Evening Star Newspaper, November 2, 1889, Page 9

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THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON. LOOKING OUT FOR POOR JACK] 2- Men From Many Lands in the Maritime Conference. —. The Body Now in Session in this City How Its Deliberations are Con- ducted—Sketches of Some of the Delegates—The Officers and Their Duties. ———-__ HE international maritime confer- ence, which is now in session in this city, is undoubt edly one of the most thoroughly cosmopolitan —as- semblages that has ever met here. Although its scope of work is limited toa technical field in which but com- > paratively few peo- pe are directly interested the character of its members is such as to attract attention from the veriest landsman, who cares not a snap of his fingers about whether a vessel shall carry a red and green light or establish itself as a floating rainbow. These men represent the most advanced naval intellects of the world. They come from every part of the globe, from every continent but Africa, from the Orient, from the land of Confucius, from the region of snow and ice. Their object is a humane one—to make the sea safer,to render the life of the mariner less dan- gerous and to reduce toa minimum the chances of accident, which are ever large. Against the dangers of the sea itself—the roaring gales, the crushing waves, the treacherous currents, the chosily iceberg—the hand of man is almost powerless, and to these matters but little at- tention is given by the members of this ccnfer- ence. They sre studying ways and means of averting the danger that comes from man him- self. The wonderful advances of science have tended to cover the oceans and seas with ships bound for thousands of ports, and it is the fact that these ships are often more to be dreaded by one another than the fiercest storm that is giving the conference most of its material for discussion. Under ordinary circumstances two vessels can pass each other Without difficulty. In broad daylight there is Usually not an atom of danger, but when the Bight falls and the ocean is wrapped in inky blackness, or when the impenetrable fog covers everything with a veil that nothing can pierce, then it is that the captain of the craft realizes that he is amere chip on the waters at the mercy of fate. His elements of knowledge are few and simple and he must grope along with no better guide than luck, and if he passes in safety he feels that he has been fortunate. The horrors of the fog are, perhaps, but feebly realized by the landsman, who is accustomed to be surrounded by marks and indicators on every hand to show him where he is. Nor does he know the terrible nature on the hurricane on the ocean, to which the greatest, proudest vessels are but playthings. There is work enough for the conference to do, not only in devising safer methods on the sea but to amalgamate the laws of the world into one universal code, known to all nations and used without those national differences that now exist, so that when two ships meet outou the unmarked highway of commerce neither shall be at a loss to understand the course, character or intentions of the other through a difference of systems of signaling. IN THE WALLACH MANSION. For the present the conference is meeting in the large parlors of the WaJlach mansion. which was secured for the sessions of the Three Americas congress, now off on an excursion. Until the delegates to the latter body return the maritime conference will continue to use these quarters and then they will remove with their goods and chattels to the parlors The body is of Wormley’s _ hotel. entirely deliberative. and resembles a large board of trade more than anything else. By the nature of the act con- Yening it the conference can do nothing that binds any of the powers represented to its de- cisions. Everything is dependent upon the agreement of the nations represented, or, in the language of the law, ‘ad referendum.” When the conference has concluded its labors, agreeing upon the best possible code of sys- tems, the delegates will return to their homes and will lay the result of their labors beture their governments, after which it will depend upon the good sense of the various powers to recognize the benefits of the deliberations of the ablest naval authorities of the world. THE CONFERENCE AT WORK. The conference meets promptly at 11 o'clock in the morning, the delegates armed with voluminous documents and eager for business, Everything in the way of formality that will obstruct progress has been dispensed with and the four hours which are devoted to the work of making the sea safer are fully utilized. In order to accomplish this and to secure the ben- efit of all the time possible the daily reading of the -‘protocols” or minutes of the previous pro- ceedings has been dispensed with. There is no roll call, no prayer, no preliminary maneuver- y the seating of the delegates at the jent’s gavel, which falis on the lock, the rustling of papers along the tables and the conference is at work. Sometimes a delay of a few minutes occurs on recount of the tardiness of Mr. Hall or Mr. Goodrich, both of whom their colleagues be- lieve to be indispensable. THE PRESIDENT, Admiral Samuel R. Franklin commands the ship. He does not wear his uniform, of course, and be seems to be thoroughly acquainted with > the duties of the presi- dent of @ deliberative body. He was born in York, Pa., August 25, 1525, and became a mid- shipman in the navy in 1841, being attached to the frigate Cumberland of the Pacific squadron. He served gallantly in the Mexican war and was present at the fall of Monterey. Decem- ber 15, 1880, saw him a commodore, and June 4, 1886, a rear admiral. a the latter year he y ee at the head of the naval observa- tory, and in '86 com- ADMI Kai FRANKLIN. manded the Mediterranean squadron. He was retired August 24, 1887. re is little or no need of much management, for all of the flock are docile and each one appears to be thor- oughly imbued with a desire to accomplish the reatest possible good. There haa thus far feos pronounced degree of courtesy of de- bate apparent among the members, and if any time is lost at all it is that which some of the speakers occupy in begging each other's ~~ for differing in opinion. It might, in- eed, be contended with Just reason that such time is not lost, inasmuch as it is necessary for the prevention of that frict: »n which sometimes comes into existence when the representatives of various nations meet in council. Naturally enough one half expectantly looks for trouble when the debate grows animated, and the wonder of the visitor to the conference is heightened when he observes that the delegates from Germany sit between those from France and England, and at this corner of the council table there is a constant faterchange of opin- lous in undertones between those whom the lar idea has marked #8 iereditary enemies. ere could there be f,und « better proof udices are, under the present humanizing civiliza- | next-door neighbor, THE GERMAN DELEGATES. One part of the table produces a large pro- portion of the suggestions which swarm in upon the conference. The German delegates are great talkers and are about the only ones who make long speeches. In this particular Dr. Sieveking is undoubtedly far in the lead of all others. He has the judicial habit of slow, deliberative utterance, learned in long expe- rience as president of the Hamburg supreme court, and his diction is clear and forcible, Next to him, at the corner of the table, sits ‘apt. Mensing of the German navy—he with the black beard. He taiks rapidly end usually scores a point. Both he and his colleague talk good English and wield considerable influence in the conference, THE ENGLISHMEN. Ent the next man has been among the lead- | ing lights of the body since it was called to or- der. ‘ arles Hall, queen’s counsel, member of parliament, who is at the head of the delegation from treat Britain. He is bly qualified to oceupy T b his position, for bis parliamentary experi- ence, his extensive ac- quaintance with nanti- eal and civil law, and his natural brilliancy ind ability fit him to do he talking for the three ingdoms in such an as- semblage. His voice quiets the hum of con- versation around the table instantly and his words produce strong effects. He is regarded as one of the most distinguished lawyers in Great Britain, especially in admiralty affai educated at Harrow and Trinity, In 1865 he took his degree and the next yea was called to the bar, soon receiving an elec- tion as “bencher of the middle temple.” In 1881 he was made queen's counsel and in 1887 was appointed attorney general to the prince of Wales and the duchy of Cornwall. He pos- seases many of the characteristics of the typical Englishman, with an inimitable accent th would drive an Anglomaniac wild. His ma ners are polished and his methods of debate ery courteous. In his remarks he fre- quently receives hints in undertones from his Rear Admiral N. More Molineux. K.C.B.. who has not yet talked to the conference. He entered the royal navy in and was promoted to his present grade in He served during the Russian war, in the Black sea and Baltic and took the bombarment of Alexandria in 15%: He wes naval. attache to the queen in 188% and is one of the leading authorities on naval warfare in Great Britain. Mr. Thomas Gray, assistant secretary of the marine deparment, board of trade, sits next, at the corner. THE SECRETARY. There is no busier man in attendance upon the conference than Lieut. Cottman, the secre- tary. He issmali in stature and brisk as the traditional busy bee that is supposed to conduct a sugar trade on the _——_ that every day is thirty hours long. He was selected for the duty with but little notice or time for prepara- tion, but, like a true sailor, he was equal to the emergency, and under the temporary tutelage of his pre- decessor, Lieutenant Staunton, he was, soon qualified to act as the first mate of the, vessel. Lieut, Cott-> man is known among “ bis aesociates and —LIEUT. COTTMAN. brethren of the service as an able man, well qualified to perform almost any line of duty, and his selection as the successor of so efficient an officer as Lieut. Staunton, who was given higher duties, isa well deserved compliment. It is not cn easy position to fill, for the secretary of such an international assembly must possess in an unusual degree arts of diplomacy with which to smooth down the plumage of a misunderstanding or mis- understood foreigner who imagines that his toes have been stepped upon. ‘There are scores of nice points which this official is re- = to handle, and that he has conducted e duties of his post so far without a hitch is the best evidence of his fitness. He is assisted by Lieut. Ridgeley Hunt of the navy, who oc- cupies a desk in the outer room. In the coun- cil chamber Lieut. Cottman is aided by Mr. Cecil B. Spring-Rice of the British delegation, Mr. Walter Biaes, attached to the German rep- resentation, and Mr. Chas. Ribiere of France. ~~ Hard Lot of China’s Boy Emperor. From the New York Sun. The baby son of the dragon, to speak with due respect of the present emperor of China, is having a tough time of it. The death of his most excellent father drove him upon the throne at that tender age when ordinary infants are allowed to spend their time in cut- ting their teeth. tumbling out of their cribs, and otherwise disporting themselves after the manner of innocent babyhood. Hence his budding mind has been kept at work consider- ing matters of state, heathenish innovations called railroads by the foreign devils who pro- ject them, and devising plans to prevent the Tlower of his kingdoss “shoes young gentlemen who came to the new world to be attaches of legation—from cutting off their queues and marrying American girls. Things have gone wrong with his empire very often, and now he is in a worse box than ever, The temple of heaven. the headquarters of Joss in Peking. is now a heap of ashes. As em- peror, and earthy representative of Joss, this temple was the official residence, and no others but his servants were allowed to enter it. And now it is destroyed, some say by lightning stroke, which is first chop evidence of Joss’ displeasure. He feels that it is very hard for a baby emperor to look after everything at once, and is quite willing to do anything that his grand vizier may suggest in the way of tearing up railroad tracks and boiling Christian mis- sionaries to appease the powers. He is an overworked child and deserves the sympathy of all young American sovereigns, = a A Tennessee Patriarch. From the Boston Traveller. Gen. Alger tells of @ queer and interesting customer whom he met recently in Tennessee ata place named after himself, Anderson, and of whom he had recently bought 20,000 acres of timber land. The old gentleman lived ina large white house with a big portico in front of it, and there were dotted around in different fields other small white houses. Gen. Alger asked him: “How old are you?” “Fighty-two.”” “Enjoying good health?” “Yes; very good.” “How many children have “Nursing the 149th grandchild now. Tl send and get him for you.” “What do you mean tosay? One hundred and forty-nine!” “Yes, 1 have had twenty-seven children, and with children, grandchildren and great grand- children we are nursing the 149th now, and I'll send and get him for you.” So the old gentleman sent out to one of the small white houses in the cluster and a very nice specimen of a hearty baby boy was brought in. He Went. From Puck. Jack Toosoon—‘T'd like you to be my wife, Ethel. Is it a go?” Ethel Unreddy—“Well, it’s half a go. You go.” The women arrested in Ni picion of being the Kansas through St. Louis Thursday. Sedalia they were met by the Kansas 3 who is positive they are the Benders, Dr. Van 8, Seitzer, fifty-five and one of Ohio's most di jt physiciaus, died Th while sitting in his arm- jursday afternoon Ex-Postmaster T. W. D. Phillips of Burrill- ville, R.L, has become imsane because of his Mich., on sus- ders On reachin; LA D. C., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2. 1889-TWELVE PAGES. Written for Tre EVENINe Stan. IT’S THE “CHAMPIONS’ GAME.” George F. Slosson on the Impending Billiard Revival Here and Abroad. GREAT TOURNAMENTS IN PROSPECT—HOW THE “CHAMPIONS’ GAME” IS PLAYED—-NO MORE LONG RUNS BY HUGGING TRE RAIL—SOME PHENOME- NAL BILLIARDS—HINTS TO YOUNG PLAYERS. IVE years have passed since the last great billiard tourna- ment was held in Irv- ing hall, New York. Since that time, al- though no great matches have taken place in public, bil- liards have been steadily gaining in popularity. Today | there are 150,000 | tables in active use | in this country, and the devotces of the cue far outnumber those of any other ich Americans engage. not even ex- ball and horse Millions of | 2 invested. one lone having | $1,500,000 at stake, and ot Modern biili The regular thre game, the baik-line gam: game.” The latter ix of coarse cepting bi e cushion carom | nd the “champions’ | the most difti- | cult to play and should oul t & Itis the lat | and was invented for | ing the hugging of the ra: an easy matter for a skillfal y got the balls in acertain position to make almost as big a run ag he pleased. the hampions’ game” the corners of the tal are ked off at a point 18 inches across | experts ol ong the rail. In the width and 38 inches along the length. as I h } n the folowing diveren: The obj practically the same as that | Sought to be attained by the use of the balk line. The player has to get one of the object balls out of the corner on the second shot. It makes no difference whether they immediately return after being outof the corner or whether they are driven to another corner; the moment they are out of the first corner new life is secured and the dead point of the is passed. There can be no hugging the rail—that prac- | tice which has caused so much worry in games where clever players are contending for su- periority—for while, although a man may have a knack of rail hugging, that fact is by no means an indication that he is therefore the better player. Some will excel in play of one kind, some in another, but itis the best aver- age all round that tells and not the mau who has a faculty of making certain pet shots or combinations on which others may fail. Now, the new game, which has rightly been styled’ the champions’, removes this obstacle and places all on the same level, as far as rail play is concerned. No one can get the balls in chancery and keep them there, they must be re- leased after one play has been made in the corner, otherwise the next player takes the cue. I believe I made the biggest run at the champions’ game thus far recorded, when I played with Vignaux in Paris, the score stand- ing 394 to Vignaux, however, besides being the finest player in France, or for that matter in Europe, is the undisputed champion at the regular three-ball game. Nothing can compare with his brilliant playing in that par- ticular game. His highest recorded run was 1,531, ina match he played with me in Paris, My run on the same occasion was 1,103, THE BALK-LINE GAME. At the fourteen-inch balk-line game, which, until the introduction of the champions’ game, was by far the most difficult billiards ever played. Schaefer holds the palm for the great- est run, although I happened to press him closely. He scored 230, my run being 229. William Sexton is the finest exponent of the cushion carom game, having netted 177 points ina single run in New York during a cham- pionship match, In a match at Chicago I made the highest average at cushion caroms when playing against Schaefer. These incidents I mention to illustrate to the general reader the different ranges of the various games that are now in vogue; for, while thousands take a deep interest in billiards and especially in the three- ball game, there are few who appreciate the obstacles that professional experts encounter in their efforts to keep the game upto the highest scientic pasis and to eliminate from it whatever in the method of playing will give one opponent an sarsntses over the other, Very few amateurs play the “champions’ game,” although I know afew whocan do so creditably. It isa game that requires a great amount of skilland the most minute calcula- tion to be played effectively. It just as though you were deliberately to reject all that was easy in the play and take only the difficult art of it. Amateur Orville Oddie of Brook- yn plays it well, but it tries the patience of any but the skilled ememcesl player, and there are few others who persevere sufficiently to becume expert at it. It is, as you can readily understand, full of intricacies. One has to study every play and to look ahead if he means to count, A GREAT BILLIARD REVIVAL. There are indications of a great billiard re- vival inthe near future—a revival that will place the game where it belongs, at the head of the sports patronized by American gentle- men, There is some talk of a tournament; in- deed, two tournaments have been suggested for the coming winter—one in New York and the other in Chic: ‘0, the matches to be for 22,500 apiece. Ono firm has signified its readiness to offer stakes to the amount named, but there has been some delay in the negotia- tious chiefly on account of the western players. ‘The projectors, however, are still hopeful that the matter may be arranged so as not to inter- fere with the program, Should the tourna- ment take place it is quite probable that Schaefer, Carter and_ Ives will represent the west, while Sexton, Daly and myself will do battle for the east, AN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT, A still bigger piece of news in the billiard world is that there is a chance, and not a re- mote one, either, that there may be an inter- national tournament during the coming sea- son between the giants of the cue in Europe and an American team. Games in the series would be played in New York, Chicago, Brus- sels and Paris, Among the foreign players, Garnier, whose skill Americans knows and greatly admire, and Vignaux, the “Wizard of the Cue,” would be the two principal com- petitors, while Beau and Piot, who, although unknown to our billiard-loving public, are well worthy its acquaintance, would also prob- ably be in the foreign team. Such @ contest would awaken enthusiasm among billiard play- ers the world over, and would do more to bring about the revival for which the devotees of the cue are Sars Or ae @ dozen ordidary matches. Beau and Piot, of course, have never crossed the Atlantic, Atthe present time it looks very much as though the international project would be carried through successfully, Should the arrangements for the national tournament fall through, the international is almost a positive cer! ity. There have been no new rules or “wrinkles” in the game of billiards, other than those I have indicated, within the last five years. The system now observed is identical with thatof 1884, when the last championship match was played in this country. @ 14-inch balk-line game is the Lay oot one forall experts, whether amateur or professional. Cushion caroms, too, become more popular every or The only phenomenon at billiards I have known in recent years was Thomas Wallace, who died at Baltimore about @ year ago. He was ® most promising player, and there is no one to take his place. Had he lived young Wallace would have been ranked among the players in the country; indeed, he was already regarded as a marvelous cue. Al- though a mere lad he was at home “anywhere on the table,” as we ists say. He had all the characteristics of a greatbilliard player among the best and would doubtless have he lived. E 5 liable judgment. Other games are too in- tricate’ and imvolved for young players; their complications are such that any excellence the amateur may possess is lost sight of in the entanglement. Before he essays balk-line or cushion-carom games he should be an acknowl- edged expert at the simpler one and then he may hope to make progress in the others. He should remember that there is more in billiards than the pose of the body and the selection of acue. It is mathematics and nothing less, and if it would be folly fora tyro in mathematics to skip the elementary studies and pass on to the more difficult ones it would be equally fatal to the prospects of a sain & billiardist to dis- card the three-ball game before he has thor- oughly mastered it in all its details, Personally I feel the need of practice con- stantly. Nota day passes on which I do not play three or four games with just as much care and judgment as thongh I were handling the cue for stakes, And it is only by constant, persevering and careful practice that any one need ever expect to be a real billiard player, to know the beauties of the game, to feel its true fascination and to listen with a degree of confidence born of long practice skill to the music of together unerringly. a well-mad liard to fit naturally to th only be discovered by tho patie sport. who woos without ceasing, for himself the thousand and oo} Such a one is a tr tof the . who discovers delicate strategies and the sibilities of the game. illiardist, Go. F, Siosson. THE soe PAINTED DESERT. What Dr. Meriam Saw On His Expedi- tion to San Francisco Mountain. IN THE WONDERS OF THE COLORADO CANYON-—SAND WHIRLS IN -Ti THE DPSsERT TEL NEW AND QUEER DLE JOURNEY THROUGH TEE DEASTS. The story of adventure told by Dr. Meriam, i 0 from his wonder- expedition to the San Francisco mountain— whither he was sent by t icultural depart- ment to stady the anima: getable life of | that gigantic extinct volcano in Arizona—re- minds one of atale by some such writer of ex- travagant romance as Jules Verne or Rider rd. He not only ascended the pre: if's of this solitary peak, passing in the y of 13,000 perpendicular feet through ali the floral and faui ‘ones of the earth from the semi-tropics at the base to the arctic apex towering, snow-laden, into the sky, but, incidental to the trip, he witnessed many mar- vels in the grand canyon of the Colorado and spent weeks in the awful painted desert, amid such weird surroundings as death itself might select for its xbode. “Imagine,” he said yesterday, “an endless waste of sand glaring yellow in the ever-shin- ing sun, level asa billiard table and bearing not asingle sign of vegetation anywhere. The dust of the plain is so finely powdered thatyour feet sink into it two or three inches at each step, while, to relieve the eye, there is nothing buta hill here and there, shaped invariably like an inverted pot, with its sides scooped out by the action of the elements so as to expose the strata of marl and sandstone in the cliffs, gleaming im brilliant hues of red. yellow, purple, brown and blue, which give the Painted desert its name. On the tops of these hills are enormous quantities of fossil wood, supposed to have been floated there when tue desert was an inland ses long ages ago. Much of this wood is agatized, exhibiting the most beautiful colors. Once in a while you come across a pool of muddy water, so strongly flavored with the alkali crusted around it that only the im- possibility of getting any other water to drink could induce you to taste it. The temperature during the day is commonly 140 degrees in the shade, Fahrenheit, and it is only at night that any symptoms of animal life are discoverable, ‘Then the desert barrens swarm with scorpions, centipedes of fatal bite, and great spiders in- numerable, DEATH IN THE SAND. “Now and then, while on the march, you see objects like enormous giants moving across the waste swiftly. They are sand whirls, re- sembling water-spouts in their formation, 200 or 300 feet in diameter, perhaps, and many hundreds of feet in height. On one occa- sion I sawas many as seven of them simultane- ously, all whirling in different directions and threatening death with their approach. If one strikes you there is nothing te do but lie down as flat a8 possible on the ground with your face in the sand; otherwise you will be swept away or suffocated. These sand whirls are generated by currents of ascending heat; they are varied by sand blasts, so called, which sweep great @ cool hand. a delicate touch and a re- | Written for the Evexrxe Stan. THE TALE OF THE TERRAPIN. The Diamond-Back Discussed by One of the Highest American Authorities. POPULAR IGNORANCE CONCERNING THE PaMOUs TURTLE—WHERE AND HOW HE I8 OBTAINED— VARIOUS METHODS OF PREPARING HIM AND THE TRUE GOURMET'S RECIPE. This is the season of the year when men's fancy—and women’s, too, for that matter— fondly turn to thoughts of terrapin. This is truly the most American of ali dishes, and yet concerning both the turtle which it is prepared from and the manner of its cooking there ia more difference of opinion and more ignorance than attaches to any gastronomic preparation | with which Tam acquainted. It is a matter in which many men have many minds. I do not profess to be infallible in the discussion of this subject, but I do claim to have given it much serious attention, and my views have at least the benefit of being based upon a long time ex- perience, ‘The terrapin is purely an American creature, but. unlike the canvas-back duck, it is not con- fined to the northern branch of this continent, but is found in an enlarged form South America, It is mostly caught, however, in the estuaries of the Atlantic from Rhode Island to Louisiana, being quite nufnerous along the Gulf of Mexico, This great stretch of water, however, reveals many kinds, the yellow- bellied, the red-bellied and what are technically Kk na terrapin, | t salt water diamond-back aud no further north than Long Isiand sound. A POPULAR MISAPPREHENSION. Right here I wish to correct a popular misap- prekension, Ninety-nine people out of one hundred who are terrapin eaters will tell you with much smaking of their lips and kindling of their eyes that they have just eaten “some real diamond-back terrapin. Exactly what they mean by this they would find it difficult to ain if they were catechised, Diamoud-back ‘apin are found in large numb long the shores of Long Island. Delaware bay gives an cld of the same turtle, and I have had them sent to me even from Louisiana. All the terrapin in the localities which I have named are diamond-backs, which term means nothing more than that the creatures have diamond-shaped demareations on their shells, But the epicure, the man who has made a study of this subject, will tell you that the diamoad- back terrapin which comes from Chesapeake bay is the noble member of a very large family, and it alone,when properly prepared, furnishes the gourmet with a repast which is without anequal. Noone has been able to tell what food there is in the waters of the Chesapeake which gives its terrapin a flavor of its own, and no one has eaten terrapin in its perfect condi- tion who has not had the dish prepared from alone whose home is in the state of Mary- and. So marked, however, is the difference be- tween the Chesapeake diamond-back and those from other shores that when you can readily purchase the finest Delaware terrapin from 315 to $20a dozen their brethren from the Chesa- peake command from #35 to #40. The differ- ence in taste is marked and another distin- guishing peculiarity is that the bones of the turtle from the Chesapeake are much smaller than those of terrapin from any other locality. ‘To tell the difference, however, before plung- ing the creature into the pot requires the eye of a very keen expert. I have so schooled my- self that I can readily detect the difference. It is a secret, however, that I do not care to re- veal, but in a general way I may say that the rvant eye will notice a marked difference veen the heads of a diamond-back trom the Chesapeake and from elsewhere. So little is known of this distinction that I doubt if one prominent hotel or restaurant in twenty sup- plies its customers with the expensive Chesa- eake diamond-back. Of course those rom Long Isiand sound and Delaware bay can be made into a very de- licious dish, which can be enjoyed the very utmost by those who do not know the taste of the royal reptile in its most perfect condition. I remember that Robert Ogden, who was speaker of the Louisiana house of rep- resentatives, sent me from Bay St. Louis two barels of terrapin caught in that locality. He informed me that they were as fine as any this is very rarely found further | little holes in the mud they dig as though for dear life and before long a plump diamond- back is in their The turtles are only taken while in this wild state, and after their never know the taste of food. They are ed in barrels, which they leave only to drop into the pot. You can put a terrapin in a bureau drawer and keep it there for two or three months without its suffering the slightest harm or even making a move- ment, providing light is never adinitted to its hiding place. The way to keep them. however, which Ty prefer, is to place them in a dark cellar and cover them with sea grass, which should be kept continually dampened. MUCH IN THE COOKING. But, after all, the terrapin does not furnish a very desirable morsel unless it falls into the hands of one who knows how to properly sac- rifice iton the culinary altar. Whether you find the dish delicious or not depends entirely upon the manner in which it has been pre- pared. I have heard many men who were otherwise sensible pronounce stewed terrapin an uninviting and even nauseating compound, In almost all such cases I have found that they had eaten it in establishments that make chicken croquettes out of veal and deviled crabs from corn meal, potatoes, aud lobster meat. Many restaurants, in fact, that profess to be reputable use the livers of the big “slider” turtles in preparing terrapin and there are very few, in fact, that do not buy the smail, tough bull terrapin of Long island, wnich they can purchase for from $6 to $8a dozen, and capture thay | mx their meat with that of afew fat cows or | heifers, The. highest price demanded for terrapin from any locality is for what are known as “counts,” meaning thereby turtles which mens- not less than five inches across the lower Lhowever.prefer heifers measuring about fourinches, While they ordinarily donot contain as many eggs as their larger sisters yet their meat is much more tender. The actual cook- ing of the terrapin 1s simplicity itself, They simply thrown into boiling water and you can tell when they have been there sufficiently long by feeling the claws between thumb and ‘Minger. and if this pressure breaks the meat it is time to remove the pot from the range. To allow it to remain there longer makes the meat stringy, a condition which, Iam sorry to say, is frequently found, The boiled terrapin can easily be opened with a knife. After this course of treatment the meat should be picked out, care being exercised in the vicinity of the gall bag, the breaking of which would destroy entirely the flavor of the dish. The joints should be cut with a pair of sharp scissors in order to leave them in portions suiiiciently small for convenient eating. When the meat has cooled it should be piaced in a crock and putin the refrigerator, The sooner it is used atter it has become cold the better. But the actual cooking of the terrapin is a very small and insignificant portion of its preparation. It is after this that the cook's ability is put tothe test. In this connection let me say in the first place that I do not be- lieve there is a French cook living who knows how to prepare terrapin. Icannot tell why, but it is an absolute fact that a colored woman has a knack in dressing the dish which belongs tono other race or sex. Of course there are many American housewives who have achieved fame for their preparation of the prince of turtles, but somehow or other they will “use flour and eggs, and both of these are abomina- tions. If any word of mine can lead them to discard these evil ways I honestly believe 1 will have performed a public benefit. DIFFERENT WAYS OF PREPARING IT. Before giving my own views as to which is the best method of preparing stewed terrapin I will refer to the recipes of others, Philadel- phia gained its fame asthe place where the dish can be properly treated largely through the cooking of Prosser, a famous colored caterer, who is now dead. I have before me an oddly written account of his formula, pre pared by one of his disciples, and pubiis! some years ago in a gastronomic journal, which is now defunct. His method is described as follows: “You can't enjoy terrapin unless the day is nipping. Temperature and terrapin go in hand, Now, as to your terrapin, bless you! there is all the difference the world in them. The more northerly is the terrapin ground the better. You eat a Florida terrapin—you needn't despise it, for terrapin is terrapin everywhere— but you get a Chesapeake one or a Delaware bay one, or, better still, a Long Island one, and there is just the difference between $10 a dozen ana $36, Warm water kind o’ washes the delicate flavor out of them. Don't you let Mr. Bergh know it, but your terrapin must be country had ever seen and that I could obtain them for #15 a dozen instead of paying nearly three times that sum for the creatures from the Chesapeake. They were very fine looking, and, after having picked outseveral of the best, ex-Congressman Charles Mitchell of Con- necticut and myself put them to the test of the alate. They were really very good, but their bones were very large and their meat lacked the peculiar bodies of loose sand across the desert with such force that it bites into the very rocks; you can imagine its effect upon the traveler. ‘The only shade tobe found isin the shadow of your horse and the heat in the sun is so intense that the glass of a thermometer exposed to it breaks almost immediately. So rapid is the evaporation that the juices of one’s body are dried up, the blood becomes thickened and the consequent suffering is intense.” NEW AND QUEER BEASTS, “Did you find many new kinds of animals in the desert?” asked Tue Star reporter, “Quite a number that are new toscience,” re- plied the doctor. “But the most curious of all was a little beast that I shall name the ‘scor- pion mouse,’ because it appears to feed upon scorpions exclusively. I don’t know how it manages to catch its food without being stung, for you know how big and dangerous even to man the scorpion is in that torrid region—but I caught a number of them and scorpions were found in the stomachs of them all. I also found 32 er sort of kangaroo rat, a mouse with jackass ears, and another kind of mouse with pockets in its cheeks, The kangaroo rat has a very long tail and jumps like a kangaroo, I caught all these, except the scorpion mouse, in the grand canyon also, That is a weird pers enough, It is simply the chan- nel of the great Colorado river, worn by the erosion of running water to a depth of 5,000 to 6,000 feet. The sides are perpendicular cliffs, with 15 miles between them; at the bottom runs the river, over cascades and rapids, with tremendous velocity. Owing to the Rimerense of altitude, I found the temperature 81 degrees at the bottom while the water I had left ina bucket at the top was freezing. We were camped at the bottom, alongside the stream, when the survivors of Major's Brown’s party, which had started to go through the canyon in boats, turned up. HORRORS OF THE CANYON. You read about the accident, I suppose, in the newspapers, Maj. Brown and one other man were drowned, and, of the four who reached our camp, one was already hopelessly insane from fright. The only human bein; who ever went through the grand canyon =a lived to tcll the tale was Maj. Powell of the geological survey, The three men who were With bien got frightened early in the journey and climbed out over the cliffs, only to be killed by the Indians in southern Utah a few days later. The talk of running a railway through the canyon is the sheerest nonsense; for stretches of the distance the river occupies its whole width, and in seasons of flood it rises from 30 to 70 feet. It was very in- teresting to observe that the animals of the tropical belt had made their way up thousands of miles through this warm canyon from the far south, so that the fauna in the canyon was entirely different from the fauna of the country round about, The vegetation, too, was tropical. There was not much room for animal life on the river’s very brink, but shelves miles in extent along the cliffs, high uj in the air and overgrown with cactus, afforde plenty of space for such beasts as were good at climbing. Ishotan owl in the canyon of a kind so rare that only five or six specimens have ever been secured before; I also got a new species of skunk, with a beautiful spotted coat.” “And on the San Francisco mountain?” MORE STRANGE SPECIMENS, “I found more new kinds of mice there; eight novel varieties of mouse,I discovered alto- gether on my trip. There was also a queer gopher with cheek-pockets and a seed-cating squirrel that exhibited an interesting adapta- tion of coloring to environment. On the ‘dark lava of the mountain side it was dark and speckled like the lava; e desert it became delicate tlavor of the terrapin I had been ac- customed to, A very prominent Washington hotel keeper was very glad to get the consign- ment at $15 per dozen, and now many restau- rateurs in Washinghton are receiving ‘“Chesa- eake” diamond backs from Louisiana at that igure. BOGUS MARYLAND TERRAPIN, The difference in flavor and in price between terrapin from various localities and the general ignorance of the public upon the subject has led to many tricks of the trade. The terrapin dealers of Delaware bay and Long Island sound consign portions of their catches to Maryland and Washington and from thence they are sold throughout the country as the true Maryland article. I have even known Philadelphia dealers to send Delaware terrapin down to Bal- timore and from thence have them sold back to Philadelphia. Why, only last week a Wash- ington dealer brought several barrels of what he claimed to be the finest Chesapeake diamond backs to my establishment. I ordered the en- tire lot dumped in the yard and after I had ex- amined them I told the dealer that I would give him @25 for each Maryland turtle he found in the lot. There was notone in the entire con- signment, This difficulty of detection need not discourage the housewife or the club man, tor, after all, neither the Delaware bay nor Long Island sound terrapin is to be despised, even by the most discriminating palate. THE CAPTUKE OF THE TERRAPIN differs in different localities, and this also to some extent affects the flavor of its flesh. By far the greater number of the turtles come from the western shore of Delaware bay, and I will therefore speak first of that locality. Take, for instance, the small village of Little Creek Landing, where there is quite a depot for oysters, fish and terrapin. A very short dis- tance from it is Mahon’s river harbor. Here every night anchor from one to two hundred little oyster and fish schooners. Early every morning they sail forth upon their daily errand, but while oysters and fish are what they regularly collect the men keep a sharp lookout for terrapin. When they see the little heads floating above the water they know that a school is gathered and then the seines are forthcoming. If the turtles are very near the shore a short seine is used, the men walking out in the water and surrounding the tortoises with the net. If they are too far from land to do this a long seine and two boats are called into requisition. Sometimes huadreds are caught in one haul, or the capture may only include three or four, ‘he fisher- men having no place to keep them, take them to Little Creek Landing and exchange them atthe general store for supplies, The store keeper has a water pen of immense size, fed by a channel leading from Little creek. On every side boards have been driven down to prevent the captives from escaping. Into this Inclosure the tide rises re ly, and con- sequently it is claimed that the terrapin live in their native element and on their native food, the waters of the bay bringing to them all they wish to eat. A large inclined plane leads to a bed of dry bay shore sand and on this the turtles rise, sun themselves and = Roe eggs. No effort is made at proy ition, They become 8o tame they will mount the plane in droves and eat from the owner's hands, and therein you see the fallacy of this method of keeping them. Did they obtain proper and sufficient food from the water they would not be eating liver and corn meal them by their In this we discover one reason why terrapin so procured lack the rare and wild peake. The dealer at Little creek collects terrapin through the late summer and early fall and when cold weather sets the thou- in — sands he has gathered in and to purchasers cities. State Senator Gardner of New Jersey, I think, and also down in Florida by ex-United States uct what the call “horrepin tarzan” os J wi endeavors have been made to induce the artiti- turtles. But than the ex- trout from Nay a [ir a il boiled alive, Have a good big pot with a hot fire under it, so that he shan't languish, and when it has got on a full head of steam pop him in. What Iam going to give is recipe for a single one. If you are awfully rich and go infor a gross of terrapin just use your multiplication table. Just a8 soon as he caves in watch him and try his flippers. When they part when you try ‘em with your finger nail he is good. Open him nicely with a knife; biling of him dislo- cates his snuff box. Pick out every scrap of his meat; there ain't over much of it, more’s the pity.. The most is in the jints of the legs and side lockers; but if you want to commit murder just you smash his gall, then your ter- rapin is gone torever. Watch closely for eggs and handle them gingerly. Now, having got him or her all into shape, put the meat aside. Take three fresh eggs; you must have them fresh, Bile’em hard and mash’em smooth, add to that a tablespoonful of sifted flour, three tablespoons of cream, salt aud pepper (red pepper to a terrapin is just depravity) and two wine glasses of sherry wine—wine as costs $2.50 a bottle ain't a bit too good. There never was a botega in all Portugal that wouldn't think itself honored to have iteelf mixed up witha terrapin. Now you want a quarter of a pound of the very best fresh butter and put that in a orcelain-covered pan and melt it first—musn't bs browned. When it’s come to be oily put in your terrapin, yelks of eggs, wine and all. Lot it simmer gently, gently. Biling up two or three times does the business. What you are after is to make it blend. There ain’t nothing that must be too pointed in a terrapin stew. It wants to be a quiet thing, a suave thing, just pervaded with a most beautiful and natural terrapin aroma. You must serve it to the people that eats it on a hot plate, but the real thing is to have it in a chafing dish, and though a man ought not to be selfish there is a kind of divine satisfaction in eating it all yourself. But there won't bo another Joems Prosser. His secret died with him.” That is very interesting talk and most of it is allright. It is true that down at Cape May they give you a terrapin in summer time and swear that it can’t be excelled, but cold weather is the only period of the year in which the turtle is fit for eating. The suggestion, however, that the Long Island terrapin is the most excellent of all is simply ridiculous and does not permit of argument. Prosser’s use of fresh eggs and flour is sacrilegious, Terrapin needs no such outside aid. MRS, RUBICAM’S RECIPE, Mrs. Rubicam has furnished the world with what I have heard described as a famous recipe. It is as follows: “Put the terrapin alive in a pot of boiling d let it remain in it until quite dead. Then divest them of their outer skin and toe- nails, and, after washing them in warm water, boil them again until they are quite tender, adding to the water a handful of salt. When they are perfectly tender take off the shells and clean the terrapin, being very careful in re- moving the sand bag and gall not to break them, Then cut the meat and entrails into small pieces and put them into a saucepan, cutting up, but no water. Season to the taste with salt, cayenne and black pepper, adding a quarter of a pound of the best butter for each terrapin and a handful of flour for thickening. 1] find themselves gathered object of your experiment, and in thie way only, will you realize the highest aspiration of the educated gourmet, and in this way only will your palate be able to give testimony that it has eaten terrapin prepared in a way in- finitely in advance of any known method. And all this concerns a reptile of which it is “ritten in the Bible: ~There also shall be un- clean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise, after his kind.” Joun CHAMBERLIN. — eee THE SIX O'CLOCK TEA. An Entertainment Which Promises to Be Popular W Ladies. THE DECLINE OF AFTERNOON RECErTIONS—EX- CLUSIVENESS OF THE QUIET SIX o'CLOCK TEA— SUGGESTIONS ABOUT ARRANGEMENTS — SOME PRACTICAL RINTS—RECIPE FOR TURBOT. says Annie Curd in a cleverly written article on that subject, “none has exceeded in popu- larity the ladies’ sig o'clock tea.” In many towns and cities the afternoon re- | ceptions which raged so furiously last winter and for years past are growing into dis- favor and are now spoken of “cold yormal affairs which should be given only when duty or circumstances make it necessary—ab- solutely necessary.” It is argued that ladies atiend afternoon recepticns dressed in hand- | some costuuies and keep ou their best bonnets and are expected to appear as if they were en- | joying themselves immensely and pretend to | regret ev ’ capnot remain at | that particular place the balance of the afters noon and forego the many others on the list. TRE PORSIBLE EXCLUSIVENESS, or more properly speaking, the partial exclae siveness of @ “tea,” where it is not necessary to include everybody, is greatly in its favor with many, especially those to whom society duties are a necessity, if not a burden heartily despised. Iu Washington the ladies of official honse- holds are compelled, to a greater or less de- gree, to follow the tide m favor of afternoon receptions, the tide being governed largely b: a flotilla of official constituency and a well- known class of floating society seekers, Others must of necessity follow in the wake of these recognized social leaders for other reasons ag well as to mect similar demands from the great social public to see and be seen in what is called the “round of gaities.” THE QUIET SIX 0'CLOCK TEA will, therefore, be a harbinger of rest, devoutly wished for by those whose tastes turn toward the cordial, whole-hearted entertainments which bring companionable friends and ac- uaintances together for pleasure’s sake and ‘aw the curtain for a time between the real homestead and the abiding place. These are very informal affairs, no gentle- men being present. The hostess sends out her cards a week before the entertainment. If th tea is given in honor of a guest the card that lady is also inciosed. If the invited gu are married ladies it is customary to some of her young lady friends to hel serve the tea, When the lady has daughters their intimate friends, young indice near their Own ages, are invited to help her serve. THE GUESTS SHOULD ARRIVE PROMPTLY AT SIX, for it is an unpardonable offense to keep tes waiting—so that by 6:30, everything being ia readiness, the tables can be brought in and lunch cloths spread on them, ‘The guests may seat themselves as their inclinations prompy, | which is generally done in groups just as they hatting together vite when the tables appear. SUGGESTIONS ABOUT ARRANGEMENTS, Say in the pantry or some other room cone veniently located there should be two tables, one for plates and napkins, tumblers and trays of silver spoons and forks; on the the other the viands of the repast, Finger bowls on plates may be set conveniently on the sideboard filled with shghtly warm water. They may be placed with much effect upon lace drawn-work doylies, with a geranium loaf reposing on the surfacd of the water in each bowl, By the time the young lady waitresses carry into the room or rooms, as the case may be, the plates, napkins and he servant cum pour the coffee, each cup being filled about two-thirds full. These snould be carried ou trays to the gucsts—then may follow the creau and sugar, the bread and butter (the bread should be spread before hand), the scalloped oysters, croquettes, chicken salad, olives (al- ways) and pickles or whatever the menu may AFTER THIS COURSE 18 FINISHED the plates may be removed and handed to sere Vants standing at the kitchen door to receive them. While this is being done the cream may be cut in the kitchen by the hostess, assisted by several of the waitresses; for, by all means, this should be done quickly, otherwise there is an awkward deiny, cwusing the cream to soften andrun. A hot towel wrapped around the mould will cause the cream to come out smoothly and squarely. The cream molded im pretty individual squares are effective. The | Squares should be piuced on desert plates and passed to the guests, Then follow with baskets of cake, lady finger, kisses, macaroons, &c, When this course has ended, little fancy dishes with HANDLES TIKD WITH GAY RIBBONS and filled with candied violets, rose leaves or bon bons may be placed on the wble. When sufficient time has elapsed for these toothsome dainties to be dispatched, the finger bowls can be brought on, aiter which the tables may be cleared, but left for cards or other games, Some do not play cards. For the entertain- ment of these the hostess provides according to her own taste and her knowledge of the taste of the guests. ‘Lhe tea ends by 9 o'clock, when carriages aud escorts arrive aud the guests dee part, SOME PRACTICAL BUGGESTIONS, When buttering the bread do it before cute ting it from the loaf. In this way the slices can be cut quite thin and the shape and firm. ness preserved. It is always in order to be helped to the second cup of coffee or tea—it is a compliment, In refilling the cups carry the coffee or tea around to the table and be careful to hold a napkin under the spout of the coffee pot or pitcher. Less tea is used nowadays when there is a choice of both, yet it is safe to make a good portion of it. If as convenient provide » sugar bowl and creamer for euch table, also dish of olives and pickles. Do not fail to put a salt cellar on each tabl It is very difficult to season chicken saind suit the taste of all—tastes vary in regard to seasoning very greatly. ‘The menu of tea can be arranged an changed to suit the ideas and conveniences the hostess more easily than for any other ene tertainment. Scalloped oysters are very popular for teas, ding the juice which has been given out in | but when one loses the relish for oysters in the spring @ good substitute is a dish of turbot, RECIPE FOR TURDOT. Four pounds of fine white fish, steamed : til done; be careful to remove every After stirring for a short time add four or five | & reed an 3 tablespoonfule of rich cream and half «pint of | bone. ‘Take one quart of milk, one-fourtia Teerve|of = pound of flour, a little thyme or Madeira for every four terrapin an ot ina deep dish. Our own cook has been in | sage, salt, pepper and three slices of a large the habit of putting in a very little mace, a/ onion. Cook overakettle of water until it large tablespoonful of mustard and ten dro of s. gall, and = before serving adding the yelks of four hard-boiled eggs. While the ular attention comes to a thick cream; then add one-fourth of a pound of butter and twoegge; put in a large lain baking dis, « layer of tish, then the Biling, until the dish ‘is full, putting the eparation is stewing Erase be paid to stirring it rly were And it | on top; sprinkle with cracker crumbs, must also be borne oe concerning terrapin is simply deplorab! use of — Tr} ‘hour, of an inordi- te tit aan aay. Goa ive her—of her from field of discussion and pisces her upon a plane where she is simply to ‘HIS OWN RECIPE. How do Iprepare this most famous of all dishes? As simply as possible and with very} Mabel— mushy nor too | mama.” little sauce, should be H Hi! HiT terrapin can | over plentifully with butter. of mace, of mustard, | The quantity given in the Rall juice re- | atten to twenty persons, Bake in a mode erate oven a half an hour or until a nice crisp, very charming wo- ox so haga eeronldin Foopee nied pon orance | nearly as eas: epared as scalloped oysters, Her aeene butenie istry tor tie ane ate ing of the day that the company is to be given, will serve a ceeeiteaanins Pictures in the Fire. From Puck. Mama—Well, what have you girls been do- ing all the afternoon?” “Watching pictures in the fire, Mama—“Ah!

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