Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-26
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.

IN HOTEL CORHlDOhS.
"Apropos of the death of Queen Victoria"
said Mr.. Walter E. Burman of Cadiz, Spain,
at the Arlington this week, Il have had the
good fortune to see this noblest of all Eu-
ropean monarchs several times, and the last
on the occasion Of the diamond jubilee IN
London l was near the line of parade
when her state carriage passed. and, slngu-
larly enough, l remarked to the friend VINO
was with me that l did not believe her
majesty would live more than two years.
1t seemed to me her good old race wore
sad expression. 1 thought her smiles ana
apparent cheerfulness as she rode along
were forced. and 1 then imagined that per-
haps BritaiR's war policy of the last Few
years was telling upon her But whatever
may have been the cause l am certain she
had some sorrow at heart Whlch she was
trying to conceal from her people. never
saw such a demonstration OF aHectlon as
was given her by the people along the line
From the highest to the lowest every one
barred their heads as she passed and you
could see in every face evidence OF the
deepest love for this great woman. How
well she deserved their love has been shown
by her long and gentle reign.
II have seen the queen In Scotland also
Her love for that people is proverbial, and
every one knows that when she went there
every person connected with the household
was made to wear the Scottish national
costume. The Scottish people loved her
perhaps with deeper affection than the
English. l once heard an old Highlander
say when spoken to concerning the queens
health and the likelihood that she could
survive many years, 'Whan the queen dees
the Almighty II be taen ava guild freend
O. the Scots
Il don't know whether you have ever
witnessed the preparation OF vessel for
her trial trip or not" said Mr.. Charles B.
Knapp of San Francisco, at the Raleigh
the other night. but if you have not 1t
would certainly prove most interesting. 10
begin with, it Is a peculiar sight to Watch
the men selecting the coal to be used. You
would think they were picking out the black
diamonds with a view to having them pol
ished and set rather than putting into
furnace for fuel. Every piece is carefully
examined and those with the least flaw or
sign Of sulphur or slate are rejected. Much
care is taken in storing them within easy
reach of the great furnaces in which they
are to be burned. Then comes the most
careful inspection of every piece of ma
chnery, every rod and bearing, and every
wheel or cog All the oil cups are filled
with the best grade of lubricating oils and
cans of the same are set Wlthln easy as
lance for their refilling, if such should be
necessary. Shafts are tested by hitting
them with hammers so as to detect the least
sound of flaw. Nothing is raised on deck
above the bulwark that will serve in any
way to present retarding surface to the air,
except such parts as are absolutely neces-
sary. Every man is given definite instruc-
tons as to his part in the test; tubes lead
ing from the pilot to the engine and stok-
ing rooms are looked carefully to, and the
steering gear inspected and oiled. so that
the least application Of power will change
the direction, and every possible contin-
gency forestalled.
When everything is ready and the word
comes to the engineer to make the start
the great bulk of iron and steel moves off
with all the ease of delicately adjusted
watch, and almost as noiselessly. 1t has
come now to such a point that there are
few speed trials which show less than that
called for in the contract, and oftentimes.
in fact in a great majority of the cases, II
is greater than contract speed"
Charles B. Guenther of Pretoria, South
Africa, said In the lobby Of the National
a few days ago:
II sometimes wonder whether war can
much longer be a possibility in the face of
the vast improvements in weapons. i spent
some time on and near the scenes of battle
In the present British-Boer war in Africa
during its early days. l have seen many
battlefields within a few hours after fir
Ing had ceased. The work done by the
lyddite shells and the machine guns was
dlppdlluS IHcSc lyOu1tc silciiS teal Qp Tie
ground for many feet around, and kill
everything within a radius of many hun
bred feet. 1 have seen dead bodies with
out a sign of wound upon them, the men
having been killed by the force of concus
sion alone. In one instance l saw a SOL
diers body almost completely buried. The
man had evidently been lying on the ground
close to the point of impact, and the con-
cussion had killed him. and the explosion
thrown over his body nearly enough Of the
soil to bury him out of sight. And then
the machine guns. Think Of stream
Of bullets pouring into the ranks at the rate
Of 600 a minute. 1t is not a mere question
of being hit. but matter of being cut in
two, when the gun Is swung from side to
side l am told that a certain single-bar
relied machine gun Of an English make was
balanced on pivotal bearing at some prov
ing ground in England and that the opera
tor sawed out Of the board target at a
distance of 200 yards the name of the
maker of the gun. 1 have no doubt as to
it's truthfulness. / have myself seen the
trunks of trees on the battlefield half sew
cred, as II done with a saw. 1t seems to
me the time has nearly come when a war
between nations must mean the entire an
initiation Of the weaker, and this terrible
destructive power of modern war machines
looks like means TO the END OF settling
disputes by arbitration
Mr. Allan w. Dalrymple, a native of
Greenock Scotland. was at the Shoreham
this week, and said:
II have just come from Brazil, where 1
have been for two years engaged IN the
cattle business, and am on my way to one
OF the western states of your country to
engage in ranching there. / enjoyed my
stay in South America, but tired of it. and
determined to try America. The section Of
Brazil where l was located is largely set
tied by English and Scotch. with scatter
| ing Of Americans. and 1t was from the lat
ter got the idea Of coming to. the United
States. There are drawbacks in the way
| of a pleasant life in all South American
| countries and Brazil is no exception to this
| rule My principal reason for leaving was
a strong dislike for the class of men We had
! to employ as herders and handlers. They
| are a rough sort of half-breed SpaniaIds,
| who have strongly vicious tendencies. They
| are dishonest. and Will drink and gamble
| to excess in spite of all employers can do.
If you once succeed In gaining their i'll will
there is nothing they Will not do to avenge
fancied wrong, and they have the faculty
| of never forgetting an enemy. 1t is CON-
/ mon thing for discharged ranchero to cut
| the wire fences of his employers ranch
and allow cattle to mix with those of the
| adjoining ranch, thus entailing great trou-
4 1pvp to