Newspapers / The Blue Ridge Blade … / April 19, 1879, edition 1 / Page 1
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rm ABE A YO L. IY.-XO. 9. MQRGANTON, N, C, SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 1879. 4 WHOLE ' NUMBER 165. JUDGE BLUE .BjLl , f . J -lit .. .1 fAITHTG. Learn to wait life's hardest lesson, . Conned perchance, through blinding team,.'. While the, heart-tkrole sadly echo To the tread of passing years. Learn to wait hope's slow fruition ; Faint not thongh the way seems long ; There is Joy in each condition,- Hearts through suffering may grow strong. f Constant sunshine , howe'er welcome , ke'er could ripen fruit at flower ; Giant oaks owe half their greatness To the scathing tempests power. Thus a soul untouched by sorrow. Aims not to a higher state ; Joy seeks not a brighter morrow Only sad hearts learn to wait. Human sfigtiind tram en greatness Spring not from life s sunny side ; Heroes must be more than driftwood Floating on a waveless tide. The Gold Chain. A dreary November twilight. Dead eaves raining down at every ..guest of he iiiponstant wind strange, spicy scents rjsing out of the ground and a new moon hanging like a sickle of blood low pver the purpled dark of the southerly sky. Dreary and chilly; a dying year; a fast gathering dusk; yet the windows of Mrs. Oxgate's old brown farm-house hung out their cheery signals behind the fringed cotton curtains, and -when the kitcften door opened you could see the red shine of the blazing logs, the figures jcoining and going, like a minia ture magic lantern. It was Dora Oxgate who opened it, and came flitting out to the well, with a scarlet shawl fastened over her head, and an empty cedar pail in her hand. As her light feet pattered over the car pet of autumn leaves, in the pathway, she sang a snatch t f a good old-fashioned hymn. "My goodness alive ! What's that?" For as the words trilled sweetly from her tongue, a tall, dark figure had risen from tiie low wooden beneh under the apple tree, whose boughs overhung the well. "Don't be" alarmed," said a deep, sweet contralto, with a scornful into nation in its sound. "It's only me, Dora. Joanna Elfield. What "then? Have I fallen so low that I am no lon ger worthy to sit beneath the old apple tree? If c, tell me a '. and I'll quit.' lb Ymi lttinw f.hflf. T iltA -V- , it Joanna ' ' ' 'oou't i.enn, now-a-days," said JoWnrpmg to tt door. c.na, pit-king at the mangy fringe 0 the frayed rag of a shawl. "I was tired. I . wanted a drink. of water, so I came to the old weU. '"I'll go away if you say so." "Joanna," said Dora, hesitatingly, "are you hungrv ?" "Hungry?" No. There's a sort of craving, though, in my stomach, which is next to It, I suppose." "Would you like something to eat?" "1 don't beg." ' "Wait a minute, Joanna, Like an arrow, Dora Oxgate sped back into the house, where her thrifty mother was just setting the teapot on the table. Fresh baked waffles steamed on one side hot biscutts were piled in drifts of snow on the other; preserves gleamed redly through the cut-glass walls of the tall dish, and limpid honey oozed from a iump of comb. For Mrs. Deacon Peabody and her daughter Comfort had come to tea, and Mrs. Oxgate was a housewife to be excelled by none. "Come, Dora, quick with that water," said Mrs. Oxgate. "And shut the door. What do you suppose is the use of fires, If " "Mother," said Dora, speaking in a slightly embarassed tone, "Joanna El field is out by the woll ! She is cold and hungry, and " Mrs. Oxgate's face hardened into lines of stone. Miss Comfort Peabody drew her skirts close around her, with an involuntary movement, and Mrs. 1 Peabody looked hard into the bowl of her teacup. , "Then let her stay cold and hung ry, for all of me ! Joanna Elfield Is no associate for either you or me, Dora ! She has run away from home, arid act ed with common strolling play actors she has sting at low concerts instead of keeping that fine voice of hers for the temple of the Lord she has, of her own free will, given up all that is.de ceht and reputable, and people do say that she has taken to drinking ! And you expect me to open my door to such as her !" Mrs. Peabody uttered a sympathetic groan. "But, mamma," faltered Dora, half- affrighted at her own boldness," don't you remember that He came to call, not the righteous, but sinners to repen- tence?" "Silence, girl ! How dare you quote the Scriptures to me?" cried Mrs. Ox gate, her stern brow clouding over darkly. "Bring in that pail of water at once, and let us have no further dis- enssiou." Thus rebuffed, Theodora Oxgate crept back again into the chill, frosty twillight dejected and empty-handed "Ah," said Joanna Elfield, shortly. "I thought how it would be. WeU, it's nothing new. Everybody's doors are shut airainst ine." "Is It true, Joanna?" whispered Do ra, coming close to her. "Is what true?" "That von drink!" "Of course it's true. You would drink If you were driven as I am Driven and hunted I There are times when you would sell your whole soul for a chance to forget! And that chance Is to be found in drink!" 4Oh, Joanna, I am bo sorry for you." "Sorry ! Say that again, lass ! people have mostly left off being sorry for me," said Joanna, with a hard laugh. ''But listen, Joanna. Do be serious. Won't you try to do differently?" "I am not so bad as folks think me, Dora Oxgate, except for the horred craving for drink. I have been nothing worse than wild and willful!. Believe me, child, for it is God's truth. Only, when a girl gets on the downhill every Christian inan or womau think it their duty to give her yet another push?" "Then will you try to retrieve your own self?" "How can I ? What is there left for me?" "Your subu?b voice, Joanna." "You would have me sing myself in to respectability, eh? And in the meantime I should starve." "You need not starve, Joanna. Here!" Quick as lightning, she drew a small gold chain, with a gold locket shaped like a heart dangling at its ends, from her neck. "Dear Joanna, take this. It is worth money I know ; and it is all that I have in the world to give ? Sell it, and use the money for your needs." Joanna Elfield stared vaguely at the gleaming trinket. . "Are you in earnest, Dora?" "Of course I am. Hush! Mother is calling me. I must go." "God bless you for this," said Joan na huskly. "And, Dora one word more : I am only Joanna Elfield, but if you will, let me kiss you just once " By way of answer Theodora Oxgate threw her arms around the talis girl's neck, and pressed her soft red lips close to tne other's cold mouth. And as she did so something plashed on her cheek a hot, round tear.. The next minute Joanna Elfield dis appeared into the world of shadows that was hovering over all the autumn landscape. And as she went she mur mured to herself, unconscious tnat she was speaking aloud : . ' "Some one believes in me yet! In me! It's a strange sensation, and yet it give one something to live for, af ter all!" "Dork! Theodora! Why don't you answer? But no one thinks it worth while to listen to me now-a-ciays !" It was Mrs. Oxgate's shrill piping voice ; and Mrs. Oxgate, helpless from paralysis, set in her cushioned chair by " "tlny doorway. . iVThe Oxgate farm-house had drifted sadly" to decay. Fences has fallen ; gates hung creaking on one hinge; sun ny pasture lands were neglected ; grass meadows had toppled over their own weight of harvest. And Mrs. Oxgate herself looked, as she sat in the door way, like the very genius of decay. "The carriage with them grand peo ple that ha3 brought Glenwood Place. A gentleman dressed like the Prin e of Wales, and a 4ady w hose diamond . flashed fit to blind one. Ah me ? it's fine to bei voung and rich. Look! the carriageJis stopping! P'raps they've dropped something. Sure's I live the lady's coming back, trailing her pur ple silk dress in the dust like it was domestic gingham. Oh, dear me, I wish I had wy best hat on !" She gave her apron a twitch and tried to settle her scant skirt over her poor useless feet as the tall, stately figure swept up the door. This is the oxgate place, is it notr" the lady asked, in a deep, sweet voice that betrayed her at once. Dora answered promptly : This is the Oxgate: ana you are Joanna Elfield." "Not Joanna Elfield now but Joan na Avenel," she rejoined, smiling and blushing. "Here is my husband. George, this is the friend I told you of, whose hand ten years ago, lifted me out of the darkness and set me in the right path. Oh, George, you know how much I owe to her!" Mrs. Avenel w;as weeping softly now yet thesmiles shone brightly through her tears. "Dora," she added, "that was the turning point in my life. See ! I have your gold chain with the heart yet. ' I knew then that one human creature had faith in mTstill, and it renewed the fountain of life within me ! Dora, Dora, you are my guardian angel. God bless you for it!" eople wondered much that those rich Avenels of The Place had an in significant chit like Dorsf Oxgate so much with them to say nothing of that tiresome, prosing old bore, her mother. But Mrs. Avenel was a great lady, and of course could be excused for hav ing her whims one of which was al ways to wear a thread-like chain of gold around her neck, with a heart shaped locket hanging from it.' When she could have diamonds in stead!" said Miss Comfort Peabodv who had of late observed that she al ways had thought Joanna Elfield to be a genius. And Dora Oxgate, although she had settled into a solitary, "hard-working old maid, knew that her apparent life had not been in vain. Shrewdness and Ability. Hop Bitters, so treely advertised in all the papers, secnlar and rellglous.are having a large sale, and are supplant ing all other medicines. There is no denying'the virtues of the Hop plant, and the proprietors of these Bitters have 6hown great shrewdness and ability in compounding a Bitters.whose j virtues are so1 palpable to every one's ' observation. Exchange. American Enterprise, Recuperative power, the will and the energy to encounter and overcome dif ficulties, is the leading characteristic of Americans as a people. When sudden disasters come upon them," instead of yielding to depression, they set vigor ously to work and the time usually given to lamentation is devoted to the repair of damages and the rebuilding ot a better structure upon either physical or financial ruins. Thus have we seen a new Chicago rear its head amid the. ashes ot a wide-spread and desolating conflagration. The fire swept away tha wooden edifices and they were replaced by marble. We have seen, too, in this generation', Oie greatest eWU war of modern times ragtftg over ever section of the country. No sooner, iiowever, had the clash of arms ceased than the work of reconstruction was recom menced and wise measures adopted to coment again that Union framed by our fathers that it might be bequeathed "one and inseparable" to our pros perity. . ' But it is not necessary that we should go so far afield for evidences of the elasticity of the American character. On the 9th of November last a fire broke out in that pioneer and most popular of watering-places, Cape Mar City, which, in a few short hours, swept away all the large hotels, with a single exception, together with the humbler but handsome cottages inhabited dur ing the summer months by private families. Everywhere the eye turned was one scene of devastition and deso lation. To all Intents and purposes Cape May City was utterly destroyed. Under such circumstances what was the action taken by those most deeply interested? Did they idly fold their arms and relinquishing all hopes aban don themselves to despair ? This was not the true American spirit. On the contrary, while the embers were still smouldering, they took a calm survey of the entire field. The New Jersey railroad company (operated by the Pennsylvania railroad company) which ha? already done so much in the way of speedy aud safe transportation for that city by the sea, came nobly to the front and offered to deliver building materials either at reduced rates or free of cost. Temporary tracks were built to facilitate the moving of heavy freights. The City Council agreed to exempt the larger hotels, when rebuilt, from taxation for the. term. 01 five iars.. An impure 'vi'lSs tTius given to the work of reconstruction and the following improvements having been commenced will be completed in time for the present season. " The new Congress Hall, a brick struc ture of 200 rooms, about half the capa city of the former building. It is four stories high, the upper being mansard roof. It extends 100 feet east and west, and 200 feet north and south, located fifty feet farther on the lawn, and the west wing being much nearer the sea than formerly, the end being opposite the West End House on Congress street, but only extending half across the lawn. Washington street is to be cut through from Perry to Congress, and the office, main "entrance, etc., is on Washington street. The kitchens, etc., are one story and placed on Perry street, half-way between the former hotel office and the sea. Mr. Geo. Fryer's cottage, foot of Perry street, Is up and the "third story joist crossed. It is being -weather- boarded. The Avenue House of Mrs. Michael Biern, in front of Fryer's, is having the basement dug, and will go up at ence, to be done by May 15. Mr Doughty is still to conduct it. King's cottage, foot of Jackson street, is partly raised and joist laid. He is excavating cellarsm Decatur street, where the cot tages were burned there. Victor Denizot is raising his house at the foot of Deca tur street. It is much larger than the cottage. Mr. A. McConnell's cottage, half burned, is nearly rebuilt, and Mr. Rudolph's, which was but slightly dam aged, is entirely finished. Mr. Mc Connell will rebuild the house adjoining his, which was wholly consumed. Mr. Jere E. Mecray is raising hi? cot tage on Jacksou street, alongside of the Centre House site. THe will not rebuild the Centre. The Stockton bath house site is graded ready for the structures They and Mr. King's are to 'be two stories hieh a noveltv here. On How ard street, Mr. Robb's cottage is up, enclosed and under roof. The, Chal font addition ol 110 feet is drawing to completion. The Whitney cottage foot ot Congress street, is to be con verted into a roomy hotel for 200 people. The Stockton House is to have an ad dition, ! but ground is not broken for either it or Whitney's yet. It is said the West Jersey railroad will run its rails to Sea Grove and the steamboat landing this summer. The cross-ties are lying at the creek bridge on Broadway, and stakes are driven across the Mark Devine property and marsh for half a mile. The stake struck the creek half a mile west of the Excur sion House, and rumor says it follows the beach after leaving Mark Devine's land. The U. S. authorities will not allow the locomotive to cross near the light-house tower, as the jar will injure the structure. Mr. Nash, of Philadel phia, formerly of the Arctic House here has the Excursion House this summer Mr. Brolasky's summer cottage here has the columns supporting the veran dahs of both stories, made from the rough trunks of cedars as they grew in the woods, barked, but with the knots prominent where the branches were hewn off. The brackets are formed ; . . 1 tfrom he -natural branch left on the trunk. . Dr.EmlenI'hjrick's8uperb residence, near SchellengerB Landing, awaits a change in the freather to enable the plasterers to proceed with their work. Capt. W. H. Mils U about to rebuild his house, burriVJ January 4th on Washington strejt. The Columbia Hocse will very pro bably go up agui-f on the lawn close to the sea, strong talk to that effect now pervading the air. - , Thm almost before- the roar of the flames has ceased JbMSt will rise again on the shores of the Atlantic a renewed, regenerated, thou"A ji$ a more salu brious or popular Jlyo May." - . 5 . ' '. i acts of a most fWious kjkd are- on record concerniig the courtyards of honor in France,,dDnBgttb.e eventful fieri PR of rpnra v(iAn 1Tfnv ?.f1fA J v-" " " Myir -- MUg. jLuvaavy and imperor took the lejul in ara; In effacing the sig&iaud emblems of Roy alty at the commiicennt of the Revol ution, the changis m?8 tiot deftroy the passion for play, either ita intention or effect. By granting freedom of trade to tne cara-makers (t.je?naiiufacture having been t'll thena State monopoly), more facilities for pliy than ever were afforded. But thejpassion for persecuting Royalty expended to bits of paste-board as well as 10 more important matters: kings and queens of all the suits were proscribed. The kings were supplanted by sage,s, savants, juid emblematical personages; the queen had to make room for ladies emblematical of freedom of marriage, of worship, of the press, and -of commerce ; while the valets or knights were displaced by Roman heroes, warriors, anil even sans culot tes, according to the tastg ot the artist. When the military achievements of the First Napoleon had jgiven a new turn to the revolutionary (ever, card-players evinced a liking for the old-fasbioned court-cards. Napoleon, when he be came Emperor, turnfd his eagle glance to the pictures on plying-cards as well as to the conquest nd annexation of Kingdoms. The painter David was commissioned to prepare new designs ; and during a few yfars many artistic packs were produced. For some reason or other, those designs did not become popular ; card-player asked for the old pattern, and their den and was complied with. The Bourboni, after the fall of Napoleon, had little fther alteration to make in the current style of playing-;! fiht ururtio a of their house for the ejagle of the Em pire. Some attempts have been made in France during thelast sixty years to introduce new au4 more graceful designs, but in vain:; the winners of four by honors at whi.4 still cling fond ly to their dear old alturdly-grotesque picture-cards. The backs are often very beautiful in eolcy and artistic in design, but king, qien, and knave retain their nondescript character. Rearing Sponges by Artificial Means. During the past few years, Dr. Oscar Schmidt, professor of 'Zooology at the University of Graatz, and a well-known authority on sponges, has employed several weeks of thcearly summer in artificially producing and rearing the bath sponge. His labors have met with such success that life system has been adopted by the Austrian Government, and is now carried out on the coast of Dalmatia. It has for some time been a well-known fact that several families of zooophytes have such great powers of reproduction, that a portion of one will grow and form on an entire new body. Dr. Schmidt Jias taken advan tage of this property, his process being to cut the sponge into pieces, fasten each portion to a pile, and 'immerse it in the sea. The pieces then grow, and eventually from eaclr one a spherical sponge is obtained. According to the estimates of Dr. Schmidt, a small piece of sponge at the end of three years will represent a value of about ten cents. The total cost of raising 4000 sponges, including the interest on the expended capital for three years, is estimated at $45, and the income at about $80, leav ing, therefore, a net profit of $33, There is no doubt that the practice of this r ew Draiifch 6t$PKfmiiWTTr prove a source of eonsidebbh? benefit to th inhabitants of the Idrian and Dalmatian coasts. Fro longed Torpidity of tlx Toads. Professor J A. Alien, of Cambridge, states that he saw a large number of toads taken from the mud of a well which had been cleJ for twenty years The animals were topoarently lileless. being quite motionless, but after being drawn up and exposed to the air their legs began to twlUu after a few mo ments and their ef es slowly to open and close. In twq or three minutes they so far recovtrtd s to hop about, and shortly alter became as bright if they had not been aouad asleep for the last score of years. The tempera ture of the mud In vhivh they were found was about 45 degrees which was no doubt maintained, throughout the year, and as this is vey nearly to that of ponds correspondwbere hibernate in-winter. Professor 4llen thinks that this prolonged torpidly was caused by a continued uniformity of temperature and that he sees n reason why It should not have been protracted indefi nitely, j L Since the improvements in machin ery 1,050,000 men no do as much as 9,000.000 men aid m irmer times. The most suitable imes for felling timber, as regards its Jood qualities, is in mid-winter and in aid-summer. An Indian Jagtera' Trick. There was nothing very remarkable in the appearance r dress of our con jurer. An elderly man, short and sparely made, dressed in dingy white cotton, ith very tight sleeves to his robe and very tight legs to his drawers, he might have been a respectable ser vant out of place, but actually was a small land owner who had taken to con juring for his amusement. When he entered the room he spread a white cloth upon the floor and sat down upon it with his back to the wall, the door of the room being on his right band. His spectators were disposed of n the following fashion. Mr, Smyth aat on a chair nearly in . tholdd!lei of : the door, the. Parses merchant stood in the door iray about arms length from me. The servant! stood about in groups, the kw, k w d rs f a and. the conjurer. As soon as he had settled himself he turned to the Parsee and asked for the loan of a rupee. The peddler at first demurred a little, but on being guaranteed against loss, he produced the coin. He was going to put it into the conjurers hand, but the latter refused and told the Parsee to hand it to Mr. Smyth's bearer. The bearer took it and at the request of the conjurer, looked at it and declar ed it to be really a rupee The conjur er then told him to hand it to his mas ter. Mr. Smyth took it, and then fol lowed this dialogue : Conjurer Are you sure that is a ru pee. Smyth Yes. Conjurer Close your hand on it aud hold it tight. Now think of Bonie coun try in Europe, but do not tell me your thoughts. Then the conjurer ran over the names of several countries, such as Frace," Germany, Russia, Turkey and America for the native of India' is un der the impression that America is in Europe ! After a moment's pause, Mr. Smyth said he had thought of a coun try. ; "Then open your hand, "said the jug ler; "see what you have got and tell me il it is a coin of the country you thought of." It was a five-franc piece and Mr. Smyth had thought of France. He was going to hand tle coin to the conjurer, -but the latter said, "no, pass it to the other sahib." Mr. Smyth ac cordingly put the five-franc piece into my hand; I looked closely at it, then 6hut my hand and thought of Russia, wnen 1 openea it 1 fotnjd, not a Rus sian but a Turkish silver piece about the size of a five franc piece or of our own crown piece. This I . handed to Mr. Smyth and suggested that he name America, which he did, and found a Mexican dollar in his hand. The coin, whatever it was, had never been in the conjurers hand from thejimethe rupee was borrowed from the Parsee mer chant. Mr. Smyth and his bearer turn ed over the five franc pierce, the Turk ish coin and the dollar; 30 the trick did not depend on a reversible coin. In deed, it could not, for the coin under went three changes, as has been seen. I need only add for the information of those who know not India, that a ru pee is only about the sire of a florin and therefore about half the weight of a five franc piece. The jugler per formed several other tricks that day, but they were of a common-place kind and in no way comparable to the coin trick, which I have never seen rivalled by any conjuror in India or Europe. The Intelligent Monkey. "Monkeys," says an Arabic proverb, "can talk perfectly well if they choose so to do ; but they are far too clever to let us into their secret. Well they know that, were they to speak, they would be made to work ; so they wisely hold their tongues. If certain strange stories that have recently reached our hemisnhere from the distant realm of Siam be founded upon fact, the "incom plete man," as some German physio logists describe our respected ancestor, whose fondness for apples is considered to have exercised considerable influ ence upon the destinies of humanity, is made to work in several -ways, despite his affected Igmrance of arti culate language. His" pfuderit science avails him naught in the domain of the White Elephant; and there are at least so we are assured by an old Aus trian resident at the Siamese Court few professions w hich he may not be taught to practice with amazing skill and admirable precision. He is trained to fish for crabs with his tail, as comi cal a pursuit as can well be iminged, except, perhaps, for the wortby.and intelligent ape engaged in "It, who sometimes gets a "bite" from a monster crab that he is totally unable to land, and falls a victim to the superior weight of his Cancer Ferox, who drags him in to the water, drowns, and finally de vours him. lhe Siamese ape is aiso stated to be in great request among na tive merchants as a cashier in their counting-houses. Vast quantities of base coin obtain circulation in Siam, and the faculty of discrimination bet ween good moneyand bad would appear to be possessed by these gifted monkeys in such an extraordinary degree of developement that no mere human be ing, however carefully trtined, can compete with them. The cashier ape mediatively puts into his mouth each coin presented to him in business pay ments, and tests it with grave delibera tion. If it be genuine, he hands it over to his master. If it be counterfeit, he sets it down on the counter before him with a solemn grimace of displeasure. His method of testing is regarded in commercial circles as infallible; and, as a matter of fact, his decision is uni formly accepted by all parties Interest ed in the transaction. But, though a true and invaluable servant to his own particular master, it seems feat his mo ral character Is not altogether Irre proachable. His deplorable passion for fruit renders him the terror of Sia mese market gardeners, wh find brute force inadequate to restrain him from visiting their orchards, ai d therefore have recourse to divers and sundry stratagems, one of which Is reported to be as successful as it U certainly inge nious. A specially Active and enter prising ape is captured and carefully sewed np In the skin of tsreii cat. He .Aon tne looacis "V 1 ttreS loose i&ieH9ca , . ; . - - - , 1 uu idnuucvuuu, aim BLraim way clambers, as well as he may .incumbered by an unfamiliar garment, into the branches of a fruit tree among his un clothed fellows. Scarcely do these lat- ler set eyes upon him, with all his fe line terrors upon him, when a dreadful panic strikes them, and they scramble away with piercing, screeching and agonized chatterings. Never more do they return to an orchard which they believe to be Infested by the deadliest enemy of their race. The startling in telligence is rapidly disseminated throughout the monkey society of the neighboihood, and the wily gardener enjoys an absolute Immunity from de predation forever afterward, for the very thought of a tiger cat appals the Simian soul, and doubtless the tale of "the awful apparition in Tingitse's or chard" is handed down in quaaruma nous families from generation to gene ration. A Cool, Courageous Man. General Pasly, of the Royal Engi neers, was noted for his bravery and coolness. His patient, conscientious toil at the details of whatever work he undertook, was as remarkable as his courage. He was once experimenting on the , strength of cements. A large stoi e, a ton In weight, had been ce mented to another, and both were sus pended in the air by means of a clamp inserted in the latter. Pasley, inspecting the joint, looked around, above, from below, walking under the mass, and scrutinizing it in every direction. Just as he .stepped from beneath the cement gave way. and down fell the heavy block. With out tne slightest change of color or tone, he til rued. . tt..iUata9iUuU. .acd said : "Do you know I call that an extreme ly unpleasant: occurence. I was just beginning to feel confidence in the ce ment, but you see I had no ground for satisfaction." On another occasion he had descend ed with a junior engineer officer in a diving-bell, to attend some submarine experiment. The chain by which the bell was lowered became entangled with the air tubes and signal line. The sn only of air was stopped and the water si vi,) and steadily rose in the bell. They could not signal to be hauled up, nor could they creep beneath the edge of the bell and rise to the surface, for It rested on the bottom of the sea. Death appeared invltablc ; It was a question of inches aa the water rose above the limbs of the officers. "I confess,'! said the junior, "I was alarmed. But Pasley never changed a muscle. He continued talking and watching the rise of the water as If superintending an experiment. The water had risen to our breasts, when the men above, receiving no signals, became alarmed, and drew up the bell. I cannot describe my feelings but Pas ley took it all as a matter of course." Feeding a Python. The following details of a recent at tempt to feed a python now at the Raf fles Museum, Singapore, may be of interest as upsetting previous ideas as to the certainty of that reptile's attack : The python in question is a fine speci men, caught on the island for the sake of the reward given by the police in such cases, and measures about 22 feet in length. It has been in my charge for about two and a half months, dur ing which time it has riot, been fed. About 10 days since It commenced cast ing its skin, and, as is usual after that proceeding, was unusually lively, snapping at a stick put into the cage, and in one or two instances nairowly iniftsing the attendant's hand The reptile, I should mention, escaped from its cage just before casting, but having takea refuge beneath some odds and ends of timber near the museum, .was recaptured without difficulty, and was then placed in a cage about five feet square every way. A pariah dog hav ing been obtained, it was Introduced, muzzled, into the cage, the muzzle be ing then slipped. While entering the snake struck twice at the ' dogs hind quarters, but without seizing it. The dog crept into, a corner and sat down. Two or three more blows were then made by the snake, but, as before with out gripping, and the dog was then seen to have been struck by the teeth on the fore-quarters, the punctures slightly bleeding. For nine successive times the snake struck at the dog with the same ill-success, and as It -was then growing dark, the shutter ol the cage was closed. Early next morning the snake was found colled round the dog, which it had killed and commenced to swallow ; but a Malay attendant having touched the python with a rod, it un twined itself and retreated to a corner of the cage', refusing to again touch its prey. BRfEFS. fc -4 The date of thesUblislment of Sunday schools in England, was the yearl7S4. Henry HI,, last of the Valoii King, of France, was assassinated August 1, 1539. i The district of Coadoba, Mexico, estimates Its next coffee crop at 3,000, 000 pounds. In 1813 tlo average yleht of wheat in France -Has eleven bushels to the acre, now it Is fifteen. , ,f .... . During 1377, 5,877 persons emigrated from the Austro-Hungarian , empire, and nearly all eaine to the United States. ; , ;,. ,-- 4',- Salicylic-acid la said to . prevent . w .... , : . j i - w. wvu v vuv-ivuiwi v mil uuiu vi uo acid to 30 pounds of honey. California Is expecting the best raisin crop this year ever raised in the State. It is set as high as 190,000 boxes, but conservative accounts set It 'at "0,000. ( . . In 1861 New York State dairy but ter sold as low as 13 to 16 cents per pound, at which price thousands of packages oi flue butter were exported to England. ' The Western Texas sheep husband ry has grown Immensely. In 1SC8 bau Antonio received but 000,000 pounds of wool, while in 187( she received 2,000,000. The Western Methodist book con cern reports sales $725,761 in 1878. an increase of $67,287 over those of 1877. The profits for the year were $4C,8".KJ, and the net capital is $446,371. Abont thirteenthousand bales of cot ton have been shipped from Mllledge ville, Grorgia, during the present sea son, it is thought the shipments will reach fourteen thousand. The sum of $235,144 has been paid toward the preservation of the Old South Church, Boston ; there is $26,605 on hand or subscribed, and $177,3ttU more is wanted. In parts of Clearfield county. Pa., the amount of small game frozen during the winter is so large as to ex cite fear of ar entire extermination of some kinds. Miss Mary J. Wadlelgh, of Sutton, Mass., has not less than one hundreu pet cats, and when one of them dies, she has it buried, and its grave marked by a neat monument. The hotel, eating houses and liquor store license applications for Montgom ery county. Pa., for 1879, number li)a applicants for hotel license, 43 for eat ing bouse license. The Howard Association Officers are now burning all the tents used In Chattanooga, Memphis, New Orleans, and other points during the yellow LfGYCX fcDClli'rffiiC. Dr. Le Moyne's cremation oven, at Washington, Pa., it is said, is not to be turned into a popcorn factory, as stated, but it is t be converted into a bone dust producer, tor the benefit of sur rounding farmers. The wind has been blowing adross the top of Mount Washington, lately, at the rate of 114 miles an hour, the snow is so deep that the buildings are buried to their eaves, anj the tempera ture frequently falls to twenty degrees below zero. The original charter of Newark (Delaware) College, which is still in a good state of preservation, was granted by 1 nomas I'enn and Ktchard Penn, Governors of the State of Pennsylvania Jteliant Governor John Penn. M. de Lesseps, ef Suez Canal fame, proposes to take the Isthmus of Darien Canal project In hand, and has issued invitations to the various nations In terested to send representatives to a meeting at Paris on the 15th of May, when a route will be decided upon. The Ancient and Honorable Artil- lero Company of Boston hag undertaken the formation of a military museum and library at its armory, with the ol- ject of preserving the military records and relics to be found in so many or the old houses of Massachusetts and other portions of New England. The total cotton spindles in the .Vorth are now estimated at about 8,000, 000. and in the South at 600,000, or a total in the United States of say 10,500, 000. Of the 58,000,000 spindles em ployed in tne manufacture of cotton In 187(1 the United States had in round numbers 10,000,000 and Great Britain 40,000,000. The valuations of the leading cities and towns of Connecticut are : Hart ford, $4!),752,073; New Haven, $49,20, 049 ; Norwich, $14,602,901 : Bridgeport, $12,704,K1C; Meriden, $8,783,839; Stam ford. $8,065,820; Waterbury, $7,958, 728; New London, $0,746,167; Norwalk, $,482,9W5; Mlddletown, $6,422,375; Danbury, $5,i33,337 ; Stonington, $5, 083,533; New Britain, $4,68741. . The collectors of the fund for the relief of those who were made orphans by the Princess Alice disaster in the ThameH, after obtaining no leu than $150,000 for that purpose, are at a loss what to do with it. They can find only twelve persons thus bereaved, ami, though it is proposed to educate them and give them a sum of money to start in life, it is justly thought that $12,500 apiece would be an excessive sum. A considerable sensation has been caused in Patterson, N. J., by a discov ery of a small outflow of petroleum oil through the fls-tures of the rock walls of a cellar in. South Patterson. The premises are owned by John Raffing, a German. The oil ,has been tested, ana is pronounced unusually pure, and pro perty owners are in a fever ef excite ment. Indications of oil have been found aboutr Paterson- before, but nothing was ever developed. The Exhibition of 1878 Is net at an end yet, for it appears that the Medal ists have not yet received their rewards. The delay seems strange, but there are many strange things in France, and not a few happened in connection with this very Exhibition. The gold medals are now being manufactured at the Hotel des Mot.rale. Each of them Is ef a value varying from 800 francs ($160) to 1800 francs ($360), and each medal, the designs for which were supplied by M. Paul Baudry, has to pass ffteen times through the press. The. silver and bronze medals will take a shorter time to make, and the operations are now under way. 4 -J
The Blue Ridge Blade (Morganton, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 19, 1879, edition 1
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