1 NICARAGUA CANAL. 1
H DESCRIPTION OF A GIGANTIC PROJECT. f|
The final fate of the Nioaragua
Canal project will shortly be decided,
says the New York Herald. The
United States gunboat Newport has
Bailed away with a commission of en
gineers appointed by the Government,
and their report as to the feasibility
of the watterway between the Atlantic
and Pacific will determine whether or
not the United States shall control
this great but still embryonic enter
prise.
Records show that it became a seri
MANAGUA (NICARAGUA) STREET SCENE.
ous matter in the last century, but no
definite plan of action was ever adopted
until a few years ago, when work on
the route was actually begun.
But this canal through the isthmus
is not a thing which can be accom
plished readily, and there is some di
vergence of opinion in regard to the
best place on the isthmus through
which to cut it. The French have
been working through the narrower
strip near Panama, but so far there is
no immcdiato promise of success ia
the undertaking.
STONE IDOL, RUINS OF QURIGUA.
The American company has chosen
the longer, though apparently less
difficult, route through the State of
Nicaragua. Ou this line the natural
water courses will be used extensively,
and it is supposed by many to be, con
sequently, a more practical undertak
ing than the one through the higher
hills near Panama.
At the eastern entrance of the ca
nal is the settlement of Greytown.
After proper dredging and lights have
made the harbor navigable a ship ap
proaching from the eastward will not i
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COSTA RICA ' ' /|
ROUTE OP THE PKOPOSED CANAL.
find the navigation difficult. At the
present time, however, the shoal
water and the low country, partly
hidden in the almost continual rain,
make the approach rather dangerous.
On entering the ship will proceed
along an almost straight cut until the
Ochoa district is reachod. Hero an
enormous dam cross the natural bed
HEADLAND AT BlilTO, PACIFIC OUTLET
TO CANAL.
of the San Juan lliver marks the first
point where remarkable skill in engi
neering will be displayed. The ship
will be turned into the natural bed of
torse stream, ami will proceed
slowly through the jungle country
until locked up to the level of Lake
Nioaragua. This will be about 110
feet above the mean low water level
in the Caribbean Sea, and is called
mean lake level. On entering Lake
Nicaragua the channel across the
lake runs straight toward the point on
the opposite shore where the cut to
the Pacific begins. The lake is less
than fifty miles wide at its broadest
point and is deep enough at a distance
of half a mile from the shore to float
the largest ship. Here the sailor will
have a breathing spell aftei? his cruise
overland, and aiter being lockod down
to the quiet waters of the Pacific, the
vessel will be free to proceed to her
destination with a full realization of
how well the quiet ocean deserves its
name.
The commission appointed by th'
President togo over the proposed route
during the winter of 1897-8 is to de
cide certain questions in regard to the
cost and feasibility of the project, as
suggested by the canal company. It
is composed of three of the ablest men
in the United States for deciding these
matters, and is supported by a num
ber of naval officers, civil engineers
and assistants. Two men-of-war will
aid the expedition and will assist in
the hydrographic work in the harbors
on the east and west coasts. Tho
shore parties will have togo over many
of the old lines, and, as the jungle has
long closed these, they will have to
cut their way through, as before, with
tho machete.
The Commissioners will return to
the United States in the spring, and,
ENTRANCE TO CANAL, GKEYTOWN'.
as their report will probably be final
as to the interest the Government will
take in the project, the civilized world
will await them with some impatience
to know if the greatest of Republics
will decide to control the gateway to
the Pacific.
Leaves as Good um Fruit*
A French druggist, named Jasque
mill, has conceived the idea that the
flavor of fruits of shrubs and trees gen
erally is generated in the flowers of
these plants, and passes from them in
to the fruits. The fragrance which
the leaves of the blanck currant bush
give off, especially after a little rub
bing, and which is so very similar to
the to the taste of the berry, has led
this man to adopt this opiuiou. Ho
goes further, and says that the pleas
ant taste of the apple, pear or grape is
prepared in the leaves of the respec
tive plants, althoug he admits that it
is hardly noticeable with these, and
by far not in the same degree as with
the black currant. Jasquemin places
apple leaves in water coutaiuing from
fifteen percent of sugar; then he adds
yeast. During the process of fermen
tation there is an odor of apples, and
when the fermentation is finished and
the yeast has settled, a straw yellow
liquid is obtained which possesses the
fine "bouquet" of the fruit of the re
spective trees from which the leaves
were obtained. With vine leaves the
results are still more prolific. A
beverage tasting and smelling strongly >
of wine is obtained, and finally brandiJ
may bo distilled from it which isequar
to the best cognac.
Injjenlons Street Lamp. Mr
Street lamps can be mouutcdAn ft
new telescopic post to makwpthem
easy to reach for trimming andHplling,
a setscrew engaging the centSl shaft
to hold it in a position
and weights set in the post
balauce the lamp.
USES FOR CORNSTALKS.
A WORTHLESS PRODUCT TO BE UTIL«
IZED IN MORE THAN SIXTY WAYS.
Cellulose for Armored Vessels Is to Be
Turned Out in Vast Quantities—Some*
thing: of the Factory Methods—Farmers'
Bane Now in Great Demand.
When tlie pioneers of America, who
had successfully tusseled -with the In
dian and possessed themselves of his
inheritance, tackled the Indian corn
stalk, they retired baffled and beaten,
and from that time to the present the
stalk has been monarch of the field,
at once the biggest nuisance and most
worthless product of the farm. But a
Moses has arisen to deliver the farmer
from his thraldom. From a nuisance
in farm economy the stalk has become
a valuable product; from a worthless
waste it has attained to the dignity of
$4 a ton rating, and now it is daily ar
riving in great loads from all parts of
Winnebago county, Illinois, and is be
ing piled in immense stacks on the
grounds of the Marsdeu Development
company at Eockford.
Already, says the Chicago Record,
there are several thousand tons of the
stalks collected, and by the time the
crop is all in there will be many times
as many on hand. The past year was
not a good one for stalk development,
and the average crop does not exceed
1000 pounds an acre, but normally
nearly twice this amount would be
realized. The vast piles of stalks will
be turned into a marketable product
before summer comes again, and the
beginning of a great industry will have
been fairly made in Illinois. If the
claims aud hopes of the officials of the
company are realized, the benefits of
the Marsden patents to the world at
large will be stupendous financially,
and agreat waste in agricultural econo
my will be stopped. It is stated on
good authority that the crop of corn
stalks in the United States for 1895
reached the immense aggregate of
1(H),000,000 tons, and this of a product
unfit for food for man or beast.
The processes of the Marsden com
pany are many, but there are only two
products that they are commercially
operating with. Mr. Marsden has
proved that over sixty different
products may be made from stalks,
among the leading minor possibilities
being alcohol of a superior quality,
shoe enamel which will not crack,
Bmokeless powder of a high degree of
efficiency, paper much better than any
now produced from wood pulp, an ef
ficient material for use in electric in
sulation, a material possessing iu
marked degree the property of non
conduction ofheat. But these thus fur
have beeu commercially overshadowed
by the corn pith cellulose, and, as a
by-product, an excellent cattle food.
Although the process of the compa
ny is secret and the agents of the con
cern will neither allow inspection of
the plant nor indicate the methods em
ployed, the general idea of the opera
tion which converts the stiff fibre-cov
ered pith into merchandise is quite
simple. The stalk is ground very line
and the resulting comminuted mixture
of pith and fibre, the two differing
greatly in specific gravity, is separated
by the use of a strong air blast and
the action of gravity, the heavy fibre
first falling, while the pith is carried
on by the blast to another receptacle.
There is no waste product; the heavier
part, the fibre which has composed
the stock and blades, is put into sacks
and goes as stock food, while the pith
is sacked and as corn cellulose goes to
the Eastern market to aid iu armoring
battleships.
The stalk yields pith and fibre in
about equal quantities, but on the
scales the tale is different, the pith
not being more than 10 per cent, of
the prodiut The stock food is esti
mated to be about equal to hay as a
stock ration, and serves the same pur
pose—that of a base for feeding heavi
er rations. It has not been put to a
test on the farms, as it is not sold at
all in the open market. The whisky
trust appreciated the advantages of
the food, and has contracted for the
entire output of the present factories,
using it in the cattle-feeding barns.
The plans of the Marsden company,
which has an authorized capital of
$50,000,000, look to an immense en
largement of the business and the
spreading of their factories through
the corn belt as fast as the demand
for the products grows. Every part
of the cornstalk, other than the pith,
is used in the food, an also the fibres
which bind the pith itself in its natural
state, but which are separated iu the
great grinder.
The discovery of the possibility of
utilizing the cornstalk was made
through the use of cellulose in naval
construction. It was found soon after
the adoption of armored craft that they
were more liable to dangerous leaks if
the armor were once penetrated than n
wooden vessel yould be, being less
buoyant. With the development of
modern heavybrdnance of wonderful
penetrative pawer the question became
a serious oje. It was solved by
French designers. The vulnerable
area of thof ship is not large, the most
dangerous breaks being but little be
low the/vater. The French plan pro
vided flrir the construction of an arch
ing fidfse deck from a point a few feet
below the water line to the deck, leav-
space abouc thirty inches wide
between this deck and the outer shell
Jff armor, the side of the battleship.
Wilis space is densely packed with cel
lulose, stowed by hydraulic pressure.
In the French construction cocoanut
fibre was used and answered fairly
the requirements. It remained for
Mr. Marsden to apply the despised
pith of the cornstalk in place of the
more expensive cocoanut. At first it
was claimed only that the new materi
al would be an economy, but the tests
made by the government established
a great superiority for the American
product.
THE REALM
OK FASHION.
Novelty goods of all sorts, accord
ing to May Manton, are much in
vogue for children's wear. The cos
tume shown cambines blue with
GIRLS' COSTUME.
brown, and is trimmed with black
braid. With it is shown a Tam hat of
the same. The foundation of the
blouse is a fitted lining that closes at
the centre-front. The blouse proper
is fitted by shoulder and under-arm
seams only, and closes invisibly at the
left side. Both back and fronts pouch
well over the belt, which is of black
satin. The sleevos are two-seamed,
and fit snugly to well above the elbows,
where they are slightly full after the
latest children's style. At the wrists
are braid ornaments which add to the
BUBBIAJI BHIBT BLOUSE.
effect. At the neck is a high standing
collar.
The skirt is four-gored, and shows
fulness at the back only. It is lined
throughout, and trimmed with braid
ornaments at the left-front seam.
To make this oostume for a girl of
eight years will require two and one
half yards of forty-four-inch material.
Lnilies* aii<l Aliases' ltussian Bliirt Walat.
The latest variation of the shirt
waist, writes May Manton, combines
the blouse front with the familiar
yoke baok. The model shown is of
plaid taffeta silk, cuft's, collar and
necktie being all made of the material.
The fronts pouch over the belt and the
right side, which laps over the left, is
finished with a frill beneath which
the closing is invisibly affected. The
back shows the double-pointed yoke
and plaited body which is separated
from tho fronts by under-arm gores.
The sleeves are of moderate size and
one-seamed, the fulness at the wrists
being gathered into the straight cutis.
Tho collar is made in the narrow
turn-over or stock style, but one of
liuen can be substituted with equally
good effect. At the waist is worn a
plain belt of the silk,
To mako this waist for a lady in the
medium size will require four and
one-half yards of twenty-two-inch ma
terial.
Weaves and Fabric*.
The craze for giving a Russian name
to almost everything in the line of ap
parel this season has resulted in old
materials masquerading under new
titles. A closelv-woveu corded wool
en brocade, now very fashionable un
der the name of Muscovite reps, i3
nothing more nor less than empresi
cloth, as we called it in other days.
liepped silks are also very fashion
able this winter, and are always rich
and handsome in black, fawn color,
plum, gray, moss green or cream col
or.
Then there are exquisite materials
of rare and beautiful tiuts, such as the
finer grades of Henrietta cloth, dou
ble-faced cashmere, drap d'ete and
similar fabrics.
For redingote and other long wraps,
German broadcloth in a shade of dark
Russian red or blue is much used.
So-ae of the rinhest wraus ara lined
with fur throughout, thus insuring
both warmth and elegance.
Some outdoor blouses ore made en
tirely of caracal, not only in its natur
al black, but dyed blue, green, brown,
etc. The dyeing remedies the bruised
look and the inkj hue, the density of
which is becoming too few.—The
Housewife.
[A Word About Hats.
A variety of hats are shown, among
which the Tyrolese hat with its erect
cock's feathers is quite couspicuous.
Small toques of fur, and hats of felt,
with one side turned up and trimmed
with velvet, and ostrich feathers are
next in favor to the Tyrolese. Velvet
trimmings are more liked than any
others, and the oock's feathers and the
ostrich plume carry all .before them;
and we feel thaukful that the bird of
paradise and the herou's feathers are
less in favor than they were.
Lace, Net and Chiffon.
Lace, net and chiffon were never
more popular than at the moment, and
the spangled net skirts are luxuries
which every woman of taste might
covet. They are not to be confounded
with the old spangled nets. Those in
vogue now have the sequins placed
very closely together, and as a rule
they outline some geometrical design
on net or silken ground.
Costume For a Uttlo Boy.
While trousers are donned at an
early age, there is always a necessary
time of transition between the baby
dresses and the genuine boy's garb.
The costume shown is especially de
signed to fill that need, and can be
worn out of doors or in, according as
the material is heavy or light in
weight. As illustrated, the material
is English tweed trimmed with nar
row black braid and worn with a black
leather belt. The garment is cut in
one length from the shoulders to the
edge of the skirt, and is made snng
litting by means of smooth under-arm
gores. The back shows only slight
fulness, which is arranged in gathers
at the waist line. The front is gath
ered at the neck and again at the
waist, where a casing is stitched to the
under side. The deep collars and
revers are attached at the neck and
down each edge of the full front, the
closing being invisibly effected be
neath the right side. The sleeves are
two-seamed and in coat shape. The
BOYS' COSTUME.
neck is finished with a roll-over collar
handed with braid.
To make this garment for a boy of
two years will require two and one-half
yards of forty-four-ineh material.
The Stylish Waist Finish.
The jeweled belt, the sash and the
velvet girdle, with a bow on the left
side, resplendent with jeweled buckle, J
are the novelties in finish at the waist. I
SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS.
Frenoh experiments have shown
that an addition of arsenic to the mol
ten metal increase*) the strength of
steel.
A Leipzig firm is manufacturing wall
hangings of aluminum which are fast
ened by nails of the same material to
wooden boards or laths.
The operators at the Cross Moun
trin coal mines, in the Jellicoe regions
of Tennessee, are preparing to put
in electrical apparatus for mining coal.
A sea otter of average size is about
six feet long from the tip of his nose
to the end of his tail. It is little like
a land otter and more than twice as
large. A whole skin is worth from
SBOO up.
Railroad cars of steel are supplant
ing fhe wood ones. Tliey are more
roomy, lighter andean be made longer.
In strength they are far superior to
the ordinary car and they are adapted
particularly well for freight.
Science announces that the Austrian
steamship Pola has gone to the Red
sea for scientific explorations, and will
this year cover the ground between
Dschedda and Aden." Dr. Franz
Steindachner, ichthyologist, has charge
of the zoological work, and observa
tions will also be made in physical
oceanography.
Ernest Sal zen berg, director of the
city gas works in Crefeld, Germany,
has invented an incandescent gas
burner which produces a golden-yel
-1 low light, most soothing to the eye
i and extremely powerful. It is said
j that a single incandescent jet enable*
i person to read tine print nt a dis
tance of 100 to 150 feet from the light.
That birds build their nests by imi
tation has been called in question by
A. G. Butler of London, who says
that the reason why many of them at
I the beginning of the season trifle with
I tmikling material for some time before
they produce a satisfactory result is
that they are unable at once exactly
to remember what the character of the
; aest was in which they first saw the
light of day.
STATURE DENOTES CAPACITY.
I Commingling Strain* Have Worked No
Deterioration.
In a paper read by Major Heur;, S.
Kilbourne, surgeon, United States
army, before the Association of Mili
tary Surgeons of the United States, he
advocated the theory that the physical
power of a race or people, aud conse
quently their capacity for work, is
measured by their average stature.
For every inch of height between five
and six feet the extreme breathing ca
pacity is increased eight cubic inches;
! the vital capacity being at its maxi
j mum at thirty-five years. A table of
j measurements of 190,621 native white
| Americans, accepted for the military
; service of the United States, shows
i that the number of men below sixty-
I three inches in height is but little
| greater than that of the class above
j seveuty-tliree inches. The most num
i erous class is included between sixty
' seven aud sixty-nine inches, and this
! standard class would have a greater
i chest girth'thau the average.
The mean height of 125 United
; States naval cadets above the age of
| twenty-three years was 07.80 inches.
As these men are drawn from all parts
anil classes of the United States, they
; represent very nearly the typical plivs
: ical development of the American peo
| pie of twenty-live years of age.
Major Kilbourne concludes that the
commingling strains of Celtic, Danish,
Norwegian and German blood among
our people have thus far worked no
deterioration of physical quality. "Not
so with the swarthy, low-browed and
stunted people now swarming to our
shores. Absorbed into the body of
the people, tliese multitudes must inev
itably evolve an inferiority of type.
To realize the result of such a contin
gency, let it be considered that the
'oss of an inch in stature might bring
in its train the loss of national ascend
ancy. Let us take care, then, tliar
the state shall suffer no injury."—Bos
ton Transcript.
lloumi in If mnan Skin.
In Caniille Flamniarion's library is
a volume of the famous astronomer's
works which bears the unique title
"Souvenir d'Une Morte." It is unique
because the title is wholly incompa
tible with the contents of the book,
which is mainly devoted to scientific
matters. However, when one hears
Ihe story that is told of this little vol
ume it does not appear so strange after
all. though interest in it grows all the
greater. It is said that Mr. Flam
marion, meeting a beautiful lady at a
reception one evening, openly ex
pressed bis admiration for lier really
lovely shoulders. So impressed was
the lady that when she died her will
directed that enough skin lie taken
trom that part of her person to bind
the next work of the distinguished
scientist. This was done, and the
book referred to is the result. —Pitts
burg Dispatch.
Coins in Slntlliiry Hall.
When the pedestal of the statue of
Blair, which Missouri lias presented
to Statuary hall, was standing in that
hall the other day awaiting its bronze
figure, some one noticed that in the
centre of the stone block was a small
square hole. The Missouri delegation
was iweseut to watch the placing of
the statue, and one of the congress
men, fishing through his pockets,
found a penny. He put the coin in
the square hole, and also deposited a
bit of paper with his autograph.
The example was contagious. Every
member of the delegation putin a
penny and his name, some curious by
standers did likewise, and by the time
that the statue was placed in position
there was almost enough copper in the
pedestal to sheath a ship.—Washing
ton Pos*