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5: : urns-31mg: W5! fim'flm‘mtnmirmya ,1- l. I“ vvr . mm“;- t»: .. . "-in 9:: . .5.» “Wm . swanâ€"M ». «:2 :A..L'r.‘n ‘_.‘...-«x» _ . ti: in" "‘.1":‘”4A~;§:;f ' _,.waw.»mmu-~me__mm . ._ «and..- ‘fi'nrtz‘mmr: m}- at; i - “ _ 1’3“: magma w A... .1” . 5 '4: 3.; :2 -xmw‘m‘: A- ..c-.n£fb. :v‘ww'r r - ~:w~,...~:-z~‘ 'v' ‘ ~. Sfifihge 9, l l l I i vxfifflfifil‘é‘i‘é' T be: _ iii; UilllKPlT OF "EUROPE. POWERS senileâ€"me. MILLIONS IN THE WEST INDIES. Great Britain’s Strategic Posiâ€" tions and Her Efforts to Strengthen Them. As the cutting of the Isthmian Canal by the United States became more and more probable in the last few years, the European nations holding territory in the Caribbean Sea began strengthening the fortifiâ€" cations ef their chief strongholds there at the cost of millions of dolâ€" lars. Now that the United States have decided to complete the Panaâ€" ma ditch they are straining every nerve to complete their schemes of fortification and to improve their strategic positions on what will be the second trade route of the world, if not the first. England has led the Way in this matter, France has fol- lowed suit at Martinique and Guadeâ€" loupe, and even little Holland has been spending a good deal of money on the defences of Curacoa and Sur- inam. A glance at the map of the West Indies will show the position of Engâ€" land in relation to the-Panama Canal. Jamaica has always been her centre of offence and defence in the West Indies. From Jamaica she sent her fleets to fight the French and'the Spaniards in the days ofI Rodney and Nelson. Jamaica must necessarily be the central point of any West Indian naval manoeuvres in which England is concerned. It happens by a stroke of luck for England that Jamaica is the strateâ€" gic key of the Panama Canal. All ships going or coming through that waterway must pass within a short distance of Port Royal. The tourist who enters the smiling harbor of Port Royal is impressed by the perâ€" fect peacefulness of the scene. His ship glides swiftly through water as smooth as glass towards ranges of verdant mountains sloping down to the water’s edge. Nowhere is there the slightest sign of war or war- like prep-arations, yet few places are SO STRONGLY DEFENDED. The tourist does not know that the pressure of a button ashore would blow up his ship, for the entrance to the harbor is a network of subâ€" marine mines. Nor does he know that those smiling, greenâ€"'clad hills contain a dozen mask-ed forts, armed with guns, some of which are cap~ able of throwing a shell ten miles or more. » Port Royal has been regarded for many years as practically impreg- nable by British naval and military authorities, who call it the Gibral- tar of the Caribbean. Many mimic 'attacks have been made upon it by land and sea, but it has always re- pelled the invaders. Once the entire British North Am~ erican squadron, including a score of battleships, cruisers and destroyers, made a sudden night attack. The ships wore detected before they could get near the harbor’s mouth. Twenty searchlights from the forts were concentrated on them, and the hills belched a hurricane of fire. In ten minutes, according to the um- pires, every ship was sunk or cripâ€" pled. Yet the B1‘itislf"\Va1‘ Office and Admiralty are not satisfied with Port Royal. Every month they are ' sending out fresh men and fresh guns to strengthen the fortifications. Two new forts are now being constructed at fresh points, four others are planned, and all are to be armed with the latest type of 12-inch dis- appearing gun. These new forts are cos-ting mil~ lions of dollars, and millions more will have to be spent before the preâ€" sent scheme of fortification is comâ€" pleted. Like all other Port Royal forts they are being constructed so that they will be invisible from the sea, and offer absolutely no mark to an attacking fleet. They are built right down in the earth and the enemy will have to batter down the hillside before he destroys the forts and dismounts the batteries. The military authorities of Ja~ maica guard, these forts rigidly and ’nobody is allowed to inspect them. Tourists who have tried to photoâ€" graph them, or to bribe the senâ€" tries to let them inside, have often GOT INTO SERIOUS TROUBLE and only escaped going to jail by the inteifvention of their consul. It is commonly believed in the British army that valuable ordnance secrets are guarded in these forts, as all offiâ€"‘ cers assigned to duty in them have to undertake to reveal nothing they see, even to their brother officers outside. The )Vest Indies are of enormous extent. A man who ' only knows them on the map can hardly appre- ciate the vast area of sea they cover. The long chain of Windward and Leeward islands, nearly all of which belong to England, are a full thousand miles from Jamaica.‘ In time of war they would be in a perâ€" ilous position, if they relied on Port Royal hs the only fortified coaling station for the fleet defending them. Ships cooling at Port Royal would have 'to work their way 950 miles to windward before they could get to a point near these islands at which a naval battle would be likely to take place, or before they could reach Martiniqueor Guadeloupe, supâ€" . posit-5 they-had to, blockade'. those places in t‘ event of a war, with 'Franm. 235? he time they got there a. large portion of their coal would 1‘70 expended and their efficiency con- _ sequently impaired. For this reason, it was deemed necessary by the re- cent Royal Commission on Coaling Stations to fortify the port of Castries, in St. Lucia. This place is also being very much strengthened now, but not so much money is be- ing spent upon it as upon Port Royal. Castries is a natural fortress which can be defended with little trouble. Castries Bay runs for sev- eral thousand yards inland, and the entrance is very narrow. One fort [could easily hold it. There are sur- rounding positions on the land side, {held by small bodies of troops, 'which would render it exceedingly difficult for an enemy to get posses- sion of the harbor, except by gigan- tic operations which, naval experts say, could hardly be made by any European nation so far away from its base. THE WEAK POTNT with each of these growing fortresses is that neither Castries nor Port Royal is able to repair even a tor- pedo boat, let alone a cruiser or a battleship. A warship coming there damaged from a naval battle could get coal, but she could not get reâ€" paired nearer than Bermuda. ! The French possess a splendid graving dock at Martinique, where the largest ship of war can be re- fitted in case of accident or damage in battle. Millions of francs have recently been Spent on this deck and the fortifications which surround it. | The British authorities contemâ€" ‘plate providing Port Royal with either a graving or a floating dock, While that at Bermuda, at a prob- able cost of not less than $2,500,- 000. It should be noted. also, that many millions of dollars have been spent within the last two years in .strengthening- the fortifications of the dockyar-ds and coaling stations at Bermuda and Halifax. England is also starting '- some minor fortifications at Portâ€"ofâ€"Spain, Trinidad, and that colony is to be garrisoned by British as well as local troops. The garrison at Barâ€" badoes is also to be strengthened. It is said that the British North American and West Indian Squadâ€" ron is soon to be increased by half of its present strength, when the ships now under construction in British dockyard's are launched. Just at present ’there is not a single battleship in this squadron. France is determined not to be left behind in the race for power and prestige in the West Indies. She has spent huge sums on the defences of Martinique and Guadeloupe, but the results have not been altogether satâ€" isfactory, the Government alleging that full return for the money exâ€" pended was not made. But mom millions are to be spent, and this time, no doubt, they will be' more carefully looked after. Meanwhile, the French squadron in the Carib- bean is being , CONSTANTLY STRENGTHENED. Even Denmark, like Holland at Curacoa and Surinam, is improving her forts at. Christianstad, on St. Croix. .7 . Germany has no foothold in the Caribbean, but the opinion enter- tained by not a few persons that she means to make a bid for one sooner or later is shared by naval officers and .residents in the west Indies. Last January the writer was talk~ ing on the subject with the captain of one of the British warships then blockading the Venezuelan coast. “There’s no doubt," said the omâ€" cer, "that the Germans want a coalâ€" ing station here very badly. have made a bluff of'wanting one in Hayti and on the Isle of Marâ€" garita, but the place they really want is Guanta. You know it ? Well, isn’t it an ideal spot for a coaling station ? It could be as easily defended as Castries. A loveâ€" ly harbor, perfectly safe, a good depth of Water, and room enough for any fleet. The climate is excellent, supplies and provisions are readily obtainable, and the heights around the harbor could be easily fortified so as to make the place impregnable even with a small garrison. The strategic position is all that could be desired in relation to the Carib- bean ancl the Panama Canal. Mark my words, that is the place the Ger- mans have set their heart on trying to get sooner or later. They will have to fight for it at first,” said the Captain to some one in the audience. “‘Well, from what I have heard the German officers say, they seem to reckon on doing. that,” was the re- ply. A conviction prevails in the West Indies that Germany intends, within a few years, to make a. very tempt- ing bid for the Danish Antilles. By that time her navy will be greatly strengthened, and if she can effect the purchase, she might, so the West Indians think, insist that the Monroe Doctrine can not legitimately prevent one European Power from transferring its American possessions to another. the West Indies for centuries were the cockpit of Europe. The navies of England, ‘France, Spain and Hol- land battled for national supremacy in the Caribbean Sea. '- European and military strategists now in. the Caribbean are of the opinion that the fate of the world may be decided there again, when the West Indies are restored to more than their old importance by the construction of the Panama Canal. They hold ‘that‘ this, is the..-obvio.us inference from the strenuous efforts of their position there at (the cost of millions of dollars. oneâ€". They . However this may be, ' HIS MAJESTILS TRUPHIES. THE KING’S “curs,” AND HOW HE WON THEM. ._._ King Edward Is a. Great Sport..- man and 'I-‘Ias Won Many Valuable Prizes. The famous cutter “Britannia,” which his Majesty, while still Prince of Wales, owned for upwards of five years, was for her first two seasons the» most successful racingâ€"yacht afloat. During the time she was in the King’s possession she started in 226 races, and won 122 first prizes, and 25 other prizes, of a combined value of $49,765. This record has never been equalled by any other yacht afloat. Many of the splendid cups which grace the royal sideboard are trophies won by this splendid vessel ; but all the prizeâ€"money, with true kineg generosity, was divided among the crew. The King himself has often been aboard his craft dur- ing her most exciting races. At such times Mr. Jameson, the designer, usually took the tiller. Captain Car: lin was in command of “Britannia” at the time. There are few men alive who can exhibit a more wonderful series of trophies Won in different sports or at various exhibitions and shows than King Edward. Fromr a money point of view, his winnings on the turf have been the most considerable. The King’s first win of any import- ance was at steeplechasing. A horse of his called Magic won the Grand Sefton Steeplechase at Aintree in 1880. The money-value of the stake was $23.00. It was not until nine years later that the royal horses began their CAREER OF SUC CESS on the flat. G‘allig'lct, a chestnut colt, came in first in a selling race at Goodwood, winning $510. Later in the same year Shamrock II. won the Boveney Plate. . From that date onwards the suc- cesses of the King‘s stable advanced by leaps and bounds. In 1891 his horses won between them $16,592, a sum whigh by 1895 had jumped to $41,405. 1896 was a great year for the King’s horses. Persimmon, Thais, and other horses, won the Derby, the Leger, the Jockey Club Stakes, and the One thousand Guineas Stakes at Newmarket. The total value of that year’s winnings was $134,095. Persimmon started in nine races only, of which he won seven. Their aggregate value Was $173,530. Florizel II. won eleven out of twentyâ€"two events. Their value was .539,265. Diamond Jubilee the most famous of all his Majesty’s many famous animals, took six races out of thirteen starts, and won for his royal master the sum of $145,915. 1900 was the greatest year of all for the Sandringham horses. Their winnings amounted to no less than $158,030, which means that, since he started racing, his Majesty has made over $500,000 in stakes. ’ One prize for horseracing was won by his Majesty acting as his own jockey. This was in a point-toâ€" point race of a mile and a half, which was ridden on the Curragh, in Ireland. THE ROYAL JOCKEY figured on the raceâ€"card as Captain Melville, his colors being all white. I-Ie rode his own horse. an animal named Rupee. Her late Majesty Queen Victoria won over a hundred and fifty prizes with her famous Windsor cattle. I-Ier Isle of Wight sheep Were also sue- cessful in gaining a number of prizes. For their ,wool they were Specially commended on many ocâ€" casions. These animals King Ed~ ward has inherited, and at the Isâ€" ]ington Show last year his fat catâ€" tle followed up their successes by winning one first and two secfind prizes. ‘ The Windsor gardens, too, have for many years been famous for fruit and flowers. That they will not lose their reputation in the proâ€" at the Royal Southampton Horti- cultural Society’s autumn show last sent reign is proved by the fact that year seven exhibits won for his Ma- jesty no fewer than five first prizes._ Among other prizes won by Sandringham stock may be men- tioned two for pigeonâ€"races, rron under the rules of the National Pigeon-Flying Cllfb. The present Queen, too, is well knOWn for her love of animals, and she has exhibited frequently, and met with a fair share of success. At the recent-Liverpool Dog, Poultry, Pigeon, Rabbit, and Cat Show her Majesty exhibited some bantams, and had a fourth prize and a re- serve.â€"London Answers. - + HOW HE KNEW. One day mother called Tommy‘an'd Mabel to go down the garden with her. ' She took them to the greenhouse, where a quantity of soot had been scattered all over the floor of the greenhouse, and the path 'in front of it. . '* Mother asked each child if he or she had done it. , Both» answered . Then she said : _ 'th, Tommy, I saw? you do it‘ Out of my bedroom window l” W » . in the negative. “That yoir:didn’t,?"'sa,id Tommy ; the X. ’I., Fanche in. Texas. Its at, all the windows properties 'cover nearly three "for ,I looked before I did it 1'! ELEPHANTS' IN BURMAH. sometimes Work Without Imme- diate Oversight. America presents varied scenes and contrasting methods in its lumber- ing industries, and while modern invention makes use of endless cables and improved log tramways, there can be found in identical camps with these the most primitive power of skids and steers. Even more than most persons realize, the use of these slow animals is still adhered to. The sole use of the ox in a lumber camp, however, is that of the draught animal. In Burmah the animal generally used in lumbering operations is the elephant. While “my lord the eleâ€" phant” solves in a unique way the transportation problemâ€"always a vexatious one in lumbering opera- tionsâ€"-he does more than that. The stoli'd and slow moving ox can haul a load from one place to another, but the load has to be made ready for him in the first place, and after it has arrived at its destination it has to be unloaded. The elephant takes care of all these operations. Not only is he a draft animal, but in some instances, at a word from his driver, he picks up a timber, carries it to the designated point, and then not only deposits it where it belongs, but does so with pre- cision and comparative ease, accom- plishing a result almost impossible by hand labor, and with less expen- diture of time than would be re- quired by a, steam crane. In most cases an elephant driver, or mahout, is required for each cle- phant, but human labor is so cheap as not to be a factor in the ex- pense. The elephant furnishes the labor which is paid for, and the driver is looked upon as a necessary, though not altogether desirable, con- comitaint, as the native helper is not so much to be relied upon as his big charge. Opium and the strong brew's of. native roots work on huâ€" man frailty, but the elephant has no desire for these. In many big lum- bering operations the elephants are seemingly “told” what they are to do in the morning, and in some de- gree left to carry on the work dur~ ing the day according to their own devices. Very remarkable are the stories told of their sagacity. One of these stories, vouched for as true, concerns lumbering, and tells of an elephant that was about to pick up a log just as the great gong which signaled the close of the day’s work was sounded. To the surprise of the mahout, the log, only a little larger than others which had been carried, proved too heavy for the elephant to lift from the ground. Another ele- phant was requisitioned, but the two together failed to make any headway with the heavy timber, and the atâ€" tempt was given up. In the mornâ€" ing the first elephant went imme- diately to the timber, lifted it with apparent ease, and carried it to the required resting place. â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"+â€"â€" PAUPERS LONGER LIVED. The Total Age of '34 Is 2,387 . ' Years. The wonderful old age to which paupers live has been demonstrated by an interesting investigation reâ€" cently made by James Eells, super- intendent of the Stephenson County, 111., poor farm. Mir. Eells was asked how old a cer- tain one of his inmates was, and this led to an inquiry as to the age of a number" of others. He disc-ovâ€" ered that he had 311- people whose ages aggregated 2,387 years. The ages of one party of seven people ‘ footed 600 years, the aver- age being a. fraction over 88 years. Another party numbered seven, and their ages aggregated 527 years, the average being 75. There is still another party of from 18 to 20 persons, whose ages average between 60 and 70 years, and the average of the whole bunch is over 70 years. Supt. Keyes of the Kane County farm, Illinois, has a large continâ€" gent of 0le people. Some of them are so old that it is impossible to fix their age to a certainty. Some of them move about over the premâ€" ises, a few being helpless. There is one colored woman who Mr. Keyes says is at least 125 years of age. She is an inveterate talker and singer, was born a slave, and served different masters in Dixie. She talks continualy of plantation days, imagines that she is in a cotton field harvesting this great staple of the south land. From herdizlconnecte'd talks one is able to take up the threads of some of the midst interesting epochs of the ante- war days. She is tractable and gives less trouble than many others of lighter color. "’7. -â€"-â€"â€"+---' {P REMOTE KIN. Kind Ladyâ€""How many are there in the family besides yourself ‘2” LittleAmyâ€"“Fourâ€"mamma, papa, sister, and a distant relative.” “That is only three. The distant relative is not a member of the fam- ily." "Oh, yes he is. “Your brother '2 distant relative." "Yes, ma'amâ€"he Africa.” He is my brother.” Then he isn’t a is in South . I â€" , The biggest farm in- the Worxd is milâ€" lion acres. WHERE WlTiilllS Sfilllflll WILL BE CARRIED OVER 300 MILES TO A DESERT. â€"Qâ€"- Western Australia‘ Isl Building ' a ' Pipe Line to the Gold Mines, Western Australia is now one of the largest gold producers in the World. Twenty years ago the great desert east of the fringe of fertile grain lands and timber along . the sea was not supposed to be worth a cent a square mile. The desert was wholly unknown, except that a. few explorers had made their some way over the immense expanse of sand; a few others less fortunate had perished in these forbidding wastes. Then it was found that this Sa- hara was really to be the treasure house of the colony. The precious metal dug out of these sands has made. the gold product of Western Australia equal to that of" all the other States in the Conmionwealt’h. G-old has helped this division of Australia to become one of the lust- iest members of the British colonial empire. Around the great mining. center in the desert 50,000 people are living. It’s natural to ask how they get water to supply their needs. The fact is, water is an extremely scarce commodity there. It probably does not bring so high a price in any oth- er part of the world. Salt water is obtained without much difficulty by digging, but the cost of condoms ing it to procure fresh water is St: costly that every pint mlust be care- fully used. There is AN 0 C CASIONAL SHDWER, and every house and tent in the min~ in-g district is supplied with tanks to catch the rain water; but it is an unreliable source of supply. The re! sult is that every drop of water must be husbanded. We have no idea here, where wa‘ ter moms almostas free as air, how caref‘ul they are in the mining re« gion of Western Australia to pu‘l every drop to the best use. It is not comfortable to be compelled tc use water as though you never exu pecte-d to have another pailful. Th1 inconvenience and discomfort due tc this cause are a terrible drawbacl to that region, and nothing lesu than the greed for gold would indue1 any one to submit to the incessani deprivation. To4day Western Australia is hark at work to remedy this great meet and to supply the Coolgarldie an'l Kalgoorlie mining districts with I good supply of water. The tota- cost of the work will be not les: than $15,000,000, but it will solw the water problem. About 25 miles northWest 0‘ Perth, near the sea and the capita of Western Australia, is the Cree] Mount Range. The Helena Rive crosses this range through a dee] valley. A dam 100 feet high ha.- been built across the river and tin reservoir thus formed is seven mile in length and will hold 4,000,000, 000 gallons. It is necessary 'to lif the water 2,700 feet to t-he'top o the mountains in order to give i sufficient headway to reach thv gold camps out in the desert. Th. distance to Kalgoorlie, the furthes camp to be supplied, is 328 miles The water is to be raised to thl mountain 'top by means of eiglu pumping stations, the machinery f0) which has been purchased at a COST OF $1,500,000. At the s'unnnit of the mountain: the pipe line begins. It is thirt: inches in diameter and is laid a' lit tle under the surface along the rail- road track, except that in crossing various salt lakes on the route it i: supported on piers. It is hoped tr deliver from the reservoir to tin mining camps 5,000,000 gallons 0 fresh water daily. Even with this amount of water it is not expected that the mining population will havl a drop to waste. They will have to pay a good price for it. The charge to the miners, for example, will be $1.50 to $1.75 per thousand gal‘ lens at wholesale rates. It is not expected that the projecf will become self-supporting for some time. The plant is to be own- ed by the State, and the deficit m'.us1 be paid out of the general taxes. Even if the 50,000 persons to be supplied should require the works to run at their fullest capacity the pipe line would hardly meet expenses.~ If is believed, however, that an in~ creased production of the gold will be made possible by a good supply of water and that the entire State will thus be benefited, for more minâ€" ers will be required in the field, an‘d‘ practically all the supplies, except machinery, come from the farmer-s and merchants ,of Western Austra~ lia. , BAT SCORED. A young man entered an inn with a dog, and attracted a good deal of friendly interest from an Irishman, w'ho inquired what kind of a dog it was. The owner looked the guestioner insolently up and down, and then' replied with a drawl : “It is a cross between an ape and an Irishman.” "Faith, thin, we're botli related tr it,” was the ready retort. . _. +.__ Magistrate (to defendant)â€"â€""Yon are accused of having terribly beatâ€" en two nightâ€"watchmen last night.‘ What tempted you to do this '2". Defendantâ€""My feeling of humanity,5 your worship,‘ because for one nightâ€"- watchman that beating would have been too much.”- toilâ€" ' m, - ‘eri H Mecca...“ . ‘v- v». = 1 ‘ . I“- w l