Daily Greencastle Banner and Times, Greencastle, Putnam County, 2 August 1897 — Page 3

TTTF DAILY BAXNER TIMES, GREEN CASTLE, LNDIATfJL.

A WRESTLING MATCH. i! er eh? w ; 11 ^ -7 CAM LITRE SKETCHES.

>> XiriO J JjI j-’" inr»hpr ^rave-stun. It stands be the al-

derberry bushes in the buryin’-groun’,

HK village had ! al1 ‘ e f V 0 ’ 1 haln’t seen it yer otter, fee !. awakened from its ,hel » > e "light get an idee what sorter

long winter's sleep.

GOOD

4M

It had shaken off its lethargy and stepped forth into the light and sunshine to take up again life in the free air u ntil the months should speed around winds and the back to a close

The an-

aud the harsh snows drive It

| kitchen and a stifling stove

I liquated saw-mill down by the creek i buzzed away with a vim that P lai “‘y told that the stream was swollen with t the melted snows of the winter jus past. The big grist-mill bumped am f thumped in deep, melodious tones, as I though it were making an effort to I drown the rasping, discordant musn

51 of its small but noisy npighl )01 -

i The double doors of the store were | wide open. Had all the other signs ©:’ spring been missing, this fact alone would have indicated to the knowing, if the snow had not melted and th. birds not come come back it was high time they did. for those doors never stood open until the patriarch felt it in his bones that the wintei was gone and he could with safe y leave the side of the stove within and migrate to the long wooden bench on th< porch to bask in the sunshine. . “Boys.” he raid at length,^ “its ^ii., we’re gittiu' out ag in. Spring

■has come.”

* With that he hobbled toward the

4oor.

I “Good, Gran'pap,” said the Chronic JLoafer, rolling off the counter and fol-

lowing.

F Then the old Storekeeper opened

tioth doors.

fc The old oak bench that had stood neglected through the long winter, ex- ' Kosed to wind end warping rain, gave a joyous creak as it felt again on its ■road and knife-hacked back the weight of the Patriarch and his iriends, and kicked up its one short hickory leg with such vehemence as to cause the Storekeeper to throw out his hands as though the world had dropped from under him and he was • gras,.ing at a cloud for support. ■ “Mighty souls!’’ he cried when he had recovered his composure and equi-

librium.

B'*My. oh, my!” murmured the old man, his child-like face beaming with ccntentment as he sat basking in the aim. “Don’t the old bench feel good ag'ln. Me an’ this oak beard has ben buddies fer nigh onter sixty year." The season seemed to have infused new life into the Chronic Ix>afer as it had into all nature, for he suddenly tossed off his coat, with one leap cleared the s’eps, and then began dancing up and down in the road. “It jist makes a feller feel like wrasiUtn', Gran-pap,” he shouted, waving THe arms deflnatly at the quartet on the bench. “Come on.” At this Indisposition of these four to take up the gauntlet he had thrown down, the Loafer became still more brave and defiant. '“Hedglns!” he sneered. “You

la afraid, eh?” “Nawthin’ to be ped the Miller.

tins

afraid of,” snap’’Simply because

*****W#

“HE WENT FLY1X’.”

spring s come ez it’s ben cornin’ ever since I kin remember, I hain’t a-gotn’ to waller ’round in a muddy road.” “Nur I, nuther,” growled the Shoe-

makei.

“Well, I bantered yer, an’ you uns's all akeert ter westle, dead skeert," cried the Loafer, drawing on his coat and grinning triumph through his

bushy whiskers.

“Come, come,” said the Patriarch, beating his stick on the floor to call the boaster to order. ”Ef I was five years younger I’d take your banter; I’d druv your head inter the mud tell you’d be afeared of showtn' up at the store fei a year fer fear some un’d ahovel yer inter the road. Thet’a what I’d do. I hates blowin', I do—I hates blowin'. Fur be it from me ter blow, particular as I was somethin’ of a wresifer when I was a young un.” “I' bet I could ’a’ th'owed you in leas time ’an it Lakes me ter set down,” th* Loafer said, as he seated himself on tb« steps and got out his pipe. “Thfowed me, eh!” retorted the old mar. “You’d 'a' th'owed me, would you. Well, IM a’ liked to hev seen you a th’owin’ me." He shook his slick at the braggart. “Why, didn’t you know thet ’hen I was young I was the best wrastler In the valley; didn’t you ever hear of the great wrastlin’ me and Simon Cruller done up to Swamp Holler schoolhouse?” “Did Noar act as empire?” asked the

Loafer.

"What does you mean be talkin’ of Noar an’ sech like when I’m tellin’ of wrastlin’? Tryin’ to change the subjec’, I s'pose. eh?" cried the Patriarch “Me an’ Sime Cruller was buddies.” he began at length. “Thet was tell we both kind of set our minds on gettin’ Becky Stump. You uns never seen

a woman she was. Pretty? Why, she was a model, she was—a perfect mi del. Hair! You uns don’t often, see sich hair nowadays ez Becky Stump hed—soft and black like. Eyes! Why, they sparkled jest like they was filled with new buggy paint, an’ was all watery like. An’, mighty souls, but she could plough! fer she j wasn't none of your modern girls as is too proud to plough. Many a day I get over on the porch at our place an’ looked down across the walley an* j seen her a-steppin’ along th'oo’ the 1 fiel’, an' I thot how I’d like ter hev one han’le while she’d hev the other, an’ we’d go trampin’ along life's fur-

row together.

‘‘The whole thing came to a p'int at a spellin’ bee up to Swampy Holler school,” continued the Patriarch, unmindful cf the interruption. "Becky Stump was there an’ looked onusual pretty, fer It was cold outside an’ the . wind had made her face all red on the drive over from home. Sime was j there, too, togged out In store clothes. “It didn't take me five minutes to see thet Sime Cruller was tryin’ to show off afore Becky Stump; was trying to prove to her that he was a smarter lad than me. “When intermission come Sime he gits off in one corner an' begins blowiu’ to a lot of the boys. I heard him talkin’ loud about me, so I steps over. | He sayd it was all a mistake; that he could beat me at anything—spellin’, wrastlin,’ or flshin’. He was showin’ off agin, for he talked loud like Becky Stump could hear, an' I makes up me 1 mind I wouldn’t stand his blowin’. “ ‘See here, Sime Cruller,’ I sals, sals I, ‘you uns Is nawthin’ but a blow horn,’ I sals. ‘You claims you kin wrastle. Why I kin th'ow you in less time 'an it takes to tell It, an’ if you ; step out-side I'll prove me words.’ “ ‘You th’ow me!’ he sals. Then he begin to laugh like he'd die at the !

verry idee.

“With that we went outside, follered by the rest of the boys. They was a quarter moon overhead, an' the girls put two candles in the schoolhouse > winder, so with the snow we could see

pretty well.

At It we went. Boys, you otter ’a’ ben there! You otter ’a’ seen it! That was wrastlin’! When Sime an’ me clinched I ketched him 'roun* the waist with me right arm an’ gits hold of the strap of his right boot with the forefinger of me left hand. I He gits his left arm aroun’ my neck an' down my back somehow, an’ with his right hand tears the buttons off me coat an’ grabs me in the armhole cf me waist-coat. Over we goes, i like two dogs, snarlin’ an' snappin’, while the boys in a ring aroun’ us cheered an’ the girls crowdin' the schoolhouse porch trembled an' screamed with fright. We twisted, we turned, we rolled over an’ over tell we looked like livin’ snowballs. Sime got off the boot I’d a holt, on, an’ gives me a sudden turn thet almost sent me on me back. But I was quick. Mighty souls, but I was quick! I ups with me foot an’ landed me heel right on his chiist an’ he went (lyin’ ten feet inter a snow bank, keryln’ me j coat-sleeve with him. He was lookin’ up at the moon when I run up to him, an’ I’d ’a’ hed him down, but he turn-

ed over

“But I was quick. Mighty souls, but I was quick! I kep’ me feet an’ gits | one han’ inter his waistcoat pocket an’ j hung to him. Whenever you wrastles | git your man by the bootstrap or the pocket, an’ you has the best they is. Ef I hedn’t ’a’ done thet, I might not ’a’ ben here today. But I done it, an’ fer a full hour me an’ SWne Cruller rolled roun’, even matched. Time an’ agin I got sight of Becky Stump standin’ on the porch, her hands gripped together, her face pale, her eyes almost poppin’ outen her head, she was wafehin’ us so hard, an’ the wery sight of her urged me on to Inhuman efforts. It seemed to have the same effect on Sime. The blood begin to run outen both me nose-holes an’ yit I kep’ at It. Me heart beat so hard It made me buttons rattle. Still I kep’ at It. Sime was so hot It was fer me jest like wrastlin' with a stove, an’ still we kep' at It. Then all of a sudden—it was two hours after hed fust clinched—everything seemed to swim—I couldn’t feel no earth beneath —I only know'd that I was still holdin’ on to Sime—then I know’d naw-

thin’.

“When I'came to I was layin' be the schoolhouse stove, an’ Becky Stump was leaning over me rubbin’ a snowball acrosst me forehead. The other folks was standin’ back like, fer they seemed to think thet after slch an exhibition It was settled an’ they didn't want to disturb us. “ ‘Becky,’ I whispers, ‘did I win?’ “ 'You did,’ she sals. 'You both fainted et oncet, but you fainted on

top.’

" ‘An’ now, I s'pose you’ll hev me,' I sals, fer it seemed like there was somethin’ In her eyes thet kinder

urged me on.

“She was quiet a pice, an' then she leans down an' answers: ‘Do you think I wants to marry a fien’? No, sir, I’D merry no man I can’t Mck.' ”

“Well?” cried the Loafer.

“Well?” retorted the old man.

“Did she ever merry?”

The Patriarch shook his head. “Go look at the grave stun,” he

said, “ar. on It you'll see wrote; ' ’Ere j

lies Becky Stump. Her peaceful soul’s

at rest.’ ’’

SHORT STORIES FOR THE VETERANS.

UorMe* In th© Army Hocauie Attached —Th© New Equine

and How They to On© Another Kecruit It* Made

the Victim of llorH© Joke*.

The Keciincnt*t* Kcturu. EN arc shouting all around me, women laugh and weep for joy; Wives behold sign In their husbands, and the mother claapa her

boy.

All the city throbs with passion, ’tis a day of

Jubilee-

Hut the happiness of thousands

brings not happiness to me!

1 remember, I remember, when the sol-

di- ra went aw ay.

There W'as one among the noblest, who who has not returned to-day! O, 1 loved him—how 1 loved him! and I

never can forget,

That he kissed me as we parted, for the

kiss is burning yet!

’TIs his picture in my bosom, where his

head will never lie;

'Tis ids ring upon my linger—I will wear

it till I die!

O, his comrades say that, dying, he looked

up and breathed my name!

They have come to those that love them;

but my darling never came!

O, a mother tries to soothe me, and to

cheer a maiden tries!

Hut a secret gladness chills me in the

glancing of their eyes!

O, all say ho died a hero but I knew how

that would be;

And they say the cause has triumphed—

will that bring him back to me?

—Anonymous.

lias Withstood Many Slcgen. The historic Irish town of Athlone lies partly in West Meath and partly in Roscommon, seventy-six miles west of Dublin. It stands on a commanding situation, and is divided into two portiens by the River Shannon. Athlone Castle was erected in the reign of King John, and enlarged and strengthened In the time of Queen Elizabeth. In the war of 1G88 the possession of the place was considered of the greatest importance, and it consequently sustained two sieges, the first by King William III. in person, which failed, and the second by General Ginkeli, who, la the face of the Irish, forded

The Ship'* Bell.

Lieut. John M. Ellicott, U. S. N., writes an article for June St. Nlcholat) ofi “What is Told by the Bell,” iq

which he says:

"Nothing in a ship becomes so close, ly identified with her throughout her whole career as the ship's bell. Officers and crew come and go; masts, decks, engines and boilers become old, and are replaced by new ones, but from the day she first glides into the water the same ship's bell remains always a part of her, marking her progress all over the world, and finally going down with her to a lonely grave at the bottom of the sea, or surviving her as a cherished souvenir of her existence and achievements. On a man-of-war the bell is usually inscribed with her name and the date of her launching; and as It Is probable that it may some day become a memento of a glorious history, the bell is often the subject of special care in casting or selection. Sometimes the hundreds of workmen who have built the great ship contribute each a silver coin to be melted and molded into the bell which shall be the token of their love for the object of their creation, and their interest in her future career. Often the people of a city or state after which a man-of-war is named may present to her a magnificent bell appropriately ornamented and Inscribed with words of good will and good wishes. Such a bell is usually presented with ceremony after the ship goes into commission. Ship's bells in general are made of bronze, like other bells. The addition of silver in theircomposition gives them a peculiarly clear and musical tone. They are placed in such a position on the upper deck that they may be heard from one end of the ship to the other; and are usually near the mainmast or at the break of the forecastle. One peculiarity exists in the ship’s bell, which is necessary on account of her motion at sen. The tongue is hung so that it can swing in only one direction. If it were not so, the bell would be continually ringing as the ship rolled and pitched. The direction in which the tongue can swing is another important point. If it were athwartships the bell would ring at every heavy roll of the ship: and if it were fore and aft the bell would ring at every deep pitch; so the direction In which Hie tongue

SCIENTIFIC POINTERS.

CURRENT NOTES OF DISCOV-

ERY AND INVENTION.

A MKchine That Register* Speech—It I* Called the I.ahiograpti and Makes a Chart of Words as Thej Are

Uttered.

fiis

uli

1 IS

; , Wpi nIh 7

Jft

Saturn and Uranus. A TURN and Uranus are now very near each other in the southern sky, coming to the meridian about quarter past nine o'clock. They are rather low down for the most favorable observation; but next year they will be

sitnated still more unfavorably, and increasingly so for several years to fol-

low.

Saturn Is easily recognized, being by far the most conspicuous object In tbatpart of the heavens—a few degrees northwest of the head of Scorpio. At nine o’clock on June 24th it is still a little east of the meridian, about a third of the way from the horizon to the zenith in a comparatively starless region. It shines with a steady, pale, yellowish light, in striking contrast with the red Antares, which twinkles and blazes like a windblown flame some fifteen

degrees to the southeast.

Our readers hardly need to be told that Saturn is an Immense globe, weighing nearly a hundred times as much as the earth, and yet in “density" lighter than water; far less dense than any other of the whole planetary family, and apparently covered with a

thick envelope of cloud.

Then, too, in the telescope it is the most beautiful of all because of the splendid encircling rings, which, as has been long believed, and as we now know certainly thanks to the spectroscopic observations of Professor Keeler—are only flocks of little "moonlets” which run swiftly side by side around the planet, each keeping in its own regular circle for the most part, un-

jostled and unjostling.

Just how small they are no one knows as yet, but the whole array Is hardly as heavy as a smoke-wreath. Struve says the rings are as near to “immaterial light” as one can well conceive, drawing this conclusion from the extremely slight cfLct which they produce on the motion of the little satellite Mimas, which coasts, almost undisturbed, around (heir outer edge. Uranus is as unobtrusive as Saturn is conspicuous; Just easily visible to a normal eye, but without a telescope In no way distinguishable from the little stars around it except by its motion; and that is so slow that It Is only to be detected by watching for a week or two. Just now, however, Uranus happens to be situated that one

an Ingenious Instrument called the lablograph, or lip writer. The labiograph is a French Invention. One Instrument, is now In the possession of Dr. Arthur McDonald, of the Bureau of Education In Washington, who Is making experiments with it. It Is a simple device. Attached to an upright pedestal are a pair of parallel tongs of brass. The forks are grooved on their outer sides in order to fit the Ups, and are fixed at right angles to the pedestal. The tongs are held open by a spring. As they are moved by the lips they compress a small bellows, to which Is attached a tube of considerable length. The air driven through the tube passes to another bellows which moves a recorder. This conies in contact with a revolving wheel covered with smoked paper. The changing position of the pointer traces an irregular line on tho paper somewhat similar to that produced by the receiving Instrument of

the ocean cable.

It Is, of course, a work of some time to learn to read the writing of tho labiograph. just as It Is to learn telegraphy. But the figures produced are very marked, iinich more so than those which are read with ease by cable operators. Any one can satisfy himself that the lines are readable by comparing the same words spoken by dif-

ferent persons.

The writing of the labiograph does not record letters, but the sounds of which a word is composed. It Is, of course, purely phonetic, and takes no account of spelling. So delicate Is the instrument that the intervals between the sounds In one word are recorded. The sounds which are accompanied by the closing of the Ups are represented by the highest curves. Those in which the Ups are only slightly contracted are represented by lower curves, and those in which they are held wide apart appear as depressions. The varying height of the linos is the chief factor in enabling one to read them,

AGRUESOME OCCUPATION

grappling for drowned people ALONG NEW YORK’S RIVER FRONT.

the river and took possession of the town with the loss of only fifty men. At the time of the last war with Fiance the plate was strongly fortified on the Roscommon side, the works covering fifteen acres and containing two magazines, a ordnance store, an armory containing 15,000 stand of aims, and barracks for 1,300 men.

llorseH in Our Army.

can swing Is nearly half way round between these two.

can

find

it easily.

On June

24th

it

lies

about two

degrees

south

of

Saturn, and slightly to

the

east, a

little above

the line

that

ItrltlHh Naval Itrlli*.

By direction of the lords of the admiralty a list has just been compiled of the naval relics which are preserved a' her majesty's dockyard at Chatham, says tlie London Times. These Include a cypress-wood chest, with figures and pattern burned in, taken out of a Span-

Perhaps few persons are on more in-1 is,h S«'leon by Sir Geo. Hooke in 1701; a timate terms with the horse family! fia K of 01iver Cr3niwell ’ s t,me ’ bearlng In general than some old cavalry sol- * be G eo, ’Se s cross and the Irish dlers. To be the friend of his horse the har P : a lar «" broni, ’ e * un tak< ' n at lhe soldier must be a good one; a horse storming of Nanking, and a metal gun was never known to favor a bad one crptured in upper Burmah. There aie with his confidence for horses are in- b( uvenirs of the Dutch attack on Chatfallible Judges of soldiers. An old cav- j llain ir 1667 in ;ibj|le of a P lsto1 an 1 airy captain whom I know used to f"’o iron guns from the St. Matthias, say, “I judge of the characters of my! one of tbe ve8spls belonging to the men by the way they get along with enemy’s fleet. The mementos of Adtheir horses.” * iriral Lord Nelsin include a block and

Food for Reflection. Rev. Mr. Longllpp (anxiously)—How did you like my substitute’s sermon last Sunday, Deacon? Deacon Bluntleigh—It was a treat.

In the old frontier days cavalry soldiers thought far more of their horses than they do now, for their lives often depended on them, and if a man neglected his horse, he was sure to have to march on foot before long, which is very distasteful to a cavalryman. Indeed, it was necessary to guard the forage wagon and the water holes to prevent men stealing more than their allowance for their horses. Even now, if you watch some old gray-haired fellows at the “stables” of a cavalry troop, you will see they have not forgotten to be greedy on behalf of their mounts. A recruit horse is like a recruit soldier, apt to be clumsy, unevenly gaited, saucy and conceited. The old horses In the stable yard treat him exactly as old soldiers treat a recruit. They attempt to frighten him by biting at him, kicking him, chasing him from one corner of the yard to another, pulling his mane and ears; in fact, they try to make his life miserable in every way. This lasts for a few days only; then the new horse gets a chum, and they make an agreement to stand by each other. This offensive and defensive alliance prevents the rest of the herd from taking any more liberties with

the recruit.

The “chum business” is one of the most remarkable features of horse life in the army. The “chums” are Inseparable; as soon as the herd is turned out Into the yard the chums seek out each other, as if for a morning “con- | fab,” and remain together all day. j Looking Into the yard at any time, one [ can see them rubbing noses, blinking j at each other, or following each other around the yard. Take a new horse | away from his chum, and he will greatly resent it. Tie him near the stables, J he will whinny plaintively to hts chum, 1 who will answer from the corral.

dead eyes taken from a Danish prize c.ptured at the battle of Copenhagen in 1801; a sixty-eight pounder shot taken out of the side of the Victory after the battle of Trafalgar in 1805; and a bell that was in the Dreadnaught at the same action; besides a portion of the painted canvas cover of the wheel of the Victory. Among relics associated with other wars and battles are various Russian shells and shot from the Crimea, and a six-inch round shot taken out of the Castor after the battle of St. Jean d’Acre. There is a very curious souvenir of the ill-fated Royal George—the purser's candle, obtained from the wreck in 1839, which remained under water sli ce the ship sank, in 1782, till 1839. A portion of the keel of the ship also is preserved. The miscellaneous objects include turret plates taken from the Glatton after experimental firing, and plates from the Apollo and the Howe, after they grounded on the Great Skelllg, Ireland, and on the rocks in Ferrel harbor, Spain, respectively. Some fifty figureheads of various well-known old warships are preserved, including portions of carved work, among which are effigies of William III. and Mary and a scroll with the name Nelson. Not the least interesting possessions of Chatham dockyard are the original admiralty orders extending back to the year 1686 and a copy of the official decree relating to the institution of “the chest” at

Chatham in 1617.

A sign *T am just married” on a Springfield (Mass.) house is atttracting considerable interest. It seems that the owner Is now on his wedding trip, so his friends thought it advisable to let the neighbors know that a newlymarried couple were to reside there.

joins the fifth magnitude star, Kappa Librae, to the smaller star, 41 Librae, which is about three-quarters of a degree northwest of Kappa. Uranus is much nearer to 41, almost due «*nst from it, and very nearly of the same brightness. If there Is any haziness in the air, an opera-glass may be needed to make the planet visible, and in any case it will be a great*help. On July first Uranus will pass very dose to 41 (only about a minute and a quarter to the north), so that to tho naked eye they will appear as a single star, as bright as Kappa. It is seldom that the planet has such excellent "markers” to indicate its position for non-tele-

scopic observers.

Uranus is notable as the first planet ever “discovered;” all that were known when Herschel found it. In 1781, had been known from prehistoric antiquity. It seems so small and faint only because It is so far away from us and from the sun, at a distance exceeding se venteen hundred millions of miles— twice as remote as Saturn. Its globe is smaller thau his, being only about four times the diameter of the earth; nor has It rings like his, nor such a rotinue of satellites—only four as against his eight. Still it is a very respectable body, with fifteen times as great a mass, or weight, as the earth;

| III low ili.M m.Li UK " or Id r>niiia |

(From a Photograph.)

as it Is in ocean telegraphs. This instrument, however, is only in the In*

fancy of Its development. The Circulation of Water.

Scientists are speculating on the

causes of some water currents that have been for centuries uninterruptedly flowing into some unknown receptacles far beneath the surface of the earth. These currents are continuous, and could not, of course, be merely filling an unoccupied space. That there must be an outlet as well as an inlet Is evident, from the enormous quantity of water which is perpetually pouring through these openings in the limestone ledges. After exhausting all other theories, it Is argued that the inrush of water may be caused by the tremendous volcanic heat in some subterranean cavern, the heated water flowing out at some point more or less distant. This volcanic and subLrranean heating was spoken of some years ago as furnishing a plausible theory as to the causes of the high temperature of the Gulf Stream. If, as is generally supposed, the Interior o f the earth is in a condition of intense heat the water that flows into fissures and crevices in the surface of the earth must come out somewhere eilher in steam or hot water. Hot springs and the Gulf Stream are perfectly reasonable phenomena wheq

viewed from this standpoint.

Noe|K

I . aru*i»

\Y«»i

«3 c ° r % • Antares

South

: -L_

.J

and, unlike any of the other planets, it carries its satellites in a very independent sort of way, with their orbits tipped up nearly at right angles to Its own orbit arcund the sun, and whirling backward also. The little star chart will help in recognizing the two planets. Writing Made Superfluous. A new and scientific method of recording speech has at last been invented. Our ordinary system of writing is an arbitrary and clumsy way of representing spoken words. A truly scientific system would be one based on the motions of the Ups. The newly invented system Is, In fact, merely a record of these motions. The writing is obtained by means of

A I. If •* I line Spent In Recovering file IIoillen of Drowned I'l-mon-— II mv the Work I. Done nnd the Price. That Are Paid—KIhIiIiik for Lout V aluable., Grappling for the bodies of tha drowned is not it very attractive) method of earning a living, but one tuanot always choose un occupation in. these times, and if bread and butter! are obtainable readily in this way, why not follow it? At least, this is tho philosophic reasoning of Mr. Edward Reardon, who resides on Front street, in the Seventh Ward, and who is known as the right man to send for when the waters of the East River have claimed a victim whose remains the sorrowing friends want to recover. Reardon is an expert at recovering drowned bodies, as well he might be, for he has pat in a lifetime at tho business, which his father carried on before him. He fell heir to the boats and tackle, and brought to hear on tbe subject many new wrinkles by which money could he made, including the rescuing of misguided animals which had fallen overboard, fishing up old | iron, old rope and anchors, besides thei recovering of floating corpses. I discovered Mr, Reardon sitting on. I the stringpiece of the pier one day last week, and found him in a rather de- ! spondent mood. Business was dull ; and he had a piece of had luck into j the bargain. He had just thrown up \ a job in disgust. He had been hired 1 by the father of a child who was^ | drowned by playing on one of the j docks to recover the body, and after ai i vain search he had to resign in favor of a rival, who found the body near ' where the child fell into the river. “There ain't nothing in the business | nowadays,” said Mr. Reardon. “Time j was when it was worth a man’s while to go out on the river of nights on a I chance of picking up floating bodies. At that time I was paid 5*10 a piece for ; every one I brought ashore. This | money was paid by the coroner, wild! got $‘25 for his inquest fee, and after paying me he still had $15 clear profit! on the transaction. By nnd by tha coroners concluded that they were* paying too much and cut the rates to $5. A man had to live, so even with this low price I was glad to go fishiugi for the drowned, but the coroners got another fit of meanness and cut rates altogether, refusing anything at all. Since then the river has kept its dead, as fur as I am concerned, unless 1 had

a contract beforehand.

“My usual price,” Mr. Reardon went on, “for finding a body is $’25, whether it takes me a day or a month to get it. I stick at the job unttl my grappling iron hooks up what I am after. The longest time it ever took me to recover a body was nine days. L remember being hired by the father of a young fellow named Gallagher, who had walked overboard one night from the pier at the foot of Market street. His father sent for me, and, I searched the river day after day and I hooked up nothing but barrel staves and old iron. I then sat down in the boat and thought matters out. Aftej watching the current carefully and studying the vicinity, I concluded that there was room enough for *he body to have been washed under one of the piers. I got out tho pole tongs and began searching underneath the dock fmiy which the young fellow had fallen, and pretty soon I got the body. It is a part of my business to make a study of the currents of the river, and it is only by the most careful ealculathaj thelocatiou can be. hit upou. Occasionally a body can bo found quite near where the drowning took place, but as a general thing I begin at a spot quite a distance otf. In all, I must have recovered at least 100 bodies from the river. When there is nothing to do in tho body grappling line, I go out looking for anything that I can pick up and get any price

for.

“One day I was hired by a man who accidentally dropped his watch into the river,” said Reardon further. “My grappling iron fetched it up in about half an hour. I got $10 for the job. Another time I was sent to rescue a horse. Rescuing horses is a bit out of the ordinary run of business, but t undertook the job. The horse had fallen over a pier while attached to a wagon, and the driver, for some reason best known to himself, had unfastened the traces and let him drop into, the water. The auiinul sw am out into the river and J caught liigi^- T had^to ljut'o fivfrTssistaht < 'on that job, audj

Cement Roofing;.

Many experiments have been made with cement or plaster roofings of various kinds, but with rather indifferent success, probably because a suitable foundation for this material has not been provided. There is no reason why a roof should not be plastered and be as durable as the side wall of a dwelling. To insure this, however, it is necessary to use heavier lumber

tl an Is ordinarily put into roofs, and got $2 apiece wTTen the money was this must be bolted or seci.relv .nil™.! dlvi(lea up p re tty cheap for reSCU-

this must bo bolted or securely spiked in order that there may be no motion to it. Among the latest ideas In this line is a roofing frame, made somewhat on the principle of a window sash, the cross-pieces leaving openings through which the plaster is pressed, having locks similar to ihose in plastered walls. A combination of cement, gravel and plaster has been used Iti this way with marked success. The Columbian Exposition gave builders a gioat many Ideas about plaster, the "staff,” as it was called, having proven extremely durable and satisfactory in every way as long as there was no motion or working of the foundation or which It rested. It is very evident that small surfaces can be successfully covered with a preparation of cement

and plaster.

Nitrate of potash accumulates in valuable quantities In the organically rich, alluvial plains of India and China, the’ nitrate rising to the surface with the moisture by capillary attraction in tho hot, dry season. There have been discoveries made lately in South Africa of nitrate deposits of a high degree of purity, and said to be In enormous quantities, derived from the dl* rect putrefaction of animal excreta.

ing a horse alive. Another live animal rescued by me was a cow that had fallen overboard from a cattle boat, i; got her out and saved her for the butcher.”—New York News. ,

A Royal Croesus. The King of Greece is said to he tha possessor of vast wealth. He has % magnificent palace at Copenhagen, where all his treasures are stored. He arrived at Athens with scarcely a coin to bless himself with, but lie went in for speculation—so tbe uumor runs—in American wheat with General. Meredith Read, at the time when the Tnrko-Russian war of 187(5-77 had the effect of closing the port and the grain markets of Odessa, and made a pot of money. If, therefore, the worst comes to the worst he will be able to live comfortably. l*arK***t Hog in Ireland. The largest bog in Ireland is the cog of Allen, which stretches across the centre of the island, east of the Shannon, and covers nearly a quarter of a million acres. Altogether, there are nearly 3,000,000 acres of bog in Ireland—that is to say, about oneseventh of the total urea of the country is bog.