The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-15
TIMELY TOPICS.

Three hundred men and women met
in hall in Indianapolis, Ind. and or
ganized the Indiana Cremation society.
Socialism in Berlin has increased at
the following rate, the figures repre-
senting the municipal vote: 1857, SO;
1871, 1851; 1874, 1871; 1877; l,622;
1873, 56,s36.
There are in Moore county, N. c.,
twenty-eight gold mines, six silver
mines, eight copper mines, nine or ten
iron mines, and general assortment OF
other mineral " finds"
The National Penny bank has been In
operation in London a little over three
years. In that time, at its seventy five
branches, there have been more than
a million deposits; 127, 900 persons have
opened accounts, and nearly 81, ,0OO, ,OOO
are at present in the hands OF the bank.
In the forty-second Congress there
were nine negroes; in the forty!third,
seven; in the forty. fourth, four; In
the forty-ffth, three; in the forty
forty.sixth there will be none, unless
O'Hara, OF North Carolina, gets GER
tifcate, which is doubtful. ul.-Indianapo-
lis Journal.
Germany is rapidly completing an ex.
cellent system of subterranean telegraph
lines. From Berlin these lines radiate
to Cologne, Frankfort and Strasburg.
The longest line is from Kiel to Stras-
burg. A company in New York has also
received permission from the city au-
thorities to construct an underground
telegraph line.
People who think of going to the Isle
of Pines, where the Cuban. fisher.
men catch sharks with Spanish blood
hounds, to find Walkers buried treasure
of $2S9, 900, are invited BY an original
filibuster in Indianapolis to reflect that
Walker was always as poor as church
mouse, and begged and borrowed to fit
out his expeditions, which never cap.
tured any treasure.
Forty acres Of pigeons roost nightly
in the Indian Territory about fifty miles
southwest of Joplin, Mo. The hunters
spend the night in the wood and kill
with shot.gu and clubs till morning.
when they load wagons with the birds
and drive away to sell the pigeons at
from ten to twenty-five cents dozen.
Scores of wagonloads have thus been
disposed of, still there is no apparent
diminution in the number of the birds,
nor do they fail to return nightly to
their roost.
An alligator at Chandbally, India,
finding q native asleep with his feet
hanging over the side OF his boat, grab
bed the luckless Hindoo and carried
him of. A police inspector tracked and
killed the man-eater, and found in his
stomach twenty.si1 pairs of brass
bangles and anklets, two sets OF gold
earrings and number of toe-rings..
This alligator, judging from the size OF
the ornaments, had devoured at least
four women and Ave children, not to
take account of people that wore no
jewelry.
The hsIograph was used for the first
time in war by the British troops which
operated against the Afridis on the
Peshawur frontier, India. This instru-
ment consists of a circular mirror, NOV
ing upon universal joint and supported
on tripod. Wishing to send messages,
the operator, by quick elevation or
depression of the glass, so as to catch
the full glare of the sun, is able to throw
flashes O distance OF twenty-five miles.
The length OF the flashes corresponds
with that of the dashes in the Morse
alphabet, by which the messages are
translated. This method of field tele-
graphy does away entirely with the dan
gers Of wire tapping and cutting by the
enemy, and, after thorough test, has
just been adopted by the Spanish mill.
tary authorities.
The st. Bernard Coal company, at
Darlington, KY, have OF late begun to
use small quantity Of nitro.glycerlne
with powder for blasting purposes.
They have had large quantity of the
new material stored in the upper mines
for several weeks, in charge of the mine
boss. An old colored man was sent to
fetch some nitro. glycerine. He went to
the magazine, and, after getting sup
ply, left can of it beside the car-track
TIL he could deliver the charge. While
gone, team of empty cars came by,
drawn by two mules. One of the mules
kicked the can, which instantly exp.od.
cd, blowing mules, cars and the colored
driver into atoms, and filling the passage
with rubbish of all kinds from the roof.
Two seconds atterward the blasting
powder stored in the adjoining room
also exploded with terrific force.