Newspaper Page Text
PART THREE.
WHEELER ON THE PHILIPPINES
WHITES FOR THE FIRST TIME HIS
VIEWS OS' CONDITIONS THERE.
diameter of the Insurgent Army.
Observations on the Priests nnd
Religious Orders—Products of the
Sew Islands—Conditions of the
People—Relations of the Soldiers
and the Natives—Smear nnd Coffee
Iml ns tries—Wild Cotton—Domestic
Animals.
New York, Dec. 29.—Gen. Joseph Wheeler
writes this article from hla headquarters
at Santa Rita:
(Copyright, 1599, by A. R. Kellar.)
Santa Rita, Philippine Islands, Novem
ber, 1899.—1 have now seen much of the
country and the people in that part of
Luzon for about fifty miles north of Ma
nila. In every town there is a magnificent
stone church and a convent or monas
tery. The insurgents have a great an
tipathy to the priesthood or friars, and
they have dismantled many of the
churches. The value of the church and
monastery of o town seems to be equal
in many cases to the value of all the
other buildings in the town.
The sugar storehouses are also expen
sively constructed buildings. They have
very thick stone walls and either tile or
metal roofs and cover considerable space
of ground; some of them have dimensions
of about 60 or 70 feet by 100 feet.
The church here at Santa Rita is the
or I y one I have seen outside of Manila
where services are regularly held.
1 he more 1 talk to people the more I
a convinced that the) insurgents are act
utf.cd in a measure by a spirit of com
munism, and in their talks, their most
serious objection to the church seems to
be the fact that the ecclesiastical organi
zations own so much of the property and
one of Aguinaldo's most earnest demands
is that the church property he confiscated.
There is a general Impression that the
insurgent army is made up very largely
of people without property, and that peo
ple who have property desire the Ameri
cans to control so that they con have pro
tection and feel that their property is se
cured to them, but I find that there is
also a fear or apprehension among some
of the wealthy that if the Americans con
trol and give universal suffrage, the power
of the wealthy people would be taken
away and their hold on property very
much impaired. I think that if the
wealthy people could be assured that
they would be protected in their property
rights by Ihe United States it would have
a very good effect.
Priests mill Frlnrs.
The friars and priests are charged with
all sorts of oppressions and misdemeanors,
but It must be remembered thin, friars
and priests are very numerous, and in so
large a body there will be found every
possible phase of character and disposi
tion. Soma of them are no doubt op
pressors of the people, exacting in the col
lection of rentals from the land, Indulge
themselves In many ways, and lead lives
very different from what should char
acterize the life of a priest. But there are
very many good men among them. M”V
ef them have received good educations in
their youth and. being without families
nnd having ample time, they have pur
sued scientific and other studies and have
• lone a great deal towards the education
of the people.
The religious orders are very rich. They
have been acquiring property for nearly
three centuries. It was the custom of
organizations nnd individuals to acquire
property by settlement and occupation,
and title thus acquired is recognized as
valid even with no paper title whatever.
The religious orders have acquired vast
properties in this way, and while it is sup
t'osed that the proceeds and the income is
to be used for religious and charitable
purposes, there is no doubt that much has
barn used for their personal comfort and
benefit.
The statement I have seen that 70 per
cent of the people of Luzon can read and
wriie is a great mistake. It may be true
of Manila, but it is not true of the rural
district*, and the percentage of illiteracy
In the other islands Is much greater than
In Luzon. The appearance, mode of life,
and method of performing work is to-day
very much like that described in the Bible
of the beginning of the Chrislian era.
Method* 2,000 Year* Old.
The people dress very much as they did
r“k years ago. (he means of transporta
tion by carts drawn by caraboas is about
the same, and their methods of she ling
nd c.eani*tg rice is as primitive as
hie and n better than they were
>*ars ago. During the lest few years pj
?r-ir mills and rice mills have been erected
in some of ihe largo cities, and (his
specially been the case since the building
Of ihe Manila and Dagupan Railroad, but
in the smaller cities and towns rice 13
busked by pounding by hand, and i~ win
i owed by -owing it up and thus sepir
fuing the c ff just as it was done in the
earliest tin
!*roo of the New Iwlnnda.
Nearly td*erything can he grown, but
oranges and bananas aTe not as cood as in
nb.*r localities, the reason no doubt be ng
1 1 they seem to give them no cultiva'ion
vt, never. If they were cultivated. I be
- < ■' they would be as fine as (he pro
du of any other country.
Tobacco is grown in (he valley of Cagay
an, in the northeastern part of Diizm
wih.M is said to be equal to any tobacco
h* the world. The coffee grown is kad
i > Ih. superior to Mocha.
Rice i> the principal product, and a fail
’ • "f that crop will cause a terribl • fam
. as the people depend alm<>-t entirely
' ;*>n it for food. Sugar is the principal
•■rop for export. The greatest amoun
* xported in any one year was 2JI/81 tons,
w hlch was In 1895.
t'orn grows very rapidly and ih-- <arr
'“ich ihcir full growth about sixty 'lays
11, the Mm,, of planting. The provinc e
dch are especial y s|ioken of as produc
' 1 of eorn or maize, ore Viscaya, Ba
’ jla. Month Camarlnes, I’ampama, I an
- ’ In.in, Nueva Bclja. Bulacnn, Baton**.
-biMv nnd A bray. Wheat Is grown In Ha
ng.. nn.l around Sari Isidro and I a "
1 • 1 nnd lllcoo Hur.
'! . Is „ grsal flh'trden’ l*f eery V
b'd.ie timber in these Is amis and many
' • " oi iMauoiei i am A'v-o-1 - u - *
1 ’’l i.. itnew, such as mahogany, baa
v ''•< ' I . iwny. Gold, c p;*r, coal,
-ulphur. lead, building ew. I *tro
m arid guano are found.
< ••Mdlilou of Hie I‘inplr.
nr many different tribes living
1 islands, ih# only oie* i"
", le Ing , tM . Tagulor This
1 up,,:* some eigiM province* ID Ihe
fp)j t Jfiitfmng JJeto#*
neighborhood of Manna, ana tneir asso
ciation with Europeans lias made them
more civilized than other tribes.
• We are now seven or eight miles from
Porac, whore an insurgent force has been
stationed for some time, but around here
and through this vast valley, the peo
ple are actively engaged in planting rice.
I have been riding around the outskirts
of this place, and the fields are dotted
with men, women and children planting
rice. There are some tribes, the Pan;-
pangan and some others, that sympathize
with nnd aid the Tagalos.
I am confident that a brigade of cav
alry could easily travel through a great
part of the islands.
Animals nf flic Island*.
Monkeys ore numerous, and flying squir
rel. which has fine skin, is found, and
also the wild cat. the wild hog, and tho
water buffalo. The lion, the tiger, the
hyena, leopard and the bear are found in
these Islands. In variety, beautiful plum
age and charming singing the birds are
said to be superior to those of any other
part of the earth.
Crocodiles, boa constrictors and lizards
are found. There ore many dangerous
snakes, but in this densely populated dis
trict there are very few', and the people
tell me that very seldom is any one bit
ten by them. They also tell me that the
natives understand how to cure the worst
bites by using herbs.
The flowers of the island are very beau
tiful and many years ago a priest col
lected thousands of varieties, and I saw
in a convent a copy of some books giving
a description of each flower and a paint
ing of the flower, apparently in water
colors, each painting occupying a large
space.
The market place of each town is filled
v/ith men, women and children with their
baskets and fruits and other articles for
pale. Although bananas and cocoanuts
grow r in our yards, we (ake care not to
molest anything, but purchase of the na
tives. At first, prices were reasonable,
but now' w’e pay about a cent, Mexican,
apiece for bananas and about 5 cents
apiece, Mexican, for cocoanuts.
The natives bring very nice little fish
to us which they catch in the neighbor
hood of the town.
Relations of Soldiers nnil Natives.
The relations between the soldiers of my
command and the people are most cordial.
Our soldiers protect them in every right,
and as they sc l ! market products to th*
soldiers at higher rates than formerly ob
tained, they appreciate this as one of the
advantages our occupation Is to them. The
son of the president of this city said yes
terday: “The Spanish soldiers and the in
surgent soldiers are harsh and unkind
and take anything from us that they want
nnd pay nothing, but the American sol
dier is kind and pays for everything.
There is no limit to the bamboo, w’hich
grow'? with great rapidity, and is used in
building houses.
The leaves of the Nipa palm are used
for an outside covering of the roofs of
houses. The women do a great deal of
labor, and they and the men often wear
hats made of grass, palm leaves rr bam
boo, which are some thirty inches in diam
eter. These hats turn water and serve as
an umbrella as well ns to protect the head
from the sun. I often see women working
in the fields w'ith umbrellas like those in
use in America.
Primitive Sugar Iniluntry.
The sugar mills are very primitive, very
much like those first constructed in Cuba,
and other sugar countries. If the meth
ods of cultivation now in in the Ha
waiian islands and Louisiana "V. .'
and If the improved machine’
.. n/v™ v, Q wtire introduce*!,
t nofiA B now ha' _ , . .v _ in-,11
the amount of stis*nr produced in the ! nil
ippines could be increased many fold.
The exports of hemp have greatly in
creased. In the year lsß2. 41.26 tons of
hemp were exported, which has Increas
ed until there was exported in 1897, 112.-
755 tons, and this output can be much en
larged.
The shipment of coffee gradually in
creased until the year 1886, when ihe ex
porters amounted to 7.337 tons, and from
1880 IO 1890 the shipments averaged about
6.000 tons a year, but from that time they
have fallen off, and from 1893 to 1897 the
annual shipments averaged only 200 tons.
1 Wild Cotton.
I learn the following about cotton from
reliable sources: ,
"The cotton tree is found growing in. an
uncultivated state in many islands of the
archipelago. Long staple cotton was for
merly extensively cultivated in Ihe prov
ince of Ilocos Norte, when, many years
ago large quantities of good cotton sluffs
were exported. This industry st 11 exists.
The cultivation of this staple was. how
ever discouraged by the local governors,
in order to urge the planting of tobacco
for the government supplies. It has since
become difficult to revive the cotton pro
duction, although an essay, in pamphlet
form (for which a prize was awarded in
Madrid) was gratuitously distributed over
?he colony to WS with that object. Never
theless, cotton spinning and weaving is
still carried on. on a reduced scale, in the
Oloeo provinces” (Luzon, west coast.)
Wild' cotton is practically useless for
spinning, as the staple is extremely short
but perhaps by hybridization and careful
attention its culture might become valu
able to the colony. The pod is elliptical
and Ihe cotton which bursts from it at
maturity is snow white. It is used f
nillows and mattresses.
IMS a common thing to see wild cotton
trees planted along the high road to seme
as telegraph posts: by the lime the seed
i, fully ripe every leaf has fallen and
nothing but the bursting pod remains
hansrins on the branches.
Railroads judiciously located could be
built very cheaply, and with the dense
population and the freight which must ex-
Lr where ne production is so abundant,
could make the railroads very profitable.
I think a light rail, fifty-six pounds to the
would do very well, and something
Llg than the standard gauge would be
pest I believe the Manila and Dagupan
Pillroad has a gauge of a metre <39.37
inches). Sugar, rice and timber would give
much freight.
Demesne Animals.
The native horses or ponies abound.
They are small, but swift and strong. The
domestic animal is fed on rice, molasses
and -'rase. These- ponies are also found
wr 1 m the fores,s. The buffalo or cara
hao Is” the .Irafi and plow animal of the
™° "T ,* powerful, docile and easy
uMraln nd manage. I. I. very slow and
inuM i- lnnnrm-<l n water
and during hoi weatlwr two or three ! me*
e a The flesh of me carabao Is used
for fieri. When wild It I* dongerou. nnd
; >n When lame<l I* dangerous, deprived
V . . Kilh Bheep <io not thrive but
oxen, v * | af** more or k*wi
JJ.Inl I.lils they frequently ~-n The
, las ai. thin, hut show marked trace, of
' ~, Lspae-Kentucky spc'.la*. ITiry or#
I-is a' (l) „ and Hie meal
o, eamn 1,/ American* Kish are
cughl in l-r Wheeler.
SAVANNAH, GA., SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, IS9O
HOLIDAYS IN WASHINGTON.
THE QIIETEST PART OF THE
WHOLE YEAR AT THE CAPITAL.
Gossip About Cabinet Ofllcers, For
eign Ministers, Congressmen and
Their Families—The Amount of
Ronds in the Treasury Vault.
Some Other Washington Matters
of General Interest.
Washington, Dec. 29.—Tho President's
two young neices, who will spend the
winter in the executive mansion, are to
leave their Western homes during the
week, in time to be here for the New
Year’s reception.
Secretary and Mrs. Hay have no house
guests for the holidays, and have arrang
ed no special plans. Mrs. Hay will be
“at home” on Wednesday next for the
first time this season, as well all the la
dies of the cabinet who are in the city.
Secretary and Mrs. Gage are passing
the holidays very quietly, having with
them, as guests, their daughter Mrs. E.
T. F. Pierce, their neice, Miss Ruth Cran
don. and Miss Jennie Cox, all of Chicago.
The new Secretary of the Interior, with
Mrs. Hitchcock and their daughter, have
gone to St. Louts, but will return before
the end of the year. Mrs. Griggs, wife
of the Attorney General, is also out of
town. Her mother Is still very 111, and for
that reason she can make no definite plans
for her return. The Secretary of War and
Mrs. Root, having young sons and daugh
ters at home, are In the thick of a merry
time this week. Wednesday night the Sec
retary and his wife gave a large theater
party, followed by a supper to Sir Henry
Irving.
GefT. and Mrs. G. Z. Bristow—the
fourth assistant postmaster general and
his wife, are this week entertaining Gov.
and Mrs. Stanley of Kansas. Senator and
Mrs. Cushman IC. Davis have a party of
holiday guests from Minnesota. Senator
and Mrs. Fairbanks were to have had
Gov. Mount of Indiana, as their guests
this week, and had issued Invitations for
a dinner-party, which they were compelled
to recall at the eleventh hour, owing to
the Governor’s postponement of his visit
to Washington. Senator and Mrs. Fora
ker are entertaining almost as frequent
ly and sumptuously as their predecessors,
the Brices, whose social career in Wash
ington has seldom been equalled ami nev
er surpassed. For the past fortnight the
Forakers have had as house-guests. Miss
Reba Wallace of Philadelphia and Miss
Mary Brooks of Cleveland. A series of
dinners, receptions, balls and theater par
ties have been given in the young ladies’
honor by their hostess, and—they have
also been invited everywhere. By the
way. it is whispered that A. Rustem Bay,
of the Turkish legulion and Senor Riano
of the Spanish legation, have both lost
their hearts hopelessly to one or the other
of the charming Foraker guests; but no
body can say to a certainty ’’which is
which” ns the two distinguished foreign
ers are always seen in close attendance—
and so are the chaperones, Ihe latter wise
ly preventing the had form of any special
pairing—off in public.
The Christmas ceremonies of-.bwm Chp
baye_ j* t'll c • 4‘y.“tncfsehn monks, wlios-' re
cently-completed monastery Is an exact
counterpart of that in the holy city. Both
are patterned after the celebratel St.
Sophia, and their high.rolling arches ami
transcripts add double power and
volume to the solemn, chants.
The Franciscan monnks have es
tablished themselves as special
guardians of all ihe sacred places aroun 1
the home of our Savior. There are a good
many members of the Brotherhood of St.
Francis in this clt.y. not only in the mon
astery, but connected, with various
churches and the Jesuit College in George
town, and all took pirt in the ce ebratlon
of midnight mass, according to the rites
and ceremonies which mark the event In
Jerusalem. Although live new monastery
is four miles from the city, hundreds of
people made the night journey in order
to witness the strange ceremonial. The
mass was the usual ceremony of the
Catholic Church, except lhat during Its
lengthy course the monks, In their cowled
robes, hempen girdles and sandals,
marched three times around the great
temple, chanting "Adeste Ficeles.”
Owing to the illness of Madame Wu, the
Chinese legation, usually so very gay. has
remained closed to society until this week.
Now that the little lady’s health has
mended, she has resumed her informal
Friday receptions, to the especial delight
of visiting strangers whose curios’ty con
cerning the home which was transplanted
almost intact from the Flowery Kingdom,
is never satiated. Mr. and Mrs. Wu are
the most hospitabe of Orientals. Their
legation is in the heart of the fashionable
part of town, and besides bring one of
the largest and handsomest houses in
Washington, is gorgeously furnish and in
the Chinese fashion, making !• a shining
mark for sightseers. Mr. and Mrs. Wu,
dressed, as always, in their native cos
tume, receive each guest, invited and un
invited. in the most cordial manner/
though frequently the crowd is far tot
great for two pairs of hands to ”shak ”
with all those extended. The minister
fpeaks and understands English pet-fee ly.
but his little wife is not so proficient; an l
therefore a number of American ladies
usually assist her in receiving ard in
pourW out the tea, which is a prominent
feature of the Chinese receptions. An 1
what tons of tea must be eon-umed In that
legation! It makes one blush for Ameri
can manners to record that last Fr day’s
reception was literally jammed win
strangers who made no effort to conceal
the fact lhat they had come for the mer
est curiosity, who fingered tho furniture
nnd hangings and bric-a-brac as they
would not be permitted to do in any pub
lic museum, and treated the members of
the legation exactly as if they had been
wax figures set up for their lnste lion.
Some of the boldest and rudest even com
mented audibly upon their dress, an l eiyle
of wearing the hair, an I the size of Mad
ame Wu s fcit! Th ministers’ wife is
learning English and s|>e?ks what she
knows in the rnyd delightful pidgin fash
ion One of her favorite remarks I- ’ I
Itkec Amellka because of lb Kb<dom for
China lady.” Hhe must feel, sonv’ilmcs,
that the bonded "fleedom” of American
women should tie checked with a II tie
Oriental w-cluslon, If not o- asl ml salu
tary treatment with "•omethlng It -faring,
like boiling oil.”
Mr. I Komara, Ihe Japanese mintsier,
is ell.l visiting Iri ITrildei|hiu The llay
t,an> Minister and Mrs, Eeger have leas'd
the handsome residence of former ftec
rtry and Mrs, Carlisle, In K stree'.
Owing to the war in Hornh Uric*, the
British ngsbaaoy Is no' bflahlened this
y.r with Ihe Tula tld>- festivities tlH<
have hrr*lofo marked the season. While
all KngUitd is mourning ll heavy losses,
WATCH YOUR
KIDNEYS.
The Host Important Organs in the
Human Body-They Throw
Out AN Disease.
Swamp-Root Curas Weak Kidneys
Does your back aoh?
Do you have pains across your kidneys?
Is your complexion thaiky, gray, white?
Is your skin dry or feverish? Are there
puffy bags beneath your eyes?
Are your eyes dull; listless and dead
locking?
Are you irritable anti hard to please?
Do you feel as though you have heart
trouble?
Do you have to urinate several times in
the night? Is there ever a scalding,
burning sensation there?
Do you feel the desire immediately to
urinate again, with no result? •*
Is your urine clouded, thick or milky?
Is there any sediment or do particles
float in it?
Don’t neglect these conditions, and tf
they or any port of them are yours,
Swamp-Root, the grett kidney remedy,
will be found just the meiUcine you need.
Here's a simple test fir t|ie kidneys, just
as certain as though a physician were In
lersonal attendance on your ease: Pour
sotre of your '‘morning!’ urine in a glass
or bottle and allow it to stand twenty-four
hours. Then hold it up:tq the light, nnd
if you find any settlings or sediment, or tf
it is thick or milky, or If small particles
float about in it, don't hesitate for a mo
ment, but wTite at once t<( Dr. Kilmer &
Cos., mention the Savanna) Dally News,
and immediately begin using the sample
of Swamp-Root which you will tecelve at
once, absolutely free by jnall. The re
sults will surprise you.
Swamp-Root Is purely inpotable, pleas
ant to take and is for safe by druggists
everywhere in bottles of Iwo sizes and
two prices—fifty cents a til one dollar.
Bear ir. mind the name, Svfimp-Root, and
the address, Binghamton, N. Y'.
her representatives in Washington rahnot
properly indulge .in gabiy. Lord and
Lady Pauncefote gave tie customary
Christmas dinner to the embassy attaches,
at which mistletoe and hilly shared the
honors of tho great round table with the
official l.on and unicorn engraved In sil
ver. In addition to the Punncefote family
and the gentlemen of the Staff, the dinner
guests included Sir Percy Saunderson,
British consul at New York, and Miss
Saunderson, who are spending Uygyjrjr ’
an*?' as usualTTie qfueen’s portrait was
framed in garinds of crimson berried
h ßev Dr. Tallage, on Thursday went
to Virginia, to Jffl. iate at the marriage of
Miss Jane Faulkner, .laughter of the ex-
Senator, to Mr. WlltUm White of Nash
ville, Tenn., wrijlch occurred Thursday
evening at the horn* of the bride. 3hi
homestead, at Boy*vbe, near Martins
burg is a handsomi old colonial mansion,
well adapted to ertertaining a large and
brilliant company
Mrs. Haywood, wife of our consul ge -
eral to Hawaii, tho returned a few days
Tgo from The’stands. Is delighting her
friends with gWphlc accounts of our new
possessions, as’weH as her Impressions of
China and Jtpan, which countries she
recently with her husband. Mi.
and Mrs h/vwood's journey was made
doub’.v interesting by reason of many so
cial affairs arranged in their honor. At
Hong Konl the American Consul and
Aire Wildpan gave them a series of
nleasant entertainments. Witfi Naval
Constructs Hobson of Merrimac fame,
Mrs Hay Wood stood sponsor at the bap-
M.m of Mr. and Mrs. Wildman’s baby
daughte* Mrs. Haywood will spend the
winter ie re w'ith her parents, Judge and
Mr Wilson.
■ The daily friends of Mrs. Warren wife
Of Wyoming’s senior senator are rejoiced
?o learn that she is rapidly recovering
from her recent long and severe li ne**.
She las spent the last few weeks at Col
ot ad> Springs, the Saratoga of the West,
wh(f e society is very gay this winter and
Her health Is so far restored tha * sh ® '*
heng extensively entertained. She will
n.t come to Washington until after Jan.
1 The only daughter of tho Wyoming
senator. Miss Frances Warren, Is a *tu
lenl at Wellesley College, and will not
I*. with her parents this winter.
Mrs Burleigh, wife of the representative
from Maine, who was thrown from her
carriage some time ago and quite serious
ly injured, is slowly recovering her
health Mr. and Mrs. Burleigh and their
young daughter have taken apartments at
the Richmond, a* have also Mr. and Mrs.
John R. MacArthur. Mr. MacArthur is
secretary of th- United Slates Philippine
Commission and a relative of the
lng editor,” Maj. Gen. Arthur MacArthur,
who is now in the field.
They say at the treasury department
that upwards of 100,000 strangers have been
shown about the treasury building during
the past year. The place which excites
most wonder nnd comment is the bond
vault, on the first floor, near the treas
urer's office. In it are stored $407,000,000
In bonds, $07,000,000 of which, however, are
unregistered. These bonds belong u> the
national banks of the country. They are
deposited with the treasurer to secure the
circulation of the national bank notes.
Every visitor Is shown a little package
of I Kind*, and If he looks particularly hon
est Is sometime* allowed to hold for a
minute five million or so of them. Tho
vault containing upwards of $4d).0f1b,600
worth of patter, Is quite small for so largo
a building as the United Buttes treasury
and ho rich a potent as Uncle Samuel.
But, then, it wa* built nearly forty year*
ago and at that time answered all require
ments. Now every available quarter-inch
of space 1* occupied and more Is
badly needed. It is • claimed that the
vault Is ahootuicly burglar and fire proof.
There Is aueh * network of electric wire*
connected with the door leading Info It,
that arty allcmpt to drill a hob- In It
would set off alarms, not only all over the
treasury building, but In police headquar
ters Ih*' wire* being e-necl*l With the
admirable letralai alarm aye*, to of the
I district The bonds •* >hr national bank*
are kept In fUe-bo**-*. placed in r "?
note ten slklv** and pr<g/erly numbered.
The vault is Illuminated by electric lights,
the wires being specially protected, so
there Is little- danger of fire from that
source. Looking at this vault the other
day with some friends front the country,
I was struck with what seemed to me the
inadequate protection of such a vast
amount of money in paper form. The of
ficial, who was showing us a,tout, replied,
"You are right madam, k is the strangest
thing in Washington. There isn’t a hank
in the country with a capital of sso,im
which cannot boast a Water vault than
this. Just think of tho weight of $4:7,-
000,000 of tonds and the combustible eh tr
actor of the Ink used in printing them'
Friction is one great source of fires th t'
break out where least expected. The in
side shelving should be constructed of
metal, and all these file-boxes ought to be
made of aluminum. There should he as
little woodwork Inside the vault as possi
ble. Why, it was only recently that mod
ern doors were added!” Congress has
been asked several times to appropriate
money for an extension and improvement
of this national bank bond-vault, which
is really half a century behind the Hines.
Of course, the probability of the destruc
tion of the bonds by combustion is re
mote; but there is always more or less
danger. Every modern device for the
protection of such enormously valuable
papers should be added, and no loop hole
left for making it Ihe old story of the
stolen steed before his stable is secured.
THE INTELLIGENT WHALE.
Till* Wo* tire- Original Home of a
llondoned Torpt-ilo Rout.
New York, Dec. 29.—Among all tho fight
ing machines Uncle Ram ever owned, the
Plunger, an old submarine torpedo boat
In the Brooklyn navy yard, holds tho
record for useless loss of life. No one
alive 10-duy knows exactly the number of
men who had died through her agency,
but fairly well authenticated statements
place it at forty-tnlnc. There seems to
have been an atmosphere of tragedy about
the boat that made itself felt in Ihe lives
of more than one of those who were con
nected with her, but did not meet death
through her direct agency.
As compared with the submarine boats
of to-day the Plunger looks the death trap
ihe proved to be. Her inventor's Idea
was a failure, but the government thought
well enough of it to pay down $30,000 to
try the experiment of building it In 1803.
Not the least of the many curious facts
an Investigation of the history of the boat
reveals is that no one knows the name of
its inventor.. The boat was built at New
ark. N. J., in the winter of 1863-64. A
number of experiments were made with
her in the Passaic river and In the course
of these from twenty to thirty lives were
lost—so the stories told etate-reither by
suffocation or drowning. In the latter
part of 1864 the boat was taken from New
ark lo the navy yard, where its official
trial was to take place under tlire direc
tion of a hoard of eight
Two hours itefore tho arrival was all
board Oliver Halstead *mt' entered the
Ihe l>oat and .s*e" boat started out and
Clgte‘ to fRe bottom.
When the officers arrived they wn 1,.
in vain for the reappearance of Halstead
and his men. Finally, the boat was 10.
. i ond a diver went down an*l fast
en.M a roix io ihe bow ring The bow
was hauled up, leaving the boat rest in g
on Its stern In an upright position Ln-
Hanre was gained and it was found that
In some way the boat had become nearly
ll e< l w ith water, almost drowning tho-e
aboard of her. it was supposed the water
an nod ingress through tin: trap door .n
the bottom intended for the use of who
ever placed the torpedoes. The Idea of th_
Inventor was that when this trapdoor was
onened the pressure of air from the !n
--terior of the boat would be sufficient to
prevent any water coming in.
' Of the navnl officers who constituted
thn retiring ltoard, not one remains alive.
As far as records show, the deaths all
were notable for some unusual feature
This is whv the Plunger, whore original
name, by the way. was "The Intelligent
Whale ” has a most uncanny reputation.
It has about been derided to break the
boat up After being exposed to all sorts
of weather for thirty-six years, it is con
sidered to have outlived every possibility
of usefulness.
loneliest people on earth.
Can Only Communicate NNItU the
World Once n Yenr.
From Pearson’s Weekly.
Perhaps the most Isolated tribe of peo
ple in the world is the Tshuktshl, a peo
ple occupying the northern portion of the
peninsular of Kamskatka and the country
northward toward Bering straits.
These people are practically Independent
of Russia, who appears to have reasons of
her own for letting them alone. They
have practically no communication with
the outside world, and have only been
visited two or three tlfnes—the last time
by Maj. de Windt on his Journey through
Siberia •
‘ The Inhabitants of the New Siberian Is
lands arc also practically elono on earth,
for they onlv communicate with the main
land and therefore with the rest of tha
world once a year, and a succession of
bad seasons might isolate them for years.
The pygmies of the great Central Afri
can forests. If they can be called a tribe,
have also been a people apart. For ages
their existence was little more than legen
dary, and only two expeditions eommand
, ,1 i,y whit'' men have ever penetrated into
their abode.
lioilll GUNS.
The Hrlllsli Artillery Outclassed nf
Every Point*
From Collier’s Weekly.
“The noise at the high! of the engage
ment,^ ”.aay an eye witness, “was almost ,
deafening. Above the rattle of the muw
kelry could be heard the thud of the Max
ims and the hanging of the quick-firing
guns.”
The Boers seem to have quite a a many
gun* If not more, than the British. They
have been preparing for war ever aince
the Jameson raid. With the taxes from
the mines they have bought the finest
light artillery In the world. I*udon Is
now admitting what artillerist ,x| rts
have long known, that tie- forty-eight
quick-firing guna which the Boers Ismght
from the French firm of Schneider Mr Oa
net ore superior to any guns of their kind
In Ilia British army. The Carol gun can
lire six rounds where Its British counter
part can firs oniy two. Af'cr tins war
there cruiy la- change* In British ordnaie
an abrupt aa our own from black to smoke-
4 People. . . .
Know what they want, are quick
to recognize the best.
Murray Hill Club Whiskey
Is Hold by reputable dealers everywhere. Beware of !m -
Ballons and refilled bottles. See that corks are branded
MtUKAV hill CL.UI3, and that our trade mark im on
; TO
: BREAK UP
RHEUMATISM
" ’'' 1
a &?Z£r~X**PLr 1
/twtjpW L j
GRAYBEARD is worth $l.OO a bottle at the dro.g stores.
send to ns for it. 4
iiLc/i t,oo unuvi I I l/fJc) 2
lens powder sit the close of the Rpnnish-
Ameriean war.
The energy of the Boers in bringing up
their heavy Runs watt equate,! by the Jack
ies of the British cruiser Powerful, in put
ting two navy quick-tiring guns in action
within three hours after the train carry
in;- them pulled into the elation at latdy
-niith The one thing that the British ac
complished by the fight of the 30th was
placing these guns in a position where it
is hoped that they can prevent any of the
enemy’s guna being planted near enough to
the town to shell It.
_Oov. KOoi-evelt of New Yoik, 1* anxious
to have Helh 1.. w, now the president of
C'o'umbla L’nlverslty, to accept the pesl-
Hon of chancellor of the state educational
Bvstem. If Mr. Low decline#, the place
wl.l Is- Offered to rrof. Nicholas Murray
Butler, of Columbia.
ICUtlllht A.\U CULLSIigtI.
Mar rtepett owner
iMISI 1 I (ill lnr tulUon In txtuli till petition to
1 UUillVltU w , cur ,.,i, ur will accept not •.
flienp board. Car fare paid. No vac* 100.
Enter any than. Open for both actet
PRAUGHON'3 Art
rsAOTicAL •W'^JrAyiyTr/fA
P yCCc/p
Nashville, Trim. havaiine.li, Qa.
(IslvmUiu, Tax. *SP Teaarkaua, Tr.
lnrtowd lir mereliiMit# n-l banke/s 'llir s
month.’ l*lwplu# wtttl U* etpJSU sis, .
Ail wirrvr<-tl l.rsm Fr tdrenlnj* eP'Ma
te - llanie Htislr Owner '• #!* ,• “Iv-tistMie *' *.
i*jt oulkd* oiftiifw. *AiXrt*M M iMfpWUfteul A A
M ADONIC TEW PUB. 0*
PAGES 17 TO 20.
U R Nfai. F. P MH.LAHO,
President V Ice Prmldeai
llt.Miv lii.ra. Jr Sec’y and Treas.
NEAL-MILLARD CO.
Builders’ Material,
Sash, Doors and Blinds,
Faints, Oils, Varnishes,
Glass and Brushes,
EIIILDERS’ HARDWARE,
Lime, Cement and Plaster..
0 ;-.t od *WIOr street*.
SAYANKAU, A
M. O MAHA & CO.,
L*lo of O'Mar* Foundry aud Machine Co.*
Brass Founders,
iiu*u.u aiw *.n 4*o*.
UHAoci a;to
OAK UKAtWKH A Ml'fcl.lAOTl,
SCUAI* UHASS WANTKU.