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1894. The length of the canal Is thirty-five and
one-half miles, the total rise from water level to
Manchester being sixty feet, which Is divided be
tween four sets of locks, giving an average to each
of fifteen feet. Two canals connect the Baltic
and North seas through Germany, the first, known
as the Kaiser Wilhelm canal, having been com
pleted In 1SS5. and constructed largely for mili
tary and naval purposes, but proving also of great
value to general mercantile traffic Work upon
the Kaiser Wilhelm canal was begun in 1&J7. The
length of the canal is sixty-one miles, the termi
nus In the Baltic sea being at the harbor of Kiel.
The depth is twenty-nine and one-half feet, the
width at the bottom seventy-two feet, and the
minimum width at the surface 190 feeL The
total cost was ?-iO,OO0,O0O. Three ship canais in
tended to give continuous passage to vessels from
the head of Lake Superior to Lake Ontario and the
St. Lawrence river are the Welland canal,j)rigin
ally constructed in 1S33 and enlarged in lxi and
13C0; the St. Mary's Falls canal at Sault Ste.
Marie, Mich., opened in 1S55 and enlarged in
1SS1 and 1896, and the Canadian canal at St.
Mary's river, opened in 1S95.
A LP It ED DREYFUS HAS AT LAST Suc
ceeded in his efforts to secure a judicial ex
amination of his case. A cablegram to the St.
Louis Republic under date of Paris, November 28,
says: "After examining the dossier in the case
submitted to him by 'General Andre, the minister
of war, Jlinister of Justice Valle has trans
mitted that document, together with the petition
of 31. Dreyfus for a revision of his sentence; to
M. Durand, the president of a commission insti
tuted by the ministry of justice. This commis
sion will pronounce upon the admissibility of the
request for a revision of sentence. M. Dreyfus
owes the favorable action taken to the careful
consideration given the case by Jlinister Andre,
whose .conclusions are regarded as in the highest
degree favorable to Dreyfus, since they deter
mined the minister of justice to refer the question
of a revision to a commission. Nothing has yet
transpired to indicate that General Andre has
discovered documents of doubtful authenticity, or
that there was maneuvering on the part of the
minister of war during the Dreyfus trial to con
ceal important facts, though assertions lo this
effect have been made. It is stated that il. Gribe
lin, formerly principal keeper of the records of
the headquarters staff, has made important reve
lations." "rHE DECLINE OF THE BOOK TRADE IN
JL Germany has been a fruitful topic m the
German press of late, and a writer in the New
York Tribune describes the discussion In this in
teresting way: "One writer in an exhaustive ar
gument accused the German people of falling
away from the habits of their literary fathers,
and, like Americans, taking more Interest in busi
ness than in literature. The Berliner Tageblatt,
in a recent Issue, under the head of 'The Ger
mans as Book Buyers,' quotes Herr Gruenow, the
Leipsic publisher, who characterizes the criticism
of his fellow Germans on the score of neglect of
literature as 'empty and nonsensical trash.' 'A
public he says, 'which will spend a half million,
marks in a few weeks for a novel, and in the
same length of time several millions for Bis
marck's "Thoughts and Recollections," is not a
bookless public' The publisher gives the name3
of a number of books which were sold in great
numbers and of the standard works which are
constantly in demand. 'The old, threadDare com
plaint he says, 'comes originally from the -authors
whom no one likes and from their pub
lishers, who can find no market for their wares.
But the fact should not be overlooked that the
German Is a ready book buyer. Every Christmas
table demonstrates that fact, and It is well known
that there are few men so poor that they do not
have a little money to expend for books."
IN RUSSIA THE LOT OF THE NEWSPAPER
editor is by no means a happy one. The
London Tatler says: "The czar's government
spends more on the press censorship than it does
on education, and quite recently the staff of press
censors has been increased by eight. Certainly
the censor earns his salary in Russia. Last year
eighty-three newspapers were suspended for per
iods amounting In all to thirty-one years and ten
days, twenty-six papers were forbidden to accept
advertisements, and 259 editors were officially
threatened with Siberia if they did not mend their
ways. The censorship even pursues the unfor
tunate editor after it ejects him. One eminent con
ductor of a scientific journal who was dismissed
at the instance of the censor is practically con
demned to starve or emigrate. All the papers
and publishers in Russia are forbidden to accept
'copy from him."
THE MONTHLY STATEMENT OF THE PUB
lic debt shows that at the close of business
November 30, 1903, the debt, less cash in the
treasury, amounted to $925,S29,410, which is an in
crease "for the month of $5,425,909. The debt
proper shows a decrease of about $4,000,000 for the
month. It is recapitulated as follows: Interest
bearing debt, $902,911,240; debt on which interest
has ceased since maturity, $1,196,720; Debt bear
ing no interest, $390,S98,S79; total, $1,295,006,539.
This amount, however, does not include $331,208,
809 in certificates and treasury notes outstanding,
which are offset by an equal amount of cash held
for their redemption. The cash in the treasury
is classified as follows: Gold reserve, about $150.
000,000; trust funds, $931,20S,869; general fund,
$144,793,557; In national bank depositories, $168,
047,060; in treasurv of Philippine islands, $4,
908,445; total, $1,398,957,932. Against this there
are demand liabilities outstanding amounting to
$1,029,720,503, leaving a cash balance on hand of
$369,237,429.
IN HIS ANNUAL REPORT DIRECTOR ROB
erts of the United States mint shows that
me coinage mints in Philadelphia, New Orleans,
and San Francisco were in operation during the
year and that the output was greater in the num
ber of pieces than in any previous year, aggregat
ing 205,872,482. It is pointed out that the demand
for small domestic coins and for Philippine coins
reduced the aggregate of gold coinage to $45,721,
733 and the stock of gold bullion in the mints in
creased from 124,089,823 to $157,511,571. This
bullion is included in all figures of treasury re
serves. The net gain in the gold stock of the
country during the year is estimated to have been
$57,157,149. Of the silver bullion purchased for
dollar coinage under the act of July 14, 1890, 33,
218,712 fine ounces were on hand at the beginning
of the year and 17,502,938 at the close of the year.
This amount will be entirely exhausted during the
current fiscal year. No other provision exists for
the coinage of dollars or subsidiary silver coin.
J J
APOLITICAL QUARREL OF MORE THAN
thirty years standing between Iceland and
Denmark has at last been settled. The Pall Mall
Gazette says: "The Icelanders who speak a lan
guage different from Danish in fact, their
tongue is very nearly that of the old Norse Edda
have incessantly contended that between that
country and Denmark there should only be the
'golden link of the crown.' In making this claim
they went by ancient historical traditions of still
greater freedom. Their claim was that there
should be a special minister for Iceland, who
should reside at Reykjavik and be a native of the
island. Hitherto the Danish minister of justice
was at the same time the minister for Iceland,
and he, residing at Copenhagen, was not required
to know the Icelandic language. This was held to
be sore grievance, especially when the .althing,
or parliament, was assembled, and the Danish
governor atB,eykjavik had often to correspond by
letter from the often storm bound isle, with the
authorities at Copenhagen, there being no tele
graphic cable. Now the Danish government has;
yielded to the demand of the Icelanders and the
althing has given its assent to the bill in ques
tion. As a curious fact,, it may be mentioned that
the island, with a population of but 80,000, has
an upper and lower house, of twelve and twenty
four members, each easily accommodated in an
ordinary room. As a rule, the Icelanders are In
tellectually much gifted, producing many learned
men.'
o& s
A PRELIMINARY REPORT RECENTLY is
sued by the census bureau says that during
the fiscal year ending June- 30, 1902, there were 3,
620 central light and power stations in operation
in the United States with a gross income of
$85,700,605 and a total expense of $68,081,375. The
cost of their construction and equipment amount
ed to $504,740,352. The power plant equipment
consisted of 5,930 steam engines, with 1,379,941
indicated horse power and 1,390 water wheels with
a stated horse power of 438,472. The generating
plants consisted of 12,484 dynamos of every de
scription, with a stated horse power of 1,624,980.
It is further pointed out that 815 plants were
operated under the control of municipalities, the
cost of their construction and equipment being
VOLUME 3, NUMBER tft
$22,020,473, giving employment to 2,467 wag--n.
ers, and paying in wages $1,422,34L "6Car'
DURING THE FOOTBALL SEASON' op
ball field, according to the statistics presented "tr
the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune savs. 0i
boy was driven insane from injuries, fhirt-rn
players were severely injured, some of them d
abled for life. The number of minor but pa-nfni
accidents goes into the hundreds, and the r- o
injured also is Incomplete. The feature ot'ht
year's tabulation is that it shows that rious
casualties practically were confined to -untrained
players. No member any of the first-class elevens
was killed or permanently disabled. One Ya'e
player and one Harvard played suffered a broken
leg. No player in any of the teams of the 'B
Nine in the west was the victim of anv hurt
worse than a wrenched shoulder, a bruised head
a sprained ankle or a turned ankle. In conse
quence of the injuries sustained by their plavers
several of the minor schools have forbidden "the
game of football. Two towns Columbus Junc
tion, Pa., and Greenfield, O., have stopped the
sport as the result of petitidns circulated by
parents." '
& J
THE STRIKE IN THE PENRYN QUARRY,
London, which strike has lasted more than
tnree years, has been disposed of and a London
cablegram to the Chicago Inter-Oceans says that
the strikers have not gained a point, having de
cided to discontinue the strike and resume work
on Lord Penryn's terms. The Inter-Ocean's corre
spondent says: "The strike was originated in a
remarkable manner. Several officials and con
tractors were attacked inside the quarry by those
under them, and soon afterward they made certain
demands which Lord Penryn refused. A strike
was declared, but when the quarries were thrown
open two weeks ago 500-men returned. Continued
disturbances ensued between the strikers and the
secessionists, and the Bangor magistrates have
dealt with hundreds of cases arising from the dis
pute, which it Is estimated has cost the district
close upon 100,000 in wages alone. It was ob
vious, when the ranks of the strikers were weak
ened two years ago, that they were engaged in a
hopeless struggle, and ever since the secession
ists have been weekly augmented, there being now
close upon 2,000 men engaged in the quarry, ex
clusive of those employed at the shipping outlet
at Bangor. Hundreds of these are new hands, so
that many of the strikers have been permanently
displaced. All those who were identified with
the disturbances which marked the commence
ment of the dispute are debarred from obtaining
work at the quarry, as are also the strike leaders."
& J
SEVERAL HUNDRED PETITIONS PROTEST
ing against Reed Smoot retaining his seat
as junior senator from Utah were filed in the
senate on November U. Most of these protests
were offered by Senator Burrows, chairman of
the elections committee, through petitions filed
by organizations including churches, universities,
colleges and other, educational institutions. On
the same day Mr. Hoar presented in the senate a
numerously signed petition asking that body to
expedite the consideration of the charges against
Mr. Smoot, and in doing so the senator Irom
Massachusetts took occasion to remind the send
ers of these petitions that the proceeding was out
of order and, in fact, practically a contempt of
the United States senate. Mr. Hoar declared that
the determination of Mr. Smoot's rights will he
purely a judicial proceeding to be determined
by tiie laws and the constitution of the united
States.
if
THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS RECENTLY
made thnt negotiations were in progress
for the purchase of a volcano in South America on
account of the value of its deposits of sulphur.
The Takoma, Wash., correspondent of the New
York Herald makes the claim that Alaska is io
become famous because of the rich deposits oi
pure sulphur which it contains. The world has
for many years been depending for its supply oj
sulphur in the industrial arts, on Sicily, as is weu
known, but it is now claimed that the deposits . oi
sulphur on Mount McCuteheon, on Unalaska i-i;
and, is far in excess of the deposits in Sicii).
These deposits were recently discovered by eor
Carlson, who has for years been in the Swedisn
government's employ as a mining engineer, ami
was long located at the Sicilian mines as an ex
port, locating new beds and superintending in
workings. Mc Carlson not long ago visited uu
alaska island, spending a month there witji -
men, and made a thorough exploration of the ianu.
