The Portland daily press., 1872-04-23

"A New SAFETY SIGNAL-The Boston &
Maine road has ordered the construction on
trial of a new safety signal, which bids fair to
supply very important want. The in
vention contains dial about four feet in diam
eter, divided as to its circumference into ten
parts. The sets of figures in this dial, from /
to 10, inclusive, are each nine inches in length.
and show white on a large ground of red glass.
Back of the dial and protected from the wealth
er is clock work, and also the light This
dial and the work attached thereto are mount
ed by the side of the tracks on post sixteen
feet high. Another part of the invention is a
laFss. es.gnal arm presenting white with red
spots.
Tho method of operation is as follows: When
a train passes staple on top of the engine cab
strikes trip rod depending from the signal,
which sets the clock work in operation The
result is that the arm giving the danger signal
at once falls, and remains in a horizontal posi-
ton ten minutes. ,-,,. ,. -i-
The d al also begins to revolve and for ten
minutes shows red to indicate danger and at
the same time presents the large figure or fig
ures indicating how many minutes have elapsed
since the train passed. Both the board and the
Illuminated dial can be seen long way off, the
latter being applicable particularly for night
and the former for day trains.
TEMPERANCE SERMON W. H. H. Muir
ray preached at the Park Street Church, Bos-
ton, Sunday, on the subject of temperance, de-
voting the whole day to the discussion He
alluded to the alarming growth of the evil,
which in spite of prohibition, alliances, and
every other opposing clement is steadily on the
increase and now overhangs the community
like cloud Mr., NJ has given much time to
the subject and has thoroughly investigated
the causes of intemperance, though never be-
fore has he made in his pulpit such special and
forcible reference to it. He has been working
industriously and silently, mingling with and
conversing with all classes in the community,
from the lowest to the highest, among whom
he finds the use of intoxicating liquors general
ly countenanced and defended. Mr.. Murray
was rather severe upon the doctors for the
readiness manifested by them to prescribe slim.
ulants to their patients. He characterized it as
one of the worst of the evils among the MANY
that arise from the general decentralization on
this subject. He also pointed out the dangers
to the coming generation arising from the gen
eral use of intoxicating liquors. He told what
he had seen at the lunatic asylums, in the
novels at the North End and in other places
where the blighting curse of liquor had left its
impress. His discourse made profound i'm
preston upon his audience.
CHURCH MUsIo.-The New York correspon-
dent of the Boston Journal says they are to
udNC a INV oty ic VI CuuACii MuSiC III budb City
this year: .r-a51zess asqsi1a
The extravaganza of expenditure is to be
checked In many of the churches the salaries
of .Organists and leaders have been cut down
one half The present fashion is to employ an
0rganist and leader, and secure voluntary choir
quite large from the congregation whose at
tendance can be relied upon. Quite number
of our wealthy churches have adopted this plan,
and it is coming into general use.
News Items by Mail
James O'Neil, who has served more than
eight years in the Rhode Island State Prison
for crime of which he has lately been proved
entirely innocent, was liberated Friday. His
first remark as he reached the street and took a
long breath was, chow sweet the air smells -
A. Mr.. Grass is one of the latest converts to
Cincinnati iHe had better not go up to the
Convention, for there will be crowd of hungry
cattle there.
The funeral of CaptJ. NJ Bradford U. S. N,
son-in-law of ex-Gov. Goodwin, took place in
Portsmouth, Sunday.
Robert S. Higgins, who has been lecturing
on incompetence in Lowell, the past week, was
arrested for drunkenness Sunday. To add to
his trouble, his boarding mistress refuses to
give up his manuscript letters until he pays his
bill.
M. S. P. Laws, the letter stealing clerk of the
Boston Post Office, was sentenced Monday to
term of ten years in the Northampton Jail, by
Judge Lowell of the U. S. Court.
A Washington correspondent states that in
qulries into the employments of $50 delegates
elected by the Republicans of seventeen States
to the National Republican Convention at
Philadelphia show that there are only thirteen
federal officers among them, and of these six
are from Kentucky, which sends also sixteen
delegates who are not office holders, and three
are from Pennsylvania, which sends also fifty
delegates who are not office-holders.
The reports indicate light maple sugar crop
for New England, but for all practical purposes
it can be extended" to meet the demands of
the market by the West India product.
Two counterfeiters were arrested and their
implements confscated by two U. S. detectives
in Boston Saturday. The work has been going
on about six weeks in the third story of 1913