See aaa us special ailment peculiarity, -- »| both found diffic % ae ee at «= 2 One curious instance is the age of | ies ilty in coming downstairs ex- slowly and awkwardly es of coincidence in the | cept very eurious \three were attacked by toothache, | and in each case the same tooth had | |to be removed. There were also named Tuspan, in re is no mistake, he pbusiness--and he would to, for it is one of the trickiest : I know of to enter--but he us the temper of a demon, and his age is, even among sailors, reckoned to be a bit extravagant. Once I took a grain-boat to Tus- pan. We arrived in the evening, ¥ came out to take us in- fo the harbor. There was a heavy- - rolling swell on outside the harbor, and the ship required careful 'in he < g. -- Barney took the wheel, and be- gam, as usual, shouting out direc- _ tions to the men, and every order 'Was accompanied by a hailstorm of THE MOST VIOLENT ABUSE. One of the crew--a lazy German - <who was taking soundings near the wheel, let the lead go without shouting out what the sounding was, and the next instant Barney had hurled an iron handspike at the man's head with all his force. Luckily, it missed its mark, other wise it would have killed the man on the spot.. He didn't forget, how- ever, to call out the soundings again. : Another pilot well known to ship- masters is a man known as "Pinky,". the pilot at Salado, a small port on. the Pacific coast of South America. Pinky is always drunk, but he is the only pilot in the place. *Pinky once took me into harbor when I was sailing with a cargo of pig-iron, and was very deeply load- ed. He was drunk, as usual, when he came on board. I steamed dead slow the whole way into the harbor, and we got in safely, but touched the sand- b once. As we did so, Pinky remarked to me thoughtfully: 'Tt was just about here I got the Jolly Raven on last week, and it took three days to get her off, for she was nigh as deep loaded as you are |"' There is a pilot at Port Davey, in Tasmania, known as "Ruggy." From the time he puts his foot on board a ship until he leaves her he does nothing but FIND PAULT WITH A VESSEL. Some years ago I sailed to Port Davey as second officer on board a trader gga ye to a well-known line. We had one of the men who then owned the line on board, and he was as proud as Punch of his ships, and could not bear to hear a word said against one of them. Well, when Ruggy came on board, he just gave a look round, but did- n't say anything for a few minutes. Then, turning to the captain, who was standing beside the owner, he remarked: "J suppose your owners are right, skipper. Vessels like this aren't worth repainting. (The ship was rather in want of new paint.) It's best to run 'em but and then scrap 'em. if they don't go down be- fore you do!" If anything goes wrong with the ship when in charge of the pilot, the master has to take all the blame, and, often as not, it means the loss of his employment. There was a mam! knew well who _ had been at sea twenty years, when he had the misfortune to strand his ship off the coast of West Africa, There was no damage done to the ship, but a lot of time was lost, and, as the result of this mishap, the skipper was warned that he must be more careful. Well, a cou- ple of years later he took a ship ' with a general cargo to Bagamoyo on the FAST COAST 'OF AFRIOA. _ The entrance ot the harbor is one of the nastiest I know of. It is threaded outside for about a mile with sunken rocks, and it requires very careful handling indeed to get a ship in safely. The pilot who came out to take the ship jammed her between two big rocks, where she stuck fast. The skipper knew that the disaster meant the sack for him, and, in a fit of passion, he took the pilot up jin his arms--the skipper was a giant of a man--and flung him overboard. That was the last that was ever peen of him. The captain disap- peared, too, from the ship that niebt. Whether he shared the fate of the pilot, or whether he got safe- ly ashore no one knew, for-he was never heard of again. Many masters of ships also hold pilots' licenses for certain water- ways which they frequently use, and a special Act of Parliament permitting this was passed in 1849. oo SOME STARTLING CASES. Suffer Pain Sympathy? Improbable though it may seem, there is good foundation for the statement recently made to the Chertsey, England, Board of Guar- dians, that a girl, now sixteen years of age, was struck deaf and dumb when she was two and a half years of age, following the sudden death of her twin sister. Scientific inves- Po Twins Through tigation has revealed some curious! made by spreading a fluffy layer of | ® "Imstances of "sympathy," as it has} been termed, between twins, For| "instance, of thirty-five specially no- | -ticed eases, in no fewer than seven _ There is another case a Government office, one of whom 'of twins in sickened and died of Bright's dis- ease. Seven months later his bro- ther died of the same complaint. 'In nie out of the thirty-five cases, twins found they sickened from the same disease simultaneously, al- though neither was infected by the other. -- Darwin has recorded a French case of two twin brothers, one liv- ing in Paris and the other in Vien- na, who were attacked by rheuma- tic ophthalmia at the same moment. Each was certain, when consulting a specialist, that the other was suffering from a like complaint, and mentioned the fact. Subse- quent letters confirmed this. This case recalls that of the twin sons of a Birmingham manufactur- er, who were passionately attached to one another. For close upon twenty years they had never been separated. Then one of them came to London. One day he was knocked down by an omnibus and killed. At the identical moment, as it was afterwards proved, that the accident occurred, the brother in Birmingham complained of be- ing attacked by sharp and violent pains in the head, and he, too, died a few days later from some mys- terious disease that the doctors failed to diagnose. CLOTHING THAT WON'T BURN MADE FIREPROOF BY CHEMI- CA LTREATMENT. -- Flannelette Refuses to Blaze Up When a Torch Is Ap- plied. Dr. William Henry Perkin, Pro- fessor of Chemistry at Victoria Uni- versity, Manchester, England, and discoverer of a process for the per- manent fireproofing of al] kinds of cotton goods, lecturing at the Col- lege of the City of New York, gave a practical demonstration of the success of his discovery as applied to the cotton goods industry. Dr. Perkins hit upon his discov- ery by virtue of inheritance, it was jocularly explained by one of his brother chemists at the opening of his lecture, his father having been Sir William Perkin, discoverer of the process of making colors from coal tar. For all that, Dr. Perkin replied, it took about ten thousand experiments and months of labor to hit upon the secret which has meant so much in the reduction of fatalities in factories and other fires. It was back in 1638 when the idea of making inflammable material non-inflammable was first suggest- ed. Chemistry owes tat sugges- tion to Nikolas Sabattini, Dr. Per- kin explained, The years lapsed, however, and not until the world had witnessed a few disastrous the- atre fires was there any agitation to follow out that suggestion. Several kind of "temporary fire- proof" dress goods had in fact ap- peared before the twentieth cen- tury, but when washed in water these goods were no more proof against fire than tissue paper. Something was lacking, and it re- mained for Dr, Perkin to show what that was. He found the missing- link about ten years ago when a cotton weaving firm of Manchester especially employed him to contin- ue the experimentation where oth- ers had left off. He had to find a substance which would adhere to cotton fibre, which would continue to adhere to it in spite of washing, and which would leave no unplea- sant odors when subjected to the heat of the wash boiler. "ELBOW GREASE' PROBLEM. The one big problem, Dr. Perkin explained, was to overcome the "elbow grease" of the powerful washerwomen, augumented by the modern washing machine and the use Of all kinds of strong soaps. Finally everything was overcome and the method he employed he gave as follows: "The cotton material is run through a solution of sodium stan- nate of approximately 45 degrees Tw. in such a manner that it be- comes thoroughly impregnated. It is then'squeezed to remove the ex- cess of the solution, passed over heated copper drums in order to thoroughly dry it, after which it is run through a solution of ammon- ium sulphate of about 15 degrees Tw. and again squeezed and dried. Apart from the precipitated stan- nic oxide., the material now con- tains sodium sulphate and this is removed by passing through water ; the material is then dried and sub- jected to the ordinary processes of finishing. A -long series of trials, carried out under the most strin- gent conditions, have conclusively proved that material, subjected to this process, is permanently fire- proofed. No amount of washing with hot soap and water will re- move the fireproofing agent, or in other words, the property of resist- ing flame lasts so long as the ma- terial itself lasts." The experiments on the stage of the auditorium proved the chemist's assertion. A rack was erected and strips of flannelette were suspended with an identical section of the ma- curious cases of coincidence in the | terial for ten seconds or so. Dr. falling off of the hair. oe Perkin did not maintain that the material which had been chemical- ly treated would not burn, for that would have made it equivalent to asbestos. He simply tried to show that any flaring flame or any ordi- nary contact with heat would not affect the treated material, where- as i would wholly consume the un- treated specimens of terial. : The greatest test of all came near the conclusion of the lecture, when Dr. Perkin dragged out from a handbag an old faded rag which might have been "that old red flan- nel shawl which mother wore,"' but which was really a lamentable fragment of a yellow petticoat which had been worn by the daugh- ter of a certain washerwoman in Manchester for four whole years, which had been washed by hand twenty-five times, washed in a washing machine thirty-five times, and which suffered untold agonies at the mercy of alkaline and acid soaps, but which, in spite of all this, was guaranteed to retain still its original Perkin non-inflamma- bility. A torch was touched to the petticoat. Some in the audience held their breath. But there was no cause for alarm. The petticoat will live to see another lecture by the eminent Dr. Perkins, for not a thread would burn. te A KNIGHTLY KING. -- the same ma- How Young Italian King Ruled His Spanish Subjects. The numerous experiments tried and rejected by the Spanish nation during the last.century included the short-lived government of 1871-3, when a very worthy prince, Ama- deus of Savoy, second son of the great Victor Emmanuel, undertook the difficult business of being King of Spain. Amaeus had to contend not only with the Republicans and with those who desired the restora- tion of the Bourbon dynasty, but also with the corntry's rooted pre- judice against "the foreigner." In a book entitled "The Secret His- tory of the Court of Spain" are given instances of that bravery that won for the young Italian king the admiration, at least, of his Spanish subjects. On a hot evening the king and queen. were returning to the palace after listening to some music in the gardens of the Buen Retiro. Sud- denly a vehicle opposed the passage of their carriage by crossing just in front. The coachman checked the horses and prevented a collision, but just then a shot was directed toward the royal party. At this the king sprang boldly to his feet, and exclaimed : "Here is the king! Fire at him, not at the others !" But no further attempts were made at assassination, and the re- tinue reached the palace in safety. To the king the late hours of the court were particularly disagree- able. At work at six in the morn- ing, he rang for his breakfast at eight. Astonishment was on the lackey's face; it had never been eustomary for their ex-majesties to be served before eleven o'clock! So Amadeus, to avoid friction, adopted the habit of going to a cafe for his early meal. _ Thus the maids, who sally forth in Madrid with baskets on their arms, would often return to tell their mistresses how they had brushed against his majesty as they did their business in the market- place. In one of these early peregrina- tions Amadeus noticed that Caste- lar, the famous leader of the Re- publican party, raised his hat to him. Surprised at this sign of re- spect from the enemy, the young man stopped, and said that he wen- dered that one of Castelar's opin- ions should salute proyalty. "My salute was not to royalty, sire,' replied the orator, with the grace of the Castilian, "but to the bravest man in Christendom." wi NIAGARA'S RIVALS. Victoria Falls, Central Africa, Are a Hundred Feet Wigher, When an idea becomes firmly rooted in the minds of the general public it is hard to disturb. Ask the next friend or acquaintance you meet which 1s the greatest water- fall in the world, and he is almost certain to reply, without the slight- est hesitation, "Niagara."' As a matter of fact; Niagara does not hold the palm by any means. The Victoria Falls in Central Africa are quite a hundred feet: higher than Niagara. In the neighborhood of Bramaputra, too, is an enormous series of falls, by which a vast river deseends over a mile in avery short length of its course; but this tre- mendous waterfall is in the almost inaccessible heights of the Hima- lavas. In British Guiana a fall has been discovered of recent years with a sheer drop of 300 feet--nearly twice that of the higher of Niagara's two falls. In British Guiana, too, there is another fall more than 600 feet deep. The American Fall at Niagara is 1,060 feet wide, and the soniewhat shallow water falls some 167 feet. The Canadian Fall, more commonly known as the Horse Shoe, forms a majestic curye of 3,010 feet, and a sheet of water 20 feet in thickness takes a plunge of 158 feet. oe, bie GEMe Sass ANSWERED ? from that rack. This material, cotton wool over calico was chosen, | it was explained, because it was the commonest material found among the poor of England's popu- dregs "Vou, there, in the overalls,' houted the cross-examining law- yer, telling un-truths ?" "Less than you are,' retorted the witness, "or you'd be in over- did both twins suffer from some | lation and because in its unadul- | alls, too.'? * |THE RUBBER MONSTERS ¢ ith} THE PUTUMAYO. when the torch remained in contact |. "how much are you paid for} .},, Nameless Inhumanities Suffered By Men, Women and Chil- Sige dren, : =F the treatment of British colonial subjects and native Indians em- 'ployed in the collection of rubber in the Putumayo District fills a British Blue Book of 165 pages. 1] is for the most part a record of bar- barities committed by white men, barbarities like those with which the natives of South and Central America and Mexico were treated by their Spanish conquerors. This cold official account of nameless in- humanities suffered by men, women and children at the hands of the monsters of the rubber traffic can- not but sicken with horror all who read it, and inflame them against the guilty. If this Parliamentary paper were distributed broadcast throughout. Europe and America, we believe it would kindle a feeling of wrath that would force the Peru- vian Government and the other Governments concerned to wreak vengeance on the agents and the beneficiaries of these awful crimes. If any go unpunished, it will in- deed be a deep disgrace to civiliza- tion. THE WASTE OF LIFE. In communications to Sir Edward Grey, Oonsul-General Sir Roger Casement makes several state- ments that must sink into the mind of all who read them. Some of them are here reproduced :-- "That the Indians under this ruthless system were now admitted to have fallen from 50,000 (the fig- ure given by the Peruvian Consul- General at Manaos, in his official reports of 1908), to not more than 8,000 in 1911, seems of no account to those exploiting them--although in that interval the output of Putu- mayo rubber has also fallen from 645,000 kilog. in the former year to some 236,000 kilog. in 1911. There are still enough Indians 'to go round.' The disappearance of the London company as an active fac- tor restricts the necessity of profit finding to a narrower field. While it needed a heavy output of hun- dreds of tons of rubber in 1906 upon which to found an appeal to British investors or speculators in 1907 for a hoped-for eapital of £1,000,000, a diminished yield of only 200 tons will still maintain many families and individuals on the spot. The fate of the Indian supporter of this fabric of civilized society is of no account. The shortsighted policy which ends in working him to death, and denuding whole regions of their entire population, is only what has been the-settled custom and practice of well-nigh 400 years of Iberian oceupation of that part of the world."' : TERROR AND OPPRESSION. "In the Amazon territories of Peru--the great region termed the Montana--the entire population, it may be said, consists of native In- dians, some brought into close touch, as at Iquitos and in the set- tled mission centres of the Ucayali, with white civilization, but a great proportion of them, like those on the Putumayo, still dwell in the forest, a rude and extremely primi- tive existence. To these remote people civilization has come not in the guise of settled occupation by men of European descent, accom- panied by executive control to as- sért the supremacy of law, but by individuals in search of Indian la- bor--a thing to be mercilessly used, and driven to the most profitable tasks--rubber getting--by terror and oppression, That the Indian has disappeared and is disappearing rapidly under this process is noth- ing to these individuals. Hnough Indians may remain to constitute, in the end, the nucleus of what is euphemistically termed a civilized centre. The entire absence of gov- ernment, which has not kept pace with the extension of revenue- yielding communities, has left the weaker members of these communi- ties exposed to the ruthless greed of the stronger. The crimes of the Putumayo, horrible as they are, have their counterpart, I am as- sured, in other remote regions of the same lawless forest--although possibly not to the same terrifying extent. UNDER BRITISH AUSPICES. "Tn this instance the force of cir- cumstance has brought to. light what was being done under British auspices--that is to say, through an enterprise 'with headquarters in London and employing both British capital and British labor--to rav- age and depopulate the wilderness. The facts that this British company should possibly cease to direct the original families of Peruvian ogigin who first brought these forest fvares (50,000 slaves) to the English mar- ket will not, Icapprehend, mater- ially affect the situation on the Putumayo. "The Arama syndicate still termed itself the Peruvian Amazon Company (Limited) up to the day of my leaving Iquitos on the 7th December last. The whole of the rubber output of the region, it should be borne in. mind, is placed upon the English market, and is conveyed from Iquitoes in British bottoms. Some few em- ployes in its service are, or were when I left the Amazon, still Bri- tish subjects, and the commercial future of the Putumayo Gf any com- mercial future be possible to a re- gion so. wasted and mishandled) must largely depend on the amount of foreign, chiefly British, support those exploiting the remnant of the Indians may be able to secure." sR lee) Vea would be far fewer sorrows nd if men--God knows so formed--made less imaginations in recall- ing the memory of past sorrow than in. bear patiently their present lot.-- Goethe. | MANY TRICKS THE CONVICTS The -eorrespondence > respecting | i a 'Tell all Kinds of Tales in Regard to = Their Health--Ladies Good ae for a day, do you?" said a prison doctor to a London Answers' repre- sentative. "Then I'd better give you a few wrinkles. -- <n "Now, whatever you do, don't ar- rive later than half-past nine in the merning; if you're wanted earlier they'll send for you. The gate- keeper will give you a bunch of keys. Fasten them by the chain to some reliable button; it's a crime to mislay them. Go straight to your office, pick up the list of com- plaining sick, and start work. -- "'There may be only thirty or for- ty names down; perhaps twice that number. They're sure to be scat- tered all over the premises, and each man must be visited in his own cell. No. 1 may be lying in bed, with just enough breath left to in- form you that it is his heart, and he feels that he's goin' off sudden like. "Don't, for goodness' sake, hu- mor him, or he'll be a permanent patient. Remind him of the suet- pudding he had for dinner the pre- vious day, order him a dose of salts, and, in his hearing, instruct the warder to send him to his work and report him for malingering if he doesn't go. He'll go. 'Two or three may want to be fitted with spectacles, and another may not be able to wear his boot because of AN INFLAMED BUNION. "A pair of soft slippers for a short time will put him right. -- Don't make the mistake of thinking they're all 'putting it on,' because they've not; often the ones who say least are the worst. Don't be spar- ing of orders to the infirmary. "Tt doesn't cost much, and saves a lot of awkward questions in case of an inquest. Inquests in jail are very tiresome. "But to return to the morning's work. I¢ will take you a good hour and a half to polish off the males, and you have yet to visit the female side, and that's where the real 'fun' comes in. "The ladies can 'tell the tale,' if anybody can. Unlike the men, they'll shriek and swear, comment unfavorably on your personal ap- pearance and on that of the ward- ress who accompanies you--you ne- ver visit female prisoners alone-- and often for no greater cause than that you've ordered one thing, when she knows from experience that it does her 'no good,' while a dose from that big bottle would set her right in a minute. "By the time you finish if is near- ly twelve o'clock, and time to go to luncheon. Don't go until you make sure that you've left all your books in order for the compounder. "Most of the afternoon and even- ing will be filled up in examining THE INCOMING PRISONERS. The 'Black Marias' keep on dis- gorging until you think they're ne- yer going to stop. '"'A hundred and fifty to two hun- dred men and women look a lot. I dare say you'll think some of them look a sight, too, poor beggars, as they hobble into the reception ward, unwashed, unshaven, un- shorn. "Be careful to note all injuries-- black eyes, bruises, cut heads--and enter on prisoners' records, and in the medical register; then you will be able, if required, to prove that the injuries have not been inflicted in prison. "At the least show of weakmind- edness, put them under observa- tion. Don't leave the reception wards until you've seen every man, woman and child. Don't overlook the child; several of the women may have one each--perhaps twins--un- der twelve months. Next, satisfy yourself that there are no further sick calls, and then go home, '"'Your day is done, unless you hear a ring on the telephone to say that you are required. "Notsuch a soft job as you think, and yet it is softer than that of the head doctor; for, you know, I.M ONLY THE DEPUTY. "He's bound to supervise the whole concern, and bear the brunt of all that goes wrong. True, he gets five hundred a year and a nice house. for doing it, not to mention a pension when he's past his labor. He must daily visit the male and female hospitals, the ereche, pun- ishment wards, and 'sick officers; see to the sanitation of the prison, work-shops, and officers' houses; examine candidates for the service ; examine and sample prisoners' food and the ingredients used in the pre- paration of it; attend court, if re- quired, to give evidence as to the mental state. of any prisoner. Of course, he is bound to be in the front row at an execution, and at the cutting down and inquest. "The "old man' hasn't anice job, yet I'm trying all I know how to get his shoes. when he's finished with them." ee -. SHE: WAS WILLING. The check which the comely young German woman handed in at the window of a savings-fund bank the other day was*made payable to Gretchen H. Schmidt, and she had indorsed it simply . Gretchen Schmidt. The man at the receiv- ing-teller's. window called her back to rectify' the mistake just as she was turning away. "Vou don't deposit this quite this way,' he explained. "See, you have forgotten the H." The young woman looked at her check and then blushed a rosy red. '*Ach, so I haf," she murmured, and wrote hurriedly; A pe 93.7, oes Think you'd like to try my" job ie A PEW BRIEF WORDS WITH / | THEIR PARENTS. ---- -- No One Friends Upon Their Chil -- dren. . . A lot of the very best-intentioned 'parents fail to do their duty to their children where the latters' friends are concerned--often, in- deed, fail to recognize the exis- tence of any such a moral or paren- tal duty. © ' The importance of the friends made by children can hardly be over emphasized; the influence which they have upon moulding the child's character is immense. Par- ents ought to give quite as particu- lar--indeed, more so--attention to the friends and associates of their children as they do to the clothes they wear, the. reereation they take, and the food they eat. There is a certain type of person who, fully recognizing the impor- tance of good friends to their boys and girls, declare that it is better for the children to have an entire- ly free choice in the matter. To an extent this is right, but it is an. at- titude which must be ruled by limi- tations--an attitude which speedily changes from good to bad if car- ried too far. By all means, allow children to exercise their own discretion and choice in the selection of their per- sonal friends, but, at the same time, the wise parent can--and will --with tactful care guide the choice along the right pathways. Above all, no one should ever try to force friends upon 'their children. Friend- ships cannot, under any cireum- stances, be made to order. LET THE CHICKS CHOOSE. Again, it is quite possible--in- deed, probable--that the children may choose friends entirely oppo- site to their parents' anticipations. There must necessarily be some dis- appointment for the latter in the matter. \It must be remembered that:in all friendships the most contrary natures seem to attract each other. It is quite possible, too, that children may make downright un- tdesirable acquaintances. When this occurs, the greatest. tact needs to be exercised, if the mistake is to be rectified. As a general thing, it is most unwise for parnets to insist upon the instant and immediate re- nunciation of the acquaintance. Whether reasons are given or not ---whether the order is unquestion- ably obeyed by the child--there will ever after be a little rift between child and parent. It is far better for parents to smother their per- sonal feelings, and--so long as there is nothing extraordinarily serious--to let things go on, until the child. discovers his'or her mis- take itself. The discovery may hurt, but it is a good hurt to incur. THERR RIGHTS. Another thing. Parents ought more generally to recognize the rights of their children's friends. If this were done, boys and girls would be kept nearer, there would be less crying out as years go by that the children never pass their time at home. In ninety per cent. of the cases where young people prefer to spend all their spare time away from home, the original fault lies with the parents--and frequent- 'ly the prime reason lies in the way the young friends were treated. The slighting--intentional or un- intentional--of children's friends by mother er father sows seeds of bitter feeling never dreamt of. When parents say: "Oh, it's only Jack's friend. It won't matter put- ting him off!" Jack begins to get bitter. It may be that the boy makes mountains out of molehills-- there is little doubt that it is often the case in such matters--but it is well to remember that the molehills of later life are the mountains of childhocd. WELL WORTH WHILE. It would be well if there was a real place in every home for the children's friends. Tt is quite a good plan to give the children a sit- ting-room of their own, whete they ean--always within reason---invite and entertain their friends. Tt may mean the sacrifice of a drawing- room or a spare bed-room, but it is a sacrifice which: will be amply re- paid. Tt is easy when a boy or. gir) makes bad friends for thetr paronts to sav. 'they never met them at home." _Most such parents would find it more dificult to answer, if tasked, as to what friends they did meet at home. It is hardly possible for parents to seck too early to bring their children into touch with the right kind of friends--such as will help them to nobility and strength, and assist in forming character, Tt may, mean sacrifice and tronu- ble, but. it ig trouble which is well worth while.---London Answers, aS MOSS TACTFUL. Judge--"You are a freeholder?" Talesman--"'Yes, sir; I am."' Judge--"Married or single ?"' Talesman--"Married three years | last June."' Judge--"Have vou formed. or ex- pressed any opinion ?" care Talesman--"Not for three years, your honor."' VY GRAINS OF GOLD. Prosperity demands of us more prudence and moderation than ad- versity.--Cicero. A woman is notea leader of man except in so far as she leads him by the little finger.--Lady Tree. The fact that truth hes at the bottom of. a well is probably the | reason why the truth is often so * Should Eyer Try to Foree pose CIENTIS SOME 5 'Latest Sea Serpent From the Captain of th tish Ship FI Mr. John-Elfreth Watkins prompted to investigate ' pent subject, and to find ou sible, if there are such thi serpents. There are three on this..question, one great mass of the public effect that engine no held b le who have see! and the third and safe posi cupied by the leading se who say that there may is certainly no reason to 8 that we know all the secrets ocean, and that there are 0 beasts of the field, birds of nor creatures of the deep that not been seen and identified man. It is only a few years since Sir Harry Johnson discov: an entirely new variety of quadruped in Africa, and enty. gists are frequently adding to, collection specimens not previo known to exist. So it may be the scientists, with the sea sery One cannot positively know there are no suclr creatures days. All he can know is that. ore were once such reptiles, and that stories of their having been 8¢ in modern times are not usual verified. A MODERN PLESIOSAURUS,. The latest sea serpent sto! comes from the captain of the Bri tish ship Fly, who states that w beealmed in the Gulf of Florida twelve fathoms of water, he crawling along the bottom an ¢ traordinary lizard-like monst with [Shg serpent-like neck, short tail, and four flippers like those a turtle. This is an excellent de: cription of a plesiosaur, which t skipper doubtless never heard of, and it is considered rather remark able that he should have so exact described a monster known once to have dwelt in these waters if he say nothing more like it than the er tures that have been seen there of late years. The plesiosaur is know to have sometimes been 100. feet long, and it is said that its eye were three feet in diameter. known that several varieties shark that are found to-day were contemporaries of the plesiosanr, The captain of the Fly evidently saw something extraordinar crawling along the ocean bed. Was it mere coincidence that he shoul have described a creature science admits at one time to have inhabi- - ted the Gulf? . ras SHARKS NOT SERPENTS The expert at the Smithsonian Institute says that there are no monster sea serpents in exist to-day. It is possible, howeve that there are some of the shar tribe as yet unidentified that would give a reptilian appearance whe swimming in the water. Not 7 ago a rather small snake-like shark: was discovered, and it is concei able that had this creature ~ much larger it would have ans to the general description of sea serpents reported by Vc¥acious and other witnesses. These sharks, which would be related to the frill- ed shark of Japan, would have an eel-like body, and a fin back of the head. Dr. Gill believes that mem- bers of the shark tribe are respon- sible for those of the sca serpent stories. that are not simple fakes Sharks frequently grow to be from fifty to sixty feet long. They often travel in pairs. Suppose that a pair of these monsters were bas ing on the surface of the water, they frequently do, one behind other. It would be-ecasy ¢noi for the startled beholder to believe that he was in the presence of a sea, serpent. D THE BISHOP'S STORY. It is some such explanation # Dr. Gill gives of the famous-sea s pent reported by Erik Pontopidd 3ishop of Bergen, who wrote mo than a century and a half ago d eribing strange marine monste and even mermaids, that-he claimed to have seen, Tt is reasonable to suppose that. the Bishop, being holy man, vaw@something, and monster that he most, part describes Dr, Gill helieves to been a cuttlefish or gigan: It was represented mh . portion of its body of the and with a lar neck. Its tail ing and ended while from its water or-yapor. ' modifications as ot cuttlefish might sit for this picture. Assume that the Bishop mistook the tail of the fish for the head of the serpent the fins on the tail would eorr pond to the frill about. the ne and one of the great fish's curved arms would be the spiral tail. The: jet of vapor, of course, would be from the syphon of the fish by which it propels itself, The Federal Bureaw of Bigh in the United States has investiga ed several sea serpent efories.°G: erally nothing Was seen, bution occasion a real find appeared to have been made when a gigantic snake was discovered, Later on.# was learned that the snake w. ebeaes the property of a. t had died on shipboard, an been thrown into the water, to terrify a number of people saw tt. On another occasi body of a badly decom the fisherman who it. When a "genuine s was said to have been found, vestigation of. the skeleton. stumps that had | fearfully watered:--H. D. Gastit. that it had been manuf Kea: