St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-02-25
OF GENERAL INTEREST.

I
way is Hebrew. They number IN
New York City about 120, 900, and with
their wealth and intelligence, if ever
organized politically as party, would
exert q strong, if not controlling in
fuence, on local politics.
The young folks of West Deer Isle,
Me-, have organized the Tongue Guard
Society, whose object is to guard
against saying any thing improper to
or about any one. Each offense is
punished by fine of one cent, to be
placed in box in the church, the fund
to 90 towards buying a circulating
library.
In the United States arsenal at
Watertown, Mass, there is machine
for testing the strength of iron and
steel substances, which is looked upon
as wonder of mechanical skill and
power. It can test to a nicety, and
with equal ease, the tensile strength OF
a ponderous iron or steel bar, or OF 3
wire, or even of single hair.
1t is said that there are two sisters
living near Delta, whose ages are
between fifty and sixty years, who
have not seen each other in six
teen years. They live only four
miles apart and are on per-
fectly friendly terms. No cause what
ever is assigned for this seeming in
difference.-Dalton (Ga.) Citizen.
In the district court at Waco Tex,
Andrew Miller, a negro preacher,
charged with the theft of cow, when
brought for trial, wished to open the
court with prayer. The judge Re
quested the sheriff to take the prisoner
to the judges private Office and let him
pray. After prayer the prisoner was
convicted of theft, as charged in the
Indictment, and given two years in the
penitentiary.
The average watch is composed OF
175 different pieces, comprising up
wards of 2,400 separate and distinct
operations in its manufacture. The
balance has $4,000 beats or vibrations
per hour, 12,960,0SO in thirty days,
157, 100000 in one year; it travels one
and 43-10O inches with each vibration,
which is equal to 81 miles in twenty
four hours, 1921 miles in thirty days,
or 3.55Sa miles in one year.
The latest .'fad'' among wealthy
families is to burn "driftwood'' in open
CRATE fires. This wood is gathered
along the seacoast by Eastern parties,
packed in barrels and shipped through
the country. It is mostly wreckage.
A great part of it has once been the
material of ships bottoms, and was
sheathed with copper plates. The cop
per salts have impregnated the wood,
and when burned it gives out most
beautiful green and peacock blue
flames
in parts of India wild elephants
give great deal of trouble to persons
employed in road improving, frightening
the native workmen and destroying
their work and knocking down their
houses. A herd will come along the
newly made road, and reaching a
temporary bridge will send their
lightest member across to test it. Be-
ing made to support bipeds only, it
will generally give way, whereupon
the herd will express its disapproval of
such workmanship by promptly de-
molishing it.
During avolent thunder and light
ming storm at Middleton, Fla, lately,
an immense ball of fire was seen to fall
in the forest near the town. Searching
parties were sent out, and parties of
negroes found it, but they were too su-
perstitious to handle it. 1t struck a
big pine, demolishing it and splitting
the rock into two pieces. One weighed
about two hundred pounds and the
other twenty-five. It sank into the
ground nearly eight feet. 1t appears
to be of iron ore covered with opaque
white cystals.
Turks Island, one of the West
Indies, is only Z miles long and II
miles wide. 1t contains $500 inhabit.
ants, three-fourths negroes. The only
product and export of the little island
is salt and sponges. Of these it sends
out annually 100000 bushels and
1900 bales of sponges. Two-thirds Of
the salt goes to the United States and
the rest to the Canadian provinces az
fishery salt. The best part of the sal
is piled up outdoors in stacks Is to q
feet high. 1t is pure, dazzling white
l and trying to the eyes; in fact, SO mucl
) 80 that those who work at the sal
usually wear goggles.
sp99At 1890 o'clock on recent even
. ing the people of Middletown, Pa.
who had not retired at that hour wer,
startled by their natural gas light
and fires suddenly springing up
distance of foot or so. Thel
the lights leaped to the cell
: ing and the stoves roared like fur
) naces. The people rushed through tn,
: streets warning their neighbors, an,
: but for the prompt action taken tn
!. town would have been sacrificed. TIL
j surplus gas was caused by the ball o
K safety valve of the gasometer bein
e either taken off, or falling of, thereb
d throwing the entire pressure Of tn
: well, ninety pounds, on the servic
!, lines The pressure was thrown on