Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-04-21
SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS or
EVERYDAY LIFE.

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS or
EVERYDAY LIFE.
Queer faets and Thrilling Adventures
Which Show that Truth 10 Stranger
chem Fiction.
Duck night at Ewell's store, on the
Virginia coast near the North Caro-.
lima line, Is locally famous In the
ducking season as the special night
in the week when the storekeeper is
at home to the duck hunters OF the
region. Ewell buys ducks OF the
hunters, paying for the game in
goods from his store, and shipping
his purchases to an up-coast life.sav.
ing station, whence they find their
way to the markets Of Baltimore,
Philadelphia, and New York. As
Ewell waits behind his counter with
a lantern, the duckers, rude-looking
fellows OF the beach-comber type,
drop in one by one and sit round in
the gloom. Ewell hangs the game in
a cold room Mt the rear Of the store
and credits each QUICKER with the
agreed value Of his ducks. As each
transaction Is made the QUICKER re.
calls something that he needs from
the merchants stock. and when he
has received the article the price Is
debited against his credit. The
QUICKER then relapses to the nearest
barrel or box and waits until some
other needed article shall occur to
his mind. He then makes the new
demand upon the merchant, has a
new debit placed against his credit,
and again sinks back into the gloom.
After fully two hours Of this sort Of
| thing, those who wish the balance Of
their credit paid in cash receive their
dues.
STRANGE freaks are played by wind.
blown sands in the New Mexico river
valleys and mountain canons. In the
canons one may see cliffs and natural
stone pillars cut into fantastic forms
by the natural sand blasts formed by
the winds sucking up and down these
narrow passes. In broad river val.
leys, the Rio Grande especially,
great areas OF sand hills are seen
tossed up like giant waves Of sea.
These shift their position slowly,
travelling in the direction OF the pre-.
vailing winds, until they scatter on
the plain or encounter some obstruc.
ton, such as a mountain side, against
which they heap. Not only valuable
lands, but towns may be buried In
this invading element. Thus along
the Pecos River, Mt distances from
twenty to forty miles below the town
Of Eddy, In southeastern New Mexico,
there IRE five old deserted pueblos or
villages built by ancient agricultural
Indians, which, It is estimated, once
contained population of from 10000
to Ii, 600 people. Now the villages
are nearly buried in sand blown from
the hills that bound the valley. Yes.
tiges OF n canal to these towns has
been discovered leading from canon
near by which once furnished water,
but Is now filled with sand.
A ScorcmMAN, who Is evidently as
patient as he Is ingenious, has trained
two little mice to spin thread with an
apparatus OF which he IL the inventor,
says the st. Louis Post.Dispatch.
The mechanical principle OF the con-
trivance Il a small mill. which IL op.
Grated by the paws Of the mice. They
can each wind on and of per day from
100 to 120 pieces Of thread, and to dc
this they must supply motor power
by which course Of ten and one.
half miles could be traversed. Al
though the two mice are quite small,
they perform this task every day
without apparent fatigue. a cent :
worth OF -four furnishes them food
enough for five weeks. During that
time the little animals have spun in
the ncighborhood OF $3.50 threads.
each about one and one.half yards
long. At this rate each mouse earns
not quite 1-2 cent per day, or the
munificent sum Of about ~ per year.
The ingenious inventor proposes to
build house ninety feet long, forty
five feet wide and forty.eight feet
high, which he expects to equip on a
large scale with thread mills operated
by mice. He says he can put in
about 10000 mills.
MANUEL Cora, q tall, emaciated
sheep.herder and ranchman, living
about seven miles southwest OF Pc.
mona, Cal, has the distinction OF
standing ut the very head Of the pro-
cession OF adders to the population
OF this county. Manuel does not
know word Of English, has not $50
either In money or property, and lives
In a home that hundreds Of men
would not stable their horses In. lie
Is the father OF twenty-one boys and
girls, and has fathered. first and last,
twenty-six infants. Manuel and his
wife were married in San Diego IN
1850, thirty-five years ago. Mrs. Cot,
was then q blushing bride Of II, and
Manuel but one year older. Theil
eldest child il 81, and has started q
nice little family group OF his own
having seven children thus far. Mr.
and Mrs. COta's youngest child Is two
weeks old, and bids fair to become al
lively and strong as its twenty-fiv,
predecessors. Fifteen OF the children
are married, and Manuel, at the last
| occountinO fOun1 he was Vro nd m ron,