The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-01-19

LIFE ABOVE THE CLoUDs.-The first lecture
in the Army and Navy Union supplementary
course, was delivered at Army and Navy Hall,
last evening, by Prof G. H. Hitchcock. The
subject of the lecture was Life above the
Clouds; or Mt. Washington in mid-winter,"
and it proved to be a very interesting and in
structive lecture. A large audience was present,
who listened with close attention to the words
of the speaker. The Professor commenced by
stating that the experience he had gained in
survey of the mountains of Maine some years
since, was probably the reason why he had
thought of establishing an observatory up
on the summit of Mt. Washington. The
advantages of the situation for that purpose on
account of its temperature being vastly lower
than that of the surrounding country, and also
the romance of such an undertaking and the
opportunity to obtain views of the beautiful
winter scenery, were such as to induce his par
ty to undertake the expedition. The results
were important in the highest degree, so that
the War Department has now established a
permanent observatory upon the summit of the
mountain. Some thirty persons not connected
with the party spent a portion of the winter
with them, including several representatives of
the press.
The Professor then proceeded to exhibit Sc
ries of fine stereoscopic views, Illuminated by
calcium lights, illustrating various portions and
familiar localities of the mountain scenery as it
appeared in mid-winter. The average tempera-
ture during the month of December, January
and February, was seven degrees below Zero
but on no occasion it. never rose above the ter
rible level of 40 degrees minus for an entire
day. The velocity of the wind was at times
fearful, but this only served as a stimulant to
keep up their courage. The greatest velocity
ever meased by member of the party was 971
miles an hour, but during the present winter an
official report states that the wind has reached
the enormous rate of $50 miles. The views
were accompanied with detailed statement
of the incidents cnnnected with the life of the
party during the winter of 1S70-71, which prov
ed extremely interesting.
AT the close Of. the lecture, Mr.. Augustine Fl.
Folsom exhibited some fine local and miscel-
laneous views, of noted scenes and objects.
PRECoCIoUs THIEVES. -Wednesday afternoon
a couple of lads offered at the periodical depot
of Mr.. Ezra Andrews, on Centre street, some
gold rings for sale. There were about dozen
of the rings, worth from So to 81 each and
they had tags on them representing the price.
Dir. Andrews suspecting that the lads had stol-
en- the rings, questioned them very closely, but
the lads insisted that a jeweller at the corner of
Exchange street had placed the rings in their
possession to SELL Mr.. Andrews then got the
boys to go back and see what the jeweler would
take for the whole lot, and while they were
gone he sent out to several jewelry shops and
ascertained that the rings were stolen from the
shop of William Senter, esq. The boys return
ed to Mr.. Andrews store and said the owner of
the rings wanted them all returned. Mr.. SEN
ter had not then arrived at Mr.. AS store, and
the boys from some cause became alarmed and
cleared out
Yesterday the two boys were discovered and
they acknowledged stealing fourteen gold rings
from Mr.. Senter's store, two of which they had
sold-one to an oysterman for turnover, the
ring being worth So, and the other to young
lady for rs cents, the ring being the best in the
lot. Both of these were recovered. The boys
are of respectable parantage, but their names
are for the present withheld What will be
done with them we are not informed la.i-