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22 ■■■••'r"T"\HE people living on the avenue ->. ;- : ' I- In the vicinity don't like it. Hos :.'■ •' I p.itals for human patients are not ■:-.;.X. Vcinsidered to be desirable ad ': ;; . - : •■'"• jvm-cts to- a neighborhood, and a : :^.hosp;itca'for dogs and cats is. in theestl :^»at4oii.of adjacent residents and prop- even worse. Of the four dog • ;hbspj't.ais now supported. by the tender •'•■• heart e<i : citizens of San Francisco not ; ofte : is i situated where the neighbors : • - think that it ought to be. but the own •■■• : : era :of.. valuable exhibition and sporting • : dogs "mil- -suffering household pets, are ■ :only too glad to find, them wherever >• they may be located, and the gentlemen .r In charge of the various institutions for ■'■■ th!e care of sick or injured animals of .the smaller kind have one and all a •;;.• look- of • cheerful prosperity which it is :■'.- good to see. A •'.••• happened to be my ill fortune the ; other day to be one of the witnesses of 4 • a painful accident, the only remedy for : which in former days would have been •: -a- policeman's bullet. A handsome fox terrier, the property of Mr. Morgan ■*. ißtetn-of the Baldwin, was unfortunate -■• enough to get under the wheels of a :■•: passing buggy, with the result that the : -wheWs passed on and left the poor , : creature writhing in the street with both. his Torelegs broken. .-. ■' :;The dog is valuable in. himself and is .'"..■ jrn'qre ■valuable in that he is a family ./: pet,.. therefore instead' of being simply l"i .'"put out of his misery" he was careful- y ly bundled up and taken post haste to i^tire^ nearest hosDital for his kind. Josh JDayds : kind-heartedly constituted him • ; - ! self-- ambulance driver for the occasion ■.••a-h^l: I, .followed along to see how such :• - ; . : •6'a-.» i r'Renc-y cases are treated. V. . ■tViiitdoc had grit. With both of his ;< - ■•'•frpjJKljaws dangling helplessly and his :.-. jß?«ff bloodshot with the torturing pain, :■ ■' yiii.c Ji- -made him snap ineffectually at '; ::evor.y oiie else who came near him. he • ■sUl'mHited to the doctor's necessary ex .■'•' aiivin:itf.o;i without even a whimper. He ■-.'s^iitied in some way to understand at ; .oooe.ihat the quiet-voiced young man, :,- w.\t^ 'the sure, firm, skillful touch, was •iUrj'ing to help him, and gave up to ■•Vhfrn 1 Completely. , ... :V: V leva's tempted to put my fingers in '•• : Tny- \eitrs and look the other way when : - : : -.it'.hame to the agonizing operation of ■;;•' '■■EWt'ing the bones; but there was really " '^o' occasion for such a manifestation of .1 nervousness, for, save for an involun •'. -.tar^-. shiver which ran over the brave •■ '• little- body and a faint groaning growl, '. "% "<li6"patlent made no outward sign of /"••.auTfeiipg.. Then came the bandaging of ? i'. the' : lnjured limbs with splints and cloth : ' ; '. : ahd- plaster of Paris, and through all ; - : :'.*]hii's : he dog sat back and watched the BUILDING FREIGHTERS IN SIX WEEKS TO HANDLE THE ALASKAN GOLD RUSH . '.■..'...: BEFQRE THE KEEL WAS LAID. ■•■•'■■••7t : STEAMSHIP, finished com "' . iV . plete, from keel to smokestack, , • '.'. /A• in six weeks. =':.- "[/T^\. Surely, that Is crowding : •.' "T:- .;• things a little, but the Alaska ', .'boom has made such work nee ... essar>\ That Is the reason it is being ! .C' .done, these days. • : '.■.■■. .2s ever: in the history of shipbuilding •';. in' California has there been such ac .• tlyjt'y In the business. Every ship yard ' • about the bay is working overtime, and „•• in -some .instances day and night, so : i '.great is tl.. .demand for vessels to send ••' -.to. the- Arctic. Of course there is a great /id-eai of repairing and overhauling be ••-'ing-: done,, but new vessels are being ' . completed every few days. Over at the . V- Q&kland ship yard one day last week .' •"there". five new ships on the ways ' -at the. same time. It is safe to say that •! ..this, has never happened before in this • • part 'of: th© .- world. • : At the big foundries where iron •ships are built work is pushed as fast as possible, but Iron -hips do not get together, as -rapidly as wooden ones, so I .;th?it'ltls tedious work watching their grawtni ; "Wooden vessels come into ex ' >s.tan.ce" almost as If by magic and are *' nearly ready for sea as soon as they . a-re/lauilched. It Is to this class that ": the, greater number of Klondike vessels , - '.ljelbhg. .. • : ';..;.Qne'; steamer, the Virago, that sailed •for .Alaska a few days ago. was not in " : ..£*fstence at all on the first of last Feb ■.'."; r\ia-ry: - Tn fact, her keel was not laid : *.T}d;.it is barely possible the plans for /•••hen; we're not drawn. But things went •"■.:ai.o.ne:- smoothly from the start. "When •■; phV; got' into the water she didn't leak ...a drop, nor vibrate with the motions of ;.' • ;t[he: engine. ' ....... .'" vvdefp.re this vessel had her trial trip ..•:•"' BAft'was: booking passengers and load ":":-i'n£S;.frel^rht. Scores of men were at • ;-"'on" ; her rushing things along. .; steamer had her tri-J trip < i Mon . .^ay., ;the 14th inst.. and two days later .-! sb? ..saiifd- for the north loaded -down •' / .freight and gold seekers. But she ;:«ct:e(l like. charmed being and sailed •;.;tbro:ugh;the Qolden Gate as digninedly . 'as. '&:. liian-of-war that had been five ..■.•-jears'-Jn course of construction, instead •'•■• -of.' ilye. weeks. . Old salts said she : was .'tip :spo;.d:.-a: spo;.d:. -a vessel of ; her class as was ■.•ever; • built.' notwithstanding the short /time spent, in : putting" her together. • •;.',. To- -?.ee : . .one of these . Alaska .vessels .''.•cortye : i.nt6 beln^ is. like watching the ..•worVdt .a nia'glcian. A BAD CASE OF HEADACHE performance quite •with the air of a rather bored spectator. And then it was all over and he was borne back horne — since dogs petted as he is suffer from "heimweh" to such an extent as to Beriously affect their health — to be nursed back to strength and activity again. "Properly looked after," said the surgeon, "he will be as good as new in three weeks," and then, washing his hands of the matter literally as well as figuratively, he took me for a tour of inspection around his domain. It is surprising to the previously un informed mind to find how many Ills dog-flesh is heir to. Besides distemper, worms, fits and mange, which we have come to consider regular dog diseases, they are afflicted with many of the physical troubles of human beings. Pneumonia, gastritis, enteritis, con sumption, ague, la grippe. Bright"? dis ease, mumps, epilepsy, paralysis, acute mania, diphtheria, rheumatism and even elephantiasis, are ajl met with In the practice of a dog doctor, and as he must diagnose troubles entirely from visible manifestations, with no help whatever from the sufferer, it is neces sary to exercise great care in every case that is put in his charge. When animals worth thousands of dollars are put into one's hands for treatment it doesn't do to make even END OF THE SECOND WEEK. The person who orders the vessel or what her name is to be is a matter of no importance to the shipbuilder. He simply gets word to build a vessel ac cording to certain drawings and speci . fications and puts it down on his book '■■ as a certain number. If the vessel is ordered to be pushed through in I a hurry he starts work immediately, ( and within a few luurs men are build ; ing the ways on which the vessel is to be j constructed. Insideof twenty-four hours ; the keel will be laid and the sternpost i ready to be placed in position. At this | time there is not much to be seen only j three lines of timber lying on the ground. But this is the start. A week lateV this same spot will have a good part of a ship on it. Scores of j men will be at work and the sound of saw and hammer can be heard for a mile. Nearly all the ribs of the vessel will be in position and she will be ready for the planking. A week later a goodly portion of this will be done. The entire lower -->rtion will be covered and only the tips of the ribs will show over the side of the hull. At this time the machinery is being put in and more and more men are finding work on her every day. At the end of the third week the hull is practically finished and in another week the deck will be on and she will be ready for launching. Now men fairly swarm over her. At the end of the fifth week masts are in. rigging set and sails bent, and the greater portion of her painted. It only remains to put on the finishing touches In the cabins, see that the en gines are all O. K. and have a trial trip. THE SAN FRAXCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 1898. DOG HOSPITAL AN AFFECTIONATE MOTHER AND HER SICK PUPPY. small mistakes, and therefore to main- tain a position at the head of a sue- END OF THE THIRD WEEK. last Job Is done the new ship steams away for the Arctic, hardly six weeks after the day her keel was laid. CURIOUS KLONDIKERS BOOM FORTUNE-TELLING. YES, sir. I can tell you what luck you will have by going to the Klondike, Copper River, Dutch Harbor or any other place after gold." The speaker was a Creole wom i an of that well-known type found in New Orleans, which rank high among I the beauties of the South. Her olive complexion and sharply chiseled fea tures spoke of her French origin, and her polite and graceful air was at once j reassuring to her visitors, one of whom ; was a prospective Klondike adven : turer. They were Invited into the neatly ar ranged flat on Hayes street, where they discovered that they had to wait for their turn among the inquisitive fortune hunters. These other fortune cessful institution of this kind requires close and constant studj\ as well as the END OF THE FIFTH WEEK— GETTING IN THE ENGINES hunters were a great study in them selves. *Fhere were four men and three women, all of whom were well dressed. Two of the women were quite pretty and one of them, a decided blonde, soarkled with diamonds and a bejewel ed chatelaine watch. She was talking to the other of her husband, who it was learned sailed on the steamer Aus tralia recently for Alaska in quest of a fortune. The third lady looked like the typical old maid. She sat u^-'-ht and prim, eying the remainder of the com pany with curiosity mingled with a ability to manage dumb creatures un derstandingly and kindly. dash of suspicion. After a wait of half an hour the re porter and his companion were invited Into the sanctum, where the future is supposed to be revealed. Mr. Heeney wanted the very latest Klondike information. He had come all the way from New York and was en route for the north, where he felt assured that an untold number of yel low nuggets were awaiting his com-. Ing in the neighborhood of Dawson City. "Well, gentlemen, what can I do for LAME, BUT STILL VIGOROUS. I rather dreaded going the rounds of the wards, for suffering of any kind is not pleasing to behold, but there *ere no harrowing sights or sounds in store for me. There were sick dogs, or course, but they were all enduring their troubles stoicaJly, lying on clean straw in airy board pens, the tops or which are covered with wire netting, sitting about in wide stalls in the sun shine or taking constitutionals in the adjacent yard, and all who did not feel too ill to exert themselves greeted their medical attendant with friendly tail wags. There were three in the Inspecting party, for "Nippy," the head nurse of the establishment, left his bed in the office and accompanied us. This pro ceeding had its drawbacks, for Nippy, who is half Japanese pug and half fox terrier, is 9 years old, and now that he Is corpulent, weighing nearly three pounds, is extremely lazy. Yet, being mindful of his duty he insisted upon being lifted up to personally inspect every patient, which delayed us some what on our way. One handsome fellow sat disconso lately looking down at a front leg weighted down with a plaster cast; an other — a great mournful -eyed fox hound, Howard Vernon's "Don" — is Just recovering from an infliction of you?" said the fortune-teller with an engaging smile. Mr. Heeney, who had mined in Cali fornia in years gone by, produced a rich specimen of quartz which he had taken from the John Hite mine of Mariposa : County fifteen years ago, and said: "I want to know if there is any stuff like this in the Klondike country, and what sort of a show I stand of get ting any of it. But, I suppose." he con tinued, "you want your pay first? What's the damages?" "My advertised rates are 50 cents for gentlemen and 25 cents for ladies, but for Klondike gentlemen — well, I leave that to themselves," was the arch re sponse. "That means $1, I suppose," and Mr. Heeney tossed the coin upon the table. The medium then drifted into a semi trance, while she clutched the piece of gold quartz in her hand. She then drew a picture of awaiting wealth that com pletely dumfounded her listeners. She saw upon a sidehill at the foot END OF THE SIXTH WEEIC-TAKING ON FREIGHT FOR ALASKA. abscesses In his beautiful drooping ears, and wears a "canker cap «|«gj edly but not at all happily; and Sally Brass," the same gentleman s iZ'^ff old pointer, who Is known as the mother of prize-winners." has recently had a bad tumor removed and oeen enabled to again take her rightrul p ace In the aristocratic circles of canine iue. One dog, a victim of the fenderless car, has suffered the amputation or a hind leg and is trying bravely to ac custom himself to the new order or things. Three other dogs, his com panions in misfortune, are trotting about the city on three legs, having left the fourth one behind them in tnis 6ame hospital. „ "Dogs do very well on three legs, said the doctor, philosophically "after they get used to the novelty of it.^anci there 'are many people who wouid take care of pets if all four of the poor little creatures' legs were cut off. they get so attached to them. There is one former patient of mine down on Mis sion street who has lost a leg. She only weighs as much as Nippy here by the way, and she catches rats quicker ana better than any whole dog that I know." And then he showed me Vi, mn:e, a beautiful Irish setter, who is con valescing from a severe attack of pneu monia, and told me that this disease is a very common and fatal one among dogs. "Exposure to cold and damp brings It on," he said, "and house and toy dogs are most subject to it, for they are washed frequently and enough care is not always exercised about drying them. Taken in time it is curable, but too often the first symptoms, going off their feed, shivering spells followed by fever and labored breathing, are over looked or neglected. Winnie was for tunate in being taken in hand early. And Winnie waved her tail in grateful acknowledgment of the fact. A big white trolMog of subdued as pect lay on his bed trembling and start ing nervously, without apparent cause. "He 1 fell off a twenty-foot high roof the other day." said the doctor, "and It shook him up considerably, but he'll come around all right. ".and though I do not admire bulldogs as a class I found myself pitying the great sleek creature and hoping that the medical man's words would prove true. In the maternity ward a black and white beauty, with wavy hair and the gentlest and most beseeching eyes that 1 ever saw, was cuddling five blind little puppies, the images of. her beau tiful self and their sire the well-known Llewellyn setter. Rubber. She allowed us to take one of her darlings from be side her and admire it at close quarters, but was far from happy while we were doing so. And when the sprawling, snuffling baby was restored to her she forgot her manners and lay down be tween her offspring and her visitors. of a tree and not a great way from •water a large bowlder which was the beginning of a lode of miraculous rich ness. Lower down and nearer the water was fine gold and nuggets by the bushel. ""Will no one find it before I get there?" half gasped Mr. Heeney. No; it would stay there until Mr. Heeney picked it all up. Perhaps if he never came it might be found by another many years hence. He would have considerable trouble and some annoyance on the way. He should go by the Chilcoot route, though he would have a close call for his life in shoot ing the White Horse Rapids, but after that everything would be plain sail'nsr. Certainly this was enough for Mr. Heeney's dollar, and he started to get up with great fortune in the grasp of his mind. "That appears to be an unusual for tune for the price, madam," suggested the newspaper man. "Yes, it is rather fine," she returned, "but I've told the fortune of ten men already to-day, and it is now only 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and only one of them was a failure." "All of them struck it rich, eh?" "Yes, only some of them struck It richer than others, of course, in the fortunes I told them." "Then you have already made $10 and your working time is only half up for the day?" "Oh, more than that. You see, I've run the cards for six women already, and four of them paid me 50 cents each. You see, when I give good re sults they are quite liberal." "Is this an ordinary day's run of business?" "Yes; It has been that way since the Alaskan fever started. I have aver aged 520 a day for the past four months. Before that I did not make over $3 a day. This excitement is a sort of Klondike right here for fortune tellers." "Have any of your patrons struck the fortunes you predicted for them?" "Why. of course. There is Iky Hcrltz. the letter-carrier: he made a hit. There is Walter Waller, the snake charmer and king of hobos, as he is called. I told him last year there was plenty of money for him in the Klondike. He spent his last nickel for an outfit, and now he has returned with JSOOO in cash and has a claim which he refused $10. 000 for. He is stopping with Henry Drewes, the grocer. He will be going back in a week or so. Pat Fahey of Angels Camp struck it rich and "has two claims on my advice. "I am acquainted with a very small percentage of my patrons, you must know. Therefore I cannot tell how many I have benefited." All of this served to strengthen Mr. Heeney's faith in the fortune teller, and ; he thanked her profusely while being shown to the door by the little girl of the house.. But he was not altogether satisfied, so he called upon six other professional readers of the fuiure — four of whom were women and two men. At each place there was a visit from five to fif teen minutes, showing that there was a regular Klondike rush in the fortune telling business .