Evening Star Newspaper, January 9, 1892, Page 8

ON THE RIO GRANDE. The Texas Peninsula, Where Garza and His Men Are in Hiding. HOTBED OF REVOLUTIONS. Good Hiding Places for Revolution!sts—The BreedingGrounds of the Noted Long Horned Cattle—The Cowboy Eattles—Fatal Adven- tures Among the Border Leaders. ‘Written for Tux fvevmo Stam HE RiO GRANDE BORDER 18 OVER 1,500 miles long and mostly an arid wilder- ness, incapable of supporting’ « dense popula- tion, and « most inviting region for all kinds of adventure, from shooting the abundant game to smuggling and concocting incipient revoln- tions. from its source in the snow-ciad Rockies, where it receives ali of its waters, to where it empties fn the Rio Grande, has been marked by frontier adventures—blood-curdiing battles with In- dians, desperadoes, smugglers and opposing Rational armies. After leaving the Rockies the stream finds its way through the ancient lake valleys until it Teaches its middie third along the Mexican bor der, where it makes the great bend by cutting ite way throngh the mountain ranges that mark the eastern border of the ral plat- eax of Mexico, a wo: from the Central American pent lost mount Qing, surrounded by basins of ancient lakes, often accompanied by volcanic craters and vast sheets of lava tlow kiown as molpuis. THE TEXAN PENINSULA. ‘The Texan region included in the big bend is known as the Penmsula, and for a year or more the inhabitants of that region have been Begging Uncle Sam and Gov. Hogg to send them protection against the horse thieves of Doth nations who infest the region. From the Peninsula's southern end to the Pec the Rio Grands flows through a giguntic ebasm which no man has explored. It rivals that of the Colorado, aud is marked by falls and Fapids as it cuts ite way down to the coastas in some 3,000 feet below the plateau region Fe it reaches one of the most peculiar strips ef country—the region in which Cata- Fina Zh now creating 6i a Fampus, and which seems to have been created for ao othe: pose thar to afford asate and ready refug» for those whe wish to get out of the way of ‘aw and order ‘TE LOWER RIO GRANDE COUSTRT isentirely different in every physical aspect from any other portion of the United States or Mexico, and was apparently sandwiched in at this piace between the fertile portions of Te north of the Nueces aud the great eastern Sierra Madre, which «kir’s from Monterey to the wea, merely for the purpose of irritating the a Jacent peoples. | Even those who have seen the jertile Helis and beautiful prairies of Texas Borth of the Nueces or the maguiticent mot eins snd talleys of northern Meaico have littie €onception of the low arid countrv of tie Rio Granie embayment, which exten-is from Eagle to the mouth of the river fir 400 miles. roads and coai mines have reduced th ‘Westernendof this area to civilizauon, but from Laredo coastward the smugglers, revo- Intionists aud bandits still hold the leading back Goep mIDINO PLACES. Imagine @ land as arid as Arizona, except @uring the autumnal mouthe, during which Fains have been in the habit of falling in suffi- Cient quantity to freshen up tue winter range. The country is gently uniuiating, marked here Arruyos #0 char: or ‘rockless’ ge arid reg e@band of men can exsiiy by a growth of the tation imagina® 1 eatselaw teristic of Pear, with its “leaves sombrero. Through thi exiled, one cannot see a b: ment is as easy asc ct tier of huge counties wh ye Am: Siie there is bardly a runuing stream, and only 8 few w: ed water boles, which cau- Bot bee: Qu large as a as it is , and conceal- FEW SCATTERED VILLAGES. Along the river, mostly on the Mexican side, are a few quaint villages as peculiar as the in- land towns of Peru. These, so far as agricil- tural and commercial conditionsare concerned, Bave not changed materially since first een by Angio- Americans nearly a 6 y ago The ros or farmers live in the villages, and ® thousand acres in all are cultivated in the vast region, and these a1 scratched by the forked-stick plow like that used by the Egyptians in the davs of Moses. Half way tween Forts Meintush and Brown is Fort Ring ld, oue of the chain of forts established by United States at the time of the Tezas an- Beration Every foot of the boundary stream, | population, Mr Porter's census shows 20,000 peo Texan side, but they are nearly all Mexicans, of Indian descent, concealed in | Notwithstanding the apparent absence of ! chaparral in little huts of twigs known as 8 These residences are unique types of the aboriginal homes of the lund and those who live in them are always ready for any ad- venture. THE LON-HORNED CATIE. The one industry, if it cam be so called, is the growing of long-horned cattle To call this on mdustry isa misnomer, for thb cattle raise themselves,and the only industry is in the gathering ard branding. Long before man had, to any extent invaded the conntry these thrived in a wild state and had over- nowhere else in the world do eattle multiply so rapidly, and to thi corner of the country does the great range in- ry oweits origin Here ouly are to be the fast disappearing long horns, which, to crossing with higher grades, will, in de, be numbered with the extinct species. From ther breeding grounds the | herds of range cattle have been driven, until | every foot of the western range as far north as Montana has been stocked with thems. Ganza’s RUPPLIES, The long horn is the life of the country. Any vagabond can live by killing these animale, and their presence affords Senor Garza an ever ready and inexhaustible commissary. So abun- dan: are they that oniy a few years ago it was commonly the custom to append to the adver- tisements of marks and brands in the Browns ville papers words to the eifect that “all needy persons are welcome to kill an animal for food, tif any one is detected killing one for its hide he will be prosecuted.” AN IDEAL RETREAT. These ccnditions have made the lower Rio Grande an ideal retreat for all restless classes. It is not strange then that the iew American rauchesare fortified, and some of themhavecan- non mounted within their gates. Ail the fight- ers are not on one side. The leather-ieggined cowboy is ever reauy for a scout against plun derers from the other side or the more ardu- ous cattle thieves of his own race. Volumes could be written of their batiles. ‘THE CoWZOY BATTLES, numerous as they have been, furnish buta small proportion of events in American history | which have occurred in this region. Some of the most thrilling incidents in alt border war- fare have tuken place there From the popu- lation of mounted Mexicans, ever ready for re- muuerative service, any adventurous leader has been able to quickly secure a following, while the cities of Guerrero, Mies and Camargo, on the Mexican side, with ‘their wealthy cabal: leros, have always beer: the first objects of at- tack from American troops or filibusters. The tactics of today aro but repetitions. In this region numerous revolutions have eed preparatory to assaulting the ruling ers of Mexico, the real Mexico—the great cen. tral plateau—being suddenly invaded from-this lowland thicket “Tne most notable ct these Was that of 1872, when Gen Porifro Diaz, then an exile, successfully crossed into Mexico and overthrew the government of Juarez ard es- tablished his place a8 oue of the greatest and most mfluential men in North American history. AN UNFORTUNATE ADVENTURE FIFTY YEARS AGO. But failure more frequently than success has marked the adventures of the border leaders, and in the very region where Bourke, Hardie, ‘nd Diaz are now making history occurred one of the most heroic and untortunate series of adventures that ever befel Americans. On Christmas day, just fifty years ago, » band of gallant Texans, numbering 350 men, captured Guerro, besieged the town of Mier, and after forty-eight hours of victorious battle with 2,000 Mexican regulars, during which over 800 of the latter were killed, were deceived into a truce and surrender. They marched overland to the City of Mexico were decimated en route; every tenth man was shot, after having drawn a black bean from a jug. The re- mainder were consigned to long imprisonment in the dungeons of Perote. TBE PRESENT REVOLUTION. The fate of the present revolution is to be determined. It would be easy to predict fail- ure, but thousands in Mexico are ready for new adventure, and perhaps the lower Rio Grande is creating a new chapter of Mexican history. The accompanying map will show the situa- tion. The shaded area shows the land of revo- utionary ferment. Throughout the great plateau region of Mexico crops have failed, and | thousands may rise to meet Garza and aid him should his forces reach the table land et Mon- terey. Ifthe regiment after regiment of Moxican troops which I saw pouring into the seat of war in September last have not yet beenable tocheck- mate him, who can tell but what bis greatly in- creased army, with all the disturbed and dis- tented elements of ike republic to back bim, not yet win. The clerical and aristocratic sses of Mexico do not love Diaz. The United States troops can be rapidly placed in the field to protect our border, for the great quartermaster depot built by Presi- dent Grant at San Antonio readily equip a small army, and Texans, who are usually sht.” will be ready to be in it. should be gained, and that at the Rio Grande border should be assim- uated by our country in fact as well as on pper. itistime for these border troubles to ub Se — Telitale Shoes. From the New York Hera'd “There is more character in shoes than in any other article of a man’s dress,” saig s Broadway shoe dealer, looking out upon the Passing throug one dull day. “A man may de- Geive the eye of an expert in every other par- Healer but in shoes Tt imean the kind and the way he wears them. Walking is an involun- formance, and is not a matter of study mulation. Evgsr man will certainly wear hus shoes in a certain war. Andas a rule be will wear shoes that St his build, his business and bis temperament. In nine casce out of ten when le comes in here for a new pair I can tell the kind of shoe be will want by the manner in which he has worn out the pair he bas on— Whether on the toes, the inside or outside of the heels, on the ball of the foot, inside or out- side of the ball, or whether the rest of the shoe Gives out before the sole. He may take some ther kind, but he'll want the shoes I select. “Yes, sir, there's « deal of character in the wear of ashoe. Every clever detective knows that. Give a good detective the imprint of a griminal’s foot on ialding onl and he can sise man © well, especially oe berrather worn. ‘Thats ihe ‘only thing © man can't disguise. Lots of first-class detective Stories have been written on this, but thero is She Was « Bright Little GirL From the Chicae Herald. Ins St. Louie parlor car the father eat on one side of the aisle and the mother and their eight-year-old daughter sat on the other side. The father was a good-looking young man, and there was nothing about his appearance to show that he was connected im any way with the little girl and her mother across the aisle. The mother was reading novel; tha little girl was reading a speiling bapk. The pretty young woman in the next seat cast sheeps’ eyes at the father, who looked flattered but em! | ‘Then the young woman coughed and the father winked. ‘The whole carload of passengers cept the mother saw the little play. The eight- yemt-old daughter watched it from behind her book, "When it had gone far enough she read oud: “Hunk eat the mother: “Hush,” 10 mother: “rend to 3 dear,” and she returned to her pares assengere saiggered. Presently the good- ‘king young woman turned to the father and said with the sweetest of smiles: “Won't you please fix this window blind? The sun annoys mae. ‘The father blushed and stepped bis | queue lene Girl read te the same bold, clear tones: nothing remarkable about it to me. The in- i im a footprint is the individuaiity of tae wearer of a shoe and I've been noticing ‘that for thirty years.” IF A WAR, WHAT THEN? How Uncle Sam Could Fight Chile if Forced To, PREPARED TO MEET AN ENEMY ‘The Relative Strength of the Two Countries Compared—The Formidable Capitan Prat and What That Vessel Could Do—A Possible Naval Battle Off Vaiparaiso and Its Proba- ble Results—Troops for War—The Prospects for an Indemnity. — 8 HAS BEEN EVIDENT TO EVERYBODY for some time past, the United States govern- ment bas been making strenuous efforts to pre- pare itself fora war with Chile While it now looks as if there would be anamicable settlement everything is in readiness to make » bold strike to uphold the dignity and honor of our coun- try. A Stan reporter learned that the plan of war, from the declaration of hostilities to the final surrender of the foe, has been for some months pest locked ap in safe at the Navy Departmont. Itonily remains for Congress to touch the button and instantly the whole machinery of war springs into action. Fieets of floating fortresses, clad in steel and pregnant with de- struction, would be set in motion. Armies Would leap into being, as if from the sowing of the fabled dragon's teeth. Ina twinkling they would be equipped with arms and ammunition, provided with subsistence and hospital service, and be off for the acene of conflict. ‘THE CAPITAN PRAT. The Navy Department's chicf anxiety at Present, supposing the event of war, concorns the monster cruiser Capitan Prat, which was launched «short time ago in France. She is one of the most formidable armored battle ships in existence, being probably able to whip in & fair tight any two of our own vessels ex- cepting only the Miantonomoh. Her army ment consists most importantly of four 934 meh guus in cupolas and six G-inch rapid-fire guns. Each of the latter can fire five aimed shots minute, The work of equipping her for active service has been pushed might and day for three months past, and she is all but ready to steam across tho Atlantic. Her desti- nation woud not be the south Pacific, but the coast of the United States, on any part of which she can swoop down and heip ‘erself to what she wants. save New York, where the Miaatonomoh hes. THE TERRIBLE MIANTONOMOR. The latter is a monitor with two turrets, each holding two ten-inch rifled guns that can fight effectively at a distance of seven miles. So long as she protects that harbor the Capitan Prat annnot lie outside of Sandy Hook and de- siroy the city from eight miles away with shot and shell. In one respect the Miantonomoh would have a great advantage over the Prat, inasmuch as ehe,can let water into her hold so as to sink her deck beneath the surface during action, Icaving only her turrets for a target. Aduel between such tremendous antagonists would be appalling indeed. Unfortunately the Capitan Prat isa swift ocean racer, able tosteam- € a8 fast as the monitor, and, although e would not be able to attack New York ccessfully, it is said that nothing could pre- vent her from appearing off Bostor, Charlcs- ton orany other important port on the Atlan- tic coast ‘and levying tribute to the extent of hundreds of millions of dollars as an alternative to bombardment. The coast line is at present protected by only three unarmored cruisers, save for the Miantonomob, which eould not possibly leave New York. THE OLD MoNIToRS. The Capitan Prat isa vessel of very much the same type as the New York, which was Jaunched the other day, although a trifle smaller. Uniuckily, the latter cannot Le equipped and made ready for service inside of several monthe time. Ithas been urged that use might profitably be made in thisemergency of the old monitors, which have been keptin expensive repair by Congrats ever since the re- bellion. Of these Hoating forts with single tur- rets there are now seven in the James river, threeat League Island, near Philadelphia, one at New York and one’ at Annapolis Though somewhat out of date as fighting machines it ia claimed by some they could do effective work in harbors at close quarters, and might be dis- tributed to advantage among the seaportsalong the seaboard, being manned by the weil-dis- ciplined naval milita. By a lucky shot one of them Fey even disable such # ship as the Capitan Prat. WHERE THE NAVAL FORCE 18. At present nearly the whole of the naval force of the United States is gathered in south- ern waters. In the south Atlantic are the Chi- cago, Atlanta and Bennington. On the Pacific station a Baltimore, Charleston and Sau Francisco—all three of them very formidable ships. The Boston and the Yorktown are at Valparaiso. ‘THE FInsT STEP taken on our side would presumably be to seize Sandy Point, in the Straits of Magellan, for a coaling station, proceeding thence toVulparaiso, where there would doubtless be a great battle. On their side the Chileans would be represented in the conilict by three cruisers of the best modern type—the Esmeralda, the Presidente Pinto and the Presidente Errazuriz. In addi- tion to these they would have two extremely etlicient torpedo cruisers—the Almirante Lynch and the Almirante Condell. ‘The Charleston and the Esmeralda would be very evenly matched, while the Yorktown and Bennington might individually handle the Pinto and Errazuriz. Although somewhat inferior to the latter in point of armament, this disadvantage would be more than made up per. haps by the superiority of the United States ships in discipline and marksmanship. Be- sides the vessels mentioned the enemy could bring into the fight half a dozen old-fashioned ironclads, three of which would be apt to be troublesome, Nevertheless, owing to their ob- solete pattern, our unarmored cruisers might tackle them successfully. THE CHILEAN TORPEDO BOATS. But the most dangerous antagonists of all would be the torpedo cruisors and about a dozen swift torpedo boats belonging to the Chileans, which, taken all together, constitute one of the most efficient fleets of the kind in the world. Not only wouid they be formidable on account of the peril from their torpedoes, but by reason of their moral influence. A few rapid-flying torpedo boats hovering about « squadron would do a great deal to frighten and unnerve the adversary. There is au uncom- fortableness about the fecling of uncertainty whether one is going at almost any moment to be blown to kingdom come that is calculated to upset the stoutest courage. So evenly matched would tne combatants be that the caruage would certainly be terrific, and two or three of our big war vessels would very likely be blown up or sunk before the battle was settled. What would happen if onr little navy should be beaten and badly crip pled in such a fight is most unpleasant to con- template, considering the fact tuat only these few Hloating forts exist to afford protection to this country, otherwise ao ontirely defenseless, A million men, well armed and organized, could de nothing, to protect the cities on the seaboard against hostile cruisers. Taking these facts into consideration it is not surprising that these plucky South Americans should imagine they havea fair show for success in a on- flict with the United States. LIKE THE ALABAMA. Another danger to be feared in event of war is that our commerce would be se- riously threatened. Suppose, as is not unlikely, that Chile should purchase and mm three or four’ swift single-screw teamera, Until hostilities were declared she and thither, ravaging wherever she went. The are a big place to play hide and seek in, retin de; entered Hil Ps THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D.C. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1892—SIXTEEN PAGES. Before the city could be ‘obably the Chileans would not attempt to te of the port by means of their Hevlog sized Valpatning,pommnion woud be taken of Iquique, which’ is the port of the nitrate At both places coal would be — great on of = fuel being util at ique for re} ion of sialon “tte, coal. veel eer ae utmost value to our vessels, and for that reason it would doubtless be set on fire for the purpose of destroying it. The chances are, however, that most of it could be saved by sealtering it with torpedoes and extinguishing the flames with water. The question woul then remain to be determned whether to in- vade the country or to hold the ports and the nitrate fields, upon which Chile largely depends for her revonue, until she chose to surrender. In all likelihood the latter courso would be adopted in view of the great difficulty of pro- viding for the subsistence of an army ina hostile region #o far away from s base of sup- plies. To march upon the capital city of Santiago, eighty miles distant inland, through a strange and excessively mountainous dis- trict would be to invite disaster. The best that r it is held by war wiseacres, all considered, would be to retain control of the coast. forts in the horseshoe-shaped’ harbor of Val- captured. SUPPLIES OF COAT A large fleet of steamers would have to be purchased immediately upon the declaration of war for the purpose of carrying coal to supply the ships in the southern waters. Such col- liers would be capable of carrying 3,000 tons each.and it ia easy to see that a good many would be required when it is considered that each of the big war vesselx consumed while in active service more than 1,009 tons a month. Supplies of the fuel would be drawn from the ficids in Wyoming, which would send up the price of coal in that part of the country out of sight and occasion a famine of the article in Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota region. The problem of provid- ing a flect of ba:tle ships with coal 6,000 miles from any source of supply would bea novelty in warfare. Necessarily the colliers would have to be conveyed by cruisers to prevent them from being captured. The dificulty to be thus overcome would be # serious embar- rassment. FOR THE TRANSPORTARION OF TROOPS to Chile all necessary arrangements could be made very quickly. Every available ocean steamship in Pacific waters would be hired for the purpose. One such vessel of good size could carry 2,000 soldiers, those for whom buaks could not_ be provided slecping in their biankets on the decks. The troops would prob- ably be shipped over the Southern Pacific ral- way to San Diego, where they would be put eboard the transports, which would be con- veyed by the cruisers Hultimore and San Francisco. Together with them would go the transports of the hospital corp For this latter use mercantile transformed into proper shape within less than & week from first notice according to plans all ready at the War Department, fitted up with beds and duly equipped for the reception of sick and wounde: THE HOSPITAL CORPS is an organization supplementary to the medi- cal staff of the army. Its privates serv nurses, while for every ten privates there is a hospital steward, who acts as an apothecary, compounding medicines, and also supervising the preparation and serving of food. In the field a private attends each surgeon as his or- derly, carrying « canteen of water, a knife and pouch containing surgical instruments, band- ages, &c. Chile is a member of the Red Cross League, and her soldiers would therefore in no case fire upon the hospital corps, whose officers and assistants are distinguished by a badge and bear a flag with a red Maltese cross on @ white ground. THE UNITED STATES MILITIA. There are 106,000 militia in the United States, and they would doubtless be summoned first todo duty. Congress would call upon the states, each for ite quota of the number of sol- diers required in proportion to population. Beyond this. if more are needed, it has the power to create any number of regiments, and this would be done by extablishing recruiting stations all over the country. It is estimated that 5,000,000 volunteers could be sec ‘There ‘are now in the United States available men for military duty. fact which Chile probably does not re own entire population being less than 000.000. Her spunky little regular army consists of about 20,000 wartiors, each one of whom in his own opinion is able to whip at least ten Yankees. ‘The estimate which these people have ef our courage ig indicated by the tact that a bull which runs away at one of their bull fights is called jeeringly a “Yankee bull.” ‘They actu- ally believe that we are much less civilized than themselves; in fact, that we are comparatively barbarous. SUPPLIES OF ARMS AND AMMUNITION. There are plenty of arnis on hand wherewith to quip the United States volunteers. In the arsenals are 300,000 Springfield rifles, in addi- tion to those belonging to the militia, each man of whom has his gun. ‘There are 1,000 tons of gunpowder on hand—enough to blow up ail South America—and 50,000,000 cartridges, ‘The government factory at Philadelphia can turn out 100,000 cartridges a day, without counting the capacity of the private armaconcerns. Iu the way of ordnance there are in readiness for use ten batteries, each including six light steel breech-loading guns, not to mention plenty of heavier siege guns. The new Schroeter guns, which can throw a storm of explosive shells, would be likely to seriously demoralize even the Chiloans. The latter are equipped with repeating rifles, whereas the Springfield weapon is only a single loader; but the relative value of the single loader and the magazine arm is by no means settled as yet in favor of the latter. Thecretically the more shots that can be fired the better: but the fact is that soldiers in battle are apt to pop away without taking much aim when they have magazine guns to shoot with, while the man who loads for each discharge marks down his target every time he fires. With the Spring- field rifle six shots a minute can be placed to advantage. The objection urged against the magazine gun would seem to apply particuiarly in the case of the impulsive Chileans, whose method is to empty their weapons and then rush in with their curved knives. In their conflict with Peru they gave no quarter whatever in battle. TO PROVIDE FOR THE SUBSISTENCE OF AN ARMY 6,000 miles from home would belikely to prove a serious problem. ‘Ten thousand men in the field would require each month 225,000 pounds of cannod meat, 300,000 pounds of hard bread, 160,000 pounds of baked beans, 24,000 pounds of Toasted coffee and 45,000 pounds of sugar. Asa partial substitute for hard bread they would have while on dry land flour and yet carrying Dutch ovens for baking purposes. ‘To feed the crews on board the ships proportion. ate supplies would be required of salt pork, hard tack, flour, preserved meat, rice, dosic. cated vegetables, coffee and sugar. For the, troops great quantities of extra clothing would have to be carried along, because in active service w suit of clothes and a pair of shoes wear out in ao week or two, Soldiers, however, are granted no extra allowance for the unusual wear and tear of war, being obliged to pay for everything they get that isextra. Itis worth mentioning, incidentally, that, in the event of hostilities it would bo ‘ neceseary to fill up the decimated engineer corps of the navy with civilians, be- cauwe no engineers could be spared from the battle ships to convey prizes home. ‘THE PROSPECT OF INDEMNITY, Perhaps the most pleasant aspect of this otherwise uncheerful subject is found in look- ing forward to the indenmity which Chile would eventually be obliged to pay to the United States, in addition to the cost of the For this money the, nitrate fields and guano deposits would be held as security until their revenues had yielded the required amount. One hears a great deal of the nitrates of Chile, of nitrate of soda, left behind by ancient long since d: bea Sd which this was brought by water filtering through the soil. THE NITRATE DEFOsrS. ‘These deposits are found in a narrow strip extending for 260 miles along the éast side of the range of mountains which walls the western edge of the continent from northern Peru 2,000 miles to the Straits of Magellan. On these whatever grows, and the Hil , drawn upon to the extent of about $25,000 tons annually. THE GUANO BEDS. It fs im this same province of Tarapaca, ceded to Chile by Peru, that the most valuable eposits of guano now remaining exist. There ‘are 1,800,000 tons there in sight. From 1840 to 1872 the deposits of the Chincha Islands wore mainly relied upon for guano, and during that period 7,000,000. tons were mined, thus nearly exhausting the supply of that locality. Since then other islands have furnished more or roag market. For nguins, ganne cranes, cormorants and. flamingoes ‘have fre: quented those waters in countless numbers because of the vast shoals of fish which they contain. Their droppings | ac- cumulated for cent century in their favorite haunts, so that the deposits are in places as much as fifty or sixty feet depth. The beds, however, are not wholly formed of their excreta, having been durin; thousands of years the breeding places an cemeteries of seals, sca lions and othor crea- tures, which added to them during life and left their bodies behind when they aed, By digs TO! mass it is foun hee Oa there is s hard layer of what is called “rock guano,” consisting of | & (mixture of | dro pings, bones and other substances difi- cult to analyze, Noxt above comes a stratum of “seal guano” containing much seal fur, and the uppermost layer is of “‘bird guano,” filled with mummified birds, feathers, &c. The ma- terial is appraised for market according to chemical analysis, the best quality bringing $65.9 ton. It is certain that, with such mines as theee to draw upon, there ‘will be no troubl in case of victory in getting any money back which may be spent by the United States oft war with Chil A CHAT ABOUT CIGAR SMOKERS. ‘Tell Me What You Smoke and I'll Tell You What You Ai From the New York Recorder. Do you smoke? If you do, why not, at leisure, have a little chat about cigars, cigat nd smokers. But I do not advise you to the brand you are just now smoking. It is too dark, it smells of yesterday's damp at- mosphere, its ashesare black as a traitor's soul. The treasures of Havana, formerly the exclusive enjoyment of the opulent classes, are now within the reach of almost any one, and when crops are short in Cuba, Mexico, Virginia and the Carolinas supply the de- ficiency. There are etgars of many different titles, most of them highly sounding, like the Span- ish hidalgos by whom they were named. There sre Cayados, Prensados, Trabucos, Londres, Regueros, Pzincessas Caballeros, Crevas, P~in- cipes do Galles, Flor Finos, Esparteros, Cemer- ciantes, Cazadores, Medias, Regalias, Simpies, Regalias de la Reina, Jenny Lind, Adelina Patti, Divina Sarab, Imperiaies, Imperadores, Con- ghas, Bolivar, Libertadores, Conquistadores, C. It is for the “connoisseurs” to exercise their preferences and to contend for the very best. there are degrees in tobacco, as in wine, and the Havana brand has its pedigree, as have Chateau Yquem and Chambertin. Ike “Figaro” or the ‘Henry Clay” has each peculiar aroma. In the kingdom of tobacco, in the empire of love, among cigars, asamong women, there is always the eternal and inevita- ble rivalry betwoen tho blonde and the brn- net, the dark and the light, the strong and the mild, but in the smoking world, as elsewhere, if the brunettes are generally strong the blondes are not always mild. Atrue smoker must never selects moist cigar, but at the same time he must not take too dry one. As the Latin philosopher said: “In medio tutissimus ibis.” The supreme felicity of the emoker depends also in great measure upon the manner in which he lights his cigar. To verify its pecu- liar aroma ‘one has first to draw the smoke through the nose. To recognize a regular smoker is an easy task—-his lips always betray him. ‘The man who resolutely puts his cigar deeply in bis mouth is a firm, decided man of action, quick in movement, perhaps brusque, but generally good hearted. The youngster who cuts the end of the cigar with the teeth is rather insouciant, careless of future dental sufferings. The bald-Leaded young man who calls for a penknife to cut the end of the cigar isa man judicious in council, methodical in his ways and well balanced. The one who piaces his cigar in an amber holder is recherche in his tastes and stylish in his habits. The man who holds it with a silver clasp ig @ dude. ‘The man fond of light-shaded cigars is fond of the ballet, light performances, Offenbach music, comic opera and shepherd- esses in water colors. He is also probably fond of fishing and boating, 1s generally romantic and is considered asa passionate waltzer. ‘The one who prefers dark-shaded cigars may be supposed a daring and fortunate gambler, an audacious and successful lover, rather fond of Leopold Robert and Regnaut's vivid pictures and Verdi's music; he is partial to racing and wild bunting. ‘The man who buys his cigars without ex- amination and only because they are tied in packages with ribbons pertumed by the Cuban peddler’s wife is of confiding disposition, pre- sumably an obedient husband anda credulous stockholder. The one who smokes his cigar most to the end is by all m persevering character, a faithful friend and a constant lover; the one who throws it away when only half smoked is bluse. The man who allows it to extinguish itself often and lights it again is absent-minded, thoughtful, but indulgent, a good fellow, inclined to tolerance, taking men for what they are, women for what they are not; taking times’ as they come, he lets the stream of life flow gently by. The ‘“‘connoisseur” must be very_carefnl when cigars show little yellow spots. If spots appear in consequence of unequal drying the cigar is horrid. If made by small worms the brand is generally exquisite, as worms prefer to attack the best flowers, the best fruits, the best leaves. In any caso the cigar is not the true smoker's best enjoyment; it is a kind of compromise between the cigarettes of the “‘coquette” and the short pipe of the cynical philosopher. —_—+eo —___ PECULIAR EYES, Curious Affliction of an English Gentleman Described by Himself, James Shaw, in Nature. I labor under the peculiar inconvenience of having aright eye of normal power andashort- sighted left eye. ‘The numerals on the face of a clock five-eighths of an inch high are visible tothe right eye at twelve fect distant, but in order to discern them as clearly with my left eye I require to bring that organ of vision as near to the figures as eight inches. On looking at my gold chain hanging on my breast in day- light and with both eyes, the chain, colored yellow and toward the left, is perceived by the right eyo, while steely-blue chain, another, yet the same, is porceived about an inch to the right and o little higher up. By arti- ficial light the same phenomenon presents itself, but the difference of color is not so apparent; the yellow to the right is only dimmer: | Again, when Nature is being read with the short-sighted eye there appears, about an inch to the left, part of the same column, small, and the black, under arti- ficial light, like weak pur; ‘The right-hand side of this ghostlike columnis lost to the right eye, being commingled with, the larger, dar lotters seen by the short-sighied left, which cover it like the more recent writin ona palimpsest. Middle life was reached before the discovery was mai experiences must be gone through with intent, for objects generally pry Tweens altogether with the Fight eye, all that the left seems good for is to supply a little more light. The perception of the difference of color is as good with the one @ as with the other, and the short-sighted ‘9 brave man and s dashing officer. During one of the hottest engagementsof the terrible year, i ‘Written for The Evening Star. SHELL HEAPS OF THE POTOMAC. Interesting Things Which the Bureau of Ethnology Has Got Out of Them Recently. BUREAU CF ETHNOLOGY HAS RE- cently been engaged in an investigation of the great beds of oyster shells which mark the sites of ancient Indian fishing villages along the tide waters of the Potomac, Susquehanna and Delaware rivers. In the Potomac the ocean tides reach as far Up as Georgetown, but the water is not salt enough for oysters until one gets about eighty miles down the stream below Washington. From that point on the ancient beds of bivalves are found along the shores, in many places some of them being of enormous extent. In days gone by there were plenty of oysters somewhat farther up the Potomac than is now the case, as is shown by the shell mounds on the banks. Since then the freshening of the water and the encroachments of mud have driven the mollusks southward. INDIANS AND OYSTERS. Savages generally seem to have found in oys- ters asustaining and palatadle food supply. At all events those tribes which have lived near the sea have usually resorted to them asa diet wherever found. Consuming the meats they left the shelis behind them, scattering them about their dwellings and thus forming in the course of time vast accumulations As the heaps grew the more or less temporary dwell- ings were uplifted upon them, and one finds by ‘ligging into them stratum after stratum of the remuins of generations gone by. In such shell heaps the archwologist traces the history of The debris of their food suppiy ndreds of years perhaps compozes a mass covering often hundreds of acres, in which are mingled remnants of the most varied descriptions—flint weapons, implements of many kinds, objects ot prehistoric art and fragments of the very vessels in which the oysters were cooked. ‘TRACES OF ANCIENT DWELLIXOS. On all the shell fields of the oyster region of the Potomac are visible to this day traces of ancicnt dwellings. In many cases the sites of hundreds of houses are marked by depressions in the surface, the shells having been piled up around the lodges as fast as they were emptied. ‘Throughont the beds, which are sometimes ten and oven twelve feet in depth, the shells from the top to the bottom of the inass are excel- lently preserved, so that they might almost be imagined to havo beon opened within a few months. This fact is very interesting in iteelf, inasmuch as it proves that the oysters were not opened by breaking the shells, but by cook- ing. fechaps most of them were roasted, but there is reason for surmising that a steaming process was generally resorted to, by heating stones and placing the bivalves upon them, covering the whole with moist seaweed. ‘This method is followed at the present day at so- called clam-bakes, which illustrate a process of cookery that was undoubtedly learned trom the Indiana originally. The latter were accus- tomed for centuries before Columbus discov- ered America to indulge in clam-bakes of their own on a great scale, whole tribes coming to the seacoast for that purpose period: making such occasions as joyously possible. FISHING STATIONS. The shell-heap villages referred :to were, in fact, fishing stations, some of them occupied Permanently and others only temporarily. From the remains found in the beds, such as deer antlers, turtle bones and fish bones, it is evident that these people of autiquity were hunters also and got other food from the waters besides oysters. It is believed that from these fishing stations not merely the local population was supplied, but tribes inland als 80. The Indians are thought to have had a Process for drying oysters, which they dis- posed of in great quantities by trading. It is easy to imagine that the savages of tne inte- rior would Lave relished such sea food quite as heartily as the people of western cities today enjoy canned oysters and clans. NOT ALL 80 ANCIENT. It would be @ mistake to suppose that all of these shell remainsare of great antiquity, in- asmuch as the heaps were occupied as fishing stations by the Indians up to a comparatively recent period. In fact, they are so in some instances, even to the present day. On the Potomac there is at least one such settlement now. Before the white man came to America all this great oyster-produciag region belonged to the great confederacy of Algonquins, gov- erned by the powerful chieftam Powhatan, whose daughter Pocahontas rescued Capt. John Smith and whose blood runs red in veins of so many proud families in this coun- try at present. ‘This was the most extensive and by far the most numerous confederation of savages that ever existed, spreading as far west as the Mississippi river and cover- ing an area equal to half that of the United States. But Powhatan and his people, whose settlements in and about Washington and along the Potomac numbered many thousandsof inhabitants, were compelled to yield to the paletaces, who, with an instinct for destruction which is their dominant char acteristic, are now fast wiping out the oyster beds with dredges. a NEVER HAVE TIME TO SHAVE. ‘Men Can Spare Hours for All Sorts of Idle- ness, but the Barber Must Rush. From the Chicago Herald. “Shave me just as quick as you can,” said the man as he hustied imto the barber's chair. “T am in a great hurry.” ‘The barber performed his office in the si- lence that marks the excellent workman, but whether direction spurred him isa matter of doubt. When he had finished, tipped his cus- tomer out of the chair and was tucking the towel about the neck of his next patron, he broke silence and inquired: “Did you hear that man tell me to hurry?” “Yes. Why?” * “Because I have known him about ten years, end he is always in a great hurry in the barber shop. He drinks a good deal, but he is never ina hurry at the saloon. He will go from here straight to Toper's Tavern on Dearborn street, and he won't go out of there foran hour. He will not do any business, and he knows it be- fore he goes He will simply loaf there till he can find ne further excuse possible, aud thea he will go to his office. He will spend three hours and as many dollars in the saloons every day, and he will grieve and fuse and hurry up everybody when it comes to shaving. Slee always have time to sit at thelr desks doing nothing, they are never in too much of a burry at the club, they have time enough to stand for an hour any day on. the street and look at women, they can time in bed and at breakfast, but when they come to the barber shop they are in frantic haste. Yet,if a hurry- ing barber happens to scratch them they get him discharged. A well-shaved man is re- spectable, no matter what clothes he has on. ne who ‘needs shaving looks disreputable, I don’t care what he wears. “When a thing amounts to that much, if I didn’t have time to shave decently I wouldn't shave at all.” ‘Then the barber moistened the ball of his About Fat Kings, From Temple Bar. ‘The elderly King of Bavaria, of heavy build, with a dull, surly face, looked like a stout Ger- to the i i REEL ; i é i £ 5 [ i ; i i I t Hy i E { i i F i Es I Le fi i i ‘ rT E < / g t F i it i : i i i | SEA SNAILS AND THEIR Dyes and Many Other Valuable Things Which They Are Made to Contribute. S6QUNAILS THAT LIVE IN THE SEA ARE useful for very many more important pur. poses than most people imagine,” said a nat- uralist toa Stan writer. “Some of them, known as ‘winkles,’ are used to a great extent for food in England, being sold at the street corners | in the cities, where they are estecmed a great luxury by the poor. On the North Atlantic const we have certain species of whelks which might be made to serve admirably for eating affording « cheap and nutritious diet. Even in the waters of the far Arctic these gastero- Podsare found in great numbers, where they sometimes supply a means of subsistence to castaway whalers and other voyagers who would otherwise perish of starvation. On the other hand, some univaives dos great deal of damage br de- stroying oysters in beds, drilling through the shells with their file-like tongues and » ing out the occupants of the houses into | which they have thus forced an entrance. The conch, instead of drilling like the whelks, seizes the unfortunate bivalve with its power- ful ‘foot’ and crushes of muscular power, as nt in the fist. arly every one has seen t would smash an ous ‘ear oF “sea necklaces,” wh found pieniifully onocean beache the egg cases of ® number of small disk-sh: tached along a sort of xte being in the middle. is a little spot of thin: which the young break th ready to be hatched. When the opod is about to she bi 1 from the surface of which the ‘neck of eggs is gradualiy extruded. Being thus ec adritt and exposed to the elements as well to devouring enemies few of the eggs are ever hatched, but those which do come into the world safely and survive doubtless live toa very great age. HOW TYRIAN PURPLE WAS MADE. “Two kinds of boring sea snails supplied in ancient times the most famous of all dyes, known as Tyrian purple, which was considered too splendid to be worn by any but kings and nobles. One pound of wool dyed with it was worth $175, the process by which it was ex- tracted being very tedious and six pounds of dye liquor being ‘required for staining a pound of wool. The liquor was procured by placing the very small whelks in a mortar and crusli- ing them. To this the animals exyacted from the larger shells were added, ax Well as a cer- tain proportion of urine and water in which the snails had been allowed to putrify. In the mixture thus compounded the cloth or wool to be dyed was soaked, being afterward exposed to light. Chemists say that by this process there Was effected a transformation of urie acid into purpurate of ammonia, termed for short ‘murexide’ because one of the two species of snails used was the murex. The other species Was what is known as the purpura. “The murex and purpura were mixed in the process in the proportion of two to one. Fab- Tics thus dyed bad a very surprising and beau- tiful effect of color, presenting metallic green reflections from one point of view and in others showing brown and purple tints. Chemists for some time imagined that the iridescence of the feathers of humming birds and peacocks was caused by a substance of the nature of murex- ide, butitisknown now that these brilliant hues are occasioned by astructure of the feath- era which breaks up the light. Murexide is now obtained from guano as well as from mol- Jusks, OTHER DYES FROM WHELKS. “Other whelks also yield dyes. If the shell of the purpura lapillus be broken there is seen on the back of the animal, just under the skin, a slender whitish vein, which contains a yellow lique linen with a small brash and exposed to the sun it becomes successively green, blue and purple, and finally settles into a brilliant un- changeable crimson. Housewives of New Eng- lund have growing abundantly on the seaside rocks in their neighborhoods little living bot- tles of indelible ink, not to be excelled in | beauty or durability’ by any manufactured product, since either acid nor alcohol will affect this juice of the whelk. “On the Pacitic coast are numerously found little shells of sea snails, of a species called the ‘olivella,” because of their resemblance to olives, out of which the Indians used to cut disks that were extensively used for coins. Conch shells, when ground, enter into the manufacture of porcelain. The rose-colored pearis of the pink conch are very valuable and have beautiful wavy sheen like that of watered silk. In the neighborhobd@” of the Bermndas the sea is extremely transparent. 60 that the fishermen can readily sce the horns of lobsters protruding from their hiding places in the rocks at considerable depths. To entice the crustaceans from these crannies they tic a lot of snails into s ball and dangle them in front of the cautious lobster. When he grabs the bali they haul him up. ‘Thrushes and other birds crush the shells of Innd snails and extract their juicy bodies, ax do also raccoons and wood rats, but woodland birds will not eat naked snuils be- cause the slime on them sticks to their beaks and spoils their feathers.” ee “SHOOTING DID HIM Go0oD.” ‘The Queer Story That Was Overheard om Western Train, From the Chicago Daily News. The train on one of the western railroads was climbing along and heavy grade, and was moving so slowly and making so little baug and rattle that the remarks of two men at the back of the car were plainly audible. One of the couple was doing most of the talking, and when he grew animated in his criticism of the character of a person known to both as “Jim,” he was led on to speak in this wise: “You sce, I'd lent Jim money, but so long as Thad cash in my clothes I never asked for it. i never do when # man assquare, ‘cause I know he'll pay me when hecan, But one day I was a little short and I went into the bar and I says to Jim: “Could you let me have a little of what you're owin’ me?’ He was tight and ugly and began to swear and kick and jaw about bein’ struck when he badu’t got only 15 cents tohis name. “All right,’ says L ‘Lain’t pullin’ no man’s leg when that's all he's got. Some other time'll do. “But he kept on a-kickin’ and a-swearin’ and sayin’ I wasn't no friend of his, and finally he worked himself up to the dightin’ piten, and, says he, with a reg'lar holler: ‘Yer rip-whack, blinkety-blank, come outside and I'll do you up.’ Well, I wasn't lookin’ for a fight, and I didn’t feel like fightin’ that day, anyhow. Hi: akind of acold. So I told him’ I wasn’t goin’ tohave no quarrel, ‘specially with him. for £ thought he'd come out all right when he'd got rid of his quart But he says again: ‘I’m goin’ to hurt yer the first time I meet ver. Then the boys they took him into the back room and I went home. But after that I was bound to carry @ gun, and I got my revolver out that night. Next mornin’ he was in Ned's -room at the boardin’ house, and Ne oor bein’ porn Teeied in cal ons on my way to pag Ga = lookin’ at?’ says ill ugly. ¢ “Fer what?’ says he. *" Tm after you warnin’me that I'm hurt,’ says L He sat do: and ‘started on. By —, turned and step; as quick as 0 gave hima closes in ant and EF | # I i i { i : L | Hi : i 8 £ F F r i fi : Lint it, by the sheer exertion | When this liquor is applied to | WHAT A CYCLONE DID, Scene in a Side Show North Carciies During @ Gale. From the New York World. A strolling showman bad set up his teat near the railroad depot ma North Carolina town. All along the front tent were | pictures of fat women, ossified men, bos constrictors, living rkeletons, mormaids jand other choice spring and summ fabrics, and business promised to be good Just before noon a queer-looking cloud came | ap in the southwest. Thero was s roar and a frowl and a young cyclone came tearing along, | Ik bi | 2 mill and a barn or twoand When it passed on there There wasn't show- st trace of on, a Circassian girl the «ligii nan, a til oF the only gay | m North America. | Acrowd of us wer 49 it was known arred, and | the propr two saw logs. con as he bad tak ¥ to direct The lying between h hurt, and as whisky be was ‘b after his curiosi- > was down on tl nds, was found ine t fat woman half ber w in a gre He had escape jand was as cheartal Shandtul of bones under Wale he was being aght in | arm he a d that he was hi in twenty years, and wl: of it his hauds went up aga: “It's just my cor holierin’ for pork ar | and afore the we sand wo Inck. jess'n an gnin heleion ne over forty be hour, twon! m i been run down the owe ant hited € into an orchard. j Thad tie cists rot escorting ber | back had an wig’ and other articies necessary to become n Citeaminn beauty and she was maa head |to foot. She had nev way. and it wasn't “Great snakes, at her!” wailed the “Thirty minates ago she rl ever eahibit ‘§ found the bon constrict was @ quarter of a mile away in a topo m Garden. He wasdead. He het lees deat e Great man years, though be war kep m™ @ glass ca. d there was a “Do not agitate the imp crash an ox in two min king the stuffed skin Le! eu showman saw the mony rips noticed that the head was mnineing. came him and be had to «it wheel. While some of us wore sole ira by figuring out how he could boa constrictor up and make thr: anacondas of the pic an the mermaid ever shown on t had been und *, n colored m “the only genut: Americen stone deud, She se nm smiling at some joke the living skeleton had got off on the fat woman just as tie cyclone came into town, for there was a grin plensure on the cre sappored to represent |her mouth. She bad dicd 2b pps, but when the acgro laid her down before tue sh w= man in four chunie and tiree } j Splinter, the poor man turned his tae was un one. Nothing else co | hunted all that atternoon for t Jand the cunderango, but the escaped to the woods to hos gore us the darkuess fell and become terrors until hunted down by d J offered to the county for the ad been turning to for the last twenty-eight ye: and the sheriff said be'd raise a posse and go out and took for the wax figure of Gen. sacks mm Lieking the British at New Orleans, but the showman said it was no use. He had been crushed to earth, aud though he bad 400 pounds of fat woman and @ pretty fair living skeleton to staré life anew he could not do the phwuix act for shucks, —_+e-__- ‘The Irony of She was romantic, says the London Tid-Bits, Her father wasa milliouatce, whose life had been devoted to qusage maxing. He was practical | naturally, but all the poctry of the family was centered in her. She was beloved by another millionaire’s som, but che had been reading Tomance and stuff and when ho she declared he must do somciling poetical for her. “I tean I do?” “i. poor artist. Pe &n artist.” 3 d to be- come # poor artist. Pa does notknow you. You must com and make love to aod i will fail in love with you. Pa wili object 7 row. We will elope aud get m itis ali over we'll tell him aud it will be lightful.” And so he became « poor artist and rried and when took a poor studio, aud daubed on canvas and | pretended to paint pictures, And there | another millionaires daughter get to to his studio and sitting ior he those deligutfai the romantic aa: maiden came one arprise to run away with him she ihe was married to the other girl and had gone off on bis honeymoon. She thinks that Tomances are all lies wowand that nothing bap- pens in real life as it happens in books. as y to Jerusalem. From the London ivening Standard. The firet railway to Jerusalem will, we are | told, be opened in the spring of the coming year. It is a short line, ranning only from Joppa, the nearest port on the Mediterranean, and intenced to accommodate the growing pas- senger and ote- trafic between that place and the holy city. The work of construction is being carried out by a French company, who began laying down the line m April, 16). It is fully expected that the sp-culation will bea paying one The company auticipates, at all events, making large profits, after paying the shareholders a guaranteed imterest of 5 per cent. It is stated that over 40.00) persons land at Joppa every year, in order to make a pil- grimage to Jerusalem and other spots ccle- brated in sacred history. Uhe number of steamers and other vessels putting into the | port of Joppa is now upward of 800 4 year, the destination of most of the passengers and mer- chandise they convey being the capital of Pales- tine. In evidence of the recent rapid growth of the trafic it may be mentioned that Joppa has trebled its population within the past thirty years. Tourists will be able to tai retura Yicket from the port in question and Jeravalem for 20 francs, and, what is more, they will be able to do the journey in a tar shorter time with infinitely greater safety than hitherto. ‘The rush of tourists from all parts of the civil- ized world to Jerusalem will, if the expectations of the promoters are fulfilled, be phenomenal in the lunmediate future. —_——_~———— ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper. From Puck. During an exceptionally fruitful summer en ant of sordid nature—by resource to contract Imbor aud similiar questionable means of ac- tlt i : At i ii |