The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-12-21
Il

Capt. Eads has written a letter from Next
co to the Mexican consul at Washington that
he is progressing finely and will shortly pro-
coed 10 the Isthmus Of Tehauntepec to ex-
anime the country. The captain goes to
Central America for the purpose of ascertain
ing the feasibility of building a ship canal or
a ship railroad across that country.
Mr.. Burchard, the director of the mint, has
ascertained by correspondence with manu-
facturers that about S10.000,0 900 IN gold and
S. 900. 900 in silver are annually consumed in
the manufacture of various articles. France
uses about the same amount. Some other
nations that produce neither gold nor silver
manufacture but few articles that conta.n the
precious metals.
II is stated that Paul Aube, a Frenchman,
has succeeded in converting iron into steel
and producing an illuminating gas at the
sam TIM. TIL process is described as SIM
pie aud easy. The iron is placed in a retort
with charcoal or coke, and after being heated
to a proper temperature it is treated to a dose
of some fatty matter, and afterwards, when
steam is introduced, the latter is Immediately
decomposed, the oxygen uniting with the coke
and the hydrogen combining with the vapor
of carbon, thus converting the iron into steel
and producing an illuminating gas at one OPP
Grafton.
On the 18th inst. Mount Baker, situated in
the northern part Of Washington territory,
was sending forth .'smoke, fire and lava &C
oo,.r,-:o3 lr- i, ,, ,I,,ol,s Of on aarthnnaEn
Mount Hood has also, lately, been in a con-
slant state of agitation. According to tie
I theory Of some of our savdnts a general over
turning of mountain systems occurs every
4 1900 years. 1t may be that the time is APP
preaching when we may experience one of
those periodical shakings. Butte will not es-
cape, as it is evident that The Neac North
Vest has taken the contract from cold Probs"
to 'turn over and 'shake up this portion Of
his denesne. Our valley neghbor will please
consider our youthfulness and consequent
helplessness, and deal gently with Butte.
1t is stated that that monumental moMOma-
MAC on the timber question, secretary Sh
is going to write y book for the App!etons Of
New York city. We are not advised as to the
1 subject matter of the proposed volume, but
presume he will more explicitly v~entilate his
reasons why the precious saplings Oil the
Rocky Mountain ranges should be protected
from the onslaught of the woodmln's axe.
If he will occupy his spare hours during the
short time be is to remain in Office III arIang-
ing the materials for his book, and throw nc
obstacles in the way of our people enjoying
the grateful heat these cold winter evenings
that is thrown out by the burning Of the
pine knots gathered from our mountain
slopes, the people of Montana will rise up
and call him blessed. 1t is also stated that
the Hon. secretary Will make st. Louis his
home and take charge OF his paper at that
city.
A few days ago we called the attention Of
the mem bers. el-ct of our legislative assembly
to the propriety of e~nacting some law that
would force the ieath-dealing opium dens III
the territory out of existence. The follow
ing, from Bradstreet's is to the point. The
figures are suggestive, and indicate to what
extent the habit of opium smoking and eat
ing is carried Oh. 1.-THE III in opium
and opiate drugs is rapidly increasing in this
country. The imports for the year ending
June 80, 1879, amounted to 147,4S9 pounds,
valued at S554,S34; these figures were In
creased the following year to 29G,6l7 pounds,
valued at Sl,4S5,1 41, or nearly three times
! what was called for the preceding II months.
A portion of this growth, of course, may be
traced to the presence of the Chinese in this
country, but it is too apparent that the annu-
al augmentation in the questionable uses of
the drug cannot wholly be attributed to
them. The bad effects OF opium upon tie
/ system are infinitely greater than those of
alcohol"