The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 30, 1897, Page 29

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 30, 1897. 27 SOME PACIFIC COAST LADIES WHO ARE ADEPTS AT WHIST. o first suggested the ides of forming & man's Whist League to one of the leading women whisters who was then in Brookiyn that the bud would so soon blossom. Those that we looked upon as favorable to such en idea threw . cold water upon it, but, like Banquo's ghost, it wou down, end to-day it1s 8 living reality. The little flame that was kindled soon spresd, and the Trist Club of Philadelphia, with Mrs. T. H. Andrews st its head, set the wheels again in motion, end by her indomitable pluck and energy s in accomplishing what otherwise proved a failure. To the Iadies of the Pacific Const no litle credit isdue. Califor the Union to admit ladie rw with the same rights and privileges as men; and for that reason and oihers we are pleased to give to the whis 1d the portraits of many of the leading w xperts among the gentler sex who fir: believe and agree with Eugéne S. Elliott, father and founde erican Wh I t 00ls of w our homes, w reign supreme nd refining i ttle Aid we dream when in Januarr, 1896, | Wo: d dauvghters ennobling best be exerted. our portralt gallery | th interest. 11d be induced to explain o take up whist, she woula sne was driven to it by | . With her she ssys it was whist , whist tor lunch, whist for dinner | and whist far into the night. Mrs, T. is uu; e of President Tormey of the Pacific Coast « Association, who is elso president of the | icate Whist Cluband director of the | Lesgue. Her interest in the ne commenced in the spring of 1885, when ‘( € was one of the charter members of a club | ladies and gentlemen. Like many other ladies on the coast she dates ber study of the | game to the enthusiasm of Miss Wheelock. | It s generally conceded by those who know r. Tormey that he is quité an enthusiast on ie game, but Mrs. Tormey is a good'second. To show that she hes the fever quite as bad as her husband: On her first trip to Europe, several years ago, while in Dresden, she had 2 little tea set made to represent spades, | hearts, clubs end diamonds, and table linen | decorated with all sorts of w t emblems. { horoughly believes thatwhist | is an accomplishment second to none. At the | esent time she has three daughters now | pending their year in one of the finest | 1 18 in the State, aud she e without a thorough | MES. CHARLES %. SITTON, The founder and president of the Kate Wheel- | ock Club of Portland, Oregon. This club is the | ies’ whist club in the United States. | At the present time it has & membership of | aboutone hundred. Three years ago when Miss Wheelock made her first trip to this State 1 & professional way an incidens of her trip goes to show how her reputation as a teacher player preceded her arnval in Portland. | To use her own words she told us she “ar- | d in Portland tired and travel worn.” No | preparation had been made, of course, for her | ng—sand, as she expressed it, she “did not | know a soul in the city. Youcan imsgine | w I felt when I found awsy off theresa club posed of seventy-five women called th © Wheelock. It was the most touching Iever had paid me."” Mrs. Sition wes there, and for several years sne knew of the wonderful abilities of this le queen, and she says “what other name uld we give our little club?” Mrs. Bitton’s | ork !n a whist way is a labor of love. We | 2ve had the good fortune to sit opposite her | pertner, and we spesk Dy the card in | ing she is a player second b none among those | we have met in Oregon. She is thoroughly umiliar with every new and old system of being = close siudeot. Mrs. Sitton’s 1gs on many & subject pertalning to the me are familiar to our readers. She often ers to the quotation from Edgar Allen Poe re he says, “Beyond doubt there is noth. imilar nature so grestly tasking the n Proficiency in whist im- plies capacity for success in all those more | t undertakings where mind sirug. | | MRS, JORN D. EBY. . Eby is without doubtone of the most | nd Whist Club and one of its found- | e first came into prominence in whist her husband, J. D. Eby, in founding the d a Club, which was the first club in skland to join the Ameriean Whist League. . Eby has played in several very important atch games with clubs on this side of the bay and always came out a prize-winner, or Since the organization of the t Club Mrs. Eby has been a hard f the board of directors of the whist committee. She is like others in whist, always working for the t of others. MES. GEORGE E. BATES. | Bates is one of the most prominent | whist enthusiasts on the coast. She is a na- tive daughter. Bhe waschosen a director of the Pac! Coast Whist Association at its last annual meeting. To her amiable disposition and winning ways is due the strong hold she has upon the hearts of all whist-players with whom she comes in contact. About five years g0 she commenced the study of the game, and she has succeeded in mastering it much better than the sverage player. Ehe hascap- ained several ladies’ teams In playing for the Rideout and Bates trophies and always suc- czeded in making an excellent showing. Mrs. Bates has often been taken for Miss Wheeloek, | between whom there is & siriking re. | MisS ,‘EDn» ‘ol RAWLEY cadlf] BROWN JOSEDHING LOVE i ity \\W b | T semblance. Mr. and Mrs. Bates expect to be in attendance at the seventh congress at Put-in-Bay. MRS FRANK H. ATWATER. Potaluma should be proud of haying a whist- | plaser of such noted ebility in tneir midst. | The Pacific Coast Whist Association at their | annual meeting in January last selected Mrs. Atwater as their corresponding secratary. Her whist fame bas reached beyond the 1imits | of this State. In the whist department of THE | CALL Mrs. Atwater's opinion is frequently | asked, and in justice to her ability we will say | she is withont.doubt one of the greatest stu- | dents and expert players in the State. Her writings to the official organ of the American Whist League—Whist of Milwaukee—have at- tracted the attention of the whist world. - Mrs. | Atwater is an associate member of the A. . L. and alsoamember of the Petaluma Whist Club. For nearly two years she has been giv- ing private instructions in the science of the game to a class of twelve, without any coms: pensation—for the love of the game only. | MRS. FRANK F. FREDERICKS. Mrs. Fredericks of the Trist Duplicate Whist | Club has made her mark in the whist world. At the last annual meeting ot the Pacific Coast | Whist Association Mrs. F. and her partner, | Mrs. Myers, carried oft the highest honors | and prizes in the match for progressive pairs. She is also a member of the crack ladies’ team of the club. Her bright and brilliant whist play has won her many admirers. MISS EDITH HAWLEY BROWN. Miss Brown 1s one of the devotees of whist and also one of the charter members of the Oskland Whist Ciub. She is a student, and plays the game with excellent judgment and skiil. -If the whist clubs on both sides of the bay had more such enthusiastic members ss this charming Jittie lady the clubs would be greatly benefited. MRS. B. A. HEBON. Mrs. Heron is the wife of ex-President Heron of the Linda Vista Club of Oakland. Mrs. Heron is an excellent whist-player. She isa daughter of Judge Dudiey of Stockton. The Dudley family—father, mother, children— are all constant players of good whist. The Linda Vista Clnb, of which Mrs. Heron iss member, was one of the first clubs in the State to join the American Whist League. IS8 ANNIE BLANCHE SHELBY. Miss Shelby has the proud distinction of being the whist editor of the Oregonian of Portland, Or. Some months ago we had the plensure ot listening to several whist talks by Miss Shelby before the Kate Wheelock Club of Portland. She has the happy fsculty of being able to make everything clear and concise. Her experience in the game is far beyond most of the Iadies. Her travels over the world, come ing in contact with many of the noted players, have given her a wide-world reputation. Her whist teachings are genmerally on the line of the masters, taking no stock in the fads that the whist wind blows her way. We hope as long as she continues in the whist editorial chair that we will be favored with her writings. MES. ¥. W. GORHAM. Mrs. Gorham is a native daughter of Vallejo, and has been & whisi-player for the last seven years. She is a great lover of scientific whist, & thorough student, and it is said if she had | the opportunity of practice with expert players | she would be the equel of any whist-player in the State. MRS, L. A, BLANKENSHIP. Mrs. Blankenship is the vice-president of the Trist Duplicate Whist Club and also a member of the house commiitee: she is a thorough | student of the game and one of the leading | players of the club. MRS. JOSEPHINE LOVE. One does not often meet a more genial whist partner and player of no mean ability than | Mrs. Love of the Trist Duplicate Whist Club. Mrs. L. is one of the board of directors and also a member of the house committee and | chairman of the prize committee. Enthu- | siasm for the game we all love makes hera | consiant attendant 2t the club. | MRS. JOSEPHINE CURTIS. Mrs. Curtis, wife of Mr. J. Curtis of the firm of Payot, Upham & Co., is one of the most bril- | liant whist-players in the State. She and her { husband sre two of the most active members | of the Trist Duplicate Whist Club. Mrs. Curtis | was one of the first lady whist-players that | was ever selected to go into a team of four to | compete for an importent trophy, and through her wonderful skill and ability succeeded in capturing the much-coveted prize. Her fame &s a whist-player s known in New York Brooklyn, Boston and other Eastern cities. Vogue, an illustrated weekly of New York, has asked the privilege of publishing her portrait in its gallery of prominent whist-players of the country, whicn will appear in two or three weeks. MRS. E. D. Fl Mrs. Flint, & charter member of the Oakland Whist Club, is -a Wwhist-player of more than average ability. It has seldom been our good | fortune to have as good a pariner and one that always played with the sime cooi delib- eration as Mrs. Flint. Her game wasalways | marked for deep thought, and she seldom sits down to a game of whist without giving it her undivided attention. It is a rare treat for any one that loves whist and knows the game to be fortunate enough to secure her as & partner. MRS. H. PAYOT. Mrs. Payot, wife of the ex-president of the San Francisco Whist Club, dates her deep interest in the game from a scientific stanapoint to the first visit of Miss Wheelock. Mrs. P. is widely known to the whist-players of the American Whist League. Last summer at Manhattan Beach Mr, and Mrs. Payot captured two of the prizes given at the sixth congress. Both expect to attend the next congress at Put-in Bay thisseason. A short time ago Mr. and | Mrs. Payot returned irom a tour around the | world. They met with many amusing whist experiences, and one of these days we hope to Do able to publish a full account of them. How Seed Germination Is Increased by Electrical Excitation It has at last been practically proven|S .Kinney, an expert agriculturist. Ex- that electricity isa real incentive to the | periments to this end have been con- growth of plants. This is the result of | Cucted here for several years, but not experiments made at the Massachusetts | until now has it been found that the elec- Agricuitural College, at Amherst, by Asa ' tric fluid can be utilized by any one to increase the power of germination of a seed pianted in the earth. Mr. Kinney conducted the experiments and submitted different seeds to the action of an electric carrent. He found == THIS PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS THE ELECTRIC CURRENT HASTENING GERMINATION IN THE FLOWER-POTS IN PROFESSOR KINNEY’S LABORATORY. that germination was much accelerated. Two lots of twelve groups containing 112 seeds each were soaked in water until thoroughly moistened and while wet placed in glass cylinders opened at either end. Copper disks which were connected with the poles of an induction coil were pressed against the seeds and a current pussed through them for one or two min- utes. After this the seeds were sown, the temperature being kept at 45 to 50 de- grees. The result was an increase of growth in the seeds to which electricity was applied over the seeds not subjected to the experiment of 30 per cent. The objects of this experiment were threefold: First, to determine whether the sced germ resvonded in any way when subjected to electrical influence; second, should there be any visible action, to de- termine whether it was injurious or bene- ficial; third, to determine the effeats of different strengths of current. It was found that with apparatus within the reach of almost every grower the use of electricity may proveof great service in the germination of small seeds, which under ordinary conditions start very slowly. In the selection of germinating pans for this work two chief points were taken into consideration: First, that the normal or untreated seeds should have exactly the same environment as those treated, aside from the conditions brought about by the application of electricity ; second, that the conditions for germination should be as favorable vossible—that is, that there should be the proper amount of heat, air and moisture to give the best possible con- ditions. The form of apparatus used in these ex- periments consisted of two piates, an outer one of porcelain about nine inches in diameter and an inner of clay seven inches in diameter. Within the .inner plate filtered paper is placed, upon which the seeds are sown. In theouter platea constant supply of water was kept, which gradually passed through the plate of porous clay, keeping the filter paper within constantly moist. The sceds were sown upon the filter paper, which was divided 1nto eight equal parts. Beven of these were used for the treated seeds, while the eighth was for the normal, or untreated seeds. A second piece of moist fiiter paper was placed over the seeds, resting upon them and touching at various points the paper beneath. In this manner the coverings were kept moist by absorption. In orderto insure perfect darkness a piece of black cardboard was placed over the pan in sucn a manner as to shut out the light but not to prevent a free circulation of air. The moist filter paper which constituted the covering of the seeds offered but little ob- struction to growth. The batteries used in the experiments were of two kinds, namely, four Lelanche cells, arranged in series, giving an electro- motive force of from four to five volts, and two No. 1 Samson cells giving an electro- motive force of 288-100 volts. Had long periods of treatment been desired gravity cells would have answered the purpose much better. But as the current was never used for more than five minutes at a time ana then the battery allowed a period of ret, no difficulty was experi- enced from its running down, and a com- paratively constant strength of current could be cbtained. The great advaniage gained by using the sal ammoniac battery is the ease with which it may be set-up and renewed when exhausted. In order that alarge varia- tion in electo-motive force could be ob- tained an induction coil was employed that was a form of the Rnhmxorff appara- tus. Insome of the experiments hourly treatment was desired. This was accom- plished by passing the wires from the bat- tery to an electric clock and thence to an induction machine. E.ch hour the clock formed a connection, completing the cir- cuit, and a current was passed through for a period of about thirty seconds. The result of the experiments showed that electricity exerts an_appreciable in- fluence upon ths germination of seeds; that the application of certain strengths of current toseeds for short periods of time accelerates the process of germina- tion. Those lots of seeds receiving elec- trical stimnlation gavea higher vercent- age of germination than the normal. The range ino the strength of current which accelerates germination is exceedingly limited. Seeds subjected to but one ap- plication of electricity show the effect for only a few hours. E'ectricity when ap- plied hourly to germinating seeds or grow- ing plants does not lose its effect, but acts as a constant stimulation to their growth and development. George E. Stone, botanist of the Agri- cultural College, says of these experi- ments: *I know of no experiments along this line in which numerous measure- ments and comparisons of a large numbsr of treated and normal plants placed un- der exactly similar conditions have been made. All experimenters, however, have not been able to obtain positive results by the use of electricity. It can readily be seen from the results of Mr. Kinney's ex- periments that many of the negative re- sults often reported can be accounted for by the fact that the strength of current which ‘accelerates germination and growth is quite limited, and consequently a current which did not come within this limit wouid have no effect. “These experiments, as well as many subsequent ones, show conclusively that clectricity, when properly applied, accel- erates germination and growth, and, furthermore, that experiments have pro- gressed far enough to show that in many respects electricity acts similarly to light in its stimulating effect.”” N s richeed 1o fle war drums walle, e o e Wi 'It?m and furs andiders A sonc b batle by el 0N e e e Jo kg haevmony 310 Theels lllush«n. !' i