Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-09-25

An Investigation into the cause OF the recent dis
aster In the tunnel o. the New York Central rail-
road In New York city shows that so much work
was crowded to q boy, eighteen years Of age,
who acted as telegraph AMI signal operator at its
upper end that he did not have tmr To put out the
signal that the trdckwi5 blocked in the tunnel by
the detention Of train known as the "P0rfchester
special" thus permitting the Harlem rapid transit
train 10 rush down the rails into the darkness on
its death-dealing mission The boy testified that
he controlled the movements or 194 trains a day
on salary OF SO month, and that his slime was
fully occupied" What more fitting comment
could be made on the economy OF the Vanderbilt
management, which, in this case, amounts to q
positive crime! boy IS given the control OF
nearly 300 trains day and the lives o. tn usanIe
of human beings on a salary but little in excess
OF the wages OF daily lab0reT that yht per cent
dividends may be paid on the stock OF the New
York Central railroad watered to double it's actual
va!uei But there viii be the usual insure" by
the e0roner's jury, the newspapers VIII b. indig
nant for while, ami then the whole case viii 90
on to the mu5y calendar OF the sO-calle; adminIs-
traton OF public justice In the city o. New York,
probably never TO be heard of again
Some superstitious people, who are already MAX
Ing themselves unhappy over the apprehension
that the end OF the world is 10 come through the
current comet, attribute the late tremendous rain
storm 70 the influence OF this erratIc visitor In
skies 1t Is quite evident, how ver that the storm
of last week was nothing NOR Ia the od-faSh-
toned ''equinOctial," which came this year just on
time, or about the 22i OF September. The present
comet is likely to be as harmless IS its numerous
predecessors, which have famed across the heay-
ems and caused popular terror. Their immense
velocity and the eccentric courses they take,
whereby there is always a possibility that they
may collide with the earth or some OF the other
planetary bodies, may naturally make them OBJ
1ectS OF apprehension; but the INVESTIGATIONS of
the scientists have supplied the dat. show that
the matter composing both the nu ,ieus and the
tail OF comets Is so extremely tain that in the
Improbable event OF one striking our planet no
harm would be done to the earth its inhabitants
though 1t might be bad for the comet In fact, 1t
is believed that portions OF very my comets have
been absorbed in the atmosphere OF the earth
without any body being the wiser. The extreme
attenuation OF the matter composing them Is
shown by the fact that stars of very low order OF
magnitude have been through the
nuclei OF comets; and by the further fact that
comets millions OF miles in thickness and millions
upon millions In length have never been known to
cause any perturbation OF the planetary motions,
though themselves so much Influenced by the
planets they have approached to entirely
change their orbit This was notably the case
with what called .'LeXelI's lost comet" which
In 1867 near Jupiter that the attraction of
that planet completely changed its orbit, and in
1779 it again encountered Jupiter, receiving an
other Orbital twist from that big planet that sent
1t on into remote space, and so entirely changed
It's orbit that If it has appeared since nobody
has recognized 1t as LexeIl's comet.
Arkansas cast a surprisingly large vote In the
recent election. The returns show 81 G75 votes for
Berry UemOcraU for governor, 352 Tor Slack
republican, and TO- 142 for Garland (greenbacker)
total III 169 This is increase of 1859 over the
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