mushrooms is very small."
Millions of Qnail.
There surely will be an exodus from
some sections of the world lake up its
line of march for tho Mohawk Valley in
Yuma County. The children of Israel
were at one time fed by the number of
quails that flocked around them and
manna from heaven. If they were in
Mohawk Valley to-day they could do
equally as well. The quail literally
cover the ground, and can be r»'-.ght by
hand.* Those who are profiting by catch
ing them and shipping to San Francisco
catch more than they can bag. Hun
dreds of dozens are shipped daily by ex
press. They have used up all the lum
ber for boxes and have about used all
the barley sacks in the county shipping
them in that manner. The children
make from seven to twenty dollars a day
catching them, and their numbers do
not seem to diminish. Similar reports
of their numbers come from Agua Cali
ente and Gila Bend, and their slaughter
goes daily along. You fun-loving
sportsmen, the world over, if you want
to have a genuine good time shooting
quail now is the time to get pleasure.
There are millions upon millions of
them, and no let up to their numbers.
When a band is routed the sound of
their wings is simply deafening, re
sembling a distant thunder roll. There
is no telling what a Yuma climate will
not uext produce.—Yuma (Arizona)
Sentinel.
A Great Philanthropist.
The new Peabody Institute, recently
dedicated at Danvers, Mass., was neces
sarily butlt of wood, but as long as it
stands it will be a very worthy memorial
of the gift of the philanthropist to his
native town. Geortte Peabody was born
in Danvers, February 18th, 1793, and
died in London, November 4th, 1869.
In 1856 he donated SIO,OOO for an insti
tute in his native town, and in 1866 he
endowed it with $40,000, but unfor
tunately tho original structure was
burned in 1890.
The present structure cost but $28,000,
The architecture is colonial, and the
dimensions are flfty-two feet in width
and ninety-two teet long. It stands in
a beautiful park, which is bordered by
Sylvan and Pond streets and Peabody
avenue, and is finished in fine woods,
with the usual rooms of such a building,
as library, main ball, etc. The latter has
a seating capacity of 1100, with a large
stage fitted up with scenery for plain
theatricals.
The library has shelves for 30,000
volumes, and the reading room adjacent
is a very cozy and pleasant place. In
one room hangs the portrait, six by tine
feet, of Ml-. Peabody, which was saved
with great difficulty when the original
building was burned. Its cost was
SISOO. The structure is designed for
library, museum, social hall and general
gathering place for the Daurersit«s.—
New York Advertiser.
Terms— sl.oo in Advance; 51. 25 alter Three Mouth*.
CAPTURINGTBE CATARACT.
NIAOAKA FALLS 18 "HAENESfIBD'
701 MAN'S BENEFIT.
Equal to 1,000,000 Hor»e-Power—
More Tbm One-Tenth ot That
Amount Will Soon be Available.
FOR more than fifty yea re, says a
Buffalo letter to the New Tork
Pre*, the dream of engineers
has been to "harness Niagara."
Well, the dream has comj true. Niag
ara is in harness. To be sun, the
trace chains have not yet been hooked to
the whiffletrees of industry, but the col
lar and hames, the bridle and bit are in
position and ready for the strain when it
•hall come. The greatest cataract of the
world has been subdued, and if, in
knowledge of its captivity its roar is
more sullen than of yore when it existed
only as an insurmountable obstacle to
navigation and a wonder for sightseers
to grow solemn over, the smiles on the
faces of capitalists, the new jingle in the
pocketa of residents of the village of
Niagara Falls, and the complacent
prophecies of the Buffalonian that ten
years hence "Chicago will not be in it,
sir; no, sir, not on your life," are atone
ments.
It is estimated that the total power of
the great waterfall is equal to that of
15,000,000 horses. To any one who has
seen ita ~'«hty volume this does not
seem absurd. The present scheme will
only utilize less than one-hundredth of
that vast wasting force, but it may be
ssretcbed in the future to as great a
length as may be made useful.
The effect of this great enterprise may
not be as great as the sanguine remark
of the Buffalo man who has been quoted
would imply, but it will be very great.
Of course many ot the manufacturing
interests which will be attracted by
cheap power will gather in the little
town which hovers on the brink of the
cataract, and which has in the past been
notable principally for its big hotels, its
clamorous cabbies its Indian bazaars.
But a plan has been deviled whereby the
power will be electrically transmitted to
Buffalo with comparatively small loss, so
that this city win undoubtedly come in
for many of the pudding's plums. The
village of Niagara Falls itself has gone
wild with a boom almost Western in its
enthusiasm.
The first attempt to utilize the water
power of Niagara Falls was made by
Horace A. Dey, who in 18S0 built the
old Hydraulic Cr.nal running from above
the rapids to what are now known as
Shoelkopf's Mills on the brink of the
cataract. This canal discharges its
water Into wbeelpits only sixty feet
deep, which in turn discharge at a point
more than 100 fe>C above the level of
the river below tV> falls, so that more
than three quarters of the possible force
is wasted. The old Hydraulic Canal
gives in all only about 6000 available
horse power.
The new method is the same principle
differently applied. A canal has been
cut from above the rapids as in Dey's
plan; but it runs only a short distance
before it reaches the pits, which are 120
feet deep. A sheer fall through great
pipes is thus obtained, which is nearly
as groat as the height of the falls.
Thus far the work was comparatively
easy. The fun came in giving the water
a vent from the bottom of the whoelpits.
This was accomplished by the construc
tion of a great tunnel through solid lime
stone rock, from the wheolpits to below
the falls. The water abstracted from
the river thus flows for a short distance
through the canal, then takes its big
tumble through the pits down to the
turbine wheels, and then flows through
the tunnel to the river's lower level.
This tunnel is 8713 feet long, twenty
eight feejjf 1 gh and eighteen feet broad,
in semi-&cular form. It is bricked up
along its whole length, an undertaking
which has consumed 13,000,000 cubes
of baked clay, and which, had it been
done by a single bricklayer, would have
occupied his entire attention for twenty
four years. It was thought to be a bet
ter plan to employ 7000 men in its con
struction, however, and they have man
aged to dig it £td line it in a little less
than three years, having kept hard at it
day and night. The total cost of the
enterprise so far has been a trifle of
$2,500,000.
With the wheelpits already finished or
under way, the plant will develop a
minimum of 120,000 horse power. This
would be more than sufficient to run
seven of the largest steamships afloat,
and steamships are not easy things to
run. It is highly improbable, however,
that the power from the falls will be
utilized in ocean navigation.
But if the dreams of the projectors of
this big entorprise come true, some
things almost as remarkable as that
would be are likely to occur. Its pro
motors have been devoting almost as
much attention to studying how to trans
mit the power as they have to studying
how to develop it.
In order to increase the power it will
be necessary only to dig new wheel pits.
The canal and the tunnel are big enough
to hold water for 1,000,000 horse power,
and that is what the company places its
maximum capacity at. Of course there
are sneers, but the company ha* Niagara
Falls and the engineers on its side, and
seems likely to come out ahead.
They Eat Dog.
It is said that dogs aro slaughtered at
Munich for gastronomic purposes in
large and increasing numbers. They
are openly sold in the markets with no
attempt at disguise, and there is an in
creasing demand for the meat, which is
openly bought and served at table just as
any other meat. It is said that the cus
tom of eating tbese animals wa? intro
duced into the Bavarian capital by the
Italian laborers who have settled there in
large numbers.—New Orleans Picayune.
The historic chateau at Cirey, France,
has been sold to a rich manufacturer for
$500,000. It was once the home of Vol
taire. >
NO. 14.
VhE SONO Oft THE ICE.
Sing ho! sing hoi for the skater, oh!
For the flying feet and the winds that
blow!
For-the blood, that runs to the eheek, to
glow
Like the western Ay 1
81ng ho! once more for the flying shorel
And the great long cracks in our icy floor?
And the tree tops that wail ot the sad no
more
Of thad*— gone by I
Sing ho! sing ho! as we glide and go
Where the pines on the edge of tbe shore
bend low.
Over the ice, and the stream's still flow
As in times gone by I
Sing ho! once more while tbe pine tops roar
With a song that they sing to us o'er and
o'er
As the old sun walks through the great red
door
Of the western sky!
—Charles O. Rogers, in Outing
HUMOR OF THE DAT.
A chafing dish—Crow.
Cold feet—Two feet of snow.
Creature comforts—Household peta.
A partial payment—The favorite'a
salary.
An old-timer—Your great grand
father's clock.—Troy Press.
The editor may enjoy good health,
always "in a critical condition."
—Puck.
Talk about your transformations t We
have seen a square man turn round.
Statesman.
Some philanthropic women seer, to
work everywhere except at bonis.
Somerville Journal.
Qreat wit may be allied to madness,
but the stupid man need not brag of his
superior sanity.—Puck.
"Here's another case of kidnapping,"
said the messenger boy who found a
comrade asleep.—Washington Post.
A man may be supejior to false social
standards, yet it makes him uncomfort
able to be cut by his barber.—Puck.
A young man never thoroughly
appreciates his own insignificance until
be attends his own wedding.—Puck.
In Missouri they sell Shetland ponies
by the perpendicular foot, and the pur
chaser has to pony up.—Chicago Tri
bune.
Mincer—"What brought about all this
trouble between Morgan and his wife?
Is his mind unsettled?" Parsons—"No,
it was his coffee."
Mrs. Singer—"Patti has a diamond
ring worth $5000." Mr. Singer—"Oh,
well, I wager she got it for a mere song."
—Jeweler's Weekly.
Mrs. Trolley—"3o tell m<3, Mr. Kan
vass, which is the greatost work ol art?"
Mr. Kauvass—"Selling the paint
ings."—New York Sun.
"Jenny, do you know what a miracle
is?" "Yea'm. Ma says if you don't
marry our new parson it will be a
miracle."—Brooklyn Life.
Martin—"How well Miss Green bough
keeps her age!" Mrs. Grinder—"Why,
of course I nothing would induce her to
give it away."—lnter-Ocean.
"I really feel that I am a public
example of pole-lightness," said the
caibon as it was putin readiness for the
electric current.—Washington Star.
"Our gardener will make a good vil
lain in o melodrama." "Why so?"
"Because he is always laying out plots
that amount to nothing in the end."—
Boston Gazette.
Eleanor—"Don't you think Miss
Noyes plays with great feelingf" Tom
(dryly)—" Yea; she does seem to feel
about for the notes a good deal."—Har
vard Lampoon.
On the Ocean Greyhound: Captain
Saylors—"l'm sorry to say, madame,
we're delayed. The vessel's broke her
shaft, ma'am." Mrs. J. S. (sympatheti
cally)—"Ob, dear! Can't you fix it with
this hairpin?"— Chicago News Record.
"The great problem that I have to
deal with," said the keeper of the im
becile asylum, "is to find some occupa
tion for the people under my cbkrge."
"Wby not set them to inventing college
yells," asked the visitor.—Buffalo Ex
press.
Old Lady (to chemist) —"I want a box
of canine pills." Chemist—' 1 What's the
matter with the dog?" Old Lady (in
dignantly)—"l want you to understand,
sir, my husband is a gentleman."
(Chemist puts up quinine pills in pro
found silence.) —Philadelphia Times.
NoTel Climbing Device.
A French inventor has devised a novel
and practical arrangement for use by
firemen and others to facilitate rope
climbing, and, at the same time, to per
mit the climber to havo free use of hia
hands. The apparatus consists of two
boards joined by a hinge, a hole passing
through both the hinge apd the boards,
and the extremities of the latter arc pro
vided with straps, which can be fastened
to the feet of the man using the appara
tus. The method of climbing involved
in this arrangement is simple. When
the foet attached to the boards aro lifted
the rope is free, but the moment the feet
are pressed down on the two boards the
rope is firmly gripped. It is only neces
sary, therefore, to Mift the body with
both hands as far as possible, and it can
then be held by the hinged clamps until
anothor lift is made. By the use of a
belt to hold the body close to the rope
the hands may be left free for work.—
Fire and Water.
A Cartons Spring.
Three miles north of Aurora, in Al
bany County, Wyoming, a stone bluff
rises abruptly from the plains to a hight
of 600 foot. Thirty feet from the ground
tbe rock has a torn and jagged appear
ance as if it had been struck by light
ning. From the clefts thus formed there
gushes forth a spriug, or springs, of
magnificent water, the volume being
quite large.—American Farmer.