Republican news item. (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, October 06, 1898, Image 7
I THE SOUMNRECONWERED. { "Chinese" Gr-ordon Avenged. <5 OMPLETE and jgi overwhelming is £raf the defeat of the jCgjSjto Dervishes. WTill January 27, / fSm 1885 —England T was humiliated in ' J* *ke Soudan by the AsVi 4 *) ront of her troops, the assassination of Gordon and Kf n/yV j\. the fall of Khar ll V/ V \ toum, the capital of Equatorial Ww Provinces of Egypt and the 111 n oen * ;re °* British Hu j l\ influence in Cen- II I I II 1 lU tral Africa. 111 li ffl a\\ September 3, I \ 111 A\ * B9B England I II \il \) Gordon were iti i Mil" A avenged by the Vfi utter rout of the : y\ fj Mahdists, by the fall of Omdurman, gjac-gfel \ (he Mahdist capi " tal, just across the Nile from the ruins of Khartoum, and by the complete re-establishment of British power in the rich Soudan ese provinces. With the overthrow of the Mahdist empire the last strong hold of the slave trade in the world has been destroyed. The man who has touted the Der vishes, Major-General Sir Horatio Herbert Kitchener, G. B. C. M. G., has rendered the greatest service to MAJOR-OENERAL HERBERT KITCHENER. his country, both in a military and civil capacity. He was born in Ire land* of good old Irish fighting stock, in 1851 and obtained a lieutenant's commission when twenty years of ago. He became captain in 1883, major in the following year, lieutenant-colonel in 1885 and colonal in 1888. After the Soudan campaign he was selected to recognize the Egyptiam army and appointed Sirdar of the forces, and striking testimony to his ability has been given by the efficiency of the troops under his command dur ing the expedition which has culmin ated in the recapture of the strong hold of the fanatics. The fall of Khartoum means that the power of the Khalifa Abdullah is practically overthrown and that Kar dofan and the Soudan are restored to the rule of Egypt, and that a point of great strategic importance and of vast commercial possibilities has been gained. Seated at the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile, the oity is bound to be a great emporium of trade. It is shaped like the head of an elephant, from which it derives its name. In the old days it was very beautiful, with white walls and domes and minarets gleaming through green palm groves. But the Khalifa's wild [. OMDURMAN, THE MAHDIST CAPITAL, CAPTURED BY THE BBITIBH FORCES. followers have probably made the city desolate. The city has had au eventful history since 1882. Raouf Pacha was govern ing the Isle of Meroe for the Khedive in that year. News was beginning to arrive of a certain Dervish wandering in the Soudan, who was drawing all the natives to him,and especially those Arabs who lived by the slave trade, which Oessi Pacha had been extirpa ting. This Dervish, Mohammed Ahmad by name, could turn, it is said, all government bullets into water, and had, in truth, once and again defeated Egyptian troops sent to arrest him. Then, becoming bolder, the pretender of a sudden openly called himself the Mahdi, a name derived from a word in the opening chapter of the Koran. He called himself Mahdi Khalifat er Basul, ("the successor of the Prophet"), while his adherents called him Sayid ("The Master"); Savid na el Mab li ("Our Master, the Leader"). This troublesome and extraordinary person, with no drill or military sci ence, no weapons to speak of, but plenty of ferocious followers, principal ly of the Baggara race, marched through the towns and villages of Kordofan, and with 30,000 men beseiged El THE KHALIFA ABDULLAH ON CAMELBAOK AT THE HEAD OF DERVISHES Obeid and took the town after one re pulse, cruelly murdering its brave de fenders. That conquest increased the name and fame of the Mahdi, who settled down like a king at El Obeid, while preparing for a further advance to Khartoum. By this time he had in flamed with his preaching and success the whole of Kordofan and of Sennar. A DERVISH CHIEF. except that corner where the city of Khartoum sits upon the junction of the White and Blue Nile. Before he could master this central position he had to confront the expe dition under Hicks Pacha, sent by the Egyptian Government to Bahad. Everybody knows the miserable issue. The Mahdi cut that force to pieces, so that hardly a man escaped, and bythia victory gained almost the entire Sou dan, and opened the way to the con quest of Khartoum. Then the victorious and pious slave dealer set out for Khartoum, where the hapeless people, deceived by th« hope of English help, had lingered ti welcome Gordon. No notice wat taken of that hero's proclamations to the Soudanese. His communications were cut with the north, and verj soon a horde numbering 200,000 swarmed at the heels of the Mahdi into Omdurman and the outskirts oi Khartoum. This was in October, 1884. The low Nile left a part of the ra^ parts broken and indefensible. Tht vast mass of assailing Dervishes made thereby their rush, in two bands, just before the British relieving force ceme in sight of the white walls and green palm groves of the oity. Gor don died at his hopeless post. This undoubted triumph intoxicated his followers with faith, but demoral ized the Mahdi. He took to unbridled luxury, and died of its consequence? on July 22, 1885. The desert ascetio. whose bed had been a mat of straw, expired upon Persian carpets in all the splendor and state of a great East ern prince, having founded in hie brief career an empire built on the basis of slavery and reckless blood shed. Before death he had himself nominated Abdullah as his successor, who thus inherited a dominion stretching from the Bahr-el-Ghaxal to Egypt, and from Darfur to the Bed Sea. The new tyrant began with very great ideas. He proclaimed that he would conquer all Egypt, as well as Abyssinia. Putting all laws on one side, he made himself absolute mastei over life and death in the Soudan. Some idea of the inner life of the Mahdi and the Kahlifa is found ic the remarkable experience of an Aus trian officer named Statin, who, while acting as governor of a province in the Soudan under Gordon, was captured by the Mahdi and held a prisoner many years. When Khar toum was taken Slatin was living in a hut at Omdurman, heavily chained and exposed daily to the insults of the mob. After the taking of the city some Dervishes came to him with something rolled in a cloth, and, com manding him to stand fortn, they un rolled suddenly their bundle and showed him the gory head of Gordon Afterward he learned how Gordon had died. When Khartoum fell and the Mahdists were swarming through the city, Gordon came down the stairway of his house and demanded the leadei of the invaders. He was speared to death where he stood, and his head cut off to show to the Mahdi. The return of"The Man Who Was'' in Kipling's s f ory was no more dram atic than the actual return to the land of white men of Budolph Slatin, or Slatin Pasha, as he is known. Six teen years before the young anddash- SLATIN PASHA. ing Austrian officer had gone out into the wilds of Africa as governor of the great province of Darfur. For twelve years he had been a slave in the hands of the Mahdists, suffering every in dignity that the ingenuity of the Mahdi and his successor, the Khalifa, could invent. One day a man dis guised as an Arab trader, passed him in the street and whispered to him that he had beep sent by Major Win gate, Director of Military Intelligence, Egyptian Army, and Baron Heidler, Austrian Ambassador in Cairo, to help him to esoape. They managed to have several interviews, and finally one night, after the Khalifa had gone to bed and the city was asleep, Slatin mounted a donkey and rode to where the faithful Arab, Hussein, had oamels in waiting. Then a long and hazard ous flight began, which, after much suffering and many perils, ended in the officers' mess at Assuan. [FOR FARM AND GARDEN.! Mint Rotation. Successful farmers do not consider it best to grow mint more than two to four years on the same land. The crops are usually followed by clover or grain. Fertilizers for Peach Tree*. One of the difficulties in successful peaoh growing is to get good land to grow them on. The success of peaches on a poor, sandy soil when the coun try was new, and when even this had plenty of potash, has led to the belief that sandy soil is always best. It re quires not only heavy potash man uring to make long-cultivated sandy soil fit to grow peaches, but also the building up of humus in the soil so that it can be filled with carbonic acid gas and make the potash effective. How Keen Ventilate Their Homos. The buzzing sound that bees make iu their hives, and which cau be often heard by those standing outside, is not produced for the sake of the music. It is to expol the bad air;and a row or tile of them may often be found near the entrance, engaged in that health giving operation. Meanwhile, there is another little company standing just outside "flut tering" the fresh air in. All this time the little messengers between hive aud flower go, come and go,and brush past the ventilating corps, with their little loads of honey. As high as twenty bees may be en gaged at once in this praiseworthy process of giving fresh air to their homes. When they get tired their place is taken b_v others, and the good work of aeration still goes on.—Every where. I-arffe Barns Not Best. Owing to the easily combustible character of baru contents such build ings are much more likely to be burned than are others much more common in the country. At this season of the year, when such barns are tilled with dauip hay or grain the moisture rising from them makes the best sort of lightning conductor, and this always when it hits such a barn sets it ou fire, with the result that it and neigh boring buildings are burned. For this reason it were better if barns were built smaller aud less expensive ly, and were scattered in different places ou the farm, instead of being hudled together, as is usually the case. It is always best to insure the baru whether the house is insured or not. In the house tire most often results from carelessness. In the barn it may occur from causes which no fore thought could have prevented. Ground Bone for Poultry, It is not pretended that ground bone is of auy great value to fowls that have the benefit of an extensive grass range, but it is of undoubted value when they are confined either wholly or partially, and is one of the essentials to success in winter feed ing. It supplies to the growing heu bone-making material, and counter acts any tendency to diarrhoea in poultry at any age. It also tends to postpone the brooding instinct so great a detriment when eggs are desired. Burned bone is sometimes used, but is not to be compared iu value to ground bone. The latter should be tine, usually the size of coarse oat meal, and mixed with all the soft food given,usually with the morning mash. One ounce to every pint of dry meal before moistening, is about the right proportiou to feed. Ground bone should not be confounded with crushed raw bone, which is fed to laying hens with great advantage occasionally, but which is too concentrated to form any considerable part of the daily ratiou, as is advised with ground bone. Retaining Soil Moisture. The well known method of soil cul tivation' for conserving moisture is followed by all intelligent farmers who operate on a large scale, but it is not easy to practice when several crops have to be taken from the soil each year; or in other words, where inten sive farming is practiced. Such farm era know that while it is comparatively easy to oouserve moisture in loarny soils it is difficult to accomplish the purpose by the same practice with sandy or gravelly soils. The best method of conserving moisture in soils of this character is by the use of veg etable matter incorporated with the Boil. Coarse manure is used for mulch ing and when the crop is removed the land is sown to crimson clover, rye or other similar crop turned under, and vegetable matter supplied in that manner. Soil of the character indi cated, in the absence of a system of irrigation,should be filled with humus by the use of the plowed under crops mentioned, to enable it to absorb and retain all the moisture possible. Dur ing the early part of the summer the plants should be thoroughly cultivated and frequently, and in the late season the soil, not shaded by the growing plants, should be covered with a coarse mulch of straw manure, which will assist in the retention of the moisture and also add to the fertility of the soil. Palm* and Their Culture. Until within a few years the palm ■was regarded as wholly a florist's plant —something to be rented for special occasions, guarded with the utmost care, and returned with a sense of re lief if it met no harm. But progres sive florists have dispelled this allu sion by culling from this great family such varieties as are best adapted to amateur culture, and to endure the vicissitudes that characterize the average living-room. Ambitious am» teurs have not keen slow to avail themselves of the tempting possibil* ities in store for them, and have in their turn practically verified th« statements of florists that the palm will stand a great deal of neglect and wrong treatment before showing any bad results. I trust this recital of the fact will not encourage any one in careless usage of so noble a plant, but rather embolden the fearful 'to try their " 'prentice hand" upon at least one or two fine specimens. The firm, heavy texture of their foliage enables them to endure better than almost any other decorative plant the varying and high degrees of temperature to which they are often subjected, and it is grat ifying to know that the species that thrive best under these disadvantages are the most beautiful of the whole palm family. Palms are especially adapted to places with limited sunshine, proving a boon to many city dwellers, and will do well in a strong light without sun shine. They are often greatly in jured by being kept constantly in darkened halls and in apartments that preclude the treatment essential to their health. A daily sponging of their foliage with tepid water may be given by careful hands without dam age to surroundings, and if they are carried to another apartment for au hour of morning sunshine, and thor oughly showered once or twice a week, they will remain in a healthy condition, with judicious watering as demanded. Remember always that while limited and early morning sun shine brightens and invigorates the palm, strong sunshine destroys the rich green color. —Vick's Magazine. Making and Filling Silos. Before the advent of the modern corn harvester the cost of putting up ensilage was considerable, but now, with good management, the work can be done at moderate cost. Corn en silage in the silo will generally cost 81 to $1.50 per ton. This includes cost of seed, preparation of land, interest on same, cultivation of corn, cutting, tilling, etc. This will vary according to local conditions, yield, price of laud and labor, facilities for work,etc. Clover ensilage will usually cost less than corn on account of the smaller expense of growing the crop. The crop may be estimated at about $1 per ton. At present no great number of men are needed to fill a silo, as mod ern machinery greatly reduces the labor. One man on a corn harvester will cut as fast as the ordinary cutter can take care of it, and three or four men can do the loading, unloading and feeding and see to the tilling. Corn and clover can be putin the silo either whole or cut, as seems best under the circumstances, but this is largely a matter of preference. Great care must be taken in putting the materials in whole to see that close packing is secured about the sides, and especially in the corners, if the silo is rectangular. Cut material packs itself to a certain extent, but it should also be well tramped down in the course of tilling. To get the best silage and the least loss it is important that the silo is at least 24 feet deep and 30 feet is still better. Next to the proper depth of' silage the lining and doors are the most important. Some method should be employed to make the doors air tight, as the ensilage spoils very rap idly when brought in contact with the air. To make a silo absolutely tight is next to au impossibility, but there are several ways to make it nearly so. The inside may be lined with galvan ized iron, but this does not seem to withstand the action of the acids. When paper is used between two or more layers of board it should be of* some waterproof quality. Shingles are sometimes used, but are not, as a rule, very satisfactory. Brick linings when plastered with cement are very satisfactory. Grout or concrete lin ings are also good. The all-wood round silo is perhaps the most common type, and also is about as durable as any for the amount of money it takes to build it. Such a silo can be lined with four-inch matched flooring and made fairly tight, if the boards are driven together with a very thick paint or thick coal tar between them. The numerous ways iu which silos cau be built give every man a chance to select the kind he thinks best suited to his needs. No matter what the type, all should be covered with something to keep out the air, if the silage is to stand for auy length of time. Some method of ventilation should also be provided in order to keep the lining from rotting. If these few simple points are observed is no reason why every farmer should not have a silo and be able to keep ensilage in a satisfactory manner.— American Agriculturist. Poultry Notes Lay in a supply of graiu and vegeta bles for the long winter months. Prepare now for \finter and make the house and yard comfortable. If an old rooster is not fit for the table, kill him anyhow and bury him. Never mind threshing the oats for the fowls, they prefer to do it them selves. Never give rowls medicine in me tallic vessels. Chemical combinations might be injurious. See that? the new poultry house, if you are goiug to build one, is finished before cold weather. A poultry house should be high enough for a person to stand in, and that is high enough. The earlier the hens shed their old I coats the sooner they will begin to make a winter egg record. A writer declares that while old fowls can stand cornu.Jal ami bran, they never should be fed to chicks. CITIZEN." A. Farmer'* Son Who Won a Public Statu* in Hit Lifetime. The lata James S. T. Stranahan, who for a quarter of a century had been known as the "First Citizen of Brooklyn," was born in Peterboro, Madison County, N. Y., April 25, 1808, and came of Scotch-Irish an cestors, his great-grandfather having settled in Rhode Island in 1725. Mr. Stranahan was brought up on a farm under his stepfather, his own father JAMES S. T. STRANAHAN. having died when he was eight years old. He worked on the farm in sum mer and attended the village school ill winter, and when about thirteen years old was enabled togo to au academy near his home, where he studied hard until he reached the age of seventeen j-ears. He then succeeded in getting it school, where he taught for several terms, at the same time studying civil engineering, and when nineteen years old he visited the great Northwest, conducting a party of emigrants. Ha tnoved to Brooklyn in 1844, and it was in this place that he soon became popular, both in politics, business and tiuancial circles. At first he was en gaged in th'e business of railroad con tractor but, after looking over the city, decided that there was a great fortune in the waterfront and began his favorite scheme of developing the waterfront until he succeeded in hav ing one of the most perfect and systematic basins in the world. In 1860 Mr. Stranahan began the movement for the developing of Pros pect Park in Brooklyn. There were many who thought his scheme was visionary, but he soon had the city officials interested. During this period Mr. Stranahan saw Prospect Park, the City Park, Washington Park, Tompkins Park and Carroll Park added tc the great park system. In 1891 a movement was started to erect a bronze statue of Mr. Stranahan in Prospect Park. The cost was met by a popular subscription. Frederick Macmonnies prepared the statue, and it was unveiled on June 6, 1891. Mr. Stranahan was also interested in Greater New York, and frequently re marked that he hoped he would live to see the day that New York and Brooklyn were united in one grand municipality. He w.- • one of the members of the original commission that was appointed to bring about Ine Greater New York. First Woman Balloonist. Mrs. Lucretia Bradley Hubbell. aow living at Norwich, Conn., was the irst woman togo up in a balloon. MRS. HUBBELL, THE COSTUME WORN AT HER ASCENSIONS IN 1855. The ascension was made at Easton, Penn., March 25, 1855. At the time Mrs. Hubbell was twenty-seven years old. The ascension was a decided success, and the papers of those daya 1 extolled the achievement as one of the most marvelous with which women was accredited. Nominated Him For " It." "Say, Tom, pretend yer a Span iard an' let de gang play wid yer fer Pre minits."