Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-14
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

"A sack of potatoes brought s. 80 at Liv.
ermore, Cal, recently.
Since the great fire at Seattle last June
| permits have been granted 1or Io4o new build
lngs that will cost So, 693,OOO
The returns OF the pensioned veterans
who fought under the great Napoleon, who
now receive $50 a year. put their number at liz
instead OF $50, as in 1855
Fifty acres of sugar cane has been
planted at Whittier Los Angeles county and a
small sugar plant has been ordered TO expert
menI In starting new industry.
In Buenos Ayres an opera box for go
nights cost $1,000. Coal for range or fireplace
Is from s5S to so per ton. You may go TO the
circus Tor 30 90 Shoes are worth from SIC to Sl2.
"A summer cottage built by New York
millionaire is of hemlock logs hewn on three
sides with the bark left on the fourth side. A
Veranda Is constructed on three sides OF the
building OF nemlock logs in the rough.
Mrs. Rombowsky, wife of a Corunna,
Mich. miner, was found dead in her bed. and
when ne1ghbors called to lay out the body it was
found in such filthy condition that men had
to be called in to attend to the work Rom
bowsky, his wife, daughter, a COW and several
chickens occupied one room. The woman died
from lack of food.
There is a firm in Cincinnati which
each year beats 81 900 gold dollars into gold leaf
and as each dollar can be beat into a sheet that
will carpet two rooms 1615 feet SQUARE some
idea may be formed of It's tenuity 1t reouires
l, 400 of gold leaf to equal in thickness a sheet
of writing paper and takes $4,000 of them,
piled one upon the other, to equal an inch in
thickness!
"A wealthy citizen of Dover, Me-, was
mortified the other day. He had Just been
making a clean breast of his deplorable fnan-
f,fI Il
grocery store soon after he was appalled, to
find that the assessor had taken his statement
so literally as to order barrel of -four a cod
fish and some other articles sent to him at the
towns expense.
e. Cowles, of Eaton Rapids, Mich,
lived in southern Ohio in 1862, and when Nor
gan made his raid Cowles, with several hun
dred other patriots, rushed to the defense of
Cincinnati. He served three consecutive days
and then returned to his pillow. He had almost
forgotten the ciTcumstan ce until one day this
week. when he received formal discharge
from the war department..
Mr.. Bargeron, who resides about eight
miles above Sylvania, Ca. observed what ap-
peared to be volume of black smoke about 20
feet long. of a funnel shape. passing across his
field not quite as high as the taIlest trees He
says it made a cracking. roaring noise, but
made no commotion among the trees when it
reached the woodland. He says it travelled
"A Meadville, Pa, man tells of recent
battle in that city between a game rooster and
an owl. in which the rooster knocked old wis
dom" out in less than q minute. The victor
was then pitted against another rooster which
soon fell before him. The owner of the game
then offered to pit him against bulldog. The
match was made and the bird trimmed the dog
up in very brief period, coming out of the
fight almost as fresh as when he began.
H.
written without the dot over it. The dot was
introduced in the Fourteenth century to dis
tinguish 'f' from 'e' in hasty and indistinct
writing. The letter ''i' was originally used
where ~ is now employed; the distinction be-
tween the two having been introduced by the
Dutch writers in comparative modern times.
The j" was dotted becaused the 'f' from
which 1t is derived was written with dot.
w. H. Ballard, of Indian River, Mich,
applied for pension in 1879. but his claim was
rejected. In the fall of 1888 he went to Wash
ingtop and stayed right there to secure justice
if possible. Ballard was so persistent that the
pension department officers frequently threat
ened him with arrest, but the old man stuck,
interested Senators Stockbridge and Sawyer in
his case: and after thorough investigation they
declare he has been the victim of skulduggery
and his case has been faVorably reported to the
Senate.
John Hopkins a farmer living near
Franklin, KY. has ordered marble slab to be
erected over the gra-e of his nephew, Marcella
Jerome Clark, the famous Confederate guerilla
who was known during the as 'Sue Mum
day." He earned this soubriquet because of
his youth and effeminate appearance, and for
a long time IL was actually believed that he
was woman. He was famous for his cruelty.
and repeatedly shot down prisoners with his
own hand He was captured and hanged in
Louisville.
Every watch and clock on Governors
Island is regulated by bugle call. Just before
noon two enlisted men are stationed at point
commanding unobstructed view of the
tower of the Western Union Building in New
York. One of these is the post bugler the
other trained signalman, equipped with
powerful field-glass. The non-commissioned
officer is required to keep his glass fixed upon
the time-ball. The instant it drops he gives
the signal to the bugler, who immediately
sounds the specified call.
During thunder storm few nights
ago large oak tree in the Masonic graveyard
of Salem. Va, was struck by lightning and
rent from top to bottom. While looking at the
ruin the next morning Matthew Turner who
has charge of the cemetery, spied an object
which had fallen from the cloven trunk. Pick
ing it up and cutting away the mass of moss,
fungus and earth with which it was crusted
over. he found that it was large, old-fashioned
teapot of solid silver. Opening 1t, he discov-
cred that it contained the skull of an infant a
few days old, and further investigation showed
the teapot TO bear an inscription: From d. I.
to R. L., 1898"
Nearly 80 years ago young English
man left his native town. Surrey. and came to
America. For several years he corresponded
with his sister at home. then the letters grew
infrequent, and finally ceased When last
heard from he in Boston. The sister
wrote only to have her letters returned through
the Dead Letter Office marked Not fOlnd."
Finally. as a last resort, she addressed etter
10 president Harrison, Washington, ID. C.,
U. 8. A." relating these facts and imploring
his aid in finding her brother. This letter
found its address a few weeks ago. Instead of
going to the waste basket it was forwarded to
Mayor Hart, of Boston, with request that he
look Mr.. Brown up. In short time response
came that Robert Brown was dead and had
left two sons, both prosperous young business
men in Boston, and the news was sent to their
aunt in Surrey last week.