davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20
THE PETREL

deck. Tho contractors expect to have
the vessel ready for tho government In
the early part Of January.
This Is not the first vessel of her name
In the United States navy, nor even the
first vessel called the Petrol and used for
naval purposes built IN Baltimore. Tho
name was borne both by small schooner
built, like the present vessel, In Bslti.
more and employed In tho Mexican war,
and also by steam vessel purchased from
the merchant marine and fitted up with o
battery for service I'm the civil war. But
the new Petrol, though classed In the
legislation authorizing her construction
as light gunboat, is an effective cruiser,
built on on approved modern plan, and
capable of better service than some larger
vessels Of the old navy which she is help
ing TO replace. She will carry four six
Inch breech loading rifles In her main bat
terry. This battery will DO mounted In
sponsors, on central pivot carriages, two
having range Of 2 degs. across the bow
TO 20 dogs abaft the beam, while tho
other two have a similar range across the
stern. Two guns can be concentrated on
sn object 400 feet either ahead or abaft,
and within 100 feet on either broadsido.
Her second battery will contain two Hotch.
kiss revolving cannon, two rapid fire guns
and one Gatling. She has many water
tight compartments. with steel bulkheads,
and tie .gines and boilers are protected
by steel deck three -elghths Of an inch
thick. She carries over 1000 square feet
Of canvas. Her accommodatIons for the
officers and men are excellent. She will be
especially valuable In waters where the
larger craft cannot go.
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20
Farmers of India.

"The implements of the India farmer"
saws Hon John W. BoOkwalter, who
travelled through that country and made
a special study Of the subject, are Of tho
crudest type. His plow IS simply tho
forked branch of tree, one end tipped
with bit Of iron. Yet the In
dia ryot plows his land not less than eight
or ton times before seeding; this produces
mellowness, but lacks the advantage OF
deep plowing Nevertheless India now
produces 300 600 600 bushels Of wheat
per year, and in that line stands
second only to the United States.
OF the lands now in cultivation it may
safely be said that they do not produce
half what they are capable Of under \
better system of culture. The average
crop In India Is about eleven bushels per
acre against sixteen In the United States,
eighteen TO twenty in France, and nearly
thirty In Great Britain. The British are
rapidly introducing improved plows and
increasing the means Of transportation
As Great Britain imports food
supplies to the value Of over $500, 600, GOO
yearly, she is making efforts TO render
herself self sustaining, and her efforts In
India have been attended With marked
results. Nothing will moro engage tho
attention of an American travelling here
at this season than the vast area Of
wheat that stretches away on all hands,
an interminable sea Of golden grain. Ono
might imagine himself in the great fields
of Iowa and Minnesota. Indeed, do not
remember larger fields IN those states
than have seen In the rich valleys OF
the Gauges and Godavery."
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20

with that Of Peel In the early reforms &C.
complished ny that fnancier. and as the
fret victim Of the new system he holds a
unique place In history.
When lifted up his only words were,
II have met my DEATH" but, as can easily
be believed. many other remarks were
popularity attributed to him, and the
calamity made an important item In the
discussions then raging. Lord Brougham
wrote that afternoon to an anti railroad
editor; III have come 10 Liverpool only to
zee tragedy. Poor Huskisson Is dead or
must die before tomorrow. The folly OF
200 people going fifteen miles an hour In
carriages exceeds belief But they have
paid dear price" Now number OF
trains In England are run at the rate Of a
mile per minute. and the proportion Of
accidents Is much less than formerly But
the arrangements and policing of the
track are almost perfection.
Charles Francis Adams, In his admir-
able little volume on railway accidents
not only points out tho causes Of the de.
clining ratio Of accidents. but shows they
may be reduced to minimum. aud closes
with the strange statement that the great
difficulty lies In protecting railroad en-
ployes against themselves" Their fa.
milia~lty with the danger causes them TO
incur II in the most unnecessary and fool.
hardy manner" He points out their dan
gerous methods, which need not be re.
counted here, as the work Is, or ought 20
be, q text book To railroaders
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20

TIE TELESCOPlsD CAhS.
Jupiter to the sun before his chances for
dei-h reach par. 1t is a gratifying fact
that in the United States the chances, in
proportion to miles travelled, have rapidly
lessened since 1880
-
The first railroad accident, by strange
coincidence, occurred on tho very day tho
railroad was first proved success, ia tho
very hour Of Stephensous triumph and
under circumstances of painful and
dramatic interest. The victim was Mr.
Huskisson member Of tho British cab.
inet, secretary of state for the colonies
and one of the first men to advocate free
trade in parliament. This occurred on
the Liverpool and Manchester railway, on
Sept. 10, 1880
Railroads had been constructed before
that on which the cars were drawn by
horses, and on the Stockton and Darling.
ton line traction by horses, by fixed en-.
gines and by locomotives had all been
tried, but with such indifferent success
that nothing was determined. On tho
Liverpool and Manchester line the direc-
tors offered a premium Of $500 for the
best locomotive. IN October, 1920 the
trial was made, and MIR Robert stephen.
sons Rocket" carried of the prize
against HAckWOrths Z 'Sanspbr"u ana
Braithwaitc & Ericsson'a "NoVclty"
On the 10th Of September 1880, the
line was opened with imposing Cers
monies, the Duke Of Wellington, Sir
Robert Peel and many other eminent
statesmen taking part. Eight locomo-
tives, built by Robert Stephenson, on the
model Of the Rocket, were in motion at
once, each drawing four carriages, except
| the first. which drew but one. six hun.
| dred persons took the ride, passing
through a continuous ovation seventeen
miles, from Liverpool to Parkhurst,
where there was a short halt The Duke
| Of WelliRgtons car was halted on a side
track that he might see the other cars
| pass, and Mr. HUskissOn stepped over the
main track 10 speak TO the duke. At
this moment the Rocket came up al
full speed and Mr. Huskisson, who was
IA feeble health, became frightened and
attempted TO recrOss the track. The en-
gineer tried in vain TO stop the engine
the unfortunate statesman was thrown
upon the rail and his leg cut of at the
thigh. He died that evening. Ho was
then 60 years old, and had been almost
continuously IN government service fOl
fartY years His uame l. Ztill a-sneisisd
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20

The great table land of Matto Crosse,
in the western part Of Brazil, is still ono
of the least known portions of South
America. When DR.. Clauss and DR. Won
den Steinen penetrated 1t several years
ago, and followed the large &ingu river
from its head waters TO the Amazon, they
foated down about | 900 miles before they
reached the known portion of the river.
They did not have time to adequately
study the strange and unheard of Indian
tribes they met amid these dense forests
and barren uplands, and for the purpose
of making further researches among them
DR., Won den Steinen returned to theupper
Xingu last year. lie visited the villages
of nine of these tribes, and in a recent
lecture in Rio de Janeiro he gave the in
teresting results of his studies.
There is hardly corner of the earth
whose people have not had some inklinS
of the great world beyond them. But
these primitive natives of the upper
Xingu had, apparently, never seen scrap
of trade goods or heard that human beings
existed outside their little circle OF
observation. They use no metal implo-
ments, but fell trees with stone axes to
clear the ground for their plantations Of
Indian corn, cotton and tobacco. Wearing
shell ornaments, they use hammers and
nallS OF stone 10 ltflOThle them. Iey
make knives out of shells and the sharp
teeth of certain fish, and with these
poor tools they carve their rudely orna-
mented stools and weapons.
Dogs and fowls are found in all parts OF
the Amazon valley that have been visited
by traders, but these Xingu tribes have
never heard of them. Neither have they
any knowledge of the banana, sugar cane
and rice, with which natives Of the
tropical zone are generally familiar. They
have not the slightest conception Of a
God, but they believe they will live again
after death Their most important myth
relates to the creation OF the world
which, in their view consists wholly Of
the head waters Of the upper Xingu and
Tapajos rivers
From the languages and pottery of al
| but one of these tribes the explorer de
rived the idea that these isolated people;
are allied to the original stock Of the once
! powerful Cariba, who journeyed from the
south TO the sea. one tribe differed 81
| greatly from all others that he was unabl,
to trace its relation 10 any other people
| These people are almost wholly isolated
even from each other, and their languages
though Of the same derivation, are 81
dissimilar that the tribes cannot under
stand each other Few people exist toda,
who are so primitive in their ideas and 81
| low in the social scale a. these new founr
Indians Of South America - New lorl
Snn- -------------..
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20

FLOODS SAN FRANCIsco HOME.
later known as the big Four"-was
made complete. Among the occasional
frequepters of the saloon was a bright
young lrishman, named John W. Mackay.
He had been among the mines for some
time, had been sitting and picking the
gravel in running Streams, tramping
alone with his blanket and tools, but
somehow he never managed to strike 1t
rich. But he was an experienced miner,
and was chock full of Ideas and nerve.
He didn't have any money, but Flood and
O'Brien thought his experience would be
worth good deal to them They formed
compact. Mackay knew another young
1rishman, clever engineer, experienced
In mines. His name was James G.. Fair.
He didn't have q cent, but he, too, was
made partner.
BY this time Flood and O'Brien were
pretty well off. Maekay and Fair took
their kits and went off to prospect. Ehey
were not very successful for some years,
and just managed to get along. By and
that great veins Of quartz carrying q
strange black metal. which experts said
was silver, had been discovered. Mackay
and Fair went there from the placer dig
gtngs In the valleys TO the quartz lodes
high up In the ice and snow and Arctic
winds which pour down from Manitoba
with biting Intensity nobody who has
not spent winter In Virginia City can
imagine The two made money for them
selves and for Flood and O'Brien, their
quiet, industrious partners way down
In Frisco" Mackay wife kept miners
boarding house in Virginia City,
Then thg struck F"consolidated Viz.
ginia," in whose shares servant girls
soon after made fortunes and rich men
lost them. The way they struck it was
curious A young miner came to Mackay
and Fair one evening and said he had
good claim which lo didn't have either
time or inclination to work. II they
would lc.k at it and liked II he would
sell 1t 10 them cheap. They locked a. it..
liked it, sent to Flood and O'Brien T a
few hundred dollars, the claim was
bought, the young man took the money
to Sacramento and drank it up, and
Mackay soon discovered that he and his
partners owned the Consolidated Nirgi
MIA, which was destined to become the
most famous mine IN the world. Then
began the search for the treasure. For a
long time the quartet firm, with all its
mining properly, took out but little
money, but Nlackay kept steadily al
work
The persistence, endurance and skill
required in hunting the ore body was
something to discourage most men EX
perienced miners abandoned the project il
despair, declaring that it would never pay
for Its trouble and expense. But Mackay
and his associates refused TO be discour
aged. The old shaft of the central mint
was utilized, and they pushed drift
lyVu rN fr,t no ~ : hi
Gould and Curry, across the Best anC
Belcher and into the old "Nirginij
ground" The distance was more THAI
l,2OO feet, through rocks Of the most diff
ficult character. In October, 1875, fin
destroyed the buildings and all the valu
able machinery of the company. Tn
damage was snoH repaired aul worl; agail
pushed. .!l-4 ...au t4e public watches
Us nrnIress with lLLla faith-eE ridi
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20
HORRORS OF THE RAIL.
THE IRON HORSE EARLY seoAN
TO CLAIM HIS VICTIMS.

Facts of Interest Suggested by the Recent
Terrible Disaster at Mud Run. Pa. ON
the Lehigh. by which More Than sixty
Lost Their Lives.
The late railroad massacre at Mud Run,
Carbon county, Pa, involved every cir
cumstance of horror and sudden death.
The victims were largely among the
young and fair, they were returning full
Of social Joy from q festival, aud were
destroyed without warning One minute
there was light laughter, pleasant chat
and sentimental interchange among tho
young people of two closely crowded
cars; then came the awful crash forty
five persons were instantly launched into
eternity and twenty-five moro mangled
beyond hope of recovery. II is now
hoped that the dead will not exceed
seventy, but hundred more are injured
In various degrees from the loss of a
finger or disfguring wounds, to the loss
of eyes or limbs.
e.
Ashtabula. Chatsworth and Mud Run
will long remain names of horror In
America. At the first named place a
bridge fell with train, Dec. %, 1870, and
over 100 persons were killed This dis
aster was remarkable from the fact that
90 many Of the dead could never be iden.
titled, though their belongings showed
them to be persons Of wealth and probable
high social condition.
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20

SCENE OF THE MUD RUN HORROR.
No previous railroad accident was so
thoroughly investigated as this. On mo-
ton of Hon George G. Converse, q com
mittee Of the Ohio legislature was formed
for the purpose and brought out every
detail. The inquiry led to some valuable
improvements In construction and man
agement. At Chatsworth, Ills, In August,
1887 an excursion train, running at thirty.
five miles per hour, was wrecked by =
burning culvert; eighty five persons were
railroad horrors in America equal these;
but by the Tay bridge disaster In Scotland,
in December, 1879, over 200lives were lost,
and the noted Abergele burning In Wales
excited quite as much horror, though COM
paratively a small number were killed An
oil train, improperly secured on q siding
where the grade was steep, got loose,
rolled down the main track and struck q
train loaded with noblomen and their at
tendants, on their way toa public cere.
mony. On the instant of collision every
parlor car was enveloped In burning oil,
and not one inmate escaped. Some twenty
persons of noble blood were destroyed, and
In the ashes were found ducal coronets,
knightly ornaments and other metallic
insignia of rank.
have been compelled to give full and eX-
act accounts Of casualties, and in the
census year 1880 there were returned
for the United States S,2l5 accidents
2,5il killed and 6,874 injured. 1t is
astonishing to read in this report that a
very large majority Of the killed were
employees of the roads, and that in ma
iority of these cases the jures de-
clared that death resulted from the
victims own carelessness The eSplana.
tion is that while calamities like Mud
Run and Chatsworth are rare, employees
arc being killed or injured every day.
During the same year in Great Britain
and Ireland there were 135 killed and
3, ,050 wounded, and In Europe 8, ,2l3 killed
and TO- $50 wounded. For a term of years
1the number Of passengers killed and
awounded In the United States was 100 to
1.-The million, and fraction less in the old
Iworld. Averaging the seven years Of
Icompleted returns it appears that In New
York there Is one passenger killed for
I172, 965, ,882 miles Travelled, one for SOB,
56S, 1SS miles in Massachusetts,, and one
for 104 s02 ,255 miles In Great Britain.
THUS 1t may be said one may travel 1000
miles day in Massachusetts, for /. 1880
years before his chances for death would
reach par, and for somewhat shorter
times In the other regions mentioned.
But his chances for injury are twenty
times as many. Ia England he could
travel just about twice as far as from the
earth to the sun before being killed, but
only fourth as far as to the planet
Venus before being injured. In Massa.
chusetts, however he may travel 1000,
600 miles further thnn the distance from
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20
FLOOD.
o'BRIEN.
MACK RAY
FAIR.

Clair Flood. He was known for many
years, owing TO his profusion Of blonde
locks, as the Golden Irishman." He was
a carpenter by trade. Another was named
William s. O'Brien--always called Billy"
OBrien for short He had no trade, but
was what is known in these days as a
hustler. Ireland wasn't rapid enough for
these two. They were high spirited, con.
fdent young fellows, and they just ached
to get Into the swim and swirl around
little. They yearned for velocity. One
day they said to themselves that they
thought they knew their gait pretty well,
Just to look around little. They did not
know each other, and met for the first
time on board ship. They did good deal
Of talking on the voyage, and when they
landed In New York they were fast
friends, and struck up partnership that
was not dissolved till death.
When they arrived In New York, and
had chance to take In the town, they
came to the conclusion that, after all, 1t
was too big They wanted more breath
ing space. Then they contracted the min
ing fever, as mostly every one did in those
days So, In 1851, they took passage in
the good ship Elizabeth Ellen, doubled
the boisterous Horn and landed at Yerba
Buena, now san FRANCISCO,
They were In the Ell Dorado Of the
world, treading the golden sands of Cali
fornia, the end Of the glittering vista
through which the eyes Of the world were
gazing with longing. The fever was at
It's height. Men were going wild with
excitement Every ship brought crowds
of eager adventurers and fortunes were
being made in amazingly short times
weeks, days, even hours. Flood and
OBrien were as eager as the rest.
What did they dof
Did they cavort around, shrek, invest
the little cash they had in wildcat mining
schemes2
Go tol Not much.
The started modest place Of refresh
ment In log cabin and they called it the
Auction Lunch" The made money.
They kept right still They weren't say.
ing word. BY and by they commenced
to lay out part Of their profits in small
mining ventures. They accumulated some
more money.
Their place was frequented by all sorts
and conditions Of men-wrecks who, with
high hopes, had come to the mines and
lost everything reckless miners who
spent their dust like water; gamblers,
adventurers, all stamps Of men.
s%#
II was at this time that the Quartet
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20


for the removal of conditions that pro.
duce crime by q wholesome system Of in
dustry and culture" In pursuance Of
this object she has endeavored to place
libraries In prisons for the use Of those
incarcerated, and has succeeded In SO
placing 10000 volumes in lots Of from
1900 to 1000 volumes each. Twelve
years ago the Gilbert Library and Prison.
ers' Aid society was incorporated In New
York state, Miss Gilbert becoming presi.
dent of the board Of managers. Although
lack of funds has prevented the society
from continuing its work since 1888, Miss
Gilbert has continued TO labor as an in
dividual
Linda Gilbert is also an inventor, hav-
ing patented several industrial devices,
including noiseless rail for railroads and
wire clothes pin. The money she has
made on her inventions has been used for
philanthropic purposes, as has also the
Income resulting from Linda Gilbert's
Tax and Trade Record"
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20

er upon The New York Tribune, at tho
same time contributing articles to several
nected with several newspapers In New
York, Washington and New Orleans.
During the war he was active in organic
ing Irish volunteers for the Union army.
His tragedy of "Sibyl" was very sue
cessful upon the American stage. His
poems are known throughout the world
wherever an Irish heart beats or love Of
liberty exists. His most famous poem is
that entitled ''Shane's Head The poem
was inspired by the ignominious death Of
Shane O'Neil, the famous Ulster chief,
who, with his followers, was treacher-
ously butchered by the English at feast
given him by the Scotch Macdonnels, Of
Antrim, on the night of June 2, 1867.
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20
John Savage.

John Savage the poet, who died not
long ago. was chiefly noted for his numer-
ous stirring war songs, among which is
the famous Starry Flag" He was also
the author of several prose works of note,
among them The Struggles for Irish
Nationality, Picturesque Ireland" and
rFenian Heroes and Martyrs"
He was born in Dublin, Ireland, Dec.
49, 1928, and studied in the art school of
the Royal Dnblin society. He took an
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20


active part In the
rev olu tiona ary
m owe men I s of
1S4S, editing two
journals and plac-
Ing himself at the
head of an armed
band Of peasants.
He was pursued,
and had to take
ref'Es in fight.
After many excit-
ing adventures he
escaped to New
York, where he
obtained the posi-
tinp af proofraal-
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20

one of the first
volunteers when
the call was made
for nurses. She
went on a mission
of love. She was
alone in the world.
and had been
nursed through a
terrible illness
back to- health Mt
t h o University
hospital, and was
full of thankful
ness over her res.
t ora tion. Her
friends endeavor-
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20
THE GuN6oAr PETReL.
1t Was I.eocntiy Launched at baltimore
Maryland.


Maryland.
The United States gunboat Petrol,
which was launched In Baltimore re.
Gently. is the smallest Of the new steel
feet, She is l75 feet long and her speed
will be thirteen knots per hour. She is a
single screw gunboat, very strongly
built, and cost se47, 900 The contract
called for her completion Dec. 2a, 1887,
but the difficulty Of procuring steel Of
the high standard demanded by the gov
ernment inspectors necessitated delay.
Still with this delay the work was not
piling up on the contractors. The final
result. however is an undcniable success.
Her displacement will be about 900 tons,
The huh Is constructed of steel. She will
have barkentine rig, and will carry four
large breech loading guns In the main
battery and several machine guns on
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20

N. T., May l3,
1S47. With her
parents she re
moved to Chi
cago when s h g
was but a years
old, and WAS edu
at ed at St.
Mary's convent In
that city. Early
In life she became
interested in the
condition Of pris.
ons and prisoners,
and has devoted
her time for many
-ao~. 81 znartn a
Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-20

"a 20 d;suuodo no.. Mrs. CARRIE d. DAVIS.
from risking her life by going to the in.
fected city; but she was fully resolved,
and sho went. She worked bravely.
earning the gratitude Of every one with
whom she came in contact, until she was
brought down by the disease.