The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-03-10


cameras set in the form of hexagon
on circular platform, this platform
to be prevented from revolving by a
light boom set out from the kite string,
and each camera numbered to cores
pond with a chart kept on the deck"
He explained that If the direction of
the kites altered through a change in
the wind it could be instantly observed
and the chart shifted to correspond.
Then small photographers would be ta-
ken every few minutes by his battery
of cameras and could be developed
within five minutes, so that any object
they showed could be observed. 1t
would not be necessary, he says, to
wait to wash and print the negatives.
Should something that looked like a
war ship he noticed on one of the
plates it would be only necessary to
send up large camera to take photo
graph in that same direction, and then
it could be determined from that plate
what kind of vessel it really was.
AS might be expected under the cir
cumstances, people totally Ignorant of
military methods and cranks, form
large part of the overzealous patriots.
One man requests the President to send
him Immediately a cap, belt and uni
form, that he may open a recruiting
office in Philadelphia. This man says
he is able to command any number
of men, but would be content with a
captains commission. He says he can
navigate any ship afloat and is an eX-
cellent steward.
AL old colored man of Alexandria,
Va, says he is prepared to enlist
more than seven hundred colored SOL
diers who fought in the late war, and
asks for a colonel's commission. Many
superannuated inmates of the soldiers
homes are with difficulty restraining
themselves from marching in a body
to Washington to tender their services
to the President. An officer of the Ad-
futant Generals office remarked on
reading their letters that he feared the
demands on the hospital corps would
be too great to accept their tender.
An enthusiastic mechanical engineer
has presented an elaborate, but i'm
practicable, scheme for barricading
harbors and rivers with fortified pom
9 toons. Another man, ready for his
co,intry's call, styles himself pro-
fessional aeronaut Of ten years expert
ence, well versed in hydrogen gas and
hot air balloons" He suggests the
employment of large quantities of
nitro-glycerine and other high explo-
sives, to be carried up in balloons and
dropped upon the decks Of the enemy's
ships.
That there is a great deal of hot
blood in the United States with an
impatient determination to support
the administration if developments
shall compel it to adopt a hostile at
tftude toward Spain is evidenced by
the hundreds Of letters received since
the Maine disaster at the White House
and the War and Navy departments Of
fering services and suggestions.
These letters come from all sorts and
conditions of men, women and chill
dren in all parts of the country. Many
are from men Of standing and influence
whose services would be appreciated in
the event of an outbreak of hostilities.
Among these are officers of the Ma
tional Guard organizations, who pledge
their willingness and that of their en-
tire regiments to enlist as a body in
the service of the United States in case
of emergency Many medical men have
tended their services as army and navy
surgeons. Men and women nurses;
some of them attached to hospitals in
the large cities, are begging the au-
thorities to call upon them if needed.
Scores of boys from ten to fifteen
years old are clamoring for permission
: to enlist as drummer boys. There are
numerous applications for authority to
recruit volunteers. The number of
former confederate soldiers who offer
their services is especially large.
Spain was once the greatest nation
on the globe. Say, rather she was
twice so First as a centre Of learning
and science under the sarasencic rule,
when the city of Cordova had mile of
gas-lit streets and fountains of quick
silver played In the palace yard Of the
caliph. Second, when she was the
greatest military power in Europe. If
you look at the names of countries,
cities and places in the western hemis-
phere you will realize what grand
empire Spain once was and what
power she welded over men. But Spain
could not stand the march of modern
invention She has steadily shrulk
and shrivled and lost her POSSESSIONS,
until now all she has left worth speak,
ing of is Cuba. The PHILIPPINES are in
significant possessions. i is interest