The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-05-05
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIEN-
TIFIC.

A bedstead, made to order by Milwaukee
firm, is twenty-four feet wide, and has nine
compartments each intended to hold one Of
the purchaser children.
In China and Japan girls are named after
some beautiful natural object, and such
names are common as Cherry flower, Peach
blossom, Plumb blossoms, Bamboo-leaf, Pine
woods, etc.
At fair held in Jacksonville, Fla, fort
night ago. was exhibited plant from which
ripe fruit had been picked four times this
season, and it stin carried one hundred and
four berries and blossoms.
Mexicans have a passion for mirrors, and
a traveller says that the interior OF some of
the city houses look like steamboat cabins.
He remarks, also, that mirrors are among
the commonest articles in pawnshops there.
A Macon, Ga, man keeps the floor of his
bedroom covered with empty oyster-cans.
He declares that he detests dogs but must
have some protection from burglars. The
empty oyster.cans form firstrate burglar
alarm.
The bed of the ocean. says a foreign wri-
Ter, is TO an enormous extent covered with
lava and pumice stone. Still more remark
able is it to find the floor of the ocean
covered in many parts with the dust Of the
meteorites.
The librarian of an outof-tbe.city library
has taken the precaution TO prevent, as far
as possible the circulation of books in fami-
lies where diphtheria, scarlet fever or any
other such disease exists, lest the books
should become the means of spreading the
disease.
TO test the enamel or Timing of cooking
vessels etc. for lead, NJ. Ferdoz suggests q
drop of nitric acid, strong, placed upon the
enamel OF timing, and evapOrated TO dry
ness by gentle heat. The spot where the acid
N4a.Ih x-a
iodide solution-tive parts iodide to 100 of
water-when the presence OF lead is at once
shown by the formation of lead iodide.
japanese lacquer ware, known the world
ever as the most superb for beauty and quail
ity, is made from lacquer furnished by the
sap of the Rhus vernicifera, tree cultivated
especially for this product. 1t is dirty
gray viscous liquid, which is refined by
straining and decautation. 1t is absolutely
necessary for the lacqured articles to be dried
in damp atmosphere to insure the requisite
| hardness.
A Paris surgeon kindly set the limb of a
! friends dog and his patient, some weeks
| after, brought him another dog in the same
! plight. DR.. Barnum. of Louisville, reports
| a similar case. The patient was black-and-
| tan terrier. 1t resisted the doctor to the ut
most, but was finally subdued and bound
up. -Four days later he came alone TO the
office and had his bandages arranged. After
| that he appeared once each day and held up
| his leg for examination.
A curious case of Observation-Disclosures is that
/ OF a young married man living near Jones'
vile, Saratoga county, n. Y, who one morn
| ing MIXED his COW. set the pail of milk in
the corner of the stable, and carried the stool
| to the house. This he did twice in success
sion. The third time he went to the barn to
milk he took basket of roots to the COW.
| He emptied out the roots and sat down and
commenced to milk the cow in the basket,
but found out his mistake in time to save
enough milk for breakfast coffee.
A clock manufacturing firm in Calcutta,
India have lately completed a very ingen-
ious timepiece in the shape of an eight-day
| clock, which strikes the hours on a large,
| fulltone gong and chimes the quarters on
| eight belle. In connection with the clock
/ there is perpetual calendar which gives
| the correct days of all the various months,
including the twenty-nine days in February
/ in the leap year. There is also a military
| procession worked by the clock, represent
| ing various branches OF the British army,
consisting of artillery, cavalry and infantry,
| and the staff in review order. There is also
sentry on duty who Salutes a drummer,
| who beats a drum, and bugler, who raises
| bugle to his mouth every few minutes.
All of these figures are arranged at the top
| of the dial.
Some one not long since invented papier
mache coffin. Among the advantages
| claimed for it was its close resemblance to
wood its lightness waterproof quality, and
iDcombustibility, though why this latter
quality should recommend the new casket is
not apparent. The paper casket has been
| patented, but has not been put upon the
1 market. Iron and bronze caskets have been
for some time in favor, and recently marble
caskets have come in. They are practically
indestruct;ble being made of composition
! of powdered marble Dust and Portland
| cement, and moulded and baked like pot
terry. A certain peculiar post-mortem
| vanity has found qualification in transparent
| glass collins, but hard wood is still more used
| than any other material, and for all practical
purposes it is, doubtless, as satisfactory as
| anything else On the score of healthfulness,
| indeed, the less durable the casket the bet