Nebraska Newspapers

    THE OMAHA DAILY NEE : SVNDAY , MAY 2 , 1807.
CITIES LINKED BY STEEL
New Bridge to Bind the Principle Sections
of Greater Now York.
REARING .AN IMMENSE STRUCTURE
f the fri'ii ! Hint Hlv T
HrldKe from Ken mint Inn in Sii-
IIITK true ! ore Unite TIMV-
I-FH of Stud. , ,
The early days of Mar will ECO an actual
beginning In the construction of HID new
East river bridge , wlilcK Is to Join the 'two
prlnclpnl sections of areater New York and
and become the twin of the prcfcnt Brooklyn
bridge. Within the next few days the firat
of the huge caissons which are to bo used In
btilldltu ; the foundatlntie of the bridge plera
will bo towed Into position and the work of
creeling the piers will begin. It has taken n
long time for the work to reach even this
preliminary stage. It was In 1892 that a
charter was first granted for the building of
n bridge across the Kast river at the point
where the new structnru will stand. Prac
tically no progrcro wan made until IS'JS ,
when the task of building the bridge was
undertaken by the cities of New York mid
Hrooklyn and by them turned over to a board
of commissioners. A year and a half was
required for the completion of plans and the
clearing away of legal dllllcuUlcs , and It wa.1
only last fall that the contract for the first
of the work , that of building the pier founda- '
description , It Is In reality a , moat stupendous
deus nnd difficult undertaking.
THOUSANDS OP ( MIU33 OP WIIU3.
Perhaps an Idea of Its extent may be ob
tained from the statement that the masonry
In the piers would build a large church ,
that the steel In the towers of the new
bridge would build three miles of elevated
railroad , and that the wlro In the great
cables , If stretched out In ft single straight
line , would reach almost around the globe.
In the actual work of construction the
order followed by the engineer Is reversed ,
The foundations nnd anchorages are first
built. The work of building the foundations
Is In Itself highly Interesting , slnco the work
mutt be carried on many ftct under water.
To tunnel to bedrock beneath the mud 01
eand nt the bottom of a river seems a dim-
cult matter , but In reality It Is comparatively
safe and simple. It Is done by means of
cattsons , which , It not originally designed
by Americans , have been ao greatly Im-
proveJ by our engineers that they may be
called an American Invention , In appearance -
anc-o n caisson Is simply a huge Inverted
dry goods box of steel or wood. Those which
are to ho Used In the East river bridge
will be built of Umber ? , stoutly braced lo
withstand high pressure. The one that hns
already been built Is 70x60 feet and nineteen
ftvt high. In Its construction something
like 400,000 feet of pine have been used and
fome acres of Georgia limber land have been
denuded to form these temporary structures
for work on the new bridge. On Its lower
fide , as It reals In the water , the caisson
has a working chamber eight feet high ,
which will accommodate some forty or fifty
workmen.
The completed caisson Is to bo towed
to the foot of Delancey street. New York ,
and when It lo located on the exact site
where the pier foundation Is to stand work
men will begin erecting the masonry foun
dation on Its top , the weight causing It to
sink In the wnler. At this spot the water
Is only twenty feet deep , so that the cais
son will rest on the ground as soon as It
Is submerged , Hut the bedrock on which
STHKL TOWER OP THIS NEW YO11K EAST UIVEU BRIDGE. '
tlon for the Now York end of the bridge
was awarded. However , the old saw whlcl
any a , "A thing begun Is liulf done , " seem :
to api > ly with especial appropriateness to tin
building of great public work * s.uclt as this
and It Is confidently asset ted that the brldgi
will bo finished ami opened to traffic wlthli
a year utter the opening of the twentletl
cuitury.
.Mr. Huck , the chief engineer of the nev
bridge , may be called a bridge expert. A
nny rate , several of the greatest engliiccrln ;
triumphs of recent ycara In bridge construe
tlon were planned by him and he Is to hi
classed \\cll up among the half dozen moi
who arc the leaders of American engineer ;
In this line of work. In this statement tin
word American might just as well be re
placed by "Tho world. " for It Is a fact tlml
'
In thn essential points of cc-nomy , lls'nt
ness and up-to-date construction American ;
It-ad the world In building bridges. Ileslde
the great spans already built In this countrj
across the East river , the Niagara , th <
Ohio and the Mississippi , American firms
ami American engineero have constructcO
giant bridges In Mexico , Australia nnd sev
eral South. American countries , Including
Peru , where Is probably the highest bridge
In the world , in a number of these enter
prises , both nt home and abroad , Mr. Iluch
has been the engineer , and H 1 safe to say
that there Is no man butter fitted to speak
with authority on the subject than he. When
asked recently to describe the construction
of a great bridge from the engineer's polut
of view , Mr. Duck said :
AN ENGINEERING KB AT.
"Tho bttlldliiR of on Immense bridge muwi
bo looked upon an on engineering feat rather
than as a Kettli'd business , such , for example ,
Us the erection of skyscrapers. The ri .
KOII for this Is very evident. In putting up
buildings , the conditions under which the
work must bo done vary but little , and new
problems once worked out. are settled for
gorxl and nil. In bridge building , on the
other hand , ono never has the same condi
tions twlco over , and the engineer's task
becomes ono of adaptability , while fresh and
perplexing dimcultlea must t-e met and over
come at every hand , Still , the general plan
of procrduro Is In all capes much the same.
"To begin with , In any given undertaking
conditions ami re-
there art ) certain fixed
nulremeiits that cannot be departed from.
The bridge Is to be between certain points ;
therefore' it must bo of such and such a
length. It Is 'o arry n certain ostlnuted
amount of tratllo ; to have so many tracku ,
drives and pathways , That practically do-
cldrn Its width. It Is to be cantilever or
suspension , a seems most feasible under
the existing conditions ; that settles the gen
eral style of construction ,
"With thcso conditions OH the barls of hie
calculation , the engineer sets to work to
figure out his plaiiR , Since the bridge Is tote
to , be suspended by huge cables , ho decides
what I , to his mind , the deflection of the
cables , or 'vcrsedsliuV that will glvu the
greatest llrninera , durability ami sustalnlnti
power. The answer lo this question has Us
effect on tlio appearuiU'o of the completed
structure. For example , In the now East
river bridge the cable loop will fall away
from the towers more eharply than In the
old Hrooklyn bridge. The middle portion of
the bridge n.ust bo 135 feet above high
water , o the towers will have to 335 feet
high to get the proper deflection , The next
point to settle Is the carrying load of the
cables , Having fixed upon a certain form
of steel construction for the platform of
the bridge , the weight per foot ol the sus
pended superstructure can easily bo de-
terminal. Then a certain live load la aa-
eumi'd from the beat obtainable estimates ,
olid , with these two factors , the necessary
sustaining power of the cable * U settled ,
Of cour \ In making these estimates every
thing 1st taken Into account , such as the effort -
fort of I ho temperature on the cables , and a
margin ID allowed , aa In all these intimates.
"Having advanced to this pulut , It is pos
sible to determine how much weight will
come on the towers , and this settles the Im
portant question of how much foundation
la nocesuary. The elze of the anchorages
IH determined by the pull of Hie cables , and
with anchorage * ami foundations completed
your bridge U done. "
"Although the rearing of an Immense bridge
sounds a sluiplo matter under tbli modest
the foundation must rest Is sixty feet be
low , and the Intervening mud and sand
for an oiea as largo as that of the caisson
must nil be removed. This Is done by the
utilization of compressed air. As the huge
box gradually sinks in the water under
the weight of the stone work piled upon
It , strong pumps force air Into the working
chamber through tubes provided for the
purpose , forcing the water out. Thco
workmen descend through an elevator pas
sage , which runs up through the caisson.
At the bottom they find a large workroom ,
lighted by electricity and having telephone
connection with the outside world. As they
shovtl up the carlh from beneath their
feet the- place It In the mouth of a blower ,
which Ir simply a tube extending up tb
the surface , and the pressure of the air
carries It up through the tubo. With these
conveniences the bottom of n river bed Is
not a bad place In which to work. The
greatest drawback is from the great air
prccsure , which Increases as the depth be
comes greater.
IMPOSSIBLE TO DE LAZY.
The Increased pressure Is about one-half
pound for each foot of depth , or about two
atmospheres at the depth of sixty feet. The
first effect of the great amount of oxygei
In this artificial atmosphere ) is to make the
men unusually active , so that oven a lazy
man will feel Invigorated and will make
his shovel fly rapidly. For this reason
however , they can work for short hours
only , and they arc subject to n peculiar
affection known as the "caisson disease , "
but which the workmen themselves describe
ns "the bends. "
When the rock foundation Is reached the
rock Is blasted and smoothed away until
n level surface IB obtained. Then the work
men 1111 the room In which they have been
employed with conc jte , and the column ol
masonry , which has been kept level with
the water's surface , gives a solid and con
tinuous foundation , on which the bridge
proper will rest.
In Uio picficnt Drooklyn bridge this ma
cnnry Is continued for the. whole height ot
the- lowers , but liv the new bridge the towers
will be of steel. The latter construction hau
many advantages. For Instance , In the prcs-
ent bridge the- towers each weigh five times
ns much as nil the real of the- bridge , whllo
In thi ) now bridge the towers will weigh only
about the same as the main span , although
they will bo sixty feet higher than these of
the older structure. These towers will bo
built of steel plates and angles and will
rest on the masonry piers just dcsrlbcd.
which will stand twenty-three feet above
high water. Steel Is cheaper than masonry ,
too. and less time Is required for its erection.
It may bo remained hero that the substl
tutlon of slcrl for stone Is an American
development and that for this reason Ameri
can bridges are the lightest and cheapest In
the world ,
At the torn of the steel towers will bo
sliding saddles , over which tho- four great
cabins which are to sustain the bridge will
nass. These great wire ropes will bo eigh
teen Inches In diameter , three Inched larger
than these In the p.-esent bridge. Each
one of them will contain 08,000 separata
wires , each 3-16 of an Inch In diameter. To
gether they will have a sustaining power of
68,000 tons , or S < & tons for each wire. It
would pbo Impossible to transport one of
these huge cables after It Is put together , so
the strandp that go to make up each one
are made and tested separately at the fac
tory , and then strand by strand they are
strung across from pier to pier and fastened
together.
As these cables are to support not only
the 12,500 tons weight of the bridge Itself ,
but the assumed live weight of 12,000 pounds
per lineal foot , It U evident that they must
be not only strong In themselves , but they
must also bo strongly anchored ,
ANCHORING THR IWIDGE.
The anchorages will be located botwcun
r > 00 and COO feel back of tha bridge piers at
each end. They will be of masonry , 100x150
feet , and together will weigh 160,000 tons , or
thirteen times as much as the main spun of
the bridge lUelf. The cables will bo se
cured to them by plates and plus In the
strongest possible manner.
Next to ttieao essential features the most
striking thing about the new bridge Trill be
tlio great utirrenlng truss , which will extern
from pier to pier and will bo of steel , forty
flvo feet high. Their object la to make th
brldgo rigid nnd to keep It from swaying , a
H would If left entirely to the cables , Th
superstructure of the brldgo will bo unllei
to Iheso trusses by a double system of brae
Ing from above and below , and wilt make tin
whole structure very firm. The floor Itself
on which will rest the two elevated tracks
the four surface car tracks , the carrlagi
ways and the footpaths , which altoRctbe
make the brldgo 118 feet wide , will , o
course , bo made of steel girders and plates
To show the attention required by seem
Ingly unimportant tletalls It may bo well ti
note Uio precautions taken against damagi
by the wind. What la called wind prcssun
Is to be resisted by joining tbo cables In thi
center and by a double system ot latera
bracing , An allowance of several humlrei
pounds Is made also for the "wind load" o
the bridge. The great width of the nev
brldgo will be a considerable protectlot
against wind , but some other siispensloi
bridges have been greatly Injured and cvet
wrecked by great wind storms. Changing at
mospherlc conditions , temperature , etc. Ii
fact , everything that could possibly nffcc
the bridge In any way Is provided for will
equal catc ,
A , MODEL nmuan.
When the new bridge Is completed , li
will be the model of Its kind. It will nebo
bo so long as the Gre.it.Foith brldgo In Scot
land , In fact Its length will be nearly th <
same aa that of the present Drooklyn bridge
but It will have certain Improvements or
both of these. The abrupt deflection of the
cables , the greater height ot the towers anc
the fact that they arc to be ot stuel Inslcai
of stone , have already been mentioned , ant
there nre various other new features. Foi
example , the new bridge will be unllko the
earlier ono In that only Its main span will
be supported by the cables. The approaches
will be separate deck bridges and will rest
on piers of their own. It Is estimated thai
to build the now bridge Itself will cost ? 7-
600,000 , and that , with the cost of approaches ,
etc. , It will Involve the expenditure of ' $12-
000,000. A few statistics of the brldgo fol
low ;
Feet
Total length. 7.20J
Length of ninln span 1,00.
Heltflit of towers S33
Height of bridge ut towers ( nliove
high water ) 117
Height of bridge In center ( nbovo
wnter ) , 53-
width . . .I ; ; ; . . ; . . ; -us
Total coat { 12,000OW
H Illustrates the rapidity of advancement
in bridge building that this new structure ,
which Is a marvel of Its kind , will be eclipsed
almost before It Is finished by the great rail
way bridge across the Hudson between New-
York City nnd New Jersey. This will be
nearly twlco ns large as any suspension
bridge now In existence. It will have a span
between piers of 3,251 feet. Itsl steel towers
will rla ? to a height of BS7 feet above high
water. The contract for It , which has al
ready been let , stipulates that It Is to be
built within ten years , but Ita promotero
say that It will be finished In raven years.
Its erection will cost $25.000,000 , and with
land approaches' ' will require the expenditure
of something like $ rx,000,000. ) Truly thla will
b3 a colossus undreamed of by the ancients.
IM1MHTII2S.
The priest and priestess of one of the
minor religions contemplated the votive of
ferings of edibles of the highest grade
which had been placed before the Idol.
"Pretty good layout today , " eald the
priest.
"And just to think , " said the priestess ,
with the light that can come only In the
eyes of woman illuming her orbs , "we
got them at a sacrifice ! "
The Independence ( Iowa ) Herald tells a
story of a country merchant who visited
that city nnd purchased from a dollar store
n table caster , which he took home with
him , and after putting a tog on it , re'-
marked $14 , made a present of It to n
Methodist preacher , whose church his fam
ily attended. The reverend gentleman took
the package home , opened It and examined
the contents. The next day he took the
caster with the tag attached back to the
groccryman , nnd said to him : "I am too
poor In this world's goods to afford to dis
play so valuable a caster on my table , and
if you have no objections , I should like to
return It and take $14 worth of groceries
Instead. The merchant could do nothing but
acquiesce.
There was a written examination on the
Book of the Acts the other day In a London
Sunday school , and ono scholar turned In
the following : "When they saw Stephen they
were In such a temper that they knashcd
him with , their teeth , and charged him to
he taken out of the city and stoned. Ste
phen eald : "Ye etllT-necked things , why
speak ye so1 The second supernatural event
was the striking down dead of Ananias and
Sapphira his wife for telling lies to Peter.
This was supernatural , because It Is not
natural to have persons struck down dead
for telling lies ! Ananias and Sapphira
were two great prophets. Ananian prayed
to God to take him to heaven , and it came
to pass that as he was on his horse he was
carried up to heaven. "
Why is It that church stories are always
funny ? Here is really a very good one :
Not many years ago , In a country church ,
the rector , preaching with great earnest
ness for home missions , took for his text
"Feed mo with food convenient for mo. "
As ho came down from the pulpit well con
tent with the effect his eloquence had pro
duced on the congregation , the disturbing
thought struck him that he had made no
arrangement for the collection ( sure to bo
a liberal one on this occasion ) . As ho passed
through the chancel he whispered hurriedly
to nn Intelligent choir boy , "Go Into the
vestry , take the plate you will find on the
table , hand It round to the congregation
and then bring It to me. " The boy de
parted on his errand , and the rector took
his place within the communion rails and
gave out the offertory hymn :
The laU words of this had scarcely died
away when the boy stood before him , n
plate of biscuits In his hand and nn apolo
getic expression on his chubby face. "Pleaso
sir , " ho exclaimed , In an audible voice , I've
handed them all around to everybody , and
nobody won't take none ! "
1 > OI3M IIY J01I.V UUIXCV AIJAMS.
( Miss Mary Thompson of Terre Haute ,
Ind. , eldest daughter of ex-Secretary of the
Navy Thompson , has an autogrop'h poem
dedicated to her by John Qulncy Adams.
She recalls the writing of It when ehe , as a
child , stood at his side and curlotsly ob
served the movement of his palsitd hand
whllo ho wrote the poem. A quill pen was
used , and , although the lines are tremulous ,
; ach letter Is well defined. Miss Thompson
lias the distinction of Im-lng been the first
remale child over taken on the lloov of the
notiso of representatives ! , where- her father
lat at the side of Mr. Adams , and where ho
ivroto this poem ) ;
TO MISS MAIIY GAUniNEIl THOMPSON.
3h ! had I , lovely mnlden , but the power
Here , on this page , thy destiny to write ,
iVlihi lavish hand what blessings would J
shower
To 111 ! thy future days with keen delight.
ipring , Hummer , autumn , winter , each In
To then the tribute of his Joys should
; \ > r thco stern winter's social ( Ires should
burn ,
For thee resound the minstrelsy of spring ,
i'or theo Bhould Flora shed her soft per
fume ,
For theo her luscious fruits should sum
mer yield.
\r theo should autumn's waving1 harvest
loom ,
For thee Pomona's vintage crown the
fleld.
, nd till the rollliiK Reasons should be thine ,
And thlno they shall be , for thy soul Is
pure ,
iiid virtue Khlelda. with energy divine ,
From all the Ills that mortals must en
dure ,
'hus as through life thy fickle fortunes
fly.
Should winter's frosts with pain thy
bosom wring ,
'urn thee to virtue's sunshine In the sky
And bloom afresh In never-fadlnpr spring.
JOHN QI'INCY ADAMS.
Washington , 24th August , 1S42.
There Is not a headache lu a dozen ot
ook's Imperial Champagne , It's extra dry ,
Dquet fine. lUcord , halt a century.
i 111Tumapyjaj mi'ffin _ _ - i i ! ! ir-MnnTMTtw-r 1 T n iiniaiani n mirnrMTuwTrraui i tm vrmmtrim f VTnTMTrnT ir rm\njmwrrrmrmmrmmnmmrwm \ xmrrim mimrmiVimium
A TERRIFIC UPSETTING
" " * r * I" " * * 1 S \ 1" " " C * + NEVER wore wo so bountifully supplied with bargain am-
Of" I I C I I ffH " munition. Now la the time to buy , when you can choose
I I . I . B M . ' ILu-W V from hundreds of special purchases too erood to Instlonj ? .
- Not in our twelve years'experience have such oil-around
low prices prevailed. Tomorrow we cut ALREADY ABNORMALLY LOW PRICES rlqht and left-MERCILESS
CUTS-to score anothsr triumph- That this is PRE-EMIN ENTLY the store for monev-saving people will be forcl-
bly-INDISPUTAB-Y-oroven this week. Read these SUBSTANTIAL BARGAIN FACTS ( no Glittering Exaggera
tions here. )
A BoW Determined' Hove to Make This tEte Busiest Week on Record.
A lienullfnl Italian
mill Heeil IliicUer ,
very ciinifiirtnliU' .
Thr Ultnl Hint m-iu-r-
nlly NCll for $11 ! , thin
week.
$5.45
Solltl Onk IHnliiw
Itooni Clinlr , cam ;
nun Inorth I i-U.r.O ,
tlllH
74 c
we absolute
ly proveheyoml < lls
Ittitt * the flirt Hint ir
Ht-11
" Good Goods
CHEAPEST"
Niile on Itein-
lit IiliiolemiiN ,
liiN , Velvets ,
etc. , that we artH < -11-
liip : for fnr helotv
eost thin week.
Kor'thlM week only ,
ne olVer 11 ntiiirter
Naweil NO 1 III mik 12v-
teiiHloit Tnhle , laa.s.
nlve enrveil II-HH , eas
worth i-tl-l , tills
week only
A "Heywooil" Unhy
Carriage , npholsti-r-
eil In Milk ninterliilN ,
eiiiliieil | | with hrnke
mill Millii piirasnlt
worth 1-0 , this week
only
$9.95
A line Pnrlor Suit ,
iilthnlMtereil III line
talll-HtrlcS , IIIIIHNlVe
frame mill full
HirliiK | < north K..OI ( ,
tlllH wt'clc
llrusuclN , Flnli Xetx ,
XottliiKlimn mill Ilt-iil
Iiiiei * CnrtnliiK , lit n
treat vnrlety of
lii-mitlful ixittci-iiM. A
H-l I null iv I il < > ; ! ' < , > -il .
lonpr Inee Ciirlnln ,
woi-lli 1 ? < I | ii-r imlr for
$2.35
lllKeut In KnxelH
mill Sci-eeiiM.
(1 Knsel < hlH tveek ,
38c
l-lll i > < M-eeii thin week
$2.45
A line Steel l
the CUM 1D10.VI , ! It IH
iiiileeil ii perfect
rniipre ; tlilH week 11
If IT one for
Iovely jinltei-neil
niiil Kfooil iiiiallty
riiie li-y Curtains ,
heavily frhiKeil , nell
worth 17 , thin week
$3-45
K Chlliff. Crllm
with woven wire
Hlirliiif , mitliiie | Ilii-
| HI : - . nil ivell eon-
< trneteil , wtirth Sfl.oO ,
thl.t iveek
llriulli-y .t Ilnliliaril
llmuiliet Lamp , \o. U
ronnil hnriier , Iliilsh-
eil 111 iioll.sheil hriiNM ,
\\ortli . 7 , this week ,
sponiling' ' vibrations on the tympanum of my
car , and , by maacs of tlipso , enable me to
reproduce in myself his phantasms ? and his
simple thoughts. All this would require a
wonderful adaptation of means to an end ,
an Incomprehensible , an infinite wisdom In
the Creator ; but this is no real objection ,
since , as a matter of fact , Ills wisdom i.i
truly Infinite.
SOME CONSEQUENCES.
What a wide viata of possibilities opens
hero before us. The telephone and tele
graph may , perhaps , soon become thliiRb uf
the past , relics kept In museums as tokens
of the Ignorance of the nineteenth century ,
as we keep as curiosities Indian bown and
arrows. Men will then converse with one-
anothcr at any distance by mere brain power ,
"which Is to act without loss of energy due
to distance.Ve shall need for this pur
pose no machines at all. There will be i o
patents taken out on the noophono or en-
kepbalophone whatever name may be
coined for It as there are'patents on the
telephone , making the luxury e.o expensive
that not every man can enjoy the1 use1 of one.
With his brain power alone In action , th
editor will sit In his easy chair and ask hi
agent In Lincoln or Washington , or i'rt's
dent JlcKinley himself , about the latjs
phase of legislation , which will at once 1
mentally telegraphed while the editorial I
being written. We bhall then be able t
consult our lawyer or doctor by merely wls'.i
ing It , or call for a policeman when wo nice
a footpad on the street. Even the house
wife will no * need to put on a wishing ca
to have her orders conveyed to the butane
or the milkman. Visits In the evening ti
closely sympathizing friends will go out o
fashion , for the parties can keep up a bral
chat with one another all the day. Th
general In a battle will send his order b
telepathy , etc.
WHY DELAY TUB I100N ?
I am sorry that Prof. Crookes apcaka E
dinidently of thd practical results. "Th
tlmo may come , " he says , "when It ( th
theory ) can be submitted to experiments !
tcat . " And why wait for a time to come
What prevents us from experimenting u
oneo ? .Men's brains ate , ready today for an )
now adventure. Why should wo wait til
our posterity will reap the fruit of thcs
wonderful discoveries ? If there Is anything
In them , let us have It at once. The medlun
of transference bo It ether or what noi
ls ready now nnd has been ready for een
turles. It may take tlmo to perf'jt tin
piocess of telepathy , but if , as thn profejioi
thinks , "Intense thought , concentrated b >
ono person upon another with whom he I
In close sympathy can Induce a telepathl
chain along which brain waves filial ! go
straight to their goal without Ions of energj
duo to distance , " It must travel as well to
day as It will In 100 years from now. If It
will not do so , docs this not throw the strong
cut doubt on the existence of the telepathic
medium ? lAnd If nature uniformly persists
in refusing to give evidence of such power
In man as tlio theory supposes , does not tlu
theory cease to be scientific ? For a theorj
is called scientific In w > far only as It
plausibly explains existing facts without coil-
trmllctlng other facts. Hut where are the
existing facts which the theory Is to ex
plain ?
LET US HAVE PACTS.
As soon ao the principles of steam power
and electric power were understood , wo at
once had some of the effects made visible.
So with the telegraph , the telephone , the
telescope , the microscope , bicycles , photo
graphs , etc , , etc. Let us have telepathic
messages at once. Happily , I'rof. Crookes ,
as president of the much-vaunted Society for
Psychical Hescarch , la In the best position
conceivable to test the value of lita hypothe-
nls and mature- his theory , \Vo have specu
lations enough , the air Is full of them. Let
us have facts solid , hard and stubborn
facts , that will convince the most skeptical.
The professor complains of hindrances In
the shape of "scientific superstitions , " whatever -
over that iray mean. There Is nothing that
will dissipate the mists of superstitions but
bright , luminous facts. Show us clearly what
telepathy can doj show bow your theory Is
carried out In practice , and all scientific
[ irejudlces will give way before the solid
firoof. I must confers , however , that , so far ,
: have never ecen those psychical phenomena ,
io much lauded as being fraught with prom
ise of endli-FH possibilities , treated In that
lommon-eense , straight-forward way In
rt'hlch wo deal with real iclence. In the
ihyslcal sciences we proceed by Induction ,
is liacon has taught us , though others did
t before him. Wo first get the solid and
indoubted facts , and then we explain them
> n suggested hypotheaes , or theorlea. Hut
n this psychical business we nee in to get
ilenty of theories and few , If any , undoubted
acts. U la all wrapped In mystery.
"The Iaw of Psychical
A recent work , *
" ( liilek Menl" Cn o-
llne Stove , it tinnier ,
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iionv
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thin week
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rohe , HtnnilN 7 feet
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worth about Ijtlll.OO )
thlx week
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A henntirnl Niillil
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101) ) pleee r.nuilMh
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Ilo yon \vant mi In-
train Carpet f If HO ,
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only
34c
Solid onk , neatly
em-veil anil llnely
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lee Cremn Freezer ,
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$1.75
OUR NUMBERS ARE
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1313-1315-1317
Fartiam St. at
Three Doors From "The "
Peoples.
© Paxtoti Hotel Corner ©
The Theory .of Thought Transference nnd
What it Aunuiits To.
CLASSED AMONG THE SCIENTIFIC FADS
The Wlile Vista of 1'osslMlltIcs tliat
l.ure Seekers After I'hyehlc Phe
nomena AhNeiiee of Uein-
oiiHtrnted 1'acts.
The Scientific American for tne 13th of
last March has an article headed "I'rof.
CrooUcs on Thought Transference , " which
will bo read by many with Intense Interest.
It begins by remarking that no man of
sclenco has contributed any thing to the re
cent discussion of scientific subjects which
will appeal more plausibly and more enter
tainingly to the * public Imagination than has
I'rof. William Crookes , F. H. 8. , In his recent
presidential address delivered to the Society
for Psychical Hcisearch. I'rof. Crookes , among
other services to science , has Invented ( lie
tube called by his name and which has re
cently attracted eo much attention In : on-
ncctlon with the wonderful discoveries of the
cathode and the X rays. He occupies so
distinguished a position In the scientific
world that a suggestion of his deserves re
spectful consideration , though ho has less
ened his authority by his unscientific credul
ity of fada. In the address referred to the
learnpd professor said that the "psychical
sclenco was the embryo of something lhal
might in tlmo dominate the whole world ol
thought. " Ho has certainly raised great
expectations ; wb arc all attention to the
novel views he may lay before us.
With the modesty becoming a true scientist
and which Is totally wanting in the usual
style of < iuacks and fadJlsts I'rof. Crookeo
did uot pretend In his speech to have demon
strated the truth of his conjecture. Ho
simply suggested a theory to explain how
thoughts eoul-1 perhaps bo transferred di
rectly from ono mind to another , as Is sup
posed to bo done In telepathy. Was It not
conceivable , ho simply atkeil ( after making
an elaborate calculation as to , the vibrations
which produce sound and light ) , that In
tcnso thought concentrated by one person
upon another wlthi whom ho was In close
sympath } , could Induce A telepathic chain
along which brain1 waves should go straight
to th'lr < goal without loss of energy due to
distance ? He does not here maintain the
reality of such timtight transference , nor
L-veu Its possibility or compatibility with the
properties of material substances such as
there are In thU world of ours , All he
claims Is lhat w6 : shall not deny Us possi
bility unless wo can prove It to bo Incon
sistent'with laws ofmatter certainly klioivn
to exist ,
IS III POSSIBLE ?
Though a long pxperlence acquired In the
itudy of scientific.fatli and follies and fancies
ms made me be slow and reluctant to accept
my startling1 discoveries In such matters ,
ind , as a consequence , I freely confess that
: am Incredulous to ) the theory proposed by
von BO distinguished a professor , atill I
mist , and do , plaldly acknowledge that I
annot see the absolute Impossibility of his
lypothesls. U would be a vast , yet , as far
is I can see , not an absurd extension , of the
veil known natural' ' laws under which sound
u conveyed by vibrations of the atmodphcro ,
ind light by vlbratlona of the thinner ele-
nent either.
True It Is that thought , In Its proper mean ,
ng of Intellectual action , Is spiritual , and , as
uch" . Immaterial. The Immaterial cannot
osslbly be acted upon or transferred by any
naterlal substance ; the Idea , for Instance , of
Irtue or vice , God or spirit , cannot be trans ,
nltted on wings or waves. But yet In man ,
, 'ho consists of cplrlt and matter , fub-
tantlally united Into one being , thought
orlcs In connection with phantasms , or bruin
Ictures ; and these , for all we know , may
onslst of brain waves , or undulation ) . If
hey are such , nothing shows the Impotsl-
Illty , but , on the oilier hind , nothing proven
he slightest probability of their being car-
led along a subtle substance It ether or
onie material more subtle still till they
] fringe upon and affect another brain , on
bo eame principle as the waves of air eet In
lotion by my friend's llpa produce corre-
Iroii Ileilx ilo yon
want onef If HO , call
nnil nee the $ ! , * > liriiKN
trlninieil Iron lleil on
sale this week for
$7.75
payment fo suit your
Phenomena , " by Thompson Jay Hudson ,
LL.D. , a book which In thin city haa nijij-
tifled many minds little given to close rea-
ponln ? . makes the honest statement that , In
thn matter of whleh It treats , we are not
In possession of well established facts by
whleh wo can safely test the truth of new
speculations. The author admits ( p. 82) ) , that
"It Is comparatively rare that scientific In
vestigators disagree regarding the demon
strable facts pertaining to a subject under
Investigation. " 13ut he adds : "Yet this Is
the condition in which we find the tclence
of hypnotism ( the effects of which he classcn
under psychic phenomena ) after more than
a century of research by pome of the ablest
scientists of the world. Thus far , " he con
tinues , "the different schools have distrusted
or denied each other's facts and waged war
upon each other's theories. The modt eare-
fully conducted experiments of one ochuol
will , In tlKj.hands of the other , product ) op
posite results. " Notice , hn does not say
"will receive different Interpretations , " but
"will produce opposite results , " or effects.
He justly adds : "Hence earn experimenter
is Irresistibly led to district the nelcntific
accuracy of the methods employed by others ,
or lo ndmlt their Integrity only at the ex
pense ot their intelligence. " He admits that
the well authenticated facts of one t-chool
appear to the other as "an appalling hodgepodge
podge of falsehood and delusion , chicanery
and superstition. "
GIVE US THE TEST.
What can ho the value of Prof. Crookcs'
present hypothesis cannot be ascertained till
wo can lest It by undoubted results , not such
ghost stories as Mr. Podmoro gives us in his
"Apparitions and Thought Transference , " bu
by experiments that cat' be repeated by va
rlous tclent'lflc men so as always to yield the
same effects In the srme circumstances
Such teats may be required of any science
for science consists In tracing known of
fectu to their real causes , and In the easto
physical agency , the seme causes working
under the same circumstances must ovei
produce the same effects. Hut wo have a
special right to call for such teats In the
caao of psychical phenomena , because they
liavo been In all ages and Ihoy are toda >
connected with a vast amount of 'imposture
superstition and extravagance. Let the So
ciety for Paychlcal Hesearch , over whlcl
Prof. Crookes presides , draw up lists of sucl
demonstrated facts as we can study up nut
verify. Till this be clo P the professors
shrewd guess , or theory , will deservedly bt
received with the ordinary umile of polite.
Incredulity.
LI2AUN A LESSON KItO.M LOUltDES ,
Tills Incredulous smllo used to greet every
reference to the wonderful events that have
been attracting vast miMtltudcs of pllprlms
to Lourdcs during forty yeain In succession
and It Is still common enough among those
who are proof against all facts ihul clash
with preconceived notions. I suppoju that Is
what Prof. Crookes would call "scientific
superstitions. " If liio Society for Payrlileal
Research would only do as Lnurdt-s Is doing
wn should know where we stand with regard
to Its pretensions. The hlstoiian of
Lourdes , Mr , Henry Laserrcs , gives
UR In his two works nn the
subject not only the official reports and at
testations concerning tl < 3 rcmarkablo facts
which he narrates with full details , but also
the names and addresses ! of all parties con
cerned , and ho lian offered rewards , 10,000
francs , I believe , to any one who would prove
any of the cures In question to have hoen
misrepresented In his pigcs , That U the
way to talk to an Incredulous generation. In
coiifffUC'iicoiof | his universally acknowledged
character for truth and accuracy , ho could
write to the novelist Kola a recent public
letter of scathing rcbuku for bis notorious
perversion of the facts.
The directors of the pilgrimages to that
celebrated shrlnn employ a permanent open
court of Inquiry , presided over by a learned
uck-ntUt , and Inviting to all Its sessions
physicians and other men of learning from
any country or persuasion to partake In
the dally Investigation of newly recurring
wonders. They approve only such as are
scientifically demonstrated to bo above all
mtural powers. With such well ascertained
lata before him , every man of thought can
elsurely and deliberately make up his own
nlnd and put his own conscientious Inter-
irctatlan on the undoubted facts ; but to
lueation the real occurrence of the facln
liemselvcs would be unreasonable , unless
laws In them be distinctly pointed out. And
t Is very remarkable that , while not In-
Idels alone , but also Rome Christian scl-
utlBto , refuse to pronounce on the mlracu-
ous nature of the cures constantly re-
urrlng , no scientific s > rocets ; has been Instli i
uted by any of them to dispute of the 1
ucta themselves as unreal or distorted. The I
ourse pursued bu been that iany have <
leonnril Cleniinhle
llefrlm-riiturs nr < -
Mjiniliiriluhey | liny
for tlieiiinel * en lit
the NiivliiK of lee.
One \torth $11 ! thin
k for
$6.75
A It IIP xollil onk Iti-il
llooni Suit , hlnhly
pollNheil , lu-vol iitnti *
mirror , > tell worth
iui.w : > , this \\oi-u
$14.90
Now IN the time to
liny THiitfliiKM. Kluc
ilnitineu | * .Haitian ; * ,
II in-n wiirp , worth
HOe , thlH week
17c "VJ
A very pretty Toilet
Set , 11 ! iileei-N , ileeor-
nteil In natural eol-
OI-N , Htlpliteil ivolil
eilnc- * , I a rue nice ,
worth fully tfl-.oO ,
tlllH week
$6.25
Ileniillfnl IMetm-e ,
27\tl ! ( Inches , frame
llntNlieil In niahoH-
any a nil silver , worth
$ tl , this week
$2.25
! honestly acknowledged them to be genuine
' and coirectly reporttd ; many who went to
scoff have remained to pray ; others have ,
gone 11 way thoughtful and hesitating ; others ,
I like the bravo boy pjsnlng a graveyard at
I night , have kept up whistling or talking
j aloud for fear of seeing ghosts : others
again have refused to go near the place ,
and'these nre the loudest in ridiculing It ;
a great multitude continue simply to Ignore
It as If it werenot. . In existence. Mr. Hud
son , In his "Law of Psychical Phenomena , "
classes It with the Invocation of the gods
by the Egyptian prlcstu , with mind cures ,
Christian science animal magnetism , etc.
( p 24) ) . Hut then he explains the miracles
of Christ and tinnpuatlos on the aamo prin
ciple , aa nil these ( cc. , xxlll. , xxlv. ) . Those Si
who feel called HJJDII to refute the lessons
fd
that Lourdcs pretends to tench , Ignore the
cures that the court of inquiry has approved , odIn
and fasten upon the multitude of rejected
cases , many of which are no doubt tha
effects of an excited Imagination.
CONCLUSION' .
Lot the Society for Psychical Research ,
under the presidency of thtlr worthy Prof.
Crookers , imitating the example of the
Lounlcs tribunal , draw the line distinctly
between reliable and unreliable data In
telepathy , and give us , not a hodge-podgo
of truth and action , like .Mr. Hudson's book ,
or llko the yearly reports railed "Proceed
ings of the Society for Psychical Research , "
but a series of demonstrated factu upon
which we can base our test of theories. Till
this shall have been done , I attach no im
portance ( o a mere dlstnnt point of analogy ,
such as suggests the novel theory to the
learned professor. If ihls be accomplished ,
and wo get fuels demonstrated alo.ig with
hypothesfl ! , both plausibly coiineiited to
gether , I for ono will hail It as n precious
addition to the treasury of scleme. Till
then , I class telepathy amon& the fads.
X HAYS.
XEW AMOVI3I , .
Ill a newly painted hair brush for military
or traveling IIKO the back Is hollowed out In
and lilted with a sliding cover to hold a Inwj
comb , snap , etc. nfl
A recently designed chair can bo changed nfli
Into a bed by dropping the buck and rais cd i
ing the footrcat , the sides opening out flat
it
to make It wider If desired.
ni
A handy music-holder that needs no stand
ard can bo attached to a table by means US
nf a spring clump and has steel arms to so !
hold the sheets of music In place , T |
Snare drums ran b attached lo chairs
for orchestral playing by means of a now
device , consisting of n frame to hold tha
drum fitted with clamps to fasten to the
chair.
Cradles nnd rocking chairs are to bo
mnnufactured soon which arc fitted with
pneumatic and cushion pads on the bottonm
of the rockers to make them nolselc ( > K and
comfortable.
To keep mucllago brushes from drying up
a new device han the brush placed Inside a
metal frame , to spring downward when
wanted for use by pushing on a knob at
the top of tha handle.
A new collar button has points placed In
side the hinged portion for tlic purpose ot
holding the band of a nrcktlo and preventing
It from turning arnuml an the neck or ullji-
lilng out from under the button.
The combination of a dipper and funnel haa
lust been patented , a nhort nozzle being
placed In the bottom of the dipper , with a
, 'alvo operated by a spring level running par >
illul to the handle of ( ha dipper.
Ono of the newest designs for an oil can ,
lias wooden casing of cylinder shape sur
rounding a barrel-shaped tin or glass can ,
tvhlch Is pivoted In the casing at the cmla
ind tips downward to lot the oil How out.
Tips and ferrules for umbrellas ) and cane *
vhlch can bo changed for summer and wln-
cr use are composed of rubber or utecl
lolnts , and are fitted with a screw to fit
n a metal socket In the end of the cane.
Water bottlcu with small necks are ca
llflicult to clean that ono recently patented
vlll be much appreciated , the neck being
letachablo and fitted to the bottle wltlt
. glass collar holding a roft packing to pre-
ent all leakage.
Mimic leaves can bo turned automatically ]
Itlier backward or forward by a new dcvlca
emulating of two cylinders placed on oppo *
lie nldtti of the music rack and connected
, 'lth tubes running to two nets of bellows *
ear the pedaU , pressure on either eet of
idlowu moving ( he pliton rod on that sldu
o operate the linger engaging the top uheU
( muelc.