Harrison press-journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1899-1905, February 22, 1900, Image 3

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    OCEAN FILLED WITH SERPENTS.
STRANGE FLOWERS.
TALK ABOUT WOMEN
JONAH'S STORY POSSIBLY TRUE.
Washington, . C The most remarV
ble tory that luu reached Washington
'rom the ltilllilne. up to date has
x-en brought back ty !r. (ieoTsre V.
tinker, who wan sent by thia govrrn
nent not long agr to study and report
ipon the ecology and mineral resources
t the archipelago. It is & tale of
nake, and guaranteed tut it ia by the
issertatlon of no distinguished a sci
entist it may well e-xcite. interest. For,
llthough erpenl have often figured
n popular narrative by cbixens or even
Hundreds, lr. Becker lescrlbe those
ne saw m swarming by tens of thou
sands over vant arean of sea in the
riidst of our new posweeslo'ns.
"I was going by steamer," he nays,
"from (Vbu t JxU. tny route lying
rroa the sea of Join, and I estimate
tha ton our way we parsed! through
about on hundred inib-s of snakes. I
watched them over the aide of the ves
sel, and tlicre acemed to be no end to
their numb-re. Of course it la Impos
sible to make a guess worth having in
ouch a matter, but by a almple method
tpf computation " I have reckoned that
there were about B.mw serpents to each
nquare mile. As I have Raid, we passed
' through JOO miles of them, and if the
'school' was as broad as it was long
sne might reckon the entire number
af snakes at M). 000. 000.
extrkmkly venomous.
"I had often heard of these sea ser
pents, which swarm In eastern seaa,
swimming on the surface when It ia
calm. In the Gulf of filam they are
finind in such numbers that vessels at
anchor commonly thread their cables
through barrels to prevent the reptiles
from climbing up the ropes and com
insr aboard. They are true snakes, and
extremely venomous. In fact, they are
among the most dangerous of all the
nakes, being numbered among the
Thanalophlda, or deadly serpents, of
that part of the world. A bite Inflicted
by one of them is as surely and swiftly
fatal as that of the dreaded cobra. Fur
thermore, they are very fierce and ag
gressive, and will attack human beings
whenever they get a chance. Fisher
STOLE GEMS WITH HIS TONGUE.
New York. "The Lord gave me a
long tongue, and the devil put evil
thoughts into my heart. So, between
the two, I have been in trouble for
forty years."
Eugene Lnbonl Ollpy, 70 years of age.
possessed, of 100,000 francs, chastened
by many years of punishment, came to
America during the past week to begin
a new and he declares an honest life.
He Is In all probability the most re
markable criminal known to the police
and detectives of the capitals ot con
tinental Europe.
There Is no counterpart of Ollpy in
this country that Is to say no coun
terpart of him physically, as a man,
r methodically, as a thief. His neck
Is like the neck of a giraffe, but his
gullet la large enough to admit of the
passage of an ordinary egg without in
convenience, and his tongue Is, in all
probability, the longest and most sin
gularly constructed tongue that nature
ever has iicstowed upon any man or
woman in the world. Kxtended at Its
full length it measures from teeth to
tip four and three-quarters Inches, and
turns down flo that It covers and turns
under the chin, and If turned upwurd
covers and extends beyond the end of
the nose.
TUB DIAMOND EATTR.
He was known fifteen years ago on
the Boulevard dea Itallens. a "let petit
rnangcur tie diamants." which freely
translated stands for "The Diamond
KAter," and hi own estimate of his
dealings, from the time he began until
hi retirement, he places at about 2,
Oon.OOO francs. He was born In Switz
erland in lo, and st the age of 6 was
taken to Paris by h!s patents.
The boy was precocious, and before
he reached his tenth year he hsd fall"n
In with a gang of French crooks, led
by Emit Janovar, subsequently guillo
tined for an atrocious murder. Ollpy's
abnormal physical ec ullarlties quickly
I. erame known, and h furnished much
amusement for his preceptors in crime,
by swallowing solid substance huge
enough to choke nn ordinary full grown
man, and in puking up small objects
with the tip of his tongue, reaching
them as such a distance that the action
whs little less than marvelous.
This peculiarity was Inter turned to
grod account. He was provided with a
pair of spectacles, the lenses of which
were so thi( k as to give the Impression
SOLDIERS STRUCK BY BULLETS.
It you take a dozen soldiers as like
each other as pens so far as height,
weight, strength, age, courage and
general appearance, and wound them
all In precisely the same way, you will
find that scarcely any two of them are
affected alike.
One man. on receiving a bullet In his
b-g will go on fighting an If nothing had
happened. He does not know. In fact,
that he now contains a -bullet. Ilm
perhaps Iti two or three minutes he will
grow faint and fall.
Another man, without feeling the
sl'ghtost pain, will tremble all over,
totter nnd full at once, even though the
wound Is very slight.
A third will cry out In a way to
frighten his comrades, and will forget
everything In Ills agony. A fourth will
grow stupid and look like an Idiot.
Home soldiers wounded In the slight
est manner will have to be carried off
the field. Others, although perhaps fa
tally Injured, can walk easily to the
ambulance. Many die quickly from the
hock to the nervous system.
A very curious caRe Is recorded In the
surgical history of the civil war. In
Collier's Weekly: Wife (who has been
out shopping all day)-Oh, dear, how
tired and hungry I am! Husband
IMdn't you have any luncheon In town f
Wife A pl nt oup only: 1 " 1
feel that I could afford to have more.
Husband-Did you llnd the hnt you
wanted? Wife Oh yes; It Is a perfect
dream, John, and It only cost tin.
Hoston. Transcript: Servant A gen
Hemsn at the door wants to know If
Mr Brown lives here," Mr, Brown-Tell
him no; that Mr. llmwn boards here,
Mrs. Hrown I probably the person he
wishes to see.
Chicago Tribune: Mr. Meeker, who
had gone to the front door to answer
the postmana ring, put hie heed Inside
th door of the room where hie wlXe
wee Ittinr- ""' lt,'r ,or m' ",y
(Mr," he eeld. "Shall I open It?"
men In waters Infested by them are ex
ceedingly afraid of them and eiercts
the utmost precautions when chance
brings them Into the nets.
"More than thirty species of the Ily
dmphiaa, as this family of venomous
water snakes Is called, are known to
science. Every one of them is deadly.
They are found In the open peas, not
frequently the shallows. Occasionally
they are seen In the tidal rivers, and
now and then they are thrown up on
the shore by the current. They seem to
b very delicate, and seldum live long
in captivity. Those I saw were three or
four feet long, but I understand that
some of them attain a length of six or
even more feet. They exhibit consid
erable variety of form. Some are dis
tinguished by very long necks and
small heads, while all have fan-like
tails. Their bodies are much flattened
toward the rear end, as to enable
them to steer belter. Those I saw were
black near the head and yellow on the
belly, the black and yellow combining
in a very pretly checker pattern toward
the tail.
"There marine snakes have long been
regarded aa curiosities by naturalists.
It is probable that they use their dvad
ly venom to kill the fishes on which
they prey. Their bodies are filled al
most entirely by their lungs, which are
of great size, in order that they may be
enabled to stay under water for a long
time. Their eyes are modified for see
ing In the water, and sr when taken out
of their natural element they seem
blinded and strike fiercely at every
thing. Their fangs, like those of the
cobra, are always erect."
Some of the prettiest things for the
hair now worn are flowers of chiffon,
the roses of white chiffon showing the
yellow stamens in the center being the
molt attractive, but other colors are
worn. From the center of these flow
ers sometimes appear aigrettes, some
the real, and others more conspicuous
of chenille. One or two flowers are worn
together. Ordinary artificial roses are
most of them Jeweled and worn with
the aigrette.
that he was nearsighted, almost tc
blindness, and, in 1849, he started ot
his remarkable career. Carrying a card
from which he pretended to study the
ruling quotations, of precious stones,
It was his habit to enter shops In the
Hue Itoyale and lean over trays placed
on high tables for the Inspection of cus
torners who called to look over glitter
ing lines of rubies, sapphires, emeralds
and1 diamonds.
HOW TH I J THICK WAS DONE.
Watching closely the attendant, he
would bend over the tray as though tc
discover a possible flaw in any one oi
the several stones he was examining
With a rapidity almost Inconceivable
his long tongue would shoot out and
touch a stone, and with the same swift
ness of movement would be drawn In.
carrying with it whatever gem had
been selected as booty. So swift wa
the motion that Ollpy was not detected
Until he had been engaged in the busi
ness for at least four years. Then he
was caught and sent to Jail for three
years.
Immediately upon hli release he lefi
Paris, and went to London, and fot
ten years worked among the smallet
dealers In Jewels in the Kast End, and
was so successful that he eventually
became the owner of a large amount ol
real estate In the canton of Switzerland
where he was born, and In Southerr
France, where modern methods of rail
road transportation were being intro
duced, and which promised large re
turns In the future.
"The diamond eater" then extended
his operations to Vienna, to lierlln, and
to Amsterdam. He was caught, soiree
of times, but the detectives did not dls
cover the actual method by which he
accomplished his purpose. Ollpy hat
served seventeen years In Jail, and it
now an old man, with his tongue Jusl
as long as It was when he swept up bin
of glass from a table in a low cafe in
the Vaugirard, he has come to Amer
ica to be an honest man.
Accordlon-plealed Mack tulle will b
an Important factor In the decoration
of Faster hats, also loops and choux of
black velvet ribbon, graceful scarf ends
on "dross" styles, and a fascinating
mixture of tea roses and foliage, Parma
violets, peach blossoms and white lac
on Wllhclmina models.
which three officers were lilt just at
the same time. One had his leg from
the knee down carried away, but he
rode ten mile to the hospital. Another
lost Iris little tlnger. and he became a
raving lunatic. While a third was shot
through the body, and. though he did
not shed a 'drop of hlood externally,
dropped (b-ad from the shock.
The Buddha that was stolen from
Henry I!. Foulke. theosophlst, at Oonset
Fay, Mars,. In 1M7. Is ti be restored
this week through the Countess Con
stance Wai limelsler, and a shrine built
for It in Worcester. Miss. This partic
ular liuddha Is of stone, about live feet
tall, and was In the possession of Mine.
Blavntxky, who bequeathed it to Annie
I'.esnnt, and it afterward came into .Mr,
Foulkc'a keeping.
The discovery of papyri In Egypt
proves that the shepherd kings reigned
In Kgypt when the Hebrews wero there.
This discovery brings the chronology
of Fgypt and the chronology of the bi
ble Into harmony.
HKLIOIOFS.
The Christian churches of California
are organizing to resist the clamor for
taxation of church property which hai
for so long hung over their heads.
The Kplscopal churches of New York
nre making special efforts to Interest
their children in all kinds of mission
work, with promise of marked success.
Miss Helen M. Could has given jr.0.000
towards a building for the utie of the
naval branch of the Young Men's
Christian association, neur the entrance
to the Brooklyn navy yard.
Ilev. J. Milton Oreen, rresbyterlaii
missionary to I'orlo Itlco, on his first
Habbath there had a. congregation of
over 100 natives. lie report them e ger
to hear. A church will torn be erected
at Baa Juan.
Lo Angeles, Cel. Two prospectors,
ust returned fnmi a long and fruitles
search for gold among the rugged
mountains of Central America, are the
discoverers of what Is pronounced by
naturalists wlio have seen the remark
ably fine fiieclmens brought here by
I the finders to be the Mrangest and
j rarest liower in the known world. It
'grows in crevicen on the pidts of Jit.
Agua and around the seared edges of
the crater of the towering volcano
', Fucgo. Guatemala, and has been named
(the 'ilofce of Hell," because of a legend
of the Guatemala!! Indians which at
taches to the place of its nativity. It
U really a beautiful flower, despite in
rough appearance, and the half dozer
specimens exhibited here have attract
ed wfde attention and interest among
scientists and educational Institutions,
several of which have endeavored to
purchase the valuable curiosities. The
University of Kouthern California is
about to acquire the choicest ones.
JrvBldent Silver of the city council if
owner of one of the best of the "ruses."
PUZZLES THE SCIENTIST.
The newly discovered blossom, if such
It may be called, is a puzzle to all who
have examined It, and Is odd and won
derful in many ways. It is composed
of four distinct petals, concave in shape
and arranged much like the petals of a
halt blown rose. The outside ot the
petals or divisions of the flower is cov
ered with thick bark, like an ordinary
tree: Inside of these divisions the bard
surface Is Indented with lines that fol
low each other in the most delicate
tracery, like the veins in the petals
of some flowers. The stem, which is
usually about a foot long, is of solid
wood, not dissimilar from the ash or
iron-wood of the forests of the .United
states, except that the fiber is more
porous and the wood much lighter, tho'
squally strong. It Is covered with a
heavy bark, and Is cracked In several
places, as though by heat. The flower
ind the stem are dark brown In color
snd as dry as tinder. It grows on a
tree of Immenfe size and great strength,
which, covered with flowers and viewed
from a distance, looks not unlike a
'uih laden with common roses, though
there Is lack of bright colors. And
'.here Is no fragrance.
Nothing like the "Hose ot Hell" Is
known to exist anywhere else on earth,
mil Its discovery by Gray and Ivets,
:ho two prospectors, was brought about
by chance and their desire to scale the
high volcanic mountains. The Ignorant
natives who inhabit the Jungles at the
Dase of the ranges regard the flower
with awe and superstition, and have
been taught through countless genera,
Hons that to touch it would bring an
everlasting curse upon the luckless one
who thus tempted the fiends supposed
to dwell within the great mountain
whence It springs.
THE DOCUWA Y OF HELL.
The Indians regard the crater of the
steaming Fuego as the doorway of htl,
and this wonderful flower grows near
Its mouth, hence a strange legend
which holds that It Is the only flower
or ornament produced where evil spirits
revel In furious fire. The superstition
which attributes the origin of the now
er to the demons of hades Is hard tc
trace, but the Indiana have known the
prodigy of nature for a long time, it
appears, and have always associated II
with the llery vengeance of the sub
tcrranean regions. They look upon th
curlouH flower as the most deadly ol
poisons, and experiments made by boll
ing the bark and placing a small quan
tity of the fluid In water for animali
to drink have proved It to be such
deaths resulting quickly and appar
ently without pain.
A most peculiar characteristic of the
"Hose of Hell" Is that it grows only
on the sides facing the town of An
tigue. which ranks as the fifth city in
size in the republic of Guatemala. Over
a year's prospecting by Gray and Ivere
among the mountains failed to reveal
a single tree or flower of the strange
speciiM anywhere else, and It seems al
together probable that not one could
be found on the face of the earth, out
of sight of Antigua; and even there
they nre extremely rare, there being
probably not more than fifty trees.
DESTRUCTION' EVEH NEAR.
It would seem that no more fltinn
place for the revelation of such a won.
dcr could be found, for the town ol
Antigua is probably more peculiarly
situated than any other In the world,
being constantly threatened with uttei
destruction by two elements, tire and
water. On the one hand Is tho Agua
or "Water" volcano, 12,.W feet In
height, and on the other Fuego, or
"Fire" volcano, towering 13,200 feut
above the sea level. Each of these has
laid the city In ruln?. Agua has for
centuries been extinct, and In 1541,
after a season of unusually heavy rains
when Its vast crater was flooded, the
rim suddenly burst, directly above An
tigua, and the town was doomed. A
furious avalanche of water rushed
down the steep mountain side, sweep
ing everything before It, and burying
Antigua deep beneath great heaps of
mud ami debris, where about every In
habitant found his grave. It. Is related
now that but one tree remained, a
magnificent specimen, under the shade
of which the Spaniards had assembled
before building the city. The native
legend holds that this was a "Rose of
Hell" tree, and that seems sufllclent
reason for them why the place was
buried by the demons. The volume of
water In the crater at that time i?
estimated to have been 40,000,1100 cubic
feci.
Antigua'Tins rebuilt as the capital of
Guuteiiuila, and th;'n. In 177:;. canir
Fuiko'h tut n. .It suddenly belched
forth smoke and flame, and frightful
fur tliquakes overthrew all the buildlngi1
In the city, vapors have bee nemltted
from Fuego's crater at Intervals ever
since. In I Mil It was in a stale of erup
tion, and the Indians, bearing the con
tinuous rumbling In the Interior, and
feeling the ominous trembling, threw a
young maiden down the crater to pro
pitiate the angry demon. After that
the capital was removed, but Antigua
was again rebuilt, nnd still stands, tho'
held In constant supwnse by the awe
Instilling mountains that loom up on
either side, ever threatening It with
deluge nnd earthquake.
If the "Rose of Hell" proves In he B
species of tree and flower heretofore
entirely unknown, lis scientlts whe
have examined the specimens and
know them assert, It Is probable Hist
the discoverers will make another trip
to Guatemala and bring out all the
specimens that can be found.
Not vc'-y long ago no women were
employed in the Astor library, pays the
New Vorlt f omini rclal. At present
there are nt leant a dozen, ard they
know their business, extremely well.
T4 e majority an- young, and have a
scholarly, culllvnled appearance. They
move around as noiyc lessly as nurset
In n hospital, nnd if they Indulge In
llltle chats now and Iron II Is en pn
snt nnd' when there Is n lull In busi
ness. While it must be admit led thai
ill the employes of, the Astor llbrarj
ere courteous and Intelligent, the wo
men are especially io. '
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Cult says she
believes the close of the twentieth cen
tury will see a woman president of the
United Htatcs.
Mrs. Churles H. Hpurgeon's health has
improved sufficiently to enable her to
resume work on the final volume of her
husband's biography.
Lydia Meyer, the mayoress of Brown
ville, L. I., the largest purely Hebrew
settlement in America, has passed her
preliminary examination for the bar.
Mi.H Jane Stone is the only oil op
erator in the country. She owns ISO
acres in Texas, which have oil wells
that have made her rich.
Mis. Mary Bright Bewail, president of
the International Council of Women,
delights in the management of her In
dianapolis hime. "I always set the
table for a luncheon or a dinner," she
says, "and I often design the cards."
Letha Jackson", school teacher at
Steamboat Rock, Ia has won a long
di awn-out legal battle. She was dis
charged for punishing a pupil and then
brought suit for reinstatement. The
case was fought up to the state su
preme court, which has just decided in
her favor.
Mrs. O. O. Hall, who has bought the
farm on which William Henry and Ben
jamin Harrison were both born, paid
$lj,0'W for the property and proposes to
place in the wall of the dwelling house
a tablet telling of the two presidents
born under Its roof-tree.
Miss Maud Earle Is spoken of In Eng
land as the successor to Rosa Bonheur.
Khe is said to be one of the greatest
living painters of animal life, if not the
greatest. Dogs are her particular spe
cialty. All the noted dogs In England
are "slug'' to Miss Earle for their
portraits.
Very little is now heard of Lotta, the
actress. She retired from the stage at
the height of her popularity. Her
wealth is estimated at $1 ,.r)00,000. She
pays over J9,000 taxes In Boston alone.
It fays to entertain the people and It
also pays to save the earnings derived
from hard work.
Tho Countess de Castellane presented
qulle a legal appearance at the opera
nl New York the other evening. Her
coronet denoting her rank was a dis
tinguishing feature of her costume and
it was made more noticeable by the or
ange velvet which lined it. She wore
a gown of purple and around the cor
sage were flowers of tints to be seen in
autumn foliage and matching better the
velvet of the coronet than the gown.
FASHION NOTES.
Pale shades of gray and beige color
are the tints in dress gloves and are
quite as much worn as white.
The new foulard silks tn pastel colon
blended charmingly in the cashmere
designs must be seen to be appreci
ated. Imitation diamond buckles are a very
conspicuous feature of dress trim
mings, and other pretty buckles are ol
enameled flowers.
According to the latest Btyle in mourn
ing attire, a contrast Is offered to the
crinkly surface of crepe by the addition
ofy fine dull cloths voiles, cashmeres
and soft, lustreless reps.
The fichu with its long scarf end;
will be a graceful feature of coming
styles. No matter whether the figure
be slender or the reverse, the fichu
lends ltpelf with equally good effect, 11
only the wearer knows how to dispose
the folds thereof to her own advantage
Big black pompons are among the
most stylish things for the trimming
of outing hats. They have a business
like appearance which Is very appro
priate. Flowers are not suitable, and
only the sliffest kinds of wings are sat
isfactory. Lace gowns or those of net In the stil
fashionable combination of black and
while, enhanced with strappings, arm
bands and natty French choux ol
black velvet ribbon, have developed thii
ceason to a degree of beauty never be
fore attained.
The coats and jackets of the sprino
season of 1900 are as satisfactory in
shape, outline, adjustment, fabric, fin
ish and appropriate decoration as any
models devised. Mnce the day of wraps
bega ii.
A prelty little rhemlse made by some
expert workers in lingerie has a little
Eton Jacket effect In front. This I
only In the front of the garment and
the little round Jacket shapes to the
figure set in Insertions of lace. The
fronts are some distance apart, and be
tween them the chemise Is gathered
In the regulation fashion into the band
around the neck and falls straight and
full.
The season's new display of slll-'s be
gins with plain and fancy taffetas, un
commonly handsome effects in black
and white, and black alone, In many
weaves. Soft, medium heavy saline
ami. peau de sole of satin weave and
with a dc.mi-lustre arc the most reli
able of the silk textures. The beauti
ful repped black silk with a. brilliant
lustre will also be well patronize, and
for dress ucs will be trimmed with
fichus, scarfs and accordion-pleated
flounces of black motisseline biilliante.
Straps of braid continue to terminate
m many tailor costumes in tiny buck
les of buttons, and the vests of hand
somer "dress" costumes have a double
row of costly gold and enamel button?
down the front. The really necessary
button Is small, but the one for orna
ment only Is showy and rather large.
In !!) ', ns in gimps and buckles, gold;
cut. steel nnd Jewelled designs outnum
ber all other fancies.
Some of the new cloth bolero Jackets
en suite with handsome spring cos
tumes are so covered with guipure lace,
appliques, bands, revers, facings, etc..
thai they can quite as well be called
lace boleros. Some of these Jackets
have vests of silk the shade of the cloth
tucked at the top to form a pointed
yoke-, with bands of lace- Insertion al
ternating, other vests are of panne
velvet, or net of the same pattern as
the guipure, slightly Moused on the
front and finished- with a girdle and
collar of plain velvet much deeper In
tone than the ade of the cloth gown
The Connellsvllle (Pa.) seam thai
iiippllcs the material for coke is about
nine feet thick on nn average. Thou
urds of men are employed an miner
elope, wlieivax twenty-five years ngr
nil t lily region was undeveloped. In lS'if
llieie were but four coke ovens In nl.
Ihe United Slutes. In Mil there were
livenly-one. In Ihe next ten years only
four were added. In lsn there were
MM I ovens and this number was more
than doubled by lsfio. In 137, wlier
tbn list report v.n-t made, ihere erc
ivcr IK.60O ovens In operation, which
put out about 7,000 000 tons a year nl
an average price of H.G3 a ton, or more
than $1,1.000.000 In gross revenue. The
ovens ut present number fully 20,00(
ind are sti" Inc'relng.
Flndlay, O. "It waa quite possible for
Jonah to have been swallowed by a
whale, it Is waa the right kind, and to
have lived for a few days in its stom
ach," eays Captain Winfield Scott Ha
maker of this city, "for I eaw a par
allel incident with my own eyes."
Captain Hamaker, though now one
of the best known Journalists in this
state, is an old whaler, and should
know whereof he speaks.
Years ago, as a lad of 14, he ran
away from his home in Tiffin, O., im
bued with the notion of becoming a
buccaneer on the Spanish main. He
had a vague idea that that mystical
land lay somewhere on the New Eng
land coast, and after innumerable hard
ships the boy, worn and weary in body,
but undaunted in spirit, arrived at the
whaling town of New Bedford. Mass.,
and soon hired out aa cabin boy on a
whaling vessel. For twelve years he
followed the sea, and visited nearly ev
ery country on the face of the globe,
rising from cabin boy to the berth of
naster.
MANY SPECIES OF" WHALES.
"Perhaps no question haB ever been
K misrepresented or so little under
stood as that regarding the size of a
whale's throat," he continued, "and, in
fact, about everything pertaining to
whales.
"Even in metropolitan cities situated
on the borders of the sea, the grossest
Ignoranee Is displayed by writers on the
subject, who appear to think there is
but one species of whale. To them all
whales are alike.
"As a matter of fact, there are many
species and1 varieties, with different
habits, of different build and inhabiting
different waters. Among them may be
mentioned the cachalot, the great
sperm whale, king of them all, fur
nished -with a double row of teeth In
its massive lower jaw, but none In
Ihe upper. Then comes the bowhead
or Greenland whale, which has no
teeth, but whose tremendous mouth Is
filled with great layers of 'baleen,' the
svhalebone of commerce, which is today
worth its weight in sijver. Hundreds
of pounds of this bone are taken from
the mouth of a single bowhead whale.
To this family, or closely allied to if
so far as the construction of the mouth
and throat are concerned, belong the
'humpback,' the narwhale, the finback,
sulphur-bottom and several other vari
eties. These species all have small
throats and live on very small fish
AIR SUPPLANTS THE MULE.
Marquette, Mich., Cor In Chicago Hec
Drd: The patient mule is losing his vo
cation as an underground laborer in
the iron mines of Michigan. The mule
has never been employed as extensively
in underground tramming in the iron
regions as he has in the coal fields, but
still he has been very numerous on
some ranges, particularly the Vermil
lion and the Mesaba. But the system
Df underground haulage which he rep
reeents is going and so is the man
power system, though the latter will
probably continue in vogue in some
mines where the conditions are favor
ible for a good many years to come.
The latest rival to man and mule Is
1 pneumatic haulage system which has
lately been Installed by the Common
wealth Iron company in the Argon
mine at Norway, on the Menominee
range. This is the first employment of
compressed air as a tramming power
In the Lake uperior region. The sys
tem at Argon is a storage system, the
motors being charged at underground
stations with enough air to enable them
to haul a train of 20 cars a round trip
empty from the mouth of the shaft and
to the pla.ee where -the ore is got out
ind loaded on the return Journey.
A three-stage air compressor, located
In the engine house at the surface of
the ground, furnishes the power. At
normal speed this compressor will com
press 125 cubic feet of air per minute
to 800 pounds. It Is connected with two
storage tanks located immediately out
sdde the engine room, and the air is
carried from these tanks in a three-inch
pipe to the collar of one of the shafts.
Thence down 750 feet to the eighth level
TELLS ABOUT AFRICAN SAVAGES.
Baltimore Sun: Itev. Dr. n. H. Nas
lau, who left Baltimore for Reading,
Pa., on Wednesday, expects to return
n the Rnrimr to his field of missionary
ivork in Equatorial Africa.
This Is Dr. Nassau's fourth visit to
ha i-nitnii States since, as a young
man, he was sent to Africa as a mis
sionary thirty-nine years ago. jus nair
mcl beard are while. During the last
R., irnnta, Vl n h CI a VtfC-n Stationed at I.i-
berville. Gaboon Province (French), en.
(raged In translating fourteen books of
ih hiblo into the Fang language. These
translations are being printed by the
American Hibie society, .roe rang ttie
- ..iKa ,-firnilm! tni m heri n Er about
I.OiKt.OO and inhabiting the country far
jp the ogove river, tney are iuic w
ilalure. warlike and represent much
he strongest tribe 111 mat poruon in. u'e
;ountry.
r,.- Vuiianii'n first vv'.fu. after working
for many years as a missionary with
ier husband, died In Africa, leaving two
ions, both of whom are in business in
Philadelphia.
On a visit to America In 1SS0 Dr.
N'assau married again. Accompanied
k.r v.ia .-ifft tin rptorned lo Africa and
built a little home up the Ogove river
some distance In the interior. 1 nere
. ii...- n,nv .eirHoit nn their work of
lOftc-iiii-i l" 1 ' - -
Christianizing the natives for a few
years, when this wife died, leaving a
little girl, named Mary. Now a small
mission-carrying ship called after the
a Vs wife, Mary H. Nassau, runs up
jr.d down the coast of Africa. This
ship is supported by, the children of
;he Pre .bytcrlan t hurch.
Ill- Vntiuii 1 uu Id' before leaving Bul-
..,,.. ihnt he ould not call the na
tives that he meets In Africa savages;
they are cruel, he s.aifl, uui nui noou
thiisly; ihrlr desire to kill Is more for
siipeistilloiis reasons. There are can:
nllials, lie twirl, among inrm. ne mm
seen them boiling human arms for food
and offering for sale with other meats
human hands: "arid one day." con
tinued the doctor, "while floating down
1 i.-i. in n i-nnoe. neeomnanied bv
v 1 IV . ' - ' ' -
my llltle gill nnd two natives to row
the boat, we were caiieu 10 irom a
. nakAil tnen Ntnndimr on the
shore to know If we wished to buy any
meat, ana, Homing up a. numji aim.
they Informed us In their language that
'hey had Just killed two trin belonging
such as herring and Ihe like, and
sort of insect food that ia found in the
far north and resembles sawdust float
ing on the surface of the water.
"Sperm whales, with the grampua. the
'killer,' blackflsh, porpoise, etc., all have
teeth, and all have been endowed by
nature with large throats. Hence, the
story ot Jonah need not be doubted,
for, as I have said, with my own eyef
I have been assured that a whale can
swallow a man without winking.
SWALLOWED ALIVE.
"A number of years ago I was con
nected with the whaleship Star of the
East as mate. We were off the coast
of Labrador when, one day, we struck
a big school of whales. The boats were
lowered, and one of them fastened int
a big bull. This boat was drawn along
at lightning speed, and suddenly sent
sky-high by an upward dip of the
monster's mighty flukes. All the crew
save a seaman named James Bartlett
were picked up, but no trace of him
could be found and he was given up
for lost. Two days later while 'cut-ting-in'
the whale the stomach wa
opened and the crew were thunder
struck to discover Bartlett, unconscious
but still alive. We carefully nursed
him, and being a fellow of powerful
physique, it was but a short time till
he had fully recovered from his hor
rible experience.
"Another experience I had with s
3perm whale was several years previ
ous to this, and occurred oft the Aus
tralian coast. I was one of a boat'i
crew that was chasing an immense
lone bull sperm. I then belonged to
the Tasmanian whaleship Fanny Nlch
els. We had fastened to tha whale
and had given him a few lance thrusts
and the enraged leviathan sudednlj
turned in the water, grabbed the boal
in his ponderous jaws, and crushed il
as one would: an eggshell. Just how 1
escaped I don't know. When I came t
I was on deck the Nichols. All the crew
had been saved except one young lad
The last seen of him he was in the
whale's Jaws. Whether he waa swal
lowed or not no one knows, but thai
was the prevailing opinion. The lao
was a 'bunkie' of mine, and the poor
boy was looking forward to meetini
his mother and sisters at Hobart Town
Just the night before he had kept me
awake talking to me of home, and how
happy the little sister would be to sae
him."
of the mine, where one storage tank ii
located, and through drifts to another
shaft, near which the second storage
tank is placed. The total length of the
pipe is about 1,800 feet; the size of eacl
of the storage tanks is 3 by 17 feet.
The motor with its train of tram can
runs on a twenty-three-inch gauge
track. It stands five feet two Inches
high above the rails and is four feel
two inches wide; the length ever the
bumpers is 13 feet. There are foul
drive wheels 24 inches in diameter, with
a rigid1 wheel base of four feet. The
weight of the engine in working ordei
is about 15,000 pounds, all resting ot
the drivers. Attached to the engine I
an air tank ten feet long with a ca
pacity of 65 feet. There is also an aux
iliary reservoir nine feet long and sil
inches in diameter. The air is used in
the cylinders of the motor at a pres
sure of 140 pounds to the square inch.
The time required in charging the mo
tor is very small, 60 seconds at the out
side. The plant which has been installed at
the Argon Is capable of handling 1,004
tons of ore every ten hours. Twenty
tram cars, holding a little more than a
ton each, constitute a train, and four
such trains can be taken every ten
hours from each of the ten places In tht
mine from which ore is now being se
cured. An empty train of this size,
with the motor, weighs 18 tons; loaded
the train and motor weigh 43 tons. The,
plant has not been in operation long
enough to have the cost of tramming
per ton t'j this system determined; but
mining men 011 all the upper peninsula
Iron ranges are awaiting the result
with interest.
to a hostile tribe not far from, there.
This was about thirty miles below mj
house."
The only means of transportation
through that portion of the country, Dr,
Nassau said, is by boat. Trade Is car
ried on without money, a cake of soap
or a piece of calico or beads being all
that is necessary.
"The men there are polygamists.theit
importance in the community being es
timated according to the number tfl
wives." said the doctor; "but." be con
tinued. "I do not have to tell them ol
the existence of a god a supreme be
ing. It hurts me that I cannot make
them understand about the love ol
Jesus Christ; it is something that
seems to lie so beyond them.
"They are kind to their mothers, bul
abuse their wives. Our mission has
succeeded, in bringing about 1,800 of
them Into the 1'reshyterlan church. . If
before becoming Christians they had
married more than one wife we re
quire them to set nil free (all of theli
wives are slaevs, bought and sold) but
one the one they might prefer.
"The African Is Very hospitable. Nc
medicine ever gave me more benefit
than the Christian kindness of these
heathen friends of our little mission.
They have a religion they are more
religious than you or I. They feel hon
ored to receive us ns their 'official'
guests, anil as their official guests w
can depend upon their protection."
TYPE AS AMMUNITION.
At the time of the Maori war In New
Zealand! ia rscwspnpetr I correspondent
had a strange experience. The publish-'
lug office ot a newspaper was close tc
the scene of gome of the hottest fight
ing. During the si niggle the Maoris' rnn
short of ammunition for their guns,
and, raiding the newspaper offices,
charged their guns with type and ste
reo blocks. This novel ammunition
proved very effective. One of the while
Invaders was severely wounded with
a patent medicine advertisement, an1
another was crippled for life by a
church baxar announcement, and the
editor, who had taken refuge with tht
British troops, had a narrn escape ol
being hit with one of hla own poeme.