The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-03-04
The Ingenuity of Necessity

No General Post-office in the wide world
conducts Its operations under such crushing
disadvantages,and with as marvellous ability
and fertility Of resource, as is being dis
played in Paris We are told on reliable
authority, that within the last few days a
pigeon arrived in Paris freighted with des-
pate hes thai filled from three to four col
umns Of a newspaper, besides 10000 mes
sages to private individuals The Able
NIoigno has furnished an interesting ac-
count of the process in miscrocOpic photo
graphy, by which this miracle Of applied
science is accomplished The messages
are reduced to point of a millimetre-
0.03937 of an inch square. NJ. Dagron,
the inventor of the process, is able to re-
duce a whole page of the JOarnet Oficiel
to the square Of millimetTe When the
pigeon arrives in safety at bis destination
with its precious load rolled in the barrel of
a small quill, the reading and transcription
of the reduced matter is, by the use of the
necessary optical appliances, accomplished
with ease. The weak point in the pigeon
post system is that the flying courier will
start from any point to which it can be con-
veyed, but has Dut one destination. The
speed Of an express tirst-class carrier pi-
geOn is equal to that of the limited mai" +"
Audobon, the eminent naturalist, computed
the speed of the American wild pigeon at
above a mile a minute. Another postal
appliance in Paris not less wonderful than
the pigeon post, is the balloon service, Of
which Mr.. GODDARD is chief aeorcnautical
engineer. The splendid station Of the Or
leans Railway has been converted into q
balloon mandatory. The balloons con
structed BY NJ. GODDARD for the postal ad
ministratiOn are spherical and 16 yards in
diameter, with cubical content Of about
1916 yards. The material employed is 3
strong glazed cambric, oiled and vanished
When inflated and loaded, they weigh
about a ton, including 6000lb. ballast, three
persons weighing say 15Olb. each anC
,OOOlb. weight of dispatches. They eos
about f25O each. Verify the great wal
will be long remembered, not only from
the before unheard of horrors inflicted, bu
also from the wondrous inventions or adap
tatlons 1t has originated.
NEWSPAPERS. are 5000 news
papers in the United States, or one to every
1000 inhabitants POO in Great Britain
and $40 in France, or one to every %,
900; 70O in Prussia, or one to every 26,
; 600 DOC in Italy, or one to every $4,000
500 IN Austria, or one to every los, 900
800 in Switzerland, or one to every 5000
/. 20 in Belgium, or one to every Is, 900
20 IN Holland, or one to every $4,000
200 ir Russia, or only one to every $50,
OOO 200 in Spain, or one to every 75, ,00O
loO N Norway and Sweden, or one t
, every 10000; and 100 in Turkey, or Cd
to every 100000.
The eighth decennial census of the Brit
lsh Islands will be taken on the Sd of Apr
next simultaneously throughout the Who'll
Of Great Britain and Ireland. In takin
the census there a chedule is left at eac
house, and on the appointed day the enl
meTaung officer for each petty district cal
; and receives it filled up with list Of th
persons who actually slept in the house Q
the preceding night, giving his assistanc
when necessary in filing up the blank. b
this system It is impossible for any perso
to be counted twice.