Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-04
eLEANlNGs AND GOSSIP.

count of rain. Don't they give ram
checks down there?
California seems to think she dld
something rather nice when she snip
ped $40 carloads of lemons East JUST
before Christmas.
The Denver Republican says that the
Rocky Ford melon crop for 1910 IS al
ready sold Still the New Jersey crop
OF genuine Rocky Fords will help
Some.
Experiments with ball bearings for
car axle journals are being made on
some of the German roads, and are
said to be excellent when trains are
going more than % miles an hour
A New York boy has been found IN
sane because he held up his father
with gun and made him sign check
The asylums would be oVercroWded
should all boys who work a hold-up on
the patcrnal book be held insane.
Thousands of men are now at work
on the railroad extension in Plnar del
Rio, Cuba, and the railroads are beng
rapidly pushed in other provinces. III
will not be but a few years before the
entire island is served by train service
The cotton growers in Louisiana and
Mississippi appear to think that the
recent cold snap has done them much
good. They believe that it has frozen
up many Il young boil weevil and that
there will be far less damage to the
cotton cron next fall FROM this source
than in recent years.
The warden of the ONO penitentlary
is going to allow his prisoners to
III, in
says that he will not tolerate pipes or
cigarets. Only cigars will be permitted
which rather gives the impression
there are some well-to-do cOnVictS in
Ohio
The Montreal newspaper men want
the American press humOrists' asso-
citation to meet in their city next fall.
If they do it is to be hoped that the
Montreal Stars funny column man is
not so hardened that he will not find
it convenient to take his vacation at
that time.
The total of the geologic periods of
the earth is calculated by such an en-
inent authority as Prof. Ward of
Brown university to be about 72.o00 900
wears. Man. however, has existed ac-
cOrding to the best evidence. for about
100000 years, but has only been of a
sufficiently high order of intelligence
and really alive mentally 10 his oppor-
tunitics for about 5000 years. His work
however, has been largely done within
The last 5000 years. and so it is plain
that comparatively he has just begun
MS existence.
ITO most persons the word quick
sand gives Il sensation of horror SINH
lar to that produced by the thought OF
4 snake, and many sensational ac-
counts have given to QuickSand almost
human attributes" says Harper's
Weekly. NO ordinary observer would
be able 10 distinguish dry quicksand
from any other sand. and the average
person would be unable to restore 1t to
its quick properties. even if he tried
If water is mixed with the quicksand
the mass does not become mobile, ana
if the water is drained off the sand will
be found firmly packed" =
A. Henry Peterson of the Seattle Of
flee of the United States shipping COM
misSionerS department, has hanging
on his office wall map Of Alaska
which is something Of a curiosity. Like
most sailors OF the old school. Peterson
is a handy man with the needle, and in
the spare time at his disposal it took
10 months to make the map. II is all
of silk embroidery. and nearly 500
ekeins of silk thread were used in its
manufacture. The different division of
country are done in different colored
silk, and all the names are worked in
The map is complete in detail.
The Bank of England is considered TO
have one of the most nearly impreg-
nable vaults Of any bank in the world.
1t is siXty-siN feet below the level OF
the street. Above il is twenty feet Of
concrete, holding seven feet of water,
and below, the same concrete barrier
and depth of water. In this manner
trnncling becomes impossible. while
with the soldier guard posted every
night. the conservative Briton has rea-
son to believe in the security of his
"Old Lady Of Threadneedlc street.
The Southern Pacific. in the fiscal
year ended June 81. 1909 laid, for re-
newaI purposes, 541 miles Of steel rails,
or Ala per cent. of its total trackage.
The rails laid were chiefly Sevonty-fiVc
and nincty-pound the proportion being
db)it lIlitc " one III l6tNbG bl the StN
enty-fiVe- pound rail. so that between
$1,000 and 10000 tons of rails were used
Comparing the systems mileage of
road With the total mileage of the
country, the annual consumption OF the
country. at similar rate, would be
about SOC. 900 tons Of rails. for renew
al purposcs.--Iron Trade Review
The new st. Louis bridge will be the
first important bridge to he built Who'll
ly Of nickle steel Two plans were bid
upon, one involving 50, 10000 pounds of
ordinary bridge steel the other inVOlV-
ing 21,oo0,00o pounds OF nicklc steel.
The successful bidder named the same
price unon either form of construction.
With the choice of either material at
identical DriGts the board of awards
promptly chose .nickle steel, the nickel
steel bridge being assumed to be
stronger ard more trustworthy than
the ordinary construction. despite the
reduced weight. The contract price
was about S103 a ton of two thousand
ponnds.-Iron Trade Review
Recently it was announced that a
great silk dyeing firm Of Lyons had ac-
duired a large factory in Paterson. n.
j., at a cost of several million dollars.