Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-17
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS

1
-Myriads of small black rats infest the
cornfelds of Texas.
| The Oldest wheelman in America is John
W. Arnold, of Providence, R. L Heis
Carriage horses, only fairly well
matched, in Buenos Ayres, bring 5000 pair.
"A Detroit lady had her pocket picked
Of gold watch while at Sunday school picnic
the other day.
"A man and his wife, of Kent, Ind, are
in jail for stealing aneighbors rooster and SELL
| ing 1t for IL cents.
AT Waterville, WASH, squirrels are so
pleptiful that they enter peoples houses and
eat the crumbs from under the tables.
AN important industry of Paris is the
manufacture of toy soldiers from sardine and
other tins that have been thrown away.
"A Georgia moonshiner who was released
from jail on Friday was found at work at his
still on Saturday and again arrested.
There are still over 10000, 900 square
miles of unoccupied districts in various heather
lands, where missionaries thus far have never
entered.
In the last two years the Duke Of Port
land has won more than f66, 900, or about $780,
900, on the races.
"A projected canal across the upper part
Mediterranean. would take six years to build
and cost Sl25, ,000,0 600.
North Dakota will be the first State, as
a State, to make provision for a system OF man
ual training. Forty thousand acres of land are
set apart for that purpose.
"A Chattanooga man stole a steamboat
and took an excursion up the river. Not being
an expert navigator he ran into a snag, sank
the craft and narrowly escaped drowning.
Since 1900 the population of Europe
was la 600 900; in 1880 2l6OOO O00 in 1890 2s9,-
100000; In 1850 SSl, ,00o0OO in 1888, S5o0O0.OOo
"A band OF brigands has been terrorizing
Macedonia. which, upon final capture, was
found to include several priests, Greek Archi-
mandrite, the Superior of a monastery, and
three ladies"
Pretty Miss Stella Cox, at %, has mar
ried Nathaniel Patterson. Seneca Indian,
whose face is as coppery as the full moon. Miss
Stella was Washington girl, but the wedding
was at Versailles. N. Y.
George Buckel, Louisville inventor, il
to the fore with mysterious vacuum bed,
which will cure all pain, and triple motor to
travel with equal CELEBRITY, ease and economy on
land or water or in the air.
"A pack Of playing cards, said to be the
only one of the kind in existence sold at auc-
tion, in Birmingham, England, the other day,
for s2S5. Every card is specially engraved, and
the pack comprises an exhaustive pictorial
history Of the principal events in the reign Of
Queen Anne down to l706.
"A new use for rabbits has been found
BY the physicians Of the Birmingham, England,
Lunatic Asylum. A number of wild rabbits
have been turned loose on to the ields adjoin-
amused by seeing the rabbits run about. and to
divert the minds Of the patients is one OF the
great objects of the institution.
The sheep is usually considereda stupid
animal, but his environment in Colorado has
frightened even his dull wits. Purchasers Of
sheep that have been brought from that State
say that the animal holds his head more erect
than those which come from other States. and
say that this habit is caused by the sheep being
in constant peril OF being assailed by some
wild animal.
"A remarkable tree is told of by a James
burg, N. j., paper '.It stands in the rear Of tho
telegraph station at upper Jamesburg, and
produces three different varieties of apples
astrachan, fall pippin and Smiths cider, in
dicating that the grafrers had practical urn
to &c, the
follows another throughout the summer"
Pedestrians on Eighth street, Philadel-
phia were amused by the sagaeity of a dog.
The animal was trotting up street when sud-
denly his muzzle fell to the sidewalk. R6
stopped, looked at it, and after few attempts
started on his trot it fell off a second time.
This was repeated four times Then the dog,
apparently realizing that it was beyond him to
fasten the muzzle took it between bis teeth
and ran on his looks Indicating the pride he
felt in mastering the difficulty. y
The popular Crnsus of Spain has Just
died in the person of the Marquis de Urquiio.
His executors have paid into the Spanish
Treasury succession duties amounting to
f96, 900 on his fortune. which exceeded five
The owner had begun life as a Basque village
lad, and died Senator, grandee. and ex-Mayor
of Madrid. He left f1SO,000 in bequests to
he founded himself and 10000 for masses for
himself.
ID. @. Hoskins, chief engineer of the
long projected North river tunnel, declares
that the great undertaking will be completed
in 1892, in time for the Worlds Fair. John r.
Dos Passos, the attorney of the company con-
firms this prediction, and adds that the money
needed to complete the work is secured. The
tunnel will be in two divisions each 5, 800 feet
long. with approaches each three-quarters of
mile long on each S side Of the river tn these being
the north division have been completed and 585
feet on the south division. There has been no
work on the tunnel since 1852 until this week.
when operations were resumed.
"A very interesting calculation has re-
,ently been made by the Statistical Bureau In
Berlin- Four-ffths of the power machines at
present in activity in the world have been
erected during the past 25 years. The country
which possesses the highest amount of horse
,ower is the United States, with 7.500, 900 horse
,ower; then follow England, with 7O00OO
Germany, with 500 900; France with 100000,
md stro-Hungary, with l, 100000 These fig.
Tres do not include locomotives, of which
here are los, 900 at work, with a total horse
,ower of 100000. Thus the total horse power
# the world is 46.OOO0 900. A steam morse
,ower" Is equivalent to three actual horses
trength, and each living horse represents the
trength Of seven men. Thus the total horse
,ower of the entire world represents the work
II LOCO, 100000 men, or more than twice the
working population of the earth. Steam has
hus tripled the entire human work power OF