Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-08
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS

The debt of New York City is ses, $685.
M2
Two thousand tons of January rubber
are expected at Para.
Chicago produces an average Of about
ten suicides per week. or 500. in round num-
bers, per year.
Two thousand four hundred and ninety
I'VE telegraph poles have been hatcheted in
New York, and Il, 500 900 feet Of wire has come
down.
The Massachusetts, Supreme Court has
ruled that man who is injured in railroad
accident. while riding on pass. cannot recover
damages.
For the first time, it is said, since their
discovery the Straits Of Maekinaw are free
from ice at this season Of the year, and II the
Government had not put out the lights for the
winter vessels would pass through as usual.
"A French electrical journal estimates
that the total length OF the telegraph wires Qn-
eIuding submarine cabIes) Of the world IN use
at the present time exceeds 500, 900 miles. Four
America. All the submarine cables together
give q length of s., $50 miles.
"A novelty is announced in the shape of
a'.recbrding and alarm compass which, It Is
declared, will greatly increase the safety OF
vessels. The apparatus is said to be composed
OF binnaele and recording and alarm lnstru-
ments connected by electric wires The pr1n-
ciple, in brief. Is to sound an alarm whenever
the course is not kept.
The number of cIoisters and monks in
SPAN have increased with astounding rapidity
of late years. Spain now has q. 90 monks and
25 900 nuns in $50 eloisters and 179 orders. In
Barcelona alone there are I63 cloisters foT
women. In the last IA years the member Of
monks in Spain has been sextupled and the
number OF nuns has been doubled
"A peculjarity about the blind Is that
there is seldom one of them who smokes. Sol
diers and sailors accustomed to smoking, and
who have lost their sight In action, continue to
smoke for short while, but soon give up the
habit. They say that it gives them no pleasure
when they cannot see the smoke, and some
have said that they cannot taste the smoke
unless they see it.
Arthur Mack, ex-ChIef of the Shanghai
detective force. asserts that while China has a
population of over 450.O00OO yet the criminal
element in proportion to numbers is less than 10
per cent Of what It is in the chinese quarter Of
San Francisco. He accounts for this by the
greater stringeney of the laws for the punish
ment of crime in China and the greater GER
tainty in their administration.
Last year the vessels launched in the
United Kingdom OF great Britain approach
very closely to LIZ. 900 tons. The Clyde heads
the list with total tonnage Of 1885, ,20l tons.
Next comes the Tyne, with 81, 40 tons. The
Wear is third on the list, with 2lI, 1856 tons Then
the Tees with Ito, 436 tons. The ship building
yards in Belfast have launched tonnage TO the
amount of $1,000. In the previous year there
were at the same time vessels on hand haYings
total of 253, SOL tons.
The rapid decrease in the number of
kangaroos is beginning to attract the attention
Of scientific societies in Australia From the
collective reports of the various stock inspec-
1,S8I SO kangaroos. In 1888 that number fell to
1,170,3S0. decrease of III. .130. The chief OBJ
stacle to the adoption Of measures for the ef-
fectual protection of the kangaroo 10 his Vigor-
much grass as six sheep.
"A Chinese giant, by name Chang-hoo-
GU, has Just landed at Marseilles on his way to
Paris, and if not already engaged by Mr..
Barnum, he deserves to be. Chang, who is
over seven feet in height, has not been in Paris
since the days before the war OF 1870. when he
was exhibited IN a cafe concert. With the
money thus obtained he returned TO the
howery land set up in business, and amassed a
fair fortune which would now serve to render
him independent Of the Snowman" 1t is
probable, however, that be will return for
while to his old trade as human curiosity.
The squirrel season of 1889, which by
State law opened on September and closed
with the year, will long be remembered in
ties on account of what seemed to be almost
miraculous visitation of squirrels. extending
over q belt 30 miles wide and 100 miles long and
continuing between five and six weeks In
fact so plentiful was this species Of game that
instead OF being hunted and chased Dy local
gunners, the squirrels became rather pest
and a scourge, from which the country people
HAD to defend themselves as best they might
Run Valley 1000 are estimated 70 have been
killed within a radius Of three miles.
The actual amount of malt liquors con-
sumed in 1888 was 767, So, ,056 gallons. This in
cludes not quite 100000 gallons of imported
beer and ale. The manufacturers price to the
retailer is rather above than below 20 cents per
gallon. At 20 cents the cost to the dealers
would be Sl53, 517.411. The retailers get aver
age of gu cents per gallon, which makes the cost
to the consumers $3.50, ,522 23S, which the Ameri-
can people spend annually for malt liquor,
principally beer. The most careful estimate
puts the cost of wine to the consumer at ST.
$40 1885, and Of distilled spirits s3792 $50. This
gives Us grand total Of ssl2, 449. l29, nearly
81, ,0OO, ,OO0, 900 spent annually for liquor by the
people of the United States.
The report of a novel wedding incident
comes from village in Fairfax county. Va. /
The wedding cards were issued for the mar
riage of gentleman from West Virginia and
one Of the bellies Of Fairfax, and a numerous
company gathered yesterday at the village
church, and awaited the coming Of the bride
and groom. The happy couple came together
up the aisle with ushers and attendants, and on
their arrival at the altar arranged themselves
i'll front OF the minister, who read, not the mar
rage service, but certificate that the bride
and groom were married on the ID OF NoVem-
Der last and so had been man and wife for two
months. There was first surprise and then
The wedding feast was
spread and enjoyed by numerous company.
The last even distant relative Of Aaron
Burr is dead, He was halter. He was born
in Western New York as long ago as 1910, and
went TO the metropolis to learn the hatter's
trade. He patented hat machine about 1852
Up to that time hat bodies had been made By
hand. Burr's machine so reVolutioniZed the
business that in 1856 100000 hats were made
upon his machine. For many years he virtually
bad a monopoly Of the hat trade, and when his
patent expired, in 1872 he had amassed great
fortune. His father was Aaron Burr's first
cousin, and his grandmother sister OF Jona-
than Edwards. He sprang from thai large Burr
family that once lived near Cooperstown. Now
that he is dead it will be exceedingly hard TO
ind another man bearing the name OF Burr
who is even remotely connected with the IL
rated but brilliant man who was once such
power in political and social life.
BOsTONIAN WIT AND WISDOM.