STURGEON FISHING. An Important Industry on the Columbia River. How the Big and Homely Fish Is Captured. The Columbiau river sturgeon, known among scientific men as a trans montanus or white sturgeon, is the largest of the sturgeon family. It is a salt-water fish, but, like the salmon, runs up the coast rivers to spawn, and thus becomes an easy prey for tho fishermen. The first look at a stur geon, and particularly if he is a big one, is almost sufficient to put an end to all desire to taste the meat. Tho long hog-like suout, the small glassy eyes, tho ugly sucker-like mouth, toothless and situated on the lower side of the head several inches from the end of ihe snout, the bonv plates upon the sides, and sharp and ugly fin ex tending down the whole length of tho back; the general sluggish and ugly appearance of the fish, when taken from the suggest almost any thing except an article of food. The scientist takes a great interest in the sturgeon because it is one of the oldest members of the fish family now in existence and one which plays an important part iu tho great theory of evolution. A fine specimen of Columbia-river sturgeon was recently captured by some of S. Schmidt's employee's ami presented to a well-known taxider mist of this city, who stuffed the skin and fcent it to form part of Oregon's exhibit at the World's Fair. This fish was 94 feet in length, and when first taken from tho water weighed 450 pounds. Throe fish taken by Mr. Schmidt's employees this winter had an aggregate weight of 1800 pounds. Of course these are exceptionally large ones, the average weight of a dressed sturgeon being 125 lbs. It is believed that these monsters are of a great age. They are known among fishermen as "mossbacks," because of the horny and crusted appearance of their back*, upon which large-sized barnacles are often Tho sturgeon is naturally a scavenger, and lives upon any bits of food it can pick up ou the bottom of the river, including worms and all kinds of shellfish. In Sep tember and October, when sardines swarm in the mouth of tho river, the sturgeon has a regular feast, for the sardine is an easy prey for it, and seems to be well suited to its digestive apparatus. The season for taking sturgeou|u from September 15 to April 1. "When they first enter the river to feast upon sardines they are taken in large quan tities with gill-nets, in much the eaine manner that salmon are caught. Dur ing the remainder of the season the sturgeon must be taken witii hook and line, or, rather hooks and line, for the sturgeon does not nibble at a bait like a common, ordinary fish. Tho method in common use is as follows: Upon a stout line many fathoms in length are fastened a number of big hooks. These hooks are made of steel and a. e strung several inches apart. The line is then lowered by means of sinkers, so a* to bring the hooks within a few inches of tho river bottom, where it is fastened securely. The fish, swim ming sluggishly along the bottom of the river in search of food, suddenly feels one of the sharp barbed hooks fastened in its scaly hide. In thrashing about to free itself the clumsy fellow fets afoul of more hooks and is then securely fastened. Tho fisherman rows bis boat along above his line, pulling up his lino an he goes and removing the tish en tangled in it. If lie wishes to use the fish at once he draws it up to the side of the boat and knocks it in the head with a hammer before drawing it in to the boat. Jf ho wishes to preserve the fish alive until the market is better lie tows it along to a trap, which is simply a shallow portion of the rivor sliut in by a barrier of stout poles stuck in the bottom so close together that even a small sized sturgeon can not force its way between them. If the sturgeon were possessed of any sort of life or activity it would be a hard customer to handle. A big stur geon will somotimcs "get his dander up," as the saying is, and thrash about in such a manner as to almost upset the big fishboat, but such occurences are rare. [Portland Oregoniau. Bruin Prefers a Vegetable Diet. "Speaking of bears," said the know ing man from Colorado, "their carniv orous habits are usually much over rated. I have been a resident within the borders of my adopted stato for twenty-three years, ten of which were passed in the wildest portion of its grand mountain ranges, ana three con secutive years in a part of the. then, Territory, wheu bears were as com mon as raccoons are in Virgiuia. Ia my bunting and trapping expeditions, alone or with tlio ludians, I have started these animals from their mid day slumbers in their 'wallows' in the sloughs of the Grand, Snake, and Yampah rivers, sur prised them io the raspberry patches of the Cochetoba and Gove ranges, and watched them digging for ant's eggs or feeding ou the windrows of be numbed grasshoppers that lay along the summer snow line between Long's Peak and Berthard Pass, but have never seen one watching a deer trail or lick, or chasing a bull elk. I have seen a big gray-black brule of this much-maligned family standing as high and looking as vicious as John L. Sullivan, clasping a bunch of sar vis-bushes iu his mighty arms, and 'gorming' down the fruit in gallon tnouthfuls,while a doe and two fawns eropped water cresses within fifty feet of him and plainly iu his sight, but never a glance did this bloodthirsty vandal cast in their direction. "In September, 1876, I killed a black bear in ray potato patch in the Yampah Valley. This fellow in order to reach the garden, had passed through a little paddock where were kept six calves, but I do not think he gave them a nod as he went by. It has becu my misfortune to have him raid my camp while I was hunting in Elk-head range, and, while 011 my re turu at night, I found the commissary breadless and buttcrless, the molasses keg 'busted' and contents missing, sugar an unknown quantity, and cans of corn and tomatoes mashed fiat as pancakes. Thero on the ridge polo ot the tent swayed the side of bacon, and 011 the branch of a pine tree, not teu feet away, hung uudisturbed the fat and juicy ham of a spiko buck killedjthe previous eveniHg." —[New York Sun. How Helena Received Its Name. Iu October, 1854, there was a meet ing iu George Wood's cabin to ar range for laying out a town and giv ing it a name. These wcro some of the names the rough miners suggested that 1110 prospective city be called: "Punkinville, Squashtown, Toma hawk and Toniah." A Mr. John Soin erville suggested that a good name would be St. Helena. The general taste was divided between Helena (a shortening of St. Helena and Toinah, an abbreviation of Tomahawk. Hele na won the votes. In tho name St. Helena the accent is ou the second syllublo of the last word, but in the course of years the name of tho pluce has come to bo called ileleua Dy ev" er> body. It is said that one miner had been to the island of St. Helena, and thought Last Chance G'llch looked like a part of that island. Then, again, it is said that Helena was the name of a daugh tor of a miner who attoiuled the meet ing, or of the wife of such a miner. But the best story is that John Soiner ville said, in a speech that he made, "I belong to the best country in the world, lived iu the best Stato in it, iu tlfc best county iu that State, id in the best town in that county, anu, by the Eternal, this place shall bear the name of that towu —Helena." lie was a tall, hardy, jovial frontiersina'u from Minnesota, who had takeu his wife with him to share his rough lifo as a miner. [Harper's Young People. An Enormous Ox. William McMillan of Atlantic, la., lavs claim to the ownership of the largest ox in the world. His meas urements arc as follows: from head to tail, 12 teot 4 inches; from tip of nose to tip of tail, 17 feet 8 inches; girth, 11 feet 1 inch; acros3 hips, 2 feet 9 inches; from brisk to top of shoulder, 4 feet 11 inches; circumfer ence—front leg at body, 29 inches; of hind leg between knee and body, 2 feet and 8 inches; height to top of shoulder, C feet and 4 inches; weight, 3,890 pounds. This weight was taken last fall 011 his return from an exhibi tion tour to the county aud State fairs in lowa and Nebraska. Mr. Mc- Millian estimates that his ox, named Jumbo, will weigh at least 300 pounds more thau when weighed last fall. Jumbo is a thoroughbred Durham, with the characteristic red color of that breod, and unmarked excepting a white star in the forehead. He has been pronounced by the best stock breeders of lowa and Nebraska as finely a proportioned auimal of the bovine species as they had ever seen. He will be seven years old on Jnly 14, 1893. He is geutle as a kitten, and has but a moderate appetito. He was raised by C. W. Curtis of Cass Comity, la-, who has marketed several brothers and half-brothers of Jumbo, whose weights ranged from 2,200 to 2,800 pounds.—[St. Louis Globe-Democrat. FOIBLES OF SHARKS. A Diver's Experience With the Marine Monsters They Are Rather Curious, But Rarely Give Trouble. Sharks are very common ail along the coast of Australia. They become more numerous, larger and more vo racious the nearer we goto the equator. Passengers who make ocean voyages may often see them from the deck of the ship, but I see them in their native clcmeut, says a diver in Chambers' Journal. A day seldom passes when lam at work that I do not see some of these creatures. They do not seem to recognize a diver wbeu clad in his diving dress as something which is good to eat. Probably he is mistaken for some other great se a monster with which the shark would just as soon as not measure his strength. At all events sharks rarely give us any active annoyance. At first when we go into a new country they exhib it some curiosity. They sometimes come and inspect us and our work, moving slowly around us with per ceptible motion and smelling us like great dogs. It gives one a very hor rible feeling of insecurity, I assure you, when one of those monsters twelve or fourteen feet long runs his nose around your body, aud without even a solitary "wag" of his tail to indicate good fellowship. The shark will swim away right enough when he has finished his inspection —at least lie has always done so with me— and although annoying I can stand it now. Sometimes when you go down of a morning you will find half a dozen big aud littlo sharks who have evidently selected the site of your operations as a camping ground. This is awkward. Perhaps they have observed the dis turbance at the bottom of the sea, and, like marine constables, they "are waiting for the fellow who made it to run him in." This is an awkward experience, for these sharks do not clear oil' and admit your claim. They say all animals have a fear of man, but sharks cannot recognize a man in a diver's costume. They neither op. pose nor assist us in our operations — they simply ignore us. We have to be very careful then, walking around about these pigs without disturbing them. 1 have occasionally used a small crowbar as a weapon and struck a small shark on the nose when ho was annoying me with his persistency. The shark will then turn and go oil with a rush. I would not, however, like to try my crowbar on a shark ten feet long. After his rush away he might return for further investiga tion. I have had many nasty adventures with sharks when pursuing my occu pation. I recollect one that gave me a considerable shock. I had been en. gagod blowing up a reef of rocks so as to enlarge a littlo harbor on the coast. It was my duty to make the hole and putin the charge of dyna mite. The charge was exploded in the ovening after we left off work. Ongoing down every mftrning I was accustomed togo over to a certain lodge which was always a good rest ing place for lobsters. Moruing after morning I had invariably fouud a pair or more of these crustaceans, which I seut to the surface in a bas ket. On the morning to which I now refer I walked straight to tl\e ledge aud ran my haud carefully along its lower side. I was surprised to find my hand scraping wtiac I took to be the rock, but I was surprised still more when I observed my haud groping within a foot of the mouth of a great shark which had retired to rest in this cavitj*. The shark must have been as much alarmed as I was, for it made one sprinting from its resting place and disappeared in the dark wall of the ocean. The shock to mo was greater than I could have believed, aud evon yet Ido not care to thiuk about it. It is hardly necessary to say that 1 did not return to that ledge for lobsters for some time. Chinese Babies. When a Chinese baby is a month old it is given a name. Its head is also sliaved for the first time, a cere mouy which is called "munefet," and is made the occasion of great re joicing in rich families. All members of the family are present in thoir holi day attire, and the baby to be shaved is clad in a light red garment. The hair that is removed is wrapped in paper and carefully preserved. After the barber has performed his task, an aged muu—who is hired for purpose aud receives a small com pensation —lays his hand upon the head of the little one aud exclaims: "Long may you livel" Those present thereupon sit down to a great feast, of which even the little hero of tho day receives his share in tho sliape of a tiny piece of the rice flour cake, which was donated by his grandmother. All who have made preseuts (of clothing, bracelets, etc.,) to the child since its birth are invited to the repast. On this day the infant is also pres ented with a red bed, a low chair of the same color aud a cap upon which either golden, silver or copper orna ments representing Buddha or eight cherubs or written characters (that signify old age and riches) are placed. Before the child is put into the new bed, however, the father consults a calendar and selects a lucky day. The almanac also informs him which things should be removed from- the presence of the child. In one in stance it must not touch or see objects made of bamboo during a certain time; iu another iustanco articles of capper and iron are proscribed. Objects which aro denoted as harm* ■ful by the calendar arc either con cealed or taken away. —[San Francisco Examiner. Plowed Up a Fortune. "Speaking of monoy," said Jotin I. Spencer, "brings to my miud tho great find the Owens family made near Bedford, Ind., some two years ago. That country is rather hilly, and the ground not very desirable for agricultural purpoees. This family had some 200 acres of land and largely used it for pasturage. However, about the time I refer to one of the Owens boys decided to cultivato a small portion which lie judged to be better soil than the rest. With this point in view lie began plowing in tlie early spring. In the course of his work lie struck a snag. Before turning tho plow aside he endeavored to draw out the snag. By striking tho horse he forced the plow only deeper into the earth. The sudden start of tho horse jerked the sunken log loose from the earth and revealed a heap of silver and gold coins. lie gathered the bud of coins aud removed them to the house, where he polished up the many pieces aud took an ac. count of their face value. "Tho find included rare old French coins, both copper, silver and gold; American silver dollars, some Mexican and souic coins of the Revolutionary period. "The face value of the many pieces footed up SSOO, but tiie market value was something liko SIO,OOO. The old settlers assert that the monoy was left there by somo former resident, who feared the approach of the Indiaus. Having buried the monoy he probably eugaged iu a battle with the Indians and never lived to return and take up the treasure. The money, no doubt, lay under that log for fully sixty years, and possibly longer."—[St. Louis Globe Democrat. The Vegetable Structure of Coal. The substance of coal has been so compressed that the forms of the plants composing it cannot usually bo seen. But when a piece of it is made so thin that it will transmit light, and is then subjected to a powerful micro scope, its vegetable structure may readily be distinguished. Immediate, ly under every separate scam of ccal there is a stratum of what is known as fire clay. This stratum is always present and contains 111 great abund ance the fossil impressions of roots and stems aud twigs, showing that it was once the soil from which vegeta tion grew luxuricntly. It is common also to find fossil tree stems lying mashed fiat between the layers of black slate which form the roofs of coal mines as well as the impressions of the leaves, nuts and seeds which fell from these trees while they were living. In some bed* of canuel coal whole trees havo been found with roots, branchos, leaves and seeds com plete, and all converted into the same quality of coal as that by which they were surrounded.—[Washington SU-. Reasonably Explained. "Claude, do you kuow what has be come of the preserve that was iu this bowl ?" "You meau the evaporated peaches, ma'am?" "YDS." "Don't you think they might havo evaporated, mamma?' I —[Judge. There are 1695 railroad bridges of I various classes in Massachusetts, ac cording to official figures, which also show that there have been 18,347 train accidents in the United States dtiriug iho last twenty yens. PEAKLS OF THOUGHT. The object of the superior man is truth. The secret of success is constancy to purpose. Wisdom never analyzes the blood of pinpricks. Disapproval is generally rooted in self-approval. The negatives of life arc the mold crs of character. A noble soul has no other morit tlinu to bo a noble soul. Philosophy, the food for thought, oft starves the body. An individual's bliss oft becomes community's blister. Truthfulness is at the foundation of all personal excellence. Literature sometimes -caches its greatest height as kite-tails. To steal from one's self is more contemptible than to steal from a blind man. The telephone service of tho nerves never loses a connection without dis* aster. It is hotter to be misunderstood ninety-nine than to misunder stand once. A careless song, with a littlo non sense in it now and then, does not misbecome a monarch. Tears are often to be found where there is little sorrow, and the deepest sorrow without any tears. Man absorbs knowledge as a sponge does water, and, liko a sponge, needs an occasional wringing out. The secret of many a man's success in the world resides in his insight into the moods of men and his tact in deal ing with them. Sincerity is an openness of heart; we fiud it iu very few people. What we usually see is an artful dissimula tion to win the confidence of others. Talkative people, if they wished to be loved, they aro liated; if they de sire to please, they bore; when they thiuk they are admired, they are really laughed at; they injure their friends, benefit their cuemies, and ruin them selves. To Be the World's Granary. "If the horse could stand it," said S. A. Itowbothan, a well-known resi lient of Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the Star this morning, '-a man could leave Winnipeg and ride 1000 miles west and northwest over a level prairie be fore he would be obstructed by the mountains. This gives au idea of the great territory lying west of Winni peg, which, to the eastern man, seems way out of the world. "The soil of this prairie produces the finest spring wheat grown any where, and the enormous plain I've just mentioned will in a few years be the great granary of tho world. East ern people have a misty idea of our expansive territory. We arc just com mencing to grow wheat compared to a decade hence, though our crop two years ago was 30,000,000 bushels. We have but little snow and in the many voars I resided in Manitoba I never saw tho tops of the bright pi airie grass covered. Cattle fairly roll iu fat, and we are becouiiug a great cattle coun try. "While most of our settlers are from across the water, yet the number front the Western states is yearly increas ing. We have no wild West frontier scenes. There are no settlers killed over disputed c'aitns, as has been an every-day story in the West for years. Our homestead laws require a three years' residence of six months each. Land may be pre-empted, too. "Gold has been discovered in wonder fully rich quartz deposits a few miles east of Winnipeg, aud paying have just been erected by Minneapolis capi talists. I predict a 'rush' to the Lake of tho Woods district next year. Winnipeg has 35,000 inhabitants, and is a thriving city. Our winters aro cold, but we do not mind them. The atmosphere is dry and the days are clear, murky weather being almost unknown."—f Washington Star. Benefit of Good Roads. One of the best arguments for good roads is contained in a calculation re cently published in one of the engi neering papers. It states that ou the worst earth roads, not muddy, but ■amly, a horse can draw only twice as much as he can carry on his back; on a fair earth road, three and a half times as much; on a good macadam ized road, nine times as mueh; ou a smooth plank road, tweiUy-fivo times as much; ou a stone trackway, thirty three times as mnch, and on metal rails, fifty-four times as much. The men who use the country roads can therefore make money by improving the roads rather than by buying new horses every year or two. [New York Journal. C HII.DKKVN COLUMN. TFIE CRUISE OR THE EI.VEFL. Three elves sailed forth on a flake of snow, Anil a great wind soon began to blow. "We must take in sail at once," said they, "With a yeo, heave ho!—heave ho, belay! Then they looked about them, fore and aft, But they found no sail on their suowdake craft. "We must port our helm Instead," said they, "With a yeo, heave ho!—heave ho, belay 1" But, alas, there wasn't a helm to shift, So they ran aground on a big snowdrift. "This isn't bad seamanship," said they, "With a yeo, heave ho! —heave ho, belay!" "You can't reef sails that you havn't got, Or port your helm where a helm is not; "But we know what should be done," said they, "With a yeo, heave ho ! —heave ho, belay." To Elftown straight from that spot they sped, And tbey paced the streets with a naval tread, "'Twas a most successful cruise," said they, '•With our yeo, hsave ho!—heave ho, be lay I" |Felix Leigh, in St. Nicholas. HOLLAND'S LITTLE QUEEH. If any little American maid who ia a queen by right divine and has had her will and way ever since she could hold a rattle box, even if she doesn't know it, thinks it would be a fine thing to be a real queen with a crown of gold and jewels and to wear her Sunday thing# every day, it will be ' well for her to read something of what is expected of Queen Wilhelmina of Holland. In the lirst place she has as many corner stones to lay, ship? to christen and great bazaars to open as does that overworked man, the Prince of Wales. Then there are lessons to learn from masters and mistresses galore. In deed, at a great court festivity the child Queen was heard consoling one of her cousins who was complaining of lessons, saying: "I, too, must learn such a stupidly stupid lot'* Already she speaks equally well Dutch, French, English and German, and masters come every day to teach her other branches. She is fond of music, and shows considerable promise of talent, inheriting this taste from her father, who onco composed an opera. There is but an half-hour's respite from the lesions in the morning, and iu the afternoon there is always the cooking aud sewing, for every Dutch maiden must be a good Iluusvrow. A retinue of 30 dolls the little girl lias of all sorts and conditions, but an additiou to her numerous family givea her greater pleasure than anything else. The German Emperor sent her at Christmas a whole regiment of lead soldiers in most resplendent uniform. Some day the baby Louise will teach her father what a waste of money it is to send soldiers to a girl. When these dolls arc very, very bad, after the manner of dollios the world over, their royal mother punishes them by making them bow, aud bow, and bow to an imaginary public, which the Queen thinks is the most disagreeable thing ono can have to do. This doll family lives in a chalet iu the garden, and here the Queen brings ail th 9 friends who come to visit her. They play at housekeeping, just as all little girls do, and the Queen always insists ou being the servant It was the Princess Victoria, who, when a child, went to visit a dear old lady that al lowed her to do just as she pleused, and she always pleased to have a pail of suds and wash the windows. Wilhelmina of Holland doesn't begiu to have the pretty things to wear that the little girls hero enjoy, even those whose fathers are not wealthy and whose mothers make the frocks them selves, for the Dutch idea of dress is deplorably inartistic. She often wears the peasaut dress of llicdillerent prov inces when she travels through them, and when her old nurse comes to visit her she finds, not a Queen child, but a lit tie peasant maid dressed just like herself. Sometimes the quaint caps are very heavy and hot, but the little girl wears them until her head ache*, learning the lessons early that all queens must learn.— [N.Y. Sun. Unexpected Wealth. I have heard it said by a friend of tho late Albert Way, the well-known archaeologist, that he catnc by a for tune in this wise. Crossing Pall Mull he cannoned against an old gentleman, and discomfited him. After mutual apologies aud the interchange ot civilities, cards were exchanged, and on each card was imprinted "Mr Albert Way." The older gentleman dying had no natural lieir, and left Ids fortune to the other Albert Way. [Tho Spectator. Three different boring machine*,de signed to cut oat a central boro 2-4 feet in diameter, were invented for use in the Hoosac tunnel.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers