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FACTS AND FIGURES,
Complied by Wm, Matthews Handy.
Referendum In Cnnndn. The llbernl
overnment In Cnnndn Is preparing to
hold a referendum on the subject of
prohibition. A bill Is being prepared
which will provide for n vote by the
entire people of Cnnndn rn the ndvls
ability of passing n federal prohibitory
act, forbidding the mnnufnetute, Im
portation nnd snle of Intoxicating li
quors. Since 1S78 there hnve been pleb
iscltes In the four provinces of Manito
ba, Prince Edward Islnnd, Ontnrlo nnd
Nova Scotia, on the subject, each of
which pave a majority for prohibition,
the nggregnte In the four being 132.819
votes. It seems more than likely that
prohibition will receive a majority at
the proposed plebiscite for the whole
dominion, but It Is not sure that the
government will then pass n prohibitory
law.
Georgia Convict Labor Georgia's
change In the method of caring for her
convicts promises to be both profitable
and to result In a better treatment of
them. As was shown by the report of
the legislative commission that Investi
gated the subject last year, under the
old system the convicts were starved
and brutally treated by the lessees,
who had entire charge of them, nnd
could punish them Just as they chose.
The control of the convicts by the new
lnw Is placed In the hands of a com
mission which Is to regulate their
hours of labor, the mnnner nnd extent
of their punishment, the variety, quan
tity and quality of their food, and the
character of their clothing. "While con
victs will still be leased, the leases will
be on a business basis, with the result
that the 1.800 convicts are hired out for
about $178,000 a yenr Instead of the
$25,000 received under the old arrange
ment. Japanese Competition What might
happen if Japan ever came Into direct
competition with America Is shown by
an article on the Japanese match In
dustry published In the Japan Herald.
Matches are sold In Japan for 80 cents
per 600 dozen boxes. These prices are
possible because the wages of the op
eratlves range from 7 to 20 cents a day
for adults and from 1 to 7 cents for
children.
Express Trains to Siberia The Rus
elan government announces that It Is
about to run through express trains
from St. Petersburg to the eastern ter
minus of the Trans-Siberian railway.
The run will be made In six days.
Co-operation in Switzerland On
March 20, 189S, the co-operative soci
eties of Switzerland decided to form a
union. They number nearly 200, with
a membership of 218,000.
Co-operation in India A co-operative
store on the Rochdale plan has been
started In Calcutta, India.
Progress In New Zealand The New
Zealand government Is contemplating a
loan of 2,000.000, to be expended In rail,
ways' and Irrigation.
Railways In India During 1897 the In.
dlan government opened 800 miles of
new railway, and this year 1,500 miles
additional will be opened.
Swedish Government Railway Onr
March 31 the Swedish parliament de
cided to construct a state railway from
Gellivare to the Norwegian frontier,
wherefrom the railway is to be contin
ued to the always Ice-free harbor of
'Victoria at Ofoten bay. It will open up
enormous Iron deposits, those of the
region being so rich that it Is calculated
that during 250 years 1,500,000 tons can
be exported yearly. The railway Is to
'be completed In 1902.
Bribery In London Municipal dlshon
esty Is not confined to America. In the
parishes of Harkney and Fulham the
vestrymen (corresponding to our coun.
ells) disposed of a public lighting con.
tract to a private company at a loss to
the taxpayers, and It is charged that
the vestrymen were Influenced by bribes
to vote as they did.
Municipal Tramways In Nottingham-.
Nottingham obtained possession of Its
tramways last year and Is now work
ing the system. The private lines con
structed in 1878 were behind the times,
'so the city will rebuild them.
Municipal Telephones A committee
been appointed by the British house of
commons to consider whether munici
palities should be given power to op-,
erate telephones.
Municipal Waterworks In Germany
Almost all German cities now own and
operate their own waterworks, which
usually yield from 10 to 145 per cent
profit annually.
Paris' Care for Unemployed The city
of Paris has a number of refuges for
the homeless and abandoned. There are
three for men. At the chief of these In
1894 a workshop was established in
which employment Is provided at from
60 to 60 cents a day with board and
lodging. A workman's earnings are re.
talned until he leaves the refuge. At
these Institutions the city, as far as
possible, has done all the works of car
penterlng, masonry, painting, etc., In
connection with Its charitable Institu
tions. During the last three years the
refuges have cost the city about $39,000.
There are four similar refuges for wo
men, where they are well sheltered and
fed and employed. In the meantime
the directress tries to procure situa
tions for them? During the first ten
months of i97, 801 women and 233 chil
dren were received In the refuge, the
women remaining an average of 48 days
and the children 10 days. Wages paid
were from 5 to 10 cents a day, with
board and lodging. The institutions
cost the city $20,000 a year. A mater
nity hospital Is also supported which
accommodates about 1,280 unfortunates
annually. The city In 1892 established
the agricultural colony of Ln Chalmette.
The farm bought was unpromising, but
the former desert Is now a scene of In.
dustry. Its object Is to get rural la
borers back to the land. Colonists are
employed temporarily and paid wages
of 10 cents a day, with board, the dura,
tlon of residence being limited. In 1896
only one man was expelled for laziness.
Situations are found for the Industrious,
and during 1896 140 farmers wrote to
the director to secure hands.
Government Distribution of Quinine
A striking Instance of the way In which
the postoffice In India Is of service to
the people Is shown In the case of the
Introduction of quinine Into Bengal. Its
use being almost entirely unknown in
that province, the lieutenant governor,
desiring to combat the prevalent ma
larial fever, offered quinine to thp peo.
pie at cost. He had It prepared In single
dose packages, bearing directions for
use, which were sold at the postofllce In
everv village at a price of a farthing
each. In the last two years nearly fix
millions such packages have been sold
In lower Bengal alone, and the system
has been successfully extended to other
provinces. One of the many good serv.
Ices done by the Indian postofflce Is a
system by which packages may be sent
collect on dellver and the money col
lected by the postman and returned to
the sender of the package. The object
Is to encourage cash trading and to give
person? living In remote district the
benefit of price ln lfadtr.p business con.
ters,
Co-operative Production In France--A
report which has Just bpen published
by the French Labor Department places
the number of co-operative associations
formed by workmen In thnt country nt
172, with 9.029 members. Their capita!
Is about $2,500,000. During the yeni
1895 they did $5,500,000 worth of busl.
ness, earning profits to the amount ol
$450,000.
Labor Registries In Moscow The inc.
cess of the system of public labar reg
istries and employment burenus In for.
elgn cities has led the municipal tuv.
eminent of Moscow to establish such
an Institution In that city. During thti
months of September, Octuber and No.
vember, 1897, the first three months of
Its operntlon, situations were found foi
2,000 applicants.
Pauperism In Grent Brltnln The nv.
ernge number of paupers receiving vib
lie ohnrlty In thirty-five selected dls,
trlcts of Great Brltnln during February
1S9S, were 342.92S, or 217 In each K.OOO
or population, or 2.17 per cent ol Hit
totnl population of the districts.
Clenrlng-House for German Labor
Registries According to the report re
cently published of the proceedings of
the conference held September 13, 1897,
between the heads of Germnn public
Inbor registries it has been decided to
establish a clearing bowse for the un.
employed. The clearing house Is to be
directly Informed of the vacnnt sltun.
tlons In nil districts, nnd whenever the
supply In one Is grenter than the de.
mnnd, the surplus will be sent where
the demand Is greater thnn the supply,
Munlclpnl Insumnce The Insurnneo
compnnies hnvlng derided to Increase
the rntes for Insuring munlclpnl build,
lugs In Rangoon. India, although the
city has been paying premiums, for
twenty years without a claim, the city
has decided to cease Insuring municipal
property against fire nnd to set aside
and Invest the premiums. The munici
pal buildings are scattered all over the
town, und only In the event or a general
conflagration can there be sirlous loss.
The Unemployed In his annual report
General Agent Henry Peterson of the
Industrial Aid society of Boston said!
"Since 1893, or the date of the depres.
slon ln business, the ranks of the un.
employed are kept full, and apparently
little progress Is made In diminishing
their numbers. In farmer years it was
customary for manufacturers to retain
during the entire year a very large
proportion of their help, but lately It
Is becoming more nnd more the custom
to employ n large force for certain
months In the year nnd then entirely
close their factories, throwing oih of
employment for two or three months a
Inrge proportion of their operatives."
Constitutionality of Gold Contracts
The law passed by the legislature of
Washington declaring that a contract
to pny In gold coin should not bo spe
cifically enforced by the courts, but the
debt might be "pnid ln and fully sat
isfied with any kind of lawful money
or currency of the United States," has
been declared unconstitutional by the.
supreme court of that state. The court,
decided that it was an attempt to leg
islate on a subject belonging exclusively;
to the federal government, and that a!
"stipulation In a note or mortgage that
the debt shall be pnld only ln gold coin
of the present standard vnlue, and that
the decree and Judgment thereon shall
so provide Is valid."
Russia's RalUvay Policy Russia's,
policy of binding the remote parts of
the empire together with state railways
Is about to be shown In other directions,
than in the construction of the great
Trans-Siberian railway. A very Impor-
tant line will be begun at an early date
to connect Ufa, ln the southern Ural)
district, with Tashkent, In Turkestan.
This line will give the shortest route1
from Russia into eCntral Asia, from
which Russia draws Its great suppllge
of native-grown cotton. A second Im
portant line Is projected from NIzhnee-'
Novgorod into the Ural district, where,
a number of feeders to the new line will
be built.
National Ownership of Canals The
steamship and grain merchants of New
York have set on foot a movement for
the national ownership and control of
canals. The canal that they especially,
wish to see under national control Is
the Erie canal, which at present, by a
constitutional provision, must always'
remain under the ownership of the state
of New York.
Swiss Alcohol Monopoly For eleven,
years the trade in alcohol has been a
government monopoly In Switzerland.
The Importation of alcohol and Us dls.
Dilation became a monopoly of the state'
In x387, the law being adopted by means
of the referendum. According to the
Swiss officials the experiment has sue
ceeded well. According to the last re
port of the director of the monopoly It
has accomplished the objects for which
it was adopted. In the first place a.
purer article of liquor Is sold and thla
Is made of the be3t articles, Instead of.
as was often the case formerly, being
distilled from refuse. Although the
prime motive of the monopoly was not
temperance, this has been brought
about, for the keen competition of the"
small distillers led to an Increase ln the
number of drinking places and a drum,
mlng for trade that made temptations
to drinking greater than they now are.
The consumption of brandy has de-i
creased 25 per cent during the ten
years, while the consumption of wine
shows a substantial Increase. As a
means of taxation It has been satis
factory In Its working. The monopoly
was partly designed to replace the old
system of excise taxation, which was
costly of collection. The total cost of
the alcohol administration has aver-)
aged $75,000 yearly, which Is but t
small proportion of the cost of levying
the old Import duties, while the proceeds
of the latter were barely more than
one-half of that of the monopoly.
The state sells liquor only In quan-
titles of at least 150 litres. Spirits sold,
at cost prices for use In the arts, while.
ror arinKing an excess ior prom is
added. The state does not pretend to
follow the product after It has left Its,
hands, and merely guarantees thai
the retailer shall be supplied with a
pure product. Restrictions upon tho
after preparation and adulteration are
matters for the regulation of the can.
tons. It Is Interesting to note that when
assessments for damages were made
at the time the state assumed control
of the manufacture of alcohol, nq
awards were made as damages for
equivalents for good will nnd forfeited
business processes, while In valuing the
plants allowances for depreciation were
deducted.
Municipal Waterworks The city of
Meadvllle, Pa., will buy the waterworks
plant from the private company which
is now in control. The price will be
$200,000.
Water In Germany About two-thirds
of the larger German cities now own
and operate their own waterworks
Paris' Municipal Savings Bank The
municipal savings bank of Paris, In Oc
tober. 1897, had deposits amounting to
2.806,688 francs. This was exclusive
of the deposits In the Paris branch of
the postal savings banks.
Government Banks In Australia-.
Banking returns for the last quarter of
1897, published for Australia, show that
in the Ave colonies the deposits ln the
banks under private ownership have
decreased during the year, while In the
same Interval the deposits In the gov
ernment banks show an Increase.
Co-operation During tho year 1SD7,
thirty-four co-operative societies for
distribution and sixty-four for produc.
. tlon were established In Great Britain
and Ireland.
UNSEEN ENEMY TO WARSHIPS
If Paul Jonos' (host wanders nround
our new navy he must see many sur
prising accessories of the fighting and
working forces as orgunlzed in his
day. One novel and necessary addi
tion to the crew of a warship of the
present time Is the submarine diver.
The Importance of this individual to
the welfare of a warship has been am
ply shown during the recent operations
against the Spanish fleets. Speed has
been the most Important point ln the
maneuvering during the opening events
of the war, and this has rendered It
necessary for our ships to be In the
best possible trim for the fast work.
As, owing to the lack of foresight, wu
are not provided with the necessary
dry docks to cleon the foul bottoms of
our vessels when they come off a long
voyage, It has been necessary to send
divers down to do the work as best
they could.
When a ship goes Into dry dock and
Is then treated to a new coat of paint,
she emerges from the dry dock as
clean and fit as when she made her
maiden voyage. ThesSibmarlne divers
are able only to scrape awuy the bar
nacles and seaweed, and even then they
are so handicapped by the heaviness
and unhandiness of their dress that It
Is Impossible to do the work In any
but a clumsy and Incomplete manner.
But, good or bad, the diver has be
come a necessary part of the ship's
crew. Many warships carry one or
more trained divers, and to attain to
the rating of divers requires very spe
cial qualifications. Before being sent
for training, the man applying has to
undergo an extremely rigorous medical
examination, and Is mercilessly repect
ed unless absolutely sound In wind and
limb, possessed of an exceptionally
strong constitution, and, nbove all,
without the slightest tendency to any
heart weakness.
Every foot the diver descends, the
greater, of course, becomes tho pres
sure, and at the deepest descent made,
namely, 200 feet, the pressure was ns
much as 88 pounds to the square Inch.
It Is, however, only rarely that It Is
necessary to go to such depths as this,
but even working In shallow water
most men suffer very severely at first,
and emerge from their diving suit with
racking head and bleeding from "the
nose and ears. In truth, every time
he descends the diver takes his life In
his hand, for anything going wrong
with the air supplying gear, would
place him In a very hopeless condition.
The diving apparatus used In our
nevy Is a costly affair. The method of
Its working Is simple. A long coll of tub
ing supplies the diver with oxygen, and
by means of a coll of rope attached to
his person he can signal, by pulls, to
the surface, and be rained to the sur
face when the work is done. To de
scend, the diver has, of course, to bo
heavily weighted. The weights carried
on breast and back weigh some 80
pounds, while the heavy leather boots
with .their leaden soles weigh an
other twenty pounds. The weight of
the helmet, which Is Ingeniously fitted
with valves to allow the vitiated air to
escape, Is no less than forty pounds,
and to this must be added the weight
of the rubber dress itself, and t he
weight of the heavy underclothing of
the diver.
He Is not a prepossessing sight, this
monster with the huge, head dress and.
the glaring eyes, but his usefulness to
the navy Is Immeasurable. He was
wanted In a hurry, and unfortunately
was not at hand when the Maine went
down Into the mud of Havana harbor.
He will be wanted ln coining engage
ments to patch holes ln the sides of
war craft, If these wounds mercifully
fall short of being mortal; he will as
sist In wrecking operations when It Is
found necessary to go fishing for the
valuable portion of a Spanish fleet'9
equipment after we have treated It as
Dewey treated It at Manila; he will be
ready to help a United States vessel
out of a score of unforeseen troubles
that may arise when the modern war.
ships get down to fighting that is not
all one-sided.
Theoretically, the submarine diver Is
a formidable aid In operations against
the enemy. Whether or not he will be
bo In practice remains to be seen.. The
theorists assert that the diver can be
sent under water on dark nights to
grope his way Into the mined entrance
to harbors, and cut the wires connect
ing the explosives with the shore; or
they say he can attach mines to the
keels of anchored craft and explode
the mines when he reaches a safe dis
tance; or he can saw the cables of
anchored vessels and put their crews
to great Inconvenience, If not In a po.
sltlon of positive danger. There is
scarcely any limit to the theorists' sug.
gestlons for using the submarine diver
as a means of offense ln naval cam
paigns, but most of the plans are vis
ionary, and It Is probable that the
most practical use to which the diver
can be put Is to clean and repair the
ships of his own nation when It Is
necessary that the cleaning and repair.
Ing be done extraneously, and facilities
are not at hand to dry-dock the vessel.
The limitations of the diving appara
tus forbid any very dangerous offensive
work being done by the man who de
scends In It. He enn not wander too
far from his base of operations on ac
count of his dependence on the air sup.
ply, and the boat from which he Is
lowered could not approach very near
to a vessel or harbor ln these days of
searchlights without being discovered
It Is probable, however, that daring
souls will try the experiment before the
present war Is over, and naval experts
will have to find some way to guard
against a new enemy of the Invisible
variety the submarine diver on blow
ing up purposes bent.
AARSHIP PHRASES MADE PLAIN
Arm and Away The order for the
small boats of a ship to prepare for
service.
Ardols System Electric signal lights
carried on u stay from a masthead and
made to show a series of red or white
lights.
Athwart Transversely; at right an
gles to the keel.
Armor Inclined A perpendicular belt
running diagonally on board for a short
distance at the forward and after ends
of the belt.
Backing The timber to which the
armor plates are bolted.
Barbette A fixed circular belt of ar
mor rigidly attached to the deck, pro
tecting the turret, which revolves in
side. The guns lire over It. Guns nre
mounted ln barbette when they lire
over a parapet and not through port
holes.
Base Tho rear portion of a shot or
gun.
Hllgo That par,t of the hull more
nearly horizontal than vertical.
Bilge Keel A projection on the bilge
of a vessel parallel with the keel.
Bow Chaser A gun mounted In tho
bow to lire on retreating vessels.
Breech The portion of the gun abaft
the chamber.
Bridge A platform extending across
the deck above the rail for the con
venience of the officers; in charge.
Conning Tower The nrmorcd tower
forward where the wheel, engine tele
graphs, etc., are placed, and where the
captain Is supposed to go to direct the
fighting of his ship ln time of action.
Convoy A merchant fleet protected
by an armed force. The ships which
defend the merchant vessels while en
voyage.
Crosstrees The short arms extending
across the topmast.
Crown The round-up of the deck
from the level line.
Crow's Nest A perch for tho look
out at the masthead.
Dead Flat The name of the widest
frame of the ship.
Dead LlghtB Coverings to the side
air ports.
Dlnghey The smallest boat on a war
ship; ulso called "dinghy" and "dingy."
False Keel A plank bolted to the
main keel so that when a ship touches
bottom the false keel will be. Injured
and not the main keel.
Flush Deck A deck from stem to
stern without a break.
Fore Foot Tho forward end of the
keel.
Foro Orlop That part of the ship
next forward of the hold and under
the berth deck.
Forepeak The extreme forward hold
of the ship where the paint room and
other storerooms are.
Gangway A thoroughfare. The aper
ture In the ship's sldo where people en.
te rand depart.
Great Guns The heavy ordnance of
a ship. All guns above 6-lnch caliber
are styled great guns; below that guns
are now usually called rapld-flrers or
rapid-fire guns.
Hatch An aperture ln the deck more
than two feet square. When smaller
they are usually called manholes.
Hull The body of a ship, Independ
ent of masts and rigging.
Jacob's Ladder Short ladder with
wood rungs and rope sides.
Keelson Tho Inside keel of a ship.
Line of Fire The line of the pro.
longatlon of the bore of a gun when
fired.
List The lean to one side or the
other.
Ordnance The science of making
and mounting guns.
Orlop The lowest deck", wher the
cables and storerooms usually are.
Platform Deck The upper part of
the protective deck.
Protective Deck The armored deck,
curved, protecting the vitals and ex
tendtng from the ram to the sterm.
Quarter Deck The upper deck, abaft
the mainmast.
Quarters The stations of the officers
and men at the guns for working them
when In action.
Rate In our navy, a classification of
ships according to displacement ton-
nage. Above 5.000 tons, first rate; 3.000
to 5,000, second rate; 1,000 to 3,000, third
rate; below 1,000, fourth rate.
Redoubt fn armored space In the
center of the ships protecting the tur
ret mounts and ammunition.
Side The side of a ship Includes all
the outside upper works down to the
water edge.
Skin The inside or outside plating of
a ship.
Spar Deck The upper deck on which
the turrets are placed.
Strake One breadth of plating work
ed from end to end of the ship.
A handy store device Is a take-up
attachment for twine holders which
pulls the end of the string up In the air
after It Is broken off The cord passes
over two pulleys at the top of the
frame, with a weighted pulley hung be
tween them which, rises as the string
is pulled and falls as It Is released,
taking up the end of the string.
A Virginian has designed a torpedo,
carrying balloon which has the explo
sive suspended by a number of cords,
with a rope to assist In holding It
until It reaches the right current of
air to carry It toward the enemy, when
a second cord Is pulled, which Ignites
a slow fuse to drop the torpedo at the
proper place.
Eartkonware railroad ties, the Inven
tion of a Japanese, have been recently
experimented with nt Shlmbastl station,
Japan. Fairly good results were ob
tained, and It Is said that the increased
cost will be more than compensated for
by their freedom from decay.
SIQSBY'S SHIP'S NEWSPAPER
Deslro for news was so strong nmonn.
the crew of Captain Slgsbee's United
States unprotected scout ship the St.
Paul, that several members of the crew
got an Idea of Issuing the St. Paul Wai
Budget every week.
The first number made Its npcarnnce
from the Htewnrd's linml press Inst
Thursdny nftcrnoon ns the ship wns
neurlng Snndy Hook. The pnper con
tains four pages, 6x8 Inches. "Its ed.
Itora are James White and TlwunaB F.
Richardson. Fred C. Zlnn la. the printer,
"At Sea, Thursday, June 2, 189S," Is
the way the date line reads. Ab ther
nre 521 members of the crew of the St.
Paul Its circulation Is somewhat lim
ited, but there ts no limit to the fun
which the snllore extract from Its cob
ilinnM. flip tiniros nro dpvotpil to do.
Bcrlptlons of the trip of the scout shin
from the time she left Hampton Roads
until after she pnrted with Admlrul
Snmpson'B fleet off Havana.
To the editors nil the news wna nec
essarily local, because from the na
ture of thu St. raul'B mlHBlnn Bhe wus
cut off nearly nil the time from tele
grnphlo cumniunlcntlon. But although
the nowB wns Intensely local, the local
ity wnB constantly changing nnd thnt
made the paper Interesting reading.
One article, entitled "Grent Chase by
the United Statea Steamship St. Paul,"
describes how, on May 24, while tho
St. Paul wns quietly cruising oft tha
entrance of Snntlngo, Bhe sighted n
Biill. After a hard chase Bhe caught
up with tho object of tlw pursuit,
which proved to be an Italian bark,
scrub and wash clothes six dayB from
misery, with ballast of stone, bound
for Pcnsacola, Fin. "Wo allowed her
to depart," tho description continues,
"and with much sadness of heart re
turned to our old crulalng ground." But
later in tho day, after having steamed
many miles in; a circuitous course,
much to the disgust of the Bt. Paul's
crew, they had o second chase, which
ended ns before, by their running
down the snme old Italian bark.
Among tho notos by tho editor la
the following: "Our sympathy Is with
tho wash woman at Hampton Raods,
Va., who tried to catch the St. Paul.
Useless waste of energy, my dear,"
which BUggeBta a story.
Hero are some of the Items of Inter
est: "We enjoyed that Impromptu concert
on tho promenade deck the other night
very much. We respectfully request
that the officer who plays the guitar
so sweetly will use Illuminating paint
on his face bo that we will have tho
pleasure of knowing who he Is here
after." "Divine services will be held ln tho
main saloon every Sunday at 10 a. m.
A abort bible reading will be given at
tho same place at four bells In the
afternoon. All are cordially Invited.
Boys, you would do well to observe
tho above note; the best of us are nono
too good."
"We are keeping up to regulation,
anyhow. Duff and general quarters
Thursday, salt pork and beans, together
with lire drill, Fridays, and so on."
"Potatoes have gone up lately. I
notice that tho C. P. O. mess have put
extra bolts on their pub lockers."
" 'Who stole the molasses?' Is a for
bidden topic while any of the P. O.
mess are within hearing distance."
"The cox of the gig is wnxlng fat and
sassy lately. He eats sardines and
soft tack, much to the envy of hla
messmates.
Under the caption, "Dreams of the
Mldwatch," appear the following:
"If our mascot, 'Yankee,' and his
side partner, the cat, do not find a
different roosting place other than tho
muzzle of the forward five-Inch rifle,
that time-worn expression, 'It's rain
ing cats and dogs.' will become a lit
eral fact one of these days."
"Say, did you ever hear some of the
recruits talking about their servant
girls at home? Just notice these blow
ers and you will find that they are the
ones who wear the dirtiest clothes at
muster."
"I don't like the Idea of calling down
berth deck cooks, but we have some
dandles aboard here. One of them
a few days ago started to make a
enke, and after mixing up a mess of
stuff, and when about to put It in the
oven, he found out that he had forgot
ten the flour."
"Some of the boys are wondering
how the N. Y. B. B. C. stands fo
the pennant. If you would take my
advice, boys, you would get out youi1
own bats; you may have n chance tq
get some practice knocking Spanlsr
balls off the ship's side soon; then you
might get a Job with the club you so
highly admire."
"I have It from good authority that
each man In the navy will receive dur
ing the continuance of the war 20 per
cent Increase on his salary. This will
be good news to the majority of us, '
am sure. This Is not a dream."
"Coal Is an Item which must be con.
sldered In a warship. We must Insist
on the firemen and coal passers leaving
the coal down In the fire room and not
bringing It up on deck with their fet."
"Remember the barber as well ns
the Maine," Is the only advertlsemen
which appeurs In the Budget. It scem
that the barber offers his services tr
the men at a regular sum of 50 centi
a month, for which he will shave hit
patrons and cut their hair as many
times as they can stand It. Many ot
the sailors shave themselves, and In
stances are on record where they hav
tried to cut their own hair.
A newly designed bicycle frame is In
the shape of a circle, with the heat'
and running gear clamped on with
screw clamps, making it easy to adjust
the height of frame and handle bars for
any rider.
INSUL1INQ A YANKEE.
Though a cnrcfully guarded secret for
pevernl weeks, the detnlln of two duels
fought In the City of Mexico by Lieu
tenant Commnnder Arlington U. Belts
of the First Bnttnllon of Ohio Naval
Reserves, nnd n resident of Toledo for
several yenrfl, hnvc leaked out. The
story In full has been obtained from
Mr. Belts himself.
For many weeks, ho far oh Lieutenant
Belts knew, only one man. ex-Adjutant
General H. A. Axllne of Columbus. O.,
was ncqunlnted with the remnrknblo
Incidents. Betts told him booh after
arriving In Ohio from the City of Mex
ico, whlthpr he had gone to look nfter
IiIh extensive lumber land Interests, ha
having received a government grnnt of
nenrly 200,000 neres of virgin rubber
land. He was contemplntlng the erection
of a miiniifncturlng plant on his prop
erty nnd spent much of his time In tha
quaint old Mexican capital. Whllo
Hum i? the fact wns inn rip known through
n few American friends, that Belts was
In command of n battalion of Naval
Reserves up In the States.
One night he attended the Thentro
Principals returning to his hotel about
midnight, after the performance had
filmed. He wiib standing In front of tho
hotel n few moments before retiring
to IiIb room. Suddenly his attention
wns directed to hnlf a dozen young
Spaniards, who stood but a short dis
tance from him conversing In loud
tones.
He noon became nwnre thnt the young
done were "talking nt" lilm nnd wcro
uttering uncomplimentary remnrks
about the United Stntes nnvy nnd about
Americans In general.
Betts stood It ns long ns he could,
then 'suddenly stepping up to them ho
slapped one of them on the cheek
smartly, following It by costing his
glove nt the fellow's feet. Before tho
crowri could recover their surprise ha
had removed his other glove, struck
the next nearest ninn In the fnee nnd
threw the glovo at the mnn'B feet.
Just then two gendnrmea npponred,
and Betts sprang Into the Btreet, knv.
Ing the trencheroUB nnture of tho men
with whom he was denllng, nnd feeling
aBsureri If ho could keep them In front
of him he would be perfectly safe.
Catching sight of the gendarmes tho
young SpanlnrdB quickly passed out of
sight. Belts entered IiIb hotel nnd re
tired. He wiib satisfied be would hear from
the nffnlr ngnln, but kept his counsel.
Early next morning he wns wnlted on
In IiIb room by two Spnnlnrds, who pre
sented letters to him which, although
written In Spanlflh, did not require a
second guess aa to their contents. Betts
culled nn Interpreter nnd sent for three
Amerlcnn friends. The letters proved
to be formal challenges to fight & duel
with each of the men whom he had met
the night before.
Lieutenant BettB, who Is a practised
athlete, recognized hla rights an tho
challenged party nnd demnnded tho
choice of wenpotiB, which the friends of
the chnllengers could not refuse. In
the first ense he named 30-Inch rawhides
f n certain weight nnd thickness. This
rniHcri a storm of proteBts from tho
Spaniards' friends, who Insisted that
this was no child's piny, but a chal
lenge to avenge an Insult to one of the
members of n leading SpanlBh family.
Betts Insisted that he was ln earnest,
nnd furthermore, told the Interpreter
to say to them that he would give them
Juflt one hour In which to comply with
his demands, and If the terms were not
complied with at the expiration of that
time he would publicly brand them as
cowards. After considerable parleying,
they accepted the young American's
termH.
Betts then turned his attention to
the friend of No. 2, and Informed him
that he should again InslBt upon his
prerogative ns the challenged party,
nnd named buckskin gloves as the wea
pons. There wns another prolonged
howl about questions of honor, child's
play nnd other slmllnr talk, but a sim
ilar threat to the one employed with
the friend of No. 1 brought the parties
to terms, and the matter was consid
ered settled, although very much to tho
dissatisfaction of the Spaniards. Seven
o'clock tho following morning was
named as the hour and Chepultepeo
Hill, about three miles outside the city,
was selected as the spot where tho
(Juils were to be fought.
Promptly at the appointed hour the
following morning the challengers and,
their seconds, the lieutenant and his,
I menus, a reieree anu pnysician, wero
at the appointed spot. A stick three
feet in length was fastened In the
ground. Lieutenant Betts placed his too
I against one end of It, the Spaniard No.
I I taking the same position at the oppo
site end of the stick. Both were armed
with 36-Inch rawhides, and at the slg.'
I nnl agreed upon went at It. Betts Is
nn expert swordsman, and as the move
I ments with the Mexican rawhide and
1 the sword are very nearly Identical, the,
young American was very much at
i home. Add to this the fact that the
trousers of the Spaniard about tho
fleshy portion of his body were nearly
akin tight, and It may welbbe Imagined
thnt Betts got along very nicely.
He parried the angry, excited Don's
blows off with his left arm, meanwhile
larruping him about the hips In such
a manner as to make him fairly howl
with pain. A very hard cut brought out
a terriDie yen, ana at mat moment, uy
la swift upper cut, BettB caught his
adversary under the chin with a blow
.that fairly lifted him from his feet.
Dropping his weapon the Spaniard
' started off with a yell for the woods,
and Betts has never seen him since.
' The Ileutenat then announced that
he was ready for No. 2, who by this
time was In anything but a satisfied
' frame of mind. The gloves wero
donned nnd the two went at It.
Here again the American was perfectly
I at home, while the Spaniard had nn
skill whatever In boxing. Betts
'thumped him several times in various
portions of his anatomy until a good
opening presented Itself, when he shot
'a blow straight for the nose, and the
don went to the grass, the blood fairly
streaming from his proboscis. His sec
ond announced that they were satis
fied and the party separated. Lieu
tenant Betts and his American friends
returned to the hotel for a late break
fast, and that evening attended a swell
social function, as though nothing un
usual had happened.
Betts and his friends carefully guard
ed the secret of the duels until coming
north to Join his command, he tcld the
Adjutant General of Ohio the entire
story. For a time nothing was heard
of It, until General Superintendent
Whittlesey of the Ohio Central llnes.gct
hold of it and gave it to a newspaper ,
man.
Lieutenant Commander Betts Is a
well educated man and a magnificent
tpeclxnen ot manhood, is popular In so-
, clety a thirty-two degree Mason and
Shriner, and has by his own thrift ac-
cuulated a nice property.
Great Britain has a longer seacoast
line than any other nation ln Europe. II
measures 2,755 miles, with Italy second,
2.472 miles. Russia ranks third, nni?
France fourth.
ii
He But I thought you hated her so?
She So I do, Didn't you notice that
I only kissed her twice?
I
