Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-04-03

abundant success. plDEA.
oAyENDIsH.
Snow is from one to twenty feet
leep, and but very little signs or symp-
IONS of springs returning. Many houses
have snow piled half way up the win
dows. and in some cases being obliged to
shovel away snow to let daylight in,
and in MANY places in the common roads
teams travel ten or fifteen feet above the
ground.
-Cayendish has had rather more than
her usual number of balls, parties,
sociables, etc. The Baptist society have
had series of sociables, being both
pleasant and profitable, and the church
has Ebeen very nicely remodeled and
finished, the pews with black walnut,
and the walls beautifully frescoed, etc.,
etc.
A very sad case occurred here yes
terday. A young man named John
Smith, employed as section man, was
instantly killed in the stone cut below
Cavendish depot, falling or sliding from
the snow bank under the train from
Boston, while passing. He was young
man of good habits and character, leaves
widowedmother, three younger sisters,
one being deaf and dumb, and a young
brother, all depending upon him for sup
port. The citizens are very kindly and
literally subscribing money to assist the
poor and destitute family in their hour
of trouble.
Our friend and townsman Colonel
VIM. j. Sperry, by the faithful per-
Torrance of his duties the past year as
first constable, has been reelected this
year, and has since been appointed
Deputy Sheriff, by Sheriff Stimson, of
Ludlow. The Colonel proves himself a
very efficient and worthy officer, never
failing in his endeaYors to do his duty.
W.
March 80, 1873.
DANDY.
Saturday, the god inst, Oliver Fisk
sold his farming utensils and stock at
public auction.
The store belonging to the Bruce
estate, lately occupied by J. G. Griffith
& Co., is undergoing repairs.
AT the school meeting in Dandy
Borough, Austin Baker, Oliver Baker
and Obadiah Hadwin were elected pru-
dental committee.
MOUNT TABOR.
Prescott Thompson has removed to
Dorset.
WONDERFUL TELEGRAPHY.-In lee
ture, recently delivered by Captain John
n. Hills, in Illinois, he related one OF
two of his experiences in telegraphing,
which, if we remember correctly, were
referred to by us at the time of their oc-
currence. The exploits are, however,
so wonderful, of such local interest, and
80 worthy of general publicity, that we
condense, and give herewith, at the risk
Of repetition, full account thereof
from his lecture. He says that on the
I'd day of March, 1868, train on the
Bennington and Rutland-now Harlem
Extension-railroad was snow-boun6
about three-fouIths of a mile from
| Salisbury The weather was intensely
cold; there were no provisions on the
train; fuel was nearly exhausted; night
was approaching, and the situation be
gan to look desperate. Mr.. Hills two
small children were with him, and one
of them, too young to be fed with argu-
ments, clamored for something better.
The superintendent of the road, Mr.. F.
| G.. White, was on the train, but, strange
| to say, the snow would not clear the
tracks for railroad king In his help
| lessness he was entirely at loss for any
means of relief, until Captain Hills,
without instruments of any kind, except
the wire on the poles, proposed, never.
| theless, to telegraph to Rutland. The
superintendent was incredulous, but Cap.
tain Hills quickly cut the wire, and com
municated with the officers of the road
at Rutland, merely striking the ends OF
the wire together-thus making and
breaking the Geographic circuit as he
would have done with the key of an or.
binary operating instrument. An en-,
CINE was Immediately seut to the relief
of the blockaded train. But the entire
operation required the receiving, as well
as the sending, of messages. This was
the crucial test of Captain Hills ingenu.
ity, skill and nerve, and, until this was
accomplished, the superintendent and
passengers felt no assurance that the
message sent had heen intelligibly com.
municated to the officers at Rutland.
Striking his wires together, he wrote to
the operator as follows ''Trouble ;
answer slowly; | am working without
an instrument; | will receive your an
swer through my tongue" He touched
the frosty wire to his tongue, with the
same result, at first, as that enjoyed by
the boy who undertook to lick the frost
from his skatesteel, but found that the
skate knew more about licking than he
did. The wire wouldn't let go until it
was warmed, and then kindly took the
skin off with it. SO the wire was length
ened and carried into the car After it
was warmed, Captain Hills received the
messages by putting one end of the wire
above and the ether under his tongue,
and letting the electric current pass
through it, when he was able to read by
the succession of sharp and somewhat
painful electrical shocks. His success
was perfect and he not only sent and
received messages for the superintendent
but for several of the passengers. The
only i'll consequence of the exploit was
the total loss of taste which Captain
Hills suffered for several days after
ward
Another interesting scientific fact stat
ed in the lecture may be used to sustain
the theory that the aurora borealis, or
northern lights, should be referred to
electrical causes. On the occasion of an
unusually brilliant aurora Captain Hills
found great difficulty in receiving dis
patches. He was trying to obtain the
night reports for the morning papers at
Burlington. Attributing the Interrupt
tions to atmospheric influences he dis
connected his telegraphic battery, and
requested the New York operator to do