Alpena weekly argus. [volume], February 04, 1880, Image 4

About Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893

Image provided by: Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library

                
THE II AIT Y MAX.
A German king, not uuknown to fume.
But ptmrsssd aa unpronounceable name,
Yell ill on day of astrantfS disease.
Of which nothing could cure him or et him ftt
MM,
rhyslriana were ummonod from country and
town.
Men of modeet pretonsione, and those of renown,
Who dosvd him with drugs to such a degree
That be wished, himself hanged or drowned In
the ee.
At leBfftn an old monk, with a Tory grave face.
Said, "But on thing will cur thia aingular ease,
And that, my dear overeltjn prey do not feel
hurt
le to put on your book harry man! shirt.-
Thafe eaaily done" thry all fried in a voice,
And the people contmenoed with grvnt glee to
rrjoioe ;
Courier were atnt the whole country around.
But a man quite coutent not one could be found.
They hunted for day over mountain and lea,
And found one at hat in a cave by the tea,
Half blind, lame and deaf; but when round out,
alm.k.
The happiest man had no ehlrt to his bark.
ATLANTIS JiOT A MYTH.
By Edward H. Thompson.
Our sturdy worker in the cop
per mines of Lake Superior, find
ing both bimself and bis vein of
copper growing poorer day by day,
determines to seek some more pay
ing claim in the yet unexplored
portion of the copper country. He
gathers his kit of tools together
and starts, and, after many a bard
hour's travel over the wild and
rugged country, finds a region
with abundant eigne of copper, and
where seemingly no human foot
has trod since creation's dawn.
Tie strikes a rich vein and goes
steadily to work digging and blast
ing bis way to richer portions, when
suddenly, in the richest part, he
finds his lead cut off by what looks
to his experienced eye marvelous
ly like a mining 6haft. Amazedly
be begins to clear out of the pit
the fallen earth and the debris of
ages, and the daylight thus let in
reveals to his astonished gaze an
immense mass of copper raised
some distance from the original
bottom of the pit on a platform of
logs, while at his feet lie a number
of strange stone and jopper im
plementssome thin and sharp
like knives and hatchets, others
huge and blunt like' mauls and
hammers all being left in such a
manner as though the workman
had but just gone to dinner and
might be expected back at any
moment. Bewildered, be ascends
to the surface again and looks
about him. lie sees mounds that
from their positions aro evidently
formed from the refuse of the pit,
but these mounds are covered with
gigantic trees, evidently the growth
of centuries; and, looking still
closer, he sees that these trees are
fed from the decayed ruins of trees
still older trees that have sprung
up, flourished, grown old, and died
since this pit was dug or these
mounds were raised. The more he
thinks of the vast ages that have
elapsed since this pit was dug, that
xnasa of copper quarried and raised,
the more confused he becomes; his
mind can not grasp this immensity
of time.
"Who where these miners?
When did they live, and where did
they come from P are the ques
tions he asks himself, but gets no
answer. However, one fact is pa.
tent to him that, whoever they
were, they will not now trouble his
claim; aud, consoled by this re
flection, be goes to work again.
TbeJ traveler in v.r.ndering
through the dense and almost im
penetrable forest of Central and
South America, suddenly finds him
self upon a broad and well-paved
road, but a road over which in
places there have grown trees cen
turies old. Curiously following
this road, he sees before bim, as
though brought thither by some
Aladdin's lamp, a vast city, a city
built of stone buildings that look
.at a distance like our large New
England factories splendid pala
ces and aqueducts, all constructed
with such massiveness and gran
deur as to compel a cry of aston
ishment from the surprised travel
er an immense but deserted city,
whose magnificent palaces and
beautiful sculpturing are inhabited
and viewed only by the iguana and
centipede. The roads and paths
to the aqueducts, once so much
traveled as to have worn hollows
in the bard stone, are now trodden
only by the ignorant mestizo or
simple Indian. Of this deserted
borne of a loet race, the traveler
asks the same questions as the
miner, ami the only answer he gets
from the semi-civilized Indian is
the laconic "Quien sabot" And
who do know f
The curious and scientific world,
however, are not so easily answer
ed, and various are the theories
and conjectures as to these diggers
of mines and builders of mounds
and strange cities. One of the
most plausible of these one be
lieved by many scientists to be
the true theory is this: Ages
ago the Americas presented a very
different appearance from what
they now do. Then an immense
raninsula extended itself from
Zitxlco, Central America, and New
Granada, so far into the Atlautio
that Madeira, the Azores, and the
West India Islands are now frag
ments of it. This peninsula was a
fair and fertile country, iuhabited
by rich and civilized nations, a peo
ple versed in the arts of war and
civilization country covered with
large cities and magnificent pala
ces, their rulers according to tra
dition reigning not only on the At
lantio continent, but over islands
far and near, even into Europe and
Asia. Suddenly, without warning,
this whole fair land was ingulfed
by the sea, in a mighty convulsion
of nature.
Now, this catastrophe is not im
possible or even improbable. In
stances are not wanting of large
traots of land, several hundred
miles in extent, disappearing in a
like manner. The island of Fer
dinandea suddenly appeared, and
after a while as suddenly disap
peared. In 1819, during an earth
quake in India, an immense tract
of land near the river Indus sank
from view, and a lako now occu
pies its place.
The whole bed of the Atlantic,
where Atlantis is said to have been
situated, consists of extinct vol
canoes. The terrible Lisbon earth
quake of 1755, and the later Amer
ican shock, created a commotion
throughout the whole Atlantic
area.
That Atlantis possessed great fa
cilities for making a sudden exit
can not be doubted. Its very sit
uation gives good color to the nar
ratives of ancient Grecian histo
rians and Tolteciau traditions, that
'it disappeared by earthquakes and
inundations."
Not only is it within the bounds
of possibility that it might have
occurred, but if traditious so clear
and distinct as to be almost au
thentic history aro to be believed,
then it did occur. Listen to what
one of the most cautious of an
cient writers, Plato, says:
"Among the great deeds of
Athens, of which recollection is
preserved in our books, there is
one that should be placed above all
others. Our book tells us that
the Athenians destroyed an army
that came across the Atlantic seas,
and insolently invaded Europe and
Asia, for this sea was then naviga
ble ; and beyond the straits where
you place the Hilars of Hercules
was an immense island, larger than
Asia and Libya combined. From
this island one could pass easily to
the other islands, and from these
to the continent beyond. The sea
on this side of the straits resem
bled a harbor with a narrow en
trance, but thero is a veritable sea,
and the land which surrounds it is
a veritable continent. On this is
land of Atlantis there reigned
three kings with great and mar
velous power. They had under
their domain the whole of Atlan
tis, several of the other islands, and
part of the continent At one
time their power extended into
Europe as far as Tyrrhenia, and
uniting their whole force they
sought to destroy our whole coun
try at a blow, but their defeat
stopped the invasion and gave en
tire freedom to the countries this
side of the Pillars of Hercules.
Afterward, in one day and one fa
tal night, there came mighty earth
quakes and inundations, that in
gulfed that warlike people. At
lantis disappeared, and then the
sea became inaccessible, on account
of the vast quantities of mud that
the ingulfed island left in its
place."
It is possible that the debris,
said to have been left by this cat
astrophy, might be identical with, or
the nuclei of the sargazo fields
that, many centuries later, Colum
bus found almost impenetrable.
Again, Plato, in an extract from
Proclus, speaks of an island in the
Atlantic whose inhabitants pre
served knowledge from their an
cestors of a large island in the At
lantic, which had dominion over
all other islands of this sea.
Plutarch, in his life of the phil
osopher Solon, Herodotus, and
other ancient writers, speaks of
this island as a well known fact,
and it is impossible to believe
otherwise than that Seneca thought
of Atlantis when ho writes in his
tragedy of Media": "Late cen
turies will appear, when the ocean's
veil will lift to open a vast conn
try. New worlds will Thetsys nn
veil. Ultima Thule (Iceland) will
not remain the earth's boundary.'
He evidently believed in the un
known island and continent, and
knew it would not remain forever
unknown.
Diodorus Siculus says that "op
posite to Africa lies an island
which, on account of its magni
tude, it Is worthy to be mentioned.
It is several days distant from Af
rica. It has a fertile soil, many
mountains, and not a few plains,
I unexcelled in their beauty. It is
watered by many navigable rivers,
aud there are to be found estates
in abundance adorned with fine
buildings." Again he says, "In
deed, it appears on account of the
abundauee of its charms as though
it were the abode of gods and not of
men."
The situation, the description of
the country, in fact every particu
lar, agrees precisely with our idea
of Atlantis; and what other land
now iu existence agrees In any way
with this description what is
lands of magnitude that contain
navigable rivers, large fertile plains,
and mountains!
Turning from our well-known
ancient writers, we find in all the
traditions and books of the Cen
tral Americans and Mexicans a
continual recurrence to the fact of
an awful catastrophe, similar to
that mentioned by Plato and other.
Now.what are we to believe! This,
that either the traditions and nar
ratives of these ancient writers and
historians of both lands are but
a tissue of fabrications.evolved from
their own brains, with perhaps a
small thread of fact, or else that
they are truths, and truths proving
that the Americas, instead of be
ing the youngest habitation of
man, are among the oldest, if not,
as De Dourbourg affirms, the old
est.
Brasseur de Bourbour, who
Baldwin says has studied the monu
ments, writings, and traditions left
by this civilization more carefully
and thoroughly than any man lin
ing, is an advocate of this theory,
and to him we are indebted for
most of our translation and histo
ries of tho ancient Americans.
To the imagination and lov
ers of the marvelous this theory is
peculiarly fascinating, and the fact
that thero is a plausible evidence
of its truth adds to the effect. With
their mind's eye they can see the
dreadful event, as recorded by
Plato, os in a panorama. They see
the fair and fertile country, filled
with people, prosperous and hap
py ; the sound of busy life from
man and beast fills the air. Com
fort and prosperity abound. Tho
sun shines clear overhead, and the
hugh mountains look down upon
the cities and villages at their feet,
like a mother upon her babes : all
is a picture of peaeefulness. Sud
denly, in a second, all is changed.
The protecting angels become de
stroying fiends, vomiting firo and
liquid hell upon the devoted cities
at their feet, burning, scorching,
strangling their wretched inhabit
ants. The earth rocks terribly,
palaces, temples, all crushing down,
crashing their human victims, flock
ed, together like so many ants.
Vast rents open at their very feet,
licking with huge, flaming tongues
tho terrified people in their yawn
ing mouths. And then the inun
dation. Mighty waves sweep over
the land. The fierce enemies, Fire
and Water, join hands to effect the
destruction of a mighty nation.
now they hiss and surge, rottle
and seethe ! now the steam rises,
mingled with the black smoke,
looking like a mourning-veil, that
it is, and, when that veil is lifted,
all is still, the quiet of annihila
tion I Of all that populous land,
nought remaining save fuming,
seething mud. It is not to be sup
posed that all perished in that
calamity. Long before this they
had spread over the portion of the
Americas contiguous to the penin
sula, building cities, palaces, roads,
and aqueducts, like those of their
native homes; and adventurous
pioneers continually spreading
north, east, and westward, their
former constant increase of num
bers from their former homes en
abling them to overcome the re
sistance offered to their progress by
both natives and nature, till at last
they reached and discovered the
copper country of Lake Superior.
That they appreciated this discovery
is evinced by the innumerable evid
ences of their works and of their
skill in discovering the richest and
most promising veins. Wherever
our miners of the present day go,
they find their ancient fellow crafts
men have been there before them,
worked the best veins and gather
ed the best copper ; and it is sup
posed that they continued thus till
the terrible blotting out of their
native country cut short all this,
and left this advancing civilzation
to wither and die like a vine sever
ed from the parent stem.
Having no further accession to
their numbers, and being contin
ually decimated by the savages
and decease, they slowly retreated
before the ever advancing hordes.
Gradually, and contesting every
step, as is 6hown by their numerous
defensive works along their path,
they, were forced back to their
cities on this continent, that bad
been spared them from the urjver
sal destruction of their country,
jwhuethd djnff ud almost 1-
passable forests afforded thrta their
last refuge from their enemies, and
where, reduced by war, pestileuce,
and other causes, to a feeble band,
their total extinct was only a mat
ter of time. Suoh probably would
have been the history of our civil
ization had we in our infant growth
been cut off from receiving tho
nourishment from the mother
countries.
Within the last twenty-five years,
all science relating to the past and
present of man have been enor
mously developed. Old, worn-out,
useless theories have been discard
ed, new facts have taken their
places, discoveries have followed
discoveries, each discovery helping
to form, link by link, the chain of
human history.
We are beginning to perceive we
are but young in the knowledge of
human history, that we have as yet
picked up but a bright pebble of
thought or glittering shell of theory,
whilo before us lies the whole vast
sea of human history uuexplored.
That we are beginning to acknowl
edge this, is a good sign, for, when
a man or mankind acknowledge
their ignorance, they have at least
a sure foundation to build upon.
Again the spirit of bigotry, the
spirit that told men to scorn and
deride Galileo and Columbus, is fast
passing away, and in its stead
comes the spirit of rationality, a
spirit that tells men to look upon a
new idea or theory, even if it does
run outside of the accustomed
rut, with a reasoning if not favor
able eye. And wo have faith, as
science grows to grander propor
tions and dispels some of the mist
that now envelops it, that some day
not far distant will bring forward
an historic Edison that shall bring
together the faiut voico of the
prehistoric past and tho bright,
clear voice of the present; that
some future Chainpollion will dis
cover, among the mined cities of the
Americas, an American Hosetta
stone that will complete tho chain
of human history. "The noblest
study of mankind i9 man."
A Summer Idyl.
Ho was a decidedly poetical look
ing chap, from head to foot. He
wore eyo-glasses, and had curly
hair. By gazing upon him you
could almost tell the exact number
of sonnets contained in his pocket,
lie had on n blue flannel suit and a
smile. She was a country maiden,
practical and innocent. They
walked down a fragrant meadow
paused beneath a spreading oak.
He was the first to break tho
silence :
"Isn't this lovely !"
"Oh, isn't it 1" she replied.
"Yes," ho went on, as he planted
his chin in one hand and contain
plated the vista of skyland ; "this
is simply divine. To sit here ond
breath the soft, cool, summer wind,
fraught with the charming fra
grance of violet and rose, is just
entrancing."
She said nothing.
"Isn't that a majestic mountain
over there towering into the fleecy
clouds ! Isn't that a lovely little
brook pattering in baby syllables
over the innocent pebbles I"
"Kinder," she responded.
"Yes," he went on, as he plant
ed his chin in the other hand for a
change, "Summer is the heaven of
the year. Just look at those hap
py birds darting through the air
from tree to tree and flooding the
valley with exquisite bursts of
song. v ouidn t you line to De a
bird, pet!"
"I'd rather be a girl and eat ice
cream," she replied, with a twinkle
of Arcadian simplicity in her merry
hazel eyes.
This seemed to ruffle the poet
considerably, but he managed to
regain his mental equilibrium suffi
ciently to go on.
"Behold the golden-winged but
terflies; don't they fly languidly,
as though their lives were but one
smooth period of bliss and unin
terrupted happiness P
"Yes," she responded, "and they
p their wings like doormats,
don't they P
After ten minutes of the most
profound silence he ventured to
speak again.
And there goes the merry bees
in golden flotillas, coquetting with
the breeze swayed flowers."
She kept still.
"But soon all pretty things will
vanish like a lover's dream. The
flowers will fade, the leaves will
fall, the birds migrate, and the em
erald tapestry of the leaf will be
come the couch of the snowflake.
The lilies will vanish from the lake,
and the sunset will glimmer on the
barren limbs and melt the snow in
the empty nest."
lie pansed for breath and she
whispered :
"And then we'll have 'to wear
heavy underclothes, won't we I"
He couldn't go any further with
his remarks so they got up and
wandered away.
The Suu Sever Sets In the United
States.
Few people are aware that the
proud boast of Englishmen that
the sun never sets on the British
empire is equally applicable to the
United States. Instead of being
the western limit of the Union,
San Francisco is only about mid
way between the furthest Aleutian
Isle, acquired by our purchase of
Alaska, and Eastport, Me. Our
territory extends through 1C7 de
grees of longitude, or 17 degrees
more than half way round the
world. The Rocky Mountain
Presbyterian, in commenting on
this fact says, "When the bud
is giving its good night kiss to our
westormost isle on the confines of
Behrings sea, it Is already flooding
with its morning light the fields
and forest of Maine, and in the
eastern part of the State is more
than an hour high. At the very
moment when the Aleutian fisher
man, warned by the approaching
shades of night, is pulling his canoe
toward shore, the woodchopper of
Maino is beginning to make the
forest echo with tho stirring musio
of his axe."
"Any burglars in this town !" a
traveler asked a villager in West
ern Tennessee. "Well, no, not
now, stranger; there was a couple
of 'em here last spring but one
night they broke into the editor's
house and starved to death before
they could get out."
NOTICE.
Whereas, a considerable amount of opposition
has Ini-n mnnifi'iu-d on tlio purt of some of our
citicn to buiMinu the c ourt llouso on V letoria
Nijnnre; ami. whereas, the county has no other
property upon which to erect the buildinfr: Now,
if nny of our citizen mean buiiiiosa, ami desire
to furnish u site down town free of expense to
the countv. tl uiidi-rsiirncd committee will re
ceive until tl.c lt duy of March, A. 1. IHho, pro
posal to tlmt effect, hiicI will consider the etinie
on uid first duy of March, A. 1). 18(t.
r. 11. nMimm.i,
CnAKI.KStiOIXINO,
joiin ixuarsox.
Committee.
Dated Jan. 23, IIWO. 4-Uw.l
NOTICE.
Alpena parties indebted to the undersigned are
hereby not i lied to cull nt the oliioe of Vim. A.
Henderson within tho next thirty days and Bet
tie accounts, thus saving further coot.
Jan. 21, 10. 13
NOTICE.
The Common Council of the city of Alpena,
lutvintr divided to cell No. 2 Kwrilie, being the
s'ime engine boiiirht from the Kilsby Manufactur
ing Conipnnjr a tew years nifo, nnd aa irood aa
tu w ; and also, the city Irnm. The undersigned
w til receive scnli d proposnW ror the above until
thu Hist day of March, IhM). "P ropoanl" inuat
bo marked on envelope.
B. XI. l A.liUTOlll.il,
Comptroller.
Alpena, Jan. 1 1SMI. 18
Dissolution of Co-Partnership
The eo-rmrtnershiD heretofore existing be
tween F. U. Cwf nnd 1). McTallum, under the
llrm name of Oiscy McOllum, is this day dis
solved by mutual couscut.
PAN. McCALLVM.
Dnttd Alpena, Jan. S, isso. 435w4
PMlJUSrUATOU'S BALE.
Mate of Mivburnn. Connty of Alpena. as.
In tho mutter of the estate of Ira btout, de
oensed. Notice is licrcliy iriven, that in pursuance of an
order granted to the tindvrsifrnvd. Administrator
of the cut te of paid Ira Motlt, decoutted, by the
Hon. Judire of 1 robate for the county of Alpena,
on the 12rh duy of January, A. 1'. 18.), there will
be sold nt public vendue to the highest bidder, at
the front entrance to the Circuit Court Doom in
Johnson's brick block, on Water street, (that be
inir the buildinir in which the Circuit Court for
said county is held), in the city of Alpena, in the
county of Alpeftn. in said State, on tiatnrdny, the
sixth day of March, A. 1). 1SM, at tn o'clock in
the forenoon of that day (subject to nil encum
brances by ntortiraire or otherwise existing at the
time of the death of said deceased, or ut the time
of L-nntimr administration, and also subject to
the ritrht of dower and the homestead rijriita of
the widow of said deceased therein) the following
d inscribed real estate, to wit : Iot No. five. (A.) in
block , of Hitchcock's addition to the city of
Alpena, according to the recorded plat thereof, aa
the same apjicars of record in the otHee of the
ItetfwU'r of liceds, in and for the county of Al
pena. Also, lot bounded aa follows: on the
north by lot ten, (10.) in block three (.11 of 8. A,
Carter's addition to the villiuro (now city) of Al
pena, on the eat by slier, on the south by Third
street, ana on the west ny land ownea ny wro.
11. Phelps, being sixty-six feet (') front on Third
street, br one hundred and thirty-two feet (132)
deep on the line of the alley, running through
said block mree.
Q. n. S HELTON,
4-11 w7 Administrator
E
EXECUTOR'S SALE.
8tnte of Michitrnn, County of Alpena, as.
In the matter of the estate of Alexander Keen
an. deceased.
Notice is hereby (riven, that in pursuance of an
order grantod to ti.e undersigned, Kxeeutor of
the estate of said Alexander kecnun, by the lion.
Judge of Probate for the county of Alpena, on
me i.to any oi January. A. it. io, mere will
br sold at public vendue to the highist bidder, at
l no front entrance to the Circuit Court iloom, in
Johnson's brick block, on Water street, (that be
ing tho bnilding in which the Circuit Court for
said countv Is held) in the eitr of Alnena. in tha
county of Alpena, in said Plate, on Saturday, the
sixtn day of janrcn, a. u. 18s", at two o'clock In
the afternoon of that day (subject to all encum
brance by mortgage or otherwise existing at the
time of the deHth of said deceased, or at the time
of minting of administration,) the following de
scribed real estatu, to wit : The north half of
the south-east quarter of section one, (1,) in
township nnmber thirty-one, I'M.) north of ranew
seven 17) east in UiC county of Alpena and State
oi Aiicuigan.
TUUUAS PARTO,
w7 Executor.
any
make
money fast. Any one can do the
work. Tou ean make from AO eta. to It a hour by
devoting your evenings and spare time to the
business, it costs nothing lo try the business.
Nothing like it for money insking ever offered be
fore. Juine"s pleasant ana strictly honorable,
ing business before the public, send us you; sl
Header. If you want to know about the best Dsv
dress and we will send you full psrtieiilsra and
private terms free ; samples worth 1 also free
yon ran then make up your mind for yourself.
AiKiress ULU. M1MU CU., t'ortland, ill.
e-Tl
t Till: 4UIEAT CAUSE OF
3iIIUI?IAN ITIIS12IIY
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TU uri 1 riuowned author, in this admirable
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Scat, ander eeal. In plsin envelope, to any
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Address th publishers,
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OF EVERY DESCRIPTION,
At the km Reasonable Kates,
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to that done at any other Office in
tho State, and we Challenge
Competition, either in Work
or Prices, anywhere on tho
Wholo Chore
T X IN" C3-.
ihi 6ft (hi Ikertset Netise, at the
all kinds of
Superior
Establishment
SHORE,
AT
VISITING CARDS.
HIEIDS.