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km :-v •: I- - "s-^f % •S %$.%£{ "s'9:i v/i >4 95 p ^V: ; » < > ^ ' ITEMS OF GENERAL 8TATE IN­ TEREST FRESH FROM THE r^t *********** y-* * • » ̂ •: '•• * ' .-ELECT LOWDEN AT HOME v-v- S'1 f*£$: ^fpr^^; V^F 'I •v..,.**.- <?r >.y kt'-W ii ! w* % /. I»VT i. i ., ->v.y- How folks in the tidewater section of state that mothers presidents celebrate during Christmas season. Some of the Spirit of Merrie England 150 years ago? pervades that part of America todax. m \ m IISpl" r< ' */-</ C >r$t * tev^r-fcs v* v•. >%?'i ^ •"! 1' m tin /• -/jsi.HPfl? jzegsazT&j&earim C&7&&77&Z& m IW &• .- • • >i. r ,Vv'r\ ¥%; IS HE visitor to an old plantation in title- water Virginia, at Christmas time will "no doubt be agreeably surprised to find that many of the old customs survive and are regularly observed, not only on the large plantations, but on the smaller farms, and even In the negro quarters. So all get their full measure of gifts and turkey.. «* * Perhaps the first sign of Christmas Is the killing of the fat hogs, which have taken »<n flesh rapidly since they were put up and liard- *4$ * ^iod on good, sound ear corn. Hog-killing time 3i\ '<5Jf ^ n-eans a generous supply of "fresh," in other I, *V* %- * words sauSage, sparerib, chine, cli^ese-souse, pig's C , l'evt, and, of course, that fresh^pork ham baked W'-f • during Christmas week. This is flanked by a .-/J 5 •. •> i I> -?-\5> v'v - * Hi ' ' ; v ' i r " ̂ > -V * • : w3.v: v ;. mm * :T £ ^ ' ' t>»iked ham two years old and sugar-cured. It will aii furnish mighty good eating for visitors vho drop in for a little while, but have not time ' -V: V&--5.- . • \ . % jy to stay to the regular dinner. ¥#""-T Those who have spent years on a tidewater TV- ginia, plantation know just what hog-killing time ,\,)r••* means to host and hostess. All through the coua- tryside, from the humblest negro holding to the $ * Ingest river estate, preparation for Christmas v;- .* begins with hog-killing time, for then the corn is gatherel, the woodpile is ready, and farm work In V/ , • \ geaeml is in such condition that all are in prettjr ;1 good sfcape for the holidays. - '* [' ' That Christmas Gobbler. ^ T w o weeks before Christmas, the turkey gob- i , f[#H Wer (gt^erally one of the year's raising) is singled « out the flock, put up in a slatted coop In the back y<ird, fed on shelled corn till he 1» in proper * condition, killed the day before Chrisunas, hupg I/-: # up on Jhe north side of the porch and next day, when cooked in the old-time kitchen b) an old- time negro "kitchen queen," forms the plece-de- resist&nce for the big dinner. The CLristmas menu rejoices tn roast turkey stuffed with oysters, bread crumbs, etc. A sugar-cured ham (from one to two years old), crisp celery, Irish and aweet potutoes (the latter candled), salsify and spinach jf- ' l.sfy-"- (all grown in the home "gyardin,") macaroni, r• £ jLiZinroixs au> rzE&&a&zx̂ <3zazr~'>» SgpPi- The dessert consists of jelly (plenty of wine for f . seasoning), blanc mange, both white and choco­ late, meringues, fruits, such as Malaga grapes, rosy-cheeked apples, bananas and oranges. Wine -' *8 swv®d at table and a toddy of whisky,, sugar fiV*;. and water, with a dash of nutmeg, will most Ukfely. 4.\ '•* be taken by the gentlemen beforehand at the side- _ board. Roquefort cheese and coffee end the feast. This menu is indicative of a typical plantation ' ||§£ dinner; others will be In proportion to'the taste and means of the diners, but it can be safely as- , serted that nowhere would a guest or a stranger sit down to a meager feast on this day, for even j; the negroes have prepared most liberally for the great occasion. 5 Christmas Decorations. - - . . 4>, The good" old custom of decorating the houses ® ® ' o r C h r i s t m a s s t i l l o b t a i n s , a n d t h e g e n e r o u s t ' supply of holly, running cedar and pine, growing 4{V'1 *Q t^e Virginia woods, Is used. Mansion, farm" , *f£.K'.' house and cottage are all decorated. Mantels, halls, and even bedrooms are witnesses to the sea* <... Kr wn of jollity. Family portraits of ancestors, now II? , v4 long laid at rest, are honored with a wreath of w1 w ^ '|f; green and the red berries of the holly, a Christmas !§>} ^ greeting from the stern canvas. te What are the social customs that emphasize this IP*. season in Tidewater, Virginia? On Christmas . morning a glass of eggnog or toddy is taken by the * gentlemen fis they go into breakfast. After this i . meajt the company will separate. It is possible . that some of the party will go to the Colonial church .4n the neighborhood for morning service. The ancient brick edifice will always have been decorated by loving, hands for this. season.^ Wreaths of evergreen Intertwine on walls, chancel" and pulpit. The morning service over, the congregation ex­ change- Christmas greetings outside. Some pres­ ents are taken to church for neighbors who live at a distance; happy, inexpensive recollections of the season, but appreciatively indicative of' the mo-, mentous occasion. Back from cliu^h,rhor^e folky' and gue^t« are, ready for dinner. * , ' ^ Hunting Parties. , 'v [ ̂ The east Virginians have ever showh a penchant lor hunting.' and aliasing the fox behind a good rack of hounds has always been a sport- pac ex­ cellency, This sport still exists in th# country dis­ tricts, and in spite of wire fences, now uimost universal, you will hear the baying of the hounds and the cheering of the mounted hunters as they pursue the crafty fox through fields and woqds on a Christmas morning. The Christmas dinner Is more or less a formal function and it Is likely that the family and the guests will be In place when the blessing Is asked by the host. Even the allurements of the hunt will not make the men overlook the time-honored cus­ tom of being In place when the dtuffed gobbler is served. The Country Dance. > In the evening all join in the old-time country dance. The very name suggests quadrilles, lan­ cers, two-steps, waltzes and even, perhaps, the schottish. These delightful recreations, still ob­ served, come from the "mother country," and hare flourished in east Virginia' for three centuries. Nothing is more joyous than a Christmas dance on a Virginia plantation, where observance of the season is inherited, where the servants are ne­ groes, the fiddlers are negroes and thoroughly fa- lqiliar with the dear old dance music so fondly re­ membered by those of ante helium days. Invita­ tions have brought out the countryside, whose social position deserves the courtesy. The "great house" Is decorated with all the evergreens of the season. Bright fires are burning and the servants are on hand to wait on the "wite fokes." The night is a starry one, and a rime of frost has settled ov%r< the landscape. Outside there Is a rumble of vehicles over the slightly frozen road leading to the house, buggies, carriages, perhaps a , four-mule wagon, with its gay crowd of young people, the black Jehu guiding his team and com­ ing in a rapid trot. There may be one or two au­ tomobiles. The big frbnt door Is thrown open, a blaze pf genial light welcomes the Incoming guests, who shake hands with the host and hostess standing within the portals. Upstairs go the "gvrls" to the "ladies' room," while the gentlemen go to the room assigned them. All is bustle and happy prepara­ tion for the coming dance. ' Nine o'clock chimes from the timepiece on the parlor mantel. The lively bevy of maidens are trooping down the broad stairs. What visions of loveliness are these highbred Virginia girls!--and they charge the .very atmosphere with coquetry. Young gentlemen offer hurried requests for the dance. . Then the real revelry begins with the fiddler's call of "Choose yo' pahdnahs fo' de fus' quaddrill." "Turkey in the Straw." There Is a gruceful sweep of skirts acrbss the well-waxed floor, a clasp of hands as the couples fall in place. The scraping of violins to the tune of "Turkey In the Straw," and the head fiddler calls "fohvvud fo'." One dance follows another with sho^-t intermission, until supper is announced at Hi o'clock! Then the musicians play a march for the couples as they make their way to the big dining rooui; Around the lengthened mahogany table It spread a featfl fit for the gods. Cold turkey, tur­ key. salad, pickled . oysters, cold ham, celery, , ^Hye^,. beate/i .biscuit, thin wafers, fruits, cake and black coffee, At l daneing is resumed. There hav^e.been quip nnd jest rround the hospitable board. Love affairs begun, and harmless jealousy can be easily discerned. The "lancers" is the next figure. A couple steals off after the set is over, a secluded lounge in the hall offers opportunity for the "sweet nothings," or maybe true love called forth by the propitious time and place. The negro servants stand around the hall door and watch with fascinated gaze the many couples as they go through the dances. Happiness fairly gleams on their dark faces. The night is waning, already the roosters have crowed for "three o'clock." From now on until "4e brek er day" the dancing ke«*p$ up. and when vhe first red streak appears on the horizon the violins play "Home, Sweet Homer*' It seems that the fid­ dlers fairly excel themselves as they draw their bows for this, the last w^ltz. The dancers swli g to the steady rhythm of the mu^lc. The music ceases. The dance Is over and one more old-time Virginia Christmas gathering is a memory. The host and hostess speed the parting guests, and pres­ ently the "great house" is quiet. The Customs Inherited. The customs Inherited from English ancestors will never be forgotten in this section of "Ole Virglnny," where the plantation owner was a very king, where the smaller farmers had their own peculiar pleasures, and where even, the negroes (following the example of "de wite fokes") have always made merry . In the Yuletide season, fol­ lowing the time-honored customs which have ex­ isted so long that like the common law, "the mem­ ory of man runneth not to the contrary." Changes have taken place in this favored sec­ tion, many of the oldest families have sold theli ancastral homes and moved to the cities. The numerous well-known estates have passed Into the hands of wealthy persons from the North and West, hut In spite of changes, the spirit of Christ­ mas animates the natives of all classes and Is caught by the "strangers within the gates," for the Northern and Western folks that have settled and made their homes with us In nearly every case enter into the social life, of the communities in which they reside, and during the holiday sea­ son join hands with the natives--all In humor for the week of frolicking. Makes It Plain to Job Hunters That Patronage Plea Will Not Be tout Until Economy Bill#; * Are Prepared. * iV ; ' v v1 .. v?,v V Chicago.--Gov.-elect Frank O. Low- den made it plain to the job hunters that the patronage pies will not be cut until the consolidation and economy bills are in the oven at Springfield. Before departing for Sinissippi, his country estate, the colonel issued a for­ mal statement that so far he has ten­ dered appointments to only two men, whose names are withheld for the pres­ ent, and that he will not consider Jobs and appointments until the construc­ tive program of the G. O. P. Peoria platform hits the homestretch. He says the people are more concerned in reorganization of the state machinery than in the distribution of the political plums* . : FISHERMEN SAVED MOOSE. A bull moose was seen lately, pursued by a bear, close to the town of Plnedale In the state of Wyoming. Two men, fishing In Fayette lake early one morning, were greatly astonished to see him emerge from the timber at a high rate of speed and rush toward the water. A few seconds later, however, they were able to grasp the reason for this singular conduct, as a large black bear came Into view at the same spot, but on beholding the men he at once took fright and made into the woods. After splashing round in the lake for some time the moose came out, blew the water from his nostrils and stood only a few yards away from the fishermen, eying them serenely. He was of unusual size and had a magnificent set of horns. He skirted the shore of the lake at a leis­ urely gait for ubout a mile and then darted Into the woods. MISSION STATION. AT BARAKA century of mlssibnary latfor; who have come to be a people of pleasant PteasJnB Sights Witnessed by Chris- lip* ifMfcf Heart 0* * Africa. ? ciifrurthg It Is at thfs station Iq the old house among the old trees looking out upon the river and be­ yond this to sunset, Jean Kenyon Mac­ kenzie writes in the Atlantic. And very encouraging It is to a missionary from a young station to see these Msongva Christians the fruit of half and orderly life, living in their gray bamboo houses after no mean ftush- ij ion, with books upon their shelves iSfl clean linen upon their beds. Some of the houses are papered and some have cement floors; in some there are pictures of miscellaneous royalty'upon the walls and fadtttg photographs of the family when they were bride Jkhd groom. come u'p to t&e house of God with pleasure and with pride, dressed, I suspect,, with a good deal of conscious vanity, and observing solemn rules of conduct- with great good cheer and complacency. Do not despise this Joy in form and order; the house after' having been swept is furnished after a new fashion that passeth not away, and how shall the owner conceal his delight? I call at the houses of Chris­ tians and go about to the village pray- Of a Sunday the little church is fnll | er meetings jus* for the pleasure of of a decent congregation who have | seeing these comely Mpougwe women mt fr- 4 move about in their enriched ctrcum stances--themselves enriched In mind and heart and spirit beyond all count ing. • ' • " V • Tr-"1 i;. -liking for improvement.' "Blig^ins says he's MI toare&iikf - "Hope he is.**. . "Why?" 1 -fi' "Even anarchists have some feel 'Ings. When they find they're corn pel led to associate with a man Uk< Hiiggins, mnybe some of their will t* •i-j- •«.* f >J Chfcago.-^le^ su&ering than is usu­ ally caused by severe weather jn Chi­ cago was reported following the first snowstorm of the winter, Old man blizzard found less home less* and. jobr less men when he arrived than he commonly has in the past. So slight' was the~ apparent need of municipal assistance for the poor and homeless, that Dr. William K. .Murray of the health department announced that un­ less the weather becomes severe, the municipal lodging hou$e .at 160 North Union avenue will remain closed for the season. The mildest of the winter and the pVesent prosperity, he said, would not \yarrant its opening.. Those men who are deserving of aid. and usually patronize the institution, he said, are supplied with work this yenr, and it would not be wise to open the establishment for the class of men who are jobless by choice. Chicago.---One thousand five hundred and ninety-two men In Cook county deserted their families in 1915, and in 13 years, from 1903 to 1915, inclusive, the number was 16,134. These figures were made public by 'the county agent, and include only those families driven to ask county aid. With many others, the figures are set forth in a report on "Family Desertion'* prepared by Prof. Edward Eubank of the University of Chicago for the Chicago department of public welfare. Professor Eubank con­ cludes, from 60-odd puges of Informa­ tion, that every city should have a "Municipal Desertion Bureau" to lo­ cate, arrest, and return deserters to their famine's. It would operate under tlie municipal court, or in cities so equipped, under the court of domestic relations. Detfares Gamblers Protected. Chicago.--Policemen in Chicago are afraid to do their duty. Enforcement of the law means trouble for the "har­ ness man" on the beat. These revela­ tions, made by Policeman John H. Price, testifying in the trial of Capt.' William P. O'Brien, startled members of the civil service board, who are con­ ducting Captain O'Brien's trial. Price told the commissioners that he had re­ vealed the fact that gambling existed under police protection,", he said, in the "black and tan belt" in, the region of Thirty-first street and South State streets. Because he raided one gam­ bling place, he said, he was transferred by Captain O'Brien to another part of the police district. • Chicago.--George Poslucha, twenty- three, gave his life for a photograph of a fourteen-year-old girl whom he had known only a few hours, accord­ ing to a story told the police by John Mlchalik, sixteen, who confessed that he shot Poslucha in a quarrel. Pos­ lucha, It was said, slapped Mlchalik, who drew a revolver. Frank I'uro, fif­ teen, also held by^he police, said that after Poslucha had been shot he was taken outdoors, placed on the side­ walk and left there while Puro and Michalik went to a movie show. Two girls, fifteen and fourteen, and a mid­ dle-aged woman are detained pending investigation. Chicago.--The law took revenge on the slayers of two saloonkeepers, An­ drew Pepper, wHo stabbed and killed Christian Deubler, was sentenced to be hanged February 23. Charles Kemp and Daniel Hood, negroes, who shot and killed John Tartlnger In an at­ tempted holdup, were given 25 years and life sentences, respectively.. They also, are suspected of .killing a police­ man. Chicago.--Ah aged woman and her two daughters are in the same hospi­ tal, seriously injured, as a result of the "back lash" of a car as it swung around a street corner. Mrs. Julia Mc- Mahon. the mother, and Mrs. Agnes Ganey have fractured skulls. Mrs. Nel­ lie Moran's spine was dangerously In­ jured. „ Benton.--Sixty thousand tons of steel rails have been shipped to the W. Hi Schott interurban system, con­ necting the towns of Eldorado, Harris- burg, Marion, Herrin, Johnston Cify, West ^Frankfort and Benton. Oregon.--The old bell that, for 00 years hung in the belfry of the Lu­ theran church has been dismantled and sold as junk. It Is of solid brass, weighs 700 pounds, and brought nearly $200. Since I860 there has been a de­ fect in it, caused, it is .said, by its con­ stant ringing for a period of 24 hours after the news of Lee's surrender was received. Chicago.--All of the 1,300 employees of the Corn Products Refining com­ pany were notified that they would re­ ceived a raise of 17 per cent In pay. effective December 10. This Is the sec­ ond voluntary increase granted'by the company this year and fixes the mini­ mum wages for men at 25 cents an hour and for xvAmen at 18Mi cents an hour. The increase wilf -pnt the com­ pany $285,000 a year. Evanston.--Suburbanites here nerd only bull fights to press them over thi. hrink of immorality, said R?v. Dnvld B. Jones, condemning dancing, Sunday golilng end. motoring and risque nu7«la " s, -J Paint f« First Vaporized and Then Forced Through HOM and Sprtyed «n| ; . the Cars by Means of Compressed Air. I/ . --'--; --fSPRAY PAINT ON STEEL CARI TWO RAIL "BABIES" LOOK LIKE TOY8, BUT ARE CAPA. BLE OF GOOD WORk. Designed for Bpeela! Use, Chiefly in Tunnels and Othst; Underground Enterprises--Can Use Crude Oil, Distillate or Gasoline. Abnormal size always appeals to the "man in the street." The construction pf a locomotive that breaks the record for bulk and strength is always con-, sidered noteworthy; yet some of the most interesting and valuable of tl|p lo­ comotive f tribe are not abnormally large, remarks the Literary Digest. They may be as small as the engines that puff their way about most amuse­ ment parka with a trainload of chil­ dren and nurses on behind, and yet be by no means insignificant. Among these are such as are used for the op­ eration of narrow-gauge construction railroad systems. Tw^.* interesting types are described In an article con­ tributed to Engineering News. One Is really, to all appearance, a locomotive in miniature; the other, of which prob­ ably more general use is made in all sorts of underground construction work, bears more of a resemblance to a «mall automobile than to the tradi= lonal iron steed of the railroad. The technical description of the latter Is of a "geared locomotive having a high- pressure vertical tubular boiler and using fluid fuel." It is especially adapted for the roughest work, and Is fitted with long, elliptical springs that absorb almost any jar to which it can be subjected. Of its other features the writer says, in substance: ^ The engines can use crude oil, dis­ tillate or gasoline, the last being em­ ployed in tunnel work on account of the heavy fumes from the oil. The boiler Is the feature of the machine. It is designed for 600-pound pressure, the shell and lower head being made of one piece. of pressed steel, which in turn is re-enforced by a ring welded around each end and by « trapping of three layers of piano wire. These boilers have been test­ ed to 2,200 pounds by hydraulic pres­ sure without failure. These locomotives have been used during the last three years In' some of the tunnels for the Catskill aque­ duct (New York water supply), on the Lexington avenue subway In New York and on sugar plantation work. As to the use and manufacture of the real baby locomotives--those that bear tlfle look of midgef'copies of the big fellows--we are informed as fol­ lows : "In the construction of the new plant of the Baldwin locomotive works at Eddystone, Pa., an interest­ ing feature was the use of a very small steam locomotive, and this en­ gine has since-been employed in op­ erating the industrial .railroad sys­ tem at that plant. It was built by the company for its own use, but similar engines have been built for other work. It Is a four-wheel, sad- die-tank engine, and weighs only ll,70p pounds. The railroad is a two-foot gauge, with curves of 16- foot radius. "The engine is of ordinary design, In miniature, but the cylinders have a rather long stroke In proportion to their diameter. The Baldwin steam brake is applied to all the wheels, and at each pnd Is a radical drawbar with automatic coupler." Running Trains Through Fog. The safety movement requires con­ stant vigilance if it is to produce the best results. Relaxation of effort to secure careful- operation- leads to. the recurrence of accidents. A report of the Interstate commerce commission deals with the accident on the New York Central lines at Cleveland on March 29 last, in which 24 persons were killed and 47 were Injured. The commission finds that the engineer, running in foggy weather, passed sig­ nals which he either could not see or failed to heed. Attention is directed by the commission to the fact that the same engineer had been guilty of sim­ ilar offenses on otheij occasions. The testimony showed that all three of thg fast trains involved in the wreck were making up time in the night. Employ­ ees asserted that foggy weather was not usually a deterrent to the speed-of trains. ^ The facts brought out by the inter­ state commerce commission in connec­ tion with this wreck Indicate the need of continued watchfulness and consci­ entious care on the part of railroad officials to guard against the reckless operation of trains.--Chicago News. p The Blunderbuss. An applicant for a teacher's certifi­ cate In Kentucky answered an exami­ nation question by defining "blunder­ buss" as "kissing the wrong girl." Dic­ tionary or no dictionary, we would have given that girl a first-class Certifi­ cate.--Houston Post Not Hard to Guess. . ^ Miss Ruth was called to t&e tele­ phone one evening by the only man she knew who lisped. He said: "ith thlth yon, a*m W*u. Uuth | i i h r > - - • • ; HOM Does the Work Quickly, and thft Results Are All That Could Be Desired. \ If Kipling had only waited long enough before saying It, our pictuf« inight have given him his idea abot|tH painting with a comet's tail for a bruah , and the sky for a canvas}. Howeve*, the painters shown in the accompany- ^ , ing illustration are not artists and their * panvas is not the sky but two braiuj^ new steel box-cars which have just emerged from the shop. "v J * This is the fastest and most econortt» . v,v,' leal method of painting yet devised. ' „' The paint Is. first vaporized and forced through the hose and sprayed on*, "* - % the cars by compressed air. ^ "* ^ While the photographer was adjust- ; ,N ing his camera for a snapshot the ends' of both these cars were painted, which gives an idea of how rapidly the w< is accomplished.--Popular Science Monthly. ^ WORK OUT HARRIMAN'S Electrically Operated Railroad Been Running Successfully for Some Months. ?,$ Several months ago the St. Pan! road opened a section of electrically equipped line on the Montana moun­ tain divide. It was one of the moil heavily graded sections of the entire,.: transcontinental System. A great wai­ ter power had been .harnessed, cott» * verted Into hycjro-electricity, and was utilized by specially constructed elefe . trie locomotives. | p Some of the fWritflT of this expe#»r ment are now bei\g studied by trana- . portation and engineering experts; after a sufficient obsecration to mate*/' definite conclusions safe. It is foupfti'" that the wear of both wheels^and rails is much reduced because in going- down grade the motors are turned into, generators, and, acting as brakes, hold back the speed of the train, and store up in electrical power the energy of gravitation that pulls the. train down hUl. - ' The experience Is fast convincing railroad men that in time, and prob­ ably not so very long a time, electric? ity will succeed steam as ^failrotid power wherever sufficient water power iS/ available. Edward H. Harriman • used to say that practically everything, west of the Missouri would before many decades be cg>erated by electric- ' ity. The St. Paul has provided the practical demonstration of what Har- 1 riman's splendid vision saw ahead, and , what Harrim'an would doubtless haiM£ accomplished if he had lived. : East, West and South, there Is wil- ter power everywhere going to waste; We think of the middle West as leait ' endowed in this regard, yet the big­ gest power development In the world ' aside from Niagara is in the mid- West's very heart--the Keokuk project on the Mississippi. There is no limit ^ that can yet be conceived* to thejap)t - .. of hydro-<electriclty. y N; • sty " J* • v •% . VWK •m' Windfall for Hobo. Some years ago, traift No. 1, ^ as now, one of the fast trains betwe$£^ New York and Buffalo, while making * 5 water stop at Manchester, was board- <•, ed by a tramp. He fcoolly lodged him*'- i self on the pilot of the engine, seating . himself with his back to the cylinder arch under the boiler head, with the evident intention of making his free trip as comfortable and agreeable " possible. He continued to remalft there despite the efforts of the fire* ! man to unload him by hurling a gen* ' erous supply of choicest anthracite* The train gathered speed and was soqo ; reaching the 70-mile mark. While passing through a small let, it struck a 200-pound hog, tossidj r him high in the air and finally land- ; itVg hlm ln Mr. Hobo's lap.. He prompt- . ly grabbed the porker, held on until Rochester was reached, where he suc­ ceeded In negotiating his/"flyer pork'* far enough to buy a new suit - ^11 clothes and a ticket to Cincinnati. JSr, *.'fc , 1 . 1.. ̂ «i> u American Engines for Russia. That the Russiujjs have made slve plans fprestabl^shlng ensily-a justabi^Tau communRtg^lon between varlotis divisions of their fighting arum's and between the armies and the suppW bases, ls^snown by the fact that the iMfsshtrr government has ordered 350 11 fluid-fuel locomotives of a special type £rom a Philadelphia locomotive works. These tractors weigh 7% each and }run^on tracks approxiin 20% Inches wide. These narrow-gau&e; tracks can be moved about easily. Ac­ cording to Russian officials the/engi may be used in the trenches as w< at the rear. Eiach has a pulling pacity of from twenty-five to fifty t< depending ^n the condition ol' track.--^Popular Mechanics Magu Testing ̂ Locomotives., Modern methods of testing locoitu^ tlves make it possible to deterinlne tgP power and speed of the epgiae;' and even the amount of iuel It will co®f stnne. These tests are made by means of a stationary car, called a dynamic? meter, which is attached to the engine*. The tests are made indoors. s ;-- illfef Electrifying Australian Llnift, ^ : The Australian state of Victoria to j Electrifying its railroad system at ell expense that »Y^fttUlwW .v3idiU. CICttSd. S , •awoftooo. ".it iHf. "Av •-' AafJtij l- W •