davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1855-02-09
FANS, FANS fANs.z

would resp etfnlfy in form, rl,,.
NJ the Of this District, (and Slsee-
where that on hind lot Of and is Sre-.
pared 70 fli orders for. FANS for cleaning
!. +. J.TAYLoT
The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1855-02-09
BLANKETS! BLANKETS!!

MILLER d WARREN, augusta, Ga, y have
~ in store II large and superior lot of Bed
BLANKETS, from So to $50 a pair.
Also, Heavy Negro BLANKETS. from T5c
to 81 30 each, weighing from IL to $ pounds,
to which they invite the attention of House
keepers and Planters.
Nov 10 81 2m
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14

cifc terminus TO be at Panama. New condi-
tions will have to be made before it can be car
ried farther.
At the Panama end of The road the facilities
for froigh,ing may be estimated from the de-
scription Of the transit Of the excursion party
from The railroad TO the town, and thence 10
the. propeller Columbus, in the bay First.
threo-fourths Of mile Of carriage to small
boats, then one and half miles in small
boats to the receiving vessel. All this hand
ling Of merchandise must be vastly expensive.
Hence the necessity is quite apparent for
changing the terminus Of the road, now by the
charter located a, Panama. The company have
purchased three small islands at distance Of
one and half or two miles from the main
land south of Panama (the road now entering
the city on the North sidc,) where sufficient wa
ter and protection affords good harbor. To
these islands the road will probably be carried.
This is the only expedicnt short Of basin
in the bay and tidal lockagc, not impraciica-
Bile, perhaps, where the water rises an falls
daily twenty-five feet. The consumed capital
is now six millions. Seven millions are said
to be wanted. Doubtless seyens willions will
be required before the harbor at Aspinwall is
protected, and the iron and stone buildings and
wharyes provided. Before the roadway is
made solid aud secure, and before the Panama
terminus is carried to the islands and the nee
essary appliances are located there for freight
ing business, probably ten millions will be re-
quireJ, possibly twelve.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14

aIicr year the same chemical chnnge is going
on, and the bricks become harder and harder,
until at length they are as indeslruclbe as
granite itself. In their manufacture they nei-
ther shrink nor warp hence they can be laid
so evenly that very little mortar Is needed in
putting them together. Indeed, the amount Of
lime required to make the bricks and put them
together in building does not exceed the guam
iity necessary in ordinary brick-building opera
lions. The internal surface, too, of the walls
presents SO much smoother result that in many
instances no plasiering will be required. The
bricks are also, from their nature, impervous TO
damp. Owing TO their great strength and hard.
ness, these bricks can be manufactured with
perlorations, so that every wall may be built
with dead air chamber in it, This will be
found Of considerable use in all large buildings ;
while in making fences for farms, &c, the per-
forations of the bricks mayb be 50 aranged as to
present many pleasing devices. For buildings
requiring the application Of architectural de-
signs, ornamental bricks can be made as readily
as those Of the ordinary shape. Lime and sand
clay from which the common brick is formed
consequently MIR Fosters invention will mate
rally decrease the cost Of building, since they
may be made in almost all localities more cheap
ly than the most common bSick. The farmer,
indeed, may draw his own land and lime, pre-
pare and mix them us directed, and then with
one Of the machines Manufacture, in the coufse
of day or two, as many Of the building blocks
as he requires for his fences, barns, stables, &c
Although the beauty of these bricks depends IN
some measure upon the purify Of the sand, that
is Of It's being free from amp admixture with
clay or other earlhs, still very little deviation
from tho ordinary processes produces good
substantial block. Metallic oxides may, where
necessary, be incorporated with the materials so
as TO give any shade Of color required, or pro-
duce an almost indestrucible imitation of any
kind Of marble OF stone. We have seen spec
linens Of this new building material which have
been subjected to every possible test in order to
prove the strength and durability of material,
capability of wiihsianding the effects of alter
mating frost and heat aud we were not able to
discover that the experiments in question had
in any way affected the blocks operated upon.
N. Y. Tribune.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14
BLAoKwooD ON BARNUm.

The most striking article in Biaclipood, for
February, is a review Of Barnum's Autobiog-
raphy, from which we extract few-sentences
that appear especially worthy of the considera-
tion of the American public. Speaking of
Connecticut as the birth place Of Barnum, the
article says
'By the way, we should like TO know what
kind of State this Connecticut really is II
we are to take Bamum's word for it, the d-
vision in which he and his were raised, was a
mere colony Of sharpers. Every man, woman
and child in il attempted TO out-wit, over-reach,
and deiraud their neighbors. Our friends in
America had better look to ii in time, for if
the slstenents in this book as to the tone of
the moral perceptions prevalent among the bulk
OF the middle classes, are allowed TO remain
uncontradicied and unrepudiated--if Banum's
sketches of society are acknowledged to be true
then they dare not hereafter take exception
10 the harshest and most unfayorahle pictures
which have been drawn by European travellers.
We say this in the most friendly spirit 10 Amer
lea and the Americans; reeoleciing how often
they had complained, with evident soreness, Of
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14
A NEW BUILDING MATERIAL.

For many years past the inhabitants OF Wis
consin have been in the habit of building their
houses, wherever lime and sand are plentiful,
OF substance known as GRour, which is
mixture of lime and sand. IN all parts of that
State houses of this description are to be met
with, many Of which, though they have been
erected from sixteen TO twenty years, do not
show the least signs of decay. This fact, we
understand, suggested to Mr. Ambrose Foster,
of Portland, Dodge County, Wisconsin, the
idea that il might be possible so to compound
and manipulate these two articles, lime and
sand, as to form building material which
should not only be as durable as the best stone
itself, but should also be adapted to the many
requirements Of building throughout the United
States. After devoting considerable time and
ingenuity, he has at length succeeded in pro-
ducing an article that bids fair eventually 10
drive clay-made bricks entirely ont of the mar
ket, and to supersede in many instances The use
Of stone. Taking for the. basis of his opera
tions the established fact that hydrated lime,
when exposed to the action of The atmosphere
again, takes up the carbonic acid which il lost
in tho process Of burning and Stacking, and so
becomes indurated, he set himself TO work 10
find out the proper proportions of sand and
lime to form species of sandstone. These he
found were one part limo TO twelve Of sand
In Wisconsin, little attention had been paid to
these proportions in the making of Groui, which
is there always used in a wet state, like NOR
tar the walls being built up by layers of this
mixture being laid on between two parallel
boards. Hitherto, then, Mr. Foster had but
very slightly varied his process from that adopt
ed in his native Slate. Eventually, however,
he found out that, in order to effect more per-
feet combination, the lime and sand should be
mixed together in nearly dry state--in fact,
the sand, as il was dug out of the earth, and
the lime in the powdery state it acquires after
being Stacked. The mixture is then run into
molds, passed into machine constructed for the
purpose, and subjected TO great pressure-as
much, indeed, as one hundred and twenty tons
upon single brick of The ordinary size. On
being removed from the machine, the brick pre-
sents white appearance, showing on its sur
face that il is simply as yet, mixture Of lime
and sand compressed into shape These bricks
are now piled up in regular henps, SO that the
air may circulate freely around them, At this
point commences chemical change. Tho
moisture of the atmosphere enables the lime to
again take up the carbonic acid, aud The whole
Is transformed in the course Of few DAYS into
bricks of remarkable hardness, ready al once
Tor all ordinary building purposes. The sur
faces now present the appearance of whitish
sandstone, while month after month and year
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES DE-
CAV

The following passages are from brief re-
view in a London paper, of Sir Benjamin
Brodie's Psychological inquiries
"What is Slept" which our author declares
insoluble. The sense of weariness appears
confined TO those functions oyer WHICH the will
has power all involuntary actions are coniinu-
ed through our resting as well as our waking
hours. Sleep 'accumnlaies the nervous force,
which is gradually exhausted during the day
But these are words only for who can define
or explain the nervous forcel' Darwin's AK
ION, that the essential part of sleep is the sus-
pension Of volition, still holds good. and is ac-
capied as satisfactory. Talking and moving in
sleep, though apparently phenomena irreeoncil-
able with this theory, are not so in reality for
there are degrees Of sleep, and these things on
ly occur where the slumber is imperfect. 1t
may be urged again that the mere absence of
voliiion would not produce that insensibility to
sight and sound which is the characteristic Of
the sleeper. But few persons are aware how
much the win is concerned 10 the reception of
impression on the senses. Ono who is absorb
ed in reading or writing will not hoar words
addressed to him in the ordinary tone, though
their physical effect upon the ear may be the
same as usual.
Dreams arc inexplcahle; Lord Drougham
suggested that they took place only in the mo-
meniary transition from sleeping to waking
But facts contradict this theory, since persons
will mutter to themselves, and utter inarticulate
sounds indicative of dreaming, at intervals of
several minutes. The common puzzle as to how
dreams, apparently long, can pass in moment
Of time, presents no difficulty TO the pyscolo-
gist. Life is not measured by hours and days,
but by the number of new impressions received !;
and the limit to these is in the world without
US, not in the constitution of our minds. To
a child whose Imagination is constantly excited
by new objects, twelve months seem much
longer period than to a man. As we advance
in life, time flies faster. The butterfly, living
for single season, may really enjoy longer
existence than the tortoise, whose years exceed
acentury. Even between the busy and the idle
among human beings there exists similar
difference, though less strongly marked.
il has been usually held that large heads arc
more powerful thinking machines than small
ones and, as a general rule, experience jusli-
fies the conclusion. But Newton, Byron, and
others, were exceptions to il, and it is quite
certain that large brain may be accompanied
with the most dense stupidity.
Many remarks scattered through this little
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14

A New York paper has the following, taken
from a book published in that city, entitled
The Wealthy Citizens Of the City of New
York" =
civilian b. Astor is our richest man he
inherited his wealth, Stephen Whitney, five
millions. owes his fortune 10 speeulaiions in
cotton and the rise in real estate. w. Ii. AS
pinwall, four millions, camo Of rich family,
and gained vast increase OF wealth in the ship
ping business. Nicholas LongwOrih, four mil
lions, resident Of Cincinnati, but large own
er of real estate here, began life as shoemaker,
and owes his immense fortune 10 the rise ofreal
estate in Cincinnati James Lennox, three
millions inherited his property. The late Pc
ter Harmony, two millinns, came to this city as
a cabin boy, and grew rich by commerce. The
Lorillards, two millions, came from France poor,
and made their huge fortune in the snuff and
tobacco business. The late Anson G.. Phelps,
two millions, learned the trade of timer, and
made a fortune in iron and copper. Alexander
+. Stewart, two millions, now of the Dry
Goods Palace, began business in little fancy
store. OF those who are put down at million
and half, George Law, began life as a farm
laDOfer COfhenus NanucrDit, as DOatman
John Laiarge, as steward 10 Joseph Bonaparte.
or the millionaircs, James Chesierman began
life as journeyman tailor Peter Cooper, as
glue-maker; of the others, John ID. Wolfe,
Henry Breyoort, Margaret Golet, Peter Golet,
Henry IIaggery, Gardner Howland, w. +.
llowland, Lispenard Stewart, and Jonathan
Throne, our author has iorborne to state wheih-
or they owe their fortune 10 fathers 10 luck, or
to talant. But Of the ten hundred and sixty
persons mentioned in the book, we compute
that a, least eigh hundred began their career as
clerks or manual laborers.
The pill and patent medicine dealers show to
great advantage in the volume. BrandIeth fig
ures up at three hundred and fifty thousand.-
Sarsaparlla p. Townsend was an honest car
pen,er once he is now worth three hundred
thousand dollars. Moflat, he of the Phenix
Bilters, is put down at half million. Peasc,
who once sold ginger beer, and afterward took
TO hoarhound candy, achieved the moderate for
tune Of a hundred and fifty thousand
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14
MISCELLANY.
WESTERN IOWA AND NEBRASKA.

Detd'!ed ansoers 10 the numerous questions in re-
gard TO The soil, productions, climate, tcater,
health, adcGafages, and improvements, in this
region Of Iolod and Nebraska, in anslcer 10 a
great many letters 10 Me editor.
GEooRAPHY.-That portion of western Iowa
laying west of Des Moines river, is the choice
lands, in the United States Although this
region is almost entirely composed of hills,
swells, ridges, valleys and bottom lands thrown
together in the mos, grand and poetic manner,
there is scarcely an acre of waste land in the
whole region-eyen the highest points and peaks
abound with luxurious grass and vegetation, or
timber and copse-wood. Whilst the slopes,
valies, and bottom lands, together with the up
land prairies, are the most rich and fertile ever
inhabited.
The soil is Iich black light sandy loan, ex-
tremely easy Of cultivation, and of depth of
from one to ten feet Although the soil is nat
nraily extremely light and loose, it resists to
wonderful degree the evil effects of drought
hpon vegetation. The last season when the
countries east and south were parched and crops
destroyed for want of rain, ours were remarka-
bly, heavy and seemed uninjured although we
had little or no more rain than did our neigh
bors.
TlMBER.-There are heavy bodies of hard
wood timber on the margin of and adjacent the
Des Moines river, and reasonable quantity in
terspersed through he counties northwest but
upon the route directly west to this place, tim
per Is extremely scarce for an hundred miles,
being found only in detached groves upon
streams but as one approaches the slope of the
missouri river The groves and clusters Of timber
become more frequent, and in this immediate
vicinity there is sufficient for all reasonable de-
mands. In several of the counties north. tim
Der is still more abundant, and in Shelby coun.
4 ty there is one grove alone that contains near
eight square miles of good timber Through
this region generally there are an abundance Of
young groves of timber, which, if the fires kept
out, will increase quite as fast as the older aud
more malurer portions are used up The most
valuable varieties are oak, (Three or four va
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14

A NAUTICAL IscIDEST.-During our recent
war with Mexico il was found nescssary 10 call
on the marines and sailors, serving in the Pacific
squadron, to serve on shore, and large number
of salts were accordingly placed under command
Of Gen. Keareny. During one Of their 'shore
fights as Jack termed it, a body of 'Greasers'
were discovered firing from large stone barn,
and it being necessary to get TO its rear, in order
to effect an entrance, the marine officer in com
mand Of the salts gave the order
'By the right flank file left, forward -
The blue jackets, in high state of excite
ment tried it on, but couldn't do il fact, they
got all in heap as a spectator describes it
when Lieutenant St-w--y, Of the Navy seeing
some OF his lads in confusion, came running up
with,
"Whai in thunder is the matter %
81 can't get your men 10 obey me, answers
Mr. Marine.
"Give the ORDER" says s., Sand III see
they do.'
Accordingly, ''By the right flank" Sc. was
yelled out, butw and worse was poor Jacks
puzzle, when 5. sang out, "Hang it, sir, that's
no way to talk to my men. Luff, you lubbers,
and weather that barn ~ You had better be-.
lieve it was done in no time Correspondent Of
The Spirit Of the Times.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14

The TRuE WoMAN.-The true woman for
whose ambition husbands love, and her child
ren's alteration, are sufficient, who applies her
military instincts to the discipline of her house
hold, and her legislative faculties in making
laws for her nursery; whose intellect has field
enough for her in communion with her hus-
band, aud whose heart asks no other honors
than his love and admiration woman who
does not think il weakness TO attend to her toi-
let, and who does not disdain TO be beautiful;
who believes in the virtue Of her glossy hair
and well fitting gowns, and who eschews renis
and rayeled make-nPs; woman who speaks
low, and does not speak much; who is pa
tient and gentle, Intellectual and Industrious,
loves more than she reasons, and yet does not
love blindly; who never scolds, and rarely
argues, but who adjusts with smile; wo-
man who is the wife we have dreamed of onco
in our lives and who is The mother we still
worship in the backward distance of the past
such woman as this does more for human ma
.ure and more for woman's cause, than all the
sea-captans, barristers, judges and members of
the Parliament put togeiher--God given and
God-blessed such as she is.-Dickens.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14

treatise are worth the recollection of all ages
and classes. The failure Of the mind in old
age says Sir Benjamin, is often less the re-
suit of natural decay than of disuse.' Ambi-
tion has ceased 10 operate contentmont brings
incidence incidence decay Of mental power,
ennui, and sometimes death. Men have been
known to die, literally speaking, Of disease in
duced by intellectual vacancy. On the other
hand, the amount Of possible mental labor is
far less than many persons imagine. II pro.
fessional men are enabled to work twelve or
fifteen hours daily, that is because most Of their
business has become from habit. a mere habit
Of routine From four to six hours is proba-
bly,, the utmost daily period for which real ex-
ertion Of the mind can be carried Gu
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14

AMERIcAS AND EuRoPrAS HoTFI-KEEPRRs,
/ have been struck with the difference between
European and American first class hotel keep
ers. Here, they touch their hats, or take them
of, whenever they meet you, They thank you
for your custom when you are about to leave
and hope TO see you again. The landlord or
landlady, or both, como out to the carriage and
wish yon "bon royage." Now in America, il
is the hotel-keeper who does you tho favor in
allowing you TO stop at his house. You may
find him, regardless of your entrance, reading
Godey's Ladys Book, or red morocco annual;
sitting on Two chairs with a fragrant cigar in
the corner Of his mouth. In her drawing-room
up stairs is the landlady, with diamond rings
upon her fingers, languishing over novel or
perhaps sitting upon satin ottoman and tick
ling the baby's chin with Ten dollar bill, Do
either of these bid you farewell at your Depar-
tures Lucky if you get an Irish porter TO
bring down your baggage Wal Street
Bear in EIrope.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-04-14
SINGULAR GEOLOGIC AL
DISC VERY.

A gentleman who recently arrived in this
city from Venango county, Pennsylvania, has
in his possession, and has had on exhibition for
several days past, some very curious pe,rided
human bodies, which were found By him in the
bed Of a stream which is one of the principal
branches Of the Allegheny river.
These remains are supposed to be those Of a
man and a woman, who, by the wonderful po-
iriflctiye powers Of nature, have been turned To
solid stone which, on being struck, gives out
a clear ring, aud is very hard. As pe,rifae-
ions. these stones are objects of great interest;
but as much Of the appearance Of humanity has
been lost by the a,trition from The running wa
ter of the sream in which they had probably
lain for ages, they might, after attracting brief
attention, have been classed with other ordina-
ry pe,rifaciions, and been forgotten, had not
their close examination by one Of our saeans
led TO the discovery that they are irrefragible
proofs Of the existence Of man on this reyolv-
ing globe long before the periods when corals,
crnoidea and lrboliies first made their appear
ancc.
Heretofore no fossils have been found in prim-
tive rocks, and hence geologisis have inferred
that for vast periods in the worlds history moth
ing but plants and the lower types Of animal
life we're in existence, and that for ages tho
earth was inhabited by saurians and other crea-
tures now found only as fossils.
The pelrifac,ions which we refer above, and
which oyerturns This theory, may have been
carried considerable distance By the stream
but we do not need to know the locality in
which they were originally placed They show
by their constituent character that they belong
to the very earles, period Of tho worlds hisio-
ny. The remains supposed TO be those OF fe-
male, are evidently from the sandstone strata,
and have nothing peculiar about them, except
their indefniieness and wanting the feet.
The peirifacion supposed 10 be that Of man
is great curiosity. Its feet arc now wanting,
its body aud legs are composed Of sandstone,
and its head Of quartz and gneiss. From this
single fact science has evolved conclusions
which oyerturn the speculative hypothesis Of
Agassiz, Lyell, Dana, and tho whole host Of
modern geologisis. II is well known that
quartz and gueiss are primitive rocks which un-
derlie the sandstone rocks. 1t is assumed that
when first found, the feet were on this male Pc
triiaction, but as they seemed slaiy and of a
coal-like texture. they were burned By the wo-
men, who prefer utility to scientific discovery.
Ii this was so, then probably the body was
originally so buried that the feet extended up
ward into carboniferons strata, and were petri-
fled into coal. As the feet are now gone. it is
perhaps improper 10 speculate upon their char
acter, but luckily, science has this wonderful
body and head. The body being sandstone,
that L.. l..