davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09
4 Long Dance.

Jimmy Kennovan finished his thirty
one hours dance at 2 o'clock at night,
says a Valligo, California paper. Jimmy
Kept i'll locOmotion throughout the
whole time announced, only taking q
brief recess for the purpose of bathing
his feet and having brief respite. At
this time he showed few symptoms of
over-exertion. Ills feet were slightly
swollen, but he otherwise seemed as
fresh as when he commenced. His ex-
tremities were bathed by hi trainer
with brandy, which proved most ex-
cellent specific for the purpose for
which it was used. Before the expira-
ton of the ten minutes allotted Jimmy
began to feel sleepy, and was glad to
begin his exercise again as soon as
possible. At frequent intervals he
drank wine with raw eggs as an invigor-
ant. His appetite was also keen during
the trial, and he ate heartily. When
the last twenty minutes before the ell
apse of the thirty one hours had come,
Jimmy, who it seemed, had husbanded
his strength for the close, "let himself
out. He seemed as fresh and more
vigorous than when he first began, and
he danced the last three dances with an
energy and a heartiness which would
have put to blush youth of sixteen.
Jimmy, in fact, did not stop when 3
o'clock struck, but kept on going for
nearly ten minutes longer. When the
feat was finished he departed with his
trainer for his lodging, where he was
placed in a hot bath, rubbed down, and
put to bed The spectators during the
evening enjoyed themselves III singing
and dancing, and passed the time very
agreeably. Jimmy slept calmly and
peacefully until o'clock the nextmo
ing, when he arose and dressed himself.
He made his appearance upon the street
that forenoon, apparently as fresh as
ever. For person sixty years of age,
the feat which he has performs dis truly
remarkable.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09

In New Mexico, where young ladies
are scarce, five men wooed the same
damsel. The lovers, it seems, were
all equally poor --disreputable
The girl didn't love any of them, but
waxed warm, the lovers began to in
dulge in threats of shooting and throat
cutting, and one of them, more savage
than the rest, declared he would cut the
throat of the girl himself sooner than
see her the wife of any of his rivals.
This so frightened the girl that she re-
solved on flight. Making ample, but
secret preparations, she fled one morn
ing, on horseback, to the rancho of a
friend, distant nearly n hundred miles
from her home. The next day her flight
was discovered, and the five lovers set
out in pursuit, every one of them de-
termined to catch her and marry her, or
die. They rode in company till the
horse of one began to fall behind, when
he insisted that the others should slack
en- their speed, SO as to give him an equal
chance. This they refused to do, where.
upon he drew his revolver and began tC
fire at their horses. This so maddened
the four other lovers that they opened
fire on their assailant, and shot him and
his horse, but not till he had wounded
and lamed two of their horses.
The owners of the two wounded
horses, seeing that they would be dis
tanced in the race, demanded that theil
comrades should give them an equa
chance by all going on foot. This pro
position being declined, second figh
was Immediately begun, which ended il
the death of two of the combatants, ant
the wounding of the other two so seri
ously that they could not proceed.
After two days of suffering, thu
wounded men were found by party o
explorers, and sent to cabin whor they
could have such help as the limited re
sources of a frontier settlers famil,
could supply. There one of them sooI
died, and the other, after long illness
convalesced sufficiently to ride away OIL
horseback in search of some old com
panions. He did not propose to go il
pursuit of the girl again, as he haC
heard of her marriage to cousin whc
was skillful with the bowie-knife, and
! dead shot.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09

During the progress of the excavation
of the ruins of the Centre street fire In
New York, where seven lives were lost,
relatives of those who were missing also
crowded about the ruins, and with eager
and watchful eyes pounced upon every
object which they thought resembled a
liuman figure. Among others was the
yoting man, McGrath, whose sister is
among the missing, and who remained
in q position above the workmen the en-
tire afternoon. At intervals OF an hour
he would leave the ruins and hurriedly
cross the street. where was sitting shiv-
ering with the cold an old woman, thinly
and poorly clad. Approaching her at
one time with tears in his eyes, he said,
his voice qrivering with emotion,
There is no sign of her yet, mother;
I'm afraid we'll never find her"
Oh, Mike, don't say that; let lis
place our trust in God.
The young man walked quickly across
the street and was again at his post
watching as intently as ever. The pres
ence of the old lady, together with her
violent sobbing, attracted many around
her, but she seemed to take no notice of
what was going on, keeping steady
gaze upon her son. When it began to
grow dark he left the building, and
coming over once more to his mother,
asked her to go home, as nothing more
could be done. At first she was I'M
willing to comply, but at last went off
i'll the direction of the ears. When she
had left the son turned around, and in
low voice, scarcely andible, said
God help her" In conversation with
the writer, Mr.. McGrath said that his
sister and himself kept house for his
mother that she might enjoy the latter
days of her life in comfort. "I know"
said he, "she can never bear up with
this loss, and what is most troubling me
now is that she as well as my poor sister
will soon leave me-"
Mrs. Donohue, who lost her two oldest
daughters cher main support) at the fire,
was unable to bear up under her loss,
and lost her mind. Around her bedside
clung her four remaining children, who
were crying, but who are yet unable to
realize the critical condition of their
mother or the sad and untimely end of
their older sisters. The mother was
slightly better yesterday, and spoke
very nationally, but it is believed if she
is permitted to view the remains of her
two girls that she will never recover.
Her entire cry yesterday was "Oh !!
the worst is to come yet" Father
Mooney, of ST. Bridget's Church, made
allusion to the unfortunate girls yester-
day, and asked the congregation to pray
for them.
After dark the scenes in and around
the station-house where lay the body of
Fanny Stewart We're appalling. Mothers
who had lost their children, and who
had watched the labors of the workmen
all the afternoon, with their feet i'm
bedded in the cold, damp snow, called
on the Captain to procure information
of "what would be done on the NOR
row 2" "if he thought all the other
bodies were as distigured as the one
found % and hundreds of other ques-
tions which he answered as best he
could.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09
A Child Seized by Panther and Saved by
Dog.

A panther recently attempted to carry
off a child, in Nevada. The child, which
was little girl three years old, was
playing before the open door, while its
mother was sweeping. The panther,
which had crept near, suddenly leaped
upon the child, seized her by the shoul-
der, and turned to flee with her, when a
powerful and ferocious mastiff that was
sitting in the house, near the open door,
dashed out and seized the panther by
the throat. The wild beast dropped the
child, which was not hurt, and then a
furious fight ensued between the pan
ther and the mastiff. The dog tore open
the panther's throat with his teeth, and
the panther tore the flesh from the dogs
sides with its claws. The mother of
the child rushed out and rescued her
darling from beneath the feet of the
maddened combatants, carried her into
the house, and then seizing a loaded
rifle that was standing in a corner, she
fastened to the help of the mastitf. She
fired almost at random, but the bullet
struck the panther in the shoulder and
passed clear through his body. He fell
to the ground, and the dog, now utterly
furious with the rage of combat, soon
finished him.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09
Waste in Steam Engines.

This waste arises from variety of
causes list, bad firing, which means
bad combustion 2nd, insufficient sur
face to absorb the heat 3rd, an unclean
condition of that surface, either from
internal or external deposit or both !;
1th, faulty propOrtioning of the parts
of the boiler to each other and to the
work to be done, which causes heated
water to be carried over with the steam
"a cause of deficiency of evaporation,
which, however, so far from being as
rule detected goes to swell the apparent
duty of the boiler.
But firing may result in the fire being
too thick or, too thin or irregular. If
too thick the carbOnic acid that is gen
Grated by the combustion of the lower
part of the fuel with which the air first
comes in contact is changed in its pas
sage through the upper part of the fuel
into carbonic oxide, by absorbing from
the fuel a second equivalent of carbon.
Ii this gas, carbonic oxide, does not
meet with free atmospheric air, and
meet with it at a suitable temperature in
the upper part of the furnace, it must
remain unconsumed, and will pass
through the flues or tubes of the boiler
and make its escape into the air, carry
ing with it the valuable unconsumed
carbon of the coal in a gaseous form. 1t
is commonly said that smoke is uncon-
sumed fuel. This is true but it is not
commonly recOllected that there may be
invisible smoke arising (eyen from a
coke-tire) which shall contain the highly
combustible ingredient carbonic oxide
gas. When it is remembered that every
pound of coal burnt into carbonic acid
is capable of evaporating about 13 lb. of
water from 2l2 deg, while a pound of
coal, converted only into carbonic oxide,
is capable of eyaporating but h., it
will be seen how necessary it is that no
mismanagement of the fire should cause
portion of the fuel thus to escape un-
burnt up the chimney. Another defect
in the management of fire Tan opposite
defect. as it were) by which coal may be
wasted is the admission of too much
air; and this arises when the fire is too
thin in relation to the chimney-draft, or
when Ga more common evil it is thin in
places, owing to the negligence of the
tiremen in keeping it properly levelled.
The way i'll which waste arises from
these causes is that unnecessary air is
introduced into the fire at a temperature
of, say, 60 deg, and that this air has to
be heated, and then (even if the heat
be distracted from it, as far as practi-
cable by the boiler) it will escape up the
chimney at temperature of from 200
deg to 800 deg. in excess of that which
it had and the whole of this excess re-
presents wasted coal. Thus, on the
one hand, it is of Importance that there
should be proper amount of air to Sc
cure the perfect conversion of the car
bon into carbonic acid and, on the
other hand, it is most desirable that
this amount should not be exceeded, in
velving the necessity of uselessly heat
ing air not wanted for combustion.
Such happily balanced state of things
it is almost impossible but not absolute
ly impossible, though only attained at
competitive trials, and when these trials
are conducted by highly skilled men.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09
Matrimonial IncOmpatability,

The Rev. DIR. Peabody, in a late es.
say, touches tipon this delicate subject
after the following fashion
The truth is that The greater propor4
ti6n 0f the so-ca1led incompatibilities
and iintonBenialities of domestic life
which are so often inade the ground for
the disruption df the matrimonial bond,
ave iiiadmissible as a justifying ground
for any such dissolution, and could be
readily overcome and blotted out of ex-
istence if the parties most concerned
had only the will to do it. A couple
are no sooner married than they find
that differences of opinion and mstual
jars elstle, and a1l is hot gold that
glistened and then one or both
straightway imagine that there is no
remedy but in ruthlessly breaking the
solemn, sacred tie that binds them. A
vague, restless feeling seizes upon one
or both, producing discomfort, engend-
erihg a certain thought of present bond
age which exists only in fancy, and
creating feverish desire for other as
sociations and spheres which are sup
posed to be more fitted and providenN
TALLY designed for the mind and heart
No escape but in cutting the knot. 1t
is delusion. The marriage relation
in all its history, was never expected to
be entirely free from misunderstanding
and discords. Foolish to think that
the whole mutual life can flow on, like
the early stream, without ripple or an
eddy. Home is a school, discipline,
whereby husband and wife are to grow
into each other, getting rid of their an
gularities, harmonizing their peculiar
characteristics, and more and more be-
coming one in thought, sympathy and
life. The true blessedness of welded
souls is not insured by simple ex-
change of plighted faith. 1t comes
through and after many a self-denial,
many crucifxion of the will, many a
scourging of the resentment, anger,
pride, vanity, and passions of the
heart. 1t is true here, as in other rela-
tions, that he who saveth his life shall
lose it, and he that loseth his life shall
save il.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09
Second Sight.

When I was child and read fairy
tales, / used to wish that I had the
invisible cap," that I might go where
chose without the knowledge of any
other mortal. | can't say wish it now,
for if people use me as they do other
folk--and what more likely ?---I should
be apt to hear no good of myself, and
to be in chronic state of rage on ac-
count of the ten, fifteen, or twenty
years added to my age by my dearest
friends, who knew me first when
was a married woman and they were
only schoolgirls. l should hear criti-
cisms on my dress, and my tricks and
manners" and hear old bachelors speak
of me as designing widow, on whom
it was dangerous to call in Leap-year.
No, I've given up my desire for the
invisible cap, but really should like to
have second sight. 1t must be con-
venient. If had an old Scotch uncle
or aunt possessed of the accomplish
ment, L should sit down and write to
him or her, and say:
"Make your abode with me for life.
Live in my heart and pay no rent. You
will be more useful than the washer
woman, and more necessary than the
cook" And / should not set that aunt,
if it was an aunt, to washing dishes. l
should provide her with big arm
chair and bottle of whatever is neces-
sary, and set her to "speering forth
with.
There she would sit in her chair, all
handy, and when 1 said, "I'll have cod
fish for dinner, she would say:
Il ~ ATary- -
And would say, "Why not ?"
And she would say:
"All the Topslices are soming to dim
ner. l see um.
And then / should make preparation
of roast and boiled, and OF dessert and
of after dinner coffee, to say nothing of
before dinner soup, and not writhe with
anguish when the smell of Goldfish and
the Topslices burst into the hall to-
gether.
When 1 put on that light silk dress
and that new bonnet, and took that new
parasol in the fingers of my new gloves,
with a blue sky overhead, perhaps
Aunty would begin to groan and would
say; ,,
But wouldn't that be better than to
be caught in the rain ? 1 should think
so.
She would have visions of Biddy CIV
ing away the cold mutton to her cousin
at the area gate, and would know why
we always had SO little butter and SO
much soap-fat.
In fact, she would be better than any
private detective, and no end of COM
fort to everybody. ---Led9er.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09
Beware of Poisoned Tea.

A physician from the country was
passing down town restaurant a few
days ago, and feeling little famished
after long ride in the cars, he stepped
in and ordered a cup of black tea. AL
most Immediately after partaking of it
he felt sick at his stomach, and soon he
commenced vomiting, which continued
through the night. Twenty-four hours
afterward he had not fully recovered.
The doctor attributed the effect to ver-
digris in the tea, which may have been
used as coloring matter, or derived from
the copper pans on which the tea was
dried, or from the vessel in which it
was drawn.
We have heard of other instances in
which verdigris was discovered in black
tea. --EIchange.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09
How to DealWitl Blackmailers.

The JOuu7,ai Of Commerce very sensi-
bly, says: We do not undertake to advise
a person exactly what to do when a
blackmailer calls to try his game upon
him. We would not deliberately recon-
mend throwing him out of third or
fourth story window into the street If
an honorable man is so transported with
just Indignation at the sight of black
mailer as to be attacked with "tempor-
ary insanity" and should hurl the fell
low through the window, sash and all,
we think it would be hard to convict him
of homicide. Similarly, if he should
kick the scoundrel down three or four
flights of stairs and give him parting
"raise" at the door, which would land
him in a mud puddle in the middle of
the street, we could safely insure him
against excessive damages for assault
and battery. Much must be pardoned
to the glow of righteous wrath; and
these summary processes do have
the advantages of neatness and dispatch
but we will not gravely commend their
adoption. The black-mailer should be
handed over to the police. If he at
tempts to escape arrest, he should be de-
tanned, with whatever force is necessary
to keep him quite and docile. Some
people would employ more force and
others less. Those unfortunately impul-
sive persons who cannot restrain them
selves, would possibly mark him with a
black eye---and that would assist in his
dentifcation---bu the great object is to
keep the scoundrel fast and tight till the
policeman responds. In the present
public humor, we think that jurors and
Judges would make short work with
these crawling pests of society.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09
Horrors Of Cuban Warfare.

A correspondent of the New York
Herald, writing from the battlefield of
Viamones, in Cuba, where the Spaniards
lately defeated the Cubans, gives ter
rible picture of the horrors of the war
now desolating that island. No prison
ers are ever taken. The enemy's
wounded left upon the battlefield are
all slain by the victors. Their throats
are cut; their arms and legs are cut off ;
in some cases the top of the head is cut
off with with machete---a large heavy
knife resembling a broadsword; and in
some instances, the bodies are too
shockingly mutilated for description.
Such treatment Of wounded men is dis
grace to civilization.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09
A great botanican work by Prof. d.

A great botanican work by Prof. De-
caisne on the genus Pyrus, or pear-trees,
has just been published at Paris, in the
French language of course. There are
fourteen hundred varieties of this fruit
in the Jardon DIES Plantes. The author
regards all cultivated pears as belonging
to one species, divided into six races,
which he names 1st. Celtic 2nd. Ger
manic Sd. Hellenic 4th. Pontic; 9th.
Indian, and 9th. Mongolian. The pears
of France, which it seems are used ex-
tensively in the manufacture of cham
pagne at Epernay, belong to the Ger
manic race, which also includes our own
common pears. Thus far a natural clas-
sifcation of pears has been found i'm
practicable, and the arrangement adopt
ed is that of grouping them according
to the period Of ripening.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09

A pumpkin pie, ten feet in diameter
and four feet deep, was the chief feature
of a California dinner recently. The
enjoyment of the guests was somewhat
marred by child falling into the pie
and drowning before their eyes.
The New York herald., 1873-09-02
Marine Disasters.

SHIP ASSAM VALLEY (Br), Daken, from Pensacola for
Liverpool, abandoned at Aug "A. Captain Daken
says:-"Aug q, lat "a "a N, Ion CT 40 w, moderate
breezcs from EsE, the sky overcat took light sail
PM a heavy running from sE made preparations
for gale, which came on at midnight Friday. 22d.
at 6 AM, hove TO on port tack, under lower main.
heaVS .ea SSorRg
shipping large quanes Of water on the after main deck
the Is ws s and
iUnnS % called and on PM ali
.s hsd at ns M '%0 OF
sde p r. s t Ss nsn
.%pea ana He any as Ss
handles saS s and %af NJ mp
.S ga udds4 4A and r1s %h Il 1 .1 ss asss @
load the lee side aoatod and falling against tne
hs s hoa @
@ o d bsTsy s 9" @ sst on SsS
steward not known who was IN the cabin a, the
srescn @ over her, The
away and in half an hour the vessel rgnted with hS
decks swept tore and ait We then got the poop and
ssesa HsSss 0% %s sssS.d s s
sf the sSw %
sSS SSTn we o he al an eG
there as long as We possibly could S few sticks OF
bulkheadng OF the sail locker, filling the place with
and starting the poop deck We then concluded TO
20 forward and the Captain In making the attempt was
washed oyeroeard but fortunately got entangled IN the
gear and by that means saved, We all got forward
and secured ourselves with lines and though II was the
part Of the ship not the drest as sea after
sea would come in and wet TO our armpts sunday
morning. gath, set in with clear, blue sky, wind south.
west aud more moderate weather We were able to get
up the orccastle and warmth rom the SUM-
We erected a nsgstan and, with a large
Pm sail H9p' was most loyiuy reported from 1.-THE the
foremast head, and on weather bow, bearing down
on us; about 20 the schooner Robert Myhan Captain
harvey Philips from New York for st Kits came
side ana spoke requested TO be taken on
Captain Philips said he would do but his boat was
steve In he tben made coupo Of tackA hoping TO get