The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-05-06

of the British vessels. The bones of Arnold's
old flag ship, Congress-" upon which
the waters of the lake have beaten for nearly
one hundred twenty years, still lie sunl<en
at the head of the bay, but they are being
rapidly obliterated by relic hunters.
Other Localities.
RUSSIAN merchants are sending large ship
ments of wheat to London.
Ex-sECRETARY FRELINGHUYsEN is grow
ing rapidly weaker, and cannot live.
CHICAGO people are considering the pro-
priety of tunnelng Chicago river as a road
way, to obviate the bridge nuisance.
THE Grand Trunk railway workmen at
Montreal went on a strike last week Thurs
day. Fifty men, mostly French, went to
work in their places.
A FARMER near Sacramento says his crop
of asparagus this season will bring him
$4,000, of which $4,000 will be profit. He
has twelve acres of it.
DURING April Postmaster-general Villas
appointed six hundred postmasters of fourth
class offices. The ma jority of the appoint
ments were made to fill vacancies.
THERE was another tenement house hor-
ror in New York last Sunday morning. A
fire broke out in crowded house, and eight
persons were burned to death and fourteen
seriously injured.
AN iron car-wheel will travel about forty
thousand miles. A steel tire will run two
hundred thousand miles, costing two and a
half times as much and running more than
four times as long as an iron wheel.
SEVERAL companies of Illinois militia
have been called out to quell riot among
strikers at Joliet, ILL., The militia fired
upon the mob, killing two and wounding
several others. Serious trouble is feared.
The past ten years have witnessed re-
markable growth in the rubber trade in
this country. In 1875 the quantity of crude
rubber manufactured into goods was 10, 100-
600 pounds. Last year the amount reached
23.224 ,060 pounds.
THE damage by the recent floods in the
parish of st. Francois, p. g., is estimated
at 10000. In some places the river rose
twenty feet over its usual height. The roads
are all washed out in places and rendered
impossible near the banks of the river.
THE business of the pension Office during
April has exceeded that of any previous
month, 5,370 original pension certificates
having been issued, against 3,74 during the
same month last year. The total number
of pension certificates issued was S,199, be-
ing 500 in excess of the number for April,
1884.
CROP reports from all parts of California
show that the grain yield in all the coun-
ties except one will be only from one
quarter to three-quarters of that of last
year. The fruit districts report largely in
creased acreage and promising crops. What
is lost in grain will be made up in fruit and
wine.
AT FL Paso, Texas, April 80, box con-
tanning 100000 in unsigned bank notes of
the Bankco MeXicano, stored in the custom
house at Eel Paso del Norte, was broken
open and all its contents, except one pack
age containing $1,000, stolen. Three GUS
tom house officers We're arrested on srs-
picion.
THE recent sudden death of a son of one
of the professors of the Columbian Univers-
ity, Washington, was accounted for by the
physicians who investigated the case by the
youth S habit OF persistent cigarette smok-
ing. The primary cause of death was aortic
reorganization, which had been increased by
the inhalement of cigarette smoke.
AN English lockmaker has constructed a
key which he claims is capable of opening
22,600 patent lever locks, all of which differ
in their wards or combinations. AS de-
scribed the key weighs three ounces, is
nickel plated, and is said to be the result of
three years labor on the part of the inventor
in making drawings of the different wards
and combinations.
The reduction of the public debt for A pril
according to the new forms OF statements,
amounted to S4S3,733,971. BY the old form
of statement which was issued stimuli
taneously with the new one, the amount
of decrease is given as S546, 459,63S. The
total debt less cash in the treasury, is shown
by the old form to be, on May !, Sal ,090,-
49, S5S, and by the new form $50, 751 go, 433.
AN immense ledge of white metal has
been discovered in Antelope Valley, Mono
county, Cal, the nature of which puzzles
all mining experts to whom specimens have
been submitted. The metal is fusible at
first, but after the first time it yields to
nothing except mixture of acids. A pound
of rock yields half pound of the metal,
and there are millions of tons in the plant.
1t contains platinum.
AN agreement has been concluded be-
tween the English and Turkish govern
ments, by which the latter will allow ves-
sells of the former to pass through the OAR
danelles in the event of war with Russia.
In return for this favor Turkey will be al
| lowed to send an expedition to occupy the
| Soudan by way of Suakim. and England
will restore Cyprus to Turkey at the end of
five years and guarantees the integrity of
the States of the Porte.
THIRD ASSISTANT PosTMAsTER-GENERAL
HAZEN has completed an investigation as to
the effect of the reduction in domestic letter
postage. The actual revenue for the year
ended September 30. 1884, the first year dur
| ing which the reduced rate prevailed, was
so 1884 800, or $7,476S99 less than the esti-
mated revenue upon three-cent rate, and
the loss by the reduction of the rate to two
cents was 1928 100 less than the estimated
! loss. The immediate falling off in the issue
OF postal cdruS was 1910 per cent, amounting
to 1904 1887 cards.
THE crew of the steamship State of Nevada,
! from Glasgow reports that on April 26 they
! passed monster iceberg, the whole of which
could not be seen Oh account of fog, but the
part visible could not be less than from mile
to a mile and half in length. 1t was table
shape on the top and from about one hun
dred fifty to one hundred ninety feet high
Several other icebergs of various sizes were
also seen in the vicinity, and on the same
day two bergs, of larger size, probably from
one hundred to one hundred thirty feet in
height, were passed.
A PITTSBURGH writer makes the asser-
ton that in fifty years, or perhaps in hall
that time, coal will not be carried from the
mines to its place of destination in bulk
but only its actual heat energy will be trans
ported, and that by wire, a process which
he says, can be accomplished by converting
| the coal into heat, the heat into motion, and
the motion into electricity; storage battery
at Cincinnati would take it up as fast as
generated at the mines and from this bat
terry it could be taken and converted back
into motion and heat, or changed into light
The London Standard editorially urges
that public farewell dinner be given tC
the retiring American minister, Mr.. Lowell
who has always been ready to preside when
pressed by presidents of councils or commit
tees to honor them with his presence, and
whose after-dinner speeches were always
attractive and genial. We are happy tc
think, says the Standard, that Americans art
more ard more finding a home among us
Mr.. Lowell himself ministered to the growth
of this fpalinp and oupht not N he allowaf