The Opelousas courier., 1898-11-05

Down in Jamaica they say 'the Yam.
KEGS aren't afraid Of Old Nick" The
people of this English colony also con-
slider the armed tugboat Leyden the
greatest vessel In the American Navy.
Some weeks ago II. NJ. S. Talbot. a
cruiser about the size of the New
York, steamed into Kingston harbor
and told a story which gave rise to
this respect for Lieutenant Crossley's
tiny warship. It seems that the
cruiser was steaming down the Ba-
hama channel n dark night when a
blank shot was fred close by. The
watch officers could see nothing and
paid no attention to the signal. Then
a solid shot sank across the big ships
bow and she hove to in a fifty. A few
minutes later a tugboat came tearing
up alongside, and, through the mega
phone, her commander demanded the
name OF the vessel he had held up.
THE British cruiser Talbot" You
can go on" was the condescending re-
ply. The cruiser did 60 on, and her
officers and crew now have the great
est respect for American tugboats.
1t is only natural that this should be
the case.
To point out the phenomenal increase
IN our foreign trade during the past
ten years comparisons are made be-
tween the figures of 1895 and the fig
Tires for 1888. Taking the principal
Countries Of the globe, our exports to
them have been as follows: Great
Britain, in 1898, $40, 600, 900; in 1888,
1852, 600 900; Germany, in 1898, $780,
100000; in 1883, $56, 600, 900; France,
In 1898, $4,000 0 ,OCO; in 1888, 4 100000
600; Canada, in 1898, $50, 0OO, 900; in
1888, $3S, 900, 900; Netherlands, in 1895,
$50, 600, 0OO; in 1888, $16,O OO, 900; Bel
GUM, In 1893, SAT, 600, 900; in 1888, $10,-
0O0, Japan. in 1898, $21, 900, 900; In
1888, $4,000, 900; Africa, in 1898, ST.
100000; in 1883, $1,000, 900; China, in
1893, $40, OOO,O go; in 1888, $4,5OO,0OO;
Austria Hungary, in 1893, $5,000,00O;
In 1888, $500, 600; Denmark, in 1898,
$12, GOO, OOO; in 1883, $3,OOO,O 600. AS
the above figures show our foreign
trade during the past ten years has
doubled in almost every instance. No
other country on the globe can show
anything like this record. Thus we
literally become the purveyor of food
and supplies to the nations of the
earth.
A system Of portable or field electric
railway has been brought out in Ger
many with complete success. As de-
scribed by a correspondent Of the Bos-
ton Transcript, the track consists OF
easily transported rail frames, made
of two rails Of the usual field railway
profile. and connected together by, say,
five crossbars; the middle crossbar ex-
tends a few inches beyond the rails on
either side, and to it's ends is bolted
an iron yoke, or frame, IN shape an in
verified u, the top of which is high
enough to be we'll clear of the cars.
The overhead conductor is supported
at the center of the upper horizontal
part Of the yoke; the yokes are placed
closer together at curves, and at the
sharpest curves it may be necessary
to fit every rail frame with q yoke, in
order to keep the overhead conductor
sufficiently near the center of he
track. The generating station is fitted
in the usual way with a dynamo, and
two feeders are led from the station
to one end of the track, n being con-
nected to the end Of the overhead con-
ductor and the other to the rails. For
running the trolley wire a special
truck has been devised. On it are a
pair of ladders, leaning toward each
other, and between them on the foor
of the truck is a reel containing wire,
and at the top, where their upper ends
meet, is supported a guide pulley. BY
means Of this truck a long field line,
It Is found, can be run out in a sur
prisingIy short space of time.