THE FLY WO YEARS. , As a dream when night is done, (Asa shadow flees the sun; I As a ship whose white sail 9 skim Over the horizon dim, l As a life complete of days I Vanisheth from mortal ways. As a hope that pales to fear- Is the dying of the yoar. As the first gold shaft of light ■> Bhivers through the wrack of night; As the thrill and stir that bring Promise of the budding spring: As new thoughts of life that rise Mirrored in a sick man's eyes, As strange joy to hearts forlorn. Bo another year is born. Glad or sad, a dwindling span Is the little life of man. Love and hope and work and tears Fly before the flying years; Yet shall tremulous hearts grow bold ,<. All the story is not told— For around us as a sea Spreads God's great Eternity. —Christian Burke, in Atalanta! THE IMUNcTPLE OF IT. BY GEORGE E. WALSH. DRIZZLY rain made XA the streets of New // Y'ork muddy and //- \\ sloppy. Within the ■■ Y\ circles cast by WV' tbe electric-lamps \f falling globules V a ra ' D rC " Bem kled sparkling diamonds dropping * rom i Q ky dark •/ nesg overhead. The V sticky moisture of the salt air penetrated to the marrow of the bones, and made one feci uncom fortably warm and surly. It wa9 midsummer, and the humidity in the air made the heat less endurable. John Scollard threw open his light over coat and tried to take advantage of every breath of cooling air. He was walking leisurely toward the steamboat dock, thinking, meanwhile, of the change in the atmosphere which ho would experi ence when he reached the hotel down by the sea. "Evenin' papers, sir, only a cent," a newsboy shouted in an appealing voice, shoving the sheet before tho banker's eyes. He pushed by without speaking. Near the crossing he put his foot in an inch of mud, and drew back just in time to avoid being run over. Muttering words of anger against the careless driver, and inwardly cursing the muddy streets, he glanced ruefully down at his soiled shoes. "The other side of the street, sir, is cleaner," a sweet voice said close to him, •♦and you will not get so muddy." It was only tho flower girl—no, wo man, who had kept her position on the street corner in spite of the rain. Her sweet violets, red roses, and eaily tulips were wet with the mißts, but they en joyed the ducking and appeared more attractive than usual. "Than you," Mr. Scollard said, ne turned around to take the advice of the woman. He walkod a tew steps and then halted. lie seldom bought flowers. He had no one to give them to and he was not particularly fond of them himself, But an act of kinducss deserves some compensation. "Give me some of your flowers—the prettiest ones you have," he said he,feel- Ing in his pocket for a bill. "Violets, roses, or tulips, sir?" "Oh, anything—l'm not particular," be answered quickly. The vender of flowers was used to her work. She understood human nature. In a few moments she had deftly put to gether a pretty bouquet of flowers, and handed them to tbe stranger. The man threw down a dollar bill and started to walk away. "Your change, sir," the flower woman interrupted in the same well-modulated voice. "Never mind—" He stopped. One lock at the sweet face convinced him thathewa9 not deal ing with a subject for charity. He ex tended his hand and looked admiringly into the face. "Seventy five cents," she sakl, drop ping three quarters into his gloved hand. The expression of a face will some times recall suddenly the past of one's life. John Scollard felt that he was walking in a dream a9 he continued his journey toward the boat. That face struck a key-note in his life, long since untouched. He had seen many flower women before, but he had never cared about inspecting them. They were strangers to him, and they were gener ally unattractive. Their flowers wore often pretty, but the fingers which handled them were bard and coarse. But that night lie dreamed of other fceDes. On the front piazza of the hotel, overlooking the wild surf, he recalled his past life. No man could be more thankful for his lot in life. Ho had suc ceeded beyond h:s widest expectations, and at the age of forty-five he was in possession of an immense fortune and a reputable business standing. His life had been well ordered and rational from the beginning. His troubles had been few, and they were chiefly negative ones. He had few friends and no relatives. He met those in his business life who professed to be his friends, but he knew that it was all from policy's sake. Sociallife had never attracted him—at least not since his early manhood. His one great misfortune had been commonplace, such as happens to many In life, but the sting of it had clung to him these many years. It bad been a •imple lovers' quarrel, followed by sep aration and jealous rage. He felt bitterly toward Jennie liawley at the time, and when he learned of her marriage a year or two later, it turned him from the world and all its pleasintest associa tions. He wrapped himself up in busi ness, and turned everything into gold. The stocks which he handled were sure to advance in value, and he had been often termed the "wizard of Wall street." The pleasure of making money rapidly gave him satisfaction, but as the novelty off it passed off it became a bur den to him. lie was rich now—a millionaire sev eral times over. But he was unhappy and lonesome. lie shivered as he en tered his damp room at tho hotel. There was no one to welcome or cheer him. If sickness should overtake him he could hire tho best professional ser vice, but there would bo no natural warmth or sympathy for him. He was at that age ot life when a family is most appreciated. If his life had been or dered differently! If he had only mar ried some one else! No, he did not wish that. If he had - never quarrelled with his first lovel He I knew now that he wa9 all to blame. He i had been a bear—a fool, ne had played s with the affections of Jennie, aud she had endured his childishness patiently 1 for a time. Her meek, patient eyes were ] so expressive, and when they parted the ! last time tear 9 were in them. i The flower woman's face and eyes re- i called it all. They haunted him all that night. They were the exact imitation ! of Jennie's, only older and more ex- ; pressive. The glare of tho electric light might have caused the illusion, but he would investigate. lie could pass the | flower stand again and stop to make another purchase of flowers. • 6uch eagerness to reach tho place on < tho following (lay was seldom exhibited i by the banker. It was now broad day- i light, and he could satisfy his own mind, i But lie was disappointed. A girl of ten < summers stood at tho place and dis- i pensed flowers to the public. i "Flowers, sir?" she asked in a childish ] voice. i "No—yes," John Scollard said me chanically, pulling some money out of 1 his pocket. "Give me some roses." He watched the deft fingers as they flew quickly around the cut flowers. "Do you own this stand?" he asked j abruptly. ' "No, sir, mamma owns it. She keeps it in the afternoon and I attend in the morning?" "Ob, I see!" absent-mindly. "But what is your name?" "JeDnie Morrow—l'm Darned after mamma." The banker's face blanched a little. Morrow I Morrow 1 Yes that was tho name of the man who had married the girl he once loved. Her name was Jen nie Morrow and the very picture of her mother. He looked at the golden head and the blue eye 9. The girl noted the steady stare of tho man, and her young cheek 9 flushed a little. "Do you live around here?" he asked again. "I mean would you mind giving me your mother's address? I think I know her. I'm an old friend—know her year 9 ago." He obtained the desired information, and dropping a coin In the girl's hand he hurried away. He took an early boat to the seashore. Ho wanted to meditate upon his discovery. A new happiness appeared to open before him. His early love wa9 apparently a widow and in pjor circumstances. This impression was confirmed on the following morning when he sought out her lodging. It was in one of the tene ment house districts, and everything was dirty aud filthy. This sight rather pleased him, for he thought of the great change he could bring into the life of the woman he loved. She was alone with her daughter, and poor; ho was alone and rich. "You must come to me," ho pleaded when he had explained his mission. "1 have always loved you, Jennie, aud my life has been made miserable by that one mistake. lam rich, and can give you and your daughter a good home. You must leave this low place, and become my wife." "Was it her pride that kept the answer from her lips -which her heart dictated? She could only refuse this kind offer. Love might prompt it, but it now seemed too much like charity to accept. lie had pleaded this way before, and her heart trembled with emotion at the re membrance of it. He left her, finally, disappointed and crestfallen. He could not move her. She would not listen to his words of love and affection. His life seemed more lonely than ever. His handsome rooms were devoid of all comfort. Even his business lacked a certain charm which before attracted him. With all of his wealth he could not give anything to the poverty-Btricken woman whom he loved. Small presents she would accept, but nothing expensive. But he heaped gifts and luxuries upon her daughter. This ho could do with propriety. Finally he prevailed upon her to let him educate her daughter. She was sent to a private school, where her natural gifts soon developed. Her mother had taught her the primary lessons of educa tion, and she was not very backward in her studies from the beginning. John Scollard took a deep, fatherly interest in his little protege, and ho lavished his wealth upon her. Every comfort and pleasure that money could buy was at her command. "You will spoil her," tho mother said one day with deep concern. "She will soon be ashamed to come back to her humble surroundings here." "I never intend that 6he shall come back," he replied boldly. "What do you mean? Would you take her away from me?" "No, I would make you come to her. I want to make tho mother ashamed of her surroundings, so that she will accept i I tho better homo which is waiting for ■ her. This is my object." > "Oh 1" she replied, thoughtfully. Then 1 shaking her head sorrowfully she added: "It is no good. I will never come—not r even if you rob mo of ray daughter." But still he persisted. It had been a r business maxim with him to hammer a away at tbe same work until it yielded - to his wishes. This hard-headed policy . determined him in his present purpose. Two years rolled by and he was still 2 living a lone bachelor life. Little Jen a uio was prospering at a fashionable boarding-school, while her mother ped dled flowers at the old stand. John Scollard had pleaded with the woman for her own sake, and for her daughter's sake, to marry him; but she always gave the same reply. Ho grew less hope ful, and his old melancholy, unsatisfied life settled upon him again. But one day a small cloud came out of the clear sky, and suddenly assumed the shape and strength of a tornado. Wall Street's foremost banker had invested heavily in western mining stocks, and in one day his fortune was swept out of ex istence. lie returned home that night quietly and calmly as ever. lie read the evening papers critically. They were full of his disaster, and the terrible crash which had shafcen tho financial founda tions of the city. He grew a little pale as he read, but otherwise he showed no signs of his misfortune. He found a note waiting for him early the next morning. It had been de livered the night beforo. He knew the handwriting well, and in his heart he thanked God that ho had some one to sympathize with him in calamity. "Come and see us Immediately. We have iead of your misfortune. Jennie is home from school. Wo sympathize with you, and want to comfort you. You have been so kind to us in the past." Ho kissed the note paper several times. The waiters at the hotel looked curiously at him as he passed out. Some expected that he would commit suicide after the tailure, but he looked strong and calm. He carried a morning's paper in his hand, containing a fuller account of the great failure. He walked briskly toward tho lower part of the city, and inwardly thought that people who know him would think that the appropriate di rection for him to direct his steps. "Oh, John, it's too bad," was the un expected greeting which ho received from the woman he loved. "We've read aH about it, and wo feel so much for you. Jennie is home and never will go back to school again. But you mu9t come and make your home near us. We'll take care of you." He smiled at her eagerness, and ho thought he detected au expression of pleasure beneath the assumed sorrow. "And do you mind it so much?" his protege asked, winding her arms around his neck. "You've been so kind to U9. It isn't so bad to be poor. I don't mind it and mamma don't. But you—" "I've been poor, too, he replied, kiss ing the golden head. "Then we're all alike again, and we won't feel that you are so far above U9." He smiled at her words. Even she appreciated the difference in their sta tions in life, and probably in a few years she would refuse to receive any more charity from him. "We have prepared a fine dinner for you," interrupted Mrs. Morrow, "and you must feel that you're one of the family." "That's impossible for me," he said gloomily. "That can never be now. | When 1 was rich I had some hopes, but now that I'm poor I'll never be more to you." She looked tenderly into his eyes. He refused t.> see the expression of love. He hod the right to let his pride keep hiin from declaring his feelings again. "There is always hope," she faltered. "When conditions change every barrier must also change." "But other barriers are erected," he replied. Her cheeks flushed. Either ho did not understand, or he felt that he had no right to ask her to marry him in his present circumstances. "John," she whispered. He looked stupidly at her. "You know I—love you." Still ho remained passive. The words out she felt freer, and continued im pulsively : "I have a right to say it. You have told mo that you have loved mo many times. But I could not tell you my feelings when you were so rich. Now we are both poor, and I tell you all. I love you, rich or poor, but I could not speak it before." "Thank God then that I failed," he said fervently. "I have found a home by it." They did everything after that to make him happy. Tho home was a small one, bnt it seemed brighter than his mansion. He spent the rest of the day with them, and only loft late at night to return to his hotel. He was busy on the following day in winding up his business affairs. The little flower stand was no longer to be tho means of support of tho widow. They had de cided to move into some quiet cottage (in the country, where they could begin their life anew. The wedding was as quiet as the engagement. John Scollard arranged for the place and had it furnished handsomely. It was far beyond his wife's anticipation, and she was agreeably surprised at the surroundings. Jennie was jubilant with the no.v prospect. "It's so nice and cosy here," she said gleefully. "It's even better than at boarding school." "I'm happy if it will suit you," John Scollard said, with a peculiar smile. "This must content us in tho summer time, and in the winter we can live in our city home." "Why, you expect to make money again in a hurry," his wife said with a look of doubt. "No, it is already made," he replied slowly. "But that was all lost." "No, not quite," he answered. "The reports were somewhat mixed. I had sold out my shares of mining stock be fore the crash came." There was an expression of anxiety on his wife's face. Her cheeks paled and then flushed. She had married a wealthy man alter all. She buried her face in her hands, but John removed them and said: "But you did not know it. You married me for myself, and not for my money. It was against your principles to take me when I was wealthy, but now that we have the money we should not regret it. That's the common-3ense view of it, Jennie." | ' After some reflection she thought so too, and she accepted her condition with a good grace; but she was never quite sure in her own mind that the reported failure was not a scheme on her husband's part to win her for his wife.—Yankee Blade. SELECT SITTINGS. The most graceful of domestic animals is the cat, whilo the most awkward bird is the duck. Of the 18,327 female depositors in the savings banks of Philadelphia, 8246 are described as boarding-house keepers. Tacoma, Washington, is overrun with tramps and idlers, and robberies of houses and pedestrians are of nightly occurrence. New Orleans, La., believes she has shipped the largest cargo on record, 20,01)0 bales of cotton on board the British ship Samoa. The marriage is announced at New York City of Elephtkerios Pelalas to Catharine Eleferopuls. The priest was Rev. Paisios Ferentinos. Weeping trees, from which drops of pure, cold water fall, are of frequent occurrence in the forests of Oregon, Montana, Washington and British Col umbia. A vegetable curiosity is owned by a resident of Weuatchee, Washington. It consists, it is claimed, "of a network of large potatoes grown upon one another." Family namc9 seem to be scarce in Denmark. In the Copenhagen direceory the name Hansen takes up thirty-foui columns, Petersen thirty-two, Jensec thirty columns. Among the estates left by persons who died in Vienna, Austria, and whose he in have not been found, is one consisting of an opera-glass. Another man's estate consists of a scarfpin. It is said that a man does not reach bis full mental power until the age ol twenty-five, and the development oi talent is most marked between the ages of thirty and forty-five. British soldiers will wear seamless socks in future, because they insure greater marching efficiency. The old style of seamed socks chafed the shin and made the soldiers footsore; the seamless socks do not. R. 8. Campbell, a resident of North Salem, Ind., claims to havo found a stone in the bottom of a creek near his home which resembles, in size and shape, a well-trimmed horn. The curiosity weighs sixty-seven pounds. Grifton, N. C., can probably lay claim to more division than any other small place in the country. The village is located, it is said, in two counties, three townships, two congressional districts, two senatorial districts and two judicial distiicts. A Chicago shoe manufactory makes 20,000 pairs of "dead men's shoes" a month. The soles are of pasteboard, covered with grained paper, the uppers are quilted satin and crochet work and a ribbon tied in a bow knot holds the shoe to tho foot. Florida people are telling of an crange tree in Doctor Abornathy's grove at Altoona which has borne during the pasl season 15,000 oranges. It is a seedling, twenty-five years old, some thirty feet j high, and lias received only the ordinary j grove care and culture. In the 227 years siuco "Don Quixote" was published 1324 editions hare been printed, of which 528 were Spanish, 304 I English, 170 French, 99 Italian, 84 Por tugese, 45 German, 18 Swedish, 9 Polish, 8 Danish, 6 Russian, 5 Greek, 3 Rou manian, 4 Catalonian, 1 Basque and 1 Latin. Yuma Indian Cndelß. At the Fort Yuma Indian School the classes are taught according to the voca tion of life, most properly supposed to become their sex. The girls are in structs 1 in the culinary art, mantua making and household duties. The boys are taught farming, mechanics and military movements. The Indian boy cadets are instructed chiefly by tho Mother Superior, with oc casional help from those of her attaohes who are better versed in military tactics. They have their own captain, lieutenants, sergeants and corporals. Recentlj they gave Yuma a fine treat in the way oi a company drill. Undor tho sound of a drum they marched to martial music, single file, by twos and iu squads of fours. Each is armed with miniature rifle, bayonet, belt, scabbard and cart ridge-box. The uniform is dark gray, with light gray fatigue caps. Their time in marching was excellent, and in the manual of arms they showed the effects of paiustaklug training. Making the company wheel, fours left or right about, fours right into lino and many other dif ficult moves were executed better than many older persons could do it. Here is an opportunity for California to have something unique at tho World's Fair by introducing this excellent little hand of aboriginal braves to the admiring gaze of tho millions of sightseers. The fuct that all their commands are made in English and are given by one of their own tribe lends an enchantment to it that would otherwise be lost upon an or dinary mortal.—Yuuia (Cal.) Sentinel. Magnified by Mi9t. The magnifying power of mist has often been described, but perhaps never in a more striking manner than by Mr. P.ke in tho "Barren Ground of Northern Canada." "We were traveling in a thick log and saw an animal, apparently at some distance, bounding along the horizon at a most remarkable pace. All down the line there wore cries of 'Musk oxl' 'Wolff' Guns were snatehod from the sleighs and tho dogs chargod at a gallop in pursuit of the strange animal. After a rush of ten yards tho quarry disappeared. The first man had put his foot on it and it turned out to bo one of the small mice so common in that country." USES OF FLOUR BARRELS. Some of the Trotty hii<l Practical Thing* That Can Jt Made from Them. You think you are familiar with the possibilities of old barrels. You know how to make chairs of them. You have improved vastly on the rather primitive affair your ingenious grandmother was proud of having fashioned out of a barrel. Did it ever occur to you that theie are other possibilities in an empty barrel? Have you ever tried making a table of one? Four nicely curved staves will make the legs. Use the head of the barrel for the top, or, if you like, buy a piece of wood any size or shape you fancy. Get a square piece of timber a few inches long and about five and a half inches square. Take off the corners for about an inch, making an irregular octagon, and fasten on the sides the four barrel staves, with the ends well squared and smoothed off. Between them, where the corners were, fasten on some brackets to support the top. THE POSSIBILITIES OP A BARREL. A small hoop placed between the staves near the floor will make them more firm, and a coat of paint or var nish will complete quite a presentable Uttle table. A kind of round cabinet table can also be made by sawing out zigzag panels in the sides above the lower hoops and inserting a round shelf in side at this level. Put a round cover on the top and paint it white, flr6t filling the cracks and imperfections with putty and rubbing down with sandpaper. The cabinet of shelves is built of well-selected barrel heads, whose parts are held together by a broad cleat nailed on the under side of each head. These are supported by four upright pieces, with grooves sawed In the edges at different levels. Brack ets strengthen the frame and secure the shelves properly. The edge is finished with a fringe or some other ornamental decoration about three inches deep. A useful stand may be made of a barrel sawed in half lengthwise and resting upon a framework of plain boards with a shelf below. This may be filled with earth for a winter win dow garden or may have a cover hinged on for a table and be draped with a cloth to hide the barrel shape, which affords a spacious receptacle. Still another may consist of two ends of a barrel with the heads in each part being sawed off Just at the second hoop. Through four holes in the lower one run the supports of the frame and let the top part rest upon their ends. Some small brackets under each barrel head will strength en the whole. Covered and decorated with cloth and plush and with cush ioned sides and pockets, this makes a very convenient work table, or, deco ! rated in rustic fashion, a very pretty plant stand. MEXICAN PEONS. 4uniiy-NaturMl People Happy Kven In Their Poverty, j The peon population of Mexico live in adobe houses or shanties of corn stalks, j A-rites Ileirry Ware Allen in the current j Ueview of lieviews. They own but two I :>r three parments each; sleep on straw I mats and exist 011 next to no wages. As ■ an official of the Trea-ury Department : recently stated it, "The population of ! Mexico is only half fed, a quarter clad urd an eighth ilium nated" (petroleum i retails for 75 ceuts per gallon). Yet after all there is without doubt, more real poverty, more distress and desper | ate hardship in a single New York tene ment house ward than in the whole rc | public of Mexico—for here the climate s gentle, nature is prodigal, the neces sities of life are easily obtained and the | horrors of many-storied tenement I houses are unknown. On the one hand ■ls a race of sunny-natured people ; whose condition is steadily improving, on the other hand a race whose social ■ adjustments are 60 out of order that an increasing proportion of the population is being crushed under the wheel of un | avoidable poverty. j The peon is nothing if not contented. He could no more be induced to join a band of "calamity howlers" than could j the n.ost villainous "plutocrat" of Wall atieet. This characteristic is due toths fatalism which prevails, and is further a result of centuries of servitude. Fa talism is said to be a factor in the army. The Mexican soldier goes into 1 aUie | believing that if death comes it wa9 foreordained, and so he does not try to evade the danger. A Parrot's Coffin. A parrot belonging to a Glasgow lady has recently died, and has been buried in a coflin of a ridiculously handsome character. It was made ol rosewood, measuring 16 inches by 7 inches by 5 inches, hand carved, with l'crslan designs, and lined throughout with pink satin. The parrot's head reposes on an embroidered pillow, and a glass protects the bird from contact with the wood. The edge of the coffin was decorated with wooden heads, fastened in after completion, and seventeen golden screws hold the lid in its place. This elaborate con struction cost $260. POWER OF TORPEDOES. WHAT MODERN SHIPS OF WAR HAVE TO DREAD. When the First Device of This Nature Appeared—How It Han Grown In Ability to Destroy—The Variety Adopted by the United States Government. A Formidable Assailant. During our war of independence, says a New York correspondent, David Bushnell, the father of Ameri can submarine warfare, threatened the British war vessels In New York harbor with torpedoes carried in a turtle-shaped boat that glided to the attack beneath the surface of the water. But the first authentic record of the practical efficiency of torpedoes as a recognized means of attack and defense is found in the river and harbor operations during our late civil war, when thirty-seven vessels I! Alt 1H ,11 DEFENDED BY SUBMARINE MINES, FLANKING GUNS, AND MORTAR BATTERIES. were either sunk or seriously damaged by the explosion of heavy gunpowder mines submerged in the approach! s to Southern cities. Submarine tor pedo boats harassed the fleet block ading Charleston; while the gallant Cushing leaped a small steam launch over a barrier of floating logs and sunk the formidable ironclad Albe marle by the explosion of an iron pot full of powder lashed to the end of a spar. Since that time, stimulated both by the rapid advance in electrical en gineering and by the study of high explosives, the development of the torpedo, or sea mine, has been rapid ly pushed forward both in this coun try and in Europe. In 1869 the Board of Engineers for Fortifications was instructed to ex perimentally study the general sub ject of torpedo defense and to pre pare detailed plans of applying the approved methods to the several im portant harbors of the United States. Channels, rivers and anchorages were carefully studied, and elaborate proj ects for their defense were submitted, comprising plans for bomb-proof elec tric stations, tunnels to protect the protect the insulated wires, and maps showing the number and pro posed location of the mines. And as the handling of high explosives held in leash by the electric current al lows no margin for ignorance, care lessness or neglect the establishment of a school of defensive submarine mining was recommended, where en gineer soldiers could receive a thor ough training in this special service. The magnitude of the work outlined can only he appreciated by those who were associated with Gen. Henry L. Abbot in the development of a prac tical working system from meager data and an absolute lack of material. At that time reliable insulated ca ble was not manufactured In the United States, and the electrical ap paratus had for some years to be pur chased in Europe, while special plants XOni*EDO AT ANCHOR. had to bo established for the fabrica tion of the steel cases and connec tions. As the work advanced it was found that certain general conditions must be fulfilled. The torpedo cases should be light, easily handled, and sufficiently buoy ant to support the charge, mooring rope, and electric cable in a sensibly vertical position against the depress ing effects of swift currents, or the torpedoes will sink below the touch of passing vessels; and the mechan ical arrangements should be capable of resisting the shock from the ex plosion of neighboring mines. The adopted spherical case meets all these requirements, and with anchor, wire mooring rope, electric cable and can- nectlons constitutes a complete min* ready for action. From bomb-proof operating case mates seven-colored cables will bo laid to junction boxes placed at se lected points in the channel. Thence the copper cores will diverge into cables radiating toward the advance, and terminating in threo mines, so connected that oach will explode singly if struck, while all three can lie exploded simultaneously at will. To till the gaps between the lines, to menace the enemy far in advance of the main defenses, and. to compel him to extena countermining operations over a wide area, lines of skirmish or single-cable mines will cut the waters well to the front. In shallow channels or anchorages the coast line available for occupa tion in conducting a distant bom bardment large and carefully located ground mines so charged and eleo: trically controlled that their removal by sweeping or grappling would prove both difficult and dangerous will re enforce the mortar batteries in a very effective manner. The primary defense of the mines ests with the guns of the batteries commanding the channels, where the main lines will be so arranged as to be swept throughout their length bji a flanking fire. The machine and rapid-flrlng guns, when we have them, will play an Important part Id such operations. But, should war be declared to-morrow, our old-fashioned eight and ten-inch smoothbores would prove very effective against torpedo boats and launches attempting to work mischief under cover of night or a fog. Charged with grape and canister, trained by day-light, and placed in circuit with the electric system through electric primers and Insulated wires extended to the oper ating station, any effort to raise a mine or cut a cable will at once auto matically draw a volley that would disable or greatly harass the boats. In the absence of high-power guns .n ironclad will move steadily for ward and attempt by countermining to open a safe passage for a bcleauger- Ing fleet, and here the adopted Sims- Edison electric flsh torpedo would prove a valuable auxiliary to the de fense. The range of this aggressive torpedo is over two miles, while its Bpeed exceeds eighteen miles an hour. It is steered, propelled, and exploded by means of a controllable electrlo current, and carries a charge capable pf disabling the most formidable Ironclad. The complete torpedo consists of iwo distinct parts, the float and the bull. The former is filled with an ansubmergible material and Is prac tically indifferent to the bullets ot rapid-firing gun 6; the latter, a cigar thaped hull sheltered from Are under (even feet of water, carries in the bow section the explosive, in another in insulated cable, which pays out. without strain as the torpedo pro ceeds, and in the stern section the ;lectro-motor that revolves the pro peller and a powerful relay that ac tuates the steering gear. The electric current, produced by i dynamo on shore, and conveyed to the torpedo through the cable, is un ier control of the operator through the keyboard switches by which he ■an at will start, stop, steer to port jr starboard, or explode the charge. Movable torpedoes of this type will prove formidable assailants to the tnemy's vessels moving cautiously in ibstructed channels, and will re-en force the fire of the mortars. Ignorance of the nature and object )f torpedoes has led the public to oelicve that harbors can, in an emcr {ency, be protected by this branch 3f the defense aloue. Heavy bat teries and submarine mines are but. correlative terms of a good defense. The function of the latter Is to so cbstruct the channels that the ene my's vessels shall be held under Are cf the former. But at least it can tie said that we have ready for duty a *- perfected defensive torpedo system, nipplemented with a skilled corps ol' submarine miners and electricians. Bakersvili.e will have to be spelled with a capital F in future.—l'hila §jr A Powerful Flesh Maker. A process that kills the taste of cod-liver oil has I done good service—but ; the process that both kills j the taste and effects par tial digestion has done j much more. Scott's Emulsion stands alone in the field of fat-foods. It is easy of assimilation because part- v, ly digested before taken. Scott's Emulsion checks Con sumption and all other wasting diseases. Prepared bv Rrott k Bowne, Chemists, jk New York. Sold by drutfgiatu everywhere. \ mWxi p Nlj 10 NOTHING LIKE SI SWIFT'S SPEC IFIC is totally unlike any other blood medicine. It cures diseases ol the blood and skin by removing the noison, and at tho same tluio supplies good blood to th* wasted parts. Don't be Imposed on by substi tutes, which arc said to be just as good, it is not true. No medicine IAS TCC lEfti QI ft has performed as many If? I lIC fIUBILW wonderful cures, or relieved so much suffering. " My Mood was badly poisoned last year, which £ot my whole ay stem dht of order— diseased and \ constant source of Buffering, no appetite and oo enjoyment of life. Two bottles of 03KSKJ1 brought mo right out. There is no BWKjWB better remedy for blood diseases. "JOHN GAVIN, Dayton, Ohio." kr Treatlse on blood and skin diseases mailed free, ' SWIFT SPECIFIC CO., Atlanta, Oa.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers