Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-27
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

The observations indicate,a vel ocity Of
IS miles a second for Algol and it's diameter
as 100000 miles.
! -Four pounds of gold have been col
| lected from the SCOT of the chimney Of the
/ Royal Mint. in Berlin.
The greatest hop producing county in
| the United Statee is said to be Otsego, N. Y,
| where the yield is estimated ut 469s 6S3
! pounds annually.
1t costs s2 % word to telegraph to
Pram Pram, Africa; 81 II word to Djedda,
Mecca, and SO "A a word to New Zealand via
Northern Siberia.
After Seattle man had spent $500 and
Travelled extensively for 10 months to re-
cover MS voice 1t came back to him without
costing cent few days ago.
The total area of the Dominion is COM
puted to be S.456,Sss square miles. In this
water and j,3l5,647 to land surface,
There are said to be more than 900
prehistoric buildings in Sardinia They are
almost all in fertile districts, and are builr
In groups, which are separated from one an
other by wide and generally barren spaces.
"A marked decrease has been taking place
in the number of wild animals DESTROYED in
India, as the total for the year is only H604
against Il. 63S in 1899, and the amounts as re-
1854.
Eugene Russell, farmer living near
Lake Ontario, is the owner of q mare and
colt that are extremely fond of tobacco.
Ihe mare formed the habit long before the
birth OF the colt and in the youngster the
appetite seems to have been inherited.
-Thirty-five years ago in the Unjoxo
country 10 kaorf bought a COW. Now a whole
load OF them Is required. Burton, an e1-
plorer, says about it: at is a very pleasant
sort OF money TO carry around To carry 81
worth of it it is necessary to hire q strong
man."
There is carving knife and fork In
New York which is the largest set in the
world. The knife is 1016 feet long and the
fork 714 feet. The handles are made out Of
elephants tusks and are worth $500. To-
gether the implements are valued at l,5O0
and weigh 320 pounds.
"A few weeks ago there was found in
Central Missouri a small powder, or nugget.
of copper, weighing % pounds. It is IL
inches long, six inches wide and three
inches thick at thickest part. It is almost
entirely pure copper, but with a thin crust
of the green carbonate all over it.
Merchandising, o., claims to have pet
jack rabbit with a fighting record, and it is
related that he can whip any dog in the
neighborhood. A few DAYS ago the rabbit
fought and defeated three dogs in rapid
succession, receiving scarcely blemish, one
of its antagonists being a bull pup.
"A queer libel suit has been instit uted
against a Charlottesville, Ind, newsp aper.
The article averred that the plaintiffs horse
was fed on soup. being too old to eat corn.
Wherefore the plaintiff claimed g, 600 dam
ages, alleging that he has suffered great
mental anguish because of its publication.
Amber is often seen carved into elegant
forms in ancient Etruscan jewelry. The
necklace known as the Prince
de Canino's, the masterpiece of the Etruscan
goldsmith, has pendants of alternate beetles
Of sardonyx and amber. Juvenal represents
mis- patron displaying at his feast bowl en-
bossed with beryls and raised work of am
ber.
Besides metals salt is medium of ex-
change in Africa. This is especially the
case in Abyssinia and in certain districts in
Northern Africa. The blocks of salt, called
amole, come from the east of the Abyssian
Alps. They have the shape of a grind stone
with one end pointed and weigh originally
,bout "a pounds. A camel may carry 800, a
mule $50 and slave 60 of these chunks.
"A novel verdict was rendered by
county jury at Easton a day
Or two ago. After finding the defendant
rot guilty of the charge, the costs were di-
vided in four equal parts. The prosecutrix
was directed to pay one-fourth, the defend
INT one-fourth, the constable who made the
arrest onefourth. and the Justice of the
Peace who made the return one-fourth-
There are 10 cities in Maine, Deering
'eing the latest. The number is likely to be
till further increased at no distant day by
he evolution of such towns as Cape Eliza
eth, Brunswick, Skowhegan, Dexter, Farm
ngton, Camden. Caribou and Houlton. which
re showing disposition to throw off town
government. Portland is the oldest CITY in
he State, having been Incorporated in 1882.
"A French experimenter bas tested the
romen. all of the middle class of society
nd betw cen 25 and 45 years of age. Tho
trongest man was able to give with the
light hand n pressure equivalents to 1877
ounus and the weakest one of 90 pounds.
he snort men were nearly as strong as the
all, the average difference being less than
even pounds. The force exerted by the
trongest woman was only 81 younds and
nat by the weakest was but 35 pounds, while
he average was Y pounds.
"A blacksmith in Belfast, Me-, relates
hat 40 years ago, when he was an appren-
ce. his employer bought superanusted
orse for so cents, ordered him to shoe the
nirna1 and sold it. with its four new shoes,
)r 10 cents. The apprentice was so in ncensed
having his work valued at only p cents
rat he took an oath then and there never
} shoe another horse, and he never has,
cts ever since.
"A physician who spent some time in
lie countries bordering on the Gulf Of
exico found a curious body of men among
10 natives called Curados de Calebra, or
le safe from yipers. Having been inocu-
ted with the poison of the serpents they
ere proof against their venomous bites.
he incubation was made with the venom
9th of n viper and the bulb of q native
ant called mano del sapo (toads handy.
he preventive incubation has been an old
lstom among the patives OF that region.
Travellers on the Isthmus of Panama
id in Central and South America say that
queer way of smoking exists. They put the
,hted ends of cigars in their mouths. On
q Isthmus, however. It is confined to
omen, the native Indians, and half breeds.
"a rlv all the women smoke in that manner.
ley do not tuck the tongue in the cheek,
it is said the kaffirs do, but press il down
the bottom of the mouth. Many D ersons
10 have tried the method say there is
nething peculiarly pleasant in that kind
q smoke.