The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 3, 1896, Page 21

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 3, 1896. 21 VEMEHNG O SILVER, Ex-Governor-Colcord of Nevada Thinks White Metallists Are - -Scarcer. 'HE, 'AGREES WITH WOLCOTT. His Interesting Story-of the Political _and Mining Development on the Plateau. -Goverpor R. K. Colcord of Nevada mong the arrivals at the Palace yes- 7. He has:been examining a mining Mariposa County. Others are associated with fiim, and the mine may be . bouzht, but.it is not certain yet. . The-ex-Governor says that Nevada is, after all, as prosperous as some parts of ‘Califormia. He "has extended his trip as far. south asg- San- Bernardino. Mariposa, ays, is prosperous. ‘I refer to " he said. . “It looks clean and pro- . 1 found the mines there looking preity well. |1 was there thirty-six years ago, and had never:been back -till this trip. i He is the -owner ‘of mining property at “Silyer City, on.the extension of the Bruns- wick lode, and this he is now developing, with.good resuits. The Governor thinks the Branswick [éde ought to turn out well, as “the Comstock.-people have outlined pians to-developit. S +Weé have now turned our attention - -almost solely to gold mining,” continued he; *as silvernd longer pays. Our people were forced to’do -this. The result bas been that a great many little gold mines ‘have been developed. -~ “As to politics'in Nevada, it is all one v there; for-.almost every one is pro- - hounced for r. Nevertheless, a Re- I be sent to St. il an delegation w ur convention will meet May 9. We are entitled to six delegates to the National Conyention. I suppose our people will be for McKinley.”I am not going to. St. Louis as a delezate myself. I toid our people I didn’t ¢are to go. “I .am .ot the uncompromising silver advocate'that many of our people are. I agree with Senator Wolcott that probably 1lié.best thing that can be done is to stay inside the ‘Republican party and work as stently'as we fied that even California is split up on that question, . - : “I believe ot over half the people here are_ for. silver,and as for the strength of the er party-over .the country I think it is falling awsy and getting weaker rather than increasing. .It looks to me so, there- foreTthink it wise for us to pursue tha best course we cin,.recognizing the situation.” The ex-Goveraor is vice-chairman of the Republican State Central Nevada. :-He has had more orlessto do AN “ARTISTIC - " STONE WALL Tt BELONGS TO AN OLD RESIDENCE - oN PINE STREET. In no city in the United States have so - many béautifal stone walls been built as in:'San Francisco. This has, of course, " been due to fhe fact that many of the stréets-are h Most of the architects of the present day ‘places 1n Townhe Tesider the men who ‘did the work here twenty- five er thirty years ago were given to the e form of terraces, as in the One of the’ Fimest ‘and ‘Most Artistic Garden Walls in the United States. - [¥rom a sketch.] Ttalian style of “hanging gardens.” Some of this work js really beautiful, although the greater portion of it has been neglected and allowed to go toruin. ‘The most artistic of these old walls is so located as to .be .almost concealed from view. It belongs to the Wilson residence on the corner of Stockton and Pine streets, although it cannot be seen from the front of the house. - To get a good view of it it is necessary to go to the corner of Bush and Monroe streets and look up toward Pine. The wall is on the right hand side, and the portion shown in the accompanying pict- ure is tertainly the most beautiful garden wall in the country. It rises about thirty feet from the side- walk and the top is surmounted by a rail- ing in the Italian style of architecture. Planted just behind the railing, so that its pranches hang over, is a hedee of cypress. The whole length of therailing is twined with ivy that bangs down over the wall in the most graceful manner. The general effeci of this combination of peautiful forms and colore is most pleas- ing. The dark cypress stands out in bold reljef ggainst’ the sky. When the sun strikes the wal the effect produced makes the place 100k like some famous spots on he shores of the Mediterranean. Of course the immediate surroundings are not what they might be. The -about fifteen miles from Mari- | the | Committee of | lay out gardens in hilly | nce on California street, but | 3 2 | | last look at the remainsof him with whom buildings near by are ugly in the extreme, but if one can manage to forget them the wall is well worth looking at. A BLOODLESS BATTLE. How the Federals Were Deceived by a Trio of Confederates. I will give you an account of a battle which historians and bookmakers have not noticed, said Judge Reagan of Texas in a recent lecture. On one occasion a detachment of the- Federal army, under the command of Colonel Grierson, unex- pectedly approached Richmond from the northwest and opened fire on the city. { The shell only reached the Government stables on Bacon quarter ranch and did little damage. On hearing the guns and knowing we had no troops in that quarter, Mr. Mallory, the Secretary of the Navy, and myself, mountea our | horses and gulloped ont to learn what it meant. The residence of Colonel James Lyons, one of the most prominent citizeus and lawyers of Richmond, was in the sub- urbs of the city in that directio We had | a lme of eartliworks, which lay between | the Federais and his residence, which were not manned. When we got in sight of these earthworks we saw Colonel | Lyons riding up and adown the line. Gal- | loping up to him we inquired what he was | doing. Hugnnswered,"Commnnding the forces,” and said, “Reagan, you command the right and I will command the center.” | We rode along the earthworks, pointing | and gesticulating for some time, as though | giving directions to our forces. The firing | finally ceased and the Federals drew off through fear that we had a force concealed waiting for them. If they bad known it there was nothing to prevent them from marching into the city. Though this was | a bloodiess battle it was an important vic- tory for the capital of the Confederacy. ———————— THE EMPTY NEST. Blue, blue the sky, and glad birdssing: S0 clear is Nature's whispering That my soul can hear the llly-bells ring. The blades of green and virgin grass Caress my footsteps as they pass; But my sad soul chants & Requiem Mass. Sweetly fresh the soft wind blows With perfumed message to budding rose Making its petals soft unclose. To-day there is no grief or gloom In Nature's voice, nor sound of doomy But oh! but oh! that littie tomb. 1t stands between me and the light: *Tis all my dreaming in the night; It shuts God’s sunshine from my sight. I know He doeth what is best, And angels lull my own to rest, But oh! the little empty nest. Mzs. C. W. KNoOX. San Jose, April 30, 1896. OURIOUS FUNERALS. Escorted by Chimney Sweepers. The most amusing request ever made by adying man was probably that of a very | jovial Irishman. | lection of the fun he had enjoyed at wakes and funerals. he was very anxious that his | A Corpse portunity in his case. Hence he specially requested that a certain sum of 1aoney | should be spentin entertaining the mourn- |ers and regaling them with the good | things of this world, especially of a liquid | character. b} This was promised, and the question | was asked, should the money be spent on the way to the cemetery or on tane return? | Pat regarded the inquiry as distinctly su- | perfiuous, and replied, with some degree of irritatio; Z “Why, goin’ out, sure. Il be wid you then, but I won’t be wid ye coming back.”” The good man’s peculiar ideas as to the connection between the mortal and spirit- ual in mankind were duly respected, and the boys had an elegant time boti before the processmon started and _while it was en | place. s Ciegg, one of the oldest conjurors of whom we know any details, was equally | soiicitous for his friends’ creature com- { forts. He expressed a desire to be buried | in a peculiar fashion, and his request was | complied with. Of his very scanty savings | quite a large percentage was set aside for the entertainment of sixty of his bosom | friends, who acted as chief mourners. They arrived early in the day, tooka they had enjoyed so many hours of boi terous mirth, and then sat down to a fu- neral feast, consisting of spiced cakes and an unlimited supply of home-brewed ale. Each wore, as per directions, little wreaths of holly, gorse and rosemary, and a small | band of fiddlers scraped out bright melo- | dies while the baked meats were being de- | voured and the ale disposed of. By the time the funeral procession started most of the sixty were slightly in- ebriated, and the march to the graveyard was far from dignified. The tiddlers led the way, followed by the sixty mourners, with another chief mourner bringing up the rear on a more or less lineal descend- ant of the animal which delivered the his- torical rebuke to Balaam of old. A guarter of a century ago an old lady who was an inveterate snuff-taker made it | imperative upon her heirs to recognize | her babit at her funeral. For years her | friends had tried to persuade her to aban- | don a habit which had become part of her | nature, and was a source of annoyance to all her friends. She was obstinate as well as wealthy, | ana not only kept up the habit to the last, but in her will calied for a snuff funeral. Her direct heirs were in favor of ignoring the instructions as evidently the work of a mind diseased, and allowing the estate to be distributed by the public administrator. The other legatees, how ever, were loud in their protests, and they finally prevailed. Snuff was scattered over her body and along the line of the procession, while the pallbearers were such inveterate snuff- takers that they readily fulfilled their part of the not very select arrangement. Itis even stated thatthe minister, in order to earn an exceptionally large fe2, took snuff throughout the entire ceremony. A very interesting account was published in a London newspaper more than forty years ago of the funeral of George Wil- iams, described as the king of the chi m ney-sweepers. He died just before the great inneral was attended by several hundred chimney-clearers, including an immense number of little boys, who earned a few pence a day by chmbing up flues and re- | moving soot and obstructions. | Asatnibute of respect to a profession which, in the days of large open grates and historical chimney corners, was a ver: important one, and partly because of Wil- | liams’ dying request, these little sweepers worked as usual during the early daylight | hours, and appeared at the funeral with | faces, hands and clothing covered with soot. Asbanners they carried the brushes used in their hazardous and lung-destroy- ing work, and the parade was one of the most grotesque on record. The proceedings were calculated to an- noy people of refined sentiment, for the trade obsequies were continued up to the grave itself, and the utensils used by the chimney-cleaner were, like we are told is the good a man does, buried with him. But the results of the funeral were em- inently satisfactory. It had not been gen- erally recognized that boys of six and eight summers were employed to climb up flues and knock out obstructions, but the number of the diminutive specimens of humanity called attention to the acts of cruelty which were perpetrated in the small hours of the morning before or- dinary mortals were astir. Inquiries were made, and it was ascer- tained that the boys were frequently whipped into obedience, and forced into chimneys which were sometimes hot enough to blister their little hands and feet. Thus it was that this peculiar funeral resulted in an agitation which finally liberated at least a thousand boys from tyranny and slavery. ——————— Vesuvius, the famous Italian volcano, is 8932 feet. Hundreds of Having a glorious recol- friends should make the most of the op- route for the scene of his last resting- | exhibition was opened. and his | 'A MONSTER OF THE DEEP Capture of a Huge Devil-Fish in the Bay of San Francisco. CAUGHT AMONG THE ROCKS. The Great Fish Was Hooked by a Fish:rman and Landed After a i Hard Struggle. A monster of the deep was exhibited at | the Clay-street market yesterday. It was | caught in the bay of San Francisco by a fisherman. The monster was a devil fish— the octopus caugut in the waters of the Pacific. The fish weighed in the neighborhood of 100 pounds, and was of a brown-gray color. It had long fangs and the venomous teeth that characterize the monsters of the sea. Passers-by tarried to inquire as CRUGHT 1N SAN FRANCISCO to its history, how it was caught and the | danger attending such a feat. | The devilfish is quite numerous in Mon- terey Bay, but they are not often landed in the bay of San Francisco. They are | usnally found among the rocks on the | coast and generally where the rock-fish are caught. A strong line, with numzrous hooks attached, is cast among the rocks ‘n]onF the sea coast, and in this way the | devilfish is bated and caught. | ‘It would be the end of a man once caught in the tentacles of the devii-fish,” | said an oldtime fisherman yesterday, ‘‘as he is a dangerous enemy to encounter among the rocks. This fellow having been | hooked was landed after a hard strugele. The devilfish usually fights while there is ife in him, “Theze is quite a demand for the devil | fish as an article of food,” continued the | fisherman, “but the meat is very tough and requires to be boiled in water a long time beiore serving.” | e | SOME FAMOUS TUNNELS. | Triumphs of Modern Engineering in [ Europe and America. | Oneof the most famous tunnels outside |of the United Kingdom is that of the | Mont de Cenis or Col de Frejus, which has | alength of seven and a half miles (actually | 89,840 fect) through Mount Cenis, and | which connects the provinces of Savoy and Piedmont. This wonderful under- taking was proposed by M. Medail, ana plans for its construction were drawn in 1848; but it was not umtil far into the fifties that the plans were approved and the undertaking decided on. The late King Victor Emmanuel of Italy initiated the work of excavation by setting the bor- ilrgc7mnchinery in motion on August 31, 57. At first the ordinary method of piercing by manual labor was adopted, steam be- ing adopted in 1860, and compressed air afterward to the finish, the boring being competed in December, 1870. The en- gineers engaged on this gigantic operation were MM. Grattoni, Grandis and Sonn- veillier, and the total cost of the work was £2,600,000. The first experimental irial trip was made on September 13 and occu- ied forty minutes, and the tunnel was ormally inaugurated by the passage through of a train of twenty-two carriages in twenty minutes on September 17, 1871, the regular service commencing on Octo- ber 11, 1871. In the Arlberg tunnel the work was commenced in 1830 and com. pleted in a little over three years, the dis- tance being 6 1-5 miles and the cost £108 per yard. Another famous tunnel is that which passes through the Mont St. Gothard, which is the longest iu the world, being 48,480 feet in length. It traverses the cen- ter of Switzerland at » height of from 8000 to 12,000 feet above the sea. It wascom- menced in 1872, and was opened in 1852 ten years having been occupied in its con- struction. It has had a yery important effect upon the commerce between Italy, Switzerland and Germany. This tunnel was bored out by means of mechanical drills, the progress made being thirteen feet per day. Oneof themostfamousinstancesof sub- aqueous tunneling in the United Kingdom was that of the Severn tunnel, which runs for a length of four and one-third miles, was commenced in 1873 and completed in 1886, Messrs. Hawkshaw, Son, Hayter and Richardson being the engineers. The bed of the Severn is formed wprincipally of marls, sandstones and conglomerates, over- lying bighly inclined coal measures, slates and sandstones, which are also exposed to the bed of the river. The tunnel is made almost wholly in the lias and coal measure formations, except atits eastern end, where its'passes through gravel. Much water was met with throughout ,andin 1879 the work- ings were flooded for some months through a large Jand spring on the Welsh side, and which water had to be diverted. Atan- other time the workings were flooded by water which burst through a hole in the river-bed, and this hole 16 feet by 10 feet, had to be filled up with clay, and the works completed beneath it. The greatest amount excavated in any one week was 6000 cubic yards. Another tunnel, though it be only one mile inlength, is that known as the Mersey, the whole of ‘the excavation in which, amounting to 320,000 cubic yards, was got out by band lapor, as to have used heavy blasting would have shaken the rock. The work took six years to carry out, being opened in and Messrs, Brunlees and Fox were the engineers, and the total cost, including approaches, was £1,250,000. A word may be here given to the now neglected and abandoned projected chan- nel tunnel to connect England and France —a proposal which had its rise at the be- ginning of this centur{. but in which nothing was dohe until 1881, though bor- ings have since been carried on for a dis- tance of 2000 yards beneath the sea from the Folkestone side, the usual rate of rogress being fifteen lineal yards a day. eneath the Hudson River at New York a partially constructed subaqueous tunnel now lies drowned, an attempt having been made to drive a double tunnel through the mud and silt forming the river bed, but in 1880, when about 100 yards had been com- pleted, the water burst in, and twenty men were drowned, and though the works were afterward resumed, considerations of a financial character compelled their abandonment. Had it been finished the tunnel would have been a miie in_ length. Another abandoned tun- nel is that commenced in 1872 by Chese- borough, when be bezan tunneling beneath the Detroiv River. between Canada and Michigan, but which had to be abandoned owing to continued eruptions of water after some 600 yards of headings had been driven. Other famous tunnelsare the new Croton aqueduct tunnel, which is 13 feet 7 inches 1n width and height, from the Cro- ton dam to the reservoir in New York, which is 33} miles in length, and was carried out at the rate of one and a quarter miles per month, all through rock; the Hoosac, 25,080 feet in length: the Nochis- tongo, 21,659 feet in length; the Sutro, 21,120 feet long; the Riquivel, 18,623 feet in length ; the Nerthe, 15,153 feet in extent; the Blaizy, 13,455 feet long, and the Thames and Medway, which runs fora length of 11,880 feet. The carrying out of the above tunnels has been among the grandest engineering triumphs of the world, of which those of the nineteenth century have more than passing reason to be proud.—London Standard. STORIES ABOUT SNAKES. How a Naturalist Captured a Giant Python. “Sitdown and sharpen your pencil while I overhau!l my mental shelves,”” remarked Mr. Thompson, curator of the zoological collection in the park, in answer to a re- quest for some snake stories. “Many years azo I visited the Capon Springs, Hampshire County, W. Va. While there I often amused myself squir- rel-hunting. The landlord owned a small terrier, which had been taught to hunt and tree them, and an old-fashioned Ken- tucky rifle. 1 frequently borrowed both dog and gun, and with their assistance managed to bave fair sport. One after- noon | was making my way through the undergrowth, attracted by the barking of the dog, when_just in front of me I saw a blacksnake, with his head well aloft, in tently looking over an old rotten log. 1 remained stll and awaited developments, and in a few seconds he darted over the log, and there was a fearful rustling among the dry leaves, On advancing so there was a cléar view beyond the log, T saw that he had seized a rattlesnake just back of the bead and was killing it by con- striction. Just then the dog began to bark with increased vehemence, ani fear- ing that the squirrel would be- come so Irightened as to commence jumping from tree to {free, I has- tend away to secure my game. On my return I found the rattier dead and the blacksnake gone. The conclusion 1 drew from this incident was that Constrictor bazcanion and Crotalus durissus were not loving neighbors. ‘‘Now [ shall have to take you out to South Africa. I lived m Durban, Natal, which is about 1000 miles around the Cape of Good Hope, up toward Madagascar. One morning 1 received a note from the port captain, asking me to come down to the harbor with all possible dispatch, as a pyvthon had taken possession of a German rig, and I was wanied to capture it. Tak- ing one of my keepers with me, I hurried down, and found quite a crowd on the elty, among whom were the crew of the rig. On inquiry I learned that there had been a shower during the night, and 1n the morning the mate had ordered one of the men to go aloft and shake out the sails, in order to dry them. He started up, and on reaching the maintop turned, and came down on the clean run. The mate wanted to know what he meant by such actions. Whereupon he “was informed that if he wished the sails loosened Le was at per- fect liberty to do the job himself; and, moreover, if such a trick was_ever at- tempted on him again he would take his discharge. The mutinous tar was in- stantly ordered to hades, and numerous other ” places, while the valiant mate started aloft_to attend to matters on his own hook. No sooner did his head get on a level with the top than he came down with a gait which far excelled that of the disobedient sailor. He instantly raised the alarm, and the entire crew lost no time in getting on shore and spreading the report that the rigging was full of the biggest kind of snakes. “With the assistance of the port cap- tain’s binoculars I had no difficulty in making a critical examination of the en- tire cpper works of the vessel, which was anchored about 100 yards from the shore. The result was one large python, coiled around the laps of the main and top mast. Borrowing a sack, I managed, after much persuasion, to get two of the crew 1o pull myself and keeper off to the brig, where they left us and turned back to the jetty. I unrove the flag halyards, made a noose in one end of them, and hunted around until I found a stout piece of reed some six or eight feet in lengih. Climbing up the shrouds, I made my attack through the lubbershole by punching his snakeship with the reed, to the end of which I had tied the noose. He put his head down through the hole for the purpose of fight- ing me, when he was instantly noosed around the neck and the halyards made fast to the ratlines. In his violent efforts to effect a release he drew back with such force as rapidly to choke him- self into insensibility. Calling to the keeper to hold the mouth of the sack open, I watched until I thought he was nearly at his last gasp, when 1 squirmed up on the top, loosened bis coils around the masts, lowered him into the sack, when the keeper immediately cut the noose. By the time that 1 reached the deck he had nearly recovered from his severe wind stoppage. 1 gently opened the mouth of the sack to have a good look at him, and discoyered from his bloated appearance that he had recentl; partaken oi a hearty meal. On the arri- val of the crew on board it was discov- ered that the captain’s fox-terrier was missing. I therefore concluded that the python, in swimming across the harbor, had struck the vessel’s hawser, up which he had crawled to the deck, swallowed the dog and gone aloft to digest the meal.”’—Buifalo Commercial. —_————— Meaning of State Names. Alabama is believed to mean ‘‘the land of rest,” though one authority claims the name means a glade or thicket of trees. Illinois took its name from the lllinois tribe of Indians, wno in turn were really the Illini or Illiniwok, ‘‘the men.” Kentucky is & native name and means bloody ground. Many conflicts took place there in early days. Oklahoma means “the beautiful land,” strange to say. It consists of prairie. The name Oregon is derived from the Spanish oregano, “wild marjoram’” or “wood sage,” which grows abundantly in that State. % Rhode Island may have taken its name from the ancient island of Rhodes, or from the name of an early settler, bat it is probable the name came about because of the fine anchorage or roadstead between the island and the mainland. ‘Wisconsin takes its name from the Wis- consin River, which was derived from ‘Wiskonsing, “wild running channel,” be- stowed on it by Joliet. Montana means land of mountains. Maryland was named in honor of Queen Henrietta Maria, being called Terra Marie in the charter first given. ————— Italy exports 480,000,000 dozens of eggs each year. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS JuLes VErRNe—Certes, Halimoon Bay, San Mateo County, Cal. Jules Verne is still iving. THE [BIBLIOPHILE—J. W., City. The Baron A. de Rothschild, the noted bibljophile, resides in the city of London, England. Joux BrowN JR.—D. R., City. John Brown Jr., son of John Brown of Harper's Ferry fame, died in Sandusky May 2, 1895. FOUR-DOLLAR PIECES—G. A., City. The mints of the United States never issued for circula- tion any coin of the denomination of $4. THE CUBAN WAR—Reader of THE CALL, San Jose, Cal. There is no place in San Francisco where a person may enlist as a volunteer to fight for Cuba. THE GRAND ARMY—W. A.S.,Fresno, Cal. The annual session of the Grand Army- of the Re- ublic that was held in San Francisco was held n August, 1886. A TeEN DOLLAR GoLD PIECE—E. A/, City. There is no offer of a premium for & §10 gold piece of 1843. Dealers in old coins offer them for from $13 50 to $15. ASHURST COLONY—J. G., City. You can ob- tain all the information you desire about the Ashurst Colony by writing to the secretary at Kirkwood, Tehama County. GREENBACKS —J. M, Dimond, Alameda County, Cal. At no time during the war and up to the time that specie payment was re- sumed did greenbacks keep up their face yalue. PENSIONS—E. W., City. An old soldier of the army of the United States, who isa resident of « foreign country, can draw his pension the tame as if he Wis a resident of the United tates. ProTESTANTS—W. C. A., City. The term Prot- estant at this time is generally applied to those Christian bodles which are descended from the Reformation of the sixteenth century and ogposed to the Roman Catholic and Greek churches. SUB-TREASURY CHECKs —J. A. H., Vallejo, Cal. Checks drawn on the United States Sub- treasury atSan Francisco must be cashed there, as they will not be honored at any of the other sub-treasuries. A FReNCH ComN—J. P. J. A dix centimes piece coined in 1853, during the reign of Napoleon III, has no special value except such as 8 person_would be willing to pay for it as a curiosity. The coin is not quoted by dealers. Must HAVE A LICENSE—A. C. A., Kelseyville, Lake County, Cal. InSan Francisco, and, in fact, in all partsof the State of California,a person must have a license to peddle anything that he manufactures. This department can- ;md advertise places in this City that sell tin- 0il. NUMERATION—A. M., Agnews, Cal. According to the custom prevailing in the United States and in France 1,500,000,000 reads one billion five hundred miliions; according to English numeration it reads one thousand five hun- dreds of millions. SERPENT'S TEETH—J. W., City. Serpents have sharp-pointed teeth, smooth and arched toward the throat.. Mosi of the venomous ones have, however, in place of teeth in the upper jaw, two fangs, through which the poison is injected in a wound aiter a bite, Nor Exempr—U. S. D., Seiby, Cal. Persons in the employ of the United States Government are mnot by reason of such employment ex- empted from the payment of poll tax in this State. The only ones exempted are paupers, insane people, idiots and California Indians not taxed. Is A Lotrery—Subscriber, City. Any ctub that is organized for the purpose of paying so much a week or month and taen draws num- bers for the purpose of determining who shall have certain merchandise, comes within the law that declares it is unlawful to dispose of property by chance. PREMIUM ON A DiME—Subscriber, City. There is no premium on dimes coined in the United States during the year 1894, except those coined in the mint of San Francisco, and none of those are in: circulation, so_do not waste your time looking for a dime of 1894 that was minted in San Francisco, you will not find one. PALISADES—G. H. y. The Palisades is the name given to a long blufl or precipice which extends along the west shore of the Hudson River in Rockland County, New York, and Bergen and Hudson counties, New Jersey. It is formed of basaltor trap rock, is nearly straight, eighteen miles long and in some places 480 feet high, FOREIGN PARENTAGE—Mrs. T., City. If achild is born of foreign parents in the United States that child is an American by birth. If within a year that child_should be taken to a foreign country and be brought up there it would, on arriving at majority, have to decide which citizenship it would adopt, that of the father or that of the land of birth, @Fracs—J. K., City. The law of this State in regard to flags applies only to military com- panies, which are not permitted to parade with any flag except that of the United States or that of the State of California. There is no law that requires & society having a flag of its own to designate it to fly over that flag either an American flag or an American streamer, POPULATION—A Subscriber, City. According to the State enumeration in 1892 the popula- tion of the City of New York was 1,501,739; that of Chicago, sccording to the school census of 1894, taken in April, was 1,567,727; that of Londou on the 25th of September, 1895, was 4,392,346, and that of Paris in 1891 was2.447,- 957. These are the latest figures obtainable. DURRANT'S TrIALS—Correspondent, Sulphur Bank, Lake County, Cal. Durrant having been convictea of the murder of Blanche Lamont and having taken an appeal, no further steps will be taken in his case until the Supreme Court decides thatappeal. He is charged with the murder of Minnie Williams, but whether he is to be tried for that crime will depend on the result of the appeal. THE CZAR OF RUSSIA—F. A., City. The Czar of Russia s Nicholas II, born May 18, 1868. He is the eldest son of the late Alexander III. He ascended the throne on the death of his father, November 1,1894. He married Prin- cess Alexander Alix, dsughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse. The offspring of this union is a daughter, Olga, born November 15, 1895. The dates given are according to the new style. The Russian dates are according to I):e old style, twelve days earlier than those given. EscAPE FROM PRISON 0. 8, City. Iia prisoner escapes from a county jail while awaiting trial for an offense less than a felony or while serving out a term for & crime under the grade of felony he commits a misdemeanor for which he can be punished. If he is not ar- rested within a year after the escape thestat- nute of limitation runs against a prosecution, unless in the meantime a warrant was issue against the escape. In that case he may be ar- rested at any time, tried and punished for the escape. THE MACALISTER TARTAN—J.A., Concord, B. Cal. The answer given & few days since about the colors of the tartan of the Macalisters of Scotland was based on information obtained from ‘‘Mclan’s Costumes of Scotland,” con- sidered the very best authority on the subject. P. S.R. of Milton, Calaveras County, a friend of this department, takes exception to this au- thority and sends a letter in which he writes, “The Macalister tartan contains five colors— red, navy blue, green, sky blue and white''— but P. 8. 'R. does not state upon what he bases the assertion that the colors he gives are those of the Macaliste: A CreoLE—J. A. F,, City. Creole is from the Spanish, criollo, & creole, properly, nursed, grown up—from criar, I breed. In Louisiana, Spanish America, the West Indies and Mauri- tius, creole denotes in its widest sense any one boru in the country, but of a race not native to it. Itis usually applied, however, to per- sons born _in " the colony or country, of pure European blood,’ as distin- guished both from immigrant EnroJ;nns and from the offspring of mixed blood. In Brazil it is applied to & native, but of African arents. It is also applied to persons born in exico, and as the people are of a very mixed race the word there signifies one beiween a white and a negro. the Gulf States the term creole is applied to descendants of French an nish settlers in distinction from French and Spanish immigrants and mulattoes or half-breeds. THE Maxmy GuN—F. A, City. The Maxim self-acting gun was invented by Henry 8. Maxim of England. Every round after the first is fired by the recoil of the previous ex- plosion; the cartridges are picked outof the cartridge belt, one end of which is placed in the gun’s mechanism at one side by theauto- matic action of the gun, and the belt ard car- tridge shells are ejected after firing. Every re- 3 un by the next cartridge into M?fi‘o:‘l’m:u it into the barrel, cocks the -, pulls the trigger, extracts the empty hell it from the gun, all 0~ :lmn';;?:: on with such nmeloalrlflx;t! ‘ The chorus of this song was accom: NEW TO-DAY—DRY GOODS. SPECIAL PURCHASE 2000 PAIRS WHITE AND ECRU NOTTINGHAM === CURTAINS! BEST VALUES AND LATEST STYLES. NOTTINGHAM CURTAINS, 3 yards long, 36 inches wide. NOTTINGHAM CURTAINS, 3 yards long, 40 inches wide. 314 yards long, 40 inches wide , 314 yards long, 46 inches wide. S, 314 yards long, 54 inches wide ards long, 60 inches wide. 4 yards long, 60 inches wi ISOTTINGH,\H CURTAIN: NOTTINGHAM CURTAI NOTTINGHAM CURTAL NOTTINGHAM CURTAINS, Guipure effects. NOTTINGHAM CURTAI Fine Fish-Net effe NOTTINGHAM CURTAINS, Brussels effects. NOTTINGHAM CURTAINS 31, $1.65 a palr .$2.00 a pair .$2.00 a palr -$3.75 a pair -$2.25 a palr $2.50, $3.00, $3.50 to $7.50 a pair IRISH POINT CURTAINS in all grades and styles. OTHER SPECIALS! and dadoes.... GOOD, STYLISH PORTIERES, in chenille, with double tringe} $2 00 a pair ........... . HEAVY BLEACHED IRISH LINEN TABLE DAMASK, 62 inches wide...... 5-4 BI.aEACHED PILLOW MUSLIN, fair quality, wide {456 a yard fully fimches}‘ Séc a yard 36INCH WIDE “WHITE ROCK” BLEACHED MUSLL\',» soft)- finish, best standard....... 7 a vard imperfect, worth $8 50, on sale at. 4 cases FINE WHITE BLANKETS, best Australian wool, slightly) $4 90 a pflil‘ . 100 dozen BLEACHED HUCK TOWELS, neat border, Irish’ man- ufacture......... evegons venaas secessseee - 90¢ a dozen W ASEL GooDSs! NEW AND STYLISH. FANCY LINEN EFFECT STRIPED GRASS CLOTH, worth 15c,) on sale at 300 pieces HIGH-GRADE DRESS STYLE GINGHAMS and SEER-, SUCKERS, that were 12}4c, on sale at. 300 pieces FINE DIMITIES, ORGANDIES, etc., 150 pieces DOUBLE-FOLD SCOTCH PLAID SUITINGS, value 15c, on sale at 10¢ a yard b 8% ayard on sale at] { 123 a yard 36 a yard ete., )L § NOTE.—Samples of above not given, as their sale will be rapid. #9~ OUR NEW SPRING CATALOGUE COUNTRY PATRONS ONLY, to whom it is now ready for distribution to our will be mailed free on receipt of address. / Market Streel, corner of Jones SATN FRANCOCISOO. that 600 rounds are fired perminute. The gun can be turned in any direction by means of a crank and the rate of discharge is controlled by a_chamber, ingeniously contrived so that the gun may be fired rapidly or slowly as de- sired. The recoil drives the barrel back three- quarters of an inch, and it is this recoil that controls the mechanism of the gun and makes the discharge continuout To PRESERVE COLORS—Mrs. A. R., City. It is said that the following méthod will preserve the colors of merinos, mousselines de laine, gingham, chintz and printed lawns: Before washing any colored fabrics it is recommended t0 soak them for some time in water, to every gallon of which there has been added a tea- spoonful of ox-gall. A teacupful of lye ina Enillul of water is said to improve the color of | lack goods when it is necessary to wash them. A strong clean tea of common hay will pre- serve the color of French linens. Vinegarin the rinsing water will preserve the color of pink and green goods and heighten these colors, and soda answers the same purpose for both purple and blue, The colors of these fabrics may be preserved by using & strong milk warm lather of white soap and putting the dress into it instead of rubbing it on the material and stirring into the first and second tubof water a large tablespoonful of ox-gall. It is said tbat the celor of calico ean be pre- served as follows: Dissolve three gills of salt in four quarts of water; put the calico in while hot and leave it till cold, and in this way the colors are rendered permanent and will not fade by subsequent Washing. POPULAR NEGRO MELODIES. A Sudden Partiality for Ethioplan Themes With ““Honey’ in Them. The vagaries of public taste are almost inexplicable and theatrical managers of judgment long ago abandoned the effort to keep track with the popular fancy where songs or stage characterizations are con- cerned, says the New York Sun. For many years May Irwin, when on the spe- cialty stage, the late Annie Pixley and Maud Huth, a Georgia girl now well known in the continuous performances in an act with her husband, Billy Clifford, called “The Chappie’s Visit,”” sang planta- tion songs with considerable success, diver- sifying the musical features with the pecu- liar stride which colored women regard as one of the distinguished beauties of a cake walk. Theater-goers accepted such spe- cialties asan ugimportant feature of lively performances, but recently there has been a decided craze for them and no farce comedy or ‘““comic opera’ is now thought to be complete without them. y May Irwin, now appearing in “The ‘Widow Jones” and the pioneer in many similar stage crazes (she was the first singer to make ‘‘After the Ball” popular i ew York City), started the ball in motion with ‘‘Mamie, Come Kiss Your Honey Boy,” sung in ‘The Country Sport.” Later Fay Templeton in “Excei- sior Jr.” sane and made popular “I Want Yer, Ma Homey.” Then Flora Irwin, May’s sister, in ‘“Gentleman Joe,” sang “Honey, Does Yer LoveYour M an?” One of the features of ““A Black Sheep’ at Hoyt's Theater is the singing of the plan- tation song by Jeannette St. Henry in the third act, “Love Me, Honey, Do.”” Though tbis requirement is not essential plantation songs with a cake walk chorus nowadays to be entirely successful should include in some part of the title, and cer- tainly in the chorns, the word ‘‘honey,” and to that word in part as well as to the cnarm of the music _is due the popularity of the song rendered by George Evans and by Willis P. Sweatnam, “I'll' Be True to y Honey Boy.” Some ingenious indi- viduals have claimed to trace the present craze for popular songs of the plantation variety to a precursor, “Honey O!” but there is ne sufficient- corroboration of this view to make it generally accept- ed. Others find the start” of e craze in Percy Gaunt’s song, ‘‘Push Dem Clouds Away,” which was sung with considerable success in ‘‘A Trip to China- town’’ by Anna Boyd and her :ssocmqe:i ni with a cake-walk movement which helped to make it very popular, and the music was quite catchy. This season May Irwin has n singing two nea:-o plantation songs without ‘‘honey’’ in either, *“The New Bully” and ‘“The Hoodoo.” Peter F. y and Jennie Yeamans introduced a cake-walk song at the end of the first act of “The Night Clerk” at the Bijou re- cently, and Mand Huth has been singing at the continuous-performance houses the song “I Cares for Nobody,” the chorus of which bas helped to make it very popular. The old-fashioned negro melodies were generally of a plaintive character, based on such pathetic episodes in the home life of the Sunny South as the *“‘Siave’s Dream” or *‘Liza Harris’ Escape.” Col- ored men and . colored women were repre- sented as sitting in or about the cabin or the lowlands of the plantation, either be- moaning their fate or .smothering their regrets in music. Afterward, when the song-and-dance men began, as an out- growth from the minstrels, to appear on the variety stage with biack faces, the ne- rro music with which the New York pub- ic became familiar was of the “Big Sun- flower” or “‘Shoo Fly” variety. But since the close -of the warand the permanent establishment in = Northern cities of the colored population, not as fugitives or transients, the intricacies and the at- tractions of the cake walk have come to be -understood by white patrons at theatrical entertainments, and a cake walk, nowadays, draws usually a big crowd. From the cake walk, has come, logically, the music of the cake walk, with a peculiar type of song which’ has “‘Honey’’ or some- ining similar as its melodic trademark. At the present time the supply of such songs by no means- keeps pace with the demand. While it has generally been thought necessary on the stage for men to blacken their countenances with burnt cork and grease paint in order- to maintain the illu- sion of negro character delineation, it has never been thought necessary or even de- sirable for actresses playing similar char- acter parts to do likewise, except, of course, in such plays as *‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin," wherein a negro character is presented in its entirety and not in a fragmentary way. e THE ONE DESIRE. Of all the threads of rhyme which I have spun, I shall be glad if Time save only one. And I would have each word to joy belong— Alyric like a bird whose soul is song. ‘There is enough of grief to mar the years; Be mine a sunny leat, untouched by tears, To bring unto the heart delight, and make All sorrows to depart, and joy to wake. No sermon mine to preach, save happiness; No lesson mine to teach, save joy o bliss. Joy—'tis the ohe bést thing below, abo ve— The lute’s divinest string, whose note is love. —Century. pEmse i B L GIBRALTAR A STRATEGIC POINT. It Is of the Utmost Importance to the Enghish. - Gibraltar (about 1000 miles from Eng- land) is of immense importance as being. the great watch tower from which the movements of warships can be observed and telegraphed as they pass into and out of the Mediterranean: Sea. Moreover, sitnated as it is near the flank of our trade routes both to the Cape and to the West Indies and South America, it is the oint at which vessels would naturally call or news, orders, coal and protection during the continuance of a war. When you con- sider that in every second of time twenty tons of shipping go out or come into our home ports, and that, as a matter of fact, the stream is continucus and never ceases, and that the value of the sea-borne trade of the British empire is calculated at £930,000,000, of which about £250,000,000 neither comes to nor goes from the United Kingdom, it seems difficult to exagyerate ‘the value of the fortress of Gibraltar or to realize the congestion of British shipping which might seek its protection in war. 1t has at present no drydock. Its garrison consists of seven companies of artulery, four companies of engineers, and three batteries of infantry. It is the meeting place of our Channel and Mediterranean squadrons. The roads do not afford safe anchorage in all winds, and an enemy could conceivably sheil them if he mounted heavy guns on Spanish soil.— National Review. ——————— In the ant hills of South Africa have been found suspension bridges, passing from one gallery to another, and spane ning & gulf more than six inches wide.