Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-01-20
YESTERDAY, TO-DAY AND TO-
MORROW.
How Things Were, Are, and VIII be
Done.
BY o. JOB JONES.

Not very long ago--nsy, within the
memory of almost any "olGest inbatit-
ant"--things were trife slower than
now. Especially is this true concerning
travel, the transmission of news and the
importance and extent of accidents. The
most terrible calamity dreamed of in
those good old days was the upsetting of
a stage-breaking the drivers neck and
causing the fracture of an arm of one
passenger, and leg of another.
The news of such disaster was herald
ed abroad, and within the short space Of
a week penetrated as far as towns located
at distance of hundred milesI !
Now--two trains collide, killing forty
and wounding sixty; a steamer blows up
or burns up, causing the loss of one
hundred and sixty-four lives, and mil
lion of property; mine accident occurs
in which two hundred and thirteen uu-
fortunate miners are burned up, drowned
or buried alive; and next morning half
the people of the civilized world know ali
about it-and morning later still have
ceased to wonder or think about it.
Would those foefathers of ours have
dreamed of such fas: times so soon to be
inaugurated?
No.
Therefore, it is just possible that anoth-
err century will bring forth times and
people as much ahead of us as we and
our times are ahead of those inevitable
forefathers and their times.
Yes, in the year 1870, our slow,
creeping, snail-like locomotives, that bare
ly manage to strain out q speed Of fifty
or sixty miles an hour; our miniature
steamers, with the scarcely perceptible
motion of twenty miles an hour; our
childish accidents, in which the killed
number actually less than thousand
ali will be laughed at Their very men,
ton, if people then take time TO mention
anything of the fogy past, will be the
signal of merriment.
Now, let us, with prophetic eye, take
peep into the future. Let us glance at
the times and doings of A. d. 1870.
We can best do so by glancing over
the columns of the New York Herald
as it will appear one hundred years from
now. Take up copy OF the tri min
utely edition and glance over the late
news items. They will be found some.
thing like the following:
ANOTHER AccIDENT.-Ab ut tea min
utes ago. as the hourly Balloon Express
Train from Hong kong, bound for the city
of Mexico, was passing over the Sand
witch Islands. at an altitude of about
twenty eight miles, some arrangement of
the machinery caused an explosion which
demolished three hundred and forty of
the balloons composing the train; which,
together with their passengers, descend
ed to the earth with fearful velocity -
Eighty three thousand are known to
have been killed by being dashed to
pieces on the Islands. Our reporter,
who was Immediately dispatched to the
scene of the accident, learned that many
had provided themselves with the para
chute life preservers, and thus saved them
selves; otherwise, the accident might
have proved serious one. No delay to
travel between China and Mexico will re-
suit. The company have the facilities
to run regular hourly trains, as usual.
UNFORTUNATE OccuRRENcE--WoR
PRoGREssING.--We regret to learn that
very yexatious affair occurred fifteen
minutes since on the jersey Coast, where
a shaft is being sunk for the Franco
American Tunnel. A quantity of nitric
nitro nitrate, used for blasting purposes,
accidently exploded, with loud report,
tearing up two hundred and fifty square
miles of New Jersey, to depth, in some
places, of eight thousand feet. We be-
heve few lives were lost.
The work on the tunnel is progressing
briskly, and it is thought this submarine
channel of communication between
France and America will be completed
by Christmas. 1t will be a handsome
tunnel, much larger and more commodi
Gus than that constructed from San Fran
cisco to Australia last year. 1t will be
used chiefly for the transmission of slow
freight, on Professor Philo's plan, by
means of which we understand, packa.
ges can be sent over in about three min.
utes.
The MooN-WEATHER AND CRoPs--
THE WAR, Erc.--A gentleman just Ie-
turned from the moon states that there
was heavy thunder storm there night
before last. 1t was accompanied by a
dashing rain that will prove highly bene.
fetal to the crops. The latter will be
the best known there for days...... The
civil war has abated, and it is thought
the insurgents will give up their cause.
No fighting of any account is men toned.
A skirmish occurred Thursday morning,
in which from one hundred thousand to
one hundred and fifty thousand were
killed. 1t lasted but three or four min
utes, and attracted but little notice..
The project for turning the moon so as to
present her reverse side to the earth is
working to charm, and will be fully
consummated by the middle Of next
week.
A CoUNTRYMAN RoBBED.-A verdant
young man from the rural district bad
his pocket picked this morning of about
six million dollars. AS he is a poor
man, the police made great efforts to re-
cover bis money, and finally succeeded
in arresting the offender. Most of the
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