Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-20
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

The thinnest and at the same time one
of the toughest feathers tanned is frogskin.
The citizens Of Nashville, Tenn, use
the United States street nail boxes for spit
toons.
"A Shreveport (La.) beet of the blood
red variety weighs 46 pounds. It grew on
| Silver Lake soil.
"A flowing we'll from which strong
current Of cold air constantly gushes is tho
latest curiosity near Greensburg, La
"A Georgia editor has q children. He
| positively refuses to insert an advertisement
announcing that boy or girl is wanted
Since the establishment in 1902 of
| West Point Military Academy, 1884 men have
received diplomas from that institution.
The oyster is one of the strongest crea-
lures on earth. The force required to open an
| oyster is more than l300 times It's weight.
The organs of smell in the turkey vul-
ture and carrion crow are so delicate that they
can scent their food for distance OF 40 miles.
"A Philadelphia surgeon has dissected
and mounted the complete nervous system Of =
human being. something never before accom-
plished.
An Italian Psychologist has demon
strated by experiment that thinking causes
the nature of the thought.
The British soldiers life at Indian
frontier stations cannot be altogether happy.
One noon recently the thermometer registered
S4o at the Gnatong fort in Sikkim. That night
it fell to l7o above zero.
One of the two chimpanzees at the Paris
Jardin d'Acclimitation, inoculated with Koch's
lymph. cied 48 hours after the operation. The
lungs Of the creature were sent TO the Abort
SclOOl Medicine
"A Belfast man is so careful of his ducks
that he hauls them home a hand sled and
tucks them into their beds every night. Mas
own baby could not be more assiduously at
tended to, or even fashionable DANES pet
poodle
"A California woman living near Auburn
has made q success in a rather novel line Of
enterprise. Some years ago she planted eight
acres OF olive trees, and they have just begun
to bring in return. She gets IS gallon for
the oil.
The olfactometer recently exhibited to
the Academy of Sciences in Paris is little ap-
paratus for testing the smelling powers OF IN
dividuals, 1tdetermines the weight of odorous
vapor IN 4 cubic centimeter of air which is per-
ceptlble by the olfactory sense of person.
"A woman of Valley City, OAK. wagered
that she could put the slips on five pillows while
any man present at a church fair could encase
one, and seven different men took her up and
suffered defeat. No man can ever acquire the
knack of holding pillow in his teeth to work
with both hands.
"A man crazed with drink was going to
kill Savannah carpenter who had only a car
penter's oilcan to defend himself with. He
stabbed the man seven times with it. however,
and the doctor said that five of the stabs were
worse wounds than could have been inflicted
with knife or bullet
"A man in Cincinnati has made affidavit
that he called up an acquaintance by telephone
and had five minutes chat and then learned
that the man had been dead two hours when he
heloed him up. 1t is hoped the dead man got
satisfaction over the wire That is more than
any live one will ever get,
Wisconsin is to have law which pro-
yides that when husband disappears and is
not heard of for three years by his wife she is
divorced without further notice. The Enoeh
Arden business in that State will thus receive
a bad black eye, and the man who goes out to
feed the hogs will be quite apt to return.
The whaling schooner William A.
Grozer, of Provincetown, carries one of the
youngest sailors afioat-the captains son, aged
l3 years, who is now making his seventh voyage
whaling. He goes as assistant mate and navi-
gator. He is regarded as a mascot both by
owners and crew, as good luck has followed
every trip.
The people of st. Petersburg seem to get
=
At recent aristocratic balls ice statues of
celebrities have been the fashionable decora-
tions. Famous sculptors did not disdan to try
their skill in this line. and the figures were
most effective when placed among shrubs and
plants and lighted up by many colored lamps.
AN aged widow of Westporr, Conn.,, was
stricken with paralysis two years ago. Her
condition presents case that is puzzllng the
physicians, Her left side is entirely useless and
she has lost the power OF speech. Her eyes
never close, but she pays no attention to visit
ors, and only at times to members of the family.
For days at time, after passing into a coma
tose state, she resembles very much 4 dead
person.
The first organized Oklahoma raid, it is
said was made at night on April Is, 1880, by Is
men. two of whom. as guides, marked the trail
by placing old buffalo skulls at prominent
ridges. so that the route is known to this day as
the Hogs Back Trail. A location was selected
on April % city six square miles in area was
surveyed and three houses built. and then
May l5 came Lieutenant Pardee with II soldiers
and IL Indian scouts from Fort Reno and ar
rested the whole party.
One of the properties sold by Philadel-
phia auctioneers Is Of considerable historic in
terest. II is the house on Seventh street. below
Market. This has been known for many years
as "The jefferson House." and is said to be
about 100 years old, having been built By Jacob
Hitzhemer, who owned the corner house,
where the bank now stands and in which JEFF
ferson drafted the Declaration of Independence.
during the Revolution The present Jefferson
House occupies the site of part OF the garden
of the corner house and was built after the
English soldiers departed from the city.
Until quite lately captain of the First
Regiment OF Guards had been considered the
biggest man in the German army. He meas
ured over so inches in height. But short time
since young Rhinelsnder Joined the First
Regiment of Foot Guards as a "one-year volu n
teer," who attains the colossal height of over
feet AZ inches Since 1850 the First Regiment
of Guards has not had so tall a man. At that
time they had man who was so tall that every
thing even his bedstead. had to be made spec
tally for him. His accoutermentS are pre-
served still among the curios of the regiment
"A curious example of how modern re-
search in bacteriology was foreshadowed long
ago is furnished in a report of a recent lecture
of scientist given in Nature. He there quoted
a French traveller visiting England in 1868, who
attended meeting of the Royal Academy on
May % of that year. At this meeting it was re-
ported among other things, that the germina-
tion of insects does rot arise from decay; for
the intestines of an animal and other parts
which easily corrupt, having been placed in
other animal could enter, but only the air could
penetrate, they had been preserved for six
months without maggot or other thing being
observed. This is almost exactly the expert
ment of Pasteur IN the present generation, ex-
cept that in the latter experiment not only
were insects and other animals excluded. bur
also the microscopic vegetable germs, which
were utterly unknown to the earlier expert.
menter.
JOURNALISTIC JEsTS.