The Northern Pacific farmer., 1883-11-01
Miscellaneous Matters,

Oakland, CAL, is to haye cotton mills
backed by $500, 900 capital. ,..'
Probably the fastest train in America
is the afternoon express on the Canada
Atlantic railway, which leaves Coteau
station at 535 and reaches Ottawa, dis
tant 1874 miles, at 700, having made one
stop of three m1nutes at Alexandria.
This is almost exactly fifty miles an
hour. The fastest train in the world is
probably the "Flying Dutchman," which
runs without stopping from London to
Bristol, a distance Of 1lS Ia miles, in
just two hours, rate of 6fty'nine and
One.eighth miles an hour.
The steamship Ludwig, which sailed
from Antwerp, Belgium, for Montreal
two months ago, and has not since been
heard from, has been given up as lost.
There were seventy persons on board,
tWenty'four OF whom were passengers.
Pullman, ILL.,, the manufacturing su-
burb of Chicago, has successfully tried q
novel system of sewerage. The town
is difficult to drain, lying on the prairie
without rise or fall and without streams.
But sewers were built, emptying into a
sunken tank, from which the sewerage
was pumped through twenty'inch
main to farm three miles away. The
cost of the system was $50, 900, and the
farm returns profit of S., 500 a year, or
more than S per cent. on the invest
ment.
The Burmese would be known any.
where by their fruits, such is the strong
and peculiar odor of their favorite varie-
ties. The dorian is particularly bad for
the olfactory. nerves. Its rind has a
most overpowering smell, and in the
special steamers which are sent to Man
dalay for the use of the king and the
palace, the smell of the bad dorians is
enough to announce their presence all
up the river. Another fruit, called tan
ienthe, is very odorous, and is esteemed
highly by the Burmese as an excellent
digestive and tonic. From descriptions
of its effects upon the person who has
been indulging in it, it is probably OF
grealer strength than the combination OF
rum and onions perceived at some DEM
ocratic caucuses.
The increase of national wealth in
Britain since the time of the Stuarts was
fully discussed at the recent meeting of
the British association. Public wealth
has Quadrupled since the date of the
battle of Waterloo, and has doubled since
the accession of Queen Victoria. Where
as in 184O the total wealth was G4,O3O,-
600, 900 sterling. in 1882 it had increased
to GS, ,720, 900 900. Computed per inhabi-
tant. in 1912 it was 9l27, and in 1882
&249. The purchasing power of money
had alse increased, and also the compar-
alive number of well-to-do people. The
probate returns showed that IL per cent.
of the populstion was above want in 1910
and 81 per cent. in 1877.
The annual report of the Provost of
the University ofPennsylvania of says: "In
all college life athletics nave become a
very prominent feature. Recognizing
both the advantages and dangers of
gymnastic exercise, the Board Of Trus-
tees has resolved to establish systema.
tic supervision of physical ulture, and
has so far agreed with an athletic asso-
ciation of alumni and undergraduates
that goodly lot of ground, with suitable
buildings and appliances, will soon be
devoted to achletic sports under the
careful oversight of an experienced di-
rector"
Undertaking the bituminous coal and
shale beds of Western Pennsylvania
there is porous rock which is charged
with petroleum gas. In certain local
tiles 1t is only necessary to tap this gas
reservoir by means of an artesian wei!
in order to secure supply of ready
made highly inf1ammable fuel. There is
quite strife now going on in Pittsbure
for monopoly of the privelage of dis
tributing this natural gas, through pipes
laid in the streets, to points where il
may be needed Tor domestic or manu-
featuring purposes.
Leachburg, Penn, is town remark
able for being lighted day and night by
constant stream Of burning gas. Some
years ago party desiring to test tie
territory for oil drilled a well on the
West1noreland side of the river, directly
opposite the town, in which no oil was
found, but from which an immense flow
of gas proceeds, and which is utilized by
the prOprietors of rolling mill in the
former place. The gas at this we'll moi
only furnishes the light and heat for the
rolling mill, but the gas from a pipe pro.
jecting far above the mill buildings illu
inmates the whole town. By the use
of the gas from this we'll the company
not only lights their works but saves
largely in fuel. Besides furnishing lights
for the rolling mill it supplies these ne
cessities for steel and q glass manufac-
tory.