The Forrest City times. [volume], May 31, 1901, Image 4

About The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919

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THE ♦ FORREST* CITY ♦ TIMES.
LANDVOI8T ft VADAKIN, Pu*.
FORREST art. - - ARKANSAS.
Gov. Ayeock say* the flood damage in
the state of North Carolina amount*
to iM-trral million dollars.
In response to the protest of Ihc
foreign embassies, the order issued by
the Turkish government prohibiting
the entry of typewriters into Turkey
has been rescinded.
Wm. P. Hazen, chief agent of the
United States secret bureau, with
headquarters in New York, has ten
dered his resignation to the govern
ment. authorities to take effect .lunt
12 uext.
A dispatch from Pekin says that th<
government of the United States will
under no circumstances, consent te
any increase in the Chinese furiff un
less commercial advantages are con
ceded in return.
The challenge committee of the New
York Yacht club, at a meeting on the
24lh, decided to extend the time foi
the international yacht race on*
month, in accordance with the wist
of Sir Thomas I.ipton.
The statement of the treasury ba
nner in the general fund, exclusive ol
the $150,000,000 gold reserve in the di
vision of redemption, issued on tIts
24th, showed: Available cash bcl
ance, $158,949,841; gold, $95,264,796.
An editorial in the London Yacht*
man, written before the accident tc
the Shamrocks, says: “The trials ol
the two Shamrocks have shattered
our faith in the new boat. We can
not see what prospect of success Lip
ton has.”
ihe L niton States supreme court,
on the 27th, decided what is known n?
the Iluus ense, involving the question
whether vessels plying between i’orto
Kico and New York were engaged in
the coast trade. The court's decision
held they were so engaged.
Charles Boysset, republican, doyen
of the French chamber of deputies,
died in Baris on the 23d. He was born
in 1817; war. a deputy in the legisla
tive assembly in 1864; was elected a
jnember of the national assembly iu
1871, and had cinee been continuously
re-elected.
H. H. Gilfrey. a legislative clerk of
the United States senate, is now in
London, endeavoring to trace the es
tate of William Haskett, supposed to
have been a London banker, and said
to have recently died, leaving £6,000,
000, the principal heirs being the Uas
ketts of Folk county, Ore.
Discontent among the Filipinos at
the appointment of American judges
and alleged discriminations in the
civil service in favor of Americans is
finding expression, encouraged by
Borne of the native judges, who arj
aware that the reorganization of the
judiciary will result in the loss of
their positions.
Mr. Bryan’s only comment on the
decision in the insular cases was that
it seemed to uphold the contention of
the republicans in some respects and
that of the democrats in others. He
said he would not commit himself fur
♦her cn the effect of the opinion, un
til he had read a full text. He hoped
the constitution would follow the flag.
The monument erected by the State
of South Carolina on the battlefield
of Chickamattga was dedicated on the
27th. Gov. McSweeney of South Caro
lina made an eloquent speech, in
which he extolled the virtues of the
American soldier. Other addresses
were made, and the monument was
turned over to the custody of Gen. 11.
V. Boynton.
..♦ ■ ■■■ i■ i i
A commission from the state of
Wisconsin arrived at San Francisco,
on the 26th, with a $10,000 silver ban
quet service to be presented to tho
battleship Wisconsin by the state
whose name she bears. In addition
to the silver service there was also a
bronze badger, four feet high, cast
from a Spanish cannon captured dur
ing the recent war.
King Victor Emmanuel of Italy had
a narrow escape from being crushed
to death in an elevator at the palace
ill Home on the 22d. He desired to
ascend to the second story, but an in
experienced attendant set the indica
tor for the third floor. The king wav
on the point of stepping out when he
discovered the mistake and drew bad
•in time to save himself.
A great strike ot oil was made at
Sour Lake, 20 miles northwest of
Beaumont, Tex., on the 26th. A well
was struck in the rear of the Sour
Lake hotel, and at once became a
gusher, fovving 15,000 barrels a day.
This new strike, so far from the Beau
mont field, has caused renewed excite
ment all over Texas, and a rush to
the new district commenced immedi
ately.
Former Governor John Riley Tan
ner died suddenly, on the 23d, of rheu
matism of the heart, at Springfield,
111., aged Si. In his proclamation an
nouncing the death. Gov. Yates says
of the former governor: “His efficient
services us a soldier of the republic ia
his young manhood and as an official
in many important places of trust in
his maturer ytars, entitled him to the
respect of his fellow-citizens. His un
tiring efforts and struggles enabled
him to rise from comparative ob
scurity to the highest position within
the gift of the commonwealth.’’
CURRENTJ’OriCS.
THE HEWS IN BRIEF.
PERSONAL AND GENEF/AL.
The Perlin comic paper, "Ulk,*'
shows Otmnt Von Wnldersee ready to
depart from Chinn standing before
three empty trunks, labelled “Vic
tories.” “Acquisitions" and “Indemni
ties," and asking: "Is it worth while
Liking them along?’
On the 2-ith 15. (<• I>un & Co. report
ed: “Failures for the week nuui
oered ISO in the Fnited States, against
is:, last year, and 22 in Cnuada,
against 20 last year.”
. The anti-Herman agitation in the
province of Posen has assumed ularm
inp proportions, and the Prussian gov
ernment lias forbidden all Polish in
door or outdoor meetings for the Pen
tecostal holidays.
The live slock industry of Wyoming
is face to face with a grass famine.
Trouble Ik tween the cattle men and
sheep men is feared. ,
The gunboat Scorpion arrived of!
Memphis, Tenn., on the 24th, and was
received with a salute of 21 guns,
which was responded to by the war
ship. The Scorpion will remain there
until after tlie confederate reunion.
At their next meeting, ilirectors of
the Pullman Sleeping Car Co. will be
asked to pass upon plans for pension
ing the 12,000 or 15,000 employes of
the company.
The merchants and clubs of Havairi
have contributed liberally for the re
lief of the Jacksonville tire sufferers.
I he stti.mer Dietician cleared from
New Orleans for Cape Town yester
day, with 1,100 horses.
Five persons were killed outright
and 40 others were seriously injured,
on the 201h, in a collision between
trolley ears, moving at 40 miles an
hour, two miles from Greenbush, X
Y. both motorinen were among the
victims. The scene presented after
the wreck was awful to behold. The
kindlingwood to which the two ears
were reduced was mixed with blood
and margled bodies.
l"p to the 26th 32 bodies, some of
them terribly mutilated, had been re
covered from the I’niversal colliery in
Senghenydd, in the Rhonda valley, in
Wales, where the recent explosion oc
curred. The gruesome work pro
ceeded very slowly, and many painful
scenes were witnessed at the pit’s
mouth.
Queen Wilhelinina and Prince Hen
ry of the Netherlands will witness the
spring parade as guests of Emperor
William, spending a few days at the
new palace, I’otsdam.
The village of Esparragosa, Prov
ince of bcdajoz, Spain, was almost de
stroyed by a storm on the 26th. One
woman was killed.
The elections to the Spanish senate
resulted approximately in the return
of 120 ministerialists and 30 members
of the opposition.
The refusal of the other powers to
join in the suggestion of the United
Slates with regard to scaling down
the indemnity demanded of Chinn is
a great disappointment to the admin
istration, though it could hardly hr
Raid that it was entirely unexpected.
Owing to the bitterness engendered
In the present campaign, both Sen
ators Tillman and McLaurin, of South
Carriina, have placed their resigna
tions in the hands of Gov. MeSweenev,
to take effect September 15 next, and
have asked for a special primary to
test the popular sentiment.
The statements published in the
United States to the effect that the
private fortunes of the German em
peror and empress and other members
of the royal family had been almost
entirely swept away by the operat is
of a swindler, are emphatically d d
from berlin.
A corps oi surveyors in the employ
of the Standard Oil Co. has been
driven out of West Calcasieu parish.
La., by 150 armed and determined
planters.
The forty mortormen employed by
the Paducah (Ky.) Street Railway
Co. orga.nz.ied a union, on the night of
the 25th. and the next morning found
new men in their places.
The body of an unknown man was
found on the top of a wild and deso
late* hill known as buzzard's Roost,
and overlooking the Vermillion river,
near Danville, 111. From the fact that
the head was out off, it is thought
that he wasin urdered. He ha l been
dead six months or more.
The funeral of John It Tanner,
former governor of Illinois, at
Springfield, on the 26th, was the
largest ever held in that city since
the funeral of Abraham Lincoln, in
1^65. Several thousand people from
abroad were in attendant***.
The event of the many memorial ex
ercises held in Chicago, on the 26th
was the presence of Brig.-Gen. Fre
1). Grant at. the services of U. S.
Grant Post veterans before the statue
of their old commander in Lincoln
park.
Broom corn valued at $200,000 was
burned, on the night of the 26th. in
a tire that destroyed a warehouse at
Kighty-first and Wallace streets. Chi
cago. The broom corn was owned by
W. L. Rosenberg, a Chicago manufac
turer. The building was valued at
$25,000.
Gov. Nash of Ohio has l>een advised
by his physicians that three weeks of
absolute rest will be necessary to re
store him to health. He is still in a
weakened condition ns a result of his
trip to the Pacific coast.
Lord Rosebery, when questioned as
to trulh of ihe report published in tho
United States that he was to succeed
the late Baron Hersehell as a mem
ber of the Canadian-American joint
high commission, replied that this in
quiry was the first time the matter
had been brought to his attention.
THE CHINESE INDEMNITY.
('hlne««» Drcrrr \irrrln« to
Pn) an ln«loianit> flic* llquha
Imi t of fS7ft.tNHI.tNNI.
Washington, May 30.—The depart
ment of state has been Informed re
liably that the Chinese government
has issued a decree agreeing to pay
an indemnity of 450.fKK1.000 taels,
equivalent to about $337,000,000 at the
present rate of exchange. It is known
now that the whole subject of in
demnity will l>c closed up before ,iie
end of the present month. If that is
not done the whole subject of indem
nity will be closed up before the end
of the promt month. If that is not
done, and evacuation is not under
way on a large s<alc. Ihcn the Chi
nese government must be assessed $1.
000,000 each day after June 1 next, to
compensate the powers for the main
tenance ol their military forces >n
China. Cnder this whip the Chinese
govermni nt has been forced to yield.
It is not known that the powers have
agreed on the form and extent of
guarantee, but now that the amount
of indemnity is fixed, not much diffi
culty is expected on this score.
A PRODIGIOUS EXPLOSION.
Two Men flb-wn to Places nml Thou
sands of ll.tllnrs* Worth of Ilnm
nicc Done at Buonevtllr, Mo.
Chicago, May 30.—A special to the
Tribune from Hoonville. Mo., says:
Two men biown to pieces, a small
steamer torn to bits, three houses
demolished, st ores of residences and
business buildings damaged, a ferry
boat badly wrecked, and many thou
sands of dollars’ worth of proj>er1y
destroyed, arc the results of an ex
plosion r.t this place. The accident
occurred on the Taurine, a 14-ton Mis
souri river freighter Just off this city.
The boat carried a,100 pounds of dyna
mite, many kegs of powder, 1,000 de
tonating caps and eight cases of fuse.
Hasoline power was used on the ves
sel, and when n match was applied to
the generator an explosion followed.
The boat took fire, and the crew-, ex
cept two men, fled. These were still
aboard when the fire reached the sup
ply tanks of gasoline and the explo
sives. Damage was done to building*
a mile away.
FOR STEALING SUPPLIES.
Co mm I Haary- Seraeant Henry Wllnon
Seat to Prison for Three Years,
at Manila, for StealliiK
Manila. May HO.—Commissary Ser
geant Henry Wilson has been sen
tenced to three years’ imprisonment
in Bilihid prison for stealing supplies.
The trial of Harold M. Pitt, man
ager of Evans & Co., charged with
improperly purchasing government
stores, has been postponed.
The court-martial of Lieut. Richard
H. Towuley for alleged participation
in the commissary frauds ut Manila,
is in progress at Cavite.
it is settled that the governingboard
of Manila is to consist of an army
officer, a Filipino and an Amerian
ei\ilian.
Maj. La Ison is negotiating with the
emissaries of (!en. Failles at Santu
Cruz.
BIG MAN HUNT IN FLORIDA.
Bnsilleaa Pructicnlty Sim pcnilcd at
Bartow. Kin., to Hunt a
Yearn Criminal.
Atlanta, (la.. May HO.—A special to
the Journal from Tampa, Fla., says;
Business of Barlow. Fla., is i>artial
ly suspended to-day, 1,000 men, with
dogs, being engaged in a man hunt.
Fred Rochelle, a negro, is the man
wanted, lie is charged with assault
ing and murdering Mrs. Rosa Tag
gert, of Bartow, Tuesday. Rochelle,
it is alleged, cut off Mrs. Taggert's
nose and othirwise mutilated her
body. The people of Bartow o|ieuly
avow that they will burn Rochelle at
the stake in the public square of the
town, it is believed (low Jennings
will order out the militia to protect
the negro's life if he is captured.
SIGNED THE HARRIS BILL.
Pen nay I van la Knactment Ketcnrd
I■*NT the Manufacture and Mule
of Oleomargarine a l.an.
Harrisburg, Pa,, May 30.—Gov.
Stone has signed the Snyder Harris
oleomargarine restriction bill. The
new law regulates the manufacture
and sale of butterine and similar
products, forbids oleomargarine from
being colored, prevents dealers from
selling oleomargarine for butter, and
makes it compulsory upon each deal
er to secure a permit from the agri
cultural department before handling
oleomargarine.
Carries a Ilia l.oud.
Seattle, Wash., May 30. The Unit
ed States army transport Samoa has
sailed with the largest go\ em
inent cargo ever shipped from
this port by the war department, lu
her capacious hold the Samoa carries
6.500 tons of hay, grain and feed and
1.500 tons of miscellaneous freight.
Thrice Persons Burned to Death.
\t utseka. 111., May 30.—Three |>er
sons burned to deuth. Tuesday, in a
lonely farmhouse northwest of this
city. The victims were: Mrs. Mary
Hershberger, aged 70; Mrs. Hattie
Maggee. aged 22; Calvin Maggee, aged
Died at Mannheim. Germany.
Chicago, May 30.—News has been
reoeited that Charles C. Jerome, of
this city, dieil at Mannheim .Germany,
on Ma*v 24, after a short attack of ill
ness brought on by exposure during
the t-ip across the Atlantic.
I •
Platt Amirdment Accepted by the
Cuban Constitutional Conven
tion by Bare Majority.
THE RADICALS PUT UP A HARD FIGHT.
The \clnul Vole Wl»» IMI \. -epltna
Hie MaJorit> He|inrl nl th« I'.ini
mlllee .... Helatlnm., Wklck K»n
ImiiIie«l Ilie tmenilmenl with K»
|ila mi I Ioiim iif Certain Clnimea.
Havana. May 30.—The I’latt amend
ment was accepted l>y the Cuban con
stitutional convention, Tuesday, by i
vote of 15 to 14 The actual vote was
on accep*mg the majority report of
the committee on relations, which em
bodied the amendment, with explana
tions of certain clauses.
The radicals made a hard fight at
the last moment, and Scnores Por
tuondo, (it me* and Tamayo bitterly
arraigned conservatives. Kcnor Tama
yo was particularly vindictive, and de
clared that everybody who voted m
favor of the Platt amendment was a
traitor to his country. The conven
tion compelled him to retract ties
statement. On several occasions per
sona) encounters setmed imminent.
Senor (iomez spoke for more than
an hour, and his speech undoubtedly
won over Henores Castro. Kobau and
Manduley. He denounced as perjurers
all who favored the Platt amendment,
on the giound that they had sworn
to draw up a constitution for an in
dependent republic.
Several conservatives rose and asked
Senor Come*, to retract, but he abso
lutely rt fused.
The following delegates voted
against the majority report:
(iomez, (iener, Portuondo, Laeret,
Manduley. Cisneros, Ferrer, Fortun,
Kobau. Tamayo, Silva, Castro, Zuyus
and Aleman.
Senores Rivera and Bravo were ab
sent.
WH IT WAS ADOPTED.
It Wan an Apprudlt to the ('onatlta
tion Adopted In Frliratry.
New York, May 30.—A dispatch to
the Tribune from Havana says:
The «xact terms of acceptance have
not been fully understood in the Unit
ed States, and especially since the re
vised and modified report was th*1
basis of the convention’s latest action.
As it stands, the constitutional con
vention has adopted an appendix to
the constitution, which it formally
adopted iiv February last. This ap
pendix gives the terms of the Platt
tmendmtnt, and a summary ineoncise
form of interviews with Secretary
Boot and his interpretation of the
legislation of congress. It also quotes
the letter from Military Gov. Wood,
transmitting the letter from the sec
retary of war on the same subject,
as having the value of an official docu
ment, and then states in very clear
terms, article by article, the conven
tion’s interpretation. All these ina*
ters have been discussed, and much
stress was laid on the prceisenc-s
with which the Cuban interpretation
is formulated.
The final article in the appendix is
a pledge that the republic of Cuba
will propose a reciprocity treatv.
Commercial interests are highly grati
fied that this pledge is incorporated
into the acceptance of the Platt
amendment.
EFFECT OF THE ACTIO*,
It Will Heilonnd to the Benefit of
the Cuban People.
Washington, May 30.—Briefly stat
ed, the effect of tin- Platt amendment
will be tc give the Cubans equal
rights with the citizens of alt the
states of the Union. The guaranties
required art no more than ure abso
lutely essential to the protection of
the interests of the United States.
1 he Platt amendment will enable
the Cubans to establish a government
of their own and to treat with the
United Slates upon all questions.
Eventually, if the Cubans decide
that they wish to become a state in
the union, after Ihey shall have es
tablished their government, it will lie
a question for the people of this
country to decide if the state of Cuba
shall be admitted.
I ntil th** 1 Lilians shall have estab
lished their ovv n independent govern
nunt they can make no treaty with
the United States.
The adoption of the Platt amend
ment was unavoidable, because the
treaty of peace with Spain imposed
upon this government the obligation
to protect life and property and main
tain stable government there.
The Platt amendment enables the
I nited States to intervene in certain
contingencies to protect the Cubans
from any foreign foe. It would so in
tervene. in pursuance of the Monroe
Doctrine, in any event.
Coeducation Alton do tied.
Knoxville, Tenn.. May 30. The di
rectors of Maryville college have de
cided to abide by the state legisla
ture's enactment and no longer con
duct the college for the education of
both white and colored. The $26,00C
endowment fund will la* turned o\et
to the Swift Memorial institute at
liogersvillc, Tenn.
A (irandilaushtrr of ltr>Hiit.
New York .May 30. Mrs. Annie
Godwin lh- ( astro, according to a ca
ble message, died in Venice. Mav 27
She was the daughter of Parke Cod
win and a granddaughter of the poet
William Cullen liryant.
UTHEKWISE UNNOTICED
William Saxton, wlio shot and killed
Price Carter, oier a game of craps,
was sentenced to 30 years' imprison
ment in the Chester penitentiary in
the Williamson county (111.) circuit
court.
Five days of cotitinnous rain ha«
had a depressing effect on the Pan
American exposition.
Nearly two hundred present and
former resident* of Missouri ban
queted at the Waldorf-Astoria, New
York. Tuesday night.
Miss Aggie Long, aged 14. commit
ted suicide in the pulpit of the Meth
odist olnireh at Sycamore, I ml., by
shooting herself through the heart.
Illim .is friends of former (iov. Tan
ner are at ranging to erect a monu
ment to him at Springfield.
Mrs. Wu, wife of the Chinese min
ister at Washington, has started to
spend the summer and fall in her nu
tive land.
A Chicago woman who declares she
was deceived into marrying a man
with an artificial leg. is suing for di
voi ce.
A dispatch to the London Standard
from Tien Tsin reports a fierce fight
between Boxers and Catholic converts
near Tula.
Mary .tones, aged 45 years, who
lived near Frankfort, Ky„ committed
suicide by drinking a quart of coal
oil.
Senator Bailey, of Texas, character
izes the decision of the supreme court
in the insular eases as political ratli
et than judicial.
The candidacy oi Senator Fair
banks, of Indiana, for the republican
president ini nomination, in 1(104, lias
been formally nnonunced.
'The government crop report shows
that crops are delayed all over the
west and southwest on account of
continued cool weather.
A heavy flow of gas was struck mi
the oil well being put down on the
Henderson larin in the northwest
part of Bates county. Mo. The gas
was struck at a depth of 220 feet.
Senator Yest declares that the dem
ocratic party must continue to fight
the colonial policy, recognized by the
decision of i he supreme court in the
insular eases.
The plant of the Merkel Wiley
Broom Manufacturing Co., at Paris.
111., the largest institution of its kind
in the country, was partly destroyed
by lire: loss. 120.000.
Porto Rican bankers and merchants
are disappointed over the decision of
Ihe I'nited States supreme court ir
the Porto Rican eases.
.lames V I.allies, of hinmundy, 111.,
formerly editor of the Journal, has
been appointed keeper in the Cheater
penitentiary by <iov. Yates.
Hon. Charles A. Towne has an
nounced to his friends that he hits
quit polities forever and that in a
short time he will cease to be a resi
lient or citizen of Minnesota.
The government intends to pro
mote Lieut. H. H. Ward, who ren
dered valuable servici during the war
with Spain by acting' as a secret
agent for the navy department.
Miss Elvira Uelieccu Head, well
known in Edwardsville, 111., died sud
denly. Tuesday morning, as she was
entering the dining-room where the
family had assembled for breakfast.
The Ezell stave factory, at Pine
Bluff, Ark., owned by .1. It. Ezell <V
Sons, was burned Tuesday night, the
destruction of the mill being com
plete. The loss is $12,000, and there
is no insurance.
The 1 nited States fish commission
has just placed 50,000 bass ten days
old in Dry Fork, just north of Carth
age, Mo. The fish \\ere two inches
long- and came from the Neosho
hatchery.
INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.
^ 1 nlt***I Sin t «»m Steel I'orpornt Ion
to Kr«*«'t n HefrliceratInn l*lunt
at tin* Lucy Furnaces*.
Pittsburgh, Pa., May 30.—Prepara
tions are lieing made by the Cnited
States Steel corporation for the erec
tion of a refrigerating plant at the
Locj furnaces of the ( arnegie Co.,
which will probably figure largely in
revolutionary reductions in the cost
of making pig iron.
I he plant, while an experimental
one, will Ik- built on a commercial
basis and will cost in the neighbor
hood of $100,0')0. The idea is to de
prive the air of a large percentage of
its moisture by precipitating and
freezing the water before the blast is
sent into th • furnace. Hlast furnace
owners have found that in winter,
when the air is cold, dry and crisp,
they can make pig' iron more cheaply
filled with moisture.
The experiment win he watched
with interest by all blast furnace
men.
THE BRIGADE.
The Hrlicuile of UnanU Reviewed by
Emperor ttllll., Who Led
Theui Throudh Merlin.
Berlin. May 30,-Kmperor William,
at the annual review of the brigade of
guards, on the Tempelhof field, put
the troops through a series of move
ments. Then, at the head of the color
company, he led the brigade through
the city. Ilis majesty was accom
panied by a brilliant entourage, in
cluding Gen . Bonnat and other
r reach officers here. Subsequently
the emperor lunched with the officer*.
* J* t*. Minor Dmtl.
< olumhus. ()., May 30. -Col. J. G.
Minor, who was assistant secretary
ot the confederate njky during the
euil war, died in poverty, Tuesday,
at Milford. O.. aged *2 years. He was
a graduate of Edinburgh university
*ld a native of New England.
A'Workmnn of l.on<?nn sire,.,. XVv
**■"«*« »■«» He V, kite, S„fl ***
nn«! Supple.
The “putta percha man” liVPS .
little red brown canvas tent |„ .*
streets of London. Nearly a]W)| |
brazier plows tie fore the open 4**1
his liny abode, says the Mail of t]
A pan simmers continuously on ,u
fire, but the content of the ,es "I
are inedible. They look like sihV
when the “putta percha man" dip,
hip spoon into the cauldron. 8 !
Many times durinp the day the‘W
ta percha man" buries hitnself in . 1
hole dup in the middle of the street
Me is protected by barricades, and the
traffic is diverted or stopped altb
pet her at his eominp. Only royalty
and the lord mayor share this preroe
atixe xxith the “putta percha man."
The “putta percha man" is atnphih.
ions. He is to be met with in the P*.
eifie or Atlantic, but not so frequent
ly as in Fleet street. The marine spe.”
cies has a habit of penetratinp the
water to a preat depth and fishim.
up mysterious-lookinp objects fr„m
the floor of the sea.
Although no reference to the “putt*
pereha man" can be found inanydSe. j
tionar.v of natural history, he in M
interesting biped and well repays*
little study. His greatest peculiarity I
is his hands. A great part of his life
is passed in washing them.
A little dust or grime on the “gutt*
pereha man's" fingers might cut off
all communication between England
and the seat of war. or it might lead
l:> the tearing up of another London
■street. The "put1u pereha 111*11" has, i
so to speak, thousands of pounds in \
lbs hands, although he himself is only i
>1 workman, with between £2 and £3
a week.
The other day a representative of
the Daily Mail took the liberty of drop
ping in on a “gutta pereha man" who
had erected his temporary homeinthe
shadow of St. Paul's. The \isit could
not have been timed more opportune- !
I.v, for the “gutta pereha man" w**
performing a sort of massage on his
hands with an oiled cloth, warranted
to remove every speck of dust.
“Sorry I can’t ask you to sit down,*
he said politely, pointing to the two
foot deal seat in his cramped quar
ters. With the exception of his un
usually white and supple hands he
was, after all, an ordinary looking
workman, dressed in honest fustian,
und with shoulders that suggested
they had been bent by sitting in his
low-ceilinged lint and creeping into
narrow holes.
“It is quite true," he added, "that
I have to keep rny hands scrupulously
clean and very soft. When a joint has
to be made in the underground cables
it is my duty to make it. The wires
are, of course, insulated with gutta
pereha. If while making a joint I
should soil the gutta pereha with nay
hands a leakage would occur as soon
as the wires were working again,and
the streets would have to lie pulled
up once more and the work begun all
over again. What that would cost in
money and the interruption of traffic
you can well imagine.”
15y this time he had completed his
massage and was gently drawing
through his fingers yards of what
looked like inch ribbon of a reddish
color. It was really gutta pereha.
“Another reason for keeping oar
hands in the pink of condition," he
further explained, “is that it increases
our delicacy of touch, which has to lie
as tine as that of a professional piano
player.”
Important as it is that the land spe
cies of “gutta pereha man” should
keep his hands clean and supple, it is
necessary that the marine type should
be even more careful. A little dttst
from his fingers settling on the gutta
pereha while making a joint in a
submarine cable would involve the
sending out of another -hip to dis
cover and repair the leakage. This
work might occupy months and in
volve an expenditure <«tf thousands of
pounds.
Time was when the “gutta pereha
man" was a more important person
age than he is now. He was trained
from youth to cultivate hands whose
whiteness and delicacy would have
aroused 'he ei vy of a duchess. He re
ceived a handsome salary, and had
men to Whit upon him. Now, however,
his gloty is dimmed and bis wage di
minished.
Employers find that there are now
more workmen with soft and supple
hands 1’aan formerly.
ProicrcKB of Southern Industry.
Southern phosphate deposits are
practically the only American depos
its of the kind of commercial value.
Even they, though, have felt the im
pulse of the new era. whether they be
in the older fields of Florida or in the
newer ones of Tennessee. With the de
struction of the forests of the middle
west and west, southern lumber is be
coming dominant in its field, and will
be the leader whenever the effort shall
be made to combine the lumber inter
ests of the country, fn West Virginia
and Kentucky there are tendencies
to-day toward placing the coal mining
industries in closer touch w ith the bi
tuminous interests elsewhere, while
some of the fuel in the Alabama region
has already been brought within the
influence of the powers centered at
Pittsburgh.—X. Y. Commercial Adver
iser.
Their Favorite Diet.
“The (Mills and bears in Wall street
are carnivorous animals,” remarked
the horse edtior to the snake editor.
“Indeed?”
“Yen; they are fond of spring lamb
with I'uited States mint sauce."—
Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph.
Dimit reeable Frlen.lv.
People dread to meet friends who
give ad\ive.—Atchison Globe.
\