Evening Star Newspaper, January 16, 1897, Page 18

18 THE EVENING STAR, CABINET MAKING ae How It Is Done Now and How It Was Formerly Done. MANY CHANGES ARE APT T0 BE MADE eS Stori sand Gossip From the Time of Lincoln to the Present. eS TALK WITH SHERMAN —_—_-———- 1807, by Frank G. Carpenter.) W =: A TH Ae mous men who are to help McKinley run his administration? | A score of well- known politicians have been suggested, but on a few are assured. The slates made up are Hable to be broken. There is no more uncertain thing than a cabir before the inaugu: tion of a President. t's first cabinet was announced, five of the appointments were surpris: 2 single secretary had been anti inty. As it was, the cab- et augurated. been n: Al i for . Stewart, who had | etary of the Treasury, could not serve according to the law, which prevents a merchant from holding that position. Raw his Secretary of War, led in the Sept following, and Borle, was Secretary of the Navy, served hree months, and then asked Grant to al- low him to re: Linco gn s cabinet ministers were not sure- ly known before he came tn, and they wer: changed very rapidly thereafter. Some of mbers of cabinet were arranged by the and I to go into the made without the David Davis and d not like it, and al wa ncoln by He finally gave ment. After the ad- he did not like him as and wanted to get rid succecded in doing this through ard Swett and Thurlow W scup, who was a partner of Swett, told the story. He says that Weed made me Cameron think that he was going to lose I 4 his reputation and his health by con- e position. Weed came from New York to see Cameron s he met him he ed back and exclaimed: “My God, Senator! are you sick? You don’t look at all well.” Old Senator Cameron, who had a consti- tution o nm, and who, you know, was over ei when he died, replied that he Was in his usual health, but Weed went on: “Well, you don't look it. You have lost some weight since I saw you last, and your color is not good. I fear you are working too hard, Cameron.” Mrs. Cameron was present when this last ark was made, and she said she agreed | h Mr. Weed that her husband was work- ing too hard. After dinner that night Mr. | Weed advised Cameron to get out of the} department. He told him he thought the| War was going to be a failure. He said it} would end only in the loss of thousands of | lives and millions of property, and that Cameron as Secretary of War would be cursed from one end of the United States to | the other. After some time Cameron became alarm- ed and said: “But suppose I want to get cut, Mr. Weed. How can I do it without | seeming to be either a coward or a fail-j id consent to let | | Kirkwood of Iowa, who was then a leading candi¢ate. It was on account of the ambi- tions of Clarkson, another Iowa man, that he refused the secretaryship of the treas- ury under Harrison. “The story of the manner ef this refusal has never been told. Senator Cullom, who was one of the actors upoa the occasion, is my authority. Said he to me the other night: “It was just after I had been elected to the Senate and some weeks before Presi- dent Harrison had come on from Indian- apolis to Washington to be inaugurated. {had to go west to thank my legislative friends for their support, and on my way I irtended to stop and call upon the Presi- dent-elect. When I got on the train I foun? Senator Allison there. He was also going west, and we rode together. During the journey he told me that President Harrison kad asked him to come out to see him, and that he wanted him to be his Secretary of Treasury. Senator Allison told me that he could not accept the posi- tion, and that he was going out to refuse it. As we drew near Indianapolis I no- ticed his becoming more and more rest- less. He evidently did not having to refuse Harrison. sai Now, Cullom, I have been thinking | how you can help me in this. We will call upon Harrison together, and I will see that he talks to you first. You can thus pre- pare his mind for my refusal. You can tell him that T nave come out for this pur- bose, and he will not be so surprised when | 1 speak.” How Allison Gave Horrison the Cold Hand. “This I promised to do, tor Cullom. we went house. continued Sena- ‘When we got to Indianapolis direct to President Harrison's It was about dinner time when we arri and we at once sat down to the table. After dinner was over, when we Were out in the smoking room and had about finished our cigars, Mr. Allison sald: x Mr. President, Senator Cullom is to get away this afternoon. He that he only wanted a few mo- th you, and if you don’t object I wiil let you get through with him first. I will go into the other room and finish my cigar, and you can have your conversation here.’ This was assented to by President of a friend in Washington, and, throwing himself upon the sofa, exclaimed, “I would not be a cabinet officer again for a salary of $4,000,000 a year.” Still, it was after this that he accepted the portfolio of the ‘Treasury and later on consented to be President Cleveland's Secretary of State. How Tom Corwin Treated an Office Seeker. One of the greatest annoyances that Gresham had was the office seekers and Place hunters. These are numbered by legions about the Post Office Department and also about the Treasury. Postmaster General Wilson tells me there are now 70,- 000 postmasters in the United States, and I doubt not that thousands of them will be changed by McKinley's Postmaster Gen- eral. The Congressmen will dictate to him, and it is safe to say that he will probably earn his salary. The worst thing with Gresham was that he was so good-hearted that he had given out many letters com- mending others for office, and when men came to him and showed him his own recommendations, asking that they be given Places, he found it hard to refuse. I have heard similar stories of Tom Corwin, who was, you know, Secretary of the Treasury way back in Fiilmore’s time. Corwin was so good-natured that he would sign any- thing. One day a chronic office seeker laid before him an enthusiastic recommendation for .the appointment of the bearer to a place in the treasury. It was dated some years back, and had been given while Cor- win was in Congress. As the man asked for office and pointed to the letter, Corwin said: “That is a very good letter, and did that not get you an appointment?” “No,” replied the man; “‘it did not.” “Well,” returned Secretary Corwin, “if that letter was not strong enough to get you a place under Secretary Ewing, it cer- tainly is not strong enough to give you an appointment under me.” And he thereupon had the man shown out. Senator Teller Talks of the Interior Department. Senator Cullom told me that he did not know that McKinley was thinking of him as his Secretary of the Interior, and that it was hardly safe to say whether he could take the position or not if it was offered, —. ii | i UW Si f ri ls i | L PRESIDENT McKINLEY’S OFFICE. Harrisou, and Allison went into the other rocm. “Well,” continued Senator Cullom, “after we were alone and had gone over the gen- eral topics of the occasion, I directed the conversation to the cabinet and then said: seneral Harrison, during our trip out here Senator Allison took me into his confidence. He told me you had offered him the secre- taryship of the treasury, and he also told me that he had decided he could not accept it. He asked me to say this to you during our interview and io tell you that he thought he could serve you and your ad- ministration better in the Senate than in the cabinet.’ As I said this President Har- rison pushed his head to the front and ‘o this Weed replied that he dfd not know, but that he would take a walk and think it over and see if some arrangement could not be m Aas he went out he spoke to Mrs. | Cameron again about her husband's health. | and she told him that she wanted Mr. Can | eren to leave the cabinet. In an hour or so| Mr. Weed returned and told Simon Camer- | | en that he had hit upon that was fer him to accep: Russia. “Fut,” replied Cs to me.”* at offe < | get ou will your | give you a good! esi To this Cam consented. Weed rd and the Pres {dent and the appoi was made. How Garfield's Cabinet Was Made. | ral ¢ nor told me once @ curious story as to how Garfield's cabi-| net was formed. He denies that Blaine| forced hir ariield. He says Gar-| Id felt ¥ to Blaine, and that | had thought of him as Secretary of | ate even before he had ‘written hi of acceptance, saying one da of staff Jim Blaine would | said Gen. Grosvenor, t slate the night at given him 20.000 majority. General Swaim. who was with Garfield at Mentor at the time said, as they looked over the telegram, es it, general. 1 go to b a cabinet. but finally consented, say- waim, let us see how near we together. You sit down at that table over there and write out a cabinet. When yeu have finished turn your paper face Gownward upon the table. I will do the same here and we will turn the papers over tcgether and compare them.” Both then sat Gown and began to write. When they had finished they found that the Secretary of State on both slates was James G. Blaine, and Allison was upon both for the secre- taryship of the treasury. Of the others all but one were changed before the inaugu jon, and Allison, you know, would not ac pt. It was some time after this before Robert Lincoln was selected as Secretary f War, and Levi P. Morton was on Gar- field’s slate for the secretaryship of the until almost the eve of the inaugu- mn. How Allison Refi erfeld was the first President under Senator Allison refused a cabinet I understand that he has been up- permost in President McKinley's mind as the head of the State Department, but that the President-elect has wanted to know whether he would refuse or not before he offered the position. I get this from men very close to McKinley. Senator Allison told me once that he could not take the Interior Department under Garfield be- use he did not want to antagonize Gov. ed Harrison. | further, | changed. H half-past ten! legram from Chester A. | ing him that New York had| asked me if that was true. I could see that he was much disturbed. He said but little however. The _ conversation He soon recovered himself and talked on as though nothing had happened. I know that Allison did refuse the place then, but I have not had a word with him nor Harrison about it from that day to this.” Sherman and the Cabinet. During a call upon Senator Sherman the other night I asked him about the talk which was being published about him as McKinley's prospective Secretary of State. toid me that he had received no offer of State Department then, and he had at that time no knowledge that McKinley thought of him in that connection. He told ine that he did not know that he would care for the position if it were offered him, and | coming up. that he thought he should like to finish his career in the United States Senate. I doubt, however, whether he then knew his own mind cn the subject. He realizes the great- ness of the position, and that he might there ave a chance to make his mark on the diplomatic history of our nation. The place would be a fit climax to his long life of public service, and with his magnificent mansion he could make his administration a great social one. He has been at the head of the committee on foreign affairs of the Senate for many years, and would make a more efficient Secretary of State than any man now talked of. He has never before had a chance to be at the head of the State Department,. though the treasury has been twice within his grasp. The first time was when Salmon P. Chase was ap- pointed more than a generation ago when Sherman was still in his forties. Lincoln gave him to understand that he could have the place, but Sherman was then in Con- gress and wanted to be Speaker of the House. He failed in this, but got to be Senator. Shortly after Hayes was elected he wrote Sherman that he wanted him io be Secretary of the Treasury, and Sher- man once said to me that he took the posi- tion largely because he wanted to carry out his resumption policy. He told me that he did not find the work especially hard, though his term in the Treasury Depart ment was one of the most exciting in our history. Hard-Worked Cabinet Ministers, Sul the State Department and the Treas- ury premise to be among the hard-work- ing positions of the next administration. Most Secretaries of the Treasury have com- plained about the work. Folger and Man- ning and Windom are popularly supposed to have died from overwork in the Treas- ury. I called the other day at the State Department to see Secretary Olney, and ask him about the work of his office. He would not talk, but I could see that he thought he had plenty to do. Whether overwork in'the State Department cavsed Gresham's death is a that he did not like affairs, and it is a to he Postmaster General position and wanted day, it 1s said that for it might not be offered. Since then I see he has been called to Canton, and it may be that he fs to be the next Secretary of the Interior, though I believe Henry C. Paine of Wisconsin is looked upon as al- most sure to have this position. The In- terior Department is a much more import- ant place than it gets credit for. I chatted with Senator Henry M. Teller about it the other night. He was, you know, Secretary of the Interior under Arthur, and he made one of the best Secretaries that we have ever had. Said he: “The Interior Depart- ment néeds one of the very best men of the country. I think it is by all odds the most important office in the cabinet. The man at the head of it has to settle more values than the Supreme Court, and he does _more business than the Secretary of the Treasury. The Treasury is, to a large extent, an executive department. Before the Interior new questions are always com- ing up. Its head has to deal with the de- velopment of the country, and with the disposal of our public lands. He has all the pensions to handle, and our great patent business goes on’ under him. The Secretary of the Intertor should be a scien- tific man as well as a good practical busi- ness man. He should be a man well ac- quainted with the United States, and he should, above everything, be a western man. During my administration I settled one case of more than $15,000,000, and cases involving enormous sums were always The were legal questions presented every day or so, and I don’t see how any man could be an efficient Secre- tary of the Interior without a good knowl- edge of the law.” The Cabinet Room of the White House I visited this afternoon the room in the White House in which are to be held the secret councils of Maj. McKinley's admin- istration. The cabinet room is on the second ficor of the White House, just at the head of the stairs between the Mbrary, which will probably form Mrs. McKinley's sitting room, and the large room over the east room and the green room, which will be the President's office, and in which President Cleveland is now spending the last days of his administration. Further on is tho private secretary's room, the whole suite on the east side of the rec- ond floor constituting the business porcions of the Executive Mansion. The cabinet room is plainly furnished. There are eight straight-backed chairs with leather cush- fons for the cabinet ministers and a swing- ing chair of wicker and wood for the Presi- dent. President McKinley will sit at the head of the table, with his different min- isters at the right and left, according to thelr order of precedence.’ During the meetings of the cabinet no one is admitted to this room. Sergt. Loeffler, the Presi- dent’s private messenger, sits at the door and there {s no chance for cabinet secrets to leak out except through the ministers themselves. FRANK G. CARPENTER. Se ee Mistakes im Artists’ Names. From Household Words, When Mme. Albani was at the Norwich musical festival she received a bill from a tradesman with whom she dealt addressed “Mrs. L. Barney.” Mistakes in artists’ names are, however, by no means uncommon. The veteran con- ductor, Arditi—the story is not in his rem- iniscences—once received a letter addressed “Signor R. Ditty.” And only last season a gentleman in the stalls at Covent Garden gravely informed a lady, “The De Reszkes are a remarkably clever family. There ts Jean de Reszke, end Edouard de Reszke and Paderewski.” ——_-+e+_____ Why He Was Punished. From the Yonkers Statesman. “I understand you were punished in school today, Thomas,” said Mr. Bacon to his twelve-year-old boy. “Yes, sir,” promptly replied the juvenile. “For telling the truth, sir.” “Your teacher said it was for some re- flection you made upon her age.” “That's the way she took it, father. You see, she drew a picture of a basket of eggs on the blackboard, and while she was out of the room I just wrote under them: ‘The hen what made these eggs isn’t any chick- me SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 1897-24 PAGES. CONFEDERATE FORCES HELPING THEMSELVES TO LOCOMOTIVES. STEALING ENGINES An Episode of the Late War as Re- lated by a Survivor. FROM MARTINSBURG 70 POINTS SOUTH How the Confederates Got Away With B.and O. Rolling Stock. TEAM OF FORTY HORSES Written for The Evening Star. \ MONG THE EAR- Hest and most per- plexing problems that confronted the confederate leaders in the civil war was that of railroad trangportatign. The territory controlled by them at the be- ginning of the strug- gle—roughly speak- ing, that lying south of the Potomac—was threaded by numer- ous railroads, the equipment of which was fully equal to the requirements of peace traffic; but when war came and there were masses of men, horses, food, ordnance and ammunition to be moved, the lack of suffi- clent rolling stock became at once appar- ent. The southern railroads had a few shops, it is true, but their combined facili- tles were not equal to the manufacture of half the rolling stock needed. Where were the much-needed locomotives, cars and machinery to come from? Eurapean mar- kets were out of the question and north- ern shops equally so, for obvious reasons, even supposing that the requisite funds had been forthcoming. Invention, lashed by stern necessity, soon found a way out of the dilemma, at once simple, bold and effective, though not unattended with diffi- culty and danger. The plan, based on the axiom that “all is fair in love and. war,” was nothing more or less than that of seizing the rolling stock of a northern road and appropriat- ing it to use on the southern lines, which included the’ Ralejgh and Gaston, from Raleigh, N. €., to near Petersburg, Va.; the North Carolina Central, from Raleigh to Charlotte, N. C.; and the Virginia Cen- tral, from Gordonsville, Va., to Richmond. The successful carrying out of this scheme forms a unique and exciting chap- ter, which has been but little touched upon by war historians. It is the purpose of the present article to describe this remark- able movement or rather series of move- ments (for the accomplishment of the plan covered nearly two years), and it is be- lieved the recital will prove highly inter- esting to the readers of this generation. In June, 1861, the confederate forces un- der Gen. Joseph E. Johnston occupled Harper's Ferry, controlling the Baltimore and Ohio railroad from Point of Rocks, a few miles south of Harper's Ferry, to a considerable distance west of Martinsburg. ‘The Union forces, under Gen. Patterson, were between the Potomac and the Penn- sylvania lire. Smiling fortune could hard- ly have fashioned a situation more favor- able to the plans of the confederates, cove- tous of northern locomotives, for right bi tween the hostile lines, and yet generally within the grasp of the southern forces, ran the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, a prosperous trunk line of standard gauge, extending from Baltimere to St. Louis and completely equipped with first-class rolling stock, while at Martinsburg, only thirty-eight miles from the nearest south- ern railroad, and but eighteen miles from Winchester, which the confederates at that time held without dispute, was the termi- nus of one of the divisions of this trunk line, with shops and roundhotise, a point of assembly and distribution for cars and engines. How the Appropriation Was Made. Getting possession of this coveted ma- terial was but a matter of protecting skill- ed workmen while they vanquished me- chanical difficulties. That these difficulties were by no mcans small will be seen from the statement that the sole means of transporting the prizes from Martinsburg, the point whence most of them were taken, to Strasburg, Va., where they could be placed on the tracks of the Manassas Gap railroad, was by way of Wincaester over a turnpike. It is generally conceded that the idea of taking the Baltimore and Ohio rolling stock originated with Col. Thomas R. Sharp, ‘at the time of the occurrences narrated cap- tain and acting quartermaster in the con- federate army. He was a civil engineer by profession and a thorough railroad man, self-reliant and resourceful. Most of the facts given are obtained from J. E. Duke, now residing in Cumberland, Md., and in 1861 Col. Sharp's confidential clerk. Mr. Duke, who enlisted in the army from Jef- ferson county, Virginia,“ was detalled for duty in the quartermaster’s deparcment, was present when some of the locomotives were taken, and was more or less identified with the entire movement. His memory has been refreshed and his facts substan- tiated from other sources when thought necessary. The necessity for obtaining the railroad material in th? manner described created a special organization, entirely separate and distinct from the military, though, of course, co-operating with them, and which, while ‘working under authority of the quartermaster general's office at Richmond, might have been christened the “railroad corps.” The part taken by the military in the locomotive; seizures was merely that of furnishing protectien. The armed forces invested and picketed the country and left the railroad nm to operate. In speaking pte Baltimore and Ohio as a “northern”’ id, the term is used broad- ly, as distingltshtig the line from those lying entirely within what was at that per- iod of the war ‘@ confederate territory. Geographicallg speaking, a good portion of the road tra’ the border between the military norgy @nd south. It was fre- quently in @§e~ hands of both armies, though the tes inflicted nearly, if not all, the upan the road during the struggle. In June, 186%, “Stonewall” Jackson, act- ing under the oi went to Martinsht of cars and timore and rs of Gen. Johnston, and burned a number belonging to the Bal- ad. The locomotives were but sl: jured (only the wood- work having damaged) and were among those afterward carried off by the “railroad corps.” Manner of Transporting the Stolen Locomotives. The first capture of locomotives took place at Martinsburg on a bright morning in July, 1861. Everything having been pre- viously arranged, the forces selected to do this work, consisting of about thirty-five men, including aie machinists, detailed from the ranks, ten toamsters and about a dozen laborers, left Winchester-before Fieg were under ley, and In some cases driven by their well- to-do qwners, formed a highly picturesque feature of the expedition. They were to furnish the motive powe! Fine speci- mens of horsefiesh they were; big, brawny- limbed, well-fed and in the very pink of condition for draught work. They would need all their strength before the day was over, for there were some troublesome hiils along the route over which the pondercus iron horses were to be pulled. Upon arrival at Martinsburg, Mr. Longust, a swarthy, wiry little man, looked about him until his eye fell upon a big locomotive standing on a side track near the roundhouse. “That's the fellow we've got to begin on. Go in, boys!” he shouted. And then the skilled men and laborers be- gan to work, using all expedition possible, for no one could say how soon they might be interrupted by the enemy. First, the tender was uncoupled, then the engine was raised by means of jackscrews and strip- ped of all the parts that could be removed, such as side and piston rods, valves, levers, lamps, bell, whistle and sandbox. ‘All the wheels were taken off except the flange drivers at the rear. The stripping was done to lighten weight, secure greater ease in handling, and for the better preservation of the -running gear. When this work had been completed, what had a few minutes before been a splendid iron Pegasus was a helpless, inert mass; a mere shell, deformed and crippled, and ready to submit to any indignity, even to that of being hauled over a country road by the flesh and blood horses whose office it had so long usurped. The next step was to swing the prize around until it hung Polsed in the air at right angles with the tracks, and to replace the missing forward wheels with a heavy truck, made especial- ly tor the purpose, furnished with tron-shod Wooden wheels and fastened to the engine’ bumper by an iron bolt serving as a lin pin. When the jacks were removed the engine rested on the flange drivers and the wheels of the truck. A powerful chain formed the connecting link between the locomotive and the team of horses. This chain was fastened to the single, double and “‘fou’ble” trees, by means of which the horses pulled. The arrangement was very ingenious and insured steady and united effort. The horses went four abreast, aid the forty, when strung along in pulling position, covered the entire width of the road and over 100 feet of its length. Prob- ably no similar team had ever before been Seen on an American road. The Difficulties of the Journcy. When ail was in readiness a teamster mounted an end horse of each line of four, Longust gave the signal, the crack of ten whips rang out, and the locomotive’s novel trip was begun. The offstart was merry and inspiring enough to such of the towns- people as happened to be in sympath: th the movement, and to the small boy, who was, as usual, present in force, it was an event keenly enjoyed and long to be re- membered, an experience to be treasured along with that of donning his initial pair of long trousers; but to the sturdy band of workers who had the prize in Charge the eo was anything but a holiday au he time made varied according to the state of the weather and the -oads, the condition of the teams and various other causes. Sometimes the whole distance to Winchester, eighteen miles, was made in a single day, while at others only three or four miles would be covered in the same time. The average time of the entire trip was three days to Strasburg, thirty-eight miles south of Martinsburg. Often the macadam covering of the road would break through under the unwonted weight and let the iron monster down into the “oft earth. Then there was hustling. The indispensable Jackscrews came into use, and timbers were placed under the wheels, until, after perhaps an hour's work, a fresh start could be made. On levels, where there was goed, solid road, and all went well, the teams proceeded at a fast walk; up the hills they generally went faster, because it was only by a good running start that they could get to the top at all. As it was, the big horses had to strain every muscle in us- vending the grades. Before the first trip was mad» a prospe>t- ing party went over the route and exam- ined the bridges on the line of the pike. In most instances these were not equal to sup- porting a heavy locomotive, and it was necessary to go Into the woods, cut tira- ber and strengthen them for the unustai burden. .One of the hardest problems to solve was that of regulating the speed in descending hills. Just what the cyclist does for his wheel with his little spoon-shaped brake the men in charge of the locomotive did for that unwieldy mass of iron, for had it once got beyond control on a sharp down grade, nothing could have saved the horses or anything else that happened to be in the way. After considerable experiment and thought, the all-useful jackscrew was again called into requisition and used as a brake, being fastened to the engine frame and placed sidewise against the drive wheel and tightened or loosened as the necessity arose by a man who rode on the engine. it is hardly needful to add that this man’s position was no sinecure. The tenders were transported in the same manner as the engines, eight horses being employed to the team. Cars were not so much in demand as engines, but a number of these were taken in the same manner. They were not only used afterward for transporting war supplies on the Southern roads, but served the immediate purpose of carrying the detached portions of the loco- motive: Disposition Made of the Captured Property. When the engines reached Strasburg they were placed on the tracks of the Manassas Gap road, which had the same gauge as the Baltimore and Ohio—five feet elght and a half inches—by the process employed in taking them from the rails at Martins- burg, and the tenders having been at- tached, they were hauled, by means of other steam power, over the road mention- ed and the Orange and Alexandria and Virginia Central roads to Richmond, the detached parts remaining in the cars. At Richmond they were assembled and kept until all had been brought from the line of the Baltimore and Ohio. Nearly a year was occupied in conveying the seized’ locomo- tives, nineteen in all, from the Baltimore and Ohio to Richmond, most of them com- ing from Martinsburg, though a few were taken from Harper’s Ferry and Duffield’s. The reason so long a period was covered in the collection of the seized stock was that the Baltimore and Ohio road was not con- tinuously in the possession of the conféd- erates, Sometimes, by the fortunes of war, they were driven south of the Potomac, and when, perhaps, after months of skirmish- ing, they regained the lost ground, the in- terrupted work of conveying the rolling stock was patiently and systematically re- sumed. Two or three of the locomotives which were ted out of Martinsburg on the pike never got to Winchester, the Union forces having suddenly appeared upon the scene and driven off the party engaged in hauling them. The attempt to convey them to Strasburg was never re- newed and they stood by the pike between Martinsburg and Winchester until recov- ered by the Baltimore and Ohio people at the close of the war, somewhat the worse for their exposure to the elements, but still copa after repairs, of doing good ser- vice. Some of the engines were the long, lean freight haulers of the day; some were pas- senger ives, but the majority were of the now vanished “‘camelback” type, de- signed by Ross Winans of Baltimore. “camelbacks” were sturdy pullers and did excellent service in their time, but they were marvels of ugliness. The cab was perched on top of and.well to the front of the high boiler and the engineer stood almost over the front wheels. In Blind Tom's pianistic description of the “Battle of Manassas” he used to imitate, with that robust voice of his, the whistle of a “oamelback,” and weird and blood-curdling as was the sound emitted from his lips, it was but a faithful reproduction of the original. Precautions Against Capture. y P “turapiking* information received from scouts, to retire at night to Bunker Hill, a point well with- In the confederate lines, to avoid the risk of capture, returning early next morning to resumo operations. The loss of one of the skilled men would have been a far more serious affair than that of a vrivate soldier, who was merely a fighter, or per- haps, even than that of some of the com- missioned officers. Notwithstanding the length of time over which the operations extended and the frequent proximity of the Union forces, there was never as muca as a skirmish. To carry off bodily such a great mass of heavy material from points at in- tervals within the clutch of the opposing forces, without the loss of a single man, was indeed a remarkable feat. The last time the “railroad corps” han- dled one of the captured locomotives wa: in the spring of 1842, when the confederates evacuated Manass: just af second Bull Run. At that time the “1 a pamel- back," and the last of the engines en frem Martinsburg, was at Strasburg ready to be conveyed by the way of railroads to Richmond. ‘The sudden move ct the army rendered this impossible, as the direct route to the capital had been cut off; so the night of the evacuation the railroad force w ordered to get that “cameiback” to Rich- mond by the only route left open, namely the very circuitous one by way of Moant Jackson and Staunton. ‘Accordingly, the “199,” which had already cost so mach'time and ‘trouble, was put on the tracks of the Manassas Gap railroad and taken to Mount Jackson, a distance of twenty-five miles, and thence by team over the pike, a matter of seventy miles ‘more, to Staunton, where ft was again placed on the rails, this time those of the Virginia Central, and hauled to Richmond. The trip occupied about four days, and the movement was the most hurried and exciting of the series. Many bridges had to be strengthened en route and in crossing some of them it was found necessary to substitute a block and fail for the horses. Staunton was reached early in the morning, and, though it was scarcely daylight, the major portion of the popula- {ion were up and out to see the novel caval- cade. Lie Idle in Richmond. All the engines were kept at Richmond until the last one had been seized, the criginal intention having been to do the re- pairing and refitting there, but in May, 1862, when McClellan began his movement up the peninsula and preparations to evacu- ate the capital were made, the dismantled locomotives and their dislocated members were among the very first freight started cut of Richmond. To have allowed those precious “‘camelbacks” to fall inio the hands of the northern troops after such risks and the expenditure of so much time, ingenuity and labor, would have been gall- ing, indeed. Colonei Sharp, who had them in charge, directed Mr. Duke to hurry the prizes by rail to a safe point in the south, ‘They were accordingly taken to a place on the North Carolina Central road, in Alla- mance county, N. C.,, about fifty miles west of Raleigh. The movement was successful- ly accomplished and the engines found an- other temporary resting place. Meantime the large shop buildings of the Raleigh and Gaston railroad at Raleigh were leased by the southern government, fitted wu with improved machinery and the “confederate States locomotive shops” were established ‘The shops were ready for work by July, 1s62, and the captured locomotives and the rloads of accessories were hauled back to Raleigh, and a large force of workmen began the refitting and repairing. As fast as ready, the rehabilitated engines were turned over to the various southern rall- roads, who purchased them from the con- rderate states, readily paying for them by edits upon the government transportation accounts. The existence of the shops, which were extensive and fully equipped, Was not generally known, and was one of many evidences that the confederate lead- ers, or at least some of them, realized that the war was to be no “three months’ af- fair,” but a long and hard struggle, and ihat the most systematic and thorough marshaling of resources and facilities was necessary. About ten months were occu- pied in turning out the locomotives, and it was over eighteen months from the date of the first raid on the Baltimore and Onto railroad before they were all in active use again. They proved. highly valuable in Subsequent operations, coming into use, as they did, when much of the southern roll- Ing stock was completely worn out. Other Equipment. The operations were not confined to the carrying off of cars and engines. The best portion of the equipment of the Raleigh shops, above described, including lathes, planers, drill presses, and last, but not lightest, a turn-table, were all conveyed to Raleigh in cars, by the way of the pike and railroads, from the Baltimore and Ohio round-house at Martinsburg. More than this, at a later period of the war, the “rail- road corps,” who seem to have stopped at nothing, actually tore up and hauled away the ties, rails, chairs and spikes forming about five miles of the Baltimore and Ohio road between Duffields and Kearneysville, and relaid it from Manassas Gap to Cen- terville for the use of the army. Mr. Duke remembers, and relates with dry humor, how, after most strenuous efforts, this piece of track was got into position late Saturday evening, and how the very next day, Sunday, it was captured by the Union 8. This episode occurred just prior to Bull Run, and was a ‘striking ex- ample of the extreme uncertainty of war movements. Col. Sharp, who conducted the movements for the selzure of the rolling stock, was, not many years after the w: rT, made mas- ter of transportation of the Baltimore and Ohio road, and filled that important pos tion for a number of years under President John W. Garrett, who was at the head of the road during the war, and who was alle to appreciate enterprise and ability, even when for a season directed against his own interests, —_—_—__ MAKING CLOUDS AND RAIN. An Experiment That Mlastrates the Whole Aqueous Circulation of the Air. If anybody would like to produce clouds and rain on a small scale it is easy to do so, according to Professor L. Errera, who de- scribes the process in Ciel et Terre. He advises that the experiment be made with @ cylindrical vase of Bohemian glass about 8 inches in height and 5 inches in diameter. It should be filled half ful of strong alco- hol, about 92 per cent pure, covered with a Porcelain saucer, and warmed in a hot-wa- ter bath. It must be warmed for quite a while, so that the liquid, vase, and cover may attain a high temperature without bringing the alcohol to the boiling point. Then the whole should be removed to a wooden table, taking care not to agitate the fluld, and results may be awalted. The warm liquid will continue to send up an abundance of alcoholic vapors. In a few minutes the porcelain cover will be so far cooled that the vapors nearest to it will begin to condense, and thus very clearly Misible clouds will be formed. Presently these clou will begin to resolve the selves into tiny droplets of rain, which will fall vertically into the liquid. There wiil be countless numbers of thes? raindrops, and the interesting spectacle may a half hour. At first the vapors will rise the porcelain cover, but as the whcle cools the condensation will ozcur at a lower level. Then there wiil be « perfectly clear zone above the cioud zone, nnd nature wil! be exactly reproduced, except that in the place of water, everything is made of aico- hei. The clear space above will represent the pure sky, below which are the clouds, condensing into rain, which is returned to the liquid, representing the ocean, from which it came. Thus this experimen: illus- trates in miniature the whole aqueous cir- culation of the atmosphere. ——-—-ee--— Misunderstood. are terri. Ged if a lightning bolt strikes near them, and pray to be delivered from sudden death; yet death by disease plays all about them and they pay no attention to it until it strikes them down. Con- sumption kills just. as sure]y as lightning and it is a great deal nearer all the time. People never realize how near it is because it steals on so gradually. Loss of appetite and fiesh; poor sleep; poor digestion ; nervousness a lack of energy and force —these are the begin- nings of consumption : it festering the blood. There is no need of its It can ing any further. = stopped right where it is by Dr. Picree’s Golden Medical Discovery. The wonderful blood-purifying and nutri- tive properties of the * Discovery vent and cure consumption by renovating and vitalizing the circulation. It arrests wast- ing processes and rapidly builds up healthy tissue and solid fiesh. It promotes perfect digestion; active strength and nerve force. Mrs. Rebecca F. Gardner, of Grafton, York Co, Va., writes: “When I was married I weighed one hundred and twenty-five pounds. 1 was taken sick and reduced in health. My doctor failed to do me any good and J fell away to 9o pounds. I had dyspepsia so bad that I could not Z. I thought T was not long for this inally T gave up and my husband nearly went crazy. One day in one of your little Mem- orandum Books I saw where some ie had been cured by Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery. My hushaud got me two bottles. I began using it and thank God and you I began to improve. Wiren i began taking the * Discovery’ my weight was 9 p now T weigh 140 pounds and have only taken two bottles. “T.caa- not say anything too much about the medicine. sbaud says T look younger than I did the first time he ever saw me. Iam a well woman. and do all my house work, tend to my fowl and cow and do some work in the garden. It isa miracle that I am cured. Dr. Pierce's 1000-page book, “The Com- mon Sense Mrdical Adviser” is sent free paper-bound for 2: cents in one-cent stamps to pay cost of mailing on/y; or cloth-bound for 31 cents. Address, World’s Dispensary Medical Association, No. 663 Main Street, Buffalo, N. Y. UNIVERSITY NOTES versity. The third public debate of the Columbian aw School Debating Society will take place this evening in University Hall o the question: “Resolved, That the United States should recognize the independence of Cuba.” The speakers will be Willard A Rill of New York, Wm. McKissack Crook of Texas and John H. De Witt of Tennes- see on the affirmative, and Harry Hill Pierce of Maine, Charles Benedict Calvert of Maryland and Henry M. Marshall of Virginia on the negative. The meeting will be presided over by James Louis Consar president, and Messrs. John L. Thomas, William A. Maury and E. P. Baldwin will act as judges. The Enosinian Literary and Debating So- ciety met Friday evening, and the first sec- tion discussed the question: “Provided, That United States Senators should } elected by popular vote.” Messrs. Biscoe and Stuart, affirmative; Messrs, R. Harlan and Everett, negative. In the second sec- tion the question was “Resolved, That the United States has no distinctive litera- ture;” affirmative, Messrs. Robinson and Hays; negative, Messrs. Hobson and Jones. The post-graduate class met last night and received reports from standing com- mittees and from the banquet committee in regard to the annual banquet. The philosophical and economic section of the Corcoran Scientific School will meet in the post-graduate hall this evening at 8 o'clock. Prof. Lee Davis Lodge will de- liver an address on Parliamentary Law. Mrs. Elizabeth Brown Davis, the mathe- matician, who was a member of the first class graduated from the Cocoran Scien- tifle School, delivered a lecture on “As- tronomical Folk Lore” Saturday last. An active interest is being taken by the students in the proposition to have the various universities represented in the in- augural parade, March 4. Meetings have been called by the various class office and it is now expected that a large number will participate from this university, and it is the intention to try and interest the other universities of the city, as the ap- pearance of a large body of students 1 cap and gown, and with college colors would be a novel sight. Professsor Farquhar of the Corcoran Scientific Schvol deiivered address on Dante, Thursday. : The Law School Debating Society will ¢ bate, 23d instant, the question: Resolved, That no foreign-born person should hold any office, state or federal, in the United States, Georgetown University. The Morris Literary and Debating Society have selected for their next debate the question, “Resolved, That the Jury System Should be Abolished. The speaket wi be Paul Dillon, affirmative; Francis E. Smith, negative Mr. John J. Jackson will Geliver a recitation at the close of the de- bat The Law School Debating Society at its last session elected John P. O'Brien of the senior ciass president for the second term. ‘The vice presidents, secretary and treas- urer will be elected at the meeting tonight The meetings of the Philocemic Society have been suspended until after examina- tions. The subjects of thesis for special prizes have been announced by the vice president, Wm. J. Ennis, 8. J., as follows: For the Morris W. Norris historical medal, “The Attitude and Efficiency of the Catholic Church With Regard to Higher Educa- tion From the Beginning of the Christian Era to the So-called Reformation.” For the hilodemic prize essay, “The Character and Funetions of the Supreme Court of the nited States, With a Historical Sketch of its Operations.” For the Murphy “Horac Medal,” “Odi profcnum ouigus et arcic The translation must be in verse and met- rical and must be handed in by May 16. Charles McLoughlin was elected captain of the bicycle team rezently and will rep- resent the college at Mott Haven. Manager of Billiards Cullen has arranged for a tournament to begin the latter part of this month. Catholic University. A public lecture, the winter and spring course, is announced to take place every Thursday at 4:45 p.m. in the assembly room of McMahon Hall. The first lecture will occur next Thursday, when Librarian A. R. Spofford will lecture on “The Libra- ry and the University.” The following y his subject will be He will be followed by ly, on “The Trans-Mississippi E gion” and’ Senator Thomas M. Carter on “Washington, the Citizen; P. Doyle, a Father Mathew lecture, cussicn of Methods of Prevention John J. Griffith, “E Dr. D. 8. Day, “The Petroleum I Daniel W. Shea, Ph. D. gen Ray Phenomena,” and Dr. I “The Everglades of Florida.’ Howard University. ‘The song service in Miner Hall tomorrow evening will embrace the following: Open- ing choru: “Keep Step,” full cho . song, “Wandering Down,” President's Club, led by G. H. Harris; Scripture read- ing; invocation; song, “Memories of Gali- Cc. E. choir: full chorus; song, to Thee,” song, ‘Lord, Let Me Fly Club; anthem, “Incline Thine Har,’ choir; song, “Like Men That Champ and Mr. Rich; so: “Par Away, President's Glee Club; Doxology. The Mandolin Club gave a concert Fri- day evening, which was largely attended. There will be a meeting of the club Mon- day right. National University. ‘The regular mothly meeting of the Oon- tological Society was held Tuesday even- ing. Dr. J. H. Benson, vice president, pre- sided. and Dr. E. A. Bryant delivered an illustrated address upon “Crown and Bridge Work in Dentistry.