DIFFICULTY IN SELECTING MACHINE TO BE USED. -- More Endurance Asked Than of the Locomotive Engine or the Driver, Meteli ret doubt that within & short time one or = apace beings will have tra- veliea from America to Europe, or the reverse, through the air?) Whe- ther this journey is first to be made fn a machine which. is lighter or heavier than the air through which it moves does not yet appear, and/ ,)., §t seems as if this point depends more upon the man than upon the machine. The tunakabts tnip from Paris to Warsaw and returm by Brindejoie des Moulinais was in am aeroplane; while the latest Zeppelin model is specified to have the ability to remain in the air for three days and to have a speed of 60 miles an hour. Either machine should be rendered capable of mak- ing the 1,600 miles between New- foundland and Ireland within 4 period estimated at from 30 to 40) . hours, says the Scientific Ameri- can. elements of difficulty are comparatively few in number and of a nature le of critica] in- vestigation solution on land, with one or two exceptions; al- Ways assuming that sufficient funds |; are ayailable. For the aeroplane the most important thing is the as- surance of the reliability of the motive power; for the dirigible it is probably the maintenance of the tightness of the envelope-and the consequent assurance of the ability of the machine to remein in the air for a long enough time. Strain Upon Human Eaduranee. Fer both machines, however, the human element forms one of the in- determinate features ; the other one _being the possibility of being car- ried far out of the way by reason of fog and by air currents. Assuming that the problem of moti'e power for the aeroplane is capable of. solution, either by im- provements in the design of the en- gine and extreme care. in its con struction or by the duplication 0 af the motive power mrachinery in such a Manner that the navigator may shift immedistely from one en- what is Viétieved to. been 'accomplished with the length of time a dirigible can be maintained afloat, we come to the two indeterminate features al- ready mentioned. There is no doubt that the necessary crew could re- main comfortably enough in the car of a Zeppelin of recent type for the time required for the Atlantic crossing, but it is also evident that it would be a most severe strain upon human endurance to stay in the cramped quarters of an aero- Plane for the period required for the crossing, especially under the inevitable conditions of mental ac- tivity. If we turn for a moment to other and far more highly developed ma- chines for t rtation we find that no thought is given to the im- position of any such strain upon the operator, and that it is as- sumed without question that both machine and man have very definite limitations. trains driver every 300 or 400 miles, while on ooean steamers, where the mo- tive power cannot be relieved, a sufficient number of men is pro- vided to divide the labor into watches, @ving ample opportunity for re recuperation. May Subdivide the Trip. With but few exceptions those who have discussed the problem of crossing the Atlantic through the air have felt themselves bound by the precedent of the steamship, and assumed that a continuous and un- interrupted voyage is a necessity. Tt bas already been pointed out, however, that it is entirely prac- ticable 80 to divide the trip as to bring ite various. portions well within the limits of endurance as vai ' existing steamship lines, it is a that a start from Newfound by wey of Greanland, "i eSant Faroe Norwa: . would give opportunity =~ the the voy into four sections, of not gr differing berths. Fo!- lowing the p of railway pee , end letting each section traversed by ye and machines in relay, it would ample, -to aaee throu; with the the air, tus which is evon "new at our disposal. When this lias en ully accomplished it will be time enongh to think about vig AcROss THE OCEAN -; round to meet your fellow .mem- of four 1 aug neering ee the plan may, : well be examined upon its merits. apse Leg of the Trip. ¥rom 'John's, Newfound- sage? 'to Cape Farewell, Greenland, int the longest leg of one which might be very materially shortened if a satisfactory' starting place could be assured on the coast of Labrador. From Cape Farewell to Reikjavik, Iceland, is' somewhat rter, being 820 miles. These two portions of the voyage, the first traversing Davis Btrait, and the second crossing Denmark Strait, are those in which the difficulties of fog are most apt to be' encountered, although it is possible that the route may pass farther north than the region of dense fog. From Reikjavik to the Faroes is 460 miles, and from the latter it.is 420 miles to Bergan, Norway. \& This makes a journey of 2,640 miles, divided into four iy equal stages, permitting the diffi- culties of endurance, both of man and machine, to be reduced in far greater proportion bringing the question of fuel supply into al- together manageable shape t may be said that such a route a altogether undesirable, because it begine and ends at wholly use- less points, and follows unsuitable pits en route. The gréat thing, ever, at present is to demon- strate the possibility of making the ergssing at all, and this once ac- complished it is probable that im- portant ons would follow. In any case, it must be remem- bered that it is trade routes which |. oreate their own desirability. When all commerce with the Orient was conducted from Venice and Genoa eastward the commercial goths of England was little routes to India and America were opened, which placed the British Islands in the front of the com- merce of the world. Facilities create traffic in all parts of . the globe, and when the routes are es- tablished they can be depended have nevér yet been asked of the locomotive engine or its driver and be well satisfied that the north At- lantic is capable of division inte practicable sections for aerial navi- gation. --_------_k _ THE ABSENT-MINDED AMPERE Forgot a Command to Dine With Napoleon. Ampere, the famous mathemati- cian and physicist, was one of the most absent-minded men that ever lived, as the following story goes far to prove: In September, 1806, Ampere read a learned paper on his researches elon the Academy of Sciences, in Paris. When he had finished his lecture and was about to take his seat, he found, to his surprise, that it was occupied. Greatly agitated, he went to Geoffroy Saint- Hilaire, the present of the, Academy, and said, "Mr. President, I must eal! your attention to fact that some one who is not a member of this body has entered the chamber and taken my seat.' The president replied calmly, "You are mistaken, my learned brother; the person whom you have in mind' is, like ourselves, a fellew of the Academy of Sciences." "How long, I should like ask?' said Ampere "Since Nivose of the year VI,' said the president, who was now entering into the humoy of the situ- ation "And in what Sad inquired the suspicions Ampere. to "In the class of mechanical en- oe my friend," answered Saint-Hilairo, laughing. "Well, that is odd!" cried Am- pere and seizing a calendar of the he ope to the date Saint Hilaire had mentioned, and read: "Napoleon be a fellow of the Academy of Beiences, ch osen ag eg of the ear VI.' ch disturbed, Ampere made all sorts of , and explained that he had not r the em peror on account of his poor eye- sight. ¢ "You see what happens," said Napoleon, ' -you don't get bers. I haye never seen you at the Tuilenes. But now _-- ane you fo come and see to-morro = seven © 'clock you will dine with The next ¢¥ arg ae out one or more sinh the way stations, would mean, in the case of the aeroplane, the provision ij vitation. waited two Rearay he Had long since forgotten the peed of 940 miles, this be-. the and new |. upon to bring many changes in - 1 Sunday "dossers' service," ee B gseen seen here, the two youngsters, who will then a lump of fat. The most astonishing case before th of babies Susanna éonnecting one to e@ Another Pair of 'Siamese'? Twins Born in France. 'e medical world to-day is that d Madeline who were born with a tissue of flesh young ladies, as shown in the raph, 'will be Me: sci time pompele to live in the awkward Medica' d etndying the case with the interest it Tikes, mation of ext about three inches long sg seven inches in thickness, joins the two babies just above the nave noted surgeon and dean of the French Academy of Medicine, will personally perform the operation which he feels omtene will separate men the wo over. 4re A for- Professor Le Filliatre, the ren. bee become, no' were born about six weeks ago at Champagne, Pecace. The ope tion will be a bloodless one, the tissue in substance being similar ie AT A SALVATION ARMY NIGHT SHELTER. An Orderly Tells of His Experience} - With 'the Onteasts of 7 Humanity. . It is five oc menage even- ing. eo SE open the dj piiies day be ing where, many years ago, Geno era} started a small social miesion, which later became world' famous as the Salvation Army, says a writer in London Answers. As soon as the doors are opened the men-begin drifting in. We make them pay. _We have found that the' best means of getting hold of peo- ple is not by offering cbarityn' - y offering something good at ridiculous, price. This, for .a halt penny, we offer tea, coffee, cocoa or soup, and bread-and-butter, cake, pudding, ete. All food is prepared and cooked at our Islington head- quarters, and the great furnace in oe kitchen at this shelter is roaring day and night for the purpose of warming up the food, and so on. A st clean bed is provided for the sum of threepence, which includes use of bathroom, lavatory,' wathhouse, and drying-room. The two last items are much appreciated | : on wet nights, or by those who de- sire to wash their underclothes. Week-end Tickets. While I am at the orderlies are busy serving the tables. We have many "regulars" --flower-sellers, small pedlars, ete.. --who lodge with us every night, For these we have rather better accommodation on a slightly higher scale of charges, Twice a week we: have services in the dining-hall, which are very popular with the: men. lights are out at half-past nine, When the watchman goes his round to take the calls of those who wish to rise early. But, of course, the staff is up all night; and we never refuse any stranger who wants food and bed. If he cannot even find a halfpenny, he has only " ask for the brigadier ; and if hes: a genuine case we take him in. 4 To-night at half-past eleven, an | army of our scouts will go out sup- plied -with tickets, and will scour the darkest cornere of the slums in our cirouit. To any homeless, hun- gry-wanderer they will givea 'ticket and direct him to our shelter. These Saturday night tickets entitle him to hath, leep, and a door other Towards eight and nine o'clock groups, and n meet old} ® friends among them. For the first steps towards reclaiming our men}' ig to find them work, that awakens! THE OUTCASTS OF LORDOK] {streets instead of in a : Sormitors | Many. ter, by the way, is inpilior = dt every evening our visitors come in}! tire to the staff dormitory at the top of the building, and get a well- earned sleep. At half-past. eight, under 1L.0.C. regulations, whole shelter has to be cleared. it is not an imspiriting sight, the dutcasts of humanity might be had they. spent the night in the. rainy warm, clean heesthresking cases go 7 ny. door. I would outs will bring in a bundle of Tain-sodden rags that hardly looks 'as if it could ever have been a man. 'How can you deal scientifically with Food, warmth, and good fellow- | the sturdy, respectable artisan who comes along a few months later to help us in our work is our reward. * CAVALRY LANCE AGAIN. European Armies Now Adopting Weapou Once Discarded. A fortune may be waiting for the person who invents a collapsible) yet strong and serviceable lance, which is rapidly regaining some of its old time favor as a cavalry arm in European armies. For some time back the six Eng- lish regiments of lancers have had their favorite arm restored to them after it had been practically placed on the retired list, or, in other words, reserved for parade pur- poses only. The French dragoons and chasseurs are now also equip- ped with lances, so that, as the papers say, they shall not be be- hind the Prussian Uhlans in this re- spect. The French weapon is the lightest of all; it is a hollow steel shaft nine feet long and it only weighs four pounds. It is claimed to be a-handier and better balanced weapon than the German. The French huesars and cuirassiers will not be equipped with the lance for the present. The latest addition to the cult of the lance is the Russian War De- ble steel shaft nearly 12 feet long gcd weighing close u purposes. The jectio 'to it is that the shaft is in the way when not actively in use, but there mi versally to fold or to shut up like « tale "and yet be instantaneously ready for active use. their responsibility. We never lose} ts, In the Early Hours. All. night long I am at the half- tf fas of them once our pole shows a reer Nene Whatever. : fing T can neyer keep « ag Y shund- You' ul De ve no trouble a ae that kind | i pomaiee itl tho ship, however, work wonders; and} ast imperial glories. The. following story pays well-known benevélence :, Al dressed. in the' Tek peet of mourning, was walking, leaning on & companion's arm, down the Champs Elysees, when an old man, shivering and in rags, passed pain- fully by. Though he did not ask for alms, purse, and was about to place some money in his hand, when a police- man appeared. "I've eaught you at it," he said, placing a heavy hand on the old man's shoulder. | "T arrest you on a-charge of beg- The lady in mourning protested. "You have made a mistake, off- cer,' she said, '"We are merely, settling -an old 'account.' turning to the old man and press- ing a 100 franc note into his hand, "Now our accounts are square,"' she said, with a smile. The old man went his way, calling down in- coherent blessings on his benefac- tress's head ; and the Empress Eu- genie resumed her walk down the avenue toward the Gardens of the Tuileries. EE | Se ee THE TOWER OF SILOAM. Excavators in Jerusalem Uncover | Its Foundations. News of the moi of the founda- tions of the Tower of Si have been received. This was the tower concerning which Jesus is quoted in Luke xiii., 4, as saying: "Those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew, think ye thet they were. sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?' The excavators, aceording to the message, have "'discovered a long, | well-cut Greek inscription, . which speaks of the presbyters and fath- ers with Simonides, laying the foundation of the synagogue, the baths and caravansary.. These baths and the foundations of the synagogue are exptsed. They have found the base of a circular tower which may well be that of the Tow- 4 wibel Thay shave 1 aboien of by Christ. Schinck in the aitian, srrcmgty| (hacght: a a been the oldest, is now shown to be above the spring.' CT eee CRIMINALS ARE COWARDS. Observations of Italian Army Doc- tor During Tripoli Campaign. Major Consiglio, an Italian army doctor, sums up in the Frankfurter Zeitung his observations during the Tripoli campaign of 225 soldiers who had been convicted of various crimes before the war. He says the hardened criminals, ee bold and aggressive toward r superiors and their comrades, a with 'scarcely any exception, cowardly in action: mong the casua] criminals, dri- ing, by drink, or by the spirit of adventure, a few were found who distinguished emselves in the field. Nevertheless, they, too, fre- quently rendered themselves liable to disciplinary penalties; further, they proved themselves incapable of regular work or of a sustained mor- al effort. 'Those who proved themselves best adapted to modern warfare, says the doctor, were men who had been good citizens in times of peace. a ee Phe Chemistr# of Roads. The macadam highways not only wear away as the result of purely ysical processes, but are actually dissolved away -by water carrying carbonic acid and oxygen, says Mr. W. G. Fearnsides. That is, they disintegrate chemically as well as gr In a recent lecture be- fore the Surveyors' Institution in London Mr. Fearnsides declared that this chemical disintegration was of little importance at the sur- face of the road, because the me- "| chanical wear there was 60 much r. But in the foundation, upon which the real life of the road depended, where the stones 'were in evidence in the case of slags, | much used in Bngland for road. sei i ee After the Engagement. Mother--I suppose, dear, met will be coming round to see ter--Oh, that's all | he had seen you < ne eee eee Af 'Norrac OF treme From HER. own tribute to the Empress's ts) ven astray through faulty upbring-| @s¢ that] when OME "SCOTLAND , BANKS AND BRAES. ~~ 'What ts Going on to the Mighlands| ie _ and Lowtands of Auld The proposal as the idea fa ie We -- vies meets with n niversal epproyal. An outbreak of 'typhord fe fever has occurred at tea ate Ferry and is! causing The epidemic. = ee a fever, which caused consternation in Dy- -- seems to have now spent it-! the lady in mourning opened her | Self After 37 years' service in the Ed- inburg police force, Sub- -Inspector Michael McFarlane has retired. Japt. H. pard; chief Pom of Lanark:, 8 re. Kelty folk are determined to make 'their protests. heard at. the' Pbanning of the Sunday picture en- rtainments, Dainage amounting to $25,000 was caused by a fire which occurred at Culter Paper Mills, near Aber- deen. The Scottish professional golf championship is this year to be cided on the North Berwick Burgh course in May. In one week there were 2,250 tons of white fish landed at Aberdeen,} as against 1,750 tons landed the, previous week. The town council of Wick wilh memorialize the Government on the necessity for a large grant for har- bor works. Mr. Duncan Gordon, Montreal, has sent to his native town of Ding. wall his annual gift of $70 to be given. to the poor. It is understood that the Perth new infirmary at Tullybench Ter-1 race, which is rapidly nearing com-' pletion, will be opened early in April. Peter Ferguson, at Limefield Junction, West Calder, has retired from the employ of the Caledonian Railway Cothpany. after 54 years' serv A laiidalide occurred recently at the embankment on the east side of 'the bridge "over River Doon,' Auchendrane, due to the heavy rain: Greenock corporation have es or $200,000. Fire broke out recently in the offices of the American consul at Dunfermline and a _ oonsiderable number of valuable Government records were destroyed. The riggers' loft in Shipyard, Dumbarton, It was stocked with will be very considerable. The hundredth anniversary of the birth of the~ poet Robert Nicoll, called the "second Burns," has been celebrated in Banfoot and on villages in Perthshire.: ls Aesth of Patrick McDonald,' of Maibend Street, Glasgow, sev- ers another of the few remaining Crimean and Indian Mutiny veter. ans. He was eighty-one years of It has been decided by Inverness town council to: ask the surveyor te prepare estimates of the cost of erecting a public washhouse and swimming baths on the Maggot nds. The Marquis of Bowmont, the ins fant son of the Duke and Duchess of Roxburgh, has been made the recipient of a silver porringer from the children of the employes on the ducal estate. Information has been peceived in Aberdeen that the Secretary for ° Scotland has sanctioned the in- crease of pay granted some time ago to sergeants and constables in the Aberdeen police force. Thirty-three cattle were burned to death in an outbreeh of fire at the feta of Newton of Yaone, near Aberdetm Avlarge part of the steading was also destroyed, and the damage is estimated at $15,000. Messrs. William Baird and Oo., Gartssherrie Iron Works, who are at present engaged in rs ey mineral regources in the Islaz of Raasay, are providing accommo- dation for an additional number of workmen, pict Se SA eamiosmien often kept to stew in water f. pa, id the sweet tesexaion" the ¢ nian rh dt be aed om Harry He of water was of serious import. The nd to come out on top some "| rocks particularly susceptible to|day." 'I daresay. He's a getting a this action are feldspar, limestone | bit bald now, isn't he? the nid Ok cotta iron "and sul-| Serce parent. ides. is destructive ea . He--"Bhe has rything -- she action of water is also agi din teak g th "hope her happy !"'