Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-21

said the superintendent of one or the gov
eminent departments, arrived trifle ear
ly this year, and Immediately the wooden
storm steps We're hauled out from the base
1nents. and now being put in readiness
for the winter With the notice came a
private tip that may have snow
storm by Thanksgiving day. This tip is
not official, however. though it was given
out by the authority of one of the weather
prognosticators of the weather bureau. II
take the weather of tho past thirteen
years az a guide, it is pretty safe thinS
to say that there viii be some real winter
weather by the Ell q OF November, though
it may not be for more than three or four
days Later on the weather will moderate.
and what is called bad weather will not set
in this year. it is said, until the week be-
fore Christmas, during the shopping sea-
son. probably"
The man with the arithmetical puzzle
got in our department a few mornings
ago." remarked a clerk whose ideas run
toward problems land in less than two
days there were d number engaged in try
ing to unravel it. Though it may not be
new one il was new to many of us ana
a rather difficult one. The proposition IS
to place TIE figures i, ,, 3, +, 3. 6, 1. 8 and
by addition in such a way as TO make
them add up lS. The figures can be taken
in any way. though eacf can be used but
once. For example, the and 4 can be
Joined, stating one with "a Ihe puZz4e
is to make combinations with the otner
figures So that the sum total VIII be an
even 100. | have tried it hundreds OF ways,
but so far l have not succeeded in navlhs,
them add up to but 80 BY using the anu
3 as q fraction and the t and u as another
fraction, tire Is being afterwards reduced
to 2-3 1 got the 1no. This uses each hg-
ure but once but as / understand the puz-
zle fractions not allowed Simple as
10 -p,.rl
hundreds have proved to their own salts
faction. and are still proving it.
1.-The old-fashiored molasses is rapidly
disappearing as an article of commerce."
said a prominent grocer. land In its place
have come number of srups, which are
more costly and by no means as satisfac-
tory especially to the little ones, who de-
light as we did when We were young. IN
having ''lasses on their bread Most or
the molaSses goes into the dlstlllerles
where it is made into rum, for which. not
withstanding the efforts Of our temperance
workers. the demand is constantly on the
increase especially in the New England
states and for the export trade. The reg
ular drinker Of rum will take no other
liquor in its place if he can help it. 1t
seems to reach the spot more directly than
any other dram. The darker brown Su-
CARS have also disappeared and they are
never likely return. owing to the meth
DDS of boiling and the manufacture Gran
ufated sugar is of the same composition as
far saccharine qualities are concerned, as
loaf. cut loaf cube and crushed. and diff
fers from them only in that it's crystals do
not rohere. This is because it is constantly
stirred dIring the process of crystalllza-
ton. The lighter brown sugars taste
sweeter than the white, for the reason that
there is some moiasses left in them.
''Hotsekeepers hsE. difficulty these days
finding ar
always preferred fer Use in putting up
sweet pickles. making cakes and similar
uses As they cannot get brown sugar any
more. it may be well for them to remem-
Der that they can simulate brown sugar by
adding a tablespoonful of molasses to each
quarter of pound of the white graduated
sugars. This combination does we'll in
all household receipts that call for brown
sugar as the article itself, and. besides, it
saves them a great deal of hunting for
brown sugar. which. said before, has
disappeared from the market.
II had rather novel experience in the
matter of gathering tables showing the
rise and setting of the sun. the changes
Of the moon, high and low tides. &c." said
a publisher. last year. but 1 am fixed for
this year. In my experience as publisher /
had printed about almost everything that
1 thought could be printed. Finally. an adj
vertising concern wanted me to get out an
copy for the almanac, except the almanac
itself-that is, the tables. / supposed
would have difficulty in getting Them
but 1 soon found out that I was mistaken
My desire to get the tables correct
and to have them prepared in an authori-
tative way. After interviewing some Of
the experts in Washington / found
that they were all d;sinclined to take
any outside work. Finally of them
Sayota TO do Ha
ing $500 for the calculatfons-$o5 for
each month 1 am about having a similar
work done this year. and came here for
that purpose, but learned that all the cal
culations for the various patent medicine
and many other almanacs are made by a
blind man in Pittsburg, Pa. an amateur
mathematician and astronomer of consid-
cradle local reputation. / sent for the
tables, nd have received them He charged
me exactly &c. or 80 cents for each month
L understand that the actual work is done
ny ms children who write from his dicta-
ton HE tells me that he has supplied the
same tables for about one hundred differ
ent almanacS for 1897"
X X
The sudden warm spell of a couple of
weeks since played sad havoc with the
stock of sweet cider held in this city,"
said a dealer. 'As is generally known,
nine-tentfs of the sweet cider sold in this
city comes from New York state and Con-
recticut. One of the big cider concerns
had about 1000 barrels stored here to sup
ply the local demand. The trade opened
up very lively. and for a couple of weeks
sweet cider signs appeared in every one of
the grocery and many other stores The
sudden warm spell followed, and in less
than week the sweet cider was sweet no
more and had become hard In other
words, 1t worked. There is a demand for
hard cider, of course, but it is very small
in comparison to that of sweet cider. for
the drinker of hard cider can on a pinch.
get along with plain beer or whisky The
drinker of sweet cider. the other band.
wants nothing else. OF course the stock
is not entirely lost. for in six or eight
months. it will be marketable as vinegar
Inc result Is, therefore, there is but LITTLE
pure, sweet cider on sale though the sun
ply will be sufficient
There are about seven and half
chances out of ten that the weatha- in
Washington on the 4th OF March NEXT viii,
be unpleasant" remarked a gentleman
who has given considerable attention to the
subject of changing Inauguration day from
March to April co. or some other dav
later in the spring. Though the change
has been regularly pressed on Congress,