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when the great Exposition was in full swing and the "City of Light" estimated she had upwards of a million visitors pushing their way through her streets and along the quays of the Seine. M. Lépine and M. Touny, his deputy, argued that during the Exposition season there I would be such hosts crossing the bridges; fishing from the Seine's banks; boating up the river, and traveling up and down on crowded steamers, that accidents would surely happen. And so, having seen the marvelous work of Ghent's police dogs, the Paris Prefect decided to procure much larger and more powerful animals, which could be trained with equal skill to rescue persons who fell into the river within the city's limits, whether the mishap were an accident or suicide premeditated.

It was M. Lépine, too, who inaugurated the cyclist-police, which have since spread to every great city. In Paris they carry neither lamp nor bell, and are of course armed with loaded revolvers,

men directed by M. Lesage, and continue their education at the station on the Quay de la Tourelle. Here they study the river currents, the construction of bridges, and all kinds of boats and lighters, and ob

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IMPLEMENTS USED BY THE SEINE LIFE-SAVING SERVICE.

especially in the dreaded quarters of La Villette, Menilmontant, Vaugirard and Grenelle. Here are found the typical Parisian Apaches, or hooligans, almost always armed to the teeth; and they find rich scope for nefarious labor along the Seine quays in barges, and in the great stacks of merchandise piled up before riverside warehouses.

Now as the life-saving river dogs cannot be at their spectacular work all day, through lack of case or cause, they may and do very profitably fill in their spare time patrolling miles of quays both by day and night. Their masters pass through the curious "school" for police

tain an intimate knowledge of riverside life.

The big trained Newfoundlands, which act as their allies, enable them to search more thoroughly and over a wider area than ever before. And you may well believe the Paris "apaché" dreads one of these four-footed policemen more than a whole human platoon in the old days. It is no use his hiding in a great stack of goods covered with a tarpaulin, for Cesar will surely find him out. He cannot sleep underneath the bridges any more, for Athos takes him roughly by the shoulder, shakes him as a cat shakes a rat, and bids him be gone in terms unmistakable.

But after all, it is because of their lifesaving work that Paris loves these grand animals. It was well known that the French desperado's favorite way of disposing of his victim was by throwing him dead or alive into the river. All this has been altered, however, by the new "Brigade of Diving Police," whose headquarters may be found on the Quai de la Tourelle. M. Lépine entrusted its organization to his subordinate, M. Morquin, of the Municipal Police, who was empowered to pay as much as $100 each for the new recruits.

As in Ghent they were duly enrolled on the force, provided with a few canine necessaries in lieu of uniform, and then handed over to M. Guillemin, Inspector General of Navigation on the Seine. His office is very sparsely furnished, so there are no "home comforts" to entice the dogs or their human colleagues from their duty up and down the river, where

human intelligence in the same number of individuals. It sounds strange to think of a monstrous effigy or dummy, larger than life-size, being constructed with public money; but that was what M. Guillemin did for the water training of his dogs.

"M. Mannequin," as the monster was called, was soon forthcoming-artistic and a little fearsome, with a canvas cloth on which was painted a terrifying visage, cunningly arranged over a cork head. He floated limply when hurled into the river. with strong arms; and I fear he deluded the anxious dogs, who had to be forcibly restrained until the psychological moment for the "rescue." Hardly a day passes that you will not see M. Mannequin, tucked under a policeman's arm with his legs dancing across the cobbled bank from station to riverside.

Here he is either pitched in, if the pupil is a very young. dog, and it is desired to

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splash to reappear instantly and head off the approaching figure.

Once it was thought advisable to send two dogs to the rescue of the "drowning" person. That experiment was never repeated, and that for a comic, almost pathetic reason. Both dogs attacked the dummy, and such was the zeal of each to accomplish the "rescue" single-handed that they they fought in mid-stream, so that the unfortunate Mannequin when brought ashore was so mutilated as to be almost unrecognizable.

More than once a demonstration has been specially arranged for my benefit by MM. Guillemin and Mouquin; the dog selected being Sultan, now the ablest of all the life-saving dogs of the Seine. This fine animal has already saved fifteen lives from the river, and the sagacious way he seizes the helpless figure in the water has to be seen to be believed. Sultan is perfectly at home in deep water, and will swim round and round the drowning person until he sees his most advantageous hold, which is usually under the arm.

Then, no matter how strong the current, the huge brute turns his face shoreward and swims with powerful strokes, pushing the drowning person in front of him until he reaches the quay-wall, when one of his human colleagues relieves him of responsibility and drags the hapless person to land. Needless to say there is every possible "First Aid" appliance in central office on the Quay de la Tourelle.

As to the brave dog himself, it would do you good to see him shake his great curly body and massive head, and leap around in ponderous play, looking from one to the other as though to claim his meed of praise. It is no wonder his trainer should be forbidden to use the whip and there is no practice with "M. Mannequin" on very cold days.

As it is, after each rescue the dog is is taken back to the station house, rubbed down and thoroughly dried; for upon his well-being precious lives may depend. Last year a tragic episode marked the

"DUMMY" EMPLOYED IN TRAINING DOGS.

work. A notorious criminal whose record was well known to M. Goron, head of the Criminal Investigation Department, robbed a rich youth on the Pont Alexandre III, stunned him with a bludgeon and threw him into the Seine.

The splash was heard and Pelvoux sprang to the rescue, while D'Artagnan and his master shot in pursuit of the runaway ruffian. Finding the big New foundland gaining upon him the "apaché" drew his revolver and fired three times. Two shots took effect, but the big dog pulled him down, and although dying fast held him until the officer came up.

Poor D'Artagnan! His magnificent record is graven in brass on the Quai de la Tourelle, and a marble monument has been erected to him in the well-known dog's cemetery on the Ile des Chiens.

New Wealth From the Sea

C

By William Briggs

ALIFORNIANS have solved the problem of the alchemists and are making gold out of sea water. The Golden State has taken golden treasure out of her mountains, has made her valleys yield millions of dollars worth of golden fruit, has amassed tourist gold in exchange from her sunshine, and now turns to the great lazy Pacific and ransacks its coffers.

There is no rush of prospectors to the new field, however, as the gold is coming out of the sea in the form of salts of po

already assumed a place among the exports of the port of San Pedro. The fact that San Pedro is a lively and thriving port, with almost no outgoing cargoes, makes the development of this trade both easy and important. Since the first of last year the coasting schooners returning to the northern coast have taken away over a thousand tons of this sea salt.

The location chosen for the "salt ranch" is the tide-flats, lying between San Pedro and Long Beach, where fourteen hundred acres of this land, which is partly submerged at high tide, is now utilized. This land is divided into lakes of different levels, inclosed by fourteen miles

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MEN AT WORK MANUFACTURING SALT IN THE TIDE FLATS NEAR SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA.

tassium, magnesium and bromide, which would elude the pan and the rocker of the prospector.

Of several "diggings" of this nature, one at least is active and prosperous and one is approaching activity. The San Pedro Salt Company, which recently entered into the field, has succeeded in manufacturing a quantity and quality of salt which has found a ready market and has

of dikes. The earth used in building the dikes and the soil below are of a good quality of fire clay, which effectually prevents seepage from the retaining tanks. Thirteen lakes of from thirty-five to two hundred and eighty acres in extent and from five to eight feet in depth serve as the first receiver of salt water. The lower levels controlled by tide gates are flooded when the tide is in. From these

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inclosed by stone walls. These vats have a capacity of fifteen hundred tons each. When the evaporation is complete, the vats are full of the great white crystals which at a distance look like snow. Acres of this salt heaped up ready for further reduction give the eye a prompt assurance of the magnitude of the work.

Cars from the field bring the rough product to the mill, where it is washed in fresh water, and raised to a temperature of 360 degrees, which volatilizes the many impurities and forms the last step in manufacture. The oxidation of magnesium chloride by this high temperature leaves a salt which has little tendency to cake and absorb moisture, a quality of definite commercial value. Grinding, sifting and packing are done at the mill, fourteen grades of salt being produced, ranging from the coarse rock

HEAPS OF THE PRODUCT.

used in meat packing, to the fine powder of the confectioners.

Experiments in the manufacture of byproducts, such as the salts of magnesium and bromine are being carried on, but commercial salt is the only present output on a large scale. A growing demand for the chloride of magnisium points to a most lucrative market, and it is believed that eventually the manufacture of by-products will be the chief source of income from the reduction of sea salt.

At San Diego, near the Mexican border, another scheme for making money from the sea has been brought forth and is said to have substantial backing. This project looks toward the manufacture of salts of potassium from seaweed or kelp.

Before the development of the extensive deposits at Stassfurt, the "Salt Gardens" of the French coast were mainly

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