MyWgHWItyWno trTaiWr wii ,.".;"! j -t ju T& '14fW''PBjJ, H THE RED CLOUD CHIEF, FRIDAY, MARCH R 1897- M y 8? NEBRASKA INDUSTRY. STATE YIELDS A MAMMOTH CROPOF 'CORKSCREWS." fcach Ono Wi'lsfi Mutiy Tom - - Tliey Were Mado llrfori' .Mini Wa Tlnmslit of III I he Si'lii-tiit' of Amurii'uil Do veloiuimt. (Omaha Letter.) OME gigantic fos tills broiiEht from 4 Nebraska recently ft y 1101, m, ii. uur- ton, D. C, have excited much Inter est In the east. There are lots of them In Nebraska, where they are popularly known as "corkscrews." In fact, they are thick ly scattered through deposits which ox tend over at least 500 squnro miles, chiefly In Sioux county, nnd over ull that region they may be seen project ing from the sides of cliffs and In oth er places where the rocky formations have been worn away by water and wind. These freaks are commonly known as "fossil twisters." They arc of enor mous size, sometimes as much as forty feet long; but the most remarkable thing about them Is the symmetry of their structure, which Is absolutely mathematical. As weathered out from the cliffs, they are always perpendicu lar, and often they seem to be sup porting roofs of superposed strata, as If relics of a bygone stylo of architec ture. The spirals are wonders of per fection and elegance; sometimes they are wound about an axis, while in oth er cases the axis Is Imaginary, as It wero, the spirals being free. It Is diffi cult to realize that these objects are In reality works of nature and not of urt, especially because no animal or plant QUARRYING CORKSCREWS. capable of producing anything like them exlstn in the present day. Tho corkscrews occur In astonishing numbers In tho region referred to. One frequently sees hillsides more than 100 feet high studded from bottom to top with tho great spirals, but more particularly with tho so-called roots which project out from them. Some of the roots are as big round ns hogs heads, and they were formerly Imag ined to bo fossil logs, until their reln tlon to tho screws wera established by digging tho things out bodily and entire. The corkscrews look striking ly like the Instruments employed for opening bottles, turned with quite ns mathematical precision, though on a scale so enormously magnified. Cork screws, however, always turn in ono direction, while tho fossil twister Is right-handed or left-handed Indiscrim inately. Professor Barbour has established the fact pretty satisfactorily that they are fossil plants, nnd that they grew in water. There was a time, a couple of millions of years ngo, when Nebras ka and all tho great basins east of the Rocky mountains were covered by an Immenso lake an Inland sea of fresh water. In this lake the strange plants, wholly different from any now surviv ing, grew and flourished. There were sub-aqueous forests of them thickly crowded forests of vast extent Each screw, with Its accompanying root, did not represent a single plant, but prob ably a colony composed of many plants. The. plants were related very llkely'to modern seaweeds. It may be imagined that they grew at a depth of several hundred feet while among their weird looking storas swam fishes of types now long extinct. Tho waters of the mighty lake re ceived great quantities of sediment, brought to It by strenms, and this was deposited on the bottom at a very rapid rate so rapid, indeed, that It is difficult to see how plants of any sort could havo subsisted under such condi tions. Tho steady deposit of sediment gradually raised the level of tho bot tom.'bufylng the giant lako weeds. In tho course of time tho wntors dried up, and tho accumulated sediment contuln-1 Jng the corftscrcw-shnped plants be-.: camo hardenod Into pandstono of a very fine and even-grained quality. Mean whl)8 the plantB themselves decay id and disappeared, tho place of each vc etable particle being take by a particle of silica deposited from water. Thus the forma of tho big weeds were per fectly reversed, even to tho cell struct ure, and In this way it comes about that tho corekBcrews have been kept over to excite the wonder of a new ngo. Au KxpeuMvo l'roilui't. Tho most expensive product In the world Is tho charcoal filament which lo ,used for Incandescent lamps. It la mostly made In Paris by an artist whoso nnipo Is kept secret In order bet tei' to guard tho process of manufac ture. Tho filament for lamps of twen ty cnndle power nre sold for $8,000 a pound. Tlioso for lamps of thirty can dles nre worth $12,000, l i. Ch iL w t yv' t WHAT MEXICANS EAT. (Inn ed Not Leave t'reildent Dlat' Tuhle Hungry. Different lauds have different diets. The usual complaint made by Ameri cans when they go to Mexico Is that the fcod Is all alike and so highly seasoned that If It were different no one could tell It, says an exchange. No one who has over eaten nt the table of President Diaz can make this complaint, for while the cuisine Is distinctly Mexican the dinner Is so well selected that tho most discriminating taste can find nothing to which to object. Soup comes on, not clear, but with a thickening of roasted pea Hour and accompanied by larded-toasted bread In place of crack ers. This Is followed by the ever-pres ent eggs nnd their accompaniment of fried bananas. One of the 'Ishcs served If tho dinner Is typically Mexi can Is bound to be the far famed mole do guajelote, which has come all the way down from the days of the Monte zumns. It Is roast turkey overspread with a heavy dressing of peppery chile nnd rich seeds. The tortilla, a small thin pancake, Is popular among the rich nnd poor alike, and It will appear probably rolled deftly and containing finely hashed meat strongly llavored with garlic and chile. There arc ac companiments of freshly sliced toma toes, spiced lettuce, radishes and other relishes, and from time to time appear more substantial viands, such as the ever-present frljole beans, delicately browned in lard, prepared as only a Mexican can prepare them; stuffed nrtlchokcs, and mutton chops, small whlteflsh and scalloped oysters, the latter two being served as a mld-dlu-ner course. For desert they have Ices, prepared almonds, preserved fruits, marmalades, nuts, raisins and a great variety of rich, fanclly frosted and Jellied cakes called pasteles. Home prepared extract of coffee Is poured In to the cup of each person to finish tho meal and two or three spoonfuls of this thick, slrupy and lye-strong concoc tion are drowned with hot milk, really making a cup. of coffee of delicate aro ma and delicious taste. A BATRACHIAN FREAK. It Ha Five Leg nnd (live Interesting J'crfortuani-e. The famous Calaveras frog has found a legitimate successor. This one also lives In California, making his home near Colma. HIb claim to fume lies In the fact that he has flvo legs, and Is credited with the ability to under stand tho English language. This U, more correctly speaking, Ills principal claim to fame; lie is also remarkable for his toes. Ho has nineteen of these, three on each hind foot, four on each of two other feet, and five on the foot belonging to the extra leg. This leg Joins his body somewhere forward of the normal front leg, and is supplied with regular bones nnd Joints. Tfie connection with the body Is apparently perfect. In other respects tho frog ts like any other frog. His stylo of traveling, however, 1h peculiar. With threo legs on the left side and but two on the other, his course continually veers to the right, so that after making a certain number of jumps, he arrives again at his staff ing point. It is this curious method of locomotion that led to his discovery. James O'Connor, his owner, hnd occa sion to pass tho Holy Cross cemetery at Colma, when his attention was at tracted by tho llttlo reptile's effort to movo about, which resulted merely In his describing a series of circles. Af ter dragging himself about in this fashion for a few minutes, at an ex traordinary rate of speed for a frog, he began to move In an odd way toward u pond close by, walking solely on his two front feet. Mr. O'Connor, following him up under the impression that he had been injured in some way, then perceived the extra leg, and realizing that u genuine curiosity was within his reach, promptly captured the creature. A series of experiments soon demon strated bis ability . to perform the strangest antics of which any frog wis ever guilty. In fact, so Intelligent did he seem, It was very promptly decided that he must be the very batrachlat FROG WITH FIVE LEGS. ' immortalized in the fumtllar college, song. McGlnty, as he has been named, has been taught many things which it Is not supposed that the frog had suffi cient intelligence to learn. For In stance, his owner states positively that when asked which Is tho biggest town In California, or ought to bo, the frog will Jump about when Colma .Is men tioned, but preserves nbsoluto quiet when any other town Is ileslghated. Again, Buppose several men to be seat ed about the tablo on which ho gives his exhibitions. Mr. O'Connor asks, "Whom do you like best here?" and tho frog promptly moves toward th questioner. Illack Animal. "Beware of black aulmals" Is con bldercd sound advice by a magailno writer who devotes six pages and nu merous Illustrations to warnings against and awful examples of black anlmnlB, leopards, cats, ravens, beetles and undertakers' horses. Mi THEATRICAL LETTER. CURRENTSAYlNOS AND DOINGS OF STAQE FOLK. A! n u r lea (Imu the Victim of a HURgei tlon from the New York l'ott- Doing Double l'urti -Kll of Cockney Dia lect -Some Salary StatUtlc. I IB New York Evening Post makes tho happy suggestion that It Muurlco Grau should ever lose the great singers who now make opera possible In New York.he might create a sensation bvnroduclnga very old Italian opera, "Berenice," and put ting It on the Btage. as It was dono at Padua in 1700. There woro thrco choruses, one of knights on horseback, another of 100 soldiers on foot, and a third of 100 girls. The triumphal pro cession was led by forty horn-players and sixty trumpet players, who were followed by standard-bearers, pages, hunters, Turks, Moors, two lions, nnd :wo olophants. Hcronlce's triumphal chariot was drawn by six white horsea and wns followed by twelve other char lots. Ono of tho scenes showed n for est In which boars, deer, nnd bears were being hunted; nnother, tho roynl stables, with 100 horses. In the final tableau a largo golden globe descend d from above, nnd while It hovered In the atr there came out of It six smaller blue globes packed with girls representing the various virtues and singing a celestial chorus. Victory Dateman. Victory Dateman made her debut In comic opera roles and then essayed tho Interpretation of various charac ters In a repertolro presented by Cres ton Clarke. Miss Bateraun Is above all things versatile; no role, however dif ficult, has daunted her, though It has not followed that she has achieved succeps In all her undertakings. Miss Batcman Is a woman of great energy and ambition. Perhaps her cleverest performances were those she gave while In Louis James' company. Miss Bateman is not a genius, but she 1b a trustworthy and Intelligent interpreter of many familiar stage characters. She has a penchant for Shakespearian roles, which seldom seem fitted to her style or hor stage methods. The fact that she Is sincere covers, however, a multi tude of histrionic sins. Kvllt of Cockney Dialect. There was a stago director with Henry Irving last season whose cock ney dialect out-Chevallered Chevalier. It will be remembered that In "Louis XI." thero are a number of husky looking men who take tho part of Burgundlans. Supers are engaged for these parts, and It was the place of the above-mentioned stago director to drill them. In the second act these Burgundlans, six In numbet, exit from Louis' presence, casting upon him glances of rage, etc. At rehearsal ono day the supers woro being drilled In their parts by the stago director and when it came to the exit he explained: "As you go out you,-mu8t' look at Mm with eyes of "ate." The Burgundlans started and .then Btoppod. One of Lthelr uutnbor, with a puzzled look, askc.lr "Say, Mr. A , how can six of us follows look at Mr. Irving with eyes o' eight?" Mlas Terry shrieked, Sir Henry dropped his cano and stared, and the rest of the company laught d for fully five minutes. Doing Dovible Fart. Actors are frequently called upon to cloublo parts, but few are ever request ed to quadruple them, Such an ex perience befell J, E. Dodson In tho early days of his career, but the demand was so diplomatically couched that tho comedian never discovered the decep tion until after the rehearsals had be gun. The play was to bo "The Lady of Lyons," and tho manager, who was of an economical turn of mind, thougat It would be a good plan to have one , wm - - actor play the servant, the landlord, tho first offtcor and the notary, as they figured separately In each act. Me theroforo approached Dodson and said to him ver courteously: "My dear boy, I'm going to give you an oppor tunity to display your versatility. Tht part I want you to play In 'Tho Lady of Lyons' ts a ninny-sided utul complex one. In the first act you are a servant In the employ of Mme. Dcschsppolles. You nianagi;. to save some money and purchase an Inn, ho that In the sec ond act we see you established as a landlord, Business being bail and war having been declared, you decldo to enlist, and when the curtain rises on the third act you have been pro moted to the post of first officer. Pcaco being concluded, you tire of military life, and the last act finds you safely escouced as tho village notary. Now, my boy, ou have a chance to Bhow your mettle. It Is the ohnuco of a life time." Some Salary StalUtln. Hillary Hell vouches for the accu racy of these salary statistics. Grand opera stars receive ten times tho sal ary earned by actors. The best of our players Is glad to earn 100, or, at tho most, $500 a week. Mine. Calve re ceives $1,500 a night, and Jean Do Keszke generally takes $2,500 us his share of a single performance. Tho other evening Mclba sang only ton min utes, so she earned $150 for ench min ute of actual work. The president of tho United Stntes works a year for $50,000, during which period he directs tho political affairs of 70,000,000 peo ple, lint Molba's Income for seven months last year amounted to $380,000. Yet she began her musical career sing ing at penny readings In Australia for a compensation of sixty-two cents, or two nnd six pence a night. Colonol Mapleson says that he used to omploy Jean Do Reszko for $50 a woek. At present the tenor's Incomo Is $8,000 a week, or ut the rate of over $400,000 a year. I.llllaii Lew In. An actress of rather indifferent moth- ods, but one who has succeeded In pleasing provincial nmllonces Is Lillian Lewis. Her best work was In tho play, "As in a Looking Glass." She belonga to the class known, In tho pnrlanco of the Rtalto, as a "road star." Miss Lewis Is a "drawing card" in the weft and south, and is a woman of attract- . missj4wi.. Ive appearance and a good 'itage pres ence, ' ' Origin of "LorrniaCclo'." "Lorenzacclo," 'by Alfred, do Mussot, which Is now at the Theater do la Renaissance, with Sarah Bernhardt in the loading part, has an Interesting history. M.'de Musset was 24 years old when bo wrote "Lorenzacclo." .It was while ho was In Italy. Ho, arrived In Florenco In August,' 183(, and thero, while In search of, themes for stories that would revivify an' almost forgot ten past, ho cumo upon a manuscript written by Vnrchl, tho chronicler of the sixteenth century. It contained tho history, with all dotatls, of tho trngic end of Aloxandro dl Medici, tho tyrant, assassinated by his cousin Lo renzo. From this chronicle Do Mussel drow "Lorenzacclo." Alexander Du mas employed tho same tragic story In his "Lorenzlno," produced without suc cess la Paris In 1842. V V l t PP I NPIV Tf T RNH MONK" Pork' transferred hi allegiance to thJ rjunoa x uitflo aiuim. nrUlBh K0Vernnient) aml( IM Piain,r. PRISDAN OF SIAM TURNS HIS UACK ON THE WORLD. Could Not I'lrane the Helgnlng Mona,r.h and C'oiirluileil to Alianitnn State craft for Mlinlonary I.nlor May lit vade Chrlotemlom (Bangkok Letter.) IIURSDAY. Nor. 5, 1800, was n great day In the history of Ceylon Budd hism, It was the tiny when in the village of Waskad dua. In tho dis trict of Kuluttirn, In Ceylon, nt an hour when tho sun was sinking sea ward, His Royal Highness Prlnco Phrti Ong Chou Chulln Cham Klan Prlsdnn Choomnsl, of the reigning dy nasty of Slam, made the great ronun elation of royalty and all worldly Ilea and glory, and betook himself to tho Three-fold Refuge of Gautama Huddha, exchanging his priestly robes of gran deur and gold for the yellow of monk hood and mendicancy. After receiving nn elcmontary Eng lish education In Slam, the Prlnco went to England In 18711 to complete his education. He Joined King's col lege, London, and was a pupil of the famous Rev. (since Bishop) Alfred Har ry. D. D. It Is said that his favorite subjects were applied science nnd mechanics. In 1878. after ho rcttirnod from n short visit to Slam, ho went through n course of civil engineering, In which branch of learning ho so dis tinguished himself that he obtained from tho London Society of Arts u sil ver mednl for proficiency In engineer ing nnd architecture, nnd wns mado nn nssoclnto member of the Institute of Civil Engineering. He had by then graduated from King's college with IN ROBES OF A MONK. honors. Among the literary nnd oili er honors ho received In Europe It may bo mentioned that he was mado an as sociate of King's collego, London; member of the Oriental Society of France, and member of Uio Archaeo logical Society of Portugal. One can not holp regretting In recording these facta that tho crowning event of Prlnco Prlsdnn's life j this world, tho event that stands ns a landmark on the bor derland of tho prince's world and his no-world, should havo been the begin ning of monnchlsm and not of u career for which 1Mb education nnd training of nearly a quarter of n century well fit him. But tho regret urlscs only when it In forgotten that, as great and many were his distinctions In tho world, so great nnd slncero was the sacrlfico Involved In his renunciation of them. ' On tho completion of his collegiate :arcer, Prince Prlsdan was appointed rnterpreter to the Slameso Special En voy to tho Courts of Englnnd and Germany. In 1880 he was nppolnted Interpreter to tho Slameso Envoy charged with tho honor of Investing Her Majesty the Queen of England, their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Monsieur Grevy, tho President of the French Republic, with tho Grand Coidon of the most exalted Order of tho White Elephant. He was next Envoy Ex traordinary and Minister Plenipoten tiary to the courts of Berlin and Vi enna. Tho talent and tact he displayed in his high duties won for him the es teem of all the European courts he had anything to do with. Ho was instru mental In making various treaties be tween Slam and tho countries of the west, including the United States of America, notably a treaty for the reg ulation of tho liquor traffic with Slam. Honors were lavished on him and his name was well known in all European countries, In 1883, when Prlnco Prlsdan re turned to Slam finally from Europe, a royal proclamation was Issued 'setting forth all his various services to' his king nnd his country. Tho, highest of' Slameso honors were conferred on lilra.v nnd he was granteu vast, estates" to enable him to live In stato. Further", ho was raised to tho hlghoat'fank In tho Siamese peerage by being' made a Phra Ong Chou. It '1b not posslblo in Slam to attain to any rank higher than tho Pbra Ong Chou, which Is probably' seconu oniy iu mo uuuur oi Kiugsuip. ' Prlnco Prladhn's career In Slam was brief and unli&ppy, though ,lt com menced brightly and, aiigured much happiness. For A tlmo lie was Cabinet Minister and hold also the pnsltlou of Minister of War,, but ho could not plcaso tho king in all things, nor could the king blm, Unwilling to abide much much longer In' a countiy whoro hos was not In favor and unauio to servo a king who was dlsHntlsfted with his services, the Prlnco took tho first stop toward his self-immolation,' by leaving Slam, giving up forever all his wealth and position nnd all tho high associa tions of royalty. Ho went over to to A II -V i, f W- A f Mil' 6Q iLvl 1(1 MT f'i I mm P. Choomnsl, waa during the last few years employed as first assistant mair Utratn and settlement officer of Pcrak, Even now the Prince Is In tho pay Or the British government, liln leavo of ellit moiitlis not yet having expired, at tho end of whldi period he will for mally tender Ills resignation. It wiih about 5 p. in. on Tuur:ulftj November -5, 1800, when, In the Hina. upper room of the octagonal paiisal.i nt Wuskaduwn, Prlnco PrltMlau was ad mitted to tho monkhood. Appearing In IiIh state dress, wear ing his full complement of dccorntlonH, tho Prince centturcd among the vast crowtls assembled round die panaln numbers of silver coins, In token that so ho renounced all his wealth and worldly greatness. Then ho addressed the people In English, bin words bolng translated Into Singhalese, netting forth tho nature of tho duties ho was entering upon, and with an effort ho broke In two his sword In token of surrender to his conqueror. All this was before the vast concourse of tho assembled multitude, amid shouts of npplatiBo and ringing cheers of Jubila tion. But ull the loud beating of drutiiH, tho shouts of Sndhu, and tho many and vurletl cries of men, women nnd children hnd given place to n re markably Imposing BtlllncBH and calm, when the Prlnco, clean shaved and clad In spotless white, presented himself at the door of tho octngonnl upper room of tho pansiiln. On an elevation, which resembled a Catholic altar, wns an Im ago of Buddha, with sovon candles burning beforo It In a row. All the Prlnco's costly npparol and personal belouglngB three uniforms, wrought with ornaments of fine, gold, two Hwords, helmets, n naval cap, etc. wcro placed on a salver In front of. tho Imago ns an offering to tho pansala. On tho floor, spread with gorgeous car pets, on circular cushions of soft cot ton, sat a dozen priests. The Prince was questioned as to his Intentions to be admitted to monkhood, and then It wns touching to sco Prince Prlsdan, prostrating himself before tho Image, repeat in a solemn, half-heard, halt hushed voice, after the still more sol emn Intoning of the officiating monk: Buddham, Saranam Gacchaml, Dharman Saranam Gacchaml, Sanghum Saranam Gacchaml, tho expression of embracing the Threo fold Refuge of Buddhism, meaning, "I go for refuge to tho Buddha. I go for refuge to tho Law. I go for refuge to the Order." It Is remarkable that this Ib the only prayer of truo Buddhism. Tho novice was then robed In yellow and shown to the people. Thus It came to pass that Prlnco Prlsdan of the royal family of Slam was made a Buddhist monk, at Waskaduwa, In Ceylon, After Instruction In the Ten Pro- ccpts of the Desa-Slla, and a complete ordination, known aa upasampada, the novice would bo a full monk, At pres ent the Prlnco Is nt Waskaduwa, and he has not yet decided whether he Is to work In Ceylon or go abroad. As there Is not In tho ranks of the Buddhist monks another man so learned in English and In French ns tho roynl mendicant nnd trained to western ways and western culturo as ho, It Is prob ablo that tho princely monk will be sont next year to Englnnd on a mis sionary tour. In tho meant Imo ho will bo taught Pall and Slnghnlcso to enable him to understand tho Buddhist Scrip ture In tho original. Tho Prlnco Is nn affablo, courteous and kind-hearted man, and what is most characteristic of him, moro even than his devotion an a Buddhist, Is his great humility. CHINESE PAQODA. Oue of the Mod Striking Ilulldlng la the "Flowery Kingdom." The most striking buildings In China are the taporing towers known as pa godas. These are of brick, covered with marble, or most generally with glazed tiles; and are built In stories, one over the other from three, four, or five, to r,s many as nine in number. A CHINESE PAGODA,,,- .Each story is rcducedlnAWMW, and has a gallery round it. Throws are 'hollow or sagging and vroint 'a groat ffoal, the cornors bojn. ;tirvl up sharply. On these llghtj,bels arp sus pended which mako a 'constant ring ing when tho wind blows. Tho roofs are covered with glazeaMles of various colors, and the summit ornamented with a species of spire and flnlal. Tho nihgt cplebrated of these buildings was that known as tho porcelain tower of Nanking. It had nlno stories, and was about two hundred feet high, exclusive of the Iron spire. At each unglo was a bell, making seventy-two In all; and there wero eight chains hanging from the top of the flnlal to tho angles of the splro, anil cnrrylng nlno bells each, or Boventy-two more. This colebrated building was destroyed by tho Tnoplngj when In rebellion in 1853. Almost every town In China possesses one or more of theso tAructures, all alike In de sign but differing in dimensions, and'ln tho richness of tho material and orna ments. , 'Sml' 41 i mm ( M ft-1 j ftif 5? w fet. M I mi, I H i k I 1.1 en m H It 4 t" uy. M nfniMitMan,