The weekly Butte record. [volume] (Oroville [Calif.]) 1858-1864, 1862-08-16

over the outer edge of the bridge. Two min-
utes more. and all will be over The blade Is
worn 10 the last half inch The boys head
reels-his eyes are starting from their sockets
his last hope is dying in his heart-his life
must hang in the next gain be cuts-tbat niche
is his last. At the last faint cash he makes,
his knife falls from his nerveless hand, and
ringing all the precpice falls a. the feet of his
mother
An involuntary groan of despair runs like a
death knell through the channel below, aud is
still as the grave. At the height of nearly
three hundred feet, the devoted boy lifted his
hopeless heart and closing eyes to commend
his soul to God-'tis but a moment ,-one foot
swings ff,-he is reeling- g-trembIiug-top-
pling 10 eternity Hark shout falls gu his
ear from above. He who is lying with half
of his body over the bridge has caught
glimpse Of the boys head and shoulders
Quick as thought the noosed rope is within
reach of the sinking youth. No one breaihes.
With faint convulsive effort, the swooning
boy drops his arms into the moose. Darkness
came over him, aud with the words God -
" Motherl" whispered on bis lips just loud
enough TO be heard in Heaven, the rope lifts
moves while he is dangling over that fearful
abyss but when sturdy Virginan reaches
down and draws up the lad, and holds him up
in his arms before the fearful, breathlesS multi
tude, such shouting, and leaplng, and weeping
for Joy, never greeted the ear of a human
being so recovered from the yawning guilt of
eternity.
WONDERFUL INvENTIoN.-We this week
witnessed the type-setting and distributing ma
chine, invented by Timothy Alden, once
New York printer, but native of Massachu-
sets. The invention cost twenty years of
labor, the life of the inventor and $4,000 in
money. 1t is impossible to convey to the
uninitiated the utility and genius of this re-
markable invention. 1t is perhaps enough TO
say that one machine is capable of producing
the work of six or eight men, and with its
cost placed at the price of $1,000, it will re-
duce the price of ordinary type-setting, at
present rates, from one-half to two-thirds. lis
great simplicity is one of its most interesting
qualities. The fruits it produces are as near
to thinking and reading as one can imagine
One directing mind, with ordinary care, can
produce the most extraordinary results It
may be worked by hand or steam. The print
er will comprehend what such discovery is
when we say it picks up type, spells the word
places them in properly, asserts the types again
after they have been used, into their appropri-
ate channels, aud from these again they are
drawn out and set up when needed for a second
use. There are "a types and characters, in
c!uding capitals, italics, figures spaces, points
of punctuation, and all at once under the con-
troll of one person, who has but to touch the
keys of this circular machine to produce all
these combinations. The long meditation, pa.
tience, labor, and genius which has produced
this extraordinary piece of practical mechanism
excite the admiration of every beholder. The
inventors nerves were quite unstrung as soon
as he gave life and thought to his meditation
For twenty years he had lived almost a hermits
life, and died only when his labors were about
to produce their expected fruit. We under
stand that a company is about forming for the
disposal of these machines and that one of
them will soon be taken to the Great Fair in
England.-lN. Y. Express