Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-10-31
THE BIGGEST THINGS.
Interesting Facts Useful While
i'm AN Argument.

The largest theater in the world is
the new opera house in Paris. 1t covers
nearly three acres Of ground; its cubic
mass is 4,2S7, 900 feet; it cost about
lOO. 600. 600 francs. The largest sus.
ension bridge is the one between New
York City and Brooklyn; the length OF
the main span is ,595 feet inches; the
entire length OF the bridge is s. $50 feet.
The loftiest active volcano is Popocata
petl-.'smoking mountain"-thirty five
miles southwest of Pueblo, Mexico; it is
II, 74S feet above the sea-level, and has
crater three miles in circumference
and 900 feet deep. The longest span
of wire in the world is used for tele-
graph in India over the river Kistnah.
1t is more than 5000 feet in length and
is |, 200 feet high. The largest snip 10
the world is the Great Eastern. She is
$50 feet long, S3 feet broad, and 60 feet
deep, being 2S,6 ,627 tons burden, Is, 9l5
gross and l3, 344 net register.
The greatest fortress, from a strata
getical point of view, is the famous
stronghold Of Gibraltar. 1t occupies
rocky peninsula jutting outi the sea.
about three miles long and three.quar-
ters of a mile wide. One central rock
rises to height of |, 435 feet above the
sea level. It's northern face is almost
perpendicular, while its east side is full
of tremendous precipices. On the south
it terminates in what is called Europa
Point The west side is less steep
than the east, and between its base and
the sea is the narrow, almost level span
on which the town of Gibraltar is built.
The fortress is considered impregnable
to military assault. The regular garri'
son in time of peace numbers about
1000.
The biggest cavern is the Mammoth
Cave in Edmonson county, Ky. 1t is
near Green river, about six miles from
Cave City and twenty eight from Bowl
ing Green. The cave consists of q sue
cession of irregular chambers, some of
which are large, situated in different
levels. Some of these are traversed by
navigable branches of the subterranean
Echo river. Blind fish are found in its
waters.
The longest tunnel in the world is
that of the st. Gothard, ON the line of
railroad between Lucerne and Milan.
The summit of the tunnel is 900 feet
below the surface at Andermatt, and
$500 feet beneath the peak of Castle
horn of the St. Gothard group. The
tunnel is 26a feet wide. and is Is feet 10
inches from the floor to the crown of
the arched roof. 1t is 81 miles long. IL
miles longer than the Mount Gents
tunnel.
The biggest trees in the world are the
mammoth trees of California. One of
grove in Tulare county, according 10
measurements made by members of the
State Geological Survey, was shown to
be 276 feet in height, los feet in clrcum
ference at base, and rs feet at point
II feet above ground. Some of the
largest that have been felled indicate an
age of from 1000 to $500 years.
The largest library is the Bibliothegue
Nationale in Paris, founded by Louis
XIV. 1t contains 100000 volumes,
300, 600 pamphlets, l75, 900 manuscripts.
300, 600 maps and charts, and l50,0
coins and medals. The collection OF
engravings exceeds 100000 volumes.
The portraits number about 100, 200.
The largest desert is that of Sahara,
vast region of northern Africa extend
ing from the Atlantic ocean on the west
to the valley OF the Nile on the east.
The length from east to west is about
5000 miles, it's average breadth is about
900 miles, its area about 1000. 600
SQUARE miles. Rain fails in torrents III
the Sahara at intervals of five, ten and
twenty years. In summer the heat dur
ing the day is excessive, but the nights
are often cold. In winter the temper
ature is sometimes below freezing point.
The greatest pyramid in the world is
that of Cheops, one of the pyramids
forming the Memphis group, situated
on plateau about 1877 feet above the
level OF the highest rise in the Nile. Its
dimensions have been reduced by the
removal of the outer portions to furnish
stone for the city Of Cairo. Its masonry
consisted originally of S9,02S, 900 cubic
feet, and still amounts to 50, iii, 900
feet, The present vertical height is
45O feet, against 479 feet originally. |
The total weight of the stone is esti
mated at 6,Sl6 900 tons. 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 6S feet, and its height more than
2l feet. In its stoutest part it is %
inches thick, and its weight has been
to be 443, 722 pounds. 1t has
never been hung San Francisco Bul.
letin.
sHILoH's yITAIIzER is what you need