Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-09
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

-MissourIs persimmon crop has not
failed in 40 years.
Dickens pictured 1125 characters in the
books that he wrote.
Chicago does not lack for reading matter.
There are 53l newspapers published there.
-Twenty-one railroads center in Mime
apolis, which produces 1900 barrels Of -four
daily.
Ten thousand Moslem students attend
the University of the Great Mosque OF Ell
Aga, in Cairo.
The British Foreign Bible Society has
distributed E4 900 600 copies OF religious
writings in 81 years.
"A pumpkin seven feet in circumference
and weighing 200 pounds is on exhibition in
the Los Angeles, Cal, Chamber OF Com
merce.
Levi saws of the natives of Brazil that
they are subject to fewer diseases than the
Europeans, and reach an age Of from 100 to
l20, or even 40 years.
Calico printing originated in India. It
was imported into Holland by the Dutch
East India Company and spread into Ger
many. 1t found its way into England in the
17th century.
"A st. Charles, No., landlord, unable to
make a non-paying tenant leave, took the
doors and windows away. The man says he
likes ventilation, and he is still master Of
what remains of the dwelling.
South Africa is not Just now the Tom
Tiddler's ground that many persons have
thought it. The writers speak bitterly Of
the difficulty of obtaining any kind of en-
ployment, describe the colony as "swarm-
ing with deluded immigrants" and tell Of
the terrible depression in every branch Of
trade, and general business throughout
South Africa"
The French baker is not only required
to conform TO laws regarding weight, but he
is also told at what price he must sell his
bread. He is further required to deposit a
certain sum of money in the hands Of the
municipal authorities n surety of good
behavior. In the large fortified cities he
has to keep a specified quantity on hand to
provide for warlike emergencies.
st. Orlando's Stone, which stands about
mile northeast of CLAIMS Castle. England
had the reputation, in years past, of prop
hetically revealing the events of the future.
either by speech or sign from ITSELF or in
ward reponse felt by those who invoked its
gid. Maidens therefore repaired to its hal
lowed shrine for information as TO their fu-
ture destiny, and lovers plighted their
solemn troth there.
A great natural curiosity has appeared
above the surface of the Mediterranean, near
the little island Of Panpellaria, between
Sicily and Africa. 1t is a volcano, which
suddenly popped into view above the sur
face, and is now 2, 500 feet in length, though
it rises only few few distance above the
sea level. 1t is in constant eruption, and
the lava is adding gradually to its stature.
Its eruption, however. is not violent.
-''Not the least among our Maine in
dustries," says the Kennebec Journal, 'is
that of picking blueberries to supply the
various packing factories in the eastern part
of the State. Washington county has done
1or thcy
some families having received from 500 to
s400 as the result of the summers work. A
single days receipts in the packing houses
in the vicinity of Cherryfeld have often run
up as high as 1000 bushels"
The secret of the vanishing lady trick
has been divulged in French scientific
journal. Most people believed that the fig
ure disappeared by trap in the stage, but
the "blind" of spreading a newspaper on
the floor was not SO easily explained. 1t y
turns out that the newspaper is really
sheet of india rubber printed over, and has
for the silk shawl. which, in the more re-
cent exhibitions of the trick, appears to
vanish with the lady, it Is simply whisked
off the stage by an invisible wire too quick
1y to be seen.
The Hawaiians have a peculiar super
stition regarding the cruiser Charleston.
The Charleston brought the late King Kala-
kaua to this country last fall. and also con-
veyed his remains to Honolulu after his
death in San Francisco. and the natives be-
lieve the spirit haunts the vessel and claim
to have seen the ghostly form of the King
stalking along the bridge. They believe
some member of the royal family will die
after each visit OF the Charleston. As a con-
sequence, the vessel is not likely to receive
an enthusiastic ovation from the Hawaiians
upon her visits to the islands,
Black rain is curious phenomenon
ich hos vi do
quateIy explained. There FELL on the 23d OF
November, 1919, a remarkable shower at
Montreal, accompanied by appalling thun-
der. The fall had been preceded by dark
and gloomy weather over the whole of the
States and Canada, and. when Montreal it
self was visited. the whole city became
dark: the atmosphere appeared as if covered
with thick haze of q dingy orange color,
and the rain which fell had thick and dark
inky appearance, and seemed to be impreg-
mated with some black substance reSemb-
ling SCOT.
The body of a woman, buried in cem-
etery at Marian, o., few years ago, on being
exhumed this week, was found to have
almost completely petrified, the feet being
the only portions that had undergone the
dispatch, were shown The body bore
pinkish-gray color, and resembleda a chiseled
statue. There is no suggestion offered for
this change, as no other body was ever be-
fore known to change in the cemetery.
Many persons are becoming curious to know
If such changes have resulted in the forms
of friends who have been laid away, and
many investigations are soon to be made"
Two strange fish were recently cap
tured on La Have Banks. While fishing in
800 fathoms of water two of the crew of the
schooner Mildred v. Lee pulled up Curl
ous-looking specimen, for which none of the
Bank fishermen can find a name. 1t isa
little more than four feet in length, of near
ly the same breath, and has five fins ofa
reddish hue. The body is covered with
silvery scales. The flesh is red and good to
eat and the fish weighs liz pounds. The
other curiosity was captured at the re-
markable depth of 500 fathoms by the
schooner Bessie NJ. Wells. 1t Is about six
feet long and shaped like mackerel. The
skin is of a dull brown color, and is thickly
covered with small white spots, from each
of which protrude two sharp, needle-like
bones. These bones are invisible to the
naked eye, but are easily detected by the
touch when the fish is rubbed toward the
head.
RHYNKLES AND RHTMELETs.