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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 1898)
mrr-rn rm.t A TT A T ATT/V TIT ? TO. A "V TllT'niTVMTViT'TO ' ' 10OM. It KIPLING AS A SCHOOLBOY Amusing Incident * of the Early Career of the Great Author , WAS NOT CONSIDERED A PRODIGY Mfcrnrr Duel Which Followed Ills En a rmont on a 1'oc'hl Newspaper Ilecollcctlnni of Michael ( afford White. . Copyrighted , 1S93 , by the S. S. McClure Co. In reading of Stalky , McTurk and Beetle of Kipling's unique stories of schoolboy life 1 feel as If I wcro mooting old friends. I know the mischievous trio well under their true names Bercsford , Dunstcrvlllo and KlplVng hlrocclf. Kipling was "Decile , " although wo called him "Gigs. " Dunstor- vlllo has glnco become an officer In the In dian army. I first met Kipling In 1873 when bo was 14 years old. In that year I Joined the United Service College "Westward Ho" In the parish of Northam , North Devon , which hid been In existence for several years. I wai at once assigned to the same bouse with Kipling under a master named Pugh , and after a few terms Kipling was changed to my dormitory , over which his particular frltnd , Dunstcrv.lllo , was eventually made sub-prefect. I sat at different times In the Mao classes with Kipling , and during the last year that I spent at the college , 18S3 , sny etudy was Immediately below tba one occupied by Bcresford , Dunstervllle and Kipling. The master * referred "to " In the stories are Cormoll Price , the head masterr W. C. Crofts , the classical master , and M. 11. his school fellows on account of the ex traordinarily large spectacles he wore. There would come no response from the bed In the corner , "Gigs ! .Youheart A yarn. " Still , no answer. ' "Look here , digs , if you don't wake up I'll " "An expostulating voice from underneath the clothing "Ob , what Is It ? " "A yarn , a yarn. " Proteatlngly : "But I tay , It's not my turn. " Dlctatorlally , "I don't care If It Isn't a yarn. " After 'which there would perhaps follow a pause of flvo minutes , when the volco of the prefect would be heard again : "All right , digs , you brute , " Immediately succeeded by the crash of a boot In the neighborhood of Kipling's bed , to b fol lowed by the muffled sound of a piece of soap striking the clothes. "I say , " from Kipling , by this time wld awake. "What Is It ? " "A yarn , a yarn. " "I don't know any. " Prom the prefect : "Oh , yes , you do ; but anyway I'll give you a skeleton. Onc upon a tlmo there was a man who went to sea , killed the captain , turned pirate , got wrecked on an Island , where he fought a battlq against a lot of savages , married tne chiefs daughter , died , and lived happily over afterwards. Now go on. " With a grunt of dissatisfaction Kipling would thereupon begin , shortly , however , making the prefect the villain of the story and placing him In such absurd situations trat the whole dormitory would bo shout ing with laughter , and the noise of creak- lug shoes upon the stairs would come as a warning that the house master was on his way _ to see Into the nocturnal disturbance. A a Colleice Editor. For two years Rudyard Kipling occupied the editorial chair of the United Service , College Chronicle , during which period many Y RUDYARD KIPLING From a photograph taken soon after he left college. the house master , who undoubtedly ujgested the "Prout" of whom Kipling peaks , v The United Scrvloo college , which was Intended chiefly ( or the education of sons ef Anglo-Indian , civil and military officers. wa § within sight of the open Atlantic. The Immediate neighborhood was of a character o * ellght the heart of any boy high frown ing cliffs at whoso base terrible Jagged recks ran far out Into the sea , as a warn ing to vessels of their sure fate it by any unlucky chance they missed the bar. These cliff a , however , wcro the abode of several specie * of rare sea birds , thus offering a splendid Meld for hazardous adventure. During these four or-flvo yeard. ai seen toy his school fellows , It could hardly be Mid that Kipling appeared < lo them as a prodigy. In the first place ho was ahvaya ztremely near-sighted , which was perhaps the-reason for his not taking any very keen Interest In either Belt ] sports or athletics * proficiency that alone almost make * an English boy a hero In the sight of his school fellows. On the other band Kipling was not by any .means a "sweat. " Ho-was not al ways to be seen poring over his books. He was seldom at the top of his class , though to bo euro he was never at the bottom. Ho did not take all the prizes ( hat , came In his way and he was not even In due course promoted to the office of sub- prefect , .although when he left the college in 18S2 ho carried with him the well-earned drat prlzo In English literature. Only he did seem to be able to solve a problem In ten minutes over which another boy might have labored for an hour. Ho was chiefly noticeable In his school fellows' eyes for a keen wit and a flow of language that could only be suppressed by depriving him of his jnctocles. About the middle of his school life Kipling entered Into a strong tie of friendship with two other boys , In many respects of his own temperament. The trio seemed to have alms of their own apart from the rest of the college , leading a kind of Bohemian cxUtI nee and amusing themselves by tilts at the powers that were , In which encounters they frequently came off victorious , as related In the "Stalky" etorles. At the time when KIpllbg and hU two chums wcro first as signed to a room or "study" for their own use the estbetlo wave of some seventeen year * ago was sweeping over English so ciety and the three boys at once determined to "live up" to the prevailing fashion. They first of all painted a wonderful stork dado around their room ; then they purchased a number of old plates , spoutless teapots and Japanese fans and bung them upon the walls. They called It very "high art" and , for a day , the whole school carne to eeo and wondered , At the United Service college the custom prevailed , as In most English "public chbols , " of placing a great part of the out-ot-class discipline In the hands of the head boys , who are called prefects or moiil- torsv In particular these head boys are re- pofielble for the maintenance of order In the large 'dbrmltorlea or sleeping rooms- one prefect ' having charge of perhaps a dozen o'r fifteen boys. , Now It happens that the prefect of the , dormitory In which Rudyard Kipling slept was a great admirer of the thousand and one itprles of the Arabian Nights , and con ceived lhqldea , thatlt woujd conduce to his i early repose If be compelled each of the i boy * | n Ma room to tell stories In turn. The Idea was at once put Into practice , and 1 the boys told such etorles of sport , love and I adventure as the fertility of their brains brought forth ; but It became quickly ap . parent that Kipling so far surpassed the others In that talent , that the prefect In . sisted upon his telling stories out of hla turn , the reiult of which practice would be generally somewhat as follows : The light having been extinguished , the voice of the prefect would be heard : "Now , then , Gigs , a yarn. " "Qlgt" was an abbreviation for gig lamps * Icknuao conferred upon Kipling -by bright verses and clever article * from fattt pen appeared within the pages of that little Journal. This was entirely an honorary position , which , however , led to an engage ment on the local paper under novel and amusing circumstances. The head master of the college , apart from bis scholastic duties , held the office of chairman of the local board partaking of the nature of an unpaid rural supervlsorshlp , with perhaps a llttlo patronage attached , that somebody or other was anxious to possess. This ambitious person succeeded in gainIng - Ing the assistance of the editor of the local pape' . The consequence was that , for a time , a number of crudely virulent personal attacks were made upon the policy of the board , to all of which the head master paid no attention whatever. Then the editor , probably having seen some of Kipling's work In the'college paper , entered Into an arrangement with him that for the sum of $2.50 a week the 'latter should do his best lo goad thothead master Into the In discretion of a retort. It was not long , therefore , before denun ciatory articles appeared In the paper , treatIng - Ing of tbo board's local drainage scheme In such poignant , sarcastic terms that every body began to talk about tbo matter , and the head master was compelled to take up his pen In self-defense a literary due ! thus commencing between the all unconscious master and his pupil , that afforded those who were In the secret a weekly fund of amuse ment. Eventually the head master resigned his chair , but whether he discovered the person ality of his brilliant antagonist Is not known. Had he done so there Is a probablf- ity that young Kipling would have been painfully made a ware of the fact , as the cane and the birch are still Important factors in English "public" echool discipline. When a looking grass flret engages the serious attention of a youth a somewhat ludicrous devotion to the wardrobe Is often the result. In that respect Kipling and I his two particular chums Inclined toward the Bohemian , until they perceived In the oppo site extreme a chance to enact a good part , which , for the tlmo being , afforded their co"- Hon no llttlo amupement. At the United Service colle-p It ninno- * that there was a certain classical master who had deovloped a profound aversion to anything approaching foppishness , and to whom fancy waistcoats , sporting scarfplns and silk handkerchiefs were an abomination second only to what was termed the "mod ern" side of the school. liming Sport with the Master * . To such an extent did this master carry his discrimination In the matter of clothes that'those attending his classes or coming more particularly under his Jurisdiction who evinced the least tendency to "style" were promptly made the butts of his most wither ing sarcasm , and were even occasionally peremptorily ordered not to appear again Jn bis presence wearing conspicuously offensive garments. Now Kipling and his two chums In the course of promotion at length found themselves brought Into dally -contact with this master , and having duly made note of bis supreme aversion they proceeded to stimulate It after their own , fashion. So it shortly came to be noticed that the Kipling trio were putting on -"style" a fact that the , master in question noticed also , but concerning which bo contented ' - tented himself with scornful remarks , until a shilling bottle of overpowering perfume was the direct cause of an explosion of wrath , of the clan room window * being thrown wide open one cold winter morning and of something besides Invectives being hurled at the offenders' heads , In spite of this emphatic rebuff Kipling and his chums continued their efforts to approach the extreme height of fashion , borrowing such likely garment * as they did not themselves possess , and choosing Sunday as the day on which to make a brave display of their personal adornment * , for I the three eat close to the clanlcal muter In church. Again , for a time , the master conDned himself to sneering remarks ; but three pairs of light , cloth-topped patent leather shoes 'brought the matter to a climax. On the particular Sunday when the * hoe were first worn the classical master quickly spied them out , and hiving beckoned the three youth * before him , pointed to the objectionable articles and desired to be In formed as to their precise nature. "Which things , air ? " asked Kipling , fol lowing with hla gaze the direction Indicated by the classical master's forefinger , and wonderlngly surveying the floor as If he ex pected to behold some strange Insects crawlIng - Ing there. "Which things , slrt" " " replied the "Those things , emphatically master , pointing to Kipling's feet. "My feet , sir ? " esked Kipling , as If he were stlll'ln doubt as to the master's exact meaning. "No , the vile thing * you'vo got on them , " angrily explained the former , "do and take them off at once. At once ! D'you under stand me ? " Whereupon the Kipling trio divested them selves of their beautiful shoes , and the classical master posted a house notice to the effect that patent leather shoes among other enumerated "foppish" articles of dress were henceforth strictly prohibited. As If In despair at the sweeping nature of this edict the Kipling trio Immediately reverted to the other extreme , and the next Sunday appeared at the church caltover as If they had slept In their be&t clothes over night , with only their shoes so wonderfully polished that the classical master first mistook them for the contraband patent leathers. On cloeer Inspection , however , being satla- fled that his surmise was Incorrect , and perhaps - , haps regarding the trio's dlshevelfed appear- j ance , as , for once , a backward step In the I right direction , ho merely recommended a vigorous application of the brush , and un suspectingly permitted them to go on tholr way to church. It was not long after the service had com menced before every one in the vicinity of the Kipling trio became conscious of a moat pungent 'and sickening odor of blacking , the classical master who sat next to Kipling be ing the first , of course , to sniff the elr with suspicion , Dut as the church warmed up the smell became so altogether unbearable that the classical master , casting a look of supreme disgust upon the remarkably devout and apparently quite Innocent youths at his ekle , hurriedly rose from his seat and sought refuge In another part of the church. Then , DS the other boys near by crammed their handkerchiefs Into their mouths to suppress 'explosions of laughter , a merry twinkle beamed out through Olg's enormous specta cles. It was generally thought that the three would meet with a swift and terrible punish ment ; but the classical master , for some rea son , decided to hold hla peace , and there after permitted the edict regarding foppish ness ito fall Into abeyance. HOOLBYS IN HAVANA. Large Plook of Cheap Promoter ! Do- inn the Cuban Capitol. Havana Is thronged with speculators of all classes , reports a correspondent of the Chicago cage Itecord. They are having various ef fects on the community. One man from Now York put up at one of the leading hotels and talked loudly and at all times of tne great things he was going to do with the vast amount of capital at his back. Ho priced tracts of suburban real estate , pine lands and' mines. He made arrangements with railroads for special trains to carry cap italists to various properties on Inspection tours. At the end of three weeks ho had run his course , but before getting to the end he borrowed $50 of a Spanish officer and did not pay It back. The Spanish officer made a vigorous protest and said that all Ameri cans who were coming down were of the ame kind. * These cheap or broken-down speculator * are numerous. Another financier made ex- tenslw arrangements for investments and fairly dazzled the eyes of hotel visitors for a few days by the magnitude of hi * schemes. HI * room at the hotel looked like an office and the few citizens he was able to lure there came back deeply Impressed. A day or eo ago he moved from the hotel and now Is a seeker for employment. He did not swindle eny one out of any money so far as I have learned , but those who pass htm sitting on a bench in the Parque Central twiddling his thumbs point him out and laugh. These cheap and Irresponsible adventur ers are giving the American Investors a bad name. The man who Is here trying to buy corner lots and unoccupied tracts Is also numerous. He has not yet learned the Ha vana ways and , of course , Is doing himself but little good. Havana does not do much In the real estate business and values are hard to get. A property remains in a family ( or 100 years. There is , of course , more or le s realty exchanging and trading , but nothing like what there would be in a northern town of the same size. When a prospective buyer rushes to a Havana man and want * to got an option on a corner lethe he 1 * viewed with as much astonishment as though he were trying to buy the man's children. This Is the humorous side of what the Havana people are taking very seriously. Many are forgetting their grief over their political orphanhood for the time being and are trying to understand what the Amer icans are going to do with their money. Property that never bad any value in their ' eyes is now assuming Importance. Before It was only a homo or a place to pasture a cow or two goats. Now they think that the Americans may want It If any Inquiries whatsoever are made they are suspicious. ' They shut up their mouths like clams and look very wise. They are nervous for fear ' they will bo talked Into doing something that will lose them a lot of money. I A gentleman who came here to establish a business looked at eleven acres of land near the bay. It had gone Into the hands of an agent. The price had gone up to 118,000. Perhaps It bad a value before. If so no one had thought of It. Hut there is reason to suspect that It Is worth that now. It certainly Is If the gentleman wants land. Other fund Is going up at the same rate. Americans are not In close touch with these owners and do not know the processes of fixing values. It Is probable that the prices' will all be fixed before they learn the game. From the Inquiries being made It seems certain that Havana Is In for a lively speculativeperiod. . The proposition Is pretty apt to bewilder the northerner when lie come * to prospect. He will find that so far as location Is concerned the corner lot that should bo the most valuable has a small one-story building , perhaps ICO years old , with a six-Inch sidewalk and a twelve-foot j ! I street. . | I This'speculative curiosity has caused the officer * of some of the larger enterprises In Havana to refuse to onawer any questions. One of the large financial bouses In New York notified Its Havana correspondent one who bad remained here during the blockade to make some Inquiries as to the t Havana street railway properties. The Havana correspondent had an Intimate ac- qualntance with the railroad men , but he found It absolutely impossible to get the de- sired Information. He asked for the last report - port to the stockholders and was told that none had been made for a long time. He was refused the slightest and most trivial Information about the properties. He could not learn the earnings or expenses. He could not find the amount invested or any- thing about the financial history of the property , _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Family FolnoiieU by Pork. COLUMBUS , O. , Dec 17. A special to the Dispatch from Hlllsboro says two girls have died and the remainder of a family of eight are suffering and are expected to die of trlchlnocl * contracted by eating pork which ( the family had killed. | ( ( .K.SCOFIELD CLOAK AND SUIT COMPANY S HOLIDAY WEEK SALB HIGH GRADE' S&A.SOKA&LE GOODS A.T PRICES TO DRAW CUSTOMERS TO OUR STORE. USEFUL , GIFTS THAT \vill foe APPRECIATED for YEARS C Commencing Monday Morning1 In order " ] On * _ fhj-r > sJ J to reduce our stock of cloth cloaks we will offer them at 1-3 I vxxCxXXX % J. off our already low prices this is an offer that is usually [ /-\-f-f "fflT * / not made until February it's a rare opportunity. J ULLtCAf Furs Furs . .Pars3 Storm collars in Collarettes in all the all from the popular furs new shapes , in all Cluster Scarfs in all desirable kinds of furs , from ble shapes , from $8.75 up. / Muffs Misses' muffs at 50c and up Children's sets from § 1.50 up Uf * . UJP. Ladies' muffs from 75c up Seal Skin Coats- Astrakhan coats $25 Electric Seal coats Fur Capes in Seal , Mar ten , Mink , Beaver , Otter , Slectric Seal , Astrakhan the bestgfades only but prices low , Ladies' Waists Kid Gloves Wool Waists at $2.25 and bottor. Silk Walsta at $3.05 and . bettor. Ladles Dross Skirts at $ .1.45 and better. Ladies Suits 11.50 will buy this week a Kid Glove at our store that Is equal . at $10.00 and bettor. Ladies' Silk Huffs at 05o. Ladloa' to sold . any elsewhere at 2.00 or 82.25 reason for this cut in price is that these gloves were' ordered to bo delivered De Eiderdown Dressing Sacqucs , 75c. Silk or Cash more Dressing cember 1 , but have just arrived to let people know that we Sacques , * 6.95. Silk Petticoats , $4.05 and bottor. Ladies' Satin have the best Kid Gloves in Omaha , wo make the price this or Velvet Stocks at 19c. Regular 25c Silk Ties for 10c each' week $1.50 all colors. Silk DicKies with Stock Collar $1.00 each. Ladies' Gown * Kid Gloves 1.OO ' . & Chemise Drawers in both Silk and Cambric. Our second quality Kid Gloves that you'll ' acknowledge to bo as good as any Children's Cloaks sol d at 81.25 to $1.50. Wo will price them at # 1.00 all colors , All our Chlldron'a Cloaks po this week at one-third off for cash. D.K.SCOFIELD 0. K. SCOFIELD CLOAK Ai SUIT CD. LKSCOFIELD . 1510 DOUGLA.S STREET- .CLOAK &SUIT CO. POLAND REVEALS AN EDISON Marvelous Invention of Jan Bz zepanik , a Dreaming Schoolmaster. BIGGEST CAMERA IN THE WORLD How It Itevolutlanlzcil the \Vcnvliiff of Fancy Knbrlcn DUtnncc Pene trated by the Telescope Career of the Iitventor. VIENNA , Austria , Dec. 5. A poor Polish schoolmaster has built * camera that runs on a railroad track , the largest photographic camera In the world , and In accomplishing this feat he has completely revolutionized the weaving of the rare fabrics for which Poland Is so famous. The Inventor's name Is Jan Szczepanlk , which Is pronounced Sttepenllc. He has already made himself famous by the Invention of tbo llstance- seer , or ( electroscope , by means of which a man sitting comfortably at home in Vienna can see a trick rider perform on a Paris stage. The telectroscope will be ex hibited at the Paris exposition In 1900 for the first time , and with the photograph- weaver It Is likely to make Szczepanlk's name stand -with Edison's , Testa's and Roentgen's. But long before Szczepanlk bad been suc cessful with the first distant seer he had studied the problem of building the Im mense photographic camera of which I have been speaking. Szczepanlk Is only 2G years old. He was brought up In Krosno , an orphan , under the care of a kindly aunt. Nearly all the people of the neighborhood made their liv ing then as they do now by working all the long hours of dayl.ght at rattling old 'hand looms , weaving marvelous tapestries end carpets. Jan was a poor student at books , but a scholar in weaver's designs ; from bis earliest boyhood he loved to make pictures of wonderful new figures , and ne began early to think of building a machine for doing the work of the weaver more easily than the old looms could do It. The people of Kroeno called Jan an Idle and worthless lad , but hla aunt , who looked upon him with aM the fondnees of a mother , believed him to be a genius and she fur nished him with money to buy books and pictures , and he spent It without compunc tion until It was all gone. Then tic went begging In Vienna , but for a long time no one would help him , and be was compelled to teach a small village school. At length he succeeded In persuading Herr Klelnberg , a wealthy merchant of Vienna , to Invest In a small factory , buy material , employ work men and assist In securing patents on his Inventions. Then this raw jiioy , barely'20 years old , built eight different machines for photographic weaving , and each of them faired a * soon as it was finished until Herr Klelnberg's money had all been dissipated nd his friends told him that he ww mad In thus backing a hair-brained Inventor. In deed , the director of the weaving school at Aachen laughed at the Idea of a photo graphic-weaver when it was first presented to him. Yet young Jan never for a moment wav , ered nor lost confidence , and finally he per suaded a second capitalist to Invest money and the ninth machine which he built wa a notable success. It wouM do the work of * hundred weavers , and do It with more cer tainty and accuracy. HU Flr t 10,000 Klorlui. When Jan Szczepanlk received the first money that his Inventions ever earned , ten thousand florins all In gold , the first thing he did was to send every penny of It to his aunt In the old 'town of Krosno , and that good woman , although riv > was poor herself , promptly distributed the money In small ' loans among the poor of Szczepanlk's own 'native village , asking no security , quite con tent to help those who needed money more than she. The people who had known Jan as' a boy formed quite a different opinion of him as a man. The great camera , which 'Is making Szczepanlk famous , Is now located on tbe top floor of the enormous factory In Vienna which Herr Klelaberg and Herr Habrlck have built for the young Inventor. But It will Boon bo taken to the Vienna exhibition , where It will show how the portrait of the good emperor can be woven with remark able fidelity in the threads of rare tapes tries. Szczepanlk's Invention , which the young Inventor himself explained to me , Is simply a matter of photography , the making of de signs to be 'used in connection with tbe Jacquart weaving machine. He can pro duce any picture or design , such as a portrait trait of a famous man , a beautiful scone In some llttlo Austrian village , a spirited bat tle piece , a naval struggle or a German duel , by taking a picture upon sensitized paper. The giant camera with which be does the work weighs about two tons , and when stretched out to Its full length covers nearly twenty fret , the focussing box run ning on a regular railroad track set up on trestle-work a few feet above the floor. The lens Is five Inches In diameter and the plates are four feet square Each one of them weighs sixty-five pounds , and Is handled , to prevent breakage , by two and sometimes three men. Womtrrfiil IMntcn. These plates are the most wonderful In some respects of their kind. They are' di vided Into over eight hundred thousand lit tle squares or oblongs , the shape varying with the pattern to bo woven , 'and cor responding to the threads , shadlngs anil bindings of various satins , twills , woolen goods and other textile fabrics , so that tbe photographed design falls with mathemati cal accuracy upon Just the right'fthreads. . These peculiar plates , or rasters , 'as they are called , form the chief part rf Szozepan- Ik's remarkable Invention and effect an enormous saving of tlmo In the making of designs for carpets , gobelins , damasks , .plushes , tablecloths , napkins , tableipreads and almost every other kind of woven goods. For Instance , the design for an elaborate piece of tapestry that might have occupied i the time of a weaver for six or eight months by the old hand-loom method may now be finished In an hour or less , thanks to Stcze- panlk's genius. An expert has estimated that this Inventlcn will save about fifty I million francs annually in tbe Industry of design and weaving , and will do the work far more perfectly than any "hand-weaver has been able to do it. This Invention , with Szczepanlk's telec- troscope ; the patent railroad , which prom ises to revolutionize the building of railroad bed * and rail-laying ; and tbe electric card- I cutlng invention to be used In weaving I will all be exhibited at tbe Paris expedition , and they will certainly lay the foundation for fame a * an Inventor which will rival that of any living gtnlu * . ItOCHliSTEH'S VOTING MACHINE. Some Facia About Their Work on Election Dnya. So well pleased were tbo electors of Rochester , N. Y. , with the way the recent election passed off In that city that the common council has contracted to purchase of the Standard Voting Machine company the seventy-three machines used at the election , for $32,850. Where other cities were hours In counting their votes , Roches ter knew the complete result In the city on every.office state , county , assembly , sen ate and congressional in Just thirty-seven minutes. There was not a mistake , not a hitch. Even blind men voted unassisted. Since election day the city clerk has been deluged with Inquiries regarding the voting machines and other largo cities , Including Buffalo , are already talking of adopting them. Arthur S , Hamilton , president of the company , says of machine voting ; "The people and the press realize the neceralty of a better system of voting than Is afforded by the blanket ballot , with Its tedious and uncertain method of counting. The following will Illustrate the result of voting with paper ballots : In the New York election of 1854 , Myron H. Clark's majority over Horatio Seymour was 309 , and In 1884 drover Cleveland's plurality was 1,047 above James G. Blalne. The returns , as given by the secretary of state of New York of the election of 1897 show that In forty-five out of sixty counties a I total of 70,120 defective ballots were thrown out. The official returns for the city of Rochester for the saflie election show that there were from 791 to 1,585 blank votes cast for each of the different candidates. "Such uncertainty In learning the will of the people In a close election In a largo state hazards the entire result in the United States. The remedy will only bo found when accurate and reliable voting machines are adopted. Wllh those In use at Rochester elections can be held with rapidity , safety and economy and with ec- crecy and rase to all classes of voters. The result can be known Immediately upon the closing of tbo polls , without question or possibility of contest. It cannot b oper- I ated fraudulently and the mechanical count- I ers are so constructed that they will faith fully register every vote as cast. It Is positive In Its action and will permit the voter to examine his ticket and make any changes he dfcslres before registering bis voto. The difference In the cost of holding elections with this machine and paper bal lots will pay for the machine In from three to five years. As the nunmber of election districts Is reduced no ballot clerks are required and the cost of printing is very slight. " The voting machine in question Is about four feet square and ten Inches deep and I * supported by legs , the top being a little over six fec ( from the floor. A seml-clrcu- Jar bar extends from the upper corners , on which I * hung a curtain , which form * tbe center of the top of tbe machine , the outer end of which Is attached to the curtain. The machine I * constructed of steel and non- corrosive metals. Every movement Is posi tive. It weighs about 400 pound * . The party tickets are arranged In vertical columns , beaded by distinguishing letter and party emblem * . On tbe left I * the column for the various offices to be filled , ending at the bottom with question * , while on the right 1 * a column ( or Irregular voting. By this arrangement tbe horizontal rows contain the name * of the various candidates for each of fice and the "for" and "against" opposite question * . Then candidate * can be grouptl , so that one or several ( up to tbo limit of the machine ) can bo voted and no more. The machine can be easily changed from the outside of the casing to allow full voting or restricted voting on local questions , a * may bo required. For Irregular voting , the elector Inserts In a brass case bis written ballot and puts tbo same Into the hole In the last column and on the proper row. When ho records his vote t'.ils brass case drops back Into a locked drawer contained In tbo machine casing. The Individual count Is on tbo back of tbe machine and Inside of the case. The counters or Irregular tot ing drawer can be seen by opening the back dcois , which can only be unlocked' when the machine Itself Is locked against voting. The total vote registered Is always visi ble from the front of tbe machine , so that every Interested person can see that the bal lot has been recorded. When the curtain' Is back , exposing the face of the machine , the voting mechanism Is locked. By com pletely drawing the curtain so as to conceal the voter the mechanism Is unlocked. By moving over the handle nt the top of any column , thus covering the party emblem , the party ticket Is voted and all other handles and Irregulars , except questions , are locked. To vote for any particular candidate any handle Is moved so as to cover bis name. Split tickets can be thu * voted , by moving each Individual handle or by moving the * party handle at the top. The actunl vote Is only recorded by tbe act of opening the curtain and since this Is the final operation , mistakes or correction * can bo made on the selection first Indicated. Pulling over the bandies merely engages the mechanism , but docs not cast a vote. Doll carriages , 23 cents , worth 40 cent * , People's Furniture and Carpet Co. Htreet Itullwny * Connnlldate. BALTIMORE , Dec. 17. It was officially announced today that an agreement bad been reached by which all the street rail ways In and about Baltimore would be con solidated and hereafter the various lines will Ce controlled by one management. Tbe companies Involved In the deal are the Con solidated , the City Passenger , the Baltimore & Northern and the Baltimore , Middle River & Sparrows Point railways. The sum in volved In the deal Is in the neighborhood of $28,000,000 , and It was concluded through the agency of Alex Brown & Co. For nrllKloun Work In I'urtn Illno. NEW YORK , Dec. 17. The American Mis sionary association has appointed one of IU secretaries , Rev. A. F. Beard , D. D. , and Hon. Luclen M. Warner of Bridgeport , Conn. , as a special delegation to visit Porto Rico , and Investigate concerning the Initiation of religious work there In behalf of the associa tion , which represents the Congregational churches of the United States. Tbe associa tion is believed to bo tbe first religious or ganisation In the United States to take the Initiatory steps for wark In Porto Rico , result ing from the Island coming Into possession of the United States , Tbe association Las also made a special appropriation for Chines * work in Portland , Ore. Fined fur Abetdnir Boxing Match , ST. LOUIS. Dec. 17. C. W. Whitney , the manager of the Commercial club , waa adJudged - Judged guilty of a misdemeanor and fined 1200 and cost * bjr Judge Willis Clark In tbe court of criminal correction today. He was found guilty of "unlawfully aiding and abetting and furnishing a ptaoe for a public sparring exhibition between George Kerwan 1 and Eddie Connolly , which took place November 20. at the Fourteenth Street theater. Tool chests , 21 eenU , worth 46 cent * , pie' * Furniture and Carpet Co.