Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-05-22

country before the crops are gathered anu
sent TO market. let this money spent IN
Europe be what il NAV IS estimated all
the way from 1915. 600. 900 10 100000 600
year we can probably stand IT, although
il does look like foolish waste to dump
oil these glittering dollars ON foreign
shore.
LMrRIcANrzTD sHIrs.
Tho transfer Of the great steamships
City Of Paris and City ~ New York 10
American registry which means that Tor
n consideration OF ~lO3.UDJ eacn per year
England permits them hencetoTta 10 san
under the American flags an important
event TO American shipping. ms regis
try carries with II the right OF the Ameri-
can Government 10 add these vessels TO
our feet III the event of war. which -
much more important consideration than
If would at first seem 10 be. If we had
fight on our hands and there IS apparent
lv considerable fighting blood still
surging through the Harrison veins
these two ships would be OF the
utmost importance. Although built pm
MARTY for the peaceful pursuit OF carrying
passengers their fighting qualities were
not oyeroOked. aud ~ cruisers they would
| be formidable. In the matter OF speed the
| Majestic Is the only ship atlOat that can
approach them. These two vessels, with
| their ability TO overta6e the great War-
| ships and get away from them, Woulu'
when properly armOred, be able TO SINK
| the entire Chilean navy, or, az least, 10 give
| II a terrible scare. A shot clear through
| either the City of Paris or the CITY OF
| New York would inconvenience 1t but niue
/ az "A war-ship. The vital parts OF these
| ocean greyhounds war dogs in case OF
war are all below the water-line. tor
podo might disturb their machinery or
steering apparatus, but nothihs eise
| would be likely 10. Can our American
| ship-builders turn out vessels equal 20
| themy The bill which transfers them 10
| the Amer can fleet requires their owners
| To reproduce them on American yards, and
| | am told that there need be no anxiety
| on this score. Our builders are anxious
| to show the world that the decadence
, Of American shipping cannot be lalu
| at their, doors The tarlh, for one
| thing. hes been against them. and John
| Bull. as q builder Of naves Tor all me
| world, has had a precedence and pul
which they would not shake. II the e2-
! pectations of some of Our ship-Dulders
and their friends hero IN New York are not
| blichted II Will not DO great wnile until
| John Bull or any other foreigner IN search
OF q really nne ship Will be Obliged 10 come
! TO America TO get 4. When the slow de-
| sceudinc sun Of that day falls behind the
| hills we can afford 10 let of u few Dunches
| Of fre-cIackers.
TIE BIG-HEABrTD ACTORS.
The benefit performance given at the
metropolitan Opera-H House the other after.
noon IN aid of the widow and daughter Of
| Captain Billy Conner, of the 81. James
| Hotel testifcs once moro u the Wagnln-
| cent generosity of the dramatic profession
and the kind-hearteduess of this public.
| Ii proves that after all there IS hope
good mans memory NAV outilye his NE
| half a year. Captain Conner was for
many wears connected with news
paper, turf, and dramatic interests
IN this country. As the manager
| for Lawrence Barrett and John Me
| CullOugh he made hosts of friends
everywhere. because he was one OF the
| most genial. generous, and unselnsh men
that ever lived. His later years, which
promised TO be the happlest and most
prosperous Of his life. were Clouded by
misfortune and when illness came upon
| HIM he lost his hotel interest and ned
| bankrupt But amid all his misiortunes
| he retained the friendship and good VIII
| Of those whose friendship was worth
| having. And when It was proposed q
| short time ago 10 raise iund Tor the
| benefit of his good wife and noble daugh:
| ter the responses which came from all
sections OF the country testified most
| amply 10 that beautiful consolation
thai there IL indeed touch OF nature
which brings the whole world INTO
knship. One gentleman sent me cheek
for a Thousand dollars 10 be added to the
fund. with the request that his name he
kept from the public. lie had only known
Mr.. Conner az a generous. noble fellow and
tho business associate of John Mccall
Tough. whose memory will be ever cher
ished by those who knew the grandeur OF
his soul. IdOubt whether he had ever tasted
glass of VINE with Captain Conner or
shared even TO the extent of penny IN ms
generous hospitality. But he TemembeTed
| the trail of generous deeds which he had
| left behind him, and was toucncd by the
melancholy wreck which came TO HIM in
the end. / sometimes wonder what sort
of world this would be if we were all
entirely prosperous. For II seems TO me
| that our common mi5fOrtunes are all that
We have to subdue our native sclhshnesS
! and teach rs that after all there Is much
| that Is good and b autiiul IN poor human
| ity.
HOPE FOR OUR PLAYwRIGHTs.
1t is gratifying 10 know that an American
| can produce play in this city at the tai
| Of the dramatic season without beng
either hooted or cruclhed. This has been
demonstrated IN the case of Mr.. hovle,
whose play Of Friends at the Standard
| Theatre has actually been received by the
| critics of the press with some little show
| of kindness. II is usual for our critics
who are mostly retired playwrShts
| themscives-tO censure our managers
for importing SO much of their
stage material and then denOunclng every
| American drama which fails to come up TO
the standard established by Sardou. /
observe IN the majority OF the critics OF
| Friends "a disposition to be friendly
at least. not hostlle-and to give advice
which IS valuable. OF course the play ~
IN some respects crude and lacking III dra-
matte cllmaxes. but the author Is not seized
by the tair Of the head dragged out into
public place. and roasted at the stake,
as Is the custom here IN New
York. Perhaps 10 u because he has behind
him the grand Presbyterian influences
of Princeton College or because he has
shown so much talent that the barbara
critics are really hopeful OF him. Al all
| events merely note the fact that 1t IS pos
sble for an American citizen 10 present "a
homemade play IN New Ork city and re-
ceiyo kindly advice, helpful admonltlon.
and cheerful paltingS on the back instead
| OF malignant abuse. TINS IS most en-
cCuragiug. and | hope that ambition
American writers and responsible Amerl-
can managers Will make note OF 1t.
The PROSPECT or CHEAP FUEL.
This is a city certainly OF great hemes
I
up our minds 10 lie passive and grOyelling
at the feet of the great Reading coal com:
binatiOn there comes 70 Us the apostle OF
hope in the person of W. ). Andrews-an
Ono mau, tOO-whO crles IN the wilder
ness that he has solved the problem OF
cheap fuel tor the metropolis. His scheme
IS TO pump coal from the Pennsylvania
coal-felds 10 New York through pipes, as
the Standard OIL Company pumps lt-
oil. This sounds odd, doesn't II ! but
tho experiment has been made success
fully, and Andrew Carnegie the capital
ist IS IN tho scheme up TO his ears. The
process Is 10 reduce the coal 10y grinding
TO the smallest nut. mix II with water, and
and pump it merrily along. At tins end
the material is passed into great settling
basins, the water drained or, and-theIe
YOU are. Mr.. Andrews soys that by this
process all sulphur and slate are removed
from the coal, and the reslduum Is the
finest fuel ever sent TO market. Two bun
dred acres Of flats have been secured over
IN New Jersey for settling basins for tins
great enterprise. and the plpe-laying Will
begin soon. Mr. Andrews IS man OF
energy and enterprise. Ue introduced
here the system of delivering steam fol