Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-16
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

| "A Boston man owns IOur-leggeu
chicken, which was Matched on July
Art Lecturer W. Lewis Fraser SAYS the
first printing press in this country was set
| up in Harvard in 1883.
An inventor in Germany has made a
clock that he warrants will go to the year
9999 without winding.
The statistics TO 1890 for the Pasteur
Institute show that 1,46 patients were
| treated. The record for the past five years
| shows only .O6 per cent of Deaths
/ A "sunrise house" has been built on
top OF one of the Catskill peaks, where peo-
/ pie can go and remain overnight to see the
gorgeous morning spectacle"
"A newspaper in the Gipsy jargon, the
| Romany tongue, Is soon to be published in
England, with the expectation of making it
the organ Of the wandering people
"A very extensive domestic industry in
Russia consists of the manufacture of wooden
spoons, which are made to the amount of
80 600, 900 annually. They are nearly all made
of birch.
Pure chloroform, something hitherto
unattainable, will now be made by NJ Pictet,
chemist Of Geneva. The majority of
deaths from chloroform are said to be trace
able to impurities.
-Des Moines, Ia, is proclaimed the
greatest city in the world without q saloon.
lt may be of interest to note in this connec-
tfon that Des Moines has $1,000 inhabitants
according to the last census.
The Custom House agent in Duisburg
assessed a collection of butterflies as "pouI-
try" for the reason that they had wings;and
1t required much time and patience to get
the collection passed free as an object Of
science and art.
One of the largest nuggets of virgin gold
Of Mr.. Alfred Berke, of st. Louis. 1t came
from an Arizona mine, and weighs trife
more than 81 ounces. There is very little
alloy in the nugget, and it is valued at $500.
A Searsport (Me.) man has furnished a
new Illustration of thrift. He walked from
his town to Belfast a distance of six miles,
to take an excursion steamer to Bangor, be-
cause the fare was the same from both
places and he would thus get more sail for
his money.
The various forms of leave-taking have
more special significance than is generally
awarded to them "Adieu'' signifies ITO God
1 CONNIE nd you" "Goodby' is a contraction
of "God be with you," while Farewell"
means "Be happy" or more literally, May
you journey WELL"
There is tract in Levy county, Fla,
in which three hole have been dug 30 feet
apart, and each excavation has laid bare
diggers take it for granted that the bones all
belong to the same creature, and are won
dering what sort of beast it was whose re-
mains underlie the county.
In Windsor Locks, Conn, the other
night jewelry sharp first gave away rings
and jewelry and then sold some and re-
turned the money, until the crowd was ripe.
He then sold watches at 81 each and kept al
the money, and suddenly drove away with
the advice to those who had bought watches
that If anybody asked them the time Of
day to tell them they did not know"
Last week Richard and Fred Powell, of
Prineville, Ore, while moving their sheep to
Green Mountain, saw what they took to be o
deer lying at the foot OF a tree. Thereupon
they shot and hit it, and the object proved
to be large cougar. 1t was undoubtedly
hit hard, for 1t attempted to climb tree and
could not, and they found blood and tracked
1t to its den, where they found many de-
nuded bones Of It's victims.
"A very pretty idea is carried out in
London which aims to bring about a love OF
plants and flowers among the poorer classes.
A fund is raised out of which prizes are
paid for the best display of window garden
ing or potted plants, and the scheme has be-
come so very popular that thousands of cot
tage homes are now beautffied by floral ef-
fects, and it is no uncommon thing to see a
window set out with plants growing in old
teapots cans or cigar boxes marked as q
prize winner.
"A young lady went into drugstore at
Belfast, Me-, the other evening and pur-
chased a bottle of very high priced perfume.
She had scarcely left the store when she
dropped the bottle on the sidewalk, break
ing 1t in many pieces. The mute look of
Distress which her face assumed assured the
spectators of the state of her feelings Kick
ing the pieces of the bottle in all directions
she took her handkerchief and mopped up
as much of the perfume as possible and
rxyOlE Erod off liT1or
garden.
One of the African conveys of King
Gungunhama, in London, the other day. was
nearly frightened to death by phonograph.
He talked into the instrument and when it
repeated his words to him he fell on the
floor in swoon. 1t was some time before
he gained courage to ask questions, as he
thought q witch doctor was in the phonO-
graph. He proposed to silence the witch by
stufing dried frogs leg into the instrument,
along with some other charms he had with
him. Having been dissuaded from this and
the matter explained, he said it was no use
for him to tell lies, all his words were re-
corded.
An old farmer in Massachusetts, was
about to enter q hack at the funeral of his
wife, when his eyes rested for a moment on
the horses-a pair Of grays. mot by long
sightl' he yelled. 81 won't ride after hearse
behind no white horses" The undertaken
and the other members of the party endeav-
but he absolutely refused, saying: "Il be
the next of the family to die if do, and
amt taking any chances" Finally another
pair of horses were sent for and tn e farmer
clambered in and the procession started.
John Furlong presents a fresh illustra-
tion of how much the human frame can en-
dure. He is 80 years old, has outltved every
one on whom he had any claim, and was
Gently found on the pavement in New York
City where he had lain all night, literally
dying of hunger. 1t takes so very little to
keep him alive that, according to the testi-
mony produced, he had lived for years on
something less than the daily equivalent of
an average Schoolboy's lunch. Yet he had
lived, and at last accounts bade fair to live
some years longer.
The Bulletin de Statistiques ct de
Legislation Comparee" of the French Minis
try of Finance contains an interesting ac-
count of the postage expenses in the large
governments of the world, excepting China.
From the account it appears that civilized
spends !, ,5OO, 100000 tone mfllfard
and half francs every year on postage.
OF this amount the United States of America
comes in for the largest share, 1923, 100000
francs postage, without telegraph communi-
cation. Next comes Germany, spending on
postage and telegraph communication 262,-
600 600 francs. Great Britain spends l57, ,0O0,-
900 on postage alone. France spends 49,
OOO, 900 on postage and telegraphs. Russia
spends 81, 600 900 and Austria Hungary So
O0O, 900 francs on postage and telegraph. The
smaller governments spend from 10, 1000
downward.