Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190? | View Entire Issue (June 3, 1898)
JL fcvW1''' " t' M'KINLEY'SWHITEJOUSE WAR ROOM Tho War Nows Contro of tho World- How tho President Kcops Himself Postod in Those Modern Times. The wnr room nt the White house , Is Just now the news renter of the United Stntos. The president Is the most quickly nnd the moat thorouRlily Informed man In the world concerning the events of the western hemisphere. All of this Information comes direct to the war mom, which Is .spcclully equipped ns the receiving center In Addition to nil the olllclnl Information, Including cipher dispatched to the pres Ident nnd to the hends of tho depart ments, thcro come to thlB room by the courtesy of the Associated I'rcsB and nil news associations, nil the dis patches received by nny of these sources. Thi loner and narrow room, for mnny years occupied by private secretaries of presidents, I? now the .xtcutlve mnn slon ofllce. and Is occupied by him and his confidential working staff It Is altogether exclusive, as exclusive, In deed, ns the president's private nlllce. It Is connected with his office nnd when the cabinet room, both of which, to gether with the wnr room, nre care fully guarded against the Inquisitive public. This wnr room Is In the Southend corner of executive mansion. A south window overlooks the White lot. te frcshed with living green, and dis cover In the distance the quiet Poto mac nnd Ihe suggestive nnd magnifi cent Washington monument. The east serle of prlvnte telephones Under neath are mgnal bell connected with the desk of very employe In the build ing. Hcsldes. there are drawers, pig eon holes, letter flics nnd what not of regulation olllce desk conveniences When Mr. Montgomery goes nway whlch Is not for mnny hours In the day ho can close down the roller top nnd shut In nil this mechanism from the view, ills assistants are T. II. Nntherlnnd. K W Swlthers nnd n corps of expert telcgrnph operators. This force works In relnys. ond tne worn is kept up twenty-four hours In the dny. In this room there aro twenty-five telecrnnh wires, fifteen special tele phone wires, nnd wires of the railway exchnnge, and the long distance tele phone system connected with New York, Chlcngn and every other place having n long distance telephone. In clusive direct wires connect with the senate and with nil the cnblnet offices. The automatic telephone exchange Ib used, nnd there Is no "hello" girl or switchboard. The wires are direct. They have no side connections. The presi dent can carry on over these telephones n eontldetitlnl conversation with the vice president or nny Benator nt the other end of the nvenue, or with the head of nny of the departments. The secret Ih ns perfectly preserved ob If they weie locked In tho cabinet chamber. "Most of this Information must be worked out from data obtained from firing tests and must be thoroughly as similated by the expert artillerist. Than by taking observations at the tlma of firing dntn Is obtained from which re- "The most Important part of the op suit? can be computed eratlon is of course, to locate the tar get The Invention which has enabled u to do this Is semethlng wholly Amer ican a development of our regular ar my, which In certain localities It Is so much the fashion these days to run down. QUICK WORK. THIS. "This Invention Is the range finder It looks like n simple affair A tall mod ern tower, with a substantial founda tion, built on n commanding tieigiu, nnd connected with the guns perhsps half a mile distant by telephone. At the top Is a large telescope, adjusted on n polished steel circular table, nnd gives nt any Instant the direct rending In nzlmuth Another dial Is so arranged thnt elevation or depression of the tele scope gives Its Indicator a correspond ing movement This Is like the ordi nary trnnHlt fitted to read vertical an gles. But In this case, Instead of read ing angles of depression, distances aro Indicated In yards to the point where the sight pierces the water. An adjust ment corrects for height of tide. "It Is only necessary, then, to point our telescope at the wnter line of the ship nnd read directly azimuth and dts tnnoe. These are rapidly transmitted by telephone to the guns nnd plotted on n piece of drawing paper. Three of these observations, twenty seconds npnrt, are plotted, and the gun has to be fired eighty seconds after the last observation is taken, or nt the end of SKETCH OF PORTO RICO. U.S. BATTLESHIP ii MASSACHUSET I SF'HIPI i -a-iSBH t windows disclose that great pile, tl treasury department, where nre kej Uncle Sam's strong boxes from whlc are supplied the munitions of war. ' The entire wall of the room opposlt the eastern exposure windows Is co ered with maps which show every dr ,tnll of the present nnd prospectlv 'scenes of mllltnry and nnval operation Chief of these Is a map of the worh .tnklng In the WeBt Indies and reachlnj across to Cape Verde and to Spain, am thence to the Asiatic countries, Includ Ing the two great oceans, the cabh routes and by whom owned, and the tracks of full powered steamers. 01 the different maps tho positions of tin fleets of tho United States, and Spain are carefully marked by pin llngB ted flags representing the Spanish ships, nnd white lines the ships of the United States. lWween tho advices which come to him by wire nnd the outline of the situation which these map and flags disclose, the president enn follow pretty closely tho naval battles of Dewey and Sampson and the rest. To the left of the entrance door Is a large bookcase, nnd adjoining that Is a prlvnte telephone booth, shutting off the noise of the room for the especial benefit of Secretnry Porter, and In front of that Is the private secretary's desk. It Is In no wise llko the desk of an ordlnnry busy newspaper man. A glnnce shows It to be the desk of an orderly olllclnl. Wire boskets for tele grams, wicker baskets tor letters, the paper weights nnd clamps, the pins and HOW Bid GUNS ARE AIMED. two minutes total time. We have the Innnttnn nf Hit, Mirot nt thrnn rllffrnnt ' Porto Hlco was discovered by Chrlsto. pher Columbus In November, 1493. The Uland was the "Borlnquen" of the aborigines. At the t'me of Its discovery It Is estimated that there were 600,000 native Inhabitants on the island. The first Invasion by Spain was In 1C10. In that yent Ponce do Leon led nn army of Invasion fiom Hnytl nnd founded tho town of Cnparrn. Caparra wan soon afterward aban doned and Is new the city Puerto Vleje, In 1C11, with more success, Ponco de Leon founded the city of San Juan Unustlsta, the presenet capital. By tho end of 1C18 Ponce de Leon had subdued and practically extermin ated the native population. In 1635 Snn Juan was sacked by Drake. Three years Inter, 1698, the duke of Cumberland attacked the capital and laid It waste ufter three days' light ing. In 1015, Baldwin Helnrlch attacked the Castle del Mono, but failed to take It, and lost his life In the engagement. In 1678 the English mnde an equally unsuccessful attempt to capture the fortB protecting the capital. Abercromble, In 1797, was compelled to retire after a three days' siege. The first movement toward a declara tlon of Independence on the part of the Porto Hicans was mnde In 1S20. This first struggle was stubborn, but Spanish supremacy was completely re established In 1823. Ah In all of her colonies, Spain's ty rnnyy, barbarity and misrule had be come unbeatable, rnhn nnd Porto Rleo has since been striving for the same result Independ ence. So-called antonomy has been thrown out to the Porto Hicans, Just as It hns to Ihe Cubans, as a menus of abating Insurrections. The native population, while revolting ngaln and again ngnlnst Spanish ty ranny, has not possessed com age and persistence like the Cuban insurgents. On account of Its small size about forty by one hundred miles the Isl and affords little room for maintain ing, for any considerable time, guerilla warrare against u uuim-u oibiuwh army. As the native populntlon is so large. If promptly helped by expeditions from outside, the odds would be against I Snnln. The most serious attempt at revolu tion was in 1SGS. An uprising occurred In Lares In 1SC9, but wna over in a dny. Several sympathetic attempts to throw off the yoke of Spanish oppres sion have been made since the begin ning of the Cuban Btruggle, notably one In April, 1897. when Insurgents lired the town of Yauco and operated near Ad- Juntas. The leaders of the rebel band were captured and tried in secret. Thn riiiinn revolutionary parly Is THE RESOURCES OF PORTO RICO Porto Rico Is an Island oblong In shape, 103 mllen long, thirty-seven miles broad, embracing 3.400 square miles ItB surf-fe Is quite regular, except for a mountain chain running through the center from east to west Forty of the 1.300 rivers and streams ure navigable for commercial purposes. So good Is the water of the brooks nnd lakes that there Is quite an Indus try In Its shipment for sale in other WoHt tnillit Inlnndn. The climate Is agreeable and healthy, the average summer temperature being 30 degrees centigrade. The highest tem perature during the yenr is 84 degress Fahrenheit, the lowest bo degrees. There are two seasons rainy and dry. The former Is the only one dangerous to careless foreigners. The resources of the Island nre not developed to one-third of their cnpaclty, owing to luck of capital and other causes. A little American capital and free trade with the United States would make the island a perfect Klondike Tor Investors. The crops consist of tobacco, sugar, cocoa, coffee, cotton, rice, maize, yams, plantains, oranges and cocoanuts, all of which can be raised to four times the amount required for home consump tion. The island Is twice ns fertile no ita TCncltah nolehbor. Jamaica. Gold, Iron, coper, zine nnu cum mmes are known to exlet, but have not been developed. Extensive sponge fields nre scarcely touched for want of capital, and the same Is true of valuable quarries of white-stone, granite and marble. The Inhabitants number over 800,000, of which San Juan, the capital, con tains 28,000. , l , More than half the population Is white. , , . The foreigners on the Islnnd number iPSa thnn G.OOO. and while the balance nre actually Spanish subjects, only 3j, 000 of these nre Spanish by birth. Like Chlnanen. the lower ciuasea "-- Every appointment Is made from Madrid- , ., Large herds of cattle nr raised on the lowlands a Large quantities of fresh meat ar regulnfly shipped to St. Thomas. Mines of cold copper, zinc. Iron, coal nnd salt arc found In abundance, but af these salt nre the only mines worked. White stone, marble and granite ara taken In large quantities from tha quarries. AS A NAVAL BASE The Islnnd of Porto Rico will alwnya be of great value as a strategic point to natlcns on either side of the Atlantic With Porto Rico In the possession ol the United States the western conti nent Is nlmost isolated from Europe, and could successfully repel the attacks of European powers The position of Porto Rico. Just east of Cuba, makes it an Idenl location ,for a coaling station for European fleets. It Is especially valuable to Spain, These Islands nre especially Import ant In event of nn nttuok upon Cuba. From this rf'nt of vantage the move ment of hostile fleets roukl be wntched closely, and n strong force would tend to cut off such a fleet from It bast of supplies. The Island Is mountainous nnd could be made almost Impregnable. It would be Impossible for an enemy to tane me Island If prorirly garrisoned. A large part of the coast Is surrounded by reefs of sharp recks, which make It Impos sible for vessels to land there. Under the direction of the United States, fortresses could be erected which could be held against the most determined nttcck. It could be mada the Glbraltnr of the west. Rivers and strenms to the number of 1,300 are on the Island. A great many of the brooks have clear, drinkable watefv The harbor of San Juan Is one of tha best In the West Indies. The entrance Is defendede by Morro Castle. The coast line Is 270 miles long Sugar Is nbout the only thing mnnu- nt.ATt nrMnaivolv nn rice ractured, dui mat is iruuuteu u almost eX-MUSiei on net. .,.,', i., mi.o nn llir rnilrnnds- "You think you could manage one f these guns off-hand, do you?" ln ,ulred an ofllcer of the regular army as e patted one of the modern monster uns In plnce at Fort Hamilton. "Well, If your ordlnnry enlisted man an, I think I could with a few days' ruining, of course," replied the clvll an who hnd been favored with a view )f the now ordnance. "That Is one of the most modest tpeecheB I've heard," was the Ironical rejoinder. "I've spent four yenrs at West Point, two at tho artillery school it Fort Monroe, nnd I was Just con gratulating myself on my being finally well prepared for this emergency. And yet my nervous system hasn't been tried and l may jumuie my ingariinms when I'm under fire." The civilian stared. "What are you ttklng about?" "Firing these guns. Did you suppose we sighted nlong the top the way Long Tom used to do In Cooper's story nnd. pulling the lanyard, landed our shot ten miles nway Just on the point where w wnnted It to go? That was the old way, but today more science Is required and we can tell to nn Inch where the projectile we fire will strike. "But It's no child's piny, you may be sure, and not only one gunner must be stendy, but every man who has any thing to do with the transmission or computation of Information connectec with the 'laying' (or sighting) of thni times. It is now necessary to compute where It will be at the end of eighty seconds. "A vessel running twelve knots nn hour will pass over 1,200 feet In one minute or 1,600 feet In eighty seconds, so that if we tired at the point where she was at the lust observation we might miss her 1,600 feet or some frac tion of that, depending on the direction of sailing with reference to us. If w pledged not to accept independence from Spain unless Porto Rico is recog nized at the same time. On account of his Inability to recon die the Porto Ricans to autonomy. General Marin, bitterly haled for his oppression, was compelled to resign as governor general of the Island ln?t December. His cruel regime solidified the revolutionary population. Tim tuinnri forms one province of oi sailing wun reierence 10 us. n wo -- t; , .: :nmwi in ..n,ni fired point blank-., e.. aiming right Spain, with Jw "nWlnB 'n general at her we would miss as much as she would pass over In the time of the flight of the projectile. This, for a ten-thou-and-yard range, might be twenty sec onds, "We have now the position of the tar ger at a given future Instant, but it is referred to the position of the range tower. We must now correct our data to refer to the gun's position. Then we nre ready to make corrections for drift hoso of the mother country, It Is under the command of the gov ernor general.who Is also captain gen oral of thj army, and Is assisted by a cabinet. There is the usual provincial assem bly, court of claims, a chief engineer of public works, a chief engineer of mines and minor functionaries. The Island elects three senators and fifteen deputies to the Spanish cortes. and twenty-seven provincial uepuueo due to rifling, effect of wind, condition , Tne sianc Was declared a province of of atmosphere and abnormal powder qDan n 1570 nnd projectile. Thu gun is laid w'th I The population has grown from 319.- the resiling data by means of degrees 0(W ,n mo t0 aboul i,000.000. making It and minutes marked on the traverse . Biesent one of the most thlckly-set- clrcle of the gun platform and elevation .. ! D0rtOns ot the globe In proportion arc on the side of the carriage, and we tQ tg 8Ze are rendy to fire. It Is necessary to ( Porto Rjc0 wa8 a Spanish penal coi- anow uim-iiuicu mm.- ui msiii-i only for three centuries. the projectile to reach the target at the slavery on the Island was abolished end of the eighty seconds, so the guns b lne Spansn cortes In March, 1873. inuat uo nrea tnai ions unenu 01 ume. ' ,c , naa wmTTr. RE faTAL TO SPAIN. "When vou consider that all of this work must be done In eighty seconds, 0REGOUTHE QUEEN MER1CAN BATTLESHIPS. sxs&rsWsK, 04tfM Mmm?vfx,. . v&r '25Bresf-i;' I hooks and rubbers, the pens and Inks and stationery, are all carefully ar ranged, each In Its proper place. And, curious to relate, there lies upon this secretary's desk, as ir it were or as much Interest ns the latest dispatch from Dewey, the last "Sermon Deliv ered by the Rev. David Gregg, LL. D., The wonderful piece of furniture of the room Is In the opposite corner, be tween the east and south windows, and is the operating desk of the chief exe cutlve clerk, Benjamin F. Montgomery. Mr. Montgomery's wnr room desk ap peared as complicated to me as the table or togariinms aoes 10 a new school boy On one side of It there Is a moveable board of telegraphic In struments, including keys. relays, sounders and switch This board Is sub Ject to Immediate conenctlon with tele graphic Instruments around the world Just In front of It there Is a type writer all ready to catch the messages that come from the Keys. On the left nf the desk Is a long distance tele phone ready to connect withevery other long distance telephone In the United Slate? In the center is a graphophone Into which Mr Montgomery talks mes. tuges when there Is convenient no oper ator to take them and no stenographer to"whpm they can be dictated. ' Adjoining the desk on the left is a gun has to be absolutely steady, prompt and reliable. If you will Just Imagine how much of an error a surveyor would make If he ran a line eight miles long, having set his bearing one minute right or left at starting, you can ap preciate what must be accomplished In the laying or our modern ordnance. "In the days of the civil war ranges were so short that the gunner had no difficulty In seeing his target and lay ing his gun directly upon It. Wind and speed of target cut no figure, because the projectile had such a short distance to pass over that neither had time enough to make any appreciable dif ference. But now, when firing at a target eight miles away, all of these things make themselves felt. There is the rifling In the bore, which gives the projectile the rotation necessary to keep it from tumbling, and which will In our service carry the projectile to the right. Then the direction and force of the wind, the direction and speed of the taget, the temperature and baro metric pressure of the air, which affect the resistance of the air to passage of the projectile. All these things have to be taken Into account, and they each vary under all sorts of conditions, so that they can only be figured out for each particular shot, at the time the gun is fired. Admiral Plueddemann, the best tac tician In the Germun marine, recently said. In commenting upon the Hlspano American war- "1 should say by all means seize Porto Rico That Is tho most effective and best possible base of operations " Thn Monroe doctrine effectually holds off any European power irom seiziut, Porto Rico, but by that same pronun clamento there is nothing under the present status or atiairs 10 prevent the United States from ousting any Europeon power from that spot. It Is only 1.540 miles from New York to Porto Rico, and the distance from Key West Is 200 miles less. It Is so patent as to preclude even discussion that no European power should be permttted to sit so close to our doors as that. As a coaling station i wnniii be vnstlv important 10 Eng land. Germany. France or any first- class naval power Our need for such a depot was evi dent as long ago as 1750. when the pro position to obtain a coaling station In the West Indies was rife. Five million dollars was the sum pro posed to offer to Denmark for the Isl and of St. Thomas, but the senate quashed the plan, although Denmark and the people of the Island were ready enough to have the transaction go through. Porto Rico Is Infinitely more valuable than St. Thomas Again. If Porto Rico Is taken, Spain 1. ahuniutAiv without a coaling station or a base of supplies within 2.809 miles of Cuba. Thus the whole flotilla of Spanish torpedo boats, torpedo destroy ers, cruisers and battleships would be placed hors de combat within two weeks after leaving Cadiz or Ferrol. With a shore line ns long ns ours nn th Atlantic coast It would never Tho npnHnnt knows of no such thing ns "tipping" for attention shown to vis itors. He greets the traveler with as hearty a hand and familiar on nlr ns If he wore a near relative. Nearly nil business Is supended for three hours In the middle of the day. ritv hmianu hnv low wide piazzas running around the four sides and are surrounded v Ith large lawns. Country hruses are perched ten feet In the air by means of piles. In order that the air beneath trie noue iimj keep the rooms tool. Porto Rlenns seldom leave their isl and on visits, the country people spend ing nil their Ihes on the plantations, except for three big city celebrations every year at Christina?, carnival day and St. John's day. The social lines are strictly drawn, the aristocracy being composed exclu sively of captain general, government nmoiniu milltnrv officers and clergy, nil of which nre European Spaniards. The wealthy planters are never al lowed to enter this set. and even the common soldiers of the army who nre always sent out from the mother coun try look upon name Porto Ricans .-.. inforlnr hnincrs HJ3 l.ltv.w. ..-ci-. ... 1 !.. .r. The owners of $maii piumuiimm " called "Giboros." and nre of different degrees of mixture of Indlnn and Span There are no common schools In Porto Rico. About 700.000 of Its people can neither read nor write their own nnme. Of the 100.000 people who are classed as "educated" fully 20,000 can only reTh'e Spanish officials have their chil dren educated In Spain, while the well-to-do Porto Ricans send their daughters to be educated at convents ou me .d.- aiThe sons of the well-to-do Porto Ri cans are even worse "educated than the daughters. Much of what educa tion they receive Is from their own parents. COMMUNICATION ON THE ISLAND. The roads of the island are not worthy the name. They are little better than tracks made by cattle. The principal highway Is a military road connecting San Juan and Poncv. Protection Is afforded this road by nv.n,it lu'ontv small forts. Of the highways on the Island but five are first-class. The telegraph system Is In an incom plete state, and the service Is only par tially maintained. The lenght of wire in the system Is 854 kilometers. The bridge of San Antonio connects the capital. San Juan de Puerto Rico, with the large Island. The principal ports are San Juan on the north; Fajardo and Ensenada Honda on the east; Joso and Guanlca on the south, and Puerto Real on tho l:irtro Hrnle. one big one going entirely arounu in Island, the others smaller, connecting the mountains and the city, and tha city with Its suburbs. The roads are generally gtod and the bicycle Is a popular there as here, so you see we are not so much out of the world. ADMIRAL DEWEY'S PRAISES. west. you see that one has to count his time by fractions of seconds to work like an automaton. No longer time can be a HnivArl trf "Amnill t Inna otn n a 11 n certainties Increase as about the fifth do to have a foreign foe calmly Prepar- nn,,,... nt tho tlma Tkl. la nrhorn th Incrnl I'dflO KICO lO TaVlSIl UI1U UC3l.lv; discipline of the soldier comes In. and the populous cities from Portland to it can be acqured only ny years or Key est at iciaun-- tralnlng "The aiming of the gun Is all science now and needs experts. The firing and loading are the only work which the untrained mind can find work at. And even In these things, you understand, v-oithpr would It do to have Porto Rico held bv a power so feeble that It could not "maintain strict neutrality there In the event of any other nation seeking to utilize San Juan as a base of operations, even in tnese tnrngs. you understand. v'""' how peaceful our alms there Is need of coolness and experlenco ." f0rn.nare. It Is Incompatible lor meseuiB leiiuwu re ueiicuta .- I -,rn tne broad and rational Interpreta chlnes after all and are worked by lev- I !'tn yen Monroe doctrine to have any ers. have electrical appliances and are "hn " . , possession of such dls. u'nt.nedTJnds00 PreC,U8 " trU8t t0 PUted Cr.tory "as the Spanish West uniraineo. nanas. indies have become "This may not sound so dreadful hero 0ur setZure of Manila necessitate the In the calm of a peaceful spring after- holding of Roto Rico If consistency Is noon But Imagine looking up sines , ,, maintained If one act was not UIIU LUSllira, juuitlllg auuuiatc vuivco from mathematical data, under a hall of projectiles, with shells and bombs bursting all around .vom' Fancy placid ly sighting your telescop eln the range tower, which a well directed shot may cut away from beneath you! And your hand must not tremble, your mind must not be distracted!" The civilian secced rather Impressed. Airi from these are some roadsteads and anchorages, such as Humacao on the east; Ponce on the south; Maya guez on the west, and Areclbo on the north, rnc ccast service vv...,. of schooners, sloops and a very few From east to west the Island Is trav ersed by a range of mountains. This begins at tho head of San Juan In the northeaest, and terminates at the Cape of Rlncon, In the west. The highest point, is t.i xunque, o.uum feet above sea level. This peak Is situated In the Sierra de Luqulllo, near the northeast corner. There are three railroads In opera tion One from San Juan to Areclbo and Carmuy; another from Ponce to Ynuco and the third from Mayaguez to Aguad llla The entire distance covered by these roads is 179 kilometers. One line of cable exists between Cuba. Mexico. Pnnama and the coats of the South American continent. Another connects the Island with St. Thomas. Jamaica nnd the rest of the world. TRADE AND COMMERCE!. The value of the Imports for the year 1S90 was a little over $18,000,000. ExDorts for the same period amount. -A In nhnut sm. 000.000. The budget for expenses of that year was as follows: Annual expenses n0M0O0 Revenue ,'"",w , Among the Items of exports are cof fee, sugar, tobacco, cotton and tropical frulls- ... .. . Porto Rico horses bring a high price in whatever market offered. Of the total revenue collected In n year over JJ.OOO 000 are for Spain, her army and her employes. The Ingress of the budget Is raised , a aaripa of obnoxious taxations, aside from the duties on exported and Imported mercnanaise. pwiomw m. Taxes are levied upon paper, which receives the government stamp; upon freight and passenger railroad receipts, and even upon the consumption of food The vearly average per capita taxa tion throughout the island Is about This amount is all the more appalling when It Is considered that so little Is paid back to the Inhabitants In the wav of Improvements. The sum of $378,000 Is about the yearly allowance made for the payment of inriP9 nf the employes of the clergy. penitentiaries and the tribunal of Jus- An Old Classmate and ChumTalka About Dewey and His Victory. Of all the people delighted with tha famous victory of Admiral Dewey at Manila, thcie Is no one who rejoices more sincerely than Bear Admiral Bunco of the Brooklyn navy yard. "Friends," said he, "yes, Indeed, from the days when we were at the naval ucademy We entered the same year and not only were classmates but chums. He wns n splendid fellow then, and always has been " "Were you surprised when you read of his victory?" I asked. "Not In the least. All that Dewey wanted wns the opportunity; when it came ho embraced it." "How did he stand In his class?" "He was not what you may call a student, but he was one of the bright fellows. He stood neither at the head nor at the foot, but about In the mid dle, but we all know that he had tho ability to stand anywhere he wanted to." Admiral Bunce went on to say that there were few more popular men thaa Commodore Dewey. "He never sought nnmilaritv. It came to him. In th first place ho Is a fine-looking man, anl he has most attractive manners. Peo ple seek him out, and whenever he Is on shore he Is kept busy with his so cial engaments At the same time ho Is no carpet knight. He Is a lighter, and a disciplinarian Just the sort of man to engage In a big battle and win '"What do you think of hla victory?" I asked. "Nelson can't approach it. I have studied Nelson's battles very closely and he won no victory to compare with this. Nelson fought against ships, but he never won a victory against ships and batteries as well The only thing to compare in nis History 10 nianna was at Copenhagen; but I do not agrea with Nelson's biographers about that. They try to explain and apologize, but the facts remain. It was not a great victory." "There are those who would bellttU Dewey's achievement by saying that the SpiniBh had only wooden ships, and that he had armored cruisers," I sug gested. "Armored cruisers!" exclaimed Ad miral Bunce, "who could say such a thing? You may go no further than the navy register. See here," and ha took a copy from his desk, "there la not an armored cruiser In all Dewey's fleet. - , M "So far as ships go the Spaniard were nearly our match. The troubU was not with their ships. They had good enough ships, but they didn't know how to handle them. They wera not marksmen. If Dewey had let them get near him they might have hit some thing, but he knew too much for that. He could hit them and get his dls-tance." fullv defensible on rational ana diplo matic grounds the other would scarcely be Without forfeiting our position as a non-aggrandizing power we must take th9 outpost that opportunity presents o tnrp territorial aggressions by oth- " . . ... .-- tTi..j ,A.n :-- ers that will menace tne uimra oimco uce. , , . . ,i,. for all time to come. It Is now or never Every dollar of this is paid to native with Unole Sam and Porto Rico. born Spaniards. Schley's Fighting Strength. Great things may be expected ot Commodore Schley's fleet If fortune al. lows the flying aquadron to take a real fighting part In the war. It has nevei been slated In print that Commodore Schley Is the most democratic man In the navy of the United States. And democratic Is the commodore in tho real sense of the term. It is a fact that in both the army and navy the lines of caste are drawn as severely as they are among thi people of India. It Is seldom that a first lieutenant, for Instance, will b seen In the social company of a major, whiii the cantaln of a cruiser never had a word to say to his engineer or marine except on matters of strict business. With Commodore Schley not one of even the lowest men on his ship suf fers an Injury without his knowing It, No man. be he ever so humble, Is de barred from addressing the chief offi cer on any matter he chooses, let It ba of official business or private concern. The commodore keeps himself posted as to the birthday of his most obscure marine and makes It his pleasure to shake his hand and wish him congratu lations with Just as much Interest as if the marine were the captain of the vessel. , , tmh him the effect of making Com modore Schley the most beloved of all naval officers, whose men would lay down their lives for his glory. It also has another decided beneficial effect, for every man does his duty with an earnestness that requires no task-mas. ler The men feel their labors are ap. predated, so that when the Commodore makes the round of his ships which he does personally at frequent Intervals there Is never a gun. a rifle or a bucket missing from the spot it should fill. In the Social Swim Miss Wabash Are you fond of society. Miss Olive'' Miss Olive' (of St. Louis) You bet I am Why. dewn our way I'm tho real thing reigning society belle, don't you know. M r X ? 9 o J -1 V .