The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-11-16
MINOR TOPICS.

MlNVh lOI1OSs
In the Division Court, Canada, pre-
sided over by Mr.. Justice Mcdonald,
this case arose: George Taylor bought
ticket on the Grand Trunk from
Gananoque to Brockville and return,
good for ten days. 1t happened that he
did not use the return coupon until af-
ter the time had expired; and on pre-
senting it the conductor punched it and
handed it back, saying that the time bad
expired and the ticket was void, at the
same time demanding one dollar fare
from Mr.. Taylor. He paid the dollar
and broughta a suit to recover. The Court
held that the railway company had
legal right to limit the time in which
return tickets shall be used, and to re-
fuse all such as were presented after the
expiration of the specified date; but in
this case the punching of the ticket by
the conductor was an acceptance of it,
after which act he could not reasonably
demand an additional fare. Therefore,
judgment was given for tho plaintiff,
with costs.
A GENTLEMAN residing at Phoenix
vile, says the Reading Eagle, of Queens
land, Australia, has several very fine
canary birds to which he has given much
attention. One of the birds he has
taught to sing Home, Sweet Home,"
clearly and distinctly. His mode of in
struction is as follows: He placed the
canary in room where it could not hear
the singing of other birds, and suspended
its cage from the ceiling, so that the bird
could see its reflection in mirror. Be
meath the glass he placed musical box
that was regulated to play no other tune
but Home, Sweet Home" Hearing no
sounds but this, and believing the music
proceeded from the bird he saw in the |
mirror, the young canary soon began to
catch the notes, and finally accomplished
what its owner had been laboring to at
tain, that of singing the song perfectly.
This is an experiment easily tried, and
one we should be glad to know the result
of from some of our own bird fanciers if
they make the experiment.
THE population of Constantinople,
with the suburbs, is now estimated at
eight hundred thousand, and the burden
of vessels clearing the port at about four
thousand tons. The Roumelian railroad |
connects the city with the northern
provinces, passing through wonder
fully rich but wretchedly cultivated
country, and before long there will be a
more direct railroad communication with
Europe by line meeting the Ruschuk
Varna Railroad, and crossing the Danube
at Gurgievo, to join the terminus of the
Roumanian trunk line. Pera, thanks to
frequent fires and foreign residents, bids
fair to blossom into a pleasant place for
a Christian to dwell in. Two-thirds of
it was burnt in 1870, when three thous-
and houses, including the British FIN.
bassy, were destroyed. 1t is not being
rebuilt on the former site, but large
town is arising around the spot where
the old town stood, and about Galata
covering wide area. A very important
Christian city is probably destined to
grow up here, under the auspices of the
embassies which cluster on Pera's
heights.
RAILROAD rails made of iron base and
Bessemer steal head have recently been
80 successfully welded as to battle the
most trying test to show even the juno
ture Of the two metals. That such
rail is even better than one of solid Bes-
semer steel would appear from an exper-
iment in which one of each kind was
submitted to sixty blowsby twenty
ton hammer; the Bessemer rail was COM
pletely shattered, cracked through and
through in every direction, while the
welded rail, though mashed down and
twisted in the neck, showing no sign of
fracture in any part. This result is at
tanned by the use of peculiar metalloid
sponge or fux. The pile is made up as
for the ordinary iron rail; for the head,
scraps of waste steel are spread of the
desired thickness, and upon this is laid
a plate of steel. The fux, in the shape
of hard substance, about the size of
kernel of corn, is scattered through and
over the pile, which is then placed in
the oven. When properly heated, it is
drawn and rolled in the ordinary man.
ner. 1t is found to be perfectly homo
geneous mass, the fibrous iron, the crys-
talline steel, having their particles 50
interviewer that it is physical impossi-
bility to separate them. The fux thus
uniting the iron and steel is composed
of fifty-fve parts iron, twenty of silicon,
and twenty-five of aluminium.
The London papers tell a ghost story
based on the death of Mr.. George Smith,
the Assyriologist. 1t is as follows: Mr..
Smith died at Aleppo on the 10Th of
August, at or about the hour of six in
the afternoon. On the same day, and
between three-quarters of an hour and
an hour later, friend and felow-worker
of Mr.. Smiths, DIR. Delitzcb, was going
to the house of third person, the author
of the account of the labors of the de-
parted scholar which appeared in the
Academy. In the course of his walk DIR. |
Delitzch passed within stones throw
of the house in which Mr.. Smith lived |
when in London, and suddenly heard
his own name uttered aloud in "most
piercing cry" which thrilled him to the