Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-05
EVENING TWINKLES.

Douglas B.W. Sladen. by courtesy poet-laure-
ate of Australia, is in Boston, Mass. He is de-
etc hair and eyes" Mr.. Sladen has become
famous by his poem, "The Squire's Brother,
and others equally perfect. He was born in
London and educated at Melbourne and Oxford.
He comes here to obtain material for his forth
coming books, american Poets" and Literary
America" He says that American writer's are
greatly admired in Australia, and that Bret
Harte is considered one of the immortals.
A man in Lonvale, Ga, drove q piece of steel
filing into his eyeball few days ago. A sur
geon tried for some time in vain to extract it.
Finally he removed it by means of a powerful
magnet. The piece was over quarter OF an
inch long and its entire length had been en-
bedded in the eyeball.
The man who designed and constructed the
Merrimac is now almost eighty years old but
is compelled to WELD a broadaxe in the Nor
folk navy-yard. His name is John L. Porter,
and his life has been a marked contrast to that
OF John Ericsson, who built the Monitor, and
whose old age has been free from want.
One OF the most peculiar lawsuits on record
has just been completed in Connecticut. A
young man, who is able to earn 81 or IS day,
and who lived with his father and contributed
a saloon-keeper. The father of the murdered
man sued the murderer for 81, 900 damages for
the loss of his sons services, and the case came
on for trial before the criminal charges were
tried. The defense tried to show that the
murdered man was good workman, but he
was lazy, and seldom did anything; conse-
quently the damages, if any, must be small
After due deliberation the jury rendered G
verdict for the plaintiff for $500.
The manufacture Of paper bottles is soon Ia
be begun on a very extensive scale.
The Oldest and largest tree in the world is q
chestnut at the foot Of Mt. Etna. The crcum-
ference of the main trunk is 212 feet. This il
not a chestnut; it is fact.
On a wager, E. s. Hall, of Lowell, Mass, held
his arm out straight for one hour and fifty min
utes.
VIM. II. Burnhiser, of Harrisburg, Pa, has
lived in bed twenty-nine years, in consequence
of spinal injury.
Bridgeport, Conn.,, women will go shopping
even if their babies are neglected. local
paper records the fact that recently seven
babies, all in a row, outside of store while
they went in to save money in buying tape,
spool thread, hairpins and other necessaries OF
life at discount. Four of the babies were
crying.
The average watch is composed of IT'S differ.
ent pieces, comprising upward Of 2, 400 sepa.
rate and distinct operations in its manufacture
The balance has 18, 900 beats or vibrations pei
hour, II, 0S0 in thirty days, 157 $3.50, 600 in
one year; it travels / 43-100 inches with each
vibration, which is equal to 915 miles in twenty.
four hours, 1921 miles in thirty days. or 8, 1855
The last census shows that there are three
times as many Irishmen as Englishmen in the
United States. Hence the greater anxiety for
the vote of the former.
1t only costs 81 so for a man to beat his wife
in Kentucky; at least that was the amount OF
fine given man convicted of that offense the
other day.
The secretary of an English society for the
prevention of cruelty to children recently as
serted that one thousand children are murdered
every winter in England to obtain the insurance
on their lives.
Denver, Colo, will soon have one of the
finest Masonic temples in the West, costing not
far from S250,000. 1t will be seven stories high
with frontage of lbs feet and a depth of 100
feet. Every girder and beam throughout the
building will be of iron, not even a wooden step
or staircase being used.
There is a complaint that the new movement
among women has produced dearth of the
maiden aunt. Instead of devoting her time and
strength to the needs of her relatives she is
writing, or clerking, or teaching or in other
directions devoting herself to the enlargement
of her sphere; all of which is pleasant for the
maiden aunt, but inconvenient to her rela.
tives, who feel an affectionate claim upon her
services without pay.