Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-06-20
CHRONICLES,

The preparation OF simple and
cheap artificial stone is becoming an
| important German industry and like
ly eventually to supplant brick-mak-
ing. The ingredients are only lime
| and sand in the proportion of from
four to six parts of the former to be-
tween ninety-siX and ninety-four parts
of the latter. The materials are
thoroughly mixed and shaped into
blocks of the desired size The latter
are then put in a boiler, which is
sealed, and submitted to a steam pres
sure of from 120 to $50 pounds to the
square inch. This operation gives a
fiinty character to the blocks, making
them very hard.
People of superstitious turn of mind
who believe that i'll luck is associated
with the number 13 may perhaps
derive confirmation of their opinions
from study of the history of the
Irish Hunt corps, which formed part
of the Imperial yeomanry. The Hunt
corps was modified in Dublin on
JAN 10, 1900. On March Is it sailed
for south Africa and on arrival at the
cape was attached to the thirteenth
battalion of the Imperial yeomanry.
On the occasion of their first en-
counter with the beers thirteen men
of the corps were killed and the rest
were forced to surrender.
A citizen of Owosso, Mich, put up
a terrible howl to City Assessor Lave
rock, claiming that his property was
assessed at an eXtravagantly high
figure He wound up by declaring
that if Mr. Layerock could sell the
property at the valuation named the
city official named could have a COM
mission of per cent. In less than
two hours Mr. Laverock had sold a
| fine residence and two business blocks
| Then the taxpayer backed water, but
the assessor declares he will have his
commission, which amounts to $500,
even if he has to sue for it.
During the past twenty years:
while the manufacturing interests
have been growing so steadily and in
such gratifying manner the increase
| in railroad mileage in the south has
been keeping pace. In 1880 there were
| 1910 miles of track in the south. In
| 1900 there were 49,627 miles of track.
| In the former year the south produced
about 375 900 tons of pig iron; in the
| latter year the production of pig iron
was more than 10000, 900 tons Twenty
years ago Birmingham was unknown !;
| today it is a great iron and steel cen
| ter.
The historic Burt mansion, in Able
VILE S. c., which has been offered
| for sale was once the scene Of a con-
federate cabinet meeting, which was
called by Jefferson Davis while a
guest of Mr.. Burt. At that meet
ing the career of the confederacy was
! virtually ended, and there the great
seal of the confederate government
was seen for the last time. The seal
was reported to have been cast into q
we'll on the premises, but it has been
searched without avail.
! Owners of Atlantic liners trading to
New York are moving for repeal of the
compulsory pilotage bill. They claim
that with the East river channel Loco
feet wide and forty feet deep they
should not be compelled to engage
pilots. 1t costs $3.50 to bring the
giant Oceanic in and take her to sea
again. The pilots are not worrying
over the matter. They say that g
single accident to one of the big ships
would be so costly as to stop all such
attempts.
A German expert in the east points
out that as time goes on more and
more men are required to coerce China
into doing the will of another power
The opium war required only 1900