The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-08-08

nnual report OF Major Eanpufy, III
charge OF work on the channel between
the Illinois and Ohio. According to this
report, 2.0T9 snaEs were removed during
the year The work OF the snag boats
never ends. Next year as many or more
snags will ave to be removed In order
to insure safety in navigation. Major
Hamburg reports that IN the Work or
destroying the causes of which snags
are the effect the snag boat crews had
destroyed within the year 19,64s leaning
trees.
Germany Is fast turning out Its older
generals, thirty-two have been forced
to retire within a year, which beats the
record. The average age of a brigade
commander Is SO years, to 81 In the
French army, where the average age OF
ell ranks is higher than in the German.
No German brigadier is more that b6,
while thirty French brigadiers are over
CT. .German cavalry colonies average
IS years 4 months, only seven being over
81, while the French officers In the same
army average 81 years 5 months, fifty
three colonies being over SO.
Foreign books are admitted free OF
duty in all cases In sixty-nine countries
out of 40 whose laws have been inves-
tigated by NJ. LIE Soudier. In thirteen
others unbound books are free, but there
is a duty on the binding. In twenty
eight countries books pay duty, though
In eight of them exceptions are made
in favor of books intended for teaching.
In most cases the duties are very slight,
hardly interfering with importations.
In China the customs duties on the
books imported by missionaries is a cent
Or two q pound on the weight.
In France, 1t seems, that there Is a
strong superstition that the operas Of
Ambrose Thomas bring some sort Of Ill
luck. The Paris Opera Comique and
the Theater des Arts at Rouen We're
burned on the night of the performance
of .Mignon" In which 1t may be reco-
lected a fire scene actually occurs. The
Grand Opera, Paris, was burned on the
night of a performance OF Hamlet"
Ambrose Thomas himself was we'll
aware of the superstition, and used
l%aughingly to declare hat he was lucky
In other way
William Palmer, an engineer of Mid
dletown, N. Y, while riding on a bicy-
Gle a few days ago along a towpath OF
the Delaware and Hudson canal, at
tempted to pass one of the canal boat
mules. when the animal wheeled sud-
denly and let drive his heels, which
caught the cicyclist. preclpitating him
with his wheel in ten feet OF water.
After a hard struggle by the captain
and crew or the canal boat Mr.. Palmer
was fished out in an exhausted condi-
ton.
The United States consul at Havre,
France. recently sen home some sam
pies of new textile fabrics, which were
exhibited at the state department in
Washington. They We're woven from the
fibers of peat, which. rs they proved.
can be bleached to whiteness and Will
then take any dye. These fabrics are
said to be especially advantageous from.
the fact that they have antiseptlc quail.
ties which will prevent them from har.
boring disease germs.
The gold brick industry is anguish
Ing at present. but in Idaho an old trick
is being revived. Recently at Idaho
Falls a young man presented to a bank
a ball of amalgam, asking them to
Si5 oAo 5ello I tIc llilIl oII ilS dC-
count. AS the stuff looked we'll the
bankers did not hesitate to advance a
small sum of money on 1t. The ball of
"amalgam," however was an iron ball
well covered with gold.
The most expensive and extensive
Wine cellar In the world is owned by the
RouHNnian government. A railway
tunnel $500 feet long, situated between
Galtaz and Barbosh, could not be used
fer railway purposes because OF its in
ferior construction. Its cost was nearly
1000, 060 francs. 1t was leased to a wine
dealer, who has turned it into an I'M
mense and excellent wine cellar.
There is considerable risk incurred in
shoeing vicious horses, both to the
blacksmith and to the horse itself. To
remove this risk altogether an Austria
liam has invented a sort of wooden cage
he's sides and top of which are padded.
The horse is led in, the door is fastened.
and the cage Is then turned completely
upside down, the animal resting on its
back with its feet up.
A 5-year-old boy In Dover. N. H., was
taken to a dentist and had three teeth
extracted. He behaved so nicely that
the dentist gave the boy a dime as he
was leaving the office. That dime
bought the boy some candy, and when
the boy wanted some money for fire
crackers, for the Fourth, with genuine
Yankee instinct. he took himself to the
dentist to ask to have some teeth ex-
tracted.
One Of the most advanced" countries
under the sun is New Zealand, whe
they propose to create an old age pen.
sion fund, allowing s2.5O a week t every
person who reaches 65, by taxing public
a~musements. This idea is still being
seriously agitated in England. although
they have settled there upon no source
of funds.
"Marmaduke" in London Truth asks
If 1t is not time that the custom OF bury
ing murderers In unconsccrated ground
should cease? "When the criminal has
paid h extreme penalty of the law. II
Is ludicrous for the state to pretend tina