The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-12-25

EXTRAORDINARILY five leading jour
mails of Paris contain long and clrcumstan-
tial accounts of distinguished engineer
whose head was turned perfectly white by
most frightful dream. The engineer had
visited a rough and unfrequented mineral re-
gion for the purpose of exploring and
reporting to company of capitalists
upon the richness OF certain mine. The
night of his arrival and before he descended
into the mine he lodged at a small in and,
after devouring a pound or two OF pork
chops, went to bed. He dreamed that he
had visited the mine and was being hauled
up, when he discovered that the rope was al
most severed, and there was only a single
strand to support his weight and that of the
bucket in which he was being drawn up
Suddenly, when he had assembled two hun
dred feet, the rope, he dreamed, gave way,
and he uttered fearful shrek, which reused
the inmates of the house, and when they
burst open the door of the dreamer's room.
they found a white headed man in the place
of the black haired young gentleman who
had retired few hours before The story is
well authenticated, andihis is not the first in
stance on record OF a mans hair having been
turned white from the effects ofa dream.
MECHANICAL Uses OF CASTOR OIL-It is
not as universally known us it deserves to be
that castor oil is as useful in the trades as it
is as a medicine 1t is much better to soften
and to redeem old leather than any other oil
known when boots and shoes are creased
with it, the oil will not at all interfere with
the polishing afterwards, as is the case with
lard olive, or any other oil. In Harrisburg
PENNSYLVANIA. the old leather hose Of some
of the fire companies was creased with it,
and found to become almost as soft and t1ex
ible as new leather. Leather belts for trans
mtting motion in machinery will usually last
three to five years. according to the wear
and tear they are exposed to- when creased
with castor oil they will last ten years or
more as they always remain flexible and do
not crack. Besides this advantage, castor
oil will prevent slipping so that Il belt three
inches wrde, impregnated with it. will be
equal to belt four and half inches wide
without castor oil. 1t is necessary, however,
to wait twenty four hours, till the oil has
disappeared from the surface and penetrated
the leather. otherwise the freshly creased sur
face will cause slipping. That rats and othor
vermin detest anything impregnated with
castor OIL and will not touch it, is another
advantage.
OUT OF THE DEPTHs-Wonders will nev-
er cease. Lovers of natural history were in
ecstacies not long since. in view of the dis
covery of the eyeless tish-fat, friSky fellows
fresh from the flowing underground streams
of the Mammoth Cave. This morning we
were presented with number OF nVcly lit
tie fish by our friend Joseph Winch, Esq,
which were thrown up from depth of some
thirty feet below the surface iu Bryan, Ohio.
In boring for water in the locality men
toned. the augur. after penetrating Il depth
Of twenty-eight or thirty feet, suddenly drop
ped two or three feet, having evidently en-
cOuntered subterranean canal OF some de-
scription, containing water a strong and
continuous stream of which has continued to
be thrown out at the surface ever since
The water is very cold, and is strongly i'm
pregnated with sulphur.
Immense quantities of these little fish are
forced up with water and, on being placed
in vases supplied with water from almost
any section OF the country, continue as
lively and vigorous as when first making
their appearance on terra .1fJmaa. They seem
to belong to the "chub" family, are beauti-
fully variegated, have keen bright eyes, and
seem to live and grow fat on nothing -
Pittsbwrg Chronicle.