The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1907-07-04


were considered fine ships at that
time, but the advance in naval archl-
lecture has put them out of the race.
They would be able to do active
service for several years at pinch,
but as the times are easy, they are
to be retired. One will be laid up
at the League Island Yard in Phil
adelphia, and the other at Norfolk
The chances are that they will be
used for the naval militia as prac-
tice ships in the harbor, and may be
taken out for cruise once year as
are now the monitors, Puritan and
Amphritrite. They will make ex-
cellent training ships for the naval
reserves, and their use will be III
line with the determination OF the
navy to give the amateur soldiers
some good ships 10 practice on.
Most new men who come into the
upper branches of the government
service bring ideas with them, and
this is the case with Second Assist
ant Postmaster General McCleary
In speaking of the development of
the Postoffice this week, he said
that there were two things of which
the Department stood much in
need, either of which would make
the fortune of any inventor who
them. One was a simple
and inexpensive substitute for string
and the other was system for drop
ping and taking up loaded mail
sacks by moving trains. Mail
pouches weighing 200 pounds are
thrown off the moving trains every
day at stations where there are no
stops for the mail. The bags are
nearly always injured by this treat
ment, and sometimes they 90 under
the wheels of the train and they and
the mail are utterly destroyed
There is d sort of hook arrangement
that is supposed to reach out from
the mail cars and pick up empty
sacks from an arm in front of the
station, but this cannot be used at
high speeds, and even as it is mail
,lerk occasionally gets killed with it
4 train going sixty miles an hour
will smash any pick up device that
nas yet been tried. 1t would seem
hat about the only thing capable of
handling a 200 pound mail bag at
hat speed would be something with
1 buffer to it like the glycerine
piston of a high power gun carriage
Something satisfactory may be in
vented, and when it is, the post of
fee will be only too glad to try it.
The string problem would seem to
be simpler, but really is not The
government uses hundreds of thou
sands of dollars worth of string each
year in tying up letters in the post
offices. 1t is expensive in the az
yregate, for the string is invariably
cut at the end of the journey and
brown away. All sorts of patent
les for bundles of letters have been
invented, but none of them have
oeen as simple and speedy for fas-
,ening and christening as the
sting. A tie that can be quickly
adjusted and unfastened is in great
demand, but the proper thing has
act yet made it's appearance.
Secretary of State Root has been
working on new tariff arrangement
with France similar to the modus
under which this country is
low working with Germany. He is
going to Oyster Bay this week to
submit the plan to the President.
G. Ii. Burhans testifies aft,r four yea
G. B. Burhans, of Carlisle Center, n.
T., writes: About four years ago l
wrote you stating that l had been en-
irely cured of a severe kidney trouble
~ taking less than two bottles of Fo-
ey's Kidney Cure. 1t entirely stopped
he brick dust sediment, and pain and
ymptoms of kidney disease disap- (
'eared. | am glad to say that have
never had return of any of those
ymptoms during the four years that
lave elapsed and l am evidently cured
o stay cured, and heartily recommend
Toley's Kidney Cure to anyone suffer !
ng from kidney or bladder trouble" i
odd by Geo. e. Smith. ,
Nicaragua Preparing for Offensive
Operations
Minister Delgado, of Salvador, re-
eived cablegram last week from
President Figuega, of that country,
aging Nicaragua was fitting out
leet at three gunboats on the Pacific
ide and that an attack was expected
ny time. The message added that ,,