The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1896-10-23
'D A LUCKY ACCIDENT.
Why blackstone Maker Turned His At
tenti0n to Puzzles,


tention TO Puzzles,
AS an example of how remunerative
speciality in hardware forced itself on
a receptive and appreciative Yankee
the following incident will be of in
terest:
Among manufacturers, says the Iron
Age, small castings are often put in re-
volving cylinders with pickers or stars
made of cast iron, having usually six
points, the extremes of which are about
an inch apart. They are also familiar
to toy dealers, who sell them to chill
dren as "jackstones. The pickers,
together with small castings, are put
into the tumbling barrels so that any
particles of sand adhering may be re-
moved and better finish given the
castings. A large and well-known New
England concern, which, in addition
to other lines, manufactures screw
wrenches largely, formerly used a
peculiarly shaped malleable iron fer
rule with irregular openings at the
two ends weighing about an ounce
Some of these ferrules chanced to be a
part of the contents in one of the tum-
bling barrels.
When the barrel was opened the at
tendant noticed, what to him seemed
almost incredible, that the picker with
all it's prongs was inside the ferrule,
the openings of which were compare
lively small. The observant mechanic
logically concluded that as it had got
ten in it could be gotten out again.
The phenomenon was brought to the
attention of parties who decided to
apply the idea in a puzzle, and the re-
suit has been that the original manu-
facturers are now making the two parts
under contract in ton lots, while the
first order is said to have netted. a profit
to the promoters of seventeen hundred
dollars. This is known on the streets
as the Trilby puzzle.
fragments OF d Cwo-dollar treasury
note were presented at the subtreasury
for redemption lately by resident in
one of the counties of Maryland, says
the Baltimore Snn.
"This was struck by lightning" he
said, as he exhibited the two pieces oi
the note. The note had apparently been
burned lengthwise through the middle
leaving the top and bottom margins
The burned portion that was missing
was from half to one and half inches
wide. The edges of the remaining parts
| were charred. The man said his home in
| the country was recently struck by light.
ming, that the note was in cupboard at
the time, and that the lightning en-.
tered the cupboard, burning the note as
described. The number and seal on the
parts of the note were legible and gen
uine, and consequently the note was re-
deemed.
The New Hook Spoon Free to All.
read in the On Standard tha
Miss A. M, Fritz Station A., st Louis,
Mo would give an elegant plated hook
spoon to any one sending her ten 2.cent
| stamps. | sent for ono and found it ip
useful that showed it to my friends, and
made $1,000 in two hours, taking orders
for the spoon. The hook spoon is a
household necessity 1t cannot clip into
the dish or cooking vessols, being held in
the plate by hook on the back The
spoon is something that housekeepers
have needed ever since spoons were fret
invented. Anyone can get sample
spoon by sending ten 2 cent stamps to
Miss Fritz. This ia splendid way to
make money around home.
Very truly, JEANETTE s.