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HARNESSING A (fI'SHEK. IT’S A CREAT FEAT TO SUBJUCATE AN OIL WELL. Tlie Mighty Stream That Iluslietl Faith Whon tlie I. uvits (inther at Heamnont Was Struck Skill, Haring and Great Fiiduranre I: qHired W hen Caviling. Everybody who reads the daily pa pers knows that a big hole was sunk in the ground near Beaumont, that a mighty stream of oil rushed forth and that the Lucas gusher was created. Everybody knows that after several days had elapsed the well w*.s • capped,” and the further waste of oil vas prevented. But everybody does not know what a great feat of engi neering skill, daring and endurance the process of “capping” was nor what an effort it took to control and bring into subjection that mighty belching of nature. , On Jan. 9 the well had reached a depth of 1160 feet, and there were four metal tubes in the hole. The first cas ing, a pipe 10 inches in diameter, reached a part of the way. Inside of that there was an eight-inch pipe ex tending still farther down, and within that there was a six-inch pipe reach ing almost 1000 feet down. All of these pipes extended above the surface of the ground. Below the end of the six inch pipe was a rock formation, through which the contractors had been drilling for several days. The drill was driven by a four-inch pipe extending through the others. The four-inch pipe was merely used as a tool and was not intended for casing. On the evening of Jan. 9 the four inch pipe was drawn out in order that anew drill might be substituted for the one which had become worn. The pipe was left out overnight. The next day anew bit was affixed to it and the men began lowering it. It had got down about 700 feet when the oil gushed out. of the rock, forcing the four-inch pipe out, hurling it 300 feet aioit, carrying away the tackles, hy draulic pump connections, etc. The oil deposit was not drilled into. The commotion in the bowels of the earth broke through the rock 17 hours after the drill made its last turn, and the oil gushed forth and shot heavenward wiin terrific force, a belching, ungov ei nod monet'r. To cap. and curb and control this great pillar of force, the upward pres sure ot which it was afterward deter mined was 105 pounds .4©- the square inch. The men had to work under the torrent of greasy, dirty oil as it de scended to the earth. In order to do this they wore goggles to protect the eyes and gauze shields to protect the nose, all the apertures around them being closed with plaster. Speech and hearing were impossible, and the work was directed by a code of signals pre viously agreed upon. A plan was devised for putting a whole valve in place. A frame was constructed of railroad iron as a slide to carry the valve. Two bars were laid horizontally across the derrick frame, passing on either side of the stream of oil. These bars were in tended to support and hold the valve in place from the sides. Above these were two other bars, engaging the top of the valve and intended to keep it from being thrown upward when it should com 3 in contact with the •stream. Just beyond the stream bolts were fastened in the bare so as to stop the valve over the stream and at the prop er plane. The bars were securely an chored so as to withstand the strain to be put upon them. Into this frame or si do the valve was put. A block and tackle was rigged up and con nected with the valve, and when ev erything was in readiness a team of horses was driven forward at a rapid spe ed. The valve was, of course, open at both ends so as to permit the stream to pass through it when it should come directly over the pipe. Hut it was known that a tremendous pressure would bs exerted upon the half of the valve passing through tha stream before the valve would reach its place and surround the flow. As the horses moved forward and the valve cam? in contact with the stream tht-re Avas a fearful strain, a tilting movement and a terrific spattering of oil. It was an anxious and critical moment for the men who were trying to harness this force of nature, but the crisis was safely passed. The valve reached the stop bolts and set tled into place directly over the end of the pipe and perfectly inclosing the stream. The oil again flowed unim peded toward the sky. but with the circle of iron around it. One step in the closing of the well had been safely accomplished, but the valve hung in its frame 12 inches above the top of the pipe. Anchors were made, and the valve was pulled down to the top of the eight inch pipe and screwed on. Fortunately there were good threads on this pipe. The six-inch pipe was what is known as a blind pipe and was not threaded. it next became necessary to put down anchors sufficiently' strong to hold the pipe in place after the clos ing of the valve should bring the pres sure of the stream against it. As the oil was still rushing upward through the orifice at the top of the valve and falling on the ground around the well the men could not w r ork at digging the necessary holes, and furthermore the saturation of the ground made it soft. It therefore became necessary to divert the stream. An orifice on the side of the valve was opened. Then the orifice at the top was gradually closed, and the stream shot out horizontally some .‘b'M) feet. Then the holes were dug, the anchors put in and screwed down upon the top of the valve. The oil was returned to the upward flow in order that a T might be leached at the side of the valve. When this had been accomplished the side orifice was again opened and (he stream turned in a horizontal posi tion. Now the momTnt had arrived to shut off the stream altogether, an 1 every pound of pressure exterted by the hidden force deep down in the ground must be borne by the valve and by the anchors chaining it. A pressure gauge was fitted into the valve. Then the gate of the side ori fice was gradually closed. Gradually the pressure rose in the gauge. Pos sibly something might, be wrong with the gauge. The stream was turned on ngi'in. and anew gauge was substi tuted. Gradually the pressure rose in this gauge as the stream was shut off. Again it stopped at 105 pounds, and not a drop of oil trickled from the pipe. The anchors held firm; the great pillar of oil was stopped; the commotion in the earth no longer was manifested on the surface; the great roar was hushed and silence again reigned. In 10 days and 10 minutes from the time the oil burst from its rocky bed the Lucas gusher had been closed. The six men who had done the work shouted for joy, and Mr. Lucas threw his hat in a pond of oil. The work of closing the well oc cupied two days, the beginning having been delayed several days to secure material. After the well had been closed Mr. Lucas built a large iron casing around the pipe above the earth and filled it with sand to protect the well from fire. Last week the valve was uncov ered and opened a little. Mr. Lucas says the pressure continues the same, and they now have the oil confined in natural reservoirs from which they can draw a gill or a million gallons at will. —St. Louis Post-Dispatch. GUAINT AND CURIOUS. Buffalo, N. Y., has an automatic clock in one of the public schools which announces by a ringing of a bell the closing hour of each recita tion. It is said to he the only time piece of its kind in the world adapts! to such work. A party of 10 California automobil ists recently indulged in a wildcat hunt. They followed the hounds as closely as possible, the country being favorable to the operation of the vehi cles, and had the satisfaction of bag ging a dozen of the felines. Some years ago there was a remark able migration of crabs at the mouth of the St. James river. They moved slowly along to the north, and not only covered the bottom, but countless numbers swam in midwater. Not a foot of the sandy bottom was free of crabs, so that it was impossible to put an oar down without striking one or more. For several days this move ment continued. Const is the smallest republic as to area, but Tavolara is the smallest re public si s to population. Goust is only one mile in area. It is located on the flat top of a mountain in the Pyrenees, between France and Spain, and is rec ognized by both these countries. It is governed by a president and a council of 12. It was established in 1648 and his 180 inhabitants. The president is tax collector, assessor and judge. Devotees of golf are fond of refer ring to it as “the ancient and royal game.” It is probably more royal and certainly far more ancient than most of them have any id>:a of. At all events a pictured (ablet was recently ; unearthed at Carchemish, the old cap ital of the Hittites, whereon are de picted men and women engaged in a : pastime, which, if not exactly golf as 1 played at present. Is something ex traordinarily like it. How to stop the Indians of the South Dakota reservation from eating each other's food is an amusing but per plexing problem with which the In- { dian bureau is now dealing. It is an unwritten law of Indian hospitality : that a guest may stay as long as he likes, and that as long as the guest re mains the host must provide the food. It has become the custom among the Sioux, who have a feast with their two-week ration as soon as they re ceive it from the government, to go to the more provident Indians and live on them until all their food was gone, j The Gun-making Industry As an illustration of the magnitude of the business involved in the pur chase by the smaller powers of war material in Europe, one has only to look at the number of men employed at such great plants as the Krupp of Germany, the Creusot in France, and those of the Armstrongs and Vickers Sons & Maxim of England. Krupp employs something like 25.000 men; the two English firms employ collec tively about 36,000 men; and the Creu sot plant about 19,000. No reckoning is here made of the famous Loewe works of Berlin, or of Italian, Belgian and numerous French firms. With the exception of Krupp, the above estab lishments ordinarily confine them selves to filling foreign orders. —Har- per’s Weekly. Well-15ro<l Princesses of Slnm. A somewhat curious school has been opened at Bangkok by an Eng lish lady. The pupils are 15 in num ber, and they are all princesses of the royal family in Siam. They are taught to do everything that a good housekeeper should do. They cook, wash clothes, bake, sweep the rooms, lay the table, arrange the flowers, and in short, learn to make themselves generally useful. They leave the school to be married at the age of 15, and it is said that a Siamese princess now makes an admirable wife. —Lon- don Globe. THE WEEKLY NEWS. CARTE IIS VILLE, OA. Start The New Century Right* Don’t try to get along with those old fashioned, out of date farm implements. What’s the use, when our prices on up-to-date implements are so low ? for quality and durability, has been given the machinery which we sell and recommend, “Iried and true ’ makes are the only ones good enough for our customeis. WE ARE PROUD of our new spring line of STYLISH BIGS Hlf WATERED MILK BARRED. Atlanta Sanitary Officials Sorely liar rassthe Dairymen. T he Atlanta sanitary department is making it warm for the dairymen who sell milk in the city. Nearly every day cases are made against dairymen whose milk does not come up to the standard required by city ordinance. The inspector secures samples of milk from wagons or at stores, when it is least expected, and the samples are analyzed. If the analysis shows that there is not enough cream in the milk and too much water, a case is made. Under the milk ordinance the minimum fine that can be imposed by the recorder is $10.75. On. Sickles >erlously 111. According to a New York dispatch General Daniel E. Sickles is seriously ih in Pleasantville, N. Y. PROMINENT PEOPLE. The report of the Pope's illness proves unfounded. Count and Countess von YValdersee will visit America next year. General Maximo Gomez, the Cuban patriot, is on a visit to the Unifed States. The Sultan of Turkey is one of the most enthusiastic chess players in Europe. Admiral Dewey and General Joseph Wheeler have been widely entertained at Newport, It. I. Prince Oman, a brother of the Em peror of China, will visit the United States in the fall. Andrew Carnegie has increased his library gift to Port Jervis, N. Y., from $-0.000 to $;{o,ooo. Governor-General Wood, at Havana, Cuba, is improving, but his physicians advise him to rest. King Edward has conferred on the Sultan of Morocco the Order of Knight Grand Cross of the Bath. Mrs. Creighton is at work on a biog raphy of her late husband. Dr. Creigh ton, who was formerly Bishop of Lon don. M. Carnbon, the French Ambassador at Washington, bade President Mc- Kinley goodby before sailing for Faris. He expects to return in the fall. The new Italian ambassador to Lon don, Sig. Alberto Panza, is possessed of a very intimate knowledge of Euro pean statecraft. He is fifty-seven years old. The Rev. Dr. Byron Sunderland, for many years pastor of the First Pres byterian Church in Washington, died at the home of a son-in-law at Cats kill. X. Y. President McKinley is planning to make a trip to the Northwest early next summer. He will visit Washing ton, Oregon and other States of the northern tier, taking in Yellowstone Fnrk, which he has never seen. KNIGHT HARDWARE CO —■————ww-fri—————— FAVORABLE TO CROPS. i Weather Conditions In Georgia the Past Week Encouraging. The Georgia crop report for the week ending Monday, July Bth, issued by the local weather bureau shows that the weather conditions of the week were generally very favorable to crops, and much cultivation was accomplished. Local showers occurred in a few sec tions, but in a majority of the coun ties dry and hot weather prevailed. Cotton has taken a start, is growing favorably, blooming and forming; its general condition is, however, still re garded as inferior, and black root has appeared in some or the southern counties. Corn needs moisture in near ly all sections. Melons are poor, peaches continue to rot; cane, pota toes, peas and minor crops are pro gressing well as a rule. LAMES OPEN TO PUBLIC. Cession Made By Indians Now Ready For White Manbi occupancy. The proclamation of President Mc- Kinley opening to settlement the lands ceded by Indians in Oklahoma was made public at Washington Sunday. The proclamation covers the cessions made by the Wichita and affiliated hands of Indians in acqrdance with the act of March 2, 1895, and those made by the Comanche, Kiowa and Apache tribes in pursuance o- the act of June 6, 1900. Tne proclamation provides for the opening of the lands in those reserva tions which are not reserved at 9 o’clock a. m. on August 6th next, the land to be open to settlement under the homestead and townsite laws of the United States. JELKS MEANS BUSINESS. Alabama Governor Offers S4OO for I-arh Member of a Mob. Governor Jelks, of Alabama, has bro ken the record in offering rewards. He has offered S4OO for evidence to secure the conviction of each memner of the mob which lynched Robert White in Elmore county recently. No one knows the size of the mob and the total re ward may figure into the thousands. Son of Ambassador Suicides. Attorney Frederick D. White, son of Ambassador to Germany Andrew L. White, committed suicide at Syracuse. N. Y., Monday night by placing the muzzle of a rifle in his mouth ami pull ing the trigger. He had been suffering from neurasthenia. Climax of Hot Wave. Monday tue climax of the hot wave at Pierre, S. D., was reached. The government record was 104 and it was hotter on the streeta. Business is practically suspended. Rheumatic pains are the cries of protest and distress from tortured muscles, aching joints and excited nerves. The blood has been poisoned by the accumulation ol waste matter in the system, and can no longer supply the pure and health sustain ing food they require. The whole system feels the effect of this acid poison ; and not until the blood has been purified and brought back to a healthy condition will the aches and pains cease. Mrs. James Kell, of 707 Ninth street, N. E„ Washington, TANARUS). C., writes as follows; “A few months ago I had an attack of beiatic Rheurna film in its worst form. The pain was so intense that I became completely pros trated. The attack was an unusually severe one, and mv condition was regard eif as being very danger- “lly KB ous. 1 was attended by ' one of the most able doe- nB AJegr tors in Washington, who is , also a member of the fac ulty of a leading medical J ' college here. He told me to continue his prescrip tions and I would get well. After having P filled twelve times without receiving the slightest benefit, I declined to continuous treatment anj longer. Having heard of S. S. S.(Swift's Specific) recommended for Rheumatism, I decided, almost in despair however, to give the medicine a'mal, and after I had taken a few bottles I was able t< hobble around on crutches, and very soon there after had no use for them at all, S. S. S. having cured me sound and well. All the distressing pains have left me, my appetite has returned and I am happy to be again restored to perfeef health. the great vegetable purifier and tonic, is the ideal remedy in all Lm ja. al rheumatic troubles. There are no opiates or minerals in it to disturb the digestion and lead to ruinous habits. We have prepared a special book on Rheumatism which every sufferer from this painful disease should read. It is the most complete and interesting book of the kind in existence. It will be sent free to any one desiring it. Write our physi cians fully and freely about your case. Wo make no charge for medical advice. & THE SWIFT SPECIFIC CO.. ATLANTA. GA. CHINESE TURN TABLES. Pigtails Ask Pay For Damages Done By American “Boxers.” The Chinese government through Minister Wu Ting Fang has filed a claim for indemnity to the amount of a half million dollars on account of al leged outrageous treatment of Chinese at Butte, Mont., in 1886. There is a suggestion of boxer outrages reversed in the presentation of the case to the state department, the treatment inflict ed upon the Chinese at Butte being claimed to have been cruel and oppres sive. It is charged that some of them were killed, others lost their property and many of them were driven out. The claimants number several hun dred. Do yoo want an up-to-date, live newspaper—one that will keep you posted on affairs at home and abroad! Ton will answer the question affirm atively by sending ns your name aud subscription for this paper for a year or at least sis mouths. RUSSIA OFFERS TO RACK DOWN Makes Proposition to Call Off Tariff War. THE MOVE COMES TOO TATE Secretary Gage Notifies Minister DeWitte That the /latter Is Now In Court. A Washington special says: An other important exchange has occur red between the Russian government and the United States relative to the tariff. The Russian minister of fi nance, M. De Witte, has proposed that Russia will vacate all of the additional duties levied on American goods since the imposition of the sugar differential if the United States will vacate its ac tion on the sugar differential. To this Secretary Gage has replied that the offer of the Russian government can not he accepted, as the question of the sugar differential is now in the hands of the court, thus precluding action by the executive branch. The proposition of the Russian min ister of finance was the result of Sec retary Hay’s note of about two weeks ago. In that note Mr. Hay pointed out that the action taken as to petroleum was not new, nor was it meant to have any connection with the previous ac tion of the government on sugar. This appears to have confirmed Russian of ficials in their view that the petroleum order was only another step in the policy previously taken respecting su gar. M. De Witt’s response is not long, hut is quite to the point. It makes no further issues as to the petroleum or der. The chief attention is given to sugar and the specific offer Is made to vacate immediately the increased duties which Russia has levied if the United States will vacate its action on sugar. This would amount to re-estab lishing the status quo which existed before the United States tooiv its ini tial action relative to Russia. The Russian proposition was com municated to Secretary Gage, who re sponded promptly that as the • sugar question is now before the courts it is not possible for him to avail himself of the Russian suggestions. Anus the matter stands. The reductions which would have resulted under M. De Witt’s tender are those affecting cast iron wares, manufactures of Iron and steel, boiler work, tools for .artists, factories and workshops, gas and water meters, mo tors and dynamos, sewing machines, portable engines, not including thresh ing machines, fire engines and other machinery of iron and steei, also white rosin, galipot, brewers’ pitch and bi cycles. DEADLY DUEL IN FLORIDA. j Farmer and Son-In-Law Use Shot Guns Willi Disastrous Results. News comes from Plant City. Fla., that a fatal duel with shotguns was fought near that place Monday after noon and that as a result Edward Franklin, a farmer, is dead and David Kinard, Franklin’s son in law; Mrs. ivinard and their baby are seriously wounded. Franklin, it is alleged, had employed a farm hand to do some plowing, for which he was to receive 700 strawber ry plants. The work having been nu ished Franklin gave an order on Kin ard for the plants, who refused to fill it. This was reported to hranklin, who immediately armed himself with a shotgun and went to the Kinard home. Arriving there he immediately opened fire, it is said, on his son in law, miss ing him, but striking and seriou-rly wounding his daughter and grandchild. Kinard ran for his gun and returned the fire. Another volley was fired at each other, Franklin falling dead and Kinard being seriously wounded. Evans’ Good Management. The report of the commissioner of pensions for the fiscal year just ended will show that the commissioner will turn back into the treasury $5,000,000 as unexpended balance of the amount appropriated to pensions. The total appropriation made by congress was $140,000,000. SEEKING A SETTLEMENT. Str king Machinists In Atlanta Ap point a ( onference Committee. An important step looking to har monizing the differences which exist between the Southern railway on the one hand and the striking machinists on the other was taken Tuesday at a meeting in Atlanta. Ga. By unanimous action resolutions were passed by the machinists calling on the other lodges interested to ap point one representative each for the purpose of conferring with the South ern railway management, with a view' to harmonizing the differences now ex isting. STEEL LURS INEFFECTIVE. Seven Prisoners Cut Through Jail * age at Hinesville, Ga. Seven prisoners escaped from the county jail at Hinesville, Ga.. early Tuesday morning. They broke through the steel cage, but it. is not yet known yet how this was accomplished. Six of the prisoners were colored. One was in for murder, others for va rious lesser crimes, including Willie Sims, white, for cow stealing.