FORTS AND SIEGE TRENCHES AT LADYSMITH. ft V I t 'Jsf B..»» POERS J- I . \ \ ,J^ %«! "Ail B- -5" Nil \ e ps r Lartysmith was invested by the Boer forces under General .Toubert. The besiegers completely surrounded the position. The town lies in a bowl-shaped depression. On every side but one there are hills or kopjes, verv convenient for the placing of artillery, and from these eminences the enemy shelled the city from time to time. The Boers constructed two lines of trenches—one facing the town from all sides, the other facing from the town ill order to repel attacks from tlie outside. The plaus shown iu the jhart are drawn alter rales of Vauban, the greatest of French engineeis. •JOOOOOOOOOGOOOGOOGOOOOOGOO I THE KIOHOiKE 00TD0HE. 1 No » Marvelous Richness o? the Cape O •"i Nome District, Alaska. o fj O 3 ALL WITHIN THE UNITED STATES O J0300300000003000000000000 "There seems good reason to infer that substantially the entire southern half of this large peninsula (on which Caj e Nouie is nituated), covering more than 8000 or 10,000 square miles, is gold-bearing, and much of it rich. It lies in the Yukon gold belt, extending From the Klondike westward, and probably continues across Bering Sea into Siberia." So writes F. C. Schrader of the United States Geological Sur vey, one of two experts sent out by the Government last fall to report upon the Cape Nome gold district, of whose wonders rumor had been heard in Washington. Mr. Schrader gives a brief account of his trip in the latest number of the National Geographic Magazine, aud has also addressed tho National Geological Society on the same subject. The reports brought back by him aud other explorers, like Lieutenant Jarvis of the revenue cut ter Bear, indicate that this newly opened district, over the national ownership of which thero is no dis pute, far exceeds the Klondike in im portance as a source of the world's ' ■ ' r "* CRADLING GOLD ON THE BEACH AT NOME. gold supply. This is partly on ac count of the distribution of the gold in area and richness, and partly be cause of the better means of getting people and supplies in and the pro duel out. The Cape Nome district is situated on the northwest coast of Alaska, the southern promontory of a peninsula extending westward toward Siberia, between Kotzebneand Norton Sounds, and largely separating Bering Sea from the Arctic Ocean. From Cape Nome westward for thirty miles or more the shore-line is comparatively ptraigA and smooth, but between this line and the base of the mountains occurs the well-known tundra—a strip of treeless, moss-covered marine gravels, forming a coastal shelf. Along the beach this is about thjety feet above sea level, bnt it slopes gently upward till at the base of tlie moun tains, four or live miles back, it reaches an elevation of 150 to 200 feet. Quartz veins riu! veinlets, traversing the rocks in the mountains, aro sup posed to be the source of the gold iu the marine gravels. " LANMNG FIIEIfiHT AT NOME CITY. The first considerable discovery of gold in tho Cape Nome district was made iu September, ]8S)8, by a pat ty of Swedes, who found it in the creeks and gulches. Tbey wore sent out and told where to look by a Swedish mis sionary, X. O. Hultberg, who had persisted, in spite of every discour agement., in believing that there was gold aloug the edge of Golofnin B:iy. Not till last summer was the beach gold discovered. Iu tho gulches along the edge of the mountains the diggings are coarse gold, nuggets valued at $350 being found there six or eight feet under the creek gravels. Aloug the beach tho gold is as tine as bird shot or finer. Its occurrence is mostly under two or three feet of gravel and sand, on the bottom layer of clay or argillaceous sand, called by tho miners '"bedroik." Thin layers of ruby sand inter tratified with the gravel near the "b drock" are often found to be rich. The production of the region for the season just past is estimated at 82,000,000, of which the beach contributed one-half. Two claims alone are credited with $225,- 000 between them, while one gulch is said to have yielded more than $200,- 000. In the gulch os mining is carried on by stripping, slucing, ami to some ex tent, by rockiug, but on the beach almost exclusively by rocking. In the latter process the sea wnter is used, the gold being caught iu blank ets, and to some extent on copper plates coated with mercury. Where copper-plate was lacking, the bottom of the rocker has been covered with silver coin, coated with mercury. The 2000 men working along the beach in the late summer and fall took out an average of S2O each daily. The tundra lifts not infrequently yielded from ten to thirty cents to the pan. Capital will doubtless be required to develop the tundra de posits, aud those of high quality which have been found in the benches in the lower mountain region. Only a comparatively small strip of coast has been prospected thus far, but there is no reason to suppose that the gold discovered is more than a fraction of what will show itself later in response to systematic search. All signs point to the placer mining of the Nome dis trict as surpassing that of any other purt of the world. This country is cheerless, aud not naturally adapted as to climate, soil, vegetation or animal life,for the abode of white men, but it is at least readily accessible, which is more than can be said for the Klondike district. In the Klondike there is growing timber for building houses, constructing sluice works, furnishing a part of the neces sary fuel, etc.; at Cape Nome there is none, and every board, beam and post must be brought from elsewhere. The sea is open, however, from some time in June till about the first of Novem ber, and steamships aud sailing ves sels can ply to aud fro freely. The temperature never falls so low as in the Klondike, but the fierceness of the winds which sweep the coast make 3 the cold harder to bear. Thore is not game enough to speak of, and uo natural food for horses and mules, so that provisions for man aud beast, coal for heatiug aud industrial pur poses, as well as building materials, must be brought up from the south. A Self-Stirring: Cooker. An automatic self-stirring cooking pot is the latest development in the kitchen utensil line. This, it is asserted, does away with the neces sity of constantly stirriug while cook ing the porridge or oatmeal that forms such an important adjunct of the average breakfast. The pot, as shown in the sectional drawing, is double, aud consists of au inner receptacle, to contain the oatmeal to be cooked, aud an outer, or water, jacket, with a spout opening. This jacket is first tilled with water, and the cap on the spout then screwed on. Leading from this water jacket is a tube extending along one side of the inner receptacle, the bottom of the tube communicating with the bottom of the receptacle by means of perforations. The ateaui SELF-STINNINO BOILER. that is generated in the jacket has no other avenue of escapo except through this tube. Naturally, then, as the water begins to boil, the steam in seeking to escape passes through the tube and up through the food. It is asserted that the agitation thus pro- THE OPERATION OF Till'. SELF-SUBBING COOKER. duced by the steam is sufficient to prevent burning, even thoug l the usual stirriug is neglected. <*m # * Wf€^j~ ! M>r M h FIGHT AROUND LAD YSMITH—COLLECTING THE WOUNDED ENGLISH SOLDIERS AT THE CLOSE OF THE DAY. FACTS ABOUT ACUINALDO. | Hit Origin, Training ami Characteristic Oriental Methodic. Aguiualdo was born at Cavite Viejo thirty yeirs ago. His father, Dou Carlos, was a truck farmer of the na tive class, but rose to some importance among his fellows, aud was thrica elected Mayor of Cavite. Aguinaldo's education was of the most limited AGUINALDO'S WIFE. (She was recently captured by General Otis's force.) kind. For a year or two he attended the school of Santo Tomas, in Mauila, but the death of his father called him to Cavite, whore he took up the work of the farm. Here he soon made him self prominent and troublesome by his connection with the Katipuuan League, organized by liizal against the friars. The Governor-General, to wiu his sympathies, appointed liita captain municipal of Cavite in 1895. Aguinaldo's mentor and tutor in the art of revolutions was Andres Boni facio, a schoolmaster of Cavite, and the original conspirator iu the revolu tion against the Spanish. Bonifacio influenced Aguiualdo to join the revo lution if '9O, acquainting him of the iutenv '>f the Spaniards to secretly murda 've members of the Kati punau.X -eupou Aguiualdo, grasp ing the\ tunity of leadership, had Bonifacu retly killed, and placed himself a e head of the movement against th Spanish. Tho Spanish drove Agu aldo to the mountains, but ultimately compromised with him. His career from then till now is cur rent news. Aguiualdo is not a pure Tagalog. His maternal grandfather was a Chiuainan. AfIUIXAIiDO's FATHER-IX-L AW. Aguinaldo's wife is a Chinese Mestiza, and made herself conspicu ous in the revolutionary army by organizing a "lied Cross" hospital corps, and placing herself at the head of it. She was captured by American troops recently aud is now a prisoner in Manila. As London I-earns Thins*. New York policemen have been served with a new kind of club. It has a swivel handle, which prevents it from being twisted from the grasp of its holder. The novel feature of the club is the arrangement by which sixteen saw teeth, each half an inch in length,pop out of sixteen holes,dig into the hand which grasps it aud give one strong pull. The teeth remain concealed until an attempt is made to wrench the club from the policeman. Tho united pulls in oppostite directions lacerate the evil-door's hand in a jiffy.—London Weekly Telegraph. The finest red coral is obtained from the Mediterranean; the large pieces of a pale color are said to be often worth twenty times their weight in gold. if i | CHILDREN'S COLUMN, j Tlie Fooll.li < 1> ckun, Or.ce a naughty jchieken Wouldn't go to bed. When his mother called him This is what ho Mild: •'What a silly mother. Always in a fright. I.est something eat her chickens- 1 C.tli't bear us out of sight. "I know morn than mother, I teel that 1 ran go In safety round ilils corner. To where the pumpkins grow "That's the place where moth;l - us all one day, It was cool nuil shady, I'll go there nud stay. "I know the sun is sotting. And I ought togo to bed; I!ut our coop is hot and stutTy, I'll sleep out hero instead." But two bright eyes were watching, They'd seen the chickie come. Two ears lia l heard his foolish word 3, About his happy home. And so the hungry weasel. A supper had that nighi, And ehickie's mother clucks in vain Her sou is lost to sight. —Frances G. Bush, in Chicago ltecord. Tlie I eel nml Dinner. In Iceland the native's dinner usually consists of dried fish and but ter. The fish is the ling or cod, which, when caught, is split open and then hung up on lines by the soa t-liore to dry in the cold winds and hot sun. When thus preserved, they will keep for years, being as hard as the nether millstone. When wanted for dinner the fish is well hammered by a stone n allot and thou cut up into strips. In this state they are eaten, but it is said that it needs an Ice lander's te<th to t-'et through tho meal. Tho butter is not spread on the fish, but the two are taken alter nately, first a mouthful of fish, then a mouthful of butter. It may easily be supposed that the Icelander is thankful to have his jaws woll greased between every mouthful of the tougu morsel. I,('**!>!>* ill StHlll{>4. Tho child who possesses the beau tiful set of Columbian stamps will learn from their designs milch of the career of Columbus. If he has ac quired the curious stamps of New South Wales, he will not fail to ad mire the map of the coutiueut that adorns them ;if he forget which country is inhabited bv the kangaroo, his Australian stamps will duly inform him, and should he desire to know where his cod liver oil comes from the Newfoundland stamps will teach him. Stamps are instructive at all points. For instance, any child knows from them that Salvador is volcanic, that Egypt has pyramids, that Holland has a little queen and Spain a still more infantine king. Ah, if stamps and printing had not been such very recent iuventious.how much more would not liistoiy ha>e had to tell us! Think < 112 having the portraits and accessories of all the emperors of I'ome! Not us worn de signs on lusty coins, but engrave 1 on parchment by skillful workmen aud care.ully preserved in ancient arch ives. They would teach history in deed I A Sea Bird. The guillemot is a sea bird of tho genus alca. or aak. Its legs are set very far back on the body, so that its usual attitude is a nearly upright sitting posture. Its three toed feet are strongly webbed aud their structure gives it great facility in swimming aud diving. In. these operations it is groatly aided by its short wings, which aroof more use for these purposes than for flight, a mode of progression of which it is, however, capable, though in a some what clumsy fushion. From the position of its legs and the tlat surfaces of its webbed feet the guillemot's walk is very awkward, but in the water its movements are lively and graceful. The male bird measures from fifteen to eighteen inches in length aud the female from twelve to tiftesn inches. Guillemots are found iu high lati tudes on both sides of the Atlantic, in America breeding as far south as the Hay of Fuudy. On the British coast they exist iu countless millions, the Scottish cliffs and the rocky islands to the north and northwest being their chief resorts. They also extend far to the north of those points. Like many common birds, fishes and other animals, the guillemot is known by many names, these varying in differ nut districts and not always beiug limited to the guillemot alone, but including its allies, the penguins, razor bills and puliius. Thus it is variously known as the frowl, kiddaw, langy, lavy, marrock, inline, scout, sea pigeon, skiddaw, strauy, tinker, tinkershire aud willock.—E. E. T., iu Teachers' Magazine. True Story of Laddie. Few dogs have had a wider circle of personal friends and havo been more sincerely mourned when they have died than Laddie Boss, an intel ligent Scotch collie of ancient liueage. To some of Laddie's friends, in deed, it seemed au insult to call him a dog. Ho knew by name the various visitors at his home,and would go up stairs in the moruing and call any member of the family whom his mis tress told him to awaken. This, in deed, was a particular delight, for h • had discovered that his cold nose, thrust unexpectedly aga list a neck in the early morning, created a seusa tiou, and his joy at the remonstrances ;hat ensued was always unbounded. Uut Laddie, although fond of a joke. R-as nover rough aud ill-manuered. (le was, in fact, as one of his friends 11 ways insisted, "a true creutlemou" Laddie understood all a l , out closiug doors, bringing the paper, fetching bis dish, saying his prayers, siuging and all other ordinary dog accom plishments. But aside from these, Laddie understood tlie English lan guage, and did things every day that surprised his family by his intelli gence. One sulti v evening Laddie showed an indisposition to retire as usual to his rug in the kitchen, and his master said, "You think it is cooler here, Laddie? Well, b:ing your rug iu here if you want to." Laddie, to his master's astonishment, for he had never before 1 een told to move his rug, went promptly aud brought it iuto the dining room, and laid himself contentedly upou if. In the morning, when he was told that he had better take it back to the kitchen, he picked it up ia his teeth and dragged it back. Laddie had his own friends, many of whom his master an 1 mistress did not know. These were mostly busi ness men and women who passed the house night and morning, and whom Laddie met regularly, as if by ap pointment, at one corner of the door yard, and escorted inside the yard as lar as the fence would permit. These people were known in the family as "Laddie's friends." I.addie died the death of a hero,and lost his own life in saving another. He had beeu spending the summer at the kennels, and immediately upon the return of his master and mistress to their home after their vacation his master had telegraphed for him to be sent home on the next train. On the way to the train a mad bull attacked the wagon in which he was riding,and but for Laddie's intervention the driver, as he afterwards said, must have been killed. Laddie died from the frightful wounds which he re ceived trom the enraged animal, and great was the grief of his friends when they received the sad tidings. New York Tribune. Saving Four Hundred IJvog. It is a beautiful story told by Laf cadio Heam of an old man whose great deed belongs t'j Japanese history, lie was Hainaguchi, and his farm house stood on the verge of a small plateau overlooking the bay. The plateau, mostly devoted to rice cul ture, was hemmed ia 011 three sides by thickly wooded summits; and from the outer verge the land sloped down to the sea. Below weio ninety thatched dwellings and a temple; these composed the village. One autumn evening Hamaguchi 1 Gobei was looking down from his bal : cony on the preparations for some merry-making in tl.e hamlet below. All the villagers were out, aud he would have gone with them, had he not beeu feeling less strong than usual. Suddenly there came an earthquake shock—not a very strong one; but Hamaguchi, who had felt many before this, thought there was something odd in its long, spongy motion. As the quaking ceased, he chiinced to look towards the sea; and there he saw the strangest possible sight; it seemed to be running away from the land. Apparently, the whole village bad noticed it; for the people stood still in wonderment. Only hamaguchi drew any conclusions fioiu the phenomenon ; and guessed what the sea would do next. He called in his little grand son, a lad of ten—the only one of tha family left with him. "lada! Qu.ck! Light me a I torch!" The child kindled a piuo torch, aud the old man hurried with it to the fields, where hundreds of rice-stacks stood 1 eady for transportation. One by one he lighted them in haste, and they caught like tinder, sending sky ward masses of smoke that met aud mingled in one cloudy whirl. Tada, astonished and terrified, ran after his grandfather, weening and calling, ; "Why? why? why?" Hamaguchi did not answer. He thought only of four hundred lives in peril. He watched for the people, and in a moment only they came swarming up from tlio village. And still the sea was fleeing toward the horizon. The first party of snc ! cor arrived—a score of agile young peasants, who wanted to attack the lire at once, but Hainaguchi, stretch ing out both his arms, stopped tliem. "Let it burn, lads!" he commanded. I "Let it be! 1 want the whole village here." The whole village came, mothers and children last of all, drawn by con ' ceru and curiosity. "Grandfather is mad. lam afraid of him!" sobbed little Tada. "He set tire to the rice on purpose. 1 saw him do it." "As for the rice,said Hamaguchi, | "the child tells the truth. I set lire !to it. Are all the people here?" j "All are here," was the answer. ; "But wo cannot understand this , thing." "See!" cried the old man, at the top of his voice, pointing to the open. "Say if I be mad!" It was the returning sea, towcriug ! like a cliff, and coining swifter than i the kite. Thero was a shock, he.tvier ; than thunder, as the colossal swell smote the shore, with a flame-burst I like a blaze of sheet-lightning, j Then a white horror of soa raved : over the \illage itself. It drew back, 1 roaring, and tearing out the laud as it i went. Twice, thrice, live times, it I struck and ebbed, each time with lesser surges, and then it retn nod to its ancient bed, anil stayed there, al though still raging. Of all the homes a out the bay nothing remained but two straw roofs, tossing madlv iu the offing. All lips were dumb, until Hamaguchi obsei ved gently: "That was why 1 set firo to the rice." He was now poor as the poorest in all the village, Lut ho had saved four hundred lives.—Christian Register.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers