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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1898)
IttfE OMAHA DAILY BEE : SUNDAY , KAHCII C , 1808. HARD WORK UNDER WATER Dangcra and Difficulties of the Diver's Occupation. THE EQUIPMENT THAT IS USED r.vcrrU'n Thirty-One Ycnr ' Kxiicrirncc "Without nil Accident _ Xo Klectrlc lljclil or Tclc- fur Him. It Is a common saying that danscri which Jiavo become familiar through long custom ccuso to bo rccUoncd os dangers. In a great measure this la true of the risks attendant upon the work of a diver. His Is gnorally regarded by outsiders as a perilous profes sion , relates the New York Tribune , and , even when every precaution Is "taken to guard against accidents , It must bo admitted that diving presents dangers peculiar to Itself - self and oftentimes Impossible to foresee and uvcrt. Hut the diver lilmsrlf has grown used to facing the conditions of his work and they have nonu of that terror for him which they would Inspire In a man entirely unaccustomed to remaining beneath the wa ler. Ho descends trusting to the proper working of the mechanism by which ho Is supplied with air and to the strength of the lifeline ! which lowers and pulls him up. Yet the experienced and trustworthy diver la anything but reckless. It Is well for him to dwell little upon the various mlS' haps which might , but probably will notl occur ; nevertheless It Is essential that he should bo sufficiently mindful of his posi tion to Induce him to exercise all posalblo care lu his movements. Captain Charles Kverett. the most expert diver of the Mer- rltt & Chapman Derrick and Wrecking com pany , who him just gene to Havana nt the head of a band of divers to take charge of the work on the 'Maine ' , Is recognised every where as ono of the moat successful men In Ills profession , and has been diving now for thlrty-ono years without an accident. He Is very modest In speaking of this fact and tneicly fays : "I have been fortunate so far. There Is a great deal In that. Of course I am alwu > s careful not > to run any unnecessary rlsk3 , and all our apparatus Is examined to sco that It Is In perfect working order betoro a diver descends , but even then there are certain chances of accident. Personally I don"t think they arc very 'great If a diver knows his business. I feel Juet as safe when workIng - Ing under water as I should on the deck of a. vwsc.1. 1 fiavu been diving fop BO many years that every phase Is an old etory to me now. " LONG EXPERIENCE. Captain Everett ha * ' , Indeed , In the courco of Ills experience , tried every kind of diving which to practiced with a view to recovering sunken property. HO has been deep under the waves In the open tea , on the mud bottoms toms of harbors , vn the beds of rivers where the cuvrent was swift , In lakes , chatnoH nnd. In short , In all places where wrecks nro found. In prosecuting this work he has traveled extensively , not only throughout all the waters In the neighborhood of the United Statcfl , but also In South America nnd the "West Indies. One of his latest pieces of work was pet formed about four weeks ago , high up In the Allegheny mountain * . This naturally , was not a cass of shipwreck , coal mlno had been llooJeJ , tnd Captak Everett dived Into Us black depths to aacer tain the extent of the damage and sec wha could bo done toward repairing It. "You . eee , I am a dry-land ao well as a deep-sea Ulvcr , " he remarked , laughingly. The diving suit which Captain Everet .wears . , and which Is the one generally usci now by all divers , Is made of India rubber , with a helmet and breastplate of copper , Ouialdo of the rubber , to protect It from hard usage , an extra ult of canvas overalls la worn , and after a rough piece of work thl canvas Is frequently torn to ahrecU. Aroun lila waist the diver wears a belt made p bars of lead fastened crosswise 01 a leathfr bacid. His shoes are of metal , heavily weighted , so that ho can maintain an croc position ca.illy. nnd the entire suit wltt which he enters the water weighs about 17" pounds. This is necessary to enable him t < elnk to the required depth. The helmet I supplied with windows of thick glass , on hi front and two others at each sideof It , s that by turning his head slightly Imildo th helmet the diver can see for some dlstanc around him. THE EQUIPMENT. The air tube upon which his ability t < remain below depends. Is of strong , llexlbl e rubber , through which the fresh air fron above rs driven down by means of a pump This tube , before reaching the opening in th helmet through which the air Is supplied t the diver. Is carried through a ring en th ( breastplate at the diver's left shoulder , This Is so that ho may bo able to grasp I quickly , without having to grope for It , 1 case ho needs to signal to those at the pum above. One pull on the tube means tint h w < uJ'o more air and two pulls warn th ijmmpers that ho Is getting too -much. J the air were supplied In excess , the sul would become so 'bouyant ' that It would tcni to rise , nnd thereby Interfere with the div er's operations. Attor being passed throng ! the shoulder ring the tube ROCS -around an enters the helmet at the back. From her the air passes through & flit rubber tulu to the top of the helmet , where th slngl [ tube divides Into three branches , on ? o which goes down to the nostrils and th othern to the ear * . After the air has been breathed It passi ; on down Inside the suit , Inflating this auf flclently to overcome to a contain degree th hydrostatic pressure. Without air Inslda II the rubber would bo pressed agihut th < Uver's body and limbs by the wHs'mt of th < water , and wsuld drive the blood up "Inti his head. There Is another opening In th' ' back of the helmet through which the foi : air 11 ntls Its escape. This may bo seen comln up to the top of the water In the form o' ibubblcs. The llferope by which the diver Is low ered and raised Is about , as ahlck ES ordlnar ; clothesline. It Is wound securely about hi waist nnd fastened under his ar.ns. : Thro pulls upon It signify to those above that th , < llver wlshet ) to come up. THE SENSE OP TOUCH. It Is possible to use electric lights undo water , but , as a matter of fact , It Is no widely done. Captain Everett prefers to worl without u light rather than bo put to th. trouble of carrying nnd looking after one "A diver has only two hands , " he says , "am If ho has to use ono to carry his light , ho li badly handicapped In his work. When I an In places where I cannot see at all , either b reason of the great depth or because th water Is muddy or foul , I work by the sens' ' of touch. Often I can see what I am ban dllng and this faculty Is useful in nigh " work. Telephones arc sometimes used , where fro qiient and detailed communication botweei the diver and those above Is duslrable , bu liere again Captain Everett shows his preference once for having as llttlo extra lncumbranc < as possible when ho Is below. Ho uses th telephone sometimes , but saja that they ar. . more or less In the way. "They nro said t be useful , " ho remarked , "when a dive wishes to Inform those above that he IL caught fast , but they can always tell that anyway by feeling of the lifeline. H gets tangled sometimes among the wreckage be low , but the diver can usually get himself clear again with a little time and caro. Oc casionally , when the bottom Is of soft mud , ho sinks so deep In It that ho has to be pulled up by the line. I have often been up to my hips and waist In mud and have , oven on rare occasions , sunk until the mud was even with the top of my head. " It Is Interesting to note the pressure which divers at a great depth have to endure. At the sea level the atmospheric pressure Is about fifteen pounds to the square Inch. Do- low the surface It Increases a little less than half a pound for every foot of depth. Thus at a depth of thirty feet the diver Is under a pressure of thirty pounds to the square Inch. or. as he terms U , he has the weight of "two atmospheres. " At sixty feet lie has another fifteen pounds of "three at mospheres" to stand , and thus It Increases , every additional thirty fret bringing another fifteen pounds' pressure to the square Inch. LIMIT OF * HUMAN ENDURANCE1. There U , of course , a limit beyond which human endurance cannot go. ThU Is gener ally reckoned at about 120 feet , when the diver U under a prcjiur * of "flve atmo- pttTM , " or eventjr-Uv pound * to the iquar * Inch. At thin depth , he cannot remain down long. Captain Everett bat been down 12G feet but ho came up every fifteen mlmitrn. On another occasion ho went down 107 feet and remained under for an hour and twenty minutes. ThU , however , ho says , was < oo long for ho felt much exhausted when ho reached the surface. It a diver stays below much longer than ho ought to , the prcuuro ojusej the blood to etaKtinlo , and the pow erful and sudden reaction when he attends to the surface la very painful , in some cases having caused the blood to flow from the nostrils and ears. At shallow depths It Is possible to alay under for several hours at a time. In speaking of the situation of the Maine at Havana , Captain Everett said that In such a shallow , tldclcss harbor ( the Maine Is lying In about thlrtv-slx feet of water ) the divers could work half a day easily without needing to come up. He would not express any opinion regarding the nature of the work which would bo required on the Maine , be cause , he said , nothing of any value could be expressed on that subject until a thorough Inspection had been made. "That Is a case , " lie said , "In which un usually ferloui questions arc at stake. There will bo a great responsibility on the divers , who go down to the Maine , because the whole world has got to see things through those men's eyes. There must be no mistake on the part of the divers , and for 'that reason only the most experienced men ought to bo sent. " When asked If ho know of any special dangers which the Maine work would In volve , Captain Everett said : "Well , they talk of the sharks In those waters. I suppose * there might be a chance of being bothered 'that ' way. Hut I have dived In tropical waters and have never had trouble with sharks. I have been lucky , as I told you before , so I don't worry about the dangers. " ( iOSSIP AltOUT XOTHII I > KOI LC. General Dragomlrof , who has rccc'-itl } been appointed the now civil as well as military governor general of the three south western provinces of Russia , Is rcconlzc ( as the greatest authority on war and tactics In HiMsla. U no ? lie who led the crossing of the Danube from Eenmltza to Slstova to 1S77 , and at Shlpka , being wounded by a Turkish bullet In the left knee , ho bourn up the wound with his pocket handkerchlc : and , In splto of much loss of blood , contlnuei to encourage the defiiise from on clovatei and exposed position without once retiring from under fire. Abner C. Ooodell of Salem , Mass. , who ha just celebrated his ninety-third birthday. Is said to bava perfected the design of the firs printing press which printed cm both side of a paper at oiicc , and he also dlscovcrei the process for preparing steel and coppc plates for engravers. Lucr he helped bulli the Jlrst locomotive for the Boston & Lowcl railway and turned the wheels of the flm turn-table. Ho worked on the first eloctrl motor ever constructed , which nftcrwar re between Daltlmoro and Washington , n u on the first engine lathe for the nastcrn rail road repair shops. SInce the retirement of Justice Field. Jus tlco Ilarlan , now the oldest associate Jnsttc in length of service. Bits on the right of tli chief Justice , and . 'ust.'co Gray , second In length of eervice , nits on his left. Chic Justice Fuller Is the smallest man on th oupromo bench and he Is flanked by the tw largest men. Justices Ilarlan and Gray , b&tl being very tall and broad-shouldered. Jits tlco Gray Is the oldest man on the suprem bench , being nearly 70 , and the youngest Justice White. Is 53. Justice Brewer , wli was born In Smyrna , Asia Minor , where hlh parents were millenaries , Is the only mem bor of the court who was not bom in Amer let. Speaking of ex-President Prey of Switzer land. Dr. Lcroy Dibble of Kansas City sayu "I lived In Switzerland nearly two yean and had the pleasure of talking over old wai days with the president of the republic When a young man ho came to this country , In 1SS7 , and settled InIllinois. . When the war 'broke ' out young Frcy enlisted In un 111111014 regiment ' 5s a private and ho served with distinction , being promoted to lieuten ant. Frey was captured and was confined for a long time In Andersonvlllo prison an.l was one of the three men who escaped. Soon , after this his father died and bo returned to Switzerland to manage the property. Ho afterward 'became ' president of the republic. " Colonel William Fellows of San Gabriel Valley , Cal. , who claims to ho the last of the guards about John Brcwn and his aaioclatcs at Charestown , Va. , makes thla statement to a correspondent of the New York Sun : "A fact In connection with the hanging of old John Brown that I have never seen In print Is that John Wllkes Booth , who aiisas- slnatcd President Lincoln In 18C5 , was a sor1- gcant In one of the militia companies at the execution. Sheriff 'Campbell ' told mo later that the day before the execution , a hand some , fresh , black-eyed youth of 20 years , came nnd asked permission to go and see the Brown raid prisoners In tholr cells. Lewis Washington , a grandnephew of George Wash- ton , took part as a captain In the military display that day. " "When I waa first married. " sayg the Rev. Dr. Lorlmer , pastor of Tremont Temple , Boston , "I had ray strict Ideas about.Sunday observance. Mrs. Lorlmer had a colored 'uunty1 for cook , and on the first Saturday after she came I wont Into the kitchen and told her I did not want any Sunday work , so she could prepare all meals for that day beforehand. She didn't say one word whllo I was talking ; then she looked up , and. pointing to the door , exclaimed : 'Now , look hyar. Maree George , you Jest go In dar and 'tend to your Christianity and leave mo tend to mah kitchen ! ' I went , and as near as I can remember she had hot dinners Sun days as long as she stayed with us. " Ex-Congressman William H. Martin of Texas , who died the other day at Hlllsboro , In that state , was known to his constituents by the affectionate name of "Old Howdy. " He created a sensation In Washington , where ho was regarded as a typical western character. Ho promised before he left homo that the llto of the capital should not change him , and ho Intended to cling to the butter nut ehlrt and the wide-brimmed sombrero of a ranchman. Some of his fellow-members In the Texas del . gallon who had had moro experience dissuaded him. Ho took a room In Wlllard's hotel and blow out the gas on the night of November 25 , 1SS7. The door waa broken down and ho was rescued In an unconscious condition. Herr Krupp has Just obtained , through the German foreign office , a concession from King Alexander's government to work the coal , Iron , copper , lead and silver mines In the east of Servla. The concession Is for a period of ninety-nine years , and rights have also been given to use the rapids of the Danube between Brultza and Kladoob for the development cf the power needed for the enterprise. Kc-Klng : ( Milan Is reported to have contributed In no small measure to the grant of the concession and to have received a considerable sum fn > m Krupp for his trouble. Krupp has already formed a com pany at Merlin with a capital of $8,000,000 to work the ccnctcslon. i CJA.V\OT urrri'i pomiirr. New Or'eani Times. _ , ' I cannot quite forget ! Though crowding yean have thrust their train Through trails of half-wal-.ene < l Joy , Or breasted wastes cf Menry pain The road of life hath nrange alloya I cannot ( juitu forget. I cannot quite forcot ! But on a ilay when imnahlne fulls. Or weep the -woo Hands wild with rain , A sudden mem'ry le.fps to life I hold thy hands , Uettr love , nguln. I cannot quite forgot ! And mem'ry , trailing thro' the deeps Of lone such long evanlchwl years , Wnkea suddenly some sweet starslilnei I st > o thy face thro' .Mpturous tears , And all the echoing aisles of time llrlng back thy voice , sweetheart , to mo , Pouring the measures of thy love In passion-freighted rhapsody. I cannot quite forget 1 And In some eerie hour like thla. When sobs the mail perplexed here , I Htumble on my burled bliss- Flowers abloom iibova the bier I cannot quite forget. I cannot quite forget ! Nor would I , love , forego the. pain. The JoyandaorraHashing pant. Waea mem'ry molds thy face uguln ; I cannot quite forget. rUHNlXC OIJT GREAT GUNS .Active Work for Coast Defense at the Watcrvllet Arsenal. THE ARSENAL AND THE GUN WORKS V Mounter ilint Will Cant 000. Tlircnv n 1'rojcctllc Flfleen Mile * n ml l'no 1,000 I'nuniU of laivdcr at n Charge. The great gun factory at the Watervllct ( N. Y. ) arsenal Is humming with activity In thcao days. On every elde and In every department , reports the Now York Sun , ono hears the whirr of ponderous wheels , the creaking of giant crones , the rattling of eolossal chains , the rumbling of heavy con veyances and the clang of many hammers. Hundreds of men are at work at hugo pieces of ordnance. It Is hero that the government is building the great 16- Inch gun which , when finished , will be the largest In the world , and here , too , guns nro being made for scacoast dcfcrfso and field service. When President McKlnley visited the arsenal last August he stood upon a hugo gun and glanced down the uuln department. Ho turned to the venerable Colonel Charles L. MacArthur , who stood at his side , and remarked : "Well , this Is truly a wonderful sight , really had no Idea that the arsenal was such a magnificent place. " Secretary of War Alger approached. "What do you think of It , Alger ? " asked the president. The tall , slender secretary of war stroked his moustache for a moment , then replied : "It Is certainly a wonderful place , 'Mr. President. " The president's surprise and gratification have been shared by thousands of visitors to the arsenal. The great ordnance factory h beautifully situated on the west side of the Hudson river and commands an Inspiring view of that picturesque stream. In sum mer tlmo the grounds nro splendidly cared for , and on all aides give ample evidence of the skill of the garrhon's landacap ? gardener. The walks are broad and wcl shaded by trees , whcao branches keep or the hot sunshine. The roadways are gravele. and perfectly kept. Near the pretty cottage - tago of the commandant are golf Rnks , cro quet grounds , lawn tennis grounds and other spots for outdoor recreation. A stream of water running through the grounds gives the arsenal an addltlona charm. By a recent order from the War department there has been a change Ii commandants nt the arsenal. Colonel Isaac Arnold , who for some years was In chargj of the post , ha-s heen transferred to the Springfield , Mass. , armory. Ho was suc ceeded by Colonel Alfred Mordecal , lately o the Springfield armory , who arrived hero last Wednesday. HISTORY OF THE ARSENAL. It was on July 14 , 1813 , 'that the first pur chose of land for an arsenal was made In the then village of West Troy. The deed of tha date conveyed n little more than one acre lying on the cast side of Rlvor street , now Broadway , and affording a river frontage o about 703 feet and about twelve acres on the other side of the street opposite the first plat For this plat $2,5S5 was paid. In 1814 , unde the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Bomfon of the ordnance department , the governmen began the construction of an arsenal. Ii was originally designed as a small depo for supplies and the buildings constructed at that tlmo were suited to that purpose. In 1815 more buildings were erected and more land wcs acquired. In 1828 thirty more acres cf land was purchased. Since then the gov ernment has from time to time added to the property until now Its area comprises about 138 acres. It was not until October 18 , 1887 , tl.at the manufacture of ordnance was beun hero. The first section of the large shop was started In October , 1890 , Just three years later. On the anniversary day , in 1893 , ex actly three years afterward , work on the second section of the same shop was begun. Since then this gun plant has turned out hundreds of cannon and many mortars. It Is a great compliment to the arsenal to say that every Instrument of war ever turned out of the vast gun factory has been a complete success. When taken to the proving grounds at Sandy Hook these pieces have been found In every way satisfactory. The arsenal em ployes about 400 men. The length of the gun factory Is about 1,000 feet. It contains machinery of the latest type. The three electric cranes In the shop are marvels of mechanical Ingenuity. The smallest has n capacity of thirty tons , the second of seventy-five tons , and the third of 130 tons. These cranes pick up ponderous cannon with marvelouo ease and convey them the full length of the shop. It Is a remarkable sight to ECO the largest crane carry n gun weighing thousands of pounds as easily as though It weighed only a few hundreds. Another wonderful machine In the main room of the gunshop Is the com- pceltor. This Is a very accurate measuring machine and takes account of the one- thousandth part of an Inch. Many guns are seen In various stages of construction In this department. Ono of the most Interesting is a gun designed to throw a 1,000-pound steel or Iron projectile about twelve miles. It weighs fifty-two gross tona , or about 116,200 pounds ; 450 pounds of brown prismatic powder will be used at each dis charge. It is a breech-loading gun , and It Is possible to fire a shell from It about every two minutes. To look through this gun from the breech end Is like peering through a I long , narrow tunnel. The distance Is most deceptive , ono imagining it to be much longer than it really Is. A MONSTER GUN. It Is announced that the War department liitemds to mount the great 16-Inch gun on Romer Shoals. The protection for this gun will be a turret which will entirely Inclose the crow and the greater part of the gun. From Its position the gun will have n full sweep of HID channels leading Into Now York barber. According to former Lieutenant John F. Males of the United States navy , who Is superintending the construction of this monster Title , a shot from this nw gun will have a striking energy equal to that of a 2,000-ton ship running at full speed. Thcro Is no known armor of sufficient .strength . to resist Its tecrlblo force. The caliber of the new gun will be 1C Inches. The length , from breech to muzzle , will bo 49 feet 2 Inches. The gun will measure ex actly 5 feet through the breech In a vertical ' lir. ? . The powder charge will weigh nearly 1,000 pounds. The first Ingot of this menster gun was cast In October la.U at Bethlehem , and was for the tube forging. It weighed 82,800 pounds. The Jacket forging weighed 90,000 pounds. The temper'ilg and annealing pro ceases are also done at the Bethlehem shops Every ounce of the metal used In thL * mon- ator Run U fluid comprcmed. The pcclflca < ttons demand thgMtet ) exacting trad. Sped * men pleccii froifc lU the forging ! are care fully subjected to elongation , breaking and bending tests. Th- hammer which pounds the tube Into rough shape Is capable of do * llvcr.'ng a blow bbdfc toia , or ten tons more than the celebratedlCrupp hammer. When finlt'Iicd the Btri'Wm ' weigh 120 tons. This s six tona more than the monster gun which trupp exhibited at the World's fair. De-foro ho American guKlfe ! finally accepted It must vlthstand charges of powder which , whta fired , will develop pressure of at least 38,000 pounds to the squarnlnch. The gun will have 10 trunnions , but will bo secured by otcel straps to Its carriage. Thla Is the first modern gun btfftt 'by this government In which trunnions hare been omitted. The gun when completed will cost about (390,000. ( The velocity of the projectile will be. It Is estimated , 2,000 feet a second. Its extreme range will be fifteen miles. HOW Bit ? GUNS ARE I1UILT. Ono of the most Interesting features In connection with the construction of ono of thcpo big destroyers Is the shrinking on of the Jacket. The Jacket , so called. Is a coat of Iron fitted around tbo portion of the can- ion most likely to become weak. This mean- ! that the Jacket Is fitted over the larger steel cylinder at the bree-ch end of the gbn. The gun proper consists of a long central steel cylinder , technically knoun as the tube. Over the tube a number of steel hoops are shrunk. Some of the Jackets weigh as much as 35,000 pounds. The greatest care must be taken In fltt'ag the hoops and Jackets. The slightest mistake In calculation often meann the loss of thoiHanJs of do'.lara. When all Is In readlncas the Jacket Is put In a vertical position In the center of a cylindrical firebrick furnace. Here It Is ex panded , telng heated to a temperature of 700 degrees Fahrenheit. The brick .futmaco b Inclosed In an Iron cylinder , with a con siderable space between and a heavy Iron cover over the top of both. The Jacket usu ally remains In the cylinder about tbjrty hours. During that tlmo the greatest care Is exercised to prevent any foreign particles of any kind from becoming amalgamated with the metal. Meanwhile the gun tube ha * been put into the shrinking pit , muzzle down. Here , also , the nicest care must be observed , for should the gun expand a fcac- tloa of an Inch the entire process might bo callously affected. When all Is In readiness the Jacket Is quickly measured cad aligned , and then taken up by ono of the big cranes and lowered over the breech of the gun. The operation Is a most delicate cue. Aftei the gun and Its Jacket have remained In the pit for about fifty hours the tube and Jacket are placed In one of the largest lathe * and turned down to receive the hoops. Theae hoops are heated tnd expanded and shrunken on whllo the unfinished gun U still la a horizontal position. All the work of handling 'a dorx > by the big crane. After the gun la properly Jacketed , hooped and turned down It Is rifled. Tula Is a slow nnd delicate process. All of thcHo processes require tlni ( > skill and patience , but when the gun at laot Is fnlshed it Is a deadly thing of beauty. TIic Surpiise iif All. Mr. James Jones of the drug firm of Jones & Son , Cowden. 111. . In speaking of Dr. King's Now Discovery , says that last winter his wife was attacked with La Grippe , nnd her case grew so serious that physicians at Cow den and Pana could do nothing for her. I seemed to develop Into Hasty Consumption Having Dr. King's New Discovery In store and selling lots of It , ho took a bottle home and to : ho surprise of all she began to ge better from first dose , and half dozen dollar bottles cured her sound nnd well. Dr. King's Now Discovery for Consumption , Coughs am Colds Is guaranteed to do this good work Try It. Free trial bottlefl at Kuhn & Co.'s drug store. OUT OIAIT1II3 OUDI.VAHV. The rubber-shod ' horse and the rubber tired buggy have appeared In Washington A vein of Irdu ore nine feet thick , smelt ing CO per centjpur'o Iron , has been locatet In Center county , ennsylvanla. A tponge with/the great circumference o five feet six Inches , has lately been takci from the waters , qf llscayno Bay , Florida. The streets ol London , placed end to end would stretch tright across the American continent from'lNowYork to San Fran cisco. .1 > < , W. N. McKerfdrlck of St. Louis has watch charm made from the bell tha sounded the first alarm In the great Chicago cage fire of' 1S71. There Is 'an Immense- garden In China that embraces an aiea of 50,000 square miles. It Is all meadow land and Is fillet with lakes , ponds and canals. The llvca of Queen Vlcotrla and the prlnc of Wales are heivlly Insured , but not to th extent of Lord Rothschild , who carries poli cies on his life aggregating ? 1,250,000. At a recent sale of autograph letters In London an original plan and survey , entirely In the hand of Gcorgo Washington , mail when ho was a surveyor , In 1750 , was sold for $50. There was recently sold In London fo : 26 Ba an old English -watch , bearing tin Inscription : "Given by Sir Walter Scott to hla valet , John Baxter Nlcholpon. " Th valet Is mentioned In the Introduction to "Waverley. " The houses of Parliament are partly llghtei by 40,000 electric lamps , which number I ; being constantly increased. Fifty experi enced electricians are employed to keep th system In order. A resident of Qultman , aio. , owns 42,00 acres of land , cne of his sons 4,000 acres and another son 8,500 acrea. All their farm are well held In hand by an extensive sys' tern of telephones. Africa's monkeys are giving out. la the neighborhood of the Gold Coast they hav been exterminated , and last year the colony could .collect cnly 67,660 monkey skina whereas , In 1894 168,405 eklns , valued a $205,000 , were exported. Brunswick/ Germany , la troubled over a peculiar epidemic of hysteria that has broken out In one of the glrla' schools. A few girl In ono room started the others , hysteric spread to all the cleescs and within thre dajs the ftzhools had to bo closed. The lalarsJ where Dreyfus is Imprisoned 1 called "Devil's Island , " but It Is not name ( on the maps. It Is the smallest and moa northern of th three Isles du Salut , sltuatc < about twelve miles from Cayenne and elgb mllca from the mainland of French Guiana. It la m easy thing to be a millionaire In Berlin. A yearly Income of over $9,000 , rep rosenttag the Interest on 1,000,000 marks , I the qualification for that title , which is en Joyed ty 2,002 Berllners. The richest of th millionaires has a capital of about 75,000,00 marks. The Immer.sotraffic on the great systen of canals which traverses the Chineseem plro could be so Increased and cxpedltcc by the u-o of steam tugs or launches tha the authorities are said to be considering favorably the placi of enlarging the canal and Ir.trcduclng steam power. It Is &iid thaj : the mine ? of the worlc produce every ycar.c 540,000,000 tons of ore ctxil , etc. , of which the United States pro duces ICO.000,000. The Rrwitost "record" over made , perhapi , by any mine wni that of the Comstock In 1874 , when nc-arljr $2S- 000,000 worth of ffold and allvor was token ut. ut.H. H. S. Caruth , a Boston capitalist , hna Just loscd hla purchase of the famous Natural ridge of Virginia , which ho will develop a a great summer resort. This wonderful pot was opened to the world a few year * go by the lamented Colonel H. 0. Parsons , iut hU tragic death prevented for the I line : development. ( mil KKATUHKS OK MFC. It seems that to find "the cleanest clt ? n America" wo must travel clear down o 1'hoenlx , Ariz. , whoso -1,000 or 5,000 people walk on asphalt sidewalks which arc not permitted to bo defiled by spitting. The penalty Is $5. U is rigidly enforced , and curiously enough the first pcrton compelled o pay the fine was the city attorney , who cmporarlly forgot the prohibitory ordinance. The observance of "fools' night" by the Germans U a unique ceremony of fun and nerrlmcnt. Every participant wears a false lese and goggles , and Is provided with a eng pipe. 1U > who Is able to make the big gest fool of himself Is the lion of the oc casion. There are men who arc not Ger mans who could carry off the honors If there were such a celebration every night In the year. year.Dr. Dr. Van der Heyden of Yokohama has Just built an antiseptic dwelling house , sup posed lo bo microbe-proof. The walls of this building are plates of glass set In metal fastenings and made air tight. Near thereof roof there Is a small opening for the out flow of air from the living rooms , so ar ranged that no air' can enter that way. Air from outsldo can get In only through a tube , whose opening Is at some distance from the house. The air that enters Is filtered first through cotton batting and then is sterilized by passing through glycerine. now French police Idea Is to provide each member of the force with n piece of chalk. He Is expected to mark his as sailants with this when he gets In a TOW , ai.d , bflnjj thus Identified , they can be ar rested later. The chalk cannot be snatched frcm him as easily as his club , nor can U br- turned against the original owner with such terrible effect , while the bearer of chalk marks Is entirely precluded from setting up the favorite plea that he was merely "an Innocent bystander. " On the whole , the piece of chalk device , while It has Its dls advantages , Is not half a bad Idea. Frank ) 1'crklns of fPoiiKlikeepslo , N. Y. , the chicken thief who attempted to commit suicide about six weeks ago at police hcad- quartsrs by shooting himself In the head , Is about to be discharged from the- hospital as cured. The bullet entered the br.iln , and the man lay unconscious for more than a wetk. The doctors said that his death was only a matter of time. A day or so ago It was noticed that his right eye was bulging out , and after an examination It was decided to remove the eye. The operation was per- formrd , and lol the big 32-callbor bullet dropped out. Perkins Is apparently as well as ever , barring the loss of an eye and a little weakness from the operation. For the last six weeks he has lived with the bullet lr his brala. _ _ _ THE WOUMl'S HIGHEST I.YXU. It IK lit Xew YorU City nnd lit AVorth 9:1:10 : : n Sunn re Foot. The most valuable plat of ground In the world , at least , the ono that has com manded the highest price , is located at the corner of Broad and Wall streets , Now York City , in the heart of the great financial district. Several years ago Mr. Wllkca ca- taWlshed a record for high-priced realty by paying $168,000 for 60S square feet of ground on this slto , or $330.70' ' per square foot. The Immensity of this rate of valuation can best bo appreciated by measuring oil a square foot of space and then comparing Its dimensions with these of $330 In money. Such a comparison will show that If Mr. Wllkcs had paid for his property In $1 bills ho would hive been able to cover his entire lot with eighty-two layers of greenbacks , or ho could have paved It with four tiers of silver dollars placed edge to edgeas clcsely a-3 they would He. Doubtless If the worthy Dutch iburghers of Now Amsterdam could return to earth they would bo astounded to learn the value of the land on which they pastured their cows 200 years ago. Though no other piece of ground has com manded an equal price per foot , there are several other plats In ) New York City which are quite equal to the Wllkes property In value. For example , a considerably larger lot on the northwest corner of Nassau am ! Pine streets , ono block above the Wllken property , was sold last year for $250 per square foot , and the opposite corner of the sime streets , Including 6,013 feet , was bouKht .by . the Hanover National bank for $1,350,000. The lot on the corner of Broad way and Maiden lane and the slto of the Commercial Cable company's building In Broad street are also properties that coult 'bo ' covered fifty deep with dollar bills out elf their purchase price. Probably the largest amount ever pale for the slto of a single building was that given by the Broadway Realty company for the lot on which the Bowling Green building has been erected. This skyscraper , which Is the largest In the city , extends from Broadway through to Greenwich street , and covers 29,152 feet of ground , for which $3- 000,000 was paid. This Is $102,90 per foot and though the price per foot Is less than has been paid for several other plots , the total represents an enormous sum to pay merely for the ground on which to creel ono 'building. ' Ono peculiar effect In real estate values that has followed the sky scraper era is the extraordinary price which has been put upon sites that are suitable for very high buildings. Spots with open surroundings , on which other lofty structures are not likely to bo built , are , of course , the most desirable for this pur pose , and such places are few In the city ol Now York. The result Is that many build ings which are already very profitable are being torn down to make room for the erection of skyscrapers. It Is now said that the famous old Astor house , which Is still a paying and pros perous hotel , will soon bo torn down am replaced "by " a twenty-five story office build ing. This site faces the churchyard of oh St. Paul's on ono side and the open space about the federal 'building ' on another , so that It Is an exceptionally advantageous loca tlon for a tall building. Of course there are many big real estate transactions In which the actual prices paU do not appear , but It Is not likely that there have been any In which the llgures have surpassed those quoted above. In a newly designed street car the steps are made to slide In grooves to bo ralsei acrcas tbo exits whllo the car Is In motion and slide down Into tbo step-brackets as the car stops. IMXHIO.V' I'Oll I.AUIES * \UES. . FreeSamplestoAH 5,000 , Packages to be Given to All Who Apoly-John A , [ irith ; ic \ Remarkable Rheumatism Cure , THE FIRST TEST AND WHAT IT LED TO Cured Himself First , Then His Friends anil Neighbors and Now Proposes io Cure the World , JOHN A. SMITH , MILWAUKEE , , , , WIS. On the theory that "seeing Is believing" John A. Smith of Milwaukee wants every one to first try his remedy for the cure of rheumatism , at his expense. To that end , ho proposes to distribute 15,000 free sample packages to all persons sending him their name and address. Mr. Smith had for ycaia suffered all the agony and torture of rheu matism , tried all the remedies known , and yet utterly failed to find relief. At times ho was so helpless that ho had to take morphine and after considerable doc toring with leading physicians , who were unable to help him hu gave up In despair. Ho ibegan studying Into the causes of rheu matism and after much experimenting and repeated failure , ho finally found a remedy whloh cured him In a few days. The result was so beneficial to his entire system and was such a glorious escape from the clutches of rheumatism that he called his new found remedy Gloria Tonic. Those of his friends , relatives and neighbors who were subject to rheumatism were next cured and Mr. Smith concluded ho would offer his remedy to the world. But he found the task a difficult one. Nearly everybody had tried a hundred or moro remedies , just as ho did , and .they couldn't be made to ( believe 'there ' was such a thing as a cure for rheumatism. But an old gentleman In Seguin , Tex. , Mr. Bertram , wrote him saying If Mr. Smith would eend him a sample ho would try it , but as he had suffered froty-one years an dwastcd a fortune on advertised remedies ho wouldn't buy anything moro until ho know It was worth something. The sample was sent and the result was astonishing. He was com pletely cured. This gave Itr. Smith a now idea and ever since that time he has been sending free sample packages of Gloria Tonic to all who may apply. It cured H. Bucholz. 70 years old , of Norborne , Mo. , after suffer ing twenty-five years. In Rcglna , N. W. Ter. , Anton Bengert wns laid up nluo years. A sample of Gloria Tonic was the first re lief ho ever got and three boxes entirely cured him. Thomas Callahan of Harvatd , 111. , suffered continuously four years nnd was cured by Mr. Smith's remarkable remedy. At Indian Ford , WIs. . Frcderlcke Arnold , aged 66. suffered twelve years. Nothing ever relieved her until she tried Gloria Tonic. She was cured completely. At 1'ittsburg , Ind. , a druggist was cured after thirty-three yeara suffering. John Carston of Helton , Tex. , had planned to give his wlfo a trip to Germany , but she was taken with an attack of rheumatism and the trip abandoned. But she tried a sample of Gloria Tonic , got SDIIIO more , was cured and went to Europe rc- Jolctng. She Is a firm believer In Gloria Tonic. Mrs. Persohn of Amsterdam , N. Y. , believes Providence directed her to Mr. Smith's remedy. She was nearly Insane ( rota the Intense suffering from rheumatic pahia and was entirely cured. Thoun nds of other Instances could bo related whcro this magi cal remedy has cured rhouuintlsm. In CESO your druggist does not have It , It's welt worth anybody's tlmo to aend their name and address to Mr. Smith and ho will send a trial package of Gloria Tonic absolutely fret of charge. If you have a friend , or acquaint ance , a neighbor or relative suffering from rheumatism send for a trial package and give It a test. Jt U a remarkable remedy and there Is no question but what It will cure any case of rheumatism no matter how severe or of how long standing. Send your name and address to John A. Smith , 212 Summerfield Church Building , Mlhvaukce , WIs. The regular package , price $1.00 , can be obtained of the following Omaha druggists : Kuhn & Co. , 124 S. 15th St. ; Sherman & MoConnol Drug Co. , 1513 Dodge St. ; Mycra- Dlllon Drug Co. , 1523 Farnam St. Remember the free sample can bo obtained only by writing to Mr. Smith. BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT , FRANK Q. ' . CARPENTER'S - LETTERS EROM SOUTH AMERECA WILL BE PRINTED IN THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE. Mr. Carpenter , the well known newspaper correspondent , is making a trip of'over 25,000 miles through the frequented and unfrequented parts of South America. He will describe for The Bee what he is seeing , tell of the incidents of his journey , give interviews with men prominent in all walks of life in a word give a series of graphic pen pictures of life and its conditions in the countries to the south of us. Old readers of The Bee know what. Carpenter's letters are new subscribers will need read but the first letters to become enraptured with his style and sub ject. These letters , commencing during March , will continue regularly each Sunday for a year , FOR CARPENTER'S LETTERS READ THE SUNDAY BEE. ALL NEWS DEALERS. OMAHA MEDICAL AND Surgical Institute ARE OLD SPECIALISTS In tht treatment of all ' Chronic , Nervous and Private Diseases , and all WEAKNESSES UCU , and DISOHDKHS OP MCR I Catirrh. all Dlitaiti of th Now , T.lroat Chut lomach. IJvor. Ulood. Skin and Klta.y iSS W > M. U t Manhood. Hydro le Vtrlcocilf Oonorrhe lul * . Oleot. . . Bypblllt , BtrTeturt Pll * Kit ' and n ct.l Ulcers Dlabctti ' Treatment by Mall , Con alt tlan free. Omaba Medical and Surgical Institate Comparison is invited Of the Quality And Quantity Of Readable Hews Printed daily In The Bee And in other papers. * For the news And all the news- ' Head The Bee.