The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-04
MISCELLANEOUS,


-Mangum has been selected as the
county seat of Greer County, Tex, the
county which has been the subject of
so much interest of late, because of the
attempt of several persons to have it
declared Government land and opened
to settlers.
The common milk-weed NAV be-
come a profitable staple, as thread is
now made from its blossom that has
the tenacity of imported flax OF linen
thread. The fiber is long and easily
carded and spun and has the smooth
ness and luster of silk.-N Y. Mail.
Prince Bismarck has seventy-six
decorations, but he says he is prouder
of little silver medal which was
given him for rescuing a soldier from
drowning while he was sub-Lieuten-
ant in a cavalry regiment than of all
the rest put together.
Probably the largest rock in the
known world is the south dome of the
Yosemite, which rears itself, a solid
rocky leaf, six thousand feet above the
ground, sheer precipice over a mile
in height. No man ever trod the top
of this dome until last year; then, how
ever, after thousands of dollars had
been expended, several persons found
their way to the top.
When word is taken from some
other language and embalmed in the
English tongue the original spelling is
preserved, though the pronunciation
may be altered. 1t is different with the
French, with whom beefsteak becomes
''biftek, " and roast beef 'rosbif " The
letter in pocket is dropped or rather
transferred to poker (the game), the
words looking odd when they appear
respectively as "poket" and ''pocker."
Chicago Herald.
In weight the salmon of the Cana
dian rivers average between twenty
and twenty-five pounds. A thirty
pound salmon is very large, and a forty
pound fish will be talked of throughout
the season, although it is said that sal
mon weighing fifty pounds have been
caught in the Restigouche-one, in
deed, was said to weigh fifty-four
pounds. Chicago Tribune
"A young tornado went through
Danbury Comm hay field the other
day. 1t was only about eight feet in
diameter, but it caught young man
on its outer edge, carried him several
feet and dashed him to the ground.
Then it seized a good-sized haycock
fairly in its clutches, turned it UPSIDE
down, and then carried it, spinning
like top, at least $50 feet into the air,
landing it on an adjacent hill.-Hart-
ford C0urant.
The blind men of Brooklyn are in
the main self-supporting. All are en-
gagged either in commercial pursuits or
else work at trades. Piano-tuning is
their favorite pursuit. Nearly all are
married and have families. None have
married wives similarly affected, and
the total number of blind men in the
city, which is less than one hundred,
are friendly and aid each other in time
of need One of them is worth $780,
900 and dozen more are worth half
that amount.-N Y Sun.
The following unique list of we'd
ding presents appears in an exchange:
From father and mother of the bride,
one Jersey calf; from bride to groom,
hair wreath made from hair of her
entire family; also, six fine shirts; from
brother Elias, one book Of poems, one
dream book, one Polite Letter Writer
and dog; from Aunt Harriet, six hens
and rooster; also, one jar tomato cat
sup; from Cousin Sarah, one poem
made up byherself on bride and groom,
fifteen verses in all. Boston Herald.
Cork is the bark, not the wood, of
the cork-oak. The bark comes from
Spain and Portugal, where they keep
cork woods. 1t doesn't kill the tree to
take its bark away, and it can be
skinned every six or eight years. About
S1,000,000 worth of the raw bark is
brought to this country every year.
The cork is steamed before it is cut
Cork shoppers are made in thousands
of sizes and grades, six hundred sizes
being kept in stock. None Of the bark
goes to waste. In granulated state it
is used as roof-packing.