The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 2, 1904, Page 6

London’s Libel Joke. Epectal Correspondence. HEADQUARTERS OF THE CALL, 't HENRIETTA STREBT, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, April 22.—It is rather doubtful if what are after all the funniest features of the so-called “Sun@ay-school Cigarettes” case which has been exciting so much hilarity in this country have been brought out in the cabled acocounts of the affair. The main facts probably are familiar. The Rev. J. Lowman Lang, a clergyman at Woolington, in Somersetshire, sued the London Mall the other day and collect- «d $1250 because that newspaper re- _ported that during the service in his Sabbath-school both cigarettes and ci- “gars were given to the boys to stimu- . late their attendance, and this with ‘the parson’s consent. As & matter of fact, cigars and cigarettes were dealt out, though not during the service, and now it is admitted that the youthful stfendance was stimulated considera- biy by the innovation, but the clergy- no part in the business. e, not satisfied with getting from the Mail, the reverend gentle 1 has succeeded in prying $50 Gut of another paper that republished the story, $100 out of a second and § out of a third. He says, however, that he isn't ki on gathering the coin wounded feelings as i man bk “ Meanwh over $120 &8 a balm to is by way of compensation for the nt of bother the whole thing has They say a lie travels fast, but it is The was N good the bribery,” as it ed amusement in nd, it caused a ripple of e in Ceylon, shocked n the Uni es and mad: hurchgeers of British Columbia r: heir hands in holy he And then Jetters on the subje egan pouring in on the Rev. Mr. Lang from all parts of -the world, not to mention this coun- try. Many of them jvere abusive, one r telling the ¢ m that he ved the contempt of all honest A screed of protest reached him Chicago and tracts on the evils kinzg also were included in his after the publication of He n is Sabbath-school some r t ror n mail ev cartooned Punch It was done out of kindness—mis- taken k ness—by Mr. Wilmot,” said the end gentleman. He referred | 1 out of the cigarettes f the teachers in and the person who the pother g ck cause s for in the 1o them that strubtor passed class boys er on day, their in- lical teachings und nd on the fol- »wing Sabbath s igarettes. In- ,cidentally, it is reported that the cigars made the boys sick, which may have _been why Wilmot chose the less pow- ful with which to make K second ion It was just . “after = S0 that the Mail's rather misleading report called atten tion to the thing, when the Rev. M. | “Lang swooped down on his too zealous assistant. To add to the clergyman's . chagrin the affair it was made the subject of a discussion at the last Churc congress in which he received some hard 3¢ One of the most amusing results of the case, howe was the verses which the London Globe printed re- garding it and which were read at the - .rial the other day. Here they are: O FUMOSE PUER. ©Oh. teacher, I'm so happy _Ln my little Sunday-school; For my pipe is drawing nicely, . And the mixture's smoking cool. - And 1 find Just to sit here blowing rings, you give While your reflections - On the Babylonian kings. ,On a morning in October 1 resolved to change my ways, When you caught me, teacher, napping; -~ You ed me many days. red to me gently, n 1 strove to pass, smokes for little children attend their seripture cla ©h. teacher, I'm—excuse me ~_ For a moment if you will I am feeling slightly—bother? Why won't the floor keep still! . The bench on which I'm sitting Beems as frisky as Am I—am I going—g Am 1 going to—yes, ng, I AM! Progressive Antwerp. Special Correspondence ANTWERP, Avril 20.—It is safe to say .that there is hardly one person in ten in America who, if asked to name the great seaports of the world in their relative order, would assign third place to Antwerp. But, measured by her ocelin-going traffic, that is where Ant- werp stands to-day, with London first and New Yo;k second, And so rapidiy i her commerce growing—15¢ more ships entered the port in 1903 than in 1902—that it New York does not do some tall hustling, this Belgian town. which contrasted with the metropolis kil of the new world attracts little atten- tion, will certainly outstrip her. Ac- cording to the latest statistics avail- able for the purpose of comparison, Antwerp’s ocean tonnage amounts to 46,721,000 tons; New York's to 17,398,000, and London's to 17,564,000 > | iar’s worth of work. found himself | in | and it was | the making of any fuss. The munici- pality does all it can and the Govern- ment helps and private merchants as- sist and all pull together. Polities, | which chegks the developments of so many great public enterprises in Amer- ica, plays no part in it. There are no “steals,” no office “plums” to be picked, no “spoils” for the victors at the polls. It i= all a matter of straightforward, go-ahead business. Antwerp enjoys great natural ad- vantages and makes the most of them. It is situated at the center of one of the world’'s greatest highways of com- merce. There is a depth of twenty- seven feet alongside its quays even at low tide. By,reason of its position on the river Scheldt fifty-one miles from the sea it is absolutely protected from | all storms, It is the converging ‘point of a net- work of railways and canals, which not only dissect the busy manufactur- ing country of Belgium, but also form part of the great land and water trans- port systems of Northwestern Europe. This dual system of transport is not | only admirably arranged and adminis- | tered by the Government, so far as | Belgium is concerned, but the freight charges are also very low owing to the competition of the two systems and to the Government's raflway policy of low freights. l} The port authorities are making great efforts to keep pace with the increas- ing commerce by providing adequate quay room and equipping the quays with the latest appliances for the quick handling of freight. In August, 1903. 2166 yards of new quays were opened to trafic. Lower down the river addition- | al docks on which it is proposed to! spend $1,600,000 are in course of con- | struction and the Antwerp municipality has decided to construct a new en- trance to the intercalary docks at a cost of $1,339,000. There is a further proposal on foot to construct a large drydock capable of accommodating the largest steamers that enter the port. Accommodations for tank steamers has | been added to the quay up the river at | a cost of about $500,000. The length of the outer quay is about 1000 feet and | the petroleum is conveyed through | pipes from the ships to large tanks built for the purpose. Since the ope |ing of these works in August 20,000 tons have been stored in them. i A comparison of these statistics of | recent and projected improvements with similar figures for New York may | suggest good reasons for the pre | tion made by many business men here | |that Antwerp's ocean commerce will | | soon surpass that of New York. In| considering the figures it must be borne | mind, too, that every dollar is hon- -stly expended and accounts for a dol- | Tne Belgians are | a hustling people, but they don’t brag | about it. They are satisfied with “get- | | ting there.” | in Hoopiron for Sandalwood. Erromango is one of the larger is- lands of the New Hebrides, from which were formerly brought large quanti- :(Ir-s of sandalwood. The carelessness | | of natives in protecting the for-| reduced the product, until now ! | there is very little valuable wood on| the island. Rev. H. A. Robertson in| “Erromango, the Martyr Isle,” gives a brief history of the sandalwood trade. | The Erromangans for generations | used the sandalwood as they would any | {other, for fuel, and had no idea of its | value uniil foreigners came and asked | for it. The only price that was at first | given was a small bit of hoop-iron, | from three to four inches in length, | | ana this for a great boatload of wood. | The savages were greatly taken with | the iron, for by sharpening it on a| stone and fastening it to a piece of | wood they made themselves rough,; iight hatchets. Before that they had | nothing but their ancient implements | of stone with which to work. i Netai, the great chief Netai of Cooks | Bay, used to delight to tell me of the| olden times on Erromango, and how | glow were the methods of cutting | trees for their houses and canoes. tree had to be burned at the! , and when that was done there still remained the slow work of hack- | ing with stone axes to sever it from | the stump. Such was the early Erro-| mangan method of hewing wood, and | ests the sandalwood had to be cut in this way. | The ships carried great lengths of | hoop-iron bound together. Amid the babble of voices from swarms of naked, | painted savages clamoring for their; pay. and the confusion and shoutings | that arose as the huge logs were swung | into place, there could be heard the| click of the hammer as it struck the anvil; the iron was being cut into the coveted lengths. After the logs were burned and cut down, they were carried to the bay on men’s shoulders. The biggest logs had to be dragged down the_rocky mountain tracks. oA At the present time the sandalwood tree, once so plentiful, is fast disap- | pearing, and there is little to remind | one that sandalweod once grew on| every hill and clustered in every val- ley of Erromango. o Tomb for Queen’s Finger, The destruction of the palace of the Emperor of Korea leaves the ruler of the Hermit Kingdom in a peculiar sit- uation. In Seoul were three palaces, each with large grounds. Those which were unoccupied at the time of the fire had been deserted because of the superstitious fear of the Emperor to remain where there had been death by violence. He forsook the first because of the killing of a favorite, and, a few years ago, \the second, because of the murder of his Queen. Unless he re- turns to%ne of these deserted palaces he will be without a home. The palace in which the Queen was lled, in the northern part of Seoul, because of a connection of this crime with the present war, is of especial in- terest. Its deserted courts are a strange monument to her manner of death. In London streets, as soon as rain It ie significant of the quiet way in|has made the roadway slippery, street /Which big things are done here that|department men scatter fine, hard this phenomenal growth of Antwerp's|gravel from iron bins placed at fre- commerce, which has doubled in ten|quent intervals at the intersection of years, hes been accomplished without ' the busier thoroughfares. 5 | z2.2 per cent and that at Pittsburg 26.2 per cent. | mcrease at THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, MONDAY MAY 2, 1904 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL PRSP T ARV o S0, SRS I TR S PSS T s T DT SN W RARE v A T TR JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor » .o o « .+ « . » Address All Communications to JOHN McNAUGHT, Manager MONDAY.... v THE BUSINESS SITUATION. ENERAL trade conditions last week were about G the same as for the preceding week. The weather continued unfavorable in the main, re- tarding cotton and spring wheat seeding in some regions, though during the past several days the latter has been proceeding more briskly. The general condition of the wheat crop, as reported by different experts, shows some deterioration since the first of April, the' cold, wet weather having retarded both germination and plant growth. It has also almost eliminated the usual spring demand for goods, and some commercial reports say that the extreme backwardness of the season has practically brought the winter and summer seasons together, leav- ing the spring movement wholly out. The building industry has also been affected by the zdverse weather, and operations are smaller than they would be were the weather more propitious. Some sec- tions report a good demand for building material and others the reverse. The best reports are being réceived from the Pacific Coast cities, almost all doing a large amount of building. Taken as a whole, the record of Lusiness for April was not very satisfactory, as the vol- ume was less than during April, 1903, while the margin of profit was also smaller. The export of wheat and flour has been poor for some weeks and last week’s rec- ord was the smallest for fourteen years, amounting to only 1,010,850 bushels, against 3,418,239 during the cor- responding week a year ago, 3,308,000 in 1902 and 5,100,- 0o in 190I. The textile trades are sending in unfavorable reports. In Philadelphia, for instance, the carpet, cotton and woolen mills have so little to do that some of them are being closed down, and the manufacturers say that not for half 2 century has there been so much depression in these three lines. High prices for wool and cotton are Targely the cause of this falling off in production, as the wholesalers all over the country are proceeding with caution and buying only a small percentage of what they vsually buy at this time of the year. The footwear fac- tories of the extreme East, however, are doing a very gcod business, owing largely to the weather, which has greatly increaced the demand for heavy boots, shoes and rubber goods. The West sends in reports of an active call for hides and leather, purchases of which have be/en resumed by large concerns, and the hide market is ruling firm in consequence. Provisions continue in liberal supply, though buying in Chicago has lately been larger and of a better char- acter. The market in California bhas ruled dull at the decline or a week ago, while supplies are liberal. There is nothing new in the iron and steel trades, pig iron being quict and wezk. The usual statistics continue to indicate a gradual diminution oi commercial activity. The bank clearings of the country last week were 14.4 per cent under those of the corresponding week last year and the aggregate clearings were only about $1,800,000,000. All important cities except (hicago, New Orleans, St. Louis and Minrcapolis showed a decrease, that at New York being The 12.2 per cent, but that was owing to the opening of the exposition, which has en- livened business all over the region tributary to that city. The falling off iq New York is about equally chargeable to the decline in general trade and the inactivity in stocks, is pronounceds Very little ‘business being done on the Stock Exchange now, and on at least one day last week the brokers whiled away the time by playing pranks upon one another. Prices show little fluctuation, the public are still out of the market, and there is no tendency, either up or down. The failures for the week were 202, against 203 for the same week last year, which is not a bad showing. The April railway earnings, as far as received, show a falling off of 5.5 per cent from last year. There is one feature, however, which is very promi- nent and reassuring and that is the abundance of money, It seems to bg rgmarkably plentiful everywhere. In New York it is,an actual drug at 1 per cent fpr call and 2 to 4 per cent for time loans, with large blotks offered without finding borrowers. As long as funds continue so abundant and so carefully handled as at present there is little danger of financial or mercantile trouble. The railroads are taking advantage of this surplusage to make immense borrowings, in regard to which Henry Clews, the New York financier, says: “Another factor which adds to the conservative feeling in Wall street is the i..- mense borrowings by railroads and other corporations on short time notes. Some estimates put the amount St. Lowis was which is . of such loans during the last six months at about $300,- 000,000. These figures probably explain the high record loans of the New York banks, which are exceedingly well satisfied to find such safe and profitable employment for their funds when ordinary business requirements are diminishing. These loans will probably be turned into fixed capital when the bond market im;)roves,‘lmt during the interval the temporary locking up of such large sums will tend to discourage excessive speculation; otherwise we might see a plethora of loanable funds with all the attendant evils of such a condition. . Financial conditions are‘pmbably the most satisfactory of any in the great divisions of business. The mercantile situation is cer- tainly sound, but business is diminishing in volume.” As frequently mentioned of late, the best commercial reports come from the Pacific Coast. Indeed, this has been the case for a year or more. During this period there has been a remarkable demand in the three States for all sorts of farm products, principally wheat, barley, hay, canned fruits, dairy products, hops and potatoes. As these are very important staples on this coast the re- sult has been high prices and an absorption of every- thing produced in these lines. During the past few months Russia and Japan have been very heavy pur- chasers of forage, and from a financial standpoint the Pacific Coast farmer has no complaint to make against the war in the Orient. B : THE ADORNMENT ASSOCIATION. THE recently organized “Association for the Im- provement and Adornment of San Francisco” has made a beginning toward getting its plans into tangible shape. Upon invitation of the association D. H. Burnham, an eminent architect of Chicago, has come to confer with the board of directors respecting plans for a more beautiful San Francisco. Members have been asked to send in suggestions, and these, together with the general scheme already outlined, will be discussed at a_dinner to be given Mr. Burnham on the evening of May 4. It is the desire of the association that an architect of the highest artistic ability be designated to draft a scheme which will serve as a guide in the future adorn- ment of this city. Auxiliary bodies having at heart mat- ters of common interest will also be invited to co-operate through an advisory council made up of delegates. The improvements contemplated extend over a wide field. In a general way the association will deem it within its province to offer recommendations—and perhaps pro- tests, as occasion may require—to the various boards and officers of the municipality upon mat{ers of an artistic and esthetic nature that come within the sphere of its purposes. More particularly, the questions already under discus- sion are as to the feasibility of a municipal salt water works, a Golden Gate Park aquarium, encouraging architecture of a higher standard, a mammoth fire-proof auditorium for conventions, an annual grand opera sea- son, a conservatory of music, a suitable approach to Golden Gate Park or an extension of the panhandle to Van Ness avenue, a possible purchase of the Laguna de la Merced property with its chain of lakes, a roadway along the bay shore, extending Market street to the ccean, the building of winding roads up the city’s hills, an observatory on the summit of Buena Vista Park, an open air amphitheater, an art museum, and, lastly, the reclamation of Chinatown. The attainment of all that is perhaps not to be ex- pected by this generation, but some one has said “Strive tor the stars and grab at the moon as you drop.” Men of fhe caliber of those in the association can accomplish much, and while it would be quixotic to expect Chinatown to be speedily brought to the point of exhaling perfumes, some improvement at least in its condition may be made, while many of the other features, with concerted action, are easily within reach of accomplishment. We are not, like the dwellers of some Tities, stuck in the middle of a flat plain and left to our own unassisted efforts to make a city beautiful. On the contrary, nature has been kind to us and we should appreciate her efforts and assist her. We have a varied landscape in our rolling hills, a marine view in our famous bay and the boundless ocean and a climate unexcelled. With such possibilities and a healthy energy success must come. It might be suggested that the title of the organization be shortened to the “Adornment Association,” for while the motive is “the improvement and adornment of San Francisco,” that phrase is too cumbersome for common use in speaking of the association itself. Several New York thieves, desperate to the point of perfection, killed one of their own number recently while experimenting with that deadly concoction known as “knockout” drops. This is one of the rare instances where the gullible public may smile in gentle satisfac- tion. A few more such happy cases and “trying it on the dog” will lose its value as a proverb. B hambra meeting to postpone action upon the issue before them the public is given a three days’ truce in the controversy and another opportunity for negotia- tions toward a peaceful settlement that will free the city of the anxiety now felt over the situation. It is to be THREE DAYS' TRiJCE. Y the decision of the Carmen’s Union at the Al- hoped that on both sides there will be developed during | these three days an earnest desire to come togethér upon some common ground upon which both can stand fon- tent and work in harmony throughout the year. In the resolution postponing action the carmen de- clare: “Division 205 does hereby agree to postpone final action, as requested by the Mayor in the name of the people of San Francisco, with the understanding that the | Mayor of the city in behalf of the people will use his best efforts to secure an amicable and honorable adjust- ment of the controversy between the division and the United Railroads.” Upon that showing it behaoves all good citizens to cordially support the Mayor in all that he may wisely do toward bringing about the desired adjustment. The Mayor has already done the city a service in obtaining from the union consent to the three days’ postponement. | For that he deserves credit and the credit should not end with words. It shéuld be made manifest to both the contending parties that on this new phase of the issue the people agree in insisting that if there be any ground of mutual satisfaction between the parties that can be at- tained by conciliation and a due sense of responsibility to the public, that ground shall be accepted by both sides and San Francisco be freed from the danger of a strike that will surely lead to disorder, the interruption of busi- ness, bitter strife and probably to bloodshed. It is an old and familiar saying that if men could only understand one another they would find that there exists between them mno valid cause for any strife whatever. That truth has been recalled again and again by men on both sides of even such a bitter strife as that of our great Civil War, and veterans of the two armies have often been heard to say with regret that all the blood . 1d treasure lost in the war might have been saved if only the good men of the North and the good men of the South could have met and learned to know one another and so reached a mutual understanding of the issues over which the fire eaters and the agitators were hurry- ing the two sections to battle. If that were true of the momentous issues of the greatest strife our country has ever known, it is certainly true of the lesser issue involved in this case. The de- sired thing at this juncture is to get at an understanding on both sides. It is not an issue on which outsiders can actively interfere without danger of complicating the situation, but it is ofe in which the influence of public opinion may well be exerted impartially in the interests of peace. The three days’ truce is a very valuable possession at this time. It gives one more chance for the voice of reason to be heard. The carmen have done well in acting upon thé advice of the Mayor and there is now a reason- .able hope that counsels equally good will diréct them to a decision that will put an end to all thought of strike over the present controversy. Our health authorities have given the discouraging as- surance to the public that dangerous and deadly germs are everywhere seeking lodgings for their mission of de- struction. Most of us knew this before and knowing wondered by the Health d*cannot be persuaded to commence a crusade against that devastating germ of extravagance and irmmtib&lity’tha rules in the City Hall. g In an Illinois asylum it hp been discovered that mov- ing pictures have a most remarkably curative effect upon the insane. This is nothing more than a meager com- pensation to the score that balances to drive most sane men wild affairs human. |\ one who cient an agency | ot Madison Square Garden, certainly it A Stretch of Conscience. They were te"l;l’g railroad stories at the Lick House—a bunch of veterans. Said on old-timer: “Some years ago, while 1 was a traveling auditor on the C. B. and Q., I was sent to a station some dis- tance from Chicago, to check up an agent’s accounts. There was a sus- picion that something was wrong and I was instructed not to overlook a trick—to settle once and for all the doubts as to the man’s affairs with the company. in due time I landed at K. and hastenea to the office. The agent received me affably, showed me | the books, waybills, expense sheets and invited me over to the freight house to check uo the undelivered frefght. | There he left me for a moment. I peeped out and saw him hurry to the depot office] Without waiting I fol- lowed him and sat down behind an open window where I could distinctly catch the clicking of the telegraph in- struments. “lI knew the code as well as any agent, in fact served my time in the 1 station. My ears caught the message: | ‘Bring $200 over quick. They are checking me up.’ Without investigating further I | suddenly peeped into the office and de- manded the safe kev. The agent turned pale, hemmed and hawed, but 1 was obdurate. Compelled to surren- | der he turned over the coin box. I quickly counted the cash and made a note of it. In ew minutes an elderly man appeared. | He was flustered and breathing hard. Calling the agent out, the visitor had a whispered con- versation and then hurriedly departed. A minute later the agent came to me and shoved $200 in bills into my hands, | saying, ‘You overlooked that.’ “1 knew the man would be ruined unless 1 accepted it. It meant more than ruin because he had only been arried g short time. The man who had saved him was his father. T stretched my conscience and took the bills. The money was just enough to make his accounts balance. After my return to Chicago I wrote a letter to him, but all I said was: ‘T heard your telegram for help. Let this be a last- ing lesson.’ g “It was a lasting lesson. That same | man now occupies a high position in | one of the big Eastern roads.” His Credit Good. Cashing checks and drafts is a | practice that has grown to such mag- | nitude in the local hotel bisiness that |the managers of the big hostelries have found it necessary to create a banking system in connection with their accounting departments. It is frequently the case that some new ar- rival fails to properly identify him- self with Eastern business connec- ions upon which he desires to draw for coin and is refused the accommo- dation which he earnestly needs. There was a case of this sort at the St. Francis several days ago, but the guest accepted his predicament in a philosophical manner and then re- marked to the cashier as he scribbled several names and addresses on a card: “I expect to remain with vou two | or three weeks and would like to en- | Joy the pleasure of your credit, so if you will kindly wire to these people I think my standing will be thorough- ly established.” Later in the day the hotel people wired to the addresses in the East and from one of them, that of a big Boston banking firm, the following re- sponse came: “Mr. Jones is one of our leading business men and a depositor of our institution. He has been abroad for several months, during which fre- quent reports have been received here regarding reverses he has experienced. The latest report received by us is to the effect that he is now down to his last four million dollars, but we have entertained a hope that he will be able to complete his journey through the West on this sum without ex- treme embarrassment. Should he. however, overdraw, our bank will gladly meet his overdraft on prompt advice from your management.” A conference between the manager and the credit clerks of the St. Fran- cis resulted in Mr. Jones being placed on the “O. K.” list and he is still staying at the hotel. The Wild Rider. Beyond the surf and the reef; Beyond the gloom and the stars; Shifting the purple veils, And swinging the dream-time bars, / The wind of the night awakes In those fenceless acres of din \ Catching their manes of foam She gallops the breakers in. ‘White is her face and fair; Her hands are like palest shells; Her house is the racing scud; Her bed where the petrel dwells. All day she sleeps and dreams With her cheek in her idle hand, But as soon as the stars are lit She gallops the waves to land. All day in the quiet sun And the draught of an easy breeze ‘We watch the creaming surf And hark to the singing trees; But as soon as the windows gleam, And the piping crickets begin, The wind of the night awakes And gallops the breakers in. Mad, at the touch of her hand They race, and rear at the bit; Arching their necks of black; Tossing their manes alit. They rush at the sunken reefs— Urged by her bitter hand. They trample the steady rocks And die on the flinching sand. Then all night long; till dawn, The mdlfmd seas race in. Back in the fields of cane The beaten l‘pl't, drifts thin. She shouts from the boiling reef And the black rocks surge and dip. Under the eaves of our house . We hear the lash of her whip. Above the hills to the east A yellow upwaves. Behind the crested palms A tide of saffron laves. Then in crimson and gold The glad lights flare and flee, And the :.lich wind calls her steeds gal them out to sea. e Youth's Managing a Circus. ever attended the circus they were grown-ups, failed to wonder F SRS e at the apparent smoothness with which the programme is carried out. At the last circus there were eighty-five sep- arate acts, and they were executed twice a day without any delay or fric- tion whatever. The acts included pret- ty much everything known to the saw- dust ring, in addition to a Kiralfy spectacle employing about 400 men and women. Of course the most important part is the eriginal assignment of all these tuxns, and the extraordinary part of it all is that this is not done by gen- eral rehearsals, but on paper. Six months before the circus opens Mr. Bailey makes out a list of the number and the kinds of turns he wants. Then he sends his agents broadcast over the globe and collects them. Every act is allowed seven minutes, but the greatest ingenuity has to be shown in the way they must occur so that the interest of the audience may always be kept up. Then many of the artists appear in several turps, and time must be given them to make the proper changes of costume. The clowns must be so placed as to appear at their best, but not so as to interfere with the ring or trapeze turnms. Prop- erties must be brought out and put in place for one act while the preceding one is taking place, and the aerial acts must be such as to attract the atten- tion of the audience from the prepara- tions which are going on below, and vice versa. This is all arranged be- fore the first performance, and su skilled has Mr. Bailey become in ar- ranging these details that he can tell within ten minutes just how long a performance will run. Like a “pro- ducer” of a modern play, so Mr. Bai- ley's work ends with the rise of the curtain on the first performance. Then i* is up to Mr. Frank Melville, the ring master, who practically stage manages the show.—Outing. Training Engineers. Another step in the direction of technical education has been made in the city of Dresden in the establish- ment of a school for locomotive driver apprentices. The initiative was taken by the Locomotive Drivers’ Assoclation of Saxony, which succeeded in inter- esting the members of the Dresden City Council in the scheme, as well as the directors of the techmical school and the administration of the Royal State Railroads. The school is for ap- prentices between twenty-five and thirty vears of age who are employed in the Dresden car shops. Among the subjects taught are German, arithme- tic, graphics and the mechanism of locomotives. Answers to Queries. MAIL ROUTE—A. S, Oakland, Cal. The shortest mail route between New York City and Washington, D. C., is 238 miles. TWELFTH INFANTRY—Subsecriber, Sausalito, Cal. The Twelfth U. 8. In- fantry was organized in 1861 and was reorganized in 1866. PORTO RICO—S,, City. The Amer- ican flag was raised over the island of Porto Rico in token of formal pos- session Qctober 18, 1898, WAGON ROADS—Three Subscrib- ers, City. None of the published maps attainable in this city give “the best wagon roads from Portland, Ore,, to the Yellowstone Park.” ICE—M. S. R, San Rafael, Cal. Water on becoming solid, or ice, expands about one-ninth of its volume, or bulk. The formation of ice takes place gen- erally at the surface of water. This is owing to the peculiarity that when water has cooled down to within 7.4 degrees of freezing it ceases to con- tract, as before, with increase of cold, and begins to expand until it freezes, which causes the coldest portions of the water to be always floating on the surface. HORSEPOWER — Subscriber, San Lorenzo, Cal. A forty horsepower en- gine has “the same power, whether at- tached to an automobile or is station- ary.” The term horsepower is one in mechanics used in expressing the force of a motive power. It is based on the assumption that horses in general per- form a certain constant amount of work in a specified time—an assump- tion evidently erroneous. The funda- mental unit of work is the foot pound: but in measuring the work of a horse by this unit the estimates of the most celebrated engineers differ widely from each other: Boulton and Watt, basing their calculation on the work of Lon- don dray horses, working eight hours per day, estimated it at 33,000 foo; pounds = per minute. D’ Aubuisso: taking the work done by horses in whims at Friedberg, estimated the work, eight hours per day, at 18,440 foot pounds. Under similar circumstances the estimates of Desagulier was 44,000; Smeaton, 22,000, and Tregold, 27,500. Tt matters little, however, what number ways used. Accordingly, the original estimate by Watt Is still counted a S