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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1878)
100 THE WEST SHORE. March. GIGANTIC DRUIDICAL IDOL. The Druids were known for their tfioss superstitions, inhuman sacrifices, and abominable idolatrous rites. They inhabited Gaul and Ancient Britain. They were called Druids probably from the Greek word dous, an oak, a tree for which all the Druids had a most superstitious veneration. Straho dis tinguishes the whole order into three classes. Itards who were the heroic, historical, and genealogical poets; Vates, who were the religious poets mid prophets; and Druids, who per formed the otlices of religion peculiar to the priesthood, ioland says the Druids were so prevalent in Ireland, that to this hour their ordinary word for magician is Druid; the magic art is called Druidity; and the wand, which was one of the badges of their profes sion, the rod of Druidism. Among their many pernicious rites they were accustomed on great occa sions to erect a huge figure of wicker work, in the rude likeness of a man, and fill it with men and women as represented in the engraving. Ordi narily those who had been condemned to death for their offences were put into it; but if these were not sufficient lo (ill the image, the Innocent were thrust in, and then setting fire to the straw and wood, it was consumed, with nil whom it contained. THE FIRST STEAM ENGINE, The steam engine has Infinitely In creased the mass of human comforts and enjoyments, and rendered cheap and accessible all over the world the materials of wealth and prosperity. It hill armed the feeble hand of man, in short, with a power to which no limits can be assigned; completed the do minion of mind over the most refrac tory qualities of matter; and hud a sure foundation for all those future miracles of mechanic power which are to add to and reward the labors of after genera lions. It has become already a thing alike for its force and its flexibility. The trunk of an elephant that can pick up a pin, or rend an oak, is nothing to It It can engrave a seal, and crush masses of obdurate metals like wax he fore it; draw out, without breaking, a inreao as niie as gossamer, and hit a ship of war like a bubble in the air. It can embroider muslin, and forge an chors; cut steel into ribbons, and Im pel loaded vessels against the fury of the winds and the waves. Such are the achievements of the steam engine in its improved (we do not say natural) slate, for it is believed that science will yet effect still more important results. The Invention of il.is wonderful machine has generally been ascribed to the Manpiis of Wor tester, who, when a prisoner in the Tower of London, observed the elastic force of steam by the bursting of a ves sel employed In some culinary opera tion! It appears, however, that some i lea of the steam engine was developed long before the time of the Marquis, whose "Century of Inventions," in winch his apparatus is described) was ii"t published until the year 1 663. The fust suggestion of a steam en gine appears to have been by Giovanni llranca, of whose machine we present an engraving, for which we are In debted to an elegant work on the Fine Arts, h the Messrs. Storer. "Branca's machine1 says Mr. Part ington, "consists of a boiler with a safety valve, to prevent accidents which might arise from explosion; a pipe resembling the spout of a lea-ketlle, conveys the steam with considerable force against a float wheel, driving it round in a rotary direction! whilst a pinion on the same arbor, communi cating h means of other wheels, is made to give motion to the pestles be- longing to two mortars. This, then, 1 think, may realU be considered as the origin of this powerful auxiliary to the I. (Ivors of man. DECR STALKING. KOMBTHlkO ABOUT INK monarch ' Of I III UUtN. ' WU Wil.il UltMII Ham." I rM t dif dawn wilh a iKi a pudr, Ktttin ni.mnl.in lo imninuin I fxHtminl .Utitg; I lurtttcd ihc liillow .if I Wi tollinc litlr Ami tiraul .1 a ,liunoc llic IlighUii.W long. Ihlov Whether the melancholy bard of Newstcad AMkv cvci prophesied that A CH0ANTIC DRUIDICAL 1I0L. "the Buss" would steal six millions and go to sea as a common deck hand or not, we can hardly say. Hut when he talks about "Tweed's rolling tide," we naturally recall the voyage to Vigo and the return ol the ex-foreman of the Dig Six" m the Franklin, Hut all jokes laid aside, Byron was a de voted lover of the chase and a nice ven isonsteak swimming in a gravy of cur rant jelly ami Port wine, asanv "other man." There is a pleasure in the silent forest. a one sits upon a trail leading to some glassv lake, with rifle at full cock and every nerve strained to the utmost tension, awaiting the coming of some anllered monarch; there is joy ill silting by the evening camp lire witii a juicy morsel of venison crisping over the glimmering coals; and a new life comes over you as you lie down to sleep beneath the tall minarets of the soughing pines. WASHINOTON TERRITORY Is the sportsman's clysium and affords as liny deer shooting as any portion of the Federal domain. Along the lower Sound and by the sad waves of Fuca's deep channel, arise trackless forests where the elk, a larger and more gal lant beast than the stag of Europe, roams in undisturbed freedom among the somber groves of hemlock. He is the Agamemnon of his race, w ith the impress of royalty stamped upon his j Drum aimers anil ins muscular neck clad with the thunder of battle. He has the speed of the Arab courser and when wounded, will tight his captor with the ferocity of a Toledo bull. To take a small sloop at Port Towusend, land at Clallam or Neah Hay and camp in the vast, silent groves for a week, the sportsman will not fail to brin" down one or two during the week". The trip is one of hardship and per haps danger, but vour true sportsman disregards that w hen such game as elk are to be killed. THE KKIJ DEER Of Virginia, is not found on the Pacific coast, but the black-tailed deer is in every uninhabited glen between Cape Mendocino and the mouth of Frazer river. If you feel like takinir a rrood hunt, go up about the head waters of tile ftnoqunlmic or Fuyallup, and stay a week Hut if time is money, take the North Pacific railroad and get off m napavine or vvinlock. About there are dense woods broken by little prai ries where the deer loves to roam, and the first buck we ever shot was on the Newaukum, not a mile from the station of that name, four years ago last July. Nine prongs in the velvet and an inch of fat on the ribs. Shades of Frank Forester! Tin; MULE DEEK Is not found on this side of the Cascade range. He dwells in the land of bunch grass, among the tawny hills of Klicki tat on the rolling prairies along Yaki ma. He is more like the fallow deer of France and Germany, than the black-tailed deer of the coiist region. His horns are not so high and branch out wide, with short points, lie is plumper in the body and a much heavier animal than his brother who lives "down by the deep sad sea." His tail is white and as long as that of a " ducked " horse, while his cars are long and fan like. It is from this that the most splendid of all the cervine race gets his homely name. He has more power and substance than the red deer, to which he adds all the grace of the antelope "in the suspended impulse of its fleetneu," A week in the vast basin of the Columbia or Snake rivers, with Walla Walla or Attahmith for 1 sally-port and base of supplies, will convince the marksman that deerstalk ing in Washington Territory is OLORIOUa sport. And worthy of a king. For a weapon, many like the Henry rifle, but our preference is for a 40-inch Winchester (an unusual size, by the way), as being more accurate and nearly as rapid a loader. The careful hunter vyill not be without a trusty horse and a good pair of heavy vicuna blankets, as showing the least dust. Then take to the woods for a week in July next and camp beside some bubbling spring where the alder leaves quake in the gentle summer breeze. Bring along your lines and flies, for the trout will bite, and they are very nice for a beakfast in the trackless woods. Spread down your blanket upon the cedar boughs and you will sleep as vou never could hope to sleep in the gorgeous chambers of the "Baldwin" or "Lick House." Thomas B. Merry. THE CLIMATE OF 1UAIIO. People living east of the Rocky Mountains find it difficult to believe that the climate of Idaho is as mild as represented. They have been aecus tonied to judging the climate of any region by the parallels of latitude which traverse it. West of the Rocky Moun tains the climate is not thus governed, as is known by all who have visited the Pacific slope and remained for a full year in any of these States or Territo ries. The valleys of Idaho are peculiarly favored in point of climate, as they ful ly share all the isothermal advantages of position with reference to the whole Pacific Coast, and are far enough re moved from the seaboard to escape the fierce winds and the superfluous rains which visit the regions along the coast. These valleys and the broad adjacent and intervening plains or plateaus have during the present winter, which is about an average one, been almost en tirely exempt from snow. So far very little has fallen, and what did fall dis appeared so rapidly that its presence was scarcely noted. Farming operations have gone on without interruption, and a large breadth of wheat sown in this valley since New Year's is already up and growing. Stock of every kind have subsisted and kept fat on the open range, requiring but little attention and no feeding. The market here is sup plied with the best and fattest beef the product of the grass covered hills and plains, The grass not only continues to grow during the winter, but that which grew and matured during spring and sum mer retains its nutritive qualities throughout the winter, and supplies the place of the hay which has to be procured with so much labor elsewhere. The snow falls where it is needed in the high mountains which consti tuted a grand reservoir for all the varied purposes of mining, milling and irrigation. No better evidence of the superiority of the climate of Idaho could be asked than is furnished by the example and testimony of those who come here from the Eut in quest of health and pleasant homes. With them to come and see was to resolve to stay ; while those who after a long residence here, have visited their old homes, sometimes with a view of remaining for the sake of compan ionship with old friends, have, neverthe less, in almost every instance, found themselves forced bv the contrast in climate to return. The oft expressed opinion of those who have tested the difference of climates by experi ence is that if Idaho offered no other inducement or possessed no other ad vantage than that of the mildness and salubrity of her climate, this alone nouui entitle her to be regarded as a nost desirable region for the location if new homes Idaho Statesman. THE FIRST STEAM ENGINE. Our Coquille City correspondent says: The project of changing the entrance to the Coquille river, back to its old channel where it was in 1861, is being put in operation bv the Coquille Mill and Tug Co. Subscriptions arc being made frcelv, and the work will soon be commenced. The river's mouth is now one-fourth of a mile south of w here it formerly was, and only a nar row sand-pit divides it from the sea. To put it back to its old place is only small job, and then we expect to have, as before, nine or ten feel of water on the bar, at low tide, and a straight entrance, with no rocks in the way. Then when your coaster comes around from Portland, she can find an easy entrance to this river.
