Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-17
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

| Chicago has nearly twice as many miles
| of streets as any other city in the world, and
| almost four times as many asNew YORK. ltS
total mileage is 25o4S.
! The female tramp has made her appear
ance in Kansas. She is much more trouble
some than the male tramp, because she
| loathes cold coffee and insists upon having
| hot tea.
Formerly it was impossible for recruit
| ing agents to find farmers sons willing to
| Join the army. Now the reverse IS true
| The present depression in the agricultural
| industry is doubtless the cause.
"A kind-hearted rural landlord adver-
| tises for boarders in paper in the northern
| part of California in the following enticing
manner: "a few boarders wanted by pri-
vate family. Can dress as you please"
The Salton Sea has now received its
vfndication and letters patent. The sea ser
pent has visited its waters and dIsported
| therein. The creature is described as being
about 30 feet in length, with the conventional
yellow scales, yawning mouth and great
tiippers.
Since Brazil became republic Ii has
vastly increased in favor as fed for Ger
man immigrants, Of whom 1871 lave gone
there during the first six months of the pre-
sent year. as compaeed with !, 1872 during the
whole of last year, while in 1859 there were
only Us.
There is Chicago ordinance that no
vehicle can be run on the Chicago boule-
wards unless there be lady on board.
Hence the new company organized to run
Columbian coaches on those thoroughfares
say they will have lady conductor on each
vehicle, SO as not to run the risk of violating
the law.
The tunnel that will connect Butler
Valley, Pa, with the bottom of the NAM
moth Ebervale vein will be one Of the great
est engineering feats of the century. 1t will
open an almost inexhaustible supply of coal,
and will serve as u drain for all the collieries
in that vicinity.
BY a novel device heavy guns can now
be aimed and fired with the greatest ac-
| curacy, without exposing the gunners and
without their even seeing the object to be-
fired at. The principle used is that of SO
training the gun as to cause the object to be
fired at to be reflected on q screen at the
rear of the gun.
Prof Karl Myer, who is conducting the
Government experiments for producing
rain artifcia11y, has invented what ne calls
a "sky bicycle" It is torpedo-shaped bal
loon, to which is suspended machine SIM
liar to the framework of a bicycle. Curious
paddlewheels produce the propelling power
for the apparatus.
The production of oloemargarine con-
times TO increa Sc in spite of repressive legis-
lation. The average production per month
during the last fiscal year was 3631 120I
pounds, as compared with 2, $50, ,494 pounds in
the previous year. Internal revenue receipts
from this source increased from s7S6, ,291 in
1880 to 81, on, ,g4 in the last fiscal year.
The jelly fish hasn't any teeth, but uses
himself just as if he were a piece of paper
when he is hungry, getting his food and
then wrapping himself about it. The star
fish, on the contrary, turns himself inside
ont and wraps his food around him. and
The prongs Of the starhsh look like teeth,
but in reality they are not, being nothing
but ornaments toshis peirson.
The Quakers are not dying out, after
all. A decline in their membership in Great
Britain began before the end of the last
century and continued down to 1850 but
since that date they have been increasing
In 1881 there were II ,9sl members and SOIL
''attenders" at meeting. since that year
there has been an increase of about loo or
200 every year, and the figures for 1890 were
1885 members and 8, ITO attenders.
An eccentric and wealthy old lady, who
died recently in Lyons, left a will which was
evidently intended as posthumous joke on
the doctors. ain grateful recognition of the
intelligent and devoted care of DR.. X so
runs a clause in the document, "Bho has en-
abled me to attain ripe old age, bequeath
to him everything contai ed in my bonheur
du jour" After the death of the estimable
testratrix the executors unlocked the article
Offurntture in question and found in it, still
unopened, sealed and corked, all the pills
and potions prescribed for the deceased by
DIR. X during the past ten years.
-Caucssia constitutes a veritable mine of
archaeological curiositfes, but most of the
treasures become the property of foreigners,
who transport them to their respective
countries. The natives, knowing the 1fber-
ality Of foreign tourists, willingly show
them the places where curfosities can be
found and help them dig out the treasures
An American named William johnson, has
recently procured in Vladikavkaz a collee-
tion of l. AS archaeological curiosities among
which are ornaments, weapons, tools and
pottery of the bronze, iron and granite ages
and human skulls of prehistoric ages.
"A California daily newspaper says:
Those who placed a mixture of arsenic in
their orchards some weeks ago, when the
grasshoppers were so bad, in the hope of kill
ing the insects that ate of it, have been re-
warded for their trouble in a way that they
did not expect. The remedy did not prove
effective In all cases III eXterminating the
grasshOppers, but 1t has proved most effec-
tive in killing rabits, which are about as de-
structive to young orchard as grasshop-
pers 1t is said that many rabbits have been
killed by eating OF the arsenic mixture, and
in many places their carcasses can be seen
lying thick through the brush adjacent to
the orchards where the arsenic was used.
"A Georgia man, who was not aware OF
the fact that he was addicted to walking in
his sleep, began to miss his clothes on
awakening in the morning. Four suits dis
appeared mysteriously, when he was con-
strained to offer a reward of S25 for the
detection of the thief This prompted his
son to investigate. He saw his sire arise and
dress himself and proceed to a millpond.
Here the old gentleman would disrobe, stuff
his clothes in a hollow log far as they
would go and then go in bathing. When he
emerged he would search vainly for his
clothes, finally going home without them.
The young detective fisled from the hollow
log every suit that had been lost and duly
received the promised reward.
The figure o is curiously and intimately
connected with all the great gold mining ex-
elements of the nineteenth century. The
great Algerian gold bubble formed and
broke in 1903. Next came the Mantazan
Mountain craze in 1s49 when solid powders
of gold as large as flour barrels were re-
ported The California gold fever broke out
in 1S49 and ragged until counteracteu by the
Pixies Peak boom in 1859. Ten years later.
in 1869 "Old Virginny," the celebrated miner,
struck the lucky lead which made Virginia
City and Nevada famous in the mining an
nails of the world. Eighteen hundred and
seventy-nine came in ON time with the Lead
vile frenzy and the famous "carbonates" of
Lake county, Colorado. Eighteen hundred
and eighty-nine broke the charm, but in 1899
may make up for lost time, there being two
9s In that date.