The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 25, 1904, Page 6

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL,” MONDAY, APRIL 25, 190 | - izations are extremely | Military organ conservative and slow to adopt ideas | and practices from the outside. As a| ce development in my and navy | b much diffi- t and persistent | affiliated with it is recognized the various arts, | fe sions is necessary proficiency in any avy still clings | ine officer knows »s and 1 torpedoes, in ad- | engines, and ) naviga This belief is based on hat a four years' ademy will equip the requisite bec various ¢ be called It is as been made of narine en- ) 1899 was a spe- the line officer’s broaden the knowledge are | xely “to spread ut to i the. chairn Naval Committee | S the course of the hearir 1 bill in accidents to aused by design, rough improper the necessi and trained and the re Charles all calibers iry during the past rgsults have un- hly sa to th e on he isfactc act that models of ory: er navies and 1 was e bur 1 officers content with ew business, b mate slow ich improvements as found and manufacturers. ed with the construc- ected for their fit- nd the inspection ps gid. The tion of our variety of cient safe had jractical by other cha f guns were The officer The officers s for such work, insatisfactory « is due to a lack of perficia ntroduction hiefs of the Folger, ur Sampson, up to 1897, ar , up to March ast. In the r one hun- dred officers have been employed since 1884, which with a year of eleven officers gives an average of about two years' service to each officer | the gun found At the bureau, where the gns are made for guns, mounts, gun shields and other detaii pertaining to ordnance matters, no less than fifty officers have found a two years' retreat after the usual cruise at sca or to break up the monotony of other less congenial shore duty. At the proving grounds and torpedo station the same av ge of two years holds good. Of course, a number of officers have had from four to seven years' ordnance duty, but only a few of these experts are left, and there are'probably | not over twenty bona fide ordnance ex- | perts from which to select a corps of ordnance officers, of which the navy is sadly in need The organization of an ordnance corps would not alone be beneficial to the service, but quite in consonance with the personnel law of 1899 by which former engineer officers, now classed as line officers, are carried along and promoted, without performing any sea service, after reaching the grade of commander. An ordnance corps to perform shore duty alone would be no departure from the present practice of employment and promotion of offi- cers. Two ex-Secretaries of the Navy, Chandler and Tracy, have indorsed the scheme for a general staff for the navy, and Moody, who has hitherto been somewhat skeptical, now also favors the plan. The proposition appears to be gquite in line with conditions of the present time, which differ from those prevailing twenty years ago, and ex- pert advice to the Secretary is essen- tial to a successful administration. It has hitherto been optional with the | scheme and if it does become a law it | catur, | ducting the of its members. In order to prevent a life tenure of any members of the staff pone are to remain longer than three or four years on such duty, and are not to be eligible for reappointment until after the lapse of another four years. The scheme looks practical and in the interest of the welfare of the navy; the board will exercise no authority, nnd' as it will assume the duties of the Bu- reau of Navigation in so far as relates to the assignment of officers the plan will probably be more acceptable than the present system. Senator Hale is said to be opposed to the naval stafl will be in such a form as to deprive it of any insidious attempt to usurp the functions of the Secretary of the Navy. S The five torpedo-boat destroyers, De- | Bainbridge, Barry, Chauncey | and Dale, which left Hampton Roads | Decemgber 13 last year for the Philip- pines, arrived at Cavite April 15, thus | completing the trip of 18,000 miles in 123 days. It was estimated that the voy- age of 18,000 miles would take 151 days, but weather and sea favored the flo- tilla and no stops were made except to take in coal and other supplies. The boats proved seaworthy, no accidents happened to their machinery and the vessels from all accounts will need but slight overhauling and docking to fit m for duty. The average speed, de- time in port, has been about ten knots. The longest run was from San Juan to the Canary Islands, a distance of 2873 miles, which was made in twelve days on an average coal consumption of eighteen The successful termination of this long voyage well within the esti- mated time is creditable to the design- | ers, builders and navigators, for while they are not baby " vessels—having a fuil load displacement of 625 tons with 230 tons of coal aboard—their frail con- struction as compared with ordinary vessels of the same size has been com- mented upon as verging upon the lim- of safety. That they have devel- | oped no weakness goes to prove that | ience of modern construction is a t is claimed for it and that good materizl properly put together will give better results than the ship and engine constructions of twenty years age. dail fteen obsolete vessels are to be sold of the British navy, as no longer viceable for any purpose. The most | worthy of this lot is the Duke of v gton, a 131-gun screw line-of- battleship built at Portsmouth in 18 She is the sole remainder of the six three deckers of that period, and of the thirty-two-deckers, only one—the Vic- Cmmanuel—still exists, serving as rdship at Hongkong. The Duke of lington had auxiliary screw engines r,” giving the ship a speed of 10.15 knots under favorable | conditions, and her complete cost, ex- | clusive of armament, was $358,675. It | F not e ed at the Wash- | required the oak timber of twenty-siX | .,rn etc., is rather toward lower prices. acres and the labor of 334 shipwrights | for one year to build this ship. Her | | complement was about 1100 men and, her annual expense of maintenance was stimated at $176,000. The enormous Iraught of these three-deckers—35 to | feet—made them unsuited for general work, and the only service rendered by the Duke of Wellington was as flag- ship of Admiral Napier in the expe- | dition against Bomarsund in 1854, in the | truction of which, however, the flag- » took no part. After ts return to England the use of the Duke of Wel- lington has been limited to that of guardship at Portsmouth, accommo- dating officers for the fleet and dock- vard reserves and other miscellaneous | purposes old Belleisle, a coast-defense 0 tons, purchased from Tur- | 8, is another vessel to be sold. service rendered by the Belleisle has been that of a target for and torpedo practice during | st three years, and the hull is | new so thoroughly battered as to be of no further use except to go on the iron | scrap pile. The two-decked screw ships ‘uf the line, Edgar and Hannibal, of 91 guns, built in 1858 and 1854, are relics of the past and have been utilized for forty years as depot ships and hulks. | The sloops Daphne, Icarus and Swal- low, built in 1886-8, have likewise out- { lived their usefulness, and eight gun- boats, including Plassy and Assaye, | | twin-gscrew torpedo gunboats, completes | the list of vessels to be sold. | RIS | The British cruiser Flora, which ran | on the rocks in British Columbia wat- | ers last December and was saved with some difficulty, has been repaired and left Esquimalt April ready for future service. The dockyard authorities con- céde that but for the fact that the| | crulser’s bottom was Wwood sheathed, | the vessel would have become a total { loss. The French protected cruiser Cas- sard, while on her twenty-four hours’ trial trip off Toulon last month ran on | the rocks, damaging her bottom, carry- ing away bilge keeis and twisting two | of her propeller blades. The vessel got off, however, without assistance and steamed to the dockyard, where the requisite repairs will detain her at least two months. I e 3 In the German navy the retired pay of officers is graded according to the length of service of the beneficiary, and starting with 25 per cent of the full pay after ten years entry in the service terminates with 76 per cent of full pay &t the end of forty years’ ser- vice. Special retired pay is allowed to grades above commodores. The latter’s full pay is 9354 marks, or about $2340 a year; captains receive $1750; com- manders, $1340; lieutenant command- ers, $1040; lieutenants, $640, and junior lieutenants, $487. It is- evident from | than six months. | demand for both wheat and flour continues poor. THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL JOHN D.SMCKE.S.PWW..........MMCmmfim.&mGflT.m Publication Office . = .Third and Market Streets, S. F. MONDAY.....cccocecescerscassassscssccsssssossacsroscesansossssslioassnsssessns e evenivessvAPRIL, 25, 2004 BUSINESS IS QUIETER. HERE was little change in trade conditions last T week, but the general tendency was toward in- creasing stocks of merchandise and slowly declin- ing prices. Bad weather was reported from all over the country, the temperature being low and the ground sur- charged with moisture. The weather feature was the most serious, as it continued to retard even the regular trade. The cold checked the distributive demand for spring goods and the growth of wheat and other vegeta- tion and the excessive moisture prevented the farmers in many parts of the country from working in their fields. All these circumstances combine to cut down the yolume of trade. There is another factor diminishing the volume of trade and that is the approach of the Presidential elec- tion. Presidential years are always quieter than others. As the year advances we may look for an increase rather than a decrease in this retarding influence, so the pros- pects for an active year in trade are not bright. Political transitions are so apt to produce such wide changes in the financial, tariff and industrial conditions of the nation that large interests are not disposed to operate while great issues are pending. As already mentioned, stocks of many commodities are increasing without a corresponding demand, and this tends to depreciate quotations. A significant movement in this direction is the threatengd closing down of the silk factories in New Jersey and Pennsylvania owing to lack of orders for fall delivery. The manufacturdrs are considering a proposition to close down the mills from May until September unless business improves. There are not orders enough on hand to keep the mills going after the middle of May. and what is significant, the de- mand for the high-priced fabrics is disappearing. About a year ago attention was called to the heavy demand for expensive fabrics, as showing the great prosperity of the country, and a shifting of the demand to goods of cheaper quality and a falling off in the inquiry for even these is significant as showing which way the current of domestic expenditures is running. Economy is now being prac- ticed by women even in the matter of dress. The other staples show similar conditions. Stocks of provisions continue large and the movement seems to be slowly falling off. Iron and steel, while not materially quieter, are certainly no more active than for the past few weeks. During the early part of the month the movement showed some signs of expansion, but it proved merely temporary, and after a week or two ceased. The industry seems to be on a sound basis, however, though few orders for delivery after July I are being received. A few years ago orders for delivery a year in advance ! were common and no order could be filled within less This, like the decreased demand for Raw wool is reported buying slowly and fine silk fabrics, is significant. quieter, with the manufacturers cautiously Hides and leather are quiet and lacking in snap in most markets, while reports from the New England shoe fac- tories do not indicate any rush in this industry. The tendency in the important farm staples, such as wheat, The prospects for wheat are not as bright as they were some weeks ago, the cold, wet weather having retarded the growth of winter wheat, and copious rains and muddy fields are interfering more or less with plowing and seeding for spring wheat in different parts of the Northwest. The Ex- porters who have lately cabled offerings to the continent have received the curt answer that Europe does not want American wheat. This is affirmed by the showing of the current exports. which were 1,645,400 bushels last week, against 3,885,000 during the corresponding week last year, and by the statement of a large Minneapolis miller a few days ago that it seemed impossible to sell flour anywhere | on earth. Railroad earnings also reflect the tendency of the times, The Western roads are reporting a decreased movement in freight, and though passenger traffic con- tinues heavy the earnings of all roads thus far in April | are 4.5 per cent below those for the corresponding period in 1903. The feature of the bank clearings last week was the decrease in all the important cities, only two—New Orleans and Cleveland—exhibiting a gain over last year. The loss at New York was 13.3 per _cent, at Chicago 20.4 per cent and at Pittsburg 24.4 per cent, these three cities being the centers respectively of financial and stock operations, grain and provision speculation and iron and steel production. The failures record, however, made a good showing, numbering 241, against 266 last year. The exhibit of exports and imports during March is not as unfavorable as one might expect from the gen- eral tendency of business toward quieter times. The March statement of imports and exports of merchandise showed a balance in favor of the United States of $28,- 511,235, or about $7,000,000 less than for the same month in 903, and a falling off as compared with the preceding month of about $1,500,000. The balance of trade in our favor for the nine months ended March 31 amounts to $422,297,000, being $85,213,000 more than in the same period in 1003 and $20,000,000 in excess of the correspond- ing period in 1902. The total for the nine months is the largest since 1901, when exports for the same period ex- ceeded imports by $540,241,053. The point in this state- ment is that while our foreign trade for a period of al- most a year shows a gain there has been a marked falling off this spring. Reports from New York show a quiet and low money market, with abundance of funds and a dull and listless stock market. A favorable feature is that the exports of gold from New York to Europe are more than offset by imports of gold from Japan at San Francisco. Another encouraging feature is that the Bank of England has again reduced its rate of discount to 3 per cent, the sec- ond reduction thus far this month, indicating that money is easy in England. With plenty of money in London and New York the commercial situation may be consid- ered safe, even though the demand for merchandise shows a decrease. . The course of prices in the San Francisco market, as in the East, is toward a lower plane of values. During the past week lower quotations were established for wheat, barley, prunes, hams, bacon, lard, hay and a num- this low rate of pay, as compared with that in the British and American navies, that salary offers no induce- ment to become an officer in the Ger- man mnavy, and that such positions head of the Navy Department to call [are only for the nobility and other for advice or opinions from officers, but | persons who have sufficient means of now it is proposed to establish such a | support without counting upon that board by law, which is to give respon- | received for serving the country. Petty' #ible advice to the Secretary on mat- | officers of the first class in the United ters of which he, as a non-expert, is | States navy receive from $432 to $780 not familiar. The board is to be com- | & year pay, averaging more than a posed of not more than seven officers | junior lieutenant in the German navy, ©of or above the rank of captain, to be | while a captain’s sea selected by the Secretary, who also is | is nearly four times pay in our navy that received in %o have the power to remove any one . that grade of the German fidet. ber of minor products. Some feedstuffs were scarce and Ligher. The general trade of the port was active, and continued rains, particylarly in the south, further im- proved the crop prospects, which are now fine. There is nothing wrong with trade in California thus far. * It is reported that an American has been murdered in Persia through religious fanaticism, and that the author- ities have refused to give up the culprit because he is a privileged descendant of the Prophet. If the report be true, that son of a prophet will probably be put on the Persian carpet and given a chance to explain some of his sacred privileges. BOSTON’S PUBLIC CHARITY. B the Boston Board of Overseers of the Poor a good deal of interesting information is given on some of the social problems of that city and incidentally the fact is disclosed that the problem of the poor in the United States is not so complex but what it may be vir- tually solved if due attention be given to it in a spirit ‘sympathetic but not sentimental, so that there will be no error either on the side of indifference to the needs of deserving people who are in distress or of overgen- erosity to the undeserving who habitually prey upon both public and private charity. The most notable feature of the report as presented in a summary given by the Boston Transcript is contained in the statement: “While the population of Boston has increased in the last twenty years from 379,129 to 607,697, an increase of 228,568 persons, the number of families aided by the Overseers has actually decreased from 4075 to 2346, a de- crease of 172g families. In the same period the average cost per family has increased from $1693 per family to $2992 per family; the amount of aid given directly to the poor in 1902 being $72,408 34 to 2420 families, while the amount so given in 1883 was $68,98909 to 4075 families.” These figures showing a remarkable decrease in the number of families receiving aid from the city, while at the same time there is an increase in the amount of money granted for aid, is said to be due to the fact that the Overseers are now giving closer attention to their duties than formerly. The result is the city is no longer granting money to families that do not deserve it, and as a consequence is able to give more effective aid to those who do deserve it. Another interesting feature of the report is the show- ing made of the work of The Wayfarers’ Lodge, an in- stitution where tramps are taken care of. The lodge is open until midnight thfoughout the year and all appli- cants for lodging are received. In former years it was the custom to limit the number of consecutive lodgings to three for each man, but the rule worked badly, for it enabled habitual tramps to solicit money for lodgings on the ground that having been three consecutive nights at the lodge they would not be received there again. Each applicant is given a bath, a bed and a breakfast, be- ing required to do two hours’ work at wood sawing in return. r Efforts are made to get work for all who desire it, but in many cases it is clear there is no desire of that kind on the part of the applicant for lodging. The re- port says: “We try to do something to help the appli- cant to a better life. Suggestions of places where he can apply for work are often made and encouragement is given to apply at the Industrial Aid Society across the street for work. We are able to influence but a small proportion to make any effort to help themselves.” The solution of the tramp problem it seems will have to be effected by something in the nature of compulsory work or at least upon a policy of no work no food. The Boston Overseers say: “Tramping as an evil, as a disease of the body politic, would entirely disappear were it pos- sible to apply the work test in every city and town of the country. Wherever it has been tried it has proved most efficacious, but most communities consider the ex- pense of applying it too great. It would seem as if groups of small towns could combine together and main- tain a tramp-house with a work test, sharing the ex- pense in proportion to the valuation or population of the respective towns. In this way the expense would not bear too hard on any one town.” The society girls of Montpelier, Vt., have formed an organization to exclude all men who talk silly. The girls say their prime object in life is not to be amused, but that the conversation should be more serious. Any Ver- monter that can’t take that tip should pass his remaining days in a foolish asylum for lonesome bachelors. T men, rests the immediate peace of this municipality. These two thousand men are to determine whether cur city transportation facilities shall be disorganized; they are tc determine whether or not San Francisco may be made the scene of riot and bloodshed or continue a city of peaceful and well ordered prosperity. Upon the ballots of a majority of them is involved, on one side, grave public inconvenience, serious loss to the merchants and, with it all, the reputation of the city. On the other side is involved the integrity of the union and the possible loss of a very high wage scale. The carmen should make no mistake. The offer made by the company, in view of all the circumstances, seems fair, and there will be no popular sympathy with a strike. Two years ago the public supported the carmen and the carmen won. They must not deceive themselves into believing they could have succeeded anyhow—and they must not mislead themselves into believing they can win now without public support. 1f the carmen make a mis- take it may prove fatal. At the best it will prove disastrous. The city looks to the members of the union to act wisely and for the common good. Let us have no strike. THE ISSUE TO-DAY. O-DAY, in the hands of some two thousand car- A Rock Rapids, Towa, husband while talking in his sleep confessed to his wife the murder of her first hus- band. There is sometimes an advantage in being deaf and dumb, but even then, with a guilty conscience, one might have to lie on his hands to prevent being too garrulous. i Strangers to this coast who marvel at the American way of moving one’s house from one place to another are now to be given an example of moving a whole town. Wadsworth, Nev., is being loaded piecemeal on flat cars and moved to Sparks City, near Reno. b nte Regarding the dairying industry, the Supervisors contemplate enacting an ordinance prohibiting the keep- ing within certain limits of anything with more life than a can of condensed milk. The ordinance makes no mention of cheese. The Master of the Supreme Court of London has just issued a book,in which he says that crime is contagious and ébecomes epidemic at stated intervals. Living near a penitentiary would seem rather unsafe according to that doctrine. ¢ An Indian maiden uear Redding has been arrested for raising a postal money order. That is one of the few things that cannot be successfully raised in California, and she would better stick to raising something good to eat. . Y the recent publication of the annual report of | The Reward of Learning. A certain Judge who possesses a de- gree from a leading university dropped in one day at a new thirst resort, partly for the purpose of getting a drink and incidentally to see the decorations of the place. When the Judge entered one of the barkeepers was discoursing to a customer upon the beauty of a stain- ed glass window. 2 “Dat window,” he said, “is de hand- somést one in any joint in town. I don’t know what dat Eye-talian on it means. Wish't I did.” “That motto,” said the Judge obliz- ingly, “is ‘Dum vivimus vivamus,’ and means, ‘While we live, let us Hve.""” “Say,” replied the barkeeper, “ain’t dat great! I'm mighty glad to know what dat splel stands for.” The next day, the Judge being in the same neighborhood, again entered the resort to get some refreshment, when the barkeeper cheerily greeted him: “Good mornin’ Professor. Glad to see you. Say, T'll give youse some good whisky dis time.” Truth Will Out. Liltle children make good witnesses as a rule, for they are naturally truth- | ful, and when placed on the witness stand are in such fear of the court and the strange surroundings that, even if they are inclined to lie, they are afraid to do so. Occasionally, however, a child is found that, though willing to tell the truth, has been coached so that it is hard for the court to determine whether the testimony is true or un- true. Recently in Judge Graham's court during the heaning of a divorce action the four young children of the un- happy litigants were witnesses. The lit- tle ones all told the same tale, telling the court with remarkable glibness how their father had abused their | mother. “How did your mother treat your father?” asked the court of each of the little ones in turn. “She was good to him,” said the eld- est, a girl about 11 years of age. The other three made exactly the same an- swer. This made Judge Graham sus- picious and he took the small witnesses, one at a time, aside and questioned them closely. He learned from their baby livs that for se.-ral days prior to the hearing their mother had been coaching them, filling their littie minds with lies they were to tell the Judge. The father was given the decree of di- vorce and the custody of the children. Then the Board Laughed. 1 A great many of the answers given by men who enter the civil service list | for examination as to their qualifica- tions for positions on the police force are of such a character as to cause the examining board many a laugh. One young man who wrote his answers in ‘Ia fairly good hand answered thus to the following questions: ““What would be the best treatment for a person found with a broken leg until such time as the service of a physician could be procured?” Answer: “Place the man on his back in a perpendicular position, resting easy on the leg that is good, carefuily | bandaging the broken leg at the break, 'admltung plenty of fresh air and ring in for the doctor’s wagon.” “How wouid you treat a person for gas asphyxiation?” Answer: “Keep him in a cool place, far away from light and fire, opening up his clothes and rolling him over »n his stomach and tapping him gently on the soles of the feet with your elub while you sent for the doctor’s bus; if dead notify the morgue wagon.” Dazon. Hear the bugles of the morning! Hear the music of the dawning From the throats of feathered minstrels while they sing! Sable Night is losing sway, and the her- alds of the Day Now on high their censers swing. See the first warm colors gleaming! See the gorgeous tints come streaming From the brush the Master-painter dips in flame; Lo! In lines of vivid dye, 'cross the can- vas of the sky, Thus he sets his glorious name! Drowsy Earth again awaking, Every band of Morpheus breaking, Lifts a face of radiant beauty to the light; O'er her robe of wondrous bloom, from the Summer’s magic loom, How the dew-gems sparkle bright! List! The harp of nature playing— Myriad fingers o'er it straying— Fills the soul with vaguest longing. May t be This is but a foretaste sweet of a state with joy replete; Some diviner ecstasy! Pure then, Heart, be thine adorning; Soon shall break that last fair morning, When the night of dreamless slumber fades away, In the land of lasting bloom, stretching far beyvond the tomb, May we hail the Perfect Day! Sarah Adaline Ray in Boston Transeript. Commerce in the East. The total commerce of the territory fronting upon and immediately adja- cent to the scene of present hostilities in the Far East aggregates, in round terms, about $600,000,000, of which con- siderably more than one-half is im- ports. Japan'’s commerce is about equally divided between imports and exports, but in the case of China and Asiatic Russia imports greatly exceed exports, and this is also true of Hong- kong, which passes mést of its imports on into China and draws from China most of the articles which become its exports. Probably three-fifths of the total commerce of the countries in question, taken as a whole, is in the form of imports, and the United States hmbynn-nnplflnlnm share of those imports of the countries in question and gaining upon other countries in the relative share which it supplies thereof. Of the exports from the countries named the United States is the largest single purchaser. The tea, the raw silk, the mactu®actured silk, the rice, the mattings and other -products of this character which form ;ha bulk of the exports of China and lapan go more to . * States than to lnl::x‘t;z fll‘k‘hmu“: of the world, while as to Asiatic Russia and Korea, their exports are at present so small as to be of little importance in a discussion of the commerce of the countries in question. The more im- portant of the exports of the United States to the section in question are cotton and cotton goods, kerosene, flour, lumber, manufactures of iron and steel, manufactures of leather and to- bacco.—Harper's Weekly. The Deadly Sea Dart. The events which marked the outs break of hostilities between Japan and Russia have drawn considerable atten- tion to the torpedo as an engine of war. For years past we have heard a lot about “the man behind the gun,” but the Japanese have shown us that “the man behind the torpedo” may now be regarded as an equally im- portant factor when it comes to a fight. Much has been said both for and against this weapon, and open doubts have been expressed, by naval men, too, as to its usefulness. The Japanese have dispelled this once and for all. The part played by the tor- pedo at Port Arthur gives additional interest to experiments now being car- ried on with this weapon by the Brit- ish naval authorities. Already they have resulted in some improvements being effected. The latest fourteen- inch torpedo, which is going to the y battleship Prince of Wales and other new ships, will run for 3000 yards at a speed of thirty knots per hour. This is a very great advance upon any- thing that has preceded it, but it does not mark the limit of progress. Work is now proceeding upon an improved form of the eighteen-inch torpedo, and it is fully anticipated that it will have a range of 4000 yards. With this wegpon comes a revolutionary phase in lnaval warfare, in which first place must be given to the torpedo man. It is difficult for any one who has not some knowledge of the subject to re- alize what it will be for a captain of a ship to have at his command a ma- chine that is capable of traveling a distance of over three miles in four or five minutes, going practically with the speed and directness of an arrow, and have sufficient destructive force to sink the biggest battleship afloat. That is the kind of instrument the new British torpedo is. Our Giant Pine. Probably no tree ever cut im tha famous California forests better illus-§ trates the value of our State’s timber resources than the wonderful white pine tree that has been placed on the hill on which California has built her State pavilion at the World's Fair. This log is 144 feet long. It is forty-five inches in diameter at the base and twenty-six inches thick at the small end. Larger trees have been cut in California. This one, however, is remarkable for main- taining its size throughout its entire length. To the casual observer it ap- pears to be a solid column, no smaller at one end than the other. The bark has been carefully preserved. Neces- sarily the tree was cut into lengths to admit of shipment, but these have been so deftly joined that the entire log ap- pears to be one solid piece. It is with- out limb, knot or blemish. Answers to Queries. MILITARY BALL—A. S, Alameda « 4 Cal. At a military ball the highest of- ficer present should be asked to lead the grand march, irrespective of who has been chosen as floor manager. TO WHITEN HANDS—Millie, City. To soften the skin of the hands wash them with emollient soap, and to whiten them wear overnight gloves in which has been sprinkled dry bran. Do not engage in any manual labor or houséivork and you will in time have lily white hands. SUCCESSION—A Subscriber, City. If the President of the United States and the Vice President should die the office of President would fall to the fol- lowing named Cabinet officers in turn as provided by the act of Congress of 1836 regarding the Presidential succes- sion: To the Secretary of State, Secre- tary of the Treasury, then successively to the Secretary of War, Secretary of the Navy, the Postmaster General, the Secretary of the Interior and the At- torney General. RIVER BOATS—H. C. B., Oakland. Cal. There are river steamers that leave San Francisco for points on the Sacramento River that touch at 145 landings between this city and Sacra- mento and at fifty-four points above Sacramento. After leaving San Fran- cisco steamers that run up the San Joaquin River touch at eighteen land- ings. For further information as to names