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I
DEVOTED TO MEWS, LITERATURE, AND THE BEST INTERESTS OF OREGON.
VOL. 11.
OREGON CITY, OREGON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1877.
NO. 15.
rwrni cms?
O
i
THE ENTERPRISE.
A
LOCAL NEWSPAPER
FOR THE
Farmer, Business Man, and Family Circle.
ISSUED EYE 111" THURSDAY.
JT It -V ' Jv . . I 11 M J3 IN 'J? ,
I'ROPHIKTOU AND 1MBLISHER.
OFFICIAL PAPER FDR CLACKAMAS CD'JJJTY.
OFFICE Tn E.xriiitPKisE Building, one
dor south of Masonic Building, Main street.
Tei-inm rMulirription:
Single copy, one year, in advance 1 CO
Single copy, six iiintlis, iu advance. 1 50
IVr.u. of Al ortlsliia :
Transient advertisements, including
nil legal notice-, pur square of twelve
line.-, one week $ 2 .r0
For each subsequent insertion 1 (H)
One column, one year (M
Half ". "" Oi) OD
Quarter " " 40 10
Business Card, one square, one year... 12 00
OltttGOX I.OIXli:, No. 3, I. I.
O. V., meets every Thursday even- . . ..
in;.', at 7; i o'clock, in the Odd F I--0'J&r'
lows' Hail, Main street. Member--rlr
fif the Order are invited to attend
llv order of
X. G.
ickiskcca ji;.;iei-:i: j.oogl:,
No. 2, I. O. O. F., meets on the -rri.
Second and Fourth Tuesday JJSV.
m-niii-) ui train liiijuiu, 1L i"'.-Ti FT 4
j-.t ,v i. .1.
-o'clock, in the Odd Fellows' Hall " tra
-Members ol the JJegree are invited to atte nd
31UIIN03IAII LODGE, No. 1,
A. F. it A. M., holds its regular com
luuuieations on the First and Third,
Saturdays in each month, at 7 o'clock
from the 20th of September to the
20th of March; and 7j o'clock from
llie "iotn ,r .March to tlie 20th of .September.
ureLiiren in gooci sianiiiuir are invited to at
tend. nv order of YV. M.
FALLS 12NCAMI31IiXT, No. 4,
1. O. O. F., meets at Odd Fellows' Hall rv
on the First and Third Tuesday of W
each month. Patriarchs in good stand-tyG
Inar are invited to attend.
J. W. NQRRIS,
I h j sitiau a n tl Sursoozi,
OFFICE AND KF.BlUKNCE :
Ou Fourth Street, at foot of Cliff Stairway
tf
CHAS. KNIGHT,
lMivsician ainl Druggist.
q I iTrescriptions carefully tilled at short
notice. Ja7-tf
PAUL BOYCE, M. D.,
1" hj sieia n and Stirgcou,
(tltEODX ClTf, OKEGOX.
Chronic Diseases and Diseases of Women
and Children a specialty.
Olllee hours day and night; always ready
when duty calls. A u g. 25, '7tt-tf
DR. JOHN WELCH,
DENTIST
OFFICE IN
ltlJOX C ITY, oke;o.
Uluhestcash price paid for County orders.
JOHNSON & McCOWN,
Attorneys and Connselors at. Law,
oitt:-o riTv, oitccox.
Will uraetiee in ull the Courts of the State
Special attention fiven to ease in the U. S-
Liiiitl Otlice at Oregon City. 0!iprlb72-tf
L. T. BARiN,
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
- oiti:uo citv, o it k ; o x.
Will jractico iu all the Courts of the
btate. Nov. 1, ISTo-tf
V. H. HIGHFIELD,
TZstatlolisli-eca. sizice '-.S,
One door North of Pope's Hall,
MUX NT., OltKGOX, CITV OIIKfJOX.
An nssortment of watches, Jewelry.
lj'Vc and Seth Tliomas' Weight Clocks, all
5ii5of" which are warranted to be as repre
sented. J i?ltepniriii!j; done on short notice;
and thankful for past patronage.
'n.h nll for "oiiity Ortlf-r.
JOHN M. BACON
DEALER IN JRf?'?'
Books, Stationery,
PICTURE FRAMES. MOULDINGS
AND .MISCELLANEOUS OOODS.
OUECON ClTT, OltEGON.
JrAtthe Post Ollice, Main Street, west
Qiddc. nivl-'75-tf
IMPERIAL jIILLS.
o LalltM-que, Savier 5c Co.,
OliEC.ON CITY'.
K ep constantly on hand for sale Flour,
Middlings, Bran and Chicken Feed. Parties
purchaMng feed must furnish the sack.
J. H. SHEPARD,
Boot and Shoe Store,
One door north of Ackerman Bros.
t-T Hoots and Shoes made and repaired as
cheap as the cheapest.
Nov. 1, lS7.Vtf
MILLER, CHURCH & CO.
pY THE HIGHEST PRICE FOR
At ull times, at the
oi:i:go citv mills.
And have on hand FEED and FLOUR to
sell, at market rates. Parties desirin" Feed
must furnish sack.
novU-tf
.a. t rr 1 1 j :
LINCOLN BAKERY,
rpilE BEST STOCK OF STAPLE AND
JL F ancy
ruocKiin:s and piiovisioxs.
The most complete stock of
CHINA, GLASS AND CROCKERY WARE.
Agents for Wells, Fargo fc Co.; Liverpool,
i.oiuion v Globe lnsurauce Co. ; New xork
luiuai insurance Co.
WILLIAMS & HARDING.
OREGON CITY BREWERY.
HENRY HUMBEL,
HAVING purchased the above
Brewer v. wis)wa t inform ti.
' - " . '"IV. Ill 1.11 1 -
public that he is now prepared to manufac
ture a No 1 quality of
SEEB,
A cood as can be obtained anywhere in the
itate. Orders solicited aud promptly filled.
3
i
. '. - "
The Last Words of a Dj in? Wife.
Come near me, let me lay my hand
once more upon my m ow,
And let me whisper in thine ear
J .rvl'i.'c l'.iisf iiml f.rt rl .2 1- i-. . i-
Tlielips that breathe these tremblinj; words
H';u . i... l.l :.. .... ...i.
(il rvwu ui; v uiu ill lie.lLll,
And thy clear cheek can feel no more
1. . . . .. i . . .
jueir u a i in una loving oreuiu.
1 jo from thee God only knows
How I have lonireu to stay;
How I have shuddered thus to tread
The lone and shadowed way.
F'aitli tells me that I soon maykuow
The joys the blessed find,
And yet I falter, while I cast
A linerinif look behind.
I see thee bowed before me here,
In bitterne and tears.
But I can leave thee something still
To lij;ht thy weary years.
You n , tender forms will clin to thee,
Perhaps will mi.- my tone,
And though they will not share thy Jricf,
Thou wilt not feel alone.
And oh! when time shall calin thy grief,
Perchance the hour may come
When thou wilt win another form
To share thy heart and home;
When thou w ilt welcome to thy board
A younger, fairer face,
Ami let thy children smile on her
Who takes their mother's place.
But think not, could I speak to thee,
That I would frown or blame.
Though they should love the 6traugerone,
Anil call hi-r by her i.ame;
For they will speak to thee of me
My memory is their trust;
A word, a smile, a look like mine,
Will call me from the dust.
Yet make my grave no place of tears,
But let the Ucar ones bring,
To cheer their father's lonely home,
The blossoms of the spiing.
And ever theve thou, too, mayst kneel,
And softly press the earth,
That covers her whoe face once gave
A brightness to thy hearth.
Then will the forms of early years
Steal softly to thy side,
Andfvir an hour thou canst forget
Thou iiast another bride.
She may be all thy heart can ask,
So clear, so true to thee,
But oh! the springtime of thy love
Its freshness was tor me.
May she be blest who comforts thee,
Ami, with a gentle hand.
Still guard the little trembling ones
That make our household band.
She cannot know the tenderness
That tills their father's breast,
But she can love them for thy sake,
And make them more than b!est.
Vantloibilt.
SKETCH OF A MAX YVOKTII A HUNDRED
MILLIONS.
Tlio following article, written Nov. 4tli,
before Yatuierbilt's death, will he of spe
cial interest now on account of lm decease :
At the present time the dear Public
opens each day the diurnal vehicles ol
information which it patronizes, with the
expectation of finding two things: first,
that Rossi i has begun in reality her
long-deferred march to Constantinople,
and second, that death has achieved his
long-expfcCted victory over Commodore
Yanderbilt. Both are occurrences which
it is felt must happen soon, aud both
are of the first importance to the com
mercial interests of the countrj'.
The grim, iron-hearted old man, now
lying iu his home in New York, slowly
yielding to the seige of the King of Ter-
lors, holds in his moribund grasp more
material interests, perhaps, than any
other man, not an absolute monarch, on'
thisglobft, and his death will be of greater
importance to more people thau many
a revolution in a fair-ized country has
been. He wields more ab-o'iite power
than many kings ia the past century
could bouat of; enough able-bodied,
active, w eli-di.-ciplined men are at his
absolute disposal to have made a conquest
of half a dozen little German principali
ties and dukedoms, as they existed be
fore their absorption by Germany.
His absolute empire is a strip of coun
try about oOO miles long, extending
through the richest and densest populat
ed country iu the United States and over
which his supremacy is denoted by steel
bands,forining the highway of travel; bv
substantial depots, and firm buttressed
bridges. No other empire in the world
has such thorough internal improve
ments as this; in none is the govern
ment so firm, so equable, and so ellicient.
Its territory extends from New York City
to Uuff tlo, and its dependencies stretch
away 7o0 miles further to Chicago, en
compassing Lake Erie on the way thither.
1 he personal income from tins posses
sion the net gain over ail expenses is
j.Teater thau the salary of a majority of
the royal i tilers of this earth.
His wealth is estimated as high as one
hundred millions, which would be six
millions more than the entire valuation
of the State of Arkansas, "eight millions
more than that of Kan-as, sixteen mil
lions more than that of Miuuesoti,
thirty-six millions more than that of
Delaware, htty-six millions more than
that of Nebraska, sixty-eight millions
m re thau that of r iorida, sixty-nine
midions more than that of Oregon, and
si venty-tive millions more tluin that of
Nevada. If he chose to convert his
property into cash, lie co jld buy up a
couple of bt ites in the Union, and stii!
have enough to provide for his old age.
To iu press upon the reader the great ex
cess of the wealt i coucentrat-jd in the
hands of this one man, over that of the
people of some entire bt U-is, I will pre
sent the following comparison, in which
the wealth of the IStatjs is given accord
ing t valuation in the census of 1870:
Vanderbilfs estimated wealth $ 100,000,000
Arkansas.. .
Delaware . . .
Florida
Kansas
Minnesota. .
Nebraska . . .
Nevada
Oregon
W,52S,M:J
l'4.7M7,2-J3
:,4S0.S43
i-i,ri.soi
S:4,to".ao--2
24,.S4,tl
2o,74't,J73
S1.7US.510
Ot course one hundred millions is n-en-erally
regarded as an outside figure for
VajHicrbi.t's wealth, but some persons
claim that one hundred aud twenty-five
or one hundred and thiitv mi.lions is
nearer the amount. He is known ti own
700,000 shares of New York Central
and Hudson lliver stock, which are cer
t linly not worth less than $70,000,000
to-day, with all the watr squeezed out
all the debt paid, and wbJch even now
pays eight per cent, per anuum, with the
prospect of indefinite increase as the
times improve. His net income from this
source alone exceeds the entire taxation
for State, town, county and city purposes,
in either Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware,
Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Mis-i -sippi,
Nebra-ka, Nevada, New Hampshire,
North Cirolina, Oregon, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Yer
in nt, Virginia, and West Virginia. It
is double tint of some of these States.
These comparisons will give some idea
of the immense aggregation of actual
wealth in the hands of a'man w ho a little
while ago closed his 82 J year, and must,
iu the ordinary course of things, soon
hnud it over to his successors. But it is
not alone the transfer of this vast amount
which must affect the commercial realm
so strongly, but that there is an atmos
phere of unvarying success about the
man th t has bui'.t up a faith in him in
the heaits of thousands, who have shown
this by uniting their business interests
with his as far as possible, by their in
vestments iu the enterprises which he con
trolled, and w h will feel their property
depreciate in value, as soon as his hands
relax their hold. To what extent this de
preciation will go, is the question that
many would like to have answered
definitely.
The architect of this vast fortune has a
history somewhat diilerent from the con
ventional one of Ameiican self-made men.
lie did not leave his home with his
worldly goods and chattels tied up in a
handkei chief, nor was lie conspicuous iu
early life as a pious teacher iu Suuday
School, and a regular attendant upon
church soci lis. In this respect he does
not offer the slightest opportunity to be
held up as a model and pattern "for the
average American boy to follow after.
Lie was as hard, it can be believed, as any
youngster of strong passions; great mus
cular strength and courage aud unfet
tered by conscience always is. He was a
domineeiing young bully of exceedingly
iitnit id education. He was born in 171)4
on Staten Island, of a Dutch father and
a Scotch mother both of the poorer
classes there, who obtained a livelihood
by farming ami puddug boats laden with
produce up to New York, and other mar
kets. Yanderbilt was pat at this work
as early as he was able to do anything,
i.nJ when he was eighteen years old had
made himself the half-owner of a boat
his cousin owning the other half. The
first authentic anecdote of this sort of
life represents his having loaded his boat
with cider, provi-ions, etc., and hurried
up to Sandy Hook, ahead of all others, to
sell to two Hritish ships which had just
atiived, bringing the news of the treaty
of peace that ended the war of 1812.
About this time he married Sophia
J i hnson, the daughter of a tavern-keeper
iu Elizabethport, a young women who, in
the course of an active carter which ter
minated seven or eight years ago, dis
played qualities of mind as notable in
every respect as those of her husband.
Strong, energetic, with acquisitiveness
fully developed, and a wonderful fund
of hard common sense, she was a woman
who would have made her mark anywhere,
!'nd her union with Yanderbilt was per
haps tlie greatest stroke of foitune that
ever happened to him, which is saying
much for her assi-t mce. For years she
supported herself and her children not a
few of these either, since she bore thir
teen of them, of whom ten survived aud
accumulated money besides, a part of
which she used to give her children a lib
eral education, and without which pro
vison by her, they would in all likeli
hood have been suffered to grow up in
ignorance. Her children idolize her
memory, and find noterms too big'i in
which to couch her eulogy. They feel
that they owe everything to her.
One of the notable acts of her life was
the management of the hotel at New
Brunswick, where passengers between
New York and Philadelphia and the
South were transferred from the stage to
the boat and vice versa, taking their meals
at the hotel in the meanwhile. Yander
bilt h id struggled up to the position of a
captain of a vessel by this time, and she
was the mother of four chiUlien. She
took the hotel with the distinct agree
ment that she was to have everything lur
own way in it, and to keep all that she
made. Her success was remarkable, and
one night Yanderbilt came home lament
ing the fact that he h id not $o,000 to buy
un interest in a cct tain boat. She made
no reply, but the next morning she as-toni-
lied her husband by laying -$5,000
i n his plate and !ro,000 in those days
meant very much more th .n the same
amount at present.
She remained in charge of the hotel fr
years, and there her elder son William
H. Yanderbilt was b un. All the time
she was burdened with greater business
cares that many competent business men
would feel like loading himself with, but
.she looked out sedulously for her cliild
ren's welfare, and though not an edu
cated woman herself, she strained every
effort to secure for them the best
education the country afforded. She
gave up the hotel, as her husband be
became wealthy, and removed to New
York, where she made many stibetjnti.il
friends among people wh. were able to
appreciate her good qualities. When she
died tight ye irs ago,, she had the largest
funeral, it is said, ever given a lady iu
this city. Distinguished men, among
whom were Horace Greeley and A. T.
Stewart, were her pall bearers. The
number of the best cidzens that attended
her remains to the grave was wonderful.
I find myself tempted to go on w ith
the st ry of this remarkable woman's
life, which is more agreeable to dwell on
thin that of her famous husband; for
with probably as much brains and force
of will as he, her nature had a large de
gree of generosity, and kindliness, the
absence of which is the Commodore's
greatest defect. But I must return to
the Commodore, whom we left the part
owner of a small pirogue, lie soon be
came her so'.e own. -r, "and worked wi'h
such untiling energy, and so much shrewd
ness, tint by the" time he was 23, he
formed himself worth 9,000, and out of
debt. His boating experience had made
Litn pretty familiar with all the waters
around New York, and when steamboats
came into use,he was in demand as a pilot.
In 1817 he attracted the attention of
Th mas Gibbons, a wealthy Southerner,
who had large vessel interests in New
York end New Brunswick. He grew in
favor with Gibbons until he was placed
in charge of the en ire line, and made it
very profitable clearing as much as $10,-
000 a year for his employer. In 1827 he
found leisure enough from this business
to put into operation on his own account
a ferry betweeu Elizabethport and New
York, which he made very profitable.
In 1S20, he quit'CUbbon1 employ and
embarked i.i business fjr himself, build-
1 ig and running b oats on Long Isl.-md
Sound, Hudson I'jver, aud from Bordeu
town to Philadelphia, en the Delaware.
Iu all these he was successful, but his
success was purchased by sharp conllh ts
with competitors, whom he drove off by
me ins f better boats, better handled, or
compelled them to buy him off. This
occupied him uutil 1848, when he laid the
foundation of his California Steamship
Line, by building the steamer Prometheus,
aud sailing to the Isthmus of Daiien,
where he established a tew aud much
more advantageous transit route from
Greytown, in the Gulf, to San Juan del
Stir, on the Pacific. He put ou more
steamers, and began a sharp competition
with the Unite ! States and Pacific Mail
Companies. The history of his operations
in that section would make au interest
ing chapter, had I space to give it. It
svas like all his operation?, bold, deter
mined and full of trouble to himself and
all who crossed his path or competed.
Not the least interesting part of it was
his affair with William Walker, "the grey
eyed man of destiny" as he was styled
by his admirers. Walker's destiny, or
his evil star, led him to lay violent hands
on YanJerbilt'a transit route, and he
roused a force quite different from the
happy-go-lucky Central Americans, whom
he hud paitially subdued. Yanderbilt
incited au insurrection the Costa Kicans
rose against Walker and the man of
destiny's gray eyes were closed forever
one fine morning by a volley of musketry
from a tile of soldiers in the plaza of
Trujiilo.
Yanderbilt's war ended iu 185G, in his
receiving a large subsidy for withdrawing
his California line, lie then started a
transatlantic line, but withdrew from it
after building one vessel the Vniuler
bilt which he presented to the Govern
ment at the breaking out of the war.
Vanderbiit's foresight told him the
day of water navigation, except across
the ocean, was gone by, liiid that of rail
roads was ii-ing. In 1301 he definitely
abanded his marine business, by which
it was estimated he had accumulated
$40,000,000. He had been dabbling in
liiilroad stocks for years, affecting gen
eral 1- Erie, Harlem and New York aud
New Haven roads. When he began buy
ing Harlem it was worth 13, he got all
of it iu his possession in lbb'4, and it
ro.-e to 137. He began liguiing with the
New York Central and Hudson River
Ridlroad; soon had two thirds of their
stock, and consolidated them. lie set vig
orously to work to improve the mateiial
of the road aud their administratis n.
His usual success followed; the roads be
came among the best in the country, and,
what is more to the point paid fine
dividends, while other roads were the
objects of stock jobbing and all manner
of injuiious maladministration. Stock
holders of other roads were anxious to
seek a share in such beneficent manage
ment, and in 1873, the magnificent Lake
Shore road passed under his control;
followed in 1870 by the Canada Southern.
Such is the merest skeleton of the his
tory of this remarkable man. Search
where one may, it will be difficult to
find cue charactei ized by as much per
sistent, plucky warfare, end such uni
form success. His successes have al
ways been literally wrung from the most
determined oppositi-Hi, aud it seems at
limes as if he would not have any come
tj Liiu wiihout that resistance. Iu
every relation of life he has been hard and
cold, aud frequently needlessly cruel.
He has domineered over those who have
served him, aud crushed out those w ho
have opposed him. His children have
not been treated any better than the rest
of mankind, and there i- not, it is claimed,
much love lost all around. But he has
been a just man, paying Ids debts, and
keeping his engagements. His influence
on the stock market has always been
beneficial. He has not entered into any
of the speculating schemes that have for
au object the lleecing of others, nor wid
he permit any one aoout him to do so.
He assured his son William that he would
ceit linly disinherit hiiu if he ever knew
of his gambling in stocks. When he
buys, he buys for a permanent invest
ment; and the property is sure to rise
on his hands, because his effective man
agement will certaiuly make it more
valuable. He has a hearty detestation
of all the stock gamblers, whom he
rightly regards as parasites upon hon
orable enterprise. With a life spent in
creative exertion he has no patience with
these drones who scheme to gather the
fruits of either men's industry.
Seven years ago he married Mrs. Frank
Crawford, a middle-aged Southern lady,
and though the family has never taken
very kiudly to the match, it has given
him all that he desired from it careful
attention and nursing.--C'or. of Toledo
Blade.
A Few Feet of Boakd. He was mild
aud gentle in his manner, aud did not
look a bit liKe a wag. So when he en
tered the small office of a large lumber
yard in West Philadelphia, and softly
asked, "Have you all kinds of board for
sale?"' the proprietor replied, promptly,
"Yes, sir. What sort will you have'f
"I want," said the monster in disguise,
"a fe.v feet of Louisiana Returning
Board !'' The lumber-man smiled a sick
ly smile, and registered a vow at the cor
ner beer saloon never to put faith in ap
pearances again.
Colorado is fast emancipating herself
from dependence upon the East in the
matter of manufactures. At Denver she
has a large foundry which not only turns
out mining machinery, but also engines,
boilers, iron bridges and agricultural implements.
p.fiTTPTSY OF BANCROFT LIBRARY, I x
A Great Discover v.
Fresh on the heels of Cesnola's won
derful discoveries of trea-ure at Kurium
comes an announcement from Dr. Henri
Scldiemanu, whose great success on the
side rf ancient Troy was first communi
cated to the Herald three years ago. This
enthusiast arclneologist has been at work
upon the site of the ancient city of Myce
lial in the Peloponnesus, and his work has
been crow ned with the most complete suc
cess. The D. ctor has telegraphed to the
HerahtmreM a. copy ui the dispatch iu
whichhe announced the result of his
explora tioa to the King of Greece. It is as
follows :
To Hrs Majesty King George:
With unbounded joy I announce to your
Majesty that I have discovered the mon
uments which the tradition related by
Pausanijs indicates as the tombs of Aga
memnon, Cassandra, Eurymedon, and
their companions, w ho were killed w hile
feasting at a banquet, by Clytemnestra
aud her lover, JEgisthus.
These tombs are surrounded by a
double parallel circle, with tablets un
doubtedly erected iu honor of the vic
tims. In these tombs I have found im
mense a-rchaj' dogieal treasures and num
bers of ai tides of pure gold.
The treasure alone is sufficient to fill a
large museum, and the most splendid iu
the world. In succeeding ages I am
sure it will attract to Greece thousands
of strangers from abroad. As I am la
boring simply for the love of science, I
w aive all claim t the treasure, and oiler
it, with intense enthusiasm, entirely to
Greece.
Sire, may those treasure?, with God's
blessing, become the corner stone of an
immense national wealth.
Dlt. HENKI SCHLIE-MANX.
Myccnre, November 28, 18TG.
The highest scientific authorities in
London declare Dr. Sehlicmanu's dis
coveries to be the most impoit int yet
made in the history of archaeological in
vestigation. They go back to the Cyclo
peau era in architecture and to the time
of the destruction of Troy or to the
Greece ff almost 3,000 years ago, when
it was the first city of the Hellenes.
Mycente, the town of which Dr.
Schliemann speaks in this letter, is one of
the most ancient in the world. Long
before the Greeks joined tgcther t
avenge the wrongs of Menelaus and to
recover the beautiful Helen from her
paramour, Paris, this city was a great
center of government and civilization.
Homer calls it "populous' and "broad
stretted,' and it was its King, Agamem
non the "King of Men" who was
chosen to command the Grecian forces
at Troy. Dr. Schliemann, in digging up
these relics and exposing to view the
tombs of these heroes of long-departed
ages, carries us back far beyond historic
times, and to a great extent ovei turns the
theories of several modern writers on
history. Thest wies which have gener
ally been considered almost mythical of
the return of Agamemnon and Ids mur
der byr his wife, Clytemnestra, and her
lover, -lEgisthus, are now almost con
firmed by the discovery of their tombs,
in positions which tend to prove the
truth of the legend.
This story is one of the most tragical
that has been treated by the great potts
of the golden age of Greek tragedy.
JOschylus in his "Agamemnon," Sopho
cles in his '"Electra," jmd Euripides in
his "Orestes," have each in turn drama
tized various phases of this remarkable
story. The legem 1, or, as we may now
term it, history, relates how Agamem
non, e n his return from the siege of
Troy, was foully murdered in his own
banqueting hail, and how his wife and
paramour, who had murdered him, after
wards intermarried.
Agamemnon and Menelaus were sons
of Pilistln nes and grandsons ofAttrens,
King of Mycente. They were brought
up, together with their cousin Egisthus,
in the house of Attreus. After the mur
der of Attreus by JSgisfhus and Thysctes
the two brothers fled to Sparta, of which
place Menelaus afterward became King.
They married two sisters, the' daughters
of Tyndarus, Agamemnon espousing 1
Clytemnestra and Menelaus the far-
famed Helen. At the conclusion of the i
Trojan war, w here Agamemnon had gone j
to lielp his prother in recovering his wite,
he returned to Mycente. Before leaving
Troy he had obtained as his share in the
spoils Cassandra, the prophetic daugh
ter of Pi iam. She frequently foretold
him the sad fate which awaited him,
should he return; but, blind to fate, he
insisted on hastening back to his "much
loved" Myceme. On his arrival there he
found that his cousin JEgisthus, whom
he had left as the guardian of his king
dom am
1 of his wife, hid basely betrayerW
his trust aud was living in adultery with
Clytemnestra. The guilty couple imme
diately resolved to add to their other
crime by murdering him, and took the
opportunity of a banquet given to cele
brate his safe arrival. It is related that
as he came from the bath Clytemnestra
"ave him a tunic with the sleeves sewn
up, and as he vainly attempted to put it
on she felled him with blows of a hatchet,
w hile her lover, JEgisthus, assisted. At
the same time several of his companions
perished, and among them Cassandra,
who had warned him of his fate.
The murder forms the plot of the
"Argamemnon" of JBschylus, the first of
the great dramatic triumvirate, while
the return of Orestes and the death of
Clvtemmenstra at his hands form those of
the "Electra" and "Orestes."
Mycenae, thr scene of this terrible trage
dy, was an ancient town in Argolis, about
six miles to the northeast of Argos,and is
situated on a little hill at the head of a
narrow valley. During the reign of
Agamemnon it was considered the chief
city in the Peloponnesus, but after the
Dorian invasion it ceased to be a place
of much importance. It continued,
however, to le an independent town un
til the year 4G8 B. C, when it was at
tacked by the Argives, who, having re
duced the inhabitants by famine, razed
the town level with the adjoining coun
try. Strabo states that the destruction
of this famous city was so complete that
not a vestige of it remained in his - time.
But Pausanias, who lived after Strabo's
time, relates that the ancient walls and
tombs still existed in his time, and these
are the relics of antiquity which Dr.
Schliemann has now, after much patient
research, succeeded in unearthing. Pausa
nias states that when lie visited Mycenae
a considerable part if the wall still re
mained standing, and the great gate,
with its lions at either side, is there
up to the present lay. These works
were att ibutedto the Cyclops, who are
also s, id to have assisted Pro? t us
in building the wills of Tiryns. Hence
this massive style of architecture is
called Cyclopean. Here Pausanias also
saw the underground chambers of Attreus
and bis ci i dren, where they kept their
treasure. Also the tomb of Attreus and
those of the companions of Agamemnon,
who were slain by JEgisthus. Thre was
some doubt whether the toinU of C issan
dra was there or not, but those of Aga
memnon and his charioteer Eurymedon,
as well as the twin sons of C issaiidr.-i,
supposed to have been als murdered by
-E;isthiis, were there. Clytemnestra and
EgisUius were buried not far away, but
outside the wall.
Dr. Sehliemann's efforts to win brck the
great events of the "Iliad" from the land
of fable have been unceasing for years.
While there are in my doubters as to
whether the cities superimposed on cities
which he unearthed in the Troad were
really those of the Ilion of Priam and
Hector and its poorer successors on the
same site, he has gone on trusting in his
great prophet II nvr. About Ins latest
discoveries there can hsw.dly be the same
questron, but we may look forward to
lively discussions for m ntln to come in
archaeological circles all over the civil
ized world. A. Y. Herald.
A Monster Balloon.
M. Giffard has devised the construc
tion of a balloon for 1878 which wid
far surpass any effrt hitherto made iu
this direction. This new balloon will be
formed of a resisting material, solid, ab
solutely impermeable to hydrogen gas,
manufactured of alternate sheets of linen
and caoutchouc, protected externally by
several layers of varnish, and coated
with white paint to diminish the effects
of the sun's rays. This balloon will
have a capacity of nearly 710.000 cubic
feet, and will form au immense sphere,
the greatest ever constructed, the diam
eter of which will not be less than 112
feet. Wheu moored to the ground the
balloon will form a monumental dome
Kit feet high, exceeding by 15 feet the
height of the Arc de Triomphe. The
balloon itself will weigh 8,800 pounds,
and to join the pieces together of w hich
it is composed will take nearly four miles
of sewing, w ith 22 miles ol thread. The
car of the balloon will form a gallery 50
feet in circumference. A circular space
in the center of 10 feet in diameter will
be reserved; iu the center of this space
the cable, a poweilul rope ot 10 inches
in circumfeience, will be joined to the
u pper circle by means of an appiratus
which will constantly indicate the as
cending power of the balloon. This
aerial machine will be held to the earth
by tight cables, attached to iron rings
fixed securely iu masomy, "and will be
suspended above a vast conical basin.
The car will be readied by two mov
able gangways, and from 40 to 50 per
sons will be taken on board at each ascent.
The cable will descend ti the bottom of
the conical basin, and by means ef a se
cure system of wheels will be carried
along a tunnel to be worked by au engine
of 200 horse power. This cable will be
1,730 feet in length. The captive bal
loon will be placed in the center of a
circular inclosure, 333 feet in diameter.
It will tower above the beautiful gar
dens, and will form the most elevated
dome in the Champ de Mars. With
this balloon it will be possible to raise
more thau 200,000 visitors 1,G60 feet
above the earth during the continuance
of the exhibition. They may contem
plate from that height, surpassing that
of 11 Arcs de Triomphe, the line tableau
of the city of Paris, and its surroundings.
M. Giffard proposes to construct this
enormous machine entirelv at his own
expense. It will cost several hundred
thousand francs.
President MacMauox appears to be
a Roman father. Almost immediately
after leaving Saiut-Cjr, the Military
Academy, his son, the sub-lieutenant,
was passing through Versailles, proud
of his ofiicer's uniform, of which, how
ever, a false collar of not very regiment
al appearance diminished the severity.
The young officer passed a colonel, who,
after having returned the salute, stopped
and reprimanded him for his unmihtary
- aPP - arance and -asked his name. But
scarcely nau ne gianceci at tne card pre
sented by the young man than he ex
pressed Ids surprise at not having recog
nized the son of the Marshall, and was
profuse in his politeness. "Very well,
Colonel, card for card," said the young
man. "I must ask for yours because I
have not the honor of knowing your
name." The colonel at once handed his
card aud the other at once went to the
Elysee to make a complaint to his father.
An hour after the colonel and the sub
lieutenant were both ordered to confine
themselves to barracks for four days one
for his non-regimental costume, ami the
other for not having punished the offense.
Thirty-one of those who perished by
the Brooklyn theatre fire left w idows and
small children, who had been entirely de
pendent upon them for support; four left
widows alone iu destitute circumstances ;
eight left widowed mothers; six were the
sole support of orphan sisters and brothers ;
aud forty-five of the young men were
helping to maintain aged parents; eleven
of the widows are about to become moth
ers. One hundred and nine of the fami
lies visited by the Relief Committee will
require temporary assistance.and seventy
five more will want help through the
winter.
TnE Rev. Edward Hitchcock, pastor
of the American Chapel in Paris, esti
mates the present number of Protestants
in France at 800,000. Last year $400,000
were spent in France by Bible, Sunday
school, and missionary societies. - -
The Oyster Season.
The season of the succulent oyster is
full upon us. Pleasant piles of the crusty
bivalve once more rise from the tables of
the innumerable shops which are devoted
to dealing them out to the million, and
the rich sea-ish smell wafts to the tempt
ed nostrils of the passers by. The o!.i
inviting signs, "Oysters in every style,"
calling to nrnd the delightful multiplic
ity of ways in which culinary cunuing
lias learned to serve up this favorite food,
are brought out from summer obscurity,
and are disjthiyed here and there and
everywhere. Men of business, whom the
close of the oyster season sets completely
adrift as to the matter of lunching places,
and who wander vaguely from restaurant
to restaurant, never satisfied, during the
oystcrless months without an r, once more
-elt!e down to a steady noon tli-t, varied
by tiie deft cookery of the oyster-saloon.
Theatre-parties no longer find it difficult
to choose the bill of fare for a toothsome
supper, with which cosily to fitish oil
the evening-, entertainment; the givers
of modest tea patties are provided with
an always-welcome and always-popular
dish.
It "is specially at the season when oys
ters return to us that we are able to ap
preciate of how much consequence they
are to the material comfort of our exist
ence. What, indeed, should we do with
out oysters? We know that the unhappy
European has to forego the pleasures of
what we know as "au oyster-supper." To
be sure, he has at command a miserable, .
species of little mollusk; but how con
temptible is this compared with the big,
round, smooth, juicy and lordly denizen
of the beds of the Sound and the Chesa
peake! He consoles himself with white
bait in England, with au infinite variety
of cunning made-up devices in France,
with a hodge-podge of meat and vegeta
bles iu Germany; but who that knows the
delights of the American oyster would
exchange it for all the savory dishes of
Europe? The foreigners who have come
to the Exhibition, will, for the most part,
have gone aw ay without having tasted
tlds most pleasant of American edibles;
but those who have remained to partakje
of it must have felt the Sad llerock or
Norwalk a curiosity scarcely less notable
than many things displayed in the great
Exhibition Hall at Philadelphia.
Even the statistics of oysters are not
without interest. They would seem to
be the most fecund of all the denizens of
the sea; and for this fact, surely, we
should be fervidly grateful. Somebody
has been lately studying the bivalve, and
tells us, after careful observation, that "if
every oyster in the sea were to spat every
year, the sea would soon be filled up with
oysters I" In the interests of omme ce
and the other fishes, we would fain hope
that the tasty tribe will not wax quite to
this extent; though, if they would mike
a bridge for us from America to Europe,
the legions of the sea-sick would have
one more reason to bless the oyster's ex
istence. We may take it for granted that
every oyster iu the sea does not "spat"
once a year. It is, however, boldly as
serted by a no Jess scientific authority
than 3Ir. Frank Buckland, that a single
oyster may cemtain, at one time, over eight
hundred thousand embryo oysters. Mr.
Buckland, moreover, avers that he has
had in his possession "as many mollus
cous protoplasms as would have grown in
time into one. hundred and twenty-three
million marketable oysters.'' Thus there
is no prospect, whatever of a famine in
this delightful food. Every year the sup
ply will become greater, and already their
cheapness puts oysters within the reach
of the poorer, classes; and as they bring
health and enjoyment at the same time,
this fact is one which we may well re
joice at. Appletoris Journal.
Proud.
Many kinds of birds evidently feel a
vanity of personal appearance, and many
animals, especially pet animals, exhibit
jealousy. But for an example of downright
aristocratic pride, the cow is the last
creature we should look to. A writer in
Leslie's Monthly, however, expects usto
believe the following: Ageutlemau trav
eling in England had a letter of intro
duction to a person of some distinction
whose whole estate was iu excellent keen
ing. Among other fine animals shown him
was a line white cow, and this creature,
he was told, was the very personification
of pride. As though she considered her
self of pure blue blood, she claimed pre
cedence in all cases; she always went
ahead of the herd, the best bit of pasture
was her exclusive domain, on which no
other durst intrude. S far did she carry
her pretensions, that if any one. of the
other cows entered the stable bcf jre her,
she would refuse to enter.
Anxious to see this with his own eyes,
he desired to be taken to her stable at
evening. The man, instructed how to
act, drove in some of the other cjws. The
white cow drew up; not only did she re
fuse to advance, in spite of all encourag
ing words, but her whole frame swelled
with anger and offended dignity. She
kept lowing continually. At last, the
cows within, as though conscious that
they had forgotten their place, began to
come out, and as they were driven out,
the proud white, with an evident air of
gratified pride, strode in in state. It is
almost impossible to convey the impres
sion produced by this exhibition of down
right pride. ' -
Would Have His Joke. Of Gen. Bart
lett's brave and merry spirit Dr. Brick-"
ett, who was Gen. Augur's medical direct
or at the first assault on Port Hudson,
tells this story: Soon after the beginning
of the assault, Gen. .Bartlett was brought
out on a stretcher to the surgeon's head
quarters. f'Ah, General, sorry to see you
in this condition; where are you wound
ed?" "I've got a bullet through my
wrist and a flesh wound in my right le.
I don't know whether the other leg (the
wooden one) is wounded or not; you will
have to take that off and examine it."
The Washington Star says it cm be
proven by statistics that more charitable
woric is done m Washington than
other city of its size.
any