Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, September 30, 1908, Page 9

Liiva (By Prof. Eugen Schroeder.) During one of my cruises in the South sea some years ago our good ship had the misfortune to be caught in a storm of such unusual severity that we were completely at the mercy of the tremendous waves during the several days that the hurricane lasted. The Antipode had steamed out of the harbor of Macao on June 20, 1906, and, while pursuing her way from China through the South seas, she struck with great force upon a submerged rock impossible to describe the ex- eitement which immediately prevailed on board. The accident happened during the night on July 9, and al- though most of the passengers and crew had retired to their respective quarters, the whole ship was in a few moments in a terrible uproar. Those who had not been thrown out of their berths by the shock jumped out, an indescribable confusion ensued and the whole frightened mass of human- {ty stampeded, screaming, wailing and shouting to the upper deck. It at such times that we are brought face to face with the fact that our much yaunted civilization is but skin deep. As the vessel was heeled over to one side rapidly the panic was incredible; in their frantic desire to reach the lifeboats the men forgot ev- sideration, while the women, the seantiest attire, became to every sense as soon as zeq the gravity of the situa- While the captain was endeavoring ng order out of chaos scenes d which would have s. On the other hand, esting to observe how the d energy of a handful of ed this frightened mass cf that had for the time being s normal balance. Capt. Boy- thorough sailor, both an appear- nee and manner, together with his of- 2 had no difficulty in managing crew, with whose assistance and id of a revolver he quickly suc- ded in restoring order and disci- pline among the passengers. A few well directed shots over the heads of those who tried to get into the life- boats had the desired effect. it was soon ascertained that the CASTAWAY IN THE SOUTH SEA Being a Reminiscence of the Wreck of the Antipodes. who, as we well knew, inhabited most] to explore the island,.both by land of these islands? and water. After sunrise the captain informed While we were busily occupied in us that, although the ‘Antipode was spreading our wet provisions to dry doomed, the hole in her side had been dn the sun we were startled by the plugged so that she swas not expected | CTY ‘The savages!” and’ when we to break up before nightfall. This looked up we were not a little sur- was comforting favorable. circum-| Prised to see two canoes, each con- stances the pinnace was ordered pro- taining five men. They evidently visioned and placed in charge of an hesitated to approach, for they were officer and eight men. Their mission halting at a tongue of land that pro- was to find, if possible, a safe landing jected a short distance into the ovean. place. This accomplished, part of the Everybody was excited, and, grasping men were to be left behind in order | ®"y Weapon near at hand, we made to erect tents and make investigations | # bee line for the shore, prepared to as to whether the island were inhabit- | Wat off the expected attack. It soon ed. If this proved to be the case they anya however, that nothing of were to make friendly overtures to the the kind was intended, and so the cap- natives, but were strictly forbidden to ers tee eee should Ns 0 ap- eee | firearms except in an proach: ‘ta “aatives’ SIeRA CAE ae same time he told us to keep an eye It was a perilous trip for the boats, for the storm wes still in its height, om Ene proceed ines: ann cn the and as long as our eyes could follow them we noticed that they were mak- ing a hard fight against wind and wave in trying to reach their goal. As our lives depended on the ultimate safety of these boats, we spent anx- ious hours aboard the sinking ship, the breaking up of which we might expect any time. Even if the trip were safely accomplished there was always the possibility to be reckoned with that the landing party might be attacked and killed by savages. Thus the hours dragged slowly in agoniz- ing suspense. Late in the afternoon the strain un- der which we labored was at last re- lieved, for in the distance could be seen the boats, returning with four men, riding mountainous waves. With joyful eagerness we listened to the first officer’s report, to the effect that a landing had been made in a con- venient and sheltered cove, and that the boat load of goods had been taken ashore in safety, that fresh water had been found near by, but that diligent search was no trevealed even a trace of human beings. Upon hearing these good tidings our spirits rose immediately.The very best of order prevailed while the passen- gers and the rest of the crew were assigned to the various boats, and a craft, hurriedly constructed, was load- ed with as much provisions as possi- WE WERE STARTLED BY THE CRY “THE SAVAGES. kind of reception he would meet, and, in case of need, to come to his assist- ance under the leadership of his offi- cers. In short, we were to be pre- pared for the worst. No doubt the natives had observed that the captain was alone, for we could see that they were consulting with one another as to what course to pursue. Finally they began to ap- proach very cautiously, and as soon as they were in earshot the captain called upon one of his passengers who THE CHIEE OF understood the Malayan language to inquire what they wanted. As no an- swer came, it was taken for granted that they did not understand this lan- guage. The canoes halted, however, and before long a voice demanded in Malay whence the strangers came and whether they came as enemies or friends. The interpreter replied that many of us were Americans and all others Englishmen, that we had _ been wrecked on a reef and had Jost our ship, but that all on board had been saved, and that we came as friends who sought shelter on their island. Hereupon there was another consulta- proached a shallow place near the beach, when all except the two men who had handled the paddles, proceed- ed to wade ashore. The captain at oree stepped also into the water, meeting the visitors half way. As the captain approached the lead- er of the little band, a fine specimen of young manhood, evidently a chief, ship had sprung a large leak three feet below the water line and also that the as shattered. The situation hopeles It was now 2 o'clock a. m., and as the hold was fill- { slowly the captain gave Us ; ng assurance that we consider ourselves absolutely until dawn. Still, although the pumps worked without intermission, it evident that the water in the hold was rising slowly but steadily. After completing their toilets with all ble despatch and picking up the ; pos most necessary articles, the passen-{ gers were assembled on the quarter- | deck, this offering not only the most ated position on the ship, but also elier from the drenching rain poured down mercilessly. This t. Boyson gave orders to re- 1 the powder on beard, as well es all firearms, to a place of safety; also that bread and all provisions sttll within reach be removed on deck. After this the boats were pro- visioned, necessary articles, such as weapons, compasses, ete., added, and | then they were swung loose from the davits, ready to be lowered any time. All the preparations which so forlorn end precarious a situation demands completed, all that remained for us io @o was to wait patiently for the com- | ing of the morn, so that we could find out whether we were in the vicinity of one of the numerous islands of the Pelew group, which we ought by richts to have passed the day before. Up to now we had not come within sight of land. The reader can hardly imagine the {ntense anxiety with which we watched the heavens for the first sign of dawn, and great was our joy when we discerned, in the dim light of early morning, the coast line of an island about three or four miles distant from our ship. Our happiness at this dis- covery was so great that we wellnigh forgot how all but hopeless our condi- tion still was. As morning advanced we could distinguish other islands in en easterly direction. But now the question arose, What islands were they, especially the nearest one, on | the weather on the following morn- opened his arms wide. The captain, not to be outdone in politeness, re- turned the compliment, and to our unbounded surprise was heartily wel- comed with the ceremony of rubbing noses together. The captain now es- corted the party to our camp, where he presented the officers and passen- ble, as well as other useful ‘and neces- sary articles. The trip across the storm lashed waters was extremely trying, and our little boats shipped such heavy seas that they were more than once in dan- ger of being engulfed. We finally reached the shore, thankful that no mishap had occurred, ad found that those of our companions in misery who had preceded us had made good use of their time. Several tents had been erected, and in the center of the camp a bright fire was burning, at which we at once proceeded to warm our chilled and stiffened limbs and dry our clothes. The provisions were stored in a sheltered place that had been freed of its rank vegetation. There was still no improvement in panions in misery. The natives, eight in number, were all fine looking men, two of them, as we were told, being brothers of the chief. We rejoiced to hear that we had really landed on one of the islands of the Pelew group, that the natives were friendly and that on the oppo- site side of the island was a settle- ment of considerable size, with the dwelling of the chief. Of course, the captain no sooner heard the name of the island than he got his bearings, and so it turned out that he had the good fortune to be cast upon an island that was visited at frequent intervals by schooners that trade among the ing, but we could see that the wreck was still above water. A few plucky men therefore proposed to make a trip to the vessel in order to remove every- tion, but pretty soon the canoes ap- | gers, introducing them as his com- | islands of the Pelew group, buying in the main copra, which is gathered in the cocoanut plantations. Such a vessel could easily take us to onefof the frequented ports. The chief’s brother informed us that they had noticed our ship two days ago, but that, owing to the violence of the storm, it would have been im- possible for their canoes to reach us. They also brought an invitation from their chief, who desired that the cap- tain and his officers should be his guests for that very day, provided they showed friendly intentions. It was therefore concluded that the cap- tain, the officers and I, being able to speak the Malay language, should em- bark in one of our boats and accom- pany the natives to their hospitable chief. After an hour’s journey we landed, in the best of spirits, on the opposite side of the island, where we found a flourishing settlement with luxurious cocoanut plantations. We were re- ceived with the utmost cordiality, and as we had taken care to provide our- selves liberally with tobacco, gaudy materials, chins of big glass heads, bracelets, etc., we were soon on the best of terms with these amiable sav- ages. Our offer to trade with them for provisions met with a ready re- sponse, and so our camp was hence- forth well provided for. A few weeks later found us on board a merchandise vessel found for Ponape, in the Caroline group, where we arrived safe and sound after a te- dious voyage of three weeks. At Po- nape we were received with such warm hearted hospitality, both by the authorities and the white settlers, that we were loath to depart, and so this catastrophe, which seemed like a dire calamity at the time, had such an un- expected happy ending that I look upon it as one of the most interesting episodes of my eventful life. A TYPEWRITING POINT. When in Some Work the Periods and | Commas Show Black and Deep. “When in anything tyewritten you | see the periods and commas punched black and deep,” said an experienced typewriter, you may know that the work was done by a beginner or by one who had not yet done sufficient work to have acquired a_ perfect | touch. “The reason for the deep punching | of the punctuation points is very sim- | ple. Naturally enough the beginner | at typewriting plays upon all the keys with equal force, but as the types at- tached to the keys present unequal amounts of printing surface it follows that equal force applied to all the keys results in more or less ‘unequal printing on the paper. “For instance, a certain amount of force applied to the B key might pro- duce of that type a fair impression on the paper, but the same force applied to a period might drive that, a mere point, clean through the paper. In fact, it is not unusual for beginners on the typewriter to punch holes in the paper with their periods. “But as the iearner progresses in | her part she comes to realize that | some types must be touched more } lightly than others and gradually her period become less black and deep, | ond with further practice she comes instinctively, automatically, to grade | her touch on all the letters and signs until at last she is able to procure typewriting that is nothing less than artistic in effect, true and uniform and beautiful. “It is something fine to see, the good work of the intelligent, sensi- | tive and truly competent typewriter.” QUEER WEDDING EFFIGY. There is a curious custom still prev- alent in the Bellary district of India in connection with the wedding cere- monies among certain Brahmin fam- ilies. Just prior to the close of the feast- ing, a hideous effigy of a male figure, fantastically robed in rags, supposed to represent the bridegroom’s father, is carried along the streets in proces- sion, under the shade ofa _ sieve adorned with. tassels of onions and maragosa leaves. Every few yards during the proces- sion the feet of the effigy have to be reverently washed and its forehead decorated with a caste mark by its living spouse, the bridegroom’s moth- er. The bridegroom’s other female relatives have several. mock atten- tions paid them by the women of the bride’s party. thing that could-possibly be saved. The captain, however, objected to this plan and told the men to wait until the aft- ernoon, when he expected a change for the better in the weather. True enough, he was not deceived in his expectations, and so two boats were sent out in charge of the first officer in order to bring ashore what had not been ruined by the action of the water. Could any one be in a more deplora- ble position than the one in which we found ourselves? Here we were, stranded on an isolated island, whose name we knew not and which we could orly suppose belonged to the Pelew group. To make matters worse, we had landed in a place that cut us off from all communication with the np tives of the outside world. To all ap- pearances we were doomed to spend the rest of our days on this island. The following morning at last brought a change for the better, after it had begun to storm during the ‘night again, so far as the weather was concerned but as we could not hope to save our belongings we made no attempt to reach the wreck. We which we would have to depend? Would we meet with kindly disposed people. or had fate decreed that we should fall into the hands of cannibals, therefore put in our time in making ourselves useful about the camp, wiile the captain and his officers were en- gaged in preparing other expeditions | means for preventing their en] SOIL-WASHING RUINING MANY SPLENDID FARMS Methods by Which the Process Can Be Prevented—By, J. G, Mosier, Assistant C thief of Soil Physics, Illinois University. Nothing will completely ruin land more quickly than washing, especial- ly gullying. A single season or even a single rain, may produce gullies that cannot be crossed with ordinary farm implements. Unless these are prompt- ly looked after, the land soon becomes practically worthless. On uniform slopes, gullies may be started by very simple means such as tunnels of moles, wagon tracks and cow or sheep paths, any one of which may be the very necessary small be- ginning, and nature will do the rest. It would commonly be taken for granted that the thing of first impor- tance in this discussion is the matter of preventing the formation of gullies in cultivated fields, but this is not the case. The beginning of the trouble is usually due to sheet washing and as a rule gullying occurs in the later stages of the general process of land ruin. If we can prevent sheet wash- fall of the water gives it great power, making it very difficult to stop its un- dermining action. As these generally occur where the field is in grass there is a comparatively small amount of sediment carried and consequently the filling will go on but slowly. The re- cession of the fall must be stopped. Straw and brush should be used to fill in under the fall weighting them down with stones or sod to prevent their being washed away. Dams of brush should be put in at intervals be- low the fall and even a solid dam at the edge of the ficld may be of much use in completely filling the gully. The outlook for the future of the rolling land is certainly not a hopeful one under the present most common systems of management, or more prop- erly of mismanagement. Increasing poverty wiil be the future of the own- ers of this land unless a radical change in methods takes place. It is An Aband ing we will lessen very largely, the | possibilities of gullying in cultivated fields. Four general methods are employed for the prevention of sheet washing: First, the growing of cover crops to decrease the movement of water and soil; second, increasing the organic matter content to bind the soil par- ticles together; third, using methods of tillage to check the velocity of the run off and to cause greater absorp- tion, and fourth, by terraces and hill- side ditches, thus modifying the steep- ness of the slope, and conducting the surplus water off at such slope as will produce little or no washing. No form of washing will utterly ruin land more quickly than gullying. The owner of very rolling or hilly land must be on the lookout constantly for incipient gullies and must use every ge- ment. The fact that slopes are not uniform allows the water to accumu- late in draws, thus increasing its volume and velocity and multiplying its washing power many times. Unless some means are taken to prevent it, the water soon grinds out a formidable gully. It is a somewhat common practice to scatter straw in these draws in the fall or to build straw dams _ across them at frequent intervals. These serve to check the velocity of the water and catch the sediment, but fre- quently the run-off is so great that the straw is carried down the draw and lodges at the base. These dams are sometimes held in place by rows of driven stakes across the draw. In general, straw is too fine to be used alone very satisfactorily. The water cannot get through it rapidly enough and so is very apt to wash the dams away or wash arcund the ends. A coarser material used with the straw gives better results. These means are not always satisfactory. A better plan, used a great deal in some parts of the state, is to keep these draws in grass sod, at least until they are so well filled that there is lit- tle danger. A sod of this kind binds the soil particles together while the top growth checks the velocity of the water, causing the sediment in sus- pension to be deposited. In time the draw will be filled so that it may be cropped, but it should to seeded down again if there is danger of a gully forming. This method is practiced very successfully, the grass being mowed for hay. Some farmers in renting their land have a clause in the contract forbidding the plowing up of the draws. Almost any grass that forms a tough sod will answer the purpose, timothy and redtop being quite satisfactory. Dams of earth or stone are some- times built across draws to catch the sediment and in many cases, depend- ing upon conditions, this method may be very satisfactory. This plan will work better in rather broad, shallow draws possessing little fall. If it is desirable to break the field up soon and the gullies are not too deep, they may be filled with plow and scraper in a comparatively short time and with little expense. If, how- ever, there is no immediate need for these to be filled, a different plan may be followed and while nature made the gully she can also be in- duced to fill it with a little help from man. ; ’The gully produced by a waterfall is one of the hardest to fill since the joned Field. not an expensive precess to protect and improve these soils, but it be- comes relatively more expensive as time goes on, because the people will be less able to do it. -Sad, indeed is the prospect before s and girls of these 1: only in- heritance is ide farm. RECEIVING MILK AT THE CREAMERY | By C. A. Larson, Iowa Agricult- ural Ccllege. irymen the term receiv- mited to simply pour- out of the patron’s can into t tank, recording the numb of milk, and then o that it can escape ception of receiv. isfied. Any boy c ture judgment or do thi But give the term “receiving of n Ss broad and com- prehensive interpretation we must in- clude first the selection of milk. This can be properly done only when a man’s senses of smell, taste and sight have been cultivated and are made use of, together with the power of obser- vation. How to select milk depends upon the acuteness of the senses, but how to dispose of these different qualities of milk in the most economical way de- pends upon the knowledge the receiver has of the effect of these different de- fects of milk upon the ultimate prod- uct, and also upon the amount of common sense and judgment he is able to consult. Because a can full of milk is sour, if otherwise clean, does not necessarily indicate that it is unfit for the production of a first-class quality of butter; of course it should not be mixed with the sweet milk, as it might coagulate it all or clog up the separa- tors, but if retained until after the sweet milk has been skimmed it might be run through the separator success- fully. However, it is more safe to class it as defective milk and keep it together with the rest of the poor milk in a small vat by itself. Dirty, putrid and bitter milk is the kind of milk that is specially conducive to a poor quality of butter. One can full of such milk if mixed with the rest of the milk may lower the grade of all of the butter made during that day one or even two cents per pound. To keep this poor quality of milk by itself in the receiving vat is of utmost importance, but it is equally important to keep the weight of it by itself on the milk sheet. When a patron de- livers a can of poor milk to the cream- ery he should not receive as much for it as does the man who delivers a first- class quality of milk, for it is an estab- lished fact that as good butter cannot be made from the poorer milk. The quality of milk delivered can be designated on the milk sheet by marking the good milk “A” and the poor quality “B” milk. Thus, at the end of the month each patron can be paid according to the quality of the milk he delivered without much trou- ble to the creamery operator and with justice to the patrons. This is one of the best means of bringing about a reform in the methods of caring for milk or cream on the farm, training can AR Ma