The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-07-15
a. Crisis in Europe.

Russia is at unrest. She is evidently about to
unmask, The Berlin treaty has been a thorn
in the flesh, always ranking and ever fresh,
She has felt the humiliation of acompact which
plucked from her the fruits of q victory at the
moment when the stubborn bravery of her
troops had placed them within her reach, The
Gar has been building and fortifying on the
Black Sea. convenient for prospective opera
tions. Says the London correspondent of the
the Baltimore american, July 49,
Constantinople 10 longer possesses the i'm
portance il once held as strategic point, but it
is q perpetual reminder to Russia of baff1ed
hopes and until the Gar issue his COM
mands from the Golden Horn, no success that
he can gain Will be complete. The transcau-
caSian road to IIerat is almost completed. Rus
STA can pour troops into Afghanistan from two
directions Her agents have swarmed recently
in the Balkan provinces and in the Slavterri-
tories of Austria The work of Cancellation
persisted in by Austria Seryia and Bulgaria is
set at naught by Russian emissaries Prince
Alexander, with all his energy, ability and
daring is practically as powerless as his neigh
Dor Milan. The Gar has evidently grown tired
of an atmosphere of suspicion and assassina-
ton. When Russia is at war Nihilists are still.
Each individual Slay believes it the mission
of his race to conquer and people the balance of
the habitable globe. Russia, with her superb
bundant population, can hardly do better than
crafty this longing, and it is really the tradi-
tional policy of the Romanoffs.
The impression, therefore, amounts to a con-
viction that the Gear is about to precipita tie q
conflict beside which the Irish question and all
minor domestic matters will dwindle inLo in
significance. The mere fact of his closing the
port of Batoum is not important when taken
by itself, but the manner in which it was done,
the formal and dramatic notification, the con-
centration OF troops at convenient points along
the Black Sea and in the Caucasus, the de-
spatoh of two regiments of the Imperial Guard
to Bessarabia (the guard doesn't march to out
of-the-way points unless business is meanD,
the nenaces against the Porte, the threatening
attitude of the Car towards Prince Alexander,
and the demands made upon Austria, all point
to hostiities, Alexander has openly violated
the conditions upon which he assumed the
direction of affairs in ROumeia, thereby fur
nishing plausible pretext for the armed inter-
ference of Russia. Austria is heavily in arrears
for the provinces acquired by the treaty of
Berlin More than half of her subjects are
Slavs and presumably ready to throw off the
yoke of the Germans and Magma rs at the bid
that the Car has d secret understanding with
the government of France by which the latter
power engages to support Russia in case Bis
| marck gives helping hand to Austria. Italy
| in such contest will in all probability cast in
her fortunes with Germany, and thus i'll be
has corVulsed Europe since the days of the
First Napoleon. England could not. if she
Woulb, be passive spectator. Once IN for it,
afew thousand troops, more or less, would mat
ter little to Russia. Her plans for campaign
in Afghanistan and further east are already
mapped out, and the troops on the ground or
within striking distance to execute them.
Should England from selfish or timid motives.
be forced to fight for her possessions in
India, and therefore | say that at any moment
We ght of this frightful Russian tempest
A Daring Feat.
BUFFALO, N. Y, July livery few of the
thousands of persons who visited Niagara to-
day had any IDEA that another adyenturous
man would attempt to shoot the whirlpool
Rapids, in which Capt. Webb lost his life. For
some time past G. u. Graham has been making
sons, if any really believed that his courage
would hold outlong enough for him to make it.
Such, however, was not the case, and at about
4 O'Clock this afternoon Graham started on his
perilous voyage, which he successfully accom-
plished.
got into the barrel and closed the manhole at
tb &c oP i ydy A. this p eea q boa h9 5s
the tank out into the river to point where the
current would catch it, and then Graham was
started on what seemed to be his trip to eter-
nifty. The towing process took only q few
minutes, and then the stream caught the cask
and started it on towards the rapids and whirl-
pool. At first it moved slowly along. then
faster and faster, until the mad current dashed
and down over the great waves, and several
times turned a complete somersault, but gen.
orally speaking the wider portion remained
uppermost, although it tWir1ed around like
top, The cask kept pretty well in the centre
Of the river until it reached the whirlpool,
carried swiftly through, reaching the waters
beyond in safety. From here the journey was
eompar9tiyely quiet. =, The easS fo 5S on
passed. 1t was picked up at Lewiston,
about five miles below the starting point, and
Graham crawled out of the barrel uninjured,
with the exception of sliqht bruise on one
arm. which he received when passing through
the whirlpool. He remarked when 1 struck
the eddies 1t was one continued round of jerks,
but l am not hurt bit.''
The caslz is ! feet long. SO inches in diameter
at the widest portion, % inches at the top and
16 inches at the bottom. 1t is bound around
with iron shoops, which weigh $50 pounds. The
ballast which was attached to the cask to keep
1t in position weighs $40 pounds. Graham will
probably repeat the trip. He says he will yet
go over HoPsesh oe falls.