The Portland daily press., 1872-12-31

road from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico, |
the laying Of the Porto Rico and Jamaica |
cable, and the completion of the Australian |
telegraph, so that on the 10Th of November |
the mayors of New York and Adelaide,
South Australia, exchanged congratulations
through 1900 miles of wire! A railroad
was opened for travel in Japan few weeks
ago, and another is in progress of cOnstruc-
ton, while the telegraph is to be thrown
open to the public. Before taking leave of
the subject of Geographic communication it
should he mentioned that the English cables
have been bought by Cyrus W. Field and an
association of English capitalists and the
office Of the company removed to London.
The Duplex transmitter, by means of which
messages can be sent in opposite directions
over the same wire at the same moment, is
about to be adopted by the Western Union
Telegraph Company. Brazil is building II
narrow gauge railroads, whose aggregate
length is 27G0 miles.
The wrestling of the Erie road out of the
hands of Gould and the ring thieves, last
March, by the true owners of the road, the
recent restitution by Gould of 100000 in
stolen property to the officers of the road,
the continued prosecution of Tweed, Hall
and other Tammany thieves, and the removal
of the Tammany Judges Barnard, Cardozo
and M'Cunu by impeachment, enforced re-
signadon and death, have left the moral at
mos ohere of New York trife purer.
The leading item of scientific interest is
the wonderful success of the weather signal
service of the United States. Even the ap-
proach of the ''frost waves" formerly known
as ''cold snaps" has been foretold with al
most unerring accuracy. I'rof Watson of
Ann Arbor has discovered two more aster-
oids. The Hassler expedition, with Agassiz
and other sdodns on board, brought home 1877
barrels and packages of specimens for the Har-
ward natural history collection. A least five
new minerals with extraordinary names have
been discovered. The use of compressed air as
amotive power has made considerable progress
both here and in England. In the latter
country its use in connection with coa-cut-
ins machines has resulted in great saving of
labor.
t. RECORD OF HORRORS.
But the unpleasant part Of the years histo-
ny presses for attention. First in order of
Importance, though its great distance pre-
vents +. Ill realization of its horrors, is the
famine in Persia which has resulted in the
death of 10 less than 5000, 900 human beings.
Then come the conflagratio is, which are
numberless. Among them may be mention
ed the Boston fire, Nov. 8 and 10, loss about
Sot 100000; on the same day, the city flour
mills, London, loss $500,000; Music Hall,
oxford, loss 100000; Canterbury Cathedral !;
burning of servant girls at Fifth Avenue Ho-
tel; the Escurial, the most imposing palace
in spain; great fire in Jeddo, involving loss
ofS1.OO0.000 .destrn"t"- # the town of Aver
Niblo's Garden,
Barnum's Cire Is,
Dusseldorf gallery
10.
Earthquakes have been frequent and some
OF them very disastrous. That at Lone Pine,
California, March Goth, killed 80 persons and
wounded many more. That which occurred
in japan in June destroyed 500 persons !;
another destroyed the town of Shamaka, in
Asiatic Russia, Jan. Goth, and fourth half
destroyed the city of Antioch in Asia Minor.
An eruption of Vesuvius of more than COM
hon violence began ON the 25th of April, and
much property was destroyed. Other disas-
tiers arising from natural causes have been ex
tremely frequent. The fearful gales of Nov.
18th in England and the North of Europe wreck
ed sOvessels, destroyed villages and submerged
whole islands. In May great food drown
ed 400 persons in Australia. The overflow of
the restless river Pc has rendered 900 peo-
pie homeless in the city of Ferrara, while
from the same cause Reggie has disappeared
The recent rain storm has completely mum
dated parts of England and France. The
town oil Paazzuolo was destroyed by hurri-
cane, Nov. 9Th, "a persons killed and 1000
families rendered homeless. The Newfound-
land seal fishers lost II vessels and forty-fve
lives during the last year. 1t is feared that
one of the half dozen exploring expeditions
now shut up in the Arctic regions is lost
Disasters to vessels, especially those belong
ing to citizens of this country, have been I'M
us ually frequent. The '.Metis'' Of the New
York and Providence line, sunk in a collision,
carried down fifty passengers. By the burn
ing of the Pacific Mail Steamer 'sBienville'' a
large but unknown number of lives were lost.
Fifteen persons died in consequence of the |
explosion of the 'Malvern" on the Missis.ip-
pi, July 80. Out of SO persons on board the |
Missouri of the New York and Havana
line when it took fire Oct. 22d, only 16 escap-
ed destruction. The railroad accidents have
been quite numerous and rival the worst hor-
rors of former years. The worst of
which we have preserved record are
hat which killed and wounded six cen
vt Scranton, Penn. and that at Belle
1ille, Canada, on the Grand Trunk, June %,
~ which % persons were killed and so badly
On Tuesday of last week train
IN the Buffalo and Pttsburg road broke
through bridge, and killed or wounded near
y 80 persons, burning the passengers impris-
med in the overturned car in the most shock
ng manner.
The past year has been one of general
eace, but our Gen. Crook in a little affair
With the Apaches of Arizona killed 80 of them !
n one September day. The raids over Rio I
Srande by Mexican marauders would have ,
iven rife to bloody retaliation in warlke Z
ines, but as it is we only have claims agaipst ,
Iexico FOR, say $1O0,00O,0Oo. The British 8
eported in the early part of the year some
accesses against the Looshais. warlike +
.ibe still unsubdued in Northern India. The T
being short, bombarded Port au +
rnce, Hayti,on the 18Th of June, as a means q
'collec ling little bill The fruitless strug- 8
6 has continued in Cuba during the entire fl
ar, but that in Mexico ended with the
,ath of Juarez in July. There have been d
e usual number of Carlist outbreaks in o.
,ain. A Republican outbreak occurred in e
{ garrison at Ferrol, Spain on the 18th of II
;tober, but it vas suppressed in few DAYS a,
thout much bloodshed. The Jews of Rou- q,
ana were attacked by fanatical Turks. h,
bruary 2, and number of them xii ed al
AssASsINATIONs. al
Lord Mayo, Governor General of India to
Is killed by convict at Fort Blair on the to
of February. An attempt ON the life of w
ng Amadeus of Spain was made on the 10
tn OF July, and it is said that his recent ill OF