Mysteries of Nature
1
By G. Frederick Wright, A. M. LL. D.
WORLD'S COAL BEDS GOING FAST.
Coal la the chief corner Btone of
modem civilization. Nearly all the
labor-saving appliances must have coal
to make them effective. Outside of
the muscles of men and animals the
chief sources of power available for
the use of man are gravitation as It is
?et free In falling water and heat aris
ing from tho chemical combustion of
coal. But waterfalls are stationary,
and even with tho ability to distribute
their power through electricity, it is
available as yet over only a limited
area. If all the power of Niagara
should be turned into electricity It
could not profitably be distributed be
yond the limits of western New York,
whereas coal can be carried to the
ends of the earth and its power set
free for use wherever it is needed. If
the prairies of the west and the com
paratively level regions the world
over, where are found the best agri
cultural lands, were limited, as for
merly, to water power for running
their factories and mills, these would
necessarily be few and Insignificant.
Such great manufacturing centers as
Cleveland, Detroit,-Chicago, St. Louis
and Cincinnati would be Impossible
away from the mountainous districts.
It would be a tremendous setback to
the agricultural interests of the Mis-
slselppl valley if they were compelled
to dispense with steam thrashers and
steam traction engines and substitute
In their places the work of innumer
able droves of horses and mules.
It Is therefore rather startling to
be compelled to face the fact that coal
belongs to the limited and rapidly dis
appearing reserved stores of nature.
In using coal the human race is in
trenching upon its capital, and reck
lessly hastening an ultimate but inevi
table catastrophe. It is estimated by
the highest authorities that the total
available coal treasures of North
America cover 220,000 square miles,
with an average thickness of six feet
f workable seams, which would yield
4,800 tons to the acre. The total
amount of coal, therefore, that Is pos
sibly within our reach in America
could not exceed 700,000,000,000 tons.
uut in the year 1900 alone we were
. mining but little short of 300,000,000
tons, while the expansion of popula
tion and increase of business is de
manding an increase at such a rate
that two or three times that amount
will soon be necessary to meet
the annual demand. At the pres
ent rate of increase in the use of
coal, therefore, the entire amount ac
cessible in North America would be
consumed In less than 150 years.
If we look to the rest of the world
the prospect is not more encouraging.
The coal fields of Europe are mostly
confined to small areas In England
and the northwestern part of the con
tinent. Spain, Italy, Greece, Russia
Scandinavia, and the larger part of
the German Empire are dependent on
England for their coal. At the pres
ent rate of increased production these
fields will be nearly exhausted in 50
years. The remaining great deposits
of coal are mostly found In China,
where they equal, if they do not ex
ceed, those In the United States. It
may therefore be fortunate for the
world that China Is so slow In her de
velopment that her reserved sources
of fuel shall yet be available when
that In the countries more advanced
in civilization shall fall.
The insignificant role which water
power In this country can possibly
play In keeping up our industries ap
pears on brief examination of the
facts. It is estimated by the best author
ities that if the entire rainfall over the
state of Pennsylvania were utilized
with a head of 150 feet, It would not
yield one-tenth the amount of power
that Is now derived in that state alone
from the consumption of coal. But on
the most extravagant calculation It
would not be possible to make avail
able in that mountainous state one
tenth of this theoretical amount of
water power. What then would be the
....llll x
conuuion oi mose vast areas or the
' !aalaafnnl vntlio
...u.f.u..f. nucio HOlfl JJUWer
is far less available?
But, for the moment, leaving aside
these rather sobering reflections to
the far-Hoeing statesman and philos
opher, we will turn to the considera
tion of those Interesting processes by
which even the existing limited
amount of this useful material has
been brought within our reach and
preserved for our use.
Coal Is an accumulation of vege
table matter which has decayed under
water where oxygen could not get ac
cess to tha carbon to consume it and
transform it into carbonic acid gas, as
It does in the open air. The condi
tions of the coal fields, therefore, dur
ing the accumulation of the coal must
have been that of vast Bwampy re
gions, where there was not depth of
water enough to destroy the vegeta
tion or to admit of the Intrusion of
gravel, sand and mud, which, brought
In from surrounding highlands, would
have rendered It too impure for use.
Tho character of the vegetation which
supplied these great accumulations of
coal Is amply shown In the fossil
forms which appear.especlally near the
top and bottom of the ccal seams,
while in some cases the entire stumps
of trees are found still standing In
place, with their roots penetrating Into
the under clay which supported the
vegetation.
, In Nova Scotia there ar found o
less than 76 seams of coal separated
by beds of sandstone and shale. Each
of these beds Indicates a change of
level which took place in the region
during its accumulation. During the
accumulation of the coal the swamp
was so shallow that no currents of wa
ter would carry into it sand and gravel
to interfere with .the growth or bury
it. liut after a certain amount of vee-
etablo deposits had accumulated, there
was a subsidence of the area, allowing
access to currents of water carrying
sediment sufficient to bury the deposit
or coal, and furnish the basis for the
growth of vegetution in another swamp
on top of the accumulated sediment,
and so the process went on Indefinite
ly, as long as the climate continued fa
vorable, and these chanKes of level
continued to proceed with the appro
priate rate of rapidity.
The fossil plants of the coal period
seem to indicate that the climate was
at that time warm and moist and uni
form, while the amount of coal accu
mulated shows that the air was much
more fully charged with carbonic acid
gas than it is at the present time. Ot
the coal plants of Great Britain about
half were ferns, many ot them grow
ing to the size of trees, the most of
which are tropical species. Indeed,
during the coal period in Great Britain
the proportion of ferns there to the
other plants was far greater than it
is in the tropics at the present day,
wnile tree ferns are now wholly con
fined to tropical regions. Abundant
tropical forms of vegetation are found
in tne coal seams In Greenland and on
Melville Island as far north as the
seventy-fifth degree of latitude; In
deed, everywhere during the coal ne-
riod the climatic conditions not only
oi me temperate zone, but of the arc
tic lands, were closely similar to those
ot tne present torrid zone.
But, for man's use, It was necessary
not only to have coal accumulate; It
must be preserved for distant ages and
Drought within his reach. If the. Mis.
sissippi basin had remained forever
neiow the ocean level, its stores of ac
cumulated coal would have been un
available. But, tnrough causes which
we can but dimly comprehend, at the
ciose or the coal per od the land nil
over that area, which had up to that
time been slowly sinking, reversed Its
movement and began to rise. The ele
vation was produced by lateral nre.
sure, which folded ud the Allerhenv
mountains and produced a number of
aiminutive waves, so to sneak In the
surface of the land extending to the
center or the Mississippi basin.
nut no sooner was this land ele
vated above the sea than erosive aeen.
clos went to work to dissect it and
to remove its more elevated nnrtinna
Consequently it is estimated that more
than nine-tenths of the coal which was
originally deposited over central and
eastern Pennsylvania, has been rar.
rled away by the rivers, and honetesa.
ly scattered over the bottom of the
sea, while the one-tenth which remains
is so folded up In the rocks that it
Is obtained with great difficulty. In
me more central Dort ons of tho Mio.
sissippi valley, however, the dlaturh.
ance of the strata has been less, and it
is a comparatively simnle matter tn
oDiain tne rich deposits.
MAINTAIN AIR OF STOLIDITY.
Anything Like Jollity or Sparkling
vonversanon Frowned on by
British Diners.
A dinner is in progress at a first
class hotel. Elegant toilets, splendid
surroundings and an absence of
sound. Slowly, stiffly, like automa
tons, the dining ladles and gentlemen
proceed with their meal. The scene
Is undoubtedly very Impressive, but
oh, so sad! Amid the sparkle of Jew
els and silver and crystal and porce
lain, amid a scene that fairly Invites,
begs, cries for a bright smile, a low,
rippling laugh, or at least that deep,
animated hum that makes itself other
wise noticed wherever there is a largo
gathering, the dlnors sit as in expec
tation of the Judgment dav. Snm.
ftliues somebody does speak. -One
word or two. The lips hardly part
The other nods his head in terrlbln
earnest. Then silence reigns supreme
again, according to a Gorman writing
In the London Mall.
A friend who had been in England
once related a story the point of which
I have never fully appreciated until
now. Like myself, the first time he
had entered a dining-room In London
he looked around in surprise. Finally
toward the end of the meal he called
the waiter. "Tell me, please," h
asked; "does anybody ever laugh
here?"
"Well," replied the waiter, "I am
sorry to say that we have had com
plaints before. But not often, sir
not often."
London Schools,
According to the report for 190708
of the London county council educa
tion committee, there were in the
schools 882,834 elementary scholars
a decrease on the year of 7,759. The
cost of building schools has decreased
from 19 12s 9d In 1901 to 12 17s 6d
a scholar In 1907 08. To insure at
tendance 4,250,000 visits were mado
by school attendance
the year. The number of summonses
decreased from 20,584 In 1902 03 to
13.C87 in 1907-0S.
. Theie (ketches show two of the
summer. The one on the right Is after
' or meteor crepe in apricot color.
dull gold on white net.
MANY USES OF TISSUE PAPER
Especially Is It Valuable When Pack
ing a Trunk How It May
Be Applied.
We cannot overestimate the value
of tissue paper If we are of the trav
eling public. While it Is delight
fully careful and neat to own a vast
array of shoe bags, one to the pair,
and bags and slipcovers galore for
parasols, hair brushes and each thing
we want to separate from every oth
er, the fact remains that they take
up a far too generous proportion of
our trunk space. Tissue paper, which
Is a very good substitute, takes up
none of the valuable room and is in
no way open to criticism. It la clean,
nhlte and dainty; quantities of it are
available at any time, and there is
no better material for filling sleeves
and tucked or puffed gowns to keep
them from crushing. Tissue ' paper
should be crumpled and poked into
ribbon or lace hat bows and among
hat flowers, and should surround the
hat Itself to keep It from, flattening
against the sides of the box or trunk
Ud.
Each pair of dainty gloves and all
neckwear should be separately
wrapped. Layers of It to separate
the varied contents of the trunk will
make the terrible business of unpack
ing less difficult.
Travelers who have packed with
tissue paper have been quite won
ever to Its use.
IN SAILOR STYLE.
This dress, made in the ever-favorite
sailor style, would look well In cream
serge. The skirt is entirely nlaltert.
and is stitched at tho foot. The nov
elty lies in the blouse, which is cut in
two pieces, and arranged In a wranned
seam. A box-plait is made down the
center of front, which fastens Up to
the neck; the pocket sewn at tho left
side will be found most useful. White
stilt embroidered collars and ruffs
edged with frills are worn and give a
pretty effect
Hat of coarse straw, trimmed with
a puffed net crown and roses.
Materials required: 4 yards neree.
46 inches wide.
Ribbon Hair Band.
A rather wide band of rihhnn
brought up round the hair and tied in
a broad girlish bow at one side is a
French head finish much favored.
Sleevelets Gauze Coats.
SleevelcsB coats of gauze or net give
a dressy touch to a costume. Thev
are designed primarily for wear Indoors.
best models for evening gowns for the
a Paris design. The one on the left
The trimming Is made of bands of
MAKES A NOVEL NECK PIECE
New Ruch Designed to Be Worn with
Soft Summer Silk Is Easily
Made.
A rather new little ruch to be worn
with soft summer silk or other one
piece frocks Is mado of liberty satin,
or chiffon, with long ends that look
almost like a sash.
The material is fastened around a
boned collar lining, fastened at the
back, and Is laid either In flat plaits
or is tucked In clusters of thread
tucks.
To conceal the opening which comes
a little to the left rather than in the
middle of the back, is a small rosette
of the material, from which bang two
long ends that come well below the
waist.
Sometimes these ends are finished
in a long pendant ornament of Jet or
Bilk the color of the stock. Again they
have silk fringe, and occasionally they
are hemstitched across the end In sev
eral rows.
With a gray silk frock a charming
stock of this order could be made of
tucked net a tone darker than the
dress. Each tuck could be run with a
line of silver thread. The fluffy ros
ette could have a flat button In the
center darned with the silver thread,
and the ends can be accordion-plaited
with a deep silver tinsel fringe. If
preferred, tiny silver bugles can be
sewed to the bottom of the streamers.
Any clever-fingered girl can make
herself one of these fashionable new
stocks and use her wits to give old
touches and charming color effects.
j Upside Down.
Women, Indeed, are clever, hut th
one who saw a hat-brim decoration in
her unbecoming lace veil was more
than ordinarily farseelng.
Now, the ornate and bordered veil
has vied with the real lace flrhn
hundred times for a place on the sum
mer hat, but it has not done duty as
a face veil and a hat trimming until
this; unusually resourceful woman
turned the straight edge down and
then spread the bordered part over
the brim of her larsre letrhorn hat
This brought delicately Rrnttrred
sprays and dots over her face in a
more becoming scantiness and gave
place on the hat for the full disni
of the handsome pattern on the bor
der. '
Panleres and Crinoline.
Silks, satins and brocades are at
once Buggested by the newest models
ana not the soft, clinging fabrics sc
wonaeriuny adapted to the eraceful
close fitting designs. Materials thai
can stand alone, the old-time standard
of excellence, will once again be in
demand, and unless there is a more
concerted plan of action amon all
women where taste In dress stands fo
authority, there Is really grave dag
ger or paniers and even crinoline be
ing seriously considered. Thin has
been threatened time and again, but
nas always at the last moment failed
to materialize: bo It Is to ho tinned
this time again the fashion will be
Kineci Derore It becomes establish;!.
Princess Hip Yoke.
The cuirass or princess hip yoke ef
fect which has been consplclous in
Imported gownB since the first open
ings of the season Is being brought out
In many unexpected ways. One of the
newest is the entire princess gown with
the lower part or the bodice and the
bip portion of the skirt covered with
embroidery, which makes them one in
line and treatment. In this way It Is
possible to turn a two piece gown Into
a princess, the simple process of cov
ering tho waist seam with embroidery
or braid being all that la needed. Some
of the trimmings of this kind are put
on In Jacket or coat shape.
v. -r
ft p
, v '
An object of unusual Interest to resi
dents and visitors In Troy, a "steeple
Jack" hrfi for several weeks past been
swinging dally about the steeples of
St Joseph's Provincial seminary, the
famous "Towers of Troy," as they have
come to bo called, occupied, with as
much nonchalance as though on terra
lrma, tn the task of making extensive
repairs to those steeples and placing
an eight-foot glided cross on each of
the four spires. The "Towers of Troy,"
from their elevated position on the
crest of the hill overlooking the cen
ter of the city, form a landmark easily
recognized for many miles In all direc
tions, and like stalwart sentinels they
have stood guard over the busy com
mercial section of tho city below these
30 years or more.
Weakened by age, a high wind sev
eral months ago carried away the
pinnacle of one of tho spires and drew
attention to a general weakening of
the others, so the Sisters of SL Jo
seph, who hold the seminary property,
recently awarded a contract for
strengthening the steeples and placing
a large glided cross upon each. George
Ferguson of Albany, a famous "steeple
Jack," was selected for the hazardous
undertaking, and for the last bIx
weeks he has been engaged with two
assistants In performing the work.
A few minutes of observation of the
painstaking, methodical movements ot
the "steeplo Jack" Is sufficient to con
vince the observer that his is no easy
task. Beside being a sort of mechan
ical engineer, the "steeple Jack," to
be a suocess, must be a master of sev
eral trades. To observe a man seated
in his boatswain's chair anchored
against the side of a spire may give
the Impression that the work Is easy,
but imagine standing in a loop of rope
and sawing off a section of tower
above one's head weighing nearly half
a ton. Yet that was what was done
on these towers. The old flnlal orna
ments, placed at the top of the splreB
when the building was erected back
In the '70's as a Methodist university,
were each 14 feet high and nearly
four feet in diameter, and in their de
cayed condition considerable skill was
required to prevent them falling the
wrong way and causlne rinmacn tn tha
building.
Mr. Ferguson declares that the only
part of the work which may ha called
easy is the actual climbing. This Is ac
complished In a novel manner, for the
steeples, rising 75 or more feet in the
RURAL AUCTIONEER
DREADED
Last Act of Tragedy h Where He
oignu on tne Uay ot the bale as Old Farm Is Delivered
Into the Hands of Strangers.
The most conspicuous character In
the last act of the humble tragedy
of the abandoned farm Is very often
the rural auctioneer, says Collier's. He
it Is who rings the curtain down with
careless quip and boisterous Jest Per
haps his burly presence has been
menacing the household through long
years of gripping struggle with ad
versity. The land has been becom
ing poorer, the ambitious men of the
family have gone away to seek their
fortunes elsewhere, and on the heels
of mlsfortuno has followed the chat
tel mortgage. Unsung heroism, In
credible economies, toll unceasing,
have not sufficed to check the steady
decadence of the farm and Its af
fairs. Some day, when the ultimate
disaster can no longer be held at
arm's length, a printed bill, announc
ing the sale at auction ot stock, tools,
and household, is posted in the vil
lage store and the postofflce.
The Idlers scan the bill with curi
ous Interest but with no marked
symptoms of surprise. The auction
has been a foregone conclusion tor
some time. The storekeeper remarks
to his leisurely customers:
"Old Jonathan Woodman has been
llvln' alone on the farm for years and
years. lie's tho Inst of 'em. All
petered out, ain't they? He's going to
live with his grand-daughter in New
market, bo they tell me. Hung on
longer than I expected, the old man
did. Too old to do much farming and
no money to hire help."
On the morning of the sale the
rouds leading toward the Woodman
place ore populous with vehicles more
serviceable than elegnnt concords,
lemocrats, buggies, carry-alls and rat
tling wagono. An auction Is a diver
r3
it kzrrrvm If I
! Ml HI '' 'f l m ii. mm mil im fcl..1.J
air, present nothing upon which a hold
may be secured, and yet he climbs
without scaffolding. Patiently II
may seem tediously the steeple ia
ciimoed by means of two ropes se
curely wound around the tower, leav
ing a loop to slip over the body. Al
ternating from the lower to the upper
loop, similar to hitching up a pole, tho
"Btoeple Jack" gradually works up to
the very top, carrying tackle and
swlng-chnlr, from which he proceeds
to repair or paint as required.
Mr. Ferguson Inherited his profes
sion of steeple-climbing from his fa
ther, who followed that business for
more than 32 years, climbing the high
est spires throughout the eastern
Btates'and finally meeting his end by a
fall of 30 reet at the Albany peniten
tiary building In 1891. A decayed wall,
capped by stone, gave way while he
was painting It, and he was killed in
stantly. The son was nerving at the
time as an apprentice In the navy, a
calling which presents some similar
situations, and when be received hla
discharge In 1892 he succeeded to bis
rather's business. Of modest but
Jovial disposition, he credits the fact
that he has had no accidents to his
athletic build and temperate habits,
for, as he strongly declares, drinking
Intoxicants and steeple-climbing "do
not mix."
The Illustration jives an Idea of the
size of the crosses being gilded be
fore placed.
CHARACTER
Playi the Leading Part-Novel
sion, a mild excitement, and the wom
en folk forsake their spicy kitchens to
enjoy a day's outing, with the bulging
dinner basket tucked under the front
seat Long before the' auctioneer Is
ready to begin his task the Woodman
house, dooryard and barn are overrun
by a curious, shrewdly calculating
crowd discussing the family history
and tho values of its goods and cuat-
icis.
I
The Day They Celebrate.
Ojlbwnys of the Mississippi band
have regularly each year since 18G8
celebrated their ' acceptance of the
White Knrth reservation In western
Minnesota.
Within the limits of Its boundaries
In northern Minnesota these people
have come out of barbarism Into an
advanced stage of civilization. From
being American wards and helpless
children they are now citizens and
owners of the land, with deeds duly
signed with their own signatures proT
lng their claims.
Even to this year the days of June
15 and 16 are celebrated In.ton-t
July 4, though It Is possible that here.
aiier tne Americans' Independence
day will be accepted as their own
time of rejoicing. Fur News.
. Alarmed.
Suddenly there was a arent cnmm.
tlon In space and Mars was observed
io ue wnining away rrom the earth at
top speed.
"What's the trouble?" Queried th
astronomers on the earth. "Afraid we
want to steal your canals?"
"No," signaled the Martians.
Just heard that that man CiuUo was
about to pay us a visit
i
