Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-31
miscellaneous Items.

Tracy Peck, Yale '61, has been appointed pro-
fessor of Latin, and Thomas j. Tilncv, Yale 20,
professor of English literature, at Cornell uni
| Versity.
Choral was discovered by Liebg in 1910, but
remained scientific curiosity on the shelves of
the laboratories of Europe until about two years
| ago, when DIR. Licbreich, of Berlin, made known
its value as an an@sthetic to the medical pro-
| fession.
gentleman, on getting a soda, was retiring
from the store without the usual little ceremony
which follows that operation. "Recollect, sir"
said the polite proprietor, eff you should lose
your pocket book, you didn't pull it out here"
The Iowa apple crop in 1868 was 666, 14S bush
els; this year it is estimated the yield will not
| be less than q million and half bushels, or
three times larger than at the last census. In
Polk county the yield was then 10,24S bushels;
| this year in one township (Boomield) the pro-
duct is over $4,000 bushels.
Mr.. c. F. Varley, the electrician, ventures to
| suppose that earthquakes may be sometimes
| due to electrical shocks. The suggestion is de-
rived from the fact that during the earthquake
| of March II, powerful currents of electricity
were flowing through the telegraph cables to-
| ward England.
The highest farm in the world is said to be
| situated four miles from Sherman station on
| the Union Pacific railroad. 1t has an elevation
| eight thousand feet above the sea level Vege-
tables and grain thrive well on this farm, and
| two hundred young apple trees have been set
| out as an experiment
giant bird, the largest creature ever seen
in this country with wings, and it is believed,
unknown to American ornithoOgy, suddenly
| appeared in the town of Winnemucca, Nevada,
| few days since, and remained several minutes
| quietly perched on a housetop to be gazed It by
| the astoniShed multitude.
Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, is situa-
| ted at the large end of the fask-shaped bend in
| the Alabama river. 1t is said that the man who
| lives on the narrow neck part of this land floats
down the river to Montgomery, ties his canoe,
| transacts his business, then floats back home
on the same river. Then he carries his canoe
across the neck.
The sap of the ink plant, which grows in New
Granada, is adopted without any preparation,
says the London Chemist, for the purpose of
writing. 1t shows at first on paper a reddish
tint, but after few hours becomes deep
black. Steel pens are much less affected by
this sap than by ordinary ink. The virtue of
the plant seems TO have been discovered by the
Spaniards.
Olive Logan and Anna Dickinson both refuse
TO be engaged this season through any of the
lecture bureaus. The reason is that the bureaus
are managed entirely by men, and that women
lecturers do not receive fair consideration.
Justin Mccarthy, writing to the New York
Mail about the rejection of the ballot bill, OBJ
serves: "Let me say about the house OF lords,
that |, for one, rejoice at the course they have
taken. 1t was insolent, obstructive, high-handcd;
it was just what the lords, fate-impelled, ought
TO have DONE"
A party of men in johnson county, Kansas,
recently went to place on the Shawnee reserve
called "Snake Den," on snake hunt They
killed lag snakes of all Sizes and of several va
rieties. The largest one was rattle snake,
about three and half or four feet long, with
thirteen rattles and button. They killed, also,
several very large copperheads, which fought
very viciously, but no one received any damage,
only from the stencil in killing them, which
made them very sick for little time. Twenty
five snakes were killed at the same place few
days previous.
On the eastern slope of Clark mountain, Ne
vada, near its summit, there is perpendicular
cliff 25J feet high AT about 100 feet from the
base of the cliff on its front are engraven the
characters | L ID. The cross and letters are of
immense size, being fully sixty feet in height,
and cut into the cliff two and half feet deep
so that they can he plainly seen at a distance
of five miles. By whom this strange workman
ship was done is unknown. The fact, however,
that the letters are the Roman character, and
are preceded by the figure of cross, would
make it appear that it was done by the jesuit
missionaries, who were known to have been IN
that region many years ago. The Indians know
nothing Of its authors, nor have they any ira
ditons concerning its origin.
The Art Journal of London says that Mr..
Walter Smith, head-master OF the Leeds, Brad
ford and Wakefield schools of art, has resigned
his position and accepted an appointment ten
dered him by the authorities of the city of Bos-
ton Massachusetts. as head of training school
of art and museum of art works about to be
established by the state. His position will COM
bne the offices of chief inspector Of schools of
| art, head master of the normal training school
| in connection with the art museum, professor
of sculpture and art lecturer.
The Chattanooga Times says mare fell over
a precipice on Lookout mountain $50 feet high.
After falling about fifty feet she struck on a
solid rock, and, bounding off, fell near hum
dred feet, lodging in the top of a small pine,
and, the harness catching in the limbs, it bent
over and eased her to the ground. A man who
saw her after the accident says that she received
one severe cut on the side. She was standing
on her feet, and appeared to be DOING well,
though he thought she would soon die for want
of attention, having received none since she
fell, and the dies having already blown the
wound.
A discussion has arisen as to whether mack
erel are not subject to dizziness of vision at GER
tain season of the year. While some persons
were fishing for mackerel, early in June, pilot
who came on board laughed at them, and told
them they had no chance of taking the fish with
the hook, because they were blind. TO convince
them he produced several mackerel that he had
| taken with the net, and pointed to film over
the eye, which he said prevented the fish from
seeing when it first made the coast, but that
the film gradually disappeared, and before the
middle of June the eye was perfectly clear, and
the fish then took the bait.
A writer in the Danville (Va.) Times relates
that he lived near the residence of Miss -,
to whom it was said that Mr.. Randolph was en-
gagged to be married, and could see when he
visited her. On one occasion he had been at
her residence a short time, and had left and as
| it was said the marriage would take place short
| ly he thought he would 90 and inquire of the
| old lady She said Mr.. Randolph had left in
| great haste, and told him to go and see where,
in his hurry, he had cut the reins of bis bride,
| instead of untying them. 1t appears that it was
al tbatl
ment whereupon he said: 1t is not my pur-
pose to purchase. When | desire to purchase
shall 20 to the cheapest markell shall 90 to
Africa With this remark he left the house,
went to where his horse was tied, cut the reins
and Immediately departed"
curious Illustration Of the probable loss of
bonds to which no clue can be obtained, where
not registered, is afforded in the recent count of
the old Rutland and Burlington first mortgage
bonds. 1t is more than four years since hold
ers of them were advertised for, and it is
eighteen months since the controversy, which
yexed the Vermont courts for so many years,
as to the status of those bonds, was decided,
and their settlement provided for. Out of
81 800, 900, the whole issue of these bonds,
81 1856 800 have passed into the control of the
Rutland railroad for settlement and conversion
into preferred stock. Of the S43,40 still left
out, the owners of but $4,000 have been heard
Of aud it is not unlikely that the greater part
of the rest have been lost or mislaid, or perhaps
destroyed as Worthless.
writer in MacMillan's for August thus dis.
courses on certain incidents in American travel
Just then the hotel omnibus drove up, laden
with tourists and those vast iron-bOnnd, round
topped receptacles for wardrobes, which ac-
company American ladies on their wanderings.
| have remarked that the old English fashion
for soldity breaks out in this direction of trunks
amongst their descendants in the New World
more than any other. Indeed, ] scarcely know
where else to look for it. Yankee notions in
general may be makeshifts for the day, but
Yankee trunks are built for posterity. Amongst
practical folk the reason is not far to seek.
In no country in Christendom, or indeed in those
| parts of heathendom with which am familiar,
is all manner of unoffending luggage used SO
atrociously as in America. perfect system of
dispatch and delivery is supplemented by a
| brutality of treatment in transit which would
try the constitution OF the toughest bulls hide
bound with brass like Roderick Dhu's SHELBY.
| speak feengy on the subject.
ItATESrp MARK EyHH