The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-02-12
TIMELY TOPICS.

An idea of the condition of the United
States navy is given by the report of the
House naval committee, which saws that
of the 142 vessels of the navy forty-eight
are not capable of firing gun, eleven
steamships are laid up for repairs and
eight others are out of service, leaving
only sixty-nine capable of doing naval
duty. The navy is also short in guns,
having only $50 pieces in the whole
navy, of which less than forty are rifles,
all the others being smooth bores.
which are out of all comparison with the
modern gun for effective service.
tt is somewhat hard to maintain
free reading-room in New York. The
number of articles stolen from the
Cooper Union is giving the managers a
great deal of trouble. Not only are the
ordinary books stolen, but it is found
next to impossible to keep up the sup
ply of Bibles on the desks, as they are
stolen as fast as distributed. The brass
rods that keep the papers in place are
constantly stolen for the metal, and even
the worthless rubber checks given at
the door are stolen instead Of being
given up as the person passes out. Two
years ago there were 1000 checks, now
there are but 45O. Twenty-Five hundred
persons enter the free reading-room
daily. Hereafter persons desiring to use
this immense reading-room will be
obliged to make application for admis-
sion to the librarian.
1t is the habit in Scotland as in
America to sell insurance tickets, with
railroad tickets when the traveller de-
sires them. The cost OF these insur-
ance tickets, good for one day, is
but a penny, and the company agrees
to pay certain sum in case of death
within the twentyfour hours, or a
certain sum weekly in case of in
jury. 1t is rather remarkable that there
should not be single insured person on
that fated Dundee train, but so the in
surance companies assert. This brings
up suggestion of improvement in the
method of giving tickets for this pur-
pose. There should be some method
by which the friends of the deceased
could find out whether or not he had
been insured. Almost every one on the
train that went into the Tay might have
been insured, yet there is no way of find
ing it out. Many of the bodies have
been swept out to sea and if they are
ever found it is doubtful whether an in
surance ticket on their persons would be
decipherable.
The autopsy of the remains of the
woman who starved herself to death in
Cincinnati did not reveal any materially
diseased condition of the stomach. The
tact that she lived for thirty days with
out using any nourishment whatever
would justify the conclusion that per-
sons possessed of strong will power, and
having the hallucination or delusion
that they are suffering with some Or
ganic disease or bodily disorder, may
live until the body is entirely consumed.
This lady was possessed of great power
OF will, and she had delusion that she
had no stomach. and therefore made up
her mind that she would not take food
or drink, and continued in this condi-
tion until there was general exhaus-
ton OF the nerve-centers and mental
faculties, when she went quietly into a
calm sleep and died without struggle.
The pathological condition of the pas
sages leading to the stomach all being
normal, with no obstruction, and ali the
organs in healthy state ready to per-
form their various offices, would war
rant the conclusion that this lady would
have lived a great many years if she
could have been induced to partake OF
sufficient nourishment to sustain lite.
An account of n case of clear grit,
physical endurance and suffering from
pain, which stands without parallel,
comes from Ontonagon county, Mich.
The story runs that q woodman named
James Irwin left Rockland for his forest
home at Lac Vieux Desert, ,on snow shoes
over an untraveled road through the
woods, which was covered with two or
three feet of snow. A short distance
out he stopped. to build fire, aid while
engaged. in chopping some fuel he cut
one oi his feet. Failing to appreciate at
the time the extent of his injury,
he continued on his way. and
when out about twenty-five miles from
Rockland he discovered that his wound
was serious one and required the
offices of a surgeon, and as there was nc
physician at Lac Vieux Desert, he re-
traced his steps toward Rockland where
he could get one. His foot rapidly goi
worse, so that he could not bear his
weight on it. Alone, on an unbroken
trail or road, heavy with snow, with 9
crippled and painful foot, his horrible
position can be imagined. Itwas a case
OF lii or death with Irwin, so falling or
his knees he commenced crawling or
all tours and after thirty-six days he
was found within three miles of Rock.
land, having crawled twenty-five miles
in a most deplorable condition, and
barely life enough left to stir. The
wounded foot had to be cut of, and
it was thought he would lose the
other one, which was frozen. For sew.
eral days he had dothing to eat. A mar
who would undertake to accomplish
what Irwin did was not turned out oi
a common mould.
Words Of Wisdom.
Nybo,> - ,>.ox. T.; $1,000. - ! .