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BURIED ALIVE IN MINES.
...... j....
ACCIDENT* THAT BGFALL THE
TOILER* BEYE-VTH THE GROI \5.
.Uinrri in the Owl Region* Moat
Dread til© CartnK in f Enrth.
Srorfß iif Men llnve Been Kntnmli
nl Ainu; Day*—Rescuing I'nrtle*
Work With a AYill, Hut Often
Without Brw.
Prom the Washington Post.
Accounts of the terrible explosions In a
Utah coal mine on Tuesday have brought
to mind forcibly the precarious existence
that the miner leads beneath the earth.
But of oil the accidents which threaten
the life of the anthracite coal miner none
Is mere feared than the deadly cave-in.
It Is far mar© liable to cause death than
explosions or floods, runaway cars or falls
down 3haft.
Dozens and dozens of men are crushed
to death every year by it, and the re
ports of the mine inspectors show that a
large majority of the fatal accidents of
the year are due to it. Witness the great
accident at the twin shaft, Plllston, Pa.,
a few years ago, when-flfty-Olne men were
shut in or crushed to death, and the fall
at No. 11, Plymouth, Pa., where thirteen
men were killed. None of these victims
were ever found, nor is there much prob
ability of any trace of them'being discov
ered.
Sudden and horribly fatal as they are,
the caves give warning of their approach.
A short time ago the writer was in an
affected gangway. There was a constant
and menacing noise, which is almost in
describable. It was like the distant mur
mur of a thunderstorm or the deen rum
ble of faraway breakers. For hundreds of
feet above ond around the rock and coal
was “working.” It was moving and roll
ing and crushing Itself, groaning under
the Immense weight it bore, staggering
nobly to sustain It and giving evidence In
every fiber thal the remorseless load would
very soon obliterate the gangway in whlcto
we stood.
A Seen© of Terror.
Massive timbers, eighteen inches In di
ameter, uYre being crushed and splinter
ed. bulged ond cracked; the car tracks
were distorted in a hundred different ways
and all the time, from roof and sides, lit
tle splinters of rock and coal were flying,
with sufficient force to out the hands or
face. At points the roof had sunk two or
three feet, and at others the sides of the
gangway were bulged In and threatened at
any moment to burst, like overripe fruit.
Big mine rats, wise as the miner, were
scuttling to a safe place and we soon fol
lowed their example. A minute in the
gangway seemed as long as an hour on
the surface.
But with all the warning It gives the
cave too often proves to be the deathbed
and grave of the miner who Is rash enough
to try to save his company what nature
Is reclaiming as her own. So it was in
the two great accidents previously men
tioned. Valuable chambers of the mine
threatened to cbve and thousands of tons
of coal would be lost. At Pittston Supt.
Langan started, on a Sunday night, with
sixty-five men to place massive timbers
under the affected roof, hoping to avert
the threatened destruction. So awful was
the noise and so near did death appear
in those trembling passages that seven
men, Supt. Pangan's son among them, re
fused to work and went back.
The superintendent and the fifty-eight
labored for an hour or so; then suddenly
many tons of rock ond cool fell, and in
an instant nature had constructed for them
an immense sepulchre. Whether they
werje instantly crushed to death, shut in
ana.guflJpeAted or slowly starved will prob
ably. nevgr be known.
For weeks men as brave as the flfty
rtne lal ored at th' work of rescue, a
g eat. but unavailing struggle. Torn, sha
ken and mmhllrg from the shock of the
first faH. which dragged upon the other
portkns of the mine like massive chains
drawn by a monster, working after work
ins collapsed, hour after hour, for some
fiats, b fore 1t all settled quietly and
the dangers of the rescuers were fully as
great as these the entombed men had
confronted. There was but one. practica
ble way of getting at the victims, and
that was down a long slope at the foot
rf wh'ch it was expectel the unfortunates
w. uld be four and
Item nieil In l>y Earth.
Fcur hundred feet was clear space; the
remaining Ift) was blocked to within a few
loch- s cf the roof by the fallen masses
of rock. It was through these 100 feet
tost the rescuers had to force their way.
Volunteers were numerous, the most able
ra nir.g experts in the region directed the
operations, and the work went on day
and night. At first good progress was
made, ond then, as they advanced foot
by foot the danger and the and fficulties in
creased. Some e’ays they would gain
twenty or thirty feet and th-n be driven
ba k some distance, only to attack the
living moss again with macnlflcent cour
age and endurance.
It was In the midst of this work that
the Wilier saw them. Some ninety feet
had been gained through the fall. The
wild* s < pc, seme nine f et in width, had
not been cl ; ared, but a narrow passage
four feet wide had been dtiven through
the center of It. This was propped and
str'ngth'ncd by great timbers, for there
was tovs'ant dargrr of ths roof coming
and wn. The gos wes htavy and safety
lamps lad to be used, so the light was
dim and uncerta in The morning of ihe
m'ne was st'll -to be heard and had a
most weird effort, as if breasts and gang
ways wire m-urrlng for their victims.
The men worked in shifts cf half a dozen
each, ihree hacking end pecking at the
"face” of li e f ill with their picks and
three shoveling hack the debris to others
behind thrm, who passed It out in a line.
Or at mases of took had to be shat
tered with drill and hammer, for it was
DEMAND POND’S
extract. • avoio JL' iLdJ l*.
ALL IMITATIONS. - , - .
SALL PAIN
Rheumatism
0.-t .et Lie o
Wounds
f • C-SI M I L C 0 *4
‘-otti.e win- :V Jl
E*J r T ."RAIVig.
llnr a a ' airn “
iIVF ourns
W 0.4. Piles
POND’S
EXTRACT
_ Zt will Cure,
; Triumph of Worth.
*The very hearty re
ception accorded to
Pure Rye Whiskey
Is Indisputable In
dorsement of its
excellent quality.
Murray Hill Club
Goods sold et area-
I aonabie p, .ct—a pre-eminent whiskey
* without a rival. It is listed by all the
i leading Clubs, and served at the
’ most exclusive functions. Sold by
, flrsf-ciass dealers everywhere.
Ijos.a.magnus&co.
; ' ’CINCINNATI, OHIO.
not safe to use powder, and the progress
was distressingly s'ow. As soon as one
sh ft became tired another took its place
anti the work went on. Inspectors and
foremen stood' about directing the work
and keeping a careful eye on the danger
ous roof. As (he writer watched tl\ere was
a cry of warning, the men came tumbling
l ack frem the “face” and a rush was
made up the slope. There was a crash,
a roar, we were blown oft our feat and
dashed against the sides of the slope by
a concussion which extinguished the
lights. An investigation revralcd the fact
that twenty fel. gained by hard work
during the last twenty-four hours, had
been filled up again.
' We must keep at it. bays,” said one
of the foremen cheerily, and at It they
went.
Tolling Against Odds.
But In the days that followed falls came
fr quently and the men despaired. They
were ready to give up their seemingly
hopeless task, when one night they wera
ell ered i y rappings. The news was quick
ly sent to the surface and women's eyes
were dry with hope for the first time
since the dreadful tidings wire heard.
The rappings continued at intervals and
everybody was sure some of the entomb
ed men were alive—everybody except one
poor boy of 18, who day and night was In
the sl pc with the workers. The rappings
were heard on the Iron pipes through
which water bad been pumped from the
bottom of the slope. It was evident that
some of the entombtd men had reached
an open space thers and were hammering
on the pipes to encourage the workers.
Work went em with renewed enthusiasm,
and young Langan, the entombed super
intendent's son. performed as heroic a
act as is rec-.Tded in the history of min
ing. Between the top of the) fall and the
re of was a space of a few inches, and
with wonderful daring he dragged him
self along over the fall. At any moment
he might have been crushed by the roof,
but he returned. He was gone three hours
and in that time crawled neatly 300 feet
and back. His clothes were torn to sherds
and his body was covered with blood from
scores of cuts and bruises.
He had found no opening and
learned nothing of the For
three days the rapping continued, and
then, one night in a dark and obscure
corner of the slope, one of the firemen
came upon a water boy hammering the
pipes with a piece of rock.
Almntloncd to Their Fate.
It was an awful discovery, the hope
that had cheesed the men. on for the past
three days was dispelled, and dispair
replaced it. The poor boy, when arraign
ed before the mine officials, confessed
that he had been rapping on the pipes
during the three days, and he said, in
extenuation of his act: “I've got a father
and two brothers in there, so I rapped to
encourage them, because I want them to
find my father and brothers." The work
was kept up for months, but no trace of
the entombed men was found and the at
tempt was abandoned.
The accident at Plymouth. Pa., was
caused in a like manner. As may be well
imagined the conflict between hope of
rescue and fear of death in the hearts
of the victims’ friends is terrible. Hope
died slowly at Pittston, and it .is the
same ejsesvhere. This is due to the ab
solute uncertainty. Some argue that the
victims may be hemmed In an open cham
ber with a plentiful supply of air and
water, and quote the well known, cases,
where at Sugar neck a number of
men lived two weeks, eating a mule en
tombed with them, find was finally res
cued; where, at Jeanesville, Pa., a rescue
was affected after nineteen days, in which
the men had nothing to eat except the
leather of their boots—owing to their igno
rance the life-sustaining fish oil in their
lamps -Was untouched—and again of the
two men at Nantlcoke were rescued after
sitting astride a log In. .flooded workings
for pine days with nothing to eat. With
these instances of recovery from the hand
of death, after persistent attempt at res
cue, it is hard for friends of entombed
men to believe that nil hope is gone, and
frequently—os at Pittston—as late as six
weeks after the accident, they implore
the mine officials to keep up the effort.
Other accidents affect oniy the mine and
the owners. Caves affect the surface and
ranny property owners in this region have
cause to regret the day when they bought
land which was undermined because it
was cheap. Recently a large section of
street at Wyoming, Pa., went down, with
several buildings, and instances are nu
merous of houses being swallowed up by
the greedy earth, of cattle engulfel and
suffocated. People are sometimes caught,
hut not often, for the earth generally
Sinks Slowly and there is usually plenty
of time to escape. There have been In-
Stances of a quick settlement; two close
to this city were especially Interesting.
A peddler was driving slowly along the
road lea.llng from this city to Tlolns, Pa.,
when hi* horse suddenly sank, dragging
the frons wheels of the wagon after him.
When the driver recovered from his sur
prise and terror the wagon body was on
the edge of a hole thirty feet deep. Some
time later near the same place an old
woman was sluing near her doorstep
shelling peas. Her husband, coming over
th hill, saw her suddenly drop out of
sight, '/an up and found her busy pick
ing up her scattered |-a forty feet be
low the surface. She was uninjured and
was quickly rescued.
• in February a portion of the tracks
along the line of the Central Railroad of
New Jersey, two miles from here, was
sucked down by a onv-ln. In the early
morning a freight train speeding toward
this city doshpd Into the hole, wrecking
the engine and several cars.
—The United States of America has now
become the greatest raw silk consuming
country in the world (excepting, of course,
China, and perhaps Japan, where Correct
statistics of home consumption are not
available). In other words. New York
city, the only raw silk market In America,
holds now the tlrst place among all the
raw silk markets In the world, Shanghai
alone excepted. In New York city more
raw silk is now sold than Is consumed In
France, which Is still the largest raw silk
consuming country In Europe,
THE MORNING NEWS: THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 190(1
MILE HANDICAP THE FBATTRE
Star of Rethletiem Won Main Event
nt Clneinnnti.
Cincinnati. June 6 —The mile hatvfieap
was the feature at Newport to-day. Flo
rizar, the favorite, was all tangled up nt
the start, and The Star of Bethlehem went
to the front at, the quarter pole, and was
never headed. Summaries:
First Race—One mile, selling. Dr. S.
C Ayres, 9 to 2, won, with Midglen, 4
to 1, second, and Gadsden, 25 to 1, third.
Time 1:4214.
Second Race—Five furlongs, selling.
Queen Carnival. 4 to 5, won, with Lyror
Biji, 10 to 1, second, and Francis Reis,
30 to 1, third. Time 1:0244.
Third Race—Blx furlongs, selling. King
Deilis, 4 to 1. won. with Crynkle, 8 to 5,
second, and Sackchen, 100 to 1, third. Time
1:15.
Fourth Race—Handicap, one mile. The
Star of Bethlehem, 4 to 1, won, with
Charlie O'Brien, 8 to 1, second, and Eitho
iin. 6 to 1, third. Time 1:41.
Fifth Race—Four and one-half furlongs.
Porter 8., 0 to 2, won, with Juno Gale,
8 to 1. second, and Faraday, Jr., 20 to 1,
third. Time 0:56%.
Sixth Race—Seven furlongs, selling. Os
mon, 8 to 1. won, with Juanetta, 6 to 1,
second, and Bently 8., 15 to 1, third. Time
1:29*4.
Dnll liny at Gravesend.
New York, June 9.—Only two favorites
at Gravesend got home in front to-day.
Tho racing was very dull. Summaries:
First Race—About slic furlongs. Rikki
Tikkl Tav|, 6 to 1, won, with Vulcain, 4
to 1 and 8 to 3, second, and Vesuvlan, 12
to 1, third. Time 1:10 4-6.
Second Rare—Selling, one mile and a
furlong. First Whip, 7 to 2. won, with
Kinnikinnlc, fi to 5, and 1 to 2, second,
and Nansen, 6 to 1, third. Time 1:66 3-5.
Third Race—Five furlongs. Rosa
mond. 15 to 1. won, with Cherries, 5 to 2,
and even, second, and Princess Pepper,
6 to 1, third. Time 1:02 4-6.
Fourth Race—The Gazelle stakes, one
mile and a sixteenth. Indian Fairy. 6
to 5, won, with Oneck Queen. 16 to 5 and
4 to o. second, and Motley, 7 to 2, third.
Time 1:50.
Fifth Race—Steeplechase, about two and
a half miles. Charagrace, 10 to 1. won,
with Phllae, 5 to 2 and even, second, and
Ronkomkoma. 7 to 2, third. Time 4:53.
Sixth Race—Selling, five and a half fur
longs. Lief Prince, 11 to 5. won. with
Sctirry, 7 to 2 ond 7 to 5. second, and Moor,
5 to 1, third. Time 1:08 4-5.
HESIidS OH THE DUIIOAD.
Brooklyn Piled I'p Fire Huns In the
Third Inning.
Brooklyn, June 6.—Three hits and five
errors gave Brooklyn five uns in the third
inning to-day and won the game. Ken
nedy was in fine fettle, holding Chicago
down to five hits, three of which were
bunched in the fourth, thereby saving the
visitors from a worse fate. Attendance
1,700, Score: R H E
Chicago 0 00201000-336
Brooklyn 1 0 5 0 0 1 1 0 X—B 8 1
Batteries: Garvin and Donahue; Ken
nedy and Farrell.
New York’ Poor Playing.
New York, June 6.—The New York team
to-day gave a poor exhibition of ball at
the Polo grounds and the Cincinnatis won
the final game of the aeries. Score:
R H E
Cincinnati ..0 2012114 0-4114 3
New York ...2 0001110 0-599
Batteries: Hawley, Doheny and War
ner; Breitenstein and Peitz.
St. Bonis Rent Boston.
)
Boston, June 6.—The Boston's started to
bat Hughey with a rush, but after the
second inning they could bat him effec
tively In only one inning, when two singles
and a two-bagger scored one run. Cuppy
retired in favor of Willis in the fourth.
Attendance 2,700. Score:
R H E
Boston 23000001 0-8 10 4
St. Rouis ....1 1 1 6 2 0 1 0 1-12 14 3
Batteries: Willis. Cuppy and Clarke;
Hughey and Robinson.
Pittsburg Won the East Game.
Philadelphia, June 6.—Pittsburg won tho
last game of the series with Philadelphia
by good work at the bat.' Attendance 4.-
493. Score: R. H. E.
rtttsburg ...0 3000021 o—6 10 1
Philadelphia 00000111 0-3 81
'Batteries—Waddell and Zimmer; Orth
and Douglass.
Other Bnarbnll Gautea.
Milwaukee, 3; Detroit, 0. a
Chicago-Cleveland rain. •
Providence, 0; Springfield, 2.
Toronto, 1; Syracuse. 5.
Hartford, 4; Worcester, 2.
Kansas City, 8; Buffalo, 6.
Minneapolis, 6; Indianapolis, 6.
Montreal 16; Rochester 5. '
Montreal 5; Rochester 9, second game.
Whipped Priest Then Married Him,
From the New York World.
Paris, June 2.—Emily Delaney, a young
American divorcee, who for the last two
years has been ruling the Fontalnbleau
arlist colony, to-dv married Father
Reounler, the priest, whom she publicly
cowhided a few weeks ago.
Kmlly Delaney had coma to Paris to
marry a French cavalry officer, to whom
she had been engaged for some time.
Father Beaunler, being a. close friend of
the officer, dissuaded hhn fiona wedding
the fair American by repeating stories
heard about her. Thereupon, to revenge
herself, she horsewhipped the priest oppo
site the Madeleine Church.
Thai was their first acquaintance. Later
Boaunier called uopn Miss Delaney to
apologize. Soon he was completely fasci
nated. He decided to renounce his Catho
lic vows, become a Protestant and marry
the girl he had pronounced unworthy.
CASTOR IA
for Infant3 and Children.
The Kind You Have Always Bought has borne the signa
ture of Clias. H. Fletcher, and has been mode under his
personal supervision for over 30 years. Allow no one
to deceive you in this. Counterfeits, Imitations and
“Just-os-good” are but Experiments, and endanger the
health of Children—Experience against Experiment.
The Kind You Have Always Bought
y* Bears the Signature of
In Use For Over 30 Years.
MWWWAT fTWtEr, Niy/ YQW* gITY
THE MOON HOAX.
SIR JOHN HEK94 HEi'S SI PRUNED
DISCOVERIES.
Hainan Beings In Ihe Moon—Fabri
cated Science—What llersehel Re
ally Discovered—His \isit to the
Cape of Good Hope—New Fork
Newspapers Deceived—Astronomi
cal Predictions for June.
From the New York Evening Post
The public attitude toward matters sci
entific is one of the mysteries of our
time, It can l>e described best by the
single word, Credulity: simple, absolute
credulity. Perfect confidence is the most
r'emhrjrable characteristic of this unbe
lieving age. No charlatan, necromancer,
or astrologer-of three Centuries ago com
manded more respectful attention than
does his successor of to-day. Any person"
can be a scientific authority; he has but
to call himself by that title, and every
one will give him respectful attention.
Numerous instances can be adduced from
the experience of very recent years to
show how true are hose remarks. We
have had the Keeley motor and the liquid
air power schenms for making something
out of nothing. Exiractlng god from sea
water has been duly heralded on scientific
authoriiy as an'easy source of fabulous
wealth for _ the million.. Hard-headed
business men not only believe in such
things but actually invest: m them
their most valuable possession, capital.
Vendors of nostrums and proprietary med
icines acquire wealth as If by magic,
though it needs but a woman’s reflection
to realize that these persons cannot pos
sibly be In possession of any drugs, or se
cret methods of compounding drugs, that
aro unknown to scientific chemists.
If the world, then, will persistently In
trust Its health and wealth into the safe
keeping of charlatans, what can we ex
pect when things supposedly of far less
value are at stake? The famous Moon
Hoax, as we now call it, is truly a clas
sic piece of lying. Though It dates from
as long ago as 1835. It has never had an
equal as a piece of "modern” Journalism,
Nothing could be more useful than to re
call it to public attention at least once
every decade; for it teaches an Important
lesson that needs to be iterated again and
again.
Specimen* of Imaginative Lying.
On Nov. 13. 1833. S’r John Herschel em
barked on the Mnunstuart Elphinstone,
bound for the Cape of Good Hope. He
took with him a collection of astronomi
cal instruments, with which he intended
to study the heavens of the Southern
hemisphere, nnd thus extend his father's
great work to Ihe South Polar stars. An
earnest student of astronomy, he asked
no better than to be left In peace to
seek the truth in his own fashion. Little
did he think that his expedition would be
made the basis for a fabrication of al
leged astronomical discoveries destined to
stortle n hemisphere. Yet that Is pre
cisely what happened. Some time about
the middle of the year 1835 the New York
Sun began the publication of certain ar
ticles, purporting to give an account of
“Great Astronomical Discoveries. Lately
Made by Sir John Herschel at the Cape
of Good Hope.” It was alleged that these
articles were taken from a supplement to
the Edinburgh Journal of Science; yet
there is no. doubt that they were manu
factured entirely in the United Slates, and
probably in New York.
The hoax begins at once in a grandilo
quent style, calculated to attract popular
attention, and well fitted to the marvels
about to be pelated. Here Is an Intro
ductory remark, as a specimen: :“It has
been poetically sold that the stars of
heaven are the hereditary regalia of man,
as the Intellectual sovereign of the ani
mal creation. He may row fold the zo
diac around him with a loftier consc'ous
ness of his mental supremacy.” Then
follows a circumstantial and highly plaus
ible account of the manner In which early
and exclusive information was obtained
from the Cape. This was, of course, im
portant In order to make people believe
In the genuineness of the whole; but we
pass at once to the more interesting ac
count of Herschel'* supposed Instrument.
Nothing could be more skillful than the
way in which an air of truth Is cast ovei*
the coming account of marvellous dis
coveries by explaining In detail the con
struction of the imaginary Herschellan
Instrument. Sir John Is supposed to have
had an interesting conversation in Eng
land. with Sir David Brewster, upon
the merits of some ingenious suggestions
by the latter, in his article on optics in
the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia (p. 644). for
Improvements In the Newtonian reflect
ors.” The exact reference to a particu
lar page is' here quire delightful.\After
some further talk, “the conversation be
came directed to that all-invincible enemy,
the paucity of light In powerful magni
fiers. After a few moments’ silent thought
Sir John diffidently inquired whether it
would not he possible to effect a trans
fusion of ariifidal light through the focal
object of riston! Sir David, somewhat
startled at the originality of the Idea,
paused a while .and then hesitatingly re
ferred lo the refraglblllty of rays, and
the angle of Incidence. * * * Sir John
continued: ‘Why cannot the Illuminated
microscope, say the hydro-oxygen, be ap
plied to render distinct .end, if necessary,
even to magnify the focol object?' Sir
David sprang from his chair In an ec
stacy of conviction, and leaping half
way to the celling, exclatmed. 'Thou art
the man.' ” Thlz nbsyrd Imaginary con
versation contains nothing but an assem
blage of optical Jargon, put together with
out the slightest intention of conveying
any intelligible meaning to scientific peo
ple. Yet It was well adapted to deceive
the public; ar.d we should not be sur
prised If It would be credited by many
newspaper readers to-day.
Wlinf lleatly Happened.
The authors go on to explain how
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Cleveland s most eminent specialist, by HJalmer O. Benson. PAD., a 9. One box will work wonders!
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money was raised tq build the new instru
ment and then describe Herschel’s em
barkation and the difficulties connected
with the transporting his gigantic ma
chines to the place selected for the ob
serving station. "Sir John accomplished
the ascent to the plains by means of two
relief teems of oxen, of eighteen each,
in about four days, and, aided by several
companies of Dutch boors (sic), proceeded
at once to the erecting of his gigantic
fabric." The place really selected by
Hcrschel cannot be described better than
in his own words, contained in a genuine
letter dated Jan. 21, 1833: "A perfect
paradise In rich and magnificent moun
tain scenery, sheltered from ail winds.
* * * I must reserve for my next all de
scription of the gorgeous display of flow
ers which adorn this splendid country, as
well as the astonishing brilliancy of the
constellations." The author of the hoax
could hove had no knowledge of Hersch
el's real location, as described in this
letter.
The present writer can bear witness to
the correctness of Herschel’s words. Feld
hausen Is truly an Ideal secluded spot
for astronomical study. A small obelisk
under the sheer cliff of far-famed Table
mountain now marks the site of the great
reflecting telescope. Here Herschel car
ried on his scrutiny of the Southern skies.
He observed 1,202 double stars and 1,708
nebulae and clusters, of which only 439
were already known. He studied the fa
mous Magellanic clouds, and made the
first careful drawings of the “key-hole”
nebula in ihe cancellation Argo. Very
recent researches of the present royal as
tronomer at the Cape have shown that
changes of Import have certainly taken
pin- e in this nebula Since Hersehel's time.
He had seer a sudden blazing up of the
wonderful star Eta Argus, situated with
in the nebula. This objeot has undergone
more remarkable changes of light than
any oilier star in the heavens. It is as
though there were some vast conflagra
tion at work, now blazing into incan
descence, and’again sinking almost into
invisibility. In 1843 Maelear estimated the
brilliancy of Eta to be about equal to
that of Sirius, jhe brightest star In the
whole skv. Eater it diminished In light,
and cannot be seen to-day with the naked
eye; though the latest telescopic observa
tions indicate that it is again beginning,
to brighten.
Inhabitants of the Moon.
Such wns Herschel’s quiet study of his
lieloved science. In glaring contrast to the
supposed discoveries of the “Honx.” Here
are a few things alleged to have been
seen on the moon. The first time the in
strument tvas turned upon our satellite •
"the field of view was covered through
out llb entire area with r beautifully dis
tinct, and even vivid representation of
basaltic rock.” There were forests, too,
and water, “fairer shores never Oflgels
coasted on a tour of pleasure. A beach
of brilliant white sand, grit with wild
castellated rocks, apparently of green
marble.” There was animal life as well;
"we beheld continuous herds pf brown
quadrupeds, having all the external char
acteristics of the bison, but more diminu
tive than any species of the bos genus In
our natural history. There was a kind of
a beaver, that “carries' its young in its
arms like a human being,"'and lives In
huts. “From the appearance of smoke
in nearly all of them, there is r*o doubt
of its (the beaver's) being acquainted
with the use of fire." Finally, as was, of
course, unavoidable, human creatures
were discovered. “Whilst gazing in a
perspective of about half a mile, we were
thrilled with astonishment to perceive
(our successive flocks of large winged
creatures, wholly unlike any kind of
birds, descend with a slow, even motion
from the cliffs on-the western side, and
alight upon the plain. • • • Certainly
they were like human beings, and their
attitude In walking wtyi both erect and
dignified."
We have not space to give mors extend
ed extracts from the "Hoax,” but we
think the above specimens will show how
deceptive the whole thing was. The rare
reprint from which we have extracted our
quotations con.nlns aUo some interesting
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"Opinions of the Amejfican Press Re
specting the Foregoing Discovery.” The
Daily Advertiser said: "No article, we
believe, has appeared for years, that will
command so general a perusal and publi
cation. Sir John has added a stock of
knowledge to the present age that will im
mortalize his name, and place It high
on the page of science. The Mercantile
Advertiser said: "Discoveries in the
Moon.—We commence to-day the publi
cation of an Interesting article which is
stated to have been copied from the Edin
burgh Journal of Science, and which
made Its llrst appearance here in a con
temporary Journal of this city. It np
pears to carry intrinsic evidence of be
ing an authentic document.” Many other
similar extracts are given. The New York
Evening Post did not fall into the trap.
The Evening Post's remarks were as fol
lows: "It is quite proper that the Sun
should he the means of shedding so much
light on the Moon. That there should
bo winged people in the moon does not
strike us as more wonderful than the
existence of such a race of beings on the
earth: and that there does or did exist
such a race rests on the evidence of that
most veracious of voyagers and circum
stantial of chroniclers, Peter Wilkins,
whose celebrated work not only gives an
account of . the general appearance and
habits of a most Interesting tribe of Hy
ing Indians, but also of all those more
delicate and engaging traits which the au
thor was enabled to discover by reason
of the conjugal relations he entered Into
with one of the females of the winged
tribe.”
We shall limit oltr extracts from the
contemporary press to the few quotations
here given, hoping that enough has beert
said to direct attention once more to thl
important subject, the Possibiiity of Bo*
Ing Deceived. J
Hon- Long Wars Last.
From the Ldndon Mail.
May 14 was the 215ih dey of the war.
It will be Interesting to compare thg
duration, so far, of the present struggle
with that of some of the great wars of
the nineteenth century.
The Spanish-Amcrlcan waf will be re*
membered, among other reasons, for It!
extreme brevity, for, begun on April 21*
1898, It was over and done with on Jul!
26 In the same year—a short, sharp three*
months' struggle.
The Zulu war lasted eight months, frotrt
Jan. 11 to Sept. 3, 1879.
The Chlno-Japanese war occupied only
nine months-from July 25, 1894, to April
17, 1895. ''
France and Germany were ten month#
In settling their dispute in 1870-71.
The Russo-Turklsh struggle lasted nears
ly eleven months—from April 24, 1877, to
March 3, 1878.
The Crimean war lingered for two yea*!
from March 27, 1854. until March 31, 1*
The American Civil War has the un
enviable distinction of having been by faf
the longest of the latter half of the os o *
tury. It began on April 13, 1861. and peacf
was not restored until May 26, 1905- .
In the present campaign In South Aij
rica we shall most likely break no record!
either way. Jl