The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-08-25
TIMELY TOPICS.

| n CuIlUuS ISL, hIlOWll ttS lllc Sula Us
modms Niger, has been received at the
Smithsonian institute, Washington. Its
prominent peculiarly is its ability to
swallow fish of twice its size and four
times its own weight. 1t has very
large mouth, and it's stomach is of course
wonderfully elastic. When digestion
| begins and gases are formed its stomach
becomes so dis!cnded that the other or
gans are temporarily paralyzed, and
| thus the creature can easily be caught
This specimen is ten inches long, and
has in it's stomach q goldfish eighteen
inches long, but Of course doubled up.
A girl astonished an audience in a
London theater two years ago by Jump
ing from high bridge at the back OF
the stage, landing gracefully on the
floor, and then executing a dance, which
was varied by leaps of twenty feet In
the air. The performance of Ariel, as
she was called, were for while the
theatrical wonder of the town. They
were done by means OF jumping ap-
paratus, invented by her husband,
Walter Dando. He subsequently ap-
piled the machinery to other dancers in
London and Paris, and several dupli-
Gates of Ariel will soon be seen in
America.
The small boy has q good friend in
the supreme court Of Kansas. A rail-
road company was sued for Injuries re-
ce.ved by boy while playing upon a
turn-table, and the court held that, as
erybody knows that by nature and in
stinct boys love to ride. and will cling
to the rear of wagons, ride upon swings
and swinging gates, ride upon cellar
doors and steel rails, and even pay to
ride upon imitation horses, they should
act accordingly. No person has a right
to have dangerous machinery calculated
to attract boys, without taking steps to
guard against all dam ger, and the person
failing to do so is guilty Of negligence.
The boy was awarded damages.
The length of the Egyptian obelisk
which has come to stay in New York IS
sixty-nire feet six inches; it is seven
feet eight inches square at the base, and
five feet five and three-quarter inches at
the top. The foundation is seventeen
feet six inches square. The lower step
is twenty and three. quarter inches hign,
nineteen and three quarter inches wide.
The second 81 ep is nineteen inches high.
thirteen and n quarter inches wide. The
third step is seventeen inches high, sew
enteen and three-quarter inches wide.
Upon this foundation the pedestal upon
which the needle rests is placed. This
pedestal is six feet ten inches high, nine
feet four inches square at the base, and
nine feet and three-quarters OF m inch
square at the top.
John II. Burke, cf San Francisco, has
complained to the board of equalization
that the six Chinese companies are not
properly assessed. He claims that all,
or nearly all, of the Chinese in the United
States, British Columbia and the Sand-
wich islands are contracted for as slaves
or serfs; and furthermore, that the
Chinese coming to this country become
indebted TO one or the other OF SAID COM
panies and their bodies are held respon-
sible for payment; that the SAID com
panies hold absolute contTol over tne
lives and liberties OF the Chinese: and
execute the DEGREES of their own private
courts to the exclusion Of the constituted
authorities; that they have hereoy
built up and maintained an independent
government, and arc at war with the IN
tercsts and laws of the people OF Call
fornia. He states that in 1873 the six
companies controlled l4e,600 Chinese,
and at present control 223 900, and that
the obligations of these Chinese are IN
the nature of solvent credits held by the
six companies, and should be SO as
sessed under the law. The complainant
tteu asks that the personal assessment
roll of the six companies be raised to
S22, 800, 900. He assesses each company
in the following amounts: Sam Yup,
Sl,5I5, 900; Yung Wo, 81 $50, 600; kung
Chow. 81, 2,25G, 900; Ming Yung. Sll, ,250,-
600; Yam Wo, S6l5;oOo; Hop Wo'
5,llO,OO0; total, S22,3oO,oW.