St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-12-16
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

, The whaling industry has fallen off so
much as to play but a small part in the
word's commerce. The latest figures
obtanable show the production to aver
age between 1900 and 20, coo tuns Of
2J3 gallons each per year. There are
two kinds Of whale oil, the sperm, taken
! from the head Of the cacno.Ot o. sperm
whale. and train oil, which is derived
| from the common whale, or as it is more
| commonly known, the right whale,
! Sperm oil is worth from $40 to = 70
per tun, and the ordinary train oil about
$500
WILLIAM ARCHER, of London, thinks
that people have too much trouble kill
ing themselves, and believes that a long
felt want would be supplied by the con-
struCtlOn Of Il COmmodiOus and scientific
lethal chamber, which shall reduce 10
minimum the physical terrors and incon-
yenienccs of suicide for the "paticnt'
and his family and friends. To this
chamber the disconso!atc nriton could
retire and be comfortably turned of by
the latest scientific methods
PRESIDENT PoLK's tomb has been sub
ject of official proceedings in Tennessee,
and it has been finally removed to plat
of ground within the shadow of the Cnpi-
tol at Nashville. The courts decided
that Mr.. Folks will leaving his estate
''to the worthicst Of his name forever"
was void, as constituting a pcrpetujty,
and the Legislature provided the money
for the removal of the tomb, as the land
on.which it stood became liable to Qiyi-
sion.
The Chinese in California have
chance to go to warmer climate. They
are offered S25 a head in British Guiana
to hoe sugar cane and dig for gold. The
colony only wants 5000 of them in the
meantime, but if they behave themselves
and do not make their queues stand out
at right angles with pride, there may be
demand for more. The European can
not toll with his hands in Guiana, and
John would have a monopoly Of the labor
market. Here he is at disadvantage,
because the white man is able to under
take a great deal more work than there
is in sight
TIE discussion concerning the extent
VI viz HulttS VI lItttbiNl as w I'LL lt-
ccived an impetus from the falling off of
the output of many wells near Pttsburg,
is apt to be renewed by the discovery Of
another tremendous body Of gas near
Findlay, Ohio. The capacity of the we'll
struck there is estimated to be equal to
discharge Of 80, 900, 900 cubic feet day.
If this enormous quantity of gas can all
be utilized it will, in the opinion Of the
San Francisco Chronicle. be source of
great prosperity to Findlay, which has
protited by the presence of other large
wells, but it is not likely that the supply
will continue indefinitely. It's very i'm
mensity forbils the idea.
UTAH is making great strides in the
development of manufacturing interests,
being in this respect an exception among
territories. This fact is made apparent
in the exhibit in the Utah Building at the
Worlds Fair. referring to the manu-
features of Utah the Chicago Herald
says: "Ihc leather made there is said to
be as good as the best in the hide and
leather building. The cotton goods find
a ready market, and only recently, in
competition with eastern factories,
Utah wooden mill has taken the contract |
to supply cloths for new uniforms for
the national guards of California. Ex-
amples of all those manufactures are |
shown in this building. and their appear
ance justties all that is claimed for
them"
To investigate the rapid disappearance
of the Columbia River salmon the United |
States Government has sent Dr. C. H. |
Gilbert, professor of zoology at Leland !
Stanford, Jr., University, and O. p.
Jenkins professor Of physiology at the
same institution, and one or two other
scientific men upon an expedition to that
stream. They have Just returned to
San Francisco, and re port that the nu-
merous nets, seines, traps and other de-
vices that ill the lower Columbia from !
Astoria u long distance upward, and the
reckless slaughter Of the fish by the can
ners are the cause of the scarcity of sal
mon. Professor Jenkins said that Major
Marshall Macdonald, United States Fish
Commissioners, would go West this fail
with q view to securing legislation in
Oregon and Washington to protect the
salmon.
CAPTAIN PARKER, of the Fourth |
Cavalry, who is superintendent of the
SequOis and General Grant national
parks in California, has made his annual
report to the secretary of the interior,
and says that during the past year there
has been no trouble with fires or tres
passers. He speaks Of the giant forest
IS probably the most magnificent body
If timber in the world. 1t occupies an
area of about three miles square on an
elevated plateau east of the Marble
Fork. 1t is Il continuous forest Of SPLEEN
lid trees, mainly red wood and sugar
oinc. Nearly all of the red woods reach
| height of 300 feet from the ground,
md are from Is to 20 feet in diameter.
10 preserve this great natural curiosity
md to make 1t accessible to the public,
. good road is essential, and he recon-
nends that $50, 900 be appropriated for
he purpose of constructing such a road
lie also recommends that bridges be
quilt across the main KaWeah and the |
North Fork rivers; that a wire fence be
quilt around Grant Park; that the two
PARKS be consolidated and that the many
inc streams in the park be stocked with
ish.
RECENT events show that the unsophis-
icated aborigine is an apt scholar in
ONE things. He is not strong on books,
perhaps, but he is not slow to appreciate
he substantial rewards of smuggling. A
ase was brought to the attention of the
reasury department the other day of an