THESE
Non-Combatant Vessels That Serve tlu Men-
V
of-War as Floating Hospitals , Helpers ,
r > \ etc , Are Never Fired Upon ,
The finest of our fighting ships , with
all their boasted self-sufficiency , their
manifold mechanism , and their com
plex provisions against accident or
mishap , are really helpless creations
the moment their coal supplies become
exhausted. Nothing could be more
pathetically distressed than a great
battleship wallowing aimlessly in a
seaway , her powers of offense intact
but paralyzed , like her great body , for
want of energy or its correlative , coal ;
her great eyes blind for want of elec
trical force ; her lungs fouled by taint
ed air because of her halted blowers ;
her whole body either feverish or chil
led , as the weather dictated , for want
of circulation or proper respiration ; and
her complement athirst for need of
enough heat to transform that tantaliz
ing sea water into drink. Such a
thing is distinctly possible , and it Is
against even the slightest approach tea
a like condition that we have taken
ample means to provide.
The modern , heavy fighting craft
carries between eighty and ninety en
gines of various sorts , aside from those
directly occupied in propelling the
ship ; and , under normal circumstanc
es , it Is quite safe to say that at .least
fifteen or twenty per cent of all steam
generated Is taken up in their service.
Most of them are vital to the fighting
efficiency of the vessel ; but there are
a few of them , such , for Instance , as
the engineers' workshop , the distillers ,
and the refrigerating plant , which may
be termed auxiliaries of secondary im
portance ; and it is the purpose of the
government to run these accessories
on half-time , so to speak , and to leave
just that much more energy for other
more needful purposes. To this end ,
we have fitted up the repair ship , the
distiller ship , and the refrigerator ship ,
while to the colliers has been relegated
the common service of supplying coal
to all craft distant from ready bases
of supply , and the engineer-in-chief
has done his utmost to make them cap
able.
The Repair Ship.
The repair ship , fittingly named the
Vulcan , was the well-known steamer
Chatham , of the Merchant and Miners'
line , between Baltimore and Boston.
Into the ship has been placed some
thing like eighty tons of tools and ma
chinery , and today the vessel is a ver
itable floating workshop. There are
plate bending rolls , and punching and
shearing machines that can bite right
through an inch of solid steel. There
are lathes for turning castings of con
siderable size , and planers , drills and
milling machines of compass enough to
meet almost any need short of that de
manded in the complete reconstruction
of a large engine. There are pipe cut
ters , bolt cutters , forges and grind
stones ; and there is a good-sized cupo
la for the melting of sufficient metal
to make a pretty heavy casting. There
are a number of blowers to supply the
several forges and to draw foul air
from between decks and to send it
skyward through the red-mouthed ven
tilators above. There are also evap
orators and distillers of a capacity
equal to a daily output of quite 10,000
gallons of potable water several times
more than the needs of the Vulcan
could demand. A supplemental elec
tric plant has given excellent lighting
facilities through the ship , but prin
cipally in the workshops on what is
termed the third deck. _
The purpose of this craft is manifest.
She is to follow in the wake of a fleet
her great coal capacity giving her a
wide radius of action , and she is to
supply fresh water to the other vessels
and to make then and there all possible
repairs which might otherwise take
the ships miles and miles away to some
naval station.
A broken spindle might render help
less two great guns ; but a few hours'
work on the Vulcan would remedy the
trouble ; and even less time might
place the engines of one of our torpedo
boats in trim after a considerable
break. At the close of an engagement ,
the wounded 'vessels could hasten to
her or she to them , and such work then
be done as to place them back in the
line of battle , once more a formidable
menace to the foe.
The mission and the' usefulness of
such a craft can not be overestimated ,
when every pound of coal must tell its
tale of work well done in our defense.
It is a very modern adaptation of that
wise saw , "A stitch in time saves nine , "
and a typical instance of the great
value of a traveling base of repairs.
Tlio Distiller Ship.
The distiller ship , now named the
Iris , was the British steamer Menem-
sha. Unlike the Vulcan , the Iris will
make no repairs , but will be devoted
solely to converting the ocean's brine
into drinking water ; and to this end ,
she will carry a very large supply of
coal and will have four up-to-date dis
tillers of considerable capacity. These
distillers or evaporators will each con
sist of three elements like the modern
triple expansion engine , and arc in
tended to utilize the steam with the
SOME NON-COMBA
most economical expenditure demand
ed in the output of a total supply daily
of at least 60,000 gallons of thoroughly
palatable drinking water.
The operation is simple. Each of the
evaporators consists of a cylindrical
steel boiler containing a coil of piping
surrounded by cold sea water. The
steam is supplied to the first coil di
rectly from the ship's boilers. That
steam raises the sea water to the boil
ing point and gradually evaporates it
in that way. The steam thus generated
in conjunction with such of the origin
al steam not condensed in the first coil
in the operation , passes into the coil
of the second evaporator , repealing the
operation in connection with the sea
water there , and finally merging with
the steam raised from the salt water in
the third evaporator and passing to
gether into the condenser. The con
densation from the first two coils is
caught by traps and carried off to the
tanks. In this way the latent heat
from the first steam from the boiler is
economically absorbed by the three
stages of salt water , and a higher per
centage of performance's attained than
is possible in a single-element evapor
ator. After condensation the water is
carefully aerated and the result is a
thoroughly palatable water devoid of
that flatness generally characteristic of
condensed sea water.
A sediment of salt the residue of the
ocean brine gradually forms upon the
coils of the distillers , and these evap
orators are so arranged that this scale
can be readily removed. On the other
ships their distillers will be worked as
far as possible only to the extent of
making good the loss 'of fresh water
consumed by the boilers , that the use of
salt water must be obviated and the
formation of a troublesome scale of
salt difficult to reach may be guard
ed against In the ship's boilers proper.
The hygienic value of sufficient fresh
water can not be overestimated when
the rigors of warfare are aggravated
by the close confinement of shipboard
in the tropics ; and it may even be the
purpose of this vessel to lend its boun
ty to the military branch of the ser
vice. Poisoned wells and fainted
streams need not be feared under such
circumstances ; they can be avoided.
Tlio Refrigerator Ship.
The refrigerator ship Supply , for
merly the Illinois , of the American line ,
will be used as a traveling base of
fresh provisions ; and the tax on the
refrigerating plants of the fighting
ships will be eased to just that exent.
The Illinois was originally built for a
passenger ship , but was later relegatejtl
to the transportation of cattle and beef
to England , still as an adjunct to the
American line. In that capacity she
necessarily had an extensive system of
cold storage.and this has readily adapt
ed the vessel to our present needs. She
will carry tons of ice and fresh proven
der of all kinds but especially of a
vegetable nature the surest safeguard
against disease in the tropics , and with
her extensive coal capacity , her own
distilling plant , and 'her ample burden ,
she will prove an exceedingly efficient
part of the fleet. The government is
much emphasized by the record of ev
ery war. As far as possible , the Solace
has been made to meet the more press
ing needs of the service for which she
has been called into requisition , but
she is not that perfect craft suggested
by Surgeon-Gen. Van Reypen and care
fully planned by the chief constructor.
There is one commodious elevator in
to which the sick and wounded will be
carried from either side , and then rais
ed or lowered either to the large , airy
operating room , or to the deck on
which they are to be housed. The
stateroom accommodations already in
the craft have been readily adapted to
hospital uses , and there is ample room
between decks for additional cots. The
convalescents will be carried above ,
where they can be in the fresh air
while under the sheltering cover of
wide-spread awnings. Steam cutters
and large barges will facilitate the easy
transportation of the injured and sick ,
and a well-known apparatus peculiar
to our service will lift them from the
boats and swing them inboard and onto
the rolling cots that carry them to
their immediate destination. Every
thing has been done to contribute to
the efficiency of the vessel and the com
fort and convenience of all on board ,
and there is every just reason to be
lieve she will prove herself invaluable
from the common point of hygienics
and humanity for a fighting ship is
a cruel place for sick or wounded after
a heavy engagement.
Although all these vessels will strict-
.TANT SHIPS OP THE SPANISH-AMI
making provisions for one or two more
vessels of the same sort.
The Colliers.
The colliers explain themselves , and ,
being boats of fair speed and great car
rying capacity , will form the principal
supply links between our fighting craft
and our base of supply. As carefully
as our coal will be used , still hundreds
upon hundreds of tons of it will be used
daily to keep the ships always ready
for instant service and prepared to
meet the enemy at any moment ; and
the safe conduct of their precious ebon
burdens will be a matter often demand
ing good , cool judgment and no mean
skill on the part of their commanders.
In war time , and sore pressed as Spain
is , coal is worth its weight in gold , and
a collier will prove a nugget worthy of
a good , stiff chase and a moderate tus
sle , and the captain that can dodge :
such a foe and run his cargo safely Into
the intended haven will be doing just
as much good , perhaps , as the skipper
that sinks a foe.
The Ambulance Ship.
The ambulance ship is the naval sis
ter of mercy , and will minister wholly
to the sick and wounded of our officers
and seamen , or , if need be , the stricken
of our army of occupation as well.
The Solace , formerly the Creole , of
the Cromwell line , has already begun ,
perhaps , the duty for which she was
hastily prepared ; and what It means to
transport comfortably and hastily the
wounded from the feverish tropics to
some more temperate haven beyond the
boom of guns and beyond the exciting ?
reach of war's alarms is a boon very
.
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spANISH-AMSRICAN WAR. AN AMERICAN TORPEDO BOAT INACTION. I a
. -J.U. ji ra.iHuntfs * ! 'v * > i > " " ' " - ' "
BRICAN WAR , I
ly avoid the enemy , still , in their way ,
they are just as vital to our success as
those that take their places in the line
and bear the brunt of battle ; and any
man might be proud of the duty en-
trusted him in their command.
R. Q. SKERRETT.
Exports and Imports. '
The exports of merchandise for the
month of April aggregated $99,426,460 ,
in Increass of $21,177,674 as compared
ivith the same month last year and for
iie ten months ended April 30 , $1,025-
126,681 , an increase of § 125,497,435 com
pared with a similar period of 1S97.
rhe imports of merchandise for April
were 555,923,658 , a decrease of $45,398-
F48 compared with April of last year ,
md for the ten months ended April 30 ,
J511.187.1S6 , a decrease of $89,008,058
ompared with the same period of
IS97.
RECENT INVENTIONS.
To prevent the slipping of wheels oJ
stectrlc cars on grades a pair of sup
plemental rails is placed inside the
nain rails , with grooves cut crosswise
n their surface , to engage toothed
wheels mounted on the shaft.
o
Dressmakers will appreciate a new
jewing machine attachment , cons'ist-
ing of a U-shaped frame attached to
he back of the table to support a cloth
jasket , which prevents the work from
Hilling or getting on the floor.
Wires can be easily spliced by a new
alr of pliers , one jaw having a slot
or the passage of the main wire , while
.he other jaw has a slotted ear through
vhich the second wire slides to wind
around the first wire as the pliers
ire revolved.
To relieve the sudden pull of winds
n swinging signs , etc. , a new hanger
formed of an outer casing to screw
nto the board , with a coiled spring
nside to support a central rod havin 6
eye at the cuter end for attachment up
the building.
ter
Blank gun cartridges can be used in
recently patented burglar alarm ,
vhich has a nietal barrel to be at-
ached to the door by a screw , with a
illding yoke actuated by a V-shaped
pring to strike the cartridge as soon
the door Is pushed open.
Aluminium balls are coming into use
England for golf , tennis , cricket and
illliards , the metal being alloyed to My
nake it hard , or the balls can be to
onned with an aluminium cc"e and sir
harder metal covering of the right
hlckness to give the ball proper
eight
The shower that spoils a woman's
Cw bonnet is a rain of terror.
True friendship between women 13
matter of doubt to most men.
'GRAFTING" INSECTS.
SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS
WITH LOWER TYPES.
Defects niado Artificially In Butterflies ,
Moths , Chickens , fish and Frogs
Monstrosities Calculated to Give One
a Sort of Physical Nightmare.
Great interest as well as curiosity
has been roused in scientific and lay
circles throughout the United States
by some experiments in what may be
termed the "grafting" of insects re
cently conducted by Prof. Crampton
of Columbia university , New York ,
says the London Post. Without going
so far as to say that the experiment
of Prof. Crampton makes it at all
probable that the process of grafting
will ever be made applicable to more
highly developed creatures than
grubs , caterpillars and their winged
relatives , there appears in the mere
fact of the successful "grafting" of
these lower types promise enough to
warrant an investigation of the amaz
ing physiological phenomena which
have rendered the operation possible.
It is no detraction that the American
professor's experiments are not al
together new. So far , Indeed , as the
artificial production of insect mon
strosities is concerned , the idea is
much older than many are aware. More
than 200 years ago the German physiologist
elegist Schwammerdam , having stud
ied the metamorphoses of grubs and
caterpillars , noticed how often both
the wings and the antennae of butter
flies were .deformed when emerging
from the chrysalis condition , and ,
thinking that these abnormal results
might be due to external causes , he
determined to test the matter by sub
jecting the insects to certain experi
ences during the period of change. So
successful was he that In nearly every
case he contrived by artificial means
to produce the defects he had observed
in the emerging butterflies. It is un
fortunate for those interested in such
experiments that the means taken by
Schwammerdam to manufacture hia
insect oddities were not recorded in the
"Memoires" published by the great
Dutch physician Boerhave , hence they
are lost to science. But the suppres
sion was probably due to the German
physiologist himself , for he was when
young an intensely religious man re
ligious in the sense understood In
mediaeval days. He strongly held the
opinion that all monstrosities in ani
mal life were due to man's primal error
and therefore he did not care to
stultify himself to a certain extent by
showing that these freaks could , with
in certaJa limits , be produced artifi
cially , and thus provide his antagonists
with a powerful weapon against what
was then deemed religion. But the
experiments of M. Alme Barthelemy
of the Lycee at Jau are well known
to all students of that singular branch
of physiology known as teratology ,
and there is no doubt that the example
he first set inspired the transatlantic
professor of Columbia college. It is
true that M. Barthelemy did not do
anything in the way of grafting or at
tempting to graft the creatures on
whose bodies he made his investiga
tions. But that
was because he suc
ceeded in obtaining insect freaks by
simpler means , which helped to ex
plain the manner in which the deform
ities usually observed in these crea
tures were ordinarily caused. His ex
periments were made principally with
the grub of the
Bombyx mori , pre
sumably the ordinary death's head
moth. By slight compression carefully
applied in certain parts during the
continuance of the metamorphle prog
ress M. Barthelemy succeeded In ob- .
tainins monstrosities with no heads ,
hunch backs and reverted antennae.
Seme he secured with enormous beads
and others consisting only of abdomen
and legs , with neither head nor tail.
He gave some insects double spines ,
caused others to devolp an enormous
abdomen , while In yet other instances
he suppressed the growth ot t jdful
organs altogether , without , stra. 4e to
say , otherwise affecting the creatures.
He reduced the eyes to the size of pin
heads and at will deprived them of the
organs of sight entirely. Other French
men and Germans , too , have since the
date of M. Barthelemy's investigations ,
about thirty years ago , taken up the
experiments , and the result. It may
be worth pointing out to English read
ers , demonstrates the soundness of the
views regarding the development of
such lower forms of animal life as
the caterpillar and grub which were
first set forth by our distinguished
countryman Harvey , who , it may be
remembered , considered the chrysalis
physiologically identical with on
egg.
Kfflclcnt Guns for Artillery.
The United States will employ a light
artillery cf breech-loading guns of 3.2
caliber. They are the inost effective
cannon for field purposes constructed
to date. They can deliver projec
tiles with a muzzle velocity of a quar
cf a mile in a second , end their ef
fective range la four miles. The pro
jectiles employed are usually shrap
nels , each one In bursting being re
solved into about 300 fragments. Ex.
Ono "Way of Tellinjj J'npa.
Young Man "Mr. Gotrccks , let roc
congratulate you on the marriage of
your daughter. " Gotrocks "Married !
daughter , married ! To whom , sir ,
whom ? " Young Man "Excuse me ,
; but , er you see , I er modesty
forbids me , sir ; but the fact is. sir , she
married me. " Adams Freeman.
Why Isn't a bridle for a woman's
tongue a necessary part of her har
ness ?
Don't judge a man by the clothes he I
- A
-i.
Was Not Able to do Her Work Until
Hood's Sarsaparllla Cured.
"I was troubled with headaches , ner
vousness and that tired feeling. I read in
the papers about Hood's Srrsaparilla and
began taking it. I am now able to do my
work , as Hood's Sarsaparilla has relieved
me. " MBS , T. F. RICH , Hampshire , 111.
Hood's Sarsaparilla
Is America's Greatest Medicine. $1 ; six for $5.
Hood's Pills cure Indigestion , biliousness.
The Bachelor Netro Killed thous
ands just to hear the death rattle in"
their throats. " The Benedict ( exten-
uatingly ) "Maybe he had a baby to
amuse. ' ' New York Journal.
Don't Tobacco Spit ana Smoke "Tour Life Away.
To quit tobacco easl'.y and torever. be mnp-
netlc. full of life , mrve , and vigor. tabeNo-To-
Bac. the wonder-wcrker. that makes weak men
strong. All druggists. 50c or 81. Cure guaran
teed. Booklet and sample free. Address
Sterling Remedy Co. . Chicoco or New York.
"What bum poetry that is ! " "What
other kind would you expect to find in
a magazine ? " Chicago Tribune.
COSMO BUTTERMILK TOILET SOAP
makes the skin boft , white and healthy.
Sold everywhere.
The American navy has practically
all been built since 1S83.
To Cure constipation Forever.
Take Cascarets Candy Cathartic. lOc or 25a
If C. C. C. fall to cure , dmsslsta refund money.
"Mamma , " said Tommy Tucker ,
"how much older will I hare to grow
before I can go to war ? " "You would
have to be at least twelve years older , "
answered his mother. And Tommy
took another look at the last bulletins ,
went out to the barn , broke his wood
en sword to pieces , crawled in the hay
mow and wept. Chicago Tribune.
He : ( wondering If that Williams
ha * ever been accepted ) : "Are both
your rings heirlooms ? " She : ( con
cealing the hand ) : "Oh , dear , yes !
One has been in the family since the
time of Alfred , but the other is newer
and ( blushing ) only dates from the
conquest. " Harlem Life.
Electricity In Its various applica
tions is said to give employment to
5,000,000 persons.
Go to your grocer to-day
and get a 150. package of
It takes the place of cof
fee the cost.
at 5the .
Made from pure grains it
is nourishing and health *
fill.
Insist that yonr KTOCCT glrea you GKAIX-O.
Accept no lmit toiu
FAULTLESS STARCH
,
THE BEST FOR
Shirt \tfaists ,
Shirt
Fronts ,
Collars ,
Cuffs and
Delicate
Clothes.
Read our
Booklets ,
Laugh
and
Learn *
Combined Experience
of 21 Years ,
Cclnmlii Chiia Wheels , - JTS
EartforJ Bicjelss , - - - 50
Vedette B.e/clcs , - | 40 and 35
Machines and Prices 1
HEW DISCOVERY ;
Send for book of testimonial , and
treatment free. Pr. iLncma'aaoM. AtiMUgI.
y j ou to writ * tu. MM aife. cl
it SHhompson's Eye * ' VrfureSt
