Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-22
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS,

William Birmingham, of Fairton, Cum
berland county. N. j., recently celebrated his
S7tn birthday anniversary by saving two cords
| of wood.
| M. Tenn LEW, q Partisan spor,sman.
has bet 10000 francs that he will ride from
| Paris to Berlin, about 100 miles. in ten days
He started on June l3 from the Odeon Theater.
"A vessel sailed into the port of Odessa
the other day manned by monks. Captain.
mate, Second mate, boatswain, cook and sailors
| all wore the dress of the monastery of Mont
Ellie"
"A Macon. Ga, man has frying-size
CHICKEN with not feather excepting a few on
| his wings. The chicken has been feathsrIess
| ever since it was hatched and enjoys perfect
| health.
The death plant of Java has flowers
which continually give off perfume so power
full as to overcome, IL inhaled for any length OF
| time. full-grown man. and which kills all
forms of insect life that approaches close
enough to come under its influence.
The Spanish Government paysth work
men in the Almaden quicksilver mines, which
day; and owing to the deleterious nature Of
the work. the strongest men can only labor
two days in the week.
The Nipuck tribe OF Indians in Massa-
chusetts has become extinct the last survivor,
an old squaw of 76 having died last week.
Massachusetts always waged the most unre-
lenting war against the Indians of anY colony
or State, and drove the hardest bargains with
them.
"A ship load of ice arrived in New York
from Norway. 1t is said to be the first consign-
ment of ice received from Norway for some
years. This load was 9S6 tons. Ca plain Pons
said that ice was exceedingly cheap and plen-
tiful in Norway, and was selling in England for
s5 a ton.
Fanny Williams, of Columbus, Ind,
has compl eted ten-mile grading contract on
the E. & R. road of the Mackey system and
has shipped three carloads of horses and ma
chlnery to wellington. o., where she has an
other contract of Is miles of grading on the
Cleveland and Wellington Railroad.
While a little girl named Smith was
pumping water from well at Shellsburg, Ia,
the platform gave way and she fell to the bot
tom, distance of 20 feet. Rev. Mr.. Mslshon
witnessed the accident and descended into the
well, and succeeded In reseuing the child. Be-
yond a few slight bruises she escaped injury.
AT Bloomfield, Ia, on Monday night.
the leading lady Of an amateur dramatic COM
pany fred into acrowd of young men who were
peeping into her dressing room, using pistol
loaded with soap. One of the men, named
Toole, was wounded, and had her arrested.
The justice dismissed her, and lectured Toole
"A trap has been invented for gathering
in the spirited, reckless moth, and the inven-
tion promises to do away with camphor chests
and all the other schemes to obliterate the
wool chewer. The trap is on the principle of .
hy-trap, lit up by phosphorescence at night and
baited with sweet odors and colored glass, sup
posed to draw the insect.
"A fire company at Winsted, Conn.,, be-
ing unable recently to get any but q small
haza
and found about eight inches Of an eePs tail
sticking out OF the nozzle of the hose pipe.
The pine was unscrewed from the hose, and the
astonished tiremen fished live eel out of the
pipe that weighed nearly three pounds.
Black bears are reaping great harvest
Of turtle eggs these nights on the beach oppo-
site Melbourne, Fla. One man tells of one old
bear and Two cabs that have had \ regular
beat for the past ten days between his cottage
and the house of refuge. distance of three or
four miles. Last Sunday night the three de-
spoiled 13 nests between midnight and morn
ing.
"A bear that had been helping himself
for three years to honey from an apiary at
Wewahitchka, Fla, was killed night or two
ago. The buzzing of the bees and the sweet
ness OF his repast so occupied bruins attention
that he did not notice the approach of his
slayers until too late to escape. He was a cute
beast, nevertheless, for always on breaking
and face TO avoid being stung.
"A school teacher. near Dawson, Ca,
having instructed pupil to purchase a gram
mar. the next day received note. thus vorded,
from the child's mother: 81 do not desire for
Lula shall ingage in grammar as prefer her
ingage in yuseful studies and can learn her how
to spoke and wrote properly myself. bave
went through two grammars and can't say as
they did me no good. / prefer her ingage in
german and drawing and yokal music on the
piano."
"A railway postal clerk who runs on the
Union Pacific day or two since found among
the mail passing through his hands q mail
carriers hat which had been mailed at Butte,
Mont, says the Portland oregonfan. Attached
to it was a card on which was written: Round
the world to beat George Francis Train" The
carrier passed it along to San Francisco, ana
says that as the hat will not have to stop to
eat or make speeches IL will probably beat
Trains record
-Clem Smith, colorsd fiddler, well
known in Annapolis, was, it is said, apprised Of
his approaching end through dream, which,
interpreted, meant that he had only one day
longer to live. On the day he died he related
the dream to some persons with whom he
worked who noticed how melancholy he ap-
peared and VINO commented on his gloomy con-
dition. Smith had been working at Bay Ridge,
and was taken III on his way TO Annapolis. He
died shortly after reaching home.
"A flock of cranes made a diversion In
Georgia. There were probably more than 100
of the lank fowls in the flock, and quite num-
ber Of the citizens watched them for nearly an
hour as they scared through the air high above
the city. They were as perfectly drilled as
the average military company. and there was
not hitch or bobbein in their movements. They
seemed to be governed by the movements OF q
leader, and in every wheel or turn there was
not the slightest break.
"A boy named Drews performed q
dangerous feat in West Orange, N. J., the other
day, 1t is related, The contractor for the drain
that has been laid to carry on the standing
water in lots on the Valley road, wanted to de-
termine whether or not the drain was free from
obstructions and offered the lad small sum
to 90 through it. The pipe is Is inches in
diameter is eight feet under ground and 10
100 feet long. The boy accepted the offer and
entered the pipe. Half an hour later he
emerged safely from the other end.