Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-09-20
NEWS ITEMS :.

-Edison's lGtest invention is ink for the
use of the blind, which causes raised letters
when used on any paper.
Ninety y-fve piano manufacturers are await
ing with breathless suspense the 18th of Sep
tember, when the French Exhibition awards
will be made and each will get the first prize
The town of Ortagien, Italy, has been
gradually sinking until it is some fifteen feet
below its former level, and the houses are all
tipped from their perpendicular. The peo-
pie have taken to the fields while an investi-
CATION is made into this extraordinary behav-
ior.
Victoria is reported to have said not long
ago, when she had given an order to one of
her domestics Il am Queen of Great Brit
ain and Empress of India but have not
power enough TO make one of my servants
put Goals on the fire if she has been hired to
look after the bed-chambers."
Israel Putnam's wolf-den adventure at
last has parallel. Elmarine Bracket, of Tex
as county, Mo, young fellow of 1G, crawl
ed nearly 80 feet under ground, in some plac-
is through very narrow passage, and killed
four wolves in their den with knife and
spear.
Two months ago his parents represented
Richard Palmer TO the New York board of
education as such an angel of boy that the
teacher who had whipped him lost a months
salary for chastising such paragon. Now
the father and mother have come before the
police court and got Richard sent to the
house of refuge, as an incorrigible scamp.
A blazing meteor which fell during re-
cent storm near Beaufort, S. c., was picked
up and found TO be an irregularly shaped flint
rock, weighing about 20 pounds and having
thin coating as if of lava. More remarka-
BILE was the finding of fallen aerolite on the
California desert, near San Benardino, which
weighed $50 pounds and contained gold, sill
YER and copper.
1t is but few years since the idea of
bridging the Mississippi aud Missouri rivers
was held to be both impracticable and unde-
sirable and as contemplating an infringement
on the rights of navigation. There have been
built since 1865 no less than eleven bridges
across the father of waters between Winona
and st. Louis. Ten are on piers and one is
pontoon bridge. The longest are at Vino
ma and Quincy-3Sl0 feet each.
The French papers state the astonishing
fact that Mr. Edison is TO have no award
whatever at the Exposition for his wonderful
phonograph. The reasons given for this, ,ap-
parent denial of justice are somewhat absurd
The jury of the class of instruments of pre-
cision declared that the phonograph could
IbN bt NOnnllSANh ~ az hli uh lhblIuluGul VI
precision, but merely a. toy; consequently
they sent it to the class of telegraphy to be re-
warded But the telegraphists replied that it
was of no use whatever in telegraphy and re-
fused to examine it. The consequence is that
the most wonderful invention, probably, in
the Exhibition, will be passed by unmention-
ed and unrewarded.
The toughest fish story yet recorded is
presented with great show of candor by a
Whitehall, N. Y, paper, which informs its
readers that gentleman who has handsome
grounds and fish-pond full of trout ON his
place has also a little 5-Sears-old daughter,
who always feeds the fish and has become
much attached to them, The other day she
fell into the pond, when the trout formed in
a solid body, and swimming under her, kept
her from sinking until assistance came. If
the paper could only have recorded the fact
that upon her rescue the fish all stuck their
heads out of the water and wept tears of joy,
the story, which now looks little fragmen-
tary, would have been made complete.