Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, August 28, 1906, Image 1
YORKVILLE ENQUIRER.
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1855. YORKVILLE. 8. C., TUESDAY, AUGUST M8, 1906. NO. 69.
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AROUND THE WORLD
WITH THE DEWEY.
Interesting Story of a Remarkable
Naval Achievement.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS BY TDE WAY.
Extracts From Lsttsrs of Paymaster
Dobson of Yorkvills, Written to His
Father During His Long Trip From
Boston to Olongapo.
The towing cf the big dry dock
Dewey more than half way around the
world from Boston to Cartte, Philippine
Islands, a distance of more than
thirteen thousand miles was probably
the most remarkable naval feat of
modern times, and the fact that Mr. R
M. Dobson of Yorkvllle, assistant paymaster
in the navy, was a member of
the carefully selected official staff that
so successfully accomplished this
strenuous undertaking, gives the whole
affair a peculiar local Interest.
The Dewey left the Boston navy yard
on Deoember 30. 1005, and was anchored
in the harbor at Cavlte, Philippine
Islands on July 10th, proximo, being
enroute six months and eleven daya
The route from Boston was in a southeasterly
direction to and by the Bermuda
Islands, thence almost directly
across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands
on the coast of Africa; thence through
the strait of Gibraltar, through the
Mediterranean sea, the Sues canal, the
Red sea, the Indian ocean by way of
*w- Cewlnn th? ntra.lt of Ma
UJC ioi?uu v* vwj .v?, _
lacca, Singapore and the China sea to
the Philippines. ,
The Dewey is a tremendous steel
shell, slightly over 500 feet long, about
eighty feet wide, and close to sixty feet {
deep. In a general way it is shaped ,
like the hull of a ship. It is intended j
to receive entire ships within its sides
in order that they may be cleaned and
worked on. This is accomplished by
sinking the dry dock In the water,
opening an end, floating the ship in,
closing the end and then pumping out
the water. Dry and afloat It rises out
of the water something like sixty feet,
and when one takes Into consideration
the extensive surface its broadside
would present to a stiff ocean breeze, |
much less a real strong wind, it Is easy
to gather an Idea of some of the difficulties
that are liable to be encountered
In the attempt to tow it over such a
tremendous distance as It had to travel ,
between Boston and the Philippine Islands.
During the trip, Paymaster Dobson,
?# ?n,iru wrnt* numerous letters to his ,
father, Mr. T. M. Dobson of Torkvllle,
and at our request, Mr. Dobson, has
kindly allowed us access to these letters
in order that we might compile
for the readers of The Enquirer an account
of the trip. These letters, of
course, were not written with any
thought of publication; but were Intended
solely for the near and dear
ones at home. They therefore contain
much that would not be of public Interest.
Each and every one of them,
however, has more or less extended reference
to various conditions and occurrences
during the progress of the
trip, and It Is these references that we
have sought to cull out for the benefit
OI un gcuctai Iroiivi.
The fleet accompanying the Dewey
Included the cruiser Glacier, Capt.
Hosley. the colliers Caesar and Brutus '
and the little tug, Potomac. The forv
mation was always tandem, the Glacier
usually in front, then the oth- ,
er three vessels between It and the
Dewey and all connected by Immense
wire hawsers. Under the most favorable
circumstances the speed was only
about one hundred miles a day and
often It was much less than that.
Sometimes It was forty -or fifty miles
a day back In the wrong direction.
Letters could only be mailed on pass
in* steamers and often there were intervals
of several weeks before the
people of the Glacier could get the opportunity
to send messages toward
home, and the routes of these messages
before their final arrival at New
York was a matter of chance, dependent
upon the direction of the steamers.
Under the circumstances Mr.
Dobson's letters were more or less un
satisfactory as giving a continued
story of the trip: but still there is
quite enough to give an idea of how
the men of the fleet fared throughout
the long voyage. The flrst letter is
dated "Off Bermuda, January 6," and
reads in part as follows:
"We got along very nicely until
within the past two days, since then
we have been facing a strong wind
from the southwest. The dock has
' practically made no progress for a
day and a half; but with the towing
colliers steering right into the wind,
we have had all we could do to hold
our own. The wind shifted to the
northwest early this morning and I
suppose we will do better today, ax
about 10 o'clock this morning the
Glacier left the other 9hips and started
full speed for Bermuda to look for
the tug Potomac. She left us day before
yesterday to take mail to Bermuda
and to coal. We are now in
sight of the Islands, which are about
half a mile away. A pilot has advised
us that the Potomac is still coaling.
We can see the Bermudas quite plainly.
They appear to be quite hilly
1 and on top of the hills I can see numerous
houses. One very large one
looks from this distance like a hotel.
It is not our purpose, I understand, to
go In; but merely to overtake the Potomac
and send her back to cable for
1 v.n/tktna *n ranlapp
anoiner ivwmg niaLiuuv, tv . ~J ?
the one on the Caesar, which has
been broken. The towing machine is
a contrivance so arranged that in
case of a hard pull from the Dewey
behind, cable may be let out instead
of dragging the colliers back and
smashing things. Afterward the slack
is taken up. From the experiences we
are now having, it looks as if all our
towing machines are going to pieces
and I fear that we will have to get
more ships to help with the towing.
It is understood that the captain intends
to hook on with the Glacier
as soon as the sea gets smooth
enough; but this time we will be at
v the head of the tandem, and it will
not be quite so bad. I am going to
get awfully tired of this before it is
over. If we could be under way all
the while, it would not be so bad;
but every now and then the Glacier
has to lie to and give the others time
to come up. The sea is good and
rough and for two days I have had
nothing to do but lie around and be
tossed by the waves. The sea has
been good and rough and we have
more than rolled. This Is the worst
part of the Atlantic at this season of
the year; but we hope to make better
time after we get a few hundred miles ,
east of Bermuda."
The next letter is dated Latitude 26
North, Longitude 44 West, Sunday (
morning, January 21. This Is very
near the middle of the Atlantic at its (
widest part and about half way be- (
tween the Bermudas ana tne canary
Islands. Among other things the letter
says:
"We have been very successful with
our wireless experiments and I think,
have broken all records. We were
talking a night or two ago to Hatteras
1,500 miles away. The operator
there told us that there was a snow
storm raging In New Tork; but that
did not interest us much, when we
are in a temperature of 76 or 80 degrees.
He also told us of the grounding
of the battleships In New Tork
harbor. When I began this letter the
understanding was that the Maryland
was approaching us with a new towing
machine, and would Join us tomorrow.
That is why I began to
write, but now I understand that there
will be no chance to get this off on
the Maryland. She is only one of
the four ships that form the wireless
connection, and will not come any
nearer. It is the intention of the captain
to send this ship to the Canary
Islands after water, and if he does do
bo we will get to land In about three
weeks; but otherwise we will have to
wait until we get to Gibraltar, when
we will have been away from land at
least six weeks. It will take us about
three weeks to run through the Mediterranean
to the Suez canal and It
will require at least a week to go
through the canal. In this event several
of us will go to Cairo and to the
pyramids.
"Through ireans of a wireless mes
sage received yesterday, we learned
that Sigsbee's squadron had arrived at
Qibraltar, after a rough voyage. There
Is always a heavy swell on the Atlantic,
but It Is unusually heavy today,
and I suppose that It comes from the
rough weather that caught Slgsbee.
"When there Is any ewell at all running,
this ship is certainly a roller.
There have been times when we were
unable to sit at table during meals.
We would Just have to take our plates
in our hands and sit around on the
transoms, holding on as best we could.
The surgeon has a pup aboard, and I
Feel sorry for it sometimes. The little
Fellow does not seem to understand
why the deck should drop from under
tiim as he walks and then come back
to meet him. He looks at us with an
expression of puzzled bewilderment
that Is Indeed comical.
"I have been seasick only once. That
was for a little while during the First
ifternoon we struck the Atlantlo.
Frequently because of the rolling of
the ship I can find nothing better to
do than lay abed and read. It Is too
hard work to sit up.
"As I went on deck Thursday morning,
I observed the quartermaster getting
out the United States flag to be
hoisted. It is usual to show the ship's
colors on the sighting of another ship,
and I scanned the horizon for a trail
3f smoke. There was nothing in sight
but water, so I asked the quartermaster
for an explanation. He told me that
a Chinaman, one of the crew of the
Caesar, had died during the night, and
was to be buried in a short while.
Flags were hoisted on all the ships.
Then later they were half-masted and
the body of the Chinaman was lowered
Into the water. Another Chinaman
died last night of heart trouble, and the
bugle has just sounaea taps ior mm.
It's a weird experience.
"Just now I see no prospects of being
able to mail this letter for a month
yet. I have gotten somewhat reconciled
to the situation and am putting in
most of my time reading and studying;
but I am looking forward with pleasant
anticipation to the mail I hope to
get on my arrival at Gibraltar.
The foregoing letter was given a
passing steamer later on and reached
New York on the first day of May
at 4 o'clock p. m.
The next letter was written oft the
southern coast of Sicily and was dated
Tuesday, April 3. In part It was as
follows:
"We passed Gibraltar early Sunday 1
morning, March 25. The strait Is very *
narrow and we could plainly see the (
coast of Spain on the left and Africa '
on the right. Both coasts were moun- !
tainous, but the Spanish coast seemed
to be more fertile than the African.
Just as we were In sight of the rock of 1
Gibraltar we were enveloped In a very
bad fog and could not see anything at
all. The tug was In Gibraltar waiting
for us to pass; but she could not see (
us. We sent a wireless to some British
ships In the harbor and they told (
the tug we were passing. There was '
a strong current with us through the
strait, so the tug did not overtake us '
until Tuesday morning, when we got (
the mail.
"We have had good weather In the J
Mediterranean except two days. Last
Thursday morning at 12.30 I was '
awakened by a violent rolling of the
ship and I never slept a wink until
morning. There had evidently been
some heavy weather in the Gulf of
Lyops, just north of us, and we were
erettine- the swell from It. We rolled
more than ever, the biggest roll being
43 degrees. I am a hardened sailor
now and do not get sick; but It Is not
pleasant to have to hold on to some- .
thing all the time to keep from being
thrown around the ship.
"Our ships stopped towing at noon on
Friday and all the ships headed north
to avoid rolling so badly. We only
made twenty miles along our course
that day. This ship rides beautifully
when she is running away from or Into
a rough sea; but when the sea strikes
her two points off her bow or stem she
certainly knows how to roll.
"Friday night the sea calmed some ^
and we hooked up again Saturday afternoon.
We have been doing very
well since. Last night a strong current
that sweeps down between Sicily
and Sardinia, struck us and In eight
hours we went forty-eight miles, making
six miles an hour. Since then we
have been making over five miles an
hour.
"We had the worst fright this morning
that we have had yet. The charts .
showed a rock about three or four
miles south of our course over which
there was only twenty-four feet of water.
After getting out of sight of the
light house last night, we were on a
course that would take us three or four
miles north of this shoal. When the
navigator took his bearings this morning
he found that the current had drifted
us right over the irocft during the
night, and you may easily imagine that
the captain and navigator were frightened.
We would not, have been surprised
had we been piled on the shoal
at any minute with the oth*r ships and
dock right on us, and a grand smash
up it would have been. The navigator
Is positive that we passed over the
shoal, but we did not strike a thing. I
Now we are all right again. Such a|
current as this would not affect a ship
jolng full speed; but we had to go bo
alowly that we got the full effect of it,
ind this is a reason why we have to
?e so careful when near land." <
The next letter Is dated at sea, April
15, 1906, and addressed to Mrs. Dobson.
[n this letter Mr. Dobson says.
"The cruiser Tacoma, which has been 1
with us a week today, leaves tomor- t
ow morning with the mail for Port 1
Said. Today at noon we were only 350 1
niles away, and we hope to reach there '
>arJy Thursday morning. We shall 1
jrobably slow down Wednesday, be- <
,'ause it is rather risky to approach
and with the dock at all, and especially 1
1sky to approach it at night. We left i
Las Palmas four weeks ago, and with
he exception of two days have had :
rood weather all the way. Today is '
rery different from last Sunday. Then I
he wind was blowing seventy-flve i
niles an hour and the seas were run- <
ting twenty feet high. The ship was i
'oiling so much that we found it dlffl- <
:ult to stay on deck, and we had to 1
urn the dock adrift, otherwise it would 1
:arry all our ships back with it, and 1
jrobafcly bump us together. But today <
he sea is as calm as a pond, with 1
lardly a ripple to be seen. On April I
10 we were only a few miles south of 1
-> ??? ,?a,,ori> r\m InHI K Th? flVA (
WIICIC nc?nci u uu np??? v* ? lays
were entirely loaf. But during
he past few days we have had no
rouble In making hundred miles a
lay."
This letter commenced at sea. was
iot completed until after Mr. Dobson
entered the Red sea. Continuing he
laid:
"It was very difficult to get Englsh
gold money at Las Palmas and
: was unable to get anything like as
nuch as I wanted. But at Gibraltar
[ got so much that I am hardly able
o shut the door of my safe. The coal
>111 at Las Palmas was $32,000. It
vill hardly be less at Port Said, and
his along with canal tolls will take
:lose on to $100,000. I am satisfied
low that I am going to be too busy
o get to Cairo and the pyramids."
The next two letters are dated at
luez, Egypt, are on April 29, and the
ither on May 3. The letter of April
19 says:
*"We anchored off Port Said on the
light of the 18th, and went up to the
:ity on the 19th. Then my work beran
and I was rushed to the night of
he Z4tn, wnen we stariea mroujn
he canal. I had lota of ropes, points,
itc., to buy and had to replenish my
itock of provisions, including frosen
>eef, mutton, etc. All the ships had
o be coaled too. I have three ships
ind a dock to provide for and they
ake lots of money and all my time.
The people on the ships told me at
fort Said that they did not see how
could stand the rush and excitenent.
It was very hard on me, but I
vas so busy that I did not have time
o get tired. The day after we left
Port Said, I was about half sick; but
im ail right now. I went ashore here
resterday, and rode through the Arab
lection of the town. It is the filthiest
jlace I have ever been in and I canlot
see why all the people don't die.
Port Said is a much better city, but
t is not half as good as Valetta, Mal:a.
There are a good many French ,
people in Port Said, but most of the *
nhabitants are Egyptians and Arabs.
rhav hovt nn mnrnln at all and
lave established for this place the j
-eputation of being the most Immoral
:lty on earth. The men and women
Iress alike except that the women
year a kind of shawl over their faces,
illowlng nothing to show of their
'eatures except their eyes. The married
women wear a piece of brass or
Damboo In front of their noses; but
:he single women do not.
"All the ships are coaled by the
latlves. They carry the coal In baskets
and keep on the run from start
to finish. There were as many as
200 of them engaged In coaling this
ship and It was quite an Interesting
o-V> nro f nh tViAm
"The trip through the canal was .
not very Interesting. As far as we
:ould see on both sides there was
nothing but sand. There was a strong ,
ivlnd blowing from the Egyptian desert,
and the air was so full of sand
that we could hardly breathe.
"We are Just waiting on the dock.
She started through the canal early !
Friday morning; but has only made
about thirty miles. They can't man- ,
age her because of a strong wind.
They have tied her to the bank and
the understanding Is that she will
have to remain there until the wind
stops blowing. In the meantime, un- J
til now, all traffic has been blocked,
and there Is quite a collection of ship- ,
ping at both ends of the canal. I
paid over $30,000 to the canal company
to get our three ships through
and to get the dock started; but there
Is no telling how much I might have |
to pay for the dock by the time she
gets to this end, as the captain Is very
fearful that she will tear the sand
banks down and all that will be to
pay for.
"It is Impossible to say when the
dock will arrive; but we are all anx
lous to get started on our Journey
again. The monsoons are apt to
break the first part of June and we
want to be as far from land as possible
when they strike us. It will take
us about two' weeks to get through
the Red sea after the dock arrives, so
you can see every day Is precious. No
doubt we shall have a rough and unpleasant
trip through the Indian
ocean; but we hope to get the dock
through all O. K. I expect we will
have to wait about a month or more
at Singapore, for I do not think the
captain will attempt to go through
the China sea during July or August."
The letter of May 3 says:
"The dock Is under way now and
all of us hook on as soon as she gets
out of the harbor. The next stofc
will be Singapore, nearly five thou- \
sand miles from here; but our shl
will stop at Colombo, Ceylon, to
mall. Colombo Is about 3,500 mile
from Suez. We hope to pass througl
the Red sea and enter the India:
ocean by the fifteenth of this month
The monsoons are apt to strike us an;
time the latter part of May or th
first of June, and we want to set a
far from land as possible before tha
occurs. With good luck we shoul<
reach Colombo about June 15th, am
Singapore by July 10th. I can't tel
just what the captain will decide t
Ass in DlMflMMAWA Thflf will nrnhflhl1
UU 111 Olllga^UI C. X liuv TTIII irsv^w^.,
depend a great deal on the time w
make getting there. I won't have i
chance to mail another letter until wi
get to Colombo, so you will have i
wait of five or six weeks.
"That account in The Enquirer abou
the dock getting away off Malta wai
all wrong. We were in a bad blov
that lasted four or fiver days, but th<
Brooklyn had nothing to do with get
ting lines to the dock. At one time i
looked as if the dock would be blowt
ashore, but we caught her before th<
Brooklyn arrived. Hereafter until fur
ther notice, address my mail care o:
the postmaster at San Francisco ant
have The Enquirer changed to that ad'
dress also."
June 1 is the date of the next letter
[t was written in the Indian ocean ant
reads in part as follows:
"This is the first time I have writtei
you since we left Suez. At that timt
we fully expected a rough sea acrosi
the Indian ocean and to average abou1
seventy-five miles a day. As a mattei
)f fact, however, we have actually
iveraged over 100 miles a day for tlu
four weeks we have been out. Thli
has been a most agreeable surprise anc
If nothing happens we shall reach Colombo
Monday afternoon. We arenov
snly about 400 miles away. But thest
tour weeks have been the hottest ]
nave ever spent. The Red sea Is not
tery wide and on both sides there ar<
Jeserts. What little breeze we got was
not. Sometimes the sky would be obscured
with sand blown from the deserts.
The Qulf of Aden was just an
not and we did not see a cloud or hav<
i drop of rain for three weeks. The
sea was calm except for an almost imperceptible
swell. The heat in the fin
room is 150 degees and the men dowr
:here are having a dreadful time
Some of the warrant offlcers forward
told me that their rooms have beer
L15 degrees, but it has not been quite
so hot aft. My room all the time hae
jeen over 90 degrees, and this with
in electric fan going night and day.
"During the past week we have had
tome heavy rain squalls and these wltt
sverhanging clouds have made the sitlation
more bearable. Fortunately the
nonsoon has not broken yet It generilly
breaks with a bad storm and the
vind blows hard for three, or foui
nonths. Of course this makes a rougt
sea and if we had struck them soonei
ve would have made very poor time
S'ow our course Is almost east and we
ire in a much better position to re
reive the monsoon; but I am hoping It
vlll hold off two weeks longer. Th(
)robabll!ty, however, Is that we are alnost
sure to get It before we reach th?
itrait of Malacca.
"From the appearance through e
>ort hole just as this time, we are going
o have a blow before the expiration ol
nany more hours. There has been s
leavy swell from the southeast during
he past two days and as the Olaclei
8 getting pretty light aft on account
>f exhaustion of the coal supply, hei
propeller Is racing terribly. As the long
twells pass the ship and throw hei
ttern up, the propeller, left without
vater resistance, turns at lightning
ipeed until It strikes the water again
n the meantime the entire ship trera
lies from stem to stern.
"We are getting very tired of thif
:rip and the hot weather has made II
t very hard one. Just imagine, being
>hut up in a house for five months with
the exception of the short Intervals w?
spent in ports, and a ship is worse thar
i house. We had a pleasant time ir
Las Palmas; but it Is very seldom one
las so pleasant a time in a forelgr
port. Port Said and Suez are no good
ind we did not go ashore except or
justness.
"I have Just returned from the deck
tvhere for some time I have beer
matching some heavy rains anc
squalls; but none of them came closes
than a mile or two. I suppose we wll
?et some of it before they are over.
"At the present time It is the intern
tion of the captain to cut loose th<
31acier Sunday afternoon and stari
full speed for Colombo. The othei
ships will keep on for Singapore anc
we will overtake them In a few days
Wn should arrive Mondav afternoon
and the department should get notlc<
of our arrival on Monday 'morning
They will no doubt be glad, for thej
have good reason to be uneasy aboui
the dock in the Indian ocean at thi:
time of the year. We will not remair
at Colombo more than a day and f
half, but we will get mall there anc
that is what we want more than any>
thing else."
.The next letter after the above wai
written In the strait of Malacca 01
Sunday, July 17, 1906, and deals witl
several Interesting Incidents as fol
lows:
"We left the Indian ocean las
Thursday morning and are now in th<
strait of Malacca, safe from the mon
soon. We had a fine passage fron
Aden. There was no rough weathei
to speak of except one day before w<
reached Colombo and another, thf
last day we were In the Indian ocean
when the monsoon gave us a farewel
shot. It was pretty rough last Wed
nesday afternoon and night until w<
got to safety under the lea of the Is
lands. We passed a signal station anc
asked them to notify the navy de
partment.
"Our only fear now Is the typhoons
of the China sea. These are terrlbli
revolving storms, which pass ovei
those waters during July, August am
September and If they strike the docl
we expect, them to go hard with us
That Is why we are anxious to b<
getting along as rapidly as possible
By the time this letter reaches you
however, we hope to be safe In Ma
nila.
"As our ship steamed Into the har
bor we passed very close to a Germai
transport, literally packed with Rus
slan troops returning from the east
We had seen several such transport!
at Port Said. This ship dipped hei
flag as we passed by and the Russlai
band aboard struck up the 'Stai
Spangled Banner.' It was the flrs
music that we had heard for severa
\
p months end It sounded good to us
r pomlrg over the water,
fl "We got all kinds of tropical fruit
h In Colombo and I enjoyed the alligan
tor pears very much. I learned to eat
i. them In Key West. The pineapples
y were fine, too.
e "I enjoyed my stay of twenty-four
s hours In Colombo very much. We
.t left the dock and ran In to get coal
d and mail. I got your letters up to
d May II. Colombo Is a very pretty city
11 with lots of trees. There Is no na
0 taral harbor; but two large breakwaf
tars furnish ample protection. When
e tie southwest monsoons come the wast
tar Is thrown up to a great height,
e and this Is one of the sights of the
a place. I rode out from the hotel In
a. rickshaw, a little cart drawn by a
t native, who also acts as a guide. It
s Is wonderful how fast these natives
r cin pull the rickshaws and It seems
6 at if they never get tired. I had one
- faf three hours, and he was going
t pretty much all the while at 26 cents
1 sjft hour.
i f "One of the most striking things
- ode sties of Colombo is the great nuraf
bir of almost naked people on the
j st teets. Children, both boys and
. gt rls. are often entirely naked. Most
ol the men wear nothing at all except
?. cl Juts, or breech cloths. They are
I wall developed people, and very rausct
lar. They are brown in color, have
gdod features and black hair, some
of, the women wear a kind of skirt,
closely wrapped around their hips,
and little white bodices which lack
atjout three or four Inches of reaching
darwn to the skirts, leaving the Intervening
space bare. Other women
w|ar a kind of a skirt and a piece of
cllth wrapped about their breasts
leaving their bodies bare. All of the
naivcs go barefooted, of course,
some of them dress In our fashion.
Mi .ny of them wear long hair just as
our women do, with long combs, circu
ar in shape, stuck on top of their
he ids.
'Colombo is famed for its Jewelers.
Tfc sy came aboard the ship with all
kli ds of stones and sold a great many
of them. But they are all cheats, and
ge lerally take from one-half to oneth
rd of the first price asked. Very
few of them are reliable, but they
segm to know every naval officer who
nAfidAfl Kt? fkof Tiro V
UO0 CVCI paoocu uj uiuv ?T .
I '^The people here are very much dls{
appointed In not getting to see the
, dock. She did not stop at all, but we
, cafght her the next day off the coast
i of Ceylon. I am sorry I did not get to
staiy a little longer In Colombo; but Ij
I suppose I shall be back again some
da*."
The next letter was written from
Singapore and dated June 27. It was
short and contained but little of Interest
The ships were anchored two
miles from shoi*e, and Mr.- Dobson did
not go Into the city except on business.
He d Id not consider It worth the
trouble. The natives were very much
interested in the Dewey and went out
in large numbers to see It Mr. Dobsow
enclosed a hand bill printed at the
"ftth Kim Heau Press, 17 Cecil street
Singapore, and reading As follows: 1
"Express. A 20th Century Marvel.
The Huge Floating Dock. The steam
launch Pulo Besar will make trips
from Johnston's Pier to the Mammoth
Foatlng Dock 'Adtalral Dewey,' every
day from 9 a. m. to 11 a. m., 1 p. m.
and 4 p. m., during her short stay in
? 11
. Singapore, uon i tan 10 avmi ;uumu
, of this opportunity to see this marvel .
ous floating dock. Fare 50 cents a
, trip."
The next letter is written from the
t China sea, July 3. ar t begins with a
, statement that it Is now only seventymiles
to the harbor of Olong&po, to
. which, the destination of the dock has
been changed. The squadron had the
, good fortune to escape the typhoons of
t the China sea and made the trip to
, Olongapo without mishap.
| The last three letters of the series
, came from Manila. Here Mr. Dob3on
, met it number of people he knew, ln,
eluding Mr. and Mrs. Starr Mason, fors
merly of Yorkville. He also got orders
, that permitted his early return to
America and he will probubly be home
[ again this fall.
THE SPANIARD.
i
I Hie Courtesy, His Cigarette and His
r Lottery Ticket.
I Of the courteous manners of all
Spaniards a traveler writes: "So anxious
Is every one to be of service to
, oiners mat ine airaugci m a^i iu ?,uiit
slder tiie Spaniards very Inquisitive
r people. An experience in a Madrid
I tramear was enlightening in this direction.
A woman in getting into the
car appeared to have slipped and
| hurt her foot. She and her husband
began an animated discussion over
the Incident, and of the dozen others
t in the car every one except ourselves
j craned forward to listen. The passengera
were well assorted, ranging
as they did from a captain in t.nlj
form down to a woman almost of the
hee-e<tr class. But one and all in
turn joined in the discussion without
exciting the least resentment, opinj
ions being apparently welcome. Gen4
tlemtn arriving at their destination
ceased urguing, raised their hats and
went out, leaving others in posses.
sion until the principals left."
, "There is no hour of the day or
* night which a Spaniard deems inapproprlate
to the practice of smoking,"
the same writer observes. "Whenev,
er he finds time hanging heavily,
I which is frequently, he lights a cigarette.
Time hangs heavily on a
j Spaniard's mind in the brief interval
between the courses at lunch and
t dinner, whenever he wakes at night,
~ when traveling between stations and
. hotel in an omnibus and always when
In a railroad train, regardless of ladies.
The practice of smoking is so
9 universal In Spain that railway com,
partments for nonsmokers exist In
r theory only, and the habit, combined
] with that loud talking at all hours of
c the night or morning;, makes the avlt
erage Spaniard undesirable as a trav3
eling companion, especially at night."
Of the sturdy beggars who overrun
Madrid: "The beggars usually
. have some pretense for asking alms
In the shape of a decrepit guitar or
- fiddle under the cloak, where it re1
mains. Another plea Is the sale of
- lottery tickets, the lottery being a
. great institution in Spain. Each ticks
et costs five pesetas (about $1), and
r beggars In absolute rags, as often as
l not children, rush about with strings
r of these for sale."?Chicago News.
t
1 tr isn't dyspepsia a food product?
Miscellaneous fading.
THE LAND OF BIG GAME.
Expedition Into Uplands of Britiat
East India.
The hunting of big game is a pursuit
which holds a deep fasclnatior
for those who have a taste for it
For the sake of his favorite sporl
the hunter Is ready to turn his bach
on friends and on the comforts and
pleasures 01 civiuzeu uie anu iu k<
out Into the wilderness to make hli
home In a small tent, to live on hard
scanty fare, to face loneliness, to undergo
severe physical toil, to endure
all extremes of weather and to encounter
cheerfully hardships, sickness
and the many dangers that the life
Involves.
A hunting tour after big game It
not only pleasant from the contrast
It presents to life In the busy world;
it Is full of fascination In Itself and
an expedition made In the uplands oi
British East Affica, where there are
great tracks of empty country teeming
with game, Is an experience that
Is full of delight and that leaves a
rich store of pleasant memories behind,
writes j?. O. J. Moyna In Macmillan's
Magazine.
On the march you come oi. patches
of swamp where you flounder knee
deep along paths of slimy, washy,
evil-smelling mud, winding between
high walls of tangled reeds that
grow out of black, festering water;
foul, noisome, unhealthy marshes,
yet interesting in a way as a type of
nature In one of her primitive garbs.
Tou cross lonely rivers fording then;
breast deep at the head of your men,
feeling your way with a pole, half
carried off your feet by the swirling
current, stumbling awkwardly over
loose stones, sinking into spongy mud
and wondering doubtfully if there are
any crocodiles near. Or if the water
be too deep to ford you use a native
made bridge, constructed by partially
felling two trees on opposite
banks so that their branches interlace
across the water.
Sometimes you pass a stretch of
open parklike country with gently
rolling grassy slopes, dotted with
shady groves in whose boughs hosts
of wild pigeons flutter and coo, and
watered by quiet streams flowing between
banks where the long sweeping
branches of graceful trees rise
out of clustering masses of light
green Jungle foliage, and sometimes
as you come over a rise, you light suddenly
on the gleaming waters of some
reed fringed lake, hidden away amid
lonely hills. Prom the green swamps
you hear the hoarse grunts of the
hippopotamus, crocodiles are lying
ilka dead logs, basking in the sun
by the edge of the shore, the water Is
dotted with wild fowls, on the sandbanks
there la a brilliant sheet of
dazzling white and pink from the
plumage of packed armies of flamingoes,
and over the scene there broods
a mysterious air of primitive solitude
and aloofness.
Then you sktrt dense forests where
the ground ts covered with a tossing
welter of luxuriant undergrowth, the
tendrils and creepers twining and intertwining
between bushes and plants,
swarming thickly upon the trunks of
the trees, falling again In cascades ol
swaying streamers and lacing one
tree to the next till there is an Impenetrable
mass of matted boughs
and foliage, while above the spreading
branches of the mighty forest
trees weave a canopy so thick that
even at noonday there is dim twilight
In the leafy caverns beneath.
The quantity and variety of the
game to be seen are really astonishing.
Beasts large and small, harmless
and dangerous, all living amid
their natural surroundings, as they
have lived for centuries, in unfettered
freedom?to any one with a love
of natural history they are an unfailing
source of interest and pleasure.
Tou see a broad plain thickly dotted
with antelope and gazelle; some arc
heavy and ungainly in form; others
there are with light delicate limbs
and daintily poised necks supporting
prettily curved horns; and all, with
the bright sunlight picking out th?
tints of their coats against the dull
hues of the grass, give life and movement
to the loneliness and monotony
of the country.
Sometimes the beasts are found
singly or in small groups; more often
there is a large herd with a wily
old buck stalking arrogantly among
them, seemingly cunning enough to
know that he possesses the most valuable
horns, and taking the lead in
the swift retreat at the warning of
danger. Magnificent is the sight
when a herd of graceful animals, like
the impela, scents danger; a quick
startled jerk of the head, a few terrific
bounds, and then the whole herd
rushes helter-skelter over the plain,
a flying jumbled mass of lithe leaping
bodies, the embodiment of easy grace
and activity.
It Is an endless source of Interest
to watch for and pick out the different
varieties, to recognize each type
by Its characteristic features of horns
and skin, to mark small differences,
to watch the beasts in their natural
state, and to observe their movements,
habits, and instincts, till you
learn to know them all as old friends,
from the bull-like eland with heavy
spiral twisted horns, and big wild
beasts with shaggy head and twitching
tall, to the graceful gazelle with
daintily marked coat of fawn and
white, and the pretty little dlk-dlk,
hardly larger than a young goat.
Then there are the large herds of
zebra, their beautiful striped skins
glistening in the sunlight; the troops
of tall ostriches, stalking proudly
about with long peering necks and
fluffy coats of black and white feath
era; the snarling, yelping pacKs or
wolfish bushdogs; the slinking, cowardly
mangy hyenas; the little fully
coated Jackals and the scuttling warthogs
and bushplgs, armed with
curved gleaming tusks.
In the semi-twilight of the Jungle
you may catch a glimpse of the beautiful
skin of a leopard as he bounds
into the depths of the bush before you
can Are; and as you cross a dry watercourse
you may stir up a troop of
lions from their noonday slumber or
early In the morning, while the land
Is still wrapped in darkness, you may
hear their coughing grunts and deep
roars breaking the mysterious stillness
of the plain.
t
t \> *.
As you march through scrub you
may sight a rhinoceros standing
- sleepily under a clump of mimosathorn,
with the rhinoceros birds keeping
watch on his neck; an animal so
strangely blind that you can crawl
1 unpercelved within a few yards of
him, yet so keen scented that If he
" gets your wind he may come crushing
1 furiously out of the bush and scat
ter your caravan almost before you
[ have realised his presence.
: In the big green reed covered
' swamp there is the huge African buf'
falo wallowing in the mud, coming out
1 morning and evening to feed in the
1 open; he is when wounded, perhaps
' the most vicious and dangerous of all
* African game. And if fortune Is kind
' you may sight a big herd of ele1
phants on the march, forming a su*
perb spectacle with their high massive
head, huge, towering bodies, long
' white tusks, and gigantic, flapping
ears. They Jog along over the plain
in long single (lie, all superbly IndlfI
ferent to everything around, tramp*
ing straight ahead through or over
* all obstacles, swaying their great
trunks.
The greatest excitement, of course,
* comes in an encounter with danger'
ous game. There Is the thrilling consciousness
of danger when you follow
a lion through long grass, catch1
Ing only a bare glimpse of him as he
1 bounds along, hearing now and then
? a sullen growl of anger, but never
' knowing exactly where he Is, wheth'
er still retreating, or lying In wait
for a sudden spring when you come
> within reach. His tawny skin blends
perfectly with the color of the dry
grass, and the flrst clear sight you i
get of him may be at a few yards
distance, as he stands crouching for
attack, his powerful body quivering
' with rage, his head set low upon his i
' chest He looks the embodiment of
threatening ferocity, with his fierce
1 open mouth, cruel teeth and savage
' eyes, as he snarls and growls with
1 maddened fury, twisting his tall
ominously, or raising it stiffly above
his back, as he does when about to
charge.
A beast fully as dangerous, and often
harder to kill, Is the buffalo. Tou i
come perhaps on his spoor In the
midst of thick bush, and if the ground
1 is at all soft his heavy weight and
deeply marked feet leave a trail that
is easily seen. Tou follow it eagerly
as it winds up and down, knowing j
from the fresh impress that the beast
cannot be far off, your fingers Itch1
ing on the trigger, your eyes striving
to pierce the density of the branches
around; and then, perhaps, as you 1
are growing weary and losing hope,
' your men suddenly scatter on every
side, leaping like monkeys up the
prickly bushes, and tho buffalo
crashes furiously out of the under'
growth where you least expect to
see him.
Thrilling, too, is the stalking of
1 rhinoceros and elephants. Rhinoceroses
are usually found on the plains
1 or in the more open bush, but eleI
-? ?- ? ?- - J.ll X I. ?k.
pnanis must Until utl tununcu hi ins
depth of the forest, where the tang1
led foliage produces the dim gloom
of cavern, adding a strange ghostly
1 feeling to the sense of the risk that
must be fgced. Both rhinoceros and
elephant are furnished with very
thick hides and wonderful tenacity of
life; they are very difficult to kill
1 with a frontal shot, so that It Is wise,
If possible, to get the first shot into
1 the brsln or heart by creeping close
up to them before attempting to
shoot. The danger Involved Is somewhat
lossensd by the fact that they
cannot see clearly over fifteen or
twenty yards, but on the other hand
1 a slight shift In the wind may bring
them charging down on you.
You crawl cnward with wary
' stealth, watching the wind anxiously,
wondering as you gain the cover of a
tuft of grass If you can ever hope to
1 cross the next open patch unpercelved;
lying motionless, hardly daring
I* th? animal aoamn to
' grow suspicious, feeling as you look
' at his huge bulk that you are rldlc1
ulously puny and feeble, and that your
1 powerful Express rifle is little more
' u.an a pop-gun, and longing for the
moment for the crack of the rifle to
( brealr t* 3 sll-mce and dissolve the uneasy
tension that the long stalk and
wait can hardly fall to produce.
The most critical and thrilling experience
Is the following up of a savI
age wounded beast driven decperate
' by pursuit and maddened by lb) hurt
' Then risks must be taken and must
' be met by unceasing vigilance and
' wariness, and perhaps the moment
' may come when you have to fa.ce the
1 nerve shaking charge of the I'urious
animal, when there Is no time for
thought or calculation, and your life |
1 depends on your capacity for Instant
decision, and quick and accurate
shooting. A successful day after
dangerous game is not a day that you
foraet.
I
)
? Anaconda, Nevada, Standard: The
Butte office of the Butte Electric and
Power company received a telephone
message yesterday morning from some
i ranchman up on the Big Hole river
stating that a pole supporting a line
was burning and endangering the line.
George K. Aitken, foreman of construction,
and an assistant were sent out to
Investigate and put out the fire. About
fifteen miles from Butte on the Big
Hole river up from Divide they saw
the pole, which had been nearly consumed.
The fire was smothered, and
then upon looking for the cause of the
fire the linemen discovered fragments
of a wild cat or mountain lion, and
at the top of the pole, where It had
become mixed with the wires, were the
i tail, the feet and a few shreds of the
cat. Either through curiosity or by being
chased and frightened the wild cat
had climbed up the electric power pole
during the night and attempted to take
refuge on the crossbar. The moment
it touched the wires It created a short
circuit and got through Its body the
full 2,000 volts of electricity. That
made a mess of the wild cat and set
fire to the pole. The linemen brought
a few claws to Butte as a souvenir of 1
the cat's adventure. 1
I
Thwbe Ways.?A story comes from ,
the Vatican that Cardinal Merry del
Val was speaking with a friend on the '
Storer Incident and the Roosevelt let- |
ter. when suddenly the cardinal said,
smiling: "There are three excellent
ways of disseminating news?tele- ,
phone, tel-egraph and tell-a-woman!" 1
' *r
AULD LANG 8YNE.
I - %
Should auld acquaintance be forgot.
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o' lang syne?
We two hae rln about the braes,
And pu'd the go wans line;
But we've wander'd monle a weary fit
Sin' auld lang syne.
We twa hae paldl't 1' the burn,
Frae mornln* sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.
And here's a hand, my trusty Here,
And gle's a hand o'thlne;
And we'll take a right guid-wllUe
waught f
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye'll be your plnt-stowp,
And surely I'll he mine;
And we'll take a cup o'kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear.
For auld lang syne,
win o Zl v I,..,
?? v >4 Minv ? vuj; v Aiiiuiicoo /cv
For auld lang syne.
?Robert Barns.
8WINDLE8 WORKED BY MAIL.
Gullible Americans WH> Are Tricked
by Advertisement
The records ot the pest office department
are rich with examples of the
gullibility of citisens cf the home of
the brave and the land of the free. No
matter how often some one may think
of a new device for fooling the people
he can always And a ready market for
his wares, says the Washington Post
Old stories about the singed moth do
uot hold good when the average person
hears that he can make an unusually
large amount of money by investing a
correspondingly small sum. Previous
experiences have taught him nothing?
ne is willing: to pay for another very
expensive lesson, which will have, in
all probabllty, aa little effect on him as
the previous one.
Pussies and the reward which their
solution may bring have always appealed
very strongly to the American
public. If a man can be made rich for
life by solving a mere puzxle he is more
than willing to risk the amount of a
subscription to the piper that makes
him such a magnlflceit offer.
When the postofllce department
learns that a person is engaged in using
the mails for such fraudulent purposes
an order is turned forbidding
the delivery of ma:' to him or his
agents. The matter of preventing the
continuation of the project so far as he
Is concerned is not so easy.
Very often in cases of this kind the
postal authorities say that persons who
have been patronizing a man affected
by a fraud order resent the action of
the department in directing that their
letters shall not be delivered. They
argue that If they care to invest money
In his proposed plan it Is the business
of no one to Interfere.
An Instance when tlie government
received no complaints from the per
sons defrauded and nc< thanks from
them for exposing the swindle was that
of the "Franco-German Electric Pad
company."
This alleged company advertised for
agents to sell Its goods, offering to pay
a large salary and expenses, but before
one could qualify for such a position
he was expected to buy two of the
electric pads, the electricity of which
consisted of a mustard plaster. These
were to be sold and testimonials secured
celebrating their virtues. After
this had been done the prospective
representative ol the company was JB
supposed to be ott the road to wealth.
That was as fai as he got. The next
communication from his future employer
stated that he would now be
able to sell the pads for $4 each, and,
as they would cost him only $2 he
would make a clour profit of 100 per
cent on his Investment The salary and
expenses had vanished.
Upon the discovery of this fraud Its
author was arrested, gave $1,000 ball
and skipped. He had made enough out
of his Utopian scheme to allow him to
indulge In this little extravagance. Not
a word was heard from his victims.
By American greed they had been fooled;
by Americas spunk they would
stand for It. The tiddler always has to,
be paid sooner or later.
Another undertaking that had for Its
sole object the benefit of mankind was
Instituted by a magasine. "The Fireside
Favorite" will be Itii designation,
for charity's sake.
The men back of thin publication
thought it would be quite a nice little
thing for them to offer a prize to the
Dublic for solution. This thomrht vrh
parent to the action, and In a short
while the puzzle appeared with the advertisement
that the solver would receive
a quarter of the money which it
brought to the owners of the paper.
And then the Inevitable stipulation?a
subscription costing $1.
The puzzle was solved. The fortunate
ones received 25 cents, Just onequarter
of what the advertisement
brought from each reader. The.residue
of the profits was spent by the 1
nrnnHafrtro In thn Inur nmirta HafcknHlnir
themselves against the order Issued by
the postofflce department.
Ten yards of silk for 10 cents was a
bait that no feminine fish could resist
The originators of this project made
i tremendous haul. What woman could
afford to miss such a chance? Ten
yards of silk to flaunt on state occasions!
Alas and alack! They received
silk, and the promised ten yards?
but It was sewing silk. It might have
passed muster as material for a dress
In the Pacific Islands, but hardly in
this country.
Clairvoyants and fortune tellers s-sem
to have the greatest hold upon the
public. These persons change their
names as often as they can think of a
new one. Exposed from time to time,
they nevertheless continue to make a
pood living from men and women who
are anxious to learn the future. It is
r\MA t\f tkn nrnnhat Knainaao In
JIIC Ut auv.lt niv pi vpuvi uuaiuvoo in
which there is no lack of profit In its
jwn country.
These readers of the future seem to
Inspire the greatest faith In their followers,
and no amount of advice or
caution from the authorities seems able
to shake it.
Time was when the magazines and
patters were flooded with advertisements
which purported to represent a
jet-rich-quick company. The persons
who answered this little notice were informed
by return mail that the best
possible way to get rich in a short time
was to work like the devil and not
spend a cent.
Crood advice this was, too, and If it
wei^e followed the schemes of charlatans
would be much more apt to "gang
i-gley."
W About thirty-six cubic miles of
water per day is discharged into the
Sea by all the rivers of the world.