The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1878-03-06
The Romance of Accident.


The Romance of Accident.
Many of our most important inven-
tions and diyc0velies owe their origin to
the most trivial circumstances. The
trial Of two robbers before the court OF
Assizss of the BAsses Pyrenees acct
dentaly led to n most interesting arch
Biological discovery. The accused,
Rivas shoemaker, and Bel|ier weaver,
by armed attacks On the highways
and frequent burglares, had spread
terror around the neighborh, cd OF Sis
teron. The evidence against them was
clear but no trace could be obtained
of the pltnder until one Of the men gave
cIew to the mystery. Rivas in his
youth bad been a shepherd boy, near that
place, and knew the legend OF the Trou
d'Argeut, cavern on one Of the noun
tains with sides go precipitous as to be
almost inaCcesBible, and which no ONO
WAS ever known to have reached. The
commissary of police Of Sisteron, after
extraordinary labor, succeeded in scaling
the mountain, and penetrated to the
mysterious grotto, where he discovered
an enormous quantity ofplunder OF every
description. The way having been once
found, the vast cavern was aiterward
Explored by savan $; and their researches
brought to light II number of Roman
medals OF the third century, flint,
hatchets, ornamented pottery, and the
remains Of ruminauts Of enormous size.
These interesting discoveries, however
obtained no indulgence for the accused
(inadvertent) pioneers Of science, who
were sentenced to twenty years hard
labor.
The d scovery of gold in Nevada was
made by some Mormon immigrants in
1850. Adventures crossed the Sierras
and set up their sluice.boxes in the
canyons; but it was gold they were after,
and they never suspected the existence OF
silver, nor knyw il when.they saw 1t. The
blush stuff which was 30 abundant, and
which was-ilyer ore, interteIed with their
operations and gave them the greatest
annoyance. Two brothers named Gsosch
4 pospesscd moro intelligence thun their
felcw workers, and were the real dis
coverers Of tic Comgtock lode; but one
of them died from pickax wound IN
the foot, and the other was frozen
To death in the mountains. Their
secret died with them. When at
last, in the early part OF 1859, the surface
groupings of the lode were found, they
were worked for the gold they contained,
and the silver was thrown out as being
: worthless. Yet this lode since 1860 has
Welded large proportion Of all the silver
. produced throughout the world The sill
yer mines Of Potosi were discovered
4. through the trivial circumstance of an
Indian accidentally pulling up a shrub
to the roots of which were attached some
+, particles OF tue precious metal.
+, During the Thirty Years War in Ger
, many. the little village Of Coserow, in
!. the island Of Usedom5 on the Prussian
border of the Baltic, was sacked by the
v contend:ng armies, the villagers escap'
e ing to the hills TO save their lives
e Among them was simple pastor named
e schwerdler, and bis pretty daughter
d Mary. When the danger was over, this
r villagers found themselves without
Y houses, food or money. One day, W.
+ are told, Mary went up the StreckelberE
: to gather blacbberries; but soon after
ward she ran back Joyous and breathles
Q to her father, with two shining pieces 0
l. amber each Of very great size, She tolt
d her father that near the shore the win'
l. had blown away the sand from vein
Is amber; that she straightway broke Of
e these pieces with a stick; tha
l- there was an ample store OF tn
precious substance; and that sh
4 had covered it over to conceal the secret
le The amber brought money, food, cloth
be ing. and comfort but those were supel
le stitious times and legend goes tbs
ID poor Mary was burned for witchcrait
10 At the village of staumen amber va
In first accidentally found by rustic wh
a. was fortunate enough to turn some u
g with his plew.
le A cooper in CArniola having one ever
ID inc placed new tub under croppin
it spring, in order 10 try If it would hol
Ii water, when lie came in the morpin
BY found it 90 heavy that he could hatdl
be move it. At first the superstitious n
tions that are apt to possess the min'
nd Of the ignorant made him auspect tn
bv his tub was bewfched but ut last, Pc
IS. ceiving a shining fluid at the bottor
be he went to Laubach, and showed it 20
apothecary, who Immediately dismiss
;. him with small gratuity and bade hi
i bring some more Of the same stuff whe
: ever he could meet with 1t. This q
"a moor cooper frequently did, being high
I'd pleased with his good fortune; till
hv length, the sffair being made publ
: several persons termed themselves into
:. society in order 10 search further IN
III the quicksilver deposits, thus @ une
re pectedly discovered, and which wf
Nm destined 10 become the richest Of tn
me kind in Europe.
nst
lat Nerve is grand thing II indica
= ...eraa En,ea. and the man wbo can sit