The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, March 10, 1897, Image 7

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I rA FACTORY OF FEAR. I; DYNAMITE-MAKERS KAGKR TO i OBEY ALL SAFETY RULES. !-: j -v?l_: ?.? ITT_ plosive?20,000 Pounds Turned Out Daily?Shanties iu u Jersey Wilderness. 1 ECENTLY the Cuban Junta, I?^ located in this city, placed a s \ large order for dynamite, (,variously estimated at from 50,000 to 500,001) pounds, says a New York correspondent. It was probably nearer the lormer than the latter figure, but even if it was the minimum amount, it would be fcumcient 10 icur Borne pretty big holes in the Spanish ranks, if properly applied. The concern that secured this order has made lots of dynamite for the Cubans in the past twenty months; it also supplies the needs of Unolo Sam whenever he is in want of anything in this line. For a long time it was kept busy turning out 20,000 pounds of the / stuff a day for the contractors at work o { on the Chicago canal. In a year it t J turns out enough of the explosives to n almost blow the earth into smitner- i eens. i t It would seem that a concern which j p does all this would be an imposing j 1 affair, with a factory, or series of fac- v nrioa with numberless acres of fie or I ji space. But it is just the reverse, and e a stranger could stand in the very centre of the dynamite factory and not i c / recognize it as such. I * Dynamite i6 a peculiar commodity, 11 I and it is manufactured under peculiar t j conditions. Uncertainty is the ruling thing about dynamite, and this dotn- c ' inating feature permeates the whole r establishment. The factory is located c at Gibbstown, N. J., a place so small, n and in a section of the State so sparse- r ly settled that the outside world would 3 never have heard of its existence, per- v haps, were it not for the dynamite. 1 % i HUMBLE ABODE OF THE BIG - - J us remoteness irom ever^iumg ???o i ?. the reason of the factory being lo- s 8 cated there. A branch railroad runs t r into the property connecting with the principal railroads and the Delaware t River. By these means the commodity t is shipped through the country and 1 to the seaport*. a The factory spreads over a mile of i swamp land and i? nothing more than i threescore of wooden buildings, oneatorv in height, and not very securely t built. For the most part they look f for all the world like the run-down | i cabins of the South and are just t about as handsome. They have one t modern appliance, however, and that j is an attachment for depriving light- i c ning of its powers. i i None of these shantieu are very i close to the other. Plenty of open j t space i6 a necessity when tens of J t thousands of pounda of dynamite are i i always lying around. Commercial 11 prudence accounts for the cheap and ' i scattering look of the factory. Ex- i perience Las taught the owners tnat a < single big building would be a rash < enterprise. Explosions occur once in < a while no matter how carefully they j are guarded against, and it is an easy < mutter to replace the shanty. A more potent reason is the proteo- < tion it affords to the work people, i Were al! the business concentrated in ! I I1 WOMEN MAKING CAPS. one building and an explosion to occur in any one department, the shock would cause instantaneous upheavals throughout the building, killing or maiming every ODe in the place. Several hundred people are employed in the factory, including a dozen vomoc. Each and every one of them realizes the danger of their calling.and . they exercise the greatest caution in performing their work. There are certain rules formulated by tbe company which they must obey, and this they are only too g'ad to do. One is that no matches, firearms or explosives of any kind must be carried on the person. Another is that no iron or steel pegs can be ttoru in tbe shoes. Wooden pegs ure permissible, because tliev are wale. This latter rule was formulated some years ago, after one of the workmen had stepped on a tiny piece of dynamite, tho nails oC his shoes causing it to explode. The shock caused quite a quautity of the stnil' ou one of the work tables to go o!>', the shan^v was blown up and there wore some fatalities among the workmen. There is no need of einp loying special men to see that th-* precautionary rales are observed, as every rorkraau is a npy upon bis neighbors, or he knows that his safety depends in if a aa mnMi nnnn thtl others US iw4vl' ipon himself. FILLING CARTRIDGES. Dynamite is principally a mixture f sulphuric acid, Chile saltpeter and loxwood sawdust. There ure a good aany other things which enter into ts composition, and before it takes he shape of the finished cartridge it iftsses through a variety of hands, 'here is one thing that the dyuamite rorker is thankful for, and that is his ob will never be usurped by machinry. Nearly a dozen of the shanties are hetnical houses. They are called 'safety buildings" and are used for he etorAge of the mnDv a-uds which lelp to make dynamite what it is. One of the initiatory stages of the cartridges is "cooking" of the dynaaite gelatine. The product of the ook is nitro-glycerine. Many acids ,re poured into a big leaden tub, the * {.rvntn**/-* /\f rtrhio"h ia U3b cuuapiuuuuo icabuic vi ?? uivsu -w i thermometer like a hawk, and chilled rater is added from time to time to ;eep the temperature oi the mixture GEST DYNAMITE FACTORY. [own. Should it evince a sudden deire to rise there is nothing for all lands <o do but rum After all the acids have been added he mixture is allowed to 6tand, and hen nitro-glycerine comes to the top ike cream in milk. It is skimmed off >nd carried to another house, where j t is mixed with the prepared law uaterial, principally sawdust. When the coalition has been effected he result is loose dynamite, looking or all the world like brown sugar. It 6 conveyed fo another building,called j he pack house,where it is stuffed into he cartridges. The loose dynamite is )laced in a dampened trough on a lump table, and the men fill the long larrow tubes with the stuff, usin^ vooden scoops. Great care is takeu hat none of it drops on the floor, as i happening of that kind might bo the preliminary of a big disaster. In this room the cartridges are packed for shipment. The women in the factory ire employed in a little house given >ver to making the paper caps for th# :nrtridges. As there is no danger ibout 1 his work, machinery is employed to some extent, and as a result anly a dozen women are employed. As little finished dynamite is kept :>n the ground as possible. Stock is never maintained. The dynamite is shipped off as rapidly as it is made into cartridges, and the burden of watching it passes on to others. Educating Two Lizards. My first two lizards had been capi? fKn ^niinioh PvPAnr-Aa and the other at Tarn, in Franco; wherefore I called them the Spanish und the French lizards, but afterward pave them the names of Pedro and Pierre. I was surprised on the very first day that I occupied myself with their education to observe the absolute contrariety of their characters and dispositions. Pierre, won over at once by the honeyed dainties I offered him, soon became accustomed to let himself be handled without trying to bite or run away, and to hide himself in my clothes, preferring the back, where it was warmer. Pedro, wild and untamable, if one tried to catch him, withdrew into a corner, and then Btretchin;; his paws in front of him, his eye glistening and his mouth wide open, hissing, springing at the hand that came near him, and, if he bit it, holding firmly and causing the blood to flow, revealed a resolution that even impressed the young man in my laboratory. I made a cage for the lizards of iron wire, open above, und having & large room in my country house into which the sun shone all day on three sides, I put tbein in it. Pierre soon learned to leave his cage, to climb up to the windows by some rags I had hung to them, and passed from oue to another, following the sun. In the eveniug he returned to the cage. Pedro, more stupid, tried vainly to get out of the prison, and, when 1 put him ou the ledge of a window in the suu, let himself be overtaken by the shade, persisted for hours in efforts to get through the glass, and finally went to sleep where he had been left.?J. Delboeuf, in Appleton's Popular Science Monthly. The returns of the output of gold by the Eand (South Africa) mines during 1S96 show a .grand total of 2,278,697 ounces, as compared with 2,277,635 ounces daring 1895, | ONE OF NATURE'S VAGARIES. A Curious Tree Formation Growing on a Farm in New Jersey. | The white oak represented bj the cut is growing on the farm owned by I rv, ? T-r i - _ - _ J. L - TT IVLiss itnoaa nampion.ou me nuuiptuu Road, north of the Marlton Turnpike, and about four miles from Camden,N. J. The larger body is 2x4 i feet in its diameter and the smaller lix2 feet. It appears to be sound and quite solid above the union. The earliest date the writer could learn of its being observed, says E. Bingham, in Meehan's Monthly, was about forty years ago, when it was said to be about as large as a man's body. There has been much discussion as to the causc of the singular growth. The inside of the parts are more nearly tlat and the outside more oval, as indicating a split, but the trunks are too far apart at the ground. The smaller trunk is larger just below the union than farther down, as if a branch had been turned j down and rooted; but the writer thinks that as a fence formerly ran through the opening, two saplings had beeu drawn together and bound with * k TT AT? V A TTTT>t? A rx\c<axv v/r uaiuitut a withe to serve as stakes to hold the rails in place. The marked rod gives the dimensions of the opening more correctly than the medium-sized man who stood back out of the shade of the trunk. The editor of Meehan's comment is that "this is undoubtedly a case of natural inarohing, the union having occurred at an early age. Very good reasons, derived from a knowledge of the manner in which wood is formed, would be adduced against the idea of a split trunk, as also against,the suggestion of a branch turned down and rooting. No theory but natural inarching will suit the cane." Shot Cools as It /alls. The erroneous idea is held by some that lead shot are made spherical by falling from a height. The only purpose of lofty shot towers is to give the shot a chance to cool and harden as they- tumble. They are just as perfect spheres when they start from the top as when they reach the well of water 200 feet or so below. The usefulness of the water is merely as a soft cushion | to receive them. Shot cannot be formed from pure lead, but an admixture of arsenic causes the lead to form globules, like mercury. The molten mixture is placed in an iron saucepan with perforated bottom, and the dropH falling through are the shot. Tht-y must fall some distance in order to get time to cool and harden. When a batch is thus made they are scooped out of the water, tumbled about in a revolving barrel with plumbago, and finally put through a series of sieves to sort them into sizes for the market. ?Mining and Scientific Press. SEA GULL FOULED T11E LOG. Captain Wondered Why the Patent Device Wouldn't Work. When the British steamship Pacific, on a recent trip, was nearly half way across the Atlantic the patent log refused to work. The I02 was trailing astern as usual, but Captain Young could get no results fiom the indicator. At two bells of the forenoon watch * ? "nil /-v?" +/1 lion] in f Vl A linfl UC U1UU1CU c? sanui iv .M - to learn the cause of the trouble. Only a few fathoms had been reeled when a sea gull was pulled, dripping with spray, from the wake. The bird, which was still alive, had become entangled with the line in a most intricate way. The cord was wound around its head and legs, and, during the efforts of the sailors to extricate the victim, became entangled with its wings also. It was necessary to break the gull's THIS SEA GULL MADE TROUBLE. neck in order to straighten the log line. Sailors say that the obstruction of a ihip'a log by birds, as well as fish, i9 not rare, and that an albatross will frequently foul the line. During 1896 the big Anaconda copper mine, in Montana, earned a profit of ?1,000,000, the output in that year being 107,000,000 pounds of copper, nearly 500,000 ounces of silver and about 15,000 ounces of gold. More than $1,000,000 was spent on improvements. Colorado College, at Colorado Springe, has succeeded in raising an endowment fund of $200,000, and its future is now reasonably assured. Dr. D. K. Pearsons, of Chicago, gave the handsome sum of S50.000 towards the undertaking. A favorable report was made in the Texas Legislature on a bill making the payment of the poll tax a qualification for suffrage. CURIOUS FACTS. In Germany the census is take every five years. Messenger boys in London add t their incomes by odd jobs, such ti taking out blind men or animals fc en airing. The Buddhist monastery of Hair in Thibet is the loftiest inhabite point in the world. It is 17,000 fee above ?ea level. There was a fire in the Liverpoc Court Theatre the other evening, am a. catastropl.e was only averted by th use of a fireDroof curtain. English publishers issue on an aver ege four novels a day all the yea round. Last year the number wa 1654, apart from 513 reprints. The deepest shaft in the world i that of the Red Jacket, one of tb Lake Superior copper mines, where depth of 5000 feet has been reached. Two mile3 from MilaD, Italy, is th most remarkable echo in tho world. I is at the castle of Simonetta and re peats the shot of a pistol sixty times Tom Bur as, a Scotch diver, reoentl jumped from a moving train offTa; Bridge and landed in the river 10 feet below without sustaining eerion injury. The most dangerous waters in th world for the passage of ships lie o tho fldat nnast of Encrlaud. Cape Ust ant, in France, and Cape Finistern in Spam. The number of hors98 in the Aus tralian ooloniesdecreased from 500,00 in 1894 to 482,000 in 1895 in consc qnence of drought and Io* prices The number of cattle is about 2,000, 000; of sheep, 47,600,000. A trial has been made of a new se diving dress in the deepest part c Sydney harbor. Tho diver went dow in 26} fathoms and remained at th bottom for fifty minutes. When h came up he showed no signs of dis tress. The cultivation of flowers for espoi and for the perfumery factories 8 ;I?aoa* in or. imnnrfant indlistrv On th ' x UOUU iU MM ? . y Riviera. It is oflioially estimated the the value of flowers annually exporte from Nice, Cannes, Beaulieu and Mei tone in $600,000. The horses which have beim tnrne loose to forage for themselves in th eastern part of Washington ,ac.ve ma! tiplied very rapidly,and there are sai to be as .many as 100,000 roamin about. The farmers 190k upon thei as pests, and are hoping that exposur will kill them off. The United States sent 103,000,0C pounds of hams to Great Britain las year. Something over 300,000,0C pounds of American bacon took tb same journey, ana as xor our iut Great Britain received forty per cen1 of the total exports, which amounte to 200,000 pounds. Tlic Tallest Ra'lroaJ. Tho Peruvian Central, Transandia< or Oroya railroad is the tallest ni road in the world. It begins six fe< above tide water at Callao. Froi Lima, eight miles ahead and 500 fe< higher,, it winds up the narrowin valley of the Rimac, past great haciei das and forgotten ruins. At Chosf.ci thirty-three miles from the seat, it hi gained but 2800 feet in elevation; oi within the yard limits of that static begins the four per cent, grade, whic is steadily maintained for aevec.tj three miles. The Eimac'e gorge b comes deeper and more contracted, tl little bays and benches of cultivob land Ecarcer. At the hamlet of !S? Bartolome serious engineering begin The overhanging hillside on the rigl displays the tirst "V"?the characte istic device so frequently necessary t overcome the headlong valley. T1 maximum gradient, (allowed by coi tract) of 211 feet to the mile has : many places been stretched, and tl actual gradient is sometimes near< five per cent. But even this was i: sufficient to meet the exigencies of tl quebrada, whose floor often great! exceeds that slope. The only way 1 get ahead was to run back a few fu longs or miles at fall .grade and the to ehoot forward on the upper arm i 1 ' ?' fKoau Vq" Til tne 7i.!g?U?. PUWO ui l,u>au . .. back and forth like sloping shelvos j the high walls of the main gorge some double and twist far ap later valleys. Not to coaiin9 the matter I single points, where the road ha3 I givo five miles to gain one. the tot percentage is astonishing. From Ce lao to Oroya, the length of the track 22H kilometers; of these 7Gj (01 mile m every three) are consumed i overcoming the rise?and this besid< the unprecedented maintaining of sue a maximum grade. A Foresit Episode. Some people deserve to got on : the world. The writer met the makin for presidential t.mber in the iqciqi tains in southwestern Missouri. J 1 L '?- 1/1 lintrn nmr> ?nr>h rlesf.ill it; US I; UO ouuuiu uu.o ? if the traditions of Honest Abe's ear days, tho aonah; oi the inartyr< President Garfield, or tbo tales other self made presidents are ar. oriterion. We aroso at i o'clock i the morning to go hunting. It was i dark one could hardly aeo one's ham when we came to a great woodpl where a boy was flawing wood by tl light of ii lauteru. Wc returned nighl: by the Game road and there j the moonlight at tho name place wi the .same bov sawing wood in tb lonely spot on the outskirts of th forest. "Hello! Been working ever aim early morning?" "Oh, no," ho said, c'necrily, "IV been to school all day. ? work for living in the early inumiug aud eve: ingandgetan education in the dt time." "Where ia the school?" "About five mile.j yonder over 'A hill." "How much do you get for fiftwir wood?" "Theypay twenty-five contsn cord, "And how many cords cau you eu in a day?" "One, if I work very early f;i late." And ae wo rodo awuy tho writ wondered if the world would ever bei from that boy? One hears of all tl successes, but there aro not historiai enough fortunately to chronicle tl failures. But tho lad's voice w i cheery and tho sound of tho sa seemed a song of hope, eternal ai inspiring, aa wo thoughtfully passi ! on.--Detroit Free Prcsa. REALM OF STYLE. ; a 1 \ 3I1RROR OK FASHION FOR i O i DRKS6Y WOJ1KN. ,3 ' 1 r Faiior-Maile ('.owns-Summer Skirts ; ?No Limit to the Styles of e Jackets?New Wrinkles In d Fashioiiable Millinery. (Spociul New York Fashion Letter.) '1 Various speculations on the changes ^ which will predominate in our summer e gowna have been already demonstrated, and many others which exist only in fancy, are circulated abroad, but r j not until a latter instalment of French s j models is shown will there be anything like a definite idea of the styles g which will lead the procession of mide summer gowns. a The models that have been sent over from Fashion's Capital are for spring wear and are all on the t&'lor-made . order. Perhaps the potent reason why we receive the styles in tailor-made suits so early is because such a gown is ? really the only spring garment that 7 oan, with propriety, be worn before ? Easter. The sensible woman, the one s l? SUIT ON l'HE BLAZER STYLE. 3t : ^ who gets as much wear as possible out of all her gown?, ordera her tailor? made early. Later in the summer, j this same frock is excellent for outing * and traveling wear, for it is a recoglt nized fact that however early the n styles for tailor-made gowns may be ^ set they never change during the next _ six months. TM,** vMirrrrln on 4A ^ V?/> nil f f\f DTI m XTX AT 9. AUO 00 lQ skirts has been solved and the seven l0 gored variety measuring from four to n four and a half } arda wide will, beg yond doubt, be the proper thing for tailor-made skirts, while the nine gored patterns will be used for silk Q and satiu. All the Dew skirts made up for immediate wear are plain on lm the hips and made full in the back, lQ the centre width of the three back lQ ones being well gored on both edges to give the pretty swing at the bota. torn. Q The variety in jaokets has no limit, i_ but iust at the moment the two ultra iv * >0 smart ones illustrated in the accom_ panying sketches are very popular. )Q The one suit is on the blazer style and is made of a canvas weave woolen in fabric in a very Frenchy combination of green and Napoleon blue with fine j. cross threads of brown and back. The ft| grace of the skirt is apparent, and the unique beauty of the jacket is en^0 161 LITTLE GIRL'S FROCK TRIMMED WITII DARK GARNET BRAID. lg banced by a faucv back of the cloth artistically stitched with silk. The w narrow collar develops into wide rererp, oddly shaped and trimmed id with the very fashionable Brandenj burg braid. The lining is a bright er j green taffeta silk and the open weavS ar of the material allows just a glimmer le of its beautiful color to shine through an lending an added charm to this smartie est of suits. The second gown is a3 fashioned of dark green serge lined iw , throughout with shaded rose taffeta id | silk. Its style is particularly neat 3d and yet as dressy and fashionable as | could be desired. The jacket intro V luces a novelty in its odd cut and also n the dv front which is made by neans of a strap of the material, tastefully stitched at the edgea. The little girl's frock, also illus crated, is made ot navy Diue aer and trimmed with dark garnet br<iid. The blouse has a shield front of flute pique appropriately embroidered with dark blue and gold and ia trimmed with a deep sailor collar of the 8erge edged with braid. All the new hat* shown are rather email in size but revealing a wealth of gorgeoua blossoms. Pansiea and violets are the favorite flowers and on 8ome very novel chapeaux both are used as garniture. One dainty little round hat has a soft crown composed of bunches of violets resting upon puffs of deep violet velvet, and its turned-up brim is completely hidden by large sweet-faced velvet panaiea. The colors are white and pale and deep purple, with a tiny spot of yellow for a centre. Here and there around the i?z? l?j? _ j n4 ) unui pruiruutjs a iwioicu nuuuu w> stems, and resting apon the hair at the baok is an immense bow of stemgreen velvet ribbon. Another toqne, this time imported from Virot, is fashioned of coarse white tulle,-studded with silver beads," GOWN OF DARK GREEN SERGE. The shape is like a very large Tam o'Shanter crown without a brim, the soft folds that edge the crown resting most beoomingly upon the wearer'e hair. The left side is very high and very flat and is covered with big pansies, the stems of which are twisted into a bow-knot that extends almost to the top of the ear. It is a dainty confeotion, indeed, and is a fitting crown to the frook with which it is to be worn. This frook is a pansy-colored foulard silk strewn wittx large white scrolls. The skirt has a separate lining of silk and is made with tiny tucks extending about five inches below tbe belt, thus carrying the fullness aronnd the entire skirt. The bodice is slightly blonsed and shirred on cords around the figure from the wai6t to the bust line. The sleeves also show the corded shirring running around the nrm from the wrist to half way between the elbow and shoulder, where the fnllness of the material is loosened and forms a small puff. A deep,square collar slashed on each side of the front and then forming epaulettes over the shoulders, is made of white taffeta covered with real Irish point lace and edged with a double ruche of white chiffon. The costumes illustrated herowith were designed by The National Cloak Co., of New York. History of the Signboard. As far back as the beginning of the Christiun era symbolic designs were adopted in Borne and other Italian cities to distinguish the various trades and crafts; for, when the art of reading was by no means general, an em> blem above a booth was a much better advertisement than a name. Thus, discoveries at Pompeii have revealed bas-reliefs of a mule in a section of a mill, on the wall of a bakehouse, and of a goat on tlie front of e dairy, while a shoemaker of that olden time made au artistic bid for custom by a floating Cupid, who with one hand gavly balanced a half boot on -?I- An/5 -rrritVi hfl nfhfil Ill in uuri_y pa l c uuu nmu vuu vv~v. waved its fellow in the air. Two slaves supporting an amphora on a pole across their shoulders indicated the mart of a wine merchant. The picturesque square swinging signboard was the outgrowth of the symbol developed by civilizatioa; and this flourished in its greatest glory during the middle ages of merry England, when hall and hostelry alike were made interesting and beautiful by carving, forging and limning, and crests and armorial bearings were the natural fruit of the day* of feudalism. At first these, for the most part, bore heraldic and emblematic devices of animals, birds, fish and flowers or figures of a religious character, as saints and martyrs, and sometimes J nujong mechanics, the tools of the ari tisan.?Lippincott's. Girl in a Bear'sDcn. Little Elsie Yarrow wandered away a few days ago from her home, near Germania Park, in the Black Forest, Penn., and all trace of her was lost. Heavy snows had fallen, and searching parties were organized by Elsie's father. Hundreds of men were soon on the mountain. Tracks of the girl's feet were found at length, which led to a bear's den. Here the child was found unconsoious from hunger and exposure, though unharmed. When the reecuing party entered the cave the bear at once showed fight, but he was soon killed. - s 1? wBBBT wE^r ' ' -Jg- i . ^ A SECRET, ' /, Sank deep in a sea, A sea of the dead. Lies a book, that shall be .Never opaaaa or reau. Its sibylline p ag03 A secret inclose? The flower of the Ag03f A rose, a red rose. That sea of the deal ' Is my soul; and the book Is my heart; and the red Rose, the love you forsook. ?Julian Hawthorne,in February Llppincott'l PITH AND POINT. | "Can you read French?" "Er? not aloud."?Cincinnati Enquirer. The Governess?"I know French and German " Mrs. Uptodato? "That is not sufficient. I want some one who can teach my children Scotch." T? LI T ?urouiuyu uue. Bruin?"What's the matter, dear?" Mrs. Brain?"Baby woke up fout weeks ago and baa been crying ever since. I wish you'd take him for a little while."?Detroit News. w?g| "What on earth induced you,John? You gave that waiter five dollars for a tip, and he was the-worst I ever " "That's just it, my dear. I wanted to enable him to retire."?Harper's "Bazar. "They say that ninety-five per cent. of the business of the coantry is done on credit." Jones?"Yes; and there are lots of people hustling all they ' can to increase the proportion."? Puck. "Papa," asked the little boy who wants to know, "how does an army scour the country? With brushes?" . "Yes," said the father. "Brushes with the enemy,"?Cincinnati Enquirer. An Aid in Memory? The Schoolgirl: "Weren't there nine Muses? I keep forgetting." Her Brother? v "Nine's right. Can't yon think of a ball game?nine on each side and nine innings?"?Puck. Ethel?"How do yon get on with your fiance, dear?" May?"Oh, he's a perfect worry. He's always wantingto get married, you know. So absurd, you know; the first time I've been ?ngaged and all."?From Larks. Moses Junior?"Fader, a shentleman in de shop vacts to know if dat 'U all-vooi nonshnnkabie siiirt viii shrink?" Moses Senior?"Does it fid him?" Moses Junior?"No; id is too big." Moses Senior?"Yah, id vill shrink!"?Tit-Bits. '4V? X'3 Reporter?""Do you know what they are saying about you over in the Nineteenth Ward?" Professional Politicaa ?"No. What is it?" Reporter?> "They say you won't stay bought." > v Professional Politican (off his guard) , ~'.j ?"It's a lie!"?Chicago Record. "And do you really love me?" she faltered. "Can you doubt me?" he ; earnestly demanded, "familiar as you must be with the tendencies of the literature of the day?" That is to say, dear reader, if th's be literature, , then his love be rea\.?Detroit VN: Journal. . ;'vv/? ' jTwf Asker (to Fischer, who is returning empty-handed from a tishing trip, with - 3 L L:. I 1?\ ?i OJk.,* a UU|^ til '1113 Jiccio/""" tv ua u uv jvu call yonr dog?" Fisher?"Fish." Asker?" Why, that's a funny name for a dog. What made yon give it to him?" Fisher?"Because he won't ,yjj bite."?Tit-Bits. "Groat head?" repeated the robber baron, with a loud laugh. "Well, I guess. If you will believe it, 5000 piastres have been offered for that head. On the dead." The which being in those rude times considered a rare jest, his lordship purchased wassail for the crowd.?Detroit Journal. Her Plan?He?"Do you believe iu long engagements?" She?"Well, it all depends." He?"I don't understand." She?"If he has plenty of money and is inclined to be liberal, a long engagement is the thing; but if he cannot afford boxes at the opera and suoh things I always make his regime very short." ? Philadelphia Ledger. A Watch Tliat Winds Itself. The latest novelty in the line of mill annaal f A loTtT fLTt ri UUiOHCOpCJia nui ay^wui w forgetful people. It consists of a watch which does not require any winding. AH that is necessary for its owner to do in order to have the time with him always is to walk half a mile a day. The watch does the rest. These novel watches are got "out in teveral varieties of case?, some of them extremely ornamental, but the kind most commonly seen in Chicago is made with a plain black ca3e and au open face. The winding mechanism consists of an ingenious contrivance by which a small weight is raised and l/vnin.n/1 tmm inr r\f TPallfiniy Thfl iWWClWU UVUi VUW J*** w? WW ? ? motion of the weight works a small ratchet arrangement, which winds tho spring to its full tension, and then is automatically held until more winding h needed. A course of shaking up and down for a few minutes will answer the same purpose as a stroll afoot, while all the jolts and jars of ordinary axistenoe are likewise made useful as a means of winding.?Chicago Tribune. Greece Makes Soap. Most of the soap factories in Greooe ?which number thirty-seven?are to be found at Zante, some working all tho year round and others only during certain months. The annual production of common soap is about 6,500,000 okes, of which three-fourths are consumed in the country, the remainder being sold tq, Turkey, Egypt, Bulgaria, Roumania, Austria and the United States. Altogether the industry employs 480 hande, whoso wages vary from three to live drachmas per day. Native olive oil is used for tho manufacture. For some years past the Grecian soaps have effectively competed with similar manufactures on foreign markets, they being preferred to the common soaps manufactured in Smyrna, Mytilene, Syria and even in certain European countries. The annual exports cxeeed a million okes.?London Chamber of Commerce Journal. Venerable Potentates. Queen Victoria, for all her seventyseven years, is yet overtopped in point of age by four other monarchs of Europe?tho Pope, tho Grand Duka of Luxemburg, tho King of Denmark and the Grand Duko of Saxe-Weimar. j