Nebraska Newspapers

    7 w TTI1J Off ATTA DATTi ' . BE 1 0 ' . " + t ' T D l ' . , A ( r'r ' FS T 1 i , SOS.
WILL DRAW CROWOSTOMORROW
Bargains that make talk-and make friends for us---the kind of bargains you want-the kind that make us famous ,
t an eta as
Attend ur root
Clearing Sale o ul : .
.
µ .J
of in ' } v
PROPRIETORS . a 0 , 1 r .
'v I .4' '
SILK BARGAINS BARQAI N S I N BargaHis IR Shirt alsis LlNE BARGANS In our 4
3 Lots
$1,25 SILKS f011 25G and 35C , . I a . , ' ,
+ ' . ' T'ou1orrow there will be a sale in our Linen Depal ' tntout . .
DIIArEiIY slues , Class GOODS .
Higb DRESS ; 9c that for bargain giving has never had an equal. It will af The Great Barnkrupt
500 pieces of new and desira . . a .1 ford 1111 opportunity for Omaha housekeepers to lily in a sup
ble drapery silks , all of them X111 that is gate all that is the latest in high class .t 35c of linens that may Bever ' happen again. Out of town
the latest designs three and Goods ' all of them our own importation , just arrived and - ' o - I visitors who nla Y be fortunate enough to b e i Il Omaha at that
four toned colorings , $1 and shown for the first time ou Monday morning , ' " - " ' + can save IIIUl'e iha11 the ex le11se of their exposition tril ) C013tti11rtes t to create t118
b excitement.
$1.2 5 r quality , in 2 lots at 1e by ecuring a quantity of these tenon bargains.
SILK AN U WOOL ! 0 E TE S MJR BARGAINS
c us1Ye Vance es
d 3 5 ) worth u ) to
2 5 r
C an c , 1 1o will soil ono case of One lot of best extra heavy all
] t MONDAY.
is inches wide .
novelties in silk and Just iii. Time fet , L , . tnvo dollars h liar i. B ar iisley Towellug + '
. All Linen Damask , Ladies fulcst
wool Dies Goods u1 floral die Three lots of madras , , - - r a are sample pieces , .
r percale , ,
+ 1. fet _ / U yard. 7hueu ill e ( i011a1 pat
$1.00 FAP1CY SILKS FOR 3 90 beautiful eombniattous , . , . . . only one piece at n kind , la
signs , lawn , cheviot and chcehotd and striped would bo cheap 1 at 50c mt 1H.nthot Oxfords , 5 0
Waist silks , f li1Cy tl'illlllllllg Of b1CI1d1ngC0101'S,1V111bC1VOPth nu3nsoolt , all of then , nndo in the tent ciuctlug all the different , Louis XV , hculs-
est style , laundered cuITS and collars. Ono case o [ the best quality makes 5omo cost at whole On main hlour , . . . . . . , , , .
1311ks , all of them the Sl quell One case of new l leilch
,
latelill sale 18e but we give you
9 hero ralstq are worth from 60c to
Rod Damask
ty , in brocades , plain colors the season 1 , novelty ( tress fabrics , all are 4 + , U0 , price for Monday 0c , 3ac and 60c. Turkey , 9 your choice tomorrow at 7c Ladies'
5 0 far thiq Yalu , trill ,
only
tco yard Some Imrnenso bargains -
{ exclusive Black
and chmubreable silks , nayY $3.50 spe advance styles of - sell at tae ynrd. It is thl gains In this $2
blue grounds , clot for . this seasoir's most stylish rugulat' 35e grudo lot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oxford Ties- I
Monde at novelties , consisting mostly of Sjk AV&t In basement. . . . .
brown
grounds , Y I one bh tot of line Full 3 4 site
black g rounds , 39cclot a yd. hurt : wool mixtures , novelty 100 more flue silk waists ill , 'Linen erma n Na 1 rkrns at 7,1c a 75 o0o Malone y Bros. '
tweeds covert effects ©
from
, , 5
ell bargain Silver Bleached Damask I
live to seven different correct stripes and small checlls ni all the doyen worth ' 1 , 25. . u 3 i ISSLS Shoes
at60e yard-troubd bo
square-at pretty colors , to close them out , $5.00 cheap b at The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in all the fancy stylus and colors ,
Y and . . . . . . . . . 5 O PIECES LL NEW ST r colorings that are most p0l)11 waists , at 05c. Extra fine quality German and _ Misses for
jar ill New York 011 Sale at roe seeteh nn.l sl { hAI KINS - ,
50 pieces of new 50 inch Towel Bargains That Never Had An fall size , 11.25 a dozen. They '
. 75c ' . Child's f01'
all ( yat'd. , . . . . . .
r would bo cheap at 11,93 - - -
' $1,25 BLACK SILKS FOR 49C rough weaves , new ser g es , e Dresses - 1 'c will sell ells case of - - - ' '
„ r pieces brocaded silk , g ros all of them the most fashlou P A dill Litreu Huck Towels rt o YARD LONG Child's for a
grain silk and brocaded satin fable colon n g s including the ? t I at a fraution of their value , at 7c. r i r hey al's Dresser Scarfs , on bargain square on natn seer. '
duchesse silks , every r' '
flew + t 7 c around , at 50c , worth $1.00. ° ; i ,
tivarranted pill' ss sil 1-for skirts , browns , 1 r would. call them g , t and f plain nna
greens
waists and entire and CaStOTS , : _ , ; TiadleS P henotnennl bargains at l6e Grand special bargains in . Lnco fancy Shoes vesting , all tip widths. 5
suits , actually r , Suits Fogged Ili 3 lies one bi ff lot iC all sir.s , on bargain
splendid 1 al for' At 1ue wo will son a Knotted at Ic ; l big lot at .c , and ono s q u ; ue ' , w au , ( lour an 0
worth 1 , 25 , 4 9 Iles , on sale at Frultia toy big lot at 3e. These are basement.
> worth frrm sic to
on 9Sc yard , NEW BLACK n' ' ' Fine Damask Towel/ / 5 c 123e each . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 C 3s00 , pairs- ladies' '
bargain square , _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ m exit n large slrol that lupest gl , - p and f0
. . . . . . . . I baud lira plain and
at-yard. others would callcheap at ° 6o 5
Over 100 new checks to se . $ Grand S p eoial Bargain in the fancy silk vesting top
On S ale For the First Time , black and tan lncu
tact from. also plain henriettal At lOc we oiler choice of over S n cpartyent shoes , nil widths , all
New Waist Silks 80 pieces of strictly all wool and serges , large variety , , . lI 3U0 dawn very finest quality For This sale Onl sizes horn' . , 4..6U , ou bargain sgwu'o on main
$ Satin Damask Towels
rough cheviots and diagonal ,
Scotch Su1t1I1gS , all of them 111
in and. Roman stripes , in correct fabrics for ' I with sovural rows of nravv'u A One of r New 100 pate' Black and
plaids the new colors , handsome coinserges Ladies' summer dresses made Work and deep knotted , case Mambnc , : , - . need's
beautiful combinations and separate skirts , 42 and 50 in o f the best imported white Frinje , many towels in this 9 orb hills Muslin , LO11S six dotter , [ en's
SAOO
biuations in checks and small
lot worth i5c , but call Cushion Shoes-
new colors , all of them our ches wide on sale at 50c + The , pique , tl'lillme(1 with ribbon , ourly and you will get them dale and Fruit of the on main seer. . . , . . . .
plaids , on $1.00 and $1 , 50 yard , LLt. . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . , . . . Loom Muslin , all at 5cYd
. _
own ant p ortation , On. sale at sale for insertion and lace , with blouse _ _ _ _ _ _
the first Or reefer jackets , Fonen sell ? 6 dozen Piro One case of flee Boston Mfr. Co. 1O0 Tan RuS-
Li Iturnslc S Toweling , Best Grade Bleached Sheet-/ / SILL Cult three dollar
$1 $ $1.50 $ $175 $ tllrie 5O 75i i former l )1'1C8 S25 , $5 in three yard lengths , 9 ingtull 2 yards wide-nu 5 shoes , go at g1,6a- s169
. at 29C On sale already sowed ready to put better sheeting at any price , onbargain square
' 9 7 on rollers , at lac at luc iu basement. . . . . . . . . . . . .
yard. , , 1 tat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . each. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . yard. go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
, d 4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
LABORATORY OF THE GODS
V
The Nitrate Desolts of Chili ill Which
Millions Are Invested.
METHODS OF MINING , COST AND PROFITS
i
1Ctent of 1be 1)closltN from \Virlch
the Bepuhlle Gets linlf Its Ileve-
rule-A Ilnrn = Lnke In the
Andean l1IKhlnuda ,
( Copyrighted , 1898 , by Frank G. Carpenter. )
IQUIQUE , Chill , July 1.-Special ( correspondence -
spondenco of The Bee.-For the lnst three
weeks I have been traveling through a vast
chemical laboratory of the gods. I have
ridden over miles o1 plains covered with salt ,
have visited laltes of rho whitest borax , have
wound In and out among mountains rich In
tin , copper and silver , and now write almost
In the midst of the vast nftrato fields of
Chill like unto which there Is nothing on
the face of the earth.
Leaving the sliver mining town of Oruro ,
Bolivia , I came dowJi the mountains on the
little narrow gauge which connects that
town with the seaport of Antofagasta. The
dlstanco is 000 miles , or about as great as
I that between New York and Cleveland. The
i track Is only two feet six inches wide , and
the road Is , 1 believe , the longest one of
l this gauge in the world. The cars are of
the American style , having been built In
Massachusetts , Thu seals on one side of
the car are not wider than a kitchen chair
and on the other , where they are supposed
to hold two , not more than thirty Inches.
n was , in fact , more Into riding In a toy
car than on the through trunk line which
forms the only rail connection between two
great countries. St111 rho road is smooth
and well laid. Its ties are of Oregon pine
and the stations upon It are as n rule built
of corrugated iron from Europe. The fares
are exceedingly high. I paid 61 silver dol-
lara for my ticket , and in addition 136 extra
baggage , as nothing whatever Is allowed
tree. My meals at the dining stations each
cost me 11.60 In sliver , and when I. stopped
at night , as I was forced to do , twice on the
road , the hotel rates were 14 per day , The
chief purpose of the road Is to carry the
silver and other metals to the seacoast. The
most of the cars of our train were loaded
with little chunks of silver ore , and we
paused train loads of tin on its way to the
I'aclfe.
l'ho Salt 1'Inlas of Uolh In.
It was a ride through a desert. Sbortly
stler leaving Oruro w'o entered the salt
plains of Bolivia. These are of vast extent -
tent llning the road for hundreds of miles.
In fact there are but tow places between
Oruro and the sea where the ground Is not
more or less nixed with salt , and in some
districts it covers the land like a sheet of
dirty white snow. Along some parts of the
line it looks hard and icy and you feel like
jumping utf the care for a skate. At others
it lies In gullies and again it only sprinkles
the ground and a ragged growth of scrubby
vegetation struggles up through it , The
road runs for nearly the whole of its length
through a desert valley , and this sail
reaches away on each aldo to the hills.
Here and there along the road arc laltes
upon which seen to be floating great cakes
of ice. The cakes are not ice , however.
They arc borax , and in the great borax lake
of Ascotan , Bolivia , there is enough borax
to was ! , the heads of all humanity. This
lake baa , ft 1s estimated , more than 100-
000 tons of pure borax ready to be shipped
to the markets of the world , I saw It on
my left as I rode over the railroad on the
way to the coast. It is about six miles
square , and the borax in It lies In great
zusases , which , when taken out look for
.
I
-
all the world like the finest of pure white
spun s11k wadded up or woven Into lumps.
The stuff 1s borax of lime , and Is not so
good , I am told , as the borax that comes
from similar lakes in California. Still it Is
of considerable value , for the lake has just
been sold to a syndicate of Germans for
90,000 sterling.
A Deecrt Paved WItri Gold.
This lake , however , is not a drop In the
ocean compared with the enormous value
of the nitrate fields through which I crossed
as I neared the Pacific. These fields ex-
lend north and south through this part of
Chill for a distance of more than 300 miles ,
and their product is so vallJablo that they
almost pave the desert of Chill with gold.
They have produced millions upon millions
of tons of nitrate of soda , and it is estimated -
mated that more than 1,200,000 , tons of
nitrate will be shipped from them this year.
The value of these nttrato deposits runs high
into the millions of dollars , When they
were in the hands of the Peruvians they
were rich , and now that they belong to
Chili as a result of its war with Peru , it
gets more than half Its revenue from the
export duty which it collects from them.
The working of the fields Is in the hands
of foreigners , nod more than $100,000,000
worth of English capital Is invested In the
great olicinas or factories by means of which
the nitrate Is taken from the earth and
prepared for the markets of the world. Vast
fortunes have been made out of these nitrate
fields. I met in England some years ago the
late Colonel North , the nitrate king , and
visited him at his magnificent country place
at Eltham , near London , lie lived there Iiko
a prince and was at the time fairly rolling
in wealth. All of his money was made In
this region , and the cbampagno which we
had at dinner , though its taste showed no
evidence of the fact , was effervescent with
nttrato of soda , The nitrate which the
United States Imported from this Iqulquo
district alone In 1897 cost more than $3-
000,000 In gold and the amount was more
than 234,000,000 pounds , The greater part of
this has gone into the making of powder and
high explosives , and much of it has already
been used In tluo war with Spain. Another
part of it has been sold as fertilizers , and
is now enriching the soil of American
farms , It is as n fertilizer that the chief
demand for the nitrate conies , tbo built of
the product going to Germany , where it ha
used in the growing of the sugar beet.
Just now , however , the nitrate business Is
not as prosperous as It has been. A number -
ber of lime factories are idle , and the markets
arc overstocked ,
Lu the Nitrate Flelde
My first view of the nitrate fields was on
this railroad going to Antofagasta. The do.
posits in that part of Chill , however , are
not so good as those further north and I
have taken ship and come to Iquique , which
is the chief shipping port of the best nitrate
fields of tune world , I have traveled from
hero to some of the richest fields and have
spent a day at the great nftrato ohlclna of
the Agua Santa company , which has a cap.
ital of 13,000,000 and which produces ml- !
lions of pounds of nitrate a month. But
before I describe the method of getting this
product out of the earth let me show you
where these wonderful fields are , In the
first place this word fields is misleading. It
conveys the idea of fences and fixed bounda
rtes. The nitrate fieide are scattered over
the desert and their only boundaries are
white posts at the corners of the different
properties , outside of tbcse there are no
marks , There le not enough waste wood
ha the whole desert to make a line fence
about a city lot , There is not a blade of
grass , and , with the oxcepUon of hero and
there a scrubby tree , oil is bare , gray deso
late sand , with hero and there
a glint of while where the salt
rock has caught the rays of the sun. There
are few more barren places in the world
than the Clnlltan desert. The coasts of the
upper part of the country are as bleak ae
1
the most barren parts of the Rocky mountains -
tains and this sand and rock extend inland -
land almost to the tops of the Andes.
Along oche coast there is a low range of
foot hills rising in places to the height of
a mile and more above the sea. Beyond
this there is a rolling valley which runs
from north to south and on the other side
of this valley the foot hills o4 the Andes
begin. It is along the western edge of this
valley that the nitrate is found. In some
places It Is not more than fifteen miles and
In others as far as ninety miles from the
sea , but the deposits all lie along the western -
ern edge of the valley , forming a strip of
an average width of about a mile and running -
ning Irregularly , as I have said , from north
to south for a distance of more than three
hundred miles. In some places the deposit
is four miles wide , and In others it plays
out altogether and crops out some distance
further on. In some fields the nitrate rock
lies on the top of the ground. In others it
Is found from thirty to forty foot below
the surface , with a strata of salt rock on
top of 1t. The nitrate itself Is seldom
found pure in nature , tbough much of the
rock contains from 40 to 60 per cent of
nitrate. The Antofagasta rock does not
contain more than 14 per cent of nitrate
and other fields vary with the nature of
the deposit. It is the getting the nitrate
rock out of the earth and the extracting
the pure nitrate salts from It that constitutes -
tutes the Immense industry of lime pampas
or nftrato fields. As to where the nitrate
comes from thcro are a number of theories ,
One is that the desert was once the bed of
an Inland sea and that the nllrato came
from the decaying of tuna nitrogenous sea
weed. Another theory is that the ammonia
rising from the vast beds of guano on the
Islands off the coast was carried by the
winds over the range of hills near the sea
and there condensed , settled and united
with other chemicals of time soil to farm the
deposits and still a third Is that the clec-
lrlcal discharges of the Andes combine
with the elements of the air to make nltrlc
acid. This acid was carried down through
the ages in the floods of the Andes and was
deposited on these beds In the form of
nitrate of soda. None of these theories are
entirely satisfactory and as yet no ono has
absolutely solved the problem as to whence
the nitrate comes ,
Ilxnv Sltrate is Mined ,
We shall see how nitrate is mined by a
visit to the great pampa of Tameugal. This
pampa or field has sixty miles of oflclnas
and nitrate fields. A railroad has been
built through 1t to carry the nftrato to the
seacoast at Iqulquo and upon it has grown
up vast factories , towns of corrugated iron
huts , to which the tens of thousands of
workmen employed In the business live and
the homes of well educated Europeans who
live hero and manage the properties , Leaving -
ing Iquique the railroad carries you up the
11115 [ and brings you right Into the nitrate
fields. You are soon In a plain about
twenty miles wide with low 111115 rlsing upward -
ward on the right and the left , On the
side of lhls plain nearest the sea the earth
looks as though it had been plowed up by
giants and it lies in mammoth clods of all
shapes and sixes , This is tile nitrate
fields which have been or are being worked.
The rest of the land is bionic , bare sand ,
There is no vegetation and no sign of life
of any kind , All is sand , salt rock , and
amid the clods nitrate rock which is called
calicho , It is a soluble rock of different
colors , In some places it is almost white
and looks like rock salt , in others It is
yelloss and in others all shades of gray ,
lemon , violet and green , The strata of
nitrate usually lies about two feet or more
under the earth and there is often a salt
rock or conglomerate above it , The method
o1 getting It out is to bore a round hole
about a foot in diameter through true upper
crust and to extend it down for a few
inches Into the soft earth below It , Now
into this bolo a boy Is let down. lie
scoops out a pocket for the blasting powder
!
and arranges the fuse. lie is then pulled
out and the fuse is lighted. An explosion
follows. A great yellow cloud o1 smoke
and dust goes up into the air and the earth
is broken up for n radius of about thirty
feet about the hole. The nftrato rock is
now dug off with picks and crowbars. It
is broken lntopleces , of thirty pounds or less (
and is loaded upon Iron carts to be takeni
to the factory. Each of these carts will
holdthree , tone of rock and each Is hauled
by three mules , the driver sitting upon one
of the animals.
animals.At
At the Factory.
The calicho or nitrate rock is taken In
these carts fron the fields to the oficina or
factory. This usually stands in the midst
of the fields. It is a collection of buildings
with great smokestacks rising above them.
It contains tbousands of dollars' worth of
costly machinery , vast tanks for boiling the
nitrate rock , crushers like those of a smelter
to break it to pieces and settling vats in
which the liquor containing the pure nitrate
of soda is left until it has dropped Its burden -
don of valuable salt. Trio nitrate rock of
the Agua Santa fields as we saw it blasted
out of the earth has only about 90 per cent
of nitrate of soda In It. The nitrate sent
to the markets Is from 05 to 06 per cent
pure and the rock must he so treated as to
bring about this result. This is done by
boiling the rock just so much and no more.
Tito crushers reduce the calicho to pieces
about two inches thick , and it is then taken
to the boiling tanks , which are situated in
n bulldhng perhaps fifty feet above the
ground. These tanks are each big enough
to form a bath tub for an elephant. They
are twentyfour feet long , nine feet w'Ide
and eight feet deep. In them there are coils
of pipe into which steam is running , raising -
ing the temperature of time fluid in the tank
to any desired point. The callcimo Is carried -
ried in cars up an Inclined railway anti
dumped into the tanks , Then water is admitted -
mittod and is allowed to flow from tank to
tank in such a way as to act to the hest
advantage on the salts wllldn. The nitrate
of soda will remain in solution at a lower
temperature than other salts , This fact and
others of a scientific nature arc taken advantage -
vantage of , everything being done with the
greatest care , and the result is tllat when
the liquor is drawn oft nearly all of the
pure nitrate of soda in the rock goes with
it. It flows from the boiling tanks into
other tanks , which lie in the open air at n
lower level. It now looks for all the world
like pale maple molasses or thick lemon
syrup. In a short time it begins to crystallize -
lize and the tank Is half sugar , which is
really almost pure nltratu of soda. This is
now shoveled into plies , whence it is bagged
up in sacks of 300 pounds each and hauled
on the railroad to the seacoast to be shipped -
ped off to the United States or to Europe.
A Lesson In Eeoiony.
After the salts have settled in the tanks
the liquor which lies on top still contnlna
a large amount of nitrate , It is convoyed
back to the boiling tanks and is loaded
with ore nitrate by being flowed over the
fresh matte. I shall not describe the
technical details of the process , which Is
complicated in the extreme. They were explained -
plained to me by Mr. James T , llunnber
stone , the manager of the Agua Santa
oficlan , the man who is perhaps of all the
nitrate managers the best posted upon such
matters. I will only say that the greatest
care is taken to get every atom of nitrate
out of the roclc at the lowest possible cost ,
and that I was again and again surprised
at the careful study which has been taken
to save every cent in product and labor
throughout the works. It was Indeed a
lesson in economy , and when 1 referred to
it Mr. llumberatone said : "The nitrate
profits of today are a question of small
savings. We make so much that the dtf
Terence of a cent in the cost of a qulntal ,
or 100 pounds , is an important Item. It
lrould , in tact , mean to us a saving of at
least 11,200 a month. " Mr , liulnberptone
also showed we how the iodine of corn.
merco is made from this nitrate liquor. It
is an element separate and apart from the
nitrate of soda and it forms another valuable
product of the nitrate fields. It is
precljdtnted in tanks by means of bisulphito
of soda , and is drawn off in the shape
o1 a dirty black powder. The powder is
washed and filtered and is then put into
iron retorts and heated. It soon turns to
vapor , which is conducted into pipes o1 fireclay -
clay , in which as it cools It changes into
crystals of a beautiful violet color. These
are packed up and shipped to our country
and to Europe. The sale of fodlno is a
monopoly in the hands of Anthony Gibbs
Co. of London. The different companies
have formed a trust which controls the
product of the world and dictates just how
much each factory may make every year.
The price is now , I am told , 8 pence per
ounce.
11'hnt it Costs to 11,11cc 11 ilrnle.
People who think that money is easily
made in nitrate are much mistaken. The
business requires largo capital and the
most careful management. The prices of
nitrate lands have steadily risen of late
years and today the only properties to ho
gotten outside of those in the hands of the
seventy-nine factories wlnlch are now in ex-
lslenco are from the Chtllan government ,
which only sells at auctions , svhicln are
periodically held , Time last auction was held
in 1891 , when ° ,000 , acres were appraised at
13,500,000 , and sold , I believe , for more than
their appraisennent. Another property was
appraised at 19,500,000 of our money. There
is a limited demand for nitrate of soda and
while It is believed that the amount in
sight wIII last the world at true present rate
for ifty years and more , the Chinon government -
ernment is anxious not to ruin time business
out of which it gets so great a revenue by
throwing more lands just now on the mar-
lots. Even after tine land is bought it
costs an enormous amount to establish a
nitrate factory. Take that of Agua Santa.
It has n capital of 13,000,000 In gold , and
it pays dividends of 10 per coat , or 1300,000 ,
a year. Tine factory alone cost 1055,000 and
In addition there has been put in a West-
Inghmiso electric plant at a cost of 110,000
more , It has buildings which cost 11,000
and its water supply cost 151,000 , It Is now
employing 800 hands , who receive 100,000
n month , and 1t supports about the works
a colony of more than 3,000 souls , It owns
a railroad to the seaport of Caleta Buena ,
which port also belongs to it , and from
which It ships its nitrate. Like all of the
factories , it has a largo store connected
svith the works and a great part of the
wages of the men are spent upon this ground.
Cities in the Desert.
This is only one of the great establishments -
ments which the nitrate rock has built in a
desert. It has built numerous other factories -
ries , and it is now keeping tens of thousands
of men at work. All along the nitrate railroad -
road there are towns containing houses of
corrugated iron , with hotels and stores , and
at the seacoast , which is , it anytiling , more
barren and desert-like than the nitrate fields
themselves , there are a number of thriving
cities , all of wlnlch depend entirely upon
those nitrate deposits , Take Iquique , for in-
stance. It lies ml the edge of the sea , right
under the ragged hills which fringe the
i coast. There is not a blade of grass about
and not a drop of water , save that which
is brought hero hl ships or lu the iron pipe
line , sevenlyfivo miles long , svlth which It
has been connected with the springs of PicaI
In true interior , Still , Iqulquo has 30,000
people , and , next to Valparaiso , It is the ,
most thriving seaport in Chill , It has wide
streets , telephones and electric lights , and a
street car line , with Cluing maidens as con.
ductors , It jinx newspapers , a theater and as
good an English club as you will find along
1 the west coast of South America. It has
good slpres and markets , and though it pro-
duets almost nothing but nitrate of soda , it
leas everything from the outside , and you
can live as well hero and have as great a
i variety of eating as any place la South
)
America. Antofagasta , though not as large
as Iquique , is almost equally well favored
and there are a half dozen other ports hero
In the desert which are nourished by time
business of making and shipping nitrate of
soda. FRANI { G. CARPENTER ,
TOLL ) OUT OF COUILT ,
A Georgia judge is credited with saying
in giving a formal judicial opinion : "In-
deed , it is always probable that something
Improbable will happen. "
An Oregon attorney who filed pretended
affidavits to which he afilxed his official
jurat as notary public when the signers had
never been sworn , but merely admitted the
signing , excused himself by nssorting that
this was "the usual manner of adnminister-
lag oaths la such cases ; " but ho was not
able to convince the court of that fact.
A unique formula for swearing to an
affidavit adopted by a well known attorney
of western New York , whose characteristic
nasal solemnity made it affective , was this :
"I swear that this affidavit is as true as
affidavits usually be. "
Out in Indiana a good many years ago a
certain old woman , summoned as a witness ,
came into court wearing a largo poke bonnet -
net such as was then much affected by
rural folks , her answers to the questions
put to her being rather indistinct , the court
requested her to speak louder , though without -
out much success.
"Tho court cannot hear a word you say ,
my good woman , " said the judge , "Please
to take off that huge bonnet of yours , "
"Sir , " she said composedly , anal distinctly
enough ads time , "the court baa a perfect
right to bid a gentleman take oft Ills hat ,
but it has no right to make a woman remove -
move her bonnet. "
"Madam , " replied the judge , "you seem
so well acquainted with the law that I
think you had better come up and take a
seat with us on the bench.
"I thank your honor kindly , " she responded -
sponded , dropping a low courtesy to the
court , "but there are old women enough
there already , "
Judahm Philip Benjanln , who was attorney
general of the southern confederacy and
afterward a member of the English bar , is
said by his biographers to have /and / great
power in applying "tine theory of law to
dally practice. " The Fortnightly bylaw
lately reported an Instance of his shrewdness -
ness and convincing logic :
nu was counsel for a plaintiff who owned
a cargo of cotton and claimed damages
against a Liverpool warebouseman , who
had'nccepted it to ho warehoused at a slq-
ulated rent. The warehouse , ft was said ,
was old anti the walls and roof gave way ,
in consequence of whicl [ the cotton was
damaged.
The defendant spared no expense in pro
curing witnesses of the class known as
"experts , " upon wboso evidence , rightly or
wrongly , so many caustic remarks have e
been made by judges and otlers , 1
One after another these amen came into
the bnx , With the full confidence of vast
experience-architects , builders , engineers ,
warchousernen and all who could assist In
demonstrating to the Jury that no stronger
or more perfect warehouse Imd oven been
constructed.
At last , by w ay of climax , came a gentle.
man whose great prestige and combined ox-
perteucu as both architect and engineer
eclipsed that of all who had preceded him.
He gave his evidence In that calm and
measured tone which demands acquiescence
from all who hear it and explained the ha.
poaslblbty of the accident having occurred
in consequence of any improper construction -
tion or want of repair.
1Yhllo this was going on Mr. Benjamin
sat taking a note in solemn gravity ; then ire
rose to cross-examine the witness ,
' 1 think , sir , you aald you haul great ex-
perienco in the building of warehouses ? "
"Yes. "
"And that you have carefully c mstdere4
the causes which lead to their weakness ? "
"Certainly. "
"Aid you have applied those considerations -
tions to the present case ? "
"I have done so. "
"Then will you kindly answer mo one
morn question ? Why did that warehouse
fall ? "
The witness paused , and Benjamin , with a
pleasant twinkle in his eye , sat down with
almost a hump on his seat.
The pa.Iso continued , a tI the effect of it
was so striking that jurymen , bystanders
and all could not resist a hearty laugh ,
which terribly diminished the effect of a
long and reasoned reply which the expert t
finally went on to give. 4
"Thank you , " said Benjamin. "I have no
more questions with which to trouble you. "
The result was irresistible , and no Ingenuity -
nuity on the part of the lenrned counsel for
the defendant could retrieve time lost ground.
The verdict was for the plaintiff ,
I
1tEi.i bOUS.
Nineteen millions of time population of
Austria , it is said , or 70 per cent , belong to
the Roman Catholic or State church ,
By way of laying up a few treasures on
earth , possibly , Booth Tucker of the Snlva-
tlon Army line purchased a 130,000 house in
Now York City.
The report predunled to limo Congregational
triennial council shows on increase in three
years of 31,900 members in the Chrlstlan
Endeavor societies of that denomination ,
Fnther Plseopo , the Italian priest who has
begun a cruado against social evil in the
Italian colony In Now Yorlc , is not yet 30
years of age. Ills life has been threatened
n dozen times ,
It Is staled that the American delegates
at limo World's Sunday School couvetilloa
left tbo impression upon the Engllsll pco
plo that thy Sunday schools in tills country -
try were far in udvanco of those of any
other.
Glndstono once said : "There are , 1t may
be , 460,000,000 of professing Christians In
tine world , There is no longer one fold under
one visible shepherd , and the iujorlty of
Christians are content with its cue shepherd
in heaven.
The Cllurchman publishes a supplement
of twenty-eight pages , giving time contributions -
tions of every Episcopal parish in the coon.
try for foreign and domestic missions. There
are said to ho 059:08 romnnmlcarmts and
1,098 rectors. Thu total contributions were
nearly 113,000,000 ,
A colored preacher in Alabama nought
admission Into a jail to pray with line pris-
oners. fie w a5 dented admission by the
jailer , whereupon the prencller Iinmedlately
knelt down and prayed earnestly for the
jailer. The latter was astonished and opened
the jail at onto to rho evangelist.
The world certainly does move , home is
a Now Jersey parson declnring unequivocally i
that rho man over whom lie preached a
funeral sermon led gone to the place 0p
pointed for rho wicked. however , tlw sub-
jeet of the discourse was not a prmninout
citizen , but a poor creature who tiled as ;
wretclleelly as ho Imlt lived.
On a recent Sunday Itev. Robert Collyer
preached ten tIm 11'esieynn chapel , London ,
A Loudon journal , speaking of this , said :
"Fifty years ago lire now great American
dlvina did time selfsame thing , but there
must have been a striking difference be.
twecn that first sermon of his halt a cen
tury ago and the 0110 ho deliver last Sunday
night. Then Dr. Collyer was working at
llkley as a blacksmith ; today ho is known
and appreciated the world over as a
preacher , lhblker and writer. Ills life Is an
excellent example for any man to copy , and
the Success ho baa attained may ho moat
truthfully attributed to time geulus of hard
work.
The United Labor league of western
Pennaylvaula bus Started a movement to
induce employers to change the goersi pay
day of all classes of working people from
Saturday to Monday , or some other day at
the week ,
J
I