Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-11-28
MICHIGAN HAPPENINGS.
EVENTS AND INCIDENTS THAT HAVE
LATELY OCCURRED.

An interesting summary OF the More Ini-
pottaht beings or Our Neighbors-Wed-
dings and Deaths = Crimes, Casualties,
and General News Notes.
Ono of the greatest tunnels in the
United States is now in process of con-
struction under the st. Clair River at
Port Huron. letter from that city gives
the following interesting description OF
the great work:
The tunnel will be ,0lO feet long and viii be
built twenty feet under the bottom of the river.
The company doing the work is known as the
st. Clair Tunnel Company, but In reality are
English capitalists, many OF whom are Stock
holders In the Grand Trunk Railway. The es-
timated cost of the undertaking 10 S5,0OO,OOO
but knowing ones think 1t will cost $3,OOO,,
0Vv over more ysar aso, Sas not until rsosatiy did
the work on the tunnel proper begin. AT pres
ent nearly 800 men are employed. lS3 on On
the river. On the American Ride the tunnel fs
completed nearly seven hundred feet and on
the Canadian side only about hVe hundred 1eet;
Only about twelve or fifteen feet OF the tunnel
Is bored daily, and IL is expected to take e1gh-
teen months before Uncle Sam and repre-
sentative OF the Canadian Government can
shake ha nds under the center OF the st. Clair
River. There will be a gradual incline ON the
American side until the work is completed to
the center OF the river, when 1t VIII gradually
rise until the terminus on the Canadian side is
reached. The tunnel will be twenty-four feet
In diameter. A huge shield, weighing eighty
tons, is driven into the earth with twenty-four
hydraulic rams Of 500 tons pressure. On the
head of the shields are knives which cut the
earth into cakes which can be easily
handled. AS the shield forges ahead
the tunnel is completed as the
work progresses. The tubing is 80 arranged
that it takes thirteen pieces to make complete
~ 80 fo,,w foaf rhAan aT0
eighteen inches wide and when bolted together
the entire circle of eighteen inches weighs six
and one-half tons. Each joint is packed with
tarred paper and each OF the iron sections has
a hole In the center of one inch in diameter for
the purpose of forcing a fine quality OF cement
all around the outside OF the tube which makes
It perfectly tight The weight OF the immense
shield which IS forced into the earth Is over
and it takes an extraordinary pressure to force
the shield through the earth The hydraulic
picks are 30 placed as to bring an equal force
all around the shield to keep 1t true and at the the
proper angle, as It must meet the work on the
other side exactly for the purpose of bolting
both ends together.
Irving Latimer, the Jackson druggist
who murdered his mother last winter and
is serving life sentence for that crime,
was at the bottom of the fendish con-
spiracy to blow up Jackson prison and
perhaps kill scores of convicts in order
that he and few fellow -plotters might
escape if they we're not themselves torn
to pieces by the explosion. A correspond
ent writes from Jackson:
The story OF the explosion which came so near
blowing the south wall of the prison TO atoms
Monday night was told to-day by Fl ank Howard,
a ten-yea convict from Antrim County who has
been here only month. While private session
of the Board of Prison Inspectors was in prog
ress Howard was brought before them. He Is
badly frightened and says that IL either the con-
victs in the prison or their pals outside get wind
OF his aquealing they will surely kill him. He
or being found out, and so he made clean breast
of IL in hopes OF escaping severe punishment.
Howard said hat John Donovan, from Ogemaw
County, WAS persuaded by Latimer to manage
the plot and agreed to liberate Latimer IL the
scheme succeeded Since Latimer's exploit last
winter he has been closely watched, but not SO
closely but that he was able to instruct Dono-
van what to do and how to obtain dynamite
with which to work. Donovan with How
ard. when the dynamite exploded, and the two
made n rush for the shattered window, but
found their scheme had fallen through.
1.-The day came here, said Howard, "Dono-
van approached me and wanted TO know IL
could not get some dynamite. Donovan said
he had nearly three sticks, but he was afraid he
had not enough to blow the walls. told him
could not get any as had no friends in Jack
son. Donovan said we were to release Latiner
IL we blew up the wall, as Io was the man who
concocted the plan. l tried to get dynamite
but couldn't, and told Donovan had failed. He
said he would see Latimer the next Sunday and
would consult again. Donovan met Latimer
in the prison chapel and got him to write n let
ter to n friend for some dynamite, but Latimer
blundered and the letter was found and that
scheme headed off.
"Then Donovan wanted me to go in with him.
and we would try the walls with what we had.
When the convicts we're in the school-room we
left our cells Donovan dug hole with the
chisel in tho masoury, laid the dynamite,
placed the caps lit the fuse, and then we stood
hanlr te1 hraf tlaa -fndO In
uOwn, % .sa-a oorolG ua throw away
our revolvers and ran to our cells. We hated
TO 60 back ON Latimer, but he could not help
us, so We thought we would touch off what
dynamite had, and take the chances. l
suppose Ill gee punished for my part in the
job, but can't help ii now. We didn't have
enough Of the stuff or we would be free men
to-day
Mrs. Margaret Stone, an inmate of
the Asylum for Insane Criminals at Ionia,
who was transferred to that institution
from the Eastern Asylum for the Insane
in 1885, and who had shown suicidal in
tentions, got hold of solution of gel
semium which had been prepared for
another patient and drank it. She died
in an hour.
The Ypsilanti G.. A. r. Post gave
Congressman Allen handsome gold
he eaded cane.
Sarah G. Barber, of Saginaw City,
seeks to enjoin the Saginaw Union Street
Railway Company from stringing wires,
to propel its cars by electricity, past her
property.
-Four Romeo men have gone into
camp in Posen Township, Presque Isle
County, and are Staying the deer with
becoming rapidity divers dangerous
weapons called guns.
An unknown man was run over and
cut to pieces by railroad train at Ish-
peming.
Louis Sands, of Manistee, has pur-
chased for the Grand Rapids and Indi-
ana Railroad Company $3.50 acres Of
hardwood and 4,50l acres of pine land in
Missaukee County. The tract is esti-
mated to cut $4,000, 900 feet of lumber
and the consideration is said to be nearly
half million dollars. The railroad will
build spur line to the timber, and lum-
bering operations will be commenced
this winter.
AT Marquette, Angelo Lazari was
found guilty OF murder and sentenced to