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.
