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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 1899)
THE LATE COL. DAVIS HE WAS A MAN OF ABILITY.. GREAT wirector General of tlio World' Tnl nnil One of Iha Ciller Promoter the arent Exhibition A Veteran the Cltll War nod Indlnn Wart. Col. Georgo It. Davis, lnte director general of tho world's fair and who died In Chicago recently, was. a man of extraordinary executive ability and had a varied career. Ho was a lawyer, Biaiesman, a politician, and a bus! iicss man. Ho was born In Palmer. Mass., January 3, l840,of Welsh-Scotch parents. In 18C0 ho graduated from Wllll8ton academy, and spent tho next two years In business with his father In Springfield, Mass. At tho outbreak of tho war ho en listed and went to tho front as cantal of company II of tho Eighth Massachu COL. GEORGE It. DAVIS. eetts. After serving with distinction ho accepted a commission with the Third Rhode Island cavalry, and later ho was promoted to tho position of ma Jor. At tho close of the war ho had tho brevet rank of colonel and becamo attached to tho headquarters of Gen Shorldan, and later was mado superln lenaent or ranroau, river and ocean transportation. Ho was In tho Indian campaigns of tno west In 18G8 and followed Gen Sheridan to Chicago, where In 1871 ho resigned to accept tho management of tho interests of several eastern lnsur anco companies. Carter H. Harrison defeated him for congress In 1876, but two years later Mr. Davis was elected. Twlco thereafter ho was ro-olected and served his district with distinction. When ho retired from congress In 1884 ho still continued to bo a member of the Republican national commltteo and of tho national cxccutlvo commit tee. It was his Intention at that time to retire from active politics, but ho was persuaded to mako tho run for county treasurer and was elected. Then ho becamo Identified with the preliminary plans for tho Columbian exposition, and was selected In 1890 as director-general. His success In thlB capacity won for him tho crowning point of lils life. Tho past few years of his llfo ho devoted to his business Interests. FACTS ABOUT AMERICAN CITIES Soma Ilutn Itognrdlng Health, Popula tion and Other Condition!!. Anticipating tho work of tho csnsus takers and acting on instructions from congress, tho department of labor at Washington has issued Btattstlc rclat Ing to all tho cities In tho United amies oi a population or 30,000 or more. It was found that thero wero 110 such cities and tho statistics col lected throw much Interesting light on their status and development. The oldral city In tho United States is Al bany, N. Y which was Incorporated In 1C8C, Philadelphia datlnc; fifteen years later. New York, Chicago and Philadelphia are tho only American cities whoso population runs Into the millions. Somo odd contrasts aro presented In tho tables which give tho area covered by tho different cities. It appears that Taunton, Mass., occupies a territory greater than that of either Boston or Baltimore. New Orleans, a city of 285,000 inhabitants, covers 125, C00 acres, while Newark, N. J with a population of about the same size, oc cupies less than 12,000 acres. One ex pects to find tho manufacturing dis tricts of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts r.nd Illinois closely packed, but It is surprising to notlco that Rlchrrond. Va., covers only 0,520 acres and Louis ville, Ky., 12,800 acres, as comparoJ with Duluth, Minn., and Des Moines, Iowa, which, witn much smaller popu lations in each case, covers r?spcctlve ly 40.9G0 and 34,560 acres. The health statistics show that McK"osport, Pa., Is perhaps the healthiest city in (his country. Its rato of deaths from con sumption Is only 1.09 per thousand, as compared with 12 in Boston and Now York and 20 In Denver, Col., due, of course, to tho fact that consumptives resort to Denver from all parr3 of tho country. Tho rato of 13.C0 death3 per thouennd from old age (considerably tho highest on tho list) Is accredited to SaltLako city, a condition to account for which no theory has yet been brought forward. In Pittsburg and Chicago deaths from old age are only 2 per thousand. At a tlmo when the extension of municipal functions Is occupying public attention it is In teresting to note tho figures which ro Iato to city ownership. Ninety-six cities own tholr water Bupply, among the exceptions being Indianapolis, New Haven, New Orleans and San Francis co. Four have municipal gas works Duluth, Richmond, Toledo and Wheel ing and thirteen own and operate electric light plants, METHODS AT CARRARA. rumou Marblo 81111 Quarried la Method of 3,000 Ytnrs A Co. Sculptors of every country tho aro agreed that If thero Is ono place on earth whero modern machinery Is nec essary It Is In tho marblo quarries at Carrara, Italy. For 2,000 years marblo has been quarried there, and during all that time only ono Improvement has been Introduced, tho result being that tho men who work there today uso practically the same methods that wero In vogue In the tlmo of tho Roman emperors. Carrara Is situated near tho gulf of Genoa, and Its famous marblo ccftes from the Apennlno mountains, tho qiiarrlc-i being located between Carrara and Massa. Tho Industry at tained Its greatest prosperity nt tho tlmo of tho Emperor Augustus.yet oven today It gives employment to C.000 workmen and 1,600 sculptors, and It Is estimated that of tho 15.000 persons wft) live. In the district thero aro few, If any, who aro not supported directly or Indirectly by tho quarries. Tho lat ter cover about 20 square miles, and aro located on the sides of tho mountains generally near tho topmost points Irom each of them a pathway lead to the street and railroad at tho foot of the mountain, and it Is down this pathway that tho blocks of marble nro taken to their destination. Tho only Improvement Introduced during tho past centuries Is tho uso of powder, Yet It is doubtful If this Is altogether an Improvement, for the reason that though Immense mosses of rock arc dltlodgcd by tho explosions, they nro frequently so badly shattered that much of the marblo la rendered useless for artistic purposes. When a success ful explosion takes place tho work of cutting tho marblo Into suitable forms begins, and this Is done with precisely the samo kind of old-fashioned lustra ment that has been In use for centu lies, namely, an ordinary saw. It Is unnecessary to say that tho process Is extremely laborious, and that thoso who havd seen it cannot help wonder Ing why tho work Is not done with a steam saw. A very primitive method Is used for tho conveyance of tho fin ished blocks down tho pathway to the railroad. A ropo Is tied to each, and then the descent begins. How dim cult this task Is can bo seen from tho fact that 18 men aro required In order to handle and convey safely to Its des tlnatlon a block weighing 11 tons. New York Herald. THE LATE CHARLES COGHLAN Charles Francis Coghlan, who tiled In Galveston, Texas, recently, was ono of tho best known actors of the day and possessed dramatic abll lty of a high order. Ho was also tho author of several plays, and ndapted others from different languages. Cogh lan was born in Paris, of English pa rentage, 6G years ago, and received n fine education. At 17 ho went to Lon don to study law, but gave it up at 19 for a dramatic career. Being a Kitted linguist nnd of a charming manner ho soon attracted tho attention of London managers, and roso to n position of considerable prominence on tho Eng lish stago. In 187G ho first camo to this country and mado a successful tour of tho United States. Ho then returned 10 uonuon, wnero ho won high pralso and becamo accepted as tho leading romantic actor of tho day. Ho played leading parts hero and abroad with Ellen Terry nnd Mrs. Langtry, nnd for several years toured with his sister, Rose Coghlau. Ho became cs tranged from his sister In 1893, when ho married a member of Roso Cogh CHARLES FRANCIS COGHLAN. tan's company. Ho had been starring of lato In "Tho Royal Box," a play written by himself. A City Sliding Down II (II. Butte, ono of tho largest cities In Montana, seems about to separate from itself. It appears that a portion of the town Is sliding down hill, apparently determined to seek k new home. EvI- enco of this peculiar phenomenon 13 seen on a number of largo buildings, Including tho county court house and tho residence of United States Senator W. A. Clarkp, theso buildings having become cracked and fissured from ono side to tho other. Geologists who havo Investigated tho matter say that tho buildings damaged are on a scam of rock along which a cleavage Is taking place. Frequently such separations of soil and rock occur In tho mountains tho result being a slide that may carry Ith It great tracts of land. The city of Butto Is built on tho slopo of a hill, nnd Uio disturbance Is in about tho central portion of tho town. So It Is barely posslblo that nature will somo day tear down quickly tho structures that man has spent great tlmo nnd labor in erecting. SANGEOR MEN'S SOULS THE LATE DR. LOWRY'S HYMNS ARE WORLD FAMED. The Author of "stmll Wo Unther nt tho Hirer," nnd "Where I My Wandering llor To-NlchJ," nnd Other Sue red Onoi, Ila Ijtteljr l'naied Ana;. Throughout tho Christian world, wherever gospel songs aro sung In tho Lngllsh tonguo, tho nnmo of tho Itev. Dr. Robert Lowry, whoso death took place a few days ago at Plainfleld, N. J., Is known. Dr. Lowry was tho writ cr of many Bongs, nnd though ho was Known as nn able preacher his great est reputation rested on tho merit of his musical compositions and versos. All tho songs written by Dr. I.owry nro ranrked by tho expression of human sympathy, giving voice to that Bldo of religion which answers to tho common yearnings or tho human heart hopo for n llfo beyond tho grave, whorcln thoso who hnvo been friends on .earth shall bo still united; trust In a grcnter power to supplement tho frailties ot human nature. From this it has como about that many of tho Bongs written by Dr. Lowry have becomo popular among men of a class to which few religious songs appeal, whlla in tho Sunday school, tho church, tho prayor mecting, and tho Christian homo all his best hymns nro firmly fixed as favorites. How many grlef-strlckon families, mourning tho loss of u dear one, havo been consoled when bcsldo the open grnvo they hnvo heard the Miro answer of faith In Dr. Lowry's perhaps most noted hymn: "Shall Wo Gather at tho River?" when tho chorus rings out: Yes, wo shall gather nt the river, Tho beautiful, tho beautiful river; Gather with the saints at tho river, That flows by tho throno of God. Another song that is sung outside of religious circles probably ns much n3 nny hymn ever written for religious uso la "Whero Is My Wandering Uoy Tonight?" Strangely Incongruous as It may scorn, there is no song to which drinking men men who havo wan dered far nway from tho holy lnllu encca of good homes will listen more attentively. Many n bartender can tell of seeing young men push nway un touched their glasses of liquor on hoar Ing somo chance companion sing: Then go for my wandering boy to night, Go search for him whero you will; O, bring him to me, with all his blight, And tell him I lovo him still. Dr. Lowry was born in Philadelphia, n March, 182C. Ho received a com mon school education nnd engaged In secular business for a time; but In 1848 ho entered tho university In Low- Isburg, Pa., as a theological student, and was graduated In six years. Aftor a short pastorate In West Chester, Pa., ho became pastor of tho Bloomlngdnlo Baptist church in New York City in 1858, Ho remained thero three years and then went to tho Hanson Placo Baptist church, in Brooklyn, whero he remained eight years and increased tho membership of tho society moro than 400 souls. Dr. Lowry becamo tho professor of belles-lettres In tho Uni versity In Lewlsburg In 1809. In addi tion, ho filled tho pulpit of tho Baptist church there. Ho subsequently wns elected chancellor qf tho university. Upon tho organization of tho Park Avenuo Baptist church In Plalnllold ho becamo Its pastor. Ho saw tho society safely housed in a f40,000 building and then retired. It was during his Brooklyn pnstorato that Dr. Lowry Hrst camo Into prom inence as a writer of hymns. Onco known, his reputation Increased apace, eo thnt whon ho left tho professorship in the university he Intended to dovoto tho remainder of his hto to hymnology. MAY WED HOLLAND'S QUEEN If tho story from Berlin that Queen Wllhelmlna of Holland Is to marry Crown Prlnco Frederick William of Germany turns out to bo correct sho will get a husband who, In caso ot no cesslty, could enrn n good living for his wlfo as n carpenter. Like all of the Hohcnzollcrn princes ho was set early to learn a trade, and moro thnn a year ago be presented his father with chair made with his own hands, whllo tho empress mother received n foot stool us n result 6f her eldest son's In dustry. Llko his father beforo him tho young prince, who wns born In 1882, Is now a Etudent nt tho University of Bohn, whero ho mingles freely with tho other boys In tho work nnd plcasuro of college life. Prlnco "Eltcl FrlU," PRINCE FREDERICK WILLIAM tho emperor'8 second son, selected tho goldsmith's trade, whllo Kaiser Wll helm himself is an export bookbinder. The Ctinnliif; of n I'oi, A gentleman wh03o word cannot bo doubted nnd who la not easily de ceived tells tho following: Very car ly ono morning ho saw n fox eyeing most wistfully n number of wild ducks feeding in tho rushy end of a highland lake. After a whllo tho fox, going to windward of tho ducks, put afloat In tho lnko several bunches of dead rushes or grass which floated down amongst the ducks without cnuslng tho leaBt alarm. Afler watching tho ef fects of his preliminary fleet for n short time, the fox, taking a good Elzed mouthful of grass In his Jaws, I ... l. .1 i.i. t . . lauuL-iiL-u iiinibuii into uio water as quietly as posslblo, having nothing but tho tips of his ears and nose above water. In this way ho drifted down among tho ducks nnd caught a flno mnllard. Though this story seems ex traordinary, It must be remembered that tho fox manngos to capture wild ducks, wood pigeons, hares nnd num berless other animals sufficient to keop himself nnd family, and It Is plain to bo seen that In doing so ho must prnc tlco many a trick that would seom Im probable If rotated, and quite beyond tho Instinct of anlmaln. Nlio Differed with 1'nul. A certuln old lady was arguing strongly for woman's rights In tho wny of preaching, when some one attempted to put her dpwn with a text from St. Paul. "Ah." said she, "that's whoro Paul and I differ!" Adllce Hoard Tno lute. Mrs. Cross O, you needn't talk. You wero crazy to havo inc. Mr. Cross Thut's what everybody says. Strny Stories. LIBERAL NOBLEiMAN. MARQUIS WHO IS CARRYING OUT GOOD WORK. Npenuins; UU rurtano for the Ilenrllt of lilt Fellow lien lie In Typical of the It en I llrltlaher Hitting No Helfldi Ainu Nor Ureed to Appenati. Tho Marquis ot Bute Is ono of Scot land's noblemen with a personality all his own. Born In 1848, ho succeeded to tho tltlo and estates when ho was ono yoar old nnd was under tutors tho lato Earl of Deaconsflold was ono of them until ho camo of age. Ho has great wcalth.acqulrcd for tho most part from tho mines nnd lnntta nt Cardiff. It shows his Intercut In muni vlpnl Institutions that ho wns mnyor of Cardiff In 1S90 and 1891, nnd thnt ho nlso paid tho town ot Rothlesny, In tho Islnnd of Bute which ho owhb nnd from which ho takes IiIb title tho compliment ot becoming Us provost In 183G and 1897. An accomplished and enthusiastic antiquarian, Lord Bute has found nn outlet for his great wealth In restoring nnclent, historic buildings, among tho most Interesting being that of Falk land palace. In Fife, an old rcsldcnco MARQUIS OF BUTE. ot tho kings ot Scotland, which ho pur chased a few years ago, nnd In tho ap penranco of which ho lias mado n groat chango. At Montstunrt, In tho Island of Bute, ho built somo years auo n magnificent house In the gothlc stylo of architecture, which cost n good deal over 100,000. It Is n mnrvol In Its way, with Its Inner ntnlrcaso and gront balconlod hall composed ot beautiful Italian marbles. Now his latest building work, which has Just been begun, Is a small private chapel In connection with Montstunrt House. This Is to cost X 40,000. it will bo fitted up In tho most gorgeous manner for tho celebration of worship. Colored marbles, for tho docoratlon ot tho chancel, tho walls and tho pas sages, will bo freely employed, nnd In tho plnns It looks as If this chapol would bo ono of tho hnndsomc3t of tho kind In Scotland. Unfortunntely tho mnrquls Is not In good hcnlth. A man of fleshy form and of considerable bulk, ho suffers from eczema, which lately has been very troublesome, nnd it was nlso reported that ho had had n slight attack of paralysis. His condition not long slnco was very critical, but ho Is now got ting better, though still far from well. Tho best wishes of his countrymen nro ror his recovery, for ho Is a noblomnn who has adorned his station nnd hns dono gront good with tho wealth ho posscssos. A New Moitiilto. Nownrk has u new breed of mosqul toes. ri his appalling Intelligence Is gleaned from one of tho papers pub lished In that city. Theso new mos quitoes are not to bo kept out of houses by nny of tho screens now In use. They nro so small that they KOt Into tho rooms of tho unhappy resi dents of the flourishing city on tho 'nssalc river nnd bite them with n ferocity hitherto unknown even in tho stnto which Is famous for Its mosqui toes. Tho doctors aro trying to com fort tho peoplo by telling them thnt theso mosquitoes will ent malarln germs with moro avidity thnn tho or- dlnnry Now Jersey breed, but tho peo plo aro not satisfied. Homo ot thorn nro declaring that their board ot health ought to do something about It. Just how a board of health can con sistently tuho action looking townrd tho extermination of nny Insect which will cat tho germs of malaria la not explained. Now York Times. Marched nn Army Through liner Line Just after tho outbreak of war In South Africa a young Englishman, named John Sydney Mnrwlck, was serving ns natlvo commissioner nt Jo hannesburg. Ho wns nn.nppolntco of tho government of Natal, and It was his business to look after the Intorcsts of tho thousands of natives ot Natal who wero working in tho gold mines of tho Transvaal. When war was do clarcd 0,000 of these nntlves Bovght to get home. At tho tlmo rallvny com munication between Johannesburg and Natal had already ceased, and if tho Journey was to bo mado at all It would hnvo to bo on foot. Mr. Mnrwlck or ganized the mob of 0,000 blacks Into something llko nn army and inarched them in Hafety into Nntal, oven passing through tho lines of tho Boers without Interruption. Ho Is given credit by the Sngllsh authorities for n remarkable achievement. Jnpanene Taper Bhlngle. Paper shingles havo been Introduced Into Japan by an enterprising Toklo firm ns substitutes for tho wooden ar ticle Tho new idea Is n slab of thick tarred pasteboard, moro easily man aged than ordinary shingles, and cost ing only half as much, QROWINQ LARGER. So Kujr the Shoemaker nnd tho" llnte erdnihor. Shoemakers and haberdashers who cater to tho wants or tho ditto assert thnt tholr patrons this year demand hosiery nnd shoeo averaging from one half to ono nnd a half sizes larger than they did Hvo yonrs ago, says tho Now York Herald. Tho majority of tho dealers bollcvo that tho nverngft length nnd breadth of men's feet hnvo been steadily Increasing slnco tho wand ot the fashion which demnnded n pointed too nlid tight-fitting shoe. This they explain by Baying that tho effect of tho stylo In voguo six years ago jVds to cramp and distort tho natural devel opment of tho fcot. When tho stylo chnnged nnd comfort became tho crite rion of fashion, untura ngnln exerted itself. Fcot which had beebmo dis torted during tho reign of tho narrow shoo and pointed too slowly begun to broaden and ndnpt thcmoolvcs to their new surroundings. Tho change, being gradual, went for n long tlmo un noticed, and not until tho merchants recently began to compnro their Bales of Hvo yearn ago with thoso of today was It found thnt tho nvorngo Incrcnso hns been approximately ono size. Sev eral well-known shoo dealers raid thnt when they first began to notlco tho np parent ehnngo they became Interested nnd studied tho problem. Thoy found that when fnbhlon demanded tho uso or narrow shoes, feet woro closely con ilned nnd by dogrcca became small. As styles changed nnd nn easy tit was itlono desired, tho feet seemed to cx pnnd nnd grow Btentllly larger until the fashion again required, small, neat fcot, when tho process would bo re pented. Ono merchant, versed In nn-' dent nnd oriental history, pointed out to me tho fact thnt In countries whero the snndals or other loose toot cover ing Ih generally worn, tho feet ot tho Inhabitants nro comparatively large, and In countries whero n big ahoo Is la poor tnsto, small feet aro In tho mn- Jorlty. A well-known Broadway li03ler, when I told him tho theory ndvnnccd by tho other hnbordashcrs nnd shoemakers, smiled Incredulously nntl said: "I'll tell you what my ex perience han been; porhnps It would bu Interesting. When times arc, hnitl l notlco thnt men order targe socks, anil when there Is plenty of money thoy profcr close-fitting ones. It can nil bi reduced to a question of economics, in my opinion. Largo hoso wenr longer than thoso of perfect fit, but thoy nro not co comfortnblc. Most woll-drossoil men nro tho first to feel tho pressure of hard tlmco, and then thoy begin t- economize. They would probably deny It It you Bhould confront them with tho Btnt?mcnt that for tho oako of saving a qtinrtor thoy woro wcarlnn a pair of mlsllt socks,' but under -thoso conditions nine times out of (en tho nccusntlon would bo true." CORRESPONDENT LOSES ARM. E. F. Knight, the war correspondent who lost nn arm In tho battle nt Bel mont, has packed much ndvonturo Into n compnrtlvoly short llfo. Bom In tho north of Franco, he tried hard to ch llst In tho French army when tho Gor manH wero closing In around Pnrlu. Tho next year ho succeeded, In splto ot his youth, In getting Into tho nrmy, nntl served as n volunteer In Algeria ngalnst tho revolting Arabs; that ovor Mr. Knight took to yncJitlng, . HQ.hn.8 several times crossed tho Atlantic In a sninll cutter, and han thoroughly ex plored tho Baltic sea In a tiny pleas ure boat. As a correspondent ho lmu followed several campaigns In Africa. He represented tho London Times dilr- B. F. KNIGHT. Ing the Graeco-Turklsh war, and waH ono of tho fow men to get into Ha vana last year after tho blockado was established. Desiring to follow tho progress of tho war from tho side ot tho Spaniards ho was told when ho reached this country that It was Im possible to get Into tho capital of Cuba. Nothing daunted, ho hired tho captain of n sailboat to tako him with in a fow miles of Havana, and thero cast him adrift In a rowboat. A storm coming up, tho boat was overturned, but Mr, Knight clung to tho keel until ho wns picked up the next morning by n Spanish patrol. Ho was onCof tl(o four correspondents nllowed to accom pany tho present British expedition 'to tho relief of Klmberley. ! n't I.I It o Women. It Is Enid by thoso who know Cecil Rhodes, tho south African magnate. that ho has n great aversion to tho op posite sex, They any that while on n recent visit to London ho dined at tho house of the Baroness Burdctt Coutts, and later, when ho was dis cussing tho nlTnlr with his secretary, tho latter asked: "And whom did you tako In to dinner?" "Oh, I don't know. Some Lady Somebody," was tho reply. "Hut wnat did you call her?" "Didn't call her nnythlng. Novcr spoko to her." OUR FEET