**************************
| SOD USED FUEL |
■¥ The Picturesque Turf Cutting Customs *•
of Old England. J
Threatened by the scarcity of coal,
It is entirely probable that the English
people will turn to their fields of peat
as a resort. Besides the extensive
fields to be found in Scotland and Ire
land, there is considerable of it in Eng
land as well. In Yorkshire, Devon
shire, Cornwall and Somerset, says a
writer in the Golden Penny, peat is to
be found. I believe it is only in the
latter county that it is made use of for
fuel. Peat or turf cutting, as the
Somerset folk call it, is a matter of
supreme interest to a number of peo
ple, who, in that remote part of ling
land, look to it as their chief means
of warmth in winter, coal being con
sidered a luxury for the better or well
to-do classes, the masses preferring
to burn turf.
There seems to be no exact time for
commencing operations. It depends a
good deal on the spring.
A good cutter prides himself on be
ing able to cut each turf to an almost
exact square. These squares are gen
erally cut out in one great "chunk,"
nnd then divided iuto two or more
"peats," according to the desired size.
As a rule they are about eight or ten
Inches across, and are live inches
deep. When first cut they are stood on
end, one on top of the other, something
after the fashion that a child builds
IE
CART USED IN HAULING PEAT.
a card house. The next process after
the cutting is finished is the turning.
This is usually done by women, and
very picturesque they look in their
great sun bonnets to preserve their
complexions, though most are tanned
already with exposure to the keen air
and hot sun of the moors.
They busily and carefully turn each
turf, and, coming to the end, begin all
over again, as the peats have to be
turned so many times before they are
in proper order for use. After they
have been turned well they are put
up in what Is locally termed "hoyles,"
that is to say, about six peats under
neath, and say five on top. They are
left like this for a few days, and are
then piled up in "ruckles," which are
TURNING THE PEAT,
shaped something like attenuated hay
ricks.
Peat, like everything else, varies in
price according to a good or bad sea
son, and is also appreciably cheaper
in summer than in winter. There are
various ways of buying and selling.
The richer mi.n buys his turf by the
load; the poor man by the piece, very
much like one man purchases u ton of
coal while his poorer neighbor buys a
sack or a "hundred." A wagon-load
of turf costs about sixteen shillings
on tiie moor, and is hauled or carted
at the purchaser's expense. A cart
such as In the accompanying illustra
tion, Is called a turf cart proper, and
would hold about five or possibly six
hundredweight.
Turf burns a great deal faster than
coal, and In new-fashioned grates Is
hardly suitable; but a good big fire of
peat on an open hearth, Is, to my mind,
Mi*
--mm
J'CATi'fTTINO TIME IN YOKKHItIIIE,
it picture, and tempt* to do .••way
Willi fireplace*. build chimney corners
and Import pent,
A |wai lire haw one drawback; when
once Hi li should never be allowed to
K" quite out. A billow* l k it ncce**lty.
IIN Willi thill old* 112 toll lulled Implement
the glowing indie* lire coaxed lllto
Hume, nnd with the addition of fre*h
pent Hie lire l» nittde up for Hie day
ngaili. There lire many old fa*hlolied
IIIMItor llounen 111 Holllerset Hull Mill
l.oaxt of an open hearth uml n chimney
Corner ill Hie gtMid old style, mill in
Ihe«e Hie "Hqtlirv" iilwny* bus a title
pent ttl'c UmIUK,
The great fear of IIUMII owner* I*
thill Hie llirf Will collie to «u end. In
many part* It ha* nil km taken out,
but vfldeure remain* uf lt» cii*t«ucv
by the extreme blackness of the soil
Many things flourish in old pea<
grounds; potatoes like it, nnd rhodod
endrous delight in a peaty district.
QUICK BOILING KETTLE.
The Active Heating Surface Increased t>3
Novel Design.
The gas stove, by means of its in
stantaneous fire, has already saved
many hours in the kitchen, and the
quick-boiling kettle illustrated here-
HOT WATER KETTLE WITH HOT AIE TUBES '
which is designed to further expedite
cooking operations dependent on a
quick supply of hot water.. The ordin
ary kettle heats water most rapidly
when It Is made of copper and has a
large fire surface. In the kettle hers
shown this heath ? surface further
Increased by four taper tube's, large
at the bottom and small at the top,
which pass through the body of the
kettle. These act as flues for the hot
gases, and, as tlie water in the kettle
is in contact with their sides, they act
as so much heating surface. It is as
serted that a kettle of this design, even
when made of iron, under the same
conditions of lire, will bring a given
quantity of water to the boiling point
in one-lialf the time that an ordinary
copper kettle requires.
The Medicinal Value of Spiders*
In some out-of-the-way districts in
the south of Ireland spiders are high
ly esteemed in the treatment of croup.
The peasants get from an old wall the
webs of seven black spiders—two of
which must have been the owners sit
ting in the middle. The insects are
killed, and are sprinkled with a little
powdered alum. The resulting mixture
must then lie boiled, and when cool
the liquid is poured down the throat
of the patient.
Black spiders are evidently supposed
to be full of medicinal virtue, for they
are largely employed in the treatment
of ague as well. In Somersetshire, if
one is afflicted with tills unpleasant
ailment, the way to get well Is to shut
up a large black spider in a box and
leave It there until it dies. At the
moment of its decease the ague sliduld
disappear. In Cornwall the treatment
is more heroic. The patient must
swallow the spider, which is generally
taken In thick gruel.
In the extreme north of Scotland
spiders' webs are believed to be a cure
for neuralgia and toothache. The
wabs are collected and made Into a
small poultice, which is applied to the
spot where the pain is felt.—Answers.
Ancestor of the Tomato.
In the Botanic Garden of the Bio
logical Department of the University
,
I- ''l'fi I
WILD TOMATO.
of Pennsylvania are some tine speci
mens of the plant from which the cul
tivated tomato lias been evolved. The
blossom Is of tlio dainty whitish blue
so familiar in vegetable gardens. The
plant Is thorny. The little tomatoes
are of the same green and red a* the
cultivated tomato.—Philadelphia Rec
ord.
In lluultt.
"How Is my sou getting on?" In
quired the boy'* father.
"I can't fpeak as approvingly as I'd
like to," answered the instructor.
"Whenever I ask him a question lie
wants at least a day to look up the an
swer, and when lie get* it it is usu
ally utuntisfaetory."
j "Well," answered the parent, with u
I High, "HUM alone can tell, I suppose
lie will turn out lo he either a great
diplomat or no good ou earth."—Wash
ington Suir.
Sunk. ■ •> llouiollt AMI omit.
There are pi rluips in no oilier coup
try of the world so ninny rats as in
' Japan. The wooden buildlngi. with
their *traw roof* offer the he»i lurking
| places for them. Whilst we use dog*
and cat * lo net rid of Hie rain, toe
Japanese employ for Hie same purpose
; a certain Wind of snake, Hie 'Modal*.
1 .MI," a blu> green tiller They are
j •oinetluie* u» long a* seven feel, and
| uru said to the best ritulwfi In
UM OI id.
JCIfcNCE AND INDUSTRY.
Experiments carried on at the Uni
versity of Illinois show that coal
washing removes a considerable per
centage of the slate and ash iugn di
ents and 50 per cent, of the sulphur,
rendering the coal more tit for gas
making and coking.
An immense dockyard Is to ba con
structed at Antwerp to cope with the
exigencies of the rapidly Increasing
shipping trade of that port.
When completed it will cover
no less than 67 acres. The
scheme has received the financial sup
port of the most prominent shipping
owners in Germany.
It has long been known that there
were iron ore C posits east of Blwa
bik, in the Mesaba Range, in Minne
sota, but owing to thc'r apparent
small size and the large deposits dis
covered to the west, they have been
neglected, and little prospecting has
been done in this region of late years.
Ten or 15 years ago. however, the re
plon was carefully examined by a
number of experts and passed by for
apparently more pro- .ng mines.
The Minnesota correspondent of tli.?
Engineering and Mining Journal now
reports the discovery in this region of
an ore body a mile long and a half
mile wide under but 50 feet of sur
face, and that a large mining com
pany has already secured an option
on the property.
Workmen in steel works are occa
sionally poisoned by water-gas, of
which trbon monoxide is a large
eonstiti t. A treatment for such
eases has been the transfusion of
blood, and now in its place M. A. Mos
so, in the Comptes Rendu of the Paris
Academy of Science, lias suggested
that the victim be placed in an at
mosphere which contains oxygen at
considerable pressure. In experiments
on two monkeys, poisoned with car
bon monoxide, it was found that the
one subjected to this treatment, which
involved being placed in an atmos
phere containing oxygen at a pressure
of 30 pounds to the square inch, com
pletely recovered in half an hour,
while tlie other animal, which hud
been left to its own resources, died.
A sawmill run by electricity began
operations recently in Oregon and
seems to have been successful. The
electricity is generated by water
power, the water being flumed from a
small stream which runs a 50-horse
power water-wheel, in connection with
Which is a dynamo to generate the
current to run the mill. Wires are
strung from the power-house to the
sawmill and are attached to the saws
and other machinery of the mill. A
feature of the electric sawmill is that
the carriage is above the log and car
ries two saws, which are so fixed as
to cut both ways, making two cuts at
the same time. This arrangement al
lows the saws to cut going both ways,
and obviates the necessity of having
to bring the carriage back and begin
cutting at the same end of the log
each time. It is claimed that the mill
will cut any lumber or logs at one
half the cost of other mills.
Up to the present there have been
two general methods for operating
railroad switches from a central
tower. The most common and old
est of these is by means of manual
levers In the tower, mechanically con
nected to the track switch by a sys
tem of roils, chains, or wires. The
second' system, known as the electro
pneumatic, consists of elect ro-niag
nets, controlled from the central tower
operating valves which in their turn
control the compressed air used to
change the switches and signals. Now
there conies a new system, the ''all
electric" as It has been named, which
consists simply of a small electro mo
tor at each switch whose action Is
governed from the central tower. The
only connection necessary Is the two
wires of the motor circuit. This sys
tem has recently been Installed in
several raidroad yards in Chicago, and
Is giving satisfaction. The practical
perfection of the whole apparatus,
which in theory Is so simple, and es
pecially of the electric Interlocking
machine in the tower, is the result of
several years' experimental work.
Honvnty l)pvrlo|ie,l by Mull llom'n.
"That naive trust in human honesty
that one sees here is distinctively
American." said an Englishman, glint
ing to a letter box. "I would like to
see a Continental business man lay
packages mn| large envelopes on tin
top of the post boxes. They Would in'
taken before the glue of tile stamp*
was dry. There Is another rea>on why
we can't do that at home. Our dear
old l.ondon f>'gs would wipe out tin
addrcs-t In abort order and unless the
collections were frequent the paper
would In- reduced to a pulp. A d*y
vllnwte make* you Americans talk
.villi a dreadful nasal accent, but It
■hows up your honesty."
Jim Newcouib of Caldwell, Texas, |»
In p4 «Me»*lou of a mouse siiiik" about
I t Inchon long that Is out uf th - u-i. |
order. On 111'- back of |iic head anil
neck Is a complete photograph of a
woiusn, showing bust ami fa. e ||er
hair Is done up In it top knot and she
has on a shirtwaist. The Miakc was
killed near Milano Junction uinl ia pre.
served lii alcuhul as a rurliait) TH*
Image la formed on the »kin b> the ar
rangement of tile two coli#'* of ths
snake black and dlugjr *l»IU. tit)
Vet too bull)' .Vewr
LATEST TRIUMPH IN THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.
Look at this Immense block of granite shown at the top of the picture and
think of the amount of work that must be put upon It to convert It Into a
perfectly round, high-polished column. Then look at the companion picture
taken only a few days later with the granite already reduced to cylindrical
form ready for the polishing process. The machine which works this rapid
transformation is the latest triumph in the Industrial world. It is called a
stone lathe, and the work that It has been doing since it was installed lias
demonstrated that it Is a success. Tills lathe was built in Philadelphia,
and lias been installed in the granite quarries at Vinalhaven, Me., where
columns of many sizes arc being turned out for the Cathedral of St. Jolin the
P 1 ' 1 "", Now York City. This great new cathedral is to have uo less than
thirty-two granite columns fifty-four feet long by six feet in diameter, which
will weigh when completed 1(50 tons each. In addition to this it will have
innumerable columns of smaller dimensions. In length the lathe that will
perform tills work is eighty-six feet, a
135 tons. It has swings six feet six in
eight cutlers. Each tool takes out a
cutters reducing the column twenty
over the stone. The block of granite
is sixty-seven feet long, eight and a ha
W,VmV .W.VAV.V.V.V.V.VV.
With a J:
•: Remarkable Range-:
■■ •!
■ e Tlie 10-liuTi UtH» iiti.l tlio 30-Inch »JJ
Jj« Sinooth-Itore Compared.
V.'.V.V.VAV.V.V.V.V.V.V.V'
In our recent article of the new army
sixteen-inch gun, we described the
construction of this powerful weapon
and gave some particulars of its re
markable ballistic powers. It was
shown that if the gun wer*» set up at
the Battery, New York, with an angle
of elevation of forty degrees, and fired
with a full charge of smokeless pow
der, tlio shell would reach a maximum
height of live and three-quarter miles,
and raqgc to a distance of just under
twenty-one miles. With a view to
showing what a vast area would be
dominated by such a gun, we present
the accompanying map of New York
City and vicinity, from which our cos
mopolitan readers may readily deter
mine whether their nightly ride of one
hour, more or less, into the suburbs
would be sufficient to place them be
yond its zone of fire.
By the courtesy of the War Depart
ment. we are enabled to present the
MAT OF NEW YOItK AMI) VICINITY SHOW
ISO AltF A DOMINATED BY KIKE OF SIXTEEN-INCH
SIXTEEN-INCH UUS,
accompanying photograph showing a
full-sizetl model of the new sixteen
lueh army gthi, suspended above two
of the largest coast-defense guns of
the Civil War period. The one to tie
left is a twenty-Inch smooth-bore Hod
man, the largest smooth bore it: the
world. The gun to the right of it. be
low the chase of the sixteen 'nc'i gun.
Is a Hon pounder l'arrott rille, which
also is tlie only one of Its size ever con
structed. all the other I'arrotts being
of elgbt-lui'h. six-Inch and smaller
bores. The twenty-Inch Itodman close
ly resembles in outline and relative
proportions the celebrated fifteen Inch
smooth I Mires, of which so many were
used la the Civil War. The length of
this sun Is twenty feet three and a
half laches, the maximum diameter
five feet four Inches, the diameter of
the muzzle is two feet ten Inches, and
the tutal weight tI.V-'iM pounds. For
the sake of comparison we mcnpltu
TUfc SfcW AU*l\ UlMil Mit.fct I. , OAtlMt lun.t; tiitll'Allll* hihi a «•
INCH HODMAN alloo I'll liollfc. AMU A I'AIIHOII Wu l'ol MUCK Ittl l.h.
Istli' *)iu«* lljjurt * oft IM* lieu- •Ult't'ii
LUCLI nruiy rliU* A* futluwai Tin* I«>IIM<II
Of 111. |f UH I* f»l I) IllHf ft'tl
lb>> minimum iltliuvlvr nl lirtwl) .!*«•
tovU nuU at iuu»«lu i*»o h¥i isiut
nd when in working order it weighs
ches by sixty feet long, and it has
cut three inches deep, the entire eight
four inches in diameter at one pass
in the illustration weighs 310 tons; it
If feet high by seven feet wide.
inches, and the weight of the finished
gun 300.000 pounds. The weight of the
shot for the twenty-inch smooth-bore
was about 1000 pounds, whereas llie
shell for the slxteen-incli gun will
weigh 2370 pounds.—Scientific Ameri
can.
A Picturesque Chinese Residence.
This cut. from the Illustrirte Zeitung,
shows a peculiar and picturesque sum
mer residence oil a cone rock at Chin
Klang. This rock can be scaled by u
AN EXAMPLE or CHINESE PERSEVERANCE
wide stairway constructed out of the
rock itself. The stairway, the attrac
tive houses on the slope of the rock,
and the temple on the summit are evi
dence of the remarkable perseverance
and Industry of the Chinese.
Facts About Sirltzorlauil*
Switzerland enjoys the unenviable
distinction of having a larger percent
age of luuactlcs than any other coun
try.
Iu Switzerland a favorite dish is
boiled chestnuts mashed fine and
served with whipped cream.
In proportion to Its size, Switzerland
lias more Inns than any other country
In the world. The entertainment of
tourists lias become the chief industry
of the land, and has been officially
computed to bring In $23,000,000 a
year.
Little Switzerland comes up with
125,000 men, of whom 102,507 are In
fantry, 375.S cavalry and 21.032 artil
lery. The cost of her army annually
is about $1,750,000.
The waterfalls of Switzerland are
being rapidly utilized for the driving
of electric dynamos, and it is rare to
find a place of any size which is not
well lighted by the power of some
mountain stream.
The longest tunnel in th« world Is
that of St. (>othard. on the line of the
railroad between Milan and Lucerne.
It Is nine and a quarter miles in length
ami cost over $15,000, ooo.—Stray
Stories.
The UauM at Uvriuin Afrit-*.
The Coventor of tierninn Last AfrV>
ea reports to the Foreign Office lii
Berlin that whilst elephants have al
moiti disappeared from the district*
under his control, hipiiopotaiul, lions,
and l«H>iwtr<|a ml rvrrjr miff Wit itbmnul.
lit* nay* iluii ih«* |>liiuiuil»u i-ui|ili>y«-«
IIHVW IU UKI* ilif trriiii'*i CART) In |ir«'
Ift'lltltf IbI'IIIMIVVI iliiUlUal Ultftlt Ml
utk» 'A liii-m* auluiaU.
A MAID TO PLEASE A MAN.
I iluly appreciate maidenly toil.
Embroidery, tut t intr and simple crochet,
A painting on china, a study in oil—
Some (,'irls thus employ themselves day
after day.
But they're hard to make love to when
thus they're employed,
And so for my own fiancee I insist
On a girl that's less busy. I'd be over
joyed
With one who had nothing to do but
be kissed.
—ltoy Farrell Greene, in Life.
HUMOROUS.
"Did your pastor's ocean trip benefit
lilm much?" "No; he seems to bt> more
at sea in his sermons than ever."
"Nothing is impossible," said the
lawyer, grandly. "No,"* remarked his
client; "I suppose anything is feasible
where there's a fee."
Wigg—That young lawyer friend of
yours seems wedded to his profession.
Wagg—l don't know about that; he's
going to marry a girl named Sue.
"Why didn't you come to work yes
terday?" asked the boss. "By Jove!"
exclaimed the absent-minded clerk. "I
really believe I forgot all about it."
"Clear out now," commanded the
housewife, "or I'll set the dog on you."
"He wouldn't hatch nothin', lady,"
shouted back the tramp. "I'm er bad
egg."
Tommy—Pop, what does it mean to
fritter your time away? Tommy s Pop
—Oh, that's just another way of ex
pressing the futility of arguing with a
woman.
"Life with you," he wooed fervently,
"would be one grand, sweet song."
"Not much." replied the practical girl,
"if it's to be anything of that sort it
will be a duet."
"They say obesity is dangerous," re
marked the Wise Guy. "Ila," chuckled
the Simple Mug, "that explains
why the Pullman porter always gives
the fat man a wide berth."
Nell—How docs Maude get along
with her husband? Hi; is so fond of
pie, and she can't bake one to save her
life. Belle—Oh, she convinced him
that pie didn't agree with him.
Mrs. Smith—Old Mrs. Tunnibone's
gift to the insane asylum wasn't very
large this Donation day,l hear. Mrs.
Jones—No; but itwus very appropriate.
"What was it?" "A crazy quilt."
"So you wish to take my daughter
nway from me," remarked her doting
father. "Well-all—that wasn't just
exactly my thought" stammered the
nervous young suitor; "my folks could,
perhaps, spare me with fewer pangs."
CONJURER MARCO DEAD.
He Wn* Regnrttml by Muny n* the l!«»t o
>e«r<>m»iicera.
One of the best-known and at the
same time most romantic figures on
j Paris boulevards has just disappeared.
! Marco, the marvelous conjurer is dead.
For the lust 30 years this extraordin
ary little Greek, with a smiling face,
twinkling gray eyes and well-trimmed
mustache, wearing an Inverness cape
and red Turkish fez was a most fa
j miliar feature of the night life on the
boulevards and elsewhere where Paris
has its amusements. Marco could do
anything hi- liked with a pack of cards.
He could sit at a cafe table, <iu!te sur
rounded by onlookers, and completely
baffle the keenest observers.
Marco had traveled through Persia
and India. In the latter country he
| had learned his conjuring craft. He
was at one time known to every offi
! cers' mess in India, and always liked
i to meet 1411 the boulevards an English
officer who had known him in the old
| days.
I Experts di scribed Marcoas th ■ great
-1 est conjurer on earth. Managers all
j over the continent sent him tempting
offers, but Marco loved the freedom
j of his bohemian boulevard life. Money
! did not tempt him. He could make as
much as he wanted by displaying his
1 skill as a conjurer to his Innumerable
; friends in the leading cafes.
Marco was an honest man. Al
: though he had such astonishing skill
1 in the manipulation of cards, when he
played ecarte and other games he In
: variably lost all his money. Still, he
was flch and could have retired at any
time, but he could not leave the old
haunts ami occupations.
A fortnight ago lie was struck in the
Oack with a knu-Ule duster and robbed
while leaving the famous Montmartre
restaurant, lie neglected the wound.
: erysipelas ensued and poor Marco had
to uo to I.arradosicre Hospital, where
he died, aged •>.">.
r«i>lh:ilt In Olilfti
The commencement of the fo tball
j season recalls many curious deserip
; 11 ons of the game glvi n by old writers.
In early days It was nothing but a
favorite way for an excite I mob to let
1 off their superfluous spirits. They
contented themselves by kicking a
blown bladder up one street and down
! a pot her. The play became so rough
j 1 but in ia»tt Edward 111 ultimately was
| forced to prohibit it.and lie 1 iMcted
| that all its players were to be Im
prisoned during his Majesty's pleas
ure lilt hard 11. Henry IV and James
1, Were ul»o enelllli » of football. th«*
latter e\t>iv»sing bis utter tliliurri'tu*
for "nil rough and violent e\eri Is •
as f<M>ttwill," and at the end of hi*
illatrllie describing the game as "iiu'et
j <*' for the latticing than making a He
the usiis thereof "It U h,t> resting to
note that the ltr»t bather bad was
made at t'hi »ter. where <mm> of lit*
va I lie of Ha, 4(1. «;t* .ntnu.tllv pie-ent
ed I * tilt* llloeniaker* to till* dr» >er*
Oil Mhi-OVe Tuesday up to the year
J.M«i. H lint the game wa» ss't
atiullshid I.ouduu ti^ilm