The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-02-21
List of Interesting and instructive
Facts.

opera House IN ParlS. 1t covers
nearly three acres, and its cubic mass
is 1927 900 feet. 1t cost about 100,-
100000 francs.
The largest city in the world is Lon
don. Its population numbers $780,
81 souls. New York with a popuIa-
ton of ,250,000 comes fifth in the list
of great cities.
The largest island In the world,
which is also regarded as ii continent,
is Australia. 1t is $500 miles in
length from east to west, and meas
ures $50 miles from north to south.
Its area is about 2.SS4,2S7 square
miles.
The longest span of wire in the
world is used for telegraph in India
over the river Kistnah, between Be-
zOrah. and Sectanagrum. 1t is more
than 5000 feet long, and is stretched
between two hills, each of which is
l 200 feet high.
The largest ship in the world is
the Great Eastern. She is 268 feet
long, SO feet broad, and 60 feet deep,
being 22,927 tons builders 1926
gross, and 1884 net register. She
was built at Midwall, on the Thames
and was launched January 3lst, 1867.
The highest range of mountains is
the Himalayas, their mean elevation
being estimated at from 10000 to 49,
600 feet. The loftiest Mountain is
Mount Everest or Guarisanker, of the
Himalaya range, having an elevation
of $4,000 feet above the sea level.
The largest university is Oxford,
in England, in the city of the same
name, So miles from London. 1t
consists of q colleges and halls.
| Oxford was seat of learning as early
as the time of Edward the Confessor.
University College claims to have
been founded by Alfred.
The highest monolith is the Obe-
lisk at Karnack, in Egypt. Karnack
is on the east bank Of the Nile, near
Luxor, and occupies part of the site
of ancient Thebes. The Obelisk is as
+ cribed to Hatasu, sister of Pharaoh
Thotheme III, who reigned about
1900 B. G. It's height, without ped
estal, is 1913 feet 10 inchs.
The biggest cavern is the Nam
moth Cave, IN Edmundson county,
Kentucky. 1t is near Green river,
ten miles from Cave City, and about
% miles from Bowling Green. The
cave consists of irregular chambers,
some of which are large, situated on
different levels. Some of these are
traversed by navigabIe branches of
the subterranean Echo river. Blind
fish are found in its waters.
The longest tunnel in the world is
that of st. Gothard, on the line of
railroad between Lucerne and Milan,
The summit of the tunnel is $50 feet
below the surface of the Adermatt,
and is 5000 feet below the peak of
Castlehorn, of the st. Gothard group.
The tunnel is 264 feet wide, and 1870
feet 10 inches from the floor to the
crown of the arched roof. 1t is 81
miles long, or u miles longer than
the Mt. Gents tunnel.
The largest library is the Bibli-
otheque National. in Paris, founded
by Louis XIV. 1t contains 400, 900
volumes, 100000 pamphlets, 175, 900
manuscripts, maps and charts, and
100000 coins and medals. The cOllec-
ton of engravings exceeding 350, 900,
containing some 10000 volumes. The
portraits number about 100000. The
building which contains these treas
ures is situated on the Rue Richelieu.
Its length is $50 feet. and its breadth
1870 feet.
The largest bell in the world is the
great bell of Moscow at the foot of
the Kremlin. Its circumference at
the bottom is nearly IS feet. In it's
stoutest part it is % inches thick, and
its weight is computed to be 443, 722
pounds. 1t has never been hung,
and was probably cast where it now
stands, A piece of the bell is broken
off. The fracture is supposed to have
been occasloned by water having been
thrown upon it when heated by the
building erected over it being on
fire.
The most remarkable whirlpool is
the Maelstrom, on the northwest
coast of Norway and southwest of
Mosken8sol, the most southerly of
the Lofoden Isles. 1t was once sup
posed to be unfathomable, but the
depth has been shown not to exceed
twenty fathoms. The whirlpool is
navigabIe under ordinary circumstan-
ces, but when the wind is northwest
it often attains great fury and be-
comes extremely dangerous. Under