The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 47, September 30, 1897 by Various
V >>
Various >> The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 47, September 30, 1897
When the slip of paper tied to its leg was unwound it was found to
contain these words: "We are all well and in good spirits, but tell
every one you know not to come up here this winter."
It was written on the summit of Chilkoot Pass, and dated August 25th.
The pigeon had flown a distance of 1,071 miles to bear this message, and
was completely worn out when it reached its home, refusing food, and
declining to enter the dovecote for some hours.
The scarcity of food is already being felt. Some of the old miners are
frightened, and are coming out of the district before it is shut in with
snow.
Hundreds of men are, however, pouring in from all directions, and
shameful stories are reaching us of the wild and lawless deeds that are
being done.
A returning messenger brought word that a party of men who had for some
reason been separated from their comrades blockaded a mountain pass, and
having barred it up with trees and rocks, guarded it with firearms,
refusing to allow any one to pass until their friends came up with them.
So lawless did they become that they threatened to shoot the first man
who ventured to approach the barrier.
Party after party arrived at the pass, until finally there was a crowd
of two thousand people waiting in the narrow gorge to be allowed to pass
the barrier.
This state of affairs continued for several days, until a party of men,
more resolute than the rest, pushed their way to the front, made a rush
for the barrier, and overcame the resistance.
The waiting crowds promptly pushed aside the barricade, and began to
file through the narrow pass; but so eager was each man to be first into
the land of gold that the travellers pushed each other aside, knocked
their fellows down, and trampled them under foot till the pass looked
like a battlefield.
It is strange how men lose all sense of humanity when they are thirsting
for gold. The stories of jealousy, hatred, robbery, and murder which
have followed the rush for riches into the Klondike are a repetition of
the lawless doings of '49 in California.
The question of providing food for these eager hordes has been
considered by the President and his Cabinet during the past week.
It has been decided to send two detachments of troops to Alaska, to
preserve order and carry supplies to those who are in need of them.
As it will be necessary to send the supplies before Congress can meet
and make an appropriation for it, General Alger, the Secretary of War,
has agreed to purchase the provisions at his own expense, and trust to
Congress to pay him back.
* * * * *
A report is current in London that a great honor has been conferred on
Sir Julian Pauncefote, the English Ambassador at Washington.
The term for which he was appointed ends next year, in 1898, but it is
said that in consideration of the good service he has done, Lord
Salisbury has obtained permission of the Queen to keep Sir Julian in
office for another year.
The rumor that a new arbitration treaty is to be prepared is again being
circulated.
We told you some time ago that it was likely that another treaty would
be arranged for, and it is now said that Sir Julian Pauncefote is to be
kept in office that he may have ample time to arrange the details of a
new agreement which shall be favorably received by both countries.
It is said that when he returns to Washington this winter he will bring
with him full instructions to guide him in this difficult matter.
* * * * *
The next mail from Hawaii is being most anxiously waited for. It is
expected that it will bring word what action the Hawaiian Congress has
taken in regard to the annexation treaty.
The Legislature of the islands was called to assemble on September 8th,
and the first matter to be brought before the law-makers was to be that
of annexation.
While the United States have been invited by the Hawaiian Government to
annex the islands, the voice of the people has not yet been heard. The
decision of the Congress of the Sandwich Islands will therefore be
eagerly looked for.
Some members of our Senate are of the opinion that the people of the
islands are not really desirous of being annexed to the United States
but if the representatives of the people vote for the measure, it will
remove all such doubts from their minds, and greatly help the matter in
its journey through our Legislature.
Mr. Thurston, the Hawaiian Minister to the United States, asserts
positively that the Congress will decide for annexation.
He says that just before the Legislature in Honolulu adjourned, a joint
resolution was offered, declaring that the interests of Hawaii demanded
that she should be joined to the United States.
This resolution was adopted unanimously, and as there have been no
changes in the Hawaiian Senate since the adjournment, he thinks it
absolutely sure that the members voted in favor of annexation.
* * * * *
One of the inhabitants of Milledgeville, Kentucky, has a very
interesting relic of the early days of our country.
It is an old flint-lock rifle which once belonged to Daniel Boone, the
famous pioneer, who opened up Kentucky for us.
It is asserted that this rifle belonged to Boone when he went to
Kentucky in May, 1769, and the history of the rifle can be so clearly
traced back to its first owner that there seems to be little doubt of
the truth of the story.
The barrel of the gun measures four feet one inch, and the entire gun
six feet two inches.
The story goes that it was with this gun that Boone helped to kill the
2,300 deer whose skins were hidden in the mountains of Kentucky, while
the pioneers went back to Virginia for more ammunition and supplies.
When the men returned a few months later, they found that the Indians
had stolen and destroyed the entire lot of skins.
The present owner of the gun has had it for fifty years.
* * * * *
A new bullet-proof cloth has been invented by a priest of Chicago,
Father Casimir Zeglen.
Father Casimir is a man of peace, who takes but little interest in
implements of warfare, and this great discovery was made by chance. The
discovery once made, he determined to bring his invention to the highest
state of perfection, hoping that through it he might lessen the horrors
of war, and save many innocent lives that are now sacrificed for the
honor of a country.
The cloth is intended to be used as a padding or interlining for the
soldiers' uniforms, and its inventor hopes to make the cloth so thin and
flexible that it can be worn without inconvenience.
It has already been tested, and the results were highly satisfactory.
The test was made at Fort Sheridan, near Chicago, and it was decided to
use the Krag-Jorgensen gun against it.
The inch steel bullet thrown by this rifle has, it is said, been known
to pierce through armor-plate. It has made its way through twenty inches
of packed sand, pierced twenty-two inches of oak timber, and fired from
a distance of six hundred yards it will pass through five feet of earth.
The cloth stood the test of these terrible bullets wonderfully well.
Five thicknesses of the material were used for the test, all the pieces
being exactly the same size, and laid together in one compact pad.
The first shot was made at a distance of four hundred yards. It was
found that the bullet had pierced through the first thickness of the
cloth, but had become flattened out against the rest.
When the bullet was removed from the cloth it was said to have looked
like a mushroom, the end that had first touched the cloth being
flattened.
The experiments were continued at shorter and shorter range, but the
cloth was never quite pierced through.
The military men who witnessed the trial were amazed at the results.
Colonel Hall, who conducted the experiments, said that he thought that
the cloth might perhaps be penetrated at a distance of fifty yards, but
even so, there was no doubt that it would afford immense protection for
soldiers engaged in actual warfare.
The material of which the cloth is made is a secret. Father Casimir will
only say that it is made of silk. He keeps it so closely covered that no
one has had an opportunity of examining it.
He evidently has the most absolute faith in the qualities of his
invention, for he is anxious that the authorities of Governor's Island,
New York, shall make a test of his invention, and offers, to envelope
himself in the cloth and let the soldiers fire at him.
He wishes to sail for Europe and give exhibitions of his invention in
various cities.
If the Governor's Island test takes place, regular army rifles are to be
used, and the only precaution the priest will consent to is, that the
soldiers shall first fire at an animal, enveloped in the bullet-proof
cloth. When it is found that the creature escapes unhurt, the priest
insists that he shall be allowed to become the target.
G.H. ROSENFELD.