Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-25
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS


"A store in Atlanta, Ga, has been bulls
entirely of paper.
DR. Nansen, the explorer, says that the
| ice in Greenland is 5000 feet thick
There are 342, 600 miles of railroad In
| operation in the world, Of which lSl,OOo are IN
| America.
The hottest weather ever known IN the
United States was felt at Phoenix. Ari-; in in
June, 1883. when the thermometer marked LIZ
Joe Smith and John Thomas, of Bruns-
wick, Ca. killed an alligator 10 feet long,
which they estimated would weigh $50 or 4oo
pounds.
The largest ship in the British navy,
the Trafalgar. launched two years ago, has az
last tried her engines, with success. She is 80
feet long, 70 feet beam, and L. 8l8 horse power
drove her l7.S knots.
Judge Keatley, Of Iowa, who has made
personal inspection of the schools of Alaska,
reports that there are about IA schools in the
Territory. three of which are for white chill
dren, the rest being for natives.
"A Bombay newspaper annoupces two
marriages, in one case the bride being aged
years, and in the other Is months, while the
bridegroom was 80. This is the system which
Pundita Ramsbai is struggling against.
Prof. Flower exhibited at Lambeth re-
Gently the shell of a tortoise, which had lived
l30 years. outstaying eight Archbishops. At
PETERBOROUGH there are the remains of another
tortoise which, when it died, was $50 years old.
The irrepressible sea serpent has bobbed
up again. This time at Cape May. The great
monster had a square black head and was of i'm
mense proportions, with fappers, fins and feel
ers like crabs, and most ugly sight to be-
hold.
There is a gentleman living near Quit
man, Brooks county, Ca. who never ate .
| I0E I~0o -
sists principally on fruits and potatoes. He
weighs nearly 200 and was never sick longer
than an hour in his life. He drinks a gallon Of
| milk day.
Pastor Stratton, of United Brethren
Church, is an Odd Fellow. Some of his con-
gregation have prejudice against secret socie-
ties, and when they discovered that he belonged
to the order they held a secret meeting on Sat.
urday night. Sunday morning when Parson
Stratton reached the church he found the door
locked. He made a formal demand for the
opening of the edifce, but met only mocking
laugh.
Growing out of the masonry of the
French Catholic Church steeple in Biddleford,
Me-, almost at the upper limit of the brick
work, are two young trees. Both are green and
healthy locking, and have grownrapidly within
year. They are beyond reach from the upper
window, and could not be removed without
stage being built. The opinion is that one is a
willow and the other poplar. How they OBJ
tanned root in the masonry is a mystery.
"A weasel came down the hill and went
into the sitting room of Edward Arronsmith,
in Easton,a couple of days ago. No men being
handy seven women of the neighborhood armed
themselves with pokers canes. ETC., and entered
the room There was faint squeak in one
corner and seven women jumped on chairs and
screams. Their united screams so terrified the
weasel that it ran out OF doors and was killed
by sick dog that was lying out in the sun.
-
two ago bet a negro that the negro could not
eat the two watermelons before them The
negro was to pay double price for the melons if
he failed. He cut the melons, weighing 80
pounds each, up into sections and 1t was fun
to see his lips slide up and down the sections Of
those melons. Within five minutes nothing
was left but the bare rinds. which he turned
over to the white man, who had just paid 20
cents for them.
AN Elmer (Ore.) paper publishes the
following remarkable story: "E. c. Stamper, a
citizen or Elmer. has just completed working
up fir tree which grew on his place adjoining
town. He received sl2 for the bark: built
frame house 14x20, 8 feet high, with shed kitch-
en- feet WIDE and 20 feet long; built wood
shed l4x20 feet; made $50 fence rails 10 feet
inches wide and feet long, and Is cords Of
wood feet wide and feet long all from one
tree. and has part of the tree left"
Conductor Parker, while at Ash Hill,
$50 miles out on the desert from Daggett Cal,
saw pigeon flying around as though hunting
for water. He tried several times to catch it,
but when close the bird would fly away. Hav-
ing small rifle along. he crippled one wing.
when he discovered that it was a carrier pigeon,
bearing love letter in goose quill tied to the
young lady in San Francisco. The name he
would not give. As soon as the bird RECEIVERS it
will be turned loose to complete its journey.
For one of the best examples of rapidly
and legitimately acquired wealth the South
Dakotans point to Mr.. Frank H. Haggerty, now
80 years of age. and the Commissioner of 1mmi-
grafton for the Dakotas. Mr. Haggerty came
from pennsylvania eight years ago, and when
he reached jamestown his capital consisted OF
SIS so. BY inducing others to put up two-thrds
% tbe ~ was has Snce become tb
thrifty city of Aberdeen. Going into real estate
he handled his small capital so judciousIy tina
he is to-day worth at modest estimate Sl50,OO0
AT Harwood, Tex, Mr.. Duskin and an
other young man who were visiting the family
of Postmaster Doyle spread pallet in-the
yard. Just as they had dropped asleep Mr..
Duskin was awakened by something grasping
his hand. On awakening he saw a huge wolf.
The wolf ran through the house and was beaten
out with broomsticks and other weapons con-
venient to grab. Two young men, Beckham
and ID. New pursued him with a shotgun, and
as he was devourng pig in another yard they
killed him. 1t is feared he had hydrophobia,
and Mr.. Duskin Is taking the necessary preeau-
tions.
AT the funeral of a Chinaman in Phila-
delphia some queer ceremonies were observed.
The deceased was clothed in garments of the
lightest texture, so that he might not suffer
from the heat in his new abode. He wore q
straw hat and in one hand he held fan. The
corpse of a Chinaman is always provided with
money to pay its expenses to the unknown
country. One of the mourners dropped between
Hong's teeth 25-cent piece, and about a score
of the others came forward with their quarter
contributions. The undertaken could not get
all of them in the dead Chinaman's mouth, and
half of the silver pieces were placed in his
pocket. The ceremonies finished. the coffin was
closed, and over the top of 1t were placed strips
of red white and black bunting. the colors Of
the Sing Ye Hong Society Chinese Free
Masons). Of which the dead man had been
member.