Chapter 2

The Governor, still thinking the whole affair was but an insignificant riot, sent a small body of soldiers after the insurgents, with orders to make them break up their camp and move off.

When the soldiers arrived at Conselhiero's encampment, they made very light of being sent out to disperse a body of tramps and vagabonds.

Their amusement did not last long. A number of women, armed with heavy swords, rushed out upon them, and attacked them so furiously that they were forced to run for their lives.

More troops were sent out by the Governor, and three times were they beaten by Conselhiero's strange army of women and men.

The authorities refused to believe that there was anything serious in these defeats, and persisted in thinking "the fanatics," as Conselhiero's followers are called, a parcel of crazy lunatics who would soon come to their senses.

At last when it was found that Conselhiero was preaching the return of the monarchy to the people, and that peasants and soldiers were alike flocking to his standard, in the hope of seeing a prince on the throne of Brazil, they began to see that this man was by no means crazy, but that he was a very serious enemy who must be seriously treated.

There is a very strong wish in the hearts of many Brazilians for the return of the monarchy, and numbers of influential people are joining Conselhiero, who is gaining ground every day.

The revolution has indeed gained such a strong hold in Brazil that it will be a very difficult task to put it down.

* * * * *

The Greater Republic of Central America does not seem to be having a very pleasant time of it.

If you remember, it was only recognized by our Government in December last, and already there is trouble.

On page 220 of Vol. I we told you that the Greater Republic of Central America was formed by the union of the three republics of Honduras, San Salvador, and Nicaragua.

Now there is a revolution in Honduras; one of those toy revolutions we spoke about in No. 22 of THE GREAT ROUND WORLD.

In all the small South American Republics, revolution and rebellion is as the breath of life to the people.

If a general gets popular with his soldiers he at once plots to overthrow the government, and with the help of the army become president himself.

Every man who is either clever or ambitious gets up a toy revolution to depose somebody, and take his place.

The present revolution appears to be of the usual kind.

The President has become unpopular, and it is said that one of the former presidents, Dr. Soto, thinks he would like to have another term of office, and so he has incited the people to revolt.

A new government has been formed to take charge of affairs until they become more settled, and things seem to be shaping themselves to suit the doctor's wishes.

San Salvador and Guatemala, though by their new ties they are bound to assist their sister republic, have declined to interfere, and it looks as if the life of the Greater Republic of Central America would not be nearly as long as its name.

* * * * *

On page 134 of Vol. I. we spoke about the unfortunate Russians who are exiled to Siberia, and of the thousands of miles they are forced to march across the continent before they reach their place of punishment.

It has just been reported that the Czar has issued a decree that persons who are exiled to Siberia shall, from this time forth, be carried by train to the convict settlements.

In the days when the poor unfortunates had to make the journey on foot it took ninety days of steady marching to reach the journey's end, and women and children as well as men took their places in the long, sad procession that wound its way across the dreary steppes of Russia.

This decree must have caused much rejoicing among the Russian people, and if the Czar continues to rule his people so mercifully and kindly, we may all live to see the day when there will be no more Nihilism or hatred between the ruler and the ruled in Russia, and when it will no longer be necessary to send anybody to Siberia.

* * * * *

The boys of the Cambridge Manual Training School have a new lesson which has become very popular with them.

This is a fire drill.

The pupils are taught to go through the whole process of fighting a fire in the same way that the firemen do.

Before the boys are allowed to join the fire battalion they have to be drilled, taught to march, and are obliged to attend lectures on surgery, and how to help injured people until the doctor comes.

After the boys have gone through this first course of study, they begin their real fireman's training. They attend more lectures in which they learn how to handle the various ladders and machines which firemen use. They have to learn how a fire engine is put together, what are the uses of every wheel and valve, and how to clean and care for each separate part of the engine; and when they are quite familiar with the various things used by firemen they pass on to the last stage of training.

This begins on March 1st, and from this time on the work is done out of doors.

A wooden building forty feet high, and provided with doors and windows exactly like a three-story house, is put up in the schoolyard, and it is with this building that the lessons are given.

Every Thursday afternoon an imaginary fire takes place in it. The hose is run out, the ladders are raised, and the lads go to work with a will, saving imaginary lives, and fighting imaginary flames.

Each week some new complication is supposed to take place, and some extra machine has to be brought into use, until by the end of the school term they can handle every machine and ladder with the greatest ease.

When first the fire drill was introduced into the school, the boys were not obliged to take the study unless they wanted to; but it has become so popular that they are eager and anxious to take it, and now is part of the regular course of the school for all boys who are strong enough to stand the hard work it necessitates.

* * * * *

Some time ago we talked about the moving of the village of Katonah. Our friends in California can do better than that. While New York moves houses, California moves mountains.

A dam is being built at San Diego, Cal., to gather water for the city. Where the water supply for a city is not quite sufficient, darns are often built, to stop small rivers from flowing away to waste; and the water gathered by the barrier of wood, stone, or earth, as the case may be, is turned into the city to be used by the people.

In the San Diego work, a huge mass of rocky hillside overhung the cañon which was to be dammed, and at the bottom of which the river flowed.

A cañon is, as you doubtless know, a deep gorge or ravine, formed by the river that flows through it, and which little by little has worn away its bed until it has cut deep down into the heart of the land, hundreds of feet below its original level.

As we have said, the plan for the San Diego work was to build a dam across the cañon, and keep the waters from flowing away.

The engineers thought that if they could only take this huge mass of rocky hill and drop it into the cañon, it would make their work very much easier, as the task of getting enough stone down to the bottom of the gorge to build their dam was by no means an easy one.

They thought the matter out, and finally decided to try and move the mountain-side into the cañon.

They laid their plans, and for two months were busy preparing for the great move.

They tunnelled the hillside in all directions over the section which they desired to move, and in these tunnels laid mines of giant powder or dynamite.

These mines they connected with electric wires, and when all was ready, the various wires were gathered into one bunch, and taken across the gorge that was to be filled up.

When the explosion was about to take place the workmen and engineers moved ever so far away, until they were at a safe distance from the explosion, and one man, the foreman, was sent to the edge of the cañon to touch the wires, and start the firing of the mines.

When he received the signal he touched the wire, and then ran away to safety as fast as he could go, while the others watched the explosion.

It seems to have been a most wonderful sight.

Bowlders and masses of rock rose from their beds on the hillside, and little tongues of dust and smoke shot out from the earth in all directions. Then there was a terrific growl, which seemed to come from the heart of the mountain, the earth shook, the men who were watching were thrown to the ground, and with a roar and a rattle the side of the mountain moved and began to fall.

There was a shower of stones which continued to fall for over an hour, and the dust was so thick that it was impossible to see; but when it finally cleared, it was found that an enormous slice of the side of the mountain had been blown into the cañon below.

The engineers said that one hundred and fifty thousand tons of rock had been moved, and to their great pride they found that it had fallen exactly according to their plans, and had bridged the cañon and formed the bulwark for the support of the dam.

* * * * *

The past week has been one of great anxiety for Greece and the Greek cause.

The Turks have been steadily gaining ground in the East; they have swarmed through the pass of Milouna into the plains of Thessaly.

The Greeks fought nobly, and succeeded in driving the Turks a little way back toward Milouna, but the vast army of Turkey was too strong for them, and despite their efforts, the enemy has made its way into Greece, and advanced upon the city of Larissa.

The mayors and governors of Thessaly have called on the peasants and all men capable of bearing arms to come to the defence of their country, and volunteers are flocking in every hour.

The latest news that has reached us states that the Greeks have finally fallen back to Pharsalia, leaving Larissa at the mercy of the Turks.

Now while this looks very badly for the Greeks, and at this time it seems as if their ultimate defeat were sure, it is too soon to offer any very decided opinion.

It may all be a part of a very deep-laid plan of the Greeks.

It must be remembered that the weak points of the Turkish army in regard to provisions and transportation are as well known to the Greeks as to us. The farther the Turks can be enticed away from the place where they keep their stores, the weaker they grow. The Greeks may have planned to lure them over the border, and away from their supplies, and then fight them when they have them at a disadvantage.

This looks the more likely when it is taken into consideration that the Greeks have been successful in invading Turkey and reaching Elassona, the Turkish headquarters, and that they also hold the Pass of Reveni.

The Greek navy has been doing some very fine work, bombarding and destroying towns on the east coast, as well as the west.

The Greek army which was pressing on to the Turkish city of Janina in Epirus has met with a severe reverse.

With information of the defeat comes news that is of such great importance to the Greek cause that the present check may prove to be of very little importance.

This news is that the Albanians have risen against their masters the Turks, and joined with the Greeks.

Albania was at one time a part of Greece, but that was in the early history of the Empire. It at last secured its freedom and became an independent country.

In 1478 the Turks conquered Albania, and it has been under Turkish rule ever since. The Albanians have no love for the Turks, and though they are supposed to be obedient to the Sultan's wishes, he does not dare to appoint any but native Albanians to govern them. The people have always contrived to give him all the trouble possible.

The Greeks hoped that the Albanians would join them, as well as the Macedonians, and so, despite the reverses that the week has brought, with these powerful friends to help them, they must be feeling more sure of success than they were a few days ago.

Bulgaria is also becoming restless and making demands of the Sultan, threatening to revolt against him if he does not give them what they ask for.

The Prince of Bulgaria has made a trip to Berlin to borrow money for the war. And it is likely that the Sultan may soon have so many enemies to fight that he will wish the Powers had allowed him to arrange the Cretan matters for himself, without interfering and bringing this hornet's nest about his ears.

GENIE H. ROSENFELD.

INVENTION AND DISCOVERY.

With the summer coming on, inventions for swimmers are being brought forward.

The WATER SKATE or shoe is to afford a new and very delightful means of sport.

It is intended to be used when the swimmer is in the upright position assumed in treading water. A swimmer can maintain this position for a long time, but can ordinarily make no headway in the water.

The water skate is invented to enable him to strike out with his feet as in walking. Under the skate there are two "fins." These remain pressed together with the forward movement of the foot, but with the same movement as the hands take in swimming. These fins open out as the foot reaches the limit of its stride, and push back the water exactly in the same way that the arms do.

It is claimed that a high rate of speed can be obtained with this water skate.

CANOPY FOR BICYCLES.--All cyclers complain so of the heat of the sun, that busy brains are at work to find a means of protecting the riders from the fierce heat.

A canopy has just been invented, which seems to be the most practical and sensible of any of the coverings offered.

It has a pointed roof to it, and spreads over the rider at a distance that in no way obstructs the view.

One great advantage of this canopy is that it is firmer than any other kind so far suggested.

* * * * *

THE PORTABLE FIRE-ESCAPE is an invention that should recommend itself to every one. It is small enough to be easily carried, and is so arranged that the person using it to let himself down from a burning building can control the rate of speed at which he descends, and avoid all danger of a sudden fall.

It is firmly hooked on to a clamp that is provided with it, and it consists of a seat attached to two pulleys, through which the ropes pass.

The person seeking to escape from the fire places himself on the seat, and, grasping the pulley firmly, lets himself out of the window. By means of an attachment he is able, as we have said, to regulate the speed of his descent.

This invention ought to be of great service to all those who live in high buildings.

G.H.R.

LETTERS FROM OUR YOUNG FRIENDS.

DEAR EDITOR:

Being a great reader of your paper, I of course felt inclined to send you some praise, as you deserve it. I am more interested in Cuba than in the affairs of Crete. I have been to see the new Library, and consider it the finest in the world. Hoping much success to the paper, I remain,

Your interested reader, NATALIE C. WASHINGTON, D.C.

DEAR NATALIE:

Your letter was received with much pleasure.

EDITOR.

DEAR EDITOR:

My teacher, Miss Galbraith, takes your paper, and I used to be looking for it; at last I bought it myself, so I could own it.

Your paper is very interesting and helpful in Geography. All my family are interested in THE GREAT ROUND WORLD, especially my father.

Will you please tell me if General Maceo is dead or not? We got so many different stories it is hard to tell which is true. Or if General Rivera is to be put to death?

I live in New Haven; it is a beautiful city, full of elm trees, with parks. Also Yale College, from which Nathan Hale and Samuel Morse graduated.

Your Reader, JOHN C. NEW HAVEN, CONN.

P.S.--I am glad that you don't publish prize-fights. It is the nature of animals, not human beings.

DEAR JOHN:

There is no longer any doubt that General Maceo was killed. The stories that he was still alive were probably made up by the Cubans, for fear their countrymen might lose heart if they knew the truth.

You will see in this number of your paper that General Rivera is not to be shot, according to the present reports. EDITOR.

DEAR EDITOR:

I enjoy THE GREAT ROUND WORLD immensely, and look forward to its coming every week. I like to read about Greece and Cuba, and if I were Grecian I would gladly join in the war. I hope Greece will win, for I pity the poor Cretans under the cruel rule of Turkey. Wishing your paper many years of success, I am,

Your friend and reader, HAROLD R. NEW YORK, April 8th, 1897

DEAR HAROLD:

Many thanks for your pretty letter. Write to us again soon. EDITOR.

DEAR MR. EDITOR:

I want to ask you about the _Cometa_. Did the Admiral ever bring her into the Havana harbor as he boasted that he would, with flags flying on her?

Do you think Cuba is going to win? I hope that she will.

Are the Americans going to help them?--and then I know the Cubans will win. Yours truly,

SYDNEY G. BALTIMORE, April 9th, 1897.

MY DEAR SYDNEY:

The Spanish Admiral has never brought the _Cometa_ into Havana harbor. He was just spinning a sailor's yarn, apparently.

We hope that Cuba will win her freedom, and it seems very likely that she will.

You will see in this number of THE GREAT ROUND WORLD that there is a chance that the President will try to settle the troubles between Cuba and Spain.

EDITOR.

DEAR EDITOR:

Our teacher takes THE GREAT ROUND WORLD and reads to us whenever the time will permit. The reading makes an interesting part of the exercises of the day. We are all anxious to hear about the war between Cuba and Spain, and we hope Cuba will soon be free. Can you tell us about how many people pass over Brooklyn Bridge in a day? I think it is wonderful how buttons and such articles are made out of milk. Do they have schools in Freeville? I think we should all be grateful for the interesting news that is printed for us in your paper each week.

Yours truly, NELLIE R. TIFFIN, OHIO, March 24th, 1897.

DEAR NELLIE:

We are glad that you like THE GREAT ROUND WORLD. Why don't you try and get it for yourself by becoming one of our agents? You can get your own paper free of charge for two subscriptions, and it would be very nice to own it yourself, and be able to read it whenever you wanted to.

In Freeville the children are taught to work.

You ask about the number of persons who cross the Brooklyn Bridge daily. Mr. Martin, the Chief Engineer and Superintendent, has been so kind as to tell us all about it for you. We publish his note.

EDITOR.

One hundred and twenty-five thousand people per day ride across the bridge in the cars. Twelve thousand walk over on the promenade. Five thousand vehicles cross the bridge on the roadways.--C.C. MARTIN, Chief Engineer and Superintendent.

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