Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, September 25, 1889, Image 2
(Gaston, Surratt, Cherokee and Xinetvnine
islands) capable of developing, without
storeage, an aggregate of 7,250 horse
power, which, it is estimated, with proper
storeage, can be considerably more than
doubled.
The banks of the streams at all these
sites are in every way admirably adapted
to the development of the different powers
to their utmost limit, and furnish splendid
locations for necessary buildings. They
rise from fifteen to twenty feet above the
level of the stream, away beyond the reach
of high water.
Though but two of the shoals, Cherokee
and Gaston, are now being utilized, all of
these powers have, in time, been developed
to so some extent for various purposes.
Just south of the North Carolina line,
and about seven miles northwest of
Blacksburg, is the Surratt power, which
has a fall of 35 feet in one and threequarter
miles. The minimum power furnished
at low water, without storeage, is
1,450 horse, and with storeage, the maximum
runs up to 4,000 horse power.
About two miles south of this, the Gas
ton shoal, with a minimum power of
400 horse, is the site of a wheat and eorn
mill. The shoal has a fall of ten feet in
one mile of distance, and is capable, with
storeage, of developing 1,150 horse power.
Next in order comes the Cherokee shoal
with a fall of fifty feet in two miles of
distance. The available motive force at
this place is estimated at 2,700 horse
power at low water without storeage, and
0,900 with storeage. The furnaces and
works of the King's Mountain Iron comSany
were located at this shoal, and three
undred horse power were obtained from
an old fashioned breast wheel with ten
feet of fall. Sixteen feet fall are easily
available within two hundred yards of
distance.
About a mile and a half further down
the river is the Ninety-nine Islands shoal,
with a fall of fifty feet in three miles, and
capable of developing the same power as
Cherokee. The Augusta division of the
Three C's railroad will cross the river
over this shoal, making it a most desirable
location for manufacturing purposes.
Building stone of very good quality and
abundant in quantity, is to be had immediately
on the banks of the river at
all of these shoals, and all necessary building
material can be gotten in the immediate
vicinity.
Besides the water power of the river,
this section is traversed by two creeks,
(King's and Buffalo) both of which have
considerable volume and are capable of
1UI UlSJIilJg HIUVI1 auuiliv/uoi [/v/nvi. 1/Ui
falo creek has a drainage area of one
hundred and seventy-two square miles,
and a rapid fall, which is capable of developing
from 5i to 15 horse power per
foot. The power of King's creek is little
more than one-third as great.
THE CHEROKEE FALLS COTTON FACTORY,
owned and operated by the Cherokee Falls
Manufacturing company, and situated at
the site formerly occupied by the King's
Mountain Iron works, at the head of Ninety-nine
Islands, is the only manufacturing
enterprise as yet utilizing any portion of
the vast water power of this locality.
This mill operates 7,800 spindles with
about 90 operatives, and is in a most prosperous
condition. Commencing operation
In 1881 with $75,000, it has, by its own
earnings, increased its capital stock to $100?500
and is now paying a handsome semiannual
dividend to its stockholders.
The machinery is moved by three turbine
wheels, of 100 horse-power each, and which
utilize only about one fourth of the water
that may easily be made available at this
point. The mill is situated about three
and a half miles south of Blacksburg, and
will be directly on the line of the Augusta
division of the Three C's railroad
THE OLD IRON WORKS.
SHORT SKETCH OF THE IRON INDUSTRY
IN WESTERN YORK.
According to tradition, the first iron
makers jn Western York were the first set
tiers, rne ores in mis vicinity ueing very
pure and abundant, were easily converted
into iron in Catalan forges, and as only a
small quantity was necessary to supply
the then limited demand, it was manufactured
by this primitive process at a very
early period in the history of the countrysome
years previous to the Revolution.
The first regular furnace (according to Col.
John L. Black, who furnishes us with this
information) was built along about the
year 1809 by Jacob Stroup, and was located
near the mouth of King's creek. After
continuing in operation only a few
years, during which time it did a most
prosperous business, it was destroyed by
a sudden rise in the creek, which flooding
the hearth and chilling the iron in the iron
box, as the iron makers say, "blew her
out. The.chilled mass of iron is still to
be seen upon the spot. After this mishap,
Stroup sold the property to Messrs. Win.
McGill and Jno. B. Darwin, and having in
the meantime discovered a more desirable
location, moved up the river and commenced
the erection of another furnace at
the site at present occupied by the Cherokee
Falls factory. This was about the
year 182o. After nearly completing the
new works, all but putting them in operation,
he sold out to E. uraham A- Co., a
firm composed of Emmor (Jraham, Jacob
M. Deal, James A. Black, Robert, Peter
and John Bryce. These gentlemen, upon
taking charge of the enterprise, added to
it on a large scale, building the first rolling
mill established in the South, and commenced
an extensive manufacturing business.
About the year 1837 they in turn
sold out the works to a joint stock organization,
chartered and incorporated under
the name of the King's Mountain Iron
company, which, with $100,000 capital, continued
to make iron up to the close of the
war, in 18Go. Long before shutting down,
however, the product of these works had
gained a world-wide reputation, having
stood every test required of a superior
quality of iron, and commanded a high
price even in England, where it was in
great demand for the purpose of making
fine cutlery. Neither was the iron of this
locfllitv held in anv less annreciation in i
this country. It found a market as far I
north as Richmond, Ya., was hauled in j
wagons to different points in North Carolina
and Tennessee, and was extensively I
used by the United States Government in
the manufacture of ordinance at Harper's
Ferry. One of the last orders filled by i
the King's Mountain Iron company was
for 1,400 car wheels, which were furnished 1
to the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta |
railroad, and are still remembered as being j
superior to any wheels ever used on that j
road before or since.
Notwithstanding all this, hi the demor- j
alized state of affairs that succeeded the !
close of the war, the works were forced to |
shut down. Before being able to recuper-!
ate, the manufacture of iron was com- j
menced in other localities possessed of the :
advantage of good transportation facilities j
and an abundance of coal, and the richer j
ores of this vicinity, becoming more and
more isolated, as compared with other j
iron making centres, were necessarily neg-'
lected. But the possibility of available |
coal now being a settled probability of the '
immediate future, there is little reason to
fear that this state of affairs will long continue.
The most valuable ores have been
secured by the Magnetic Iron and Steel
Ore Mining company, which owned, controlled
and directed by men of means,
experience and enterprise, may be depended
upon to develop their interests to their
fullest capacity.
BITS OF HISTORY
ANI) TRADITION OF MORE OR LESS INTEREST
IN CHEROKEE.
The vicinity of Blacksburg was long
known by the' people of the Cherokee section
as "Stark's Folly." The first comers
to this country found this particular locality
an apparently barren waste, which
they considered so worthless that it was
many years before any one saw fit to build
on and claim the lands, which was first
done by a man named Stark, and for want
of abetter name, the people of the neighborhood
designated the locality as above.
The Whitesides limestone spring and the
branch which forms its outlet, are still
marked Folly Spring and Folly Branch on
surveyors' plats.
Whitaker mountain is said to be named
in honor of Sally Whitaker, who, with her
father's family, at one time lived in the
gap in the mountain. One afternoon,
while searching for the cows, in company
with her little brother, the latter was attacked
by a large panther. Sally carried
a rifle, with .which she succeeded in killing
the brute, and the mountain has ever since
been known by its present name.
The aborigines of this country were the
Catawbas, to whom all of York county
originally belonged, Broad river forming
the western boundary of their territory.
The Cherokees were a remnant of a Canadian
tribe, forced south by the French before
the whites settled in this section.
They attempted to establish themselves
along the eastern banks of Broad river,
but as the result of a great battle with the
L 4*'
Catawlms, were driven to the other side
at the crossing known as Cherokee ford.
Numbers of old Indian graves, marked
by heaps of stones, are still to been along
the high ridges in this section, there being
probably a dozen on Whi taker mountain.
Buffalo creek is said to have been so
named 011 account of its valley having
formerly been a favorite range of large
herds of buffalo. Doolittle creek (corrupted
from "little deer") derived its name
from a similar reason.
Col. Williams, one of the heroes of
King's Mountain, was buried about four
miles north of Blacksburg, on lands of
Captain John B. Mintz, who lias considerately
allowed a cluster of trees to remain
around the grave. Mortally wounded in
the battle, the colonel was borne away
by his comrades as far as this spot, where
he requested them to stop, and shortly afterward
expired. It was near here that
Colonel Frederick Hambright captured
a tory courier bearing the well known dispatch
to Cornwallis in which Ferguson
boasted that he occupied a strong position
011 King's Mountain, and "all the rebels
out of h?1 couldn't drive him from it."
Adair's ferry, the favorite crossing place
of Horseshoe Robinson, the hero of Kennedy's
famous novel, is also within a short
distance of this place.
MUSCULAR STENGTH.
.JO//.V I. SULLIVAN DISCUSSES PHYSICAL
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT.
I suppose that a good deal of my strength i
and activity is due to training and hard
work. No man can keep strong unless he
uses his muscles regularly, and almost <
anybody can build himself up from a weak
fellow who is no good into a first-class
man. Of course a man who is born strong <
has a vast advantage over one who is born
sick or delicate.
In my own case 1 had very healthy pa- ;
rents and was, I am told, a very good
specimen of a baby and a child. I iiad lit- ,
tie or no sickness in my early life or, in
fact, at any time. I was a very strong and
healthy boy as far back as I can remember. ;
I always had a great love for sports and j
exercise. Fortunately for me it took the i
form of a taste for games and exercises i
which demand quickness of eye and limb j
rather than mere brute force.
Any man's muscles can be developed in i
two ways. He can work for mere bodily <
strength or for active energy. Most people
labor under the false impression that
strength means huge muscles and the pow- .?
er to lift big weights, and that everything
different means weakness. They are partly
right and partly wrong. They are al- '
ways disappointed when they see a first- .>
* ~ ' * r? ? x! IT, 1 ^ ^ 1
class ooxer ior ine nrst nine, xie iuuks i
small and insignificant according to their
preconceived notions. The men they like i
to look at are the performers in the circus
or the museum, men who pull horses back- ]
ward and lift heavy barrels with their
teeth. ]
In this respect there are hundreds of men ]
who are stronger than I am. "Strongarm"
Kelly, who used a 2()U-pound dumb-bell, ]
Gus Hill who swings an Indian club weigh- i
ing as much as an average man, Mile. 1
Angela, who lifts and carries half a ton,
Prof. Frank Herreschaff, brother of the i
great boat-builder, who raises 2,000 pounds 1
from the ground, and a lot of others are
much stronger in this way than any prize- ;
fighter, dead or alive. But such people are i
only big machines; they can do the line of
business in which they work and train, <
but nothing else. t
There are lots of clever young men who <
are ambitious to go into gymnasiums and j
exercise faithfully with heavy dumb-bells ;
and clubs until they have developed big <
muscles all over their bodies. Then all of i
mwl/lArt +lim? om A niofoh 1
tt 9UUUCU HICJ' 1111V1 llici.v mvj cuv iiv iimivu ?
for a man half their size in boxing, wrest- 1
ling, running,jumping, rowing, swimming <
or playing athletic games. Generally they ]
blame themselves for the inferiority and <
are disappointed. It is very seldom that ]
they realize that it is their training and not 1
their bodies that they ought to btyme. In :
this way many splendid specimens of man- ]
hood who would excel in general atletics
and make great records in all the games
they entered, convert themselves into
heavy, ox-like fellows who can do nothing :
more than lift, pull and draw.
I did not fall into this mistake. 1 liked ]
sparring, running and such sports, and .
when I went to work I got into trades i
where a man must be quick rather than I
strong, and where he is in the open air a <
good deal of his time and is always doing i
something with his muscles. When I was <
eighteen I was about as tall as I am now, ;
but I was smaller in other directions. 1
measured about 30 or 37 inches around the ]
chest, weighed about 170 pounds and was
about 31 inches around the waist.
I had a hearty appetite then and liked
all sorts of food, especially those that are
plain and substantial. 1 had no rule, but :
ate and drank just as I felt like it. I ran a ;
good deal towards meats and vegetables,
and very little toward fancy dishes.
About this time I began to exercise reg- i
ularly with a view to better myself in spar- i
ring and general condition.' I did not :
know much about such things in those i
days, but took points from those of my <
friends that had more or less experience.
Luckily for me they were pretty well posted
and their advice did me good. In my
exercise I went for light work and let <
i _i. ..i ?.. /\ .... t .......
I It'll \ c\ \> l/I K 111(11 It". ( /UtC ('1 I Witt" l war?
advised to try lifting machines and heavy :
weights, hut I never did. If you examine :
people who do heavy lifting you find that
the muscles, though very large and often
very hard, move very slowly and generally
are uneven. They are what sporting
men call "knotted." Besides that?and :
this is far more important?the heart and :
lungs tire almost always weakened by
these "health lifters."
With a man who boxes or rows, the heart
heats faster and the blood moves swifter
when he is at work than when he is resting. :
The lungs sympathize and he breathes
quicker and deeper. When such a man
begins the season he gets red in the face *
very rapidly, then grows "winded" and
finally so weak as to be exhausted. As he
keeps on day after day the heart and lungs become
stronger, and after a good while
work just as well as his muscles. An oars- :
man in spring, or sprinter out of practice,
gets "pumped;" but before a month of
practice has gone by they are in first-rate
form. The man who lifts heavy weights
does so very slowly and so does not exercise
the heart or wind. After a year or
two he presents the odd picture of a giant
in muscles with the heart of a young girl.
"Strongarm" Kelley could not trot around
the block where he lived, and Dr. Winship,
who lifted nearly two tons, could not dance
five minutes without being played out.
There have been great athletes who never
use any instruments, whatever, but merely
indulged in every possible movement
which would call into play the various
parts of the body. To an expert the arm,
leg, head, or truiik, are as easily employed
to produce results as any club, bell, wand,
pulley or weight.
In punching, they used at one time a
heavy sandbag, then a light one, next a
sawdust bag and now a bladder or a football
hung by a rope from the ceiling. Anybody
can hit a sandbag, and after it has
swung away hit it again on its return.
Hut it takes considerable skill and practice
to hit a light bladder and punch it again
as it flies back at your face.
In mv own training I rely upon the
system I have described. I waik, but walk
so fast as to throw a good strain upon the
muscles and the wind. I run in the same
way. 1 practice jumping forward and
backward, broad and high. These develop
the lower part of the uody. For the
upper part, I try punching the bag, sparring
with my trainers and friends and
wrestling. I do not put much dependence
on bells and clubs.
There are some false notions about training.
Many people think it is a serious
process into which a man is converted into
a mass of bone and muscle, and is
obliged to live a life of self-denial under
mechanical and very severe rules. It used
to be so in the old days, but things have
changed a good deal in this respect.
A man's mind and temper should be
kept good natured while training, and
there is the chief value of trainers. It is
very hard for any strong man to be happy
and healthy when he leads a humdrum
sober life all by himself. Exercise and
training become' monotonous and stupid
in no time under such circumstances. lie
needs clever entertaining trainers and
agreeable companions. Pleasant conversation,
chafing, satire, ridicule and healthy
laughter are good aids in training as well
as at dinner. A pugilist in training spars
and wrestles far better when he has an audience
of friends he likes, than when he
is alone. There seems to be a prevailing
outcry by the press against sociability on
the part' of members of the ring which
is opposed to these ideas. Its only value
is against that sociability which involves
dissipation and wasted energy. In all
other respects it is the opposite of the
truth.?[John L. Sullivan.
ahc ^ to I'D Seller.
THE RUNAWAY SHIP.
A STORY OF THE SEA.
I had command of the old Overshot, a
good ship, and one which put money into
the hands of her owners. She was built
for the India trade, and, with the exception
of one voyage to Smyrna, she had
stuck to the purpose for which she was put!
together. On the present occasion I was]
bound for India, and my cargo was made
up of a curious variety. I bad for passengers
an old gentleman, whose head was
white and his form bent with years, and
his three sons, the youngest of whom was
about thirty-five, and the eldest not far
from fifty years. Then there were several
women, and some half-dozen children.
We had doubled the southern capes of
Africa, and were just poking our nose into
the Indian Ocean, when a circumstance
happened which was destined to try our
nerves somewhat. One afternoon one of
the men in the foretop reported a sail very
near ahead, in the line of our course.
"Some homeward bound Indiaman, probably,"
remarked Mr. Lee, my mate.
I nodded assent, and then went to the
cabin and told my passengers that if they
'>"'1 cjnul linmotlior lmrl lint
JIUVI an > iciitirj iu ov?ivt nv/iuv v?t\j ?*?v* .
ter have them ready, for perhaps we were
about to meet a ship hound for old Eng- j
land. They went to work upon my suggestion
at once, and in the course of an
hour we had a letter-bag neatly sewed up
and directed.
The wind was now a little south of east,
so that we stood upon our course northeast
with freedom, and the coming ship was
heading very nearly upon us, though as we
came nearer she kept away a little further
to the westward.
"Is it an English ship ?" asked my whitehaired
old passenger.
"I think it is," was my reply ; and just
as I spoke my mate came down from the
foretop, where he had been with the glass.
I noticed that his face looked troubled, and
dso that he kept back some remark which
he was on the point of dropping, at the
same time regarding the old passenger with
\ look that seemed to indicate that he was
in the way. I took the hint, and carelessly
walked forward. Mr. Becket, the mate in
question, followed me. At the gangway I
stopped.
UUTl.^1 !.. !i. on T
" W Jllll l? It ." i iishni.
"Why, sir that ship is the old Dorset,"
?iid he.
"The Dorset?" I replied. "Impossible!"
"But I am sure," persisted Becket.
'There's not another ship in England with
$uch a figurehead. Those two girls are not
to be mistaken."
"But are you sure that she has that figurehead
?"
"Certainly. You'll be able to see it
from here in a few moments."
"But," said I, "the Dorset has not yet
bad time to reach Sidney, let alone getting
back as far as this."
"Of course," answered Becket, with a
keen glance about him, "but don't you
think a ship could run away without doing
the errand she had in hand?"
"Eh?" That's all I uttered at the moment,
for a strange thought was beginning
to work its way to my mind.
"You remember what sort of a cargo the
Dorset had, don't you ?". my mate remarked.
Of course I remembered, for I met the
captain of the Dorset the day before she
jailed, and had a quiet dinner with him at
Cowley's. He was an old friend of mine,
md named Bumstead?Harry Bumstead?
ind as good a sailor as ever trod a deck at
;ea. Now the facts, as they came crowding
rather unpleasantly upon my mind, were
Uiocn rPlir> iiwf tivn U'Ppks
before I did, and took out twenty-three
convicts who had been sentenced to transportation.
These, of course, he had to
:lrop at Sidney or Port Jackson, and as he
had part of a cargo for that place, lie was
to go there first. So I knew that the
Dorset had no business to be running away
from the Indian Ocean now.
"What do you think about it?" asked
Becket who had been watching nie.
"Let me take the glass," said I, without
seeming to notice this question,
lie handed me the glass, and I at once
I 1 1 .1.1 1 ..,.4- 4-1.^
leapuu upuu iiiu iiurseuiuuiv ami ?ui mc
focus. The coming ship was now so near
that the hull was nearly all up, and my
tirst look was upon the figure-head. There
could be no mistake now. I could distinctly
see the two female forms clasping
each other by the hands, I knew to be the
ulorning figure of the Dorset's cutwater.
"Mr. Becket," I said, after I had satistied
myself upon this point, "that is the
Dorset, and no mistake."
"Yes, but what do you make of it ?"
"What do you make of it?" I asked.
He pondered a few moments, and then
aid : "I think the convicts have taken the
ship."
"So do 1," was my rejoinder.
As 1 thus spoke 1 walked aft to where
my first mate stood by the wheel, and
ilrawing him to one side, I told him my
fears. He leaped upon the rail and gazed
;it our neighbor, and when he reached the
(leek again he was of my opinion.
"It must be so," he said. "What shall
we do ?"
That was the question. What shall we
do? The ship had now come to within
half a mile, and all doubts respecting her
identity were at an end. I now knew that
>he was the Dorset, and, of course felt confident
that the convicts must by some
means have gained possession.
"She didn't have the best crew that ever
was," remarked Lee, nervously. "1 knew
some of her men, and they were as previous
a set of scamps as ever breathed."
This made the matter worse still. Of
my whole crew 1 could muster but thirty
men, counting the three able passengers,
having set live men on shore at St. Helena
sick with fever, and being unable at the
time to make their places good. On board
the Dorset there would be the twenty-three
convicts, and, in all probability, a great
part of the crew?perhaps forty men in all.
What shall we do? To let the ship pass
on under such circumstances seemed hardly
the thing for an|Englishman, and to engage
with such a renegade crew was sheer
madness. 1 asked my officers what they
thought, and they thought just as I did. 1
explained the matter to my three passengers,
and they said they would help me if
they could be assured they would be of any
use. *
But during all this time the ship in
question had been nearing us, we having
steered, so to speak, with her, and now she
was not more than two cables' length distant
upon our lee bow.
"Ship ahoy!" I shouted through my
trumpet.
"Hallo!" came from the other ship.
"What ship is that ?"
"The Ben Franklin," answered the same
voice, the owner of which wore a Scotch
cap and red shirt.
"Where are vou bound ?"
"To New York."
"Belong there?"
"Yes."
At this moment she had ranged ahead
far enough so that I could see that she had
the American flag at her peak, which had
been before hidden by her canvas. There
were certainly forty men leaning over her
rail, and I knew at once that we could not
easilv overcome them. At that moment,
i..,,i ..... i...................I. i ......I.!
nuu iitcv t uucn iivui \Jiiui4j;iij x \.vyiii\i
have jumped on hoard and engaged with
those men single-handed. What had hecome
of poor lfarry Bumstoad, thought J,
and the few men who might have remained
faithful to him ?
While these thoughts and a thousand
others were wildly rushing through my
mind, the Dorset passed on. I knew it was
my old friend, for all the lies they had told
in answer to my questions. I had no
thought of conjecture on the subject; hut
that the ship was the Dorset 1 knew just as
well as I should have known my own
brother's. As the shipped passed on I saw
a face at one of the quarter windows. I
seized a glass and leveled it. It was the
face of Harry Hu instead, as sure as fate
And he waved a handkerchief toward me
with the most frantic gesticulations.
The sense of pain was just sinking into
my whole soul, when an idea flashed
across my mind that caused me to fairly
leap from my feet. All was now hops
and bustle in my brain, and as soon a.
possible I got my wits into working order
"Put the ship upon her course again," 1
ordered.
"We can do nothing?" said Docket, interrogatively.
"Wait," said 1 in return. "It isn't too
late vet."
"But?"
"Stop. Wait until I have shaped out a
plan, and then you shall know it."
It was now quite late, for, just as poor
Harry Bumstoad waved his handkerchief
at me the last time, the sun was sinking
into the western waters. J watched the
Dorset until distance and gloom combined
to hide her from me, and I knew that she
was bound for the Atlantic. I saw her
; take in the lofty sails in preparation for the
; night, and 1 felt my hope increase. The
last I eouhl see she was steering southwest.
As soon as it was dark 1 had the helm
up, and ordered the ship to he worn around
i upon the other tack, and as soon as this
was done 1 set the course due south,
and crowded on all sail. The officers and
men gathered around me, and wished to
know what all this meant.
"It means," answered I, "that I will
have those villains in irons again, if I
can."
"Hut how?" came from a dozen.
"I'll tell you. Our ship is by all odds
the best sailer, with every sail set; hut
now that the Dorset has only topgallant
sails over doubled reefed topsails, we can
shoot ahead fast. By midnight I calculate
to he further south than she will he, so I'll
keep on this course until I'm sure, and
then I'll run to the west'rd, and lie in
waiting for her. I can tell you better
when the time comes. Hut I'm not afraid,
for I won't run into danger."
The breeze held fair, and we carried our
royals and studding sails below and aloft.
At midnight I knew that we must be considerably
further south than the Dorset;
but, instead of running directly west, 1
changed the course to west-sou'-west,
knowing that thus we should come upon
the other's track soon enough. At three
o'clock I made careful reckoning of the
point the Dorset must strike if she kept her
XI x 1 I iuu
course souuiwesi, ami 1 icu .iuiu wac
just where we should be.
My first move was to heave to and take
in sail, and then 1 sent the topgallant masts
on deck and housed the topmasts. Next I
had all our arms brought upon deck, and I
found that we had more than enough for a
brace of pistols and a cutlass to each man.
After this I had the pumps rigged; and
hardly had this been accomplished when
the lookout reported a sail. I hastened
forward, and could plainly see the outlines
of the tophaniper of a heavy ship looming
up darkly against the sky. I had the lanterns
hoisted, and then set the men at work
at the pumps. Ere long the ship came
near enough to hail. She put down her
helm, and laid her course to run under our
stern.
"Ship ahoy!" came from the Dorset?for
I could make out the drapery of the figurehead.
I made my mate answer at my suggestion
for fear the villains should recognize
my voice.
"Ilallo! send a boat 011 board," yelled
Lee, just as the Dorset passed under our
stern. "We have sprung a leak, and our
ship is sinking."
"What have you got on board ?"
"Furniture and provisions, and forty
thousand dollars in money."
The Dorset hove to and lowered a boat,
which was soon alongside full of men.
The villains quickly began to come over
the side.
"Haven't settled much yet," one of them
remarked, as he noticed how we stood.
"We've kept the pumps going well," I
nmiu
"Where's your gold ? Let's have that
first."
"This way," said I, moving to the poop.
When half way there I motioned for the
men to stop pumping.
"Down!" I uttered, and as I spoke I
gave the man nearest me a hlow with my
cutlass across the head that knocked him
down.
Only fifteen of the men had come from
the other ship, and as my crew were prepared,
these fifteen were down and gagged
almost before they could realize that anything
was out of the way. They were unprepared,
and nearly all of them were unarmed.
"Ship ahoy!" I cried, through my trumpet,
speaking as grimly as possible, to imitate
the voice of the fellow I had knocked
down.
"Hallo!" came in reply.
"Send another boat. * We can't bring
half. Send quickly, for the old thing is
sinking."
The Dorset soon lowered one of her quarterboats
and came alonside, with ten men
in it. 'j. hey came hurrying over the side,
and as soon as they were on the gangway
we fell upon them?not wildly, but with
regular system?and in a short time they
were secure.
My course was now simple. I first saw
every man so firmly bound that he could
not move, and then I called twenty-four
men into the two boats, still alongside, |
leaving only six men on board my ship.
We pulled for the Dorset as smartly as possible.
When we came to her gangway I
saw several heads peeping over the rail,
hut we had taken the precaution to put on
the Scotch caps of the convicts, and they
had no suspicions. Docket was the first on
her deck, and I followed next.
"Got the money?" asked the coarse
fellow.
um .4. - r :a . ak,. ??*%? n r I
"".HOSl 1)1 11 IS HI UIV." llUiim lll/n , Jl 1\-pliecl.
"ltig a whip, and we'll have it aboard."
The villain had not noticed my weapons.
I recognized in him at once the boatswain j
of the ship, a man who had been hired at
Liverpool, and whose character was not
among the best. As he turned to order
the whip rigged, and T saw that all my
men were 011 hoard, drawing my weapon,
T sprang upon him and cut him down.
At the first onset 011 board my own ship
I had been careful not to kill any one, for
fear I might he mistaken; hut i was not
doubtful now, for some of the prisoners
had confessed the crime. There were seventeen
men aft on hoard theship for me to
capture, and we captured them without
losing one of our own men and only killing
four of them.
As soon as our prisoners were safe, T
made way to the cabin, and in one of the
quarter galleries 1 found ('apt. Humstead.
In the hold of the Dorset we found lifteen
of the crew in irons. Iiuinstead ex
plained to nie in a few words what had
happened. Only five days before, the
boatswain, who had shown much insubordination
during; the voyage, headed nineteen
of the crew, who had joined him, and,
having set the convicts free, they fell upon
the rest of the crew at night, and made an
easy victory. The lirst and second mates
they had killed, and the boatswain would
have killed all hands, but the rest of the
mutineers refused to have it done. So it
had been arranged that the captain and
his friends should be confined and set on
shore on the first out-of-the-way island
they could find.
It was soon arranged that Bumstead
should proceed to Sidney within bis fifteen
faithful men, feeling sure that the convicts
could be so confined as to be safe. So I saw
his prisoners faithfully ironed, and then
took the mutineers on board my own ship,
intending to carry tbem to Calcutta. There
were fifteen in number, four only having
been killed in the conflict.
That night the Dorset tacked and stood
away for Australia, while we kept on up
the ocean. We arrived safely at Calcutta,
' ' ' T ' * A. .9.. X.... .1 1
aim neiore 1 icit i /a pin in minisioauaii-ivou,
and the mutineers soon after paid for their
crime with their lives.
^ +.
Ixckusoix's Idka of a Sox<;.?A week
or two a^'o, Colonel Will S. Hays, Kentucky's
?-reat writer, out of idle curiosity
wrote a letter to one of the most famous
and eloquent orators in this country, Col.
Robert (J. Ingersoll, asking the question,
"Which has the most powerful influence
on the mind, and lives longest in the memories
of men, an eloquent and flowery speech
or a plaintive and pretty little ballad."
Colonel 1 lays received the following reply
a day or since: "If I make the most eloquent
and flowery speech that lips ever
uttered, and you would come along with a
six hit fiddle and play "Home Sweet
Home" across the street from where I was
pouring forth my eloquence, you'd steal
the crowd and leave me talking to empty
air in three minutes. A speech, no matter
how flowery and eloquent, enters the
ear, and like a homeless tramp, walks
sluggishly down the by-way of memory,
knocks at the door of the heart, is refused
admittance, and dies on the road to the
I ,,f CuiTHift*ii1n<ic< Itnf ! ^nil<r
fiUNV^CllV. ?. .w.8w.>u..v.v.
"Mollic Darling," conns skipping along;
with horapron lull of flowers,jumping; into
the ear, and dances along; down the sunny
pathway of memory, throwing; her roses
rigcht and left, and her kisses at the birds,
until she, weary with her frolic with Nature,
then pauses in front of the Mansion of
Memory, knocks on the door of the heart,
goes in and lives long; after the most powerful,
gtffted and eloquent speech ever uttered
by the lips of man will be buried in
the mind of men and forgotten."
4- 4
('oxsr.MPTiox 1 xkm"nors.?A curious
case of consumption is reported by the
British Medical Journal, where a girl of
fourteen placed in her ears the earrings
of a friend who had died of consumption.
She soon developed an ulcer in the ear,
which discharged tubercle bacilli. Later
her neck and then her lungs were affected,
and she soon had pulmonary consumption.
The lesson, says the Journal, is a plain one
to scientists, and it must be learned by all
that consumption is infectious and can he
brought on us by sleeping with the diseased,
or by wearing tneir clothing, or by
any other method that allows'the bacilli to
I enter our blood or our lungs.
|HisccUiutfo?s pcmting. I
THE FARMERS' ALLIANCE.
AN ADDRESS
Delivered l)cCore Mount Pleasant. Alliance, j
of Chester county, and Cedar Grove AI- j
liance, of York, September 7, 188b, by j
"\V. N. Rider, State Lecturer.
Ladies, Gentlemen and Brethren : I appear
before you in somewhat a new role
of business. Being of a diffident disposition
and never having felt myself gifted
with oratorical powers, I have, until but a j
short time back, refrained from appearing I
in public as a speaker; but feeling it the j
duty of every one to put his shoulder to
the wheel, and to do all that he can, by
acts, words and deeds, to raise the farmer
from the slough of depression into which
lie has allowed himself to sink, is why 1
have accepted your kind invitation to address
you on this occasion.
It affords me pleasure to meet so many
of you here to-day?assembled for the purpose
of recreation and enjoyment. This j
is a nrivileire denied many of our fellow |
men, and we should he thankful to kind
Providence that our lots have been cast
in a land where there are so many privileges
and advantages.
Are we improving these advantages?
Statistics show that we are not. Thirty
years ago the wealth producers of the
United States?the farmers and mechanics?owned
one-half of the wealth, and
now we own scarcely one-fourth. What a
retrograde! And if tilings were to continue
in the future as in the past, it would
be but a few years until we would drift
into serfdom equal to, if not worse than
that existing in England, Ireland, Russia
and many other older countries. But methinks
the times are changing! The daylight
is dawning! The farmers are seeing
the error of their course, and through our
organization a change will be effected!
Now as most of you are members of the
alliance, or well-wishers to our cause, my
remarks to-day will be chiefly concerning
the order, its aims and its objects, etc.
The alliance is an organization for the
improvement and protection of the fanners
as a class. You know, see and feel that
we need improvement in every sense of the
word. The times and existing circumstances;
the formation of so many combines,
monopolies and trusts, demand that
we, the only unorganized class, should do
something to shield and protect ourselves
from the vice-like grasp that is being
gradually thrown around us.
There are many who take the alliance
to be a new thing, and think its existence
will be of short duration. They are ju<l<ring,
I suppose, from the rapidity of its
growth, and increase here in our own
State. It has been so much like the mushroom,
they think, that its decline will be
similar. Now, for the information of all
such, J will state that the alliance is of age.
It is twenty-one years old, and is able to
take care of itself. It had its origin in the
mighty State of Texas. A few farmers in
one or two of those wild, frontier counties,
organized for their mutual benefit and
protection, and their neighbors, seeing how
they were benefitted by organization,
joined with them. The organization grew
and increased gradually, and at the end of
nine long years, they had organizations in
eleven counties. They now began to consider
the propriety of'forming a State organization,
which' was deemed expedient,
and steps were taken in that direction.
Many of the leading politicians resisted
and denounced the organization. They
called its members traitors, desneradoes,
guerrillas, and in fact all the wicked epithets
that men could heap upon others.
Some even went so far as to say that
they were enemies to the general government
and were preparing for another war.
But, with all this opposition, the organization
grew and increased, and as shown by
the proceedings of the Texas State alliance
last year, there were organizations in 14:1
counties, with a membership of over ?><?.(100.
It took that body nearly one week
to transact its business. Now the farmers
of other States, seeing the good of the
order and the benefits to be derived
from it, took hold of the work, pushed its
claims and demands, exhibited its aims,
objects, purposes, etc. Their fellow-farmers
seeing that the intentions of the organization
were for good, and feeling that we,
as a class, were necessarily compelled to do
something for our preservation and protection,
enlisted in the cause, not one by one,
but by the thousands; hence the rapidity
of its growth. The foundation of the order
is truth; and upon what better foundation
can any society or organization be founded ?
All that is needed to make it a fixture is
for the members to stand firmly by the
obligations they have taken ; discharge the
duties devolving upon them as members ;
study the principles of the order and strive
to put them into practice, which I think
they have resolved to do, from the will and
determination as exhibited in the contest
now going on to upset the jute bagging
trust. Right hero I ask the question, Who
of us that lias the good of our country at
heart would use one yard of the jute trust
bagging after the manner in which we have
been treated by the jute men ? Why last
fall, just on the eve of when we needed
bagging, they popped the price of it up
from !) to l-'R, 1-1, 1"), and at some places to
1(5 cents, and extorted from us millions of
dollars ; and when we complained about it
they said that was nothing to what they
would do another season; that they would
add ">o per cent., which would have made
it cost us at least IS or 2<) cents per yard.
When they met our representatives at Rirmingham,
what did they do? They offered
to furnish bagging, to he delivered in July
at S:{ cents, in August at a slight advance,
and in September a little higher, but they
stopped there. Their sole aim was to upset
us in adopting a substitute, keep us at
their mercy and skin us worse than ever.
When is most- of our cotton ginned ? Is it
not during the months of October, November
and December? Now, if their proposition
had been accepted by our representatives
what would have prevented them
from carrying out their threat of last fall ?
Now, brethren and fellow-farmers, let lis
stand firmly by the action of our representatives.
Let us not be dismayed by the reports
as given us by our secular papers.
Their business is to clipaud gather from all
sources, and they are only responsible for
their editorials. Let us take our own alliance
organs, read them and be governed
bv what they tell us. The editors of these
(our alliance papers) have taken upon
themselves the same obligations that we
have done, viz.: "To speak the truth when
talking to a brother." They tell us to use
our own bagging, and I say let us take no
jute trust in'ours. Let them use it for making
rope to hang themselves with, or for
any other purpose they may see tit.
As I have digressed, I will now get
hack to my subject. If those doubting
Thomases, those who think that the existence
of the alliance will be of short duration,
that the farmers won't stick and can't
have concert of action would only but consider
the material of which the alliance is
composed, the staunch men of the country?farmers
who farm to make a living,
aiid who heretofore have taken no important
part in public affairs?are in the front
ranks of the order, this should he a sufficient
guarantee of its permanency. And
also when the mud sills ofa superstructure
begin to groan under the weight of the
mighty burdens being heaped upon them
and are endeavoring to throw them off,
should be another evidence of its permanency.
The aim of the alliance is to develop a
better condition mentally, morally, socially
and financially. How does the alliance
propose to improve mentally, etc? The
farmers arc too much isolated; they don't
have enough intercourse with each* other;
they don't know enough about each other
and each other's interests; they go too
much on the plan, "everv man for himself
I i 4|.? 1. ,, rp,wi
JUKI IIK* ilt'Vli liliw iihj HIIIIIL'I IIH/.-71, xiiv
alliance proposes to assemble the farmers
together and as it were rub their brains
together. To illustrate, take two nieces of
steel and rub them together. The more
you rub them the brighter and more polished
they become. So it is with the
minds of men. The more they a e brought
in contact, the more they ex> jnd and
improve. So, brethren, let iv> make it
a point to attend our meetings regularly,
always have or bring up some subject
for discussion, take part in the deliberations
and debates, let the best informed
relate their modes and experience, how
they achieved success here and failed there.
Ix't us use every means to make our meetings
interesting, entertaining and instructive,
and in this way we will render eoun-1
try life less lonely. We will become more j
social, more contented, and there will be
less inclination on the part of our farmers j
to remove to town, and 1 hope we will be- j
come a happier and a more prosperous !
people.
How are we to improve financially, j
which is considered, wrongfully by many, j
as the leading feature of our organization' ? !
Some say by co-operation in buying, which I
is good, but there are other things, in my i
opinion, first to beconsidered. < fur modus j
operandi must be changed. We must farm I
to make a living, rather than farm to buy
one. We must raise our own supplies at
home. We must study rather how not to
buy than ho. to buy. We must practice
economy and stop this universal waste.
We must buy with more judgment or do
on less, and when necessitated to buy, buy
together as an organization through our
agents. We are all familiar enough with
the oft-repeated saying, "in union there is
strength" ; but few comprehend the immensity
of its possibilities. Railroad men
see its power ; trade unions understand it;
the commanding general of an army understands
it, and throws his solid column
of soldiers against the enemy and forces
his way through to victory, lie comprehends
in its fulness the truthfulness of
"united we stand, divided we fall."
Whether in business or war, in church or
in State, the success or failure of each depends
upon the skillful application of this
V/\?? if/iM.ttitanofSfin in nil
liui-i^wmK.N .11 <wi
callings is such a tremendous power, why
can't the farmers unite and secure the benefits
of such union, as well as anybody
else? We own the land, the fields, the
flocks and the cattle, the timber, the water
power, the grain and the fruits, the cotton
and the wool, and why then should we be
menials and paupers,' and go "like dumb
driven cattle" all our mortal lives? Now,
brethren and fellow-farmers, let me beseech
and urge upon you, that we quit acting every
man for himself and the devil take the
hindermost. but adopt as our motto, "Pull
together, plan together, act together and
succeed together." We must farm on the
intensive, rather than the extensive plan.
Say where we raise seven or eight bales of
cotton on fifteen or twenty acres let us raise
the same, or more, on half the area, and
devote the surplus to oats and grasses, and
spare time to making and applying manure.
In short, manure more, rotate crops,
cultivate better, give the same attention to
our business, and look after our interests as
closely as the merchant or lawyer, and my
opinion is that success will crown our efforts,
and in a few years the credit system,
which has been our ruin, will be a thing of
the past. We can place ourselves on the
pinnacle of independence, properly belonging
to us, and bid defiance to monopolies,
trusts and combines, and wonder with
amazement why we, the mudsills of the
nation, allowed ourselves to be made the
dupes of the moneyed few. Now, brethren
and fellow-farmers, the picture that I have
painted is not overdrawn. It will take
time for its accomplishment. The world
was not made in a day, neither was Home
built in a day. No reformation or revolution
was ever effected without time and indefatigable
toil. So let us not grow weary
in our cause, but persevere, perform our
part of the task assigned and wait patiently
the results.
Now to the ladies I would say I am glad
to know that several of you have united
with us in the contest we are now making
to rid ourselves of oppression and better
the agricultural interests of our country.
What reformation or revolution has ever
succeeded without the aid of woman ? It
was a woman that imbued the mind and
formed the character of Moses, Israel's deliverer.
It was a woman that went forth
with timbrels and harps upon the banks of
the Red Sea to celebrate the overthrow of
Pharoah and his hosts. It was woman last
at the cross and first at the sepulchre of our
Saviour. It was woman that did more
than any other to propagate and spread the
religion of our Saviour. It a was woman,
the wife of Cariolanus, when all other entreaties
had failed, that saved Rome from
plunder and devastation. It was a woman,
Isabella, queen of Spain, that sold her
jewels to tit out the voyage of Columbus,
by whom America was discovered. It was
our own dear women of the South, who
never failed in courage or tired in acts of
devotion in their efforts for the lost cause.
The Greeks and Romans have proclaimed
in prose and sung in poetry the fameoftheir
noble mothers and daughters; but when
an impartial historian shall have written
the part borne by our dear mothers, wives
and sisters, those of the past age and of all
other countries will sink into insignificance
when compared with the women of the
South. It will be as comparing the feeble
coruscation of the glow worm to the brilliant
rays of the noonday sun. Then it is
you and your aid and your encouragement
we look to and hope for. There are many
ways in which you can help. Why in
North Carolina and severaral other States
the women are among the most active
members. In addition to the encouragement
afforded by their presence and smiles,
they give counsel and advice, and do a
great deal of the correspondence. In almost
every issue of the Progressive Farmer,
the alliance organ of North Carolina,
there are communications from the lady
members, full of thought and advice, and
they compare favorably with, if they do
not excel those of the men. Now, ladies,
help all you can, and if we will all pull
together success will crown our efforts.
Now to the brethren I would say that the
duties of your officers are plainly defined
in our constitution. On account of said
duties it is of the greatest importance that
they be punctual and regular in their attendance.
It is equally so on the part of
the members. Make it a point to arrange
your business so as to attend every meeting.
Give your officers, whom you have
placed over you, your hearty aid and cooperation
in all things pertaining to the
good of our order. Be true to the grand
institution you are now representing. Be
ever ready to perforin every noble duty incumbent
upon you. Put your shoulder to
the wheel of progress and* assist in rolling
it out of the mire of mortgageism. Be true
to the principles of our order, whose purpose
is to improve the intellectual and financial
status of the farmer. Educate your
children, study your occupation, diversify
your crops, use economy in every department,
strive to bring yourself to a cash
basis and cease paying tribute to the mortgage
autocrat. Try to raise upon your
farm, as nearly as possible, what you consume,
besides the staple necessities of life.
Raise vegetables and fruits for your families
and thus add to their health and enjoyment.
Keep an account of receipts and
expenditures, and be sure, if at all possible,
to keep the receipt column the largest for
cases of emergency, if you have to use the
strictest economy to do so. Give your attention
to these much neglected subjects
and you will better your condition. I feel
confident the day is not far distant when
the farmers' alliance will be resting upon a
foundation that the existing rings and mo
nopolios can never knock me props irom
under. For?
"The farmers now tiro bamling
Tnto one vast and mighty throng;
Their forces now are blending;
They tire marching grandly on.
"Their war cry now is sounding
On every hill and plain,
Front the old Atlantic's billows
To the Kooky mountains' chain.
"For long, long years have noblo men
Been crushed by moneyed rule.
Themselves and wives kept toiling,
Their children kept from school.
"With energy amazing
The Southrons have bent to toil,
Hoping that in the coming years
They would be masters of the soil.
"The tyrant's grip each hour grow strong,
More greedy and more proud,
And placed itself as master
O'er tho patient toiling crowd.
"This power they felt too strong to break,
If tried by single man,
So the war cry was raised, 'Fall into line
And form a single band.'
"As by quick electric spark,
The millions heard the cry,
And joined the ranks, determined that
In God they'd trust their all.
"These men are joined in heart and hand,
While noble in tbeir cause,
They'll strive for freodom as one man
Until justice mends the laws."
Now, brethren, let us press onward and
we will surely accomplish our undertaking.
If we discharge our every duty incumbent
on us as members of our order, we will
leave foot prints upon the sands of time
which cannot be erased, but will be imprinted
upon the hearts of the rising generation.
So let us strive to be good and
true men, live honest and upright lives of
peace with our fellow men, and do all in
our power for the good of our order.
A DAY AT A" STGNAL STATION.
It is a popular mistake that life in the
United States Signal service corps is very
easy, if not a lazy affair. As a matter of
fact, the members of the signal service
corps have come to perform a multitude of
duties, and in some cases the performance
of duty is real hardship.
There are more than one hundred signal
stations in the United States. ()f these
the largest are these in New York, Boston,
Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Kansas
City. These are first-class stations, and
the force at each consists of six men or
more, whose work is so allotted that at
least one of them is on duty at all times.
The interior of even a first-class signal
station is not particularly attractive; a few
desks, two or three huge barometers, some
automatic registering instruments, a telegraph
key-board and a hand press and
printing outfit, constitute the conspicuous
furniture. There is nothing in the place
that is not necessary to the prosecution of <
the work. t
The instruments are small, hut they are |
most important and exceedingly ingeni- 1
ous. One of them, for instance, which :
works in conjunction with a whirligig on
the roof, registers the velocity of the wind <
the whole day long, and another registers (
the temperature. These instruments are <
very delicate in construction and accurate >
in performance. Electricity and clock 1
work play nosmnll part in their operation. 1
The men in the signal service come near- i
est to Jacks-at-all-trades of any men in the
government employ. They must he tele- 1
graph-operators in order to send and re- ;
ceive messages over the wires; they
must he able to set type and use a press; ]
they must understand meteorology ; they i
must he good mathematicians; they must
he good hook-keepers. i
The signal station in a great seacoast i
city is at the top of a high building. The 1
officer in charge comes to the place a little 1
before eight o'clock in the morning, and ;
usually remains until after eight in the
evening. Every moment of his day is occupied
by some routine duty, the perform- \
ance of which requires careful training.
The first work of the day is to take the
morning observation. This is done at :
the same instant at all the signal stations
in the country. The chief objects of this
observation are to note the condition of :
the barometer, the temperature, the dew 1
point, the relative humidity of the atmosphere,
the direction and velocity of the 1
wind, and the state of the weather.
This observation having been taken and
verified, the chief signal officer reports to :
\\7!i?liin<rfnn hv tohvrmnh and records ill
his own hook the exact state of affairs in
his district. This work occupies perhaps
thirty minutes, and within an hour after
the time set for the morning observation,?
eight o'clock,?the chief station at Wash- i
ington has received reports from all the
stations in the service, and a summary of
these reports has been sent out to all points. I
Upon receiving from Washington the
summary of the reports of the entire service,
our signal officer prepares his weather
map. His blank form is a map of the
United States, about two feet long and
fourteen inches wide, which shows all the i
signal stations and all the principal cities
of the country. 1
He does his work with pen and ink, and
copies of it are then made upon an apparatus
called a cyclostile. The maps show a :
great number of dotted and solid lines, <
which indicate the register of the barometer
reduced to sea level at diferent points,
and the temperature in degrees Fahren- !
licit. A press gives the finishing touches
to the map. On this press is a large :
metal bedplate perforated with from seventy
to one hundred square holes, each
of which represents the geographical position
of a prominent signal station.
Directed by his instructions from the
chief signal officer, the operator places in
each of these holes what is called a symbol
type. A fine circle means clear; a circle
with a heavy line -across it means fair;
and there are various other marks, each of
which indicates a particular condition of
weather.
Through each of these circular symbols is
an arrow which indicates the direction of
xi ?i mi. ~ 1 li.? x? ii.n ha..
LUt'WlMU. lliu Dfupmit' 111 111C |I1U?S lliiving
been properly prepared, the map.sheets
are placed upon it as they come from the
cyolostile, and then the maps are ready to
be delivered to the public. They show
just what the weather was all over the
United States at eight o'clock in the morning,
so that one can judge from them, if he
knows something of the laws of storms,
what the weather is likely to be at any point
within the next four and twenty hours.
These maps are posted in public places and
are also sent to a large number of subscribers.
In accordance with instructions based
upon the eight o'clock; in the morning observations,
signals are displayed upon the
flagstaff of tne station, which indicate
what the weather is to be.
The second regular observation of the
day is made at eight o'clock in the evening,
when reports are telegraphed all over the
country, maps are prepared, and the whole
routine of the morning is repeated. Each
man has his allotted duty. One, perhaps,
the barometer and thermometer; another
consults the aneometer, which indicates
the direction and pressure of the wind;
another consults the instrument which
determines the humidity of the atmosphere
and the amount of rainfall; another
officiates at the telegraph instrument,
while still another prepares the
map as the types are being set up and the
r?vn? iij mnrlo ron/lv
The chief officer supervises the work and
prepares an official report of every observation.
There is a great deal of clerical work in
the office, because a complete record is
made of every transaction. The officer in
command is called upon for daily, weekly,
monthly, quarterly and half-yearly
reports, besides which he has to make two
annual reports, one for the fiscal year and
the other for the calendar year.
There is scarcely a quiet minute in the
twenty-four hours at the signal stations of
Boston or New York. The office is bombarded
with questions and invaded by
questioners. The labor of answering them
is wholy gratuitous, but it has developed
into one of the leading duties of signal
men at important stations.
Early in the morning the bell of the
office telephone begins to tinkle. Mr.
Brown, the fruit dealer of Blank street,
has a carload of perishable goods consigned
to Chicago, lie wants to know what the
indications are regarding temperature
along the route for the next two or three
days, and the answer goes back to him,
"There's a hot wave coining." And so
Mr. Brown decides not to run the risk of
shipment just yet. Or it may be winter
and he is warned of snow blockades on
railways in another State, and he resolves
to hold his fruit until the lines are opened.
Tinkle! tinkle! "Hello, hello! Is this
the signal station ?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Scripture, superintendent of the
Gospel street Sunday-school, wants to
know what the probabi'litiesare for to-day,
and if it will be safe to send the children
to the picnic at Pine Tree Grove."
Whirr! whirr! "Is that you signal?
Will the rain hold up so that the races will
come off at Beacon park to-day?"
Mr. Chance, broker, sends a messenger
to ask what the indications are in the
wheat-growing region. Probably he has a
speculation in view. Yachtsmen send to
know if the wind is likely to favor the
regatta. The agent of a coasting steamship
company wants to know if it will be
safe for his vessel to put to sea to-night.
And .so tlio questions and answers come
and go.
Presently the officer in charge picks up
a bundle of papers and two or three record
books, and marches oft* to a court ;
room, where he is required to give expert
testimony. In this case, White lias sued
Black for damages, and the case will turn
on the question of fact whether there was
or was not ice on Black's sidewalk on that ,
day. The officer in command of the local i
signal station is summoned by Black, ]
and his record proves that the tempera- .
ture on the day was not low enough for ]
the formation of ice.
Robinson's horse ran away, smashed the ,
carriage and sprained Robinson's ankle. ,
Kobinson says that the horse was fright- j
ened by smoke blowing across the street ,
from a tire of leaves and other debris on j
Jones's lawn. The signal officer testifies .
that at nine o'clock on the morning of the ]
Kith of May the wind was west,?not east,
as Robinson claims,?so that the smoke ,
must have blown in the direction of j
Jones's house, and not across the street. (
On the whole, the signalmen are hard .
workers, and they render a thousand ser- J
vices to the public. The world is conscious ,
of an increasing faith in "Old Probabili- ]
ties," although not a few of one's acquaintance
scout at the indications published ,
daily by the signal service, and cry, j
"Pshaw! We can tell what the weather |
will be as well as Old Prob ; it is mostly
guess work !" ,
But scepticism of this sort is born of ig- j
norance of the laws of storms, or arises
from the occasional failure or obscurity of
the signal service reports. These reports '
are not based upon "guess work," but up- ,
on a series of careful observations; and
" !<"" * ?<> nmnff-i '>? !iri> nil.
satisfactory, it is because no definite re- ,
rults can, in the present state of science, ,
lie deducted from the observations.
THE RESCUE OF ALEXANDER SELKIRK. 1
Almost every hoy or girl knows that the
remarkable book, "Robinson Crusoe," was 1
suggested to Do Foe, by the adventures of 1
Alexander Selkirk; but perhaps they do 1
not know the true facts in the case of Sel- 1
kirk, which were originally given in the
voyages of Captain Woodes Rogers, an i
English privateersman, who went round i
the world in the early part of the last century,
preying upon the Spanish settlements ;
and shipping in the Pacific especially. <
The Pacific was then called the "Croat /
South Sea," and the Spaniards were ex- j
tromely jealous of any foreigners who i
amo into it, particularly tlio English,
lie former setting up :i claim to the proirietorship
of this groat ocean hecjuise they
aid first seen it, which claim wasot course
ihsurd.
The English, such as Dumpier and Itog rs,
who niiide war upon the rich Spsinish
ommorco of this sea, would now he
ailed pirates (although they called themselves
priv:iteers), for they did not hesitate
to capture Spanish vessels and towns
alien peace existed between the parent
nations in Europe.
Hut we must return to Alexanker Selkirk.
On the last day'of January, of tlm
yesir 17<>!?, Captain Woodes Rogers, of
Bristol, sailed upon one of his julventurous,
piratical cruises iiround the world, and,
ifter many trials and perils, touched :it the
Island of Juan Fernandez for water. This
island had been occupied at onetime by
the Spaniards, who had liberated a number
of goats there, but it was supposed to
have been abandoned and uninhabited for
years before Rogers went there.
He had very imperfect charts and still
more imperfect nautical instruments to
guide him, but he made a very good "landfall,"
iis it is called by sailors', although he
had touched nowhere since lesiving Brazil
on the other side of the grestt continent,
two months before. This is remarkable
when we consider what a mere dot on the
surface of the (treat Pacific .Juan Fernandez
is.
Being some miles to leeward, and obliged
to work "up toward" the island, milking
slow progress, he dispatched an armed
boat to explore the anchorage, which was
at lejist twelve miles off. In the meantime
Rogers' two ships, called the Duke and
the Dutchess, continued to beat up against
the wind, and at nightfall saw u tire. The
boat also saw it, and turned back toward
the ships, getting on hoard late at
at night.
As it wsis plain that some one was on the
island, as they could he only French or
Spanish, who were equally enemies, the
ivucnlc liwn ' ln.ir/irl fnr ontinn Tint wlimi
? m v i viviu vu *\/i uvviwiii ms\ii n iivh
they got to the anchorage, the next day
there were no.signs of any vessel to ho seen.
Captain Rogers sent his boat on shore
with the crew well armed, and, as she was
a long time gone, sent another to look for
the first, as he was afraid there might be a
Spanish garrison there, who had made the
boat's crew prisoners.
At last, however, the boats returned
safely, bringing off with them "a man
clothed in goatskins, who looked wilder
than the first owners of them."
The stranger proved to be Alexander
Selkirk, a Scotchman, who had lived upon
the island, entirely alone, for four years
and four months, having been leftlthere by
Captain Stradling, of the ship Chinquc
Ports. 1 le had been sailing-master of that
vessel, and had been put on shore on account
of some difficulty with his commander.
Dumpier, the celebrated freebooter, was
serving as an officer of Captain Rogers,
and recognizing Selkirk as an old.shipmate,
told the captain that he was an excellent
seaman. Rogers at once agreed to
receive him on board, and not only that
but made him an officer.
It appeared that, when Selkirk had seen
the ships the day before, he had judged
them to be English from their rig, and
accordingly had made the fire as a signal.
He said he had seen vessels several times
during ins long ana soiirary stay, nut oniy
two luul anchored, and they were Spanish ;
so that he escaped from them when .they
landed.
Selkirk said that if they had been
Frenchmen, he would have given himself
up, but that he preferred to die alone on
the island, rather than be taken by the
Spaniards, who would have made a slave
of him in the mines, or else have put him
to death, for they spared no stranger who
could pilot others into those seas.
On one occasion the Spanish had landed,
he said, before he could make out what
they were, and he had hard work to escape
the shots they fired as he ran.
As they pursued him into the woods, he
climbed a tree and concealed himself. Ilis
pursuers shot some goats quite close to
Iiis place of refuge, and actually remained
under the tree for some time, without
discovering him.
When put on shore by Captain Stradling,
Selkirk had his chest of clothes and
his bedding, a gun and one pound of powder
and some bullets, some tobacco, a
hatchet, a knife, an iron kettle, and Jiis
books and navigating instruments.
He was about thirty years old at the . . .
time, and in full health and strength, but
lm r?ii\f.iin Hiof fnr
11V IW1VI V ((|/uuu AVV/^VII1 lliut iW*
months, lie had hard work to bear up
against melancholy and the terror of loneliness
in such a desolate place.
He built himself two huts of pimento
trees, thatched with grass?one to cook in,
and the other to sleep and eat in. As long
as his nowder lasted, he killed goats as he
needed them, and got fire by means of
powder. After the latter gave out, he got
fire by the friction of dry wood.
His only employment was in watching
for sails, singing hymns and reading his
Bible?which he had in his chest.
He was a long time in getting used to
the goats' flesh without bread or salt.
There were plenty of fish to be caught,
but he said that they made him sick, and
he could not eat them. The only variety
in food he had was the large prawns which
he caught in the streams, some plum-like
fruit which grew on high trees in very
mountainous places, and consequently hard
to get, and, in the season, turnips, which
had been planted there and grew wild.
lie kept an account of the number of
goats he had killed?more than five hundred?and
he caught many more, which he
marked on the ear and lot go again. Years
after, Commodore Anson, in his celebrated
voyage, caught some of these marked
goats, which must have lived more than
thirty years.
After his powder failed, he ran the goats
down, so strong-winded and active had he
become by exercise and simple living.
Captain Kodgors says, in his narrative,
that during the time the ships remained
there, he caught goats for them every day.
The captain sent a dog and some of his men
to assist, but Selkirk tired out both dog and
men, who could not come near the goats.
Once, during his solitary stay, ho had a
fall over a precipice, while chasing a goat,
and was nearly killed.
When he came to his senses he was lying
upon the dead goat, and was forced to
lie there a day and a night before he could
crawl back to bis hut.
Cats and rats which had escaped from
ships which had touched there in former
times, were in great numbers.
The rats gnawed his feet and his goatskins
as he slept, and, to be rid of the
annoyance, he tamed a great number of
cats, which lay about him as he slept, and
so kept off the rats.
To divert himself he tamed some kids
...,1 t,, .,.,,1
it I It I Uliipiit 11IVWI I" v?r", ?itn? mm tiini
then would sing and dance with them.
His clothes having soon gone to pieces
in his chase of goats, he made clothing of
the skins of the latter, and having a piece
af linen in his chest, he made shirts to wear
next his skin, stitching with a sharpened
nail and using as thread the yarn from his
dockings, lie had on the last shirt when
lie was rescued.
When he was first brought on hoard
I'aptain ltogers's ship he had become so
unused to talk with men that they could
hardly understand him, "for beseemed to
<peak* his words by halves." He was offered
some spirits, but would not touch it,
md "it was some time before he could
relish our victuals," the narrative says.
lie told his rescuers that, beside* the
things already mentioned, there was nothing
eatable upon the island, save a few
abbage-palms, which he sometimes found,
md broiled with a seasoning of pimento,
>r allspice, which grew in plenty. There
were no savage animals, and no noxious
reptiles or insects.
The Spaniards had a small colony upon
the island long before Selkirk's time, but
had afterwards abandoned it and gone
hack to the mainland.
It is known that at least two other persons
had lived solitary lives on the island
Ono was ;i lmiraneor, who was the solo
survivor of a ship whioli was oast away
thoro, and who lived alone for five years
before a vessel happened to touch there and
take him away.
The other was a Mosquito Indian, who
was purposely left there?what was called
"marooning" in those days?and who remained
for three years alone, until Dumpier
found and carried him off, in 1I5S4.
Selkirk finished the cruise with Captain
lingers and arrived safely in England, after
two or three years of adventure, lighting
the Spaniards, plundering their towns, and
finally crossing to the East Indies and returning
hy the Cape of Good Hope.
This is the narrative upon which "Robinson
Crusoe" was founded; but it is an
.ibsurd misnomer to call the Island of Juan
Fernandez "Crusoe's Island," as is generally
done. De Foe places the scene of
Crusoe's sojourn on an island in the Allan'ia
Ocean off the coast of Brazil, a very
jreat distance from Selkirk's island, and
in a different ocean.?[E. Sliippin, M. 1).