Indianapolis Journal, Indianapolis, Marion County, 21 June 1884 — Page 9

i DAVE NOBLES* SMALL DEBT, On Which the Wealth of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company Is Founded. Hew York Sun. “If old Dave Nobles hand’t run in debt to a neighbor in Canaan township, Wayne county ■ pa., to the amount of £3 in 1812, and then run away to escape imprisonment for it, there is no telling whether there would now be any Delaware & Hudson Canal Company or not,” said an official of that company. “This company owns and controls the Lackawanna coal field from Carbondale to Providence, a portion of the city of Scranton, absolutely. In 1812 the valley above Wilkesbarre was almost entirely uninhabited. In spite of all the efforts that had been made by enterprising and enthusiastic individuals in what is now known as the Lehigh coal field, people had not yet been induced to look favorably on anthracite as fuel. The subject was being agitated, however, and those who believed in the coal foresaw a great future for it as an article of commerce. Among those who were firm believers that anthracite was destined to be the fuel of the future were Maurice and William Wurts, two Philadelphia Quaker merchants of means. They believed that they would exercise great wisdom in getting possession of as much coal land as possible. All investigations and explorations on the subject had previously been made in the Lehigh and lower Luzerne and Schuylkill regions, the idea being that the Lehigh river would afford cheap and feasible means of transportation for the coal to market as soon as a demand had been created for it Philadelphia was the objective point of all the early anthracite coal operators. The Wurts brothers entered the upper Lackawanna wilderness to prospect for coal. Their idea was to get possession of tracts near the tributaries of the upper Delaware, so that that stream might be used as the highway to transport the product of the mines to* Philadelphia. “Previous to the war of 1812 the bituur nour coal fields of England and Virginia had supplied the demands of this country for fuel of that kind. This supply being largely reduced by the war, the attention of consumers was turned into other directions, a circumstance that more than any other thing hastened the introduction of anthracite into general use. The Wurtses appreciated the opportunity that the times presented, and from 1812 until 1814 they roamed the upper Lackawanna valley, looking for coal lands. Their expectations were not realized, and they were discussing the propriety of turning their attention to other localities, when one day, while prospecting near where the city of Carbondale now stands, Maurice Wurts came upon a man in hunter’s garb who was trying to conceal himself in a thicket. Wurts, supposing the man to be a hermit, addressed him. and by questioning, learned that his name was David Nobles, and that he was living in the woods to escape imprisonment for a debt he owed a man on the Wayne county border. “During the conversation Wurts, hoping that this man. who evidently was familiar with every rod of the wilderness, had at some time seen anthracite coal deposits, made inquiry of Nobles on the subject. Nobles replied that he owned a lot near there where he had noticed some peculiar black stones, and that if these stones were coal, ho knew where there was plenty of it. “ ‘How much do you ask for your lot?’ asked the Quaker. “Ts you will pay off my debt of £3,’ replied Nobles, T will give you a deed for the lot.’ “It is barely necessary to say that Wurts lost no time in settling the debt and in getting title to the land. And he did not stop there. He employed Nobles to guide him to different localities in the valley where coal could be found It was found in vast tracts from Ragged Island, where Wurts discovered the fugitive hunter, for sixteen miles down the valley. The different tracts except one known as the Anderson farm, now in the city of Providence, belonged to a wealthy landowner who lived in Sunbury, Pa. Fearing that if he applied in person to the proprietor and opened negotiations for the purchase of the property, tlie latter might suspect that there was something of more value than the land that would induce a staid and distinguished-looking Quaker to seek investment in the unproductive wilderness, and that the owner might either decline to sell or set a large price upon the property, Wurts hit upon an ingenious plan to disarm suspicion. Taking Nobles to Sunbury with him. the Quaker instructed him what to do. Nobles gained aVi interview with the owner of the land, and representing himself as one of several brothers who desired to engage in farming on a large scale, some where on the frontier where extended tracts of land could be obtained at small cost, asked the terms for the gentlemans wild land. A price was named and agreed upon and none of the land was valued at more than $3 an acre, while some of it was rated at fifty cents. Then Nobles sent for his friend Wurts, who appeared mi the scene, advanced the money, and had the deeds made out in his name. All of the valuable coal lands now owned by the company between Carbondale and Providence were secured in that way—excepting the Nobles tract, on which part Os Carbondale now stands, and the Anderson tract in Providence. On the Anderson farm the first coal veins in the Lackawanna valley were opened—one a sev-en-foot and one a nine foot vein. They were opened by Maurice Wurts in 1814 for the purpose of taking out specimens to exhibit in New York and Philadelphia. “The idea of the Wurtses that they would find coal land far enough north to enable them to run tlieir product to market by head tributaries of the Delaware they found to be incorrect, as the deposit of anthracite did not extend beyond the Lackawanna valley. They then looked about for other means of reaching the Delaware. Nine miles from their mine,’ on the Anderson tract, they found a creek of considerable size, now known as Jones’s creek. It emptied into the headwaters of the Wallenpaupack creek, a large stream, which, after a course of twenty miles, entered the Lackawaxen river. The Lackawaxen emptied into the Delaware sixteen miles further on. From there to Philadelphia the distance was about two hundred miles. It was by this devious and treacherous route that the Wurtses determined to run the first cargo of coal from the Lackawanna valley to market. “During the entire summer of 1815 David Nobles was kept busy removing obstructions from the channel of Jones creek, and familiarizing'himself with the stream. On the first fall of suow two sled loads of coal, taken from the veins on the Anderson farm, were hauled through the woods by oxen to the creek, The coal was loaded on a raft of dry pine trees. David Nobles was to pilot this pioneer cargo of anthracite coal to the Wallenpaupack. The creek was high and all went well for a mile, when the raft was wrecked on a rock, and the cargo went to the bottom. Nobles narrowly escaped drowning. ‘•The Wurtses saw that they would not be able to supply Philadelphia with coal by the Jones creek route, and so they went to work to make a different one. Abandoning operations on the Anderson farm, they opened what they called a mine on the lot they received from David Nobles on Ragged island. From this lot they cut a road through the woods to a point on the Wallenpaupack creek. The road was twenty miles in length. They hauled two tons of coal to the banks of the creek and loaded it on rafts. Tlmsc were run safely down the Wallenpaupack. A mile and a half above the mouth of that stream the water plunges down a precipice more than cne hundred feet high. At that point the coal Was taken from the rafts and hauled around the foils to the Lackawaxen river. There it was placed in ‘arks’ built for the purpose, and started on its way to Philadelphia, via the Delaware. One of the arks was wrecked before it reached the Delaware. The other was run safely to Philadelphia. “This mode of getting coal to market was so expensive that the Wurtses found it necessary to secure another route still. They made a road from their mine on the Nobles lot over the Moesic mountain to the Lackawaxen river, a distance of twenty miles, which stream it reached a mile below where the village of Honesdale now stands. They erected rude mining apparatus at ‘ their mine, but shipped no more coal until 1823. In that year they mined 2,000 tons of coal, and intended to haul it to the Lackawaxen during the winter. There was but a slight fall of snow that year, and only 100 tons could he transported over the mountain. That quantity was run safely to market, and brought sl2 per ton. This was a remunerative price, and if navigation in the Lackawaxen river, which is a rough and turbulent stream, could be made secure, the Wurtses believed they had solved the problem that was thou agitating those interested in anthracite. Maurice Wurts accordingly obtained authority from the k Pennsylvania Legislature to improve the channel of the stream. The efforts of the operators In the Schuylkill and Lehigh regions had been crowned with success, however, and by the shorter distance from their mines to Philadel-

phia were able to put coal on the market there at half the prico the Wurtses could furnish theirs. The lower operators transported 6,000 tons in 1823. This destroyed all hope the Wurtses had of finding a sale for their coal in Philadelphia, and they then began seeking for means of reaching New York as their market. They conceived the idea of connecting the Lackawanna valley with that of the Hudson by railroad and canal. William Wurts walked the entire distance from the mines to the Hudson to form an idea of the feasibility of such a project. The result was the conception of the present Delaware and Hudson canal, from Honesdale to Rondout, and the gravity railroad over the Moesic mountain, from the mines, to connect with the canal. In 1824 the Wurtses obtained a charter from the Pennsylvania Legislature for the Lackawaxen & Delaware canal and railroad, and from the New York Legislature for the Delaware <fc Hudson canal. In the face of the most titanic difficulties the then greatest engineering project of modern times was pushed by the two indomitable brothers to completion, and in 1829 the first cargo of anthracite coal that was ever received in New York city from the mines direct was transported from Carbondale by the first long coal railroad and the greatest canal ever built by private means in this country. The coal was taken from the Dave Nobles lot, which had cost £3, and which has yielded millions. “So, to get right back to first principles. I may say that to the accommodating spirit of Dave Nobles’ neighbor in Wayne county, in 1812, to Dave’s inability to pay, and to the then existing debtor laws of Pennsylvania, the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company undoubtedly owes it existence to-day.” HEALTHFUL SHADIER SPOUT. The Art of Swimming and How It Is Acquired. New York Journal. “What do you think is the most healthful of all the summer sports?” asked a New York Journal reporter of an elderly physician the other day. “Swimming, of course!” he said promptly. “It is useful, cleansing, healthful, and very enjoyable. What more would you ask?’* “But there are many who do not know how to swim, and who are not able to pay for a teacher,” said the reporter. “That is all nonsense, my friend,” said the physician. “Any one living in this city can learn how with an outlay of fifty cents for a bathing suit. I’m speaking more particularly of the women and girls Most boys know how, and if they do not ought to be ashamed. But girls do not, as a rule, although I would wager that nine out of every ten would like to. Now, the free baths are very nice and clean, and patronized by a good class of women. The water is from three and a half to four feet high, the place is better than a beach, for among their own sex women should not mind awkwardness, and there are always good swimmers present to learn from. “The way to go about it? Well, in the first place, there is the bathing suit, which should be made of some light cotton material. One piece, combining blouse and trousers, is all that is required. The garments should have short sleeves, and be cut rather low in the neck. A broad band attached to a rope a yard long is necessary to fasten about the body. First, the swimming scholar must learn the motions thoroughly; observe the movements of an expert swimmer, then practice in your room until you have them perfectly. The movements should be done very slowly at first. Learn the hand movement by folding the hands palm to palm, bringing them up to the chest, parting the water with them still closed, then turning tlie palms outward and pushing the water back. If this movement is practiced several times before going into the water, swimming will come much easier. “Two going together may be of great service in teaching one another. Strap the band mentioned above about the center of the body, so as the rope will come in the center of the back; then let one hold the rope as a support while tlie other learns the motions. A dozen lessons should be sufficient, but it is very necessary to watch a good swimmer. The strokes should be long and steady, made with a slow, even movement. “Do not attempt diving without a teacher, as it is injurious if not done properly. “If you bathe often, put a little soft raw cotton in each ear. Salt water going frequently into the ear injures the ear drum. “Do not bathe directly after a hearty meal. \"ou may eat as soon after a bath as you feel the desire. “Never go beyond your depth or where there is a strong under current. Even the best of swimmers is gone if he is taken with a cramp. “You may stay in tlie water until your finger tips begin to wrinkle, then go out immediately. “Wet the head first, then the whole body at onenlunge, otherwise chills may ensue. “Pour a bucket of fresh water over the hair after coming out. so as to remove the salt, which hurts the hair. “Then if you aren't healthier and stronger I don’t know what will make you so.” BISMARCK’S SUPERSTITIONS. He Knows Just tlie Date When His Earthly Career Will End—Don’t Like 13. Moritz Busch, in July Harper. After the battle of Gravelotte there was some speculation, one day at dinner, as to what would be the result of a complete conquest of France, and the Chancellor concluded an exposition of his views on the subject with the words: “But we should not speak of the bear-skin before we have shot our bear. I admit that I am superstitious in these matters.” Perhaps something crossed his mind about the grudge of the old Greek gods. “There are not thirteen of us for dinner?” inquired his cousin, Count Bismarck-Bolilen, counting the covers one day at Reims. “No: that’s right, for the minister has an objection to that.” Another time, when there were really thirteen of us at table, I drew the attention of Bucher, who sat beside me, to the fact But he bade me not to say anything about it. as it would put the chief into low spirits. On the 14th of October, 1870, General Coyer met tlie Chancellor at Versailles to negotiate on behilf of Bazainc. But Bismarck does not seem to have arranged anything definitely with him on that day. He asked in the bureau what day of the mouth it was. “The 14th, your Excellency.” “The 14th! That was Hochkireh and Jena. No business should be concluded on that day!” Perhaps it occurred to him, too, that this 14th of October was a Friday. In 1852 he writes from Blankenburg to his wife: “1 had not as good sport at Letzlingen this time as I had three years ago. It was a Friday!” And in the same year lie writes to her from Halle: “I kept Cogitating all during the journey yesterday whether, after all, it were not Friday. It was a dies nefastus at any rate.” In proof of which he goes on to mention a series of small discomforts experienced en route, such as an inn infested with bugs, “infamous coffee,” Jew peddlers, “some ‘princesses' from the Reezenjasse,” and an obtrusive privy councilllor (Geheimrath) who traveled in the same coupe. When the title of “count” was about to be offered to him he hesitated for a long time whether or not he should accept it; for he knew that a number of Pomeranian families which had acquired the title had become extinct in a comparatively short space of time. “The country cannot afford it,” he remarked, when mentioning the matter. On the evening of the 23d of November, 1870, as we were sitting at tea at Versailles, he began to speak about his death, and stated definitely the age to which it was appointed that he should attain, and the year in which it was appointed that he should die. “I know it,” he insisted, when I remonstrated with him on the subject; “it is a mystic number.” Seven years later, at Varziu, he repeated the same assurance to the narrator of this remarkable circumstance, but added, “God, however, only knows.” A woman is regarded as a sacred object by a Cuban, as by a Spaniard, and a true hidalgo would shrink from committing the slightest outrage on her person. Spanish courtesy or gallantry to a lady, indeed, is often, as would be thought, at least in America, carried to an extreme. Hence, at a cafo, or at a place of public amusement, in the presence of gentlemen, ladies are seldom allowed to pay their share of the charge, although the party may be strangers to each other. One or more of the gentlemen present delicately signifies to the waiter, by a private sign, in order that he may receive no thanks, his intention to satisfy the demand, so that the waiter, on a request by his fair purchaser for his account, politely replies that the repast, or entertainment, or purchased article, of whatever kind, “costs nothiusr.”

THE LNDIA’N'APOIiIS JOURNAL, SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1884.

THE ELECTRIC BALLET. Arrangements Behind the Scenes for the Production of Electric Girls. Pall Mall Gazette. Cerberus at the gates of Hades is not a more terrible monster than the stage doorkeeper of the Empire Theater. He softened, however, when I told him that I had permission from Mr. Hit-chins to see the working of the new electric ballet, so I was allowed to wait until the cicerone arrived. At last M. Levy, who directs the electric ballet, arrived. “I have come to ask you a few questions about the working of the electric ballet.*’ “It will be on in ten minutes; come along with me.” M. Armand Levy, it may be said, is the possessor of the patent of these electric jewels in England, having purchased the right from M. Trouve, the ingenius French electrician, to whom we are indebted for this latest and oddest application of electricity. “The equipment cost £4oo—that is, the jewels, the reflectors, the batteries—n fact, the installation, if I may use the term, and I dare say it costs £4 or £5 a night to produce the ballet. Every little incandescent lamp cost five shillings; and the acid—ah! sac re,” said M. Levy, shrugging his shoulders, “but I must tell you no more. It is enough that I have told you.” This is the first time that electricity has been used for theatrical purposes on so largo a scale, though one or two nearly as elaborate spectacles have been seen in Paris. “No one can say where it will stop. One invention fol lows another very quickly. Perhaps we may have something here very shortly which will surpass even this. No—l cannot tell you what it is; we want to surprise you. Why. M. Trouve has just produced at the Folies Bergeres a most lovely ballet, in which the dresses of the girls are literally a corruscation of flowers, each r>etal sparkling with electricity. What do you think of electric insects? Imagine the air full of dazzling gossamer wings, butterflies, dragoon-flies—but. we shall see. Here is the room where we keep tlie batteries and charge them. Y r es, a little out of present, but really nothing to grumble at. Now we have a staff of eight at work to keep the apparatus in working order, fill the batteries, superintend repairs, replace broken lamp glasses; ah! yes, we break a number every night from the pressure. “Now, see,” said M. Levy, “the light is obtained from this battery; we call it a primary battery. It is fastened behind the shield, which each of the fifty young ladies carry, and this supplies the lights in the spear and helmet, which make up the equipment. Tlie number of luminous points varies from seven to ten. I call them luminous points, for each performer carries only three electric lamps proper—these being increased, of course, by means of the reflectors. “No, no. A one-light battery is not at all difficult to manage, butten —all!” I may explain here that each apparatus car ries three lamps proper—one on the shield, another in the tip of the spear, a third in the helmet. In each case the lamp is placed in a small space enclosed by “jewels’ —-diamonds and rubies —four set in the form of a square and one on the top. Surrounding the jewels composing the pentagon is a square wire spray, at each end of which, corresponding to the four jewels, is a mirror. Just then some of the fifty young ladies who take part in the ballet began to troop down stairs from their dressing rooms, and came up to the bench on which were Ttiid out ready for adjustment the fifty oblong batteries, each in size about seven inches long, two inches wide and some four inches deep; the total weight when charged being three pounds. “There is but little time to spare. Tlie ‘wait’ is hut a quarter of an hour. The ladies have to change, and ah! my dear, come along—there is no time to lose.” And one decidedly Amazonian young lady marched up to the bench “to be adjusted.” Quickly and deftly M. Levy takes ono of the batteries and places it in the receptacle be hind the shield, which rests on the dancer's left arm, quickly connecting the different parts. Just then I modestly asked one of the young ladies “If it was not a little heavy?” “Here, just take it and try it It’s like a baby.” “Avery, very little one surely,” 1 ventured to remark, weighing the apparatus. “Well, yes, we don’t mind them now, though they were a little troublesome at first.” “Ugh! it’s hurting my shoulders.” “There, that’s right, miss, itdosen’t hurt you now.” “See here, mossoo; I’m not tied up at the back.” “Oh. they’ve done me up wrong.” “Dear, it’s burning! there, that’ll do” —fragments of a lively conversation as the process of fitting on proceeded. Shield, helmet, spear fitted, the switch tried, a flash of lights for a second, and the owner marches off to the wings. For ten minutes M. Levy and his assistants were as busy as bees, fitting on and tying up the flexible cords which connect the three parts ot the system together. For by an ingenious arrangement one switch, easily reached by the hands of the wearer, itself not the least ingenious part of the whole, controls tlie ten lights or luminous points. The while there was such a clatter of tongues as would have put to shame the builders of Babel. But it is good-humored fun, and the shafts of wit which hurtle through the air so thick and fast are harmless enough. Indeed, these young ladies are in good spirits, considering that they wear tights and cut capers for twenty-five shillings a week. “Now, Indies, please,” and in a minute fifty Amazons are dazzling the eyes of those “in front.” Each of the batteries, it may be said in conclusion, is charged in the day and laid ready for use about half-past 10. Each would, according to M. Levy's calculation, contain a supply for an hour; as a matter of fact, they are only needed for about a quarter of that time. Os course there are lighter batteries and batteries of other shapes than the oblong one whicli is no*.' in use. At present the Amazons do nothing more than march through a series of evolutions. But with lighter ones, perhaps yielding a less brilliant effect, they could pirouet as gracefully as ever. THE DYNAMITE GUN. Satisfactory Result of Recent Experiments at Fort Hamilton. New York World. Fort Lafayette, the deserted stronghold lying in the Narrows, between Forts Hamilton and Wadsworth, yesterday presented an air of animation. Nearly half a hundred gentlemen in tall white hats and new spring suits crouched behind the solid masonry on one side of the fortification, watching with curious gaze the actions of a man clad in soldier’s dress. The soldier was Lieutenant Lalinski, and he was engaged in charging a long brass air-gun with dynamite. The spectators were gentlemen from the city, who had been invited to witness the first attempt at firing a large charge of dynamite. A thin cylindrical brass tube, six inches in diameter was filled with tlie grayish looking explosive, which was pressed down until seventeen pounds-had been put in. Then a cap was screwed on the top and the missile was ready for the gun. A score of gentlemen stood about the gun examining its curious construction, when Lieut. Zalinski stepped up tenderly carrying the projectile. “This,” said he, touching the shell, “contains seventeen pounds of dynamite, sufficient to” , but the remainder of the sentence was left unfinished, for the soldier found himself talking to the gun. His audience had disappeared. The weapon was loaded, pointed towards Fort Hamilton, half a mile distant, and a string attached to the trigger or valve admitting tlie air. There was a hasty scrambling for places remote from the gun, a good-natured oath as two or three white hats were crushed, and then, from a place of safety, somebody pulled the string. There was a eraeker-like report as the projectile rose in tho air, curved gracefully downward and dropped upon the gravel close to the water's edge. A huge cloud of sand, smoke and gravel shot in a thick, funnel-shaped column into the air, sprinkling the sea with a rain of pebbles, and a deafening report came rolling across the water. The seventeen pounds of dynamite had done its work and a large cellar had been scooped out where the shot struck. The gentlemen came from their hiding places, examined the cellar-with field-glasses aud pronounced tho shot a good one. While steam was being got up for the next shot the visitors wandered about the deserted fort, whose grass-grown flagstones and rust-eaten iron gates slowly dropping to pieces gave little evidence of its once warlike character. Tlie damp, vault-like guard-room where, during the war, hundreds of confederate prisoners had carved their names on the granite walls, lias been captured by the flowers, and buttercups and daisies spriug from every crevice in the stone work, hiding tho names of long-forgotten soldiers, The gun required some time to charge, and a little child amused itself throwing stones at a niece of driftwood. Us maudfatlier tried to hit

the same mark, another gray beard followed suit, and in two minutes, silty dignified gentlemen were wildly trying to hit the piece of floating bark. Two Wall-street brokers were especially anxious to shine as marksmen, and tlie contest narrowed down to a question of skill between these two. From wagering dollars on the result they went to betting $o on every throw. Twenty others took sides, and for a time nearly SIOO changed hands on each throw. When the gun was at last pronounced “all ready,” the younger broker had lost $65. The same care in getting a safe place was exercised. and at the signal the shot took the same heavenward course. It fell short of the mark about ten feet, dropping into the water with a report that must have frightened fish far out at sea. A great cloud of water flew upward and dropped fountain-like upon the beach and sea. Tlie shore was sprinkled with wet sand and mud for some distance around. A third shot performed similar evolutions, but the fourth shot struck the point aimed at, the granite sea-wall, sending tons of stone into the air and crumbling the stone as if it were so much pie crust. It was said that no war vessel afloat could possibly live after being struck with such a shell. A LORD ON HIS TRAVELS. How a Celebrated English Nobleman Is Making a Tour of the Word. New York World. Lord Ronald Gower was found sipping a matutinal cocktail at the bar of tho Fifth Avenue Hotel yesterday. Os medium height and light build, clad in a loosely-fitting suit of blue serge, and crowned by a gray Derby hat, there was little in the outward appearance of tlie literary and artistic celebrity to attract particular notice. But for the inevitable single eye-glass, that convenient barrier between an Englishman and the outer world, he would not have been distinguished from any other in the thronged corridors of the hostelry. The handsome head and features of Lord Ronald have been made familiar to most people by the excellent portrait frontispiece of liis recently published “Reminiscences.” “This is a sudden arrival.” said the World reporter. “The other day it was announced that you had gone to India, and now you are in this city. What steamer did you come over on?” “No steamer at all," replied Lord Ronald, with a quiet smile. “I came by railway this time—round the other way.” “Then.you are making a second tour of the world?” “No, this will be the first time I shall have swung completely around the circle Last time I went express from England to Australia and back on a definite mission. I have not hurried on this trip. It is eight months since I left England. Since then I have visited Egypt and made the tour of Arabia. Persia, India, Ceylon, Java, Borneo and Sumatra, then up to Hong Kong, where I renewed many pleasant acquaintances bofore crossing the Pacific to San Francisco, where, by the way, I first heard of Uncle Sam Ward’s death; thence across the continent, with a few short stoppages on the way. ” “Where did you last see Sam Ward?” “Just before I left home I saw much of him at my brother’s shooting-box in Sutherlandshire. He was full of a long cherished project of visiting the East in order to study Buddhism in its original home. We talked of making the journey together, and he was to have joined me atjCairo, but his illness at Rome prevented the consummation of this plan.” “Have you seen anything new in America?” “Much, indeed, I may say that nothing has interested and astonished me more than the life of the West. The Western people seem tome more alive than any other people I have ever come in contact with. And they live in the present most vividly and emphatically. Every nerve and feeling seems strained in the business or enjoyment of the passing hour. Things are very different here. Yet New York, too, seems to have taken on much of the speed and enter prise of the West. Tlie elevated railways and the great bridge are evidence of the great change wrought in the comparatively short period that has elapsed since my last visit. Then, too, you have a really beautiful theater in the Casino, where I enjoyed an excellent concert last evening.” “Will you publish an account of your travels?” “I have not made any definite plans in that direction. The journalistic habit of taking notes has led me to accumulate a mas of material out or which I may be able to dig something worth publishing some day. My stay here is indefi nite, but I shall enjoy it in renewing some old friendships, and perhaps add a little to my knowledge of people and places before I sail for home. ” Lord Ronald Gower is the younger brother of the Duke of Sutherland and has adopted as his cipher a pair of scales in which artistic skill, is symbolized by a compass and chisel, outweighs his coat of-arms. He is the sculptor of the tamed statue of “Marie Antoinette on Her Way to Execution,” the Shakspeare monument and other specimens of plastic art that have been much praised. As trustee of the National Portrait Gallery of Scotland he has done much for the advancement of art in Gi at Britain. His “Dutch Painters’’ and other works long ago gave him deserved eminence as a writer on art, and his contributions to the London journal, Vanity Fair, together with the recital of experi ences in many lands in his latest book, prove him to be a close-observer aud thoughtful critic of men and manners. BLAINE’S RELIGION. A Recent Letter Whicli Again Becomes Interesting. Following is the letter written eight years ago by Mr. Blaine to an old college friend: Washington, March 10, 1876. My Dear Friend—l agree with you that the charge of my being a Catholic is very provoking, considering the. motive that inspires it. and very exasperating when I see it connived at. if not, in fact, originated by men who sat with me in Presbyterian Bible-class when 1 was a student and you a pi-ofessor in Washington College. This charge is part and parcel of the tactics of the Cameron gang to rob me of the Pennsylvania delegates, when, in fact, four-fifths of the Republicans in the State desire my nomination. My ancestors on my father’s side were, as you know, always identified with the Presbyterian Church, and they were prominent and honored in the old colony of Pennsylvania several generations before the Camerons blessed Scotland by leaving it. But while thanking you for what you have done to set my Pittsburg friends right on this question, I will never consent to make any public declaration upon the subject, and for two reasons: First, because I abhor the introduction of anything that looks like a religious test of qualification for offico in a republic where perfect freedom of conscience is the birthright of evqj*y citizen: and. second, because my mother was, sis you well know, a devoted Catholic. I would not for a thousand presidencies speak a disrespectful word of my mother’s religion, and no presssure will draw me into an avowal of hostility or unfriendliness to Catholics, though I have never received and do not expect any support from them. You are at liberty to show this to the gentleman who urged you to write to me. Many thanks for your kind invitations, but I can hardly promise myself the pleasure of a visit to western Pennsylvania this spring. You know, however, that a large part of my heart is in the Monongaliela valley. Always sincerely your friend, J. G. Blaine. Dr. James King, Pittsburg. A Stowaway Who Became a Millionaire. London Truth. Tlie career of Strousberg, who has just died a pauper at Berlin, was more curious than edifying. He came over to England as a stowaway, and ho obtained employment as a compositor on a provincial journal, lie was next heard of as the keeper of a sort of a night-house in London. Returning to Berlin, ho was employed as a translator at the British embassy. An English contractor had obtained a concession for a Pros sian railway, and had expended considerable sums in preliminary surveys, etc. He came to Berlin, and was recommendedat the embassy to employ Strousberg in investigating the real value of tlie concession. Strousberg reported that it was valueless, and then obtained it for himself. This was the origin of his fortune. Ho afterwards obtained contracts to make railroads in Roumania. Certain bonds were to bo issued with a Roumanian guarantee as soon as the railroads were completed. Tlie bonds were printed and placed in a strong box. Strousberg and two trustees each had a key of the box, which could only be opened with tho three keys. The intelligent financialist caused two false keys to be fabricated, opened the box, abstracted the bonds, and sold them. A number of Prussian grandees were compromised in this swindle, and to avoid exposure, Priuce Bismarck forced tlie Roumanian {government to arrange the matter. Strousberg had a huge house in Berlin, and entertained largely. A few years ago he came OAor to London and took a house in Grosvenor Place, with a view of shining in London society. In this, however, he failed. He then engaged in some Russian speculations which ruined him.

STRAWBERRY PICKERS. Scenes in a Strawberry Patch—Girls Who Pick One Hum 1 red and Fifty Quarts a Day. Newark (N. JJ News. Through iow after row of apple, pear and peach trees, loaded with fruit and fragrance, over a stretch of meadows and a half aero of woodland, a reporter of the News stood on the top of a hill overlooking tlie strawberry fields of Comptroller P. T. Quinn, a half mile from the boulevard running from Newark to Elizabeth. Thirty boys and about forty girls of various ages, sizes and conditions, dressed in every con ceivablo kind of garb, from a colorless “gingham of many hleachings to a brilliant red grenadine, along with bare footed boys, coatless and hatless, bent over the little green vines which extended in long regular lines across the field to the foot of the hill, where a roughly-built wooden building stood filled with crates of strawberries ready for shipment, and bore evidence of the industry of the workers. “Do you want to hire a picker!’’ asked the reporter approaching the foreman at the wooden building. The foreman looked critically at the reporter and asked: “Know anything about strawberries?” “Only how to eat them,” was the reply. “Don’t believe we could use you then, you would step all over the vines; but here comes Mr. Quinn, you can ask him, maybe lie’ll give you a job. ” “Ah!” said that gentleman as he approached, “you have come for some strawberries, have you? Well, eat with a relish, l’or there’s lots of them. This is the busy season and we arc working from morning till night to keep the patch clean. We have from seventy to a liundsed pickers out there,” pointing to where the long line of boys and girls were stooping over the ground; “but sometimes old Sol gets the best of us, aud they ripen faster than we can gather them, which means a pecuniary loss. Since we commenced to employ more girls, how ever, we have had our work done more steadily.” “Do girls pick faster than the boys?” asked the reporter. “Oh, no; not faster, hut they are more reliable. The great objection to girls was their dresses. They interfered with and broke off the leaves from the delicate vines. “Last week we tried an experiment. We provided the girls with bloomers, a kind of rubber pants worn over the dresses. Then there was fun for the boys. Every particular boy in the patch made it his personal duty to worry the life out of the girls by ‘guying’ them, and at last the girls became *so bashful that they wouldn’t pick, and we had to give up the bloomers to keep the girls. They're a jolly crowd, though, these rustics. Wo keep four foremen constantly over them in the field, to watch and prevent them from playing tricks on us.” As he spoke, a half-grown boy with r. stock of luminous hair, stole up to a frame on which was standing three baskets of berries, and. drawing out the nearest one. he substituted an empty one in its place. Almost instantly a girl with a cranial adornment of the same color darted from among the pickers, and catching the boy by the coatless arm, whirled him sprawling into a cluster of vines. The berry pickers in a minute had discontinued work aud rushed to the spot, and in spite to the objections of the foremen,the girls grabbed liandsfull of strawberries and plastered them in a jelly on the face of the unfortunate thief shoved them down his neck and into his eyes, only stopped when the foremen compelled obedience by threatmng to discharge the whole party. “They’re certainly at war with each other,” said the foreman, “ever ciueo we introduced the bloomers, and when they are not playing tricks on each other they are upon us. They will take a basket, half fill it with grass and leaves, and then cover the top with a few berries and carry it up to tlie stand as boldly as though there was not a half-dozen straws sticking through the chinks in the box, which we are sure to see, and when we dump the boxes and show them the straw, they look as innocent as the berries, and declare that someone is playing tricks on them.” “Do you allow them to eat berries?” asked the reporter as he looked over the shoulder of the foreman at a little fellow, who was acting curiously. “No, we don't allow them to eat: it takes up too much of tlieir time.” The little fellow, whom the reporter was watching, grinned at the answer of the foreman, took a huge berry, placed it on his thumb and shot it into his mouth with a celerity evidently acquired by considerable practice. “If we see them put their hands to their mouth,” he continued, “we suspend them.” The little fellow grinned again, took another berry, placed it on his thumb and with the same mechanical motion shot it into liis open mouth, which closed on it with a smack of satisfaction. “No, I see you don’t allow them to eat.” said the reporter, as he passed on to where the girls were at work. “The girls, ” said Mr. Quinn, “although they can pick no faster than the boys, stick to tlieir work more constantly. “Some of the best girl pickers average 150 quarts a day. The boys pick about 125. The price paid now is one and a half cents a quart, so you see they average as high as $2 and $2.25 a day.” “How long does the strawberry season last?” asked the reporter. “About twenty-one days, and then come raspberries, currants and gooseberries. In the strawberry season some of the pickers will earn forty and forty-five dollars which is paid them in cash. The berries are brought to the house and tlie picker receives a check calling for whatever number of quarts he has, and these he saves until Monday, when they are redeemed. After this week though, we are going to get a barrel of pennies and five-eent pieces and dispense with the checks. ” “Is the cash an incentive?” “I should think it was. It is astonishing how much faster a boy will pick and how much more money he can earn with the prospect of receiving a bright nickel and a copper every time he comes to the house than if he only got a piece of paper.” LIVING ON MILK AND FRUIT. An Extraordinary Case Which Battles the Skill of Physicians. New Ilayeu Letter ia New York World. The little village of East River, on the Shore Line road, between Guilford and Madison, and about fifteen miles east of this city, is tlie latest claimant to the possession of that no longer infrequent phenomenon, a person who lives with out eating. Prof. Westbrook, of New York, who recently attempted to live wholly on milk, and gave up the experiment after a four day s' trial, is put utterly in tlie shade by Miss Lizzie Knowles, of East River, who has partaken of nothing but a little fruit and drunk nothing but milk since the first week in February of this year. She preserves her health and strength on this simple diet, and is not only the sensation of the hour for the residents of East River and all the towns within a radius of ten miles, but is also much sought after by the young swains who are hunting for a wife whose board bill is not likely to be an item worthy of consideration in the domestic expenditures. Miss Knowles is the sixteen-year-old adopted daughter of Mr. Henry I). Knowles, a prosperous and well-known rest dent of East River. She is of medium height, and her form shows no sign of emaciation. She is very pretty, vivacious and an entertaining conversationalist, and is greatly admired by all who know her. She was formerly an inmate of the House for the Friendless, in East Thirtieth street, your city. Her foster parents adopted her from the institution, and gave her a good home and an excellent education. Two years ago she was attacked with a disease that lias baffled the skill of many doctors. When first taken ill she became numb, and all her nerves were paralyzed. She lost her voice and was very weak, hut her muscles were unaffected and she retained all her powers of motion. Her prostration continued for nearly three months, when she gradually recovered strength, and is now able to attend to domestic duties. Her voice has not wholly returned, and, although everything slio says is perfectly distinct, it is uttered in a low but peculiarly pleasant whisper. The strange part of Miss Knowles’s case, how ever, is that as her strength returned lwr appetite failed. 'At first she lost all desire for meat, ar.d finally her stomach refused to retain it. Then her desire to eat anything at ail grew gradually less, and during the latter part of last and the early portion of this year she rarely ate more than ono or two meals a week. * For some time her food, what little sho ate, comprised several kinds, but she took a dislike to one article after another, until nothing re mained that would tempt her appetite except fruit and milk, and on these two articles of diet alone she has been living since last February. Her principal nourishment is milk. She par takes but sparingly of fruit, aud it seems proba ble that sho will abaudou it entirely. That she

does r.ot do this of her own free will is evident from the fact that twice s’uoe last February she has attempted to retain food of other descriptions, but her stem; .-h rejected it.. About two weeks ago site swallowed an oyster, but her stomach would not :• .Vm it. A reporter of the World visited her at her residence to-day, and alter oinuining Jnm airs. Knowles, th< young lady's foster-mother, the facts above narrated, a.-l* i to a special favor to him, to swallow a > pooii il of beef-broth in his presence. Miss Knowles complied with the request, but hard taken the spoon from her lips when tin-stomach rejected the liquid. Mrs. Knowles -ured tic* reporter that her adopted daughter's lnalth was good, aside from an occasional slight recurr *nc-j of tlie numbness with which she was first attacked. She added that Lizzie \v;-.s strong and assisted her in household duties. Ane'b*-r curious feature about the young lady's conun.ien is that her loathing for food i.> o great that sho cannot aid in preparing the daily meals, nor can she be present: m the dining vocm when tiio family are at the table. The me re si .dit of food is sufficient to produce tin* most violent nausea. She has been under the car- of a number of eminent physicians, including Dr. Griswold, of New York. They have watched her symptoms from time to time and have consulted with one another regarding this strange case, hut are unable to explain it, except under the head of ■nervous disease of the stomach. They all pronounce her aversion to food perfectly genuine, and say that it is absolutely beyond her control. The young lady herself is very modest and retiring in her manner, and feels very much embarrassed by the attention she is attracting. ECCENTRIC MR. lIAYEMKYEK. A Wealthy Man Declared Incapable of Taking Care of His Property. New York Herald. it took but a very short time yesterday for a commission, previously appointed by Judge Lawrence, to decide that Mr. Henry Havemeyer. son of ex Mayor Havemeyer, was incapable of taking care of his property, valued at something like $400,000. and that somebody must he appointed by the court to take care for it in the interest of his wife and cliiidr u. It is rather a mournful story. The eccentricities of the unfortunate man have continued for a considerable time, and his condition of mind, which resulted in yesterday’s finding, lias been for a period of years overlooked by liis relatives in the hope that he would improve. The arm of the law was not invoked until it became plainly apparent that a further indulgence of his peculiarities—to use a mild term —would result most disastrously to himself and t> those dependent upon him. Hr. Havemeyer and his ways have been tlie subject of comment for some years past in the circle in which he moved, and liis ultra convivial disposition has been a matter of much anxiety to his relatives and friends. The little islet known as Havemeyer’s island, in the Great South bay. on tlie ocean side of Long Island, a short distance from Fire island, has been tho scene for a number of years of the most unique festivities, to which Mr. Havemeyes invited his acquaintances. The establishment that he set up there was a sort of “open house.” practically, for all who cared to come, and the entertainments there have been lavish and most peculiar. It was his wont to greet with a discharge of artillery the guests that he brought over from Babylon in his elegant steam launch, and tho surprise that this mode of reception gave to newcomers was hardly over before there were other slartling demonstrations on the part of their host. Whatever baggage they brought was pounced upon by seeming custom-liouse officers, who went through it, chalked it, seized it or quietly accepted fees for its unmolested passage in the most natural and orthodox way. Then there were parading sentinels in army attire, and with muskets upon their shoulders, to further astonish the guests that sought entrance to the palace where “Ring Harry” reigned. The elaborate dinners that were served were brought in by servants topped out in regimentals, trappings and decorations of military heroes or distinguished statesmen on the other side of the ocean, and throughout the unaccustomed guest found it a queer adventure. When the nonsense was over, however, there was the most substantial kind of solidity in eatables and drinkables, and it took a strong head to cet safely through the odd experience. Asa rule it was “stag parties” that were thus entertained, and although among the guests there were plenty of “three and four bottle” men, the accomplishments of the host in that direction are said to have thrown those of his guests completely in the shade. Os course this kind of life eventually left its mark, and there came a time when even those who were most kindly disposed toward Mr. Havemeyer could not blind themselves to the fact that unless a decided change in his course of life took place his case was hopeless. He would listen to no appeals, however, and on the 6th of the present month judicial action was invoked on behalf of the wife and children, a commission was appointed and a jury selected to decide what was to be done. AMUSEMENTS IN THE SOUTH. A Sensational Walking Matcli Between Atlanta Belles. Atlanta fGa.) Special. “I’ll bet ten to one on the tall gal.” said an excited sportsman in the armory of the Gate City Guards last night. Inside, a singular sight was seen. The hall was fairly packed with the elite of Peach Tree and Decatur street society. Fair belles, in all tho profusion of extravagant dressing, and dudes, wearing eye-glasses, faintly cheered. A circle was clear around the outer edges of the hall, leaving open the course, twenty-five laps of which made a mile. “Thar she comes now," said the first speaker in glee, don’t she kiver the ground beautiful!" “But t'other one is gainin' on her and will beat her on the next lap,” said another speaker. Sure enough, they came. Nos. 1,2, 3, and 4, walking with all the determination of Madison Garden veterans. No. I cleared her first mile in seven minutes, and. woman like, fainted. Then the trainer made his appearance, and the fainting pedestrian was properly sponged up. given a stimulant, and set upon the track again, but sho never regained her lead. The fair pedestrians, who belong to some of the most exclusive circles in the city, were arrayed in blue gingham Mother Hubbards, over which was thrown veiling of white tarletau. The dresses extended a little below the knee, from whence fancy colored stockings ran down into the daintiest of slippers, which bore striking red rosettes. The arms and bust were decollete white, the hair fell over the shoulders, being caught together by red ribbon. Around their waists were ribbons of red. blue, green and yellow, respectively. For some time it had been announced by tho faculty of the Eclectic College that a walking match of two hours would bo engaged in by four young ladies—Misses Landell, Hutchins, Freeman and Hammond—but no one foresaw what would actually happen. More than a thousand people, cheering and betting with all the abandon of the race course; pool-selling among professional gamblers, in which the names of tho young ladies were offensively used, made such a scene as Atlanta is heartily ashamed of to-day. The pedestrians would now skip and dance, until finally, as the two hours had nearly expired, they grew exhausted, but were still cheered on by the gamblers, whose money was at stake on the result. Ono of the girls gave way, and the trainer had to sponge her frequently to keep her on the track. So noisy became the audience that the sound of the band became entirely lost. Filially time was called, when the result was announced as follows: Miss Landell, 10 miles, 12 laps: Miss Freeman, 10 miles, 7 laps; Miss Hutchins, 10 miles, 4 laps; Miss Hammond, 9 miles, 8 laps. Much indignation is expressed today against the college faculty, many of whom are fathers of families, for having brought about such a scene, which was unfortunate for tho ladies named, and discreditable to the men concerned in it. In the tropical valleys of the Andes there is a loathsome disease called elephantiasis. Tho malady is not only fearful and loathsome to tho patient, it is hideous to heliold. The members of the body become swollen with ulcers to a formidable size: tho hair drops off, so do tho nails: the voice disappears, and sleep is murdered. For this most awful of human ills a cure has recently been discovered and use l with the happiest results. This is nothing else than • •ating the flesh of tin* t urkey buzzard, or gallinazo a bird so filthy in its habits that the meat it produces has been refused by Europeans who were dying of hunger. News has reached Baris of several cures having been effected of this direful plague by the uso ot tho flesh of tho galiiuazo.

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