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MENDING OCEAN CABLES.
A DIFFiri'LT JOD MADE EISV 111
EXrEIIIEME AND .SKILI..
Closi' II ork Loenting n Bror-k—How i
It Is Done— Making <> Splice nt Sen
Part* of the Equipment of it fable j
Repair Ship.
From the Boston Hera and.
Last week Copt. Trott received word j
that one of the Atlantic cables of the
Anglo-American Company was broken and
that the break had been located about
twenty miles off Sandy Hook. Through
the courtesy of the captain a H< raid rep
resentative was invited to make the trip,
and late in the afternoon of Jan. 27 the
Minia’s anchor was hoisted mil her nose
turned toward the open sea. At 7:30
o'clock Saturday morning the Fire Island
lightship was passed, and at 9 o'clock the
ship was in position off Sandy Hook.
The engines were stopped and an iron
buoy, surmounted with a flagstaff, was
lowered from the starboard side and an
chored. This was the mark buoy, and was
to serve as the bas,s of operation.
Then the grupnel was lowered from the
bow girder in twelve fathoms of water,
the ship was gotten under way at very
slow speed and the process of dragging
for the cable was begun. At 10:30 o'clock
the cable was hooked, and then was be
gun two days of hard work, which was
made the more difficult by the intense
cold. The moment the cable was caught
the engines were stopped and the mizzen
set to keep the ship’s head up to the wind.
While tre grapnel was holding the cable
ttp clear of the water, a man was lowered
by a rope from the bow girder. With his
feet on the cable, and holding firmly to
the grapple with his left hand he sawed
the cable In two. This is dangerous work
at any time, but especially when there is
much of a sea on. As the cable parted the
sailor was given a violent Jerk, but he
clung to the grapple and was presently
raised to the deck again. Before the saw
ing was done ropes were made fast to the
submarine strand on either side of the
point at which it was to he cut. A buoy
was lowered and anchored, and to this the
eastern end of the cable was secured. The
western end was picked up and brought
on board. A wire was made fast to it
end run aft to the electrical testing room,
and then Chief Electrician Dodd spoke
New York and found that the cable was In
perfect condition from that port to the
point where it had been cut. This of course
showed that the original break was on
the eastern end. Capt. Trott wrote a mes
sage and gave it to the operator to send.
Mr. Dodd, meanwhile, was keeping up a
lively conversation through the wire witn
New York, and he was informed that an
error of several miles had been made In
the location of the break In the cable, and
correct information as to the break was
received.
The New York end of the wire was east
loose and anchored to a buoy and the east
ern end brought on board. The ship was
put in motion in an easterly direction, and
the cable picked up for something more
than seven miles. This was slow and
tedious work, and occupied several hours.
As the cable came aboard every foot of it
was carefully watched to make sure that
it was in good condition. Picking up cable
is a very dirty operation. Not only does
it bring up mud from the bottom, but It
also collects and deposits on the deck a
variety of marine curiosities, among
which may be mentioned the spawn of
fish and sea shells, many of which have
been held against the bottom of the cable
and twisted Into queer shapes. One shell
seemed to be literally wrapped about the
cable.
When the M'.nia had picked up rat Her
more than seven miles of cable, all of
which had been coiled away in the for
ward well, the break was reached. It had
apparently been caused by a ship's anchor.
The shore end of the cable was tjow safe
enough, but where was the other end. A
lifeboat was mnnned and lowered, every
memlier of the crew wearing a cork jacket,
and the boat was anchored at the spot
where the break was made. Then the
ship's engines were started and the Minia
began her search with the grapnel for the
missing end.
After raking the bottom for two hours
it became evident that the western end of
the cable had been dragged from its nor
mal position. By this time the sun was
setting like a ball of fire in a dark luiek
ground of clouds. It was very pictures
que to a landsman, but to the sailor it gave
wqrntng of the approach of dirty weather,
a warning which was subsequently fulfill-'
ed. With the selling of the sun and the
rapid approach of darkness it became nec
essary to givevup the march and go after
the.crew of the boat which had been an
chored. The boat was soon secured at the
davits, after a buoy had been put down in
its place.
All Huturday night the Minia kept beat
ing about within sight of the lanterns of
the mark buoy. At S:2b o'clock the grap
nel was lowered and the search for the
European end of the cable resumed. At 9
o’clock the grapnel hooked the cable. The
end was brought on board and connected
with the electrician's room, and in a mo
ment or two the Minia was in communica
tion with Canso, the north astern point of
Nova Scotia—72o miles away. Incidentally
it may be said that Canso is the greatest
caH{r center in the North Atlantic, ten ca
bles running in there. There are three
cables from New York to Canso, with a
distance of about three miles .ntervening.
Off Nova Scotia, bet wee tn Brown's hank
and George shoals, where there are five ca
bles within fourteen miles, the command
er of a cable ship may well have some
difficulty in hooking the cable he is after.
Often when a cable has been .picked up
It is impossible to tell whether it is the
.right one until it has l>een cut and the
shore communicated with. Sometimes,
however, the appearance of the cable
serves as a guide.
As soon as Mr. Dodd spoke Canso, Capt.
Trott was informed of it, and he came aft
end cabled to Farmer Dunn in New York,
via Canso. to find out what the weather
probabilities were. The reply was nor re
assuring. for a gale was predicted—and it
arrived on time.
While this was going on the crow were
preparing a splice. The piece of cable
which was to be used for this purpose was
neatlv wound with hemp, in order that
the steel armor which incloses the cable
conductor might be the longer preserved.
Then came the task of Joining one end of
the snllce to the eastern end of the cable.
Thir, la a verv nice piece of work and must
"FOR WORMS
and other bowel com
plaints to which chil
dren are liable there is
no medicine equal to
AYER’S PULLS”
Mrs. A. CASEY, Pigott, Ark.
The sweeping reductions on our entire stock, in order to ascertain the cash
value of the assets of our late Vice President, will be removed after to
night. Many have secured the unprecedented bargains. Come to-day and
do the same.
You Hlave One F%los*e Chance,
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
An Overcoat? tzt— _ .
~ A Good Suit? ■■ ■ ■ ■
- = Extra Trousers? —:
- = Underwear? ■
——.—. Dress Shirts? . =
- = Neckwear? - ~
= Boys’ Suits? . ~~—=
= Stylish Hat? —.
Handkerchiefs? . ~ ~
Half Hose? --—... =
~ - Bicycle Hose? - • ~
■== Suspenders?
Umbrellas? _ •
Any! All! Take Your Choice.
You’ll Save Money. With Us To-day.
METROPOLITAN CLOTHING CO.
121 Broughton Street, West.
be done with great care. Otherwise, when
the repair is supposed to be complete and
the shin goes into port, her captain re
ceives word that the cab,e can’t be operat
ed. and the work has to be done over
again. Aa cable repairing is at best ex
pensive. no nains are spared to make it as
thorough as oossible.
The iointer. as the man Is called who
puts the parts of the cable together, us
ually- does his work under an improvised
tent, which is erected on the deck and
which protects him from the wind. The
cable conductor consists of a number of
small cooper wires, generally seven. The
ends of the wire in the splice and in the
main cable line are filed until they fit
nicelv together, and then the copper is
given a thick coating of gutta percha. The
gutta oereha is covered with hemp, and
this in turn, with steel, or Iron wire ar
mor. in the best cable the armor itself
is given a hemp covering, as this greatly
retards the decay of the metal. Seven
small copper wires are used as a conduc
tor instead of one large wire, in order that
the cable mav be more pliable and more
easily conform to the surface of the ocean.
Some shore end .cable weighs twenty tons
ner mile, but the modern type of deep-sea
cable weighs only about two tons per m*te.
Practically all the cables now in use are
made in England.
One end of the splice haying been at
tached to the easteiffT end of the cable
and the other to an end of the seven ml.es
of cable which had been picked up on
Saturday, the ship got under way and
began paying out this cable, and even
while the cable was slipping out over the
h® w girder the end of it, which was stor
ed awav down in the forward cable well,
was still connected with the electrician's
room, and Mr. Dodd was keeping up an
animated, though silent, conversation
with Canso.
While the cable yvas paying out, the
Minia was within twenty-five miles of
Sandy Hook. When the buoy to which
the New York end of the cable yvas made
fast was reached, the llfeWit was lower
ed again. The crew released the cable
and tied it to a rope, and it was pulled
aboard ship. Then the buoy itself was
towed to the ship, hoisted up the side
and made secure.
Mr. Dodd made his final tests, cabling
first to Canso and then to New York, the
final splice was made, and the bight of
cable lowered carefully into the sea, and
there was every reason to believe that
the cable yvas in working order again; but
this could not be known certainly until
some port was reached. Before eommu
nication from the ship yvas closed the
cable stations at New York and Canso
were advised how soon they could test the
efficiency of the repair.
There was still one thing more to do—
the picking up of the mark buoy. It could
.be seen a long way off. for It was covered
with ice and somewhat resembled a min
ature iceberg. One lantern had gone out
during the preceding night, but the other
was burning, and it was the only thing
suggestive of warmth in sight. The ship
hove to near the buoy, and the lifeboat
and its crew were sent at'ur it and soon
had It alongside. Picking up buoys in
rough water is a task attended with dan
ger. One of the crew of the boat is oblig
ed to climb upon th slippery, tumbling
mass of iron to remove the lanterns and
flagstaff. Sometimes a man loses his hold
and must choose between the probable in
juries which will result from being
thrown violently into the boat and a leap
into Ihe icy yvafer. The lowering of thS
life boat in nasty weather, when the
waves are breaking level with the Bhlp’s
rail, is itself a nice bit of work, but there
has only been one accident on the Minia
in the last ten years, arid that was not
very serious.
Reference has been made to the testing
of the cable and to t 'lf location of breaks.
This work is dime on the Minia by Chief
THE JMOUNING NEWS: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1593.
Electrician Dodd, who has a cabin on the
main deck which is equipped with the va
rious electrical appliances necessary for
the purpose. The t'fficiency of the electri
cal department of course, of prime Im
portance on a cable ship.
The cabie is usually broken so that the
copper conductor is freely exposed to the
salt water, and in such cases the locating
of a break or imperfection may be a com
paratively easy matter, unless there ob
tain certain adverse conditions which it
is not necessary to mention here. In malt
ing the test the operator, whether he be
on the ship or at one of the cable sta
tioris on shore, sends an electric current
lmo one end of the cable and lets it flow
out into the sea at the other end. The
current, as ever schoolboy knows, exper
iences a certain resistance iri its passage,
and the amount of this resistance is pro
portional to the length of the conductor
through which it flows. So, leaving out
of consideration in this instance any dis
turbing causes, it is obvious that if a cable
is broken in the middle the resistance to
the current of electricity will be only half
as much as if the current flowed through
the whole length of the conductor.
The amount of resistance is measured
by an electrical unit, the ohm. In' the
testing apparatus are coils of wire care
fully made to offer a certain number of
ohms resistance 10 a current flowing
through them. The test consists ,n bul
lncing the coils of known resistance in
the apparatus against the unknown re
slstance offered by the cable conductor
in a somewhat analogous way to that by
which one obtains the weight of an un
known substance by balancing it against
a known weight. Of course, in perfecting
tile test, there are various corrections to
be applied and difficulties to be met. Some
times there.occur breaks or faults in the
cable which it is very hard lo Locate,
hut in most cases the trouble can be lo
calized by ascertaining the resistance be-
tween tiie testing point and the seat of
the trouble.
Ail rallies, whether In operation or stor
ed ready for use. are tested regularly,
whether any trouble is suspected or not.
The Atlantic cables are tested weekly, and
u careful record kept of the amount of
resistance, of each test, so that when a
break occurs It is at once known how much
resistance per mi'.e the cable had been of
fering before the break occurred, and di
viding the total resistance of the cable by
the resistance ner mile from the testing to
the breaks shows the number of miles be
tween those two points. The distance be
ing obtained, it then only remains for the
navigator to refer to his cable charts in
order to know to what point in the ocean
he must direct his ship. This method of
localization is generally very accurate.
Rarely is there an error of more thin
two miles, and often it is less than one
mile.
Breaks in the cable are due to a variety
of causes. The most common one in shoal
water is the tearing of the cable by the
anchor of some vessel. The caple is of
ten damaged, too, by chafing on rocks and
bv an iceberg grounding on top of it. In
deep water these causes are not operative,
and the breaks are usually due to decay.
There Is some reason to suppose that in
South American latitudes the swordfish
cuts the cable in two. but this is not
known. Faults are oocasloned in shallow
water bv sub-marine insects eating into the
gutta percha aftorfche wire armor has de
cayed, but there is a good deal of mystery
surrounding the causes of decay in mid
ocean. Some noted scientists have stated
thßt seismic disturbances sometimes make
trouble, but Capt, Trott entirely objects
to the theory.
Sliver for Europe.
New York. Feb 25.—The steamship
Campania, sailing for Europe to-morrow,
will take oul <83,0W ounces of silver.
NEW ADJUTANT GEVERAL
Tlie Xew Official Succeeds Gen. Sam
uel Breck, Retired.
Washington, Feb. 25.—The President to
day appointed Col. Henry C. Corbin ad
jutant of the army to succeed Gen. Sam
uel Breck, retired, on account of age.
Gen. Breck had held the office since
Sept. 11, last, when he succeeded Adjutant
General Ruggies.
Gen. Breck was born in Massachusetts
in 1834 and graduated from the military
academy in 1855. He was an instructor
In tiie academy at thd outbreak of the
S'vil war, but promptly relinquished that
past to. undertake active service in the
field, where he served with gallantry
throughout the war, earning several
brevets.
Col. Henry C. Corbin Is a native of Ohio
and entered the army as an enlisted man
nt the beginning of the late war. He had
a most brilliant career and earned brevets
for gallant and meritorious services at De
catur and Nashville. In 1806 he yvas trans
ferred to the regular service as second lieu
tenant of the Tenth United States Infan
try. President Hayes appointed him to the
staff in 1880, making him a major and as
sistant adjutant general.
Gen. Corbin has seen service in the In
dian campaigns at Pine Ridge, in Arizona
and elsewhere. Before promotion, he was
assistant to the adjutant general and be
fore coming to Washington he was adju
tant general of the department of the east
at New York.
The Senate to-day confirmed the nomi
nation of Col. Corbin.
STUDENT VOLUNTEER CONVENTION.
A Score of Addresses Delivered on n
Number of Subjects.
Cleveland, 0.. Feb. 25.—The three sessions
of the Student Volunteer Convention to
day were crowd;d full of interest and many
different phases of mission work were con
sidered.
During the forenoon a number of elo
quent speakers told of the power of money
in the accomplishment of mission work,
and In the afternoon the education, medical
and evangelistic branches of missionary
effort were touched upon in a score of elo
quent addresses.
Ail the meetings were largely attended,
the halls and churches being in nearly ev
ery case too small to accommodate those
who desired to hear the addresses. The
convention Is proving a great success In
every respect.
KENTUCKY'S FORCE BILL.
Its Opponents Connt on Killing If
U.v Filibustering Tactics.
Frankfort, Ky., Fsb, 25.—At the after
noon session of the House an attempt to
abandon the regular order of business and
force the passage of the Goebel election or
"force” bill resulted in the loss of two or
three friends of the measure. On a test
vote 51 of the 100 members voted against
the measure. Its enemies do not believe
they can prevent Its passage many daye
longer, but they believe it ia killed or can
be killed by more waste of time and by ex
piration of the session before it can tie
passed veto and put into effect.
New Rnelng Clutjs
New York, Feb. 25.—At a m<#ting of the
stewards of jockey club held this after
noon, the secretary was agthorlzcd to is
sue a license io the Washington Jockey
Club to conduct a spring and autumn race
meeting under jockey club rules.
JOINT TRAFFIC ASSOCIATION.
Argnmlcnl on the ( nue < oncl tilled in
Supreme Conrt.
Washington, Feb. 25.:*-The argument of
the Joint Traffic Association rage was con
cluded In the United Slates Supreme Court
to-day and the case was taker* under ad
visement.
Ex j Senator Edmunds and Mr. Phelps
appeared for the association, and Mr.
Richards for the government.
Mr. Edmunds dwelt at length upon the
importance of proper co-operation ueiween
connecting lines and said the. agreement
complied fully with the legal requirements
concerning them.
Mr. Richards, in closing the argument
for the government, spoke of the vast in
terests involved, .saying that on the one
side thirty-one of the great railroads, rep
resenting $2,500,0(0,000 of capital, were ar
ranged against the public.
Mr. Richarde replied to Mr. Carter's con
tention that an agreement for the re
straint of competition was not a re
straint of trade, asserting the contrary to
be true. He argued that if rates are held
even up to an insignificant extern, the
change is to that extent a restraint upon
trade. He also took issue w.th the asser
tion that the interstate commerce act was
intended to prevent competition. It was
tru* that competition might result in the
failure of some railroads, but this was a
chance which railroad men must take ns
others must in other lines of business. The
lowering of prices was generally regarded
as a benefit and it was not to be expected
that the government would step in to pro
tect the railroads when it did not protect
others. The United States could
not undertake to guarantee that all rail
roads should become paying enterprises.
The traffic association's agreement wipes
out all competition by leaving it to a cen
tral authority to make rates, thus taking
that power from the individual lines. The
Interstate Commerce Commission could not
prescribe rates and it was not reasonable
that the railroad should be allowed to con
stitute a tribunal of their own with that
power.
He said to give railroad associations the
power to fix rates would be to render them
so obnoxious that the public would not
tolerate them. The pooling of freights and
divisions of earnings was not prohibited in
the interstate commerce law, because bad
in themselves, but because they were only
a means to the end of preventing the stif
ling of competition.
BIR DISTILLERY SEIZED.
Illegiil Removal of Whisky find Re
use of Stamps Charged.
Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 25.—T0-day at
I.ynchburg, acting: under orders of United
States Collector Nunn, revenue officials
seized the immense distillery, capacity 400
gallons per day, and warehouse of Jack
Daniels, one of the best known whisky
men in the state.
Daniels is a man of means, the distillery
is an extensive one, and the seizure is the
largest ever made In this state.
The warehouse contains 3,(100 barrels of
whisky.
The charges against Daniels are the ille
gal removal of whisky and the re-use of
stamps.
In taxes to the government, this distillery
pays about SIOO,OOO annually. No arrests
have been reported.
TURN’S OX HIS TORYIENTOHS.
Man W ho Had Been Beaten Retali
ates With a Knife.
Fordyce, Ark., Feb. 25.—News of a
bloody cutting affray in Red
land township reached here this
morning. Two young men named
Kilgore went to the home of Emmett
Hayne, where Louis 'Hoy was visiting a
young lady, and calling Hoy out into the
yard began to abuse him.
The Kilgore boys knocked Hoy down and
were beating him when another young
man came up and pulled one of the Kil
gores off. Hoy then got to his feet and
drawing a knife cut both the Kilgores un
til they were unconscious from loss of
blood. One is dead and the other expect
ed to die. Bad feeling has existed, and the
Kilgores have often beaten Hoy.
GOLD BILLION' STOLEN.
Employe of the Mint at San Fran
cisco I inter Arrest.
San Francisco, Feb. 25.—William F.
Clarkson, foreman of the rolling room of
the United States branch mint in this city,
has been arested on a charge of stealing
gold bullion, and is held in $3,000 ball.
Martin Iggers, a grocer, and W. D. Car
ter, a horseshoer, were also arrested, but
were released on their own recognizance.
It is alleged that Clarkson's thefts con
sisted of small pieces of gold, which were
detached from the working up of bullion
in the coining machine.
They did not amount to over SSO a
month, but are supposed to have continued
over a period of two years or more.
PAI NCEFOTE'S LETTERS.
Story of an Attempt to Secure Them
Pronounced Fnlse.
Washington, Feb. 25.—At the British em
bassy it was stated to-day that the report
published in a London paper cabled to this
country relative to an effort being made
to secure alleged letters purporting to hav e
been written by the British ambassador,
Sir Julian Pauncefote, on the rejection of
the arbitration treaty, had no basis of fact
whatever.
I’einbroke I'olntcra.
Pembroke, Feb. 23.—“Dink” Purvis is
suffering with appendicitis. Dr. Williams
fears an operation will have to be per
formed.
The Board of Education of Bryan county
have established anew school three miles
north of here. The patrons are now busy
erecting a large school building.
Capt. W. J. Strickland of Bulioch coun
ty has the lumlier on the grpund for the
erection of a commodious residence, to
cost $3,000.
Public sentiment here is mostly for Can
dler for Governor. The people would fa
vor Judge Atkinson, but think that he
should hold to his Judgeship.
E. V. Harvey’s commodious store Is
nearing completion. He will soon put in
a SI,OOO stock of general merchandise.
YVesleyan College Professor Dead.
Macon, Ga., Feb. 25.—Dr. W. C. Jones
died late this afternoon, after a few days
illness. He was professor of chemistry In
Wesleyan College.
/wiftYoate^
ißrwns'lronJ
\||ittecs^r
The Favorite Hostelry In Anie-Qelium Days— Cfien Patronized by
Abraham Lincoln—From its Veranda Stephen A. Douglas Deliv
ered a Great Spsesh—Again the Scene os an Important Event.
Prom the Tri-County Scribe, Plymouth, 111.
Mr. and Mrs. Campbell Thompson run the
historic Cuyler House at Plymouth, 111.,a hos
telry where Abraham Lincoln often slept,
where “ Dick’’ Yates, Lymau Trumbell and
Richard Oglesby bought refreshments for the
inner man in ante-bellum days, and from the
veranda of which Stephen A. Douglas de
livered one of his great speeches.
This article has not so much to do, how
ler, with this historic hotel, as it has with
the landlord’s thirteen-year-old laughing,
bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked daughter Ollie.
As one sees her to-day, the picture of per
fect health, it is hard to believe that nearly
nine of the thirteen years of her life were spent
on the lied of invalidism , that for months she
never walked, and for years suffered the pain,
misery and distress of iutiaminatory rheuma
tism in its worst form.
Able physicians were employed but no
permanent benefit resulted.
.Mrs. Thompson heard of a wonderful cure
which had been effected liy Dr. Williams’
Pink Pills for Pale People, and was influ
enced by it to purchase some of the pill* lor
her daughter.
Before she had taken half a box, there was
marked improvement in her condition; when
she had taken two boxes she was completely
restored to health. To-day, there is not a
healthier child than Ollie Thompson.
The case came to the attention of the editor
of the Tri-County Scribe, and a reporter was
detailed to learn the story of this remarkable
cure from Mrs. Thompsou’s own lips. She
said:
“Ollie was a hearty, well-developed child
from the time she wns born until she was
three years old. In 1887 she was taken down
with inflammatory rheumatism. For nine
years she was never entirely free from the dis
ease, and mnch of the txne was in an alarm
ing condition. At times, she could not walk,
and her spine was drawn out of shr ,e so that
Still Greater Reduction
’ —IN—
BICYCLES!
Barnes White Flyer Tandem 537.50
Warwick Combination Tandem $37.50
Also equal reductions on every wheel in the house. That elegant 1898 Combi
nation Tandem in window will be sold for SIXTY DOLLARS.
We want to put one on the streets, aa we know it is the finest one in the land.
Only one at this price. First come gets the bargain.
BARGAINS ALSO
In FURNITURE, CARPETS, MATTINGS. Now Is the time to leave your or
ders for Awnings.
LINDSAY & MORGAN.
MCDONOUGH & BfILLJWTYNE, V
Iron Founders, Machinists, b 1
Blacksmiths, Boilermakers, manufacturers of Stationary and
Portable Engines, Vertical and Top Running Corn Mills, piljlßw
Sugar Mill and Pans. SHAFTING, PULLEYS, etc.
TELEPHONE NO. 123. J ■
I’ICQUAItT TO BE ITT ON HALF FAY
A Chaplain and a Professor Also Un
der the Ban.
Paris, Feb. 25.—1 t is semi-officially an
nounced that Col. Picquart, the chief mili
tary witness for M. Zola during the latter’s
trial, will be placed on the half-pay of a
lieutenant. *
A chaplain who wrote a letter congrat
ulating M. Zola has been placed upon the
unattached list, and Prof. Grimaux of the
Polytechnic School, who signed the in
dorsement of M. Zola's action has been re
tired.
POWER OF EVIL EYE.
Inhabitants of Naples Strongly Im
bued With the Belief.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
A belief has existed since the' very ear
liest ages in the power of what Is usually
known as the ‘evil eye.’ ’Persons who are
said to have the evil eye are supposed to
possess the power of withering with a
glance everything on which they look, un
less certain precautions have been taken
to avert the power of their gaze.
The evil eye is mentioned several times
In the Bible, as in Mark vii., 22. Virgil says
that a man with an evil eye has the pow
er of making cattle wither away by merely
looking at them. The belief exists at the
present day throughout the orient. Moor
ish houses, for instance, have charms in
the form of hands painted in red and
green on either side of the doorways to
avert the harmful influences.
In Naples, where the inhabitants are
strongly imbued with superstition, the
power of the evil ey is firmly believed in.
The majority of the natives wear round
their necks small pieces of forked coral in
order to avert evil influences.
The question of the evil eye la one that
has been a puzzle to scientists and physi
cians of all ages. Many learned men be
lieve that the evil of a person’s disposi
tion may be observed In the form of his
eye; that is to say, that a criminal may
be marked out as such by the form, color
and movements of his eyes.
There is a case on record In which no
fewer than 15 people, having been present
at the trial of a man who was supposed
to be efflicted with an evil eye, died sud
denly shortly afterward. These cases, of
course, do not prove that the evil eye was
responsible for the deaths; nor is the mat
ter, although of no little interest, of any
great Importance.
Those Worthless Seeds.
Letter of a Farmer to Senator Platt of
Connecticut.
I received a few days since a bag of
seeds from you, which I cannot get any
one to take, and I will state the reason:
We have all been so deceived with seeds
sent from Washington that no one wants
them. We know it is not your fault that
the seeds are not good. Very often they
will not conie up. and if they do they are
not true to their name. One man said
she could r.ot stand straight. One of the dork
tors said if she became well she would be %
cripple lor life.
’’ Dr. Grigran, of Augusta, was the first
doctor who had her case. He doctored her
through two serious times of the disease, and
finally told us he could not cure her. We
doctored her most nil the time, but when she
was ten years old she had an unusually severe
attack, and we called in Dr. Kreider ; of Prai
rie City, where we were then living. He
tried hard to cure her but finally gave it up.
He said, ‘ I can do nothing further, the case is
the worst I have witnessed.’
“We nearly gave up hope then, but called
Dr. McDaniel who doctored her after we came
to Plymouth, but no benefit was derived.
“Then I heard how Unde Wesley Walton
had been cured by Dr. Williams’Pink Pill*
for Pale People. Knowing the condition he
had been in, I thought if the pills cured him,
they might help Ollie. Consequently I bought
a box for her. and before she had finished it
she was much better. She continued takino
them, and when the second box had been used
she was well, and has never had rheumatism
since.
“ I cannot say too much for the Dr. Wil.
Hants’ Pink pills for I believe Ollie would
have been dead long ago,if she had not taken
them.” Victoria Thompson.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 11th
day of September, 1897.
W\ S. Romick, Notary Public.
T hereby state that I have examined Mis*
Ollie Thompson, and find no outward ap
pearance of rheumatism.
W. D. Wade, M. D.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this
17th day of September, 1897.
W. S. Romick, Notary Public.
~ All dealers sell Dr. Williams’ Pink Pills
for Pale People, or they will be sent post
paid on receipt of price, 50 cents a box or six
boxes for $2.50 (they are never sold in hulk,
or by the 100), by addressing Dr. Williams
Medicine Company, Schenectady, N. Y.
there were as many as ten varieties of
cabbage In one little package. Market gar
deners will not use them. The government
gets awfully deceived in them. Miny times
they are old seed that will not germinatp,
and the farmers will not use them. If the
money spent for them were used for the
free delivery of the mails, ihe public, es
pecially the farmers, would not only be
better satisfied, but would rise up and call
you senators and representatives blessed.
It is very dissatisfying to farmers to plant
seeds, and then,, when they do not .coma
up to have to go to a reliable seedsman
and buy that which we know is good, as
it makes at least two weeks’ difference in
the maturing of the vegetables. In fact,
the system is so unsatisfactory that farm
ers will not use them.
PUT MUZZLES ON THE DUCKS.
Not Because They Might Bite, But to
Silence Their (knocking.
From the Kansas City Star.
A baggage man on the Santa Fe, who
runs into Kansas City from out in tha
western part of Kansas, has lost lots of
sleep. It is doubtful if he can ever catch
up with it. He leaves Hutchison at night
and reaches Kansas City In the morning.
Nearly every night he brings in his car
two or three coops of live domestic ducks
During the night, when he has no'luggage
to deliver at small stations, it has beer*
his habit and privilege to lie down on an
improvised couch and doze. With the ad
vent of the ducks the dozing stopped. Tha
two or three coops of live domestic ducks,
who could not understand their strange
environment, would not permit of sleep.
For many nights, as he lay awake, ha
planned relief. He thought of strangling
the ducks or chloroforming them. But
neither expedient seemed good. One
night a bright idea came to him. After
he had put it into execution the ducks
were silent.
The next night he had two coops of un
usually vociferous ducks. As soon as it
came time to sleep he wrenched a slat
from one of the coops, reached in and pull
ed out a duck. From his pocket he took
a small rubber band, which he slipped
over the duck's bill Just back of the nos
trils. The ducks tried to quack, but ilia
rubber band, while It stretched a little,
would not permit the duck to open its
mouth far enough to use Its tongue. Only
a murmur came from It. One by one the
ducks were m'Uzzled. and the baggage
man rested comfortably.
The commission men were surprise l
next morning when they received a lot
of ducks with rubber bands around their
bills, and when (he bands were remove l
the shouts of protest from the ducks were
deafening.
—J. W. Henderson, the well-known trav
eler and agitlqugrlan, has Just purchased
the oldest house In America—that at St.
Augustine, Fla., which was built In liWi
and was used by, the Spanllsh Governor
General as a residence. It was first a
monastery.