Agra News from Agra, Kansas • 4

THESE COMPEL PEACE. THE SISTINE CHOIR. WHERE PEGGY SHIPPEN LIVED. It Is the Historit "Fowler IIoae" at Oxford Furnace, N. J.

Tho oldest dwelling house now standing in the statj of New Jersey ing in oil and annealing, and then pieces are cut from the ends as samples, and these are tested in a testing machine, with a view to ascertaining the tensile strength of the metal, its yielding point and the degree of ductility it possesses. If these meet the stipulated requirements of the contract the forging is accepted by the government inspector at the works and shipped to the Washington navy yard. The price received by the makers for such accepted forginjs average 35 tents per pound. The price is made thus high on account of two, it having originally consisted oi twelve and afterwards twenty-four. The director of the choir is no longer a matter of appointment, but of election, and a curious custom invariably assigns the part of honor to the principal bass.

In the chapel the choir is unseen. It occupies a position in the lower part of the building separated by a screen from the more elevated part, which is occupied by the altar, the pope's throne and the seats for the cardinals The director, however, stands so that ho can witness the celebration and regulate the music in consonance with the service, ile does not use a baton, having from time immemorial employed for the purpose of directing a roll of music. This symbol of oflice is fixed in the Italian idiom "to rule by the roll." The most famous director since the time of Palestrina was Abbate Raini, who was elected in aud to him belongs the honor of having contributed the arrangement of a miserere that is still sung by the choir he con- HISTORY OF ROME'S GREAT VOCAL MUSICIANS. Their Visit to the World's Columbian Kxposition The Choir Wm Organized in the Fourth Century and This Its Its Second Absence from Koine. JSpeciul TRIP TO AMER-ica is beir made by the mem ersof the Sistine chapel choir, the oldest musical organization in the world.

Ily special permission of the pe the choristers visit the World's Fair and sing there. Never before in its history has the choir sung outside the limits of Rome, except when the papal court was in Avignon and on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Napoleon when the effect of their rendition of Palestrina's "Tu es Petrus" was declared to be the most striking and imposing feature of the ceremonies. The choir is composed of thirty-two male members, who sing entirely without instrumental accompaniment Their music has been for centuries composed by some one of the members. The choir is, as its Italian title, "II Collegio dei Cappellani Cantori della Capella Pontificia," indicates, the personal choir of the pope and at no time is it called upon except when the supreme pontiff officiates at mass or at the death of a cardinal, Since 1870 LATHE. the only important occasion on which it has been heard was during the pope's jubilee.

The history of the organization dates back to the fourth century, when Sylvester established a school for training the voices of boys. The various churches of Rome were supplied with choirs from the pupils. In the succeeding century this institution was expanded and developed, and in the time Gregory the Great the scholars who were of noble birth became members of the papal household and occupied a position similar to that of the pages in the secular courts. The number of pupils trained in this way became so large and the excellence of their instruction so well known that many of them were sent to take charge of the music in the churches of England, France and other European countries. During the residence of the pope at Avignon, Flemish musicians obtained almost complete control of the choir, and introduced their elaborate polyphonic school of music, which prevailed until Palestrina was called upon to take charge of the choir and simplify the character of the chant music.

Never before in its history had there been a married man in the Papal choir. It was necessary to create a title for the new director, and he was made officially "Maestro Compositore." This title died when he was removed by Paul who justified the action by the claim that the unwritten law, including all but ecclesiastics, had been violated by his predecessor. It is're- A TYTI0AT, SISTINE CHOBISTRn markable that since the time of Palestrina but three or four notable compositions have been added to the repertory of the choir. It was in I'alestrina's time that the number of members was fixed at thirty- 35 BIG GUNS FOR THE UNITED STATUS. It Will Cost Uncle Sam S750 For Kvery Time One i I'lrcd It Wmihl Probably Cost the Enemy as Slaoj Tliou- Wash ing a Corrt-s pan do aco.

1 IVK OF THE IIIG gest canuca ever made in America for service are now nearinsr completion at the United States Naval gun foundry in Washington. One of them will be finished within the coming' fortnight and the other four shortly afterward. Thev are termed built-up steel breech-loading' rifles, and are of the very latest conception and pattern. They are all of 13-inch calibre, and each weigh 05 tons, measures 40 feet in length and is capable of throwing a territic arnior-piercing projectile of 1,100 pounds weight a distance of 13 miles, driven by a charge of f50 pounds of slow burning powder, which gives the shot a muzzle velocity of feet per second. These death-dealing monsters oi modern gunnery are of a lot of twelve designed for use in arming the th now battleships Indiana, Oregon nA Massachusetts.

Four are to be plad on each of the battle ships, in pt -forward and aft, and the twelve will have cost, when mounted in their turrets, the sun of ftl.l'OO.OOO cash TURNING apiece. Of this amount the forgings alone for each gun cost the manufacture of the gun proper, $10,000, aud the construction of the mount, $35,000. Every discharge from one of them in action will cost $700 $500 for the nickel-steel projectile and $2D0 for the powder. Every discharge of testing, in which case cast-iron shells are generally used as projectiles, will cost 275 $75 for the shell and as before for the powder. The forgings for the first of these great guns were received at the navy yard about a year ago, and the work upon them was begun soon afterward, and now all of these five are complete except the breech mechanism and mounts, which will be ready shortly.

Heretofore the largest guns made at the Naval gun foundry have been twelve-inch and ten-inch rifles, while considerable numbers of four, live, six and eight-inch guns have been turned out. But these new thirteen-inch giants are the largest ever attempted in this country. In the creation of a gun forging, say for one of the thirtecn-inch guns, a casting is first made, in cylindrical form, of the finest obtainable open-hearth gun steel, of a weight about double that of the forging which is to bo made from it. It must be the best steel in America to-day, and above all it must be compounded exclusively of American materials, congress having insisted upon this by special provisions of law, reiterated year after year since the commencement of the new navy. Moreover, there must be no bubbles or flaws or rifts whatever in the steel, and the whole mass must be absolutely uniform and perfect in texture.

After casting about 35 per cent of the weight of the ingot is cut off the upper part, and 5 per cent from the lower end, aud the remainder. is then forged under a heavy hammer, or by a hydraulic press. A hole is either bored through the ingot and a mandrill inserted in this, on which the forging is done, or'ehc the ingot is forged solid. In either case the mass of steel is forged to a shape approximating to that of the finished piece to be made. This product is then put into alatho and "rough machined." For instance, if the forging is for a tube it is bored on the inside to a diameter of twelve inches, and on the outside it is turned to within about one inch of the finished exterior diameter, leaving the tube both inside and outside thicker and about two feet longer than will be required for tho finished gun.

After this "rough machining" the forging is "treated" subjected to several interesting chemical processes well-known to metallurgists in order to raise its physical qualities by temper- I 3 is located at Oxford Furnace. It is the largo mansion directly opposite the store of the Oxford iron company. It is known as the "Fowler house," and is occupied now as a boarding house. The house is known to have been built in 1712 by William Ship-pen, who had some time previously received a grant of 10,000 acres of land from King George of England, says the New York Sun. Tho mansion consists of two stories and a basement, with walls threo feet thick.

It was built to stand the ravages of time, and so well has it faced the storms of lal years that to-day it is in a wonderful state of preservation. The great chimneys that start from the cellar and rear themselves far above the sloping roof resemble huge towers built within the house, the fireplaces, seven in number, are largo openings in the chimney walls and are lined with iron plates. The back plates are ornamented with tho British coat of arms. When change were made in the old house several years ago these fireplaces wore walled up. John Jourdun, a Philadelphia banker, spent a summer at Oxford Furnace some years ago.

Whilo being shown through the house he noticed the coat of arms on the middle iron of the only fireplace not, closed up. He received permission to remove the plate, and it now forms a part of an interesting collection owned by the Philadelphia historical fociety. The Shippen family who originally built, this house, came from England and settled in Phila- dolphia about the year They were a wealthy family and moved in the best society. During the revolutionary war, while Philadelphia was in possession of Lord Howe, Dr. Shippen's was tho social headquarters of the officers.

Dr. Shippen's daughter Peggy married Benedict Arnold. William Ship-pen, who built this house, was a son of Dr. Shippen and a brother-in-law of Benedict Arnold. Ho occupied tho house for a number of years with his family.

Every fall friends would visit him from New York and Philadelphia and a grand hunt with hounds would take place. All during- the winter the old stone house would echo with sounds of revelry, as the guests warmed under tho stimulating effects of the well-tilled wine collars. In this old stone house Judge, Robeson lived for some years, aud here his son, General George M. Robeson, secretary of the navy under President Grant, was bori. Shippen's wife was very fond of wine and under its mellow influence would become extremely hilarious.

Shippen concluded that he would break up these orgies by locking' the wino cellars. But she proved more than a match for him. During his absence she set one of the colored male servants at work to cut a hole through the stone wall that separated tho kitchen fireplace from the wino cellars. He lirst removed the iron plate emblazoned by the British coat of arms from the back of the fireplace, and then with a pick and crowbar he made a hole large enough to admit the woman's body. After drawing a supply from one of the casks she would return the kitchen and slide up the iron plate in place.

Site drank a great deal before her method was discovered by her husband. In spite of her fondness for strong drink sho was as thoroughly aristocratic as. tho times would warrant. While taking her morning walks sho would be accompanied by a colored boy named James Burr, who carried her train over his shoulder. Dr.

Shippen did not end his days in Oxford. It is more than probable that he returned to Philadelphia, tho homo of his ancestors. After his departure the old house and magnificent surroundings fell into decay and passed into other hands. As the years sped by many owners lived in the old stone house, great changes came about, until to-day the grand mansion of a century and a half ago is nothing but an ordinary boariing house. Tho walls are as firm aa when first built, and there is no doubt that they will last a century more.

"Belgian" Blouk luurriul in America. Anyono askod where tho Belgian block cornea from would say, "Why, from Belgium, of course," but this is far from the truth. Great quarries at a point four miles above Scllorsvillc, Buck county, known as the "Rocks," supply most of tho blocks used in this city. A great piece of rock was recently blasted there from which wore cut 35,000 Belgian blocks of regulation size. The rock was thirty-live feet wide, twelve and one-half feet deep and sixty-five feet long.

Tho blocks cut up will realize nearly $1,500 for the quarryman. Philadelphia Record. Always Clean. Good Minister I observe with pleasure that your family bible is not covered with dust. Little Girl It's always nico and clean now, ovtr aluco the piano stool 1 the tine quality of the steel and be cause the creat size of the forsrinsrs makes necessary the building of avast plant especially for their manufacture.

The tube forms the main lody of the gun. The jackr is a larger cylinder placed over the tube at the rear, encompassing the powder chamber to give it greater resistant strength The chase-hoops, of lesser thickness than the jacket, cover the tube in front of the jacket, while the jacket-hoops form a third layer of steel over the jacket. Thus the rear or breech part of the gun is built up in three layers, the middle in two layers and the muzzle in but one the tube simply. The above is the process pursued in the production of each set of forgings a complete set comprising the tube, the jacket, the chase-hoops and the jaeket-lioops. All the forgings for a gun having been delivered at the gun foundry, the fabricaiton or "assembling'' of the piece begins.

The tube forging is a perfect cylinder, symmetrical throughout, except that the powder chamber at the rear has an enlarged diameter. In the case of the tube forging of one of the thirteen-inch rifles the powder chamber lias a diameter of fifteen and a half inches. The tube is first bored or "roughed out" nearly to the finished A THIRTEEN-INCH RIFLB ON THE interior diameter. The outside is likewise turned on tho lathe and "Rtnooth-machined" to the finished diameter. During this operation the lathe is tended by only two workmen a mechanic and his helper.

The "smooth-machining" gives the surface of the gun a beautiful polish. One day recently a representative of Ilerr Krupp's mammoth works in Essen, Germany, was accorded the privilege of examining the wonderful A PROJECTILE. "North Gun Shop," and on leaving declared emphatically that he had never in all of his experience seen a gun shoo equal to it. The Krupp establishment, to be sure, is a great aggregated armory and arsenal capable of making any and all equipments and engines of war, but it should be borne in mind, notwithstanding its worldwide reputation, that for big naval sruns and their accoutrements alone, it is confessedly inferior to our own naval gun shop. This new shop covers an area, of 225 by 138 feet, and contains the finest machine tools in existence, among which are eight prodigious gun lathes of unique design and exceeding power.

One of these lathes has a capacity for boring guns fifty-one feet in length and of turning tubes fifty-seven feet, and consequently will bore, guns of sixteen-inch caliber. Three others, turning lathes, have a capacity for turning guns fifty-one foet in length, and hence can take guns of sixteen-inch caliber and below. Two others have a capacity for boring guns forty-five feet in length and of turning guns fifty feet, and hence these, topj can turn guns of sixteen-iucl caliber or less and can bore guns of thirteen-inch caliber or less. two remaining lathes have a capacity for boring guns pf thirty-twp feet length and of turning guns of thirty-seven feet length. and so can turn guns of twelve-inch caliber and less and can bore guns of ten-inch caliber.

One inestimable advantage of these lathes over any others known abroad, so far as capacity for speed is concerned, is the peculiarity of their construction, by which four tools on the outside and one inside can be employed simultaneously on each lathe, thus permitting the turning and boring of a gun in half the time required abroad at the present moment. A. iThe Sistine Choir's greatest lcador.) trolled. In almost every case the-members of the choir are not. only singers, but also composers, and many of the best known writers of music in Italy have been identified with this organization.

lioys were not allowed in the choir until within three years, when the present pope sanctioned their introduction; but throughout its existence music has been written for soprano voices, and there has never been a time when sopranos were lacking. In the sixteenth century the sopranos came chiefly from Spain, where the voices of the men were trained from childhood by a system still in use there. Voices so trained, arte fatte as they are called in Italy, retain their sweetness and charm to extreme old age. A member of the choir, who died within four years at the age of seventy-four, up to the last possessed a pure and good voice. There are two sopranos in the choir at present who are more than seventy years of age.

Among the maestri who have sung in the choir are Tomaso l'-ai, who was director in 1711; Santarelli, well known as the friend of Dr. Jiurney in the eighteenth century, and Raini, the foremost ecclesiastical musician of this century, who died in 18U, having retained his ollice for life by special favor of the pope. One secret of the success of the pope's singers is to bejfound in the fact that for 300 years the effort of the director has always been to bring the music into the closest relation with the service. There is a system of sig- GALLERY OF THE SISTINE CHOIIt. nals which conveys to the leader of the choir the progress of the mass, and at certain points in the "Gloria" and "Credo," a pianissimo is introduced.

When the ce'ebrant proceeds from the sedilla to the altar the time of tho amen is so arranged that will it-terminate exactly at the proper moment. There in the archives twelve of these "Misereres," but Gregorio Alle-gri's composition is the only one now in use. These manuscripts are most jealously guarded, and up to 1770 only three copies of Allegri's production had evor been legally made; one of these was for the Emperor Leopold one for the king of Portugal and the third for Padro Martini. All of the printed editions now in existence rest upon the authority of Tadre Martini's manuscripts. The authenticity of the printed copy was doubted at one time.

The chapel in which the choir effi-ciates is one of the apartments of the Vatican and takes its name from Pope Sixtus who caused it to be built in 1473. It is a hall with a lofty ceiling and is 150 feet in length. Galleries run around three sides of the building, which is famous for tho frescoes of Michael A ngelo. Boring Shoes. People should never go in the early morning to get boots and shoes fitted.

In the latter part of the day the feet are at their maximum size. Activity and standing tend to enlarge the feet. If people would remember this rule there would not be so many complaints of Bhoss when vorn being1 tight which, when fitted, seemed so comfortable. III i.