Michigan News

- ■ About 2 o'elock in the morning Mercy ho pital. Big Rapids, a large frame iustitution s i uated beyond reach of the iire department caught fire frorn a stove in the ehapel, and wa totally destroyed. The inmates, about 60 in number, were "removed, and have been provitlei for, but the Fnther Decunick librarv was lost There was an insurance of $5,000 on the Imild ing. The hospital was managed by the sister of charity. Reports from the pinerle6 show that logglu; operationa are being pushed with unusua vigor, and in most instanees under fuvorabk circumstances. A wTiter at Oíd Masón figures up the valuc of fruit sold from the Grand Traverse peniu8ula this year at over $34,000. The governmcnt has been selling off some very valuable pine land in the Duluth lumber región, and very heavy purehases have been made by Michigan lumbermen. A farmer of Frankenmuth. aamed Martin Lasell, was struck by a Flint & Pcre Marquette railway train and ïnstantly killed, lic was about 31 years old. A'young lad named Cowau was killed by fallirig tree iu Wright townsliip, Hlllidale county, reccntlj'. Three men managing a snow ploiv on the narrow guage railroad, near Paw Paw, were seriously lrurt a few days ago. At a doublé wedding held in Coldwater both bridegreoms were Methodist ministers. Tliey were Rev. S. M. Merritt of Coldwater, who was married to Mrs. E. L. McCrea, and ReT. Robert Phillips, of Cazenovia, to Miss Mary MeCrea. The brides were mother and daughter. It is proposed to establish a post of the grand army of the republic at Port lluron. During the month of November 3,843 immigrants entercd the United States at Port Huron. Mrs. Hattie Ablstrom,wifeof Capt. Ahlstrom, of the schooner Queen City, dicd at Cheboygau of inflammatory rheumatism. Joe Tucker, a well known young meehanic at Fort Gratiot, has invented a guard ealculated to prevent the accidenta so f requently oceurring it railway switch "frogs." It is patentcd as rirjiv's railwflv trnilrri. liv Tnrkfr mul his er-in-law, S. J. Gray, of Fort Gratiot. It has been tested thoroughly and is believed to be a good thing, and one tfiat haB money in it for those who secure its control. An article in the Northwestern Mining News shows that during the past year five Michigan mining companies have pakt their stoekholders $340,000 more than the actual paid-up capital of the eompanies. They are the Atlantic, Calumet & Hecla, Central, Osceola and Quincy. Since they were opened these mines have paid nearly 11 times the amount of their paid-up capital, and have paid one-fifth of the dtvldends paid by all mining companies in the United Statesduring the year. There are now 410 paupers in the county house at Wayne, Wayne county, and over 200 in the asyluin. Thoügh manv of these are children, they have so far escaped a visitation of either searlet fever or diphtheria. James Manion and James Malloy have been eonvicted of highway robbery at Kalamazoo. Just as the verdict was rendered Manion went into the judge's room in the court house and leaped from a window. He was followed, brought back, and the judge clenehed the verdict by a ten years. sentence. Malloy ivill be senteñeed later. A company has been formed at Jackson to manufacture the Desmond boiler injector invented by John Desmond of that place. A man named Uacloo, living in Dover, Leuaee county, is now over 100 years oíd. He is very ill añil will probably soon die. Isaac Van Auken, the Lenawee county cooviet who tried to cremate himeelf in ble cell at the Jaekson prison, has sinee died oí hlsburns. He was eonvietcd in July, 1860, for the murder of his wife and son, and Vas in for Ufe with no hope of a pardon. Last August the superintendent of schools at East Saginaw took a vote oï the parents of pupils in the high school on a proposition to change the school hours to only one se6siou per day, viz., from 8 :45 to 2 p. ra. " There were 163 aftírmative votes to 7 negative, and the plan ■was tried. Now the superintendent reporte better daily attendanee, and consequently fewer withdrawals from school, less sickness, closer application to study, better lessons and tewer cases of discipline. A 10-years-old 6on of Geo. Garfleld, wbile coasting at Saranac, ran into the fence, breaking his jaw and eutting a hole in the side of his face. The 6tatc assoeiation of surveyors and civil engineers will hok a meeting at the 6tate captol, January 9 to 12. Papers will be read on "Legislativo Needs," by Geo. Steele, of Grand Haven; "Water as a souree of engineering difiiculty," by. Prof . Grecne, of Aun Arbrr; 4,Coramon Roaos," by Burton Kent, of Adrian;"Conetruetion and care of watcrworks for small cities," by Chas. Hyde, of .Taekson; andalsoon other important and interesting subieets by Others. There will be an exhibition of survey ing iustruments, questions asked and answerêd on practical work, and a general overhauling of thiugs valuable to the profesion. ( tlllziiifi Sinokr. At Elk Rapids, Mich,, is a blast-furnaee, in whieh are manufaetured 50 tons of eharcoal iron oer dav. There are 35 chareoal üits. Btructed of brick. Each pit is filled with 100 cords of hard wood, and then flred. The vast amount of smoke from these pits, which was formerly lost in the air, has now been utilized by Dr. Price, a chemist. Chemical works hare been ereeted, which are thus described : First, they have a circular tube, made of wood, with pine Ktaves 16 feet in length, bound together with heavy iron hoops. This tube is placed directly over the pits, in a horizontal positiou, with an opening from each pit luto the tube. At the end nearest the building there is a large drum containing a rotary ian propelled by machinery, the power of whieh is gas. That acts as a suetion or draft for the smoke, which is conveyed into five stills filled with copper wlre two and a half inches in diameter. The boxea in which the pipes are situated are 20 luches square, eight feet deep, of heavy pine, and Ulied with cold water. These are all connected with main still 100 feet in length, 10 feet wide, eight feet deep, filled with copper pipes txvo and a half inches in diameter, in a horizontal )osition, surrouuded with cold water, from this' conveyed to a purifler, írom which runs what is cailed pyroligneous acid, which is elear as amber, with an unpleasant odor. From the acid is prouuceu - nrst, aeeiaie 01 potase ; second, alcohol; third, tar; the fourth part produces gas. which is consumcdunderthe boilers. Each cord of wood contains 38,000 cublo feet of emoke- 2,800,000 fcet of smoke handled eyery 24 hours, produeing 12,000 pounds acétate of lime, 200 gallons alcohol, aud 25 pounds tar. These articles have a commercial value in tlic manufacture of various articles. The alcohol has been contracted to a flrm in BufEalo, N. Y., for five years, they furnishing the packages and receiving it at the works at 80 ceutB per gallon. The Kinoke from 40,000 cords of wood consumed per annum is thus made a eource of muoh proflt, as the trains are nearly automatic.