The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-01-23

census shows that the population is nearly
stationary. There are those who see dire
full things in these figures. but France has
no excess OF pauperized people 10 ship TO
this country.
A DENVER man has struck Ii rich. A few
days ago in digging a cellar in his back
yard he struck vein OF mineral which be
Mt once recognized as rich ore. and which.
on assay. yielded n large return ofsilver. with
handsome residuum of gold. On general
principles We should say that kind of q
mine In ones back ard would be very con-
venient.
MIR. WILSON. chairman of the Populist
State committee in North Carolina. has
been indicted by Democratic leaders for be-
ing the head of a secret political organize
tion known as "Gideons Band.n which
gave the Democracy great trouble in the
late csnvass The law under which the in
-dictment was found makes 1t a felony TO
belong to secret political society. The
Populists are greatly excited as indictments
of other members will be made.
OYSTERS. which q month ago were selling
In the market at so cents per quart, the rul-
ing price3 for years. are now selling at 80
cents. and. dealers say. are hard to get &C
that. This 10 owing 70 the extreme cold
which has prevailed In the East, and to the
formation OF great Joe foes in the waters
where oysters are taken. Chesapeake bay
Is solid sheet of ice, In some places four or
hve feet thick. Fishermen say that thou
sands of bushels of oysters will be carried
away into the ocean when the ice breaks
up. From present appearances the era OF
nigh prices for oysters Is likely TO continue
Tor some time.
THE street railroad system Of st. Louis
has been revolutionlzed during the last ten
years In the matter of substituting rapid
transit for horses and mules. The result 10
great increase of businesi. All the street
railroads of that city are required to make
annual reports Of the number of trips made
over their lines and the number of passen-
gers carried. there being eighteen lines,
city and suburban. In 1884 they reported
S,0S2,4ai trips and ~. SO5,ST passengers,
while in 1892 they reported 5.S6l.973 trims
and 81. 6S5.555 passengers. The detailed re-
ports show that the increase of business
has kept side by side with that of facilities,
and especially with the growth of rapid
transit
THE latest illustration Of the wasteful-
ness of American methods is found in the
great decline in the supply of fish in Lake
Erie. Our rivers and small lakes have
been nearly depleted of fish. and now II
Ing the same way. owing to the destructive
methods of fishermen. In 1850. the total
catch of fish in Lake Erie approximated
$1,000 tons. bnt this involved the destruc-
ton of a vast mum Der of small fish. At
recent meeting of the Flshermen's Associa-
ton In Cleveland, it was estimated that
$500 tons of small fry blue pike were
caught by the pound nets last year and
sold for $40 ton. If allowed to become
full-grown the same fish would have
weighed not less than IL. 900 tons and sold
for go a ton. State Fish and Game
Warden Buntam states in a report just is-
sued that IL 10 q common practice at the
western end of the lake to catch small fry
and sell them to Ssndusky fertilizer
factory. Besides such terrible waste as
this. the fish are caught without regard to
their times OF spawning. thus adding
greatly to their destruction. Such W hole
sale destruction would not be permitted In
any other country but this.