COSHOCTON 



1599 



COSTA RICA 



ing colors are due to their mixture with differ- 

 ent minerals in small quantities. See AME- 

 THYST; RUBY; SAPPHIRE. 



COSHOCTON, koshok'tun, OHIO, the county 

 seat of Coshocton County, with a population, 

 chiefly American, of 12,500 in 1914, an increase 

 of 2,897 since 1910. It is situated a little north- 

 east of the geographical center of the state, 

 at the point where the Walhonding and Tus- 

 carawas rivers unite to form the Muskingum; 

 it is also on the Ohio Canal. Zanesville is 

 twenty-six miles south, Columbus is sixty-five 

 miles southwest, and Cleveland is 115 miles 

 north. Railway transportation is afforded by 

 the Pennsylvania and the Wheeling & Lake 

 Erie railways. Bridges connect with Roscoe, 

 on the opposite bank of the river. The area is 

 nearly two square miles. 



Coshocton is built on four broad terraces, the 

 upper one having an elevation of 824 feet 

 above sea level, affording a fine view of a 

 beautiful valley. It is the center of a gas, 

 coal and oil region and a shipping point for 

 coal, grain, live stock, flour and wool. The 

 principal industry is the manufacture of adver- 

 tising novelties and signs; four of these com- 

 panies employ 1,000 people. Automobile and 

 glass factories and flour and paper mills are 

 important establishments. In addition to the 

 public school system, with two high schools, 

 the city has a Carnegie Library. 



Coshocton was the name of the chief village 

 of the Turtle tribe of Delaware Indians, on the 

 site it now occupies. The first white settlement 

 was made in 1801; in 1802 the town was laid 

 out and named Tuscarawas, and it became the 

 county seat in 1811, when the present name was 

 adopted. It was incorporated in 1833. Indian 

 mounds and ruins of forts dating to Revolu- 

 tionary days are features of historical in- 

 terest. D.G.G. 



COSMOS, koz' 

 mos, an interest- 

 ing, late -bloom- 

 ing garden an- 

 nual. Brought 

 into the United ' 

 States from Mex- 

 ico, its native 

 home, the cosmos 

 has not yet be- 

 come fully accus- 

 tomed to short 

 seasons, but it 

 bravely bears the chilly autumn winds, and . 

 blooms often as late as November. The large, 



COSMOS 



late varieties grow six to ten feet high, and 

 are bushlike, with feathery leaves. On grace- 

 ful, slender stems, the lovely, yellow-centered 

 flowers, somewhat like single dahlias, but more 

 delicate, brighten the fence-sides and borders 

 with their white, pink, or crimson beauty. The 

 dwarfs grow only about four feet high and 

 bloom as early as July. In a light soil, not 

 too rich, and in a rather sunny spot, cosmos 

 plants will prove very decorative. 



COSSACKS, kos'aks, the name of a class of 

 people who inhabit the southern and eastern 

 portions of Russia, and who were regarded by 

 the Russian czars as a very important military 

 division of the population. The name comes 

 from the Turkish word kazak, and means rob- 

 ber. The origin of the Cossacks is not defi- 

 nitely known. When they first attracted 

 notice they were dwelling on the islands in the 

 Dnieper and on the banks of the Don and the 

 Bug rivers, and consisted largely of men who 

 had fled from their nations or tribes because 

 they wanted greater freedom. The government 

 was tribal and allowed the greatest freedom 

 to the individual. The tribes were loosely 

 organized into a little republic. In 1549 the 

 Don Cossacks, or Cossacks of the Don, sub- 

 mitted to the czar, but were independent in 

 all local affairs. In 1593, when serfdom was 

 established in Russia, their number was greatly 

 increased. They do not form a distinct nation- 

 ality, but a community, distinct from other 

 Russians because of their manner of life and 

 local government. Their present number is 

 about 3,000,000. 



The Cossacks have long borne a reputa- 

 tion for cruelty, reckless daring and skill in 

 horsemanship and in the use of arms, and when 

 called upon by the czar to suppress insurrec- 

 tions they always proved themselves merciless 

 agents of despotism. These bold and hardy 

 troops performed military duty instead of pay- 

 ing taxes, and formed the greater part of the 

 cavalry of the Russian army. Each cavalry- 

 man was required to furnish his own horse. 

 They wore a uniform of dark green and carry 

 short magazine rifles. Some were also armed 

 with long lances. The Cossacks rendered valu- 

 able service to the Russian government in the 

 first two years of the War of the Nations. 



COSTA RICA, kahs'ta re'ka, the most 

 southerly of the Central American republics, 

 lying between Nicaragua and Panama and 

 bounded east and west by the Caribbean Sea 

 and the Pacific Ocean. It covers an area of 

 about 23,000 square miles, and is therefore 



