Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-12-17
ALLOVER THE WORLD
LATE OCCURRENCES OF GENERAL IN
TEREST BRIEFLY TOLD.

An Invention for Making Hard Coal from
Soft-Doings aud Misdoings of Congress
More Disrranchisement of BIacLs-Note
and Items.
An invention is being tested at Moline,
H., which it is claimed will convert soft
into hard coal, producing in the opera
ton enough gas and coal tar to pay the
expense of the operation. 1t has been
demonstrated that the apparatus will
consume garbage and will convert it into
genuine hard coal. The inventor claims
that from single ton of soft coal he
can produce 1900 pounds of finest
quality hard coal, 300 pounds of tar and
from 5000 to 5000 feet of gas, besides
considerable quantities of ammonia.
At meeting of Republican represent
tatives in congress Saturday night to de-
wise means for securing a change in the
present civil service law, committee
was appointed to prepare plan of ac-
ton. The advisability of attacking the
civil service items in the legislative, eX-
ecutive and judicial appropriation bill,
which will come before the house this
week, was discussed, but the consensus
Of opinion was against that course.
Prof. W. r. Brooks of Smith observa-
tory, Geneva, y. Y, reports the obser-
walton of great group of sun spots
approaching the centre of the SUMS disc
The group is visible to the naked eye
through smoked glass, and may be well
defined with small telescopes. Meas
urements made by Prof. Brooks show
ehis vast solar disturbance to be 100, 900
miles in length.
The Louisiana Democratic state con-
vention. at Baton Rogue, nominated
legates-at-large to the constitutional
convention and adopted resolutions
pedging the party, among other things,
"to such a qualification of the suffrage
chat shall forever hereafter guarantee
chat the government of Louisiana shall
be entrusted to her intelligent white
citizens"
Consul General Lee on Saturday
cabled the state department that the
Spanish authorities at Havana have re-
leased large quantity of tobacco be-
longing to a New York firm which has
been held for a long time under the
order of Gen. Weyler. This leaves but
one lot of tobacco belonging to Ameri-
can merchants now under detention.
Judge Clyde, at Waverly, Iowa, on
saturday sentenced Delilah Fails and
VIII Kern, aged 20 and l. respectively,
to twenty and twelve years in the peni-
Tertiary. Young Kern and the Fails
girl were lovers, to which the father Of
the boy objected. The Fails girl planned
TO murder the father and persuaded the
son to assist her.
\ cable despatch from London to
Rossland, B. c., says that 1.-THE British
American corporation has ilOated e.
900, 600, and has secured the lie Rio,
Josie and eight of the Rossland mines :;
also the Alaska Commercial company,
the town site of Dawson City and
claims on Bonanza, Eldorado, Bear and
other Klondike creeks
The United States house of repre-
sentatives Friday passed the pension
appropriation bill, carrying a total of
Sl41, 2G3 $50. During the debate Mr..
Dingley predicted that the revenues will
equal the expenditures before the close
of this fiscal year, and that there will be
surplus of.Sl0,000,00O next year.
The steamship Moawa, from Australia,
due at San Francisco yesterday, carries,
according to cable advces, $l,375,00 in
gold. This makes the fifth shipment
from the same source in five months,
and brings the total amount of gold
sent to this country from Australia
since August to $l1 ,375, 600.
General Weyler arrived in Madrid
Sunday afternoon. He was cheered by
his partisans as he alighted from the
train, and was carried shoulder high to
the entrance of the railway station,
where he took carriage and was rapid
ly driven off. He was received by the
Queen Regent.
Mr.. Bryan is regarded as a national
guest in Mexico. AT various state capi-
tails the governors have personally
greeted him. and he has been accorded
exceptional facilities for seeing every
thing. Mr.. Bryan's position on the sill
Yer question has much to do with the
sentiments of friendship exhibited
for him.
a call has been issued for a conference
in New York on Dec. u of men inter