The herald., 1898-11-19
NOTES OF THE DAY

An eastern telephone man predicts that be-
fore the close of the nineteenth century per-
sons on the Pacific coast will be talking by
telephone to persons on the Atlantic sea-
hoard The feat has already been accom-
plshed between Kansas City and Boston,
rhirty-three states are now connected by
ong-distance telephone systems, and with
in a year nearly every other state in the
Union will have them Statistics show that
the year 1898 has developed greater activity
in the telephone world than any since its
invention, and the year 1899 will, from pres
ent prospects, be the record breaker.
General Traffic Manager A1cNicholl OF the
Canadian Pacific railway says that $4,000
people have gone to the Klondke gold fields
this season, and that, in his opinion, 10000 OF
them will return penniless and without ever
seeing the gold fields. He says that at least
$50. .00O, 900 has been spent by prospectors in
purchasing outfits, reaching the country and
in living there, and that, taking everything
into consideration, the account about bal
anccs-that is, there has been about as much
spent in reaching and working the gold fields
as there has been taken out in gold dust.
The cause of the advanced market for
Pennsylvania oil, which now sells for 81. lSa
barrel, as against G5 cents in October OF last
year. is clear. Last year the daily output OF
oil was over 10000 barrels, while this year
1 it reaches only 10000 barrels. Of more i'm
portance is the fact that the Gil men cannot
recall in the history Of the trade the time
when the new fields were so absolutely un-
promising Every day new territory is con-
demned, and the old has been pumped over
and over, until it has ceased to respond.
Down on the Verdigris river, in Montgom-
ery county, Kansas, the farmers have es-
tablished free delivery mail system. Inc
men of the neighborhood, by arrangement,
take turns in bringing the mail from lnde-
pendence and delivering it at the farmers
doors every morning. Every postmaster with
a rural constituency is familiar with the
parties who come in, usually on Saturday,
and call for their own mail and that OF all
| their neighbors.
The carrying trade of the United States
now conducted by foreign sailors and cred
tied to foreign bottoms is estimated DIT
81, ,6OO, ,OOO, 900, and that credited to American
bottoms at $l90,000,000. In 1850 the trade OF
American bottoms was estimated at So0i,-
247, ,757, and foreign bottoms 55,040, 793, but
since then there has been steady and unin-
terrupted decline of American bottoms and
corresponding increase of foreign bottoms.
Adjutant General Corbin says that the
wearing of medals by volunteer soldiery Is
not regulated by law. The Army and Navy
Journal however, thinks that it should be,
and says: Every soldier in the army should
receive medal or cross for war service, but
he ought to get it from the nation and not
from his ward neighbors or feiiow towns
men,"
A New York woman has started a crusade
against school teachers who daily with the
makeup box. She argues that the ma ans
who paint, pencil and powder might just as
well teach their pupils that cosmetics are
necessary to the complexion as to stand be-
fore them every school day with their own
complexons touched up with gaudy colors.
The boys who work for the New ork,
New Haven and Hartford railroad have been
obliged to abandon their sporty" clothes.
Striped shirts, gay neckties and tan shoes
| are no longer allowed, and those who desire
TO remain in the employ of the company
| must now wear black shoes, black ties and
white shirts.
| In a certain class of Russian schools the
highest reward given is the initial letter of
| the empress name. 1t consists of the initial
in solid gold, an inch and quarter in height,
on blue bow. Should its possessor ever
become governess it will enttle her to a
| higher salary than she could otherwise OBJ
| tain.
| The fact that skeleton remains of ele-
plants are so rarely found in any part Of
| Africa is explained by an explorer, who
states that as soon as the bones become
brittle from climatic influences they are
eaten in lieu of salt by the various rumnant
animals.
A novel flower has been found at the
isthmus of Tehuantepec. 1t has faculty
of changing its color during the day. In the
morning it is white, when the sun is at its
zenith it is red, and at night it is blue. Only
at noon does it give out any perfume.
The Norwegian corps of skaters, force
peculiar to the army of that country, is Il
body of soldiers armed with rifles, who can
be maneuvered upon ice or over the snow
fields of the mountains with rapidity equal
to that of the best-trained cavalry.
Some of the wooden churches of Norway
are fully 700 years old and are still in an ex-
cellent state of preservation. Their timbers
have successfully resisted the frosty and al
most arctic winters because they have been
repeatedly coated with tar.
Two well-known English plants, the thistle
and the rape, are so inimical, that if field
is infested with thistles, which come up year
after year and ruin the crops, all you have
to do is to sow it with rape. The thistle will
be absolutely annihilated.
A German biologist says that the two sides
of face are never alike. In two cases out
&c Gx.o Tho u{ of -
stronger than the other in seven persons out
of ten, and the right eye is generally higher
than the left.
Aberdeen, Scotland, which is known as
"the' granite city," and has from time i'm
memorial used its native stone for paving.
has given it up and tried tar macadam,