Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-01-22
TIMELY TOPICS.

culties beset the paths of those seeking
marriage, and an Ohio couple found
TINS out the other day. They went into
sown TO get married, but it got dark be-
lore they could get their license. When
they went TO the courthouse the Offices
were all closed, and the prospect looked
gloomy indeed, until the young couple
found the bell-cord Communicative
with an immense bell in the tower OF
the building. This cord they pulled
with tremendous effect; everybody in
the town turned out to ee what was up.
and the young folks got their license.
These were hardly the sort of wedding
bells that have been SO much done in
poetry, but they were of rndeniabls
utility.
The extent TO which the cucumber is
consumed by the Inhabitants of Egvpt
ana the southwest of Asia, and also in
European Russia and Germany, would
scarcely seem credible to this country.
You never see Russian peasant at din
ner but you see the lump of black bread
and cucumber. The vegetable seems
certainly singular dish TO be so ma
tional in country with a climate like
that OF Russia. Some writers say that
there used to be great annual fair at
Lelpsic Tor cucumbers. when the streets
were heaped up story high with that
precious element of German cookery.
In Germany barrels of half and also full
grown cucumbers are preserved from
one year to another by immersion in
deep wells, where the uniform temper
ature and exclusion from air seem to be
the preserving agents. Tartary has
been assigned as the native country Of
the cucumber, but upon what authority
iE Qnr llxTu 10. Ii Al r.l.
melon. No modern traveller appears TO
have found it growing wild.
The Detroit Free Press thinks IL would
be as curious as unexpected If the next
form of freight vehicle were to carry it's
own road with it, and to be vehicle and
wheel in one. The first type is on ex-
hibition at the garden of the Tuileries,
in Paris, where three carriages, filed
with thirty children, are with ease
drawn by two goats. The wheels have
two flanges; around the whole system
of wheels turns an endless chain of
jointed rails, so that the carriages con-
stantly lay down their tracks Just in
front OF them and take them up behind.
The same weight ON an ordinary road
would require dozen goats. The other
type occurred TO a Minnesota farmer
while watching his children I" play cars''
by rolling big spool across the floor.
The idea occurred TO him that natural
products, like grain, ore, coal, etc.,
might be transported in cylinders. roll
ing directly on the rails, with suitable
framework for attaching them to other
cars. Various advantages of speed, loss
of friction, cheapness, durability. case
of loading and unloading, etc., are sug-
gested. BY combining the two ideas,
cylindrical cars, carrying their own
track as well as their freight, might be
seen rolling all over the country.
The Berlin Militar- -Zeitung prints an
inter esting paper on the resistance made
by the several French fortresses attacked
by the Germansyduring the campaign Of
l670-7l. Altogether, it appears that
during the six months campaign from
the beginning of August. 1870, to the
end of January, 1871, the Germans took
or forced to surrender six-and-twenty
French fortrosses. or these two, Metz
and Pfalzburg, fell because the pro-
visions of the garrison and inhabitants
were exhausted; hunger, and the de-
vastation wrought by a partial bonn
bardment caused one-Paris-to capitu-
late; thirteen were reduced by bonn
bardment-namely. Lichtenberg, Mar
sal, Sedan. Toul, Scissors, Schlettstadt,
Verdun, Now Breisac, Diedennofen, La
Fere, the citadel OF Amiens, Montmedy,
Mezieres and Peronne; one, Strasburg,
was taken by a regular siege, while two.
Vitry and Laon, surrendered upon a
bombardment being threatened. FL
nally, two fortresses, Bitche and Belfort,
invested early in the campaign, held out
until the preliminaries of peace had
been concluded. The longest resistance
was made by Paris, the siege of which
lasted for 1872 days, while the siege of
Metz was continued for sixty-nine days,
of Strasburg for forty-eight, and of Yer
dun for forty-five days.
w. w. Corcoran, the well-known
Washington millionaire, eighty-one
years OLD, is another prominent man be-
lieved to have been virtually dead. who
has unexpectedly recovered. 1t was
thought, not long ago, by his physicians
and friends. that he had not twenty
conclusively that he was doomed, and
the latter took eternal leave of him.
After the last vestige of hope had been
relinquished, after bis pall-bearers had
been selected, and every Arrangement
made for his funeral, he rallied, to the
amazement of everybody, and so steadily
got better that within two OF three
months he was going about on foot. and
attending personally to any number of
affairs. He is said now to be much
stronger than before his last illness, and
his friends believe that he will see his
ninetieth birthday. "Mr. Corcoran,n
says New York paper" Is of n differ
ent pattern from most of the very rich
men we have here. He has founded n
gallery of art at the national capital,
and made many charitable gifts to the
his fortune. He is much and deservedly
loved there, and the continuation of his
benevolent life Is naturally the cause of
satisfaction In the community. There
is no danger of his example becoming
contagious in this quarter. The air of
New Yofk Is thought 10 be nernicinns