Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1881-03-12
Il SANITARY WELL.

ferhaps the most noticeable feature
oi Lincoln, Neb., is its artesian well,
sunk In the center OF Z large square adj
JOINING the pOstoffice. 1t is about 1900
Zee. deep, and its waters are strongly
lmpregnsted with salt and magnesia
In appearance, smell and taste, the
water strongly resembles brine. The
cilzens make much Of the fountain.
They regard it as panacea for all
MS They Use it for chills, for colds,
fof rheumatism, for constipation and its
opposite, and nearly all the ills that
hesh Is heir to. They drink it and
osthe In it-in short, they would be
badly Off without it. OF an evening,
aiter "a warm and sultry day, You can see
hundreds of people carrying off the pre-
cious liquid in sundry small jars and
vessels, as if the real fountain of life
bal been found.
1his water is taken in pipes to the
principal hotels, and many invalids are,
no doubt, benefited by its use. In
various spots around Lincoln are
numerous salt basins, which, in the
distance, look like pools of water glisten-
ing and shimmering in the sunlight, but
which, on near approach, prove to he
dry, barren wastes of salt and some de-
posts are almost as pure and white as
the refined salt of commerce. These
salthasins will, at no distant day, be a
greet source Of wealth to the country.
-@"sAs MAD as a halter" is phrase
whose origin is lost in the dim recesses
of antiquity. Why halter should be
madder than any other class of trades
men has never been satisfactorily ex-
plained, but the fact has remained that
hatters are considered mad by the
adage. Perhaps the phrase lbels
worthy company of men just as the
gravediggers in :" Hamlet Jumped the
people of England and called them all
mad. 1t would seem that in this coun-
try there is nothing for halter to he
mad about, especially as elections come
around SO frequently. Yet it is, also,
too true that American hatters are very
mad at present, and whether the phrase
held good before, it certainly holds good
nov. There are 1000 mad hatters in
New Jersey alone, and at Orange, in
that State, they have nearly had an
Orange riot. The cause is a new hat
finishing machine that will do the work
of five hatters. The matters are re-
solved not to allow these machines to be
introduced; hence the trouble. Thus
the ancicnt phrase "as mad as halter"
has now life infused into it.
THE COST OF WAR.
NJ. de EOville, distinguished French
economist, has ciphered up the bills
which Frsne7 he's had to pay for the
Franco-German war, and the devasta-
tions of the Commune. The total
amounts to s., 900, 600. 900 which is pref
ty heavy for war Of stch short dura-
ton. 9 Among the items given, twenty
seven in number, are 81, ,oOo, 600, 900 for
the indemnify paid to Germany, $685.
100000 for cost Of borrowing money,
$500, ,OO0, 900 capitalization Of the lost
revenue Of the ceded provinces, etc.
The net cost of revictualing Paris was
1000, 600; to rebuild the structures
burned by the Commune cost SIC, ,0OO,-
600; to bury the dead soldiers, $45O. 900
the Cemmrrpe stole q. .OOO, ,OOOin money,
bsGde. SS3o0. 600 which they "drew l"
from the bank, and the trials and trans
portation of the captured insurgents
cost s., 400, 900; the re-establishment of
roads required s1s, ,OeO, 900. and it cost
$375,OOO to reseus the registers ol
births and marriages wantonly destroyed
by the Communist.