The Portland daily press., 1897-08-10
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.

The employees of the Lehigh Valley
Railroad are responsible for the establish
ment of pension system that has much
to commend it. At their request the di-
rectors have abolished the practice of is
suing passes to persons employed by the
road, and such persons now pay for thei1
TRANSFORMATION at the rate Of half cent a
mile. A portion of the money thus rea-
lized is to be set apart as relief fund
from which employees who have been in
the service of the road for fifteen years
NAV draw pension equal to 80 per cent.
of the salary received at the time of re-
tirement. Train men and workers about
the stations are still carried free, but the
shop men and the remainder OF the great
army of workers are very we'll satisfied
with the new system.
Patti has a weakness for Mexican
spaniels, and wherever she goes she car
ries two or more with her, usually
wrapped up in silk shawls.
| Gen. A. W. Greeley, the noted Arctic
explorer, in an interview, says he does
not think Prof. Andree, the North Pole
balloon voyager will ever be heard from
| again.
| One of Buffalo Bills periodical visits to
Paris has given Rosa Bonheur who Is
now IS years old and has recently done
little work, an opportunity to study the
bison, and the result was large picture
representing herd. browsing on a
| snowy plain.
Anthony Trollope left considerable
fortune when he died in 1882 but it was
! badly invested, and his widows income
| has grown smaller. until it became neces-
sary for her friends to apply to Mr.. Bal
| four for civil list pension, and he has
granted her &l00 year.
J. P Voorhees,, son of the late senator
from Indiana, and for many years con.
nected with the art department of the
Congressional Library, has resigned from
the service of the government in order to
devote his entire time to art. Mr.. Voor-
| hees is now about completing busts In
marble of the late Senator Hearst OF
California, and another of his father.
He has also met encouragement in the
field of literature, his first book having
run into several editions.
Mr.. Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., of Bos-
ton has recently given to the Groton
Public Library an autograph letter OF
Deane Winthrop, a younger son of Cover
nor John Winthrop, and ono of the found
ers of Groton. The name of Deane
Winthrop stands at the head of the earli-
est list of seIectmen appointed by the
General Court in May, 1866; and in com
pliment to him and his family the town
was named after their English home. The
letter, dated December 16, 1862, is sup
posed to have been written at Groton, and
is addressed to his elder brother, John
Winthrop, Jr., afterward governor of the
colony of Connecticut. 1t has been hand.
somely framed in oak, and is now hung
in the trustees room, where it can be
conveniently seen.
Gold has been discovered in northern
China. When all the back counties are
heard from, perhaps they will be enough
for us ALL
Ermete Zacconi, the distinguished
Italian tragedian, has been engaged fol-
two years by Carl and Theodor Rosenfeld Id
who first brought Eleanora Duse to this
country. Signor Zacconi is famous
actor in his own country, and his ap.
pearance last winter in Austria carried
his reputation beyond the frontiers Of
Italy. He was engaged by George
Eduardes for series Of performances in
London last spring. but he was unable to
keep the contract. He is under contract
to the Rosenfelds to give three hundred
and twenty performances, and he is to re-
ceive 500, 900 for them, as we'll as a pro.
portion of the profits beyond certain
sum. Virginia Ritter, who is an Italian
actress of considerable fame in Italy and
South America, has acted great deal
with Signor Zacconi and will probably
visit this country with him.
| In Munich, Frankfort, and some Other
German cities it is still customary. when
Wagner's later music-dramas are given tc
begin the performances at to 80 end
ing them in time for late supper.
| Richard Mansfield is at Blue Hill, Me-,
writing his autobiography.
| Andrew Carnegie is said to be in 6
treaty with the Duke of Sutherland fo1
the purchase of $40, 900 acres of the dukes
vast estate in Sutherlandshire, in the ex
treme north of Scotland. The duke is prac
tically the owner of the whole of Suther
| land, two-thirds of which consists of deel
forests, but the dukes policy has been tx
| break these up and reclaim them for ten
ants. Walter Winan's unpopularity in
buying great tracts in Scotland and pre-
| serving them for game, removing every
| thing in the shape of human life is moi
going to be emulated by Carnegie, whose
idea is said to be to transform the lane
| into model estates The duke would
scarcely take less than e250,000 for this
| strip of the estate.
Boston has peculiar interest in the
old frigate Constitution, and bases its
claim to permanent possession of "Old
Ironsides' on the facts that she was bull
in Massachusetts, waters, was launched
from Constitutional wharf in Boston
and was commanded and manned by
Massachusetts, men.
| Rev. A. C. Peck of Denver was Offered
$500 by rich man if he would have his
mustache shaved off, the money to b
given to foreign missions. DR.. Peck ac