Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-03
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

| time this year.
The only pauper in Tucker county, Va
| is handsomely lodged. The poor farm co.
| $4,000 and he has it all to himself
1t is the custom in Lima, Peru, to kce
animals on the roofs of houses. \ ca
makes its first appearance on the roo
and never descends until it comes down
| beef.
Sir William Turner, of the Universi-
| of Edin burgh, who has made careful stud
of the whale, calculates that one S0feet lons
in order to attain n speed of II miles an hoLu
must exercise propelling force OF 45 hOrs'
power.
The youngest married couple in Cor
neeticut, t,probably, dwell in the little countr
hamlet of Sterling, among the Wndhar
county hills. They are Mr.. and Mrs. {
Fenner. He is II years and Z months ol
and she is Is years and months. They hay
been married for several months.
The fun of calico balls and poverty par
ties having been exhausted. the young pee
pie of Virginia City gave 4 "shabby-geuteeT
party the other night. Carefully patched anC
polished shoes, threadbare coats and al
sorts of garments that ''had seen bette
days" were the order of the evening.
The London Tid5its lately offered a priz'
for the best definition of money. TIE prize
was awarded to Henry f. BagIs, of Sheffield
who defined it thus: can article which m;J,
be used as universal passport to every
Were except heaven, and as univerSa
proYlder OF everything except happiness"
The French are now painting their wa
vessels a dull, sulphurous gray, exactly TIN
color of smoke us it arises from cannOns
They say this color has the advantage of be
ing as illusive and indistinguishable in fog
and sea mists and darkness as during the
smoke of battle. 1t is more battling to the
search light than any other tint.
The songs with which the Belgian SOY
diers enliven their marches and hours N
hard work are not of the highest mora
character, and so the military authorities
have engaged n number OF poets ami com
pOserS to supply the army with dittieS il
French and Flemish, which are to be suns
by the troops to the exclusion of all others
"A rather unique franchise has been oh
| tanned by company organized in Kansas
City, said to be composed of some of the
wealthiest men there. They propose to lay
| mains throughout the city for the purpose
| of supplying houses with air-cold air in the
summer and warm air in the winter, anG
| warranted to be charged with Il suitable
| supply OF oxygen
Fifteen keen and courageous Corsicans
form the Cars body-guard. They accom-
| Dany the Gar almost everywhere, some
| times in uniform: and have even to keeJ
| watch in the Imperial kitchen, and occa
| sionally act as cooks. Three of them car
| never be convinced that the wine has MOI
| been drugged, and they insist upon fast
| ing" fresh bottles three or four times day.
Chinese sugar has been arriving at Port.
land of late in considerable quantity. I.
comes packed in sacks each containing 1S
/ pounds 1t is said that it can be laid down
| on this coast and handled profitabIv at
| about cent pound less than Claus Spreck.
| els is now charging for the same grade OF
| Pacific -
| benefit of some competition in sugar.
-Two-headed snakes will cease to be
curiosities if they continue much lOnge
| finding" them in Georgia. \ Savannah
| Ne1rs reporter thus describes one that he ha.-
| just found in Laurens county at was about
| eight inches in length. of the adder variety.
| with two distinct and perfect heads ant
| four eyes. When interrupted its two tongue.
| would dart simultaneously and its four eye.
| glitter"
| The streets Of Helena, Mont. are no
! exactly paved with gold, nor can one pick
| up n livelihood in nuggets from the road
way, but cellar digging is apt to uncover
| enough gold to nay for the labor and some
| times more. In digging the foundations Ofa
business block there the Interested parties
| are taking out 500 per day in pay dirt and
| do not seem to think it very remarkable
| find either.
There is man named Murphy living
at Los Gatos who, until this week, had never
tasted meat or fish. Recently, however. not
crediting the reports of the front to be
caught in the local streams, he offered to eat
all certain local fishermen would catch.
party was made up and went out for q DAYS
sport. Several dozen trout were caught by
the gentlemen designated, and Murphy had
to eat one to pay for his increduity.
This question was iudiciously decided
the other day in a court in France, where
| there is law which forbids sportsmen to
hunt at night: A man, on being arrested
for an infraction of the law, pleaded that
the dav not vet over. After much
scientific discussion it was decided thai
night began with the close OF twilight or
when the sun had descended six degrees be-
low the horizon. The almanac showed that
on the day i'll question twilight, thus de
scribed. ended 81 minutes after sunset. and
the sportsman was adjudged guilty upon
that ruling.
John Wenman, of PipestOne, sunk
barrel in q moist place to obtain water for
his cattle. His idea was Il feIicitous one,
and he obtained an abundance of clear, cold,
spring water. He was greatly astonished
one day to observe certain fish swimming in
the barrels transparent contents and.
scooping them out found they were trout
several inches long. He has since obtained
daily 4 supply for his table and an Occa-
sOnal mess for neighboTS. The nearest
stream is Il mile and half away. and the
whole country is wondering how the fish
get into the barrel.
Americans to whom the Strand in Lon
don is familiar will be interested in learning
that two ancient landmarks of that famous
street are soon to disappear. Within i
month the two churches of st. Mary-le-
Strand and st. Clement Danes which for
more than n century have stood right in tho
center of LOndon's great street. and have
been to tOuri SITS even more noticeable than
St raul's. will be leveIed to the ground;
The dangerously dilapidated state of one of
these churches and the shield which both
now give to the vice and crime of the sur
rounding region have driven the city to
order their destruction. ST. Clement Danes
is the church where DIR. johnson wOr-
shipped, bu5 of late years hardly 4 dozen
people frequented either of the sacred edi-
fees on Sunday. There is no opposition on
religious grounds, therefore, to their demoli-
tion.