Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-09-24
A BOYS Snake Story.

visiting in Illinois, has written a long
letter home detailing his adventure
with huge blacksnake. The boy was
on the top of hay wagon in harvest
field when one of the harvesters tossed
fork of hay upon the wagon. It hap
pened to contain blacksnako about
ten feet. long. The boy didn't tarry
long on the wagon, leaving the snake
to hold the fort.
The harvesters procured long poles
and endeavored to kill the reptile but
they couldn't very we'll reach it. Lad
ders were procured and placed along
the stack. Men mounted to the top,
bnt the snake beat them back every
time. Several hours of valuable time
we're consumed in the battle and the
snake still lived. The men finally re-
solved to burn the reptile out. The
load of hay was propped up and the
wagon was pulled out from under it.
Then match was applied to the hay.
In an instant the entire stack was in a
blaze.
The men stood around with clubs,
pitchforks and rakes, waiting for the
snake to appear. Presently streak of
fire ten feet long darted out of the
flames and flew across the field like a
streak of lightning, leaving a line of
smoke behind it to denote the course
it had taken. For two miles the streak
Of fire could be seen, when suddenly it
disappeared in a large barn. In the
course of a few moments the barn was
comt lete mass of flames. Once more
the streak of fire darted forth and shot
across the prairie to small stream.
When it struck the water dense cloud
Of steam arose, but it soon cleared away,
and then the snake, for such the fire
proved to be, was seen climbing tree
on the edge of a stream. Beyond the
loss of it's hide the snake had suffered
no serious injury.
The Keystone Of a 6nstTower Laid
(From the Philadelphia Timesl
Three hundred people, with upturned
faces and staring eyes, watched the
monster marble keystone of the arch OF
the big tower of the Public Building at
Philadelphia as it swung in air. A
slight board railing kept the crowd from
getting under the stone. Slender two
inch steel cables, looking hardly strong
enough to bear workman's weight,
held the mass. A tall man with reddish
whiskers, made the signal to 'hoist
away" and black giant arm stretch
ing out from above the marble top, 100
feet in the air, gathered in the slender
cords. The figure OF workman. seem
ing as though viewed from the large
end Of u telescope, walked out upon the
giants arm and looked down. Beneath
the stone mason nonchalantly Clipped
away with hammer and chisel at mar
bic block. TIE grimy giants arm made
sweep and stopped over the aperture
where the six tocs of marble were to
'odge. From the courtyard below the
immense block looked as though two
men could lift it: Across Penn Square
the brass hands of the Broad Street
Station clock noted the flight of two
hours before the keystone was in place.
THE heaviest stone in the tower is
the covering piece in the circle forming
the lower front of the tower. It weighs
thirty-two tons," said Foreman Law
renee. Il expect to have all the stone
work completed by the end of the sea-
son of 1886. The height of the tower
then will be $40 feet. From that eleva-
ton the iron work commences and goes
1876 feet higher, until, to the crown OF
William PENIS hat, the height of 535
feet is reached.
"HERE," shrieked the city editor
"what do you mean Ky this paragraph
The Common Council is the recipient
of many complimentary remarks from
citizens generally, just at present?
Don't you know that the Council hal
taken recess for month ?" "That'
what Tn trying to get at, responded
the general local specialist, without
blush. Il Buffalo Express.