The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-11-13
BETTER PRICES.
DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR
CROPS.
The St. Paul Dispatch has long ar
ticle under these head lines:
WAS 1T AN ESCAPE.

WAS IT AN ESCAPE.
PERHAPS THE EARTH JUST MISSED
FAYE's GREAT COMET.-wINNI-
Pegs BOREALIC SHOW.
Remarkable Phenomena in Both Europe
and America-Seismic Disturbances in
Every Direction and Wonderful Auroral
~ Displays All Over the North-Droughts
Without Parallel in the Bureaus Annals
New York Herald's Summary.
We quote few passages from the ar
ticle:
"a prolonged period of drought,
the burning up of the crops, the awe in
spring rumble of earthquakes, heralding
men knew not what destruction, the un-
usual brilliancy Of the aurora borealis,
and the prophetic announcement OF
world destroying comet have startled and
terrorized us History fails to record
anything more striking or remarkable in
this country. And not alone in America,
but in Europe, have these striking nat
ural events been an absorbing topic, al
most to the exclusion of ali others.
For two months and more have men
intently watched the skies and scanned
the weather reports, hoping to see some
signs of rain. Men whose wealth is in
the earth and whose subsistence depends
upon what her bosom brings forth have
prayed and prayed for rain, but not
drop fell until last Thursday. From the
West came the cry that the crops would
be an utter failure. The long drought
had withered up everything, and farmers
were in despair.
4 s,&r
ing drought prevailed there, and ruin
stared innumerable families in the face.
Men on the other side of the Atlantic
turned their faces westward, and when
they saw the same condition of affairs
here, they wondered what the world was
coming to. Then they remembered
Flammarion's prediction and saw that
some of his prophecies were being full
filled.
AS if to add to the bewilderment, if
not the terror Of the timid, there came
seismic disturbances in the Mississippi
valley. The shock of earthquake I'M
nerved even strong men, and they mar
yelled what next was coming from the
strange and mysterious forces of nature.
Up in the Northwest another sphenom-
enon attracted attention. 1t was a bril-
liant aurora-one of the finest and grand
est known in many and many year.
These remarkable happenings and strange
sights have predisposed men to gloom,
and they are ready for any further terror
even the destructive comet, which, it is
said is to put an end to all things.
1t will be remembered that Flamma-
rion, in his prophetic account of the end
of the world, tells how prolonged period
Of drought is to accompany the advent
If ba or xxtfic l, 10 doo1 ion
to this orb
Throughout a large area of the north
ern hemisphere the autumn of 1895 has
been period of phenomenal rainlessness.
Great Britain complains that this has
been the driest autumn since 1865. The
west of Scotland has especially suffered.
From Germany comes the statement that
this has been the driest fall of the pres
ent century. France reports that the
autumn set in with more than forty days
of absolute rainlessneSS, a phenomenon
almost unprecedented. The Danube, the
Rhine and the Seine are at the lowest
ebb recorded for a long stretch of time
A water famine is one of the dread posi-
bilities of the immediate future.
THE DROUGHT IN THIS COUNTRY.
The same possibility confronts us in
this country. AS the weather bureaus
official reports show New York usually
received 1874 inches of rain in the first
months of this season. But in September
last the fall was only OBS of an inch.
This was bad enough. But worse reports
come from the interior of the country,
and from the Western seacoast. On the
southern plateau of the Rocky mountains
the mean rainfall during all of September
was only 0.12 of an inch; on the South
Pacific coast it was Only 003
From the Ohio valley comes a great
cry for water. The wells are dried up.
The fields are sunbaked and cracked
The herds are furnishing for drink.
Springs are run dry, rivers have dwin-
died into creeks, and creeks are but
shallow bitches paved with smooth round
PEBBLES and gritty sand. In the great Ohio
river a number of strange new islands,
sandbars and rocks have made their APP
pearance above the surface of the water.
Here and there the river is CONSTRUCTED
to narrow ribbon. Here and there a
foot of water flows over the bottom of
the channel. Even a voyage by skiff is
impracticable. when under normal condi-
tionS boats of considerable bulk could
make their way under sail. Acres upon
acres of coal barges are collected in the
pools formed by the dams in the upper
river, waiting for sufficient water to
float them down the stream. The con-
stantly receding waters left pools, which
rapidly dried up, leaving thousands of
dead fish to rot upon the sunbaked
river bed.
THE MISSISSIPPI AND THE LAKE
DISTRICTS.
The Mississippi itself, the great father
Of waters, has fallen to a level lower
than any yet recorded in it's entire his
tory. Even the great lakes have suf-
fered. Shoal places are encountered by
vessels in localities where they have
never been expected, with much resultant
damage, 20 shipping.
In some places, including portions Of
Pennsylvania and Ohio, water has been
so scarce that it could hardly be obtained
for domestic uses. Families have beer
compelled to pay by the gallon for suf-
ficient to serve for drinking and cooking
purposes. Throughout large area OF
the country pasturage has been almost de-
stroyed. Many farmers have been com.
PEELED to sell off their cattle because they
had no means of providing for their sub
sistence. Springs, wells, and stream:
have been dried up.
Though the crops were generally har
vested before the drought began to ex
cite alarm there are some localities, al
Iowa, and Nebraska. where the corn hal
suffered considerably for lack of rain dur
ing the latter part of the growing season
HEALTH HAS SUFFERED.
Not only did the drought affect agri
culture and navigation, but it has had
direct influence uDon human health a