11
NUNS
Tunnel Under Gibraltar and a Railroad
to the Orient.
Paris Letter. Those who believe
that tho beginning of the twentieth
century Is 1901 la to be marked by a
long lino of gigantic works, for which
the discoveries of tho nineteenth are
tho preparation, see In "Tho Canal of
tho Two Seas" and tho Mediterranean
tunnel the first examples of tho coming
wonders. France heads tho project
France, tlint has shown tho way so
ofton, only to bo outstripped by other
peoples; France of the Suez canal nnd
Panama. This tlmo, howovcr, the
work Is for herself, and not for others.
Tho tunnel that, by tho courtesy of
Spain and Morocco, Is to unlto her
to her African possessions, may havo
n military and Industrial outcome un
dreamed of now, whllq thp cunal that
Is to open tip tho Mediterranean to her
as to no other Power may make
Franco lndopon-
.dent of Gibraltar.
Tho pOBslblo effects
of tho latter are so
revolutionary that
It Is easy for
Frenchmen to bo
llovo what an Eng
Huh statesman Is
pretended to havo
Halcl: "If Franco
Is willing to spend
800 millions to
mako tho Cunal des
Detix-Mors, wo will
bo willing to spend
1,500 millions to
provent hor."
"From Paris to
tho Soudan with
out changing cars."
This Is tho cry of
tho tunnol's parti
sans. It Is tho an
swer of Franco to
Cecil Rhodes' con
ception, "From tho
Capo to Cairo."
When Spain and
Morocco grant tho
prlvllcgo tho work
houso becomes n
simple matter of
French flnanco and
French engineer
ing. On clear days
you can sco Gib
raltar from Tan
glors; and, whllo
tho spot has not
yot been mado pub
lic, it Is said that,
tho European and
of tho tunnel Is to
bo not many miles
from England's
utronghold. Tho
consent of Spain
nnd of Morocco?
For a long tlmo all
tho European na
tions havo had
tholr oyes flxod
longingly on tho
land of "Tho Sick
Man of tho West."
Ills policy has been
to play off one
against tho other,
yot It lias always
been acknowledged
that Spain has a
vaguo kind of claim
' upon -Mm, Spain
p e r a u a d o d nnd
Franco backed up
by tho czar, tho
concession of tho
tunnel becomes al
most probable. It
is said by the
French that tho
chlof work of
Count Muravloff,
Russian Minister
ONE OF THE
of Forolcn Af
fairs, when ho passod through Paris,
was to mako plans for tho tlmo
whon Franco should mako her
cjijlms In tils tllroctlon. As for
Spain, it Is Bald that sho boob in
dustrial salvation in this schomo that
would place hor on tho direct lino of
tho lmmoiiBO development of Africa,
und tho persistent rumor that sho haa
given to Franco und Ruasln permission
to fortify Cetun Is looked on nu especi
ally slgnlllcnnt.
M, Ilerller, engineer of tho Gibraltar
tunnel, doelnroB that tho work will
not cost moro than 123,000,000 francs.
When tho Channel Tunnel was propos
ed nnd thoy actually bored n tnllo and
moro of It before an Invaulon ucaro In
England put a stop to everything tho
engineering dlllleultlcs were tho easiest
disposed of. M. IJrrller'B experlenco
with tho Selno Tunnel and tho Metro
politan Underground has put in his
bauds now molhodu und u corps of ex-
Dorloucod lieutenants, nnd tho fnct
that tho work Is bo near homo will
glvo tho French Investor eonlldenco
that ho might lack since Panama.
It Is proposed, by taking advantage
MINERS AND MORPHINE.
A Custom Nccnsnrjr, but Nut IMcuiniit
to Con t e iml (
'.IVVnon I was hi tho northwest dur
ing, last October," said n gcntlomnn
wltijqflomo monoy Invested In mlnoa,
"I ojnployed a proapoctor to go out into
io tho mountains looking for proper
ties which had boon rocommondod to
Rie.,,Ono day hp. was to havo gono from
our ,camp over into n very rough and
rocky district, but whon ovonlug came
he reported, that ho hadn't mado tho
0
1
of the present waterways of the Interi
or .of France, to mako a ship canul
from a well-guarded port on the Atlan
tic coast to as wcll-gunrdcd n port on
the Mediterranean. From Bordeaux,
up the Oaronno river, the cnnnl boats
that carry freight so economically
throughout all Franco plod their way
to Agen, to Toulouse, and then
through tho Cunnl du Midi, by a great
lock system, they climb and descend
tho watershed of tho Atlantic and tho
Mediterranean by way of tho formid
able Neck of Nuttroiizo. IJclow OarcaB
orino tho Canal du Midi strikes tho
River Aude, nnd then starts off north
east along a winding route to Rczlcrn,
completing n great complicated sys
tem. Dy wny of tho Aude tho canal
boats descend to tho Mediterranean
bolow Narbonne.
IMMENSE CUTS THAT WILL DE
NECESSARY.
Contrary to what would seem tho
natural Atlantic terminus, It Is pro
posed to neglect Bordeaux In favor of
what will bo practically a now port
Arcachon, with Its groat natural basin
lends Itself Ideally to tho kind of for
tlflcatlon that would bo demnnded by
n cannl that would, by the fact of its
oxlatouce, como to bo the central
strategic featuro of tho country. Area
chon, when tho canal Is finished, will
bo the llrcst of todny a hundred times
magnified. Uordeaux, that could never
bo liuulo to glvo tho necessary enso and
security to a war licet, will remain tho
great commercial port It Is. A branch
canul Is to connect It with tho
great cannl, und, without any
of the Inconveniences of n nn
vnl center, It will thus 11 ml Its
commercial advantages Immensely In
crcasod, Today, at tho cud of tho nine
tconth century, Franco Bees eighty per
cent of her products, carried under
foreign Hags. Where French boats
carry 2,500,000 tons, moro than 120,000
000 tons nro lugged around the world
In EngllBh bottoms.
Another advantage of tho canal ns
planned by tho effervescent Gaul will
trip. 'Why not?' I Inquired. 'Uecanao
I didn't havo my morphine with me,
ho responded In a vory matter of fact
mnnuor, 'Morphine?' said I, In aston
ishment, 'what has that sot to do with
it? You aro not n morphine flond, are
you?' 'Not ns much of a ono ns you
aro n tenderfoot,' ho laughod, and pro
ceeded to Inform mo that nvery pros
pector who know his business ulways
carried with him enough morphine to
kill a man caally, ami that ho did so
In order to ond himself quickly In case
of an accident which would dtsabte him
LIVELY
bo to furnish work for years to the
French worklngman, to tho calming
of tho laboring mind nnd tho security
of tho republic. Tho calculations being
for a permanent forco of 30,000 labor
ers, tho partisans of tho canal sec In
tho fact tho put
ting off of the
dread labor ques
tion to n better
era, when France
shall bo entering
Into tho fruits of
this very enter
prise. Not n cent
ime of tho money
will leave France.
From Toulouso
to Custclnnudray
the routo of tho
great cannl Is
nlong tho old Ca
nnl dc Langucdoc,
of Clura Ward's
ancestor by mar
riage. Tho old
cannl abounds In
THIS
locks. To lift It up 200 feet, In
one stretch there arc seventeen
of them. The descont of tho
Aude 300 feet requires more thnn flf
ty. It Is in Its cuttings and locks
Hint tho projected canal is to bo most
extraordinary. Sixteen locks nro plan
ned to do tho whole Job of tho water
shed that has Its apex In tho dreaded
Col do Naurouze, and they arc to bo
tho answer of French engineering scl-
enco to the lnmcntablc failure of Pana
ma.
At tho beginning it was seen that or
dinary locks would not servo; with
them tho pasBago would rcqulro at
least six days. One wny of diminish
ing their number It Is estimated that
200 would bo necessary would bo tho
old-fashioned plan of keeping tho ca
nal to tho low altitudes of the plains
nnd then, arriving at tho Col de Nau
roiizo to pass through It in a
giant cut. It would bo a cut 5UU
feet deep. To avoid tho necessity of
this almost Impossible) engineering feat
they havo Imagined a prodigious nov
elty, tho ship elevator, nnd tho mov
ing lock.
Tho Bhlp elevator Is a great metallic
reservoir that moves up and down hill
on n great number of railway' tracks,
operated much after the manner of n
funicular. Thero will be one at tho
top of tho slope, another nt tho bot
tom. Each will rccclvo a ship. The
weight of tho lightest will bo balanc
ed by tho nddltlon of moro water.
Then, tho equilibrium being attained,
n comparatively moderate forco will bo
sufficient to disturb It. Up will go ono
reservoir, nnd down tho other! Noth
ing could bo simpler!
Whore ordinary locks aro to bo used,
the samo prlnclplo of metallic ba
sins bnlanclng each other, sldo by side,
Is to bo exploited, for tho Bako of ex
pedition. They nro to be such locks
ns the world Iiub never seen. Onco
through thorn nnd Into tho Audo river,
it will bo plnln towing straight to Nar
bonne, which Is almost on tho Medit
erranean. Hero Is another unturally
protected port, llko Arcachon, a great
basin, Impenetrable by a hostile ilect.
STERLING HEILIU.
DEATH OF THE KHALIFA.
Conceuloil II Is Wound ami Went On
with tho Attack.
Our Infantry fixed bayonets nnd
oponcd with volleys nt 400 yards. Tho
twelve-pounders and Maxims were
hard at It; but In splto of this con
tinuous flro, on camo the khalifa, at
tho head of hU men, says a writer in
tho Nntlonnl Rovlow, Though firing
Incessantly, their aim was fortunately
high, and the bullets whistled for tho
most part harmlessly over our heads.
Nothing could live within tho zouo of
our concentrated flro, yet somo among
them actually charged to within 250
yards of us and died facing tholr one
my. In this chnrgo tho khalifa nnd
moat of the emirs met their death,
whllo at the samo tlmo tho Ninth
IS THE
WARSHIPS WILL RE WHIRLED THROUGH FRANCE WHEN THE
UAUL'S LATEST DREAM IS FULFILLED.
far away from assistance. Thoro woro
ninny Instances of prospectors falling
over cliffs nnd crippling themselves,
or breaking it leg In a liolo among tho
rocks, or rendering themselves helpless
In somo other way, and death was sure
to follow by starvation or freezing, or,
In somo soctlons, by being devoured by
wolves or othor wild animals. In or
der to prevent such a horrlblo doath
ns any of theso tho prospectors simpli
fied matters by always carrying a little
packot of morphine which not only
quitted tho pain of the hurt ho had
Sudanese together with two Maxims
nnd a dismounted party of camel corps,
woro repelling nn attack on our left
flank, which had developed somo
strength. Discipline and steady vol
leys had decided the fate of the day
and fighting came to an end at C a. m.
It had been hot while it lasted, but
our casualty list was n trifling one,
owing chiefly to our good position well
In rear of the crest of op?n rising
ground. About a couple of hundred
SHIP ELEVATOR
dervishes lay dead around us, and thcli
wounded must have numborcd ovci
GOO. Meanwhile, the remainder, having
heard of tho khalifa's death, gave up
the fight and retired to their women
in the ramp. Seeing that no further
resistance was being offered, but not
yet nwaro of the fall of the khalifa,
we advanced with every precaution.
Wo were met by a deputation of tho
enemy, who, throwing down their
rifles, nsked for quarter for the wholo
force, and this was, of courso, readily
granted. From them wo heard of the
khalifa's death, and his body was soon
Identified nnd placed under a guard.
Ono of the wounded emirs lying by his
side told me that early in tho engage
ment tho khalifa was grazed by a bul
let In the hand, but so determined wns
he to carry out the attack that he con
cealed his wound by drawing his sleeve
over It to prevent his followers from
being dlscourngod. Ho went forward
Into the thick of the fight, where he
fe.ll, struck by a splinter of a shrapnel
In the mouth and by n rifle bullet In
tho head.
THE HOWITZER IN WAR.
Tho accompanying illustration shows
tho typo of howitzer used by tho Brit
ish bluejackets during tho slego of
Lady8mlth by tho Doers. These how
ltzors wero used for throwing shells
up over tho hills that surround Lady
smith and dropping them behind the
Doors' natural fortifications of rock
and kopje. As a geifernl rule, though,
tho howitzer Is being supplanted by
more nccurnto firing field artillery on
tho one hand and tho mnchlno gun on
tho othor, though It was effectively
made uso of by Gen. Methuen at tho
Becond battle of Modder river.
France' tlroat Festival,
New Year's day is the great festival
of tho year in France, not Christmas,
Moro acquaintances oven send each
other small prcsentB on that day.
A Definition.
Ho What Is a flirtation?
tentlon without Intention.'
Nowb.
She At-
-Chicago
sustained, but put him to sleep pleas
antly to wako no moro on earth. It
struck me first as uncanny, not to say
wicked, but I got over that feeling
aftor n narrow escape or two, and I
carried my little tin box Just llko a
veteran would."
Natural Influence
Stalwart Policeman Yes, sir, I've
swont off. Haven't been Inside a sa
loon today. The Othor Man Ho! Lost
your Job, have you? Chicago Tribune.
THE SPINSTER GIRL.
3HE OF TODAY COMPARED WITH
SHE OF OTHER DAYS.
Ono of tho Moat RcmarJcHbto 8onlal
Development of the Arc UlrU Aro
Now Young; When The Aro Thirty
In Hor I'rlino nt 40.
Ono of tho most rcmurkablo social
developments of tbeso Inttcr days is
tho evolution of tho mnttiro heroine of
romance, says, tho London World.
;Formcrly this post was allotted to the
young girl or tho young woman. In
those times, moreover, tho adjective of
youth would not hnvo been applied to
tho maiden who had passed her 25th
year and only In the spirit of the gross
est flattery to tho matron who had
seen her three decades. It la typical of
tho ago that this explanatory noto
uhould bo necessary. Now the expres
sion "young" Is purely relative. Tho
period of middle age has been entirely
nbollshcd. Where nlmost everybody Is
younger than somebody clso It Is only
tho few who arc proud of their extreme
nntlqttlty who enn be regarded with
nny degreo of certainty as old. At 30
tho girl of todny no longer retires on
the shelf us a failure, to pass tho rest
of her llfo in the humiliating position
of tho maiden mint who dovotc3 her
solf to tho children or revenges herself
on tho poor. Sho Is merely preparing
to stnrt on a new phase of life with a
moro definite play nnd a clearer vision.
Very often sho marries and begins
afresh nt 10. Sometimes sho has been
known to bo so greatly daring as to
enter on mnttimony for the llrst tlmo
when sho hns passed her GOth year.
For tho matron tho rango Is even more
extended. At 30 she la qulto a young
thing gay, frivolous, skittish, to
whom society and flirtation oro tho
chief objects In life. Ten yenr3 move
bring her to her prime. It Is tho period
of fascination, of adventure, of Im
pulse. Tho woman of 40 Is capablo of
nnythlng. Sho is the object of the
wildest plans, tho center of the most
daring romance. At GO she Is probably
marrying for tho second time. Thrco
scoro will llnd hor npproachlng tho
ultar for hor third wedding, and If sho
lives long enough sho may even reap
pear at a later date to bring her record
up to four.
SORT OF BATH TO TAKE.
An important Ceremony That Is ton
Often Hushed Through.
This Is the tlmo of the year when
our cold bath begins to feel as if It
were living up to its name, so it may
not bo nmlss to speak a bit upon tho
subject. First of all, a cold bath, as
many suppose, Is not necessarily water
as It comes from the faucet. In point
of fact, It is any bath of a temperature
below 80 degrees. Strange ns It may
seem, somo people far from strong
hnvo been driven to plunging Into icy
water Just because some other persons
sang the praises of the cold bath so
loudly nnd persistently. Tho people
who In cases of Illness used to fairly
shriek at the thought or mention of
a bath, are oven getting cducnted. Not
that great care isn't necessary. In
deed-, It Is in all bathing, and the bath
thormometer should bo used by both
eek nnd well. Of course, an Invalid
is only bathed according to tho physi
cian's instructions. Tho bath is a
boon. Anyone who has tossed and
turned in nervous unrest knows tho
soothing powers of the spongo bath
Each part must be sponged and dried
thoroughly and covered. Tho arms
and legs In turn, then the back, then
tho chest, then the abdomen. This,
with Ico on tho head, will even quiet
delirium. As for our ordinary, every
day bathing, wo must decide which
gives us tho best results. A hot bath
Is least Injurious taken on going to
bod. Thoy are weakening, however,
and should not bo too often Indulged
In; perhnps ono a week. A hot bath
means n temperature of 100 or 110 de
grees, A warm bath means anything
from 90 to 100, tepid ranges from 80 to
00, whllo cold Is anything below 80.
Never stay In over fifteen or twenty
minutes; ten Is cnoush for most of
us. Tho morning is the best tlmo for
tho dally bath, and those who find tho
plungo or tho shower too much for
thorn, should consider tho spongo bnth
Many who aro cxhnu3tcd or chilled by
other sorts of baths would And this n
flplendld tonic. It Is more work
though. Wo do not consider theso
things enough, nnd aro prono to for
get that bathing is or an Importance
on a par with our food. Above nil, let
us take tho sort of bath which Is most
beneficial. Milwaukee Wisconsin.
Ciit-o'-Nlnn-TiilU for Il.-iiuknrd.
South Cnrollna having abolished tho
Baloon and substituted tho dispensary
she now proposes to establish hospital
for drunkards, where thirst will bo
treated as a disease. If along with
bromides and tonlco tho cnt-o'-nlno
tnlls should bo prescribed for Incbrl
ntes who neglect or abuse their wives
and children, tho Innovation would
work wonderful cures. Tho ono dnn
ger of dealing with drunkenness ns
dlsenso Is that It may bo forgotten that
drunkenness Is also a vice. Phlladel
phln North American.
Mrs. Atkinson Koten Ilnslnrss.
The widow of former Governor At
klnson of Georgia, has created somo
thing of a sensation in business and
social circles by going Into tho fiold ns
a general stato agent for Are and llfo
instirnnco companies. Sho says her
purpose Is to make a living and edtt
cate her flvo children. She is already
doing woll and has received lottors of
congratulation from numerous society
women.
SLY REYNARD.
Fox Trap Which Is Tempting bat Is
Alirnjrs Snipoctnl.
Ono of tho systems qulto frequently
resorted to to trap a fox is to place a
largo stono In the confer of n pool of
water, Just out of reach of a fox, says
tho Watcrbury American. On this
stono is placed bait, meat or nnythlng
fox likes. In tho water near tho
stono tho steel-Jawed trap Is placed and
a, plcco of green moss four or live
Inches sqtinro Is placed on the pan ot
tho trap. Tho trap Is tinder water and
tho green moss hides it. Tho fox
doesn't enro to go Into tho water. Ho
comes along, smells tho bait and bo
glnB to trot around the pool of water.
fho stono with tho bait on It Is Just
nicely out of reach and he goc3 round
und round the pool, trying to reach the
bait on tho stone. But ho can't reach
It. If ho Is very hungry or if ho is very
young by nnd by ho will stop going
ound and round, nnd slzo up tho patch
of Innocent-looking green moss, easily
within reach of his paw, which Anally
proves too much, and ho teaches ono
paw ovor and puts It on tho patch ot
moss and stretches his neck over to
tho stono to grab the bait. The weight
which he bears on the trap springs it
and ho Is fast by the front leg. Tho
trap Is not fastened, and tho fox re
treats, carrying tho trap on his leg with
him. Tho pain soon tires him nnd ho
lies down and sometimes whon thore U
a looso chain nttached to tho trap tho
chain catches In tho bushes or stumps
nnd the fox, realizing that he is caught,
gives up and lies down and in tlmn is,
of courso, gathered in. Not all foxes,
however, arc caught or deceived by tho
green patch of mos3, for oftentimes a
fox, In tho winter, when tho snow Ib
on tho ground, will go round nnd round
tho pool of wntor until ho has worn u
path around tho pool, without once at
tempting to touch his foot on tho moss.
Old dog foxca ttstinlly realize that tho
bit of moss Is a trouble-brcpdcr and let
It severely alone, although tho bait
may bo so tempting that ihey can't
tear themselves away from tho scene.
Why they don't wndo Into tho pool and
skip tho moss is not known, but they
don't. Perhaps they suspect the clear
water may also prove a trouble-breeder.
NO WONDER HE LAUGHED.
eprlmund Which Itcar-.triuilrnl I.uoo
Turned to Itlitfculc.
When Rear-Admiral Stephen B.
Luce, U. S. N., was a young man, an
onslgn or a lieutenant It matters not
where It so happened ono summer
thnt his ship for somo days lay ut
anchor off n well-known ssashoro re
sort, says tho Philadelphia Post. Of
courso tho officers, young nnd old,
woro often nshore. One night after
somo function or othor a party of tho
young ofllcers, nmong whom was Mr.
Luco, set out for the ship. They had
had an excellent tlmo and wero feel
ing very Jolly', laughing and tnlklng
perhaps rather hilariously; thoy drow
up to tho ship, and, leaving the boat,
clambered up tho gangway, Mr. Luco
in tho lead. The officer of tho deck
hearing so much nolso of mirth, met
them with n severe glanco as they
stepped on deck. Ho looked them over
ono by ono nnd then turning to Mr.
Luce, who was tho llfo of tho party,
ho said: "Mr. Luco, I am surprised;
you nro tight, sir!" Quick as a flash
camo tho answer: "Why, sir, I do not
know what you mean, sir. If Stephen
D. Luco how can ho bo tight, sir?" A
ready answer turncth nway wrath.
Tho officer of the deck walked away
laughing.
I'ocullar to Holler Makers.
"I noticed a peculiarity about a cer
tain claBs of men not long ngo," re
marked it llfo Insurance agent, "tho
cause of which 1 can't explain. My
business not long ago, carried mo into
ono of tho largo boiler making shops
in Memphis, and amid tho din of tho
riveting I tried to talk to ono of tho
men. I raised my volco to tho loudest
pitch possible, but ho was unablo to
hear mo. Finally ho said: 'Speak
low, so 1 can hear you.' I found ho
was right. But tho evening of the
sumo day I saw the man at his homo
and found tlint there, whero thero was
no noise, ho could not hear me at all
whon I spoko in moderate tone. I
had to raise my voice to a vory high
pitch in order to be understood. This
wns not only tho case with this man,
but I noticed tho peculiarity in all of
tho other holler makers I had any
dealings with. Memphis Sclmotar.
The Hook Ten.
Tho 5 o'clock tea room, llko Africa, la
always producing something new, and
tho latest thing, sayB Madamo, Is tho
"Book Tea," which "seems to havo
caught on with frightful intensity
among qulto enlightened Londoners."
Tho Idea is that every ono who goes to
the tea party shall ropresent a book,
and that every ono shall guess, every
other one's title, prizes being given for
tho best representation nnd tho highest
number of correct guesses. Tho wrltor
cites tho case of a gentleman who en
tered tho room with his coat Insldo
out as "VIco Versa," and a clorlcal
man who merely said nothing, as "Tho
Sllenco of Dean Mnltland." A young
mnn with a string of cigarettes round
his neck was found to be "Tho Virgin
ians." Tho "Book Tea" haa already
developed tho "Piny Tea" and the
"Popular Song Tea," nnd others are
promised.
Thistle Down Cloth.
Tho down of thistles was spun by
tho ancients to mako acanthlne gar
ments. Whvra Hoses Came From.
Roses came from Persia, and into
Paxsla from India.