NAMING THE SHIPS
How Titles Repeat Themselves
in the Navy.
The Naval Department Un«
moved by Superstition.
The approaching launch of crulsor
No. 6, says a Washington lotter to the
New York Sun, has brought to the
navy department a curious remons
trance against formally fastening upon
her the name of Sin Francisco, on the
ground that it is unlucky for a sea
going ship. What is most singular is
that this suggestion comes from the
Pacific coast, which as a whole is tak
ing pride in the honor propose l for
its chief city; and all the more because
the first vessel built by the Union Iron
works for the government received the
name of an Atlantic sea-board city.
Even were the notion more widely
shared, the Navy Department would
hardly lend itself to propping up super
stitious theories espucia ly to tho detri
ment of a city. It would quickly get
into hot wator on the subject, and on
every occasion of wrecks, 'eilhtr in its
own service or in the merchant marine,
might be forced to go through a process
of rcchristcniag, like tho renaming
of streets in Paris after a revolution.
Besides, San Francisco is really a wholly
new name in our naval nomenclature.
^0 also are Chicago, Charleston, and
‘Newark. Atlanta would be, had not a
Confederate ram of that name been
oAptfercd during the civil war aad added
to the Government forces. Tho armored
vessels Maine and Texas also have names
new to the navy, a3 have several of the
double-terret monitors. Yet it is safe
to say that should the list of the mer
chant marine be ransacked, more than
one of these names new to our Govern
ment vessels would be found attached
to vessels that have met disaster.
Other names in our new steel fleet
reproduce those of vessels that have
met with ill fortune. For example,
•the first Philadelphia was sunk in battle
with the British on Lake Champlain,
arid the sccoud was wrecked off Tripoli
and her officers and crew taken prison
ers, while she was recaptured by Deca
tur only to bo burned. Yet who does
4 not feel satisfied in giving to the flue
ntfw cruiser launched tho other day the
name of Biiubridge’s gallaut 36-gun
frigate! Two other Pailadclphias seem
to have ended their careers more quietly.
There have been several Baltimorcs in
our service, one of which, after cap
turing an English brig during the war
of 1812, was herself captured by the
enemy. The others have no hard luck
recorded against them. We had one
Vesuvius, a bomb vessel, which ran
ashore and lost her guns the first year
of her purchase, while another, also a
Jjomb vessel, had better fortune. Our
first Yorktown was wrecked in the Capo
de Verde Islands, although eventually
recovered, whilo two privateers of the
same name, after doing a great deal of
damage to British commerce, were them
selves captured. Sixty years ago our
navy had a Concord, which was lost on
tho east coast of Africa. Dolphins by
the dozen have been in our service,
taking together strte privateers and the
regular navy. Several of them were
captured, but many more had good
fortune. There have been five Bostons
in the regular navy, one of which was
sunk in battle, while a second was cap
tured by the British at tho surrender of
Charleston, and a third was burned at
Washington in 1814, so that she might
not fall into the hands of the British
when they entered the city. The fourth
Boston was wrecked and lost in the
West Indies.
It is clear from these examples, con
fined to tho comparatively few names
yet chosen for our new navy, that it
would not bo easy to choose appropriate
names guaranteed to have been wholly
unconnected at any timo and ;n any
place with ill fortune. Tho caso would
appear stronger on taking up iu the
same way names of vessels in the old
wooden navy, many of which have been
duplicated on several vessels. Of
course, the Navy Department might
not attach to a new vessel the name of
its illfated Huron, when a thousand
others were equally available; but it
could not afford to examine the records
of thousands of merchant vessels in
this and other countries, in order to
b« sure that a name it had selected had
never at any time been associated with
some disaster. Indeed, for that matter,
tho merchant marine is itself not over
sensitive. In old times it was cosier
to select total novelties, and supersti
tions were more respected; but nowa
days it would bo almost as idle to at
tempt to look up all tho former usos of
a proposed naval name as to make a
a study of the comparativo good and
ill fortune of a name to bo giveu to a
child. A happy instance of a challenge
(o omons has occurred in the naming
of the splendid now racer, City of
Paris.
As to the se'cction of names, it is
subject in our navy to statutes, which
prescribe that voscls of certain rating)
shall be called after cities or rivers or
states, as tho case may be, while others
are governed in this respect by official
choice. These statuses may not always
have been strictly observed, or at nil
events thero has been some apparent
confusion through tho different classifi
cation of ironclads and other vessels,
tonnago measurement, being applied to
tho former and tonnage displacement tc
the latrcr. But tho seltc iou of the
names of cities and states has in general
followed the statute requirements in the
new steel fleet. No doubt vessels lika
the Sau Francisco, the Newark and tho
Chicago, whoso names have never beforo
been used in the naval service, although
fiequent enough in the merchant marine
will find very much tho same fortuno
as the Boston, Philadelphia and Balti
more, and for all, let it be hoped, good
luck surpasses the bad.
Cured of His Sleepiness.
The recent railroad disasters, says tho
Chicago Harold, has recalled a number
of stories regarding tho carelessness of
engineers and other men in the opera
ting department of railroads. Aa old
railroader was telling recently of tho
timo when he used to be conductor of a
freight train. It was his misfortune to
have an abnormally lazy engineer, who
would g) to sleep on the slightest
provocation. Wnenevcr tho train was
sidetracked to wait tho passage of an
express train the engineer would lie
dowu on his seat in the cab, prop his
feet up against the boiler head and go
fast asleep. lie would remain that way
until the noise of the flying expresi
awoke him. Then he would yawn and
preparo to pull out. Tho boys in tho
train crew did not like this. ‘‘Why
can’t he stay awako and watch for sig
nals as \vc do?” asked one of them ono
night, as tlie long train was on a siding
waiting for tho arrival of “No
6.” “Well, why don’t you see
that he keeps awake?” asked tho
old railroader, who was in charge of
the train. “I will,” said the brake-
man. With the assistance of the other
boys he firmly set the brakes along tho
train and then hung a red lantern from
the roof of tho engine cab so that it
was hanging in front of the window
just in front of the slumbering engi
neer. Those preparations made ho put
his foot on the old-fashioae 1 crank
whistle and there was an awful shriek.
Tho engineer jumped up and saw tlie
red light. Confused for the moment
he thought he was about to run into tho
rear end of another train, so he reversed
his engine and jumped into the ditch,
nearly breaking his neck. Of courso
the engino did not move a peg. The
boys were all back in the way-car by
this time, and when the sleepy engineer
recovered himself and limpc 1 up out of
the ditch he thought he must have been
dreamugg. However, he lost a year’s
growth aud never went to sleep at, his
post after that. lie was cured.
He Must Be In Love.
There is a man living in Hartford,
Conn., who deserves the prize for ab
sent-mindedness. A few days ago lie
svas having his boots blacked bv an
Italian street bootblack. Just as tho
job was finished and tho gettleman had
picked out a nickel from his purse an
acquaintance steped up and began
talking. The gentleman absent-mind
edly put the nickel in his pocket and
gave the purso to tho bootblack, who
seized it and disappeared. The purse
contained $2.15. Since that time the
Italian has been asked to give it up but
refused. So the gentleman had him ar
rested.— Chicago Hera r d.
A White Peacock.
Tiie Zoological Society of Loudon
has just received a white peacock. This
bird preserves the markiags which dis-
tinguish tho species, particularly the
largo eye-like spots on the tail feathers.
The effect of them spots is most re
markable. They are exactly like the
pattern on a damask tnb'c-clotfa.
FARM AND GARDEN.
Tn.E DRAINAGE;
Fifteen years ago, says a writer in
tho Now York World, 100 yards of tila
were laid through tho wettest part of
my place, which was thoa in pasture.
Tho first thing I noticed in favor of the
tile drain was, that in walking across
tho pasture in a wet timo, I failed to
hear the wator squash under my feet
within three or four rods of where tho
tile was laid. We continued the drain
it reached the higher land, whore wo
thought it would not pay to tile. We
thought if wo could got the wetland to
dry as soon as the higher land wo would
be woll satisfied. But we were agree
ably disappointed. Tho wet land was
far ahead in drying off as tho dryest
land before drainage was ahead of it.
Of a wet season I could go into this
tiled land and plough corn between the
rains in os nice order as I ever plowed
land, as long as I stayed wituin the in
fluence of the tile drain; but when I
got upon the higher untiled land my
team mired down and the horses tracks
wore visible until turned under. 1
| noticed also that young corn appeared
in nice rows twenty-four hours on tiled
land before it could be seen in tho re
mainder of the row, where it was not
tiled. It gained one day's growth the
first week, the second week it seemed
to have gained two days more, making
it three days ahead at tho end of two
weeks, and I think it gained iu that
proportion until it was ripe.
TO CAN SWEET CORN.
The process of canning is not diffi
cult, but it is a question whether it can
be economically practiced on a small
scale. Some, however, who are fas-
tid.ous in their tastes, prefer to prepare
their own, rather than trust to factory
hands. When a first-class avticlc is de
sired it will be necessary to select the
best corn, rejecting tho immature and
over-ripe ears. The sooner it is canned
after being taken from tho stalks tho
better. The cans can be made to order
by any tinsmith. The corn is first cut
from the cob with a curved knifo made
for that purposo. The cobs are then
placed in a vessel containing just
enough water to cover them, and boiled
one hour. The cans are soldered at
both ends, but have an opening at one
end, which is closed by a cap that fits
into a groove. Fill the can through
the opening with tho corn that has been
cut from the cob, pressing it in closely,
leaving empty space of about one-
fourth of an inch at the top, to allow
for the expansion of the contents by
the heat. Add to each can enough of
tho liquor obtained by boiling the cobs
to just cover the top of tho corn, then
solder on the cap3, each of which must
be provided with a small vent iu the
center, which can bo made with a com
mon brad awl. Placo tho cans witli
the vent open iu a kettle of water and
boil for two hours; then take them out,
one at a time, witli tong; made for the
purpose, sotting them upon a bench or
soldering table, with force enough to
dislodge tho corn that may have worked
into the vent during the boiling process.
Wipe the top with a cold, wet cloth,
and close the vent with solder, after
which return to the kettle and boil four
hours longer. Some add a little white
sugar to the liquor obtained by boiling
the cobs if the corn is lacking in sweet
ness. The proportion of sugar is about
a teaspoonful to each can of corn.—
American Cultivator.
MANAGEMENT OP CREAM.
The management of the cream is the
most particular of all the special points
in butter-making, both as regards the
quantity and tho quality of tho butter.
Sweet cream makes less butter, and
that of a less pleasant flavor than soured
cream. Bu if the souring is carried too
far the flavor of tho butter is deterior
ated, as the acidity hastens the produc
tion of those volatile acids which when
in excess produce that condition which
i3 known as rancidity. It is to the very
moderate quantity of theso acids iu the
butter that the pleasant nutty flavor aud
peculiarly agreeable orlor of good but
ter are duo. The proper condition of
the cream is called ripeness. The ripen
ing of cream consists in th.3 production
of a certain quantity of lactic acid in
the milk, of which tho larger part—
from 60 to 75 por cent.-—of the cream
consists. The quantity of acid in the
cream should be no more than is suffi
cient to give it a mild, pleasant-sour
taste, and this may bo produced pre
cisely by the following methods with
shallow or deep cold sotting respective
ly. With tho former the milk is set la
shallow pans, at a temperature of 60 to
sixty-two dogroes, in pure air, for thir
ty-six hours, whon it is skimmed, the
m.lk being still sweet or very slightly
soured. Tho cream, skimmed at inter
vals of twelve hours, is kept in a cov
ered jar at the same temperature, and
fresh cream is added to the first skim-
mings, the wholo is gently stirred, to
mix all together. At the expiration of
thirty-six hours from tho first skimming
tho cream will be in tho host condition
for churning and “ripeness,” as it is
now termed and for making excellent
butter. With the cold water and deep-
pail sotting tho cream is skimmed twen
ty-four hours after tho milk has been
set, and is kept in a pail set in tho tank
at tho usual temperature of forty-five
degrees until there is enough for tho
churning, or the cream of each skim
ming may bo churned each d ty. But
tho cream must then be ripened before
it is churned. This may bo done by
exposing the cream to a temperature of
sixty to sixty-fivo degrees for twenty,
four hours to produce the requisite
acidity or ripeness; but this delay may
be avoided and tho ripening hnstened
by adding a sufficient quantity of
sour milk or buttermilk of the
previous day's churning to produce
this sourness. Generally ono quart of
sour milk to twenty quarts of the sweet
crenm will be enough for this purposo;
the cream being gently stirred so as to
mix tho sour milk evenly through it.
The prccison with which this ripening
is effected is the main point in making
the best quality of butter, and to be
sure about it tho thermometer should
be used to regulate the temperature, and
the time should be noted; for tempera
ture and timo act together, and ono ele
ment being in cxeess the other needs to
be reduce i to reach the desirable effect.
If all the operations of the dairy aro per
formed with precision, the cleanliness
of everything used, and the purity of
the air being perfectly secured, thon
the temperature and time may be fixed
by rule; if the tenperaturo is increased
the time is decreased, and vice versa;
and thus every time the same results
may be reached.--American Agriculturist.
UTILIZING OLD TIN CANS.
There are a great many things thrown
away on the farm which a rigid econ
omy would teach us to keep. Instead
of throwing the empty tin cans in the
pile of rubbish, or fence corners, or let-
ling them remain around as eyesores,
says a writer in the Baltimore Sun, they
can be used for various purposes ou the
farm, and when the fanner snves them
he will be quite delighted aud aston
ished at the various uses to which they
can bo put. A good plan is to take the
cans and put them on a hot stove until
the solder melts. Then they can be
straightened out in sheets and put away
until needed. Among tho tilings they
can be used for is repairing leaks in
roofs. To repair a leaky roof take sev
eral of theso tin-can sheets after the
leak is located, commence a foot or s»
above it, and place a sheet of tin by
crowding the upper edge under tho
layer of shingle; then tack the upper
and lower corners with galvanized tacks.
Ordinary tacks will soon cause
the tin to rust. Have paint
ready and paint the first sheet
of tin before the next layer is put on,
and follow this method untill the sheets
have been laid at least a foot below the
• leaking portion of the roof. Of courso
! after tho first sheet is started the tin is
| put on, lapping the same as shingles.
A roof thus repaired will be waterproof
and last a long timo. As soon a3 the
paint is dry another coat over all tho
sheets should be given. Take a can
and cut it down to half the depth,
leaving about an inch aud a half to run
up on one side uncut, so that it will
form a place to nail it up by; theu fas
ten it up in some convenient place in
the barn for a receptacle for odd nuts,
burs aud .small bolts. Old cans also
make good material to nail around on
the wood work of stalls where there are
cribbing horses. Tacked on the top of
the gate-posls they will help preserve
them. In fact, the uics a genius will
find for these tin scrap;, the thousand
and one thing) they will prove to bo
“just the thing” for, is astonishing.
VARM AND GARDEN NOTED.
Never allow the fowls to go thirsty.
A hog that is fully satisfied with his
stomach wants to sleep.
Let the fruit ladder be wide at the
bottom and narrow at the top.
The Forest Flower.
Life is sweet, O forest fl >wert j
In your leaf encircled bower;
Gentle breezes sing to thee,
Bird and beo are oompany,
As, with song or noisy hum,
In the summer days they o uney
Morn or even brings its dow,
Priceless bounty unto you,
Safely guarded, hour by hour,
Life Is sweet, O forest flower I
Life Is pure, O forost flower!
When t ie rain drops are your dower.
Dropping, dropping, one by one,
Till their blessed work is done,
Winds bear on your sweet perfume,
Outward from the forest gloom.
Whore the grassy meadows are,
Over hill and mountain far,
Tis your gift of soothing power,
Lite is pure, O forest flower I
—J. It. M. Wright in Picayune.
HUMOROUS.
The railroad tie is no four-in-hand.
Tho waiter girl is different from a
poet. She is not born; sho is maid to
order.
The highest grade of impudence—lo
wait in an umbrella shop for a shower
to pass over.
Bo not quick to anger, but if you are
chased by a mad bull tako of-fence as
quickly as you can.
It makes no difference whether or
not bad poetry is written on both sides
of a sheet of paper.
Guard—Sir, if you want to smoke in
tHis carriago you must cithor got out or
throw your cigar away.
Little Annette—“Mother, do please
buy me a new doll; my old ono in quite
ashamed when asxed its ago.”
Teacher: What great event occurred
in 1878. Small Boy (after a pause):
Piease, Ma’m I was born thon.
It is instinct that prompts a girl who
knows nothing of the world to a3k to
drive when yon strike a lonely road.
A sure sign that the door boll is go
ing to ring: When you aro the only one
in tho house and are in the bathtub.
Young men buating heirosso3 should
remember that “Miss Fortunes never
•omo singly." You have to marry 'em.
The man who kickod a collector out
of his office remarked that if he couldn’ t.
foot his bills oneway he would another.
If you save ono cent a day, Eoonezer,
you will not have to lose a friend at the
end of the year by trying to borrow a
dollar from him.
Reginald—“I have a vague idea—”
Grosvcnor (interrupting)—“What, that
is a positive improvement! Let me
congratulate you.”
Rather Rough.— “You are gowing?
It seems to mo that my society is not
enough for you.” “On the contrary, it
is too much for me.”
Author—I always test my skotche)
by reading them to my wife. Friend
—Ah, yes—and you use those sho likes?
Author—No, those she doesn’t.
Tho lay of the poet and the lay of the
hen differ in several important features,
aud none more signally than in the
readiness with which the lay of the hen
is convertible into hard cash.
“Do you remember how ton years
ago in this very place you offerod your
self to mo?” “Oh, ye3, and you re
fused me.” “I havo been reconsider
ing tho matter.” “So have I."
Mesmerism in Surgery.
There inav be more iu mesmerism—.
now called hypnotism—than the medi
cal fraternity generally aro ready to ad
mit. Medicine under modern develop
ments, says a London journal, lias been
so engrossed with tho fascinating theory
that mind is a function of matter that it
has quite forgotten to discuss tho possi
bility of the converse and equally fas
cinating hypothesis that matter is a
function of mind.
A severe operation has just boon con
cluded in Paris on a young woman dur
ing a mesmeric trance. Iu tho Hotel-
Dicu the patient was subjocte 1 by a
Paris surgeon to a painful cutting oper
ation “of the class called dangerous
and requiring great delicacy of manipu
lation,” she being at the time “wholly
insensiblo to pain, showing no sign of
suffering, arul awakening”—not from
an anaesthetic of tho ordinary kind,
but from a mesmeric sleep—“wholly
oblivious of wiiat had takeu place."
These andjlikc experiments aro unmis
takable evidences that the medical pro
fession is awakening to the possibility
of establishing under tho banner of tho
nineteenth century science the essence
of the ancient doctrine of tho supra-
mney ol mind.
