The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-12-16

The California four-milc race has been
postponed until Christmas, and all pools
declared off,
The French town of Nerac is about
to be lighted by gas made from cork
waste and cuttings. These are distilled
in a close vessel or rctort, and the gas
obtained is said to be brighter and
whiter Ian that of coal. The blue or
non-luminous zone is smaller, and the
gas itself has greater density than that
from ordinary coal.
BANCROFT, the historian, is getting up
petition to congress to erect n monu-
mcnt at Yorktown, Va, commemorative
of the surrender of CORVALLIS during the
revolutionary war, Congress passed
resolution to build such monument in
1889, but, like the congressional action
relative to the Washington monument, it
has never assumed shape.
AN accidental discovery of great i'm
portancc, if verified, is announced by
French veterinarian, who, noting that
the "foot and mouth disease" seemed in
variably to spare cattle effected with
cow-pox, has vaccnatcd number of
oxen as preventative measure, with the
result that "nOt one of the twenty-five
beasts successfully inoculatcd has, up to
this date, shown any sign of foot and
mouth disease" although living among
animals largely effected with it."
Mr.. 7. A. EDISON, the electrician OF
the Atlantic and Pacific telegraph COM
pany, while experimenting with a light
as Il force, has made u discovery which
may rcvolutionizc tclegraphy. Mr. Edi-
son claims that his experiments have re-
suited in the discovery of a new force o.
nature similar to electricity, and pos
scssing its efficiency without being sub
jcct to many of the influences which
effect the latter. A remarkable feature
in the newly discovered force is that
the earth has no effect upon it as a con-
ductor whatever. Wires operated by
this new agent can work perfectly lying
ON the ground or in any position so long
as they are unbroken. Glass, however,
is a conductor
"SHE can't sit down." said female
custom-house inspector at New York
the other day, as she observed
lady who had just come off Hamburg
steamer standing on the wharf. The
new arrival was pretty, but she looked
very weary. They took her, protesting
against the outrage, into dressing
room, and penetrated the mystery of her
makeup, they discovered that from her
waist down she was solid mass Of
smuggled hair. Luscious golden tresses
twined themselves around her dainty
limbs and surged to her waist, mingling
with raven locks and auburn ringlets.
The officer stripped her, and she then
was able to sit dowu. She was import
ing the plumber for fashionable Broad
way human hair dealer.
ENGLISH detectives also find it is
easier and cheaper to bribe burglars to
deliver up their plunder than to compel
them to deliver up themselves. The
Albert institute was robbed of a silver
service valued at 600 guineas and other
articles of value The police rushed
about in bewildering fury, but found
nobody to arrest and no silver. Present.
ly good-natured fellow offered to bring
all the plumber back on receiving G10O.
A check was made out, and the plundcr
was found secreted in tunnel near the
town and brought back without injury.
And now Dundee debates whether COM
pounding felony is not the cheapest
way of dealing with it. 1t is certain
that the police does not pay as an invest
ment, though like an old f1int'lock with
out stock or barrel it does create wan
derful feeling of security.
THE Edgar Thompson steel works of
Pittsburg, Pa, have just rolled and de-
livcrcd to the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and
st. Louis railroad company, large or
der of steel rails of sixty feet in length
each. These are the first rails of this
length ever rolled in this country, and
the first steel rails of sixty feet in length
ever rolled in any part of the world.
Iron rails of about sixty feet were sue
ccssfully rolled in England some time
ago, and mention was made of the fact in
the London Times as a remarkable event
in the manufacture of railroad iron. The
difficulty attending the production of
rails of more than thirty feet in length
is that of handling the mass of steel to
be rolled. An advantage which the long
rails are said to possess is that OF cheap
ness. They are sold at as low rate as the
shorter, and the saving of time consumed
in laying them is considered by railroad
men to make them desirable for use from