The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-11-28
CURIOUS FACTS.

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0,000 asparagus stalks.
The Prussian blue dye was discovered
by Diesbach at Berlin, in ITO.
Printing in raised or embossed letters
was begun at Paris by Hauy in 1885.
Richard Ashe King, an English vicar,
has resigned his living to write NOVELS
More than 1000 persons perished by
the hurricane which devastated Barba-
does, October 10, 1880.
Richard Ceu- de Lion, like the ami
NAL from which his heart was named,
died by arrow from an archer.
The baton used by conductors of con-
certs is said to have. been introduced
into England by Spohr In 1920.
William H. Burnheiser, of Harrisburg,
Penn, has lived in bed twenty-nine
years in consequence of spinal injury.
George H., of England, died of rup-
ture of the heart, which the periodicals
of that day termed visitation of God.
The oldest and largest tree in the
world is chesnut near the foot of Mount
Etna. The circumference of the main
trunk Is 212 feet.
At the reformatory prison for women
in Sherbune, Mass, single chrysanthe-
mum may be seen upon which there are
1853 buds. The plant is of the present
seasons growth.
1t is estimated that there are 1000, 900
men in America who get shaved three
times a week. That means An expendi-
ture of thirty cents week, or $3.50 a
year,, for each man, or for 100000
SIS, 600, 900 annually.
The ancient language of Asia Minor
was Phrygian, or Semitic, of which
Chaldeap, Syriac, Hebrew, Phnnician
and Arabic were dialects. Beyond the
rivers, towards the Indu, dialects of the
Sanscrit and Zena appear.
The old style of fnger-rings, with
setting containing. small compass, is
now being brought into use by electrical
engineers. Held near line.wire the
movement of the c1mpass shows at once
whether current is passing.
An owl killed itself and whole green
house full of costly plants one night by
falling into the stovepipe, thus shutting
off the draft and causing the escape in
the room of coal gas, which is fatal to
vegetation as well as to animal life.
The OK is truly beast of burden,
strong and enduring, but the OK of
Swiss paysan is not the same looking
animal that we have. No wooden yoke
bows its head and shoulders. 1t is har-
messed very much like horse, and
actually appears lively, high-stepping
animal.
A novel contest that will take place
shortly in New York is q counting match
between two rapid money changers.
One has bet the other 5000 that he can
beat him counting, piece by piece, $10,-
900 in silver coin in all denominations.
The wager has been accepted, and the
match will take place at Cooper Union.
The pair of trousers which J. ".
Briggance, of Gallatin, Tenn, wears
on State occasions were made for him
by his mother in 1915. She gathered
the cotton on her own farm, spun it into
yarn, dyed it and wove it. The trousers
seem in as good condition as if they had
been made only last year, and MIR. Brig.
gance is proud of them.
And now they say that Tom Hood first
planned the phonograph, as witness this,
from his "Comic Annual" for 1889: 'In
this century of inventions, when a self
acting drawing-paper has been discov-
cred for copying visible objects, who
knows but that a future Niepce, or
Daguerre, or Herschel, or Fox Talbot,
may find out some sort of Boswellish
writing paper to repeat whatever it
hears?"