The Somerset
VOLUME IV.
SALISBURY, ELK LICK POSTOFFICE, PA., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1898.
NUMBER 49.
«=
FACTS! —~
VOW OV OWN
We are now better preprared to
meet the wants of our customer
than at any time before, us we hav:
on hand a complete stock of every
thing belonging to a first-clas:
Furniture Store.
REMEMBER, »
No old shop-worn or second-hand
goods. Everything new und
up-to-date.
SPECIALTIES. »
Couches, $5.75; Sideboards, $10.-
00; Parlor Suites, $18.00; Chairs
sold at prices that always pleases
our customers.
TRY US and be your own judge,
and let us C U B A customer of
ours.
Johnson & McCulloh,
ELK LICK, PENNA.
Hisher’ Book Store,
SOMERSET, PA.
WHOLESLAE AND RETAIL!
DVDOIVOVDODITON
This large and pushing establishment sells at wholesale to
90 town and country merchants in this and adjoining counties.
Its wholesale trade extends into Maryland and West Virginia.
We are at all times prepared to compete in prices with the city
markets. :
At this season we are specially pushing School Books and
School Supplies.
complete, and the prices lowest wholesale.
Special attention is also being given to Holiday Goods.
We are also doing a nice trade in Miscellaneous Books and Baby
and Doll Carriages.
Constantly in stock a full line of Staple and Fancy Station-
ery and Harmonicas. Merchants and others can buy of us to ad-
vantage, Tablets, Inks, Pens, Pencils, Envelopes, Bill Books and
Legal Cap Papers, Fountain Pens, Blank Books, Judgment Notes,
Receipt Books, School Books and Supplies, Miscellaneous Books
and such oter goods as are usually for sale in an up-to-date Book,
News and Stationery Store.
Chas. H. Hisher.
Tet It At Jeflery’s!
etl...
When in need of anything in the line of Pure
Groceries, Fancy Confectionery, Thompson's
Fresh Bread, Books, Stationery, Notions, etc.
CALL AT.oom—
THE LEADING GROCERY.
Space is too limited to enumerate all my bargains here,
Call and be convinced that I sell the best of gonds at the
lowest living prices.
My business has grown wonderfully in the past few years,
for which I heartily thank the good people of Salisbury
and vicinity and shall try harder than ever to merit your
fature patronage. Respectfully,
J. 'T. sEbrIRY
Opposite Postoffice. - -
Grain Hlour and Heed!
8. A. Lichliter is doing business at the old stand. With greatly increas-
ed stock and facilities for handling goods, ae are prepared to meet the
Grant Street.
wants of our customers in
ALL KINDS OF STAPLE GROCERIES,
Feed, Flour, Coen, Oats, Etc.
In short anything to feed man or beast. Furthermore, we are JOBBERS
OF CARBON OIL and can save merchants money on this line, as we buy car-
load lots. We are also
Headquarters F'or Maple Sweets.
We pay cash for good Butter and nice, clean Fresh Eggs. Come and see
. what advantages we offer.
5 A. LICHLITER, Salisbury, Pa.
Our stock of these goods is large, full and |
TO OUR SUBSCRIBER ..
It is now almost one year since THE
STAR has resumed publication, and it
will be but a few weeks until many of
our patrons will be in debt to us for a
full year’s subscription, while many
others have paid in advance. Those in
arrears are kindly requested to pay up
at the earliest possible moment, as we
need the money badly, owing to many
improvements that we have been add-
ing to our printing plant at great ex-
pense. To all those in arrears we
would say: If you receive a statement
by mail, do not take it as a reflection
upon your character or integrity; for
nothing of that kind is meant, We have
been kind enough to trust you all these
months, and we trust that in no case
has our confidence been misplaced. If
you receive a statement it will simply
mean that we need our money and
expect prompt settlements.
We also wish to call your attention
to the fact that after Jan. 1st, 1899, all
subscriptions not paid spot cash will
be $1.50 per year, but if paid spot cash
in advance, $1.25 will pay for a year’s
subscription. In other words, the 30-
day offer will be withdrawn.
We thank our numerous subscribers
for their prtronage and solicit a con-
tinuance of the same. Our subscrip-
tion list has had a phenomenal growth
throughout the entire year, every week
adding a goodly
scribers, and
abatement.
contemplating many additional im-
provements, and while we already have
a printing plant that is a credit to the
the increase
provements to it during the coming
year. And it shall also be our aim to
greatly improve the paper during the
next year.
scription in advance.
Wishing all our patrons a prosperous
New Year, I am yours for the best in-
terests “of Salisbury and Somerset
county,
P. I.. LivexGcoon.
MINERS ON A STRIKE.
A FIGHT AGAINST T THE MACHINES.
Trouble at the Merchants’ Coal
Company’s Mines, near Salis-
bury.
Cumberland News, Dec. 23d.
About 160 miners of the Merchants’
Coal Company, operating in the Elk
Lick region, near Salisbury, Pa.. along
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, about
40 miles north of Cumberland. have
been on a strike several days because
of the installation of Jetfery electrical
mining machines. The machines, six
in number, have been worked with
great success by the company.
Mr. Thomas T. Boswell, of Baltimore,
president and general manager of the
Merchant’s Coal Company, has been
making the Queen City hotel his head-
quarters since the trouble began and
has been at the scene of the strike sev-
eral times. Mr. Boswell thinks the
men have not just grievance. He says:
“We offer them 20 cents a ton to shoot
and load after the machines. This is
in accordance with the district scale.
and by it each man can earn from $2
to $2.40 a day, which I consider good
wages. We do not intend to recede
from our position, which is a just one,
but are willing to adjust difficulty. We
hope to have things amicably straight-
ened out by the first of the week.”
Yesterday morning some 50 or 60
men were in Cumberland en route to
Salisbury to take the strikers’ places.
When they arrived at the latter place
the Union word was given and the men
refused to work. Most of them return-
ed here, yesterday evening, on No. 46.
The men were largely from the Fair-
mont, West Virginia, region and were
in charge of Frank Pinnell. Several
Cumberland laborers joined the force
here.
It was thought the trouble would
have been adjusted by the middle of
this week. The strikers met and de-
cided to stick to their demands. The
rate for digging before the machines
were put in was forty cents. The Pen-
Mar Coal Company, whose wines are
near Salisbury, are paying their miners
20 cents a ton for following the ma-
chines. A few men from the George's
Creek region are working in these
mines.
The Merchants’ Coal Company's three
mines are equipped with the most
modern appliances with the view of
making them as safe as possible, and
the trade of the company amounts to
1,200 tons daily. As many as eleven
cars can be loaded from one shot, after
the machines have undermined a breast
of coal.
A News representative was talking
with one of the men wha went to Balis-
number of new sub- |
shows no
In the meantime we are |!
town, we expect to add many other im- |
1 of
| have lately been introduced in some of
| the mines of the Elk Lick region,
Kindly help the good work by pay- | Sn 8
ing what you owe an rear’s sub- | J 3
g y e d a years sub | least idea as 1a how the machines do
bury and who would not take the jobs
offered, when they found out they were
wanted to replace strikers. He said,
“We let them know Cumberland peo-
ple are not scabs. The strikers seemed
to appreciate our act very much. The
man who took me over had to pay my
way back.”
The Miners Strike.
The strike situation at the Merchants’
Coal Company’s mines remains practic-
ally unchanged, while the strikers re-
main orderly and law-abiding. and con-
tinue to have public sentiment strong-
ly on their side.
Last week a lot of men were brought
here from West Virginia to take the
places of the strikers, but they had no
sooner arrived than they were ready to
take their departure, claiming that
they were brought here under misrep-
resentation and that they did not know
that a strike was on. Therefore, they
left at once, saying they felt sure that
the strikers had a just grievance and
that they hoped to see them win.
Supt. Garrett claims that the import-
ed men knew all about the conditions
here and considers that they did not
act in good faith.
Just which statement is correct, Tie
Star of course does not know; but at
any rate the departure of the imported
men is one point scored for the strikers.
That the general public rejoices in it,
it would be folly to dispute.
COAL- MINING MACHINES.
How Coal is Dug in the Elk Lick
Region by a New Device.
Many of THE STar’s readers have heard
the coal-mining machines
and
there are many who do not have the
the work. e clip the following from
the il (Scottland) News, which
explains the machines and their work-
ing in detail :
“The Merchants’
Baltimore, of which Thomas T. Boswell
is president, have successfully put in
operation at their mines, in. the Cum-
berland region, the ‘“Chain-Cutter”
coal-mining machine. This method in
mining, in which the Merchants’ Coal
Company has taken the initial step
among the colliery ‘owners of Balti-
more, is an innovation. The “Chain-
Cutter” machine consists of an endless
knife chain, which undercuts the coal
seams to the depth of 84 inches, and at
the same time cutting lengthwise for
44 inches.
Repeated ircissions having been made
until the entire breadth of the coal is
cut, electric coal drills are brought in-
to play and borings are made midway
in the seams, and blasting fuses tear
away the coal in bodies of thirty to
thirty-five tons, which are broken with
picks and axes to be loaded on cars for
shipment.
By this improvement in mining the
officials of the Merchants’ Coal Compa-
ny state that they will be able to insure
their trade about 75 per cent. lumps,
which is a big advantage for costwise
shipments, as this coal, being handled
several times from cars to vessels, and
in turn from vessels to docks, insures a
larger percentage of lumps when it ar-
rives at its destination. With these
machines mining is done very quickly ;
the average for each machine is five
minutes per cut of seven feet under the
coal.
As a starter the Merchants’ Coal
Company have installed twelve ma-
chines, with a capacity of 2,000 tons per
day. The energy required to operate
these machines and the electric drills
is generated in a power-house located
centrally between these mines, so that
the equipment of the mines may be
operated expeditiously from the one
plant. The power-house is 70 by 100
feet. Installed in it are two boilers of
150 Liorse-power each, and dynamos for
generating electricity. The mines and
entire plant are illuminated by incan-
descent lights.”
The machines described in the fore-
going are the same as the Merchants’
Company have in operation in this re-
gion, and no doubt the Glasgow News
describes their mode of working very
accurately. However, their is coal and
coal in this world of ours, and no mat-
ter how much coal may be shot down
by one blast after the mining of these
machines, it is a certainty that no 30 or
35-ton shots can be made in the Elk
Lick coal. In fact it is highly probable
that the work these machines do is
greatly exaggerated, and the account
published in the Glasgow paper was
likely placed thére by the” manufdc-
turers of the machines, who are on the
alert for sales.
The machines in use at the Niverton
mines, in this region, work on a differ-
ent principle from. those in. use by the
which |
Coal Company, of |
Merchants’ Company, but which type
of the two is the better, we do not
know.
According to Law.
It has often occurred to THE STAR
that there is entirely too much need-
less repetition used in various legal
forms and documents. In other words,
we believe there is entirely too much
old fogyism used in legal forms and
documents—old methods, repetitions
and awkward expressions that serve no
other purpose than to confuse the mind
and make an unintelligible jumcle and
ridiculous mess of what would other-
wise be so plain “that a wayfaring man
though a fool, could not err therein” or
fail to comprehend the meaning at a
glance.
If a man were to give another an
orange, he vould simply say, “I give
you this orange ;” but when the trans-
action is entrusted to the hands of a
lawyer to put it in writing, he adopts
this form: “I hereby give, grant and
convey to you all and singular my es-
tate and interest, right, title and claim
and advantages in and of said orange,
together with all its rind, skin, juice,
pulps and pips and all rights and ad-
vantages therein, with full power to
bite, cut, suck and otherwise eat the
same or give the same away, as fully
as I, the said A. B,, am entitled to bite,
cut, suck or otherwise eat the same
orange, or give the same away with or
without the rind, skin, juice, pulp or
pips, anything hereinbefore or herein-
| after, or in any other deed or deeds, in-
strument or instruments of what na-
ture or kind soever to the contrary in
anywise, notwithstanding.”
‘Tne Nebraska Conservative wants
some Populist editor to explain this
| paradox: “Many organs of the Popu-
| list pariy in Nebraska are explaining
| the diminution of the calamity vote at
| the recent election by stating that the
| Populists were all so industriously at
| work in fields and factories that they
could not spare the time to attend the
| election. This is a queer excuse to be
unanimously circulated by a press
which for months has unanimously de-
clared that the unemployed were all
over Nebraska and that relatively very
few citizens had anything to do. The
paradoxes of Populism are many, and
this is one of the most stalwart.”
Tne editor of Tie Sran hos been no-
tified by tlre Post-office Department
that he has been appointed post-master
of the Elk Lick office. The appoint-
ment came in time to be regarded as a
Christmas present, and the editor cer-
tainly appreciates it. Letters of con-
gratulation are pouring in from all
sources, and the citizens of this bor-
cugh and township have been calling
at THE STAR office in crowds, all week,
to shake hands and congratulate. To
all of these kind friends the editor re-
turns his sincere thanks, and will add
that when he takes charge of the office
he will do all in his power to give the
patrons of the same and the Post-office
Department the best and most satis-
Isctory of service.
THe chironraghy or ihe presidents
from Washington down to McKinley is
as different as the chirography of the
same number of any other men chosen
at random from the various walks of
life. Students of character contend
that there are many points of similarity
in the mental make-up and equipment
of our presidents, but if there are, they
are certainly not shown in the hand-
writing of these men Of theentire lot
I suppose old Zachary Taylor wrote the
worst hand. I have numerous letters
of his which I am confident no human
being could read. It was cramped and
awkward. like that of a boy just learn-
ing to write. Jefferson wrote a plain,
flowing hand, and Monroe’s writing
was decidedly feminine, though not
nearly so much so as Grover Cleve-
land’s, whose chirography is small and
delicate. Jackson’s scrawl bespoke a
nervousness and timidity of which no
one dared to accuse him while he was
on earth, and Lincoln’s, smooth polish,
which his crude, simple mired did not
bespeak. Of all our chief magistrates,
McKinley writes the best hand, and his
chirography shows a painstaking ease
and caution which are evidently the
dominant factors of the man’s charac-
ter.—St. Louis Republic.
“Trumie ScuLL,” the nincompoop ed-
itor of the Somerset Herald, still keeps
yelping and snarling at the heels of
Hon. W. H. Koontz, who at the last
general election was chosen by a large
majority vote to represent this county
in the next Legislature. “Timmie’s”
wry faces and scowling grimaces: are
highly amusing to his enemies, while
to his former friends they are disgust-
ing, aa is evidenced by the wholesale
i American trenches at Manita, in t
way in which people throughout the-
county are discontinuing their sub--
scriptions to his dirty and traitorous:
rag of a newspaper.
The very idea that a man of “Tim-
mie’s” shallow brain and elastic con-
science will presume to arraign a mans
of General Koontz’s calibre—a man:
whom the people love for his gener-
osity, respect for his uprightness and
admire for his true worth and ability,.
is preposterous and ridiculous. But
poor “Tim” can’t help it that he was
born a fool, and he isn’t dangerous,.
anyway. He is in reality ag harmless
as the giant we read of in Pilgrims”
Progress, when he has people of man-
hood and courage to deal with. There--
fore, “let the galled jade wince,” as
the great Shakespeare once said, and in:
due time he will hang himself, as any"
other bellowing calf would, if he is:
given enough rope.
His intelligence compared with that
of General Koontz is as a grain of sand’
compared with Pike’s Peak, while his
honor is an unknown quantity: All the-
mean things hurled at General Koontz
from so foul a source as “Tim” Scull,.
will do the General more good tham
harm. Therzafore, let “Timmie” wal-
low in his political filth and writhe tos
his heart’s content. Poor soul, (if he:
has a soul) ’tis all that he can do.
Athletes Make Poor Soldiers.
Leslie’s Weekly.
An odd fact developed by the cam--
paign of the Seventy-first New York is:
this, at least it seems to be established,
that, given equal hardships, men in-
fine athletic training suffer more than
men in ordinary condition. Statistics
show, in this regiment, that the run-
ners, the jumpers, the crack bicycle-
riders, and the record men generally
were readier fever victims than their:
comrades, and gave out sooner in the
emergencies of the baitlefield. There-
was Sergt. Meeks, a long-distance run-
ner, and “Hub” Smith, a bicycle rider,
and Siebold, a winner of running races,
and Ott,a sprinter and hurdler, and
Private Meeks, another bicycle rider,.
and Divanne, a runner, and so on
through a long list. Almost without
exception these fine athletes fell into.
illness or utter collapse with the first
hard strain put upon them. They
made worse fever cases and dysentery"
cases than the others, and it appeared’
to nurses and doctors as beyond ques--
tion that the thorough physical train-
ing which these men had completed:
just before the war, in anticipation of"
the spring athletic games, was u seri--
ous impairment of their powers for re--
sisting disease. It is worthy of note,.
also, that most of these athletes in-
dulged neither in drink nor tobacco.
The sooner a cough or cold is cured with-.
out harm to the sufferer the better. Linger-
ing colds are dangerous. Hacking cough is
distressing. One Minute Cough Cure quick--
ly cures it. Why suffer when such a cough:
cure is within reach? It is pleasant to the-
taste. P. 8. Hay, Elk Lick, Pa.
"DEMOCRATIC ICE.
Mr. Elijah Livengood, who is some-
what of an authority on all things per-.
taining to Democratic capers, saw a.
Democratic ice gorge above Stanton’s
dam, last week. The ice formed a
gorge above the dam about a third of a
mile in length, but the next day after:
it lodged there none of it was to be»
seen.
Now, there would have been nothing:
strange about this, had the ice on the-
dam disappeared also, but it was still
there, solid and unbroken, and just:
what became of the ice that formed the-
big gorge at the head of the dam seem-.
ed somewhat of a mystery. Mr. Liven-.
good, however, was not long in figuring:
out a solution to the mystery, and after:
he had done so, he told a staunch Dem-.
ocratic German neighbor about the:
strange occurrence.
“Vell, vere dit der ice vent?” Inquir-:
ed the astonished neighbor. “That's:
dead easy,” said Elijah, “it was Dorner
craticice, and true to Democratic: ca--
pers, it went the contrary way—up the.
river.”
“Och, tsu den, tuyfel mit dich, dw
ferfluchten dunner wetter!” said the:
irate German as Mr. Livengood beat a
hasty retreat.
CTIVE SOLICITORS WANTED EVERY-.
WHERE for “The Story of the Thilip-.
pines” by Murat Halstead, commissioned
by the Government as Official Historian to.
the War Department. The book was writ-.
ten in army camps at San Francisco, on the.
Pacific with General Merritt, in the hospit-.
als at Honoluly, in Hong Kong, in the
ie insur--
gent camps with Aguinaldo, on the deck of"
the Olympiawith Dewey, and in the roar of
battle at the fall of nila. Bonanza for:
ageénts. Brimful of original pictures taken,
by Government p ers on the spot.
Large book. Low prices. Big profits.
Freigt id: Credit gi¥en, Drop all trashy-
unofficial war-books. utfit free. Address,,
F. T. Barber, Sec’ys,. Soa Infurnnee BIGg.,.
Chicago.
rm —————
DWSCALR BLANKA for sala ait
THR Suan Oli.