The Leon reporter., July 05, 1900, Image 8

About The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
Tho Unparalleled Catastrophe at
Hoboken Wharf.
CAUGHT LIKE RATS IN A TRAP
•The Unfortunate Victims Yield to Heat
and Smoke—Not a Remnant of the
Bodlea Will Be Recovered from the
Charnel t*tlps—Iau 910,000,000.
Nfew York, July 3.—A flash of fire In
a cotton bale on pier 3 of the North
•.••JGerman Lloyd wharves in Hoboken
projected upon New York harbor an
unparalleled catastrophe. From this,
an apparently Insignificant cause, fol
lowed a flre that in six minutes envel
oped the entire system of wharves. The
great ocean liners, the Main, Bremen
... and Saale were burned to the water's
edge, and the Kaiser Wilhelm der
Groose an'd Phoenicia damaged. Twen
ty-five million dollars' worth of prop
erty was destroyed and at least 300
persons lost their lives. The fire be
gan at 3:45 p. m. At that hour the
pier was crowded with employes.
There were at least 650 longshoremen
at work on the piers and in the holds,
and on the ships were fully 900 other
.-•persons. How many of these escaped
:1s problematical. How many lost their
lives by flre and water is mere guess
work.
The steamship officials say that at
least eighty must be dead, and men at
work on the pier3 and vessels say it is
three time's that number. Three hun
dred is a fair estimate of the number
of those that perished between the dou
ble death of the fire and water. The
cotton in which the flre started was
piled up awaiting shipment. Adjoining
It was a pyramid of whisky in barrels.
A pay clerk saw the flre and screamed a
^warning. Almost as if an echo to his
words the whisky exploded, casting
jets of flre in all directions.
With incredible rapidity the blazing
spirit flooded down the piers, igniting
All in its train. Horses and trucks
•were abandoned in the mad haste to
escape. In every direction screaming
men and women scampered for their
lives. On board the ships the uproar
was terrific. Rushing up the sides of
the pier sheds the flames burst their
•way outward. The great steamers lay
at the mercy of the flre. .Nearly every
port in their flanks was opened to the
onslaught of the flame. Their tarred
rigging, their canvas awnings were tin
"der in the path. Their opened hatches
•yawned for the burning brands and a
•following explosion blew these blazing
fragments into the vessel's very
,depths. The pier where the flre first
started was joined to its neighbor on
.the north by a covered driveway. It
'acted as 'a funnel for the fire. In a
flash the fire had traversed Ahis outlet
and was seizing upon the cargoes
piled therein. In a minute—not more
than that—the second pier was
doomed.
A On the north wsHfc^l^TMngvalla
line pier just com
bT&Bfi^ne^^^WSBsETp va^fd at
$2,500,000, and with a cargo of if500,
000 In her "hold. South of her and on
the north side of pier 1 was the Bre
men. On the south side of pier 1 was
the great express steamship Kaiser
Wilhelm der Groase, the second largest
liner in the world. On the north side
of pier 2 was the Saale. There were
on an average six hatches in the decks
of each of these ships. In each hatch
were from twelve to fourteen men at
-work. On the Kaiser Wilhelm were
her crew, a force numbering at least
-400 men. On the Bremen were a force
of 250 and on the Saale 300. On the
Main were 300 persons at work. Many
more were on every ship—the friends
and relatives of officers, sailors, ste
wards and the engineer's force.
Not even a single remnant of scores
of the bodies will ever be recovered.
tin the charnel ships, the Main, Saale,
and Bremen, many were completely in
cinerated and the ashes washed away
toy the tons of water poured into the
vessels. Scores perished on the four
great piers of the North German Lloyd
Steamship company, but nothing now
remains of the splendid wharves but
the charred stumps of the piles that
supported them. On the bottom of the
river, under the piers, may be some
human hones. But it is not believed
that even a vestige remains of most of
those burned on the piers.
Flames Swept Over 530.
There were 530 longshoremen at
-work over them, besides visitors and
swept over them, besides visitors and
loungers. All the books containing
the names and addresses of the long
shoremen were burned. This makes a
systematic count of the saved and
missing impossible. Many of the men
have no families or relatives here to
make inquiries for them. The officials
of the company can only hope for the
best. Gustav H. Schwab, local general
agent of the steamship company, esti
mated that the dead among the crews
of the three ships would total 127. This
estimate is regarded as most conserva
'live. It does not include the dead
among the longshoremen, the visitors
and sightseers on the piers and the
ships, the crews of the twenty canal
boats, lighters, and barges, or other
workmen. An the Saale alone there
were fifty painters employed by Con
tractor Bruchenstein of Hoboken.
'Nine of these have been given up as
lost. There were outside workmen on
1 Only Twenty-Six Bodies Recovered.
both the Main and the Bremen. So
far only twenty-six bodies, or the rem
nants of bodies, have been recovered.
Twelve of these, in many cases but a
small heap of bones, were taken out
of the steamer Saalo. The hunt for the
dead on the Saale is moat difficult, as
./tha ship is full of water,
Bevlaed Llit of Casr^ltles.
Dead, 300 bodies recovered, 22 ln
fnred in hospitals, 109 reported miss
ing, 32 lost on the Saale, 60 lost on
the Bremen, 40 lost on the Main, 100
longshoremen lost, 50 visitors lost,
latest Estimate of the Losses*
Steamship Main, |1,500,000 steam
ship Bremen,
$1,200,000:
steamship
Saale, $800,000 cargo^^Mfer, ships,
-, ,«.nd lighters, $2,000,0q^^^^K piers, He was 35 years old,
lighters, etc., $2,000,000 Campbell's
store, $2,000,000 Thingvalla pier, $150,
000 Hamburg-American line pier, $25,
t)00 Hoboken shore road, $10,000 other
losses to canal and tug boats, to the
Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, Hoboken
flre engine, etc., $315,000. Total, $10,
000,000.
Known Dead In Hoboken.
The following list of the dead is the
most comprehensive that could he ob
tained: Adolph Thlsborn, 36 years old,
thief officer of the Bremen, died In
Jersey City hospital Christian Bolgh
mann, 38, taken from the Main, died in
Christ's Hospital, Jersey City Mrs.
Lena S. Cordts, 31, stewardess on the
Saale, died in Jersey City hospital
Fred Cordel, longshoreman of Hobo
ken, body recovered from river Fred
Elter, fireman on Saale, perished in
hold of vessel Fred Handell, long
shoreman, body found off North Ger
man Lloyd pier Karl Hohenstein, 20,
painter on Saale, four friends saw him
burn while his head was through a
porthole Irner, head fireman of
Main, seen to have perished in the hold
of the Main by officers of vessel H.
Mirrow, 50, captain of the Saale,
burned to a crisp on deck, but identi
fied by means of fenknife Melin
ski, chief storekeeper of Main, seen to
have perished in hold by one of the
officers Paul Reichert, painter on
Saale, companion saw him fall back
Into flames Herman Sander, 24, sailor
on Bremen, companion saw him
perish Carl Schumacher, of crew of
Saale, body in Hoboken morgue Er
nest Virner, 37, from Saale, died in
Christ's hospital, at Jersey City J.
Wehlan, chief engineer of Saale, res
cued companion saw him dead on the
ship unknown man, at coroner's office,
apparently about 50 years of age un
identified man, about 50 years old, two
German medals in pockets, picked up
oft Sullivan street, Brooklyn, body at
Brooklyn morgue unidentified man',
ibout 35 years old, picked up in North
river.
Eleven 'bodies from the Saale are
a New York morgue, terribly
burned.
BOTHA COVERS WIDE AREA.
Boer General Keeps British Officers Ex
tremely Busy.
London, July 3.—General Botha is
ihowing increased activity. Kis patrols
cover wide stretches of country, ap
proach near the British outposts and
fengage in skirmishes, while larger
oodies threaten attack, declining to al
low themselves to be caught by the re
turn blows which the British promptly
seek to deliver. Attacks of this sort
were made on Friday last at Pinaar's
Poort on General Pole-Carew and at
Springs. Generals Botha and De Wet
are seemingly operating in combina
tion. Botha is reported to have divid
ed his force into two parts, one moving
west and the other to the south to try
to effect a juncture with De Wet. Boer
circulars are out exaggerating the
Chinese troubles and urging the
burghers to rejoin the army. Lord
Roberts and several co-operating col
umns are still out within striking dis
tance of De Wet. Dr. Conan Doyle, in
,n Interview with him by the Daily
Telegraph's Pretorla^JffyeggQBdent,.
aays the hospital arrangements have
been severely tried, but that no more
could have been done. Lord Roberts,
•n the course of an interview, said he
thought that the charges brought
against the government by' William A.
P. Burditt-Coutts, Conservative mem
ber of parliament for Westminster,
that inadequate provisions had been
made for the sick and wounded, were
probably based upon one hospital and
a hasty generalization thereon.
Glass Trnst Closes Plants.
Hartford City, Ind., July 3.—The
American Window Glass company's
No. 3 and No. 32 factories here closed
down, together with all other window
glass factories in the United States, for
the regular summer vacation. The cap
acity of the plants closed today is 2,900
pots—1,729 trust and 1,170 independent.
Altogether 30,000 men are affected
by the shutdown and they will be idle
until Sept. 1. The present blast has
been one of the most Successful in the
history of the industry. The trust's
Jargest western factory is located
here.
Child Drowns in Can of Water.
Fort Dodge, Iowa, July 3.—The death
of. the little daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
L. J. Stoner took place by drowning
In a lard can. The little one was play
ing about the kitchen and somehow
fell over backward into a lard can con
taining water. The mother heard the
Struggles of the child and rushed to
the rescue, but too late to save its life.
Although its head remained under wa
ter for but a few seconds the time was
sufficient to produce strangulation.
Farmer Drinks Carbolic Acid.
Mishawaka, Ind., July 3.—After con
summating a deal whereby he loaned to
a Mishawaka contractor a large sum
of money, Adam May retired to the ho
tel lavatory and drank carbolic acid
in a glass of whisky. His death was
preceded by intense agony. The de
ceased was one of the wealthiest pio
neer farmers in this county.
Rear Admiral PhUlp Dies.
New York, July 3.—Rear AdmiraJ
John W. Philip, commandant of the
Brooklyn navy yard, died there of an
organic affection of the. heart. A re
port was in circulation that Rear Ad
miral Philip might have been poisoned,
but his physicians positively deny this.,
During the Spanish-American war Mr.
Philip was in command of the battle
ship Texas, which participated in the
destruction of Cervera's fleet off San
tiago. In August, 1898, Mr. Philip was
made a commodore and he became a
vear admiral when the navy personnel
bill was passed in the closing days of
the last congress. June 5, 1899, he be
gan active duties in command of the
Brooklyn navy yard.
Takes Own Life to Meet Note*
Evansville, Ind., July 3.—George
Bender, a liveryman of Tennison, Ind.^
had a note of $1,000 to meet. He had
his life Insured for $1,000 in favor of,
his wife, and when the holder of the
note called to see about the collection
af it he found Bender hanging to a
after in the barn, his body still warm.
""my
$
ra wiRjyjntR i.
Officials Alarmed by News o!
Slain Nlinisteri
EXECUTION OF FOREIGNERS
Goes on Publicly in China—French Priests
at Pekin Administer Last Kites to
Condemned Ones—China Calls for De
fenders
London, July 3.—Official dispatches
received by the consular body at
Shanghai, an Express cable dated
Shanghai, July 1, says, confirm in the
fullest manner the report of the butch
ery of Baron Von Ketteler, the Ger
man minister, June 18. The ambassa
dor was riding in Legation street when
he was attacked by Chinese troops
and Boxers, and dragged from his
horse and killed. His body was hacked
to pieces with swords. The German
^legation and six other buildings were
burned and a number of servants of
.the legations were killed and their
bodies thrown into the flames.
Powers Declare for War.
Official confirmation of this has cre
ated the utmost consternation among
the consuls general of the powers, who
expressed fears that war a l'outrance
•will be declared against the Pekin gov
ernment. The consuls entertain little
hope that any foreigners are left alive
in the capital. There were 100 foreign
ers connected with the legations, fifty
•in the custom house, English and Am
erican tourists and others to the num
ber of 150, and nearly 500 legation
guards. The British foreign office, the
Daily Mail learns, has received news
from the British consul at Chee-Foo
that Baron Von Ketteler has been
killed, but no other information.
Public Executions in Pekin.
A dispatch to the Express from Nan
kin, June 30, says: "French priests
here have received reports from Pekin
that the public executions of foreign
ers has been in progress since June
20. The news comes by runners from
French priests at Pekin, who state that
they administered the last rites to the
condemned men." Nankin cables,
dated Sunday, say that Viceroy Liu
Yun Yih received a telegram from Gen
eral Yulu Saturday stating that the
German minister had been murdered at
Pekin. Yulu, who escaped from Tien
Tsin to Pao-Ting-Fu, also wired:
"Position desperate. Implore your
help. Foreign troops of eight nation
alities entering Pekin to the number of
30,000 or 40,000. I cannot hold out
four days."
Liu-Yin-Yih has received this from
Viceroy of Yunshikai: "Foreign troops
victorious at Tien-Tsin. They will en
ter Pekin immediately."
China Calls for Defenders.
Two secret imperial decrees hav\
fallen into the hands of foreigners, ac
cording to a special dispatch from
Shanghai, dated Sunday, which says
the first, darted June 30, recites events
around the capital and attributes the
trouble to religious fanaticism against
Breaks, which the government is un
able to suppress. Foreign troops are
between Taku and Pekin, and the for
eign relations have reached a desper
ate point. The government, therefore,
calls upon all the viceroys and gover
nors to show their loyalty to the
throne and to raise armies and funds
in defense of Pekin and to defeat for
eign dictation. IS
Empress Unable to Give Aid*
A dispatch from Shanghai says:
•"The British consul at Che-Foo tele
graphs that Baron Von Ketteler, Ger
man minister at Pekin, was murdered
by- native troops June 18. Three le
gations—it is not stated which—were
still undestioyed June 23. The Ameri
can consul her^ states that Yung Lu
telegraphed June 26 that the other
ministers were safe that morning, but
the situation was desperate and he
doubted whether the ministers could
hold out twenty-four hours longer, as
he and the empress could not longer
give protection."
1'
Judge Calls Ioe Trust Illegal
Omaha, Neb., July
3.7-^Judge
Dick­
inson of the district court decides that
the Reservoir Ice company, known as
the ice trust of this city, exists in vio
lation of the state anti-trust law. He
declines to dissolve the corporation,
saying that that step can only be taken
after a reply and joining of issues. At
torney General Smith says he is sat
isfied with the decision and he calls at
tention that any person connected with
the company, now that it is declared
a trust, is liable to fine upon complaint
of any citizen.
Eccentric Character Is Bead.
Lexington, Ky., July 3.—B. N. Shid
dell, aged 83 years, died here. He was
a man of eccentric habits, and was
known throughout Kentucky as the
man who bred the tails off white mice.
He labored for nine years to accom
plish this result, during which time
he bred ninety-six generations of the
prolific animals. He swore that he
would not shave until Henry Clay was
elected president and he wore his long
beard several feet in length, knotted
and massed under his vest to keep it
out of the way. Shiddell was born in
the house in which he died.
Many Sheep Are Given Poison.
r\
Helena, Mont, July 3.—State Veteri
narian Knowles has received word
from Livingston that 1,000 sheep be
longing to W. W. Brasley & Son have
been poisoned. A rival stockman is
said to have objected to the sheep be
ing grazed on that range and it is be
lieved that malice led to poison being
placed on the feeding grounds.
Negro laborers Driven Oat.
Poplar Bluff, Mo., July 3.—Owing to
a scarcity of laborers, several Missis
sippi county farmers imported negroes
to work for them. No negroes are al
lowed in the county, and last night a
body of men, disguised, visfced a gang
of imported negroes, burned the shan
ties in which they lived, horse
whipped several, and gave the balanc^
twenty-four hours' notice to leave.
Two negroes who opened flre on the
mob were caught and strung up to a
tree, but released before life was ex
tinct. The farmers threaten to secure
Chinese labor.
Asia's Great Sink-Holes.
While Asia has the loftiest mount
ains in the world, it also possesses the
deepest and most extensive land de
pressions, several of them, as is well
known, sinking below sea-level, so
that if the ocean could flow into them
they would be filled to the brim. In
the deepest parts of most of them
water now stands, forming small seas.
Others are destitute of water. Among
these is the Lukchum depression in
Central Asia, concerning which Gen
eral Tillo writes, in the "Proceedings
of the Russian Geographical Society,"
that in places it sinks as much as 400
feet below sea-level. This sink-hole
in the middle of the largest of the con
tinents' is also remarkable for its me
teoroglcal features, the yearly ampli
tudes of the barometer being greater
than are recorded anywhere else on
earth. In summer the temperature
rises to Saharan heat, a record of 118
degrees Fahrenheit having been ob
tained in July, while the air is of des
ert dryness.
A Palloon for Polar Exploratlcn
Among the equipments of the Ger
man Antarctic expedition, the de Lano
of which are now being worked out,
will be a captive balloon to be employ
ed for reconnaissance. It will have
sufficient lifting power to raise an ob
server about 1,600 feet into the air.
It is probable that the exploring Ship,
the building of which has been begun
at Kiel, will carry a supply of com
pressed hydrogen for inflating the bal
loon, and it is intended that there
shall be enough of the gas to enable
the balloon to make ten ascensions.
The expedition will endeavor to estab
lish a station on the west side of Vic
toria Land, as it is thought that an ex
tensive land surface exists there. A
British expedition is simultaneously to
attack Victoria Land from the east
side.
How Silk Equalizes Temperature.
It is known to everybody that silk
is electrified by friction. Acting, upon
the suggestion thus furnished, a
French savant, Monsieur Henry, has
made experiments which show that
the electrification of the air enclosed
in a tissue of silk produces a circula
tion of its particles, which tends to
equalize the temperature. A similar
effect is observable in wool, and hence
the superiority of silk and wool for
garments Intended to protect the body
against the vicissitudes of climate.
IMPROVED EASY CHAIR.
Among the many easy chairs on the
market few approach in solid comfort
the chair with the hinged back, which
can be adjusted at various angles, to
¥uit'tKelbtinger. In b'fder td facilitate
the movement of the back and adjust
it readily in its several positions many
devices have been tried, and the
mechanism here shown is one of the
newest inventions to accomplish this
purpose. The back may be either hing
ed to the seat or pivoted on a rod to
tilt freely, with the supporting brace
pivoted in line with the hinges or on
the rod. A coiled spring is attached to
the chair seat, and to the forward end
of the notched horizontal rod, serving
to draw the rod toward the rear. A
glance at the cut will show that this
would tilt the back of the chair for
ward as soon as the person sitting in
the chair leaned forward. The notch
ed bar is held rigidly in place by a
spring bar set at right angles to it, one
end being hinged to the seat and the
other end provided with a rod extend
ing upward in position to be easily de
pressed by the hand, which action
HANDY ADJUSTMENT FOR EASY
CHAIRS.
frees the back and allows it to be ad
justed without rising from the chair.
Potsdam*s Twin Telescope.
The new double telescope of the
Potsdam Observatory was recently
dedicated. It consists of two very
large telescopes arranged side by side
on one mounting. The larger, of
thirty-two inches aperture and 39.4
feet focal length, is for photographic
use the other, of twenty inches aper
ture, and 41.2 feet focal length, is for
visual observations. The primary ob
ject of this telescope is to measure,
with all possible accuracy, the velocity
of stars that are approaching or reced
ing from the earth.
CtENCE
'PROGRESS
A,'
A New California Industry.
The growing of Belgian hares for
the market in'Southern California is
described by Mr. O. P. Wolcott in the
Scientific American, as having recent
ly become an extensive industry.. The
hares are imported for breeding pur
poses/from England and Belgium. A
feigrf-bred buck or doe hare, Mr. Wol
cott says, will bring $50 to $250. In
the markets the price is about 25 cents
per pound, live weight. From Los An
geles shipments are now made to all
parts of the United States. A warm
climate is not essential for the anl-
mals, and it is said they could be
grown for the market in almost all
parts of the Union.
California's Treasures.
The California Miners' Association
has recently published a treatise on
the mineral wealth of that state which
brings out some facts that are not gen
erally known. Gold, of course, holds
the lead, but It will probably surprise
many to learn that the value of the
quicksilver annually produced in Cali
fornia is fifty per cent greater than
the value of the silver found there,
and that even the petroleum output of
the state exceeds the silver production
in value. Copper and borax rank
among the important minerals of Cali
fornia.
,,v
DRIES CLOTHES, RAISES BREAD
It will not take a woman who doeB
housework anjl makes her own bread
long to appreciate the advantages and
A WOMAN'S INVENTION,
utility of the device shown in the pic
ture, and it is almost needless to say
that it is a woman's idea, the inventor
being Annie Bennett of Maine. In
families where the bread is made at
home it is a common custom to set
the dough to rise in a warm place
at night, and it is difficult to find a
place where the temperature is
even on all sides, the sides
nearest the flre receiving the
greatest amount of heat and caus
ing the loaf to rise unevenly. With
this device suspended above the stove
the heat rises and surrounds all sides
of the tin with an equal temperature.
The arrangement is constructed of a
number of gratings suspended in a
horizontal position over the range,
with adjustable shelves which are
adapted to be extended on either side,
to increase the available space. The
device is also well adapted for drying
clothes, and has a sufficient number of
rods to hold a fair-sized washing
"ar ""iest Mountain, gjjgL
The recordB of the Geological Survey
in Washington establish the fact that
the loftiest known mountain in North
America is Mount McfKinley in Alaska,
about 200 miles from the shore of Cook
Inlet. The aboriginal name of the
peak is Tralega. It is 20,464 feet high.
This is not far from the elevation of
Mount Chimborazo, the highest peak
of the Andes, and is 2,440 feet greater
than that of Mount St. Elias, which
was at one time believed to be our
loftiest mountain.
Sugar vs. Starvation.
Experiments by Professor Mosso in
the University of Genoa have shown
that sugar administered after a period
of starvation, or a long fast, restores
vitality much more rapiaiy than bread
does. The temperature of the body
quickly increases with the administra
tion of sugar.
Recent Inventions.
Corks which have slipped inside bot
tles can be easily extracted by a new
ly designed implement, which has two
handles pivoted together to control a
pair of elongated jaws, which are
made of strong steel and are narrow
enough to pass through the neck and
catch the cork.
For automatically throwing the rails
of switches a new engine attachment
has a beam extending out in front,
with tackle for swinging the free end
to either rail, with a small wheel at
the outer end, which engages the
switch rail and forces it into position
as the engine moves forward.
For preventing hoisting engines
from lifting the cage too far the der
rick is provided with a tilting block
set in line with one side of the cage,
a rod running from the block to the
cut-off on the engine, to stop the latter
when the cage rises high enough to
turn the block.
To indicate when the contents of a
bottle have been partially removed
and replaced with an adulterant a cen
tral rod is placed in the bottle, with a
float mounted on the rod to fall as the
contents are poured out, internal
pawls engaging notches on the rod to
hold the float flown when the bottle Is
•refilled.
5'-'
A
S* J"
Thomas Jogged His Memory.
A certain elderly gentleman suffered
much from absent-mindedness, and
was frequently compelled to seek the
assistance of his servant. "Thomas,"
he would constantly say, "I have just
been loking for something, and now I
can't remember what it is," where
upon the obliging Thomas invariably
made suggestions. "Was it your purse,
or spectacles, or cheque book, sir?"
and so on, till he hit on the right ob
ject.
One night, after the old gentleman
had retired, the bell rang for Thomas,
and on reaching the bedroom he found
his master rambling restlessly about
the room.
"Thomas, Thomas," hte said, "I came
up here for something, and now I've
forgotten what?"
"Was it to go to bed, sir?" suggested
his faithful retainer.
"Ah! the very thing—the very
thing! Thank you, Thomas. Good
night!" ..
it
NARROW ESCAPE.
He could not help thinking that It
would be the beat as well as' the
quickest, way out of his difficulties
Jennie and the baby would be provid
ed for for himself, his one desire was
their welfare.
Everything had gone wrong with
him lately. A few months back he
had been traveling for an apparently
Successful manufacturing company,
earning a salary which sufficed amply
to maintain his wife and child in com
fort, and, with the expectation of a
speedy berth as agent, which would
allow him to live at home.
His troubles began with a severe at
tack of grip, which, with the result
ing weakness, laid him up for weeks.
The company was generous, and con
tinued his salary, until one night the
factory was burned to the ground, and
all hands, consequently, turned out of
work. Then came the astonishing
discovery that the concern had been
shaky for some time and needed only
this to complete its ruin.
It was a season of universal busi
ness depression and he had sought
continuously, in vain, for a situation
which would enable him to support
his family. Sickness had made heavy
inroads on his small stock of savings,
and that-morning he had given Jen
nie his last five-dollar bill. Nor did
he £now where to look for another.
Fate seemed against him. A year ago
he had proudly reckoned himself a
man who could always make his way
in the world now he had learned the
bitter lesson that those who are able
8
and willing to work may yet stand
idle in the market places, because "no
man hath hired them."
He thought of all .this, of .the unpaid
grocer's and butcher's bills, and, with
difficulty, restrained the groan which
might have attracted unpleasant at
tention from the passing crowd.
Moreover, the rent was overdue, and
the premium on his life insurance
must be paid within the coming week.
If the insurance lapsed it would be
hard to effect another policy, and the
thought made him desperate. Some
weeks ago, how many he could not re
member, he had written to his best
friend stating his plight, and asking
aid. It was by no means the least of
his woes that he had had no answer
to that letter. They two had been
closer than brothers, and if Keene
were ill or had failed him, there was
no help in man. The strain of so
many anxious day and wakeful nights
had been too much for him, and he
felt flick and dispirited in body and
brain. God had forgotten him, would
the devil help him to commit the crime
which would send him to hell?
He stood on the curb watching cable
cars as they swung round the curve
packed with passengers. It was Just
at their busiest time, when all the
working world was going home to din
ner or supper, according to the station
in life. There came to his memory a
quaint saying of his old nurse, "Them
that takes the wrong road Into the
next world can't expect to get to the
right place." Well, his sacrifice for
Jennie and the baby would be all the
greater. He saw no other way to pro
vide for them.
"Oh, God pity and forgive me," he
breathed then he rushed forward in
front of the clanging car as it turned
the corner. It was raining, the drops
freezing as they fell, and the crossing
—3T
a:
was allpptty as iflua. Ha atumblal
and fell on the lea. People ahrlekad,
the car pulled up. wlth a sudden jerk,
barely touching him as the big polioe
man dragged him almost from wider
the wheels. He heard a confusion of
noises, and knew that he had fall(»d
then he felt himself losing conscious*
neas, and hoped that he was dying
after all. The doctor hid told him
that his last Illness had left his heart
weak.
Then all was a blank until he open
ed his eyes to find himself in the near
est drug store, and a physician feeling ^,
his pulse.
"There are no bones broken. He
has merely fainted from the shock," 'vi.
were the first words he heard.
I've been looking out for you, and
was Just going out to your house. We
need a new man at our place, and you
can have the berth if you want it.
They'll be glad to get anybody whom
I indorse."
LONDON OMNIBUSES.
An American Girl Describes the Odd
Vehicles.
7
To KemoTe Paint Spots.
The best way, and, in fact, the only
good way to remove fresh paint from
a woolen garment slightly Okmaged
by inadvertent contact is instantane
ously to rub the spots with another
portion of the same garment." Don't
let the paint dry. Snatch up a fresh
fold of the goods and ruh vigorously.
The friction immediately dissipates the
damage, and no trscp ta J,eft,on eith«r
part of the goods. Except for the'lQgs^
of a little surface fuzz, the garment is
as unblemished as before.
literature in Blood.
The Natives of Bono!
The Rev. Dr. J. H. Cissel. of Craw
fordsville, Ind., has received an inter
esting letter from his son, First Ser
geant E. W. Cissell, of Company G,
Forty-fourth infantry. Sergeant Cis
sell served through the Cuban cam
paign, and then enlisting with the
forty-fourth went to the Philippines.
He is now at Bacjayon, Bohol, and
writes that Bohol is radically different
from the other islands he has visited.
The natives were frightened half to
death when the United States soldiers
came, as they had for ages suffered
terrible indignities from the Spanish
people, but in less than a month they
were thoroughly reassured. So in
tensely do they hate the Spaniards,
however, that the better educated peo
ple, who understand the Spanish lan
guage, refuse to make use of it. The
population of Bohol is devotedly Ro
man Catholic, but Sergeant Cissell
writes that the religion there is much
more given to form, and is much more
exacting than in this country. The
cathedral at Baclayonjs a magnificent
building, with a chime of sixteen bells.
"Little clothing is worn, except on
Sunday," writes Mr. Cissell. "On that
day, however, the men wear suits of
spotless white, and the women attire
themselves in most fetching costumes.
They wear a black skirt with a long
trail, a cream colored waist of some
light material, made in evening dress
fashion, and then complete the toilette
with a head dfess that is stunning.
This is a sort of sun-bonnet, made of
very thin white material. At the point
where it touches the head it is rein
forced by ply, which is stiffened with
starch, and instead of having strings
and being drawn in the back, it is al
lewed to flow freely over the shoulders
to below the waist. Around the edge
If heredity counts for anything, the
son just born to Neville Lytton, heir
presumptive to the earldom of. Lytton,
ought to develop into one of the great
est literary men of his time. On his
father's side he is a great-grandson of
Bulwer Lytton and a grandson of
"Owen Meredith," and on his mother's
side he is a great-great-grandson of
Lord Byron.
A Listening Senator.
Senator Thomas Staples Martin of
Virginia, has never yet made a-set
speech in the senate, though he has
been a member for six years. On the
stump he is an orator of front rank,
but in the senate, for some reason
known only to himself, he has elected
to enroll himself among those who
listen but do not talk.
of the bonnet is sewed a deep lace, oft
en of various colors. The natives
wear this garb gracefully and are real*
ly most attractive when so attiredt
Immediately after church comes the
cock-fighting, and this consumes the
balance of the day.
"Each evening the natives congre
gate at a place near our camp to sing
for a couple of hours, and this sing
ing is of a most weird and peculiar
character. It reminds me of, 'ghost
dance tunes, or the devil-entrance
music in opera. If you can recall the
music rendered in "Faust," where
Marguerite becomes insane, you can
get an excellent idea of the popular
music of Bohol. Often, late at night,
these strange airs come 'floating in
from the ocean, where the natives are
bobbing about in' their canoes," fishing,
and one is forced by some strange
spell to stop and listen, for the music,
though awfully weird, has a wonder
fully soothing effect.
"Here in Bohol the cqcoa tree is the
staff of life. The nut is used exten
sively for food and also furnishes im
mense quantities of oil, excellent bOtU
for illuminating and lubricating pup]
poses. The hull about the nut, very
thick and fibrous, is used to mal$e rope
and fabric. What we have been led
to believe is Manila hemp is nothing
more than a product from cocoanut
hulls. The fiber is piUled apar$,
soaked in cocoanut oil and then spread
out In the sun to bleach. This accom
plished, it is twisted into rope and
again bleached, making the finest Ma
nila hemp that ever bound sheaves.,
of Indiana wheat. The leaves of tlie
cocoa tree are used to thatch the roofs
of all the buildings, and -they also fur
nish the native with clothing and car*
pets."
Wi
:I
Then, God be praised, there came
another voice, tho cheery tone of Ml
Keene, his best friend. "Well, old boy,
you have had a close shave. I saw you
fall, but had no idea It was you. How
ever could you have done such a fool- ."
ish thing? A man who has been on
tlie road as long" as you have. Your -V
letter followed me from Japan to 'Fris
co, and I reached town today. But ,vs
.•
l,
•3?
A San Francisco girl in writing of
her experiences in London, amusing
ly describes the street omnibuses. She
says "Several times I have seen
them stop for an old lady, hut never
for a young woman, unless it is one
of their stopping places or a number
want to get on or off. You wave your
hand and the conductor signals you'to
come on. He ring3, the driver slows
down a little and then you run. If
you succeed in getting near enough the »4
conductor grabs you and gives you a
boost that sends you flying half way Vfil
up the spiral stairway that takes you
up on top. Then you climb up and
perhaps have to walk along the top
clinging to heads or shoulders or any
thing handy until you get'a seat. By
that time you area long way on your
journey. My skirts are long. I need
both hands and I have yet to find a .V:
way of fastening my hat to my head ,^5
so that it will stay on in these wlnds^
I usually make several attempts be- pj
fore I finally succeed in getting onto
an omnibus. I run a little distance
and then give it up. I never can tell
what 'bus I want until it is past, for
they are all a flaming mass df ad
vertisements, with the destination of
the 'bus in small letters somewhere.
At night it is almost impossible to
tell where they go, for they carry no
lights and the streets are dark."
r"..
rm
\.
1