The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-02-25
TIMELY TOPICS.


Conversation through the telephone
between ST. Louis and Omaha, a dis
tance OF 4l0 miles, was successfully car
ried on during q recent Sunday. The
conversation was varied with singing
of which apparently not note was lost
The wires over the greater part Of the
distance were quiet and not in use, but
at the St. Louis end there WAS a heavy
induction. This is said to be the longest
distance over which the telephone has
been successfully operated.
During the past year there have been
in France twenty-fiv persons con.
demned to death, of whom two were
women. Three of these condemnations
were pronounced by Conseils de Guerre,
and were all committed. The remain
ing twenty-five sentences were pro-
nounced by the assize courts Of France,
and four by the assize court of the
Seine. namely, against .Abadie and
Gille, Delatre and Provost. Of these
twenty-five sentences only three have
been carried out; eight remain to be ex-
anined by the president OF the repub-
lie; the rest have been committed.
The New Jersey Central railroad
keeps record of the cost of running
locomotives. It shows that an average
days distance travelled bya locomotive
is loo miles. The work for u month is
1900 miles, but some locomotives ex'
ceed this,as in the case of No. III, which
in Decembe made $3.50 miles. In doing
this, 1873 tons Of coal, were USED ana
thirty-seven gallons of oil 10 keep the
machinery in order. The receiver says
Sl2 66 is the average cost for 100 miles
for men, fuel and repairs. In the case
of No. l21 the cost tor repairs for the
month was S22.58.
A New York correspondent of the
Utica H.raM says the class of people in
that city which believes in fortune-tell-
ing is very large, and the practitioners
advertise with a boldness and hberality
which shows how well il pays to reach
the public. 1t is said that more than
$4,000 visits are made annually to the
fortune.tellels of the metropolis. Most
of these are from women whose natural
curiosity leads to such qualification. and
many are also from men, and even from
those who should, from their opportu-
mites. know better. Many youths 60 to
such places to learn what are the lucky
numbers at the lottery, and also the
lucky numbers on cards, and on the in
formation thus received they stake their
cash in hope ofa rich return.
Concerning the subject of voice in
fishes, Mr.. S. f. Poole states that some
six years ago he made an interesting OBJ
seryation. While seated in small
canoe on the Disang river, in Eastern
Assam, he suddenly became aware of the
presence of number of fish called
" mahsir." They were evidently at
tracted by the canoe, and Mr.. Poo!e sur
missed that they might possibly think it
a huge dead fish. While watching their
movements he became aware of a pecu-
liar "cluck" or percussive sound-fre-
ouently repeated on all sides, and COM
ing from below. but near at hand. This
was soon traced to the mahsir, and one
of them made distinct sounds which
were answered by others. Mr.. Poole
also says that in some parts of Eastern
Assam large bivalve sings lii concert
with others.
The education of Japanese girls in
America is not regarded with favor by
the Toxic Times, which says that even
the male Japanese students now in the
United States believe that the foreign
experience of their half dozen young
cor1ntrywomen will render their future
life wretchcd. The reason given for
this view of the matter is that, on re.
turning to their homes, the girls find
their education and acquired tastes ut
terly anita gonistic to the social customs
to which they are compelled to conform.
They are sent to this country when very
Young, and during their stay here be-
come thoroughly Americanized, so tina.
Japan is practically foreign to them, and
its sex restrictions and humiliations re-
voting. But the conventional laws can
not be set aside, and they are forced to
DeCOluc u dpduGoC thSoAh'
The Canadian dominion possesses a
wheat garden on which large expecta-
tions are founded. Its eastern boundary
is the limit of the Red river valley. The
international line on parallel forty is it's
southern limit. With an average width
of one hundred miles, it sweeps north.
westerly through eighteen meridians OF
longitude to the foot of the Rocky noun
tains, turns southwark in parallel fifty
four and goes down again to forty-ninee.
The dominion geologist, Dawson, estl-
mates the productive area of only halt
of the Red river valley within Monitobia
at 2,l76,OOJ acres. Supposing it to be
all in wheat, and reducing its yield
down to the average of Southern Min
ncsota-seventeen bushels per acre-the
crop OF one half of Canada's Red river
valley would amount to. 81, 2,OO0
bushels. These are tremendous figures;
but some who have investigated ana
whose names ought to carry the weight
of authority, have faith in them.
When Mr.. Fowler, colonial secretary
of Honduras, was recently exploring the
interior of the colony, he was overtakeen
by drove of peccaries, and had only
time to take snap shot at the first OF
them and scramble up tree: dropping
his rifle in the performance, before the
whole pack were round his perch
Qnashing their teeth at him, gruntlng,
and Sharpening their tusks against his
tree. Now the peccary is not only fe-
rocious but patient, and rather than let
an object of its anger escape will wait
about four days, so that the secretary
had before him only two courses
either to remain where he was until he
dropped down among the swine from
sheer exhaustion and hunger, or else to
commit suicide ut once by coming down
to be eaten there and then. While he
was in this dilemma, however,sa Jaguar
appeared. This animal has a partlcu-
lar fondness for wild pork, and the pee
carries bolted helter-skelter. The Jaguar
was after them with admirable prompti-
tude, and the secretary, finding the
coast clear, made his escape.
The present year is to- be celebrated
in Russia as completing the tirstt went;y-
hn