v ACROSS
MM
The Beginning of a Remarkable Journey Un
dertaken to Secure Commercial
Information.
(Vladlvostork Letter.)
"Going across Slborlnl And over the
Trans-Siberian Railroad! And going
to take your wlfol Weill" And thon a
long pause, ns If the folly of such n
trip could only bo told In eloquent si
lence. Friends were painfully solic
itous, acquaintances were sarcastically
skeptical and fiendishly lutinoroiu, and
tticli Is the tenacity of tradition that
most people familiar with the plans
npoke of Slborlu as a pleasing admix
ture of Ironed exiles, howling wolves
and biting blasts, ninrveled nt my te
merity, and to the verge of discourtesy
doubted my sanity. The bright young
men In the State Department at Wash
ington took pains to tell Senator Per
kins that It was (lying in the face of
danger and should bo restrained. From
Han Francisco one has a choice of three
lines of steamers. We sailed the mid
dle of March, and caught an equlnoxlal
THE HARBOR
storm on tho ocean, and tho cherry
blossoms In Japan. Talk of beaten
tracks Is tolling twice-told talcs, nnd I
will, thorefore, begin my story In tho
Russl'n ntniosphoro of Nasasakl.whcre
Russians nnd Russian signs arc nu
merous and increasing. Tho Russians,
JnpancBO nnd Germans hnvo steamers
running from Nugasukl to Vladivo
stok, and you may go directly to the
latter place or touch at Corean ports
on tho enst or wo3t coast of that pe
ninsula. Tho faro by tho Japan and
German steamers of from 2,000 to 3,000
tons Is 40 you ($20), and tho faro an
tho Russian steamer Is S9 yon ($29.50).
Thn yen and tho ruble havo the snmo
relative value nt Nagasaki. The Rus
sian steamers aro transports of tho vol
unteer lleot, vary In size from 5,000 to
10,500 tons, and make tho parage In
two days nnd n holf. Tho steamers of
tho othor HncB, partly because of stops
ut way ports, nro five or six days mak
ing tho trip. The Russian volunteer
fleet consists of sixteen steamers, nnd
U the gift of tho Russian pooplo to tho
government. Tho steamers wero built
In England, aro commanded by Rus
Blan naval officers, carry soldiers, pas
sengers and freight from Russia and a
few Intermediate ports to Vladlvostock
and Port Arthur, and are among the
llnc3t troop Ehlps In the world. A
10,500 ton vessel of this lleot and four
American transports from Manila were
moored In Nogasakl harbor within a
rudlus of 500 yards, while wo were
there, and furnished a contrast tho re
verse of pleasing to patriotic Ameri
cana. Tho Russian vessel had three
big smokestneks twenty-four boilers,
nnd was credited with a hpoed of twen
tytwo knots an hour. The American
transport looked deplorably out of
place, and ono of them baro tho out
ward signs of n derelict. Indeed, tho
latter steamer, after weeks of careful
preparation, started for Snn Francisco,
to break down the first day out.
Wo chose tho transport Orel, Capt.
Ivan QhrlBtlanovltch Scnlskl, 1, N.,
commanding, and In company with Mr.
and Mrs. W. A. Johns of Chicago, who
were visiting Siberian and Chinese
ports, called on tho Nagasaki agent tor
tickets. Our pawporta were Inspcctod
und copied, and then, for tho passago
price, paid In Japanese mouoy, wo wore
given a sheet of papor awarding us
cabins In tho Orel, Wo went to the
steamer on a sampan, wero cordially
received by tho captain and first offi
cer, ran the respectful gar.e of 1,300 sol
diers, and through the medium of Eng
lish, French and German, with a fow
words of Russian, wero allotted our
cabin and mado to feel at homo.
Thoro wero forty Russians In the first
cabin, nud among thoso who boarded
tho ship nt Nagasaki were a bright
German girl going to Nlkolalfsk to
meet' and marry her lover; n young
man from England via India with his
dog nnd doghottEO and fourteen plecoi
of baggnge, and wo tour Amorlcnns,
Tho captain and ofilcora of tho Orol
wero moro than merely polite. They
sought us, told us tho meal hours, and
In every way saved us tlmo and
trouble, trcotlng us as It wo wero por
Ronal gucats Instead ot passengers who
jjgijHlmply bought transportation. Tho
cleanliness and qulut ot tho ship com
manded lmmodiatu attention, for bo u
EAST
mm
remembered she had only Just arrived
from Odessa, which port she left April
15, and carried 1,300 recruits for the
Itusslau Asiatic army und nearly 200
II rut and second cabin passengers. She
looked large and otanch and In good
form, anil were not surprised to learn
that her length was 152 feet and her
beam 47. At 3: 10 p. m., May 21, the
.Inpaneso curio venders woro sent from
tlio decks to their sampans, the siren
shrieked scvoral times, and tho Orol
Gleamed majestically down the sunlit
bay.
After the shore line faded from view
tho captain camo to our group, which
now Included the young German lady
and the Englishman, and told us sup
per wart ready. With some misgivings
we went to tho table. Foreign resi
dents of the Orient had warned us
against Russian cooking, und we
looked for trouble. Tho cuisine was
AT VLADIV03TOCK THE COMING
nn agreeable surnrlae. Tho drcorntlvn
features of tho table wero In excellent
tnBto, the setting was attractive, the
menu was varied, nnd only In two In
stances did tho food show tho groaal
ncsa affected by Russian cooks. In
stead of tho usual American array of
knives nnd forks, there was a tier of
four plates at each seat. On tho top
and Binallest plnte wore crossed a sil
ver knlfo and fork, nnd at the sldo of
tho tier was a well-laundered napkin.
Tho first course, served by tall Russian
waltera In whlto suits, consisted of a
slice of tasty tonguo, with thin wafers
of whlto radish in cream. Then fol
lowed nn appetizing cabbage soup, hot
and nourishing; next n filet of beef,
with small onions, In a rich gravy;
next fried chicken, with lettuco nnd cu
cumbora on tho same plato; thon a
course of cauliflower, with an inviting
crnckcr crumb and butter dressing.
Strawberries, cheese and coffeo fol
lowed. Tho 'bread, both black nnd
whlto, was very good; the wuter was
lco-cold, and vodka and tea wero served
as desired, and wlnoi to order. The
claret from tho imperial vineyard
proved mild nnd agreeable, and was a
trlllo sweetor than California zlnfan
tlel. Tho vodka stood on the tablo In
largo carafes and was taken at will.
Vodka Is nearly colorloss, with Just a
suggestion of lemon shade, and lum the
taste of delicate gin. The last plate of
A SHOCK.
"His death must havo been an awful shock to her,"
"Posalbly; but she had the lovollost mourning dresses all ready tho day
he died."
10 WEST
the tier disappeared with tho cauli
flower, und the strawberries camo In
on a thin, whlto dlah llko an American
dinner plate. The regulation meal
hours were: Seven to 9 a. m., coffee,
tea, black and whlto bread; 11 n, m.,
breakfast; 2 p. m., tea and coffee; 5:30
p. m., supper; S p. in., tea and knick
knacks. Tho tea was served In the or
thodox Russian stylo In tumblora.
Tho waiters poured first an Inch of tea,
then filled up with hot water, and the
passenger used cubo sugar and sliced
lemon to taste. Tho breakfast tablo
nag act ns for supper except that a
standard dish heaped with Russian
candles wrapped In silver and oil pa
per stood nt each end of the table. The
tlrst course of our first broakfast was
composed of a bit of cold ham and n
tiny pickled fish. Thl3 was followed by
Japaneso lobsters, garnlahed with egg,
chopped beef and lettifco and served
with mayonalsc. Then camo a tooth
some vcnl cutlet In n sliced lemon en
vironment. Tea, cheese, coffee and
candy finished the meal. Vodka and
wines were taken at breakfast as wo
would take them nt lunch or dinner.
The cabin pas3cngers had the exclu
sive use of three decks amidships, and
tho eoldlcrs and their wives and a fow
SEAT OF EMPIRE IN OUR RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA.
colonists wero quartered fore and aft.
In addition to her human freight tho
Orel carried Iron rails, provisions and
miscellaneous supplies for tho army.
The soldiers woro Btalwart, orderly,
good-natured, frolicking, pious fellows,
who found great plcasuro In singing
national and sentimental songs and
hymns, Tho evening sorvlce at sea
was unlquo and impressive, and tho
choir effects were grnnd.
On tho steamer course from Nagasaki
to Vladlvostock tho distance Is CG0
miles, nnd nt this season the pnssage
li fairly pleasant. Wo had mild weather
for twenty-four hours, and then, pass
ing out of the Japanese warm current
off Matsuc Island, wo ran Into the Jap
anese sea and Into fog, rain and n. low
er temperature, necessitating tho free
uso of wraps, overcoats and shelter.
During tho night of tho 23d tho steam
er slowed down to stoerugo way und
used her siren freely, and next morning
tho captain foil his courso through a
thick fog to the narrow and tortuous
entrance to Vladlvontock harbor. At 8
o'clock wo picked up tho green slopo
of a bold promontory oft what tho Vla
dlsvostoklans fancifully term the
straits of Bosporus, and ns wo ncared
tho shoro other and equally green ele
vations camo Into view, nnd on Siberia
tho Inviting, Instend of Siberia tho for
bidding, wo feasted our oyes. Tho
steamer was n study as well a3 tho
ehor's, tar 'he aoldlora and colonists
who had cotue 0,350 miles by sea to this
remote corner of the earth scanned tho
shore with deep Intcreat and conflict
ing emotions. The steamer moved
slowly through the fortified straits,
and as the fog and mtst rose wo saw
In the outer harbor first steamers, red
brick building, moro steamers, more
brick buildings, and then tho town, n
miniature San Francisco In hilly out
line, with brick buildings of tho official
and office typo very much In evidence,
and wooden buildings straggling along
and across narrow valleys and up steep
hillsides. As we nearcd tho f.oatlng
piers to which wo wero to tic, sampans,
manned by Chinese and Corcans, camo
about the ship, and dashing through
the sticky mud of broad and unpaved
streets wore the famous, plcturesquo
and essentially practical Russian car
riages, with ono horse in tho shafts
under his high arch, tho traces hitched
to tho hubs of the front wheels, und
another hora" harnessed free m tho
outside, and with head held down and
out, the correct Russian style, gallop
ing to trotting step of tho animal In tho
shafts.
WILLIAM MITCHELL HUNKER.
PROFESSIONAL FRET BEARER.
Young Womnn Who Help Iludcsim to
Ho Happy.
How to bo happy though tho hostess
of n largo dinner party, Is what n
young woman, at the rate of from $3 to
?5 nn evening, Is showing a number of
wealthy women. This young woman.
In looking around for a means of
bread-winning, decided to become a
professional bearer of dinner party
anxiotlos. Whnt she does is to manage
dlnneis or wedding breakfasts or
largo luncheons, und though she
neither cookB nor waits on table, she
fulfills u most Important mission. She
etunds beforo the hostess In all worry.
A hnlf hour beforo tho meal Is served
she appears in tho dining-room and
sees to it that tho butler has got the
tablo set, and that tho wines aro ris
ing or falling to precisely tho right
temporaturo. Then she dons her big
apron, nnd as guests file Into tho dining-room
she takes her stund by the
pantry's dumb wnlter to see that every
dish comes up exactly on time, piping
hot when it ought to bo" hot, chilled to
the mnrrow when the chill la neces
sary and, furthermore, sho tustes It tn
seo that Its flavor la exactly what It
ought to be. Having n aulck wit. re-
soucoful In mind and a knowledge of
i' roncli cooking, sho takes caro that no
dish passes to tho tablo that Is not
above reproach. Where she stands In
the pantry there Is heard nono of the
crash and grind of dinner party ma
chinery, no long waits between
courses elapse. Now, this may seem a
sinecure, but grateful hostesses look
upon her work as exalted modem phi
lanthropy, for even If the butler Is a
now man, tho cook n possible traitor
to her trust and tho cateror apt to play
tricks with ices and sorbets, so long
as tho dinner niunager Is nt tho puntry
helm nothing can go wrong. With all
tho case of an unfettered soul tho
hostess can give her whole mind to
her guests. If sh,o is a hostess now to
tho buslnnss alio can send for the man
ager beforehand and hnvo her dln,ner
all planned for her, every detail con
sidered, even to tho color of the flow
ers and tho pattern on the tablecloth,
nnd tho very latest surprise In un epi
curean delicacy worked up for tho en
vious delectntlon of her guests. Bu'
this Is nn ex'.ra.
A l'rettjr On to m.
They havo so many pretty customs
In Jupan connected with tho happi
ness of children that even the most in
dulgent parents In western countries
aro Burprlsed and charmed by the sen
timent that always inspires them.
Perhaps ono of tho tenderest fanclca
la tho planting of a troo at tho birth
of n daughter, a treo that is nourished
nnd guarded as faithfully as tho llttla
llfo It represents, until tho child at
tains her eighteenth year nnd marries.
Thon this beautiful trco Is cut down,
and from Its flue, straight stem nnd
brnnches Is made a cabinet or chest
ot drawers, which will henceforth hold
nil tho treasures of the wedding trotm-.
senu. Can thcro bo n moro fitting cus
tom to commemorate n daughter's
birth than thU, or ono that appeals
moro Btrongly to that amlablo trail
wo call tho power of associations?
IteiilUm.
Fond Mother Children, you mustn't
fight. Wllllo Wo'ro playlri' Joweler,
mamma, and Tommy's a clock out of
fix, nnd Jos' keops right on strlkln'
whllo I'm trying to twlct his face off
The Jeweler's Wookljr.
FREAKS OF CYCLONES.
SMASHES CHURCH AND WOR
SHIPERS, SPARES GAMBLERS.
rriit l'ellcd, Tent iriilmrmeil Homo
lllcmn Inln Cellar on Tap of IVoplti
I jii! Carried a Mile und Thon
llrnuglit llnck.
(Special Letter.)
The Irony of fate frequently nppears
In tho antics of tho cyclone. In the
town of Shanghai, 111., there stood side
by side a church and a saloon. A nar
row alley separated thorn. On a certain
Sunday morning the church was filled
with worshipers, the saloon with gam
blers. Inside tho ono were sixty-five
devotees of religion; Inside tho other
were five devotoce to a game of chance
called poker. A tornado descended
upon the town nnd struck In tho neigh-,
borhood of these two buildings. The
church was demolished. Its occupants
were killed. Not a shingle on tho sa
loon was displaced. The gamblers were
unharmed. They ran outside, when
the noise of the wreck next door
reached them, nnd busied themselves
digging olit from the ruins tho bodies
of these who had assembled juet across
the alley to bo saved.
Between Napoleon and Versailles,
Ind a party of emigrants camped In n
forest, which drewj,hc wrath of the
wind gods ono dark night. A path
fifty yards wide was cut through this
dense mass of trees, throwing tho tall
timbers aside like straw flying from
the sickle of a mowing machine. The
tent containing a party of campers was
In tho middle of this road of ruin. Not
n thread In its canvas was raveled, not
ono of Its sleeping Inmates was
maimed.
On May 27 a wind storm visited the
vicinity of the Bijou hills, in South
Dakota. Everything In its course was
torn up or driven into the ground.
The ground happened to be honey
combed with cellars, nnd these re
ceived londs of men and women as fast
as they could drop into them. All the
woodwork In sight was swept away.
A family named Clothier occupied one
cellar. Mr. Al Clothier heard some
thing whiz by his head, and, on looking
up, beheld the blado of a large knife
quivering against the wall. The blado
of It had missed him by an Inch and
burled Itself In tho tlat earthen surface
against which ho was standing. The
knife had been blown from the East
man place, n mile away.
In the aamo storm the Noble family
escaped to a cellar, only to have a
horso blown In nfter them. None of
tho family sustained Injury of any de
scription. A largo stovo fell In upon a
party that had taken refuge In a base
ment under the Danish Lutheran
church at Chamberlain, S. D Injuring
no ono. Every monument in tho ad
Joining cemetory was blown away.
In Newton, Mo on April 27, n fam
ily at dinner wero transported In their
houso 100 yards across a stream and
set down on the opposlto shoro with
TREES FELL TENT STOOD,
such forca that the oulldlng fell to
pieces. Tho floor of tho dlnlng-room
descended to the ground with Its load
and remalnod intact, without upset
ting anything except tho spoon holder
nnd cream pltchor on tho table. The
walls of the house flow away with the
wind.
A Dakota twister lifted a cot con
taining two children out of a falling
cottage, carried It unscathed through
tho Hying debris, and set It down two
blocks away. Neither of the children
was even rolled oft the bed nor In tho
least the worse for their perilous flight
among tho storm kindlings.
A crooning baby was found In a
field far from any houso after a cy
clone In Wyoming. It was lying on
Its back, wholly unscratched, nud when
ltd discoverers approached It gazed up
Into thplr faces and smiled. Tho par
onts ot the waif wero found noarly a
quarter of a mile away, burled In tho
ruins ot their homo.
A small boy In Kansas was caught In
tho tall of a whirlwind and carried a
mile away, turned with a reversal of
the storm, and was brought back to
wlthn twenty feet of where ho had
been picked up. He was unhurt, save
for a shaking up of his nervous sys
tem. I. one IlrldiM.
Tho length ot somo of the longest
bridges in tho world aro as follows:
Montrenl, 8,701 feet long; Brooklyn,
5,989 feet long; Dnieper, 4,213 foot
long; tho Now Hnvro do Graco bridge,
G.000 feot long; bridge ut Homestead,
noar Pittsburg, Pa., 5,300 feot long.
China has fho longest brldgo In the
world; It Is 23,000 feot long; Its mid
way la 70 feet wide nnd 70 feet high,
there aro "00 arches and each of the
pillars, which aro 75 feot apart, bears
a pedor.'ol, on which Is tho flgtiro of
a Hon twenty-ono feet long nnd mudu
out of ono block of mnrble.
Keopliig I'Iiihiim Fresh,
A pinch of salt or a pleco of charcoal
added to the water helps to keep tbo
flowers fresh. The water should ba
changed every day or It will smell un
pleasantly. It costs a lot more to avenge a
wrong that It does to forgive It, Ex.
DEAD SPOTS.
Through Which Nocdln itaj Ho nun
Without Cnnslus ruin.
Most pooplo havo doubted their eyes
when at some conjuring performance
they havo seen a man run needles and
pins through both cheeks, evincing no
pain ns he does so. In reality every
person has hundreds of senseless
specks of senseless skin all over his
body through which ho could run pins,
or oven cut them out, without feeling
pain. If someone else wero to do so
when ho was blindfolded lio would not
be even nware of the fact. Physicians
call them dead spots; and the reason
that ono man can sew his cheeks up,
while another could not, U simply bo
cause tho former hoppons to have
many hundreds of these spots In one
place. These dead spots aro caused by
tho mlnuto nerves which convey every
EonEntlon to tho brain bolng cither ab
sent In these particular placos or dead
and senseless. But should any ono of
our readers allow himself to be blind
folded, and then get one ot his friends
to prod him gently with a clean needle,
say all on one arm, out of ovory hun
dred pricks ho will feel only about six
ty or seventy nt the most. In tho other
cases the needle will have touch dead
spots.
VERSATILE CONSUL TO CANTON
Edward Bedloe, who has gotten Into ,
trouble by granting American registry Jf
CONSUL BEDLOE.
to n Filipino filibustering expedition
has been in tho consular service ofl
and oti since 1878. Prosldont Haycj
appointed him consul to Verona, Italy;
President Harrison sent him to Amoy
and President McKlnloy to Canton. Tin
lntter consulship Is one ot tho most
Important In tho service, being worth
with fees, nbout $15,000 a, year. Dr
Bedloe has the reputation of being tin
wittiest member of the Clovor club, and
n famed ns a story teller In New York
Washington, and Philadelphia, It being
his proud boast that ho has never told
the same story twice, to tho same per;
son. His particular forte at n din
ner, though, Is Interruptions, and som
of tho most sclf-possosscd and quickest
men have been "broken up" bjr hl
ready repartee. One of his nccom- .
pllshmcnts Is mimicry, and ho can im- J
ltato all of tho principal actors and
statesmen whom ho has seen, whll
he can play the banjo with his volci
and counterfeit most musical Instru
ments. The doctor has made many val
uable reports as consul, but ho hiu
been rather given to taking long leavci
of absence from his post. On ceo oc
casion President Harrison, at a Grid
iron dinner, alluded to him as tho con
sul "from" Amoy, a hint that sent thi
Phlladolphlan "to" Amoy by tho next
steamer.
EX-CONFEDERATE BRIGADIER.
In answer to the criticism of the Na
tional Union Veterans' association on
his appointment of an ex-confederatc ai
brigadier genoral of Iowa troops, Gov
Shaw has declared that General Lin
coln is conceded to be tho best mili
tary man In tho state. Genoral Janiw
Rush Lincoln was Inspector general ol
tho Iowa National guard at the break
ing out ot the Spanish war, nnd had
been actively connected with the staU
militia for many years. He had been
GENERAL LINCOLN,
military instructor at tho State Agri
cultural college at Ames since 1881
General Lincoln's ancestors wero al1
military men. He was born In Mary
land In 1845, nnd was only 16 years oi
ngo when ho enlisted In the confederate
army. Two ot his sons enlisted In thi
Spanish war and ono ot them was it
the regular army.
Kltollitu Should Ito Ventilated.
Poorly ventilated, overheated kltch
ens, says ono who has given tho mat
ter much thought, aro responsible Ic
many cases not only for tho provorblai
111 temper of cooks, but for their pre
disposition to disease as well. Rheu
matism, varicose veins and tubercu
losis aro frequent maladies which af
flict the cook, whllo alcoholism and a
first-class cook are too often synony.
mous to be pleasant. Tho reason ad
duced for tho prevalence ot the alcoho.
habit Is, that men or women workln)
In heavy air with odors of food ar
seldom hungry, but crave stimulants.
A
r