St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-09-12
Our New York Letter.


FAST TRAvELING-sT STREET oBsTRUC-
TIoNs-THE CARDIFF GIANT.
New YORK, Sept. S, 1879.
To the Editor of the Caledonian:
What the last Thursday of November
is to the American turkey gobbler, such
is the first day of September to the
American oyster. 1t is a dies ir9, rude
awakening fol- the months of ease and
comparative immunity which precede
it; the day upon which the unhappy
bivalve invOluntarily rises from his
long feast in the oyster bed, and goes
up to a meal terribly like that one of
Polonius'; meal "not where he eats,
but where he is eaten"
Why the oyster is transferred from
the regular bill of fare to the Inder Eg-
pxrgatOriUS on May list, there to remain
in deep disgrace until the Autumn
brings back the magic "r," is mystic
ry which neither the oldest inhabitant
nor the wisest Fulton Market oyster
man is able to explain to me. The
prejudice is apparently ill-founded, as
quite a good many New Workers have
of late years rebelled against it and
eaten these shell fish all Summer, with
out experiencing the slightest incon-
venience in consequence. For the ma
jority of people, however, the "r" in
the month, is still sort of sauce with
out which the king of shell fish is never
to be consumed, and as a result, the
sales during the taboOed season are
only about One-siXth as large as during
any equal period of the regular one.
| The annual consumption of oysters on
this island is estimated or rather
guessed-tO amount to 100, 0O0, 900, and
the dealers say that the quality of the
catch this season is higher than for
many years before; the slaughter will
probably now be greater than ever.
Apropos of a wordy discussion in the
papers as to whether it is possible for a
railroad train to actually make the
speed of mile a minute, one of our
dailies detailed a reporter last week to
ride on the locomotive of one of the
regular trains between Philadelphia
and New York, and take the time of
various miles with the aid of the stop
watch used in timing Goldsmith Maid
and various other flyers at the Jersey
State Fairs of a dozen years past. In
detailing his experience, the reporter
states that no extra speed was used, the
train making its trip in the usual way,
and that three successive miles were
made in the extraordinary periods of
81, 50 and sol seconds respectively.
This time was taken by three persons,
the reporter, the conductor and pas
senger, so that it is certainly accurate.
Whether this is the fastest time on
record or not, | am not sure, but at all
events, such pace comes about us near
annihilating space, | fancy, as most
travellers would desire, that is if they
f hetfe here eTes we are spinning along cease
IessIy by night and by day, asleep or
awake, at a rate which makes that rail-
road the LATEST of snails, for the as
tronomers instruct us that the earth in
It's revolution around the sun, travels
something like five hundred miles
mlnute-which is certainly "going it.n
Some of our philosophers might
protitably enquire whether chowder.
and especially clam chowder, possesses
dangerous and belligerent qualities.
Some of our neighboring seaside friends
have just been treated to a regular old
fashioned riot of the "b'hoys,D and thev
all say that it was the cbowder.
1t was quite serious affair and novel
too, in these peaceful days, for since
the abolition of the Volunteer Fire De-
partment the target companies and
similar associations of the wilder ele-
ments have faded gradually but effec-
tually away. However, some genius of
tender years in the historic "Bloody
Fourth" Ward, fired by some old story.
probably, of his grandfather's, conceiv-
ed the idea of a rare old spree at Sheeps-
head Bay. Some fifty hobbledehoys of
the hoodlum persuasion, with five cor
responding females, constituted them
selves into "ChOwder ClubY,and sal
lied forth with a huge stage drawn by
ten horses, and wagon laden with
kegs OF beer and demijohns containing
something stronger. Equipped with
fish horns, clubs, pistols and the choic-
est vocabulary of foul language, they
made day hideOus wherever they went. |
and at their destination, after backing
each others eyes and otherwise disport-
ing themselves all day, they wound up |
oy stealing clam dealers CLAIMS and |
half killing the clam dealer for the few
he made. Then the villagers
arose In their wrath and drove the ruff |
1ans out, while two nimble policemen,
Ealing steam and electricity to their
nd, managed to cause the arrest
'f the convivial crew as they tri-
and nOisily neared the ferry
md hauled them off to durance vile.
ihlrty-hve OF them were fined Is
apiece, and were relieved from the al
tentative imprisonment by their weep
ng sisters, cousins, aunts and other
connections of the tender sex.
The spasmOdic virtue of the citv
officials has again displayed itself in a
on the small dealers whose
luckstering booths and barrows have
infested the purlieus of Wasbinoton
MARKET. 1t is certainly hardship to
'nese poor people, most of whom have
I'll their lives been in one way or an
,ther, connected with the place. and
should first be pitched upon
e <ze zeal tor ieform is not easy tenn
anas o l,eshaps 1t IS too easy to
=. FORK were scleared, as
tQmbering packages of merchan- Il
Of the skids which obstruct
{! teN feet of leading downtown
/. 'l'<i ,it would she: pleasanter
or pedst 1lsz1s. StraDgefss from other
|lfses or foreign laBds are amazed at Il
~ way We Gotllanites put up with
3 oi,strteti0ns that can and Ought
. 20 pe:'tze ided- When traffic blocks the
T e course ne one can complain.
~ q <z'ts Sign of good times is gettinaf,
now ~ : -
cardiff Giant has, in his silence. !,
'. s;s|ea another sensatiaa. It appears