Evening star. [volume], August 03, 1901, Page 21, Image 21

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
DIVING FOR PEARLS
Description of a Visit to Thursday
Island.
HEADQUARTERS OF THE MUSTRY
How the Shells Are Brought Up
From Ocean's Depths
A P JU)Fl TABLE BUSINESS
(Copyright, 1901. by Frank G. Carpenter.)
Special Coriesi*,n<lenoe of The Ky<'IiIh)T Star.
THURSDAY ISLAND,
Torres Strait. South Pacific Ocean.
Have you never heard of Thursday Is
land? It is the metropolis of the pearl
fishing industry of the Pacific ocean. Tho
seas about It are spotted with banks of
pearl oysters and hundreds of divers are
always moving: about through them. They
bring back tons of valuable shells and of
ten pearls of great price. Already millions
of dollars' worth of shells and pearls have
been gathered, and still there are fortunes
In sight. The same business Is going on
oft' the coast of western Australia, where
?VOfi.000 worth of shells are annually raised
and where some shells are found worth
}1,000 a ton. A pearl, discovered there a
few years ago sold for $7.5<M) and another
one found in 1S90 brought $10,n<K>.
Hut first let me tell you Just where
Thursday Island Is and of my strange trip
to it- If you will take your map of the
Pacific ocean you will see. Just north of
Australia, the enormous island of New
Guinea which is. not counting Australia,
th- largest island of the world. It Is about
l..vx> miles long and In places more than
4?*> miles wide. This great mass lies with
in eighty miles of Australia and the strait
between the two Is spotted with islands
find coral reefs. There are hundreds of
islands, some Inhabited by strange tribes,
others mere coral rocks Jutting out of the
sea and others half settled by Australians.
Thtre are Islands for every day of the
-w? ek. There Is a Sunday Island, a Monday
Island, a Tuesday Island and a Thursday
Island- When we came into the harbor
we were told we must go to Friday Island
for quarantine, and we sailed by other
islands later on before we came to Thurs
day Island.
On Thnmtlar Inland.
Thursday Island commands Torres Strait.
The British government is building fortifi
cations upon it. and it now has a garrison
on a hill back of the harbor. It has six
inch guns already mounted, and it expects
to establish a big coaling station here to
Hid it in defending its possessions In this
part of the world.
Thursday Island is one of the smallest in
the strnit. but owing to its excellent har
bor It is the port of call of all ships going
through. Vessels of any size can anchor
In its waters and be safe, and the result Is
that all the steamers which go about North
Australia to Europe stop here. There are
also steamers for Japan, China, the Philip
pines and other parts of Asia, as well as
vessels for New Guinea and the islands of
the South .seas.
Through its commerce and the pearl fish
eries a considerable town has grown up
about the harbor. There are several hun
dred buildings, and the Queensland govern
ment, which controls the island, has a num
ber of public offices, such as a court house,
a customs house, a post and telegraph
office and a savings bank. The biggest
house of the town is that of the governor,
standlne on a little hill at one end. with a
flagstaff on its roof. Near by are the bar
racks, great two-story buildings with gal
leries around them, looking not unlike
our second-class seaside hotels. In front
of the town two piers have been built out
into the harbor for the accommodation of
the smaller steamers, and back of these
are the warehouses and stores. The town
has six hotels and three or four churches.
It.; inhabitants come from all parts of the
Pacific. As you step on the wharf you are
surrounded by representatives of all the
nations of the far east. There are brown
men, black men and yeilow men. There are
Filipinos. Japanese, Chinese. East Indians,
Fijians and Papuans. More than half of
the population Is semi-savage, and among
the floating population are pearl divers,
beach combers and beche de mer fishermen
of all colors and races.
The Great Harrier Reef.
In coming to Thursday Island from Bris
bane,' Queensland, 1 had one of the won
derful trips of the world. The most
of the way was Inside the Great Har
rier reef, which is made altogether of
coral. Suppose you could construct a wall
of coral from Boston to the Mississippi
river, or so that the length of it should
be at least 1,200 miles. Suppose the wall
to be from lO to TO miles wide and to be
made entirely of coral; now in atolls, great
rings or coral walls encircling lagoons;
now in long ridges and now In gardens
and be?Js of most beautiful red, white and
pink (towers of coral, built by these in
sects of the seas. Such a wall is the
Great Harrier reefs, which extends along
the whole eastern coast of Australia
Jmm Torres strait southward for more
thun 1.'_'o0 miles. At Rockhampton, sev
eral hundred miles above Brisbane, the
reef is a hundred miles from the coast, but
as a general thing the distance between It
and the shore varies between five and fif
teen miles, and it was within this channel
that our steamer, guided by Its pilot, plow
ed its way.
At times we were close to the Australian
Khore. coasting a dry and thirsty land, as
dreary as the arid plateaus of the Rockies;
and a?.iin we were moving along by these
great rings of coral, which floated, as it
were, on the face of the green sea. Some
at the atolls had vegetation upon them,
the round basins being circled with cocoa
nut trees, while others were bare rock, to
be seen only at low tide.
The air was wonderfully clear and the
sky a heavenly blue, with a few clouds in
it. which made great patches of dark blue
velvet on the dreary gray of the moun
tains of the mainland. The water was as
smooth as a mill pond. We were steam
ing. as it were, through a great canal, one
wall of which was the rocks of the conti
nent of Australia and the other that built
up by the countless millions of the coral
polyps. The coral was in sight much of
the way to Thursday Island, and it gave
us some idea of the enormous coral forma
tion of this part of the globe.
Wfc*"* the Pearl Shells Lie.
It is in the coral islands and the lagoons
that the best pearl shells are found. The
oysters which produce these shells are not
like our oysters. They grow to an enor
mous sixe. and the shells are often as big
as a tin wash basin. Sometimes they are
eighteen Inches from one side to the other,
a single pair of shells spread out measur
ing a yard in diarmter. Until recently
there was a law that none could be export
ed which was under six Inches in diame
ter, and at present the average weight of
a pair of shells is about two pounds.
The shells He In the bottom of the sea,
and they are also fastened to the rockB,
especially to the coral rocks. Oysters do
| not like sand or dirt, and they will not
thrive where the tide moves the sand
about. Within the past few years an at
tempt has been made to raise them artin
clally In a cove in Friday Island, but it
has not succeeded. The oysters seem to
like the coral formations. Where they
fasten themselves to such rocks they grow
to great size. There are many caverns in
the reefs, and they will attach themselves
to the roofs of these submarine caves, a
dozen joining themselves togethej ana
hanging, as it were, by one set of threads.
The fastening by which they are held to
the rocks is much like a tassel, consisting
of a cartilage or muscle that extends out
near the hinge of the shell, and then
branches off in multitudinous threads, each
of which glues itself, as it were, to the
rock. The diver cuts the thread, and thus
gets off the shells.
Millions In Shell*.
Most of the money in pearl fishing comes
from the oyster shell, not the pearl. A half
million dollars' worth of shells are taken
from two fishing grounds of northwestern
Australia annually, and the output from
Thursday island Is even larger. There are
pearl fishing stations scattered about with
in a hundred miles of this point, and -oO
boats and luggers are constantly engaged
in the business. "
Many tons of shells are fftund In others
of the South Sea Islandst The Tuamotu
group has already produced about $5,000,000
worth of them, having exported something
like 25,000 tons of shells to Europe, and
there are other islands almost as rich. It
is said that the Tuamotu beds are almost
exhausted, but it left alone, the oysters
grow rapidly, and a fishery will reproduce
itself in seven years.
The shells are worth from $500 to *1,UW
per ton for the better quality, and even the
smaller shells of the poorer species bring
from $75 to $300 per ton. There are ships
which go from island to island and buy
the shells from the savages, trading to
bacco. calico and other goods for them.
They give as high as from $00 to $100 per
ton. but this is for stuff that will sell in
London for about ten times as much.
Anong the Divers.
There are hundreds of pearl divers here at
Thursday Island. Among the best are the
Japanese, who will stay longer under water
and risk more than any one else. There are
many natives from the South seas and also
Danes, Swedes and Malays, but the pro
prietors of the ships say the Japanese are
the best and that the others are always
pretending to be sick.
The fishing is done in small boats or
luggers. The boats go out in fleets of one
lart,e boat, of. say, 100 tons, and several
small ones. The smaller boats are for the
divers. Each boat has a pumping appara
tus to force air into the diving dresses
when the men are under the surface and
also other machinery. The smallest boat
costs about $:5.000. so that the business Is
by no means a cheap one.
Before going down into the water the
men put on diving dresses, to which air
pipes or tubes are attached. They are first
clad in thick flannel and then in these
diesses with metal heads, so framed at the
front with glass that the diver can see out
Each diver wears boots soled with plates
of copper or lead. The weight he carri^
is usually about 150 pounds, but sometimes
less Often there are twenty-eight pounds
on each boot, and it is important in go
ing down the diver keep his feet below
him. If he should lose his balance and turn
over or his boots should fall off his legs might
fly up In the air. If one boot fells off that
lee will bob up in the air and he must as
far as possible keep all the weight under
him If he Is searching for shells at the
bottom of the sea he must straddle them
and stoop down.
Every diver carries a bag with a draw
string in it. He Alls his bag with shells
and then jerks the signal line, and Is pulled
up. The shells are counted and weighed,
and he Is paid according to what he has
found, some men making much more than
others. There Is one diver who has gath
ered 1,005 pairs of shells in one day, but
half this number is good work.
The Wanner* of Pearl Pi*hlnB.
The business is very dangerous. There
are sharks and poisonous fish and squid.
The sharks follow the luggers, attracted
by the pieces of salt beef, which are now
and then thrown from the boats. They do
not trouble the divers unless they are
naked except when very hungry, and if
they come near the diver can open an es
cape valve in his suit and make a noise
which usually scares them away. As ?,
rul* the divers are not afraid or trie
sharks, but they do not spear Ash or other
animals at the bottom of the sea without
first ascertaining whether there are sharks
about, for the dead fish would surely at
tract them. t_
Another danger Is the vekl or great squid
This marine monster has long arms which
he fastens upon anything within his reach.
If disturbed he vomits out an inky Au'd
which discolors the waters about him, and
the diver is liable to be bewildered in the
gloom and to fall against the rocks
In the native Asheries much of the div
ing is done by the women, who go down
without diving suits. They fasten stones
to their feet to enable them to sink, but
do not plug up their nostrils and ears as
do the pearl divers of India.
Finding Pearl*.
The j>earl fishing companies of Thursday
Island are extremely careful In opening the
shells. No one can tell whether an oyster
may not contain a hundred dollar or a
thmtfand dollar pearl, and the pearls are
so small they can be easily stolen. The
opening is done with a knife much like a
common table knife, with a thin, flexible
blade and strong handle. A good operator
*can open a ton of shells In a day and not
miss a pearl. White men will never let
the natives open the shells without watch- i
Ing them. The shells containing the pearls
have sometimes a curious appearance by
which those who are experienced can tell
that they have pearls in them. Such shells
are always laid aside for the proprietor or
the foreman of the sloop to open, and the
foreman usually watches carefully the
opening of all the shells.
Sometimes one oyster will contain a dozen
small pearls and sometimes more. Such
oysters are usually diseased and their shells
rough. Hut still, a perfectly healthy oyster
may contain a fine round pearl of large size,
so that the divers do not believe that the
pearls necessarily come from diseased oys
ters. One of the biggest pearls lately dis
covered sold for $2,500. another brought
$5,000, and pearls worth $100 are quite com
mon. The fishing is done on the basis of
the profit in the shells, and the pearls are
clear gain.
Artificial Pearl Malclas.
The pearl oyster farm which was estab
lished on Friday Island was started by a
company with a German scientist at its
head. The bay was stocked with young
oysters and the German was employed to
put a little piece of glass or grain of sand
inside the shell of each oyster, with the ex
pectation that the oysters would throw out
the secretions which form the pearls about
these bits of glass and sand, coating them
more and more until at last they became
good-sized round pearls. The glass was
tried first and after that the sand, but so
far, I am told, the experiment has been an
absolute failure.
And still It is said that some irritating
substance Is the cause of every pearl. A
pearl cut in two. looked at through a strong
lens, shows concentric layers like an onion
' ' / s, ? jjka* / f' ' r.^
l'?r?r.-"Tei, on one occasion I martie<l four couple* In * Quarter ot
Quick work, wasn't ttT'. -
Xauttca! I-ady?"Tea, rather! Sixteen knots aa hour!**- Pa*.
and in the center is a round hole, and some
times in this center, it is said, a grain of
sand. Jewelers frequently cut pearls in
pieces, and their experience is that there la
always a hole In the center. It is supposed
that the grain of sand irritates the oyster
and that it exudes this carbonate of lime,
coating it over and over until it becomes a
smooth round ball which does not hurt it.
Pearl Fishing la India,
The greatest pearl fisheries of the world
are those of the Indian ocean, both about
Ceylon and in the Persian gull Here vast
quantities of pearls are found, the oysters
being taken more for their pearls than for
their shells. In one season as many as
11,000,000 were brought to the surface by
fifty divers off the coast of Ceylon. This
work was under the supervision of the Brit
ish government, which received UOU.OOO as
its share of the profits. The divers got one
fourth of what they caught. The largest
Ceylon pearls sell there for about $300, but
they bring five or six times that in Europe.
At one time the government made nearly
$1,000,000 a year out of them, but the pro
duct haw fallen off, and it is now usually
less than one-tenth that amount.
The pearl fisheries of the Bay of Bengal,
of China and of the South seas are said to
yield about $4,000,000 a year, while those
in the Persian gulf bring in more than
$1,000,000 annually.
I have seen them fishing for pearls in the
Bay of Panama, and while there heard of
a curious lawsuit between a ship owner
and some men he had employed to clean
the barnacles oft- the hull of his vessel.
Among the barnacles, as the story goes, a
pearl oyster was found, and In that oyster
an opalescent globule worth $10,000. The
ship owner claimed the pearl, but the men
refused to give It up, and hence the suit.
Pearls of Great Price.
Today some of the finest pearls of the
world go to China. There is a big demand
for them among the mandarins there.
Many go to India for sale to the rajahs,
and a large number to Paris, whence they
are re-exported.
Fine pearls are still of (?reat value, but
not so much so as they were hi the past.
In Roman times they were worth more
than now. Julius Caesar once presented
the mother of Marcus Brutus with a pearl
valued at $240,000. Cleopatra is -said to
have swallowed one worth $300.0^0. and
she had another equally valuable. Philip
II of Spain received a present of a Panama
peari worth $20,000. and a Spanish lady of
Madrid owned one worth ;U),000 ducats.
During a visit to Constantinople I was
shown the sultan's pearl collection. He
has about a peck of pearls of different
yizes, some as big as a pigeon's egg, f nd
some no larger than the head of a pin.
He has quiltn embroidered with ]>earls,
saddle cloths decorated with them, and a
great number of mirrors with pearl-stud
ded handles, which are probably used by
the ladies of his harem.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
IXFLIEXZA AND SUICIDE.
Melancholy Follows In the Wake of
the Dlaense.
From the Medical Journal.
Three recent occurences, the deaths of
Dr. Guernsey and the Rev. Mr. Babcock of
New York, and of Dr. Wiliam H. Daly of
Pittsburg, by suicide after an attack of in
fluenza, can hardly fail, we should say, to
impress upon the medical profession and
upon the general public the dangerous
character of the emotional perversion that
often follows In the wake of that disease
and lasts sometimes for a very long period
?as long as two years, to our certain
knowledge, in some instances. All three
of the victims whose names we have men
tioned were men in the prime of a success
ful and creditable career, with every rea
son to look forward to many more years of
usefulness and happiness, but the wretched
dejection consequent on their ailment
seized upon them and overthrew their men
tal balance. Even men who are naturally
the greatest optimists?optimistic almost to
the extent of being visionary?are caught
in the toils of this dreadful melan
choly. and in too many cases yield to the
suicidal tendency. The Intellectual facul
ties. so far as we have observed, are but
little, if at all, impaired; so soon as he has
recovered his physical strength, and even
sooner, the subject Is able to do his ordi
nary amount of intellectual work, and do
it as well as before. But any occasion of
emotional disturbance, no matter how
trfling. upsets him, makes him lachrymose,
and plunges him into the despair that so
often leads to suicide.
When we add to the vast physical dam
age wrought by influenza, din.ctly or in
directly, this melancholic physical sequela,
we have some idea of the death-dealing
power of the disease. In the absence of
any specific curative treatment, we roust
bend our efforts toward restricting the
spread of the infection?with no great pros
pect of substantial success, it must be ad
mitted ? and toward preventing patients
Who are apparently convalescent from re
suming their ordinary course of life too
soon, having flrst. If we are able, prevailed
upon them to give up work and take to
bed in the incipiency of the ailment. From
the particular point of view of the not un
common suicidal tendency in the after
melancholy, we may well urge upon the
friends of convalescents who are affected
with this sequela unusual watchfulness,
even to the degree of rousing the patients'
resentment, which, indeed, might rrove a
wholesome restorative.
? ?
CatchlnK Tiger* la Traps.
From the I./union Telegraph.
Capturing tigers by a novel method is
now being adopted in Sumatra, and is
proving almost invariably successful. As
soon as a tiger's lair has been found na
tives are employed to construct a wooden
fence 9 feet long and 4 feet wide a short
distance away from it, and in this inclos
ure is then placed as a bait a dog, which
is tied to one of the fence posts. A nar
row entrance leads into the inclosure, and
there, deftly concealed under earth, leaves
and boughs of trees, is placed a strong
steel trap, wnicn is so designed that any
animal that places its foot on it Is certain
to be held captive.
This trap is of recent invention and con
sists of strong steel plates and equally
strong springs. When it is set the plates
form a sort of platform, and as soon as the
tiger which has been lured thither by the
dog sets his foot thereon the springs are
released and the cruel steel grips the leg
and holds it fast.
Powerful as a tiger is he cannot free
himself from such bondage, and as those
who have set the trap are never far away
he is In a short time either killed or se
curely caged. At the same time the dog
is released, and, Indeed, he could not be
removed from the lnclosure as long as the
trap was set, since this instrument, strong
as it is. nevertheless Is so delicate that the
pressure even of a dog's foot would re
lease the springs and cause the animal's
leg to be crushed in a twinkling.
Hear.
From plains that reel to the southward, dim,
Tbe load runs by me white and hare;
t'p the Bte?p hill It aeems to swim
Beyond, and melt into the glare.
reward, half way, or It nay be
Nearer the summit, slowly steels
? hay cart, moving dustily
With Idly clacking wheels.
By bis cart'a side tbe wagoner
la HlondiIns slowly at bis ease.
Half hidden la tbe wlndleaa blur
Of white dost pofinjr to his knees.
This wagon on tbe hight above.
From sky ta sky on el I lier band.
Is tbe sole thing that seems to move
In all tbe beat-held land.
Beyond me in tbe fleMa tbe ana
Sonic* In tbe grans and bath his will;
I count the marguerites one by one;
Kven the buttercups are at in.
Oh tbe brook yonder mot a breath
Disturtw the spider or tbe midge.
The water bugs draw clone beneath
The cool gloom of the bridge.
Where tbe tax elm tree shadows flood
Dark patcBes In the barn lag grass.
Tbe rows, each with her peareTsl cud,
Ut waiting for the beat to pass.
From somewhere on the slope nesr by
Into tbe pale depth of tbe mm
A wandering thrush slides lelswrly
Hto thin revolving tune.
In intervals of dreams I hear
The cricket from tbe dnmgbty ground;
Tbe grasshoppers spin Into miue ear
A small innumerable aowtd.
I lift mine eyes nsmatiasss to esse;
TW burning sky line blinds my sight;
Tbe woods fsr off are bine with haze;
The Mils are draached ta Ugbt.
And yet to me mt this ar that
Is slwnys sharp a always sweet;
Is tbe sloped ihadew af my bat
1 tan at rest, sad drain the hast;
^iTbiatrni aSduiil'WT*"?
My thoughts (mrtaHuTSiir.
?ARCHIBALD LAmUI.
A BIG UNDERTAKING
Novel Flan Deviseil to Measure the
Milky Way
WITH THE ORBIT OF TWH STABS
The Idea of a Famous Local
Astronomer.
WOULD TAKE MANY YEARS
Written for The Evening Star.
A method for measuring the dimensions
of the Milky Way?that glowing wreath of
millions of suns encircling the solar sys
tem?has just been devised by Dr. T. J. J.
See, astronomer of the nav^l observatory.
Such an enterprise has hitherto been ut
terly beyond the hope or anticipation of
science. The mind cannot conceive of a
measuring feat more tremendous, unless It
be the staking off of the boundaries of the
very universe itself. Yesterday I asked
Dr. See to describe his methods for this
stupendous undertaking, in such words as
any layman might readily comprehend.
"Heretofore," said he, "the distance be
tween the earth and sun has been accepted
as the yardstick with which to measure
how far away the stars are from us. Now
this yardstick becomes too small for accu
rate measurement when these distances
become immense. The prospects are that
will never grow larger, because the
earth's orbit does not seem to be changing.
When the stars reach beyond 3,500.000
times the distance of the sun It becomes
Impossible to use even this great unit of
measurement with any telescope of the
world. A luminous rod long enough to
reach from here to the sun, and, therefore,
9*2,500,000 miles from point to point, if
poised in the heavens at the above dis
tance, would look in the greatest tele
scope Just as long as one of your hairs
placed 350 feet distant. Would appear wide.
Orbits of Distant Sbh* to Be l*ed.
"I propose to substitute a measuring rod,
which can be seen as far off as the stars
themselves are visible. This will be the orbit
or path of one of the twin stars of the Milky
Way itself. If the orbit of this double
star is sufficiently big to be seen in our
telescopes and if the motion of the star on
this orbit is sufficiently rapid to be detect
ed by the shifting lines which It causes
in our spectroscopes, it will become pos
sible to measure its distance. Having
learned how big the star's orbit appears it
will be an easy matter to figure out how
far away the star itself is.
"We will first observe with our great
tc-lescopes the revolution of one of these
double suns. We will next attack spectro
scopes to our telescopes and observe its
motion toward or from the earth. The tele
scope alone, you understand, would give
only the apparent path. If it were direct
ed at an orbit turned exactly edgewise to
the earth it would show the star i imply
moving up and down or back and forth
along a straight line. Thus the spectro
scope gives us the material for determining
how large the orbit Is. The spectroscope
would give It in miles or kilometers. W?
would use this distance as a base line. Hav
ing thus measured the distance of certain
stars composing its fabric it will be pos
sible to measure the great arch of the
Milky Way itself.
"The spectroscope takes the light from
any star, throws it through a prism and
places it upon a serpen In the form of a
rainbow band. Jf the .star contains iron,
magne-sium. sodium, carboh, hydrogen, etc.,
these elements will appear in this rainbow
band as lines, in the yellow, green or red
parts, as the case may be. The astrono
mer takes iron, magnesium, etc., Into his
laboratory, and by means of a powerful
electric arc he produces from them an
other rainbow band which shows th?-ir con
dition while at rest on earth. By compar
ing the band from the star and that from
the elements of the laboratory he can tell
whether the star is moving toward or from
the earth. With the spectroscoj>e you can
thus penetrate as deep into the heavens as
you can see the orbits of the stars in mo
tion.
Fifty Quadrillions Miles llttek.
"I estimate that the nearer portion of
the general body of the Milky Way Is
something over 5,000,000,000,000,000 miles
from us and it requires the light about a
thousand years to travel from this part
to our eyes. If we can imagine that this
nearest portion is inhabited and that its
people have telescopes looking down upon
us, they would view the earth as It ap
peared about the time of the death of Al
fred the Great. I estimate that the farth
est portions of the Milky Way are about
ten times as far, or more than 5H,<>0<M)00,
000,000,000 miles from US' and that if there
are eyes there capable of seeing-our world,
It appears to them as it was tUflOO years
ago, or before the beginning of human his
tory. * 1
"As the Milky Way is now known to as
tronomers it is composed of about 100,000,
000 stars. It is an endless band, deep not
flat, the brighter portion running from the
constellation of the Swan, through the
Lyre, Eagle, Scorpion and Sagittarius, in
the south, where Jupiter and Saturn now
appear. I am speaking of what we can
se>e these summer nights, when the moon
is set. But in winter, when the sun has
changed, or at least when we will go on
its other side, we will see the other side of
the heavens at night. "
These 1U0,U00,0<J0 staff* of the Milky Way
are mostly gigantic surts. The distance be
tween them is of the same order of mag
nitude as that which Separates us from
the star Alpha CentauH, removed from us
275,000 times farther than our sun. They
are not all singie stars, but are occasion
ally composed of two associated stars, very
close together and revolving under the law
of gravitation. In other words, they are
held together by mutual attraction.
"As all stars are self-luminous suns,
these systems are gigantic double suns,
moving about one another somewhat as
the moon revolves about the earth. Both
move about the common center of gravity,
an invisible point between them where,
theoretically, a body would be suspended
In space, without falling upon one or the
other.
Ten Thousand Twin Stars Discovered.
"Ten thousand double stars have been
discovered up to date. Only forty or fifty
of their orbits have been accurately com
puted. Some of them move about on their
orbits once In ten years. One of the com
ponent stars of Epsflota "*Lyrae seems to
complete its circuit oMf oalce is LS00 years.
In about forty the t*o components are so
close together that UMy>,cannot be sepa
rated by any telescope on earth. But the
spectroscope reveals %at*they are double
by certain dlsplacements^in the lines on
the band which I described. These lines
show that there must Uti In these single
points of light stars vgol$g from us and
toward us at the same time- Prof. Camp
bell of the Lick obWeWfitory. California,
has; with the spectrpscope, recently dis
covered thirty-four but of forty double
stars invisible through the telescope. In
examing the motions pt the spectral lines
ot 280 stars scattered promiscuously
throughout the heavehs "Wfc found that the
spectroscope revealed^ ori& out of nine tcf ?.
be double. All telescopes tl the world had
revealed these as single stfers.
"This unexpected ttlecovfery has opened
to astronomers an Jihm^iiSe field for fu
ture exploration. It Is thfc/most Important
contribution to astronbrtiy In the past
quarter century. Its 'Importance consists
in showing us that those double stars
which we see wtth our telescopes are not
all which exist. In fact, we can conclude
from Prof. Campbell's work that one-ninth
or possibly one-sixth, as he thinks, of all
stars are double. There has lately been
devised a method of proving beyond a
doubt that the law of gravity holds among
these double stars.
"The Milky Way is breaking np Into
dusters. In time it will consist solely of
Individual groups with little of Its continu
ous appearance, now observed. It seems
probable that gravity is responsible for
this segregation. _
"In about 0,<?0 yeaife the pole nt *be,
heavens?the point about which the whole]
sky seems to revolve, wtn have shifted Into
the Milky Why. and that great galaxy of
suns, now fanning so*teeWh*t crosswise
from the northeast to the southwest, wni
he In a circle, appearing to extend north
and south above and Around us, parallel to 1
one our lines of latitude. *
'"*? other method for ntMKhf the j
Milky Way, than this which I proteose, t?
possible under existing cimcumstancea. I
cannot conceive that any other will ever
be possible. I do not express the hope the
work will be taken up Immediately. But
perhaps It will be In the course of the
present century. Once having been begun.
It could be accomplished possibly In fifty
yean. The question of obtaining accurate
measurements of a sufficient number of
orbits of these double stars Is merely a
question of telescopic or spectroscopic pow
er. With each Increase in the size of the
telescope and spectroscope the moro of
them can be brought to light. With our
present large telesecopes we can observe
stars down to the 16th magnitude and oan
investigate those as faint as the 5th mag
nitude.
"Telescopes now existing are sufficiently
powerful to begin the work; and so are our
present spectroscopes. The large reflect
ing telescopes now being constructed may
be of some value. It seems highly probable
that there are ten million or more double
stars In the Milky Way. We therefore have
more than an abundance of orbits to be
utilized as base lines for our measure
ments."
While Prof. See refrained from discussing
any of his own great contributions to sci
ence. his colleagues give him credit for
having done the chief work of computing
the orbits of the double stars thus far In
vestigated. It was he who first invented a
method of proving beyond a doubt that the
law of gravity holds good among these
gigantic twin guns. Hence they concede
that he Is the astronomer best qualified to
map out the colassal task of measuring
the Milky Way, whose dimensions, when
found, will probably be expressed In qua
drillions of miles.
JOHN ELERETH WATKINS, JR.
IN THE CHU RCHES
The delegates from this city to the re
cent international Epworth League con
vention at San Francisco have nearly all
returned home, Those seen by a Star re
porter expressed themselves as highly
pleased with all that transpired during the
various meetings. Although the hall in
which the business sessions were held had
seating accommodations for 15,000 persons,
it was too small for the vast throng pres
ent. The meetings, it was stated, were
full of enthusiasm. Everything possible
had been done to give a royal welcome to
the thousands of strangers by the local
committee of arrangements. It was a gen
uine expression of unbounded hospitality.
The proceedings of the convention during
the three days of its regular sessions
awakened much interest. Perhaps never
has there appeared at a convention an
array of talent that surpassed the one
furnished on this occasion. Methodists from
both sections of the United States and
from Canada vied in assigning to the vari
ous themes to be discussed men of note.
The hope was generally expressed that
from the convention there may go out to
all branches of Methodism represented a
wave of inspiration, the outcome of which
shall be a quickening of the energies of
an organization that embraces In its folds
so many young people.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the
convention was the interest manifested in
missions. Indeed, it jnight well be called
the missionary convention of the Epworth
League. The league will next year devote
special attention to missions. In so doing,
it is stated, it is getting in touch with the
manifest trend of the Christian world.
One of the interesting accompaniments
of the convention was the dedication of
the new building of the oriental mission of
the M. E. Church in San Francisco. This
is located in Chinatown, and has been the
means, it is stated, of rescuing scores of
slave girls from a life of degradation and
torture. There is a prospect that through
the zealous efforts of the federal and state
governments this slave traffic in Chi
nese girls which has disgraced that and
other American cities will be effectually
broken up.
Leaguers were in attendance from every
state and from foreign lands. The young
est leaguer was a little Japanese girl, two
and a half or three years old. whose unique
costume, adorned with an Epworth League
badge, attracted much attention.
The greetings from President McKmley
and Governors Shaw of Iowa, Yates of Il
linois, Bliss of Michigan, Durbin of In
diana and McMillin of Tennessee, all
Methodists, were a pleasing surprise. The
grand concert given Tuesday evening be
fore half the leaguers had arrived was
such a success that it was repeated on two
subsequent evenings.
The annual reunion of the Lutherans of
the District of Columbia, Virginia, Mary
land and southern Pennsylvania, which
took place at Pen Mar a few days since,
was the most largely attended since the
custom of holding reunions was started,
sixteen years ago. The most interesting
feature of the day was the dedication of
the new tabernacle. The service was con
ducted by Rev. Dr. G. W. Enders, and the
following assisted: Revs. Drs. M. Valen
tine of Gettysburg, Pa.; William Mann
and W. S. Freas of Baltimore: Sister
Sophia Jepson of the Deaconess' Mother
House, Baltimore: Rev. Dr. L. E. Albert
of Philadelphia: Rev. J. Aberly and Rev.
Dr. Harpster Guntur. India; Rev. M. J.
Kline. Harrisburg. Pa., and Prof. S. A.
Ort, president of Mittenberg College and
Seminary, Springfield, Ohio.
Very Rev. Dr. Edward B. Dyer, formerly
of this city and now president of St. Jos
eph's Seminary, Yonkers, N. Y., has been
appointed a member of the Council of St.
Sulpice, which has its headquarters in
Paris, France. Dr. Dyer is the second
American to become a member of the coun
cil. Very Rev. Dr. Charles Rex, the late
president of St. Charles' College, Ellicott
City, was the first American to receive the
appointment. He died several years ago.
Dr. Dyer is very well known throughout
this archdiocese.
He was at the head of the department of
philosophy in St. Mary's Theological Sem
inary for several years.
It Is regarded as probable that Rev. Dr.
A. L. Magnlen, president of St. Mary'8
Seminary, who is now in Paris, will also
be appointed a member of the council,
and the official announcement of the lat
ter's appointment as provincial of the Sul
piclans in the United States is also expect
ed at an early date. Dr. Magnien has been
acting in that capacity for two months.
As provincial of the order in this country
he will have jurisdiction over the house of
studies at the Catholic University, Wash
ington; St. Patrick's Seminary, San Fran
cisco; St. John's Seminary, near Boston;
8t. Joseph's Seminary, near New York;
St. Charles' College, near Ellicott City,
and St Mary's Seminary, Baltimore.
The new house of studies of the order In
this country will be opened in October. A
building formerly used by the Order of the
Holy Cross and In close proximity to the
university building has been leased for
the purpose. It is understood that Rev.
Dr. James Driscoll, professor of sacred
Scripture at St. Joseph's Seminary, New
York, will be appointed the first superior
of the new house of studies. He will be
assisted by three or four members of the
order during the first year.
The exercises at Wesley Grove Camp
Thursday were !n charge of Washington
and Baltimore Epworth Leagues. The
morning meeting was conducted by the
Baltimore organisation, but owing to the
absence of President Rush Robinson, Mr.
Brinkman, president of the Washington
league, called the meeting to order. Ad
dresses were made by Rev. J. P. Stump
pf stor of Cavalry Church, Baltimore, and
Rev. C. D. Bulla of the same city. At 11
a.m. Bishop Candler of Georgia delivered
a sermon. Among othei things he said
"Some of you ministers think you are ex
empt from ritualism because you don*
read your prayers out of a book. It might
be better if you did. You would have a
good prayer then. You always pray the
same prayer anyhow. Some young minis
tors swallow whole wagon loads of maga
zine articles, spit '.t out on their oongre
gatlons the next Sunday and call It
?thought.* "
The afternoon meeting began at 3 p.m.,
when the Washington leagtje took charge.
After a song service and a business ses
sion Rev. William S. Hammond, pastor of
Epworth Church, delivered an address on
"What Good Results May Be Expected
From League Unions." A general discus
sion of the subject followed. Rev. Dr.
Duffey.' presiding ?lder of Washington dis
trict, spoke on the Mibjtct of "League and
Conference Collections." The subject was
then opened to general discussion, and at
3 o'clock the meeting adjourned.
Appearances Against Him.
risen Che Broaktja fcgli
The Parson (leaning over the fenea.
shocked)?'KaMn' garden on Svaday,
brother! I is pained beyoto' messuah, Brotb
?kin' garden, pehnee! Tm sntjr Is'
bait ts m MV.M
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL
?f OLD VINCENNES
A remarkable record?re
cipal booksellers show that"Alice of Old Vin
ccnncs" h m been the most popular and best
selling book throughout the United States for
seven consecutive months and still there are no
indications of a decrease of its popularity.
"Alice of Old Vincennes" has become more
than a simple addition to American literature;
it is an institution, a household favorite, a part
of American education.
TMC ?OWN'MMILl OMWMT, PWMMNtM
SEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE LAND OF THE WINK; Being nn Account
of the Madeira Islands ?t the lieKiiin!ii? of the
Twentieth Century and from a New Point of
Mew. Uy A. J. Drexel Riddle. Illustrated.
In two volumes. Philadelphia: Drexel Biddle.
Mr. Biddle combines the tastes of a trav
eler and a writer with the means to pub
lish. He has achieved considerable success
in both directions and his own works are
by no means the least regarded of those
which bear the Imprint of his presses. He
has devoted much time to geographical re
search and today his name is fretted with
initials denoting his standing as a member
of many scientific societies and commer
! cial bodies. Madeira has been one of his
favorite fields of investigation, and this
work is the second to come from him de
scriptive of that delightful region. The
present contribution Is historical, in a large
degree, but it combines with the story of
the discovery and development of these is
lands much information as to their present
' condition. The commercial aspect of the
islands is thoroughly exploited, exact
f statistics of trade, agriculture and finance
being given as a guide to the business
world. The illustrations are numerous and
beautiful, showing the charming scenery
of the islands and affording a thought of
the character of the inhabitants. There is
no attempt at consecutive literary treat
ment, the information being divided and
subdivided into paragraphs with con
spicuous side heads, which afford the ef
fect of a guide book, very much expanded.
Much good advice is given to travelers as
to their conduct in Madeira. The historical
chapters bring to light much that is gen
erally unknown about the early record of
this group in its relation to the mainland of
Europe. The story of the discovery and re
discovery of Madeira and of its absorption
by Portugal is filled with a strongly ro
mantic Interest. Mr. Biddle has sought dil
igently in the libraries of Europe for facts
and has produced in consequence a work of
unquestionable value in the historical as
well as the commercial sense.
11A ROC 8 WHITMAN AND THE EARLY DAYS
OF OREGON. By William A. Howry, Ph.D.,
Honorary Member of the Orejprn Historical So
ciety, Member of the New England Ilist.jric
Uenealogical Society and of the American His
torical Association. Illustrated. New York:
Silver, Burdett & Co.
No more thrilling episode appears in all
the history of the early settlement of the
west than Dr. Whitman's explorations, his
wonderful ride across the continent to In
form the government at Washington of Jts
opportunities and finally his slaughter by
the Indians together with others of his de
voted band. This story has been given in
prose and in poetry, it has been celebrated
in song and on canvas. It has become part
of the record of the great west and now
comes another book to tell the tale anew,
from the point of view of one who early in
life obtained an exalted ideal of Whitman's
achievements and sacrifices. The work is
full and vivid in its descriptions. It refers
the reader to more voluminous works far
side lights and corroborative facts. It
forms, indeed, a valuable rendition of this
dramatic chapter in the early expansion of
the republic.
J. DEVLIN?BOSS: a Romance of American Poli
tics. By Francis Churchill Williams. Boston:
I.othrop Publishing Company.
"Jimmy" Devlin is the political "boss" of
an unnamed American city. This story
sketches his career, starting with his serv
ice in a newspaper office as messenger and
rising through the gradual stages of evo
lution until he emerges from his final po
litical defeat as the high-minded president
of a bank, whose act of devotion in a cri
sis saves the institution. There are some
excellent phases in the story, as when the
details of the "boss's" machine are re
vealed and the characters of some of his
friends and foes are drawn with clear
strokes. The heart interest in the tale is
divided and becomes monotonous in its
juvenile phases.
THE BOOK Of ASPARAGUS; With Swtiona
also on Celery, Salsify. Scoraonera and Sea kale
By Charles Ilott, F. R. H. a. Together with
Chapters on the History. Decorative Uses and
Oookery of these Vegetable*, by the Editor 1
New York: John Lane.
This Is the first of a series of hand- |
books dealing from a practical standpoint
with the culture of various fruits, vege
tables and flowers suitable for cultivation
In the English latitude and climate. They
will naturally apply to certain portions of
the United States possessing the same
conditions. The purpose is to provide in
struction necessary to the creation of
beautiful and useful gardens, by combin
ing plants which not only present an ar
tistic appearance, but which have a culi
nary value.
CRANKI8MS. By Lisle de Vain Matthew man.
Pictured by CUre Victor Dwlggina. Philadel
phia: Henry T. Castes A Company.
The writing of epigrams has no end. The
Interest in a modern rendition of the fun
damental truths about humanity and of
personal views of some of the stock skep
ticisms rests mainly upon the manner of
condensation. Mr. Matttatwmaa has suc
ceeded wen In boiling down a hundred no- I
tions into very brief spars and in some 1
cases into witty form. But ha has not '
done better than his collaborator, the ar- 1
tlst, whose drawings are delightful, often '
scoring more heavily than the text. Each
aphorism Is given an individual setting on
a full page.
COMMOM-8KJSS? JDBAgFOR DAIRYMEN; Belag
an Exposition of the Methods Pursued by the
Must Practical and Successful Dairymen in the
Klxto District, Embracing Instruction la the
Selection, Feeding and Care of Dairy Cattle.
Cora and CUrcr OnUaie. Care of Milk Milk
sad Onsa TnUm and Cheaae and Butter
Making In the Factory and as the Farm. By
treoiga H. Blaka. Illustrated. Elgin, ill.:
Tbe EUgfs Dairy Repart. *
JAS? OF ?? TDNGlJjfc. By Henry T.
r-.A.c D- C. L.. and Walter U.
? ?z y year Torts CaaaeU A
2?y?r Waahlf I?: W*. Ballast?*?
PROCEEDINGS OF THK FOT7RTH ANN DAI.
3&SE- its*
BRIGHT STORIES for
SUMMER READING
McCLURE'S
for AUGUST
Beautiful Illustrations by
HOWARD PYLE . . HOWARD
CHANDLER CHRISTY
V. GLACKENS . . F.Y.CORY
and others.
MIDSUMMER
FICTION NUMBER
10 Cents a Copy
aul&3
York: Caasell & Gotupauy. Wanhlogtoii: Win.
Balluntyne Sc Sons.
ORAL SEPSIS AH A OATSK OF ' SKITIC GAS
TRITIS. ttlXIC NM.KIT1S" AND trrilKK
SEPTIC CONDITIONS; w.tti Illustrative Ca? ?.
By William Hunter, M. U., K. II. C. P. New
York: t'asaill & Company. Washington; Win.
Ballautynu & Sou.
THE CRYSTAL, SCEITRE; a Story of Adveature.
By Klilllp Verrlil Mighi-U, author of "Nella.
1 lit' Heart of tli? Aruiy," etr. New York: it.
L. Fenoo & Company. \Va*liiuj[ton: Wood
ward 6t Lothrop.
? ?19.000;" a Novel. By Burfonl Dolaunoy. mithor
of "The Garden Court Murder." et<\ New
York: R. I>- Kenao & Company. WatJtfnctua:
Woodward and Lothrop.
??
WHEN A WITCH IS YOUNG; a II to tori, a I Novel.
By 4-U>-0y. New York; It. L. Fenuo aud fiui
pauy. Washington: Woodward A- Lothrop.
THE QT'EEVS CHRl?NI<'l>:R: and Other Poea*.
By Stephen Gwynn. New York: Johu I.uue.
Tbe Cbroiilc Ijeaarri.
From Suc e a.
A large proportion of the failures In life
are to be-found in the ranks of the chronic
leaners. Everywhere we go w<> meet earn
est, conscientious workers, who are amazed
that they do not get on faster. They wax
eloquent over their fancied wrongs, the in
justice that confines them to Inferior
grades, while x?ersons with no more educa
tion, ability, or perseverance than they
possess, are advanced over their heads.
To the casual observer, they seem to
have cause for grievance; but, when we
analyze these people, we find what the
trouble really is. They are Incapable of
independent action. They dare not make
the slightest move without assistance from
some outside source, the advice or opin
ion of some one on whose Judgment they
are wont to rely. They have no Confidence
In themselves?do not trust their own pow
ers. They have never learned to stand
squarely on their feet, to think their own
thoughts, and make their own decisions.
They have leaned upon somebody from
childhood, all through the formative j>e
riod of character-building, until a habit
of leaning is chronic.
Any faculty which is unused for a long
time loses its power. It Is a law of na
ture that we must use or lose. If a man
ceases to exercise his muscles, they soon
become weak and flabby. The sam?> inex
orable law governs man's mental powers.
So, the men and women who have never
learned the fundamental lesson of self-re
liance, who have never used their God
given faculties in reasoning with them
selves, making their own decisions, and in
being their own flnal court of appeal, grow
up weaklings, parasites. God intended them
to stand alone, to draw upon His inex
haustible power without stint, lie meant
them to be oaks, but they have becomes
vines. Not realizing that all growth is
from within, they have reversed this fun
damental truth, and endeavored to draw
their strength from the outside.
A Wall Street Victim.
From the Chicago Keoord-Herald.
Mr. Pllnk?"I sympathize with you. Mr.
Plunk "
Mr. Plunk?"Yes: that's the worst of it; X
don't mind dropping the money so much as
I do having fellows who are really tickled
about it oomt and tell me they feel sorry
for me."
?
Tbe Worst of Being Well Edaeatetl.
From Ally Sloper'a Half Holiday.
Mr. Earlrpooh?"Now that I've retired
from the tea shop and brooms a ?nt 1
wants a Latin matter to pat oa eur hor
rid ge door. What ud you Mfpitr
Sharpshins?"How would *? doo*^ SoT'
Mr. G&rtypuoh?"WfcoC! Two doe**T I
min t a btoomin' apothecary! What's It
mean, thought"