St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-08-23
Our New York Letter.

| ULARITY AN EIGHTEEN-MILE SWIM
| ECO WEST YOUNG MAN."
New YORK, Aug. Is, 1873.
To the Editor of the CaledOnian:
New York is shortly to have the priv
lege of listening to the voice of Dennis
Kearney. 1t says the Occident sends
greetings to the Orient, and will instruct
it in the ways Of-San Francisco. The
Hoodlum must prevail. Every body who
is not with us must stand aside. And in
good sOOth with the fire brand that is
slumbering in the socialistic, cOmmun-
istic, spiritualistic elements, this same
Dennis Kearney is man whose pres
ence bodies no good. He would fan the
elements of discomfort into conflagra-
ton that would sweep the land, having
in it's train the torch of the incendiary,
and the knife of the assassin. There is
no argument in his rawlings. He appeals
only to the worst passions. Reason has
no part in his programme. Whatever
stands between him and his aims must
perish. 1t would appear us though he is
the special element in one of these great
cyclones of disaster and revolution that
for some purpose is allowed periodically
to sweep over every land.
Something more practical, and bear
ing in its bosom the germ of common
sense, and return to prosperity is the
meeting of the Bankers Association,
held at Saratoga, lately. The gentlemen
who compose this association are a
guarantee that even if no immediate
good should follow their deliberations.
no harm will be done, and the airing of
views may suggest practical means for
relieving the country of its embarrass-
ment. The Business Committee have
already sent out 10000 sealed letters.
and 100000 circulars and printed pa
pers, containing suggestions It's to the
proper means of arriving ut n resump-
ton of specie payments. Among those
who gave their views as to the best
measures in their opinion to be taken.
were o. c. Hale, cashier of the State Ma
tional Bank of Keokuk j. ID. HAYES
of Detroit George Walker; President
y.
Among the more prominent gentlemen
present were Messrs. B. p. Rhaum of
Philadelphia B. B. Sherman of New
York David A. Wells and George A.
Butler of New Haven; Halsey Williams
of Pittsburgh G.. C. Barrett of Louis
vile, and Mr.. Tore of HOnesdale.
The proposed reforms so positively
promised by the reformers when they
SCI tInr, .4f, -. ..
in the city government, have nee Mdiaeen
in any manner carried out, and to-day
we occupy the anomalous position of a
thoroughly reformed city, badly in need
OF reformation. A reference to the files
Oh the city papers will show that never
before was crime so rampant, so bold,
and APPARENTLY 50 seldom punished, as at
this time, and it is an open secret that
at least some of the police department
are in open collision with the thieves.
Take, for instance, the King robbery in
Wesley street, mentioned last week.
Those who are most familiar with the
surroundings of the case, say openly
that the police authorities could have
recovered the stolen money and bonds
before this, but that they are not satisfied
with the reward, which is $4,000, for the
recovery of $4,000. 1t is plain to be
seen that the police and detectives are
Oh the best possible terms with the very
class against whose depredations they
are employed to watch.
Edison is not the only wonderfully |
inventive genius the world Possesses. |
Another scientific phenomenon has come
to the surface in the person of a Mr..
James Gresham, who not only proposes |
to take the photograph of an individ-
ual, or ship, or other object from 500
to 5000 miles distant, but will also fur
nish the exact latitude and longitude of |
the object. So you see, that should any
vessel be derelict hereafter, all that is
necessary is to call upon Mr.. Gresham,
and he will give her Whereabouts and
in "a jiffy.
The method proposed by Mr.. Gre
sham, or rather the principle involved,
is as old as the eternal hills, and the
only wonder is that it has not been
thought of before. The story of the
spectre of the Broken is familiar to ev-
cry child, and even the oldest inhabi-
tant remembers having read of that
ghost in his early youth. Mr.. Gresham's
method is to produce an artificial mir
age, aud the thing is done. The way il
was discovered was this. A little over
year ago, while preparing asphalt for
the roofing of house, the cauldron was |,
upset, and the contents taking fire, sent
IN immense mass of dense black smoke
rolling heavenward. Suddenly a sun
beam shot through the dense cloud. and
cooking up, he saw distinctly brig [
which was lying at Hunters Point. and
which was on fire. He plainly saw the j
men throwing water on the fire; saw {
he hose; saw gangs of men at work 6
,asting off lines from adjacent schoon- {
IFS, and every surrounding, just as dis S
inctly as though he were on the spot. I
lie Immediately went to work, and has e
to his own satisfaction at t
east, that an artificial mirage can be t
PRODUCED which will reproduce objects a
few miles distant. The same can be d
ffected on a larger scale, by means of C
which any given distance can be photo p
raphed. n
The New York Custom House is again {
uiet. At the time of the change in t
ollectors here, referred to the tumuIt a
be transfer occasioned. This excite G
lent has died away. Gen. Merritt ac- "
epted the position with the intention G.
running the Custom House on bust Il
ess basis-just as clear headed man. Il
ger would control the outgoings and t.
lcomings of any large mercantile estab- I'll
shment. Collector Merritt has all the a,
ements necessary for popularity. He d
rs no impregnable inner sanctum, but Il
pens his doors to receive any corners. al
erchants appreciate this, and already III
e business men of New York heartily vi
ldorse the new collector. There ought VI