Morning journal and courier., 1893-11-13
RpITORIAL NOTES.

There were a good many surprises Tues day. Forinstsnce, Messrs. Snake, Homerig- hauseu and Stllmunks were elected to the Iowa legislature.
 It beats all how cruel some men are A New York man is being sued for divorce on the ground of cruelty and among the specifications is that he won $4 900 playing poker and only gave his wife slo of 1t.
 The superintendent of foreign mails gays that the ocean mall subsidy act of 1891 is q flat failure. According to his report the government has paid the sum of $406.9 .927 for service which is no speedier or more frequent in trips than that which we used to have.
 Iron has been considered the indicator of the condition of business. It is there fore cheering to read that the weekly capacity of furnaces in blast has increased over 5000 tons since October l, and the stock of iron on hand decreased 14,000 tons during October.
 The British government has just paid $40, 900 through the unwarrsntable fiber ality of James l., in giving away something which did not belong to him. In 1891 royal gold cup given to Charles VI. of France by tho Duo De Berry came to Eug- land in return for the money loaned to the French king to carry on war. One day James I. personally gave this national treasure to Spanish ambassador The latter gave 1t to a convent, and the sbbess sold 1t to Baron Pichon in Paris in 1883. It has now been bought by the British museum for Gs,O00.
 It is announced that the first of the tur. bine wheels have been placed in the pits of the Niagara Falls Power company, three of them, each of l, 100 horse power, and to be connected with shafts ten inches In di- ameter, weighing 35,000 pounds apiece. The method of utilizing a portion of the hitherto wasted power of the falls has in- volved the construction of an immense tunnel alongside the river, something like 6 mile iu extent, with an outlet into the falls, and no inlet. Directly above this tunnel Is canal supplied from the river above the falls. Power Is sold by renting the privilege of putting In turbine wheels along this canal, outlet being found in the tunnel below, which serves simply as tail-race for the water from above.
 A new brick baking mschins is to be noted among the recent mechanical novel, ties. It Is simple contrivance, consisting of 8 table covered with iron brick molds, to which an electric current Is applied, the table being 8 by 14 feet and holding 1000 molds, joined together like pigeonholes. Each mold is the sizs of brick which has been pressed but not baked, and each has 6 cover so fitted ss to follow the brick as 1t shrinks. The bricks are taken from the presses and placed in the molds, the cover adjusted and the current turned on. The iron sides of the mold form the ''resist- arce," and the bricks are virtually in- closed by walls of fire. The bricks having shrunk to the proper size the sinking covers of the molds automatically turn of the current, the baking Is done and the bricks are dumped.
 The fact that pr. Plsyfair of London, who is a brother of Lord Playfair, has lately received fee of $12, 900 for attend aucs upon a royal patient, is being eIten- sively commented upon over there as A very remarkable circumstance, but the knowing Boston Herald remarks: It Is very pretty fee, but it Is not so large as is frequently paid for similar service by less distinguished persons. There is lady in this city who entered into an arrangement short time ago with London physician for his exclusive services for a period of six months, for which she agreed to pay him the magnificent sum of sl00, ,0O0 He performed his part of the contract, but the lady, for reasons which she deemed suf 6cient, failed to carry out her agreement, and the case was lately compromised here by the payment to the physician of | $25, ,000. Probably this is the largest fee ever paid in Boston for medical attendance l for this period of time.