Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1898-12-29
Porto Rico Dogs.

Porto Rico Dogs.
81 prophesy that this war will be the
means Of bringing Porto Rico dogs into
this country" said New York mer-
chant, whose business is chiefly with
the West Indies. ''You don't know
what Porto Rico dog is, do you? I
suppose not. l have only seen two Of
them in New York. Porto Rico dogs
are not Spanish at all, but aboriginal.
have been told that they are much
the same as the long-haired alec of
Mexico, and I believe the breed is still
found in Santo Domingo. They are
tiny little creatures with silky white
hair, all except tan patch on one ear
at least, all / have seen have been
marked that way; and what makes
them particularly interesting is that,
according to the learned, they are the
descendants of the pet dogs of the
aborigines of the Greater Antilles 1t
seems strange that race of aboriglnes
should have been so completely wiped
out and their pet dogs should survive.
But 1 have been told that when the
Spanish first landed on Santo Domingo
they used to see the natives going
about with these little alcos on their
shoulders Or in their bosoms.
eff the human beings that kept them
were anything like their pets, as is gen
orally the case, they must have been a
kindly, affectionate people. 1 have
heard OF one of these Porto Rico dogs
that was given to a little girl in ia
maica. The child sickened of fever
and the dog would come and lick her
face and hands at regular intervals
during the day. When the child died
the dog lay for a long time with it's
muzzle close up to the little dead hand
and whined piteously when the body
was taken away for burial. They tell
me that pure Porto Rico dog will not
let itself be made the pet of the whole
family, but will attach itself to one
person always and will not allow that
one person to have any other pet"
Making Wood Rims for Bicycles.
The average annual output of wood
novelties in Maine has a value veil
over one million dollars. One of she
most interesting branches of the indus
try is the manufacture of wood rims
for bicycles. The factory where the
manufacture is carried ON has a floor
space of "A 800 feet; it's daily output av-
erages about eighteen hundred rims,
and the value of it's yearly product is
about one hundred and twenty thou
sand dollars. The wood used is rock
maple, and each rim is composed Of
three pieces glued and pressed to-
gether with such force and eXactitude
that the rim appears like one piece, and
only the most searching examination
can detect the joints. After these
pieces have been steamed, bent and
glued, they are submitted to an enor-
nous pressure in a steam-power ma
chine. They are then taken to the
lathes, one of which turns the concave
surface of the outside, and another tbs
convex surface of the inside of the rim.
After passing on to the sand paper ma.
chine for smoothing, they are stained
and vanished and bored for the
spokes, and are ready for shipment.
The wood must be perfect, and not the
least defect or discoloration is allowed
to pass. Much of the machinery has
been designed expressly for this plant,
and the machines as we'll as all the
steps in the construction of the rims
require the supervision Of skilled me-
chanics.