I
> KNOXVILLE BURNED.
Terrible Tire in tbe Very Heart of the
Prosperona Tenneaeee Town.
Kxoxvti.t.k, Tenn., April 8. Never
in the history of Knoxville has the
city suffered*-such a loss by fire as it
did today. The very heart of the city,
including some of the largest whole,
sale and retail business houses in the
South, were destroyed. The loss is
variously estimated at from one to
one and a half million with about 60
per cent of insurance. The loss of
life is uncertain as the registers of
Hotel Knox in which fifty-six people
were sleeping w?? uumcu, mo pivunetor
of the hotel says that he had five
or six guests who have sot put in an
appearance. A. E. Weeks, of Locke,
N. Y., drummer for a Rochester
stamping: company, is known to have
perished in the flames. R. W. Hopkins,
a St Louis drummer, was last
seen in the burning building in a suf
foeating condition. W. EL Kepbart,
ex-secretary of the chamber of com
merce, saved the life of John Bogle,
an old farmer, by dragging him to
the roof of another building. Kepbart
jumped one story and was injured.
When the firemen thought all the
inmates of the hotel had escaped, a
woman with an infant in her arms
rushed to the rear window and
screamed for help. A net was quickly
stretched and the woman asked to
drop the child out, but as the smoke
almost choked her she told them if
one had to die, both would die. The
woman was finally rescued by the
firemen. From the hotel building,
which was five stories high, the fire
?nH A stiff wind
made the flames very ugly and the
department was inadequate.
DYNAMITE AND CANNON.
In the wholesale hardware house of
W. W. Woodruff & Co., explosions
of dynamite occurred and scores of
people were hurt by flying bricks and
K* iss. It became necessary at last to
ve the walls of one building blown
down by cannon to stop the mad career
of the flames. A mountain howitser
of the Knoxville legion, was called
into 'play and a load of canister
did the work, at the same time tearing
up some residences in a different
portion of the city.
The city authorities realizing that
* the Are department was unable to
conquer the flames, telegraphed to
Chattanooga for assistance. The
Southern railway made up a special
train and carried the Chattanooga ap
paratus to Knoxville. Ill miles, 115
minutes. One stop was made for water,
the actual running time being 60
miles an hour. When the engine
arrived hgre the fire was about under
control, yet the Chattanooga boys did
some work.
It is more than probable that J. C.
1L Bogie, the old gentleman hurt in
the hotel will die. He inhaled flames.
The last man to leave the burning
hotel says that he is positive that five
or six persons were burned. He ran
over three or four men in the ball
ways who were suffocated.
J. H Dean, of Kansas City, who
jumped from the burning building,
tails a thrilling story of his escape.
He started out with only his night
shirt on and had that torn off before
he reached the street. His room mate,
W. A. Xabor, was more fortunate,
saving two shirts. The Travelers Protective
Association members of the
local post took care of all drummers,
buyiDg some suits out and out
W. H. Mitchell, of Abingdon, jumped
fiom the burning building to the
bank building. W. L Johnson,; a
railroad baggage master, came down
from the fifth story hand over hand
on the water pipes before the engines
arrived. Only one of the guests saved
any of his effects. The list of dead
and injured so far as reported is as
follows. The dead :
A. E. Weeks, Locke, N. T.
R. W. Hopkins, St. Louis, Mo.
Robinson, Pulaski, Tenn.
8. E. Williams, Springfield, Mass.
lire injured:
* ? M T? m k..?^
J. I/. A. OVglC, UX icuucs^guuiucu,
and will die.
D. M. Dean, Indianapolis, Ind., ankle
sprained.
Thomas 8. Peck, Morristown,Tenn.,
ankle sprained.
Lieut. Hood, Knoxville, cut on face
and head bj glass.
Claude Harris, Knoxville, cut in
dozen places.
. Policeman Asquith, burned and cut
by flying glass.
Policeman Duncan, badly burned
and was carried home.
Fire Chief Mclnlosb, bruised from
fall.
W. H. Kephart, Knoxville, internally
hurt.
A cabinet maker named P. C. Dyer
fell dead oa the street from fright. A
man named Robinson, from Pulaski,
Tenn., is supposed to be another victim.
He was registered in the hotel
and has not shown up.
The Idolatry of Gold.
New Yobk, April 6. Rev. Dr. W.
8. Rainsford, in a recentaermon,said:
"Sympathizing men and women look
with consternation and dismay on the
coercion of a Christian people in the
interest of the Turk by the Christian
powers of Europe. What is the ex
pianation of this. It exemplifies the
unspeakable selfishness and greed of
the world. * The powers have Turkish
bonds which must be paid. But this
tendency dees not flourish with Eastern
civilization alone. It stalks
among us, the sin of our day, the
? great overwhelming threat against
cur civilization. This mad idolatry
of gold transforms, not only our social,
but our moral and political life.
In former times the merchant sold his
goods and was content with the profits
made in the simple process of exchange.
Now he knocks at the doors
of Congress and demands special legislation."
Dr. Rainsford added that
the idea of politics is used for
money making, and that good men
keep out of politics. This is not as it
should be. If a man is too good to
go into politics, he is too good to serve
God.
r
THE CAROLINA MIDLAND RAILROAD.
The South Carolina and Georgia Railroad
Wante It.
A gentleman who professed to know
what he was talking about told a reporter
6f the Augusta Chronicle that
negotiations were in progress looaing
to the control of the Carolina Midland
railroad by the South Carolina and
Georgia company. He said that the
papers had already been drawn up and
signed by some of the interested parties,
and tpat if no hitch in the proceedings
came about that the transfer
in the management of the line would
take place at no very distant date. It
will be remembered that some time
ago when the Security Construction
company had just been organized,
and when it seemed certain that the
* - * >:
Unariesion ana macun ujjo nu iu uc
built, the Carolina Midland was expected
to become an important part of
the new system of roads. The property
had been leased to the Greenwood,
Anderson and Western company, the
road projected to the upper part of the
state and contracted by Col. Mike
Brown. Then came the troubles in
that concern resulting: in a receiver
ship and a final termination of the
lease of the Carolina Midland. The
property then went back into the
hands of its original owners, and there
it remains tcday. The receivership
had appeared to put an end to the
Charleston and Macon enterprise so
far at least as the Carolina Midland
was concerned. And now comes the
gentlemen, who was referred to above
with the statement that the road is
to be absorbed by the South Carolina
and Georgia road, and thus become a
oTrofcm ?hir>h the Messrs
Parsons are building for this city and
section. The Carolina Midland has
for the greater part of many years
maintained close traffic relations with
the Carolina and Georgia. Having
no natural outlet of its own, it has in
a large measure been dependent upon
its connections. The South Carolina
and Georgia road being the most available
and prominent of these the relations
between it and the Carolina
Midland have, in the nature of the
case,.been very close. Ut is true that
for some time, and in ffie last year or
so especially, the business men of
Charleston have been taught to look
to the Carolina Midland as an availa
ble link in a new system to the west
Many of them had hoped to see the
l<ne extended to the up-country. In
this way they had thought to see
Charleston the water terminus of two
great lines, one that referred to, and
the other the South Carolina and
Georgia road, working in conjunction
with the Louisville and Nashville
system. Barring the possibility of
the Carolina Midland being extended
to Charleston, there is, however, no
Llrw* r\f
way in wuicu n tuuiu uu ?
more direct and practical aid to
Charleston than as a part of the 8outh
Carolina and Georgia road. The new
management of that company has but
recently acqquired control of the
Augusta Southern, and in other ways
it has evinced a desire to build up a
stronger railroad combination than
she has possessed in many years,
stronger, probably, than any system
ever before operated in the exclusive
interest of Charleston port. In the
construction of such a system as that
which is apparently contemplated by
President Parsons the Carolina Midland
would appear to the ordinary
observer to be a natural link. The
gentleman who gave the information
to the reporter said that, as he understood
it, the South Carolina and
Georgia road would absorb the Carolina
Midland, issuing new securities on
the property and guaranteeing them.
No direct confirmation of this coujd
be obtained yesterdy, but is based upon
authority which is deemed worthy
of credit.
A Little Plead.
Chicago, April 6. Russell Freer,
the two and a half year old son of
B>or parents living at 2496 Thirty
inth PIaoa humeri nut the eves of his
ten months old brother this mornine
with a red hot noker and the doctors
cannot tell if tie child will live. The
eye balls and eye lids of the baby
were destroyed, the cheeks and fore
head badly scarred and the iron almost
penetrated the brain. The strange
deed was committed during the absence
of the mother who heard the in.
fant's screams of agony as she was returning
home, and running into the
room saw the boy sitting astride his
brother's body with the heated iron in
his hands and laughing in a fiendish
delight. He does not realize what he
has done.
Then Leave It to the Needy.
Faroo, N. D., April 8. There being
a diversity of opinion as to the matter
of receiving aid from congress for sufferers
by the flood, Mayor Johnson of
this city called a meeting of citizens
this evening to discuss the question.
The meeting was an enthusiastic one,
and great indignation was felt among
those present regarding the exaggerated
reports sent out regarding the
floods. Secretary of War Alger was
wired that Fargo was very grateful
for the profered aid, but none was
needed.. Senator H&nsbrough, Conmuacaman
Tnhncnn QTlH R/V?J?h
were also wired to the same effect.
Two Killed on an Engine.
Charlotte, N. C., April 7. The
engine of the Cape Fear and Yadkin
Valley railroad, which left Mount Airy
today at 2:30 p. m., was derailed near
Pilot Mountain and Fir ems n Walter
Chalhn and Conductor Fred
Fouschee, the latter riding on the
engine at the time, were caught under
it and killed. Engineer Powers was
badly injured.
To Open Hie Skull.
Cleveland, 0., April 9. C. N.
Cunningham, an alleged forger, will
be taken from the county jail to the
city hospital, where portions of his
skull will be removed to permit an
examination of the brain, to decide
the question of the man's sanity.
There is a difference among the experts
at present.
?
THE BARD OF SHANTY HILL
Poor Sarah Ulrlch Kelly and Her Quest
For the Laureateship.
In a pouring rain and with the impressive
ritualistic ceremonies of the Grand
Army of the Republic Circle, the body of
the woman who was known for years as
the F-*.rd of Shanty Hill was laid aWay a
few jays ago in the old Methodist oemetery
near Honesdale.
The woman's name was Sarah Ulrlch
before she married Horace J. Kally, and
her petition to congress for the plaoo of
poet laureate made her the subject of discussion
in January, 1886, and fo:.* a long
time after that. She based her claims to
the position of poet laureate upon the facts
that she was endowed with the requisite
poetio knowledge and inspiration, and that
she was the widow of a soldier who lost
not only his life, but a fortune, In the defense
of his oountry. Besides her husband,
she had lost her father, brothers, a brother
in-law, cousins and uncles, and in her pe
tltion she said that she regretted that ene
bad not been born a man, so that she
might have taken active part in the cause
of tbo Union.
Her husband bad been a member of the
One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania
volunteers, but his enlistment
was not a voluntary act, as he had been
drafted into the service shortly after having
married Mjss Ulricb, who was a schoolteacher
at that time. He died in 1876,
after having been separated from his wife
for several years. Then the widow began
to flood the newspapers with her "poetic"
writings and to haunt their offices, where
she asked suppott and enoouragement in
her scheme which had the position of
American laureate a9 its object. She was
persistent and had an unbounded confidence
in her ability some day to reach the
goal of her ambition, and only recently she
promised rewards to people who befriended
her and said that she would do this or that
when President McKinley had appointed
her to a cabinet place or when she became
a member of congress.
She was fond of telling to those who i
would listen to her that newspaper men |
always treated ner weu, ana mat oniy one i
editor had ever acted coldly toward her, i
and that ho had been punished by being !
defeated through her influence on two oc- j
casions when he had been a candidate for j
' oo ogress. For a long time she remained
in Washington, where she wrote verses and |
endeavored to advance her claims for the
laureatesbip. Then she returned to Penn- j
sylrania, where she spent most of her time
selling her photographs and verses. For
the last year she had made a scanty living
by traveling over the country on foot selling
modicines which she compounded.
While on one of these tours recently she
was allowed to ride on a farm wagon. The
horses became frightened and ran away,
throwing her to the ground and indicting
injuries from which she died.
Mrs. Kelly was comely in appearance
and always dressed neatly. Her character
was above reproach. Her memory was remarkably
good and she had a good knowledge
of tbo Scriptures. She frequently
spoke at public meetings and was rational
on all subjects exoept the two toward
which she devoted the greatest efforts of
her life political office and literary recognition neither
of which she ever had the
slightest chanoe of gaining.
Her original plea for appointment is embodied
Id the following verses, which were
I written some years before she succeeded in
I persuading a member of congress to present
ber case to that body:
EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN POETS' COMPANION.
A European Poet in his time
Did softer much composing rhyme.
So hard for him 'twas to compose
For several days with Blinds aclose
And then wrote but n line or two
Ere to seclusion bad adieu.
His neighbor seeing blinds open wide.
Inquired whit sickness did betide
The Master of the Hoase, while it was dark.
His servant answered like a Lark,
The Master did Delivered be.
Of a Couplet he has read to me.
I thank the Lord that I can write
Without sev'ral Days' seclusion quite,
Ten to Thirty Minutes is all I ask
To write from Three to Seven Verse Task.
Another Cloudy Morning hath brougnt a
Cloudy Day,
Another Bard'#reposing at the close of l ife's
Short Stay.
Ere I ascend into the Heavens
I hope this Congress surely will
Declare the National Poet is
The Bard of Shanty Hill.
In another of ber effusions si;essays:
I am thinking. I &tu thinking,
Of the days when I was young.
I was the very best of teachers.
At least my praises were so sung.
By A N. Bullard, superintendent
Of Susquehanna county at that time,
1 was educated most resplendent.
She indicated her preference as to her
burial place In the following lines:
Bury me in Jaak.->on cemetery, a very beautiful
place, j
Let the officiating minister be the rector of
Grace
Catholic Protestant Episcopal church of Honesdale,
Pa.,
The Bard of Shanty Hill whose Fame shall
never fade away.
Sew York Tribune.
The Reason of Her Silence.
The parting between Thoraas Wilson |
and Esmeralda KildufI one night last week I
was an unusually prolonged one. She had
acoompanied him as far as the front gate,
and that is where the prolongation occurred.
It was a fino night, and tbey
stood together in silence, neither wishing
to break the spell that bung oyer them.
I don't know how long tbey would have
stood thus had not a clock in a church
tower not far away announced the boor of '
midnight, and then Esmeralda Bald she
had better go In. . 1
Thomas offered no objection to this, but 1
proceeded to say something which he had '
no*, sv-tnmoA pnnnoh t/l fiflv
UTOU u;ui(s ? Bv> o- o ,
for several months. When he had said it,
be felt startled at his boldness, and yet it j
was but natural that such a question
should follow tbo intimacy which had ex- ,
Is ted between the two for more than a ;
year. What be 6aid was this. 1
"Esmeralda, dear, will you marry me*" ]
He waitod for on answer and he waited
in vain. Esmeralda said not a word. He <
could not see her face, and was the;-afore ;
unable to judge from her expression what
was passiBg in her mind. As the seconds '
dragged on he grow intensely anxioua He 1
ought to have regarded his case as won, <
because silence gives oonsent, but this did j
not occur to him. The silence grew oppressive,
and he felt that she must answer
him or ho must die.
"E^moralda," ho said hurriedly, "I am (
waiting for your answer."
"Oh, forgive me, Tom; I was thinking."
"What were you thinking of?"
"T woo fhinVinff how I would have my
wedding dress made, dear. " Pearson's
Weekly.
?
' . ' \
LINCOLN REMEMBERED.
And the Confedernte Captain Kiddle Wh
Rclevrd From l*rl*on.
A Kentucky contributor sends to The
Youth's Comtainionn ; having anecdote of
Abraham Lincoln. it has never before
been published..he suvs. ni.d was received
by him Iron the other party to the story,
who is still living in Kentucky. It illustrates
once more the genial, friendly temper
of the great war president. During the
presidential campaign of 1840, when GenWilliam
Henry Harrison was the Whit?
candidate.' Lincoln, then a young man jnst
rising into prominence, accepted an invitation
to address an audience in Union
county. Ky., at a Whig barbecue.
" ' -i is *v.~ t
fie wis met a liiiiuing un vuc vmu
river about ten miles from the place of the
barbecue by a committee lieaded by Captain
George W. Riddle and was escorted to
the meeting seated in a spring wagon by
the side of Caj fain Riddle, the driver.
On the road Mr. Lincoln entertained the
commsti.ee with several amusing nnccdutes
and on arriving at his destination
delivered an able and eloquent address
probably the only address that he ever delivered
in his native state.
After the speaking Captain Riddle, who
commanded a military company, fired a
salute in honor of the orator of the dny,
but the cannon, an old six }?ounder, was
overcharged and exploded, though without
any serious results. Captain Riddle
raised a subscription to pay Mr. Lincoln's
expenses, contributing liberally himself,
and then escorted him back to the river.
The future president was much pleased
with his visit and so expressed himself.
Many years passed. Mr. Lincoln was
elected chief magistrate of the nation, and
the civil war broke out. Captain Riddle
took sides with the south and having expressed
his opinions rather boldly was arrested
for treason and sent to Camp Chase,
a military prison.
"It was a dull and gloomy place for
'' /vM fwinflnman ir* nolutimr
Jilt?, NUU U1C UiU ^iikkuiuu >u ...p
the story, "and after I had remained there
about ten days I got homesick and concluded
I would remind my friend Lincoln
of bygone hours. So I wrote to him as follows:
"Mr Dear Mil. President After presenting
my compliments to you I wish to remind
you that a good many years ago I bad you in
tow at a Whig barbecue, near Morganfleld, in
Union county, Ky. On t\at occasion I tried to
treat you kindly, and even burst my cannon
in firing a salute in your honor. I hope you
have not forgotten it. Now, air, you have me
in tow, and I am your prisoner here in Camp
Chase. I am lonesome and homesick and want
to get back to my old wife. Please let mo go.
Yours truly, George W. Kiddle."
When Mr. Lincoln received this letter,
he laughed heartily aud at once wrote upon
the back of It: "Please let Captain
George W. Kiddle go home. A. Lincoln."
KEEN ENJOYMENT.
tt Was Only an Impression, but It Gave
Him Pleasure.
The policeman's beat led hlra past a
fence which was formerly in demand for
the display of theatrical posters, but which
had bfcen abandoned. It is eloquent with
descriptions of glories that have dazzled
and departed. A shy looking man stopped
to look at the old posters, and he lingered
so long that the policeman grew suspicious
and walked up and down the block several
times in order to make sure that he was
not waiting to signal to a confederate to
plan some nefarions excursion.
"I I hope I do not annoy you," the shy
looking man said deferentially. "I ought
not to be doing this. It's not generous or
kind of me. lint I can't help it."
"I don'r see that you are doing any
harm at present."
"Of course you don't. You're not r.
mind reader. It was my guilty conscience
that spoke. I have a vindictive nature, and
I can't master it. I'm one of these people
who dislike Great Britain on general principles.
I can't get rid of the feeling that
the stamp art was a personal insult, and
every once in awhile I forget myself and
want to enlist in George Washington's army.
Every time anybody suggests 6omc
means of twisting the lion's tail it is all I
can do tr< keep from getting np and howling
with glee."
"I don't see what that has to do with
Jie case."
"Do you observe the names of English
ctors that appear there!"
"Yes."
"Every one of them was a shining light
at home. They had to be coaxed and pleaded
with before they would consent to leave
the public whoso idols they were. The
way their managers have talked about it
in their interviews almost brought tears
to my eyes. But once here they very rarely
go away except on short vacations. Season
after season they are with us to tell
how they are missed at home. And whenever
I think of the manner in which the
English public is deprived of all this slower
of Its diamatic talent, yearning In vain
for it year after year, It makes my bosom
fairly thrill with fiendish joy." Washington
Stir.
i
The Inner Man.
In one of his recent addresses Bishop
Potter was speaking of the height to which
a man may rise in his profession or art.
He was talking to organists and said that
in order ;for the musician to play great
tuusio his own life or ideal of life must lie
high. The man at the keys, he said, cannot
get from the instrument better rausie
than he has in his own soul. "Some time
ago," said he, "I stood, in company with
un artistic friend, before the portrait of a
well known man. The execution of the
picturo was excellent, but we both agreed
that something was wanting in the exprcseion
of the face. The artist bad not put
Into the face on the canvas the soul qf the
man he v.as portraying. My friend remarked,
'The artist can put upon the canvas
only what he has in himself.'" The
Livmnns nave made a proverb of Goethe's
Famous lino in "Hermann and Dorothea,"
"What is not in man cannot be got out of |
Win." i\ew xorK limes.
Peasant and Painter.
Toby Rosenthal, the California artist,
on the occasion of a walking tour in Germany
once asked permission of a peasant
to paint his picturesque stables. To tlio
painter's surprise, t he request was curtly
refused. He persisted and was still denied
until the owner at last broke out: "When
I want my barn iiainted, I shan't give the
job to a stranger. I know a ^nan who
would do it very cheap." Then Mr. Rosenthal
understood the mistake and humbly
explained that he was not exactly a house
painter him sell. New York Advertiser.
Earthwork*.
Military engineers are practically agreed
that no material for fort ilications is superior
to earth. When clay i< not obtainable,
on t he seashore, sand is collected iato
bri.TS, and t!v?o ?r?? liiisl in rvjjtilar l:'.v:ps
iloiiff the lim <>: iho i "n; vod fortifloati :x.
In -uch a 1-; i >-: !:o Uills I'roiii t,!:c
oanucn m.'.U v.i.'i n;t. tlr?injr (L:>u
v , shcJj.-? ? *: ! *!; irnilos&Iy.
Mr
ft
*
CABIN JOHN BRIDGE. ~~
A Remarkable structure Origin of Ita
Name.
Seven miles from West Washington, upon
what is called the Conduit road, which carries
the water supply of the capital from
the C reat falls of the Potomac to Washington,
;s one of the most noted structures of
modern times. This structureis a bridge
of a singlo span, called the Cabin John
bridge, built by the United States government
for the purpose of carrying the water
main across a ravine. Flowing through
this ravine, in its rocky bed, is a small
stream called Cabin John creek, from
which the bridge takes its name. The
stream has its origin in Rockville, Md.,
and its outlet at the Potomac, not far
away.
In constructing the Washington aqueduct
the Hrst serious difficulty was encountered
at Cabin John creek. Here a deep
ravine obstructed the way. The genius of
man surmounted this obstruction, and the
result was a model of engineering skilL
A fine utone arch, 220 feet in width and
110 feet in height, spans the ravine and the
creek and has the distinction of being the
largest single arch in the world. It is built
of brown sandstone brought from the quarries
of Seneca, about 15 miles above this
point, and is of solid masonry. Its construction
was begun in 1853, under the supervision
of the war department, during
the official term of Jefferson Davis, by its
architect and engineer, General M. C.
Meigs.
In 1862, owing to pressure of work in
this department, the work of construction
was transferred to the interior department
Caleb B. Smith, secretary and remained
there until 1867, about the time of its
completion. During the process of building
the names of Presidents Franklin
Pierce and Abraham Lincoln and of Secretaries
of War Jefferson Davis and Edwin
M. Stan Jon were inscribed on one of the
large stones on the west end of the bridge.
After the secession of the south the name
of Jefferson Dnvis was cut out, and only
a blank upace remains to tell of the obliteration.
This celebrated bridge and the stream
that it spans derive their names from a
solitary 6cttler, who, tradition says, appeared
on this spot some time before the
war of i;hc Revolution and built near the
banks of the beautiful Potomac a rude log
cabin. For a number of years he occupied
these quarters and was known only by the
name of John, or Cabin John. His only
compan ions were three fierce hunting dogs,
which were sheltered among the rocks near
their master's abode.
These clogs always accompanied John on
his excursions about the country and served
to protect him from the too curious intrusion
of visitors and also from suspicious
rsrangers who might appear in that section.
The settler spent most of his time
hunting and fishing, which were his chief
means of support. His garments were
made from the skins of wild animals, and
his general appearance was not attractive.
He seemed to avoid companionship with
man, although possessing qualities fitting
him for such associations.
Thoso who visited his cabin said that he
was a musician and that he played skillfully
upon a violin, singing songs the
w/Ynla nf vrhlrh to recall mpmnriaa
and friends of other days. Traditioi.
throws no other light upon this strange
being, whence he came or whither he went
He disappeared suddenly one day as
mysteriously as he had appeared. A search
was made for him, but no trace could be
found. His dogs deserted their rock bound
kennel, and his cabin crumbled to the
ground. Little did John of the cabin think
that a wonderful work of man wonld one
day bear his humble name and hand it
down to future generations. Washington
Post
XlW Uses For the Kite.
Some very notable advances have been
made in the science of kite flying during
the past year. The great utility of the kite
for military purposes has been conclusively
proved. In the line of signaling especially
the kite has shown its adaptability even
more than the captive balloon. The recent
feat at-Bayonne, N. J., of carrying a telephone
wire through the air on a kite string
and dropping it to the earth 1,000 feet away
from where the kite was anchored, so that
signals could bo transmitted back and
tdfth, is unother distinct advance in tho
science. Its practical utility is great, and
eould a man have been in the rear of General
Grantat Vicksburg, for Instance, with
such a device, he would have been able to
exchange messages with the Confederates
pent up in the city. It could fce accomplished
at any siege, in fact, and in the
nignmilie, Wneu us pcrwuw nuuiu uuv ug
known to an enemy.
However, tho advances of the past year
have keen In a measure conclusive, anil the
next development will be in the line of
midnight /iir photography. By this Is
meant the taking of pictures in cameras
suspended from the kite string at night.
Large city districts have been accurately
photographed by means of kites during tho
daytime, but no midair kite photographs
have been taken at night. Experiments
are making in this direction, und very satisfactory
and usefui results will ultimately
be reached. With a highly sensitive plate
manipulated in midair objects on the earth
below may perhaps be photographed which
could not be distinguished by the human
eye. If this condition actually exists, midnight
photography will have a wide military
application. Fortifications and hostile
camps could be accurately pictured and the
condition of an enemy become known to a
general whose foe need not know he was in
the neighborhood. Tho idea would bo useful
also in time of peace in photographing
large assemblage*, celebrations, multitudes
of people or exhibitions. New York Sun.
Steel Frame Construction In Chnrches.
In comparison with the number of new
buildings erected for various other uses the
number built for church purposes is extremely
small, but among these a consid- :
erablo number are now built with the i
steel frame construction so commonly used
in the business buildings, and the proportion
of churches so constructed is incrcas- ;
ing. In crowded cities on lots in which the !
space is limited it saves room, as it does in
any building, on account of the less thick- 1
ness of wall required, and in largo interi- j
ors, where bulky stone columns might oth- '
erwiso bo used to support arches or domes 1
or roof trusses, it permits the use of much i
smaller columns, with a lessened obstruc- 1
tion to tho view. New York Sun. j
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A Flower Holder. (
For palms, oleanders or rubber plants a <
holder is to be bought that lends itself to j
the scheme, as the 6tout green tub famil- ,
iar to us all never seemed to do. This is .
an imitation in pottery of a tree stump, j
realistically colored as to Kirk and to .
wood so thai; it looks as if the j '.ant wero
growing out of the wreck of a bit of the J
forest and had just been brought in from j
out of doors. '
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?* V
THE TARHEEL WAR TALK.
Got. BoimII Intimates That He WeaM
Resist the Court 11njunction.
Greensboro, N. C., April 7 rue
injunction case of the Southern railway
against Governor Russell, Attorney
General Walser and tbe North
Carolina railroad, was continued to
June 8th, at Asheville.
The case is to decide who are the
directors of the road, those appointed
by Governor Carr before he went out,
or those appointed by Governor Russell
since he came in.
The trial was continued in order to
allow the new directors to organise
and become a party to the suit.
Hon. John G. Carlisle, ex Secretary
of the treasury, is one of the attorneys
for the Southern Railway Company.
Ex Judge A. C. Avery and McRae&
Day are counsels fcr the State.
Judge Simon ton granted the temporary
injunction. Governor BusseH
has intimated that be would not pay
any attention to the court's injunction
if it did not please him to do so. In
their brief, the Governor and Attorney
General, answering the Southern
railway, say: "If it is true, as contented
for the resplendent*, that the
effect of the restraining order it so
prohibit the Governcr and Attorney
General of North Carolina from
bringing, or threatening to bring
suits that the law either vests them
with discretion to bring, or aid in
bringing, or make it imperative duty
to bring, will the court enforce iti
mandate? If not, the order is mere
fruten fulmen. Suppose these officers .j
disobey the order, where will the
court get its dcsse comitatus to compel
obedience? If neither the Governor
nor the legislature should call for
troops, can the court declare the State
to be in rebellion and call for the
army to enforce its decrees? Will it
imprison and depose the Governor
without a trial? If the court proposes * ^
to viAld in cAse of refusal to obey, on
the ground that it has exhausted its
power, why drive matters to suchaa
extremity."
"If it is proposed to use the federal
army to force a Governor to abdicate,
then the government will be revolutionized
to prevent the depreciation of
a block of bonds."
Hard timet and Temperance.
One of the notable effects of the hard
times which we have been going
through for several years past is to be
found in the reduced consumption of
intoxicatants. It is claimed by the , ~
bicycle enthusiasts that the increasing
use of bicycles has conducted
largely to this result but the American
Grocer says the "hard times have
contributed to a notable diminution
in the use of all kinds of beverages
particularly spirits." The Grooer ,
shows by figures that "the consump
tion of alcoholic stimulants bas not
increased,-while the use of the milder
beverapca has barely been steady.1*
The facts which lead up to this conclusion
are interesting. In 1892 and
1893 the consumption of spirits per
citizen was 1} gallons, of wine neariy
half a gallon, of beer 15 gallons, while ,
in 1896 the average consumption of
spirits was but one gallon, of wines
one quart and of beer 15 gallor s.
The American Grocer does not consider
that the increase of the whiskey
tax from 90 cents to $1.10 has had any
influence in reducing the consamption
of spirits.. The official reports
show that our 71,263,000 people is
1896 consumed 71 051,877 gallons of
spirits, or no more than 58,680,000
people consumed in 1887. As about
11,000,000 gallons of spirits a*g agonally
used in manufacture*, according
to The Grocer, the quantity actually '5used
as a beverage is about 60j0Q0,Q0Q *gallons.
Barrooms make sixty drinks
out of a gallon, and get at the lowest
calculation about $1.50 for it. - The
nation's whiskey bill in 1896 wa%
therefore, $270,000,000, as against
$400,000,000 in 1893 when the consumption
was 101 000,000 gallons.
The government lest $14,000 of revenue
by the dfcress*d consumption.
The drinking of b<er has increased
very largely in tbis country during
the past 20 years. The consumption
per citizen 20 years ago was but six
and a half gallons, as r.gainst fifteen
gallons in 1896. The total consumption
of beer in 1896 was 1,080.626,161
gallons, on which the government received
a revenue of $33,139 1U The
aggregate amount of the national
beer bill is estimated at $541 963.348.
Wine is little used bv our pe pie. In
1887 we produced 27 706.000 gallons
and imported 4,618,000 gal Ions, where
as in 1896 we produced but 14.599,000
gallons and import d 4.101,Goo gallons "
a large decrease. The nation's bill
for wii e in 1896 was $49,730,000. The
total cost of our alcoholic beverages is.
that year the Grocer places at $86L693,832,
some 140,000.000 less than in
1892. , ,
There has been a marked falling of
in the per capita consumption of cof
fee. In 1896 the people it is estimated,
drank 962,088,692 gallons of coffee,
made from 481,044,346 pounds 'of the
berries and costing $120,261,086. The
Average consumption was 9.61 pounds
in 1892 and 8.04 pounds in 1896 Of
tea the consumption in the latter year
is placed at 466,701,000 gallons, made
from 93,340,000 pounds of tea import'
?d at a retail cost of $31,171,482. Co:oa
was imported to the extent of
?2,630,900 worth, mu$h of which was
ised for confectionery. The aggregate
drink bill of the nation, alcoholic
?nd non alcoholic, is figured at $1,>16,126,000,
or $14*31 per citizen. Ito
American Grocer is convinced that
prosperity increases the use ql stimulating
and intoxicating drinjcs at it
loes of all other luxuries. ' , ' .
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