davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
rer'lous Ride of an Ice voyauer.

a YOUNG man named Melvin rroror
narrowly escaped being carried ovortba
hock-oottom dam on a cake of floating
ice yesterday afternoon. Mr.. Craver
was amusing himself bywatching the ice
near the waterworks and he resolved r.
have short ride. Equipping himself
with piece CT board he stepped unon a
cake of ice. He intended to keep his
slippery craft near the shore, but the
swift current was too much for him and
he drifted toward the middle of the
river. The piece of ice on which the
young man stood was small, and the
waves occasionally dashed over it, max
ing It's surface very slippery. Young
Craver wore pair of rubber boots and
the eSertions he had to make to keep
himself from slipping into the river were
tremendous
AS the Ice upon which he was floating
neared the Rock-bottom bridge the cur
rent moved him toward the north shore.
The bridge was covered with people
watching HIM, and the angry roar of the
dam about twenty rods below sounded
very unpleasantly in his ears. Just be-
low the bridge the ice came quite near
the shore, and some one held out pike
pole toward HIM. In attempting to reach
1t he slipped and fell into the water. He
grabbed the ice with both hands and
with extraordinary agility managed to
climb upon it again. Another attempt
to reach the pole proved successful, and
Melvin was brought to shore, much ex-
hausted, thoroughly drenched, but happy
IN bis rescue at the end of his perilous
ride.-Btnghamt0n IN y Republican,
14pr9E l.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
Published March IS, 1878. I
on DIT I'D OLA

AN ACT to amend Chap. 1874 of the Revised
Statutes, entitled, 'Of Inquests of the Dead
The people OF the State OF Wisconsin, repre-
scented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as
follows
SECTION 1. Chapter one hundred and eighty
four $50 of the Revised Statutes entitled, "Of
Inquest OF Dead, is hereby amended by adding
thereto the following section: Sec. Il. In each
and every county in this State whose inhabitants
exceed in number $1,000 all the duties in the
foregoing sections of this chapter, required
to be performed by Justices of the Peace,
shall be performed by the Coroner ofsuch county,
and such Coroner 1t hereby invested with all the
powers of Justice of the Peace in taking inquests
by virtue Of any of the provisions of this chap
ter, and shall have and exercise exclusive Juris-
diction and power in taking such inquest in his
county, except in case of inability to attend to
such duties caused by his sickness or absence, in
which the same may be performed by any Justice
of the Peace of such county. Sec. 15 Such
Coroner shall be paid quarterly out of the county
treasury of the proper county for the perform
ance OF all his official Duties and in lieu of all
Board OF Supervisors of SAID county, and such
Coroner shall collect for all official services which
he may perform Except in cases of inquesG such
fees as he is now by law entitled to receive, and
shall at the end of every three months, under
oath, report and pay the same to the County
Treasurer of said county Sec. 16. 1t shall be the
duty OF the Board of Supervisors of such county
to provide Tor the use OF such Coroner a suitable
office room at the county seat of the county, and
it shall be the duty of such Coroner to keep in
his said office proper books, containing records
vi al inquests Dy MIN helo settlng 1ortn the tme
and place holding such inquests and the names
OF, the jurors serving thereon, together with a
brief statement of the proceedings thereof.
Sec. II. Before entering upon the duties of
his office every Coroner who is by virtue of
this chapter authorized and required to take
inquests shall deliver to the proper of
ficer of his county bond subscribed by two Or
more sufficient sureties, in such penal sum as the
Board OF Supervisors of said county may deter
mine, conditioned for the faithful performance of
all his official duties set forth in this chapter,
and that he faithfully account for and pay to the
County Treasurer of said county all moneys which
may come to his hands belonging to said county
and which by virtue of this chapter he is required
to account for and pay as aforesaid. Sec. IS. All
acts in conflict with any of the foregoing provis-
ions are hereby repealed.
SEC 2 This act shall take effect and be in force
from and after its passage andpublication
Approved March S, 1875. A-COPY
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
The Ice Age.

A CRITICAL examination of the various
theories which have been proposed to
account for the climate of the great Ice
Quarterly Journal Of Science by Mr.. Thorn
as Belt, whose observations on glacial
phenomena in Nicaragua and Siberia
have been of considerable interest. Hav-
ing dismissed as unsatisfactory Sir
Charles LyelPs theory of a change in the
relative position of the continents and
the oceans, and Mr.. Croll's theory of an
increase of the ellipticity of the earth's
orbit, MIR. Belt advocates the hypothesis
that great changes have occurred in the
| obliquity of the ecliptic. Mr.. Belt ap-
proaches the question from the stand
point of physical geologist, and seeks
| to show that a sufficient obliquity of the
ecliptic would satisfy many of the condi
tions required by the glacial problem.
Unlike Mr.. Croll, he believes that the
maximum of cold was simultaneous in
the two hemispheres. This contempora-
neous glaciation of both hemis pheres
would abstract from the sea large body
OF water, represented by the ice piled up
around both poles, and would thus lower
| the sea-level to the extent, according to
| the author, of at least 1900 feet. The
| rise OF the level of the ocean consequent
| upon the liberation of water from the
melting ice at at the close of the glacial
period might account for the almost
| universal traditions of the great
deluges. Moreover, Mr. Belt re-
marks that the heaping up of ice
around both poles would alter the figure
of the earth, lengthening its polar and
shortening its mean equatorial diameter,
and would thus give rise to a series of
strains tending to restore its figure of
equilibrium by depression of polar and
elevation of equatorial land. If this
equilibrium had been maintained during
the glacial period converse changes
would be effected on the melting of the
ice; the polar land being then raised and
the tropical land lowered. The author
suggests that the depression of the bed
OF the tropical oceans, attessed in many
parts by the growth of the coral islands,
may be referred to this cause; and an
other step leads him to the speculation
that even volcanoes and earthquakes
may be the result of movements of the
earth's crust, due, not to secular cooling,
as Mr.. Malet supposes, but to the strain
ing forces set up by the melting of tie
polar ice-caps, which would tend to re-
store the equilibrium of the earth's fig
ure. Mr. Belt claims for his theory that
II explains equally the cause of the high
temperature of early tertiary times;
diminished obliquity of the ecliptic pro-
ducing an amelioration of climate, just
as anancreased obliquity would augment
its severity. Of course the magnitude of
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
Published March 10, 1875.
PTER OFF

AN ACT to amend Chap. 157 of the General Law
of 1872. entitled IAN act to revive and restore
Sec. six (6) of Chap. 81 of the Revised Stat
utes."
The people of the State of Wisconsin, repre-
scented in the Senate and Assembly, do enact
as follows:
SEC /. That Sec. 1 of Chap. 157 of the General
Laws of 1872 be amended by adding to said Sec.
one ~ the following words: Pro0ided, That
the said act hereby revived shall not apply
or have any force or application to any action
pending in any court OF this State
wherein an issue OF fact had been
joined before the passage of said Chap. 157
of the General Laws of1S72 that said section as
amended will read as follows: That Sec. of Chap
of the Revised Statutes be, and the same is
hereby, revived, restored and re-enacted, and de-
clared to be in full force and effect: Pr0Uided,
That the said act thereby revived shall not apply
or have any force or application to any action
now pending in any court of this State, wherein
an issue of fact had been Joined before the pas
sage of said Chap. 157 of the General Laws OF
1872.
SEC ,. All acts and parts of acts cOntravening
the provisions of this act are hereby repealed.
SEC. 3. This act shall take effect and be in
force from and after its passage.
Approved March 5, 1873. S@COP4.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
Conflict With a Panther.

LAST Friday night Mr. John K. Markell,
OF Norfolk, st. Lawrence County, in this
State, returned home late, having been
detained by storm, and, going out some
time after to care for his team, was just
in the act of opening his stable door
when he was seized from behind by
panther, which attempted to grapple his
throat, and he was carried to the ground,
falling on his back. SO sudden was the
attack that for moment Mr.. Markill
was partly stunned, but quickly realiz-
ing his danger he attempted to draw his
Jack-knife, at the same time calling loud
ly for help. In the meantime the animal
had fastened his jaws on the side of the
victims neck; but, owing to the heavy
collar on Mr.. Markilps coat, which was
fortunately turned up, and fur collar
around his neck, the animals teeth did
not penetrate the flesh, although the
pressure as described by Mr.. MARKELL
was such as to almost entirely pre-
vent his breathing. His alarm brought
to his assistance large and Zero
cious dog, which at once fastened
on the throat of the formidable foe
The animal then turned on mis- new
antagonist, and for moment a terrific
battle ensued. After prolonged strug-
gle Mr.. MARKELL succeeded in conquering
the animal with a pitch fork and the
dogs help. The panther measured from
tip to tip seven feet five and one-half
inches, was of brownish color, with
legs rather short, but thick and muscular
N Y EgenSn0 Post
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
Superstitions of the Gold Coast.

IN a paper read recently before the
Society of Arts by Thomas J. Hutchin-
son, late British Consul at Callao, The
social and domestic slavery of Western
Africa and its evil influence on CONNER
cial progress, the speaker gave some Gu
rious Illustrations of African supersti-
ton. He said: "In Old Kalabar the
expulsion of the evil one is biennial
custom to purify town from all devils
and bad spirits who, in the opinion of
the Egbo authorities, have taken up
their abode since the last ceremonial.
At certain time number of figures of
the Guy Fawkes style of build are
placed at different corners of streets or
appointed places. These are entitled
Nabikems.' During the three weeks
or month that these effigies are sup
posed to be receiving the bad spirits
into their substance ali trade and bust
ness is sacrificed to the continuous Or
gies with which the evil ones are adjured
to take up their abode in the crude at
tempts at molds Of living things For
these are fashioned to represent not
only men but tigers, Crocodiles, goats,
birds, ETC., as the particular fetish of a
family dictates Till the climax of their
being all on certain evening prescribed
by Egbo order, huddled off and pitched
into the river, amidst yelling, beating
of drums, firing of guns, ringing of the
Egbo bell and creating clamor suffi-
cient, no doubt, to drive any devil
not only out of the town but out of his
wits. This is prolonged further than
the old orthodox ghost time of midnight,
when churchyards yawn and graves
give up their dead, until broad daylight
And as no small part of the reveries are
on the bacchanalian side to them succeed
rows, fights and quarrels, often extend
ing over a week In the Palaver House
The injury done to trade matters by this
state of things is inconceivable. The
superstition of Crabbah, or Ocrah, still
exists on the Gold coast By the Ocrah
or Crabbah, is meant that a custom is
observed amongst the natives of position
and wealth to purchase slave of their
own sex, or sometimes to select one from
amongst those previously in the house,
| and TO bestow on him or her the title OF
Crabbah or Ocrah, the meaning Of which
is that the slave thus named is to DE
looked upon as the soul, spirit, or alter
ct ego of the master or mistress. These
| favored persons wear chain of gold OF
| white beads round the neck, to which is
attached large medallion of gold tc
denote their rank. They are treated
with great indulgence so long as they
| behave we'll In Ashantee, from which
I believe, the custom originally came, the
Ocrahs of the King and great men were
slaughtered on the deaths of their own
ers, as it was intended they should &C
| company them into the next world"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
Proposed Swedish Arctic Expedition.

The Copenhagen correspondent of the
Pail Mall Gazette writes: according to
information in the Atto7bgadet, a new ex-
pedition of discovery to the Arctic seas,
the entire expenses of which are to be
paid by a rich merchant of Gothenburg,
is to leave Norway during the summer
under the direction of Prof. Nordenskjold.
1t is proposed that the expedition should
leave the port of Tromso, one of the
towns situated in the most northern part
of Norway, some time early in June, and
thence proceed direct to Nova Zembla,
where some time will be spent in geo.
logical, botanical and photographic re-
searches; and then, if possible, during
the latter part Of August the expedition
will proceed to the extreme northern
point of the island, whence excursions
will be made toward the northeasterly
part of the Polar seas, which as yet have
never been explored, as we'll as toward
the south with the object of reaching
the mouth of the rivers Oh and Jenisei,
where large quantities of fossil man.
moths and other prehistoric animals are
to be found. If the ice permits
Prof. Nordenskjold will leave here
the vessel and ascend the rivers in boat
especially prepared for the purpose, re-
turning through Siberia and Russia to
Stockholm, while the vessel will pro-
coed through the MatOtoshkin Shar or
the Carlo Sound, and return to Tromso,
where it is expected to arrive early in
October. The voyage is thus only ex-
pected to last about four months, but
sufficient provisions to last fourteen
months will be shipped. Although Nor
wegian whalers have been in these re-
gions, they are as yet, to all intents and
purposes, terra gncOgrs5ta from a scien-
tific point Of view Thus, for instance,
it is not yet known if the Carlo Sea is a
perfect saltwater basin, free of animal
and vegetable life, like the shores of
Spitzbergen, or if it be as poorly pro-
vided with plants and animals as the
Baltic. On the so-called White Island
close TO the mouth of the river OBJ, no
scientific man has ever yet put his foot,
and even the west coast of Nova Zembla
has never been explored The expedition
may, therefore. be expected to obtain in
formation of great value to science if
successful
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
do any damage to his nimble little op-

do any damage to his nimble little op-
pOnents.
AT last, tired of waging an unequal
war, and obliged to own himself CON
quered, he beat hasty retreat. He was
not, however, allowed to get off so easily,
but was followed up by his victorious
foes; and the apparent mystery of such
little birds proving more than a match
for such a formidable looking antago-
mist, armed literally cap-a-pse, as he was,
was quite cleared up; for as he made
Oft, evidently at his best speed, the swal-
lows, with the utmost ease, when left
at an apparently hopeless distance be-
hind, fetched him up, then passed him
I'm what appeared to me most dangerous
proximity, wheeled round, met him on
their return journey, and then, taking
another sharp turn to the right about,
repassed him, and continued repeating
these maneuvers dozen times or more.
The solution of the mystery lay in
their extraordinary power of flight. The
way IN which the swallows made straight
for him, apparently bent on personal
encounter, and then, when the kestrel
was reckoning on clutching them in his
ta1ons, gliding away at tangent, was,
though no doubts tantalizing to the hawk,
none the less amusing and interesting
to me-
"To crown all, when the others had
left off the chase, presumably not think
ing it worth their while to pursue any
farther, it was curious to watch one soil
tary individual carry it on alone with
such seemingly unrelenting vigor that
he seemed actuated by feelings of the
direst revenge. However that might be,
the swallow certainly effectually pre-
vented the discounted foe from pausing
in his enforced retreat. I watched
them until pursueGs and pursued both
vanished from my sight. l dare say
the little swallow continued the pursuit
until he had wearied and exhausted the
hawk.
On another occasion witnessed lit
tie incident which has, to the best Of
my knowledge, the merit of novelty; and
SO hope you will excuse my telling it.
l saw hare running across large park
by the wayside, and was looking about
to see what had started it, but could not
imagine what it could be, as neither man
nor dog was in sight. 1t started again
(for it had stopped and sat in a listening
attitude), and then [ saw that the dis
turbers were flight of swallows, who
were following it up like a pack of
hounds; now one and now another
SKINNED past the hare's ears along the
ground, while the poor, timid creature
was putting it's best leg foremost; but
all to no purpose, for it's relentless tor
mentors seemed to take pleasure in its
fright, and to enjoy the sport of teas
ing it.
[ followed the little group until an
undulation of the park hid it from view,
and was greatly surprised to see the dex-
terity with which the swallows calcu-
lated their distance so as to impress the
hare with the idea that they were flying
straight at her, and yet, when they were
on the point of dashing against her, took
a sharp turn and swept off in curve, to
renew the attack again the next moment "
-HGaper's Weekly.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22

THE ANT PEsT.-One of the most
troublesome pests to the housekeeper is
the ant, especially the little red ant.
Chalking and all sorts of insect-powder
and various other devices have been
tried, but like the weather-signs, which
always "fail in wet weather" they all
seemed to fail in the ant season. Cam
den Nellie" furnishes the Germantown
Telegraph with her experience, which is
the simplest of all She says: In a
cupboard infected with ants | one day
put a plate containing some -four on one
of the shelves and left it there for sew
eral days. / soon noticed that the little
pests did not modest it in any way and
concluded to receive some benefit from
the knowledge. Accordingly sprinkled
wEeat-four all over the shelves, and
pretty thickly, too, and so far l am salts
fed with the result. They find it a hard
road to travel, and now we can put any
article of TO ID in that cupboard without
fear of them"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
ssACTS OF GENERAL INTEREST"
Published March 10, 1875. r.
CHAPTER 264.

Published March 10, 1875. J. g. r
CHAPTER 264.
AN ACTao amend Sec. 2S of Chap. III OF the
Revised Statutes, entitled " OF jurisdiction OF
Justices of the Peace in criminal cases, and OF
the proceedings therein.
The DeoDle of the State of Wisconsin, repre-
sented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as
follows:
SEC. /. That Sec. rs of Chap. 121 of the Re-
yised Statutes is hereby amended so as to read
as follows: If, in the progress of any trial
before a Justice of the Peace under the
provisions of this chapter it shall appear
to the Justice from the evidence in the
case before him that there is probable cause
to believe the defendant guilty of any ofense of
which the Justice has not final jurisdiction, and
that the defendant ought to be put upon his trial
for an offense cognlZable before the court which
has jurisdiction TO hear and try the same the JUS
tice shall Immediately stop all further proceed
lngs in the trial before him, and bind the defend
ant over or commit him to jail to answer to said
court having proper Jurisdiction. in the same
manner he would have done had the defend
ant been brought before him for an examina-
ton for the Offense of which the Justice shall
find there is probable cause to believe him
guilty.
SEC. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force
from and after its passage, and all acts conflict
with or contravening this act are hereby repealed
SO far as relates to this act.
Approved March 5, 1877. COPY.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
nor more than two hundred dollars esaoo, for

nor more than two hundred dollars (S2oe1 for
each and every offense w.
SEC 2 And it shall be the duty of conductors,
Drakemen ana other railroad officers or employees,
and they shall have and possess the mower and
authority, TO arrest any person or persons which
they or either of them shall find in the act of
gaming, as mentioned in the preceding section.
and bring him or them before any court of com
petent jurisdiction upon his or their complaint
forthwith without warrant, and any such person
or persons SO convicted shall be punished by i'm
prisonment in the County Jail not less than 81 (
months, or by fine not exceeding five hundred
dollars $500 nor less than fifty dollars $780,
with costs of prosecution. ~ d"
SEC 3. Any person giving information and
making complaint of any violation of the pro-
visions of this act shall be entitled to one-half
the penalty recovered.
SEC f. This act shall be in force from and after
its passage and publication.
Approved March 2, 1875 sBeCOPY
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-22
Published March is, 1851

CHAPTER 113.
Ma ACT 10 t,efne the liabilities of railroad com
panies in relation to damages sustained by their
employees.
The people Of the State OF Wisconsin, repre-
scented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as
follows
SEC. /. Every railroad company operating any
railroad or RAJ way, the line of which shall be
situated IN whole or in part in this State, shall De
liable for all damages sustained within this State
by any employe, servant or agent OF sucn com,
pany while in the line Of his duty as SUCH and
which shall have been caused by the carelessnes;
or negligence of any other agent, employe OF
servant OF such company, in the discharge OF, OF
for failing to discharge, their proper duty as such
but this act shall not be construed SO as TO per
NIT recovery where the negligence Of the per
son so claiming to recover materially contributed
TO the result complained of.
SEC. ,. That no contract, receipt, rule or regu
lation between any employe and railroad com
pany shall exempt such corporation from the full
liability imposed by this act.
SEC 8. This act shall take effect from and after
its passage aud publication
Approved March 4, 1870. w-COPY.