Weather and world notes from Paris to Madrid
News of the Week reports Paris suffers eight below zero. Tay Bridge collapse prompts calls for inquiry. Gen Grant praised by European papers after Peace Society remarks. Madrid incident sees a 19-year-old shooter fail to harm the King and Queen. Alfonso attends the opera. Gen Sir Evelyn Wood to accompany ex-Empress Eugenie to South Africa for a memorial visit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paris
North British Railway
Tay Bridge
DuaLimo
Gen. Grant
Peace Society
Philadelphia
Spain
Royal Palace
Madrid
Assacin
Alfonso
Evellyn Wood
Eugenie
South Africa
Boston Fire Devastates Business Quarter Amid Heavy Losses
The blaze in Boston destroyed Houghton Osgood and Co. publishing house and the Rics Kendall paper warehouse plus numerous others, with losses estimated between 3 and 4 million dollars. Insurance covers a large portion of the 1 million dollar fire loss. Other items note New York murder cases, Irish reformers arriving in New York, Baltimore trade gains, and a deadly Alabama quarrel in Madison County.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston
Houghton, Osgood & Co
Rics, Kendall & Co
Chastine Cox
Hull
Supreme Court of New York
George Jones
Johannes
New York
Robert
Dennis Patrick
Madison County
Ala
Amite
Paducah
Sherman
Texas
Goldeboro
N. C
Petersburg
Indianapolis
Texas Pacific Railroad
Fort Worth
el Paso
Saloon murder and fatal skating accident reported
A partner killed his partner in a saloon in Alliance Ohio. A New Year’s Day skating party of eight boys fell through the ice near Alliance. three boys Harry Coates Charles Dorman and Charles Rankin drowned. California to Dakota mineral production for 1978 valued at 72 655 85.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alliance
Ohio
Harry Coates
Charles Dorman
Charles Rankin
California
Nevada
Oregon
Washington
Idaho
Montana
Utah
Colorado
New Mexico
Arizona
Dakota
Two Enterprising Men Arrested in New York for Grant Horse Plot
Report says two youths planned to steal Gen Grant's Arabian horses for a reward. Other items note Commissioner Kaum opposing future mercy to moonshiners, Rhode Island Gov Van Zandt offered and declining Russian post, and Secretary Sherman's take on U S bond refinancing. It lists U S currency outstanding year end totaling 13382 754.069.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gen. Grant
New York
Kaum
Washington
Gov. van Zandt
Rhode Island
Russia
Stanley Matthews
Sherman
Morrill
United States
Fernando Wood
Congress
Maine political clash and Grant third-term note
Dispatches report influential Democrats urging Gov. Garcelon to let courts settle pending troubles while Senator Logan signals Grant would accept a third term. Garcelon declines to submit Morrill’s questions to the Supreme Court, citing lack of legal right. Across Maine Republicans Fusionists and crowds rally. police prepare, arms moved to Augusta, and Bangor tests loyalty. Maine Chief Justice Appleton convenes to consider Garcelon’s questions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bangor
Garcelon
Morrill
Logan
Gen
Grant
Washington
Augusta
Garceson
Supreme Court
Augusts
Portland
Harrisburg
Friends
Committee of
Murch and Ladd
Gov
Cornell
New York
Albany
Appleton
Maine
Edison Company stock fans overvalued hope in professor trials
Capitalists, confident in professor experiments, declare stock will not trade below fifty times its nominal value. Iron and steel markets show steel rails at 70 and iron at 56. Grant party departs Washington December 30 for Cuba and Mexico, with relatives aboard. New York Public compares December 1879 to December 1878, noting overall business gains in most cities except San Francisco and Providence, where December results narrowed earlier losses.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edison Electric Light Company
Tron
Grant
Washington
Boah
Cuba
Mexico
Fred Grant
Sheridan
McKinley
Felt
Galena
New York
San Francisco
Providence
Remarkable Clyde Screw Ship For Comte Navigation Nomoi
A unique vessel to be built on the Clyde for the Comte de Navigation nomi of Glasgow and Paris. Je vesse will burn no funnel and emit its own smoke. Four masts to be paired on the gunwale with projecting brackets to avoid rails and davits. When head to wind, masts folded to reduce resistance from sails. a large boom to be used. Running gear to be arranged with masts extending to about 147 feet, against 127 tons.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Clyde
Comte de Navigation Nomi
Glasgow
Paris
Boiler efficiency and space savings in powered steamers
A method involves superheating water in the boiler by introducing an unnamed substance whose nature varies with circumstances. The resulting design reduces the space taken by boilers engines and coal bunkers to half that of a typical steamship with similar power output.
Dundee to Edinburgh express wrecks on Tay bridge disaster
A Dundes Scotland bridge collapse during a gale sends an Edinburgh to Dundee express plunging into the Firth of Tay. Ninety passengers aboard perish as rescue boats recover bodies and officials note the bridge’s vast iron and brick structure and the massive span loss.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dundes
Scotland
Firth of
Edinburgh
Dundee
Bodica
Firth of Porth
Firth of Tay
Tay
Far
Newbury
North British
Fife
United Kingdom
Nightly hydrant poet and the sorrow of crops
A man dressed in black sits by a Providence hydrant at 2 a.m. pleading with a police officer about frost harming tobacco, then proclaims his sorrow and promises to stop the hydrant from leaking as he laments crop failures and bids the officer good night.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hewitt
Providence Journal
Ailanthus the useful tree from Paris to gardens
Cassell’s Magazine extols the ailanthus tree as ornamental and useful with strong, durable wood, high finish, rapid growth on various soils, and good burning qualities. French dockyard tests show it stronger than elm and oak under weight. Furniture gains satin luster and polish, with shrinks comparable to mahogany. M Solizillet plans West Africa explorations, funded by 120000 dollars from the French government for Trans Saharan survey costs. Jon W Gass noted as practice sale rogue with redhea tor Oe for wneigene.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cassell
Paris
New York
Toulon
Vast Indiana News Ledger From State Wide Items
The report notes a bountiful rabbit harvest across the state and a brass cannon purchase in Winchester for party celebrations. It covers school suspensions in Shoals, scarlet fever, a suicide attempt near Evansville, a fatal accident in Rising Sun, and injuries in Terre Haute. It mentions Corfax's bid to become shire town, Earlham College fire losses, and GA R encampment in Greencastle. Also reports a 60 pound buffalo fish, rail deliveries, and Supreme Court rulings on liquor indictments. It lists a fatal shooting near Urbana, normal school enrollment, pork poisoning fears, and several court and jail issues across Indiana communities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Winchester
Shoals
Martin County
Rowzna Martueny
Evansville
Henry Giore
Sapie L. Carnes
Terre Haute
Corfax
Clinton County
Clinton
Tippecanoe
Boone
Montgomery
Earlham College
Richmond
Council of Administration
G. A.R
Department of Indiana
Greencastle
Washington
Ohio
Indianapolis Cincinnati and Lafayette Railroad Company
Supreme Court of Indiana
State Normal School
Plymouth
Trichina
Whitt
Charles Lacy
Brookville
Decatur County
Greensburg
Bac
Bjornson Defies King and Spars Over Criticism
The Swedish poet Bjornson challenges King Oscar after an unfavorable review. The king’s critique spurred a police inquiry as Bjornson contemplates whether a monarch may speak freely without consequences. In a separate vignette, a grand wedding in Apex, North Carolina ends with a bride’s ceremonial carriage ride amid observed white custom shoe tossing.
Bride Struck by Shoe in Wagon Attack
A violent incident describes a man throwing a shoe at a bride in a wagon. The shoe hit her skull and she was knocked senseless while the groom defended his bride by striking the assailant and denouncing civil customs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Darky
Russian cartridge quest shows American copper edge
The article notes Russia attempted to imitate American cartridges but shifted to American copper due to purity and ductility concerns. It details European and Turkish procurement, types of cartridges, and weapon sighting in long range Military practice, citing Col. W. C. Church in Scribner.
Artemus Ward’s Bald-Headed Butter Gaffe In England
A writer notes Artemus Ward’s visit to England where he chose a plain inn for dinner and complained to the waiter about bald-headed butter. English clubgoers failed to laugh at first but one man finally found humor in Ward’s butter remark, marking his first English laugh.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Independent
Artemus Ward
England
Savage Club
Artemus
Dog Buries Pup in Manure Heap, Jer City Journal Reports
A Skye terrier belonging to a Com munipaw avenue owner bore a litter. One pup died and the mother failed to dig a grave due to hard frost. She dug a hole in a manure heap, hid the body there, and seemed pleased, a scene the Jersey City Journal calls intelligent yet indecent.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Communipaw Avenue
Jersey City Journal
Oriental Extravagance and Burmese King’s Luxurious Cradle
The brutal drunken King of Burmah is noted for a cradle made for his child costing two lakh rupees about $50,000. It was initially framed with mango wood, then clad in sheet gold inside and out. Over this, ornamental gold work set with diamonds rubies sapphires emeralds and other precious stones was added.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Burmah
Edison says electric light work is practically done
In a New York interview Edison says he will continue experimenting to cut costs. He discusses number of lamps per horsepower, engine power at eighty horses, cost per hour at seventy five cents, and reliability with no injuries during a long test. He notes all twenty three lights used one main wire and 500 more could be added. Presidents of gaslight firms have visited but Edison shows no special interest in gas men.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Russa
Russia
New York Harbor
Staten Island
Lake Superior
Turkey
Connecticut
United States
Remington
Theo
Creedmoor
W. C. Church
Scribner
New York
Edison
Benson
Brooklyn
Judge Fisher
A. Ward
Geonar Avarsius
Trousseau
Ole Bull
Tom Smith
Mr. Skibbons
Olster
Massachusetts
Journey narrative of Major de Serpa Pinto in South Africa
Major de Serpa Pinto recounts crossing well populated South Africa except near the cataracts. He describes the Macalacas as formidable foes who supply slaves, and details his encounter with English naturalist Dr. Bradshaw. After a perilous night with natives and loss of baggage, he recovers with aid from two French ladies and resolves to pursue further discoveries.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Major de Serpa Pinto
South Africa
Africa
Cuando
Zambesi
Dr. Bradshaw
Cape of Good Hope
London
Coillard
Idolatry Punishment and Testimony in Hebrew Law
The article explains how idolatry was treated as a severe offense in Jewish law, detailing the lack of a detective system for ordinary matters, but allowing tactics to prove guilt in idolaters. It describes instructions from the Talmud on persuading and testing the accused before convening a Sanhedrin, including the role of witnesses and the process of gathering testimony.
Idolatry and the burden of proof in early tribunals
The Pall Mall Gazette notes legal standards for proving idolatry in old cases. Witnesses could not reveal backsliding, and conviction required clear proof that the accused openly embraced pagan rites, worshipped the image, and offered sacrifices or incense, not mere admiration or prostration.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pall Mall Gazette
Street con game in Chicago: ring swindle on unwary visitors
A Chicago Tribune report describes a petty scam where a hustler, dressed in a heavy ulster, pretends to find a New York ring and hawks it to strangers for a few dollars. The ring proves small, and the seller offers to pass it for cheap, often exploiting country visitors before the duped buyer backs away.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Granger
Halloa
Brain Food Myths: Phosphorus and Fi sh Glow Debunked
The article argues that phosphorus does not power brain function or glow in fish flesh. It explains that luminescence in decaying fish and willow comes from carbon oxidation, not phosphorus, and warns against relying on fish as a superior brain food for mental vigor.
Australia and Europe compared in size and climate
A compilation notes that Australia with Tasmania is slightly smaller than Europe, hosts extreme heat with records near 128 degF, and features dramatic variations including snow in southern ranges. It also cites shifting Lake George levels and notes Italy reports 2900 murders or attempted murders in the first nine months of 1879 alongside 1900 highway robberies with 800 escapees.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Australia
Tasmania
Europe
Capt
Stuart
Sydney
Lake George
Goulburn
Government of
Italy
Kingdom
The Lay of the Last Turkey and Other Snippets
A humorous collage from a late 19th century issue mixes a mock epic verse about a doomed Christmas turkey with brief satirical quips. It includes ragged verse on fate and a string of light anecdotes and witticisms about operas hats or house agents, ending with a domestic scene between a quarrelsome couple and their pets.
Astonished Sultan and the Bosphorus Conjuror
The Paris dispatch recounts Hermann the Viennese conjuror visiting Constantinople and amusing the Sultan by fishing the Vizier’s watch from the Bosphorus. He later hid a mirror behind a curtain, then revealed it intact, joking about the unlucky superstition as the curtain came down.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hermann
Constantinople
Paris
London News
Bosphorus
Amazing restaurant dog foils thief with pie sting
A California paper recounts a Newfoundland dog stopping a theft in a restaurant. The dog nudged a woman about to leave, drawing attention as she was manacled and dragged to a back room where a secreted mince pie was found. The thief faced punishment, while the dog earned a reward.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
California
Also Mentioned on This Page
Foreign News
Domestic Intelligence
Parnell and
Dillon
Baltimore
Clearing House
Houston
Alabama
Athens
Jacksonville
Chicago and Alton Railroad
Berdan
Whitehall
St. Louis
Kansas City
Col
T.P. Bond
Auburn
Charles Payne
Ouray
Los Pinos
Thornburgh
Meeker
Hatch
Oline
Mr. Gould
Mr. Woolf
McVicker
Springfield
Mississippi River
Louis
Lansing
Mich
Lucy Karney
Embry
Leavenworth, Ken
D. BR. Anthony
Washington Notes
M. Solizillet
West Africa
Jon W Gass
Redhea Tor
Indiana
Crawfordsville
McComas Vs. Krug
Sherff
Samuel Davenport
Bluffton
Davenport
Dickinson College
Carlisle
Twenty-fourth
Pennsylvania
Blaffton Chronicle
Baptist Church
Bjornson
Oscar
Stockholm
Apex
Oriental Extravagance
C. A
Alice
Tiffany & Co
Dee
Wees
AL B.C
Chicago Tribune
Sultan
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