The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-03
nOSAICS OF THE CITY.

made by + n. Herrick, of San francisco. In .
published interview in the Poef-lNrRlLI-
G1SCHR OF March - inst, in refereace to the
Nicaraguan canal" said Thomas +. Drew yes-
terday. HE says the construction OF said canal
might prove . detriment 70 the lumber interests
OF Washington for the reason that time lost BY
sailing vessels in beating out from and into the
trade winds at either end of the canal and the
tonnage and canal tolls would fully Offset the
time gained BY shortening the distance; that We
would lose much of our Oriental, South sea and
South American trade BY being brought into
competition with the pine product of the South:
that Its construction would stop the passage
through our state of the Asiatic trade, and that
Ito tonnage will never equal that of the Sue4
canal In 1891 there passed through the Sues
ana Of this amount 3,2l7 SHIPS with . tonnage OF
6e37.000 were British freight. Thus ships find
1t profitable and convenient to avoid the high
seas and undergo the annoyance Of beating in
and out with . cost of $3.50 per ton, a.
against u per ton, which 10 estimated
q the rate to BE- charged In the Nicaraguan.
Time 10 the essence, and the saving to the ship
ping In wear, management and insurance
amounts to at least one.third. II ship 10 now
loaded on Puget sound consigned to Maine the
rate 10 $2 per 1,00O and the time $50 days, while
with the canal 1t can be made in from forty to
fifty days, and net more money ct the rate OF -
per 1000. In the published statement OF the
bered Northwest about 25 0O0, 900 acres of timber
lands. AVERAGING 1900 feet per acre. and BY
making an allowance OF 20 per cent for bad land
1t shows An available aggregate Of 100000 900
feet Now II we can eject saving of - per
LOCO and give ons.half to the standing timber
the value ADDED TO 1t would b $780, 600. about
eight times - much - the entire cost
OF the canal In 1891 the Pacific coast shipped to
Europe and Atlantic ports 600 tonsof wheat
and douf. The canal would save & per ton.
making difference Of q, 100000 on the crop OF
the year. Al to our not being able to compete
with the South in the lumber trade, it 10 . fact
beyond dispute that our timber 10 the best in
the world. and when once used and underst0od,
It is king.
In the matter OF our control of the Asiatio
trade passing through our state, the business
will b incident to our increased population
occasioned BY the construction Of the canal.
and this country will always b the halfway
house Of the great bulk of this trade For II
the south develops thereby. proportionately
will We progress. because what helps one part of
the country helps the whole The assertion
that it, tonnage can never equal that OF the
sues canal 10 . remarkable statement in the
light Of facta When the canal question was
before congress three years ago the senate COM
mittee. headed BY John 7. Morgan and John
Sherman. made IN estimate that when the canal
sould be completed 100000 tons would annu-
ally 60 through. This 10 something more than
the sues canal had in 1891, yet that year it de-
clarea . dividend of $4,000, 900, and the stock
has advanced from 30 to over 800"
That the pranks Of schoolboy days, recalled in
after life, afford unalloysd amusement both to
the relator and his hearers 10 one Of the reasons
why life 10 worth living. Many . middle-aged
elderly man will recall with ease all the prac-
tical Jokes of his school life, but finds 1t much
moro difficult to recollect the conjugation Of
Latin verbs, or even the rules of English gram
mar, which were drilled into him between play
spells. It is curious, too, that in all good-nat
ured pranks the public 10 always in sympathy
with the students a. against the professor
Sitting with his heels on the table the other
day, John H. Coblentz Chinese inspector on the
Sound, who has been dubbed ''the mayor of
South Prairie by his friend. D. A. Mckenzie,
told of how he got his foot in 1t and got even at
the same time. Il was attending school in the
South" said he, "where every man 10 born q
colonel, and the boys were not allowed to do
anything in their rooms in the evening except
study. But there were q lot of u there
who liked to play poker. and we used to get
together In my room and enjoy quiet game
long into the night, having the cracks of the
door we'll covered to conceal the light. In that
school there were monitors and the monitor got
on to ua. Without our knowledge he took Q fine
saw and cut q little circular piece out OF the
door, and then adjusted 1t 90 he could remove
and replace 1t quietly. In this way he used to
watch our sport and pipe US OF to the professor.
But We discovered his peephole and deter
mined to get even. ! got . piece OF bamboo
about three feet long and rugged plunger and
plug 90 the whole made q capital squirt gun.
Then filled the thing with ink and awaited
my chance. That night 1t came heard some
one come tiptoeing down the hall and got my
place behind the door, with the end Of the
squirt gun close to the little hole. Soon the
nix at Ivy vod nd I lat
quart of good black Ink. Some fellow on the
outside let yell out of him like wild indian
and ran Oft We all had q good laugh over the
success OF the trick ana thought that monitor
would not come again. In Q short time some
one knocked in q determined way on the door
and on opening 1t there stood the professor
He was bedaubed with ink from head to foot.
and, although he had tried to wash his face, be
did not succeed in getting that ink of for four
day. But whew! didn't we catch 1t, though?
The monitor had piped us of 80 often that the
professor thought no would come himself that
night"
"Captain Warrington d. Roath, OF the revenue
marine service, who has just been ordered to
command the revenue steamer Oliver Wolcott
is man OF large experience In the service to
which he belongs a. we'll as the naval SERVICE"
said Capt Biondi, the well-knOwn marine au-
thority, OF Port Townsend, to q POsT-INTELLI-
GENCER reporter yesterday. shortly after the
civil war broke out ROath and myself were Or
dered by the secretary of the navy to Join the
United States steamer New London. Capt
Abner Read, belonging to the West Gull block.
aiding squadron, doing duty OF Galveston.
Roath was a daring and brave young officer and
the instgator Of many successful night raids on
the enemy. The rsbs know of no rest a. long
as the New London was in sight along the
coast One very dark night We anchored close
into the bar at the entrance to sabine pass.