February.
OLD BRIDGES IN CHINA.
The most remarkable evidence of the median
jcal skill and science of the Chinese at an early
period, is to be found in their suspension
bridges, the invention of which is assigned to
the Ham dynasty. According to the concur
rent testimony of all their historical and geo
graphical writers, Sangleang, the commander
of the army under Kaou-taoo, the first of the
HamB, undertook and completed the forma
tion of roads through the mountainous province
of the Shersa to the west of the capital. Hith
erto, its lufty hilts and deep vallej-B had reu
dered communication difficult and circuitous
With a body of 100,000 laborers he cut pas
sages over the mountains, throwing the re
moved soil into the valleys, and where this was
not sufficient to raise the road to the required
flight he constructed bridges, which rested on
pillars or abutments. In another place he nan.
ceneuamt accomplished the .taring project of
-"I n lUMUINHHIW
other over a deep chasm. The bridges, which
are called by the Chinese writers, very appro
priately, flying bridges, and are represented to
bo numerous at the present day, are sometimes
so high that they cannot be traversed without
alarm, line still exists m Shensa, stretching
400 feet from mountain to mouutain over a
chasm of over 500 feet. Most of these Hying
bridges are so wide that four horsemen cau ride
on them abreast, and balustrades are placed on
each Bide to protect travelers. It is by no
means improbable (as Mr. l'autheier suggested)
that as the missionaries to China made known
the fact over a century and a-half ago that the
Chinese had suspension bridges ami that many
of them were made of iron, the bint may have
been taken from thence for similar construc
tion by European engineers.
Tub PUTURIOI TBI Knoinkkiis. At a meet
ing of the Liverpool Engineering Society, De
cember 19th, Mr. Graham Smith, gave an ad
dress on the "Status and l'rosficcts of Engi
neers." The speaker Bnid that tlio remains of
canahj, aqueducts, reservoirs and other works
are to be found in Egypt, India, China, and,
in fact, all over the world, clearly denoting that
the ancients possessed men answering the de
scription and tilling the position which the
engineer of the present day occupies. He said
the works of the ancients were held in estima
tion by their kings and rulers, for among the
titles of the god, Vul, were those of "Lord of
Canals," anil "The Establisher of Irrigation
Works. " At the present time the profession
WM little recognized, nnd titles were sparsely
distributed to the leaders of the profession, but
an engineer ought to care little atmut them, as
by his own work he may gain more distinction
and honor than it was in the power of all the
crowned heads of Europe to bestow. To suc
ceed as an engineer, a man must have ability
ami training to do his work, and he must love
it, or the disappointments and hardships en
countered during the earlier part of his pro
fessional career will possibly cause him to
underestimate his capacities, and render him
wanting in self-reliance and decision of char
acter. Nevertheless, trials are almost necessary
to the proper development 01 an engineer, just
as iron must pass through the fire before it is
converted into steel. The difficulties facing a
vouiiL' man about to enter upon a private MM
tice he thought greater than those experienced
in otner proiessious, ami rcmarKcti iu conclusion
that maimilieeiit w orks vet remained to lie car
ried out which would immortalize the names of
the engineers.
Mathematics ami Mkiucisk. -Mark Twain
in Atlantic for November, says: Among other
talks to-day, it came out that whale ships carry
no doctors. The Captain adds the doetorshi p
to ins own duties. He not only gives niedi-
cihcb, but sets broken UAM alter notions oi urn
own, or saws them oil and sears the stump
when amputation Beems best. The Captain is
provided with a medicine chest, with the medi
cines numbered instead of named. A biwk of
directions goes with, this. It describes diseases
and symptoms, and Bays: "Give a teaspoonful
of No. 9 once an hour, or, "Give 10 grains of
No. 12 every half hour," etc. One of our sea
captains came across a skipper in the North Pa
cific, who was in a state of great surprise and
perplexity. Said he: "There's something rot
ten about this medicine -chest business. One of
my men was sick nothing much the matter. I
looked in the book; it said give him a tea
spoonful of No. 15. I went to the medicine
chest and I saw I was out of No. 15. I judged
I'd got to get up a combination somehow, that
would fill the bill, so I hove into the fellow half
a tcasjxionfiil of No. 8 and half a teaspoonful of
No. 7, anl HI be hanged if it didn't kill him in
15 minutes! There's something about this
medicine chest system that's too many for me!"
Hfprtos Rim TtssKi,. Work has lieen
uapended until spring on the tunnel under the
Hudson river, New York. Two shafts will le
sunk, one in Jersey City, the other in New
York, near Mortou street. Then the excava
tion of the tunnel cau le begun underneath the
river, two Utdies of men being at work. The
ground OB which the Bobokw (Jersey City)
shaft is being sunk is made ground, and great
precaution is necessary to guard against the
possible caving in of the sides. A circular
brick shell was first built As fast as the earth
was excavated fnun under it the wall sunk,
while a gang of workmen kept piling more
brick at the top, and in this manner the shaft
has reached its present depth of 30 feet. It is
to be 70 feet deep when finished. The tunnel
will be 26 feet feet wide, '24 feet high, aud, it
the em. n.rw is profitable, it will be carried
under New York and the Kast river, it is
stated, to Brooklyn.
A Loko Estate. It is stated (with how
much truth we do not know), says the American
Manrfaeturer, that the ofl producers hare se
cured the actual ownership of a strip of ground
extending from the oU region to the seaboard
and of a width of one rod, through which to lay
their proposed pipe line. If one or more pipe
lines are laid to the seaboard, it will of course
have the effect to diminish the number of
inland renaenea and build up retinenee at the
eastern terminus ol Uie line, or tines.
THE WEST SHORE.
"NOTHING BUT A FAttMEK."
"He's nothing but a farmer. ' said a little
nnss, a few eveuings since, as the moto folly
curled her pretty Up, DO being Introduced to
tine, generous, open-hearted fellow, wIhw
broad and expansive forehead was the symbol
of his broad acres. " He's nothing hut a
farmer.' Ami who was she that linked thus
disdainfully on one of Cod's noble men? She
was the daughter of a broken merchant, whuee
fortune had DM ruined by the extravagai.c. "I"
a wife ami foolishly promt daughter. Though
her father's heart hail Wen wrung by misfor
tuneand he had paid the penalty of "extra;i
gauce by being incarcerate.! in the horn.' pre
pared for criminals -his daughter had not yet
learned the difference between pride and worth,
extravagance ami wealth. I ho-noble man wl
ate the hread of industry and looked t very man
m the face with an iudctieiideiice Which said,
" I owe you nothing," Was in her estimati
owe you nothing, was in her estimation
Mu iMiim,
Did these foolish persons ever read their
Bibles, they would find that God himself has
selected His prophets and kings from among
-i nuioanuraau inu planted
a vineyard; Abraham was rich in cattle and
l,ot nad nocks and herds -insomuch that there
was not pasture for both and they divided the
country. Lot selected the plain of Jordan and
t "T" Ult "" eoumry ui t anaan.
Jacob was a irreat catllc mwsr. as he nr.'.
sented Ksau with several hundred cattle,
.Mobos was a wool grower and Cidcnn was taken
iron his threshing door. Saul was a herds ;
man, even nue ne was King. I'avid was
e i it-Hi cm ami w as MM n I rnm COM occupation
to be king of Israel, ami the ancestor, according
to the flesh, of the Messiah. I'ziah WM a
cattle grower. Klisha was plowing, with I'.'
yoke of oxen before him. when Klijah cast his
mantle on him and called him to lie a prophet
of the Most High.
And yet, though Cod has honored the husbandman-selected
In- kings and prophets from
among the farmers - there are some so foolish as
to cry out, " 0, he's nothing but a fanner ! "
A ButWIVa OAK KnsopK Only a few nights
ago an accident occurred, says the Nashville
atntrican, on the North western mad iu which a
sleeping coach was turned over on its side. As
the car went over a laity in a berth on the oppo
site side was hurled out and lauded in the berth
of a gentleman whose weight was about -."0
pounds. Mie was sound asleep at the time ol
the accident, and so was he. Both awoke,
startled at the sudden turning of the car, and
scarcely knowing whether they would he hur
ried into eternity or not. The clothing had
fallen out of the lady's berth ami was almost
suffocating the gentleman, She heard his doe
breathing for a moment; then it sudden!
ceased, and the horrible thought Passed tOTOU
-illy
ugh
her mind that he had been smothered to death
He recovered himself, however, to tind that h
nose WM flattened against the cold glass w in
dow. Not knowing what maimer of person had
fallen upon him, no held the lady up off his
head, and at this juncture, when the conductor
asked if any one was hurt, be cried out breath
lessly: " Nobody's hurt, but I wish you'd OOttM
ami take this fellow ohT my head." The holy
attempted to move, hut found she could not.
Lights were soon produrcd and both passenger
were relived oi their awkward dilemma.
ItKFl'SINO PAftSAIIK TO A UltfSKKS M AN.
In a recent case the Indiana Supreme Court
holds: A railroad company is not bound to re
ceive any person as a passenger who is drunk to
such a degree as to no disgusting, oiieusive, his
agreeable or annoying; and a person so dnitd
as to be likely to violate the common pro in
ties, civilities and decencies of life has no light
ti. naa-v " I. ue ui Hi.it r.'n.ii! i-m I L - "in
fort and convenience of passengers gen. rally
must be protected, their opinions and feelings
regarded, and a proper deroiuiu observed. Al
though in a railroad passenger car neither the
highest breeding of the drawing-room not the
lastldimi ueucacy m we pannr is ivpun-o, jmt
the behavior ot all nervous therein should Po
becuminif the place and the L'eneral character of
tlie passengers. Slight intoxication, such as
would not .. Iilielv to . i ; ,-l , atlet t the
duct of the person intoxicateil, would not Ihi
sulficieiit uround to refuse DMMM in a public
car, although the ierBons liehaviur might Hot le
in UllWpMII strictly peootning.
Fl.ATPI.KNT Dyspepsia. At a recent mooting
of the Paris Academy of Medicine, M. LeVeU
read a paper on the gases of the stomach and
flatulent dyspepsia. He is of opinion, says the
Juurmit oj UlummrfVm 10O0 does not prouncL
iras, and that the gases which are found in the
digestive tulte proceed from the external air,
the blood ami UOOal matter, i ueee gases are
continually put in motion by the pathological
contractions of the muscular hi- r- of the intes
tines. Exiwlled by the mouth they ire con
stantly renewed, and their production may be
as ineossant in a starving man a In OM Wnofa
well fed. This sympUim of production of gas,
therefore, signifies an irritation of the stoma h,
which is always consecutive to a long-standing
gastric dysepsia. The progress of the disease
and the treatment t- lie adopted for it cure
confirm these data of clinical observation. There
is no need to seek for any therautic ag-ut to
combat these gasea
BiflUfTlt No country is so rich in bismuth
ores as Bolivia. The mines which yield the
largest amounts are thote of Tarns, Choroluue,
Oruro, and some others in the ueighliorhood of
Ouaina-Potoei, Sorata, etc. The bismuth n usu
ally accomiianied by tin, freuutlj byjpdd and
silver. The presence of bismuth has Iwen dis
covered in several hwalities of Peni and Chile,
but in quantities comparatively very limited.
Iwr FnatoiiT. The item of loetfreight in rail
road affairs anwanU to a jrood deal in the course
of a year. The Ptttaburg, Fort Wayne and Chica
go r-.od emplo)i four clerks to look after lost
freight Moch of it is found and restored to
owners, but the toeaee in one year to the road
amount to aboat 920,000. This includes goods
of all kinds, principally boots, sboee, and the
finer grades of dry goods.
sours.
The delicate and proper blending of savors,
writes a housewife to the Germantown 7Wt
tinjA, is the chief art of good soup making.
M Mire and skim the gn-ase off the, soup when
it first boil-, or it will not btOOtni clear.
Throw in a little salt to bring up the scum.
Remove, til the givaic. Be sure and simmer
oily, and never let a soup boil hard, Tut the
meat into cold water, and let it grow warm
slowly. This dissolve.- the gelatine, allows the
albumen to disengage, and the scum to rise, and
diffuses the savory part of the meat. But if
tlu soup is over a hot lire, the albumen coagu
lates and hardens the meat, prevents the water
front p netmtingi ami the savory part from dis
engaging itself. Thus the broth will be with
out flavor, and the. meat tough. Allow alnmt
two UMeopOOMOUl ol salt to four quarts of
soup, when there arc many vegetables, and one
ami adult where there are tew. Be sure not to
wave an; ui iic-aung uu on uriaoe. a quart
of water, or a little less, to a DOOin of meat, is
a good rule. Soup made of uncooked meat i
M flood the euOOUU day, it heated to the boiling
pout, n more water is needed, use hoiiing hoi
water, as cold or luke warm spoils the soup.
It is thought that potato Water is unhealthy,
and therefore do not boil potatoes in soup, but
boll elsewhere, and add them when nearly
oooawi, rveep ine vesmu tun 1,1 which you
hod hook, thai tin- rUrnr )H) not lost Never
leave soup in metal pots, u sometimes a family
is thus poisoned, Thickened soups require
more seasoning, nearly double the ipiantity
used lor thin soups.
Skasomso I'oon, - Many people have the
idea that a lim lv flavored dish must cost a
great deal. Ihat is a mistake; if you have uu
tainted nu at. or sMiimi e.et.ihles, or even In
lliatl meal, to begin with, you can make it
delicious with proper seasoning. Quo reason
w hy rreneli cooking is so inm ii nicer than any
other is that it MMSOUed with a jreat variety
of herbs and spices. These cost very little. If
you would buy a few cents worth at a tiino you
would soon have a good assortment. The Wst
kinds are sage, thyme, sweet marjoram, tarra
gun, mint, sweet baall, tUnleT. bay leaves,
cloves, m. i ce, OelerV seed ami onions. When
you boy a bunch of dried herbs rub the leaves
through a sieve, and liottle them tightly till you
need them; tie the stalks together nnd save
tin hi mini . w .nit to dial, i' w hat the r rciich
call a bouquet, for a soup or stew. A Isnnpiet
of herbs is ui.nle by tVlM! together a few sprigs
of parsley, ttijme and two bay leaves. The
nay leave-, which have Uu- nftvOr 01 laurel, can
lc iMiught at any Herman grocery or drug store,
enough to last a long time for live cents.
Anot' i Ykiiktaiu i:s Don't wash your veg
tables, says the 'iicmooiiVo Jouriuil, until
just boiON you are reaily to cook thorn. At
h ast OOO-quartet ol MlO sweetness, vivacity and
aronatia element is hist by the too common
practice of having washed clean of the natural
utli adhering to itn h )crs and suitacc during
the growth, and winch, when roughly dug,
is nut into the cellar or Pilot the countryman
for winter keeping. Did that countryman wash
men ooei, earroi, nnniii, eic, as is generally
practiced for sab- by the dealer, ami by the con
sumer desired, he would never lie able to keep
his produce a single mouth. The receiver of a
clean washed egclahe, ;i. w ording to the newly
established law of rcliticinent, never yet ate of
a good natural Itavor, ami these name ihjoiiIc,
if once they leave their city homes and go into
tin' OOUntry farm bouse, randy fail to notice the
superiority of the vegetables. It is not bOMttM
of the better knowledge of cooking, hlltjit is
from the tin t that the earth is a preservative
and absorls ht of the volatile element of the
root, which, as soon as washed, avnttOfMM
rapidly into the air and is lost.
Nituatk ok I .cap as Dionoui.ni. A cor
respondent of the l-otidoii t.iuirrt recommetida
nitrate ol lead as a moot elleetlVo deiHloner.
Bad smells, he cays, from w haU'Ver cause they
may arise, are removed as if by magic by its
BMj it is also remarkably inexK-nsivo, a niuiiiI
of the material costing lens than a shilling, and
in combination with common salt, furnishing
sulticieiit to make nearly 4IN) gallons ui the
Hind. To prepare it for use, it is imply neces
sary to take, for ordinary panose), half a dram
of nitrate of I. .id. dissolve it iu a piut or more
of boUtnfl water, dissolve alout two drams of
common nalt in a pail of water, poor the two
solutions togt th-r and allow the sediment to
settle. All that is rciiillied in order to imnie-
mediately purify and sweeten a fetid atmos
phere, however originated, in Pi dip a cloth in
the Uqoid and hang it up in the ajiartiuuuL
Tnr Nrrz Cas.u- Mr. Consul Perceval, in
bk annual rtport to the fortkn otiice on the
tnub- of Port Srtid, shows that the depression
ill trade has adei ted the tratlic through the
BflM canal, but ho adds: "Notwithstanding
the decrease iu the total number of ships, I, if.fi
veawls iimler the British Hag, ainountuig to
nearly 76 "f the whole trallic, with a
tonnage of I , ."7 M . "jrtS tons net. passed through
the eamd during the year, U-ing an increaae
Indh in British sfiiM and tonnage of .11 in the
former, ml tm,4ifJ in the latU-r, The canal
has been kept iu good working onlf-r, and the
requisite depth of water niaintaiiicd, w ith the
usual amount of dridging. and the company
have facrd the lanks in vanous placee with
stone In prevent the sand falling in. '
Pi ..I i" OM Tiir BMOILTI Baiwit The
frOSt Ay, bams from Kngineer Psiue, of the
East Biver Bndge company, that the close fit
the old year wu signabud by finishing eight
strands of the I IS which will fnnn each of the
hmr grat cables- The cable work, therefore,
is eight nineteenths dour, and the whole will
he hhiihrd nt-U summer, u ork u gomg lor
want satislactonly, with no delay from any
cause other than mat occasioned l.y short days.
Dto( ItkllsiK Di mi hum n e iron
railway bndge over the Boktigo river, cou
tmctMl br the use of the Tokio and Yoko
hama linn, At an eetimated coat "f $.TJO,OU0,
was o)ul fur tratlic uu Aovember V7th.
93
HECKNT PATENTS,
Through Dewey A Co. s Patent Agency, San
Francisco, we motive the following list of U. S.
Patents granted to Pacific Coast inventors, via.;
For the week ending Dooesnbsf 4th, 1877.
Henry H. Holt, Kalana, V. T., b.ks for
carrying fishing tlies; Alvali (.'. Austin, Oak
laud, Oali piston water meter; N. YV. (ireon,
ti. V. Hong, of Sau Jacinto, aud T. P. tTove
land of Mountain House, QaL, railway .or
brakes; K. tl. Hall. Hoaldshurg, t'al., ore
roasting furnace; li. II. lender, Iurlooh, t'al.,
windmill; A. D. Uday, S. f fal., light
weight ropoj Sam'l. BpsUMOr, 'IHirlock, t'al.,
harvester; W. F. Vaughn aud S. Jackson,
8 took ton, t 'al. , Well Poring machine; J, B.
Ward, S. F., t'al., combined railway and au
duit; V. Kingwoll, S. F., Cal., ganlen-valve;
(trade-marks) Haas Bros., S. F. and N. Y.,
oysters; t'haa. J, Hawloy, S, F., Cal., pulver
ir.id sugar; J. O, Nanthoru, Astoria, Ogn.,
ptOMO and preserved dw and meats.
rortne work ending I'ccomncr nth, i ,
J. Bei rscluidt. Anaheim, Cal., well luring
Rtieblnefyi V. A. L Miller, BM Francisco, the
manufacture of cabinet jewelry; F. Whelau,
Sau Francisco, braiding machines; H, D. Kock,
l.tireka, ,Vr nut l.Kks; r.. I. Harlow, Halt
Francisco, screw wmiehos: S. J. Oorbtti lss
Angeles, t'al., means for removing ami destmy
ing sewer gases; (J. B. Kvans and V. P. Pre
cott, Carson City, Nov., shaft furnaces for
smelting tailings and condensing mercury; (i.
p. Brnni ami , r. rrcseott. t arson may,
Nov., tiro brick compounds; Henry S. FIimmI,
San Francisco, overalls; F. Cnukon, Sau Fiau
cisco, the mauufactiin.! of soda from its sulphate;
F. .loinson, Seattle, W, T,, Iwd lounges; P.
I.yttletnu, Austin, Nov., live stock register;
B. T. Stein, San Francisco, pipe coupling and
joint; F. Woodward, Sacramento, Cal., clothes
clamps for In'dsteads; reissues B. Skinner and
B. Bonnet, San Francisco, concn-to pavements;
1!. Skinner and B. Bonnet, Sun Francisco, con
crete pavements; trademarks Anson P. Hotal
ing, Sau Francisco, whisky.
For the week ending IVceinlier BSthj 1H77.
J. A. Ball, Oakland, Cal., excavator; A. K.
Grim ami ,1. II, lsw, S. F., combined over
tlow and gas trap for stationary wash-basin; A.
K.lirim and J. B. LOW S, F., stench trap;
(J. Koyal, Truckw, Cal., snow-plow; P. H.
Buckininstor, Belleville, Nov., clauis for nick
drills; F. W. Volkinaii, 8. F., Cal., stench
trap; Clara S. Bradley, B. !'., t'al., uiulorsnits;
W. W. Carlilo, lone t'lty, Cal., iM.rtable hoiit
ing apparatus or wagon-derrick; Frank A. Mill,
Sau LSaUdro. Cal., harniw, W. B. Hice, Mo-
lostoand J. C. Moult, Stockton, Cal,, harvester
and thresher; .1. Bachelder, Napa, Cul., wind
washing macliiho; P. S. Buckminstor, Belle-
ill'-. Nov., chuck for rock drilling machines;
S. W. Meiuiiston and C. Simmons, Prescott, A.
T.,stop cock attachment;!'. Martiiuiu F. A.
Fnvsc, S. F., swings;'!. .1. Pott it, S. F. Cal., lied
bottorni C. II. Schumacher, Walla Walla, W
T., machine shuttle. ,
For the week ending January 1st, IK78.
William Itusoii, Battle Mountain, Nevada,
car step registers; William Butts, Petaluma,
California, fruit and hop driers; Benton V.
Crumrino, Yuba City. California, spark extin
guishers; John May, FJlis California, harvester
ami thn-shor; (iiovaiini N. Mileo, StiN'ktou K W
ifornia, insect swder injectors; Peter Okur
luml, San Francisco, California, lift la wheels for
vehicles; Joseph Perkins, San Francisco, Cali
fornia, soluble ink pfHl l(oUrt K. SfKHldin
and BOgtM Speddiu, Astoria, Ongon, row
links; John B. Ward, Sau Francisco, Califor
nia, hot air engines; .lames Magcrs, (lervaia,
Oregon, In'd iHittoms; tlohu Inunoii, Sau
Francisco, California, harrows. Trademark
M. F.hriuaii A Co., San Francisco and Nuw
York, teas.
GOOD MaiTOBM AT RoHK Shut every dixir
after you, without slamming it.
Never stamp, jump, or tun in the house.
Never call to a (ktsoii up stairs, or in the
next room; if you wish to ss-ak to them, go
ipiietly w Here lin y are.
Always siieiiK kindly ami MUtOlV 10 the ser
vants, if you Would have thum do the sainu to
you.
w hep told to do, or not to ih, a thing ly
ither parent, never ask why ynu should or
should not do it.
Tell of your own faults, not of those of yuur
brothers and sisters.
Carefully OHM the mud Of siiuw from your
Isiota or hoes before entering the house.
lie prompt at every meal.
Never sit down at the table or iu the iror
with dirty hands or tumbled hnir.
INever interriint any roiitcmatioii, init wail
patiently for your turn to ( .o.
Never reaurve your ,' I manner for strangers,
hut In' eijually xdite at home and abroad.
Nit your first, lost, am) lxit confidant lw your
mother, (tlit rr OrfiV's iVafASSM.
Porta i. Notr..- "Mow much do ye ai for
twuity tbree-cint stamps IdiinnoT" hupiireil
Par in I 'rumgoom, uie iHMii-oinee we k. i
"Siity ceute," mpliel the clerk. " Don't yer
make any relueihiii at all for buying thim that
wsy!" "No." "Say half a dollar, now."
" I can't make any reduction." " Ml give ye
fifty-five cinti." "If you don't want to buy
tamps at the regular pnc, go away ami make
room for other tsxiplu, said the ollioial savagely.
"Well, ye usedn't get mad over it," said Barney,
as he handed over the money. "Hum, it's
mighty stiff and stuck-up like, oaht -office
I I' ar. Fan, now, av some av the jwopIu
aa av money wud shtart an opMitiou posnt
office an' he more accoiiimodatiu', Uiey'd take
the heft av the business away from them, so
they wud."
"I wish I was short-sighted," said a little hoy
to his mother, the other day. "Why, my
dsar?" said the fond parent. "iW-ause," replied
the precocious sii-year-old, "1 should not then
M blamed for always taking the largest plums
off the dish; for, of course, 1 should not be able
to see the small ones."
A with ms in a Western court was asked if
the party to the suit wai not a truthful man.
"No," he answered; "he'd sooner be at W
daye thass tell the truth for tttfc"