Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-06-06
ODDS AND ENDS.

Silkworms when newly matched scarcely
weigh one-quarter of an ounce, yet in the
course of their life, which only lasts about
thirty-flve days, they will consume between
5000 and 1000 pounds of leaves.
A German has invented an apparatus for
forcing sidewise the swell In front of fast
going ships by means of steam jets from
nozzle under the water at the bow.
French scientists have analysed quart
of water taken from typhoid infected
district, and found 100000 to 25,000,000
typhoid germs therein.
Electric traction is said to be fairly
booming in London In a few weeks q line
of omnibuses run by electricity is to be
started. They will be driven by storage
batteries aud have n seating capacity for
twenty-six passengers.
Each member of congress gets about 1000
envelopes full of seeds every year, and tho
bill Uncle Sam pays for them amounts to
about 100000.
Tho people of tho United States during
1889 smoked 1855, 955, 713, 722 cigars, which,
at cents each cost the consumers Sl67,-
7Ss. 6S81 10. This sum, at $4,000 u mile,
would have built $3.50 miles of railroad,
and at 5000 each would have purchased
20,913 locomotives.
Grapnels of anew pattern for recovering
the broken ends of submarine cables are
so arranged that on hauling in the grapnel
the bite on the cable will be not only main
tanned, but increased, and thus the tend
ency of the cable to slip, even though a
loose end be caught, will be removed.
Never say Excuse my glove" nor try to
remove it hastily. If it is necessary to
shake hands with somebody when you are
gloved-you may be thankful. Except in
the case of intimate friends it is disagree
able to give ones hand to every one. If
some one comes to shake hands with you
when you are seated, half rise.
Sir Edwin Arnold recently visited large
and excellent school at Toxic. containing
1000 pupils, with English and japanese
professors, where the students paid only
one yen per month-tbat is to say, about
S. I'd, for as much learning Of various sorts
as they could imbibe.
The forests of Europe, according to a late
report, cover the following areas: Germany
"a, 500, COO acres; Russia, 494, 22S 600 acres
Austria Hungary, &c, 951 roo acres; Sweden
40, 900 acres; France, 22,240,000 acres
Spain, 49, 759, 900 acres Italy, 0, SSi $40 acres
and England, 2,471 900 acres.
Besides the rabbit pest, New South Wales
is troubled by another called the "f1yinG
fox pest" This creature is a species of bat
the largest of the bat tribe, sometime,
measuring nearly five feet in expanse OF
wings, and is popularity termed the flying
fox on account of the red. fox like color OF
the fur, and the very vulpine aspect OF
the head" The attacks of these destruct
i've animals are mainly aimed against
fruits and other vegetable substances.
The greatest diving feat ever achieved
! was in moving the cargo of the ship Cape
Horn wrecked off the coast of Soutt
| America, when a diver named Hooper
made seven descents to depth of pol feet
| and at one time remained under watel
| forty-two minutes. Siebe states the great
est depth to which man has ever de
| scended to be 2O4 feet, equivalent to press
ure of lightweight and one-haf pounds
| per square inch.
| A vast sum was sunk in the tcmporar,
| plant used in building the Forth bridge
| The engineers estimated that G500,000 wa
| spent in this direction alone. in scaffold
| ing. flooring, shedding, etc, 100000 cubi,
| feet of timber were used. From first t.
| last 200 tons of mere service bolts wer,
needed to hold the mass of material to
gether. Scores of hydraulic jacks, sixt.
miles Of wire rope and rams innumerabl
were also among the temporary appliance
employed