Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-22

"
Written for The Evening Star
THE last day of the year never comes
around without reminding me that am
indebted to kind Providence for being
alive" said a weli-dressed gentleman at
the st. James a few evenings ago.
And how so?'' asked another gentleman
who had been an attentive listener to the
conversation.
II escaped the Ashtabula disaster by
the skin of my teeth to use an everyday
expression. At that time I was travelling
for a Rochester house and my territory
embraced the towns along the south shore
of Lake Erie.
ION the day Of the disaster I was call
ing on some friends, who were customers
of mine In Erie. Pa. I had given up work
for the holidays, and, instead of jumping
back to Rochester. was putting in the
time to suit myself.
MY friends in Erie had exacted a prom
Use that i should spend a day or so with
them, and / was fulfilling the promise.
About noon 1 made up my mind to go to
Cleveland, where intended remaining I'M
til after the new year festival, before
starting into work again.
Il left order to have my trunks go
on the afternoon train. and. as 1t would
be an hour before the train was due.
cheerfully assented to enjoy sleigh ride
with one of my hosts 1t was this sleigh
ride that saved my life. We drove out
five or six miles on a good stretch OF road
west of the city to little place called by
the people of Erie the head named so
because it is the head of the bay.
The time passed swiftly and when
looked at my watch / was astonished to
find that I had only about twenty min
utes to catch my train. My friend whipped
up the horse and we sailed right along
over the snow, he occasionally giving me
the comforting reinsurance that there was
plenty of time.
When we got within about half mile
of the depot we saw the smoke of the
locomotive it was pulling the train out.
The engine puffed anu steamed in the frosty
air, the speed was accelerated, and final
ly the train passed from sight. While 1
bemoaned that had been left. little did l
think that the train was at that moment
hurrying along to such an awful fate
Il went back to the home of my friends.
Several times that clustering evening did
members of the family suggest that / was
just as well off. When retired that night
found hot soapstone at my feet Still
i felt that / ought to have made that
train
1T was not until the next morning that
1 learned of the awful wreck at Ashta-
bula. My heart leaped into my throat
when / thought of what a narrow escape
/ had. My trunks were on the i'll fated
train and were burned up That day / went
to Ashtabula, on my way to Cleveland
Such awful sight 1 never want to see
again
DO you think / ever forget when the
anniversary of that event rolls around!
Not much. 1t was more than year be-
fore my nerves recovered from that shock"
The gentleman who related this story
was James M. Wilson. He has for many
years lived in Chicago. and is one of the
best known commercial drummers in the
country.
Every one of the great army of Kingsley
ties win welcome this new story of the i'm
mortal Reverend Charles. 1t has never, /
Believe been printed. 1t comes from an
English lady. whose country residence was
Kinder his spiritual care. and at whose ia
BILE ne was therefore frequent guest.
The good mans wel-esta blished habit of
talking much about things of which he
knew little is the cause for the story. He
had a habit. particularly at dinner tables,
of holding the guests agape with minute
stories about the inhabitants of Mars or
the fishes of Kamschatka. All of this
awaited except on such unhappy occasions
as when he came Unexpectedly across some
one who had lived in Mars fished in
Kamschatka- 1t was on such unfartu-
nate occasion that Kingsley gave this ex-
cpSe. which deserves to be preserved Some
unknown little man from the very foot of
the table interrupted very brilliant dis
course about, say, the climate of Mars
with very unexpected Il beg your par
don. Mr.. Kingsley. but what you state is
wholly untrue / have lived there and am
able to assure you that you have been
grossly misinformed"
5. EmbarTas only for a moment Kings
ley replied: Il am very sorry II have been
making misStatements. You know, of
course. that would not do so intention
ally. But L fear that IL often happens.
However, 1 always console myself with re-
Numbering an incident of my youth. / was
on the Usual grande tour and came to
Strasbourg. i was being shown the famous
~ a ions md DIV tod oil
dame. / saw how the works went and how
the apostles marched. But as she was
growing far too eloquent over the wonders
OF the work. 1 said: Yes. my good woman.
1t is a very fine bit of work. Eut / must
call your attention to the fact that al
though my watch says it is only o'clock
this great dial says II is nearly 2 1 know
my watch Is correct. Cannot your great
clock keep time" She was very indig-
Liant. 1t keeps the time quite good enough
sir; always within an hour Of the correct
time Why, what would you have? A
clock which does so many very wonderful
things cannot be expected TO do them all
Well And may / not console myself some
times with the thought that perhaps I, too,
am like the Strasbourg clockr'
r
Are we the Americans or not? At
least here is a defnitiye admission that we
are from the head of a great nation that
has loEg beer chief disputant to our claim
to the title. Common Usage abroad has
III aoe US Always the only Americans. Otner
Inhabitants of this continent are known as
Canadians. Mexicans. Brazilians. SC. But
we are always the Americans. In any Of
the smaller capitals of Europe, II you ask
for the residence of the ministre des
Etats Unis. no one In the streets at least
will have the slightest idea who you are
talking about And yet every gamin will
run to show you the house Of the min!stre
d'Ames1que.
There was much discussion Of this sub
Ject last summer when the engraved sta
tionery Of our new ambassador to 81.
James first made its appearance In Lon
DON Mr. Hay decided to accept the title
of general usage rather than the utterly
unused Official one. So his visiting cards
are engraved simply The American Am
bsssa6or." Invitations read The Ameri-
can Ambassador and Mrs. Hay. At Home"
&c All Of this naturally stirred up the
dispute. which IL probably still raging after
the manner Of the fntermfnable contro-
versies which the London papers encour-
age In disputatfous contributors. There
was last summer host of Canadians,
Brazilian and other neighbors protesting
In the papers against Mr.. Hays assump-
ton Of a whole continent as his home.