The Abbeville press and banner. [volume], February 23, 1887, Image 3

About The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924

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AN APPALLING DISASTER,
The Vermont Railroad HorrorMany
Persons Killed.
The place known as Woodstock Bridge, i
where the Vermont Central Railroad crosses i
the White Eiver in Vermont, was the scene
fcr'aturday morning of a disaster in which i
about thirty-five persons lost their lives and j
fully thirty other persons were injured j
more or less severely. A rail, broken, it is i
thought, by the intense cold, caused two
passenger coaches and two sleeping cars |
of the Montreal express train to leave j
the rails at the approach to the bridge. !
The coupling with the farward part of the j
train broke. The last.four cars fell upon the j
ice which covered the river at the bottom of j
a rocky gorge sixty feet in depth. The
bridge, which was of wood, gave way and I
its timbers were burned by the i
flames which destroyed the cars. Both j
the passenger coaches were crowded I
and there were twenty-two persons j
in one of the sleeping cars and nine in the j
other. It is estimated that the number of j
lives endangered in the accident was at least j
eighty. Of these not more than ten escaped i
unhurt Many of the passengers were on
the way to Montreal to enjoy the carnival. |
Nearly all those who lost tbeir lives were :
burned to death. By Saturday night
thirty-five bodies in all had been taken |
out of the wreck. Only eight of this num- j
ber were in any manner recognizable. De- :
tails of the calamity are as foilows:
The ill-fated train consisted of two sections.
one from Boston comprising the Pull- '
man sleeper Puritan, an ordinary passenger j
coach, a mai' and a baggage car, and the |
other section from Springfield, Mass., j
including the Pullman sleeper St 1
AiDaus ana s common pusseugm va;.
Both parts were united at White River aud
started for Montreal via the Central Ver- !
mont or Grand Trunk line. The train was
nearly an hour late.
West Hartford, the scene of the awful I
calamity. i3 a small hamlet on the White j
River. The population consists of farmers,
whose homes are quite widely scattered. At j
this point the Central Vermont Railroad
crosses the river obliquely. The bridge, a
wooden one, 650 feet in length, is the longest
of its character in the country. It spans the
river at the height of sixty feet The river
was frozen solidly, ice to the thickness of
several inches having formed on it. The
cold was intense, the thermometer registering
about twelve degrees below zero.
At the time the accident happened, the
train was running about forty miles an hour. |
The locomotive had nearly passed the bridge
when the attention of the engineer was suddenly
attracted by something unusual, and
in looking back, the night being a fine moonlight
one,he saw the last four cars go over the
end of the bridge and land on the frozen
river in the gorge below. The baggage and
mail cars crossed the bridge in safety. As
soon as possible the train was stopped, and |
IQB ruiruou euipiuyeo uuu a m ? [??
sengers in the smoking compartment of
the mail car went to the relief of those
in the wreck. The descent of the steep embankment
was speedily made, and when they
arrived where they expected to find the detached
portion of the train they discovered
the four cars bottom up on the ice. Flames
immediately burst forth.
The shrieks of the wounded and dying
were agonizing in the extreme and intermingled
with their cries of pain were the
calls for assistance of those who were alive,
but unable to extri ate themselves. Then
came the fire to add to the horrors of the
situation. Many were probably killed by the
terrible fall, but a large number who
were only slightly injured were so confined
in the wreck that they could not be rescued
and were burned a'live. As the flames
spread the confusion increased and the
shrieks of the victims who saw torturing death
by fire approaching were as agonizing as
any that ever fell upon human ear. Thj
rescuing party had nothing but their hands
to work with, and although they worked
with almost superhuman efforts, and rescued
many, the number that perished in the
flames was very large.
Nothing could be done to stay the flames.
Help had been sent for to White River Junction
and to West Hartford, about five miles
distent. Seren physicians soon arrived, and
cared for the injured people in the vicinity,
lending all aid possible. Telegrams
were also sent to St. Albans, Burlington
and Rutland for assistance. A wrecking
party was sent from St Albans, and relief
parties, with a large number of physicians,
were sent from other points. On their arrival
the work of dressing the wounds of the
injured was hastened as rapidly as possible.
SECRETARY M ANNING,
m? ivcsi^iiai iiiii aim irrusurcr Jordan's
in the President's Hands.
A Washington dispatch states that Treasurer
Jordan has admitted that Secretary
Manning is t? be the President and that he
(Jordan) is to be the Vice - President
of tbe new Western National Bank
of the city of New York. The resigna"
tion of both officials are in the hands of tbe
President, and will be accepted in due
time. It is expected that Mr. Manning
will be relieved soon after the adjourn*
ment of Congress. It is even said
by some that his successor will be
nominated before tbe adjournment Department
officials say that everything now points
to the promotion of Assistant Secretary Fairchild
to the head of tbe department Treasurer
Jordan will not h ave the department before
April 1, as there are certain matter* he
desires to dispose of during tbe intervening
time.anditwill be necessary for him to initiate
bis successor into the duties of the office. Mr.
Jordan says tbat applications have already
been made for over $4,000,000 of stock in the
new bank, and that many people will have
to be disappointed, as the capital is limited
to $3,000,009. The new bank will begin business
abcut May 1st.
PROMINENT PEOPLE,
Colonel John S. Mosby has been in Boston
bringing out his book of reminiscences of
the war.
Mrs. Hettt Greene, of New York, who
can put up t .->,000,000 in cash at any time,
pay sonly }5 a week for her board.
Charles Francis Adams left an estate
valued at$l,02t>,000, besides making generous
provision for each of his children while he
aved.
General F. E. Spinner, ex-United States
Treasurer, who now lives altogether at Jacksonville,
Fla., has just celebrated his eightyfifth
birthday.
People who have visited Pasteur in Paris
say that he treats from six to ten Americans
every day. aud that maay of these have been
bitten by their pet dogs.
Senator James T. Fair, of Nevada, is a
tall, thickset man with ruddy faca and irongray
hair and beard. He has a passion for
walking in crowded thoroughfares and gaz- j
ing into shop windows.
8enator Jonas, of Nevada, is a stout
man with a long pray chin whisker, which
ho constantly combs with his lingers. He always
wears the conventional broad-brimmed
Western sombrero, well slouched.
The wife of Senator-elect Davia, of Minnesota,
is described as a brilliant conversationalist
and not less brilliant musician; a
dashing equestrienne and fearless driver; tall,
graceful, and exquisitely beautiful.
Baron de Joest, of Paris, noted all his
life for his cruel treatment of all men and
animals he came in contact with, has left his
whole estate, of $500,<KK) to the Society for
the Prevention of Cruely to Animals.
Major Bentee.v, who belonged to Reno's
command at the time of the Custer massacre,
ana wno Das a uriuiani id;oiu as a uariug
cavalry officer, is to bo investigated for
drunkenness whileon duty at Fort Duchesne, '
Utah.
Thk Philadelphia News has been having a '
competition in anagrams upon the natne> of j
Grover Cle velau I and James Gillespie Blaine. !
Those to which the prj'e is awarded are
''Govern, clever, lad," and "Jim's pen, I i
allege, is able."
Thk daughter of General Logan married a i
Mr, Tucker, while the daughter of Representative
Randolph Tucker married a Mr.
Logan. Each couple have a son. The name
of one is Tucker Logan and the other is ,
Logan Tucker.
Hv Stoto ftppflcinna Yfln TTnrni t.Via
Chinese Minister at Washington, wears a
robe of light bluo damask silk over a petticoat
of white brocade and a black cap surmounted
by a purple button with a big diamond
in it and a peacock's feather,
The Emperor of China is the shortest
monarch in the world, being only five feet
tall; the Emperor William of Germany is the
tallest, beiug just six feet; Prince Albert of
Germany, nephew of the Emperor, is six !
feet six inches tall; the Emperor of Russia is !
nearly six feet
A FATAL FEUD.
Terrible Result of a Law Salt
in Texas,
Four Men Killed and a Boy Badly
Wounded.
Four male member of a family named
White, living four miles north of De Kalb,
Texas, had a deadly battle the other day with
Colonel John E. Rosser, his son Willie, aged
fifteen years, and a hired man named Mullens.
The affray resulted in the killing of
three of the Whites and Colonel Rosser
and the wounding of the boy. The news
was brought to De Kalb by a man on horseback,
and a coroner's jury at once went to
the scone in company w.th the officers and
Justice Proctor. A ride of an hour over a
rough road brought the party to the
battle ground. The home of the White
family, a log house, consists of
one room about twenty feet square,
and is situated in the center of about
fifteen acres of cleared land. On the ground
in front of the house was found the body of
J. C. W hite, with a bullet hole through his
breast and one through his side. In
the center of the room, in a great pool
of blood, Jay Walter White, dead, and
shot twice through the neck and breast.
Upon a bed, in a half-sitting posture, was
Lawson White, dead, with a gun cocked and
clutched in his hand. A bullet through his
head told how he met his death. In one corner
of the room was found Hosier's son. shot
through the side, with a Winchester beside
him. Blood was everywhere and over everything.
The weapons that had wrought so
mucn destruction were scattered promiscuously
about
But the scene of death did not end here. A
mile further on and the home of Rosser was
reached. In the center of a room was the
H?a l bodv of Rosser, surrounded by his weep
ing wife and children. He had received a
death wound through the neck at the hands
of old man White, but being a man of great
vitality, after having, as he supposed, killed
all the Whites, he mouuted his horse and
rode home, dying as ha entered his own
door.
A year ago the Whites bought a piece of
land of the Kossers, and as they failed to pay
for it, Rosser brought suit to recover possession.
A writ of dispossession had been
issued last week against White, but had
not been served. This angered Rosser,
and in company with his son
and his hired man, all armed, he went
to the Whites' house to eject the family. The
Rosser party made known the object of
their visit. A few words we-e passed and
the firing tegan. Old mau White staggered
from the house and fell dead in the yard, the
elder Rosser emptying his revolver at him.
The boy was inside. He says the elder White
shot him and his father, and he
shot old man White once and then turned
the Winchester on the White boys to keep
them from shooting his father. About fifteen
shots were fired. The hired man Mullens
has not been found and it was not
known what part he took in the tragedy.
A DAEING_RESCUE.
Two Defectives Shot In a Train?
Their Prisoner Taken Away.
A most daring and successful attempt to
rescue a prisoner occurred the other morning
on tho Pittsburg (Penn.) express, which
left at 11:25 o'clock p. m. for Cleveland
Captain Hoehn and Detective Hulligan. of
Cleveland, having received a requisition, de
termined to return with their prisoner,
Harry McMunn, who was accused of having
been concerned in a recent extensive
fur robbery in that city. Securely
handcuffed,the prisoner was placed on board
the train at the outer depot in Allegheny.
He took his arrest very coolly and seemed
anxious to cause the detectives as little
trouble as possible. The express sped on. and
at 2 o'clock a. m. Alliance, Ohio, was reached.
At that point five nien boarded the train
and passed through several of the cars. Finally
they saw the officers and their prisoner
sitting in the smoking car. No sign of recognition
passed between McMunn and the
men, and they sat down a few seats from the
prisoner, and in a few minutes the express
continued on its way.
When Ravenna was reached the five men
arose suddenly from their seats, and without
warning drew their revolvers on the officers.
There were but two other passengers
*?? ?nH t.h? rnnfpd?ratas of McMunn
Ill tUO utl, VUV ?
were complete masters of the situation.
Their quick action gave them the drop on
the officers. One of the men demanded
their prisoner, but instead of complying
with their request the officers jumped to
their feet and tried to draw their revolvers.
They were too late. The five meu opened fire
on them. Captain Hcehn reeled ana tottered
over into the aisle with bullets in his shoulder
and thigh. As he fell one of the Eang jumped
on him and kicked him until he lay still a;
death.
When the firing first commenced Detective
Hulligan received several bullets in his body.
He still attempted to defend himself and another
volley was fired at him, untilseven bullets
had pierced his body. He tottered and fell
insensible in his seat He was then kicked
until his head was split open. The few
passengers that were in the smoking car became
terrorized and hid under the seats. The
alarm spread to the other cars, and tho trainmen
and other passengers hurried forward.
A frightful scene m?t their gaze, btretched .
out but a few feet apart were the
bodies of Detective Hulligan and Captain
Hoehn. The floor was covered with blood,
and the seats in the car near where the shooting
had occurred were pierced and shattered
by the bullets that had sped from five revolvers.
Tha prisoner and his rescuers had
disappeared in the excitement, they having
All f.rflPA ftf thflm
J UliipCU UVLU VUO WM4M. v.wvw ??was
lost in thedarknes3. Large rewards for
their capture were offered. The wounded
detectives were taken to Cleveland, where
Hulligan died of his injuries.
THE ANIMAL WORLD.
A coal-black deer ha3 been seen near
Chico, Cal.
A wild hog caught near Yaquina, Oregon,
has tusks nine inches long.
Seve.vty-five wildcats have been killed
this winter in Sonoma County, Cal.
One Australian farmer has shot, trapped,
and poisoned IS,000 rabbits in the last year.
a Louisiana panther trotted aLng beside
two little children who got lost in the woods
for a cousiderable time, purring like a cat,
and never offering to harm them.
A large mountain sheep was recently
killed in the Bear Paw mountains of Mon4
..<> ,nklAU oivf/x .n
uauo, luo uui us ui nuivu xucooui cu oiaioui
and one-eighth inches at the base, and in
length were thirty-five inches from base to
tip.
Rats in the tenement of Frank Derby in
Waltham, lifted a sjuash from tne top of a
keg of butter, and, by the efforts of four of
them, carried it to a corner. They then returned.
removed the cover from the keg, and
feasted on the butter.
A flock of blackbird*, said to have b?e?
three miles in length and nearly a huurired
yar?ls wide, lately passed over Edentou Bay,
North Caroliua. They obscured the heavens
like a dark c loud and the noise of their flight
was like the rush of a mighty wind.
Twelve-yeah-old James Masley, of
North Hastings, Canada, while out in the
woods with an ax and dog, came upon a big
buck. The do^ started in pursuit, the deer
slipped ou the ice, his antlers became entangled
in some brush, and Jimmy, rushing
up, killed the deer with oue blow of the ax.
He is the proudest boy in Canada.
Some time auo 100 farmers of Knox
county. Ohio, began a big rat hunt. They
divided into two bands of fifty each, with
Captains, agreeing that the side producing
the most rat-tails at the end of six weeks
should tat a good dinner at the expense
of the other side. The result was that Captain
Leroy Blue's t arty produced 5,557 rattails
and 1,707 mice, and Captain William
Gordon's followers came in with 2,SS?> rattails
and 7S2 mice, making a grand total of
3,743 rats and 2,4S;I mice slaughtore 1.
A farmer within a few miles of Hartford
has been feeding a bevy of fifteen quail all
winter. They are all evidently of ono brood,
have become somewhat tame, aud come
within a rod or so of the house to get their
breakfast. They show a preference for buckwheat
over other grain. It is known to be
very warming food, but if too abundantly
fed is likely to be fatal. A resident of West
Hartford who found a bevy of nearly starved
quuil in his yard during a time of hard
frozen < rust on the snow in March, gave the
birds too much buckwheat; the grain swelled
up in their crops and killed them all.
THE HOME DOCTOR.
Biliousness.
Biliousness is is a condition of the system
in which there is too little bile pro
duced, instead of too much. The waste
elements, which ought to be removed
from the blood by the liver in the form
of bile, are left in the body, and accumulate
in the tissues. It is this that
gives the dingy color to the white of the
eye, the dirty hue to the skin, and the
coppery tuste to the mouth, and which
produces the giddiness, the floating
specks before the eves, and the general
feeding of languor and discomfort which |
characterizes the condition commonly
1 known as biliousness. This dingy hut
! of the skin is actually due to the accu
mulation of waste matter, or organic
dirt. The skin is dirty, perhaps not
upon the surface, but all through its
structure. Not only the skiu, but the
muscles are dirty. The bram and
nerves are dirty. The whole body
is clogged with dead and poisonous
particles which ought to have
been promptly carried out of it, but
have been retained on account of tho insufficient
action of the liver.
The causes of billiousnesj are various.
One of the most frequent is overeating.
If you press your fingers close up under
the ribs on the right side of the body
you can feel the lower border of the liver
about an inch above the lower edge of
the last rib. If you do the same after
eating a hearty meal, you will lind the
lower border of thev liver half an incn
lower down. This is due to the fact
that the liver becomes enlarged through
the absorption of digested food after a
meal has been taken. If you eat a very
large meal, say twice as much as you
usually eat, and then feel for the lower
border, you will find it reaching down
to a level with the lowest rib, showing
that the liver is very greatly enlarged,
much more than it should be.
If you go on eating too much
in this way, day after day and week
after week, after a while tho vessels
of the liver will be so relaxed by frequent
distensions that the organ will
grow permanently enlarged and congested.
"When in this condition the liver
cannot make the bile readily, and so
does not do the proper amount of work,
? ' _t_ ! -1- 1JL Li
ana ine waste elements woicu it uugui
to remove from the body are left to accumulate
in the tissues, and all the symptoms
of biliousness follow.
Biliousness Is sometimes the result of
enting too freely of fats. Animal fata
being particularly difficult to digest, and
likely to be taken in too large quantities
in the shape of butter, lard, suet, and
fat meats, are apt to produce this condi*
tion.
Some years ago a French physiologist
fed two various animals liberal supplies
of fat, and then observed the quantity
of bile produced. He found
that the amount of bile was lessened !
just in proportion to the amount of fat;
added to the food. In order to ascertain .
tne reason iortms result, ne Kiuea some
animals, after having fed them freely
with fat, and examined their livers with
a microscope. By this means ho discovered
that the little cells which chiefly
compose the liver, and which form the
bile, were crowded with drops of fat,
and were thus so burdened and hampered
in their work that they were
obl <jed to work very slowly, and hence
produced only a small quantity of bile.
Similar experiments show that the excessive
use of flesh food also renders the
liver torpid, and produces billiousness.
Flesh food genernlly consists of albumen,
a nitrogenous substance, which can b? j
used in the body only in a very limited j
amount. The average penon can use
only three ounces of this kind of material
each twenty-four hours.
But if a person eats several times this
amount in the form of beefsteak, mutton
chops, or any other flesh food, the superfluous
amount must all be removed in
the form of waste matter. That is, il
the person eats meat sutlicient to supplj '
four ounces of nitrogenous matter, the ,
extra ounce must be carried oil by the
kidneys in the form of urea, or uric acid,
and this must be acted upon by the livet
to prepare it for removal by the kidneys.
If the liver has more of this work to do
than it should have,the work will be imperfectly
done, and much waste matter
which ought to be removed will be left
in the system, producing biliousness,
I rheumatism, muscular pains, sick head*
. aches, and many other uncomfortable
symptoms.?Good lletlth.
A Youthful Gambler.
Two years ago a bright-faced lad ol
thirteen was hired by a stock broker,
I ... .t- t i. <nn fj,->? I
Wltll omces aotjufc IVUjamsninu Hio U4changi?,
to chalk on the blackboard now
used in many offices the price of stocks
as they appeared on the tape. The lad
then wore ill-fitting clothes, but his ingenious
ways attracted the atteution ol
1 the broker's customers and he soon became
a favorite. Yesterday the lad, now
fifteen, wearing an expensive suit and
neat but costly jewelry, told how he had
lost $250 at poker a few nights ago, and
won that amount and more at the nexl
sitting. He incidentally remarked that
the stock market was against him $1,500,
but that he was $2,100 ahead on cotton.
He stiil chalks the ticker prices on the
blackboard, and in all probability some
future Hun reporter will speak of his success
in Wall street as a broker or record
his utter destruction, for the lad is ol ;
the sort to come out a Dig winner or gci
battered to flinders.?Neu> York Sun.
The Sunday Fisherman.
This man above, on fishing bent,
One Sabbath morning left hU teat.
The Tent, ^
He took his can. and very quick
lie ilue his fish worms with a pick.
The Pick, H- The Worms, Cfl ?o
In cane some fish of size he'd get,
lie took along his landing net.
The Landing Net, '-O
As fishermen get hungry, too.
Of pretzels he procured a few.
The Pretzels, qp g>
Some lines he took along on spools
To leach them to the finny schools.
The Spools, H H W
Ho had some entertaining books
Of highly-tempered Limerick hooks.
The Hook,, J J J
And thus prepared, he got his boat,
And out upou the stream did float.
The Lout, C3
Some bites lie straisht begin to got,
It was the gullinippers bit.
The Gullinippcrs,
One of his lines spun off the reel.
lie lauded in tlie boat an ceL
The Eel, CO
Then quickly it began to rain,
But his umbrella was in vain.
The Umbrella, "J"
Above his head the thunder crashed,
And all around the lightning flashed.
The Lightning, ^
The storm blew, and the boat npset,
That man went down into the wet.
The Upturned Boat, ca
And as he sank the bubbles rose,
Smaller and smaller toward the close.
! The Bubbles, Oot0'
| -Tid BiU. I
AGRICULTURAL.
TOPICS OF INTEREST RELATIVE
TO FARM AND GARDEN.
Sugar For Animals.
It seems there is much more nutriment
in sugar than has generally been suspected.
Iiccent experiments with animals
have shown that sugar can be converted
into beef and fat. Sugar was eo
cheap in Europe that it has been fed out
to cattle quite freely. In one series of
experiments it was proved that fifty
kilos of sugar increased a single animal s
weight nearly sixteen kilos more than if
the animal had no sugar. This gives a
very handsome profit, and the meat from
these animals was fcund to be of a very
superior quality. Five or six pounds of
sugar a day was all that an ox wouid
take with zest. Unlike children, thj
young cattle had but little desire for
sweets. Heretofore it has been supposed
that sugar was meruly heat-producinj;;,
but it seems, under the subtle chemistry
of nature, to be convertible into good
flesh and blood. It in, however, no more
wonderful than that the honey which ti e
bees extract from flowers can be converted
into wax.?2f.no York World.
uses oi jriaster.
There seems to be m opinion prevalent
with many that as plaster or sulphate >5f
lime does not enter largely into the composition
of plants it can be of but little
use as a fertilizer. They do not considsr
that there are substances which, while
they do not contribute directly to the
growth of plants, have chemical or mechanical
pioperties that play a very important
part in vegetation. Plaster has
both of these properties. As a d si.iifectant
or deodorize:: it is one of the befit,
as well aa cheapest, substances ai; our
command. Any onu who has kept atock
of any kind stabled during the warm
summer months knows what a hard task
it is to keep their f.partments clean and
odorless. .Now, if ;hey will keep a, barrel
of fresh-grounc. plaster in a convenient
corner, and every day, on sweeping
the floor clean,sprinkle it freely with
the plaster, it will absorb all disagreeable,
noxious odor3, rendering the air
sweet and pure, while the value of the
manure will be greatly enhanced by the
retention of the :unmonia. Poultryhouses
should also be swept clean at least
twice a week in summer and once a week
in winter, and the Jloors sprinkled with
plaster; it will add greatly to the value
of manure, and the fiatisfaction of having
clean, sweet, odorleua coops and healthy
flocks will abundantly pay expenses. Try
it and be convinced.?American Agriculturist.
Light and Heavy Hay.
In the various rules for estimation
the amount of hay in bulk, says the Cultivator,
not enough difference is allowed
for the variation iu weight depending on
the condition when cured, the exposure
to rain and other caises. The same sorts
will have much lcsi weight in proportion
to bulk after being dried out by a
cold winter. Hay that has been bleached
by long exposure to rains will always be
light in weight, anc. be proportionately
less valuable than even its weight would
indicate. The soluble juices which give
hay its greatest valie have been washed
out by rains, leaving an undue proportion
of woody fiber. There is, besideu,
a considerable variation in the original
constituents of gras s and hay, depending
on the character of the soil on whit h
it is grown. Farraers on wet, mucky
and overflowing l?nd complain that
their large crops of hay do not pan out
well when brough; to the weighing
scales. Timothy grown on such soil has
course, hollow stem3, with smaller proportion
of leaves. Such soils are often
deficient in mineral fertilizers, and a
dressing of phosphate when the liind is
seeded makes the crop better and the
hay richer and heav ier. Still this coarse
hay is salable and does not exhaust_the
soil as does hay grown on upland. This
may be one reason why the bulk of hay
Bold is grown on lew, mucky and overflowed
lands.
Unnatural Cravings.
Professor Arnold says in the New York
Tribune : The habit of gnawing old
bones, bits of wood, and various other
non-eatable things, is of frequent occurrence
in herds of cattle, but much oftcner
in milch cows, and oftener in old dairy
districts than elsewhere. Also, hogs and
and horses sometimes delight in eating
dirt, and children exhibit a craving for
chalk or charcoal, which, it is supposed,
they cannot digest. The cause oi' such
unnatural hankerings is doubtless a disturbed
condition of health, but just what
specific thing occasions the disturbance
is not, so far as I am aware, positively
known. The fact that it is most common
with milch cows in old dairy districts
gives rise to a suspicion that ex
iiaustion irom me son, ana consequently
to some extent from the food, of certain
mineral matters whi.h enter into the
composition of milk, notably phosphates
and pot ash, may be the principal cause.
With this view some dairymen are in
the habit of feeding their cows at short,
intervals with bone meal and wood ashes
as a remedy when they show a tendency
to unnatural ciavings, and, it is claimed,
with good effect; but my cows would
never partake of such diet. If there be
any truth in this idea it would be better
to supply the soil with the efficient elements,since
it would improve the growth
of crops, while it would cure the disease
by removing the cause. Bone meal And
potash have a very happy effect in sweetening
forage crops as well as increasing
their growth, and it has often been
noticed that where land is rich and forage
crops luxuriant the bone-chewing
habit seldom prevails. Of all the cows
I have bad under my care cases of unnatural
craving have been infrequent,
and the few that occurred were best relieved
by a liberal use of wheat bran.
Farm ana liaruen iNoten.
Irregular feeding milch cows is sheer
loss of time and material.*
Good, sweet wheat is the best grain
for chickens, aud fis cheap as aDy.
Horses stray the way the wind blows,
but sheep travel in a contrary direction.
Forking over the manure heap to make
the materials fine and rot them well is
recommended.
Cut hay and strr.w together, add bran
and shorts, and moisten with a little salt
water to eke out yaur hay.
Soaking the bottom rail anJ post bottoms
in crude petiolcuin will greatly increase
their lasting qualities.
Some one says that hens will find any
amount of hay seed and dust bv scratching
over the bottoms of mows.
The old notion that feeding a :f?jw
chopped apples to cows will scotch the
flow of milk is an erroneous one.
Breeding stock need muscle rather
than fat, as the lt.tter means a loss of
energy, if not health and vigor.
Every animal craves salt, and must
have a certain amount introduced into
its system to enable it to thrive.
The National Stockman says ensilage
is better than the same stalk dried, just
as a ripe juicy apple is better than a
dried one.
Butter, says Professor Arnold, takes
nothing from the soil which affects fertilization
in the way that wheat and
other crops do.
In Saxony, ponds slud the fields in
every direction, and teem with carp,
tench and other lish which thrive in
sluggish waters.
Fowls allowed to run about are the
scavengers of the farm, making use of
many thingt which would else go to
waste or be of no account.
A foocnnnrifnl nf ontvifa r\f fnrnonfinA
in a pint and a half of cornmeal is considered
one of the best remedies for
gapes when fed to young chicks.
According to experiments made at the
Pennsylvania State College, soiling rye
yields twenty tons per acre of green
crop, and pasture grass seven and a half
tons.
The best soils for wool are also the
best for mutton, and it is necessary that
the land be dry, for damp soils are fruitful
causes of such diseases as liver rot,
fluke and foot rot.
The asparagus bed must be attended
to early. Fork in a plentiful supply of
fine, well-rotted manure, so as to allow
the rains to carry down the soluble portions
to the roots of the plants.
A correspondent of the English Farmers'
Gazette asserts that five pounds of
common white beans ground fine and fed
in half pound doses of bran twice daily
will cure the worst case of bloody milk.
It is recommended that to prevent
cows or steers from jumping over fences
a horseshoe be nailed to one of the forefeet,
which prevents the hoof from
spreading, and consequenty renders the
animal unable to spring.
Darwin, by experiment, proved that
bees and other insects were useful in
carrying pollen from plant to plant, and
thus fertilizing flowers. One hundred
heads of red clover, from which insects
wero excluded, ripened seedless.
All fowls that feather slowly are usually
hardy. For instance, the Brahmas.
It is owing to the fact that the drain on
the system occasioned by quick feathering
does not weaken them. Slow feathering
while growing is indicative oi
hardiness.
To train a flock of sheep take a lamb
to the house and teach it to come at the
call of a certain sound, and then put it
with the flock. As sheep follow the
leader, the whole flock may be called by
the obedience shown on the part of the
petted sheep.
An excellent mixture of hay for all
classes of stock is one-third clover hay
with timothy and red-top, which is much
better than either one alone, as the mixture
is more complete in food elements.
It should be fed with an allowance of
ground grain also.
The Montreal Vitncss says: "The
average yield of butter in fair to good
dairies, of fifty cows or over, is l.o to
200 pounds a cow; in very good dairies,
250; and a dairy which yields three hundred
pounds a year per cow is rare in our
best butter sections.
The use of chloride of potassium is
recommended in Germany as a means of
increasing the growth of wool on sheep,
as German chemists have found it beneficial
for that purpose. It is administered
in the proportion of one part chlo
ride to one part salt.
Save all the wood ashes carefully, and,
after the orchards are plowed, scatter
the a-hes over the plowed ground liberally,
and harrow the ground well. This
incorporates the ashes with the soil, and
assists in inducing chemical changes and
the formation of plant food. There is a
large portion of lime in wood ashes as
well as potash.
A "Western farmer advises stringing
seed corn by tying the ears together with
husks in some p ace where the grain can
be saturated with coal smoke. The
odor, he says, repels squirrels and worms
fjom eating the seed. The seed comes
up quicker, the plants prow more vigorously,
and ripen several days earlier than
from seed not so treated.
Too long feeding is a common mistake
in fattening fowls for market. It takes
oil the profits when a shorter time will
answer. If kept in a dark place and
stuffed with all they can eat they will
fatt n in twelve days.or two weeks, and
if this be continued much longer they
will begin to get poor again. Those to
be hept over should not be subjected to
this fattening, or rather stuffing, process.
Somebody is credited with making
a good suggestion auout scalding hogs
butchering day on the farm. He pro
poses the use of a hogshead set upright
in place of a barrel leaned over, and a
lover like a well-sweep to use for dropping
the hogs into the water and raising
them out. This would be much easier
and faster than the old way of sliding
the hogs into a barrel and rolling them
about. It is better, too, because there
is a much larger quantity of water, and
it will not cool as fast as the smaller
quantity in a barrel.
It has been ascertained that to keep a
sheep in good thriving condition, fifteen
pounds of perfectly dry feed (of average
good quality) is required per week for
each one hundred pounds of live weight.
But since hay and grain, in their ordinary
condition, contain about fourteen
per cent, of water, from eighteen to
twenty pounds per week will be necessary,
or about three pounds per day. To
facihate digestion and prevent constipation,
it would be well if an equivalent
of this amount of nutriment could be
expanded in bulk, so as to weigh seven
or eight pounds.
Firo Signs.
Several superstitions of the fire stove
are recorded in an excellent work on I
"Popular Antiquities" by Mr. John
Brand, published a few years ago.
Among many curious traditions appears
this passage: "In his memoirs of Duncan
Campt>el, Defoe refers to the fire as
affording a kind of divination to the
omen mongers, who see "swords, guns,
castles, churches, prisons, coffins, wedding
rings, bags of money, men and
women, or coalswhatever they wish
or fear plainly deciphered in the glowing
and among Nature's secrets. 'W'ilisford
discloses the following: "When
our common fires burn with a pale fiame
they presage ioui wcainer; u tne lire i
makes ft buzzing noise it is a sign of
tempe-t ncir at hand; when the fire
sparkles very much it is a sign of rain;
when pots are newly taken olF the lire,
if they sparkle (the soot upon them
being aflame) it presages rain; when the
tire scorches and burns more vehemently
than usual, it is a sign of frosty weather,
but if the live coals shine brighter than
ordinary at other times, rain may be
looked for: if wood or any other fuel
crackle3 and emits wind more than ordinary,
it is an evident sign of tempestuous
weather near at hand, and the
sudden and plentiful falling of soot
heralds rain." " Mollinaus," says Mr.
Brand, ''interprets the sudden eruption
of dame from a dead tire iex cineribus) as
betokening joy."?London Society.
Marble statues in Germany are covered
with cloth wrappers in the winter.
i : , ... _ ? Mi v r
TEMPERANCE. [
Goneh'j Monument.
John B. Gough requested that on his
monument the following sentiment
should be cut, as part of the inscription:
"I can desire nothing better for the
great coustry than that a barrier high as
Heaven should bo raised between the unpolluted
lips of the children and Jhe intoxicating
cup; that everywhere men
and women should raise strong aud determined
hands against whatever will
defile the body, pollute the mind or
harden the heart against God and his
truth."
This sentence has been duly added to
the stone. i
liarly English Temperance Laws.
The most stringent laws we have had
passed were those of James I., which may
almost be called the first piece of temperance
legislation, for, though the act of
Edward IV. gaye power to the justices to
suppress unnecessary tippling houses it
was chiefly directed against using unlawful
games and bound the licensed victuallers
to keep good order in their houses.
The act in the first year of James was in onHorl
*a reefmin +tiA innrHiriAtA hrtiirf
ing and tippling in inns and ale houses.
It declares the " true use of ale houses *
to be for the relief of wayfarers and not
for the 4 'entertainment of lewd and idle
people. There was t O a penalty of tef
shillings for psrmitti'ig "unlawful drinking,"
and all drinking was unlawful except
by bona fide travelers, by the guests
of travelers and by artisans and laborers
during their dinner hour. The public
house was only to be open to residents in
the locality for one hour in the day for
the consumption of liquor on the premises.
This act was made perpetual, with
some modifications intended to render
conviction more easy, in the last parliament
of Jamej. In the first of
Charles the penalties were somewhat
relaxed, but the law could not
be enforced, and, under these stringent
laws, drunkenness increased apace. It
had reached an extraordinary pitch in
1659, when a French Protestant wrote
from London: "There is within this
city and in all the towns of England
T Vvoira naaao/1 flirntloll an nrniliffi.
l"*??" 0- ? ; ?O"
ous a number of houses where they sell
a certain drink called ale that I think a
good half of the inhabitants may be denominated
also house keepers. * * *
But, what is most deplorable, where
gentlemen sit and spend much of their
time drinking a muddy kind of beverage,
and tobacco, which has universally besotted
the nation, and at which I hear
they have consumed many noble estates.
* * * And that nothing may be wanting
to the height of luxury and impiety
of this abomination, they have translated
the organs out of the churches to set
them up in taverns, chanting their dithyrambics
and bestial bacchanalias to the
tune of those instruments which were
wont to assist them in the celebration of
God's praises, and regulate the voices of
the worst singers in the world, which
are the English in their churches at
Dresent.?The Contemporary Review.
Strong Drink and Labor Problem.
41- 1
1UC BCYUULU auuuai icpyit Ul luo X1CTT
Jersey Bureau of Statistics of Labor and
Industries has a chapter concerning the
condition of wage-earners, and how it
can be improved, from which the New
York Independent has collected the following
suggestive sentences from letters
of individual workmen and others:
"Whisky and beer are the great obstacle
here.
"Intemperance is the cause of very
much wretchedness in our families.
"The greatest evil is strong drink.
"Our morals here are low on account
of rum. '
1 'The liquor traffic has a bad effect on
our trade.
"Strong drink injuries a great many
of us.
"Morality would be good except for
drunkenness.
"Too large a portion of our wages go
to the sellers of rum and beer.
"Drunkenness is the banc of the working
classes.
"Many of our men love beer more than
they do their families.
"Drink, is the workingraan's curse.
"Tobacco and liquor are a great injury.
"Except for beer aud whisky we are
very moral.
"Rum does much to lower us.
"Workingmen drink too much for
their own good.
"Rum and beer are our great enemies.
"Our condition is much lower than it
should be. Thi3 results principally
from the use of liquor and from ignorance.
"Much immorality?whisky is at the
bottom.
"Itrnorance and intemperance are the ,
chief causes which prevent us from improving.
"Intemperance is the great vice of the ,
painters.
Dead in Earnest About It.
Mr. J. K. Barney tells of a gentleman <
In Rhode Island, who some years ago I
Uas asked to give his signature to a pe- ]
tition for the prohibition of the sale o^ ]
strong drink. i
' No," was the decisive answer, "I am t
not ready for that; I have not made up 1
my mind as to the advisability of it." >
That night his only son was locked up
in the police court for being "indecently
intoxicated." i
A few hours later the father crossed t
the street to speak to a friend, accosting
him thus: i
' Look here, have you that petition i
with you to-day- I'm ready to sign it, 1
for I do not want it so easy for my son 8
to get drunk." j
Upon being told that the petition had
been left at home, something more than
a miic away, he replied: J
"I will walk up there with you, for I 1
am dead in earnest about this business." <
????i?mm
RELIGIOUS READING.
"They are a* the Angel*.''
I have se^n a vision of angels,
As I walked this earth of ours,
They had neither crowns, nor snowy wingeNot
so much as a wreath of flowers.
There is nothing about them glorious
That the common eye might see,
Bat faith's keen eye can look on high, *
And discern what they shall be.
>
The grub has nothing of beauty.
But we know that enfolded there
Is the butterfly bright, that on wings of light
Will float on the summer air.
One is a poor blind woman,
Her life is a long, dark night,
But God gives her grace, with a smile oo bar
face,
To sing, "The Lord is my Light I"
And one is a wife and mother,
Toiling without a break;
But her cross and cares she cheerfully bear*
All for the dear Lord's sake *
Her cross is a drunken husband, <
Her cares are her children small,
Too busy too weep, or scarcely to sleep,
She works and she prays for alL
And one Is a youthful sufferer
In the hospital's quiet ward,
He would fain share the strife and the battle
of life,
But a wise and loring Lord
Has chosen it thus?so he lies content
To suffer and not to do;
But he little conceives of the golden sheaves^
He shall reap when he winneth through.
All?all?the blind and the tolling,
The suffering, fevered brow,
Shall one day shine with a glory divine,
They have some of that beauty now.
The beauty of trustful patience,
Of self-forgetting love,?
His beauty divine in Whom they shall shine,
With undimmed glory abovet
Thirteen Way* of B*ins Happy.
Happy is the man whom God corrected,
for Ho maketh sore and bindeth up.
Happy is that people whose God is the
Lord.
Happy is he that hath the God of
Jacob for his help.
Happy is the man thatfiadeth wisdom,
and the man that getteth understanding. ' $8
Happy is the man that feareth alway.
Happy is he that condemneth not
himself in that thing which he alloweth.
He that hath mercy on the poor,
happy is he.
Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is
he.
He that keepeth the law, happy is he.
If ye suffer for righteousness' sake,
happy are ye. v'fd
If ye be reproached for the name of
Christ, happy are ye.
Behold we count them happy which
endure.
If ye know these things, happy are ye
if ye do them.
' vyjj
KtmrktM* Prayers.
A nim.faa nf a oonfiirv hiu nassed since
A l|Uai V* t? VVU?M> J mmwrnm _
the winter when the Academy of Music
in this city was occupied on Sunday
evening by the principal ministers of the
evangelical churches of New York and
others who were invited from abroad.
A series of sermons was preached during
the' season which will ever be memorable
in the history of pulpit eloquence
and influence in New York.
These meetings were originated aud
managed by the Rev. Drs. S. Irenaeus
and E, D. G. Prime, who had the ad
vice and assistance of other Christian
ministers and laymen.
The labor of arranging lor the services
was great, but it was conscientiously
and gladly performed by those who inaugurated
the meetings. Not the least
difficult part of the duty was to secure
the proper persons to conduct the introductory
services. But the same care
and forethought was exercised in this
matter as in the choice of a preacher, and
hence the services were unique and
harmonious.
The Rev. Thomas H. Skinner, D. D.,
at that time professor of pastoral theology
in Union Theological Seminary,
was invited to conduct one of these
meetings, and the prayer which he
made upon that occasion was, with a
single exception, the most wonderful
prayer that I ever heard. The exception
was a prayer offered by ths Rev.
Mr. Spurgeon at an evening service in
London when his vast tabernacle had
been given up to strangers by the courtesy
of the regular congregation. I then
felt the power oi prayer as never betore,
and saw its immediate effect upon the
listeners. Rough men who were utterly
ignorant of religion were overcome with
emotion, and the wny was opened for a
gospel sermon wnicu orougm nunareas
to the inquiry meeting that very night.
Dr. Skinner's prayer at the Academy
of Music was such an intimate and spiritual
communion ns Moses mi^ht have
had with Jehovah upon the sacred mountain,
He seemed to be in the very presence
chamber of the Most High and to
Bpeak face to face with God. The great
building was as still as death while this
Dne voiee.in language evidently inspired
bv the Holv Ghost, bore tho adoration
and petition of multitudes of souls tc
the mercy seat. Such prayer could only
come lroin a holy soul, out l learned
fterwards, when Dr. Skinner lectured
upon pastoral theology, and came in due
course to the subject of public prayer,
that besides his spiritual-mindedness
Dr. Skinner had studied the nature oi
prayer, the prayers of the Bible and the
whole subject with such thoroughness
ind care that his own services could not
fail to be elevating and inspiring to all
vho united with him in public worship.
The Emir of Nupe, Africa, has apjealcd
to tlic Queen of England through
:hfi NVorrn 7?i?ymr? rrnnrtlmi. .rlrln _ .V-A.
? w?vuvuvi, uoixm^ mat
<he bringing of rum into his dominion
nay be prevented. This Mohammedan
ulcr states that the importation of liquor
las greatly injured his country, and detroyed
all that was good in his subecta.
.
Steps are being taken toward the organization
of a Prohibition party in Engand.
Sir Wilfrid Lawson, M. P., is.
>ne of tho leaders in the movement.