The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-03-21
MISCELLANEOUS.

"A Buffalo civil engineer has been
looking Niagara Falls over, and his con-
clusion is that it is good for three mil.
lion years.
Our word ''butler" comes from an
old English word, boteler, man who
has charge of the bother. The chief
butler of Pharoah, mentioned in the
Bible, an officer of high rank, was more
properly cup-bearer to the king.
1t is one of the wonders of the world
that young lady can sit around the
house all day with piece of red flannel
wrapped around her throat, nursing her
influenza, and in the evening dress up
to see her beau, the healthiest woman
in existence.-Texas Siftings.
In sinking artesian wells in the
Desert of Sahara, water-bearing strata
has been reached at depth of $50 feet,
at which a steady flow of about 5000
gallons per minute has been obtained
This water is brackish and unfit for
drinking, but it answers very we'll for
irrigation.
The destruction of human life by
our railways is attaining truly alarming
proportions. According to the estimate
of the interstate commerce commission
ers the mortality from this cause in a
single year is as high as 1893, while for
the same period the number of persons
injured in railroad accidents reaches
1888 OF course great proportion in
both classes is made up of railway en-
ployes.
The human family to-day consists of
about 1,45O, 100000 individuals. In
Asia, where man was first planted,
there are now about 800, 900, 900; on an
average, 100 to the square mile. In
Europe there are 800, 900, 900, averaging
100 to the square mile. In Africa there
are 210,000,000 In America, North and
South, there are 11O,OOO,OOO, relatively
thinly scattered In the islands, large
and small, probably 100000. The ex-
tremes of the white and black are as
five to three, the remaining roo, 900, 600
being intermediate brown and tawny.
"A very valuable reflector for the
light of the incandescent lamp is now
being used. 1t consists of conical
globe of fine flint glass, rounded and
frosted at the base, the upper sides be-
ing of clear glass, rounded and frosted
at the base, covered by hand with bur-
nished silver in such way that it will
never tarnish or oxidize. The convex
base is of frosted glass, which so breaks
up the rays that, although the mass of
light proceeding from it is considerably
more than twice as powerful and bright
as that coming from the light ordinarily.
it is not only less dazzling, but it is
absolutely soft and pleasant to the eyes
AT a grocery store in Belfast, Mass.
recently, while quite a number of per-
sons were gathered therein, the pro-
pr1etor got them to guessing on various
things, finally coming to pea beans. A
number of guesses were made as to how
many were in a bushel. The most reck-
less person III the party guessed as high
as fifty thousand From that there
were various other estimates of
smaller number. ''Well, SIR" said the
grocer, ''there are one hundred and
nineteen thousand" Of course no one
would believe him until he explained
that there were sixty to half ounce,
and proved it. Then how many bank
notes will it take to weigh as much as a
silver dollar?" he said. Zone hundred.''
'seventy-fve." three hundred!' cried
out several. mot right" said the
grocer, gust twenty-five" which he
and proved