Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-01-12
Illinois Preserving the Earth's Equi-
lihrium.
Tom Hughes in McMillan's Magazine

AUIluHs
Tom Hughes in McMillan's Magazine
Galena is undoubtedly the center Of
rich mineral district, indeed one may
say exceptionally rich, for it seems that
silver grows there. A shaft near the
town was abandoned for some years.
When opened again lately, an old chain
which had been left hanging there by
former explorers, was found coated
with silver instead of the futile rust OF
the old world L ventured to cross-ex'
anime the mining engineer Ia matter-of-
fact, successful person who told me the
story, and was convinced that he was
not ioking, and believed himself that
all metals grew. But the most amusing
case of faith in Galena that we came
across was that of one whom | may per-
haps call typical Western adventurer;
He came out young, and had trled
many ways Of life, including that OF I'M
dertaker, encouraged to this branch of
business by a serious epidemic. AS the
ordinary funeral apparatus was scarce
in Illinois at that time, he converted
light wagon he had into hearse by the
aid of some black trappings, and in it
he drove famous old trotter which he
had brought from the East. The trade
throve with him until one day when he
was called on to convey welEknown
citizen and justice of the peace to his
last resting-place. There would seem
to have been considerable gathering
of wagon owning neighbors to the cere-
mony in question, and when the pro-
cession started one or two of them kept
pressing up on the TANKS of the hearse.
Somehow the pace would keep quick
ening, till at last, about mile from the
cemetery, in order to hold his place at
all the undertaken was obliged to drop
his hands, shove out his feet and cry
"g-lang" to his old trotter He brought
up at the cemetery with a clear lead,
though the chief mourner made pretty
good time; but possibly in consequence
of an accident which happened to the
coffin, or because the epidemic abated,
soon after left his mournful occupation.
Turning his attention to mining and
land investment, he became the convert
of an ingenious mining speculator and
theorist, who has established to his own
satisfaction that Galena and the imme-
date neighborhood are the heaviest
therefore prove the ichest in metals.
From cursory perusal OF the pamphlet
in which the proofs are given, gather
the argument to be that the rotary mo-
ton of the earth makes it certain that
the weight is pretty evenly divided,
and that America is, in fact, about as
heavy as the three old continents put
together. But, having regard to the
immense disproportion between the ag
gregate superficial area of Europe and
Asia and that of North America, it is
clear that the latter must be composed
of vastly heavier material, otherwise
the world would be lop-sided, and its
motion entirely different from what we
experience. This extra weight can
only be caused by an immense prepon.
derance of metals on the American side
and abstruse calculations show that Ga
lena is the precise spot where the great
est mass of them will bc found to exist
I give the information FOL what it may
be worth to intending investors. There
are wilder crochets about in the West by
scores.
Ship-buildlng i'm Great Britain.
Great Britain is making good use O
the advantage she has gained in the
business of ship-building. According
to the latest number of the Londor
SHIPPING Gazette she turned out of hel
various building yards in 1870 974 yes
sells, with an aggregate tonnage of 342,
706 tons. Of these 433 were steamers
representing a carrying power Of 225,
1902 tons; 499, representing So, $50
tons of measurement, were built O
timber, and AS vessels, of 271,76O ton!
aggregate burden, were of iron, while
30.@vessels, of 12,4l6 tons, were of com
posite manufacture. The increase ovel
the previous year in the construction O.
iron vessels as compared to that Of
wooden ones was as five to one. The
largest number of vessels (105) were
built at Glasgow, 90 came from the ship
yards of Sunderland, II from Newcastle
So from Liverpool, and the rest from
other ports. OF the whole number
built in Great Britain 70 steamers and
% sailing vessels passed into the hands
of foreigners. The commercial feet o.
the United Kingdom and her colonies
now possesses carrying capacity nearly
equal to that of all other nations com.
bined 1t is twofold source of wealth,
iDasmuch as it aids and stimulates at
the same time the general commerce OF
the kingdom and furnishes an indie
pendent and profitable branch of bust
ness in carrying the merchandise Of
other countries to and from their vari
Gus markets. On the other hand the
United States, with vast stores of pro
auctions for foreign markets, unlimited
energy and pluck among their capital
lists, and the most active and intelligent
body of working-men in tle world, have
merchant marine but little more than
sufficient for their own coasting trade
The comparison is humiliating, to say