davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
Sea Pun.

fortune not long ago to shoot a number
of sea elephants. These curious sea
animals are almost extinct, and Mr..
Anthony's capture OF a large bull has
delighted the museum authorities at
Washington because it gives them a
specimen which they had given up
hopes Of acquiring. Chartering a small
schooner the naturalist sailed for
Guadoloupe islands, $50 miles south of
here, with the intention of landing, If
possible, in an unfrequented cove
where the surf is usually so high ~ to
prevent the landing of small boats at
any season. Numerous reefs at the
mouth of the cove usually cause tho
waters to boil and seethe SO furiously
that a boat cannot live in them. Ar
irving at the islands the schooner cap
ain agreed to land Anthony and hi.
companion only on the condition that
they would, at his command, il nee.
essafy, abandon game, guns and every
thing else, run for the boat and re-em-
bark. The captain appreciated the ex-
treme danger of the surf, and prompt
obedience to his orders might mean
life or death to the party. BY mere
good luck the sea was smooth enough
to permit of an easy landing. =.
The cove, however, is a ~treacherous
place. In half an hour the sea might
rise there and make it impossible to
launch the boat. The hunters soon dis
covered nine sea elephants far upon the
beach. They We're almost. as surprised
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

Aeoo"
Pain and frI,ht frenzied the sleeping
giant. Away it darted rapidly. When
the harpoon line was all paid out the
big boat was pulled through h water
at a five-knot pace. The fishermen
tugged at the line and finally brought
the captive alongside, where it was
lanced. but before dying it very nearly
capsized the boat. The fight was ex-
dying gasp. Such a fish is admired by
the true angler. This fish was ten feet
long. Its compressed, d~isk-shaped body
and it's elongated dorsal and oval fins
make it one of the most grotesque Of
sea animals. They are frequently har-
pooned, the oil from their livers being
highly priced for sprains or bruises.
Otherwise the sunfish are worthless.
The flesh is thin and hard, and when
cooked separates into oil and punches
Of tough tibers. The peculiar form of
the fish would seem to preclude it from
other effort than that of swimming.
On summer days, however, they are
frequently see jumping from the wa
ter.
While fishing from a boat anchored
just inside of Ballast Point at the
mouth of San Diego bay an angler was
surprised to see a large sea gull, which
was swimming not far from the boat,
suddenly flap it's wings, try to rise, and
then disappear beneath the surface,
shrieking Justify as if for help. 1t was
evident that the bird had been drawn
down by a big fish. Later in the after
noon the fisherman caught a goosefish,
and upon opening it found within its
capacious stomach the remains Of the
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
GOOSehSh.

unlucky gull or a gull recently captured
elsewhere.
Bird catching is a favorite amusement
of the goosefish. It is furnished with
a mouth especially adapted for swal-
lowing a big morsel. In fact, the
gooseish is nearly all mouth. This
mouth is provided with effective teeth.
It is called goosefish from the fact that
they have been known to swallow live
geese.
There is an authentic record of sever
wild ducks having been taken from the
stomach of one of these fish. Fisher
men are annoyed by having the wooden
buoys of lobster pots swallowed by the
goosefish. Although the fish frequently
comes to the surface to feed, it prefers
living on the bottom of the ocean. The
upper surface Of the creature is mot
tied and tinted in such close resemb-
lance to stones and gravel and seaweed
that it become quite indistinguishable
among them in order to complete the
method Of concealment the whole mar
gin Of the fish and the very edge of the
lips and jaws have loose tags and
fringes, which wave and sway about
amid the Currents of water so as to
look exactly like the smaller algae
which move abound them and along
with them. They are four or five feet
long and weigh about forty pounds.
A.. w. Anthony, a distinguished young
naturalist Of this city, had the good
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

to meet this rare game as were the
elephants to see men. Then the fun
began. The bull beloved with fright.
The cows and pups were equally
scared. All hands scrambled toward
the sea. The beach shelved down to
the water at an angle of As to 50 de-
grees, and the hunters, who were on
the water side. feared the game might
fall on top Of them if they were not
careful. On came the bull toward An
thony. He raised his Winchester and
fred, hoping to break the animals
backbone at the neck. The shot hit q
tender spot. It stunned tie bull. He
recovered promptly and advanced on
the hunter. Anthony fired again. This
time the shot struck the bone and killed
the monster. In a short time eight
other elephants were lying dead on the
sand. They were skinned and three Of
them skeletonized; that is, the flesh
was removed from the bones. The
hides Of a bull. a COW and pup were
loaded into the boat when the captains
warning cry caused the hunters to put
to sea 1t was not a moment too soon.
The waves wero furio.s, and, after an
hours hard work. the boat cleared the
last reef and was in the open sea. At
one time during this struggle the party
was in despair. The boat. filled and
only by the rarest seamanship was she
kept right side UP until baled out.
Much to the regret of the naturalists
the sea vas too rough to permit Of
another landing. They were compelled
to abandon SIX skins and skeletons left
on the beach.
The bull elephant was a monster.
He measured t~wenty-four feet from tip
to tip. five feet in diameter and weighed
fully three tons. From the end of his
muzzle projected a probosis eight inches
long. This peculiar nose resembles that
Of an elephant, and is what gives the
name Of sea elephant to this animal.
With this nasal arm the sea elephant
can pick up small particles Of food and
convey them to his mouth in the same
manner that a circus elephant carries
crackers. cookies and ether goodies to
his mouth with his gigantic trunk.
When swimming the lei elephant
uses his trunk to catch sea fowl. He
allows the end Of ii 10 project above
the surface Of the water sufficiently to
attract the attention of flying birds,
who mistake it for a small fish. When
they dive into the water for it the
elephant catches them and swallows
the birds, feathers and all. The pups
and female sea elephants are not pro-
yided with this probosis.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

The capture of an 1,SOO-pound sun
fish recently has set the tongues Of
anglers wagging all along the coast in
this vicinity, says a San Diego, CAL,
correspondent of the Chicago Tribune.
This is NJ enormous weight, even for
a sunfish, and is probably the largest
specimen eve taken by fishermen on
this or any other coast. Sunfish weigh
ing half 4 ton have been reported, but
one weighing nearly a ton is excep-
tional.
Its captors were in a forty-foot fish
ing smack. They sighted the huge dor
sal fin Of the sunfish towering above
the surface Of the ocean. where he was
enjoying a sun bath. When thus float
ing lazily at the surface the sunfish is
easily approached and not readily
frightened. The big body was an easy
mark for the harpoon. The fisherman
hurled the iron from the bow Of the
smack, hitting the fish just below the
pectoral fin.
Instantly there was a commotion.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

Life-Preservers for theBoys, but the
Girls May Drown.

Life-Preservers for theBOys, but the
Girls May brown.
The aquatic life of Car ton is a thing
alr'tst Ell tircly apart from that of
the city. The inhabitants jewellers In
the majority of those cver-shifting
hon es which go to make a huge city
on the water, are a people ruled by DIFF
ferent instincts and customs from
their fellows on land. Some of them
live in constructions like Households,
which are practically a fixture at one
anchorage in the river, but the great
tinued abiding place.
The commonest type of boat is that
locally known as the "sampan"; in
reality, I believe this is the native
word for the boat. In this craft there
was usually in the center a sort Of
well, with seats round it, all else being
decked over. Above the we'll was a
semicircular frame of bamboo covered
with rattan mating. The boats var
led greatly in size and accommodation;
about twenty feet long, with a beam
of about fer feet, was perhaps an
average size.
Whole families live entirely upon
n of these boats. They are born,
grow up, live Outlines to old age, and
die there. In such cases the crews are
of all sizes and both sexes. even
children two years old lending a
hand in managing the boats; but fire.
quently all the working crew are
women.
Occasionally I noticed on the boats
small male children with blocks of
wood tied to them. l asked an old
resident of the city what this meant
and he told me it was in order thot if
the boys fell into the water they
might be kept from drowning until
they are fiShed out. Girls were not
cared for with this consideration; for
for if they fell in and were drowned
it was not considered a family calal
nifty. He said that among the Chin
csc female children were not counted
in the number of the family. If a
Chinese friend WAS asked how many
children he had, and the answer was
two, three, or four, my friend would
say, "But I thought I saw quite a
number of children playing about
your house." "Ah, yes" the China
man would reply, "but the others are
only girls"
Boat families, 1 noticed, slowed
themselves away in the most marvel.
lous manner; planks were pulled out
from recesses and a flush deck made
and cover were shut back or stretch
ed out. Sometimes on a boat appar.
emily carrying a man and a woman,
and seemingly large enough to &C
commodate only two persons, a whole
family Of children, from those we'll
grown to little babies, emerged out
of impossible corners and holes. The
clothing by these people was
always scanty. In wet weather they
generally wore the ordinary large fat
hat Of the pattern shown in the pic.
lures Of Cinnamon on tea-boxes; and,
as an additional protection against
rain, a cloak made of bamboo-leaves
was usually thrown over the shoulders,
and fiuttered in the breeze like a mass
Of delicate yellow silk ribbon.-Flor-
ence O'Driscoll, M. p, In the Century.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
An AIl-Around Present.


Giles-What did Cora give you fer
Christmas? ~
Merritt-That's a mystery I've tried
in vain to solve. AS she made it her.
self I don't know whether it's a pin
cushion or a tobacco-pouch, but at pres.
ent I'm using it for a penwiper.
Hammered Iron Work.
The popularity of black iron lamps
and lanterns for the piano, the study or
porch, has given impetus to the Ian
gushing art of working in hammered
ircn. 1t is the highest type Of iron
work as well as the most beautiful, and
we are glad to see it revived. The
hammered iron work Of the middle
ages has been r~everenced almost as
a departed art. The best of this work
is very expensive, but that has not
prevented the production of some mag
nificent examples. The opportunity for
the use of hammered iron work is large,
including gates, ratings, balconies, etc,
and 1t would appear that once general
attention WIS directed to this species
Of artistic ornamentation the field OF
its application would be extensive
Boston Commercial Bulletin.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23


The defaulting clerk Of the National
Bank OF Commerce, New York, was
caught by accident, and it would be
unite refreshing to hear OF one detected
ia any other way. He had gone home
early. and nj OF the officers Of the bank
referred to the coupon account in order
"a answer . letter Of inquiry. The de-
~falcation thus became apparent, and it
has been found to extend back twenty
years. The clerks method was to over
draw money to cash coupons and to fix
Is tie books to cover the fraud from
casual examination. But for the acct
sdent II would probably have been con
tinued for years.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
s4mn.mbuli.tie Trained Eros.

samnambuliytie Trained Frog.
II win be remembered that q few
weeks ago an item was printed about
q number Of frogs which Jack Morgan
OF East Atchison wal training to take
with q circus next season. The train
ing went along all right until . few
days ago, when suddenly the frogs
went to sleep, and could not be awak-
ened. The fregs are still asleep, and
will probably not awaken until next
spring. The only frog which has
stirred since the sleep began was Ike
and he did q very wonderful thing yes
terday. Ike got up III his slAop and dids
al the tricks which Morgan had taught
him, with his eyes closed. HE then re-
turned to- the place where NJ had been
sleeping. Ike was evidently drearnine
OF fame and glory ii the side show ne1Ss
slnnnler.-Atchison Globe
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

Gov. Brown of Kentucky doesn't re
ceive kindly the suggestion Of Judge
Buckwalter that he give a written
guarantee that a negro whose extradi-
ton he seeks, shall not be lynched,
but shall have q fair trial. It is to be
presumed that Gov. Brown fears that
he will get -.mself disiiked If he inter-
feres with Kentucky's favorfte indus
try Of lynching ..niggers."
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

There is a symbolic significance in
two boar's tusks bound together, in
crescent shape with a piece of gold
or silver. This or any other figure Of
two prongs, a horseshoe, for example,
Or a pair Of open shears, is believed
to keep o witches.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

A London firm engaged In the trans
portation of Jews from Russia to
American countries has made a report
that between January and October Of
this year the number was transported
was nearly a quarter of a million, the
majority of whom obtained pecuniary
assistance from funds raised in their
behalf. The country which most Of
them favored was the United States.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

Although they have cold winters in
North China and the japanese troops
r clothed mainly in cotton garments,
they seem determined to push on to
Pekin before the spring breakup. The
frozen ground undoubtedly has it's adj
vantages for marching troops.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

Sportsmen who have never seen a
moose will be interested in the d.
mansions of one recently killed near
the Ebeeme lakes in northern Maine.
The animal measured Z feet high at
the shoulders and his body was 8 feet
long. The measurement from his nose
to his hind feet was Is feet. The
spread Of his horns was 4 feet and 4
inches.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

A single oyster in n seaso will
produce 100000 young oysters. Here
is something found at last in the
scheme Of the universe which Col.
Ingersoll will admit is arranged as we'll
as if he had done it himself.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

The costllest fur Is that of the sea
otter. A single skin OF this animal
sold last year insLondonssIbrought the
enormous sum of $1,10o. It was 6
feet long by 2 Feet wide.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

Americans sometimes do not tackle
kindly to their mothers-in-law, but
what would they say to a Chinese
mother-in-law? 1t is stated that the
mother Of the emperor of China recent
ly had two Of his secondary wives
whipped for presuming to offer her ad-
vice. What was the emperor doing all
this time?
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

Pittsburg papers report that during
the year 1894 the number Of persons
killed in that county by steam cars was
161, and by cable and electric cars 80.
The figures in other large centers of
population in this country would not
be much more favorable. A good reso-
luton about this time would be to
make this needless slaughter a special
subject for investigation and reform.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

Reports from Gibraltar say that ow-
ing to threatening revolts the one
eyed elder brother of the Sultan of
Morocco has been walled up in his
prison at Widah. The door and win
dows of his cell have been blocked up,
leaving only a small opening through
which food is passed him.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

= Kansas is getting to be a great can
ming state. The Garneaa canning fac
tory made a two months run this fall
putting up 100000 cans of tomatoes,
and other vegetables and fruits in
prop%ortionate quantities.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

They have taken to lynching de-
faulting t%reasurers in Nebraska. Lynch
Ing is ley justidable; but it must be
done; officials who rob the public are
the most appropriate victims.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

The morning flooded his apart,
ment.
AT least" unused the sallow man
before the looking glass, II have moth.
ing to lose." @
Thus he felt a certain n Of ex
altation as he h~urriedly substituted a.
hook for his collar button and
finished his toilet.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
GHAs. Met ANELEss.

mo Woi;ial nas evcl rif,rI Gu rns
monastery Of st. Honorat, which is To-
Gated on an island near Cannes,
France. The monastery was establish
ed 1,4OO years ago.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
QUEER FISH THESE.
SEA MONSTERS CAPTURED ON THE
CALIFORNIA COAST.

A sunfish That Weighs 1900 Pound
Can Drag a Boat at a Five-Knot
Pace-A 0oosefsh Thai Sucks Down
Sea Gulls From the Air.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

From all accounts every, branch OF
government in China Mscandalously
corrupt, as bad, in fact, ~ that4of New
York city.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

LIQUID mir, his only reply would be the4
he could not say ut present. Twan+s
years ago he could not have said MN.
would be the commercial use of l;nnsss
carbolic acid; but this generation haS
found that out to very excellent nmrl
pose. Sir Frederick assured his hearers
that hardly anything could be discov
ered-unless 1t were the satellites snt
Mars-that would not have some va,isa
in the ordinary purposes OF life.
Ambidextcsfty I'm Handwriting.
The modern fashi5n Of upright writ.
ing has become fairly established II
England. Some three years ago. thu
congress CT hygiene, then being held il
London, passed a rcsola,..en in favor
Of upright penmanship, and it's univ j.
sal adoption was unanimously recon.
1ncnded. One of the premises on which
this conclusion vas based was that
vertical writing lends itself more read.
ily to a~mhidextsrity than does slopinp
writing. and there can be no doubt that
4 clerk who could write with equal
facility with either hand, and could
rest one side of the body while tho
other was working, would be less liza
Bile to writer's cranp ard similar
troubles. DR.. Jackson, who has lust
reopened this question i'll Il letter to q
London paper insists that writing with
both hands should be taught to the
| rising generation. 1t could hot do
harm, md it certainly would do a great
amount Of good. It would not occupy
more time, and the results would be
widespread and in every way beneH.
cial. DR.. Jackson believes that if left ]
handed work were taught not only
in writing but in drawing and art
classes. it would establish its advant-
ages SO satisfactorily as to pave the
way for a speedy introduction Of gen.
eral ambidexterity in handicrafts Of all
descriptions. \,
On this question the Swedes are III
advance of most nations. They teach
| ambidexterity in the schools, and even
army cadets are compelled to be as ex.s.
| pert in the sword exercise with the
left hand as with the right. DR.. Jack
son reverts to the cas- of the clerk or
copyist, and save that ambidexterity
| would make writer's cramp a thing Of
| the past. Teach and practice left-hand
| writing. which, of course, should be
vertical, and the object is gained. The
| clerk or author tires his right hand
and arm. wearies his muscles and dete-
riorates their powers, say, in the first
half of the day. He then has recourse
to his reserve set Of muscles, and for
| the remainder Of the day his left side,
hand and arm ars brought into requi-
| s;tion. the right hand thus obtaining
that rest which under no other cOndi.
| lions could be secured. Thus, the first
great advantage to be derived from
left-hand writing is the avoidance Of
| writer's cramp and similar troubles, n
| the second advantage Is in reducing to
a minimum the extreme WEAKNESS con-
sequent on long hours at the desk.
| Furthermore, it often happens that the
| right hand is temporarily or even per-
manently disabled, and the ability to
use the left hand with deftness then
becomes a source Of the greatest salts
faction. s.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
The Modern wanaan.

The woman Of to-day, as we hear Of
her, belongs to a class Tor each day In
the week, and has every afternoon and
evening filed up with gay functions.
She IS eager to know all about politics,
to understand the great poets and writ
ers Of the day. especially those that
are counted the NOS. difficult to conn
prchend:: she wants to hcltilg to- 30
cieties that viii make the world better
and That will permit her to talk about
them in public, and vet she desires as
well to keep the position in life to.
which she was born. Speak to her sud
denly and Z her start. That means
oycrtaxed nerves. Get her talk ng
to yon about one uf her plans md see
how she dush..s. notice tile unnatural
brilliancy Of her eyes, and watch the
quiycrIng Of her Mps and her hands.
That woman Is on the verge OF nervous
prostration. And why? because she
Ii permitting herself to be WORN ont to.
interest people who do not carein the
least for her.-January Ladies' Home
Journal.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
Impossible Measure,

"You can always arous the voters
with q measure that touches their
pockets"
"But what are you going to do where
women yote?'
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23

QUICK Change.
The chill mist was rolling upward
from the lowlands when his lips NOV
cd.
Darling" he whispered.
He had just time for that expressive
little word while he was moving hla
lips from her hand to her cheek.
The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1895-02-23
she Meant .Emaci.tea.o,

Penelope-Hello, Perdita! Where.
have you been all the week.
Perdita-Ohl nave been sick all the
Neek. and don't I look awfnlly sernan-
eanatada