Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-10
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

I'm 40 years the run across the Atlantic
has been reduced one-half
"A tremendous sulphur spring has been
tapped near San Antonio, Tex.
"A mountain of coal in Wyoming has, IL
is claimed, been burning for 30 years.
To neglect farm in ancient Italy was
an ofrense cognizable by the censor.
-Chinamen are reported as coming to the
United States from Canada dressed in
woinen's garments.
"A Pasadena, Cal. man has this season
taken 900 pounds Of peaches from two large
trees in his orchard.
I'm Ripley, o., there is sunhower in
full bloom growing from q crevice at the top
OF a 4o-foot maple tree.
Forty thousand acres of Austria-Hun-
gary territory is TO be planted with vines e1-
ported from California.
Italian emigration increases, 1000 per-
sons having quilted Rome during the last
Two months, almost all for Brazil
When the streets of Oakland, Ia, be-
come dirty the business men organize into
band OF street sweepers and clean them
Before the Worlds Fair at Chicago Is
formally opened 5000 900 will have to be
expended If present plans are carried out.
-Berlln's suicide epidemic shows no
signs OF abatement. No fewer than 250 per-
sons died there by their own hand in July.
1t is estimated that about 5000, 900
bushels Of peaches will be shipped from
Michigan this year, which is said to be near
ly twice the entire crop Of Delaware.
of the entire human race, 800, ,OOO, 900
are well clothed, that is, they wear garments
Of some kind; 25O, 900 900 habitually go naked,
and 7co 0O0, 900 only cover parts Of the body;
500, 900 900 live in houses, 700, 600 900 in huts
and caves, and ESQ, 600 600 virtually have no
shelter.
The working classes of Italy are very
poorly fed. The consumption of meat is very
scant, except on feast days, and but little
wine is drunk. Living is almost exclusively
confined to cereals (wheat, maize, ricel. with
vegetables and other green herbs cooked
with bacon.
Since Brazil became Republic it has
vastly increased in favor as field for Ger
man immigrants, OF whom 1927 have gone
there during the first six months of the
present year, as compared with 2, 1872 during
the whole OF last year, while in 1889 there
were only 22s.
The celebrated American Newtown
Pippin apple is said by the Horticultural
Times to have been the spontaneous produo-
ton of a seed near a swamp in Newtown,
Long Island: New York. over a century and
half ago. 1t lived $50 years, and died from
excessive cutting and exhaustion.
AT Chicago, Ill the Building Inspector
a short time ago issued the largest permit
ever taken out in that city. 1t was issued
to 'The Fair" for the erection of a magnif-
cent 16-story store and Office building, at 1s4
to 200 State street, at a cost of So, 100000. The
permit itself cost 81. 400 which was twice the
cost of the permit for the Auditorium. W.
L. B. Jenney is the architect.
The San Diego Union SAYS: Expert
ments with the seed of the tree tomato,
which A J. Verlaque. of Twentieth street.
near L, received from the East some time
ago, demonstrate its advantages. OF his
four plants the most vigorous is now seven
feet in height, and is trimmed back and
propped like a castor bean. rhe vegetable
contains more meat and fewer seeds than
the vine tomato, and it bears fully as large
and abundantly.
M. Flammarion, the French astronomer,
has suggested that in Mars they are great
deal more advanced, intellectually speak
ing, than we are ourselves, and that
they there have optical instruments which
excel ours as much as the Lick telescope
surpasses a piece of colored glass. Mars is.
according to the same authority, an old
planet, very cold now, but one which has
passed through all its hot periods.
The Yuma Sentinel makes a statement
that will make Northern Isaak Waltons en-
vious, when it is claimed that at the mouth
of the Colorado river and the upper end OF
the Gulf of California are to be found sea
bass that weigh from $50 to $50 each, clans
as large as n common dinner plate, millions
of sardfnes and smelt, oysters small but
delicious, millions of soft-shelled crabs and
other shell fish. millions Of wild geese.
brants. ducks. cranes and other sea fowl
and birds. 1t is paradise Tor nsh and
game.
The Fossil Journal, published in Morrow
county, Ore, says: John Putnam was over
in the Wagner country last week. and
brought back with him beautiful speci-
men from the Morrow county opal beds.
The opal is large and luminous, and Is i'm
bedded in a hard, con2lomerate substance
about the size of a mans fist. To get the
opal out OF this substance without breaking
is a delicate and tedious operation, per-
formed by means of a fine steel saw and q
continuous dropping Of water. Several
already been sold. and large shipment will
soon be made to England.
"A few days ago children, while playing
round the church at South Paris, Me-, dis
covered a can of powder under the old edi-
fee From its appearance this can is sup
posed to have been under the church since
IVA, when IL was the custom of the colonial
patriots to secrete their powder in and near
meeting houses. IN Lne year ulenItOneu,
John Sullivan, Of Berwick. raised company
of men, and going to Ft William and Mary.
at Portsmouth, N. H., captured 100 barrels OF
powder part of which was concealed In the
old church at Durham, Androscoggin
county, and used the next year at Lexing-
ton and Bunker Hill. 1t is thought that the
can found at South Paris is part Of the same
lot that Captain Sullfvan's men seized from
the Kings men III years ago.
"A curious plant grows in Arabia called
the laughing plant. 1t is OF moderate size,
with bright yellow flowers, and soft, velvehy
seed pods each of which contains two or
three seeds resembling black beans. The
natives frequently dry the seeds and re-
duce them to powder. 1t is said that dose
of this powder produces a similar effect to
that Of laughing gas. 1t causes the most
SOBER person to dance, shout, and laugh in
an extremely boIsterous manner, and to
run about doing the most ridiculous things
for an interval of half an hour or more. As
the effects of the powder wear on exhaustion
sets in, and the person falls into deep
sleep. When he awakens several hours
later he has not the slightest recollection of
anything he did while under the influence
Of the drug.