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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1899)
LANDMARK IS FALLING The World-Famous “Bridge of Sighs” is in Danger of Collapse. The most fascinating structure in the world, "The Bridge of Sighs" of Venice, is In danger of collapse. Unless the slow moving Italian gov ernment officials take some quick steps to save it, the stone arch which poets and novelists have Immortalised for centuries may fall and disappear In the dark waters of the canal which it spans. The walls of the Palace of the Doges, on which one end of it rests, are crumbling. So are those of its other foundation, the walls of the adjoin ing prison. The Bridge of Sighs spans the Itio della Paglla and connects the ducal palace with the career! or prisons. 'I he bridge dates from 1697. It is a graceful arch, 32 feet above the water, enclosed at the sides and arched over head. It contains two separate pas sages, through which persons were led for trial or judgment. It Is in the rear of the palace and hangs over the dark waters of the narrow eanal. The poetle sentiment attached to the bridge, which gave it the famous name it still bears, arose from the belief that many a political prisoner, inno cent of wrong-doing, was led over this span and down into the dungeons be low, whence there was no escape. So damp and foul are these cells that they are called "wells.” Travelers in search of the hideous always visit them. Their gloom and horror have been painted In words in Dickens’ "Pictures from Italy/’ Standing on the Bridge of Sighs, Byron wrote his splendid poem on the rise and fall of Venice. That the stability of the foundations of any great building in Venice should cause anxiety is by no means remark able. It is known, of course, that the mediaeval architects of Northern Italy were men of extraordinary ability; but their skill exhibited itself more in the artistic than in the engineering side of their profession. In the latter branch they may al most be looked upon as experimental ists, and in view of the nature of the soil of V< Ice the wonder is that their structures have lasted five or six hun dred years, especially when it is re membered that they did not scruple to add great weight in the way of su perstructures to buildings which had been erected for centuries without Strengthening the foundations. This is probably the origin of the mischief at the Ducal Palace, where the beautiful thirteenth and fourteenth century arcades have been crowned in later times l>y a heavy, solid upper story, which de tracts from both the artistic beauty and the stability of the edifice. The Venetian ar chtUcts take the most optimist 1 c views, and there is always a local be lief that what has gone on for a long time will go on a little longer. But the Superior Coun cil of the Fine Arts In Rome has repud iated further re sponsibility of the building, and the alarmed govern ment has tele graphed to Signor Bolto at Milan to proceed at once to Venice and re port. Another notable construction of Maly that is reported endangered by impending plans of improvement was the Ponte Vecehio in Florence. Ponte Vecehlo is the most picturesque of Florentine bridges nnd was built by Taddeo Gaddi In the fourteenth cen tury. Here the goldsmiths nnd their shops. Here Cosimo I. saw and loved BRIDGE OF SIGHS, VENICE. the unfortunate Camilla Martelll, a jeweler’s daughter. In the middle of the bridge an open loggia gives views up and down the river, “as in a frame,’’ says Dickens. Should both of these famous landmarks be destroyed the loss could never be repaired. IS PARIS IMPREGNABLE? New Fortification* Constructed Since 1870. The French have been taught wis dom by past experience, and as a re sult have planned, and a few years ago finished, a system of fortifications round Paris which are probably un equaled for the purposes for whtch they are Intended by any similar forti fications in the world. A well-in formed military writer, a member of the general staff of the German army, has given it as bis opinion that a sue otssful siege of Paris would be, under present conditions, an Impossible un dertaking. The new fortifications that surround the French capital, says Pearson’s, are some fifteen or twenty miles from the city, and are connected with Paris and with each other by a railway system which would enable the French commander to quickly mass at one point a very large body of men, while the general of the besieg ing army, if he wished to prevent the city from obtaining supplies and thus shut in the people and the army that was defending It, would have to oc cupy a line extending more than 100 miles, and hence could not by any pos eibillty collect a large number of his force at any one point to resist with even a shadow of hope an attack of the enemy. It re quired a German army of. approxi mately, 500,000 men to lay siege to ParlB from Septem ber 19, 1870, to January 30, 1871; but the authority we refer to Is of the opinion that to re peat the same op eration a German besieging army would have to number more than 2,000,000 men, and the work of main taining such a force and properly hand ling its parts would be something which few governments would care to un dertake and few military command ers would be able to efficiently perform. The French have spent upon these new fortifications an amount variously estimated at from $30,000,000 to $50,000,000, and henee can well afford to sell the land occu pied by some of the now obsolete forti fications of a generation ago. To Mtr«*ngt!irn th* llxtr. Take an egg, well beaten, and rub in scalp well, wash out with warm wa ter, use no soap, except tar soap once in a while. This keeps the head free from dandruff, while the eggs stlmu late the roots of the hair and make It grow. It Is not necessary to use thf soap when using the eggs. If we are Judged by our company that may be why some men dislike being alone. Don’t look upon the wine list thal can’t be read. * * PONTE VECCHIO, FIX)RENCE. HARD-WORKED LIVERS. — Ao Organ That Perform* Many Func tion*. The liver is the Jai k-of-all-trade* of (he body. Most organs are satisfied with doing their own particular busi ness. ‘one man one job," but there would seem to be quite four or five dis tinct functions for this Important or- | gsn. In the first place, each one of Its millions of minute cells acts ss a filter, guarding the portals of the blood from Intrusion. Our food may have under gone the ordeal of digestion, but be fore it Is allowed to circulate and | nourish the body d must he carried to the liver, which esaiutues ami prompt ly eliminates any particle likely to be Injurious to tbe health. Then again, as a tonic manufacturer the liver Is | without a rival. It prepares a ape< |«| medicine, and every now and again aenda a due# to the stoma> h to Induce It tu work properly Whenever the liver hae a little lime to spare from its other a.oie* It manufacture* a stock of this medicine ttbe bltel and saves It up In the gall bladder until required Moreover, I he liver selects all the In auluhle fats of our food, and by <11*14 lus them Into very tiny globules and making a aoap of tkem with an alkali, ao liquefies thrill that thru can be ab sorbed la ihe ordinary way Th* super fatted livers of Ike ittraeburg geeer j iused la making Ike famous pate d« fide gras) have bera *o overworked that (key have entirely but this *»>*p making power On# of the most • mi nts* things don* by the liver I* to deal wttb any atari by sutodance* that are Insoluble and ft* IvaIIi trsrt*fo»mlag them Into a etrsn wm<rm that le ftrttad nowhere else in nature namely. animal augar. This augar (glycogen) cannot be Imitated by the moat clever chemist, and It la carefully saved In the body bo aa to compensate for any deficiency in the supply of the ordinary kind. Whether we consider the liver aa a filter or a soap-boiler, or an apoth ecary or a sugar-maker, we find It doing each kind of work as though that one were its sole care. BLASTING WITH STEAM. To He tieusrwtml In • Cartridge by Klwirlclly, H. rtchaw, an English engineer, sug gests high pressure steam instead of inflammable eiploslves to blow out <o«| or or* In mines ilr Idly the sug gestion is that a - artridge of pur* wat er lodged In a shot-aole should be ionv*rt*«l Into steam at a pressure of about IM pouuds per »<iuar* Inch by means of electricity of low tension.the cartridge or boiler to Is mad* of such •trsnglh that |l would burst at about thla pressure when th* fores set at I liberty would bi-.ik down the nail Mf. i*- haw made an eiperiaieoi to as certain Wfarther It would be ptstslbi* j lo Swell water by the heat postmen! by a current of whrdrutty pa ins through s platinum wire similar to that used ■ and found that it wgs successful Mr ISt haw la of opinion that at the mo ihcUI when the boiler Nm *i the air will fine and the rfaitu circuit will ! fay brokeu and ho risk of ignition of Are-damp of road dust will remain from ihe heated wire Hut the main UUeaHoit b Would this fur*;* I**- soft! fi*al* It ta. of etmrss, »*iy much la -- fertor to the expansive force of gun powder, or other explosive. Mr. Schaw <ontinues: l nder the supposition, however, that the force so developed would be sufficient to break down the undercut coal In a mine, the writer thinks that the practical working of the proposed method would present no great difficulties, and that it would he perfectly safe In any coal mine; and this Is its only recommendation, for li certainly would lie more expensive and troublecome than the usual methods of blasting As an approximation, the writer would observe that a water car trldge I hi inches in diameter and inches in length, to be used In a twu lm h blast hole, would hold about M cubic inches of water. It would be converted Into high pressure steam and burst the cartridge in about i't minutes' with the electric power the writer suggests, and would thus exert a sudden fore* of about one and one third tons, *u»s<Mwe*in* «r gstsiM The people of the Patted (Males eon Hume one third of the total quinine output of the world The average 0,4 sumption per head N 7*> grains an. nuallv The cinchona tre»> who h fu ttlshes quinine Peruvian bark 441 > alt* »»s hark. Is a native ,,f tka tMi eru Mouth Vinert vn roast countrisi more parth dart) Peru yet but a e m (.. I.ctlvelv small portion of the « ,, i ■ 11 elnct p1 |)II . fr. w it 11 , 1 * . : , " ■ * • 1< no tom,v trees have been t^aa»ptanl |. d la lava *M ttmt.H India «ad th < I oik til the quinta* used now >»#« I front these countries iMi't send for a pht *»■ uv 1* too , - I nv* sick IN FAR-AWAY TAHITI — PLACE WHER2 MONEY IS NOT A NECESSITY. Lninrjr, Kuae »n<l Ictleneaa In Ills Sunny South Sea lalnnila—People Are statla fleil with Wliat Nature tlua CJivin Them. From the New York Times: The earth is God's footstool—so wise men wrote. If It Is. then the little island of Tahiti is the golden tassel on the foot stool. On this favored paradise In the far Pacifle landscape and life merge Into a delicious dream, and both are Impressionist. Neither will submit to photography or the pen. Years of study cannot itemize the picture. To those who have visited the coral reefed spot there lingers forever in the memory a soft haze of shifting light and shade—a wilderness of hap py silence and everlasting ease. Think of a generous reef-hound expanse of clear, transparent water, In whose lim pid depths swim myriads of finny dwarfs dazzling the changing colors of the dying dolphin. Below them a garden of coral—the roses of the sea blossoming in a thousand tints. A long, low stretch of beach, bordered by tall cocoanut trees, palms and ever blooming bushes. Long rows of cheer ful cottages almost hidden by the spreading branches of the bread fruit trees. Tall mountain peaks, rising un til they are lost In a lacework of clouds. Brawny men darting here and there In fruit-laden canoes, and bevies of dark-eyed girls strolling Idly along the sward. That Is Tahiti as seen from the aide of the Incoming ship- the moat exquisite, fascinating and gorge ous spot on the face of the earth. No one ever went to Tuhltl without leav ing with a pang of regret, and I can Join in the score of writers, from ('hnrles Warren Stoddard to Robert l-ouls Stevenson, who have visited its shores, and say a few months spent in its sunshine and in the hospitality of its people can never, never be for gotten. Tahiti lies somewhere in that mysterious part of the south Pacific where two days are rolled Into one in order to set aright the conventional calendar; where tomorrow becomes today with a subtle chram that is al most overwhelming. You go there by a little white brig from San Francisco, which skims over the waters of the west, taking up the best part of a month before landing you in this world of Idleness and peace. Life in Tahiti is the nearest ap proach to the ideal in all the world. Outside of its principal city, Papeete, which is the commercial center of all the islands in the Society group, of which Tahiti is one, the natives pass their days in a listless dreaminess, at peace with themselves and all the world. Fancy being in a land where money is spurned. I once had the au dacity to offer a Tahitian a dozen dol lars for staying at his home, eating his food and talking him nearly to death, revealing to his untutored mind the wonders of the United States, and to my surprise he threw it to the ground, having been greatly insulted. The only payment that a Tahitian wants for hiB hospitality is for the person to whom it is offered to ac cept it. Much more than has been written has been heard about the lovely Ta hiti girl. Tall, languorous, with the modesty of a Castilian, walking like a queen in her Mother Hubbard gown and her flower-wreathed hat (with these two articles the attire of the Tahiti girl ends), with her long, black hair, glistening with cocoanut oil, hanging to her waist, she ig one of the most attractive of her sex. Be sides many personal charms that might turn the head of an anchorite, she possesses the most attractive gifts. Her eyes are black, her countenance is expressive, and, though the warm sun has tinged her cheeks with a hue of brown, her complexion is as clear as the sky above her. Best of all, she owns her own little home, where roses always bloom and the bread fruit tree and taro plant grow in pro fusion. A certain acreage of land sur rounding it Is hers ulso. and she Is ab solutely Independent and can do ex actly as she likes- and she does. Every night in Papeete scores of girls and men come down the byways leading to the market-place, where they congre gate to sell (heir strings of flowers and shells and to join in the daily feallvltles. Finished with their even ing meal, they come to gossip, dance and make merry. Around the great fountain, throwing Ita silver bubbles to the t>tg red stars, they chant their soulful music to the walling strain* of an accordion, Hursts of bibnlon>> hilarity come from the Hpanlshltke edifices that aurround the market place Hhy damsels promenade with the visiting Europeans, the officers of ! the French men of-war the array of ; uiuutcipal officials, and their own brawny lovers, exchanging the sam> ilid secrets that have t*ecn handed | down through the mystery of age* Act the evening pa*-** in melody and , love. Then the rorfr* on the little ! white <*alhollr church telle that 'he hour nf I** hit eono and the great ' mass of merrymakers toddealy it op I ikelr httwlug pleasures and silently Ale down the long lanes along th* i heat k and through th* intitauut a fore* to Ike row* of tkatihed cottage* |(*ul sad radiant, the mellow so*ott Alfa the air with a m.*xtc tight. The dead f silence Ailed with bear* perfume it t.rwkea only by the xtroutig pound lag of old outs aUWtfaet the barrier of ito*1 sending * h,*d*m rolling b**-oa ytrt the pallid ot true hr *»#o? the lamp* go out, the m****|wtto nets are spread around the bedsteads, and Ta hiti is asleep. The American who visits Tahiti for the first time will And himself in a land entirely unlike any other place in the w’orld. The conventionality of introduction there is barred. In Pa peete, of course, where the seat of government is situated, and where the foreign consuls reside, a certain form of society and dress is kept up which somewhat resembles American forms. But out in the districts, out In the deep valleys by the rivers, where the eocoanuts grow, and vanilla and cof fee plantations thrive in the Him, there is where the visitor banishes his for eign customs and becomes a native, it Is not customary to wait for an in vitation before visiting a Tahitian. Just go. Walk Into his plantation and up to his door. You will And it open, and you will not be greeted by a dog • that loves to show his teeth or a ser vant with a salver. You will be greeted by the host himself—brawny, muscular and smiling—with out stretched hands. He will call all his family and all his neighbors to see how he has been honored. He will give you the best chair, and tell his boy to stand by and fan away the robust mosquito. He will get you young eocoanuts to drink, nnd grapes that would pale those of Hamburg hothouse fame, and when you have been refreshed he will show you to your room, nnd tell you to lay your American clothes aside, and to dress in Tahiti fashion. This consists of a sugar cane hat, a white shirt, and a pareu—a piece of colored print about four feet square, which Is wound around the waist. WHY HE TOOK SALLY BAKER, Jlin Didn’t Hoe Hi Difference In Any Two Ulrl*. “One of the most practieal-mlnded negroes that I ever knew," said Mr, C. It. Nutt of Maryland to the Wash ington Post man, "was a colored boy who waited on me years ago on a plan tation down In Mississippi. This Jim was as black as Erebus, but his heart wag gold. He saddled my horse, black ened my boots, went to the town for mail and, in short, was a general util ity man. About a year after I Joined the ranks of the benedicts Jim came to me one morning with a serious face and said he wanted to consult me on a very important subject. I told him to state his business, which he did in a few words. He said: ‘Mars Cal, I notice you Is doing much better since you done got yorese'f a wife, and I tuk it in my head dat I Jes' fuller along after you. I wants to marry a gal what I think will make me a good wife and have come to ax you to git a pair of licenses, ’case all de niggers what amounts to anything buys dem selves licenses. You knows de gal dat I am Intendin' fur to marry. She lives over on de Russell plantation, and her name Is Ella Johnson. I used to think I liked Sally Ilaker de best, but uv late I come to de conclusion I'd ruther take Ella. So, ef you Is goln’ up to town today, please don’t forgit dem licenses, and I’se done brought you de money to pay for ’em. At this stage Jim pulled out the necessary funds and I promised to get the document for him that day. On the day follow ing I sent for him to hand over the paper that I had procured from the county clerk. He begged me to read it for him, as he was unlettered, and the African minister he had bargained with was rather uncertain also. 1 read it over, and Jim broke out in an excited way: 'Hold on, marster, you shorely have made a big mistake. I told you dat Ella Johnson was de girl I 'Bperted to marry, and you Jes now said Sally Baker.’ True as gospel I had made a mistake and had given in the name of the wrong woman. The situation was comical, for there stood poor Jim, the picture of despair, and appealing to me to know what to do. Thinking to have a little more fun out of the matter I told him it would nec essitate a change in the license, which could be made easy enough, but that it would cost him $2 extra. No, in deed, it won’t cost me no $2 more an I done already paid. I ain’t gwine to bother 'bout gittln’ any new license, fur. Mars Cal, dere ain't 12 difference between any two nigger girls in dla whole county. You done heard me, and I'm through talkin'.' Inside of a week the nuptials of Jim and Sally Baker were duly solemnized, and I never heard that he regretted my mis take." right from Sugar. A phenomenon, the cause of which has not yet been satisfactory explain ed, was described at the last meeting of the British Association. Disks of loaf sugar were mounted on a lathe and rapidly rotated while a hammer played lightly against them An al most continuous radiation of light was thus produced from the sugar It was shown that the light did not arts** from heating of the sugar, and It la tielleved to be caused by some change taking place In the sugar crystals The art of crystallisation Is known to la* sometimes accompanied by (lashes of ■ rst>erlnirnts la on the uuestion of the ! possibility of oldainlng artificial light I by methods as yel untried. % kttgl flm«. The husband ceases in lath shop i when hkt wife begins to tnik shop ping Wi-ch <•-*• Irsi I stMst England gets |t tg.ntw a year from I ths worn »«« unifwitns of its army I her* nevet was a m.»n ia ike world | great m a -mail buy thinks his I «- i« I'ti k is No man can correctly estimate fho true value of a woman or a gold mine; but thousands of men have gone broke trying to find out. Wild HumIi of Dluitioud Miner*. A wild rush of miners is reported at Nullaglne, Australia, where diamonds have been discovered, and it is feared that many will lose their lives in the struggle. In this country the rush for gain is causing men to break down in health. Nervousness and general de bility are the symptoms which Hostel ter’s Stomach Bitters will cure. President McKinley’s signature is, next to thut of John Adams and Tyler, the plainest of any of our chief exe cutlces. Van Buren's was the hardest to decipher, though Jefferson, Taylor, Hayes, Benjamin Harrison and Gar field never lifted their pen In signing their names. J. Q. Adams’ is small, cramped and the only “back hand" in the lot. Polk’s is the most ornate; Jackson’s the longest, four inches, and Pierce’s the largest. PEACE VERSUS PAIN We have peace, and those who are sorely aftiicted with NEURALGIA will have peace from pain and a perfect cure by using ST. JACOBS OIL. "BIC FOUR" “THE SEA LEVEL ROUE" TO NEW YORK. DOUBLE DAILY SERVICE. WAGNER SLEEPING CARS. DINING CARS. M. E. INOALLS. E. 0. MeCORMICK. ITealdent. I’aaa Truffle Mgt. WARREN i. LYNCH. Aunt. Ucul Fttaa. A Ticket Atct. S’ ~r ,f fISH BRK^ POMMEL Th*B*it Cl K'.-eps both rider and saddle per fectly dry In the hardest storms. Substitutes trill disappoint. Ask for 1807 I Ish Brand I'ommel Slicker— It Is entirely new. If not for sale In your town, write for catalogue to A. J. T<boston, Mass ■ gStisaS'sass «•*«,.■ h w tMsar?.'* "'* FaiIii i®o*hM sir n>»u*,“’i': Jsf XgsasiS^Sr ^liV' --- _ J. Q 0£f| l§SR\ \ II Jl 1 111 u •-•TfiS ^35 »«>tBS»£ n&r£* c»* PrS&Y «!*;*■- _ * mq\oh tasaafeSgS*^ \ _