The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-02-03
TIMELY TOPICS.


The New York coffee house COM
pany, reasoning that "hot coffee is
b tier than whisky in cold weather"
has established three stations for sup
plying car drivers and conductors.
at the foot of Grand street. At these
points there is a daily total of three
thousand car arrivals. At first cups of
coffee were given away at these places.
to the great satisfaction of the recipients
of the company's bounty. FINALLY.
however, the company began to sell the
coffee at two cents per cup. Its men,
bers hope to be able TO make this n
regular business in winter at these
Noints, while in summer they propose
to provide cool drinks.
The floods in Holland have caused
widespread devastation and suffering.
Dikes at Nieuwkuyk that resisted
storm and wave for eighty years sue
cumbed to the tempests of this wild
season, and vast area, containing
hundreds of thousands of acres and n
population of 10000 persons, was
flooded. Add to this severe cold, and
1t is easy to form conception of the
suffering that ensued. Many houses
were torn from their foundations, others
fell in, and in many the inmates were
made prisoners in. the garrets and on
the roots, where they were subjected TO
The catastrophe was owing to the neg
lect of the government to maintain the
dixie in proper condition.
If the prosperity OF the country can
Iaa M 90 crtrod hu ha ~, slaa af xa,,r
roads constructed, last year was the
most prosperous in the history of the
United States, excepting, perhaps, 1871.
The total mileage is, according to the
figures of the RaiGDdy Age, 2O7lmiles
of track actually laid on 234 different
lines. This falls but little short of 1871.
the footing for which is 1879 miles.
The 6ge'S table is not quite complete.
Idaho and Wyoming Territories, where
railroad building is in brisk progress.
are not reported at all. Mississippi is
also left out and the returns from other
quarters are but partial. The Aoe esti-
mates that the final figures will make
the total construction for the year as
high as $500, or greater than the mile
age of any previous year in the United
States, or in any other country.
The Consumption" of malt liquor in
this country has increased over leo per
cent. in ten years. During $780," saws
the Retailer, the organ of the brewers.
taxes were paid on l3 374, 600 barrels.
or Ala ,000, 900 gallons. This is eouiya-
lent to about $50 mugs for every man.
woman and child in the country. Leav-
ing out the females and children, this
vast quantity represents 600 glasses q
year for each male over twenty-one
years old in the United States. When
we consider the very large number of
adult males who drink no beer at all,
and the other host who partake of it
only in the most moderate manner, and
at more or less protr acted intervals, it is
evident that some other k,Americans
must drink great 6ell. At five cents
glass this heeriEmanufacture of 1880
brought 1915 600,O00 or about 81. per
capita Tor every man, woman and child
This is quarter more than the total
running expenses OF the United States
government"
The new agricultural industry known
as the. central sugar factory system,
which is now established in many sec
tons OF Louisiana, was founded by
Messrs. Clarke and Steele. formerly of
Spring field, Ohio. Their plantation
and works at Lagonda are on a grand
scale. These gentlemen settled there
ten years ago. and began buying up the
cane raised by small farmers who had
no mills, and refining the crude mo.
lasses of planters who did not care to be
troubled with the operation, or had not
the means to carry it on. There are
some large plantations in Western
Louisiana now worked on the tenantry
system. Small farmers, in companies
OF five to twenty, are allowed to culti-
vate as many acres of fine sugar cane
lands as they can, free of rent, and are
paid four dollars per ION for all they
make. Several Chicago and Ohio firms
are now planting on the tenantry plan,
and many planters of the olden sort
have followed their example, until
there are now twenty-five central sugar
factories on the Teche and the Atcha.
falaya. Both these systems are said TO
work well, and hundreds OF tenants
have become very easy in circum-
sS.,ances since the industry was estab.