The Commoner.
JULY 10, 1903.
funic all his own money in tho venture, all ho
could borrow, all ho could beg, and still, from
all sorts of odd and unexpected corners of tho
world, copper came pouring in. As soon as ho
ceased buying he had, of course, to commence sell
ing, an,d this hastened and accentuated tho inevit
able end. By March 1 the price had dropped to
less than it was when Thibault commenced opera
tions. Altogether the gigantic gamble cost him
$ 50,000,000, of which sum fully one-half was lost
"between noon and five minutes past on February
28, 1889, when the bottom dropped out of his cor
ner.'
JC JC
IN THESE DAYS OF FAST MOTORING AND
high railway speeds, the story of the first
steam carriage will bo particularly interesting. A
writer in the Philadelphia Public Ledger says that
4t was in July, 1829, some little time before Georgo
Stephenson had solved the problem of steam trans
port, that Sir Goldsworthy Gurney made his fam
ous journey in a "steam carriage" from London
to Bath and back. Gurney was a Eurgeon in Mar
leybone, greatly given to the working out of in
ventions in his spare time, and it took him some
years to complete his first "motor" in his back
yard in Albany street. He accomplished the jour
ney to and from Bath at the rate of fifteen miles
an hour, and there was only one disturbing inci
dent, when a crowd assembled at Melksham set
upon tho machine and, having burned their fin
gers, threw stones and seriously wounded the stok
er. This Gurney journey stands as the first ex
ample of locomotion by steam in this country.
THE SMALLEST LOCOMOTIVE IN THE
world is owned by W. A. Smith, a jeweler
living at Meridian, N. Y. The Meridian correspon
dent for the New York World says that Mr. Smith
made this machine working at odd times during
a period of three years and the correspondent de
scribes the affair In this way: "The locomotive
Ss of heavily plated gold and t!io bell, whistle and
driving wheels are solid gold. Tho trimmings
are of silver, lne locomotive is six and a half
inches long and tho tender is three inches long.
The boiler is three-fourths of an inch In diameter,
the smokestack is two and one-sixteenth inches
liigh, and the other parts are in proportion. Kero
sene is used for fuel and steam is raised in less
than two minutes. The whistle blows, tho bell
rings and every part of the locomotive works per
fectly." THE MONEY IN THE UNITED STATES
treasury is now being counted by order of
the secretary of the treasury. Twenty young wo
men have been chosen to dc the work and every
dollar in gold, silver, and currency and every bond
In the treasury will be gone over. The Washing
ton correspondent for the New York American
says: "Some of these swift-fingered experts have
handled- 20,000 bills in a day. The average ia
about 12,000. They are now at work on the $403,
000,000 reserve fund, done up in packages of 1,-00-
notes, regardless of denomination. This will
take from thirty to forty days, and then the young
women will tackle the gold coins, silver certifi
cates, United States nojes, national bank notes
received for redemption, the fractional coin and
the mixed money held for daily use. The entire
count will take about three months."
A STRANGE DISCOVERY WAS RECENTLY
made by Captain Sykes of the Yorkshire mi
litia. According to the London correspondent for
the Chicago Chronicle, Captain Sykes found that
an ordinary field gun, if daubed all over with
blotches of red, blue and yellow paint, becomes to
all intents and purposes invisible, at least at any
considerable distance. Six guns and their limb
ers so painted and streaked with the three pri
mary colors, as they are called, were placed on
the Fox hills at Aldershot and a number of ar
tillery officers invited to loca'3 them. The dis
tance was only 3,000 yards a mere trifle in act
ual warfare and the officers were armed with
the best field-glasses. But so perfectly did tho
painted guns harmonize witn tho natural back
ground that no one was able to pick them out
SOME CURIOUS EitORS ABOUT AMERICAN
affairs and appearing in tho new French
encyclopedia are pointed out by the London cor
respondent for the Cincinnati Enquirer In this
why: "In tho article on Lincoln, for instance, tlio
president is killed by a 'sectarian' one J. Wilkes.
John Brown Is represented pictorlally as an indi
vidual who could easily pass for Louis XVI., wig
and all. The United States mint is situated in
Now York and tho Hudson river bridge is an ac
complished fact Walter Damrosch Is set down as
an American composer, and James Gordon Jton
nett's Paris edition of tho New York Herald is
made to appear twico a day. Madame Patti's
elder sister is killed off in her youth, despito tho
fact that she is tho most concert-going lady iu
Paris. Madamo Melba is described as nee Porter,
although her maiden name is Mitchell. Elizabeth
Barrett Browning, wo arc gravely informed in a
ponderous volume was an English poetess, hotter
known by the name of Miss Barrett"
A MEMBER OF THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE '
is engaged in tho effort to do away with tho
official chaplain. Ho thinks that tho various
clergymen living in tho state capital should bo
called upon from tlmo to time to open the legisla
tive proceedings with prayer. The name of this
member Is Representative Harry Oldam, and ho has
considerable support in his proposed reform. Tho
Chicago Record-Herald, referring editorially to tho
subject, says: "Representative Oldam believes it
is proper that the deliberations of the legislature
should be opened with prayer, but ho regards tho
official prayer that is paid for by the state at tho
rate of $1 a minute as an affront to Christianity.
He calls attention to the undignified scramble that
is made for tho position at te opening of each
sesion and to tho fact that its duties aro genorally
intrusted to a political henchman of tho speaker,
who frames his petitions to suit tho machine It
is recalled that on tho morning after the riot and
tho organization of the rump house at tho last
session tho chaplain offered a prayer in which
ho referred to speaker Miller as 'one of those
brave, strong men who arise from time to time to
guard the state from peril.' For this encomium
upon the tool of tho bosses the state paid three
dollars, and it paid tho same amount evory morn
ing, whether tho legislature was in session or not.
Most sensible and consistent Christian men will
agree with Representative Oldam that such pray
ers an an affront to Christianity. Even though
they did not breathe servility to tho machine,
they are as devoid of religious meaning as tho
mutterings of tho Hindoo who turns a printed
prayer pasted on a wheel."
SIR THOMAS LIPTON CAUSED CONSIDER
able surprise when at a lunchdon recently
given him in Washington city he said that If ho
should win tho American cup in the coming race,
it would represent to him an investment of con
siderably more than $2,000,000. Tho Washington
correspondent for tho Milwaukee Sentinel, re
ferring to this incident, explains: "Sir Thomas
said it would cost him a little more than $1,000,
000 to compete for the cup this year. This was
partly duo, he explained, to tho fact that he had
brought over his two challengers. Sir Thomas did
not say what Shamrock III. cost him to build,
but intimated that it was close to $500,000. Tho
combined expense of his trial foot up this year,
Sir Thomaa said, $1,000,000, and probably more.
In contrast with the cost of tho challenger, it was
stated by one of the members of the party that
the Reliance syndicate had invested only $300,000
In the defender, and that this amount was ex
pected to cover all expense:.
X? &
AT FREEHOLD, N. J., ON JUNE 27, THE His
toric town was thronged with people, tho
occasion being the celebration of the one hundred
and twenty-fifth anniversary of the battle of Mon
mouth, the revolutionary battle In which Wash
ington put the redcoats to flight and in which Mol
lie Pitcher became famous. This battle was fought
on June 28, but as the date came on Sunday this
year, tho celebration was held on the previous
day. A Freehold dispatch to the Omaha World
Herald says: "Governor Murphy and Senator
Fairbanks of Indiana, the latter the orator of the
day, arrived on a special train from Elberon about
10 a. m. General Gilmore was in command of tho
troops, and about 1,400 men wero In line. The
parade was reviewed by Governor Murphy and
staff from the reviewing stand, built in front of
the court house. There were exercises at Monu
ment park directly after tho parade. Theodore W.
Morris of Freehold, president of tho Monmouth
Battle Monument commission, made tho address
of welcome. Bishop Scarborough of Trenton pro
nounced the invocation. Gc -rnor Murphy ad
dressed a few words to the vast crowd around the
speakers' stand, and poet Will Carlton read an
original poem, composed for tho day. Tho oration
by Senator Fairbanks was a masterly and scholar
ly address and received great applause. A letter
of regret was read from President Roosevelt, who
was unablo to bo proocnt because of an engage
ment Bishop MoFaul of Trenton pronounced tho
benediction at the closo of tho exorclsoa."
a? r
RAMON J08E LACOEN, A FILIPINO
twenty years old, has distinguished himKolf
at Georgetown university. Tho Washington corre
spondent for the Chicago Chronicle, referring to
Lacoen, says that after winning distinction in
some other educational institutions he went jo
Georgetown, whoro his career has been especially
brilliant In a newspaper article he quote tho
record to show that there woro univorsltlos In
tho Philippines before institutions of as high a
grade woro established In, the United States. All
theso Phlllplno universities, ho statcu, "exlfitod
before Harvard was foundod, and, though they
cannot boast of one-tenth tho number of Har
vard graduates, they can boast that their grad
uates can pass any examination that Harvard ever
required."
so aO
T:iE BUILDING TRADES EMPLOYES' As
sociation of New York has advanced a plan
for securing industrial peace By this plan it Is
proposed: "That when employers have a trado
agreement with their cnirloycs there shall ho
organized a trado arbitration loard where all
difficulties in trado shall bo discussed and ad
justed; in addition a higher court or general ar
bitration board for the settlement of all disputes.
Tho former board is to consist of two arbitrators
consisting of two from oach of tho building
trades, and two each from tho employers' associa
tion. From tills body of general arbitration not
less than two from the employers' association and
two from the unions shall constitute a court of
appeals." Strikes or lockouts aro prohibited before
tho matter in dispute has been submitted to the
general arbitration board for settlement"
MAJOR FRED F. B. COFFIN OF HURON, S.
D., claims to bo the last man flred upon
during the civil war. The nuron correspondent
for the Chicago Inter-Ocean says: "Major Coffin
was in the last battle of the war, which occurred
at Palmetto Ranch, Texas, on May 12 and 13,
1865. Tho union forces woo commanded by Gen.
Theodore II. Barrett; the confederate forces by
Gen. J. E. Slaughter. On tho night of May 1L
General Barrett sent Colonel David Branson with
tho Sixty-second United States infantry and two
companies of the First Texas cavalry to destroy
a confederate outpost and camp at Palmetto
Ranch. The camp was captured and destroyed.
About 4 o'clock on the morning of May 13 Gen
eral Barrett arrived with the Thirty-fourth Ind
iana InfantryT An advance was made and tho
confederates wero driven about two miles beyond
Palmetto Ranch. When tho union troops arrived
there General Barrett ordered Major Fred F. B.
Coffin, then a captain, to tike command of tho
skirmishers. In a short timo Captain Carrlngton
rode up to tho west end of the grade with a de
, tachment of confederate cavalry and opened fire.
.He soon ordered a retreat. As the confederates
were leaving one cavalryman wheeled his horso
around, dismounted, took deliberate aim, and
fired at Major Coffin. The ball struck in the sand
about six feet in front of him. This was at sun
down on May 13, 18p5. The following morning an
order was received to the effect that General Dick
Taylor and General Kirby Smith had surrendered
to General Sheridan, which incident closed tho
war
r ac
TN 1897 THE AMERICAN FLAG ASSOCIATION
was organized. June 14 was fixed as Flag
Day, because on that date In 1777 tho 'American
congress declared: "That tlie flag of tho thirteen
United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red
and white; that tho union 1c thirteen stars, whito
in a blue field, representing a new constellation.
Tho number of tho stripes having been increased
by the admission of new states, our sure to bo
expanded future dawned upon our fathers and tne
original thirteen stripes wero unchangeably re
stored by act of congress on April 4, 1818, when it
was enacted: 'That from and after the 4th day
of July next, the flag of the United States bo
thirteen horizontal stripes, alte.aate red and
white; that the union be twenty stars, white in
a blue field, and that on the admission of a new
state Into the union, one star be added to tho
union of tho flag; and such addition take effect
on tho 4th day of July next succeeding such ad
mission.' Since 1818 twenty-five stars have been
added to the flag. Owing to the fact that this
year Juno 14 fell on Sunday, Fiag Day was gen
erally observed throughout the country on Mon
day, June 15.
i
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