Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-12-30
IN GENERAL.

John H. Barstow, a wealthy Boston man,
aged 81, committed suicide at the Parker
house Sunday.
"A large steamship was seen to sink In
the Atlantic during great gale on the Goth
inst, and 1t is feared that all her company
were lost
The people of College Point, L. l., were
thrown into wild excitement Sunday morn
ing on hearing that Edward Hoppe, an old
and respected resident, had murdered his
wife and committed suicide. He had been
drinking TO excess.
A destructive fire. Saturday night, con-
sumed the Griswold building at II South
street, New York. With the exception Of two
offices II was wholly occupied by Covert,
Acker q Co., for bonded free warehouses and
the loss is estimated az high as 81, 800, 900.
Boston straw goods firm is said TO have
suffered to the extent of $62 0O0 the value
of their goods consumed in the warehouse.
Astronomers are still watching the big
comet which created such a sensation in June
last. It is now near the pole. Calculations
made show that the period of the comet is g.
900, years so the people Of the 4S century of
the Christian era may expect to see the bril-
liant wanderer bobbing up from the south
some night, just as we saw il.
"A traffic arrangement has Just been con-
cluded between the New York, Lake Erie
and Western and the New York and New
England railways by which the Erie is TO take
its business for Boston and New England
points over the New York and New England
line and the latter will give its business for
the West to the Erie. The new arrangement
goes into effect January /. This means a loss
of business for the Fitchburg road, but
whether it also means a loss of profits re-
mains TO be seen.
The janitor of the Grand Army post in
Oswego, George W, Cutler, was shot in the
jaw, lost one finger and has four balls in his
body, and yet he has never received pen
sion. The war records are 80 confused that
Cutler appears by them to be dead, and the
records are accepted as better evidence than
Cutters own testimony, so he can't have a
pension. II evidence of the regimental sur
| geon-who is really dead-could be obtained
to the fact that Cutler is alive, then he could
get pension.
1t is stated that the common grades of
glass made at the factories in Pittsburg have
a crushing strength nearly four times as great
as the strongest quality of granite, and the
leading manufacturers in that city say that
blocks of glass can be made of suitable lengths
and sizes and so annealed as to be available
in the construction OF buildings instead oil
stone, the blocks being made to adhere to-
gether by the use of cement. With the prog
ress of invention the cost of glass has been
lessening while the quality Of the fabric is be-
coming better. In parts Of Germany and on
one liue in England glass ties are being used
on railroads with entire success. They are o.
useful as wood, and last rs per cent. longer
1t will readily be seen that very picturesque
buildings might be made of colored glass.
The cowboy" of whom so much il
heard nowadays, is thus described by a cor
respondent of the Philadelphia Bulletin
THE cowboy is a peculiar product Of tn,
frontier; as a rule, it is base fattery to sup
pose that he ever drives COWS, unless he steal
them. He is generally clad in a wide-rimmed
soft hat, pair of spurs, belt full Of Car
tridges and revolver. He probably wear
other articles of comfort and adornment, bu
those have mentioned have a faculty of mo
nopolizing the attention Of the observer. Wit
him the revolver is a substitutefor all things
he argues with it most logically, he buys witt
it at his own price, and he amuses himsel
with it habitualy. Two of them went into
church down at Charleston, Arizona, a fe'
weeks ago. The Services wearied them
They covered the minister with their favor
lite weapon and made him come down froI
the pulpit and dance jig in the corner"
~