Evening Star Newspaper, October 31, 1891, Page 9

) f -CROSSING THE ANDES. Routes of Travel Between the South American Republics. FROM CHILE TO ARGENTINE. Twe Routes Open—By Water Through the Magellan Straits or Over the Mountains— Perils in Going Through the Different Passee—Trail Suspension Bridges From The Star's Trav: vm missioner. Sanra Rosa pe Cuite, Oct. 1, 1891. NOING FEOM CHILE TO THE ARGEN- tine Republic, or to any other point on the eastern side of Sonth America, the traveler may choose between several routes. He can sail, or steam, in the wake of the aucient mari- ners, away around Cape Horn;or take the much Smyth's channel into the Straits of Magellan, ‘and so on into the Atlantic, or he may cross the mighty Andes by the oldest route of all, by trails that were well worn before a white man’s ship had ever rounded the tip of the hemis- phere. ‘The first named route is the least desirable, Decause of ceaseless storms, excessive cold and the leugth of time it requires, yet the majority of glove trotters take it in their comings and goings between these ports and Europe and even between New York and the western coast "s chanael, thoagh one "of the im the world, i# yet compara- known. Itisso narrow and tor- weer. innumerable islands, each antain, that, after many disasters, © go that way except those built and but one line of carry passengers on For those who enjoy and mule-back transit the ra is a glorious one, —or rather in the # of winter, ax northern sid ‘tunately, ‘ing more Wackless snows the equator; but, 20 es are closed thar balf the year by und terrific gales _ that Beither man nor beast can withstand. From about the 13th of November to the lat of April One may cross with comparative ease, barring the usual danger and difficulti cident to Penetrating “the land of the sky;” but to under- take it one week sooner or later than the dates Mentioned would be extremely hazardous. THE ROUTE DETERMINED. We bad hoped that the passes might be made svailabie a littie earlier than usual this year, that we micht go that way into the Argentine but word comes at the eleventh our that a recent heavy snowfall has blocked the trails worse than ever, and that for iadies to attempt it for wecks to come would be simple foolhardiness. Therefore, being long since due on the other side of the continent, we must take the next southward-guing steamer through the channel and straits, consoling ourselves with the knowledge that the g)dpses of Patagonia and Terra del Fuego t. Je obtained by the lat- ter co: will more than make up for what will be lost in being compelled to give up the Proposed route. Besides, mountain climbing above certain altitudes is about the same the world over. During our years of zig-zagging in South America we have crossed the Andes many times, in many piaces, and though we may bever traverse in the files! that famous Uspaliata between Santa Rosa and Mendoza, it requires no great stretci: of imagination to see it clearly in the “taind’s eve,” having scaled several higher Passes a little further northward in the sawe magnificent Cordillera. In order to tell you all T can about it from actual observation, we have made an especial trip to Sauta Rosa, the end of the government railway on the Chil- ean side of the Andes, where mule-back transit for the upper heights begins; and later we will come froin res, on the Alantie coast, across the boundless pampas, by the new Ar- gentine ad, to its western terminus, the eld city of Mendoza, which lies close at the foot of the monatains. FWOM SANTIAGO TO BUENOS AYRES. ‘The distance acrovs country between Santi- ago aud Buenos Ayres (the capitals of the Chile and the Argentine republics) is about 1,365 mules. For many years overland communica- was kept up between the two countries by couriers, bred to the business as an ex- elu occupation, who frequently made the entire journey in eleven days, carrying the — = upon an average 114 milesa ay. Of course this could not be accomplished on mule back, and all along the route post houses were established where horses were Kept in constant readiness, the supplies being Maintained fro countless wild droves that Toam the Argentine and Patagonian pampas. For the ordinary traveler to make the journey required many weeks, and, as before men- not be made at all except at certain times of the year. RARTOQUARE RUINS IX MENDOZA. In these days of progress all things are ehanged. one may come at ease from either direction in a parlor car to the baso of the Andes, and even some distance up their sides, aud “chang cars” for the Atlantic or Pacific by a trip in the saddle of from three to tix days’ duration. according to one's power of endurance and the state of the weat On the Argentine side the distance between Men- doza and Buenos Ayres is about the same as be- tween New York and St. Louis. It takes a little Jess than four days to traverse it by rail, and- being ina familiar Pullman one might easily imagine one’s self in the United States were it Bot for glimpses of long-legged ostriches scud- ding actos the plains, droves of wild horses and strange villuges en route. The railway is @ government affair, comp! twelve years d was christened bya grand celebra- which Chile participated. The Chilean government line is being gradually extended to meet it, and by and by, if revolutions permit, the two roads will meet somewhere in the heart of the Audes and furnish an uninter- rupted passage straight across the continent from ocean to ocean. A LINE TRSOCOM THE USPALLATA Pass, m proposed to run a line through tm pass between Santa Rosa and Mendoza, a concession has been granted with this end in view, surveys have been made and work ac ‘The estimated cost is \d_wLez completed the road will nos Ayres within twenty-nine hours he engineering work, though be nearly vo dificult as that pon either the Croya or Arequipa-Puna road Peru, for the highest point of this will be only 10,568 feet above sea level, crossing the Summit of the Cordillerras through a tunnel sboat two miles long. Ihe deepest incline will be 354 per cent, and the minimam curve will bare & radius of 550 feet. By this route the fotai distance between Valparaiso and Buenos Ayres is reduced to 570 miles, and = telegraph Hine already counects the two cities. Itis an fron pole line, in connection with forty miles of eabie iaid under the perpetual snows of the Andes, and which insures communication be- tween Buenos Ayres and London via Galveston in little more than an hour. Perhaps you no- ticed, and wondered at it, that most of the late Chiienu warjnews came “from Buenos Ayres via Galveston. * 5 Though these grim and terribie Audes are tore than half the tine iotally impassable to ordinary mortals, the native couriers cross them on suow shoes every month in the year. Besisies the heaviest winter clothing, they wear trousers of goat or vicuna skin, the bair side turned inward, and each takes aloug a brace of dogs, as elsening partners, to keep himself from freezing on cold nights. The dogs are also provided with a kind of snow shoes to pre- ‘Yeut them from sinking ont of sight in the rifts, and they help to drag burdens, as well 4 to relieve the louelincas of solitary heignts where no living thing exists except great Andean condor. Those ugly birds seem to Auow the most dangerous places and hover about the precipices ss if expecting to feast on some unlucky animal or his master who may go tumb!ing over the cliffs. During the terrible wind storms of June, Jniy and August ft is no: uncommon for mules and their bur- dens. and sometimes for meu and horses, to be swept from the narrow trails into fathomless chasms, ard hardly has the carcass time to ¥ great, will fan excess of 2,000 feet over old ‘Chi ouses go, and to some of them shops of general mer- cbandise are attached, in which may be found all necessaries for the journey. The “schacks” atealso freely distributed all dar.gerous eds are placed in certain ex- long the line of the Union ‘tes. These windows and the lowes! that can possibly ser; chimney for snows cooking and heating pur; the gronnd in the middle of the room. Many & poor traveler, with eyes weakened and pain- fal from the giare of the sun upon the snow, been rendered sightiess by the smoke of his torment, ascending in blinding clouds from the indispensable fire in bi Teter yey em | — is liable to be confined for ye. AN ANDEAN POST STATION. ‘The post houses and government schacks as erule furnish nothing but shelter and the trav- eler must bring along his own food and bed- ding, but that is not so difficult a matter as the uninitiated may suppose, for one mule, or even one guide, will carry a great deal in the way of mattresses, blankets and tinned supplies. The readers who have been so kind as to follow our wanderings may remember that when our lit! ty made a muleback expedit i Fiom Pera across the several successive ranges of the Bolivian Andes to the head waters of the Amazon, we carried ali qur food and bedding, photographic outfit and other paraphernalia on pack mules without extraordinary expense or inconvenience. Ladies often venture the Us- allata passage during December, January and Kescemy, aed it enid that the gen- erally ‘endure .the fatigue and discom- fort better than men—until the dangers are past and the excitement over, when a total collapse is liable toensue, necessitatin, delay for recuperation at the base of the mou tains. Not long ago party of thirteen Yankee school ma’ams, who are employed under con- tract with the Argentine government to teach the young ideas of that country, improved their vacation by crossing the Andes into Chile. accidents occurred and the plucky girls are yot discanting on the “lovely time” they joved. ‘THE PASSES THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS. Though there are many passes in these mountains well known to the Indians, only six have ever been made available for travel be- tween Chile and the Argentine. They vary in altitude from 7,000 to 13,000 feet. One of the shortest of these, but at the same time the loftiest and most’ difficult, is the Portillo pass, which Darwin, the naturalist, made famous in 1834. The pass most used ‘at present is the Uspallata, which runs between those two stupenduous peaks, Aconcagua and Tupungato, at an eievation of nearly 13,000 feet. It is not only traversed by # great number of people Detween November and April, but countless herds of cattle are driven over it from the Argentine pampas to the fertile valleys of Chile. ‘he trail winds higher and higher along the sides of sheer cliffs and clings to the edge of awful precipices, where only trained mules can be trusted. Each party is led by one or more guides ou foot, who, in their skin breeches and raw-hide shoes, will each carry 100 pounds of luggage and keep pace with their mounted em- ployers. Travelers differ as to which is the most nerve-trying experience—baving to cross some fearful gorge on one of the swaying cow- hide brid; or to meet in the narrow trail a tine cattle. In the latter case one’s only salvation is in keeping his mule close to the wall of rock that always rises on one side of the path and leave the edge to the crowding cattle. If he has the grit to remain motionless as therocksaround him the chances are that the herd will pass him by without at- tention. Ifa brute disputes the right of sage, as they sometimes do, protect yourself. if you can, by flourishing the whip. if that fails and he insists upon battle, the only alternative from his terrible horns is to shoot him between the eyes with unerring accuracy of aim. SWATING SKIX BRIDGES. There area number of skin bridges in this Part of the Andes, stretched after the manner of modern suspension bridges, over yawnii abysece, and their swaying is sogreat that most people are compelled to dismount and lead their mules across and to lie down midway themselves when overcome with dizziness. Each a floor made by lashing the branches of trees together with thongs, just wide ehough for a mule to pass, and along each side a raw-hide rope isslung toverve as a hand- rail. I ourself away up in the blue, some ten or twelve thousand feet higher than the top of Trinity Chureh spire, mounted or on foot, crossing such an unsubstantial structure, which hangs suspended like.a certain historic coffin, with nothing between your feet and nether air of a bottomicss cl but afew poles loosely tied with thongs. Yet accidents are rare and most of those that have occurred were due to the “little foxes” that spoil bi as weil as vines by their nibbling. ACONCAGUA AND CHIMBOBAZO. Aconcagua, the mighty monarch that lifts his snowy head tos height of 22,415 feet, ma; be plainly seen on clear days from both Val- paraiso and Santiago, —_ it stands a long way north of both cities. Mr. Curtiss says: “For long time Chimborazo was supposed to be the king of the Andes and in the geographies published twenty ‘ago itis described as the highest summit in the world. No one has ever reached the peak of either Chimborazo or Aconcagua, owing to the depths of snow and impassable gorges, but recent measurements, taken by means of triangulation, imbo." Hum! it made Chimborazo famousand few travelers have gone beyond the point ho But no serious attempt has made to ex the of Aconcagua, for Chileans their horses cunnot carry them. reached. go where A CITY RUINED BY AN EARTHQUAKE. There is nothing remarkable about the vil- lage of Santa Rosa, except the tain views be had from its a strike bottom before its bones are picked clean bs those huge birds of prey or carried limb by limb to their uuxgry broods im distant eyrics. ‘PERILS OF THE COURIZRS. There are “slacks,” or mud buts, where the he & Bt THE EVENING STAR: HUNTING THE COON. There Are Such Animals, but No One Ever Kills One. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. How ao Party Tramped Through the Woods and Then Went Baek Without Seeing = Coon —What Constitutes s Regular Hunting Barty—Coon Dogs and Their Uses. PRESENT SEASON OF THE YEAR in the country about Washington is favor- able for s number of delightful purposes. It is the time when the chestnut nestles among the autumn leaves and when the golden, juicy, delicious persimmon drops by the rondside. It is the season when the;partridge and the rab- bit are hunted; but, best thing of all, it is the time whon the enterprising sportsman goes in pursuit of the crafty, elusive raccoon. A STAR reporter has heard so much about raccoon hunting recently that he went on one last week and made @ practical investigation of the habits of coons and coon hunters. First of all he discovered what the animal is like, and he had some difficulty in doing so. He went to a local sport who is supposed to know everything. ‘Don’ know no such animal,” was the reply. “But you are said to beagreat hunter of raccons.* “No, sah; never done so, sah, but ef you means de coon, why, dat's diff'rent.” THE COON AND HIS HABITS. So before proceeding any further it is just as well to drop all affectation and call the animal the coon. The coon, then, is a wild animal that lives in the woods by night and evaporates in the daytime. He lives on corn, beans and any- thing else he funcies—that is to say, he is sup- posed to like corn and beans, but nobody ever saw him ata meal. He likes ‘cold weather and leads a very malarial life, but has such a thick Coat of fur that he never has chills and fever. en by giving malaria to the im. You will find raccoons in the dictionary and coons in zoological gar- dens, but if you think you will find the latter by hunting for them in the woods ¢ mistaken. Nevertheless there are wuthenticated instances on record of coons having been found in the woods. Coons are said to be good toeatand the experiment of eating thirty coons in thirty consecutive days would be more interesting than the wame feat with quail; but it can never be tried, as it is doubtful whether there are thirty coons in all America. The coon must not be confounded with the opossum. The skin of the former is used to make local waistcoats and hats, but an opossums skin is used as an ornament to the exterior of the log cabins of the raral negro Population. ‘The opossum isa more plebeian animal than the coon, but he in turn must not be confounded with the wild- cat. The latter fights and scratches and dies hard, but, the ‘possum—let us be natural and call him affectionately by the name that is always applied to him—throws up the sponge at the first assault and pretends to be very sick, but he is not really so badly off as he appears to be and this is doubtless why he is called a "possum, since he is con- stan laying possum.” Coonsand’possums are usually huuted at thesame time. The dogs which are said to be able to catch a coon some- times actually tree @ ‘possum, and the bunts- man prefers to carry one home rather than to get nothing at all. “Possums are fat, comfort- able fellows and are supposed to be particularly fond¢of persimmons, and colored people are particularly fond of ‘possums. ‘THE SONG OF THE UNTER. When « party starts out to hunt coons and "possums it is proper for them to sing the fol- lowing chorus: *Possum in de gum ti Coon, he in de howler; Colored man he cotch " And git a Laif a dolar, im Not that the song is exactly correctalways,for "possum may be in the hollow of the wood and coon may crawl up agum tree, and it is not often that either is caught or that the half dollar is forthcoming in the event of a capture. The fun of catching a coon is said to be si ply tremendous, but there is nobody in Wash- ington, Maryland or Virginia who can con- scientiously lay his hand upor his heart and say he ever caught a coon. Still. it is well to re- peat, coons have been caught, and there are coons in the woods, just as there are undoubt- edly serpents in the sea, although you may be Rardoned sometimes for questioning the cre- ality of the person who says he has seen either & sea serpent or a wild coon. But the fact that coons are not usually daught does not detract materially from the pleasure of ‘hunting them, for nobody reaily expects to get one. Coons must be hunted in cold fall weather, though why, when the results of the hunt are consid- ered, they should not be hunted in midsummer or midwinter just as well, is hard to say, ex- cept that, just as sea serpents are said to ap- pete -about August, so are coous supposed to most plentiful in-the fall of the year. An invitation coon hunt must be preceded and followed by a supper. The latter should consist of game, of course, and everybody shouid eat all they can, because thisis the great event of the evening,and if anything should bap- pen to you,as for instance a cold or a sprained ankle, you can declare it was caused by the supper and not by the tramp through the woods. It is your cue, of course, to protest that you never get tired. that you are good for twenty miles at least, and that you would like to bunt coons every night. COMPOSITION OF THE HUNTING PARTY. ‘The hunting party as it starts forth usually consists of the following persous: Ono man who is giving the hunt and who pretends to know all about it, and to have captured hun- dreds of coons at different times. He is ac- companied by his son, aged sixteen, who has outgrown his belief in santa Claus, but still be- lieves in his father and in the existence of wild coont. ‘here are three or four young fellows who have come out to the hunt from the city. It oes without saying that one of them isa chronic joker, and keeps up a fire of cheap wit until he stopped by physical exhaustion. Another ‘one plays the banjo and sings to the coons, and there area couple of others who don't appear to be certain that they are enjoying themselves. There are two or three young ladies in the party who go because they think it is picturesque, and whose notions of a coon range anywhere between an. animal the size of a field mouse and s hippopotamus. There is « child in the party, too, taken because it wanted to go. It sopn gets tired and the young fellows take turns in “toting” it. Be- these are the colored huntsmen and their ‘The more ragged the former and the leaner the latter the better. The huatsmen carry axes to chop down trees when there are supposed to be coonsin them, and large potato sacks to carry the game home in. The capacity of these sacks is generally sufficient for the transportation of about seventy-five coons, but the results of the hunt are usuaily diffused through the human system in the form of colds and chills. THE Coox Doas. The dogs that accompany the party are of the variety known as “yaller dawgs” or “coon dawgs.” If there is an Englishman in the party he calls them simply “the dargs.” It is the duty of these “dawgs" to go yelping thro the woods tokeep up the exaiismeate Some times @ particularly clever ‘‘darg” will stop under a tree and looking up at some dim object WASHINGTON. D. oe the hornets’ nest. So the party the huge bonfire and talks about Efforts are now made ‘The little army forms in a straggling column and starts for home. But itis a weary march, for they have not been walking round in a from their 7 banjo, then no inore jokes, but they all settle down to slong, hard tramp. It is picturesque; there is no doubt of that, and coons, securely hidden in the trees, must enjoy it. ‘The light of the lantern falls upon the figures thrusting i the sound of the shell upon which the huntsmen blow to call in the dogs is musical; even tant yelp of o hound that pretends he has ‘truck ao trail is ing; and 80 in comparative silence the party of coon hunters make their way homeward and when they have finally got back they are free to con- fess that they are “played out.” Then comes that second supper. The night near! worn away and the meal they eat is more a breakfast than a supper, but Jupiter, how good it tastes! That hit of ‘cold wild turkey, that partridge pie, that glass of frothing beer, that cup of smoking hot tea. Coons are uncer- tainties and may be mere myths, but here is something tangible and real, something so real in fact that the coon hunters are disposed to forget that coons are said to roum the woods at night. ‘They forget that. they ever, went after them, and especially do they iorget that they Promised to go again. parame IT UNMANNED HIM. A Once Proud Burglar Receives a Telling Blow. From the Cinciunati Commercial-Gazette, “Lock me up! Lock me up!" he moaned, staggoring into Hammond street police station and seizing the sergeant's arm with » convul- sive grip. “Hey?” ejeculated the startled officer. “Ob, sir, if you ever had a mother and loved that mother more dearly than all on earth, lock me up! Cast me intoa dungeon so deep that the light of day may never permeate the con- fines of the granite-gloomed.cell! Iam heart- broken—heart-broken !” and with a sob of sor- row the bent form fell upon the long bench. “Tam Blokey Bill, the burglar,” he groaned between his sobs.’ “Yes, I, btoken-hearted, fallen, unmanned, ruined, 'crushed—I, a1 Blokey Bill! You look upon one who has drained the cup of misery to its droga I eutered a grocery on Pear! streot tonight, after herculean exertions, drilled the safe full of nd loaded it with explosives. Facing danger I worked on, mufiling the safe, ing my supports about it, and just as the first streaks of the faint morning light shone in the east I lit the fuse.” “Ah,” cried the sergeant, “you blew the safe, aid you?” “Ydid. oh, miserable man that I am, I did!’ “ah! ha!’ And now, after the deed is done,’ repentance strikes you, does it? You have seen how evil is your life of crime and seek forgiveness, do you? You repent, hey?” cried the gleeful sergeant. ‘Repent h— no/” yelled the burglar wildly. “What's the matter with you, then/” amazedly demanded the officer. “Matter? Matter enough! I worked ten hours straight on the blasted safe, skinned my knuckles and bruived my knees, broke = §10 drill, used 3 worth of explosives and got grease all over a $15 suit of clothes, and th found out when the plant wont off that confounded thing hadn't been locked at all, as plumb empty and wae just ready to be to the shop for repairs. “Oh, miserable man that I a1 Lock me up in your darkest of your deepest dungeon, kick me for an idiot, write me down an ass, bury me under oblivion’s gloom, mark me ‘Lost Hog’ and send me to Chicago to be torn to pieces by contesting claimants—anything—anything—now that th reputatior of a lifetime has been blasted in stroke! Iam heart-broken—heart-broken, And the robber chieftain sobbed answ. Don't Give It Away. From the Chicago Tribune. The guest pushed his plate away and ran his eye down the bill of fare until the item he was looking for caught his eye. “Waiter,” he said, “bring me a glass of half- and-half.”” “A bowl, you mean,” replied the waiter. “Well, if that’s the way you hand it out here bring me a bowl of it.” ‘The mixture was brought. It looked like milk. “What is this?” he asked. “Half-und-haif, si “Half-and-half of what?” “Half milk and half cream.” “Thunder!” “What did De think it was, sir?” Vhat did think it was? What kind of a restaurant is this?” “This is a W. C. T. U. restaurant, sir.” “Waiter, here is a 25-cent cigar.’ Don any of the boys about this.” ————— Tolstoi Colonies in a Bad Way, From the London Daily News. Count Tolstoi’s colonies at Chavinsk, near Smolensk, according to a St. Petersburg corre- spondent, are ina bad way. Agricultural af- fairs do not prosper and the Tolstoians have acquired the reputation among the peasantry of the neighborhood of being simple fellows, who talk much more than their work is worth. ‘The count's doctrine of non-resistance to evil has, of course, received full adoption among the colonists, and a somewhat humorous inci- dent is lately reported in connection therewith. A boy of fourteen named Petka had been re- ceived among them and had been made ac- ainted with the above dogma. He had evi- jently studied it in all ite workings and pro- ceeded to put it to practical test. At daylight one morning he rose, threw away the rags which covered him and put on the somewhat richer costume of one of the ‘Tolstoians. When the whole colony turned out to persuade him to restore the stol ticles he botay confronted them with their “non-resistande” doctrine.and dared them to transgress it. The disciples of the nérthern prophet were in # dilemma, and before they could got out of it the rogue coded ed Neil October Philosophy. From Judge. It is well to be dethroned before one has done anything to deserve dethronement. Denial is bhsed on ignoranc®. To the in- formed mind possibilities are unlimited. There iss brand of humility more offensive than the arrogance it usually accompanies. Enough discomfort may be out of al- most any proposition to Lent Mie anecthd an: cessities of life. ‘Tears to flow from material causes raise such an unearthly howl as to at nthe | occasion no discomfortable surprise among the admiration of the whole party. ‘The! materialist, t excitement and hurling of sticks As birds traverse the air and: poets speak in ets’ newt. There are several lanterns in the tell | laws a: Future, CABLE ACROSS THE PACIFICO. How Mr. Field Looks at Seventy-two—His Advice to Young Men as to Fortune Making —He Discusses the Great Fortunes of Today, and Says the Chances Are as Good as Ever. Spectal Correspondence of The Evon!neg Star. New Yous, October 30,'1891. MONG TRE MOST IMPORTANT BILLS which will be presented to the next Con- gress are those for the new ocean cables, The old scheme for laying = cable from San Francisco to the Sandwich Islands will be re- vived, and # new one for putting down a cable from San Francisco to Chins across the Pacific will, it is said, be proposed. There are now half a dozen cables across the Atlantic, and the whole world has been joined together by oable connections. The man who laid the first cable lives here in New York, and I called upon him dis- | yesterday to ask him as to the possibilities of the line across the Pacific. His name, as every one knows, is Cyrus W. Field. He organized the company for the building of the first Atlantic cable in 1854 His line was 2,600 miles long. It cost more than « million anda ly | half of dollars and was a failure. He tried it again in 1958, and the cable spoke = few words ind was silent. Then the war came and for sight years nothing was done. As soon ant closed, howe ir. again took uj his scheme, and in 1806 the first successful cable was laid. Now we have cables every- whore, and there is in Mr. Field’s office a case filled with sections o wire rope cut from the great cables of the world. re are a score of these behind the glass door of this case, and they representlines to South America, along the const of Africa, through the Mediter: ranean sea and along the waters of China and Japan. CABLE ACROSS THE PACIFIC. Mr. Field told mo that there was no doubt but that a successful line could be made across the Pacific, atid he showed moa map which he had had made in support of « similar scheme proposed by him to Congress more than eleven Zeare ago., At this time Mr. Field proposed cables for Japan, Australia and the Sandwich Islands, and the map shows that 17,000 miles of cable would give us two cables to Japan and one to Australia. Taking the northern route, running from Puget sound to Viadivostock and thence down to Corea, the distance is 4,000 miles, and this, adding 20 per cent for slack, would make acable of this kind extend 4,800 miles from one continent to the other. It is 2,100 miles from Sun Francisco to the Sandwich Islands and more than 3,400 miles from the Sandwich Islands to Ja With the slack in the cable, for the line has to accommodate it- self to the hills and valleys on the bed of the sea, the cable along this route from San Fran- cisco to Yokohama would long, and a branch line from the Sandwich Islands running down from Australia would be 5,000 miles more, making a total of 17,000 miles in all. CYRUS W. FIELD AT SEVEXTY-TWO. I found Mr. Field in his office in the big Field building at the foot of Broadway. He is sev- qnigctwo years old and his hair is gray, but he is full of vigor and he is as bright intellect- ually now as when he planned tho Atlantic cable, nearly half a century ago. He is about six feot tall and rather spare than otherwice, He has the same fine silky hair and somewha: the same features as his brother, of the Supreme bench. though he vous and less judicial in his aspect. He is still one of the rich men of New York and,is worth ions. ESPEE? a ‘From the North China Herald. Corea, like the world of the ancients, has its believed. by the people to bo miraculous. No matter what disease may afflict the patient a dip in the-water proves efficacious. The sec- ond wonder is two springs, situated at a con- they Have the Breadth of the entire pen- insula between them. The: have two pe ities: When la ey |ways em, and, notwi ding ol vives teat SAUDNS oot eamenna Be maken ranean passage, ono is bitter and the other pure and sweet. The third wonder is a cold wave oave—e cavern from which a wintry wind tually blows. The force of the wind Rom the cave is such that a strong man ‘can- not d before it. A forest that cannot be eradicated is the fourth wonder. No matter what a. is done to v4 — of the trees, which are ines, they will sprout mp guia Gicestty ke 'the ‘phasis’ frost ber ashes. The fifth is the most wonderful of all. It is the famous “‘floating stone.” It stands or seems to stand in front of the palace erected in its honor. It is an irregular cube of great bulk. It appears to be resting on the ground, free from supports on all sides; but, strange to say, two men at opposite ends of a Tope may pass it under the stone without encountering any obstaclo whatever. Tho sixth wonder is the “hot stone,” which, from remote has lain glowing with heat on the top of h hill. The seventh and last Corean wonder is a drop of the sweat of Bud- dba. For thirty paces around the temple in which it is enshrined not a blade of grase will grow. There are no trees or Gowers inside the the animals i sacred square. B¥eu decline to ‘spot so holy. seabed. CT Mies Mattie Was Not There. From the Banning Herald. Pretty Mattie Fake was at one time the only feminine station agent on the Southern Pacific road. The road decided to uniform all ite agents, and the contract for making the cloth- ing was let to the Cowie Brothers. In order to expedite matters Ned Cowie sent the following telegram to all the agents along the line: Be on the platform when No. 19 passes, with nothing ‘on but your pants and shirt Cowie was thus enabled to measure the can- didates in short order and pass on. When 19 pulled into Banning Cowie off, looked around and said: “Well, where's the agent?” A stalwart youth, who Lappened to be Miss Fake’s brother, stepped up and asked if he was the man who sent the agent atelegram. Cowie answered in the affirmative, and the fellow ted to climb him. It took half an hour to ‘plain matters to young Fake, but everybody laughed so over the story that the company de- cided to let its country agents continue to wear overalls, Improvising a Dress Suit. From the St. Louis Chronicle. “About eight years ago,” said Auditor Joseph Brown, “Iwas in London, England. One day Tboughtastall tosee Patti atthe Royal. A stall corresponds to our boxes. When the evening came TI took the ‘ladies around and walked in at the door. But I did not get far. “You cannot come in here,” said the door- keeper. iy aad Redaitinanpeiacs Semseno my ‘THE FUTURE OF NEW YORE. I asked Mr. Field what ho thought of New York's future, He replied: “I came to New York when I was fifteen and my first work here was in A. T. Stewart's em- ploy. At this time New York bad only 260,000 eople. It was not much bigger than Wash- ington 1s now. I have seen it grow right along from year to year until now, with its suburbs ‘and Brooklyn, it contains more than 8,000,000 people, London has only 6,000,000 and I'be- fieve that this will be tho greatest seaport of the world.” “How about the growth of fortunes?” said E “Our great fortunes,” said Mr. Field, “are among the wonders of modern times. I'don’t beliove there was a millionaire in the country at the time of the revolution and now you may find one in almost every county and in every city of the United States. It is not very long ago that the richest nian in the state of New York had only an income of $1,500 a year in mouoy. This was Van Rensselaer of Albany, who died about fifty years ago. and who had at one time 900 farms of 150 acres each under cultivation. He rented these out at 1 per cent on their valuation and he had s good deal of an income that came in kind in the shape of farm products, &c. His money income was, however, only $1,500 and he was considered the richest man of his day. Now we have our Van- derbilts, our Astors and numerous other men of many millions. William H. Vanderbilt, when he died, was the richest individual in the world. He left’ $200,000,000. I suppose William Wal- dorf Astor is now one of the richest men in the world and the Astor family is growing richer from year to year.” “Do you know of any means by which » fortune’ may be perpetuated in the United tates?” No,” replied Mr. Field, “I do not. Our such that the perpetuation of a for- tune and the keeping of a vast sumof money in one family is almost im; I think it is far better for us that it is so. Still the ac- cumulations of our rich men are enormous and the combinations of capital during our modern times tend to make them more #0.” “Will w have a billionaire?” “I can't say as to that,” was the reply. “New developments in nature and new ele- ments in fortune-making are coming into the field every day. This niter king of South America has, it soems, Jumped to the front as of the rich men of the time, and what can tell as to the future?” YOUNG MEN'S CHANCES NOWADAYS. “Do you think, Mr. Field, that the chance for a young man is as good now as when you started in life, and what would be your advice to young mi “I don't see why the chances are not as good now as ever. It is true much is done bj combinations of capital, still the field larger and the possibilities are fully as great. Asto my advice to young men I would say: ‘Stick to what you undertake. Be punctual Zour appointments, be honest and be brief. member that time is money and that brevity and punctuality are among the best elemonts of success.’ Idon’t believe in long business letters. ‘There is no business so important that you can't put the whole of it on one sheet of Paper. Ihave cultivated brevity throughout my life and I think it has paid me todo so. I believe in early rising and I find that my brain works best between the hours of 6 and 8 in the morning. Whenever | have anything im- rtant which requires thought como in dui 10 day I lay it aside for the next mornin, then consider and pass, upon it, I am always out of bed before o'clock, and as ‘soon acl have dressed I go down into my library and work there until the breakfast bell rings, which is at 7:80 or 8.” A STORY OF GLADSTONE. o1 you seat tickets." “Well, you cannet enter,’ he replied, deci- sively; ‘your coat isn frock,and nothing but dress suite are allowed.’ “I expostulated. Itold him that my hotel was long way off and that the ladies would be greatly disappointed. Iwas an American and did not know the rule of the theater. “Finally he told me to go into the dressing room, where the attendants might perhaps be able fo fix me out all right. “I went, expecting to pay two or three crowns for the loan of a coat. The fellow looked at me a second, whipped a pin from his lapel and. pinned my coat tails and I found myself”in evening dress! “I gave the man half a crown.” Obscure Martyrs. They have no in storied nh test in urbe ain ee ey are and gone with a perished oaeoeeeae en But work that shall fod its wagee yet, And deeds that their God did not forget, Done for their love divine— ‘These were the mourners, and these shell be ‘The crowns of their immortality. 1 seek them not where sleep the dead, ‘Ye shall not find their trace; ‘No graven stone is at their head, No green grass hides their face; But sad and unseen is theirsilent grave— It may be the sand or deep sea wave; Or a lonely desert place; For they needed no prayers and no mournng They were tombed in true hearts that knew ‘them well. They healed sick hearts till theirs roken, And dried sad _ til theits.lost light, We shall know at last by a certain token How they fought and fell in the fight. Salt tears of sorrow unbeheld, Passionate cries unchronicied, And silent strifes for the right— Angels shall court them and earth shall sig ‘That she left her best children to battie and die. —EDWIN ARNOLD. ——_oe How She Served the Summons. From the New York World. Bhe was brightand pretty and she aropped into » lawyer's office the other day and asked for work. “What can you do?” “anything a woman of more than most men.” “Great opinion of yourself, young woman,” said en elaaety neyo present.” “Pechape you think you could serve this summons,” oT might,” said ghe. ‘ay Tlook atit? Yes, “If you do that you'll do something we've all been trying to do fora week. He's a slippery follow and his people are all However, you may try it. You can afford to lose alittle nd the lawyer smiled grimly. At 10 the riext morning the office door was opened and the bright young woman walked in SThought you'd give it up eh? Found him too ypery for yor 101 it so.” “The is - ne It was ber paper is sa ‘said she turn to smile now and she did it. The lawyer swung round in his chai “Served the ——-. How'd you do it?” “Ob, it was simplo enough. I called at ‘his place of business, sround, priced some materials, and then asked if he wasin.” “ No,’ said tho salesman, ‘but I can doas ‘I think not,’ I said quietly. ‘He has always spon tetera tate what I want’ ability can do, and No man in the United States has more friends | *! across the water than Cyrus W. Field. John shyme and rhythm, 90 nature ‘performs her | "2714, slongside ts in miracles. silent man may be a reservoir of ¢: 4. | wi enced knowledge, but the world willbe no for having him in its midst. ———_—_+oo_—____ “The Slippered Pantaloon.” From Life. SPIRIT HANDS AT WORK. How the Rope-Tying Tricks of Spiritualistic ‘Mediums Are Done. 4B EXPOSE OF SOME OF THEM—DARK GEANCE SE- ‘CRETS IN WHICH TRERE is NOTHING BUT BRAZEN RFFRONTERY AXD & LITTLE SKILI—TRY SOME OF ‘From the Philadelphia Press. 66/]\HE REPEATED CHARGES AND DIS- coveries of fraud on the part of spirit- Ualistic mediums in their exhibitions of so- called manifestations led up to the practice of binding the medium band and foot; of putting him in a bag and tying it around his neck with a draw-string, and placing committees in the cabinet to hold his hands,” said Mr. Herbert Stratton last night. “If there ever were any genuine mediums who have given public exhibitions for pay, they must have retired to private life asa sucrifice to their self-respect, for no self-respecting man or woman would care to be roped blindfolded and gagged to demonstrate that no fraud was practised in the presentation of their shadowy creed. The commonest so-called ‘tests’ applied at scances today are those of the rope-iying kind. The medium is bound hand and foot by | seize the bow of th @ com! panine and tai clane fs ® room poe sao bei acl qi’ net, with several musical instruments on the | sme ppin tavie beside bim. ‘The instant the light is freed foot ‘with my disengaged turned out the bells begin toring, the tambour- | hand I softly drew the bow across the fid ine to rattle and the violin to squeak. This | *trings. After a time I drop the bow and demonstration usually closes with the bell and | bezin the work of getting my hand back tambourine being flung violently to the floor into the handeuff loc it ten't any easy or against the the lights are turned | ¥ork, for it has bee and m je medium is di th the ropes in- pain “ tact, and everything seemingly as it was when 1 succeed, ai im. Again is he left in | Tight as to my darkness. This time thero is a trifle longer u delay, but the bell keeps ringing just the same. the tambouri: =~ and = oy al Le — —_ I - ii om the violin creeps out the das | es a end nee ot os instruments are | doubt in your m: sto my fraudulency. Nob played together, and if there are any hard-shell iritnalists. present they will turn to the bting Thomases with the remark “What do you think of that, sir? If that medium's hands are still bound bow can he perform on violin, tambourine and bell simultaneously? Hest assured, sir, that they are spirit hands playing thoro ‘instra- THE MEDIC ROUND. (Pront wew.) ohn with my hand. ing the bell, at the the tambourine with my akick winch sends the tambourine nts. ‘When the light is called for the medium is found bound just as before, every rope in lace, but strange to relate the cgat and vest of 1 Medium have been removed, turned inside outand replaced, and ail this to the discordant noise of the musical instruments. It is a re- gretable fact,” suid Mr. Stratton, “that eensi- ble men and women, that is, sensible in other things, can be so’ outrageously gulled and cheated by éuch charlatanism. And yet I have teen people go. into ‘eestacies of elight over these doings and point with the greatest sa faction to them as incontrovertible evidence of the truth of spiritualism. ow as to the secret of this kind of spir- itualiem,” continued Mr. Stratton, “it is noth- ing more than manual dexterity. It does not rise to the rank of legerdemain, for any man or woman who has self assurance, reasonably small hands and iarge wristsand 1s not afraid of alittle pain can perform under similar condi- | ¢ tions any of the stock tricksof theaverage dark | cabinet mediums. ‘These tricks would be very | ordinary pastime for magicians like Hermann nd Kellar. RINGING THE NeLt. WITS THE TRETH. only is the hy present t you you are in doubt DECEIVING THE SKEPTIC. “Now, how did I freemy hand? In this waye In throwing my arms back I—clasping my arms bebi chair —intentionally ben tie, made by wrapping a rope around the wrist, the other is the handcuff knot, which is formed by | passing the rope around the wrists and then be- my elbow hands jost a tween them, forming @ tie in the shape of ®| jirtie. At the same time I spread my w Cee handcuff, thus— & trifle, imperceptible to you. While y tring me, and all t the rope tighter, 1 action was grossed in time you were drawing forcing it back, whic bv: vimble evidence that you were mak- ng a perfect tie, while I was purposely fur- thering this misap ension. At the same was a very tight handeuff I mine men in 100. af tied 90, would no attempt to release themselves, re- in advance any hope of doing so. ‘But it is my business. My wrists are large and bardenedand my lands are small. All the time that the bell ringing with my teeth is in pro- gress I am stretching and «training at that loop, The rope is bound to givea little, and so by compressing my Lands and holding my wrists closely together I finally release one hand. Itis comparatively easy to get it inte the Joop again, By lowering my arms to their full length (E held them up a trifle, as I remarked, while you were binding them together) I rest them and i® Jenables me, with th to | hold the rope and tie in place until | am ready to return my right and to its imprisonment. ‘Now, you might infer that the loop would be a trifle slack aiter | budstrained and tagged 4 bit in releasing my right hand. So it is, bus I spread the middle band just a little, them spread my wrists apart, and {n looking at the Joop you will fail to detect the slackness, be- cause to all appearances the rope is cutting into my wrieia, which is fact, because I am forcing it to. SOME OTHER SPIRIT MANIFESTATIONS. “After I have rested for a short while I per THE BANDCUYF TIE. “Now let us imagine,” said Mr. Stratton, good naturediy, “that we are about to hold a dark seance and that I am the medium. ‘Two gentlemen here are spiritualist friends of mine, while you are an unbeliever. Because you are an unbeliever you have arrived at the conclusion that the rope used to tie me is a trick rope and so you have brought a dozen feet of cotton or manilla clothes line with you. T express gratification over the fact that you have been so thoughtful and the: the tying begins. Iseat myself in a chair, one of the plain wooden kind with a square’ back, place my arms behind the back of the chair, clasp my hands and invite you to proceed. "On a | table at my elbow aro s dinner Vell, tombourine and violin. One of my spiritualistic friends, who has witnessed the same feat scores of times before, stands ready to lend assistance and di- rect the manner in which the tying shall be done. Itis usual for the medium to have a friend—a confederate is the proper term—who directs the tying. nin, the present instance my friend suggests t the most satisfactory method is nd- ; ~ cuff tie, which is the tightest, and so you pro-| Mit you to bind me again, but this time itis ceed, drawing the rope so tightly around my | the plain ‘wrapping around’ process. Again I wrist that it pages f cuts into the flesh. | spread my wristsas widely apart as I dare to with- 8 pai Then the rope down and under the | Ov.+ inviting d ; perearye'5 « detection. The rope is not tied very chair range, taken forward and bound round | (1 an te for from amy my left leg. I frequently interrupt you in ag our ‘binding process, ‘suncesting ‘that you | is imposible. raw the rope closer, and when you get down he Somy log I lacks upon th. Thue Tmpresses all | &* possible and slide one hand out in this mam resent with the idea that Iam not afraid of | B&: ing bound too firmly, which is a very strong argument in favor of spiritual agency in the accomplishment of what is to follow. “At last [am bound as follows: My hands tied hard and fast behind my back ina band- cuff loop, and this is drawn tight by having the Tope pated under the chair. “Then my left log is bound to the chair leg with r way to my knee. There are no Sandy sbout ty waist, and my right leg is free, which to all appear- ances is of litte. importance. The curtain drops and Iam left alone. Almost instantly the bell begins to clatter. It ceases, and tambourine shakes'as though ithad a six months’ ague. There is a crash and the tambourine falls to the floor. In an instant the bell fol- lows, and if the cabinet is not too large it is HOW THE BAND 18 RELEASED. “At this sitting I renew the musical features, and in addition I take off my coat,turn it inside out, replace it and appear under the light jusd as tightiy. bound as before. Linvite you into the cabinet and yousit with your knees’ uur hands on my head. You are, course, blindfolded, and I turn your pockets inside out. With the violin bow I reach and*touch you on the back, put the on top of your head and turn your side out. ot course I Sues 8 head in doing spiritualist this act of touch: is ground for a belief that the cabinet besides the medii mine and Ha! piece of paper on which there were many fig> ures and said: “T've been trying to invents puzzle to put £ i Feil