Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-01-21
NO. B.
IN GENERAL.

|
The great trunk lines have recently de-
cided TO place the air-brake on their freight
cars, its use upon passenger cars fully demon
strating its economical qualities.
Capt John Goldman of New York cele-
brated the coldest day of this winter by filing
his pockets with ear-mufs and distributing
them among the Broadway stage drivers.
A porcelain factory has been started at
New Orleans which gets its kaolin from Rob
ertson county, Tex, and turns out O ware
with fine finish and having the true Sevres
ring.
"A learned physician finds that the figure
on the cruciix in Burgos cathedral is hu-
man body in perfect state of preservation.
II is said to have been there since the 18th
| century.
w. w. Corcoran, the benevolent old
Washington banker, is said to have given S.
600, 900 in public benefactions and 81 ,OOO,-
| 900 in private charity. He has SO, 900, 900 to
draw from still
Kate Field says George Eliot was the on
ly woman in the civilized world never photo
| graphed, and adds that the only portrait of
| her in existence is q crayon in the possession
of the Blackwoods at Edinburg.
| Mr.. Kimball, the church debt raiser,
has visited over 1G0 churches and raised over
| S5,O00,0O0 of debt, and as much more has
been raised or saved through the influence of
his work.
Baltimore can boast of citizen whose
business integrity is above par. He failed in
| 70 for S50,000, paying so cents on the dol
lar. On Saturday he sent check to each
creditor, paying in full with six per cent. in
/ terest
England has enjoyed mild winter this
| season. On Christmas day some gentlemen
IN in ba nf
Budeaux, near Plymouth, picked no fewer
than seven different varieties Of wild flowers,
all in full bloom and in front of cottage,
and altogether unprotected, fuchsia was no.
ticed in full bloom.
"A Troy, N. Y, journal has an anecdote
of wealthy manufacturer residing in an ad-
joining village, who recently gave 81, 900 to
the church of which he is a member, but de-
Quoted from the weeks pay of one of the me-
ohanics in his employ 2 cents for being five
minutes late at work one stormy morning,
despite the fact that the man worked fifteen
minutes at noon TO make the lost time good
An architect who built new City Hall for
e Western town made botch of it and fed to
Canada, as he left word with his friends, 'to
remain until the affair should blow over"
Next day high wind struck the town, and
his friends telegraphed him: Come back.
The whole shebang was blown over last
night"
The catcaombs of Paris are said TO con-
tain the bones of over 8, 900, 900 people The
number is added to every year by the remov-
al Of bodies from the cemeteries to make
room for newcomers This practice has
been carried on for over one hundred years,
and no persons body remains in a cemetery
after a certain number of years unless the lot
is held in perpetuity. The majority of lots
are only sold for a certain number of years.
The Troy (Ga.) Times says that charges
are trumped up, or grossly exaggerated against
colored men of fine physique, and they are
then sentenced to long periods, in the inter-
est of the enterprising firm to whom, at
Atlanta, Ca, convict labor is farmed out.
One stalwart negro got ten years in the chain
gang for stealing mackerel.
The manufacture of cheap candies from
white earth, or terra alba, mixed with little
sugar and glucose is carried on extensively
in New York. A census taker, who investi-
gated the confectionery business, reports that
seventy. five per cent of some candies is COM
posed of these substances, and some candy,
notably gum drops" contain still less sugar.
What is called a fine brand of CASTLE soap has
been found to be composed chiefly of this
white earth and grease.
Mrs Hayes, according TO a Washington
letter writer, recently found a shabby old
sleigh in the loft over the White House sta
bles and had it brought down and ''hitched
up" for sleigh ride. She told the driver to
keep of the more public streets as the sleigh
looked SO badly but she enjoyed her ride
none the less, and the boys whom she allow
ed to ride on the runners had quite as good q
time as she had.
The number of miles of railroad con-
structed last year is estimated at 1000. In
but one previous year has this exhibit been
surpassed. In 1871, when speculation was at
the food the total construction was 1879
miles. In other respects the railway history
of 1880 was remarkable. Values appreciated
with wonderfulrapidity and apparent stability,
and stupendous consultations were effected
New lines across the continent were we'll ad-
vanced, and steps were taken for enlarging
Mexico's system OF railroads and connecting
it with that of the United States.
Hinton Il. Helper, author of 1.-THE I'm
pending Crisis, and now wealthy resident
of St. Louis, not long ago offered $4,000 in
prizes for three papers and two poems advo-
eating north and south double-track steel
railway through the American continent.
VIM. w. Archer, local reporter on the Rich
mond (Va. State, saw the offer, and set him
self at work to study up the resources of the
continent, with such success that his 100 pages
of legal-cap have secured him $1,000, ranking
him third among the AZ competitors for the
prose prizes. Congressman-elect Allen, who
has Just sold Jay Gould the Iron Mountain
road, was one Of the three judges who decid-
ed as to the merits of the respective articles.
"A religious journal gives a new illustra-
tion OF direct answer to prayer. DIR. ID. II.
White has been trying to raise $4,000 in
England, TO be used, with gift of q like
amount, iu mission work in Eastern Africa.
A gentleman after hearing him preach offered
$500 If some other person would give the
same. This was obtained, when the first man
offered another $500 provided an equal
amount could be raised. DR.. White did not
know where to go, as he felt that ne had ask
ed in evevy place where help would be likely
TO come so he went TO God in prayer. The
next day lady came to the Office and said
81 felt all yesterday that 1 ought to go to
London and give you $500, and here it is"
She would not even give the initials Of her
name, and the amount stands credited 10 "a
friend.
American mechanical toys have found
their way in large quantities into the show
rooms of the Louvre, Bon -MaTohe and other
monster shops of Paris, and have driven out
the German playthings. In return thousands
of dressed dolls are sent TO the United States
from Paris. Houses employing each nu-
merous personnel are exclusively engaged in
dressing the dolls, according to the newest
fashions to meet the American demand. The
bodies of the dolls, which are large and joint
ed with ball joints, are made in Germany,
and sent to Paris to be provided with heads
and toilettes There are special hairdressers
for them, as well as special milliners, and
now the trade in dolls cabinet making and
upholstery has become one of the important
fields in which Partisan ingenuity exerts it.
self
The New York correspondentofa of Western
paper states positively, from information
gained from intimate friends of Judge Hilton,
that the late A. T. Stewards body has never
been recovered The thieves who stole il re-
lied on a woman's weakness TO redeem the
bones at a costly price. But Mrs. Stewards
friends appealed TO her that If she purchased
those poor bones no man would lie safe in his