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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 30, 1897)
Irt rrTTTT ! mvrATTA TiATT-V Tl-roTW TTK"DAY. MAY 30. 1807. WINNING THEIR SPURS. GOOD STORIES ABOUT REWARDS AND DECORATIONS FOR DRAVE MEN. S-- & If the commonest soldier who marched under Napoleon's banners carried a mar- hat's baton In his knapsack , as the Llttlo Corporal once declared , It can bo said with equal truth that every private In the federal army carried the shoulder-straps ot a major general In his. Tbo very first volunteer to dnzzlo my boyish Imagination was a young lawyer who enlisted the Instant President Lincoln's call for troops reached our town , setting an ex ample that nns Imitated In less than twenty- four hours by two or three hundred of the 'flower of the youth. " Ho was a civilian , . with no military training whatever , When Xc surrendered four years later , his troops turned over their arms to Major General 'Joseph J. Ilnrtlctt , whose name had first ap peared upon the rolls of the army among the enlisted men , The story of this soldier , rising through every grade , step by step , from the bottom round to the top of the ladder would read 111(0 ( a romance , hut one Incident will sulllco to show that the path of promotion was a thorny one , oven for the bravest of the brave. As n major In Colonel Henry W. Slocum'u regiment at the first battle of Dull Run , Ilartlett rallied the Boldlcrs after Slocum had been shot donn and "kept them In the fight and out of the panic" as the ofllclul report of the general commanding stated. As a colonel ho led his own regiment , and much of the tlmo a brigade In the battles ot the peninsula , through all the "seven days' " fight , at the Storming of South Mountain , where his serv ices were brilliant , and his personal bear ings most heroic , at Antletam and at Frcd- crlcksburg. THIRTEEN WOUNDS. The n.imo of Lincoln Is associated with many phases of the battle of Gettysburg , but nowhere more romantically than In Its connection with the battlefield promotion Incident of which Colonel E. B. Cross was the hero and Hancock a principal figure. Creed commanded a brigade at Gettysburg , but for two years hod held the rank of colonel In the "Fighting Fifth , " New Hamp shire. It would require the spilling of a flood of red Ink to describe the battles of Crws and his crack regiment from the granite state. Hancock had again and again pleaded with the powers that ruled for a sll- irer Mar to pin upon the faded blouse of this gallant soldier. Hut both Hancock and his protege were on the wrong side of the ad ministration fence , and though dolag a gen eral's duty , n almple Now Hampshire colonel Crors remained. A short tlmo before the battle of Gettysburg he said of himself that bo wore nine scars as souvenirs of bis devo tion to the flag of the republic , and three from foreign wars. As to the nlno Yankee iwoumls , there was no mistake , and the oth ers counted "for fair , " giving to the one be was to receive on tbo Held of wonderful destiny that unlucky number , 13. It was an hour to call for the sacrifice of the old guard , when Hancock sent Cross' brigade Into the "wheat field" to stem the tldo of disaster during the second day's bat tle. Oa receiving orders Cross exclaimed , fiayly "Goodby. general ; I am never going 'to get that star. " Spurring on hie horee , he disappeared , to bo swallowed up In the whlrl- Jiqol of'carnage. After a few minutes Han cock heard that ho had been desperately .wounded . , and once more sent up an appeal Cor the proper recognition of the bravery Of his noble lieutenant. Cross lived for some days , lived till the wires had carried the appeal to Washington , and a courier had reached the field bearing a general's com mission , signed and dispatched In'all haste toy the "kind-hearted president. f The bit of glided parchment was" placed In the hands of the dying soldier , but his mind remained fixed upon ttio Incidents , of the bat tle which had sealed his fate.He died shouting orders and gesturing -.Imaginary ( battalions , unconscious that his shroud would 1)0 a martial cloak decorated with the star so richly earned and so cruelly denied him. K SHERIDAN'S LONG WAIT. 1 It Is not necessary to air private grievances In order to Illustrate the evil of favoritism In awarding rank. Sheridan remained a. colonel of Michigan volunteers long after he bad directed battles of bis own and until several commanders of western armies bo- ulegcd Washington with appeals In his favor , aylng that the llttlo Irish cavalryman was ' 'worth his weight In gold , " and ought to bo made a general. The most Incomprehensible of all at this time Is the treatment which Miles received while performing deeds ot the kind which Inspired those classic phrases met with in Napoleon's war bulletins. If there was any soldier In the ranks of the blue who went through fire and blood to win bis decorations It was the ? same 'Massachus ' etts volunteer whom Governor Andrews re fused to commission because ho was only a boy. In spite of the fact that 100 good men and true bad chosen him for their leader. Dut when he got to the front where courage , or the. want of It , told at a flash , the hero tuff In his slender frame was not slow to a JStiVt& * ' "GOOD BYE. GHNEHAL. " Attract notice. Howard selected Miles for hla personal staff and after ho htmtelt had been deprived of the use of his sword arm on the field of Fair Oaks , ho set the Yankee boy a man's work , leading battalions whose commanders had fallen in action. In thla "way " ho came under the eye of Colonel Fran cis L. Ilarlow , another born soldier , and the upshot of the meeting i > as that Go > ernor Uorgan commUiIoned Miles lieutenant colonel of Harlow'a regiment , the Sixty-nr t Now lYork. GENERAL MILES' ENFORCED PATIENCE. In the tlret battle after Miles' appointment a terrible fight at tbo Bloody Lane. An- Uetatn Uarlou4 w 8 desperately wounded. fThat placed Miles at the head of a regi ment , the unit In the army , As colonel of Iho Sixty-first , Miles showed himself a wor thy eucccreor of the fighting Barlow. In the charge upon the tone wall at Freder- Ickiburg hU place was In the reserve line ot Iaucock'e ( division. The brigade lost more than half Its members killed and grounded. It wai Howard's ' former command nd was led agalntt the etoue wall first by Caldttell , then by Crcee , then by Me- Keen and after all had been shot down , by Miles , who with It gained the farthest point reached by the aisallanta. When the charge commenced , there were 116 commli- loned officer * of all ranks on duty In Cald- jwell'e line , but In leas than twenty min utes sixty-two of them lay among the klled | und wounded. "Yet. even here , " wrote Cen tral Krtncls A. Walker , In hU story ot the gcccnd corps' battles , " mong these forlorn conditions , one heart there 1 as fresh , u buoyant as that of & child at pUy. A ball trlkea Miles In the throat ; but. with hli band against the wound and the blood trtamlng out through bin fingers , dukes taclc to his chief , who , cloaa at hand. U Uratchlng with A breaking heart tbe anni hilation of his splendid corps , and entreats tertnlulon to lead a now. charge. " Miles' wound was a. severe one. but b was on duty again when the army marched o Cbanccllorsvlllo four months later , and commanded the corps skirmish line at the Imo when the confederates were making their most determined assaults. So delighted was Hancock at the splendid behavior of the skirmishers that ho sent a staff officer to compliment their leader. "Tell Colonel Miles ho la worth his weight In gold , " said ic. A corps leader next In rank to Hooker , .ho gcneral-ln-chlof , on witnessing this brll- ilant feat at arms executed by the beardless [ > oy colonel , exclaimed : " 1 expect to be under command of that young man some day , " After miraculously escaping Injury through nearly four hours' ot constant ex posure , the heroic Miles was shot through Iho body and carried from the field mor tally wounded , as It was supposed. For tunate It was that ho was so young , for youthfulness and vigor go together. In spite of that desperate hurt he was In the saddle at Gettysburg , two months later , In command of a brigade. Hut another year was to elapse before the citizen soldlir would get the star which West Point men received without even so much as having led a battalion In action. Colonel Miles commanded a brigade In the wilderness , lighting under Hancock , and also led It In llarlow's brilliant charge upon .ho Bloody Anglo at Spottsylvanla. For ils gallantry In the last named battle , he was promoted to brigadier general of volun teers. That was after two years of fighting with the Second corps , a corps always I doomed to the fiercest slaughter. He was , I ot course , a favorite with Hancock , and In the last great battle led by the old hero , the two joined personal fortunes In a des perate attempt to save the day and seemed to court death together. At times their followers In a charge against the enemy's superior forces , when they wanted to re cover n captured gun or save an exposed battery , did not exceed a good company In strength , but wherever they rode with the corps flag flying , the bulletu rained like hall. hall.Hancock Hancock at last succumbed to his many wounds , then followed another decoration for Miles. It was only by a brevet yet It authorized Governor Andrew's rejected cen turion to put on the twin-starred epaulet of a major general , although he was still youthful , still beardless and less than 25 years of age. In the end the stone cost out by the builder became the brad of the corner , for Miles led Hancock's corps d'armeo on Its last campaign , through Petersburg to Appomattox. That was the corps which first under "Bull" Sunnier and then under "The Superb" had won a title peerless among soldiers , namely ; "Tho Old Guard" of the Army of the Potomac. GEORGE L. KILMER. HOW A 110V SUCCEEDED. He Won AVlllluir nml Faithful nnil Cnmr Out All HlBlil. Boys sometimes think they cannot afford to bo manly and faithful to the llttlo things. A story Is told of a boy of the right stamp , and what came of his faithfulness. A few years ago a largo drug firm In New York City advertised , for a boy. Next day the store was thronged with applicants , among them a queer-looking llttlo fellow , accompanied by a woman , who proved to bo his aunt , In lieu of faithless parents , by whom ho had been abandoned. Looking at this waif , the advertiser said : "Can't take him : places all full. Besides , ho Is too small. " "I know ho Is small , " said the woman ; "but he Is willing and faithful. " There was a twinkle In the boy's eyes which made the merchant think again. A partner In the firm volunteered to remark that ho "did not ECO what they wanted with such n boy ; ho wasn't bigger than a pint of elder. " But , after consultation , the boy was sot to work , A faw days later a call waa made on the boys In the etore for some one to stay all night. The prompt response of the little fellow contrasted well with the reluctance of the others. In the middle of the night the merchant looked In to see If all was right In Iho store , and presently discovered this youthful protege sctaTOrlng labels , "What are you dolngJ" said he. "I did not tell you to work nights. " "I know you did not tell me eo , but I thought I might as well be doing some thing. " In tbe morning the cashier got or ders to "double the boy'a wages , for ho is willing. " Ouly a few -weeks elnpsjd before a show of wild beasts paused through the streets ; and , very naturally , all hands In the store rushed to wltnew the spectacle. A thief saw hit opportunity and entered at tbe nor door to celze something , but In a twink ling found himself firmly clutched by the diminutive clerk aforesaid , aud , after a struggle , was raptured , Not only was a robbery prevented , but valuable articles taken from other stores were recovered , Whetf asked why he stayed behind to watch when all otbera quit their work he replied : "You told me never to leave the store when others were absent , and I thought I'd tay. " Orders were Immediately given once more , "Double that boy's wages ; he Is willing- and faithful , " Today that boy ts a member ot tbe firm. JL LIVING KITE. Att Intcrentlnir Exiierliucut In Ilclinlf uf n KlyluEr aiucbluc. On tbe broad mesa of San Felipe tbe wind , on summer afternoon * , blowa what old tail ors would term halt gale ot wind. It rltea suddenly at noon , when the heat It often almost unendurable , and comes In , re freshing man and beast , and making music among the pines and ancient oakes that abound In groups on tbe broad mt a. One day the berdera of a ranch near the coast found several large condora gorged with food , and aucceeded in throwing a reata over the head of one , and left It with one of the smaller boys to hold > whlle they chased the other birds. The captive iwas securely roped , but this did not prevent It from flyIng - Ing , and all at once It began to run and fly along the ground , and a moment later was ten tect Up Inthe air , taking the cell of rope. rope.Tho The boy , fearing It would escape , began to haul In , but the bird had obtained so much headway that It was some thirty feet up In. the air nnd as soon as the slack of the long reata was exhausted began to drag the boy along Just as would a big kite , the etroni ; wind aiding. At first It was a walk , then a run , and the herders hearing shouts , turned to ceo what appeared to be a large kilo dragging the boy along the mesa and evidently on the point of lifting htm Into the air. Whether this would uavo been wholly accomplished was doubtful , but the herdntfl came on the rue artd soon picked up the cord ot the living kite , and from tbe pommel ot the Mexican saddle hauled It In like an ordinary kite , hut not until the plucky boy hail been lifted from his feet more than once , by the powerful bird. In France n living kite has been seen In which a man formed a part. It was In the course of a series of experiments to deter mine the effect of wind upon a Soaring ma chine. A gigantic kite had been made on the face of which a man stood , his feet wide apart and resting upon braces for the pur pose , while with his hands ho clasped two straps. The kite was twenty feet high and mode of cloth. The first attempt to fly It was made on nn exposed section ot the const , where the wind blow In over a lake. A largo parachute was attached to the frame ot the kite , to which the man was supposed to cling In cat-e of a fall. Everything being ready , the kite was braced against the wind , thii tnnn took his place and fifty men ran ag.ilt'St ' the wind with the rope , many more holding the tall. The wind caught the enormous surface , and amid loud cheers from the spectators the man rose/ ten feet from A BALL STRIKES MIL'ES IN THE THROAT. the surface and there remained , held by the men at the tail. Slowly the latter released the rope and gradually the kite rose , prov ing beyond question that a man could ascend In this fashion. It was such a hazardous and uncertain experiment that a. higher height .was not attempted. In these few and simple experiments it was demonstrated that under certain conditions a man might be able to govern his motions In the air , after the fashion of a soaring bird , and the suc cessful flying machine will be one that , to a certain extent , Imitates the movements of the soaring animals or a kite , where the force of gravity seems to bo represented by tbo string. LITTLE FEET. Philadelphia Times. Two little feet BO small that both may nes- In one caressing hand : Two tender feet upon the untried border Of Ufa's mysterious land ; Those rose-white feet along the doubtful future Must bear a woman's load ; Alast Since woman has the heaviest burden And walks the hardest road. Love , for a while , will make the path before them All dainty , smooth and fair ; Will cut away the brambles , letting on'.y The roses blossom there ; Dut when the mother's watchful eyes are shrouded Away from Bight of men. i And these dear little feet-are left without her guiding , Who shall direct them then ? Will they go stumbling- blindly In the dark ness Of sorrow's tearful shades ; Or find the upland slopes of peace and beauty. Whose sunlight never fades ? Oh , who may road the future ? For this sweetheart small Wo want all blessings sweet , " And pray that ho who feeds the" crying ravens Will eulde the baby's feet. I'UATTLE OFTHE YOUNGSTERS. A teacher In geography , the very smallest clara , had , just asked 'What a mountain was. Up roeo a little lasa. "Why why , and here tbo maiden stopped and twisted her curly hair. "Oh , I know ! A mountain's a pleco ot ground pulled up Into the air. " "I say , pop , " eald Willie , "does history repeat Itself ? " "So the wlso men say , my son. " "Do wise wen know what they are talkIng - Ing about ? " "Oh yes I guess so. " "Well , eay , pop when Napoleon and Wel lington Bght that battle of Waterloo again , takeme to see It , will you ? " "Oh , Mamma , " murmured Flossie' In a frightened tone , as her dear llttlo sister leaned forward and grasped her father'a cigar , which she attempted to put In her mouth , "wouldn't It be dreadful If Floslo turned out to be a. new woman ! " * ' Tbo minister's little boy went with bis mother to the communion service. la the old fashioned way the four deacons passed around the elements and came back to , the table , as each flnlihed bin particular aide , In an entirely Irregular order. As they were pissing "tho cup" the mother noticed the unusual earnestness of the little fellow , and turned her attention to him. He noticed her anxiety , and tald In a stage whisper , I'm only looking to ece- who beats ! " No man U pleased with the contemplation of premature old age and loss of vital powers. At the first feeling of weakness strengthen your blood. Blood Ig vitality. Pill Anefffllc la composed largely of concentrated beef blood , and Is the great blood builder , A Vetrrnu. Chicago Tribune : "Are you an old sol dier ? " exclaimed the tender-hearted matron , regarding with affectionate bollcltudo the battered old pilgrim to whom the had given In tuccctilon A plato ot beam , half a dozen doughnuts and a cup of coffee. "Yes'ui. " uniwered Tuffold Knutt , ( till eating rapidly. "What rmy ? " "Salvation army , ma'am , " said Mr. Knutt , swallowing the remaining drops of his cof- fco and backing hastily out ot the kitchen. CONVERTING PAT INTO COM , An Artificial Fuel IFnjtlucod by Moans of Elejtriqity. THE SUPPLY OF JBEAT INEXHAUSTIBLE A Ocrninn Proof * * , ot Connlilcml > lo Importance In. UcvcIoplnfT In- lnnlrlcN In ( Coiinlrlco llltli | crto A process for converting peat Into conl has Juat been perfected In Germany. To bo explicit , by in en n a of an electric current , turf can bo turned Into coke , having art ofll- ctcncy equal to the best coal. It Is capable of Attaining to n white heat and the product can bo manufactured and eold with good profit at 10 cents the hundred pounds , or about $2.20 a torn 'A' retort holding 1,300 liters can bo prepared In 15 minutes. The amount of ash In this coke Is only 3 per cent. The colorific value ts 7,000 units ; that Is as much as coal. It Is easily lighted and contains but very llttlo sulphur. It Is In fact a discovery the Importance of which cannot bo overestimated. Ireland , for In stance , with Its great wealth of peat , would bo converted from a farming Into a fuel producing country. So would Nnntuckct and many parts of the United States and Canada. I lit short , since peat Is found all over the \\orhl , and as the process of making peat I In nature Is actively going on , this discov ery might seem to solve the great fuel ques tion on account of the perceptible diminu tion of the coal supply , ANTICIPATING NATURE. The feasibility of Increasing the calo rific value of peat has appealed to many Inventors , and many attempts have been made to accomplish It , but until now all have been failures. A necessary part of such an operation has been the drying out of the unbalance , peat Is spongy and highly Im pregnated with moisture. It Is , In fact , nothing more nor lers than partly formed ! coal. It Is vegetable matter In a scml-dccom. ' posed state , or , to be more exact , a substance I Intermediate between common vegetable matter - ) ter and bltumtous lignite. Left to Itself peat | would , under certain conditions and after the lapse of sufficient time , become coal. Following out the theory of some scientists that coal Is the result of partly combusted vegetable matter , It will be seen that this new electrical process ts but the slmplo an ticipation of the work of nature. Electricity hastens an operation which It would have taken Dame Nature centuries to perform. . During the first part of the present century a company was formed In Ireland for the purpose of doing by mechanical means that which lo now to be done by electricity. The scheme- was not a success owing to the fact that the conversion of the peal could not bo accomplished economically on a large scale. The peat was dried by means of heated Iron plate , and It was compressed and held together In blocks by means of the attraction of cohesion. The trouble , however , -was to accomplish the heating or drying out operation at a small cost , for the perfected product Is not In Itself a substance which t can be sold for a high price. Nothing could bo mofe slmplo from the producers' standpoint than the electrical pro- cess. The peat Isplaced in any desirable quantity In large retorts , " which for the most part resemble ordinary retorts , except In that they arc provided with a spiral wire which extends through the center.'of them , The wlro comprises the electrical feature of the retort. An electric current of a strength sufficient ito bring the wlro to a whlto heat Is sent ( through It. 7he retorts otherwise are lined with asbestos. In the oven thus formed the drying out of the peat not only becomes Inevitable , but the con version of'the'vegetable ' matter 'lg hastened and It becomes In fact .coke. As stated abqvo , a retort'haVlng ' a capacity of 1,300 liters will produce that amount , of coke In fifteen min utes , and Inasmuch as its calorific value ts 7,000 units Its commercial value becomes very great Average air-dried peat has a calorific value of from 3,000 to 3.COO units. When freed from water by a heat of 100 degrees centigrade and with a minimum of 4 to 6 per cent of ash the calorific value rises to about 6,200 units , or from one-quarter to one-half more than that ot an equal weight of wood. PEAT BOGS IN IRELAND. The value ot peat as a fuel consists not only In its highly Inflammable quality , but In the abundance in which It Is found. There Is almost no limit to the supply , particularly as the procciss of Its formation Is yet going on. Ireland may be said to constitute the most available source of supply , and under 'a ' aytitem wblch would put the substance In. general commercial use It would bo to the Emerald Isle -what coal has been to England. Ireland Is calculated to possess 3,000,000 acres , about one-seventh of Its en tire surface , of peat bogs. It Is frequently found In layers thirty feet thick , and occa sionally oven this thickness Is surpassed. It would Indeed b'o strange If Ireland finally be came enriched by the very agency which from time immemorial has rendered much of horuurfacc unfit for agricultural purposes. To bo sure , the ashes resulting from the burning of peat possesses wonderful fertiliz ing Qualitiesaud because of this they have The Magnetic Influence of Honest Statements Draws Honest People to Honest House an . . . . . . . Just a Few of This Week's Unequalled Bargains. EXTRA SPECIAL SALE ON IRON BED ? . y n Iron fipil , north (7 SO , thU week ( Flno solid onk 3-piucc lied room Suit , bovoloi yi en pinto mirror , worth $30 this week viT1 ! JU OLADIATOP $100 Child's Crib , with sprlnir , Hlsh Th ! * 17 JO tee client on rinir worth 16.00. - - Orade lalotMU * O DC This week $3.15 Wheel wc k for d iD9 1 Carpets and Draperies Thrnc np < * nk fop Hinn < - lir3 > This solid oak AH vool Ingrain Onrpptv worth ; .Tc. thU set oou , 3-fold weak , I7c , Bru , els Carpet * worth Me this worth S5.50 This week. 5Tc. Velvets , worth tl-SS , thla w * > * , week S3c ; Japanese M.ittlmr. worth He. thla wlc , 13c ; Nottingham Lace Curtains , wortii . , CJ This 8-ft. for $ ! . . Irlrh Point L.IC * Curtain * , -worth nntlqnn $2. Extension Tible - , .TS Thlsberuitlful 1350 th's we k. } 2 3. fln Tapsitry Cu.-talns , : . Unby Carrlnje , worth worth . . . worth J10.00. for J12.50. this week 86-75 H.CO ; thla wek W.15. $7.50 Quick Meal Gasoline Stoves This Week $3 75 This beautiful Parlor Suit , finished in mahogany , upholstered in tapestry full spring worth 550.00 this week Chair , similar to cut , antique , S24.S ! only . Fine Enillsh Dinner sets , 100 plecrs 85c worlh , J-JO , this week , . . . . Two-piece Carv injf Sot. worth week ? 3.50 This SI 50 Kitchen Table Tumblet1 - Copper . worth 5c Bottom worth 81.50 this week each this Wash only week Boiler , This Table in oak or mahogany fin 97c ish , worth 65c Decora led nn/ > J1.50thiswk Cuspaaors ' / WB ADJUST THE TERMS TO SUIT YOUR CONVENIENCE Credit \ If You Want It. and other Islands. It I ? found on the sea shore in Denmark , and it has been dredged up , far out In the North eea and even In the English channel. There Is scarcely a valley In France which does not contain It , and to return to America again , that found In the United States comes from a plant re- ELECTRIC CONVERTER. been looked upon as a boon to certain classes which have made use of thorn. But thla usefulnecs Is dimmed in the light of the newer dlscciery. Tbe west of Scotland also possesses large tracts of rieat land. So doea the table If nd ot Bavaria , tbe north German plain and parts of tbe valley of tbe Somroe , Olse , and a few other rivers ( n northern Franco , It is found extensively In northern Europe , particularly In those parts ot the continent bordering on the German ocean and tbo Baltic aea. It la found In Canada , Labrador and Newfoundland. Generally speakInp , It Is not found In America couth of tbe latitude ot New York , nor north of tbe forty-fifth parallel of south latitude. This Is because it needs a climate wafflclently moist to foster the growth and hasten tbe decom position of certain daises of plinta. Peat ID also found In tbe Orkneys , the Hebrides ecmbllng mots which la renewed every twenty years. IT HAS BEEN USED ON RAILROADS. Thus It will be seen that there Is ample material from whlcn to manufacture < wbat might be called the artificial coal of the future. But , like tbe natural coal of wblch humankind has suddenly become more sav ing , peat has In the past been much watted. Certain well known beds of It have well- nigh disappeared owing to the well-inten tioned but misguided efforts to get rid of It. The owner * ot parts of Ireland which hive been reclaimed mty now have cause to re * Bret their traditional anxiety over iti pres ence. The IMS of beat energy from tbe pro cess ot Its preparation heretofore used In Franco baa been enormous. There It la dredged from the bottom of pouda and molded Into bricks , which are dried by exposure to sun rays. In this form It has been used on railways , but tbo great objection has been Its bulk , which for equal evaporative effect Is from eight to eighteen times that of coal. On railways In Bavaria and OldI enberg the tenders which carried It were as large as freight cars. Yet it alwaya i proved most effective > wlthln its limits , for J I the lighter andmore spongy varieties of' peat , when air dried , are very inflammable , being capable-of ignition at a temperature of 200 centigrade. HOW IT FORMS IN NATURE. The natural formation of peat is an In teresting process. Two things nre required , moisture and moss. The moss grows on the edges of stagnant pools. Gradually as It decays tbo dry matter spreads Itself over the surface , and becoming In a measure. In terlaced , soon forms a sort of natural pontoon teen , on which may rest all manner of de- ca > lng and decayed vegetable matter. This , with the years , becomes thick and gradually sinks with the addition of other layers to the bottom. The pool may fill up , or the process may temporarily stop and a layer of sand or other matter be deposited on the decayed moss. After a while changes of temperature and climate may brlns It back to Us original conditions and another layer bo laid down. This accounts for tbe fact that Dust Is often found In strata with other natural substances Intervening. It , however - over , the decomposition nnd deposition pro cess Is continuous , the peat becomes a BolliI , wet , spongy mass. Physical changes may carry away the original stagnant -pool , but the partly dried out peat remains. Again the process goes on , even until the present ( day , and persons treading upon It may know that it Is In process ot formation and that there Is water beneath their feet. Many such "green" bogs are to be found In Ire land , and lives have been lost through the temerity of Imprudent persons who hove sunk through the Insecure upper coating of vegetable matter. In the course of time It might entirely dry , according to Its posi tion , and under certain conditions of heat and pressure turn to coal. It Is this latter process that electricity will hasten. We , or rather the human race , will not have to wait centuries for coal to form. The formation will bo hastened and a wealth of available fuel manufactured for tbo benefit of hu mankind. It but remains now for nome genius to contrive a process for decomposing waste vegetable matter. Could this properly bo dona and tbe product afterward treated electrically , It would not only solve the prob I lem of the fuel of the future , but It would open up a new avenue for the disposal of garbage and contribute vastly to the clean- llncts of cities. THEODORE WATERS. co.\MJiii.u.rms. When Colonel Pabst and Miss Lemp em bark on tbe sea of matrimony U l safe to eay they will take a schooner. A New York woman who baa applied for a divorce gives an one ot her reasons the charge that her hutband of late has kitted her In a "cold , matter-of-fact manner " A girl In New York baa gone mad because her fortune read In a teacup told her that she could never got married. Don't believe In tea grounJa , glrla. Pin your faith to I aome you eg man. 1 Mlta Nellie Peffcr , a daughter of ex-Scnjtor Peffer of Kansas , U to be married to J , 8 , 1 Mcllhenny of Washington at Topeka on June 9 , She baa been of great attUtance to her father | n bla pollt'caj career. She waa clerk of his committee while bo waa In the senate , and acted as his private secretary. Since her return to Kansas she has assisted him in managing his paper , Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Hlller , who live near I ; La Grange , Ind. , have Just completed clghty- I I ' seven years of married life , and both bid fair to live a few years longer.Mr. . Hlller Is now 107 years old and his wife 103 , aud the llttlo frame cottage they occupy has been their home for nearly eighty-five years. A Georgia paper says : "A girl In thla place says her mother has promised to glvo her $1,000 If she will get married and keep quiet about the whole affair until It Is over. The young woman herself offers to glvo JDOO of the amount to the man who will take her. Step up , boys ; she's all right , and pretty i * a peach. " In England the proportion of widows who take a second husband li smaller than that of widowers who take a second wife. By the report of the register general for the year 1695 It appears that only ueventy-slx wldowa to the 1.000 accepted another offer of mar riage , while as many as 109 widowers to the 1,000 j were twice married. The engagement of Mill Lillian Gary , eld est daughter of Postmaster General Gary , to Robert Taylor of Now York , formerly of Catonsvllle , Mil. , Is announced. Miss Gary has spent most of the lime In Washington flnco her father's appointment to the cabi net , and has taken her mother's place to a largo extent In entertaining. Just for a Joke Fr. Frank Llnbarger , at Anbury Park , In 1895 , had a friend Introduce him to Miss Mao Sanford of Red Bank , N. J. , as Dr. Lee. Acquaintance ripened Into love. Mies Sanford had $75.000 tn her own name. The doctor was afraid of "queering" his suit If ho told of tbo deception , so ho kept right on and married her under the name of Lee. Now ho asks Iho circuit court of Union county. Now Jersey , to change his name from Llnbarger to Lee , "Tho most subtle and deceitful hope which ever existed , and one which wrecks the hap piness of many a young girl's life , " writes Evangelist Dwlght L. Moody In the Ladles' Homo Journal , , "la the common delusion that a woman can best reform a man by marrying him. It h a mystery to ma how people can bo so blinded to the hundreds of canes In every community where tottering homes have fallen and Innocent lives h&vo been wrecked because omo young girl has persisted In marrying a t'coundrcl In the liopo nf saving him. I have never known euch a union , and have seen hundreds of them , result In any thing but Badne.u and disaster , Let no young girl think that clie may be able to accom plish what a loving mother or sympathetic ileter/i huvo been unable to do , Before there Is any contract ot marriage there /should ba convincing proof that there has been real and thorough regeneration. " the Old Chicago Tribune : "Our market man , " ob served Mrt. McSwat , as the poured the tea , "It a decided character , In bla way. ! ! * prides himself on his pedigree , and hat docu ment ! to show that his ancestors tome aver In the Mayflower. " "I don't doubt It , Lobelia , " replied Mr. Mc Swat , sawing away energetically on tbe fowl before Mm. "I believe Mi ancestors came over In the Mayflower , and I believe they brought thti old ben with them I" Put on Its mcrltt , there It no chunpagm that hta more good , qualities U > an Cook'i Imperial. Its extra dry ,