Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-02-10
Porto Rico Dogs.

II propllcsy that this war will be the
means of bringing Porto Rico dogs into
this country" said a New York mcr-
chant, whose business is chiefly with
the West Indies. "You don't know
what Il Porto Rico dog is, do you? l
suppose not. l have only seen two of
them i'll New York. Porto Rico dogs
are not Spanish Mt all, but aboriginal.
have been told that they are much
the same rs the long-haired alec of
Mexico, and believe the breed is still
found in Santo Domingo. They are
tiny little creatures with silky white
hair, all except a tan patch on one ear
ut least, all l 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
abo"igines of the Greater Antilles. 1t
seems strange that a ace of aborigincs
should have been so completely wiped
out and their pet dogs should survive.
But l have been told that when the
| Spanish first landed OH Santo Domingo
they used to see the natives going
about with these little alcos on their
shoulders or in their bosoms.
IF the human beings that kept them
We're anything like their pets. as is gen
orally the case. they must have been Il
kindly, affcctionate people. 1 have
heard OF one of these Porto Rico dogs,
that was given to Il little girl i'll ia
,,,n;nn nl,n Child S;.l.n,,o,1 IF m r,row
and the dog would comc and lick her
face and hands at regular intervals
during the day. When the child died
the dog lay for Il long time with it's
muzzlc close up to the little dead hand
and whined piteously when the body
was taken away for burial. They tell
me that a rlrc 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
ont person to have any other pet"
Making Wood Rims for Bicycles.
The average annual output of wood
novelties in Maine has Il value well
over n million dollars. One of the
most interesting branches of the indus
try is the manufacture of wood rims
for bicycles. The factory where the
manufacture is carried on has IL floor
space of 14,S00 feet; it's daily output av-
eraSes about eighteen hundred rims,
and the value of its 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-
gethcr with such force and eXactitude
that the rim appears like n 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 cnor-
nous pressure in a steam-power ma
chine. They are then taken to the
lathes, of which turns the c0ncave
surface of the outside. and another the
convex surface of the inside of the rim.
After passing OH 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 d~iscoloration 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.