Evening Star Newspaper, July 21, 1894, Page 14

tap THE VALLEY AT THE LONG RANGE GUNS . THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY) JULY 21, 1894—TW NTY PAGES. AT INDIAN HEAD Where Guns, Projectiles and Armor Plate Are Tested. THESE EXPERIMENTS ARE EXPENSIVE eldibntnanceie How to Measure the Speed of Pro- | jectiles Accurately. DANGEROUS BUSINESS pena ee eee Written for Tue Evening Star. NLY A FEW MILES beto on the banks of the beautiful Potomac, is the naval proving | 4, where the rnment tests Its naval supplies. n Head ts the name of the spot, and it is as closely guarded as though ment. There are two reasons for thts | Precaution. No government is willing that its army or na Dusiness should be open under all conditions to possible spies of other governments. England is even more cautious than the United States on this | Score. The second reason is that Indian Head is no pleasure resort—me picnic ground. At all hours of the day projectiles are flying through the air and performing gymnastic feats over the water, and it is as much a8 a man's life {s worth to venture within reach of the range. It ts distinctly & wonder that the Indian Head proving grounds have such a clean record on acct- dents. No one has been killed yet, and ow- ing to the extreme caution of the inspector tm_ charge the experience of the army oMicers at Sandy Hook, who sank a small schooner witn a practice shot, has not been Fepeatet here. But fishermen, as a rule, give the neighborhood of Indian Head Wide berth, and the clerks in the tnspector’s office on the hill are strongly tempted to | seck the shelter of.a tree whenever the signal for a test shot is heard. A permit from Capt. W. T. Sampson, chief of the bureau of ordnance, is neces- cursion boats which advertise trips to In- dian Head never go as far as the proving grounds, and the short-trip river boats stop at Glymont, a few miles above. But at The Wharf and the St. Barbare. Giymont a little steam launch—the Saint Barbara—meets the Washington boat to take the mail, and on this boat I succeeted im making connections for the proving fround. and so presented my card of in- troduction to Lieut. N. E. spector. in charge. ‘The Hottest Kind of a Place. No one who has been at Indian Head has any hesitancy im pronouncifig {t the hottest Place in the United Stat Certainly no spet In Washington, with Its overheated asphalt streets and fiery brick-walled houses, can compare with it. If it Is not the hottest place in this country, {t is en- Utled at I-ast to honorable mention, and that it shali have, for I visited ii on a day which had the rep’ m, and a hotter spot than Indtan has never been my fortune to he cflices are not so badly located, and Mr. Mason's hors: ts in a compara: tively cool spot. But the working place had to be located on a level with the rtver. for eater ease in the handling of the great guns which are sont down from the Washington navy yard to be inspected and subjected to tests, and this working place is between two abrupt Allls—in a veri table pocket. So there I+ no relief from the heat, as there is no protection from the suitry reys of the sumumer sen. A white man could not do manual labor long in thts piace. Almost all of the workmen who handle the huge piecos of ordnance, there- fore, are uegroes. The sunlight is life to them. y lidly on through the pulling, cat cotton cartridges, suing after stray projectiies bringing them back to Which they were hurled at massive steel plates. which they pierced as though they were paper. There are 1) workmen here, dbiack and white. There used to be a force ef 1, but tt has been reduced since the proving ground was made available for t complicated tests which are now had there aimost every day. There is mych improve- { still to be made, and the mon have if any, idfe hours. ‘The Offices and Quarters. Across a wooden wharf, along a pathway to the foot of 2 biwf and then up a flight of brick cieps to a pathway that skirts the rit iea the inspector's house stands. On ide of the hill are the offices, ttle frz tilding. HL thee 2nis—Ensigns Ti vi Miler—make their hear ure leeatsi the aiming huge and a the roth in the and eat Washington, | fc were a penal settle- | | | | } | dian Head. } j | the shower of steel fragments following a } | | | | } } end armor-piercing projectiles have | wtation of being cool in | hanling. lifting, load- the place from | sand bank on the other side of the little val- | ley and sailed through the air to the top of | the hill. A_ slight variation in its course and it would have crashed through the roof or wall of Mr. Mason’s house. Mrs. Mason would probably not have suffered, for she has a reasonably secure retreat behind the Kitchen chimney when the test shots are be- j ing fired. There are no Social gaities at In- It would be a little awkward to have to ask your guests to step out behind the kitchen chimney for a minute to avoid test shot. So the cpportunities for social enjoyment at the post are extremely limit- ed. Great Guus AU Around. Great gums are scattered all over the lt- tle valley. Just below the hill on the south ere a twelve-inch gun, which weighs about sixty-five tons, and a thirteen-inch gu which weighs a little more. Both are prod- ucts of the naval gun factory at Washing- | ton, which was established only ten years | | 4ge, but which ranks today with the best gun factories of the world. These are the uns with which the recent tests of armor | been | wade. Beyond them is a group of small ordnance. Not all of this is manufactured | ue Washington navy yard. It is the pol- | fey of the Navy Departinen{ to encourage | the manufacture of smail ordnance by pri- vate concerns, so that their plants may be available in case of war. In the middle of | the valley {s another group of smaller guns. On the other side of the valley are the guns The Bomb-Froof. which are trained on the long range—the| stretch of water which forms part of the | channel of the Potomac. These are six and | eight-inch guns. It 1s with the six-inch gun | that the powder tests are to be made. We walk across the valley, along the line of a railroad which, with many turn-tables and branches, makes all points accessible from the wharf. Mr. Tisdale is weighing | out the powder in a shanty butit of heavy | planks. Against one side of thia shanty | earth has been heaped to protect it from the | fragments of armor and projectiles, for it fs on this side of the valley, just beyond | this gun station, that the pleces of steel are placed to be bombarded by those twelve and thirteen-imch guns. The powder is in. large, flat grains, slightly oblong. It Jooks as though It had been made in long ribbons and cut into lengths. Testing Smokeless Powder. “You haven't a match that might drop and set fire to something?” ‘says Mr. a we enter. I have no match, so I have no hesitancy in approaching the scales and handling the dangerous black stuff. A workman holds a ¢ylindrical cotton bag while Mr. Tisdale puts two “encouragers,” as he describes them, at the bottom of it. Then he pours in the powder from the scale Pan, and the top of the bag is gatherad end | tied. Another “encourager” is pinned to the outside of the bag at the lower cnd. | The smokeless powder iy a slow powder, and this rapid-fire powder will to the | electric spark promptly and give {t the en- | ccuragement needed to insure {ts immediate | explosion. The workman carries the bag to | the stx-inch gun. A common iron projectile has been put in place. The cartridge is in- serted behind it, and the breech is closed and locked in place. Mr. Mason and 1 mount the little shed to watcn the eifect of the shot. He hands me some cutten waste. “Better put this in your ears,-open your mouth and stand on your toes says. I see that he is following his cw: precepts, and I do as he directs. Mr. dale mounts a long ladder just behind th gua. With a glass he sweeps the river. N boat is in sight. He gives the signal to the man across the valley, who touches a button and so rings @ bell In the littie office over the hill, At sound of that bell the curono- graphs are made ready. An answering sig- nal comes back. ‘fhe man at the bellbutton calls tt across. Again the glass covers the range. Still the water is clear. “Fire!” | The gun puffs out a mouthful of white Vapor. The next instant a great splash in| the water far beyond the point shows where | the shell has struck. A few seconds later and there is another cloud of spray thrown A Railroud Crossing ta the Vaney. into the atr beyend., Another moment and there is a spray cloud a little bevend, but this time a little out of line. The rotary motion which the sun's rifling has given to the shell has changed its course as it re- bounds from the surface of the water, As secn as the shot has been fired the work- men throw open the breech of the gun. Against its inner surface are three nuts. Making the Record. ‘These they unserew and, lifting them from their bed, carry them t9 the brick house across the vailey. In each of, these nuts a depression for the gases from the powder. Gelow this is a pistoa, which works against a tiny cylinder of copper. ‘This cylinder has cen put under pressure end {ts reststance | ascertsined. the force ‘The amount of compression | Of the powder gases can be ests of se power gases t i is one of esults of the test. Lut the 1 of the projectile was to be | measured. We go beck around the niltside | n to the offices, where the chronographs | 1. There ar three of them in upright, | ases. Their mecianism, in imple enoagh, even to the'un- A mettl column, To the and above a rubber casing, surrounding 1e drawn around a plece of iron, magnetizes as a current of clec ys through it rubber hang fre raagnet, @ the current is orter piece of 5 ghetizing the y i the first toward agh the breaking the weight in i fals. As the © fecond sereen ln its downward ges a Jever which throws a | proving g: | a lady-in-waiting. Suddenty a knife against the side of the larger weight and dents its polished surface. That dent measures, on the side of the long weight, the difference in time between the starting of the long and the starting of the short weight. That difference in time divided by the distance between the screens is the ocity of the shell at a point midway be- tween the sereens. A table hanging on the wail, carefully computed, shows the tela- tive speed at the moment the projectile left the mouth of the gun. The process is coth simple and quick. In a miaute after the projectile has been fired, the operator in the office touches the signal button and rings to the operator at the gun th Showing the speed of the projectile. are-three of th chronographs #nd one cf them fs a check on each of the others. Mounting Guns and Armor. The chronograph is a French invention, and, in fact, most of the ideas for the naval ound me from France. It is said that there is a private proving ground in France which {s the finest in the worid. Experiments to prove the effictency of ar- mor, projectiles and powder are a matter of twenty-two years in our navy. lnuil three years ago these experiments were conducted t Annapolis. In 180i the proving ground was es(abdlished at Indian Head because the location was more convenient. When heavy ordnance is to be tested, It is loaded on a car and shipped on a barge from the navy yard at Washingto At the wharf at In- dian Head this car is run off, and with a steam capstan is hauled through the valley to the place where the gun is to be mount- ed. It takes a duy or two to set np a big gun. A big traveling crane swings it into the air and drops it on the carriage. A thirce ch gun has been mounted in a sle day; but that is a record. t @ piece of armor for a test is even ditficult and slow. Armor is mounted agaiust an oak backing thirty-six inches thick—usuaily three thicknesses of oak timber boltei together. This backing is prepared at the nevy yard and shipped to Indian Head. When the backing has been mounted against a bank of sand, the armor plate is lifted into place and bolted there. Then ail hands stand astde and Mr. Masen turns loose one of his big guns. If the projectile does not make mincemeat of the plate, it passes the test. Not infre- quently the big 1,00-pound projectil-s mere- ly rub thelr noses against the armor, Ieav- ing a little dent. Sometimes they bury themselves a Hittle in it and stick there. Sometimes they are shattered into frag- menis, Expensive Experiments. These armor experiments are expensive. Not long ago au armor plate, :epresenting a group of plates manufactured by the Bethlehem tron works, was put up to be | Shot at and the gunner smashed it to pieces. Its value was $20,000—just that one piece. if the plate had proved effective—if it had steod the test—the Bovernment would heve paid for it; us the plate was « failure the joss feil on the contractor. He lost not oniy that $2,0 plate, but the group of plates which it represented. Fortanately «nother plate from the group can be tested, and if it is proved to be up to the standard it wilt be accepted. If the plate selected for a test proves to be below standard the contractor may put up a second plate, and if this stand the test the goveramient may call for a third plate to be tested. Even though the projectiles do not do more tran dent the surface of a plate, it cannot be used as a part of the armor of one cf our ships. its only use is as a target for pro- jectiles which sre to be tested. They do not look very costly, these projectiles, but one of them which reached about to my waist, with which Mr. Mason nad :mashed a healthy steel plate to «mail ‘ragments a few days before, was valued 50; and every time one of these projectiles is put to @ test it is spotted. It is probable that Mr. Mason can destroy more government property in five minutes than ordinary wear and tear would injure in as many years. Thetwork of testing guns and projectiles and powders and armor plates goes on the year round. This little community at in- dian Head has its own machine shops, its engines, boilers, powder magazines, loading rooms, and, in fact, all of the paraphernalia for carryirg on its business expeditiously aad effectiv It ts one of the :nost ccetly and one of the most useful bureaus uf the Navy Department. GEORGE GRANTHAM BAIN. oo LEM IN AFRICA, ISLAWS PRO! Importance of the Sultan of Moroceo an a Claimant to Supremacy. From the 8. Petersburg Zeitung. The sudden death of the Sultan of Mo- Focco haf such an obvious significance for the neighboring Latin countries as well as for the rest of tndustrial Europe, notably England and Germany, that this death has been the principal subject of public discussion for days, and gives the richest opportunities for the most diverse explana tions. But the importance of the question does not end here. Within the entire Islamitic domain Morocco plays so great s part that the make-up of her future history—that is to say, the answering of the question, “Which of the sons of the last sultan shali come into hts father’s heritage?"—will come into permanent consideration for the great- est part of north and middle Africa: The decision of this question is in fact more important for Africa than for Europe. This qvestion is bound up with condiilons which are practically unknown to the greatest part of the Christian world, and for this reason they seem worthy ef explanation. Since the Islamitic states of the Mediter- ranean, Turkey, Egypt, Algiers and Tunis were brought directly or indirectly under Christian and European governments, and were compelled not only to acknowledge a foreign control on the Nile, but also on the Algerian coast, and morcover, to transplant to their own grounds non-Jslamitic insti- tutions, there was, in accordance with the crthodox Mohammedan view, only ene ruler who had remained a correct and true be- Hever, and he was the Sultan of Morocco, who enjoyed in spirttual consideration a regard which his limited sphere of power Gid not chaage. The four official divisio: of righi-believing Islam wi not admit this is true. Just so much more energetically and passionately is this point of view brought into prominence by the numerous, far-reaching, and {nfluential religious orders of northern Africa, who, as professed de- positaries of the mystic secrets of the faith, enjoy the highest regard. The most im- portant of these orders is that of the dreaded Esnussija, which has its seat in a desert of the eastern Tripoll. They claim to be the providential leaders of the future of Islam, and to have among them the hid- den Mahdi, who must be distinguished from the false prophet—according to their view—in the Nile valle: “se or THE UMBRELLA AN EMPRESs. lt Shelters a Little Girl and ts Then Presented to Her. From the New York Tribune. ‘The Empress Elizabeth of Austria was re- cently spending a few days at Lintz. One morning she started for a long walk in the environs of the town, accompanied only by it began to rain; but the empress opened her umbrella and continued on her way. Near the ham- let of Windlinden she noticed a little child, who had taken refuge from the storm under the branches of a great tree. The empress | asked the little one a few questions about the neighborhood, and was about to continue her walk when the child asked: v madame, I beg you take me under your umbrella.” The request was granted and the three marched on toward the village, ihe empress asking the child about her family, her du- ties at school and the people of the hamlet. When the rain ceased the child,the daugh- ter of a peasant, bade her companions fare- well. The empress, however, made her a present of the goid-handled ‘umbrella that she might “not get wet when it rained remarked the child, her eyes wide open with wonder; “you must be rich if you can buy a new umbrelt, Her majesty smiled and kissed the girl good-bye. A few days later she took a drive in the same neighborhood and saw the child parading up and down the village streets ith her umbrella, followed by her play mates. Her majesty greeted her little friend yas recognized by some of the older in- habitants of the village, who soon informed the parents of the girl to whom the present was duc. The umbrella is now a sacred in the peasant home, FOR MENTAL EXHAUSTION Use Horsford's Acid Phosphate. Dr. KR. M. TUCKER, Helena, Ala., says: I have used if im my practice for some time, and | Am Well pleased with the eects in dyspepsta, Bervousness and in deranged secretions. It a Well on tbe kidners, and im meutal extaustion I think 1¢ is @ good thing,’ RUN BY UNELE SAM The Government Ownérship of Ra‘l- roads Discussed by Officials. THE SEPUATION IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES One Plan ts to Acquire Ownership of Interstate Lines. OUR RAILROAD MILEAGE sa ee Written for The Evening Star. NITED STATS government control of railways, advocat- ed espectally since the outbreak of the great strike by many newspapers through- out the country, as well as by the popu- Mists and labor lead- ers, has given and Is giving rise to much discussion among government oftictats. ‘The arguments of those republicans and democrats who are strictly under partisan contro) are against the policy of the insertion of ch a plank even in the advance sheets of their far fature platforms, but those who are not accountable to any direct constituency have generally shown a Willingness to talk on the subject, al- | though, strange to say, most of those who have in any way betrayed a leaning. in favor of such a scheme have talked only on condition that they will not be personally quoted. Several of this type, who are recog nized as the very best authorities on the subject, have said that the great question will doubtless be a national issue before | many administrations have passed over our heads. Naturally a great interest and tmport- ence is attached to opinions from the de- partment of labor and the interstate com- merce commission. At the former inquiries from scores of reporters have been turned down during the past few weeks. It is a standing rule at the labor department that no opinions are to be expressed elther on the side of labor or of capital, At the in- tersiate commerce commission, however, although some opinions have been obtained, no arguments In favor of such a move are | to be had for love or money. Col. William R. Morrison, the commission's chairman, whose name has been several times whis- Pered in regard to "wi, Is not inclined to talk for publication now, claiming that the question is much Log deop for him to con- sider in a short interview. He told the writer that within a few months he may be able to divulge some theories. Views of ‘Gem Veazey. Commissioner Vedzey,! however, whose Name stands next on the ist, submitted to an interview. He said; “The reasons for and against goverrment ownership and control of the raflways of this country cannot be gtven in a briéf interview. The Umited extent of government ownership and operation tu other countries, under the Feculiar and different conditions there ex- isting, can be of little value in deciding the question In this country. In my judgment there is no adequate necessity for our coun- try to try that which I think would be a dangerous experiment of the government in assuming the enormous burden of debt which the acquisition of all the railroads would tnvolve, and to engage in a business that requires a force of nearly one million nm The exact number reported to us June 30, 189%, was 873,602, and they are in- creasing at the rate of about 30,009 a year. The total ratlroad capital, as reported on | the same date, was $10,508,255,410. If this | capitalization is twice too large, I should | still say the necessity should be most ex- treme before such enormous power and working force should be added to that which the general government already has. No such necessity exists. The railroads are | well operated now. I do not belleve this government could do better. They meet the | demands of commerce with more than rea- sonable satisfaction as a whole. As a gen- eral proposition, rates are low. Service is | usually adequate and prompt. Improve- ments are constantly going on. Forces, commercial and competitive, are in perpet- ual operation, which necessarily old rail- roads well up in every department of trans- portation service. Regulation under the | law, state and national, is working out its | designed result in correcting evils that had crept into rafiroad administration. “There are very few evils yet to be cor- rected, but experience is rapidly guiding to sreater wisdom in legislation and adminis- tration. The labor disturbances, 50 far as they affect transportation, will be, I think, ephemeral. Methods of settlement which are just and fair will be adopted, If they do not already exist. In any event I would | avoid any action that would tend to trans- fer the specific question of difference be- tween employer and employe to politics, which would probably result with a million railroad emploves on one side of the ques- | tion. Let polities deal with principles, but | not with questions that belong to the courts or boards of arbitration. In a word, with- out stating further reasons, I do not be- lieve that transportation by common car- riers, or the tnterests of commerce. will be | | improved by government ownership and operation of raliroads, The railroads them- a8 artificial persons, would undoubt- @ benefitel in a majority of cases by government assumption, but I would not take the risk of it.” Another Commissioner Talks, Commissioner Yeomans was also com- municat but agreed for the most part with Mr, Veazey. dnt help labor troubles any. “If they are what you want to Look at the | remedy. strikes in London, they are the worst in the world, and England has more of a hold on her railways than we have.” are the farmers’ friends. railroads pay their dividends to their stock- | holders, during these hard times, if the farmer suffers for it?- What's good for the railroad is good for the profucer, and the | public competitor. No, sir, I say the gov- ernment has as much as it can attend to now.” “What method could our government use if it desired to take contro! the rail- roads?" Dh, there are many, but the best scheme I know of, as an {deal thing, 1s that of | Why don't more President Biackstone of} the Chicago and | Alton road. ’ “According to this ‘plan of Biack- stone's, which Has “been considered of value, being ‘the ‘fruit. of honest thought.coming from a railroad official him- self, who would be suspected for the most | part of condemning all the claims of the | federal ownershin ddvocates, the govern- ment 1s to acquire the ownership of all lines now used for interstate trafile, to be obtained under suoh limitations as Con- Sress may determine, tae payment to be made by the issiesof government bonds. bearing interest at,a rate not exeeedin 3 ner cent of the whole issue. The ann interest and sinking fund is to be paid fr the net earnings of the roads, and rates « transportation, from vear to year, be reduced so a than shall be In order that citizens shal! not p sary rates, separate sciedul mae, subject to change, according to the des that such rail- fter constructed may be e government, at its op- ase of Its not choosing to ithhold the right to make | purchased by th | tion, er in th | through ‘rates jon with other | interstate line: ai according to mlle- age between Chose owned by the govern- }ment and these not. A board of national railroad directors ts to be appointel by the resi from the states, who shall su- 4d issue or relative to main- and operation, subject to laws of to have the appointment of all 3 und employes, define their duties ani fix their salaries, all persons employed | being on probation only for the first year of their service. The directors are to change the rates at times and examine ali schedules for irafflc, wit each state's boundary, and are to hare the power of | scheme | compan: ———— conferring with commissioners from other states In regard to schedules. The pian also provides for all persons Injured by accident and retires all aged employes.” The Centralization of Power. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Dab- ney, when asked his opinion as to whether the farmer would be benefited by govern- ment control of railways, said: “I am too much of an old Jeffersonian democrat to ad- OUR NATIONAL PARKS Some of the Wonders of the Famous Yellowstone Region. vocate the centralization of so much power apn Mons the tarmac ia pressed oy te ations |A PISHBRMAW’S PARADISE) but in nine-tenths of the localities he 1s fate ie oer ar ee {sone He eee — by furnish- ing them most of their freight, and they . help him by wsiving him a wider competi-| How the National Parks Were! tion. Ficty rears ago the farmer had no mpetit except with his neighbors, but io today, by means of the raitway. he can | Originated and How Governed. compate with the world. I not only think the farmer should be satisfied with the eT Present systema, but Ido not think he could | _ Gace s risk the @ you propese.” SETTLERS WITHIN THEIR AREA } The favorit argument of most knowing men against government control in reply Pt niga 7 to the question “Why do s9 many other antries tind cou Written for The Evening Star. ME day young the government system the 2 nations are physically and that their popula- tion, not being so widely scattered, does not necessitate ct THE OTHER a cuPtivated | German who that too many roads here connect the same had made the tour of | points. The English, French, German and t United States, | Russian systems seem to afford the best ani ta Yost arriven | comparisons. In these countries, it should jaa ari t arrived be observed, government control took ef- mn Washington. He fect long before competing lines had been enabled to build in the same territory, be- tween the same great centers of popula- tion, In most of these countries the me= tropolis forms the great railroad center, and connection ts made with the surround- ing cities by sles Mnes. When the French system was inaugurated {t was the scheme ot the government. to make Paris the great hub, from which Ines were to branch off to every great city on con- tineat, and it will be noticed at the present day that this idea has had more or less suce If the government of the United atcs were to buy the prinetpal connect- ng lines between the greatest centers of population, leaving the less desirable ones in’ private hands, and ff the Blacks’ ere applied to these lines, a m2 government property, all pri- interest Woull be dissolved in a few | using a condition of affairs which arouse the indignation of the labor- ng classes there employed. Army of Employes, The same number of employes, however, would have to be kept busy on the govern- ment reads, since more trains would have to be over the single track and at shorter Intervals of time. If the individual visited Boston, New York, Niagara, | the porthern lakes, | the Yellowstone Na- tomal-Park, the jolden Gate, w Mexico and Florida. He wes delighted with ali he had seen, and was especially enthusiastic over the beauty and magnifi- cence of Washington. But when I asked} | him what, of all he had seen, interested | him most, be replied, without a moment's | hesitation, that the ome thing which had impressed him more than all others—wiich | 4 carried him off hfs feet, as it were— the Yellowstone Nattowal Park. There are perhaps very many people in the United States who would not have an- | ticipated his repiy, but. the young German’s | aswer undoubtedly expressed the judg- | ent of nearly all cultivated foreigners who | t this country. Lt can probably be sate- | said that foreigners know more about this wonderful regio& than we know our- In Germany the pupils of the com- line. o * 2 S yu " } lines we n up and put down in #1 mon schools are taught of this park, and| single system of many trac the superiatendent of the park, ia his last | of safety. a great expense j annual report, etates thas the hotel regis- curred; but this would be endured If g: | ters in the various park hotels show a large majority of foreigners from ever quarter of the globe. A Wonderful Region. Some years ago the marvelous wonders of this region were often described by American literary tourists in glowing | words, but of late years, because of the great number of new matters of interest continually arising, comparatively ttle has been written. Certainly in no other region of the same extent has nature combined so great a ¥ | Tiety of wonderful phenomena and magnif- cent spectactes. A bare catalogue of the merveis grouped together in this great park | interests the Imagination, taxing Its power of comprehension. Within an area of 3,350 | square miles, or of 62 miles in length and 54 miles in Width, may be seen scores of mountains towering from 6,000 to 12,000 feet above the level of the sea; some fifty geysers, throwing streams of water from 30 to 300 feet high; 10,000 hot springs, with their marvelous deposits of many-hued sil- ica and lime; a mighty river with a sheer | fall, at one point, of 3 feet; the grand canon, with Its towering walls, like ruins of some colossal temple; a great lake lying in its mountain bed, 6,0u) feet above the level of the sea; lesser lakes clustered Mke diamonds around the one mighty gem; groves of giant forest trees, int with hundreds of green parks, dotted with srazing deer and buffalo, and, besides all these, hundreds of cliffs and ledges and caves, each of which is an object of inter- est in itself, and all grouped in one great panorama, visible from many points of views id reductions were offered to the people in tt ure. The force of a million of trainmen olled in a manner similar to each with fixed salaries and they could not easily trikes in the ranks of the armies i are uncommon, not to say un- | 2 shops of the railroad 3 would offer the best government | schools of enginesring, and one large plant could perform all the nevessary work for the raiiroads, army and navy. But the | debt of the government brought on by the purchase of the whole country’s systems can’t be cstimated, any more than can the number of years it wonld take to clear the debt before reductions could begin to be made, Before railroad can be constructe] In England. it must be proven to the govern- ment that the exploit is a public necessity, rather than a commercial ente-prise; tha it tends to develop and improve the inter- ests along the route, and that the projectors can suceeed in the plans of construction. Parliament incorporates the company, gives it specified powers and restrictions, and even after the road Is built by government authority, it cannot be opened until the government bas officially inspected all of its works. After the line is opened, the further consent of parliament must be had before it may be abandoned. In France, under the existing laws, tho companies contritute a certain amount per mile toward construction, furnish the roll- ing stock and station equipment, the re- maining expenses being borne by the state. By far the larger portion of the systems is now operated by the compantes, each serv- ing a distinct territory and being thus free from competition of other lines. The roads make thel> own rates, but a government bureau reviews them. Reductions can only go into effect after three months’ notice, and increase after a year’s notice. The pas- senger traffic, as in most foreign countries, is divided into three classes, while freight rates are generally based on value, and are also subject to government control. Iu Germany and Russia. Ninety per cent of the railroad mileage The National Parks. This interesting region les within the boundaries of the states of Montana and Wyoming. It was set afiiytty Congress as a national park in the,year IST2. Since that time other important porttons cf the national domain have been reserved es parks, and certain mountain regions which S are covered with forests have been reserved of Germany is owned and operated by the | trom entry and settlement and set aside government. The state roads are controlled | 88 foreet reservations. The object of these by the tmperial railway board, and a few | latter reservations Is to preyent the re- petvale costs are cedar the sanabenens of | o/—alt_ |e oe ueentaacomm on ine local state boards of commerce. The gov-/ until the water is Fequired for irrigation in ernment operates all of its own roads, fur-| the later spring. The other national patks, nishes all of its rolling stock, appliances | beside the Yellowstone, are the Yosemite and permanent way. All motive power, tional Park, containing 1512 squa: equipment, and ail works of engineering in | Miles; the Sequoia Park, taining 25 the country, are regulated by a code of laws | Sduare miles; the General Grant Park, passed by the legislative body, which is al- | ccntaining four square milas, and the tered from time to time. Hot Springs reservation in Arkansas, In Russia the czar owns and operates which contains some 0) acres. The only one-thind of the railways, the remain- Sequoia and General Grant parks der being under private authority, although | clude regions of the giant forests of Cali- in most cases they receive aid from the fornia— the most magnificent body of tim- government in guarantees. The state rail- ber in the world—where trees tower up to ways are managed by a Loard appointed by | uv feet in height. . the government, which supervises the finan- Neglected by the Governme: —— toa seriete ane eon Ho, But while the national government has ory vate . Each : - z line has its general manager, or executive, | J0P¢ Wisely In reserving these great Darks, and is administered usually on the plan of s unwisely withheld the appropriations a private railway. In case the expenses ex- cced the earnings, the government makes approp ions. The private lines are char- teri by the government, after thetr sw porters prove them to be valuable to t public, as is the rule in England. They must be bullt In a specified time, after plans approved by the government, and they cannot be opened until the work has met the approval of th» state. A tariff council fixes the rates. The government ma! rules for const-uction aad inaintenancs, appoints an inspector for each private railway, and when a road seeks government aid, the state is represented In tts directorate. According to the last universal statistic the railroad mileage of the United States is abont 3,0 miles more than the whole of Europe, the greatest railroad division of the old ntinent), 145,008 miies more than Asia, 158,000 more than Africa, and 148,00) more than Australia. Our railway mileage ts about 300 miics more than that of these four great divisions of the eastern continent combin- ed, whereas their aggregate receipts are an- nually about $68,000,000 more than ours, which shows how much more business is done on a gready reduced mileage without ine-easing rate: it nested for their deveiopment and preserva- tton. Ii has reserved them, but it has not preserved them; at least it has not given them all the attention they have required, The giant forests of Sequota and Gen. Grant parks have become practically Imaccessibie 1o visitors because the government has al- lowed the road which leads to It—and which it cost $20,090 to construct—to fall into rain. Not a dollar has ever been spent by the government upon elther of these two parks. The Yosemite Park ts accessible through roads built under the laws of Cali- fernia, but heavy tolis are charged for thy use. These roads should be purchased vy the national government and maile tree, 1d aunual appropriations should be ni for their repa h» Yellowstone Park has been b. cared for, thanks to the interest wich ators V ter r- t and Teller, Secretary Sratth and a few others Nave taken tn its preservation. att is provided with roads and is now pa- led by troops of cavalry, detatled by the War Department for the duty, th cer in charge—Capt. Goo. S, Andersoa—acting as the park superintendent. In Care of the Secretary of the Ia. terior soe Pro = Hin Genuineness. From the Chicago Ipterccaa. “Is that a real Englishman of title that The nations! under the cupervision of the Secretary of the Interior, with authority to prescribe regulations for their government and to grant Ie of hotels aud transportation companies, &e. The supervision of these great and veiuable reservations involves no little care. Only recently the Secretary has been compecticd to deny the petition of #1 is devoting himself to Miss Goldcotn ?* “Yes.” in you tell by the way he drops his 0; by the way he tries to pick up the y's and \’s."" TT oleh sheep herders of Tylare county, Cal, who A Singular P |. sought permission to graze th heep tn From Puck. the Yosemite Park, Flagrant ations of Fair Graduate—“Which is the proper ex- pression, ‘girls are,’ or ‘girls is? Chorus of Schcolmates—* ‘Girls are,” the rules forbidding herding or grazing in the parks have occurred and great damage has been done by trespassing herds to the young growth, iy replace the maty fires sometimes 9c and the utm vert them, At 5 of birds or anima’ Park is prohibited | act of Co: approved only 2 rrcaith ego. The + tendent of this perk, in his report for isiKt, stated that ther # butato ta he park, a nd macumiain | ote of Fair Graduate—"OC course; pshaw!—giris, are my hat en straight” co Art Expression, are required to nd the captui the Yeilows From Trut a. bad animals were inc nd that number of } this pack u ein Washingten Sport in ia {him first Vishing fer morch: me Park fisting for sport | ted under regelatic j national and st | tow is y fark is now a spr { and lakes | with rainbow j trovt, and all tone Park i> wl wha Fact cated in Plexsaut from the main ro: the trout streams. Gap? host of the place, is ae! ex-eonce. “Putting ia the high Mghts." officer from South Carolina, «His tit ranch of ten acres, leased from the gov- ernment, is well stocked with chickens, cows and porkers, and he knows how to fry the trothsome trout. There is always a barrel of apple jack in cellar, and @ few bottles on his sideboard, and he has cunning hand for punches and juleps. Sen ator Vest, Senator Butler and other Con- sressmen have enjoyed the delights of this summer resort. The Park Law A few years ago, before ibe government was provided with means for the enforce- rent of its rules, the Jezistature of Wyom- ing passed an act to render operative the jaws of that territory within that portion of the Yellowstone Park lying within Wy- oming to protect the game and fish, &e. The officers whose duty It was to enforce these laws were inspired too much by de- sire for fees, and often made arbitrary ar- rests and caused serious annoyances for the most ordinary and innocent actions. occasion they sted a certain of Congress for some trifling ac- undertook to fine him $10, The Jistingulshed prisoner was very mad, an@ made the air blue with his anathemas. He did not pay the fine, and when he returned ich ied to to Washington he took steps w disconth hotels at the points of greatest interest—the Canon, the Fountain, the Mot rings and others—and they are all under the control of the gov These are leased to the persons who keep them, and the prices charged are fixed by the Secre- tary of the Interior. The charges for trans- pertation are also regulated by the secre- tary, and th nsportation companies lease thelr privileges fcom him from year to year. Thus the tourist is protected against exorbitant charges. sought by peo- Ali sorts of privileges a ple who want to make money out of vis- itors to the park, but they are generally re- fused. Some one wanted to construct am elevator the Grand Canon, but the See- retary thought it would be an unsightly object, marring the wiid magnificence of the scene, and the privilege was denied. Settlers in the Parks. When the various national parks were re- erved and set aside many cholce portions f the public domains had already been entered, and in some irsiances patents had nied. Many thousand acres within the boundaries of Yospmite Park are now hel by private parties. The presence of 3 within the park mits has net only @ cause of annoyance to the govern- but the settlers themselves have ily been subjected to inconven- siting from the:r peculiar position, are obliged to construct their own peration from positions of per- petual tsolation. The only way to settle the matter is for the government to buy out already been con- re now pending ve this end in for the appoint- of the Interior of end two Dill: ongress which These bi om » Secretary with reg: esulting to any pers plied to cater, or s upo: proved any lands within {he limits of Se- quota and Yosemite Parks prior to October 1, 180. These agents, if appointed, gill be authorized to employ clerks to summom witnesses, and thelr compensation will be $8 per day The Hot Springs reservation in Arkansas has received more particular and adequate care acd attention from the government than ary other of the reservations. Thts ts probably due, mainly, to the fact that maty members of Congress have had oc- casion to avail themselves of the remedial effects of its thermal waters. ‘The te- sources of the Hot Springs reservation have beer. very fully developed and great improvements have been made. Seggetary Noble interested himself a good deal im these springs and he left comparatively lit- Ue for Secretary Smith to do there. Splen- @id bath houses have been’ errected, “the Alhambra, which cost $9,000, the Im which is of Moorish architecture and Italian marble walls, the Arlington, whigh cost $53,000, and affords all the luxuries of oriental bathing, and many more. JOSEPH B. MARVIN. nenensensdlli tin AN ITALIAN IN DISTRESS. But a New York Street Crowd Came to His Ald and Ignored Red Tape. From the New York Herald. Never say that New Yorkers are not gen- erously charitable when distress {8 genulnel An Italian was tending his push cart filled with candies about 7 o'clock Saturday after- noon in front of No. 18? Park Row. Hie license number is 2,611. Sales were slow, but the vender was a picture of lazy con- tcntment and easy-going thrift. In a way he was rich, though the sum of bis earthiy ressessions there on four wheels. Suddenly a covered brewery wagon turnea” in from the bridse, going uptown. The. driver whipped up his horses. There was e sharp clash and clatter and then a collision, ‘The push cart was thrown half way across the street. The Italian was turned heels over head and dropped into the gutter. The driver, seeing what he had done, lashed his horses and iurned the next corner, making his escape before anybody realized exactly what had happened. There was a wild rush gf small boys, « Scramble for the sugar-coated debris. They threw themselves down upor the and chocolates; they stufied their pockets with gum drops and pepperminis; they sccoped up hatfuls of marshmatiows and lemon drops. The scene of the wreck was carpeted, four-ply fashion, with a spread- out tangle of iegs and arms end bodies as the youngsters struggled for the spoils im the guiter. ‘The Italian was helpless. The delicht of the smatl boys was his ruin. He made one or two clumsy attempis to rescue his @ies, but was laughed at and thrown off an@ Swept aside. Suddenly he drew a long knife, 2 keen, bright-bladed, ugly thing, threw back his bead, and would have ariven the weapon inio his throat had several bystanders not seized him. Even then he struggled with all his might to kill himseli “All gone,” he said. “They taka every- ing. 1 canno” buy-a mo’. All gonc—every- ving™ Lig tears were rolling down his cheeks. “The queer little old cart was “everyting” wo him. His despair was genuine; it was pa- UWette. . “Here, here, “stop that. ¥ With that tty put in two silver dollars and some emai coins, i his hat to Gie next man, ful of penntes and nickets and passed the hat to the next man, ad so on. While Ure collection was being taken up a number of genttomen, several of them removing their gloves for the work, gall ered up what was feft of the stock of candy, The example was contagious. The smadl, boys fell back and sneaked off, except three or four, who assisted tne Samarians, he crowd were keenly interested ia remedying the Italian's misfortune, as they were Dube minuic before in protiting by his il luck. ‘Chere were men pickiagy up cocoanut batts and butterscotch for the strect peddicr who give crudzingly to charity, aad then give Ireds, perhaps thousands, of doilars cor he rivalty grew. They Sosle@ nother for the privitc AS the hat was about Malian, = man, who hod coptriemte! nou- ing and who had act ass the candy, ctopped forw his coat to ¢ se 2 badge. rm inst ihe law,” he sald, J to te can’t « oncy on the streots for a mam like that. 2} am an a of the Carkhy— The of ity, whoev : a po! ribs-it was doat with a 4a. headed urabreit 1 sicpped his speech, ingiwmaticn oe- wawhe hit Dis bal 68 coon as wey Peet ho companied his hi coubt Then uh tot t, contain My $11.%, was clvem craterul Italian, end the In the aici