The morning news. [volume], August 07, 1898, Page 16, Image 16

About The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900

Image provided by: Digital Library of Georgia, a project of GALILEO located at the University of Georgia Libraries

                
16
CHRIST CHURCH'S NEW ALTAR.
THE GIFT OF THE ALTAR SOCIETY
OF THE PARISH.
Will n<- Complete for Sfit Sunday’*
Service*—The Altar of Caen Stone.
Except the TaliU-, Which In of Ten
nessce Marble To-day'* Service*
In the Churches —ltev. .1. U. Chap-
Tillin'* Second Anniversary As Pus
tor of tlic Second Baptist.
The members of Christ Church feel dis
appointed to-day because of the failure
to put the finishing t mein s to the new
altar. The altar is the gift of the Altar
Society of the (hutch, an.l Us members,
too, share the regret.
By next Sunday, however, the superb
structure will be comput'd, and will be
an Imposing addition to the beauty of the
chancel. The work of executing it was
pushed as rapidly as possible by Mr. W.
G. Preston of Boston, while Mr. Percy
Bugdon of Savannah has us’d his utmost
endeavors to g< t it dressed and in shape.
He has succeeded with few slight ex
ceptions, and slated yesterday that the
altar will be complete by next Sunday.
Besides the finishing touches, all the mar
ble of the structure will then have been
polished, which it was Impossible to do
this week.
Just praise will I* given the A.tar So
ciety ladles, who have worked hulefat
igably to raise the necessary funds.
Something UK 51,000. the total cost, was
raised exclusively by subscriptions.
The altar is in the middle of w e chan
cel. just beneath the Bishop KHMt me
aiori.il window, extending from the wal.
about three feet into the chan - 1 It Is
seven feet in width, and occupies the
space from the floor to the sill of tha
window.
Caen stone, a product of France, ie
principally used in the construction, ex
cept the table slab, which is of a bine
gray marble, quarried at Knoxville,
Tenn. The marble used Is exquisitely !*>'•-
(shod. The carving is rich, having lieen
executed by Mr. Jno. Evans, Boston.
The table is supported by stone columns,
with "handsomely carved capitals at the
top. On the front of the re-tnble, which
tests on the communion table, is the in
scription, "Holy, Holy Holy." in liold let
ters, discernable from any part of the au
ditorium. The front%>£ the lower portion
of the altar consists of three panels, rich
ly carved; the center panel, representing
an atvgel> head, standing out in liold re
lief, and breaking the fiat appearance of
the front. A cross will rest on thC re-table,
and on either side of which will bo brass
vases for flowers.
Episcopal.
Rev. J. L. Scully will conduct the morn
ing flervices at St. John’s and the even
ing services at St. (Paul's.
In the list of lay readers of the diocese
of Georgia, authorized by Bishop Nelson
to conduct lay services, are the follow
ing from Savannah: J. J. Whitehead, D.
V. Eebey, T. G. Hunter, R. H. Polk, B.
F. Finney, J. M. Owens, E. S. Hatier-
Eham, H. M. Johnson, Frederick Eins
field E. O. Watkins, W. N. Galloway,
e
In the Table of Expectancy of offer
ings from Parishes for Diocesan Missions
under the resolutions of the diocesan con
vention of last May, adjusted by the
treasurer of the diocese,are the following
Savannah churches: Christ, $671.43; St.
John, $572.15; St. Paul, SSO; St. Stephen,
sl3. The total amount expected from the
diocese is $4,480.15.
Baptist.
To-day will be the second anniversary of
Pastor James D. Chapman’s ministry. The
services will be in harmony with the oc
casion. The morning subject will be "A
Backward and Forward Glance;” at even
ing “The Shepherd Psalm and the Good
Shepherd’’ will lie the subject.
Rea’. J. D. Jordan will preach at the
First Baptud Church this morning on
“Remember.l His subject to-night is “A
Picture of Sorrow, in a Frame of Gold.’’
Mrs. John D. Jordan has returned to
the city from nrf extended visit to Missis
sippi and Kentucky.
Methodist.
Rex’. John A. Thompson, presiding elder
of the Savannah district, will preach at
Trinity this morning and to-night.
Rev. E. F. Morgan will preach at the
Seventh Street Church at both services.
At lho night service there will he a re
ception of members into the church.
Rev. O. F. Cook, pastor of Grace Meth
odist Church, has returned to the city.
He will preach this morning on “Purity,”
and administer the sacrament of the
Lord's supper.
Rev. J. O. Branch will conduct the ser
vices at Wesley Monumental Church to
day.
Lutheran.
The services in St. Paul’s Lutheran
Church will he conducted by the pastor.
Morning service and sermon at 11 o'clock.
Sunday school 5 p. m. The Woman’s
* Home and Foreign Missionary Society
will meet at Mrs. Scberff's Tuesday af
ternoon. The monthly' meeting of the
church council will be held In the study
Tuesday 8:30 p. m.
Presbyterian.
In the absence of the pastor, Rev. A. J.
Smith, there will be no sermons at the
First Church to-day.
Church Directory.
Wesley Monumental Church, Rev.
James O. Branch. I'. D., pastor, preach
ing at 11 a. m.. and 8:30 p. in., by the pas
tor. Sunday School at 6 p. m., C. V.
Bnedeker, superintendent. Epworth
League Tuesday at 8:30 p. m. Prayer
meeting Wednesday at 8:30 p. m.
Trinity Methodist EplscopqJ Church,
South, corner of President and Barnard
streets, J. H. Scruggs, pastor. Services
11 a. m., and 8:15 p. m., conducted by the
Itev. John A. Thompson, D. D., presiding
elder of the Savannah district. Sunday
School 5 p. m. Epworth League 8:30 p.
m., Wednesday. Prayer services Thurs
day 8:30 p. in.
Grace Methodist Church. Jefferson and
New Houston streets. Rev. Osgood F.
Cook, pastor. The usual services will be
h. Id to-day at 11 a. m., and 8:30 p. m.
The parlor will preach both morning and
evenu g. Sunday School at 5 p. m. Wo
man's Missionary anl Parsonage Aid
Societies will meet Monday afternoon at
E o'clock. Stewards and trustee’s meet
ing Monday 8:3) p. m. Epworth League
Tuesday 8:30 p. tn. Prayer meeting Wed
nesday, 8 ,i p. m. Juvenile missionary
meeting Friday 5 p. m.
Seventh S:r.et Ale iioJirt Episcopal
Church, corner Seventh and ' Jefferson
*' reels. Rev. E. I’'. Morgan, pastor.
P.' l telling at 11 a. nt., and 8:30 p. m., by
the pastor. Sunday St hoc] ut 5 p. m. Ap
plicants for membership will ic receivt and
Into full conn- citon at the night service
A cordial invitation to all.
St. Paul's Lutheran, Bull and First
•treets. Rev. 81. J. Epilog, pastor. Only
morning service will be held, at 11 o'clock.
Sermon ley the pastor. Sunday School 5
p. m. Prayer meeting Wednesday 5:30
p. m. Visitors are always welcome.
Savannah Baptist Church, Chippewa
square. There will be services conducted
by pastor. John D. Jordan, at 11 a. m.,
and 8:30 p. m. Morning subject, “Remem
ber.” Evening subject, ’’A Picture of
Sorrow in a Frame of Gold.” All persons
without other church engagements are
cordially invited to these services.
First Presbyterian Church services.
Sabbath School at 5 o’clock p. m. Devo
tional exercises at 6 o'clock p. rn. Young
People's Society rmeting at 8:30 p. m. All
these services will lie held in Sabbath
school room.
FHILII'ITNF. SEA SNAKES.
Formidable Creature*, More Deadly
Than the Cobra.
From the New York Times.
Not only do various reptiles and other
queer creatures abound in the forests and
swamps of the Philippines, but the sur
rounding water of these Interesting islands
teem with veritable sea serpents. These
strange creatures, which pass their entire
existence in the water, possess deadly
fangs. They are a great menace to the
fl ht men, who are constantly tfxposed to
their attacks.
Technically speaking, science has n#mcd
the group they constitute the H.vdrophl
dac. They differ from the terrestrial snakes
only in the possession of a fiat, paddle-like
tall. These reptiles inhabit the tropical
seas of the old world, and occasionally
attain a length of eight feet. Dr. Rudolph
Weber, professor of drawing in Princeton
University, observed large numbers of
these creatures while on a steamer bound
for Sumatra. Dr. Weber was in charge of
a scientific expedition, and naturally took
special notice of them. Ho says, that
when the vessel was some fifty miles off
the coast, myriads of sea snakes could be
seen swimming about as far as the eye
could reach. They kept upon the surface,
and several distinct species were recog
nized among them. During calm w’eather
these reptiles may be seen sunning them
selves upon the surface of the sea, remain
ing motionless except for a slight undu
lation, caused by the movement of the
water. When alarmed, the agile reptiles
dive like arrows, leaving a train of bub
bles behind them. Some species are ex
tremely brilliant in coloration, being
bright yellow, banded with black, while
others are tinted with delicate shades-of
green.
The food of sea snakes consists entirely
of fishes. Frequently fishes armed with
long sharp spines fall victims to their
appetites. Among these are the apogous
and siluroids, which are furnished with
spines three and five inches long. But
these do not trass the voracious rep
tile In the least. The victim is first kill
ed by the snake’s poison, after which It
is swallowed head first. The ■spines, nat
urally pointing toward the tail of the vic
tim, and being relaxed in death, are com
pressed against the body of the fish as
degluttltion proceeds. While In search of
their prey sea snakes sometimes venture
n short distance up the mouth of large
rivers. Dr. Welter records an Instance
where he was fishing in one of the rivers
on the east coast of Sumatra. He was
using n drag net, and had cornered a
number of medium-sized fish. As the net
was being brought in, two large sea
snakes suddenly made their appearance
inside. They showed no signs of uneasi
ness at capture, but were hurriedly gob
bling down the cornered fishes. Nor did
they cease operations until the last fish
had disappeared, when the formidable
creatures made their escape.
Being air breathers, the sea snakes lead
a similar existence to the whale. Scien
tists have expressed much Interest as to
how long they c.tn remain under water.
Prof. R. P. Witfiehl of the American Mu
seum of Natural History, while dragging
for corals, saw a large sea snake lying
motionless among some coral growths,
some eight feet below the surface. It
showed no signs of fear, and remained In
the same position for half an hour. The
venom of these reptiles Is even more dead
ly than that of the cobra. The fangs are
very short and consequently do not pene
trate so deep as the fangs of most ser
pents, but only a scratch from them is
necessary to produce serious results. Ow
ing to their great shyness accidents are
very rare. When cornered they snap and
bite viciously, retaining their hold upon a
victim. As the eyes are adapted only for
use in the water, they strike blindly when
brought into the air, although living for
days when removed from their native
element.
Many specimens hauled up In fisher
men's nets have lieen sent to zoological
gardens. The London Gardens even went
so far as to build a special tank for their
accommodation. But these captured spec
imens either die en route, or a short time
after being placed In captivity. Seeking
a dark corner of their lank, they refuse
all food and ultimately starve to death.
Around tho numerous volcanic islands of
the Malayan Archipelago these reptiles
are particularly numerous. Frequent
eruptions occur among these islands,
which are hardly more than the body of
the volcano. During the time of an erup
tion the few people residing near by take
to the water In their boats to escape the
rain of ashes and mud. It is generally a
ease of jumping from the frying pan into
the fire, however. At such times the sen
becomes uncomfortably warm from Us
close proximity to the burning mountain
and Hie sea snakes swim wildly about for
escape. They ehdeavor to climb over thV
gunwales of the refugees' boats, while
they twine their bodies in great masses
about the forward chains.
When about to lay their eggs, these
serpen’s approach the shore. The eggs
are laid above higli water mark, and ieft
to batch by the heat of the sun. Many
creatures prey upon the young reptiles.
Among their enemies are sharks, and
other large fishes, while the adults, in
spite of their death dealing fangs, fail
victims to sea eagles and large gulls. Af
ter the great typhoons, which jire com
mon in the Philippines and their vicinity,
many of these creatures may be found
along the beach, where they have been
east up during the storm and killed by
the vioiitit pounding of the waves.
The gigantic sea serpents, so often ob
served by intemperate captains of "small
sailing vessels, have no relation to these
creatures. One of the “sea monsters”
seen not long ago, and described as under
going the most remarkable of gyrations,
proved to be a dead anaconda, thrown
overboard from a Trinidad steamer.
A Long Lost Father Found.
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Munote, Iml.—After years of search Lu
ther Hiatt, a young farmer living near
Muncie, lnd., has found his father, scarce
ly ten miles away. They had lived at I ills
1 short distance from each other for nearly
two decades, yet neither knew of the
whereabouts of the other. The elder Hiatt
and his wife separated when the son was a
babe. The mother kept and reared their
child. Bui iiio fathei went West. Un
known to his relatives, he returnedaad
settled in Selma, six miles east of Muncie,
and there he was found Saturday by his
son. It was some Mule before the elder
Hiatt could realize that it was his son who
stood before him, believing the young man
had died years ago. The story will be
made more romantic by (lie reunion of the
father and mother, which It is believed,
the good offices of the son will shortly
bring about. •
—ln the New York Cavalry at Camp
Alger two troopers, named respectively
Moon and Angel, are intimate friends and
seldom seen apart. The soldiers call them
“The Heavenly Twins.”.
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 189S.
SAN JUAN* PORTO RICO.
NARROW ENTRANCE PROTECTED
BY MANY’ BATTERIES.
Port Natnrely Healthy-Military In
formation Collected by Onr Gov
ernment Show* Obstacle* to Be
AI et.
"Military Notes on Porto Rico," just
Issued by the military information divi
sion of the war department for the In
formation of the army, has the following
description of San Juan:
Tljp capital of Porto Rico is situated on
the northern coast, on a long and narrow
island, separated from the main Island at
one end by a shallow arm of the sea, over
which Is the bridge of San Antonio, con
necting it with the mainland, which runs
out Vit this point in a long sand spit, some
nine miles in length, apparently to meet
the smaller islands. At the other the Isl
and ends in a rugged bluff or promontory
some hundred feet high and three-fourths
of a mile distant from the main Island.
This promontory Is crowded by Morro
Castle, the principal fortification of the
town. The form of the castle is that of
an obtuse angle, with three tiers of bat
teries, placed one above the other, toward
the sea, their fires crossing each other.
.Toward the city it has a wall, flanked by
two bastions of heavy artillery which
dominates all of the Intermediate space,
which has the name of Morro, and also
part of the city and the north shore of
the sea. It has the usual barracks, large
water tanks, warehouses, chapel and the
necessary offices—all bomb-proof. A mine
descends from It to the seashore, through
the entrance of the port, its Issue being
defended by a battery. This enables
troops to enter and leave the castle.
There is a revolving lighthouse placed
on the top of the castle, rising to a hight
of 170 feet above the level of the sea.
At the western end of the island on
which San Juan Is situated is the emrance
to the harbor. On the right bank is the
castle of San Juan de la Cruz, situated on
the Cenedo shoal, which Is very dangerous
during a north wind,. The channel is nar
row, with a rocky bottom, so close under
the headland that one can almost leap
ashore from a passing vessel. The water
here Is some thirty feet deep. To a mariner
unacquainted with the locality, or when a
“norther” is blowing, this entrance is one
of difficulty and danger.
Northeast of the city is the well-con
structed castle of San Cristobal, facing the
ocean. It defends the city on the land side,
occupying the whole width of the islet from
Die bay to the outer sea, pointing its fire In
all directions. Its structure Is accommo
dated to the nature of the ground, which is
uneven, sloping from the northern or outer
sea part to the bay. On the highest part
of the hill is the ramp, through which the
castle is entered. It has two large bomb
proof barracks and everything necessary
in the way of office and storeroom. Upon
these barracks is erected the Caballero
Fort, wdth twenty-tw’o cannon, whose fire
dominates the city and its vicinity on
land sea.
©Blow the castle is the drill ground with
batteries directed toward the sea. the land
and the drawbridge of the interior fosse.
Then follow three large ravelins—San Car
loe, occupying the top of the hill; I’r.n
-cipe, situated on the slope of the Cuesta,
and Principal, on which is situated the
drawbridge of the second fosse, giving
issue to the counter trenches, to the cov
ered W’ay and to the field, which is reach
ed through the gate of Santiago. All of
these fortifications are in great part cut
out of solid rock, and from the sea they
offer to the view three tiers of batteries,
one above the other, their fire being
thrown in all directions.
This castle is connected with Morro Cas
tle on the north by a wall of modern con
struction, having been nothing on
that side until the end of the past century
but a few batteries, owing to the knowl
edge that the roughness of the coast ren
dered unnecessary any greater fortifica
tion to prevent a landing.
Starting from the southern part of San
Cristobal Castle and following the edge of
the bay, a line of bulwarks is encountered,
being" those of Santiago and San Pedro,
the curtain being interrupted by the Es
pana gate, after which follows the bul
wark of San Justo and the gate of the
same name, whifh forms an arch under
the curiam. Then fol.ows the half bul
wark of San Justo, the bulwark of La
Palma or San Jose, the platform of Con
cepcion, to the half bulwark and fortress
of Santa Catalina, the residence of the
Captain General. From the fortress of
the half bulwark of San Augustin to the
west Is found the gate of San Juan, and
then the platform of San Elena.
The San Cristobal outworks consist of a
redan resting on the highest part of the
giacls of San Cristobal, and called Fort
Abanico (fan), on account of having this
form. Between the town and the San An
tonio bridge are three small advanced
lines. One consists of a running ditch
and the other two of loop-holed batteries.
At the head of the bridge is situated the
San Antonio fort.
On the extreme east of the islet and near
the bridge above mentioned there is a
small fort called Stn Jeronimo, which de
fends the passage over the bridge.
Between Morro Castle and the north
coast near l’alo Seco there is in the mid
dle of the entrance to the bay a small fort
called Canuelo. It is oblong, well forti
fied ami by its position oblige vessels at
tempting to force an entrance to the port
to pass little out of rifle range between
its fire and that of Morro Castle. Former
ly, and in case of war, a chain was thrown
out between this and Morro Castle to close
the entrance to the po?t.
After rounding the bluff one finds a
broad and beautiful bay, landlocked and
with a good depth water, which Is being
Increased by dredging. It is by far the best
harbor in Porto Rico, and probably as
good a one as can be found In the West In-
dies.
However, It has Us drawbacks. The ''bo
rn,'' or entrance to the harbor, is a mass
of seething, foaming water In a high north
erly wind, and presents an imposing spec
tacle. To see steamers of sixteen to
eighteen feet draft enter into a severe
"norther” is a sight to be remembered, as
the great waves lift them up and seem
about to hurl them forward to destruction.
The island upon which the city stands
la shaped much like an arm and hand. It
Is about two and a quarter miles long and
averages less than one-fourth of mile in
width. The greatest width Is a little over
half a mile, in the portion representing the
band, which also contains the major part
of the city.
The mountains of Bayomon, which He
to tho southwest of San Juan, are distant
about eight to ten kilometers In a straight
lino from the city, and can be surmounted
from the south. To reach them it Is neces
sary to disembark to the west of San Juan
on ihe north coast of the Island, between
the towns of Dorado and Palo Seco. These
mountains command tho city.
San Juan Is a perfect specimen of a
walled town, with portcullis, moat, gates
arel battlements. The wall surrounding
1 his town,is defended by several batteries.
Facing the harbor are those of San Fer
nando, Santa Catalina and Santa Torlblo.
Looking toward the land side Is Fort
Abaineo, and toward the ocean the batter
u s of San Antonio, San Jose and Santa
Teresa and Fort Prlncest. The land part
has two ditches, or cuis, which are easy to
inundate. The fort and bridge of San An
l icatio. that of San Geronimo, and the Ea-
eambta battery, situated on a tongue of
lanri which enters the sea. Built over 250
years ago, the city Is still in good condition
and repair. Tho walls are picturesque, and
represent a stupendous work and cost in in
themselves. Inside the walls the city is
laid off in regular squares, six parallel
streets ripming In the direction of the
length of the island and seven at night
angles.
The peninsula on which San Juan is sit
uated is connected with the mainland by
three bridges. The oldest, that of San An
tonio, carries the highway across the shal
low San Antonio channel. It is a stone
arched bridge, about 350 yards long. In
cluding the approaches. By the side of
this bridge Is one for the railroad and
one for the tramway which follows the
main military highway to Rio Pleilras.
Among the buildings the following are
notable: The palace of the captain gen
eral, the palace of the intendencla, the
town hall, military hospital. Jail, Ballaja
barracks, theater, custom house, cathe
dral, Episcopal palace and seminary. The
houses are closely and compactly built of
brick, usually of two stories, stuccoed on
the outside and painted in a variety of
colors. The upper floors arc occupied by
the more respectable people, while the
ground floors, almost without exception,
are given up to the negroes and the poorer
class, who crowd one upon another in
the most appalling matter.
The population within the walls Is es
timated at 20,000, and most of tt lives on
the ground floor. In one small room, with
a flimsy partition, a whole family will re
side. The ground floors of the whole town
reek with filth, and conditions are most
unsanitary. There Is no running water in
the town. The entire population depend
upon rain water, caught upon the flat
roofs of the buildings and conducted to
the cistern, which occupies the greater
part of the inner courtyard.
There is no sewerage, except for sur.
face water and sinks, while vaults are in
every house and occupy whatever remain
ing space there may he in the patios not
taken up by the cisterns. The risk of con
taminating the water Is very great, and
In dry seasons the supply Is entirely ex
hausted. Epidemics are frequent and the
town Is alive with vermin, fleas, cock
roaches, mosquitoes and dogs.
The streets are wider than in the older
part of Havana, and will admit two car
riages abreast. The sidewalks are nar
row, and in places will accommodate but
one. person. The pavements are of a com
position manufactured in England from
slag, pleasant and even, and durable when
no heavy strain is brought to bear upon
them, but easily broken and unfit for
heavy traffic. The streets arc swept once
a day by hand, and, strange to say, are
kept very clean.
From Its topographical situation the
town should be healthy, but it is not. The
soli under the city is clay mixed with
lime, so hard as to lie almost like rock.
It Is consequently Impervious to water,
and furnishes a good natural drainage.
The trade wind blows strong and fresh,
anil through the harbors runs a stream of
sea water at a speed of not less than
three miles an hour. IVith these condi
tions no contagious diseases, if properly
taken care of, could exist: without them
the place would be a veritable plague spot.
Besides the town w'ithin the walls there
are small portions just outside, called the
Marina and Puerta de Tierra, containing
2.000 or 3.C00 Inhabitants each. There are
also two suburbs—one, San Turce, ap
proached by Ihe only road leading out
of the elty, and the other, Catano, across
the bay, reached by ferry. The Marina
and the tiro suburbs are situated, on
sandy points or spits, and the latter are
surrounded by mangrove swamps.
The entire population of the city and
suburbs, according to the census of 1887,
was 27,000. It Is now estimated at 30,000.
One-half of the population consists of ne
groes and mixed races.
There Is but little manufacturing, and It
is of small importance. The Standard Oil
Company has a small refinery across the
bay, In which crude petroleum brought
from the United States is refined. Matches
are made, some brooms, a little soap and
a cheap class of trunks. There are also
Ice, gas and electric light works.
The climate is warm and agreeable for
nine months of the year, although one is
subject, from the sudden changes, to cold
and catarrh. The natives are particular
ly susceptible to this class of ailment, and
to consumption and bronchitis.
The following authorities and corpora
tions have their residence in the capital:
A lieutenant general, a field marshal,
second in command in the province and
Governor of Ihe garrison; a brigadier
general of the navy, chief of the mari
time province, one of engineers and an
other of artillery; a bishop of the deiocese,
a sub-iptendant, a sub-inspector of mili
tary sanitation, judge advocate, war com
missary, colonel, sub-inspeotor of the
tercio of civil guard and a commandan
cla of the same, as well as of artillery
and engineers, a court, a provincial dep
utation and treasury administration.
A submarine cable connects the island
with, Kingston, Jamaica.
RED CROSS RESIGNED FOR REASONS
Spaniard Was Firing at the Surgeon*
From a Tree and Had to He
Stopped.
Cuban Correspondence of the New York
Tribune.
The fellows in the trees seldom fired at
soldiers who were close to them. To do
so would have made their detection easier,
so they shrewdly chose spots from 200 -to
500 yards from the main road. Three hun
dred yards was the favorite distance, but
they were Indifferent marksmen. Another
proof of their cunning was that as often
as possible they shot when volley firing
was going on. Thus tho report of their
weapons could not easily be singled out
from the others. Some, however, were
three or four miles behind the American
firing line, and they could not employ this
device. Some fastened leaves and bark to
their clothing for better concealment. A
few were captured in American uniforms,
stripped, no doubt, from the dead.
Surgeons and litter-bearers, passing as
they did constantly between the front and
tho dressing stations in the rear, were re.
peatedly fired on from trees. Many mote
would have la-on wounded than were, but
for poor marksmanship. One man con
nected with tho surgical department of the
army was shot at several times while pass
ing a particularly spot near the "Moody
bend.” at tho ford of the San Juan river.
Finally he got tired. Taking the Red Cross
from his arm as a sign of temiiorary resig
nation from that branch of the service, he
borrowed a Kraig-Jorgensen from a sol
dier as a sign of enlistment as a private.
Then he dived into the underbrush near
where the bullets had crossed the road.
The ex-Red Cross man made his way
carefully along the ground. He knew that
discovery might mean unpleasant con.se.
quences for him; so he exercised every
precaution. Finally big gaze was arrested
by a movement in the branch of a tree.
Ills experience had taught him that the
breeze ulways stirs the outer leaves of a
tree first. The Inner twigs moved later.
Yet here was a shaking of a branch near
the trunk, while the outer leaves were
quiet. Close watch showed, too. that the
branch, instead of swaying from side to
side, moved up and stayed I here. Then
it was clear just What wus going on.
The Kr ig-Jorgensen was aimed In care
ful fashion. lis report was followed by
the crash of a heavy body through the tree
and to the ground. There was no call for
the marksman to attend to any profession
al duties there. He hurried Imek ta the
“bloody bend,” gave back the rifle to Its
owner, pinned the red cross to his left
sleeve again and went on dressing wounds.
THE LETTER CHAIN.
MI?S BCHEWCK STARTED MOVE
MEAT TO AID OVR WOIVDEU
SOLDIERS.
An Eleplinnt on Her Hand. The
Vast Result* Already Attained ure
Marvelous— The Population of the
World Is Too Small for Her Seeds.
She Has Literally Letter* to Hum.
From the Philadelphia Times.
Into the boundless ocean of American
patriotism a thoughtless girl with faith in
human nature, hope for the cause of Cuba
Libre, and charity for the wounded United
States soldiers cast a dime. At first only a
faint ripple appeared on the surface, but
quickly it increased to a tiny wave. Grad
ually the wave swelled until It became a
mighty surge, only to grow quicker still
into a raging torrent.
And the dime! At first it became only a
dollar. Then it grew to hundreds. Soon it
expanded to thousands. And it is still ex
panding.
For, in blissful ignorance of what it
meant, she had run foul of “geometrical
progression”—and geometrical progression
is a thing which makes all other wonders
of the world look small.
Miss Schenck of Babylon, I* 1., and her
endless letter chain threatens to become
one of the famous incidents of the war
with Spain. Letter chains are not dis
tinctly a novelty'. But never before did
anyone find a plea so strong as hers. For
she appealed to the patriotism of the
American people, asked them to care for
sick soldiers, and so, sowing the wind,
reaped a whirlwind of which she had not
dreamed.
She intended to carry the chain to ICO.
By' last Monday it had already reached
twenty, ami a letter of that number had
been received. If the chain had been no
where broken before reaching No. 20 Miss
Schenck would have received somewhat
over a thousand billion letters. She did
not receive any such number, for to reach
■ t each person in the United States would
have had to write to her some 12,000 times,
but she got enough.
The letter which Miss Schenck sent out
read as follows:
‘‘The ice p:ant auxiliary in connection
with the National Ked Cross, being in need
of money to supply the ambulance ships, a
chain has been, formed to collect some, and
if you, on receiving this, will make four
copies and send them to four of your
friends you will greatly help the wounded
soldiers. W hen you have made.four copies,
please return this letter to Miss Natalie
Schenck, Babylon, Long Island, with 10
cents enclosed. The number starts at one
and ends at 100, so that the person receiv
ing the latter number will send 10 cents to
Miss Schenck, same address, without mak
ing copies. Please number the head of
each copy and make them exactly like this
one, only number the next highest number
and sign your name and address to each
copy. Please make no delay in sending out
copies, and, above nil, do not break the
chain that means so much to our brave
soldiers on land and sea.”
In placing the limit upon her chain Miss
Schenck made her great mistake. She is
not much past thp time in life when girls
are supposed to be “doing their examples”
on their slates, but even in that short time
her knowledge of geometrical progression
had grown decidedly rusty. Had she stop
ped but a moment to figure she would have
discovered that if her chain ran through
only twenty tseries the number of letters
due her would increase as follows:
1 1 | U 4,194,304
2 16 i 12 16,777,316
3 61 j 13 67,108,864
4 256 | 14 268.435,455
5 3,624 j 15 1,073,741,824
6 4,095 ! 16 4,291,967,296
7 16,381 j 17 17.179,869,184
3 65,536 | 18 68,719,475,736
2 262,144 i 19 274,877,9)6,914
1 1,048,576 | 20 51,099,511,627,776
Now', supposing each recipient of a let
ter continued the chain and sent her the
10 cents as requested, the ice fund would
bo 3109,951,162,777.60 richer for her pains.
And this vast sum, multijdled by four, its
product increased by four more at every
jump between series 29 and series 100
would result in a final sum ample to buy
all the available land on the surface if
the earth. It is useless to consider the
imputation. Almost before this remarka
ble chain began, the figures lost them
selves in their own greatness and grew to
mean nothing. We might as well attempt
to estimate the number of grains of sand
beneath the sea.
Within three days Miss Schenck received
the expected four answers to her letters,
each containing a dime which she had
requested. The following day about six
n. n more came, and she was pleased with
the result of her experiment. As the fol
lowing day her mail comprised almost six
ty-four letters, she felt relieved, for now
she knew her project was an assured suc
cess, The next da.v, when the letters num
bered nearly 200 she gave up walking to
the po.stoffk-e, and began to make the trips
on her wheel with a market basket. By
this time Postmaster Bowden began to
grow uneasy and Miss Schenck. decided
that it would be best to tell her family of
her patriotic scheme. Within a few days
letters addressed to Miss Schenck jumped
from 2,050 to 6.0C0 a day. Then they rose
to 15,060 a day, and at last reports the end
seemed further away than ever.
How about the postofiice and its over
worked postmaster? The office is one of
the third class, and the government official
in charge is allowed only one- assistant.
Additional help he is forced to hire from
his own pocketbook. From a tiny begin
ning he found himself working on Miss
Schenck's mail all day long. It se>on out
stripped both him and his assistant, and an
urgent call was sent to the patriotic citi
zens of Babylon to rally to his assistance.
Many turned in to help him, but he can
not begin to keep up with the increase.
“it is awful,” he is reported as saying.
“I don’t know where it will end. In a fevt'
days, if the growth of Mias Schenck's mail
increases regularly, we will have to run
extra mail ears from New York. Six
thousand letters yesterday, 15,000 to-dny,
40,000 next day, almost 100,000 the next
day! Why, it is horrible, and the govern
ment hasn’t made any effort to help me
out!”
The mere handling of Miss Schenck’s
patriotic mail is not all of Postmaster
Bowden's troubles. He is being stormed
by letter writers from all over the coun
try and Canada wanting to know all about
Miss Schenck’s endless chain scheme,
and demanding full particulars about the
young woman's social standing and finan
cial integrity. Most of these letters con
tain stamps for reply, and unless the post
master answers them Individually he is
placed in the embarrassing position of be
ing accused of confiscating the stamps.
Postage sent for this purpose has already
yielded the government Wet. To treat ev
erybody fairly the postmaster has had a
stamp made bearing the words. "Schenck
iterle O. K.,” and sends each letter of in
quiry back to its owner bearing that tab
let.
Notable people are caught in the toil of
the endless eiiain. and letters from promi
nent men and women are being received
in large numbers. Miss Schenck has re
ceived one from Mrs. McKinley containing
a dime. Another is from Mrs. James A.
Garfield. President McKinley found time
to get in the list with his dime, and former
Vice President litvi P. Morton promptly
forwarded his dime, as did every member
of his family.
Meanwhile the ice plant auxiliary, the
beneficiary of this remarkable project, ts
PLAIN
HONEST FIGURES,
SHOWING
PRICE REDUCTIONS
EXTRAORDINARY.
No Need of Explanation.
The Prices Tell the Story.
HERE IS HOW THE SAVING COMES:
9c yardwide Bleached Shirting 6140.
10c yard wide Bleached Shirting 7'ic.
?1.75 extra size Imitation Marseilles
Quilts 31.00.
75c White Crochet Quilts at 50c.
25c French Zephyr Gingham 16' Ac.
20c French Zephyr Gingham 12'&c.
INDIA LINENS.
8c India Linens e^c.
10c India Linens SV&c.
15c India Linens 12V*c.
20c India Linens 15c.
25c India Linens 20c.
35c and 40c Fancy Piques 25c and 30c,
DAMASK.
62%c 65-inch Bleached Table Bamask 48c.
80c Bleached Table Bamask 66c.
85c Bleached Table Bamask 69c.
51.25 72-inch Bleached Table Bamask 31.
DANIEL HOGAN,
The corner’Broughton and Barnard Sts.
by no means getting the worst of it. Early
last week 3900 was turned over to its treas
urer, and on succeeding days SSCO more
was secured. The sum may serve to show
the present enormity of Mrs. Schenck's
mail. Granting that every letter contain
ed the dime asked for, it would require
14,(XX) letters to make up the sum. But it
is estimated that only al>out one letter
in five contains money. Therefore, carry
ing out the computation, the present con
tribution to the ice fund is made up of the
gleanings of a little correspondence of 70,-
000 letters. To convey these letters to Ba
bylon the government has received the
sum of $1,400 in postage stamps.
These brief computations were made last
Wednesday, when Che mail, which poured
into the Morgan home at Babylon. 1,. 1.,
was still small enough to be within the
grasp of human conception. It is obvious
that the figures given are a mere baga
telle when compared with what will be
received during the coming week, unless
the strenuous efforts being put forward
to break the chain succeed. Miss Schenck
has advertised in the Eastern papers, ask
ing her patriotic correspondents to desist
in the name of peace and harmony. If
they fail to do so the combined daily mail
of Chicago. New York. Boston and Phila
delphia will be les# than the train load3 of
missives which will pour into Mr. Mor
gan’s summer home. Indeed, the situa
tion may become so grave that the gov
ernment will be forced to intervene to
check the ceaseless flood.
A few moments’ practical test with fig
ures will quickly show the awful possi
bilities which may lie in store for Miss
Schenck. Suppose an attempt was made
to calculate the amount of money that
would be collected by the series, if the
chain was allow-ed to run its course. By
the time the calculation reaches the twen
ty-fifth series the figures grow appalling.
Counting alone the letters numbered
twenty-five, at 10 cents each, the sum of
$112,671,532,388,966.40 would be received, pro
viding the chain was not broken. Sup
posing again, the earth’s population to
be 4,000,060.000 people, each person would
receive about 250.000 letters numbered
”35,” and would be compelled to write
000,000 each, labeled “26.” With the money
derived from, thefe; sent back to Miss
Schenck, the origfiiator of the scheme,
reckoning current prices of ice without
discount, our valiant soldier boys in Cuba
w*ou!d find themselves Ul possession of a
solid glacier ninety-live miles loug, nine
teen miles wide and two miles deep.
The foregoing deduction will be sufficient
to illustrate the endless possibilities which
await Miss Schenck. With the chain only
one-fourth run out, the resuiis are ridicu
lous. Continuing through the chain in
geometrical progression, natural conditions
quietly enter to interrupt continued com
putation. With the figures representing the
seventy-fifth chain it is doubtful if a sin
gle sheet of paper could be found large
enough to hold the resu ts, and to obtain
those results would require the forfeit of
valuable years of a man’s life.
A CHAPTER OF HI MJIISG BIRDS.
Willi Description of n New Ilnmmcr
Found in California.
“Wendell” in the New York Observer.
Burlng the month of April, bird-lovers
in Santa Barbara, and, I suppose, in the
adjoining counties, liad a rare ornitholog
ical sensation. They welcomed a humming
bird, in great numbers, totally different
from any that they had ever seen. It does
not correspond, in Us general appearance,
with the description given of any one of
the 15 species mentioned in Br. Coues’s
Key, 1884. Later editions have added sev
eral to this number, and among these prob
ably is our new-comer.
All its coloring is at the lighter hues,such'
as white, yellow and light brown, except
Us Intensely crimson throat, and even this
changes with the light. This absence of
green differentiates it from all the hum
mers well known in this region, and the
only one' we know in the East. Not having
had the bird in my hand, I could not speak
positively as to the total absence of green
ish tints, for these might apt>ear on closer
examination and in other fights. Afier
writing this. I received from a friend in
Santa Barbara the following lines:
"To-day I saw one of the old-gold hum
mers' having a fight with one of our com
mon hummers. They were so absorbed In
the battle that they paid no attention to
me, and I stood near them for several min
utes. They were so close that even in ra
pid motion I could note their markings dis
tinctly, and could detect- a tinge of green
on the head and upper part of the back.
Having driven off the green hummer, the
TOWELS.
$1.50 Towels $1.25 dozen.
$1.75 Towels $1.50 dozen.
$2.50 Towels $2.00 dozen.
$4.00 Bamask Towels $3.00 per dozen.
LADIES’ HOSIERY.
Ladies’ Fancy Striped Hose 29c,
Plaid Hose 38 cents.
Tan Richelieu Ribbed Hose 35<x
Black Hose, polka dots, 27e.
Ladies' Black Richelieu Ribbed Hose 23c,
25c and 38c.
SHIRT WAISTS.
Ladies’ White Shirt Waists 79c.
All our Colored Shirt Waists at youi
own price.
Ladies' Wrappers 50c, 73c and 98c.
Val. Laces at 15c, 19c, 23c, 35c and 43c
per dozen.
‘o!d-gold hummer’ rested from the conflict
on a spray just before me, and was con
siderate enough to show me his back, t
examined him at mv leisure and saw' dis
tinctly the glint of green on his head and
across what would be his shoulders were
he a man.”
This settles the question as to a green
ish tint, but it does not change the gen
eral effect, which is that of a hummer
quite different in color from all those with
which we are familiar in the West or
East. It is extremely unlikely, how'ever,
that we are visited in great numbers by
a hummer that is not well known to or
nithological observers and correctly de
scribed by the authorities. But to the
great majority, who see birds as they sea
their friends or the flowers or the stars,
our "old-gold hummer” is welcomed as a
beautiful stranger. I saw it In March oil
the mountain about ten miles from Santa
Barbara. Buring April it was so abun
dant in Santa Barbara and vicinity that
the blossoming trees were thronged with
it in swarms of hundreds. No one can see
it for the first time without surprised de
light. a living flame of glowing gold. Com
paratively few of them found their way
up into the mountains, where I am so
journing, and I do not know how long
they have lingered in the valleys.
In the East, our only hummer is the
well known ruby throat. It is not found
here, but its place is more than supplied
by three or four others. It is impossible
to give their popular names accurately,
for they are differently named in differ
ent published lists. Barton W. Ever-
mann’s “List of Ventura County Birds,"
printed in the Auk, 1886, probably con
tains all the hummers we are likely to
see here, for Ventura county is in sight
from my porch. He mentions as the mosc
abundant the rufous humming bird, resi
dent all the yehr. except a few weeks in
midwinter. The black-chinned humming
bird and the Anna humming bird he men
tions as common summer residents. Cos
ta's humming bird, he says, is a rare sum
mer resident. Alien’s humming bird he
considers still rarer.
Br. Cones’ Key, 1572, mentioned ten
hummers. In his Key, 1884, he says:
“Within a tew years the discoveries have
been so many that, after eliminating two
errors, I am .aide to describe no fewer
than fifteen perfectly distinct species of
United States humming birds, and I have
no doubt that several others will in due
time be found over our Mexican border.
Our new “old gold hummer.” no longer
a stranger, is doubtless one of these "sev
eral others” predicted by Br. Coues, and
more than likely it is described in the
latest edition of his Key. Probably one
could see it mounted in the Central park
museum.
In a recent number of Harper's maw
gine the writer of the article “Arcadian
Bee-Ranching," mentions the musical
names of several California ranch-s,
Among them Las Chuna Rosas, the Span
ish-American for “The rose suckers,” or
the humming birds. In California, these
least of our birds are closely associated
with the bees in their industry and music,
and sometimes threaten to rival them in
numbers. Some months ago, a San Fran
cisco journal published the following,
which has been reprinted in ornithological
magazines:
“Capt. Wallace of the steamer Wai’a
Walla, that arrived yesterday from Vic
toria, has a bird story to tell, the truth of
which is vouched tor by every passenger
and officer on the vessel. Between 4 and a
o’clock Friday afternoon, when off Cara
Mendocino, hundreds of humimng birds
settled down upon the ship. The tiny visit
ors were ravenously hungry and attacked
officers and passengers, boring their nec
dlc-like bills into the flesh. One of the la
dies on deck carried a bouquet, which the
birds attacked. Another lady, who had
some bright artificial flowers in her hat,
was driven into her state room by the
birds. Moistened sugar was brought out,
and this the hungry visitors reveled in,
eating it out of the haa a
of the passengers. Yesterday
morning, when the Wala Walla was
a short distance off Point Reyes, those *•'
the birds that had recovered sufficiently
flew ashore, but a number
were carried off by the passengers. Capt.
Wallace has three flying about his state
room. The Walla Walla was fifteen or six
teen miles off shore when the birds settled
on the ship. The weather was very foggy,
ar.d the wind blowing oft shore. The birds
probably lost their bearings and were cat- ,
ried seaward.”
—Fixing the Bate—Little Elmer—Pa,
when is a man really old?
Prof. Broad head—Whenever he reaches
the point where his ideal woman Is oao i'
who la a good muse.—Puck.