St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-02-24
Our New York Letter.
New YORK, February 30, 1882


The great flour mills, hard by the Full
ton ferry, on the Brooklyn side of the
East river, exploded on Thursday, Just
before noon, or rather a boiler in them
did, and blew engineer, fireman, and
perhaps others into eternity, while the
roof of one ferry boat was crushed in
and the passengers on another hotly
bOmbarded with flying bricks, while
the adjacent streets were the scene of
the widest stampede. 1t was a new
boiler too, and we were struck with its
monstrous size, as they were slowly
introducing it into the building a week
or ten days ago.
Assets 1914, 702, 957 90! That's nice
little sum of money. No bogus about
it either. That is the little pile owned
by the Mutual Life Insurance Company,
according to their last statement, and
they proceed to detail exactly what
those assets consist of. There are no
bonds of railroads in the moon or any
thing of that kind, but everything solid
as the great business palace where the
sagaciOus administrators of the sound
ever hit on by the ingenuity of man
conduct their noble business. 1t is
sturdy board of directors, a list of good,
substantial, vigorous, whole sOuled
business men that it is a treat to look
over in these days of Enthusiastically
trustees. As for F. S. Winston, the
president, his name is a household
word. He commands grand army of
benefactOrs to the prOvident, and he
handles them with unequalled skill
1t is wonderful institution, this Mu-
tual Life Insurance Company. During
the year ending December 81, 1881, it
paid policy holders no less than SIP
$40, ll2.I2. Just think of it, And vet,
in spite of the reduction they made in
1879, of ID per cent. on ordinary life
policies, step which set every other
insurance company against them at
the time, which everyone declared
must ruin them, they have paid divi-
dends of S2,947 ,395.65. They charge
less than other companies, and are
guaranteed by their simple, honorable
and wise methods of doing business
against the remOtest risk of burst-up.
We have to mourn the loss of two
harmless cranks, Il demented French
man and his son, who was perfectly
sane for years after the brains of his
sire had been warped, and, it is pre-
sumed, became crazy through sympa-
thy. Under the delusion that Uncle
Sam had robbed them of some. more
or less, mythical property, they were
in the habit of perambulating the
streets, like modern Don QuiXOtes,
with cuirass and back-plate of tin or
wood, with the lamentable legend of
their woes inscribed thereon. When
they first adopted this singular amuse-
ment, they We're frequently arrested,
but for some time have been unmOlest-
ed by the police, and, strange to say,
even by the hoOdlums of the vicinity
| The old man died, and the son has van
ished. He will probably turn up at
the mOrgue.
A majestic monarch of the wilds of
Africa, in the shape of a mulattO youth
of twenty tender years, and eight feet
and one inch high, who had earned his
living and much admiration of callOw
juveniles in sundry side-shOws, has
come to serious grief. He loved not
wisely, and too, too utterly well, and
now languishes i'll Il priSOn-cell, be
cause little TeutOn girls parents OBJ
jected to the projected matrimonial
alliance between their blonde daughter
and the dusky giant. 1t seems Il pity,
for the giant intended to fix her up as
"A Circassian Albino, and the King of
Ashantee and his bride would have
made a lovely pair.
All the letter carriers seem just now
to be grievously afflicted with sciatica
and rheumatism. Most of them are
veterans, but even the victims to much
slumbering in the mud, twenty years
ago, usually get relieved in such balmy,
spring like weather as we have lately
been favored with. The fact is, their
torments are due to love or mischief,
or both. Valentines day was the
trouble, you see. The boys in gray
had to trOt about briskly with tremen-
dous loads, and backs and sinews of
upper and neither limbs have felt the
strain. Upwards of 50O,00O extra let
tiers passed through the New York
post office on the l4th. By the way.
the progress of art, in these latter days,
has been availed of considerably in
the latest valentines, some of which
are exquisitely beautiful.
Lent is coming very near, and the
gay and festive are crowding their fun
into the few days left. The hunting
season has been happily wound up 10y
DelmOnicO banquet of the Queens
county and MeadowbrOOk Hunt Clubs,
while a grand fete of the Palestine
Commandery of Knights Templar at
the Academy of Music, was rivalled on
the same night by the review of the
Twelfth militia by General Grant at
the Madison Square Garden, the beau
ty, fashion and wealth of Gotham be
ing about equally divided between
them. There have been lots of we'd
dings, too.
The sea serpent has again made its
appearance, and, indeed. seems in
clined to be neighbOrly, for it was last
seen no further off than Long Branch,
and is probably intending to pay its
respects to General Grant next sum
mer like a stalwart. 1t is described as
somewhat different to its kindred as
observed by former narratOrs, with a
square head and two big horns. Per
haps it is IA bull sea serpent (whalers
divide whales into bulls, cows and
calves and the others were of the fem
mime gender or quite adolescent. We
shall be glad to record the fact of some
one taking this bull by the horns.
RADIX.
A singular and fatal case of innocu,
lation for kine-pox has just resulted il
the death of Miss Flora Hare, an only
daughter of David Hare of Waltham
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