I - ..
VOL.?XLIX. CAMDEN, S. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER^ 1890. \4 [ . , NO. 23.
v ^?*** '"**
FORGIVEN ESS.
If in the path of fluty thv friend has "ailed,
or faltered.
"Where stronger feet might stumble,still let
thy friendship ljvp;
Etill let. thy friendly greeting retain its
warmth, unaltered,
r And. ere he seeks thy pardon, do thou his
fault forgive. *
Bui if thy feet should find it?the stone
whereon he stumbled?
And thou sbouklst fall upon it, along the
pathway dim
Walk thou in full displeasure, with spirit
boved and humbled,
Condemning in thine own self the fault
forgiven in him.
?Beth Day, in Youtfcs CompanivUyS
. t
" '
A Nitro glycerine Enisode.
EY KIRK MUNROE.
' Want to go well-shooting, do you?"
eaid my frieml the broker as we stood in
the Petroleum Exchange at Oil City.
'Well, every one to his ta-te. Now
nothing would induce me travel with a
torpedo-man. However, I'll fix it for
you."
At four o'clock the following morning
I awaited, at the stable where he kept
his spirited team,"the coming of my new
friend. A few minutes later he appeared,
bearing on his shoulder a bundle of new
tin tubes ten feet long and two and live
inches in diameter.
The torpedo-wagon in]which we were to
ride was an open single-seated box buggy
hung on the lightest and . most delicate
of steel springs. Thcseat was hinged aud
6wung forward, beneath it was a strong
box divided into six square paded compartments.
To my great relief they were
empty.
While a sleepy "hostler was harnessing
the team?two jet black spirited young
.animals, forn torpedoriiian prides himself
upon the mettle of his horses?my
companion affixed to the left-hand side
of the buggy two curved iron rests,
something like those placed at the back
of a victim's head by a photographer.
They were also padded, and in them was
-> laid and securely lashed the bundle of
tin tubes. In the buggy, behind the seat,
were placed'a heavy iron reel on which
* were wound some two thousand feet of
eiout oil-soaked cord, a coil of .fuse, another
of sniaii wj e, and a "go-devil." As
wc took our plar cs and the lively team
sprang away, I ventured to remind the
torpedo-man that he had forgotten his
Ditro-glycerinc.
"Ob, no, I haven't," he'laughed. "I
am not allowed to bring it into town,
but keep it in several small magazines
come miles out in the woods, near the
t' different roads that I have to travel.
- There is one not far from the well we
arc going to shoot this morning, so that
we sha'n't hare to drive more than a
mile with the stuff aboard.
The morning air seemed to intoxicate
our team, for they daHced along the road,
occasionally springing from side to side
iu mock terror of a stuinp, a black
bowlder, or the puff of steatn from a
pumping tugiuc. These exhibitions of
ecuiDC recklessness and disregard of
consequences was by no mean3 reassuring.
and would have been most alarming
had the "stuff" been under our buggy
scat.
W?> spvprnl nnrl mr>.
mc-nt lueir drivers caught sight of the
gleaaning tin tubes that denoted the
character of our equipage, they drew as
far as possible to the side of the road and
respectfully waited lor us to pass.
"Oh, yes," said the torpedo man; "I
always have all the room I want. Nobody
ever crowds this outfit.'"'
At length wc were high up on the hill
top, where the hot morning sun had dissipated
the mist that still lay like a soft
gray blanket over the lowlands. All at
once we turned sharply to the left, and
directly into the dense forest. The trees
had been cut from the rude trail that we
now followed, but their stumps remained.
Over these, over loose rocks and through
bog holes the active horses scrambled,
and the light buggy bounced with suc'u
plunges and slides that it was difficult to
retain one's seat.
"Is the magazine in here?" I asked.
"Yes; only a short distance ahead."
"You surely don't drive out this way
witn tne glycerine aooarar'
' Why, of course. This is the only
Tond. It isn't a first-class one,I'll allow;
but if it was too good, inquisitive foiks
might be tempted to come in here. It's
safe enough, though. The supply wagon
came in here only the day before yesterday
with a thousand pounds of the
stuff,' and got through all right. There's
the place now."
As he spoke, the torpedo man halted
his team in front of a small windowless
building of rough boards,the single dooi
of which was fastened by an ordinan
padlock. In a conspicuous place on its
front was nailed a sign that read "Dan
ger! Keep away from this building!'
This sign fascinated me, so that I coulc
hardly avert my gaze from it, ever
though I plucked a wild rose from i
bush that leaned confidingly against the
magazine, and pretended to be carelesslj
admiring its beauty.
"How much is there in there?" !
asked.
"Oh, fifteen hundred quarts or so
enough, anyway, to blow Oil City out o
tight," answered mv compapion as hi
unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Reflecting that the danger could be n<
greater in the building than ten feet fron
it, 1 followed him. The interior wa
packed full of squire two-gallon tii
cans, each of which had a handle on to|
and two cork-plugged vent-holes. The,1
looked as though they might coutaii
maple syrup or something equally harm
less; I ut knowing what they really di<
hold started the perspiration on my fore
head as I gazed at them.
Taking two at a time, the torpedo
- man set four of the cans on the groum
outside the magazine, and relocked th
door. Then drawing a sharp steel in
ftrument that looked like an icc-picl
from his boot-leg, he dug out one of th
tightly driven corks from each car, *n<
examined its contents to satisfy liimrcl
that it was lull. They were. Then th
J corks were replaced, and as I handed
| them oue at a time up to him, he gently
> set the packages into the pidded colapartments
provided ior them, and in an
other minute we were driving away from
the lonely magazine over the stumps,
rocks and big holes of the horrible trail,
j with 120 pounds of uitro-glycerine,
j liable to explode with the slightest concussion,
snugly stowed beneath our seat.
The ride over that rough forest trail
; was altogether too exciting to be enjoyj
able. It was like being couSoed in the
! crater of a volcano known tc be on the
I eve of au eruption, and the main road,
when readied, seemed a haven of safety.
The remaining mile of our drive was made
without incident, though we drove at
what appeared to me a reckless pace, the,
tor^edo-uian saying that we were a little
late.
At last we turned in through a pair of
bars, and, crossing a field, came ifr a new
derrick that marked the well we were to
. shoot. The horses were securely hitched
j to a tree, and the contents of the buggy
I :-.o *1? 11 fl,,, ,.??]
| were t'Hirieu iu lui itch, nmit mv <wi
! was made fast to a stout ptosf. From
I there its cord, which terminated in air
iron hook, was carried through a block
hung directly above the pipe that extended
a thousand feet down into the earth.
I A number of drillers and other men in;
terested iu the well, who had been
j lounging about the derrick, left iu a.
I body as the torpedo man entered it, carrying
two cans of nitro-glyceriae, and I
followed with two more, fhey walked
oil to a respectful and there sat down to
arrait developments.
Then we?for I now found myself installed
as chief assistant?proceeded to
business. First the small tin tubes were
joined together until they formed a pipe
sixty feet long, and were thrust into the
well, where I held them in position.
This was the "anchor," and its duty was
to support the large tubes, or "shells,"
at the proper distance above the bottom
of the deep hole. Next one of the larger
I ?ten feet long?tubes, that had a funnel-like
end, was fitted into the upper
anchor tube, and I was instructed to let
the whole slip down until only a foot of
the shell projected above the surface.
Then the torpedo man withdrew the
corks from the glycerine cans, and slow.'*
but steadily poured the contents of two
ot mem )Rto tne sueu. il suemeu as
though that ten-foot drop must afford a
concussion sufficient to produce an exj
plosion, and I am certain that as the first
drops of the oily-looking stuff fell to the
bottom of the shell iny heart ceased its
beating. The cool steadiuess of the torpedo
man and his evident kuowledge of
what he was about reassured me, however,
so that I not only held the first
shell while it was being filled, but the
second, to which the first was attached
by hoot-s of copper wire.
When both shells were filled and hooked
on to the stout cord that dangled
above *the well, a percussion-cap was
placed under the tiring pan, a small iron
plate loosely fi.\?d in the upper end of
the torpedo, and the whole was let cautiously
down a thousand feet iuto the
bosom of the earth. I was told the last
three hundred feet of its passage were
j through a body of oil aud water, that
would act as tamping for the shot.
When the torpedo rested on the bottom
of the well, a slight jerk disengaged the
line by which it had been lowered, and
this iiuc was reeled in. Then the
torpedo man said, interrogatively,
1 suppose you would like to drop the
go-aeviri"
"Certainly," I answered. I felt that
that I had "one too far to recede from
any part of the undertaking now, so I
prepared to drop the "go-devil."
It v;as a four flauged bit of cast-iron
' about a fool, long, and pointed at the
I lower end. It weigh- d some tea pounds,
J and was just large enough to slip readily
down the well pipe.
The torpedo man went to unfasten
the horses, and get them started away
before the explosion should take place,
leaving me alone in the derrick, holding
the bit of iron that wrs to unloosen the
awful force lying so (juietly at the bottom
of the well. In another raiuutc he shouted,
"Let her go!" I dropped the "godevil,"
and as it whizzed downward
on its errand of destruction, ran with
speed of a sprinter.
1 was a hundred yards away when
there came a dull mufiled roar, followed
by a sharp crack that sound like the explosion
of a percussion cap, and accom,
panied by a slight jar of the earth. A
few seconds later a solid column of black
? ' ! . ?. - *' <! 4? f?n?.n /M? f-urnntr fo/il oKai'II
UII LLiUUUlCU UUI.XU VI mvuM IV.WK c*?^v?v
, the mouth of the well, where it seciucd
, to remain stationary for a moment. Then
from out of it burst a magnificent founi
tain of oil and water, that, shooting to a
. height of nearly a hundred feet, broke in
. a great cloud of amber colored spray.
r Directly afterward a Hood of oil poured
. back to the earth, drenching the new derrick
and its adjacent buildings, and dedi>
eating them forever to the service of peI
troleum.
i The shot had been a perfect success,
i ! and before the drifting cloud of oily
? spray was wholly dissipated, the torpedo
r man and I were d "iviug rapidly from the
| scene of our triumph homeward bound.
[ I But one more duty remained to beperj
formed. We still had the empty glycer;
! ine cans, in one of which wis about half
f I a pint ct the terrible explosive. Even
- I film fiinl ctill oltlni^ I., (in
sides of each one of these empty cans
3 was sufficiently powerful to have blown
i us iuto eternity, and we were anxious to
s dispose of this dangerous remnant, a;
i speedily as possible. For this purpose
p J we halted in the first bit of lonely for
\f j est. The four cans were laid beside r
a I huge stump, and behind them we piled r
- i number of rocks. A bit of l'usc ha<
i j been prepared with a cap at one end o
'- it. This cap was now inserted in tin
open mouth of one of the cans, fron
i. which the fuse projected about a foot.
.] When all was ready, the torpedo-mar
c drove the team to a safe distance. As h<
. disappeared I touched a lighted match t<
i ! the fuse, and again ran, leaving it hiss
e j ing viciously among the dry leaves,
j j The explosion was tremendous, ant
f j its echoes tolled away among the hill:
c 1 like the roui of a huudrcd-pouud guu
1 "Where it had taken place there was "no
j vestige of the stump nor of the cans, the
i rocks had been reduced to powder, and.
| only a great hole in the ground remained.
Half an hour later we were safely back
in Oil City. As I bade the torpedo-man
good-by he said: '"Come round whenever
you feel like taking auother ride. I
like to have fellows along who don't
mind the stuff.''
I thanked him, and said I would; but
T doubt if I shall ever feel like tempting
i nitro glycerine agaiu.?Harper's Weekly.
Trapping a Monster Elephant.
Silent and almost motionless, quite
hidden in the darkness, stood the huge
: form of an old bull elephant, one of
whose tusks had been damaged in his
youth and had become . totally deca3'ed.
His head was bent forward in order to- '
rest bis one monster"tusk upon the ground,
his trunk loosely coiled between his fore-. legs,
was also resting on the ground, anfU
his great ragged ears flapped spasmodi-V
I cally in vain endeavors to shake off the
. myriads of mosquitoes that .persistently
hovered around his head. Suddenly the
forest was lit up by a most vivid flash of
lightning, followed an instant afterward
by a clashing peal of thunder. The elephant
raised his head with a startled
jerk, his* huge limbs shaking with
.fear. * - * '< "
Almost before the rumbling echoes of
the thunder had died away, the rain,
that had been threatening for so many
hours, fell in tortents. Flashes ofJightning
succeeded each other 4so rapidly
that the attendant peals of thunder were
converted into one continuous roar,-And
the violence of the wind soon increased
J to a veritable tornado?a tropical hurricane.
Trees were blown dofcn and uprooted
on all sides. The terrified elephant remained
for some time motionless with
fea^ but the tempest continued, the
monster became suddenly pauic-stricken,
j and charged madly through the .dense
j forest, stumbling and falling over the j
i trunks of uprooted trees in his endeavors j
to gaiu some open patch where there
I would be. no danger of being crushed by
! the fallinsr timber.
Suddenly, iu the midst of a mad rush, |
I the elephant sank to the ground with a :
i sharp squeal of paiu. The poor brute j
had severed the vines that supported one '
of the traps that had been arranged the
previous day, and a heavily weighted
spear was plunged between his shoulders.
For some moments he remained motion- i
less, then the great body rolled slowly
from side to side in vain endeavor to free
himself from the spear, but the weapon
was barbed and the points had penetrated
too deeply to be shaken off. Here he
remained, exhausted, tint?!'daybreak, his
hide covered with patches of mud and
deep red smears of blood.?Scribntr.
The Seven Wonders of Corea.
Corea, like the world of the ancient,
has its "seven wonders." Briefly stated
they arc as follows:
First?A hot mineral spring near KinShantao,
the heahng properties of which
arc believed to be miraculous. No matter
what disease may afflict the patient,
a dip in the water proves efficacious.
Second?Two springs situated at con- '
sidcrable distance from each other; in j
fact, they have the breadth of the entire j
peninsula betwecu them. They have
two peculiarities. When one is full the
other is always empty; and, notwithstanding
the obvious fact that they are
connected by a subterranean passage,
one is of the bitterest bitter, and the
i ? ?A
UlUCl p.v U,iU O..V-V.,. (
Third?The third wonder is Cold
Wind Cave, a cavern from which a winters
wind perpetually blows. The force
of the wind from the cave is such that a
strong man cannot stand before it.
Fourth?A forest that caunot be
eradicated. No matter what injury is
i done the roots of the trees, which are
large pines, they will sprout up again
directly?like the Phoenix from her
ashes.
I Fifth?The fifth is the most wonderj
ful of the seven national curiosities of
the peninsula. It is the famous "floatj
ing stone." It stands, or seems to stand,
in front of the palace erected in its
honor. It is an irregular cube of great
! bulk. It appears to be resting on the
| ground, free from supports on all sides,
1 but stranr?e to sav. two men at onoosite
| ? O* ^ ? II
! ends of h rope may pass it under the
stone without encountering any obstacle
whatever!
The sixth wonder is the "hot stone,"
which from remote ages has laid glowing
j with heat on top of a lrgh hill.
The seventh and last Corean wonder
I is a drop of the sweat of Buddha. For
thirty paces around the large temple in
which it is enshrined not a blade of
grass will grow. There arc no trees or
flowers inside the sacred square. Even
[ the animals decliue to profane a spot so
holy.?at. Ljiiu Republic.
Tom Thumb's Widow.
A tiny coach, about the size of a Saratoga
trunk, and drawn by a pair of Sket!
land ponies, passed up Wabash aveuue,
Chicago, the other evening and stopped
iu front of the Auditorium Theatre. The
little driver was attired in full livery, as
was the diminutive footman who opened
the door. As soon as the door was
: opened a funny-looking little man
' /Mif Ifn n-nc foul Hrmolu rl rnocnrl
in elegant evening attire. He extended
^ bis hand and helped out a little lady,
' whose mature face and gray hair were in
! striking contrast with her stature, for
she resembled a large-sized wax doii
: ruorethana living creature. Then anJ
other little gentleman, also elegantly
' dressed, stepped out, and the interesting
j trio attended the theatre. The lady has
; | been known in years gone by as the wife
1 j of the late General Tom Thumb, and together
they formed a pair of the most
1 | famous midgets the world has ever
: known. Since the General's death his
5 widow has become the wife of Count
Magri.
1 A Calhoun (Gn.) man has a chair which
> iic claims is 115 years old, and has its
. original bottom.
wax mm.
i.
THE TjfFE.-LlKE REPRODUCTION
OF PROMINENT PEOPLE.
Processes and Details of an Art That
Has Reached a High Stage of
Nicety?Obstacles Overcome
by the Ciricr."
Few peopie who look at a waxwork
group of artistic make have any idea of
the manifold operations which have led
up to its completion. Until a few years
the wax figures and groups exhibited in
this country were most crude and unfinished.
The liglit demand for them, cx.ceptin
cheap arauseflitSnt halls, was reasonable
for the poor q'bality of work, and
there was no incentive given to clever
wax artists abroad t5"sho\v us just what
.could be done in the way of mechanical
reproduction of life- -;
Iu Barnum's old-tinie museum, which
Bt'ood on the present site of the Herald
building, a few stiff ajid staring examples
o? the wax maker's art were
m.
A HEAD MODEL READY FOR THE WAX .
supplemented by two or three figures so
realistic as to suggest to the intelligent
observer that- there were possibilities in
wax figures previously unknown in
America. . ;
The wax work of to?3ay have reached
probably the highed; degreee of excel
leuce. The well-executed figure hus all
the grace that a living figuro could show
if posed m as immovable a style as the
other. They all lodte' stiff to the eye
which lingers on them tor any length of
time, because they arc absolutely motionless.
A single glance at e good figure will
find in it not only a good pose, but what
the artist calls action,- but wheu the eye
gets more accustoiped to the work its immovability
soon fuggasts a stiffness that
#is really not evidefct.??
Some years "ago' several expert wax
figure makers,frenchmen for the most
part, were brought to this country. The
leading man in an establishment of this
kind is the sculptor.. To secure good
results it is necessary that the sculptor
should be highly capable. At the present
time Mr. Feinberjr is at the head of a
c
corps of assistants in a suite of rooms
Avliicb are tilled with lifelike figures in all
degrees of preparation.
When a single figure or a group is
needed the sculptor gets together hie
pictorial matter, if the order is for something
historical, and with the aid of this
material bo makes a careful drawing,
showing the figures properly draped, and
in addition, all the accessories that would
go in to the completed work. This sketch
being approved, a'small model in basrelief
is rande of the whole design, aud
this miuiature design being approved, or
altered until satisfactory to the committee
I the actual work is beguu.
As the average wax fixurc is the reproduction
of some man or woman of note
iu past or present the greatest skill on
the part of the sculptor is ueccssary to
produce a likcues. Very often there is
nothing but a portrait to work from, and
that is not always in the exact shape or
position that the group calls for.
There have been many instances, however,
where living celebrities have consented
to pose for the sculptor, and thus
j niauc a strong worn possiuic. xur. oous-tant
Thys, a skilful "cirier," as the
j French term it; a word which fully translated
means "waxcr," told the writer
I that the difficulties experienced ill porj
truiturc were the most exhausting partof
I of the work.
"When tue sculptor has secured all the
i material possible ho begins to shape a
I head in clay. If the design calls for an
! exposure of the body below the neck, as
1 in the case of a savage, the shoulders are
reproduced in clay as well as the head.
If 1 tie face is a bearded one the beard is
modelled in form, and naturally to secure
a likeness the hair of the head is
also formed.
When the head is finished in clay it is
approved either as regards its proportions
or its likeness to the original, and
when so approved it is ready for the moldcr
to handle.
The ucxl operation is an important
one, us it means to a certain extent, the
destroyal of the likeness obtained by.
long ami patient work. This operation
is the cutting away of all the clay which
represents the hair aud beard of the
original. This mutilation is necessary,
because the hair and beard are to be
made eventually of the real article.
The head of clay, when stripped, is
now oiled and then covered by Mr. Berti,
fti? v.-nlnioi'sassistant, with a coating of
plaster oi Paris about three or four inches
thick, li ten minutes this coating is
partially hardened and the work of cutting
the mold into pieces is begun. A
slurp knife will cut through this doughlike
substance. now too soft to chip ?.nd
too hard lo run.
When :he mold is cut in five or sis
pieces tiie lowest end, at tho base of the
neck, is cut away in tho centre, leaving
an opening about live inches iu diameter,
if the head is life size. On one of the
cut sides of each piece the artist makes
t wo or thicc holes at intervals of three
inches. On Lite piece which fits against
it he places little dabs of soft piaster.
The holes arc now oiled and the whole
mold is put together again. The soft
plaster dabs are uow allowed to harden
' in the oiled holes, and when tho mold
is taken .apart again it is provided with
little "locks," which prevent the pieces
from slipping apart at an inopportune
moment. ,
While these operations on the hand arc
under way the bodies which are to complete
the figures arc being made in a
somewhat different manner. As explained
above only those portions of the upper
part of the body as arc to be exposed
arc made in clay. The hands, arms and
extremities arc made in most cases from
living models.
When a group has been designed the
different positions of the hands and arms
are made from male aud female models,
and a plaster cast is made from them in
the same way as described above. In a
great many cases where certain poses are
needed casts are also made from the
lower limbs. Even the trunk is sometimes
reproduced in this way.
Asuquc but the exposed portions of a
figure are made of wax, on account of
the great cost partly, the bodies are
made of papier-mache. The molds for
these portions of the figure arc made in
two pieces for each lower limb, upper
111110, iorearm, upper arm ur uuuit.
These molds, when perfectly hard, are
ready for the mannikiu maker. A woman
docs this work.
The first operation is the fitting of
pieces of cardboard in each half mold.
To this is glued a layer of coarse bagging
and after that alternate layers of carboard
and bagging until the structure is
nearly a quarter of an inch thich. It is
then coated 011 the inside with a thin
layer of plaster.
When all these parts are taken from
the molds and put together the result is
a very grnccful reproduction of a nude
human figure, minus the arms, head and
neck in most cases, though the arm is
very often made in this way.
Numbers of these figures stand about
in the mannikin room awaiting the time
when the wax portions are to be attached
and the whole figure made ready for exhibition.
To insure that the final clothing
of the maunikins shall hang properly
the mannikius are invested with complete
suits of knit underclothing.
We will now follow the head and the
other portions of the figure which are to
be finished in wax. Those particular
molds are now taken in charge by Mr.
Thys and are carried down to the wax
oom. This room is a sort of hot box,
the temperature being at 120 degrees at
all times.
The most delicate operation of all is
now made. In a long, wooden tank at
one end of the room the mold is placed
in water. Connected with this bath is a
steampipe. "When the mold is ready
the steam is turned on, and, the water
becoming heated, the mould i: soon
ready for tbc box.
The wax used for the figures is the
best obtainable quality of American
bleached beeswax, which comes in- thin
disks. It is perfectly white when
bought, and in this state it is melted
down until it has reached the consistency
of oil.
As it is not desirable to make the heads
and hands of such pale material, the artist
colors it to suit his needs. For a
head and face he mixes in the wax when
melted certain quantities of dry colors.
These colors are Prussian blue, crimson
lake and silver white. When the wax is
meant for heads requiring a more sombre
tint or for the hands of males, some burnt
umber is added.
It is necessary to insure a good wax
mold to have au almost exact temperature
in the wax aud the heated plaster
mold. Experience htis taught the artist
the proper time to take out bis plaster,
und when it is just hot enough it is oiled
to prevent the wax from sticking aud
stood on its head on the stone floor.
SOME LIFE SIZE MANIKINS.
A large fuunel is now placed in the
opening at the neck nnd the wax is poured
into the funnel, the lower end of which
i? as far down in the mold as it will go.
"When the amount of wax needed to fill
the whole space has been poured in, th?
funnel is pulled out slowly and the was
is distributed gradually. If the wax ii
poured directly into the mold from tht
large tin vessel in which it is melted
bul bles arc apt to form in places when
they may mar the surface of the head.
After fifteen minutes' time has partially
hardened the wax nearest the mold,
the soft wax in the centre is poured
baCiv into the tiu. In the fifteen minutes
allowed for cooling, the wax left in
the moid when the soft portion is
poured out is about one-quarter of an
inca in thickness, although it may vary
a sixteenth in some places. Such variation
is not objected to, as it serves to
rrive transnnrenev to Hip hrml
C _ J ?
Vciy often when the mold is unwrapped
of the strong rope.- which hold
it together during the pouring, and
taken apart, the wax is found to have
stuck fast to some part of the plaster not
fully oiled. This necessitates the
operation being done all over again.
The duy following the melting the
head is ready for its final shapiug.
Though it is now perfect as regards the
general features, there are many roughnesses
apparent, especially along the
lines where the plaster mold had its
joinings. These lines and any little
lumps that may have been caused by
small holes in the plaster are carefully
shaved down. The eyes of the waxen
head arc simply rounded reproductions
of the human eyeball and the mouth is
generally partially open, "with no model- !
'n<;s of the teeth. When the wax is as
liar a a* it can be made by the atmosphere
a crooked tool with a round end i3
heated and the eyes are burned out from
the inside of the hollow head. The
back wall of the open mouth is similarly
treated, and the head is now ready for
the accessories. The rims, of the eye
have to bo paiuted and other parts of
face made deeper or lighter in color.
One of the most artistic operations is
th" -reproduction of the color of the
human lip. This ellect is not made with
paints,but is obtaiued by the skillful laying
on of colored wax. A spatula, a small
modeling tool, is heated in an nlcohc'
flame and pressed into a cake of wax ot
the proper color. This while hot is distributed
along the two lip3 thinly, and
although it gets lighter iu color when
hot it dries or hardens to just the desired
tint. Iu heads where the desigu calls
for uneven teeth the artist introduces
small pieces of wax and shapes them to
suit the subject. Ordinarily the teeth
used arc the usual variety of false teeth
procured from the dentist supply houses.
Many of the male heads have to bo
represented a3 recently shaven, and the
work necessary to give the life size face
this effect is something euormous. With
a little sharp nofdle point the artist punctures
the face iu many thousand places.
While the holes arc not as close together
as the hairs in a man's beard are the head
" lieu finished has the proper appearance.
MANIKIN SECTIONS SHAPED IN MOLDS.
After the tedious operation of puncturing
is done black color is rubbed all over the
cheeks and the chin, and then the surface
ot the face is wiped of! with a dry cloth.
The paint that has gone into the little
holes in the face remains, and the effect,
even when you stand close to the figure,
is very fine.
Putting in the eyelashes is a very difficult
and slow piece of work. The wax
at the eyelid is very thin, as the edge has
been trimmed to sharpen the lid and do
away with any appearance of clumsiness.
Along both lids little holes very close to
another are punched, and every hair has
to be carefully pushed in and poised so
ns to give the whole row a natural regularity.
The eyes used in the figures are about
the only things that have to be imported.
It was found that the only eyes that
could be got here were the substitutes
for human ones that are occasionally
used by oculists. As this sort proved
too expensive, an inferior but fully as
useful eye was brought from abroad.
Th(>v art* made to order and come in sev
eral sizes.
Putting the hair in its place is one ol
the most interesting operations of th<
clever French artists. The hair is pro
cured in this country and is of all color;
and degrees of fineness and coarsencs;
imaginable. Tradition having creditec
some olden time ruler with a peculiai
kind of hair, the right sort of thing, i
not in stock, must be procured and imi
tated.
The "driers' " method of applying th<
hair so that it will stay is to clutch i
bunch of it in one hand and a small stick
in the end of which are three and some
times four needles, in the other. Th
needles are pushed down into the wa
through the bunch of hair, and at eac
insertion are sure to take some of the hai
ends down with them. Sometimes whci
the loose bunch is pulled away two hair
6tay and sometimes all four needles ai
successful. With a large bunch of hai
and incessant puncturing it is only
matter of a few hours work to cover
head with a closely fitted crop of hai
J *!-- .. i
NYnentnis is acme me \yua w held
up by its coveriug without au
danger of the hair coming out.
I Putting a sparse growth of hnir on :
| lieacl that is supposed to be on the verg
of perfect baldness is a most delicat
! work. The hairs have to be put fartho
: apart and the artist cannot work so fast
The short stubby beard, supposed to b
j the growth of about two weeks, is vcr
j difficult to reproduce. These short hair
I have to be put in one by one, as the eye
i lashes are, and there is very little tc
i show for a day's work. The eyebrows o
j most figures arc thick, and therefore casj
to handle -comparatively.
The hands attached to wax figures an
in some respects the most perfect and re
alistic features. They arc really madi
from life.
i Another evidence of the care that ar
j feeling prompts the clever "drier'
j to take is the making of the fingernail
{ of his figures. Thin sheets or strips o
horn, very transparent and naillikc an
I cut out to fit the large or small lingers
I A small piece of the pink wax used t<
color the lips is nut on each before "it i
! affixed to the finger end. "Wheu the uai
' is in place the hand looks a3 though i
could move, so lifelike has it become.
Most of the historical costumes whicl
i drape the groups arc made by a litth
! lady on the premises. They arc bcautifu
in quality aud workmanship, and arc pui
together nearly as strongly as thougl
they were to be worn about the street:
or on the stage. All these artists ari
advocates of thoroughness and thej
make their work fit for the closest in
spection.
It is the modern costume that general
ly fails to adapt itself to the wax figure,
| in spite of the fact that the manikins an
i carefully made as to imitate nature ii
' all"its lines and poses. Yet the fact re
i mains'th^t a wax figure in an ordinary
1
\
I suit of coat, vest and trousers presents a
| queerness of appearance that is inexcusgpg
FINISHING A HEAD. able
when one kuows how graceful a
! model is hidden beneath it. If some ap:
pliance could be invented that would euable
the wax man to vibrate enough to
! give the muscles of his limbs the appear!
ance of working it is possible that this
still look would disappear.?New York
i Herald.
Neglected Wild Jliee.
When Columbus discovered AraericA
| the two most valuable and important
! cereals known to the Indians were corn
j and wild rice. Corn has been continI
uaUy cultivated and greatly improved
uuriug uirec or iour centuries, out our
native rice has been so generally
neglected that few persons seem to know
that such a grain exists, growing along
the banks of thousands of streams, covering
millions of acres, in swamps, bays
and salt-water and fresh-water meadows,
the food of myriads of wild ducks,
geese and other graminivorons birds.
The aborigines of North America knew
the value of aDd highly appreciated this
grain, gathered it when ripe, and stored
it in vast quantities for winter. As this
species of rice, like its near relatives, the
cultivated varieties, thrives best in low
and submerged lands, the Indians could
readily harvest the crop while paddling
br pushing their canoes through the
denso thickets of this grain-bearing
grass, by merely bending the heads over
their frail.vessels, and either shaking or
beating out the seeds. Many early voyagers
and settlers in this country were
! 1 1 ?UV. nnn anr)
I kl 'Iij |JlCiUUU Vt itU u liu nw*} uu\?
1 some of our earlier botanists gave rather
extravagant accounts of its value.
Elliott, in his Botany of South Carolina
and Georgia, saj3 that "this grass
grows in great abundance near the
mouths of our fresh water rivers. It
constitutes a considerable portion of the
fresh-water marshes, preferring those
situations where the soil is overflowed
one to two feet deep at high water." He
adds that the leaves arc succulent and
eatcu with avidity by stock, but it does
not appear to have been found of much
importance for forage. There are
really two species of this wild rice, one
with a round grain, the other oblong;
the latter is most common, and extends
much t'nc farthest northward, in fact its
' original home appears to be around the
great lakes of the Northwest, from
whence it may have been disseminated
by the prehistoric races of America or by
the many streams flowing from these regions.
Secdmen do not usually have a
call for the seed, but a visit to almost
auy tide-water bay or marsh on the east
^ shore of Pennsylvania or New Jersey
3 | during November would afford oppor"
J tunity of gathering an almost unlimited
3 I quantity.?Xetc York Tribune.
I I This Man's Candidates Were Elected.
r
a -pojuojoa ;mo ^ 80jopiputJ3 s4nujj[ &|qji
j Japanese Vogetablo Paper.
r This paper is manufactured largely in
. Japan from the bast fibres of a shrub
MJi" Krt tvti/3/lla nnrl
e j which grows wnmv u VCl IMV Uiuivt.v
y southern pruts of the country. The bast
s paper?used iu the home country for a
- great number of purposes, such as ban>
! dages, etc.?possesses an astonishing
t' | tenacity and flexibility, combining the
f i softness of silk paper with the cohesion
of a woven fabric; it is so thin that the
i iinest writing cnu be read through it, yet
- it is torn only with great difficulty,
c Commercially the paper is known in
Japan as usego; as put upon the market
- it has a uniform yellowish-white color
' and a silky lustre.?New York Journal.
!' No Place for Ills .Spectacles.
j. An Irish beggar woman was following
a gentleman who had the misfortune to
, lose his nose, and kept exclaiming,
s "Heaven preserve Your Honors cye1
sight." The gentleinau was at last ant
noyed at her importunity, and said:
Why do you wish my eyesight to be
2 preserved? Nothing ails my eyesight,
,.( nor is likely to do." "No, Your HonI
| or," said the Irish woman, "but it will
'? ? ;n
t; l?c a sad thing it it uoes, iui ,>oii >.m
j have nothing to rest your spectacles
^ upon."?AVw York Star.
An eminent authority in dental sclf
enee declares that caries?or in less
technical language, decay of the teeth?
i.s a contagious disease, that is transmitted
by moans of guins, and that the
eldest way of transmitting the disease is
J by kissing.
Why U a mon-e like a load ol hay7
r j Cecauae the catll oat it,
i