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1
FARM FACTS.
(Compiled by Ernest A. Gerfrard.)
Make a scrap book of your "Farm
Pacts."
The Illinois experiment Station says
that corn can be grown, Independent of
rent, for 8 cents a bushel. That In
cludes husking. These people who can
prow corn for 6 and 8 cents a bushel
are marvels to us. That Is all we can
8a y.
Cut the herd down until every cow
In It earns a good living, and then buy
fr raise more of the same kind. Do
tot keep a boarding farm for poor cat
le. Let not your pride be In a large
herd, but In a herd which pays a large
profit.
It has taken over a century to bring
the Jersey or Guernsey cow to her pres
ent perfection and over a thousand
years to do the same work for the Hol
steln. Yet some foolish and unthink
ing owner can spoil a heifer of either
"breed In a year.
Apple and pear growers will be glad
to know that It Is proposed to Import
mnd breed a small bird which lives on
,the codling moth. The bird Is a native
t Germany and Is of the greatest value
)to orchardlsts. As the moth threatens
tho orchards In this section this Im
portation will be of Incalculable benefit.
HOW TO KEEP UP FERTILITY. ,
(Kansas Dairyman.)
To a true, conscientious farmer It Is
ever a momentous question, "How can
I best keep up the productive power of
ny land?" To such a man It seems
a wicked wastefulness to rob nature of
her productive power, to live his short
life and turn over to the coming gen
eration and the state such proof of his
lack of good ctlzenshlp. For men of
that kind of heart and brain, we have a
word of suggestion.
Crimson clover Is a plant of wonderful
vigor, but It will not, usually, live
through the winter north of the south
ern line of Pennsylvania. Dut It can
be taken advantage of In a grand way
by northern farmers to enhance the
fertility of their soli.
At the last cultivation of the corn.
bow on the fresh earth about eight to
ten quarts of this clover seed. It will
soon cover the ground with a dense
mat of grow'h. and help to keep down
the aftermath of weeds. Let It remain
as long after the corn Is cut as possible
before the ground freezes, then turn
It under, and you have the equivalent
of many loads of manure to the acre
on that land. The quick and luxurant
growth of crimson clover Is wonderful.
In a corn field In New York, handled
In this way, we dug up, In September,
several roots, the size of a clay pipe
Btom, with from thirty-six to forty-one
leaf stalks branching therefrom. We
know of no method whereby n heavy
coat of manure can be placed on a corn
field and more cheaply than In the way
above sugegsted.
FOOD COST OF BUTTER
(Hoard's Dairyman.)
In answer to yours of the 17th Inst.,
will say that I do not claim that butter
can be produced at 4.2 cents per pound
for feed. In my address In Connecticut
I showed that with certain cows we
could produce a pound of butter at 4.2
cents during the winter senson; but on
the other hands, there were some cows
which cost us 10 cents.
During the year 1896 with us the
range of coBt In producing a pound of
butter was from 4.1 to 10.8 cents. The
average cost from the whole herd for
the entire year was G.3 cents. Dividing
the herd Into two groups and placing
those of the dairy type In one group
and those Inclined to meat production
In the second group, we find that the
average yield per cow from the dairy
group was 460 pounds of butter, costing
S centB per pound. The net return from
the dairy cows, after deducting the
cost for feed at market prices, was
J45.65. Taking the cows In the herd
that have a medium tendency of con
verting food Into flesh, we find that
the group produced on an average 209
pounds of butter In a year, costing 7.7
cents per pound. The return for dairy
products from this group over and
above the market prices of the food
consumed Is $21.10 per cow. Taking tr-e
cows that have a strong tendency for
flesh production we find that their an
nual yield of butter was 197 pounds,
costing 10.8 cents per pound. The net
return per cow from this group, after
deducting the cost of feed, was $8.19.
T. L. HACKER.
THE WORLD'S WHEAT
A few days ago the bureau of satis
fies at Washington Issued a report that
gives Interesting facts about the world's
wheat production, supply and distri
bution. The wheat crop of the world
last year was only 3,139 million bushels,
against 2,430 million In 1896, 2,546 million
In 1895 and 2,676 million In 1894, the
world's crop of 1897 being smaller than
that of any year since 1890, while the
1897 crop In the United States Is re
ported as larger than In any year since
1891. A table showing farm prices of
wheat In the United States during a
term of years gives the average farm
price of wheat In 1897 as the highest
with three exceptions, since 1883, the
exceptional years being 1883, 1890 and
1891. .
WHAT IT COSTS TO SHIP THE)
WHEAT.
Chicago to New York By lake and
canal, 4.35 cents per bushel; by lake
and rail. 7.37 cents per bushel; by rail
co&ts, 5.8 cents per bushels.
Chicago to Liverpool By lake, canal
and sea, 10.15 cents; by lake, rail and
sea, 13.17 cents; by rail and sea, 18.12
cents per bushel.
From New York to Liverpool By sea
coats, 5.8 cents per bushel.
East St. LoulB to Liverpool By New
Orleans In barge, 12.89 cents per bush
el; by New York, by rail and sea, 20.33
cents per bushel.
From St. Louis to New Orleans By
toarge costs. 4.88 cents per bushel.
Wheat thus goes cheapest from Chi
cago through the lakes and the Erie
canal at a rate of 4 35 cents to New
York and 10.15 to Liverpool.
THE SOJA BEAN AND THE COW Pea
We prefer the soja bean to the cow
pea, either as a fodder crop to be fed
green, or to be put Into the silo, for
the following reasons:
The soja bean, a suitable variety be
ing selected, will ripen In this locality,
while the cow pea will not. This en
ables the farmer to produce his own
seed, and. further, the plant can be
allowed to reach a degree of maturity
BUfllcIently advanced to make the fod
der less watery, and richer In the most
Important constituent.) of plant-food
than the cow pea In the Immature con
dition In which It must be cut.
The soja bean is a considerable rich
er fodder than the cow pea.
The Medium Green variety, which I
believe Is the very best sort for this
latitude, constitutes the better basis
for comparison with the cow pea. It
will be noticed that this variety gives
os nearly twice as much fat, more than
ono and two-thirds times the amount
of flesh-formers (protein), and about
one and one-half times the amount of
heat producers (carbo-hydrates) as la
given by the cow pea.
When, In the light of these facts,
we consider further that the Medium
Green soja bean has, upon an average,
as grown here, produced as large yields
as the cow pea, Its superiority becomes
strikingly evident. The crops of both
usually average from ten to twelve
tons per acre, green weight. With a
yield of ten tons, the cow pea will give
us the following number of pounds of
the different nutrients per acre: Fat,
140 pounds; flesh-formers, 620 pounds;
hnat-producers, 1,720 pounds. The soja
bean with the same crop gives us: Fat,
240 pounds; flesh-formers, 1,110 pounds;
heat-producers, 2.400 pounds. These
facts make the apparent superiority
bf the soja bean as a fodder crop very
clear.
These beans are edible, and are the
richest known natural vegetable prod
vet. I do not believe, however, 'hat
they will be as well liked for table
use as some of our older varieties of
beans; they are too rich and oily to
suit most tastes. They are not much
used directly as food, even by the Jap
anese, but they are largely used In
the manufacture of a table sauce known
as shoyu (soy), whence, probably, the
names sojn, soya, and soy. They nre,
also, largely used for the manufacture
of a bean cheese, which Is a favorite
and largely used article ns food for
horses and cattle.
PROF. WILLIAM P. BROOKS.
Massachusetts Agricultural College.
AMERICAN BUTTER IN CHIANA
J. C. Goodchild, late manager of the
Hong Kong hotel, the largest hotel In
the colony, Imported last year from
San Francisco over 1.200 pounds of
pickled and cieamery butter. He placed
It on the table and his guests had to
eat It. The result was that it was
liked, and residents of The city fell
Into the habit of bending to him for
roll3 for their private use. He im
ported It In barrels of 100 rolls, each
roll weighing one nnd three-fourths
pounds, and it was laid down in Hong
Kong for from 20 to 32 cents gold per
pound.
ALUMINIUM SHOES FOR HORSES
Russia has tried experiments with al
uminium shoes for cavalry horses. A
few horses In the Linlaml dragoons
were shod with one aluminium shoe
and three Iron shoes each, the former
being on the fore foot In some cases
and on the hind foot In others. The
experiment lasted six weeks nnd showed
that the aluminium shoes lasted longer
than the Iron ones.
POULTRY POINTERS.
It Is said a good sign of the up-to-date
farmer is his flock of poultry. The
progressive farmer has no use for scrub
stock of any kind.
Clean out the feed troughs dally.
It Is well to feed a mash at all sea
sons. Never throw soft feed on th; ground.
When hot weather comes stop feed
ing corn.
Do not expect eggs from overcrowded
flocks.
Underfed or overfed hens ore poor
layers.
Ptans make an excellent fo)d for
the hens.
Fermented food will kill chicks, and
does kill many.
Serious consequences will result from
not supplying grit to confined flocks.
If you want eggs and meat, too, the
Plymouth Rock will do the business.
Feed troughs should be large enough
to give all the fuwls opportunity to
feed.
There is more In giving chicks good
care than there Is In the kind of
feed.
Keep your dust box full of dry dust
and keep It where the hens can get at
It at will.
Clean the henhouse from top to bot
tom. Do it thoroughly, and do not
put It off another day.
Early moulting makes early layer3.
This Is the advantage of saving the
earliest hatched pullets.
Milk, skimmed, sour or sweet. Is an
excellent food for poultry, especially
when you have no ground bone to feed
them.
Have you a barrel of lime handy? If
not, get one. Make you n good stiff
wash and add a little carbolic acid, then
exercise yourself.
A Hasty Army Marriage.
The romance of young Lochlnvar,
who came out of the west, and kid
naped his bride by horseback, has
been revised and modernized, even to
the present war with Spain, by Cecil
Stanley Newberry, a soldier boy from
Elizabeth, N. J.
Cecil was betrothed to petite and
pretty Adeline Norton, one of the fair
est daughters of the New Jersey town
from which the gallant Cecil enlisted.
Last week she visited him In camp.
They had a dismally happy half hour
together, and when the last train rum
bled down the track their tears mingled
with their klsBes.
"Hurry, Addle." said Mrs. Lake, Ad
dle's sister and chaperon.
C ell helped Mrs. Lake upon the plat
Cecil helped Mrs. Lake upon the plat
form of the car. It took his a marvel
lously long time to perform the same
office for Addle.
The train started. The girl waved a
tearful farewell to her lover, and was
surprised to see him run toward the
rear car.
"He's going to throw himself under
the train," she screamed.
Instead he ran through the rear car,
seized her by the waist and sprang
from the train. Mrs. Lake, breathless,
but protesting, looked from the car
window to see the couple surrounded
by cheering soldiers. Years of mater
nity had made Mrs. Lake too portly for
the athletic feat young Newberry had
accomplished. She simply did what
many another chaperon has done
nothing.
"I couldn't let you go," said New
berry, when they recovered their breath
after their leap from the train.
They found the Rev. Mr. Glazebrook,
the "fighting parson." of the Third reg
iment, and were wed with neatness
and dispatch, In the presence of Major
De Hart and Captain Blckel.
The next morning Mr. and Mrs. Chas.
Norton, stern parents, arrived In camp.
"Oh, papa!" exclaimed Mrs. Cecil
Newberry, before he could make any
thiuiderous remarks, "who do you sup
pose performed the ceremony? Guess?
You never can. It was Dominie Glaze
brook." The stern parents started.
Mr. Norton looked remlnlscently at
Mrs. Norton Mrs Norton gazed plead
ingly at her spouse.
"It's a good omen that the same
chaplain married them who Joined us
when you were leaving for the other
war. Let's forgive them for being has
ty, Charles."
And so they did.
Never borrow trouble. If the evil Is
not to come, It Is useless, and so much
waste; If It Is to come, best keep all
your strength to meet It. Tryon Ed
ward n.
It Is a kind of good deed to say well:
and yet words are no deeds, Shakes
peare.
THE CALL TO THE COLORS.
"Are you ready, O Virginia,
Alabama, Tennessee?
People of the Southland, nnswerl
For the land hath need of thee."
"Here!" from sandy Rio Grande,
Where the Texan horsemen ride,
"Here!" the hunters of Kentucky
Hall from Chattcrawha's side,
Every toller In the cotton,
Every rugged mountaineer,
Velvet-voiced nnd Iron-handed,
Lifts his head to answer "Hercl
Some remain who charged with Picket,
Some survive who followed Lee;
They shall lead their sons to battlo
For the flag If need there be."
"Are you ready, California,
Arizona, Idaho?
'Come, oh come, unto the colors!'
Heard you not the bugle blow?"
Falls a hush In San Francisco
In the busy hives of trnde;
In the vlneynrda of Sonoma .
Fnll the pruning knife nnd spnde;
In the mines of Colorado
Pick and drill nre thrown aside;
Idly In Seattle hnrbor
Swing the tnerchnnts to the tide,
And a million mlghtly voices
Rolling from the rough Sierras,
"You have called us nnd we come."
O'er Missouri sounds the challenge
O'er the grent Inkcs and the plain;
"Are you rendy, Mlnnesotn?
Are you ready, men of Maine?"
From the woods of Ontonagon,
From the farms of Illinois,
From the looms of Massachusetts,
"We are ready, man and boy."
Axemen free, of Androscoggin,
Clerks who trudge the cities' pave,
Gloucester men who drng their plunder
From the sullen, hungry wnves.
Big-boned Swede and large-limbed Ger
mnn, Celt and Saxon swell the call,
And the Adlrondneks echo:
"We are ready, one nnd nil."
Truce to feud and peace to faction I
All forgot is party zeal
When the warships clear for action,
When the blue battalions wheel.
Europe boasts her standing armies
Serfs who blindly light by trade;
We have seven million soldiers,
And n soul guides every blade.
Lnborers with arm nnd mnttock,
Laborers with brain and pen.
Railroad prince and rnllrond brake
man Build our line of fighting men.
Flng of righteous war! close mustered
Gleam the bayonets, row on row,
Where thy stars are sternly clustered,
With their daggers toward the foe.
GENERAL ANTONIO MAGEO.
One more characteristic Indlcent In
the life of General Antonio Maceo. As
the years roll by he will undoubtedly
loom up as the heroic figure In the
Jong and bitter struggle for Cuban free
dom. His patriotism was entirely un
tained with selfishness. His heart beat
for Cuba, and Cuba alone. His whole
family perished In the war. No cuelty
Htalns his record. Of unquestioned
military genius, hiB ceaseless energy
was second only to his tact and fuie
past. In recourse he was boundless; In
bravery unsurpassed; In prudence a
mnrvel. Obeying orders himself, he
commanded obedience from others. Out
rages upon non-combatants were re
morselessly punished. The blnck sol
diers of Flor Crombet quickly learned
to fear and respect him. Two of them
were charged with assaulting defense
less Cuban women on the outskirts of
a town garrisoned by Spaniards. The
evidence was clear and Irrefutable. On
the finding of a court martial they were
sentenced to death. In vain did Crom
bet and Quintin Bandera urge Maceo
to pardon them. The orders against
such outrages were Imperative. The
strictest discipline must be maintained,
and It was not a case where Justice
pould be tempered with mercy. Both
men were hanged In front of the cump.
and henceforth Maceo's men were as
i orderly and as obedient as solldlers of
Sparta. No one was axcepted In camp
regulations. Even the newspaper cor
respondents were held to as strict ac
count In the line of march or elsewhere
as the. humblest soldier. Maceo was no
respecter of persons when orders were
disobeyed, he had few or no favorites.
Always thoughful and wary, he never
fclept unless he fancied himself In per
fect security.
Any story that sheds light upon the
character and career of this extraordin
ary man must prove of more than or
dinary Interest. This Incident occurred
after the battle of Paralejo, where San
toclldes was killed, and Martinez Cam
pos escaped to Bayamo, leaving his
routed army behind him. Flor Crombet
had fallen In battle several days before
this fight, and Marti had been killed In
an Insignificant fight at Dos Ross. Go
mez had passed Into Cam&guay to add
Are to the Insurrection In the province
of Santiago. To him was Campos In
debted for his defeat. He escaped cap
ture as If by Intuition. A new snare
had been spread for him Maceo after
the death of Santoclldes, and he was
(already within its meshes, when Intui
tively divining the situation, he came
to an nbout face and fled to Bayamo by
an unused road, covered by an impass
able thicket In the rear of Maceo's vic
torious troops.
The Spaniards were rapidly rein
forced after the escape to Bayamo, and
Maceo with Quintin Bandera began to
fall back to his Impregnable mountain
retreat at Jarahulca. This was In the
heart of Santiago de Cuba, over a hun
dred miles northeast of the port of
Santiago. His war-worn army needed
rest, recruits, and supplies. Once In
his mountain fastness he was perfectly
secure, as no Spanish army would trust
Itself In the rocky range. News of his
movements had reached Santiago, and
a tremendous effort was being maJp
head him off at San Luis, a railroad
town fifteen miles northwest of that
city. Nothing, however, escaped the
observation of the Cuban general. With
wonderful prescience he anticipated tht
movements of the Spaniards. His troop,
era were armed with machetes and the
infantry with rifles and ammunition
captured at Paralejo. Bandera com
manded this band of blacks. The march
had been terrific, and horses and men
were nearly fagged. With sparse sup
plies the pace had been kept up for
hours. The Bun hnd gone down, and
the moon was flooding the fronds of the
palms with pale, silvery light. Maceo
held a short conference with Quintin
Bandera, and not long afterward the
blacks wheeled In column and disap
peared. Meantime the Cuban cavalry
continued Its course. By midnight It
had reached Cemetery hill, overlooking
the town of San Luis. The moon was
half way down the sky. Maceo sat
upon his horse surveying the scene be
low him long and silently. The little
town was aglow with electric lights and
the whistle of locomotives resounJed In
the valley. Over three thousand Span
ish troops were quartered In the town,
and their movements were plainly dis
cernible. Trains were arriving hourly
from Santiago bearing strong rein
forcement. Through a field glass he
watched the stirring scene. He turned
the glass beyond the town and gazed
through it patiently, betraying a trace
of anxiety. Finally he nllghted and con
ferred with Colonel Mlro, his chief cf
staff. A moment nfterwnrd came the
order to dismount. Three hundred
troopers obeyed, when they were called
l" attention. A second order reached
their ears. They were told to rtanrt
motionless with both feet on the ground
and to awnlt further orders, with thtlr
hands on their saddles. In the moon
light beneath the scattered palms thty
stood ns silent as If petrified.
Among them was a newspaper cor
respondent, who had known Maceo
many yenis, and who had parted with
him nt Port Llmon In Central America
n few months before He ha 1 Joined
the column Just after the battle f P.ir
alejo. In obedience to orders ne stool
with his arm over the hnck of nls horse,
blinking nt the enlivening scene below
him. Exhausted by the day's mnrch
his eyes closed nnd he found It Impos
sible to keep nwake. A momqtil later
he fastened the bridle to his foot, trap
ped himself In his rubber cont and fill
nslcep In the wet grass. The adjutant
soon nwoke him. telling him that lie
had better get up, ns they were g'dng
to have a light. He thanked the adju
tant, who told him there were J.uOO
Spanish soldlcts In Snn Luis, and that
It was surrounded with fourteen block
houses. The correspondent soon cm led
himself on the ginss a second lima nnd
was In a sound slumber, when he was
again nroused by the adjutant, who told
him he was In positive dnnger If he per
sisted In disobeying the order of Gcn
eial Maceo. A third time his heavy
eyelids closed and ho was In a dead
sleep when startled by n peremptory
shake, Jesus Mnseons, Maceo's private
sceietnry, stood over him. "eOt up this
Instant," snld he. "The general wants
to see you Immediately."
In a second that conespondent wns on
his feet. The whistles were still blow
ing and the electric lights still glow
ing In the valley, nnd the moon whp
on the horizon. He went forward In
some ticpldatlon, fancying thnt the
general was going to lipid aid him for
disobeying his orders. He was surprised
to find him very pleasant. Maceo always
spoke in a low tone, ns he had been
shot twice through the lungs.
"Are you not hungry?"
"No," the correspondent replied, won
dering what was In the wind.
"1 thought possibly you might wnnt
something to cat," General Maceo said,
"I have a boiled egg here nnd I wnnt
to divide It with you." As he uttered
these wordB he drew out his mnchcte
and cut the egg straight through tho
center. Passing half of It to the cor
rcspondent he said: "Share It; It will
do you good." The newspaper man
thanked the general and they ate tho
egg In silence. He said afterward that
the Incident reminded him of General
Marlon's breakfast with a British oifl
cer. He had read the story In Peter
Parley's History of the Revolution
when a school boy. Marlon rnked a
baked sweet potato out of the ashes
of a camp fire and divided It with his
British guest. The olllcer regretted tho
absence of salt, and the correspondent
Bald he experienced the same regret
when he ate his portion of General
Maceo's egg.
After munching the egg both men sat
for some time observing the stirring
scene In the vulley below them. This
moon had gone down, but In the glow
of the electric lights they could see
that the activity among the Spaniards
was as great as ever. Suddenly Maceo
turned to the conespondent and said
abruptly: "Were you asleep when Jesus
called you?"
"Oh, no," the correspondent replied,
"I wns not osleep; 1 was only Just
tired that was all."
The general looked nt him earching
ly, and then said: "Don't worry, it Ib
all right. We are going through that
town In a few minutes. There ii ay bo
a fierce fight and you will need a clear
head. The egg will give you strength."
Within twenty mlnuteB the llttl. col
umns of 300 men were on the move.
They led their horses down the bill
about an hour before daybrak with
the general In the lead. Silently and
stealthily they entered the outskirts of
the town. The colunmB passed two
blockhouses without being observed und
at the break of day were beyond the
town on the main road to Banabacoa.
Meanwhile the Spaniards had discov
ered them. The town was aroused and
150 Spanish cavalry headed the pursuit,
the road wound through fields of cane.
A strong column of Spanish Infantry
followed the cavalry. Maceo held his
men In reserve and continued his
march, the Spanish troopers trailing
after them like so many wildcats. Sud
denly, to their nstonlshment, Quintin
Bandera's infantry arose on either side
of the road and almoBt annihilated the
pursuing column. Those that escaped
alarmed the columnB of Infantry, who
returned to San Luis and began to
fortify themselves. Maceo and Bandera
camped on the estate of Mcjorana,
about eIx miles away. It was here that
Marti, Gomez, the two Maceos, Crombet,
Guerra and Rabl met not long berorc
this to Inaugurate the new revolution.
Bandera and Macoe found plenty of
provisions at the estate, but no bread.
A small Cuban boy was sent to She
Spanish commander at San Luis with a
note requesting him to be so kind as to
send some brend to visitors at me
Mejorana plantation. The boy deliv
ered the note and the Spanish com
mander asked him who sent htm. With
out a moment's hesitation he replied:
"General Gomez." The Spanish official
laughed and replied: "Very well. A
supply of bread will be sent. It will
not be necessary for Maceo to come
after It." What Is more remarkable
Is the fact that Maceo told the cor
respondent before hand that the bread
would be sent, as the Spaniards had
been so frightened by Bandera on the
previous day that they did not want
to Invite another attack. That very
evening the boy returned conveying
many bags of bread. The Spaniards re
mained within the town until Maceo
has rested his army nnd departed for
Jarahulca.
.
"By George, that was a eavage fight!
What was the trouble?" the Cleveland
Leader quotes one of them as saying.
"Oh. It was about the war."
"Ah! one of them Is a Spaniard, I
suppose?"
"No; one of them claimed It was Sun
day evening when Dewey took Manila,
and the other held that Is wasn't don
until Monday morning, our time."
"What blamed foola to fight over a
thing of that kind. Which do you think
was right?"
"I think It was Sunday evening. You
see "
"I beg your pardon, sir, but you ar
away off there. It was Saturday, our
time. Now let me expla "
"I've looked this matter up mystlf,
and know Just what I am talking about.
If you'll Just give me a chance I can
show you In a minute. Suppose that It
was"
"Say, I want you to understand tha.
I know Just as much about these things
as the next man. You may think you
have a copyright on human knowledge,
but there are a few others. Now, If
you're not Incapable of listening to ar
gument, I can convince you In Just a
minute that It was"
"Oh, who cares for your explanation?
Let me tell you how it Is. You 6ee "
"You're a blamed fool!"
Bang! Thwack! Z-z-r-r-rlp! Ill
RAPID FIRE QUN9.
Rnpld fire guns are guns In whlcli
the manipulation of the piece Is greatlj
facilitated by having the charge ol
powder and shot put up together ai
one, quite after the manner of small
arm iimunltlon. An essential to secuu
this rapidity of fire Is dispatch In hnnd
ling ammunition loading, firing anc
loading ngnln. Hence It Is nt mntter oi
the first Importance to have the nminii
nltlon arranged with this object Ir
view. Copper cylinders nre usually the
means employed. This employment ol
metallic cartridge cases to hold tin
shot and shell renders unnecessary the
sponging of the gun after each round
as must bo done with other synteniB ol
binding, for nny hot residue would be
of gient danger In ordinary guns ir no!
lemoved or cooled by sponging. HucV
burning fingments could do no harm tr
a powder chnrge sealed up In n ineta'
case; so the time usually given ti
sponging the gun Is saved. Again, Ir
ordinal y guns consldeiable delay usu
ally occurs from having to Insert In the
vent a primer, and from having tc
extract the old one. In the rapid lire
gun ammunition the primer Is alread
attached to the base of the enne, nnc
Is exploded by a firing pin Just as it
Is, and In precisely the same wanner n
In a small arm, and hence all the time
ordlnnrlly nettled to prime the chnrgt
Is therefore saved.
The rapid flrt gun wns develop 1 froir
the machine gun, the French niltrtllle
use being the first successful piece ol
this nntuio. It gained gicnt notoriety
dining the Ftnnco-German war, and
extiaordliiiiry icsults were jxp?etc0
from It. The mltrallleus, however, win
not altogether so elllt'iuious as was an.
tlclpated, Mill It showed the way, wiil-h
Gatllng wns tint slow to follow, Kit
was Nordenfeldt fnr behind, and several
other Inventing wrc soon In the Held
THE TORPEDO BOAT
It was during this time 1875-78 thai
the torptlo btnt shot Into piimlnenoe,
long, low, nri.ily Invisible, ns swift t.s
nn arrow, cairylng a (Until tleallnp
weapon to fright the souls of fearful
adversnilHH. Everything in the way of
offensive sea warfare was expect d of
thse craft, Indeed they were thought
by some oapable men notably French-
rrwintri tin Mm ntm .lnMof tn timiitl i.ln
) v , .. WIIV Vt, liJi V I 111 14 1 VJt'"
tnent cf fU-crgth of the future. Ho4-''.
. kiss, a name synonymous with small
caliber rapid fire guns, came tti the
assistance of those who were deter
I mined that seme means must be found
1 to annihilate these toipedo boats, bring.
ing forward the revolving ennnon of
several sizes of bore. In pieces of this
type each barrel, usually four In num.
ber, wus revolved by crank genr until It
came opposite a stationary chamber,
where the projectile was Inserted nnd
then fired, all by the turning of n crank.
About an Inch and n hnlf diameter was
found to the largest size of barrel that
could be advantageously operated by
the gearing; above that the weight was
too heavy for the gun to be worked
as a machine gun.
While the machine gun was growing
In power nnd efllclency so wob the
torpedo boat; Its size wns Increased and
the boilerB were arranged so ns to be
protected against these revolving can-
, non projectiles by coal; then It became
necessary to provide guns possessing
not only the quality of rapidity of fire,
but discharging heavier projectiles with
higher velocity. The success attending
using of metal cartridge cases for hold
. Ing the ammunition of the large revolv-
I Ing cannon demonstrated the practlblll.
lty of constructing heuvler guns to fire
the same description of ammunition,
I and It wns also recognized thnt better
reBUits could be gained by giving up
the mechanical loading such as was
common to guns of more than one
bnrrel and Instead to design the gun
with only one bnrrel. Again Hotchklss
nnd Nordenfeldt appenr to have been
the first to adopt this Improvement,
though other gun designers soon fol
lowed suit.
THE THREE AND RIX-POUNDERS.
The results of the labors of these
two Inventors were the production of
the first rapid fire guns using shot
weighing three pounds nnd six pounds.
Subsequently the one-pounder wus
manufactured. These calibers nre the
ones used today In our service. Lntterly
the six-pounder has been supplied alone
to our new ships. From the three
pounder and one-pounder about thirty
shots a minute can be fired by n trained
crew, and from the six-pounder about
twenty-fire. This speed will not be
considered too great when It Is recol
lected that a torpedo boat has to be
repelled or destroyed from say 1,000
yards to 400 yards, during an Interval
of less than a minute. Moreover, ns
torpedo attacks will probably he made
by several boats at the same time and
from different quarters. It Is evident
that a large number of quick firing
guns must be Included In the arma
ment of nil men-of-wnr.
They are therefore placed on board
Ehlp wherever there Is room for them,
nnd In such positions that several guns
enn always be concentrated on nny
point. Thus tney are round in the tops,
on the poop, forecastle, superstructure,
on brldg3s, In nny spare port, on the
main deck, and In the porta of the
captain's cabin, where they protect
the stern nnd the propellers.
The Hotchklss three and four-pounder
guns mounted on board our ships are
made at the Colt works, Hartford,
Conn., entirely of steel, In two principal
parts, the barrel and the Jacket, the
latter being shtunk on the firearm. The
Jacket carries the breech mechanism,
which Is on the falling breech principle,
and Is worked by a two handled lever
on the right of the gun.
TO MAN THE GUN.
To load the piece, point It, fire It, etc.
In other words, to man a three or
slx-pounder gun requires a crew of
four men. No. 1 Ib the captain of the
gun. He does the sighting, pointing
nnd firing, and he commaands the men
of that gun. No. 2 attends at the
breech, opening and closing It and
wiping It off. No. 3 does the loading.
Inserting the cartridge, and generally
sees to the ammunition at the gun. No.
4 carries the ammunition from the
boxes where It Is kept and hands It
to No. 3. He nlso takes off the empty
case and lays It aside out of the way.
Usually there are two more men as
signed to each gun. Their duties are
to provide ammunition and keep the
supply equal to the demand. One man,
of course, car do everything himself,
but not so quickly as two or three or
four. More than four cannot be util
ized to nny ndvantage about the gun.
To have sufficient ammunition on
hnnd Is a most Important matter, for If
n torpedo boat be coming on Johnny
will need to get his gun quick. The
ammunition Is stored In wooden boxes,
each cartridge so that It cannot touch
the ndjolnlng one. and also so that
neither the point of the projectile nor
the base of the cartridge case carrying
the primer shall be In contact with
anything. Usually there are about a
dozen slx-pounder rounds In a box,
nbout sixteen rounds In a three-pounder
box and nearly twice as many In a one.
pounder.
The oyster Is one of the strongest of
creatures, nnd the force required to
open It Is more than 1,300 times Its own
weight.
HSW DEWEY WON HIS WIPB,
It was nt Portsmouth that Lieutenant
Dewey first met the sweet-faced llttl
woman who afterward became his wife.
She was Ml-s Susie Goodwin, a daugh
ter of doughty old Ichabod Goodwin,
the war governor of New Hampshire)
and known far and wide as "Fighting
Governor Goodwin." In his way Gov
ernor Goodwin was a popular hertTln
the early days of the civil war, quite
ns much ns Is his distinguished son-in-law
today. Like many another of
the "war governors" of the north, Icha
bod Goodwin was nn old school demo
crut of the Jnckson stripe. Nullifica
tion or secession he could not stand,
nnd when President Lincoln's flrnt call
for volunteers came nnd found the New
Hampshire legislature not In session,
the loynl old governor put hla hands
deep Into his pockets nnd at his per
sonal expense fitted out a regiment of
fighting men and sent them to the front,
trusting to the honor of the people of
Now Hampshire to reimburse him at
the proper time. "Fighting Governor
Goodwin" wns known far nnd wldo In
those days; village streets were named
In his honor, likewise babies galore;
and to this day the old Portland, Saco
nnd INsmouth locomotive "Governor
Goodwin," thirty years old or more,
goes pulling and snorting along tho
shore road which connects Portsmouth
with points, east nnd west.
Two gallant navnl olllcers were gen
erally HiipptiBtd to have been rlvnls
for the heart and hand of Suslo Good
win. They were Lieutenant Dewey ami
Commander Rhlntl, the latter then pre
paring for a cruise In foreign water
as fommunder of the Narrngnnsctt. Tho
calls of the one alternated with those
of the other, and the dear old gossips
Jn Portsmouth society wondered what
would be the outcome of It all. Th
lleiitenunt, however, won his suit.
Commander Rhlnd sailed away In his
fine old ship and Lieutenant Dewey
nnd Miss Goodwin were married. It Is
recalled now that the odds were against
the old nnd more dignified ofllcer be
cause, In addition to the grenter favor
which the young lieutenant hud won
In the eyeH of the young woman, there
wns the nld which was thrown Into tho
balance by her futher, the "fighting
r;o crr.or."
"Geirg? Is sort of reckless somc
llni's." the old gcntlemnn once re
rr!i5d, "but hand me If I can help
HUng him. He's honest nnd full of
g-'t, and he'll be heard from one of
these days."
1,'eutcnnnt Dewey nnd Miss Susl
Goodwin were mnrrled October 24, 1S67
nnd following the wedding a reception
wns held In the fine old Gcodwln home
stead, which Is Htlll standing on onsr
of the quiet, elm-shaded streets of
Portsmouth, and occupied by members
of the Goodwin family.
Shortly after their marriage the
young couple were compelled to separ
ate for a time, Lieutenant Dewey hav
ing been ordered to sea. For two year
he was on the European station, hlti
wife temalnlng In Portsmouth. Return
ing to Amerlen, he was, oddly enough
assigned to the command of the Narra
gansett, relieving his former rival.
Commander Rhlnd, The one great sor
row of his life enme a little later. This,
wns In 1872. He had been promoted
to be commander and luck seemed to
be running strongly his way.t Tho
young wife wus spending a summer In
Newport and preparations were being;
made for nn event which It wns hoped
would crown with Joy their wedded
life. A son was born December 2.7, but
a week Inter the mother died. The boy
wns christened George Goodwin, In
honor of his proud grandfather. He
Is now a splendid fellow of 28, a grad
uate of Princeton, and a "chip of the
old block." This boy Is George Goodwin
Dewey, now well Htarted on a mercan
tile career In New York, and whose al
leged portrait has recently appeared In
half the newspapers of the country.
After the loss of his wife, Commander
Dewey fnced the world bravely, but
those who know him well say that hie
soul was sorely tried, while his Bister
Is authority for the statement that hs
felt as If In no little measure his career
had ended at the grave of his wife.
Years have not entirely blotted out
this feeling, but, according to a Wash
ington story, our hern of Manila has
not been entirely proof against Cupld'B
mischievous glances. As the story goes,
it was not so very long ago that th?
gallant Dewey was eclipsed by a certain
diplomat attached to one of the lega
tions In Washington, and a Spanish:
diplomat at that. 'Since then," says
my Informant, "Dewey has shown lit
tle If any love for the diplomat In ques
tion or for the Dons In general. The
fact Is, at least one may suspect so, her
had something besides the Maine to
remember when he lined up his ships
before the Spanish fleet in Manila bay.
Is This Grant's Son.
Colonel Grant, who has been the idol
of his men, developed a streak of rigid
discipline on receipt of orders to take
his regiment sruth and It increased dur
ing the Jay. The fact that his battal
ions were not mustered in until late In
the afternoon, though it had been In
tended to have the ceremony early
In the morning, may have ruined him.
Private John C. Helcht of company C
aroused Colonel Grant's anger by a
request for leave to go home to visit
his mother, who, he said, was dying. He
approached Colonel Grant in person,,
with his sister.
"I cannot grant your request," Col
onel Grant said. "Do you know that X
have a margin of only four men in thf
regiment?"
"I'll Join the regiment In two days,"'
pleaded the soldier, "and pay my own
railroad fare."
Colonel Grant was obdurate. Hefcht
sald: "I must resign, then, sir, and go home
anyway."
"Step back three paces and standi
at attention," thundered the colonel.
He sent for Captain Avery of company
C. When he arrived Colonel Grant said;
"Take this man to his company, strlp
him of his uniform and send htm out
of the camp In disgrace. I Intend to
make an example of him."
As Helcht left I asked Colonel Grantt,
what caused his sudden harshness'.
"The camp Is overrun with wqmetit
begging leave pf absence for men," he
unswered. "I am going to Hop It."
I found among the men entire sym
pathy with Helcht. Not a member oC
the drum cotps would have consented
to beat a note for his disgrace and Cap
tain Avery, though he did not say sc
hlmself, would have left the carrying:
out of the order to Colonel Grant. Th
captain sent Helcht's sister to Brooklyn
for his clothes and left him In his tent:
during the mustering ceremony
Officers of high rank, who naturally
refused to criticise Colonel Grant's ac
tion, said they knew of no section or
the military code authorising suchs
measures
When the men returned from the;
mustering Captnln Avery had a talk:
with Colonel Grant nnd Helcht was al
lowed to go In me In peece Miss Helcht
said to me as she left that she had
never been so henrtlessly treated In.
her life She said she had tried1 several
times to explain mnttres to Colonel
Grant, but he waved her aside without
giving her an opportunity to' say e,
wot d.