Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-10-01

An lily constructed storehouse in Chica-
go, containing $1OO,O 900 worth of goods,
crumbled to pieces Sunday night.
Minister Sam Cox writes from Constantin-
ople that the dogs there bite only foreigners
who walk with a naughty air Minister
Samuel is coming home next month.
1T is claimed that the new Manlcher re-
peating rifle now being manufactured for
the Austrian army, is the most perfect rifle
ever invented 1t fires forty rounds minute.
Russian petroleum is successfully COM
peting with the American article, and, being
sold for lower price, is gradually driving
out our product from the European markets.
"A trackman on the Grand Trunk railway
insists that a drove of squirrels crossing the
tracks at Petrolia, Canada, absolutely block
ed the road, and hand-car running into
them killed sixty -four.
"A new discovery in illumination is re-
ported from England. 1t is a gas jet sur
rounded by glass vessel containing water.
The latter so operates on the light that its
brilliancy is magniied three-fold
Some idea of the extent of the Mime
spolis -four industry may be gained from the
fact, reported by the Northwestern Miller,
that the Touring mills of that city turn out
on an average %, $50 barrels of -four daily.
"A new material for clothes which has
been nearly perfected in England is made of
cork threads interviewer with cotton, silk,
etc. Garments made OF this stuff look like
ordinary stuff, but are buoysnt enough to
keep person from drowning.
The eighth part of E. P. Roe's series of
practical hints to cultivators of small FARMS
under the heading 1.-THE Home Acre" Gin
Harper's for October) gives some useful
points about "The Kitchen Garden"--partic.
ularly asparagus, celery and onions.
"A gray wolf in the Philadelphia Zc6logi-
cal garden stuck one of his paws through a
crack in the boards of his cage, and big
black wolf that was on the other side saw and
seized it. Before he could be made to let go,
he had chewed it until the bones were laid
bare and the paw ruined.
Statistics, more or less accurate, show
that John Bull is by no means the beef eater
that he is cracked up to be. Englishmen eat
but an average of forty-hVe pounds year,
while the Australians average $50 pounds,
and the citizens of the United States 100
pounds.
The plumbing in the room at the national
capitol which was occupied for many hours
day by Secretary Manning and the late Secre-
tary Folger has been overhauled and found to
be in very bad condition, conducive to dis
ease and death. The doctors say this was
what made Mr.. Meaning sick.
"A young man out of work began peddling
lead pencils about Norristown, Pa. He went
| into a manufacturers office, and as the pro-
prietor good-naturedly listened praised his
pencils and drew figures on a bit of paper
| to show how good they were. His method of
| drawing and precision of touch led the manu-
facturer to question him. He proved to be a
designer Of ingenuity and skill, and before
he went out had secured a place.
Editor Crosby of the Daily Advertiser
| of Boston has a smart setter. The other day
lady walking through the fields where Mr..
Crosby was spending his vacation lost her
watch. The setter was made TO smell of the
lady's watch pocket and then told to bring
dead bird" He ranged the field in fine form,
and finally came TO a stand at little tuft of
grass. When his master came up he found
the watch ticking under the dogs reliable
nose.
The reports of the petering out of the
natural gas wells of Pennsylvania are vigor
ously denied by parties who have investigat-
ed the subject on the spot. In one or two
instances the supply has been temporarily in
teTfered with by causes that are entirely ex-
plainable, but there is said to be no uneasi-
ness as TO the future on that account. OF
course it is a matter of pure guesswoTk as Ia
how long the supply will last, but, whatever
becomes of the old wells, there are said to
be virgin gas lands in western Pennsylvania
sufficient to keep up the flow for all purposes
for a century 10 come. II certainly doesn'
look like a falling of in the yield from these
great natural wonders when the amount Of
gas that ia now being daily piped from then
is 35l, 600, 600 cubic feet.