Evening Star Newspaper, April 28, 1894, Page 14

THE. EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, WONDERS OF ROCKS Gldities of Minerals Discussed by Scientists. DO CRYSTALS HAVE LIFE? Quartz Fibers of Microscopic Thick- ness From Nature's Stores. PROBLEMS FOR EXPERTS agile (aitten fee The Evening Star. MONG THE MEM- bers of the National Academy of Sciences in session here last week a good many queer things in the world of minerals came up for discus- sion. Most interest- ing, perhapa, was the mubject of crystals, which, according to | Tecent theory, mani- fest symptoms of possessing a sort of | fe. They certainly do grow. If injured end broken, they redevelop into their cus- femary forms. Their vitality, though sus- ended for ages, is retained. The zoologist speaks wonderingly ‘of snails resuscitated by warm water after a score of years spent im a museum drawer, while the botanist ts amazed at the sprouting of seeds taken from the coffins of ancient Egyptian mum- | mies. But how much more surprising is it %o find that grains of sand, torn from their rocky beds ages ago and worn to round- ness by the waves of the ocean, will, under Proper conditions, reassume their original shapes of exquisite symmetry, with polish- e@ faces of geometrical regularity! Crystals of all kinds will build them- welves up and repair damages in this way 2 placed in solutions containing their own wlements. They seem to preserve their vi- | Ttalfty indefinitely, though it may be de- stroyed with acid or by the flame of a blowpipe. It might be said that while the Life of animais is brief and active, of plants slower and ionger, that of minerals is vast- ly more sluggish and prolonged. Science has | @iscovered that the first step in the forma- tion of crystals is the separation of minute Slobules from a solution. These globules arrange themselves according to mathemat- teal laws, building up skeletons of crystals, ‘which are afterward clothed and made com- plete Nature’s Fancies. Tt is no easy matter to construct a perfect eube—a six-sided body with each face a square. Yet nature turns out such objects ef symmetry in countless numbers off-hand. ‘allow a cupful of salt and water to evap- orate slowly in @ cool place and the salt will take the form of ever so many cubes as ac- eurately shaped as if designed by a geome- trician. Crystals of salt always assume that shape, sometimes measuring three | inches on an edge. Ali of the more impor- tant metals crystallize as cu:es, including gold, silver, copper and lead. Some crystals take very remarkable shapes. Those of | iron sulphide, tor example, look like wild Toses counterfeited in metal. There is a crystalline lime formation known as “land- scape marble,” which, when a slice of it is cut and polished, exhibits to the imaginative eye all sorts of wonderful pictures. Nature's freaks of fancy afford a strange gtudy. People are constantly sending to the Nationa! Museum supposed fossil animals and other oddities which are in reality mere accidental forms carved by water. A pebble im a stream gathers about itself grains of sand unti] an odd-shaped lump is made. A favorite shape for such lumps is that of a turtle, with four legs, a head and tail, even the lines of the shell being sometimes dis- tinct. Similar concretions of carbonate of fron and clay assume the appearance of petrified peanuts. Break one, and you will always find inside a small spiral winkle shell, which has served as the nucleus. A = counterfeit of this kind, forwarded to ‘ashington not long ago, was an alleged fossil foot of a child, with a little stocking fm er latter showing signs of wear on the of the foot and on the heel. It was | only @ concretion, as was likewise what ap- = to be a petrified oyster on the half Microscopic Quartz Threads. One eminent scientist has been amusing Bimself of late making imitation spider | webs out of quartz fibers. It is well known that copper wire can be drawn to a fineness much less than the thickness of a hair—in fact, to the diameter of a one-thousandth | part of an inch. But glass may be spun | finer than copper, while even the finest | wpun glass is not so fine as silk fiber. The | latter, however, is coarse compared with | the threats that can be obtained by melting | — under a blow pipe and pulling it out. | ch threads may be reduced to a thickness of one-millionth of an inch. Drawn to such temuity, they are invisible under a micro- scope of the highest power. Yet they are, stronger in proportion to their thickness} than the best quility of bar steel. Enough thread like this could be made from a rin- gle cubic inch of quartz to go around the World 658 times. A grain of sand barely large enough to be visible to the naked eye ‘would yield 1,000 miles of thread. Obviously, no practical use can be made ef threads so,extremely fine. Comparative- ly coarse ones were woven into cobwebs by the scientist aforesaid. They would not atch flies, because they were too slippery, bay no gluten on them like real cobwebs. This leulty was got over by moistening @ straw in castor ofl and gently stroking the threads with it. Then the webs cap- tured files fairly well. But a cobweb ts in- | complete without a spider. So it occurred to the experimenter to attract an arachnid to his web by the buzzing of a fly. It was | G@ifficult to make a fly buzz to order, but a Satisfactory imitation was produced by per- maitting a tuning fork to vibrate against the Quartz fibers. This fetched the spider right @way. The scientist also amused himself | ‘with blowing bubbles of quartz, which look- | ed exactly like the most beautiful soap bub- Problems to Solve. ‘The government scientists are dreadfully pusried sometimes by odd things sent to | them for identification. For a long time they | @ould make nothing out of a box full of gmall hard balls of fibrous material, stated | to have been picked up on @ western prai- fie, which were forwarded to the National | Museum. It was finally discovered that they were buffalo cuds. When the animals | were killed and cut up on the plains, the} uds were left behind—hard wads of dried | grass made compact with digestive gluten end calculated to remain intact for @n indefinite period. Another problem was | @ remarkabie stone of great hardness, which | when sawed through was very pretty to | Jook at, though it smelled exceedingly bad. It proved to be @ calculus from the bladder ef a hog. | People are continually mistaking tron Byrites for gold. They send tn samples to geological survey for assaying. It is @n error easily made, but anybody may tell the difference by scraping the stuff with a knife. If pyrites, tt will be hard; if gold, it will be soft and the knife will leave a shin- img mark. Quartz crystals pass in similar fashion for diamonds, and now and then a fragment of bottle glass, rolled to roundness im @ stream, will be taken for a sapphire or ether gem of enormous value. Likewise old alag from tron furnaces is supposed to be Ipeteoric tron. Some strange “fossil shells” forwarded to Washington a while ago were found to be ola and damaged specimens of “perfumed shells," which used to be made im molds out of scented clay or some such material. Geodes are frequently received by the geo- logical survey from persons who come across them. Nature's treasure caskets they might be called. They are nodules of chal- eedony, filled with beauti rstals. At beginning there was a cavity in rock. Water percolating into {t deposited silica in crystalline form. Sometimes the silica Was stained with tron oxides, and in such cases the nodules are lined with amethyst. It cften happened that the supply of water was cut of while the process was going oa, and thus produced a nodule containing water. There ars few things in nature more apereatin than a geode holding a bubble air and perhaps a gill or two of water— % be aeen through the translucent coat of the no€ule—which has been shut up in the Ite box for ages. When the rock contain- -& gecde ts broken open the latter falls A Stone for a Blotter. Ou the desk of one of the scientists at the meeting of the academy was a thin slice of light colored stone, He used it for @ blotter and it absorbed ink better than any bibulous paper. It was a piece of the new mineral blotting stone. The stuff Is a formation composed of sediment deposited by certain hot springs. It has been accumulating for ages in the locality mentioned, and is available in inex- haustible quantities. Highly porous, it will take up a surprising quantity of ink. The merchant will employ it incidentally as a paper weight and occasionally the office boy will scrape it off with a knife—an easy task, the substance being very soft— making it as géod as new. Speaking of bibulous stone, a new kind of white hy irophane has been found in Colo- rado which is remarkable for its power of absorbing liquids. When water is dropped slowly upon it it becomes and then by degrees perfectly transparent. been named the “magic stone,” and is com- ing Into use by jewelers for lockets, to conceal photographs or other objects which the wearer may wish only to reveal at pleasure. Not less curious, though compar- atively common, is the flexible sandstone, a slice of which is as easily bent as a limber stick. The alkaline substance having been dissolved out of it, the clayey matter is left, the grains of which are not held to- gether firmly. aff ig the matrix of This st diamonds in Brazil. One of the strangest of mineral sub- stances, by the way, is asbestos. It is a form of hornblende rock, which has a fibrous consistency, so that the material may actually be woven. Towels are made of it nowadays. They are quite economical for when they are dirty it is only necessary to throw them into the fire, and, on being withdrawn from the flames a few minutes later, they are as good as new and quite clean. The stuff is used for paper stock, fire-proof paints for stage scenery and gloves for handling red-hot iron. It was well known to the ancients, who employed it for napkins and lamp wicks, and also for wrapping bodies that were burned, to keep the ashes from being lost. Nature as a Manufacturer. It 1s odd to see natufe playing the role of glass maker. Volcanoes in all ages have been great producers of glass, which sav- ages have utilized freely for making cutting tools and weapons. Another agent em- ployed in this work {s lightning. When Humboldt visited Mexico his interest was excited by the extraordinary shining in the sun of the highest peak of the lofty Nevada de Toluca. At the risk of his life he climbed the mountain, and found at the top large areas of the rock covered with a thin coating of greenish glass. Lightning bolts had melted the silica in the rock, causing it to flow in the shape of glass. Similarly, bolts of Uightning entering beds of sand form tubes of glass, sometimes thirty feet and more in length, One of the most interesting scientific men in this country, Prof. Henry A. Ward of Rochester, earned his living when a young- ster by gathering and selling minerals and fossils. He frequented quarries, picking out of blasted rocks fossi] sea urchins, which he sold for a shilling apiece. From railway diggings and seaside cliffs he obtained fos- sil shells, while basalt workings for, stone posts yielded corals. As fast as he got to- gether a collection he would sell it, and the money thus obtained he vould squander in studying. On one occasion he visited the famous vineyard of Veuve Cliquot, where is found an outcropping of the great geologi- cal basin of Paris—a formation full of fos- ails. He asked permission to dig, but the super- intendent of the vineyards would not allow him to do so, lest the landscape scenery be injured. However, the officer in charge marked a place on the side of a bank, and told Mr. Ward that he could tunnel as deep as he liked. The collector employed two men at 40 cents a day, and soon struck a mine of fossil ceritheum giganteum shells— the largest univalve that ever existed. He sold a great quantity of them for several dollars apiece. On another occasion Prof. Ward was trav- eling through rural Japan, wheu he spied what looked like a row of metal currant bushes in front of a house. On inspection he discovered that the currant bushes were crystals of bright antimony, otherwise known as “stibnite’—a very rare and pre- clous form of the substance. In fact, only a very few bits of it were possessed at the time by museums and collectors. He bought the whole of the stuff for $75, afterward selling one-half of it for enough to pay all the expenses of a year’s tour through odd corners of the world. — or —____ HOW FAT PEOPLE MAY GROW LEAN. Prof. Schweninger, Bismarck’s Physi- cian, Tells How to Reduce Flesh. From the New York Tribune. Many stout people have drawn comfort from the treatment of Prof. Schweninger, the famous physician of Prince Bismarck. He has reduced many a “puffy” cheek and brought smiles of satisfaction to many a jolly face. At the request of friends and physicians he recently wrote an article on his “anti-fat cure,” which gives in con- cise terms the main facts about his treat- ment. After recommending daily massage and bathing the professor says: As to the kind of massage to be used in the case of stout persons, it may be said in general that the harder the massage of the fatty parts the better the effects. The pain often felt in the beginning of such a treatment will disappear as a rule in a few days, and what was a discomfort becomes later a pleasure. * * * As to diet, the principal nourishment should be meat—of any kind, hot or cold, and fat or lean—fish, oysters, caviare, lobsters, crabs, sausages, eggs, cheese, &c. Next to be recommended ara bread, white or brown; fruit, preserves, spinach, asparagus, cabbages, sauerkraut, cucumbers and green salads. As to drinks, water, soda water, fruft and lemon sirups, white wines and cider are to be recom- mended. Herrings and smoked flounders may be substituted for oysters, caviare, lobsters and fine fish, sausages for meat, cabbage for as] prunes for pre- purchased paragus, serves—all articles which can be cheaply. From this list it is shown that the fol- lowing articles of diet are to be avoided: Soups, potatoes, turnips, corn, macaroni, rice, pastry, butter and fats (so far as not used in the cooking of meat and ta bles). These liquids should also be avoided: Beer, red wines, milk, coffee, tea, choco- late, cocoa and whiskies. * * * The es- sential thing in our treatment les in the trict differentiation of individual cases. It advisable for the sufferer to accustom himself to small meals, taken often, if nec- essary, and to keep from drinking, as a rule, when he eats. If we give corpulent persons the same amount of food which they are used to taking in two or three meals in four, five or even more, the result in almost every case will be a lessening of the weight. * * * Heavy meals favor the building of flesh; small meals, on the other hand, tend to have the opposite effect, *** As a matter of course, the disappearance of the superfluous flesh shows itself more or less in the face, making the person look far from well. It is little wonder if the pa- | tient is greeted by friends with, “How {iil you look!” A discussion often follows, end- ing possibly with the remark, “Beware of such cures.” It costs those people who see health only in puffy cheeks little trouble to sow the seeds of discontent. The pa- tient has unfortunately not always the necessary iron will to resist these remarks, Gaily repeated, and begins to waver in fol. lowing out the treatment. It is therefore necessary for the physician to use his en- tire influence to crush away doubt and en- courage the patients. Women are often not to be consoled, however, because of the appearance of wrinkles. It should be re- embered that the skin cannot adapt it- if at once to the loss of flesh, but con- tracts itself later. By preaching patience this difficulty may also be overcome. a For Sally. From the Atlanta Constitution. It's ha ever ¥ shapes mornin’ Fer I the An’ she It's a little farm 'm a An’ the soil is kinder rough; Bat I'm workin’ it fer Sally, ‘An’ the crops grows fast enough, All day long I bear her singin’, An’ & lot of joy it brings; Wer there ain't vo song thaés sweeter ‘Than the sings. songs that Fer she sings because she’ happy, An’ I stop the plough an’ hoe, When I bear ber, feelin’ thankful That it's me bas made her so. She keeps the pails all shinin’, ‘An’ the bees a-workin’ hard; Quills the cows up fer the milkia’, ‘Trains the roses in the yard. “Wen the Nousekold trodbles press eo the household 1 With a kiss fer tuggia’ little Always at her Ob, it’s happy every mornin’, Brery evenin’ I will be; Feri the corn fer Sally, An’ she bakes the bread fer me! F. L. STANTON. —————_+e+—____~ Small Boy (to mamma, tucking his sister in bed)—“Tuck in my footses, mamma.” Small Sister (severely}—“You mustn't say ‘footses;" you must say feet. One feet is a foot and two fottses is feet!—Lite, SHOOTING A TIGER The Drama ofa Day's Hunt in the THE SUPERSTITION OF THE HINDOO Waiting on a Machan for the Lord of the Jungle. THE RAGE OF THE WOUNDED —o——— ‘Wettten ter The Brening Star. AHIB,” , conclusive proof Chin- neah pointed to one of whe tiger’s big square pugs, crossed by faint parallel zig- sags—the tracks of a beetle that never stirs abroad by day. We stood at a chur, @ meeting place of ravines, in the Ani- « mallai or Blephant mountains. It waa the heart of the “hill country” the great natural preserve of the world, a region unmatched for its variety and abundance of large game. Tiger hunting is a matter of almost scien- tific accuracy. Different modes of proced- ure must be adopted according as the ani- mal is a hunting tiger, a cattle lifter, or a man eater. With regard to this last, peo- ple who know what they are about never go out after one of these most dangerous and cunning of all beasts of prey without being prepared for a prolonged chase. But no sportsman thinks of starting off on a tiger’s track under the circumstances in which we were placed. If this had been a regularly organized expedition there would have been little dif- ficulty, barring accidents, in bringing this brute to book. But except those servants whom custom makes essential in India, with a few trackers of the forest tribe called Mulcers, ah and myself were alone A Lure for the Tiger. In our case there was no need of coun- cil, because practically the only way of getting within range of this tiger was to bufld a machan and make sure that he could have occasion to come there. The first thing to be done was to get two or three our buffaloes. Now “the gentle Hindu” will by no means sell them for such a purpose. He says that his soul would go through a great number of hells if he did. They will be in toward sunset, he remarks, and you know what this means end wait. When evening comes, having given the price to @ receiver, you go out and find the buffaloes tied up to bushes with straw ropes, To place them as tiger baits needs a knowledge of the ground. Likewise they Tmust be in good condition, or a brute of this kind, accustomed to choose the best animals, will inspect the captive and turn away. If a happens to be young, however, he will kill it for sport and prac- tice, the lu in such a way as not to suggest design. None of the great cats are so suspicious as tigers. They are always looking out for traps, and an animal so hampe! as not to seem as if it had been, caught by acci- dent would scarcely ever be touched. This may seem a cruel thing to do, but it is the only means in many cases of com- ing such a destroyer’s death, and it should be remembered that one of these will kilt at an average an ox or cow every four days, thus causing an animal loss to the community of about $500. If not slain this may go on for years. Apart from that, a direct menace to human life fs involved in its existence, for a man eater, except under very unusual circumstances, always begins by killing cattle, then attacks herds- — and ultimately descends upon the vil- es. Messengers were dispatched for live stock and I dozed and read and smoked the pipe of contemplation over Chinneah’s perform- ances. He had a little, ugly, disreputable idol. This he lugged about in a bag to work miracles, and, as soon as the tiger business was definitely entered into, my head hunts- man set to work to secure its aid. The manikin was propped up on a rock, its neck wreathed with wild flowers and the face painted bright red. Pieces of cocoanut and a ve of rice were placed in front of it Chinneah prayed. His orisons could not have been according to the ritual of any special sect, because the Manu-Smriti, or Holy Law, pronounces professional hunt- ers to be little better than outcasts. How- ever that may have been, his concluding remarks, which were in the nature of a personal communication, contained the pith of what he had to say. His swamy was re- quested to take notice that he had been car- ried about @ good dea) of late without any advantage. That he didn’t owe him any- having promptly paid for all his services—so few that often it had occurred to his mind to leave him in the jungle. Now was the time to bestir himself and get the better of those devils who protected tigers. That being done arrack enough to make him as drunk as Siva should be his, but if he wes idje, let him look out. The Tr: Set. By nightfall all was arranged; the buffa- loes had been staked out, rifies cleaned and hunting gear -made ready. The forest awoke to the full intensity of its nocturnal life, and sounds floated from its depths that quickened the pulse as they brought to mind possibilities that might be realized at any moment. Chinneah’s tall, gaunt form stalked into the circle of light, ani was followed by the Mulcers, who seated themselves with grave decorum. Then, seeing that such was my wish, they talked, ex views and recounting experiences. While yet jungle cocks were crowin; shrilly, and only the loftier bi above a world still wrap; in deepest gloom, our scouts went out, and by the time breakfast was over we had the cheer- ing intelligence that one of our lures was killed. This account, of course, came with oriental amplitude in all its proportions, so I mounted a tattoo that could climb like a cat and started off, accompanied by my gang, to see the spot. Unmistakable signs told the story of last night’s tragedy. W! hap- pened was as plain as print. The tiger came from a neighboring ravine, and after @ fashion followed in many instances by these cruel brutes, his attack had been de- layed, as if to enjoy his victim's terror. A few long bounds brought him within spring- ing distance; then he deliberately walked up, passed round and reund the place where it was plunging at its stake, and finally killed it. With his immense strength there was no difficulty in dragging the body free, and, as is almost invariably the case, it had been conveyed toward water, and lay beneath some bushes on the nalas edge. The buffalo had been seized in front, as its wounds showed. Then, probably becoming impatient at its struggles, or excited by the blood he was drinking, the fierce beast wrenched round its head, and broke its neck. After which he dragged the carcass off, ate most of the hind quarters, and was now lying v somewhere near until evening, when { might be expected that he woul return. The Mac! A machan ts a platform laid on the boughs of a tree, and one whose limbs spread at about fifteen feet above the ground stood at short range from the car- cass. Much has been written on the sub- ject of machans and their proper construc- tion, but the essential fact is that they are inventions made to prevent single hunters from being torn to pieces, in con- sequence of the uncertainty of aim attend- night shooting. ving made this construction as silently ed all for “stripes, astute, is not an animal to come blundering into places which present indications of man’s presence, nothing remained but to go back and await the evening. Waking from that midday snooze every- body takes in the tropics, there waited Chinneah, grayer than ever, looking as if he had been powdered with fino ashes. When we arrived at the scene of our enterprise, the Shikari quested like a hound, but no recent signs revealed them- selves. Then we climbed onto our perch, and he seated himself cross-legged at one end, his filmy eyes alight with excitement. Tiger hunting was a passion in Chinneah, and unsatisfied revenge added to its strength. His only son had been devoured by the man-eater of Barsda. To our right the ground pitched: down to the ravine's bed. There lay a large pool, reassuring sight to the hunter, who knows that during this hot season water is so scarce that many animals will surely come to drink. In front and on other sides the view was open, except for some scattered bushes and . & Forest Drama. Stolid and unimaginative must that man be who can try machan shooting and cry it down. Of all positions it is that in which most is to be seen of animal life, of wild beasts and their ways. They seldom look up—the larger ones never—unless their at- tention 1s attracted; thus that strange show of the wilderness which opens amid the solemn gathering of shadows goes on un- interrupted by the hunter’s presence. Our scene was changing. At first, but for the wide circling flight of birds of prey, heaven and earth seemed empty. But now bate and flying foxes wheeled through the dusky air and big horned owls flitted by on muffied wings. The bison’s deep-toned bel- low echoed on the mountain side, hoarse, somber barks sounded through the jungle, @ great rock monkey boomed from some distant cliff. and everywhere there was a stir of reawakening life and movement of forms momentarily visible. Here Chinneah’s low tones broke in upon my revery, saying, in soliloquy, “Ram! Ram! Ram! Truly it is not man.” “What is not a man?" I asked. “That,” he a swered, pointing to the half-eaten remains before us. “And who,” I rejoined, irritats at the interruption of my thoughts, “w! in the hame of all devils whatsoever sup- poses that it is a man?’ “Oh, utterer of emptiness!” ‘Be not enraged, sahib,” the Shikari replied, “‘Roa Dass, the uncle of my wife’s cousin”—and here, crouched on the p.atform like a hobgoblin, he told a tale of diablerie, which, seeing that about three hundred millions of men, mostly belonging to oe Ry stock, look upon the supersti- tion which forms its basis as an unques- tionable fact, may be repeated without apology. “Roa Dass,” he repeated, “was a patel, his herds were fat and his gwallas Many. Once in the jungle, while a man, faithful to his salt among these drivers of cattle, sat on his buffalo and sang, a tiger burst forth an tore him down. Thou krowest, protector of the poor, the cus- tem of those beasts. How, when the slayer comes, they combine and are willing to fight, which the tiger declines, for, tru- ly, claws and teeth are as nothing before a hundred pairs of horns. When Rao Dass came, with those who followed him, he mourned, raying, this was a good man {whom I will avenge. Let him lie there for as ; the tiger's destiny will bring him d from this tree will I send him to h ith my matchlock. What words are these, Oh, patel? Bholonauh, the copper- emith, returned. Dost thou not know that those who die by wild beasts are inimical to- ward the living? That their spirits guide @ maneater and sit upon his head. Not for the youth-giving leaf of Serendib would I watch here. But Rao Dass was a bold man, and even as a beast in obstinacy; there- fore did what he had said. Yet I say not, sahib, but that his heart smote against his ribs when dusk came, and there was a stir within the jungle, and he looked down upon the face of the dead. There lay the body till the beast came id stood looking from a distance. Then its arm was raised, and the hand pointed at Rao Dass, and his liver became as water, for he saw that its spirit was with the tiger. But his fame was great, and he encouraged himself, and remembered what he had sworn. Thus, while that son of the devil was gone he de- scended and staked the hand fast. But this evil one returned, and the body rolled on ite side and put forth the other arm.” a The Tiger. Here Chinneah’s eyes, which had been Sweeping the surroundings incessantly, riv- eted themselves upon a clump of bushes opposite, and the next instant an immense tiger stood before us. His close black bands, with rich, fulvcus interspaces, show- ed him to be in his full matvrity. Certain- ly he was beautiful, with a diabolical beauty such as no irrrate of a cage ever Pot wher, with soft, yet heavy, tread and gleaming eye and glistening fang the undisputed lord of Indian wastes ap- spar his prey. A ball from the Punly fo. 10 missed his head, which was held high, as tigers at view constantly hold it, but the line was true, and it crashed through his spine before the hips, his body ag backward on its paralyzed hind mM! There are many thirgs which will not go into wo What fcllowed was one of iglis tried to paint that awful, if impotent, outburst of rage. Sir uel Baker describes a lion thus shot.on the upper White Nile, others have depicted a tiger's death rally, but in face of the sight, language only belittles it That convulsed form tearing at itself, and striving with tremendous roarings to grapple, must be left to fancy. A bullet in the brain speedily ended his suffering, and Chinneah, after an immemorial custom of his kind, ‘cut off the long bristly mustache, and insulted the dead, reviling his female relations to the remotest generations. Then we built a big fire, for in these altitudes the nights are brought out creature comforts, and, ing exhilarated by another victim to his son's manes, talked in a way the writer Gévoutly wishes that he could luce, A ee Decided to Pep. From the Detroit Free Press. A Detroiter who came east from the Pa- cific slope via the Union Pacific road this spring fell In with an old chap in Wyom- ing one day, and started conversation by ebserving: “Some portions of this country seem to be excellent farming lands?” ‘Mebbe they ar’,” was the indifferent re- pl “Seems to be plenty of timber for all uses?" “Mebbe thar is.” “Going to be a great country some day?’ ‘Mebbe it ar’. suppose,” said the Detroiter, deter- ined to break down the other's reserve, juppose there is lots of game out here?” ‘Mebbe thar is,” was the monotonous re- ply. “T had an idea you lived in Wyoming?! “Mebbe I do." “Excuse me if I have annoyed you. Per- haps you don’t feel well?” “I'm feelin’ all right, but was kinder busy I won't interrupt you. Being a stranger, I was naturally interested in the country, you know.” “Yes, I know. Go ahead and ask any- thing you want to.” “But you are (hess AR “T've got through. It wasn’t much to think about, arter all. I live at Laramie. Ole Jim Doty, who lives up at Benton, sent word to me t’other day that I was a Har. I'm on my way up to see him about it I was thinkin’ whether I orter pop him from the car winder when we git thar’ or jump off and gin him a show to take it back. I've settled it in my mind that I'll. pop him, and so I'm to an- ewer any questions as fur as I kin.” A Song of the Season, From the Chicago Inter-Ocean. ae for the glorious, golden West, the commerce of love is sough®, And the skies seem fair, And the waters blue; ‘There is naught of care For the te — = And the glad ships sail for the ports of bliss, ‘Om & sea as soft as maiden’s kiss. And the ships fade into the distances Melt into the mystic West; Wale we who walsh ca & twilight, shore Bigh prayers for their y quest. And the night winds sing ‘To the watchful stars, And the surf bells ring On the unseen bars. But the are gone, and we may sot know How the of auother day may blow.~-~ . . . ee . . ‘There's a speck of white in the offing; Ts i that Fear doth guess. @ signal A tattered bit of sail that speaks ‘Te the waves of a soul's distress. And it tosses bigh ‘On the billow’s crest, With a pleading cry ‘To the land for rest. the ships were wrecked on @ tropic reef, am empty raft comes back to—Grief. GEORGE EB BOWEN. ———e2 An Unsolved Mystery. Conlan—Where did yez git that broken nose and yer eye out? Dolan—It was from meeting O'’Fianni- gan wid me girrul. Conlan—Did yez lick him? Dolan—Well, thot wus a matter av puz- ziemint to me from thin till now. Yez se, whin I cem to me sinses, O’Flannigan wus gone; an’ to this minnit I don’t know wi wan ov us got 1894-TWENTY PAGES. “FOOL KILLERS.” Plenty of Them Take Obances With eTheir Lives. DOING THINGS THE WRONG WAY Reilroad Circles Furnish the Largest Percentage of Them. TRYING TO SAVE TIME HERE 1S A CLASS of eccentric people whose number is be- killers” will be quick- ly recognized by every wide-awake citizen in the land. It would seem that the increased circu- lation of the daily press would cause a decrease of such a class, but the startling innovations in mechanical appliances can be, no doubt, held responsible for the rapid augmentation. A happy assurance that everybody knows so much about every- thing that nobody needs any special over- sight or care, and that, in fact, every- body would be happier and general affairs much better conducted if everything was just let alone, would certainly be a very comfortable doctrine. But this much-wish- ed-for condition of affairs has, apparently, not been reached as yet. A Foolish and Dangerous Trick. During the great rush of travel to the world’s fair last fall several gentlemen from cultured Boston occupied seats in the smoker of a special train. It would be supposed that the scenery along the route, books, cards or, at the worst, conversa- tion would have kept them busy a major part of the route, but they found great amusement in pulling the air-brake cord and stopping the train several times before they were caught in the act. It is difficult to believe that they could possibly be ig- norant of the danger to whick they might be exposing themselves and hundreds of others by such insane folly, and the only agreeable deduction to be drawn from that incident is that the fines imposed upon the culprits were sufficiently large to deter them and their ailly compeers from at- tempting such humorous conceits in the future. Trains last fall were run very close together, and the horrible wrecks were quite sufficient to demonstrate the crudeness of railroad travel, even at this late day, without having the passengers themselves add additional risks to the charres of their reaching their destina- tions without the aid of the awe-inspiring ambulance wagon. In almost every walk of life this species of idiot may be found, but against the credit of the railroads of the country there is charged about 60 per cent for the de- velopment thereof. In conversation with an official of one of the local railroads te- cently an Evening Star reporter broached the subject of the recklessness shown by waiting daylight, the old Shikari he- | many people while traveling on or work- ing for railroads. The official said: A Ratlroad Man’s Talk. “Your designation of this class of people as ‘fool killers’ is a most refined way of putting it. We railroad men usé a harsher expression, which you newspaper men generally designate with @ dash. That that dash is very expressive cannot be de- nied, because our mentor, the genial De- pew, used the expression I speak of at a big railroad meeting only last week in New York, and the newspapers the next day lent refinement to his words by using the dash. “But, to return to the subject of ‘fool killers,’ ”" the official contimued, “I would like to ask a few questions. Why will a stout man persist in running for trains and, after he has caught them, make us summon @ physician at the next station to keep him from dying on our hands through @ stroke of apoplexy? That happens about once a month, out of this station, year in and year out, and you know how frequently we run trains. We have reached that point where we retain our breath and let them go. I really think the breath wasted in po advice into this class of travelers’ ears | would raise a small-sized cyclone if massed | together. “Again, why will people persist in getting off of moving cars backwards? This class is generally a younger one and the action results from seeing some one on the plat. form whom they know. They will first get down to the iast step on the car platform and then as the train shoots into the sta- ton and by their friends, give @ shout of recognition and immediately step off with- out taking their eyes from the faces of the dear ones. The climax is, of course, sub- lmely ridiculous to the unsympathetic on- lookers, but extremely painful to those most interested, including the railroad officials. Our trainmen always keep a sharp lookout for these ‘fool killers,” but time and again they persist in making an exhibition of themselves. In a Harry to Get Of. “Then, there is the Baltimore and subur ban commuter. By rights we should kill or cripple one of this group daily on an av- erage. Our patent appliances save many lives. When a train is fully half a mile from the terminal station they begin to move, those in the forward cars toward the platforms, and those in the rear cars to- ward the front ones. In both cases there is @ saving of only feet and seconds in dis- tance and time, while the risk they run in being jolted from the moving train is a very great one. Almost every day I have cases reported to me of hair-breadth es- capes of these people from injury. The danger lies, principally, in the crowding on the platform; a jostle from a fellow-travel- er; the car swerves as it rounds a curve, and the unfortunate one regains conscious- ness in the hospital. This is another class we have discontinued talking advice to. “You remember that horrible accident that occurred not long since just outside the city wherein a young lady was killed through walking around the end of a train and in front of a swift approaching ex- press? Well, it was only the day after that accident occurred that a well-known real estate man of this city came within an inch of losing his life in exactly the same man- ner, All trains slack up as much as possi- ble when passing another train that is at a standstill at a station, but it frequently happens that slippery rails and heavy trains prevent any great diminution in % That was the case in both instances I speak of. The poor girl was in a hurry and couldn’t wait for the train she had traveled on to pull away from the station and give a clear view of the track and lost her life to gain a minute’s time. In the case of the real estate man, he drawn to that lo- cality by curiosity and business interests, principally the former. He had, no doubt, read the details of the accident in the pa- pers. Then he comes out the next day to that identical station, walks around the rear end of the stationery train as the luckless victim had done, and only by the merest chance cleared the rails as the express rushed by. Several onlookers turned away their heads to shut out the expected horrible aight. Now, what excuse had that man for his action? If he doesn’t belong to the class of ‘fool beset then it would be hard to clas- em. The Conductor Was Right. “While we were moving the Vast throng of people in and out of the city at the last inauguration and I was in work up to my eyes, two intelligent-looking men strutted into my office with ‘grievance’ written all over their faces. Without stopping to take breath they commenced telling me the con- ductor on the train that had just arri had knocked them both down’ ona others wise maltreated them. I looked down at the register in front of me and found that one of our most trustworthy and popular conductors had handled the train and the men, also, from their looks. I could suppress a smile as, in my mind’s eye, took in the scene. The conductor is a Her- cules in strength, knows how to handle his fists, is quiet and genial , but when aroused fs a tartar. “T sent for the conductor at once and had him confront the men and tell his story. It was to the effect that they had pulled the bell cord and stopped the train twice. You know how close trains run at those times and the danger of unexpected stops? At the first stop Jim, the conductor, told the men of the danger they, were placing may be running; and the man that hangs out the car window waiting to be struck by some chance projection as his train speeds along. Careless Employes. “The railroad employes furnish another class of ‘fool-killers,’ and, under the cir- cumstances, I think they are the most re- markable. A person would think that their dangerous work would make them exceed- ingly sharp andé cautious, but the contrary seems to be the rule. At times they will plead guilty to transactions that would ap- pear foolish to an idiot. The worst of this class is the brakeman who uses a heavy stick to tighten up the brakes. He will never take advice and seldom preserves enough of his anatomy to learn through experience. The company does not ask a man to do more than he can accomplish with his hands in the matter of setting the brakes. Have you ever pulled hard on a rope and have it suddenly break? Well, that is a mild sensation compared with a breaking brake rigging under the pressure of a stout stick leverage. The man has thrown all his weight on the brake wheel; the train is jolting from side to side under a high rate of speed, and then the chain parts. It can very easily be seen what lit- tle chance that brakeman has of gathering —— experience in railroading after the mishap. “Another fool in the employe class is the man that works on a shifting engine and thinks it looks smart to stand in the middle of the track and mount the little platform in front of the engine us it comes toward him, He can do this trick a thousand times, but he dare not miss it once. It’s trying on the old engineers’ nerves, but they have to grin and bear it. “Then there's the little fussy official who thinks he knows how to couple cars be- cause he is connected with the railroad. Whenever I see one of this class go in be- tween the cars to couple up, I first yell to him to come out, and then, ff he doesn’t hear me, start for a telephone to call down the company’s physician. without bracing himself against the side of the tender. flagman who will staying on the trac! proaching train until the last inch covered. Sometimes faulty and force.” Cleopatra, madam. “Is it? How interesting! So that is the monarch of the Sandwich Islands that there has been so much fuss about. Why, she is real good looking!” WHAT IS THE MATTER With Your Blood? YOU ARE NOT HEALTHY. Do You Kuow Why? YOU FEEL RUN DOWN, What is the Reason? IT 1S YOUR BLOOD Out of Order, WHAT MAKES BAD BLODD® Diseased Kidneys, WHAT SHOULD YOU DOE Cure Your Kidneys i i i j agg DR. CARLETON Sot 12TH ST. N. SURGEON Dr. Carleton treats ‘with the Skill ‘Dee et expe. Nervous Debility pecial Diseases. Practice Mimited to_the treatment of Gentlemen Exclusively Inflammation, Nervous Debility. Biokenes” Kidneys, rinary Sedimeat, ches, sow the wind? Have gritos in ie orang ee EP icera, Sore pamphlet free, Sotie 2 ‘pm "only 208mm “ MODERN MIRACLES. From the Albany, N. Y., Evening Journal, A few days since, the Times-Union of this city published a remarkable letter, under the hand lines of “Am Athens Miracle." ‘The statements # & g peers Tun i li i} Bry i : cf £ Es § ¥ FY if} i | iF il 3 f { i g& i [ E i fr & okt gf ? ili eH § E 5 : £ Gig fs i i gee gf eT se il ay i i friitael tht ite é Hie rie Hl BLEMISHES. ‘The only institution tm the south de ‘voted exclusively to the treatment ef the ‘Grin, Scalp and Blood and the removal of Biemibes, au ! at TH | iy i Dr. Parker, 114 G St. N.W. ‘Week Gays from 10 to 5 anf 6 we 1:38 fundays, 10 to 8 ected. Imperial Hair Regenerator, and efficacious: Price, $1.00. 203 Bth avenue, New York. ‘Washingtoa, EDW. P. Pe P ent 11th ote a Ba. ft, tion, and fine erties of bas Gelicately favoured beverage which ave us may many beavy doctors’ bills. It is by the judicious use of articles of diet that « constitution