them. Of this the State’s share would be $50,000,000. It was not until 1898 that this State passed an act to provide for their elimination. By it one-half of the expense is borne by the railroad company, onefourth by the State, and one-fourth by the municipality in which the crossing exists. During the last eight years, up to March t, 1906, the State of New York paid out, as its share of the expense of eliminating railroad grade crossings, the small sum of $322,197.32. The total number of such grade crossings eliminated since 1898 is only 65. In the same period of time the State of Massachusetts, with only one-sixth the area and one-third as many railroad grade crossings, paid out $6,616,- 221.40 for its share of their elimination. Last year 96 persons were killed and 76 injured at railroad grade crossings in this State. In 1904, 105 were killed and 84 injured. New York is about to spend $50,- 000,000 for its share of the so-called good roads. Is there any part of any road which needs improving more than that where there is a railroad grade crossing? If it be good policy for the State to pay out $50,000,000 for making good roads, is it not good policy for it to pay out as much for its share of the expense of eliminating railroad grade crossings ?
More About the Divining-rod.—Though Herr von Billow can find water with a divining-rod, he is reported to have said he could not detect water carried through pipes. Herr Franzius consequently made experiments in this direction and found that the rod twisted in his hands when he crossed over a conduit or walked up stream, but that it was unaffected when he walked down stream or when the mouth of the pipe was blocked up and the water ceased to flow.—The Builder.
The Heaving of Piles by Frost.—A curious instance of the heaving of piles in frozen ground is recorded by the Engineering News of New York. This movement of the piles was experienced .at a trestle viaduct about 2,200 feet long, with a maximum height of 80 feet, built across a peat swamp to the west of Winnipeg, on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The structure is a framed trestle, with seven piles under each bent, and the piles were driven to an average depth of 30 feet, the first 10 feet being soft peat and the underlying material a mixture of sand and clay. The penetration .during the last blows of the pile-driver was only 1 inch or 2 inches ; a 2,200-pound hammer was used, having a maximum drop of 40 feet. The three center piles were spaced 2 feet 6 inches, center to center, and capped with a 12-inch by 12-inch sill, 10 feet long; beyond these on each side were two piles spaced 5 feet and 11 feet apart, supporting the inner and outer batter posts on a long sill. When the ground became frozen, the outside piles in some of the groups were raised about 3 inches and 4 inches, but those in the center showed no disturbance whatever. The heaving occurred only at bents where the superstructure had not been erected, but was framed and lying on the bents, ready for raising,
and the sills were simply bolted to the piles. : Instead of cutting the piles off, as is usually done, they were driven home with a few light blows of the hammer, but even heavy blows failed to increase the penetration, thus showing that the piles were simply restored to their original position.
An Egyptian Cure for Sunstroke. — Travelers in Egypt must often have noticed a curious scar upon the foreheads of the natives, though perhaps they have not discovered its significance. It is a sign that the man who bears it has had, or has fancied that he had, sunstroke. The formula for the malady is curious and typically Eastern. The victim must be laid full length upon the ground and massaged from the feet upward. The sunstroke is some form of evil genius which must be squeezed and forced into one spot. This the massage accomplishes. When the masseur has done his best to this end, and assumes that the virus of the enemy is all concentrated in the forehead of the patient, then the teeth of the operator are applied to the infected area, and a piece of the flesh of the forehead bitten out. The strange thing is that the treatment is said to be invariably effica
cious. It may be faith cure, or it may. be . that the sunstroke itself was imaginary— the cure is sure.—London Standard.
Oldest Calendar Date.—Prof. James H. Breasted, the Egyptologist of the University of Chicago, announces in an article in the Biblical World that the oldest fixed date in history is 4241 B. C. In that year, he says, the calendar was established, the year beginning on what would now be July 19. Consequently the calendar now in use was 6,147 years old last month. The professor arrived at these conclusions during his long exploration trip to the Nile Valley, when he compared the astronomical dates in the old and middle kingdoms of Egypt.
Portland, a Year After.—In July, 1905, the Lewis and Clark Fair was in the height of its glory. Our streets were thronged with thousands of visitors from all over the United States. Every hotel and lodging house was crowded, and new buildings were going up on every hand. This unparalleled activity, while pleasing in the extreme, could not disperse the gloom from a large number of pessimists, who feared the “slump after the fair.” But more than a year has passed since the fair was at the zenith of its success, and nine months have passed since its doors were closed forever, and what is the result? Bank clearings for July, 1906, more than $4,300,000 greater than for the same month last year, and building permits for May, June, and July — the months when, last year, building was at its height—this year $1,368,000 greater than for the same three months in 1905. These glowing facts may be distressing for the pessimists, but it should be remembered that Portland has been no place for a pessimist for the past two years.—Portland Oregonian.
British Losses in San Francisco.—On August 9 the Times’ insurance expert figures that the British companies, including the subsidiary American companies owned
by them, lost £9,225,167 in the San Francisco disaster.
San Luis Rey, Cal., to Be Restored.— The old mission, San Luis Rey, located down near the Mexican line, in the. State of California, far from the beaten track of civilization, is to be restored on a more extensive scale than any similar establishment in the historic chain that extends along the California coast. The Rev. Joseph J. O’Keefe, O. F. M., the pioneer Franciscan and one of the best-known priests in California, is in charge of the work, and his plans for the preservation and improvement, when carried to completion, will undoubtedly cause the picturesque structure to rank high as a place of interest and charm.
The scope of the project is elaborate and includes the erection of a group of buildings which will form a great quadrangle. In this quadrangle the stately church, which has survived the wreck of what was once the lordliest institution in California, will form the eastern side. The western side will be 173 feet long, and the buildings on the southern and northern sides of the patio will correspond to each other. The latter structure is already nearing completion. It is 186 feet long and two stories in height. This edifice will be used as a monastery, and contains forty-five rooms, neatly plastered and well lighted. The floor of this and the other new buildings on the quadrangle will be of cement, the second story having wooden flooring. All the walls will be of adobe.
In his plans for the future, as in the work that has been thus far accomplished, Father O’Keefe is his own architect and builder. Two Franciscan lay brothers and several Mexican laborers form a small corps of assistants.
Mission San Luis Rey is in San Diego County, ninety miles south of Los Angeles. The greater part of the journey must be made via the Santa Fé Railway to Oceanside, and the remaining five miles traversed in carriage or wagon over an undulating country road. The venerable church, which has so bravely withstood the ravages of time and the elements, reai;s its scarred walls to the sunny sky in the midst of a picturesque valley. And here in the old days dwelt 5,000 Indians.
No other mission in the whole length ,and breadth of California could boast of greater wealth or more romantic history than this which was dedicated to San Luis, Rey de Francia, or St. Luis, King of France. It was the eighteenth mission in the chain and constituted the connecting link between San Diego and San Juan Capistrano. It dates back 109 years, although the site was discovered ten years before that time by the first land expedition under the leadership of Governor Portola and the sainted Padre Junipero Serra.—Mexican Herald. ,
Connecticut’s Stone Fences Disappearing.—Connecticut’s stone fences are doomed and before many years these picturesque features of the rural sections of the State will be but a memory. The popularity of stone houses and the increase in the number of summer homes hasse led to the utilization of the stone fences for building purposes. In place of the stone fences are miles of wire fences. When New Yorkers
More About the Divining-rod.—Though Herr von Billow can find water with a divining-rod, he is reported to have said he could not detect water carried through pipes. Herr Franzius consequently made experiments in this direction and found that the rod twisted in his hands when he crossed over a conduit or walked up stream, but that it was unaffected when he walked down stream or when the mouth of the pipe was blocked up and the water ceased to flow.—The Builder.
The Heaving of Piles by Frost.—A curious instance of the heaving of piles in frozen ground is recorded by the Engineering News of New York. This movement of the piles was experienced .at a trestle viaduct about 2,200 feet long, with a maximum height of 80 feet, built across a peat swamp to the west of Winnipeg, on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The structure is a framed trestle, with seven piles under each bent, and the piles were driven to an average depth of 30 feet, the first 10 feet being soft peat and the underlying material a mixture of sand and clay. The penetration .during the last blows of the pile-driver was only 1 inch or 2 inches ; a 2,200-pound hammer was used, having a maximum drop of 40 feet. The three center piles were spaced 2 feet 6 inches, center to center, and capped with a 12-inch by 12-inch sill, 10 feet long; beyond these on each side were two piles spaced 5 feet and 11 feet apart, supporting the inner and outer batter posts on a long sill. When the ground became frozen, the outside piles in some of the groups were raised about 3 inches and 4 inches, but those in the center showed no disturbance whatever. The heaving occurred only at bents where the superstructure had not been erected, but was framed and lying on the bents, ready for raising,
and the sills were simply bolted to the piles. : Instead of cutting the piles off, as is usually done, they were driven home with a few light blows of the hammer, but even heavy blows failed to increase the penetration, thus showing that the piles were simply restored to their original position.
An Egyptian Cure for Sunstroke. — Travelers in Egypt must often have noticed a curious scar upon the foreheads of the natives, though perhaps they have not discovered its significance. It is a sign that the man who bears it has had, or has fancied that he had, sunstroke. The formula for the malady is curious and typically Eastern. The victim must be laid full length upon the ground and massaged from the feet upward. The sunstroke is some form of evil genius which must be squeezed and forced into one spot. This the massage accomplishes. When the masseur has done his best to this end, and assumes that the virus of the enemy is all concentrated in the forehead of the patient, then the teeth of the operator are applied to the infected area, and a piece of the flesh of the forehead bitten out. The strange thing is that the treatment is said to be invariably effica
cious. It may be faith cure, or it may. be . that the sunstroke itself was imaginary— the cure is sure.—London Standard.
Oldest Calendar Date.—Prof. James H. Breasted, the Egyptologist of the University of Chicago, announces in an article in the Biblical World that the oldest fixed date in history is 4241 B. C. In that year, he says, the calendar was established, the year beginning on what would now be July 19. Consequently the calendar now in use was 6,147 years old last month. The professor arrived at these conclusions during his long exploration trip to the Nile Valley, when he compared the astronomical dates in the old and middle kingdoms of Egypt.
Portland, a Year After.—In July, 1905, the Lewis and Clark Fair was in the height of its glory. Our streets were thronged with thousands of visitors from all over the United States. Every hotel and lodging house was crowded, and new buildings were going up on every hand. This unparalleled activity, while pleasing in the extreme, could not disperse the gloom from a large number of pessimists, who feared the “slump after the fair.” But more than a year has passed since the fair was at the zenith of its success, and nine months have passed since its doors were closed forever, and what is the result? Bank clearings for July, 1906, more than $4,300,000 greater than for the same month last year, and building permits for May, June, and July — the months when, last year, building was at its height—this year $1,368,000 greater than for the same three months in 1905. These glowing facts may be distressing for the pessimists, but it should be remembered that Portland has been no place for a pessimist for the past two years.—Portland Oregonian.
British Losses in San Francisco.—On August 9 the Times’ insurance expert figures that the British companies, including the subsidiary American companies owned
by them, lost £9,225,167 in the San Francisco disaster.
San Luis Rey, Cal., to Be Restored.— The old mission, San Luis Rey, located down near the Mexican line, in the. State of California, far from the beaten track of civilization, is to be restored on a more extensive scale than any similar establishment in the historic chain that extends along the California coast. The Rev. Joseph J. O’Keefe, O. F. M., the pioneer Franciscan and one of the best-known priests in California, is in charge of the work, and his plans for the preservation and improvement, when carried to completion, will undoubtedly cause the picturesque structure to rank high as a place of interest and charm.
The scope of the project is elaborate and includes the erection of a group of buildings which will form a great quadrangle. In this quadrangle the stately church, which has survived the wreck of what was once the lordliest institution in California, will form the eastern side. The western side will be 173 feet long, and the buildings on the southern and northern sides of the patio will correspond to each other. The latter structure is already nearing completion. It is 186 feet long and two stories in height. This edifice will be used as a monastery, and contains forty-five rooms, neatly plastered and well lighted. The floor of this and the other new buildings on the quadrangle will be of cement, the second story having wooden flooring. All the walls will be of adobe.
In his plans for the future, as in the work that has been thus far accomplished, Father O’Keefe is his own architect and builder. Two Franciscan lay brothers and several Mexican laborers form a small corps of assistants.
Mission San Luis Rey is in San Diego County, ninety miles south of Los Angeles. The greater part of the journey must be made via the Santa Fé Railway to Oceanside, and the remaining five miles traversed in carriage or wagon over an undulating country road. The venerable church, which has so bravely withstood the ravages of time and the elements, reai;s its scarred walls to the sunny sky in the midst of a picturesque valley. And here in the old days dwelt 5,000 Indians.
No other mission in the whole length ,and breadth of California could boast of greater wealth or more romantic history than this which was dedicated to San Luis, Rey de Francia, or St. Luis, King of France. It was the eighteenth mission in the chain and constituted the connecting link between San Diego and San Juan Capistrano. It dates back 109 years, although the site was discovered ten years before that time by the first land expedition under the leadership of Governor Portola and the sainted Padre Junipero Serra.—Mexican Herald. ,
Connecticut’s Stone Fences Disappearing.—Connecticut’s stone fences are doomed and before many years these picturesque features of the rural sections of the State will be but a memory. The popularity of stone houses and the increase in the number of summer homes hasse led to the utilization of the stone fences for building purposes. In place of the stone fences are miles of wire fences. When New Yorkers