Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-09
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS

Everybody has heard Of the mammoth
trees of California" said A. p. Yates OF
Sacramento at the Ebbitt. II refer not
Only to the redwood trees, Of which a fire
specimen IL to be seen in the Agricultural
Department grounds, but giant pines. frs,
etc. I can remember when Mount Shasta
was covered with the finest forest In the
world. Tourists and scientists came from
all parts Of the world to look at and study
the magnificent trees. Now these forests
have been cut down, and the trees blown
up with dynamite, until Mount Shasta lie
almost bald elevation The redwood
trees are disappearing rapidly and the
tourist Of today is inclined to think that
the stories told about the mammoth trees
Of California were the products of vivid
imagination. There seems to be no local
pride In these giants of the forest, and no
computations about destroying Them
I have heard of a good many singular
friendships among animals and BIRDS" said
T. l.. Arnold of Chicago, at the Arlington,
but none so strange an incident which
came under my own observation. friend
OF mine shot chicken hawk that was
hovering over his yard awaiting an oppor-
tunity to feast upon the fowls The hawk
1eli' and my friend picked 1t up. 1t was not
dead, but one wing was so badly broken as
ed SO hard that he did not kill the hawk,
out dressed its wounds and in the course
OF lew days 1t was well enough to be tied
10 stake in the yard. tts wings being
clipped so that 1T could not fly. After it
had been thus confined for several weeks
hen with brood of small chickens was
accidentally killed, and day or two later
the cnlcks were seen lowering around the
most to comfort them From that day the
adoption was complete and the brood of
chickens was reared by the hawk"
Il was interested in contest between
snake and toad" said E. E. Green Of
Stanford. KY, at the Regent THE snake
was small one. while the toad was I'M
usually large. When 1 first saw them the
snake was gliding rapidly toward the toad,
while the latter was watching it with great
interest. The Snake sprang for the toad
with jaws distended to swallow it, but the
toad opened its mouth very wide and sue
ceeded in swallowing the head Of the ser
pent. Then the snake began to sauirm
and the toad tried to draw the balance of
ms adversary into his mouth. In a few
moments the snake had withdrawn from
its perilous position and prepared once
more for an attack. This resulted ere
c1seiy as the first one did. and when the
snake was free again, the two reptiles
watched each other for several minutes be-
| fore there were any further hostiities
! FINALLY the snake tried it again, with the
| same result as before. This was enough
| for the reptile, and when he escaped from
the toad he gided away as rapidly as pos
| sible.''
| Il have an old-fashioned mill on my
place" said ID. K Phillips of Warren coun-
| ty. Va, at the National THE mill Is run
| by means of a very large Wheel turned by
the water of a brook. 1t is of the style
/ q nf,rr1 T
swim on the brook Just above my mill dam
A few weeks ago saw large drake fly
| ing through the air on the wheel of the
| mill, and expected to see him dashed to
| pieces when the wheel turned around Blu,
| as the wheel turned he adapted himself
| to its position. and when it struck the wa
ter he went underneath, coming up and
| catching to the next paddle. l stopped the
| wheel and he swan away with joyful
| quacks as l supposed. at his escape. Blu,
| the next day the same duck was again
riding the Wheel evidently thoroughly en-
| toying the sensation. / drove him away
but the next day he returned, and this
time he was accompanied by several others
AS the wheel turned 1t had a duck on every
paddle. and now men come for miles to see
the ducks ride the wheel"
ut Is a notorious fact that the profits o.
breeding fine race horses are Of the past,
said E. D. Sweeney of Lexington at tn,
Riggs, but the steeple chase fad and tn
revival of fox hunting have brought de
mand for steeple chase horses that is prov
ing remGneratiye to breeders. Nearly al
of them are imported from England whel
colts and trained in this country, althoug!
some are produced from scrub American
stock. The question of pedigree is no long
er of absorbing interest. What the buye
wants is a fne-looking horse, a good sad
| Al t,aoo nd t,a1 Thao
qualities are often produced in very com
mon horses, judged by the old standards
hence the principal thing required Is
knowledge Of breeding and training. es
$50 to 500, well fed, well groomed, traine
to saddle gaits and to jump. Its tail
locked and the animal Is disposed of read
lily at from $3.50 to $1,000. Those breeder
who have already adapted themselves t
the new demand have made a good deal G
: money, but, naturally. the supply will b
: greater than the demand within the mex
S three four years, and prices will prot
e ably fall
( ''It has frequently been said that pa
h | senger traffic on railroads does not pay
n said L. c. Read of New Orleans. at II
:, Shoreham. ut is not difficult matter Il
: well-posted railroad man to figure OF
: an actual less on the passenger business
n his road. but matter of fact the pa
senger business does pay, and pays We
o 1 was in the passenger department of
# railroad company several years and a
# convinced that it pays, and am of the opil
ion that it would pay even better wi
trains running much more frequently al
= at rates of fare based upon those Of sire
- railroad companies. This would requi
four-track railroads. but they would SOC
y pay the extra expense. One of the hea
- debts in the passenger department is t
20 advertising. Practically all Of the adve
= Using of a railroad company is charg
g against the passenger business. The ra
&c | roads compete with each ether to get o
g, the finest engraved cards and expend va
20 amounts annually in this way. An arr
70 of passenger agents and ticket agents a
" employed and expensive rate cutting wa
~ INDUCED in. If the passenger business W
y | conducted on as economical lines as t
y freight, it would pay as we'll, if not b.
ter"
i. II have seen a few colored men tram
o. ing this year." said A. D. Downs Of Anne
At icus, Ca, at Wizards. Until within
r year or two a colored tramp could not
found The southern darkies are often il
provide mt, but they all work and nev
.-of4 IL,