Morning journal and courier., 1882-09-08

process. Without the steam retort the corn must be cooked three hours. The retort re duces the time one-third. The company has already canned a few apples and will can more. They are cooked 25 minutes. It will also put up pears, squash, beans, &c. The company will start it's corn packing factory at New Gloucester next week.
 Life in the Lagoons.
 Stories Told by Alligator Fishers and
 Turtle Hunters.
 From the St. Louis Globe Democrat
 In conversation with reporter, MT. Will Smith, who was for long period keeper at the jetties when they were in course of con- structfon, told some curious stories about alligators which were very numerous there and through the marshes. The men became so accustomed to them that they would hard ly turn aside to avoid the largest, and on Sundays 1t was quite 8 common amusement to shoot them, sometimes half a dozen or a dozen being secured in an afternoon. It is 6 mistake to suppose that rife ball will not perpetrate an alLgator's hide, as one from 8 Winchester striking it in the head, the tough. est part. will generally take the whole top of the skull off. Northern people visiting the jetties were anxious to see alligators, and one immense fellow, apparently 17 feet in length, was encouraged to stay in the river in the vicinity, and was known Col An arew's pet. The colonel was quite incensed at one time by the fact that one of the men fired at his favorite with a revolver, and by discovering on another occasion that Walker, who said to have hooked 8 whale, had made preparations to capture the alligator by means of 8 rope, huge shark hook, and IF pounds of beef. Although the bait was shov- ed invitingly under the reptiles nose as he lay on the bank in the sun, he was too shrewd or not hungry enough to be tempted. ''The nat oh G fun nl still be there. One evening as some men were unloading barge of rock huge alliaa- tor arose out of the water alongside, and one of the men pitched 15-pound stone at it which, from height of 12 or 14 feet, landed directly on its head. The head must have been smashed, hard as it was, for the saurian, after turning half @ dozen somersaults and going through number of antics, sunk slow ly and seemed dead. Mir. Smith was coming down the river one Sunday in psrogue with another man, a late arrival, when they saw an enormous alligator asleep on the bank. Smith proposed having some fun with him :, and, without disturbing his slumbers, pulled up alongside, and ro~ding the boat ashore, stood up In it and began vigorous attack on the sleeper with paddles. Contrary to their expectations, the sluggard started toward them in his hurry to reach the water, and crawling over the boat upset them into mud knee deep and filled the boat with filth and water. Their clothes were ruined, and they were pretty thoroughly disgusted on ascertaining that the alligator had lost an eye. They had attacked him from the blind side, and he ran over them before he found where the trouble started.
 There are numerous individuals in the South who make @ living by killing and catching alli8ators. The hide of a large one is worth from $1 to $2 but it is very hard work to take it of, and is almost a days task. From the flesh a very strong and quite ,oI,y purposes, but principally as a remedy for rheumatism. It has, however, 6 most un- pleasant smell unless properly treated Many fishermen have been known to eat portions of the meat, that of the tail being said, when cooked, to have much the appearance of veal and taste something like pork Quite lu- crative business is that of capturing allieators alive to send away for exhibition. Col. Will liams when Spanish Fort was made a summer resort, made 8 contract with a fisherman to fill the hole known as the alligator pond for him, and in the course of a couple of weeks he had it stocked with 30 or 40, ranging in length from inches to or 8 feet. The man who caught them showed no fear in handling the huge reptiles, and for $5 offered to get into the hole and throw the largest one out over the paling by which it was sur rounded. They are said to exhibit wonderful alacrity in ''going for" colored person, and dogs their favorite diet, while they will, as general thing, endeavor to avoid white man. The man who supplied the pond and his companion have been known to bring in to camp in a small skif an alligator 16 feet long and furious with rage.
 The manner of accomplishing this feat was as he explained, quite simple. The old are sa sage and will fight for their young, and this fact is taken advantage of. Some of the young are caught out of the spot in which the old one is lying, and stout noosed rope IS then placed where to emerge she must AL. all sa ready the young are allowed to cry out, and the old lady thrusts out her head to have her neck caught in the moose. She is dra B. ged around in the water until pretty well choked, when another moose is secured on her tail, and she is firmly strapped, stomach downward on 8 wide board, which she can not break, as her powerful muscles in the tail act only in a lateral direction. Her head Is then fastened to the boat, the moose about her neck Is removed, and she Is lowed away after her young have been placed in the ski Young ones are bought by dealers for from Ss2 to S4 dozen, if not over foot in length. / When they sell them they get much higher price, as they are hard to preserve alive. The large ones are sold differently, there being an increase in price of 50 cents to $1 for every | additional foot over & certain length. Alliga tors 16 or IS inches long are frequently found | by the dozens in shallow water and can be handled without trouble, providing the old | one who is generally near, does not take the | alarm. Most alligator fishers are usually | turtle hunters also, and search along the shores of bayous and lagoons for the holes ! of the animals. When the hole is discovered it is explored with a long pole with big | hook set in the end, and if the unfortunate | resident is at home he is promptly dragged 1 out in spite of his struggles and quickly ap pears in market. The eye of young alliga
 tor, when closely examined in a strong light, | is a queer and rather pretty sight, having all the fire and much the appearance of an opa | of similar size.
 1 The damage done by the ''peach iam'' col | lision Tuesday night on the New York anC l New England road is estimated at about
 $25, ,OOO. It is now said that the peach traiI left East Hartford without orders. thus caus ing the smashup.
 James Mooney, who is held for tn, theft of goods from the cottage at Blacl l Rock, is one of the constables of the town O 1 Fairfield. Some time ago when the articles | began to be missed, the matter was mention
 ed to Mooney. He replied that he was 8 con
 stable, and if the case was placed in his hand l he would ferret out the thief.
 The descendants of the late Elder Chap
 pell, forty -nine in number, with their con | sorts and families had a reunion on wednes
 day at the old Chappell homestead in Water | ford. This was the third of Q series of annus | reunions inaugurated after the death of Eide | Chappen and his wife. The family is one o the most representative of the old New Eng
 land stock in New London county.
 On Friday last horse with it's throat GU
 was found in a piece of woods about eigh
 rods from the old turnpike between Bethe
 and Newtown, and near to the boundary lin
 of the two towns. Whence the animal cam