Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-08-20
THE WATERBURY EVENING DEMOCRAT TUESDAY AUGUST D. r
ITEMS OF INFORMATION.

MISSOURI is the only State in the nation in which price is put on tho head of rat.
 You can no longer say "Patent applied fort and stand anybody off. It has been de- cided that the term is no protection to the inventor.
 AN Englishwoman named Lee, a native of Manchester, who emigrated to New York with 8 small band of disciples shortly before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, was the founder of tho religious sect known as Shakers"
 THERE are no titles legally in use in this country4 but it is customary, out of cour- tesy, to apply the title of Honorable to per sons holding elective offices and tho higter appointive offices of the government, such as members of the Cabinet.
 THE gold used in the United States Assay Department for testing is absolutely pure being "one thousand fine," and for con- venience is usually run into long, thin strips. resembling very much lengths of tape or ribbon. There is exactly $20 in twenty dollar gold piece. the alloy being in excess of this valuation.
 THE first patent for grip pulley was is- sued in 1870, to Andrew Hallidie, of San Francisco, Subsequently he took out many patents on the equipments of cable roads, and in 1872 he succeeded in securing enough cooperation to justify the construction of line on Clay street, in San Francisco, Cal. The first car was run on the line Aug. l, 1873.
 CHARLES l.. BILLET, noted engineer, born January 1, 1910, and died June 21, 1862, planned and built the first wire suspension bridge in tho United States across the Schuylkill River at Fairmount, which was opened to the public on January 3, 1642. In 1874 it was replaced by double-decked | bridga which has a length of 1,295 feet 1 from shore to shore, to which must be add | ed 1,435 feet for the abutments and ap- l breaches.
 POSTAGE STAMPS were first issued in this | country in 1S47, but provisional issues were l in circulation five years prior to that time. The first country to adopt postage stamps was Great Britain; the date, 1S4O. Nine years later they made their first appearance in France, and in 1851 were adopted by Italy Brazil issued stamps as early as 1S43; Bo- livia,i in 1867; Chili, in 1859; Paraguay, in 1870 Uruguay, in 1856; Venezuela, in 1859, and l United States of Colombia in 1859. l DAVID RITTENnoUsE was the first director of tho United States Mint at Philadelphia He was appointed by Washington April IA 1 1792, and remained in charge of the estab. lishmeut until June, 17o5, when his declin ing health compelled him to resign. There were ten directors in all from 1792 to 1867 James Pollock being the last to hold that title, as upon his resignation in the last named year it was changed to Superintend ent. The director of all the United States hints is located at Washington, in the Treas l ury Department. The present incumbent Is James P. Kimball, of Pennsylvania
 THE term s'Star-Spangled Banner' was first applied to the flag of the United States | in poem written by Francis $. Key on the l morning after the British attack on For | McHenry at Baltimore in 1872 The bonn bardment, which took place during the night, was witnessed by MT. Key, who, witt some friends, watched with intense anxiety for the return of day. At length tho hgh' came, and they saw the American flag stil flying from the fort, the attack having failed In tho excitement of tho moment he wrote the now famous song, the first verse o- which so graphically describes the scenes o1 the night and morning.
 HARVARD COLLEGE, or University, as 1t Is now called, was founded at Cambridge l Mass, in 1886, six years after the settlomen of the colony, $4G0 having been appropriated in three sums for thc support of a school o1 college. In 1639 it was called Harvard 1T honor of Rev. John Harvard who gavo i s3, 800. The first president of the institu
 tion was Rev. Henry Dunster, who assumed that position i'll 1640. Yale College, Sit
 uated at New Haven, Conn.,, was founded
 ill TOO, as the collegiate school of the colo ny of Connecticut, under tho trusteeshil
 of tho ten principal ministers of the colo
 ny, who each contributed q gift of books
 It was first established at Saybrook, and il
 11l6 removed to it's present location. Ampng
 it's early patrons were Governor Yale, who's,
 name it bc:s IS, and Bishop Berkeley.