Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-07-20
NEWS ITEMS.

Nearly 1000 have been subscribed In
Boston toward the 81. john relief fund.
Tho extensive foundry aud machine
shops of A. Hartupee at Pittsburg, Pa,
were burned Tuesday evening; loss $780,
600.
-Four men were recently taken out Of
ball room at McDadc, in Lee county, Tex
rs, and hung to a tree, recently, 10y party
Of fifteen disguised men.
Springfield, Mass, is to have a bridge
over the Connecticut from the south end of
the city to Agawam, the present site of the
ferry.
Even now, it Is not known exactly how
many lives were lost by the StSJohn Fire.
Eighteen persons at least met sudden deaths
at the time.
The cotton crop returns for July re-
ceived by the department of agriculture at
Washington, are generally fairly favorable,
but the average of the whole area reported
from is four per cent below the average re-
ported from the same area last July.
There is a big stir at Oldtown, Me-, IL
miles from Bangor, over the report that
workmen blasting for reservoir have
struck rich gold vein. California miners
have pronounced pieces as largo as peas
pure gold the owner of half acre has
been offered $4,000 for his claim, and a cap
italist says he will invest $4,000 If a stock
company can be formed.
A letter from New Orleans says that
Governor Nichols, when on steamer
about departing from Baton Rouge, on the
Sd of July, for Donaldsonville, was attend
to the boat by all the dignitaries Of the city,
but several bull -dozers, who oppose him,
had got drunk and they pelted the boat and
passengers with stones, one ofwhich smash
ed lamp over Nicholas head and struck
him on the shoulder.
"A fearful tornado, accompanied with
hailstones as large as hens eggs swept over
Montague township, Sussex county, N. j.,
seven miles from Port Jervis, n. Y, Mon
day afternoon. Buildings were unroofed,
trees uprooted and crops and vegetation
completely destroyed. 1t lasted nearly an
hour, doing untold damage in that section.
The storm struck the town from the west,
aud went in a southeasterly direction. 1t
was some three miles wide.
The Australian Blondin, Mr.. ii. l. Es-
! TRANCE, has several times crossed the Mid
die harbor at Sydney on rope extended
from cliff TO cliff on either side. The
| length of the rope Is 400 feet, and the
height above water is considerably more
than 200 feet. lie proposes coming 10
America in the course OF this year, in order
TO cross the Niagara Falls. lie is native
of Fitzroy in the vicinity Of Melbourne,
and is about 80 years of age.
There are irregular tides in the great
lakes. On the 10Th inst. there was a sud
den fall of one foot in the level of Lake on
taIio- the cause of which is unknown.
These tides occur at all hours of the day
and have been known to occasion accidents
10 boats in shallow water, the sudden re-
ceding Of the water leaving the boat on
rocks where few moments before there
had been an abundance of waller.
1T is reported on the best authority, and
the most exhaustive reports, that the West
ern crop prospects are very encouraging
wheat seems to promise more than an av-
erage yield, and corn looks better than fol
many years. With large crops this year
we may safely predict revival OF proiita-
BILE trade, and every one will hope that the
prediction will be fulfilled.
The "Tom Paine Farm" at New
Rochelle, Westminster county, New York
is soon TO be sold under the auctioneer'i
hammer. This farm, consisting of abou
one hundred and fifty acres of picturesqu,
land, was presented TO Thomas Paine by
the State of New York in recognition of his
patriotic services during the Revolutionary
war. On this place Paine died and wal
buried.
William Carr, well known to the PEG
pie of Detroit, Mich, as the learned barber
man Of much scholarship, and who en-
joyed in his primo the friendship of VIM
II. Seward and other prominent men, dice
there July 10, of paralysis, aged 20 years
His library was one of the most carefully
selected in the West, being especially stronl
in metaphysical works, and his dialectica
skill was universal. To the last he contin
ued business in his little Jefferson avenue
barber shop.
Thomas Smith, Jr., an ex-AlGerman il
Chelsea, Mass, heretofore trusted, and re
spected, is accused of mutilatiug aud pass
ing United States coin. His method wa
10 take lot of silver pieces, fasten them to
gether, and dip them into an acid. Thi
process thinned the coin without erasinI
the letters or figures. He then rubbed In
coin with pumice stone to remove th
marks of the acid. The silver remaining
in the acid he used in his Britannia bust
ness.
The largest bank in the country, nov
, that the New York Bank of Commerce la
reduced its capital, is the Nevada, of Sal
Francisco, which has a paid-up capital @
100000 in gold. Tie president, Loui
McLane, holds shares TO the amount of $50,
600, but the rest OF the entire capital is di
vided equally among four men, the bonanz
| kings, Flood, O'Brien, Fair aud MacBay
, whose joint income from their mines an
, other property, is supposed to be not les
than $1,000, 900 month, or Sl0O, 600 day.
} The mercantile failures for the last quar-
ter, according TO the Dunn & Barlow Stats
tics, amount TO Si5, 600, 900, and for the si
B months to a trifle under 500, 600, 900, agains
: sos, AS, 200 in the same months of 1871
= Those of Massachusetts Except Boston, 70
= the six months were 81 l9O, 900, against ST.
436, 900; those of Boston g., 161 600, agains
S,426,OO0. Connecticut reports $3.50, 0O(
= against s2,272, 900, but, in general, the eas
8 ern states and the great cities appear 10 b
: getting out of the slough. The compile
= thinks mercantile capital in this countr
g has shrunk 25 per cent since the beginnin
3 of 1876.
J Goshen, CT, boys loaded up an old car
non with three pounds ofpowder the othC
, day, filling up with turf and, when it eA
4 ploded, one piece Of the cannon, weighin
Inc.rlIla aLrllnl. LE.a In IL