The Portland daily press., 1885-03-30
Personal and Peculiar.

Mr.. Tilden has already ordered his yacht
into service.
Minister Phelps will not start for London
for some weeks.
TIE honey crop of the United States
reaches 100000 pounds annually.
The youngest member of the New York
Cotton Exchange is a youth of Is Summers,
and the Oldest veteran Of 81 years.
New York dentists are using cocaine in
order to render the filling OF teeth painless
operation.
1t is stated that the Texas Siftings, the
Police Gazette and the Christian at Work
are all printed on the same press in New
York city.
The diaries Of Gen. Gordon have arrived
in London. At the end of the first volume
Gen Gordon wrote that the diaries shonld
all belong to his sister, and that if printed
they must be carefully pruned
A diver who has had experience in almost
all quarters of the world during period of
twenty-five years says that fish will seldom
attack man in armor, and that sharks are
especially cowardly when faced boldly.
The Pail Mall Gazette, commenting on
the appointment of Mr.. Phelps to succeed
Mr.. Lowell, says: ''lIr. Phelps is Yer
mont lawyer, unknown on this side of the
Atlantic. Doubtless he is most respectable
person."
The r2by is of greater value than the dia-
mond. 1t ranks for price and beauty above
all other stones. A writer on Jewels SAYS
that when a perfect ruby of five carats is
brought into the market a sum will be of
fered for it ten times the price given for
diamond of the came weight; but should it
reach the weight of ten carats,it is almost in-
valuable.
In boring salt well at East Aurora, N.
Y, bed of solid salt 65 feet thick has been
struck. This find is said to upset The
theories of scientists regarding the salt beds
of Western New York, Down 10 the depth
of 1850 feet the geological formations are re-
ported to be almost identical with those of
the oil regions in Pennsylvania. At this
depth the bed of salt was struck. The brine
stands in the well several hundred feet deep
and is rich in salt, quantity evaporated
yielding 50 per cent.
A recent statistician estimates that so per
cent of the population of this country is SUM-
ported by from 45 to 80 cents per day per
head. The latter figure makes the average
yearly cost of living $164 25. Inasmuch as
this is the average, there must be mauv per-
sons who do not have this sum to live upon.
Many mill operatives earn only from S. TO
81 per week, and on these sums several ner-
sons are often supported. When the great
incomes Of the wealthy are considered, the
contrast between the two extremes of soci-
ETY. is striking and suggestive.
The spring is tardy at the South. A CO.
lumbia Is. C.l letter says that farming oper-
ations have been retarded by proiracted cold
weather, and the GROUND has not been put
in SO good condition as it usually is at this
time OF the year. Taking advantage Of re-
cent balmy weather, however, planters have
gone energetically to work 10 make up for
lost time. Although suffering from tie eff
fects OF two successive crop failures, they
are cheerful and hopeful, and anticipate
much better times. There is tradition
thats succeeding two successive famines. a
plentiful harvest will reward shose who labor
and wait. The signs all point to wear of
good crops. The area which will be titled
In tue vicinity of Columbia this season far
exceeds that Of any previous year.