The mountain signal. (Mount Vernon, Ky.) 1887-18??, 1888-02-24
OF GENERAL INTEREST.

New York City about 100, 600, and with
their wealth and intelligence, if ever
organized politically as party. would
exert 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 a box in the church. the fund
to go 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 a wonder of mechanical skill and
power. 1t can test to Il nicely, and
with equal ease, the tensile strength of
u ponderous iron or steel bar, or of
wire, or even of a 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, II negro preacher,
charged with the theft of COW, when
brought for trial, wished to open the
court with prayer. The judge lie
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, 12,960OS in thirty days,
157, 100000 in one year; it travels one
and 43-100 inches with each vibration,
which is equal to 81 miles in twenty
four hours. 1929 miles in thirty days,
or 3,55S2 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. 1t 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
Lhames. a.
h La parts OF. TnHalw wild elepha4,.a
give great deal Qf.,tfouble to persofls
employed ihroad inn Rving, frightening
| the native workmens and destroying
their work and knocking down their
houses. A herd will come along the
| newly made road, and reaching
temporary bridge will send their
| lightest member across to test it. Be-
ing made to support bipcds only, it
will generally give way, whereupon
the herd will express its disapproval of
such workmanship by promptly de-
molishing it.
During VIOLENT thunder and light
ming storm at Middleton, Fla, lately.
an immense ball of fire was seen to fall
in the forest near ;he town. Searching
parties were sent out, and parties of
negroes found it, but they were too SUI
| perstitiOus to handle it. 1t struck u
big pine, demolishing it and splitting
the rock into two pieces. One weighed
about two hundred pounds and the
other twenty-five. 1t 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 as
IlsneTy SAT-. Inc DesU part OF Cne salC
is piled up outdoors in stacks Is to 20
feet high. 1t is pure, dazzling white
and trying to the eyes; in fact, so much
| so that those who work ut the salt
usually wear goggles.
AT 1880 o'clock on recent even-
ing the people of Middlctown, Pa,
who had not retired at that hour We're
startled by their natural gas lights
and fires suddenly springing up
| distance of foot or so. Then
the lights leaped to the cell
ing and the stoves roared like fur
naces. The people rushed through the
streets warning their neighbors, and