Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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HYBRIDIZATION OF COTTON. The Story of the Famous Cross Be tween a Cotton Plant and a Sunflower. Mr. W. L. )ouglas. manager of the Charleston bureau of l)uns Mer cantile agency. yesterday told a good story in connection with the hybridi ation of cotton. says the Columbia State. The point of the story is that it is true. lore than a score of years ago there was a newspaper reporter in Macon, Ga.. whose name was Bridges Smith. The name is familiar to many in Columbia. for the may.ir of Macon is the same Bridges Smith who once lined out the locals for the morning paper. There was al- in Aiken an eccentric gentleman wh wa- not successful in c-ndulting a a . .er. .-tore. ut was einineit iv mege 1i attractiung to h.iselt a large number of frie,(ds on accoumn of the fact that he could tell a story and tell it well. It was but naturai that this newspaper reporter should become a member of the staff of friends of Mr. A. A. Subers. One day Mr. Subers related a remarkable story of a cotton patch which he was de veloping on a hillside which he lo cated quite indefinitely and described in glittering generalities. The nature of this experiment patch was such that the young reporter felt it his duty to give the new to the outside world. Mr. Suhers wa. able to recognize the stoiv when t came out in print lie next morning. although it did have ,uch embellishments a- a "bright young newspaper mai can prepare as a sauce piquant for even a savory dish of news from the fleshpots ot the world's caravansary of horrors. nionstrosities. and happenings which never happened. But stripped of or namentation. the story was Mr. Su bers' very own. And great story, it was. Many papers in the south copied it. Many papers in the north copied it. In . England and in Germany it was published and in far away Africa the Boers on the veldt heard it. The story runneth that M%r. Subers. after months of experimentation, had been abie to bred a cros. between a cotton plant and a sinflower. The hybrid was no mongrel. but a tower ing plant partaking of the hardiness of the ,unPower in ts size and sinew. while the fruit was that of the in-esi cotto- in the souh. long silky.staple with the seed all in *a pod so that the lint should it lacerated in the gin saws. It was beal'tiful c,ton. and in ordinary quantitics w41ld have brought a comfortable living tI even the niost slothful farmer. but the greatest claim upon greatnes whicih Mr. Subers' hybrid demanded was the fact that from top to ground and back to the topmio,t bough the co tti ni plaints were loaded with holis. so that one stalk would yield as much fruit as go of the ordinary variety. Natur ally it was a story which set the coun * try wild. In Macon it was known to be a joke, but the rich humor of the situation was not appreciatedl else where and the storyv was read around the world. T'hen began the troubles of the unoffending Mr. . Subers. Letters poured in upon him. At first they begged for a bushel of seed. then the demands became moderate and ninal ly he had one letter beseeching him fur just one or two seeds. And the letters required an answer. For some came by registered mail, some antained checks and others money order.. It was a sad exper .ience in the life of the honest grocer. All the money was returned, necessi tating the writing of a lett,r to each correspondent and the p)ostage there on wa- :moire than the pronits. o the store co'uld -tand. For one entire mnth~ he was kep)t from his store by the diod vo4f people who poured in uipon him tip ask him questions and ta beg to see the field of Utopia promise One day his heart. almost turned against humankind was very tmuchm distressed by a pathetic inci dent. When lhe came to his store in the early morning hours, he found awaiting him a farmer of the 'poor white" class whose face was lighted with hope when he saw approaching the apostle of the cotton that would make the red hillsides of the south white with a harvest, pouring gold into Dixie and making this again the most powerful agricultural section of the world. The shabby buggy or th.e visitor was mud-bespattered, the tired mule was worn with unaccus totdavel, ad they were tied be I .HOE We C QuattlE hind tile vestibule from the foothill a few bundle: of fodder which spoke lquemly~ o.f the home and the tow headed crackern who would run to iett daq codoming hiome with the cott4)n seed which would bring to them a realization of many dav dreams. With tears in his eyes the poor fellow begged Nir. Subers for just one seed, he had come more than a hundred miles to get it. and that he had brought the price of a dozen biushels of ordi nary varieties. All of the eloquence a- NMr. Subers' command was required o persuade the po,,r fellow that the whole thimg was a grotesque story. wiven oni the warp of a newspapel LARGEST LOCOMOTIVE BUILP Giant Machine Could Haul Big Battle Ships-Speed Equal to Passen ger Engines. Philadelphia Ledger. Ten monstei locomotives, the larg est in the world, are in course of con struction at the Baldwin Works. Each will be capable of pulling a greater weight than ever before ac complished by a single locomotive. " These inchines are part of an order for fifty placed by the Atchi son. Topeka and Sante Fe Railroad company. and the work of construc tion is being rushed for an early de livery. It is expected that this lo comative will prove the beginning of an epoch in railroad freighting which may result in the abolition of thous ands ,f smaller and weaker engines tf this and other CoNr' niS. They are the product of theory that one gigantic locomotive, having the power of two of the present aver at,e type. can he 4,perated more cheap !v than two s,mall ones. The ten loco motives will be able to pull 6o.ooo tmon; tf dead weight on a level grade. if the first-class at n110ed steel battle ships Vernont. Connecticut. Kansas and Ohio were piaced up. n wheels on a level track it is safe tom say that they could be pulled across the cotntinent by the ten leocomotives. A string of the or dinary type of freight engines would be required to pull a similiar weight. The wveight of each engine com )lete will be abotut 28o.0oo pounds. and that of the tender about 200.000 potinds. Their speed will be much greater than that of the freight lo comotives now used in pulling the ore trains of the Sante Fe railroad. and their cost will be at least a third of that of the best locom'otives and of that of the best freight engine now on the road. From the time the first cast was made tuntil the first shipme.nt shall start over the rails for the Southwest ifty days will have elapsed. A force of abotut t8.ooo men assist in the con strhectiomn of each of these engines. the thoutsands of p)ieces of steel and iron being directly handled by at a.t hali that nmber. A\lthough of the same wvidthi o f thte ,maller engitnes and adapted to the ~amte tracks. the tnew type is mutch l tnger and higher than the others adl when placed hesides one of the ld' style locotmtive the lttter ap pears a pigmny indeed. The most distinguished features besides the size are the tandem cylinders atnd the immense driving whieels. The high pressure cylinders are placed wvell forward. and just back of them are the low pressures. A man of average hei'ght standing -besides one of the great driving wheels could not reach to the top rim for each of the drivers are about eighteen feet in circumference. There are five pairs of drivers, and in the extreme front of the engine is a pair of pony wheels. Befor leaving- the Baldwin shops IST RECEIVED ISES. Al mn Suppl: the ten grea: !,c-ntive wil pro b oh! be ;ipced byV repiresenitantves 'I several if the ea-tern railroad. The otier forty 14)canotive., wili he of h e balanced compound type. 1niiliar in many respecI to the French engine-. The driver4 will )e o inches in diameter and the cylinders 15 and _! inches. with a 26 inch pis ton strike. They are designed to at tain a speed if eighty miles an hour and wilt be used exclu:.ively for pas senger trains. Each will weigh about 20.000 pounds. including the tender. Shipment of these will begin in April. a i It la7t will leave the shops iII .av. While w%o-irk on thenc engines is rapidly prigre.Iing. a ru.h order for twelvye lomit ives frimi the .apanese gPvernnt is heing pt.hAed with all the expedition p i4ble. They are for the miuitarv roads in Corea and will be started for the seat of war early next Imnth. Six of the engines are of the standard guie and six of the narrow gauge. Owing to the fact that Russian lo cilmotive plants are small concerns, it s thught by nany railroad men that a large order for .locomotives may at any time be placed with an Anerican plant by the Russian gov er'1ment. Ofticials of the Baldwin cimpany recently said that they had receive( no order vet. nor. to their kniwlecge had any other American firI. Vice* President Gross.'of the Anier ican Locomotive company. of Dun kirk. N. Y.. was in the city last week. He said that while the Russian gov ernment has forbidden the importa tion if locomotives. it i; only as a protective measure. and not because of a tariff. and that if the government should require any large addition to its motive power bids from outside irnis would undoubted!y be called t(ir. THE CHRISTIAN churche., at Constantinoble. Turkey. and Yokaho ma. Japan. have long tised the Long man & Martinez Paints for painting their churches. Liberal contributions of L. &. L. will be given for such p)urpose where ever a church is located. F. M. Scotield. Harris Springs. S. C.. writes: "I painted our old .home stead with L. & M.. twenty-six years ago. Not painted since; looks better than houtses painted in the last tour years. WV. B. Barr. Charleston. W. Va.. writes: "Painted Frankberg Block with L. & M.. shows better than any buildings here have ever done: stands out as though varnished. and actual cost of p)ain~t was less than $t.2o per gallon. WVears and covers like gold."~ These Celebrated Paints are sold by the Newberry Hdwe. Company. LUMBER, LATHS, SHINGLES. Building material of all kinds. Estimates made on~ short notice. Wood or Brick. Small or Large. Good Work. Quick Work. Satisfaction Guaran teed. Prices Right. Shop in front of jail. Shockley & Livingston, Newherry. S. C. A SHIPMENT OF \ID MULES i Your Wants, ErrY. 03. 0q $RUBBER STAMPS Are my long suit. I make any kind * except bad ones. I furnish a new * stamp and an indellible pad for mark ing linen for 40 cents. I have some other good things. JA. WILSON GIBBES, * Typewriters', Office Supplies, etc. * 1334 Main Street, Columbia, S. C. HUDGENS BROS., LAURENS, S. C. Foundry, Machine Shops and Hay Presses. We are selling agents for the Rapid Fill Hay Press, which has proven to be the best press on the market at the price. These Presses can be seen at Mr. G. M. B. Epting's cotton platform. We now employ one of the best Architects in the South, and are prepared to furnish Plans and Specifi cations to any who contemplate building. * Full line of Castings and supplies kept in stock. The mail puts you next door to us. HUDGENS BROS............ LAURENS, S. C. STOPANDREAD: *Wanted purchasers at our store for the cheapest line of new+ * and up-to-date furniture and house furnishing goods ef9er * opened in this city. Room suits; Beds, Dressers, stoves, pipe* *and all kinds of stoveware, Crockery, Glassware. Lamps,* *Window glass from 8xio to 36 inches Don't fail to see our + *stock of wall paper, feather beds and feather pillows. We will * *sell you these goods cheaper than any one in Newberry. * Shelley, Dean & Summer, I +* Newberry Hardware Co's. Old Stand, Main St. EU....MILLINERY . . I *We beg to call your attention to the * *fact that we have just opened up a new* + line of Millinery $ DRESS GOODS. * Our line of Dress Goods is complete in every respect. - + We are "Up-to--date" on Notions, + *Novelties, Etc. * We invite the public to call and in- 4 * spect our line of goods before buying- + MRS. S. W. CALMES, $ * PROSPERITY, S. C.