Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, September 12, 1886, Page 9

THE O) AHA DAILY BEE: ' |THE' FIRE DEPARTNENT, |Sshediorst; ot s saadonchy i assistance of electricity. The current, which it turned on at the box from which | NDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1886.—TWELVE PAGE 9 1f you ean got | and elsewhers, with an exrthquake inthe calenlate back | Island of Malta you will find | On the 27th, the moon was 1n_conjunc storms in hie- | tion with Mercary and Venue. The same AN ENCLISH CHARLEY ROSS becomes the ‘new moon weather records, or THE CAUSE OF EARTIQUARES | i5ctos S5 o | | some of the worst known | urgency of the occasion, and with tir one supplying the motive and the or the streets ar surfnoe an AW ese guiding power, the o Diw on of the Planets CIARLESTON the Pos THE DISASTER. Ancient and Modern Upheavals, Elecs trical Clonds and Other Phe- nomena — Biblical and Scientific Citations. Vryitlen f To muke ft is best When it cannot be Hence if we s we, mean it is near the sun lion, fur from the If the perigee, it is near the eart far from the carth. If a planet is in con juaetion, it is near another viewed from the earth; if in opposition, the earth is between it and the sun. An in- ferior planet is one inside of the orbit of the earth, and if it is in superior con Junetion, it is beyond and near the sun 1f it is in inferior conjunction it is near the emrth aud the sun, inside of the orbit of the earth. When God said when 1 Inid the foundutions of the eartht?’* * ¥ “When the morning stars sang together,” * * * the pa- trinreh vould not answer. Or it rends in Genesis: “‘In the be- ginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Like the patriarch, scientific men have stumbled, and no iutelligent interpretation hns ever been given ,Or when the Deity, referring to a later period of the earth's existence cor responding to the sccond verse of Gene- sis, asked Job: Or who shut up the sea with doors when it brake forth, as if it had issucd out of thewombt” “When I made the cloud the garment thereof, aud thick durkness n swaddling band for it,” be was still unable to reply. Or aguin, a8 Genesis reads in the New Revision: ‘“‘And the earth was waste and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Eminent divines have assured us the scriptures do not teach science, yet they teem with it, und scientitic men have confused us b declarmg this period covered ages of ui told years. Huxley has said no one be- lieves a cataclysm (deluge) destroyed all existence on the earth, sithough this pas- sage of scripture and marine fossils on the mountains flutly contradict him An interpretation of Job and Genesis aceording to the vrinciples of common sense will bring light out of durkne and make these vague passages clear The phrase *‘The morning stars sang to- ther” expresses nothing. It is poetic Iton, also poetic in writing, “‘The { anets in their station listening stood,” spressed a natural fact, but did not grasp the full meaning of the sacred writ If we interpret the pas 2 a8 “When the moving stars stood together, we are fage 10 face with a natursl luw— the heavenly bodies, or a number of them in conjunction, und they through their magnetic influence acting upon the ¢irth, foreing it into an orbit of its own, just as comets, suppossbly of a different Substance, and movements are held in closed orbits by the great planets of the golar systent. "Whether the earth was a “nebula,’ claimed by Laplace, or a “meteoric ag- grogation,’’ as affirmed by Proctor, can- not be nccurately determined, but the inference is, it is composed of both, the meteor dust in past ages, as well as now, mingling with the gases until the crust was formed, separating the gases inside from ‘those outside of the crust (those outside gradualiy becoming clear), until the atmospere and the land were formed, while the rotary motion of the earth made it a hollow sphere, flattened at the poles. Such being the case, the atmos- phere, the land and water, and the inter- nal gases of the earth, necessarily abound in tfit‘ same materials, all subject 2o the natural law of gravitation, or magnetic attraetion of the heavenly bodies. If then, in obedience to this divine law, the heavenly bodies forced the earth into its orbit (it must have been lighter then than now), u& it became cooler and heavier, we must believe they still exert their influ- ence upon us, whether under the guise of the sun or a planet, as in the case of the tides of the ocean. Jonceding this, we are able to see that at sundry times this has been disustrous 10 the earth, bence the Almighty’s ques- tions to Job, to which he did not reply— the original creation of the earth, and the subsequent cataclysm wherein earthly life was destroyed prior to the advent of man. By putting the passages togetner, us we understand them, the whole thing becomes un easily comprehended demon- stration, thus: “Where wast thou when I laid the foundntions of the eartht” “When the moving stars stood to- gether.™ “In the beginning God created the hesven (the atmosphere) and the earth.” Now come to the later period, when the attractive power of tne heavenly bodies, the sun and moon especially, upon the earth was wuukeneJ, 50 the waters of the sen could have receded from the equator und covered the land, then substitute the word “‘wind” for “gpirit” (the Hebrew word mesns both), und soe how the passages read: ““Who shut up the sea with doors when it brake forth, us if it had issued out of the womb?" | “When 1 made the clond the garment thereof, und thick darkness u swaddling band for it.” ‘*And the earth was desolate and unin- hatited, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the wind of God moved upon the face of the waters.”’ Doesu’t this show two things—a cata clysm, destroying all existence on the earth, and, subsequently, a great tem that drove away the cloud hanging like Lm!l over the sens—one evidontly caused v the Joss of the attractive power of the i and the moon upon the waters, prob- ably resulting frow ali the planets being on the oppo: side of the sun; and the other, the restoration of their attractive pawer, by which the tempest arose, dis- persed the cloud and Jet the sun and moon draw up the waters and hold them at the equator, . The firmament was also cre- sted, or restored, by which the atmos- phere absorbed its particles of water, 5"1:5: the blue skies above us and the aylight, In this connection is another common error--the creation of light. h is generally understco! that when God sid, “Let there be light, and there was hFln," that Genesis refers to the creati of universal light, but light is not uni versal; if it was, there would be no shadow or durkness. Such is not the reading of the text. It says God ealled tho Jdight; day, and the darkness, nignt, showing that after the dispersion of the elond and the creation of J’.Z firmament, the disrnal motion of the earth from that period to the present has giv and night snogessively. Gonesis cannot refer to the ereation of universal we have the demorstration one natural law sull existing. It will mw::wnmmdfimume that she sights of the sun, the stars were all vistble in y. Turn to any work on astrenomy and you will find the woon is invisible two days before it passes the sun, und remauins so until the second day after it done ¥ Venue is in sur “Where nces and Violent Btorms | te { been subject | know they are, by the wast thou | A ¥ were those occurring about the time he new mo or two & before e Jast winter, on D) January 8 and 4, over the of the r al not ne is of ke a !" soine ),000 cubic isw From ‘‘the beginning™ the th has to the magnetic altraction of the heavenly bodies (I use magnctic and eiectric ay cne), and the universe jtself is electric or nungnetic, one purt Ling on the othe So closely identitind with euch other are the heavenly bodies what affects one must aflect the other, Lence we have the universe full of life, electric and all in motion. Now it these bodies are so counected, s we discovery of Nep- tune, by Adams and Leverrier, as 1o dis. turd each other, it foliows they must disturb not only the solids, but the fluids, On the earth we have the land as a solid, and the atmosphere us a fluid. As to the atmosphere, being the lightest, it is first affected, und heat, cold, hail, rain, snow, the tornado, the cyclone, and the hurri cane follow. If the disturbance is vio. lent or strong, the crust of the e affected, apd we have the earthq and, frequentiy with the storm | ricane and the exrthquake combi Knowing these things to be true, and acknowledging the magnetic attraction of the heavenly bodies, When two or more are moving in their orbits around the sun, if a third comes vetween, it fol lows ench will be disturbed or shocked, more or less. An illustration of this is in the fact of two telegraph operators sitting ciose (o gether and working the “circuit Let some one eonnect an extra battery of great power 1o the wire. Will the opera- tors be disturbed? If not, why do they object to sending messages during a thunderstorm? Decause they know the danger from the lightning. This is what is happening in our solur system every month. As the earth and the planets ré volve around the sun, the moon revolves around the earth, constantly disturbing the magnetic currents between the earth and other members of the solar sysiem, and also disturbing the atmosphere and the tides. In this we see a beautiful law of the Creutor, causing constant move- ment in the atinosphere and the ocean, to keep them pure, to preserve our lives and contribute to the happiness of the human race. But the moon is not alone in the work—all the planets contribute to this resuit When we know nomena, dreadful us they instruments to cleanse from plague, vestilence will_devote more vossible, prepare for cen be avoided, or ut least avoid the ruin that ensues. To do this we must study the celestial phenomens, and watch the correspondin effects on_ the earth, whether loeal or general. Then by com bining them as taught by astronomy connection with those of meteorology, we have the old neglected, but beautitu cience of astro-meteorology. possesse: by the ancients in a remarkuble degree, revealing the beneficence of the Creator in his love for us and all mankind, To sliew that the solar system is mag- netic, let me say, recent announcements of the discoveries of the spectrum de- clare the zodiacal lights, a comet’s tail, and the aurors borealis are all electric As to the magnetism of the latter, we have Carrington’s discovery of the sun giving magnetism to the carth. He saw a bright spot on the sun, at the same in- stant the magnetic needle at Kew was violently aflected, and that night the heavens were bluzing in the beauty of the aurora borealis. After describing some of the features of this phenomenz, Pro- fessor Proctor says legraphic com- munication was interropted, und, in some ases, telegraphic offices were sct on fire, and the whole frame of the carth scemed to thrili responsively to the disturbance which had affected the great central Juminary of the solar system, *he reader secs that there 1s & bond of sympathy between our earth and the sun; that no disturbance cun effect the solay photosphere without affecting our earth to u greater orless degree. [Froctor knows that Jupiter affects the solur pho- tosphere- then why shouldn’t he aflect our atmosphere, if he can disturb so large a body asthe sun¥] But if our earth, then also the other pianets. Mer- cury und Venus, 50 much nearer the sun than we are, surely respond even m ewiftly and more distinctly to the solar maguetic influence. “‘But beyond our carth, and beyond the orbit of moonless(¥) Murs (it has two moons), the maguetic impulses speed with the veloeity of 1] (the velocity is much greater than that of light). The vast globe of Jupiter is thrilled from pole to pole as the magnetic wave rolls in upon 1t; then Saturn fecls the shock, and then the vast distances beyond which lie Uranns and Neptune are swept by the e\‘er»lcnseniu‘;. yet ever- widening, disturbance wave.’ Apparently corroborating the passage in Job about the creution of the earth and the ‘‘morring stars,” he continues: “Meteoric and cometic systems have been visited by the great magunetic wave, and npon the dispersed members of the one and the subtle structure of the other effects even more important have been produced than those striking phenomens which characterize the progress of the terrestizd or plunetary magnetic storms. When remember that what 1s true of a relatively greater solar disturbance, is true also (however dificrent in degree) of the magnetic influences which the sun 15 &1 every instant exerting, we see thata new(?¥) and most important bond of unmon exists between the members of the solur family.” In spenking of the ancients he say ‘hat the partial destructions of the earth, whether by flood or fire (as they believed), were associated with the move- ments of the heavenly bodics, is evident from the fact that wherever we meet with that all these phe. ¢, are but the the air and sea and fumine, we time to study, and, if and avord such’ as | these idens, whether in Egyptian, Assyr- wn, Indinu or Chinese records, direct reference is aiways made to the conjune- tion of the plancts, the positon of the sun and moon, and oceasionally to the apparition of comets aond the fall of mwetsoric bodies.'" And of the great Chinese flood he says 'he flood began at equinox. The sKi rained meteoric showers of iron of extra- ordinary duration. Soms portions of the country remained under water several yoars, until B, C. 2288 when canals or- dered to be cut by thé Emperor Fa Yu couveyed to the sea immense bodies of water) # w # With the weigint of this eminest au- thority let us turn to the celestinl phe- nomena and their terrestia! results pre- vailing iu Angust. Darl the month the earth passed the metorie belts, xnd we of the the thickened, hazy atmos- vhere, and the blood-red appearsnce of the setting sun, always prevaleut ai this conjunction with the sun. W, p, that hln-'\n‘ Sunday, fellowed by the “oold wave" from the north, with storms in Dakota, Wisconsiu, Illincis, Minnesota day there were carthg olina, Greece, Egspt loss of 300 lives 1 Gree On the 2 the m nd in was ¢ severe kes in South Car 1 Italy, with the rigec new with a cago udy i " Lia thunder lightning exploding the powder ma On the m with the new moot uir, caused by a the sea underminiug ting it sink to a lower secmus to b [ Fra leston was a local land -slide—t is the lund and ) level, which trouble with ocensions On September 1 continued in the and, as will be scen positions) of the st the signe of cleetrie excitement of the earthquake is found in ti that on that day orm vauled in all of the e ates, show ing it to be lestinl, and not terrestis intluences that wrought the disturban. and they were magne These condi tions ure pu they have not al ready passed and it will te millions of dollurs v restore thé city of Charleston to its ity Back in 1883 ¢ quakes” were nu merous, but want of spuce forbids their mention. Two of the most notable were in July and August. Julv 20 the moon was in conjunction with Saturn and Mars, with Mercury in superior conjunction with the sun. = On the night of the 28th the island ot lsebis cd by a severe earthquake, fol lowed by a storm on the suceeeding duy On the 2uth it rained all duy and mgh! Omaha August 25 and stroyed by the gr 25th the moon San the unfort city, by the iemeris Krakatoa was de- at earthquake. On the was again in conjunction with rn. On the same it cloudy at Omahe October 19, the moon was once more i conjunction with urn, and Jupite with Mars. lee formed one-fourth o1 u inch thick at Omabka. A no st gale prevailed on the lakes ut midnight of the 19th and 20th, witn the wind blow- ing at the rute of fifty miles an hour. The Atlantic was swept by a FYour fect of snow tell in Colc ‘here was an earthquake at Bermudu, and one at Gib. raltar about midnight of the 1uth and at2a. m. of the 20th. But why enumerate when the records show the intimate counection between celestial and terrestial phenomen Those prevailing at the earthquake at Lisbon show an equally exciting condi- tion of the solar systém. Spewking of this earthquake a w says of thunder was heard und immediately a vio the greate rt of the city. utes 60,000 § us perished.” They hud collected for s ¥ upon a new marole quay. It sunk suddenly the sea, and not one of the dead hodies ever floated to the s ce. A whirlpool and great numbers of small boats and vessels were swallowed up and never ind. The water is now 600 feet deep. The earthquuke extended {rom the E sea to the \1\\;4 Indies, and from ( to Algiers. The earth spened and swa lowed u village of 10,000 inhabitants on the same day. But while we are looking upon these monsters of the earth, let us see what was dove iu the air by another branch of this meteorological family—electric ciou Dr. Dick says: “In the year brigit cloud was observed ut midnight to cover & mountain in the island of Java, which emitted flames of fire so luminous that the night became as clear as day. It destroyed everything for twenty miles around, buildings were demolished, plan- tations buried in the earth, 15,000 cattle, a vast number of borses and other animal; and above 2,000 human beings.’ Of another he says: “On the 20th of October, 1757, in the island of Malta, Little after midnight, a great black cloud appeared, which chunged its color as it approached the city until it became like a flame of fire, mixed with black smoke, and 8 dreadful noise heard ou its approach. It tore uan nglish ship to mece ud carried the masts, sails and cordage 1o a great distance. Small boats in its course were broken to pioces and sunk. lu passing through the city 1t laid in ruins everything that laid in its way, houses were leveled with the ground, the roofs of churches were demolisbed; not one steeple was left in its passage, and the bells, together with the spires, were carried to a distance.” Nearly 200 people lost their lives.” This must hive been a tornado, and its electric features are at onge apparent. You ask why these phenomenu are so frequent near the torrid zonet Because the heat is greater, and possibly the crust of the earth may be thinner near the of the continents of Europe and America. None can doubt thus as to the islands, becsuse in such places earth- quakes are aiwsyve more destructive. Is the earth 1 danger from earthquakes® The earth is inflammable and explosive enough to blow it to piec A little in- creuse in the guantity of oxygen is suffi- aent for the purpose. An eloctric shock might disarrange the oxygen in the stmosphere, and without increasing the quantity, by sinking it 1o the surface of the earth, everything would melt with heat, we need not fear for the {rrencm The earth is in thé hands of the ‘reator, and He has given us to under- stand that certain prophecies are to be fulfilled in the centuries to come before tue {inul catastrophe which is to wind up the world and its affuirs, Then future geuerations muy look “for great earth- quukes in divers places, and famines and postilence, und fearful sights and great signs from heaven, when the earth shull remove out of her place (orbit), and reel to and fro like a drunkurd, when it shall be utterly broken down and clean dis- solved. 'his indicates that the earth- quake, caused by magunetic attraction, will explode whe crust of the earth, wheu the mnternal guses set loose will fire the atmosphere and roll it away as a seroll, reducing the earth once more 1o a gaseous mass, with its framework broken down and clean dissolved, unfit for the habita- tion of a siugle regenerate human soul— o fit sbode for Satun and his legions, who are 1o be cast therein forever. E. ¥. Tasr. st Got a Mix, Wall Street News: A Cleveland church deacon who had & fow thousand dollars to spare was advised by a friend to invest it in 0il. 1he deacon held off for a while, arguing that it was fiying in the face of the Lord to enter into speculation, but he finally put up $4,000 and in & few weeks came out winner by over a thousand. “Well, lFuun you have changed your mind about speculation,” remarked the friend as he met him. “Y-e-s, somewhat,” was the reply. “I've kinder come 10 believe thut the Lord s got me and Descon Sputh mixed up, for Smith went into wheat and dropgsd" fificen bundred delliis in a —_— Dizziness, nsuses, drowsi. sss aud d tress afier eatiog can be cured and pre- veuted by taking Dr J. H. McLean’s Liver and Kiduey Pillets, ground, and 1n six min- | is confined to the fact ti | the | ing all due huste tor | neighborbood | there is a great des | sought by others to whom it woukl be of | exceeding intercest | of No. 8, on Harney street | ciously, and yet appe | nay, | Lief th sound | nt shock threw down | | beside which stood k spective started on & run to the fire. glance, by & comparison of the harness 10 harness & '“‘"‘-i‘%v S et Sy vy iy e ready, the driverin hisseat p & cord, dropped gy Ite D:velopment and Improvement in Re cent Yoears. A VISIT TO AN ENGINE HOUSE €nug Quarters for the Firemen—How an Alarm is Bespondad to—A Lightning Piece of wor for the Omaha Sunday ) arm of the municip. n recent hus evelopment and im re depurfment, ( ket Lrigade and a am engine, it bas ¢ tion to e the nd enuable its ulmost Jus attendince upon them ce the oldest settler Joc inity, he has seen the bucket brigade, the hand-engine, the volunteer fireman, file into the memory of the past, while their piaces have been filled by the steam. crs, the water system, and the pud men of 1 The average citizen's knowl THE FIRE < \ing of nate a in progress, and a hook and Iadder , the latter are mak ach the endangered Behind these, however, which is not always rious, and yet mot fire-bell is sup locality where a fire 1s when, a moment later or hose cart rushes b sped by the e Not many nights ag torrents, and 1 was § ter , the rain fell in reed 10 lake shel- THF ENGINE HOUSE It was well advanced toward midnight. The men had gone to bed. There was no life on the ground foor, of all who belonged to the place save what appeared in the norses, two of whoth stood on either side of the 't a short distunce from the door. Euch of these looked at me suspi- i hoth | iterestéd in the unmvited stood upon a bed of fresh which deadened their oc stamping. At times their heads dropp Jow, 80 low, in fact, as to destroy the b liey could possibly b any moment wight be ugh the streets of the €] Between them stood the hose cu its red and gold, with its re wttachod beneath the dash- rom the ceiling in front and on either side of the pole were two sets of harne To the right of the cart a flight of stairs led to the second story, und near by a highly polished per- peniticular by pde ” disappeared ins spacious opening in the ceiling. Two s of gus burned behind the horses, dis- closing a second team, stulled as those upove referred to; the long hook and lad- der with the harness of its horses hung like that of the animals of the cart: and further along, near the rear door, a sn.all, subst uly puilt wagon, also in red, horse. The , and the nimal used to which fly thr last vehicle is the ehicf lust mentioned horse the him to every fir nted the stairs to the second floor. oom was darker thun that of the fioor below. 1t svas just as quiet also, suve at intervals, Whes the deep breath: inz of some one told the tale of the dor- mitory. Although 1had walked up with- out noise, 1 was met atthe ianding by EERQ,’ the guardian cunine of the place. He looked as if the sufety of the institution had been committed to him, and gazed at me as if he expeeted, without asking, to be informed of the object of my intru- sion. A few pats upon the head Jed him to feel that perhaps i w. privileged customer, and he immediately withdrew toa corner in which, without rudely watch- ing his guest, he might yet be conscious of ull my movements. In the dim light, I discovered about fifteen beds, stretched beside the walls, some turned north and south, others east and west, and otbers still obliquely to the wall. 1t seemed as if each occupant had a fancy of his own to sfy. At the foot of each bed stood a erude looking bundle, which on closer inspection resolved itself into a pair of boots, around the calf of which 4 pair of pants had been placed. Nearly all the beds were oceupied, and every occupant seemed to sleep as soundly us if he were a perfect_embodi- ment of the ideal of th just. ‘here was a heartiness in their slumber which caused me to marvel how much effort would be required on their part to return from the | lund of dreams, becnuse some of themy doubtless, were'in that fairy realm. Here, 1 fancied, was one who, perhaps, had just rescucd a deserted buby in a burning building, and returned it to the agonized mother; a second, & young man whose thoughts had just commenced, perhaps. 1o awell on love, was descending aladder from a blazing structure, bearing in his arms the Limp form of a senseless maiden another was in the heat and the excite- ment of. the drive through the crowded street, directing, n a serpentine track, through thronging vehicles, the galloping horses, going like the wind, and the cynosure of every eve and the admiru- tion of every youth. The thoughts of some were doubtiess upon less romantic subjocts, and these I did not attempt to divine. As 1 reached the end of the apartment, the rain outside commenced to fall with redoubled violence. Against the low roof every drop seemed to fall with a distinet- ness which an expert accountant might have enumerated. At several places the roof had worn out, and the elmental fury was vistble in rtreams of water upon the floor. Some of these led by a room on the Jeft in which the battery jars of the fire-alurm tel ph wre stored, and wound around the hede in the ceiling, be- fore mentioned, up twongh which came the brass pole refemred to. There were two of these apertures and poles, one in either end of the room 1 was about to retarn to the lower floor when 1 looked at the dial. It was 1 o'clock. That instamt, the horses below seemed in unison 40 stamp the hodow floor, and the isg mingled with the riming and bodingsounds of the elec tric -,v-uqrv beneath and the heavy bell ahove. The first stupke, nay, not” even the intimution of thestroke, if such there be when & sound is beard, had passed, when, iu those fifteen Deds took place AN ERUPTIVE UPHEAVAL. Fifteen Jdead mem seemed suddenly gulvanized into life. Fifteen bed covers went wherever they chose, and fifteen men, clad in uaderclothes rolled out of bed, jumped into their waiting hoots, drew up their pantaloons and snapped them at the waist. They were dressed for the fire. Not & word was said. Some ran to one pole, some to another, and ail, like the demon in the pantowmime, disap- pesred beneath. The act was instanta- veous. The effect was nlmost bewilder- ing, and imsty y 1 grasped the nesrest vole, and, following their exam- E_l;, descended to the floor. The men had itehed the borses and were on their re- apparatus, and the latter had Isaw at a #8 it had bung and mals, thut but feur encased the ani- " were required hat that could be everything was Lhe cross rope, aud the teams | hoids then | men eased in rubber in this | ghaugh 1 had to scramble to get upon the | upon | if to see | itsowner's the alarm is sent, rings the gongs in every | engine house of the city, at the same tine Joosens and horses, places the fastenings of the them _to their it a little tricky worked by the same agency iim forward. The and when the men dy to be b t opens the doo hem as spring n and 1 whi uratus runs out The rain wa ng, and when the t and hook nd n rolled o from the time of the alarm mds had not € of e, fifteen men had been yused from sicep, dressed, traveled fifty feet, harnessed four horses, and with cves and faculties alert, we n tneir way to de work wlich required in teltigende, discretion and bravery Down enme the rain. but it fell upon 1 did not resist the them, and reach them roessed same cu atrhes temptation to ompRny vehicle such dex terity, 1 rode to the tire soul was the strects. The r had driven even the Joiterers within, and in some of the streets of the western ills the gut ters, swollen with the down-pou like mountain torrents, Now and then, in pussing a house in which a light glim mered through a window, aeurtain would be drawn and a sleepy head look forth, as whether dest 1 threatenes bode. No o Aping i watched the dashof the apparatusthrough the storm, of Cimmerian darkness, momentarily dispelled by ominous flashes of lightning. At length, after a ride of about half a mile, o fluming cottage, ited by the lightning, is reached, s und men are drenched, and as the flames break through the roof of the structure, the directed stream of the hose anticipates the torrents of heaven in their extipgaishment. The fire is out A single tap of the bell announces the fact, and llu‘ upparatus retarus 1o the house. THERE ARE SIX COMPANIES connected with the f department of this city, ench of which would consider it tion to be suspected of not bein, able to do what has been above detail Lf It is the bonst of every one of them t they can, in response to an alarm, t night and during the day, be on the sireet before the first < ceased striking the numbers of the box. There is nobody to deny the fact, beewuse it is exemplific a hundred times during the year. The ambition to excel is strongly’ rooted in the members, and may eventually result in a contest which shail determine to which company the palm of excellence belo The members of these companies are as follows: No. 1, Twentieth and Izard Lon Cassidy, captain; M. Carter, driver; Delos Beard and James Conuliy, pipe men. In about twenty days this com- pany will move into the new brick engine fiouse on_Saunders street, near Cuming. No Tenth street. Ted Grebe, o tain; Samuel Crowley, driv Patric Noonan and Al. Rippey, pipemen. No. 8, Harney and Thirteenth streets William Webb, captain; Frank Gruu driver; George Windheim, John Wil- i Jolin Simpson, pipemen and Doreas. Joseph r: W. Red- field, pip an. he apparatus at this plage consists of a one-horse cart. No. 5, Phil Sheridan avenue near Le: enwort| Geo; in; V linm is, driver: Morris kleson, driver of hose curt; John Anderson, stoker. At this house is 2 steam fire- ergine and hose cart, the engine being needed becanse of theinsufficiency of the water supply in that part of the city. Hook and lndder— T'homas Ruanc, cap- tain; James O'Brien,-driver; John Stein- art, Henry Loges, J. C. Ferris, James Delaney, laddermen. The department has, as is generally known, recently passed under tie direc- tion of ief Galligan. This gentleman 18 ptobably as well known as any man in Omaha. There bave been few firesin the last eight years at which he has not been present, though in but a subordinate po- sition. His recent conuection with the force dates from a period shortly anterior to the memorable destruction of the Grand Central hotel. The lamentable fatality of that night will long remuain in the minds of Omahans who resided her at that time. It aroused not alone the sympathy of the people, bat caused them to open their eyes to the n sity of re- rgenizing the fire department, so that it might eventually become a means of pro- tection to both life and prope As n result of the tation, Gatligan was placed at the head of the department in the head took place agiin. An inte regnum lastung for several ye fol- lowed, and agmn Galligan became con- nected with the departme: As assistant Ch Builer, his work was hoth thorongh and effective. Now at the head of the department, r«rr sted by his men and capable of readily inspiring all of them with the energy and daring of which he himsclf is possessed, there 1s little doubt but the magnificent work of the department of late yi i greatly improved. is ocertainly not amisé to testify to the esteem in which the department is keld by the people. As its apparatus rolls along the streets with the velocity of the wind, the average Omahan fails to resist the temptation to stand impressed al- ways with admiration and frequently with awe. At the fire, commendation of the work is freely expressed, and it 1s not an unusual boast to be heard indulged that “Omahba hus the best fire department of its size in the country.” How wellde- served 80 ever may be this laudation, the fact is that this city has certainly had sufficient reason to place its confidence in its fire department. It is truc that since its reorganization the force hus not been ealled upon to do duty in & six-story block, almost beyond the reach of water. What it would do, or how successfully it wouid combat the flames in such an event, may not be foretold. This muech may be said, however, the force would be on hand in less than three minutes after the alarm, and its chief would direct his support 1o the place of inception. Should such an emergency oceur, and the flumes puss beyond their control, it would in no wise be different, except in favor of our men, from sim oceurrences, in Chi- cago, for instance, where one oflice build- ing was completely destroyed, though deluged with the water of thirty engimes Mr. Galligan's assistant is C 1 Sulter, who 1s ulso electrician of the de E“"‘““'“" His second ussistant isJ. J arnes. The wages per month of the diffcrent grades arc as follows: Driver, $70; cap- tuin, §75; socond sassistant chie first assistant chief, §100; chicf, §1° The men are on duty nearly all the time. Occasionally they are allowed a few hours off, bat if a fire oceurs during that time they are expected to atienc As u rule, they are light drinkers. They are a hardy, healthy, good natured body of men, as devoted to their business and as proud of it as if it were distinction to be engaged in it. Many of them ure tradesmen, and under Butler'’s menage- ment have bult seversl of the engine houses mow in town. They are all re- quired to sieep in the engine bouses, and are thus enabled to make the response 1o alwrms above described. The single ex eeption to this rule is the chief. He sleeps at home on Eleventh street, near Harney. The alarnt that arouses the men also awakes him trom hus slumbers His cart is hitched by his driver, Blake, und is driven 1o the chief's house, where Mr, Gulligun is in waiting 10 be driven to the fire. His horse and driver are famil iar festures. Botb scewm to reslize Ui mounted with they Not | rapidity | woene of the | the rest E. A a whip | horses rush to | chief's | | making a tower of Babel roared | | nges 1o | cover the | be, glided over with sometimes wonderful to con When the chief reaches the fire well template O Brres - Paris' Tall Towe: London Times’ ¢ I now the 1gh on the human fol taste, & & tower not wuch less than 1,000 foet of me e printed black, 1 sy unless red is chosen as the color, which wowld be most in keeping with the taste of the dominant demagogy. The tower is to rest, or to I O TEst, 0N Enormous urches 164 feet wide, under which will ss the entrance to the interior of the exhibition. What is the promiety of the portal to an 1 am quite sure that in the come there will be antiquaries who will go mad in attempting to dis wical connection between overgrown tower, the exhibition of the industrial, com reinl, and artistic pro. wh exhibition? | ducts of the globe, and the celebration of a political anuiversary. Up to the present moment 1 have not met one ntelligent and thonghtful Frenchman who has been able to give me any justitication of this concepty d it is clear that no one but the engineer who formed the idea can supply an exy ation. But he is the only person fron whom 1 should like to usk one. A man who proposes to erect an immense tower which will cost five millions of francs on the occasion ot an exhibition, however absurd the idea may or muy uppear, will have, if he ucls honestly, a thousand good reasons to give in justilication of his personal preference for this ides, and he is the only one who cannot be blamed for it, however stupid it may Aappear to those who are not in possession _of his reasons for finding it good. But this engineer expected, 1 positively know of no one who does not feel humiliated by the fact t in Fravce in the year 18%9 u proposal is made to invite the whole world to come und see an exhibi tion which is to have at its entrance this monstr display of bad taste, which cannot be justified on any scientific, ar- tistic. or industrial grouad. It cannot even be considered as giving evidence of the ability of French engineers, for there isnot a countryin the civilized world where a hundred engineers could not be found capable of solving the easy prob- Jews involved in the work. The fact is that this tower is a piece of downright stupidity. 1t will shock eves eye, interoept views, destroy the efleets of perspective, thrust its hopelessly monotonous lines before every one who tries to obtain some idea of the general eflect of the exhibition. It threatens to bring ridicule upon the whole undertuk- ing. There is something very strange in thut kind of indifference which seems to hold of everybody in France when ey should say what they think sabout matters of public interest. 1 have not met, 1 rej one man capable of propouncing an opinion on the subjest, and «-nnuu(rw do so, who_ has not ad- mitted that he was violently opposed to this stupid iden und I believe it would be 2 disgrace to the exhibition. 1 have spo- cen on the subject engineers, hitects, and soldiers, to persons of all , and not one bave 1 met who has wroved the unhappy idea. With the exception of a few journalists who belong to the opposition, and who are forthwith accused of having a bias, nobody hus protested against this idiotic and ugly tower, which will distress Paris and all who visit it fe nths cthe e A REBEL SPY. A Southern Woman Who Braved All Dangers for Her Lover. Boston Budget: Prominent among the female spies who gave the federal gov- ernment u great deal of trouble was a woman numed Baxley. She crossed the Potomac from Maryland in u skiff rowed by negroes, and made her way te Rich- mond with many valuable articles about her person. Then she came from Rich- mond to Fortress Monroe under fiag of truce, and was not discovered to be a spy until the boat was about landing L sengers at Baltimore. Mrs. Baxley appeared gay on the passage, and at breakfast » Mr. Bingham asked b jocosely whether she was a secessionis 1o which she answered *'Yes.”” The boat having landed, Mrs. Baxley was heard to “she thanked God that she rived home safe,” and, when about stepping sshore, Mr. Bingham requested her attendance in the ladies’ eabin. As soon 86 the room was reached she took off her bonnet, between the lin- ing of which were found fifty letters sewed in, when she exelaimed that, hav- ing beeb found out, she found it best to deliver over the *‘contrabands,” and be allowed to go. Mr. Bingham insisted on it that she had others, when in ber shoes and stocking other letters were found. The lady was thereupon guarded until the marshal sent a Jady to examine Mrs. Baxley. Almost every possible place about her clothing was filled with letters to the symubuathizers in Baltimore, but in her corsets was found adocument, when taken by the lndy examining, Mrs. Bax- ley, rushed at her, and, getting hold of paver, tore it in two. The lady exanm- iner rushed at Mrs. Baxley. at the same time calling sssistance. Mr. Binghum, who stook outside while the operation was going on, rushed into the suloon and found Mrs. Baxley horse du com- bat, but vanguished, and the document, though torn, iu the possession of the mar- ghal's nid. The document wasa commis- sion from Jeff Davis to a Dr. Septimus Browan of Baltimore: also directions for him oo run the federnl blovkade. The other documents in the keeping of this female smuggler proved to be a treasonn ble corvespondence. Dr. Brown was im- mediately taken prisoser and sent to Fort McHeury, Mrs. Baxley was tak toa hotel. While Jocked in her room ehe dropped s note out of her window addr d to her lover (the rebel doctor) imploring him for God's sake to fly, as ull 'was discovered. - She was now guite dishesrtened, and d she had braved all dangers for th of her lover, an when on the point of having sccom plished all her cherished desires the cup of happiness was dasted from ber lips, 1t scemed to be her darling desire to get ber lover into the rebol army. She hada d detailing the prices of ious arti- cles of necessity Richmond, and a memorandum of her having kissed the hand of President 1 A Negro Waiter's Rise. Baltimore American: Au unusual oc- currence in the departments here is the steady and rapid rise of & young colored man who entered the secretary’s office in the interior department s messenger some years ago, and yesterdsy reached a rd-class clerkship at §1,200 per annum, ‘e young fellow, whose name is William H. Gaines, was tormerly a waiter and porter in the employ of Jumes Wormiey. The latter took u great interest in Gaines and through his influence with public men succesdod in getling him a messen gership iu the interior department. The young fellow was geaious and studious, and applied himself to learuug the nse of the typewriter so thor hly he was mude a copyist at 0 per year Frow this last position he has just boen romoted to a ‘l.” clerkship, evervbody knows | SEVEN | dom heardeof by The Btory of Willie Allbright, Who was Kidnapped from Sheffield. YEARS FROM HOME, Traveling Around the World with & Circas, He s Discovered at dar Rapids, lowa An Interesting Story. ¢ nothing new in the plot of ¢ te villisns who sought to ex- 1 money from Mr. Ross by stealing his n C . The kianapping of chil- dren for the sake of gain or revenge has been practiced for hundreds of years. T'here are t this coun- try a s rley Ross cases, but as the parents are not rich and promi- nent, and the search aided by legistative action and the united press, they are sel- at p Ailbright, an Eng- sirange adventures. Sheficld with his parents His futher was factory there, and his mother was a dressmaker for the neighborhood. They lived in & cottage in the suburbs of the town, and at the age of four the boy was permitted to run! about the neigh nl’hum{ a good deal. At five. when he was kidunpped, he was sent 1o the stores to make purchasesy and knew all the streets clear to% the factory in hich his father, worked. One day in 1861, about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, he wus sent to a store’ three blocks away after some buttons.d Before he reached it a strange man ne-’ costed him and asked his name. Hethen$ gave Willic some sweetments, and asked® him to go 1nd Jook at & Punch and Judy, sbow in the town, promising to return’ with him in a half hour. The boy eagerly. set off with him, and was taken to thel railroad depot and placed on a train ln: charge of & nnudf«nm-u woman, who' gave him more sweetments and was ver kindly spoken. She said the show hai moved away and they were poing after it, and the novelty of the child's position wevented him from feeling any anxiety. When the detectives came to take the case up, as they did two days after the boy’s disappearance, they got no clue whatever. Although he had walked a mile or two hund 1n hand with the abdue- r, along crowded streets, nobody re- membered seeing the pair. They had gone openly to the railroad station, but no one there had noticed them. The rd on the train dimly remembered a n and child 1n a compartment, but could give no (lri('r;yn(m As the All- brights were poor and lowly no great stir was created, and no greit eflort was made by the detectives to restore the boy to his parents. 'J'nvfi was taken from Sheffield to Liv being so well trested on the way that he had no thought of his home. At Liverpool he was told that his name was John Munton, and that the womun was hig mothe When he disputed the point he was soundly whipped. His hair was cut close, his dress entirely changed, and a liquid wus rubbed on his skin which turned it dark. Except when he asked to o home, or demied that his name was John Manton, he was kindly treated, and after he had been beaten seven or eight times, he accepted the new name, and ceased to refer to his parents. Young as e was this was a stroke of policy 0. his part. He realized that he had been stolen rom home, and he kept repeating to him- self that his trne name wus Willie ALl bright, and thet he lived at Sheffield. After a couple of weeks lessons mn tumbling and tight-rope walking were giveu to the boy. ¢ Was never per- mitted to go out alone orto converse with strangers, and it soon came natursl for him to call the woman mother. In the course of 1 couple of months the past seemed a dream to him, and he would have forgotten all about it had he not kept repeating to himself, “I am not Johnny Manton, but Willie Allbright, and they stole me from Sheflield.” He was in Liverpool six weeks before he knew the name of the city. When he had been tanght how to dance, sing, tumble, and walk u tight rope—u matter of three months’ time—he was taken around the country with a small show, which the woman owned in part. The novelty of travel was so agreeable that he almost forgot his situation and was for two or three years quite countent. There was noone 1o teach him how to read or write, but he was quick-witted, and could resson bsyond his years. He had hopes that the] show would some duy reach Sheflield, and be would then slip out and run_home, but the people of course carefully avoided the place. Once, when they re show- ing ut Doncaster, a few miles away, Willie observed & man, whose face had'a familiar look, gazing at him in an earn- €5t mannes nd presently heard him say to u friend: “The laddie keeps me thinking of the child who was stolon away trom neighbor Allbright, but of course it can't be the one The boy was abont to call out that his name was Willie Allbright, when the woman, who always kevt an eagle eyeon him, came closer and intimidated him, The show then hurriedly packed up and jeft the place. The boy now realized more fully thun ever that his right name was Allbright, and that he had been stolen from home, but he also felt his helplessness. He had been told thut if he ever tried to run away wild animals would pursue and devour him, and he was in mortal terror of a bulldog which followed the show. Hetherefore humbly obeyed all orders and made no move 1o ran away. He was about eight years old when he changed masters, being sold for a good round price to & man whe called himself Professor Williams. This man was a ventrilo- quist and juggler, and he took the boy 1o Austrafia with him and gave hall per- formances for a year or s0. They then returned, and made the tour of Scotland and Ireland, and sailed for America. All- bright was about 'n yeurs old when he Tanded in New York.” The professor took the nume of La Pierre, thongh he nchman in Jook or speech.and { for a year. One day, s they 1z n date ut Cedar Rapids, lowa, the boy was sentto the postoffiee with nd a curious thing buppened. Ove of the four boys who had witnessed the performance ihe nigit previons made up to him in a friendly way. and askod s name hnny Manton,” Yes, but that's What is the other?” “Willie Allbri o iet's funny., A fumily named Al- bright live next door to us.” They used 1o five in England.™ - “So did 1."" tell them about you Two hours late man and Lis wife called at the hotel and asked for the boy, and the mother had no sooner set eyes on him than she bougged him to her heart. The father was longer muking up his mind, but he soon came 1o foe! certain tnat John Mauton was Willie Allbright and the boy whe had beeu stolen from him seves or eight years before The parents had been 1n Ame throe years, and had long before given up all hopes of ever hearing from the ehild. The pro- fessor made o great kick, as his bread and butter were as stake, but when he found the people determined to bave Justice done he elippod away i the nigls t lay in bre or more of Ch blie The case of W lish Ind, was fall of He lived at until five years of age employed ina gr was the your reply stage name, ' going to l and wus hoard of 1o more.