The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-02-09

DEATH OF EX-SENATOR GRIMES OF Iowa
We regret to learn the death of Hon. James w.
Grimes of Iowa, which took place Wednesday
evening at Burlington in that State. Mr..
Grimes was a native of New Hampshire born
October 16, 1916. He graduated at Dartmouth
College in 1886, and soon after emigrated to the
the West. He began political life in 1888, with
his election to the Territorial Assembly of Iowa.
He was Governor of that State from 1854 to
1862 In the latter year he was chosen to the
United States Senate, serving as chairman of
he Committee on the District of Columbia,
and also of that on Naval Affairs, on which he
rendered very valuable service. He was re-
elected for the Senatorial term ending in 1871,
but was obliged to retire few years ago on &C
count of the state of his health. He travelled
in Europe and for some time gratifying accounts
were published respecting his improvement in
health; but the disease proved insidious and
fatal. Nlr. Grimes was strong man, honest
and thoughtful in forming his opinions, bold in
their utterance and skillful in their maintenance
in debate. Throughout the period of the re-
bellion he gave the most effective support to
the Government particularly in the increase
and wise direction of the navy; and it is not
lmpIODdDl6 UUdG ne Is 10 D6 COuUueu dDlOIS Uue
martyrs of that trying crisis.
A CORRESPONDENT of the Kennebec Journal
shows that the rank of Maine as respects
education is this: the average attendance of
scholars is lower than that of any other New
England State; our school terms are shorter
than those of any other New England State ex-
cept New Hampshire; we pay less wages to
teachers than any State in the Union except
Virginia. pay less per month to women
teachers than any other State in the Union,
and from thirty to sixty-fiye per cent. less than
the other New England States; the only North
ern State that stands below us in the sum per
capita raised for school purposes is Oregon
Our per centage of illiterate persons among the
native population is less however, than in Yer
mont, Rhode Island or Connecticut. If we
made the same provision for schools that other
States think necessary, it appears from this
that Maine would gain an easy prominence
over its sister States in the intelligence of its
people.
The New Narrow Gauge Locomotive over
which mechanics are SO interested, has been
criticised as incapable of carrying as heavy
trains in the aggregate as the broad gauge. But
competent authority says that it was applied to
WEIGH railroad, where 1t actually doubled the
roads capacity, and removed the previous ne
cessity for laying a double track. 1t s,
itwould seem, two engines in one, two fire box
es, steam chests, smokepipes, etc., and the
power is distributed over the whole space of
the engine and tender One of these engines,
weighing only nineteen and one-half tons, will
take load of one hundred and seven tons up
an average grade of one in ninety-two, with a
proportion of paying to non-paying weight of
three to one. On Russian three feet six inch
es gauge road gross load-exclusive of engine
weighing fortytwo tons-of 354 tons, of which
$50 is paying weight, is carried over grade of
one to eighty.