HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1898-3-24, Page 6,
EST All TCHMAKE IrimeseTlez
THE B R teen years previously. ea the ehinge hie conaltion aud fittingly
band a Mademoiselle Aare- prepare for It It woe necessary he
lie Blandureau, a 'young lady, Who live 1, should 0,ssuma,the grave air of a fate
ed with her parents in the vicinityO are paterfamilias. and this eaunot be
[ Peale, arid wbose existence even was hequired in one day. With the view
d t 1 t ed moreover f f eat th t • f ation he
CHAPTER I.
Some twenty years ago Rector Male-
' strat Mu, the liou" Borcleaux 00-
. ciety. He was good-looking and e.
trifle ceziceited i he bad sufficieet mon-
ey satisty his tastes, and a good tail-
or into the •bargain; end he was not
yet thirty Yeare of age. The " gilded
eolith" ot the Guiente capitall admik-
ed his house, his horaes, and his cer-
rittees. His servitats' liveries were en-
vioualy copied, and. his chalet at Arca-
thou had almost driven an eceentric
nglishmen mad with jealousy. In one
word, fortune had emptied her strong
box and presented him. with the con-
taatis. Hector was the on ler eon of an
opulent shipowner whose honesty was
so exceptional that. his name had be -
opine as it were, the ey.nonyett of com-
mercial integrity. Toward the close of
M. Xalestrat, senior's career, and just
as he was thinking of retiring from
busixiess to enjoy the fruits of his lab-
or, he was overtaken by tinforeseen
misfortunes. Several English and
Dutch firms, with whioh he was come
fleeted, unexpectedly failed; three of
his own ships were lest, at sea; and.
there was an astonishing fall In thm
market ealue of claret. Another man
woula have blown his brttins out, but
M. Mailestrat faced the storm, an
thanks to his personal resources. an
his immense credit, succeeded in coping
with all emergencies. Nevertheless, his
means were greatly diminished, and
there remained to him barely one bun -
re a thousand francs a year, in lieu
a four times that sum as formerly.
This fall bitterly afflicted. tbe
more so as he had. hitherto onl3r known
success, and, in addition, the death, of
his -wife, who had been his partner and
confidant for five -and -twenty yeaxs,
c,aused him unspeakable sorrow'. He
bowed his head under this last blow, lin-
gered for a year, and then died, regret-
ting that he had not been able to re-
pair what. he called his disaster, and
beggioag his son's pardon for having
imprudently reduced him to " compar-
ative poverty."
Thus at twenty-three years of age
Hector found binaseli an orphan, with
ea income of considerable magnitude
for a provinciel beau. His father had
asked him to carry on the firm, but
alter a little reflection he decided. that
he was rich enough, the more so as his
tastes were, after all, not of an inor-
dinately ex -pensive character. So he li-
quielated the business, sold. the "clip-
pers," shut up the office, and express-
ed his intention of amusing himself.
It must he admitted that he amused
himself methoalcaely. He allowed him-
self sixty thousand francs a year for
his pleasure, and never once expended
an additional 'ten napoleons. At Bor-
deaux such a sum was ample to ensure
him a pxominent position., earl indeed
he was skilful enough to win first hon-
ors. A daring love adventure in the
highest society of the city served as his
first stepping -stone, and this beginning
was followed by many other exploits in
which he firmly established his claim
to be considered irresistible among the
fair sex. At the Grand Theatre he vir-
tually laid down the law. He gave his
opinion on each successive prima donna
or premiere danseuse, and this opin-
ion became that of the entire audi-
enee. Woe to the actress -who resist-
ed his advances! She was hissed and
persecuted until she surrendered or
took herself off ; while such as proved
less rebellious were rewarded with re-
peated calls before the curtain, with
plaudits, and crowns and bouquets be-
yond number. To complete Hector's
reputation, he fought two or three
duels which resulted happily for him-
self, and not too much to the detriment
of his adversaries. His bravery became
raotorious, and thus he found himself
. in some measure shielded against the
ordinary slanders and backbiting' of
provincial life. Besides, folks feaxed his
somewhat brutal wit, for, like all men
of his character, be .not merely did ev-
erything he chose, but said whatever he
thought into the bargain. To vary the
oncupations, we have mentioned, he al-
so turned his attention to sport, He
was a crack shot in the cover, and be
bad a great partiality for yachting, in
a yacht of bis own. Moreover, he was
a good horseman, and had. also broken
his own cobs to harness. When he pass-
ed along one of the streets, folks would
turn and look after hemeeerife ihe 'lit-
tle grisettree,-50 '63:Ming in their co-
navetetieireaps, adorned with ruches of
--e` ribbons, almost damaged their eyes in
*Straining them to contemplate this
Bordeaux Don .Tuan. A murmur of ad-
miration seemed to follow him, " There
goes our M. Malestrat," the gossips
would say, with an -air of self-congrat-
ulateon; and provincial life, be it not-
ed, can give no greater satisfaction to
_personal vanity. The most eminent
men in France peas unnoticed among
the crowd on the Paris boulevards.
Those who even know the Baron de
Rothschild hy sight are few and far be-
tween.
,Hector would no doubt have started
• racione stable, if he had not been
warned by Die example of a friend of
his, who spent a million in trying to
win a "plate" worth 10,4,9 than a thou-
sand francs. This eircumseance virtu-
ally saved him. As it was, gambling
• consumed a 'very large portion of the
mciney he devoted to " pleasure."
Gambling, indeed, enjoys high favor at
Bordeaux, and after midnight all the
clubs in the neighborhood of the Grand
Theatre are full of gamesters. The
• Tight glitters, through the ("reeks of
the shutters, closed he order of the po-
lice; and in the silence of the night
the passer-by can hear the jingle of
e'es14, petielne efireei hand to hand, or
teThelee On. to the tapis vert. It seems
as ,if lurk were anxious to tempt the
lielated eveyfaxer, and. had. ineoribed
rehoee the portals of the house ".Come
eine win," But them it is quite as
easy to lose. How -ever, to return to
Elector. Great as was his supremacy in
this frivolous eeorld, it must not he
eupposed that it eires altogether un-
qUeStiOnAd. Some even said that be was
A miser, while others pronounced him
1n.be rt Prodigel, Those wile had pluck -
a Wavle ' al el ' " unknown to his friende, o ae at ate e tans et M
hat he was a terrible gambler. Those i Many years previouely, when Mr. had ordered hie tailor to make him iiev-
whoM be was in the habit of invitil ' Malestrate senior, bee. begun busiaess erel temple salts of clothes of e Porit-
to supper underrated his seller an i in a smell way, he had had a Partner, anical ea, and adapting his demeanor
slandered les cook. And eertain fair , ea —.
Blandureau, who, however, soon to his garments he bad bettome an
daughters <4 Eve, who had feieed to ea- 1 grew tired of the conneetien. He did altered man at the end of his first
snare bine tore his reputation to pieces not understand trench about shipping,. month: of probatior. Several times he
with all the strength of their false i and he found that wealth could not fancied thathe was already married,
teeth- But the on the other hand' ' be rapidly acquired at Bordeaux. So and indeed had been ste for several
he ba,d in his favor the charming. aqua- I one •daer he bid. his partner good -by, and years past, and he adopted suzla a pate
dron of mareiageable young, ladies— went to Paris, where be started a cam- ernal air when epeaking to young
for \melee not said to be so dangeroils ? ' mission business—and procured himself folks, that it rairebt really bave been
—and the estimable battalion qf main- a wife. He was stmeessful both in trade imagined. he was a father. However.
mas with grown up daughters—for it and matrimony, end had already amas- at the and of a sin weeks' tour through
was reported. be didn't look for a dow- sed more than belt a million francs,. Switzerland, he had virtually seen
re'. And la addition' he could count • when hie wife presented birn with a nothing. The fact is, he did not look
on those who were in the habit of bor. I little gill. M. Malestrat, with whom at anything, and indeed his eyes se -em -
rowing money from him—altogether . M. Rlandureau still kept on friendly ed elsewhere, like his mind, Somehow
very respectable forces. Liberally en- berms, was asked to stand as godfatla or other, his imagination had gained
(lowed with friends and enemies, flat- ex' to the child, and he accordingly the upper hand. Originally, be had not
terees and slanderers, he could thus started for Paris, with his son, Hee- at all felt in a hurry to set bis eyes
boast of all the advantages and draw-
tor,. who was then some ten years old. on Mademoiselle Blanclureau, and yet
baeks which invariably attend. admitted . en the evening of the christening, af- now he was literally devouxed with
superiority. ' ter a copious repast, Blaadureau and. irapatience, He not merely counted
And yet this happy man was bored. I
t Malestrat swore across the walnuts the clays that mast elapse before his
Like many of his fellows he wa.s worth end the wine that their children should appointment beret= clue, but
more than his reputation. He had done even
marry each other when they were the hours. The Great Unknown had
e great mazy foolish things, but ha grown up." There was no formal en- a powerful attraetion for him; and he
had never thrown his heart into these gagement in writing, but each had such actually sighed far Mademoiselle Aure-
exploits. He had. originally been flat- . a high opinion of his friend's word lie without in the least degree think-,
tered and amused, with the idea, of be- [ that the matter was looked upon as ing himself ridiculous,
coming a men of fashion; and when
he had attained this position, he fano- I quite as irrevocably settled, as if the Matters at last come to suchl a pass,
two youngsters had already plighted that one morning at the end of Aug -
ted that honor requered he should
! their troth before the altar. Whenever
maintain it. He would have liked to
M. Blandureau wrote to Bordeaux, he
have had an object in life, but how invariably asked after his dauglitera
I
was he to finone? Habit, which is sec- husband, and M. Malestrat, in reply,
d
end nature, false sham
me' and a an I always inquired after his son's wife.
of self-reliance deterred him from even Hector, on his side, had always heard of
venturing on such a search. What this affair as a decided thing. His °pin-
eould he do at his age—return to busi- to has never been asked for; all he
'less? But then he must absorb him- knew was that the raarrlage would
self in money -making, and he consid- take place when Mademoiselle Bianchi-
ered himself rich enough already. No reau reached her eighteenth birthday.
doubt be ought to have resolutely set It is true, that at, the epoch of M. Male -
to work—belt an what t And besides, strat, senior's, reverses, the shipper
what would Bordeaux have said. Brave had written to his friend Blandureaue
enough when he grasped a sword, he explaining his altered position, a.nd
positively felt a coward in face of pub- suggesting that it would perhaps ouly
lie opixdon, to which he was personally be right to modify the old e.ngagernent
so much indebted. His irresolution un- But M. Blandureau nobly replied by
doubtedly made him blush, but, he was return. of post:
powerless to conquer it; for although "What is done is done. My daughter
he had some little contempt for his
boon companions, he was terrified by
the idea of their twitting him. This was
not surprising for in lieu of living
for himself, he had hitherto lived for
others as he 'very well realized to his
own exasperation. Taking the past as
the criterion of the future, he felt
quite sick at heart, and yet he came
to no decision. The truth is he was
tired of this purposeless life, as unin-
structive as a queen's speech, and
more monotonous than the evolutions
of a, pendulum.
" Always the same thing, always the
same thing," he would mutter night
after night on returning horns, with
dreary eyes. and yawning mouth. Ahl
it his friends had only seen him ! But
he carefully concealed this crushing
spleen, which no one as much as sus-
pected, not even his own valet de
chambre.
At last one. morning an inspiration
came to him and he truly believed that
it had 'reached him from on high.
" Suppose I put an end to all this,"
he murmured; "why riot think of
marrying?" He adopted tbat Inspire-
tio.n on the spot, and decided, there and
then, that he would get married with-
in the next three months. He did not
pause to reflect over the exigencies and
worries of matrimonial life. He did not
erext ask himself, "Shall I be happy or
unhappy?" Nohe simply said: I've had
quite enough of a bachelor's life. Mat-
rimony will be a change." And build-
ing his castle in the air, he added: "My
wife will be pretty, witty and weal thy.
We shall have the first establishment
in Bordeaux. She will do the honors
of her drawing -room to perfection: we
shall receive a great mazy guests and
sheet he the most envied and conse-
quently the happiest of men."
In short, after living for the world,
he was going to marry for the World.
Always the same folly.
When he acquainted his friends at
the club with bis new-born determin-
ation they looked at him in amazement.
What an idea! to think of Malestrat
putting the rope around his neck be-
fore he was thirty years of age. Some
of his znore intimate companions com-
plained to each other of his reticence
in not consulting them. Others were
seriously affected by the news. right-
ly opining that his imrse strings loose
enough now that he was a bachelor,
would speedily tighten when he became
a. married Mall. After all, the great
question was, who did he mean to mar-
ry? All the widows and spinsters of
the town were passed in review, and
curiosity reached its height, the more
SO as no one couldeven guess who the
future Madame Malestrat• might be.
At last it was decided that he must
be carrying on some mysterious love
intrigue which no one. knew anything
about. In •point of fart, however,
' there was no love at all in the matter.
ust, he unexpectedly woke up at
Tour, within six hours' rail of Paris.
How had. this happened? Be asked
himself this very question as soon as
reason returned to him. In point of
fad, no longed. to meet his intended;
dreaming indeed of her father's house
as tbe Israelites dreamed of the prom -
Ned land. And to think tbat he need
only go to the railway, station, take
a ticket, and jump int a train, to be
Auxelie's side that very evening.
What a temptation I But, then ; would
it. be proper to present himself in this
unexpected fashion? Would not such
a course be looked upon, as evincing
a+ Want of taste and confidence on his
port? In business, exactitude does not
eonsist in being ready a fortnight
beforehand, but in keeping ons'es en -
mall have a dowry of fifteen hundred gagements an the appointed. day, He
thousand francs. I don't care a fig for thought of all this, and succeeded by
money. Even if your son, shouldn't 1 a great effort in ouxbing bis impatie
have a sou, remember that my word Limes, and. deciding to wait. But then,
will always bold good." wbut was he to do alone at Tbtxra
On his father's death. Hector had ['daring four long weeks?. He bad to
virtually ratified. the engagement He oh,oase between two alternaftves. He
corresponded frequently with M. Elan- : might either retrace his steps, or
dureau, and twice a year—on New profit of his remaining days of Hearty
Year's eve and. the day preceding the, to study Parisian life, incognito.
feast of St. Aurelie—he invariably des- Strange as it may seem, Hector 'was
patched a case full of presents to his ' acquainted. with Paris. He had only
intended and her family. To his mind 1 been there once as a child, and since
it was altogether a question of come I reaching manhood. he had always re-
mercial integrity; his father had. trained from journeying to the great
given his word. and ie mu,st not be city. What he dreaded. was disen-
broken. It is true that he knew notb- ohttntrnent . on his return. After six
ing of Mademoiselle Blandureau, ex- ' months' lou.nging about the Boulevard
eepting that her Christian name was des Italiens. how would he ever have
Aurelie, that she was tall and. dark, reconciled himself to the Fosses de
and had been brought up at that re- l'Intendance at Bordeaux? Hes birth-
nowned educational establishment for place would have seemed small and
young ladies, the Convent of the Sae, huriable, and. constant thoughts of
red Heart, in the Faubourg St Ger- Paris would have embittered. bis
main, Perhaps he considered this career; and besides, following 1Won-
last circumstance as a sufficient guar- taigne's example, be prefereeci being
antes. tle first in his own city, to being the
1 secoad in the metropolis. Now, on
CHAPTER IL 1 the eve of his marriage, he instinct-
ively dreaded Paris. His conversion to
Hector. having decided to meet and serious life was so recent, and. he knew
honor the 'verbal draft, which his fath- tbat all the temptatioe of St. Anthony
er had. drawn in his name on the fute would at once assail him, if he as much
ure, next determined to prevent+ all. as ventuxed to set his foot on tbe
possible retreat by following the Gre- boulevards. SOH, on the other hand,
clan examine; he literally burnt his he scarcely cared for the+ part of a,
ships. He wrote to his future fatber- peripatetic lover; he had • wandered
in-law to inform him "that at the end. through Switzerland enough already.
oil next September he vvouldecall upon After spending a long time in deliber-
him to remind. him of an engagement' ation, he was quite at a loss what to
dear to both of them;" and. scarcely had do with himself, when appropriately
he posted. this letter than he had at enough he remembered that one of the
once began his preparations for leaving friends, of his youthful days now resi-
Bordeau..x. As he intended to return to ded somewhere, on the banks of the
the city in his wife's company, he now , Loire, between Tours and Blois. This
put a stop to all ephemeral connect- feiend had often come to see him at
tbat would have reminded him of his him to return his visits, which Hector
deaux. and bad repeatedly begged
ions, and carefully burnt everything Boer
past. life. Faded ribbons and withered bad always promised to do; but un -
flowers microscopical miniatures and fortunately something or other bad
dainty rings, silky curls of hair of invariablyoccuxred to prevent him
every ahade, effusive letters, impreg- from keeipng his word. Now, however.
verbena—one and. all were ruthlesslY was delighted with the idea of beguile
he joyfully remembered. his friend, and.
nated • with the scent of. violets or
consigne(i to the flames. When nougbt
jag time in his society. So as soon
remained but a pile a ashes, he beaved as he was dressed he hastened down
a sigh of satisfaction. "Well, that's sears to ask his landlord if he were
over," said be, "1 am free now. I ain acquaintect with his friend's addrat,
another man." On the morrow he sent
for his upholsterer, instructed him to le so happens tbat every one at Tours
bas heard of M. FerdinandAubanel,
change all the furniture of the house ,
during his absence. and arranged with •;:rbeosalaivir aotn pdrieatttaynao:toatte f icvaelleadhaTrat
mansion from t he garret to basement.. was indeed described to Hector in
leagues from the city. La Freseaie
a master painter to redeeorate the
By this means he voluntarily turned,
libelee]; out of doors.
'It was the end Of June, when, after
innumerable Ieavetakings, Heetor was
at last able to start for Geneva. He
considered that a little toter in Swit-
zerland was the proper kind of preface
for a eauxse of married life. and be had
still three months to dispose of before
meeting his intended. He was glad to
have a little time before him, so as 10
Hector -bee simply been desigAe-d•
. he able to reflect oven the coming
r
THE FIRST CANADIAN AUTOCAR.
Through the enterprise of
Mr. A. H. St. Germain, of North
Toronto, the citizens of Toron-
to and the County of York are
to be privileged to have run-
ning in their midst in the early
summer, the first autocar in
'Canada. Mr. St. Germain has
closed a contract with tbe Can- eeeeee
adian Motor Syndicate of Tor-
onto, of whicb Mr. Thoraas Ben-'
gongh, Court Stenographer, is
President, and Mr. W. J. Still
Ls Mechanical Engineer, which
calls for the first oar to be
finished et onoe, to be equipped
with motors exerting 20 horse-
power, end ottpable of ascend-
ing grades equal to 1 foot in 3,
so Viet there will he no treeble 4ze.,
such glowing terms that he decided
it must be a chateau; and. then having
nothing more to learn, he hired a fly,
and set off, remarking to himself:
"There is nothing like having a
friend in every part of the world."
(To + he Continued.)
se
Discipline is the mainspring of a Cor-
rect life.
The 57,GERMAINPIWIEER ALITQC.AR LINE.
ORONTOMARKETANDR1(
witb tbe heavy grades tetween Tor-
onto and Itiolemond Hill np Yonge St.,
where the line of autocars will run.
The car is of handsome design, and the
Upholstering, elgotrio lighting, paint-
ing, eth., will 'be in keeping with the
beauty of tlin lineas Shown in the
engeaving. nue first car • will be a
passenger and. parcels van, seating 25
peseengers, and carrying luggage with-
in the railed lipttee on the roof, Elec-
trie buttons for Use a passengers and
cooduotor will werti the motorman
wkan te tarn fel tieehe or left braille -
treed for pasaengees, or to stop bud -
dents' in case of danger. An automee
tie indicator in front of the
metorman will give him full direc-
tion. The van will be furnished
with strong,. effective brakes of two
separate designs. The entire work will
be done by Canadian expert. Ur. St.
Germain bee purchased an interest in
the Syndicate, and has already deposit-
ed several tbousands of &nerd to their
oreclit to secure the inextediate prose -
of the work. Mr. ee. Germain
to show his good faith and coufidence
In the enterprise, has also on depesit
sash and seettritiee the sten of $100a
000 Available tor the bu,ldi4 sad
ee..)
ete earreace
MMfNITTO BE EXPLOYED
TO RAISE A SIMKO RATTLE SHIP.
TO THE SURFACE,
The noted' Ironclad Victoria to be Thus
iteelatated — She Idea at the Outten, or
the eieditterraneau Sea, Maytag neen
Simi( There several Nears ego in
collision,
A feat which will assuredly be one of
the most wonderful science has yet at-
tempted has been proposed to tbe Bri-
tish Government.
It is to raise the greet battle ship
Victoria, which at present lies at the
bottom of the Mediterranean, Sea, by
means of monster magnets.
.The suggested experiment on the
part of the British Government is of
special interest at the present time,
in view of the sinking of the American
battle ship Maine in Havanna Har-
bor.
Before going into the detaiLs of the
British: Government's plan it is neces-
sary to say something about tee sunk-
en battle ship. In the minds of most
people the incident of its loss is still
fresh. The British fleet was steam-
ing in double column up the Mediter-
ranean. The sea was as calm as amill
pond, and ths. thought of a ship going
to the bottora was furthest of all things
from the minds of those in the fleet.
Ile order came from Admiral Tryon,
the officer in command of the ship, fax
the, execution of a. raaneuver that had
always been a favorite eine with: him,
When the vessels were practicing dif-
ficult evolutions.
It was simply a turning right about
face of the entire fleet, by the simple
process of the leading ships swinging
bow ill' toward each other and continu-
ing to turn until. side by side again
with. the prows pointed in an exactly
opposite direction to . that in which
they had before been steaming. It was
the simple wheeling inwardly of two
Parallel ships, turning as on a pivot
until they had turned to be where they
had been when beginning the maneuv-
er, but with the direction reversed.
The, only thing necessary to be care-
ful about was to see that the .space
in which the maneuver was to be rnade
was of sufficient width, to keep the
ships from. colliding, when turning in
preparatory to moving in ths. opposite
direction.
It is generally supposed_ that the
short-sightedness which led an Ad-
miral of Tryon's experience to direct
the maneuver when every one in the
fle,et could see that a
equipment of a full lite of haridsortle,
comb:tedious and rapid antotia,rs. The
motors whith will be fitted in these
euttocttra are the invention of Mr. W.
Y. Still, and the Canadian 1143otor Syn-
dicate control the rights for the DOM-
laitql fax their ose itt bierilete tricy-
cles, invalid cheers, road vehicle% of all
kindle sOreet eels and l000motives, as
well as fax stationary engines. The en-
terprise promises to be lane and lue-
thieve. Mr. St. Germain, is to be con-
gratulated on his phi* ated persist-
ence in piudain'g foe -ware lie agitation
for the new line of autocara which will
I be 'the first In Cepada i not, this
,conlarke0,
corzIsIoN WOULD RESULT,
Was caused by his staying too long
orer the wine at the mess table. Even
the most charitably minded were fore -
ed to place some such construction up-
on the want of foresight that caused
so terrible a disaster. As the Ad-
miral paid for his recklessness with
his life, however, it is perhaps as well
to pass lightly orer that part of the
ca tas troplus.
Th13 ships had only half completed
the wheeling process when the massive
sides of the. Victoria were crumpled
like so much paper by the ram of the
Caraperdown, and into the hole thus
made water poured so suddenly that
although the sailors of the fleet made
the most heroic) efforts to save life,
20 officers and 336 men went down
with the ship.
She lies at tb,e bottom of the Medi-
terranean, in 450 feet of water of the
harbor of Tripoli. All attempts to
raise any portion of the equipment of
the great ironclad. have been futile.
It is too d.eep down for divers to reach
her. The value of the equipment,
alone. is immense, for the Victoria was
a modern steel armored fighting ship,
350 feet long, and armed with 110 -ton
To raise the mammoth ship the Bri-
tish Admiralty is considering the fol-
lowing method:
Above the spot where the Victoria
is known to lie they will moor a fleet
of wrecking pontoons. The chief in-
struments to be used will be monster
magnets, welch will be let down from
the sides of the pontoons attached to
great chain cables.
The magnets will sink until tiae at-
traction of the steel sides a the Vic-
toria, will draw them toward the ship,
to be attached in a strong embrace by
the mysterious force that every school-
boy has testect on a small scale. What
the diver cannot do, because he can-
not get down deep enough to attach
chains to the
SUNKEN FIGHTING MACHINE.
The magnets will do by the power of
the, attraction that electro -magnets
have over steel. When one magnet
has beet lowered. and the points are
firmly attathed to the sides of the ship,
another will be dropped at a little dis-
tance, and this process continued, the
magnets being lowered at regular in-
tervals from eaoh other until the sides
of the, battle sbip are firmly joined to
the pontoons by the chains that are at-
tached to the magnets.
So large will these magnets be that
the lifting capacity of the magnetic
power will be no less than 100 tons
to a magnet. That is to say, they will
stick to ths armored sides of the Vic-
toria, with force enough for eath to
bear the pressure necessary' to, lift 100
tons weight. The weight of the wreck
is estimated al 7,000 tons, so that it will
bit neoessary for no less than 70 of
these monster maenets to be used in
oennecting the lifting machines on the
pontoons with the wrecked battle
Ship.
The wonclexful methods of science
were never more strikingly exhibited
than they will be in this experiment.
Mews will give eyes tbat will pene-
trate to the bed of the sea, and will
he able by means of delicate instru-
raents cozener:tad with
THE GROPING MAGNETS',
To tell exactly where these are in re-
ilation to the wthck, and when they
toed: the armored sides with suifi-
Went sticking power to make the test, a
success. A delicate eltietrioal dial on
the pontoon will theerd the depth to
which the Magnet has sunk, and the
power witb wilich it ha e attached it-
self to the battle ship will be shown
in the sarae way.
11 it is shollea that the force of the
magnetic infleenee is not sufficiently
great to stand the strain thet will be
put upon it when the work of raising
ths ship begins then the magnet will
be broken away fron the insufficient
embrac,e and a new spot on tbe ship's
sides played for until a firm hold is
obtained.
When. all the magnets ba.ve been
thus fixed, the work of raising tee
wreek will be begun. On the pontoons
are to be powerful hydraulio rams and
dynamo machines, and these will get
to work on tile, lifting process. Each
lifting cable, will be attaehed to the
lifting pontoon by means of a sheave
on the head of a hydraulio lifting ram
having a stroke of 12 feet, which would.
give an effeotive lift of 21 feet. Each
hydraulic) cylinder on the Pontoon
would be connected with all the others,
and. a balanoing accumulator would
prevent any rope getting more teat'
e norinal strain of 100 tons.
When the ranee leave all made their
full stroke tbe lifting oables will be
simultaneously held in position by
means of hydraulic, lifting blocks.
The rams will then be lowered and an-
other lift of 24 feet given to the wreck,
end this operation will be repeated un-
til bypatient work the great battle
i
ship s raised so near the surface as
to allow of her being towed to shal-
lower water and then beached.
All this will be the work of a great
deal of time, but the consensus at scien-
tific) opinion is that it can be perform-
ed. When it is oonsidered that the
Victoria cost to build no le.ss a sum
than $8,000,000, it is worth the attempt
at
AN IMMENSE COST,
As no part of her armament is injured.
and. the comparatively small -sized hole
that sunk her can readily be repairea:
A careful estimate of the cost of
raising the battle ship by means of
the electro -magnets slimes that it can
be done for less than $500,000, so that
the Government will be an immense
gainer if the work is suocessfully com-
pleted.
In a small way the test of this novel
method of raising a sunken battle thip
has already been made by tthe Gov-
ernment authorities, and were it not
for the slowness with which the ad-
miralty officials take up any new sug-
gestion, however, feasible it may seem,
the Victoria, might have been raised
long ago.
When the idea was first suggested by
an electricel expert the Government
officials were sufficiently impressecl.
with it to allow it demonstration to be
made with a model ship, the depth of
water, the lifting capacity of the mag-
nets and. all things being, relatively,
the. same as those of the fortheotning
undertaking. This wag successful.
THE WORLD'S COMMERCE.
Great Erttain Easily Keeps in the
Lend.
One of the leading statisticians of
France, M. :Jules Roche, has recently
compiled some interesting figures bear-
ing upon the growth and. expansion of
the world's commerce during the past
fifty years. The object of , the sta-
tistician in devoting lainself to this
task was to expose the contrast exit-
ing between France and. Germany in
the matter of their foreign trade rela-
tions.
In the f ollowing table the statisti-
cian shows to wbat extent the com-
bined. exports of the ten leading pow-
ers of the globe have grown in valuta
tion since 1850:
1850 . . . . . . . $1,618,000,000
1860 . . . • . . 2,419,000,000
egae' , . . • 3,583,000,000
1880 . . . . 5,000,000,000
• . 6,200,000.000
1896 . . . . . . 6,465,000,000
From. the figures set forth in the
above table it appears that the com-
bined exports of the leading powers
have quadrupled in value during the
period of time under consideration. At
the beginning of this period Great Bri-
tain headed the list with $440,000,000
exports; Fra -nee came next with $232,-
000,000 exports; the United States next
with $145,000,000 exports; and Germany
next with $129,000,000 exports. The
figures for 1896 are as follows: Great
Britain, $1,475,000,000; Germany, $978;-
000,000; the United States, $834,000,000;
France, $610,000,000.
1890 • • • •
A CONVENIENT CUSTOM.
' In Holland .hills are often paid
through the reedit= of the pest office.
It enables a man living, say, in Rot-
terdam, to get a small bilI reelected ixj
any provincial town without the often
expensive and. tedious interference of
a banker or agent. For that purpose
be hands his hill to the nearest • post
office. It is sent to the place -where
the •money is to be colleoted. After
the collection a draft is forwarded to
the payee by the office where he depos-
ited the bill and where he gets his cash
and. the bill duly receiptea on payment
of a small commission, witich is pay-
able in advance.
TILE WRONG KEY.
You will have to give me another
room, said a visitor to a hothli keeper.
What is the anatter ? Aren't you com-
fortable where you are?
'Well, not exceitly. That German mus-
ician in the next room and I don't
get along very well. Last night he
tooted away on his clarinet so much
that I thought I never would get to
sleep. After IJial caught a few winks
I was awakened by a. pounding, en my
door.
What's the matter? I tisked.
Of you bleese, said the German, dot
yon -vould sohnore of the same key.
You vas go from 13 flat to G; • and it
schpoils der inusic.
A BOON TO• MANKIND,
Dealer---T.his is the finest boat in the
Market,.
Gustorner—What are its speoial fea-
turea?
Beeler—It• has seats with powerful
springs under them, that can be re-
leased by pressing a button, and, made
to throw overt:cater/I any foot who tries
to rock the boat, '
Castaraer—Naine your own niece.
• '"
BREAD DIRECT• FROM WI -MAT
rite "Antispiree Method Now vsod 10#
Herne by 1110494 the Work or Me Millet
is obviated and ote 'Ileac(' Prepared Mr
U e Oven in the etakery.
'11le demand for bread among tile
poorer °lasses of Italy, Which in many
dietriets has been quite alarming a
late, has increased the interest in tbat
country in any and every method sug-
gested for reducing the oost of "tee
staff of lifO' to needy consumers. \Vero
it not that even the hungry to a great
extent demand white bread, the Open-
ing of ehops for the sale of the newt
etispirte" bread, as it is called, an in-
vention of X. Auguste Desgotte which!
does away with the work of the
might imve been attended by a greater
success. Ear several days last month+.
however, the establishMent in- Rem°
HI the Via lVfingbetti did a rushing
business, until the novelty wore off and
opposition bakers reduced their prices
on wbite bread.
The "antispire" bread is made direct-
ly from the wheat, and s great saving
In the cost of ruanufacture is credited
to it. After the wheat has been thor-
ougaly sifted and. cleaned it is sub..
jetted. to a bath in tepid wieter for sev-
eral. hours: When jt has thus been
soaked it is poured into a machine,
which reduoes it to a,
HOMOGENEOUS PASTE.
This machine is composed of a. double
line of thin spirals working in opposite
directions. By these spirals the soft-
ened. wheat seeds are well kneaded. .Ati
the end of theIspira,ls is a double cylin-
der which receives the paste and makes.
it still more compact and. ready fon
shaping into loaves and. baking.
The quality of the bread made by
the new process is variously estimated.
Excellent judges and unprejudiced:
practical bakers admit its excellence,
and say that any taste can be suited
by having due regard to the leavening,
manipulation and treatment in the
oven. Italian experts who have in-
vestigated the matter express them-
selves favorably upon its digestive pro-
perties and prenounce it raost nour-
ishing. In color the etntispire" bread,
is very brown; its odor is agreeable
andtaste quite paletable. A cardinal
virtue claimed fax it is that it neve
gete mouldy and will remain "freshe
for days.
The bakery at Rome charges three
cents a pound for "antispire" bread—.
thirty eentimes per kilogramme, two
pounds—but when the establishment ie
opened in the morning at eight o'clock
workingmen may buy it for two cen-
times per kilogramme oheaper.
So serious has the bread question be-
come in Hely that many cities have
suspended the local tax on bread and
breedstuffs, the Milan authorities hav-
ing arranged with the 'local bakers ta
reduce the price of bread to thirty-
two centimes per kilogramme. At
Leghorn such are the necessities of tbe
poor that
' FREE I3RE4.D
is distributed by'the munioipality to all
whoask for it. The applicants must;
however, present themselves at design-
ated bureaus at certain hours and are
not allowed to take the bread away
with them; they must eat it on the pre-
mises without meat, cheese, vegetables
or condiment.
About fifteen years ago Dr. Baz-
zoni tried to introduce a new sort of
bread, W11:141 he contended. would be
cheap yet very nourishing, which he
made of a modicum of flour and great
quantities of oxblood. The • poor to
whom it was offered at low rates ree
jeeted it in disgust because they did
not like its flavor. So Dr. Bazzoni'a
enterprise was unrewarded.
Tb.e Italian journals have been quite
severe of late in the criticism of the
bread sold to the publics. A.dul tare -
tion is a common charge. The story
is told that in the hills of Lombardy
there is a cove owned by a bakery syn-
dicate whence a fine mineral powder oft
the purest white is obtaineci and used
to mix with flour for bread making. •
"Let as hope this is not true," writes.
one editor. "If it is we may soon ex-
pect to bave our breadmade from
road dust. And even then it would be
road dust. And even then it would not
he much worse, than that too often sold.
as tee genuine article."
LIVED ON FUNERALS.
peewee 11,1to Mode Illis tilling its a
Crareyargi Orator.
Wast de Kelkolr, a Belgian of aristo-
cratic descent, has fallen on evil days
in Paris. He has given himself up to
the police so as to avoid begging in the
streets and has been accommodated
with a temporary home in the Centre:I
Depot. His story is a strange one. Af-
ter having spent his patrimony he had
to live 'by his wits. He accordingly
set up as a graveyard orator. His plan
was to follow a funeral and, to inquire
ebout the life and career of the dead
person. Then when the interment was
over he stoked up at the greveyard and
descanted on the -virtues of tbe deeeas-
ed. This caused the mourners to rei-
gerci him as. an old. friend of their de-
funct relative, so they thanked him
tearfully andinvited him to the ban-
quets prepared for them at some res-
taurant neer the cemetery.
T.he Belgian was thus enabled to live
on funeral baked meals, otherwise oold
sausages, charcuterie, and occasional-
ly chicken. The supply was usually so
copious that Wast de Kel.kow put frag-
meats of the feast in his pooketse so
that he could subsist until another fun-
eral Veva him a (thence a obtaining
more food, as well as money, for he was
occasionally tipped by mourners. who.
relished, or were moved. by his sepul-
chral. eloquence. At last, however, the.
Belgian found that his bleak clothes •
were becoming too seedy, and as he
could not afford a new suet of the sole
em color'be suxrendered to the p,olice,,
charging himself with hating obtained'
/Donee under false peetenses. He is
now thoroughly' enjoying ha shelter of
the depot, and. looker forward to fin-
ishing the winter in a stiug prison, free
from carking care. and from the neces-
sity of delivering funeral oralione aver
dead PerSOAS whom he km& tever seetti