St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-01-30
Our New York Letter.

Our New York Letter.
AND PRISON BARs-A MYSTERIOUS
MURDER-THE GREAT VANDERBILT
sALE-sOLID INsURANCE-SWINGIN
DAMAGES AGAINST A RAILROAD COM
PANY-FREsH ATTRACTIONS BY THE
OCEAN.
New YORK, Jan. %, 1880.
To the Editor of the CaledOnian:
While Gen. Newton is daily and IN
ostentationsly exploding mines under
the reefs at He'll Gate, and English
miners are blown at the rate of 900 a
year, according to the latest statistics,
while excavating coal, we have been
treated to a similar disaster on a small
er scale on board an ocean steamship
while being locked on its arrival from
across the Atlantic. Some incautiOus
'lOngshoIemen took lighted lantern
into one of the coalbunkers of the Ma
tional Steamship Greece, and the gas
generated by the soft Welsh coal, and
confined by the utter absence of any
sort of ventilation, exploded, killing
one man outright, mortally wOunding
two others and severely injuring a
number more, including Capt. Bracket,
the well known secret service federal
officer, who was in the very act of max
ing an important seizure of Struggled
silk. 1t is feared the Captain will lose
the sight of both his eyes.
The spasmodic virtue of the New
York police has been exhibited again
in the shape of their favOrite raids.
The notorious The. Allen keeps a dance
house and groggery in Blocker street.
The frequenters are not all of the low
class one would suppose would haunt
sucha place. At any rate, many who
drop i'll are only occasional visitors, and
are mainly attracted by curiosity. The
other evening the place was surround
ed, and some three hundred male and
female prisoners made. Unless they
audaciOusly took the names of distin-
guished people in vain, it is astonishing
how many namesakes of prominent
warriors and statesmen were victims of
the occasion. One young gentleman
had evidently forgotten the false name
he had given, and was fined double in
consequence. He was dazed by sitting
too long under the juniper tree.
Of course your readers have heard
about the mysterious murder of young
lady of too easy virtue in Prince street,
on the next block to the station house
where presides Lightning Charlie"
one of the smartest police captains in
America. 1t bids fair to rank with the
historic Nathan and Burdell murders in
interest. The girl was apparently rob-
bed, but more valuable articles than
any missed were left behind. No noise
was heard, though in the room below
reclined a sleepless invalid. Altogeth-
er, it is very strange case, and will
exercise the keenest ingenuity of the
detectives TO unravel.
1t is estimated that no less than $780,
00O, 900 worth of buildings are annually
destroyed by fire. Were these enoI-
nous losses not distributed by Fire In
surance Co.'S, the consequences would
be ruin to many of the most enterpris-
ing people. 1t is important that insur-
ance should be effected where losses
will be paid. Like capital invested in
other directions, insurance follows the
line of concentration. While many hun
dreds of the smaller fry of companies
are cutting rates and running each:oth
er, and becoming utterly unreliable
from their rabid scramble for scan ty
earnings during their precarieus exis-
tence, such corporations as "The
Home" for instance, keep steadily &C
cumulating funds and adding to their
reserve even during the darkest periods
of depression. During the early portion
of last year there were some terrible
fires, not only in the dry goods district
in New York (by far the richest district
in the city,, but in various parts of the
country. OF course the largest and
strongest companies have their full
share of the loss. On examination of a
report just published by the ''Home," |
see that they not only continue to paw
their regular dividends, but have al
ready recovered their loss by these
great fires, and present as strong an ar
ray of undoubted assets as ever for the
protection of their many customers.
told you some time ago of the enor-
nous sale of New York Central Stock
by Vanderbilt to syndicate. These
bonds are now offered in general mar
ket by the great operators in parcels to
suit, and they await bids. of course in
tending to clear a comfortable little
profit by the transaction.
The teo-affectionate clergymen have
been frolicking lately in a very exuber-
ant manner. A Methodist minister has
just been acquitted of immortality, but
rebuked for indiscretion in promiscusus
kissing by a conclave of his brethren.
A German clergyman has been obliged
to sever his connection with his highly
respectable congregation in Hob0ken
because of fatherly interest in his good
looking cook, exemplified as usual, by
kissing; and another Hoboken minis
ter, youth of eloquence, with tender
whiskers and tender heart, was hunt
ed out of his very pleasant boarding
house at the point of a revolver by an
lrate husband who heard him trying to