The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1885-10-15

lie to George w. Childs' statement
that Grant believed Tilden was elect
ed, In 1876. He also bears out the
statement We made last week, thai
Grant bad arranged troops about
WashintOn 80 as 20 project the inaugu-
ration Of Hayes against any revoiu-
I tionary attempt TO seat Tiideu. There
ia no doubt that Grants precautions
are all that prevented such an ATTEMPT.
And yet George W. Childs, in order
/ to aid the attempt 10 boost uD the
southern Rebels over Grants grave,
is base enough 70 assert that Grant
was willing 10 use the military force
Of the United States 70 consummnte q
fraud upon the dearest rights Of the
people.
At the old HOffman homestead out
Crooked Run there is 8 curiositv that
many gardeners have been puzzled
over for months, and today they are
as far OF as they were when frst they
saw Il. The property is occupied by
Robert GOrden, and the peeuliarity Of
the puzzle was first noticed by him
when he hstsmOved 10 the property.
It is q pear tree. but q most peculiar
one. When first noticed was thought
to be q grape zine, but Il was not.
The tree looks from its Limbs or vines
70 be several years old, and runs from
the trunk close 70 the ground to the
top Of the house. The limbs are nu-
merOus and the size Of q mans wrist.
and climbs 10 the wall as grapevine
does. The leaves are those Of = pear
tree, and the most prominent proof
that IL is such tree is that the fruit
it bears are larger than the Grand
Duchess pear. McKeespOrt pa
Times.
In the eourse Ofa paper read before
the Franklin Institute, PHILADELPHIA.
beariug the title, "TrnnsDortation
Facilities Of the Past aud Present. -
Mr.. Barnet lie Van eOrrects the com
monty received statement that the
Granite Railroad, built at Quincy.
Mass, 10 1871, by GFidley Bryant, for
Transporting stone for ths Bunker
Hill Monument from the granite
quarTies Of Quincy was the first rail
road built in the United States. On
this point be presents interesting testi-
mOny to prove that, far from being
the tirst, the GERBite Railway was re-
ally only the fourth i'm order Of preced-
EnEg III NnG OuAACu GlnAEas we uuOlt
from that portion Of the paper Felat-
ing TO the subject as follows:
Railroads wereialsO introduced in
Pennsylvania. In September, 1903.
the first experimental track in the
United States was laid out by John
Thomson 1.-THE father Of John Edgar
Thomson, who was afterWard the
President Of the Pennsylvania Rail
rOad Company, Civil Engineer of
Delaware county Pa, and constructed
under his direction by SOmerville, n
Scotch mill right, for LeipeF, Of Phil
adelphia. It was $50 feet in length,
aud graded one and q half inches TO
the yard. Tue gauge was four feet
and the sleepers eight feet apart. The
experiment with loaded car was
SO successful, that Leiper lin the
same year caused the first practical
railroad In the United States TO be
constructed for the transportation OF
stone from his quarries on Crum Creek
10 his landing on Ridley Greek, in
Deleware county, Pennsylvania, u
distance Of about one mile. Ii con-
tinued In use for nineteen years.
Some Of the original foundations, cun-
sistIng Of rock In which holes were
drilled ami afterwsId plugged with
wood 10 receive the spikes tO hold the
sleepers In place, may be seen to this
day.