Evening Star Newspaper, March 7, 1896, Page 21

——sSSS—. ~ SOUND IN FOG| ie tetscace ome "| THE NATIONAL GUARD It is One of the Uncertainties That Haunt the Navigator. CAUSE OF RECENT MARINE DISASTERS Talk With A. B. Johnson, the Light House Board Expert. DEAF AS WELL AS BLIND —_->——_ \OGS UNDOUBTED- FF have caused more G marine disasters than any other meteorolog- ical condition. When they prevail over the waters of the earth, the navigator not only cannot see his course, but he cannot rely upon his sense of hearing. He is, therefore, not only blind, but deaf as Ve well, and is perforce compelled to trust solely in Providence for the safe deliverance of himself and crew and the ship and cargo. From the earliest Kistory of the world when men first began to go down to sea in ships efforts have been made to counteract the dangers of naviga- tion in times of fog. The genlus of the world has been devoted almost from the time of Noah in devising means to protect navigators when the waters are overcast by fogs. While the dangers of navigation under such conditions have been greatly reduced by various inventions, they are still far from being removed entirely. ‘The sound signals now generally used to guide mariners during fogs are sirens, trumpets, steam whistles, bell boats, bell buoys, whistling buoys, bells struck by ma- chinery, cannons, rockets and gongs. These devices serve a useful purpose, but do not fill the Dill by many degrees. They form part of the equipment of our light house establishment, than which there is no bet- ter in the world, but were not sufficient to avert the accidents that recently befell the steamer St. Paul, New York and Ailsa in the vicinity of New York city. The St. Paul went out of her course and ran aground at Long Branch, the New York yan aground just outside of Sandy Hook, and the Ailsa lay at anchor blowing fog signals when she was run into and sunk by the Bourgogne. Views of an Expert. ‘These are only specimen cases. They oc- ctrred in familiar waters, and are maii attributable to fogs. The case of the Ailsa in particular is only another illustration of the difficulty of locating sound when the atinosphere is charged with the conditions peculiar to fogs. Technically speaking the accident was merely the result of an aber- ration in audibility. The difficulty of determining the source of the sound of fog signals at sea has been felt since the earliest days of civilization and has not yet been overcome. Mr. A. B. Johnson, chief clerk of the light house beard, who is recognized as an authority on ail questions pertaining to aids to navi- gation, advanced some interesting ideas on this subject in a conversation with a Star reporter today. Said he: “The difficulty in determining the true and exact direction of the sounds we hesr meets us in various ways. The hunter hears the note of a bird, the hiss or whistle of a deer, and the sound indigates identity and proximity, but not direction. ‘The hunier waits for repeated renewal of the sound to ascertain its exact position, and even then verifies his audition by his vision. The hunter by his camp fire may aim between the luminovs dots of reflected light. which he knows to be the eyes of a wolf, but he would scarcely be able to aim at or even very near that spot on simply hearing the howl from the wolf that owns the eyes. “The plainsman hears a shout in the dis- tance. He may recognize it as the voice of a comrade and fix the general direction as north, east, south or west, but hardly more. He may shovt back, and the two may come tcegether; but if it be dark and there is no fire or other signal, the shouting back and ferth must be frequently repeated, and varied from a simple to a complex sound, that each may correct the error of his own auditicn, eliminate his personal equation, and the sound will appear to swing, pendu- lum-like, right and left, with shorter and shorter stroke, till the comrades come to- gether. Uncertainty of Sound. “The average child, returning from school. on entering the house, calls, ‘Mam- ma! The mother, perhaps, replies, ‘Yes!’ “Where are you? is the next question, and the reply informs the child not only as to the floor, but as to the room in which the mother can be found. The child cannot de- termine its mother’s location by the sound of her voice. This exaggerated instance may b- owing to the reflection of the sound, not only from the walls, but from the strata of air differing in temperature and humidity. “How many of us going to the next street, running at right angles to the car tracks, can tell, from hearing the bell of the approaching street car before the car comes in sight, whether that car is going north or south? It does rot seem that ani- mals can determine the direction of sound Yauch better than man. The sleeping dog, { roused by his master’s call, is all abroad a his master’s location, and determines it by sight or scent, or both, frequently running in several different directions before hitting the right one. The deer, on being startled by the unseen hunter's tread, is not always ! right in hi lection of the reute to get out of harm's way. A flock of geese, ducks or other birds, on hearing a gun, is as likely to fly toward as from the sportsman, if he bas kept entirely out of sight and the flash of his piece hes not been seen. “It is a question whether the blind are better able tu dete:mine the direction of scund by ear than are sceing people. It is possible that their senses of touch and smell are so highly developed that their instan- taneous action with that of the ear gives them a decided advantage over seeing peo- ple in this matter. I have known a blind an to be so sensible of the current of air put in motion by the speaking of a single word in a room that he could select the speaker by his location though others were present. So, too, I have known a blind man to locate and identify the various people in the room, he saying he did it by the differ- ent scent evolved from each, the seeing people there not being sensible of any scent from any one. And yet he, when standing in the middle of the room with his nose stopped, could not give the direction of cne single speaking person. Not Always the Apparent Direction. “Among our erroneous popvlar notions is ene which occasionaliy brings practical men, evea skipmasters, to grief. It is idea that sound is always heard in all di- rections from its source according to its intensi! or ferce, and according to the distance of the hearer from it. Instances of this fallacy have accumulated, and they are emphasized by shipwrecks caused by the insistence of mariners on the infalli- bility of their ears, who have accepted un- questioned the guidance of sound signals during for as they have that of light housas during clear weather. The fact is, audition is bject to aberrations, and under cir- ane*s where little expected. We have learned by sad experience that implicit re- Hance on sound signals may, as it -has, lead to darger if not to death. * “The late Prof. Henry of the Smithsonian Institution, who made a special study of this subject, formulated his conclusions on these abnormal phenomena as follows: (1) ‘The audibility of a sound at a distance and its inaudibility nearer the source of sound. @) The inaudibility of a sound at a given distance in one direction, while a lesser sound is heard at the same distance. In another direction. (@) The audihility at oné time at a distance of several miles, while at another the sound cannot be heard at more than a fifth of the same distance. @ While the sound is generally hear: further with the wind than against it, in . Some instances tne reverse is the case.’ (5) fhe sudden loss of a sound !n passing from pre locality to another in the same vic: | Some Interesting Cases. < _ “There are six steam fog whistles on the coast of Maine; these have been frequently heard at a distance of twenty miles, and as frequently cannot be heard at the dis- tance of two miles, and this with no per- ceptible difference in the state of the at- mosphere. “The signal is often heard at a great dis- tance in one direction, while in another it will be scarcely audible at the distance ‘of a mile. This is not the effect of wind, as the signal is frequently heard much farther against the wind than with it; for example, the whistle on Cape Elizabeth can always be distinctly heard in Portland, a distance of nine miles, during a heavy northeast snow storm, the wird blowing a gale di- rectly from Portland toward the whistle. ee . 7. . . “The most perplexing difficulty, however, arises from the fact that the signal often appears to be surrounded by a belt, vary- ing in radius from one to one and one-half miles, from which the sound appears to be entirely absent. Thus, in moving directly from a station, the sound is audible for the distance of a mile, is then lost for about the same distance, after which it is again distinctly heard for a long time. This action is common to all ear-signals, and has been at times observed at all the stations, at one of which the signal is sit- uated on a bare rock twenty miles from the main land, with no surrounding objects to affect the sound. Running by Echo. “Steamers are constantly running among the islands on the coast of Maine during the summer. This is the season of thick and persistent fog. When pilots can hardly see the length of their vessels, they keep up a constant noise with their fog signals. The open sea gives back no sound. But the near or remote vicinity of cliffs, bluffs, or even high shores, is indicated by the strength of the echo received back from them. In fact, running by echo is recog- nized as one of the necessities of the navi- gation of those waters. “This method is aiso used to some extent by steamers on the great rivers, and is practiced on the great lakes to some ex- tent, notably at a certain bluff jutting out into Lake Superior. “If the law of these aberrations in audi- bility can be evolved and some method dis- covered for the'r correction, as the varia- tions of the compass are corrected, then sound may be depended upon as a more definite and accurate aid to navigation. Until then the mariner will do well when he does not get the expected sound of a fog signal, to assume that he may not hear a warning that is faithfully given, and then to heave his lead, and resort to the other means used by the careful navigator to make sure of his position. As to the Use of Echo. “A fog-signaling device now under con- sideration by the light house board is the invention of Mr. De la Torre of Baltimore. It is what may be called an echo-maker, and consists of a flaring funnel screwed on the muzzle of a rifle. It is operated by firing the rifle in the direction of the supposed ob- stacle, such as_a rock, an iceberg, another ship, or & cliff. If the obstacle is there the beam of sound projected through the funnel strikes the obstacle and re- bounds; and as the echo is more or less per- fect in proportion as the obstacle 1s more or less parallel to the ship from which the gun is fired, and it is near or remote, the position of the obstacle may thus be in- ferred. The board reported that De la Torre's method was firing a blank cartridge from a rifle in the presence of objects as small as a spar-buoy and as large as a fort and catching the return sound or echo. “He claims that a sharp sound projected at or nearly at an ob: and only when so directed, will in every case return some of the sound sent, su that theoretically there will always be an echo, and the dif- ference in the time h=iween the sound sent and the echo will indicate the remote- ness of the object. ‘The board found that a return sound could be heard from the side of a fort a half mile off, from pa: steamers a quarter mile off if broads from bluffs and sails of vessels about the same distance, and from spar-buoys yards away. Further Experiments. “The board further states that the sound from the different kinds of masses is dif- ferent in most cases, and that the ear could be educated to detect quite a rarge of different objec:s, as ihe echo from a sail was different from the echo from a buoy or a bluff. If two objects were near the line of proj. ‘ent distances an echo would ved from each, The horizontal limi! return of sound seemed to be abont two points on each side of the axis of proj2ction. “If Mr. De la Torre should see fit to con- struct his instrament for hearing feeble echoes, the board indicated that it would recommend that it be fitted soon to some vessel of the North Atlantic station, and that further and, if possible, exhaust! periments ought to be made to practicaliy determine the use of the echo as a means to discover obstacles to navigation. It was also stated that steam whisiles could be heard much farther than the echo; but it was said that where the opstacl2 could make the sound, as in the case of an berg, the echo would be of th. and experiments look are demanied by the tion in time of fog." ——___ GENEROUS NATURE INDEED. conditions of naviga- She Supplies Free Chicken Soup in Elke County, Nev. From the San Francisco Examiner. The free soup houses might have been dispensed with during the hard times if the people of Nevada had only put up barrels of the chicken soup that bubbles from the hills beyond the Sierra Nevada, in Elko county, and had dispatched it to the poor in our great cities. Incredible as it may seem, it is, never- theless, a fact that soup is a natural pro- duct, and I have often satisfied my hunger from this boiling hot spring, which, judg- ing by the palate, is simply nature's soup tureen. ‘The pool, scarcely 100 yards in diameter, lies just off the stage road. The traveler comes upen it just after crossing the toll bridge over the Humboldt river, which rushes like a cataract through the Hum- boldt valley far below, making Chicken- soup spring seem rather insignificant; but in reality this wonderful little body of wa- ter has beet: sounded to the depth of 1,200 feet, while the turbulent waters below are shallow in comparison. The south side of the pool is deepest, and seems to be the source from which the pectliar solution flows, for the bub- bling, boiling water on that side will cook a@ goose erg in two minutes. It is a com- sht to see tourists wending their i of crackers in their hands. The neighboring roaabed is ballasted on one side Ly what appears to be a covering of hardened lime; but it fs in reality pure crushed lava of unmistakable volcanic ori- gm, for lying in close proximity are evi- dences of voleanic eruptions. The pool has been dragged many times, but nothing has ever been taken from its depths but cedar. Cedar trees once abound- ed in th's locality, and the bark, which bears marks of corsiderable age, was prob- ably thrown in by the Indians, while build- ing their rafts and canoes. This wonderful freak, lying about three and one-halé miles from the rough little mining town of Elko, fs never visited by the inhabitants unless they are passing that way and feel hungry. The miners end the rest of th> matter-of-fact pop ilation have Ieng ceased to wonder at nature’s par- tiality, and accept the existence of this boiling soup caldron as a cor.venient fact. Whether it is due to the mineral properties of the soil, or tc the close p-cxiniity of lava beds, or is itcelf a volcano in a mild state of aquecus eruption, I know not. But there it is, end any one who will go to Eiko can czsily find the spring and sample the soup t> cerrobcrate my statements. This spring is simply one of many sur- prises that greet wanderers through all this section of the west, and doubtless the rea- sen it causes little comment is because all the inhabitants have bezome used to these eviderces of generous naiure. There are any number of clear hot springs in this re- gion where the tired traveler may enjoy a refreshing bath. There are all sorts of mineral springs bubbling up out of the lava substratuta, all with more or less tonic in- grediets, but usually strongly impregnated with sulphur. -oo—_-__ Not for Him. From the Boston Transcript. He—‘But, of course, you wil forget me. She—“Nonsense; I shall think of you when you are gone.” He—“Oh, shall you?” She—“Yes; therefore, the longer you are | gone the logger I shall think of you. Won't ity, | that be nice?” Participation in Interstate Drills to Be Prohibited Hereafter. RIFLE CONTESTS AT SAVANNAH Court of Inquiry Asked for in the Third Battalion. RULES AND REGULATIONS To a surprising degree has the interstate drill fever increased since the announce- ment of the proposed contest in Savannah, Ga., May 11-16, inclusive, next, and among the members of.the several companies in- terested, practically nothing else is talked of. At a recent meeting of the Military Interstate Association of Savannah, the amount of the second prize in the interstate infantry contest was raised from $250 to $500, and Lieut. William G. Cann of the Chatham Artillery was authorized to make a tour of the south from Washington to New Orleans to interest compantes in the contest. From the small prizes and the an- nounced itinerary of Lieut. Cann’s tour, however, it would seem that no companies from the north and west are expected to compete. Commenting on the opinion of the Wash- ington companies that the prizes offered are entirely too small to justify a trip to Georgia, a Savannah paper says: “It looks very much as if the Washington people want too much of a good thing. No doubt they are on the lookout for bigger game, and it is fortunate that there are probably not many more commands like them. There is little doubt that when the situa- tion is thoroughly put before the military companies of the country, those who can come will do so, and engage In the con- tests, which will be arranged with a vie of giving everybody a chance somewhere. Closely following the news of a contest at Savannah has come an announcement, for which “The Fencible,” the fair paper of the National Fencibles, is authority, to the effect that an interstate drill 1s to be held in Chicago, during the iatter part of August, under the auspices of the southern states exposition, an enterprise organized to boom the south and its products. Large prizes, it is said, are to be offered, and the drill generally conducted on an elaborate scale, all companies, whether in the Na- tional Guard or “independent,” being ad- mitted. No formal announcement of the reported Chicago drill has been made, how- ever. Ever since the return of Capt. Shilling and his victorious drill team from Memphis last May, the boys have been hungering for another opportunity to strive for cham- piorship honors. Although the compan: has not acted on the matter, it has prac- tically been decided in an informal way to go to Savannah and to begin preparation therefor six weeks prior to the time for departure. With the prize-winning trip to St. Louls last July fresh in their minds, the Na- tional Rifles, or some of them at least, have already begun arranging the person- nel of a team to represent the organization at Savannah, and company C, Washington Light Infantry Corps, now in process of re- organization, firmly intends to jump from comparative obscurity to renown and fame by its efforts in interstate competition. A special meeting of the Corcoran Cadet Corps has been called for Monday next to determine in regard to the trip, and sev- eral other companies are desirous of at- tending the drill, but have not come to the front in that respect as yet. To Prohibit Drill Competition, It is rather harsh at the very beginning of the enthusiasm, but perhaps more mercl- ful than if at a later date, to throw a bomb among the companics expecting to par- ticipate in the coming drill and scatter their hopes. It is understood, and pretty thoroughly, too, that only one local com- pany, and that tot a National Guard or- ganigation, is at all Ikely to participate in interstate drills hereafter. The com- panies of the District National Guard, so a definite rumor has it, wil be barred as though wih steel rods by a short but pow- erful paragraph to be published in the next general orders from brigade head- quarters, due within a few davs. The or- ders are expected by the knowing ones to say, in effect, something like the following: “Hereafter permission wilt not be granted companies of the Naticnal Guard to leave the District of Columbia for the purpose of participatirg in interstate drills.” Although protestations lovd ard long and perhaps wailing and gnashing of teeth may follow su2u an order, it is stated that the commanding general is characteristically firm in his reported determination to pro- hibit the con paries under his command engaging in the big contests, mainly for the reason that such ore considered of no valve in a military sense and have a ten- dency toward disorganization. The policy of the War Department is yery plain in the matter. It has successively declined to detail army officers to serve as judges in such contests and later to permit officers to volunteer for such duty. It has also been learned from reliable sources that the War Department officials have thought cf communicating with the commanding gen- eral of the District with the view of bring- ing to a termination the participation here- after of the troops of the District guard in the contests. Expected Official Action, Any possible action cf the War Depart- ment directed locally, it is said by those in a position to know, will be anticipated in the next general orders from brigade head- quarters. The commanding general last year readily gcanted permission to all com- panies desirious to attend the drill at Mem- phis, but it was with the understanding that each would report for the brigade en- campment at Fort Washington with full ranks. The lamentable failure of one of the organizations to fulfill the requirements is said to have finally determined the mat- ter for all time, so far as the officer at present commanding the brigade is con- cerned. It may be stated that the next general orders from brigade headquarters will be aited with a trifle more than the usual interest by the officers and men of cer- tain of the companies. Should the orders contain a paragraph of the nature described it will not be at all surprising, but merely in keeping with the action taken years azo in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and all other states where the effort is to make the National Guard thor- oughly efficien. Rifle Contests at Savannah. As regards the rifle contests at the Savan- rah meet, it looks as though the District National Guard will rot be represented, for the reason that the prizes offered would by no means justify a journey to the Georgia city. The competitions include the “De Renne trophy match,” seven shots at 200, 200 and 590 yards for the prize trophy, cost- ing $1,000, and $1 in cash. The interstate match, seven shots, at 200, 00 and 600 yards, for the bronze figure “De Soto,” costing $450, and $150 in cash. Match for regimental, bettalion or com- pany teams, of six men each, ten shots, at 200 and 500 yards, with one run of 20 shots for a large silver cup and $50. A company match for teams of five men under the same conditions as the preced- ing, except a skirmish run on silhouette figures for a medal and $0. Individval matches for medals and por- tion of entrance money. The first announcement of the rifle matches a week ago set forth that prizes aggregating $2,500 or more would be a\.ard- ed, and in consequence a serious considera- tion wss given by local riflemen to the Proposition to send a team or teams to Savannah. Now that it has developed that the largest cash prize offered is but $150, it would seem preposterous to expend about $700 for such a purpose. The trophies an- nounced form but a small attraction. At the Sea Girt competitions prizes of national repute are offered. The financial condi- tion of the department of rifie practice just at present consists of a large minus figure, and from present appearances it looks very much as though the District of Columbia National Guard will not be regresented at Savannah in May, either by rifle or drill teams. A Court of Inquiry. Matters in the third battalion took an in- teresting turn during the past week, when First Lieut. Frank E. Gibson, inspector of rifle practice, forwarded to brigade head- quarters a request for the appointment of @ court of inquiry to investigate the con- that several weeks.ago Lieut. Tralles, in the presence of others, accused Lieut. Gib- son of dishonesty, # the keeping of the records of rifie prattice of members of the battalion. A court-martial, it is stated, may follow. ~ Im Honor of Allison Natlor. It has been decided by the members of company D, third battalion, in adopting a distinctive name fer that organization, to recognize the well-known interest of Mr. Allison Nailor as regards things military. Mr. Nailor, in order to promote the effi- elency of the High School Cadets, last year donated to that reg:ment a costly medal, studded with diawonds, and on all occa- sions he has been rpady to devote time and influence to furth the welfare of the local military ofganizatiors. Therefore Capt. King’s coniphny in the future will probably be known.as “The Allison Nailor Guard,” although some uncertainty yet exists as to the adoption of the latter word. It is understood that Mr. Na‘lor in- tends to handsomely furnish the quarters of the company in the National Guard ar- mory, and that he will tender the members @ reception at his residence in the near fu- ture. Engineer Corps’ Program, Maj. Gilbert Thompson has announced that the engineer corps has secured the use of the rifle gallery the entire evening of March 11 for voluntary rifle practice. The regular ordered practice of the corps has been set for March 14, when those making the highest scores will be selected for competition for places in the corps team. Lieut. Freeman is to deliver an aq- dress on “Signaling” at the regular month- ly meeting, Saturday, March 28. Company -drills will be heid in Convention Hail March 30, and a drill of the corps the fol- lowing evening. Rales of the Athletic Association. The Athletic Association of the District of Columbia National Guard has adopted rules and regulations which should be of interest to all guardsmen of an athletic turn of mind. The regulations prescribe a gymnasium uniform, consisting of dark blue tights and shirts with white trim- mings, which every member must procure for himself within a year from the time of organization. All members of the District Guard in good standing are eligible. Appli- cations are to be in writing, indorsed by two menibers of the association to vouch for the fitness of the applicants. Accom- panying this formality an initiation fee of is also mad> essential. Members are ad- mitted by ballot, and if three votes are cast eee an applicant he will be re- jected. Regular attendance on all meetings is ve- quire nd good order in the gymnasium is insisted upon. The officers of the asso ciation are clected by ballot the first Mon- day in ary of each year. An execu- tive committee is provided for, consisting of the president, vice president, secretary and three members appoint- » president at the annual meeting. committee is to have charge of ‘he um, and be responsible for its con- dition and use. One-fourth of the mem»ers of the association constitute a working quorum. There are to be no regular d Lut whenever money is needed a general assessment may be ordered, never for a larger individual tax than 50 cents, ror more than once in a month. Failure to pay this assessment forfeits a member's rizht to use the gymnasium, and, if prolonged, Finvolyes his d i The gymnasium will be open from 6 to 11 o'clock every week day evening. Regular instructors will be provided and will have charge of all mesabers at work in the gym- resium. Only mesabers will be allowed to use the apparatys, and visitors and friends of members will -bejrestricted to the gul- The organjzation of the ion President, Capt. 15. C, Ed- ny A,.second battalion; vice ‘apt. A. JH. Wiggin, second sep- compa secretary, Serreant second battalion; . Libby, second sep- The executive com- ists of the above officers end A. Meyer, Private Atkins and mittee Ls Private De Moll. Company Match Scores. That there wes an unexpected falling off in the work of the teams in the com- pany match will be seen in the detailed scores, fired Thursdiy last, as follows: First battalion, “Company A—Corporal Chase, Corpprak Burnett, 31; Private Chase, 34; Private Furis, Private Wool- bridg > total, 166, Company B—Captain Shreve, 29; Corporal McCabe, 43; Private Wells, 48; Sergeant James, 38; Private Kline, total, 19: Compuny C—Private Gheen, 34; Private Smith, 43; Private Wilkinson, 38; Private Brews, 39; Corporal Robinson, 33; total, 87. Compaty D—Sergeant McAvoy, 35; Pri vate McIntosh, 47; Private Chapman, 43; Private Schutt, 35; total, battalion, company B—Private Colladay, 41; Private Getzendanner, 48; Ser- geant Stokes, 48; Corporal Webb, 41; Pri- vate Crist, 41; total, 219. Third alion, company A—Captain ; Sergeant Shilling, 38; Corporal Private Lyman, 44; Private Mc- 24; total, 185. Company D—Licutenant Means, 36; Ser- geant Beach, 41; Sergeant Adams, 37; Cor- pera Dauson, 27, Private Lackey, 24; total, 65. Fourth battalion, company McAnally, ; Private Blake, Quill, 40; Private Whaley, 3’ ger, total, 194. Company C—Captain Hodgson, 41; Lieu- tenant Byron, ; Sergeant Robbins, 33; Private Gardner, 42; Private Williams, 42; A—Sergeant 20; Private Private Bol- total, 183. Company D—Sergeant Evans, 39; Corporal Simpson, 36; Private Leeman, 44 Private 33; Private Dobson, 34; total, 186. +Fifth battalion, company A~Sergeant Mc- Leod, 41; Private Callan, 39; Sergeant Bail- ey, 46; total, 12 Company B—Captain Phebus, 39; Sergeant Acker, 36; Corporal Seufert, 41; Private Penniaon, 39; Private Hutton, 34; total; re Company D—Captain England, 34; Lieu- tenant Leeman, 43; Corporal McGinnis, 4 Private Murray, Private Baum, 2 total, 1 Hereafter the gallery will be open for voluntary practice each week day after 10 a.m., and for that purpose every guards- man who so desires will experience no difficulty in gaining admittance to the armory building. Fifth Battalion Drill. The official programs for the second an- nual company competitive drills of the fifth battalion will be issued to the com- pany commanders Monday, March 16. The new company recently mustered into the battalion held its first drill Thursday last and a large number of applications for membership have been received. Dr. Sprigg, recently commissioned first lieutenant and surgeon of the battalion, has reporied for duty, and there is a general burst of en- elegy in the organization. The judges for the drill which is sched- uled to occur in Convention Hall April 6 are Capts. Horton, Williams and Shilling. The Second Reginent Band will be in at- tendance, and at the conclusion of the com- petition a battalion parade is to be held, in Reich commands oiger than those of the fifth battalion wil! hf invited to participate. , Notes. Private Bairstow, gompany B, sixth bat- talion, has applied fer a transfer to com- pany D, third batta¥on. The Hilton trephy, medals wifl be pre- sented at a recgptign to be tendered the members of the prigade team Monday next by Capt. Parmenter:at his residence. The riflemen have beep directed to appear in fatigue uniform. The bill preparéa’ by Maj. Suess a year or more aso, proviting for the payment of the officers and men.of the District Guara, has not been pyssed upon as yet by the commanding general, owing to lack of time. ae No reply has as yét been received to the communication from brigade headquarters, addressed to the‘commanding officer of the sixth battalion, calling for an explanation of the failure of that battalion to be repre- sented in the battalion match for De- cember, First Lieut. George W. Sneden, recently commissioned inspector of rifle practice of the first battalion, has tendered his resigna- tion because cf removal from the District. Pending the appointment of a successor, Second Lieut. Howard Beall, company D, has been assigned to duty as acting it spector of rifle practice. Privates O’Hagan, Eshleman and Arnold of company D, thira battalion, are under- going court-martial for disobedience of orders in entering a bar room while in uni- form. The charges were.preferred by Lieut. Stutz, and the court consists of Capt. King, Lieut. Means, Sergt. Adams, Sergt. De Groot and Private Lackey. A session was’ held Saturday last, which was adjourned to Tuesday next: “THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, ‘MARCH ‘7, 1896--TWENTY-FOUR PAGES. 21 fai Brahe. At |MISTAKEN KINDNESS|'" THE CHURCHES The False Charity That Overlocks Cases of Dishonesty. HOW THIEVES ARE OFTEN MADE A Claim That Society Shou'd Bet ter Protect Itself. INSTANCES IN POINT er HILE WALKING WV mnsray through a su- burben town one morning last autumn to catch an early train, the gentleman who was accompany- ing the writer nod- ded in the direction of a little colored girl who was ap- proaching and re- marked, rather rue- fully: “That child has my silver shoe-buttoner.” “What in the world is she doing with it?” I inquired. A smile half vexed and half amused play- ed around his meuth. “It’s a somewhat queer story of juvenile depravity,” be remarked, “and I'll tell it to you. Some weeks ago my wife lost a very handsome diamond ring which was cherished more for its associations than for its really great substantial value. She was inconsolzble, and we did everything pcssible to discover what had become of It, but without success. While the detectives were searching for it, we went off to the seashore. Ten days #gd we returned and the day we came back the man we oc- casionally employ to clean up the yard, saw the weod and do other chores around our premises came to my wife and told her he thought he might give her a clue in regard to her missing ring. Continuing, he seid his little girl and the litle girl we just passed, who is our washerwoman’s daugh- ter, had been engaged in a quarrel, which he overheard. Asa squeleher to his daugh- ter, the washerwoman's girl said, with much scornful prid “ ‘My mammy’s got er diamond ring, an‘ dat’s mo’n yo’ mammy‘s got!’ Recovery of the Jewel. “With perception worthy of a Byrnes, my wife determined to follow it up. Before we went away, the little girl was in the habit of coming for the clothes, while her mother brought them Lome and collected the pay. My wife remembered that since the ring had disappeared the mother had performed both errands. Accordingly, she sent word to the washerwoman at a time she knew that worthy was elbow-deep in suds, to send her two skirts she had sent to the wash by mistake, and to d them y Mary—which is her davgiter’s name. he latter came with the skirts, whereupon my wife took her into my 1com and asked her where the ring was. “I ain't got it,” was the instant reply. “Well, what did you do with it,’ per- ted Mrs. A—. Mary hung her head a moment, and then surlily replied that she had given it to ‘Sadie,” “Sadie was the daughter of a colored wo- man who lived in a shanty back of a resi- dence across the street, and Mrs. A., after lceking Mary securely in my room, went after Sadie. Upon demanding from this demure miss the return of the ring, it was forthcoming immediately. “ ‘Mary say she pick it up outen de road,” was what Sadie said, adding, ‘an’ she gim- me de ring ter w'ar.’ “Well, continued the gentleman, “my wife went back home, and after giving Mary a good talking to, released her, and sent her kome. The child persisted’ that she had picked it up in the yard, while Sadie swore ske said she had found it in tne road. My wife had been in neither place, and her ring was, with the rest of her jewelry, a box on her dresser when it was take She Stole the Shoe Buttoner. When he had concluded, I asked him how about the silver buttonhook the child had. “Oh,” he remarked, the stole that when my wife went after Sadie and left her locked in my room.” When I expressed astonishment ut his failure to teach the young person a salu- tary and lasting lesson with the aid of the law, he fell back on the time-worn argu- ment about the objection to the publicity of the thing. Instantly a score or more of similar in- stances within persoral experience came Streaming along in a retrospective string, and the fact was emphasized more forcibly than ever that the timidity of society to take the abundant means it has at hand to protect itself from the marauders upon it accounts for the general increase in the preying class, more than anything else. It is not venturesome to assert that every reader of these lines can bring to mind without half trying half a dozen cases wherein friends or acquaintances have cuf- fered losses and undergone anxiety and vexation by the dishonesty of others with- out taking any measure to have the male- factors punished for it, other than giving them 2. “talking to.” Juvenile Depravity Corrected. While conversing on this subject with a well-known student of criminology, he said to the writer that it was a serious question whether the mistaken kiadress whicl. leads so many persons to overlcok dishonest acts is not_in itself vicious, when the results that grow out of it are regarded in their ef- fect upon society at large. Refercing to the incident recited above, he said it would probably be claimed that the chill who stole the diamond ring and then deiiberate- ly took the shoe buttoner, after veing con- fronted with the evidence of her first mis- demeanor, was naturally depraved. It is a well-known fact, however, that proper measures of punishment have a wonder- fuily corrective effect upon that same pe- culiar trait called natural depravity, and where the instinct is displayed in a pro- nounced serse, it does not seem that there should be ary questicn about the use of remedial measures, Become Thicves Unconsciously. “Tt would never do to make the broad as- sertion that servants as a class are dishon- est, but it cannot be gainsaid that a very large proporticn of them have a habit of apprcpriating to their own uses property belonging to their employers,” said he. “Many a cook, for instance, cr serving maid thinks there is no harm in taking a little package of the family tes or coffee or sugar or what not to an ailing sister or a sick friend, but the unfortunate fact remains that it is very easy for a person indulging in such a prectice to insensibly increase the extent of their peculations until they suddenly find themselves in their own es mation really stealing. Of course they have been stealing all the time, but they do not become conscious of the dishonesty of their actions until they take something of sub- stantial value. “It depends upon how an i:dividual ts treated after the commission of a theft by the person from whom the stolen article is taken,” he continued, “whether that ind!- vidual Is going to continue in the wrong course or go back to the right. If an em- ployer takes rigorous action in the case of an employe who is discavered in dishonest practices, the chances are very great that the latter will mend his ways; but if ne Is treated with leniency and his misdemeanor is overlooked and forgiven, the probabilities then are that, having found the dishonest course so easy, the chances of discovery so small, and considering the fact that pardon came when discovery was made, he {3 apt to be convinced that dishonesty is the best policy after all.” What Might Have Been. From the Boston Transcript. : Fuddy—“It is said that an infant at birth is blind, and that some time elapses before he can see.” Duddy—“T wonder if that is so? By jingo, I'd have taken notice when I was born if I| had supposed the question would ever be| raised. Trinity Episcopal Sabbath school held the annual election of officers recently, with the following results: Superintendent, Dr. D. Percy Hickling; assistant superintend- ent, William P. Foley; secretary and treas- urer, Dr. R. A. Foster; librarian, G. 3. Whitmore; assistant Mbrarian, A. For- rester; precentor, H. M. Randolph, and or- ganist, Miss Mamie English. The superin- tendent of the afternoon school is Fred A. Anderson. Cardinal Gibbons has announced that he will confirm at St. Augustine's Church on the 22d-of this month, and consequently two classes are being prepared to be re- ceived into the church, one for adults and the other for children, Rev. Dr. Geo. O. Little, pastor of the Assembly’s Presbyterian Church, left this week on a visit to :elatives in Illinois. He will be gone two weeks, and during his ‘absence the pulpit is to be filled by his brother-in-law, Rev. Dr. Henry Higley. Bethany Chapel, corner of Ohio avenue and 13th street, is active in evangelistic work. A special series of Gospel meetings 1s to begin tomorrow evening rnd continue each evening during the week. They will be conducted by the pastor, Rev. Edward Warren. Rey. Fraik Sewall has had sich success with his k res on the “Problems of the Future Life” that he has decided to con- tinue them until Easter. Union M. E. Church held its fourth quar- terly conference last Saturday evening, which was presided over by the presiding elder of Washington district, Rev. Dr. L. B. Wilson. In the repcrts mention was made of the improvements made last fall in the Sunday school room and the hope was expressed that needed improvements would soon be made in the church audi- torlum. The following officers were elected for another year: Trustees, Alexander Ash- ley, Arson 8S. Taylor, E. 8. Westcott, B. F. Moffett, P. L. Brooke, F. C. Linger, A. W. Fairfax, John Daniel and E. Hodge; stew- ards, Alexander Askley, A. 8. Taylor, A. M. Gangewer, Dr. C. J. Ladson, P. L. Brooke, John Meany, Mrs. E. S. Westcott and Miss Emma Hunter; recording steward, Alex- ander Ashley; district steward, A. S. Tay- 161 Mr. Ashley was selected delegate to the lay electoral conference, with’ E. 8. Westcott as the alternate. Rev. E. Olin Eldridge, pastor of Waugh M. E. Church, is still seriousiy ill with ma- larial fever. Within the past week there has been a slight improvement, but it is not exvested that he will be able to leave his bed for some time to come. His pulpit is being filled by various members of the Iccal Methodist ministry ‘The brocm factory of the Central Union Mission gives promise of being quite a suc- cess. Another set of the broom-making machines has been purchased, making four altogether. This will provide room for more mer to work, but the force is not to be in- creased materially. Some of the product of the industry has been sold and a number of private parties have sent in orders un- solicited, but the mission is not making any great effort to make selves until the arrival of the new tables ordered, which have been somewhat delayed. It has been finally decided to place a win- dow in the rear wall of the new edifice of the Fifieenth Street M. E. Church. At present there is ro window there, owire to the fact that the church abuts on the building line of another piece of property. A space has been cut in the wall directly over the pulpit In the main auditorium, and this will allow of a window eight feet wide by twelve feet high. The subject of the memorial glass which will fill it is the Transtigurat'on, and is the gift of the puild- er of the church, Mr. W. A. Kimmel. Elec- tric lights will be placed in a space between the pane of glass, which will be on the in- side edge of the sash and the outer edge, and when an abutting wall is built the window can be lighted artificially. The work of plastering the interidr of the edifice is nearly tinished, and the gallery in the rear of the auditorium has been built, so that it is expected that it will not require More than a month from now to complete the structure. ‘The Epworth League of North Capitol M. E. Church gave a concert Wednesday eyen- ing at the church, with eighteen numbers on the program. A feature of the enter- teimiment was a very tasteful program got- ten up by one of the m Saw; Banton embers, Edward During this month specimens of student work in all branches of the educational de- partment of the Young Men's Christian As- sociation are being prepared, and will be placed on exhibition in the association tooms, Saturday and Monday, April 4 and 6. The educational class enroliment for the five months ending the last ary five months ending day of February The reading room announced as in con- templation by the Young Men’s Society of Epworth Methodist Church South has been opened ard officers of the society have been elected as follows: President, iL. Pierce Boteler, and secretary, Harry Donnaily. The society meets twice a month, on Tues- day evenings, in the pastor's study, and the membership is betwecn thirty and. thi ty- five young men. Officers of the Sunday Society of North Capitol M. E. Church have been elected as follows: President, S. S. Sy- mons; secretary, Miss Julia Carr, and treas- urer, J. D. Steele. Last Sunday evening the annual missionary anniversary of the soci- ety was held, at which Representative J. A. Pickler delivered an addr on missions. At the Methodist Ministers’ Association Monday morning Rey. Hugh Johnston read a paper which had for its subject the pro- posed changes in polity in the church. Next Tucsday evening a novena in mem- ory of St. Joseph is to be opened in St. Au- Fs ne’s Church, and will continue each evening until the 18th of this month. Next Wednesday evening Rev. Father M. J. Riordan of Barnesville is to preach in the church. Class No. 11 of Calvary Baptist Sunday school, which is managed by Mr. E. W. Vaughn and taught by President B. L. Whitman of Columbian University, gave a large supper last evening in the dining room of the Sunday school house. ‘The menu included a number of good things, which were served in courses. The supper was in the nature of a reception to Presi- dent Whitman, aid among the speakers were Dr. S. H. Greene, Dr. Whitman and President P. H. Bristow of the District Sunday School Union. This class, which is composed of young men, has a membership of a hundred and twenty-five and an aver- age attendarce of about a hundred. Sirce the recent banquet of the District Sunday Sckool Union, Mr. William Rey- nolds, who was present on that occasi as one of the guests, has spent some days ‘n the c'ty collecting mone He has been re- School Missionary markably successful, having secured very nearly a thousand dollars in subscriptions, which is to be divided between the Inter- national and local Sunday School unions. Mr. Reynolds is the field worker of the for- The annual meeting of the Congregational Club is to be held next Monday evening in the parlors of the First Congregational Church. ‘The election of officers is first to take place. and then the usual collation is to be served. ‘The feature of the evening, however, is to be an address from Rev. George D. Herron, D. D., of Towa upon “The Social Nature of the Religion of Jesus.” Dr. ron is the guest of Dr. Newman, and is expected to preach at the Congregaticnal Church tomorrow. At the regular session of the Icaders and stewards’ mecting of Grace M. E. Church, held last Monday night, a committee, con- sisting of Dr. Anton Coe, Chas. Roiler, Chas. Brunger, E. P. Richardson, E. F. Davis, R. E. Farr, R. G. Tinkler, E. L. Kel- ler and Jno. F. Veihmeyer, were appointed to wait upon the presiding elder of the District and the bishop of the conference, and urgently request the return of Rev. Watson Case as pastor for the ensuing year. It is announced that the Rev. W. Hay M. H. Aitken, M. A., the distinguished mission NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA. Sufferers Know the Terrors of That Aitment. And’ Would Give Anything in Their Power to Secure Relief. A Frominent Chicago Railway Cfficial Gets This Relief and Testifies How He Got It. No sufferer from nervous dyspepsia necds to be told of the miseries suffered and the effects upon doth mint and body of this most wearing of aftie- tons. Life loses ail savor, loss of appetite is fol- lowed by loss of strength, and both are accempr- nied by vestlessness and siecpleseness. Disorde-s dangerous to iife itself follow in dyspepsia’s tralia, and to secure relief the eufferer would not begrudge auy sacrifice possible, no matter how great. ‘There is a remedy, and a sire one, which cures Ayspepsia and its attendent ills, leaves mo evil ef- fects behind and renews strength and vigor of mind aad body, Mr. J. Heitbabn, freight agent of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railway at Chi- cago, is known as a man of affairs and a at oMelal. In a straightforward, business-like fashion he tells how he was sick and what cored him, Here ts his letter: “Freight Department, C., M. & St. P. Ry. Co., Chicazo, Jan. 30ta, 15964 nen: This wintor I was a sufferer from Nervous Dyspepsia, eccompa- nied by insomnia, 1 tried a number of reme Without, success. “I used a third of one box of Dr Chareot’s Kola Nervine ‘Tablets, and the result was most satisfactory. Immediate relief was efiordd, and I have not had to take the remedy since first using. I cheerfally and heartily recommend Dr. Crarcot’s Kola Nervine Tablets to those sufvering > as I did. Yours truly, c. HEITRAHS, “Agt. C., M. & St. P. Ry. Co., Chis Fiffy Cents and $1.00 per box (one month’ ment). See Dr. Charcot’s name on box. Ko booklet free. All druggists or sent direct. Euceka Chemical & Mfg. Co., LaCrosse, Wis., and F Mass. mhis6 = = preacher of the Church of England, who is now engaged in evangelistic work in the large cities and colleges of the country, is to conduct a mission in Epiphany parish a fortnight after Easter. ‘The Sunday school board of Ryland M. E. Church has elected the following officers for one year: Superintendent, H. L. Strang: assistant, G. E. Barber, secretary, M Maggie Larcombe; assistant secre Marence Fisher; librarian, R. Bradly assistant librarian, Hammond Bri wer, musical director, E. M. Hall; pianist, Miss Eva Martin; assistant, Miss Sadie White, and cornetist, Harry White. The school during the last year has raised $30) for the missionary fund, to which the church will add about as much more. Word has been received here that the bicycle sent to Mr. and Mrs. Whceler Boggess, missionaries in the district of Melore, India, and which is a gift from Cal- vary Baptist Church, has arrived in saf Mr. Boggess asked ‘when the intention give the wheel became known, that an extra strong one be selected, as he was a hundred miles away from any repair shop, and now he writes that the wheel meets his expecta- tions in every way, and desires to express his appreciation of ‘the rift. The officers of North Capitol M. E. Sab- bath school, recently elected, are as fol- lows: Superintendent, James B. Austin first assistant, William H. Fisher: second assistant, Edwin Williamson; secretary, Jesse Owings; assistant secr John C. Swift; treasurer, Miss I rian, John L. Bunch; assistants, Ha Belt, A. M. Laing and Howard Austin. Gospel meetings have been arranged for Sunday afternoons at the Young Men's Christian Association in the following or- jer: March §, Rev. C. Alvin Smith, pastor of the Peck Memorial Presbyterian Church; March Rey. 0. A. Brown, D. D., of Foundry M. E. Church; March 22, to be announced; March 2), Rev. G. O. Little, D. D., pastor of the Assembly's Presbyterian Chureh. Thursday evening Rev. Dr. H. M. Whar- ton of Brantley Baptist Church, Baltimore, opened a series of revival services at the First Baptist Church, to be held night! and to last through next weck. Tomorrc Dr. Stakely, pastor of the Virst Bap Chureh, and Dr. Wharton will exchan pulpits. Dr. Wharton is noted for his evangelistic work, and has just come from conducting a very successful series ¢f serv- ices at Hagerstown, Md. A pleasant surprise party was given last night by the congregation of St. Mark's Lutheran Church to the pastor, Rev. W. H. Gotwald. Mr. Gotwald was the or- ganizer of this church, and has been its pastor for seven years, during wh he has built up a flourishing congrega and endeared himself to its membc: surprise was complete, and the oc was thoroughly enjgyed. NEW POSTAGE STAMPS. M. Graxset Submits Hix Compoxition to the Minister of Posts and Telegraphs. From the New York Hersid. M. Grosset, the well-krown artist, was more than eight months ago commissioned by M. Andre Lebon, then minister of posts and telegraphs, to design a aew 7 stamp for the French republic. After much painstaking work the des er has submitted to M. Mesureur, the p: ent minister of posts, his composition, a reproduction of which is published by the Figaro, According to our ecntemporary, the new stamp has two shades. One color, which forms the ground, will be of a dark s' 5 a half tint will throw into effect cer portions of the composition, and other por- tions of the np, Such as the hands and cheeks of the ficure, will be in white, giv- ing the whole animation and lif Two successive printings will be neces- sary to nake the stamp perfect—one for the deep and the other fcr the soft shades. The curly hair of the figure will be rep- resented int the half-tint, as also her armor and the “clds of her dress. The distinguishing feature by means of w i stare first sraved is the fact that it i of all graved in relief on a block of steel, result will be that not only will the s have an artistic value, but forgery bec even by means of Lith hstarding the care ta the cost of mach new mes th which emy countries rlinary methods of engraving, expené m fifty seventy-five centimes per thousand. — oo A Door Knocker of Pure From the Independent. At Ottaford, in Kent, there wa a palace of the archbishops of Can’ in which Wolsey court.’ It was bu now a farm hou a small place, e, picturesque e but exhibiting no special signs of p: thi perity. The other day, however, litte incident happened: The farmer sent fi carpenter to do some odd jobs about house, and, among other things, to m the knocker. The man took it off, said, after a close tion of it made of? » it is pure nk of the that that rich prize of every tramp. She W From the Das Nene Wiener Masher—“That was a rather sensible ob- se ation of mine, don’t you Lady—“Why, certainty. Didn’ tice the look of surprise on my f A CANNIBAL’S TUNNEL RIDE; Or, a Fatal Mistake. From Fliegende Blatter. Tn the tunnel. “Heavens! the Englichmam there yet! Why, then, I= must have eaten my bride!”