The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-09-07
NEWS AND GOSSIP.
FREAKS OF LIGHTNING.

ency. One Of these cratic flashes
struck cedar tree in front of his
house the other day, from there II
skipped to the roof, ripped up few
shingles, then darted through the
ceiling to the parlor mantel where
it shook the clock into pieces. II
then leaped to the sewing machine,
melted the large wheel, and then
twisted the wire in a lady's hat that
hung near. It then shocked lady
in an adjoining room, and ended its
frenzied gyrations among the milk
pans in the cellar.
A MODERN L0cHINvAR,
Who brings his bride out of the
west, not in silk, but in male attire.
A Denver dispatch furnishes mate
rial for very romantic story, suf-
ficient for three-volume novel il
properly worked out. It records
that Charles Fisk, of San Francisco,
while attempting to board a ferry
boat, stumbled over some ropes and
fell into the arms of Miss Mary
Rathburn, daughter of a retired
merchant of San Francisco. A few
nights afterwards they met at So
cial party, and Immediately friend
ship sprang up between them that
soon ripened into a stronger senti-
ment, and they became engaged.
The girls parents opposed the
match, so the pair of youthful lovers
ran away to Sacramento and were
married. The young man had only
$23, but he told his wife that if they
could manage to reach New York
they would be all right, as he had
wealthy relatives there. This proved
satisfactory to the wife, and she
and her husband put their wits to
work to contrive ways and means.
Their planning resulted in the
adjoining ofthe wife in mems clothes
and the pair started east. From Sac
ramento they beat their way over
the Central Pacific railroad by riding
on freight trains and on the trucks
of passenger coaches. They arrived
in Ogden safely, and desiring to see
some Colorado scenery they started
on the Rio Grande. After having
been put off a-half dozen trains the
couple reached Denver few days
ago. As it happened, the Union
Pacific ran an excursion train out
on the evening after their arrival,
and the couple managed to 60 or
the train as porters. They will
reach New York, probably, some
time next week, at the rate they
have progressed so far, though they
may spend what they earn as port
ers. for car-fare between Omaha and
New York. The wife is very pretty,
and not quite nineteen years old,
while her husband is twenty-five.
TOWER TWO THOUSAND FEET HIGH.
London is jealous of Paris for
having the great Eiffel tower. and
proposes to build one two thousand
feet high, so as to entirely eclipse
the Eiffel. Mr.. Parks, solicitor to
the company, says it is an "accom-
plished fact" The company is
composed of some of the greatest
coal, iron and railway proprietors
in England. Mr.. Francis Pave, one
of the directors, says: ut would
be almost possible to calculate ap-
proximately how many persons
would ascend the tower per day.
There are 100000 persons in Lon
don. We have a fixed population
five times the size of Paris to work
on. We have 135,OOO,OOO persons
travelling annually on the under
ground railways which unite at
Kensington. This would give our
tower an immeasurably superior
chance over the Eiffel tower"
AN ELECTRIC PLANT.
Ina recent issue, Nature describes
a strange plant which has recently
been discovered in India, which
possesses, to very high degree,
astonishing magnetic power. The
hand which breaks a leaf from it
receives Immediately a shock equal
to that produced by the conductor
Of ar, induction coil. At distance
Of six meters a magnetic needle is
affected by it, and quite deranged
if brought nearer. The energy of
this singular influence varies with
the time of day. It is strongest at
2 o'clock in the afternoon. and dur
ing the night is not present at all.
During wind storms its intensity is
strikingly augmented. When it
rains, however, the plant seems to
succumb, and bends it's head during
a thunder shower. It remains then
without the slightest electric force,
even when sheltered by an UNI
brella. 1t can be handled at such
times, and leaves broken off with
out the least shock, and the needle
will remain unaffected beside it.
Neither a bird or insect was ever
seen to alight on the singular plant,
ofs~ok ~r,n <11~1~ e.