Nebraska Newspapers

    ATTACK BY .REBELS.
FILIPINOS FAIL TO TAKE MANILA
WATER WORKS.
Repulsed with Considerable Loss Vol
unteers Meet Advance .Like Veteran *
Insurgents Have Secured Modern
Artillery Fight with Bale's Men.
After an all-night battle , waged at two
points for possession of the- Manila water
works , the attacking rebels were dis
persed in a gallant charge made by portions
tions of Gen. King's brigade. The enemy
opened the attack suddenly in the night ,
hoping to capture the water works , which
arc looked upon as the key to Manila , and
possession of which would enable the in
surgents to poison or shut off the water
supply of the city.
The double attack was carefully
plannrd , and would have been successful
but for the admirable discipline and
watchfulness of the American troops.
The rebels were encouraged to make the
attempt by the possession of two new
cannon of modern type , which they had
acquired in some unexplained manner ,
mid which wcro used for the first time.
In the lighting three members of the Ne
braska regiment , two Wisconsin volun
teers , r.nd two ambulance men were
wounded.
The opening attacks by the insurgents
in the night were made simultaneously
at a point six miles from the city , com
manding the water works , and at San
Tolan. Under cover of darkness the main
force of the insurgents approached to
within a short distance of the outposts
of the Second Oregon and a battalion of
the First Nebraska Regiment. They
suddenly opened fire along a line of con
siderable length. The outposts returned
the fire immediately , and for a long time
the contest was maintained at a furious
pitch.
The fire of the Filipinos , which is grow
ing more accurate , was severe , and two
Americans were wounded. Seventeen
rebels were killed on the fighting line.
Many were wounded , and the insurgents
retreated a short distance , keeping up a
fire until they were out of range.
Hot Fight with Gen. Hale.
The Filipinos at San Juan del Monte ,
numbering several thousand , were driven
from their positions with great loss. Gen.
Halc's brigade , which has been holding
the water works , advanced on San Juan
del Monte , llale's men swept forward
in the form of a "V , " so that the entire
rebel force might be encompassed and
driven away in a body.
As soon as the lines were well under
way , the Wyoming regiment closed in ,
firing rapidly. Suddenly one of the com
panies sprang from the Hue with a cheer
and dashed toward the insurgent trench
es. It was Company C , and the action
electrified the American lines. The other
companies of the Wyoming regiment
leaped to the front , and the entire line
swept down upon the Filipinos. Main
taining their fire for only a short time
nfter the charge , the rebels leaped from
their earthworks and fled , closely pur
sued. Retreat was cut off in all direc
tions save toward the Pasig River , and as
the insurgents turned that way they were
met by a pitiless shelling by the gunboat.
The infantry lines closed in at once from
the east.
In the woods the rebels were scattered
into small bands and driven along the
river front. The loss of the insurgents
.was heavy. The only casualty to the
'American forces was the wounding of Pri
vate Speach of the Nebraska Regiment.
REFUSES ITALY'S DEMAND.
Chinese Government Declines to Lease
San Mun Bay for a Coaling Station.
The Italian demand on China has been
refused , and the result may be a combine
between Italy and England against the
Flowery Kingdom which may result in
the dismemberment of China.
Dispatches from Pekin say : "The
tsung li yamen ( Chinese foreign office )
has returned to the Italian charge d'af
faires , Marquis Salvage Raggi , his dis
patch containing the demand of the Ital c
ian Government for a lease of San Mun I
Bay on the same conditions as those un 1
der which Germany uolds Kiao-Chou 1t
Bay , accompanying it with a letter declar
ing that the Chinese Government is una ii
ble to grant the request. iit
"The demand of the Italian Govern ]
ment for a uiiiety-nine-year lease of San s
Mun Baj" province of Che sL
, Kiang , as a L
coaling station and naval has'e , included
also a demand for the concession of three
t
islands off the coast of Che Kiang , with C
the right to construct a railroad from San
Mun Bay to Po-Yang Lake and to preferential a
a
ential railroad and mining privileges Avith- f
in a sphere of influence covering the I
southern two-thirds of Che Kiang
province.
"According to the dispatch the action liy
or the Italian Government had caused y
great excitement there , not only among n
the Chinese but also among the foreign a
diplomats , the Chinese being convinced v
that Great Britain was chiefly responsible ii
for the demand and that it had been made iik
to emphasize Great Britain's displeasure k
at the turn which the northern railroad o
.question had taken. " o
t
FRIENDS SHOW NO SURPRISE. r
b
"Wolcott Divorce Proceedings Have c
Keen Looked For.
The friends and acquaintances in Wash t
ington of Senator and Mrs. Edward O. y
.Wolcolt are apparently not surprised at yc ya
the news that they have arranged for the c
bringing of a suit for divorce. Since their }
marriage nine years ago the Wolcotts c
have been prominent socially , and those cP
.who know them intimately were aware
that they were living on anything but c
amicable terms.
S
There is the highest authority for the ti
statement that no charges except incom titi
patibility of temper and desertion are con tiri tic
templated or justified. The suit will be ri
brought in Colorado and Senator Wolcott riv
.will make no defense. o
MAY PERMIT STATUE. C
o
Memorial to Miss Willard , tte First
of a Woman at Capitol. Si
Sili
The appropriation of $9,000 by the liu
State of Illinois , to be devoted to a memo u
rial at the capital of Miss Frances Willard
- of Woman's Christian Temperance' Union t (
'fame , has aroused a discussion of the 1
'question whether or not her statue may 1ti
'occupy a position in statuary hall. It tidi
Iwould be the first one of a woman to be di
placed there. Senator Mason says there dia
con be no objection in law. if
WILL STUDY THE FILIPINOS
lOntics of the American Commission
Are Made Public.
The uncertainty concerning the powers
and scope of the Philippine commission
has been set at rest by the publication
of an order issued by President McKinley
to the Secretary of State.
The order is a concise statement of the
personnel , duties and authority of the
commission , and defines its exact rela
tion to the military government now in
force.
The commission , which is composed of
Jacob G. Schurman , Admiral George
Dewey , Maj. Gen. E. S. Otis , Charles S.
Denby and Dean C. Worcester , is in
structed to meet at Manila and announce
by public proclamation its presence and
authority "carefully setting forth that ,
while the military government already
proclaimed is to be maintained and con
tinued so long as necessity may require ,
efforts will be made to alleviate th'e bur
dens of taxation , to establish industrial
and commercial prosperity and to provide
for the safety of persons and of property. "
The commissioners are to ascertain ,
without interference with the military
authorities , what amelioration in the con
dition of the inhabitants and what im
provements in public order may be prac
ticable. For this purpose they will study
attentively the existing social and politi
cal state of the various populations , par
ticularly as regards the forms of local
government , the administration of jus
tice , the collection of customs and other
taxes , the means of transportation and
the need of public improvements. They
will report through the State Department
and will recommend such executive action
as may be required. The military gov
ernment will continue in force until Con-
press shall determine otherwise.
The commissioners are authorized to
confer with residents of the islands to
recommend suitable persons among them
for appointment when personal changes
jn the civil administration seem advisa
ble , and to exercise respect for the ideals ,
customs and traditions of the natives ,
emphasizing the just and benevolent in
tentions of the United States Govern
ment. Acknowledgment of allegiance to
the American Government is a primary
requisite to recommendation for appoint
ment.
65,000 FOR REGULAR ARMY.
President Will Not Increase Force to
the Limit.
President McKinley has decided the
regular army of 05,000 men will be ample
force at present , and that no steps shall
be taken to organize a provisional army of
35,000 volunteers. This decision was
reached in view of the favorable outlook
in Cuba and Porto Rico and the prospect
in the Philippines that the outbreak there
will be suppressed at an early day.
Enlistments to bring up the strength
of the regular army to the number au
thorized by Congress , 05,000 men , will be
made at once. The roster of the major
generals of the provisional army has also
been decided on , according to the best
information obtainable. It is as follows :
Nelson A. Miles , major general command
ing ; Wesley F. Merritt , department of
the east ; John R. Brooke , department of
Cuba ; Elwell S. Otis , department of the
Philippines ; William R. Shafter , depart
ment of California. This is a disappoint
ment to Gen. Joe Wheeler , who had hoped
to go to the Philippines to take part in
the fighting there.
vini celebrated his 70th birthday. He has
had a career on the stage of more than
fifty years.
Marcus II. Wheeler , father of Ella
Wheeler Wilcox , the writer , died at his
home near Madison , Wis. , recently at the
age of 91.
Abraham Cohen Labott of Galveston ,
Texas , is the latest claimant to the title
of "Oldest Mason in the United States. "
He is 97 and was a member of St. John's
lodge , Boston , the oldest lodge in the coun
try.
try.Gen.
Gen. Gomez stands about 5 feet 7 inches
in his shoes , weighs about 150 pounds , and
though 70 years of age , has been from
1895 to 189S often in the saddle for thirty-
six hours without sleep. Indeed , he found
his health better in a tent than in a house.
Mrs. Catherine C. Quantrell , mother of
the notorious guerrilla , William Clark
Quantrell , is dying in St. Joseph's hospital
at Lexington , Ky. She is 79 years old
and is anxious to return to die among her
friends in her former home at Canal
Dover , Ohio.
a
Gen. Sir Arthur Cotton is one of Eng t
land's oldest soldiers , being in his 9Gth c
year. On four different occasions hisI
medical advisers told him that he had not t
week to live , and sixty-four years ago ,
while serving in Persia , his grave was dug
in readiness for his occupation.
li
Gen. Sylvanus C. Boynton , a well-
known lawyer of New York City , who is
over 70 years old , has just finished a term
of six months' imprisonment for refusing
to pay a $10,000 judgment in favor of a
relative which he considered unjust. By
his staying in jail the judgment was va
cated.
Sims Reeves , the greatest ballad tenor
the : world has ever known , is nearly 90
years old , but recently sang at a concert
arranged for his benefit. The song he
chose was "Come Into the Garden ,
Maud , " which he gave in a manner re
calling to his older hearers the matchless
phrasing and tenderness of years ago.
David Kalmweller , the inventor of the a
cork jacket life preserver , who died in
New York recently , lost a fortune several
times and made it again by new inven
tions , among which were a milling ma
chine , a metallic life raft and a cash car
rier system for use in large stores. He
was born in Bavaria and was 72 years
old.
Sevier Forcier , who died recently at
Chippewa Falls , Wis. , was perhaps the
oldest resident of the Badger State. He
tvas born at Montreal a century ago and
settled at Chippewa in the early 30's. He it
literally never knew what sickness was
until a few weeks before his death.
Mme. Candelaria , who died at Son An-
toniot Texas , the other day , at the age of
114 , crossed the enemy's lines and entered
the Alamo during its memorable siege ,
svhen she acted as a nurse , seeing the
leath of James Bowie and Davy Crockett ,
rhe State Legislature gave her a pensioc
S72 a year.
The next question will he whether Agui-
naldo shall be tried for rioting or incen
diarism. Milwaukee Sentinel.
Columbus' remains arrived in time to
give a new impetus to the undertaking
business in Spain. Pittsburg Post.
Aguinaldo continues to shy at the firing
line and permits the Filipinos to fall
where they may. Washington Post.
Evidently Plymouth Church knows a
good preacher when it sees one , and it
can see him a long way off. Philadelphia
Ledger.
When statesmen come to appreciate the
difference between an elocutionist and an
orator things will be different. St. Paul
Dispatch.
St. Louis is to have the largest shoe fac
tory in the world , and will endeavor to
market its output in Chicago. Omaha
World-Herald.
The tobacco trust has remembered the
Maine by buying ? 225,000 worth of war
revenue stamps in a single purchase.
Pittsburg Telegraph.
If those charges against Schley of rep
rehensible conduct had been made by the
Spaniards , one could understand them.
Pittsburg Telegraph.
Slugger McCoy may be beaten , but he's
not so broken up over it that he's going to
appear in pieces on the stage as an actor.
Philadelphia Times.
Perhaps it might be a good thing for
the experts to make a chemical analysis
of the ham that was named after Senator
Mason. Washington Post.
They like meat , but it's intimated the
average dog would not be willing to have
a can that held that beef tied to his tail
for a gift. Philadelphia Times.
One thing is sure. Even considering
his provocation , Gen. Eagan is guilty of
deliberately using language unbecoming
an officer and gentleman. Boston Globe.
Eagan doubtless appreciates that while
the tongue is a two-edged sword the
usual style of weapon should be good
enough for a soldier. Philadelphia Times.
Experience should teach the American
girl who marries a titled foreigner to at
tach a cash register to him before she
makes him good at the bank. St. Paul
Dispatch.
Carnegie giving $250,000 for a Wash
ington library carries the moral that in
making a big collection of books a good
one to start with is a check book. Phila
delphia Times.
Before the investigations are concluded ,
some of our military and naval heroes
may learn the force of the English maxim
that it is "better to lot sleeping dogs lie. "
Philadelphia Ledger.
It is not true that Chauncey Depew
expects to have some new stories ready
when he takes his seat in the Senate , but
he hopes to be prepared then to tell some
old stories in a new way. Boston Globe.
Admiral George Dewey.
Dewey deserves all the honor which can
thus be heaped upon him. Washington
Star.
Admiral Dewey is easily the most emi
nent of the men who attained prominence
during the war with Spain. Rockford Re
public.
Dewey climbed as high as a sailor can
get on May 1 last , and now his rank cor
responds with his achievement. St. Louis
Globe-Democrat.
Dewey's elevation yesterday adds noth
ing to the luster and inspiration of his
deeds. But it does show that the people
are proud of their heroes and are worthy
of them. New York World.
A man that commands the confidence of
the American people and the respect of
the civilized world is a good man to have
at the present time in the position to
which Dewey has been promoted. Mil
waukee Sentinel.
On the Asiatic station Dewey is all
right. He will outrank anybody that is
likely to visit Manila , even his Mailed
Highness , Rear Admiral Prince Henry of
Prussia. There is only one foreign ad
miral in Asia , and he is in Japan. New
York Journal.
Every act and every recommendation of
Admiral Dewey since the destruction of
the Spanish squadron have sustained the
character that dominated the scene that
famous May morning. Dewey's victory
was not an accident ; it was not luck. It
was Dewey. Kansas City Journal.
There is no risk in saying that the cre
ation of the grade of admiral for Farra-
gut did not cause greater satisfaction than
its revival for Dewey has caused. It is
fitting reward for a great action and for
the unblemished performance of extraor
dinarily difficult and delicate duties there
by devolved upon him. New York Trib
une.
une.Admiral
Admiral Dewey displays a new streak
of good horse sense when he says that he
is not fitted for the office of President and
has no desire for a nomination. Then ,
too , he recognizes the strain of a campaign
which might kill him. He is wise to re
main admiral until the end of his days ,
for he would get no new distinction if he
were President. Cincinnati Commercial-
Tribune.
Fifty-fifth Congress.
Good-by , Congress. You have done
some good things and some bad ones , but
your general average "is all right. Balti
more American.
It finished up its work in much better
shape than could have been expected a
few weeks ago , and leaves everything in
fairly satisfactory condition. Minneap
olis Tribune.
Despite the blunders and perversities of
some of its members , and the consequent
shortcomings which they rendered inevit
able , the doings of the Fifity-fifth Con
gress will always have an absorbing inter
est for the American people. St. Louis
Globe-Democrat.
As an offset to its terrific extravagances
and its failure to legislate upon important
questions , we must give the expiring Fif
Congress credit for two
ty-fifth things-
ratified the treaty of peace and it made
Dewey an admiral. New York Herald.
There may have been , of course , some
errors of omission , and of commission , too ,
but , taken all ii. all , the members have
no occasion to be ashamed of the work
they did. They have discharged their du
ties in the main in a faithful and patriotic
way and to the satisfaction of their con
stituents. Cincinnati Commercial-Trib
une.
MEATS IRON IN COLD WATER.
Novel Results Obtained from a Forge
Run by Electricity.
One of the astonishing things devel
oped through the introduction of elec
tricity into cvery-day affairs is a forge
made for bench use for the heating of
soldering irons or light pieces of metal ,
where the heating is accomplished by
plunging the article to be heated into
a tray of water. Nothing could be
imagined niore coutniaictory of one's
preconceived ideas than this procedure ,
and yet to the electrician it is perfectly
simple. He makes the proper connec
tions , plunges his iron into the water
and pretty soon the iron will glow un
der water and then to turn red or whit *
hot , just as he desires it for working
When he gets through working tht
iron he may plunge it into the watei
again and cool it with a "siss" as expeditiously -
peditiously as he could in any other
tank of water. This curious forge is
made as follows : The tank is of wood
or of any other substance which will
hold water and not form an electrical
conductor. One wire of the electric cir
cuit passes to the bottom of the tank ,
where it is connected to a plate of
metal which lies there. Over this plate
water , preferably saturated with salt ,
fills the tank nearly to the top and
serves to conduct the current to what
ever object is to be heated. Nothing
could be better for this purpose , for
the water naturally closes all about the
object and fits it on every side. The
other end of the current-conducting
wire is fastened to the tongs or led tea
a metal framework at the edge of the
tank on which the tongs or the shank
of a soldering iron lie when it is to be
heated. The moment the object to be
heated is plunged into the water a cur
rent passes from the water through
the object and at the same moment
some of the water is decomposed by
electrolytic action. The nitrogen of the
water becomes electrified and adheres
to the object to be heated and forms a
film of gas , which separates the object
completely from the water , while at the
same time this gas forms such an ob
struction to the passage of the electric
current that the energy of the current
is turned into heat. New York Sun.
RAG TIME MEANS DANCE TIME.
Negro Phrase that Had Its Origin in
Spanish Music.
"What is 'rag time ? ' " the enthusi
astic artist was asked.
"Well , the extensive literature on
this subject will explain it best. Now ,
here's a rag-time primer. " At this
juncture he produced a big piece ol
sheet music with the picture of a young
man looking very unhappy in a dress
suit. "This young fellow , " pointing to
the picture and reading , "claims to be
the 'original instructor to the stage of
the now popular rag time in Ethiopian
song. ' The author guarantees to teach
anybody who can play the piano a bit
how to play in rag time. The preface
says 'rag time ( or negro dance time )
originally takes its imitation steps from
Spanish music , or , rather , from Mexi
co , where it is known under the head
and names of Habanara Seguidilla ,
etc. , being nothing but consecutive
music , either in treble or bass , follow
ed by regular time in one hand. In
common and two-four time the quarter
note of the bass precedes the melody. '
In other words , it is what the musi
cians call syncopation , and this synco
pation , and this change of accent in
the accompaniment , is kept up contin
ually in the same way as the beat of a
snare drum.
"This method shows the pupil how to
play a rag time accompaniment to any
piece. Here is even an arrangement of
'Old Hundred , ' 'Annie Laurie , ' and the
hymn , 'Come , Thou Fount of Every
Blessing. ' Wonderful , isn't it ? ' ' Bal
timore Sun.
Men and Manners.
Coleridge was luminous in conversa
tion and invariably commanded listen
ers , yet the old lady rated his talent
lowly when she declared that she had
no patience with a man who had all the
talk to himself.
Ben Johnson used to sit silent in
learned company and "suck in , " as
Fuller said , "not only his wine , but
their several humors. " Like Shk-
speare , he held the mirror up to natii' \
but chose some times to look in j.e
glass himself.
Southey was sedate , stiff , and so
wrapped in the garb of asceticism that
Lamb once told him that "he was
in-made for a in-inonk , but somehow
.
the c-cowl didn't fit. "
"Addison"says Pope"was charming
in conversation with inmates , but
should a stranger be present he sub
sided into silence. "
Her Majesty's Offering.
The late Empress of Austria caused
her wedding dress to be cut up and
made into a set of priestly garments
for the church of St. Matthew , in
Pesth. The dress was of white brocade
embroidered all over with beautiful
garlands of roses in silver thread. Her
bridal wreath encircles an embroidered
picture of the Virgin , which is hung
in the Loretto chapel of the same
church. Here the Empress always
went for her devotions. A red velvet
cushion for the altar bears the royal
donor's initial letter and the coats of
arms of Hapsburg and Wittelsbach.
The American Marine.
Growth in American shipping is a
matter for congratulation. The steam
and sailing vessels built in the United
States during the last six months of
1S9S amounted to 130,000 gross tons ,
compared with 45,000 tons for the same
'
six months in 1897. The estimate for
this year is 275,000 tons St. Louiu ]
'
Globe-Democrat.
London's Suburbanites.
Nearly 1,000,000 passengers daily use
the railways connecting London with
its suburbs.
Era of Steel Wajron Roods.
Martin Dodge , former chairman of
the Ohio Bond Commission , who suc
ceeded Gen. Roy Stone as head of the
division of "Road Inquiry" of the De
partment of Agriculture , was appoint
ed to that post by the President princi
pally because it was Secretary Wil
son's desire to have the subject of steel
rails for ordinary rural wagoning thor
oughfares investigated. Mr. Dodge
had been a pioneer in the investigation
of that method of road improvement.
Now , after several months of inquiry ,
during which time a short specimen of
steel road at the Trans-Mississippi Ex
position has been subjected xo various
tests , he has made public a statement
on his views and a description of the
trial road.
Here it is shown that the average
cost of transportation by animal power-
is 25 cents a ton a mile ; 5 cents by elec
tric motors , and 5 mills by steam rail
roads.
An estimate of the wagon freight of
the whole country in 1S'J2 was ma'de by
John M. Stahl , in "Good Roads , " which
Mr. Dodge accepts as approximately
correct. According to this there were
500,000,000 tons of wagon freight. It
was estimated that this was transport
ed over country highways an average
distance of eight miles , which would be
equivalent to 4,000,000,000 tons one
mile. At a cost of 25 cents per ton a
mile , which would be required to move
it by horse power with ordinary vehi
cles , it would amount to the enormous
sum of $1,000,000,000.
"This , " wrote Mr. Dodge in his re
port to the Ohio Legislature in 1S93 ,
"may be stated as the cost of operating
wagon roads. " The present statement
of Mr. Dodge goes on to describe the
utility of the latest form of steel track
for rural highways as follows :
"All steel tracks heretofore placed
upon the highways having been laid
by private enterprise and so laid as
only to be used by vehicles with flang
ed wheels , it remained for the govern
ment to make a demonstration as to the
utility of the steel track so made and
laid that vehicles without flanged
wheels might have the great advantage
of a smooth track , heretofore only en
joyed by the vehicles with the flanged
wheels. I was made director of the
office of road inquiry , and immediate
ly began preparations to build a sample
steel track wagon road for the purpose
of making tests as to its cost , value and
utility. For the department I secured
a suitable space on the grounds of the
Trans-Mississdppi exposition at Omaha ,
where the results might be seen by the
greatest number of people and con
structed such a road as I had recom
mended before , but which had never
before been fully tested. The road
consists of two parallel lines of steel
plates eight inches wide , and a suffi
cient distance apart to receive the
wheels of the vehicles of the standard
gauge. These plates have a slightly
projecting flange , upward , and on the
inner edge , so as to prevent the wheels
of ordinary vehicles which have no
flanges , from easily leaving the track.
At the same time the flanges being only
one-half inch in height are not suffi
cient to prevent the vehicles from leav
ing the track whenever the driver so
desires for the purpose of passing other
vehicles , going in the opposite direc
tion. These steel plates are not sup
ported by wooded cross-ties or longitu
dinal stringers of any kind , but are
provided with flanges projecting down
ward and outward at the same time.
These flanges are so imbedded in the
concrete of the road bed as to form a
substantial part of it , and the steel
plates themselves are supported at ev
ery point by a substructure of cementer
or other imperishable material.
"The only cross ties used are not for
support , but only to maintain the steel
plates c.t a uniform distance from each
other , and also to prevent tilting and
maintain the face of the plates in a
horizontal position. The road , when
properly finished , contains no perish
able material , such as wooden cross ties
and. stringers , heretofore used and
thought necessary for all steel track
construction , but forms a smooth , firm
and compact mass more hard and dura
ble than a road can be made of any
other known material. The weight is
about one hundred tons per mile of-
single track. The three great advanta
ges of this new roadway are :
"First , that it can be built without
greater cost , and probably with less
cost : n most places , than any other
hard and durable road.
"Second , it will last many times as
long as any other known material for
road purposes , and with much less re
pair.
"Third , the power required to move a
vehicle over this steel track road is
only a small fraction of the power required -
quired to move the same vehicle over .1
any other kind of road. This Important -
ant fact can be taken advantage of T
either by increasing the load , which a a
given power would be required to move s
over a common road or by diminishing I
the power necessary to move a vehicle
over the newroad. . "
a
In Underground Paris.
The Paris of the pavement , gay ,
bright and exhilarating , is fairly fa
miliar to us all , but underground Paris ,
dark , solitary and damp , extending for
miles , is comparatively unknown. A
part of this area , says the Strand , is
devoted to the catacombs valley of
dry bones , a garden of the dead ; the
resti a garden still more vast , provides
f for the wants , or , rather , the Injuries * ,
of the living it is devoted to mush
room culture. These subterranean
gardens extend for some twenty miles
under the gay capital , and are from
twenty feet to 1GO feet beneath the
surface. It is very difficult to obtain
permission to visit them , and even
when permission is obtained it requires
some courage to avail one's self of It ,
for the only entrance is a circular open
ing like the mouth of a well , out of
which a long pole stands ; through this
pole , fastened at the top only , at fairly
long intervals , sticks are thrust. This
primitive ladder , the base of which
swings like a pendulum in the Impene
trable darkness below , is the only
means of reaching the caves. * *
"Here , " again cried our guide , with a
burst of cheerfulness. "See this door !
On the other side are the catacombs
as full of bones as this place is of mush
rooms. "
PLAINT OF A MILLIONAIRE.
No Fun in Iife for a Man Who Has Ac
quired linornious Wealth.
What is the smallest income in which
a man may live in New York ? was the
question I asked to-day of a noted
banker , whose income cannot be less
than $100,000 a year. "Well , " he re
plied , "my household expenses alone
amount to $25,000 a year , and I do not
see how I possibly could live on less
than that. " Then a reminiscent smile
began to cross his countenance , an
heaving a little sigh , he said : "But the
happiest time of my life was when my
wife and I and two children lived here
on $2,500 a year. After all. happiness
doesn't depend on the amount of a
man's income. "
"I was quite intimate with William
n. Vauderbilt when he was considered
the richest man in the country. I met
him one day in Fifth avenue and said
to him that he ought to be the happiest
man in the world. 'I am not , ' the great
millionaire replied. 'My health is shat
tered , and all the money I possess can
not restore it. I cannot even drive one
of my line horses. It is painful for
me to sit down. My only possible ex
ercise is for me to walk down the ave
nue. I receive threatening letters
daily , and my nerves are so unstrung
that I am constantly afraid that some
assassin will waylay me. I am over
run with people who want to get
money. I am the most wretched man
in New York , and I tell you that after
a person has accumulated enough to
secure him against poverty and grati
fy his reasonable wants , every dollar
in addition is a burden and weighs him
down. ' " Philadelphia Ledger.
At the Queen's Expense.
The Prince of Wales occasionally en
joys a joke over the Queen's propensity
for giving away Indian shawls. At one
Henley regatta he was on a steam
launch with a merry party , engaged in
scrutinizing the other craft on the riv-
er. Their attention was especially
drawn to a boat containing a pleasure
party , one member of which was an
elderly lady bearing a remarkable re
semblance to the Queen , and she seem
ed bent upon doing all in her power to
heighten the resemblance. One of the
company on board the launch approached
preached the Prince and ventured to
draw his attention to the lady in ques
tion , jocularly suggesting that it was
the Queen viewing the regatta alone.
Just as his royal highness was leveling
his field glass upon her , she rose , and
taking the shawl upon which she had
been sitting , threw it about the shoul
ders of the young girl who was with
her.
her."It
"It is undoubtedly the Queen , " re
plied the Triuce quietly ; "I see that she
has just presented one of her Indian
shawls. "
How Needles Are Made.
Needles are made of the finest quality
of steel. The molten metal is poured
into gauges , out of which it comes a
fine wire , about the fifteenth part of an
inch thick for fine needles , a little thick
er for the coarser needles. Then the
wire is cut the length of two needles ,
after which it is straightened in bun
dles of 4,000 and 5,000. The points are
then made , and this is a dangerous
process because of the dust and sparks.
If you have ever watched a man using
a grindstone to sharpen scissors , knives
or axes , you have seen the sparks fly
The needles are not ground to points
one by one , but in large numbers. The
eyes are made one by one , by the use
of machinery , and the polishing is done
by machinery and acids.
All the machinery is of fine , strong
construction , and the makers must all
be skilled.
Where the great Krupp guns are now
made in Germany is where steel
needles were first made. Later an En
glishman bought the works , but trans
ferred them to Redditch , where the
needles for the whole world have been
made for many years.
Pneumatic Grain Elevators.
A grain elevator operating by suc
tion has been tried and exhibited in
Great Britain. Air is exhausted
through the pipes which take in the
grain , and the grain Is delivered by
the air draught through other pines to
any desired place. Several pipes may
be introduced into a vessel's hold , and
will remove the grain therefrom. AD
automatic scale is part , of the system ,
so that the grain is weighed during the
process of elevating and delivery
Quite a complicated system of exhaustIng -
Ing and delivery pipes were connected ,
and the plant worked to great perfec
tion , delivering the grain to a number
of places with ih& one installation of
pipes.
The men -wjr.o can't stand prosperity
are compelVtl to stand poverty.
Some \vomen alwaya spoil their
band.s ; jokes. *
. . .i
Beaming and wisdom are notf always. > -
on good terms , .