, 1883-04-05

by 25 per cent. than any prev 'ols one
seems now to be assured. A good fall
of snow in Eastern Oregon and Wash
ington covered the grain fields for
some time and shielded the growing
plant from the disastrous effect of
the extreme cold. Moisture enough
has remained in the ground during
the past month of pleasant weather
to give it Il vigorous start on the road
to maturity, and farmers feel jubilant
at the prospect. In the Willamette
valley little wheat was spared by the
biting frost, but the weeds We're also
killed and the ground heaved up and
so thoroughly mellowed that many
farmers who were intending to sum
mer fallow declare that nature has
performed the work so well that they
will seed the ground to wheat instead.
BY the latest estimates the acreage of
wheat in the valley will be at least 25
per cent larger than last year, and
the yield per acre be largely increas-
ed.--COmmercidt Herda
TIMOTHY A. HOWE, Postmaster Gen
eral of the United States, died ut his
home in Kenosha, Wisconsin ON the
25th ult. He was born in Maine,
February q, 1916, and after receiving
an academic education studied law
and was admitted to the bar. Ie was
member of the legislature OF Maine
in 1S45, and in the latter part Of that
year he cmigrated to Wisconsin. He
was elected to the United States Sen
ate as a Union republican in 1861,
was reelected to the Senate in '67 and
again in '73, during these eighteen
years holding important committee
positions, and being one Of the most
prominent and influential members of
that body. He was rendered by Pres
ident Garfield an appointment as a
member of the board of commission
ers sent by the United States to rep
resent this government in the inter
national monetary congress at Paris,
his associates being ex-senator Thur
man of Ohio, and VIM. Evarts of New
York. He remained abroad six
months. Soon after his return he be-
gan to be prominently mentioned as
possible member of President Ar.
thurs cabinet. In 1881 he was ten.
dered the postmastership, which he
accepted, to the duties of which he
has since devoted his attention. He
strongly favored the reduction of
postage made by the last Congress,
and was largely instrumental in Sc
curing improved mail facilities for the
country.
GETTING STORMS Down FINE.-Ser-
geant Merrill, of the signal service.
says: "We have had ship captains
taking observations of the recent
storm from all points at various times,
and in a few days we shall have a
complete history of its vagaries, with
a perfect picture of its path. 1t be-
gan in the Atlantic ocean east of the
Bahamas. Its origin was due to the
recent cold wave that swept over the
south, coming in contact with a moist
wave from the tropics. 1t struck us
just off Hatteras, travelled up the coast,
met the storm from the northeast,
and both blew themselves off Ameri-
can territory together. The storm is
now travelling toward England. 1t
will take five or six days to get there.
A chart l received today from Wash
ington is designed to illustrate the
popularity of storms in crossing the
ocean. In few months the work
will be so developed that it will be
possible for the weather observers to
warn English sailors of the approach
of storms with remarkable certainty
week ahead. The path of the
storms is being rapidly figured down
fine, and ocean steamers, by keeping
outside their southerly limit, will
catch the westerly winds and go whiz-
zing along with great speed and per
feet safety"