Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-08
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS

'The business OF fresh water pearl fish,
Ing In the United States is growing" said r.
L. Allerton. leading jeweler Of Chicago. at
the Shoreham "rhe first pearls of COM
mercial value found were, 1 think, In the
Miami river. In Ohio The next, in the
Clinch river of Tennessee. But wherever
they were discovered it is fact that there
are now very few states that at least few
of them are not found in. AS rule. they
are not altogether pure or of the most Valu-
able size or color, but they are beautiful
gems nevertheless. and find ready market.
One man on the Miami river has been eSpe-
cially successful, and one of the less for
tunate hunters of that section told me
most Interesting though improbable story
of how he succeeds in finding so many. 1t
Is disputed point as to whether pearls are
caused by disease or the result Of injury in
hicted by foreign substances introduced IN
to the shell. The story goes that this man
has found out just what causes pearls, plants
bed of CLAIMS, inoculateS each one, and
then raises pearls. 1t Is certain that he
finds more than any one else can"
81 have just returned from trip through
the SOUTH said A. P. Haines of Cincinnati
at the Ebbitt. among other towns visit
ed was Elizabethton, where the Co-Opera-
tive Town Company is having trouble wind
ing up it's affairs. Elizabethton is the county
seat of Carter county, and at the edge of
the famous Cranberry magnetic iron ore
beds. 1t is beautifully situated the
Watauga river. and Is the oldest town in
Tennessee. 1t being in existence when the
state OF Franklin was organized. 1t seems
10 nave every natural advantage as a town
site but the fates appear to be against it.
me south as whole seems to be recovering
from the effects of the financial depression,
but the boom towns are not. I saw one man
cultfvat1nS tract Of ten acres on which
80 -,
He formerly owned thousand acres there,
but sold 1t to a land company. took stock in
the company, selected ten acres in lots, and
these are all he owns now. There are good
many towns where every house is vacant,
but the country is, nevertheless, prosperous,
and the people are hopeful Of even better
times"
Il am told that the shad will come up the
Potomac in a few days. said p r. Turn
ley Of Ogdensburg, N. Y. at the Riggs
THE shad are not accompanied by the
shad flies as they are on the ST. Lawrence.
Shad season up there brings with it host
of flies of a peculiar species, universally
known as 'Shad flies No one who has
never seen this swarm of insects would be-
1ieVe it. If I described the number that
come They only last few days, but dur
ing that time they make themselves very
great nuisance. l have seen them so thick
storm, and boys stood inside hotel doors to
brush them eff the guests. They do not
bite or sting, and are only annoying be-
cause they come in such great numbers
and stick so closely to the clothing of all
persons who venture the streets while
they are there. Business is as seriously
interrupted as it would be by a heavy
storm, and the top of the river is covered
with them. The shad devour the flies by
thousands and fatten on them"
IT see that there have been some extern
sive white marble quarries discovered IN
Colorado said Geo. Z. White of Rutland,
VT. at the Metropolitan. "At least such
an item is going the rounds of the newspa-
pers. I have been connected with the mar
BILE business for thirty years, during which
time marble has been discovered in almost
every state. and 1 have gone to inspect a
great deal of it, in a good many localities.
1t is a singular fact that while there is
plenty of good building marble and good
stone for furniture tops in several different
states, yet there has never been any found
except in a very limited section of Yer
mont and Massachusetts that is suitable
for monumental purposes. There Is always
something the matter with the marble dis
covered elsewhere, and 1t is fortunate that
what is being quarried in New England Is
seemingly ineXhauStible.
by the time a heavy stone is shipped
across the continent 1t makes 1t cost a good
| deal of money but Vermont and Massachu
| sets furnish practically all of the monu
| mental marble used in the United States
that is not imported. and less is imported
each succeeding year..
81 was amused at the answer received
to a question on a Chicago and Alton rail
road train," said E. P. Chapman of Peoria
at the Howard House. AT Bloomington
| two men entered the train and took a seat
| Immediately in front of me. 1 did not See
them come in and paid no attention tc
| them until one Of the men went into the
| smoking car. 1t then occurred to me that
| 1 wanted to know something about Bloom
| ington as business point, so, leaning for.
ward, I commenced a conversation"
81 see you got on at Bloomington. How
| is it as a business point? o,
Fairly good
| "sWere you in business therer 1...
| eyes
| "fWhat line?
| Making money
| care you going to Chicago?
| "'No, am moving to Joliet. 1t Is not 81
| good a point for me as Bloomington, bu
| l had chance to take steady contrac
| there for five years. and took 1t. There
| Is too much uncertainty in the money max
| ing business
| .'Then I noticed that he was handcuffet
| to the seat. He had told me the exac
| truth-he was going to Joliet penitentlarJ
| five years for counterfeiting."
| Some of the colored laborers in Louisiana
| are not more than half civilized" said r. C
| Flanders of New Orleans at the Cochran
| During slavery times it was the custom t.
| sell insubordinate slaves to the suga
| planters, until Louisiana became a sort o
penal colony. 1t is remarkable how well TIL
colored people have come out Of state o
| such degradation, but back on the suga
| plantations can still be found men who ar
| but little removed from beasts. Nea
| Franklin, on the line of the Southern Pa
cific railroad, Is old man they cal
Uncle Ben,' who has the hardest head il
the state, and he furnishes amusement t
| the class who delight. in sanguinary con
| tests saw him, much to my disgust, a
| 1 had no idea what was invited to wit
| ness, fight a large and strong billy goat
| The goat and the man rushed at each othe
| head first, coming together so hard that tn
sound could be heard for a great distance
Both were staggered, but they butted eac
other again and again, until finally tn
skull Of the goat was crushed and 'Unci
Ben was rewarded with a collection
amounting to less than S., with which h