Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-07-20
SAN FRANCISCO ITEMS.

Rear Admiral George B. Balch, command
ing the United States naval forces on the
Pacific station, arrived from the Eess on
Sunday.
The charge of manslaughter against John
Sparks, driver OF the Geary-street dummy
which ran over and killed boy on the 10th
instant, was dismissed in the Police Court.
Abest dozen vessels have arrived during
the past week, nearly all of them under char
ter for wheat There have been eight vessels
added to the feet under engagement for
wheat, and nine have cleared cut.
At the Conference Committee meeting of
District Greenback Clubs, resolutions were
adopted denouncing the Day-Dougherty-
Copeland-Steinbach wing. The meeting re.
solved topu5 straight ticket in the field.
Lieutenant Ray, o; the United States Sig
nal Service Corps has sailed, with nine com
panions, on the schooner Golden Fleece, for
Point Barrow, in the Arctic ocean, where hs
viii establish station for meteorological OBJ
servations.
The French bark Prospero has arrived from
Pissgus, South America, and reports that the
Italian bark Christophans, with a cargo of
81, 600 quintals of nitrate, exploded March
S.h at Pisagua, and sunk shortly alter. Two
men went down with her. she was bound to
Falmouth.
A mother and two of her children afflicted
with small pox were sent to the Twenty-sixth-
street Hospital on Sunday, from Clay street,
between Montgomery ard Kearny. A child
Of the same family was sent to that institu-
tion few days ago. There were eleven in
mates in the hospital Monday morning.
The (Democratic) Manhattan Club Mp-
nicipal Nominating Convention organized
Monday night, with j. b. Lamar as Chair.
man. 1t opened with trouble occasioued by
the violent language of d. Kinsella, who
used foul language TO the Chairman. A
policeman and the lobby crowd removed the
man. A Committee on Credentials was APP
pointed and reported the names of those en-
titled to seats. Mr.. Lamar was then elected
permanent Chairman, with j. +. Neagher
and Captain Filgate as Secretaries. a Com
mittee on Rules was named and one on Plat
form and Address. The Convention then
adjourned subject to call.
The ship Francouia, which was recently
wrecked On the Farallone Islands, had aboard
about one thousand barrels of valuable
whisky, worth from 800 to $50 per barrel.
1t appears that this portion of the cargo is
not complete loss, as the whisky barrels,
containing some air, float with the current.
Several barrels have been picked up in Mon
terey Bay. 1t Is reported that steamer
from this port to Santa Cruz found nine bar
rels on one trip. Mr.. Cook, of the Laguna
Creek House, nine miles from Santa Cruz,
has hauled in several barrels.
In the Academy of Sciences Professor
Davidson reported observations he had been
making during the past few weeks Of the
comet now rapidly disappearing In the north.
He gave a description of the celestial vagrant
en- the first night he had seen It, as having
well-defined nucleus from which were pro-
jected three beams Of intense light. Around
the head was the usual hair. and following
was well-defned shadow. On the second
night the nucleus had four or FIVE beams of
light, and on third evening the beams had
resolved into sheen of light, radiating
toward the sun. On another evening the
beam had gone TO one side, and this seq
mental beam cast of itself o shadow equal to
that of the nucleus. On still another even
ing the segmental beam was across the
nucleus, the shadow had almost disappeared,
and the outer envelope of the comet was be.
ing merged into the inner and brighter en-
velope. He had failed to find any explana-
ton of these phenomena. During the last
six evenings the density Of the envelope has
decreased and the nucleus appears to be
merging into the bright envelope around the
head. The spectroscope in his possession was
small one, but in q minute way it gave re-
suits. He drew on a blackboard an en-
larged diagram of the spectrum, with red
bands at one end and blue bands at the other.
On one quiet evening he had detected faint
bands OF dark blue, yellow. indigo aud green,
divided by dark bands. He could not say
from these facts what the physical constitu-
ton Of the comet really was, but if we were
to go by the investigations of Coggia's and
other telescope comets, this was the spec
trum of reflected sunlight. If it was reflected
sunlight, the tail was, as had been supposed,
composed Of small particles of matter that
came from the comet. Hence comets must
grow less, being thus torn TO pieces to supply
their own tails. He illustrsted the theory
that the showers of meteors which fell in diff
ferent parts of the world in November and
August were but the debris Of defunct COM
cts, travelling in an orbit that intersected the
ecliptic, and. coming in contact with the
earth's atmosphere, were heated and fell in
brilliant showers. This theory of the event.
ual fate of all comets was now being generally
accepted by astronomers.