Kawartha Lakes Public Library Digital Archive

Millbrook Reporter (1856), 24 Aug 1893, p. 6

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V_,V--â€"â€"-- vuu iz'nth of his s:o_ries, and whenever any xi.tcme.xt seems-i a trifle extravagant we __ .._.. -v--h, noun: ing black eyes that kept moving slowly around from left to right; and suddenly jumped back to their starting-point. Some- times, when we pressed him very hat-3', he told us a. story or some adventure which had happened to him, and it was only then that hixeyes were at rest, void of expression as if he were reading from some far-away book. He spoke slowly but well, in a low, § even voice that. commanded the attention‘ 95 his hearers ; we never questioned the} w- -v say, a deep voice from the end of the car condensed our feelings in the energetic and laconic answer : “ That’s aâ€"lie !" The speaker, Jack Collins, was the quiet- est man on the staff, and had acquired a certain reputation for minding nobody’s business but his own. Jack was somewhat of an enigma to us all ; we did not under- s:and, but we all liked him, for he had a way of doing small charities and helping the boys in a pinch that showed a. truly good nature and a warm heart. What his exact work was none of us knew ; he had the name of being a good locator and explorer, especially among the older men, with whom he usually associated ; his re- po‘rts never passed through our office, and 3 -'no complaints were ever made about the irregularity of his work ; be always went off before office-hours with his compass and note-book, but the men not infrequently found him lying in a secluded corner reading or sleeping with his book beside him. He was a large, powerful fellow, with a heavy have]: aL-L --A_-_1A§ I n- .. heard that 'concealed half, hi; fine, olf which the only remarkable features were a strong, determined mouth and leng, ~71am:- :_... 1.1--L -___- L' ,4 . The intonation of the man’s voice was so vicious, so mean, that we all felt convinced that; the statement was false, and, although utterly ignorant of the facts, each of us felt an instinctive desire to contradict him. But before any one could think of What to “I téll you, Morton, that man Matt Murphy was the biggest coward that ever waiked this earth; now don’t you forget :5 I” it 2” .Besides our party of engineers, detailed on remeasurement work, were two stran - ers in the car ; they had blank passes from the chief and were going West ; as they kept to themselves, talking together most of the time and not seeming to care for our company, we had paid no special attention to them. Every man of us, however, turn- ed suddenly as the younger of the two, speaking excitedly in a loud, swaggering tone, intensified by a strong twang, said to his companion : The nnderbrush was thin, and the ridges of pink gneiss, bended with black, thrust their bare, smooth surfaces through the mottled moss like great peck-marked shoulders of giants protruding from their tattered shirts; in the gullies between them the water gurgied dismally below the tangle of dead trees, and ran away under glossy pigeonberry leaves, on to which the grotesque pitcher-plants, opening wide their lidshponred their surplus water. Save by the patter of the rain on the car-top and the pish-pishing of the engine blowing off steam, the silence was absolute, and ren- dered only more profound by the booming 1 crash of a. falling tree. Nothing moved but J the crazy poplar trees, and once more we mar-veiled at the recklessness of the men who had build arailway through this dead, i barren wilderness where there was nothing but rock; water and burnt timber. --_ â€"‘v -v uuuvuu of “poppies” rustled their loose leaves with a nervous activity that seemed out of place in the dead quiet of their surroundings, and their silly, feeble fluttering, like the bark- ing of a. frightened car, was so exasperating that we could scarcely refrain from throw- ing a. stone at the shivering things and call- ing out: “Oh, shut up l" _- â€"-v w.-~vu5u n llua‘l we had been traveilinsz for interminable hours. Here and there among the shiny black polgs 2f the._b:_1rqt trees little bunches A: 11,, e__-_.--..° V‘s-vain UL rain, a dismal muskeq swamp stretched away to the 303th of the track, broken only by rare clumps of ragged tamarack. Both slopes of the bank were covered by long beds of pink fire-weed varied with patches of soggy pigeon-grass, and to the north lay the desolate waste of brule through which "A L...) L--_ A , 1‘0 n . v‘lvvv‘ vu vuv nuanuc side of thevtrack. Both front and side doors were wide open, and some of the boys, in a. vain endeavor to produce a. passing sensation of freshness, sat down in the semi-fluid puddles, covered with a. film of cinders, and dangled their legs in the pour outside. But to no purpose, the air was dead, the water warm, and we continued to stifle and grow. The view from the car was not interest- ing. To the left, as far as we could see through the endless, unfolding curtain of j n... .. .1:___-' i c,, V.V- vuvd' vv \Q‘FIIJ Ill such a dismal, god-forsaken spot. It was :1: ining at Rat Crossing ; in fact it had been raining slowly, steakily for two days with a. certain desperate pertinacity. There .had :en no previous drought to render such an abundance of water desirable ; in the country through which we passed we had noticed no fields of parched wheat, no withering trees, no drooping vegetables, no thirsty cattle, no traveled roads on which the dust required laying. On the contrary, the lakes were all full to overflowing, the rivers swollen, the ravines drowned, the swamps soaked, and the tanks so full that the relief pipes poured forth a continuous stream of spattering expostulation. \T - L 79 A I A ‘ ' ‘ ‘ ‘ vl‘ rvuvulwvdvuo Notwithstanding this lavish excess of water the air seemed no fresher than before the storm, when the thermometer in the caboose registered :37 degrees on the shade _:J, an - ' '~ ""'°' ‘ the road in general and the long freight- links in particular. “ Can’t help it, can’t help it!” said the brakeman as he came along the top of the box-car ahead. “ The rails have spread, and it’ll be two hours, may be three, before we start- her up again.” But the time pagsed, the train still went- ed, and we began to grumble stoutly, wondering why, in the name of various places end things, they chose to dolly in _.._L A .- v- vllu .kuauvvlvu, and seme of the men offered energetic ad- vice to the Dicty as to what ultimate course to pursue with the menagerrgentrof .1... ___J : , On The Canadian Pacific Railway. For the last- hour the construction train had been travelling slowly ; for a. whole hour it had cautiously stumbled over the loosened fish-plates with a. monotonous chuggety-chng chunkety-chunk that had long ceased to awaken any interest, sym« p ithetic or otherwise, in our drowsy minds. Finally it stopped altogether with a. jerk, as if it had suddenly but conclusively real- ized the vanity of any further effort, The astonished cars pulled at their pins and pounded their buffers as if in angry ex- postnlation at this freak of the locomotive, Hand Car 412, C. P. R. For once, a tomary efi'ect with his orde1 flucus ; for onl -v..- a “ Gix‘e ithezn a. yellrif'hâ€"eâ€"rae, blame yamâ€"all together Now, and yell till you bust, or I’ll break the son of tadger’s head that hangs Era H “- fire. __v- . v '- acou {shirt 1 “ Boys,” he said, “ that gang’s/a-goin’ to everlastin’ destruction as plucky'as any fellows I ever see, every blamed man of tnem, and I’ll bet; a. barrel of highwines to a. cup of tea. they know it too. Mast Mug by knows it, sure.” Then turning sudd nly and pointing down the track, he cried if; his usual bullying tone: nth‘ Swearing Dan Dunn, the walking boss, stepped out mto the middle of the track between his men, threw down his pick, and wiped his wet forehead on the sleeve of his The top of the grade was reached; then came a. level run of two miles before the curve to the bridge. Ahead of them on each side of the track the workmen, appre- hending some disaster from the enormous volume of smoke that was blowing toward them in purplish clouds rimmed with golden sunlight, had assembled before the Falls” station ; and as Murphy’s gang came along, up and down, up and down, every man in that crowd felt his eyes grow moist and his throat dry.‘ With one accord English and Yankees, French-Canadians and Ital- ians, Swedes and Finlanders, give one isolitary ringing cheer, and stood silent again, as if suddenly awed by the simple heroism of these four men, apparently rush- ing consciously, determinedly to certain death. and working fiercely as if they were escaping from some great danger instead of hurrying into it. Not a man spoke as they flashed past.- A few pushed their hats hack and stopped as if ashamed of the movement, watching the hand-car grow smaller and smaller above the converging lines 31" the rails. l The first six miles passed quickly; to right and lett the road and trees flew back- wards, and nothing was heard but the short, quick pinting of the men, the burr of the icogs, and the clicket-y-click, clickety-click of the wheels over the fish-plates. On the l half-mile lip-grade to Bass’ Falls they had to slacken up a little and hang on the handles, while the sweat ran off their smooth backs down over their muscular arms to the cross-bar and dripped 03' on to the platform; but with their heads down and every muscle braced, they Worked on [steadily panting hoarsely through their iclosed teeth. They had but one idea in ‘common, and that was, as Jim Reeves tersely expressed it, that they must reach that qualified switch or bust. At regular‘ intervals Murphy, who Seemed to have; renounced his customary profanity. re- peated his short, earnest exhortation, more as a. prayer than as a. command : “ Steady, boys, steady 2 for God’ssake I” i “ If we haven’t time to unlock her,Jim,” he said so quietly that it hurt the men to hear him, “jump on the lever and break the chain. Now, fellows, heave away for all you’zje worth.” Matt leaned over and slipped the key of the switch to Jim Reeves, who was in front. Instinctively,â€"for they merely knew that there was a. fire below the bridge and that ‘ the train was soon due,â€"instinctively Murphy’s three companions had understood what they had before them. They were all old hands, and knew that this was a des- perate venture, a. forlorn-hope, and that their only chance of success lay in their working well together, esch man doing his duty absolutely, regardless of what might happen. But all this they felt rather than reasoned, for men of action reflect slowly, l and the pace was so severe that they had no time for reflection. I on ; the men give them a shove n6§n£¥£§ and away they went down the long grade, fifteen miles an hour. He was the first on the car and took the rear handle behind the brake ; Long Mike the Finlander, Jim Reeves, and “Dumb Dick” jumped on after him ; an oil-can, a, monkey-wrench, and an axe were thrown “Boys,” he cried in E voice that seemed to reap in his throat, “boys, look a-here ! I want three good men to go to hell with me ! Haul up a. pamperâ€"412 ! catch a. hold there ; now heave awayâ€"so ! Drop her on the trackâ€"that’s it! Slap on the oil, you fellows. Two hundred lives. My God 1” he continued as if thinking aloud. “Quick, blame you ! OFF with your shirts and hurry! All aboard! That’s the style; now come along, boys, and work 2” “ Drunk, you blamed idiot I” cried Nolan inéignantly ; “his wife and kids are on that train. Get out of here, you scented squir- rel, and blamed quick too, er I’ll make your empty head so blessed sure you couldn’t see daylight through a ladder! Say, Matt,old manâ€"â€"-â€"-” He did not finish his sentence, for the next moment Murphy pushed him aside and sprang out on the platform where the men were collecting to hear the news. “TL-“m ” 1.... A4,”! :_ A _-_:-_ uni. _--A,_ A xl _ “Murph'y’s drunk as usual !â€"what’s to be done '1 “ Bush-fireâ€"and they are due in an hour. My God !” Then he got up, staggered across the room, and leaned against the wall. The baggage-master, who had over- heard, stepped in from the adjoining office, and the operator with a shrug of his shoulders turned to him and said in a per- plexed way : “ There’s a. bush-fire below the long bridge, Mr. Murphy,” he called out. ; “the wind is this way, and the Pacific Emigrant :18 due in an hour. What the devil shall we 0 t?!) Matt started in his chair and repeated the man’s words in a. dazed sort of way. H “I‘nl‘ Am‘ -...1 -L--- __k j..- :.. A; 1_A,A_ It had happened two years before ; Mur- phy was then road-master at Campbell’s Point, and far from being thought a COWard he was looked upon as the only man on the line who had pluck enough to run a snow- plow at the head of five engines into a choked cut, and stand firm when every plank fairly quivered under the strain. One day, while he was dozing in His office, for Matt was lazy when he had nothing to‘ do, the door opened with a bang, and the operator, in a state of breathless excuse- ment, ran into the room. For a moment after his unusually em- phatic denial no one spoke; the stranger had risen at once, but seeing that J ack did not move he set down again, filled a. fresh pipe, and waited. J ack was sitting on the floor at the end of the car looking down pensively at the revolver that hung from his belt; after a short pause he looked up at the ceiling, and in his usual slow way he told us the story of Matt Murphy’s last work on the road. acknowledged that it must. be our fault: if we_ could not understand the clrcumstances. 'pough they had their cus- insuring prompt compliance Dan’s ifireats‘: wefe'super- 'his Wishes coincided wit}; W'hen Jack finished there was a. pause ; then we all looked up at him with the same question on our lips. He rose slowly irom the corner m which he had been sifting. “You want to know where I heard all this?” he asked. "011 ! I am “Dumb Dick." To be frank with you, boys, I have been a. special detective on the C P. R. for several years, if I tell you so now it is because my contract is up as soon as I have handcuffed‘ Mr..James Bowles over there. Don’t you} V- -_- â€"“\l VAC‘QMI VII ‘that stood around him, silently watching for his recovery. Then he remembered all ; for a moment a. bright smile lit up his plain features and died away slowly as he caught sight of his 'companions stretched beside him. Coming through the distant smoke the rays of the red evening sun touched their pale faces with a. ruddy glow and wove a soft golden $1110 around their passive heads. With a. 316?“ quiver Long Mike passed away in e sunset silence to join his comrades. ‘ ,, rr-fi_v»-. When they came back they found Jim Reeves’s body by the broken lever of the switch ; Long Mike too they picked up be- side him, with a. shattered leg and an ugly gash across the forehead, while on the other side of the track “ Dumb Dick” was clutch- ing the broken handle of the hand-car and sobbing like a. child. Strong men lifted their crushed. bodies with tender care, and side by side they laid them on a bed of frag- rant balsam boughs ; a woman’s light hand wiped away the blood from Mike’s rough face and held moist linen to his bleeding brow. Soon he opened his eyes and looked solemnly, with a puzzled expression, into the anxious faces of the women and children “ Jump, Jim, for God’s sake, jump quick I” The next moment the train swept round the curve over the frog and glided smoothly down the siding, where it stopped; but the hand-car had. diqappeared. 'I'YYI A “Steady, boys, and God be with you!” came once more from outthe chaos of flames behind them, and that was all. On the other side, beyond the clay cut, they heard the bellowing whistle of the engine ; a. few more strokes, and they reached the switch. “ ,Tnnnn TL.“ 3-.. (“-th , I u “ Stand by her, bays ; steady there !” They grasped the handle again and strug- gled on‘; by the hollow sound of the wheels they knew that they were on the bridge at last, and it lent them fresh strength. Then something struck them again. “Hard, hard at work there! Jim, Mike, Dick, all of you! â€"pump away for God’s sake, boys ! we are . nearly there. Try again! the switch, boys, mind the switch! all together now, heave !” Butstrain as they migh t,â€"and they strained ‘ with a. fierce, desperate energy, for there, was something in Murphy’s tone that went to their hearts,â€"the car was fast and would not move. Then they heard a. wild cry above the thundering crash of the bridge as it fell i from under them ; the car was suddenly shot ahead and sprang away easilv over the debris that lay across the iron. The trestle was past ; but at the rear handle Mike stood alone, his partner, Matt Murphy, was gone ; that last falling brace had struck him scuarely across the arms, and when he saw that he could no longer pull his weight he jumped of and put all his remaining strength in that last push that sent them through into the comparative quiet be- yond. Then the flames closed upon them, and as they lowered their heads before the whirlwind of fire and smoke that was hurl- ed at them, they shivered at the crisp crepitation of their hair and beard, and felt the hot grip of the fire fasten on. them as they writhed in pain. Something struck the car and it reeled for a. moment. “ Sieady, my men ! and dowu ! stick to he: over now.” V__-__' '_ v-av u “In-EU]. All around them the trees were falling in rows ; broad flashes of flame quenched for a moment in the black smoke, burst up and vvvvuwl wuau UL Luauuiauuunug UlUbu- uvuvv valulv UIIU lling will be much reduced by the general [use of a new electrical cloth cutter. . Tlus iis an instrument that will cut fabrics of flared in the wind like shreds of some vast every description, 0f many thicknesseawith tattered canopy, Along the ground the remarkable rapidity. The finest of linen 1s thrush wilted away, burning with a sharp 1 crackle like that o f a musketry discharge and up through the hollowtamaracks thefire swept with a noise like the bellow ofa filling sail. Great trunks tottered and fell with a booming crash like the sound of a. distant cannon. The hot air quivered around them, and they gasped spasmodic- ally as they shook off the burning sparks and laughed hysterically between short howls of pain. Ahead all was 'red and black, a sea of fire, Murphy called out once more, “ Steady, boys, steady !” and they plunged into it resolutely, with the deSperation of a wounded bull charging on the espada’s blade. severed with the same case as the firmest and coarsest goods, and a thickness of 3% inches offers no obstacle to the progress of the cutting blade. The machine weighs about 35 pounds, and is 17 inches high and 3 inches in base 'diameter. The cutter revolves at a speed of 2500 revolutions per minute, and is kept sharpened by a little attachment carrying a small emery wheel, which can be applied to the rapidly revolv- i in; knife at such an angle as to insure a. perfect cutting edge. The machine can be operated on any incandescent circuit, and 18 so simple that it can not get out of orde:. Its operation entails no special training,and . any novice can use it after half an hour’s w.._ ---v -wu‘n. HAWAII "Lvu its human cargo hurrying to destruction, for the Wind was high, and the engineer would naturally think the fire far away until he was in the very midst of it. Then the struggle began. The smoke ran along the embankment towards them in great flying gusts, so dense they could barely see the platform of the car ; the heat became intense, but they never wavered. Perhaps it was because women were few in the dis- mal country which had become their home, and that, as usual in purely male communi- ties, every man invested the gentler sex collectively with a romantic halo, in exact inverse proportion to the profane skeptical contempt which he professed for them in- ‘dividually; perhaps it was because some lingering-spark of chivalry, driven into the West by the sneers of a higher civilization. had flamed up suddenly in the hearts of these rough journeymen ; or perhaps it was merely the humane hope ofsaving the wives and children of men who had slept under the same blanket, worked in the same ditch, and shared thesame biscuit,â€"but, whatever the cause, it was sufficient to silence selfish consideration and make them look upon the sacrifice of their lives as no more than the fulfilment of the necessary duty. A" _.,, , v-.â€" v. wuvvo “ Steady, hoye; Iteudy ! and mind the brake, Jim; we’re right on the down- grade. ” At the end of the level was the grade to the bridge and the fire ; beyond the fire the hridge, the switch, and the fated train with “ Yas ! Koo but both relapse of Murphy's quiet remembrance: H QtanA“ L--- t-pye, pyes,â€"koot-pye !” d into silence at the sound “ That’s good said Reeves, and repegnped : the wishes of his men. and from those five hundred throats there burst such a. cry that the flames ahead seemed to halt for a. mo- ment in their forward rush. On the hot, pulsating air it floated away across the muskeg,over the heads of the.devoted crew, and re-echoed with a. booming roll from the slate walls of the rock cut through which they pushed their car. But though this expression of their comrades’ sympathy cheered and helped them, it told each man only too plainly that this was his last job on the track. “ That’s good-bye for the long contract,” said Reeves, and Mike in his broken English my men ! up and down, up stick to her lads ; it; ’11 soon be They Come Big-h. Jalapâ€"“ We’ve got a new cook at our house. My wife says she is first-class.” Squillsâ€"“ Do you notice any difference 2” Jalapâ€"“ Yes, about $2.25 a. week.” in any part: of the central exéhange. It is ardencly to be hoped that this ideal system will 'be successful in its entirety. ,,- JV... “LU VLCQU' ed in those admirable institutions. In addition to the sound service the electro- phone company propose to attach an intelligence bureau to their central ex- change for the convenience of their sub- scribers, where commissions of any kind will be carried out for a small fee. The bureau will be provided with a stenograph- er and typewriter and every requisite for saving time and trouble. A subscriber will be able to have commissions attended to ___-..-- r--v .nvév in the House of Commons, and several members of Parliament are said to be strongly in favor of the idea. A commend- able feature of the service will be its con- nection with the principal London hospitals free of charge, so that it will be a source of pleasure and comfort to the thousands of sufferers who during eaeh year are treat- Flap revolves at a speed of 2500 revolutions per minute, and is kept sharpened by a little attachment carrying a small emery wheel, which can be applied to the rapidly revolv- ing knife at such an angle as to insure a. perfect cutting edge. The machine can be operated on any incandescent circuit, and is so simple that it can not get out of orde:. Its operation entails no special training,and any novice can use it after half an hour’s Imstruction. It is no slight advantage to be 1 [3 inches -in base 'diameter. The acutter uwH-ch-c‘rm ' U able to operate an effective cloth-cutter for 1 less than 3c per working hour, which is said to be the actual rate of this machine. 3 It is claimed that the machine will do the . work of eight men; and, furthermore, that, . in one house in New York, one machine ; alone is cutting 1000 dozen pairs of trousers ; per week of five and a half working days. - A lamp is attached to the machine so that it can be used in dark lofts and on dark days. An instrument which is used to ad- vantage in conjunction with this machine is the electrical sadiron, the heating current for which can be instantly turned on or 011'. (U THE ELECTROPHONE. When the idea of the “theaterphone” was first mooted in Paris its feasibility was much questioned ; but a Parisian syndicate took up the project with such energy that v the city has now effective service which I supplies entertainment to a list of sub- scribers numbering over 1,500, and the in- stallation is connected with all the prin- l cipal theaters. London now seeks to l emulate Paris in thissuccessful development, 1 and an “electrophone” company has been I organized with a very ambitious pro- z gramme. The electrophone is practically i the telephone modified in such a manner as e to serve the purpose of transmitting sound ' from public buildings, such as concert halls, theaters, churches and lecture rooms, to certain centers for redistribution, thence to receiving points by conductors radiating from these centers or exchanges. Thus the public, by the paymen': of a small fee, can hear a portion of the entertainment proceed- ing at one or other of the London theaters. 1Specially constructed transmitters are ‘ placed on the stage of the theater, just in front of the footl'ighte, from whence the sound is conveyed over the wires of the local telephone company to the electro- phone exchanges for redistribution to private subscribers, and to a system; mes-Hm of automatic boxes fitted up in clubs, restaurants, railway stations, hotels and similar places of public resort. So that if a man is indisposed to go out in search of amusement, he can turn on the electro- phone service in his club or hotel, or even in his private house, and have immediately at his command practically the whole range ' of entertainment going on in the city. In ! 3 addition to connection with theaters and other places of amusement, it is proposed to connect the system with churches and e: the law courts. It is even hoped that it le will be possible to obtain the same privilege , d j in the House of Commons- and canny-n} I c. rzlsusoenea Search-lights have became indispensable to steamers of all classes, and in military and naval operations. By their use objects miles away can be revealed and illuminated in the darkest nights, and their powerful beams of light can be thrown in any direc- tion. One of the earliest applications of the search-light in the marine work was to ves- sels passing through the Suez Canal. Form- erly the passage could be made only in daylight, and was very tedious and costly; now the electric light is at the service of every ship as it enters the canal, and the journey is in nearly every case. pursued un- interruptediy. A most excellent innova- ‘ tion has been made by the Suez Canal au- thorities, who have pronounc ad that it shall be obligatory after October 1 next, on all vessels passing through the canal by night, to employ an apparatus for dividing the light of the projector into two divergent rays. Approaching vessels may, by this means, travel right up to each other With- out their respective helmsmen being blind- ed. The diverging apparatus which is to be used has been devised by one of the agents of the company. AN ELECTRIC CLOTH CUTTER. I t is not yet recorded whether the average citizen is able to buy cheaper clothes in con- sequence of the introduction of electrical appliances in tailors’ shops, but there is no doubt that the cost of manufacturing cloth- ing will be much reduced by the general use of a new electrical cloth cutter. This ‘ move !” he éalled out, covering him With his revolver. “I suppose,” he continued, addressing the man he had called Bowles. “that it would have been more correct to ; chain you first and tell my story afterwardS; 1 but I knew you could not give me the slip. That man, boys, was Murphy’s partner in a. contract on this road and tried to get him to swindle the Company. Matt wouldn’t do it and threatened’to show him up,â€"a-nd now that he’s’dead .this fellow takes his revenge out in attacking his character. However he’s so badly wanted at headquar- ters just now that he will keep his mouth shut about Murphy for the next ten years.” IMPROVEMENTS IN SEARCH-LIG HTS. NEWS OF ELECTRICII‘Y. The invention often includes the means for indicating the posxtion of asunken ship, this being accomplished by means of a. buoy connected to a coil of rope. To refloat the vessel a. diver can descend and connect the junction chest with the various compart~ ments, so that by supplying compressed air the water will be ejected and the vessel floated. Other objects of the invention are the prevention of‘fire and the means for extinguishing the same, and also for renti. [athng the cargo. ! But in Case the Invention Falls in this I Will Raise the Ship Anyway. , An English mechanical genius has devis- ‘ed a. method of indicating and stopping a. leak by the use of compressed air. He divides a. ship into air-tight compartments, fitted with doors provided with packing material and connected by tubes witha room on deck called the “ switch-room.” In this room is a. junction chest supplied with com- pressed air from fixed or portable compres~ sors, and so arranged that the air can be delivered to an y of the compartments. Other tubes lead from the compartment from which water can be forced out when requir- ed, and electric indicators are also connect- ed with the switch room to indicate the acmmulation of water in any of the com- partments. Should the vessel “spring a leak” the indicator will show which com- partment is affected, so that the compressed air may be forced in to drive the water out. torâ€"y intelligently to observe and accurately to report what he sees, may reap there a. rich geographical harvest. It would be very interesting to have this big white space on the maps filled with the information that may be had for the seeking. \Vho is the man that will fill this great blank on the map of North America. with the lakes and rivers and other geographical data that ha- long in it? hf Here is a chance for competent and hardy young men to enter this great wilderness. and come out of it again richly laden with facts. There are, to be sure, difficulties in the way of exploring inner Labrador. The interior is not easily accessible. Its rivers are full of rapids and falls. Its summer season is short. It is difficult to replenish food supplies with game, and there are black flies and mosquitos in great abund- ance to make life a burden. In spite of these obstacles however, it is certain that the great wilderness can be traversed in all I directions, and various routes would doubt- : less yield a rich geographical harvest. Prof. ' Packard, of Brown University, last year : suggested several routes to inner Labrador, in following which the geographical results i would certainly be large. THE MISSIONARIES ARE THERE. quI-IBWFSHHJW .â€"â€"v If it were not for the Moravian mission- aries along the ocean border, our knowledge of the tortuous coast would still be very imperfect in spite of the charts of the Brit- ish Admiralty and the United States Coast Survey. The Moravian Society of London and Saxony has produced,from data supplied by these missionaries, approximately correct maps that perhaps for a long time to come will be our only sources of information. Yet even along and near the coast a great deal of information awaits the competent collector of facts. Mountains are imperfect. 1y mapped, and little is known of their height. On our maps of Labrador the rivers, the division of the drainage basins, and other topographic features are most imperfectly laid down. In fact, we do not know the boundary lines of the large drainage basins, ‘ though we are aware that Labrador is a. region of many rivers, some of them large and important, and that it contains a great many lakes. These lakes would give to an explorer a most interesting field of study. The rivers afford only an imperfect system of drainage, and the country is thickly cov- ered with lakes, pools and morasses. MOSTLY SENTIMEST. In a commercial sense, perhaps, not great deal will be gained from the explora' tion of inner Labrador. There is no doubt, however, that an explorer who has sufficient acquaintance with geology and natural his’ TO KEEP SHIPS FhOM SINKING. ,‘_ _ _ ___.â€"_ -.---. v all sides. Subsequent researches proved that Mistassini has not uncommonly large dimensions; and truthful explorers dimin- ished its size in about the same proportion. ?.slthey have reduced the height of the Grand. a Is. Dr. Dawson, in his essay upon the unex- plored parts of Canada, called attention some time ago to the fact that the greatest- area of America, still almost unknown hes within the borders of Labrador. Nearly {the entire interior, embracing an area of 289,000 square miles, two and a half times. as large as Great Britain and lreland, is not so well kno In as the interior of Africa ; and yet,now and then, Labrador has a. geographi-- cal sensation. It was one of the Governmentâ€" surveyors a few years ago who astonished. the geographical world by his discovery that lake Mistassini was as large as lake Ontario. He told of its mighty billows‘ and the water horizon surrounding him on A" .21,, n Three Hundred Thousand Square Nils of Land Not So “'0.“ Known as ven- tral Africaâ€"Lake Mlstnsslnl is as Large as lake Ontarioâ€"~0rand Falls it: Another Niagaraâ€"Part of n is For- tile and Might be Settled. Early last year a newspaper writer call- ed attention to vague reports of a wonder- ful waterfall in the Grand river of Labra. dor. This waterfall was said to be 2,00.) feet high, and the writer, although skepti- cal as to the imposing distance the waters of the Grand river were reported to tumble. expressed the opinion that there was a. splendid opportunity for enterprising young men to spend their vacation holiday in the interior of Labrador clearing up the mystery about the Grand falls. The article was widely copied through the country, and the direct result was that two small expeiitions a few months later pushed up the river, in spite of many obstacles, and. reached the Grand falls. They were found to be well worth a. long journey to see, if they can ever be brought within reach of tourists. But they are not nearly as high as had been reported. A Wonderful Country Yet to plored- LABBADHB THE UNKNOWN; HAS MANY STRONG FEATURES. I N DABKEST CANADA. The plans for the lock-g adian canal at Sault Ste. on View at the Department Canals, in Ottawa. Immense quantities of shipped from Montml th the opening of navigath ' million bushels have been a Dr. J. Berthiaume, of P4 Bureau of Statistics of that ’ . ,the most prominent medics \ will shortly visit Montreal It is generally under-st Deejardina will shortly rec: oration in reward for the I regard to the visiting Ita. (I Mr. James Gamble, whc number of years at Glam 3410 served through the Me Whibgh he is in the receipt of dung of having his name the 1‘01 , on the ground tint â€"_L___ natal-a. ‘zed citizén of the U: EB Nemitz, who was a! in Tom nto, Accused of havi: large amount of je weller; Geneva exhibitors at the w who rev-[med to Chiaao w 0:-.. I.-- . non, '1” been discharged, tab} the ”mphainanc, signifyingl not to continue the PM“ 1}” 81“miner Straits of G goxng through the Snaibs of? struck by W! and wreckedfl Opposition in the House of ( declared himself in favour of It is stated that the Marqu has been ofi‘ered the Order < rendered meant by the deat‘ of Derby, in recognition of h‘ successful oondact of the deli BRITIS H. Mr. Gladstone announced Commons that the Govern to hold an autumn session 0} A meeting held in Loud he financial and business addressed by Mr. galfour, vessel s‘lwefiflevi in saving landing then; at St. Johx ateamer we worth one ht: thousand d‘ollsrs, and this i: by inSUMSes in English eon There is a movement a: bflndfi 0f the Chaudiere in is hour d3}, but i; order not to advan'Age of the mill-owm made their season’s contracl of at. elevcn-hom- day, the mm for the yemaindeg of the se: proportionate reducfifiâ€" ”win 2 hour a. day is emtedtocheu in! if the mill-owners win men's <1eman.._ ilton on FEidgy, "receiving that he died on the followin The Italian Government In cially to recognize the nomi inal Sarto as Patriarch of V1 of the Pope’s decision not the modua vivendi with the A special to the Winnipeg that {Mn 8.. T. Rockeby, exl defunct Qammencial Bank, 1 £___ m- view he hospxtal. for Winnipeé:;l;é;e be $111] self and meet. the charges L:..; M. Charles de Leaseps, ea detectives, was taken from “:edqesgiay and allowed to Ald. Champagne, of 01:1 to the Montreal Minerve, English language and arith; auficiently taught in the B that students, after their: table to enter ordinary merc Owing to the closing dow Englmd mills. hundreds of have been thrown out of e returning to Canada. Their ever, is not to remain in th manently, as most of than 1 ed are provided with return The Hamburg-Americad huben, which is now at struck by an iceberg in p the Straits of Belle Isle on 3 a very narrow escape 1 Among the notable excu pass through Montre‘l be! the season is one to be led Irving, the great English so are trip across the continenl Fred. Gilbert, twenty-om was severely burned about guns whfle‘pleying with m A A Pennsylvanis capilali or coal at Kettle Point bout eight miles north of Q The total amount of w ”,1- Winnipeg dnring the yea é“: bushels, representing 11,1: ‘ Admiral Mnguaghi and ‘ Italian man-oi-War Etna ‘ enthusiastic reception in N ions with France on the A St. Paul, Minn., des] the crop in the North-Wu! be about three-fourths of 1 Manitoba the crops promil tlonally good. The financial depression States :3 expected to have the Canadian lumber baa The captains arriving i that the Straits of Belle of ice and icebergs are we dangerous. ”Jamie Agidison, a. well- St, Agarâ€"cf: Society. 0 fled to present an addn 0rd Aberdeen. A despatch from Ottai 11’: cut in the lumber we : historic on account of i‘ The two young sons of Lrnia. were killed by a no while drivmg over a] i.s daigerougly i171.â€" CANADIAZ

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