The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1877-02-16
BR{G-A-RRAG.

The New York Joaraal Of Commerce es-
simates the total value OF the personal
property of the late Commodors Vanderbilt,
invested in railway and other securities,
at 867, ,e73, 900. This is smaller to&al
than the wealth with which the Commodore
was generally credited at the time Of his
deceaae but it is probably the largest for
tune accumulated in modern times in a
lifetime by man who had no foundatlow
Left him by his ancestors. The sccumula-
tions Of the Rothschilds i'm one year, or in
series Of years, far exceed those Ct the
late Commodore Vanderbilt in q CORES
pending time but their ancestors began
the present century with large sums to
their credit, and tho present members of
the house were born heirs to many mil
lions.
In late English article ON cutting and
engraving glass, tlss following illustrations
are given OF the wonderful delicacy which
has been attained in that industry. In the
six hundred and twenty-fifth part Of an
inch are contained in the best quality Of
lettering on glass the words, "Lowell G
Senter, watchmakers, go Exchange street,
Portland. Written by Fremont, at Paris,
1852" This is equal to forty-six thousand
eight hundred and seventy-fve letters in
the circle of an inch in diameter. The
most powerful rusgnifying glass reveals
only few apparent scratches, but with
microscope of great power the inscription
can be plainly read. The body Of an ordi-
nary pin, placed between the inscription
and the microscope, completely covered
the inscription, the circle in which it is
contained being smaller than the head of a
PIN. But even this has been surpassed,
the whole of the Lords Prayer having been
executed within the same minute compass,
and this in such manner as mot only to
be plainly readable, but to exhibit the
artistic skill characterizing its accomplish
ment.
Now that a train full Of passengers have
been burned up in Ohio through the use Of
red-hot stoves in the cars it is discovered
that the statutes of that State require rail-
road companies to heat their cars with
apparatus SO constructed that the fires in
them twill be Immediately eKtingulshed
whenever the cars are thrown from the
track and overturned" No such apparatus
has yet been invented, it seems, and no
attempt has been made to enforce the law.
If it were question of saving fuel or oil
the railroad companies would have appealed
long since to the Inventive genius of the
country but as it is only question of
human life, no special anxiety
is felt. There ought to be no special diff
Guilty in applying the principle Of the car
bonic acid gas extinguisher SO as to set the
gas free with same shock that overturns |
the car and it ought to be easier still to
heat the cars without using stoves at all.
The most gigantic scheme Of tunneling |
ever broached is the project of Madrid |
to tunnel the Straits of Gibral- |
s.sarer.s ia rrsscti-
cable than the proposed submarine tunnel
across the channel between England and |
France. The submarine portion of the |
Straits of Gibraltar tunnel would be little |
more than one-third the distance across the |
Straits of Dover, but as the maximum |
depth of the sea is 500 fathoms, and as it |
is proposed to leave 800 feet of rock be- |
tween the sea bottom and the tunnel, the |
tunnel of approach on each side would |
have to be nearly six miles long in order to
make the descent practicable. The cost is |
estimated at SEQ, 900, 600. and it is proposed |
to use it in connection with the Straits-of-
Dover tunnel to make an overland railway |
to India WITHOUT break of |
bulk. If such an enterprise should ever
be consummated, and it is quite within
the bounds Of probability, it would be
manifestation of mans ability |
to overcome the material obstacles of na-
ture.