Daring Escapes From Death Fueled by Wealthy Fear
A wealthy man in Mexico made a fortune from silver and spent years fearing death. He built a swinging, four-pillar cabin on a rocky island off the Irish coast, living inside until his death at 44. Other cases include Jean Inglesant who hid in bed years, and Mrs. Holmes who froze rooms to avoid germs, hiring attendants and paying high wages. The piece notes the crippling dread of mortality among the rich.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dreath
Tate
Wade
Wipling
Ian
Jouwislip Ao
Mexico
Londen
Brychil
Irish
Dinu
Atlantic
Cuba
Jer bin
Als Lair
Jean Inglesant
Holmes
Bacilli
London
Congress
Government Department of Agriculture
People Who Live in Trees Across the World
The article notes tribes and groups in diverse regions dwelling in trees to escape pests and threats. It cites the Warau in the Orinoco delta using Ita Palm arboreal homes, and mentions Philippine, Borneo, Indian, Ceylonese Vedda, and Andaman Bukone groups. It recalls Dr. Moffat observing a Katlir village with many huts in a tree after losses of cattle and weapons, with lions pressuring survivors into arboreal life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Orinoco River
South America
Philippine Islands
Borneo
India
Ceylon
Andamanto
Moffat
South Africa
Gardening in Africa and West African Diet Difficulties
The article cites Mary Kingsley noting a shortage of fresh green food in British West Africa and the challenges of supplying deficiency. It describes gardening as nervous work and laments limited gardening success and the complex, nearly abstract obstacles to producing greens.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
West Africa
Mary H. Kingsley
Reptie
Old World science notes and animal curiosities
A collection of short scientific observations and trivia. Topics include elephants shedding baby teeth by fourteen, salt’s toxicity to fish, a vanished St Vincent bird after a hurricane, a shutter mechanism for Justinian photography, blue coral’s isolation, a possible Polytremacts fossil ancestor, artificial asphalt from distillation, Bret Harte’s coyote as a wild dog, coyotes as pest control, a camp coyote’s yelps, ants perceiving sounds, and debates on ant hearing mechanisms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Loeb
St. Vincent
Mons. Sigriste
French Academy of Sciences
J. W. Gregory
British Museum
Lieblg
William C. Day
American Chemical Journal
Bret Harte
C. F. Holder
Holder
Bin
California
Weld
Iowa State University
Jim
Disease Sight at Chicago Stock Yards Sparks Federal Oversight
The piece describes thorough federal meat inspections at Chicago stock yards and across forty eight U S cities. It details ante mortem and post mortem checks on cattle hogs sheep and calves with tagging and seals to condemn diseased carcasses. It explains two inspectors per line for hogs and cattle and traces of disease like tuberculosis cholera and trichinae.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
Chicago
U. S
Candles as Timepieces in Mines and Villages
Miners in coal mines use candles and “fat sticks” to gauge time when watches fail. Story recounts a manager who set four candles as a homebound signal, rustic methods like petals, goat’s beard signals in Scotland, and a Pennsylvania workshop aligning breaks to a train at 8:00. Also notes sun shadows and chalk marks as improvised timekeepers, with clouds halting these methods.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scotland
Pennsylvania
Cincinnati Knuquirer
How the Eyesight Tires Eye Fatigue Myths Explained
The Philadelphia Ledger explains that retina fatigue is rare and eye tiredness stems from eye muscles. Near objects relax the accommodation muscle to thicken the lens, causing strain. Relief comes from closing eyes, looking at distant objects, or massage and proper glasses when needed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Ledger
Arctic Travel Boats Open Ice Locked Russian Harbors
Steel ram boats now in use in ice bound Russian harbors prove they can force through thick ice in 72 degree frost. Vladivostok harbor remains accessible through winter, Hange in Finland stays open year round, and a steam ram kept Ural railway lines through the Volga. Proposals aim to keep Archangel to Yenisei open and to reach the north pole with stronger vessels.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Vladivostok
Hange
Ural
Volga
Saratoff
St. Petersburg
Archangel
Yenisei
Makarov
Russian Geographical Society
Nansen
North Pole
Chambers’ Journal
Swiss Chimney Sweeps and State Power in Switzerland
In Switzerland the chimney sweep is an official commune employee with fixed salary and state oversight. A cantonal shift toward competition in Grisona opened the post to many applicants, mostly village Italian schoolmasters, provoking debate about state control and professional status amid Italy’s political shifts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Switzerland
Ilex
Helvetian Republic
Grisona
Ramoneur Communal
Italy
Hetter
Music tastes as weeding of a wife’s worth
The passage mocks how a girl’s preferred composers reveal character flaws from frivolous to idiotic. It contrasts claims about Strauss Beethoven Verdi Offenbach and others with old country advice favoring practical skills like playing the piano poorly but cooking well. A rifle mishap underscores money’s lure and danger.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gottschalk
Turkeys See Best of All Creatures, Says Hunter
An old hunter named J. W. Hyde explains why turkeys seem to have superior vision. He recounts instances where turkeys spotted him despite concealment, noting that even with keen sight other predators fail to match the bird. He cites lessons from Georgia hunts and a surprising tip: sit openly with a tree behind you, and the turkey may walk within ten steps unseen.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
J. W. Hyde
Ist
Georgia
Dock
Noted Authors and Docks Highlight Victorian Publishing Scene
Edwin Markham nears a second poetry volume while W H Yoats studies Galway folklore and a new novel. Gertrude Flall announces April's Soing, and Pauline Bradford Mackle pens A Georgian Actress. Caine’s The Eternal City premieres in magazines. Portsmouth docks boast world’s largest grave stone docks, with granite basins, forty ton cranes, and efficient launch system.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edwin Markham
W. H. Yoats
Galway
Willian Heinemann
London
Stephen Crane
George
Maggie
Bowery
Gertrude Flall
Brownlog
Pippa
Mohawk Valley
Pauline Bradford Mackle
Portsmouth
England
Providence Journal
A Roanoke Anecdote From the Green Bag
The piece recounts a portrait of Chief Justice Randolph with a fond jab at his habit of precise pronunciation. An irritated Roanoke moment over coffee leads to a quip about the word wus, prompting a rebuke that only he and Justice Marshall would claim.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jobo Randolph
Jobo Marshall
United States Court
Randolph
Roanoke
Also Mentioned on This Page
Gardening
Africa
Sumer
Palladelous Press
Boats For
Arctic Travel
Guadiana
Orvais
Ellen Terry
Clement Scott
John Drew
Edward A. Dithmar
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!