3Tl(IHGDXDEmURI
3 Ikli OF THE ILLINOIS.
2
2 By Stanhope Bum. Bpeelal Corre-
snomlent of Collier's Vf kly.
1
SHE seemed aFtnost conscious of
the port she played the groat
battleship lUInotft as she
settled dawn to her race
through the oecnn path tlmt hint been
mnrked out for her to prove tlmt she
wns the swiftest, nnd wlthnt tho moot
terrible, sen-tighter of her class nilont.
She gave the Impression tlmt the
beamy nml splendor "lie will mine dny
wrnr hnd been renounced, nml tlint
here sho win to exhllilt only her
winged power of flight a tut her deadly
strength. So stripped wan she thnt
every muscle seemed lnld bnre, nmt
she m Mill begrimed with the swent
of labor thnt hnd fitted her to run nnd
win the rnee nun Inst n hundred rivals
In the navies of the world.
The Illinois, n dull, dingy, Rrny hulk,
lay beyond the brooding Islands and
the bugy harbor traffic of Boston, on
the morning of June 12, awaiting the
supreme moment thnt should see her
transformed from a germ In Iron and
steel Into a battleship. She had lain
there for some time, and every hour
ber picked crew and her shrewd build
ers had made her titter, and stronger
and fleeter. They had let the grime
and dirt nccumulnte on her decks, nnd
soil the creamy white of her graceful
ly curved sides: but they kept the ma
chinery clean nud free, and ns sleek
with oil as the mouth of a uillllou
gnllon "s.oouter."
The test of the ship had been re
garded by all as a dramatic cllmnx
toward which everything wns moving.
Her builders hnd been preparing her
for this moment ever since her Itiuuch
Ing on October 4, 1S0S; nnd the United
States Navy", which wns to reject or
accept her on the result of tho trial,
had selected a trained body of offi
cers to witness the race. As If to
mark the occasion as a sort of baptism
of fire, Rear-Admiral "Fighting Bob"
Evans was placed at tho head of this
Board.
On one, however, not even her build
ers or ber crew, expected thnt she
would run the marvellous race she
did, eclipsing all records. But after
She reeled off her wonderful speed of
17.31 knots so steadily, without fret
ting or quivering, Admiral Evans said
he could easily be forced to eighteen
knots.
As soon as the members of the trial
board, which consisted of Bear-Admiral
Evans, Captain C. 3. Train,
Captain 3. N. Hemphill, Commander
Charles Roelker, Lieutenant-Commander
Charles E. Vreeland, Lieutenant-Commander
T. E. Itodgers and
3
mi -v&ite -'r-te
LOOKING AHEAD FBOM'THB TOP OF THE FORWARD TURRET.
Naval Constructor J. 3. Woodward,
had mad a tour of inspection of the
ship, ah left her anchorage la Presl
(Tfit Roads and steamed slowly out
oi tbe bay. At first ah moved with
extreme caution, as If wary of tot tor
tuous channel, and ber helm was In
the hands of a harbor pilot Then, ai
the wide seaway opened before her,
lookixo oven tne stubs how tub
BiTTLrsnir arms cp tub wated
IS HRR CnOAD WARS.
alio dropped thn pilot, shook olt tier
awnddlliiR hnnds, ns It were, aeorned
nil guiding hands, snve those of her
masters, nnd turned her head toward
Cape Ann for her life or death rnee.
The course of thirty-three knots
hnd been carefully measured llie dny
before, nnd wns mnrked by six boats
nnd buoys stationed at Intervnls of
little inure than six knots, the total
distance to be pone over twice, out
THE BATTLESHIP ILLINOIS, THE FINEST WARSIIir
nnd In. The path lay directly across
tho deep bight In the shore-line of
Massachusetts and New Hampshire
and ended off (.'ape Porpoise beyond
Mount Agumeutlcus on the Maine
const. The gunboat Hist was the first
stake, nnd tho others were. In their
order, tho training ships Lancaster
and Essex, tho gunboats Newport and
1'eoria, and the naval tug Potomac.
Long before the Ulinils reached Cnpe
Ann she had' worked up to a hlgn
speed, and when she swept around
the first Btnke-bont and swung easily
Into the path she hnd to follow, she
was making more thnu seventeen
knots nn hour. So smoothly did sho
rush through the water, without vibra
tion or clutter, thnt even the naval ex
perts could hardly believe she was
moving at that wonderful speed. Only
the white beaten foam sho dashed
wide mid far from her bows, nnd left
In a bread swnth behind her, told of
the tremendous power nnd speed with
which she wns being driven. Admiral
Evans and President Calvin B. Orcutt,
of tho Newport News Shipbuilding nnd
Drydock Company, the builders, who
were on the bridge. Admiral W. T.
Sampson, who watched iho first part
of the trlnl from a station nertr tho
wheel, and all the other naval officers
present, held their watches to catch
the exact time of the start and finish
of the first reach, ns If the ship were
a rncehorso ncnrlng tho wire In a
sharply contested heat.
The gunbont Hist saluted as the bat
tleship crossed tho sturtlng-line, and
the great fighter snorted curtly
through her siren whistle In acknowl
edgment At this moment, as the Illinois bad
attained almost her utmost pitch of
speed, abe presented a remarkable
spectacle, viewed from her own for
ward fighting-top.
That abe could and would make the
speed required by ber contract-six-
teen knots an hoar was evident to all
from the moment she rlgllted herself
from the turn and moved down the
line of stakeboats that disappeared
In the direction of the Maine const
' The crew, from Captain tlanlon and
helmsman and engineer down to the
deckhands, regarded the race ns n
personnl nITalr. Each one knew exact
ly wlin t tlio Alnbnma nnd the Wiscon
sin had done, and, therefore, what the
Illinois was expected to do, nnd each
felt the heavy responsibility thnt rest
ed alike on steering wheel, or engine
shaft, or sack of coal, or ou a single
drop of oil.
At the end of Iho half-course a sin
gulnr thing hnppeued. Until the nice
is finished every power of the ship Is
guarded against mlshnp. for this rea
son, the ship uannlly swings nbout on
an easy helm, nml reserves the test of
her ability to turn In a small circle
to tho very end of the race. But
there was some confusion In orders,
nnd the ship suddenly came about,
hard a -port, nnd then as suddenly aud
mysteriously swung hnrd to star
board, like a tipsy sailor. Then she
AFLOAT
swung again In a short curve, and
enme round, beautifully righting her
self, and seemed to leap back Into
the path for her spurt home. She
belmved exquisitely under the severe
strain, neither listing too much In tho
abrupt swings to starboard nnd to
port, nor throbbing or quivering uudcr
the Immense tension of her engines.
At the finish, the Illinois mndo the
usual figure "8," to show how quickly
she can turn, and swept a complete
circle within three times her own
length.
Theu she dropped anchor agnln In
President Bonds, and the great record
breaking, historic rnce had ended.
New records hnd been established,
nud a new gonl nud prize set up for
OX THB BniDOB DUBINO FULL SPEBD.
nil future bnttleshlps to strive for,
Tho Illinois had made 17.31 knots.
But as a fighter? It Is not enough
that a battleship can gtenm fast. She
must bo able to vanquish ber ad'
versnry after running her down. Can
the Illinois do this? Let "Fighting
Bob" Evans answer:
"The English sometimes say we
overburden our ships with armament
That Is what the fighting ship Is for
to carry all the guns she can effect
ally use. She Is a floating battery,
and If she can hurl more weight of
metal than her enemy, and enn burl
it as accurately and timely, she will
win, and tho ship Is built to win
She must get to her fighting ground
quickly, and outfight her foe.
"I believe the Illinois can do both.
I believe she Is the fleetest ship of
her tonnage and fighting power on
tho sea to-day and can whip anything
that can now force her to fight, and
many battleships that she could force
to fight her on her own terms."
The Illinois was launched October
4, 1808, at the yards of the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Drydock Com
pany, Newport News, Va. Her hull Is
3i)8 feet long at load-water line, her
beam seventy-two feet, aud draught
at normal displacement of 11,525 tons
Is twenty-three feet and sis Inches,
Her Indicated horsepower Is 10,000;
ber speed Is 17.31 knots, and ber
coal supply Is 1500 tons. She will
have forty officers and 440 aeamen
and marines. She baa trlple-expan
alon twin-screw propelling engines.
capable of Lio revolutions a minute,
Her ormor consists of a belt, four
feet below and, three and a half feet
above the load line, of alxteen and one-
halt and nine and one-half Inches
ft. , Strife j
mmmM
thickness. The turrets are protected
by seventeen Inches of steel plate.
She carries two thlrteen-lnch guns
each In ber forward and aft turret,
fourteen alx-lnch rapid-fire gun's, and
a secondary battery of sixteen quick
firing slx-poundcrs, and four quick
firing one-ponnders, nnd two Colt nnd
two field guns.
The speed of the Illinois In the trial
rnce, ns given nbove (17.31 knots nn
hour) Is the nelunl time mndo ngnlnst
tide nnd currents. Her corrected
speed, cnleulnted by tho Bonrd of In
spection nnd Survey, Is much better
17.43 knots. This grent speed plnces
her still further In the h nd of Ameri
can battleships, nnd Is her warrant to
rank pre-eminently ns the fleetest
ship of her class In the navies of tho
world. Collier's Weekly.
TALLEST IN AMERICA.
Trial Man Who Enjoy, a Unique Dis
tinction.
Living on a big ranch of his own In
Titus County, Texas, lives a man with
several claims to distinction. Ills
name la H. C. Thurston, and he stands
seven feet eight Inches In height In
his stocking feet. Mr. Thurston Is a'
native-born American, and now at the
age of seventy-one years he Is still en
joying good health. Ho was ono of
the orlglnnl forty-niners, nnd went
around the Horn and back across the
THB TALLEST M AW IN THB UNITED STATES
Isthmus In the days when the trip
meant something. When the war
broke out Mr. Thurston promptly en
listed In thn Confederate cavalry, and
served until the surrender of his regi
ment In 18S5. Ills great height and
towering figure made him a favorite
target for Federal marksmen, nud It
In estimated that thousands of shots
wero fired directly at hi in during the
war. But some good fortune seemed
to watch over him, and he was wound
ed but once, nnd then slightly. In
1871 Mr. Thurston removed to Titus
County, Terns, where ho has since re
sided. He Is one of tho protnineut
planters of Mount Vernon In the Lone
Stnr State, and has refused countless
offers to exhibit himself as an attrac
tion at a dime museum.
Oilit Lock From Cliloa.
rrobnbty no objecta of greater curi
osity will reach this country from
China, as a result of the recent
troubles lu that couutry, than the lock
and key of tho front gate of the
sacred city of I'ekln, which have just
been delivered to the National Museum
by Minister Conger. The sncrcd city
Is surrounded by a wnll. nud In front
of tho Emperor's pnlaco Is the gate
from which the lock was taken.
The lock, which looks something like
on old-fnshloued bnssoon, is nearly
four feet long, and consists of a cyl
indrical piece ef wrought Iron con
tinued at tho cud, whero tho key is
Inserted with a alx-lnch loop, which
extends back In rod form nbout one
and oue-quarter Inches lu diameter
parallel with the cylinder passing
through the hasps of tho gate: thence,
at about two-thirds of the way,
through the lock guide, which Is at
tached to the lock proper. The latter
X.OCK OF THB SAOBED CITT.
Is provided with four tumblers. The
cylinder is re-enforced with cast Irou
rings apparently welded on.
The key, which Is about as long as
the lock, Is also of wrought Iron,
rounded for a portion of Its length and
flattened for the remainder. The flat
end baa four wards, which, when In
serted In the cylinder,- release' the
tumblers, thus causing the lock to
open.
Tbe new German cruiser Adalbert
can steam 7000 miles without recoal-
EARLS OF THOUGHT.
The unspoken word never does
harm. Kossuth.
Oentus Is only a superior power of
seeing. Ruskln.
The great obstacle to progress la
prejudice. Bovce.
Integrity without knowledge Is weak
and useless. Paley.
Live with wolves and you will learn
to howl. Bpanlsh proverb.
Rashness Is the faithful but unhap
py parent of misfortune. Fuller.
What you dislike In anither tnke
care to correct In yourself. Sprat.
The great art of learning Is to un
dertake but little at a time. Ixke.
A Judicious silence Is always better
than truth spoken without charity.
De Sales.
He Is a good man whose friends are
all good, and' whose enemies are de
cidedly bad. Lavater.
There Is one form of hope that Is
never unwise, anJ which certainly dors
not diminish with the increase of
knowledge. In that form It changes
Us name, and we call It patience. But
wer. Grent occasions d'o not make heroes
or cowards; they simply unveil them
to the eyes of men. Silently and Im
perceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we
grow or wax weak; and at last some
crisis shows us that we have become.
Canon Westcott.
A HARD LITE.
The Manful nnd Phrlral llnrriihlp of
Mall Car darks U I'nr.mltllna.
The life of a railway mall clerk or
route agent at the best Is not easy,
says a contributor to Collier's Weekly.
He travels under a constant strain and!
Is subject to unremitting mental and
physical hardship. He Is always over
worked, but he must be ever alert, ex
pert and accurate. The business of a
continent depends on the correctness
of his Instantaneous mental processes
and his rapid malpulntlon a letter
"mlsthrown" may break a heart or
burst a bank or ruin a railway corpo
ration. The lurching of cars going at tre
mendous speed around sharp curves;
the continued succession of efforts to
maintain equilibrium; tho monotonous
vibrations terribly destructive to nerve
tissue, to spinal column and to brain
texture are the dally and hourly con
comitants of his ordinary work. Pro
bationers often relent and go back to
their former duties. One aspirant for
employment In this field was unsigned
to a notably rigorous route. He never
finished his first trip; he went half
way, bought a ticket for home, and re
turned as a passenger. Replying af
terward to some questions as to the
labor Involved, he replied: "Lifting
and unlocking 200-pound pouches,
shaking out tbe contents, arranging
same, removing pouches, locking same,
carrying on mall matter, re-arranglng
sacks, then going over same work, con
tinuing same 17 hours, without rest,
with trains flying around curves and
slinging you against everything that
Is not slung against you."
Vigor, vitality and resolution are
essential In a beginner as well as
keenest intelligence and unwearied
spirit of application. But tho physical
qualities are slowly tapped and under
mined by such F.teady exactions of
duty and the mental qualities are pro
portionately deteriornted.
Hence the railway mall system Is a
huge Qorgon, incessantly, cruelly de
vouring specimens of the best man
hood of the nation. Under present con
ditions it must continue to demand
and devour, In order that the currents
of trade and tides of civilization may
continue to flow. Suspend the man
wrecking process a single week for
needed, universal rest and social chaos
would ensue.
Fortune Tolfl bjr Feature.
Teeth that are long and not narrow
denote large, liberal views, strong pas
sions and heroic virtues; If they are
long and narrow, a weak character Is
denoted. Evenly grown teeth show
a better disposition and better devel
oped mind than those that crowd and
overlap. Long nosa are cautious and
prudent; short ones. Impulsive and
Joyous. Deep colored eyes, with well
arched lids, both upper and lower,
show a truthful and affectionate na
ture. An eyebrow slightly curling at
the outer edge Indicates a Jealous na
ture. There is a whole world of toll
tale Indications In the apex of the
ear. If It lies close to the head the
owner possesses a reflnej nature. But
if the top starts away from the bead
at a well defined angle, that person
haa an uneven disposition and Is not
to be relied upon. If a girl's thumb
ltos flat, or droops a little, marital
submission to the master mind Is in
dicated. If a thumb baa a tendency
to stand at right angles to the hand,
the damsel owning It Is headstrong.
A person of weak character has a
pendent thumb! the strong character
haa a strong, erect thumb. Fingers
which bend backward mean powerful
determination. If they are round,
strength, both physical and mental, la
indicated. Stubby Angers are grasp
ing Angers. Finger nails that are
rounded show refinement; If long and
rather square at the top, Armness and
energy are denoted. Leslie's Weekly.
Mnaenin Dlielpllne.
Visitor So you weigh 700 pounls;
doesn't It annoy you to have people
comment on your size?
Fat man Oh, no; If I wasn't wor
ried to death with fool questions
maybe I'd weigh 1000. Chicago Record-Herald.
It would be a good thing If people
thought less of their ancestors and
more of their progeny.
BWBBBMBBWBnBBBBBBeBajBBnBBlBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBJBB
New York City. The comfort, con
venience nnd luxury of the Klmona
are established facts. Young girls, an
Well ns their elders, find them essential
to a complete wardrobe nnd are pro
vided with varying sorts to suit differ
ent seasons. In warm weather white
lawn with figured border Is charming
as are dimity cheviot, madras, and
China silk In various colors and 'com
binations; for winter use flannel, flan
nelette, cashmere and all materials
used for wrappers are correct
WOMAN'S
Tbe very desirable "model form Is
mndo with a square yoke In front nnd
back that meet In shoulder seams, the
full fronts and back being gathered
and joined to Its lower edge. The
sleeves are large and ample, in bell
shape, and all tbe edges are finished
with contrasting bands. When desired
In shorter length, the skirt portion can
be cut oft.
To cut this May Manton Klmona for
a miss of twelve years of age, seven
and one-tralf yards of material twenty
one inches wide, alx and one-fourth
yards twenty-seven Inches wide or
four and flve-eigbtb yards thirty-two
Inches wldo will be required for the
full length, with two and seven
eighth yards for bands; three and
three-fourth yards twenty-one Inches
wide, three yards twenty-seven Inches
wide or two and three-eighth yards
thirty -two Incbea wide, with one and
three-fourth yards for bands for short
er length. df5SXZig3$'Z '
Woman's Walt. . .
Blouse effects with r?vers and vests
are exceedingly fashlonablo and niako
most satisfactory waists for street
costumes as well as for Indoor wear.
The original of the smart May Manton
model shown In the large drawing Is
made of tucked golden brown etamlne
with vest of the plain material, full
front underslceves and stitched bands
of taffeta In the same shade, small
jeweled buttons, revers, stock and
cuffs of Russian lace, but all soft ma
terials suited to tucking are appro
priate. The foundation for tbe waist Is a
fitted lining. On It are arranged the
full front, vest portions and back and
fronts of the waist proper, which are
laid In fine tucks, while the fronts
are finished with revers. Tbe sleeves
are made over a smooth lining to
which the puffs are attached, and
which can be covered with tbe ma
terial when plain sleeves are desired.
Tbe flare cuffs are attached to the
lower edges of the appur sleeves and
. ,
' .
MISSES' KIM05A.
?N.-- 1
the stock Is joined to the full front
and closed Invisibly at the centra
bnck.
To cut this wnlst for a woman of
medium size, three mid one-fourtht
ynrds of uinterlnl twenty-oue Incbei
wide, three ynrds twpnty-seven Inches)
wide, two nnd one-half yards thirty
two inches wide or one nnd flve
elglitli ynrds forty-four Inches wld
will be required, with one and one
fourth yarns of taffeta, one nnd one
eighth ynrds of nil-over lace nnd three
hnd one-half ynrds of stitched bands
to trim ns Illustrated.
Primitive Indian De.lsnf.
There seems to bo a tendency In
many things to primitive Indian de
signs. It mny not be that every de
signer who uses them knows this, but
any one noticing styles In general will
see It. For Instance, on a long and
handsome evening cont which has ap
plications of cloth upon net, the cloth
of the upper part of the cont comes
down upon the net in sharp, slenderv
Irregular points above a more con
ventional design. These sharp point
are comparatively new and very mucti
the same ns designs thnt are to be
seen upon old Indian rugs, and la
them are Intended to represent light
ning, perhaps, or some of the ele
meuts.
A Pretty Variation.
A pretty variation of a somewhat
hackneyed form of evening dress was
lntely shown, tho "etceteras" of
black tulle gown (lightly sprinkled
with square gold sequins) being all of
gold. A little gilt fan, wreath of gold
leaves In the hair, gold-beaded black
velvet shoes nnd gold embroidered
Empire belt. Blnck gloves were worn)
nnd a broad gold bracelet on one)
wrist.
WAIST.
Woman's Tneked Skirt.
Tucks not alone bold their place but
give every evidence of extended favoe
aud are predicted as features of com
tng styles. The exceedingly graceful
May Manton skirt illustrated shows
lower edge, but shaped and gathered
at the upper edge to fit the skirt.
To cut this skirt for a woman of
medium size, nine and one-fourth)
yards of material twenty-one Inches
wide, eight and three-eighth yards
twenty-seven Inches wide, six and
novel and graceful arrangement that
Is economical at the same time, as
tbe nine gores mean tbe minimum of
material. Tbe original la made of
white loulslne silk with appliquea of
cream Cluny lace, but all soft, pllabls
materials are suitable whether silk
wool or cottqn. i
. The skirt Is cut In r.:se gores, each)
of which Is t- ;..d down the central
and nil '.' which are shaped in seal
; a outline at tbe lower edge.' Tbe)
upper portion fits smoothly and snugly,
at the waist line, the fulness at .the)
back being laid In an Inverted box
pleat Tbe flounce Is straight at the
B1XB-OOBBD TUCKBS BUST.
one-fourth yards thirty-two Inches
wide or five and one-fourth yards
forty-four Inches wide will bs re