The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-11-06
EXPOSITION CURIOSITIES.

EXPOSITION CURIOSITIES.
some ofthe Curious Articles on Exhibition
Mt the Worlds Fair In Paris.
The British Trade Journal says: The
present Paris Exposition possesses more
than any previous exhibition the charac
teristics of museum. On every side
are constantly to be seen curious and Pc
culiar creations-examples of extreme
magnitude, specimens OF intinlteslmal
reduction, eccentric conceptions, COM
plicated novelties, chemical vanquishers
of time, machines laborously contrived
for the simplest purposes, others which
obtain semi. miraculous results by means
of the most ridiculous simplicity. In
deed, there are curiosities ranging over
almost every industry, representative OF
nearly every country, and achieving
ends hitherto undreamed of. There are
many, indeed, which are perfectly USE
less, but they are monuments OF ingen-
uity and skill, and all are to some
extent educational, inasmuch as they aid
in the development of a species of talent
which at some future time may find util-
itarian and valuable employment.
.,- A MONSTER SAUSAGE.
A Florentine sausage maker exhibits in
the italian section of the present exhibi-
tion, sausage which weighs oless than
fifty kilos, and which measures more
than two yards in length. OF course, it
is impossible to lay down in these mar
row limits how far tho brilliant intellect
which evolved the scheme of this SOU
gage will be able to benefit his fellow
creatures but the fact remains that this
intellect is responsible for an originality
it may be comic, even ridiculous, but
still it is an originality-which must in
dicate certain ability, and this ability,
being distinguished, must effect some
good.
LONG RAIL.
Another curiosity which is exhibited
in the machinery gallery of the Belgian
section, consists of two rails, one of
which is solid piece of metal 6fty.fye
meters in length Q55 feet), and the
other, of the same extraordinary length,
is coiled up in spiral roll. These
rails, which were made at the Seraing
works of M. Cockerill, are excellent re-
representatives. of the perfection to which
the Belgian metal industries have been
raised, and which in recent years has
stimulated much curiosity as to the
metal resources, both natural and in
genious, which are possessed by the
small Flemish kingdom.
ONE HUNDRED KNIVES IN CHERRY STONE.
In one of the French galleries there is
marvel of labor and industry which
has been manufactured by cutler of
Montron, in the department of the Dor
dogne. It consists of 100 microscopic
knives inclosed in an ordinary sized
cherry stonel They have all lockwood
handles, open and shut in the ordinary
way, and yet they do not weigh more
than seven grains in all.
THE SMALLEST BOOK.
Again, in the italian section is won
der of Typography in the shape of the
smallest book that has ever been printed
in any language. The extraordinary
nature, however, of this curiosity does
not arise from its minute size, as books
much smaller could easily be turned out;
but what is 30 especially remarkable
about it is the magnitude of it's contents,
containing as it does the whole of Dante's
"Divina Commedia. It has been printed
in Padua, and is SO small that, although
handsomely bound i'll red velvet and sil'
YER, it may easily be worn as a charm
hanging from the watch chain.
MODEL OF THE NEW YORK POST OFFICE.
The American section also exhibits
specimen of minute work in the shape
of model of the New York post Office,
constructed on the scale of one thirty
second of an inch to the foot. It con-
tains 284, 900 pieces, and has been built
from plans, occupying the time OF one
man, working six hours a day, for six
years.
BUST IN SOAP.
A bust of NJ. Leon Say is done in soap,
as q testimony of gratitude to that states.
man from the soapmakers of Marseilles,
for the conspicuous part he took in the
repeal of the soap tax. The bust is GER
tainly very artistically cut by NJ. Barn.
abo, and 30 is also the magnificent imita-
ton marble trophy in soap which is
exhibited in the Austrian section {; but
their artistic treatment does not make
them any more useful.
A CLOCK MADE OF BREAD.
A clock made entirely OF bread, has
been sent from Milan to the italian sec
tion. The maker is Peruvian, a native
Indian. who during three years of his
life devoted gooaly portion Of his leis-
ure to the construction of his curiosity.
He used only the crumb of the bread,
which he hardened with certain salt,
and which is said to have rendered it in
soluble in water. The clock is certain
ly we'll executed, and goes very well, but
people will as little think of using hard
ened bread for clock cases or mechanism
as of attempting to hand down to pos
terity craven images of themselves done
in soap.
OTHER CURIOUS THINGS.
1t must not, however, be imagined
from this enumeration of useless or
semi-useless creations that the exposi-
ton does not contain some very notable
curiosities, designed to occupy an i'm
portant place in the world of utility.
There are large number of ingenious
machines-more than we could possibly
describe in our limited space-which de-
serve to rank rs curiosities, if only for
the efficiency and celebrity with which
they effect enormous savings of time in
various processes.
There are, for example, in the French
agricultural section an apparatus which
makes butter in less than a minute, a
machine which milks COWS "mechanic-
ally, without touching them," m ar
rangement of circular knives which peels
potatoes beautifully, and all the time
honored but still very curious steam in
cubators and poultry fatteners which
are so indissolubly associated with Nor
man farmyards.
In the tobacco industry kiosque there
are also some curious machines. There
is one for the manufacture of cigarettes,
which is really of extraordinary eficien-
cy. The extremity Of an endless coil of
paper is placed in certain slit, and
then, by means of continually turning
certain cog wheels, the machine cuts the
paper, fills it with tobacco, rolls it,
gums it, and discharges it into box in