Willamette farmer., April 09, 1875, Page 3, Image 3

WHDLLAMKTTE FARMER
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Aluminium Utensils.
Seventeen years have passed since Devitle
first produced aluminium on a commercial
scale; bat the expectations regarding this very
interesting and metitotions invention of the
distinguished French chemist have not as yet
been fulfilled. Although many of these ex
pectations were somewhat exaggerated, I hey
were not so unreasonable as man) people be
lieved them to be; for a metal with so many
valuable properties would be useful in many o
the technical arts. Among these properties are
a beautiful color that does not change in the
air, nor yet in sulphurous exhalations, and far
ther, remarkable lightness, an agreeable res
onance, aud a capability of being worked into
any shape. Moreover, in.the use or manipula
tion of alumininm there have not hitherto
been observed any deleterious effects.
It is generally conceded that the cost, and
not the absence of properties which make other
metals valuable, has prevented the more exten
sive application of aluminium; and the price,
although it is considerably less than it was at
first, has remained high for many years. The
cotf of production of this metal, which can
only be extracted by the use of sodium, cannot
possibly be :he only cause of its high price;
for the commercial manufacture of sodium may
be considered as a solved problem, and, as
soda ash is very cheap, sodium might be pro
duced at a 'moderate cost if the demand were
greater than it U. Large production is caused
y large consumption, and the use of alnml
ninm bas been hitherto limited, mainly be
cause custom and use have in a measure op
posed the introduction of such a novelty, ex
cept for fancy articles.
Stories have been written and told about
poisoning by cooking vessels made of copper,
by glazings containing lead, and the formation
of verdigris on spoons of (alloyed) silver; but
if people were only determined to produoe
these utensils from aluminium, all danger from
poisoning wonld be removed, and they would
have vessels, the appearance and durability of
which would leave scarcely anything to desire.
They would be more convenient to handle than
Our light crockery ware, for they can be made
as light, and, what is important, cannot be
broken. Splendid pitchers, plates, goblets,
lamps, etc., might be manufactured from dead
ened and embossed aluminium; and t'u- light
ness of spoons of this metal would make them
more convenient than those of silver now in
use. Iu this cas.i it is not the pri e, but only
prejudice, which presents itself as a drawback,
for the price is only half of that of good silver;
beside, the difference in the specific weights of
both metals and the consequent cheapness in
the use of aluminium are so great that, for the
value of one silver spoon, at least seven equally
large aluminium spoons might be bought.
True, aluminium is neither a rare nor a noble
metal but it possesses, nevertheless, advan
tages over alloyed silver which give it n much
finer appearance; it does not get black, nor
does it form verdigris, and what it lacks in
brilliancy and appearance is well compensated
for in its agreeable lightness. But, unfortun
ately it has been found impossible to plate with
aluminium either by the galvanic or foil
method.
The Fiieezino Point. Schultz shows that
the freezing point of water is lowered by dis
solving gases. That water holding solids free
zes at a lower point is well known. Thomson
and Clansius have shown from the principles of
the mechanical heat that the freezing point of
water falls O-OOT'O for every additional atmos
phere of pressure. To determine the true
freezing point, take a glass tube olosed at one
end, fill with sulphuric acid, and heat. Then
pour out, and rinse repeatedly. The tube is
then two-thirds filled with distilled water,
which bas been boiled for some time in a clean
beaker, and a small quantity of filtered oil of
turpentine is poured upon the water. The tube
is then carefully heated, without allowing to
rise to boiling point, lest an explosion should
ensue, to remove any babbles which may ad
here to the side. The tube is taken out of the
oil-bath, cooled, and placed in a freezing mix
ture. In most cases a portion of it freezes at
once, if a thermometer is inserted, and moved
up and down. If not the tube must be returned
to the freezing mixture. It is important that
the thermometer should be cooled down to the
freezing point before being introduced.
Disposing) op Seweb Gas. How effectually to
get rid of sewer gas is n problem that has lung
puzzled engineers and sanitarians. Most of
the experiments have resulted in failnres, and
none have thoroughly succeeded, except in
making what was bad a great deal worse. An
English inventor bas recently patented a new
mode of dealing with the gas, which is ingen
ious and promises to be effective.
Connected with the main sewer is a pipe two
inches in diameter, and at the top of the pipe
is a ball, so fixed that it allows an aperture of
a quarter of an inch all round, throngh which
the sewer gas may escape from the pipe. Run
ning np outside the large pipe is an ordinary
gas-pipe, and underneath the ball at the top of
the sewer-pipe a set of burneis is so arranged
that when lighted they make a complete circle
of fire. The ball prevents the sewage-gas from
rising through the center, and it cannot escape
through the flame, which entirely surrounds
the aperture. The invention may be easily ap
plied to the public lamps.
Couons and Bbonchial Affections. Afflict
ed persona will find great relief, &r.d in most
cases a certain remedy, in the following pre
scription: Carbonate ammonia, 30 grains; tinctnre cin
chona cpmp., 1 oz ; syrup senna, Y, oz.; par
egoric, Y oz. Dissolve the ammonia in the
syrup by aid of a mortar and then add the
other ingredients.
Directions. One teaspoonful half an hour
after each meal, or take the lastBpoonful on re
tiring. Shake bottle before pouring.
It was written a number of years since by
Dr. Edwards, one of tbe most eminent physi
cians of New York City. The object in taking
after meals is to allow it to remain on the dis
eased parts, therefore do not take anything to
remove the taste from the mouth. It will be
pat up by any druggist.
Ikon Fcbnitubjc. Amongst recent indus
trial developments in Germany is the hollow
iron furniture, which has been popular for years
in Austria. In Germany, however, it is only
quite lately that the firtt Urge factory for mak
ing this class of goods has been opened. Bib-bon-iron
of the best quality is taken and con
verted into tubing in pieces of about 16 feet
long, which can be bent cold into any form
suitable for tbe making of bedsteads, doors,
tables, etc. Hollow iron is stronger and light
er than tbe solid iron usually employed here
tofore, and possesses the special advantage
that the rivets hold better and that it does not
break so easily, a is frequently tbe case in
solid iron, which give way wherever there is a
flaw.
Dtrxxxo tbe last fifteen yean Vancouver Is
land baa sent to Ban Francisco 259,31 tons of
coal.
Dangers of Pork Eating How the
Trichina Kill.
We condense the following from the Health
Reformer:
When taken into the stomach the trichina is
invested by a capsule. Tbe fibrous capsule is
very soon dissolved away by tbe gastrio juices
thus setting at liberty the partly matured worm,
which grows very rapidly, attaining its full size
in about two days, being then many times
larger than when first taken iuto the stomach
when its length is only about one twenty-fifth
of an inch. Iu about a week each worm gives
birth to about 1,000 young, according to Leuck
art, which immediately begin to penetrate the
mucous lining of the stomach and intestines.
This gives rise to violent purging and vomiting,
but to little effect for the relief of the patient,
for the worms are already secure in the walls of
the intestines. In a very short time they find
their way into all the muscles of the body,
when the most painful symptoms ocenr. The
paueui. uuers muug iur u law uays, peraap
weeks, in the most distressing suffering, finally
dying from exhaustion, or from suffocation
caused by the great number of parasites infest
ing the muscles of respiration and thus prevent
ing their action.
In less than two weeks after eating an ounce
of infected meat a person might have in his
intestines hundieds of millions of these rapa
cious animals, whose ravages no remedy can
stay. Imagine the agony which a person must
suffer, while this numberless horde of micro
scopic serpents are boring through the wall of
his alimentary caual. The rapidity with which
the body becomes filled with these loath
some creatures is most astonishing. Professor
Dalton found 208,000 to the tubio inch in the
muscles of a boy who died on the twentieth day
after being attacked with the d'sease. When
a person has been once poisoned he con never
become free from the parasite. Dt nth is bis most
proboble eud; but some survive after many
months of suffering worse than death. In these
cases the worm becomes incased in a calcareous
sheath, which proce;s takes place in from one
to two years. Hero they may live for ou indefi
nite period, probably as long as the patient.
Virchow mentions a case in which they were
found alive in a cancer removed from a woman
twenty-four years after they were received into
her system.
Its Prevalence in Swine.
The trichiua is found in cats, rats, mice, and
various other animals, ns well as in the hog,
and it is probable that they are introduced into
the latter by eating the dead bodies of the first
mentioned animal. It seems to be the general
belief that the disease is of rare occurrence in
hogs, and need excite no apprehension. Vari
ous facts disprove this supposition, however.
It should be remembered that tbe flesh of an
infected animal may be apparently healthy to
an unassisted eye for the trichina are micro
scopic objects, often being no more than one-seventy-third
of an inch iu length and onenine
hundred and sixtieth of an inch in diameter.
Careful observations have been conducted by
scientific men to ascertain the frequency of the
disease by examination of the dead carcases
sent to market. A committee of the Chicago
Academy of Sciences reported in' the Medical
News and Library of June, 1866, that in 1391
bogs examined in different packing houses and
butcher shops of the city they found an aver
ase of one in fifty affected with trichina. A
gentleman in Louisville reported, as tbe result
ot extensive observations, tnat ne found an
average of one trichinous hog in every ten ex
amined.
Frequency of the Disease in Man.
Until recently there has been no conception
of the frequency of this disease. It is now
positively known that many cases of supposed
typhoid fever are really the results of trichina
p. isoning. Professor Janeway, Demonstrator of
Anatomy at Bellvue Hospital, asserts that ob
servations in the dissecting roomliad convinced
turn tnat tne disease was oi great frequency,
not being discovered until revealed by pott
mortem examination, the patient being treated
for some other supposed affection. He found
three cases thus affected in the short space of
one month; and it is probable that the majority
go undetected.
Many unmistakable cases of the disease have
occurred within the last ten years since public
attention bas been called to it. A phyuician
last winter attended eight cases of the disease
in a single family in Malcolm, Iowa. Several
members of the family died in a few weeks.
The remainder of the family survived but only
to continue suffering. None of, them have re
gained their health.
In Helstadt, Prussia, one hundred and three
persons were poisoned by eating sausage at a
public dinner. A large number of them died
in a short time, twenty within a month.
Iu Germany 360 persons were attacked with
the "disease at one time. Large numbers of
ihem perished miserably. Those who survived
were doomed to carry about in their flesh, dur
ing the remainder of their miserable life,
myriads of loathsome worms encased in cal
careous envelopes which sometimes forms
around them, preventing their irritating action
on tbe human system, and thus rendering the
life of the patient possible, sometimes for many
years after the first attack.
Icon and Steel Tibes. A description is
given of an improved method, recently intro
duced abroad, of reducing the inner diameter
of tires which have been nnduly enlarged by
the hammer or tbe rolls so that they cannot be
put on when hot in the usual manner. This
plan consists in beating tbe tiro to redness
and then plunging it horizontally, but only to
half its breadth, in water, and leaving it there
till quite cold. The operation is then repeated
in the same position, after which the tire is
is turned over and the heatings and plnngings
applied to tbe other half of the ring. The first
cooling produces a contract'on of which tbe
half not immersed partakes, and thus under
goes a molecular retractiou, reuniting in a re
duction of diameter; of course the same is
prodnced in tbe other half dmiog the second
operation. In this way, it is said, tire has
been reduced 7 in 895; and four immersions
will double the shrinking. In tbe same man
ner a ring of Bessemer steel, which bad not
only enlarged under tbe hammer, but bad also
become conical in form in the interior, was
brought to the exact diameter by heating and
immersing thirteen times successively first,
the aide which was contracted, and afterwards
that which bad become enlarged. Tbe correc
tion amounted to nearly four inches, though
the diameter of the steel ring is not given.
Death or a Sciektut, The death of Cbas.
Lyell, which took place in London, Feb. 23d,
it great loss to ths scientific world. For more
than a quarter of a century he had been one of
the chief teachers of tbe age. Ha gained most
of bis fam as an author of standard geological
works, in which ha summed up all the knowl
edge of the time in a lucid atvle, and in this
manner be did much to popularize on of the
most important branches of science. His but
notable book was on tba antiquity of mankind.
He was a man of liberal and advanced ideas,
and was always ready to grapple with any
question which come up within tba legitimate
field of scientific research. He was progrsas
iv to tbe last.
An Interesting Solution.
Amorg scientific puzzles is one which has
long perplexfd geologists, viz., the existence
of large areas of rock containing no sign of life,
side by side with formations of the same pe
riod which are full of fossils relics of primeval
life. Why should one be so barren, and the
other so proliflo ? There is now an auswer in
this important question, and readers who take
an interest in the exploring voyage of the
"Challenger" will be glad to Warn that the an
swer comes from that ship, in n paper written
by Dr. Wyville Thomson, chief of the scientific
stifl on board. This paper was recently read
before the English Royal Society, and contains
tho result of some deep sea-soundings, which
have revealed the existence of vast areas of bar
ren clay at the bottom of the bottom of the sea,
in depths varying from 2,200 to 4,000 fathoms
and morn. In par's the bottom is composed of
the so called globigerina mud; that is a thick
deposit of small creatures known to naturalists
as globigeiina, which live near the surface and
sink to the bottom when dead. There they
aocumnhte, building up chalk forages to come,
whtn land and Bon shall once more change
p'aces.
But it is remarkable that at the depth of 2,200
fathoms tbe alobiaerina then often disappear.
and the gray deposit merges into the barren
clay above mentioned. The explanation is
is that below the 2,000 fathoms these tiny shells
are dissolved by some action of the water, and
that the minute qnallty of alumina and iron
which they contain go to form the areas of
barren clay. The extent of these areas is so
great that it exceeds all others as yet known
at the bottom of tbe sea, and it is also the most
dtvoid of life. In this respect the red clay
now forming, resembles the schist which at
present occupies so large a part of our earth's
surface. We are all more or less familiar with
chalk and with rocks that show no sign of fos
sils; nnd to bo thus, so to spak, made eye wit
nesses of tbe process by which chalk and rock
were formed is unusually interesting. Dr
Thomson's paper is published at length in th
Proceedings of tho Royal Society. Its import
ance may ba judged ot by the fact that one of
our moot emiutnt naturalists declares that it
alone is worth all the co't of the "Chaltengei"
expedition. Clambers' Journal.
Forging Tools.
A correspondent of the Scientific American,
who has evidently had much experience in
forging tools, writes to that paper as follows:
"My experience bas been that no amount of
skill and care in hardening and tempering can
make a right down good tool of one not judi
ciously forged. In forging bring the steel to
a mellow heat, and keep it so until you have
your tool forged to shape. As the heat declines
to black hot, compact your steel by light ham
mering on the face of the tool, but do not ham
mer the tool edgewise. Now if the tool is ready
to harden, when it is heated it will swell so as to
loosen up the compacting that was done by
light hammering as it was cooling off. So it
follows that whatever will harden tho steel at
the least heat will do it the best.
I use strong cold brine, and want it near the
fire, so as to ntilize all the heat in the tool. As
soon as the tool is cool I dip it in oil (sperm or
whale oil preferred). Now hold the tool over
a well burnt-down fire, without the wind on.
Hold tbe tool so as to retain as much of the oil
on it as possible. Now tip it up slightly so as
to mako the oil flow from over the hottest part
to the edge. The oil becomes a carrier of
heat, and will help to let down the temper
(exactly alike every time) from any thick part
to a delicate cutting edge. I think the color
that comes on the steel nnder hot oil can be
depended upon much more with than without
oil, although it (the color) will be a little tardy.
In letting down the temper I want to do it
slow enough at last, so that I can lay down tho
tool to cool off, and not have to dip again. But
if it is going too low, I invert it, and dip tho
body part and leave the edge out. Thereare
very few tools in which I like to leave heat
enough in the body to let down tbo temper
with, for this rearon: as I grind back on the
tool, the cutting edge is apt to get a little far
ther from tbe outside film of refined steel.
This film is harder than the steel under it, so I
would leave the tool slightly harder a little
way back from the end; whereas, if you run
out beat enough Irom tbo body of tho tool you
will very soon be at work with a tool altogether
too soft.
New Way op Ccttino, Yenekb. 8. C. Car
penter and Dr. M. E. Williams, of Green Bay,
Wis., have constructed a novel and successful
machine for cutting veneer. There is a ma
chine for cutting veneering from round blocks,
but it is quite different from this. In that,
machine tbe knife is parallel with the log, and
in some kinds of wood the beauty ot tbe Bruin
is lost, while with the knife let at an angle it is
preserved, and this is tbe merit of the new ma
chine, wnlcn has a couioai-snaped cutter like, a
pencil sharpener, and commences cutting at
tbe end of tbe leg, tbe log feeding into the
knife or tbe knife to tho log on a lathe, the
veneering coming on in tne sbapeofa scroll.
The machine cuts the veneering one twenty
fourth of an inch thick, and tbo log would
therefore cut about 24,000 feet.
Eatinq Befobe Bleepino. It is a common
mistake to suppose that eating before sleeping
is injurious. Not at all unfreauentlv does it
happen that people are sleepless for want of
lood ana a nine tauen wnen tney first go to Ded
or when they thus awake sleepless, will gener
ally be found more efficacious, and of course,
infinitely less injurious than any drug in the
chemists pbarmacopim. These are the physical
remedies for sleeplessness which have the best
recommendation. As for tbo moral ones there
is certainly a good deal more to be said. Per
haps tbe most stringent of all rules are to avoid
anxiety!" and "don't go to bed owing anybody
a grudge!" chewing the bitter end of a quarrel
is a thousand fold more injurious to repose than
swallowing a whole teapot of the very greenest
of green tea.
Encki's Courr, The return of Encke's
comet to our heavens bas been for some time
expected, but its immense distance (182,000,
000 miies) rendered all search with ordinary
instrument useless. Tbe lirge equatorial at
the naval observatory, Washington, D. O., was
recently put into service, and the comet was
seen through this superb instrument by Profes
sor Holden and Paymaster Tuttle of the U. S.
N. IU dittance rendered tbe use of tbe mi
crometer impossible, and it will scarcely be
observable nnder ordinary circumstances for
several weeks.
Tbe Wood or the Osaoi Obanoe Tan. Dr,
Chandler informs us that he bas lately been
making some double-trees ont of osage oranRe
wood that was grown upon bis farm. Tbe Dr.
made several single-trees oat of the same kind
of wood last year, and aays that it surpasses
any other kind of wood for that purpose that be
knows of. This timber may some day be exten
sively used in tbe wagon-making basinets.
Action of Zinc on Boilers.
Beports have from time to time appeared of
late with regard to the nsefulness of a piece of
zino in n steam boiler as a preventative against
incrustation. Quite a number of engineers
have expressed approval of it. Some sy they
havo used it for many years, and that it not
only prevents tho deposit In the boiler from
becoming scaly and adhering, but that it also
prevents rust in all tho pipes connecting with
the boiler, to that in one case where zino was
used the pipes did not want any extraordinary
repair in twenty years, wfiile without the use
ot a piece of zino in the boiler, they were all
leaking in threo years, especially at tho elbows
and T's.
One engineer mentions, to the Scientific
American, a arawoacK, namely, tne deposit of
a material like calamine in the cylinder, piston
neaa ana pump, causing tnetn to worK oadiy.
A later corn spondent of the samo journal,
L. T. Wells, of Carondolot, Mo., says: Seven
or eight years ago, I tried the experiment,
under the idea that an elect ricil condition
might probably have something to do with
boiler incrustation. The boiler I had was an
upright ono. I placed a piece of zinc weishine
about two pounds on tbe dome iusldo, be
tweou the tubes; it remained there about two
months, and during that time the boiler was
opemd at the bottom, on three sides, for a
weekly cleaning. I noticed that the mud (Mis
sissippi mud) was quite different from that
previously deposited. Before it was mostly
made up oi scales; out auer tne zino w..s put
in, the deposit was soft, and scarcely a sign of
scale was visible, the surface of the iron within
looking fresh and new. '
Notwithstanding this favorable action of zinc,
it is not to be recommended for this purpose.
I found the cylinder, piston rod and piston
head badly incrnsted by bomething which I
could not understand; the pump worked badly
and frequently failed, becoming incrusteil
within. I Bent it to be repaired to tlio maker,
who on opening it, expressed his surprise at
its condition, and said: "How came this stuff
on the pump? It looks like calamine." Ziuc
as a preventative of boiler iucrustation will not
do; if, however, tbe zino produces a galvanio
current, and renders the iron negative, then
the experiment is suggestive of a pinciple that
cau be used by external application of the gal
vanio force.
Another, writing from Utioa, N. Y., alludes
to a previous correspondent as follows: I saw in
your issue of December 12th, that an euglneer
on the steamship St. Laurent, running between
New York and Franoe, had left an ingot of
zino in one of bis boilers; and on looking for
it at the end of the next trip, ho found it all
wasted away to a mere mud. This is not new
here. Mr. J. J. Illingworth, chief engineer of
the TJtica Steam Cotton mills, first introduced
zinc in their boilers nearly twenty years aao,
and by his recommendation it is now used "in
the New York Mill's boilers and in many boil
ers and in many other places. Mr. I. claims
lhat the zinc has a great affinity for oxygen,
and therefore absorbs tbe oxide in tbo water,
and thus prevents its affecting the iron of tbe
boiler. I herewith send'you a couple of pieces
which I obtained from him; and you will see
that they are not all gone to mud, as they wou'd
have been if they had been left in tbe boiler a
week or two longer. These pieces have been
in the boiler about four weeks. In tho New
York mills whore soft water is used, tho zino
will lay there without being affected; but as
soon as the hard water of tbo Sauquoit crtek
is used, it begins at once to affect tho zinc. Nor
is this all of the affectof the zino iu tho boilers;
it prevents the steam pipes (running round tho
mill for heating purposes) from rusting.
To show this more conclusively, I will say
that tho piping in tho above mill, whero ziuc
has been so freely used, has been in twenty-five
years, and bas needed no moro than the ordin
ary repairs that such pipes require. But ou
the other baud, tho company built a new mill
(which was t tar loci in October. 18C9), nnd, for
some reason not explained, there was no zinc
put into tho new boilers for about three years.
1'he result of this noglect or oversight was tbat
the beating pipes all through the mill began to
leak at the elbows, couplings and T's; and ou
taking the pipe apart for repairs, it was found
that wherever the steam struck the T or elbow
or dripped into it, there was a holo eaten into
it; and when a piece of pipu was to be taken
down, thero was no telling whero tho workmen
could stop, because the pipes, T's, elbawB and
couplings were generally eaten away. I also
Bend yon a T, which is a fair sample of all the
pipe and other joints connected with it.
When this was brought to the knowledge of
Mr. I., he began at once to put ziuo into tho
boilers of that mill, and the result of it is that
the rusting of the pipes has entirely stopped
and tbo bill of repairs has lessened accordingly.
I am told that tbo ubovo engineer has usod zino
in his boiler, for over twenty-five years, with
ho Bamo result in all cases.
Ancient Aqueducts. M. Bulgraud, whose
services to Paris, as director of tho water str
vico ot tho city catinot be overrated, has made
a highly interesting communication to the
Academy of Scionces, in tho form of an extract
from a book which he is about to publish on
"Ancient Aqueducts," or the distribution of
water in Egypt und Greece. He showed tbut
Egypt never could have bad aqueducts, but
tbat her system of irrigating 1b of the highest
antiquity, and still excites tho admiration of
engineers. With all tbe engineering art at
present existing, says M. Bolgrand, it wonld
be difficult to construct covered aqueducts, as
tbo lowest practical fall, namely, 0.10 in 1,000
cannot be obtained. The ancients never made
aqueducts with a fall less than 0.50 per 1,000
feet, and no trace of a covered condnit is found
in Egypt or in Nubia. Greece was oertainly
supplied by aqueducts, as their gymnasium
supplied the ltomanB with the type for tho
Thermes, But the aqueducts of tbe former
were muob less important than those of tbe
latter. M. Belgrand intends to complete the
hiBtory of tbe aqueducts of tbe ancient world,
and also of those of modern times, down to
tbat of the derivation of the Vanne, which is
now approaching completion, and tbe waters
of which will entirely supersede the less whole
some water of tho Seine. These soientifio
histories will form a mass of valuable informa
tion, and save water engineers a vast deal of
trouble.
A Fbehch chemist claims to have discovered
a means of extracting moisturo directly from
tbe air for tbe irrigation of land in dry saons,
thus rendering the agriculturist independent
of rain or irrigation by canals. By the appli
cation of chloride of calcium to fields, meadows,
roads, and sandhills, tbe land i made to ab
sorb abundant moisture for three days.
Steel Bails. Steel rails appear to bs every
where excluding tboie of iron. All of tbe con
tracts lately given out by the Belgian Govern
ment for tbe State lines are steel, It is stated
lhat steel rail are about as cbetp now as iron
rails were two or three years ago.
Bcssia has bit upon the original deviee of
building wooden-clad vessels of war, tbe outer
coating of timber being intended to protect the
I iron from injury.
Overworked Wives A Type of a Class.
From Pacific Rural Press
Newspaper editors have always more or less
to say on the relations of capital and labor.
Tho rights of the working man are ably de
fended and bis wrongs laid bare in pointed
paragraphs or rounded periods. But veiy sel
dom do they find themselves engaged in plead
ing the cause of tho poor, over-worked, patient,
non-complaining honsewife the lifo partner
of the laboring man. We say that the editorial
quill is seldom found engaged in this chival
rous task, because, thank Heaven, it is not,
among our intelligent working men, necessary
in many instances. A case lately, however,
came under our notice which, through the
means of tbe husband has been made public.
One John Aborns, of San Jose, Santa Clara
county, California, posted his wife Mary through
tue press as naving leit nis ueu ana noaru and
that ho would nobmgerbe responsible'for debts
of her contracting, etc., iu tbe usual formula.
There was nothing out of the ordinary way in
Johns "notice" but a reply thereto published
Bhows that Mr?. Aborns is not an ordinary
woman, at least sho has got tired of submitting
forever to the behests of her lord and master.
She says she has lived with John Aborns for ten
years the prime of her life; has borne him
six children, with all the pains, anxieties, cares
and troubles incident thereto; bas brought
them up, made all their clothing and her own,
besides making clothing and doing sewing for
others for money which went into what is
termed in law "common property," to take off
the sharp injustice; has cooked about 10,000
meals, set the table as many times, and cleared
it off and washed tbe dishes; has spent between
10,000 and 15,000 hours, summer and winter,
over a hot cooking-stove; has milked on an
average three cows twice a day, or about 7,000
milkings; besides taking care of tho milk and
making butter from it; has cleaned np and
swept his house over 10,000 times; has attend
ed to to the poultry and often assisted in load
ing the hay, sewing enoks and even clean
ing out the Btables. She adds: "Now I have
drawn the picture very mildly. I have made
allowances for my sicknesses, wbon I had help,
something after tho manner in whioh a farmer
would hire a horse if his own was sick and un
able to work. I hnd nothing when I went there
and nothing at tho end of those ten years of
servitude. I had lived, it is true, and wuh very
moderately furnishi d with clothing. This is
all for my labor. What man is thero in the
world that would do tho work I have done for
tbo samo compensation? I make this state
ment not out of any feeling of rcvougo for
Abotns, for he has dono only what thousands
of others havo done. In many respects ho is
a good man; industrious nnd like hundreds,
yes thousands others, honest with everybody
but his own family. I chooso to live with him
no longer; my reasons are my own."
Now is not Mrs. Aborns a typo of n class of
what we have before denominated over-worked,
patient, non-complaining women? Her com
munication needs little comment from us if
it shall serve to call attention on tbo part of
any oareloss, not to say heartless, husbands, to
tne extra moors tney put upon lueir wives we
presume Mary Aborn, will feel repaid for those
10,000 meals and 10,000 sweepings.
A Wondkbful Coal DiscovunYNKAit Dayton.
Nkvada, Some wonderful coal discoveries
have just been made in El Dorado canon, a few
miles southeast of Dayton. A short time since
there occurred a flood in the canon, whioh
swept away the tollroad leading up along its
channel aud tore things to piecos generally.
The road being washed away, ii appears that
no ohe tried to travel through tbo ravine. A
day or two since, however, the Virginia City
coal company, whose mine is well up toward
tho head of the cation, sent some of their em
ployees out to examine tbe road in order to soo
if it wero possible to repair it. In traveling
down tho canon these men came to a place
where tbo water had torn up and swept out the
whole bed of the stream, exposing nn immense
bed of coal. The coal has been torn up and
washed down the stream, and thore remains a
regular pavement of it across the canon and for
a considerable distance along Its course. The
now district is not covered by tho original lo
cation of the Virginia City coal company, but
we understand souio of tbo members of tho said
company, with their employes, havo taken up
a largo scopo of ground covering the recent
find. As yet they have not dug through tbo
bod to ascertain its thickness. A gentleman
who returned from the canon yesterday, nnd
who is u member of the company above men
tioned, is of tho opinion that tho coal laid bare
by tho recent freshet is tbe outcrop of the seo
oud vein cut in thiir shaft. Ter, Enterprise.
Medai. Awaiid. Tbo Copley medal of tbo
Koyal Society has been awarded to Prof.
Lo uisPustcur "for his researches ou Fermen
tation and I'ebrino," aud thu llumford medal
to J. Norman Lockyor "fur his spectroscopic
researches on tho Sun and ou tho Chemical
elements,
Outainino Oxyoen. In tl o establishment of
Krebs, Kron & Co., Borlin, oxygen is prepared
by heating together in a glum flask, in a water
bath, 10 quarts of water, 10 lb chloride of lime,
and 1 lb nitrate of copper. It produces 1G cubio
feet of oxygen.
Official reports from all tho railroads in
Minnesota show only 2,310,000 against over
5,000,000 bushels last year. Well posted grain
dealers estimate tho entire wheat crop of last
year at 21,000,000 bushels, and as over 10,000,
000 bushels has already been shipped, there
remains but little over 3,000,000 bushels in the
hands of farmers,
WAsnnrjiiN fc Co, 's now gradointo the Yo
Semite Valley, from Clark & Mooro's, a dis
tance of twenty-four miles, will bo completed
about the 15th of next month. When finished
Ibis grade will be tbe finest one leading into
tho valley, as tourists can travel with as much
easo and comfort as if on our valley roads.
Tiiebe is no prospect of a speedy settlement
of tho difficulty between tbe Pennsylvania and
Baltimore & Ohio rail rood companies. In
the meantime tbo publio aro being benefitted
by tbe reduction of freight and passenger rates.
Amonq tbo important Pucitio coast bills
which passed Congress at tbe end of the
session and have become laws was tbe bill pro
viding tor the coinage of twenty-cent silver
pieces, to be a legal tender to tbe amount
of 5.
Tub forty-third Congress adjourned on the
4th inst. Tne extra session of the Senato called
by tbe President will probably continue until
the last of the present month.
Skcbetabt Bristow has directed the retire
ment of S 1,385,000 of legal tenders, being 80
per cent of the National Bank circulation
issued under the new Currency bill.
The avalanche in Big Cottonwood, Utah,
which buried five men and seven teams, was ft
mile and a half long and half a mile wide.
Sam Diioo will yield an immsnse fruit crop
this season.