1 FEE OS OF THE LIFE-SAVERS 1 si r H IP The Biave Coast Guaiu~ .Vho Patrol the Shore wC* While the Storm Rages. |j3 ■A. N the year 1871 Life-Saving 13Wj£Yf Service of the United States .//, ~ffl 11 was founded by ' r J~ 't.. 1 11 Sumner I. Kim ball, at that time head of the Rev ifT-S' enue Marine Bu reauof theTreas ury Department. V— He secure 'l a P" propriations from Congress, introduced scientific meth ods of saving lives and ships, drilled the men, built stations at points with in a few miles of one another from Maine to Florida, and along the shores of the Great Lakes, and effected t*uch improvements that he got the en tire country heartily at his back. The amount of property and the number of lives saved, from the outset, was most impressive. In 1574 he prepared a bill to extend the work, to bestow medals upon deserving life-savers, to collect and tabulate statistics of ma rine disasters, and to determine what points on the const were specially liable to maritime calamities. He caused life-boats to be selected for particular regions with a view to their lituess for meeting the conditions there existing; he investigated the merits of various inventions in the way of guns for shooting lines to wrecked vessels, and of life-cars and otUer devices for bringing persons from wrecks to the shore. Finally, the Bureau was separated from the Treasury Department, and set up in business for itself. Our Life-Saving Service is now unique among nations. The greater part of our coast being practically uninhabited aud deserted, and in many places very dangerous to naviga toi'3, there was need that it should be ledulouslv watched. The entire TIRING THE LIFE-LIXE. stretch of coasts, about ten thousand miles in extent, is now patrolled daily during the stormy seasons, aud no wreck can occur without being prompt ly r 4 jrted, and all possible means taken to minimize loss. The men are perhaps the most thoroughly drilled, intelligent and efficient body in the world, and constant inspection and encouragement of the worthy maintain them at this high level. The station buildings are commodious and well kept, and stored with whatever can be of use in the service, or productive of benefit in educating the men. The latter are paid regular salaries by the Government, aud in case of their dis ablement or death, pensions are pro __ . r-> LAUNCHING THE LIFE-BOAT. vided for them or their families. Poli tics are kept rigorously out of the Bu reau; and altogether, its history and statistics are perhaps more gratifying to the national pride and pleasure than those of any other bureau apper taining to our Government. Mr. Kim ball has been the right man in the right place, and the life-savers them selves have magnificently supported him by their achievements in the face of tremendous perils and difficulties. Collier's Weekly has a striking arti cle on the Life-Saving Service from which the following is taken: The venturesome mariner may lay a straight course past Iceland and Spits bergen northward till he brings up against the eternal ice, by steering due northeast from anywhere on the coast of Eastern Massachusetts, and keep ing away enough to clear the project ing headlands of Nova Sootia and New foundland. In other words, when the northeast wind arises in its might and goes forth from its lair ill the Arctic seeking whom it may devour, the first land that it strikes squarely is Cape Cod and the first large seaport that lies in its track ia Boston. The meteorologists tell us that most of the destructive cyclone storms orig inate in the Gulf of Mexico or else where in the South Atlantic, and in truth the warnings of approaching BEACHCOMBERS AT WORK ON THE SALVAGE. hurricanes at all seasons confirm the truth of this theory. But be that as it may, when the northeast wind gets an unobstructed sweep of some thou sands of miles down the wide stretch of ocean that leads the Gulf Stream northward it has a chance to develop a degree of violence that it can hardly attain where its course is interrupted by outlying islands and reefs. During the comparatively calm and peaceful voyage that most travelers by sea achieve from New York or Boston to London, Liverpool or Southampton they are told that when the ship crosses a tract known to sailormen as "the hole in the wall" their seamanship is likely to be tested. The reason for this is that until that point is reached the southward sweep of wind and wave is more or less modified by submerged shallows such as the Grand Banks and other ridges that are revealed by deep sea soundings. It is not surprising, therefore, that the accumulated force of a protracted winter's gale is some thing terrific when it breaks on the sandy headland that forma the ex tremity of Cape Cod. On one of the high sand dunes that form this promontory stands the High land Light, looking out to sea, and from sunset to sunrise, year in and year out, sending its rays over leagues of restless ocean to give warning of the dangerous sand-bars that are formed by waves and current all along this coast. The Government observers of ocean phenomena, in their forecasts of North Atlantic weather for the winter mouths, habitually predict gales of greater or less severity at intervals of about seven or eight days covering all this zone and extending southward as far as Hatteras. or perhaps even till they melt away into the gentle trade winds of the tropics. But not even the hydrographio office ventures as yet to predict very far ahead the approach of phenomenal storms such as visited this coast at the end of November. It conld and did give warning several hours before the storm began to make itself felt at the Vir ginia capes and along up the Jersey shore. Hurricane signals were promptly set at every station away up the coast as far as the jurisdiction of the United States extended, and if the coastwise authorities of the British possession had only been willing to accept the warning of American weather prophets they, too, might have shown danger signals for the benefit of their seafaring population. It is » singular characteristic of a great many masters of vessels, from the flag-officer of a squadron down to the skipper of a coasting sloop, to cherish a certain contempt for every thing that savors of meteorological science or official interference. Lightships are anchored with an eye to violent conditions of tempest, their mooring chains are so huge and heavy that to lift one of the links re quires something of an effort to an ordinary man. In spite of all, this phenomenal gale tore theee lightships from moorings, breaking the hugo chain cables and sending them adrift to work their way under sail to such harbor as Providence might vouchsafe. One of them, the Pollock Rip light ship, was driven away down toward the Delaware Capes, and was at last picked up and towed to a place of safety by the Belgian stoamer Switzer- land. As this is vritten revenue vessels are out looking for the other lightships that are adrift, ami, as still other storms have intervened between then and now, the question of finding them becomes moro and more doubt ful. To recount even a few of the inci dents and adventures and daring deeds of rescue performed alike by men of the Life-Saving Servico and by volunteers who manned lifeboats aud went to the rescue of crews on board foundering vessels that they met ou the high seas would take far more space than is at my disposal. Wher ever human life was imperiled men were ready with daring hearts and skillful hands to rescue their fellows SAVED BY THE BREECHES BUOY. without hope or prospect of reward, and while instances have been re ported of alleged plundering o) wrecked persous and property along shore, the weight of evidence, on the side of courage and faithful discharge of duty, is largely in the lead. Heaveu grant that the interval may be long before such another storm descends from the Northern Ocean! It Housed Hi* Ambition. The fat boarder groaned softly as lie watched the landlady hand arouudth« cold chicken. He saw his finish. II ■would either be a section of the back, or a leg joint. He wasn't much oft favorite with the landlady. "I aui not," he sorrowfully re marked, "a man of ambitious long ings. I care nothing for the cares o) state, or the applause of thousands. But it never struck me so forcibly as it does this evening that I would like to be President." "And why this evening?" inquired the unsuspecting landlady. "Because the President," said the fat boarder with an unctuous fervor, "because the President, whenever he dines—and it's an old and beautiful custom —is invariably waited upoi first." * And he took his section of bad with a heavy sigh.—Cleveland Plain Dealer. The l'auln( of the Tow-Path Mule. The speediest solution of the canal boat difficulty is offered by M. Salliot, of Dijos, France, who has invented ar electric traction engine which will run on any towpath without rails. Th< motive power is furnished by an over head trolley wire. The towing eabk is fastened to the back of the engine, and in the cab Bits a man who does th< steering and controls the current. The locomotive is perfectly stahle, and stands all sorts of shunting and cross- TOWINQ CANALBOATB BY ELECTRICITY. ing. Experiments made in Paris were so successful that the problem of tow ing canalboats seemed to be solved. This photograph, taken near one of European capitals, shows how the good, old, sure-footed, long-eared friend of our fathers has been sup planted. EARLY CHRISTIAN COINS. Recent Find of Alleged Messianic Coin in l'Mli Has Aroused Numismatists. A holy coin found by Boyer d'Agen in Paris, and alleged to be a specimen of the Messianic coin which was in use among the Christians in Jeiusa lem during the lirst century after the F°UMD IN /%^v\ ia i a §!!'//// /J W \ CnBLSVIATIC CRUCIFIXION birth of Christ, is stirring up consid erable discussion in England and on the continent. The coin bears a por trait of the Savior, with the name of ■Jesus in Hebrew characters. On the reverse, in Hebrew characters, is this motto: "The Messiah, the King, will como in peace. He is the incarnate liviug light of men." The claim that this coin was in cir 3ulation in the first century after Christ is disputed in England, whore George Mackey, a noted coin collec tor, shows almost an exact duplicate of the Parisian coin. This cain was unearthed in 1812 by a peasant's daughter who was helping her father dig potatoes in Ireland. On one side is the head of the Savior, with a Hebrew inscription as shown in the illustration, and on the reverse a Hebrew inscription reading: "The Messiah has reigned. Ho came in peace, and being made the light of man He lives." Walter Davis, member of the Lon don Numismatical Society, has dis covered that a similar coin is de scribed in Rev. R. Walsh's "Essay OD Ancient Coins, Medals and Gems," and according to this authority the character at the back of the head is the Hebrew letter "Aleph," and the characters in front of the face form the Jewish name Jesus. Still another holy coin, one of silver and somewhat larger than those mentioned, was submitted some time ago to the authorities at the British Museum. There is no such coin there, but the verdict passed ou the coin submitted was "Italian coin seven teenth century. Son of Jesse, the Messiah, was crucified on the sixth day and taken down on the sixtt day. He lived." The owner of this coiu disputes the great age of any of these so-called holy coins. Scientific Child-Study in Chicago Schools, Scientific child study has commenced in the public schools of Chicago, and while as yet it has reaehod no definite stage, a beginning has been made al least. The most notable test now being made is that through the medium ol the ergograph, which is the invention of Professor A. Mosso, of Italy, and is for the purpose of determining th« stored up energy of the pupil. Apart from the ergograph tests there are others, all of which are deemed es sential. In the lirst place, the pupil is weighed, then his height is carefull; takeu, both standing and sitting. EXAMINING A SCHOOL PURRL BY MKAN, OF TIIF. ERGOGRAPH. Then comes the ergograph. It con sists of two main parts, one of which is a cylinder, revolved by means ol clockwork, about which a paper strij is pasted. The working portion of the second part is a small sliding carriage, to whion is attached a stylographk pen, the point of which rests upon the paper covered cylinder. To one end of this carriage is attached a weight, and to the other a cord made of twisted wire. The arm of the pupil to be exam ined is snapped into a rest, the lattei having no connection with the ergo graph, however, so that it is possible to move only the fingers. The child's second finger is then hooked into a loop in the wire cord, and the pupil is required to work the finger back and forth in time with a metronome, a contrivance for marking time. This moves the carriage and the pen at tached back and forth, and on the paper of the cylinder, which has been set iuto a barely perceptible motion, the pen records an unbroken line something like the teeth of a saw. As the finger of the pupil weakens from fatigue the distance he is able to pull the carriage forward grows shorter and shorter until he cannot move it at all, and consequently the mark of the pen on the paper over the cylin der becomes almost perfectly straight. Now, the principle upon which the operation of the ergograph is based is that auy one set of muscles is an in dex to the general condition of th? body. Massachusetts is caring for 500 epi eptics of all ages from four to seveutv. [FOR FARM AND GARDEN.] To Avoid Weevilly Seed Pea*. A very simple as well as satisfactory way for separating weevilly peas from the sound ones is to place the seed in a solution of salt and water made of a sufficient streugth that the sound peas will sink and the weevilly ones float. The injured grain at the top may be washed and fed to the stock while the sound seed is sown. This assures an even catch —to a certain extent —and. better yet, the weevilly peas are not even wasted. Currant* for Profit. There is no kind of small fruit that is so sure a crop if kept from the worm as the currant. It also generally sells at a good price, with the advantage to the grower that the currants will re main on the bushes two or three weeks, not only without injury, but each day growing belter after they are colored. This may not altogether pre vent a glut in the market, but it at least gives the currant grower more time in which to market his fruit. The only drawback to currant gl ow ing is tlie currant worm, but this is so easily killed hy timely applications of hellebore ] owder thr.t it is really an advantage to the g'ower who uses it in time, as it destroys the currants of s.) many others who would otherwise be his coin) etitors. There is nothing usually to be made in what everybody can produce very easily. Waste of Soil hy Blow hi sr. It is always a loss to leave soil raked through the winter, especially if the surface soil is friable. Unless snow comes as a covering, much of it will be blown into adjoining tit-Ids. Often when snow conies it will be wind swept into banks behind fences on its leeward side,and so soon as the banks are formed the snow will be darkened by clouds of fine dust, which is dej o-i.ed on its surface. This wind-blown soil is always ex tremely rich,as is shown by the i nicker growth and darker green of the grass that giows up after the bank has melted in spring. Always the land oil the lee side of helds that have been much and long plowed is richer near the fence on the leeward side than it is nearer the centre of the field. For this reason, when plowing, turn the furrows as much as possible from the fences towards the centre of the field. Doubtless there is much blowing of surface dirt in summer showers,though it is not so plain to the sight as it i< when the dark rim lies on top of a white bauk uf snow. Fertilizing Orchards. There are not many farmers who fully appreciate the value of fertilizing an orchard, yet this is really neces sary —in fact just as much so as in fertilizing any other crop—for the trees greatly need the elements con tained in the fertilizer, especially the potash, in order to grow and mature a crop. Here are a few figures which might illustrate: A crop of wheat of twenty bushels to the acre removes from the soil of'each acre in grain and straw about twenty-nine pounds of nitro gen, nine pounds of phosphoric acid and five poutuls of potash. To compare, we will allow each acre forty apple trees. These will remove from the soil in maturing the crop about thirty-two pounds of nitrogen, eight pounds of phosphoric acid and forty-five pounds of potash. I'roin this it can be readily seen how much greater is the necessity of maturing for apples than for wheat, and especially in supplying the potash. If the real reason for applying fer tilizers is to stop soil exhaustion— which is certainly truo—farmeis have no excuse for not looking into the matter of orchard fertilizing,and wheu they finally do find this out, the old excuse of'This was a good fruit coun try once, but that day has gone by," will bo a thing of the past, and it is just this that ought to have happened years ago. The Care of Lambs. Lambs should have grain from the time they are ten weeks old till the following spring. A trough can be set with oats in it outside of the past ure fence, near the watering place, with opening in the fence for the lambs to get to it. They will then learn to eat by the time they are four mouths old, at which time they should be weaued; it is better for both mother and lamb. In weaning give them the best they can eat, and plenty of good water. If you have a cornfield adjoin ing your pasture you will find it a good thing to open the fence and let them also have range to it. They will do no harm, and will eat many of the weeds aud lower leaves of the corn. They should be kept in that way until they are putin winter quarters, then they should have from half a pint to a pint equally of shelled corn and oats per day, owing to the size and breed of the sheep, with all they can eat of good hay. In weaniug lambs never take them from the mothers, but al ways take the mothers from the lambs, and leave tli9 lambs in the old pasture for a week at least before moving them to another, if necessary to move at all. A gentle old sheep should be left with the lambs for a leader; it makes them more quiet and gejitle. In the spring, as soon as there is enough pasture, turn them out on grass for the summer. You have then a tine butich of sheep whose fleccif will more than pay for the keeping. They c«n now be handled like old sliee . There is nothing cheaper and better for abe*p than grass, except it may l>«> w. Eds, of which they eat and destroy Ui.niy aud convert iito wool and mutton free of charge, bnt remember they do not thrive or pay on weeds alone.—Farm, Field and Fireside. The Treatment of a Lawn. Keeping a lawn in order is not diffi cult, but it requires attention. By de ferring attention until the lawn shows it needs it is one of the most certain ways of insuring a rugged lawn. Keeping up a lawn is simply a mat ter of keeping up a good growth of grass. The chief poiuts to keep in mind are to prevent maturity (seed production) and careful feeding. Grass, like other field crops, requires plant food, and, as its root system is somewhat shallow, and the soil has little aeration when continually in sod, the plant food supplied must be in a highly available form. To prevent running to seed the grass must bo clipped regularly. In the spring and early summer months, before the sun's rays have readied the fierce heat ol' midsummer, it is advis able to remove all grass dij pings, but during the hot summer months the clippings should be left 011 the lawn to servo as a mulch. This is especial ly true for sections subject to a mid summer drought. The late summer clippings should bo left as a winter mulch. In the hot days of midsum mer the lawn sprinklers should not be started until bite in the afternoon. Light, sandy soils require more pro tection from drought than day soils. On the former the dippings mulch is a very imj ortant matter. On very heavy clay soils the clippings mulch tre ueutly Hues more harm than good. The plant food is the most impor tant poiut, not only to keep up a Bolid mat of grass, bnt also to prevent that vitiation due to insufficient nourish ment wli'ch with plants as with ani mals is an inevitable invitation t« disease. Altwn requires regularly every year an application of nitrogen, potash and pli >sphoric acid. All three of these fertilizers are necessary, aud an excess of any one or two cannot make up for a deficiency of any oue. A fair application, 011 the basis of one acre, is one bag of muriate of potash aud two bags of ai Sd phosphate; that is, 200 pounds of the former aud 400 pounds of thj latter. These fertiliz ers should be thoroughly mixed to gether, an«l it will be an advantage to mix them with an equal weight of fine, dry earth. The best time to ap ply is in Aug Ist or September, broad cast. 111 the sprin ■. as soon as the green begins to freshen, apply nitrate of soda at the rate of 200 pounds pet acre. The application of the nitrate of soda is an important matter. The fer tilizer must be finely pulverized, and mixed with an equal weight of fine, dry earth. To use the nitrate without the previous apt lieatiou of the potash and pho ph.ites is to invite disaster. The grass will be stimulated to a rank growth, which it makes wholly at the expense of its vitality. There is no surer way to destroy a lawn. 111 cases of moss growth in ppots, due largely to a lack of potash and phospha:es the best treatment is to rake over thoroughly,and aoply burnt lime at the rate of two good liaudfuls to the s mire yard. Rcseed the fol lowing spring, and do not fail to use the mineral fertilizer in August.—R. Carwood in American Cultivator. rivM-ticul Dairy Notes. Salt should always be accessible. Do not change the feed suddenly. Clea 1 and thoroughly air stable be fore milking. Keep tiie dairy and stable room iu good condition, fresh air and dean. Do nit use within twenty days be fore calving, nor for three to five days afterward. Do not move cows faster than a com fortable walk while 011 the way to place of milkiug or feeding. Mo savage dogs. Provide water iu abundance, easy of access and always pure; fresh, but not too cold. Do not use impure pond water. The milker should wear a clean outer garment, used only wlieu milk ing. and kept in a clean place at other times. Feed liberally, aud use only fresh, palatable feedstuff's. In no case should decomposed or mouldy material be used. Do not allow any stroug-flavored food like garlic, cabbage aud turnips to be eaten, except immediately after milkiug. Cleau the entire body of the cow daily. If hair in the region of the udder is not easily kept clean it should be clipped. The milker should be clean in all respects. He should not use tobacco when milking. He should wash and ury his hands before milking. Never «llow the cows to bo excited by hard driving, abuse, loud talking or unnecessary disturbance. Do not expose them to cold or storms any length of time. Promptly remove from the herd any animal suspected of being in bad health, aud reject her milk. Never add an animal to the herd until cer tain it is fiee from disease, especially tuberculosis. fllnck l>o{j Dalntle*. Chickens are sold by the piece in Buenos Ayres. They are dressed be fore being offered for sale, the only feathers left upon them being those of the tail. The same custom prevails in China as to dogs, where a bit of the dog's hair is always left on the eud of the tail, even when the ani mal is cool ed. But this is because the Chinese consider the flesh of black dogs the best, aud most certain to put a brave spiiit into the body of the •^ter
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