Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

He Knows of pg £r' ‘ • Meteors. M OSmS A KANSAS INQIIRTR Fulling Aerolites Wm*t Xevrr Known to Hurt Anybody—Tliolr Origin tlriknimn, A friend living in Arkansas writes me about the recent full of a meteor tear his home, and he compliments me by asking some questions that I < uunr/taiiswer. The origin of meteors and their flight and fall is yet the un solved problem of the ages. He says that on the 2Gth of last month, at 8 o’clock in the morning, whe* there was a clear sky and not a cloud to bo seen, there was a rumbling sound of thunder, so weird aud unnat ural that it was alarming. It was like the rolling of heavy trucks over an un even platform, only immensely louder. It was heard in all the neighboring towns, and they all telegraphed each other to know if a mill had not blown up or a magazine exploded. Suddenly there was an explosion in the air and u dark cloud formed and meteoAe fragments fell at different places in this vicinity. A small piece that weighed oin and a half pounds fell in a Held near by and was brought to town while it teas yet hot. It was powdar-hlackrned on the outside, but inside was a grayish color, and its par ticles shone like gold dust Under the microscope they resembled quick silver. It was a full minute from the begin ning of the rumbling thunder till the xplaaiou came, and the o<mr*e of the sound was from east, to west. The went was so unexpected and so like the mythology of Jupiter tonans throwing a bomb from Mt. Olympus that the white people were spellbound and the negroes declared it a warning and went to prayer. Philosophers and astronomers have been stndyiag these phenomena for ‘:.. r ;>B years, and have not yet, agreed upon a solution. The archives of the Cuiuose empire record the fall of six teen great mrolitas from SOW to GOO years before Christ. The Greeks aud Romans record a number, and Ariele tle ood Diogenes commented npoa then. 80 did Livy, Plutarch ami Pliny. They have been soon so large that the estimated of the frag ments after tiie exploeiou was 30,000 pounds, and the light was so brilliant as to pale the sun by day aud obscure the inoon by night. There is now iu the Yale oolioge cabi net s fragment that weighs 1,035 pounds. This came from near the Red river in Arftaars*. Many of tire west ern states hare furnished specimens for the museums of colleges, and nil of them arc composed of the same mineral ingredients—-principally iron —and include capper, tan, sulphur, carben and other metals known to our own earth, fiot a single new sub stauee has ever been discovered, and for this reason the theory obtained that they were thrown up front our own velpanoet with such force as to wandar for a timo iu the outer atmos phere of the earth, and to revolve with the earth. But this theory hn* long srnoe been shaudiined, for they secret to have an or bit of their own from wet to east. Then came a theory tliat they came from the moon, and wera of vulcanic origin, and ware thrown out with such terrific fores *to got beyond the otooii’n in fluence and within that of our earth. But this was discredited Iwaiue those fragment* hare been falling, no doubt, for thrusuuda f year* on the land and mi the sou, and on all countries, and would have by this time materially diminished the sire and weight of the moon. Lb Place and Hmnl jit favored this stood theory for a time. Bat our modern astronomer*, snoh a* a Pro fessors Arago and Alrostod and. Bow - ditch declare that meteor* are simply cloud* or nebulae of meteoric planet* that have a motiou and orbit of their own, and that orbit noontimes come* within range of the earth’s and pro duces a commotion —a disturbance that causes the fall of some of their own nebulae. Some of the children got too far away from their mother, I reckon. S. metiiuee weteora are simply lu minous and have no body to explode or strike the earth. Tlreae hare pevi oilis* vibration* of thirty-four years. They coini> in shower* as thick a* nn.iwflukfw and fall as gently to within u lew feet of the earth aad are extin guished They fell in 1791) 185 M aud IS' -7. and each fall was on the lHth of November. But there have been mi nor display* a< irregular interval*— generally about the ltHlr of August. I au, old enough to remember well the “falling of the stars” in IRB3. My father held me ru hie arms a* he stood iu the portico, for 1 was scared. Onr old negro, Annt Minty, was prayiu and shouting so it seared all of n* ehH dren. George Lester lived on the oppo site side of the street, aud his mother held him in her arms. Sometimes in these later day* I wonld gat with mv old-time friends, Dr. Jim Alexan der or his brother Tom, or George Adair, aud we oottld 1 roast of the wou derinl era in which we bad lived, and the advent of steamboats aud railroads and cotton gins and sewing machines and telegraphs, and wo never neglect e ; to ssy, “ami we s*w the stars fall in 18d3.” Dewey never saw a night like that—but I reckon the Spaniards r.i Magda thought they did on tin- Ist < Alsy. I rtr— — mr "-r^y^r ago whils I waa\ • TWras and tele graphed the fait fa meteor near Brown wood that was a's big as a meet ing house and had buried itself thirty feet in the earth. I was at Brown wood a few days after and the post master was as mad as a hornet with Joe, for telegrams came to him from all over the United States and England wanting to know about it and want ing to buy it at any cost. Joe had to leave there and hide out for a month or two. The postmaster answered a i few and then swore off. There is one ‘ good thing about meteors. They never ! hurt anybody. The books say it is i remarkable and perhaps providential ■ that in all the earth there is no record of one having falleu on anybody or destroyed a habitation. Terrestrial lightning gets us sometimes, but ce lestial Area are not dangerous. And now the next inquiry is from a young farmer who wants to know if it is good farming to follow grain with . grain. He does not say what kind of | grain, but I will tell him that fifteen : years ago The Courier-Journal of Kentucky, offered a prize of SI,OOO for the best essay on practical agriculture. Over 200 were contributed and the essay that got the prize detailed the writer’s plan of farming in Kentucky. It was brief, very brief. He laid off his corn rows seven feet apart, drilled his corn eighteen inches apart, culti vated the ground thoroughly and har rowed itj sowed wheat early aud har rowed it in. When theoorn'was ready to gather he drove the wagon in every sixth row and loaded from three rows each side. After the corn was all gathered he went over the cornstoeks crossways with a heavy roller and rolled it all down flat on the wheat. The stocks and the blades covered it like a blanket. When the first good snow fell he sowed clover on the snow. When it rained or thawed the clover seed fell into the ground and took root, and so he had corn and wheat and clover fallowing in rotation and made a fine crop of each. But iu this region our farmers have learned the value of peas as a fertilizer and stock food, and the harvest of hay this year will no doubt double all pre vious records. One of my friends has a small farm near town and last year harvested a fair crop of wheat from a twenty acre field. After the wheat was off he sowed ten acres of the ground in cow peas. Last fall he sowed it all down in wheat and this spring you could tell just, where the lino of peas came to. There was no difference iu the quality of the land. It was all level and alike and yet he harvested this year ten bushels per acre on one-half and eighteen on the other. Now, what caused this great difference? It was the shade of the pea vines, the shade that, produces ni trogen, and nitrogen is the best of all plunt, food. The denser the shade the more nitro gen goes down into the soil. A cane brake, a briar patch,a clover covering, an old house in u field—remove it and plant the ground that was under it aud see how- luxuriant vegetation grows. Plant a grape vine near your house and the roots will all run under the house to feed—to feed on nitrogen. My wife has a wisteria vine at the end of the veranda, ami in throe years' time its roots had traveled underneath the floor and sent up sprouts twenty feet away, and fin - a time we did not knew where they cume from. A good farmer will shade everything he cun. He will cover the thin and gabled spots in his field with wheat straw. There is no virtue in wheat straw, but, it makes shade, and that makes nitro gen. There is no virtue iu u stone or iu rocks, but they make shade, and notice how plants will grow near to rocks or a rock wall. My long lamented friend, Dr. Bercktnau told me that “rocks were God’* blessing to the land,” aud he purchased ten acres of very stony land for ht* viuoyard aud his dower garden. It rejoice* me to see bow our mid dle Georgia farmers are looming up ou wheat culture. Forty bushels to the acre. Ten years ago it would have been declared impossible. This re minds me of my old English neighbor, John Allan, who asserted that his father was never content iu old Heng land with less than sixty bushels of wheat to the acre, aud sometimes ho made seventy. “Sow wheat in dust and rye iu mortar,” was his motto. Good old John Allan. I shot his cow in my cornfield, for it was her third offense and the old man woe grieved. He never got mad, but only said: “I know me eoow worried ye, but—but— major, I wouldeut have shot your eoow. I love you too well for that." How true it js that "kind words take away wrath.” — Bill Ant*, iu At lanta Co*stitn*iou. BHAMROf K’H~M \ST BROKE. Txtht Columbia Wlm Socond of Series of Intornxrionnl Kncefi. A New York dispatch says: The Columbia won the second of the inter national yacht races for America’s cup Tuesday. The Shamrock's topmast broke and she was unable to continue the race after running less than half au hour. Under an agreement reached be tween the yacht owners, the Columbia continued on the course alone, taking the second of the series of races. This agreement was to the effect that should any aooideut befall either boat the other should Dot be stopped. The Columbia was leading when the accident to the Shamrock occurred. Miami Again Quarantined. Owing to the discovery of another suspicious case of yellow fever at Miami, Fla. .State Health Officer Porter hastepiporarily placed that town under quarantine. Kruger’s Forces Are Credited With Victory of the War. Vk ARMORED TRAIN BLOWN UP. Report Has It That Fifteen En glishmen Fell In the First Onslaught. The London Evening News of Fri day published the following dispatch from Cape Town: ‘‘An armored train has been de stroyed south of Mafeking. Fifteen Britibli troops were killed. The Boers shelled the wreckage after the train was derailed.” An official dispatch received at the colonial office says: “The armored train was deatroyed near Kraipan station while on its way to Mafeking with guns.” This disposes of the fear that many women and children were involved in in the disaster. It was reported in Cape Town, though as yet rumor w - as not confirm ed, that a collision had taken place between trains hearing refugees, near Victoria West, Cape Colony, nine per sons being killed and many others in jured. The Boer forces, with artillery, ac cording to a dispatch just received from Standerton, broke camp at Sand spruit yesterday morniDg. moving in the direction of Natal. The war office lias received the following dispatch from the general commanding the Cape forces: “An armored train from Mafeking, escorting two seven-guns sent from here ,o Mafeking, was attacked last 1 night at Kraipas. Apparently a rail had been removed. The train left the track, aud the Boers fired into into it with artillery for a half hour, and cap tured it. Telegraphic communica tion with Mafeking is interrupted at Kraipan. The women aud children have been sent to Cape Town. Tlio guns referred to belonged to the col ony. They are light and of old pat tern. We have no details as to casu alties.” Firt Gnu Flrd. The first act. of the war was the swarming of the Boers across the bor der of Natal and the occupation of Laiugs Nek. An advance in the direc tion of New Castle iB also reported, but is not fully confirmed. The Brit ish field force in Natal under Generals White and Symons remains on the de fensive. The main body of troops iu Cape Colony is also statiomary, but a strong force has moved out frojn Mafeking fn Bechuanaland toward the Transvaal border, taking guns and ambulance equipment. This force consists chief ly of rough riders and craok marks men from Bnluwayo, aud is stiffened with the Northumberland Fusileers, or the “Fighting Fifth,” regarded by Kitchener as his best regiment. The cavalry is commanded by Colonel Baden-Pow-ell and the infantry by Colonel Plnmmer. These two oflioers were the best on the British side dur ing the Matabelo rebellion. Joubert C-ttutioiiH Hl Troops. Advices from Pretoria state that Commandant General Joubert’s com mand is now at Yolksrust. Several Cape Colonists have been sworn in as j Burghers. The town is quiet. Postal communication with the surrounding ; colonies has been suspended, but that i between the Transvaal aud the Orange Free State is l maintained. Commandant General Joubert has i issued a circular froih the chief laager r in consequence of the report that some of the Burghers had misbehaved them selves on their journey to the plundering a number of stores. Such offenses,the commandant general says, ♦ill be severely punished. “When we are unwillingly com pelled to cross the boundary line of our country,” says General Joubert, “let it not he thought that we are a baud of robbers, aud with that iu ! view, remain as far as possible from private dwellings and from places where no enemy is stationed. When food or forage for the cattle Is needed, let certain officers acquire such goods ] EXGLAM) IS DENOUNCED. EoriUiii and Oermnn* Condemn Brnith African Policy. A cable dispatch from London says: The formation of a British fly squad ron has created considerable bewilder ment. It is purely a defensive measure aud inspired by the bitter hostility to England displayed by the continental press. The Hussion official organs are fore most in their threats and incitements to join the action against Great Bri tain, though official Germany pro claims itself neutral, the German press is second only to the Russian in its denunciation of England’s South Afri can policy. WILL BUM) PULP MILL. EfltsMUhniMt Will Pc Located In Bris tol, Tena., My Northern M#o. The Columbia Paper company, of Philadelphia, ha 6 bought grosud iu Bristol, Tenn., for a pulp mill and will invest 5550,000 in aplant. The mil! will employ ISO laborers and consume sixty cords of poplar daily. Thomas Bonham, of Philadelphia, is president of the company and S. H. Egalp gen eral manager. from the owner, and let a receipt* %! given with promise of recompense eH the government.” ’ Macrnin Now British Ajjent. A special from Washington says':! The state department was notified! Friday of the withdrawal from Pre- 1 toria of Mr. Conyugbam Greene, the British diplomatic agent to the South African republic, and the existence of a state of war between Gx - eat Britain aud that republic. Mr. Macrum, the American consul at, Pretoria, has ac cordingly been instructed to under take the care of the British interests in that section during the war. The notification came to the sta‘j-j department in the shape of a note from Mr. Tower, the charge of the British embassy in Washington. The details of the transfer of the inter ests in case of war has been previously arranged, so all that was necessary was the dispatch of a brief cablegram to Air. Macrum at Pretoria. This officer is the superior in rank to the other consular representatives of the United States, not only in the Transvaal, but in the Orange Free State, and has been entrusted to give these officials the necessary directions. The only consular official beside Air. Macrum in the South African republic is a Air. Gordon, who succeeded Air. Manion as consular agent at Johannes burg, Air. Alanion having resigned a few months ago. In the Orange Free State the United States is represented by Alfred Elliott, consular agent at Bloemfontein. He is an Englishman, and therefore it is questionable whether or not he will remain at his post in his capacity as Amerioan agent. If he retires, Air. Macrnm will probably select some Amerioan to take up the duties of con sular agent. There is no present, intention at the state department to issue a proclama tion of neutrality. DEWEY LAYS CORNER-STONE. Admiral Returns Again to His Alma Hater at Northfield, Vermont. The little village of Northfield, Ver mont, in the very heart of the Green Mountain State, and the home of Nor wich university, at which Admiral Dewey as a cadet was grounded in the principles of military training, groeted the famous naval officer Friday morn ing. The occasion was the laying of the corner stone of Dewey hall, a building made possible by voluntary contribu tions from prominent alumni of the university. The exeroises began with an intro ductory address by Commander Brown, president of the university, who intro duced Colonel Henry O. lient, of Lan caster, N. H., senior member of the board of trustees of the university,and a classmate of the admiral. Colonel Kent delivered au address of welcome. Commander Brown also welcomed Admiral Dewey. The admiral then stepped forward and laid the corner stone. As he spread the mortar and the stone was lowered, he said: "I now declare this stone duly and truly laid and according to my wish.” After the admiral had completed the laying of the cornerstone, Commander Brown introduced Chunncey M. De pew, United States senator-elect of New York, the orator of the day. At the conclusion of Mr, Depew’s 'address Admiral Dewey held a brief reception, after which he was escorted back to his train and left for Boston, where a public reception was given him ENLISTED MEN SUMMONED. Thj)y Were Called to Testify Hof ore Board of Inquiry. An Atlanta, Ga., dispatch says: The second session of the military court of inquiry was held at the capitol Friday night. Twenty-five members of the Atlanta battalion had been summoned to ap pear before the oonrt to tell what they knew of the looting of the stores in North Carolina by the men of that command. MILL OPERATIVES STRIKE. Girls In Knitting Factory Refuse to Work With M*irroes. The white female operatives of the Oxford knitting mills, one of the largest manufactories of Barnesville, Ga., entered into a strike because of the placing of a negro man at work among them. Theresas been and is considerable feeling over the matter, and the con sensus of public opinion is that the factory operatives are in the right. Several prominent citieeus have been heard to express themselves as wholly in sympathy with the girl strikers and have signified their intention to see them through the matter. RHODES HAD NARROW BECAPE. Boer Were Umv.mfortebly Near Him On a Train. According to the Kimberly corres pondent of the London Daily Tele graph, Cecil Bhodes had a narrow escape from capture while on his way ! to England. His train was delayed and he passed the Modder river tTree hours after the expiration of the ulti matum when the Boers were only five miles distant and some of their spies were actually on the piatform. Vpßystem. |I?fGER SCHEDULES. READ DP. TIME CARD 78 24 32 22 ~~ In Effect June 11,1899. Dally Daily Daily Dally , Lv New York Ar 6 53a 1 03p 05a ..Philadelphia ... 3 50a 10 35a 25i- : 2 50a ... Baltimore 108a 8 23a ' 4 30a .. Washington. .. 11 30p 7 01a \ 9 05a Richmond ... 7 20;, 3 23a \ 28a 11 Jsp ...Charleston... 6 13a 4 24p \ 8 4011,1 3 20il ■■. Savannah 1 20a 10 15a 12 05pi 8 45p [ 9 56aj 4 50a Jesup 11 44p 7 51a 10 42a 7 04p \ TOp 5 500 10 55a! 5 50a Ar.... WayorOss ....Lv 10 40p 6 20a 9 50a 5 50p ' m-• • • 9 OOp I 9 20a, .. Brunswick— i 7 45p 7,30a li 15a ‘ 1 2 lop I Albany . . .1 30a 1 30p JlOOpi 5 20;,, Columbus 10 00a 5 20p j Mi 15a | 4 15p; Macon 11 20a 11 50p i Jl7 25pl I I 7 35p Atlanta 1 7 50a 8 30p j '■■Mq Mft'~B~oop7l2 gOpTMbit! ..Jacksonville.. 8 00p 8 00a 8 45p .... 25 10 50p 2 55p!1l 50a, .....Palatka 5 lOp 4 10a 10 00a S *ff 2 05a 5 35p! Sanford 2 30p 12 45a . .. 515i,j2 15p ...Gainesville... 4 lOp 7 30a ■K&r'l. 7 30pj 320 p Ocala 2 OOp 7 00a i WjJ, 7 00a; 10 00p! Tampa 9 55a 7 35p ' 7 35a 10 30p; Port Tampa... 9 30a 7 OOp ’ 18a 1 00p! 9 15a Valdosta 7 59p 4 11a 6 47a dJ 40a 2 20pj12 15p .. TUomasville .. 6 85p 2 50a 5 00a t 8 10a* 9 30p| Montgomery .. 1125a 7 45p 8 30p 7 40a| New Orleans.. 7 45p 7 55a .... 6 45p I 6 50a Nashville .... 2 21a! 9 15a Nos. 35 and 32 aie solid vestibuled trains between Washington and Jacksonville. Steamships leave Port Tampa for Kov West and Havana 11:00 p. m. Mondays, Thurs days and Saturdays. Returning leaves Havana 12:30 noon, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. For further information, through car service, trains making local stops, and sched ules to points not given, apply to L. B. WAY, Ticket Agent Passenger Station. H. 0. McFADDEN, Assistant General Passenger Agent. B. W. WRENN, Passenger Traffic Manager, Savannah, Ga. Illustrated playing cards can be secured at 25 cents per deck upon application U agents of the Plant System. Our Job Printing Department Is complete and up-to-date. We are prepared, therefore, to fill your order with promptness, assuring satisfaction by doing good work at such prices ns WILL SAVE YOU HONEY. Carl etc n’s Treasury. A Valuable Hand-Book of General Information, iAMTD A Condensed Encyclopedia OS 1 Universal Knowledge, Being a Reference Book Upon Nearly Every Subject That Can be Thought Of. Containing, in a Condensed Form, What Can Otherwise be Learned Only From a Great Many Large Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Etc. Including, Among Other Important Subjects, Whole Chapters Upon AfTHONOMY, GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, CHB.M ISTBT, ELECTRICITY, YEOBTABLB CREATION, rAWITH A COMPLETE ANALYTICAL INDEX I'ORBFADY REFEEENCE.f\J Edited by the Ablest Talent the World Affords, and Profusely Illustrated. (grSent to any Address, Postpaid, for SIXTY CENTS by the Atlanta Publishing -House, 110 ijoyd. Street, Atlanta, Grci- Job Printing=s^ IS NEXT TO NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING THE BEST ADVERTISEMENT IN THE WORLD. We have been very Fortunate in securing the services of one of the best and most experienced printers IN THE STATE, and are now able to execute Job Printing of every description in all the leading Styles. The class of work turned out by us is acknowl edged to be the FINEST and the PRICES the LOWEST of any printers anywhere. A TRIAL ORDER WILL CONVINCE YOU. LET IT COME. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. POOR WORK IS UNKNOWN TO US. BEST QUALITY PAPER. __ Every flan-^-s^- HIS OWN DOCTOR. By J. Hamilton Ayers, M. TX 4 A 600-page Hlustrated Book, containing valuable information per -4 telning to diseases of the human system, showing how to treat and ' 4 cure with simplest of medicines. The book oontains analysis of 4 courtship aud marriage; rearing and management of children, besides 4 valuable prescriptions, recipes, etc., withs full oomplemsnt of facts in 4 materia medics that everyone should know. 4 This most indispensable adjunct to every well regulated household 4 will be mailed, postpaid, to any address on reoeipt of price, SIXTY 4 CENTS. 4 Address, Atlanta Publishing House, 116-118 LOYD ATLANTA, GA. —. MEDIEVAL LEARNING, GEOGRAPHY, ENGLISH LITERATURE, MEDIEVAL IHSTORY, BRITISH HISTORY, MODERN HISTORY, FINE ARTS. JURISPRUDENCE, ANCIENT niiiTORT, ammal creation, CHRONOI.OOY, LITERATURE,