Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-28

THE steamboat business" observed Gen.
Dumont, the supervising inspector general
oe steam vessels, pays better for the
amount of capital invested than almost any
other business in this country. The lines
that run from Troy to New York city pay
~ per cent on the investment. and others
almost handsomely. There are in all
about 5000 steamboats, licensed in this coun-
try. OF course, the risk is large. and ex-
peIses heavy, but the losses are reduced to
the minimum oy careful and constant super
vision and inspection.
Just now We giving attention to the
summer boats, which are getting in order
for the excursion business. There are over
1000 of them. you it Is quite a job
They. Of course, won't get into running or
der until June, for the excursion business
does not commence until then, but there is
considerable work in seeing that they are
in every respect in shape. 1t Is remarka BILE
considering the millions of people they carry
daily. during the season. how small the per-
centaSe of mishaps is At one time there
was an Impression that riding in a steam
beat was attended by danger of some kind.
Experience has shown that there is much
more ianger to persons who walk about the
streets"
X +
Probably three-fourths Of the lima beans
T. II.
Gates of Los Angeles, "are grown in Cali
fornia, and a great proportion of them are
raised in the Santa Clara valley The
climate and surroundings there are espe-
cially suited to the raising Of these, for it IS
so dry that the beans can be grown right
on the ground, thus saving the expense of
poles and of propping the vines up in any
way You don't find over one bad or i'm
perfect bean In bushel The result Is that
1t costs so little to grow them that they can
in turn be sold cheap. You can buy them
in the markets and stores here at retail at
four and five cents per pound. Out in Cali
fornia the growers are glad to get one cent
per pound for them-shelled and dried.
knew of one farm that shipped seventeen
carloads of these beans last season. AS a
body and brain food the lima is much more
valuable than the ordinary white or black
beam
"A few months SINCE" remarked a recent
~ returned traveller, Il lad occasion to
hunt up the American vice consul at Luxor
on the Nile, in Egypt. He proved to he an
Arab of probably Nubian blood, for he is
dark in color as the average colored
man He had never been out of Egypt in
his life, could only speak Arabian and
Knew no more about the United States than
the ordinary hog knows of Christmas 1
h;id considerable fun, but could transact no
business with him. for there was no one
about the place who could talk anything
but Ardnian, and that was beyond me. He
Rad however, an American flag in his,
once, Wnlch was some satisfaction to me-
Tor L have met consular agents in various
parts OF the world who did not know even
how ii looked"
Il was much interested in The Stars
recent article on the 'two-minute horse"
said Mr.. Tom Riverton of Lexington. XIV
though 1 think our Kentucky breeders
have about given up the idea that they can
produce the horse in question We will show
some this year that may trot down to 2o6
but even that Is uncertain. While in New
DIX L Few days ago, was told that Mr.
j. Nelson Forbes, the owner Of -Arion and
Nancy Hanks, had an offer of $4,000 for
the foai that Nancy Hanks will drop in
April when the foal reaches the twenty
i.fth lay of its age. AS year-old l think
inns foai will sell at $4,000. for it is the
TEST tnat horses can produce in this world
II there is anything at all in the science of
breeding That it will be a world beater ia
a mere guess but that it will be a great
h ,s srse IS certain; 1 happen to know also
that the one of the pledges that Mr. Forbes
maize TO the late Leland Stanford, when he
pad sl2.'.osO for Arion, was that he would
breed Nancy Hanks to Arion.
Gov stanford thought much of that
Union and of the chances that a two-m;n, Ite
horse would be the result Gov. Stanford.
however. wanted Nancy Hanks to be bred
peIore she got tired campaigning on the
race track, for he had little hopes of a tired
cam producing anything wonderful in the
way of speed. No old racing mare ever has
cone So He thought the two-minute horse
M"tio De 1oaied by a young dam instead
hen this pledge was made Nancy Hanks
was IN the fve-year-old form, and Arion
who is now seven was then twoyaor
old"
X X
We nave done away with the two-n,il-
fon-d"!lar bundle of money that We used
70 allow the brides vino visited the vaults
hanile, said a treasury guide and they
60 not seem to be pleased with It. Many IS
the bride to whom have handed the bum
ole. marked two million. dollars with the
remark; Now. you can say you had two
million dollars in your hands, 1t ticlled
them wonderfully, and they went aVay
happy. but ignorant of what they handled.
What was in the bundle? / don't remem
her distinctly. but there was no money in
lN0 OIL census reports. 1t served them as
we'll as real money
!: X X *
Il was talking to Il man in ST. Louis to-
night remarked an ol,I-time telegrapher
the other evening, whose reputation for
accuracy is unsurpassed and he told me
on unusual as we'll as an extraordinary
Geographic error he had made or bull as
We call it,
lie received a message addressed to DR.
T. W. Glasco, and there being such
physician it was delivered to him. but the
"octoi' saw there must be an erro- and re-
turned the message to the company. and it
was corrected. Now. what do yoI suppose
WAS The correct name in that address," he
asked
l confessed my ignorance in this line. and
ne replied: THAT message SHOULD have
read. Drew Glass Co.'-tha error is easily
made or 'bulled-and there Is not a week
passes but what L hear of something of
this sort
* X
Senator HIPS crusade against ready
made petitions to Congress is no new
thing. Thes. Machine made petitions have
been coming to Congress for years. and
though an occasional protest is and has
heen made against them. they continue to
co,ae along and probably will. They have
their effec. upon those who receive them
for presentation to Congress. although it
may end there. Tons of petitions, some of
them a quarter of a mile long if the pieces
of paper could be strung together have
been received in the Senate and House
containing thousands upon thousands OF
Signatures in connection with the temper
frce. Sunday observance and moral and
t.TN