Wichita eagle., 1889-01-03
STRAY BITS.

white and almost smokeless.
There are only about 5000 elephants in the
| world, and the number is decreasing every
| year.
A man killed thirty-one snakes near Syl-
! home in log.
! A Pennsylvania oil expert says there is
more oil under the soil of California than in
all OF Pennsylvania.
Capt John Miller, who recently died in the
Indian Territory, aged 70 years, had taken
thirty scalps during his eventful life.
Mr. Robert Stevenson, engineer, of Glas-
gov, is the last one to claim an invention
which viii drive ocean ships up to forty
knots an hour.
Charles Jackson, Virginian, has spent
thirty-two years looking for a buried treas
ure, and is not discouraged yet He says all
things come to him who waits.
There are fourteen different towns and
cities in the United States named Augusta,
and there is never day that freight and
mail matter is not going wrong.
Carbon was shown to be distinct element
by Lavoiser in 1873, who proved the diamond
carbonic acid gas by combustion.
Miss Addie Herndon, Of Erin, Tenn,
dreamed recently of digging up $500 in gold
and the next day she went to the place visited
in the dream and she did it in fact
Last August there were killed in New
South Wales the following "noxious" ami
mails: SO, 5G6 kangaroos, 52,346 wallibles,
1,0l4 hawks, 81 emus and 333 native dogs.
Eleven hundred and forty-five writers
have contributed articles for the ninth edi-
ton of the Encyclopedia Britannica" the
last volume of which has just been issued
The largest continuous sleeping car service
in the world is that on the Santa Fe system,
which runs through sleepers from San Diego,
Cal, to Chicago, distance of ,3l1 miles.
The pronunciation match promises to be
one of the diversions Of the winter 1t is
even more exciting than the spelling match,
and rather more destructive to the lines of
combatanrs.
In answer to the question, "What becomes
of all the cracked and used up billiard ballss"
a New York contemporary says that those Of
real ivory are bought up and cut into dice
and other small articles.
There is no theatrical bill posting in Mexico,
and the newspapers print theatrical adver-
tisements free. The newspapers do not as a
rule accept tickets, but subscribe for the
number desired for the staff.
The leading English winning sire this year
is Galopin, with upward of e29, 600, Of which
Donovan won e16,500. Isonomy is second,
with 927, 900, of which e20,0 was won By
Sea Breeze. Bend Or is third, with col, 600
The abutments of bridge over a river in
Austria have settled twenty feet in the river
bed since 1856. AS the settlement progresses
the masonry of the bridge is built up CORE
spondingly so as to maintain the same road
level.
African teak wood weighs from 42 pounds
to 90 pounds per cubic foot, works easily, but
wears away tools rapidly on account of the
quantity of slick in it. 1t contains an oil
which prevents the iron in contact with it
from rusting.
A shipbuilding feat never before ap-
preached was lately performed by the Fair
field company on the Clyde. A 5,000-ton
steamer for the German line to New York
was launched recently, which had been built
in less than four months.
A statistical genius has figured out that
this years corn crop, 2,000,000,000 bushels,
will load string of wagons stretching 2S4 900
miles, or enough to make eleven rows of
wagons, loaded with corn, clear round the
earth and have 1000 miles of teams not in line.
1t is not the proper thing now to exhibit
wedding presents except to Immediate rela-
tives and intimate friends of the family At
a recent fashionable wedding in Washington
the presents, though known to have been
numerous and costly, were not displayed at
all.
The ship yards Of the great lakes will ex-
hibit active operations this winter. Fifty
nine new vessels are to be built, and eleven
of them viii be entirely of steel. They viii
cost s., 900, and they will add 100,950
gross tons to the carrying capacity of the
commerce of the great lakes.
Ferret breeding is q new and highly profit
able branch of farming in Australia and
New Zealand. One firm that has commenced
the business on a large scale has contracted
to supply 1900 ferrets per annum for three
years to the government at IS. Cd per head,
The creatures being delivered when they are
three months Old.
Progressive journalism has opponents in
England. The Newcastle Chronicle, on
recent day, when it appeared with two blank
spaces in its leading columns, explained: 1--WE
are momentarily expecting Mr.. Bright to die,
and we leave these open spaces as typograph-
ical graves, in~which to insert the news with
out the loss of a moment"
4 search has just been begun in the Adri-
attic sea, near Trieste, for treasure which
went down with the French corvette Daual
in 1879. The treasure consisted of jewels and
valuGbleS destined for an exalted parsonage
at Trieste. The vessel sank as the result of
an explosion, and since, it seems, not a
vestige OF the craft or its treasure has been
found.
The Siamese ape is said TO DO in great re-
quest among Siamese merchants as cashier in
their counting houses The cashier ape
meditatively puts into his mouth each coin
presented to him in business payments, and
tests it with grave elaboration. His method
of testing as regarded in commercial circles !
as infallible; and, as a matter of fact, his
decision is uniformly accepted by all parties
interested in the transaction.
A few DAYS since an Indian woman was
discovered on the beach near Port Discovery.
". T., in almost dying condition. She
was conveyed TO the hospital for the county
poor, and, upon examination, she was found
to be suffering from severe burns all over her
body. 1t has since been learned that during
some triflng sickness probably rheumatism,
her relatives had attempted. after their usual
custom, 10 cure her by the use Of fire or
heated irons, and during the course of the
horrible torture the woman's reason was
totally Destroyed
tremendous big thing in the way of a
monster gun is being made 1t Is to be a