The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-08-18

the family OF A. w. Bacot, E-q at
Society Hill, 5. C.
Capt. Samuel 5. Pcgram and 1t
Geo. Brockenborough c. the Hornets
Nest Rifles, Charlotte, have resigned
their commands. Ernest Young is Cap
tain.
Thorough bred men like to own
thorough bred stock. James Norwood.
ESQ, of Hillsboro, advertises sone
blooded ducks, such as every Southern
plantation should have. 1t costs no
more to feed and guard a good sheep
than a scrub; while the profit Is nearly
double. The Poplar Hill" farm has a
fine line of all kinds OF stock,
Prof. Venable, the Chemist Of
Chapel Hill University returns To his
post, after twelve months, or so, absence.
a Phi. ID. of Gottingen University, Ger
many, and a Fellow ofthe English Chem
ical Society. These distic'i)ns won, IL
80 brief a term, bespeak the thorough
groundwork of study and zeal for his
profession, which Prof. Nenable must
have carried with him.
"A shocking kerosene accident IL
Raleigh must be printed IS a warning.
Mrs. Elmos G. Smith. wife OLA com
positor in Z. b. & Co office, began t.
get supper at a stove, wherein a negro
had kindled the fire by the silly practice
of pouring in kerosene The can wa.
left near the stove. Usual explosion
The unfortunate lady ran s%creanins
from the house. A colored ma tore
off part of her dress, and emptied 4 tub
of water Over her. But her burns wer,
frightful, and she has since die 4.
Gen. Collett Leventhrope, a MAJ.
among men, has been prospecting witt,
DIR. Columbus Mills, In the ~Spartanburg,
Rutherford. and Henderson region, with
a view to sell mineral lands to Northern
parties. Buyers could feel safe in deal
ing with such men.
Gen. Leventhrope, BY the by, tells the
New York Sun, about the Sachem, OF
Hoop snake" which %stiffens into !;
hoop and rolls after its victim like 3
cart wheel. It's sting is said to be So
that it kills even trees OF
shrubs. The General says a 4 foot spec.
men was killed within stones throw OF
his house in the Happy Valley, Cald
we'll county: but he does not vouch for
the many stories in connection with this
Ring tailed snapper.
The vulgarity of the Northern
shoddycrats is becoming more and more
vulgar every day. 1t is true, as Gen.
Hill remarked last week. we have peo-
pie with the same spirit down South,
and almost every town and city has a
few persons or families, who seek tC
gid over their bad birth and i'll breed
ing by making a vulgar display Of
wealth and tinsel. But as yet, they
are not able to vie with Yankee God
fish" of which the following is a sam
ple:-"One of the most brilliant socia
events ever known In the West va,
the marriage one at Milwaukee, Wis
cousin, of Miss Isabella Mitchell anC
DR.. William Nackic. The bride is
niece and protege of Alexander Mitch
ell. the railway magnate. Fifteen hun
dred guests were received during tn,
evening, among them Senators Kellogg
Ferry, Sawyer and the elite Of Wiscou-
sin. Mrs. Alexander Mitchell, who ha:
been two years in Europe, returned
few weeks age to conduct the arrange
ments. The floral and art decoration
cost s25, 600 and the main parlor pre-
scented a scene of magniicence. Upol
the grounds was a pyramid of folisg
plants, 10 feet In circumference and q
feet high, from which shone 300 colore,
lights. Next in attractiveness was tn
Fountain, which was illuminated an,
artistcally Altogether 10,
600 lights were alb ,ut the place"
e. Gen. Gabriel J. Rains, of Arkansa-
IA native of Newbern) is dead
He was an old army officer, and tn
founder of the torpedo system which
becoming the chief reliance of all cour
tries for sea coast defence. Gen. II
had the idea in his head prior to tn
war, but could not get an opportunit
to test his experiments until late ir til
war. One of his torpedoes blew up til
Galena, I'VE believed in James River a
she was ascending to attack Drewry
Bluff. Whatever her name, there
no question as to the fact that she Wa
suddenly sunk in James River as ear
as j uly 1863. Gen. Rains ofteu sno !
ed us his drawing of various torpcdoe.
and he hoped to sell them to the go,
eminent for a large sum but the Yal
KEGS, having once got the idea, set
work to elaborate it. and Rains cruC
machines sank out of sight. There W.
recently tried at Newport, by a Boar
of u. s. officers, several patent torped
boats, to be guided by an electric viii
from the shore. One boat proved
great a success that it could be sent o,
two miles, with great rapidity, sr
strike any target with great precision
1t was even made to turn around
stake boat and eturn to the shor,
guided entirely by the man who sat {
the beach operating the flexible wire
The boat carries a torpedo which wou
sink any ship, no matter if as big a.
mountain, and built Of steel.
Gen. Rains also invented land to
pedoes. He always claimed to ha,
saved Richmond from Mcclellan, aft
Is the battle of William, burg. 'HHow d
do it? Why, sir, l saw the FEEDER
cavalry rapidly gaining on us, and
knew if they struck our weary re
guard they would create a stamped
Besides We needed a weeks time
throw up works around Richmond. s
| took some old oyster cans and ma,
torpedoes out of them, and plante
them in the mud holes where the no;
was narrow, and the pursuer. would
bound to stumble on them. They di,
and five troopers were blown up, al
many horses wounded. The enen
were astounded. And when a Gals,
happened to run a-foul Of another
my oyster-caHs, they were lanic-stricI
en-. Any way, they began to fish 10
the mudholes, and spent two or thr
days feeling their way up to Lon