Evening Star Newspaper, December 25, 1896, Page 9

| — THE EVENING STAR, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1896-10 PAGES, WASH. B. WILLIAMS, Furniture, &c., 7th and D Sts. Holiday Callers shoal! find the home looking at its best Here are a few hints that may suggest some of Four nevis Lace Curtains. Special row Reception Chairs. Gilt Reception Chairs, in pink and geld, bine and = gold, Special tomorrow... .. . fey Smyrna Rugs. 21 by 26 by 30 by $1.20 WASH. B. WILLIAMS, Furniture, &c., 7thé& DSts. 25-80 Fine “Turnouts” For Hire ngs. Receptions, Calling, ‘Thea- luxurionsly finished— caparisoned— and re- coachmen. Reasonable 1 “here—where horses receive every Downey’s [odel Stables, 1620-1624 L STREET. "PHONE 555. 20d Heavy Warm Underwear. - - Heavy for warmth and comfort. ° fit snug. We have Pt WEAK as low as $1 a gar- ough Knit and Jersey Wool Gloves— sw me. and 5Oc. pair. DERBYS and FEDORAS blacks and colors $1 to $3. 3 Outfitters, C. Lewis & Son, nistse NEW YORK AVENUE. de25-14d m R. 1 Economy Beckons —you on and tells you the infinite wisdom of made Clothes, than which there in the land. They prove the eal in long months of wear—per- and unequaled style, Prices are mod- EN. Tailor, 423 1th St. “Holiday” Furnishings. Holiday tt im- Is During | this season tive for sou to be dressed up moze than sarily. Yow mex should bus your Fur- ings bh be sure of the best qual- newest styles and lowest prices! P.T. Hall, 908 Fst. For New Year Gayeties you stould have a new “DRESS SUIT— ——-- of the latest “cut'—else you will feel a bit oat of style. There is yet time for us by failoring at Reasoralle Prices. di 96 Bicycles at Cost. Said e are taking orders for “96 Wheels at T_PRICE to us. Rare chance to secure AINS! els, $10 up. CUS! anship and Bi Enterprise Cycle Co.,, SIZSLE Lith st. Jno. Woemner, Jr., Mgr. Sherry, Muscatel, Angelica, Port, —— LA for ¥ == L. BRANDY for sauces, Ze. a = bottle. “Be WHISKY, a full quart bottle. FINEST VA! PORT, Sc. x full quart bottle. CHAS. KRAETIER 735 7th St. N. W. ’Phone 1585. EiSa Crawford Bicycles. Before deciding upon your CHRISTA GETS ‘all and examine our New Misses’ Wheels, As well as other lines of NEW and SECOND-HAND BICYCLES. Many of the latter better than most other new wheels. + OVER 9TH ST Wi de19-5 i CENTER MARKET. " Thousands of Elk. From the Deaver Republican. Reliable reports cecetveé from the Jack- son's Hole country, Wyo., are to the effect that in no previous winter has there been so great a number of «lk wintering as this season. A conservative estimat2, made by the warden of the district, fixes the number at #000, They are on every hill and in every valley, and the night's sounds are p'teous from the crying of the calves lost from their mothers. Every morniag thous- ands are seen traveling from the great swamps along the Snake river to the Gros Ventre hills. The game warden says: “I re- cently gazed upon a sight which far sur- passed anything I had ever seen, and it ut- terly astonished and amazed me. For a distance of six miles a herd of elk was stretched out. The animals had made a trail through the snow which was packed as hard as flinted ice. I know there were 15,000 head of elk in that band.” Where these immense herds of elks have come from, and what will become of them during the long win‘er that Is yet before them, are problems which are puzzling all the old hunters and fronttersmen of the region. Already the ranchmen have to drive the elk away from the hay corrals, and have to put supports back of the corral posts to keep the elk from crowding down the fences. soo Too Many Sylables. From the Chicago Times-Herald. A well-dressed man entered a Wabash avenue florist’s shop the other day, threw down a $% bill and said he wanted some flowers to take home. He was quite un- steady, evidently tapering off a spree, and the flowers apparently were intended as a domestic peace offering. ‘The florist picked out a dozen chrysanthe- mums and the caller started to leave. At the door he hesitated. “Say,” he said, thickly, flowersh, anyway?” “Chrysanthemums.” The customer shook his head. “Gotter have something easier,” he said; “gimme a dozen pinks.” “whatsh these HOPE TO BEAT HALE Ambition of the Entries to the Six- Day Race. INCENTIVES 10 EXERTION Davy Force, the Old Ball Player, a Fugitive. SOME CURRENT SPORTING NOTES ee It is likely that there will be twelve con- testants in the six-day eight-hour cycle race which will begin Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the Ice Palace. The intention of Mafiager David Towers was to limit the nimber of contestants to ten, but under the sarction for the race, as afforded by the League of American Wheelmen, the race is an open one, and he is obliged to admit all applicants. To limit the number the entry fee has been placed at $100 each, and this sum is likely to keep out a good many. Albert, the well-known long-dis- tance recer, will probably enter, being un- able to participate In the recent event at Madison Square on account of a broken collar bone. Another entry will be that of seme young man in Scranton, Pa., who is backed by a bicycle firm in his native town. Rice represents Wilkesbarre, and there is a deadly rivalry between the two cities. The backers of the new entry feel certain that their man cannot only defcat Rice, but can also beat little Teddy Hale, the Irish lad who came in ahead at Madison Square Garden a fortnight ago. Inducements to Win. Trere is much more upon the coming event than one would suppose, and most all of the American riders are receiving an extra salary for riding some particular make of wheel. Only the other day a Washington dealer offered one of the con- testants $200 if he succeeded in winning the race by riding his make of wheel, and @ representative of the manufacturing company of the same machine being pres- ent offered to give an additional $300 to the rider if he secured victory on his ban- ner. This makes 2 total of $500 extra, and with the first prize of $1,400 the Tider would clear $1,440 by the week's work if he succeeded in beating the field, a large enough sum to induce him to extraordinary exertion I: is quite certain that no local man will enter the endurance race, although the name of John Fister was brought forward by a number of people. The only chance the local riders will have is after 10 o'clock in the evening, when the big race for the gay ends. It is possible that Manager Towers will permit some of the local rid- ers to go against some records of the local cycling world, and it is also likely that several races will be arranged for the pub- le, though nothing definite has been set- tled. The suggestion that a regular indoor cycle meet be held for one evening has been made and is under consideration, though it is hardly likely that anything will be done in this line, as the width of the track is too narrow for any large field. A spill on the track is something to be avoided. This is the first chance the local wheelmen have ever had of riding upon an indoor track, and it is iikely that they will take full advantage of any opportunity allowed them. The delayed arrival of Teddy Hale, the champion, is only increasing the interest in the local public. Teddy, after making $1,200 in one week by his good riding, Is now making $4 addition by posing in a museum in New York city, and as soon as his engagement is up he will come to the city. The Foreign Wheelmen. The balance of Plummer's string of rac- ers are here, getting in condition for the work for next week, though not all of them will be In the big race. They are all quartered in a boarding house on K sireet near the Ice Palace, and are dividing the time between trainiag and sight seeing. The Englishmen are well equipped for all kinds of bicycle riding. They have a big stack of luggage, and among the lot are four quads, which will be used for pac- ing Tom Linten in his attempts at Amcri- can records, and world records, for that matter. This is perhaps the first time chat a quad has ceer seen in this city, but it will seem a trifle small to those who inspected the sextuplet at the cycle show last spring. Besides ihe four quads the English contingent of cycle racers have a iirge number of single wheels, which, it mast be admitted, look somewhat clum- sy awainst the American make of bicycles. Mcst of the single wheels of the visitors are filted with a peculiar lever chain, wigich Icoks much heavier and more cumbersome than it really is. Instead of flat links, as in the chain of American make, the chain is constructed of a number of small tri- angles, at the bottom of which, working easily on a smail axle, are little wheels. The sprockét wheels have no teeth, but slots in them at regular intervals, and into these slots the little wheels of the chain fit wnen the cycle is in motion. Another conspicuous thing is the size of the main sprocket, which in a good many cuses is ten inches in diameter, giving the wheel the appearance of a gear of over 100. This is a mistake, however, as the rear sprock- et is increased in proportion, reducing the gear to about seventy or eighty. WILL YALE ROW AT HENLEY AGAIN? Rumor That Undergraduates and Alumni Disagree om This Point. From the New York Sun. There was a rumor among college men yesterday to the effect that the under- graduates at Yale are seriously contem- plating the plan of sending. another crew to Henley next year. In fact, it can be stated on reliable information that several undergraduates interested in Yale rowing matters visited certain prominent alumni in this city recently with the idea of rais- ing more subscriptions for another trip of the crew to England, and met with po- lite but firm refusals. It is stated by a well-known Yale graduate, who was in- strumental in raising a large sum toward defraying the cxpenses of the crew last July, that the opinion of the most influe tial Yale alumai is very much against an- other trip to Henley. “While the Yale crew was treated royally in England last summer,” he said, “an- other trip might not be regarded with as much favor by Englishmen. They perhaps would look upon {t as merely an expedition to capture a cup, and not as a trip for pure sport and good fellowship. Yale grad- uates believe that the crew should now remain at home for a time and meet some of the crack American crews. If the un- dergraduates decide to send a crew abroad again, they will do so at their own ex- pense, as the alumni will positively re- fuse to subscribe for such a trip in view of the circumstances.” Base Ball. Pitcher Nichols of the Bostons is travel- ing for a cigar firm. Jay Faatz, formerly a star ball player, owns a hotel in Syracuse. Ed McKean of the Cleveland club has en- tered the field as a wrestler. The Charleston (S. C.) club of the South- eastern League has signed Charles W. Boyer of Hagerstown, Md Buck Ewing says the fight for the pen- nant next year will be between Baltimore, ee Cleveland, Boston and New ork. Corcoran says he will not play with the Cincinnati Reds unless he gets an increase of $300 on his salary and half of the $1,000 borus paid to Brooklyn. Fred Clarke of the Louisville nine is promised a bonus of $00 if he keeps in good shape during the season. Good be- havior figured in, Clarke's pay will be $2,400 for the season. Thomas Burns, the captain and acting manager of last year’s Newarks, has been signed to captain and manage the Hartford Atalntic League base ball team for the coming season. His release was secured from the Newarks for $500. President Young has a problem on hand. It is the matter of Richmond and Norfolk withdrawing from the Virginia League and going into the Atiantic Association. The other clubs in the claim that the territory of Richmond and Norfolk to the Virginia State League, and that, un- der the national agreement, no other league can put clubs in those cities A Yacht Racing League. The New York Yacht Club, at a recent special meeting, adopted a resolution ad- vocating the organization of a new yacht racing league to further tHe interest of yachting. The committee has been ap- pointed, and consists of Commodore Ed- ward M. Brown, Former Commodore Jas. D. Smith, Former Commodore 8. Nicholson Kane, Former Commodore EB. D. Morgan, Rear Commodore Lewis Cass Ledyard, C. Oliver Iselin and Charlies Postley. Shet by Davy Force. Joseph Manning, an ex-base ball player, who was recently shot by “Davy” Force, formerly a famous ball player, died yester- day in San Francisco. The police are look- ing for Force. Force played on the Wash- ington nine in 1886, Washington’s first year in the league He came here from Provi- dezce with Start, Hines, Carroll, Shaw and Gilligan He dropped out of the base ball world after that, and it is said he has been leading a wild, reckless life. Washington Golf Club Tourney. ‘The annual tournament for the presi- dent's cup—handicap match play--will take place on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, December 28, 29, 30 and 31. Members who wish to enter will report at the club house next Monday morning by 10 o'clock, as the final drawings will be made there then, and play will begin as soon thereafter as practicable. On the last day of the meeting ‘a medal will be played for—medal play—also a han- dicap foursome match for silver cups. The entrance fee for this latter match will be $1 per player. =e NIAGARA IN HARNESS, The Great Falls Are Now Earning Money for Electric Road Stockholders From the Baltimore American. Trolley cars are now run in Buffalo by electricity furnished by dynamos operated by water from Niagara Falls, twenty-three miles off. The experiment has cost a great deal of money, but it is a success. It has been watched with much interest. Scten- tific men have visited the works, and have been astonished at the magnitude of the undertaking. The possibility of transmit- ting electricity to a distance has, of course, been a fact for years, but the question whether, in view of the loss of power, it would pay to do so, has been an important one. If the power can be sufficiently con- served, enough can be generated at Niag- ara to do & vast deal of work at Chicago, 300 miles away, and at New York, which is nearly that distance. These are matters of detail to be worked out. It has been demonstrated that the vast volume of water going over the falls at Niagara can be made to do effective work. So.far as the present experiment is concerned, the dim- inution of water is not perceptible, and it would, doubtless, take many tunnels to carry off enough to reduce the quantity in any great degree. Foreigners often complain that Americans are too much disposed to look at nature in @ practical way. They want everything to do work, to pay, so to say, for the privilege of living. Niagara Falls is the most beauti- ful sight of its kind in the world. It draws thousands of visitors every year. There are very few Americans unpoetic enough to desire to destroy the beauty of the falls, and it is not likely that this will be done, for the law would interpose if that were threatened. But the practical American says, as there are millions of gallons of water going to waste, why not make use of this water, especially as it can be done to serve a valu- able purpose? —— AN AWFUL BLUNDER. A Boston Banker Mistaken for a Bell Boy in Chicago. From the Chicago Inter-Ocean. One of the big hotels has 1 and a clerk is in disgrace. It all happened through a misapprehen- sion. There was a new bell boy in the hotel, but he was only indirectly responsi- ble. The guest whose parting was hasten- ed by the offense to his dignity was a youthful-looking banker from Boston, who stops in the city frequently on business with his correspondents and customers here. He had just come out of the dining room, and was standing before the counter, crowded with the usual array of persistent people who drop into a hotel in the early morning. He didn't look like a wealthy tran; in fact, he was not much different in appearance from a bell boy without his uniform. Now it happened that the new boy was too large for the uniform of his predeces- sor, and while a suit of livery was being grcund out to fit the angles of his frame he was working in the ordinary clothes that his best girl recognized coming down the street. The clerk on duty had not seen the new bey often. He had sworn at him three times since 6 o'clock, but could not have identified him if he had died without spoil- ing his face. Somebody wanted to see somebody else, and presented a card. The new boy was somewhere else, but the youthful guest was standing at the counter, ‘The clerk looked around, saw the guest, and threw him the card and a tray. “Here, bo; he ordered, ‘take this card up to No, 313.” “I don’t know where it {: stammered the guest, too surprised to object. “Well, why don’t you know?” the clerk heatedly inquired. “Do you think you're being paid for being ignorant? Find out.” The guest came to about this time, and, after identifying himself, proceeded to say harsh things about the hotel, and departed. ———__+-e+—______ WHY THE WISTARIA? a guest, The Flagship of the White House Squadron. From the New York Sun. We protest against the disposition of a part of the American press to deprive one of the most important of the government’s vessels of her right name. The flagship of the White House squadron, now crulsing in Winyah bay and adjacent waters, is the Wistaric, not the Wisteria. Her name is properly recorded in the government's registers, and likewise in the annual appro- priation bills. It could not be otherwise. There never was a man named Wisteria. There never was known to botanists a tree, shrub, vine or plant of any sort named Wisteria. There mever was in the personal flotills of the President of the United States a light house tender named Wis- teria. From Cas)ar Wistar, professor of anato- my, midwifery and surgery in the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania ninety years ago, Thomas Jefferson, successor as president of the Americar Philosophical Society, and ever f!lustrious as the first man to describe accurately the posterior partion of the eth- moid bone in the human head, comes the American name of the beautiful climbing shrub which our less poetic British cousins call the kidney bean tree. The plant is named in honor of Dr. Caspar Wistar. The light house tender was named in honor of the plant, and after trying successively the sea-going and cargo-carrying qualities of the Maple, the Violet, the Myrtle, the Ver- bena, the Mistletoe and the Jessamine, the chief magistrate of the United States seems to have settled decisively upon the Wis- taria as the worthiest ship ‘in the whole fioral and arboreal fleet to convey his per- son, together with his arms and all neces- sary baggage. The fame of the Wistaria will be death- less in history, like that of the immortal investigator of the posterior portion of the ethmoid bone with its cribiform plate and its marvelous nasal meatuses. os Mr. Asbury Peppers. From the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Why do they say ‘as smart as a steel trap?" asked the talkative boarder. ‘1 never could see anything particularly intel- lectual about a steel trap.” “A steel trap is called smart,” explained Mr. Asbury Peppers, in his sweetest voice, “because it knows exactly the right ume’ to shut up.”” More might have been said, but under the circumstances it would have seemed unfit- ting. Paradoxical. From the Indianapolis Journal. “What makes Mudge look s0 vacant?” “He is fvll.” SPANISH BEATEN OFF First Naval Engagemént of the Cuban War. ap WINNING euROF THREE FRIEND —<—- : The Filibustering Tug Boat Too Much for a “Qunboat. STORY OF THE CONTEST > A correspondent of the New York Journal has sent that paper the following story ot @ fight between the Three Friends and Spanish vessels off the Cuban coast: On board Cuban Filibuster Steamer oft Southern Coast of Santa Clara Province, Cuba, December 20 (via Key West, Fla., December 24).—Last night this'steamer, on board of which I sailed’ from Florida six days ago, attempted to land her cargo ot arms and munitions and a party of forty Cubans at the mouth of the San Juan river, in the district of Las Guisaimas, Puerto Principe province. Surprised and trapped by a heavily-armed Spanish coasting launch and a large gun- boat, and attacked by a cannonade of two and twelve-pound shells at close range, the filibuster in self-defense returned the at- tack with a twelve-pounder and volleys ot rifle fire, and checked and drove off her pursuers. The battle was a sea victory for the flag of Cuba, as the filibuster escaped without a scratch from a deadly fire, and drove back the flag of Spain, which floated over two armed vessels. The first naval engagement of the Cuban war came suddenly and unexpectedly, but while it lasted history was making with uncomfor‘able rapidity for those on board the filibuster. For the first time in the records of the Cuban rebellion the fire ot a Spanish gunboat was returned by an ex- pedition, and on the moonlight Caribbean sea, under the shadow of the towering Trinidad mountains, the battle of Rio San Juan, \ as fought. -Fourteen shots from two and twelve-pound rapid fire guns were exchanged between the Spanish launch an? the Spanish gunboat on the one side and an American steamer on the other, with rifle volleys making sharper music. While no damage was done to the defiant filibuster, the Spanish boats were frightened from the chase. Preparing to Land. It all came about in this fashion. After six days of steaming &nd dodging along the Florida coast and down the southern side of Cuba, the famous filibuster came within sight of the lofty Cuban mountains, twenty- five miles away. Late in the afternoon of December- 19 a notch in the misty blue range showed the pass where the Cuban party of men and the valuable cargo of rifles, ammunition, machetes, cannon, dy- niamite and supplies were to be landed and met by a strong body of insurgents and escorted to the main army of General Maxi- mo Gomez. The Cubans put on ea ins, duck and crash suits, and on thé turned up fronts of their big bats pinned the ‘banderas,’ the Cuban flag, square for the infantry and triangular for the cavalry. Machetes and revolvers were buckled on, and the re- connoitering party of tén men, led by Capt. Eagar Carbonne, was equipped with Rem- ington rifles and fifty rounds of cartridges each. They looked trim and effective, a ked lot for a dangerous mission, and the can sharpshooter, and ex-soldier, Gorman, with his beloved Spring- field, was with’ them. » Haversacks were filled with bread and meat, and the prepa- rations for landing were completed two hours befere the coast? was near. One of the two Hotchkiss twelwe-pound- ers was mounted in the bow in charge of a crew, ccnsisting of Blank, the Columbian Heutenant, as captain; “Mike” Walsh, as gunner, and William ‘Tylor of Tampa, third man. At'# o'clock inthe evening the horizon was clear, ahd the”captain ordered full speed ahead. Tearing Along for the Land in Sight. The chief engineer had been waiting with his hand on the throttle, and he “threw her wide open.” The boat jumped and throbbed to the rush of her screw, and tore straight for the mountain pass, going @ full fifteen knots. The mountains loomed grand and black, and inexpressibly wild and lonel; For ten miles the vessel tore along, the water in her wake boiling high- er than her jumping stern. Then she slowed up for a reconnoiter and slipped along silently, leisurely, until the captain gave the word for another ten-mile spurt for the black bay that marked the en- trance to the river. Still all was clear, and the landing seem- ed a matter only of another hour. I had packed saddlebags and haversack, and ex- pected In another twelve hours to be on the march with a strong escort to the camp of Gomez. Five miles from the shore speed was slowed down, and the vessel stole in under the mountains, like a shedow, at a few minutes before midnight. She passed a point of land on the port side ard was in the black shadows at the mouth cf the bay. Everything was still as dee th. ‘Hi way up the mountain side in front a white column of smoke soared lazily into the moonlight, und it was believed to come from the camp of the insurgent escort. The stéamer had slipped into the little bay, and was only five hundred yards from the shelving Leach and the mouth of the small river San Juan, when Major Morales or- dered Captain Carbonne to get out a boat and prepare to go ashore with the scouting party. The men were working at the hoisting tackle when two men, the Cuban engineer and Jack Gorman, reported to the bridge that a steamer lay close under the bank in the mouth of the river. I could see nothirg but the black shadows of the woods, but the captain exclaimed: “By George, you're right! There goes her smoke.” He sprang to the speaking tube. “Clang, clang,” went the gong, and the captain shouted down: “Back her like hell.” Chased by the Spanish Launch. The filibuster shied away like a fright- ened colt, and then turned and leaped for the open sea. There was no sign of life in the bay, and after running hajf a mile the captain stopped her and began to back, stern first, cautiously toward the river. It might have been a false alarm, and the daring skipper was bent upon investigation. When the steamer had slipped back a quarter of a mile, with a dozen pair of night glasses on the dark banks, the cap- tain yelled: “Here she comes! Let her go! Pumn it to her!” : Like a rocket a low launch of about forty feet shot out from the*rWer mouth, and the smoke poured thick and black from her short stack. ‘The chief “jumped” the flying filibuster, and fh minutes the gauge showed 180 poundsiof steam. The flight was straight seuth ;out from the coast into the Caribbean sea. The crew grabbed rifles, and in a,few minutes every man on board was armed. An excited pa- triot began to open cartridge cases with a pickax, smashing sledge-hammer blows which threatened to blow, and haif the ship up every time he brought the sharp edge down. s12-t The chase had been on for five minutes, when the launch came into; the moonlight and showed plainly. a black dot on the water. She seemed to be gaining hand over hand, although thé sttamer was tear- ing off fifteen knots. The Cubans and crew stood grouped on the upper,fleck in silence. The only sounds were the mighty beat of the engine, the rattle of rifle cartridges passed from man to man, and the click of breech blocks. . First Shot. From the Two-Pounder. Ail hands were waiting for the first shot. There was about half a mile of foaming wake between the two boats, when a red light winked big from the bow of the launch. : “There it goes,” yell a dozen excited men. A couple of seconds later the bark of a two-pounder came along, but the shell was not heard from. The effect of this fire was startling on the decks of the steamer. A Cuban youth, who had breathed destruc- tion night and day, was caught trying to muzzle ram & Mauser cartridge down the of nis Remington rifle, ‘The second shot came three minutes later, A flash of light, a boom “plop”. of the projectile in the water a hundred yards off the port beam. It was very trying to watch the flash in the dark- ness and wait for the crash of splintering wood and iron. The majority of the party showed fighting spirit, determination and courage, although in considerable confusion, caused by the haste of arming. Maj. Morales took com- mand on deck under the direction of Col. Salvo. Four times the flash and report of the two-pounder kept the steamer in an un- comfortable state of suspension. Then a scattering rifle fire rattled along the after- deck of the filibuster, the whip-like crack of the Mauser cartridges sounding the echo to the deeper-mouthed reports of the Rem- ingtons, and the cannonade of Sharpshoot- er Gormian’s old Springfield. Maj. Morales commanded his men to group astern for volley firing. Forty men, crowded close, where a Spanish shell, drop- ped in the group, would have done fearful execution. In the uncertain light the pur- suers made a bothersome mark, and the commander waited for another flash and smoke from the Spanish bow-chaser. At the wink of the red light he shouted: “Uno, dos, tres, fuego!” Rifle Volley From the Filibuster’s Stern. ‘The rifle volley crashed in the still night Ike the fire of a regiment. A thousand yards astern the water was whipped into jets of spurting white foam. The launch gained mildly and faltered. She was out of dangerous rifle range for firing, however, and she came on again after a moment. Seeing that this firing was a waste of am- munition, and that the Hotchkiss cannon would be far more effective, Col. Calvo Save the order to cease firing. The excited Cubans could not forbear, and again banged away five times at the wide world in solitary attack, After the fifth shgt from the launch the crew of the twelye-pound Hotchkiss ran gun on the filibuster sprang to their places. The colonel had orderer them to load with shrapnel shell and aim at the launch. This they did, but their aim was not good, owing to their excitement, and the launch turned back. IN A HORNET’S NEST. Spanish Were Waiting for the Three Friends. The story of the fight sent by the New York Herald correspondent corroborates that cf the other correspondents. He says: The most famous of filibustering steam- ers, carrying an expedition which I accom- panied, was fired upon by a Spanish Jaunch and a Spanish gunboat while attempting to land munitions of war at the mouth of the San Juan river, between Cienfuegos and Trinidad, at midnight of Saturday, De- cember 19. The filibuster trained a 12- pound Hotchkiss gun on the launch and popues with shrapnel and a scattering rifle fre. The launch sent up a rocket for assist- ance, and as the filibusters steamed to sea, still firing, the gunboat, which had been hidden around a point, and which ap- peared a few minutes after the launch opened fire, gave chase, using her bow gun, evidently a 12-pounder. The fili- buster was too swift for her pursuers, and the gunners did poor work in the uncertain moonlight. One shell passed over the fili- buster and plowed (je water far ahead of her. The others wént wide, none taking eftect. Shrapnel poured from the filibuster and burst near the Spanish launch, but while I was watching from our pilot house with a marine glass I was unable to tell whether or not it did any damage. Surprise for the Spanish, The roar of our Hotchkiss gun, giving notice that the filibuster was ready to fight as well as run, was undoubtedly a great surprise to the Spaniards, and no doubt in- creased our chances of escape. The fili- buster fired only two shots from her can- non. Her riflemen were pretty busy while the launch was within a thousand yards, but the light was bad, and the target by no means plain, except when her gun flashed. ‘The launch fired eight shots from her two- pounders, and the gunboat used her twelve- pounder three times. The filibuster had expected to meet a strong detachment of Cuban troops at the mouth cf San Juan river, and went straight into a trap instead. Had the launch been better concealed, or had the moon been hidden, the expedition would have met with disaster, the arms and ammunition would have been captured and the fifty men on board shot. How narrowly we escaped I shall tell you here. This dispatch is to ve carried back by the steamer which brings the expedition to Cuba, and long before it is filed in Key West we shall have landed near Cienegade Zapata. for which place it was decided to head the ship after we were forced to abandon the original plan of taking in Las Guasimas, Trying to Land. The landing place, dark and quiet, in the shadow of the coast range rising abruptly above the water's edge, looked suspiciously inviting, and every one who had glasses studied it closely. The filibuster had shut off her smoke, and when 400 yards from the shore was still running at full speed. Fifty men leaning anxiously toward the shore kept watch in absolute silence. The moon struggled through a cloud, and as the light increased two men who had been on the lookout forward—John J. Gorman of the 47th Regiment, N. G., S. N. Y., and an en- gineer who left the Argentine cruiser Nueve de Julio, to serve Cuba—hurried back to the pilot house. The filibuster’s captain lowered his glass to hear what they had to say. What ts it?” he asked. “There's a boat in the river,” said. “I see her smoke.” “Yes,” suid the engineer, “she’s trying to hide.” The captain raised his glasses for a mo- ment. Then he signaled the engine room and in a minute we had swung round and were steaming seaward. There was no movement in the river. I could make out a lttle smoke with my glass, but the hull of of the launch was hidden by a bend in the river, .Then the filibuster’s captain thought possibly there was no real cause for alarm, and when we were six or seven hundred yards out he stopped and began to back toward the mouth of the river. Thus he was able to run if necessary without wast- ing time in turning around. Im a Nest of Hornets. The situation was thus: We were back- ing into a nest of hornets. The filibuster had been seen from the shore. The Spanish had planned to hide a launch about forty feet long, with a two-pounder on her bow, in the river’s mouth. She was to lie quiet till we had our boats down and then open fire. At the sound of her two-pounder a guhboat lying around a point to the east- ward was to run around and hem in the steamer. Then there would be no escape, and the expedition would be destroyed. This was undoubtedly the plan. The moonlight which showed us the smoke of the launch changed everything. We were backing in, but we had our eyes open. When we were within 200 yards of the river's mouth the launch began to steam toward us. “There she comes,” said the fillbuster’s captain. and as he spoke he signaled “Full speed ahead.” In a few seconds we were going seaward once more. The men who had been ready to step into the first boat began to load their rifles. You see we had been steaming into the cove without showing any fight, and there could be no mistaking our mis- sion. That we would be fired upon now no ‘one doubted. At the rattle of Remington breech blocks every man who had a rifle began to look for cartridges. A Cuban attacked a pile of am- munition boxes with a pickax, and, ignor- ing the danger of an explosion, worked away till he had the cover off the top box. The men lined up and received twenty-five rounds each. Preparing to Fire. Meantime Walsh had summoned a gun's crew to the bow and was loading the Hotchkiss. “I'll sink her before she is alongside of us as-sure as I am Irish!” said this man- of-warsman. A tall Columbian artilleryman stood be- side him priming the shell. W. J. Taylor, a Kentucky guardsman, was the third man at the gun. 5; A Cubah colonel shouted to the Colum- bian not to fire until he Gorman AN OLD-TIME GAME Defeat of the Nationals by the Hay- makers. SEES Svea EVENT IN BASE BALL'S EARLY DAYS Victory Secured by Making Nine Runs in the Last Inning. <a WASHINGTON NEARLY WON ee From Sporting News. Probably one of the most exciting and closely contested games of base ball played in the early history of professional base ball was that between the Haymakers of Lansingburg, N. Y., and Nationals of Washington, a crack aggregation. In those days big scores were the rule and a hundred runs in a game was an or- dinary total. Fifty-five to thirty was a commonplace result, and it was considered a tolerably close game. In this game the score of 16 to 15 was considered phenome- nal, and up to that time it was the finest exhibition of the national game. The coming of the Nationals had been heralded and people of all class*s took deep interest in the coming contest. Information concerning the condition of the men was eagerly sought, and they were often inter- viewed on what they thought of the Hay- makers’ chances of success. ‘Troy and Lan- singbtrg sports in those days had pig “rolls,” and they wanted to increase the size of them. Enthusiasts thought that the Nationals had been overrated and that they would fall easy victims to ihe superior ability of the ‘burg boys. But the sports were cautious, and as the result proved too much so. Troy Backers Timid. The Nationals were accompanied by a large following of “thoroughbreds,” who Were in quest of easy money. They offered even bets, but the Trojans wanted odds. Some bets at short odds were offered by the Washington men previous to the game, but they were few. At the close of the first inning the Troy crowd took courage and some moncy was put on, but little as compared with the amount in the pockets of the sports on the field. In the second inning the courage was all taken from the Troy sporting contingent and their enthusiasm suffered a wet blanket sensation throughout the contest until the ninth inning was well under way. Then the Troy sports gained courage when it was too late, and a big Washingtonian, flashing a huge roll of bills, shouted as soon as his men had lost: “See here, you Troy men, you might have had all this money.” Story of the Game. The Northern Budget of October this account of the game: The game of base ball on Monday afte noon last, between the Unions (Haymak- ers) cf Lansingburg, and the National Club of Washington, attracted one of the largest crowds of the season, a large proportion of which, notwithstanding the disagreeable wealber, was composed of ladies. The game opened in favor of the Unions, 7 gave ‘standing at the close of the first inning, Uricrs, 1; ationals, 0; but in the next inning the Washington boys by superior batting made six io the Unions’ two, and kept the lead until the commencement of the ninth inning, when score stood Unions, 7; Nationals 15, leaving our boys to get eight to tie the game and nine to win; that is, should they be fortunate enough to give the Nationals a round 0 on the last inning, as will be seen from the score they had done on the seventh and ei Amid the greatest ex: went to the bat. M. King led off with a safe hit to left fleld, made his first, stole second and finally came home on a bat by 8. King, while the rest of the club by one of their olden time displays at the bat made what seemed the impossible number of nine runs, An Exciting Fin The excitement was now indeed intense, and every breath was suspended as the umpire called “striker to the bat” and Studley of the Nationals took his place. Ward, irspired to renewed exertions, sent in the balls quick and hot, consequently a little Wregular, the result of which was that Studley took his base on called balis. Brainard, the next striker, sent the ball to M. King off second. Studiey, forced from his pesition at first, had started for secon! but King was too quick for him, touching him with the ball, and fielding it to Leav- enworth at first, in time to cut off Brain- ard, a handsome double play, two out and no runs. Wright made the third hand out R,) NATIONALS, oO. R. Wright, p i 2) Norton,’ ss. ry 2 Parker, 2b: 30 1 3b. 2.2 i 5 1) Fletcher, Tb. 2 King, 2b. 1) Berthong, ¢. 4 ‘ard p ox cf. 2 S. King, if: Studley,” if 2 Penfield, 3b =| Srainara, if! 2 Totals 15 Union Nationals EVOLUTION OF THE UMBRELLA, From the Old-Time Whatlebo Spreader to the Bow Channel Stee! From the New York Sun. Forty years or so ago umbrellas were made with stretchers or bows of whale- bone. These bows were rather bulky in themselves, and they were apt to get a lit- tle permanent bend from long use, so that they bulged when tke umbrella was rolled up, making the big, baggy umbrelle, fa- miliar to middle-aged and vider ;eople, and occesionally stiil seen, thougn on the stage oftener than in real tife. ~ With the introduction of petroleum oil Into general use as an illuminating oil, and the consequent very general abandonment of the use of waale oil came the decline of the whaling industry. Fewer and fewer vessels went after whales, because there was less and less demand for the oil. Of course, the supply of whalebone decreased with the supply of oil, but the price did not, nor did the demand, There are still scme uses for which whaiebone is consider- ed most desirable, and with constant de- mand and decreasing supply, the price of whalebone steadily advanced, as it has con- tinued to do. Whalebone soon became too costly te permit of its further use for um- brella spreaders, and substitutes tor it were sought for this use, as there were for other uses in which whalebone had been employ- ed. Steel was the subs‘ituie generally vsed in umbrella stretchers. At first a siender, round, tempered steel rod. With these slenderer bows the umbrella could be more snugly rolled and the old baggy umbrella began to disap, and the modern tight roller to take its place. Then came umbrella bows of light steel rolled in V shape, and then, in tne quest for a still tighter roller, umorella hardies were made of metal. The first tubing han- dies were made of brass. Steel would have been cheaper, but there had been Giscover- ed no satisfactory method of brazing steel tubes such as are used in umbrella handles. There is such a method now, however, ard umbrella handles of steel tubing are now made in grea. numbers. And nowadays maay spreaders are made of steel, rolled channel-shapei. In cross section this spreader is shaped something like a capital letter K without a torgue, and the ribs of the umbrella—the steel rods that run from the sliding ferrule, or run- ner, as it is-called, on the handie of the umbrella, by means of which the umbrella is spread—are so attached und adjusted to the spreaders that ihey shut into the chan- neis when the um»rella is closed. FOR MEDICINAL USE NO FUSEL OIL The most popular of all Whiskics, ie Owen Its popularity to its worth. sist upon your druggist or Grocer securing I for you. Send for pamph-= let. DUFFY MALT WHISKEY ©o, ; Rochester, N.Y. The Passenger’ ing the Co: From the New York s The conductor had been through the train once and had punched the tickets and was on his second round taking them up, He came to @ corpulent passenger who was snoring so loud that he could almost be heard above the noise made by the engine From his flushed countenance it was ap- parent that he had not been to a chur ciable. “Tic exclaimed the conductor His corpulency snored aw ’ “Come, gimme your ticket,” sald the con- ductor sharply, at the same time shaking the sleeper. His corpulency slowly opened one eye, and, resting {t on the conductor, asked: “Wha’ ticket?” “Ob, come, come, fird your ticket.” said the conductor, with a show of impatien: ave He left the sleeper, and, collecting the other tickets in the car, returned to the corpulent one, who had dozed off again. He shook the passenger up and again 4 manded the ticket, with the same result as before. “If you don’t give your ticket you'll have to pay finally. This roused the sleeper to consciousness, and he began a hunt through his pocket: He searched every pocket and turned his soft hat Inside out, but could not find the missing ticket. “You must have it some place.” said the conductor, “as it is only ten minutes since ZT vunched it and returned it to you another fare,” said the conductor “I musta lost it,” said the corpulent one, sleepily. “Why, you couldn't have lost it. You haven't stirred out of your seat since I gave it to you.” “Couldn't, eh? Why, confound you, I lost a bass drum once. This was said with such a degree of pride that the conductor concluded that perhaps the corpulent passenger had lost his ticket, and he let him return to his snoring. —-— +e ae Maine's Christmas Tree Grop. From the Lewiston Evening Journal Twenty years ago a carload from the Androscoggin valley and two or three loads on schooners sailing from Bucksport or Castine, comprised all the Christmas trees sent out from Maine. Finding there was money in the business, the farmers and cwners of waste land sought to enlarge their market, and succeeded so well that in December, 18%, more than 100,000 fir trees were sent from Maine by rail, to say nothing of those that went b; mboats and sailing vessels, The price went up with the increased demand. In IN76 no farmer thought of asking more than 23 cents for a big tree delivered at the cars. Twenty years later the same kind of a tree sells for $1, and the old hands at the busi- ness are holding back hoping to get more. The work of collecting the trees is not hard. A smart man with an ax can easily cut down and prepare 300 trees In a day. The limbs of the large trees that are used in churches and halls are bound fast to the trunk with stout twine, not only to keep the limbs from breaking in handling, but also to make close stowage in the cars. Two smart boys can wind on the twine as fast as a man gan chop the trees. The pre- pared trees are taken to the cars in hay- racks, and two horses a load twenty feet long and fifteen feet high, Long platform cars are filled to the top of their stout stakes with trees,after which the stakes are tied with lines to keep them from spreading, and when a train load is made up it is hauled on to the main track and is taken to the dealers in the big cities. It is estimated that one-half of the Christ- mas trees used in New York, Boston an@ nearby eities come from Maine. They are mostly firs, and largely produced in Knox, Lincoln, Hancock and Penobscot counties, -— eee The Break That Broke It. From the Cleveland Leader. “Darling,” said Mr. Pinkney, “why do ycu spurn me? Am I not rich and hand- some?” “Alas, yes!” the beautiful girl said through her fast-flowing tears, “but all ts over! We must part!” Alphorse de Merionville Pinkney stood as if petrified for three-quarters of a minute, Then he asked in tones that betrayed his emotion: “And will you not tell me, Mercedes, what I have said or done to turn you against me? Isn't my grammar all right? Don’t you like me in my Tuxedo coat? Would you think better of me if I didn’t plaster my hair down, or is it this mus- tache which I am growing that has caused you to take your present cruel course?” Then Mercedes Bateman drew herself up proudly, and exclaimed: “No! A thousand times no! It is worse than any of the things you have enumer- ated. At the musicale last night you ap- plauded in the wrong place, and eight per- scns caught you at it! With a hollow groan he staggered out into the evening’s solemn hush, and all was over. tenes eee One of George D. Prentice’s Jokes. From the Chicago Times-Herald. Will S. Hays, the famous Kentucky song writer, was, in the latter days of the old Jcurnal, river reporter for the Democrat, Hays was a very sudden young man, good- hearted, jolly, witty, but lacking some- what in reverence, and he had a habit of calling persons, even old enough to be his grandfather, by their given names. Visit- ing Prentice one Gay as a fellow poet, after scme desultory talk, Hays said: “I suppose, George, you have seen my last song?” Prentice looked up at Hays, who was seated cross-iegged on Prentice’s table, and with a twinkle in his expressive eyes, quiet- ly replied: “TI hope so, Bill.” “Bill” looked around for a second or two, as if something had tapped him, and then slid down the baluster-rail to the front door. —e-—______ ‘Estimated. From Life. Bingo: “That doctor must have found out how much I am worth.” Mrs. Bingo: “Why?” “I just got his bill.”