The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-01-02

been discharged, and person conversant with
the affairs at the mill says that he would not
be surprised II one-third OF the production
should cease within two weeks. Should this
happen, over eight hundred persons will be un-
employed.
The year just closed was busy one with
the criminals and unfortunates. A statistician
Is responsible for the statement that in this
country the murders averaged four per day and
the suicides two per day. In the United States
1,494 persons met death at the hands OF fellow
creatures, against 720 the previous year Ohio
Is the banner murder state leading with l16
cases. Missouri follows with 104 tying New
York. Only 105 persons were executed by the
law during the year, while ~ were disposed of
by vigilance committees and mobs carrying out
the DEGREES Of Judge Lynch. The suicides OF
the year foot up $40. New York leads, with
204 victims.
A SUMMARY OF the railway building in the
United States for the past twelve months shows
that 6 600 miles of main track we're laid at an
approximate cost of S165, 100000, making the
total of miles of railway In the country to date
1000 The construction during 1882 was the
largest In the history of the country-11, 800
miles; the year before it was 8 800 The states
and territories which lead In construction this
year are as folows Montana ALB, Dakota 409
Michigan 406, New York 375 Pennsylvania $3.50,
Ohio 1916, Mississippi 305 New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware Nevada
and Wyoming are the only states and terri
tories In which no new road was built.
IT is pleasant in this mercenary age to record
an instance of q devotion to convictions that
rises superior to considerations of gold 1t is sad,
however, to see great savant differing on ac-
count of his enthusiasm for scientific hypothe-
sis which has not yet commended itself to the
world. The Rev. John Jasper the ilustrious
theologan and astronomer of Richmond, says
that the membership of his church has dwindled
from two thousand to twenty since he uttered
his epoch. making THE sun do move" II he
we're willing to abjure his favorte theory, his
church and he might again be prosperous; but
he will never do that. His congregation and
the sun do move, but Jasper never moves.
Verify, science still has her martyrs.
THE Michigan town of East Tawas has Gu
rious temperance controversy on hand. 1t votes
prohibition and there is no liquor sold in the
town, but it happened that small vessel got
fastened in the ice of the lake few hundred
feet from shore, and there is the troubling
point. An enterprising saloon man has hired
the ship and put aboard a good quantity of malt
and spirituous fluids, bound for town some
| miles distant But the ship cannot go until
things thaw out in the spring; meantime the
liquor is sold out where it is by the glass or
bottle, the municipal government has no juris-
diction over the raging main, even II it is COW
cred with ice, and temperance men gnash their
teeth while the rumseller wakes fat.
PROFESSOR DAVIDSON OF San Francisco has
| IcCelNeu lronu AHfshd particulars VI NolCdblC
disturbances in October last near the entrance
of Cooks inlet Immense volumes of smoke
and flame suddenly burst forth from the sum-
nit of Mount Augustine the sky became OBJ
scured and few hours after great quantities
of pumice dust began to fall. An earthquake
wave thirty feet high came rushing in over the
settlement, sweeping away all the boats and
| deluging all the houses The tide being low
saved the settlement from utter destruction.
Ashes fell to depth of five inches, making the
day so dark that lamps had to be lighted At
night the surrounding country was illuminated
by the flames from the crater. After the dis
turbance had subsidized it was found that the
mountain had split in two from the base to the
summit. The northern slope had fallen to the
level of the surrounding cliffs. Simultaneous
with the eruption was the creation of new
island off the mainland, seventy five feet high
and mile and a half long. The violence OF
the volcanic action was so great that two ex-
tinct volcanoes on the peninsula of Alaska
burst into activity, emitting immense volumes
OF smoke and dust.