Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190?, June 24, 1898, Image 3
K h,,s t- ? A 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