STi
VOL. IY. NO.
Earth'8 Noblemen.
We're of that band that till the land.
And draw from earth her store;
Right happy indeed is the life we lead,
While our days are passing o'er.
Many there are in riehes far
Surpassing the farmer's parse,
While other pursuits may yield more fruits.
Yet often produce much worse.
sion, however, my ooniemp* ior wie prophetic
words of the Indian came near
costing me dearly. Approaching the
foot of the mountain, I beheld full in
view, and only a short distance away on
a small eminence, a pack of wolves,
twenty-seven in number, devouring the
remains of a dees. This was rather an
unpleasant position to be in, and the
only recourse for safety was retreat or to
climb a tree. The former I decided on
without much delay, but on turning
about i found that the two Indians had
gone. I Baw to my revolvers as my best
friends immediately, and found all right
I determined to live as long as I could,
and to sell my life as dearly as possible.
I began the retreat however, with all
the haste that my physical powers were
capable of, but was soon alarmed by
hearing the howling of the wolves in
pursuit. I have always prided myself
on my fleetness of foot, as I have seldom
met my equal, but in this race with
wolves I lost ground very fast I quickly
realized that the attempt to escape
was vain, for at the rate of going I could
not hold out long, and therefore, believing
that "prudence was the better part
of valor," I concluded to climb a tree,
and though it took me a very few moments
to reach a convenient bough, I
was none too quick, for the pack was
nigh on hand, anxious for a fresh dish
after disposing of the deer. They drew
np in line, abont ten yards from the
tree, and considering the opportunity a
good one, I commenced to blaze away ^t
them, with deadly eOect, no less than
four falling in answer to seven shots.
This destructive fire did not abate their
fury in the least, and I proceeded to
draw my second revolver, when, unfortunately,
it caught in a twig and was
jerked out of my hand to the ground. I
now felt my predicament a worse one
than ever, fearing that they would remain
and starve me out, or until I
should become benumbed with the cold
and fall an easy prey to the ravenous
pack. My buffalo coat I had left in the
cutter, and, being very thinly clad, I
began very soon to experience the effects
of the cold. The wolves, I believe, realized
my helplessne&s, and became bold
accordingly. They walked up to the
foot of the tree, which was a very small
one, and as they could not reach me by
leaping, they began to gnaw it down. I
had been in mauy a tigjit place before,
in whale fishing and other perilous positions,
and flatter myself I have never
bet n mnch of a coward; but on the
present occasion, with a hungry pack of
wolves methodically at work, one after
the other, gnawing away the tree on
which I bad taken refuge, I began to
feel loose about the jaw, and my spirits
went down to forty-five Fahrenheit.
However, an idea occurred to me ; I decided
upon a plan. Taking out my knife
I cut the longest limb I could reach, and
leaving a hook on the end of it I caught
hold of a large cedar tree aboflt ten feet
off, and as the wolves continued gnawing,
and my perch got more and more
unsteady, 1 pulled on me pole ana arew
the tree over toward the cedar. With a
desperate exertion, . and after several
minutes of Jeep anxiety, I succeeded in
gainiog the cedar, and took up a safe
position amoDg its branches. The wolves
uttered p, fierce howl and took their departure,
but I did not venture to descend
from my perch until the last sound from
them was faintly heard from the distant
w hills. On reaching the place where I
had left my horse, I found that he had
got frightened and had gone. . I was
about striking out in pursuit, when I
espied the two Indians, who were endeavoring
to secure two young moose,
which thev had got into a kind of crevasse
at tne base of a high rock. I
turned iu with them, and we succeeded
-0
We envy not the statesman's lot,
Still clamoring for hie class;
Nor hie that fighte for glory's rights,
At some redoubted pass.
No risk have we on boisterous sea,
No fears lest tempest whelm
And we possess without redress,
While laboring at the helm.
The fruitful field in bounties yields,
A rich reward for toil;
Be ours the trade to ply the spade.
And deeply plow the soil;
Wo walk abroad o'er carpet sod,
And flowerets kiss our feet,
Whoee odors rise to scent the skies?
A tribute pure and sweet.
To ail we give the means to live,
As brother shares with brother,
And thus fulfill the holy will
That bids us love each other.
OK I fa BAAnrA frnm anil a And nnrA
To thee our love clinge ever.
With all its might and fond delight?
To chaoge from thee, no, never !
A WONDERFUL WOLF STORY.
A Lumber Inspector in Caaada ha< a Mar.
raw Escape?He Passes Several Hours
In a Tree Surrounded by Hungry Wolves.
The Ottawa Free Press prints the following
account of an adventure by Mr.
John A. Gunn, in the township of Blake,
Quebec:.
I set out in company with two In.dians
to ascertain if any trespasses had
been committed on a limit owned by our
firm, tlie said limit being northeast of
the Gat infill river, and running parallel
with the Duievre. The district is remarkable
only for its mountainous character,
the range being called Mont
Diable, < r Devil's mountain. I took my
horse al< >ng with me so long as a beaten
track t nablcd me to do so, when I tied
him up, aud continued the jouruey on
snowshoca We had gone only about
four miles, when one of the Iudians, a
very cuuniDg and experienced hunter,
solemnly warned me to turn back, as
there were unmistakable indications of
wolves being in close proximity; but,
not heeding the voice of the dnsky son
of the forest, I made up my mind to
keep on my way, as it is a principle of
\ mine never to look back until my work
is accomplished. On the present occa*
i il
KNDA
in taking them alive and unhurt. The
Indians had courage enough to go back
and skin the wolves. My horse I found
at the jobber's shanty, about seven miles
distant.
The Rescue of the "Donner Party,"
Readers of Bret Harte's "Gabriel
Couroy " will remember the following
foot note which occurs in connection
with the author's description of scenes
in Starvation Camp :
"I fear I must task the incredulous
reader's further patience by calling attention
to what may, perhaps, prove the
most literal and thoroughly attested
fact of this otherwise fanciful chronicle.
The condition and situation of the illfamed
'Donner Party'?then an unknown,
unheralded cavalcade of immigrants?starving
iu an unfrequented
pass of the Sierras, was first made
known to Captain Yount, of Napa, in
a dream. The Spanish records of California
show that the relief p?rty which
succored the survivors was projected
upon this spiritual information."
In the thorough scrutiny to which
everything relating to the heroic age
of California has been subjected, there
are, probably, few beyond the mountains
who are not familiar with the
details of the above expedition. There
are many in the East, however, who
will be interested in Captain Yount's
own version of this strange occurrence,
as related by him to the late Rev. Dr.
TT T> V. 11 ITa /,nAlA fwtm
ottier nrst-ciaas snots aro rcaciy to cuui- 3
pete. No shot, a resident of Scotland, ,
who can go, has held back. The deputa- ,
tion of the Irish rifle association, which j
interviewed Major Leach in regard to the
organization of an Irish team by that ,
gentleman, included nearly all of the i
1875 international team. Capt. Mildmay,
secretary of the national rifle association,
thinks the action of the Irish team
definitely settled in the negative the
question of the national association's ;
representation, though Sir Henry Hal- (
ford has not yet received a reply from
Col. Gilderslceve to hi9 communication
asking that no team should be accredited
unless under the auspices of the national
rifle association.
A Jiew Trial,
In July, 1874, a Chicago merchant
named Staaden, having heavily insured
his hardware store and removed his
stock, saturated the floors with oil and
heaped them with rags, then placed several
kegs of powder on the shelves,
attached trains and lighted them. This
was at noon, on a crowded street. The
Are was fortunately discovered and extinguished.
Staaden was only brought to
trial last winter, and sentenced to a
year's imprisonment. He has secured
a new trial, and will probably bo set fre?,
XlUrUUU JL> UOUiiCil TT o ljuvvu iivui
Nature and the Supernatural ":
As I sat by the fire, one stormy November
night, in a hotel parlor, in the
Napa valley of California, there came in
a most venerable and benignant looking
person, with his wife, taking their
seats in the circle. The stranger, as I
afterward learned, was Captain Fount, a
man who came over into California, as
a trapper, more than forty years ago.
Here he has lived, apart from the great
world and its questions, acquiring an
immense landed estate, and becoming a
kind of acknowledged patriarch in the
country. His tall, manly person, and
his gracious, paternal look, as totally <
unsophisticated in the expression as if :
I he had never heard of a philosophic <
doubt or question in his life, marked
him as the true patriarch. The conver- !
sation turned, I know not how, on i
spiritism and the modern necromancy, '
and ho discovered a degree of inclina- ,
tion to believe in the reported mys- ]
teries. His wife, a much younger and <
apparently Christian person, intimated
that probably he was predisposed to this
kind of faith by a very peculiar experi- (
ence of his own, and evidently desired 1
that he might be drawn out by some in- ^
telligent discussion of his queries. i
At my request, he gave me his story. {
About six or seven years previous in a j
mid-winter's night he had a dream, in
which he saw what appeared to be a J
compauy of immigrants, arrested by the <
snows of the mountains, and perishing 1
rapidly by cold and hunger. He noted 1
the very cast of the scenery, marked by
a huge perpendicular front of white 1
rock cliff ; he saw men cutting off what
appeared to be tree tops, rising out of ^
deep gulfs of snow; he distinguished j
the very features of the persons, and
the look of their particular distress. He ?
woke, profoundly impressed with the J
distinctness and apparent reality of his (
dream. At length he fell asleep, and j
dreamed exactly the same dream again, j
In the morning he could not expel it j
from his mind. Faffing in, shortly, f
?:ii. ? -1J 1?~ 1
WIU.I tUX U1U UUUIiCI WIUIOUC) uo wiu
him the story, and was only the more
deeply impressed by his recognizing,
without hesitation, the scenery of the
dream.
This comrade came over the Sierra, by
the Carson valley pass, and declared
tha; a spot in the pass answered exactly
to his description. By this the unsophisticated
patriarch was decided. He
immediately collected a company of
men, with mules and blankets, and all
necessary provisions. The neighbors
were laoghing, meantime,at his credulity.
"No matter," said he, "I am able to
do this, and I will, for I verily believe
that the fact is according to my dream."
The men were sent into the mountains,
one hundred and fifty miles distant, directly
to the Carson valley pass. And
there they found' the company, in exactly
the condition of the dream, and
brought in the remnant alive.
A gentleman present said: "Yon
need have no doubt of this; for wo Californians
all know the facts, and the
names of the families brought in, who
now look upon cur venerable friend as
a kind of savior." These names he
gave, and the places where they reside,
and I found, afterward, that the California
people were ready, every where, to
second his testimony.?Scribncr for
April.
The Centennial Rifle Team.
Capt. MacDonald, of the Scotch rifle
team, writes to the Volunteer Service
Gazette that six members of last year's
Scotch Elcho Shield team?all who are
able to go to America to participate in
the Centennial matches?intend to shoot
for ulaoes in this team, and at least nine
? "1? A _ I ,
POK
RD A
A TTTTOTJT ft.
JLM JLJ U. ft. ft--' -ft. V -ft. ft
A Story of Daniel Drew.
Hundreds of stories have been told
about Uncle Daniel Drew's way of doing
business. Here is one I heard in
Wall street some time ago that will do
as a specimen. Once while sitting in
his office Drew was approached by a
clerical looking personage, who introduced
himself a3 a clergyman from a
town up the Hudson. Uncle Daniel
wanted to know what he could do for
him.
" Well, I thought, Mr. Drew," said
tho parson, "that you might put me
in the way of making a little money."
" Thinkin' of bnyin' some sheers,
eh!"
"Yes, sir, I've got something saved
up, and if you'll be good enough to tell
me what is best to do to increase it
you'll oblige me very much."
"Well, now, it's kind a resky, ye
know, but p'r'aps ef ye tried a little
Erie"?
" Thank you, Mr. Drew, thank you.
Now, will you be kind enough to tell
me a good place to buy ? You see, I
am not acquainted down here at all."
Drew sent him to one of his own
brokers, who had orders to sell Erie
right along, and when the parson was
leaving the good old man said to him :
"Now, don't ye go an'tell any of the
folks up there that I've been givin' ye
any pints, for I don't want 'em to be
comin' down here an'specklatin'."
The parson ordered some Erie, put up
the margin, and went home, and in less
than a week every one of his neighbors
who could command a thousand dollars
had come to New York and bought
Erie in the same place. But thej were
all surprised to find stock falling instead
of rising, and when more margin was
called for the dominie came down in
hot haste to see Mr. Drew and find out
what was the matter.
"Mr. Drew, my dear sir, how is this?
- - ** AL* '1.
Ion told me Jtine was a goou imng w
buy."
"Well," paid Uncle Daniel, with his
Egyptian mnmmj smile, "it has turned
out poorty bad, that's a fact. But
of course I don't want yo to lose any
money. Let's see; how much are ye
out?"
The dominie named his loss, and
Drew told a clerk to fill a check for the
amount. It was handed to the visitor,
who became quite profuse in his thanks.
A.s he was leaving the office, however,
lie stopped and said : " Mr. Drew, some
if my brethren have also lost a large
sum in Erie."
"Seems to me," answered Mr. Drew,
[< I told ye not to sav anything about
that pint on Ery to the folks up your
way. Lots of 'em's been down yer buyin',
an' I fear they haint made nothin'.
Sorry, but it haint my fault, for I told
pe not to tell 'em."
They had been buying the stock that
Drew was selling, and the check to the
fiergyman was only a small part of what
10 had made out of the clergyman's
riends.
Reorganizing the United States Army.
The committee on military affairs of
ihe United States House agreed upon a
Dill to reorganize the army, it being
Representative Banning's bill, with
ome amendments, and ordered it to be
reported favorably *to the House. It
loes not reduce the present effective
force of the army, but reduces the number
of infantry regiments from twontyive
to twenty, and the cavalry from ten
o eight, thus reducing the number of
nfautry officers fifty-five and of cavalry
iflicers fifteen, and increases the size of
lie companies and regiments. It does
iway with the regimental organization of
he artillery, reducing the field officers
>f artillery seventeen. It consolidates
ho quartermaster and commissary deinirx
nirta rl QC1 rm o fori Ofl flin
JUL lUiUli UO 1UIV VUUj UVU4gWMWV? W vmv
lepartment of supplies, making a large
eduction of officers. It provides for a
x>ard to examine officers and for the discharge
of all worthless and inefficient
)fiicers, and for an examination of the
condition of retired officers. All officers
dio lose their places uuder the bill are
placed upon a list of supernumeraries,
md are permitted to resign with one
rear's pay for each eight years of scrrice,
or remain in service to perform
>uch duty as they may be assigned to.
It provides for the education of noncommissioned
officers and soldiers by
;he commissioned officers, and for the
promotion of non-commissioned officers
;o commissioned officers. It abolishes
he office of judge advocate, fixes the
Day of first sergeants at $10 per month,
nakes the headquarters of the general
)f the army at Washington in time of
leaoe, and provides that he may act as
secretary of war in the absence of
he secretary or temporary vacancy in
;he office.
It provides that sutlers aud post traders
shall be first elected by a council of
he administration, approved by the department
commander and the general of
the army, and appointed by the secretary
of war. It reduces the staff ot all
general officers, and requires the general
the army to report reforms to Congress
annually and to look to economy
in all branches of the army. The bill
is approved by the testimony of many
cf the officers of the army. It is a reduction
of about two hundred officers,
and proposes reforms which, if adopted,
will, a Washington dispatch says, it is
claimed, add greatly to the efficiency of
the army:
Poisonous Trees,
The leaves of the gumbo trees, which
grow in the West Indies, when eaten by
any animal, will cause all its hair to drop
out,.and I have seen horses and cows
both without a liair in mane or tail from
eating its leavep. The manchenillo tree
is quite common on some of these
islands, and is very poisonous. The
wind blowing through it directly upon a
person sensitive to poison will take effect
in a few moments. The smoke from its
burning wood has the same effect. I
saw a horse which had taken shelter under
one of these trees during a shower,
whose hair was taken off wherever the
drops of rain from its boughs had touched
him, and years afterward bad this
mottled appearance. A man who a^ept
under one of them in midday was awakened
nearly unconscious, as if under the
effects of a powerful narootio. I have
known several cases of severe poison and
two deaths from eating crabs poisoned
with this tree.
T IFtO"
lND (
C., THURSDAY, A
Fasliion Xotes,
Ball gloves are worn very long, often
reaching to the elbow.
Feather trimmings of all varieties will
be worn until midsummer.
The Rubiria polonaise furnishes a
graceful model for this leading garment,
which buttons in the back.
Fringes were never more elegant in
design and finish than now. Graduated
fringes, woven very wide in the center <
and narrow at the sides, are seen on
handsome tabliers. <
Small crochet buttons, both in black 1
and colors, and smoked pearl ones are in
style. i
The Byron collar, which the manufac- I
tnrersare trying to introduce, has not ]
proved successful. The English collar 1
with ends sloped off and the upright col- 1
lar with ends slightly pointed and rolled !
over are popular. <
Flowers are lavishly used for evening !
toilets. ]
Waists of evening dresses are laced at !
the back; are generally high on the <
shoulders, with low, heart shaped Pom- 1
padour or high necks, as the figure re- I
quires. The sleeves arc either very 1
short or else reach to the elbow. ]
Cameos are in unusual demand, with i
a preference for ancient designs. <
The Toque bonnets, with small brim <
and loose crown, are worn; some, in- <
deed, have no brim, a long curled \
feather being fastened all around the (
crown. They have tulle strings attached <
to the back of the bonnet, brought for- i
ward and loosely tied in front. 1
Combs, not very high ?nd forming a <
square rather than oval band, designed 4
in an open pattern, are adapted to the 1
present style of wearing the hair. ]
BuntiDg dresses of creamy tint will be J
popular this year for seaside wear, as <
will be blue bun tine ones for yachting ;
purposes. t
Expensive sets of underclothing oome <
iD ecru or rose colored silk, elaborately 1
trimmed with Valenciennes lace. i
Visiting cards of medium size in un- 1
glazed Bristol board, with English (
script, is the popular style. t
Bright colored plaids, intermixed with (
grays, are brought out in spring woolen
fabrics for house dresses and children's
suits.
Whitby jet is the only jewelry appropriate
for deep mourning. t
The heating comb is a new invention t
for drying the hair after the head has 1
been washed; it is also claimed for this (
contrivance that it keeps the hair glossy, i
prevents its falling out, and is in many i
ways a benefit. 1
White is this season known in several i
shades: blanc rose?also called month 1
of June?a white, overcast with pink; ]
blanc creme, a creamy white, and blanc e
mat, a dead white. . <
Fans of Russia leather remain fashionable.
t
t
Thoughts for Saturday Night. j
To bear is to conquer fate. ^
The sweetest pleasure is in imparting *
it. fi
Choose such pleasures as recreate
much and cost little. c
Poverty persuades a man to do and
suffer everything, that he may escape 1
from it. t
Devote each day to the object then in t
time, and every evening will find some- a
thing done. a
Pride is a vice which pride itself in- J
clines every man to find in others and ?
overlook in himself. v
Suffering becomes beautiful when one s
bears great calamities with cheerfulness,
not through insensibility, but through 0
greatness of mind. f
Lost wealth may be replaced by industry,
lost knowledge by study, lost
health by temperance or medicine, but
lost tim^ is gone forever.
There is no less merit in keeping what o
we have got than in first acquiring it. ?
Cbanoo has something to do with the 1
one, while the other will always bo the a
eiTect of skill. b
Socrates, when informed of softio de- 8
rogating speeches one had used concern- 0
ing him behind his back, made only P
this facetious reply: "Let him beat 0
me, too, when I am absent." n
The skeptic,[when he plunges into the ?
depths of infidelity, like the miser who j
leaps from the shipwreck, will find that j
tbc treasures which he bears about him a
will only sink him deeper in the abyss.
Over the time thou hast no power; \
to redeem a world sunk in dishonesty ti
lms not been given thee; solely over one 0
man therein thou hast a quite absolute f<
uncontrollable power; him redeem, him a
make honest. ti
It is at the approach of extreme dan- tl
ger when a hollow puppet can do noth- tl
ing that power falls into the mighty b
hands of nature, of the spirit giant o
born who listens only to himself and a
knows nothing of compacts. a
I am convinced, both by faith and experience,
that to maintain one's self on
this earth is not a hardship, but a pas- 'l
time, if wo will live simply and wisely, P
as the pursuits of the simpler nations *
are still the sports of the more artificial. 81
Man is subject to fate solely in himself,
not in others; he soon hardens his
mind against all fear, and prepares it for
all events. A little philosophy enables a
him to bear bodily paiu, or the common t
infirmities of flesh; by a philosophy p
somewhat deeper, he can coDquer the g
ordinary reverses of fortune, the dread 8
of shame, and the last calamity of n
death. ii
A Mexican (Irons.
o
A curious thing is a Mexican circus, g
One, at Puebla, came up from old Mexi- t
co. The managers have some sections u
of canvas, and with these and such t
pieces of lumber as they can pick np in p
the town in which they exhibit, they s
construct a sort of tent or corral. The s
patrons of the show must provide their h
own seats. Each cabal lero may be seen t:
going to the show with a se.iorita on v
one arm and a conple of chairs or stools d
on the other. The advance agent spurns t
the regular printer's ink, using instead a c
musliu poster, on which is printed au p
advertisement of the circus. The per- i:
formance consists mainly of tumbl ng v
aud horizontal bar exercises, though an o
educate d pony and some trained dogs a
play a part in the programme. The a
performers are wonderful athletes, and o
their feats are well worth seeing. s
3omn
PEIL 27, 1876.
SPECIAL AGRICULTURAL PRIZES.
Good Chances for Kaisers of Bis Potatoes
ana uwneis ol men (flooded Uogn.
The only department of the Centennial
exhibition in which special prizes
have been offered to any extent is the
agricultural. These prizes will not be
awarded by the Centennial commission,
but by individuals, and in the agricultural
department are, according to
the corrected list just furnished by
Chief Landreth, as follows : $1,000 by
the Jersey cattle club for the best Jersey
herd ; $1,000 by the Pennsylvania agricultural
society for general prizes ; I
$1,000 by the Memphis cotton exchange
for the best bale of cotton from any of
the States of Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama
and Tennessee; $200 by Messrs.
B. K. Bliss & Sons for the beet display
f potatoes in pecks ; $100 by Messrs.
D. Landreth & Sons, for the best display
of vegetables at a stated period;
S75 by Chief Landreth, of the agricultural
bureau, for the best essay on
forestry; $50 by Messrs. Henderson &
Sons, for the best essay on tho cauliflower,
and $50 by the same firm
for the best essay on the cultivation
of celery; $150 by the Philadelphia
produce exchange for the best
cheese; $150 by tho Northwestern
dairymen's association for the best butter
and oheese ; a prize bv the National
dairymen's association for the best
cheese; $150 by the Pennsylvania poulary
society for general prizes ; $100 by
he New York Forest and Stream for a
dog prize; two $50 cups, one by the
Chicago Field and another by O. 8.
Westcott, for dog prizes; a prize by the
Northeastern beekeepers' association ;
$200 by the proprietors of the " American
Pood for Cattle " in four prizes of
$50 each for each class of horses, cattle,
heeD and swine, the owners being re
juired to certify that they have used the
food, and a silver cellar by Frank Roan
or the best Dachshund or German
oeagle, of any age. The New York agrimltural
society offers free transportation
0 and from Philadelphia for all flrstjlass
prize animals from that State.
Marion's Dinner Party.
A British officer was at one period of
he Revolutionary wftr dispatched with
1 flag of truce to General Marion.
5Vhat was his surprise on being coniucted
into Marion's presence to behold
n our hero a sw ;rthy, smoke-dried little
nan, with scarce enough of threadbare
lomespun to cover his nakedness! Havng
recovered a little from his surprise
le presented his letter to General
Marion, who perused it, and soon settled
everything to his satisfaction. The
)fficer took up his hat to retire.
"Oh, no," said Marion, "itis now
ibout our time of dining, and I hope, sir,
hat you will give us the pleasure of
rour company to dinner."
At mention of the word dinner the
British officer looked around him, and
o his great mortification could see no
igns of it.
"Well, Tom," said the general to one
>f his men, " come, give us our dinner."
The dinner to which he alluded was
10 other than a heap of sweet potatoes
hat were snugly roasting under the em>ers,
and which Tom, with his pinetick
poker, soon liberated from their
shy confinement, pinched them every
tow and then with his fingers, especial
y the big ones, to see whether they
rcre done or not Then, having
leansed them of the ashes, he piled
ome of the best on a large piece of bark
nd placed them between the British
fficer and Marion on the trunk of the
alien pine on which they sat.
A New Hampshire Town Meeting.
Space would fail me to tell half the
ddities of election customs in this
itate, writes a Concord correspondent
?hey call an election a " town meeting,"
nd that's what it really is, for the whole
own turns out in the morning and
4-Ks-v 4/\nm A f ninn
UliUCls iu wo iunu umii uv <uuv
'clock the three selectmen take the
latform and announce that the election
f a moderator is in order. Each party
lakes a nomination, and if the town is
lose there is a division?the Democrats
oing on one side of the hall and the
Republicans on the other to be counted.
Jither side, if dissatisfied, can demand
ballot, and sometimes the whole foreoon
is consumed in getting organized.
7hen they get a moderator they put it
o vote how long the poils shall bo kept
pen. Sometimes they closo the poll
ir representative at one or tvo o'clock,
nd keep on voting for the general
icket until six. Usually all voting in
lie country towns ceases at three, but
liere is nothing to prevent keeping the
oxes open until midnight, and this is
ccasionally done in the cities. If there
re three candidates for representative,
nd neither gets an absolute majority,
tiero is a second ballot had and often a
bird ; or if night comes on, and the
irmers want to go home to milk, they
ostpone the business until next day.
'he town, being a petty sovereignty in
nch matters, can do as it pleases.
Where to Bny.#
A Vermont lady sends a protest
gainst an article which appeared in
he eolnmiiR of a citv uaper advising
leople to go to the city to purchase their
;ood8. She thinks country merchants
houl<t be encouraged; that their judglent
and taste in the selection of goods
3 better than the average housewife's; i
hat the time and trouble she takes in <
oing to the city to do her own shopping
;ives poor returns; that she might bet- <
er give the merchant a list of what she
rishes, and get him to purchase for her, i
ban go herself; that the practice of deending
upon neighboring cities for I
hopping facilities tends to make towns
uburban, and keeps them from refcainog
their distinctive character as oounry
villages; that the ladies of her town i
?ho make their purchases in large cities
io no better, so far as she can learn, I
ban those who buy of the country merhant.
She conoludes thus: "I agree
erfectly with what you say about buyog
by the quantity, but we can do that i
rithout going to cities; and just think
f the loss of trade to country dealers
nd the personal discomfort of husbands
nd children if women, on the strength
f your advice, flee to the city stores to
pend their money this spring." i
*
IERCI
$2,00 per J
MONEY IN COAL DIRT.
Hnlvinff a Problem that has Puzzled Many a
Miner nod Many a Savant.
All over the coal country, says a Pottsville
(Pa.) correspondent of the Sun,are
to be seen mountains of coal dirt. It has
been piled up ever since mining begun.
Thousands upon thousands of tons are
packed away in tbe mountain gorges. It
has always been considered useless and
valueless. Coal operators dumped the
dirt along the streams, in the hopes that
spring freshets would wash it away. A
portion of the upper section of the
Schuylkill canal was thrown out of use
because the expense of dredging coal
dirt from the bottom was too great, and
the company accordingly abandoned it.
Suddenly all this accumulated coal
dirt has been brought to a market value,
and every ton of it is worth money to
the steam power manufacturer. Superintendent
Wootten is one among twenty
inventors who have been considering
his great problem and trying to solve
it. Few scientific men have ever witnessed
these immense mountains of coal
dirt without asking the question: "Cannot
this stuff bo put into some shape to
be burned ?" At least twenty different
parties and companies have been organized
for the purpose of making a fuel
out of the dirt that would burn. In
nearly every instance the parties took
the dirt, mixed it with coal tar, lime or
other material, and then pressed it together
in lumps or molds. The stuff
would never burn satisfactorily. The
ooal tar, etc., would ignite, but after
that the dirt would appear like dead cinder
and emit no heat at all.
One man took a preparation of buckwheat
meal and mixed it with the ooal
dirt. Afterward it was pressed into
blocks the shape and size of a brick.
Samples were shown to Superintendent
Wootten by the inventor for inspection.
After thinking a moment the inventor
was asked whether he had ever considered
that the flour alone wonld cost
much more per ton than the beet anthracite
coal? The reply was "no" that
he hadn't thought that far.
Mr. Wooten labored considerably, and
at last came to the conclusion that the
only way the dirt could ever be used satisfactorily
would be to burn it the same
as other coal is used either by locomotive
or stationary engine. The trouble
was it would not bum, because it was
too compact, and woul4 smother rather
than ignite. For fifty years that has
been the one great impediment, and
scientists could not overcome it. Finally,
however, Mr. Wootten thought of introducing
a steam blast through the
coal from the bottom, in the hope of
penetrating the mass and supplying
plenty of air. He built a furnace specially
fof it, and placed it under a stationary
engine boiler. Instead of using
grate bars, he employed a perforated
iron plate for the fire to rest upon. A
pipe from the boiler conveyed the steam,
and the necessary pressure supplied the
blast, and this stroke proved to be the
key note of the entire coal dirt problem.
It burned freely, and threw out an immense
heat. The oldest dirt was used
to see if it possessed burning qualities,
and it was found that it was oonsumed
freely, the same as the best of coal.
It was next tried in the furnace of a
locomotive engine, and was found to
bum equally weli The other day when
the wind was blowing at a velocity of
forty miles per hour, a ccal dirt burning
engine took up a train of one hundred
cars through the valley with the same
ease and with as little labor as an engine
burning the very best anthracite coal.
This certainly is regarded as a great
revolution in the coal and iron country,
because it transforms at least a million
of tons of heretofore useless coal dirt i
into a fuel worth at tho very least one ,
dollar per ton; and provides a way, to
consume all coal dirt that may come to
the surface in the future.
The Drying Rivers of Enrope.
It is a well known fact that as the set- ;
tlement of a country becomes general,
and the forests are cleared, or the open ,
country brought into civilization, the <
effect is quickly seen in the diminished j
water supply of rivers during the sum- j
mer. ' ,
In Europe this diminished water sup- ,
ply is yearly more felt. Attention is
again called to the subject in Austria, |
aud a circular, accompanied with a re- (
port, has been addressed to the scien- (
tific societies of Europe, by the Vienna ,
academy of science, inviting them to \
unite in observations for the determina- j
tion of the causes of tho decrease of the j
water iu springs, rivers and water j
courses.
For a certaia number of years the waters
of tho Danube and other large rivers
have been diminishing. The Austrian
engineers' and architects' union have i
taken up the same question, and ha ye 1
appointed a hydrostatic commission to t
collect facts and prepare a report. Two <
members will observe the Danube, the I
Elbe and the Rhine; and two others will 1
study the meteorology of tho subject, <
and the influence that the Alpiuo gla- |
ciers and torrents may bear npou it. <
The commission regards the dcstruo- j
tiou of the forests as the prime canse of i
the disastrous decrease of European wa- J
ters, aud urge an immediate adoption of 1
measures to remedy the evil.
%
Centennial Races.
Major J. D. Ferguson, secretory of
the Maryland jockey club and also se
cretary of the running meetings of the
Point Breeze Park Association ot Philadelphia,
announces the entries closed,
with the following nominations for the
Centennial races:
Inaugural sweepstakes, for all ages?
twentj-one.
Reform club stakes, for three-year-old
fillies?twenty-one.
Grand Exposition stakes, for colts and
fillies, three year-olds?twenty.
Leamington stakes, for two-year-olds?
twenty.
Philadelphia club cup sweepstakes,
for all ages?twenty-three.
International handicap stakes?thirtyone.
v1j
Association stakes?ten.
Centennial stakes?seventeer.
Ladies' stakes?sixteen.
Total?179.
The first meeting occurs June twenty* 1
fourth, '
'*>
AL.
Innnm. We Copy 5 Cents.
1
Items of Interest.
Men who go ont for a " lark " are [apt
to make it a "swallow."
Naturally enough " Truth is stranger
than fiotion," because it is not so common.
An observing man has discovered that
the sun sets jnst before early candle
lighting.
One cent per bushel makes a difference
of $10,000,000 in the value of the annual
crop of corn in the United States.
Little Harry, five years old, was
called to see the new baby. After & moment's
contemplation, he turned to his
expectant papa with : "We didn't need
that."
The Chicago Times wants to know /
" we fellows whose grandfathers fought
in the Revolution are not going to
have our expenses paid to the Centennial
?
A Fitchbu/g woman applied to the
town overseers for help. They sent her
a bag of meal, but she soolded at them,
saying: " What is a bag of meal to fat
two large hogs with?"
A man who contracted a debt of
$1,143, promised to pay it in two installments.
Last week he forwaided $11,
and promised to send the other $43 as
soon as the times got better.
A prominent broker had on his office
door the following interesting legend :
"If you owe me and cannot pay me
employ some one who wants to owe me,
as he can find me in thirty minutes."
As an evidence of hard times it may
be mentioned that a young man in New
York State wrote to every bank in. Detroit
offering to "be your kasheerfor
$20 per month and board ? and no bank
oould give him a place.
John Harrop, aged eleven, has been ,
' ~" " - ' * * ? i #_
indicted for wiuxui muraer oj a ooruuer a
jury at Boston, Lincolnshire. Ho had
quarreled with another boy named
White, aged ten, and had pushed him
into a pit, where he left him to die.
Widows in India are now permitted to
marry again, instead of being burned.
This will have a tendency to increase
the list of widows in India; bat no donbt
many of them, after living with a second
husband a few months, will yearn for a
restoration of the dd law.
A prudent Chicago mother of wealth
and respectability has brought up her
accomplished and beautiful daughters
te do washing and ironing. When questioned
as to the cause of this somewhat
unusual proceeding, the prudent mother
replied: "Oh, it is always well to prepare
for any emergency. Perhaps some
of the poor children may man y . an
Italian count"
In the town of Hartland, some twelve
or fifteen years ago, lived an old fellow
who was not noted for his fondness for
good books; he liked good liquor better.
An agent called one day and asked if
the house was supplied with the Bible.
"Oh, yes,"he said, "they always had
it" The agent was a little inoredulous,
and decided to see it The old man
searched the house through, and at last
produced a few stray leayes, saying,
" he had no idee thev were so near ont'
of Bible."
- V
Mrs. Fitch's Diamonds.
The revenue authorities are puzzled
to know what to do with the khedive of
Egypt's famous gift to General Sherman
s daughter.* The diamonds are
locked np in the big vanlt in the subtreasury.
They were placed there in
June last, and unless they are taken away
before next June, they will be classified
as unclaimed goods, and sold by auction
to pay the duties and storage. If this
should happen, the money, after the deduction
of the official charges, would be
paid to Drexel, Morgan & Co., in whose
name the diamonds are consigned. The
trouble is that Congress in authorizing
Lieut. Fitch to receive the present to
his wife, neglected to relieve him from
the payment of the duties. The necklace
and earingB which compose the gift
were first (aid to be worth $250,000, bat
sxperts have since appraised them at
$75,000. The dnty on this amount would
be about $10,000. Gen. Sherman feels
that he is too poor to pay this, and he is
unwilling to appeal to Congress far an
exemption of the payment of the duties.
Neither the secretary of the treasury,
the collector, nor any of his deputies are
disposed to exercise their power of
granting a free permit for the diamonds,
aud the Turkish ambassador, who has
the official prerogative of receiving them w
in his name, will not ask for their release,
because the khedive is only recognized
by his government as a vassal.
A Coat Story.
For some time past the cleiks at a
station in Louisville have been annoyed
by goats that infest that immediate locality.
Not satisfied with the other
devilment these sly rascals are guilty of
they chew all the tags off the cotton
bales cent there for shipment, thereby
cans ng a great deal of trouble in shipping
the cofctoi. The other day the
clerks surrounded abont a dozen of the
goats and succeeded in driving them into
i box car alongside the platform and
fastening the door. That night there
was a carload of goats going north,
bitched to a freight train. The car was
left at Indianapolis, and the next day
the door was thrown open and the gouts
rushed oat and made a raid through the
town, npectting and batting clerks,
bands, boxes, bales, etc., as they esjaped.
Not being apprised cf the shipment
hv wav bill the Indianapois clerks
3hased them all over town, endeavoring
to catch them, of course believing the
jompany would have to pay for them as
"lost freight" if they were not caught.
By night all were canght and put back
in the car. A dispatch was sent to th<;
station man in Louisville : " Send on
four way bilL Got all the goats." A
dispatch went back in reply : " Don't
want any. Let'em go." The race in
[ndianapolis is said to have been very
axciting. ^ ^
Lost His Lifb.?A local wit oT Lafayette,
Ark., undertook to fool Dr.
Wegbrook one dusky evening into the
belief that a ping of twist tobacco that
tie pointed at the doctor's- head was a
pistoL He suooeeded admirably, and
was shot dead before he could explain
that it was all a joke*
???? - r i irtll