Evening Star Newspaper, September 3, 1898, Page 21

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1898-24 PAGES. : SETS. 21 THE WHITE HOUSE OF CHIL — PRESIDENT OF CHILE Views on a Number of Matters of Mutual Interest. FAVORS THE NICARAGUAN CANAL Influence of the Church and lts Wonderful Wealth. VISIT TO THE MONEDA A (Copyrighted, 1898, by Frank G. Carpenter.) Bpecial Correspondence of The E Star. SANTIAGO, Chile, July 20, 1898. T Was BY AP- pointment that I called upon the presi- dent of Chile yester- day afternoon to have a chat with him concerning matters of mutual interest to tries. The president is one of the progres- sive men of this pro- gressive people. He is the héad of the lib- eral or progress! at tke front of every move. ment to make Chile prosperous. He come: of one of the oldest families of Chile, his father having been one of the most popu- of the past. He is a very his personal interests in the of Chile are great. He i ‘econd year of his presidential and international matters jal interest. My audience was | Brranged through our minister to Chile and at the time set for it, 2 p.m., Mr. Wil- son and entered the doors of the Moneda. fhe ¥ Tt isa in the eda is the White House of Chile. vast thre building situated t of Sa You could put House ne corner of it, nd floor ts, I judge, larger than Capitol at Washington. The ‘S$ more than four acres, but 1 after the Spanish style, rooms running about patios or ut there is much waste space. s. however, are filled with ome of them fountains play, the only gardens of the The Moneda contains offices and the private apart- ments of the president, but also the offices of several of the departments of the gov- ernment. He has his principal cabinet sec- reta’ the same house with him, and a large y the building is given up to clerical work. As we entered.the Moneda Wwe passed the guard of soldiers which al- Ways stands there with drawn swords in their hands, and it was a military officer in uniform who led us into the president's ‘The and re is a great deal more pomp offices here than in the United the President of Chile has a Iry, which ac- state ocea- far more pre- t MeKinley’s. It is and the nd footmen are dressed in gor- eries. The President of Chile. rst met Don Edwardo Phillips, the stant secretary of state, and the chief edium of intercourse between his excel- y and foreigners. .He told us that the expecting us, and a moment later we were In the president's room. This is larger than any of the business rooms of the White House. It is rather plainly furnished. and !t was at the back of it that President Errazuriz was sitting at a desk which was littered with papers and documents. He rose as we came in and shook my hand as I was presented :o him. I was rather surprised to find him 30 young a man. He does not appear to be yer fo and as yet there are no gray strands in his hair. He is of slender build, but very straight. He has a rather dark. but handsome face, and his manner is quite dignified. His excellency asked us to $ ated. and, taking a chair beside us, d for half an hor very entegta!n- one of his friends, Mr. Edwardo we acting as interpreter. As we rose to go, however, he said he would pre- our respective coun- | 4 as he has three years more to | as native capital, without other risks or other burdens to bear, and that American | capital may enjoy in Chile all of the ad- vantages that are enjoyed by capital from any other source.” Corresponéent-"How about the conces- sions which the government offers to Capi- talists for the establishment of steel and iron industries?” The President—“Congress recently came to the assistance of persons interested in the iron business, but this does not mean the protection of any monopoly in favor of native eapital. Any responsible foreign company will find equal protection under our laws and customs.” The Canal a: the Railroads. Correspondent—“What does your excel- lency think of the Nicaregva canal, which, as you know, the United States is about to brild?”" Ss ‘The Président—I consider the proposal of the United States to open tie Nicaragua canal as worthy of high praise. I am in faver of it or ot any other undertaking which wil! faciltate communication. be- tween the west coast of South America and the United States and Europe. Every ai- vancement of this kind will be of especial advaptage to such ar essentially maritime ccuntry as ours.” Correspondent—“Chile is the chief rail- | road builder among the countries on this le of the And It built the first rail- read en the ecuntirent, and I would like an expression from your exeellency as to what | your people think of the Intercontinental | raliway. Is it a practical scheme and will | it ever be built?” The President—“Chile applauds every movement :oward the completion of the In- tereontinental railway, but she considers | that it is still a long way off. On her own | part, Chile is endeavoring to extend her [railways from cne end of the country to the other. Her territory is very long. It iiiciudes a large part of the Pacific coast | line of the contizent, and her railroads will contribute to a certain extent to the pro- posed Intercontinental! railway. I think the advantages of this proposed interna- tfonal line will be of great importance to all interests.” The Railread Over the Andes. r this the interview continues as fol- Correspondent—“How about the Transan- dine railway whieh is to connect the At- lantie and Pacific oceans, running from Valparaiso to Buenos Ayres? I understand | that Chile will complete it? The President—“The Transandine railway | is a work which has been carefully stuaied | in Chile and it has been steadily protected. Archbishop of Santiago. As you know, less than fifty miles of road are yet needed to complete it, and part of this is on Chilean and part on Argent soil. At present, on account of the extraor- dinary demands of the companies proposing to finish the work, the road is being more carefully considered. There are some diffi- culties inthe way of its extension along the lines proposed, but it will be without doubt continued as soon as these difficul- ties are removed.” Correspondent—How about the railways that Chile is building in the south? I un- derstand they will open up much new coun- try which will be available to immigrants The President—“The southern railways are destined to be of great advantage to Chile. They will give easy access to the richest agricultural regions of the country. They will give a great impulse to the es- tablishment of agricultural colonies and will stimulate immigration. Chile earnest- ly desires immigration, and as far as lies in her power endeavors to encourage it. She considers it one of the chief factors of her progress. We need more people in Chile, and we have here a country which, if properly cultivated, would support many times our present population.”” After a question as to the nitrate deposits which the president answered by saying that the investigations show that they CONGRESS HALL. fer that I should write out my questions, @nd he would give me his answers in writ- ing. This he has since done, and the mat- ter which follows is made up of the ques- tione and the ‘ranslation of the Spanish document I have just received from the presidential manston. Correspondent—“Will_ your excellency please state what is the position of Chile as to trade with the United States, and suggest some ways in which it might be increased?” The President—“Among-the best meas- ures to increase this trade would be the establishment of new steamship lines. There should be more frequent steamship communication between the two countries. Ancther method that might be adonted to further trade would be the establishment ef expositions to show the respective pro- ducts of the countries. Chile should have such expositions in the United States, and the United States should establish them in Chile. I think that the consumption of nt- trate in the United States might also be stimulated by practical experiments and tive propaganda.” ‘orrespondent—“There is now much American capital seeking foreign invest- ment. What are the chances for such capi- ,tal in Chile? Is foreign capital so invested safe, and what especial fields. now offer the best opportunities for profit?” The President—“There are a number of investments in Chile which will yield good rofit to foreign investors. Among them ¢ banking establishments. the working of the nitrate fields, the exploitation of and especially the development of = ee. copper and silver mines. As to whether American capital is safe in Chile, % would say that all foreign capital circu- here subject to the same conditions will last for a long time yet, I a: excelleney what Chile thous of the Mone roe doctrine. This was a rather delicate question, as many people down here think that the United States wishes to control the policy of the two contin=nts. His writ- ten answer, however, was as follows: “The international policy of Chile has al- Ways tended towards the maintenance of peace and the strengthening of her pollti- cal and commercial relations with the na- tions of the American continent, and I be- eve that this policy does not depart from one of the phases, perhaps the most im- oe oue af the Monroe doctrine.” Correspondent—“Will the pen = tons bao cone and rag aree tiene amicably adjusted or is the; @ conflict of arms?" seein Ge The President—-“I am confident that the matters now pending letwren the Argentine and Chile will be peaceably arranged and I believe that both zevernments are anxious that they should be.” This closes the in- terview. How Chile is Governed. Chile ts a republic, but there are a num- ber of differences between its constitution and that of the United States. The Chilean Dresident is elccted for five years instead. of four, ard he ts not eligible for a second term. ‘The presidential election day is June 25 of the fifth year of each presidency and inaugu-ation day is September same year. Both of these dates he has in addition an allowance of $12,000 for expenses. This is, however, in Chilean money, so that it is equal just now to not more than $11,000 in American geld. Presi- dent Errazuriz probably spenés several times this sum every year. The president has the veto power as our President has, but his veto can be overridden by a two- thirds majority: of the members of Congress present at the time the measure is brought back, and the political sitvation is such that when a presidential measure fails it is usually the custom for the cabinet to re- sign, so that Chile has a new cabinet I am told on the average once a month. In ad- dition to his cabinet, which is made up of ministers after much the same lines a3 those of our cabiret, the Chilean president has a council of state consisting of five members appointed by himself and six chosen by congress. The Chilean Congress. Chileans cannot vote until they are twen- ty-five years of age if they are unmarried, but married men can yote at the age of twenty-one. Members of the house of depu- t which corresponds to our House of Representatives, must have an income of £100 sterling a year, and senators must each have incomes of £400, or $2,000 a year. Congress sits in regular session from June 1 until September I every year. but the president can call an extra session when- ever he chooses. The building known as the houses of congress was burned a year or so ago and is now being rebuilt. It was and will be the finest building in Santiago. It covered a full square of ground and look- ed not unlike some of our great buildings at Washington, save that it was made of brick covered with a terra cotta stucco in- President of Chile, stead of granite or marble. The walls of the building still stand and within a short time it will again be ready for occupancy. At present the lower house is meeting in one of the halls of the University of San- tiago, and the senate holds its sessions in one of the buildings devoted to the govern- ment departments. The sessions of con- gress are often very stormy. The Chileans are fond of politics, and you will hear more politieal talk here in a day than you hear in ¥V ington in a week. There are two great political parti the conservatives and the liberals, each of which has a num- ber of subdivisions. The conservatives are the more comp: but the liberals are miuch the more numerous, and they are represented by the party now in power. They are the progressive party and they advocate popular education, the elevation of the masses and everything modern. The congervati re more what their name implies, and they include also the clerical or church element, which here in Chile has enormous influence. The Church and State in Chile. One of tha curious divisions of the pres!- dent's cabinet is the branch or department of “worship and colonization.” Catholicism is the state religion, and the Catholic Church receives a certain amount every year from the government tr2asury. Near- ly all of the Chileans are Catholics. and all cburch affairs of note are attended by the ment officials. On the Chilean anni- ¥ of its “day of independenc>,” the president and all of his officiais, including the officers of the army and navy, attend church. The other day a celebrated bishop who had been dead for I don’t know how long was honored with a new monument in the Cathedral of Santiago, and this was made the occasion of a great celebration. I went in company with the American min- isier, and found that nearly all of the for- eign diplomats were present. Th? presi- dent, the gene~al of the army and the ad- miral of the navy were th in their offi- cial dress, and during the cermonies all kreeled again and again in the priests and other church dignitartes. I am told, however, that within recent years other religions have been mor? toler- ated by Chile than almost any other South American country. There are two large American schools here in Santiago, one stpported by the Methodist and the other by the Presbyterian churches of the United States, and there are other missionary col- leges and churches in different parts of the country. Thes? are tolerated, however, on the grounds of modern progress rather than from any desire of th2 Chileans to change their religion. They are, I believe, satisfied with Catholicism, thougn the edu- ~t2d Chilean man does not like tha way in which the church meddles with political matters. He does not go to chureh except on Sundays and feast days, and, like many otber men outside of South America, he leaves most of the church exercis2s to kis wife and daughters. The women of Chile are one of the strongest elements in up- holding Catholicism and its influence. They ar very devout. You see them im the churehes week day and Sunday kneeling on the stone floors and saying their pray- ers You meet them on the streets going to confession or mass, 2ach carrying a prayer cug in one hand and a prayer book in ths other, and if you wiil enter the ckurches you may, perhaps, see a pretty devotee who will look at you out of the tail of her eye as she mumbles her prayers with a eross old duenna in the background. -As in Pern and Bolivia, the wom:n in Chile wear solid black when they go to church, They cover their heads with black mantas, ard a church congregation makes you think of a nunnery with all of the nuns ciad in black. Indesd, to wear white at such times is a sign of grief and shame rather than of purity and joy. It is the custom for women who have done wrung to put on white clothes and shroud their heads in white shawls io show that they are penitent and are resolved to be good for the future. Worth $100,000,000. The Catholic Church here is enormously wealthy. I have heard it said that its property in Santiago alone is worth more than an hundred million gold dollars. It has some of the best business blocks of the city. The whole of one side of the Plaza, which is the very center of the most valu- able of Santiago business property, is taken up by the palace of the archbishop and by the cathedral, and there is other preperty all about this belonging to the church. It has acres of stores, thousands of rented houses and vast haciendas upon which wine and other things are made for sale. Nearly all of this is controiled by the archbishop, although much of the church property is held by its different organiza- tions. The Carmelite nuns of this city are the richest body of women in South Ameri- ea, if not in the world. They have whole streets of rented houses near their nun- nery and own also large farms, which bring them in a steady income These nuns never allow their faces to be seen || by men, and if for any reason men must be employed in the nunnery for the mak- ing of repairs, et cetera, the nuns shroud their forms and heads in thick black cloth when passing by them. Of course no one ig admitted to the convent proper, but through a friend who has some influence with them I was admitted to the beauti- ful chapel which they have -established for the use of their employes and outsiders. In getting the permission we talked with the nuns, though we did not see them. Our speaking tube was a dumb waiter, and the voice that came down was singularly sweet, and as I heard it utter the soft musical Spanish it seemed to me a shame that it should, as is the rule of the es- tablishment, be confined to a whisper. was too big for the church. The good friars dit not Know what Jo do,tor a line, but, as the altar bad cost thopsands uf dollars, they eencluded ta. built a new church, Here, however, another thistuke was made. It was found that te church had been en- larged tow much. 4n@ that the space left for the altar was new much too big as it had formerly bedi tod little. They filled in the space, however. with other matertal, so that today the ebstlydaltar looks rather patchy, after all. a FRANK & CARPENTER. ‘ STIS SOT re DIAMONDS IN, SOUTH AFRICA. Some Characteristics About the Earth . in the Mines. From Casster’s Magazife. Regarding any Fpport ed discovery of & new diamond mine, one ‘of the’ first ques- tions asked is, “Is It a pjpe?” because if so there is every reasén to be assured of its permanency. These “pipes” are roughly cfreular or elliptical in section, and several hundred feet, sometimes one thousand feet, across. Contrary to the once common belief, there is very seldom a basin-like depression or other change tn the surface topography to indicate their existence. ‘Phe ground forming the top of ‘the “pipe” is, for about the first thirty yards in depth, usually of a light yellow color, due to the decomposition of the ‘‘Kimberiite,” or dia- mondiferous rock, and is caileed “yellow ground.” Blue ground,” in which the Kim- berley and De Beers mines have been work- ing for years past, is the hard, unoxidized and unbydrated diamond-bearing rock. of the general tone of color indicated by its name. It requires ‘drilling and blasting like any other hard rock, but just the im- pression that diamonds are thereby crushed and broken is erroneous. The fracture is more often due to passage through the fine rolls in the washing operations rather than to blasting. Upon exposure to air this rock changes to a gray color, and disintegrates and crumbles, especially after moistening with water. =: To this fortunate characteristic is due the existence of the extensive “floors” at Kimberley, containing millions of tons of blue ground in all degrees of weathering. The floors are divided up into spaces, 400 yards by 200 yards, and on these the blue ground is deposited ‘for a depth of about ten inches. The only treatment to which the flat ‘‘veldt,” or prairie land, ts sub- fected previous to receiving the “Kimber- Hite, is to be stripped of grass, bush and any loose stones. Formerly it was rolled hard and smooth, but this is riot now done. The first operation the Kimberlite under- goes is that of harrowing, the harrows be- ing drawn back and forth between two traction engines, stationed several hun- dred yards apart, thus avoiding the pack- ing that would take place if the blue ground were traveled over by a steam har- row. After a proper Interval, the next pro- cess is that of winnowing, or collecting the lumps of hard “blue” that will not disin- tegrdte into heaps. Portable tracks are laid down and the lumps are sent to the erusher house. A second harrowing then takes place, and if no rains have set in, the deposited ground is wet by hose, a complete system of water pipe being laid over the “floors” for the purpose. After another interval, to allow of fur- ther weathering taking place, the material is loaded into cars on movable tracks, run to the main haulage and sent to the wash- ing machines, any remgining pieces of hard “blue” being statked’separately and sent to the crushing and, concentrating mill. The floor is then readly for a fresh deposit from the mines. Ft The entire cyclg of operations takes about a year for th? De’Beers blue ground, sometimes less thdn’ this when rains are more frequent. The Kimberley blue ground disintegrates in half. that, time. The floors are fenced about with bipbed wire fencing, and are continually undér guard, the night watch being aided by ‘a system of well- arranged are lights‘! On July 1, 1807, there. were lying upon the depositing floors of the Kimberley, De Beers and the newly-started Wesselton mine an amount of 2,576,094 loads of dia- mond rock, equal to 2.061.255 tons. At a moderate estimate sthis>tonnage contains over £3,000,000 worth of;,diamonds, and it also represents a ,very, large amount of capital invested in ,the eeining and trans- portation of the material. New Art for Woot Engravers. From the London Maff = * Carved’ turquoises are at present all the rage, and a new fndustry has sprung up in London during “the past few months. At first sight there does not seem to be much connection between turquoises and wood engravings; but It is stated that, owing to the falling off in wood engraving, numer- ous workmen have taken to turquoise carving, beig known among their fellows as “turquoisers.’* Ere long there will be shown in London some specimens of artistic work on tur- cuoise only comparable to those contained in the beautiful Christey collection in the British Museum. Perhaps this revival cf gem engraving will in some measure atone for the falling off in wood engraving, though with such mediums to werk upon there does not seem to be much reason in this sangnine opinion of the experts. The American woman is beginning to look upon it as her national stone, for while the Persian oytput has diminished 90 per cent Guring the last few years, the mines of New Mexico, near Silver City, have almost atoned, for this. A recently dug turquoise just arrived in Engiand, and when carved, intended as a royal present, is nearly three inches in diameter. The turquoise runs in veins. Shafts are sunk, and on all sides of these shafts turquoises are found in seams. Consequently miners work them with the pick and blasting, rough and ready methods which cannot fail to break up the larger speciments. If three inches in diameter, why not thirty? Fancy a card table with a top made of a sigle turquoise! That larger stones used to be excavated is proved by the fact of the present taken by Grimvaldus to the pepe. The former was sént on a special mission by Charles V of Germany with re- gard to Spanish expansion in Central America, and carried with him an. Aztec mask, the features of which were tur- quoise, inlaid with emerald and jasper. The most valuable turquoise lately sold is one formerly possessed by the Shah Nacir of Persia. It was cut in the shape of a heart, and upon it was cut a verse of the Koran—the letters being filled with gold, and the price was i780. Mr. H. S. Foster, M. P., has a larger one even than the Per- sian, but this one will not be for sale. + ++ ____. The Hyphenation of Burne-Jones. From the Atlantle Monthly. It may or may not be true that it was Rossetti who urged Burne-Jones, when at the outset of his career, to connect with a hyphen “Burne” and “Jones.” “ ‘Jones’ is nobody,” Rossetti! would declare, “only a particle of a vast multiple. But Burne- Jones—that is unmistakable!” It was an amusing trait in Rossetti that he was wont to designate the good work of this or that friend as the work of—and he would men- tion the most disfinctiye name or part name of the perso cpfcerned. Thus he would say, “Yes, “that is Burne-Jones, but this, this here, you know, is only Jones;” or, “That, naw, is the real Holman Hunt, but this here is.only Hunt;” or, “You can hear Tennyson in that, but Al- fred wrote the othef ltrs.” I recall two amusing" ’instances where ‘Surne- Sones more or less _rnconabioushy: adopted the seme method. He was asl once if he thought (ohn Bell Scott more eminent as a poet o¥-as’én artist. “[never thought very highl¥: ofsBell,” he replied. Then, seeing .a look of rise, added, with @ humorous twinkle, ed old Bell Scott —old Scottus, as we ‘alWays called him— immensely, and I think’ William Bell Scott wrote somé very fie -verse,- but T always thought it was a gity that Bell took to painting.” The other tance occurred when some one remarked to him that “Par- ‘hell was only an agitato! “Charles Stew- art Parnell,” he reptiied,” with emphasis, “was one of the greatest public men of our day, and. far. and away.the ablest. Irish leader.” “But Parnell,” etc., resumed the objector, to.be again.corrected by the other disputant, “Charles Stewart Parnell,” ete. + Hard t Fect. From Modern Society. “Begorra, an’ it’ — J -“‘Is it you bin in’ to collect some, Mr. Murphy?" ace 3 “Sorry @ cent; but’ there’s plenty trying to collect some from me.” ——-—-0-, har-rd to collect money GOLD THAT BURN How the Bluejacket and His Money|” Soon Part. JACK ASHORE I8 AN EASY VICTIM He Leaves Ship With Plenty Cash, but It Soon Goes. LOST IN THE BOWERY The return of our victorious squadron from Cuba has created in New York ascon- dition of affairs which requires a new read- ing of two homely saws to do it justice. “All roads lead to the Bowery” and “Jack and his money are soon parted” tzll the story. Equipped with an enforced accumu- lation of four or five months’ salary, the sailors of Sampson's and Schley’s fleets are in full possession of that portion of the city dear to the bluejacket’s heart. From th2 hour when the first liberty boat touched the dock at Tompkinsville, Staten Island—which, by the way, is in the opinion of Jack only an intermediate station on the direct route to the Bowery—a new order of affairs has prevailed. It has be2n a dry and desolate season there since the late war dragged so many good customers away in haste. The Bowery, that famous stretch of coast upon which many a naval sailor has drifted to his own undoing, and whose avery cobblestone could give expert testi- mony in fights and frauds and midnight crimes, was as a summer resort in Decem- ber. The news that the sailor heroes were coming home again caused a wave of fever- ish activity throughout the Bowery. Stores were rented and hastily fitted up with coun- ter and shelves and array of glasses, bar- keepers equally expert with corkscrew or club were 2ngaged, and every preparation necessary to the luring of the sailor's dol- lar was made. Then a stillness settled over the famous street. It was the calm before the storm. In India 2lephants are captured with the aid of tame pachyderms taught to act as decoys. Included in the salary list of more than one New York dive keeper “are ex- man-of-warsmen, whose duty it is to fra- ternize with Jack ashore and to p2rsuade him to spend his money in their employ- ers’ resorts. There are tricks in all trades, and the number of tricks used in the “pro: fession” under discussion would fill a small beok. Nowadays, however, the sharks of the Bowery are compelled to play for small game, as a rule. Within recent years it has been the custom to give every first-class man in the service his entir2 monthly sal- ary, with the exception of a sum equal to his month’s wages, which is retained on fhe beoks. In the days of th2 old navy Jack was compelled, perforce, to accumulate a large sum, as the law stated that he was to be paid each month only one-third of his stipend, the balance being left to his credit. This naturally resulted in the paying cf a crew at the end of a voyage in sums of generous proportions. To go ashore at the conclusion of the three years’ cruise with several hundred dollars was the com- mon thing a few years ago. The gate of the Brookiyn navy yard was located formerly at the foot of York street, the central artery of one of the worst parts of the city. Small tradesmen Itned the thoroughfare with their shops, but inter- spersed here and there, were ill-lighted, grimy saloons with worn-out furniture and a meagre assortment of bottles. There generally lurked in these places several tough looking men and youths who sallied forth now and then in search of their legitl- mate prey, the naval bluejacket. If they found one and succeeded in dragging him into a saloon, doctored drinks and robbery and ill-treatment would be his portion. When « warship was paid off at the ex- piration of a cruise, York street and its tributaries fairly swarmed with thugs, de- coys and land marks. Thefts and badger- ing became so frequent that finally more than one’captain arranged to have his crew taken from the yard to New York city on a government tug. But this was a wasted precaution. In those days the brutal high- way robbery of the navy yard’s enriron- ments compared with the more subtle thievery of the bowery as a lead pipe does with a jewelled dagger. Jack was ashore to be robbed, and he seldorn escaped his destiny. His Intentions Were Good. In ‘83 the corvette Nipsic reached the Brooklyn yard from a long cruise on the European station. In her crew was a sea- man who had managed to gain thé rating of chief quartermaster by strict attention to duty. His pay was $35 a month and he contrived to save $30. On previous cruises he had been a spendthrift and a “fourth- class man” of the worst description, and this change of attitude surprised his ship- mates. “What's up with Bill?” they asked. “He’s either getting nutty, or else some widdy’s got him in tow. He wouldn't draw any monthly money last time, and the pay clerk almost turned a fit. Bill will be in the asylum at Washington before long.” But “BUI,” continued to save, and also to add to his income by making caps and fine mustering shirts for the less thrifty members of the erew. When the Nipsic was paid off, the chief quartermaster stepped up to the table and drew the tidy sum of $1,020. “I hope you will take care of that money, Calkins,” spoke up the com- manding officer, who was standing by watching the operation. “Better put it away in some safe bank and let it draw in- terest for your old age. Another cruise of the same—” a wh “Saving your paréon, cap’ain, I ain't com- ing back,” interrupted Bill, proudly. “I’ve had enough of the service, sir. I've got a Kittle girl a-waitin’ for me, and me and her are going to start a farm out on Long. Island. I've been raising h—I long enough, and now I’m going to raise something —ore respectable.” Those of his shipmates with- in hearing grinned broadly. Bill as a farm- er was the best joke of the cruise. As he went below to pack his black bag he was the subject of much good-natured raillery. “Better steer a course by night, mate,” advised the master-at-arms. “It’s mighty bad cruising nowadays along York street.” “Why don't you charter a canal boat to take you to Hayseed harbor?” said another shipmate with mock concern. “I'll help to smuggle you out of the ship after eight bells if you pass the word.” “I'll lay you x double eagle you are knocking at the navy yard gate before this time next week,” was the ship’s cook’s comment, and at last Bill's fre was aroused. “You blemed muddle-fingers don’t seem to understand the case, confound you!” he shouted. “This ain’t no sudden resolve, mates. When I got home from the China station last cruise, I found that my little girl had growed almost into a woman. She was staying with her grandmother, and it struck me it was near time I helped her along in the world. We talked it over and I promised to save every penny and we'd start a little farm. I've saved the money, and I'm going to put that little girl beyond want, s’help me if I don't. Good-bye. fel- The Nipsic was put under repairs without. going out of commission, and preparations for shipping a new crew were in operation when, one evening, after 9, a man limped up to the sentry at the York street gate and demanded admittance. He was bat- tered and bruised, a nondescript suit of ragged overalls clothed him and he spoke in a hesitating, rambling way, as if his mind was affected. “Want to chip,” he : ief quartet er. ta le ro aches Maybe I'l buy a farm fur her mumbled the form on the mattress. “It}and small change abstracted. The was a farm we decided on. I was to be cap’ain and Millie was to be first luff, and we was going to raise—to raise garden truck—and—and—" He slept again. : : * : : . How Murphy Got Even. When the Vandalia was paid off after a cruise in the later "80's a wiry little Irish- man nemed Duffy, a fireman on board, left the ship with a cool three hundred dol- lars in his “monk bag.” He was ashore for a good time and he went to the Bowery to find it. That night he was found in a hallway, stripped of every cent, drugged &nd beaten. A policeman paid his carfare to the yard and he shipped at once. A week later, after he had rested up and recovered some of his usual good spirits, Duffy asked for liberty, but it was denied him because he was in debt for his new gutfit. Shortly after midnight he slipped over the side to the dock by way of a mooring hawser and made his escape from the yard through the “Swamp,” as the land north of the marine barracks was called, There Was just a touch of gray in the east when Duffy, hilarious and lurching, appeared on the dock again. He saluted the astonished sentry with a wave of his hand, staggered up the gangway, and as he stepped on board his foot slipped and he fell prostrate on the edge of the quarterdeck. There was a loud jingling of coin, and a vast number of dimes, nickels, quarters and half dollars fell from Duffy’s pockets and rolled hap- hazard over the deck. “Gather thim oop, me b’yes,” he shouted proudly to the anchor watch which had hastened to his assistance. “It’s all money av that baste av a thafe, Murphy, who kapes the gin mill fornist the Bowery. Whoop! it’s mesilf as is square wid him. He subsided into a peaceful sleep in the “brig,” and the mystery remained unsolv- ed until the morning papers appeared with a scare-head article announcing that the saloon of one Michael Murphy, on the Bowery, had been entered during the night, that the cash drawer had been rob- bed of its contents, that Murphy himself had been set upon by the burgtars and beaten insensible and that a sailors knife lanyard had been found on the premises. A few detectives prowled around the yard for several days, but Duffy was kept under cover by his'admiring shipmates, and the affair was finally forgotten. All Work, Little Play. If there is any excuse for roystering, the navat sailor has it. He is condemned to pass the greater part of his time on board @ vessel much too small and cramped for the crew occupying it. He can seldom se- cvre two censecutive days ashore, and if he should overstay his leave by so much as an hour he is punished by restriction. His life is monotonous enough in very truth, and when his country is at war Jack is sub- ject to a blockade duty that keeps him be- tween the bulwarks for months and months. Small wonder that his moral balance tips over the scale. One night recently a man living on one ef the side streets of New York was awakened by a prodigious ringing of his front door bell. Glancing from a window. he saw the shadowy outlines of a man on the stoop, working vigorously at the knob. “Hey, there, what's the matter?” calied out the citizen. The figure swayed un- steadily; then a husky voice muttered: “Get up, you ol’ lubber! I've been (bie!) six months on board ship.” “What in the name of ail that's wonder- ful, do I care?” hought I'd tell (hic!) ye. Humph! ye ain't got much interest in a Santiago hero.” The sailor lurched up the next stoop and rang that bell. As the first citizen re- turned to bed he heard the Jackie's voice proclaiming, “Whoop! been aboard ship for six (hic!) months. Rouse up there, ye st at-hon-es!” Jack is a queer fish. aoe DO ROCKS GROW? Instances in Which a Real Process Has Been Noticed. From Current Literature. Is it indeed true that rocks grow in the sea? Are there reefs in course of rapid formation? A circular recently issued by the minister of the marine calls attention to unknown rocks along the seacoast and offers premiums to fishermen who discover rocks net shown by the charts. An in- babitant of Biarritz writes to Cosmo: “What is taking place at Biarritz is prob- ably occurring along other rocky shores, and may well explain the deficiencies of our charts. Submarine rocks grow, and in the course of a few years a reef may be found where there was none when the chart was prepared. When I was a child, some fifty years ago, the rock lying furthest west in the belt of rocks surround- ing our promoutory hardly showed at low- est tide. An old fisherman told me that when he was ten years old he was on a Piarritz boat near this rock. His master showed him the rock then covered by sev- eral feet of water, saying: ‘Child, if you live to be sixty years old you will see this rock out of water.” “Today the rock which, in the childhood of the old fisherman, was covered with water, and in my childhood was hardly uncovered at low water, is two hundred meters above the water. r “A more recent fact. Fifteen years ago a fisherman perceived at a distance of two hundred meters from the rock just men- ticred, beyond the belt that protects us, a new rock which was beginning to ‘grow.” Teday this rock, which was not in exist- ence twenty-five years ago, shows itself at high tide. It is at a spot where the charts indicate ten meters of water at lowest tide, and endangers navigation.” Evidently eur charts are not revised often enough. If rocks “grow,” as claims the correspondent of Cosmos, revision should be made every ten years. But do they grow? There is no doubt that the seacoast rises and sinks. There is a pro- nounced see-saw movement along the At- lantic shores, but is it sufficient to cause rocks te grow out of the water in half a century? The question is interesting, il- lusion is easy, but indifference would be criminal in a matter so dangerous to navi- gation as submarine rocks. SCIENCE AS A DETECTIVE. SE ae Simple Remedics Have Ferreted Out Some Very Puzzling Cases. From the Chicago Times-Herald. From petty thievery we are never ex- empt, and while as a rule it is only vexa- tious it sometimes requires the ability of a Sherlock Holmes for its detection. A gentlemen in this city doing business in one of our office buildings was annoyed from time to time by the mysterious dis- appearance of choice fruit which he had laid by on his desk for his own delecta- tion, and the sitvation became grave enough for investigation. Was it office boys or janitors? Then occurred a bright idea. Doses of tartar emetic deftly insert- | ed under tue rind of several choice oranges might be the means of locating the culprit. No sooner thought of than executed. Re- sult, a very sick janitor the next morning and a vacancy in the janitorship. The Berlin newspapers have lately been telling with great glee of a like triumph of science over crime. In one of the great offices of the Ger- man capital a number of petty thefts had been committed, the pockets of coats hang- ing in anterooms being visited and cigars ere for a time nonplussed and invoked the atd of science. A professor being consult- ed, he advised the insertion of a delicate aniline powder in the mouth end of some cigars to be placed at the mercy of the thief. The next morning a summoning of the clerks and a gereral inspection of theit mouths. One unhappy youth was discov- ered with aniline tongue and lips! Verdict guilty. Littie scientific traps will some- times beat even the police. ———__ +e+ MANGOES CUBA. Why Our Soldiers in the 4 Werd Forbidden to Eat Them. From the Boston Evening Transcript. In the long list of suggestions from the medical department, all of which were dis« regarded, the ripe mango was recommend- ed as a desirable article of diet. But some- bedy st headquarters issued an edict against it, and the soldiers were called up by the company commanders and told that if they ate the fruit they would be pun- ished. This is the way the company com- manders addressed their men: “Now, I see that some of you have been eating those mangoes in spite of our ads vice to the contrary. Do you know what the Cubans call this fruit? They call it Gen. Mango, because they say that thé mango has killed more Spanish soldier: than all of their generals put together. I you eat it Gen. Mango will kill you, just as it has killed the Spaniards. I am told on good authority that if you eat a mango every day and then get yellow fever you will swell up frightfully and surely dite. Now, I give you this positive order that not one of you shall eat any of this frat and I shall punish severely any man thal disobeys the order.” After such an order the obedient regu- lars generally let the mangoes alone, ale thorgh they were abundant, tempting and delicious. The volunteers ate them more freely, without any bad result, so far as heard from. When the Cuban officers and aides were asked their opinion as to the wholesomeness of the fruit they generally said: “It is perfectly wholesome if eaten ripe; all these bad things apply to the un- ripe mango, which is sometimes eaten by the Spaniards.” Most of the army doctors seemed to think that the only way to pre- vent the eating of the unripe mango was to prohibit the fruit altogether. There were many cases in which even the most obe- dient regulars were impelled by thirst and by the hunger fdr a bit of fruit to disobey the order; and, as the clear yellow mango is always ripe, while the unripe fruit is green or greenish, it did not take a very high order of intelligence to discriminate between the fruit which was fit to eat and that which was unfit. It was certainly hard to believe any ill of a mango when one looks at it. The tree itself is a most beautiful and attractive thirg. Imagine a tree as large as a big Massachusetts oak, covered with rich and glossy foliage finer than that of the orange tree, and covered also with golden fruit nestling brilliantly among the green leaves. On such a tree there must often be a hun- Gred barrels of mangoes, fully matured, every one of which is as large es a good- sized pear. In shape the margo is not un- like a short and thick cucumber, and it has a thin, tough skin, which, when ma- tured, reveals a mass of the most delicious juicy pulp. The only trouble about eating the mango is that one needs an ablution afterward. Some say that the ideal w is to get into a bathtub, take the mango, eat it, and then go on with the bath. But one is perfectly willing to take the trouble seek the ablution for the sake of the frui And imagine the trees which bear the fruit growing wild everywhere, and also spring- ing up in every garden and dooryard: the largest and finest ones were away up on a wild mountain side, where apparently no one had ever gathered the abounding fruit. Nor are they a native fruit in Cuba; they have been introduced from India and — gcne wild in the rich soil of the is» and. a The Big Niagara Bridge. From the New York Press. The new steel arch bridge being erected at Niagara Falls to replace the last of the suspension bridges will be the largest of its kind in the world. The main arch will be 868 feet long, th> next largest being the 368-foot arch of a bridge at Oporto, Portu- gal. The approach on the Canadian side is 210 fe2t long, and that on the American side 190 fect, making the total length of the structure 1,268 feet. The bridge will con- rect the two gr2at free parks, Queen Vic- toria Falis Park, on the Canadian side, and the New York state reservation on the American side. It will be a single struc- ture, having a width of a little over 49 feet. In the middie 23 feet of this will be electric railroad. On either side of this will be car- Tiageways S fret wide. Outside of these drives will be foot passages, slightly ele- vated above the roadways. “The middle of the arch is 15 feet above the gorge. It was impossible, of course, to build falss works to sustain the main arch, and it was built out from either end to the middle, the old suspension bridge furnishing an anchorage and a platform from which to operate. The work was extremely perilous, and in ord to give the mechanics every protection pos- sible a boat manned by an expert oarsman was kept under the bridge. Frightened Into Health. From Tit-Bits. Fear is sometimes curative, although vastly less so than the opposite emotions of joy and hopeful expectation. Dr. Tuke re- perts the case of a man suffering from rheumatic fever who was instantly cured by the shock and fright of a railway acci- dent. Sharp relates a similar history. Hys- terical paralysis has been cured by sudden fright, although such occurrences are rarer than is generally supposed. Michea, a cele- braied physician, one of the most profound in the knowledge of mental diseases, used to write insulting anonymous letters to some of his patients in order to cure them, and with good results in some hypochon- driacal cases. Physicians have sometimes had recourse in hysterical cases te threats or sudden fright to check dangerous symp- toms when all other remedies have proved useless. Amann tells of a hysterical pa- tient who suffered from tetanic convulsions and trances, and whose father treated her with blows and cured her. Pansanicis re- lates that a youth recovered his speech in the fright caused by the sight of a lion; and Herodotus, in his history, narrates that the son of Cro2sus was dumb, and that at the taking of Sardes, seeing a Persian with drawn sword about to kill his father, he cried out, overcome with fright, “Kull not Croesus!” and from that moment he was able to speak. ——— +0-+- Reversed Cireu: From the Boston Globe. Jones—“For a while Jones was clean out of is mind about that girl.” “And pow.” Oh, now, the girl is clean out of meen. Two of a Kind, From Life. Elderly Gentleman (dining at Union Club) to waiter—“Aren’t you waiting on this table?” ‘No, sir’ (pointing to waiter in distance); “that gentleman is over there.” >