News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-10-09
Letter from Boston.
Boston, Oct. /, 1884.

1HeSSfS. Editors -
Perhaps some items in regard to
the great fairs in Boston will be of
interest to your readers, as doubtless
many of them contemplate visiting
Boston this fall. Already excursions
begin to come in from the country
and the attendance is daily growing
larger. Of the two fairs the Mechan-
les is the larger, or rather the more
fully fitted in regard to details. While
there are many very interesting ex-
hibits in the Institute Fair, there are
large spaces there where no exhibit is
placed, and compared with the lower
fair has certain look of emptiness.
So while the excursions may be des-
ignated expressly to the Institute
Fair, the most interest and larger at
tendance is seen at the Mechanics
Fair, which the visitors must pass in
going to the Institute. Among other
things there is in the basement a shoe
factory in operation, where machinery
for every part of work in the manu-
facture of boots aud shoes of every
description is carried on. No one
who comes should fail to visit that de-
partment and see what strides have
been made in shoe manufacturing
since the days of the old fashioned
shoe maker, with his awl and last.
The electric railway, also in the base
ment, is in full operation, and train
run every day by electricity. Hun
dreds of visitors ride on the open car
daily. 1t is predicted that before
many years such a service will be in
the service of every city, street cars
to be done away with, and the horses
turned out to pasture. Perhaps the
day is coming, too, when the whole
world is to be run by electricity, and
even human beings eat, drink and
sleep by means of battery concealed
in the cellar.
Speaking of electricity reminds me
that there are all sorts of electric
clocks, wind dials, burglar alarms,
call bells, ETC., on exhibition here.
The latest thing in this line perhaps,
and the most useful, is an instrument
for protecting telegraph and telephon.
circuits from danger of lightning oe
crossing with electric light wiresr
Every operator, telegraphic or tele-
phonic, knows the danger to an office
during thunder storm, and though
citizens of Lamoille county are in no
immediate danger of electric light
wires, they can readily understand
that as the current in such wires is
several times greater than that in a
telegraph wire the danger from a cross
is correspondingly greater. This new
instrument, called an electric protec-
tor, is placed in connection with other
instruments, will obviate all danger
from an excess of electricity, and to
enable the instruments to work safely
and without interruption throughout
the severest thunderstorm. 1t is an
automatic machine and adapts itself
whenever the current becomes more
than normal, carrying all extra cur
rent to the ground. With this in cir
cult there is no need of lightning
arrestor, or "cut-out," or plugging
telephone. The best electricians of
this city, New York and Philadelphia
unite in saying that it is - perfect
working instrument and wonderful in
its way.
In the basement is machinery for
making sugar of sorghum and cane,
and the process entire may be seen at
any time. In the art galleries are
said to be seen the finest collection in
Boston for long time. The foreign
paintings, numbering about 200. are
all loaned by wealthy people, or else
bought in Europe for the occasion.
They are pronounced by the best con-
noisseurs to be unsurpassed in any
| gallery in America. In the room de-
voted to Prangs chromos are some
things which it would take a connois-
seur to distinguish from a painting.
Another room is devoted to Osgood's
heliotypes and still another to the ex-
hibit of the Lowell school of design.
Fancy work of all kinds may be seen
here and crazy quilts enough to drive
you crazy,-that is, if you notice the
exquisite needle work and hand paint
ing with which they are nearly COW
cred. One of the novelties in the
way of small wares is 4 new kind of
umbrella. This is stout umbrella
frame which may be closed and car
ried as cane. The cover, which has
hooks at each point, may be carried
in your pocket until the rain comes,
when it can be uufolded, your cane
spread and covered in about quar-.
ter of a minute, and there is as nice
an umbrella as any one could desire.
The covers may be of cambria, silk
or serge. But the sunshade for la
dies is the incest thing out. One may
have as many covers for one frame as
she wishes. They may be of silk, or
cotton or wool and may match every