The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 23, 1902, Page 6

JOHN D. -SPRECKELS, Proprietor. Aédrees A1 C cmmenicsticns to W. 6. LEAKE, Nanager. TELEPHONE. #Ask for THE CALL. The Operator Will Connect You With the Department You Wish. arket and Third, S. F. 7 to 221 Stevensom St. PTBLICATION OFFICE. EDITORIAL ROOMS Delivered by Carriers. 15 Cents Per Week. Single Copies. 5 Cents. Terms by Mail, Including Postage: DAILY CALL (including Sunday), one year DAILY CALL (including Eunday), 6 months DAILY CALL (ncluling Sunday), 3 months. DAILY CALL—By £ SUNDAY CALL, One WEEKLY CALL, One Ye .88.1 2. * 233 g8 2 1 All postmasters are authorized to recelve subscriptions. Bample coples will be forwarded when requested. Sfefl subscribers In crdering change of address should be particular to give both NEW AND OLD ADDRESS in order o insure & prompt and correct compliance With their request. DAKLAND OFFICE. ..111S Broadway C. GEORGE KROGNESS. Menager Yoreign Aévertising, Marquette Building, Chicago. (Long Distance Telephone “‘Central 2619.”") NEW YORE REPRESENTATIVE: STEPHEN B, SMITH.... 30 Tribune Building NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT: €. C. CARLTON....... v+sss.Herald Square NEW YORK NEWS STANDS: Waldors-Astoria Hotel; A. Brentano, 31 Union Square; Murrey Hill Hotel. CHICAGO NE STANDS: Ehermen House; P. O. News Co.; Great Northern Hotel; Premont House; Auditor Hotel WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE....1408 G St., N. W, MORTON E. CRANE, Correspondent. BRANCH OFFICES—327 Montgomery, corner of Clay, open until 9:20 o'cl 300 Hayes, open tntil 9:30 o'clock. 633 McAllister, cpe 11 9:30 o'clock. €i5 Larkin, open until 9:80 o'clock. 1241 Missicn, open umtfl 10 o'clock. 2261 Market, corner enth, open until § c'clock. 1098 Va- lencia, open % o'clock. 108 Eleventh, open until 9 c'clock. NW. corner Twenty-second and Kentucky, open ©otil @ o'clock. 2200 Fillmore, open untfl 9 p. m. MR. VILAS' SUGGESTIONS. ILLIAM F. VILAS, whom some may re- ber as at one time a statesman in of er of Cleveland's Cabinet, has been asked t ellow Democrats of Wisconsin to tell should do to be saved. He has re uest, but instead of the bread of com s hoped for he has given a stor His counsel is about them som estible as any yet given since the party set about the task of orm of harmony and getting i on it a Democrat. He declares: “What- on past issues, the Democratic the hope of the people of this could write such a declaration ling prosperity among the peo- 1 on to which Democ- opposed, must be a very con- ndeed. Even Bryan could hardly ement, notwithstanding it comes and school of Democracy, and stalwarts of the party it must sound like the wisdom of the ancients. Passing from that general declaration Vilas goes on to pe out three evils in the country. The first is protecti. the second is the trust movement, and mperi On each of those issues d statesman has some bitter words to say. “Under the false and decei protection to industry there has arisen m of combining devices of legislation obtain mas- seen in this it would be liel for, unless in oriental coun- 1ed Democrat object to that st irom one of the Cl to the old conservati the tl m. asserts: s of business management to never before people 2s w , the iniquity of which ny pa It is d to understand the mental make-up of a man after the experiment of this country with the Democratic tariff can deliberately and sincerely write such stuff as that. Vilac wishes his party to break away from past issues, but by past issues means the silver question. Surely Bryan might re- tort that free trade is as dead as silver. It is hardly likely the men of this generation will vote for another w free trade administration any more than they would | vote for free coinage of the white metal. Vilas watches the development trusts with anxicty, and over the Philippines he mourns. He says that by reason of the first “liberty in the pursuit of a livelihood has well nigh disappeared.” Of the second he asserts “the shame must yet be wiped, off by future treatment of the unhappy Filipinos ac- cording to the principles we have inherited, or so surely as justice rules the world America will bitterly atone for it in resulting sufferings of her own.” After such assertions one would expect Mr. Vilas to urge the Democratic party to take the field against trusts and imperialism. It is therefore somewhat surprising to note that he does nothing of the kind. We cannot undertake to redress all these wrongs at once,” says he, and so he advises that trusts and imperialism be permitted to go unassailed for a time. The first fight is to be for free trade. Everything is to be subordinated to the struggle to overthrow the protective system. That is the advice of the retired Cabinet Secretary of the Cleveland regime. Evidently the old tariff tinkers are joined to their idols, and since the Bryan reyvolution in the party has run its course they are fondly dreaming they can return and worship once more at the old shrine. of Baltimore has under consideration a plan to rid itself of the smoke nuisance by running all its fac- tories with electricity generated by water power, and it is probable all large cities will follow suit should it prove successful. The future of civilization prom- ises to be wireless, horseless and smokeless, and per- haps it may z2lso be noiseless. One by one the reports come in of members of the Salisbury Ministry who are not willing to se-ve un- der Baliour, and it may be King Edward will yet have to send for Chamberlain if he wishes to maintain a Conservative Government. A New York humane society has distributed free more than a thousand straw sunshades for horses, and %has been commended for the good deed, but would that society give a poor man a Panama hat? The career of the merry May Yohe is about at an end, for when the men begin to leave while she is still willing to dance it is time to drop the curtain, he | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | springs with a steady flow. al { | | 6 : THE -SAN FRANCISCO CALL, WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1902. 3 g M SOIL AND WATER. R. FERNOW, the forester, and head of the department of forestry in Cornell University, is spreading much needed information about forests and the necessity of their preservation. In a recent address in the Academy of Sciences in this city he stated clearly the relation between the soil and water and their prime importance to man. Forests are soil makers and preservers. Their agency in preventing the flow of water upon the sur- face by leading it to penetrate the soil regulates the steady flow of streams and preserves the supply of springs. Their action is that of a reservoir for the conservation of water. But nature has not left man D | to depend upon forests alone as the instrument in the | conservation of water. In the prairie States of the i Upper Mississippi Valley this function was performed by the sloughs, ponds, marshes and small lakes which | once abounded. They were supplemented by the | natural gras which formed a turf and covered the soil. The moisture for a great part of that region comes from the Great Lakes. When precipitated it ran into the sloughs and marshes, ponds and small lakes, and’| much of it penetrated the soil through the sod of the natural grasses and made affluent the many springs which existed there in early times. Cultivation has destroyed the natural grass and its sod, and man’s greed for land has drained the ponds, sloughs and marshes. When these retained the water it evaporated, saturated the air and supplied the mois- ture for the summer rains, which distributed it to the crust of the earth for the support of vegetation and the production of crops. Now that the reservoirs are drained and dry, the local summer showers are less frequent and the crust of the earth is drying out. The clay subsoil is no longer wet, and capillary at- traction no longer brings up its moisture for the summer Crops. ¥: When erratic changes of temperature cause a pre- cipitation of moisture from the Great Lakes over | that region it causes destructive floods, such as re- | cently destroyed many millions in crops and other property in Iowa and Illinois. The reservoirs are no longer there to hold back the water, nor the nat- ural sod to conduct it into the ground, and the rain- fall that under natural conditions would be.benefi- cent becomes destructive. After this flood has passed it will be found that the great rainfall has not pene- trated the soil nor moistened the earth’s crust. On the plains, in the arid regions, where there are no forests nor swamps and marshes, the moisture | was conserved by the low grasses and annual plants. These held the soil ir place, prevented evaporation and their roots made the ground porous, so that the little rain penetrated it and supplied the streams and The extirpation of this vegetation by over-grazing of sheep and cattle has made the country more arid, dried up the springs, and now the rains wash the surface soil into the streams. The steady flow of these is lost, and they are alternately torrential and dry. So it appears that the equilibrium of nature is equally disturbed by destroying forests, marshes and forage on the surface of the ground, and man causes water to destroy the soil which nature intended should be preserved and made fruitful by it. Dr. Fernow deals with the function of forests .in conserving the water supply. He should be followed by the hydrographers and agrostologists, who ob- serve and deal with the same office performed by reservoirs and vegetation. Nothing seems harder than to get the attention of man to these subjects, which affect his very existence. | Dr. Fernow says, truly, a large part of the world’s area that was fertile at the beginning of the Christian era is now barren, desert and unproductive, as a re- sult of man’s destruction of the natural means of con- serving moisture. That process-is going on rapidly in this country. In the arid regions west of the one hundredth meridian it is officially reported that the desert is spreading at the rate of five million acres a year. The prairie States are becoming dry. Central and Western New York and other States formerly covered by timber now complain that -agriculture suffers from drought. It is a process that, once started, proceeds until the coil is destroyed. Palestine, to-day a desert, at the date of the Exodus was a moist and fertile land. Spain is arid, where in the time of Hannibal there was abundant moisture and fertility. Such mis- sionaries as Dr. Fernow have no time to lose if this continent is to be saved from the fate that has over- taken vast regions in the Old World. — A number of enterprising Western gentlemen are engaged in organizing a new party for Bryan to lead in 1904, but what Bryan needs most is not something to lead, but somebody to lead him. LIGHTNING ROD LAND. HILE the people of California are enjoying Wabout the most delightful summer weather ~.within the memory of the oldest inhabitant, those of the East are suffering from a season that seems to be perverse and fretful as a spoiled brat. When it is not afflicting them with one kind of bad weather it smites them’with something worse. The spring was unusually late and cold, and then summer came down with a blast of hot air that withered everything. There were floods and there weré hail- storms. There were cyclones and there were hot waves. Now last, but not least in destructiveness, there has fallen upon that section of the country a | series of electric storms resulting in numerous fatalities. Some of the results of the lightning have amounted to real catastrophes. In several instances churches have been struck when crowded with people, and many deaths have followed either from the lightning itself or from the panic that ensued. Those, how- ever, are exceptional cases, and the fatalities result- ing from them have been but a small part of the total | list of deaths due to electric disturbances. Hardly a week has passed since the beginning of warm weather without bringing from the East one or more reports of deaths from lightning.: While they do not equal the number of fatalities caused by sunstroke, they are sufficiently numerous to show that lightning is to be looked upon as one of the dangers that menace East- ern people at all times during the summer. A single day recently furnished a record of five men killed in Georgia, one in Chicago and two in Syra- cuse by lightning. The Georgia-case is curious. The five men were killed by a single stroke of lightning, although two of them at the time were five miles away from the others. They were engaged in string- ing telephone wires. The electric current passed along the wire and struck them down at their work across that distance. So numerous have the fatalities been this summer that many of the Eastern papers are warning the public against seeking refuge under trees in the country, standing near electric wires in the city, or | | ! even standing in doorways or at windows to watch the lightning as the electric storm is in progress. In fact, dodging lightning seems to be one of the sum- mer activities of the Eastern man. The practice prob- ably helps to keep him nimble and wary, but it can- not assure him safety. His only way to attain abso- lute security from such dangers is to come West. FAREWELL TO THE BLUE. EPORTS from Washington announce that R while Secretary Root was at Oyster Bay re- cently the President approved the report of the army uniform board, and accordingly the new order of things will go into effect with the beginning of next.year. The change is designed to adapt the army uniform to the conditions of modern war. Blue has been found to be. too conspicuous, and will no longer be used. The .sentimentalists have cause to mourn. Hereafter ‘when e hear of “boys in blue” we shall know that reference is made to the veterans of the past. We shall have another. name for .the soldier of the future. In giving an account of the new uniform the re- port says: ““A new dress uniform is provided, con- sisting of a sack coat of woolen or cotton material of an olive drab color, with trousers to match. It is intended to provide suits which can be worn in cold weather that are almost a duplicate -of the present khaki uniforms‘worn in warm weather and in the tropics. A new design for the overcoat is adopted and is the only overcoat allowed. It is a double- breasted ulster of olive drab woolen material. This overcoat is to.replace the old dark blue overcoat now | worn.” 5 - Thus the 'uniform of blue gives way to the uniform of olive drab. - Once upon a time the whole country was singing the chorus:; We'll know you, we'll know you Among the good and true, When the robe of white is given For the ragged coat of blue. Now we shall haveito. find a new rhyme and sing of knowing the patriotic brave when the robe, of white is given for the coat of olive drab. Moreover, the fine old poem of the “Blue and the Gray” be- comes obsolete, for there is to be neither a blue nor a | gray. Those colors are to pass into American tradi- | tion, romance and history even as the old distinction | of red rose and white has passed into the ancientry | of England. | The blue uniform has been associdted with Ameri- | can history since ever this was a nation. So long as | war permitted the soldier to adorn himself in’ colors of pride and glory it was a uniform to be proud of. Times have changed and wars have changed with them. The old uniform must go. To wear it upon the field of battle would be not so much an act of | heroism as of folly. Clear and distinct . the blue would stand out against the brown earth or the green | trees, and the marksmen of the foe would have a tar- get too conspicuous to be missed. So the blue is to be set aside. War has become prosaic. “Olive drab” is the only wear. So much for the battlé side of the subject. Peace has another tale to tell. ' For society and state pur- poses the new uniform will be gayer than the old. The report says: “General and staff officers are to have full dress trousers, with gold lace as a stripe, officers of the line wearing the present stripe to desig- nate the service. Breeches are provided for all of- ficers and men, whether mounted or dismounted, al- though trousers may be ‘worn ’when in barracks. * * * A full dress codt for officers for evening wear has been provided, cut swallowtail, but other- wise much like the other full dress coat. The old dress coat for enlisted men has been abandoned and the dress blouse substituted. The chevrons on the non-commissioned officers are to be worn points up.” What more could the young leader of cotillons de- sire? An olive drab swallowtail with brass buttons and shoulder straps will be sufficient to flutter the tosebuds of any ballroom MORE FOOD EXPERIMENTS. ITH the results obtained by the Govern- Wmcnt chemists in the examination of va- rious kinds of preserved foodstuffs offered in the market the reading public is fairly familiar. It is known that a large number of such products are treated with chemical preparations either for the purpose of preserving them or for giving them an at- tractive appearance. Some of the chemicals used are known to be injurious to the consumer. Some are known to be harmless. The effects of others are in doubt, and in order to avoid giving them a name which in itself would imply that they are injurious it has become the custom to refer to them as “so- phisticated foods.” Concerning them there has been a long controversy, and to bring it to a conclusion experiments under the direction of Dr. Wiley are now to be undertaken at Washington. For the purpose of giving the foods a thorough test it is desired to try them upon human beings as well ‘as upon animals. An effort is being made to get a number of young men to submit themselves to the tests. The plan is to get the subject in a good normal condition by the use of proper food, and then give him a food containing one of the disputed pre- servatives, such as boric acid, for instance, and note the effect. Every chemical preservative or coloring material whose effects are now disputed will thus be put through a thorough test, and it will then be pos- sible for the Governmient officials to report positively whether its use should be permitted. In commenting upon the work about to be under- taken Dr. Wiley is reported to have said: “Hereto- fore, unfortunately, most of the investigation which has been undertaken in this direction has been at the instance of the manufacturer or other interested par- ties, so that the natural bias peculiar to the human mind has had to be taken into consideration in ac- cepting the result. Through the liberality of Con- gress chemistry has for the first time been enabled to take up the study of this subject in a thorough and systematic manner, and will be enabled to sup- plement the investigations which have heretofore been made upon the subject of food adulteration. The results which will finally be obtained will be use- ful to our lawmakers, who will be able to form the statutes so as to secure the necessary precautions in the preservation of foods, while at the same time they will exclude positively injurious substances.” Experimenting upon human beings is as a rule a risky business, but in this case there seems no rea- son to fear any serious reésult to the subjects. The foods they are to try are such as are sold every day in the open market, and no food whose adulterations or sophistications are known to be injurious will be given them. When the results are made known the discussion of pure food regulation will be much clearer than it is now. Moreover, the publication of the results will itself be about as effective as a statute. ‘When oncethe public is made aware that certain chemicals the demand for those articles will ecase to be sufficient to render their - food articles are preserved or colored with dangerous manufacture profitable. BRITAIN’S FLOATING DOCK BERMUDA BEING TOWED TO THE WEST INDIES Portsmouth June 16 in tow of two tugs for her destination in the West Indies. It is calculated that she will proceed at the rate of about 100 miles a day and reach Bermuda during the latter end of July. The cost of the dock was about $1,000,000. The loss by the recent fire in the mold loft building at Chatham is estimated at $75,00. The draughting rooms, employing 150 draughtsmen, contained a vast number of ship’s plans, which were destroyed. _The battleship Exmouth, 14,000 tons, con- cluded her thirty hours’ trial under four- fifths power on June 16. With 113 revolu- tlons 13,774 horsepower was developed, giving a speed of eighteen knots. The coal consumption was 1.95 per unit of horse- power. With 18,000 horsepower the cal- culated speed is nineteen knots. :The armored ‘cruiser Bedford of 9800 tons, 22,00 horsepower, and -calculated speed of twenty-thrée knots, completed her thirty hours’ trial under four-fifths power on June 20. With 246 pounds of steam and eighty-eight revolutions the en- gines developed 16,005 horsgpower, giving a speed of 21.2 knots. From this result it does not appear probable that the ship will reach a. bona fide speed“of twenty- three knots under full power. Nine more of the Bedford type are in course of con- struction. Engine-room artificers and stokers in the British navy are at last receiving more favorable consideration from the Admiralty. Warrant artificer engineers have been. increased from 120 to 200 and are to receive from $212 to $2 62 a day and the entire number of warrant, petty and ordinary artificers has been increased from 2401 to 2546. The stoker class has also been increased from 21,963 to 22,927 at a pay varying from 40 cents to $1 24 per diem. e | An armored cruiser of 3995 tons has been designed for the Swedish navy and a sum of $1,750,000 has been allowed for its con- struction. The ship will be. 377 feet 3 inches in length, 48 feet 10 inches breadth and 16 feet 1 inch draught. It will have engines of 12,000, horsepower, calculated to give a speed of 2134 knots. The armor, all of which is to be of Krupp steel, will be| 3.94 inches for the waterline belt and case- mates, decks 1.97 to 1.46 inches and con- ning tower 491 to 1.97 inches. The arma- ment consist of eight six-inch, fourteen six-pounders and two torpedo tubes. Fur- ther details are wanting, but the utility ofy the vessel as a cruiser must be exceeding- }v limited, as the weight of the armor will necessarily encroach upon the allow- ance for coal and limit the service of the vessel to coast guard duty solely. e Satisfactory progress is some of the reported on AHE Bermuda floating dock left, tably at Cramp’ -ascertain their condition in this essen- battleships and armored ! cruisers building at Eastern yards, no- D e e PERSONAL MENTiON. C. J. Hammes, a Sacramento merchant, is at the California. A. S. Burpee, a dealer in seeds at Phila- delphia, is at the Palace. Herman Moss, a cigar manufacturer of Lancaster, Pa., Is at the Palace. D. W. Johnson, an ofl man of Bakers- field, is registered at the California. Dr. J. J. Murphy of the United States Coast Survey is among the arrivals at the California. ‘Albert Hanford, who conducts a retail grocery business at Sacramento, is at the California. ! John McKinney, representing Kelly's Directories (Limited), London, England, is staying at the Brooklyn Hotel.. Dr. D. Braden Kyle of Philadelphia, who is touring the coast with his family, is among the arrivals at the Palace. Dr. Albert J. Atkins, a well-known phy- sician of this city, has returned from a two weeks' outing in the Shasta region. James A. Yerington, president of the McKinley mine at Tonopah, is here for a few days from Carson City. He is at the Palace. F. I. Whitney, general passeriger agent of the Great Northern, with headquarters in St. Paul, and A. B. C. Dennison, gen- eral Western passenger agent, with head- quarters in Seattle,/are at the Palace. —_— e ——— Californians in' New York. NEW YORK, July 22.—The following Californians have arrived: San Fran- clsco—A. D. Lewis, W. B. Peck, A. K. P. Harmon, at the Manhattan; H. O. Pallen, at the Albert; A. S. Ashland, at the Mur- ray Hill; Mrs. C. H. Connin, Miss 1. Con- nin, S. Jensen, at the Netherlands; J. A. Cussen, V. E. Yates, at the Navarre; I A. Irving, dt the Astor; H. W. Maass, at the Cadillac; F. C. Price, at the West- minster; A. Rothschild, at the Gerard; C. 8. Tredway, A. J. Wheeler and wife, at the Grand Union; H. R. Vail, A. Alls- ton, at the Vendome; J. W. Burnham and wife, at the St. Denis; G. P. Griffin, at the Imperial; W. S. Mantine, at the Hol- land. Los Angeles—Mrs. Fletcher, at the Cad- illac; C. J. Kubach and wife, the Misses Kubach, at the Imperial; Mrs. N. M. Jones, M. M. Potter, Miss N. Potter, at the Park Avenue. Sagramento—J. Hygersina, G. Weinkel- man, at the Union Square. Petty and Spiteful Gage. Governor Gage's prosecution of his' charges of criminal libel is petty and spiteful to the last degree. His disposition to make trouble for Spreckels and Leake. rather than to gain a vindication for himself in the eyes of the pub- Me. should be manifest to everybady. The. pro- ceedings, as was expected, bave developed nothing but a maze of legal technicalities and quibblings, in which the originil accusations against Gage have become obscured. The Governor has certainly suffered in pub- lic estimation by his.desperate efforts to force the trial of Spreckels and Leake before a petty Justice’s Court in an obscare liftle seaside vil- lage south of Los Angeles, In this he has given a new illustration of the extraordinary narrowness and vindictiveness that are his chief characteristics, : The only point of interest for the public in the matter is this: Did the Governor get costly furniture from San Quentin prison for his pri- vate home In Southern California, and, if so, Qid the State get proper compensation? Even in the latter case, it appears, there is involved a violation of law, as, the State has forbidden the use of convict labor in.such manufacturing. No libel suit is needed to disprove The Call's statement In this particular. A stralghtforward and explicit denfal from the Governor himself, coupled with any explanation that may be nec- essary, would throw the burden of proof upon the accuser at the bar of public opinion. 1t the Governor has been wrongfully accused, his first aim should be to disprove the charge, leaving the punishment of his calumniators to a later date. BY personally conducting or di- recting a Justice's Court case he has detracted greatly from his own dignity. Not to put too fine a point upon it, he has made an ass of him- self, and for the hundredth time.—Sacramento Bee, v —_————— Sqauare Denial Is Demanded. Governor Gage has had his San Pedro libel J will furnish the kind of size and filling sult against The Call postponed until Septem- ‘ber—after the State convention. Meantime the accusation of The Call stands that the Gover- nor has stocked his house with valuable furni- ture made for him in San Quentin Prison. If the truth or falsity ‘of this accusation is not to be tested, in the courts before the conven- tion, The Call owes it to the public to present its full evidence in. the newspaper and the Governor ‘owes. it to_the public to make a roumstantial admission facts charged. He has no Republican. —_— s. Since January 1, 1%2. the Maine has advanced from 78 to €1 per cent of completion and the armored cruisers Pennsylvania and Colorado from 13 to 27 and 15 to 30 per cent respectively. The Newport News, notwithstanding its facilities, is lagging behind, the Vorginia standing at 2 per cent and the Maryiand and West Virginia at 23 and 25 per cent. At the Union Iron Works the Ohio nas advanced from 43 to 60 per cent since January last, and the California and South Dakota, begun in February, are only 6 per cent completed. The battleship to be built at the New York navy yard is to be named Connecti- cut, and will be the third vessel bearitg that name in the United States navy. The first was a paddle steamer of 1300 tons, purchased during the Civil War and sold in 1865. The second was a screw sloop of 4450 tons, begun at the Charleston (Bos- ton) yard in 1863 and originally name2 Pompanoosue, which was changed (o Connecticut in May, 1869. The vessel was never launched, and was broken up on the stocks in 1883. There had been ex- pended $535,565 on the hull and $617,%1 on the machinery, and only $825 92 was real- ized from the sale of the wood. The value of the material saved amounted to $1814 76 after deduéting the cost of labor in breaking up the ship, leaving a net return to the Government of $2640 68 on the original outlay of $1,133,55. The mon- itor building at Bath, Me., was originally named Connecticut, but upon a strong protest being made by the citizens of that State against having so insignificant a vessel bearing the name of an impdrtant seaboard State it was changed to Ne- vada. : R g In the Russian navy the ships have to | make annual full speed trials in order to tial efficiency. Recent reports of six ves- sels indicate but a slight falling off in actual service from the trial speeds. The Navarin, built in 1891, made 158 knots against 16 knots at her acceptance trial; the Sissoi Vallky, 15.6 knots against 15 knots in 18%5; Dmitri Dousky, 145 knols against 16.5 in 1885; but the Edinburgski, built in 1875, with a speed of 15.2 knots. has now come down to 11.75 knots. The Admiral Korniloff, a cruiser of 5000 tons, built in 1857 and extensively overhauled in 1895, still maintains her original speed of 17.5 knots, while the old Kreisser, a corvette built in 1875, has deteriorated from 13 to 1187 knots. Considering the long service of these vessels the latest trials do not show so great a falling off in speed as might be expected, and it is evident that their long and continued commissions have been less hurtful to their efficiency than short commssions and long inactivity when laid up. if the above figures are to be relled upon the SOME ANSWERS TO QUERIES BY CALL READERS PRIVATE DETECTIVE—X. Y. Z, City. There is no license exacted in San Fran- cisco of private detectives. | T | SALT—G. B. R.. Saratoga, Cal. The annual product of salt in California is from ninety to ore hundred thousand tons. CONFIRMED—W. T., San Diego, Cal. The new Commissioner of Pensions, Eugere F. Ware, has been confirmed by the Senate. - WIDTH OF STREETS—J. T. M., City. The official’ width of Market street is 120 | feet, Van Ness avenue 125 feet and Dolores street 120 feet. WIND AND BAROMETER—R. S, City. The highest wind recorded in San Francisco is sixty miles an hour. The lowest barometer 29.12. J NOT GOOD ENGLISH—J. A. M., City. “It is them” and “it is they” are expres- slons that are not good English and ought not to be used. SPANISH COINS—C. S., Agnew, Cal. No premium is offered for Spanish one- half, one, two, four and eight reals. | even If such are 200 years old. TRACY'S CRIME—E. L., Berkeley, Cal. Harry Tracy, the fugitive from justice, was serving a term of twenty years for robbery at the time he made his escape. LADY BELL—A. R, Petaluma, Cal The name of Lady Bell Copper Company of Del Norte County does not appear on the list of mines on the market at this time. ELECTION BOARD CLERKS-—S., City. Clerks of election boards are ap- pointed by the Board of Election Com- missioners. The qualifications for such clerkship is ability to read and write and to be quick and accurate. — 4 PRODUCTS OF CALIFORNIA—S., San Fablo, Cal. Olives, raisins, jJnavel oranges and quicksilver are among the products of California that are produced in com- mercial quantities which are not pro- duced in States east of the State line. DIVORCE STOPS' IT—Inq., San Jose, Cal. If a woman is divorced from a vet- eran who was drawing a pension from the United States, the divorce estops her from receiving the pension she would have been entitled to had she been his widow. PAINTERS' CANVAS—C. B, San Ra- fael, Cal. Any dealer in artists’ materials that is used for preparing painter’s can- vas. Glue sizing is a preparation of thin glue used for filling the canvas so that it shall present an even surface. NOT FOR THAT QUARTER—G. K., Fort Casey, Wash. There is no premium for a quarter of 1853 that has arrow heads at the date and rays around the eagle. It is for quarters of that date that do not have these characteristics that a premium is offered. PILOT AND CAPTAIN-G. O. City. The captain of a vessel never loses com- mand of his vessel though a pilot may be on board., The instructions of the pilot are merely directory. The pilot is not “in supreme command from the time he boards the vessel until he leaves it.” SHINE FROM GARMENTS—A. C. R, City. There are a number of prepara- tions which are sold for the purpose of renovating and taking the shine out of garments, but many of these pro- duce only a temporary renovation. The best method is to put the garments in the hands of a professional cleaner. WRECKS—M. C. H, City. The City of New York was wrecked on North Head, San Francisco Bay, October 27, 1893; the Rio de Janeiro went down near the Gold- en Gate, February 22, 191, and the San Rafael went down in the bay December 1, 1901. No lives were lost on the City of New York, 122 went down with the Rio, San Rafael. Russian ships are in a higher state of efticiency than those of any other navy. P At the annual examination at the Na- val Academy such cadets as succeed in obtaining 85 per cent of a possible 100 of the aggregate of studies and deportmect are designated as star graduates and their names are printed in prominent black type. It is an honor difficult to attain, and the star graduate is un- doubtedly well equipped for his naval <a- reer after a four years' term at Annapo- lis. Up to within a few years ago there were two distinctive graduating classes at the Naval Academy, namely, those for the line and a smaller class of engineers. Of the upward of 1300 graduates during the past thirty years from May, 1572, to May, 1901, only about 10 per cent have graduated as stars, and the following table shows from what States and Terri- tories these few and exceptionally bright young men were appointed: APPOINTED FROM— @100 Supy Alabama . Arkansas California Kentucky Loulsiana Maine .. New Jersey .. New Mexico New York . North Carolina . Ohio - Pennsylvania Rhode Island Tennessee Utah Vermo: Virginia Wisconsin « - o B e e L T L T Y 110 Of the above star graduates credited to California, N. T. James graduated May, 1872, and resigned in 1874, since which he has resided in San Francisco. F. . Holmes graduated May, 1874, followed by J. H. Glennon, May, 1873. Both of the latter are still in the navy, and it 18 about time that a California representa- tive should be among the stars of the Naval Academy. ° A CHANCE TO SMILE. Now it is love in a cottage with mod- ern improvements.—Exchange. “Bridget, did you call the boys?" “Indade an’ Of called thim iverything Oi cud think of, but they wouldn't git up.”—Brooklyn Life. Miss Singleton—How lovely it . must be when husband and wife are of one mind. Mrs. Wederly—Well, my dear, it all de- pends on which one the mind belongs to. —Chicago News. “Say, it might be suggested to Author- ess Mary McLane that the evil one she #eeks has his front door invitingly open.” ‘Where?” ks - the ‘cratér of Mont Pelee.”"—Cleves land Plain Dealer. Playwright—From the nature of my play you see it ought to close with some line or significant act from the hero in perfect accord with the feelings of the audience. Critic—Why not let him heave a sigh of relief, then?—Tit-Bits. “I see that Pierpont Morgan has pre- sented King Edward with a piece of ta- pestry valued at $500,000.” “What's the good of it?" “Why, I s'pose Eddard and the Queen can walk up the porch steps om it when they go to get their crowns fitted."— Cleveland Plain Dealer. —_———— Gage Regime of Cruelty. The resignation of Dr. Lawlor from the mam= agement of the Home for Feeble-minded only precluded his removal. Thus another of Mace kenzie's schemes has miscarried. Dr. A. E. Osborne, whose removal was unjustified in the slightest degree, has been vindicated, if, in- deed, any vindication was necessary. We think it was not. So do the people of the State. He founded the institution and for many years conducted it on broad philanthropic principles and it was free from political influences. Dur- ing the administration of Governor Budd an at- tempt was made to injure Dr. Osborne, but, be it said to the credit of Budd, he would allow no interference with the management of the home in any particular. Is this the case with Governor Gage? No! He could have prevented the unwarranted removal of the only man in the State of California adequately qualified to conduct the home. But he permitted the most unscrupulous of politicians to destroy the work of years and inaugurate a regime of cruelty and misrule that will require years to eradi- cate. This is a formidable accusation and will be one of the greatest influences against Gage in his hope of re-election.—Santa Clara News. ———————— Gage's Shyster Practice. With a great display of wounded henor and purpose to punish Messrs. Spreckels and Leake of the San Fraficlsco Call for criminal libel, Governor Gage has not given much evidence of a desire to push the suit he has commenced: or perhaps more truly he has shown little, if any, desire to have the evidence produced that would either prove him innocent or guilty. H Commeneing the suit against Spreckels and Leake at San Pedro, 500 miles away from the offictal records and the witnesses necessary in the case, bears a close resemblance to shyster practice. Governor Gage's law practice has included much of the criminal kind and probably in- volved efforts to defeat as well as to admin~ ister justice, and he must have known full well that Spreckels and Leake would use every avail- able means to defeat the effort to force them to trial at San Pedro, if for no other reason tham to defeat what has all the appearance of shy- ster practice against them. They now have the case on appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States, where it will not be heard til} after the elect It seems to us that If Governor Gage feels sure that the official records and pertinent tes- timony and encouraged its early production Mh-nflmm‘mvmmm @ ittt @ and Japan and 2400 miles nearer to Phila~ delphia than to London. PENSIONS—A. D., Veterans' Home, Cal. Congress at its last held session did not pass a bill authorizing the payment of pensions to soldlers who fought in the Confederate army during the Civil War, but did pass a law to allow a pension to such individuals who became disabled n the service, who at onme time were forced into the Confederat service, but and 3 were drowned by the sinking of the NICARAGUA CANAL — Subscriber, City. The Nicaragua canal. according to the survey, is to be 170 miles in length. It has been figured out that the canal California will traverse 121 miles of rivers and lake, | candies, 50c a pound, in 22 miles will be in artificial basins. It will require 27 miles of actual exeavation to make the connection between the At- lantic and Pacific. If the project is car- ried will be 1350 miles afterward took the oath of allegianc: -served in the Union army. s ———————— Prunes stuffed with apricuts. Townsend's.* : —_———— ‘Townsend's Glace frult and bcxes. A nice present friends. 639 st., P-he-'l‘!'cul . —_—— Special information | dally to mearer to New York than to Liverpool | fornia street. (e L el e £ »