The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-05-05
Ships Bottom Covered with Oysters.


reached Mare island navy yard, after
a voyage to Manila, her bottom was
found covered with mature oysters, and
the commandment has forwarded to the
bureau of construction and repair box
containing samples of the shells. The
paint upon the plates below the water
line was in good condition, and there
was no unusual corrosion, but from
stem to stern she was covered with
these oysters, which became attached
to her lying in Manila bay. On one
occasion, when all the coal in her hold
had been removed and a large part of
her bottom was exposed above the wa
ter, the plates were cleaned by the ma
tives without expense ON condition that
they be allowed to- keep the oysters,
which they consider a great delicacy.
How He Tells Senators.
Senator Chiffon was travelling once in
company with a lawyer from Aus
tin, says a Texas paper: The latter
went into the smoking car and engaged
in conversation with the conductor. tell
ing the latter that he had just left
Senator Chiffon in the parlor car.
SO, mol" said the conductor, what
are you trying to give me? Senator
Chiffon is not aboard this train"
The lawyer reiterated his assertion,
and was surprised to find the conductor
obstinate in his incredulity. Finally
bet was made on the identity of the
man under discussion, and the lawyer
went with the conductor to where the
senator was sitting. Then the railroad
man gave in.
''I'll tell you,' said the loser, 'why I
made that bet. In going through the
train 1 did not take up a single pass.
I reasoned that if a senator had been
aboard he would have been provided
with transportation; but Senator Chill
ton handed me ticket like the rest
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
Passenger fare on the new Congo rail-
road is SO 1-3 cents a mile
The present number Of Indians in
Canada is 1O0093, an increase of 729 over
last year.
There are now only two admirals with
their flags af1oat-George Dewey and
Sir John o. Hopkins (British).
The bones of an average mans skele-
ton weigh twenty pounds. Those of a
woman are probably six pounds lighter.
A Los Angeles girl is credited with
having been engaged seventeen times.
She has been dubbed the Queen of
Fiancees."
The pay of Russian army officer is
said to be very small. A general gets
from $1,000 to $4,000 a year in English
money, according to the length Of serv-
ice.
The Oldest theaters in London are:
Drury Lane. opened in 1863; Sadler's
Wells, started as an orchestral as
sembly room in 1888; Haymarket, 1920;
Covent Garden, 1892, and Lyceum, 1895.
Ears do not change shape after child
hood, although they enlarge slightly aft
er middle life. 1t has been found that the
right and left of each pair Of ears usu-
ally vary in shape.
The Egyptians bestowed great labor
ol,-their tombs and little on their homes.
They regarded the latter as mere tenn
porary abodes, but the former they
looked on as eternal habitations.
Swedens king does not like official
handshaking and rarely gives one of
i his ministers his hand. When he is off
the throne ana Tree 10 D0 HlIuSGlL lie ~
different however, and shakes hands as
heartily as one of his own subjects.
Progress of Siberian Railroad.
Russia's Siberian railway is making
rapid progress despite the tremendous
obstacles in it's way. 1t has been def
nitely decided that the branch which
is to run south from the Vladivostock
line to Port Arthur will leave the main
road at Tchita, AGO miles east of Lake
Baikal The Russian engineers have
given up the idea of running the line
around the southern corner of this lake
Instead, the cars will be run on to fer
ries and transported across. Powerful
steam ice-breakers have been con-
structed to keep a passage clear during
the winter months. The line is practic-
ally completed from Europe to Irkutsk.
and we'll appointed trains with dining
or restaurant cars are run regularly.
From Tomksk to Irkutsk three trains
are run each way each week, and the
traffic is sufficient to meet expenses.
Electric double-ray headlights have
proved a success, it is said, and VIII
soon be attached to locomotives on fass