Evening Star Newspaper, October 12, 1895, Page 23

’ THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, OOTOBER 12, 1895-TWENTY-FOUR PAGES, _———— AN ALPINE iPASS The Highest in That Extended Bango of Lofty Peaks. ao. & Snow Storm and the Progre: of the Traveler Into a Mazmq Genial Climate. ‘Written for The Evening Star. ‘There is no mountain tour in Switzerland or the Tyrol which will reward pedestrians so well as a trip across the Stelvio, the highest mountain thoroughfare, as well as the boldest and most beautiful pass in Eurcpe. The life, too, is so different from that which one is accustomed to behold in other part: of the Alps that that also is wont to prove an attractive feature. At Prad, a quaint little town in the broad val- ley of the Etsch, at the junction of the much-traveled road from Meran and Nau- ders, the pass commences. On the hillside to the right, nestled in the precipitous stony cliffs, high above the roadway, lies the poverty-stricken village of Stelvio, from which the pass receives its reme. This picturesque little hamlet, which hugs the mountain as though it feared it might become detached from its sloping side to be hurled, together with its popu- lace, into the ravine below, has weathered repeated famine, and many have been the souls who have died within its walls for want of food. With nothing to depend ‘upon save the herds of goats and the grain ed upon the sterile and rocky fields, a failure of a crop has meant on more than one occasion starvation for the children, the sick and the infirm, who were unable to reach the valleys, on account of the cold and snow. As the ascent is continued the impetuous and treacherous Trafoi rushing along at a mad gate and splashing against its rocky sides deadens every sound and nothing is to be heard save the noise of the seething water. A mist of vapor arising from the bed of the turbulent river envelopes this pant of the highway with its moisture. magol, the first station upon the pass, is weached after an hour and a half’s walk. Grand Scenery. A short distance above Gomagol the two ‘mountains lining the pass almost come to- gether, forming 4 narrow gorge, on the left side of which the Austrians have erected a fortress, which completely blocks the pass. Soldiers and officers watch the visitors as they pass under the high archway, and artists and amateur photographers are cau- tioned about taking pictures of the sur- roundings, as it is an offense punished by imprisonment. Trafoi, a beautiful little village, is the next station upon the pass. From here the Ortler is most frequently ascended. ‘The writer does not know of a single place 4m Europe where such varied scenery can be beheld simultareously as from the little platform erected on the left of the pass. As one looks down into the green valley 2,000 feet below the chapel of the three holy springs is beheld amidst the grove of pine and fir trees. It is here where the great pilgrimages are made annually and ‘where wonderful miracles are said to be performed by the ice-cold mountain water, which flows from the breasts of the figures ef Christ, Mary and St John. The Glaciers. Opposite the church rises the huge Ma- @atsch, a sugar loaf peak of black lime stone formation entirely destitute of vege tation, but of graceful symmetry. Above and to the right are the large Trafoi and lower Ortler glaciers; to the left is the enor- mous field of ice, the Matatach glacier, and still further beyond above them all the snowy Ortler and the Pleizshorn. A few feet distant from the observation platform, a marble slab on the right side of the road marks the spot whers in 1876 Madelaine De Tourville, an English lady, was brutally murdered by her husband, a treacherous Walloon, who, after having her life in- sured, induced her to accompany him on what she believed was to be a pleasure tour through Italy and the:Tyrol. The road at this particular point is ter- raced, and over this stony embankment ing abruptly from a rocky ledge, the murderer hurled his unsuspecting wife into the deep abyss below. The scheme failed, however, and today the cold-blooded assas- sin is undergoing a life-long imprisonment in an Austrian penal institution for a crime which agitated all Europe. Early Snow Storms. From this place the read ascends the tall slate slope in long windings. until Fran- zenshoehe is reached, where there was once @ postal station, which is now used as a tavern. ‘It was at this point, with a bright sun overhead, where the first flakes of snow warned the writer of the weather which he and his party were about to encounter. During the latter weeks of September or the first part of October the early snow storms are usually encountered in the Alps. It is then when the tourist migrates southward to the Reviera, the Italian lakes and the country beyond. Apprehending the danger of being snowed In, we quickened our pace and made an attempt to reach the summit, whence it would be but a short time be- fore we should be out of the reach of the snow. But the flakes fell with such rapidity and the clouds so quickly darkened our sur- roundings that we were glad when we ob- tained shelter in a refuge on the Austrian side Of the pass. We remained over night to find on the following morning a drift of four feet of snow in front of the door and the pass blocked above and below. By 12 o'clock a large party of mountaineers had partially cleared the drift, and we set out in a special stage to which but two horses were harnessed. Our progress was natural- ly very slow, but when we reached the boundary line between Tyrol and Italy— the highest point upon the pass—we made more rapid headway. After leaving the first Italian refuge the stone and wooden galleries which have been erected as a protection against the frequent aval: thes were approached and welcomed with much delight, for they enabled us to quicken the pace of the weary horses. ‘These ‘mighty archways and tunnels hewn in the rock, covered with layers of snow and ice many feet thick, with huge icicles suspended from the ceiling, were inde2d a beautiful sight. We rapidly traversed the long series of tunnels and galleries to find ourselves being wafted over a roadway up- on which there was no snow to a warmer and more congenial climate. JOHN H. METZEROTT. —_>—__ “Man Never Is, but Always to Be Blest.” Frem Puck. Act lL “You look nervous, Hopeley. What's the matte! “I've made up my mind to propose to Miss Sweetley tonight. I tell you, o!d man, if she accepts me I'll be the happiest man alive.” Act IL “You look nervous, Hopeley. matter?” “Don't you know? Why, I’m going to marry Mabel—Miss Sweetly to night! I tell you, old man I'll be the happiest man alive.” Act IIL. “You look nervous, Hopeley. What's the matter?" “Til know tonight whether the court's granted my divorce. I tell, you, old man, if it does I'll be the happiest man alive.” a Society Note. From Harper's Bazar. ‘tue y What's the fy iy Mr. William MeCrakham, tended sojourn at a well-known resort upon the Hudson, has returned, and is about to open a house in a fashionable quarter of the city. after an ex- SURE SIGNS OF DEATH. There Are None, and the Most Skill- ful Doctors May Make Mistakes. From the Chicago Tribune. “Apparent death from an electric shock,” said a physician in discussing the case of the workman on the Metropolitan “L,” “is one of the most deceptive things in the world. Those who opposed the employ- ment of electricity for the infliction of capital punishment in New Yerk were able to cite the opinions of some of the most eminent authorities on this subject, among them Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, who, in an address before the Medical Society of London some years ago on ‘The Abso- lute Signs of Death,” took a strong posi- tion against the employment of electricity in the case of murderers, and asserted that as the result of a series of careful experiments he had been forced to the conclusion that it could not be relied upon to produce death. Birds and small ani- mals, he had found, could be killed without any difficulty, but sheep upon which the experiment had been tried subsequently re- vived, and he was unable to fix upon a yoltage sufficiently great to insure death. Sometimes, he said, the current would pro- duce a mere scorching, while in other in- stances the subject would be thrown into a cataleptic state, from which he would subsequently recover. “The fact is that when we are asked to say definitely what constitutes death, so far as outward and visible signs go, we doctors must confess with the rest of man- kind that we can make no conclusive an- swer any more than we can if you ask us to define life. Except where decompos'tion has set in, or where a body is so injured as to put the matter beyond question, there is always a possibility of error. No physician should sign a death certificate in the case of a patient unless he was present at the final moment, or unless he has made an examination ‘after death is reported by those in attendance, although I know this Precaution is not always taken. I have never had eny cases of recovery after ap- Parent death in my own practice, but I have known of them, and many others are recorded, For example, there is the in- stance of a physician in New York city who was called to see a student at a young ladies’ seminary. He ws unable to respond immediately, and upon his arrival he was met at the entrance by one of the young woman's fellow students, who said: ‘It’s no use, now, doctor, she is gone.’ He went to the room, where he found the girl lying as if dead. Her face was white, and her heart had ceased to beat. The other physician in attendance, who was present when the change took’ place, pronounced her dead. But the girl, as the doctors learned, was sub- ject to attacks of what is known as grave hysteria, and it was during one of these attacks that she had apparently passed away. Cons‘dgring that under the circum- stances the evidences of death were by no means conclusive, he resorted to artificial respiration, with the result that the girl Tecovered completely and became a strong and healthy woman. Examples of this kind, while by no means common, are suf- ficiently numerous to show the danger in which friends and physicians are constantly Placed of making mistakes of the most shock'ng nature. “Some years ago an award which had been placed in its hands by a professor in the Umversity of Rome was made by the Academy of Sciences of Paris for an essay on the question, ‘What Is an Infallible Sign of Death?” In the essay for which the award was made it was asserted that death could always be determined by a prolonged absence of beatings of the heart upon aus- cultation; that 1s to say, by listening either with or without the stethoscope. It was re- quired, of course, that the auscultation should be performed by a physician, but this test was soon shown to be unreliable by numerous cases in which it was tried. ‘The Paris Academy of Medicine has had for a number of years a standing prize of sev- eral thousand francs bequeathed to it by some marquis for a solution of the same great problem, but it has never been award- ———_+-e-+___ A Strange Thing. From the New York Sun. To the Editor of the Evening Sun—Sh A strange thing befell me the other day. Terhaps you can explain it. I can’t. Ihave puzzled over it until E must know the sense of it or lose my own. You will understand that I cannot ask for an explanation of it in the direct way. There is a policeman in cur block. The thing befell me in church. I was trying hard to think of nothing but strictly sacred things, when I observed three girls sitting in the seat in front of me. The middle one was much shorter than the rest. This wes how they looked sitting: Just as my eye fell upon them a hymn was given out and the congregation arose to sing it. The three girls in the seat in front cf me stood up with the rest. To my tewilderment this was the way they looked then: At the end of the hymn the minister knelt in prayer, and the worshipers with rim, includirg my three girls. This was the way they looked then: eee: See, a I forgot all about church, sermon and Sunday—any one would—but I do want to know what was the matter with that girl in the middle. ANXIOUS. ei ger Se Church Cars in Siberia. From the San Francisco Examiner. L. K. Minnock, the representative of sev- eral large English rolling mills, who has sold a vast quantity of rails to be used in the construction of the great Siberian rail- road, is in the city on a pleasure trip. The entire iength of the road from St. Peters- burg to Vladivostock is to be 6,000 miles. There remain 3,700 miles yet to be construct- ed. Minnock stated that the authorities of the Greek Church had, with the approval of the Russian government, decided upon a novel means of spreading the religion of the church through the sparsely populated portions of Siberia that the road has already penetrated. There are long stretches of ter- ritory in which there are hardly any people whatever, so the building of churches ts out of the question. The authorities, he says, finally decided to construct some churches on wheels, that would be hauled over the road and stopped for religious exer- cises wherever a handful of people was found. Five of these church cars have been constructed, each one being assigned to a certain section of the railroad, and they are hauled back and forth between the scattered small settlements. Each of them, he says, ig fitted up with all the paraphernalia of an orthodox Greek church, and two priests are in each car. Ail told, the five churches on wheels, he thinks, visit seventy settle- ments a week. Each settlement knows when the church car is to arrive, and all the people are expected to come down to meet it promptly for the services held in the car immediately after its arrival. Each church can comfortably seat thirty or forty people, and two settlements are visited daily by each one. Several settlements have more people than the church can accommo- date, and in such cases the cars make longer stops to hold two and sometimes three serv- ices before departing. ———__+e+ Still in the Honeymoon. From Puneh. Angelina—““And you won’t forget to buy a tin ef cocoatina.” (Edwin ties a knot in his pocket handkerchief.) Angelina—“And you won't forget to call and see dear mamma.” (Edwin ties anoth- er knot in his pocket handkerchief.) Angelina—“And oh, Edwin, dear, you won't, you won't forget to think sometimes of your poor little wife, left all alone for the day!” (Edwin ties a third knot in his pocket handkerchief.) ——__+e+ The Day After, From Harper's Weekly. Mayor of defunct Boomtown—“Yes, sir; just before this last cyclone we could make our brag that this was the most likely town this side of Eureka City.” Tourist (looking upon scene of devasta- tion)—“‘You don’t seem to have much left to blow over now.” 23 LIVE FOREVER New Methed of Killing Out a Pestiferous Weed. Destroyed by Inoculating It With a Disease—A Microscopic Fungus. The notion of destroying weeds by infect- ing them with disease is certainly novel. It is a new idea with which the Department of Agriculture is making experiments. Un- fortunately, the disease attacks only one species of weed, but that is extremely pes- tiferous. It is well known in the northeast- ern part of the United States as “‘live for- ever.” Farmers in that section of the coun- try regard it as a terror. In New York state and portions of New England its prev- alence has reduced the market value of large areas of land by fifty per cent. “Live forever” is an imported pest, like the Russian thistle. Unlike the latter, how- ever, ft was brought into this country in- tentionally. It was fetched from Europe by the early settlers, whose wives took pains to bring a few of the plants with them for household medicine. Set out in the garden, ee spread to the flelds and meadows even- ually. It spreads slowly, but when it has once got a hold it never gives up. It drives out every other kind of plant, and to eradicate it Is almost impossible. A single plant of “live forever” laid on a stone wall and exposed to the sun will keep alive for a month. If pieces of the stem or root fall upon the ground they will soon sprout. Plowing does no good in an infested field, for the cutting up of the plants simply transforms each one into several, every fragment making a fresh start for itself. Thus the problem is very serious to the farmers. A Fortunate Disease. About ten years ago a few diseased plants of “live forever” were imported into the United States from Europe. Nobody knows exactly where they came from or who brought them. How the notion suggested itself is not explained, but farmers in cen- tral New York set out some of them in fields that were overrun with the weed. It was found that they quickly communicated the disease to the healthy plants of that species, the result being that in two or three years the “live forever” entirely disappeared, being literally rotted out and destroyed. At the same time no harm is done to the grasses or plants of any other kind. The disease which attacks it is a miscro- scopic fungus. To propagate the fungus is easy enough, so that eventually farmers may be able to procure infected plants. Up to date no knowledge of the phenomenon described has been had by farmers save in central New York. An agent of the De- partment of Agriculture was sent, a few weeks ago, to that region for the purpose of studying the matter. Eventually it will be made the subject of a special bulletin. — ENGLISH AS IT IS WRITTEN. Queer Phrases of Native and Foreign Bookmakers, Kate Upson Clark in the Outlcok. All editors are astonished at the poor En- glish written by many of their would-be ccntributors, whose spelling and penman- ship indicate that they have had a fair de- gree of education. Usually this stupidity in the use and choice of words seems to arise from a lack in the sense of humor. Even a university course, as every one knows, cannot make up for thig essential quality, which is absolutely necessary to literary success. A writer need not be hu- morous, but he must have a quick percep- tion of what is ridiculous in order to avold making himself so. ‘Thus, cnly a person deficient in this vital respect could have written of her heroine that she had ‘deep, dark hair;” that she had “that rareness of expression ~which baffles the most learned to understand;” that “Maud had grown weary of setting in the porch;” that her lips were “wreathed in a smile that strangely reminded me of an angel;” and that “her strange nature enchained my fancy.” Also, only such a one, or a person phenomenally ignorant, could conclude a stanza of poetry, as did one young woman, with the line: May gladness and joy be your doom. This individual may have been related to him who chanted: “Oh, put me in no sepulcher, Or dim vault, sad and gloomy; But let my narrow bed be lain Within some meadow roomy."” When even native Americans make such havoc with their language it 1s not singu- lar that foreigners have severe struggles to master it. Translators who consider themselves competent to express In English the literature of their own lands sometimes prove themselves amusingly unequal to the task. This was the case with the cour- ageous gentleman who sent to an editor a story containing the following passage: “He said with an air of a most despising disdain.” “His whole attire gave him a most dis- tinguished and gentlemanly appearance.” «Oh? bursted Marguerite, terrified “To solicit in the name of the Germaine republic the annexation of his native city to France.” “He wore velvet trouser, all spotted with ‘He was beginning to resume himself.” “Tt' seemed as though his heart would bound frem its envelope.”” “She gave him by look a most eloquent thank.” “The rain, pushed by the wind, beated his handsome face.” ‘A distinguished foreigner, whose works had been successfully introduced into ‘America by a well-known publisher, wrote him a grateful letter, in which occurred these sentences: ‘You built up fame for me whole the world over * * * me, who id not proceed the study of English fur- ther than ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Yet this is a strange world, and I marvel at the fame I have been bestowed upon. * * * Well,” he adds, modestly, “the American have plenty money, and they part with it when best humbugged. (P. T. Barnum.) My re- gards to all friends whose names I have Tuanaged to forget. My special requests to the old gentleman who heard loud, and the schoolteacher miss.” ‘Arother wrote, under similar circum- stances: ‘Accept my the best thanks for your venerable help in my troubles. As jong as I will live I will think how I can revange your kindness.” Helped by Gen. Gordon. From the Chicago Times-Herald. ‘Think of a man with a freshly amputated leg—one that had been cut off only forty- eight hours—crawling on hands and knees a distance of four or five miles to get water to slake his thirst and bathe his aching wound; and then to freedom! That was done by two Wisconsin men who each lost a leg on the first day of the Wilderness bat- tle, in May, 1864. James Whitty of the sixth and Mark Smith of the seventh Wisconsin lost a leg apizce that day. Both fell into the hands of the same confederate surgeon, who did a good plece of work for them— sawed from each a ieg that had been so badly torn that nothing could save it. While there a confederate seneral rode up to get a drink. “Wish you'd give us that canteen, gen- eral,” said Whitty. “Are yours gone, boys?” “Yes, sir.”” “What are you here for?” “To get a drink and wash these sore spots that your men gave us day before yester- ages “Where are vou going?” “To Washington.” “How?” on’t know, but some way.” ‘You may have my canteon, and here's @ corn pone. It’s the best and all I have with me.” The conf te was General John B. Gordon, the Ge Senator. When Gordon was at’ Madison, Wis., in 1894, and spoke, there were in his audience a great many soldiers, but none who watched him more closely or enjoyed him better than a couple of old men, each of whom hada icg pieced out with wood and cork. When the speech was done these two men pushed up through the crowd, saluted, tock the general by the hand and thanked hiin for the canteen and cornpone he s:ve them thirty years before. General Gordon re- membered the incident, and the three sol- diers held a happy little blue ana gray re- union. BROKE THR POTTLE. An Accident Saved,the Drug Clerk From the Consequences of # Bluuder. From the Atlanta Constitutign. ‘This is tragedy or gomedy, according to the light in which yop ylew it. One of the proprietqys,of a drug store in Atlanta wns not long 9go @ drug clerk in a small city. There werp,two drug clerks in the store at the time.;,They divided the time, one auswering the calls at night and getting shorter hours tn, the day, and the other doing long hours. , “One night,” said. the, Atlanta man, “I was in my room over the dryg store. I couldn’t sleep, somohow, and I tossed about on my bed until I decided to pass the time reading. After a bit I hegrd some one come in the drug store below and heard my part- ner get up and wait on the customer. Ina few minutes I heard the customer go out, and everything was quiet again. But quiet only fcr a short time. “Presently I heard my colleague below walking about uneasily, and I could tell by the nervous way in which he walked about that something was the matter. I went down and found the young man walking up and down the floor, great beads of per- spiration standing out on his brow and agony written all over his face. “IT don’t know what on earth to do,’ he broke out in absolute despair, ‘I made a mistake with that prescription. I was so sleepy I did not know—but somehow I kept thinking after the boy left that I had made a mistake, and I went to the arsenic and found that, sure enough, I’d put enough arsenic in that prescription to kill three men. For God’s sake, if you think of any- thing that can be done, tell me quick.’ “His face was drawn and white and his mind was at a terrible tension. ‘Speak, speak, for God’s sake, for the boy was in @ hurry, and tne man’s already taken it. I'm afraid.’ “Where does he live?’ I asked. “His face fell and an expression of terror came over it. He dropped into a chair. “‘I don’t know,’ he gasped. sat down facing him, and for what seemed an hour we sat there, looking at each other, not speaking a word: What passed through our minds no human words can tell. We saw the dreadful effect of the mistake—death, disgrace to us, ruin to the establishment, criminal charge and forever afterward the frightful knowledge of hav- ing been criminally careless. Black pic- tures flitted through our minds. It was an awful moment. “We started at every little sound. We listened for the cry of the family of the, sick one. We could see the patient writh- ing in the throes of death—death brought on by a terrible, a criminal, an inexcusable mistake. The cold sweat stood out all over ‘us. “There came a sound outside. We listened intently. There was a knock on the door. We both sprang to our feet. I rushed to the door. “A small boy stood there crying. He held the remnants of some broken pieces of glass in his hands. He threw his arm over is eyes and cried as if his heart would break. “Oh, mister, please, sir—please, sir,’ he blubbered, ‘I couldn't help it. I stumped my toe, and—boo-hoo!—fell down, and—boo- hoo!—broke the bottle.’ “We both seized him in our arms. My companion gave him the sort of an em- brace that one gives to his sweetheart after a year’s separation, and we wept on his neck. The way we set that boy up before letting him go ought to have set a pre- mium on breaking bottles among the small boys of that town.” ——- THEY SCALED THE CHIMNEY. a Cutler's Climb of Pwo Hundred Feet of Rope, Hanit Over Hand. From the Philadelphia Thitieg. A brick smokestack, «nearly 200 feet in height,stands on the site of the old Morris & Tasker iron foundry,“ot’ the north side of Morris street, betwee} 4th and 5th streets. The entire block wam, occupied by the foundry buildings uatit lately, but they have been torn down’ one by one to make room for the encroaching rows of small dwelling houses, whipk <bean on the 4th street front and ate How being built along the east end of Morrig.street. A week ago. the; werk. was: practically stopped because the stack,.bad@ hecome an obstruction, It is a huge affair, octagonal in shape, and built éntirely of brick. It stands on a solid foundation twenty feet square and ten feet high, and it tapers from a diameter of eighteen feet at the bottom to eight feet atthe top. It was built a quarter of a century ago, when they knew how to build stacks, and was apparently constructed to last forever. ‘The contractor wanted to pull-the stack down, but the formidable height and size made the operation so dangerous to all the other structures in the vicinity that the building inspector positively forbade him to do it. The authorities ordered that the stack be taken down, brick by brick, and recommended that the work be commenced at once. The work of razing the stack must of necessity begin at the top, and the first ef- fort of the contractor was to get a man up to its smoke-blacked mouth. Various plans were suggested, and finally the job was in- trusted to Thomas Cutler, who, with three helpers, essayed to get a rope up through the interior of the stack on Tuesday after- noon. Cutler is a well-known rigger, and has a reputation for getting away with just such tough contracts as this one appeared ‘0 be. In order to get on the inside of the stack Cutler broke a hole in the bricks and mor- tar big enough to permit a man to squeeze through. Cutler and his assistants unloaded large coils of rope of all sizes,.and then produced a bunch of powerful sky rockets. At sight of these the crowd gave a shout. One of the riggers crawled inside the stack with the rockets, and the coil of the thinnest rope was pushed in after him. For a while the eager watchers held their breath, well krowing what was going on. Then the legs of the man were seen coming slowly out of the ragged hole in the slot, and when orly his head and arms were on the inside he struck a match, ignited the fuse of a rocket ard quickly slipped out. In an instant there was a sizzle and a sharp report, and the hundreds of pairs of eyes turned skyward saw the rocket with the rope trailing after it shoot out of the top of the stack and soar high in the air. It threw out some colored fire that was al- rest invisible in the bright sunshine and then came down to the ground like an ar- row, bringing the end of the rope with it. The crowd cheered, and Cutler was for the moment the biggest hero the nelghborhood had known for years. Having got the thin rope safely over the top, a thicker one was fastened to it and drawn comepletely through. This process was repeated four or five times until a rope an inch and a half thick was in place. One end of this was made fast to an iron stanchion outside and the other dangled along the east wall on the inside. Cutler directed one of his men to climb up this for the purpose of making a block and tackle fast on the top, and Geo. Brennan, an old fireman, undertook the job. He started up the yope hand over hand, getting what support ;he could for his feet from the ragged edgeg of the bricks, but when less than half..way up he stopped, struggled for half a mjgute desperately and then began to slide rapidly earthward. He reached the ground with no other injuries than blistered hands and bruised knees, but it was a long time befgre he could get his breath. He said he didnot believe any man could make the ascent unless he was also tied to the tail of a rocket,-as the first rope had been. ua Cutler, however, made the next attempt, and he succeeded. He went up hand over hand, shaking down, the soot and dirt in black clouds, and when. his head appeared over the top of the stagk he looked as if he had been painted blagk. The crowd gave him another cheer, and he raised his hand- kerchief in return. |e looked no bigger than a sparrow at the;great height, and it could be seen by the way his clothes flapped about that he was catching a brisk breeze. He stayed up all the afternoon and rigged a block and tackle for hauling the men up hereafter and lowering baskets full of ricks. +0 Safest Side of the Stock Market. From Iarper’s, Bazar, “Which do you think is the safer side of the stock market?” said Spatts to Bloo- bumper, “the long side or the short side?” “There is a third side, which I consider much safer than either you have named,” reptied Bloobumper. What side is that?” “The outside.” * —— The Evening Star for the full time the mystery story, “When the War Was Over,” is running, including back numbers, will be seat, postpaid, to out-of-town sub- scribers for 60 cents, Subscribe for an out- of-town friend. CASH FROM CORK Why Import $2,000,000 Worth of Bark That Oan be Grown Here? The Department of Agriculture Ad- vocates the Planting of Cork Ferests —Uses to Which the Bark is Put. The Department of Agriculture will issue @ bulletin before long on the subject of cork. It will advocate the culture of cork trees in this country, urging that forests of this species of oak could be established with great profit in the southern states. Statistics show that $2,000,000 worth of cork is imported into the United States annually. It is steadily increasing in value, fetching now eleven times the price that was paid for it in 1790. The soil of Cali- fornia is particularly well adapted to the cork oak, which grows there with greater rapidity than in Europe. Already about 1,000 of the trees have been planted in the San Gabriel valley. The University of California has distributed several bushels of the acorns, which, by the way, are very good to eat, tasting like chestnuts. Various Uses for Cork. The variety of uses to which cork is put is extraordinary. To the Algerians it is as great a necessity #s the agave to the Mexi- can or the palm to the Arab. From it he makes boats, furniture, saddles, shoes, horseshoes and even clothing. Other em- Ployments for the material in southern Europe are for roofing, pails, clothes, win- dow lights, plates, tubs, drinking vessels, religious images, fences and coffins. The waste cork from the cutting of bottle stop- pers is utilized for filling cushions and mat- tresses, and in the manufacture of cork dust bricks, which are serviceable where great dryness is required. A very fine kind of pasteboard is made from cork, the ground substance being mixed with paper pulp and Pressed to squeeze out the water. Cork waste is also used for making lifeboats, buoys, linoleum, inner soles for shoes, arti- ficial legs and arms, “cork concrete,” and many other articles in which lightness and elasticity ere required. The Industry Though of modern origin, the cork in- dustry has attained immense importance. In the last half csntury the production has more than doubled. About $8,000,000 worth of prepared cork, representing 587,000 hun- dredweight, was sold last year. Portugal occupies the first place as a producer, while the United States, England and Germany are the principal consumers. Spain exports vast quantities of manufactured cork for bottles. In this industry, as well as in the quality of the product, she surpasses all other countries. “The world consumes an- nually 7,000,000,000 cut corks. The sizes and forms of these are regulated according to 150 models. Nowadays bicycle handles, life preserv- ers and hat linings are made of cork. The material is burned for making “Spanish black.” The waste is utilized for lining ice houses, being an excellent non-conductor, and also for packing grapes. Notwith- standing all the uses for cork waste that have been mentioned, great quantities of it have to be thrown away for lack of pur- poses to which to apply it. Cork dust is made to serve as a substitute for rice powder in the toilet. Tons of cork are manufactured every year into nose-holders for eyeglasses. For these the very finest quality is required. The inventor of this particular use for cork has made a big for- tune out of the idea. He gets a royalty on me pair of eyeglasses thus made that is sold. Corks for Champagne Bottles. Champagne corks consume the bulk of the finest cork that reaches the market. They cost a cent apiece wholesale. This is because they have to be cut by hand. Or- dinary cork that is intended to be cut by machinery is first softened by steam, so that it may not take the edges off the re- volving knives. Cork thus treated does well enough for common purposes, but it has lost its elasticity, and does not make stoppers tight enough for champagne. The cutting of cork by hand is a trade requir- ing much skill and long experience. The knives employed are so quickly dulled that they have to be sharpened constantly by the cork cutter as he works. The great champagne houses often engage the en- tire output of cork-cutting establishments im Spain and Portugal. Cork trees are raised from seed usually, the large and sweet acorns producing the biggest trees and the finest cork. Small and bitter acorns produce coarse and in- ferior trees. The bark product of a full- grown trees is about eighteen pounds, worth five cents a pound. The cork of commerce is not a natural product of the tree, but an abaormal development of the bark under certain treatment. Natural cork is useless for purposes of manufac- ture, being too coarse. Sometimes it is so woody and dense that it will not float. 'The wild cork or outer layer of the natural bark is removed when the tree reaches a diameter of six inches or so, leaving the interior denser and softer cork layer. The latter is called “lard,” or “mother cork,” and from it the cork of commerce devel- ops. The bark is first placed in long, rectangu- lar vessels and boiled. The boiling closes the pores, increases its elasticity, and ren- ders 4t more supple arid compact. Its spe- cific weight is reduced, while its volume is almost doubled. Next the slab’ are scraped to remove all the wood fiber. After this operation they go to a workman who trims them to proper shape and sorts them into grades suttable for different purposes. ae Under the Circumstances. - From Tid Bits. Daughter—“Mamma, if I must write to Mr. Bray about his extortionate bill, should I say ‘Dear Mr. Bray Mamma—“Certainly, stances.” under the circum- Sift 1 quart of flour, 1 saltspoonful salt, 1 sait- spoonful ground nut. meg or cinnamon, 2 rounding _teaspoonfuls baking powdertogether. Beat 2 eggs; add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, 2 tea- spoonfals melted’ Cot- tolene. Stir these into the flour, roll and cut nt shape, Have ket- tle % full of Cottolene —at just the right heat —and fry the doughnuts in it for 8 minutes. For frying, Cottolene must be oé, but don’t let it get hot enough to smoke or it will be burned and spoiled. To find if it is hot enough, test it by throwing into it a single drop of water. When at just the heat, the water will pop. Get the genuine. The Cottolene trade-marks are “‘Cot- tolene” e” and a steer’s head in cotton- plant wreath. THE N. K. FAIRBANK COMPANY, Chicago, and 114 Commerce Street, Baltimore. ORDERING LUNCH. Two Girls, a Waiter and a Bill of Fare. From the Chicago Record. Did you ever notice what kind of tunches & woman éats when she has to pay for them? Susie and. Marie came into che tea room, looking faint and hungry. “What are you going to have, Sue?” “Oh! I don't know. ‘What are you?” ‘“I can’t decide. Now, you order, und I'll take what you ‘take.” “No, you order. Then I'll have what- ever you do.” Both giggle. “Well, let me see; I believe I'll have chicken pie.”* The waiter braces up and says, “Yes, ma’am.”” “Chicken pie! Why, do you like chicken ple so much?’ “N-o-o, I don’t care much for it. I guess I won’t take chicken pie.” Walter subsides and looks resigned. “Why don’t you take croquettes?” “What kind of croquettes?” “Why, chicken, of course.” “Haven't they got any other kind?” “No, that’s the only sort they have.’ “No, here's sweet corn croquettes. I wonder how they are?” Walter comes out of his trance. “Very- nice, indeed, miss."” is the corn grated or cut off the ear?” “It's grated off, miss.” “Grated! Why, that isn’t the way Aunt Mary-used to make it. Is it, Sue?” “Aunt Mary? Well, let me think. No, I don’t d'lieve so.” “Of course, she didn’t. I've seen her make ‘em. I'm su she just split the grains down and theff cut, not grated (with @ severe glance at the wait§r) it off.” “Well, I don’t believe I care much for croquettes, anyway.” “Neither do I.” “How would you like some salad?” “What kind have they?” “Well, here's lobster and chicken and Potato and sweetbread and egg salad.” “What is egg salad?” “I don’t know, I’m sure.” Marie asks the waiter seven questions about egg. ealad, and finds out the min- utest facts concerning its construction. ‘then she observes: “Well, I hardly think I’d like that.” “Let's have some nut sandwiches.” “Oh, they’re so rich; I can’t eat them.” et’s have olive sandwiches.” fo, I can’t bear olives. “Mushroom and chicken patties, that sounds good. Suppose we try that. How much Is it?” “Oh, that’s 45 cents! You extravagant littleywretch, you!” Both giggle. “They have splendid rolls here.” — yes; let’s have some of those French rol “You mean the crescent, don’t you?” “No, I mean the French. They’re tall and thin.” “Why, those are what they call ‘home- de’ rolls.’” “No, they’re not; they are the French.” They argue tartly for five minutes and finally appeal to the waiter. He settled the argument, leaving Susan triumphant and Marie sulky. This, however, has the desired effect of at last getting them to de- cide what they want. Marie’s order is: Sliced cucumbers, French rolls, tea and ice cream. Susan’s order is: Orange straws, crescent rolls and a cup of coffee. His Diagnosis, From the Texas Siftings. First Doctor—“I had a very interesting case the other day. The diagnosis was all right, but the course of the disease was decidedly abnormal.” Second Doctor—“‘What course did it take?” First Doctor—“The patient recovered.” —= ONE ENJOYS Both the method and results when Syrup of Figs is taken; it is pleasant and refreshing to the taste, and acts gently yet promptly on the Kidneys, Liver and Bowels, cleanses the sys- tem effectually, dispels colds, head- aches and fevers and cures habitual constipation. Syrup of Figs is the only remedy of ita Pind = TO- duced, pleasing to the taste and ac- ceptable to the stomach, prompt in its action and truly beneficial in ite effects, prepared only from the most healthy and agreeable substances, its many excellent qualities commend it to all and have made it the most popular remedy known. yrup of Figs is for sale in 50 cent bottles by all leading drug- gists. Any reliable druggist who may not have it on hand will pro- cure it promptly for any one who wishes to try it. Donot acceptany substitute. CALIFORNIA FIG SYRUP CO. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. AQUISVILLE, Ki | |TAKEN IN EXCHANGE FOR NEW GOODS. Q%_outot-date jewelry a cumulates in every house- hold. We will examine yours; and report on its value—and tell you how far it will go toward purchasing that inevitable OC- ** TOBER WEDDING PRESENT © © that you must buy—or something| - * © else of which you can make use. . . eo ett eeee © (THE BIRTHSTONE FOR * OCTOBER IS THE OPAL. eee . . . . . . Tloore & Leding, | JEWELERS AND SILVERSMITHS, 109 Pennsylvania Ave. ocl1-50d Tame “The Concord Harness’’ 18 THE BEST AND THE CHEAPEST. ‘That's the simple statement of every one who has ever used it. HORSE CLOTHING and ROBES of all descriptions. = WIZ & BRO., 497 Pa. Ave. 0c2-164 You make no mistake in using “Dermarex” Toilet Soap, because it is pure and exceedingly curative to blemished skins. 25c.—everywhere. This {s the only institution in the south de- voted exclusively to the treatment of the skin, scalp and blood. J, H. HEPBURN, M. D., Dermatologist, Mertz Building, Cor. 11th and ¥ sts. " oll-14d | HOUSEKEEPERS ache, ‘he, dragging-down Sensations in the abdomen, and many other symptoms Sc = . rangement of the female ‘ions can find renewed strength and healttf by taking Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Prescriptice.” For the pains and aches, the ods of Suelaficholy and sleeplessness— nothing cA do you so much permanent good as tids vegetable compound. You save the dé,tor’s fee, as well as your mod- esty, by puf-hasing this “Prescription ” of Doctor Piexce. For a great many years Dr. R. V. Pirce (chief consulting physician ~ and specialist to the Invalids’ ‘Hotel and Surgical Institute, of Buffalo, N.Y.) made @ specialty of the diseases of women, and from his latge experience he was able to compound a “Prescription” whick acted directly mpoa the special internal parts of women. When in doubt as to your ailment write him, it will cost you nothing. A k, on “Woman and Her Diseases,” published ty: the World’s Dispensary Med- 1 Associ zion, Buffalo, N. ¥., is of inter: est to all:¥men. It will be sent for ten cents in ste?aps, When wcften are afflicted with nervous- ness, irrita%lity, nervous prostration or exe haustion agi sleeplessness, in nine cases out of ten source of the trouble is some displaceme§tt, irregularity or derangement of the spet inten _ Dr. Pierce’s worite ¥; iption cxres* permanently such cases is well as that distressing in- temal disc/sarge from the mucous mem> brane, inflafmation and ulceration. Jackson Co., Bich. male a catarrhal discharge from the of the special parts. T suf with pain in m . never @ eat T commenced Prescrip- tion. I could{not sleep on a mattrass; it seemed as though it would kill me. Since taki medicine Ten sleep anywhere ; I am iy ‘well. I wonli not be placed in 'my former com an “Ga? Piter Briar rire GIVEN AWAY Say MIXTURE for S5 cents Every pipe stamped DUKES MIXTURE or <a> 2or Parkanre 5¢ Grateful—Comforting. Epps’s a. = BREAKFAST—SUPFER. “By a thorough Knowledge of the matural laws wtich govera the eperations of digestion and mutri- tion, and by a careful tiun-of the fine prop- ertics of well-celected Cocoa Mr. bas provided for our breakfest aii supper a delicately flavored bererage which save us many heavy doctors’ bills. Jt is by the Jodiclcos use of such articles of diet that a constitution may be gradually built up urifl strong encugh to resigt every tends dis~ ense. Hui of subtle, maladies are fon are ‘Boat arcund us ready to attack wherever there is a weak, eping warseltcs Gell fortlied wit a pre seeping curselves well fortit it blood & properly nourished frame.’*—Cii Service = ~ only in sus? JAMES EPPS & CO., Ltd., Homoeopathic Chemists, London, ‘England. ‘5-s,m,tu,9m gette. Made simply with boiling water or milk, alf-pound. tins, Dy grocers, labeled “RECAMIER CREAM A raS tea ut On lecelpt of 26 Oca. PEERLESS AACR TVA. a aa We Don’t Sell | heap Shoes. ‘We DO sell low-priced Shoes, Tn the best Shoes for the money in Not an ill-fitting, carelessly made Shoe our ‘place. In ‘spite of the ery about Teather going, up,, we're still sclling $2.50 Shoes. er, le, For Sie. MONE youfll not ‘Gnd a that'll give you more satisfaction, no matter where it’s bought. fRobt. Cohen & Son, 630 Pa. Ave. 2 DOWNTOWN AMERICAN SHOE M vin Saw nie on etl ever. Shoe inert UMS SETSTSSTSSS TOSS SLOOSHOOE CIID 2; Heaters, GA Each year brings more perfectly made aters and ranges. Many new nd many little im- provements -that make the burning of for heating and cooking more Bie. ‘Most complete line in town, GAS APPLIANCE EX., $1428 N. Y. Ave. ge27-284 Your-Grocer —— -sell you some other soaps which he — claims is “just as good” as ours. Insist — upon having Weaver, Kengla & Co.’s Soaps —which are the ideal washing soaps— make the clothes more clean and whiter than any other soap. Sold by all live grocers, Plant, 3244 K St. N.W. ocl 1-324 Sa rule a child takes a than an adult. Grown-up people are > generally self-confident and are hard to divert from the fact that they are be- ing recorded. With a child it is differ- ent—one touch of the spring of a me- chanical toy and the subject smiles in Interest of the maneuver. We make a specialty dre . only a few days left_until October 15—tn which to take advantage of our offer of making Mantellos Photos for W. ii. Stales, 1107 F St. SUCCESSOR TO M. B. BRADY. ocl1-164 .