TI1E OMAHA DAILY BE 13 : WEDNESDAY. OCTOKEK 18.
TONS OF POWDER TO BURN
Considerable Left in New York After the
Dewey Celebration ,
UNCLE SAM'S WELL-STOCK D MAGAZINE
Vnnt ( ItinnlltlcN of Illuli
Stored In Old Kort Imfii M'ttc
How Slu-lN nnil fiirlrlilwv
( 'uici Arc l.onilfil.
Few New Yorkers know It , but the Naval
department of the United States government
Is maintaining today , virtually well within
the city's ' borders , a magarlno containing
enough high explosives to blow half the
town Into smithereens.
At the iircscnt time thin magazine holds
r.ot far from 200 tons , or 400,000 pounds of
black , brown and smokeless powders , and
thlfl IB about Its average , though there Is
room for at leant 120 ton more , and there
have been days since * the breaking out of the
war with Spain when upwardn of halt a
million pounds were stored there. Yet there
in really little or no cause for alarm , since
water surrounds the powder depository com
pletely and accident Is guarded against with
ell the precautions that Ingenuity can sug
gest and the itmost carefulness enforce.
This little known storehouse ot potential
death nnd destruction Is located on a tiny
Island In the most contracted part of the
famous channel connecting the harbor of
New York with the lower bay and through
which all the deep sea and much of the
coastwise commerce of the new world's
metropolis must of necessity pass. It Is
separated from the shore ot Statcn Island
( borough of Richmond ) by the better part
of n mile of water , though the shore ot the
borough of Brooklyn Is only a few hundred
yards away. H Is housed In a venerable
diamond-shaped structure of solid masonry ,
built for defensive purposes nearly eighty-
five years ngo , Just after the close of the
last war with England , named Fort Diamond
from Itn distinctive shape , and fitted with
an 'armament of twcnty-four-pounders.
When Lafayette visited the United States
In 1821 , he Inspected Fort Diamond nnd pro
nounced It one of the finest defensive works
ho had ever seen , nnd said Its guns were
ample tn stop any ship that over sailed from
proceeding up the harbor to the city. In
his honor It was renamed Fort Lafayette ,
and for many years was hold in high regard
both by the general government and tha
1 people of the big town It was built to dev -
v fend.
fend.Fort
Fort Lafayette ceased to bo regarded seri
ously as a fortification long ago , however ,
Us usefulness havlug been dpno away with ,
quite , by the Invention of modern high
power artillery. In fact , no defensive shot
lias over been fired from Its grim and solid
walls , for since the foundation of the repub
lic Now York has never been attacked by
a foreign lleot. Once or twice In the course
ot the civil war sea expeditions were planned
ngnlnst the town by the Confederate author
ities , but none of them came to anything ,
nnd It Is certain now that Lafayette will
never bo a factor In Now York's defense ,
Fort Hamilton , a modern fortification on the
Brooklyn shore hard by , having been erected
nnd fitted with heavy guns of the latest pattern -
torn to take Us place. Fort Lafayette has
served a useful purpose , however , nearly
every year of its existence. "While the clvi :
war was In progress the old fort was uset
for the confinement of political prisoners
and others , nnd a complete story of the
doings In those years within its walls one
under Its roof would make highly InterestIng -
Ing reading. After thojBlvll war Lafayette
gradually fell Into disuse"amPvfrtually was
abandoned by the nrmy , to which branch of
the nntlon'o service It belonged. Then flro
came along and destroyed all Us wooden
parts , and for some years it stood useless
and Idle , picturesque. Indeed , but moro or
less a ruin , In the narrow channel , InterestIng -
Ing as a place for elghtseeru to visit nnd nn
Instructive object lesson , compared with the
modern Fort Hamilton , In the evolution o
the art ot war , but nothing moro.
Nnvy'd niMtrllintliiK 1'olnt.
Fort Lafayette might be falling Into
deeper ruin still had It not occurred to some
one , not long before the breaking out o
the Spanish war , that save for one draw
back it would bo nn Ideal distribution maga
zlno for the navy.
The drawback was furnished by Its near
ness to the open sea nnd consequent dange
from hostile fleet In ca o of war. Tha
drawback wasn't counted for much , though
Hlnco no one then thought war would come
nnd , the navy bolng unable to find any othe
flultnblo magazine location , the fort's transfer
for from the army to the navy was Bug
gestcd and accomplished.
As soon as the transfer was made a bl
body of men was set to work making re
pairs nnd fitting the place up for Its ne\
service. Parts of walls had to bo rcbull
now roofs had to be put on , now floors hai
to bo laid and the arched casements that ha
served variously as barracks for troops ,
chambers for smoothbore cannon , cells for
prisoners and living quarters for army offi
cers , had to be transformed to null magazine
purposes. In the midst of this work came
the wur with Spain. Just what would have
happened had the fleet of the Dons really
attacked New York , nnd had Its commander
been aware of the old fort's contents , can
only bo conjectured , though It may be seen
readily enough that one shot dropped Into
A magczlno contnlnlng hundreds of thou-
anda of pounds of powder could raise no
nd of mischief.
The days Immediately following the war's
beginning were stirring ones. Hardly un
hour of nny day passed without the recep
tlon of an Invoice of powder , black , browner
or smokolefts ; there was hardly an hour that
a shipment wjis not sent away. Relays of
ordnance men were kept constantly at work ,
part of the time by night a well au by day ,
loading shells and cartridges nnd getting
ammunition in order for Its Journeys across
the continent to California , there to be
ehlpped to Dewcy on the Asiatic coast , to
Fortress Monroe for Schley's flying squadron -
ron , to Tampa for Sampson's ships that were
to blockade Cuba , and other points where
Undo Sam's sea fighters needed war ma
terial. Much of the repairing and rebuild
ing waa titll ! undone , and the shell and
cartridge loaders , the assemblers of am
munition , the masons , the carpenters and
the shipping forces wern all busted in ami
about the fort at the snmo time No doubt
they bometlmes bbudderod when they
thought what might be the horrible result
onpt. J. H. Mo-
"Foryt'nrol Buffered intensely from
n running gore on my leg , caused by
H wound rocuivfd in thu army. J
was treated by a number of doctors ,
nml tock many blood medicines ,
without the slightest benelH. S , 8.
8 WHS recommended , and the first
bottle produced it grout improve
ment. The poison was forced out.
and thesoru healed up completely.
S.S.S.r
. . . a
( Swift's Specific ) is the best blood reme
dy because it cures the worst caves. It
ii guaranteed purely vegetable , nnd com
pletely eliminates every trace ol impure
mood. Valuable books mailed free by
Bwift Spoeillo Company , Atlanta , Ga.
of a little carelessness , and there were Rome
pretty frightened workmen at Lafayette so
long aa there nan a possibility that- the
Spanish fleet might pay Its respects to New
York.
Kort l.nfnrrttc Toilny.
Dut today It Is different at Fort Lafayette.
As thn navy's chief distributing magazine.
the old fttiuctiire Is still a pretty busy place
In Its vsay , but at this time there Is none
of the confusion which marked It early In
ISPS. It won done away nlth , In fact , long
before the close of the war , though much
Is to bo accomplished yet before Lafayette
will bs In Ideal shape.
Leonard J. Q. Kuhlweln , who was gunner
on Dcwey'e flagship Olympla when the bat- j
tie of Manila was fought , and \\lio has had /
years of experience with ammunition ot all
BOrts , has ohargo of the mr azlne , and the
force of men under him , though not so nu
merous an when the war was In progress. Is
large enough to prepare and ship most of
the ammunition needed by the ships on the
various stations. Junt prior to the breaking
out of the war the jnjwder In etock was all
of the black and brown varieties , which
make smoke nnd plenty of It. but , by the
time actual hostilities had broken out , quan
tities of the new smokeless varieties , gotten
from all sorts of sources , had begun to pour
In. Today , while there la etlll a heavy stock
of the old explculves In the magazine , a
goodly variety of the smokeless powder Is
also kept on hand , and , gradually as the old
styles are used up for salute firing nnd tar
get practice , they will disappear altogether.
A fftll * at r i lnt aVinl t a ntiil nnfi lr1rtrt nt n/ta
Is kept at fort Lafayette constantly , In ad
dition to the powder , so that the cartridge
and shell fillers and assemblers can have ma
terial to work on , but the main stock of
shells , cases , etc. , Is stored at the Brooklyn
navy yard , being sent down to the fort when
needed. In value the contents of the fort
are not particularly Impressive -any $100,000
r thereabouts , counting the powder at 20
cuts n pound and allowing $20,000 for the
est of the shells nnd cartridge cases. This
alter estimate may seem excessive , but Is
ot , probably , since cartridge cat > es and
hells , especially armor piercing ones , coat
loney. Thus , each armor piercing ahell for
ne of the 'biggest ' guns Is worth $100. Five-
nch ohclls are worth $15 apiece , and the
artrldge cases cosi from $1 for the one-
> ounders to $6 for the six-Inch. Shells once
oughly shaken together , to that the
plumbago forms a coating on the little cyl
inders. It l this coating which gives them
tlii'ir blue-black color , and It la applied for
the same reaeon that plumbago Is used
iionietlnies as n lubricant In machinery be
cause It Its slippery. It Is the theory of the
government In coating Its cylinders of
smokeless explosives with plumbago , that o
coated It la less likely to generate heat
from friction when roughly handled , and to
less liable to unexpected explosion. I'owder
of thta sort for the larger guns 10 plainly
cylindrical In appearance , the cylinders
being about half an inch In diameter and of
the ennui length. It Is more than probable
that there will be many changes In the
composition of the smokeless powder used'
ty the United States navy , but the last
word has been said , apparently , with re
gard to ItB form , the plumbago > coated cylin
ders being much more easily manipulated
than any other form yet devU&d or likely
to be.
Kvery horce station ot the United States
navy has a distributing magazine , but that
at Fort Lafayette Is the largest , undoubt
edly , Us stock of explosive * being exceeded
only by that of the great storage magazine ,
located near Dover , among the New Jersey
hills , mjlcs from the sea and all possible
danger from a hostile fleet In case of war.
Gunner Uugan , who saw service In the
civil war , an Gunner Kuhlweln saw It In
the Spanish war , has charge of the Dover
magazine , and there are times when he has
n round million pounds of powder In stock
enough. It would seem , to blow all the
northern part of Jersey Into kingdom come.
Naturally , the most Important work at
Lafayette Is loading shells and cartridge
rases and assembling ammunition. Lending
shells Is simple , black grain powder being
used ( . ( together ( for smoke at the point of
expkfllon Is not objectionable ) , nnd black
powder can be poured In with little scoops.
Loading cartridges with the old style pris
matic powder Is more tedious work , the
octagonal grains having to be piled care
fully In a brafc form , so that each cartridge
for a heavy gun presents ft gnod part of an
hour's steady and skilful work. Loading
cartridges with the new plumbago-coated
cylinders \ as simple as loading shells with
black powder , for cylindrical powder can be
"poured. " The big strip powder for heavy
guns Is bundled Into bags , nnd this Is a aim-
1 pic operation also , but loading the small
strip rowdcr Into cartridge cases Is another
matter. This ha to be broken up as loaded ,
and there are few pereons , unused to seeing
high explosives handled with seeming care
lessness , who can watch the cartridge load
ers without n momentary feeling of fear.
The ordnance men who do this work are
all experienced hand * , nnt enlisted men , bul
mostly old men-of-warsmen who have servfi
In the navy for years nnd been honorably
i discharged. When loading cartridges half :
| dozen or more of them sit about a long table
formed of boards resting on trestles , with
] an open box ot the powder handy. Knoug )
I exploshe material Is weighed out on little
scale ? for u charge first , In each Instance ,
and then It the strip powder Is being used
I the ordnance man takes a handful In hU
, hands and breaks It up Into pieces that look
1 more like the preparation nf potatoes called
I "Saratoga chips" than anything else , after
j which ho stuffs the cartridge ciso full with
apparently as little caution ns It he were
handling Saratoga chips In very deed. In
the majority of cases he has to Jam the stuff
Into the case with a short stick of special
shape , and sometimes he has to pound It In
FORT LAFAYETTE , AVHBIIE ENORMOUS QUANTITIES OF EXPLOSIVES ARE
STORED WITHIN THE LIMITS OP NEW YORK CITY.
fired are gone forever , of course , but cart
ridge cases are preserved after firing and
used over again after bolng reshaped , being
available for seventeen or clghteen flrlngs
, . , - , . ,
there are cartridge cases at Fort Litayette
today that were fired at the battle of 'Santi
ago. There may bo some that saw service at
Manila , but that Is not certain.
SmolccleMN Ponriler.
Owing to the fact that smokeless powder
still Is new , comparatively , and the meth
ods of Us manufacture are undergoing
changes , that In stock at Lafayette Is in
various shapes and seem * to bo ot several
radically different ports to the layman ,
though with the exception of the "cordite"
on hand it Is all ot virtually the same com
position. The cordite wag obtained from
England , together with the war ships bought
there Just before the beginning of hostilities.
Its name suggests Its appearance , of which
you can get an excellent idea by Imagining
brown Jelly pressed into cylindrical strings
of various sites from lee than a sixteenth
of an Inch ( for use In the small guns ) to
nearly half an Inch , and then hardened
somewhat , but not enough to destroy their
flexibility.
The oddest appearing exploslvo now al
Lafayette Is the smokelesa powder , so called ,
first made In America for the heavier guns.
Like the English cordite , It is a "powder"
In name only. It looks for all the world
like carefully cut strips of slippery elm
bark , being light brown In color. It Is made
In slabs , BO to speak , each being about a
quarter of nn Inch thick nnd from eigh
teen to twenty-four Inches long. This powder
Is much safer to handle than common blacker
or brown powder , and will bear quite a blow
providing no sparks are struck. Like all
smokeless powder , It will burn without
special danger If a match bo applied to It ,
with a clear , steady llame , not flashing up
like the old sort. For
with a big B-B-S-E-A
the smaller guns there are also quantities
of powder at Fort Lafayette In Hhorter ,
narrower strips , but put up In the same way
practically as these great bark-like pieces ,
but the quantity of neither style Is large ,
and manufacture thereof was stopped some
time ago In favor of a string-like form
This powder resembles the smaller sizes ol
cordite , somewhat , though the color , n light
yellow , gives It an appearance not unllkt
Vermicelli and macaroni. Ilul the use o
explosive strings in Undo Sam's guns wll
not be continued long , for a new and pre
ferable form and with which Fort Lafayette
Is already Mrly well stocked , has been de
vised.
Smokeless powder of the new form , In
( ended for smaller gunu , appears , on casua
inspection , to be grained , and presents a
( flue-black or violet appearance. The
grains appear to be of a remarkable uni
formlty as to size , Look at them closely
and the secret of their form becomes up
parent at once. The powder is first turned
out In string form and then cut up into
lengths , each one being approximately a
perfect cylinder. After being cut up it I
put Into a receptacle along with powderei
black lead or plumbago , such as Is used li
lend pencils , and then the maes Is tbor-
with a small mallet. But the carelessness
Is only apparent , for the mallet Is of wood ,
which will not strike sparks , and the scoop
with which small pieces are taken up Is also
"wooden , while the metal pan of the scales
Is covered and no particle of iron or steel
with which the powder might come In con
tact Is allowed In the room.
In this respect there has been great Im
provement at the Fort Lafayette magazine
Ince the breaking out of the Spanish war.
Then the floors were uneven and In many
daces the nails which held the floor boards
o the Joists projected above the surface ,
eng ago this was changed by driving all
he nalte down below the upper surface of
ho floor boards , after which the holes were
filled with putty. After that the floor was
covered with thick linoleum , which was ce
mented down , not nailed , cement being ap-
) lled also at all the scams. Today it would
> e Impossible for a spark to be struck by
ho contact of iron in any of the parts ot
? ort Lafayette where powder Is stored or
oaded , for all the floors ore linoleum cov
ered and no one is allowed to enter the stor
age rooms in the casemates or the loading
and assembling rooms on the ground floor
wearing anything but "magazine shoes , "
which are sewed and contain no nails. Ot
course no smoking Is allowed , and the only
explosives which could bo set off by a blow ,
the primers and detonaters , containing ful
minate of mercury , nro stored outside the
walls of the fort proper , in a little structure
built specially to hold them.
In spite of the fact that enough high grade
powder to destroy a fleet frequently passes
In a single day through the hands of each
otdnnnco man employed at Fort Lafayette ,
they are a cheerful lot , telling stories to one
another as they work and cracking jokes ex
actly as they would were they handling the
roost harmless substances , and the storage
rooms containing tier on tier of ordinary
looking packing cases , would suggest nothing
so little as u powder magazine to moel * per
sona were It not for the frowning appear
ance of the arched windows , pierced through
stone walls six feet and more In thickness.
IIUI'TIIS OF THI3 MICA.
Whore the "Ilcoim" Art Ilcoicnt A
Colil Dark lied ,
Next to Sir William White's address , re
ports the London Graphic , the paper of
greatest Interest was that In which Sir John
Murray described to the members of the
geographical eectlon the conditions of life
In the great depths of the ocean. Of the
103,000,000 square miles which the ocea.p
tlcor measures , more than half , ho said , was
at a depth of between two and three geographical
graphical miles. On the Challenger charts
all the areas where the depths exceeded
3,000 fathoms had been called "deeps , " and
distinctive namea had been conferred upon
them.
Forty-three depressions were now known ,
twenty-four In the Pacific , three In the
Indian ocean , fifteen In the Atlantic and one
In the Southern ocean. Within these "deep ) "
twenty-four Foundings exceed 4,000 fathoms ,
including three exceeding 5,000 fathoms , The
greatest depth of all was to the east at
Friendly Islands In the South Pacific , where
the depth was 6.J55 miles , or , again , 2,000
feet more below the level of the sea than
the highest part of the Himalayas wag above
It. In the great depths below two geograph
ical miles the water was very little above
freezing point , and was n region of dark
ness as well as cold , for the direct rays of
the sun were wholly absorbed In pausing
through the superficial layers of water. Veg
etation was quite absent over 93 per cent
of the ocean bed and that cold , dark floor
was burled in dead marine organisms. In
Sir John Murray's own words , "It thus hap
pens that over nearly the whole floor of the
ocean we have mingled the remains of
animals which lived at the surface of the
water In tropical sunlight and the remains
of those which had lived In darkness am )
at a temperature to the freezing point of
fresh water. "
\rtturk SnlU Turin ) .
8AN FUANCISCO , Oct. 17-The oruUer
Newark camu down from Mare IMand thl
evening and will sail from Manila via Hone
lulu and Guam early tomorrow mornlne
Th * ' postofllce offlclalH put about ten tons of
mall matter aboard Nearly all of It U for
the Philippines and Guam. Twenty tons of
fresh provltlon * were also taken aboard.
CHICAGO BOX FACTORY FIRE
Two Hundred Young Girls Narrowly Escips
from Upper Stories ,
BELIEVED THAT ONE LIFE WAS LOST
Alpvnmlrr McMnnirrM , HIP Snlierln-
IciKlriil , Inst Soon MnKliiK 1H
Wity from Sl\tli to ' 1'hlril Ploor
llulliUiiH Icitro > vil ,
CHICAC10 , Oct , 17. One life Is believed to
have been lost tonight In a flro which broke
out In the factory of the W. C. Uitchlo
Paper Dux company. Five hundred persons
were employed In the building and about
200 were Inside It when the fire occurred.
It la believed everybody escaped with the
exception of Alexander McMasters , the su
perintendent. He was Inet seen making his
way from the sixth to the third floor , An
other person reported as missing was Laura
Thrill. 15 years of ARC. Sc\eral of her com
panions said she had reached the street In
safety.
Nora Koske mid n girl by the name of
Sands had not been accounted for up to a
late hour and w re placed on the missing
list. Two girls answering their description
were carried from n rear window by police
ofllcers.
Great excitement followed the discovery
of the fire , and 200 or moro employes , most
of them young girls , rushed , pulled and
fought their way down the narrow steps
from the upper floors. Many ot them es
caped down the fire escapes nnd were pre
vented from Jumping by policemen , who
urged them to hold on until the flro ap
paratus arrived. Long ladders were then
raised and one by one the frightened girls
were helped to the street. On the steps
they came together In a crush and several
of them were thrown down nnd trampled
upon.
One girl , Annie O'Drien , 15 years of age ,
fainted as she reached the second landing
and was carried to the street by her com
panions.
Thu building , which was six stories high ,
was practically destroyed , entailing a IDES of
$165,000 , of which $85,000 was on the build
ing and the balance on the stock and plant
of the nitchlc company.
I liy rlisnri'Ue.
LEXINGTON. Neb. , Get. 17. ( Special
Telegran ? . ) Flro this afternoon destroyed
a large stack of hav , a barn and a mule
jelonglng to a Mr. Johnson , who was a new
comer In this city. Ills boy with a compan-
.on waa smoking clgarettea near the hay
stack , sparks from the same Igniting the
stack. The names attacked the barn , con
taining several horses and mules , all of
which were got out , except one , which waa
entirely consumed. The hook-and-Iadder
company prevented further damage with
difficulty , as a high wind was blowing at
the time. No Insurance.
Half of llnllilliiK Dc < poe l.
CHICAGO , Oct. 17. Flro which broke out
early today In the six-story structure at
130 to 136 West Washington street caused
a Ices of $105,000. The entire cast halt of
the building was destroyed. The west half
Is occupied by the Fowler Bicycle company ,
but a fire wall prevented the flames from
spreading to this portion ot the building- .
The tenants who sustained lasses are : Chicago
cage Folding Box company , $25,000 ; Im
perial Klectric Plating company , $15,000 ; I.
Pleso & Co. , flour merchants , $20,000 ! Wal
ter Ehrman & Co. , manufacturers of bicycle
parts , $10,000 ; ICES to building , $35,000.
Feed Mills mill tcpot.
MONROE , Neb. , Oct. 17. ( Special. ) A flro
completely destroyed on Monday evening the
Monroe feed mill and all machinery con
nected therewith ; also the Union Pacific
depot and freight department. The loss to
W. E. Cole , owner of the mill , exceeds $1,000 ,
partly covered by Insurance. The origin ot
the fire IB a mystery. This Is the second
blaze In this locality within a week.
Ilnriii lit Sclmyler.
SCHUYLER , Neb. , Oct. 17. ( Special Tele
gram. ) At noon the barn of E. H. Phelps
was found In flames nnd was dcetroyed be
fore sufficient water could bo played upon It.
John Proke's barn across the alley was badly
scorched , half of the roo' being burned off ,
and his flno residence endangered. Losses :
Phelps , $250 ; Prokes , $50.
Conl Hunkcri Ar > Ablnzc ,
PENDLETON , Ore. , Oct. 17. A special to
the East Oregonlan from Pasco , Wash. , says
the Immense coal bunkers ot the Northern
Pacific at that point are on fire and burning
fiercely.
II no IIP Flouring Mill * .
BOONE , la. , Oct. 17. The Uoone Flour
ing mills and elevator , owned by Allan
Smith , burned today. Loss , $25,000 ; no In
surance.
COMPLETING MODUS VIVENDI
IniintMlliiiely Upon Hclurii of Srcrc-
Inry Hay In WnnhliiK < ou lit- Took
Uli IlnniHlury Mutter.
WASHINGTON , Oct. 17. Immediately
upon Secretary Hay's return today the
preparations began at the State department
for the completion of the modus vlvendl
relative to the Alaskan boundary. General
Foster was hard at work upon the details
of the modus nnd the expectation was that
In the course of a day or two the agree
ment would bo In effect. The negotiations
of late have been entirely In the hands of
Secretary Hay and Mr , Tower , the British
charge here.
It haa not been determined even yet
whether the agreement defining the boundary
temporarily shall take the form of a docu
ment signed by .both parties , or bo merely
a series of notes , but In either cose It will
bo Just as effective ns a regular modus
vlvendl , binding both parties to observe the
boundary laid down temporarily.
State department officials are confident that
Americans will have no cause to complain
tiiat their rights have been abandoned when
the full Bcope of the agreement Is made
known ; while on the other hand the Cana
dians cannot claim that they have
lost any right that they have enjoyed.
The purpose of this particular effort at
a modus was to regulate the boundary line
on the west sldo of the Lynn ranal. The
two parties had placed the line of demarka-
tlon on Chllcot and White passes , right at
the top of the passes , and there has never
been the slightest friction at those points
But because of the fact that the western
most of the three parses , namely , Chllcot
pass , wao fully forty miles removed from
the gea , the same rule could not be applied
by our representatives without great loss.
Therefore the recourse has been had to an
other expedient and the line of demarka-
tlon will run along the Klehana river and
from a point near Kluckwan. across to a
mountain peak on the southwest The effect
will be to give the United States control 01
the tide waters , the British fifteen miles
aboveto maintain the American control
to the new nnd Important porcupine coun
try , and lastly , to save the rights of all
American miners who are now on the. . Cana
dian side of the line. It It understood that
the modus will live at the pleasure of both
parties to It. there will be no date fixed for
Its expiration.
Tn Int ( IlKHlc fnlnrndi ) I.niv ,
WASHINGTON , Oct. 17 The executive
council of the American Federation of La
bor today dtactirsed the decision of the supreme
premo court of Colorado that the eight hour
law In the state Is unconstitutional and
concluded to open correspondence with or-
ganlzM labor In that state with a view of
acortatnlng the advisability of taking au
appeal from the derision to the United
States supreme court , the federation to as
sist In making this appeal , should It bo
deemed advantageous to the workers of
Colorado.
IniiriiiitliHCIIHC ( .lien ( Her.
WASHINGTON , Oct. 17. In the United
States supreme court today nn agreement
was re-ached between the counsel nn both
sides for the postponment of the hearing In
the controversy between the statea of Louis-
j innn and Texas over the jcllow fever quar- |
antlne until next Monday. The postpone-
1 menl was reached for the purpose of allow
ing n full bench to bo present ,
Yellow Fever nt Mntiiimm.
WASHINGTON , Oct. 17. Chief Surgeon
O'Reilly , at Havana , reports three cnbcs of
yellow fever In the hospital at Matanzas ,
Cuba , nnd three more suspicious cases un
der observation.
A M Kit If HAUIILKS I'Oft'I.VU. '
Driuniul for Them In All 1'nrtn of
( ho World.
The American saddle has now penetrated
to all lando as thoroughly ns the American
wheel , locomotive or t > po\vrlter \ , icporta the
New York Times. One can drop into almost
nny prominent local saddlcmnker's show
rooms , especially the wholesale dealers , and
find orders going to distant parts of the
globe.
During the past year or so there has been
n great change and n wonderful develop
ment In American saddles. The black sad
dle Is a thing of the past. H is only a
question of probably a tew months until the
fair leather saddle will bo adopted by the
army. It has already been adopted by Na
tional Guards In all states , nnd the guardsmen - |
men have found It so superior to the old |
black saddle that , like the tan shoe , It has ,
come to stay. It Is not only more durable ,
but looks better when new , nnd Improves !
in appearance with age. It needs no polishIng - |
Ing , as the black saddle constantly required ,
nnd for summer campaigning It Is much
cooler both for the horse and the rider.
The civilian rider was the first to dlscovei-
the superior merits of the fair leather s.ul-
dle and , consequently , It Is made for him
more extensively than for the military rider.
Some of the up-to-date park saddles shown
In the local oalesrooms are truly works of
art compared to the cumbersome , Ill-IUtlng
saddle of ten years ago. Pigskin is the
material used in the finest grades of fair
leather saddles , and , strange to say , while
the American saddle manufacturers are
turning out the best pigskin saddle In the
world they are compelled as yet to use Im
ported leather. They all say that the Amer
ican tanned pigskin is not up to the mark ,
nnd that there is room for the tanners of
this country to get into this field with large
profits If they can only turn out leather
that will hold up to the Imported pig.
The trees which go into the American
saddle are acknowledged to bo better than
the trees of any other country , and the
treeraakera are doing a large export busi
ness , as well aa controlling the local market
entirely. They have the art of saddle-tree
making down to the point that any horse
or pony can easily be fitted unless he is
abnormally formed.
Saddlers do not slap any kind of a tree
on a horse and fill up the Ill-fitting places
with thick blankets as formerly. Such a
great variety of trees are made that a hors ?
Is fitted comfortably , and one thin saddle
cloth Is all that is necosary between the
saddle and the animal. There Is no need of
sore backs any more. The rider and horse
can both bo comfortable on the longest
Journeys.
AHUSKS OF OOKAN TIIAVI3I. .
Hovr ( lie Creim Pluck I'nuHcuccrn liy
Mean * of Tlpn.
A gentleman writes to the New York Sun
complaining of the abuses of ocean travel ,
and particularly of the insults and annoy
ances to which travelers are subjected by
stewards , waiters and other steamship em
ployes If the latter are not tipped to the
extent they deem proper. The protest Is
timely and pertinent , and the writer of It
will have the sympathy of thousands who
have suffered from Iho Incivility of the
"holdup" gangs employed by steamship com
panies. Part of the communication reads :
"I waa a passenger on a steamship which
arrived at this port today , and was aston
ished to hear one of the occupants of state
room 31 In the second cabin treated
to the most scurrilous abuse , billingsgate
and contumely by a waiter who grumbled
at the smallness of the "tip" given to him
In response to his repeated demands. The
object of this uncalled for nnd unprovoked
abuse first apologized to the waiter for the
amount offered him on the ground that nil
his money was In the shape of checks which
could not be negotiated on board , but this
only served to intensify the scorn and abuse
of the liveried attendant , who held his vic
tim up to the ridicule of all the passengers
on deck. "
At present the stewards and other serv
ants on ocean steamers are the most rc-
moreelese highwaymen In existence , com
ments the Chicago Tribune. They are the
only plrateo who are etlll permitted to "rove
the .mnln" and rob their victim * without
police hit erf erotica. Their nefarious In
dustry Is not only protected but appears to
bo encouraged by the companies. prob bly
because It reduces the amount of their pay
rolls. The most trifling scrvlep la expected
to bo paid for In feefl , and a failure to pay
the scale" provokts not only the blackest
looks nnd Indignation , but , ne In the cose
cited by this gentleman , scurrility and
gross personal abuse. Some of the servants
on ocean steamers who expect gratuities
varying from 1 to 2 shillings ( RO cents )
for the voyage are the following : Table
steward , stateroom steward , deck steward ,
stateroom stewardess , smokeroom steward ,
b.ith steward , washroom steward , library
steward , barber , boots , cook , page , chief
steward , second steward.
Some of those named nro not usually paid
unless they render special service , but Ihe
slightest sen Ice by nny of them out of the
ordinary U expected to be paid for. The
purser's clerk will not decline a tip If It
comes his way. The doctor will not give
out the simplest medicine unices ho Is called
upon and prescribes nnd he expects to bo
paid for his services. In fact , there have
been Instances ot most extortionate bills
presented by the ship's doctor for slight nnd
unnecessary service volunteered by him after
the ship touched the dock.
In plain Kngllsh , this IB robbery , and I
robbery of the most aggravating kind , as the
vletlni Is left w Ithout recourse of any sort. I
It Is ilselepo for him to complain to the I
companies , for they sanction the offense.
They nre the ones to blame for these sys
tematic nnd oppressive outrages upon pas-
pengers by the servants who are supposed
to bo well paid , but In reality are kept tin
starvation wages. They are not to be blamed
for the extortion , though they should be
punished when they add personal annoyance '
to their other offenses. H is the companies :
which are to blame. The remedy lies In '
their own hand ? . j
The first transatlantic steamship company
which will pay Its servants properly , and
then establish n hard and fist rule forbidding |
them to accept tips , fees or gratuities of any
kind , will become a favorite with the travelIng -
Ing public and will speedily find Its reward
In a substantial Increase of patronage. In | I
all good clubs "tips" are absolutely for
bidden nnd the rule Is enforced. Why should ,
1
nut the ocean steamship companies make a j
similar rule nnd protect their passengers
from wh.it has become an Intolerable
nuisance ?
WITH IMS WIKH'S COJiSlJVr. TOO.
Count Wlu Co 111 CM to ThlN Conulry
Uvory Yrnr to } HlN Plr ( I < IM i * .
Though married , Count A. Dcssowny
comes o ry year to visit his love of long
ago , and with bis wife's entire consent.
The count Is a distinguished looking noble
man from Hungary , reports the New York
World. Well dressed , affable , of courtly
bearing nnd cultivated manners , he looks
the thorough man of the world that he Is.
But n romantic mission hns brought him
here , a mlrslon so full of sadness and emo
tion that It made him the most talked-of
passenger aboard the ship on which he ar
rived a few days ago.
To those ho got to know moro Intimately
be told his life story. Each year he comes
to thlK country tn pee the love who still holds
his heart , though he has wife and children
at home who know all. But this love's life
Is devoted to religion now , and his to the
wife and children.
"It was In my youth , " he explained , sadly ,
"I was chamois hunting tn the mountains ,
and after the day's hunt I went to the hunt
ball. There I met my fate the woman who
should have been my bride. She was the
beautiful Maria Theresa Klafauldy. We
compared notes. I found that f.he was the
daughter of-one of my old professors at the
university. ,
"That night I felt I had met the only
woman who could enter wholly Into my
life. "She was eo beautiful , so sympathetic ,
BO splrltuelle , so altogether heavenly. I
lingered long in the mountains. We fell
In love and ono beautiful morning I offered
myself to her.
"For a moment she did not reply. Then
she Bald : 'I love you more dearly than life
Itself , but I cannot marry you. I have al-
rcadv resolved to devote my life to religion
and to humanity's sufferings. ' I pleaded
with her , offered her everything I had In
the world , but she would not yield. I felt
i that I must leave those beautiful moun-
j tains as far behind me as I could.
| "I lived on , though , praying that she
might repent of her resolve , but I know
hope was useless when ono day I recelvci
word from her that she had taken vowi
of perpetual celibacy In a nunnery. She
did not become a nun ; she simply wlshct
to devote herself to good works wherever
she found opportunity.
"So I married an estimable woman , who
bore heirs to my titles and estates am
proved heieolf nn admirable mistress o
my home. But the charm , the splrituelle
character , the soul of my twectheart o
long ngo are not hers. My wife knows all
i With her consent I come here once every
year to visit the woman who Is now de-
1 vltlng herself to religion In America , who
. as a little Magyar girl , I loved In the
I mountains of Hungary. She llvas In ono
of your clticfa , where I nm not at liberty to
tell. "
! Count Dcssowny told his story ho aim
When in Doubt
What to Bat
Any grocer * { ! ! sell you Uneeda Biscuit. 5 or 10 cent pack-
ages. Avoid imitations. Made only by
NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY ,
For a pleasant change of diet , Un0odt ) wHl ei * Wojjfol * .
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214 State St. , Cor. Qulncy. Chicago , III.
ply , so convincingly , that everybody on the
ship tdtled his lot. There are lines of euro
In his fore anil * tr ( > aks of silver In his
hair far beyond his years. Ho declined to
tell where he w a going.
Slot' I or ii nnil
S1MUNOVMKI.P. 111. Oct. 17.-The condi
tion of General John A. McClernaml U
slightly Improved toilsy.
GREATER ,
GRiATEST
A Xrw Itnnrilx Thut Untold- Tint *
1'nle CiirrUnVllli the ( ilovr
< > f IlrnlUi.
We Solid n Vrrc Trlnl I'ni-UiiKc io All.
Wixiker , paler , thinner , dy by day , no
npiv tltp or strength , no desire for work or
reel ration , nervous , peevish , itleei'lcss , slok
of In-art nnd sore of limb these are the
conditions ot I'ountlesB numbers of half sick
men rtiul women anxiously awaiting some
message of lioiw and cheer.
Thcro Is no excilso for most people being
sick. There's a medicine that \vlll euro them.
A medicine that gor.s right to the roots of
pauses of nearly all slckncts. Thr name ot
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They put vitality Into weak bodies mnku
people strong , qulot the nerves , restore
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Uoea this seem Impossible ? If you stop and
consider that nearly every disease , no matter
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Dr. Dlx Tonic Tablets , first ot nil , aid the
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If you are suffering from excesses ot
any kind overwork , Intemiwrancc. etc. 1 *
you are tired and donM know what In the
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spells allemately your life Is In danger , but
Dr. Dlx Tonic Tablets will quickly put you
on your feet again. No difference what you
think your disease may be no difference
what the doctors call It , this medicine IB
' what jou need. Ten minutes after you take
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Tonic Tablets uro for sale by all druggists
,
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Send at once and bo well and happy again ,
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When otncrs ( a * : consult
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The Bee
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