The Portland daily press., 1878-03-20
News and Other Items.

Mrs. Brooks of "Iolanthe" fame has secured
patent for modelling in butter.
james Winter of New York thinks he has
discovered how to make Muminating gas out
sof water at . trifling cost lsss-Estsia
George Francis Train telegraphed to the
Palmer House, Chicago: g. Want room on
top floor; oatmeal diet; cheap as possible
The Yale University Club has voted to send
Julian Kennedy to Seneca Lake to contest for
the American championship.
The arguments before the Supreme Court of
Louisiana for new trial of Anderson were al
most identical with those made at the original
trial, so that the decision is tantamount to re-
bnke of Judge Whitaker.
During the past thirty.seven years Sc Allan
tic steamers have been lost. The number of
'British vessels was AZ; American, 5; French,
4; German, 4; Belgian, 1. The causes of dis
aster are given as follows: Wrecked, 80; burn.
cd, 4; collision with other vessels, s; collision
with icebergs, 2; foandered, 2; lost in fog, 2;
never heard from, 8. No less than 4,43O per-
soos lost their lives in consequence of these dis
asters
Work on the new Brooklyn bridge is being
pushed with vigor. Two thousand tons of wire
have already been suspended across the river,
and the workmen are now running out ten
tons or so day. Work on the approaches i,
also being rapidly pushed. 1t is expected that
the Cables will all be finished this fail, aud the
completion Of this latest "wonder of the world"
ought not to bs long delayed thereafter.
Texas issues curious public document enti-
tied "a list of fugitives from Justice 1t con-
talns 20 pages, aud puts the number of fuel
tves at ,402, with 40 counties yet TO hear from,
which cover some of the popuIeus portions of
the State OF these criminals $50 are charged
with murder. Rewards ranging from $50 to
Sl,ooo-the aggregate being 500, 000-are offered
ior Soo OF the fugitves, and detectives out of
job might find this State good one to emigrate
to. 1t is estimated that over 100000 horses
have been stolen in Texas in the last three
years, and $50 indicted horse thieves are fugi-
tiges from justice in the State.
The following story is told to show the in
genuity of Edison, the electrician. The tele-
graph office in Boston was greatly infested with
cockroaches. Mr. Edison tackled several zinc
strips to the wall at intervals of an eighth of an
inch, and applied the positive and the negative
poles OF battery alternately to the strips. He
next smeared the walls above the strips with
molasses. The vermin came up, and as they
stepped from strip to strip they "closed the
circuit" received the electric shock and dropped
dead by scores. Water pals put at the proper
places received their bodies as they fell. This
story comes from Boston.
A heartless and inscriptions person in one
OF the. Hudson River counties of New York
laid snare for the school commissioner of his
district in this wise. He wrote to the aforesaid
commissioner In effect as follows: ST have a
daughter. Flora, who will be unable to attend
the examination of teachers. Please send a
certificate of first grade by return mail and
oblige Saith" Smith was obliged by return
mail, and the correspondence, with CODY of
the certificate issued to Miss Flora, whose age,
according to her fathers statement, is two
years, was furnished to the local papers for pub
LEGATION by Smith himself. The commissioner
mas lost all confidence in human nature