Surprising toboggan speeds and varied 19th century notes
A New York era clipping reports a toboggan at Sara Springs traveling a quarter mile in nineteen seconds on a poor track and exceeding a mile per minute on good tracks. Other items discuss legal opinions, a Gordon in Khartoum aside, a possible Belgian offer to General Gordon, Cross’s life of George Eliot, duel marksmanship, public horse watering standards, a London cat theft case, a vast amber specimen in Berlin, and a progressive taxation idea reducing fortunes and shifting inheritances.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Saratogs Springs
Separated Couple, Divorce Denied Then Granted Alimony
A husband and wife separated twenty years ago faced a divorce fight. The husband’s initial divorce was denied, while the wife later obtained a divorce and the court ordered him to pay $100 yearly alimony. Years later legislative changes and property sales occurred, with remaining questions on deed control and ongoing separation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fall River
Widow claims dower rights after husband’s death
A 76 year old husband’s death leaves his widow aged 72 vested in dower rights to the real estate he sold. The two buyer families face demands for the widow’s one third share, to be paid as her dower.
Burnaby proofs and Alaska vessel steering plan detailed
The reminiscence notes Burnaby as fidgety with proofs and quips about editors called Focometers. The Alaska voyage uses a pivot towing method to steer by deflecting the hawser. Frances Lowell, daughter of Captain John Dunlap, links to Maine and the Atlantic Monthly editor role. Passover matzos from Chicago bakehouse described in process, plus vegetarian leather substitutes and a Foote Health Monthly remark on vanity and heroism.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Colonel Burnaby
Tuer
Alaska
Frances
James Russell Lowell
John Dunlap
Portland
Maine
Robert P. Dunlap
Lowell
Edward Burnett
Miss Dunlap
Atlantic Monthly
Phillips, Sampson & Co
Boston
Madrid
United States
Spain
London
America
New York
New Orleans
Cincinnati
Chicago
Flames from Kisses Said to Be Electrical Phenomenon
A Victorian note surveys Emma Abbott style kissing as a source of visible flame linked to odyle and magnetism. Reichenbach’s experiments on kiss flames are discussed with photographs and theoretical limits, while casual mentions of electrolysis remedies appear at article end.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Emma Abbott
Reichenbach
du Bois Reymond
Electrical Review
Emma
National Republican
Electricity Instead of Tweezers
A Brooklin office depilator explains a new hair removal method using electricity. The speaker criticizes tweezers and cosmetic products for harming the skin and promises a safer, permanent solution through electrical treatment.
Novel Lecturing Profit in Civil War Cairo
A Civil War era tale recounts Rev Dr Bartlett charging five hundred dollars for a Cairo Illinois lecture then delivering a Sunday sermon while a paid audience filled the house. The sutler profited by selling advance tickets and Sunday night service attracted four major generals and contractors for a substantial gain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bartlett
Cairo
Ilinois
Washington Cor. Commercial Gazette
Welcome Stranger Gold Discovery in Australian Camp
Four miners in an 1858 Victoria mining camp abandoned a failing claim. A single strike revealed a mass of virgin gold named the Welcome Stranger, yielding $30,000 to the discoverers after days of work. The site later became part of a thriving city on the gold field.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Peter Whyte
Victoria
Australia
Angret
Philadelphia News
White House yarn and a spelling bet at Arthur’s door
A visitor at the White House insists on seeing President Arthur to ask how to spell commission. The intruder is blocked by the private secretary and escorted away as the cabinet session continues. The scene ends with political grandstanding and a closing quote about self-made fortune.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
White House
Arthur
Chet
New Jersey
Secretary of the Navy
San Francisco
No Room Too Good for Children Says Courier Satire
A Lovelorn City column blasts the idea that homes should banish children from certain rooms. It argues for sensible spaces where kids can roam without danger, urging hosts to concede at least one safe area for family life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Loston Courier
Girls and their Fathers
A reflective piece on the father daughter bond noting the father's hard work and protectiveness. It argues daughters often inherit sympathy and views from their fathers, with the daughter’s allegiance shifting as she grows, marking the changing nature of paternal authority.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paterfamilias
Lmerican Weer
Dining Rooms of the Ancients Feature Varied Luxury and Form
A survey of ancient dining rooms traces standard layouts to Rome and Greece. It notes single central tables, three sided seating, and servants at the fourth side, with reclining guests and ornate footwork. Wealthy Romans used tables of marble bronze or precious metals, sometimes griffin or lion motifs, and limits of nine diners based on muse grace rules.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lucullus
Wondering as a human probe of the world
The piece argues that wonder distinguishes humans from asses and critiqued Plato and Diogenes. It notes that intellectuals wonder and then continue to wonder, while suggesting the world remains wonderfully perplexing. A Brooklyn Laggle quotation anchors the anecdote.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Voltaire
Plato
Diogenes
Brooklyn
Eugene’s Flight from Paris in the Siege Memoir
The Comte d Herrison's recollections portray the Empress as frayed by reverses and fear of insurrection. She used chloral, entered somnambulism, and spoke with a vacant gaze. She fled the Tuileries in haste with only a small bag and a pocketbook remaining.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paris
Comte d’Herrison
Empire
Tuileries
Incredible Wardrobe and Luggage Fit for a Queen
The passage describes a traveler in distress due to fever and exhaustion on a journey. Dr Evans washes soiled handkerchiefs by the roadside and dries them from a carriage window. Her autumn furs alone are valued at 120000 dollars. Fifty parasols, a dedicated shoe room, a hat/bonnet room, and bran stuffed lay figures in daily costumes illustrate her extravagant arrangements.
Hair Stitch Repair by Baltimore Tailor
A Baltimore merchant tailor reveals he mends small garment defects using strands of his wife's hair. He notes a skilled craftsman can invisibly sew the fabric with fine needlework, keeping the nap aligned and making the repair undetectable.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore
No. 60 Slum Street Raid Reaches Local Property
A husband explains the police raid on No. 60 Slum Street and its impact as the De Blank couple discuss church funding. The raid reveals the wife's property losses and spurs no charitable contribution toward a new organ.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Deacon de Blank
Philadelphia
Selectmen Propose Public Record Tombstones in Middlebury
The Selectmen of Middlebury Connecticut propose tombstones shall record not only name, age, and death date but also the disease causing death the attending physician's name and a brief description of treatment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Middlebury
Conneticut
West Middlebury Center
A Shifting Science and the Reversal of Port Wine Use
The piece notes how science and medicine shift. port wine once blamed for gout is now used as a remedy for the same condition among the wealthy. It comments that fewer facial changes will accompany this shift than with most medical products.
Also Mentioned on This Page
the Register
NEW Harmony
Ind
Boswet
Gordon
Khartoum
Belgium
Congo
J. W. Cross
George Eliot
William Wood
Board of Education
England
Mr. Wood
Mr. Cross
Bismarck
Ann Little
Royal Geological Museum
Berlin
West Prussia
Prince Bismarck
Frederick William
New York Sun
Brooklin
Parents and Children
New York Ledger
Eugene