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RAILWAY TO EUROPE
Hew Interest In the Project of New
York to Paris by Rail.
Vbe Idea Jm Not So Chlmcricnl n It
Would Scent at Klrnt TliotiKht
To Tunnel llcncnth
Ilchrlnic Strait.
When a few years ago somo explor
ers and engineers suggested an all-rail
route to Paris via a tunnel under tho
Hearing straits, It was considered as
the wildest of dreams. But that there
Is more to tho scheme than Idle spec
ulation Is evident from tho fact that
tho projectors of the now road
(French and Russian capitalists and
American bankers), have Just filed a
petition with Secretary Hitchcock, of
tho interior department, for approval
of tho proposed route. This petition
will undoubtedly be followed by an
application to congress for a land
Brant through Alaska. Col. James
Hamilton Lewis, of Chicago, Holmes
Conrad, former solicitor for tho de
partment of Justice, and Charles H.
Aldrlch, of Chicago, arc tho attorneys
for tho projectors. Tho petition, it is
hclloved, Is a forerunner to asking tho
United States to neutrallzo tho straits
ns between nations, so that, In the
event of war with China and Japan or
Russia, no advantago will bo given to
the enemies of Russia.
Tho tunnel under the Btralts would
bo between Capo Prince of Wales, tho
most westerly point of' Alaska, .and
East Capo, tho most easterly point
In Siberia, and will, according
to a report of tho engineers,
provo a comparatively- easy task,
for beneath .tho water, which In n6 place
is over 23 fathoms, tho formation Is
not of rock, but schlBt or slate. No
blasting would bo necessary, and tho
Diamedo Islands in tho straits at;o so
placed as to offer tho most 'convenient
moans of ventilation of the tunnel. Tho
.Btralts,. commonly reported 16 bb from
, 17 to 30. miles wide, nro actually 40, and
tho first iBland Is 15 mllqs from East
, Cape; the second is 15 miles from that,
' and tho third five miles' from Capo
Prlnco of Wales. Horry q W.indt, tho
explorer, Journalist and engineer, who
' , with a party of Russlnna visited the
' , . Btralts in 1898, declared -after lib had
.', carefully surveyed tho situation, that
, ' 'the difficulties' to bo encountered In tun-
-. v 4 Jieflng'nnd constructing retails' in Alaska
to connect with the trans-Siberian road
wero (ndt' one-qiia.rter thoBO to bo en-
"' '-cbunttyed in tho construction of the
"iyhit6 Pass railroad, dreamed of ten
o ', JWS ng0 by J' J k'11' for furt"cr north
, "thtjfnountalns diminish and tho valleys,
iy) vtl0&ly wooded to wltlfln 80 miles of
, tf. , Caper Prlnco of Wales, run north and
,i ti e6li,th?
rs '-' According to the present plans, tho
"tO Trans-Alaskan Hallroad company, of
1 -"'"- vh'lch Mr. J. J. Frey, .of Denver, Col.,
ill 15 vfj cK" T
-
A MAP OP BEHRINQ STRAITS,
f
Is president, will construct tho road
of 2.G00 miles tc Capo1" Prlnco of Wales.
Tho Russian government will oporato
tho Siberian side of tho road. The
White Pass railroad is paying enor
mously, and it is certain that tho pro
posed, new road would pay equally well,
for there are vast forests, tin doposits
at Cape Prince of Wales, copper depos
its and gold Holds of a valuo which Is
not yot known or realized.
Tho entlro cost of building tho con
necting lines in Alaska and Siberia, and
constructing tho tunnel would not bo
ns great as that of tho New York sub
way. It 1b planned to make tho road
single tracked for freight with sidings,
and will enable a train to pull out of
Paris, and threo weeks later enter New
York city.
Forty engineers who were sent out
by tho Russian government for tho boIo
purpose of surveying tho proposed road
have planned no mountain climbing or
tunneling. The road by tacking would
avoid tho mountains from Irkutsk to
Yokutsk, a distance of 2,000 miles. This
section Is now under construction. From
Yokutsk tho road will extend half way
to Verkoyansk, and then strike duo
northeast to Verin Kclymsk; then south
100 miles, and thenco to East Capo. Con
vict labor would bo used in Siberia, and
tho forests would supply the ties and
lumber for 1,000 miles of sheds In Siberia
and Alaska.
M. Locqui Lobet, member of tho
Geographical society, and ono of those
Interested in the great scheme, passed
through San Francisco recently, and
in talking of the plans declared that
12 years would see tho road and tun
nel completed and trains running;.
ISLK IN DISPUTE
The Tiny Specks That Both Amer
ica and England Now. Claim.
Why Thone on the Count of Ilrltlah
North Ilornco liclonc to Ua
Where Titer Are nnd What
They Arc The 1'eonlc.
When tho sultan of Sulu (or .Tolo)
first saw an American, ho asked:
"Why did you como hero to got more
land?" having heard that Americans
were very rich and possessed immeas
urable lands. And if he now knows, or
over happens to hear, that our govern
ment has taken tho troublo to put her
seal on those tiny specks of land lying
off tho northeast coast of Dorneo, tho
woo isles of Bagnau, Taganac, Bak
kungnau, Lihiman, Boaani, Slobcung,
and Lankkayan, ho may, indeed, doubt
tho tales of boundless wealth and wldo
domains belonging to tho United
States. But theso weo Islands have
strategical value, and therefore we
THE DISPUTED ISLANDS.
They Ara Shown In tho Circlo off the Borneo
Coast;
want them. And, anyway, they belong
to us.
These seven Islands lying so cioso
to . British North' Borneo, camo to us
along with tho sultan of Sulu. But we
lay claim to them, not because this
Sulu sultan has spiritual power over
tho Mohammedans In some islands
without tho Sulu group, and oven over
Mohammedans residing in British
North Borneo, but because of two trea
ties; the first, a treaty between Great
Britain, Germany and Spain,' wherein
Spain was given title to all the islands
"outside a marine league's distance of
tho Borneo coast"; tho second treaty
referred to tho ono between tho United
States government and the sultan 'of
Jolo, In which agreement was made
that all tho islands ceded to Spain by
the treaty of 1885 should belong to the
tnltcd States.
'Tho seven Islands recently visited by
tho United States gunboat are unques
tionably out of tho marino league limit
of this treaty, and authorities declare
the British have not a shadow of claim
to them. Thoy arc uninhabited and
reputed uninhabitable; all Ho close to
gether and are spread o'ver an area of
about 40 miles. The largest of tho
seven, Boaani and Tagenac, command
tho harbor of Sandakam, tho capital
of British North Borneo. Rear Ad
miral Evans, recognizing their value
from a strategic point of view, sont
ono of the Philippine gunboats to tho
islands to survey thorn, hoist the
American flag and erect American tab
lets. The Island of Borneo Is tho largest
of the East India Islands. Tho Dutch
possessions comprlso by far tho major
part of the territory, tho British terri
tory (31,100 square miles) occupying
tho extreme northern portion of tho
Island. British North Borneo has n
coast lino of about 900 miles, a moun
tainous interior, and much Junglo
land! tho population Is 200,000; on tho
coast arc Mohammedan settlers, somo
.Chinese traders and artisans, and in
land dwell tho aboriginal tribes. Bru
nei and Sarawak, nolghbpring terri
tories, were placed under British pro
tection In 1888. British North .Borneo
Is under tho jurisdiction of tho Brit
ish North Borneo company, held under
grants from tho sultans of Sulu and of
Brunei. Tho territory Is administered
by a governor (English) in Borneo
and a court of directors in London.
Our friend, tho sultan of Sulu, seems
to have been considerable of a person
age In tho past and may yot be, for
all wo know; both Great Britain and
Spain treating him with consideration.
Spain used to pay him an annual trib
ute, and tho North Borneo Trading
company still hands over to him a
yearly tribute of 5,000 Mexican dol
lars. And yot In his own land tho po
tentate has wielded but an uncertain
authority; where "each man Is mora
or less of a freo lance, and his author
ity Is measured largoly by tho number
of rifles ho possesses."
Following tho word of out putting
hand to tho seven tiny Islands off tho
coast of Borneo comes tho report that
Franco Is going to turn ovor to us her
insular possessions in tho eastern Pa
cific. A cynical writer, commonting
on tho reported transfer, says: "Tho
correspondent falls to toll whether
wo are to pay for them, or be paid for
taking them." Certainly their reve
nues aro not such as to make us eagor.
Tho local budgets of all for last year
amounted to not more than ?300,000;
tho Islands altogether have an area of
about 1,520 square miles, and a popu
lation of 29,000.
THE PEDIGREE SYSTEM.
Br It American Steele Una Been
Ilrotifcht 1'p to Itx Preaent Stand-
Hrd of Excellence.
We often hear farmers and stock
raisers say that they caro nothing for
pedigree. They forget that it 1b by a
system of registration that well-bred
animals have been brought up to their
present high standard of excellence, and
thnt the pedigree is a guarantee that tho
animal Is what is claimed for it; It
stands, as a rule, for Individual merit.
If it vfco not for the pedigree Bystem,
farmers would often be Imposed upon by
unscrupulous breeders, by having half
bloods or erades put off on them as full
bloods. Grade animals have passed with
many as full-bloods; and, in fact, from
their appearance, they sometimes pass
tho most careful observer, as genuine.
High-grade animals aro quite as good
In many respects as full-bloods but
they are not good breeders. They can
not bo depended upon to stamp their
good qualities upon their offspring.
The full-blood Is prepotent over tho
grade animal, and to grade up a herd
we must use full-blood males; to be sure
tho new blood Is genuine, require a pedi
gree. This must, of course, be backed up
by good Individuality. It 1b true enough
that an inferior animal cannot bo made
a valuable one by pedigree alone. But the
good individual whoso registered fam
ily history shows a line of ancestry
from which theso excellent qualities
have been inherited, can be trusted to
transmit the favorable traits to his off
spring. While undoubtedly too much
stress is often laid on pedigree alone, it
will be a fortunate day when more farm
ers come to a realization of the lm
portanceof the pedigree. We shall then
look for a marked improvement in tho
quality of the animals found on the farm.
W. J. Hayes, In Midland Farmer.
CHEAP STOCK SCALE. "5
Hotf One Pnrmcr Keep Trnck of
Himv .Much IIIh Hokn C.nln
from Week to Week.
1 have an ordinary platform scale
that I used to weigh stock to note the
gain. I first started weighing vege
tables and then to weigh pigs, so now
I weigh feed and hogs every week and
can tell how much thoy gain and how
much feed It takes to make that gain.
In weighing hogs I use a crate made
of 1x4 slabs, with a gate at each end. I
set the crate with one end at the hog
houso door, balanced on a platform
scale with blocks underneath to prevent
FOR WEIGHING STOCK.
teetering, open gate in hoghouse end
of crate and lot in as many as the crate
will hold. After weighing, I let them
out of the front end and I am ready
to weigh again. In this way two men
can weigh 40 hogs in about half an hour,
after everything is ready.
For weighing cattle, I take two pieces
2x10 Inches eight feet long and cleat
them together and lay across the scale
as In cut and lead the animal on to It.
If the nnl::ils are not gentle you can
set four posts in the ground, nail 2x4s
on them, so as to make a chute to lead
them through onto tho scale. The cor
ner of frame (a a) must bo made very
strong. Tho piece (b) may be made
movable at both ends If desired. Extra
weights can be had at any scale house.
C. J. Davidson, In Farm and Home.
A Iluthtiih for Hour.
A breeder thus tells how he prepared
a bath for swine: "Some years ago we
tried an experiment by making a shal
low bath, four foot wide and ten feet
long, of planks, with sides eight inches
high. This, being bedded in puddled
clay, was easily mado watertight. The
whole thing did not cost moro than
three hours' labor. Water was pumped
from a stock well near by and run Into
this bath by a spout. Gravel was placed
some Inches deep around the bnth to
prevent mud. The water was drawn off
and tho bath refilled every day. The
pigs did not requlro any teaching. We
have seen seven pigs in it at once, nnd
tho others trying to root them out so
they could get possession."
lint Fuel for AnlnrUta.
Tho most common kinds of smoker
fuel used by aplaristB aro rotten wood,
planer shavings and old rags. Better
than any of theso is tho dried and pul
verized dust of rotten corn-cobs; but
best of all is tho stuff known as cot-ton-wnste,
such as Is used by engineers
for cleaning their engines. Take a
bunch of the waste just large enough
to fill tho smoker and touch a match to
it. It will not go out, will laBt nearly
half a day, and will be all ready loi
business every time it is wanted. Mid
land Farmer,
BIGNESS OF SIBERIA
Surpasses Any Other Country in the
World in This Respect.
Some PnctH anil FlRtirea Ahont Tlili
. MlKhty Colony of thcCnr What
the .Slberlnu Hallway la
Kow Dolus for It.
The diplomatic fight which Russia is
making to retain Manchuria, with its
lce-freo ports, so as to provide a mar
ket for Siberia serves to call atten
tion to that great Russian colony and
make the statement of a few facts re
garding the colony and the railway
which has been built across It of spe
cial Interest at this time.
We in America are in the habit of
referring to the bigness of things, but
we must admit that Siberia is, par
excellence, the land of distances. It
Is 200 times the size of Scotland, and
its mining and agricultural belt Is at
least 50 times as large as England.
Of Its Innumerable waterways, nearly
30,000 miles are navigable. It has
gold fields many thousand square
miles In extent, and for 4,000 miles
from the Steppes of the Altai moun
tains and thence through the Balkan
region of the East Siberian ranges
fields of silver,, lead, copper and iron
persist in an unbroken metallic chain.
The great railroad itself, which trans
ports us from gray Europe to the gold
en east and the Pacific, is 0,000 miles
long that. Is to say, it girdles nearly
A TYPICAL RAILWAY STATION.
a quarter pf the globe's circumfer
ence. As with distances so with num
bers. It was decided to build a rail
road which should hinge Europe to tlrj
far east. Immediately an army of
200,000 appeared to build It. That
army of workmen promptly scored a
record for Its cosmopolitanism Rus
sians, Germans, Americans, French,
Turks, Khirghls, Tartars, Tungus,
Burlats, Ostiaks, Mongolians, Chinese,
Manchurians, Japanese are all con
spicuous In It Think of the task of
feeding them!-
The whole length of line may be di
vided into four sections the vast
plains of West Siberia, the forested
rolling country of central Siberia, the
high ranges of tho Baikal region, and
the taiga, or .forest country, which
Pacific. I give a view of the line in
the tlga, or forest country, which
shows its character well enough. Ow
ing to the great number of marshes
and peat bogs the line frequently de
velops unexpected curves. On the
other hand, when you enter a dry re
gion the rails arc laid so straight that
if you could shoot straight enough and
far enough from the center of tho ob
servation car at the rear of the train
your bullet might land between those
rails a dozen miles away.
Russian system naturally dominates
everything. Here it is, for example, in
the stations, of which, by the way,
there are 400. They are built on a
strictly systematic plan and graduated
Into classes four classes, at least. The
first and second class are built of
brick or stone; they have very good
refreshment rooms, and complete ar
rangements at the back for tempora
rily housing and dispersing the 250,000
picked emigrants now annually enter
ing Siberia. Tho lower classes are built
of wood, and uncooked food is procur
able at these: All, of course, have a
water-tower, and a storehouse
banked with earth up to the roof to
keep out the cold and to every sta
tion there Is attached a small dispen
sary, with n dispenser in attendance,
which is a welcome enough sight in
this land of distances.
Last year 2,000,000 passengers and
1,500,000 tons of goods passed along
the railway. That is not bad for a
single line. What will it be, however,
as Siberia develops? fts population
has already risen, with the railway,
from G.000,000 to 9,000,000. Towns have
already sprung up in tho wilderness.
Two years ago the junction for Tomsk
possessed threo houses, and to-dny it
contains 12,000 people! Branch" lines
have been built to Archangel In the
far northwest and to the Caspian In
the southwest. Every outlet of Euro
pean Russia is being connected with
tho Siberian railroad White sea. Bal
tic and Black set; overy where is de
velopment; everywhere haste and en
ergy In building up Greater Russia.
For, whichever way wo look at it, we
must never forgot that what we are
watching is the expansion of Russia,
and that in Siberia and her capacity
for almost unlimited growth Russia
has discovered and now is founding
ber colonial empire.
SPORTS AND
ATHLETICS
Joo McGinnity, known in baseball
circles as "the iron man," has long
been rogarded as
ono of the premier
pitchers of the
major leagues. Ho
is having a very
successful season
this year with
tho Now York
National league m
leam, having won
about two-thirds
of the games
pitched. In a re
cent discourse ou
Joe McQInnlty. ng h(J Bad. My
'raise ball, which I have used quite
successfully, I first got the hang of
from Billy Rhlnes, the famous pitcher
of the Cincinnati club. I was much
taken with tho delivery, and thought
it could bo doveloped into moro ef
fectiveness by using a chango of paco
nnd adding to it n curve. Every win
ter when I went to my homo In
Indian Territory I practiced the deliv
ery assiduously, but I found it a very
difficult ball to control. I kept at It,
however, and gradually gained com
mand of tho delivery, but it took mo '
five years of almost constant practico
to get it down fine enough to mako tho
success of it tho public is pleased to
give mo credit for now. Tho 'raiso
ball cannot be used exclusively to bo
effective. With that alono opposing
batters would soon get the hang of it
nnd hit it a mile. Tho upshoot Is puz
zling at first to a batter who has never
faced it before, but ho will soon slzo
it up. I have found it 'necessary,
therefore, to give a slight curve not a
big break to It. I have also practiced
the underhand delivery, which is nec
essary to use with the 'raiso,' so much
that I am able to give the ball a drop
and also an incurve with tho samo mo
tion. The underhand swing I find, too,
saves my arm, and is much less fa
tiguing than" 'the overhand shoulder
motion thnt most pitchers use. -I, of
course, use tho overhand delivery
when I want to put in a straight,
speedy ball and to help mo mix 'em
up That Js the whole secret of suc
cessful pitching mix 'em up. Don't '
pitch any two balls nlike. unless you
are in a hole "nnd forced to. In pitch
ing my 'raiso ball I hold the ball
tightly in my two forefingers and
thumb, the samo exactly as for the
overhand outcurve. With "a stooping
motion and underhand, swipg I let the
ball twist off my fingers with a sail
upward. It floats up to the plate with
a rise just enough to mako the batter
pop it up in the air. But I cannot say
that it is always a success) I havo
had my bumps, and many of them, and
prpbably shall again."
Eddie Graney, prominent in western
sporting circles, has been selected to
referee the battle
for the heavy
weight champion
ship of the world
between Jeffries
and Corbet at San
Francisco, Aug
ust 14. When tho
articles for tho
fight were signed
somo timo ago the
principals agreed
to leave the ques
tion of a referee
open until somo Eddie Gransy.
future date, but when tho matter was
brought up recently the selection of
Graney was mutual, and there is no
doubt but that tho contestants will
receive a square deal and that tho best
man will be declared tho winner.
Robert Fltzsimmons, ex-champion
heavyweight pugilist of tho world, has
signed articles this tlmo not for a
fight, but which unite him in mar
riage to Miss Julia May Gifford, an
actress. Their honeymoon will bo
spent at Harbin Springs, Cal., "where
Fltzsimmons is helping to prepare
Champion Jeffries for his coming con
test. "Billy" Maynard was knocked out in
the first round by Champion "Young
Corbett" recently nt Philadelphia. Tho
men were to havo boxed six rounds.
The fight, as far as it went, was fast
and nil in the champion's favor. A few
seconds before the hell sounded end
ing the round Corbett caught Maynard
on tho Jaw with a right, sending him
down and out. Somo timo ago May
nard secured a six-round draw with
"Young Corbett."
Barney Oldfield has been lowering
world's automobile records with
monotonous regularity recently. His
latest feat was covering a milo ' at
Yonkers, N. Y., In 0:55 4-5. Tho best
previous record was his own of
0:5G 2-5.
England won the national challenge
trophy at Blsley during tho recent
tournament with a score of 1,821.
Wales was second with 1,805. Scotland
scored 1,804 and Ireland 1,755.
Frank Kanaly, of Cambridge, Mass.,
the former five-mile A. A. U. national
champion, ran n mile in a professional
contest at Boston the other day in
4:29.
HARRY MARTIN.
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