Morning journal and courier., 1885-11-20

The smallpox epidemic at Montreal seems to be dying out. It ought to teach the peo- pie of that city some very useful lessons.
 The American Ornithologists union has again declared war upon that dangerous and destructive pest" the English sparrow. They must not be fed or sheltered, must not be introduced into new localities, must not be protected by law, and must be extin- guished through State bounties. The Eng fish sparrow will laugh heartily at this and continue to be 8 pest with great cheerful ness.
 A case has been decided in Rhode Island which will not tend to encourage the book agent A book agent brought suit against 8 woman to compel her to take and pay for costly publication for which she had sub scribed. Her plea was that she had given her name to Eboom the book" but had no idea of buying it. The jury decided in her favor, and the agent had the cost of the suit to pay for interpreting mere blooming signature as buying one.
 Woman is making progress in France.
 T men in every branch of the service where their labor is practicable. About two thou sand five hundred women are employed, of whom four hundred and twenty are widows
 with families dependent upon them. They serve as ticket sellers, accountants, copyists,
 clerks in various departments, and even as gate tenders, while the lunch counters and newspaper stands at the stations are almost invariably in charge of women.
 Some interesting particulars are given by M Escalle, director of the important works at Tamaris, in regard to the employment of blocks of compressed coal, in lieu of coke, for blast furnaces. With the ores of the country, which are argilo-silicious and small the quantity of compressed fuel en- ployed is 20 per cent, but with those of Mot ka or Pilhals it reaches regularly 30 per cent It has been found that by the use of l these blocks much higher temperature of hot blast is obtained, and that the propor- tion of combustible consumed-coke and compressed coal included-per ton of pig iron produced is less than with coke alone. M. Escalle attributes this result to the quan- l tity of water, 111s per cent, contained in the compressed coal blocks used by him, as well ! as to the nature of the volatile matters. The l volume of gas obtained per ton of the com pressed fuel, at these works, was some [, ,620 | feet.
 The Hunt loom, which is now in operation | in San Francisco seems to be a great labor | saving machine It is noiseless, has no shut \ ties, and weaves material four yards wide, | of any kind of goods, with the same hands and steam power now required to make one | yard. The labor is so frightened that it is
 better adapted to women than to men, with | the great advantage that the most delicate constitutions need not be impaired. Cloth woven three yard@ d@wide is made so that it
 can be cut apart after being woven, making | three separate and distinct pieces of cloth for
 market The quality of cloth is said to be
 superior and easy to recognize. The loom is
 now in practical operation, and does all ii promises, but ''has every now and then lit
 tie breakages, so far easily repaired. Ex- perts and business men are divided in senti.
 ment. All agree that it must be all right | but it may take more time than calculated te
 assure against the breaking of small but es
 sential parts.
 The dangers of cocaine, the new anses
 thetic, are becoming more and more appar ent. At the last meeting of the Medico