Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 January 1875 — Page 8

How Barglars Work.

Nearly «vety day we take up our morning paper and we read of tone unfortunate having been burglariaed. Crime 18 a disease, and, like many other disorders, appears to be epidemical. The numerous successes attained by the gentlemen of the “pick* and “jimmy" seem to hare given the ruffians the greatest confidence in their own powers, and, no long er satisfied with “cleaning out" the peaceful citizen, they have actually * gone through" the terrible police sergeant To anyone acquainted with the drill and audacity of the class of men who take to house-breaking for a living it is a matter of surprise, not that so many burglaries are committed, but that many more are not attempted. In our out-districts the houses seem to be actually built with the intention of aiding to the utmost the efforts of any person desirous of effecting an entrance. Verandas that serve no earthly use run dong the fronts of hundreds of our houses, ana it is quite easy, having gained the veranda, to lift up a window sash and thus effect an entrance. The locks on the majority or those doors are of the poorest description, and offer little or no resistance to the burglar. Many people, when they lock their door at night, have a habit of leaving the key in the lock, under the impression that it will prevent any person from using a pick or skeleton-key to open the door, and so it will. But in this case the thief uses neither of those hole a very strong though light forceps, and seizing the extremity of the key opens the door with a single turn of his wrist. Then, if you leave a key in the lock, let it be one that does not open the door. There is but little difference between the tools of a first-class burglar and those of an honest locksmith, for the latter is often called on to pick locks and to open safes when keys are lost and time is pressing. There are some instruments, of course, such as dark-lantern and revolver pistol, not required by the honest tradesman in his business, that are all important to the professional burglar. A first-class outfit comprises a darklantern, silent-matches, wax taper, revolver, a large priming-knife, useful for cutting out door-panels, a palette-knife, thin and pliant, for opening windows (by insertion between the sashes, so as to push back the spring-fastening), a jimmy or small crowbar about a foot in length, and splayed or crow-footed at one end; skeleton-keys with wards at each end, called “ double-enders;” wires to lift lock-tumblers and a center-bit. This is a complete set of ordinary tools and may be carried with ease in a small car-pet-bag.

Hall-door locks are large, massive, and usually take a very large and apparently complex warded key; but the burglar is well aware that many of these wards are superfluous. If he wants a key for such a lock he cuts out a blank key in tin, one side of which he covers with wax. Wards being simple obstructions fixed in the locks he has only to carefully insert the blank and turn it gently to receive an impression of them on the wax. From this impression a key is easily forged out of strong iron wire. Of course it is much simpler than the original. Semetimes doors are opened with a pick-lock, which acts by working outside the wards, reaching the bolt that way; but it requires more dexterity than the other, and is successful only in the hands of a practical thief. The success of the burglar when operating on warded locks caused them at length to be discarded from banks and money-houses, in favor of the lever or tumbler lock, and the thief’s skeleton keys found themselves bent to no effect in endeavoring to open them. So the locksmith had to be circumvented by fresh means, and the jack-in-the-box was invented. Its object was to force the lock off or rend the case so that the bolts might be drawn back. This was accomplished by inserting a T-shaped bolt of iron in the lock, ana then by means of the jack (an adaptation of the principle of the lever and screw) rending open the lock. This plan was prevented by. introducing very srfia'il keys and placing the tumblers, etc., above the key-hole. Having been defeated for a long while at the safe-lock, they at length discovered a new plan, which was to attack the hinges, pressing them off by means of powerful levers. In this manner the safe of a large firm in London was opened and an immense quantity of valuables stolen. The firm brought an action against the safe-makers, who had sold them the safe as thief-proof, to recover damages, and for the defense the burglar, who had been captured and sentenced, was placed on the stand, and deposed that there was no safe made that could resist an attack properly made on its hinges. After this trial the safe-makers counter-sunk their hinges, and at the present time we may safely sav that the thief has the worst of the battle. After the lock has been Overcome the burglar has often to remove door-bolts. To do this it is sometimes necessary to cut out one of the panels. This used to be effected by means of a fine saw. Now an instrument called a panel-cutter is used. A strong stem with a gimlet point is thrust into the center of the panel. Through this stem slides a cross-bar, carrying at one extremity a sharp-cutting tool which can be adjusted to move at any required radius. At the head of the stem is a double-armed lever which works the whole machine. This instrument will make a hole in a few minutes large enough to adm.t the burglar’s arm or the body of a small boy, and the door is quickly unfastened, 'rhe only safeguards are to have the door lined with sheet-iron or studded with nails irregularly disposed. Everybody knows that the thief seldom if ever breaks into a house on the particulars concerning which he is not well posted. 'He knows how many people live in the house, and the rooms they sleep in, and the hours they retire to rest. Women and children watch during the day and the house-breaker himself by night, and this watch will be kept up for days and nights until all necessary information has been obtained. The burglars, who generally go in threes, select the time when the police officer has just passed on his weary round to commence operations. If you haven watch-dog, it is drugged; if you have a corrupt servant, he has been, perhaps, bribed. A mold has been taken of your house-key; a panel is removed, or perhaps entrance is effected, through the windows opening on your veranda The burglar, who has pulled on thick stockings over his boots, moves rapidly and without noise. Plate and money are his two great aesires, but he will take almost anything rather than go emptyhanded. So cleverly managed is the whole affair that the police officer may pass by a door out of which a panel baa been cut and notice nothing, for the

panel baa been replaced with a sheet of painted or grained paper, provided for that purpose. Outside a comrade is on guard, and the burglars are careful not to leave the house until the signal that the coast is clear. Immediately on reaching their quarters the thieves change their clothes; the next thing to do is to get rid of the plunder, than which nothing is easier if it be plate. Jewels are also readily disposed of, but not so profitably for the robbers. With all that has been said, there is but little danger where proper precautions are taken. It is a curious fact that these men who inform themselves so carefully as to what and where they can steal venture little willingly, and they are careful to learn whether your bars alone protect your property. Keep a good dog inside your house and a Smith & Wesson at your hand and you’ll have but little trouble from burglars, and if they do come never bring down a light when you go to see what is the matter. — San Francisco Call.

A Kansas Farmer’s Account of the Grasshoppers.

Near Topeka, Kan., I talked with a farmer who planted a thousand acres of corn but did not gather an ear. Last year he sold corn for seventeen cents and this year he was shipping it from lowa at fl .25. He sat on the balcony mourning the utter destruction erf his crop. “ How aid they come—the grasshoppers?” I asked. “ They came like a shower, sir," he refdied. “Theycame in a great shower rom the west. They filled the air. They darkened the sun. They covered the stalk of com until it was black. Then they ate every leaf, ate the stalk down to the young ear and then ate the little ear too." “ Cob and all, sir?” “ Yes, cob and all. Why, don’t you see that 1,000 acres of com out there now?’’ he pxclaimed—“standing like broken whip-stocks?” “ What else did they eat?” I asked. “ Why, they ate every leaf off of the peach trees, ate the young peaches, leaving the stones, and there stood my trees leafless, bearing a crop of peach-stones. They ate little cottonwood limbs an inch thick; they ate my beets, turnips and onions clean down into the groundfollowed them out, leaving the rind —at® cigar-stubs, sir, and—— ’’ “Hold up!” I said, “ that’s too much; that’s ” “But it’s the solemn truth, sir. Why, one night I sat on the balcony with the engineer of the Santa Fe Road. The 'hoppers had piled up against the west side of the house three feet thick. It was a crawling, stinking, nasty pile. Th balcony was covered. I threw down a quid of tobacco and the hoppers covered it and ate it up in a few minutes, and when I put my foot on a pile of them the rest sailed in and ate the smashed ones up. Why, when I went to build my fires this fall the stoves wouldn’t draw, and, on examination to learn the cause, I found the flues full of ’hoppers. They filled the air with a horrid stench. They covered the pools and springs with their poisonous green excrescence and made the cattle sick, they made the hens and turkeys sick; and they fairly made me sick. Whv, I’ve seen them so thick on the railroad that they’d stop a train—grease the track till the locomotive wheels would roll over and over.” “ What became of them?" I asked. “ They flew east. They always flew in the daytime and ate at night. They went through my corn-field in a day, and the next day they were a half-mile to the east. ; . “And the trees?" “ Why, they all leaved out again, and many of them blossomed over again and tried to bear fruit, and did bear it till the frost caipe- In my trees you’d see dead peach-stones and pink blossoms—all together. Oh, it was a mournful sight, sir —dreadful!” and the farmer drew a long sigh.— Cor.'New York Sun.

Poisons.

We noticed, a few weeks ago, the action taken by the American Academy oi Science, at its last meeting, upon the injurious results likely to issue from the free use of Paris green and other poisons in the extermination of insects. The idea was advanced by Prof. Le Conte, and indorsed by the Academy, that the continual and extensive use of mineral poisons, such as at present prevail in the great fight with the potato-beetle, might end in so vitiating the soil as to render it barren, or the poison might even infect the vegetation and make it baleful. In support of this argument, a case was cited where the fumes of a copper-works in Massachusetts had injured the surrounding forests and grass-lands. The discussion has led to the recital of a similar investigation in Europe, which was pursued some years ago. Prof. Freytag, of Bonn, was at one time employed to study the effect upon vegetation of the fumes from two of the largest copper-Works in Europe,-situated in the same town. In his report the professor contended that the ground could not be injured by the smoke from the works, although this contained copper, sulphur, lead, zinc, arsenic, antimony and other metals. He affirmed, also, that plants could not take up these poisons, and showed that healthy cattle were raised in the ~ immediate vicinity of the works. The injury which vegetation might receive from the poisonous fumes, in his opinion, would come from the condensation of the latter by rain, dew, etc., and the deposition of the acid liquor upon foliage, eating and destroying its tissues. Solid particles might also be deposited upon the plants, choking their pores and, in solution with rain, corroding their substance. Animals eating such fodder would fail to obtain nourishment, and, if solid poisons remained on the leaves, would be poisoned. These views, which are entitled to consideration, are in direct antagonism to the theories of Prof. Le Conte and other members of the American Academy. The deleterious effect of poisons in coloring matter is exciting general attention. At the Glasgow Philosophical Society a paper was recently read by Mr. James McFarland, detailing experiments made by him to ascertain the nature of the coloring material in wax tapers. The results of his tests are as follows: White tapers were found to be harmless; little ash. Yellow tapers were also proved 1 armless, being colored with chromate of lead; ash, metallic. Blue tapers, harmless; colored with ultramarine. Red tapers proved highly poisonous, containing 1.93 per cent, of vermilion; slight ash. Green tapers also proved poisonous; color due to arsenic; metallic ash; Quantity of arsenic, about 1 per cent.— Chicago Tribuno. The New York World wants u> know if a man with a cough is not a hackman.

A Fine-Looking Couple.

Thbt took seats in the first row of the dress circle. People that saw them come in remarked that it was a remarkably fine-looking couple. He looked so exquisite. She was so sweet. His eyeglasses sat upon his nose with such an elegant straddle. Her hat sat upon her head with a perfect rakish air. Could anything be more beautiful? Once comfortably seated the following conversation ensued at short intervals: She—l think,operas perfectly splendid; don’t you, Ous? He—Y-a-s. i ' -•* She—lsn’t the streets just awful? He—Y-a-s —awful. She—Don’t you think Mr. N.’s mustache is really stunning, now? He-Y-a-s. She—Over yonder is Miss Merrymaid with Col. Sleedblood. 1 wonder if such an, elegant fellow would be foolish enough to throw himself away on that chit? He—Nevab. She—lsn’t her cloak perfectly horrible? He—Ah, howable. She—She ain’t a bit handsome He—No-ah, not a bit. She—l here ain’t the least possible style about her; do you think there is? He —Not the least. She —I wonder what Lucy Lukewarm will wear at Mrs. Tomfool’s party tomorrow night. She shows such bad taste in colors; don’t you think so? He —Ah—vewy. She—There goes the curtain. What’s the opera, Gus? He —Now, weally, I don’t know. She—Who is the prima donna? He —Ah —’pon me soul, I have forgot. She—Seems to me I heard pa say it was Ristori. He—Y as—Wistowah. She—l know it’ll be a fearful bore. He —Yas—a bore. — Cincinnati Gazette.

A Texas Duel.

Manning and Molett, rival physicians in Giddings, Tex., quarreled, as most rival physicians do. They agreed to settle their difficulty with knives in a quiet place in the woods just out of town. There were no seconds or spectators, and each of the physicians took along lint and bandages to dress his wounds. Their accounts of the fight are alike, and as follows: . The weapons were long bowieknives. They stripped to the waist, and at the first onslaught got such a firm hold of each other that the weapons could not be used. After a long struggle they separated and stood warily watching for a chance. As they at length rushed together Manning received a slight stab in the neck and Molett a more serious cut across the arm. They stopped long enough for each to dress his own wound and then faced for another round. With great caution, and many feints and dodges, they spent what they say seemed like half an hour without coming together. Finally Molett caught Manning’s head under his arm and, while for an instant he was able to hold him in that position, stabbed him twice deeply in the breast; but Manning, with his arm free, was able at the same time to plunge his knife into Molett’s back. These serious stabs ended the fight. Molett was able to reach his surgical appliances and attend to his wound. Manning fainted and fell insensible and bleeding. After attending to his own hurt Molett says he was about to go away and leave his adversary to bleed to death, but his better nature dominated, and with considerable effort he saved Manning’s life. Assistance soon came, and they were taken to their homes, where they will be confined a long time by their injuries.— N. Y. Sun.

Farmers’ Ice-Houses.

All that is necessary is to build of liberal dimensions; provide drainage, so that no water can stand under the ice in contact with it; be sure aijd trap the drain; inclose the ice with double walls of studs and board partitions, leaving at least thirty inches between the boards; All the space with dry sawdust or dry tanbark (the former is preferable), and pack it closely; build the walls at least one foot above the top of the ice; leave openings so that air may circulate freely through the house over the ice; roof so as to exclude rain and bank around the building with earth so as to prevent air from escaping from the house under or through the foundations; and cover the ice with not more than ten or twelve inches of dry sawdust. No straw, tan, sawdust or other material are required under or between the layers of the ice; I usually make the floor on which the ice rests of any rough wood laid closely on the earth. Neither stone nor brick foundations are necessary. Blocks, on which to rest the sills, laid on the ground, properly leveled, are a good foundation. Three by four inch scantling, are heavy enough for the sills, studding and plates. The boards forming the double walls of siding, inclosing the sawdust filling, should be placed on the outside of the inner row of studding and on the inner side of the outer row. When sided thus very little nailing is required, as the pressure of the dust on either side keeps the board walls against the studding. The dust should be set on a board floor a few inches from the earth that it may not absorb moisture from it. Half-inch bolts should be used to bolt the inner and outer rows of studding together, to prevent the dust or other filling from spreading them apart; one every four feet in the height of, the studs is all that is required. The earth embankment all around the building should be closely packed against the outer boards, and, if it can be conveniently obtained without excavating a trench around the building, it is better to avoid making a trench; but the waters from the roof and that which falls or flows around the building should be conveyed from it by good surface drainage. It is better to project the eaves of the roof well, unless gutters are provided, so that the roof-water may not wash the embanked earth from the building- Gutters are preferable. The door for filling should extend from sill to eaves-plate. No hinges are required for the doors. There should be double rows of cleats on each of the wide door-jambs; between each double row bin-boards should be loosely inserted as the filling of the bouse advances, and the spaces between them should be finally filled with dust the same as the remainder of the walls. The ice may be removed through the same door by removing the loose boards, and the sawdust in the doorway should be thrown in around the ice.

As the ice melts next to the walls the space should be kept filled with dry dust. The filling in the doorway should always be maintained one foot higher than the bulk of ice. When the house is filled the ice should be so placed as to be highest in the center, and should be so kept

throughout the season in which it is used that the melted drainings from its upper surface may flow off toward the wall and thence to the floor, instead of filtering through the main body of the mass of ice. This precaution alone, when I have recommended its strict observance, has secured the keeping of ice throughout the season in houses before considered worthless. .Too much covering material on the ice in the house, particularly if it is allowed to ferment, is worse than too little.— Cor. Country Gentleman.

Making Selections From Samples.

In purchasing dry goods and other . manufactured articles it may answer well enough for the purchaser to make his selections from samples, but with re- . spect to agricultural and horticultural products a man may be very easily led i astray. For instance, a man attending ; an exhibition of fruits may examine the various kinds’and decide from appearances (we have seen many do so), and thereby be very much deceived in the quality. But suppose he has also an opportunity of testing quality; he has then only gamed a knowledge of the fruit itself, while its adaptation to soil and locality, which are usually matters of the greatest importance, must still be determined. Fruits exhibited in Virginia may have been produced in Central New York, and be of no more value for culture in the former State than an orange or a fig. This making selections from samples exhibited at fairs has led thousands astray, simply for the want of a proper consideration of the circumstances under which the fruits were produced. We have known enthusiasts in horticulture who would visit exhibitions of fruits from various States, and with note-book and pencil in hand pass from one table to another, taking down the name of every handsome variety, and thus make out their orders for plants without once considering the question of adaptation. Many persons have pursued a similar course by making selections from the plates in agents’ “picture-books,” gotten up for the purpose of showing their customers what beautiful things in the way of fruits and flowers thSy had for sale. With such shortsightedness on the part of purchasers it is no wonder that so many make failures where success would have crowned their efforts if proper selections had been made. The fairs, as well as the colored plates of

fruits and plants, are usually of a character from which beneficial results might come, but the knowledge intended to be conveyed is frequently misapplied. It is this want of proper discrimination and consideration of the value of an article offered for sale by samples which gives the dishonest dealer an opportunity of swindling his customers. Thousands of rooted cuttings of the old charter oak grape have been sold at prices ranging from one to three dollars each, simply because it is of large size, and the seller exhibited samples of the fruit preserved in alcohol, which, although attractive in appearance, were otherwise worthless. The best varieties, either in appearance or flavor, may be valuable in one locality and worthless in another; hence the necessity of knowing something beyond the fruit itself. /

The same rules hold good in the selection of farm animals. The fattest or fastest may not be the best under all circumstances. The merino may be the most profitable breed of sheep for one locality and the Southdowns for another. In some instances the market for the fleece would be the principal thing to be considered, while in other localities this might be ofless importance than the value of the carcass in the butcher’s stall. Then again certain breeds thrive much better in a particular region of country than another, and this point requires close and careful investigation, in order to insure the best results. We may admire the appearance of a breed of cattle as exhibited at a fair, but admiration must notbe carried so far as to make us overlook adaptation to actual wants or circumstances. The light, nimble-footed breeds of cattle are better suited to a rocky, hilly country than those of an opposite type. Those breeds which are most profitable for the dairy are the least so for beef, and this principle must be considered in all the various branches of agriculture. We have frequently seen it stated that a certain number of pounds of corn fed to a hog would give a certain amount of pork, which may be true with one breed of hogs and not with another. The production of fat or flesh in animals is not carried on with such a strict mechanical uniformity as to allow of no difference in the processes of growth or laying on of flesh beyond that of quantity or quality of food given. It may do very well for the raisers of fancy breeds of chickens to say that a certain amount of food can be turned into so many dozen of eggs and so much meat; but the rules given do not always work well in practice. The exhibition of samples is certainly the first step toward obtaining specific information in regard to the article, but it should always be considered only that and nothing more.— New York Sun.

How to Furnish a House.

The New York Times draws a picture of the time when our houses shall be furnished as they should be: “Heavy fugs will partly cover the polished floors. Paper of some neutral tint, free from glaring figures, will stretch from the richly-colored dado at the bottom to the gay border at the top. The picture-rod will not be of the eternal gilt that wearies us now. It will be painted some decided color that will harmonize with the prevailing shade of the whole room. Before the windows and before the doors, which open outward, curtains, heavy in texture and subdued in tone, edged with strong lace, will- hang from wooden rings which move freely on a slender wooden rod fastened to the sheathing. Rings and rod will be of the hue of the picture-rod above. The single curtain before each opening will be looped so one side. Low bookcases, not over three feet high, of dark wood relieved by a few chiseled designs .picked out in color, will line the wall. Nd glass doors will disfigure them. One general pattern, varied in each piece, will stamp the furniture. Last and greatest, an open wood fire, either in a fireplace or in one of the Franklin stoves which still lurk in the garrets of old country-houses, will cast its cheery light over everything. The close stove, the register, the grate and the radiator will be tabooed. The blaze of wood burning across brazen andirons is something so beautiful that no artist has ever succeeded in paintingit. The first of all hints nn household tastes should be: Have, an open wood fire in the room in which you mean to live.” -! Newspapers now prepay postage. Yes, and a Kansas editor says that “ this is the grasshopper that will chaw us up.”

A Pathological Liar.

The disease known among alienist physicians as aphasia, and the symptom of which is the patient’s inability to express his meaning by a proper use of words, so that should ha wish gruel he will call for snuff or his hoots, has recently caused some curious developments in the case of the Corqttier, about whose moral and social accountability there has been much discussion. She is utterly unable to tell the truth on any subject—at least she has not for years been known to tell it—and in her defense on the charge of perjury her advocate, M. Henri Bernouilli, has pleaded her cause on grounds very similar to those so often urged in America in behalf of criminals—temporary insanity, moral insanity and the like—first used, I believe, by the late Mr. Seward in his defense of the negro Freeman. In a trial that grew out of a case of inheritance Mme. Corottier swore so wildly that at its close she was immediately held for perjury, and her counsel proved by physicians that, beyond all manner of doubt, there was such a nervous disorder as aphasia, and that those afflicted with it are not always and in every instance subject to its influence. They can at times call things by their right names; the disease is an obscure one, nor is it possible to detect its presence by other external signs than this misnaming of facts and objects. This being proved, M. Bernouilli next called numbers of witnesses who had known the prisoner foryears, and whose testimony was to the effect that it always seemed impossible for her to tell the truth. In questioning the prisoner during the proces-wrbal she had been detected in numerous misstatements; she called one physician a cow; said that a slop-bowl examined her, and addressed M. Bernouilli under the title of “ hairbrush.” M. Bernouilli is one of the most eloquent and subtle of Parisian advocates, and, on the grounds shown above, actually succeeded in acquitting his client of the crime with which she was charged. To many her caae will seem to be simply that of an enormous liar; but, as her swearing was gratuitous, and she was in no way benefited or could have been benefited by it, her position was peculiar. But how many gratuitous liars are there in the world, and if aphasia can be used as a plea for them what is to become of morals and of criminal justice?—Ccxr. W. K Grap/zjc.

Ballroads in the Andes.

The Callao, Lima & Oroyo Railroad has no equal in the world for skillful engineering and cost of construction. The commencing point is at the city of Callao, on the coast of Peru, whence it runs north and east and terminates at the town, of Oroyo, on the east side of the Andes Mountains, there making close connections with the headwaters of the Amazon River, thereby making speedy conveyance and cheap transportation for commerce and the traveling public across the continent of South America, ana avoiding the long and perilous trip around Cape Horn. This gigantic project of scaling the mighty Andes by rail was first projected and is now being carried out by Henry Meiggs, the railroad king of South America, tunneling mountains of solid granite and spanning streams and passes at heights from thir-ty-five to 252 feet above their beds, almost irrespective of the cost. Some idea may be formed of the cost of construction where operations were commenced on a level with the sea and in a distance of 104 A miles of the road has attained the unparalleled height of 15,645 feet above the level of the sea, and in that distance passing through fifty-eight tunnels measuring from 200 feet to 3,737 feet in length. The entire length of the road is only 136 miles, but it cost $37,350,000 in American gold coin. A second great reason for the enormous cost of constructing roads in this country is the scarcity of material, all of which is brought here from the United States. The first bridge of importance is that which spans the Agua de Verruga. The central pier of three that support this grand piece of superstructure is 252 feet in height, resting on solid masonry 70 feet square, and spanning a space of 575 feet. Proceeding over a perilous portion of the road, winding around spurs of mountains, through long tunnels, some of which are arched only by their mother rock, others more artistically faced by first-class masonry, the bed of the road forming long and sounding turns, so that at times there may be seen three lines of rails lying one above the other, .

At this place also, which is situate between two thriving little towns called Surco and Matucana, may be seen the same mountain tunneled twice, one tunnel being directly over the other, at a distance of 90 or 100 feet. Passing this romantic place, still ascending a grade of 105 to 211 feet to the mile for a distance of twenty-three miles, and we reach that picturesque spot termed in Spanish “ La Infernilia,” meaning in our language “The Gates of Hell,” a place where nature has formed an opening through the mountains through which passes the swift waters of the river Rimae, walled up by solid rock to a height of over 2,000 feet above the bed of the river, presenting a face as smooth as if cut so .by the hands of skilled workmen. Here may be seen a display of masterly engineering in order to overcome this colossal obstruction. In many other places, where the maximum grade brings the bed of the road to a point utterly impassable, an opportunity always presents itself for an outlet by forming a V and retracing the already passed-over portion of road alongside of the mountain until an elevation is obtained whereby a pass may be effected. But at La Infernilia no such opportunity presents itself; consequently there was no alternative but to tunnel the mountains of volcanic rock or abandon the projected route. The work was at once commenced on the south side of the river, and in order to push it more rapidly an entrance was commenced on the river side, which was done only by letting men down from the tops of the smooth-faced wall by ropes, thereby supporting themselves until they drilled and blasted a foothold and entrance. This done, the work proceeded rapidly with the aid of the celebrated diamond drill. And on the opposite side of the river a repetition of the same labor was soon commenced. The tunnels being completed, the fearful chasm was soon spanned by a magnificent iron bridge. It connects the two tunnels, viz., Nos. 31 and 32, at a height of 200 feet above the bed of the river, with either end resting on natural

masonry. ~ ; t '- Again, on emerging from the opposite side of the tunnel 32, another great obstacle presents itself. On the entrance of the same tunnel the bed of the track is 200 feet below that of the road and only a few yards from the outlet of the

tunnel the road bed falls several feet below the river; thus ah idea may be formed of the tremendous fall and with what rapidity the waters of the Klmac force their way through these mountain passes. In order to overcome ! £, reat °* >Btac l® • tunnel is now being built large enough for a double team ann ca lP? ge J° b? driven through, in which will be placed 500 barrels of powder at a single blast, for the purpose of blowing down the mountain, thereby making a W river to pass and leaving the oldjbed with a small amount of excavation ready for the bed of the road. One other of 1,000 barrels of powder was used, creating a sensation similar to that of an earthquake for many miles around its vicinity. Here we leave La Inf ernilia, that stupendous work of nature, utilized and still more beautiful in art, and wend our way through already completed tunnels, over mountains and through river valleys, until we at last reach the summit of the Andes, at a place called Gallera, the highest point of the road, viz. 15,645 feet above the sea. This altitude is the bed of the road, not to speak of the many hundred feet of rock still towering above the tunnel through which pass the iron rails. Doubtless a good many people living in North America are under the impression that there is little or no snow in this part of the globe, but such is not the case, as at this altitude we have perpetual snow. , At thisppinLthelqngest tunnel on the road is being built, being 1,150 metres, or 8,737 feet (English) in length, which has been under course of construction for about twenty-six months. We expect to complete it in about eight or ten months more, when the entire line will be ready for the rails. The greatest obstacle with which the laborers have to contend is the rarity of the atmosphere, the pr< -sure being only eight pounds to the square inch. The state of affairs is endured only by men of iron constitutions, so to speak. With the aid of the diamond drill, which considerably lightens the work, we hope soon to See the tunnel ready for the rails. From this point commences a gradual descent down the east side of the Andes Mountains to the town of Oroyo. The work here, being comparatively light, is already completed. From Oroyo other important lines of road are soon to be built, thereby opening up one of the richest and most fertile countries of the globe—a country heretofore without an oiftlet, except by mule-back.— Henry J. Schenck, Engineer C., L. & 0. R. R., in Miners' Journal.

WILLIAM BROWN, OP OREGON. [Credited by the New York Graphic to Joaquin Miller.] g They called him Bill, the hired man, And she they called her Mary Jane, And lovers often drew a rein To chat and sigh as lovers can Across the gate in snatch and catch; And women winked across their tea And said, and truly so, thought he, That she would make a splendid match. This hired man had loved her long, Had loved her beet and first and last; Her very garments as she passed For him had symphony and song. So when one day, with brow afrown She called him Bill he raised his head, He canghther eye, then faltering said: “ I love you, and my name is Brown.” She fairly waltzed with rage; she wept; You would have thought the house afire; She told her sire, the portly ’Squire, Then smelt her smelling salts and slept. Poor William did what could be done— He swung a pistol on each hip. He'gathered up a great ox-whip And drove toward the setting sun. He crossed the great backbone of earth, He saw the snowy mountains rolled’ Like mighty billows, saw the gold Of awful sunsets, saw the birth Of sudden dawn upon the plain. And every eve would William Brown Bat pork and beans and then lie down And dream sweet dreams of Mary Jane. * ****** The teter ooard of life goes up, The teter board of life goes down. The sweetest face must learn to frown; The biggest dog has been a pup. Her lovers passed. Wolves hunt in packs. They sought for bigger game; somehow. They seemed to see about her brow The forky sign of turkey tracks. At last she nursed a new desire; She sighed, she wept for William Brown. She watched the splendid sun go down Like some great sailing ship afire; Then rose and checked her trunks right on And in the cars she lunched and lunched, And had her ticket punched and punched Until she came to Oregon. She wore blue specs upon her nose She reached the limit of the lines, And then set out to reach the mines In rather short and manly clothes. Her right hand held a parasol, Her pocket held a Testament, And thus equipped right on she went, Went waterproof and waterfall. She asked a miner gazing down, Slow stirring something with a spoon, To tell her true and tell her soon What had become of William Brown. ■ He looked askance beneath her specs, Then stirred hie cock-tail round and round, Then raised his head and sighed profound And said, “ He’s handed in his checks.” Then care fed on her damaged cheek And she grew faint, did Mary Jane, And smelt her smelling salts in vain, Yet wandered on wayworn and weak Until at last she .sat her down .... Upon a sloping hill alone; And thfere, good gracious! stood a stone, And lo! that stone read William Brown. “ Oh. William Brown! Oh, William Brown! And here you rest at last,” she said, “ With this lone stone above your head, And forty miles from any town. I will plant cypress trees, I will, And I will build a fence around, And I will fertilize the ground With tears enough to turn a mill.” She went and got a hired man, She brought him forty miles from town; Then in the tall grass she sat down And bade him build as she should plan; But Digger herders with their bands They saw and hurriedly they ran And told a bearded cattle-man That some one builded on his lands. He took a rifle from the rack, He girt him in his battle pelt. He thrust two pistols in his belt. Then mounted on his charger’s back And plunged ahead. But when they shewed A woman'there abont his eyes He pulled his hat. and he likewise Pulled at hie beard and chewed and chewed. At last he gofrhim down and spake, “Oh, lady dear, what do you here?” “I builda tomb unto my dear; I plant some flowers for his sake." The bearded man threw his two hands Above his head, then brought them down And cried. “ Oh, I am William Brown, And this the corner of my lands.” Her specs fell off, her head fell back Some like a lifted teapot lid; „ She screamed—this ancient maiden did—- . Then, fainting, spilt herself, alack! J Ttight in the beard of William Brown. Then all the diggers were amazed, They thought the lonely maiden crazed, And, circling there, they squatted down. * * * * * * * The preacher rode a spotted mare, He galloped forty miles or more; He swore he nbver had before Seen bride or bridegroom half so fair. And all the miners, they came down And feasted as the night advanced; And all the Diggers drank and danced And cried, “ Big Injin, William Brown.”

—h. minister in Kansas received only fifty cents for his first quarter’s salary. Ana, strange to say, he did for his next quarter's allowance, but fled to some spot where the laborer is worthy of higher.