Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-14
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS

VUhlUDO OUhDhhOA4lVuN
1t is reported that over !, 800 letters
were mailed from Vassar College in one dAy
recently.
"A elapbosrd was exhibited in Knox
vile, Tenn, which was made by William Nc
Nish. of Jefferson county aged 100 years He
cut the tree and sawed and split the boards
with bis own hands. He Is native Of North
Carolina. but has lived in Tennessee a reason
Of 40
-tPhysicians appear to conform quits
generally to the familiar injunction TO heal
themselves save where the complaint is old
Massachusetts, Medical Society during the year
lSSSreached the high figure Of 681z years, which
comes very close tO the span Of life allotted 10
man By the psalmisk
"A man in Bangor proposes to make pro-
hibition prohibit there. He recently went
around to every saloon and drugstore in the
city, with the exception Of one drugstore, and
bought liquor, which has been labelled with the
name Of the seller. the place from which it
came, ete. These will be presented 70 the grand
Jury at the next term Of court"
"A Scranton man who gives bis attention
to raising pigeons says that the only bigamist
he has ever seen among pigeons is a male now
owned by him. During the breeding season
the bigamist maintained two separate wives
ana households. deY0ting just about a. much
raise the bIoods Of each female, and his affec-
tlon Tor each was equal. The double duty kept
% PIN very busy but he seemed to take pride IN
having SO much responsibility.
Richard Thomas, man who died in
west Haven, Conn.,, recently, at the age Of 81
years, was born and always lived in the house
Where he died. The house is believed to rave
stood lb0 years In the rear part Of the house
are bullet holes made by the British troops
when they landed It West Haven during the
Revolution. A family tradition handed down
by Mr.. Thomas, is that the invading troops
entered this house, ate all the food that was
tnere, and attempted to carry away some per-
sonal property.
-Aitch Is the name Of postofice in
Huntington county. The origin Of its name Is
Of somewhat curious nature. However, It
arises from civilized sources. There were i've
prosperous farmers in that portion Of the
country where the postofiee is now, and their
names were Anderson, 1senberg, Taylor, Crum
and Henderson. Each Of them wished the
ONCE to be named after himself But they
could not come to an agreement. and finally, as
compromise, the first letter from each name
was taken and placed together and thereby
originated-Aitch.
"A remarkable gummy liquid formed
upon and dropping from the foliage Of the pine
trees in the vicinity of Danville, Va, for two
weeks past is attracting great deal Of atten.
ron. IL gathers on and drops from the pine
tags like heavy dew. and great deal Of it has
been caught and preserved IN bottles IL has
much the appearance Of corn whisky, but has
taste somewhat like that Of wild honey. It
leaves the pine tags sticky and gives them the
appearance Of having been vanished. One
theory is that it is produced by the remarkable
weather.
Mrs. Sarah J. T. Msyrick came all the
way from Cape Town, Africa to Chicago to
get divorce from David MeyTick, scenic
artist. She Is an opera singer, and formerly
was connected with the Pike Opera Company.
The recent years of her life have been spent IN
South Africa. Mr.. Meyrick was employed at ,
Cape Town Theater. Many a time, Mrs. Mey-
rick said, he was discharged the theater for his
habits, but was often taken back. Finally he
was let go for good, and Mrs. MeyTick came to
America with her two children because she
could put up with his treatment Of her no
longer. She hasn't got the decree yet
"A musical gas machine is an English
invention, and it is called the pyrophone. Its
compass is three octaves, with keyboard, and
it Will be played in the same manner as an
organ. It has 81 glass tubes, in which like
number Of gas jets burn. These Jets, placed
in a circle. contract and expand. When the
small burners SEPARATE the sound is produced;
when they close together, the sound ceases.
The tone depends upon the number Of burners
and the size Of the tubes In which they burn,
so that BY a careful arrangement and selection
all the notes of the musical scale may be pro-
duced in several octaYes. Some Of the glass
tubes in which the jets burn are nearly II feet
long.
Thomas Fitzsimmons, . young man %
years Of age. and the son OF a humble mine
laborer, who lives &C Cork Lans, . suburb OF
Pittston, Pa, Is the inventor and builder Of q
wonderful clock, which Is now nearly COM
plete. This wonderful piece Of mechanism
stands II feet high, il seven feet wide and three
deep. It has eight dials. No. shows the or
djnary clock face, with minute hand; No. .
series of figures. which tell the number Of
minutes. and No. g. the number Of minutes
which have passed since the opening of the
year. No. tells the number Of days which
have passed in the year; No. 81 Isa split second
dial; No. 8 gives the timeof the meridian
forenoon or afternoon-and also the hour OF
the day by the An0ur system: No tells the
number Of days which have passed in q month,
and No. the day of the week. 1t also has q
complicated automatic railway system, an ar
rangament which shows the seasons Of the year,
and q representation Of II periods in the life Of
man. The builder Of this great mechanical
work has never had an opportunity
ing and has not even had the advantages TO be
gained BY an education. He has spent four
years at the work
Mrs. Henrietta Mop Of ofHsrkimer,
N. Y, has tame crow that has no end Of sport
playing with the cat. 1t will take spool Of
thread and pick the end Of the thread loose and
hy to the top Of the chair with it, leaving the
spool where the cat can see It. As it unWinds
the thread the cat Is commonly melted to
plunge about after the rolling spool, while the
crow laughs aloud as a child might dc. II IL
would keep still Mrs Mcpherson would have
q deal more thread to wind up. Sometimes the
cat is lazy, The crow rolls the spool across its
nose in vain. II tries it again and again, making
an odd noise meantime, something like the
clucking Of hen, until after time, losing all
patience it pounces on the lazy brute with
scream that sends the cat flying about the
room with Its tail fur on end. The crows
abilities as fighter are not appreciated a.
they should be. Nearly everyone who has
visited or lived in the country knows that
noek Of crows will put hawk to Night, bnt
that proves nothing. for p couple Of king birds
can chase a crow out Of three townships. But
put domesticated crow and an Rble-oodted
tomcat together, where they have even mod
crate incentive TO tight, ana the crow VIII make
he fur dy instanter. There is not = dog in the
neiehborhood that viii stand before MrA Mo
Pherson's tame crow.
BITS OF BRIGHTNESS.