smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1879

From New York Herald Dispatch.
The panic on deck after the capsizing of


the first boat became general. Men and


women rushed frantically hither and
thither; others knelt silently in prayer, and


several passengers returned below to their


state-rooms, only to reappear on deck bear
ing large portmanteans, with which they
absent-mindedly paraded the deck. One
gentleman descended the companion way
and returned to the promenade with his silk
hat in his hand, brushing it as he pro-
eeeded with the sleeve of his cotton night
shirt, his only garment. Shrieks and prayers
| were heard associated with tle commands
of the officers and the wrangIing of the
crew. Ominous, indeed, is the fact that all
the crew were saved and more than fifty
passengers lost!


Another boat had, meanwhile, been sue
cessfully got into the sea on the other side
of the steamer, but before any body thought
to see whether the plug was in or not the
boat was half full of water, and when the
passengers were lowered down it came
very near swamping. Many Of the passen-
gers had to be dragged over the steamers
side, 80 terror-strcken were they. The
discipline of the crew greatly improved
after the first ten minutes had passed. Five
boats were now in the water and loading
with their human freight with considerable
regularity. Strange to say some of the
passengers refused point blank to enter the
boats. Every effort was made by the first
and second officers to induce all to leave;
but finding delay useless the five boats
pulled away from the sinking Pommerania,
leaving about twenty passengers and Cap
tain Schwensen on board.


The Captain remained on the bridge as
the boats drew off in the night, and even
the great black hull soon faded ont of sight
in the haze. A few dim rays Of light
emerged from the poets, and away at the
mast head, silently as . tongueless bell |
swinging as the ocean swung, was the great
white light that marked the disabled ships
position. The fires sere out !; the whistle
could no longer be sounded for the want OF |
ssteam. The great steamship could not
move, although the shore was scarce six
miles away. She was helpless. She Wasi
lost
Year: 1879

Burlington Hawkeye.


One thing else about Boston people be-


fore close rhe old people have all tie


good eyes. All the older musicians, schol-


ars, authors, composers, whose names have


made Boston famous in the world of letters


and art, whose fame is as broad as the con-


tinent, appear to have excellent eyes, and


get along on the street and iii the library


without the use of glasses. That is, so far
as | have been able to observe. On the
other hand, the younger class of literateurs
and students are unanimously short-sight-
ed. Young men here wear eyeglasses as
young men in Montana wear reyolvers, and
young men in Chicago carry samples of
cordwood canes. | have seen boys eleven
years old come along the street glaring at
the timid stranger through huge eyeglasses
that beamed in the distance like big lamps.
Once in while, when you are just growing
accustomed to the white glasses, tall,
slender youth will suddenly loom up beside
you and glover down upon you through a
pair of blue eyes, and the effect Is very
startling. Do you know, believe there
are babes born in Boston with spectacles
on? l do not positively know of such
case, but when you see child IS months
old riding along in its cab with pair Of
horn eyeglasses straddling its nose you
can't resist the impression that the baby
was born that way, and would bleed to
death if the spectacles were cut off. But l
have got acquainted with two or three pairs
of these spectacles, and | find they are just
part of the rounded face and the unsatis-
factory photograph. find the most de-
lightfully young fellows behind them, warm
hearted, generous, manly young fellows,
impulsive and earnest under all their we'll
bred reserve. I have found thousand
things to make me think better of Boston
than ever did before, and haven't found
thing that will cast shadow on the pleas
ant impression have formed of it; don't
wonder that Boston people are proud of
their city, and that Boston people who moye
away into distant States believe that if
they are good they will go to Boston Com
mon when they die. And that reminds me
OF another thing. A Bostonian who has
to some other State will talk
more about Boston in FIVE minutes than
resident Bostonese will talk in six weeks.
haven't heard man speak about Boston
since have been here, except in answer to
my questions.


In conclusion, may say that Boston is
considered the Burlington of Massachu-
setts
Year: 1879

MYSTERY OF PERFUME.-No one has
yet been able to analyze or demonstrate the
essential action of perfume. Gas can be
weighed but not perfume. The smallest
known creatures-the very monades of life
can be caught by a microscope lens and
made to deliver up the secrets of their Or
ganization, but what is it that emanates
from the pouch Of the musk deer that fills a
wide space for years with its penetrating
odor-an odor that an illimitable number of
extraneous substances can carry on without
diminishing it's size and weight and what
it is that the warm summer brings to us
from the flowers, no man has yet been able
to determine. So fine, SO subtle, so impon-
derable, it has eluded both our delicate
weights and measures and our strongest
senses. If we come to the essence of each
odor we should have an enormous stride
forward, both in hygiene and chemistry, and
noue would profit more than the medical
profession if it could be as conclusively de-
monstrated that such an odor proceeded
from such and such cause, as we already
know of sulphur, sulphurate, hydrogen,
ammonia and the like.
Year: 1879

The following extract is taken from a
published interview with Mr.. John Hay,
which appears in late issue of the Cleve-
land Leader


His reputation for performing remarka-
BILE literary achievements has often been
remarked upon.


And the remarks are true. He could do
more, I think, in a short space of time than
any other man I ever knew. He would, if
required, write whole page of the 7ri-
buue in a day. His review of DR.. Schlie-
mans first book, written from the advance
sheets, was remarkably full, and gave such
good idea of the work that it was almost
unnecessary to read the work itself. He
had peculiar gift at condensing matter
and still retaining every point which the
author made perhaps his greatest feat in
this line was achieved upon Victor Hugo's
poems. They arrived in New York on q
certain morning, and the next morning he
published nearly q page review of the
work, with several columns of metrical
transiations done 80 finely that all the orig
inal vlgor and spirit was retained. In the
:. Echo Club" papers, which were bup-
lished a few yesrs ago in the atlantic
MoDthly, the best idea of his power as an
author is seen. In these he produced with
remarkable fidelity limitations of the poems
of the leading authors ofthe country, which
were go close to the original that, Without
tho leaat thing to indicate with literature
coa!d not fail to recognize them. These
were not parodles they were limitations |;
written on entirely different subjects but
on such subjects as the different authors
would be likely to choose. Besides the
elemsnt of imitation there was slight
vein Of caricature running through them,
The review of the Inn Album by Robert
Browning was written in the same style as
the Echo Clab to certain extent. Taylor
gave it long review in blank verse in
Browning's own style. 1t was supremely
ridiculous, to be sure, and everybody
laughed. The secret of Brounisg's style
has been discovered.


Upon the reporter remarking upon the
beautiful handwriting in the note, Col. Hay
said: g Yes, he always wrote just like
that. The compositors on the Atlantic
used to say that his was the best writing
they ever had to handle. He usually pre-
pared his copy for the press on narrow
slips Of paper, and it could always be read
with the distinctness of print.
Year: 1879

Last week q widow living near Elmira,
New York, jumped into a well to commit
suicide. She was SO fat, however, that she
got caught between the walls of the we'll
and could not get her head under water.
there she hung, to her chagrin and to the
satisfaction Of her friends, who, seeing she
was in no danger, took their time, and
with great dinaculty finally succeeded il
getting her ont
Year: 1879

GARY's DISCOVERY. - The Boston


Transcript gives this terse statement of
Gary's discovery in magnetism: "The ex-
istence of natural line,' at which there is
self change of polarity in an induced
magnet; that is, that straight piece of
iron placed across the poles of magnet,
and near to their end, changes its polarity
while in the magnetic field, and before it
comes into contact with the magnet, actual
contact being guarded against This self
change of polarity of Gary's is effected by a
motion of lever through a distance of less
than an eighth of an inch: the change of
polarity necessary to keep up the electric
current in the present electric light ma
chimes is effected by entire revolutions; SO
that the economy of Gary's process of gen.
Grating electricity is as the difference be-
tween minute arc and an entire circle"
If we add to this Edison's illumination
without combustion, we have combination
that viii make light cheaper than water.
Year: 1879

To MAKE A HOLE IN GLAss.-An ex-
change describes the following easy meth
cd of making hole in plate glass: Make a
circle of clay or cement rather larger than
the intended hole; pour some kerosene into
the cell thus made, ignite it,place the plate
upon moderately hard support, and with
stick rather smaller than the hole requir-
ed, and hammer, strike rather smart
blow. This will leave rough-edged hole,
which may be smoothed with file. Cold
water is said to answer even better than a
blow
Year: 1879

The popular belief IN the incurability of


consumption, says the New York Times,


now seems to be on the road to complete


overthrow. This change in sentiment has


not been brought about by any new method


IN treatment, nor has there been any per-
ceptible enlargement in the number of
those now living who can claim that they


have had and have recovered from this dis
ease; but the evidence upon which the re-


vision of opinion is based is even more con-
elusive than that which could by any posi-
bility be obtained from any of these two
sources. 1t is simply this, that post NOR
tenn examinations have revealed The fact
that pulmonary phthisis is a complaint of
much greater frequency than has been COM
monty supposed, and that multitudes of
people have had the disease, and have been
practically cure of it, who have never SO
| much as suspected the cause of their ILL
ness. In series of examinations made
some time since at the hospital at Edin-
burg, it was found that the lungs of no less
than one-third of those who died when over
40 years of age were in a condition that
could be accounted for in no other way
than by the supposition that at some period
in their lives consumption had existed, and
had afterward been checked or cured. Por-
tions of the lungs had been destroyed, but
the cavities formed had been healed by con-
traction and adhesion of their walls, or the
dlsintegrated substance had been shut in
by the formation of fibrous tissue. In the
records of post mortem examinations at
Salpetriere Hospital, at Paris, similar ex-
perience is found, except that in this case
the age is advanced to 60 years and over,
and of this class, more than one-half were
shown to have suffered from consumption
at some period of their lives. There may
be nothing new in this to well informed
medical men, but to the on-professional
reader this information can not fail to be
reassuring. The disease is to great ex
tent hereditary, and there are probably
thousands of people in this country who
now and then are visited by the gloomy
thought that they are at any time to fall
victims to the deadly Inheritance. If these
can be made to believe that they have al
ready passed through the ordeal, suppo-
sition which, in the majority Of cases, would
probably be true one, no slight addition
will be made to the sum total of human
happiness.
Year: 1879

Information was yesterday received in Jersey City
of the suicide at Fort Benton. Dakota OF Lieutenant
Samuel Howard Loder. OF that city. Loder for
merly resided with his parents Brinkerhoff
appointment to West Point young Loder, who
in the highest class of the High School. candi
date and won the appointment. He graduated at
West Point in the class of ~, and appointed
second lieutenant of the Ninth infantry On August
20, 1877 he transferred TO the seventh infantry
and during most of the time since then was on duty
at Camp Baker. Dakota. He committed suicide in
his tent but the motive for the act is unknown
The body will be brought on to Jersey City.
Year: 1879

THIEF CAUGHT.


BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD


NEw ROCHELLE. n. Y, July Z, 1879.


An attempt made about three o'clock this
morning by burglars to effect entrance into tho
residence of Mr.. Douglass Taylor ex-Commissioner
of Jurors of New Yorkscity. on Lathers' Hl in New
Rochelle. The noise alarmed female inmate
of the house. who Immediately woke up
Mr.. Banks. one of the male employees. Hastily
dressing himself Banks slipped down stairs
and discovered burglar trying to effect entrance
through the ballroom window in the house. Point
ing revolver at the stranger the quickly
brought to terms and handed to police officer
Edward Kelly: who locked him mp. At an
morning the burglar gave his name as
John Smith. On his person was found a
screwdriver and wrench. large number of pawn
tickets aud other articles indicating his profession
with handkerchief over his iace. in his stock
ing ieet and evidently was prepared Tor his work.
Tho prisoner sent to White Pains Jail this alter
noon to await the action OF the Grand Jury.


HORSE THIEF CAUGHT.


About the same hour the stables of Mr.. Frank
liable horse stolen thereirom. kilograms were sent
in every direction. and the thief captured this
noon at Twenty-cighth street horse market in New
York city. The prisoner will be brought up to New
whose name is Daniel Mealy. is old
resident of this town, and 1t Is thought that ho
has been participator III many OF the numerous
robberies which have been committed here OF late
There have been so many robberes during the past
six weeks in New Rochelle that the citizens nave
been compelled to organize q vigilance committee
for protection, and the capture of these two men
has been cause OF rejoicing throughout the town.
Year: 1879

HE SHOOTS THE WIFE WITH WHOM HE HAS
LIVED OVER FORTY YEARS AND KILLS HIM
SELF.


lBy TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.


PrTrsBURG, Pa, July Z. 1879.
One of the most horrible of murder and sui
eide occurred in Unity township, Westmoreland
county. about thirty miles from here, yesterday
afternoon. On q small farm in a thickly settled
locality Joseph Akins lived with his wife and
son. He WAS seventy-one years old. his wife
seventy three. and his son Thomas was thirty.
The family tolerably well off. The old man
and his wife were born in the north Of Ireland and
came to this country when quite young. Their
reputation among their neighbors was good,
but both noted for their hot tenn
pers. and it was known that they fire.
quenty quarrelled with each other. The title Of
their little farm q disputed point. and it had
caused many . breach or the peace in the Akins
household About year ago. Atkins contemplating
among which was the transfer, by deed. Of tho
homestead to his wife. Subsequent events caused
him to change nls Vs. mnd an d..Id and ne did nos
rs tho owner Of the farm the wife firmly resisted.
and since that time i appears their homo lite has
house-the occupants of the same apartment from
which it is inferred that the woman never i'm
from any act of her husband that her life was in
jeopardy.


HER HUSBAND


Yesterday morning Thomas Atkins went to visit
neighbor. During the afternoon the aged woman
murdered by the man who had been her hus-
band over forty years. There was old army mus
ket in the house. 1t thought that this was
not loaded before and that the crime was deib-
erately executed. The murderer must have gone
to another apartment where the gun was, ard there
loaded it we'll up with bird shot, then returning
pointed it deliberately at his wife and fred, the
tire charge entering her left breast and undoubtedly
causing instant DEATH.


II HAVE SHOT rHE OLD WOMAN"


After the shooting Atkins started toward the resi-
dence of neighbor named Foley He saw one of
the young men OF the family and said to him. 81
have shot the old woman. You will find her down
in the house." Young Foley hurried to the house
and upon the threshold an appalling sight met his
gaze Prone upon the floor lay the insnimate form
Of Mrs. Atkins. and from great gaping wound in her
breast stream OF blood flowed over her shoulder.
and, trickling upon the floor by her neck. formed
pool about her head in which her gray dishevelled
locks were bedrabbled and with which the light
shawl that had fallen from her back was saturated.


THE OLD MANS SUICIDE.


The young man turned away to give the alarm,
and then he second tragedy. Standing about
thirty yards away was old Joseph Atkins, with
the muzzle Of the old musket under his chin.
He had taken off OF his shoes and
his toe was upon the trigger Of the
gun. When Atkins saw Foley turn toward him he
pulled the trigger and blew almost half OF his head
away. The Coroner held inquest late Last night.
and verdict OF murder and suicide were rendered.
Year: 1879

in the factory and eating dinner together when
the shooting was done. They alone and no one
heard them quarrel. Reeves gave himself up to Inc
police but refuses to make any statement.
Year: 1879

APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF cERTIoRARI TO


COMPEL PRODUCTION OF EVIDENCE.


There application made to Judge Potter. at
Supreme Court Chambers. yesterday. by Mr.. William
r. Howe for writ of habeas corpus and certorari in
the of Chsstine Cox. the murderer Of Mrs. Hull
The petition on which the motion for the writ was
made sets forth that the testimony Of the Doctor,
taken at the post-mortem examination has not been
transferred by Coroner Wotman to the District At
torney, and that it Is essential to the defence of the
accused that the result Of the should be
known before the trial. that the prisoner prop
erly prepare his Judge Potter granted the
tiorar and the argument is set down for this
Ing.
Year: 1879

One would say this subject had been worn
threadbare years ago, but so long as its
beauties come to us with such freshness and
sweetness, just so long will there be found
scribblers to write upon it, When ones life
goes ga Maying with youth, hope and
poesyi' if they are of the sentimental sort
they are quite apt to look upon dreamy Oc-
tober as the crowiing month of all the year,
but later in life they are quite as apt to set
May down as the month of months. At
this season nature doesn't take us to her
heart with such kindiness as in Autumn,
when she seems to have grown matronly and
confidential, but on the contrary she now
keeps rs at arms lengths like a shy
maiden with dash of coquetry about her
that is not unpleasing. An industrious
worker she certainly is, and there is great
need of it, for she has world of beauty to
create, and much unsightly rubbish to cover
with garments of richest green, for green is
all the fashion now. There is no hustle nor
evident haste, yet the work goes on rapidly
and Increasingly. A suspicion of verdure is
seen in moist, sunny spots, which widens
and deepens in color, and anon the whole
meadow is vividly green and softer than
velvet. How lovely it is with its cowslip-
bordered brooklet, and its patches of blue aud
white violets Some morning you discover a
faint mist gathering about the woods, and
perchance on the morrow's morn" it has
grown dense and has just tint of greener
then comes the feathery foliage and then
the full leaf, through which the breezes
come and go with a slumbrous murmur
that pleasantly mingles with the roar of an
impetuous little brook near by. "There is
a gracious mystery in the air, the sun and
upon the earth" What a world of delight
the orchard is in May 1t cannot be so fair
in fruitage as in bloom One would 90 in
ecstacies over these delicately tinted buds
and blossoms if they were of hot-house
culture. What mass of exquisite fragrance
is this crabapple tree. The air is heavy
with the perfume of Towering plum trees,
and how airily the petals fall down upon the
green, green grass. A very paradise for
birds, this orchard is. My knowledge of
the feathered tribe is disgracefuly scanty,
but the most unobservant eye cannot fail to
notice The golden robin fitting about like
flame, amid the white blossoms and green
leaves--and no ear, be it ever so unframed,
but can distinguish the difference between
the mcurnful sweetness OF the golden robins
note, and the rollicking song of the "tipsy
boboink." In New England, May is the
season of melody and love-making for the
birds. To be sure they have their jealousies
and tifs, and even fierce little battles, but let
us believe in the end they must speed well
in their wooing, and will soon settle down to
happy nest-building


Honorable mention must be made of our
frogs which peep and mutter and require a
deal Of practice in order to come out in full
chorus the first warm evening then they
will give the most deectable concert under
the sin-or under the stars, forsooth.


Thank God for the frogs |" said friend
in the May of long ago, and in the May
twilight. "Thank God for the frogs" rev.
erently say |.


MAY of 1879
Year: 1879

FEARS are expressed now that President
HAYES may veto an adjournment of Con-
gress Probably not, though he may invite
the gentlemen back again should they for
get anything in the way of duty.
Year: 1879

BAYARD will stick That is to say, he
will stick to his principles and fulfill his
threat to resign the Craftsmanship of the
Finance Committee, unless the WARNER
silver bill is permitted to remain in the
pigeon-hole he has provided for it.
Year: 1879

HOLD fast to all we've got Messrs. Re-
publican Congressman, and we will GER
tainly get more. The Bourbons have prac-
tically abandoned the position they assumed
at the outset of the session, and have be-
come more reasonable in their demands
than was to have been expected Another
turn at the veto wise and they'll yell
enough.
Year: 1879

THE Democratic State Committee of
Massachusetts, met in Boston on Saturday
last, and it was observed that no one had
anything to say in favorof BUTLER, and the
impression conveyed by the speeches and
the informal remarks was that BUTLER had
no hold on the party.
Year: 1879

THE Democrats of the South are now
complaining for the reason that Senator
BLAINE did not enter the army during the
war to crush rebellion. They ought to be
well satisfied that he did not, for had he
been Mt the front and handled the rebels as
lie has since they began to appear in Con-
gress, Mr. SEwARDs prediction of ninety
days would have been verified, and there
wouldn't have been enough debris left OF the
struggle on that side to erect monument
to the hero of starvation at AndersonvilIe.
Year: 1879

JOE BLACKBURN's address Mt Arlington
last Friday was really a mild-spoken, con-
servatiye, and temperate ellort-that is, for
BLACKBURN. He couldn't have said less
and he might have said much more by way
ofextolling the Confederacy. 1t is true he
attempted to draw a distinction between
rebellion and treason, and asserted that the
Southern rebels were not traitors, but he
did it with the oircumspectiOn Of man
who wore a muzzle and who was afraid Of
saying something that would render him
liable to criticism. The most creditable
thing that can be said Of bis effort on that
occasion is that the Extremists among bis
Confederate auditors were one and all dis.