Read Ebook: The Great Round World And What Is Going On In It Vol. 1 November 4 1897 No. 52 A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls by Various Bishop Julia Truitt Editor

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Editor: Julia Truitt Bishop

VOL. 1 NOVEMBER 4, 1897. NO. 52

The situation in Cuba remains much the same.

The noteworthy event of the past week has been a sad and unfortunate shipwreck which occurred on October 16th.

On that day a Spanish steamer was wrecked off the coast of Pinar del Rio, while making the trip from Havana to Bahia Honda.

According to all accounts the steamer was so heavily laden that when she started her decks were only a few feet above the level of the water.

It was a very black and stormy night, and many sailors on the dock expressed fears that the vessel could not weather a storm in her heavily laden condition.

The trip she had to make was merely a matter of four hours, and the captain declared himself confident of bringing his vessel safely to port.

Those on board who were saved from the wreck said that the vessel was so heavily loaded that she was not able to take her usual course, and, because so much deeper in the water, ran aground on a bank that in her ordinary trips she could pass over without difficulty.

As long as the vessel had been cutting her way through the water, the heavy lading had caused little inconvenience, but when she grounded the waves began to wash over her decks, and cause much alarm to the passengers.

While the vessel was in great danger, she might still have been saved if it had not been for the mules. These beasts, becoming panic-stricken as the waves swept over the deck, stampeded to one side of the vessel, causing it to list over so much that the cargo shifted.

This is one of the most terrible accidents that can happen to a vessel.

The loading of a cargo is a very important thing, and is a business of itself. The men who direct it must understand just how to distribute the weight evenly in the hold, and how to pack the boxes and bales and barrels so tightly together that they cannot move, because if a cargo should shift it is liable to throw the ship out of her balance, and she is in danger of overturning and sinking.

The accident happened in the early dawn, when many of the people were asleep in their berths, and though the captain had them roused, and lowered the boats to try and take them off the sinking ship, the seas ran so high that the small boats were swamped, and it was impossible to save the unfortunate passengers.

The ship went down in one hundred and twenty fathoms of water, so it is not likely that her valuable cargo of arms and money will ever be recovered. The loss is a serious one to Spain at this moment, when she needs every penny she has to help her out of her many difficulties.

There are disquieting rumors that the Carlists are smuggling large quantities of arms into Spain from France, and it is thought that the long-deferred rising will occur very shortly.

Eleven thousand rifles are said to have been purchased in Belgium by the Carlist agents during the month of September.

There is a vague rumor that the Queen Regent and her new Prime Minister have arrived at the conclusion that the only possible end to the Cuban war will be to let the Cubans purchase the island.

There are a good many complications in the way of this action at present, because the European financiers, about whom we have spoken to you before, have advanced a great deal of money to Spain, the sugar and tobacco being taken as security for the return of their money. These people must first be reckoned with before any agreement to free Cuba can be made, but it is hinted by people close to the Government that the Queen and Se?or Sagasta are considering a plan whereby they can allow Cuba to purchase her freedom without making bad friends with the financiers, or offending the pride of Spain.

It would seem that Se?or Sagasta's policy is to put an end to foreign wars, and gather the strength of the Spanish army around the throne of Spain, so that it shall be well protected against the Carlist attack that will undoubtedly be made ere long.

A report has been received that the Spanish general in the Philippine Islands is treating with the insurgents for peace.

This report is published in one of the reliable Spanish papers, and it states that General Primo de Rivera has been discussing terms of peace with Emilio Aguinaldo, the insurgent leader.

The rebels have been so successful that they are not willing to make peace unless they get very good terms, and so they ask that all who have taken part in the revolt shall be given a free pardon, that three million pesetas shall be paid to the insurgent chiefs, that the Philippine Islands shall be represented in the Spanish Cortes, and that half the government offices in the islands shall be held by natives. The insurgents also demand that the power of the priests shall be lessened, as the rebellion was really caused by the disagreements between the friars and the people.

An amusing filibustering incident has occurred during the week.

The Spaniards gave information to our Government, and requested that the expedition be stopped.

The watchful Spaniards soon found out about the new vessel, and even learned the hour and dock at which she was to receive her cargo.

The Cubans were attempting to load and despatch their vessel from the port of New York, and so it was expected that, with all the police boats and cutters available here, it would be an easy matter to catch and convict all concerned in the expedition.

To you who do not know New York Harbor, it may be as well to explain that New York, or Manhattan, Island lies between the Hudson River and the Sound, an arm of the sea which is called the East River as it flows by New York.

This East River which, as it widens, becomes Long Island Sound, separates Manhattan Island from Long Island, which, as its name suggests, is a long strip of land stretching along the coast for miles above and below New York city, forming the beautiful New York Bay and Harbor below the city, and the equally lovely Long Island Sound above the city.

The Atlantic Ocean washes the outer shore of Long Island, and ships leaving the port of New York can reach the sea either by going above the city through Hell Gate and Long Island Sound, or below the city down the Harbor and Bay, and out through the Narrows, past Sandy Hook and Fire Island.

Putting off from the Battery, which is the extreme lower point of New York city, they steamed up and down the Bay, looking out for their prize.

After several tedious hours of waiting had been passed, the officers decided to steam up to the wharf and find out what had happened to the ship.

With such a start as that it was felt to be useless to attempt to overtake her, and the marshals left the cutter, and returned to their homes, wiser but sadder men.

The young Cuban, Miss Evangelina Cisneros, about whom we told you last week, has lost no time in putting herself under the protection of our flag.

The very morning of her arrival she went down to the County Court-House in City Hall Park, and there declared her intention of becoming an American citizen.

It is a very unusual thing for foreign-born women to become naturalized Americans. They rarely do so unless they wish to hold property in this country, for, having no vote or voice in the conduct of the Government, it is not so necessary for them to become citizens of their adopted country. When a woman marries she assumes the nationality of her husband, and can hold any property by right of her marriage, and the fact that all foreign women who marry Americans become Americans by their marriage is another reason why it is rarely necessary for women to take out their naturalization papers.

Miss Cisneros was, however, afraid that the Spanish Government might insist that the United States should send her back to her prison in Cuba, and so she hastened to give up her allegiance to Spain, and shelter herself under the protection of the American Government.

For some time past there has been a terrible epidemic of yellow fever in the South.

An epidemic means a disease that affects a large number of people at the same time and is widely spread.

The disease was first noticed in a little summer watering-place not far from New Orleans. It was not recognized as yellow fever, the doctors thinking it a harmless little summer fever, of which the symptoms are very similar.

Little by little the disease gained headway, until by the time its true character was understood it had taken a hold on the people and had become difficult to stamp out.

The strictest quarantine regulations were enforced as soon as the sickness was proved to be true yellow fever, even the passengers on the trains being inspected and closely watched before they were allowed to pass from infected districts to those which were free from the dreaded disease. With all the care it continued to increase, and has not yet been controlled.

On such occasions the scientists are always very busy. While some of the doctors are trying to cure the disease, others are busy preventing the sick persons from carrying the contagion to other places, and others again are occupied in trying to find the cause of the epidemic, and how to prevent it in future.

One of the scientists who have been working to prevent the disease has discovered the microbe which causes yellow fever, and claims that an epidemic can in future be prevented by inoculating people with it in the same way that they are now vaccinated for small-pox.

Small-pox was at one time a scourge throughout the world, and fearful outbreaks of this plague would occur wherever numbers of people were gathered together.

About the year 1718 an English lady travelling in Turkey noticed that inoculation was practised in that country with the greatest success, and that epidemics were greatly prevented thereby.

This lady, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, introduced the practice into England.

The idea was to introduce into the blood the germs of the dreaded disease, practically giving the patient a slight attack of small-pox, which made him proof against another attack.

Inoculation was, however, objected to, because sometimes the person operated on took the disease in its violent form, and died from the results.

The fact, however, remained that people who had been inoculated were not liable to take the disease again, and so much good resulted that the physicians were constantly seeking a means of inoculating that would insure only a mild form of the disease.

The problem was at last solved by the great English physician, Edward Jenner, in 1798.

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