The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-04-28
TIMELY TOPICS.

TIMELY TOPICS.
Herr Dahlstrom has prepared plans
for the proposed ship canal from the
Baltic to the North sea. Its course VII!
be from the bay of Kiel to Brunsbuttel
in the estuary of the Elbe. Its uniform
depth will be twenty feet nine inches;
its width at the surface OF the water,
100 feet; at the bottom, sixty-four feet:
By a peculiar system OF reservoirs and
locks the depth can be increased to
twenty-five or twenty.six feet, which
will even float the Konig. Wilhelm, the
largest German iron-clad. The canal
can be completed in six years. and will
cost Sl8, 1900
One of the most singular of the many
remarkable cases that are constantly
appearing in the courts is now on trial
in New York, where one man has sued
another for payment ofservices rendered
in winning back the affections Of lady
who had grown cold toward her ad-
mirer. The defendant in the case, hay
ing had his relations broken off with the
lady of wealth to whom he was en-
gagged, employed the plaintiff to COM
pose q series of letters to her, which
were 80 cunningly and eloquently
worded that she relented, and restored
her admirer to his former relations with
her.
The rapidity with which towns spring
up and decay in America has often been
commented on, but no better instance
has been noted than that of Gothic, Col
orado. On the sixth of June, 1879, G.
P. Hoyt, of Golden, arrived on the spot
with q supply of goods which attracted
q rush of miners. On the ninth Of June
a meeting was called and the town laid
out. In sixty days l6O substantial houses
were built and quite town was in ex-
istence. Everything was fourishing
when the news came of the Ute excite
ment in Middle Park in September last.
The very next day at ten o'clock in the
morning the town was deserted by oil
save two women and seven men.
The balance between living and
starving in Ireland is so nicely poised
that bad season brings death and de-
struction. The correspondent Of the
New York Tribune gives numerous in
stances of families who have neither
COW nor calf nor oats; or who have no
oa.s and no potatoes; or who have lost
their donkey; or who have lost two or
three pigs. "No oats means famine
next year, and no potatoes means famine
both this year and the next" In good
seasons these people raise potatoes and
oats and obtain little money by selling
pigs and calves; some by digging peat,
for which they get two or three shil-
lings q load. But the weather has
spoiled the peat or made the traffic
light, or the loss of a donkey or mule
prevented them from transporting it.
Consular reports from Salonica, Tur-
key, declare that, with the exception Of
the towns and the immediate vicinity.
the country is in the hands OF the bri
gands. Thirteen distinct bands are
enumerated, containing in all about $50
men of various creeds and nationali-
ties-Greeks, Lutzo-Wallach, Bulgari-
ans, Albanians and Turkish deserters.
At a certain time some of the bands
received subsidies from Athens, and
professed to be the representatives of
Hellenic aspirations, but of late they
have divested themselves of this semi
political character, and play the part Of
simple brigands, levying blackmail
from Mussulmans and Christians indis-
criminately. The brigands avoid, as
much as possible, all conflict with the
military forces, but they have no fear
of the local police or civil authorities,
who are too often, it is said, in league
with the chiefs.
The Washington monument commits
sion estimate that it will take about six
years longer to complete the monument,
which has been for many years under
way at the national capital. It is in
tended to push the work now vigor-
ously, 80 as to get the monument at q
good height by 1883, when the centen-
nial of the recognition of American in
dependence by Great Britain occurs;
Congress, nearly four years ago, apprc-
priated S250,00O for continuing the
work. Of this $4,000 has been used to
strengthen the foundation, and the bal
ance is being expended tor marble work
and to construct an elevator. A con-
tract has been made for enough marble
to add fifty feet to the present height.
Some idea may be obtained of the size
of the monument by the statement that 1t
is sixty-fve feet through at the base and
that the walls are fifteen feet in thick
ness. When completed it will be one of
the finest, if not the finest, monuments
in the world.
Germany has 10000 schools, attended |
by 5000, 600 pupils; her population |
numbers AZ, 900, 900. The school expen-
diture in that country averages a little
less than seventy-tive cents per head OF
the population. England, with popu-
lation of $4,000, 900, has $4,000 schools,
attended by 100000 pupils, and costing
an average Of forty-five cents per head
of the population. Austria Hungary,
with 81, 100000 people, instructs 3,O0O,-
600 pupils in 10000 schools, at an ex-
pense of about forty cents per head of
the population. France, with 37,000,-
OOO, has 7l,O00 schools and 4,70O, 900 |
pupils, teaching them at an expense of
thirty ight cents. Spain has Il, ,00o,0 600
inhabitants, 900 schools, and GOO, 900
pupils, the expenditure averaging |
thirty-two cents per head of the popu-
lation. Italy, with 28,0O0, 900 people,
Al, 900 schools and 100000 pupils, ex-
pends about twenty cents per head OF
the population. Russia, with "a, ,O00, 900
of people, instructs 100000 pupils in |
80, ,0OC schools, at an average expendi-
ture per head of the population of about
seven cents.
1t is not likely that the New York |
customs officials receive many such |
visits as this: Ex-Judge Philip Jacob |
Joachimsen called upon General George |
W. Palmer, of the revenue service,
Wednesday accompanied by gentle
man whom he introduced as Mr.. Levy. |
81 reside in this city,. said Mr.. Levy. J
II recently visited Europe. While
there my wife and myself invested
$4,000 in diamonds. We took passage |
back ON the City of Berlin. Half way |
across the Atlantic the jewels were
missing. We searched high and low
for them. and could not find them. |