Chapter D: W. Brown

_Answer._—It would be a rash geologist who would undertake to say how many years it has been since the Glacial Period. Geological periods cannot be reckoned by years with any approach to certainty. Even the dates of geological events in the “Recent,” or “Human Period,” immediately following the Glacial Period, cannot be arithmetically computed. The order of their succession is about all that can be established with reasonable certainty. Such events belong, practically speaking, to an era of which it has been said: “Then time was not.” In America evidences of glacial action extend as far south, at least, as Washington and the Ohio River; in Europe to 50 degrees north latitude, and in some places down to 45 degrees.

LOUIS PHILIPPE.

ARGYLE, Minn.

In what year did Louis Philippe ascend the throne? Give a brief
history of his life and death.

J. G. LEGRANGE.

_Answer._—Louis Philippe, son of Louis Philippe Joseph, Duke of Orleans, was born at Paris in 1773, and, having held the title of Lieutenant of the Kingdom since the abdication of Charles X., as a result of the revolution of July, 1830 ascended the throne of France Aug. 9, 1830. During the first revolution, in which he fought on the side of the people, he became suspected of aspiring to the throne, and, his arrest having been ordered, he sought refuge for himself and sister in Switzerland. There for a time he taught under the assumed name of Chabaud-Latour. Later he visited Northern Europe and America, and in 1800 settled at Twickenham, near London. Upon the restoration of the royal family, he returned to Paris, and recovered his estates. Though coldly received by his suspicious kinsman, Louis XVIII., he was extremely popular elsewhere, and in recognition of his plain manners and attention to the bourgeoisie he received the title “Citizen King.” His reign was prosperous, and his wise government did much to restore France to a state of quiet industry. But suddenly the cry arose for a reform in the electoral system, and receiving no friendly response from the King or ministry, the people grew rebellious. The King used military force, the people became their own army, and Feb. 24, 1848, Louis Philippe fled from Paris, with his faithful minister, Guizot. He and his queen were concealed in Normandy for a few days, and then passed on a British steamboat to Newhaven, Eng., as Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He died quietly at Claremont in 1850.

POSTAL EXPENDITURES NORTH AND SOUTH.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

It was stated not long ago, in Our Curiosity Shop, that the postal
expenses in the Southern States have long exceeded the postal
revenue from the same States, while in the Northern States the
opposite is true. I challenge you to show that this was the case
before the late civil war.

A CONFEDERATE.

_Answer._—That is not at all hard to show. It has been the case pretty much ever since the government was formed. In the Northern States the postal revenue has almost always been in excess of the expenditures, while the reverse has been true in the South. In 1846-7 the transportation of the mails throughout New England cost $256,464, while the postal revenue collected in those States amounted to $443,648. The expense of mail transportation in New York and Pennsylvania was only $384,719, while the postal revenue collected amounted to nearly double that amount, say $746,933. In Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia, during the same time, the expenditures aggregated $770,044, while the amount received for postage was but $311,569, or less than half as much. At the same time Alabama paid in less than $50,000, while the expenditures were over $136,000; and Texas returned but $3,246 for an expenditure of $24,102; though Wisconsin, in which the expenditure reached but $15,043, returned to the general postoffice $56,703, and Iowa, then in its infancy, came within less than $500 of meeting all the cost of her postal service. This is a fair sample of how it was before the war.

WEALTHIEST STATES.

CHICAGO, Ill.

Will you kindly state in Our Curiosity Shop which State in the
Union is considered to be the richest? Say if Pennsylvania does not
rank the highest in the aggregate of products. If not, what State
does? and what is Pennsylvania’s rank?

ENQUIRER.

_Answer._—According to the census of 1880 the four States showing the highest assessed valuation of real estate and personal property are: New York, $2,651,940,006; Pennsylvania, $1,683,459,016; Massachusetts, $1,584,756,802; Ohio, $1,534,360,508. Assessed valuations are so far from being the true values of property, and there is such divergency in the practice of the various States—some assessing at nearly the true value, others at scarcely 25 per cent of it, and most of them at rates ranging between 40 per cent and 50 per cent of it—that there is no great amount of satisfaction in a comparison based on these valuations. For example, the total assessed valuation of personal property for the State of New York is $322,657,647, when it is generally believed that four men, Mr. Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, Russel Sage, and Augustus Belmont, together, own very nearly this amount in bonds, mortgages, and other personal property.

As to the value of their chief products, the States holding the highest rank are as follows:

Number of Value of
States. establishments. products.

New York 43,739 $1,080,696,596
Pennsylvania 31,232 744,818,445
Massachusetts 14,352 631,135,284
Illinois 14,549 414,864,673
Ohio 20,699 348,298,390

In agriculture: Value of Value of all
States. live stock. farm products.

Illinois $132,437,762 $203,980,137
New York 117,868,283 178,025,695
Ohio 103,707,730 156,777,152
Iowa 124,715,103 136,103,473
Pennsylvania 84,242,877 129,760,476

In mining: Value of product of Value of
States. precious metals. non-precious metals

Pennsylvania .......... $65,559,576
Colorado $19,249,172 1,041,350
California 18,301,828 .........
Nevada 17,318,909 .........
Michigan 25,858 14,279,437
Illinois .......... 8,911,279
Ohio .......... 8,077,488

From the above it appears that in the aggregate value of their agricultural, manufacturing, and mining products, New York leads all the other States, with a total of over $1,381,000,000; Pennsylvania follows, with $1,024,000,000; Illinois marches third, with over $760,000,000; Massachusetts fourth, with over $676,000,000; and Ohio fifth, with nearly $617,000,000.

PENSION-ATTORNEY’S FEES.

TIPTON, Iowa.

Is it true that a pension attorney cannot lawfully charge more than
$10 for his services in procuring a pension? If so, when was this
law passed? It used to be $25: at least that was what pensioners
around here paid.

OLD SOLDIER.

_Answer._—Prior to June 20, 1878, it was lawful for an attorney to make a contract with a pension claimant for $25 as a fee, which amount was paid by the Commissioner of Pensions, or on his order, when the pension was allowed, out of the first pension payment. It was wholly contingent upon the successful prosecution of the claim. In 1878 Mr. Bentley, then Commissioner of Pensions, arrayed himself against claim attorneys, and procured the enactment of the present law, approved June 10, 1878, making it unlawful for an attorney to receive a greater sum than $10 for his services in procuring a pension. This amount the attorney can collect from the applicant and keep, whether the claim is allowed or not. It is doubtful whether Mr. Bentley’s well intended endeavors to benefit applicants through this law have not resulted in more harm than good, as hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants have paid attorneys this $10 in advance, and therefore the latter, having nothing more to gain, have merely filed the applications, and left the cases to take the regular red-tape course, and be thrown out for informalities or for want of a little additional testimony, which defects the attorneys would have strived to cure if the fee had remained at $25, and been wholly contingent on the allowance of the pensions.

HEADLIGHT OIL.

ALDEN, Iowa.

Please give the composition and properties of “headlight oil,” such
as is used by the railroad companies in lanterns and headlights.

P. M. EDWARDS.

_Answer._—Strictly speaking, headlight oil of the first quality is what its discoverer, Joshua Merrill, named mineral sperm. It is an illuminating oil intermediate between kerosene and neutral lubricating oil, the specific gravity of kerosene being .804, that of mineral sperm .847, and that of lubricating oil .883. The boiling points of these are respectively, 350 deg. Fahr., 425 deg., and 575 deg. It is volatile only at very high temperature, therefore, and cannot be ignited at less than 300 deg. Fahr., which is one reason why it is preferred to kerosene, particularly on railroad cars and locomotives and ocean steamers. The headlight oils in common use do not conform strictly to the above descriptions, being, some of them, only a fine quality of kerosene. The chemical constituents of refined petroleum are hydrogen and carbon, in the proportions of 75 of the former to 85 of the latter. We have not the precise chemical formula for headlight oil.

UNITED STATES NATIONAL CEMETERIES.

BUCYRUS, Ohio.

How many United States National cemeteries are there, and where are
they? What salaries are paid to superintendents? Are they kept in
good condition?

OLD SOLDIER.

_Answer._—The National cemeteries consecrated to the remains of the fallen patriots of the late civil war are all well cared for by salaried superintendents, and are examined from time to time by competent inspectors, whose duties require them to report any neglect. Every grave is marked with a headstone; the grounds are handsomely laid out; the walks, winding among the green swarded lots, are neatly graveled; and shade trees, ornamental shrubs and flower beds are tastefully arranged to beautify these “God’s acres,” sacred to the Nation’s dead. The cemeteries west of the Missouri contain the graves of a good many soldiers who have died since the rebellion, in the regular army service on the frontiers. There is an United States National cemetery near the City of Mexico, consecrated to the gallant fellows who fell at Chapultepec, and Contreras, and in other brilliant actions of the war with Mexico. The locality of the awful massacre of General Custer and his entire command by the Indians, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, is marked by a National cemetery and a suitable monument. The following is a full list of the National cemeteries, with the salaries of their superintendents:

Cemeteries. Salaries.

Mobile. Ala. $840
Little Rock, Ark. 900
Fort Smith, Ark. 840
Fayetteville, Ark 780
Soldiers’ Home, D. C. 900
Battle Ground, D. C. 720
Barrancas, Fla. 780
St. Augustine. Fla.
Andersonville, Ga. 900
Marietta, Ga. 900
Camp Butler, Ill. 780
Mound City, Ill. 900
Quincy, Ill.
Rock Island, Ill.
Crown Hill, Ind. 720
New Albany, Ind. 780
Fort Gibson, I. T. 780
Keokuk, Iowa 780
Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. 840
Fort Scott, Kan. 840
Cave Hill, Ky 720
Camp Nelson, Ky. 900
Danville. Ky.
Lebanon, Ky. 720
Lexington, Ky. 840
Logan’s Cross Roads, Ky. 840
Mill Springs, Ky.
Alexander, La. 840
Baton Rouge, La. 480
Chalmette, La. 900
Port Hudson, La. 900
Annapolis, Md. 780
Antietam, Md. 900
Laurel, Md.
Loudon Park, Md. 720
City of Mexico, Mex. 900
Corinth, Miss. 900
Natchez, Miss. 900
Vicksburg, Miss. 900
Jefferson Barracks, Mo. 900
Jefferson City, Mo. 780
Springfield, Mo. 780
Custer Battlefield, M. T.
Fort McPherson, Neb. 720
New Berne, N. C. 840
Raleigh, N. C. 840
Salisbury, N. C. 900
Wilmington, N. C. 840
Beverly, N. J. 720
Finn’s Point, N. J. 720
Cypress Hills, N. J. 720
Woodlawn, N. J.
Gettysburg, Pa. 900
Philadelphia, Pa. 840
Florence, S. C. 840
Beaufort, S. C. 900
Chattanooga, Tenn. 900
Ft. Donelson, Tenn. 780
Knoxville, Tenn. 840
Memphis, Tenn. 900
Nashville, Tenn. 900
Pittsburg Landing, Tenn. 900
Stone River, Tenn. 900
San Antonio, Texas 720
Brownsville, Texas 840
Alexandria, Va. 840
Arlington, Va. 900
Balls Bluff, Va.
City Point, Va. 840
Cold Harbor, Va. 780
Culpeper, Va. 840
Danville, Va. 780
Fort Harrison, Va. 720
Fredericksburg, Va. 900
Glendale, Va. 720
Hampton, Va. 900
Poplar Grove, Va. 900
Seven Pines, Va. 720
Richmond, Va. 900
Staunton, Va. 720
Winchester, Va. 720
Yorktown, Va. 780
Grafton. W. Va. 720

In all, there are 315,555 graves under the supervision of the Quartermaster General, according to a late report, only 172,409 of which had been identified.

A TRULY REMARKABLE EGG.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.

SIR: Having read a short time since in your columns an account of a “Wisconsin hen” having laid a double egg, I enclose the following:

“About fifteen years ago a Mr. Green, of Toledo, Ill., had a hen which laid an egg as large as a goose egg. Inside the outer shell was another perfect egg inclosed in a shell, and between the two shells, two yolks and two whites. It is needless to remark that the hen died in a few hours. There are a number of people now living in or about Toledo who can vouch for the truth of this story.