H
G-EQ. S. BAKEB, Editor and Proprietor. T,ERIS : S2.Q0 per ..Alnnum.
.-. .-. ! - ,. ; . . -i . - . .. - - . . " " j ',
VOL. IV. v LOUISBUKG, X. C, FRIDAY. JANUARY 22. 1875. . NO; 1:3.
11
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.'V
Good-Bye
Bweethe&rt, 'good-bye ! the flattering sail
Is spread to waft me far from thee,.
And Boon before the fav'ring gale
My uhip shalli bound upon the sea.
4 Perchance, a, It desolate and forlorn,. I
Thotte eyes shall miss me many a year ;
, Uut nnforgotten every charm
( Though loHt to sight, to mem'ry dear.
Sweetheart, good-bye ! one feet embrace:
0, cruel Fate I true souls to sever !
But in this hearts moat sacred plade
Thou, thou alone shall dwell forever
And still shall recollections trace i-
In Fancy's mirror ever near, ' '
Each smile-,' each toar, that form, that face,
Thought lost to sight, to mem'ry dear. .
TllK MGIIT OFFFKIl,.
Tho (lay had been cold and cloudy, and j
the night -was but a continuation of the
dreary weather, with the. addition of a
drizzly rain from the northwest. I hrfd
bcen.busy all tho day in my office, and
had twelve more additional hours of work,
a tho night operator had been, called
away, leaving me to take his place. I
luul worked at telegraphing for some
time, and had of ten to take a twenty-four j
hours run, ho the thoughts of a sleep
less night did not worry me ; and after
the ten o'clock train had passed, and the
signals given, I stopped into the - eating
room; at the other end; of the depot to
get rny accustomed refreshments.: As I
approached the bar I .noticed, two or
threi strangers in the act of drinking, in
company with the station night hands,
'.whom, I inferred from the conversation,
they hud asked to join' with them.
, On my j appearance, I was accosted with
a half -drunken familiarity, and requested
to drink with them at their expense. I
used to drink in those days, and accept
ed Him invitation. .While thej beverage
was being prepared I took occasion to
givo a pecxjinl look at the free-hearted
k at the fre
strangers; - " From a b((y I had jwssessed
tl! trait of retaining faces in my mind if
one Been, aud when I run a quick glance
over th.) group' I found a face that hail a
pl.ieo in my memory. A moment's
.thought,, and then I knew that when I
last saw tliat face it was in a Icoiirt-room,
where- its possessor was being tried for
robbery. The others I 'did not know,
but tliat one person I was suce of ; but
why veero they at the station at this time
K , of, night f They were not .waiting to take
a train, as the, ten o'clock express did not
'fjt)p at Millville, and a railroad station
w.is not thtt place for ?sucli persona to
tfikn out a spree in. Things looked sus-.-pittion',
and' perhaps there was work
fthnad that would require a clear! muid.
No ihiid: for mo that night, and when I
took my glass it was only to j empty its
contents, unobserved, down my i sleeve,
aud t iking the -messenger boy, who had
junt finished a lemonade, I went -back to
. the )fliee to thiuk j'uid act.
If gang had come to rob the station
they had chose u a good time. The pay
for two or three excursion trains -had
-been given to the station agent that day,
'f which, with. tho regular proceeds; of the
week, made up a good roiuid sum; be
.Mdos, I had taken from the eity bank the
thousand dollars saved up from my earn
ings, to invest in a specuhition, and
laced it in the station safe until wanted.
. Hie more I thought the subject ovet
-the more I was convinced that the stran-
l?ers were not at the station for any good ;
and, wTiting a note to tho station agent,
I went to, wake up the boy that had gone
to sleep on the setUet to deliver it. But
all my efforts to arouse him were of no
avail, and oh examination, I found him
exhibiting the usual symptoms of a per
son that is drugged. The whole .truth
now flashed upon me. A gang of despe
radoes, knowing of th largo amount of
moneys iu the safe, had secured the co
" operation of the saloon-kueper ; and,
drugging the night hands, now had pos
session of the station
Quickly going -to
the door, I found tliat the kev. ! wliich
had hven impriidently left on the out
side, was turned, making me a prisoner,
lint other communications to the outside
remained, and, 'turning out the gas to
conceal my movements, I went to my in
strument ; but oa giving the signal, I
found the wires had been cut off at both
directions of the line. They, had well
plauued their night's work, but there
, wiis one more hue that went to a little
village up in the mountains, and then
back to the main lino at W :, ninety
miles to the west. The wire we'at out of
the building at a tliflerent place, and per
hapsN it had essapeV their attention. A
trial proved ikat it was' all right, and
muffling the sound as much as I could,
the following message was sent as quick
as the instrument would click it off : .
llobbf rs have taken possession of
the Millville Station. Send down help.
Stop the Express at R ." '
It was eleven o'clock when I turned
off tho gas, and I knew if they-could get
the warning from WT to R , that
Was seventy niiles east on the main line,
by half -past twelve, the train .would be
stopped, and not run itself into the im
pending1 danger t'xat would await them if
the aid did not arrive in time from the
west j To do so, the message would have
io " go a long circuit and encounter de
lays, and the chances were that it would
not reach its destination -in time but
had done all that I comld do, and had
only to sit down and wait. I had a seven
ehooter, and iinolested, was determined
to use it to tile best advantage.
In a few minutes back came the answer,
" All right,"-and I knew that my message
had been received at W . S3 far all
had been silent without, but now a dull
punching oould bo heard from the ticket
office, and I knew that the safe was being
broken open. Soon I oould hear men at
j work at the track in front of the station,
tearing up the rails and obstructing the
; road. My suspicions had been correct,
and they were now preparing to wreck
the express from the east. Either they j
did not understand the switches, or j
wished to wend tho train from the ob
structed curve into tho building to com
plete' their" work of destruction. Only
once did any ne approach the telegraph
office, and then, after listening a moment.
he went away m uttering that I was not in
j a fit condition to telegraph after taking
that. little 4 'eye-closer. "
It was a lonely watch there in the
darkness, hearing the robbers going
about in their lawless work, and knowing
that I might not escape the night's work
alive. At last, climbing up to the clock
and feeling itj face, I found tliat it Only
wanted twenty minutes to the time when
the express, if it came, would be due.
Once I thought I heard ihe distant
rumble, of a train from the west, but it
soon ceased, and all was siUnt again.
The .road 'could be seen several miles to
the east, and I watched it1 elofcely. Sud
denly a faint star, appeared away off in
thej distance, which grew brighter and
brighter, and I knew that it was the
headlight of. the express. My message
had not V reached It- in time, and,
ignorant .of, the robbers' work, the
l engineer was running the tram at his
usual high rate of speed to an almost
certain destruction. On tile engine
leaving the track my, office would be
directly in its path, and escape from
death almost impossible. The train was
last approaching, alid I formed my"
resolutions to escape from the room and
perhaps signal ihe; train. Grasping the
still unconscious boy,' and throwing our
united weights against the window, we
went through on to the platform, but I
hAd scarcely touched the planks when I
received a blow on the head that render
ed me insensible.
When I awoke to consciousness I was
laying in the waiting-room surrounded
by a crowd; of excited people, and Carl
Mc Williams," the president of the road,
and his daughter busy at work bathing '
my forehead and bringing me back to
my senses. A littleKvay off some of the
robbers were lying in irons, and a guard
of police keepicg the passengers from do
ing them further harm. My dispatch had
reached Ii iu time, but the president
being on board the train with hi3 family,
had. 'resolved- to capture the band of
desperadose, and, not alarming the passen
gers, took a force of armed police on and
made th regular run, stopping in .time
to escape the obstructions, and giving
the boarding ruffians a warm reception.
A band of armed men)- from a relief train
from, W r, which had stopped up the
road a mile or two, had -arrived on the"
ground at the same time, and every one
of the gang had been either killed or
captured. My dispatch had saved thou
sands of 'dollars, besides the lives of
many passengers who crowded the
express.
Well the company remembered me,
aud I am now the superintendent of the
telegraph lines on the road, and Mo
Williams never had one word of abjec
tion when I asked hinf for his consent to
, marry that little woman who always in
sists that I saved ker life on that night
of peril. ,
i Weddinfs.
It is the time to plead for a reform in .
-weddings. Every, year this sacredest of
all occasions is turned more into a mere
oijportunity for display, and for replying
to some fancied social obligation. In
stead of the time when a few of the
closest "friends gather . to witness -the
8olemne3t compact human beings can
frame, it is chosen as the . moment for
bringing together the larger part of a
familv's social eirele. to show th brilA
iH htr briJal glirmenta . to prove how
many flowers and refreshments the fami
ly can afford; and, , with shanie, bo it
said, to exhibit to criticism and light
comment the precious tokens that should
have come, with tender regard to the
niaid on the eve of her new life. ''
A wedding must not be uncheerful;
but it must - certainly he solemn to all
who realize what it lis. On the one
side, it is renoimcing old ties, promising
t begin with faith, and hope, and love,
a new and wholly, untried existence. On
the other, it is the acceptance of a sacred
trust, the covenent to oroVr life anew in
such ways as shall - makejhe happiness
of two instead of one." Can such an oc
casion be fitting for revelry? ' Is it not
wiser, more delicate, to bid only the
nearest of friends to a marriage oere
mony, and leave the feasting and frolic
for a subsequent time f We are sure
that there are few girls' who, if they re
flect on the seriousness of the .step they
are about to take, will not choose to
make their vow merely within the lov
ing limits of their, home circle. All our
f best instincts point t the absolute sim
plicity and privacy of wedding services;
only aperversion of delicacy could con
template the asking of .crowds- of half
sympathetic or wholly curious people to
attend the fulfillment of the most
solemn of contracts. Let there be as
much party-making, rejoicing, and pleasure-taking
afterward as heart desire;
but let the solemn vows be made in the
presence only of those nearest and
dearest. -
j
Carbonado, a Nobwegiax Pish. It
consists of mince meat, eggs' and "fine
herbs made up into a kind ef cato and
men ineu or oaKeiL i he meat, proba
bly, if cooked in an ordinary way, would
defy mastication, but thus treated it is
really a dainty plate.
j TJie Clothes-Moth.
j This destructive little creature is, per
j haps, the most insidious enemy our
wardrobes and textile fabrics have to
contend with, and careful housewives are
always on the alert to "thwart its destruc
tive efforts at spoliation. To meet our
adversaries, however, it is well to know
something of their habits and nature.
It is not the moth that is the actual
cause of mischief, but ths caterpillar of
the moth, which, as soon as it quits the
egg deposited by the mother moth in
some appropriate fabric, begins to col-"
lect materials to form its nest. For this
purpose, having first spun a thin coating
of silk provided by itself, it cuts fila
ment of wool or fur close to the thread
of the cloth, and applies the pieces to
the outside t)f its case, to which envelope
it tenaciously confines it3elf, unless
greatly disturbed.
"When feeding, it thrusts its head out
at either end of the case, in which it can
turn; but when inclined to change its
position on tho cloth, it protrudes its
hear! nml nlionf 1flf ita Vm-kIit ami Vw -fW-
inc its hinder Wa- finnlv in the, tiw i
ing its hmaer legs- hnniy in the ease
drags the latter after it. When the case
becomes too small, it collects the material-
from around it, and makes an addi
tion at each end. This fact has been as
certained by observant naturalists re
moving the creature from cloth of one
color to another, when the hues of the
addition are plainly observable.
After changing into a chrysalis, it re
mains quiescent for about three weeks, j
when a small moth of a silvery gray color
comes forth. We deem these particulars
very essential, as it will be seen that in
the first place the moth has to find a fit
ting rejeeptaele f ojits eggs,, then that the
eggs have to lie for a certain time before
they are developed into the maggot form,
and afterward into that of the chrysalis,
when At finally becomes a moth alto
gether, taking a considerable time,- com
paratively, before the creature com
mences its destructive mission.
inere are very many remedies given.
Cuttings of Kussian leather have- proved
protective; and a distinguished fly-fisher,
who once suffered greatly from this moth
gettign among his store" of feathered
lures, has found, by the introduction of
a small piece of - tallow candle into his
cases, , that the ravages of these destruc
tive insects have been entirely over
come,
i
Fishing in Lapland.
The water is very clear at Hammerf est,
in Lapland ; you may see everything
that goes on among the fish. A few feet
down you may see the young cod snap
ping at your hook, if you have one; a
little lower- down the coal-fish, and tie
huge plaice and halibut," on ; the white
sand at the bottom ; in other places the
star-fish,' as large as a plate, and purple
xmd green shell -fish of all - sizes. The
plaice is taken in the following manner :
In calm weather the fisherman takes a
strong fine cord, to' which lie has fas
tened a heavy spear-head, like a whale
harppon. This he holds ready over the
bow 'of the boat, while another 'person
paddles it forward slowly. When the
fish is seen at the bottom the boat is
stopped, and the, harpoon is suddenly
dropped upon him, and thus the fish is
caught. In two hours the fishermen
win get a Doat-ioaa. The halibut are
caught with hooks. They sometimes 1
weigh five hundred pounds, and if drawn
up carelessly will overturn the boat.
In many of the mountainous districts
the rivers swarm with trout, the habit of
wkich is to conceal themselves beneath
the boulder rocks in the bed of the
stream, venturing out to feed only at
night. Men, eadi witha a heavy ham
mer, will enter these waters and strike
one or two blows on the stones, when
the fish rush from their lurking-places
partly stunned, and are easily caught.
Ahe for Orchards.
The Scientific American says : " The
point to which we now call'' attention is,
that our farmers and .fruit-growers have
ignored, or rather been ign'orant of, the
importance of wood ashes as a vegetable
stimulant and as the leading constituent
of plants. Even coal ashes, now thrown
away as useless, have been shown both
by experiment and analysis to possess a
fair share of alkaline value. .We will re
late only one experiment: Some twenty-
five years ago we treated an old hollow J
pippin apple tree as follows: The hol
low, to the heiglit of eight feet, was
filled and rammed with a compost of
wood ashes, garden mold, and a little
waste lime (carbonate). The filling was
securely fastened in by boards. The
next year the crop of sound fruit was
sixteen bushels, from an old shell of a
tree that had borne nothing of any ac
count for some time, and' for seventeen
years after filling the oldpippin tree con
tinued to flourish and bear welL" '
Manure am ll'am Manure.
The following testimony to the virtues
of -a patent1 manure was received by its
owner: 44 Dear Sir The land composinir
my farm had hitherto been so poor that
a Scotchman could not sret a livincr off it
and so etonv that we had to slice our
potatoes and plant them edgewise; but
hearing of your manure I put some on
ten-acre field, surrounded by a rail fence,
and in the morning I found dhat the
rock had entirely disappeared, a neat
I stone .wall encircled the field, and the?
j rails were split into" firewood and piled
I np systematically iu my backyard."
It is with a word as with an arrow; the
arrow once loosed does not return to the
bow nor a word to the lips.
Tewa.
Tom Flbssof er was the queerest boy I !
ever knew. , I don't think he ever cried ;
I never saw him. If Flexla found her i
tulips all rooted up by her pet puppy, j
and cried, as 'little girls will, Tom was j
sure to come round the corner whistling, j
and say :
' "What makes you cry ? Can you cry i
tulips ? Do you think every sob makes j
a root' or a klossom f
Here, let's try to
right them." -Sr
Vi "would nick m the voor flowers.
put their roots into the ground again,
whistling all tho time, make the bed'look '
smooth and fresh, and take Fleda off to
hunt hen's ne&ts in the bam. Neither
I 1 1 - 1
did he do any differenUy in his own !
troubles. One day, his great kite snapped
the string and flew away far out of sight.
Tom stood still for one moment, and
then turned round to come home, whis-
' tling a merry tune. "
"Why, Tom," said I, "aren't ypu
sorry to lose that kite ?"
Yefi, but what's the use t I can't
take more than a minute to feel bad.
' Sorry won't bri
rry won r onng oacx. tne Kit, anu
want to make another."
Just so when he broke his leg.
44 Poor Tom !" cried Fleda, " you cant
play any mo-o-o-o-re.".
( ' ' I'm not poor, either. You cry for
hie ; I dn't have to do it for myself,
and I have a Bplendid time to whittle.
Besides, when I get well, 1 shall beat
every lxy in school on the multiplication
table ; for I say it over and over till it
makes me sleepy, every time my leg
aches." : ;
' Tom Flossofer was queer, certainly,
but I wish a great many more people
were queer that way. - -
The C7iice Heroic Ieriod.
Gan-tsze was a trusty servant to the
Duke of Ts'e, and one day the Duke
said to him, Your house is too near the
market. The noise and dust must an
noy you. Besides, it is too small. I
will build you a better one." Gan-tsze
declined the offer on the plea that what
was good enough for his. father was-good
enough for him. " Besides," said he,
"it is so" convenient to live near the
market; I can always get what I want
easily." The Duke laughingly rejoined,
"Of course you know the prices of
things, then-.: Tell' me what is cheap
and what is dear." Gan-tsze replied,
" Shoes for people whose toes have been
cut off are dear, but other shoes are
cheap." Cutting off the toes was one of
the forms of . punishment in Ts'e, and
this Duke was so severe iu inflicting it
that there were persons who sold shoes
specially made for the toeless. Gan
tsze's reply set the Duke thinking, "and
from that time he diminished the sever
ity of his judgments. Afterward, how
ever, he took advantage of Gan-tsze's ab
sence on an embassy to erect a fine man
sion for him, to make room for wliich he
pulled down some houses of the common
people, and of course without going
through the formality of getting an act
of Parliament passed, N and providing
compensation for the evicted proprietors.
Gan-tsze came back, and learned what
was done. He went to court, reported
his mission, and returned thanks for the
flne.nl favor in treseiitinr lum with so
splendid an abode. He then went home,
had the new house razed to the ground,
rebuilt the dwellengs which had stood on
the site, and reinstalled theirhhabitants.
Cernhill Magazine.
Fainting Sltlngle It oof.
The Countru Gentleman has the
fol-
lowincr on the subiect : Our own ex
perience is against the use of either coal
tur or paint. The surface made by ap
plying the tar causes the roof to become
hot in the sun's rays, and shingles to
wrap and crack; the wood becomes water
soaked beneath the tar when it rains, and
the tar .prevents speedy drying. The
consequence has been that tarred roofs
are destroyed in a comparatively few
years, while the rain-water always has a
copious black sediment. Painting roofs
produces a similar result, but in mush
less degree, unless the f hingles are thor
oughly, painted on both sides, and are
kept thus painted, "which is almost im
practicable. Some years ago we took up
a roof laid about twenty-five years before
with' good shaved pine shingles, painting
before laying with good red-ochre paint
in oil. Every shingle when removed
was completely rotten. The paint had
held the moisture longer beneath, and
done more harm than good. A roof is
so much exposed to the direct rays of
the sun and to the rain, that it is nearly
impossible . to prevent cracking of
the paint arid the' entrance of the water j
and when this process once begins decay j
goes on rapidly. Well-laid pine shingles
have lasted forty years and more when
not painted. , .
Salt for Hog'.
The Western Rural says : 44 The unre
strained appetite of swine will often lead
them to consume things that are highly
i inmrious to them. Cases of po'isonim?
I bv rmrt&kinir of excessive ouantities of
salt often occur among hogs at this sea-
a 1 son, when beef and pork barrels are
j emptied of the old brine and refuse salt
t A case in wliich several hogs were lo?t
in England was recently, noted. Hogs
j require a certain amount of salt as do
j otht-r animals, but it should be given to
them with caution, and either evenly
mixed ' or scattered very thinly about
their troughs, so that one more greedy
than another cannot take more than its
proper share.
Queer
AX OLD WOU AX'S STOItY.
The Hate mf m Ota Merchant Ilia
Xepheurm Sate UU Mead Off.
A singular trial for murder has taken
place at. Missivria, and has. ended in the
acquittal of the prisonera-4two brothers,
who were accused of the murder oi their
uncle, a rich old Odessa merchant
The old man, having retired from
RCve e arul vound up his business,
returned from Odessa some years ago
and settled down in Misaivriahia native
town,
K"'" muuiruJ V
tne Shaved handsomely to his
Pws, with whom he lived, and whom
hf MP! ont f powrty respect- j
IT 1. - V I !i A. 1
Ptw,lll'" 111 "u uuue. j.uret jrwanj j
ago the old man suddenly disappeared.
No serious inquiry, however, was made
to ascertain what had become of him.
His nephews made liberal donations to
the churches, and inherited, or rather
appropriated the old man's wealth.
Probably they would have been left en
j xx ,m lur nnriuuar j
; whiclx for atime must have causeathem j
I some trouble and anxiety.
On
vex.uu.ix iiay iu tne l ixiiy mil oi
i..;.. i ii. .. i x
the year 18 4 4 an old woman asked for an j
i- ' , u . j
audience with the cadi, and on Ieini2r ad- i
vv, i
mitted, made a deiositioh as follows:
"It was a dark, stormy night," the old
woman said. " The wind luul several
times blown in my window sash, putting
out my lamp, aad causing the, embers of
my fire to fly about the room. . Suddenly,
amid tho howling of the storm, I heard
a shriek, then- a moan. Strange sounds
followed, which seemed to come from
the house of my neighbor, the" Odessa
merchant. I . crossed myself, and drank
a little raki to keep up my courage, and
then I remembered that there-was a
crack in the wall of my closet, through
which I could see into the house of my
neighbor the merchant. Thither I went,
and applied my eye to the crevice in the
mud wall,1 and this is what I saw;
"Two men were pressing down a pil
low upon the face of another man, whom
they kept prostrate, and a woman was
holding a light. The old man I recog
nized him was very strong, for he over
threw his nephews, although his .throat
was cut, and blood, gushed from the
woun. He would have escaped, but
the woman struck him in the face with a
chair. His head was bent backward, as
though he could not keep it in its place.
on account of the gash across his throat
Still his eyes flashed life; he .staggered
toward the window: but there he was
again struck down- by bis nephews.
Then they sawed away at his throat till
Ms head was separated from the trunk."
The accuser went on to say that she
threatened the murderers with a dis
closure of the crime she had witnessed,
but tliat they promised her " hush
money;" that, as she was poor, she
agregd in consideration thereof to hold
her tongue, and that she washed the
blood from the floor of the room where
the old man had been put to death.
The 44 hush money, 'V however, had not
been paid, and as she 'was starving, she
determined to make vknown her story.
The story was told in . March, or April,
but no proceedings were taken until
August. The accused parties vrev then
arrested "and confined in the Zaptieh
"Oda." The old woman, too, was put
in prison, and was flogged and half
smothered between mattrasses night after
night until the trial ended, and the per
sons '. whom the vox populi still stigma
tizes as murderers were declared inno
cent" '
A Xete Ship.
The poly spheric ship is the name
given to the latest novelty in - nautical
construction, and is due to English in
genuity. The bottom is flat and fitted
with three inclined planes with square
ends, the effect being as though three
teeth of a . gigantic saw were moved
tlirough the water with the sloping por
tion of the teeth first. The inventor has
tested the device, by means of small
models impelled by rockets. A seven
pound model was driven by a three
pound three ounce rocket a distance of
one hundred and five yards in three
seconds, or at the rate of sixty-three
knots per hour. The motion is said to
resemble sliding over ice. There is
scarcely any water disturbance, aud the
decks are apparently motionless. WTien
drawn slowlv over the ' water the veeeels
offered more, resistance than models of
the ordinary shape ; but when the equi
librium between the horizontal pressure
i Qf the inclines forward and the pressure
.; 0f the water in the contrary direction are
destroyed, the model at once rises in the
water . and passes over the mass o.
hitherto obstructing fluid.
The Sterenm Battery.
'We have often read, says the ScientiJU;
A merican, referring to the offers made
for the Stevens Battery, of the value of
workmanship, and how raw material
worth a few cento a pound may be, by
j skillful manipulation, changed is to watch
hair springs worth their' weight in' gold
! or microscope objectives mors precious
! than diamonds: but here we see that, in
j the estimation of would-be purchasers,
j the value of a vessel that cost millions of
dollars, expended with a vast amount of
? tho highest engineering talent, is not
j over $145,000 in any case, unless some
other government than our own wants it;
and then the importance of the vast
t structure to our navy will be allowed to
Solomon
said, ages ago : 44 It is nought, it is
nought, saith the buyer; but when he
hath gone his way, then hVtoasteth,''
' A Sad Aeeldent.
Shaft No. 5 of the Delaware and Lacka
wanna railroad tunnel is . about mid
way between Hoboken and Jersey City.
A party of night workmen were going
down the shaft at 1 jk. x. A bucket had
j already been lowered twice, taking down
four men each time and several more !
stood around the aperture awaiting their i
turn. The iron bucket which was about t
three fett in diameter, was attiched to n
wire todc bv a hook- The bucket handle '
was smooth, well worn, and without any '
V '
ring into which the hook could be passed,
originflllv attached to
thp hook ll6Ml broken 0fT and not
1)lactH, Tbere thns notllilJg
yjjjt the bucket ; from ulippirii? over the4
j hook. TIih mouth of the nhaft.was very
narrow, ho much so that when the bucket
was lowered the men standing upon its
edges had to bend tliir bodies inward to
avoid striking the sides.' The platform
upon which the men stand above the
shaft being raised about twelve feet from
the wind and
j, anil thp meu llre Jly anxiou- to
t inU where Uie
tMratnrp
tem-
rn. n n,
a L i i i i
first down was shown, and when tho
. . . . i :
hntf t- minA 1111 fur fh- uwrnil time
M, MO .v., nnA
ou the edge. They were James Burns,
Daniel Murphy, and Martiu Sullivan.
John Berger was on the point of stepping
on also when a man behind him com
plained that he had crushed his finger,
and Berger .turned round to look at it
Bernard Kirley at once took his place,
and the- engineer at once began to lower
the bucket
The bucket hail not moved six inches !.
downward when one of its bolts caught
in the woodwork, abovo the shaft, and
sustained it just long enough to allow the
rope to become slack ; the hook swung
aside, and in a moment the bucket drop
ped like a stone, the four men following
it to the bottom.
The workmen who had previously leen
lowered were tunneling about a hundred
and fifty feet from the lttom of the
Bhaft, when they heard the crash and
saw ;tli5 shower, .of sparks made by the
iron bucket striking the rocks below. " A
second afterward the dull thud of the
falling bodies was heard. Two of the
men approached with a light, and seeing
th motionless figures lying there, le
came frightened and ran away. Other
men went to the bottom of the shaf t,
and the rope having leen by this tim?
drawn up and sent down again with a
second bucket, -Sullivan, who still
breathed, was placediu it, but before he
was brought to the surface he was dead.
All the rest were killed instantly.
Christmas Evergreen.
Before the holidays the wharf at Cats
kill, on the Hudson -river, was "piled
with evergreens awaitiug transportation
to New York. The hardy rnoimtiiuccrs
cut beautiful trees from their own farms
from other lands and send them to
the metropolis, thus materially increasing
their: yearly incomes. The sale ' of ever-
greens is a lively branch of trade in New
lort just belore Christmas. Ihe supply
comes not only from the! Cat skills, but
0 "W IT' Sl.t
irom -ew jersey, xxtner island, and the
best and cheapest are brought from
Maine. In Fulton and Washington
a
markets, as well as in all smaller mar
kets, in stores, on the sidewalk, and at
street corners in every available place
of sale Christmas-trees, wreaths,
crosses, stars, and sundry ornaments
made of evergreens can be bought for a
trifle. Every family fastens a bij, of
Christmas green somewhere to rive a
cheery look to the home rooms, and shop
windows do not lack decoration. S the
Kale is enormous. The custom of - deck
ing houses and churches with evergreens
at Christmas dates' far back to the times
of the ancient' Druids. It was a fanciful
belief that sylvan spirits might flock to
the evergreens, and there be protected
from frost till a milder season came. The
favorite trimmings were the ivy, holly,
rosemary, laurel, and mistletoe. Holly
and ivy are now most .esteemed in Eng
land. Among us almost any pretty ever
green is satisfactory for Christmas adorn
ing4.
A Xete Fertiliser.
ihe sxttiltnc American describes a
strange fertilizer. At Stratford, Conn.,
where mosquitoes are as thick as fog.
lives an ingenious Yankee, so they say
believe it who may who puts the in
sects to profitable uses. He has invent
ed a large revolving sooop-net covered
with lace, which is put in motion by a
windmill, water-power, or steam. The
upper half moves through the atmos
phere, and at each rotation draws an im
mense number of the 'squitoeti down into
the water, where they drown and sink to
the bottom. Every revolution of the
net draws in an ounce of mosquitoes, or
a ton for 32,000 turns of the machine.
ihe mosquitoes inns collected make a
splendid manure for the land, worth $15
a tun.
Toe hrighirejed darlings of the house-
1 whisper golien words sometimes,
and a scrap from a holiday poem, by
Sophia P. Snow, will bear republication
as a child's prayer on (Christmas Eve :
riesM. Deeoa. et Sui Tsos tarn down to
night
And bring us aorae presents before it is Igitt ;
I vuxt ha eoal LV me s nice 'ittl sed.
YTtd bright shlnin' 'oncers, au J ell painted eJ ;
A box full of taodr. a book, and a toy
Amen. And den. Deeds, m be a dood boy !"
The prayer was overheard, and per
hap that Bed and Undy didn't oosxe I
lit Kxverlemee ,
No, sir, I never regretted marrying
MoUie here. She'a been the making of
me. I was an idle dg when I met her
and thought of nothing but spending
my money at saloon just as fast 1 earneu
it She was only poor
neainsircsff.
but was industrious, bouevt, aud frugal
in habits, for she'd had a hard row to
ho., poor girl ! WelL for her sake I
grew saving and careful, and xm had a
little money in the Itank. Finally o
wer married, and after f orrdshing two
..... 1
rooms had just a hundred dollars u u.
It was not muclC but it was our own.
That was fourteen months back. Now
we have this little house. We liave car
lets on the floor of two room. .We havA
nine pictures on the wall, and nearly
fifty books in tliat case f iuielv up
there whi?h I made. Our house is imall,
but there is no envy; no fear of t'jt
future, fadt-fiiuling or nelfUhnesa in it
We have nearly a hundred dollars saved.
lxSsiden these things iu the house. Our
reut is paid for the entire year till Jiext
spring. . We go to church rifjularly, at
tend couoerU and hvtums. icid a:nn-
inents when tho price is nut tt lnglu
Sometimes the prie!s are so liigh wi can- "
not afford to go. Then we stay nt home,
read to each other, have visitor or" go
out a little way and a little jwhile t visit
few friends clse by. I haven't Uvu
in a saloon since I waa uiijrriotl, nir, and
will never enter one again. I had rather
these book, picture-.!, cnrot cud that
organ nhpuldW in or houe than in the
house of the ian who niakew.his sahxm
attractive bom to eutico men there to
spend their earnings. We find that thu
life is what we make it -We are h. lping
each other, and the more we do for each
otheivtho better we love each other, ami
thus my wife is leading me to- ht aven.
And from the liottom of my heart 1 wili
thatll young men who are now travel
ing the road I traveled two years ago
would follow my example, for, ir, they'd
never regret it"
' A -old Strata.
The American Journal of Scirncc and
Art contaias nn account 'of curious fact
that the miners in Clear Creek Cu., Colo
rado, have discovered. It is particularly
noticeable in the Stevens mine, about
1
i2,50Q feet a1oe the level of th- mm,. on
Mt Clellan mountain. After a deith or
dihtinee of ninety feet from the surface.
the crevice matter in wluch the Kilver is
found is frozen solid. Sam cur and
winter have no visible effect to chart go
its temiierature, nor in thre -ver any
lHTceptible snow. Pick and drill fj.il to"
work the frozen nuvs, and the uulv way
the workmen procMd is to kindle a largo
fire at night against the matter, nnl an
the morning to pick at the tlisiutegrP.Unl
ore. After this curious faction tho mine
has been lirofitdtlv conducted for two
years, ifrom nine leer, wuere um com
was struck, the tunnel proceeded inward.
now nearly two hundred fit-1, and the
cold is 'in no way diminished as yet.
j Other minea in the neigblxtrbood alkw.
I the name singular condition? and in all of
them the depth under ground is Mich
J tliat frost cannot possibly bayejM'iietrut-
ed there. -The conclusion rMchel ly
the contributor of the article is tliat this
is' a relic of a glacial era. Whatever iU
Origin, it w certainly a singular ana in
teresting fact, and the method of mm- -
ing, although profitable, is simple and .
primitive as could well bo duvisd.
The Ummte of It.
In one of the bent' Burlington lmard-
ing houhcs a healthy young man wit din
cussing his dinner.and getting decidedly
th letter of the argument His appe
tite was good, the dinner alatflbl, and
he went through, so to speak, th- bill of '
fare, in. a way tliat might have made
butchers and grocers, had they nwn him,
go Jg of the provision marke t. In
due time he reached desHcrt, and tok
some peach pudding. He had eaU-u
about half of it Then he struck a nag.
something hard, that resulted the att w-ks
of his siwxm. Unable to go thnmll it,
he carefully dissectedaway the surrrjd
iug pudding, and his jfatient laltor was
rewarded with the discovery of a largo.
luisp of. coal, about stove rize. Care
fully removing it to a side dish, he calld
the bland chief waiW. Thomas," h
said, with a reproachful air, and pointing
to the coal, 44 it is not the mixing of th
pudding in the coal hod that I object to,
but it seems sinful to waste coal in this
way when so many poor famili'-s are suf
fering for want of fueL" .
Home of the tommumptire
- Along the baw of the Allegheny range
of mountains, as found in North Can
lina, says a Polk county cotTefoudnt,
is a belt of land known as the Thermal
Blt where thf-re are no dew ir .white
frosts. Here is a raild atmosphere, free
from every extreme of winter or mim
mer. I send you the leaves of the i ach,
the wi-.l cherry, the poplar, white oak
and chestnut, (Jacked Decrtnler 2, and
as yet untouched by frost which is the
best evidence that oould bo ad J'yced of
the no frost feature, reaches, and in
iImI all fruits planted here, never fail
persons living n this belt say from their
j owu memory there has been do failure f
the peach for fifty years. So likewise .
people born and raised here say Jhai a
case of original consumption is not-
known to exist When it- is found it is
found to have been brought ia from
other parts not so highly favored. But
for the cold rains of January the tender
est plants would on this belt survive the
winter; as it is, the tobacco plant is
perennial. "