davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
UP in A BALLOON.
A Popular Theory Which Is Not Based O
Scientific Facts.

A Popular Theory Which Is Not Based on
Scientific Facts.
The observations made during night
ascensions, or those which were contin-
ued into the night, ON temperatures at
different heights, give results different
from the theories previously held on
the subject An increase of the temper
allure with the height was noticed after
sunset The rate of decline of tempera-
ture with elevation when near the earth
was subject to variation as the sky was
clear or cloady. From an elevation of
three miles cirrus clouds were seen ap-
parently as far abov the observers as
they seem when viewed from the earth,
and that under such conditions that it
was hard to believe that their presence
was due to moisture. The audibility of
sounds from the earth depended consid-
erably on the amount of moisture in the
air. The noise of a railway train
could be heard in clouds at four
miles high, but not when the clouds
were far below. The discharge of gun
was heard at 10, 900 feet; the barking of
a dog at two miles; but the shouting of
a multitude at not more than 1000 feet.
Many differences in the results of OBJ
servations were supposed to depend upon
atmospheric conditions, while these
vary with the time of day and the season
of the year; so that great many OBJ
servations would be required to deter
mine the true laws. Having followed
up one of the observations recorded
above with captive balloon and by
other means, Mr. Glaisher declared to
the Meteorological Society in 1870 that
the theory that the temperature is al
ways lower at higher elevations is not
true. Popular Science Monthly.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
THE TOOTHSOME OYSTER.
He LIS One of Americas Oldest Settlers and
Has ALWAYS Been Annreciatad

He LIS One of Americas Oldest Settlers and
Has Always Been Appreciated.
The oyster is one of Americas old set
tiers. His family antedates that of our
most ariStocratic Puritan stock. That
oysters were eaten during the revolution
is proved by the story that is recorded
OF Benjamin Franklin.
When he was travelling in cold weather
and saw no vacant place at the tavern
fire where he could warm himself. the
genius whose statue adorns Printing
House square cried out the order, 'sHalf
peck of oysters in the shell for NV
horse!' Upon this all the fireplace
crowd rushed out to see horse eat
oysters. Very soon the hostler returned
and said:
why, sir, your horse won't eat the
oysters"
Won't hep" said Franklin, now COM
fortably seated by the freside. sWell.
then, bring them in and cook them and
I'll eat them myself"
The archives of the States bordering
on the Atlantic on whose coasts oysters
abound are full of papers and documents
about legislative and even military strife
In regard to oysters. Indeed" saws
Mr.. Parkinson, the. then editor of the
caterer, lit is not going too far to saw
that oysters have kept the people of the
several colonies and States in perpetual
stew ever since they were first settled )"
The ancient Romans ate oysters raw
wlh seasoning of vinegar garum, oil.
wine, honey mixed with eggs, and pep-
per and alisander. They also minced
them with mussels and sea hedgehops.
stewed them with pine almonds and
various condiments and ate them scald-
ing hot. A celebrated Roman epicure
built fish pond, where he kept oysters
and fed them on paste of cooked wine
and honey.
The Greeks understood the serving of
raw oysters better than modern Ameri-
cans. They were opened by slave at
the very table in view of all the guests.
Since the fourteenth amendment this
method is not practicable here, but it
served the purpose of allowing them to
be eaten, as nearly as possible, alive.
Wilhelm spite of Thackeray, who in
jest scared an oyster eater half to death
by exclaiming, "Why, man, you've swal-
lowed it aliver-is astronomical con-
slderation of the first Importance Y.
Herald.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
ANTiCllMAX.

walked city street, and suddenly
saw tiny lad. The winter wind
Howled fitfully, and all the air above
The clear cut outline of the buildings tall
Seemed full Of knives that cut against the face!
An awful night among the unhoused poor!
The boy was tattered; both his hands were
thrust
For show of warmth within his pocketholes,
Where pockets had not been for many day.
One trouser-leg was long enough to hide
The naked flesh, but one, in mockery
A world too short, tho he was monstrous small
Left bare and red his knee-a cruel thingl
Then swelled my selfish heart with tenderness
And pity for the wait; to think Of one
So young, so seeming helpless, homeless too
Breasting the night, a-shiver with the coldl
Gaining little, soon passed him by,
My fingers reaching for silver coin
To make him happier. if only for
An hour when-I marveled as heard
His mouth was puckered up in CHEEKY wise,
And in the very teeth Of fortunes frown
He whistled loud scrap of some gay tunei
And must know that all my ready tears
Fell on mood more merry than mine own
Richard E. Burton.i n Harpers Magazine
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
hon thav uet excited Is to slug with

when they get excited is to slug with
their fists. In hurting each player is
armed with a stick three feet or more
long with curve on one end, which is
usually a sort of knob. The pos ibili-
ties that these hold forth to players wno
do not care to control their temper can
be readily understood.
Hurting when played by two full
teams engages forty-two men. 1t may,
however, be played by as few as four
teen men on side, but should be played
by no fewer. When two teams COM
plete face each other they are not unlike
football teams in formation. Besides
goal-keeper, each has half-backs, right
point covers, left-point covers, wing
men, centers and rushers Sometimes.
too, the tactics used are not unlike
those of the football men. The rush
ing and tackling are much the same
and the famous wedge movement of the
Princeton football team has often before
now been brought into play on the hurl-
ing field. The main qualifications for
player are activity, pluck, quickness of
sight and good Judgment of distance.
When played by full teams the hurl-
ing ground should be 1876 yards long by
14O yards wide. The ground should be
clearly marked off as in football. At
each end of the field stand two goal
posts and there is cross-bar ten and
one-half feet from the ground. The OBJ
ject of the game is to drive the ball be-
tween these posts and under the cross
bar. This counts a goal. If driven
over the cross-bar it counts but point.
The same count is made if the ball goes
over the goal line within twenty-one
feet of either goal-post.
The arrangement of the men is not
altogether like that of the football
team. The goal-keepars stand near to
and in front of the goal, and two men
govern the points" Four others are
posted few yards in advance as
pickets. In the center of the field
seven players are ranged in straight
line, like football rush line. The
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04

No Danger. -''W'y. Nose, yo' don't
mean ter tell yo' ole woman dat yo'se
gwine ter sot up wild cawpse tonight?
Yo' must be gwine 'stracted." Eyes,
Polly; Use gwine ter sot up wild a
cawpse. But yo' needn't be Uneasy; hits
a dead one. Time.
-s'Never had a corn in my life." said
one travelling man to another. SIS that
so? I've had one for three years." sIt
must be disagreeable." 81 don't find it
So" ''You don't mean to say that you
like it." No, but it grows on you in
time. Merchant Traveller.
Miss Spinster Ito widower's son)-
"How would you like me for your
mamma, Harry? l would be affection
ate and tender to you" Master Harry
''Guess you couldn't be tender to me. !"
Miss Spinster- why, dear?" Master
Harry" Cause l heard pa say you were
no spring chicken. "-Kearney Enter
prise.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
FOOLISH SUPERSTlTlONS.
Little Insect That Has Caused Many .
Stout Heart to Trembie.

A Little Insect That Has Caused Many a
Stout Heart to Trembe.
Mankind have in all ages been prone
to the most lamentable SuperstitionS.
The enlightened nations of antiquity
were no more exempted from them than
the most ignorant.
The Jews, as we are repeatedly in
formed in Scripture, could with diff
Guilty be restrained from idolatrous and
superstitious practices and confined to
the worship and service of the only true
God.
This remarkable tendency of the He
brew nation was in all likelihood caused
by their sojourn for the space of four
hundred years among the Egyptians,
whose whole system of religion was
mass of idolatrous observance. They
had number of ideal gods to whom
they erected temples of prodigious size
and architectural splendor; they also
offered worship to various animals. as
the OK or bull (hence the golden calf of
the Hebrews), to which they gave the
name of Apis; the dog, the wolf, the
hawk, the ibis or stork, the cat and
alteration to the Nile, personifying it in
the crocodile, to which temples were
erected, and set apart for it's service.
The Egyptians, Notwithstanding their
learning, also believed in dreams. lucky
and unlucky days, omens, charms and
magic. In word, they were grossly
superstitious, and seem to have had but
feeble conception, if any, of the laws
which regulate the ordinary phenomena
of nature
There is flood of scientific light
abroad in the world, but there are, new
ertheless, many dark places where SUI
perstition broods. Thousands and tens
of thousands of people believe that the
noise which small beetle makes in
boring it's way into old furniture and
the timbers of old houses, is Fremont
tory of death.
The ''death-watch," one of the most
insignificant of insects, has caused many
a stout heart to tremble at the sound
made by the artrition between it's neck
and body in the act of tunneling 1t is
a sly creature, and the fact that it does
it's 'sticking' chiefly in the night, gives
it mysterious interest for the ignorant.
fyOu capture adeath-watch it invariably
"plays 'possum"-feigning insensibility
so pertinaciousiy that it is said the APP
plication of fire will not induce the little
hypocrite to betray the slightest indica-
ton of vitality. 1t has a bad habit of
destroying woodwork, and that we b.
lieve is the only evil that can be said of
the little creature. 1t is not an uncom-
mon thing. in old houses, to hear three
or four of the genus at work at once
their labors having about as much to
do with the fate of the inmates as with
the revolution of the globe upon it's
axis.-N. Y. Ledger.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
CONTAMINATED WATER.
Impurities Usually Present in the Water
Supply of Cities and Towns.

Impurities Usually Present in the Water
Supply of Cities and Towns.
A writer in Milwaukee journal,
speaking of the water supplies of cities
generally, says: To one who has for
many years examined with microscope
the water supply of cities, it appears
incredible that persons can be found
who are willing to take into their sys-
TENS the denominations and filth which
are all the time present. The water
swarms with life, to which must be
added the vegetable forms, almost as
numerous, and finally the millions of
bacteria. and infusoria whose numbers
are limitlesS.
Such things are Objectionable enough
when living, but they die and rot like
larger animals. often by change of tenn
perature merely, in such immense num-
bers as to charge the drinking water
with sulphureted hydrogen; this causes
the offensive, putrid odor noticed
III water during the summer;
again on the banks of lakes,
in which water is stored for
city and town supply, there abound
masses of weeds of all descriptions
which die in due season and rot. In
this condition vegetable matter passes
into the water supply, and being COM
minuted by friction in pipes, appears in
minute PARTICLES, which can be seen
floating in every glass of water.
People who hold up to the light a
glass of water which looks bright and
good, excepting this innocent, fne-look
ing sediment, little think that when the
sediment is accumulated in bulk, it has
the odor of tobacco juice, and sicken-
ing odor as repulsive as filth can make
it, Who would eat such a mass of con-
5aminations? Then, why drink it in
small quantities in every glass of water
you use? Typhoid fever turks in every
particle of this deposit, and the smallest
doses carry contagion.
The same forms and impurities are
usually present in the water supply of
all ri tics and towns
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
CANADIAN ASBESTUS.
How 1t Is Mined and the Prices 1t Con
mandS i'm the Market.

How 1t Is Mined and the Prices 1t Conn
mands i'm the Market.
Mining is carried on by cutting down
the hills of notwithstanding serpentine,
much as a farmer cuts down stack of
hay or straw, or by open quarrying on
the level. The rock is blasted out, and
the asbestus, separated from the contain
ing rock, is '.cobbed"-i. e., separated by
hammering from adhering foreign mat
ter. This ''cobbing" is com paratively
easy matter in the case of the finer quail
ity, as it usually separates readily from
the .gangue, but in the lower grades
much difficulty is experienced in sepa-
rating the fibrous matter from the nom
ibrous. At best there is great waste.
Much of the asbestus is in thin or mar
row veins, and is wasted as by the pres
ent mode of operating it does not pay to
separate this from the serpentine. A
machine that will enable these narrow
veins to be utilized is desideratum.
When ''cobbed," the asbestus is graded
according to purity, color and length of
fiber into three grades and bagged for
shipment. The finest quality or ''firsts"
finds ready sale at prices ranging from
$50 to S110 per ton; seconds" fetch from
$50 to $40 per ton; while ''thirds' may
be valued at $13 to $15 per ton. In good
mines the yield of asbestus is from three
to five per cent of the rock quarried,
and the cost of mining may be put down
at $25 to $50 per ton. Returns obtained
by the Geological Survey of Canada show
that for the year 1883, Canada's output
was 4, 404 tons, valued at the mines at
$3.50, 900, and this the output of nine diff
ferent mines. Over three-fourths of the
whole was shipped to the United States;
small quantities going to Great Britain,
Germany, France, Belgium and Italy,
and being used in domestic manufacture
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
Secretary Proctor was an enthusi-
astic coon-hunter in his boyhood DAYS.

"A young man may have the worst
memory on record, but he will not for
get to remove the price mark from the
present he buys FOR his best girl-if the
article cost less than $40. On the other
hand, he may have the best memory in
the world. but if the present costs over
s25 the price mark is inadvertently over.
looked. -Norristown Herald.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
The WORLDS MAIL.
Interesting Statistics Regarding the WORK
of One Year.

Interesting Statistics Regarding the Work
of One Year.
An industrious statistician has been
collecting figures relating to the postal
business of the entire world for the ear
of 1886. He develops some very sur
prising and impressive facts, in which,
however, it is exceedingly hard for the
ordinary mind to follow him. 1t is easy
to read, for instance, that in the year
1856 the people of the civilized world
sent almost &. 1000. 900 600 of letters, more
than 100, 900, 0C0 of postal cards. nearly
5000, 10000 of newspapers and more
than 100000, 900 merchandise packages,
making in all nearly $4,000, 900, 900 of
mail parcels. But who can possibly
realize the meaning of such figures?
We can easily follow our statistician,
however, when he proceeds to show us
what regions of the world make the
largest use of their mail facilities in
proportion to their population.
America, with a very much smaller
population than the continent of Eu-
rope, sends more than half as many mail
packages as the whole of Europe. The
figures are little upward of 1000, O0O,-
900 for Europe and almost 1900, 900, 900
for America.
Asia sends but comparatively small
number, and Africa smaller number
Still-less than one mail package in
year to every seven inhabitants of the
ointment
How great a contrast is presented by
the case of Australia, where "a letters,
cards, papers and parcels are sent on an
average to every inhabitant annually.
Australia, indeed, makes the largest use
of it's mail facilities of any continent on
the globe.
To circulate the worlds mail matter
no fewer than 100000 persons are en-
ployed, and this matter is distributed
from more than 600 post Offices, Of
which about third are In the United
States -MinneaDOliS Journal
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04

N@LH IL EIeI 10 plObobiy bO GULL
letic game now known to
the world that is older than the game of
hurting, which seems about to become
quite popular with our athletes
Chronology has it that Hercules first
celebrated the Olympian games in the
year 1918 B.. c. At about the same time,
according to the historians, the early
colonists of Ireland founded what were
known as the Tailten games, which
were held annually in Meath and which
were, as far as they could be, national.
They were kept up until the end of the
eighth century, when Ireland suffered
from the Anglo-Norman invasion, when
they languished. The Tailten games
were the forerunners of the Irish ath-
letic games of to-day, and some of them
were very embarrassing, weight
throwing, running, horse-racing and the
like. In some respects the old games
were more refined than those of our own
times, for in addition to trials of skill
and strength, there were also contests
In music, poetry, chess-playing and
such innocent pastimes.
In America the game is but just be-
ginning to get fair foothold, but the
outlook for it seems to be particularly
good. In way, it has been known to
Americans for a considerable time,
for the American school-boy's game of
skinny" is in reality but form of
hurting. However, playing the game
scientifically with regular teams, as it
Is played in Ireland, England and Scot
land, has been but lately attempted
here.
The company of all-around athletes
who came to the United States from
Ireland about a year ago played the
game in various cities while here and
did good deal to popularize it. John
Boyle O'Reilly and other prominent
Irish-Americans who have been seeking
to revive interest in Irish games have
also helped to give hurting lift The
New York Gaelic Society now has two
regular hurting teams; there are several
more in Philadelphia and Boston, and
there are others in other cities.
1t was in these games that hurting
first became popular, and in Ireland it
has never lost its popularity Every
school-boy, and for that matter every
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-04
RARE SPORT.
Sam Crane, Pitcher, Describes the
Famous Irish Game.

Every Body Played 1t 1000 Years Ago
Cross Between Football, Hockey,
Lacrosse and POlO-The Simplest
of All Athletic Sports.
The Washington critic., 1890-02-06

and they are helped for the present, IL
would do no permanent good, aud there are
hundreds Of other such cases that can never
be known. Now, what is the only real
remedy in these casesS Clearly it is TO be
found only in a chance to do work and
earn good wages. The old man stii has
ability TO produce enough to supply the
needs OF his family II he could get an OPP
portunity to produce those things he is
best qualified to produce, and was not COM
PEELED 10 divide the produce With others
whe do nothing toward producingit.
They and all like them cannot be ade-
quately helped by any piece-work remedies.
The remedy must be radical and compre-
hensive. The barriers that fence them out
of the fieldof labor must be broken down,
and they must be permitted to keep what
they produce. lie THE CRIrrc ready OF
willing to lend its influence to secure thisi
To do IT certain lave must be repealed aud
certain other Laws must be amended, for
I the conditions described are law w-created
III THE CniTic 10 ready to do 80 It's intelli.
genee, honesty and sincerity are indeed ex
ccptional. G. B. HEMiNawAy.
Washington, Februsry5 5.
The Washington critic., 1890-02-06
Gladstone a. "a private detective.

The death of Lady Susan Opdebeek
recalls recollections of an incident, two
of the principal actors in which, Lord
Oxford and Mr.. w +. Gladstone. still
survive. 1t will be remembered that
Lord Oxford, at that time only Lord
Walpole, ran away with Lady Lincoln,
whose husband was close friend of
Mr.. Gladstone. Lord Walpole aud
Lady Lincoln went to Italy, and Mr..
Gladstone, volunteering to act as sort
of private detective, went in pursuit of
them in order to obtain evidence for a
divorce. After good deal of fruitless
iourneying, Mr.. Gladstone ascertained
that they had taken villa on the shores
of Lake Como, but when he arrived the
birds had flown. However, he found
out that a doctor in the neighborhood
had attended at the villa, and he went
to see him in the hope Of obtaining o
valuable witness. But on Mr.. Glad
stone asking him to come over and give
evidence he iiarly declined, and when
Lord Lincon's jealous friend, at
tributing his reluctance to fear of
being out of pocket, added, But you
win be well paid" the doctor turned
around on him in a fury and said
What 30 and betray my good friend
Lord Walpole, who has been SO kind Ia
me. You scoundrel, get out OF my
house" So Mr.. Glalstone's mission 10
Italy was not altogether suieess. -
/ Loht0R World.
The Washington critic., 1890-02-06

lowing paragraph, taken from its article
on this subject, locates IT,
Present methods Of publication are gen
erally satisfactory to employers aud en-
ploved. That is, the printers are glad Of
the chance to set type both Saturday night
and Sunday night. There is nothing com
pu'sory IN their doing so. n composltor
has any conscientious scrui les about II or
wants to take a day OIL he can put on a
"sub,n who needs the little tid-bit thus
thrown In his way.
This recalls the story told by ST.
Smith Russell of the old maid who
arose in prayer meeting ard said that,
having become convinced that her silks
and laces and flnery were dragging her
down to perdition, she had resolved to
put them forever from her and had
given them to her younger sister.