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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1899)
THE OMAHA DAILY BEEs THURSDAY , AUGUST 24 , 1891) . STRUGGLE AGAINST BIG ODDS Dramatic Story of the Construction of a Local Railroad in Michigan. INDOMITABLE WILL OF THE ASHLEYS Jlllrrnrdd , ItnlilH , Jlnnlcrniitcy nnd Injunction * Fall to Illnck the Line Xcrvy AVorlt Grout Oilils. Back ot the suit to act aside the ealo ot the Toledo & Ann Arbor railroad , now pending In the United States court In Toledo , Is a story , the dramatic story ot the construction of $10,000,000 worth of prop erty out of optimism and nerve. The Ann Arbbr railroad was once but the Imprac ticable vision ot old Oovcrnor Ashley. It became a reality through the Indomitable will , the energy and gigantic proportions of his son Jim. James M. Ashley , jr. , stands six tcet four In his stocking ! ) , nnd for fifteen years ho has fought with his head and hi * hands for the development ot a dream , until through him It has become one of the Important factors ot commerce. And now , whether the fruits of the labors of this Hercules will fall to him or another man , the courto are trying to decide. In 1877 , at the ago ot 60 , old Governor Ashley found himself a bankrupt , one ot the many wrecks ot the great panic. Ho looked about him for a fresh start In life. On his way ho fell in nvlth Colonel Thomas A. Scott ot Washington and found him an Interested listener. Colonel Scott had been assistant secre tary ot war under Stnnton , hlo duties ( being thoeo ot master ot transportation dur ing that tremendous conflict. Ho heard Ashley through patiently , declared that this was a great country the greatest on earth said that the period of shrlnkago in values nnd lying dormant was about past and that there would bo moro miles of railroad 'built ' In the next fifteen years than were then In operation la. the United Btates. Scott then told Ashley that ho thought ho knew where ho could get the rails and material for the road on credit If ho could ralso the money for the re mainder of the work. The cherubic counte nance of Governor Ashley brightened amaz ingly , his spirits rose and ho speedily re traced his steps to Boston , where , aa the result of efforts extending over several months , ho put up $250,000 out of $750,000 of bonds and gave a mortgage upon all ot his property in Toledo , for which ho re ceived a loan of $114.000 for ono year. With this small capital and the credit at his command the road from Toledo to Ann Arbor was constructed and placed In opera tion in July , 1878. The means provided were , however , totally Inadequate to meet the expenses and the now road , and Us own- era soon found themselves burdened with , a heavy load of Indebtedness , with earnings for the first , slx months amounting to scarcely 130,000. And every day they were going deeper and , deeper into debt. Governor A liloy' IIurnct'H Next. About this tlmo the great Michigan Central system paused into the hands ot William II. Vanderbllt , owner of the New York Central , GO that < the Httlo Ann Arbor was corked up at both ends by hostile Influences. Ashley's rainbow-colored visions were rapidly vanishIng - Ing , but summoning up his courage , ho or ganized another road 100 miles long anc Issuing $2,600,000 ot bonds and $2,500,000 of stock , bo consolidated the'forty-five miles al ready bulft with the 100 miles not con structed , and , getting introductions to bank ers in Now York who had. begun to feel the confidence of better times , waa able to 'borrow ' 60 cents on the dollar on the bonds. During the next two years ho constructed the addi tional JOO miles of road. The year previous the Michigan Central had caused to be repealed what had been known as the crossing laws of Michigan , by which one railroad was enabled to cross another. It was well known that Ashley was building this road wholly upon credit anc that ho waa largely in debt , and it was argued that if this construction could bo delayed his railroad would 'bo ' bankrupt am could bo absorbed cheaply nnd readily by the stronger road. Governor Ashley woa in New York at this time , ball distracted with , the hornet's nes > ho bad Dulled about hto cars. During bis V absence the tracks of .tho middle division o ithls 100 miles of load were approaching a Junction near ( ho vlllaco of Ilowell. Some $200.000 of local old -was conditioned upon the comx > lelon of the track-laying and the running of a train over the road by January 1 , 18SG. So when itho Ann Arbor track layers ncared He-well , working from each end , in December. 1885 , and were met with a refusal to cross and a show of force , ( backed < by nn array of Injunctions , the situ ation looked rattier desperate. Governor ( Ashley's oldest eon , James M. Ashley , Jr. , T then something over 20 years of ago , was In charge of < the road'o construction and re alized how much the completion of this little 100 feet of track meant. Ho saw it he $200,000 ot local aid fading away In the distance and ho Itnaw that a financial smash-up was In evitable If both ends failed to meet at the close ot this era of construction. But the first-born son of the visionary old governor was mode ot etern stuff ; there were six feet and four Inches of flght in him. lllantluic a Tunnel. When itho governor quaked at his desper ate situation young Ashley only ruflled up his 'brush of black hair and wont to work. A llttlo more than ton dare remained tor him to comiJc'.o tbo track and earn the $200,000. U at tie north end of the road , in tbo lumber camps , ho gathered together l a band ot 200 rcd-ahlnted desperadoes and ! armed and disciplined them as well as the few days' time permitted. Then he , tele graphed to Toledo and rdlsod an equal body from the tough element of that town. These were also armed 'With old muskets and bayonets and on the night after Christmas Che two bodies met atthe railroad crossing near Ilowoll , They proceeded at once to blast their way through the embankment on which the track of the other road wns placed. It be could not legally pass over the Michigan Central tracks ho could dig a tunnel under them , and this ho did. The tremendous concussions ot the dynamite aroused the villagers in Howell , a mile away , and they quickly flocked to the scene. The night waa clear , cold and crisp , and brilliant moon light , and at midnight , as the two divisions of the road were Joined , the scene was ono not eailly forgotten , Amid the toolings and shrill BorcecUngs of locomotive whlstlfca , the explosion of dynamite cartridges and the hoarse cheering ot a thousand men , young Ashley worked like a Trojan , snouting his directions to the mob , while ho beat his hands together to keep them from freez ing. That night a road train with a pas senger coach attached passed over the track and the $200,000 was legally won. The Michigan Central railroad was restored by the building of a substantial bridge over their tracks , and by noon Sunday , Ashley , Jr. , withdrew his forces , satisfied with his work. A few hours afterward three trains crowded with workmen descended upon the ( Ann Arbor track , tore up a nillo of It , car ried off the rails , demolished the treaties of the now bridge , filled up the gap through which the Ann Arbor road had run Its first train and restored the Michigan Central track to < lts original foundation , thus ef fectually rending asunder the two divisions of th.e Ann Arbor road. This done , they threw out a strong armed guard to hold the crossing. These proceedings did not suit young Ashler. By midnight Sunday ho had returned with his redshlrted lighters from the pine woods , and forming a long , thin iklrmlth line advanced through the deep now , firing 03 he came on the guard , who stood but a few moments , answered with a handful ot random shots , and boarding tbo waiting trains , backed nw y down track. ttrlt AVlim Ont , It was then the Ann Arbor's turn. The Michigan Central tracks were torn up , enough rails taken to replace the stolen ones , the embankment was again blasted out , cars were tipped over nnd converted Into breastworks , nnd by Monday morning young Ashley , the Indomitable , was In complete armed and fortified possession of the battle ground. For four days and nights ho stood oft the officers of the law with their writs until n Judge friendly to the new road ap peared on the scene , and then the writs began to fly more cquaUy. The siege lasted for twclro dajs , through the bitterest cold nnd deepest snow known to that part of the country. During this tlmo young Ashley worked and slept In his clothes , and \vas al > mcst Incessantly on hand , keeping a strict 1 watch. The farmers of the countryside were In hearty sympathy with the new rood , and 1 succored the Ashley forces bravely through out the siege. They brought great tubs of hot coffee , whole boiled bams , hugo pans of bread and mince pics enough to work destruction in even the iron-clad stomachs of the hardy woodsmen. At the end ot twelve days the governor , railroad commis sioner and United States marshal arrived on . the scene and with all the majesty ot the j law settled Iho dispute. They ordained that rains should run on both roads and that tntu quo should bo maintained until the ourts could adjudicate the matter , then they ook young Ashley between them nnd narched him off to Detroit , under arrest for obstructing the United States malls. Ho was irralgnod before the United States court by district Judge Brown ( now on the supreme bench ) and' fined $102.50 and costs. No 1'nr Hell 1'or Six Month * . To Illustrate Iho nerve and daring ot heso builders of the Ann Arbor railway , one coiiM find a multitude ot stories , for the ilstory of thla llttlo road Is a history of mlsfortuno from start to finish ; not only the misfortune that goes hand In hand with a dearth of money , but the misfortune ot natural causes cold .winters , blizzards , com- uercial depressions and a multitude of other things. The construction of the Cadillac division from Mt. Pleasant to Cadillac , a distance ot sixty-five miles , was begun In .May , 1887. Arrangements had been made with New York bankers by which $1.000,000 had been guaranteed , and $100.000 had been sent out .o young Ashley for construction purposes. Three thousand men were gathered together and placed along tbo line In hastily con structed log huts , for the region was thinly populated by lumbermen only and the road ran through a dense forest the whole dis tance. But no sooner were operations nicely commenced than a dispute arose in Now York , suits against the older Ashley were Instituted by parties holding claims , and the entire Issue ot bonds which was to servo as collateral for the $1,000.000 In loans was attached. Consequently no moro money came from that source during the entlro period of construction , which extended over six months. In the meantime some $500,000 of additional debt had been created nnd stoppage , or suspension of the work even , meant ruin for the Ashlejs and a receiver for the road. Young Ashley was acquainted with these facia about the 10th of August. Hojhad Jess than $10,000 left In the bank , but "the work was in full awing and his credit was unlimited. He promptly de cided upon his course , purchased In Chicago cage , Detroit and Toledo carloads of pro visions , thousands of dollars' worth of clothing , tobacco and all necessary supplies for feeding nnd caring for his 3,000 men , and with these in llou of capital completed the CadJllao division. There was no pay roll on the road for six months. When the monthly pay day caino around Jim Ashley went out and addressed the men. They balled from tbo pine woods , from , Jails and workhouses and city slums , and it took a clover man to handle them. They rioted among themselves and four or five were killed , but they believed In young Jim , their giant boss , nnd punctured the paymaster's photograph which he put up , for them to nhoot at Instead ot him. "Stand by me and you will get your money , " Jim would tell them < md they did. At last the hopeful 'buoyancy ' ot the olc governor and tbo activity and courage o his sea completed the railroad across the state to Frankfort on Lake Michigan , a total length ot 325 miles. A survey of the situation when the road reached Frank fort showed $6,000,000 of bonds outstand ing and $1,000 ot floating debt. While the earnings had slowly crawled up to about $1,250,000 a year , the demands for equipment and particularly the clamorous demands of the creditors made a load that was ominous. MnUliiK n Trunk I.liic. About this time the health of the elder Ashley bad failed and Jim had taken his place In New York as acting president and financial agent. When ho discovered the situation of affairs , particularly as to tbo large floating debt , ho resolved upon the extension of the railroad across Lake Michigan. Across seventy miles of Lake Michigan and Itfl 800 feet depths ot stormy waters existed a rfch and tempting field of traffic and it was necessary to secure this field in order to .achieve . suc cess. In February , 1892 , ho called a meeting ot the iboard of directors nnd placed before them the elaborate details of hla plans for too construction of giant transports able to transport entire trains ot cars across the deep water navigation of the lake , something never before attempted , thereby raising the railway from the position of a local line to the power and dignity of a i trunk lino. The proposition was now and revolutionary. Some of the conservative' directors resigned in alarm , The naval authorities at Washington and tbo lake marine authorities ridiculed the scheme and the marine Insurance companies ro-1 fused the offered risks. But the project was persisted in and contracts for the giant steamers were placed with the Craig Ship building company of Toledo. They were I successfully launched , and in December , I 1892 , entered into service. It was dlUlcult to man them ; crews de serted and the nerve at captains failed. The two iharbors , Frankfort and Kewanee , had shallow entrances and were not safe to enter during storms. On thor third trip out Ann Arbor No. 1 ran Into ono of the tremendous winter gales that sweep this stormy sea and for three days the bravo captain stood a few miles outside Frankfort harbor , unable to cross the shallow , ecethlng bar. He faced and battled ulUi a seventy-five mile an hour hurricane successfully not a car moved , not oiio essential part at the great machine failed. Tlhls result proved the mechanical success of tbo plan. The insurance com panies wore anxious to insure ; another naval review reversed the former decision nnd pro nounced the enterprise practical. Traffic be gan to crowd the now route. Success ap peared certain. Then came the beginning of the great panto of ' 93. McLeads * syndicate bad been overthrown , the cordace 'broken , prices in Wall Btreot began to fall rapidly , money became scarce , debts -were pressing , creditors grew alarmed , Given inside information by on cx-dlreotor still In close social and po litical touch with the management , a power ful syndicate suddenly raided the securities of line Ann Arbor company the stock wua forced down by salon of four times the total Issue , from 42 to 10 in ono day April 25 , 1S93. All loans , amounting to $2,000,000 , were called. Defeated , penniless tfor the younger Ashley had utaked his last dollar upon success father and eon passed from the turmoil and conlllot of fifteen yeara to the peace and rest that only defeat can know In that tilnclo day. But the battle did not end here.4 And there la likely to be another chapter in the story of this railway , made famous by the couraco and fighting ability of the Ashleys , and unique by an exhibition of the legal acquisition ot $10- 000,000 of property for nothing. IIAIIITS OP FISH. 1'ecullnrltlr * ot the Salmon , the Coil nnil the nlncflHh. It Is not too much to say that In eome wajB the love ot ealmon pasaeth that ot women. To reach the objects ot their af fection they perform feats and undergo hardships greater than any man could do or bear , and to maintain It they flght with a courage and fury which might mnko many n soldier envious. The salmon trials begin when they first leave the sea on their long up-rlvor Jour- i ney to meet their sweethearts , relates the j Lea Angeles Times. Presently , perhaps , they mcet a high waterfall. Then the sal mon ) backs as far away as possible , makes a locomotive-like rush nnd leaps for the top. Ho actually whlzzrs through the air , his tall Is moving lika lightning , his scales shine like silver enamel. Perhaps he falls o reach the too by n foot , but ho catches ho water , bangs suspended for a moment md then with a miraculous strength forces ils way up and reaches the quiet water beyond. Perhaps the next Waterfall Is five feet higher , and the salmon leaps In vain. Then , finding the feat Impossible , ho actually climbs the sides , Jumping up from ledge to cdgo nnd resting 4n llttlo pools until the river above la reached. Then he goes on pushing through rapids and floundering over shallows until the spawning ground Is reached. In many of the larger rivers of : hts continent the ealmon Is no beauty when 10 reaches bis Journey's end. His scales , icrhaps , are worn off , his fins torn nnd his Dody Is a mass ot bruises. But nevertheless ho wooes his ladylove boldly , caresses her tenderly , fights his rivals fiercely and wins his bride like a soldier. But all fish arc not so romantic. The cod fish , for Instance , is unsentimental and actually ridiculous. Ho Is a great , gray , ugly 'fish , and his name Itself Is absurd. If there were such a thing as submarine humor ho would figure In it as the goat docs in our own comics. The codfish has , in fact , nn appottto which makes the goat's look pale , and when fishermen cut the fish open they assert that they often find such things as scissors , suspender buckles , horseshoes , potato parings , oil cans , doorknobs , marlln spikes , corncobs and India rubber shoes. Another startling story told by fishermen ta that In heavy weather codfish eat stones to balln&t them , but It Is moro likely that these rocks are taken in while attached to sea auomones , ot which the codfish are very fond. It may be Inferred that codfish do not object to nibble the fingers or 'hands of human beings , because the wedding ring of a drowned woman was once found In a cod's stomach and the finder got 50 reward for Its return. O'ysters and clams In the shell are very popular with the codfish , and there are vast heaps of dead shells In the ocean , "nested" together like strawberry boxes , which are believed to have once been in the stomachs of codQsh. The appetites ot these fish are Insatiable. They will fill their stomachs , fill their gullets and fill their mouths with food and still try to get more. If people knew moro about the fish they eat It Is possible that a slice of "baked bluo" might fill many a man with shudderIng - Ing horror , tor the bluoflsh Is perhaps the most terrible and bloodthirsty thing In all nature. The tiger has a sweet and cheerful disposition compared to the blueflsh , the shark seems a phlegmatic and amiable creature , and the wolf , by comparison , Is positively mild. The blueflsh make men haden their especial prey. When a school ot these fish perceive blueflsh near they swim away with such terrific haste that the ocean foams under them , but the bluoflsh cannot be distanced. They rush among the helpless menhaden , biting , tear ing , thrashing nnd oven throwing them into the air. They do not stop to swallow their prey , tout kill purely for the love of slaughter. The flea Is reddened with blood and dotted with dead fish , but blueflsh kill on until exhaustion stops them or until the men haden get into such shallow water that the blueflsh do not careto follow. Sometimes these helpless flsh are so blind -with terror that they swim ashore and are piled up In windrows a foot deep. The blueflsh do not eat one-tenth of the flsh they kill , although when surfeited they are belloved by some people to disgorge their food In order to take In another meal. It Is estimated that during a fair season 1,000,000 blueflsh are caught between New Jersey and Monomoy , and that about 999- 000,000 remain uncaught. Thirty or forty flsh are sometimes found In the stomach ot one bluoflsh , but placing a blueflsb's kill at ony ten p r day It will be seen that during tholr four months' yearly stay on the New England coast they destroy about 1,200,000,000,000,000 flsh , and that Is exclud ing the vast numbers of minute flsh eaten by little bluoflsh , which are not included in the estimate. Carried Into avoirdupois it Is calculated that 2,500,000,000 pounds of flsh are eaten dally by blueflsh. Nevertheless they are handsome nnd graceful flsh. Very llttlo Is known of their other habits , but they are BO nervous while In captivity that they develop corns on their noses by trying to push the latter through the glass sides ot their tanks. MOW A DOM * iA.VCII.TI8D A WAIl. Preent to a Papooic Soothed the Uel- llKrrency of nn Apnelie Chief. ( Little things often have a potent Influence upon the destinies of Individuals and nations. A story is told by Mr. Bourke , now tempo rarily sojourning in * ho east , but who was in the Arizona campaign acWInst the Apaches with General Crook. On one occa sion the general wos'trylng to put a band ot Apaches back on the reserve , tout could not catch them without killing them and that bo < Ud net want to do. One day his men captured a little Indian girl and took her to the fort. She was qulot all day , saying not a word , but her .black beads of eyes watched everything. AVhen night came , however , she broke down and Bobbed Just as any white child would bave done. They tried In vain io comfort her and "then " Mr. Bourke hod an idea. From the adjutant's wife ho borrowed a pretty doll that belonged to her little daughter nnd iVhen the young Apache was made to understand that it was hers to keep her sobg ceased and she fell asleeo. When morning came the doll was still classed in her arms. She .played with It all day and apparently all tlhought ot ever getting back to her tribe had l ft her. Several days passed and as no overtures about the return of 4ho papoose had been made by * he tribe rthey sent her , with the deal still In her possession , back to her people. Mr. Bourke bad no idea of the effect his benevolent not would have upon itho Indians. When the child reached them with the pretty doll In ita chubby bands It made a great sensation among thorn and later on ita mother came back to tbi > post with it. She was kindly received and hos pitably treated and through her the tribe was soon afterward persuaded to move back to the reserve , Iiiiliomllile nnil Abiuril , Chicago Post : "You see , " explained the young woman In telling about the affair , "she was married to him without knowing it. " "How old was she ? " asked the old bach elor. "Three or 4 ? " "Oh , she was 10 years oM , " answered the young woman. "Nineteen years old , and she was mar ried without her knowledge ? " he exclaimed. "Yos. You ee , It wa a put-up Job , ot course , and " ' "Nineteen years old and married with out her knowledge , " repeated the old bachelor. "Oh , come , now ! Tell me comctblng that's more plausible than that. " CORPORATION WITH ( \ SODL Notable Undertaking to Provide for the Be * dining Tears of Employes. PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD PENSION SYSTEM Project Attrnctlnit Mcrlti-il Attention In I.nhor Circled IlcMurd for Faithful Service Dctnlln ot the Plun. To every well-ordered wageworkcr who has reached middle lite there comes the serious problem of making provision ( or old nge. It la a problem the rotation ot which , bnlks the efforts ot the most Industrious. To make reasonable provision tor the tarn- | I lly , In event of the death ot the head ot the house , Is comparatively , easy. Fraternal llfu I Insurance associations exist In large nura- icrs , affording a cheap Insurance In any amount within the means tjj the Investor. These call tor small monthly payments , thus ilaclng their benefits within the reach of all wage-earners. Better still are the straight Ife companies , but their higher rates are prohibitive to the majority of working men. A variety of ways are available bywhich provision may be made tor old age , all ot : hem based on the thrift ot the Individual and his ability to create a "rainy day fund. " Where one succeeds a thousand fall. Count ess causes operate against success sickness In the family , loss ot employment , Insuffi cient wages being the chief obstacles. What renders the problem more perplex ing at the present time Is the growing ills- position among largo employers of labor to dispense with the services of old men. The strength and vigor ot youth Is required to withstand the strain ot modern competi tion. Ago and gray hairs arc not sought for In labor markets. With some of the great employing corporations CO to 75 years Is regarded as the limit ot man's usefulness. In the last two years hundreds , It not thou sands , have been thrown out of employment for no other cause than that they had passed the ago limit arbitrarily fixed by the man agers. Ten , twenty and thirty years ot faithful service , oven the ability to perform the work required , received scant consid eration and did not lessen the force of the blow. There Is one corporation , however , which manifests regard for long and faithful service. It docs not regard Its obligations wholly satisfied when It pays Its men the wages agreed upon. There Is a higher obli gation to be fulfilled , and that obligation the Pennsylvania Railroad company undertakes to perform by providing a service pension tor Us old employes. " \Vlmt the Company 1'ronofic * . The project of the Pennsylvania icompany la a toplo ot widespread discussion among employers and employes. It Is the first attempt ot a largo corporation to undertake a pension system , and Us operation will bo watched vita , keen Interest. The magnitude ot the plan , which goes Into effect on the 1st of January next , will be appreciated when It Is known that the expense to the company will bo not less than $325,000 yearly and that 75,000 men on the Pennsylvania lines east of Plttsburg and Erie , living In the states of New York , New Jersey , Penn sylvania , Delaware , Maryland , Virginia and the District of Columbia , will be affected. In a general way the project follows closely tie "age retirement" system estab lished for the benefit of the officers and men of the army and navy. Retirement on a pension will be compulsory at the ago ot 70 , and no man will bo hereafter taken into the company's permanent service otter be has passed the age of 35. Moreover , all applicants will bo required to pass a phys ical examination. Exceptions to this latter rule may be madein. . ii $ , case of former employes desiring reinstatement " , and the company further reserves "the right to en gage men temporarily , regardless of ago limit and physical condition , for a period not exceeding six months. That the Pennsylvania company does not regard Its pension plan in the light of a charity Is made clear In the statement Is sued by the company setting forth the de tails of the scheme. It says : "The em ployes eligible to retirement will not re ceive the pension allowance as a favor nor as a charitable act on the part ot the com pany extending it. They will be In the posi tion to consider themselves the recipients of a permanent annuity earned by and mer ited through years of faithful , efficient and loyal service ; for It is above all else a mark of regard shown by a great corpora tion , through Ite administrative representa tives , toward each and every employe who has won" It by conscientious and capable performance ot assigned duties. " Dctiillx of the I'lnn. A statement Issued from the headquarters of the company giving the pensloo plan In detail has thla to say of Its operation : "Retirements will be both voluntary and Involuntary. All employes 70 years st nge and over will "bo considered as having at tained the maximum age limit for active service and will bo placed upon the pension fund roll , while those whose ages raago from 65 to 69 years , and who , In the opinion of the fund administrators , have become physically disqualified or otherwise perma nently Incapacitated after thirty years or more of eervlce , may bo either voluntarily or arbitrarily retired and pensioned. The pen sion allowance to such retired employes will be determined as follows : "For each year of service a fixed percen- tura ot the average regular pay for a epe- clflo period immediately preceding retire ment , with a fair minimum monthly allow ance. "The company will grant to memfbers of the relict fund who may be retired an addi tional allowance on a fixed basis In proportion tion to the amount they contributed while memiberfl of the relief fund , so that each member retired by the company will receive this additional allowance from the interest on tbo surplus from the operations ot that fund. "In addition to this the relief fund , through Its advisory committee , proposes to amend the regulations ot the fund to mnko general provision for all its members so that In caao ot sickness or disability benefits on account thereof will bo continued at ona- halt rates , irrespective ot the duration , "Tho company pays the expenses nnd pro vides for any deficiency In the relief fund. The object of this fund Is to grant to every employe an opportunity to provide for him self In case of Illness , disability or death. The relief fund Is co-operatlvo and Is sup ported Jointly by the employes and the com pany. Hence , when the retirement ago Is reached the company will glvo Us old em ploye a superannuation allowance on a fixed basis In proportion to the amount ho con tributed while a member of the relief fund. " I It Is Interesting to note how this plan will operate In the case ot disabled and super annuated employes. On the 1st of January next 775 men , 672 of whom are 70 years ot ago or over , the others ranging In age from 6,1 to 69 nnd all ot whom have been In the company's service more than thirty years , 1 will bo retired by compulsion. Of the men now on the active list , 3,000 are 60 years old or over. Of these l.BOO are moro than I 65 , 775 have passed the three-score and ten , mark , while fifty are 80 years old and BtlU I In the road's employ. In New Jersey nlono there are no less than ninety-nine men who have worked for the company moro than forty-five years. The patriarch of all those old employes Is Edward Lockard , 91 years old , a laborer In the shops at Altoona Pa , The Itcllcf Fmul. While the pension fund Is a distinct and separate provision by the company from Its own funds for the benefit of Its employes , and will be operated from a distinctively company standpoint , its relation to the ex isting relief department will bo such as to make It appear , at least outwardly , as an ! auxiliary of the older department. The ro- I llcf fund , which has been In operation since 1886 , being the second one organized on any of the great railroads of the country , Is formed of contributions from employes of the company who voluntarily become mem bers ; appropriations from the company , when necessary to make up deficiencies ; income - como on Investments of the funds , and any legacies that may bo made to the company for its use. The company takes general charge ot the department , guarantees the fulfillment ot its obligations according to the regulations , takes care of the funds , supplies facilities for carrying on the busi ness of the department and pays all Us " operating expenses. Affairs of the department are administered under the direction of an advisory commit tee , composed of the general manager and members selected by the directors of the company and by the employes from among themselves. Members are entitled to the payment of death benefits nnd weekly sick and accident benefits for periods not exceed ing one year , relief for a longer period being , under the present system , paid by the company. It has always been under stood that the company regarded payments of the latter sort as a temporary expedient to prevent deserving employes coming to distress until such tlmo as a superannuation or pension fund , such as that now contem plated , should bo established. Million * I'ulrt Out. The relief department in Its thirteen years of existence lias paid in benefits for disable ment owing to accidents In the service $1,211,930 and tor disablement from sickness $2,19,877.54. Benefits for death duo to ac cidents in the service have amounted to $674,524 and for deaths from other causes $2,119,336 , making a total ot $6,115,668 paid from the relief fund. In addition to this there have been paid by the company for operating expenses $1,057,450 , for relief to sick members who had exhausted their title to benefits $309.560 and for deficiencies and in special payments enough to make the total paid by the' " company $1,502,163 and a grand total from the relief fund and the company of $7,617,832. The accessions to membership in 1898 were 7,759 and 5,756 lost membership by leaving the service , the deaths and withdrawals numbering 527 , the total membership at the end of the year being 45,141. The surplus at that date was $635,970. One of the officials , in speaking of the prlncjpal eftcct ot the enlarged fund , nstde from the manifest one of benefiting 'the em ployes , said : "It will Increase and improve the ef fectiveness of the company's service through the efficiency naturally consequent upon the employment of younger nnd moro robust men In the stead of these whoso Incapaclta- tlon has rendered their retirement beneficial to both themselves and the service. It will also weld more firmly the mutual Interests of employer nnd employe , thereny bettor n- abllng that concentration of effort nud uni formity of action so essential In the manage ment and conduct of corporate affairs. " Polnteil Chicago News : Some men court In haste and repent in court. A dlvoice lawyer likes domestic broils done to a turn. The Coal trust ! s preparing to moke it hot for the consumer. A cynic is a man who must be unhappy in order to appear happy. Every man in a brass band thinks his Instrument makes the best music. The eagle on the silver dollar Is merely to remind us that riches have wings. Some men are afraid to marry and some men are fearless until after they marry. Many a man who claims to be truthful spends a lot of time echoing the lies of other men. A girl's Idea of sweetness is about equally divided between love's young dream and mixed chocolates. Women are always throwing out hints , but men have more ways of dodging them than a millionaire tax dodger. "One- should always breathe through the nose when asleep , " says a physician. It you awake and find your mouth open net up and shut It. Many a poor man , after the marriage ceremony has been performed wishes he bad one-tenth of the money be fooled away on other girls to buy furniture with. HUMOR IN THE BARNYAR D. fli" Saucy Young Mr. Pippy Say , Auntie , lend me your bloomers ? Found In The Philippines A NEW NOVEL BY General Charles King A Stirring Story of American Army Life in the Philippines by a Novelist who Was Himself on the Firing Line. in The Sunday Bee in about twelve installments , each accompa nied by handsome illustrations , Beginning September 3rd GENERAL CHARES KING , al ways a soldier before he is a novel ist , on the breaking out of the recent war resumed his command in the army and went out and led a brigade on the firing line at Manila. After about a year's hard service , his health broke down and he had to come home ; and then he became a novelist again , and wrote a story of Amer ican Army life as he himself had just been experiencing it under the entirely new conditions of warfare in a far-off land. The uniqueness of the opportuni ty there was no other practiced novel ist of army life besides General King in the fighting at Manila seems to have been -special - inspiration to him ; for a stronger , more interesting novel than this , one he has never written. It has unusual variety , individuality and attraction in its characters ; and it portrays ar'my life in the midst of actual war , much of its action be falling in the Philippines. In General King's earlier novels the war element has usually been , of necessity , limited to brushes with small bands of Indians , and such brushes , whatever their danger or fatality to participants , never seem quite like real warfare to the inexperienced reader. In this one , however , we have what must impress every reader as the real thing. The story opens at San Fran cisco , amid all the confusion , bustle and excitement of assembling large bodies of troops and great bulks of stores prepara tory to embarkment for the Philippines. It moves at a pace accordant with the stirring times ; telling incidents follow each other in swift succession , and there is an involvement and complication of people ple and circumstances as dramatic and absorbing as war itself It is thus one of those stories that leave the reader in the greatest impatience for the next install ment , and even ready to bribe the editor to tell him in advance how it comes out. It is safe to say that it is and will always remain the novel of the Philippine war. Except General King himself , there was" nobody to write that novel. WATCH FOR IT. The Sunday Bee.
