The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 26, 1896, Page 29

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 1896. 29 N investigation into the condi- tion of the two aluminum ves- | sels of the French navy —the Ven- denesse, a yacht, and the Yarrow torpedo-boat La Foudre, made by M. Guillemoux—and reported in Le Genie Civil, throws much light on the conditions under which aluminum may be used in naval construction. Both vessels have now been two years in use. The hull of the Yarrow torpedo-boat has | only suffered where the metal has come | into direct contact with salt water, either through the peeling off of the paint or its | lacking ‘the requisite imperviousness, as | for instance in the vortions above the | water line. The deck, covered by rubber cloth glued to the metal, is intact. The interior portions, painted over with red | = LT RN 1€S N € NS e lifeboats of their ocean steamers being in the river with swarthy coal-heavers and stokers at the oars. This paper also com- . i - R XS RATURE A S After inserting the letter the button is pressed, and the work is done instanta- neously. In this manner a large number ments very favorably about the Lloyd’s | of letters may be stamped in a surpris- excellent innovation A Yacht Built of Aluminum. We publish herewith an engraving of | ingly short space of time. Trees Struck by Lightning. It has long been known that lightning the Aluminia, a yacht recently built for | ssems to have a special fascination for par- the Prince of Wied by Escher, Wyss & | ticular kinds of trees, and strikes such Co. of Zurich, which gave most satisfac- | trees with far greater frequency than tory results during its trial trips on Lake Zurich and on the Gulf of Genoa, its future others, the oak being the tree to which it shows the greatest partiality. Some in- home. As the hull, which is divided into | teresting observations on the probable five watertight compartments, and the | cause of this striking fact have been coi- frames are made of aluminum, the vessel is very light, and, of course, the lighter a vessel is the faster it will travel. Therein lies the advantage of using aluminum, especially where the cost of construction is not of great import- THE PRINCE OF WEI D’'S YACHT ALUMINA. lead, & material that favors the oxidation of aluminum, were worn away at a uni- form rate. When M. Guillemoux examined it the condition of the boat presented nothing alarniing, but repairs should have been | made at once, as aluminum when once | attacked deteriorates, even out of water. All the alumina used should have been | remoyed, the paint scraped off and a new | coat put on, and as the whole hull is made | of the metal it would have been necessary, in order to clean the vessel thoroughly, to | take it completely to pieces. The work | ‘was not done, and the hull seems to be ir- reparably destroyed. he Vendenesse has made two trips to sea and was besides Kkept for several months when first launched in the com- mercial basin at Havre. The water of the basin began to attack the parts from which the paint had been removed, and the action of the water was intensified by the neighborhood of the copper bottoms of a number of yachts. The hull was scraped and repainted, and ever since the parts attacked have behaved like the rest of the hull. Later, the linoleum which covers the deck having become loose, the deck began to oxidize, wearing out irregularly and forming holes in many places, so that several plates had to be changed. The seams presented a curious phenomenon. The alumina used expanded greatly and drove apart the plates covering the joints, lengthening out the rivets and forcing their heads into the countersinks, without letting in water, however, for the alumina was compressed enough to make a perfect joint. Of two piates riveted together onl?r one is attacked, showing that some gal- vanic action has taken place among, the various aluminum materials. This arises from the lack of homogeneity m the plates, taken from different ingots, a fact proved by plunging various samples into a solution of sodium chloride. The electromotive force of the pile thus formed was measured and brought to light two important facts: 1. That the more electropositive aluminum _is, the better it resists salt water. 2. When aluminum materials, of the same chemical composi- tion commercially, are brought together there is a risk of “producing voltaic piles. M. Guillemoux is of the opinion thatin tbhe Vendenesss the sea water has not modified the texture of the portions of the metal that remained sound or affected its powers of resistance. There is no exact information to be had as to the behavior of the aluminum boats and canoes used by the Colonial Depart- ment, nor could it throw much light on the subject, as the water in which they are used is usually not salt. M. Guillemoux concludes that alumi- num is a suitable material for seagoing ves- sels, and that the failures made in the past are due to our lack of knowledge of its nature and proper nse and the irregu- larity in its production. The metal selected should be as free from impurity as possible; it should be tested by the galvanometer, and only ingots surpassing in electropositiveness astandard well tested by experimentin sea water accepted; the ingots should be mixed together as much as possible in fusion, so as to secure homogeneity. In construction the precautions to be taken are very simple; they are merely to avoid absolntely contact with copper and to paint all surfaces. BOAT-DRILL FOR STOKERS. An Excellent Innovation on an Atlantic Line, A rule recently introduced upon the steamers of the North-German Lloyd line provides for the practice of the stokers on steamers in the getting overboard of the lifeboats and rowing in the same. These exercises are made by shifts, so that in cases of emergency the stokers will be well disciplined and know just what is to be done to get the boats afloat and off safely. In case of accident such a number of practicea hands in the boats will be of invaluable assistance in the saving of lives. The repetition of the disgraceful scenes at every marine disas- ter, when stokers and sailors figure among the saved, while passengers have no chance for life, is also likely to be avoided by this arrangement. A Bremen contem- orary describes the activity in the har- Eor of the crews of ihe North-German Lloyd fleet, s number of the white-painted ening-roll in connection with the appa. ratus performs the service which has gen erally devolved upon the lips or tongue. ance. The Aluminia will generally travel under sail, the naphtha motor in the stern sufficient napbtha to run the vessel- under of _tlhixty-se\'en miles, without the help of sails. In the bow of the vessel there is an ele- gant and most comfortably arranged little cabin, finished in Indian mahogany and yellow pine. The wooden part of the deck is Indian oak. The little saloon can be changed in a very few minutes to a sleep- | ing-room for four or five persons. For vrotection from storms and high waves, the cabin can be closed airtight by means of rubber strips at the doors, so that it will be like an air bubble, and it will scarcely be possible for the vessel to sink.—Scien- tific American. The Queerest of Human Ailments, If you will carefully read the statistics of the late war between the States you will find that, according to the statements which bave from time to time emanated from the adjutant-general’s office, 199,720 Union troops died of disease during the years 1861-65. We give the statistics for the Union troops only simply because nothing more than a partial record of Con- federate disease statistics was kept. As we ‘were saying, upward of 200,000 Northern men died of disease during theirsojourn in the South, or more than three times as many as were killed in battle,the total num- ber of those killed outright amounting to but 67,048. Of the 199, 2% who succumbed to various maladies during those terrible years, 21,187 died of a disease that was not classified, simply because of its varying symptoms. The majority of readers have never heard of this malady, but that it existed among the troops on both sides during the Civil War (and in other wars, for that matter) will not be denied by any ob- server who took the trouble tolook a little beyond the havoc caused by shot and shell and the long catalogue of well-known and well-marked diseases incident to warfare. We refer to the malady known as nos- talgia, which is the medical term for “‘homesickness.” When this queer dis- ease seizes its victim with a strong grip he is almost as sure to die as though his malady were cholera. Persons who die from nostalgia apguremly die without cause for so doing, but they die just as dead as though their ailment had been characterized by the eruptions of small- pox or the black vomit of the yellow fever. Nostalgia is not strictly an American disease, but has been known in all coun- tries ever since men first became able to distinguish between physical aitments and cases of literal pining and fretting one’s life away. Bismarck once said that for every 100 deaths in the army seven were due to nostalgia, or homesickness.—St. Louis Republic. Automatic Letter-Stamper, Clarence W, Ayere of San Francisco has invented an antomatic letter-stamping machine. The letters are inserted at the little table at one end as seen in the illus- Automatic Letter Stamping Machine. tration. In the device for feeding stamps, a single stamp is separated from a strip of stamps and projected over the letter sur- face to which it is to be applied. A moist- | | of the vessel being intended only asan | auxiliary to be used in case of a calm. The | tank, which is also of aluminum, holds | foll headway for five hours,or a distance | lected by Dr. €arl Muller from experi- ments and observations made by various observers, chiefly by Jonescu. In some observations systematically carried out since 1874 in Germany by the Lippe Det- mold Forest Board it was shown that from 1879 to 1890 lightning had struck fifty-six oaks, three or four pines, twenty to twenty- one firs, but in no single instance had a beech been struck, although about 70 per cent of the trees in the district were beech, against 11 per cent of oaks, 13 per cent I.)ines and 6 per cent firs. In some particu- ars published on the subject in Prome- theus, it is shown that in the neighbor- hood of Moscow out of 597 trees struck by lightning, 302 were the white poplar, showing that this tree has also a very great degree of conductivity. The pyra- mid poplaris also another tree to which the lightning-flash is known to have a great attraction. A Tenement House for Birds. An oriole’s nest hanging over the little bracket upon which is placed my miniature bust of Audubon is an unfeiling source of interest and delight to me, says J. Carter Beard in Popuiar Science News. And yet this is but a simple structure compared to those of some of the tropical orioles, which, in turn, must yield the palm for excellence to the nests of those most skillful of all feathered architects, the weaver birds, Some of these birds build double nests, one apartment of which 1s occupied by the male, while the mother and her little ones are in an inner chamber. The Buffalo weaver bird builds from three to eight nests | combined into one huge structure from | 5t0 6 feet in length, and from 4 to 5 in | breadth. This may beconsidered a sort of man prototype, effectually keeps out not only rain but thieves and murderers; bird and egg eating snakes and monkeys can- not eéect an entrance, and the occupants of the nest are safe. The World’s Telegraph Wires. The total length of telegraph lines in the world is 1,062,700 miles, of which America has 545,600 miles; Europe, 380,700; Asia, 67,400; Africa, 21,500, and Australia, 47,500 miles. The United States has a greater length than any other country, 403,900 miles, and Russia comes next, althovgh European Russia has only 81,000 miles. The other countries follow in this order: Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, British India, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Turkey, the Argentine Republic, Spain and Chile. In point of proportion, however, Belgium leads with 400 miles of wire for every 1000 square miles of terri- tory ; Germany comes next, with 250 miles; Holland is onelg' slightly behind Germany, and the United Kingdom has 280 miles of telegraph for every 1000 miles of country. Cartridge-Carrier. Sportsmen will be interested in an in- vention by Lewis R. Ferguson of Harvey, Il Itisa cartridge-carrier, adapted to be secured to a garment as represented in the illustration. This flexible pocket (which is really a part of the garment) is in com- bination with a hollow metallic box or chute secured to the lower end. A pivoted cut-off partially closes the discharge open- ing of the box or chute, and there is Cartridge.Carrier. a pivoted and independent dropper frame or attachment operating the cut-off, as and frame to their normal positions. When the cartridee-carrier is once filled the hunter alwavs finds a cartridge handy at the bottom so long as one remains. A Woman Train Dispatcher. Miss Byrd Watkins of Topeka, Kans., is the only woman train dispatcher on a single-track railroad in the United States. She is stationed at Junction City, on the Kansas division of the Union Pacific Rail- Miss Watkins is one of three “shifts,”” working eight hours each, and is on the second ‘““trick,” as the time between 4 o’clock in the afternoon and midnight is called. Sheisin full_charge of the office during that time. Her duties as a dis- patcher on a single track differ materially }rom those of a double-track dispatcher, as meeting points must be made for all trains going in opposite directions.—Electric Re- view. 3 Sir John Moore’s Retreat. The tale of Moore’s splendid retreat, of bis courage and calmness in loss and dis- aster, of his superb control of his men in their disappointment when Corunna was reached and no fleet was found there, of his brave fight with Soult on January 186, of the mortal wound which struck him apartment house, occupied by several down in the hour of victory, and of the silver loving-cup. THE LOVING-CUP TO BE SENT TO HAWAIIL On February 9 a team of fifty men of the Nationals shot a match with the Hawaiian National Guard. The Honolulu marksmen won by a score of 2009 to the locai team’s 1939. The losing team will send to the winners this beautiful families. The noise and bustle about one of these compound nests must be heard to be appreciated. The real bird tenement house, however, is contrived by the sociable weaver bird. Imagine a structure built by birds that measure but six inches from the ends of their tails to the liP of their skillful little beaks, which is as large as a native’s hut; large enough to shelter five or six men; large enough in fact to break down, as it son;e&imes does, the tree in which it is built. A single pair of birds often set to work on a nest of this kind, carrying the grass to a tree and commencing in a wonderful manner to weave it compactly into a little rain-proof roof. The next season the pro- geny of tue parent birds come back, select mates, and the old homestead is enlarged t) suit their convenience, much aswe have seen socme little cabin built about with wings end additions to accommodate mar- ried sons and daughters who came home to live with the old folks. The narrow structure now widens, and beneath the compactly woven shelter the nests close their ranks and hang shoulder to shoul- der like tue cells in the comb of a wasp’s nest, and accumulate all the more rnpi&’ly that the birds refuse to use a last year's nest, leaving it to various rather disreput- able tenants in the way of bats, insectss| and reptiles, while they move into cleaner apartments. In fact the place isin every respect a tenement house, noisy and thronged with a miscellaneous multitude of all sorts and conditions of fotks, each family keeping house on its own account and often quarreling, not only with other households but among its own members. | Paris photographer, M. The roof, however, unlike that of its hu- self-forgetfulness which enabled him jin the.agonies of death to make all necessary arrangements for his men to embark on the belated ships—all this is a brilliant page of Knglish history, perhaps the finest record in its course of glory won in re- treat; of patience, moderation and success in the very hour of bitterest disappoint- ment. It wasthe spirit and example of Moore which made possible the victories of Wellington.—Professor Sloane’s “‘Life of Napoleon,” in the Century. A Simple Stereoscope. A very much simplified and cheap stere- oscope has been patented recently by a Gaumont. A couple of. well-matched, cheap lenses are Skeleton Stereoscope. set in aluminum tubes, which can be slid forward and backward in a wire holder to suit the eyes of different people. The holder is so arranged that it will fit differ- ent eyes, and all the conditions of a good stereoscope are thereby combined in this little apparatus. Since it is cheap it is sold(l in great quantities on the Paris boule- vards. Apparatus for Fruit-Picking. Walter Aspden of Riverside, in this State, has patented a sack for use in pick- well as a spring for returning the cut-off | Sack Used in Picking Citrus Fruits. ing citrus fruits. As will be seen in the accompanying illustration, the apparatus consists of a combination of a sack and a flexible tube, whose lower end is attached near the mouth of the sack and whose upper end is provided with straps for at- taching the upper end of the tube to the wrist of the operator, thereby leaving the hand and the wrist, to which the tube is thus attached, unimpeded. The fruit being dropped in the tube is saved from bruising by falling into a cushion within the upper part of the sack and immediately below the bottom opening of the flexible tuoe, and thence being dropped gently to the bottom of the sack. Some New Inventiouns. A watch for accurately timing photo- graphic exposures. ‘Wheel and cbain guard for bicycles in one piece. Bow-facing and self-feathering oar. Vehicle combining hearse and funeral car. Attachment which makes pianos mouse- proof. Rocking chair with pneumatic tires in the rocker. Dustless ash-sifter. A metallic railway tie filled with com- pressed paper pulp. Revolving sand screen for builders. Novel lightning icecream freezer for con- fectioners and families. Pneumatic churn; produces the butter by rapidly forcing pure air jets through the cream. Window-fastener; an ingenious device which prevents rattling and keep out wind. A nursing-bottle support; holds the bottle in place while baby is nursing. Headrest to be attached to backs of seats in railroad coaches. Can be carried in the pocket. Pan-lifter; takes pans of meat or bread from the oven without burning fingers or using cloths. Wall desk; a handy, compact writing- desk to be hinged to the wall. New lathe chuck: takes automatically round or tapering rods or tool-shanks without manipulation. Icecream mold: a porcelain mold with cover for serving icecream to consumers. Flue cleaner; enabling one to effectually clean utovegipes without removing pipe or making dust or dirt. Folding stretcher; an invention for am- bulance service and hospitals. Miners’ drill; will bore a hole larger at the bottom than the top. Engine drait regulator; an improved draft method for locomotive engines. Saves fuel, increases power and prevents smoke. Yocket stamp-holder; a compact, con- venient holder for fifty stamps, without sticking together. Money envelopes, for mailing money or valuable papers; does not disfignre con- tents and cannot be tampered with with- out detection. A device to prevent keys from being turned from the outside of doors.—Phila- delphia Record. Varlous Notes. In England recently trials have been made with a lifeboat made of pumice- | stone. Not only is the material of great | lightness and strength, but it is easily worked into any shape. The boat remains afloat and will support quite a load even when full of water. The parts are made interchangeable, and when a part is in- jured the simple loosening of a boit en- ables the repairer to remove it and put in another. For writing on glass pure aluminum is frequently used. The lines can be made as fine or as heavy as desired, and for this reason the aluminum pencil may serve for marking and graduating burettes, pipettes, etc. An automatic electrical semaphore has | been perfected for trolley road crossings. 1t is so arranged that a car approaching from either direction will cause danger signals to be displayed at the point of sn- tersection of the two roads while the car is still some distance from the crossing. A growing industry in_Philadelphia is the sawdust business. Forty years ago the Jumber-mills were glad to have saw- | dust carted away ; twenty-five years ago it could be bought for 50 cents a load; now it brings $3 50 a load. It is used in hotels, saloons, groceries and other business houses for the absorption of dirt when sweeping. Plumbers use it a great deal about pipes and walls to deaden sound. Soda water men and packers of glass and small articles of every kind use it, as well as in the manufacture of dolls. Boeck, 2 Dutch authority, says the Hospi- tal, ‘draws attention to a new vroperty of whale oil. Its peculiar power of penetra- tion is well known, but the writer states that it restrains the vitality and growth of bacteria in the skin.” Russia is to have an electrical branch of her army, under a lieutenant-general, two major-generals and five officers of lower grade, who will also have a military elec- trical school under their charge. Russian military officers have always been adept in the use of électricity. “A non-poisonous match has been in- vented by a distinguished chemist—M. Pouteaux’’ — according to the Medical News. ‘‘Permanganate of potash and ace- tate of amyl are among the inoffensive in- gredients.” At the Pasteur lucifer-match manufactory the combination has been tested with satisfactory results. The matches are easily made, without the slightest danger to the factory-hands. They ifinite readily, there is no danger of ex- plosion when stored and the disagreeable odor common to lucifer matches is in these replaced by that of aniseed.” ‘A new arrangement for measuring the penetrative power of shot has recently been _introduced by Herr Muller of the Rhenisb-Westphalian Explosives Com- pany of Cologne,” says the Age of Steel. “The shot is fired into a large water-trough through a thick gelatin plate fixed at one end, which immediately closes up after the shot has passed through, thus prevent- ing the escape of water. The bottom of thetrough is divided by transverse ribs, which retain the shot in the place where it falls, allowing the water to be run off and the position of the shots observed.”’ A portable crematory for military pur- poses has been invented by a Polish en- ineer. 1t has the appearance of the army Enking oven, but is much higher and heavier, and is drawn_by eight horses. It is intended for the disposal of bodies of soldiers killed in battle, so as to avoid the danger of epidemics from the burial of great numbers of men. Each German army corps, it is said, will be equipped ‘with one, A new fuel made ‘in France is of coal dust compressed into bricks and soakea with chem:icals, which make it glow a long time when once alight. OLD TIMES RECALLED. A STORY OF THE NORTHERN MINES IN EARLY DAYS TOLD IN LETTERS FROM FATHER TO SON. Some time ago Professor Holden of the Lick Observatorv had handed him four letiers that were written by Miles Holmes, who left his home and family in Wiscon- sin, as many others did in the early fifties, for the purpose of crossing the plains to reach the land of gold. The professor has transmitted them to Colonel A .S8. Hubbard, secretary of the California Historical Society, for preser- vation in the archives of that organization. “These letters,” said the secretary, ‘“‘while not possessing any literary merit, are an index of the hardships, trials and customs of the people of the early days of this State, and as such are valuable.” The first in chronological order of these letters written to James M. Holmes, his son, a resident then of Waterbury, Conn., is dated at St. Joseph, Mo., April 12, 1852, and tells of the explosion on the steamer 8. B. Saluda on the passage from St. Louis, by which a number were killed and many wounded. In this he wrote: ‘I escaped, and then went to the telegraph office and telegraphed to St. Louis to send another bill of goods on by the next boat. I then returned to the wreck and found the survivors of the cabin pas- sengers in search of ‘the old man who was going to California,” and their heartfelt joy was fully proved when they took me by the hand and the tears ran down their cheeks. I found my company here in good health, I am not determined, but think we shall go first to Fort Larimie.” The next letter, dated from Yreka, shows that his train was the first to reach that place, and it was received in true_ Califor- nian style and with that hospitality and welcome that was characteristic of the old settlers. The writer, from the way in which he wroteof Yreka and Shasta the day after his arnval, shows that he had not become familiar with California nomenclature. The letter is reproduced as written: WYREKA, Aug. 4, 1852, Mr. James M. Holmes—MY DEAR So! It is with unspeakable pleasure that 1 announce o u my safe arrival at this city. We got in here yesterday and were the first irain of emi- grants that ever entered the place direct from the States. Wyreka is situated in the extreme northern mines of California, 18 miles north- west from Chasta Bute, whose everlasting snow-capped top we traveled in sight of eleven days before reaching it. We took a different route from what we expected when we left home. We traveled about one hunared and fifty miles over rocks, trees and mountains where wagon wheels never rolled before, and explored our route 8s_ Wwe _went, Were once surrounded by about 200 of the most hostile Indians on the whole route and no possible way of getting out only on the track we went in on. We discovered them be- fore entering and halted and prepared for action and then marched in. They, seeing our strength and determination, did not ven- ture to attack us as we marched through them. Finding « lake rignt ahead we were compelled to back out and return the same way. Two days efter that they robbed & company of all their provisions and four horses. They fled for their lives and traveled almost constantly night and day until they overtook us, Luck- ily for them, e lost an ox that strayed in the brush and we could not find him (which, by the way, is the only one we have lost on the route, and but one horse), and they found him, and killed him, and eat him, but they were a hungry set when they oyertook us.” We hav- ing plénty, fed them to this place. il citizens of this place, being notified b our advance guard of our approach, immedi- stely called & meeting and appointed & com- mittee,sent them out tous toarrange with us for our accommodaiions, gave us & public dinner that was got up in good style, and extended every kindness to us that could possibly be prompted by the warmest feeling of friend- ship, and you may be assured that we did ample justice to their hospitality. 1 have tn\vele(‘i about 2400 miles by land, and some- thing more than that, I think, and 1100 by water, being bIOwn up on a Steamer Once, when thirty out of fifty were killed; have been surrounded twice by more than three times our number of hostile savages: have walked more than half of the land distance, carrying most of the time & heavy rifle and a large re- volving pistol and a sheath knife, or laying my rifle aside and driving a team, sleeping on_ the ground, many times in wet clothes, some- times awaking in the night and having four inches of water under and on me; have stood my watch nights in all kinds of weather, and exposed myself alone among the Indians hun- dreds of times, as all the rest of our company have, and with two exceptions we are all well and safe here on good mining ground. One of our company died and one left us, or ratner we hired another man to take him through and they quarreled and he stopped at Soda Springs, an& that is the last we heard from him. While other trains have been robbed by the Indiansand some killed, we have neither given nor received a shot, lthough_ sppearances frequently threatened it, and | firmly believe that nothing but our firmness and vigilance preserved us from attack several times, and finally I can safely say that I have not suffered as many hardships as 1 expected, still the stinking and alkily water and the hardships of the journey, together with the care and anxiety of the journey, have made terrible in- roads on this oid frame of mine. 1do not know my weight, but I do not girt as much around the waist by five inches as I did when I left home, and my strength bas failed in proportion to the waste of flesh, but Iam now here safe and in health, and I. trust that the few days' rest that I shall be compelled to take in settling and disposing of our stock and wagons and so forth will re- store my strength, and I shall dive inio the bowels ot the earth after the yellow dust with as much ambition as the younger ones. Ourmen, most ofs them, gathered Some gold last night here afterwe camped, say from 10 to 50 cents each. One gota dollar be- fore breakfast this morning, and Cartwright, Torrey and Cnarles Hebard are now sinking & prosg}ecflng hole within sight of me. Cart- wrig !f(“ down todrink at the creek yester- day and when he arose he found a small piece of gold In his mouth, about half a dime in value. One of our company is &t work within sight of me and $5 & day and board. ‘lour is selling at 25 cents, bacon at 60 cents, sugar 35 cents, coffee 75 cents, salt 85 cents. We are half crazy to get to work, as the dust is 50 tempting we can hardly get enough to- gether to get up & meal of victuals. 1 shall not beable to get your letter from Sac- ramento that I suppose is in waiting for me under three or four weeks, but shall try to have patience. Affectionately, your father, M. HoLmes. The next letter was written from the creek on which Holmes had located & claim, and this shows the condition of af- fairs in northern mines eight months after the previous letter was written. It also shows that he was one of the men in that section of the country who took steps to organize the first Odd Fellows’ lodge there: GREENHORY CREEK, March 12, 1853. I intended to send you a draft when I next wrote, and shall get one and inclose it in this letter. The express has been so irregular and the Indians on the route to Shasta so trouble- some that I did not think it best to send a draft until things were a little more settled. Ishail getadrafton Adams & Co., New York. Their drafts are hard to negotiate in Milwaukee, so you will not send the drait to your mother, but send her a check on one of the banks, or bank notes. Mining does not agree with my health or comfort, but I must fol1ow itup until I work out my claim. I did intend to fill up my store nfhin this epring and hire & man_ to work my o there are three stores that want to open on the creek and there is not business enough for more than one to do & profitable business, so I have relinquished the idea of filling up and shall chase up the gold in my claim as fast as ossible. We took out the first montn I worked n it an nverBEe of $5 50 a day to the hand, and spent one-half of the time in ditching, re- phxrln§ tools, and so forth, and skirted on the out edge oulg. This month we have only taken out $128, but have considerable ready- stripped, ready for washing, and_are still get- ting more ready to work. I think we will un- doubtedly get a8 much this month as we did the last. When the water gets low, so that we can get on to our main lead, you may look for a different story. Provisions are getting more plentiful and the prices are coming down slowly. I boughta sack of flour last week at 50 centsa pound, but itis now 55 to 60 cents; dried fruit, 75 cen coffee, 75 cents; tea, $3; beef, 25and 30 cents pork, 85 cents; sugar and salt, 50 cents. Our winter since the 1st of February has been mild and pleasant most of the time. There is plenty of snow on the mountains within two or three miles of here, but there are thousands of flowers in full bloom, the leaves on the shrubbery are putting out and the grass is up to tolerable good feed. 1 believe that one of the routes from here to Shasta is rendered almost impassable by the Indians. They took one train of fourteen mules, killed one man snd wounded one. The aim, but | last train that came up here had an escort of United States dragoons. We have formed an Odd Fellows’ Association here apd have petitioned for a charter ta establish a lodge. I was appointed by the president of the association to deliver the first address before the socicty, and believe I did 1t to the general satisfaction of, perhaps, all but mysell. Atall events ] received a unanimoas vote of thanks from the soclety for my per- formance, whether it was good or bad, but it was pronounced good. Since writing the above I have been in town and found beef had risen 5 cents & pound, and not mucn likelihood of its being any cheaper before July or August—no cattla in the coun- try. The fourth letter, dated August 30, 1853, contains the announcement from San Francisco that he wason his way home, and will go by the Panama route. This letter inclosed a note showing how careful some Californians were when they sent money away. It isin the nacure of a cer- tificate, which reads as follows: I hereby certify that I see Miles Holmes in. close a draft from Rhodes & Lusk in a letter directed to John Nutter, said draft for the amount of $300, and that I deposited said let- ter in Rhodes & Lusk’s express office in Yrekna; also that I see said Holmes inclose another draft for 200 in another letter directed to John Nutter, both draits being payable in New York. The last-méntioned letterl deposited in Carson, Kogers & Co.’s express office 8t Yreka. Both letters were directed to John Nutter, Pale myra, Jefferson County, Wis. CHARLES HEBAED. Greenhorn Creek, Cal., August 21, 1853. IN SALADIN'S TIME. The Learned and the Wise Gathered From All Parts. The ranks of the learned and the wise were recruited from all parts of the Mo- hammeden empire. It was a professor from Nisbapur whose lectures atthe Da- mascus colleges so delighted Saladin that he commissioned the fortunate pundit to indite a textbook of religious instruction, which the Sultan imparted to his chil- dren. “Isaw him myself,’” says Baha-ed- din, Saladin’s secretary and biographer, with the book in his hand, and his boys repeating it to him from mem- ory.” Another learned man whose ad- vice, it is said, BSaladin never re. jected, was El-Hakkary, the Arab jurist, who treated his master with an uncere- monious familiarity which none other dared to use. His quaint figure, with the jurist’s turban surmounting a soldier’s uniform, was seldom absent from the Bultan’s councils. Learned men were attracted to Egypt and Syria from distant lands. Ibn Firro of Xaliva, for example, who wrote a mighty poem of 1173 verses upon the various readings of the Koran simply ‘“for the greater glory of God,” journeyed from Spain to Cairo in 1176 burdened, as he modestly confessed, with a memory stocked with enough sciences to break down a camel. Nevertheless in lecturing to crowds of pupils he never said an unnecessary word; no wonder the Kady El-Fadil set such store by him that he lodged him in his house ana buried him in his own mausoleum. Another celebrated doctor, with whom Saladin became especially intimate at Da- mascus, and from whom he must have learned much, came from Ispahan. This was the Secretary of State, Imad-ed-in, commonly called Aluh (‘‘Eagle’’)—a poet, a master of style, a doctor learned in the law and deep in the mysteries of astrology, and a formidable gladiator in theological roblemics. From being merely a pro- essor at the college at Damascus, to which he gave his name, “The Imadi ’ he be- came president of the Council of State. His admirable skl in conducting dipio- matic correspondence in Persian and Arabic, in the turgid and inflated style ad- mired by Orientals, added to his learning and sagacity, made him_ invaluable to the Sultan. Imad-ed-din became Saladin’s constant companion and most indefatiga- ble Minister, and retained his entire con- fidence until his death. Nor must Ibn- Abi-Usrum be passed over, ‘‘one of the leaders of his age by his talents and legal learning.” Heaccompanied Nur-ed-din to Damascus in 1154, where he opened a class in the west corner of the great mosque, and became administrator of the **Wakis" or religious endowments. But he was not long suffered to stay in one place. So famous was hic erudition that Nur-ed-din built colleges at Aleppo, Emesa, Hamah, Baalbekk and elsewhere, for him to lecture in; and he even sat in court at Sinjar and Harran in Mesopotamia. Later on Saladin took the greatest interest in the man of learning, and when blindness afflicted him in old age the Sultan would not let him be deprived of his judgeship,—Quarterly Review. NEW TO-DA MONEY-SAVING PRICES! Money-Saving Dishes. | &< MONEY SAVERS. Water Goblets, Garden Trowels, Porcelain Cream_ Pitchers, Porcelain Custard Cups, Porcelain Oatmeal Bowls, Pickle Dishes, Oval Sauce Dish, Decorated Plates, Bread Pans, Yellow Bowls, 5¢ each or 6 for 25¢. L O MONEY SAVERS. Butter Dish, Sugar Bowls, Meat Dishe; Berry Dishes. Bake Pans, Decorat Mustard Pots, Vegetable Dishes, Fry Pans, Fancy Spoon Trays, Rose Bowls, 10c each, or 3 for 25¢. 1.5 MONEY SAVERS. 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