The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 30, 1896, Page 6

THE SAN FRANCISOO CALL, MONDAY, MARCH 30, 1896. CHARLES M. SHORTRIDGE, Editor and Propfiilur. « ¥ « unday ily and Sunday £unday CALL, oze ye WEEXLY CALL, one vear, by BUSIN OFFICE: 10 Market Street, San Francisco, California. Felephone.. s Main—1868 1. EDITORIAL ROOMS 517 Clay Stre Felephone. ......ccoovneennie BRANCH OFFICES: 580 Montgomery sireet, corner Clay; open untll 0 o'cloc 30 Hayes street: open until 8:30 o'clock. 718 Larkin street: open until 8:30 o'clock. &W. corner Sixteenth aud Mission streets; open antil 9 o’clock. 2518 M reet 116 Miuth street; ope OAKLAND OFFICE : $08 Broadway. EASTERN OFFICE Rooms 3] and 32, Park v, DAVID M. Main—1874 | | open until 9 o'clock. nntil 9 o'clock. :I)E CALL SPEAKS FOR ALL. rd in the East seeks a worm rd. requires no Roentgen ray to expose ide of Rainey’s politics. and finds a bli It the i 1f Peffer is right a senatorial funeral is another name for a junketing tou on! Even the free-trader is not as bad a foe to home industry as the lottery swindler. Up to date Democratic enthusiasm re- mains barreled up and waiting for a bung- starter. The campaign this year will not bea | struggle for protection, buta general rati- fication of the vle. Cleveland may settle the Cuban ques- tion this week, provided he does not de- ide to take a fishing trip. ilities might get a move on if Keely 1d make his motor work. cou :l'he thing which will make Democracy sweat most this summer will be the effort to drag the tariff out of politics. Gold has never yet relieved a man of the whisky habit half as completely as whisky relieves a fellow of the gold habit. The people will bave an easy way to follow a straight road to honest politics by joining the Republican procession. The festivals will be holidays for the eople, but money will have to circulate t as hard as if business were rushing. If we had known Mr. Depew was coming we would have had the festival season hurried up a little so as to be ready for him. Wilmerding and Lick are a good pair of public benefactors, and taeir schools might as well stand together for mutual benefit. A good many of our Eastern exchanges begin to show signs of being edited by a Presidential bureau that thinks it has the gift of prophecy. Peffer’s bill restricting expenditures for Congressional funerals would find more support from his colleagues if it would as- sure them against having a funeral at all. The only way for Democracy to get a Presidential candidate is to give a guar- antee that whoever volunteers to lead the forlorn hope this year may have another trial in 1900. Cleveland’s objection to middle-aged ladies riding the bicycle has not led to any attack from the ladies, so the conclusion is clear that none of them feel themselves inciuded in that class. Bavard may pretend to take no notice of the censure of the House of Representa- tives, but all the same he is talking neither so much nor so loosely as he was, and it isclear that he felt something hit him, with a sobering effect. The people having shown signs of weari- ness over the frequent iteration of the phrases “sound money” and “honest money,” an attempt has been made in the East to relieve the strain by settingupa cry for “‘untarnished money.” aper commenting on the rapid growth of the smoking habit among the Jadies of that country says i is becoming as common in England a is among Americans,” and now we know how well we are understood abroad. While eighty per cent of all women who | attain a marriageable age elect to marry and have a home of their own, only twenty per cent of college-bred girls are willing to take the risk, and it would seem they regard their learning either asa cau- tion or else as a self-sufficiency. A bill has been introd eachr ced into the Mas- | ure requiring all money setts Legisla: received for liquor licenses in cities and towns to be turned into the State treasury, and while the rural delegat bill 3 s speak of the an act of virtue, Boston scoffs at it an attempt at petty larceny. We have already six first-class battle- ships built or building and the new appro- pri bill provides for four mare, | making ten, but Captain Mahan, who knows more about the influence of sea power in determining the result of wars than any one else, says we should have at Jeast eighteea, and the chances are he is right. m Charles C. Harrison, Provost of the University of Pennsyivania, has just given 5 that institution the sum of $500,000 to ablish twenty-seven scholarships, the ect being to group around the univer- a number of men devoted to the ad- ncement of leaining who will live among the students and exert an infla- encein the girection of higher scholar- ship. The naval appropriation bill as arranged by the committee of the House provides for one battle-ship and one torpedo-boat 1o be constructed on the Pacitic Coast, “if the cost is not excessive,” but there is no sueh provision in regard to those to be built on the Atlantic Coast. This does not Iook like a square deal, but perhaps j that the money is employed to the best. | advantace. | operation. our shipbuilders can meet the conditions and win out anyhow. THE MERCHANTS' PLANS. The published correspondence between the Superintendent of Streets and the Merchants’ Association discloses the fact that the current year's municipal funds available for street improvements do not permit of good downtown pavements, and that while the Superintendent will labor with the Board of Supervisors for a suf- ficient levy for next year the Merchants’ Association will perfect a scheme of down- town improvements and be ready to see ‘The people of the City have come to re- gard the Merchants’ Association as a.most useful agency, especially in matters re- | lated to sireet improvements. It is com- posed of practical, hard-headed business men, who cannot be cajoled into the be- lief that public funds are intended for po- litical plunder, or that they should be used any differently from private funds. In the scheme of the organized merchants there has appeared no suspicion of politi- cal ambition. All that it has done means that it recognizes the public value of good streets and sewers and the necessity for an honest and intelligent expenditure of municipal funds. For these reasons its labors and hopes command respect and co- Every merchant of good stand- ing in the City would show himself a use- | ful citizen by joining the association. Tke task which nbw confronts the mer- chants is difficult and delicate. They must | not only exert their influence to keep the | tax levy within safe limits, and to that end | exercise patience and care in construeting their plan for downtown improvements, but they have an opportunity for perform- | ing a valuable service in mastering the whole subject of pavements. This should not be left to the political exigencies of the Street Department. In every city, particu- | s larly one that is growing, the demands for public expenditures are so urgent that the | opportunity for securing political benefits fi out of them are tempting. Coniractors | represent another influence equally potent. The evils obtaining in San Fran ng con- that is one of the reasons why cobbles stili } retard business and depress property val- es in the downtown section. To educate the people regarding the best pavement for each purpose, to see that the work is faith- | fully and intelligently done, to guard | against the neglect of important public in- terests centering in boulevards and out- side improvements and to keep the tax- levy for all these purposes within bounds constitute the task of the Merchants’ As- sociation. A MODIFIED EVIL. A few days ago a farmer near Lockeford | made a small opening in the levee of the Mokelumne River for some harmless pur- pose. Unexpectedly the river became greatly swollen by a heavy storm in the mountains, and before the small cut could be stopped the pressure of water had | widened it to a crevasse and large areas of ! cultivated land were flooded. It was feared that many thousands of dollars rep- resented by growing crops had been lost, but it is now learned that no damage was | done by the submersion, and on the con- trary that a considerable benefit had re- sulted—the ftlooding furnished just the amount of irrigation needed to insure good | crops. Of course this happy result was a mere accident. The danger lay In the fact that its elements were not under control. The accident was made possible by the fact that the bed of the river had been raised by the deposition of silt brought down from the mountains, where hydraulic mining, farming, natural erosion and de- nudation by timber-cutting had exposed the soil to the loosening action of frosts and the washing effect of rains. Levees had to be constructed to confine the river toits bed. Asthe river thusran ina channel higher than the level of the contiguous country the cutting or breaking of the levee during high water would resultin the flooding of the land. Thisis a danger | appertaining to rivers besides the Mokel- | umne, and that is the main reason why | hydraulic mining is opposed by land- | owners in the valley. But the important lesson has been learned in recent years that irrigation is essential to the best results in California | farming. Millions of capital have been in- | vested in irrigating systems, and the use | of the privilege means an addition to the expenses of farming. It isa curious turn | of affairs which presents the ‘‘rivers ruined by hydraulic mining” in the light of ex cellent facilities for irrigation without an enormous outlay for dams, reservoirs and flumes, Asthe streams run along ridges | through the valley itis possible to make | the levees safe and provide them with headgates, which would serve not only to relieve the heavy pressure on their bank but also to lead the water through canals and ditches to the thousands of farms | needing irngation. The management of the rivers is yet in a very crude state, but | in all plans looking to the development of their usefulness it might be well to con- sider whether their value as irrigating ar- teries might not be made one of the most important considerations. JAPAN AND RUSSIA. That the Imperial Government of Japan should send so imposing a delegation to the approaching coronation of the Russian | Czar should be a matter of considerable interest to Europe, the United States and China. The , delegation, now at San Francisco on its way to Russia, is headed by Marquis Yamagata, the fore- most soldier and diplomat of Japan, and | additional respectis shown to Russia by | the inclusion of a royal prince in the suite. | It will be noted with interest that the del- | egation is making a considerable stay in | San Francisco, the nearest pointof the | United States to Japan, and that the dis- tinguished Japanese visitors have selected | the longest possible route to St. Peters- burg. It might be assumed that this choice presented a far more diversified and inter- esting trip tnan the one by way of the | Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, as it will | take the travelers through the heart of | modern civilization. Japan is eager to ac- quire knowledge of the great world whose inspiration has begun to stir her energies, but at the same time she is seeking a prof- itable outlet for the products of her over- crowded population, and already Califor- nia has felt the initial pinch of that pressure. While the adoption in Japan of American and European processes of man- ufacture will result eventually in modify- ing the squalor of her working hordes by enabling them to live befter on the unac- customed profits which they will enjoy, every good thing which will come to them will be yielded up by the workers of the competing countries. We may be sure that Marquis Yamagata will not neglect his duty to his people by failing to take minute notice of existing opportunities for extending their markefs. He is taking along rest in S8an Francisco. Meanwhile Russia is steadily pushing her trans-Siverian railway eastward to the | Pacific, and China is wondering what is | | summarized in the following comparative | demand by making prices a factor. | Los Angeles Journal thus tells the story: | business the market was thoroughly de- | better than 70 cents per barret at the well | tanks.”” | facturing the burner can easily be ob- i strong pressure of water at a depth to be the final fate of Seoul. Russian possession ofa Pacitic port which is blocked | with ice the greater part of the year is not sufficient to explain the enormous expen- ditures required for the transcontinental railroad. Of late Russia has been show- ing a finely gloved, but none the less pow- erful, hand in various quarters. She checked the aggressive English sentiment that was stirred up by the Armenian atrocities, and that episode quickly flat- tened out, leaving Russia as Turkey’s friend. Just now the Russian Minister to France has successfully demanded that the French Minister of Foreign Affairs be re- qnuired to resign because of his conduct in Northern African affairs, and we are in- formed that the same Kussian Minister is to be quartered at Nice with Lord Salis- bury to watch the progress of events on the Red Sea. Such an alliance between Russia and Japan, as Marquis Yamagata's expedition seems to indicate, would be an essential part of Russia's ganeral policy to become the dictator of Europe. That the Czar's great nation, hardly yet emerged from a savage state, should use the weakness of Turkey and the strength of Japan in for- warding her ambition presents as curious a study as does the independent struggle of Japan to make western civilization pay dearly for the benefits she aims to secure. SAN FRANCISCO'S TRADE. The volume on the commerce and navi- gation of the United States for the fiscal year 1895, issued by the Bureau of Sta- tistics, shows some very interesting things, statement of percentages: Perct.of Perct. of Exp. & Imp. New York...... 52.18 Gaivesion. Suvanna Chicago. Baltimore’s large exports over imports are explained by its heavy shipment of corn, while cotton created a similar condi- tion of things at New Orleans and Gal- veston. San Francisco sent abroad mostly | the products of California, while Balti- | more, New Orleans and Galveston drew | their exports from a very large section of | the country, containing a population | twenty times as large as thatof California. | San Francisco accomplished this under the most unfavorable conditions, among | them a monopoly of steam transportation and a virtual absence of sailing vessels except those carrying wheat. A large pro- | portion of our imports was for transcon- | tinental rail forwarding, and hence this feature of the case presents no greater in- | terest than the fact that with the excep- tion of tea, coffee and silk California has little use for the products of countries sending supplies to the United States. That is to say, while California produces | a wide range of articles for export suitable | to the needs of all countries, it contains | within itself resources which make it | practically independent of all other coun- tries. The articles which it produces in- | clude most of the staples, such as all food | supplies, and such luxuries as fruit, wine and the like. A full development of the resources at our command will follow a | larger settlement and more favorable con- ditions of transportation and make us in- | dependent of all countries except those | which produce coffee, tea and spices. 1t is difficult to imagine the magnitude of these facts. Considerations affecting our welfare are profound in themselves, but from a National point of view they should have an overwhelming significance. The trouble is that our country as a whole has not yet discovered California, nor formed the vaguest idea either of itsvalue as a producing section or as the country’s | gateway to the Orient. In this blessed | year 1896 the private interests of a singie railrond company are more tenderly re- | garded by Congress than the vast National | interests which center in California. COAST EXCHANGES. No sconer had the petroleum wells of Los Angeles been developed than there | sprang up a heavy demand for this valu- | able fuel. Contracts were quickly made for large quantities of oil and steps were | taken in various places to change furnaces from coal-burners to oil-burners. This eager demand led to the formation of the Los Angeles Oil Exchange, which began systematicaily to adjust the suvply to the The “When the present management of that organization took hold of the vil export | moralized and sales in some instances were being made at the ruinous price of 25 cents per barrel at the well tanks. In one instance as large a quantity as 10,000 barrels was sold at 28 cents per barrel. From this state of utter demoralization the exchange gradually advanced prices until now it is making sales at 80 cents per | barrel aboard cars. This price is a little | All this had an effect ;in stimulating re- searches for oil. At the present time great uctivity 1s going forward in the extension of the output at Los Angeles, but the | work is by no means confined to that sec. tion. The Pasadena Star gives the history of the Central Gil Comvany, organized | with a capital of $150,000 to bore for oil | near Whittier and San Gabriel. Itis sink- ing its first well at Whittier, and although it has struck oil it is going deeper for a larger flow, with every prospect of finding it. Meanwhile, according to the Visalia Delta, the work of boring for oil on the ‘West Side, near Huron, is progressing en- ergetically and oil is flowing in generous | quantities. | As might have been expected, the oil in- dustry is giving rise 'to others. The Los Angeles Herald tells about the Inventors’ Manufacturing Company at North Pasa- dena, organized to manufacture a new oil- bu roer for using petroleum. Says our ex- change: ‘The patent oil-burner is used in the factory for all heating purposes. The fuel to run the four-horsepower engine by this proeess only costs 20 cents a day, and a temperature of 900 degrees required to melt the brass which is used in manu- tained.” The San Bernardino Sun details an in- teresting discovery which indicates the surprises thai are constantly being en- countered by those who seek to find the treasures which California bholds. Per- sons drilling a seven-inch well on the Balfour-Guthrie land met a of 500 feet. Our contemporary says: “The result is that a perfect creek of al- most boiling water is forming a channel for itself across the lowland. The water rites in a solid stream five inches in diam- eter to a height of several inches anove the mouth of the pipe. It is so strongly impregnated with sulphur and other chem- ical properties that the surrounding air is filled with the unpleasant odor which is usually attendant upon springs and wells of this character. The water retains an average temperature of 108 degrees, which is almost up to the limit of heat attained by the Arrowhead Springs; it will readily cook an egg, and its properties are suffi- 1250,000 were navels.” | mand fair prices. | mustard, chow-chow, sauerkraut, pickles, | | ucts of a similar character. cient to cure many forms of diseases which find a remedy in mineral waters.” The Visalia Delta is happy over the de- cision of the Valley road directors to run the first arm of the road through Visalia on its way from Fresno to Bakersfield, and suggests that a grand celebration of the event be made. That Visalia’s pros- perity is assured is evidenced by this addi- tional informatian furnished by the Times: “There was never such a prospect for a fruit crop in Tulare County as there is to- day. . Ttis not at all unlikely that twenty times as much fruit will be shipped out of Visalia this season as was ever shipped in one season before. This will mean the employment of an immense number of people during the fruit season, and the circulation of a large amount of money. A good rain to help the grain-growers would make the ‘ontlook exceedingly er- couraging for every industry in this county.”” For a time after the first flush years in the California orange industry the growers fell upon evil days. Profits ceased and with them an extension of planting. Then the growers organized and through intel- ligent co-operation have found a ready market at profitable prices. The latest effect of this prosperity following organi- zation has been a revival of planting. The San Bernardino Times-Indez says: “The supply of orange nursery stock, par- ticularly of navels, is practically ex- hausted. Such a state of affairs has not arisen in_Southern California in many years, and indicates that a phenomenally large acreage has been set to oranges this vear, and that confidence in the future of the orange industry is firmer than ever. During the last two weeks the demand has begun to assert itself, large orders coming in which could not be filled for the reason that the trees were not to be had. This apolies, of course, to navels. Of Medi- terranean sweets and Valencias there is still a supply. Estimates made last fall indicated that thereéwere 300,000 young orange trees in the hands of the nursery- men in the orange belt, and of these Our contemporary | notes that one colony in Sacramento County has ordered 20,000 trees. As re- gards prices for' oranges it says: ‘The price is very satisiactory. Mediterranean sweets were quoted at §165 per box a few weeks ago, while now they command $2 50, with a very strong market. Navels are still bringing top prices, but the supply is limited.” The Oroviile Register, after noting the extensive operations of the fruit canneries at Biggs, Grialey, Marysville and Chico, add “There is an opening, however, for a variety of products that will sell well, can readily be put up and always com- We refer to vinegar, | horseradish, marmalade and other prod- The canneries have the room, have the steam powerand they employ the superintendents all the year round. The profits certainly ought to be larger than in canning fruit, for | there is nothing like opposition in the cluss of goods we allude to that theré is in fruit. Most of the pickles, much of the mustard and goods of that kind are manufactured in Europe and sent here. We feel confi- | dent the industry couid be made to pay bandsomely, and would consume much material that could be produced in the vicinity of the canneries.” The San Bernardino Times-Index men- tions the visit of a canaigre syndicate, re- | cently formed, of Chicago, New York and | foreign capitalists, and says: ‘It is known | that the general purpose of the syndicate is to establish an immense canaigre farm | and plant, such as it already owns near Pheenix, Ariz., and it has already been stated, altbough not authoritatively, that the plans contemplate the establishment | of tanneries in this valley. However, the capitalists are sufficiently interested that they are investigating in person or by trusted agents, and that is the object of the visit of the party now at Rialto.”” The Saturday Vasitor is a bright weekly that has been started at Woodland by Rob- ert Lee. The importance of the gold-mining in- dustry in the northern part of the State is shown by the starting of the Smelter at Keswick by Kenneth W. Millican and H. G. Harvey-Wray. The Healdsburg 7Tribune is now eight years old and full of vim. C. H. Woods has demonstrated the growing importance of Templeton by es- tablishing * an educational paper there called the Public School Reporter. The Moreno Indicator is justly proud because it is wholly of home manufacture. The famous old mining district of Julian has a brigut paper called the Banner, pub- lished by B. A. Stephens and H. H. Sav. age. The Valley Mirror of North Ontario gives evidence of prosperity by enlarging to eight nages. T. D. Fennessy, J. M. Scott and W. N. Jackson have bought the Haywards Even- |- ing Mai! and are making a high-grade daily. ! 1 ) v lad | e LOpo T TG IR aL AS Ik | stock in the partisan newspaper gossip which that the Register, upon beginning its twelfth volume, gives continued evidénce of success and usefulness. PERSONAL. L J. F. Murray, a mining man of Voleano, is at the Russ. P. P. Durst; a fruitgrower of Wheatland, is at | the Grand. E. M. Tilden, a Woodland lumbérman, is at the Grand. | John A.O'Grady of New Brunswick, N.Y., | is at the Palace. | H .E. Piedert, a mining man of Placerville, is at the Palace. Thomas McNulty, an attorney of Santa Bar- bara, is in town. G. Kurst of Hamburg, Germany, registered at | the Palace yesterday. George N, Fisher and wife of Brooklyn, N. Y., | are at the Occidental. i E. Rathburn, the Williams liveryman, is registered at the Russ. Andrew Bendge, an extensive farmer of Mer- ced, is at the Cosmopbolitan. J. H. Phillips, an Arizona cattle-man, ar- rived at the Russ yesterday. G. de la Bouglise and Mr. and Mrs. Rouvel- lote of Paris ace at the Palace. J. Ivancovich, a business man of Hanford, registered yesterday-at the Russ. J. €, Ezzell, a mining man from White River, arrived at the Baldwin last night. Henry T. Sloane, member of the big New York carpet firm, arrived at the Palace yester- day. A. L. McCulloch, a civil engineer from Port- land, Or., registered yesterday at the Occi- dental. W. J. Dixon and Percy Cook of the James O'Neill Company are stopping at the Cosmo- politan. Dr. W. F. Hall and Karl Herrmann of Los Angeles are among yesterday’s arrivals at the Baldwin. Dr. David Kennedy of Kingston, N. Y., ar- rived here yesterday and took apartments at the Grand with his wife. ©O. H. Hoag of Santa Rosa, & prominent mem- ber of the Order of Druids, stopped at the Russ yesterday on his way home, after a tour of in- spection and organization of Druid lodges in Southern California. Andrew Young, & business man of Virginia City and chairman of the Board of Supervisors of that place, is at the Russ. H.B. Ewing, representing the International Manufacturing Company of Providence, is stopping at the Cosmopolitan. George H. Warfield, son of General;Warfield and cashier of the Healdsburg Bank, is down for & visit, and is at the California. Thomas Browning and wife and James Fil- more and wife of Boston, rubber goods manu- facturers, are guests at the Cosmopolitan. G. F. Dows, the proprietor of the electrical power plant at Sutter Creek, came down yes- terday and took a room at the Occidental. Thomas R. Minturn, Ward Minturn and G. R. Minturn Jr. of Minturn, Sacramento Valley, are in town and have rooms at the Occidental. Captain William E. Doughterty, U. S. A., sta- tioned at the reservation near Round Valiley, is here tor a few days and is registered at the Occidental. James O’Neill, the actor, who begins & two ‘weeks’ engagement at the Baldwin to-night, arrived at the Palace yesterday and registered with his wife from New York. C. A. Silberster, & wine-grower of Esparte, connected with the Orleans vineyard and a member of the California Wine-growers' Asso- ciation, is at a downtown hotel. Lawrence Fahey, Deputy Attorney-General of New Jersey, is on a visit to his uncle, Major William Fahey, proprietor of the Cosmopolitsn, and will go from here to Portland next week. A. L. Wyllie, County Clerk, and John J. Sny- der,Prosecuting Attorney, of Calaveras County, are in the City for a short visit. They have roomsat the Grand and are registered from San Andreas. Among the citizens of Fresno that arrived in town yesterday are T. C. White, A. V. Lesceeby and O.J. Woodward, registered at the Lick, ana W. F. Torsey and W. A. Washer, registered &t the Occidental. Richard A. McCurdy, president of the New York Life Insurance Company, accompanied by his wife and by Mr.and Mrs. Robert H. McCurdy and three servants, is back at the Palace, after a visit to the Del Monte at Monte- rey. E. A. Mott Smith of Boston, Mass., son of the former Hawaiian Minister to the United States during the reign of Queen Liliuokalani, arrived from the East last night and will remain at the Occldental until the next steamer leaves here for Honolulu. F. S. Phelps and wife, Willard Wilson and wife and George A. Denham, & Boston party on an extensive trip through the United States in the special car Boston, returned tc this City vesterday, after a run through the Santa Clara Valley. They are at the Grand. H. S. Marcy of Belmont, Mass., father of Wil- liam Marcy, the local agent of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad, arrived yesterday on a visit to hisson. He is accompanied by his wife and his daughter, Miss K. Marey of Bridgeport, Conn. They are staying at the California. J. P. Craig and wife, & young couple married yesterday afternoon in Woodland, arrived last night at the Grand. The groom is the son, of Lee D. Craig, the Montgomery-street notary. Miss Craig, a sister of the groom, and J. D. Stevens, a relative of the proprietor of the Highland Springs, accompanied the party. CALIFORNIANS SAIL FOR EUROPE. NEW YORK, N. Y., March 29.—Among the passengers who sailed on the steamshin Ems for Genoa was J. 8, Bunnell. The Campatia had among its passengers for Liverpool ) and Mrs. Julien Licbes. WEATHER PROBABILITIES STAMP. The Washington Postoflice is soon to inaugu- race a new feature in the way of stamping letters, says the correspondent of the Brooklyn Eagle in that city. All mail matter received at the postoflice for distribution will, in addi- tion to having the date and time of its receipt placed on the back of it, contain a forecast of the weather conditions for the following day. This novel scheme originated in the brain of The New Po:tal Stamp. Postmaster Willet, and is to be put into opera- tion with the consent of the Postmaster-General and the co-operation of the Weather Bureau. Twelve stamps constructed with a view to the e been ordered, and as soon ek ved they will tike the place of The new stamps are very much like the old one, having been considerably enlarged, in order to give space for the insertion of the weather forecast. In the outer ring there are four spaces into which will be set the type predicting the state of the weather for the fol- owing day. These type contain the following words: “Colder, warmer, frost d wave. cloudy, fair, cold, rain and snow,” and when in position will make an impression similar to the reproduction below. The new scheme is expected to meet with much favor, and before long all the postmasters in the large cities will Tobably be asking for the stamps containinz the weather forecasts. The stamps cost ¥6 each, and as from 200 to 300 of them would be | needed for the principal postoffices of the country, it will require a considerable sum to supply them. A MAN OF BUSINESS. Fresno Republican. Claus Spreckels says that he is not an aspirant for the United States Senatorship or any other office. The statement only confirms public opinion, for very few people have taken any has imputed all sorts of motives for Spreckels’ interest in the construction of a competing railroad excepting that of a legitimate business proposition to develop investments already o and open the way to others. John D, Spre may have some political ambitions aside from & mere interest in party manage- ment, but there s no well-defined ground even for that supyosition. Most of the stuff which has appeared in printof late in this regard is arrant bosh upon its face. The Spreckels fam- fly—or &t least the elder Spreckels—is pre- eminently successiul in business lines, and it is a good thing for California that his money is | to be turned into ¢haunels of local develop- ment. It has been & great drawback to Cali- fornin that so many of her wealthy men have seen fit to seek homes and investments abload thus draining the State of wealth produced here to the enrichment of other localities, It is to be hoped that the example of ClausSpreck- els in this particular will find many imitators among the rich men of the Pacific Coast. LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE. How THE WIND MIGHT BB UTILIZED TOo DRIVE THE MACHINERY OF THE CITY. To the Editor of the San Francisco Call—Str: Very few people ever think that here in San Francisco we have the most reliable and avail- able power for all purposes known. It is simply the constant wind that blows in from the ocean over our City, sufficient ana a thousand times to spare to supply all the motive power required in the world. Its source is everlasting. Its possibilities are be- {ond co:'ngrehemlnn and will afford food for houghtful investigation. Five thousand years ago the Egyptians made Juse of the wind to pump water grind their ‘corn and for other purposes. Only think for a moment what can be ac- complished by the currents of the winds, on which there are no riparian rights to fight or that no monopol{ could claim or control. They are free for ail and cost nothing. Wind engines of any capacity could be erected at elovated points to drive airpumps and com- ressors; the compressed air can be stored in arge receivers and be distributed like gas and water to all who require power for ,ny ur- IRURRtInE purroees, 1t Souid be Weh 1o pia u! . 1t co n plan. ing mills, ?umlmn factor h,b;onndrle- I,,m-- chine-shops, eievators in buildings, printing offices, for pumping water—in fact, everything thatpower i used for, with no danger from Tbelieve itjpossible and feasible to construct | appenrs as 8 white spot, but the telescope re- | veals pine trees and other details, although very indistinetly The range of mountains in which the strange peek can be seen is known as the Catalinas And numerous parties have made the attempt | | & plant on the top of some large building at a cost of less than $5000 that would be of suf- ficient capacity to furnish every building in the block with power to run electrical motors for illuminating, pumps to supply all the buildiugs with pure water, elevators and all Kinds of machinery; besides, a current of air could be provided for carbureters containing gasoline buried in the ground that would fur- nish the cheapest and cleanest fuel in the world, with no risk whatever. 11 it was possible to introduce such an enter- prise it would create new industries and new wantsand give employment to thousands of idle men. ; Jf any plan can be devised that will cheapen the cost of our necessities, light, heat and water, besides cheap power for manufacturing, the conditions are more favorable for the ma- jority and better for the whole community, as the money saved the laboring man leaves him more to spend in trade. : Compressed air perhaps is the comin; that will even relegate our ponderous locomo- tives to the scrap-pile. The use, introduction and development of electricity has interested and absorbed the at. tention of most of our inventors to the excli using the wind for the purpose. Perhaps these few lines may induce some one to think over the subject. 1t is said am idea is never lost to the world, but it may slumber a long time be- fore it is acted upon. DAVID B, JAMES. A MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAIN. For thé last half century the American resi- dents of Tucson, Ariz.,, have been trving to soive a mystery in the shape of what appears to be a hole through a mountain peak in plain sight from the town. In the clear rarified air it looks to be only a short distance away, when in reality 1t is at fleast forty miles. The earliest residents noticed the phenomenon, and the only cifficulty that lay in the way of finding out just what it was was the fact that it was inaccessible, and when they came any- where near the spot the hole disappeared from sight. In fact, it can only be seen from within a few miles of Tueson, and this has led many people to believe that it is not a hole at all. By the aid of a good marine telescope the mountain can be brought to within a few The Hole Through the Mountain. miles, but not near enough to tell the exact nature of the rock formation. An astronomi- cal telescope caunot be focused om it, as the mountain is too near. A first peep through the gless would lead one to believe thet there was no mysiery about it. The hole Appears as plain as possible, but several days’ study of the spot will develop the fact that the “hole” does not always look the same Many days when the sky is dark behind the mountain the hole will appear a brilliant white, like a snowdriit, and on days when the sky is blue it will often look so dark as to be almost invizible. These facts have led many to think that it is an im- mense piece of mica Iving with its polished surface toward the sky and reflecting the cloud | formatinns of another part of the horizon in- stead of being the light seen through a hol ewed with the naked eye the hole simp! to climb it, but all have failed on account of the steep and rugged precipices in the vicinity. Ths penk is a high one and can be een from | any point in the journey toward it, but when tent miles out of Tucson the hole can no longer be seen even with the aid of a glass. This ¢an | be explained on the mica theory, as & suriace | of that material wonid not reflect a ray of light toward a person’s eye after they got out ofite angle of projection. One man ih Tucson claims to haye climbed the peak and looked through the hole into & valley on the other side. For some reason he always refused to take a party up there, and as he eould never tell what he saw in the valley nor even direct others how to get there his story was not believed. And so the mystery of the mountain remains unsolved, and in'the opinion of oid prospectors always will until somebody iuvents a flying-muchine. AN ATTRACTIVE COSTUME. The waist shown here is especially adapted to making very handsome parts of costumes, or separate waists, because the box-pleats are separate, and cau thus be made of a diferent material from the material of the body. | For a gown of green taffetas, black chiffon for the body will be found a stylish contrast, mak- ing the box-pleats and sleeves of the silk to match the skirt. A gown of crepon is pretty made with a top of lace put on under the box-pleats, asshown here. Or the body may be of silx, either plain or embroidered, for either a silk or crepon own. gA\ dress of dark blue crepon with the box- pleats replaced by bands of linen hemstitched o both edges, is exceedingly stylish. For extra waists to wear with black skirts, any color is pretty with black chiffon for the body. The skirt is exceedingly graceful, and per- haps the most popular model of all the sea- son's skirts. It is a bell skirt with godet effect. The style is very suitabie for separate skirts as well a8 for costumes of one material. g =hib e e CURRENT HUMOR. ““There, there,” said Mré. Blue-Myrrh, . pick- ing up her littlo boy, who had stubbed his toe; “don’t ery. Be & man, like mamma.”—Indian- apolis Jeurnal. Miss Flora (in a pair of stupendous sleeves)— How do I look, Ned ? Ned (rapturously,—You're proachable.—Boston Transeript. simply unap- «Mamma, honest it wasn't me ate up all that cake—it was Bobby.” “Well, Dick, bring me the cathodal kodak and I'll see at once which one of you is guilty.”—Chicago Record. “Don’t you admire the old English authors, Miss Louise?” “Oh, very much; they furnish such lovely quotations for menu eards.”—Chicago Record. ‘‘Wouldn’t you oblige,” said the reporter who gets novel interviews, telling me what book helped you most in life?” And after a thoughtful pause the great man answered: “My bank book.”—Family Call. power | husband’s correspondence, and carefully guards him against would-be intruders. He is said to be the most unapproachable literary ‘man in the worid. Aubrey Beardsley, the impressionist artist, nas no technical art education whatever, a inet at the announcement of which nobody is likely to be surprises. Three Or four years ago he was employed as a clerk in a bank. The once distinguished prima donna. Mme. Gerster, who, after a short but brilliant career at her Majesty’s Theater, and also in the United States, partialiy lost her singing voice, is about to start a vocal academy in Berlin. The Prince of Wales is to be installed as Chancellor of the University of Wales in the coming summer. The ceremony will take place at Aberystwyth, the seat of the oldest of the constituent colleges of the university. All the Earl of Chichester’s farms are carried on under his wife's name, which appears on all wagons and agricultural implements. On the home farm: at Stanner s large number of oxen are employed in lieu of horses. Miss Jane Dougias Roleley recently died at Swansea, Wales, at the age of 96. Her father served with Lord Nelson on board the Viceroy, and amoung the deceased lady’s possessions were the trousers worn by Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. FOREIGNERS IN THE WAR.—A. §,, City. Dur- ing the War of the Rebellion the number of natives of Germany enlisted in the Union 5{)’1’)" was 176,800; natives of Ireland, 144,- A PHILADELPHIA FIRM—Anxious, City. An- swers to correspondents has no knowledge of the firm named in your eommunication. You trusted your picture to some concern of which vou did not know anything, probably because t offered to do the work of enlarging cheap. Unless you have some friend or acquaintance in the place where tnis concern did business, who would look after the matter, vour chances of recovering your picture are very small. AT THE TRACKS—P. G., Crescent City, Cal. The California record for a half mile is 474 seconds. No charge is made at either of the racetracks for stalls, but to send a horse here and have him trained would cost the owner about $60 a month. Horses frequently work out halves in 4817 and 49 seconds. A 49-horse, half mile, would be of no use at either track in this City unless he is a two-year-old, as half- mile dashes are no longer given for aged horses. SOUTHERN PACIFIC EARNINGE—W. 8. P., Au- burn, Placer County, Cal. In 1887 the gross earnings of the Southern Pacific was $38,732,- 131 03; the operating expenses, $23,305,- 108 50; earnings over operating expenses, 27,022 53. In 1888 the figures show: 5 3 708,676 03; earnings 15,990,939 14. In 1889, $46,- 0,304,365 75; earnings over 6,038,842 11. In 1890, §48,201.- expenses, 994 77 1,007,729 67; earnings over ex- enses, $17,196,265 10. In 1891, $£50,449,- 315 88; $31,163,611 94 ; earnings over oper- 256,203 94. In 1892, $48,- 972,195 20 8,17 27; earnings over expenses, $17,683,995 93. In 1893, $48,049,- 518 32; '$30,576,244 06; earnings over_ex- senses, $17.473,304 26. In 1894, 844,772, %29.405 ating expenses, ¥’ 31 03 24; 20; earniogs over ex- penses, $15,366,267 04. THE TowN TALK—C.! City. THE MORNING CALL wes not built upon the ashes of the Town Talk, as you suggest in your communication. THE CALL was established by five journeymen printers—James J. Ayers, Llewellin Zublin, Charles F. Jobson, David W. Higgins and Wil- liam L. Carpenter. The first number of the paper appeared December 1, 1856. The Town 'rnfi:uplmnred for the first time November 9, 1854, with the following announcement: Town Talk pyblished every morning. except Sunday, by A.S. White and W, H. Mantz, 123 cents per week. Office at Still & Wood, 1 Kearny street, between Clay and Commereial. Printing office at Maiden laneé, between W ashing- ton and Jackson and Kearny and Montgomery streets. The first issue measured twelve inches in length by eight &nd a half n width. March 96, 1855, it passed into the hands of P. P. Hull & Co. and was enlarged, and the publication office was removed to 129 Washington street, in Montgomery block, near Montgomery street. In September, 1857, it was merged into the San Francisco Times and lost its identity. CALIFORNTA glace fruits, 50c Ib, Townsend's.* v e EPECIAL information daily to manufactura:s, business houses and public men by the Prass Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), 510 Montgomezy. g g g Belisarius, the Roman general, lost his eyes through dust thrown into them dur- ing a siege. Do not pat off taking a spring medicine. Little silments if neglected will soon break up the sye- tem. Take Hood's Sarsaparilla now to expel disease and give you health and strength, - “Mrs. Winslow's Seothing Syrup’’ Has been used over 50 years by millions of mothers for their children while Teething with perfect suc- cess. Itfsoothes the child, softens the gums, allays Pain, cures Wind Colic, regulates the Bowels and is the best remedy for Diarrhceas, whether arising from teething or other causes. For sale by Drug- gists in every part of the world. Be sure and ask for Mrs, Winsiow's Soothing Syrup. 25¢ a boitle. —————— CoRONADO.—Atmosphere is pertectly dry, sofs and mild, and is entirely free from the mists com- mon further north. Round-trip tickets, by steam- ship, including fifteen days’ board at the Hotal dsl Coronado, $60: longer stay $2 80 per day. - Apply 4 New Montgomery st., San Fraicisco. ———————— Zibzab—Mozrig, you're lazy. Why don’'t you try to get up with the lark every morning? Mozrig—'Twould'nt be any use; I'm no 'good at climbing trees.—Roxbury Gazette. NEW TO-DAY. FREE CREAM CHOCOLATE A Package Given Each Customer FRER ‘With Our MONEY-SAVING TEAS, COFFEES, SPICES. | Our 50¢ Teas........... Our 40c Teas... Our 85¢ Teas. Our 30c Teas. .Cost 75¢ elsewher Cost 60¢ elsewhers Cost 50¢ elsewhers Cost 40¢ elsewhere Our 25¢ Tea: Cost 35¢ elsewhere Our 20c Teas....... .Cost 30¢ elsewrere EXTRA PREMIUMS GIVEN AWAY. Great Ameriuanfifiurfinu Tealn.'s 1344 Market st., S‘FF. MONEY- SAVING 218 Third st., 5.F, 2008 Fillmore st S Po 2510 Mission st.. S t., S. P 3006 slneenuns F Mr. Speckilate—Awfully dull in the wheat. pit to-day. Buyers and sellers didn’t get to- gether at all. Mrs. Speckilate—Why don’t they mark it down and have a bargain sale?—Cincinnati Enquirer. STORES : 335 Wimaton i, 3. 7 * 52 Market st., 5-F. Oaklatd. e d Y nt., fak'd. 131 San Pabio ave., Oakl do 616 E. Twelith st land. 1355 Park st, Alameds. TRY OUR Money-Saving Prices, AT OUR } 100 In Money-Saving Stores Operation PAR AGRAPES aBour reore. | MONEY SAVED EVERY DAY. Mrs. Rudyard Kipling attends to all of her NO SPECIAL DAY