Nebraska Newspapers

    THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE
IllA L. IJAItK, 1'raprletor.
"THUMB f1.25 INADVANCBJ.
NORTH PLATTE,
NEBRASKA.
Of tho 40,988 deaths which occurred
In Paris for tho yenr 1890, no less thnn
22,314, henco about ono-fourth, woro
duo to consumption; 37.2 per cent of
theso persons died between the ages of
1 and 20, C0.2 per cent between thoso
of 20 and 40.
'An Alabama geologist who has been
prospecting In tho .neighborhood of
Decatur says ho has found unmlstak
nblo traces of gold and phosphate
within fifteen miles of tho city named.
3Io refuses to dtvulgo tho exact loca
tion, as ho Is operating for the pur
chase of tho lands and tho organization
of a stock company.
; Workman digging a ditch noar
Pound Prairie, In Logan, county, O.,
havo Just uncovered ono of tho finest
and beet preserved mastodon Bkolo
tons yet found In that Btato. Unfor
tunately they damaged ono of the en
ormous tusks fecforo they knew what
It was. Tho tusk is nine feet In diam
eter at tho socket end.
Tho caBtlo In which Oswald d'Aur
mcne, a Belgian artist, has offered Mr.
Kruger a homo was built 'by monks 309
years ago as a convent. It has had ft
varied career, a former ownor having
entertained royalty In it, and was
taught only a few years ago by M.
d'Aurmeno, who is wealthy, and ro
etored nil tho old splondor, besides in
stituting all modern conveniences and
comforts.
Fresh excavations on tho castorn
slopes of Vesuvius havo brought to
light a vast ediflco, 24 rooms of which
have been dlslntorrcd, and tho walls of
.which aro covered with frcscoos of n
date anterior to Pompeii and of great
beauty. Tho director of tho Berlin
Museum is on tho spot, nnd it is re
ported that tho Kaiser has offored
.X 100,000 for tho "find."
' Sovoral of tho European gonernl
staffs aw studying tho feasibility of or
ganizing special corps something after
tho Boer model. Tho principal difficul
ty lies In tho limited supply of horses
at tho command of tho various govern
ments, with the exception of Russia.
Tho last equine censuB In that country
is stated to havo shown considerably
moro than 10,000,000 horses fit for war
purposes.
Lorney L. Bailey, a' 70-year-old vet
eran of tho civil war living at Froe
port, Ind., received a pension of f 25
per month and applied for an Incrcaso
to 40. Thero was some irregularity
In his affalrs.und theso woro discovered
when his application was considered'.
Tho result was that his ontiro pension
was taken away. Tho old man brood
ed over tho mutter and began to fall
rapidly. Ho absolutely refused all food
for weoks, and dlod on Thanksgiving
day,
Mr. and Mre. Paul Rolcko of Califor
nia aro In chargo of n signal station on
tho brow of a lofty poak Jn tho Sierra
Nevada mountains, whore thoy koop a
Bliarp lookout, field glass Jn hand, for
fires -which might broak out in tho
snowsheds that skirt tho railroad
through tho rocky wilds. If a Bmall
flamo Bhould pa?s unnotlcod for nn
hour tho wholo chain of sheds might
bo consumed and tho trncks ondnn
gerod. Tho woman watchca by day
and tho husband by night
A frank and Bomowhot artless state
ment of what Is being dono In tho lino
of burning the farms of tho Boors is
made by a correspondent of tho Pall
i Mall Qazotto at Johannesburg.' This
enterprising person wishes to form a
company to buy up tho farms of tho
Boers and sell them to English settlers.
The properties can bo bought for a
mere trifle. Tho reason why, us given
by this speculative correspondent, Is
Instructive. Whon tho Boor prlsonors
of war return they "will find in nine
cases out of ten that their homesteads
have boen burned down and scarcely a
head of stock left." Thoy will bo des
titute and their only hopo of subsis
tence will bo in tho salo of tholr land
for whatever n speculative company
may choose to glvo.
If thoro woro no such things as timo
locks a Prcsbytorlan church at Mount
Joy, Pa., would bo ?8,700 rlchor 'than it
Is. Rov. David Conway, while pastor,
was thrown from his carrlago last year
and fatally Injurod. Knowing that
death was near ho mado a will leav
ing ?5,000 to tho church, but learning
that undor stnto law bequests must bo
mado thirty days boforo doath ho
signed an ordor on a local bank giving
to tho church ?8,700 worth of bonds ho
had on deposit. This was In tho even
ing, and aa tho bank vnulta wefo pro
tected by a time lock tho bonds could
not bo dollvored till next morning. Bo
foro that timo Mr. Conway waa dead.
Tho banker hold tho securities ponding
legal doclslon, which bus Just boon
given, to tho offoct that tho bonds must
Ijo added to tho estate and dlvidod
among Mr. Conway's rolatlvcs. '
A market woman named Jacques, in
trying to entrap a mouse In tho fire
place of hor lodgings in Paris, pulled
put a looso brick behind which tho
mouse had Bought rofugo, and was as
tonished to find a parcol consisting of
notes, cash and securities to tho value.
ft 40,000 francs. Sho at onco took her
jtod to the poltco station, and will bo
entitled to claim It In a year's timo
kalew the owner comes forward and
irovMi bis right to tho fortuno In tho
IMftRtlwe. Within half an hour of
Ar 4tocoyery becoming, knotf.'tho
Jtader had aa offer of marriage,
HER BEAUTIFUL HAIR.
I.
For love and for life you havo left mo but
Only n ringlet to clasp nnd to kiss!
After the fear, nnd the tear, nnd the
prayer,
Only a tress of your beautiful hair
Of you silken, soft, shadowy, beautiful
hair!
IT.
JIaIr that Love crowned that his fingers
unwound
In moments wficn even tho Silent seemed
sound,
And speech was immortnl! When the
rise and the full
Of a llmvcr on your beautiful bosom said
all!
And earth moved in music nnd Love was
Love's thrall.
nr.
For love nnd for lifo,you have left me .but
this:
All gold to my glance, denr, but cold to
my kiss I
You have left me but this, and to feel,
nnd tp know
The dear brow that wore it lies dream'
less below
The green o the meadow the white o'
tho snow,
IV.
You havo left mo but this, of your love
and your trust;
Tho love that lies dreamless in daisies
nnd dust;
But over my heart, in tho night of de
spair, I shall feel tho sort fall of your beauti
ful hair
'Till I drift to Qod's Morning and meet
with you There.
Frank L. Stanton, in tho Atlanta Constitution.
$ All's Well That Fs Well
VI ' k - XJ II ij,
It. PERRY wns nn old
bnchelor nnd Miss Briggs
was nn old mnhl. He lived
in tho brick house on tho
hill, and she lived In tho cottage oppo
site, nnd they wero mortal enemies.
Ho despised her because sho kept two
cats nud n canary, nnd sho loathed
lilm for his affection for a hugo mas
tiff nnd nn old knock-kneed horse.
"Why on enrth tho man don't try
to got a decent horso is more thnn I
can imagine," sho would say, as ho
plodded up to tho door. "I believe ho
Is too menn and miserly to buy one."
Miss Briggs would hnrdly havo felt
plenscd had sho knows that Mr. Terry
rodo back nnd forwnrd on this worn
out plcco of horseflesh for tho purpose
of nnnoying her.
Thoy never spoke, but yet thoy man
aged to keep up n perfect warfare,
by disagreeable manners nnd wrathful
glances.
Sho snt hour after hour bencnth that
canary bird In tho window, with her
cat perched upon tho sill nnd her knit
ting in her hand, throwing glances of
scorn to tho opposlto side, where he,
with clgnr nnd newspaper, received
nnd paid them back with Interest.
Ills detcstablo dog enmo over nnd
ran through her garden, destroying nil
her beautiful tulips nnd hyacinths,
nnd sho gavo him a hot bath, which
eent him howling to IiIb mnster, nnd
when snld master remonstrated, sent
word that sho would trent him worse
next time.
Her little red cow broke through his
enclosure and devoured his turnips,
nnd ho led her homo nnd Informed
Miss Briggs that n second offense
would give her comfortable pasture
In tho pound.
For two years they lived and fought,
nnd no one could bring about pence
between them. It was a pity, the
neighbors ull said, for Miss Briggs was
a dear little soul, and thero was not n
liner man iu tho country than Mr.
Perry.
"Julia, my love," said Mrs. Perkins
one niternoon, us sho entered tho cosy
parlor, "I am going to hnvo n party,
and I want you to come down In tho
afternoon to tea and romnln during
tho evening. Every ono will bo there."
"Will tho old bach over tho way bo
there?"
"Mr. Perry? Oh, yes! We could not
get nloug without him."
"Then that settles tho matter, I
ehnn't go."
"Now, Julln, don't be so foolish! If
you remain at homo he will think that
you are nfrald of him."
Miss Briggs thought tho mntler over.
Well, it would look a llttlf. in.-.. !.
nnd sho would not have him think so
for tho world tho conceited wretch.
Mrs. Perkins went homo, and it wns
nrrnnged tlmt Miss nrlin? uiwmi.i
spend tho afternoon nnd remain for
tuo party.
, Sho WUH a nrcttV llttln wmnnn niul
was nlwayB n puzzla to every ono why
nuu nuver married, huo had a round
rosy face, clour brown hvoh nmi lmnu
t If ul hulr, and If sho wos thirty, there
im inn n smarter woman In town
Sho stood before the
hor chamber, nnd fastened her lace
cou.r over the neck of her dress with
n pk-in gold brooch, and began to think
tlmt she looked very well. Thero wns
n nright healthy Hush upon her clic
nnu nor eyes wero full of llfo and
beauty.
Sho walked Into Mrs. Perkins's sit
ting room nnd found ini iiu-,.iiiii,, i.,...
with n smiling face. Sho thought that
" m in n very good humor, but
Bald nothing, allow! 111? thn innil Imlv
to siiillo us loug and pleasantly as situ
Sho understood It nil when supper
timo came, and Mr. Perkins entered,
fallowed by Mr, Perry. This was a
wolMuld plot to mako tho two beeomo
melius.
MIsh Briers bit her lino
ly vowed that nothing should tempt
Iter to "ulvo tlmt mini" hoi. tim..i ii
friendship. She hated htm and always
tVIHllll.
Ho was placed directly opposite
tho table, and mnnv tlnuw fn-.,i
"pass tho biscuits or preserves, and
Miss Briggs accepted them, although
sho declared to Mrs. Perkins nfter
supper that thoy nearly choked her.
Before ovcnlng they wore both per
suaded to overlook tho horso nnd cow
dllllctilty, nnd be civil, nnd Miss Briggs
wns frightened when sho found her
self talking to 111 in with cosy nnd
pleasant familiarity.
Tho patty was a success, aud al
though tho sports were generally mon
opolized by the younger portion, they
found room for the old mnld and her
enemy, and several times they found
themselves doing most ridiculous
things In tho way of paying forfeits.
At tile end of the evening Miss
Briggs wns at the door to depart, when
he called:
"Miss Briggs, I am going right up
your way. will you ride?'
Would she rido behind tlmt old horse,
nnd beside tlmt detestable imm? Sho
was wondering whether she would or
not, when Mrs. Perkins came and tri
umphantly led her out, and packed
her Into the carriage.
It was as dark as pitch, and they
had to let the horse go his own way
and And It the best he could. Ho did
so very well until they reached tho cot
tage, nud then ho was bewildered.
Mr. Sperry spoke, Jerked tho reins,
but to no purpose. He then took out
tho whip. Whether his naturnl dis
like to that article, or tho memory of
the indignities lie had suffered from
the hands of tho owner of the cottage
overcamo him, It Is hard to decide, but
nt nil events ho kicked up his heels,
ran a few yards nnd fell, overturning
the buggy nud its precious contents.
Miss Briggs was up in a moment, un-
harmed, but Mr. Perry was silent ns
the grave. Shu run shouting through
tho darkness until Mr. Perry's "help"
came with u lantern to her nssistnuce.
They found the poor man half dead
beneath the carriage, aud while Dan
wns at work, Miss Briggs ran home for
her own servant. After much hard
labor they succeeded In extricntlng
him from thu wreck, but ho was sense
less, nnd they bore lilm homo, aud scut
for u doctor. Upon examination tliey
found Ills leg to bo broken, and thus
Miss Brlggs's enemy was at her mer
cy. The days nnd weeks that followed
were dreadful ones to tho sufferer, but
Miss Briggs never left him. Day and
night she stood beside him, and her
plump hands administered to every
want.
Ho forgot the cow nnd his turnips.
Ho forgot the cat and the caunnry. Ho
only saw a little patient womnn, with
n pretty face, trim llguro nnd tender
hands nnd, would you believe It fell
In love with her.
How could he help it? She had oat
by him through the dreary days of
pain, slip had brought him her pre
serves nnd nice Invigorating cordials.
Sho had, In all probability, saved his
life.
What could ho do? Nothing but
fall In love.
"Miss Briggs!" ho said, one dav
when ho wns nblo to sit up.
"Well, Mr. Perry?" :
' "You have been very good to me. and
I feel ns though I owe you u great
deal."
"There I now Just stop where you
nre. You owo mo nothing."
"Wit would you mind If I trespassed
n Httlo further on your good nature?"
"Not nt nil."
"Well, Miss Briggs, will you take
mo In clinrge for tho rest of my life?"
"wiintr
"Will you marry me? There!"
Miss Briggs blushed, nnd her answer
cumo thus:
"I will mnrry you."
There was n wedding In church n
few weeks later, nnd Mrs. Perkins
prepared tho wedding supper.
iur. ana Mrs. Perry llvo In tho brick
house, and the cottnge is rented to a
young man nnd his wife, to whom
Mrs. Perry bequeathed her cats and
tho ennnry.
Tho mastiff nnd the knock-kneed
old horso nro with their forefathers.
Wuverley Magazine.
Londoners nnd the "Lift."
It looks as though pcoplo with weak
hearts had, nfter ull, better climb ten
flights of stairs than effect tho ascent
by menus of the lift. This convenient
Institution is becoming ubiquitous. Wd
soar up to the topmost story of tho
sky-scraplng lint, wo descend through
geologlcnl strata to tho twopenny tube
by its nssistnuce. We thought wo were
thereby saving our vltnl energies nnd
lengthening our lives. The doctors
seem to hold another opinion. Lift
attendants hnvo died sudden deaths;
peoplo with weak hearts hnvo noticed
ominous sensations when In the eleva
tor. We aro told the sudden transl
tlon from tho heavier air at tho foot
to tho lighter air nt tho top Is extreme,
ly trying to tho constitution. Even
millionaires nud bishops and alder
men nro now voluntarily tramping up.
stairs, and nvoldlng tho swifter but
Insidious route. In fact, a new dis
ease litis swum into our ken, "lift
mini's heart." Wo havo all of us been
risking tills mnlndy without knowing
It. It Is true most peoplo have ex
perienccd tho singular sensation of In
ternal eollupso when the lift floor sinks
beneath tho feet, but none of us sub
pected tho results might bo bo serious.
Every new notion for henlth and com
fort seems to bring Its particular Nein
esls. Loudon News.
No Use For Talking Mnuhluct,
A meek Httlo mini walked Into the
olllce of tho detectives at Follco Head
quarters Monday afternoon nnd re
ported that some one had stolen his
phonograph. Detective Phil Strloff
ran his hand over his bnld spot nud
said: "Ah, tho thief was a slnglo mnn."
"How do you know he was a slnglo
man?" asked Eddlo Moses.
"Why, It's a pipe that married man
wouldn't steal a talking uincblue.'V
Cluclnnatl Enquirer,
AN ACCOMPLISHED CAT
"WUZZY" HAS BEEN TRAINED TO
RETRIEVE GAME.
He Is ns flood nAny Hunting Doff-How
His Hauler TiuiBlit Hint to Itntrlovc,
Follow nnd Stand Fire Hits Acquired
ffoino Cnnlne JInlilti.
Uncommon among cats J3 Wuzzy,
tho son of Mutz. for Wuzzy goes n
huntlng. He does not hunt as nil cats
do, but, instead, goes with hunter nr.d
gun nnd retrieves game, the accom
plishment coming partly from heredity
und partly from long, patient nnd care
ful training.
I became tho possessor of ft beauti
ful Australian tiger cat who responded
to the name of Mutz. Mutz wns af
fectionate and of good disposition, nnd
I began training her to hunt whllo sho
wns u kitten. It was a most dltllcult
undertaking, nnd when I had reached
n point In her education where she
would follow me a short distance from
the house nnd pick up birds tbnt were
ehot she became the mother of three
kittens. Two of them wero consigned
to n bucket of warm water nt Dlrtb,
but the third was so beautifully
marked that ho wob saved. Some one
remarked that he wob "a wuzzy little
cat," aud "Wuzzy" he wns named.
The coming of family duties effectu
ally stopped tho further education of
Mutz, nnd the effort was transfcired
to Wuzzy. Wuzzy's father wns evi
dently a disreputable old fellow, but
the son's markings wero even more
perfect thnn thoso of his mother, nnd
now ho is a miniature tiger In nil but
disposition, for a more lovable and
loving cat It would bo dlfllcult to find.
The nomadic Instincts of his father,
combined with tho training of his
mother, mado Wuzzy an Ideal subject
for experimentation, and ns soon as ho
could play I began teaching lilm to re
trieve. After Wuzzy hnd learned to retrieve
he wns taught to follow nt request
not command and then to como to
shoulder. A dog Is taught to como to
heel, but Wuzzy preferred my shoul
der and would climb there and remain
perched during tho long walks. Now
came the most Important nud delicate
part of his education. He would re
trieve nnd would follow; would he
Btnud Arc? Would ho retrieve birds?
Beginning with a small rifle, which
made but slight sound, I gradually
accustomed htm to the discharge until
he would sit on my left shoulder while
I lired a shot from the right
Tho next lesson was to combine the
sound of tho gun with the idea of re
trieving, and on firing I threw the
ball with which he waa accustomed to
play and ho quickly associated the
gun nnd tho ball. Then the ball was
displaced by a dead bird, n linnet or
sparrow freshly killed, and it took
but a few lessons to teach lilm to re
trieve the bird ns readily as the ball.
Tho next lesson consisted In hnnglng
tho bird to u limb aud dropping it ns
the gun wns fired. He soon learned
to watch the motion of the gun, nnd
his keen eyes detected the bird before
the shot Ills eagerness and expres
sion of cxpectnncy showed his im
patienco nnd, the trigger was scarcely
pressed before ho was off for the fallen
bird.
Having sufficlcntlv Inculcated into
his mind tho sequence of events I now
put ms lessons in practical operation
nnd took him ou his first litinf. He
followed mo readily for about a quar
ter of a mllo and then showed a desire
to return home. Calling him to shoul
der, I shot a linnet. He watched the
motion of. the gun with evidences of
delight, and' ns tho bird fell he sprang
to tuo ground ana urouglit tlio bleed
ing trophy to my feet. This wns suf
ficient for the first dny, nnd we 're
turned home, where ho received the
bird ns his share of tho dny's sport.
Every day for a week I continued
to tnko him furtbei nnd fnrtlipr from
homo until I felt that his education
wns about complete. A tramp of three
miles and back had ho terrors for him.
and his bright golden brown eyes were
ortcu urst to tllscovor the hidden bird.
Like nil of his kind, ho has nn antip
athy for water, and will not venture
In after birds tlint full in streams.
Tho details of our most recent hunt
lug trips nro typical of his work nnd
will servo to show to whnt extent
Wuzzy's education hns been carried. I
started out ono evening nud gavo a
peculiar whistle, which the 'cut has
lenrued to recognize us his particular
call. Ho cumo sleepily around the
corner of tho house, ns if half Inclined
to resent interference with his nap,
but when ho saw the gun his resent
ment passed and ho wns nil llfo nnd
notion. He frisked about, llko a dog,
ruuulng up and down my clothing,
climbing trees and scampering along
tho top of the fences for a few hun
dred ynrds, when ho settled down to
business nnd begun casting nbout for
game. Espying a dove on a dead
limb, ho crouched nnd began lashing
his loug tall In perfect tiger motion.
Thus ho lay until I sighted tho bird,
Hushed It nnd brought It down, when
ho was off, swifter than a dog, nnd
grasping tho fluttering bird almost as
soon as it touched the ground.
I was first to Bight tho next bird,
and flushed nnd dropped a meadow
lark whllo tho cat vus looking In
another direction, liutnntly on the
sound of the guti Wuzzy was alert,
nnd noting tho ntni of tho gun, ho was
oft llko a shot after the bird, which
ho found by circling llko a truo hunt
er. Thus tho hunt progressed until
wo reached a spring about threo miles
from homo Just nt Btindown, tho timo
when doves delight to drink, nnd then
came what I consider tho brightest
achievement of tho cat.
Hiding beside u scrub onk I called
Wuazy to shoulder. His bright eyes
wero constantly watching, and when a
dove appeared tlylng swiftly toward
i
the spring, tho cnt wns trembling with
excitement until the bird nltghtod for
Its evening drink, then ho bounded
from my shoulder to a nenr-by rock
and stood, lashing his tall, whllo tho
frightened bird flushed nnd swiftly
winged Its way to fall by a shot. Itc
trlcvlng the bird ho waited patiently
until the next appeared nnd tho per
formance wns repented, Until tho np
pronching darkness drove us home,
As a sequence to his training Wuzzy
has picked up, of his own accord, cor
tain hnblts that aro usually considered
to belong especially to the dog. He
objects to being left nt home when any
member of the family goes visiting,
nnd will follow to tho neighbor's, nud
If the visit happens to bo n long one
ho will give most reproachful yowls
from the front porch until tho hint Is
taken nnd the visit cut short. Occa
slonnlly when we havo spent the oven.
Ing nt a neighbor's, we have been fol
lowed by Wuzzy, nnd wo were always
suro to And him curled up at their
front door when we stnrtcd home.
San Francisco Chronicle.
THE WORLD'S LARCEST PLANK.
Cut From ft Giant Ilodwood Trco It Meas
ures 0x17 Feet.
The largest perfect nlank In the
world is claimed by Ohnrlos Herbert
Unrr. of New York City. It Is of red
wood, cut from ono of tho famous Cat-
Ifomln glnnts, with dimensions of two
inches thick, six foot wide and seven
teen feet long.
Whllo there have been perhaps as
lurgo pieces of'redwood ns this one ex
hibited, it is said that tlinv worn not
without some Imperfections cither lat
ent or patent, or else wero made up of
Bcctlonnl pieces to represent one.
Tlio plank wns produced only by ac
cident nt ono of the lorcest snwmlli
In California, and probably coital u'evcr
be duplicated. It Is ono of tho most
dlfllcult tasks, coupled with constant
uisnppolntments, ns explained by one
well versed In such matters, to secnm
a slice of wood of such enormous pro
portions and have It perfect In every
dctnil.
An experienced woodman Is oblleed
to go prospecting for miles in tlm
dense redwood forests for a suitably
large and Tadnptablo tree of at least
urteen feet In diameter. When he
finds such a one he carefully Inspects
It, haa it felled, nud it Is then a ques
tion whether it will prove sound
enough Inside to warrant further test
ing. Trees of such large diameter, due to
their great age-1000 or 1500 years
are Invariably decayed, or have what
Is known ns "heart cheeks" or scams,
usually threo In number, diverging
from tho corner of tho tree trunk to
two-thirds of tho distance to the cir
cumference. The trunk or log is then
taken to tho mill for Unnl dissection,
where skillful nnd scientific work is
called into play to cut between these
irreguinr "heart checks," nnd at the
snmo time avoid nny defects which Ho
hidden beneath tho surface.
This plcco of wood contains exactly
204 square foot, board measure, and
weighs 010 pounds.
How Parliament Is Dlnolved.
A preliminary step In the process of
the dissolution of Parliament Is the Is
sue of tho necessary writs by tho Lord
Chancellors of Great Britain and Ire
land. Writs nre issued to tho tem
poral nnd splrtunl peers of England,
the representative peers of Ireland,
tho Judgo3 of the High Court (not
being temporal peers), tho .Attorney
and Solicitor-General and tho sher
iffs nnd returning olllccrs for couutics
nnd boroughs.
The twenty-eight representative
peers of Ireland sit for life, nnd there
fore In their enso a dissolution merely
Involves a writ of summons to the
now Parliament. It is otherwise,
however, with tho sixteen elective
peers of Scotland. They hold their
seats only during tho lifetime of n
Parliament, and havo to be re-elected
at each general election. Tho election
takes place In Holyrood Palace, in
Edinburgh.
Outsido London and Middlesex the
returning officers receive their writs
by post; aud a record of tho times of
posting, receipt nnd return is pre
served by an elaborate system of
signed acknowledgements. The writs
nre returnable within thlrty-llvo dnys
of tholr Issue, ami the returning olll
ccrs nro liable civilly and penally to
the House of Commons for the proper
returns. London Dally Mall.
To Troveut Fire on Shipboard.
A French maritime engineer, M. DI
bos, hns discovered two remedies
which can be employed simultaneous
ly to prevent or announce spontaneous
comVustlon In the hold of a vessel.
The first Is to havo vertical tubes
which go from the deck deep Into tho
hold, down which thermometers may
bo lowered from time to time, nud the
temperature In the hold ascertained.
This method Is only for tho discovery
of dnnger.
The second method Is renlly n com
pletion of tho first, and consists Iu
placing in tho hold a barrel full of
common lime, Into which, from tho
deck, runs a lend pipe. As soon ns
Uro Is discovered an ncld (such as sul
phuric) Is poured down the tubo Into
tho lime. This causes a freeing of
carbonic ncld gas which completely
subdues the lire.
Whf re Follcomen Shoot Shnrks.
An eight-foot shark that hnd been
swimming around In the bay between
Main nnd Benlo street whnrves was
Bhot and killed by Patrolman Ingham.
Small boys havo been in the habit of
making the space between tho
wharves a swimming holo nnd aro now
expected to glvo It a wide berth. San
Francisco Chronicle.
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.
It Is reported that the Immenso coko
plants nt Connollsvlllo, Tenn,, nro to
bo equipped electrically, with tho Idea
of cheapening produqtion. Not only
will electric mining npplianccs be in
stalled in tho coal mines, but tho elec
tric llftsjrind electric cars will handle
It afterward.
Hnrvir.l University has sent nn ns
tronomlcnl expedition to Jamaica,
where temporary quarters havo been
established nt Mundcrvllle. Observa
tions aro to bo mado with a telcscopo
which Is said to be tho longest in tho
world. It is 135 feet long, but hns a
comparatively small diameter. Among
other work an attempt Is to bo mado
to obtain a series of photographic rec
ords of the moon, which, if satisfac
tory, arc to be published as a lunar at
las. A now .device for moistening and
scaling envelopes will commend Itself
to mnny pcoplo ns moro cleanly than
tho- method with which vevery one Is
familiar. Tho molstcncr and sealer Is
a central glass tube, provided at ono
end with n soft rubber nipple. In which
metal bearings hold a, soft rubber roll
er. The central glass tube contains
water, which Is fed to the sponge. In
senllng nn cnvelono the snontre Ik
drawn across the gum flap, which 1b
thus moistened. Tho device is then
turned nround nnd the moistened flan
is evenly nnd squnrcly sealed by means
or tho rubber roller. For holding tho
moistencr nnd scaler when not In uso
n holder is used, composed of a soft
rubber suction base, upon which t
glass rod Is mounted. When the suc
tion base is moistened and nrossed
down on the table or desk tho air Is
ixpellcd nnd h holder stands up
ight, convenient for use when. re-.
quired.
Tho developments of recent yenrs
have gvcn .new ,lmportanco to wnter
powers, and at a recent congress of.
physicists nt Dussoldorf it wns pointed
out tlint great progress In the use of,
such power must follow the damming
of mountain streams to' hold back
water for dry seasons. The advan
tages of tills water storago were thus
summarlzcdl Crentlon of a uniform
water power for the factories In the.
vnlley and inducements to InerenKf
safd Industries; distribution of power
by electrical transmission: a higher
water lovel In tho streams, eron In
itio wnrm summer months, and a de-.
crease of tK'Ir Impurities; decrease of
liability of rivers to freeze by tho
drawing off of comparatively warm'
water; Improvement of tho wnter sup
p'y for cities and Irrigation of barren
lauds; decrease In the liability of;
floods nnd tho damnge dono by them;
decrease of tho desire, of the inhabit
ants to collect In largo towns; beauti
fying the landscapes, developing fish
eries, water and Ico sports, etc., and
Improvement of means of transporta
tion. A device has been introduced for tho
purpose of combining the good effects
of exercise and tho physiological ef
fects of electricity. By this apparatus!
a person can havo nn electric shocki
while going through his usual nuitutl
nal rope aud pulley exercise. Tho ma-.
cliiuo resembles the ordinary exerciser,;
with clastic cords passing over the.
pulleys, but the cords serve ns conduc-i
tors and tho handles nr electros. Close,
to the hand of tho exerciser Is an ap-j
pllauco which enables lilm to tncreaso,
the current strength nt pleasure. A-'
metallic foot plate with which tho ap-;
paratus Is supplied can bo placed in'
tho circuit, so tlint the current can be
pas.sed through tho body. It can be'
so switched ns to bo directed froinj
cither hand through tho body to the
other hand, through the body to the(
feet, or through tho feet to tho;
body. The drawing out of the slide
of nn Induction coll regulates tho cur
rent Iu strength to meet all require-,
incuts. Tho dosage of electric current;
which is supplied by this invention Is
so slight that It would be dlfllcult to'
do auy hnrm with it, nnd It may possi-J
bly prove of much benefit to those who
use It to n moderate extent.
A Fiilsonoiii Food-FlanU
"One of the most deadly poisons nnd
a common article of food are combined
In a single plnnt," remnrked a botan
ist. "This Is tapioca, a South Amcrl'
can shrub that grows to a height ot
six or eight feet. The root as well an
tho wood of the plant, secretes on
acrid milky Julco so toxic that It kills
In a very few minutes. This qunllty
Is eliminated by heat, and tlmt which,
In n raw state, is so dendly is thereby
converted Into a nourishing and ngree
ablc nllmcnt. The root Is grated into.
pulp ad subjected to great pressure,
which extracts all the poisonous Juice.
It Is then heated on metal plates which
transforms It Into the tapioca, of com
merce. This Information regarding
tho poisonous properties of tho shrub
need not disturb the equnnlmlty of,
consumers of tnploca, as tho process
employed lu Its conversion from a
deadly plant luto a substance entire
ly Innocuous Is nbBolutely Infallible." -j
Washington Stnr. j
Hudden Changes In floveniment.
nellbron, In tho Ornnco Illvnr Hnl.
ony, 1ms undergone some remarkable
experiences of late. Both tho English'
nnu utcn rorces havo occupied It
such a number of times tlinf th e In.
habitants hardly know, until they look
ni tuo nng over tlio moglstrato's court,
whether tho town for tho
nlleglanco to her majesty or Is claimed
uy uneron'8 guerrillas. Since May 23
four months ngo-lt hns changed Its
rule no less than seven tlmnaH,iaf
London (Cape Colony) Dispatch.
V