Newspaper Page Text
GIVEN A TOUCH OF CAMP LIFE.
the newspaper hen dived n\
THIRD GEORGIA OFFICERS.
Third Battalion of the Georgia Rrg.
intent Hat* Some Interesting;
Guests —Postmaster General Smith
Aiidrrweil the Soldiers unil \en
paper Ren—Gen. Shatter Visits the
Regiment and Made Some Interest
ing Remarks on Cuba—Col.Berner
Will Not Resign.
The officers of the Third battalion,
Third Georgia Regiment, and a number
of their associates in that command, yes
terday afternoon, tendered an informal
and elegant ditiner to the newspaper cor
respondents who are accompanying the
presidential party.
The dinner was given under a large
spreading tent, put up for the occasion
by a number of the men of Maj. "Jack”
Cohen’s battalion, the officers of this bat
talion acting as the host. A long table
upon which the covering was one im
mense sheet of national colors, was filled
with delicacies, and the guests sat down
to a hearty repast. The tent poles, too,
were draped with the Stars and Stripes,
and the air of a camp ground feast was
predominant.
The guests of these officers were Post
master General Charles Emory Smith,
Messrs. J. K. Ohl of the Atlanta Consti
tution, Harry West, Washington Post;
William E. Curtis, Chicago Record; John
S. Shriver, New York Mail and Express;
Louis Garthe, Baltimore American; W.
W. Price, Washington Star; Henry G.
Kemp, Baltimore Sun; W. A. M. Goode,
Associated Press; C. R. Berrien, New
York Sun; J. H. Marshall, Charleston
News and Courier; Col. P. A. Stovall,
Savannah Press; Col. J. H. Estill,, Sa
vannah Morning News; Lieut. Col. R. M.
Hull, W. A. Chapin of Atlanta, F. C. Bat
tey, and J. F Lewis
These gentlemen were given a jolly
Bohemian time by Col. R. L. Berner,
Lieut. Col. B. L. Spence, Maj. L. B.
Grand}’, Maj. J. S. Cohen, Capts. W. W.
Davies, A. J. Burr, H. J. Stewart, Amos
Baker, J. X. Gilbert, C. E. Gilbert, Lieuts,
S. G. Orr, W. O. D. Rockwell, R. H.
Pate, J. M. Kimbrough, Jr., B. T. Brock,
C. L. Elliott, J. B. McDuffie, F. L. Crook,
M. C. Snead, Tilden Adamson and Harri
son. Oysters and "fish were served in sev
eral styles, and Jolly good cheer was the
order of the afternoon.
In a few brief and well chosen remarks,
Col. Berner introduced Postmaster Gen
eral Smith, just at the close of the repast.
The Postmaster General said that he al
ways enjoyed being with the newspaper
men. He was also here, he said, as a
hero of the war—in fact, he was. the first
and chief hero of the war for a short
time, being promoted after the declaration
of war from a high private in the rear
ranks to the position of general. He was
glad to sit at a table, he said, covered by
United States flags. He spoke very pleas
antly of Maj. Cohen, who, from a news
paper man, has become a soldier, and said
that in the profession of the journalist
was found the true training of the sol
dier, for it is necessary that he have
courage, loyalty, devotion and determi
nation to get there.
Maj. Cohen made a brief and appro
priate reply, saying that it did not become
a soldier to talk, but to act. Ho called on
Mr. Harry West, tno famous Washington
correspondent who has had the confidence
of three presidents and their cabinets. Mr.
West thanked the officers heartily for the
hospitality which had been extended him
and his brother newspaper correspondents.
"When I think of the hospitality of Sa
vannah." he said, "I am convinced that
there is no wonder that Sherman fought
all the way from Atlanta 10 get here. 1
have just learned that Savannah ships
more rosin and turpentine than any other
port in the world, and though I didn’t
know it, I didn’t wonder at it, for the
town is full of hot stuff.”
Mr. West was eloquent in his reference
to the accomplishments of the United
States in the war with Spain, and in con
clusion tendered to the officers the sincere
thanks of the Washington correspondents.
Short speeches were made by Mr. William
E. Curtis of the Chicago Record and Mr.
W. A. M. Goode of the Associated Press.
Lieut. Col. Spence, in responding, said
that he believed with Mr. Cohen that a
soldier should act and not talk, and hold
ing his glass to his lips, all drank the
toast with him.
Col. Berner made a few remarks. In
which he heartily thanked the gentlemen
of the press for their presence, for he was
thankful to them for the service that had
been rendered the Third Georgia Regi
ment. He was glad to be in the army, he
said, and would gladly go wherever he
might be sent.
"Savannah has reason to congratulate
herself above all cities,” he said in re
ferring to the fact that she has entertain
ed Gen. Washington and President McKin
ley. President McKinley is welcomed as
a great peacemaker, he said. He was
glad, he said, to be in command of a reg
iment composed of the sons and grandsons
of Confederate veterans. Where the flag
has been planted, Col. Berner believed,
that it should always remain. In con
clusion, Col. Berner introduced Col. J. H.
Estill of the Morning News.
Col. Estill thanked Col. Berner and the
other speakers for the kind rentalks they
had made about Savannah, he said,
he loved the city. He said Savannah is
u cosmopolitan city, composed of people
of many languages, and people from many
surrounding states. It is not the Sa
vannah of twenty-five yais ago, he said,
and it is due to these people, these adopted
children, that it is as hospitable and pa
triotic as it is to-day.
Col. I>. A. Stovall of the Savannah
Press made an eloquent speech in response
to calls, In which he spoke most pleasant
ly of Col. Bi-rner and Maj. Cohen. An
adjournment was then had to Col. Berner’s
headquarters, where several visitors were
teceived and some time was spent in con
versation.
Gen. William R. Shatter, in company
with Col. H. P. Smart, visited the Third
Georgia Regiment in the afternoon, and
Gen. Shatter had quite a conversation
with Col. Berner and a number or the
officers of the regiment. Fully a hundred
men and officers were gathered around at
the time, and a<;ir ly withii hearing r-'s
tance were several Savannah ladies.
Tin conversation drifted upon the Santi
ago campaign. Gen. Shaftor spoke vveil '
of the volunteers, who came directly from
civil life, bui he did not appear to think
much of those from the national guard
commands.
“I don't think as some others do,” Gen.
Shafter said, among other things, "about
’nose Cubans. I am afraid we may yet
Five Spain's fight on our hands.”,
”1 trust we won't have any more fight
ing ” Col. Berner said; "hut if we do, I ■
o;e it will be done a* quickly ami as
well as was that at Santiago.”
Gen. Shafter thanked him for the re-|
n -iik, and In speaking of the Cubans said; ;
'The country la no more fit for self-gov. '
rtirnc-nt than h—l Is for powder.” a blunt \
‘ mark which evoked a hearty laugh from
• il around.
1 hope we’ll get back safe,” Gen. Shaf- j
A Boon in Convalescence
Dr. F. A. Hodgdon, of Malden, Mass.,
writes: “ Johann Hoff's Malt Extract has been
one of my favorite preparations when an agent is
needed to build up tissue in convalescence follow
ing fever, pneumonia, etc.
A
True
Tissue
Builder
Johann Hoffs Malt Extract
ter remarked, when he got into the buggy
with Col. Smart. “There's something over
500 pounds in here.”
It is understood that President McKin
ley and Secretary Alger have both assured
Col. Berner that the Third Georgia will
see service, and that the regiment will go
to Cuba Just as soon as transportation can
be provided for it. That will probably be
within the next two weeks, it is said.
Col. Berner was asked yesterday about
the report in a Macon paper that he in
tended to resign his command.
"It is absolutely false,” he said. “I
cannot imagine where such a report could
have originated. I Intend to remain with
my men as long as they remain in the
service.”
MILITARY POSTOFFICES IN' CUBA.
Four of Them Established for Han.
filing Soldiers* Mail.
Postmaster General Smith has Issued an
order establishing four military postal
stations in Cuba in connection with the
postoffice at New York, with facilities for
the transaction of money order and reg
istry business, the sale of postal supplies,
and the receipt and dispatch of mails,
designated and located as follows:
Military Station No. 10, Havana.
Military Station No. 11, Puerto Principe.
Military Station No. 12, Nuevitas.
Military Station No. 13, Cienfuegos.
The establishing of these stations will be
a matter of great convenience to the sol
diers and in the transaction of business
with the army in Cuba.
IN THE RAILROAD WORLD.
Matters of Interest In Savannah and
Elsewhere.
The earnings of the Central of Georgia
Railroad during the first week in Decem
ber were $133,839, against $133,088 during
the same week last year. The total earn
ings since Jan. 1 were $5,185,262, against
$4,977,188 during the corresponding period
last year.
SERVICE MEN OF SPANISH WAR.
Cnmp to Re Established in Americas.
Col, Pew. A’isits Savannah.
Americus, Ga., Dec. 18.—A movement has
been started in Americus among men en
listed in the late war to establish a camp
of "service men of the Spanish war,” and
already a goodly number of names to the
charter list has been obtained. This will
be the second camp established in Geor
gia, and all soldiers who took up arms
against Spain are eligible to membership.
The soldiers of the brigade quartered
here for the winter, the Eighth Massa
chusetts and Twelfth New York Regi
ments, are as orderly and well behaved
as any in the army, and so far from hav
ing given trouble of any kind, their pres
ence here is a source of pleasure and sat
isfaction to all Americus. There is no
drunkenness or disorder among them, and
of 600 men permitted to leave camp yes
terday and come to the city to make
Christmas purchases, less than a half doz
en were arrested by the provost guard,
and most of these for not having passes.
Col. W. A. Pew of the Eighth Massa
chusetts, with a dozen officers of his regi
ment, went to Savannab yesterday to wit
ness the demonstration in honor of Presi
dent McKinley, and pending the arrival
of the new commander here. Brig. Gen.
Ernst, Col. R. W. Leonard of the Twelfth
New York is in command at Camp Gil
man. Ger.. Ernst is expeced to reach here
to-morrow.
POItUS PLASTERS AS PURSES.
A isltor to the City Adopted a Novel
Way to Preserve His Money.
From the Chicago Chronicle.
James Wood came to towfl last Wednes
day night. Wood lives out in Montana,
where the cold waves come from, when
he is at home. He is what is known in
that country as a "rancher.” Wood has
been so successful at rartehing that he had
a pretty good pile of money in his old
leather wallet when he arrived in Chi
cago, and as he thought he might need
some of it to get home on, he determined
not to part with all of it at once. He
had heard of the ways of city folk. He
knew that a rancher and his money are
soon parted unless the rancher takes prop
er precautionary measures for caring for
his wealth, and he hit upon a decidedly
novel plan for concealing the fact that
he had money.
He did not obey the injunction he found
on the printed card on the inside of his
hotel room door, ‘‘Deposit money and val
uables in the safe in the office.” Not for
James. He saw the hotel clerk's diamond
and shrewdly suspected that some trust
ing ’.odger of the dim past might have paid
for it unwittingly. As soon as he had
stowed away his grip in a corner of the
room he hied himself to a drug store and
approached the clerk in a confiding way.
“Gimme half a dozen porous plasters,”
he haid, as if he were ordering an ice
cream soda.
■■A what?” gasped the clerk.
”1 want half a dozen porous plasters,”
said Rancher Wood, as he laid down a
$lO gold piece to prove his ability to pay
for them. v
The drug clerk went back of the pre
scription case and slowly brought out the
desired articles.
“You’re sure you want a half a dozen
of these?” he inquired.
“That’s what I do,” said Mr. Wood.
"Going to take them back home with
vou. I suppose?” ventured the drugrnan.
"Oh, I'm going to use ’em all right,”
said the man from Montana, knowingly.
Then he took up the package and wan
dered bark to the hotel. In the privacy of
his apartment he removed the clothing
from the upper part of his body and Hun
drew forth' the bag which contained his
Jingling pile of gold. Heating the first
plaster over the gas Jet, he spread a thick
layer of gold pieces over the surface,
where It stuck, as all good porous plasters
are warranted lo do.
"There, I’d like to see any tarnation
bunco man get at them," soliloquized Mr.
Wood, as he gazed down in admiration at
his iiersonally conducted safe. IT king up
another plaster, he tenderly applied an- I
other coating of gold pieces, and, with a '
dreamy motion, transferred the platter and
THE JHOKNING NEWS: MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, IS9S,
Us precious freight to a position of honor
on the small of his back
“I guess,” he observed to himself with a
sly smile of triumph, “that will hold for
a while, as the fellow said at the Palace
Theater out home. If I lose that money
now I'll go home skinned.”
But there was still a glittering pile of
gold to be placed out of harm's way, and
the rancher had a lot of porous plasters
left. So he deftly went on with his gold
grafting operation. He placed one lot of
money and plaster under each of his arms,
extending along the graceful curve of his
waist, and by virtue of vigorous gyra
tions succeeded in attaching another safe
ty deposit vault to the broad space be
tween his sholders. And then he had $l2O
in front of him on the bed where he had
dumped his wealth.
“Well, I 'low to use some o’ that, seein’
the town," he said to himself, "an I s’pose
I can take care o’ that much for a white.”
-The $l2O was therefore slipped into his
pocket for current expenses, and that night
when he turned in fye was rolling in riciies,
which made things uncomfortably warm.
But Rancher Wood was willing to stand
for that while he had the blissful con
sciousness that no con man could get to
his hardearned.
All went well until the next night, when
James started out to see some of the
things which are not to be seen in Mon
tana. He picked out" State street for his
promenade, which was unwise on his part,
as the particular portion of the street in
which he chose to circulate is largely pop -
ulated with young women wfith manners
which appeal to ranchers from Montana
and who have very taking ways. Wood
had not gone far before he met Emma
Ford, and in a short time he agreed lo
view the strange sights of the great city
with the strange guide. But Emma’s in
formation seemed to peter out before they
had gone far, and she suggested a "gen
tleman friend” of hers be consulted, as
he was very knowledgous in city affairs,
and therefore John Hinch came into the
party.
The rest of the story Wood does not re
member exactly. In short, the couple got
his $l2O, he told the police, and he was
not aware of the circumstances until some
time later. But his improvised safety de
posit system worked like a charm. The
gold pieces and the plasters stuck to him
cheerfully, and he found he was not equal
to the task of ungullding himself when
he wanted to. His hotel bill was due and
his little adventure on State street had left
him without pocket money.
“What are you going to do about this
bill?” asked the hotel man.
“Why, I've got lots of motley,” replied
Mr. Wood.
“Where?” demanded the hotel keeper.
“Xlnder these porous plasters,” replied
Woods, with a superior sort of smite.
“Well, you’ll have to go in soak for your
hotel bill, that’s all,” said the hotel keeper
and he called for the hot water. Two bell
boys and a porter started to work on one
of the porous plasters with hot water and
a sponge, and after half an hour’s labor
succeeded in bringing to light a lot of
gold, which once more established Mr.
Wood on a sound financial basis and made
him strong with the hotel man. The rest of
the money will stay where it is until such
t ime as the plasters peel off, and Mr. Wood
has already observed with some pain that
they work white he sleeps. The people who
got the $l2O were held to the grand jury
by Justice Martin, and that is the last
Wood will ever hear of it unless he stays
in town about six months to prosecute
them.
IN THE ANTARCTIC.
One Portion of the Globe That Is
Still Unknown.
From the London Spectator.
Persistently, as becomes men convinced
of the ultimate success of their efforts, a
sanguine band of savants and explorers
have beset successive governments with
appeals to take up Antarctic exploration
again. Their perseverance has so far
been unavailing, although it is not easy
to understand why, or to assign any defi
nite reason for such strange unwilling
ness. Remembering how rich were the
results garnered from the labors of Sir
James Clarke Ross and his gallant coad
jutors in the stanch, bit,', undoubtedly
clumsy, old Erebus and Terror, and how
vast was the field opened up for subse
quent workers, the fact that from then
until now no attempt has been made to
follow up this great work becomes utterly
inexplicable. Yet, believing, doubtless,
•That alt things come to those who will
but wait,” for half a century all those who
waited, searceiy ever relaxing their ef
forts to awaken the powers that be to
some recognition of the pressing claims
of science to be heard in this matter.
Beyond all question, the present time is
peculiarly opportune for the prosecution of
Antartic research. For it must be borne
in mind that in that vast and almost un
known area, more than twice the size of
Europe, one expedition, however well
equipped, cannot in the nature of things
hope to do more than settle a portion of
the problems that silently await solution.
What is undoubtedly indicated as the ideal
treatment of the Antartic question is the
establishment of an international polar
commission, such as attacked Arctic prob
lems in 1882. A cordon of expeditioAs sur
rounding the southern polar regions, rep
resentative of all the great civilized pow
ers, und working In harmony upon precon
ceived lines toward definite ends, would
add more in one season to the needed data
for the solution of the world problems
involved than isolated efforts could do in
a great many. But since there are now
two separate parties at work in the An
arctlc, and a third will, it is hoped, short
ly be on Its way thither, there must he
much valuable collaboration, as well as
many thousands of simultaneous obser
vations taken at far distant points. This
might have been the case at the time of
Capt. Rose’ voyages, when the French
and American expeditions were both in
high southern latitudes. But the opportu
nity was missed. Since then science has
made such gigantic strides in the direc
tion of instrumental equipment for such
work, to say nothing of the Invaluable ad
junct of steam, that even with only four
larties attacking the problem on differing
meridians, the most momentous results
may tie expected.
After all, this planet of ours under the
distance-destroying touch of these latter
days has dwindled Into a very small place.
And it seems preposterous that a region
like the Antarctic should have been al
lowed to retain so long the secrets it un
doubtedly holds. The illimitable sea of
stormy waters that rolls Its unhindered
way right around our globe, where no
busy keel ruffles the wave or smoke or
panting steamship "mingle s with the pure,
kten air—how strange that it should for
so long have been allowed to maintain
its primitive seclusion! Those appalling
barriers fo apparently eternal ice, along
which Ross sai.ed for hundred of miles,
watching with an indescribable fascina
tion the baffled billows hurl themselves
against the glittering cliffs that rose sheer
front tile sea for hundreds of feet—what
lies behind them? Those burning moun
tains flaming high amki their frozen fast
nesses, and ashling up the gloomy sky
for many leagues throughout the long,
long winter night, have they no story to
tell? And. in spite of ail belief to Ihe con
trary, it may be that a land fauna will be
found, that some animals may have been
fitted to live in that wonderful country,
which, as far as is yet known, is abso
lutely steri.e.
Many firmly believe that a warm polar
region exists at .the southern end of the
earth's axis, but with recent light upon
the theory of a warm Arctic sea, within
the encircling barrier of ice, there can
be little expectation that any such mhrvel
will be found in the Antarctic. The ex
plorers will be fired with the thought that
whatever their hardships, a virgin field
lies before them if by any means they can
get behind the ley barrier that seems to
shut off Antarctica from a prying world,
and that alone, apart from any discover
ies they may make,is sufficient inducement
to adventurous men to make them face
any hardship. To stand where human foot
has never before trodden, to come with
the torch of science into the very penetra
lia of nature, for this men in all times
have risked all that life held dear, and In
so doing have rendered incalculable serv
ices to their kind. One by one, the closed
doors have been flung wi<le open, the se
crets have been made manifest, and now
at the close of the nineteenth century only
this one remains.
What should encourage aTI those who
hope for great things from Antarctic re
searches is the fact that the earliest ex
plorers were able to reach such high lati
tudes in small, weak sailing vessels. Wed
dell’s voyage was made in a brig, the
Jane, of 160 tons; ami he was accompan
ied by a cutter, the Beaufoy, of 65 tons
He was totally unequipped for conflict
with the ice, unprovidid with Instruments
for taking observations; he was Just a
humble sealer earning a precarious liveli
hood. Yet he reached a latitude (71 15 S)
only about one hundred mites short of that
attained by the well-found ami specially
sent expedition under Ross and Crozier
I'or both Weddell and Ross were depend
ent uport the wind entirely for propulsion,
ami consequently dared not risk wh it even
a low-powered steamship might do with
Impunity. Besides this, thujr inability to
get swiftly from place to place hindered
them from finding any sheltered nook
where they might have laid their vessels
up for the winter in case they had wished
to do so in order to begin their labors as
early In the ensuing spring as possible.
But it Is hardly necessary to enlarge upon
the immense advantages latter-day ex
plorers possess in steam; they are guill
cieutly obvious. So, too, with all the other
accessories which science has provided for
her servants, most of the suffering ami
hardship attendant upon all these conflicts
with the primeval forces of nature has
been greatly mitigated where not alto
gether removed.
SNAKES, AND NOTHING ELSE.
Sole Product of Llnkvllle, Near the
Southern Houndnry of Oregon.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
“Linkvilie,” or "Klamath Falls,” is situ
ated in an obscure corner of the California
border line in Gregoh.'hnd may he reach
ed in twenty-four hours’ travel from San
Francisco. You have only to take the
northern-bound train for Ager, thence a
stage fine of aobut twenty miles conducts
you to your destination.
It is impossible to associate "snakes”
with the beautiful and varying scenery
through which you pass as far as Kla
math Hot Springs. Trees and streams
and all the glories of mountain scenery
greet you on every hand. You drive
through a luxurious growth of ever
greens and shrubbery; you cross and re
cross numerous streams; you breathe the
soft air of Shasta and Siskiyou. But when
you have left Klamath Hot Springs a few
miles behind there is am appreciable dif
ference in the landscape. Sparsity of vege
tation is the first observable change. At
every turn of the road the aspect becomes
more barren, more forlorn and more deso
late. Finally, you seek in vain for a tne
or a shrub, and at last, dust-covered and
weary, you pull up nt a dry, withered
billage that produces nothing on Its hard,
rocky soil, but revolting snakes. You hav
reached Linkvilie, the haunting retreat of
serpents.
There Is a bridge in Linkviile that spans
Klamath river. From this bridge, which
is a vantage point as far as view la con
cerned, a most ejyraordinary sight meets
the eyes. Along the river banks, at Ir
regular intervals of a few yards are seen
dark balls ranging from a foot to three
feet In diameter. They are stationary and
as passive as a boulder, which they re
semble in color. But if a stone is hurled
at any of these strange spheres, to your
horror snakes will crawl off in every di
rection, and the ball will melt away as
lard melts in a frying pan. The repulsive
creatures that have thus been colled up in
a perfect sphere glide away under rocks,
and one minute later not a snake is to be
seen in that particular spot. But the
other balls of snakes in the vicinity are
little disturbed by the stone. A close
inspection will reveal only a moving head
or twitching tail in the mass that liefore
looked like an Immovable boulder. Those
that were scattered, however, may later
seek the neighboring spheres or in a few
minutes slink out of their hiding places
and reassemble themselves in bails.
As has been said, Linkvilie is in a very
barren district. Nothing whatever grows
upon the rocky soil, not even sagebrush.
And so the river banks, which are a mass
of driftwood and rocks, seem a befitting
place for snakes. But It is'surprising that
they should develop in such great num
bers. When not rolled in balls they may
be seen slipping in and out among the rub
bish. and the ground for yards will be a
squirming, wriggling mass.
These snakes are perfectly harmless.
Indeed, if it were not for this fact, Link
vilie would not be habitable, for, while
the immediate neighborhood of the river
is their favorite haunt, they roam for
many hundreds of yards away, and may
be seen along the roadways ami around
the houses and creeping over the porches.
They possess a marked degree of tame
ness. You may pick them up with im
punity, and children play with them on
the doorsteps.
The Linkvilie snakes are dark in color,
with two yellowish stripes on their backs!
The average size is alsout an Inch and a
half in diameter arid a yard In length,
though many are smaller, and some at
tain much greater proportions.
—"Talking about the play of ‘Hamlet’
with Hamlet left out,” soliloquized the
melancholy looking Individual, "there am
times when the omission would be a de
cided boon."
He had Jusl attended an amateur per
formunce.—Puck.
—"ls literature a business or a profes
sion ?’’
"A profession when you are writing, and
a business when you are trying to .|| i
what you have written.”—l'hJJadelpbia j
North American. i
Make it back
2 grocer who will give you Pearl-
That’s the only way to t|o
n they send you an imitation.
The popularity of Pearline be
gets the habit of calling anything
that’s washing-powder, “ Pearl-
Those who notice the difference
me, think perhaps “ it’s about the
thing.” It isn’t. Nothing else
tls Pearline, the original and
rd washing compound. srs
THE PEOPLE OF THE SEA.
TUB DAILY POPULATION OF THE
ATI, IYI U .
About 150,000 Persons Afloat Dally
last A var—Curious Statistics Coin
piled by u German.
From the Philadelphia Times.
An ingenious German named Boysen,
who seems to have plenty ot time on his
hands, has been engaging in very curious
investigations, the results of which ap
pear in a pamphlet he has published in
Berlin. It occurred to him to regard the
thousands ot vessels that throng the At
lantic as so many inhabited
oases in the vast desert of
waters, and the novel problem he set
himself to solve was the average density
of liunian population on the Atlantic
ocean. So he went to work with all a Ger
man’s patience and industry to study this
interesting question. First he spent a long
time collecting statistics from every port
showing the number of ships plying be
tween the various Ailantle ports, the num
ber of persons on board of them, and Hie
number of days spent at sea. He gather
ed all obtainable data on these points cov
eting an entire year and by skillful combi
nation of his facts he was able to reach
some interesting conclusions, though, In
the nature of things, he could not attain
a high degree of exactitude. He was un
able, for instance, to obtain satisfactory
data concerning warships and the fishing
fleets on the Atlantic, and so he left them
entirely out of hi* caleulaiions. *
Herr Boysen found lliat for the year un
der Investigation there was a dally aver
age of 3,651 sailing vessels at sta, with 44,-
899 men in their crews. Every day, also,
1,504 steamships, with crews numbering
53,268 men and 32,565 pasengers were afloat
on the Atlantic. This made a daily aver
age for Ihe year of 5,155 vessels and 130,-
727 persons spread over the whole Atlantic
surface.
Herr Boysen had no easy nut to crunk
when he attempted to work out from these
statistics and the manifold paths of all
these vessels in the sea the density of pop
ulation throughout the Atlantic. In fact,
he found no density of impressive propor
tions. Of course, there are wide areas of
the ocean which are seldom visited by ves
sels, and for the entire Atlantic Herr
Boysen found that the average density of
population, for the year he investigated,
was only 0.002 per square kilometer, which
is comi>arable with the extremely small
density of population among the hunter
and fisher folk of fhe northern half of
'North America, The density was more
considerable, of course, along the well
traveled ocean routes, and Boysen found
that between the British coasts and North
America the mean density of this fluctuat
ing population was 0.01 per square kilom
eter, which is about equal to the density
of population along the Aretlo coast of
Siberia, where there are a good many Ya
kuts and Chukchee*; and uix>n the route
from England to Gibraltar the density
was 0.025 per square kilometer, as in
Patagonia and Terra del Fuego. The most
thickly populated part of the sea, the
English channel, where the average den
sity is 0.07, Is comparable with (he popu
lation scattered over the province of Ya
kutsk, Siberia.
The color scheme on Herr Boysen'* map
to show the various densities will he like
ly to deepen Its lints if the immense
changes In transportation continue. With
in the past fifteen years ocean carriage
has been practically revolutionized in
point of cheapness and speed. East year
two shipments of lace on the steamers St.
Louis and St. Paul, from Southampton,
were placed on the shelves of merchants
in New York and Chicago within eight
and ten and a half days from the time
they left Calais. A bale of sea island cot
ton is now put down at Liverpool or Man
chester at a little more than the cost of
delivering it at Nev/ York. Many facts of
this nature Induce British manufacturers
to regard the Culled States as economi
cally nearer to Great Britain by sea than
Glasgow is to London by rail. It costs
the Germans only $1.67 to move a ton of
wheat several hundred miles on their river
routes, but thousands of tons of wheat
have Been transported from New York
to Hamburg for $1.43 a ton. No wonder
that German farmers find It almost im
possible to compete with American glaln.
The enormous decrease In ocean freight
charges is one of the mo3t potent causes
of agricultural distress in Europe. In 1879
the cost of carrying a ton or wheat from
New York to Havre was $lO.Bl. T,en years
later the cost per ton was $1.94.
Our industries and arts are not embar
rassed by the fact that the home supply of
sulphur is inadequate to their needs when
San Francisco can draw directly upon the
boundless supplies of Sicily, shipped around
Cape Ho'n at a freightage cost of only
$3.60 per ton.
Surprising as these low figures of freight
carriage seem, there is one phase of our
inland transportation that is cheaper still.
The Ohio and Mississippi rivers can safely
boast the cheapest carriage Id the world.
This is accomplished by the system oftows,
flaiboats lashed together and propelled by
stern-wheel steamers. One such tow, con
sisting of thiriy-eight fiatboats, has been
sent down from I-ouisville to New Orleans
hauled by a single steamer; and a great
deal of coal Is carried in this way from
Pittsburg to New Orleans, 2,000 mites, at Op
cents a ton. The marvelous cheapness of
this flatboat transportation is the reason
why the amount of freight moved on
steamers in the Mississippi valley has de
creased fully one-halt in the past twenty
years, while the amount moved on fi.it
boots by the tow system has increased
about threefold in the same time.
Returning to ocean transportation, we
(ind that the remarkable decrease in
freight charges within twenty years is al
most wholly due tc Inventions and Im
provements in machinery. Improvements
in steam engines now enable vessels bound
for the Orient to go from Great Britain
and the continent direct to the Suez canal
Without coaling at any intermediate port.
Technical progress now make* one pound
of coal furnish as much steam as three
ponds twenty years ago. toother words,
{he cost of stiarn power, owing to improve
ments if engine*, boifers and grates, has
been reduced fully two-thirds Le* time
is now required to build freight steamer*
Ilian form-rly; their carrying rapacity is
much greater, they travel faster, aial the
sinks Of Mean traffic have ten much re
duced. The largest freighter In the world,
the steamer Pennsylvania, built in 1897. has
a carrying capacity of 14,000 tons, a re
markably small coal consumption for so
large a vessel, and nil average speed of
thirteen knots. Other mammoih vessels are
building for the Hamburg, White Star and
other lines, and they wtW Illustrate the
ln* ot th< new era in fri mat trans
portation.
All the transatlantic vessels, until within
a few years past, were built with a view
to the ever-increasing emigration to the
United States, without which they could
not be made to pay, on account of their
large consumption of coal and snrnll frelgnt
capacity. Freight earning was subordin
ated to steerage passenger earnings. But to
day emigration to the United
States has largely fallen ofT.
and the new typo of freighters
is built to consume a minimum amount of
coal and carry a minimum amount of
freight. When the White Star Line puts
Hie Oceanic on the sea next spring she
will lie even larger ikan the Pennsylvania
and ihc Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.
The era of cheap freights makes It pos
sible to transport heavy and bulky goods
of comparatively small value for long dis
tances. Within the past four years a large
amount of liinils r lias been carried from
Puget sound lo Kimberley, a thousand
miles in the interior of South Africa. An
Immense amount of building stone, particu
larly granite, is used in the Netherlands,
and the entire supply Is drawn from for
eign countries. Norway furnishes most of
it and our consuls in Holland have been
calling' attention to the fact that with the
prevailing cheap freight • rates our great
Maine quarries, contiguous to Atlantic
ports, may deliver building stone In Hol
land as cheaply as the quurrymen of Nor
way and Germany.
The world would have opened its eyes
In wonder twenty years ago at the amount
.of perishable freight that Is now carried
wilhout deterioration half or two-thirds
around the world. Previous to the late
unpleasantness tho United States had lor
some years been importing from Spain
immense quantities of onions. The ship
ments to Great Britain of tomatoes grown
in Spain amounted, in 1893, to 500,000 bush
els. Last year Great Britain consumed
the carcasses of 1,500,000 shpep, which had
been sent 12,000 miles from New Zealand
in a frozen condition, and the meat was
sold to British markets at only a little
over half the price of home grown mut
ton, The quality, to lie sure, 1b much In
ferior to the famous mutton which Eng
land produces, but none the less the Im
ported article has become an important
mainstay of life to the laboring classes
of the United Kingdom.
Those countries which. Ilk© the United
Stales and Russia, have not the advantage
of great fleets of merchant marine owned
by themselves, are not always able to
avail themselves of the prevailing cheap
rates. We deiiend almost wholly upon
foreigners lo carry our goods, and these
steamship owners, not always as enter
prising us they might possibly be, have
not established lines of direct communica
tion between our leading ports and some
promising centers of foreign trade. We
have no direct lines of communication
wiih Russia nor wilh most Mediterranean
ports, nor wilh a large part of the Afri
can, South African and Asiatic coasts.
All goods passing between the United
States and Constantinople, for Instance,
have to tie,trans-shipped, at considerable
loss of time, heavy rates of freight and
some damage to the goods. Before we can
do any trade wilh a Greek port our goods,
whether shipped to England, France, Ger
many or Italy, have to be trans-shipped
always onre, and sometimes twice. It now
takes from eight to ten weeks for goods
from the United States to reach Russia.
It is gratifying to hear that the largest
shipping firm in Copenhagen! is about to
try the experiment of putting on a direct
line of steamships between New York and
St. Petersburg.
The greatest reason why we have no
ocean marine, compared with the fleets
of foreign countries, is because we have
been so busily engaged for many years
supplying the varied needs of our own
rapidly Increasing population that we had
little time to think of extending our trade
Into foreign parts. The result is that we
have had none of the valuable advertising
which our own merchant marine would
give to our commerce. Not a ship under
tlie United States flag passed through the
Suez canal last year. Of 1,700 vessels that
entered the ports of Japan only thirty-two
carried cur (lag. Over 500 merchant siram
( rs and ships entered the port of Rungkok
the capital of Siam, but not one was
American. Asiatic people are Impressed
by the lack or American shipping and
often remark that We are not a commer
cial nation. We have imported large ship
ments of bananas from the coast of Nica
ragua In Norwegian vessels chartered at
$W to $lOO a day, when not a single Amer
ican vessel was engaged In that friut
trade.
But we now have fully entered the lists
for competition in the trade of rhe world
and there is no doubt that wiihin the next
few years we shall witness a great revival
of our merchant marine, for, without it
we can never enjoy the full measure of
international trade to which our unequal
ed resources and energy entitle us.
t aught a Jug ol Medicine While
Oyster Tonglng,
From the Baltimore Sun.
St. Michael’s, Md„ Dec. 7.—While long
ing for oysters one day last week an oys
terman caught a gallon demijohn filled
with whisky. The covering of willow wick
er around the Jug had decayed and five
large oysters were found growing upon R.
The oysterman and some of his compan
ions tasted the liquor and said it was
good. How long it had been in the water
is unknown, but It must have been there
for years. A most singular story in con
nection with the lucky find is that tin*
oysterman had a severe cough, ~n <j one
of his companions, who was longing near
him, suggested that a little whisky an a
‘ glycerine would help him. The oysterman
replied that he couej readily get ,j| e „j
cerine, l.ut did not know where to get
the whisky. He moved away from those
with whom he had been conversing, and
had Just commenced longing when he
brought up the gallon demijohn of whis
ky. ,
—Unappreciated—"My iittie man, aren't
you pleased to have u new baby brother, ot
did you want h Hub Sjieer'f" "If 4t w M>
ail the same to the Lotd, 1 preferred a
gout," —fieri oner'*.
Ocean Steamship Cos.
-FOR—
New York, Boston
-AND
the east.
Unsurpassed cabin accommodations. All
♦he comfort* of a modern hotel. Electrio
lights. Unexcelled table. Tickets Include
meals and berth aboard ship.
Passenger Fares From Savanaii
TO NEW YORK—Cabin, $2O; Excursion,
$32. intermediate, $l5. Excursion, $114;
Steerage, $lO.OO.
TO BOSTON—Cabin, $22; Excursion, $36;
Intermediate, $l7; Excursion, $2B; Steer
age. $11.75.
The express steamships of this line era
appointed to sail from Savannah, Central
(90thj meridian time, as follows:
■avahnah to new fork.
CITY OF MACON, Capt. Savage, MON
DAY, Dee. 19, at 10:00 p. in.
TALLAHASSEE. Capt. Asklna, TUES
DAY, Dec. 20, at 11:00 p. m.
CITY OF AUGUSTA, Capt. Daggett.
THURSDAY, Dec. 22, at 12:00 m.
KANSAS CITY, Capt. Fisher, SATUR.
DAY, Dec. 24, at 3:30 p. m.
CITY OF BIRMINGHAM, Capt, Burg,
MONDAY, Dec. 26, at 4:00 p. m.
NACOOCHEE, Capt. Smith, TUESDAY,
Dec. 27, at 5:00 p. m.
TALLAHASSEE, Capt. Asklns, THURS
DAY, Dec. 29, at 6:00 p, m.
CITY OF AUGUSTA, Capt. Daggett,
SATURDAY, Deo. 31. at 7:00 p. m.
SAVANNAH TO BOSTON.
VIA DIRECT SHIP.
GATE CITY, Capt. Googlns, FRIDAY.
Dec. 23, at 1:30 p. m.
CHATTAHOOCHEE, Capt. Lewis,
TUESDAY, Dec. 27, at 4:00 a. m.
CITY OF MACON, Capt. Savage, FRI.
DAY, Dec. 30, at 6:00 a. m.
Steamers leave New York for Bavannah
S p. in. dally, except Sundays and Mon
days, and leave Boston for Savannah
every Wedrteaduy at 12 noon. Saturdays
at 3 p. m.
W. O. Brewer, Ticket Agent, 3> Bull
street, Savannah, Ga.
E. W. Smith, Con’t Fr. Agt. Sav., Ga.
H. a. Trezevant, Agt., Savannah, Ga.
E. H. Hinton, Traffic Manager.
John M. Egan, vice president.
MERCHANTS AND MINERS'
%
TRANSPORTATION CO.
Tickets on sale at company's offioa to
the following points at very low rates:
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J.
BALTIMORE. MU.
BUFFALO, N. Y.
BOSTON, MASS.
CHICAGO, ILL. .
CLEVELAND, O.
ERIE, I’A.
HAGERSTOWN. MD.
HARRISBURG. I’A.
HALIFAX, N. 8.
NIAGARA FALLS, N. Y
NEW YORK, N. Y.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
PITTSBURG, PA.
PROVIDENCE, R. I.
ROCHESTER, N. Y.
TRENTON, N. J.
WILMINOTON, DEL.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
First-class tickets Include meals anA
state room berth, Savannah to Baltimore,
Accommodation and Cuisine Unequaled.
Freight capacity unlimited; careful han
dling and quick dispatch.
The steamships of this company are ap
pointed to sail from Savannah to Balti
more as follows (standard time):
WM. LAWRENCE, Capt. WillU, MON
DAY. Dec. 19, at 11:00 a. m.
ALLEGHANY, Capt. Billups, WEDNES
DAY, Dec. 21, at 1:00 p. m.
ITASCA, Copt. James, SATURDAY, Dea
24, at 4:00 p. m.
STATE OF TEXAS, Capt. Avery, MON
DAY,Dec. 26, at 5 a. m.
•Steamship Wm. Lawrence doea not
carry passengers.
And from Baltimore every MONDAY.
WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY, at 4:00 p. ra.
J. J. CAUOLAN, Agent,
Savannah, Ga
W F. TURNER, G. P. A.
A. D. 3TEBBIN3. A. T. M.
J. C. WHITNEY, Traffic Manager.
General Offices, Baltimore, Md. \
For Bluffton and Beaufort, S. C,
Steamer Jloretta wiil leave wharf foot of
Abereorn (Ethel's wharf) street at 3 p.
in. for Bluffton ylaily except Sunday and
Thursday. Wednesday's trip extended to
Beaufort, leaving Bluffton Thursdays at
g a. m. Returning sum© day.
For Port Royal and Beaufort, S. C.
Steamer Clifton leaves from foot Bull
street on Sunday 12 a. m., Tuesday and
Friday at 10 a. m., city time.
11. S. WESTCOTT, Agent.
Samoa mmtioii am isie of nous fi’y
end City and suburban fry.
I CHE DU LB
For Vsl© of Hope and Montgomery.
Sundays excepted.
Lv city for Isle HopejLv Isle Hope for city
*6 00 am from Bolton; 6 ) urn for Bolton t
7 00 am from Bolton| 7 10 am for Bolton
9 00 am from 2d ave| 8 10 am for 2d ave
10 37 am from Bolton: 9 45 am for Bolton
2 30 pm from 2d ave] 1 00 pm for 2d ave
4 00 pm from Bollon| 4 00 pm for Bolton
5 30 pm from 2d ave; 5 00 pm for 2d ave
6 3o pm from Bolton, 7 30 pm for Bolton
7 so pm from Boltoni 6 30 pm for Bolton
9 00 pm from 2d ave|lo 00 pm for 2d ave
t.v city for Mon'g'ry Lv Mont'g'ry for city
9 00 am from 2d ave| 7 30 am for 2d ave~
10 37 am from Boltonll2 20 pm for 2d ave
2 30 pm from 2d ave] 4 20 pm for 2d ave
6 30 pm from 2d avej
~To tuke effect Nov. 14, 1898.
H. C. BENAGH, Bupt
THE MARSHALL HOUSE, "
Broughton and Drayton its.
Under new management Thoroughly
renovated and refurnished. Electric lights
throughout. Hot and cold water on each
floor. Table cuisine unexcelled.. Rates $3
to $2 50. Cars pass the door.
BOYCE * CATHARINE,
,4'roprmor*
5