The Newtown bee., 1880-02-04
TIMELY TOPICS.

TIMELY TOPICS.
 The King of Belgium has offered a prize of $5,000 for the best essay on means of improving ports situated on low and sandy coasts. The competi- tion, which is to close so that the award made be made by an international com mission next year, is open to engineers and writers of all nations, and should receive attention in this country, which is famed for the ingenuity and skill of it's engineers. Many of our Atlantic ports are exposed to the same general conditions as those of Belgium, and whatever may be devloped by the com petition, as offering a cheap and effective means of improving Belgian ports, is likely to be of use in this country.
 The death of George Edson, of Seneca Falls, N. r., affords strange instance of premonition. He arose in the morn ing in app aren't health. During the afternoon he gave his sister-in-la a ring, saying it was his last gift. Then he called on his most intimate personal friend, and with tears bade him fare well. He visited four young men and asked them to be bearers at his funeral, and invited the members of the village band, to which he belonged, to attend his funeral in a body. Seeking his brother, he made arrangements for the disposition of his property, and at four o'clock P. M., on the same day died. He was buried in exact compliance with the preparations which he himself had made.
 Colonel Robert Alexander and Colonel Smiley, of Hot Springs, Ark, having passed some words over mining claim at Silver City, pulled out their weapons and began firing at each other. Smiley evidently meant to wing" his antago- mist, and in successive shots, made be- tween the tick-tick of a watch, put a oall through each of Alexander's arms. The latter's pistol dropped from his hand. His right arm had become para lyzed, but, seizing the pistol in his left hand, he cooked it with his foot. As he raised to fire Smiley shot him through the lungs, and in another instant a Lall crashed into and through Smiley's fore head, lodging in sign board seven feet above the pavement. Smiley was over six feet ip height. Had he been of the size of an ordinary man he would have escaped, for as Smiley fell the death rattle sounded in Alexander's throat.
 A remarkable discovery has been made by MT. William Morris, photo grapher of Gourock, by which he can chotograph underneath the wal CT at a depth of ten fathoms. Two of the mega 1 tives he has cured are remarkably dis tinct, but the others are rather dim, owing to defects in the apparatus, but which he will have improved. The camera is inclosed in water-tight glass case, suspended by the center and in- l closed in a cover, which is drawn of after tie camera-which is fixed on a loaded tripod-has reached its position One of the views, taken in the bay fifty yards west of the yacht Selene, shows sandy bottom, with a number of large boulders covered with seaweed, and au old anchor; and in the shade three mooring ables belonging to small yachts close at band. When the weather i caims down and the light becomes stronger he intends to carry out his in- vestigations with improved apparatus, when he expects to achieve still greater results.
 Tn report dated from Siberia, the Savren1e7aaef LsUeSti, at Moscow, discusses the sentence of Juchanzoff, who, fo1 robbing the Russian Bodencredit Gesellschaft of about 2,500,000 rubles was sent to Siberia, and says that only Roman generals, who, after conquering great empires, returned in triumph to Rome, were surrounded with such pomI as this bank swindler when going into exile. The king of these thieves goes tc Jeniseisk, his place of exile, like a Fur kish pasha, taking with him his harem A pretty Frenchwoman accompanie: him, and he must be in possession of considerable wealth, for he throws about gold like Cresus. His only re- gretis that he has not brought his cook with him from St. Petersburg, anc the police officers who are escortins him act as his attendants. After Ju chanzoff has completed his term of ban ishment in Siberia he intends settling in Sicily with the considerable fortune still remaining to him. What differ ence of treatment, says the journal, be tween that of the robber of millions anC that of an ordinary criminal, who laden with chains, has to go on foot tt Siberia.