Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-07
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS

-Another wave motor, the invention of
a LYNN Mass man, is reported to have been
successfully tested
"A Swiss named Poletti, of Santa Maria,
Cal slept constantly for 25 days. When he
woke up he was crazy.
The total cost of the Paris Exposition
is expected to be s10.OQ00OQ. The Government
contributes the greater part and the city OF
Paris most Of the rest
AT the recent London diocesan confer
enee the Bishop Of Bedford advocated card
playing in workingmen's clubs, but rather
strangely disaDproVed OF dom1noes.
"A Texan woman, known simply as
Widow Callahan, owns $1,000 Sheep and is one
Of the largest stock owners in this county; ny.
There are many Texans who just nate 70 see
her retain her distinguishing title.
They have careful housekeepers down
East. A family in Hope, Me-. has been keeping
house for 13 years and never broke lamp
chimney until last week 1t was another IN
stance of ill-luek following the number IL
Some Washington ladies adopted an
original method of making their pastor dona-
tion on the twenty-afth anniversary of his in
stallation. They gave him a bouquet of %
large lilies, and in each lily was s. g0Id piece.
-Ceylon people are interested in arivalry
as to who shall find the highest palm tree. An
English railroad builder named CantreIl made
the first record at ITO feet, but Mr.. Paton-Cray
has Just shown palm III feet high, and takes
the medal
"A church in Southern Illinois is about
to have fair in which one of the features win
be the pigs in clover with real pigs. A laree
fac-simile of the toy will be built in the hall
and prize will be given to the man who pens
the porkers.
Burglars have broken into the historical
rooms at the old State House at New Haven
and stolen a sword presented to Admiral
Foote by the citizens of Brooklyn, and valued
at So 500 The sword was of elaborate design
and inlaid with jewels.
-Kinchen Jefferson, an old negro who
carried wagon load of dirt and mica to Fort
Valley, Ga, supposing the same TO be gold, is
now wild over his mine He imagineS that it
is worth millions. He claims that in a dream
it was revealed TO him where to find much gold,
and he found it.
"A man, while eating lettuce in Bos-
ton restaurant, came upon piece of gravel so
suddenly that it snapped tooth of. He sued
the proprietor Of the restaurant for $50 dam
The latter found out what an entire set Of new
false teeth would cost, and made that the
figures Of their award.
"A sea COW, captured in the st. Lucie
river, Florida, is now on exhibition at Thomas
vile, Ga. 1t is ten feet long and weighs LOCO
pounds Its tail is 20 inches across. A seine
800 feet long, made of inch rope, was used in
catching it. This is very small COW. They
grow from Is to "a feet long. and to weigh from
10000 to $1,000 pounds They are very power
full, and often break the strong rope of the
seine like spool cotton thread.
The members of the Salvation Army at
Goshen, Ind, are indulging the remarkable
freaks. One of the recent cs1verts went into q
trance and threw herself against a hot stove,
81, Hos-.
Strange orgies take place nightly. Members
of the band fall to the floor, rise on their arms
and remain for hours perfectly rigid. The lady
Captain of the band is said to exercise mes
meric influence over her followers.
Fred. L. Ames, the millionaire capital
ist has at North Boston the finest and most
elaborate conservatory in the United States,
and it is devoted almost exclusively to the cul-
tivation of tropical plants, The new orchid
house was completed recently and on Tuesday
it was inspected by the members of the Massa-
chusetts horticultural Society. Mr.. Ames'
collection of orchids is believed to be unsur-
passed in this country, there being upward of
1,500 varieties.
"A citizen of Xenia, o., had the family
horse clipped, and then told his wife and
daughter that he had traded off the faithful
animal. Both were astounded, and began i'm
mediately to criticize the new one. "How ugly
his color is" said one of them. What an un-
calmly shape, toe, !" remarked the other. "And
see how wild and restless he acts" said the
mother, who always dotted on the gentleness Of
the old horse. In this way they disseeted the
new horse for quite while. and when told the
truth could hardly refrain from apologiziDg to
the old horse they had so slandered.
Here is a story told as a solemn fact:
Ladies and gentlemen" said the manager of
Boston theater, coming in front of the curtain
at the end Of the fourth act, I'VE have Just dis
covered the cause of the sitting temperature
ing. The house has been on fire for nearly half
an hour. In assuring you of my regret at the
occurrence and the unavoidable necessity of
bringing the performance to a close, you will
have succeeded at last in thoroughly warming
up Boston audience"
Belief in voodooism has not yet died
out from among the colored brethren. In
Macon, Ga, there is an educated negro who
when he grew i'll, consulted woman with
some reputation for cures She gave him med
icine and cuffed him, and then drew from his
side live frogs and worms and bugs. He there
fore began to make a mental survey of his
friends to see if he possessed an enemy, and,
finding that he did, knew then and there that it
was he and no other who had put powdered frogs
and snakes heads into his whiskey. The en-
chantress keeps herself in seclusion and none
of her patients are willing to betray her where
abouts.
"A rather curious episode in natural
history occurred ON board the French steam
boat Abd-el-Kader during the passage from
Marsellles to Algiers. Just as the vessel was
about two hours out the sky became quite
black with swallows 1t was then about
o'clock in the evening. The birds alighted in
thousands on the sails, ropes and yards of the
Abd-el-Kader. After a perky survey of the
deck from their eminences aloft, they de-
scended coolly on deck, hoped about among
the sailors and passengers, and eventually
found their way into the cabins, both fore and
aft. The birds were evidently fatigued after
long flight, and allowed themselves to be caught
by the people of the ship, who gave them
welcome reception and provided them with
food, which they enjoyed heartily The little
winged strangers remained all night on the
vessel and in the morning at O'Clock the
whole flock made for land.