Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1883-10-17

At last, after many months of ex-
perimenting, the endless chain railway
on the Brooklyn bridge has been put
in operation, and is giving satisiac-
ton. This railway was expected by
the public to be started last June. but
as the process was new one, of course
much experimenting had to be gone
through before success was achieved
Now that the cars are successfully
operated they run every three minutes.
Last evening entering one of these cars,
which resemble those in use on the
elevated roads in this city, in two
minutes and a-half we were in the
"city of churches" The ride is IL
very pleasant one, as the great height
gives peculiar sensation which can be
experienced only in crossing wire
bridges, as the car moved away from
the New York entrance at the rate of
about nine miles an hour, and glided
out in the silvery autumnal moonlight
among the many electrict lights, which
seem to try to compete with the lights
OF the Sun of the Night" While
going to and fro on the walk above
you are the hundreds of pedestrians.
1t reminds one of the stories pictured
in the Arabian Nights" and has an
enchantment about it which one will
remember for years. On an average
about $3,100 are taken in daily from
the travellers that cross and recross.
This will pay all the current expenses
and leave quite a sum to go in the
treasury of the bridge, and keep up the
interest ON the $15,OOO,OOO, which this
wonder of the nineteenth century
cost.
BARNUM's CURIOsITIEs.
z. L. Barnum who arrived from
Liverpool on Friday last, on the City of
Richmond, cOntemplates presiding over
a grand chronological congress-" which
is to make tour of the country next
season in connection with his great
show. All of the savages as we'll as
some of the civilized races of the earth
are to be represented in this econ
gress." Mr.. Barnum brought with
him on Friday five delegates to that
body who are to represent the Botocudo
Indians, a savage aboriginal tribe which
hunt and fish along the banks of the
Sweet River, in the Province of Esprit
to SantO, Brazil. The chief popularity
about this tribe is the manner in which
many of the aristOcratic women dis
figure themselves in order, as they
imagine, to make themselves beautiful.
The female Botocudo who wishes to
become belle, cuts hole in her under
lip. This hole she gradually enlarges
by means of a glove-stretching appa-
ratus, or something similar, until it is
large enough to hold round piece of
wood about as broad as a trade dollar.
The flesh is then allowed to grow
around the wood until the latter be-
comes. for all practical purposes, a
portion of the under lip. By means of
this grating process the under lip of
the belle is made to stick out at right
angles about three inches. One of the
beauties which came over on Friday on
CITY of Richmond, was about so years
of age, and kept her face covered up
while on the steamship. The first
glimps that one gets of these artifi-
clally enhanced beauty of these women
has the peculiar effect of causing the
spectator to shudder. The delegates
of several tribes of savages are in this
country and will travel over the States
until the Congress meets next sea-
son. Mr.. Barnum has agents in all
parts of the world engaging curiosities.
He has secured a Brahmin priest and
priestess. One of his agents who went
to Siam to secure white elephants sue
eeeded in getting two and struggled
them over the line into the British
dominiOns, where the men having them
in charge were arrested for stealing
them. Mr.. BarRum succeeded, how
ever, after much delay and trouble in
getting them released. Soon after he
received cable from his agent stating
that both the elephants had been
poisoned by emissaries of the King of
Siam. Mr.. Barnum, however, is deter
mined tosecure at least one white ele-
plant to show the American public
next year, and has sent three more
agents to Siam for that purpose.
T. S. S.
NEW York. Oct. IL. 1889