Manchester Democrat. [volume], October 11, 1905, Image 6

About Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
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The Inn: An Old Epitaph.
PiQBi* aaste we ride the road of men
From shadow through to shade again,
But rein, to breathe or tighten girth,
At that oid inn yclept ^'The Earth."
There some delay to dine and sup,
While some but taste a stirrup-cup
And some have eisc and ample fare,
And some find little comfort there.
His score is large who bides a day
Who soonest goes hath least to pay.
—Arthur Guiterman, iu the New York
Times.
«5E5HSZ5HSZSZ5HSH5H5KHSaKSia5H5H'
5ESHSHSH5H5HSZ5HSESHFa5 lEHSHSHSHSBB
Right across the wintry plains and
deserL stretches of Eastern Europe, a
woman was wandering alone, some
times on foot, sometimes in a peas
ants wagon, seldom resting by the
way, for Nadia Seliedof had not much
r, money, but she had a certain object
which she Kept unfl'nch'ngly in view
—to join her husband, who was under
going a long sentence in the Siberian
mines.
Karl Seliedof's crime was a simple
one enough. He was of a gentle na
ture, and had written a book—only a
novel but in it he had dared to
•. breathe the hateful word of liberty,
and for this heinous rault he had been
consigned to a fe'.on's doom.
He was all Nadia had in the world
but she was a brave woman, and did
not allow herself to be utterly strick
en down by the blow when they took
him away from her. Xo she set about
at once devising ways and means to
obtain his freedom.
In their neighborhood there resided
part of the year a great and powerful
lady named Princess Nariskine, who
"vwas said to possess much influence
at court. She was popularly supposed
to be cold and proud to her equals,
haughty to her inferiors but Nad'.a
^sought her, relying upon that unlver
sal and undefinable sympathy which
should exist between all women nor
did she rely upon it altogether in
vain. Moreover, the princess had read
and admired Seiledof's wo?k. and for
its sake received the author's wife
kindly and graciously.
"Nadia," she said, when the young
woman was about to leave, her eyes
bathed in grateful tears, "Nadia, be
lieve me, you have all my sympathy.
Whatever may lie in my power, I will
do for you but. do not expect too
much I cannot promise success."
Many weeks—long, lonely, miser
able weeks of expectancy—passed
after this, and the wife of Karl Selie
dof received no news. At last the
jearning to be near him again, and
to whisper in his ear that there
was hope for him, grew stronger and
stronger day by day, until she could
withstand it no longer and then it
was that she concelve.1 and under
took this terrible journey upon which
we find her, across the North Hus
si
an plateau, over the Ural Mountains,
p. into the terrible land of exile.
The winter was already far ad
\anced when she reached the little
settlement on the banks of the river
Savda, to which her husband had
__ been consigned. She had by some
A means ascertained his number when
he kvas sentenced, and by this indlca*
tlon she traced him out.
This time she avoided the inn, the
little village, and the peasants whose
friendship she had hltjjprfro armght. tn
help her on the way. She would do
nothing that should attract observa
tion, nothing that might interfere with
her purpose so she made straight
for the mines. But, s'.rangjcly enough
U^2
f* -&1TV-
within her bosom. Suppose she could
not find him. And if she did, and he
wore not pardoned, they would never
allow her to remain there. Then
how should she face that fearful jour
ney back again, away from him?
HI
Ml
The wild thought now entered her
mind that she would defy the authori
ties she would commit some crime
and then surely they would imprison
her too. Ah, yes that would be some
thing. She would perhaps be made to
toll as he was tolling, be allowed to
remain somewhere near him who was
dearer to her thau her own life and
soul.
Such were the thoughts that passed
through Nadia's feverej brain as she
stood by the mouth of an old, disused
pit. The gray twilight shadows were
darkened down, and snow was falling
softly.
She shivered with the intense
cold, for on the journey her clothes
had become ragged and torn, and ex
posed her arms and feet to the wintry
blast. The place was quite deserted
not ever a military guard had been
posted there but there was a basket
attached to a windliss which had
been used to descend the shaft. With
out hesitation she got in, knowing
tlw her weight would carry her
down but the rope wns rotten, and
nhe was instantly precipitated head
long into the black abyss.
The suddenness of the fall took
away her consciousness, but it was
only for a moment, and then she was
aroused by the shock of ice-cold
water. She had plunged in it up to
her neck, and was wildly struggling
for breath.
In throwing cut her hand, however,
she struck against a rock, and cling
ing frantically, marvsed at last to
drag herself out of the subterranean
pool. She was now on dry ground,
but endless difficulties still surround
ed her.
It was pilch dark. Whither must
she turn? She could not go back, for
there was the water. The only tiling
to be done was to go blindly on, feel
ing her way by the walls of the pit.
But It was a terrible journey. She
had lost her shoes in the pool, and at
overy stop her inked feet were cut
and torn by sharp stones. She was
drenched to the skin and the wet.
skirts clinging to her legs impeded
her progress so she took off her up
per garments, and found that she
could walk more freely. A little fur
ther on, her feet tcir.hed something
soft and clammy. She stooped down,
but drew away her hand again in hor
ror as she felt the face of a man
covered with a grizzly beard, cold and
dead!
Evidently some unhappy prisoner
who had perished there and been for
gotten. A wild cry broke from her
lips, which, echoing through the dark
cavern, frightened even herself, and
she fled at full speed, like one pos
sessed, away from that accursed spot.
What if this were the Tate of Karl
Seliedof, too! Perhaps—perhaps this
was his body! That thought froze the
voung blood in her veins. But It was
dangerous to run thus iu the dark
Ma. 8t*e had not gone many yards
L-
ft
'•v®
-Jm
... /•».... ,V3j •Vr*.,'t-rA
ere she came in violent contact wltn
a huge projecting rock and fell heav
ily to the ground. She strove to rise,
but must have sprained or broken her
ankle it was so painful that she sank
back again.
Then she looked about and began
to realize her position, and that she
could plainly distinguish surrounding
objects. There was a wide opening
here from above, and the silvery
moon shone clear and cold into the
mine.
A few feet from her there lay what
appeared to be a bundlo of rags, but,
on looking more closely, she could
distinguish the outline of a man lying
on a bed of straw. She caltod faintly
for help. The bundle moved. The
man came toward her. In that mo
ment she knew him, though he was
woefully changed.
"Karl!"
"Nadia!" he cried "you here! Oh,
no, no! Heavens! I must be dream
ing!'
But he soon knew it was realty, for
Nadia was locked in his arms, her
face pressed close to his, covering his
lips and sunken, bearded cheeks with
kisses, weeping and laughing hysteri
cally, all in a breath, from the wild
ness of her joy.
"Oh, my poor love!" Karl said, at
last, when she had calmed down a
little, and lay upon his rude coucn
"how—why did you come to this fear
ful place?"
"The longing to be near you once
more was more than I could bear. Be
sides, listen, I have good news to tell
you. I went to the Princess Naris
kine she promise! to intercede for
you, and at any moment you may re
ceive your pardon."
"My own brave, true-hearted Na
dia!"
She spoke and thought only of him,
not of her own perils and sufferings
but he soon found that her arms and
feet were terribly lacerated, and her
ankle so contused that she was unable
to move.
With loving care he tended and
soothed her, binding up her wounds
with strips torn from his own cloth
ing, and wrapped in each other's arms
they lay, finding comfort and happi
ness In their misery, even in that
world-forsaken place, since those two
loving hearts were once more togethr.
The pale dawn was lighting up the
sky when an officer and some armed
guards descended the mine.
"Come, No. 49,' said the former,
roughly, "get to work."
Seliedof rose obediently.
"Hello! what is this? Whom have
we here? A woman!''
"It is my wife," the prisoner said,
quietly, "who has come the breadth
of Russia to see me.'
"That is a very pretty story, I must
say: but she will have to clear out
of here. Tramp, begone!"
Nadia strove to rise, but her ankle
had swollen terribly, and she fell back
exhausted.
"You see. captain, she cannot rise,"
Karl said, in beseeching tones. "Can
she not remain here at. least a little
time while I go to work?"
"No," the clref answdrSd, brutally.
"We will soon find means to make her
move and lie made a sign to one of
his attendants, who brought down his
great whip upon the poor woman's
scantily protected shoulders.
A sharp cry of pain broke from her
lips, which went right, to her hus
band's heart and aroused.the man in
him which Russian despotism had
been tryingTTs" very "hanT^'io" c'rusfi
out.
"She is not your prisoner." he
cried "do not. dare to touch her!"
But the petty despot laughed a
laugh of conscious power, and the
now that she had almost re.\ched her
destination, her heart began to sink sreat lash was raised again, and fch
on Xadla's back and naked arms,
causing the blood to flow. This mad
dened Seliedof as all the tortures
which had been inflicted on himself
had never succeeded in doing, and,
raising the heavy chains that, bound
his feet, he rushel upon the tyrant,
dashing them full in h's face.
The later drew back and, shaking
him off, yelled out:
"Mutiny! Shoot, him down!"
One of his ze ilous myrmidons,
drawing a pistol, fired, and Karl Selie
dof fell lifelers to the ground, while
Nadia, with a wild scroam of anguish
threw herself over his prostrate form.
(But at this moment there was some
fresh stir and commotion. Several
more people were present and a calm,
cold woman's voice from out of the
gloom said:
"I bring the Czar's gracious pardon
to Karl Seliedof!"
It was the Princess Nariskine,
whose sympithy has assumed practi
cal shape. Having ga'ned her point
with the sovereign, she, had under
taken that terrible journey, traveling
posthaste the whole width of the Rus
stan Empire, for she full well knew
how tardy in delivery these rare, gra
cious messages often were, and there
fore resolved to be herself the bearer
of the good tidings.
Those who were there knew her,
and uncovered their heads but stye
wondered why there was so deep a
silence—why no one answered her,
and again she said, more imperiously
this time:
I bring the Czar's pardon to Karl
Seliedof!
"I fear Madame la Princesse is too
late," the officer replied since she
br,r»c-R nardon to a dead man!
"I trust that is not so. You will see
by this paper, Capt. Tchehatchief,
that you have fire upon a free sub
ject of the Czar, and, if he be dead,
you shall live to repent it!"
The captain bowed, taking the
paper in silence but he had turned
deadly pale. He read his doom in the
dangerous glitter of her eyes. It was
the grand, old philosophy of Swift.
Out. here Tchehatchief was all power
ful, but, beside the name and pres
ence of Princess NarisUane, he had
become a very pigmy. Then they told
her that Seliedof was, indeed, dead.
"His body shall be burled in h.s
native place,' she sVul. "Tak« the
poor lady to my carriage, and bid my
women see to her."
As Nariskine turned away there
wore tears in her bright, blue eves.
Happily, poor Nadia had swooned
away, and was unconscious of all that
passed.
From that day she remained with
the Princess Nariskine as her friend,
and when she recovered from a long
and painful illness—white-haired, a
prematurely old woman now, a sad
emblem of Russian tyranny—it was
a mercy that her memory was a
blank a peaceful present and future
but her happy wifehood, her terrible
journey, the Czar's pardon that came
too late—all, all blotted out forever!
—New York Weekly.
The automobile h»s taken strong
told in Peru
WtSSZm
WONDER OF NATURE.
GRAND CANYON OF ARIZONA A
MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE.
Pjiblim© Sccnzry Laid Out by Nature
Holds Man In
It*
Spe 1 Great Chtism
Mile* Across Ih a Mecca for the
Tourist* "i
The Grand Canyon of Arizona is
within a government forest reservation
sixty by eighty miles in size. About
two-thirds of it is.on the eastern anil
the other third on the western side.
The timber is in fairly good condition.
There was a bad fire two years ago
which ruined several hundred acres of
fine forest, but there is littSe danger
of its recurrence because of the vigil
ance of Captain Kenton, the superin
tedent, and his corps of foresters.
It is thirteen miles from one rim of
the canyon to that on the opposite side,
and there are two trails by which the
western side may be reached. One of
them, the Bright Angel Trail, Is oppo
site the new hotel, and although it is
eighteen or twenty miles to the top
the climb Is comparatively easy, it
follows stieam of clear, pure cold
water which conies tumbling down a
narrow canyon on the western side,
and Major Powell during his first
memorable exploration of the canyon
called It the Bright Angel Kiver be
cause it was such a grateful discovery.
Captain Kenton says that the coun
try on the western side of the canyon
is much better than that on the east
ern side that the Umber is larger and
thicker, water is more abuudant, and
there are a great many deer and other
big gnmc. The forest reserve includes
a strip of thirty miles along the edge
of the canyon, and west of that, to-the
Utah line, the land lias been taken up
by Mormon rnnchmen. who have la-ge
111
herds"
?Tf"faTMe.'
ert-H'y" -thiTirf-
habltants of that corner of Arizona
are Morm.ms. John I. Lee, the leader
in the Mountain Meadow massacre,
had a ranch at a ferry over the Color
ado about a hundred miles north of
here, where he lived in concealment
for more than twenty years. 11c was
finally discovered, identified, arrested,
convicted and executed for complicity
In the murder of a caravan of people
in northern Utah wible on their way
to California. Ills widow now keeps
a hotel at Uolbrook, Ariz., one of the
most important stations on the Santa
Fe Road, and several of his sons and
daughters are living in the locality.
People are beginning to tind their
way here. Last year, which was the
first since the railroad was opened,
about 12,000 people came. This year,
if the present average keeps up, there
will be from 20.W0 to 25.000 visitors,
and everyone who comes goes home a
walking advertisement for the place.
There Is nothing to compare with it
anywhere in the world, it is Impossi
bletoexaggerate the grandeur, the sub
limity, the linpresslveness of the scen
ery and its fascination cannot be ac
curately described. It is Impossible for
one mau to express bis emotions to
another.
It is a singular fact that three
fourths of the people who come to the
canyon are women. A large number
of them are well along iu years, and
the endurance and the nerve they show
Is extraordinary. Nearly every woman
who comes here insists upon going
down to the bottom of the canyon,
while only hall' of the men show that
amount of energy. Two New York
women have been here for months
They have visited all the places of in
terest within 150 miles, including the
Mokl and Supal Indians, und have fol
lowed all of the trails to the river.
Every one of these excursions Is
enough to use up the strougest men.
Nowadays one can ride to the can
yon in a parlor car or a Pullman 'eep
er aud step off .the train Into one of
the most picturesque and comfortable
hotels in the world. You can come all
the year round. February and March
are the least pleasant months, because
there are apt to be rain and snow
storms. From Sept. 15 to Feb. 1 the
weather is most agreeable, but these
summer days are almost perfect
neither too cool nor too hot. The ther
mometer ranges between 05 and 75
Fahrenheit. There are several advan
tages In coming down here in the sum
mer, and a good many people are be
ginning lo Hud them out. The altitude
Is 7.000 feet above the sea. and that
Insures cool uiglits, no matter,. Imw,
warm the days may be. Rut the days
aro not too warm for* comfort the
thermometer seldom goes above SO
there Is no humidity iu tlie atmos
phere and if the sun is too hot nil you
have to do Is to raise your umberlla.
There Is occasionally a freak of
weather. The snowstorm In which we
were lost occurred on the 20th of May,
lS'.ti), and it is a singular coincidence
that a siuiliar squall should arrive on
the very same date tills year, with
snow enougn to hide the roadway
through tlie forest. Rut there Is no
danger of getting lost now. The trees
have been blazed on both sides of the
trail, and If you stick to the railway
cars you are sure lo bring up at Hie
canyon, three hours or so ufter you
leave the Santa Fe Line at Fort Will
iams. The snow never lasts more than
a few hours. It may fall to a depth of
two or three luches during the night
two or three times a year, but toon
I
as the sun comes out in the morning
disappears almost instantly.
There is a peculiar railway down
here. It is the only one I know of in
this country over which no passes arc
issued. Everybody except the conduc
tor and the train crew—even the pres
ident himself—has to pay fare, and a
round-trip ticket over the entire sys
tem costs $(5.50. The railroad is ninety
miles long. It has no stations except
the terminals at Williams, where it
connects with the Santa Ke, and at the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado. It lias
no side tracks except one to allow the
trains to pass. There are four passen
ger trains a day, two in each direction,
made up of a baggage car and two
coaches and through Pullmans from
Kansas City and I,os Angeles twice a
week. There are no freight trains and
no freight is carried except water and
other supplies for the hotels at the
Grand Canyon. The road depends upon
passenger traffic alone. That is the rea
son why passes are not given. There
are no switchmen In the employ *of
the company and the pay roll carries
only twelve names, including conduc
tors. engineers, firemen, ticket agents
and all concerned, and the track Is
kept in order by five section gangsVof
ten men each, who are now rebuilding
it from the bottom with new ties, new
rails and ballast of volcanic cinder.^
I shall not try to describe the Gnrnd
Canyon of the Colorado. Few pen3 arc
brave enough to attempt it, and none
Is eijual to the task. Famous writers
have described the canyon with fine
word-painting, but none conveys more
than a meager idea of what the can
yon looks like and it seldom looks the
same from hour to hour. With everv
shifting cloud its outlines and color
seem to alter.
SCENE IN THE GRAND (L'ANYON OF ARIZONA.
»L ^A
differing*m*color and intensity. It is
a stupendous intagilo, carved in the
silent desert by the Colorado River,
and the rain aud winds. It is like an
inverted mountain range, 217 miles
long, reaching a depth of 7.5!10 feet,
with a series of depressions averaging
0,000 feet chiseled out of the earth by
the erosion of ages.
It Is the generally accepted theory
that this great chasm is Kolclv the
work of water—of the floods that
come down from the mouutalns every
spring and summer—but Mr. Ordonez,
a distinguished Mexican geologist, who
came here not long ago, made a sug
gestion which may not be entirely
new but Is worth mentioning. It is
his Idea that, while the earth was cool,
lug. the soil and the rocks contracted
aud split a deep and wide fissure in
the surface of the plateau, and that its
sides have since been worn down and
polished by the action of the water.
That seems reasonable.
There are various places along the
rim from which splendid views of the
canyon may be obtained. Kaeh is dif
ferent. Each has its own glories but
what is known as the Craiul View is
the best, because from that promon
tory the eye has a wider vista, a dou
ble view: there the canyon curves
around like a monstrous serpent, aud
one can follow It a distance of nearly
eighty miles. Thomas Moran painted
his famous pictures from what Is
known as Moran's Point. He thinks
the colors of Hie rocks anil the days
appear more brilliant there than else
where.
You can wander along the rtm for
sixty miles. There is no obstruction
for all that distance, and you can look
down a mile Into the bowels of the
earth.—William Curtis, In Chicago
Reeord-IIcrald.
RELIGION OF RUSSIA.
Peculiarities of the Church of Which
the Czar Is the Mead.
Confession is enjoined In the Rus
sian church, but is not performed as
satisfaction offered to Cod, says the
Church of Ireland (Jazcttc.
No candidate for holy orders will be
ordained until he is married. This, of
course, refers to the secular clergy.
The monastic orders must he celibates.
A widower priest may remarry but he
must lirst renounce his orders. A cu
rious Inconsistency is that no prlesffys
long as bis wife is alive can attain
bishopric, because ail bishops must be
unmarried.
In the encharist the priest receive?*
the bread and wine separately, where
as the laity receive both elements
mixed together, from a spoon, stand
ing. The sacrament Is also adminis
tered to infants, but they receive the
wine only, lest they might reject thcj
bread.
Paptism is a most elaborate cere
mony and take* forty days before it is
complete. It Includes triple Immersion,
tlie chrism, and tonsure of the Infant':
hair In the shape of a cross. The sacra
ment of unction dilTcrs from the sim
ilar sacrament in the Roman church
being, as It is, administered even to
those who are slightly ill, whereas the
Church of Home only gives it iu an
artlculo mortis, or when there is no
chance of recovery
The services In the Russian church
are most elaborate. This evlTlent
from the fact that the ritual and ser
vices occupy twenty folio volumes.
Service is performed at least three
times dally, aud the greatest part of
iQ
the norvlce varies every day
year, and every part of every day, ex
cept in the communion office.
The average pay of a parish priest Is
about £200. Bishops have about £500,
and a metropolitan, who corresponds
to our primate, £1,000 per annum.
There are no state endowment*. I be
lieve, the incomes being derived from
collections of fees, for no priest will
perforin even the most trifling office
without payment.
The Kussian clergy have no social
standing a better class of Russian
would not eat at table with the mulsh
priest in fact, they occupy the place
of our own clergy occupied about, say,
the fourteenth century.
Sermons are rarely preached in the
Russian churches. There are books
of homilies from which the clergy may
read, but these homilies are so very
lengthy, ornate aud elaborate that the
people refuse to listen to them. As a
rule, the clergy are too ignorant to
compose their own sermons, and even
If they do compose them they must
first be sent to the consistory for ap
proval, because the government is de
termined to stamp out heresy. The
consistory Is In no hurry to return the
sermons and often several weeks or
more may pass before they do so, con
sequently the clergy as a rule leave
preaching severely alone. The Russian
priests never pay parochial visits ex
cept to beg the result is that they
have never gained the confidence or
good will of the laity.
MAKING OF LEAD PENCILS.
Vas' Industry Conducted in This Coun
try and in Germany,
The number of pencils used in.the
1'nited States annually, if divided
As the sun rises an.l «'*Vnl.v. would leave only two for each
sets in the heavens its majestic out -one of Its population. A pair of pen
lines change like the scenes of a pan-1 «'ils a year would be a small allow
orama. You may sit on the rim from I anee for those requiring Uiem every
breakfast to dinner, gazing over the! day. Yet, at this rate, when the total
same area, and see a dozen picture-* of about H0,000,000 for .the whole
I
Iff
!i®
-ri 'wSas
tf*'"
country" fs calculated, one can not
help wondering how It is nossime to
consume such a vast number of
eils.
Some of tlie pencils are "made In
CJennany," but of the entire nuinber
that Americans use nine-tenths are of
home manufacture. A considerable
quantity of this article is also ex
ported as well as imported. The pen
cil factories of the United States em
ploy upward of 2.C00 persons, paying
them about $700,000 In wages every
year. America's annual output of
pencils Is worth $2,000,000.
Tlie wood most commonly sought
for making pencils is Virginia or red
cedar, which grows abundantly In the
South, especially In Alabama and
Florida. Europe, having nothing as
good among Its owu trees for pencil
covering as Virginia cedar, obtains its
supply of this material from the Unit
ed States. Hut the American manu
facturer is compelled to go abroad for
the graphite contained in pencils.
Mexico. Bohemia. Ceylon and Slbera
yield the best qualities of graphite.
The preparation of graphite, of which,
with clay, pencil lead consists, is an
important industry In itself, and 1/
has Its home in Germany,
Tolepathio Prayer,
A remarkable story of the Boer war
was recently lold by a dissenting min
ister, at Hanley. During the struggle
in South Africa a father prayed daily
for his son. who was at the trout. One
night, moved by a strange Impulse, the
elder man felt constrained to remain
In prayer until the morning. The next
mail brought news of what had hap
pened on that particular night. The
son was on that date taker, out of hos
pital where he had been down with
enteric, and placed iu the mortuary
among tlie dead, 'i he hospital doctor,
however, was possessed of a peculiar
uneasiness and could not rest. Ooing to
the nurse w..o had ordered the removal
of the body, he asked If she was sure
the patient was dead. Notwithstanding
her assertion to that effect, the doctor
proceeded to tue mortuary, to find that
after all there was still breath iu the
supposed dead body. The patient was
taken back to the hospital, aud eventu
ally recovered.
Serpent iinniuitn from ItN \Miotn.
One of the mot important things
about serpent venom Is that each
species seems'to bo immune to Its own
poison. If a snake Is Inoculated with
Its own venom It remains unaffectcd.
M. ('. Phlsalix. who has done so much
on this subject, linds experimental evi
dence that this immunity is to be at
tributed to the presence In the blood
of a free antitoxin. Tills neutralizes
the poison as it Is Introduced,
New Job Tor Hi in.
"Have you 'Lost Twenty-four
hours4?" asked the old lady of the new
clerk in the book store.
"No, lady." he replied, "l ain't had
time. I only came here to-day."—Phil
adelphia Press.
For Purposes of* l(ititiflcnt'on
Neil—lid you speak French when
you were In Paris?
Belle—Only enough to lot them
know that I was an American.—Phil
adelphia Record.
There are some people who affect
you very much as tbe sight of a "water
melon on a cold day.
1 rue love is founded ou the rock of
1
PACIFIC CABLE LINES EXTENDED.
After many years of battling against difficulties, direct cable communi
cations from the United States to China and Japan by way of the Commer
cial Cable Company Is assured, and .the project of the late .John W. Mackay
is on the eve of realization.
WIUi the signing of an agreement by M. Takahlra, Japanese minister,
betweeC the Japanese government and tlie Commercial Pacific Cable Com
pany. landing privileges and connections in Japan are obtained. Landing
rights were obtained by the company from China several weeks ago.
Euorts to establish an all American Pacific cable to the fa* East were
begun by John W. Mackay many years'ago. Various bills were introduced
in Congress, but always met defeat until President MeKinley Wiamploned
the enterprise. In 1800, and urged In a message to Congress the necessity
for cable communication with the far East. At that time another contro
versy arose between* the Senate and House of Representatives over govern
ment control of the cable, and the President's message was fruitless.
In 1001 Mr. Clarence II. Mackay. president of the Commercial Cable
Company, went before Congress and offered on the part of bis company to
lay the cable as a private enterprise, unsnbsldized and entirely under Amer
ican control. Ills offer was eventually accepted, and meanwhile tlie Com
mercial Pacific Cable Company was organized and the cable was laid to
Honolulu and the Philippines. Now it has been extended to China and Japan.
WORLD'S HIGHEST TOWER.
Huge Cylindrical Shaft to lie Built fur
the Amusement of New-Yorkers,
Original always aud In all things.
New York is soon to have the oddest
amusement enterprise on the face of
the earth, iu the shape of a tower
taller than any structure in the world
aud equipped with a larger variety of
comldned entertainments and utilities
than anything that has ever existed
for the edification of the millions who
are constantly and hungrily seeking
new pleasures.
Called "The \Veber Tower," after its
designer, Carl Weber, one of tlie best
known experts In the matter of tall
steel-concrete constructions, the build*
lug will be unique in many ways, and
wheu it has been erected, either in oue
of the parks of Manhattan, or In some
equally prominent spot, it will un
questionably be one of the foremost
attractions of the metropolis.
In the first place, it will reach the
enormous height of 1,250 feet, just 258
feet taller than the Eiffel tower in
Paris, and more than twice as tall as
the Washington monument, which,
with 555 feet. Is at present the high
est permanent structure in the world.
It will so far overtop everything In
New York that comparison is Idle, the
Park Row buildiug, which now holds
pre-eminence, being only 382 feet high,
and the St. Paul huthiiug, ranking
second, having but ?»08 feet. In Eu
rope. after the Eiffel tower, there is
only tlie Ulm Cathedral, with 528 feet,
but this Is excelled by the City Hall
In Philadelphia, with 548 feet.
Height alone, however, will not be
the chief recommendation of tlie Web
er tower. It will 1)0 a skyscraper'of
universal Invitation. If you are a
business man yon will be able to rent
offices inside Us tall but lofty
stretches. If you want an evening's
frolic you will be escorted to the liigh-
W-vi
'if:
9^
GOTHAM'S rKOPCSED TOWF.H.
est roof garden iu the world. 1,100 feet
above the sidewalk, which Is so high
that every other, roof garden will look
like a pigmy patch of light without
form or substance. If you are an as
tronomer you will, tind all the para
phernalia for the study of the heavens
at such close range that you will hard
ly need a telescope. And, above all,
there will be the necessary precautions
to prevent you jumping off If you are
one of those persons who get that im
pulse whenever tliey reach the top of
a high place.
Although virtually nothiug has been
known of this remarkable project ex
cept by those most intimately asso
ciated with it, the plans have so far
progressed that in ail likelihood it will
be an accomplished fact lu a reason
ably short time. Several of the most
influential .capitalists in New York
have taken it up aud have been so
much impressed with it that the vast
sum required for it Is practically
ready and actual work will probably
begin before the winter sets In. So
thoroughly has the scheme been
worked out that the whole structure
can be completed and ready for use
within a year after the beginning of
the operation.
In design the tower will be entirely
novel. Its main part Is to be cylin
drical, in tlie form of a shaft of thir
ty-five feet Inshle diameier, the lower
300 feet reinforced by a system of
ribs, wlille the largest outside diam
eter will be 140 feet. Balconies for
the accommodation of visitors will be
provided at various heights, and the
highest platform accessible to the pub
lic will be l.iido feet above the street
level, where there will be space for
as many as 1,000 persons at one time.
According to present plans, eight el
evators will run In the main shaft,
with a capacity of about 1,250 per
sons every hour. The main platform,
however, where there will be a roof
garden that can be inclosed when the
necessity arises, will be 1,100 feet Ulgfi.
Here there will be refreshment stands,
a post office, telegraph oUlce, public
telephones, toilet rooms aud about ev
erything else that moderu exigencies
demand, whi.le well-informed guides
will be iu attendance to point out and
explain the wonderful views (row
•very Bide and to furuinh field crlaues
7
when required. Another novel fea
ture will lie provision for a United
States weather observatory, which will
be higher than any now iu use, ns
well as several rooms' applicable to
private scientific research.
Fvoni the base of the tower tip to
the 300-foot balcony there will be
eighteen stories, some of which will
be utilized for office purposes and some
for entertainment. There will be am
ple room for a theater, as well as for
a museum ami other exhibitions. As
a matter of fact, halt a dozen distinct
entertainment enterprises may lie In
cluded In this great space without con
flict. The second floor, however, will
lie. reserved for a restaurant of the
first class, with about 10,000 square
feet of floor space, anil, of course, tlie
most up-to-date Improvements in the
way of comfort and decorative effect
Oil the lower floor there will be
stores, but only such as will be in har
mony with the purposes of tlie entire
edifice, and here also will be located
the electric machinery for the opera
tion of the elevators and the power
for the light, heat, ventilation, ap
paratus, and so on, although tills will
be of Rticii magnitude that a part of
It will go below tlie main stairway.
Although details of the architectural
ornamentatlou have not yet been per
fected, It is promised that the en
trances especially will lie extraordi
narily elaborate, with marble columns,
spacious stnlrways, promenades, recep
tion rooms and other features of lux
ury nnd splendor. So far as may be
possible tills etTect of richness will be
striven for from the base of the build
ing to the top of the tower.
Whatever other attractions the build
ing may contain, the top of it will be
the greatest, by reaiion of the im
mense height and the magnificent view
to lie had there, to say nothing of the
quality of the air In any kind of
weather. Before the eyes of the spec,
tator there will lie the whole city of
New York, the Atlantic Ocean as far
as the sight can reach, the Hudson
river and the surrounding country to
a distance of 2T0 miles. It has been
estimated that the vUw will take In a
territory of 20,000 square miles.
MARITIME WORLD'S FAIN.
Robert Fulton Anniversary Will Re a
Mctnorab Occasion*
Plans are being made in New York
tr. celebrate two years hence the cen
tenary of the use ?f steam in uaviga
tlon by the holding of what would
seem to be a sort of maritime world's
fair, says the t'levelaud Plain Dealer.
On Aug. 7, 1807, Itohert Fulton's Cler
mont made her epoch-making voyage
on the Hudson which revolutionized
sea commerce and sea warfare. The
Clermont was not tlie first steamboat,
for attention Is now being called to an
interesting coincidence which should
give the proposed celebration a double
significance. In 1007 it will be just
200 years since the Frenchman, Paplu.
drove a crude steamboat on the river
Kulda. Hut though the Clermont was
not the first steamship, nhe uuirked at
all events the beginning )f steam nav
igation, and It will not detract from
her inventor's fame to recall that the
centennial celebration in his honor will
be also a bicentenary In marine annals.
New York is, of course, the place of
all others for the observance of the
anniversary, for not ouly was the
Clermont's momentous voyage made In
Its waters, but the city is the foremost
port In the new world, and has, more
over, in Its grand bay and two great
rivers, a uatural setting unsurpassed
anywitere on earth for a maritime
spectacle such as Is contemplated.
The affair should with the most per
feet propriety bo of an industrial
rather than a military character aud
celebrate the victories of peace rather
than those of war, for the revolution
In uaval warfare followed necessarily
from Clermont's performance. It is
proposed, however, to ask Admiral
Togo to attend, nor would this be with
out its special fitness, for Togo is the
greatest uaval warrior In the day of
steam, as Nelson was iu the day of
sails. The presence of the victor
the only great naval battle since steam
wns applied to ships would be mor
tliau an interesting feature of what
should be made a really remarkabl
and truly international -iccasion.
rushing the Folks Aside.
When the babies are cross and
man would like a quiet retreat there
Is none for him. Hut iu a few years
when tlie children are grown nnd ho
Is In the way, the daughters and
mother put their heads together and
originate a den. There Is no den for
tbo mother because she grac.efullv
eliminates herself by sitting in the
kitchen or running over to a neigh
hor's. is her natural disposition to
hide In a corner or remove herself en
tirely. aud it Is not the uatural disposi
tlon of the father. Hence the den. It
has a couch and some pipes and to
bacco aud the books which the neigh
bora haven't got around to horrowin
as yet, though if father begins a stor
to-day tlie book will be found to
loaned out when he wants to finish it
to-morrow. The den is a fashionable
way of pushing the old uiau out. If
there is one in your house. Mr. Man,
don't be deceived.—Atchison
Globe.
How Long Is a Week'/
"Ob, yes. he's very careful about
himself and his clothes. Why, be. can
wear a collar a whole tveek long."
*'Ciee whiz, he must have au awful
long neck!"—Philadelphia Press.
History says a man's sius will flud
him out but u,«u (rOiitiuue to bet that
the? won't.
(hili
ildren's
VC2
.THE BROOK.
Rushing down the mountain'tumffilfltf
through the vale.
Sprlnkliug all the land about with
spray,
Sliding under boulders which dot th«
hill and dale,
A little mountain brooklet pushed
its way.
_i
It helped to turn the mill-wheel of
the mill upon the bank,
It made some pools where children
love to be,
helped the merry fisher as his U"
hook and line he sank,
And it whispered as it ran Into th#
sea:
z..
LtiJ?
1
Fm glad I helped the miller, an4
made the children dance,
And I'm glad I made the fisher mei
ry he
I'm glad I did a bit of work When once
I had the chance, -i
And now I'm glad I've made ft
larger sea."—St. Nicholas.
A STORV OF LIGHTS.
One night wheit the sun had dta
appeared and birds had tucked tieJr
heads bensath their wings to rest.
one of the night birds flew close to
an elctrlc light.
"Of what use are you?" aaked the v.
bird. "You (jive no little light com
pared w:tb the sun!"
'1 do the best I cpn." said tlie light.
Think foow dark this corner would
be if I were not here! People walk
Ing and driving might run Into one
another, and some one might get
hurt!"
Tlial'ti true," said tlie bird and
away he flew. Then he cbme near
gas light, standing apart from
houses and busy streets.
"Of what use are you?" asked the
bird. "You do not give as much light
as the e'ectrle light!"
'1 do the best I can," said the
light. "Dj you not see that steep
bank just beyond? If I wore not here,
some one might fail to see it and
fall."
That's true." sa'd the bird and .:
away he flaw. Soon his sharp
spied a lamp In window.
"Of what use are you?" asked thd' ,v
bird. "You do not give even as
much light as the gas light."
'I do the best I can. 1 am In the
window to throw light down the path,
that Parmer Brown may see the way
When he comes home. I do the betf
I can."
"That's true," said the bird «n€ .s..
away he flew.
But again his sharp eyes spied a
light—a tiny candie light In a nurserjf
window. a
'Of what use are you?" asked the
bird. "Your light Is to small! You
ilo not give even as much light as"#.|
lamp."
"I do the best I can." said the can
die, "and I can he easily carried from
room to ro|)m. Nurse uf.es me
he gives the children a drink of
water at night, ojr sees that they at*
snugly coyerefcup jobbed. lado.-UMM#?'
best, 1. can."
That's true," said tlio bird and
away he flew, "thinking as"he"*aH
the many ihts, hare and there, lib
tie and great. "All are helpers!"—"
Kindergarten Review.
THE REALM OF NATURE AT MID
NIGHT.. J
No matter how ardently vou ma?
have studied nature during the hour*'
of daylight, ff you have not made hef.
acquaintance when the multitude ot.
star candles seem to shine their
brightest, when there is pnly that nor-,
row, mystic space between today and
yesterday, you have befoie you the
exploration of an unknown country.'!
If you enter It alone you will feel:
like a giant intruding upon a fairy:
dreamland. You are shadowed by:
strange, watchful forms the very:
breezes seem to follow your footsteps
that you do no harm to their sleep-:.-.
ing charges. Perhaps a ghostly night
birds flutter, voiceless, past your'1
shoulders, and there are emphatic
queries from the depths of the old
oalt, but you dn not heed taem.
Set your lantern' down there. Ah!
ho has passed by long ago—the Dew-.
king with bis jewel box. Yon rub
your eyes! There are acres of gems
—not all diamonds pearls and opals
and sapphires, strung on gossamer
threads, glsam royally in the lan
tern's light. As far as the ray® ex
tend you see the jeweled wverlWe
upon the fluids aud meadows where
in the daytime, Vyou would have no
ticed only a few airy spider wehbs.
"Some filings seen by candle light
do not look the same by day," yoUj-,
recklessly mlsquot:- as you pause be«^j|
fore your nasturtium bed. The edges
of the leaves are turned up and they
sparkle as though Jack Frost had
Just touched them up with his brueh.
"The jewel wsed." says Wm. Ham*
ilton Gibson, "Is the night's rarest
treasure. Upon the approach of twfc.
light each leaf droops as if wilted,.-.*
and from the notches- along Its edffs 'r
the crystal b?ads begin to grow un
til its border Is hung full with gems,
it is Aladdin's lantern that you *et
among a bed of these succulent pale
green plants, for the spectacle is like
dreamland.
"The horse tail or scouring rush
|jf the early settlers Is the plant with
jointed hollow stems and circular 1
frjj-ees of articulated leaves so com
mon in (he •vamps.. They are pret
ty enough by day, but iu the night
they are transformed to very mar
vels—fairy fountains of glittering
brilliants, each joint in me thousands
of drooping leaves belli set with a
diamond.
"Notice the strange attitude of the
flowers while sleeping. The two side
leaflets of the red clover are folded
together, ami the odd leaflet bowed
together and slightly clasping them.
White clover and many other clovers
follow this same prayerful fashion.
There are probably few plants that do
not put on a n'ghtcap of some sort,
were our eyes only sharp enough.to,^
detect them."
Ten-car trains, drawn by an eleo
trie locomotive, are to run on the
twenty-mile track between Los Alv
geleB and the Pac'flc Ocean shore.
Almost «very Utile stream In rureJ
Franes wash houi^ ft*
iinr-iffi