Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-10-14

c4li0u9sy nut, pumAAcAo aAaO = WITT
OF exceptionally mild winters.
Since the Klondike discoveries the
outcrop of fools gold all over the coun-
try has been found to be unusually
profuse. and the samples sent in TO
the mint for examination have greatly
increased in number. The officials of
that institution say that of such SAM
pies only about one in hundred con-
tains true gold, and of that limited
proportion only small number of the
finds are worth mining. The stun sent
In is generally about the value OF the
sweeplngs of macadamized road, con-
sisting of iron pirates. mica. tale. SAID
with yellow particles In 1t, crystal
sprinkled rock and the like. awaken
ing eager hopes in the bosoms of their
discoveries which are nearly all DOOM
ed to disappointment. Nature dis
tributes the metal widely. but hides
away the bulk of ii in her most secrnt
treasures guarded with bolts of ice
and lances of fire from the equator 20
the pole. She does not scatter It
around in every dooryard. as those
who are flooding the mint with multi
farious packages of samples appear 10
conjecture.
Postnaster-General Gary is devoting
considerable attention to an investiga-
ton of the wisdom of establishir.. pos
tai savings banks. When in the lasc
Congress a bill was sent to him pro-
viding for such institutions, he de-
clined to indorse ii because, as he
said, he had not had an opportunity
to investigate the subject He has
since taken up the matter, reading all
the literature bearing on it he could
procure and seeking opportunities 10
discuss its merits with those familiar
with it. The result Is that he has be-
come convinced of the wisdom and
utility of postal savings institutions.
and has decided to have a bill pre-
pared providing for their establish
ment, and to recommend it's passage
by Congress. In all probability he
will treat the subject in his annual re-
port at some length. He has not yet
decided on the details of any plan, but
will soon give his attention to them.
Though there are now no American
game preserves so carefully stocked
and maintained as those of Europe, 1t
is likely that with time and tho
growth of hunting set, the same
pains In providing game for the guns
will be used. Already the American
preserves dwarf most of those in Eu-
rope in extent and excel them in va
riety of game. The largest private
game preserve in the world is that
established by the late Baron hirsch
in Hungary. But here rabbits AMI
pneasants are the only game taken.
There are plenty of these, however.
On one occasion a party of ten, OF
whom the Prince of Wales was one.
shot 5000 pheasants in one day and
on another date killed 1900 rabbits.
The bag" on this great shooting pre-
serve was frequently SO great as TO
tax the capacity of the baron's great
larder, which held 5000 head of game
and was the largest ever built In his
great preserve near the famous Hartz
mountains, Emperor William is some
times able to bring down bear, but
owners of American game preserves
can shoot antelope and red deer and
bear, too, IL they wish. AS for quail,
which are much superior to pheasants,
they can always be relied on, and rab-
bits are too numerous to mention. So
there is little doubt that America will
have in time the finest private hunt
ing grounds in the world.
AS bearing on the probable fate of
the cataract at Niagara, The Electro
cal World makes an estimate of what
The Falls. If utilized, could earn, or, IN
other words, of what the failure to
utilize them costs. Assuming" it
says, "the total power of Niagara 10
be 100000 horsepower, and putting
the value of this at the low figure Of
SO per horse power year, the an
nual waste amounts to the enormous 3
total of $5O,0O0,0 00-enough to pay
interest on 81 ,OOO.OOOOOO" The whole
question, according to The Electrical
World, is whether the cataract, as
spectacle, is worth this sum, aud
whether it's energies should not De
employed usefully in manufactures,
adding to the general support OF
wealth, and in this way enhancing the
opportunities and lettering the con-
dition of all the people of this country
and Canada. Our technical contemp-
orary intimates that the people I'll
whose natures the aesthetic FREEDOM
mates" are not the only class capable
Of feeling: 1T is as painful in its
way to the engineer to see the sad
waste of several millions of horse
power at Niagara as it is to the purely
person to contemplate thu
destruction. of the Falls for unitarian
purposes 1t should be borne in mind,
however, by those who look forward
with regret to the day when there will
be no more cataract, If such a day shall
ever come, that the industrial develops
ments which in that case will take its
place will be even more beautiful.
There is an clement of beauty and ma
iesty in the thunderous rush of vast
of water over the precipice 1t
but 1t Is the beauty of waste
and destruction. The orderly activity
Of the mighty machinery which would
be actuated by the great water power,
and the Harvesting of the elemental
forces of nature in the service Of man
kind, would furnish a spectacle of even
more impressive grandeur than thai
now displayed by the uncontrolled .
- s.r.