Republican news item. (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, September 01, 1898, Image 2
Spain ought to be considered pretty good authority now on submarine boats. . Many of the tragedies of war pale before the tribulations and despairing experiences of the peaceful Klondike gold seekers. The London Statist, a paper of the highest authority on "financial subjects, forecasts the American business fu ture as one of unbounded prosperity. That Edgar Allan Poe can boast in Bussia many more admirers and friends thau he can claim in America, is the curious statement of M Constantino Balmout, a Russian writer. It is stated that the merchandise carried by rail in the United States is double the amount of land carriage of all the other nations of the earth combined. This means that the 70,- 000,000 people of the United States transport twice as much merchandise as the remaining 1,400,000,000 of mankind. Sew York is far ahead of all the other states in the amount of money in savings banks, its banks holding on the first day of this year $718,176,-' BS9. Massachusetts follows, with 453,220,257, and then comes Connec ticut, with $149,496,550, and Califor nia, with $127,929,281. The figures of savings deposits of all the New England states speaks volumes for Yankee industry, economy and thrift. Thus, the minute state of Rhode Is land has $68,683,698; Maine, $57,476,- 896; New Hampshire, $49,493,056, and Vermont, $32,600,627. The record of the torpedoboat Porter is remarkable. Although not intended for sea service, she was kept at sea for three mouths and weathered the storms with the best of them. Al though not intended for long range fighting, she to«k part in the bom; bar.lment of Sau Juan de Porfco Rico. But if her record marks the utmost of achievement of torjredoboat efficiency it also marks the limitations of this arm of the service. On neither side has the torpedoboat done any harm to the enemy, and a single, well-directed shot at the Porter would have dis posed of her as effectively as the Spanish torpedoboat destroyers were disposed of off Santiago, before they could get within double their torpedo range of our ships. So far Southern manufacturers of cotton have been mainly confined to the coarser yarns and ruder fabrics, but in this they have made astonish ingly rapid progress. To take the ex ample of a single state, North Caro lina had in ISB6 eighty cotton mills; in 1897 it had 1010. In the first named year it had 4071 looms, with 199,433 spindles; in the latter, 24,517 looms and 1,044,385 spindles. Some of the other cotton-growing states are not far behind, and with abundant water-power, cheap coal and oxtreme ly cheap labor the development of the business there is certain to continue and to display results as sui prising as the last decade has shown. By and by the mills there will be able to do finer work, and some time who knows ? they may control the mar kets of the world with their home grown and home-woven fabrics, thinks the New York Tribune. One result of the war with Spain will be to enhance the value of Amer ican citizenship in the eyes of the worid, predicts the New York Mail and Express. Hereafter the American flag and the American citizen will be respected abroad as they have never been before. Among all but the best educated and most traveled classes we have always had the repu tation of being a nation of shopkeep ers, shrewd, boastful, vulgar, but of little account outside of commercial transactions. They know better now. The extraordinary, almost miraculous, successes of our navy riveted the e,yes of the world in admiration or in fear. The rapidity with which we have evolved an army of a quarter million of men from a state of nnprepared ness has also impressed the nations, while the brave, fierce fighting of our raw lories before Santiago has been officially reported to every great pow er of Europe iu words of unstinted praise. With the of the terri ble effectiveness of our army and navy have gone also the reports of the ease with which a great government loan has been placed in sums less thau SSOOO, with five times the amount of the desired loan offered, but uot accepted. More than all, the nations have been impressed with our magnanimity and the generous treat ment of our prisoners. The Ameri can citizen **ll hereafter, when trav eling abroad, be treated with a degree of courtesy and reepeot that be t*»* never known before. Dewey has called for 60,000 pounds of soap. A new hardship of foi the Filipinos! The bonded debtof Hawaii,Jnne 30, 1897, was 33,337,000. In addition there was due to depositors in posta' savings bnuks $782,000. The Texas State Horticultural society has catalogued 201 varie ties of peaches grown in the Lone Star state and has given a distinct name to every one of them. About $2,000,000 worth of nuts, oranges, raisius and wines have been hitherto imported annually from Spain. The trade this year will be supplied by the people of California and Florida. South America is still the chief source of the supply of rubber, but the development of the exports of that article from the Congo iudicate that in future Africa may be depended upon to furnish a large quantity. In 1893 the customhouse authorities of the Belgian Congo noted the exporta tion of 532,742 pounds of rubber; in 1897 the exports had increased to 3,665,548. At this rate of increas« the Para district of Brazil will soon have its exports matched by the new rival. The long-advertised German com mercial war has baguu, and it takes the form of an invasion. A company of German steel manufacturers hai concluded that the best way to com pete with us is to baoome one of ns, and has began the construction of a great plant near Chicago. For it-a sake we hope the Kaiser will not shut its product out of Germany. We can stand this sort of a war splendidly, says the New York Tribune. A great i many Germans have invaded this : country before now, and wo like them. More than half of the early heroes of America are represented in the navj ! today. There are fonr generations o) Selfridges, one Bainbridge,a Stevens, a Preble, a Truxtun, three Porters, three Perrys, six liodgerses, and in j looking over the list of American naval 1 officers farther back it is surprising i to observe how many of them bear fa- ' moua naval names by inheritance. J The service appears to be a congenial one, though it is comparatively one \ of the poorest pakl among the naval j powers of the world. Heroism is ev- j idently its own reward, since sons ore ambitious to follow their fathers, and are indeed encouraged by the lattei to enter the service. It will require a thousand millions of dollars to measure the increase in the farmers' receipts for last year's produce over the values that prevailed in 1895. The total return for staple crops alone for this season is estimated at $100,000,000 more than was re ceived last year. The wheat exported from the United States during the past twelve months sold for about as much as the whole crop was worth in either 1893, -1894 or 1895. These sta tistics tell the story of the farmer's share of the prosperity of our great est commercial year. As a result of investigations covering the entire Union and running back as far as 1893 the Orange Judd Farmer forecasts "an industrial activity quite unpar alleled, with quick markets at home and abroad for the surplus of American farms." The Manufacturer of London, Eng., comments on the exports' of carriages and cars from the United States to the United Kingdom, which in 1897, was valued at more than twice as much as in 1887. The M an ~ ufacturer states that one of the reasons of this increase is that the United States have a fundamental advantage iu their spleudid supply of lumber, aud that American manufac turers have also the advantage of the brains of every nationality of Europe. "In their workshops," the journal continues, "may be seen smiths from France aud Sweden, trimmers from Germany, carvers from Italy, and gen eral artisans from England. The wages are said to be treble those paid abroad. Americans are famed for their wheel making, in which they employ second growth hickory." The article quoted also states that there are already several London depots for the sale of American-made vehicles, and there is plenty of trade for American manufacturers, but the needs aud tastes if the people must, of course, be taken into account. A couple of years ago a firm of American carriage makers shipped 1800 carriages to Ger» many '*in the white," L e., ready for painting, and all in one year. What is possible in Germany, adds the Manufacturer, is equally so in other European countries, even more in Englaud, where there are no tariff hin drances. THE ROUGH RIDERS. Prom where the chaparrals uplift But now, unchecked, the cattle whirl O'er Texan sea of grass; In headlong, wild stampede ; From Arizona canoned rift, And Beauty's banner may unfurl ' And Colorado pass; In vain. We give no heed. From Boston elm and clnsslo ihade, We've changed the ranch and city charms And Gotham masque and ball, For Cuban thatch and palm. We've gathered, by one motive swayed— The jarring roll of hostile urms Bough Biders are we all. Our pasan is and psalm. We ken the ways of man and beast— In strangely differing clime and place We've faced the prairie Death, t Our names and paths appear. We've watched the buzzards at their feast, For many a college knows our face, We've felt the Norther's breath: And many a branded steer. We know the realms of belles and beaux But, lo ! one blood you lln'd us. when And Fashion's gay command— There sounds Columbia's call. Our view lies from Delmonico's We spring to answer it. like men— Clear to the Bio Orande. Bough Biders are wo all. —Edwin L. Sabin, in Puck. MY ESCAPE. 1 4 AN ADVENTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES. P* fVw-W WWVWVWTWWWWVWWVVVW^ As "Semana Santa," or Holy Week, had arrived, with the prospect of sev oral holidays in succession, the Anglo- American residents of Manila had de serted the city. They went out to live in the surrounding country,partly for pleasure and partly because no ve hicle would be allowed in the streets during two days of the week, so that anyone remaining in town would be virtually a prisoner in his house or at the club. Some of the migrants had gone up the Pasig river to the lake at its ource and some to explore the wou ierful caves in the great southern vol canic range; but I, with half a dozen others, had chartered a big steam launch, loaded her with a camping outfit and native servants aud steamed across the bay and up the coast. We were going to the wild north country of Luzon in search of deer and wild f>ig- We landed with our paraphernalia on the beach* at our destination; or dered the launch to return on the fol lowing Monday and began to shift for ourselves in a country as wild as it was when Magellan and Bilboa cruised among the islands. It swarmed with little Negritos, or aboriginal natives ; whom the Spanish conquerors have vainly tried for three centuries to sub due and civilize. These Negritos wander about the vast forests in small bands, sleeping ! one night under a few propped-up boughs and the next, perhaps, among ; the limestone rocks and caves of the shore. Their language consists of a few bird-like chirps aud whistles, i Their weapons are bows and arrows i and qneer swords or knives, which : they cau wield with terrible effect. They are cowardly aud trea-herons i to the last degree. We had beeu es- I pecially warned against wandering ! singly in the jungle, for a solitary j hunter would be apt to find himself suddenly bristling with arrows, shot j from behind every tree and rock j around him. "This," said the grave i old half-breed huntsman, who had given us these particulars, "would be excessively disagreeable for your graces"—and our graces agreed with the opinion. We accordingly took exceeding £ood care to keep together during the iirst two or three days, but as no ligns of blacks appeared we became '.ess careful and occasionally made iu lividual expeditions along the sho' e : sr into the forest in quest of jungle | fowl or other small gan.e. Now a species of huge lizard—the ; Iguana inhabits the rocks of the , Islands, and I was very anxious to se sure a specimen. So one afternoon I started off with a rifle to stroll along the shore toward a mass of jagged rocks where tho beach ended. There t gTeat bluff rose gradually from the woods, terminating in a mighty spur high in the air and far out at sea. I soon discovered that I was accom- j panie Iby Pete,a small fox-terrier, who 1 belonged to one of the men and had been brought with us for some un known reason, for so far he had beeu nothing better than a general nuisance. However, as Pete aud I were good j friends, he trotted along beside me antil we arrived at the rocks. I had littlehopeof finding an iguana there and was wondering whether it was worth while togo any farther when Pete gave a yelp and dashed forward. In a moment more I saw a big iguaua flashing in and out among the rocks like lightning, with Pete scrambling and dipping in pursuit. As it was hopeless to try a shot while the lizard was dodging about Iran after Pete, shouting to him. But Pete,a perverse brute at all times, having now an exciting and unique ad venture in prospect, scrambled obsti nately on, until lie and the iguana both disappeared in tho low bushes and grass that covered the base of the cliff. Having fought my way through these, with wrath in my heart against the dog,l emerged beyond and saw the great lizard gliding up the side of the bluff on a zigzag path probably made by the black men. Pete, a very bad second, was pluckily toiling after the same. I tired a despairing shot and missed, but the bullet must have "gipped" pretty close to Pete's head. He stopped—probably glad of an excuse to do so—looked back inquiringly and then obligingly waited for me to come up, while the iguana vanished aloft. I felt angry enough to have wrung the dog's neck, but restrained myself and after administering a cuff or two told him emphatically togo home. He only went back a few steps, then sat down defiantly and cocked one ear at me in a derisive and exasperating manner. When I went on again he came gaily trotting after, ready to dash past me should more iguanas heave in sight. Then I threw a stick at him, which he promptly chased, captured and brought back to me. Finally I made a leash of my neck tie and handkerchief and thus re strained hie ardor while I climbed up the rough ami steep path. I was de termined to get the iguana if possible. We wound our way among big rocks and clumps of bushes and at last reached the top, a few yards from the great spur. Here the bluff was some twelve yards across. As it sloped gradually back toward the mainland it grew wider and was covered only with stiff, dry grass, till its base wa3 lost in the forest. The iguana had made good use of his time and wa* uot in sight, so I sat down on the summit to cool off and relieved my feelings by inventing approriate phrases and applying them to Pete. Then 1 glanced around at the view, which was superb, with the sun setting in indescribable glory over the calm China sea. In the glow I could see a steamer, which I knew must be the mail-steamer from Hongkong, probably bringing me letters and Easter remembrances from friends in far-away America. Suddenly the dog jumped up and said "Woof!" I muzzled him with one hand and reached for the rifle with the other, with visions of igaa-.ias be fore me, but none appeared. Pete wriggled himself loose and "woofed" again, cocking his ears toward the for est at the base of the bluff. I turned my head and listened. Now I could faintly hear the thump ing roll of galloping horses, mingled with the crashing of breaking bush. As I stood up and staved a pony ap peared, bursting out of the jungle, followed by another and still another. Almost before I realized what they were,full 20 of them hud come tearing out of the woods and were charging up the slope toward me. In the forest wander hordes of these native ponies, discarded as old or use less by their owners, who, as a rule, are too indolent to dispose of them otherwise. We had eucountered th'-m while hunting, but I had never seen so many together and was won dering what could have caused such a stampede when, just as the last one appeared,l saw a small,black, monkey like creature dash out after him, fol lowed by a score of others,driving the terrified animals up the hill with shrill whistles and shrieks. "Negritos!" I thought, remember ing what we had been told about their sometimes driving a crowd of these wandering ponies over some precipice to be killed ou the rocks below and thus afford their pursuers an unctuous feast of horse-flesh for many days. This was evidently what the black men were doing now. I saw that the ponies would quickly arrive at the top and carry me over with them if something was not done promptly; so I seized Pete by the scruff of his neck and ran for the head of the side path by which I had come up; but I was just too late; the fren zied mob of scarecrows was almost upon me before I could get there. In desperation I waved the rifle aloft with one hand and poor Pete with the other, mingling a wild shout with Pete's expostulating yells. So strange an apparition, combined with the sounds from the dog,had the effect of causingmany of t'.ie drove of ponies to swerve past me, and I heard them go slidiugaud crashing down the other side of the bluff, while others turned sharply and ran down the path. One of these, however, lost his footing in turning so suddenly and fell head long. He rolled over so quickly that I had no time to get out of the way, and he struck me squarely ou the ankles. Pete flow one way and the rifle another as I pitched forward on top of the kicking brute. We fell just at | the head of the path,blocking the way for the last three or four ponies, who halted trembling and snorting. As I scrambled up I caught a glimpse of the Negritos, who had stopped at the sight of me and were gazing in amazement, calling to each other with short, sharp whistles. Their great lie.uls,covered with masses of frizzly hair, out of all proportion to their dwarfed, naked bodies, gave them a most uncanny aspect, like a crowd of gnomes. I felt as if I were the hero of some fairy tale in the power of goblins, and for an instant I experienced the same horrid, creeping sensation that one i'eels at the tirst shudder of an earthquake. Every moment I expected a cloud of arrows to come whizzing about me, and I remember wondering whether ! they would be barbed or smooth; but the tierce little black men seemed too astonished to do anything but stand like statues and whistle. Yet it was certain that they would soon let fly their deadly arrows. ?» some instinct I grasped the pony's short,rough mane as he struggled to his feet and fol lowed alongside the animal as he headed down the path, keeping his shoulders aud forelegs between my self and the blacks. Pete had picked himself up and was close at my heels. As we disappeared a perfect storm of whistles pierced the air. The ponies behind,frightened afresh, came j crowding against my protector, who lashed out viciously and started to run down the narrow path. Seeing there was danger of being crowded over the edge, I swung on his back, ; holding tight to his mane, and let him take his own course. Fortunately for me the little beast, although abnormally bony and mangy in appearance, had retained his eye sight and the wonderful sure-footed ness that all Philippine ponies pos sess. He was evidently accustomed to a rider, for he picked his way down the rough passage at a sliding sort of trot, closely followed by the other ponies aud Pete, who must have been having a precarious time of it among equine legs and iioofs. Far ahead I could hear the clatter ing of the ponies that had gone down tirst,while over all else were the weird squeaks and piping of the savages. They must have been in close pursuit, but unable either to pass the rear ; ponies or to get a shot at me on ac | count of the windings of the path. I : crouched low and hold ou with all my might, expecting at every step to feel the blow of some barbarous missile. Before I realized where we were I found the pony crashing through the bushes at the base, and we came on the rocks where I had first sighted the iguana. The rocks proved too much | for my gallant but ancient steed, for ; when half-way across he slipped and : pitched me off. I rose, uninjured, i just in time to grasp his niaue afresh : and run along beside him. The leading ponies were well ahead, ; and as they went pounding and thun de -ing by the camp I saw the fellows , who were lying about on the beach jump up and get out of the way. j Wild was their amazement to see me ! tearing along the beach with ten-foot j strides, hanging onto the mane of a bony and terrified horse, followed by ; several more "caballos" equally spec ' tral in appearance. The villainous | fox-terrier scudded along in rear of the procession, telling everybody what ! jolly fun he had been having. I let 1 go the pony and tumbled into the crowd, answering their frantic de ! mauds for an explanation by pointiug j to the bluff and gasping "Negritos!" The boys jumped for their guns,but there was no need of warlike prepara tion, for the savages had stopped just j outside of the bushes on seeing the group. After gazing a moment they 1 turned and disappeared one by one, while the last of the ponies plunged into the woods at the other end of the beach and was lost to sight. All that night wo heard the little black men signaling to each other around the camp, but saw them no ; more. The next day we climbed the bluff in a body and found my rifle safe and sound. On the way back, by great good luck, I shot an iguaua four feet long, which I had stuffed in Manila and af terward sent home by a sailing vessel. Its delivery, some -four months later, 1 by a horrified expressman at my fam ily's home in a peaceful Boston sub urb created a scene of consternation fully justified by its appearance.- | Charles B. Howard, in Youth's Com panion. QUAINT AND CURIOUS* A petrified oak has lately been dug up in Cheshire, Eng. It is said to be at least 10,000 years old. Previous to the setting up of a clock at Hampton Court, England, in 1540, no English clock went accurately. It is a very common sight, in the streets of Paris, Fiance, to see baby carriages which are propelled by elec tricity. A curious fact has been noted by Arctic travelers. Snow, when at a very | low temperature, absorbs moisture and dries garments. It is a strange fact that injuries to I the tongue, whether of man or animal, | heal more quickly than those of any . other part of the system. Large numbers of flintlock guns six | feet long sre made in Birmingham, j Eng., at 81.50 each, and many of these I weapons find a ready market in Dark- I est Africa. There are several varieties of fish ' that cannot swim. In every iustance j they are deep-sea dwellers, and crawl j about the rocks, using their taile aud fins as legs, i Skates* made of hardened glass, in | various colors, are now made in Eng land. It is said that they make it easier to get over rough places than ia the case with steel skates. | The oldest piece of wrought iron in ; existence is 'believed to be a roughly ! fashioned sickle blade found in Egypt. ! It is now in the British Museum, and it is believed to be nearly 4000 years old. According to a New Yorker who recently returned from Rome a prom inent Italian newspaper gravely an • nounced that General George Wash* I ington would take command of the American army in Cuba. Thin bamboo tubes are fastened to carrier pigeons in China, to protect ; them from birds of prey. When the I bird is in motion, the airtion of the | air through the tubes causes a whist ! ling sound, which alarms predaceous , birds, and keeps them at a respectful ! distance. A Water Motist.-r. Recen ly the largest whalebacls ves sel ever constructed was launched at West Superior, Wis. It is 430 feet long and is one of the largest freight carriers in the world. Tho "whale back" is a comparatively new type of boat, built expressly to ride easily in rough seas. The main part or steel hull of the vessel is shaped like a fat cigar, and with a concave upper por tion ovei*which the waves may dash without causing inconvenience. As a result the whaleback steamer can plow through heavy seas that would seri ously interfere with the progress of an ajdinarj vessel. HE DID HIS BEST. One O'Neal, my next-door neighbor, Irish burn, but Yankee bred, Has the U. 8. fever in him From his shoe soles to his head. And though barred from lighting, being Crippled by an accident, To excess of patriot ardor He unceasingly is bent. Ho lias cheered our Cuban struggle With enthusiastic vim, Not a hero has arisen But has won a i-hout from him; On his heart lie has recorded Name of every gallant sou That in cause of dear Old Glory Has the crown of valor won. Dnily he would sound their praisoa To the ever-listening wind, 'Till a chance to make ills homage More enduring he did ilud; Destiny a eon did bring him. Him he named with ardent zeal-^ Dewey Lee Schley Hobson Sampson Bagley Capron Ulue O'Neal. —Richmond (Va.) Dispatch. HUMOROUS. Eings—That girl has a beauty spot 3n her face. Bungs—Sort of oasis, isn't it? Fosdick—Tenspot thinks that lie is Due of the big guns. Keedick— He is one of the smooth bores. He—lf I should embrace you would you call for help? She—lf you real ly thought you needed it. Prospective Litigant—You give le jal advice here, don't you? Lawyer (absent-mindedly) No, we sell it. He (indignantly)—l hope I know my own mind. She (sweetly)— Yes! i'ou surely ought to know as much as that! "Who was the best advertised sea :aptainV" "Why, Noah. His meth ad of advertising flooded the coun try." Bill—Did you ever try any of Small's twenty-tive cent dinners? Jill —YeB; I ate three of them today at noun. "Does your husband say grace at the table?" "No; be returns thanks for safe preservation from the last meal." Sergeant—The enemy flies! Cap tain i'hut won't do them any good; 'jur army is mostly made up of expert wing-shots. Lodginghouse Clerk Bed with bath, fifteen cents. Watkins —I guess I'd rather pay a little more an' not take the bath. Little Barbara, on seeing a dish of lemon jelly place 1 on the table, ex claimed: "Oh, mamma, see how ner vous that jelly is!" "Doctor, whyjdo yon advise me to do so much walking in hot weather?" "I thought if you saved car fare yon might pay it on my bills." Friend—Are you superstitious? Do j'ou believe in signs? Successfnl Merchant—No; newspaper advertise ments are better—and cheaper. "Of course," observed the thin cyclist, "water won't run up hill." "Well," replied the fat cyclist, who was still pulling and blowing, "1 dun't blame it." She—l like this place immensely since they have had the new French ?hef. He (weak in hL> French but generous to a fault) —Waitah, bring chef for two. Amiable Professor (to his servant) —For three weeks I have reminded j-ou every day to buy me a notebook. Henceforth I shall remind you of it only once a week. Miss DeFa-diiou—You are wauted at the telephone. Mrs. DeFashion— Oh, dear! 1 presume it's Mrs. De- Style to return mv telephone call. I hope she won't talk long. Juuior Partner —Do you think the new office-boy is trustworthy? Senior Partner —I'm sure of it. I've noticed that when he hasn't anything to do tis» never pretends to be busy. "This check is wrong. My beef is down for fifty cents, when the bill of fare says forty." "You ordered it rare, sir." "Well, what if I did?" "You've got to pay for rarefies, sir." Jill —You puckered up your lips so then that I thought yon were going to kiss me. Jack—No, I got some sand in my mouth. Jill—Well, for heaven's sake swallow it! You need it in your system. Miss Cordelia Summers (upon pres entation of some flowers by young pupils)— Yes, children, this is my birthday. You see lam getting old —very, very old! Children (enthusi astically)— Yes, ma'am. "That," said Maud, as the distin guished stranger entered the room, "is the Victoria Cross." "Is it?" in quired Mamie in a tone of great in terest. "How many century runs must you make to get one?" linw I-irn'oln Saved Thirty Dollar*. Still another Rtory of Lincoln, illus trating his respect for his wife's judg ment: While Lincoln was practising law in Springtield, the lire-hose com pany, desiring to buy some new appa ratus, sent out subscription papers, and our youthful collector called upon the future president. He was closely examine! on the purpose of the sub scription, and finally Lincoln agreed to subscribe in this fashion: "\\ell, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll go home to' supper—Mrs. Lincoln is generally good-natured after suppe* — and then I'll tell her I've been think ing of giving 850 to the brigade, and she'll say: 'Abe, you will never have any sense? Twenty dollars is qnite enough.' So tomorrow, my boy, you come around and get your $20." An Antomntlc Restaurant. A French journal announces that Ike inventive genius of the American has produced an automatic restaurant. The food is all spread on a counter in courses, and the customer is seated on a sort of strap which, worked by steam, moves hiin along from oourse to course.