The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-07-20


his son, some three years since, that if
he would graduate with distinction
he would make him present of $10,-
600. The incentive had it's effect, and
young Barr starts out in life with edu.
Gated brains and plethoric pocket.
James L. Loring. civil engineer,
suggests that tornsdoes be fought with
cannon. He says: 'It would be cheaper
to put an iron cannon in every town in
Iowa than it will be to pay the losses of
Saturday. If one of these clouds were
seen forming near town the cannon
would tell the news to the next town,
and the concussion of the air from a
succession of firing certainly ought to
effect the same result in Iowa that it
does on the equator"
The question of capital punishment,
whether it is for the best interests of
society to maintain or abolish it, ap-
pears as far as ever from final settle
ment. Several States have tried the
experiment of dispensing with the death
penalty, but there is no general agree-
ment as to whether human life within
their borders is more or less safe than
before, and a strong party in each seeks
to re.establish the gallows. The Swiss
republic has had very much the same
experience. Capital punishment was
abolished in that country some years
ago, but several cantons have gone
back to it, while others have voted to
keep On without it. On the whole it is
probably fair to say that public senti-
ment in the most enlightened countries
is just now so uncertain on this ques-
tion that it seems almost an even thing
whether the movement against the gal
lows is to make further progress or
yield to reaction.
A Senate resolution calling for infor-
nation about pensions has brought
out some interesting facts. There were
close upon 100000 pensioners on the
roll last September, when the annual
statistics were made up. But about
twelve thousand pensions had lapsed
through not being called for during
| three successive years, and five thou
sand were tn Sc OF sailors whose resi-
dences were not known. The actual
number paid was 252 351, the amount
being $5l ,224.20i. New York State
heads the list. To her 32 024 pen .ion-
ers the annual sum of So, 426,5 ,532 was
| given, but arrears brought the amount
up to $6,510,4 All. Pennsylvania 28,-
292 pensioners required SIS, TAG S02, nnd
Ohio's "a, 663 had S4,941 $40. More
than two million dollars each went to
Iudiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts
and Michigan; more than one million
each to Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and
New Jersey The Third Congress district
of Maine surpassed all others in the
amount it received.
The importance of agriculture as a
factor in our national prosperity can
best be appreciated by visiting New
York city and observing the steamers
and ships from all quarters of the globe
loading with products OF American sol.
In single week, recently, upward OF
$6,000,000 worth OF agricultural prod
ucts were shipped abroad from New York
alone. Among the experts of that week
were 2, 1876 barrels apples, 1,647 pounds
beeswax, S4,202 barrels wheat -four,
1891 barrels corn meal, 48l,252 bush
els wheat, 2,G52 bushels oats, 46
bushels barley, 2,023 bushels peas,
427 241 bushels corn, Is, 537 bales cot
ton, 462 bales hay, 492 bales hops, 10,
967 gallons lard oil, 1,092 gallons lin
seed oil, 3 993 barrels pork, S04 barrels
beef, LOGO tierces beef. 5.549, ,29l
pounds cut meats, 74,4i4 pound:
butter, 675, 151 pounds cheese,
1854, $50 pounds lard, So bar
rels rice, 577,620 pounds tallow, 439
hogsheads tobacco, 1926 packages to
bacco and 1887 pounds manufactured
tobacco.
Although tho sanguine De Lesseps
makes frequent announcements that the
Panama canal enterprise is in mos
fourishing condition, unpreiudiced oh
servers who have been over the route
take very different view. Captain
Belknap, OF the United States navy
who crossed the Isthmus few week
ago, reports that 5000, 900 has been psi(
for hotel to serve as offices, and $50,
600 more in fitting it up; that anothe
5000, 900 has BEEN expended in buyin!
buildings and grounds for hospital use
and that houses have been built for tn
officials, but that the only real work ye
done toward the construction of tn,
water way consists in the clear
ing away of shrubs ant
! trees from the track. Captain Belknal
,, found that Intelligent residents of tn
Isthmus region believed the projec
feasible, but they agree in the opinio
that it would take great deal NOR
time than the enthusiastic engineer Cal
culates upon. The captains conclu
sion that people familiar with the Istf
3 mus, and expecting returns for capits
: invested, will not be likely to put none
in such an enterprise will only strength
3 en- the disinclination OF Americans t
J, take stock in the scheme as now COZ
Quoted.
Professor Reese, of Philadelphia, hi
o made an important discovery touchiu
u u the effects of drowning upon the hu,us
u lungs. In an autopsy of the bod
i of woman, found drowned,
p it is reported that he found no water
u the lungs, nor any evidence of wat
o having been there, nor was a1y fonr
V in the stomach. 1t is also said tn
the dead body bore no marks of abu
and violence, and there was nothir
- found in the @sophagus to indicate tn
70 water had crossed the woman's liz
= As the body was taken from the river DC
a the wharf it is presumed that the wom'
a jumped overheard, which leads I
y, Reese to infer that persons plungil
7i into the water, especially from an en-