Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-10-10
NO. Al.
IN GENERAL.

1t is proposed to propagate sponges on
the Florida coast by cutting the live sponge
into small pieces, attaching them to pieces Of
rock and sinking them in the water. II is
believed that in three years the pieces will at
tain n marketable size.
Red snow, which is usually found only
in Arctic latitudes, is TO be seen this year on
a lofty summit near Mount Stamford, In the
Sierra Nevada range. For several acres the
vast drifts are q beautiful pinkish tint to the
depth Of three or four inches.
The work of constructing the tunnel to
New York beneath the Hudson river, from
Jersey City, has been commenced, all legal
impediments having been removed The
work will cost $40, 600, 600 The entire
length of the tunnel will be 1900 feet, in
cluding the approaches. One mile of it is
under the river.
The plague of wild beasts and snakes in
India is extraordinary indeed. Snakes alone
in 1877 killed nearly I, ,000persons, and tigers,
elephants, leopards and other wild beasts near
ly 1000 more Efforts were made at the same
time to destroy the animals, but without ap-
parent reduction of the numbers. About 127,-
600 snakes and %, 600 wild beasts were killed,
and $4,000 were paid in rewards for their
destruction.
Prof Nordenskiold, the Swedish Arctic
tApiOAtis 10 u lhhu VI lew hOtuh. hntn no
reached Yokohama the other day he tel
egraphed his congratulations to the patron Of
his expedition, the king of Sweden, and then
sent this pithy little message to his proud
wife Gamma Nordenskjold, Stockholm. All
well. Adolph." Both kilograms arrived at
Stockholm at exactly the same hour as they
were handed in at Yokohama, the seven
hours which the transmission occupied repre-
senting exactly the difference of time at the
respective places.
"A new survey of the Catskills, by Pro-
fessor Guyot, reveals mountains that were
not known to exist. large part of the re-
gion, especially the southwestern, is an un-
tracked forest, and in several cases the only
chance for making triangulation was by
climbing to the tops of high trees. He found
higher points than were before recorded.
His table of attitudes contains three peaks
over 1000 feet, and forty nine over $500 feet.
The highest point is one of the previously un-
known, Slide Mountain, in the southern Cat
skils, 4205 feet above tide.
William Ringgold Cooper, daring and
expert American forger, has victimized Lon
don bankers out of large sums. One of his
forgeries yielded him goodly sum from the
Bank of England. and but for his foolhardi-
ness he would have escaped detection In
1861, while in the Navy Department at Wash
ington as a clerk, he forged the names of
Paymasters Spaulding and Allen to requisi-
tions amounting to $l7j, 900, and served five
years in prison He is also guilty of many
other rascalites, and will doubtless receive a
heavy sentence.
A use has been found for the millions Of
tons of Stag or waste from blast furnaces,
which has been accumulating in England for
many years. 1t is made into n coarse kind of
glass; which is toughened by Mr.. Siemen's
4 Il
The usefulness Of these sleepers seems to have
been demonstrated by actual experiment, and
of course, barring accidents they are indie
structible. If they can be generally substi-
tuted for wood the heavy drain upon the
forests of the world will be materially lessen
ed, and one large item of expense to all rail
roads will be abolished.
General Grant, during his recent tour
was received by the following named princes
and potentates Queen Victoria of England,
King Leopold of Belgium, the khedive of
Egypt, the sultan Of Turkey, King Humbert
of Italy, Pope Leo XIII, President MacMa-
hon of France, the king of Holland, Emperor
William of Germany, Prince Bismarck, King
Oscar of Sweden, the Emperor Alexander of
Russia, the Emperor Francis Joseph of Aus
tria, King Alfonso of Spain, President Grevy
of France, NJ Gambetta, Viceroy Lytton of
India, King Thebaw of Burmah, Prince Kung
of China, the emperor of Siam, the mikado
of Japan.
A remarkable echo has recently bee n
discovered in Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana.
Two men who had crossed from Morgan City
to Berwick and had occasion to call for a
friend who had been left on the other shore,
less than half mile away, gave prolong-
ed cry and listened for a response. They
heard nothing from their friend, but in about
fifteen seconds the same call came back with
all the peculiar infections of voice that had
been given to it. Thinking some one on the
other side was mocking them they recited
verses in Italian, Latin and Spanish, and af-
ter delay they came back, the echo repeat
ing as many as twenty words distinctly.