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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (June 10, 1898)
c x-a**a___ 1 " THESE SHIPS A1IE FOR WAR Non-Combatant Vessels That Serve tru Mcn of-War as Floating Hospitals, Helpers, etc.—Arc Never Fired Upon. The finest of our fighting ships, with all their boasted self-sufficiency, their manifold mechanism, and their com plex provisions against accident or mishap, are really helpless creations the moment their coal supplies become exhausted. Nothing could ho more pathetically distressed than a great battleship wallowing aimlessly In a seaway, her powers of offense lntnet but paralyzed, like her great body, for want of energy or Its correlative, coal; her great eyes blind for want of elec trical foree; her lungs fouled by taint ed air because of her halted blowers; her whole body either feverish or chil led, as the weather dictated, for want of circulation or proper respiration; and her complement athirst for need of enough heat to transform that tmtallz Ing sea water Into drink. Su-h a thing is distinctly possible, and It Is against even the slightest approach to a like condition that we have taken ample means to provide. The modern, heavy fighting craft carries between eighty and ninety en gines of various sorts, aside from those directly occupied In propelling the ship; and, under normal circumstanc es, It is Quite safe to say that at least fifteen or twenty per cent of all steam generated Is taken up In their service. Most of them are vital to the fighting efficiency of the vessel; but there are a few of thpm, such, for Instance, as the englncera' workshop, the distillers, and the refrigerating plant, which may be termed auxiliaries of secondary Im portance; and It Is the purpose of the government to run these accessories on half-time, so to speak, and to leave Just that much more energy for other more needful purposes. To this end, we have fitted up the repair ship, the distiller ship, and the refrigerator ship, while to the colliers has been relegated the common service of supplying coal to a(l craft distant from ready bases of supply, and the englneer-ln-chief has done his utmost to make them cap able. Tbc Hfpair Ship. The repair ship, fittingly named the Vulcan, was the well-known steamer Chatham, of the Merchant jviiJ Miners' line, between Baltimore and Boston, Into the ship has been placed some thing like eighty tons of tools and ma chinery. and today the vessel is a ver itable floating workshop, There are plate bending rolls, and punching and shewing machines that can bite right through an inch of solid steel. There are lathes fpr turning castings of con siderable size, and planers, drills and tvtillincr m00V1 Inna t\f onmnaco an/vnuk meet almost any need short of that de manded In the complete reconstruction of a large engine. There are pipe cut ters, bolt cutters. Jorges and grind stones; and there Is a good-sized cupo la for the melting of sufficient metal to make a pretty heavy casting. There are a number of blowers to supply the several forges and to draw foul air from between decks and to send It skyward through the red-raouthed ven tilators above. There are also evap orators and distillers of a capacity equal to a daily output of quite 10,000 gallons of potable water—several times more than the needs of the Vulcan could demand. A supplemental elec tric plant has given excellent lighting facilities through the ship, but prin cipally in the workshops on what is termed the third deck. The purpose of this craft Is manifest. She la to follow In the wake of a tleet— her great coal capacity giving her a wide radius of action, and she is to supply fresh water to the other vessels and to make then anti there all possible repairs which might otherwise take the ships miles and miles away to some naval station. A broken spindle might rentier help less two great guns; but a few hours' work ou the Vulrau would remedy the trouble; and even less time might place the engines of one of our torpedo boats in trim after a considerable break. At the close of an engagement, the wounded vessels could hasten to her or she to them, and such work then ho done ns to plaee them back In the lute of battle, once more u formidable menace to the fiw*. The mission and the usefulness of such a craft can not be overestimated, when every pound of coal must tell Its tale of work well done In our defense. It is a very modern adaptation of that wise saw, "A stitch In time saves nine,” and a typical Instance of the great value cf a traveling base of repairs. The Distiller Ship. The distiller ship, now named the Iris, was the British steamer Menem sha. Unlike the Y’ulcan, the Iris will make no repairs, but will be devoted solely to converting the ocean's brine Into drinking water; and to this end, she will carry a very large supply of coal and will have four up-to-date dis tillers of considerable capacity. These distillers or evaporators will each con sist of three elements like the modern triple expansion engine, and are in tended to utilize the steam with the SOME NON-COMBATANT SHIPS OF THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, most economical expenditure demand ed In the output of a total supply daily of at least 60,<t00 gallons of thoroughly palatable drinking water. The operation Is simple. Each of the evaporators consists of a cylindrical steel boiler containing a coll of piping surrounded by cold sea water. The steam is supplied to the first coll di rectly from the ship’s boilers. That steam raises the sea water to the boil ing point and gradually evaporates It In that way. The steam thus generated In conjunction with such of the origin al steam not condensed In the first coll In the operation, passes Into the coil of the second evaporator, repeating the operation In connection with the sea water there, and finally merging with the steam raised from the salt water In the third evaporator and passing to gether Into the condenser. The con densation from the first two colls is caught by traps and carried off to the tanks. In this way the latent heat from the first steam from the boiler is economically absorbed by the three stages of Balt water, and a higher per centage of performance |H attained than Is possible In a single-element evapor ator. After condensation the water Is carefully neruted and the result Is a thoroughly palatable water devoid of that flatness gen< rally characteristic of condensed sea water. A sediment of lalt the residue of the ! ! <sean brine gradually forms upon the I colls of the distillers, and these evup- I , orators are so urranged that this seale j can lie readily removed. On the other ships their distillers will lie worked as ; far as possible only to the extent of ' » f**«v«* trr** j ' “wwj I THU •!'ANlJiH ■ AW MMIt'AN WAR • AN AUUMHAN l«»u»«Ktm Hti \T INACTION making good the loss of fresh water consumed by the bcl c; s. that the lue of salt water must bo obviated ar.d thn formation of a troublesome scale of salt—difficult to reach—may bo guard ed against in the ship's boilers proper. The hygienic value of sufficient fresh water can not be overestimated when the rigors of warfare are aggravated by the close ccnfincnieut cf shipboard in the tropics; and it may even be the purpo?e of this vessel to lend it3 boun ty to the military branch of the ser vice. Poisoned wells and tainted streams need not be feared under such circumstances; they can be avoided. T!i« llefrlgorntor Ship. The refrigerator ship Supply, for merly the II inols. of the American line, will be used as a traveling base of fresh provisions; and the tax on the refrigerating plants of the fighting ships will be eased to Just that cxent. The Illinois was originally built for a passenger ship, but was later relegated to the transportation of cattlo and beef to England, still es an adjunct to the American line. In that capacity she necessarily had an extensive system of cold storage,and this his readily adapt ed the vessel to our present needs. She will carry tons of ice and fresh proven der of all kinds—but. especially of a vegetable nature—the surest safeguard against disease In the tropics, and with her extensive coal capacity, her own distilling plant, and her ample burden, she will prove an exceedingly efficient part of the fleet. The government la making provisions for one or two more vessels of the same sort. The Colllera. The colliers explain themselves, and, being boats of fair speed and great car rying capacity, will form the principal supply links between our fighting craft and our base of supply. As carefully as our coal will be used, still hundreds upon hundreds of tons of It will be used dally to keep the ships always ready for instant service and prepared to meet the enemy at any moment; and the safe conduct of their precious ebon burdens will be a matter often demand ing good, cool Judgment and no mean skill on the part of their commanders. In war time, and sore pressed as Spain Is, coal is worth its weight In gold, and a collier will prove a nugget worthy of a good, stiff chase and a moderate tus sle, and the captain that can dodge such a foe and run his cargo safely into the Intended haven will be doing Just as much good, perhaps, as the skipper that sinks a foe. The Ambulance Ship. The ambulance ship Is the naval sis ter of mercy, and will minister wholly to the sick and wounded of our officers and seamen, or, If need be, the stricken of our army of occupation as well. The Solace, formerly the Creole, of tho Cromwell line, has already begun, perhaps, the duty for which she was hastily prepared; and what It means to transport comfortably nod hastily the wounded from the feverish tropies to some more temperate haven beyond the boom of guns and beyond the exciting reach of war's alarms I3 a boon very much emphasized by the record of ev ery war. As far as possible, the Solace has been made to meet the more press ing needs of the service for which she has been called Into requisition, but she Is not that perfect craft suggested by Surgeon-Gen. Van Reypon and care fully planned by the chief constructor. There is one commodious elevator In to which the sick and wounded will be carried from either side, and then rais ed or lowered either to the large, airy operating room, or to the deck on which they are to be housed. The stateroom accommodations already In the craft have been readily adapted to hospital uses, and there is ample room between decks for additional cots. The convalescents will be carried above, whore they can be In the fresh air while under the sheltering cover of wide-spread awnings. Steam cutters and large barges will facilitate the easy transportation of the injured and sick, and u well-known apparatus peculiar to our service will lift them from the boats and swing them Inboard and onto the rolling cots that carry them to their immediate destination. Kvery thlng haa been done to contribute to the efficiency of the vessel and the com fort and convenience of all on board, and there is every just reason to be lieve she will prove herself Invaluable from the common point of hygienics and humanity—for a fighting ship Is a cruel place for sick or wounded after a heavy engagement. Although all these vessels will strict ly avoid the enemy, still, In their way, they are Just as vital to our success as those that take their places In the line and bear the brunt of battle; and any man might be proud of the duty en trusted him In their command. R. O. SKERRETT. Exports and Imports. The exports of merchandise for the month of April aggregated $99,426,465, an Increase of $21,177,674 as compared with the same month last year and for the ten mouths ended April 30, $1,025, 426,681, an increase of $125,197,435 com pared with a similar period of 1897. Th« Imports of merchandise for April were $55,923,663, a decrease of $45,398, 748 oompared with April of last year, and for the ten months ended April 30, $511,187,186, a decrease of $89,008,058 compared with the same period of 1997. .v RECENT INVENTIONS. _____ t To prevent the slipping of wheels of electric cars on grades a pair of sup plemental rails is placed Inside the main rails, with grooves cut crosswise In their surface, to engage toothed wheel* mounted on the shaft. Dressmakers will appreciate a new rewlng machine attachment, consist ing of u I'-shaped frame attn'-hed to the buck of tho table to support a cloth basket, which prevents the work from pulling or getting on tho floor. Wires can be radly spliced by a new pair of pliers, one jaw having u slot for the passage of the main wire, while the other Jaw has a slotted ear through wbhh the second wire slides to wind It around the first wire as the pliers tuw revolved Iki relieve the sudden pull of winds on swinging sign*. »t. , a new hanger le teemed of an outer ctslng to sertw Into the board, with a . died spring InMd* to sup;*.rt a c*ntra| rod having an ewe at the outer end for attachment to the building Blank gnu lartrldrea ctn le urrd m • recently patent,,! burglar alarm, whteh baa a netal barrel ta be at 1 abet to the d.*.f l.i a s- nv with >1 sliding >ob« actuated by * \ shaped •petng to strike the cartridge 44 soon as live .1 xvy Is pushed open. Aluminium ball* are . .ating Inti u • In Ragland for golf, tennis, cricket and billiards, the metal being alloyed to make It klnl. or Ike balls (van be I real Sim an nluinlnlum ivy and a he» 1»r metal coveting af Iks tight thWkueas to glia the ball proper * tight Fha shower ibni gpod* a wmea « ■sew Iweivet to a rain of terror Tree frtota«l>hlp between women U n toettrr wf 4usM to most men. VUC<£/* JOWJJ •‘GRAFTING” INSECTS. A SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS WITH LOWER TYPES. Defect* Made Artificially—In lluttcrfllcA, Moth*, Chicken*, Flih find Frogs— Monstro'ltle* Calculated to (alve One m Sort of Physical Nightmare. Great Interest as well as curiosity has been roused in scientific and lay circles throughout the United States by some experiments in what may be termed the ‘‘grafting" of Insects re cently conducted by Prof. Crampton of Columbia university. New York, says the London P03t. Without going so far as to say that the experiment of Prof, Crampton makes It at all probable that the process of grafting will ever he made applicable to more highly developed creatures than grubs, caterpillars and their winged relatives, there appears in the mere fact of the successful "grafting" of these lower types promise enough to warrant an Investigation of the amaz ing physiological phenomena which have rendered the operation possible. It Is no detraction that the American professor’s experiments are not al together new. So far, Indeed, as the artificial production of Insect mon strosities Is concerned, the Idea Is much older than many are aware. More than 200 years ago the German physi ologist 8chwammerdam, having stud ied the metamorphoses of grubs and caterpillars, noticed how often both the wings and the antennae of butter flies were deformed when emerging from the chrysalis condition, and, thinking that these abnormal results might be due te external causes, he determined to test the matter by sub jecting the Insects to certain experi ences during the period of change. So successful was he that In nearly every case he contrived by artificial meant to produce the dofects he had observed In tho emerging butterflies. It Is un fortunate for those interested In such experiments that the means taken by Schwammerdam to manufacture bis insect oddities wero not recorded in the "Memolres" published by the great Dutch physician Boerhava, hence they are lost to science. But the suppres sion was probably duo to the German physiologist himself, for he was when young an Intensely religious man—re ligious in the sense understood In mediaeval days. He strongly held the opinion that all monstrosities In ani mal life were due to man’s primal error and therefore he did not care to stultify himself to a certain extent by Bhowlng that these freaks could, with in certain limits, he produced artifi cially, and thus provide his antagonists with a powerful weapon against what was then deemed religion. But the experiments of M. Alrae Barthelemy of the Bycee at Jau are well known to all students of that singular braneh of physiology known as teratology, and there Is no doubt that the example he first set Inspired the transatlantic professor of Columbia college. It la true that M. Barthelemy did not do anything in the way of grafting or at tempting to graft the creatures on whose bodies he made his Investiga tions. But that was because he suc ceeded in obtaining Insect freaks by simpler means, which helped to ex plain the manner In which the deform ities usually observed In these crea tures were ordinarily caused. His ex periments were made principally with the grub of the Bombyx morl, pre sumably the ordinary death’s head moth. By slight compression carefully applied In certain parts during the continuance of the motamorphlc prog ress M. Barthelemy succeeded in Ob taining monstrosities with no heads, hunch backs and reverted antennae. Some he secured with enormous beads and others consisting only of abdomen and legs, with neither head nor tall. He gave some insects double spines, caused others to devolp an enormous abdomen, while In yet other instances he suppressed the growth of • -dful organs altogether, without, str*. ,e to say, otherwise uffecting the crea urea. He reduced the oyes to the size of pin ***** uiruj t.'i UIO organs of sight entirely. Other French men and Germans, too, have since the date of M Itarthelemy's Investigations, about thirty years ago, taken up the experiments, and the result. It may be worth pointing out to English rend ers. demonstrates the soundness of the views regarding the development of such lower forms of animal life fta the caterpillar and grub which w*re first set forth by our distinguished countryman liarvey, who. It may be remembered, considered the chrysalis as physiologically Identical with an egg. I*ftlf*|s*nt (•on* fur Arllltrry. The l Ul.»d Stat s wdl employ a light artllleiy i.f brt eeh-loudlbg gnus of 3.2 «allt*r. They am the met efTecilve fine n for Reid | u. pose# constructed | up to nuts. T!,r> can deliver prtOae* ttUs viltli a tnurale yihvity i,f # ij..ar* ter of a mils in a n ot,, d and thsir «f fvv’tivs rauae |< four miles The pro Jeelllss employed are usually fhrap dels, each one in burst n< being re vived Into about 2o> fragments gg • ***• Wd| pf |pill«| |'«|bi Young Vlad Mr tiotmeb*. M km enttgr stabile you „r» the Marriage *f y>>ur vtsnsh sr '• liwltmhs ' Mtrrlsd' My J*ufM*r, PiuMl It* whoa*, »lr, to whom*' Vi.it ig Man 'IJ*i-uea ms, •ly, bi*l, ef you «es. I #y modesty forbids ms. sir, but lb* M Is sly. »bs uisidtd ms Adams Pros**, M If l»u I a told is fur a sasMi'i I •»'»!« * n*«e«.a»y pari at Ui hat i asms* • NS man by tbs thrtbsa ba j •taro, issued ef by thosa ba pays far | Nervousjnd Tired Was Not Able to do Her Work Until Hood's Sarsaparilla Curod. “I waa troubled with headache*, ner TOUines* and that tired feeling. I read in the papera about Hood’* Srr*aparilla and began taking It. I am now able to do my work, a* Hood’* Sarsaparilla has relieved me.” MR*. T. F. Kjch, Hampshire, III. Hood’s Sarsaparilla Is America's Greatest Medicine. $1; six for 85. HOOd'S Pills cure Indigestion, biliousness. The Bachelor—Nero Killed thous ands just to hear the death rattle in their throats." The Benedict (exten uatingly)—“Maybe he had a baby to amuse."—New York Journal. Don't Tobacco Spit ana Smoke Your Lite Away. To null tobacco cisily and forever, bo mag n'tic, full of life, ni rve. and vigor, take No-To Uae, tlic tvonder-wr rker. that makes weak men strong. All druggltts. 50c or 81. Cure guaran teed Booklet and sample free. Address Sterling Bottledy Co., Chicago or Now York. "What hum poetry that Is!" “What other kind would you expect to find in a magazine?”—Chicago Tribune. COSMO UUTTKKIIILK TOTT.KT SOAP makes the skin soft, white and healthy. Bold everywhere. The American navy has practically all been built since 1883. To Core constipation Forever. Take CaeearetH Candy Cathartic- I do or 2ta If C. C C. fall to cure, druggists refund money. “Momma,” said Tommy Tucker, ”how much older will I have to grow before I can go to war?” “You would have to be at least twelve years older,” answered his mother. And Tommy took another look at the last bulletins, went out to the barn, broke his wood en sword to piece*, crawled In the hay mow and wept.—Chicago Tribune. He: (wondering if that Williams has ever been accepted): "Are both your rings heirlooms?” She: (con cealing the hand): "Oh, dear, yes! One has been In the family since the time of Alfred, but the other Is newer and (blushing) only dates from the oonquest."—Harlem Life. Electricity In its various applica tions Is said to give employment to 5.000,000 persons. Go to your grocer to-day ML and get a 15c. package of 1 Grain-0 It takes the place of cof* Vt?1 fee at ^ the cost. Made from pure grains it is nourishing and health* ful. Insist that Toor groo*r giras jroo OR A.IN-O. Acc«pt 00 imitation. FAULTLESS STARChT THE BEST FOB JET Shirt Waists, “ Shirt 5 Fronts, 2 Collars, T and o C3 gj Clothes. ccz ^ our Booklets, Laugh □ and 3 SSKSCSSSS AliKM T * **V** •*— <*. km H:r.;rr T^iMiKM«at«r.