Evening Star Newspaper, August 9, 1890, Page 10

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10 ATTRACTIVE HOMES. Some Practical Suggestions About China Painting. saan AN ENTHUSIAST AT WORK. ey Pretty Desigus for Decoration—A Uniqu Tea Table and Ite Contents—How Was Piscovered—Eifective Mantel Cor- ner—Corner Shelves. —_o—— Written for Tax Evenrvo Star. ING A SONG of china, s closet deep and wide— Rows and rows of dishes, setting side by side; ‘When the door is open, ‘tis goodly to be- held Dainty. shining crystal—the tea set white and «old. Grandma's blue-sprizged china on the upper shelf (Grandma used to wash it and dry each piece herself), Hoping, poor old luly, if living not to see, ‘That future generations might from the cups drink tea. Hamming these linesa friend rushed in the other day to beg me to come at once and see her latest acquisitions in china, She is an en- thusiastic painter of china, and having been sway from home had come back with a collec- tion of pretty shapes and styies, some of which her eager brush had already besprinkled with dainty decorations. As I looked at them I warned her that all I saw was sure to appear a8 “copy” in the near or remote future, but assur- ing me of her indifference to that she pointed out the different pieces, Already her fancy had planned most of the designs suited to the various pretty things, and as she had selected the choicest bits she could find in two of our largest cities she hada collection quite charm- ing to behold, even if most of it were still in @ colorless state. Some, however, had proved too irresistible to leave in that condition long, and were already left by the kiln imperishable as to coloring and most fragile as to substance. This particular painter much affects the Dresden style of decoration and from considerable practice has attained quite a proficiency in scattering the dainty little blossoms over the china. The way sho works is to have a palette on which she pre- pares alittle of all the half dozen colors she will want for the different flowers on « single piece and then she keeps that palette for the purpose exclusively, adding more paint as a D is exhausted, or if returning to work after the paint has become dry, mixing in enough turpentine to use the palette knife until the desired degree of softness is obtained. ‘Thus at anytime she can paint even for an hour to advantage, for the paints being ready on the palette saves much time at each sitting. For the tiny flowers. too, she keeps a separate brush for each color of petals and leaves. leaving them also from time to time and just softening them in turpentine when she begins work and then dipping them into oil of lavender as she works. This is a specially good way of saving time and by keeping each brush for its own color there are no bad results from inad- vertent mixing of colors through not cleaning « brush thoroughly in changing from one color to another. PRETTY EFFECTS. Some of the effects I saw were very pretty. A tiny candlestick for using sealing wax on a desk had the gay little flowers in each division of its shape, while the gold, which was plenti- fully put on edge and handle, was not solid anywhere, but in fiue lines and filigree finish quite in the Dresden style. A tra pins (or cigar ashes) was touched | gold on the edge. while in the center a grace- tul spray of leaves anda few pink blossoms was carelessly arranged, but carefully painted. A little puff box Mad a close bund of for; nots encircling it, tied with a blue bow and ends, while a wreath followed the edge of the round top. After Imiration had em- braced all these smali my friend, with a great air of triumph, led me to the corner of the sitting room, where A NEW TEA TABLE of rattan was standing with all its dainty ap- purtenances. It was really as pretty and withal convenient as any table for tea which I have ever seen. and the accompanying illustration presents its nd graceful form, which also 14 strong and ¢ tous, While | was taking in ali thi + my friend laughingly ex- plained ner good fortune in getting it. said for five years she had been driving b: certain second-hand furniture shop, w! most of the stock was displayed the sidewalk. She bad always glanced it over, thinking of the treasures one sometimes finds in Just such places until she looked 1 ically. Never. however, had she b warded for her notice until the evening before, when, asshe was driving with a party, she | caught sight of this charming little table. She could uot detain her friends, but she mentally resolved to investigate that table as soon she had eaten her breakfast next morning. This she carried out. was more plessed on in- spection than she bad been at a distance and in ten minutes she possessed this pretty little affair, and ata price that gave a zest to the purchase. WHAT IT WILL HOLD. She had all the belongings to a tea table, but as she wishes to have every bit of china on this table of her own painting she will set aside all she bud not of her own work and as fast as possible replace them with her own ideas of what is prettiest for such a service. Her ket- le is brass and the teapot will be painted in as will also the small | cream pitcher and sugar bowl. which will set on asmall tray for just two pieces, decorated tomatch. She already has a good many cups adi saucers of the low, flaring shape. which she will use, though she painted them in scat- tered flowers of a vingle color instead of like Dresden. A tiny match safe tor lighting her kettle and a little bow! for flowers will soon follow. A tea caddy is not satisfactory china, as the covers warp some in the firing and let the fragrance of the tea escape too freely. A MANTEL CORNER, The table is placed in an angle of the room close to the chimuey piece and mantel, and as this will be quite an accessory to the tea table I give an illustretion of that also. The lower of the two loug shelves and ulso the triangular ones reaching tothe floor are quite available for an overftow of cups and saucers, while their Proximity to the table adds to its prefty effect, — THE EVENING STAR: i | “WASHINGTON tii acacia D.C.. SATURDAY, AUGUST 9. 1890-SIXTEEN PAGES; "7 of different gay flowers is to be on one side of | the middie rather than inthe exact center, while single blossoms and tiny sprays will scattered over the rest of the surface, including the rim. A pretty little raised border grace- fully edges the very irregular shape. which, treated ina fine and open-work pattern with gold, sets off the coloring most effect- ively, Little baskets with two com- | partments and a curved and _ twisted handle also are very in this decoration. Abroad these little biiskets are much used on the dining table for pepper and salt, but the design in this case is to use them on the dre table for pins or jeweiry. Match safes are here also, which reminds one of “spare rooms” in old-fashioned houses—at least I recollect seeing them there when I was @ child. They have a cover and decorate prettily. as one covered with sprays of forget- me-nois testified. Another unusual little piece | is w small wall pocket of china suggesting a cornucopia, and which is painted with little pink roses scattered over it with a ribbon bow floating ends at the top. Roses, by-the- are as popular as Dresden flowers with my ‘friend, and at Christmas time last year several remembrances to friends took the form of trays for brush and comb, all painted in One had yellow roses with the green ; another red. and still another pink tied and festooned with blue ribbon—each decora- tion. of course, suiting in color the room jit was intended for. A PRETTY LITTLE TABLE. Before I left the house that day I noticed an odd looking table standing in a corner of the dining room, rather Moorish in form and of dark wood. Itisa toy affair, just big enoug! toholda basket of grapes or bowl of oranges. A lower shelf gives the same space Lelow, and as it is quite unique I asked about it, My friend has an eye sokeen for pretty things that seldom anything in that line escapes her; so in looking over the non- descript stock of a variety store one day she caught sight of this among carpeting-seated ‘rockers’ and elab- orate easels and at once secured it as a rara avis as regards small tables, It is a piece of furniture that could be easily copied by a carpenter and enameled—or aspinaled, as the current phrase is, Pos- vly in’ a light finish itmight become prettier than in the dark hard wood of this one, though this suits the corner where it stands, with terra cotta paper as a back ground and a brass sconce hanging above. I added this to the other two pieces I had asked permission to ase for illustrations, hoping it may serve for suggestion for similar corner effects, which of all ‘hing cem to be the more of a furore at present, CORNER SHELVES. Ifadining room isasmall one, and floor space valuable, corner shelves are excellent for holding and displaying pretty pieces of porco- lain. Instead of three-cornered shelves filting into the corner Ihave seen another effect which is good and may be preferred. A long board is put perpendicularly as close to the corner as its width will permit of, that being a matter of taste. ‘The one I saw was ebonized, but with the present reaction one now would as likely be ivory white. On this flat back- ground and support brackets were put of dif- ferent sizes to suit the pieces intended for them. ‘This was a novelty and at the time very good. Possibly, too, it might be made avail- able for more than thirty articles, too, without making the corner look so heavy as several corner shelves would. Certain it is that al- most every room 1s susceptible of arrangement and adornment that may be unique and artistic if its particularities are studied somewhat. Of course all individual looking rooms have had careful treatment of this kind. WHERE THE LOSERS WIN. Tennis Players Who Did Not Care Much How the Games Went. From the New York Tribune. Scene, a tennis party. Several games are go- ing onand at one court two young men and two young women are ‘‘tossing” to see who shall be partners, “Now,” says Miss Vantage, holding her racquet so that the others may see her beauti- fully fashioned wrist, “one, two, three,” and four racquets fall to the earth. Miss Vantage looks pleased and smiles a little condescendingly. She isa better player than Miss Northcourt and, of course, desires to have astrong partner, She gets Mr. Swiftservic who always beats good-natured Jack Playfair nine sets out of ten. Already she wearsa triumphant look. Miss Northcourt smiles che lly at Playfair and he does not secm at all sorry that he has the jolliest little partner in the e field, although there is nothing except hor honest eves and crimson cheeks, and although her figure is “dumpy,” say what her friends will, . says Mies Vantage, and she sends a} Il into Miss Northeourt’s court. Miss | Northcourt tries to return it, misses it and | laughs. “T'm glad you got that one,” says her part- “4 couldn't bave come within a mile of | Then they both laugh merrily | Playfair is more lucky with his, He gets it| back slowly to Swiftservice, who, rising grai y on his toes, smashes it in the net. He looks vexed. She | ae losing ou her service. Miss Northcourt is saying something to her | partner when the next ball comes over. She doesn’t see it until the last min gives a little | shriek, rushes blindly for it and seuds it back, | It drops at the fee iftservice, who saw that she could never reach the ball, and was caught ping. Miss Northcourt claps her hands in delight. “Played!” cries ber partner heartily, ap- plauding her warmly. Swifiservice’s face be- comes more scarle “Fifteen-thirty,” says Miss Vantage dryly aa she prepares to serve again, She sends a keen glance at her partner, but his eyes are turned the other way, Ph ir makes a miserable fiasco on the next ball, but it doesn’t worry him a bit, for his partner's eyes are merry and careless, “Well, ys the haudscme fellow after his little partner Las gained the next poiut, “if I had ouly done some playing we should’ have his game by this ime.” wore is now thirty-torty and Mixs Vantage presses her pretty lips closcly together as she sends a ball streaking over the net. Miss Van- tage gives a sigh of relief, “Dear, dear,” cries Miss Northcourt, help- lessly, as she fails even to touch it. Playfair | compliments Miss Vantage on her fine service, thereby gaining a gr. glance trom his little partner, Swiftservice is not so pleased. Miss Vantage takes the next two points and | the game by her very clever service aud with the excellent assistance of her partner. ‘There is a little bright spot on each of her rather pale cheeks. Still something seems to be lacking from the glory of the game, for while Swift. service sends the balls over the fair gathers them up for Miss service, the two latter are chatti wh handsome about her fac € on. Nowand then Playfair and his partner make a point. Ouce ina while they win a game, but Swiftservice really plays admirably and the result 1s never for a moment in doubt. The cheerfulness and good Above the table, hung low under other pic- tures, is Percy Moran's “Five O'clock Tea,” in an old ivory frame. and the drawing of « tea screen in last week's Star has fired the soul of this young woman with ambition to possess a similar one. The dull blue wall paper is a good background for the light tones of the table, and as tea making is an every afternoon affair here much pleasure is anticipated these improved conditions for it. Among other things belonging to the covec- tion of china for decoration are some very odd- shaped small plates intended for bonbons, which will decorate delightfully. A bouquet humor of the losers, however, are ex- asperating. : “Just see Jennie Boardman,” says Miss Vantage, nodding her graceful head toward the adjoining court. “she gets so red wh she yetennis, Ishould think she wou not pia: Miss Vantage has been look:n the brightness of Miss Northcourt’s cheeks. “Oh,” says the smiling Miss Northcourt, ua- conscious of the thrust, “but she plays beauti- tully, well—-almost as well as you.” Playfuir looks at his partner. “Honest red chechs are very attractive,” be says to himselt. ame and set,” cries Miss Vantage. ‘“Lhat's “Ts it all cries Miss Northcourt. ” answers her big partner. didn’t win even one set.” “Lost ‘em both,” he replies, grinning com- placent! “Dei jear, it was all my fault.” ade nearly every point. “Did I, really? That Phot The set breaks up with some little compli- ments sent flying around. Miss Vantage and her partner start off, one of them rather slowly. ‘ennis is something of a bore in such warm she says, aud then bites her lips whea hat s! as said, Playfair and Miss Northcourt have founda couple of camp chairs in the shade of a big tree. Miss Vantage sees them seat themselves just when it is too late for her aud her partner to turn back to join them. Playfair is “a good catch,” and her voice is cold when she responds M ‘tservice’s compliment on her fine Under the tree Jack Playfair is declaring that he never played « more Keg rhage game. “It was fine,” answers his little partner frankly, fanning herself with her striped cap and sending a gentle current of air across her crimson cheek. | the adja | Bolivia, The latter, in # comparatively tree- RICH SILVER MINES. Bolivian Riches and the Primitive Methods of Securing Them. AN AMERICAN ENTERPRISE. How Mining is Carried On in a South American Republic—FabulousWealth im the Mountains—How the Indians are Worked, ——-__ From Tux Stan's Traveling Commissioner. Boxrvia, 8. A., July 10. ROM time immemorial the gold and sil- ver mines of Peru and Bolivia, both those modern republics having been in- cluded in one fovince under the old Spanish regime, have been celebrated in history and tradition as among the richest in the world. During the last two centuries and a half upwards of €500,000,000 worth have been taken from Pern alone; while official data prove that the single mountain of Potosi in Bolivia has yielded in the years between its discovery in 1545 up to the beginning of 1864 the inconceivable sum of $2,904,690,000 worth of money. The ores of Potosi, the Puno district, Cerro del Pasco and other noted mine: rich that @ yield of $200 worth per ton uncommon, even with the primitive methods now employed. Remembering that miners of the United States find it profitable to work mineral worth $10 per ton, one may form some idea what these Andean treasure houses might be made to disclose at the hands of wide-awake and experienced workmen, aided by modern machinery. Nowadays the gold and silver fields of these countries are producing comparatively littie, owing to the poverty and ignorance of the peo- ple, their poor methods and worse manage- ment. For many years numbera of the mines most famous in history have had nothing done to them beyond the reduction by modern pro- cesses of the refuse of the ancient miners. AN ERUPTION OF SILVER. Perhaps the richest region on this hem- isphere, if not on the globe, is that of Potosi itself, signifying “‘an eruption of silver.” And the mountain is well named, for it is broken outall over with precious metal, like a well- defined case of smallpox. More than 5,000 tun- nels and openings have been made in it, every one of which has produced gold, copper, iron, lead, tin, quicksilver, zinc, antimony or some other mineral, but silver in greatest abundance, Gold has been found in many places, but has never been extensively mined, being much harder to get at by the process in vogue, while silver is 60 plentiful that the people can afford to dispense with the more precious but troublesome metal. To this day big nuggets of pure gold are occasionally picked up by some wandering prospector and these bring a higher price when sold as curios than the value of the bullion. Years ago Po- tosi received its greatest boom by means of a stroke of lightning, which detached a mass of solid gold from some unknown cliff away up the mountain side and dropped it at the feet of some miners in the vale boiow. For a long time this mysterious nugget was the wonder of the world, ‘Then it was cold at a fabulous price to the royal museum at Madrid, where it may still be seen, A RENAISSANCE. Early in the seventeenth century the city of Potosi boasted more than 100,000 inhabitanta, but today it has scarcely 25,01 Of late years its mines have been comparatively neglected, so that the output of them all docs not exceed $2,500,000 a year. If the spirit of revolution ever remains “laid” long enough for capitalists tofeel secure in investing their money here and if roads are constructed so that the pro- ducts of interior Bolivia may find au easy out- let to the sea and proper machinery for work- ing the mines find ingress by the stme means, a renaissance may occur which will remind the world of the El Dorado of olden times. Bolivia is also very rich in copper, tin, iron and lead. The most valuable tin mines in the world next to those of Borneo are said to be those of Oruro, about midway between La Paz. the present capital. aud Sucre, ‘the capital proper. n the mountains of Corocoro, near the north- eastern edge of Lake ‘liticaca, copper is as abundant as silver at Potosi, so much ao that the chief freight business of the lake stea from the railway from Puno to the Paci: transporting it for shipment to E Since the memory of the oldest inhabi- tants the little river on the outskirts of La Paz has been worked off and on for its gold washings in a desultory and unskilled fashion, when the people who happened to own that section of it got away down at the heel and feit degraded to the necessity of raising a lit- tle money by the sweat of their brows and al- ways with good results. Recently a foreign mining expert, having examined the place, offered the present owner a rental of $40,000 per annum fora term of 8 for exclusive right to the washings # short distance down the stream, but the proposition was refused, At present the most prosperous mining en- terprise in Bolivia is a purely American one, carried on exclusively by United States moncy and machinery and owned by Mr. W. H. Christy, ® young millionaire of Boston, Mass. His prmcipal mines of silver-lead ore lie at the base of Sorato, the great mountain near the southeastern shore of Lake Tits » which is one of the grandest snow-clad giunts of the Andean system, He has aiso some extensive smelting works and has been granted by the government a monopoly of the snieltiug busi- ness in Bolivia for & period of fifteen yeara, He is about to import a diamond drill from Chicago and the president has lately given him the exclusive right to use such a machine in this so-called republic for the next ten years, All this business, of which Mr. Christy is the sole owner, goes uuder the general nana of mpresa Titicaca” and includes not ouly one of the most extensive silver-lead mines known to man, and the drill and smelting works above mentioned, but several smaller silver mines in t regions and the only coal mine in less country where the only tuel from earliest tines has been lama dung and # species of fungus, a mine of good bituminous coal, is worth about as much as so many lumps of gold, ‘The way it came to be found was as follows: The Indians of these high altitudes use lamas exclusively for beasts of burden and the geu- eral cure-all among them for any injury or ail- ment to which the odd little animals are heir has been petroleum for external application. It is avery expensive remedy, however, for these poor Ind ins, the most inferior kerosene osting not less than $1.50 per gallon in La Paz and gooduess knows how much more in re- moter districts, An Indian comiug through the untraveled portion of the Sorato region one day came upon a pool of greasy smelled so hike petroicum + P an ailing Nama, with the very best results, In course of time the story spread and Indians from far and near brought their animals until the place became a regular llama sanitarium, ‘Thas it reached the ears of Mr, Christy's men. There intelligent gprospecting discovered the coal beds aforesaid, and Stumpf, who is a gene’ manager of the “Empresa Titicaca,” bas fouud an oil well, from which great things are ex- pected Lo flow in the near future. THE VEINS. At present the Sorato mines are providing a daily out-put of 500 tons of silver-lead ores, | with an average yield per ton of thirty-seven per cent lead and seventy ounces silver, so says Mr, Stumpf, whom I interviewed on the sub- j-ct. Following the generai rule of this coun- (ry, the ores increase in richness as depth is . «ined, fortunately being so situated at the same ‘ime as to be worked entirely by tum As | the works of nature are on grander scale here than elsewhere, so are the deposits of mineral | wealth greater in comparison, and the precious | veins of corresponding wealth and thickness, The two main tunneis of the “Empresa” are run parallel to one another, on a vein of solid metal 56 fect wide, gaining a descent of 2.200 feetinarun of the sume distance, cutting a hundred cross veins. some of which are 24 feet wide, This mine covers a total superficial area of 1,900,000 square meters, guaranteeing enough galena for the uninterrupted junction of the smeliers for many years tu come. The coal mine is only 24 miles from the lake and has an area of 10.240 square meters, ‘Th proximity of the property to the lake and the railroad greatly increases its value, because easy and comparatively cheap transportation is thus afforded. Very much of Bolivia’s wealth is not available on account of LACK OF TRANSPORTATION, Since Chili has seized upon her sea coast the country has now no outlet of her own by which to reach the markets of the world, At the best transportation to the Atlantic is over the of the Andes and across the deserts, and when arrived at the ports there are no facilities for landing or loading cargoes, ‘There is a long and difficult route to the Atlantic, across moun- tains, woods and plains to Buenos Ayres, and another through heart of Brazil, but both are dangerous and very expensive journe; The sume reasons prevent the oper machinery for working the mines, Row, as formerly, Bolivian ores are mostly extracted from the sulphurated zone, and are not suitable for amalgamation, which has been and still is the only system of treating them. The people have no knowledge or conception of operating with porifring furnaces and other m inventions. us great quantities of ores, from 80 to 200 ounces of silver per ton, entirely worthless today, can be heaait ata low price, for this kind of metal does not yield any profit if sent to Europe, freightage to the bei too costly. Now that American manus _ oo home market ed = is was formerly wasted, mining in ought to receive Na z PRIMITIVE MILLS, a new impetus, The mills of Potosi in which ores are crashed are fair samples of the primitive methods em- ployed in the richest mines here. The best of them are rude affairs, beside which the most old-fashioned home-made cider mill you might find in the United States would look like a dainty piece of cabinet work. A Bolivian aras- tra, as the crushing mill is called. has great stone wheels attached to the ends of « horizon- tal bar moved by an upright shaft propelled by an ox, a mule ora couple of bare-legged In- dians. Thus the stone wheels revolve in a sort of rude trough, into which the broken ore has been tumbled, moving slowly around, crushing perhaps half'a ton of ore ina day, while the mills of California and Nevada would crush twenty times as much in as many hours and with little more expense. From the pesianing of the work to the end the very simplest and slowest methods are em- ployed, and even by those processes the labor- ers are few and ine‘ficient, In early days the Indians were Meer serie sorely against their will, to work in the mines for the benefit of their conquerors, and were rewarded with the most cruel treatment. When the enforced labor could no longer be controlled the mines ell into comparative decay, and the Indians of today doubtless retain a memory through tra- dition of wrongs and sufferings of their ances- tors, and cannot be induced to work with any degree of energy or industry, HOW THE ORE 18 HANDLED. Powder or other blasting material is rarely used in Bolivian mines, the ore being broken out of the veins by man power. Then the tanateros, or ore carriers, put it into rawhide sacks, string it on their backs and carry it out of the depths, climbing patiently upward by perpendicular logs that have been notched to pve holding places for the hands and feet. then it is dumped on the ground, where Indians, sitting down, pound the lumps into pieces suitable for the crushing mill. where the stone wheels finally reduce it to mud by the slow process above described, Afterward it is roasted or treated with quicksilver and at last a little pure silver is obtained and run into bars for transportation. By this process & great part of the silver is lost, together with much of the quicksilver used in the work of amalgamation, When the primitive process yields a profit of say $10 a ton, the methods of the United States miner would make it yield five times as much. Me would hoist the ore by machinery instead of by man power, and would use machinery for reducing’it to powder, thus allowing none to be wasted, and getting out a much larger quantity in a given time. After the reduction he would extract the silver from the rock insuch a way that not agrain of it would be lost, and all the quicksilver used would be carefully preserved to be employed for the same purpose ovér and over again Fanyiz B. Warp. ——-~—-see PHOTOGRAPHS BY WHOLESALE. A Factory That Turns Out Stereoscopic Views by Millions. HE biggest photograph factory in the United States is situated in Wash- ington, Strangely enough lll the pictures it turns out are taken by one man, It makes nothing but stereoscopic views, but of these it produces from 8,000 to 15,000 weekly. The proprietor, * takes all the pictures, spends all his time from one year's end to the other traveling about the world in pursuit of his business, In Europe he journeys from city to city, taking photographs of everything interesting he finds, All buildings of historic interest are subjecta for his camera, likewise historical interiors, such as the bondoir once occupied by this queen of tragic memory, or the room in which that famous priuce was murdered. Scenes from real life as it is found in far away countries, glimpses of streets in London and Paris, castles on the Rhine, cemeteries, churches, typical rural bits, anything, in short, that is pretty, picturesque or otherwise profitable is available for his pur- pose. So in other countries, and from conti- nent to continent the photographer gathers on negatives of celluloid film imperishable im- pressions ot everything he sces worth noting. The camera he employs is a surprisingly small one, considering the work it accomplishes, with everything in it, including the lenses.arranged doubl+.so that two ictures side by are taken of each object. Nouaee te impression of solidity given to the sight of an object is due to the fact that your two eyes look at it from slightly different view points —that is, so far us its three-dimensioned effect is concerued. Therefore, the stereoscope, by giving two photographs of the suine object, one for exch eye, as that eye would sce the ob- ject itself, makes the picture stand right out vividly, instead of looking flat. The word stereoscope comes from two Greek words, one meaning “solid” and the other “to see.” In the camera used Ly the photographer, which is equipped with an instantaicous drop shutter. isaroll of sensitive celluloid film that holds enough for fifty such doubled pictures, When the roll is full itis readily taken out and a fresh roll substituted for it, The rolls take up very little room, ¥o that it is readily possible to coliect many thousands of negatives without renewing one’s equipment of supplies, The rolls of celiuloid negatives gathered in this way are sent to the photograph factory in Washington, where they are “developed” and prints are made from them for sale. After the sun-prints have been made from the negatives, in glass frames like any other photographs, they are taken down stairs and washed in tanks of | clean water, Next they pass toa table where they are cut apart—they have previously been separated into pairs—and mounted on the long stereoscopic cards by two young girls, who one of whom pastes the backs, while the other sticks them on, Next the cards with the photographs on them are rubbed after drying with dry castile soap | ona towel, after which they are put through | between heated rollers like a small mangle to | burnish the pictures and make them smooth | and bright, Last of ull, they are sorted in | piles and the titles are printed on them with au ordinary hand printing press. Some of the photographs are subsequently colored with the brush, ‘These ecoxt twice as much ay the ordi- nary sort, of which the wholesule price is $9 a gross and the retail price £18. Naturally, some of the photographs sell very much better than others. The best “‘seller,” as the business phrase is, ever turned out by this factory is simply a picture of the dining room at the White House, with tables set ready for 2 young ladies’ lunch. given by Mrs. Hayes during her husband's adminixtration, Of this picture between ten and twelve miilions have | Peer eold aed ttae selling yet actively, aithough | it has nothing in it but tables, chairs and etcet- | eras, not one of the guests nor even a waiter being visible. The next best seller is the east room at the White House, with not a soul in it. Next to that such favorites as London Bridge, Ludgate Hill, St. Mary's Church, Ireland, the iiant Causeway, the market place in Cologne and the interior of Westminster Abbey. Counce stercoscopic views are great favorites, repre- senting such scenes as a husband with a bottle | of whisky in the bed room being lectured by his spouse, a Dutch courtship, a pillow fight, | powder, and so forth, ALT || Ce From Life, Voice from 57: ‘Ob, Clara, how in the world am I going to put on my stockings?” Voice from 58: “Why, what's the matter?” Voice from 57: “The floor is so wet I can’t sit down.” SOME WASHINGTON BUGS. A New Carpet Pest Makes Its First Ap- pearance Here. THEE MYSTERY OF INSECT POWDER AND HOW IT WAS SOLVED—CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT COCE- ROACHES—THE FLEA MOST INTERESTING FROM A NATURAL HISTORY STANDPOINT. ASHINGTON upholsterers have ap- pealed to the Department of Agricult- ‘are regarding a new bug that is making trouble by reason of its appetite for carpets and rugs. It has first appeared asa carpet pest in Washington, but the gov- ernment entomologists tolda Star reporter that it will doubtless spread all over the coun- try. They have dubbed it the “carpet beetle.” Before saying anything more about this in- teresting creature, however, it will be as well to refer parenthetically to a business to which the Department of Agriculture has given some encouragement in California. For some centuries past a mysterious farm- ing industry has been carried on in Persia and Dalmatia, which has supplied the world with powder for the destruction of insects, For hundreds of years the nature of this powder remained unknown, the secret being handed down from father to son. All that any one understood was that the stuff produced was of avegetable nature, and that it was simply deadly to insects of every kind. But. where commercial enterprises are con- cerned, secrets are apt to come out Monks brought stlkworms, prohibited of export, from China into Europe inclosed in walking staffs; some day the ingredients of “India ink” will be divulged, In 1828 an Armenian merchant named Jumtikoff succeeded in getting hold of the insect powder secret and began manufact- uring the product in Trans-Caucasia. But, not lacking appreciation of the value of his knowl- edge, he made no communication on the sub- ject; and travelers and consuls tried in vain for Years after to obtain the precious information. SEEDS OF THE PLANT were repeatedly brought and planted in Eu- ropean soil; but they would not grow, for the simple reason—as was subsequently discov- ered—that they had all been carefully baked by the ingenious Persians and Dalmatians be- fore exporting them. Naturally this interfered with resulte; but finally a United States consul did secure a few unbaked seeds of the plant in 1880, and during the next year the Department of Agriculture circulated them widely. Strangely enough, however, only one farm es- tablished for the preservation of the plant ex- ista at present in this country. It is located near Stockton, Cal., is 309 acres in area and produces a very large partof the insect powder at present used in the United States. Tho insect powder plant is so much Iike the common field daisy that you would hardly know the difference. In Persia it haa red petals, but in Dalmatia white petals; the Dal- matian variety is the sort cultivated in Califor- nia, It is planted in the spring and the plants are transplanted into rows before the winter rains begin. From the second year on they bear profitably, It is ignorantly supposed that the powder employed is merely the pollen, but the fact is that it is obtained’ by grinding up the entire flower, petals and all. Men_ collect the flowera by cutting them off from the plants in bunches with stems, uaing a sharp knife for the purpose. The picker takes the flowers to a sort of iron comb with teeth just big enough to accommo- date the stems, He introduces the blossoms to the comb, gives a jerk and the flower parts roll off into a basket, while the stems are thrown aside, Thus gathered the flower heads are sent in sacks to a mill at Stockton. where they are ground by mill stones and passed through fine sieves, so that only the finest powder falls through, to be put upin cans for market. When the factory ip California was first started, in 1876, the price of its product was @16a pound, Now it is sold at retail FOR FORTY CENTS A POUND. Scientific men think it very curious that hu- man beings should not be affected by powder so destructive to insect life. Undoubtedly the “pyrethrum,” as the plant is called, contains volatile oil,the fumes from which when it evaporates kill the insects by asphyxia, It is most deadly to bees, ants, wasps and other high grade insects, but bugs of all kinds succumb to its effects, the “carpet beetle” among the rest. This carpet beetle, which has chosen Wash- ington as the first place to make its appear- ance in as a domestic destroyer, is destined soon to spread through all American cities; at events, the division of entomology in the artment of Agriculture so declares, It hides in cracks aud eats canals through the carpets, much as does the buffalo. bug, which it resembles somewhat. Curiously enough, by the way, the buffalo bug does ‘not live in this city at all; it only thrives north of the Baltimore latitude and has not thus far got further west than Chicage, though it already swarms in all the towns between New York and the metropolis by the lake. It was introduced to this couatry from Enrope, of which it isa native, in 1374, being brought over to Boston in a batch of carpets consigned toa firm in that city. Ohio has only known it during the last two or turee years; doubtless it will reach the Pacific “coast before long. It is an interesting fact that the new carpet beetle is not a novelty as a pest: ithas been known for # long time past, but ouly asa “museum destroyer,” addicted to at- tacking edibics to be found in collections, such as dried spiders, stuffed birds and skeletons out of which the grease has not been thoroughly dried. This bug has seriously damaged the million dollar royal cloak of feathers brought hither from the Sandwich Islands aud now on exhibition in the National Museum, THE DOMESTIC COCKROACH. It is a melancholy thing to record the fact that bugs imported from abroad almost inva- riably drive out the native American insect of like species by the operation of the law which determines the survival of the fittest, This has been the case with the domestic cockroach, ‘The common black cockroach in this country today ia an immigrant from the shores of the Mediterranean, very bold and fierce, and is much given to travel, so that it is often called the ‘ship cockroach.” It has made its way all over the world, and within the last few years has almost driven the brown American cockroach, once so numerous, out of existence. The fate of the brown cock- roach closely resembles that of the black rat, which has been wiped off the surface of this continent by the bigger brown “ship rat” from | j Persia, The brown cockroach grows to be about as big us the black cockroach—an inch in length, that is—but ‘the Euro- pean cockroach has been familiar with the conditions of civilization for many more cen- turies and is thus better able to adapt himself to circumstances as he finds them here; hence his survival. according to Prot. Riley's theory. ‘The most successful cockr this country today is the so-called bag,” which came from Germany and first excited attention atthe time when ‘the laying of the Croton water pipes gave opportunities for the distri- bution of the species, Notwithstanding popular prejudice to the contrary, the cockroach is an insect of very cleanly habits; it takes the greatest care of its person and is constantly cugaged in washing itself a cat does, drawing its antenne through its jaws to moisten them, Not all cockroaches live in dark and dirty place there is a kind native to the West Indies th: lives in the tops of tress and shr roach ground up is included in pharmacopeia as a vermifuge. Persian msect y the way, has been discov- ered recently to be an infallible remedy for tape worm, taken in ten suc hourly doses of a teaspoonful each; it is altogether harmless, ‘The cockroach is declared to be the oldest of air-breathing animals; fossils of the insect found in the coal beds are so vastly numerous that the carboniferous epoch is sometiues re- ferred to as the age of cockroaches, Many va- rietics of giant cockroaches are found in the i ie that grow to ve tour inches in length Bl fly like birds, A DEGRADED WINGLESS FLY, The flea is a very interesting sort of bug to any one that knows how to appreciate him. He is actually a degraded wingless fly—a case of evolution backward—and he jumps so remarka- bly for the simpic reason that leaping is his means of seif-preservation, and the fleas that jumped the best have survived, the power eing thus developed progressively through countless generations, A man who could jump as well asa flea, in proportion to his size, would think nothing of leaping from the White House to the Capitol at one skip. If you will examine a flea’s hind leg under the microscope and observe the tremendous muscles packed away in it you will understand why the creature can jump so, There are ever so many kinds of fleas—all quite distinet—the dog flea, the cat flea, the baman flea, the chicken flea, the squirrel flea and countless others. In the tropics dwells a | Seeding lewigee hate ogee ones, here isa flea called the CAMPING IN THE MOUNTAINS. Word Pictures Painted by a Washing- tonian on a Tramp. INCIDENTS OF A RECONNOISSANCE—THE xD EFFECTS OF A STORM AMONG THE KILLS—WASH- INGTON PEOPLE HELD RESPONSIBIE FOR LEGISLATION—A PLACE THAT INVITES ANGLERS. Correspondence of Tak EvENtNe Stan. Is tae Casntowx Movytarxs, August 3. TINERARY.—Left the camp at 7 a.m. yesterday ona reconnoissance along the [Chambersburg pike to the westward, Left pike at Newman's, four miles from camp, following a mountain road that seemed to lead southward on the divide sep- arating the Cumberland valley from tho valley known as Carroll Upper Track. Met a dog, which!assumed a menac ing attitude, but he retired before it became necossary to unlimber the umbrella. Encountered a brood sow in & lane. She formed line of battle, her constita- ents massed in close colamn within supporting distance, Halted myself and held council of war. Never having tried the umbrella on this j sort ofan enemy, felt somewhat uncertain as to the resulis. Moreover, had no instractions to bring on an engagement, Dec a flank movement, whi. complished, the umbre and covering the passa changed position by a left, half whe: not pursue. Met a big girl, b d and j bare-footed, but here also declined an engace ment, having noticed signs of stalwart brothers | in a blackberry patch not far away, Saw a Sroup of children, who hastily sought refuge | in flight. Noticed that I was closeiy watched by the citizens, who evidently regarded me as ® horse thief. Got back to camp at 12 m, paving hoofed it for twelve miles. No casual. ies, sing up the rear of the fe: Sow but did | NATURE'S DISSOLVING VIEWs. As if purposely to add to the pleasures of my outing Dame Nature has exerted herself in a variety of elemental displays, I have wit- | nessed sunshine and moonshine, fair weather and foul (but right here, for the benefit of the unsophisticated city reader, I will have to ex- plain that while foul weather is never fair weather. yet it is notalways foul weather, either, Since the crops need rain, I don’t think I have this riddle in very good shape, but you know what I mean). One evenigg the electric bat- teries of the globe seemed to have oj i to- gether, but there was little thunder 2 only | thing needed to make up the dramatic effects, | ‘The whole business reminaed me of the noise- less powder fad which seems to have taken pos session of the military minds of the nations at | the present day— would lose th zer part | of its charm were we to with its | glorious noises, the “diapason of battle,” as it is happily expressed by writers who have never Witnessed a fight. enwe hada few days of Showers, and the thirsty earth drank in the | ambrosial fluid and the of moun- tain and meadow promptly responded to the magie touch of the pearly rain drop in the pening green of leaf and blade, The artist would, i think, tind a chance for the display of his genius in the study of a} shower in this region. To work out a perfect | representation of gray mist blending ne tints of the mounta d tux his artistic | ability to the utmost, are weird shapes | which constantly cha: to the touch of un- seen influences, as though the powers of the air were building castles of mist in one mo- ment only to tear them down and rebuild them in another. Pendent from the lowering clouds are inverted cones whose apisces seem to pierce the foliage of the trees, and here and there are strata of vapor which have appar- ently attained equilibrium betwixt the upper and lower atmospheres, Nowand then a glint of sunlight flashes through the rifted clouds, illuminating the whole with a happy light, as if it were the Master's smi TAKING TO THE Woops. After my experience here I think I may speak advisedly on the subject of outings to those whose health is affected by close confinement to business. So far I am confirmed in the feeling thet my method is as nearly perfect as one can expect to obtain. First. then, “take to thi woods,” both literally and figuratively. Isolote | yourself from the great world by fasting for news; keep no accouat of time, but entrast that to some one else; let no day pass without walk- ing at least five miles, and be sure to carry your umbrella to protect you from too strong sun- light, a possible shower and cross dogs (in th latter case it will form a perfect shield af pre- sented to the animal hoisted); do not be in a hurry to get anywhere. but rest as frequently as you may feel the need; mingle freeiy wit the people with whom you come in contact, and cultivate good fellowship with them; study the animal, and the insect, and the vegetable worlds; in’ short, be on terms with everrbody and ev and yourseif. Do not concern yoursel ar appetite-—that will take care of itself, physician and se prescription, HOLDING WASHINGTON PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE. In my travels in the mountains I discovered a surprising fact—that the rosidents of the District ot Columbia are held responsible for the national government. I wish, therefore, to impress upon their minds the necessity of assisting and directing Congress and the ad- ministration. I met, for mstauce, an old com- rade who, when by skillful questioning he had ascertained that I lived at the capital, said to me “What are you fellows at Washington going to do for us old soldiers?” Fortunately I was able to say that we had done something in the passage of act of June 27, and as I looked at that bronzed face, gray hair and beard, toil-worn hands and stiff: end limbs I felt this measure of relief came none to soon. But respousibility is not always desirable, particulariy when there are no ei tached, aud so one does not alwa Submit this to your family if he does not approve th is unpo give you a “pomter. on the “majorit: Pat the re- sponsibilit what indefinite word hus helped me out of some very uncomfortable dilemmas, A WAR sTORT, The country is full of war reminiscences, and it is instructive and amusing to hear the old citizens recount them, A war story is one of those things that does not suffer abrasion from the touch of Father dime, even among veterans. jays in July, 1863, lett bie memory Oniy | ears the other day, and I record it because of ‘the mo- mentous results that might have depended on it had the soldiers on both sides only been aware of it. It appears that when our forces | met on the Marshall farm in the conflict there a woman was up in a where she had climbed in quest of fruit, she viewed the battle from this px vantage. Any old rebel or Yankee sol agree with me that they would b: bashful and too polite to have tou that tree had they known what was at One thing about these mountain understand—there are, so far as I c: jer will n too t under | e them, | cannot n, no | signs of ancient human occupation, The hills | o: western P. ivania are full of relics of | Indians and the curious race of people known as “mound builders,” and on th an added interest, Why this m should have been avoided, sin been rich in game, is a mystery, it was a natural boundary betwixt different races and thus became a neutral zone to each of the bordering tribes, FISHES AND ANGLERS. I think my friend Petrie, the veteran Scotch | angler of the Government Printing Office, would much enjoy a trip to this county if what | Ther is true. it is alleged that bass and perch and trout are very plentiful in Marsh | creek and contiguous streams and that a skill- | ful fisherman receives a perfect ovation from | the finny tribes. ‘The laws of the state, as I am informed, permit oniy the use of the rod and | line—-an idea that should at once be adopted by Maryland, Virginia and the District of Co- lumbia if the Potomac !s ever to be restocked with food fishea, It appearsto me that if a systematic course were pursued that noble river would soon teem with the choicest of water game, and the first step that I would suggest would be the abandonment of all net fishing for at least ten years and then restrict- ing it to every third or iifth year thereafter, as circumstances should appoar to warrant, AMID PASTORAL SCENES. The event of the season occurred yesterday, A “harvest home” and a picnic occupied the people, some im vehicles of various patterns, Others on horseback and many afoot, swarmed along the pike and mountain roads and paths, all converging upon a common center of at- t selected wus a fitly chosen ntains and settlements, in @ grove of fine timber, and there were splendid of the sweetest water close at thirst of man and beast, Be- picnic I took a walk of mine torches and the gay asembiage com stantly changed form under the glare and the xbadowar There were two dancing floors, perbaps 100 yards or more apari, where the “chase the glowing hours th flying feet,” et © elder Grouped themselves on rude bench Duilt Sgainst trees and looked indulging in reminiscences of such gatherings im by-cone years when their days of toil were interrupted by intervais of pleasure. It wasareal joy to watch their bronze faces hight up when old cronies met, and with “honest hands, e browned and hard with toil through all th year,” clasped in solid fashion, greeted cach other with hearty good will. There were plenty of rofreshments of a mild sort, observed that the mountain maid was the equal of her city sister when ice cream abounded. (Lhankered after this latte cacy, but hint asl may Brown Polly parently blind or deaf, or b: and I got none.) Everyl: seemed hay from the babe a fortnight old to the cen- tenarian, BY SWEET PHYLtis’ ape, Tam not making an odious comparison ip what follows. The townsfolk may bave the finest music, the most gorgeous costumes, @ hall of the grandest architectural beauty and the smallest and daintiest fect, but 1 donb if ons of nre are equal to those which thrill the manly breast of the country swain whe ifing along the pike in com- 2 estest” xirl, he hears the notes of the n floating on the cool mountain breeze revels in anticipation of th ous time about to come, He does haps. in hei y style, but grins, an scriba of him th girl—well, Id un when he b 1 the heart « like a hydraulic ram. And not know how to describe ovr or THE wo! It is now four weeks sin Paper and I have heard outside world. e Tread a news not a word from the Two ramors have drifted inte my ears—something about prosp, with England over the the other th troved the graph This is ab d me. and I do not know if either is trae, fishe wap man will on reflection ximately understand what my sensations and «peculations ai It seems ai age since I retired fro: the taces of old friends my memo: ‘om a remote vsclf a sort of theoso- or who thinks he has, passed through a number of reimcarnations and seems to recail fragments of his life ther This is (or was, when I ww § mankind), au age when events crowd ra perhaps th K ‘ pidly on & map of Euro: of France, may have by talk of som is latter project rears ago. Ita in this way under n that perhaps umy era will be found in fall o} days of my duties of life their sore trials hand and the « soon be resumed. wi aud disappointments, However, future may have in store for m recall, with the sin mast , Tehall ever t of pleasure, my de- atful sojourn in this magnificent country, bi, among this he ta! giving rambios in the C opie, and my health: shtown mountains. From the Electrical I As we sweep, in the swiftly flying car of industrial progress, past so many marvelous achievements in the ficld of electricity, and realize how prolific has been its contributions to the comfort of society, we are forced to ask the question: “‘Has uot the ground in this art been fully worked and its fertility been taxed te its utmost limity” But if we examine carefully the passing scene we need not ponder long feel convinced that the end is not yet, enius carries its grist to be ground—the Patent Ofice— en to the public once a week; new Sure constantly arriving and the old ly on its pages. Occasional principles, never dreamed of by old phiosophers, show thateven in the scientific aspect this art is in its infancy, and every find of this kind opens up anew realm of ration by being harnessed to bits of metal and 1 to perfggm useful work. It requires no prophet t& foresee that *still there's more to fot Electricity is a splen- did vineyard to labor in, and offers up plenty om for thinking workmen. The strong f the human mind to follow a beaten outa high degree of per- in methods of application already out. The dynamo, the motor, telegraph and ~ other generically been improved to ahigh degree of ment, but there are many chances for an investigator in by-pat tunbroken. The frolicsome J primary battery may some day bob up serenely with a lambent smile that will put toshame the proud pretensions of storage cells. Anefiicient gas battery would have a wide range of commercial application with nothing to be consumed but gases, & material light in weight and capable of pmipact storage, The problem of rapid transit might be neatly solved, and it is quite possible that the dynamo- electric machine will fiud a competitor for local uses, In the laboratory of na- ture one combination in the generat of atmospheric electricity and cloud charging, but no man bas yet learned the secret so as to copy the action. “May it not th old forms of apparatus hav £ be possible that the physical disintegration of water into vapor creates an intermolecular @is- turbance which rouses the mysterious agent? It would scem as if the twin sisters heat and ele tricity do not yoke well together. ys sneaks out of the back door when the other enters the front. One makes the place too wari to hold the other. Im the action of thermal batteries electricity is put to rout by the entering heat. and even in primary bat- teries the sume little personal idiosyrerasy is dominant, for heat is developed by com- bustion of the active electrode; on the other hand, when « sportive current of electricity glides like fleet-footed Mer- cury into a conductor, heat mamediately wv: cates the premises. These phenomena are sign boards on a promising by-path, and om yet, very slightly explored; thermal bu teries are full of promise, ‘The day as not far when the glory of the telephone will clipsed by visual telegraphy, A few foote its have already been made in this path, end is not in - and when it shall ave been re: of us will be sur- prised that we di ourselves. Freight usmiskion is another path full of promis me of the world’s fair Chi- sk New York fora loan of a V and d the same afternoon, With » straight overhead rail and cnough current ” miles an hour ts within the range of possi- bi The scope of electrical necomplishment widens every day. What seems like the present horizon» only an apparent limit; as we move on the margin will keep continualiy shifting like 1 nection of earth and sky, and both im seicne nd industrial art the com- ing generation will find the vista of the future as bright with promise «s that of the past te rich in gifts. soe Measuring a Man in a Bank. From the Pittsbarg Chronicle, “What's going on there This question was asked by aman who bap- pened to be in a Pittsburg bank the other day when a customer was being measured for the purpose of identification, preliminary to the issuance of a letter of credit. ly the way, it secms odd to go into e bank and ask to be measu for a letter of credit, just as one would vo to a tailor to have his di- mensions ascertained preparatory to the preparation of plans and #pecitications for th erection of new garments; but tet that pass, Bank officials do not propose to let a short, thickset- man draw cash in Europe which has deposited in America by a tall, slender ins dividual, On second thought, however, we don't sce how a “short” man could get a letter of credit anyhow; but let that pass, too. “Why,” explained a man who knew, “they are taking his measure so that he can be idents- fied, Then they will give a letter of credit fer £1,000, which be can draw on as he needs it, when he’s traveling.” = thousand dollars?” ‘Why, he’s only about five feet two inches That's about his height.” = “I believe I'll let them measure me,’ claimed the inquirer with animation; = over six feet and that would give me credit for about ouldn’t ic?” ne How He Knew. From the Chicago Tribune. “Sh!” exclaimed Tommy, listening at the door, “There's company in the lor.” “How do you Know?” inquired Villie, “‘Mamma's calling paps ‘my love. you are in Rome do as the Romans do,

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