THE LATEST YANKEE NOTION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 122, 9 June 1870, Page 6

THE LATEST YANKEE NOTION.

An extraordinary project is how before the American public, namely, one for performing the distance between San Francisco and New York, by rail, in sixty hours. The following extract is from the " Pottsville (Pennsylvania) Miners' Journal": — We * were shown, yesterday, the model of a new railroad and machinery, invented by R. A. Wilder, for which he has made application for a patent, by which the trip can be made from New York to San Francisco in 60 hours, including moderate stoppages at the principal points, with much more safety than on the present road. There will be four rails laid down instead of two, for a single track, and will be laid in such a manner that the road can be used in various ways. We are not at liberty at present to give the full particulars, but this much we can say, that the passenger and freight cars can be built 17 feet wide — that they can be run at the rate of 60 miles an hour, with double engine of 60 tons will take 1000 passengers in a single train, with less wear and tear to the roadway than is now caused by a 35-ton eagine. The expenses of building such a road will be about 8000 dollars a miter more than building one of the present singletrack roads, which, for 3000 miles, from New York to San Francisco, would involve an extra expenseamounting to only 24,000,000 dollars. A single passengers, merchandise, or baggage car, capable of carrying double the number of passengers, and double the quantity of merchandise, will weigh at least five tons less than any two of the cars now in use. The capacity of the road, single track, will be nearly, if not quite, three times as great as that of the present single lines. There will be no oscillating movement in the cars when running at a high rate of speed, and it is almost impossible for a car to be overturned in case of an accident. On such a road, with passenger 17 feet wide, they can be fitted up with staterooms, &c, and with nearly all the comforts that can be obtained in a first-class hotel. Should the project also be carried out of extending a railroad from New York to the most remove point # in Newfoundland, and establish a line of steamers to cross the ocean in three days from that point, which can be done, as the distance is only 1200 miles, the distance from Liverpool to New York can be made in six days ; adding two and a half more days to San Francisco, the whole route can be travelled in about nine days, distance of upwards of 6000 miles.

A Melancholy Case. — The Melbourne Daily Telegraph relates the following: — A very sad case came under the notice of the City Bench on Friday morning. A young woman of very pleasing appearance, named Mary Elder, was brought before the Court by senior-constable Mooney, who had met her about 2o'clock in the morning wandering about the streets attired only iv her night dress, and saying that she was going to heaven." She was>emanded to be examined by two doctors, with a view to sending her to the Tarra Bend Lunatic Asylum. Her history is a very sad one. About two years and a half ago her mother died, leaving her to the care of her father, who was a carpenter in a very respectable position. He too died last August, and she was left without a protector. A short time before this, however, she had become acquainted with, and gained the affections of a young man named James Hay, living in Latrobe-street. This young man, who had served as a volunteer under Colonel Whitmore, in New Zealand, and seen some smart service, took her to his house, and since then she has been treated in all respects by them as a daughter. The young couple were engaged to be married, .and the ceremony would probably soon have taken place, when about ten days ago she began to manifest symptoms of religious mania, which have now eulminj ated in a total aberration of intellect. The poor girl has always borne a pious and exemplary character, - and has lately seemed to be much distressed in her mind on the subject of baptism, which she has been assiduously studying for some time past.

An Editor of Strong Principle. — Here is an anecdote of an editor in one of the most important provincial towns in England. He was seated at his desk, reading the letters received by that morning's post, when an unannounced visitor presented himself. " I belive. sir, that you conduct the Journal ?' " The reply was a nod of assent. "I am Mr Moore, banker in (naming a neighbouring town), and you have had the audacity to state, in your last issue, that I had committed suicide in a fit of temporary •insanity." The editor was puzzled, but undismayed — " We had the paragraph from our local reporter in your town, and have always found him reliable and accurate." The banker became more angry. " Well, sir, you see that lam alive. Of course yon will publish a contradiction and apology in your next number ?" " I am afraid, my dear sir, that this would violate our invariable rule — which is, never to admit that we have made a misstatement. But, as you appear greatly annoyed by the paragraph, I am willing to state, in to-morrow's paper, that the rope broke, and that you are fortunately alive. More than this cannot be done — our principle is never to retract."