Huntsville gazette., 1888-02-25
OF GENERAL INTEREST.

way is Hebrew. They number in
New York City about 120, 900, and with
their wealth and intelligence, if ever
organized politically as a party, would
exert strong. if not controlling in
Huence, 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 60 towards buying circulating
library.
In the United States arsenal at
Watertown, Mass, there is q machine
for testing the strength of iron and
steel substances, which is looked upon
as wonder of mechanical skill and
power 1t can test to nicely, and
with equal ease, the tensile strength of
ponderous iron or steel bar, or Of
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 (GG.) Citizen.
In the district court at Waco Tex,
Andrew Miller, 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
ITS 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, 1860 $50 in thirty days,
l57, 100000 in one year; it travels one
and 43-100 inches with each vibration,
which is equal to 81 miles in twenty
four hours, 1924 miles in thirty days,
or 3,558a 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 - ~ Al
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
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 disapproyal 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 the town. Searching
parties were sent out, and parties Of
negroes found it, but they were too SUI
perstitious to handle it. 1t struck
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
fishery salt. The best part Of the salt
is piled uE outdoors in stacks Is to 20
feet high. It is pure, dazzling white
and trying to the eyes; in fact, so much
30 that those who work at the salt
usually wear goggles.
/ AT 1890 o'clock on recent even
ing the people Of Middletown, Pa,
who had not retired at that hour were
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
but for the prompt action taken the
| town would have been sacrificed. The
surplus gas was caused by the ball or
I. safety valve of the gasometer being
either taken off, or falling off, thereby
throwing the entire pressure of the