The Indianapolis sentinel., May 31, 1885, Page 11, Image 11

About The Indianapolis sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904

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THE INDIANAPOLIS DAILY SENTINEL, SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 31, 1885.
11
OUR TORNADOES,
THEIR FOrtMTIOvr AND P:.1DN
ITCRY SIGNS OF APPROACH.
Opprrlve SuItilneM Peculiar Ap
pearance of the Cloud A Strange
Llvidne Ilearj Koarlnjj The
Fatal Italloon-Sbaped Destroyer.
Compiled from Gen. Hayes' Report.
Omitting consideration of the tornadoes,
Bo-called by Portuguese and Spanish navi
gators on tbe African coast, and confining
our attention to the United State , it ia be
lieved that tbe?e storms aie.posse'sed of the
following prominent characteristics: Tho
general direction of movement of the tor
nado is invariably from a point in the south
west quadrant to a point in the northeast
quadrant. The tornado cloud assumes the
form of a funnel, the small end drawing
near to, or resting upon, the earth. This
cloud and the air beneath it revolve about a
central vertical axis with inconceivable
rapidity, anl always in a direction contrary
to the movement of the hands of a watch.
The destructive violence of the storm is
ometime.rconfined to a path a few yards in
width, as when the small or tail en I just
touches tho earth; while, on the other hand,
as the body of the cloud lowers, more of it
rests upon the earth, the violence increases,
and the pat a widens to the ei ire mo limit of
eighty rods.
On tbe day of the storm, and for several
hours previous to the appearance of the
tornado cloud, what indications of its prob
able formation and approach are within the
comprehension of an ordinary observer, and
can readily be detected by him? A fultry,
oppressive condition of the atmosphere,
described by various observers as follows:
"I really experienced a sickly sensation
ander the influence of the sun's rays." "I
was compelled to stop work on account of tbe
peculiar exhaustion ex. erienced from physi
cal exertion." "It seemed a if the lightest
garments that I could put on were a burden
to me." "There was not a breath of air
stirring." "Th air, at timas, cam in puffs
as from a heatei furnace. " "I felt a want
of breath, the air frequently appearing too
rarefied to breathe freely." "I was startled at
the sudden and continued ri-e in the ther
laometer, especially at thij season of the
year.' "It was terribly oppre sive; it
seemed as if the atmosphere was unusually
heavy anl pressing down on me with a
great weight. "
Enough examples have been cited to indi
cate the effects and signs of this oppressive
sultriness. Other signs may be found in the
development and- peculiar formation of the
clouds in the western horizon. Sometimes
these peculiar clouds extend from th south
west through tbe west by the north to the
northwest. More frequently, however, they
form in the northwest and southwest, some
times commencing first in the former
quarter and then again in the latter, but in
either case they are equally significant.
The marked ' peculiarity of the clouds is
found to occur not only in the form but in
the color and character of development.
The sudden appearance of ominous clouds,
first in the southwest and then almost, im
mediately in the northwest and northeast
(or perhaps reversed in the order of their
appearance), generally attracts the attention
of the most casual observer. In almost all
cases these premonitory clouds are unlike
any ordinary formation. If they are light,
their appearance resembles smoke issuing
from a burning building or straw stack,
rolling upward in fantastic shapes to great
heights; sometimes they an like a tine mist.
or quite white like fog or steam. Some
persons describe these liit clouds
as at times apparently iridescent or
glowing, as if a pale whitish light
issued from their irregular surfaces.
If the pramonitory clouds are dark and
present a deep greenish hue, thi3 fairly for
Lodes very great evil. So also, if they ap
pear jeL biack from the center to circum
ference, or if this deep set color appears
only at the center, gradually diminishing in
intensity as the outer edges of the cloud or
bank of clouds are approached. Sometimes
these dark clouds, instead of appearing in
solid and heavy masses, roll up lightly out
till intensely black, like the smoke from an
engine or locomotive burning soft coal.
They bave been described as of a purple or
bluish tinge, or at times possessed of a
strange li vliiws i, or fivqumtiy dark green,
and again of an in'.cy liljcknes i that fairly
3tartl?s on 3 with it intensity.
Another :s I TLV'mbl "tg-i of the tor
nado's approach is a heavy roaring, which
augmeat in intensity as the tornado cloud
advances. Thii roarin? is compared to the
passage of a heavily loaded freight train
moving over a bridge or through a deep
f)ass or tunnel, or as heard on damp morn
ngs when the sound is very clear and loud.
At times the roaring has beou so violent
that persons have compared it to the timul
taneou TU'h of 10,000 trains of cars."
Again, tha roaring is likened to tbe low
uTilbi;nT of di tant thunder. The varying
intensifT of thtf.roar, as here represented, i3
apparently dud t5 tmj tec&pf uniformity in
Iba positions 85 ÄSTiriCuI ZTTSfiXh
respud to trrrj advancing tornado cIqucl !
Thöse Mtuated nearest the cloul, other
things being equal, experience the loulest
roar, while to tho e at greater diitances the
noise is proportionally weaker. In any
event, however, the noise is sufficiently pe
culiar pfu di;tinct to create alarm, and
as a means of warding should not be over
looked under any pretext.
The tornado cloud Lj, generally speaking.at
its fiTitiSfmitiDn funnel-sha pod that U to
say, it tapers from the top downward, not
always m the same degree with every ap
pearance of the cloud, but the lower end of
It (the part nearest the earth) Is invariably
the smallest, and this, too, whatever may
be the inclination of the central axis of the
cloud to the vertical or plumb line. As ?een
in different position and. stagey of develop
ment by various observers. located differ
ently, the tornado, cloud ba$ been called
balloon-shaped "tjasliefchaped," "egg
shaped;" "traüini bn the ground like the
tail of au enormous kite;" "of bulbous
form;" "lik an elephant's trunk," etc. In
themaiotlty of instances, however, observ
QiScribo the cloud as appearing like an
Sbrifcht funnoL "When the small end of the
cloud just reaches t o the earth, the violence
of it whirl causes a peculiarly formed cloud
of dut and finely divided debris, around
which playmall gatherings of condensed
vapor.
To appearances, mow, the tornado cloud
has two treads, one on the surface of the
earth and the other in the sky, the bjxiies of
each jy!hingin mid-air and tapering both
ways trith tbe smallest diameter at their
junction. In other words, the cloud now
assumes the shape of an hour-glass, and the
lower portioa dlsplavs extraordinary de
structive Violence. This last and most fatal
form of the tornado cloud 1 fortunately,
not a constant feature of the storm. The
tornado clou I is constantly changing from
the hourglass form to that of the upright
fennel, or some other intermediate shap
ppevteusly referred to.
A Small Balance.
rwaterbury American.
Th? Lincoln' monument 1 fund amounted to
C23.C00, raised by popular cxbscrrption soon
cftsr Lincoln's death, but ciUHss and da-
Kgns ior tee monument, ;wnieh was nver
begun, uare left a balance of only $ 1 500
Of it.
A DEAD NOVELIST.
Some Reflection on H Ieatli of the
Author of "Dark Days.
Original, i
Thed?athof Hugh Co:vay, the novelist,
recently, at Monaco, isashrpreininlerof the
mutability of all earthly p&ms anl pros-cts.
It recalls the legend of tl-e wish au-:l, who
hovers continually abou' mortals, hearing
them express their most, cherished desires,
lie grants their wish sooner or later, but
under conditions which -Trip it of all ior.
lie humbles human bein;. by giving them
what they long for, and thereby proving the
illusiveness of all drcaiastif happiness. . j
Very little is known Vf Hugh Conway, '
whosa name in private fe was Frederick ?
John Fargus. He lived, ipire 1, strove, and :
in some measure achieve then lied iost as !
me se?moi to open befort him. That much
is known. The ellipsis in. the short chapter
can be readily filled by the imagination of
any one who knows how Uep and rugged is
the pathway that leads e ve u to the boundaries
of success. :
He was only thirty- serun years old, had
had bis share of struggle, self-denial, priva
tion and bafil jd hope, of j course, since none
who strive are strangers to these dragons
that crouch by tho road to eminence. Two
years ago Mr. Fargus, wh was an auctioneer
in Bristol, wrote "Called Hack," a story now
known to two or throe hundred thousand
readers here and abroad. It was published
in Arrowsmith's Annual, 'and lay unnoticed
on the London book stalls or weeks, and per
haps months. On3 day i'lenry Labouchere,
going on a journey, 'picked it up to
beguile the tediousness of travel. He read
it, was pleased with it, aril afterward spoke
of it in Truth as a very :iever story. Then
all London wanted to read it, and did read
it. The Annual was komi exhausted, and
"Calted Back" was brough t out in a new form.
A hundred thousand copioj were soon sold.
It was republished in this country, and had
an 'enormous sale. Itwss dramatized and
had a long run in London and also in New
York.
As a work of art "CaHed Back" had its
defects, but it also hal hat offset the de
fectsan indefinabls charm. It had force
and feeling, the germ and life of all art.
One felt that its author had a strong per
sonality. It depicted no new phase of life,
revealed no hidden things. It simply groupel
some old, old figure of fiction in a more
striking war. There was n flnvnr.of rwwha
irgnrmys5aoout ft, and a surprise at the
end of it. Tho characters which' figured in
it, and whose fato had su:h a potent charm
for so many thousands cf readers were: A
blind man who recover his sight by the
usual surgical operation, a beautiful mad
woman, two very daring and successful
villains, with a faithful nurse and one or
two other ciphers in the shape of obscure
servitors. Yet the adventures and entangle
ments of these personages commanded the
public's warmest attention.
A few months later "Dark Bays" appeared.
This had still greater success than its prede
cessor. Its heroine was also a beautiful mad
woman, and it had a captivating surprise in
the last chapter. It was steady, unmitigated
tragedy from the first to the List word. It
was serious to the point of depression, never
deviating into the slightest approach to the
comic or flippant. It was an intense story,
dramatically told in the first person. It had
not a line of philosophy. Indeed, there was
not a word in it unnecessary to the simple
telling of a powerful tale. Its author had
acted upon the old idea that a story should
simply be a story nothing more, nothing
less. He demonstrated that it needed noth
ing but pqwer and feeling to make it tako
hold on its readers.
These two books brought gold and honor
to their author, and opened the way for fu
ture achievements iu the field he had long
hungered to enter. Then, just as he had
fairiy begun to breathe the air of his dreams,
he died. Cloe attention to his wort left
him exhausted. Seeking recreation and rest,
be went to Rome, and there probably con
tracted the malaria which culminated in
typhoid fever at Monaco, and ended his life.
We, who see only that part of life which
begins and ends here, look upon a sudden
lopping off lite this with sadness. It strikes
us with mournful perplexity. Yet, it has
been said, that some time we shall know that
every lite is complete. The symmetry and
perfection of human endeavor are hidden
from our finite eyes, but they may be there.
It cannot be that all human endeavor is
empty and unrewarded. Even what looks so
to us may elsewhere have its full fruition, its
long day of Joy. Tbe soul, that mysterious
star of our life, which "cometh from afar,"
turns its back upon the priz3s of the world
that it may win greater ones in better coun
tries. Death, the ancient mystery, bides many a
perfected dreaui beneath a coffin lid. In
deed, we may one day learn that he is kind
est to thoso whose eyes he closes while life is
still bright to them. They who pass out of
the contest before they are wounded are
doubtless tho most bless ?d. Yet we are so
untaught in wisdom that we bestow upon
them pity and lamentations instead of felici
tations. We speak of the sadness cf a life
ended when its desires were beginning to be
realized. Wo forget that all honors, are
tfjort lived, that fame is a breath which an
ad verso wind may dis-ipnte; that fair pro
jliswet-yojccfmli who twHtc witn us
Gre from time to time? have wings and flv
away fitfuUv, whispering never a word oC
their return.
Remembering how difficult it is to live, we
should lav a flower upon the grave of Hugh
Conwav with a smüe. The pen dropped
from his hand when it had but begun to
show its power; yet, who shall dare to say
he has lost by the change? Man is, indeed,
of few days upOn the earth, and those days
are filled with what seem v a imaginings,
futile strivings:
Ilere sits he, shaping wings to fly,
His heart forebodes a mysterv;
He names the name eternity."
Gertrude Gaiuusoit.
New York, May 2S.
Tossing the Teutonic Guard.
Ben: Terley Poore."
One of the most efficient divisions In the
Army of the Potomac, as organiiod by Gen.
McClellan in the fall of lSol, was that com
manded by Blenker who came at the head
of tbe Kirt German rifljs of New York,
about 800 strong, a ad became the com
mander of some 12,000 men, nearly all of
them Germans Like the children of the
captive Jews, Who spoke "half in Hebrew
and half In the speech of Ashdod," thes
Teutonic warriors had a vague idea of the
English language, and their style of "chal
lenging'1 was unique.
As I was going the grand rounds with a
lady and gentleman from Boston, we wer
"passed" through all the pickets on tb
Leesburg turnpike on the presentation of a
free season ticket on a railroad route, which
was first shown by accident instead of tht
legitimate pass from headquarters, and af
terwards to test the knowledge of the sen
tries, "Yah I d&t ish goot forvartP was
the approving verdict rtcr ach -ccten&ibU
careful exaiainatioa ot tht card.
pects mar erui in nerce storms; that joy may
come with the morning and sorrow intrujjs
nfctvVM? that hone, health. harninsj 11
DOWN IN MEXICO.
HOW SOME OF OUR PEOPLE MISBE
HAVE AMONG THE MEXICANS.
Why the Average American I Not Liked
One Trait Which Is Specially
Provokini; The lludeness of
an Excursion Tarty.
Mexico Cor. New York Postl
I have sai 1 the average American is not
liked. As mi;ht be expaote 1, t'iera are
many in Mexico who are just a much re
apected anl likel as anybxly. No ona
recocrniz a gentleman more quickly than
the Mexican, and no one .ap reciates one
more. Some of these Americans have lived
there many years, hav9 well-established
business, and own property; others have
but lately com3 in with the railroads, or
are connected with tliem, and hava entered
the country to stay. The testimony of all
these is unanimous that an American who
attends to his own affairs, obeys tha laws
and acts a3 he would in any other foreign
country, i3 as well t eatad as anywhere on
earth.
My observation bs gone even beyond
this, viz. : that an American who does not
behave himself is not treatad half a badly
as ht de-serves. Americans would not dare
to behave in any other foreign country as
most of them do in Mexico, yet their im
pudence and intolerable swagger are pa
tiently endured. If they do not in some
way break the law, they are not molested;
and, if they do, they often e cipe with
half the punishment they deserve. Some
of the Americans are coarse, vulgar loafers,
whose looks condemn them half a mile
away, whom it is safe to arrest at any time
on mere suspicion ; others are roughs and
refugees who are much "wanted" by prose
cuting attorneys in th United State-;;
others are genteel dead-beats wh", p3r
haps bring good letters of introduction,
borrow money anl get credit upon them,
and suddenly disappear; others may be
honest and industrious enough, but simply
Ü1 bred.
Of all the American's traits, hi? peculiar
style of getting intoxicated most provokes
the Mexican. The Mexican has no obj3ction
to a man's taking too much. He h irr. self oc
casionally mistages his gauge. But he does
it at home, or if not he gets home or.to the
calaboose with all pos ible dispatch with the
aid of a friend or a p liceman. He makes
no noise, disturbs no one, and generally goes
to sleep. The American's style is just the
reverse. He makes all the nois? he can, dis
turbs everybody, and stays avake all night.
Tüis is his sole conception of a ''high time."
The Mexican generally gets intoxicated ac
cidentlly, th American intentionally and
with intent to "paint the town," which he
here does in royal style.
A much better class of Americans is now
entering Mexico, and the Mexicans will
perhaps soon presume an American to be a
gentleman until they learn otherwise, in
stead of the contrary. Still too many even
of tho-e who should know better behave in
Mexico too much as they would in an Indian
village in their own country. Last winter
an excursion party of some forty or fifty
young men and women from San Francisco
went down to Mexico. They were all over
21 years of age, and as tliey traveled in two
special Pullman cars anl were fashionably
dressed, it is fair to presume tbey had been
brought up by somebody and educate 1 some
where. At Paso del Norte some of them
chippad off pieces of the church to tee what
it was male of, and shook hands with
the figure of the Virgin Mary. At
other places they walked into houses and
looked about as if they were ancient ruins,
without asking permission or saying a word
to the inmates. In others they felt of the
people's clothes to see the quality of the fab
rics. Everywhere they stared at native ladies
and gentlemen infinitely their superiors in
education, refinement and wealth, much as
one would gaze at wild animals. In true
American styJe it was assumed, of course,
that none of the natives understood a word
of English, and comments of all sorts were
exchanged in full hearing of the objact of
the comments. All such actions are pa
tiently endured by the people, who generally
attribute them to ignorance and bad breed
ing, though there are plenty who are acute
enough to know that they are thus treated
simply because they are Mexicans, and that
Americans would not 4hink of thus acting
the hoodlum in England, France or Ger
many. ON DUTY.
Original. J Z
The camp-fire dimly burns
7 I
Through the night and the snow,
And over a frozen earth
The wild winds blow.
But the sentinel stands at his post
As the hours creep by,
While clouds grow heavy and thick
In the sullen sky.
lite limbs drag hard, he longs
To rest awhile;
Yet over his white, cold lips
Comes never a smile.
For his heart is a soldier's heart,
And his blood runs warm
When he thinks of his brother-men
Asleep in the storm.
Then ho shoulders hi3 gun and draws
A quick, deep breg&;
What foe shall conquer htm now
But the foeman I caShf
A soul had sorrowed, much
And had waited long -
It had striven as heroes strive
Am iii the throng.
Yet firm as an oak lhat Swayi
In tha boreal breath.
It saw men fail and die,
And smiled on Death.
George Edqab Moxtoomert.
New York, May 2S.
Stage Fright of Experienced Actors.
Brooklyn Eagle.
The oldest and most experienced act ort
suffer from stage fright when they appoar
before an audience without the environment
of a play. The hardy professionals who re
cited at the lenefits recently given at the
Casino and the Academy of Music were as
nervous as a lot of untrained amateurs when
they went out upon the stage. When Mr.
Mantall, who is usually the most placid and
elf contained of actors, went out at the
Casino to recite, beads of cold perspiration
bode wed his manly brow; tha first verses of
hi! poem showed that the actor was ex
tremely self conscious.
That resolute and earnest young trage
dian, Howarth, who never gave the slljht
evidences of nervousness when nlarixur
tC3 leadfng support1 of John McCullough ,
was as pale os a ghost when ha stepped out .
to give his racitation in everyday clothes. J
it was with Ormond Tearle, when he re
cited at the Academy of Music I have often
heard actors speak of it, anl the only ex- !
planation that I can give is that when they
have the make-up on their faces and a char
acter is developed in A play their own iden
tity is lost behind that of the role in which
they appear. The make-up on the face is a
sort of ma k which gives them can fide nco.
As an instance of this, Billy Kersands, the
well-known minstrel, is as nervous as a
schoolgirl on commencement day if he ap
pears on the stage without burnt cork. Tne
burnt cork i quite unnecessary, as K.?rand3
is a negro, but he puts it on regularly every
night b:fore he gois upon the stage.
Beauty and" Urewster.
Chicago Tribune.
This story is told of the first meeting of
ex-Attorney General Brewster and his
handsome wife: Bre Water as a lawyer had
ioma business before tha bureau of the treas
Cy, in which his wife was employed. He
went into the room in which she was at
work. Looking up and catching a sight of
her future husband, she involuntarily ex
claimed to the lady seated next to her:
Well, that is the ugliest man I ever saw in
ny life.' Brewster took off his hat and,
bowing very politely to the surprised lady,
said: 'Thcnk you, madam. I always like
x hear a lady speak frankly what she
liinks. An acquaintance followed anl a
narriage came after. Mr. Brewster ha3
Irequently twitted his wife about the first
vords she ever spoko to him."
The Only Fighting Apostle
New York Letter.
It is well known that the late Elias Howe,
Jr., the inventor of the sewing-machine, not
culy enli&ted as a common soldier in the
ranks of the Seventeenth Connecticut regi
ment, carriel a mukat and did full mili
tary duty during the war, but at a certain
juncture when national finances were at a
low ebb, he paid soldiers of the regiment
their wages for three months out of his own
pocket. Reiative to this incident, P. T. Bar
num the other day told the following story,
never before publiahed:
While Mr. Howe was counting out the
money referred to, a stranger who was a
clergyman entered the tent and said he had
heard of Mr. Howe's liberality and had
called to ask him to contribute toward
building a church for his congregation.
"Ciiurch, church," said Mr. Howe, with
out looking up from tho bills which he was
counting. "Building churches in war times
when so much is needed to save our country I
What church is it?"
"St. Peter's church," replied the clergy
man. "Oh, St Peter's" said Mr. Howe. "Well,
St. Peter was ihs only fighting apostle ho
cut the man's ear off. I'll go 500 on St
Peter, but I am spending most of my money
on salt-petre now."
MOSAICS.
To me mora dear congenial to my heart,
One native charm than all the gloss of art
Goldsmith.
The honors of a name 't is just to guard;
Tnev are a trust but lent us, which we take,
And should, in reverence to the donor'
fame,
With care transmit them down to othei
band. Shirley.
What is the Whichness of the Now
And the Ituess of the This?
A dainty maid with pouting lips,
And a time to snatch a kiss.
What is the Whereness of the Then
And the Nearness of tha Who?
An old papa, with uukind haste,
And a number twentv shoe.
John D. Sterry.
She sat alone on the celd gray stone,
And this was tbe burden of her moan:
My uncle is cook on board of a sloop.
My cousin has joinel a theatri.ral troupe.
My si-.ter caught cold with.ha beau on the
stoop.
My lover dear
Lies under here,
And I sit alone and think and think,
For I can't go alone to the ska ting rink.
--the Judge.
AWORD OF WARNING.
Advice to Americans Who Are Tempted
by the "IJargain" Teddlers of Paria.
Paris Cor. Chicago Tribune.
And here let me venture another word ol
warning, in addition to tbe one about auto
graph, which I hope may be useful to my
traveling countrymen. Be on your guard
against all those itinerant venders who call at
your lodgings with so-called bargains which,
for men, are contraband cigars pure cab-bage-leaveö
pipes having belonged to some
distinguished personage I was let in once
with '"Gtm. Bern's meerschaumn and fancy
cravats; and for ladies handkerchiefs, lace,
and curtains 1 Everything is a mere catch.
penny. Half the time they are stolen goods,
for buying which you risk being treated as a
receiver.
Not infrequently their sale is a device of
the enemy to take tho topography of youi
apartment with an ultimate Yiew to its rob
bery; and even when the seller is honest
that is to say, when he is not the burglar's
forerunner or the shoplifter's delegate, he
palms off his gull articles that have been
picked up bv him at some auction of
cTfghtly dJTmaged gj ods," and which when
examined after'they have been paid for, turn
out to be vastly inferior to what can be pro
cured at half their coit from any respecta
ble Parisian tradesman.
A regular association with a viw to ex
ploit the credulity of foreigners exists in the
French capital, and has iU ramifications all
over the continent with male and female
agents, who operate on the unwary with the
connivance of your concierge or of the
waiter at your hotel, who share the profits of
the transaction, esteeming all strangers, and
especially American strangers, as creatures
who have been created and brought into the
world simply to be the prey of impostors
and charlatans. Turn a deaf ear, O, my
compatriots, to these applicants for your
patronage, charm they never so wisely, for
they have honeyed tongues, and if you listen
to their song will cheat you in spite of your
better judgment
Never mind if they do tell yon that they
have been recommended by a friend of
yours. Sometimes they have been by peo
ple who, in order to get rid of their impor
tunities, give them a list of their acquaint
ances. Oftener they have copied the
names which appear in the travelers' list of
th Anglo-American newspapers; but
whether they have been recommended by
any one, or have forged a recommendation
for themselves, kick them out unhesitat
ingly, for they will not sue you for assault
and battery, as they hugely dread any in-
judicial antecedents; if you do not you will
risk the robbery of your apartment, not in
frequently complicated with a murder, and
at the very least yog are saft to tt
swisdled. . .
ITIIE TOSTOFFICE.
A GLANCE AT THE WORKING OF A
BIG MACHINE.
How New York's Mail Matter I Received.
Sorted, Stamped, Distributed and
Sent on Its AVay Details
of the Work.
New York Times.
Along the Park row side of the New Irork
postofilce. on a level with thj second floor
and carefully protected at either end, there
runs a narrow little gallery, bare and cold
as a prison corridor. Now and then an em
ploye of the office flits along over its stone
floor or possibly a visitor walks through it
Standing in this gallery one lookidown upon
the principal working room of the largest
and best-managed postofilce in the United
State?. He is near enough to the roof to
note, the great glass ceiling, ribbed with
iron, through which the sunlight filters, and
on which the rain falls with a muffled sound
or the snow lies heavily. He is not too far
from the floor below to be confused by the
scores of hurrying men, the glare of dozens
of electric lights, if the day be at all dark,
and a curious jumble of sounds, some of
which he has seldom or never heard before,
and all of which iO?m to be hopelessly en
tangled, although striving valiantly to ex
tricate themselves.
A bell cUngs somewhere, and the men
dash about like the bits of glas in a kaleid
oscope. Fat and important-looking baskets,
loaded to the brim with letters and papers,
go whisking around at a breakneck i-peed,
turning corners with a tqueak and a scrape
and ru-hing down narrow lanes as if bent on
destruction and determined to have their
own way. Stout bags and thin bag; bags
that are old and humble; bags that are new
and vain; bags on crutches, so to peak, and
bsgs that look as if they could almost go
scurrying over the world alone; bags that
have seen better day ; bags that will j-ee
worse; terra-cotta-colored bags, buff-colored
bags, subdued buff-colored bags, ah-colored
bags, black bags, bags of colors which
are not named and never will be,
bags of every kind, shade, character and
shape all these are running in and out
opening themselves on great tables, gasping
as flattened out and empty bags ought to
gasp, and then hiding themselves away in
the basement with thousands of their kind,
until called into use again, when they will
go almot to the uttermost ends of the earth
at the rate of 6,000 a day.
Pile3 and bales of letters grow up on ths
tables like mushrooms and melt away Irk
a spring flood when the ice goes out Ther
are all kinds of letters for all sorts of peop'e
in all parts of the world.
But of all these things the great machine
down below the 'little gallery, unlike the
postmaster or postmistress who somewhere
may hand you this paper, cares nothing.
Behind the high screen that hides its opera
tions from the public gaze the machine
stands waiting. At the little holes through
which the public shoots its letters the post
office's work begins. The acquaintance of the
ordinary letter writer with the machine is
confined to the cogs who sTt behind the little
windows and wrestle with him over the
amount of postage he mut pay. Even if
they were not true and faithful parts of the
great mechanism the-e cogs would .have a
selfish interest in doing their work well.
They own their own stock in trade as ab
solutely as though tie stamps were so many
village lots or shares of railroad stock.
The room in which these cogs turn are
fenced off from the rest of the building,
and tbers are locked gates to prevent in
trusion. Beside the stamp clerk are the
sheets of perforated paper ornamented with
portraits of statesmen and soldiers who are
dead and gone, boxes of envelopes, pack
ages of postal cards, little piles of coins and
rolls of bills. On a shelf within reaching
distance are the scales which furnish an
answer to the question which in all the
gamut of vocal xpres-ion bounces through
the window hour after hour and day after
day, What's-the-postage-on-thatr'
Outside the four great white faces of a
c!ock fastened to a column in the center of
the room looks solemnly down on a scene
that is infinitely more confusing to one
standing there than when viewing it from
the little gallery. Of all the jumble of
sounds the one most readily separated from
the others is the convulsive patter of the
date and canceling stamps. These two are
cast in one frame and attached to the same
handle. One blow cancels the stamp and
prints the time of the letter's receipt and
the date. The time in hours is changed
every thirty minutes the year round. One
man does nothing but change the dates,
working upon one set of stamp j while the
other is in use. The clang of the bell indi
cates the change, and from this man the
stampers get the new stamps.
Through the openings in the screen on the
Broadway and Park row sides runs the fuel
of the machine. The letters fly up through
the openings, strike a shield and fall down on
a table as smooth as glass and without an
angle into which a letter may obstinately
slip. During the day there are two or three
men at each of these tables engaged in pick
ing up the letters raining in through the
openings, "facing" them that is, turning
th?ni face up and carrying them to the
tables near by. A dab of the stamp on the
bit of ink-saturated lelt besjde each stamper,
a light dab on tha letter, and away the piles
go to tho man who separate them.
Rtanding in the center of this room,
which is not as large as it looks to be from
the outside, with the screen rising up to the
ceiling on three sides, and a medley of
boxes, bags, doors and men on the
other, one's glance in any direction is in
tercepted by the rows of pigeon holes in
front of each separator. Each one of these
pigeon holes which rise above each other
from the table to which they are attached
to a convenient height for a man to reach,
has some specific use, and if a man puts it to
any other he is bound to hear of it Those on
the "city side" are mainly for the different
carrier route-, and they are emptied of their
contents at regular intervals by the carriers,
who fish out the letters from the back.
Those on the "distribution sido" whore let
ters going out of New York are handled,
are f-r different cities, mail routes, states,
and localities. New York state, for in
stance, has five separations, and there are
SS3 pi eon holes into which letters go. Ne
braska has only one pigeon hole, the work
of further separation being done on the
postal cars. The separator must learn the
location of these holes in the frame before
him precisely as a printer learns his "case."
In fact acquiring this knowledge is called
"learning the case,"
The Parting.
lExchange,
The parting was sad, the tears were bitter.
Hide, sun, thy kindly face, ' and gather ye
tuna's bis ckn?V inky scroll t . Ifenderii&a
tue a.e, wan cueeic; brush LaCkL"!Tj"dJ.ir
clinging, auburn locks from the pale, higk
brow which a fond mother' li;s have kissed
since infancy. Speak the lat fa 1, parting
word, the words which make us hngr 0
their echoes. Say good-bye for aye; pre
the coll hand and watch the slow, retreat
ing form which fades away forever. Hei
going to play in his first base ball match.
A Tobacco I'roblenv,
rhUadelphfa Call.
Mrs. Minks There 11 is aain. Tobacco
always tobacco. What will you do whe
you get to heaven, where there are no spit-toon-f
Mr. Minks Perhaps there will be soma
there.
Mrs. Minks Indeed there won't Tbe
ilea! What will you do then, Mr. Minksf
Jut answer that
Mr. Minks I really don't know, my dear
unless we can get seats near tha edge.
Wife of the Nihilist Trlace,
Chicago Tribune.
One of the pleasant thing in connection
with the imprisonment of dangerous char
acters in Ciaervaux by the French govern
ment is the faithfulness of the wife of th
Nihilist, Prince Krapotkin?. Sua has vis
ited his prison 4aily throughout his long
imprisonment, aal, though his appearance
has changed her affection has not One day
be appeared with not a tooth in the front of
his mouth. They had fallen out Hü
gums were so scorbutic from Uatu; want of
air and exercise that they fell out as ha was
eating a piece of bread. He writes scientific .
articles for Nature and other journals, and
she has been allowed to take them out of
prison after the governor reals lb cm.
A Dash of Melancholy.
San Francisco "Undertones."
A well-known judge of severe aspect arf
impressive mien, a man of great legal at
tainments, dropped into the theatre the
other night to see Archie Gunter'. play. The
strain of men til anxuty over knotty poirdr
and ingenious technicalities was relaxed!,
and he, a judge, laughed loudly as the rest
The act drop fell and the jude surveyed
the house. It was packed and the arithmet
ical department of the judge's brain starte
in to calculate the value at 75 cents a bead.
When the act drop fell a second time he rose
and threaded bis way through the thirsty
crowd. A gentle dash of melancholy begaa
to show in his stern face, and as he stood at
the bar with a friend waiting for his turn at
a tumbler he asked kind ot tadly:
"Say, how much do you think Guatar
makes out of this play!"
"Oh, I don't know. Ferhapj $o00 a weefr
at this rate,"
"You don't say."
"Perhaps more in a bigger theatre.
"How long does it take a man to write.
play like this?1
"Three weeks or a month, mebbe.
"Great Scott" . -J .4
"What's the matter I" .
"Oh, nothing."
Their turn came and they drank. Ak
they wiped their lips and walked out the
judge said solemnly:
"I was thinking. I've spent my life writ
ing a legal work anl all I've got out of it is
ittOO, and I doubt if I'll get any morj and
Gunter gets $o03 a week for a play I"
HISTORY OF THE TtATQ. f
Eaten Over Three Hundred Tears Age
When it Came Into Common Use.
Agricultural Exchange.
A writer on horticulture t tales that th
tomato is of South American origin, and
was introduced into Europe by the Spaniards
in the sixteenth century, who di covered iit
valuable qualities as an esculent. From
Spain its cultivation extended to Itily and
the south of France, and finally to this
country, where it first began to bo used as a
vegetable in the latter part of the last
century. The tomato is mention! by
writer on plants iu England as early as lo'JX.
Parkinson calls them "love app'e-s'' in lCoC
and says "they are regarded as curi.ities.
Dodoea-?, a Datch herbalist writes in 153 ot
their use as a vegetable, "to be eaten with pep
per, salt, anl oil." They were eaten by the
Malays in 17. Vi Arthur Young, tie Eng
lish agriculturist, saw tomatoes in the
market at Montpelier, in France, in 1792
The potato was probably brought from Saa,
Domingo by the French refugees, who also.
introduced into this country the egg-plant
the okra, and the small Chili p?pper.
Dr. James Tilton, of Delaware, state
that when he returned from tu iy in Eu
rope, about 150-, he found the i to mat 3 grow
ing in the gardens of th3 Dcpantv,
Goresches, and other French emigrant
from San Domingo, and remarked to hü
family that it was as a vegetable high!'
esteemed and generally eato.i in Franca,
Spain, and Italy, and especially valuable ac
a corrective of bile in the stem. . Dr.
Tilton emigrated to Madison, Ind., in ISifi,
and rabed the tomato in his garden there
It was then unknown in Louisville or tbe
adjacent parts of Kentucky. It is alsa
known that the tomato was planted earlf
in the present century on the eastern fhort
of Maryland, that land of terrapins, sofi
crabs, oysters, canvas-back duck , anl other
epicurean delicacies. Many years e'aped,
however, before the tomato became a
favorite esculent in that region. In 1811
the Spanish minister saw the tomato grow
ing in the garden of Mr. Philip Barter
K6y, whose husband wrote tha "Star
Spangled Banner," and he recommended it
as haying been used in Spam for man
years. In 1314, a gentleman dining with a f rienC
at Harper's Ferry, and seeing tomatoes oc
the tabla, rc marked: "I see you eat toniatoec
here; the District people are afraid of them.
Tomatoes were brought to Massachusetts
Dr. William Goodwin, a son of William
Goodwin, cashier of the Bank of Plymouth
Mass. Dr. Goodwin spent many years of bk
early life in Spain, at Cadiz, Ailconte, and
Valencia, and was American vire consul a)
Tarragona during its terrible siege by the
French troops in the peninsular war. He
came home to Plymouth in 1317, and died
in Havana in l&il He belonged to a faxs
ily of epicures on his father's side, and fcir
mother, a daughter of Capt Simeon Sars
son, of the armed ship Mercury, on whiefc:
Henry Laurens sailed for Holland fa.
1780, was renowned for the excellence of bar
cuisine. He planted the seed of the tomato
in the bank garden in Plymouth, wheaoa
the plant was disseminated throughout ts
town, and to Clark's island, in Plymouth,
harbor. In Mr. Goodwin's family,. and that
of Mr. Watson, on the island, ftirai iiscdz
a vegetable as early as 1823. ,
Tomatoes were sold at tbe nruVet fc:
New York city in 183a They w.re is! i
eaten, however, to a limited extent bt! ,
generally used for the man uf act uro of tet- ;
sup. As early as 1020 tha tomato was sen tL '
up on the table of good old Mrs. Halliburton. !
in New Hampshire, although sho could hci-1
dorn Induce her boarders to partaLe of IX
to imbibed a Usta for iafa&Va. I