Evening Star Newspaper, July 28, 1897, Page 11

THE EVENING STAR, WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 1897-12 PAGES. PRESIDENT DEPARTS | LEAGUE OF HOME BUILDERS He Will Arrive at Lake Champlain Tomorrow Morning. ——. KEPT BUSY AT THE WHITE HOUSE Many of the Untiring Place Hunt- ers Were on Hand. —_—_+- —— HIS VACATION QUARTERS —_——_—_.—_—_ A special train over the Pennsylvanta road at noon today carried President Mc- Kinley from the clty for his summer vaca- tion, and it will be some time in Septem- ber before he returns here. Tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock he and his party will arrive at Plattsburg, N. Y. Three miles from there, at Bluff Point, on Lake Cham- plain, is the hotel where they are to stay uring the greater part of August. To a ar reporter this morning the President sid that he didn’t know what he would do while there in the way of exercise and recreation, but he did know that he wanted to rest. Those on the train were President and Mrs. McKinley, Secretary and Mrs. Alger, reiary Porter, Assistant Secretary O. L. Pruden, Executive Clerk Cortelyou, Mrs. McKinley's maid, the White House steward and several of the White House employe At Jersey City Mrs. Porter and two children and governess will join the party, which will then go over the West Shore road, making the last part of the n over the Delaware and Hudson. In a r short time several other members of the cabinet. together with their families, will join the party at the lake. So will the Vice President and his family. A son and daughter of Secretary Alger are already at the lake ‘The party will travel all the way in the Puliraan car Haselmere, which conveyed them to Canton. Jn addition to this car is a coach for the attendants and a baggage car. An extensive amount of baggige was from the White House to the depot morning. A Busy Morning. ‘The President spent a busy morning be- fore leaving the White House at 11:40 o'clock. There were a large number of ap- pointments he desired to sign, and he spent a consicerable time doing this. Senator Allison was the only representative of the upper house of Congress who called. Sec- r+taries Alger and Long and Attorney Gen- eral McKenna were callers. The latter and Secretary Bliss were at the depot to say good-bye to the President. A large nun- Ter of the faithful office hunters remained until the last, hoping to get an Interview of a few seconds. When the President left his office they trooped down to the porch, and some of them went to the depot. The President bade good-bye to the em- byes of the White House, and wished them a pleasant time during their vaca- tions. He knew how hard they have worked, and appreciated their fidelity. His Vacation Quarters. President McKinley will not have a cot- tage at Bluff Point. There are five cot- t in the grounds surrounding the hotel, but all of then. are taken, and the Presi- ae nd his party will have rooms in the annex. This annex is at the south end. It is reached from the office through a long, broad hallway, a dancing room of white gold and a jong sun parlor. To the st is the suite of rooms reserved for the i party—the last five rooms in southwest corner. corner room and the one adjoining it are being prepared for the President. When the manager was in Washington he arned of Mrs. McKinley's liking for rations in blue, so he sent to New York for a paper in a delicate robin's-egg blue, lighted up by a small pattern in pink. With this paper the corner room is being decerated The room is small. In one end of it is a private bathroom, which is being deco- rated in blue and white. But the glory of the room is in the view. = the south side is a bay window from whieh you can get the full sweep of lake and mountain. To the south and east is the lake; to the west is a broad vatiey—for ‘uff Point stands on an elevation sur- rounded by groves of spruce and pine. Be- yond the valley is a background of moun- t —the beautiful Adirondacks. The room adjoining this sleeping rcom is being fitted up for a boudoir or sewing room for Mrs. MeKinley. toth these rooms open oa a smali veran- da on the west. From tiis you look down forty or fifty feet to the driveway lead'ng from the wharf to the hotel. Secretary Porter has the two rooms 4i- rectly below the President. His windows are only one stury above the ground, but at the other end of the hallway of the an- hex. Directly opposite this exit from the annex is the children’s play room. It is fit- ted with gyntiastic apparatus. ‘There are not many children in the house now, but euly half the rooms are filled. A'though the President's suite of rooms is not private, it ts planned to cut them off from the other rooms in the annex by hanging portieres along the hall. This will give Mrs. McKinley the bene of an al- cove at the end of the nallway, with an- other window looking south. For further privacy a boy wili be sta- tioned at each entrance to the anrex. He will have orders to keep any but the guests of the hotel away from the hallway The President wili not have a private dining room. The public diniag hall has tour rows of tables from one end to the other. On each side of this hall extends the broad hotel ptaz At one end, sutting off the piazza on the lake side, is a circu- lar room containing about ien tables. At one of these the Presitent and bis party will eat. Secretary Porter ani his femil will have another. The other tables w' be used by the regular guests of the house. —-—e-_____ AN ECHO MEETING. Epworth Leaguers to Rehearse Their Experiences at Toronto. Members of the Washington delegation to the third international Epworth League convention, recently held at Toronto, Can- ada, are making elaborate preparations for a grand echo meeting to be held at Ham- line M. FE. Church, 9th and P streets north- . Monday evening, August 2. They are enthustastte and are anxtous to re- w the doings of the convention and the 3 obtained from it for the ben-fit of their friends who were unable to go. The es are very desirous for every Ep- werthian in the Washington district to bout it. h this end in view, President W. 8. irst has appointed a committee, com- of E. P. Hamlin, E. 8. La Fetra and . Terry, who will have charge of the ting. An interesting and enlivening rogram of music, song and recitals has . in which prominent mem- of the delegation to Toronto will par- ticipate, describing the beauties and pivas- tes of the trip, the intense interest :mani- ed while there, and the effect the con- tion had upon’ those who attended. © rally at Hamline Church Mon- evening will be strictly an echo meet- the District Epwocth League has « of the opening of the camp meeting Washington Grove, Tuesday, August 3, we res mauy enthustlastie leaguers will go there and rehearse their wonderful ex- iences at Toronto. ————.___. Car Conductors in Apr. From the Philadelphia Record. We have all heard that the Valparatso car conductors are gtris, but their cos- tume has not before been described. The motorman of the trolleys sits at one end and at the rear of the car sits the girl con- ductor; that is, when she 1s not collecting fares. She registers the fares by pressing an electric button gently. and the process has not the noisy metallic clang which is considered indispensable to the process in our northern trolleys. The conductor wears a white apron as badge of office and a saflor hat instead of an official cap! The uniform: of apron and hat seemig odd. but is becoming and creates no dissatisfaction. “Want” ads. in The Star pay because they bring answers What Was Been Accomplished by Building Associations Past Year. President Says It Was a Mortgage Creating Rather Than Hom: Ballding Pertod. DETROIT, Mich., July 28--The United States League of Building and Loan Asso- ciations opened its fifth annual meeting to- day in the city council chamber, with a fair atiendance, representing all the states, about twenty in number, which have slate leagues of local building associations. Presi- dent Michael J. Brown of Philadelphia call- ed the delegates to order and introduced Mayor Maybury, who welcomed the league to the city, and acclaimed Detroit as a city of beautiful homes, more of which, he said, were owned by their occupants than in any other city in the country. “A man’s home indicates his character,” said he, “whether it be a palace or a hut. Men are led into habits of thrift and influenced to build and own thelr homes by the system which your league represents.” President Brown appointed a committee on credentials, with Irving B. Rich of Michigan, chairman, and a committee on resolutions, with Judge Seymour Dexter of New York, chairman. President Brown then delivered his annual address. President Brown's Address. President Brown alluded to the organiza- tion of the league a year prior to the world’s congress of building and loan asso- clations at Chicago, in ‘983, and recalled the motto then suggested by President Deater: “The American home, the safeguard of American Hberties,” which motto had been adopted by all the leagues of the United States. The president quoted a statement of Wm. George Jordan, that Uncle Sam's people have 11,483,318 dwelling houses, which would make a double avenue reach: tng round the globe, with considerable to spare. President Brown gave a lengthy review of the more salient features connected with the progress of building and loan associa- tions from their inception and of the mu- tual benefits derived from their operations. Referring to the question of a central bu- reau of information, as discussed at the last annual meeting in Philadelphia, the rresident said that th? difficulty of secur- ing necessary financial support would ren- der the scheme impracticable. Mortgage Creating Period. He said that the past year had not been a home building, but rather a mortgage creating period, in which nearly all the people had a hard struggle. Wage earn- ers of the land had sacrificed durmg the last few years $5,000,000,000, cr ten times as much as the assets cf all the building so- cieties of the United States. “We lived,” said he, “off of those who had ings to spcnd and homes to mortgage, the government has gone in debt by iss ing bonds to raise money, all of which is charged against the account of the people to be paid gradually. “My advice to any young man desiring to enter trade would be to urge him to em- bark in a business that low tariffs and free trade can injure only inairectly, to enter a trade that enjoys natural prote>- tion and trat is not deperdent upon writ- ten law for protection. I believe that times will improve as rapidly as Americans cure the werk at home that is now being done abroad.” The presic ciations er nt urged that building asso- ‘ourage only simple, conserva- tive and economical methods, and aid in all matters calculated to help the wage earner in saving money and purchasing homes. Report of the Secretary. ‘The secretary, H. F. Cellarius of Cincin- nat!, presented a comprehensive annual re- port. It showed that the total assets of the local building and loan associations of the United States now amount to $398,- 388,695, an Increase of $18,760,930 during the t year. The total number of local asso- Hations in the several states is 4 their membership numbers 1,610,300, an increase of 65,171 members during the year. The highest proportionate gains were made in the eastern and central states, where build- ing association interests are greatest, and the states showing a loss in assets are all located west of the Mississippi river, ex- cepting the states of Illinois and Tennes- see. The report commended Senator Foraker for securing exemption for building asso- ciations from the provision of the new tariff bill, which proposed a federal tax of 3 cents on each $100 share of stock issued by any corporation, with an additional tax of 2 cents for each share transferred. Speeches were made by J. Warren Bailey of Somerville, Mass., and Addison B. Burk the Philadelphia Public Register. ¢ delegates then listened te a few re- marks from United States Senator Foraker of Ohio, who was escorted into the hall and introduced as an able friend cf th> building and Ioan interests in the Senate, where he succeeded in having butlding ociations exempted from the propos tion for a stamp tax upon stock of cor- porations. Senator Foraker spoke of building as- ations as preminent factors in bringing about the prosperity that everybody is ex- pecting. They come closer to the people, be said, than any otker factor in their ef- fort to save. He closed with a prediction of the speedy return of pro:perity under the operatior of the new tariff bill. Sena- tor Foraker was heartily applauded. ——aas Were Bricks Brought From England? To the Ellior of ‘The Evening Sta I desire to obtain some Information from those among your great army of readers who aro more cr less intecested tn local histery. I ‘The facts are thus: In almost every hamlet and town. all along tide-water Vir- ginia an Maryland. the curious delver into the things of the past will find an ancient brick structure or two, built, ac- cording to Ivcal traditions, from bricks breught from England during the colonial days. It is possible you inay find one such among the ancient gable roofs of George- town or in the region soutMeast of the Capitol. ‘The writer hereof has always accepted this tradition as authentic—supposing that these substantial gray walls really were brought from England as ballast by the ships which carried back the hogsheads of tobacc> which constituted the wealth of thos good old times. But some months ago I read an article In the Century Magazine by Professor Tyler of William and Mary Coilege, in which he advances the opinion that the whole story is a mistake, and in the writer's humble cpinton he makes out a clear case. He thinks that the small ships of those early days could and did find more profit- able freight to carry to a country which abounded in the materials for making the best and cheapest bricks in the world. He says that the “English bricks” out of which the tradition bas grown wera merely American bricks, made from Ameri- can clay, and burnt with American wood, but made according to the dimensions of English bricks, which dimensions were fixed by law in the old country, hence the name “English bricks.” Professor Tyler in further proof of his theory produces a leaf from the old ac- ecunts of Willlam and Mery College, wherein there are entries showing expen: ditures for burning bricks, but nothing to indicate that such freight was brought from over the rea in-the cunstruction of that mother of American colleges. The writer dees not believe there are any houses in tho region mentioned, that are built of bricks actually brought from England, and would like to learn if there is anything more than tradition to support the theory. MILTON T. ADKINS. = eee The Treacherous Tomato. From the New York Tribune. The charge that the tomato produces can- cer is no longer credited, but now Dr. W. T. English of the Western University of Pennsylvania says that it acts as a heart Potson, and in aggravated cases it sets up an active fermentation in the entire all- mentary tract. The heart action ts ren- dered irregular, the sufferer gasps for breath and a steady use of the vegetable Orie ee ee as well as functional troul He admits that the symptoms of poisoning are not marked except in rare cases. SEIZED BY BRITISH Occupation of Palmyra Olaimed by the Hawaiians, ANNOUNCED BY MINISTER SEWALL Investigation of the Title to the Land. = AWAITING FULL Se ea eS REPORTS Official confirmation of the reported occu- pation by the British of Palmyra, an island claimed by Hawatt, Is contained in a dis- patch received at the State Department from Minister Sewall at Honolulu. The dispatch was wired from San Franctsco by the dispatch agent at that city and was a simple announcement of the fact without any details. The subject is un- doubtediy treated more fully in Minister Sewall’s reports to the depar:ment, which were forwarded from San Francisco by mail and are due here about Saturday or Monday. Officials of the State Department do not attac’ hill’s representations, especially with ref- erence to the Palmyra group. It was ex- plained that Palmyra was settled by the British nine years agv, and has been in constant possession of that government ever since. Disputed Ownership. Pelmyra is in the Polynesian group, over a thousand miles southwest of the Ha- waliun group of islands, and has not becn in the possession of the Hawailans for many years. Its sovereignty has long been a subject of dispute be:ween Great Britain and Hawaii. Heretofore the United States has taken but sligat inter- est in this territorial dispute, but in view of the probable nnexation of the Ha- waiian Islands by the United States it 1s more than provable that the matter will be thoroughly investigated with a view to the determination of the facts and equities of the case. As already intimated, how- ever, the State Department is at present not strongly impressed wiih the Hawalian claim of jurisdiction over the Palmyra group. But should the proposed investigation strengthen Hawaii's claim to Palmyra Min- ister Sewall will undoubtedly be Instructed to protest against the alleged arbitrary ture of the island by Breai Britain. First Occupation. Palmyra Island was occupied a good many years ago by a number of Hawaifan citizens, who raised Hawaiian flag over the territory. The Island was first discov- ered by the famous British navigator Cap- tain Cook, who afterward lost his life in the Hawailan Islands. An American corpo- tion known as the Phoenix Guano Com- paiy located on the island some years ago, and built sheds and a wharf, and removed therefrom all the guano deposits. When these deposits had been exhausted the com- pany abandoned the island, leaving the sheds and wharfs standin According to the Hawaiian government, Palmyra Island has never been survey so that its extent cannot be accurately es! mated. It was known some time ago Americus Island. Hawalian Dependencies. According to the Haw: rnment, this is a list of the Hawaiian Islands and dependencies: Inhabited—Hawail, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau and Kahoolawe. Uninhabited—Nihoa, or Bird Island; John- son's, or Cornwallis; Necker, French, Fr sate Shoals, Brothers Reef, Garden Is- land, Allen’s Reef, Laysan’s Island, Lisi- ansky Isla Philadelphia, or Bunker's; Pearl Reef; Middle Isiand (Midway, or Brook's Island), Ocean Island, Palmyra Island and all outlying and ad- joining reefs, atolls, islets and unnamed islands. Capt. Roseht Story. According to mail advices from Honolulu, under date of July 17, Capt. Rosehill of the schooner Norma, while cruising in the South Pacific, secured evidence to warrant the belief that England had taken formal possession of a number of small islands in that portion of the globe, without stopping to inquire who the owners might be. “I had not visited Palmyra Islands for perhaps a dozen years until one Gosens, a planter, who came with me from Hull Island, and I went ashore there a few weeks ago,” said Capt. Rosehill. “Almost the first thing that attracted our attention on the island was the reinnant of an old flag pole, at the foot of which a proclama- tion, written on cloth, but for the most part effaced by the weather, was nalled to a stout plece of planking. “We could only make out enough of the wording to indicate that the sign was a proclamation declaring the tslands among the possessions of Great Britain. Evi- dently a party had landed from a man-of- war there a short time ago, and remained there for some time, for the camp stakes were still in the ground and heaps of ashes around which camp fires “had blazed. Bits of clothing and trappings picked up about the piace bore the initials of the H. M. 8. Penguin.” Occupied by England Since 1858. LONDON, July 28.—With reference to the reported seizure by Great Britain of Pylmara Island, Polynesia, it is officially stated that the island has been British since 1888. The report is supposed to have arisen from the fact that the H. M. 8. Wild Swan called there last May on a periodical visit. +. A New American Industry. From the Breeders’ Journal. An experimental shipment of 100 horses from this country is to be made to France for use in the army. If they ship well and prove satisfactory to the French inspector a regular purchasing depot will be estab- lished at some point in this country. Louis Noel has been sent to Kansas City to act as purchasing agent of the first consign- ment. Some mules will also be included. Dr. Gracieux de Malliol made the report to the French government which resulted in commissioning Mr. Noel as purchasing agent, and he is thus quoted: “In a few ears America will not have enough horses to supply the old ccuntry. France alone has 130 regiments of cavalry, and each reg- iment has about a thousand head of herses. France has the finest cavalry in the world. She. never pays less than $200 apiece for the horses of her private sol- dters, and her officers’ horses cost her teem $500 to $700 apiece. No other country can compete with America in fine bred horses.” If the French government is will- ing to pay from $200 to $700 for army horses, some very fine remounts can be secured. It is true that horses worth those prices are none too plentiful, but such figures will bring them to market. We imaginé, however, that’there is some- what of braggadocio in the statement, and would expect to find Mr. Noel driving as hard a bargain with sellers as any other buyer, and paying about as low prices. As an addenda to the foregoing comes the announcement that an agent of the French government has purchased at and around the race track at Forsyth near Chi- cago some fifty-five head of thoroughbreds at $125 or less per head for use in the French cavalry. This is much of a de- parture from the time-honored conviction that the half-bred is much better for army service than the thoroughbred. Possibly serviceable “skates” can be picked up around a race track for $12i, but it seems rather doubtful. The price paid quite jus- tifies our prediction as to figures that will Probably be offered in the Kansas City market by the agent of the French gov- ernment. However, we welcome all buyers who will take our horses—cheap or high- class. Our own army officers, who do not make boasts concerning the character of the remounts they purchase, and who are limited in price, have difficulty enough in getting horses that fill their requirements, and if our friends from France obtain what they want at prices they can afford to pay, we shall certainly be giad to deliver to them the goods. ————+e+. “Want” ads. in The Star pay because they bring answers. z 11 TOMORROW'S ECLIPSE IT WAS A HOT DAY ‘The Tariff Bill Passed the Senate With a Jumping Mercury. HOW LEGISLATORS WERE ATTIRED ae Some Strange Combinations, All Designed for Comfort. —— IN EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS The Shadow of the Moon Will Bo Cast Upon the Barth, a Simple Contrivance. A parttal eclipse of the sun will occur tomorrow morning and will be visible throughout the United States. It will be- gin here, calculated tn eastern standard time, at 8:50 a.m., and will end at 11:15 a.m., the middle of the eclipse, en the obscuratian will be greatest, occurring at 10:50 a.m. At this moment about five- twelfths of the sun’s diamezer will be cov- ered by the moon. It is the last solar eclipse visible in this country before May ', 1900, and while it will be destitute of any novel features from a sci fic point of view, nothing less than a ‘otal eclipse Written for The Evening Star. The sun hung over Washington like a copper ball when the tariff bill as amended passed the Senate. It was a hot da hot that Pennsylvania avenue was nearly i a e es et a = being worthy of the stwlious attention of emits DieNaesae a fe mires a high an astronomer, it will inspire much pop- i equatorial city. e hea! was more than oppressive. It created a ular interest. In- Mexico and the northern part of the West Indies it will present a | lassitude that induced somnolence, and spectacle of unusual singularity and | men were seen asieep in restaurants 3 peanuts: ety comior ts Peer: on eclipse | on the street cars. They were even moi in this latitude all that is needed are two | sicapy x csaes strips of smoked glass three inches long | S<0Py In the galleries of the Senate. The and five inches wide, so that both eyes | debate dragged wearily, and the intona- may be used, with the blacxened surfaces | tions of the speakers became drearily mo- together and bound together with elastle | notonous. The Vice President listlessly bands. fanned himself, and members of the Hot who thronged the Senate chamber indulged In catnaps on the sofas. While the senators end representatives were gasping for fresh air, the atmos- phere outside of the Capitol was much worse. Many of the asphalt pavements became softened under the action of the sun, and tremulous waves of heat arose from the streets. Negro hucksters went to sleep upon their wagons, and hack- men on the Capitol plaza crept within thelr vehicles to escape the rays of the sun while waiting for fares. “Hardly a breath of air was stirring. The flags on the marble edifice hung limp and motion- less, end the very dome became torrid. A few wheelmen appeared in the strects, moving over the hot pavements meckani- cally but listlessly. The concrete walks became springy, and thcse using them fre- quently left foot prints behind them. The robins disappeared from the parks, and even the domestic sparrow (frangella do- mestica) sat in the plinths of the corinthian cclumns panting for breath. In Summer Attire. It was as hot a day as has been seen in Washington in many a year. Congress- men had been broiling in a similar heat for three days. Crash suits were in great de- mand. Scores suffered from prickly heat, and burnt flour and carbonate of soda were in great demand. Dogs dropped in shady places with lolling tongues and legs drawn The Path of the Eclipse. On Thursday morning the shadow of the moon carecring through the empty void of external space encounters the earth at 8 o'clock and falls in <n oval spot upon the Pacific ocean off the western coast of Mex- ico. Spreading from this point it extends orth as far as the fifty-sixth parallel ot north latitude and south to the twentieth paraltel of south latitude. Cutting this broad swath, so to say, of about five thou- sand miles in width, it sweeps in an east- erly direction across North and South America, and then taking a southeasterly course leaves the earth about 2 p.m. at a point in the southern Atlantic ocean over 8,000 miles from the starting point. During these six hours it has partially obscured about one-fifth of the surface of the earth. The axis or central portion of the shadow, known as the path of annulus, travels from Tecapan, in Mexico, across the gulf, skirt- ing the northern coasts of the West Indies and finally leaving the continent at Cape St. Roque. All places on this belt behold the sun at the middle of the eclipse as an extremely slender ring of brilliant sunlight forming a golden frame for the dark globe of the moon. At these places the eclipse is annular. At all other places within the shadow the phenomenon 1s a more or less one-sided affair, only one side or edge of the sun’s disk being obscured. jome Curious Facts. It may not be devoid of interest to con- sider briefly the circumstances wiich give out. Flies settled in swarms in the beer rise to an annular rather than to a total} shops. The great green house in the bo- eclipse. It is a curious fact that although! tanic garden fairly steamed with heat, while the rare palms and exotics surround- ing !t were watered morning and evening. Fifteen thousand employes in the depart- ments sweltered in shirt sleeves and challie waists, while their chiefs of divis- doin light flannel, pongee and the sun's diameter is four hymdred times. as large as that of the moon, their disks as viewed from the earth appear to be of the same size. This is effected by the singular but by no means necessary coincidence that the distance ef the sun bears the same | ¢ suits, sought comfort in breezes ratio to the distance of the moon 2s the | created by electric fans. diameter of the sun does to the diameter of There were some startling surpr the moon. This ratio is approximately 400. ] among the statesmen in the Capitol Although the disks appear to be the | two were dressed alike. Some wore crash same, the ever varying distance of the] suits with belts, and others the same with- moon from the earth, now nearer, now fur- ther away, effects a corresponding change in its apparent diameter, so that it is som times larger, at other times smaller, than out belts. In most cases a crasa waistcoat was discarded. A few were exceedingly natty in appearance, notably one gentle- man from Pennsvivania. He had a pongee the sun. coat, a white silk shirt and a s!owing tie If the moon is near to the earih its disk | of the same material. His trousers were of is large enough to cover the sun, and al fine white duck. He wore no waistcoat, lipse results at those places along k of the umbral or inner shadow. If, on the other hand, as is the case in the present eclipse, the moon happens to be further away from the carth than its aver- age d'stance, its face appears smaller than that of the sun. The result is that the moon is not large enougk to cover the sun, and a partial eclipse takes place, one-sided in regions off the central line of shadow and ring-shaped or annular in places on the central line. A Splendid Spectacle in Cuba. *For example, the axis of the shadow pagses about twenty miles north of Ha- vana. An observer of the eclipse at this place ut 9:45 sees the moon centrally pro- jected upon the sun, but not quite hiding it from view, leaving « bright ring of light about one-hundredth of its diameter in width. At Havana itself the moon will be projected a little further up in the sky, and the only part of t sun_visible at 9:45 will be a thin, delicate crescent of light somewhat longer than a semicircle. This will slowly increase in breadth until finally, toward noon, the sun will really, and let us hope prophetically, shine again in undiminished splendor on the now deso- lated country of Cuba. During this eclipse the moon, a globe 2,163 miles in diameier, {3 240,000 miles from the earth, while the sun, one vast luminary, $66,400 miles in diameter, is 94,- 300,000 miles away. The apex of the dense shadow within which the sun would be totally obscured, falls short of the earth by about Dh) miles. The average veloc- lty of the shadow of the moon as it drifts across the earth, like the shadow of a summer cloud, is about twenty-four times that of a fast express train. The next total eclipse of the sun will take place January 21, 1808, the path of totality extending across Central Africa and India. Although the duration of- total- ity is only two minutes, extensive prepara- tions are being made for its proper obser- vation. It will be invisible here. The next eclipse of the sun visible in the United States will occur May 27, 1900, and will be total, the line of totality reaching from Louisiana to Virginia; duration of totality, two minutes. It will, therefore, be seen that astronomers have only four minutes during the rest of this century in which the sun may be studied by direct observa- and the trousers were held in place by a white leather belt with a silver buckle. The suit was set off with light tan shoes and a fine Mackinaw hat. It was the neat- est rig seen in the Capitol on that day, everything being perfect in fit and harmo- nious in color. Some Queer Combinations. Then there were others--old-timers, who wore broadcloth coats and doeskin trous- ers, without waistcoats. Some varied the costume with ancient alpaca coats. The value of the coat was sometimes indicated by the stain left upon the shirt collar un- der profuse perspiration. Light cassimeres were used in atundance, some close-fitting and others baggy and loose. There were white duck suits so thin as to show the color of the stockings and underwear. The white flannel seems no longer popular, and the seersucker suit, once so common, has entirely disappeared. A southern senator, known from the St. Croix to the Rio Grande, wore calfskin boots and a black broadcloth suit, antique in style, but extremely roomy. The legs of the trousers were nearly as large as the smokestacks of a Mississipp! steamboat, and the double-breasted frock coat as com- modious as the mansion of a southern planter before’ the war. This apparel, however, was thrown into the shade by a suit worn by a representative from the Pacific coast. He was attired in snuff- colored raiment, with a bright yellow waistcoat, a Spinola collar and a light- colored knotted tie. The tout ensemble was rendered complete and unique by pointed patent leather shoes, fawn-colored gloves and a chimney pot hat that would have excited the admiration and envy of the Prince of Wales. Speaker Reed was dressed plainly and inconspicuously. He wore a dark sack coat and dark trousers,with tanned shoes, a black @erby hat and a Madras shirt of pink hue. It was in admirable contrast to the suit wern by him in the hot days attending the first session of the Fifty-first Congress. At that time he appeared in a seersucker suit and neglige shirt, wearing Ox‘ord ties, a straw hat, ard a dark blue silk sash, knotted at the side.” Another strange combination was a coat and waistcoat of Kentucky tow, a narrow tie of white lawn, and trousers of light cas- simere. It was worn by the chairman of tion. ‘one of the great national committees in the oe last campaign. A renowned western sena- Eyes Finger Tips. tor, breeay and portly, wore a blue serge, ample in dimensions, and apparently ex- tremely comfortable. A New England sen- ator, who never turns a hair no matter how hot the day or debate, appeared in steel- colored French cassimere. The fitting was the inspiration of a tailor far above the ay- erage. All the statesmen were in summer garb, giant and pigmy, fat man and lean. Cooling drinks were in demand in both cloak room and restaurant, and buttermilk drinkers were surprised to learn that the supply had given out before 3 o'clock. Swerving Sentineis. While the atmosphere was enervating in the streets of Washington, it was abso- lutely enfeebling for those approaching the. city by railroad. The tremulous waves of heat arising from the city were plainly seen by the perspiring passengers miles away. The dome of the Capitol seemed to be swerving, the Washington monuraent was curved and crooked, and the golden cupola of the new library building was as creased and squatty as a Dutchman's cap. They lay upon the horizon shadowy and indistinct, as if limmed on the sky by a brush dipped in a weak solution. As seen from the line of the Pernsytvania railway, away beyond the Eastern branch of the Potomac, those monuments of Washing- tcn’s glory wabbled incessantly, as though appearing through windows of flawed giase. The whole landscape seemed to be in the throes of a convutsive tremor. At first the monument appeared upon the right of the dome, but as the train neared the city it moved slowly behind the. massive edifice and assumed a position upon its where it stood like a poloeeal put uneasy From the Microscope. The gray matter brain cells of perception have been dissected out of the finger-tips of the blind. Standing point up beneath all the ridges so plainly seen with a magnify- ing glass on the skin of the inside of the finger ends are the so-called corpuscles of Pacini, which are arranged in the exact semblance of the keys of a piano, and are said by Meissner to crepitate and give forth a different sound in every age of each per- son. This Pacinian corpuscle, which con- tains within its lining membranes a nerve- trunk, an artery and a vein, lines all the tactile surfaces of the body, particularly the inner finger and thumb tips. A meiical man recently assisted in an autopsy on a person blind from birth, and he sought to discover by scalpel and mi- croscope the secret of the extraordinary delicate touch the blind man had acquired during life. Sections perhaps a sixteenth of an inch thick were carefully sliced off the inner surfaces of the index and middle fingers of the right hand. Under a high power these showed, instead of a singie nerve trunk and artery and vein of the average man, a most complex and delicate ramifications of nerve filanrents, dainty and minute nerve twigs in immense numbers branching from tae main stem. Through constant use the finger tips of the blind ac- quire this unusual development, with more and more perfect performance of funotion. sete A Valuable Fowl. From the Indianapolis News. Henry W. Brodt, proprietor of the Com- mercial Hotel of this city, made a remark- able discovery yesterday, which confirms the theory of geologists that the small gravel-bottom crecks southeast of here Great as was the heat, however, it failed to wilt the office seekers. They were sta- Gepn Malier the awel ay : e sweltering unawares, and insisting upon his ying them to the accom- mer who lives in Finley township, on one of these gravel streams, close tothe Knobs. One of the fowk tric fans Indicated a coolness thet was in- tenstfied by the frigid air of the official approached. It also had a somnolem - upon those who were compelled io «walt their turn. A few representatives sisiied the pension office on behalf of inyatis sol- diers. Hot, sore-tooted and paniing wiih haustion, their cheerfulness was nol in creased when a negro seryitor blitnity de clined to take their cards'in to ine com- missioner, saying that he was “noi ‘o be seen today.” Their discontent was (empcr- vd, however, by receiving every conr'esy from the minor officials. Despli- ih> in- tense heat they are always gentlemanly and obliging. A smail army of men looking for consul- ships and revenue offices besieg=3 ii White House. The rural political bos: was among them larger than life, accompanied by either a senator or a represeniative. ‘The President stood near the office desk. arrayed in conventional costume. Per- spiration gathered upon his brow. but he received all with quiet couriesy and dignity. All—that is, all who were ad- mitted—for the crowd was well sift-1 by his secretary before admission was g1\ 2%. And so passed the day. The nigh) was correspondingly hot, but men breaihed more freely when they heard that ihe sen- ate had passed the tariff bill, and that on the morrow Speaker Reed would send ik To a committee of conference. AMOS J. CUMMINGS AFFAIRS IN GEORGETOWN Rev. C. A. Smith's Congregation Give Him a Surprise. Owners of Dogs Must Pay Tes—Rev. Supplicd With so — Bricts. Alexander Asaista Some of the members of Peck Memorial Chapel and the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor gav> their pastor, Rev. C. Alvin Smith, and his wife a surprise party last evening before their annnal va- cation. The chapel was beautifully dec- orated with flowers. There was an inter- esting program, which included music and singing, after which an abtndance of re- freshments was served. Among those pres- ent were Rev. C. A. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Smith, Mrs. Mutchler and déaugh- ter, Mr. and Mrs. James B. Curry, Miss Mary Schaffer, Miss Mamie Brewer Mr. Edward Meyer and Mr. Samuel Brewer. Mrs. Smith, the pastor's wife, was unable to be present. Before the surprise closed Mr. Smith made some remarks which were very encouraging and very complimeniary. Mrs. James B. Curry also made a few re- marks, the exercises closing with the ap- Lropriate hymn “God Be With You Till We Meet Again,” and the guests departed. Massey's Prospects, Edward, alias “Crook” Massey, the col- ored man who was arrested on suspicion, as stated in The Star yesterday, is now held for the: crime of larceny from the per- son. The negro has only been out of the Albany penitentiary for a fertnigh’ or so, and mms excellent prospects of spending some time at the Trenton prison. H> was ed of snatching a pocketbook from ands of Mrs. Heiskell of 2233 Q street, last Friday, on P street, near the Rock Creek bridge. The woman was s-ni for end identified the negro as the guilty party. He was sent to the third precinct, in waich jurisdiction the crime was committed The Dog Tax. In a very short time the police »tli be required to make a house-to-house «aavass and compel all owners of dogs to tak» out a license for the present year, or else have the canines turned over to the poundmas- ter. The cruside will begin next month, the owners of dogs being given until Au- gust 1 in which to take out a license volun- tarily, and those who fail to do so will be prosecuted. The wagon of the poundmas- ter, which has remained in the shed this month, will resume operations next month and capture all stray curs found waodering on the streets. Assistant Pastor Chosen. Rev. Sandy Alexander, for s0 many vars pastor of the First Baptist Church on Dumbarton avenue near 27th street. is to have his pastoral duties diminished through the appointment of an assistant. ‘The ad- vanced age of the minister made Il! almost a matter of impossibility for him to aitend to all of the church work, and the assist- ant pastor will take a large pari of the burden from his shoulders. The Rev. Alex- ander, during the ante-bellum days, was a slave and budy guard of Dantel W-bsi of whom he has many interesting anec- dotes. Briefs. Rev. Mr. Minoca conducted the religious services last evening at the tent of Kben- ezer A. M. E. Church, at Valley and Q streets, which were well attended. iespite the weather. Rev. J. J. Evans, the »as- ter, was to have officiated, but he was called away on account of the seriois ill- ness of his mother. He will condu>t the services this evening. The Georgetown and Tenleytown “ric railroad is ballasting its track on 324 sirect between M and P streets, the work necessi- tating the placing in of new ties. James Skinner was arrested last evening as one of the crowd that assaulted Police- man Short, Saturday night, at Jeif-rson and M streets. ——— A Cure for Tramps. From the Kansas City Journal. Chief Clerk W. T. Treleaven of the Santa Fe freight office brings the following siory with him from his western trip: “When the train stopped at Larned, Kan., I heard a voice say in a tone of com- mand; ‘Come out of there!’ I looked out of the car window and saw an old man holding a tramp who was just crawling out from the trucks under a car. I supposed it was the sheriff of the county and that he had caught a criminal. “*I want you,’ said the old man. as the tramp stood on his feet. ‘I'll give you $1.50 a day.” “Then it dawned on me. The old man Was out catching farm hands for the harv- est field, A mement later a younger man came up and tried to hire the tramp. but the older farmer drove him away, saying the tramp was his by right of discovery, and he proposed to keep him or fight. The conductor told me such occurrences are common at present and that there are few stations along the line in the grain belt but have a crowdf of farmers around them at train time, hopirg to be able to catch a tramp for the harvest fields, It is work or jail with a tramp when he falls into such hands.” —_-e-—____ His Slave Wife the Rightful One. From the Kansas City Times. Judge Burris, in the district court re- cently decided an important legal question and one which involves the title to consid- erable land in Douglas and Leavenworth counties. In 1852 Grant Renfro, a colored man. was married under the slave custom in Howard county, Mo. He and his wife Ann lived together until 1867 or 1868, when he left her and went to Bconevilie, where he was le- gally married to another woman, his slave wife remaining in the country. Wife afier wife died, until he had been married to bri i He Fe j j : i hi i Sgz3 f ‘THEY DIE YOUNG Infant Disorders That Might Be Prevented. | Parents he Too ‘fen Unwit- tingly at Fault Unsuitable Food Exhausts the Child’s Vitality. Heat is Only One Cause of Cholera Infantum. Splendid Results From Diet of Lactated Food. Tt ts mot the child's faut He ts the fault, conse ton ; ral guontians the od Detlef that s« If it is sic& and footle. iy or une of the nseteonrsly A. oven nner the most Judicious treatment, are born to die young, ie new Known to be false. Goce when the majority of mothers tried to bring up thelr oh wink ain theories ox nthe theories did no: fit the a favaticy tu Vt cot Today, with luctated foot, t sleep aud clothing, and bles born 1 attention al ba eannot be rear hood and wor 7 infant Lives is cho The great seourg fantum “Harrher “ra im, AML these din. fon of the tm b that follows is but a predi of all ing diseases. W fowl, amd thore is nothing so absolutely food, all these dangers may be Statistles show that bables t mot Tt i worth more as apn infantum than all the m Drooping, Ustiess cbiliren fed on lactated food soon show every sign etter nourished bodios; they cat more he with few wakings, play with more interest oak bert Infants that are “run down’ by rots of hot weather at ouce begin ty fea With Iactated food. Little ones who are nervous and fretful under th and are with difficulty persund lactated food with evid REDUCING TH SHIPS, A Naval Problem Worked Out by the Engincers, From Cassier's Magaz! Two very important means of diminish- ing the extent of rolling ships have beea carefully investigated, and the application of these means in any particular vessel Is open to every naval architect. The less important of these two means, as being the less certain in its action, is the fitting up of a water chamber on board the ship, So coatrived that the action of th er inside the chamber shall nearly as pos- sible be always in antagonism to the roll- ing of the ship, tending to bring the ship to port at the time she is starting to roll to Starboard, and vice versa. The names most closely associated with this means, and its theoretical and practical investiga- tion, are Mr. R. E. Froude, Mr. Watis and Prof. Biles. The more important of the means of diminishing the extent of roiling is the application of bilge keels to the chocks—structures attached to the bilges for something like half the length of the ship, and projecting from the skin of the ship to the extent of eight to thirty-six inches, according to the size of the ship, and the desire to take full advantage of thetr action. The most recent and most thoroughgoing Investigation of their use and efliciency is that of Sir William White and Mr. R. E. Froude in co tion with the bilge keels fitted to H. M.S. Revenge. Experimeuts in this case seemed to s that the extent of roiling, after fitting the bilge keels, was only about one-third tho extent without the bilge ke-ls. This was tke case when the ship was not propelled by her machinery; when, on the other hand, she was so propelled. even at a mod- erate speed, the effeet of the bilge keels was even more marked. Previous experiments with other ships had shown a diminution of rolling due to the fitting of bilge keels of one-half, and for bilge keels of sufficient size this’ may probably be taken as the least that may be expected. It is to some exrent a wonder that, such being the case, ships should be built without these valuable adju and it 1s probable that, until somet better Is devised, the future will see an in- creasing number of ships in which full ad- vantage is taken of a means of giving steadin so effective, and, at the same time, so moderate in cost. RSS Wea It matters little what it is that you —whether a situation or a servan “want” ad. in The Star will person who can fill your need. Bloomer Girl's Nerve. From the Sioux City Tribune, C. W. Ripple’s wheél ‘wobbled under him, so slowly was he riding. A bioomer girt approached from the opposite direction. She was pocketed“between a street car and a furniture van. Her position hampered her movements so much that Ripple feared an accident. To minimize the danger he distiaountea and stood beside his bike, Vain precaution! She crashed into him. When she arose her bloomers hung in shreds. Moreover, her wheel was badly damaged. Ripple apologized for his awk- wardness and handed her his card. She trundled the injured bike to a repair shop. A week later the proprietor dunned Mr. Ripple for $4. He refused to pay. ‘The damsel! had him arres' for reckless rid- ing. At that he “caved. He said it was a elear cas« of extortion, and if his own testimony and that of reliable witnesses is trustworthy, it was. But he couldn't stand the “joshing” he knew he would be Subjected to’ if he got into a police court. So he settled. Now when he sces bloomer girls he throws the throttle wide open, scorches into, ee a them and speeds away without looking back. it be a smooth bloomer