HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher.
NIX. DESPERANDXJM.
Two Dollars per Annum.
VOL. IV.
IlIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1874.
NO. 34.
Mamie's Kin?.
Johnny Mnggins gaved it to me :
J oliniiy"B dead yon know i
Hot runned over by s engine
?ro8t a year ago.
'ii. iit a week afore it happened
1 Johnny nays : " Look here,
Mamie, hore's a ring I bought you
Tlay it'd gold, my dear.
" Wear it ou your 'gagement finger,"
Johnny says to me.
Thou bin fa:e got rod and emiliu'. .
" It's a ploi'go," says ho ;
" When we bo'.h get big," he whispered,
Stoopiu' to my ear,
" Like as not there'll be a weddin',
Won't there, Mamie dear ?"
Now he's gone I can't help tbinkhV
Sometimes in the night
That ho ain't eo far off, nnther,
Though he's out of eight ;
And it worries of me dreadful
That this precious thing
Won't stay bright far all my rubbin'
Toor dear littlo ring !
Johnny's hands was most timeB dirty,
And his clo's was, too ;
lint his eyes was clear and honest,
Lovin' like and truo.
There's so many boys that's wicked,
Why should Johnny die ?
Keeps me winkiu' desp'rit sometimes,
Bo as not to cry.
When I hoard he'd been runned over
I went quickly to see j
Got there just in time to hear him
Aakiu' after me ;
Only just in time to kiss him ;
lie looked up and smiled,
Then he closed his eyes as peaceful
As a sleepin' child.
'Taint no use I can't help cryin';
Oh, I loved him so !
Johnny dear my boy my darlin'
Oh, how could he go ?
P'raps some time I'll get to heaven ;
If I do I'll bring
(So's ho'll know hi) little Mamie)
Johnny's 'gagement ring.
THREE DAYS UNDERGROUND.
The sun on Friday, April 2, had risen
brightly on the mining-village of Oar
bonoir, find the dull and dismal March
days, witii their raw, rainy, inclement
weather, looked a lone way back since
the genial sunshine had brightened our
dispositions and dnert our roads.
The miners had " struck" the pre
vions day, and the inside workings and
breakers were deserted, except by the
eutrineers and nremen. We that is.
tlu- superintendent, the " inside boss,"
nnd mine engineer or surveyor had
decided to take edvautage of the cessa
tion of work and make a trip inside, in
older particularly to look at one of the
"breasts, in which a "roll" had been
met, and iu general to view fie appear
ance of tiie mine to see that none of
the doors had been left open by which
the inside air would be vitiated ; for
our mines were not free from fire-damp;
to observe the timbers, for iu parts of
the mine there had been indications of
a " squeeze ;" and also to notice the
workings of our two-inch steam-pumps,
which were strained to their utmost
working as they were under the
high pressure of ninety pounds of
eteam to keep the mines clear of
water.
Oa the day before, out of curiosity,
I had measured the stream they were
throwing, and found to my astonish
ment that their combined outputs
amounted to 3,000 gallons per minute.
As our tramp was to be an extended
one, over the whole of the mine, which
in one direction was driven for more
than a mile, and had labyrinthine pas
sages that would have sadly puzzled
any one not acquainted with the work
ings, we took our dinners along in the
littlo buckets that miners carry, and
also a bottle of oil for the supply of
our lamps.
The clay previous had been some
what on idle one with me, and, know
ing the course our trip was to take, I
amused myself by taking a little sketch
from the larger map of the vicinity of
the particular "breast" we intended
visiting. I thought nothing of it at
the time ; but afterwards, as will be
seen, it became of the greatest import
ance. We took a walk through the breaker
and the outside workings before we
went inside. There were the eight
boilers working at a pressure of ninety
pounds of steam, and trembling with
the mighty force within them ; bat of
their safety we felt no fear, as they had
a few days before been examined by the
inspector and pronounced safo to a
pressure of 140 pounds to a square
inch.
A loud hissing sound, like the rush
of waters, caused us to tarn suddenly,
but it was only the steam blowing
through the safety-valve. At last, our
examination being completed, we light
ed our lamps, climbed into the cage,
and gave the engineer the signal to
lower us down the shaft slowly.
The descent in a shaft is a very pecu
liar feeling to those who have never ex
perienced it. We have all felt the odd
sensation iu the buck and breast when
using a forty-foot pole swing. The feel
ing there is difficult to describe, but
may be said to be as though the breath
in your body, instead of making its
natural exit, was going from the back
of the lungs to the front, and thenoe
out through the breast-bone.
So with the sensation in descending
a shaft. Here it is not only the breath
that appears to be leaving you, but the
blood, bones, and brain all seem to be
trying to escape through the roots of
the hair ; a capillary sensation which is
anything but pleasant.
We made the descent of 857 feet
in two and one-half minutes, and ar
rived safely at the bottom of the shaft.
The working of our mine had been
begun on the most scientific principles,
bat several layers of hard rock had
made the shaft extremely costly ; and
the circumstances of the company were
somewhat straitened when we had
reached the ooal vein of which we were
in search.
It is generally customary to have a
"sump," or chamber for holding wa
ter, at the bottom of the shaft, bo that
iu case anything should happen to the
pumps there will be a reservoir for the
mine water to flow into, and which will
require some time to fill before the
tracks are overflowed and work
stopped ; but just below the coal, when
the sump was begun, a bed of iron
pyrites was met, on which the best cast
steel drills made ns impression : and,
after a week of utterly futile work, the
design of making a sump was aban
doned, and a slight roll occurring at
some little distance from the bottom of
the shaft, the coal was mined therefrom
and the cavity thus made was used as a
sump, although it only held a few thoa
sand gallons of water.
We started on our tramp after exam
ining the two steam-pumps and noting
the number of strokes per minute they
were making. The mines were very
wet, and little drippers falling from the
roof trickled down our backs, causing
very unpleasant sensations.
We did not find much to complain
about in the workings till we came to
the point where the squeeze had mani
fested itself. Here stout timbers of
one foot and a half in diameter had
been bent into a bow-like form by the
pressure of thousands of tons of super
incumbent rock, and the crush was
only beginning to make itself manifest.
The pructiced eye of the superintend
ent, aided by his unerring judgment,
soon noted tho points where extra
strength was required, and he gave his
orders to the " mine boss, who care
fully marked them.
We now retraced our footsteps, and
turning into another gangway, reached
the " breast " iu which, the roll bad OO'
curred. The pitch, or slope, of the
coal-vein was here steep, nearly forty'
five degrees, which may be compared to
the slant of the roof of an old-fashion
ed house, and we m ade our way with
difficulty up the narrow man-way, on
which steps had been cut in the rocK
The lower part of the " breast " was
filled with coal which had not been
drawn out for several days, being left
for the miners to obtain a foothold
while " bearing in " on the solid coal
above them.
The mim-way was a tortuous passage,
with barely room for one to crawl
through ; but, after a little trouble, we
reached tho face of the "breast," and
began our observations on the roll,
There was no mistaking the fact of its
being a " roll ; the top rock had de
scended and tho bottom raised till but
three inches of ooal were left, and that
was bo shelly that it could easily be
crumbled between the nngers.
The superintendent took out his lit
tle pocket-compass from its velvet lined
case, and, after poising it delicately be
tween his fingers and noting the course
of the roll, stated his opinion that it
would bemet with in the next " breast,"
about five feet higher up the pitch than
it was in this. We now prepared to de
scend, when he suggested that we might
as well eat our lunch here, where it
was dry, instead of going into the gang.
way, where we would find a difficulty
in getting a convenient seat. In this
we acquiesced, making ourselves as
comfortable as we could upon lumps of
coal. We opened our cans and but
just then a sharp, cracking noise was
heard, which brought us all to our feet ;
and, following it almost instantly, the
roof was seen at a little distance to
sway and then to fall, making a draft
of .air which instantly extinguished our
lamps nnd left us standing, for the mo
nient, bereft of speech in the darkness,
while the dull, heavy echo reverberated
till it was lost in the recesses of the
mine. We were, as I said, stupefied
for tho moment, but soon recovered
our speech and Bens.es and anxiously
inquired of each other if any one had
been hurt.
I answered that I was all right, and
asked where the " inside boss " was,
for I had not heard his voice. The
superintendent said he was standing by
him when the fall came ; so we pro
duced matches, lighted our lamps, and
looked around us. A glance to the left
showed us his form, lying insensible,
with a cut in his forehead, the dark
blotches of coal-dirt on his face con
toasting terribly with the waxy color of
the skiu, rendered far more ghastly and
deathlike by the yellow gleam of the
lamps.
It was evident that we were fastened
in by the fall of ooal ; but that did not
concern us greatly, as it was well Known
that we were inside, and men would
soon be Bent in search of us. But what
were we to do with the stunned man,
for by this time we had ascertained
that he breathed faintly. Though
neither of us had the advantage of a
medical education, we knew what to do
in a caee of this sort, and dampening
our handkerchiefs from a little dripper,
we laved his temples, and Boon had the
satisfaction of observing the return of
his faculties.
After we had explained the situation
to him, which he slowly comprehend'
ed, we took counsel as to what were the
best means of escaping from our under
ground prison.
Though we felt certain that it could
not be long before parties would be in
search of us, yet it was agreed that we
should not remain idle, but endeavor
to out our way out into some other
chamber of the mine. Picks and sbov
els were lying around where the miners
the preceding evening had leit them,
and each taking one of these in hand,
we proceeded to tap licbtlv the eoal in
order to determine if possible by the
sound where the nearest pillar stood,
and, therefore, where we would have
the least cutting to do.
While we were engaged in thus
sounding the walls of our prison, a dis
tant rumble was heard which caused us
to stop short in our labor and look at
each other with blanched faces.
Our thoughts ran on but one thing
the timbers in another part of the mine
must have given way and blocked us
out completely.
We now waited motionless for the
gust of air which always follows a fall
but as our lamps gave not the slightest
nicker, we were entirely at a loss to ao
count for it.
So puzzled by this collection of mis
haps, and wondering how soon they
would come in search of us, we con
tinued our tapping on the Bide of the
" breast ;" but it always gave back the
same ringing sound, and that was so
guide whatever.
Just then the wick of my lamp need
ing trimming, I searched in my pockets
for a knife, and, feeling a piece of
paper, took it out and found that it was
tho sketch of thnt portion of the mine.
We felt that this little drawing was
our salvation, for without it we would
have been working blindly. After a
close examination of it, we determined
j'ust where to start, in order tu out into
an air-hole, which was thirty feet away,
through solid coal.
After having decided upon the spot.
we began work immediately. Only one
could work at a time, and as we were
each to work fifteen minutes, in order
to tell when the time would be up, the
superintendent looked at his watch.
Tho hands pointed to a little after
twelve. He said, "I thought it was
later, as it must have been almost that
wheu wo Degan our dinner."
The boss responded, " is it noon, or
night ?"
Noon, of course ; answered the
superintendent.
We thought for a time by way of de
termining, wheu tho boss said : "Have
you a watch-key ?" " Yes."
" men wind up your watcn and you
can tell." The superintendent did so,
and found that his watch was almost
run down.
We looked at each other in silence.
Could it bo that we had been there
twelve hours, and no help come to us ?
It must be ?
It seemed strange that we had not
yet felt the pangs of hunger ; but now,
our attention being called to the fact
that we had eaten nothing all day, we
turned toward our dinner-cans with a
good appetite. We ate sparingly, how
ever, for the reason that the period of
our immurement seemed very uncer
tain. No thirst was felt because of the
dampness of the air in the mine. Thus
rein vigora ted, we started again at our
work, and ere long had the satisfaction
of seeing that we had made about ten
feet of progress.
While I was resting and waiting my
turn with the pick, I heard a confused
squealing in the lower part ot the
"breast. We stopped work and looked
in that direction, and saw, to our as
tonishment, rats iu great numbers,
making their way through the inter
stices of the loose coal.
We thought at first that they had in
some way ascertained our condition,
and intended making a raid on us en
masse, but a moment's observation
dispelled this idea, for they appeared
cowed and frightened, and, instead of
showing fight, sought seclusion under
lumps of coal.
I' or a moment the superintendent
looked thoughtful, then grave, then, in
atter agony muttered: "the water is
rising we re lost I
We stared at each other in mute de
spair. What the thoughts of the rest
were 1 cannot tell, but my own life and
actions went into a panorama beforejmy
mental vision, oius or omission and
commission passed by in a torrent, and
my olleuces magnified themselves, and
their blackness and size overshadowed
the good acts I had done, blotting them
our completely.
The superintendent, thinking audi
bly, murmured, " My wife, my child 1"
and we heard a deep sigh from the
boss. We turned to look at the latter,
and as we did so he fell on his face, the
blood gushed from under the bandage
in a stream. Hurriedly lifting him we
tried to staunch the wound, but in vain;
tie it no matter how tightly, the blood
oozed through the handkerchief. The
condensed air of the chamber forced it
from his body, and his face, which had
been livid, became pallid and wax-like,
and bis pulse ceased to beat.
He was dead 1
The superintendent looked at his
watch. It had stopped. He shook it
and found that it had run down. Had
another twenty-four hours passed ? It
was insupportable, this death in life,
Was there no hope for us ?
We refilled our lamps, exhausted the
oil in the bottle, and with brains reel
ing and blood gushing from our finger
ends, again attacked the coal.
Hark I Was not that a sound ? We
listened and heard it again, and I rap
ped back vigorously. It had chanced
that, for Borne time previously, I had
been trying to learn telegraphy on the
Morse instrument, of the operator at
our office, and I suppose that, unknow
ingly, I, in my tapping, had made use
of their signal of "attention." The
same familiar tap tap tap tap tap
was returned, and I saw at once that
my instructor must be among those
outside.
I rapped : "Is there any hope for
us ?" He answered : " We'll try to
save you : raincloud burst over the
shaft deluging it with water, and one of
the boilers shortly afterward exploded,
blowing up the engine house." " How
did you get in ?" I asked. " We are
in an airhole which communicates with
the surface." "What time is it?"
" Three o'clock, Sunday morning."
We had been inside over two days 1
Would we escape t
A short silence, and he rapped
"How far above the water are you
working 1" I turned to look. It was
within five feet of us. The condensed
air was exhausting our strength ; our
lamps gave a final flicker and burnt out;
I reached down for water to bathe my
throbbing temples and felt something
soft resisting. It was the body of the
Boss. I drew back with a shudder. A
rat crawled up my leg ; it made my
blood curdle.
I put my hand towards the water
again and felt several rats floating ; the
air, with a pressure of at least three at
moswheres. had killed them.
And now we heard the sound of picks
and bars on the other Bide. They had
Bent outside for them. It re-inspirited
us and we worked for life.
The water was within three feet of us,
They soon signaled from the other Bide
that they were going to blast. We await
ed the shock and could almost hear the
fizzing of the fuse.
" Cra sh !" the thunder nearly
deafened me.
I called the superintendent by name.
No answer. I put out my hand to feel
him ; he was breathing faintly. I
reached down a foot to the water and
sprinkled it on his f aoe. He heaved a
sigh which, light though it was, sound
ed like a deep groan in the thick, heavy
atmosphere.
I heard the tap tap tap tap tap
of "attention," tind tried to answer,
but had not enough strength. My face
felt nnffusbd with blood, and I could
hear the pulsations of my heart. They
eeru -d to become more rapid, faster
fasVr faster, and I oountod no more.
I can indistinctly remember, how
ever, a more violent crash, and being
violently f iroed through a narrow aper
ture. When I recovered my senses and
recollection I was in bed, with my gray
haired mother bending over me and
asking how I felt. I tried to move,
but shooting pains went through my
whole body. 1 looked at my hands j
they were covered with strips of plas
ter.
I was about to interrogate my mother,
when the telegraph operator stepped
n. and seeing that I was convalescent,
began, without questioning (he always
was rather garrulous), to acquaint me
with the particulars.
lou Bee." he said, "we did not
miss you till after the hurry and con
fusion inoident to the explosion by
which the fireman was killed and the
engineer badly hurt was over. Then,
in the evening, when aa three of you
were missed, they started in search of
yon. 1 was away, and uia not return
till the evening of Saturday, when i at
once ordered a re-search as far as we
were able, for the water was not over all
the gangways. We supposed that you
must have taken refuge In the farther
end of the mine, and we went as far as
the water would allow us, and were
just giving up the search, when I recol
lected the air-way, wnere we found you
and afterwards heard your picks. You
remember the conversation by tele-
Bpfcr..
1 nodded, though 1 could but indis
tinctly recall it.
Well, then," he continued, "we
got as large a force as we could to work,
made a blast, and afterwards heard
nothing from you whatever. Then we
worked on vigorously, and when we
thought we had gone far enough, put
in a slight blast, which broke a hole,
through which a gust of air aud water
came, shooting you and the superinteH'
dent violently into the water in the air
way and extinguishing all our lamps.
We brought you to the surface as soon
ns possible, carried you with trouble
through the crowd for there must have
been nearly five thousand people on the
ground, as the news spread, and our
conversation through the coal had been
in every paper in the Union. Intense
interest had been excited, and hourly
telegrams were sent away from here."
I asked about the superintendent.
" Ho is able to walk around, but has no
remembrance of anything which OO'
curred iu those three days." " And
tho mining-boss ?" " Poor fellow 1"
here he pointed to the graveyard, which
was in view of my window. " He
weighed but 125 pounds when we found
him he must have lost twenty pounds
ot blood.
I am now twenty years older than
when this happened, but should I live
lifty more, the remembrance would be
ns distinct as it is bow of my Three
Days Underground.
Josh Billings' Spice Box.
Most every one luvs to listen 2 slan
der, but thare ain't but few but what
despise the author ov it.
Without munny, without friends,
and without impudence, iz about nz
low down in this world az any man can
get, and keep virtewouse.
After a man has passed the age of 57,
about awl that he can find to talk about
and brag on iz that he has got more
pains and akes than enny of the rest of
his nabors.
There is nothing that a man is bo
certain ov as he is ov what he sees, and
yet there is nothing after all that de'
ceives him of tener.
Beware of the man who is always
ready to swop old friends lor nu ones.
The dog that will follow every body
tin't worth a kuss.
When I play whist I alwuzz like a
phool for a pardner, for they do hold
tucli good hands.
1 have had people set down bi mi Bide
and konfidently undertake to explain
something to me of great importance,
and after talking 34 minutes by the
watch, I not only didn't kno what they
had been trying to tell but had forgot a
good deal that I knew before.
There is but little that iz new under
the Bun, and what iz am t good for
'iiuch.
I kan't tell exactly what's the matter
ov me, but I am alwuz just a little shy
ov the woman who wears her hair kut
short.
The great mistake that meny people
make is to think that they was made
before the world waz instead ov since,
The Men Who Do Not Succeed.
I confess that increasing years bring
with them an increasing respect for men
who have not succeeded in life, as those
words are Commonly used. Heaven is
said to be the place for those who have
not succeeded here : and it is sure that
celestial grace does not thrive and
bloom in the hot blaze of worldly pros
perity. Ill success sometimes arises
from a superabundance of qualities in
themselves good from a conscience too
sensitive, a taste too iastiuious, a self-
forgetfulness too romantio, a modesty
too retiring. 1 win not go bo iar as to
say with the living-poet, that " the
world knows nothing of its great men,"
but there are forms of greatness, or at
least excellence, whioh "die and make
no sign ;" there are' martyrs that miss
the palm, but not the stake ; heroes
without laurels, and conquerors with
out the triumphs.
The negroes of McLennan county.
Texas, recently passed resolutions
more proper in meaning than in lan'
guage. They declare that they " have
a desire to live where peace and plentv
lays at every door, and hopes to see
the time come when the lion shall lay
down with the lamb in perfect peace."
They also register their intention to
" indorse good men for representatives.
caring nothing of what profession they
are, or what party they are, bo, they are
good men," "
The Steer aud the Cat.
A correspondent in Onondaga county
has sent us, says the New York Tribune,
editorially, an account of a wholly novel
and extremely valuable invention
for the education of working cattle.
Au intelligent young farmer in that
county recently went out to try a three
yoke team of steers. The nigh steer
IU lilt) ill i u ill u y UftC mjf uuwu iiguv iu
front of Mr. Jones's house, and noth
ing which could at first be devised was of
any use at all. All the appliances with
whioh the agricultural interests are al
ready familinr were exhaustively exper
imented with upon that steer. Mr.
Jones himself came to help, and be
tween them they got the steer out of
yoke, so that he should not strangle
himself, but he only lay down the flat
ter for all that, lie became as nat as a
comic newspaper. " Confound him,"
said the irate owner, " I'd like to drag
a cat across him 1" " The very thing,"
exclaimed the neighborly Jones. " I've
got the biggest cat you ever saw." In
less than a few minutes Jones was back
from his house, bringing with a large,
fine-looking Thomas cat, well known to
possess a powerful and cultivated voice,
of more than usual compass and unsur
passed timbre. The cat was put on at
the shouldcrd of the steer and drawn
steadily and carefully backward and
downward. The steer kicked some,
but he did not get up, although the cat
seemed to know very well what he was
put there for.
Acain the cat was planted weu ior
ward and drawn aft, but the steer paid
him no manner of attention, and this
or something else aroused the wrath of
the cat, for, just as he was putting in
his claws for the third drag, he gave
tongue if that's a fair word for it in
his best and loudest music. The effect
was marvelous and will be of great
value, for the steer not only sprang to
his feet with unexpected agility, but his
tail was as stiff as his horns as he
dashed wildly away homeward. No
trouble at all with him since that, for
at any signs of a balk you have only to
begin a vocal imitation of that torn cut,
and the strength of the yoke and chain
is tested instantly. We do not think
that any attention need be paid to ob
jections to this operation based on the
idea that it is an appeal to tne super
stitious instincts of the lower classes.
It is rather to be regarded in the light
of a musical triumph. We have never
heard of any extensive employment of
the cat as an incentive to exertion, ex
cept in tho navy, and even there the
one important element of success seems
to have been omitted. Beyond doubt,
a series of careful experiments with re
fractory mules would bo very interest
ing, the prospect of a favorable result
being very encouraging with a race who
have so great an ear for music
During a Fire.
The New York Times in a review of
the Fall River mill fire, and after no
ticing the , means of escape offered
says :
At first sight, one would say tuat au
possible means of escape had been pro
vided. Probably this was what the
owners of the Granite Mill thought
about it. But the inqueBt shows that
tho fire-ladders on the walls were
scarcely used at all ; that the elevator
was soon stopped with the machinery,
and that the destruction of the only
stairway was the cause of a panic that
drove the poor creatures out at the win
dows or back into the flames. As we
have once before had occasion to say,
the distressing lesson of this calamity
is that no dependence can be placed
unon so-called fire-escapes which con
sist of iron ladders fixed on the outer
walls. If people had their senses
about them when a fire breaks out, and
other means of egress are cut off, they
could calmly and safely descend by the
fire-escapes. They do not have their
senses about them : tney win not, or
cannot, use these ladders, and they per
ish in the flames or precipitate them
selves headlong from the windows.
This was the fact at a disastrous fire in
Center street, in this city, not long
since, wheu several persons were
burned to death, though an iron ladder
reaching nearly to the ground was with'
iu easy reach.
This element of danger, tnen, may as
well be taken into account by mill
owners and builders. It is all very well
to sav that the means of escape were
ample had there been no panic. There
was a panic, and, therefore, the means
were not ample. A panio is precisely
the thing tht'.t must be 'provided lor,
One stairway inclosed in a tower was
not enough for the three hundred oper
stives f the uranite Ami. cad ex
perience has shown that the other and
extraneous provision for egress are next
to useless. In the best mills, we are
told, three stairways are built for each,
and fire-escapes are hxed at each seven'
ty-five feet of wall. Men may use these
latter women and children scarcely es
cape by them.
Mystery of the Lakes.
Lake Erie is only sixty or seventy
feet deep ; but Lake Ontario, whioh is
592 feet deep, is 230 feet below the tide
level of ocean, or as low as most parts
of the Gulf of St. Lawrence ; and the
bottoms of Lake Huron, Michigan and
Superior, although the surface is much
higher, aro all from their vast depth, on
a level with the bottom of Ontario,
Now, as the discharge through the
River Detroit after allowing for the
probable portion carried off by evapora
tion, does not appear Dy any means
equal to the quantity of water which
the three upper lakes receive, it has
been conjectured that a subterranean
river may run from Lake Superior, by
tne nuron. to ljase untario. xnis con
jecture is not improbable, and accounts
for the singular fact that salmon and
herring are caught in all the lakes com'
munioating with the St. Lawrence, but
no others. As the Falls of Niagara
must have always existed it would puz
zle the naturalists to say how these fish
got into the upper lakes without some
Buch subterranean river ; moreover, any
periodical obstruction of the river
would furnish a not improbable solu
tion of the mysterious flax and reflux
oi tne lanes.
It is a Oerman boast that no Ameri-
can, Irishman or Englishman can sell
lagei and make it pay,
An Authority on Hydrophobia.
Dr. Lipntard, who has translated into
English an essay on hydrophobia by
M. Boulay, says that M. Boulay's expe
rieuoe and standing have rendered him
an authority upon all veterinary mat
ters, and that his paper on hydrophobia
was delivered and discussed at the Sor
bonne. In this lecture M. Boulay says
the best protection is gained from
knowledge of the earliest manifestations
of the disease. Its nature is unknown ;
it is transmissible, but only by inocu
lation, and that by a bite. The saliva
of the dog and tho oat is the most viru
lent, and is so from the moment that
the first symptoms show. At first the
dog is quiet, sad and taciturn seeking
rest but finding none ; the agitation in
creases with the disorder, and some
times amounts to hallucination in the
animal. Through all of this term the
dog is submissive to his master, and
the obedience sometimes remains nntil
death. All are cautioned to beware of
sick dogs, and those that are restless
and too suddenly affectionate. Mad
ness is not always, though usually, ac
companied by dread of water, and
usually the diseased dog has no appe
tite. A depraved appetite is a pretty
sure indication. It leads to tearing
carpets, biting wood, etc Sometimes
the muscles of the iaw are paralyzed,
and no dog's mouth should be explored
for the cause, not even when he seems
to be removing some obstruction from
the throat. Blood-stained vomiting is
an indication. A hoarse, low, pro
longed bark is another ; though there
is a dumb rabies. The nervous sensi
bility is weakened ; the sight of an
other animal of the same species pro
duces a paroxysm, and other animals
share this, but in the dog it expresses
the secret fact finally. Sometimes the
afflicted dog deserts, and if he does so
his caresses are to be avoided when he
returns. A long time may elapse be
tween inoculation and manifestation.
When. the rabies is fully developed
the dog is excited aud ferocious, with
spells of insensibility ; other dogs flee ;
the mad dog escaped, at first runs
naturally, attacking any life he encoun
ters ; then staggers, exhausted, and is
not dangerous unless provoked. He
dies from slow paralysis and asphyxia.
If foreign matters, like wood, glass,
iron and rags are found in the stomach
after death, it is safe to believe that the
animal was mad. A rabid cat is more
danererous and ferocious, but the cat is
less liable to hydrophobia than the
dog, and usually runs away.
In five years 3U0 persons were bitten
in forty-nine French departments, and
129 of those bitten died, while 124 es
caped disease, and sixty-eight results
were not known. A majority of those
bitten were children, as were a majority
of those surviving. Of these, eighty-
nine cases occurred in the spring, sev
enty-four in summer, Bixty-four in the
autumn aud seventy-fivo in winter,
showing that the disorder is common to
all seasons. The term of inoculation
was under Bixty days in seventy-three
of 106 observed cases, and shows al
most a certainty of escape after ninety
days. In ninety cases death resulted
within four days seventy-iour times,
and was delayed beyond that but six
teen times. Death was the invariable
result when the bite was complete.
The actual cautery or burning with
gunpowder or some other caustic im
mediately, is tne oest preventive;
washing, pressing the wound to draw
out the poison, while tying a ligature
tightly above it, is the must efficient
treatment ; and alter tnis any approved
course can be employed. The subjeot
is of so much moment that this expert
monograph, though not all that could
be desired, is welcome.
The Beverages of the Day.
Throueh a recent convert to the tem
perance cause, the ingredients of whioh
some of the spirituous and malt liquors,
so-called, are composed, are given to
the public, to wit :
Bourbon or rye whisky is manufac
tured from hicrh wines, commonly call
ed fusel oil whisky, made to-day and
drank three days after. It also con
tains vineear. syrup, oil of bourbon,
French coloring, bluestone, and other
poisonous chemicals. It costs 80 cents
to SI a gallon, and retails ior socffl&o a
eallon.
Cognao brandy is made irom a rencn
or Cologne spirits, burnt sugar, oil of
cognao. vinegar, bluestono, Jamaica
rum, honey, and aloes. It costs $2 a
eallon. and retails from So to $10 a
trillion.
Irish or Scotch whisny is made irom
Canada highwines, or new distilled
whisky, one week old, saltpeter, fine
suit, essence of oil or Scotch or Irish
whisky, fusel oil, syrup, bluestone, &t.
Croix rum. some imported Irish or
Scotch whisky for flavor. It costs $1.50
and retails for So a gallon..
What sells for the best Holland gin
is made from French spirits, water, oil
of lumper, syrup, white wine vinegar
bluestone, JNew England rum, peacn
pits, with some imported gin for
flavor.
Old Tom gin is made from the same
ingredients, but double syrup is added
to make it sweeter. It costs Sl.za a
erallon. and retails for $5. It is also
bottled as a medicine, and sold for the
kidney disease.
Jamaica and at. Uroix rum is made
of double refined highwines, Frenoh
coloring, oil of rum, fusel oil, vinegar,
bluestone, burnt sugar, molasses syrup,
with some imported Jamaica, Cuba, or
St. Croix rum for flavor, aiurn, aiops,
and prune luice,
Stock ale or porter is diluted with oil
of vitriol, stryohnine, and aqua fortis to
maKe it Keep, new aie it uuuteu wnu
oil of vitriol and damaged molasses,
Lager beer contains a little malt, plenty
of water, some inferior hops, rosin, tar,
saleratus. soda, with lour ainerent
chemicals to make it keep after brew
ing,
A singular death occurred recently in
Butler county. Ohio. Two men had
engaged in a fight, a week before, and
one bit the other's eyebrows nearly off.
A day or two after the wounded man
complained of " feeling sick all ever,"
grew rapidly worse, and almost imme
diately after drinking a glass of water,
fell dead. After deatn nis body tamed
I yellow, and black spots appeared
various portions of it,
Fowl Fattening.
Lucy Hooper writes from Paris to
the Philadelphia Press : " The greatest
curiosity in the Jardin d' Acclimation is
the singular fowl-fattening maohine,
which has been in operation for a short
time, but which is a great success.
Imagine the top of a round tea-table
divided off into sections, with a parti
tion between each section and a board
In front with a half-moon-shaped aper
ture in it. In each of these sections an
unhappy duck or chicken is confined
by a chain to each leg, and under each
is fitted a tray, which receives all the
dirt and is emptied daily. Through
tho centre of this structure goes a
round post, and there is a series of Biicn
tea-table tops to the roof of the build
ing, each with its divisions and its im
prisoned fowls. At stated intervals a
man comes round with a somewhat
Complicated machine filled with a kind
of thin gruel, and fitted with a pipe at
the end of a long India-rubber tube.
He introduces this pipe down the
throat of a duck, presses down a pedal
with his foot, and a certain quantity of
food is forced through the tube into the
creature's craw, a disk above showing
exactly what amount of force he I to
use and how much food passes. Th!
process is gone through with each fowl
till all are fed. and it is repeated four
times a day for ducks and three for
chickens. Two weeks suffice to fatten
a duck, but three are necessary ior a
chicken. Apart from the necessary
confinement of the birds the process
does not seem to be at all a cruel one,
as the amount of food forced down
their throats is not excessive. The
ducks which I saw fed did not seam to
suffer in the least, and in fact when
they saw the man approach moct of
them became clamorous for immediate
attention, and plucked at his clothes as
he passed, with eager beaks.
What They Were.
Time was when Iceland was inhabited
by a race of men that in their native
strength matched the elements by which
they were surrounded. Were there
storms? they were storm-kings. It
was of such a race that Fouque wrote
when he gave to the world his Theodolf
the Icelander. It was by one of this
Norse race a sea-rover, named Nad
dod that the island was discovered in
800. It was by such men, led by In
golf, a Norwegian "Viking, that the
island was first colonized in 874 a
thousand years ago. These haughty
men had fled from Norway on account
of the tyranny of Harold Harfagre.
They were strong, stern men ; but
their strength was exercised not in
strifes among themselves, but in con
flict with the forces of nature. They
were lovers of order not less than of
freedom. Evary year their legislative
assembly, the Althing, met on the plain
of Thingvalla, and all executive poer
was vested in a President cnosen oytuo
mblv. They had a regular code of
jurisprudence, and among them the in
stitution of trial dv jury was ior mo
first time fully developed. Senor Cas-
telar, in a recent address to his fellow
countrymen at Malaga, depreoating the
excesses of Spanish republicans, al
ludes to these Norse Vikings, to whom
we owe the regulated freedom of Sax
ondom. "Free peoples," he says,
" are ever distinguished from slavish
peoples by the fact that the former al
ways appeal to right, the latter to force.
The Arab, locked up in his fatalism,
the serf of a caliph or BUiian, trusts
only for his defense to hisBharp cimeter
and to his strong arm, while the Saxon,
the valorous Baxon son ot tne siorui,
king of the ocean seeks his rights in
the laws and his deiense m tne jury.
An eruption of Hecla in lvod dried
up the bed of the Skapta river, filling
it with lava the fiery stream continu
ing for three months, devastated 500
square miles or territory, ouiucumco
the spring floods ruin the habitable
valleys. Famine and pestilence follow.
In one year (1607) the small-pox car
ried away 16,000 victims ; in another
-y - , i i
ll.OUU died oi iamine anu uiseaeo, Al
lowing a great volcanic eruption.
Judicial Rebuke t) Jurors.
At the opening of a jury trial case in
New York city, a judicial lesson was
read to jurors, which it would seem
strange should be necessary, were it not
for the frequent evidences of the "ways
that are dark" bo often pursued by
jurors. A jury being sworn in the case
referred to, judge spauiuiug (.pretuu-
ing) said : "Gentlemen of the jury,
before this case is miiiateo x wisu io re
mind you of the precise nature of your
oath. It is, that you shall try all cases
brought before you strictly according
to the evidence. The reason I make
this remark is this a member of your
body, who also acted as a juror here
yesterday, after his discharge from the
case, in a conversation had with the
Court touohing the case, I was led to
believe from what he said that he chose
to pass upon the testimony in view of
his own experience and from what he
knew about matters and things in
general, rather than from the facts as
set forth in the testimony. I desire
simply to say to you, gentlemen, that
jurors are sworn to try cases according
to the evidence only, - and must ignore
any impression they may nave lormea
with regard to the merits or demerits of
the case, independent of the testimony
itself." The juror in question must
have winced at this rebuke, but it
passed unnoticed, tho Court consider
ately withholding any personal auusioa
to him.
Blackmailing. In June last a
woman, in collusion with a young man
named Samuel B. Murdock, visited the
residence of Hon. Fernando Wood, in
Washington, professedly to procure his
influenoe in obtaining her an office, but
as facts subsequently showed, she was
concerned in an effort to blaokmail him.
Mr. Wood promptly had the parties ar
rested, proved their guilt, and the jury
promptly brought in a verdiot of guilty.
If innocent persons upon whom black
mailers operate nave the courage to act
upon the lesson taught them by Mr.
Wood they wonld Buffer less than they-do.
"Woman is a delusion, madam 1" ex
claimed a crusty old bachelor to a witty
,i i i j i i
young iaay. Ana man is always iiug-
on I ging some delusion or other," was tho
quick retort.