The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-11-27
MICHIGAN HAPPENINGS.
EVENTS AND INCIDENTS THAT HAVE
LATELY OCCURRED.

An Interesting Summary of tho More I'm
portant Doings of Our Ncighbors-wed-
dings and Deaths - Grimes, Casualties,
and General News Notes.
One 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 tn I city gives
the following interesting description of
the great work:
The tunnel will bo G O)) feet long and will be
built twenty feet under the bottom of the river
The company doing the work is known as the
81. Clair Tunn' Company, but I'm reality are
English capitalists may OF whom are stock
holders In the Grand Trunk Railway. The es-
tinated cost Of the undertaking Is Sj0)O.0)O.
but knowing ones think IL will cost S3,OOO.-
900 more. Preliminary work commenced
over a year ago, but not until recently did
the work on the tunnel proper begin. AT pres
ent nearly 80 men are employed, l5J ON
the American and 80 on the Canadian side OF
the river On the American side the tunnel is
CO completed nearly seven hundred feet, and ON
the Canadian side only about five hundred fset.
only about twelve or fifteen feet OF the tunnel
is bored daily, and il is expected TO take eigh-
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 n gradual incline tho
American side until iSs work is completed 20
the center Of the river, when IL viii gradually
Use until the terminus ON the Canadian side is
reached The tunnel VIII DO twenty-four feet
in diameter 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 ssn be easily
handled. A the shield FORCES ahead
iron t tnn is placed in position and
work progresses The tubing is so arranged
that 1t takes thirteen pieces 10 make N complete
circle of twenty-four feet These sections are
eighteen inches wide, and WHEN oHed 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 hns
n hole In the center OF one inch in diameter for
the purpose OF forcing n fine quality OF cement
all around the outside OF the tube, which makes
IL perfectly tight. The weight Of the immense
shield which is forced into the earth is over
1000 tons. The rams are worked with steam.
and IL TAX es an extraordinary pre- 5sure 40 force
the shield through the earth. The hydraulic
picks are so placed ms TO bring an equal force
all around the shield TO keep it true and a. the
proper angle, as IL must meet the work on the
other side exactly for the purpose of boiling
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 fiendish 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 were not themselves torn
to pieces by the explosion. 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,
n ten year convict from Antrim County, who has
been here onlya month. While private session
OF the Board of Prison Inspectors was in prog
Howard was brought before them. He is
badly frightened, and saws that il either the con-
vcts in the prison or their pals outside get wind
OF his squealing they viii surely XIII him. He
found he had chance TO escape from prison
or being found out, and so he made clean breast
of 1t 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 Latilnar If 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 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 10 know If L
could not get some dynamite. Donovan said
he had nearly three sticks but he was afraid he
had not enough 10 blow the walls. told him
could not get any as,I had no friends in Jack
son. Donovan said we were to release Latimer
IL we blew up the wall, as Re was the man who
concocted the plan. / tried TO get dynamite
but couldn't and told Donovan had failed. He
said he would see Latimer the next Sunday and
we would consult again. Donovan met Latimer
in the prison chapel and got him TO write let
ter TO Il friend for some dynamite, but Latimer
blundered and tho letter was found and that
scheme headed off.
Then Donovan wanted me to 60 in with him.
and we would try the walls with what We had.
When the conyicts were in the school-room We
left our cells. Donovan dug o hole with the
chiscl in the masonry, laid the dynamite,
placed the caps lit the fuse, and then We stood
back and VISITED. but the window didn't come
down, ana so we were caught. We threw away
our reyolyers and ran TO our cells. We hated
70 go back on Latimer, but he could not help
us, so We thought we would touch of what
dynamite we had, and take the chances.
suppose I'll get punished for my part in the
job but can't help 1t 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
another patient and drank it. She died
in an hour.
The Ypsilanti e. A. r. Post gave
Congressman Allen o. handsome gold
headed cane.
Sarah c.. 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, Pressure Isle
County,. and ara Staying the deer with
becoming rapidity-and divers dangerous
weapons. called guns.
An. unknown man was run over and
cut to pieces By a railroad train at Ish-
peming.
Louis Sands, Of Manistee, has pur-
chased for the Grand Rapids and Indi-
ana Railroad Company 1860 acres OF
hardwood and ,50l acres OF pine land in
Missaukee County. The trsct is esti-
mated to cut $4,000, 900 feaa of lumber
and the cons liberation is said to be nearly
half a million dollars. Tho railroad will
build spur ne to the timber, and lum-
boring operations will Sc commenced
this winter.