The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-03-24
FROM THE CENTENNIAL CITY.
rnLADELrnA. March 20. 1889

| Mi. EDITOR:
Professor Nennors prediction Of d
furious STOW storm, high winds, and d
general tempest, the 18th aud 10th OF
this month, has not yet iranspircd (ai
any rate licrcabouis) the weather being
of a quiet and peaceful character, and
Indications point TO another opening
spring.
Elect lefty seems 10 be the coming
ligh, for general illuminating processes
Mr.. Edison and three of his assistants
were in town few days sincc. in con.
neciion with The formation OF the Edi.
son Electric Illuminating Light Com.
pany, which has applied for Il charter
under which the new light is to he
operated. H. is expected To be soon in.
trodnced into this city Tor general
household purposes. and the iliumina.
ton of theatres, churches and parks.
Chestnut street is already lighted, as
| well as many of the principal hotels,
with the electric light.
Since the United States Mint in this
city has been authorized TO redeem mu.
tilated silver coin, about 1000 ounces OF
1t has been presented aud paid for.
The officers who have this matter under
their supervision have observed that the
largest amount presented for redcmp.
ton comes from the liquor saloons, the
beer brewers, tho market people, tho
small street merchants and the churches
From the clerical cut of many OF the
customers ut the redemption counter, it
is shrewdly suspected that o great deal
of tie silver which cannot conveniently
be passed in any other way finds its
way to the church contribution boxes.
A party of Philadelphia capitalists
are contemplating sheep farming on q
large scale in Dakota. The site selected
is on the line of the Northern Pacific
railroad, near Bismarck, where they
own tract of 100 acres. A portion of
this land has been laid out in town lots,
houses erected and station formed.
The capital hich will be embarked in
the enterprise Is $4,000, and from this
fund buildings will be erected and
proper shelter provided for The animals
during the severe winters of the north
west,
The large and imposing clock in the
tower Of Independence Hall" is con-
sidered one of the most accurate in the
world. Its variation in time Is not
more than one or two seconds month,
or, in other words, it records 1852 900
seconds with all error SO trifling as to
be insignificant. The clock was mod
eled after the famous Westminster
timepiece, whose variation ranges from
Que to three seconds a month, with the
bell which rings out the hours, which
weighs six and a half tons. The clock
was presented to the city by Mr.. Henry
Seybert, wealthy gentleman of Phila-
delphia. 1t was constructed in Thorn.
aston, Conn. Occasionally, pressure of
ice and snow has rendered the hands
erratic, but the works have never failed
TO perform with fidelity the task exacted
of them.
Another sad instance of The effect OF
the "Demon Rum" lately transpired IN
this city. Gen. William w. Wright
died lew days since in Moyamensiug
prison, where he had been committed
for drunkenness the day before. He
was found in beaslly state Of intoxlca-
tion lying on the pavement, where he
had fallen. The patrolman took him to
the third district station house, aud
being arraigDed before q magistrate,
was committed to the county prison
for twenty-four hours. He had fire.
quently been locked up in station. houses
over night. All efforts to reform him
had proved unavailing. Gen. Wright
was, in 1854, appointed principal assist.
ant engineer of the Pennsylvania rail.
road. Three years afterwards he ac-
cepted the position of revision engineer
on the surveys of the Honduras inter-
oceanic railway. When the rebellion
reared its hydra-head, he enlisted and
was made II member OF the engineer
corps of the Army of tho Potomac. Ife'
mapped out many of the engineering
enterprises of Sherman's campaigns in
Mississippi and Georgia, and likewise
in Shcrman's "March TO the Sea-" lie
constructed the great bridge at Leaven-
worth, Kansas, and the one at Atchi.
son, over the Missouri. lie was sent
by the government as one of the COM
mlssioners to survey the lsthmus of
Panama for ship canal route. The
French engineer, DE Lesseps, selected
him as one of his commissioners to
make a survey tor the Panama canal
Alas! how many CT brilliant intellects,
and of large and varied requirements
in all the professions of life, have been
engulfed in this maclstrom of destruc-
ton, and have fallen as dead men before
this Moloch of evil.
A few days since special train. COLI
tanning gentlemen to attend the Read
ing railroad meeting, made the run
from Jersey City to the station at Ninth
and Green streets, in this city, in sc
minutes distance, SO is miles over
the Bound Brook route-a pretty sharp
run between New York and rhiladel-
phia. In old stage times, it is said, it
required a day and night to wallow
through the sands of the Jerseys" from
city to city. l understand the term, the
Jerseys" arose from the circumstance
that in early times the eastern portion
of the state was called East Jersey and
tho western part was called West Jer-
sey-therefore, in the transit from city
to city, they passed through or over
the "Jerseys." Il. w. G..