The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-08-27
OUR. BOSTON LETTER.
A Bostonian's Great Claim to
Land In Nova Scotia.

There Is Billions In 1t First Hawaiian
Flag Appears In the. Harbor-Chalk
For a Cargo-W'here Competition is
Unknown Transportation of Fruit
From southern Ports-Savannah Line
Out Edward Parker Deacon Insane.
Salt Water Mains and other Things
Underground The Dramatic Season.
Bostonians are notably modest, but
there is one mai in our midst who is fan
! from being q modest claimant. His name
is Frederick Gregory Forsyth, man OF
! education and refinement, and from an
old family. His claim to lands in Nova
! Scotia is said to be the most extensive
ever made in America, and if he succeeds
in proving the validity of his contention
he will be the richer by half billion dol
lars, and the whole population of New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia, numbering
almost 100000, will be deprived of the
right to or interest in 10000 square miles
or AZ, 222 900 broad acres, which will re-
vert to Forsyth as the rightful heir. 1t
goes without the saying that the result
of Forsyths claim will be awaited with
deep interest both by his friends and rel
atives in Boston and the whole popula-
ton of these two British provinces. To
the former it means boundless wealth
and and to the latter, in many cases, COM
plete restitution.
Down in the harbor we have had
novelty in the shape of the first schooner
in this port flying the Hawaiian flag, and,
strange to say, bringing in cargo of
chalk. Chalk is not stranger to this
port, even in 1870 ton lots, but it is the
first cargo of that kind a sailing vessel
has brought here for some years. Chalk
all comes from the river Thames, and is
obtained nowhere else in large quanti-
ties, and SO naturally comes to us by
steamers rather than in sailing vessels.
While there is competition in almost
everything in New England, it is a
peculiar fact that but one concern is en-
gagged in the importation and manufac-
ture of chalk. This firm uses between
5000 and 5000 tons annually it being re-
ceived here in its crude form. The pro-
When received at the mill the chalk is
Put into great machines and ground in
water 1t is then floated off into watts of
water where all the impurities and for
eign substances are precipitated The
water is drawn off by a series of filter
ing processes, and the soft residuum
dried both by steam heat and exposure
to the air. The substance is reduced to
powder Of different degrees of fineness
by grinding in burr mills and boiling,
when it is ready to pack into barrels
and bags for shipment.
1t may interest the lovers of ginger ale,
soda water and other light drinks to know
that the gas with which all those prep
arations is charged is now manufactured
by the use of chalk, that substance hav-
ing taken the place of marble dust, that
was formerly used. The ordinary uses
of the product are well known, but the
manufacturer was not long ago sur
prised to learn that one of his customers
who yearly bought from him barrel of
the finest brand of chalk sold it all to
one woman, who ate it to improve her
complexion. Whether she improved it or
not is a question, but she succeeded in
giving here face the wilderness of the
chalk itself. "What fools we mortals be-"
AS the fall season approaches Boston
and indirectly all New England is inter-
ested in the question of transportation
facilities for fruit from the south. This
is a great fruit center and supplies a
large district with southern products and
the supply has always come to us by wa
ter. Shipments by rail have always
proved unsatisfactory in comparison to
water shipments. In the first place the
fruit can be so well taken care of as
il is on the steamers, and in the second,
the dealers say that it is impossible to
make good terms with the railroads.
and as the southern fruit business is
done on a close margin, owing to foreign
and California competition good terms
are absolutely necessary in order to make
a fair profit.
The action of the Savannah line in
Withdrawing it's line of steamers from
this port is therefore a serious blow to
those merchants who have their fruit
shipped from Savannah, and they are
sharpening their wits to provide sub
stitute. The most likely solution is that
the Clyde line will succeed to the bust
ness. The boats of this line do good
carrying trade now between Charleston,
Jacksonville and this city, and it is said
that the fruit that is sent in for shipment
from Savannah can just as well be ship
ped from Charleston, as one transship-
nent must be made in any case and the
haul is only a little longer. The only
thing to be done is for the line to give
better facilities than it has at present,
and this it is said will be accomplished
There is good deal of speculation as
to why the Savannah line abandoned
what was apparently a good-paying
business, and there are few merchants
who allege that it is a part of the gem
eral plan of New York merchants to get
hold of all the Boston trade possible, al
though this theory is not extensively
credited.
Edward Parker Deacon, wealthy Bos-
tonian, whose name is known on two con-
tinents, and whose shooting of the be-
trayer of his wife in France caused such
a sensation, has finally passed from &C.
centricity to insanity, and is now con-
fined in the Mclean hospital at WayerlV