Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-11-20
TIMELY TOPICS.

TIMELY TOPICS.
The towing of vessels on canals by
means of locomotives has recently been
successfully tried in France. A railroad
IL laid on the tow-path. near the side of
the canal. on which are run small loco
motives of four or moro tons, according
to the weight To be pulled. One man
manages the locomotive. Vessels are
thus drawn Mt speed of two miles or
more an hour-about twice the mean
rate of "a horse upon the tow path. The
locomotive has drawn nm empty vessel
six miles an hour, but such speed in
iures the banks of the canal.
In Turkey. where wine and intoxi-
eating drinks are forbidden by the Ko-
ran, the juice of the grape il boiled
down in great quantities and commonly
used in the household, much ~ we use
jam. answering the purpose of both
butter and jam. 1t is considerably
thicker than treacle, and in winter can
be cut with knife like butter 1t is
put up in goat skins. and is n common
article of trade in the market 1t il
called "pek mez, "and is used rs drink
when diluted with water. 1t tastes
somewhat like new cider.
Professor Swing wisely remarks that
1t will be great misfortune if the re
turn of good times shall bring back the
old mania for property and speculation
which made mortgages among the most
popu ar things of the day. Mortgages,
he adds. ''are a ptstilcnce, and debts are "A
regular cholera. Estates die under them
churches sickcn and have to be sat up
with at night; individuals pine away,
wives and children become dishcartencd
in the mortgage season; and the tinan-
cial grave-digger Is busy day and night.
Swamps and dirty houses were the
black death of Europe; debts are the
plague of America"
A correspondent writes: | see the
Tumor is revived that the cN-Empress
Eugene proposes going into convent.
| had to contradict that statement some
time ago; and on the authority Of Mon
signor Goddard DO 50 again. The right
reverend gentleman informed me-and
no one probably knows more as to the
intentions of the rN- -Emprcss-that there
was not word of truth in the report.
Her cx.mnjcsty will probably leave
Camden place as soon as hcrhcaIth is re.
stored but she has no thought of taking
the vail, nor has she been advised so to
do. By the way, tho little chapel at
Chiselhurst containing the remains OF
the Napolcons- father and son-is still
daily visited by large numbers of peo-
pie. great many of them Americans so
journiug in London.
The speed Of carrier pigeons appears
to depend as much on the clcarncss of
their sight as on the strength Of their
wings. The London .Spcctdt9r relates
tha. in an experiment recently made
with some Berlin pigeons. on n clear
day. a distance of over 300 miles, from
Cologne To Berlin, was accomplished in
five hours and half. or at the rate OF
sixty miles m hour; while the most cx-
peditiou of q group let loose the next
day-a day not Of tic same kind-took
twelve hours to reach Berlin. Hence II
would appear that in tho latter case a
good deal OF the pigeons time WAS taken
up in exploring the country for land
marks, as was some of Mr. Forbes In
his ride from Uiundi with news Of Lord
Chelmsford's victory. II Is not instinct
but sight by which the carrier pigeon
guides its flight.
Calistogn Is famous mineral spring
resort. sixty-cight miles from San Fran
cisco. II was intended 10 be the Sara
toga Of the Pacific coast. the name being
an abbreviated combination Of California
and Saratoga The waters are princi-
pally sulphur, iron. soda and magnc-ia.
Some of them will boil an egg in two
minutes. Over one Is built pretty sum-
mer house. II Is called the chicken soup
spring. Here the guests resort. after n
4
If you arc very hungry and ofan imagin-
alive turn Of mind. you may. perhaps.
be induced to believe that nature has
indeed prepared in her suh;crrancan
kitchen this delicate decoctiun for her
visitors. After people have been in
California awhile they learn not to be
surprised mt anything that comes from
the heavens above or the earth beneath.
NJ. Schilot. n French engineer. has a
plan Of alternate ship railway and canal
tor crossing tho lsthmus Of Panama. tho
cost Of which he estimates at J0.00O.-
600. His proposed rails consist of rails
fifteen times as heavy as the ordinary
rail, laid about thirty-fivc feet apart,
over which vessels up to 1000 tons bur-
den may be transported in immense
docks or cars supported hy foot thick.
Friends Of this scheme claim thai speed
Of nine 10 eleven miles an hour can be
attained the whole distance from ocean
to ocean being travelled in FIVE hours.
The length Of the railway would be
about twenty miles. with twenty-five
miles of canal. II Is stated that as long
ago rs 1873 the Columbian government
granted NJ. Sebillot permission 10 con
struct ship railway over the noun
tains of the isthmus.
The colony of New Zealand has very
extraordinary prime minister In the per-
son of Sir George Grey. This gentle
man was twice governor of the Cape,
and then appointed TO the government of
New Zealand. When his tenure of the
latter Office expired he elected to remain
in the colony. and took up his abode in
a remote locality. an island, where he
/ lived almost exclusively among the
Maories, with whom he cultivated the
most intimate relations and domestic
ties. He has now been for some time