Earthquakes at the Sandwich Islands.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3095, 7 January 1871, Page 4

Earthquakes at the Sandwich Islands.

Severe shocks of earthquake were felfc in fche Sandwioh Islands on the 7th August, the heaviest afc Hawaii since 1868. American Railways.— ln 1851, nineteen years ago, fche total tonnage of all the American I railways was bnfc 5,000,000 tons, and their gross earnings from the transportation of goods §20,192,104. The goods traffic at that time averaged 416 lb per head of fche population of the country. In 1869, eighteen years afterwards, fche tonnage of all the American railways had increased to 1,170,793,500 tons, an average of 6122 lb per head of the population, and showing an f increase of aboufc 1500 per cenfc or an average annual increase of 80 per cenfc. In 1851, the value of the goods carried was $750,000,000 ; in i 1869, it was §10,800,000, or about fourteen times greater. At presont the tonnage of the Amerioan railways averages 2500 tons fco fche milo of line, and fche annual increase in railways is aboub 5000 miles. Shameful Case op Imposition.— According to the "New York Herald," a charitable gentleman has lately been imposed upon in the mosfc shameful manner in Boston, United States. Meeting a wo_oan in one of the streets in greafc distress he inquired the cause of her grief, and was informed that her husband was dead and she had no money to bury him. The gentleman, expressing doubts as to the truth of her story, waa invited by the woman to come to her house and see the remains of the deceased, which he accordingly did, and found her husband lying in a coffin ready for burial. Ashamed of the doubts he had previously entertained, he removed his gloves and gave her money sufficient for the funeral. On leaving fche house he found he had left; his gloves behind him ; he therefore returned to claim fchem, and was both grieved and disgusted to find the dead man sitting up in his coffin counting the money received by the woman. The gentleman took his gloves, and, merely remarking that the deceased need not trouble himself to count the money, for it was all right, left the house a sadder and a wiser man.