The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 9, 1901, Page 4

4 The— b Call. MONDAY........ DECEMBER 9, 1901 JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. Adéress All Communicstions to W. 8. LEAKE, Manager. MANAGER’S OFFICE... ..Telephone Press PUBLICATION OFFICE...Market and Third, §. F. Telephone Press 201. EDITORIAL ROOMS.....217 to 221 Stevensom St. Telephone Press 202. Delivered by Carriers, 15 Cents Per Week. Bample coples will be forwarded whep requested. Mail subscribers in ordering change of address should be particular to give both NEW AND OLD ADDRESS in order %o insure = prompt and correct compliance with their request. OAKLAND OFFICE.. +see000.1118 Broadway C. GEORGE KROGNESS. Manager Foreign Advertising, Marguette Building, Chisage. (Long Distance Telephone *“‘Central 2618.”") NEW YORE (ORRESPONDENT: €. ©. CARLTON . «.Herald Square NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: STEPHEN B. SMITH. 30 Tribune Bullding NEW YORK NEWS STANDS: Waldorf-Astoria Hotel; A. Brentano, 51 Union Square; Murray HIN Hotel. CHICAGO NEWS ST. Sbermen House; P. O. News Co.; Premont House; Auditorfum Hotel. WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE. ...1406 G St., N. W. MORTON E. CRANE, Correspondent. BRANCH OFFICES—57 Montgomery, corner of Clay, open wntll $:0 c'clock. 300 Haves, open until 9:30 o'clock. €33 MeAllister, open until 9:39 c'clock. €15 Larkin, open until #:30 o'clock. 1941 Miselon, open until 10 o'clock. 2261 Market, eorner Sixteenth, open until § o'clock. 109 Valencla, open until § e'clock. 106 Eleventh, open until § o'clock. NW. corner Twenty-second and Kentucky, open until $ o'clock. 2200 Filimore, open until § p. m. B i AMUSEMENTS. ANDS: Great Northern Hotel: Columbia—*“A Royal Rogue.” Orphenm—Vaudeville. Grand Opera-house—"'A Wife's Peril."” California—*"The Cowboy and the Lady.” Tivoli—In Town.” . Central—"“The Electrician.” Alcazar—*“Christopher Jr. Chutes, Zoo and Theater—Vaudeville every afternoon and evening. Fischer’s—Vaudeville. Oakiand Racetrack—Races to-day. “E THE BUSINESS OF THE COUNTRY. ITH the possible exception of Wall ‘street, there the tendency in prices has been rather downward than upward of late, there is no indication of any wane in the current prosperity. Week after week passes with the same monotonous chronicle of active markets and generally firm prices for all classes of goods. If any line sags it soon re- covers buoyancy, provisions being a conspicuous illustration of this inherent strength and ability to readily recover lost ground. Bradstreet's has lately been doing some figuring on this cheerful condition, and finds, by an exhaustive comparison, that “after a slight breathing spell in October, prices, influenced chiefly by the cereals, provisions and metals, appar- ently resumed their upward course in November, and the index number on December 1 is 85,775, a gain of seven-tenths of I per cent over the index number of November 1 and of 3 per cent ovef the low-water mark of June 1, but a decline of 8 per cent from the high-water mark of February, 1900. In all, six out of thirteen classes of products advanced during No- vember, they being breadstuffs, provisions, livestock, the metals, coal and coke and miscellaneous products; forty-five products advancing, twenty-three declining and thirty-five remaining unchanged as a result of operations during that month. Compared with a year ago, fifty-one products are higher, forty-two lower and thirteen remain unchanged.” According to this exhibit the general plane of busi- ness is distinctly higher than a year ago, which cer- tainly does not indicate any falling off. At the same time, there is no marked gain at pres- ent. The country’s bank clearings, while larger than those of last year, still run low down in the scale of increase, the percentage last week in favor of this year being 0.9 per cent, whereas up to several weeks ago it had for months been running as high as 50 and 75 per cent. Decreased ac in Wall street may ac- count for this falling off, as the daily operations in that stock market de more to affect the nation’s clearings than any other line of business. The clear- ings of New York form over hali of those for the whole country. In other words, as far as actual com- mercial and financial payments go, New York City | does more trading every day than all the rest of the United States combined. For instance, last week the national metropolis did two-thirds of the business of the country, her clearings amounting to $1,587,972,000, those of the rest of the country to $890,179,500 and the grand total of the country to $2,478,151,600. New York is rather a busy place, according to these figures. The staples continue in good condition for pro- ducers and sellers, all being active and the majority firm. The woolen mills and shoe factories continue to report a large output, which meets with ready sale, and the iron and steel mills are sold away ahead into mext year. Wheat and corn have been higher and active at Chicago, and the buying of wheat by farm- ers amounted for several days to a scramble to specu- late. The professional speculators met the farmers and Wall street buyers more than half-way, ladled them out all the wheat they wanted and pocketed their profits with a complacent grin. The press dispatches stated that for a day or two the countrymen and other outsiders had the Chicago market in the hollow of their hands, as the professionals had lost control of it under the enormous buying demand. Still it will be @ great jeat if the amateur plunger eventually gets away with the professional, at Chicago or anywhere else. Our local markets show but little change. The weather has been perfect from the farmer’s and mer- chant’s point of view, and the nipping frost at the close of the week was exactly what was needed to check the too rank growth of vegetation in orchards and vineyards and impart strength to the growing feed. Cheerfulness prevails everywhere, the demand for merchandise is first rate, money is plentiful and collections easy, and the State continues on the crest of the wave of prosperity. Eastern speculators and financiers now fear that J. Pierpont Morgan has got Cramps. The trifling difference between a capital letter and a small one means the difference between a great shipyard and an internal disturbance in Mr. Morgan’s physical being. P | padrones and brokers, who contract the labor THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, MONDAY, DECEMBEB. 9, 1901. THE PLEA OF THE RAILROAD. FROM the evening organ of the Southern Pa- cific Company there has come a plea for the adoption of Assembly constitutional amend- ment No. 28, The plea is that the creation of the commission proposed by the amendment would be “an experiment worth trying.” It is said: “True, the proposed commission would be invested with ex- traordinary powers, but it cannot fail to be more satisfactory than the present irresponsible system, because its members will be elected and in time will respond to popular demand for executive action.” The plea is more ingenious than valid. It contains a suppression of truth and a suggestion of false- hood. The present system of dealing with the issues it is proposed to transfer to the extraordinary -com- mission is not irresponsible. On the contrary, it is far more directly responsible to public opinion than the proposed commission would be. Moreover, the members of the commission would not be elected for many a year to come. The amendment provides that the original members are to be appointed by the Governor. One of them is to hold office for two years, another for four, another for six, another for eight and the fifth for ten years. It will therefore be fully six ycars before a majority of the extraordinary commission will be composed of members elected by the people. The railroad organ says: “Uniform action on the subject of insurance, banking, water rates, gas rates and equalization ought to be introduced into this State by some process, and, if this is a good plan, it is certainly worthy of trial.” To that plea the re- ply is plain. The State has already provided for uni- formity with respect to banking, insurance and equal- ization by commissions created for that purpose. There is no desire for uniformity of water and of gas rates, for the simple reason that demand and supply oi those articles depend upon local conditions, and rates cannot be made uniform throughout the State. At present they are regulated by local authority, and in the hands of such authorities they should remain. It is hardly worth while to refute in detail a set of pleadings which from first to last are founded upon misstatements of the issue. The railroad organ does not even define accurately the scope of the proposed amendment, but presents it as a plan “designed to abolish a number of State and county boards and ons and to merge their duties into a single board possessing all the powers previously exercised.” That is a very clever way indeed of putting the case. As a matter of fact the amendment would subvert all local authority in regulating even such matters of purely local concern as water and gas rates, and would create a commission having control of the re- lations to the public of all the great corporations of the State. Moreover, it would vest the right to ap- point the original members of the commission in the hands of the present Governor; that is to say, it would give the corporations themselves the right to dictate the membership of the commission and con- trol it absolutely for at least six years. If there were no other objection to the extraordin- ary scheme the championship of the evening railroad organ would in itself suggest an objection. The railroad does not support the evening organ for nothing. It is known that the Southern Pacific Com- | pany subsidizes the Post to the extent of over $3000 a month, and that it is the mouthpiece of W. F. Her- rin. When Mr. Hays was president of the road he desired to sell the organ as a bit of prop- erty useless to a company engaged in legiti- mate railroad business. However, it was not sold. It remains subject to Herrin’s orders and works for the accomplishment of his schemes. Consequently the fact that it indorses the extraordinary commission is a sufficient warning to | the public that there is danger ahead. The extraor- dinary commission as appointed by Governor Gage would be a Herrin commission for six years to come. That in itself is a sufficient reason for defeating the scheme. President Roosevelt is reported to have stated posi- tively that if business permit he will come to Cali fornia next spring. It happens, however, that this is to be a long session of Congress, and consequently.{ the chances of the visit are slight. Still, here’s hoping that business will behave itself and give the President an opportunity to see us when the poppies bloom. CONTRACT LABOR. THE advocates of equality of legislation as to immigration, which will extend the principle of Chinese exclusion to all the migrating na- tions and give the country more leisure to digest and assimilate its immigrant population, will get an argu- | ment out of the revelations of the Wabash road acci- dent in Michigan. One of the wrecked trains was carrying a large number of immigrants from South- ern Italy, booked for San Francisco. The carnage among them was horrible. Out of more than two hundred but few survived the awful crush and con- flagration. £ One of the wounded survivors, Giovanni Folorno, was interrogated by Father Beccherini, an Italian priest. Folorno said the party arrived in New York on the steamer Campagne, and the whole band went to a Mulberry-street banker to get their money changed. These Mulberry-street bankers are of their countrymen, import them and shave their money in exchange. He said the banker gave them tickets to San Francisco. After éxamining the ticket and certain other evidences the priest said: “But how did this boy, under 18, get out of Italy and into this country? He has no passport. I think I know. These men were being imported under contract to work in San Francisco. Folorno could not tell me how many were with . When I asked him who got him to come over here he looked suspicious, and I could see he had been instructed to say nothing. He only answered, ‘A man had brought them over to work.” He said he bad been given $25 by a Mul- berry-street banker.” This is no doubt the revelation of a plot to vio- late our labor contract laws, and makes it probable that such violation is going on at a wholesale rate. It is no secret that most of the Southern European labor that comes is transient. It has learned from the Chinese code of tactics, and stays here long enough to acquire wealth upon which to return and live easily in its own country. During its sojourn it is probably naturalized and lends a hand at Ameri- can politics, exercising a certain control over the public affairs of a country for which it has only a parasitic attachment. It was to prevent this sort of importation and transient sojourn that the law against contract labor was enatted. From Southern Europe we have re- ceived anarchist immigration and a variety of dis- orderly and undesirable elements, which do not readily assimilate, and, while essentially foreign in sentiment, under our naturalization laws can share in the privileges of citizenship. There is some tion policy will stand a drastic revision. It may be- that in dealing with Chinese exclusion we have learned something and have got our hand in for the job of a far more general protection of Ameri- can labor and our civil institutions than is to be accomplished by the exclusion of the people of one Asiatic country alone. The labor and commer- cial depression that has set in in Germany may be expected to extend and soon to increase the chron- ically hard conditions of life in Southern Europe generally. With good times in this country there will be furnished the contrasting conditions that in- duce people to migrate. When that immigration comes it is ready to work for wages down nearly to the original Chinese level, and our domestic wage rate suffers in consequence. = The evil affects the whole country and is not confined to this coast, therefore it is a national affair, and the whole coun- try may well participate in devising a remedy that will be for the relief of all sections. Colonal Meade of the Brooklyn navy-yard has been acquitted of the charge of “scandalous conduct tending to the destruction of good morals,” but as a part of the evidence reported in the case was to the effect that he once showed himself in public clad in underclothes and a white helmet it is evident that if his morals were good his manners were eccentric. A POINT WORTH NOTING. C ONGRESSMAN METCALF'S appointment to a position on the Committee of Ways and Means of the House brings to the Republicans of California a lesson, agreeable in its nature, which will be well worth noting. It is a proof of the ad- vantage resulting from the re-election of capable men to Congress instead of making a change of repre- sentatives merely for the sake of change. Had a new | man been sent to Congress from Mr. Metealf's dis- trict at the last election it is not at all likely that Cali- i fornia would now have a representative on that im- portant committee of the House, The Call has frequently had occasion to point out that the weakness of California in Congress has been due mainly to the practice of setting aside a repre- sentative after his first term and “giving another man a chance.” No matter what were his abilities the new man never had a chance at Washington equal to that the former member would have possessed had he been re-elected. It is difficult for a new member to get a place upon an important committee, and even if he manage to do so his influence is slight by reason of his lack of acquaintanceship with the members of the House and the rules which govern Congressional action. Every business man knows that an employe who has had experience is better than one who lacks it, no mat- ter how faithful the latter may be. Success in any walk of life is lorgely dependent upon personal friendships and upon a knowledge of the men with whom one has to deal. Friendships with influential men in Con- gress are not made in a day, nor is a knowledge of the ways of Congress learned by intuition and at first sight. 2 A man’s first term in Congress is hardly more than a term of apprenticeship. It is with his second term that his real usefulness to his constituency begins. The people of the older States in the Union have long since discovered that truth and they have been in the main wise enough to profit by it. From some of the older States the delegations are returned term after term almost without change. The result is those States have a power in the House far exceeding their proportionate rank in the nation. They are strong because their delegations are strong and know how best to use their strength. . There is reason to believe the Republicans of Cali- fornia are beginning to realize the wisdom of re- electing their representatives. At present we have a fairly strong position in the House, and it is steadily improving with each term. If the constituencies will continue to re-elect representatives who prove them- selves able, faithful and energetic, we shall soon have a prestige in Congress second to that of no other State in the Union. THE SOUTH AMERICAN TROUBLES, . HEN Talleyrand drew from his study of '\ ; \/ history the famous conclusion, **Revolutions never go backward,” he had no knowl- edge of what was going to happen in the his- tory of South America. In that country what they are pleased to call “revolutions” go backward as easily as forward. Moreover, they occasionally go side- ways. In fact, they seem to follow the’ line of least resistance and go whichever way the force of circum- stances directs. At present we are having in the troubles of Vene- zuela and Colombia an illustration of a revolution that oscillates. It goes forward a little way and then it goes backward. The two republics are distinct, but their, troubles are the same, but with a difference. In Venezuela the Liberals are in power and the Con- servatives are, or were yesterday, in revolt. In Co- lombia the Conservatives are in power and the Lib- erals in revolt. For a time things were redhot, and there was talk of war between the two Governments. Just now_there is a subsidence. In each case the Government appears to have won. At least it con- tinues to hold office and, presumably, to collect taxes, Possibly there may be a change to-morrow. The issue between the two parties is not unworthy of a good war, and it is a pity it cannot be fought to.a finish. It is the aim of the Liberals to unite Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia and thus form a nation strong enough to have prestige in South American politics, strong enough, in fact, to compete with Brazil, Argentine or Chile. The Conservatives desire to perpetuate the present situatio,n, and that means, of course, an endless conflict between petty states, none of which can ever hope to count for much in war, politics or commerce. The strength of state patriotism is known to us, for we had an experience of it in our Civil War, but we have learned that it is worth while to set it aside in the interests of a greater patriotism. President Castro of Venezuela is wise enough to understand that larger patriotism. He has sought to bring about the union of the three repub- lics, but it seems he has failed. He has not dared to go to the assistance of the Colombian Liberals, and as a consequence it appears they have been de- feated. The dream of a wunited republic ranking among the greatest in South America, therefore, van- ishes for the present. However, it is sure to come again. Revolutions in South Anierica may at times go backward, but it is always easy to renew them and start them once more forward. Castro has at least held his own against the revolt in Venezuela, and if his party has failed in Colombia to-day it has the satisfaction of knowing that to-morrow there will he another day. For the purpose of entertaining ten friends for three hours a New York millionaire recently spread a feast that cost him $100 a plate, but as he managed to get his name in‘fl' papers it is probable he had strength in the argument that our whole immigra- | his money’s worth, IMRS. ANDREW CARNEGIE IS A MODEL HOSTESS e PORTRAIT OF THE WIFE OF ANDREW CARNEGIE, THE STEEL MAGNATE. MRS. CARNEGIE SHUNS NEWSPAPER NOTORIETY AND HER PICTURE IS SELDOM SEEN IN PRINT. L2 and shudders, it is said, at the mention of the word interviewer. R The world knows very little about her, therefore. This reluctance to appear in any way conspicuous is apparent to every one who has made her ac- quaintance. She prefers to be regarded simply as the mistress of Skibo Castle or 5 West Fifty-first street, New York, rather than a person of any pub- MRS. ANDREW CARNEGIE has never courted newspaper publicity lic interest. An Englishman who visited Mr. and Mrs. last summer, said of Mrs. Carnegie: “I found he; rnegie at Skibo, in Scotland, a charming, vivacious, clev ‘woman, and a model hostess who seemed studicusly to avoid doing or saying any- thing that might appear to be in any way interesting to the outside world. “A story is told illustrative of the devotion in which the ‘iren master’ holds his wife: A little custom which Mrs. Carnegie adopts at her dinner parties is to put into a small silk bag slips of paper bearing the names of all the ladies pres- ent. ‘drew’ his wife. Then just before dinner is announced she carries the bag around to all the male guests and each ‘dips’ for his partner at table. His boyish delight was immense. One evening Mr. Carnegie Holding the slip of paper so that all the company could see the name inscribed thereon, he playfully invited the men to make bids for it and the honor of ‘taking down’ Mrs. Carnegie. Pres- ently he grew serious. ‘The offer is withdrawn,’ he said. ‘My luek is too preclous.” ““Photography may be mentioned as one of Mrs. Carnegle’s favorite pastimes. The mistress of Skibo is about twenty years the junior of her husband. There is a daughter, a winsome little miss, in whose name Skibo Castle was purchased.” L S e e e e e e PERSONAL MENTION. E, F. Parker, a merchant of Stockton, is at the Russ. M. S. Arndt, a merchant of Stockton, is at the California. ‘W. J. Berry, a mining jnan of Selma, is located at the Lick. Mrs. N. P. Chipman is registered at the Occidental from Red Bluff. Dr. J. Therrien of Boston, Mass., is oge of the arrivals at the Russ. J. M. Day, a mining man of Los An- geles, is registered at the Grand. George H. Cowle, an attorney of Stock- ton, is registered at the California. Thomas O, Toland, member of the State Board of Equalization, is at the Lick. P. C. Dreseher, a business man of Sac- | ramento, is at the California with his wife. J. Buck, connected with the State Nor- mal School at Chico, is one of the guests at the Russ. Charles D. Haines, a wealthy resident of New York City, who is touring the coast with his wife, is registered at the Palace. J. G. Woodworth, general manager of the Pacific Coast Company, with head- quarters at Seattle, is at the Palace for a brief stay. George Rose, the popular bookmaker, returned to this city yesterday after a successful season in the East and is at the Palace with his wife. e e A CHANCE TO SMILE. “Why did that woman keep you stand- Ing at the door for half an hour?’ “She said she hadn't time to come in."— Chicago Journal. “If some men,” said Uncle Eben, “was as slow about putting’ fings into deir stomachs as dey is about takin' em out'n der pocketbooks, dar wouldn' be nigh so much dyspepsia on dis earf.”—Washing- ton Star. A village ordinance of Tarrytown, N. Y., reads as follows: *“Any owner of a dog found at large without being muzzled will be subject to a $10 fine.”” So greatly do they fear the spread of hydrophobia in Tarrytown.—Law Notes. “Papa,” inquired the dramatic critic's small son, “are play actors and actresses any worse than other people?” “Morally speaking, my son,” said the father dispassionately, “I suppose they are not. But on the stage—well, I don't see how anybody could do worse than some I've seen.”—Detroit Free Press. “How much are you getting for that?” he asked of the man who was mowing the lawn. “Nothing,” replied the man. “Then you're a fool!” “I know it; but as I own this place and can't get away from it I've been a fool for a long while.”’—Philadelphia Record. Kindly Visitor—Mrs. A., who do you suppose makes you suffer so? Mrs. A.—I don’t know, I am sure; and 1 believe nothing but a postmortem will ever show. Kindly Visitor—You poor thing! You are so weak that you can never stand that.—Tit-Bits. “That foreign nobleman who wants to marry you—" “Yes, father,” answered the fair girl. “I am sure he loves me.” “But are you sure he’s a genuine for- eign nobleman?”’ ““Why do you doubt him?" “I asked him about his debts, and he said he didn’t owe a cent.”—Washington Star. This is the story of Willlam the weary pilgrim and Jereboam the Puritan. “Prithee,” quoth William, “the guer- don of a hand-out, or cold bite!” “Nay, nay, friend,” quote Jereboam. “For this is the Sabbath day!" “Do unto others as ye would they do unto ol quoth William, “Verlly, a good rule, friend “Verily, friend!” quoth Jereboam. “And being good it works not upon the Sabbath!" Now this could William not gainsay, for it chanced that he, too, was brought up in the strictest sect of the Pharisees. —Detroit Free Press. e HOTEL DEL CORONADO, choicest Wintey Resort in the world, offers best living, climate, boating, bathing, . fishing and most amuse- ments. E. S. Babcock, manager, Coronado, Cal, ANSWERS TO QUERIES. OPERA SEASON-—Subscriber, City. The latest Grau opera season in Chicago lasted two weeks. The opera season is longest in San Francisco, then Boston, then New York. MODOC COUNTY LANDS—F. B., Wil- liams, Cal. For such information as you desire about lands being open to settle- ment in Modoc County write to the United States Land Office at Susanville, Cal. - TO WHITEN COMPLEXION—K. and R., City. There are certain solutions of arsenic which some women use for the purpose of giving them a deathlike pal- lor, but the constant use of such is in- jurious to the system. CRISIS OF 1883—R. W. C., City. There was no monetary panic in 1893, but for three months preceding June 30 there was an unusual stringency in credits, a de- pression in prices and a remarkable series of business failures. This was caused by uncertainty on the tariff question and the uncertainty of the monetary policy of the Cleveland administration. SAN JACINTO RESERVE—S. H. R., Santa Rosa, Cal. When the United States Government opens public lands for settlement it does not “do so on the lot- tery plan.” For such information as you | desire about the San Jacinto reservation you shouid address a letter of inquiry to (l;:e General Land Office at Washington, HAY MEASURE—F., City. About 30 cubic feet of well settled hay or about 700 cubic feet of new mown hay will make a ton. To estimate the amount of bhay in a mow, ten cubic yards of meadow hay make a ton weight. When the hay is taken out of old stacks eight or nine cubic yards will make a ton. Eight to twelve cubic yards of dry clover will weigh a ton. COUNT IN CASINO—C., Vinton, Cal. Unless there is an agreement that points shall be counted as made in the game of casino the count on the last deal is in the following order: Cards, spades, big casino, little casino, aces and sweeps. If A and B are playing and on the last deal A has three to go and B one to go and A makes cards and B makes little casino, A wins because having cards he has the first right to count. THE STAR ALGOL—L. P. C., Aukum, El Dorado County, Cal. Director W. W. Campbell of the Mount Hamilton Ob- servatory has kindly furnished this department the following dates and time of the minimum brightness of the variable star Algol (Beta Perse!), veckoned on Pacific standard time: 1%1—December 5th, 2 h. 31 m. p. m. 8th,11 h. 20 m. a, m.; 11th, $ h. $ m. a. m 14th, 4 h. 58 m. a.’m.; 17th, 1 h. 47 m, a. m. 19th, 10 h. 36 m. p. m.; 22d, 7 h. 2 m. p. m. 25th, 4 h. 13 m. p. m.; 28th, 1 h. 2 m. p. m. 31st, 9h. 51 m. a. m. THANKSGIVING DAY-P. 8. City, President Lincoln during the Civil War issued proclamations recommending spe- clal thanksgiving for victory to the Union forces in 1862 and 1863, and a na- tional proclamation of the annual Thanksgiving day in 1863 and in 1864. The President has since then annually issued such a proclamation, and similar proc- lamations are issued by Governors of States and Mayors of cities. Custom has fixed the last Thursday in November as the day. Thanksgiving on the American continent is traced back to 1621, when the first harvest was gathered at Plymouth. LAUNCH—A, F., Oakland, Cal. As yon do not deseribe the launeh you propose to change from gasoline to steam, it is impossible to answer your question. Sug- gest that you communicate with the Sy~ pervi Inspector of Steam Vessels, Ap- pri s building, San Francisca, There is a sectlon of the United States law which says that “any person may be - censed as engineer on vessels propelled by s, fluid, naphtha or eleetric motors of fifteen gross tons or over, engaged in commeree, if in the judgment of the fn- spectors, after due examination, in ‘Writ- irg, he be found duly qualified to take charge of the machinery of vessels so propelled. A person owning a pleasure ;ncmlot finee:»:lam ;mnfln, or pleasure only, holding a mastes pilot license, is fully authorized to nr“,;: gate his ewn pleasure yacht in the inland waters of the United States without be. ing required to report to the various beards of inspectors whose district he may be passing through.” i Press gomery FIGHTING VALUE OF THE WORLD’S BATTLESHIPS JUSECSI SR HE relative fighting value of the world's battleships s a sub- ject which naval experts find very puzzling, as there can be no fixed rules to determine the same. Various methods have been sug- gested, some very ingenious but lack- ing in simplicity. A very interesting table of comparisons is made by the London Engineer, which, as it places United States battleships ahead of all others, will commend itself to American read- ers. The gun units collectively are taken of forty battleships In seven navies, with the following results: United States—New Jersey Class, 116; British— King Edward, 104; Italy—Beneditto Prin, 104; France—Republique, 94:; Germany— ‘Wittelsbach, 38; Russia—Knarz Potem- sky Tavrisetscky, 9; Japan—Shikishima, 82. Singularly enough, the Japanese bat- tleships Asahi, Hatsuse and Mikasa are not included in the list, although they are actually afloat and ready for service, while many of the others exist only onm paper. ~ The Japanese battleship Mikasa, built at Vicker's yard, Barrow, is ready for departure. The keel was laid January 15, 1899, and the launch came off November 8, 1900. She is practically a sister ship to the Asahi and Hatsuse, also built in England in 1899, and i#400 feet on the water line, 432 feet over all, 76 feet beam and displaces 15,362 tons on a draught of 27 feet 2 inches. The water-line protec- tion extends all around the vessel, dif- fering in this particular from the other two ships, in which $0 feet from the stern is left unprotected. The main belt is 9 inches thick for a distance of 156 feet, tapering to $% and to 5% inches and 4 inches at bow and stern. Above the main belt and extending through the en- tire citadel of 156 feet the armor is 6 inches up to the upper deck, and the guns on the upper deck are in 6-inch casements. The barbettes are 14 inches to 10 inches in thickness, and the heavy guns are protected by heavy shields. The conning tower is 14 inches thick; the ob- servation tower, aft, is 3 inches. All the armor is of Krupp nickel steel. The armament consists of four 12-inch, ten 6-inch on the main deck, four 6-inch on the upper deck, twenty 12-pounders, elght 3$-pounders and four 2%-pounders. The total weight of metal discharged by this armament in ome minute is 11l tons, and the weight of one broadside discharge in one minute is 7% tons. The speed is calculated at 18 knots with 15,000 horsepower. The weight of the machin- ery 1is 135 tons. She has 25 Belleville boilers, and the coal capacity is 1400 tons, The cost of this unrivaled vessel is reported as being 9,845,466 yen for hull, machinery ana outfit and - 4,414,668 yen for armament, making a total of 14,260,- 134 yen, or narly $7,130,000. The most ex- pensive ships in the United States navy are the Oregon and Massachusetts, of 10,288 tons, reported to have cost $6,575,- 03276 and $6,047,117 95, respectively, with the Wisconsin, of 11,5% toms, a close third, estimated at $6,040,726 68. The six battleships of the Albemarle type, 14,000 tons and 19 knots speed, building for the British navy, are estimated to cost $5,400,000 each, and the two battleships proposed for the United States navy of 16,000 tons and 18 knots will exceed a8 The triple-serew cruiser Columbia, the former commerce destroyer, which has taken the place of the old Vermont as a recelving ship at the Brooklym ,mavy- vard, is apparently not a happy ' ship. At one time last month no less than fif- ty-six men were under confinement on the cob deck, some cells contaming three or four. An incipient riot finally broke out over the rough treatment of a prisoner, and in some unknown way they secured some of the silver service from the Columbia, which they broke up and stuffed into the keyholes of their cells. Then with some bars, likewise mysteriously obtained, they tried to break out through the barred windows, but none of them escaped. Considerable damage was done while the riot lasted, and court-martials with severe punish- ment are likely to follow. e . Experiments with an invisibly steered torpedo took place recently at Hughen- den, England, in the presence of naval attaches of Germany, Austria and the United States. It is called the “actinauts,” and is the invention of Or- Ung Armstrong, a Swede. The torpedo was manipulated at a distance of 1300 yards, and without wires the rudder moved to port or starboard, according to the operator’s will. The experiment was entirely successful. *“Actinauts” have al- ready run with success at Stockholm and Portsmouth. An electric lamp enables the operator to guide the torpedo at night, while in the daytime a jet of wa- ter expelled by the ‘“actinaut” locates its position. *oa Docks Nos. 12 and 13 at the Portsmouth dockyard are to be lengthened to ac- commodate ships of the Drake class, which are over 500 feet in length. The docks are 453 feet at present, X in Lieutenant Hepworth S. Alton, com- manding officer of the British destroyer Thern, has been court-martialed, severe- ly reprimanded and dismissed from his ship as a result of his vessel running down a boat and drowning three men. A curious circumstance connected with the trial was the fact that the Admiralty direcigd that the accused be allowed to give evidence on oath. It is a privilege conceded to soldiers on trial, but hith- erto denied to sailors. » 9L The recent failure of the steam trials of the Jeanne d’Arc and Chateaurenault owing to defective - boilers, has brought out the fact that the French Ministry of Marine has committed a stupendous biun- der. The ships referred to were fitted with Guyot-Dutemple water-tube boilers, a type which had been tried with Indif- ferent success in some torpedo-boats, but have since been discarded. Without as- certaining with some degree of ecertainty that these boilers would answer as well when 23,000 horsepower was developed as when only about horsepower was re- quired, the naval authorities contragted for 160,000 horsepower of the Guyot- Dutemple boilers, to be installed in seven ships, The total failure of these boilers in the Jeanne d'Arc and Chateaurenault makes it necessary to lay the ships up for repairs and reboilering, which will take more than one year and add great- 1y to the cest of these already very ex- pensive ships. The boilers ordered for the other five ships will be a total loss to the Government. ‘Walnut and Pecan Paneche. Townsend. * —_—— Choice candies. Townsend's. Palace Hotal* We generally get what we want when we no longer want it. e Cal. Glace Fruit ¢ per Ib at Townsend's.” - The world is given to measuring love with the same instruments and by the same standard as gold. —_————— Best eyeglasses, specs, 10¢, 4)c. Look out for 81 4th st., front barber and grocery. * —_—— A man never objects to having his hair cut at cut rates, but he draws the line at a eut-rate shave. Spectai Information dally to lied ho: and fim by the uglnn; len’s). 510 Mont-