Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-06-05
IN GENERAL.

President Cleveland is said to be especial
ly afraid Of badness and obesity, with both of
which be is threatened. He has gained twen-
ty pounds in flesh since he entered the White
House.
The Pixies Peak railWsy, which will
probably be completed next year, will mount
20O0 feet higher than the Lima aud Croza
Railway in Peru. 1t is now in operation to q
point over ~, 900 feet above the sea level
Large quantities of timber are now creo-
soted at the West, in a special manner, for
railroad purposes, the effect being to increase
the tenacity of the wood for holding spikes,
&C., as well as its density, and its ability to
resist mechanical wear.
Micah Tinkham of Sandwich, Mass,
now about so years of age, has recently con-
tracted with the Boston and Sandwich Glass
Company to cart for this company 500 cords
of wood from Succonnessett Hollow, a distance
of six miles from the factory. And what is
quite remarkable, he carted large quantity
Of wood from the same locality for this COM
pany 90 years ago, and the wood that he is
now to cart is the second growth of wood
from the same lots of laud.
DIR. A. L. Loomis is credited by the
Canada Lancet with saying: "A man can
take two or three glasses of stimulants daily
and may continue the habit for, perhaps, %
years without harm, but when this man reach
es that period of life when the vital powers
are on the decline, he suddenly finds himself
old before his time, for he has all these years
been laying the foundation for chronic en-
dosrteritis. believe that so per cent of all
diseases arise from the use of stimulants."
Mr.. Maskelyne, a wellknown English
investigator of spritualism, says: After
my twenty years experience in investigating
spiritualism have never seen anything take
place which 1 could not produce and account
for, except the gyrations of table on two oo-
casions. On one of these, without the pres
ence of medium, by myself and few friends,
we produced movements of the table-R heavy
one-which we could not accomplish after
ward by exerting all the muscular force at
our command"
The records of the photographic Office
show that the amount of ice and the number
of berRs which have appeared in the direct
path of European steamers within a month
is unprecedented. Twenty. seven vessels have
been injured thus far by collision with ice
bergs during the month. The ice has not
appeared south of parallel Al or east of degree
10. The region infested was very closely
predicted in the publication of the hydrogra-
phic Office a month ago and the safe route
marked just south and east of the limits
mentioned.
1t is very gratifying to find that Phila-
delphia jury has been equal to the occasion
and brought 10 a verdict of murder in the
first degree against Achilles OnOfri who pun
ished his step-daughter, Lottie Cook, until
she died. For some trivial offence he struck
her with spade and whipped her with q
knotted rope upon the day of her death.
His defense was the curious one that he had
Italian and not American notions of govern
ing children. OnOfri is the first murderer to
testisy in his own behalf under a new state
law.
"A number of successful experiments have
been made lately, in calming waves at sea
with oil. The United States photographic
Office notes ON the pilot chart of North Allan
tic, for the current month, several instances
of very successful results of this experiment.
Crude turpentine has been found TO be the
most effective, and the method employed for
diffusing ii over the water is remarkable sim
pie. A large canvas bag is filed with the oil,
and towed alongside, the oil finding its way
out slowly through the meshes of the canvas.
So great is the difusive power of the oil that
the waves for some distance on either hand
are completely subdued, even in high wind.
During a snow storm last February a
London firm put up for posting, among 9th
ers, letter 10 Glasgow firm, containing 9
check for a sum little short of $1,000. The
check not reaching its destination, in due
course payment was stopped at the bank,
and, notwithstanding that every inquiry was
made, nothing was heard Of the letter at the
time. Eventually, however, the check was
brought to the firm who had drawn it, to-
gether with the letter, by a Police Inspector,
who had found the letter adhering TO a block
of ice floating in the Thames of Deptford.
The supposition is that the letter fell in the
street, WAS carried of in the snow to the
Ihamaa and than altar n vuaakia i'm nnaEainn
in the river, got affixed to block of ice.
Keeping the head perfectly clean, says a
writer in the Salem (Mass.) Gazette, is great
aid 10 health. A distinguished physician,
who has spent much of his time at Quarantine,
said that q person whose head was thoroughly
washed every day rarely ever took contagious
diseases, but when the hair was allowed to be-
come dirty and matted II was hardly possible
to escape infection. Many people find speedy
relief for nervous headache by washing the
headthoroughly in weak soda water. We
have known cases almost wholly cured in ten
minutes by this simple remedy. friend
finds il the greatest relief in case of "rose
cold, the cold symptoms entirely leaving the
eyes after one thorough washing of the hair.
The head should be thoroughly dried after
ward, and draughts of air should be avoided
for little while.
The Virginia (Nev.) Enterprise says:
"It will be remembered that some months
ago, in boring the artesian well at White
Plains, out in the eastern part of this State,
under the auspices OF the Central Pacific
Railroad Company. a large log, or several
logs Of wood were bored through at the
depth Of 1 6l5 feet below the surface. This
has been a subject for discussion by scientists
ever since, aud few evenings ago, in San
Francisco, DIR. Hardness made il the special
subject of very interesting lecture. Quito
large quantity Of this wood was brought to
the surface, and it was good. sound wood, in
an almost perfect state OF preservation, al
though its great depth and the character Of
the suparneumbent strata showed that II was
at least 900 900 years old. Microscopic
examination shows that the ancient tree was
similar to the present nut pine"