Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-06
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

"A wealthy English woman is building
town and railroad near Decatur, Ala
AN Egyptologist claims that labor
strikes occurred in Egypt over 1900 years ago.
"A bell stolen by Napoleon i. in Switzer-
land is now used in Paterson, N. j., school,
| house.
"A brand new graveyard has been pre-
sented TO Jefferson City, No., by a charitable
woman.
For the first time in 20 years the Repub-
| licans have elected the Board of Aldermen at
| Rochester, N Y
| "A driver for a Chicago undertaking es-
| tablisbment recently took his sweetheart driV-
| ing little white hearse.
| The heirs of a wealthy Austrian who
| died recently have given sl5,0C0 to found a
school of Housekeeping for girls.
| The largest barn in the United States
| is about to be erected near Lexington. Ky. It
will be 1000 feet long and 100 feet wide,
II Maine man hasj theory that the
North Pole can be reached by a land journey,
and is about to attempt the journey on foot.
Next to agriculture, mining and the ex-
traction of the metals from the ores, which may
be regardedIas one. constitutes the most import
ant industry in the United States. In 1885 the
value OF these products was S5o4, ,5oO6'6.
"A woman justice of the peace at Chey-
enne complains that her husband and three
sons, while willing to help her in her official
duties, will not do the washing. ironing, COOK
ing, scrubbing and other work about the house.
AN English begging letter asking fos a
pair of cast-of trousers closed pathetically
with these words: $50 send me, most honOred
SIT, the trousers, and they Will be woven into
the laurel crown of your good deeds IN
Heaven"
The timber on our railroads amounted
to 5l6O coo ties. or average of 1884 per mile
of railroad, in use in this country in 1889; 80
ties per mile. or total of 60.000, ,O00 we're an
nually required for renewals, and Is, 900 00O for
new construction.
One branch of the Kansas Legislature
has passed a bill appropriating $3.50 to estab-
lish an experimental station at the state Uni
versity 10 promote investigation into scheme
of destroying chlnch bugs by contagion with
cholera infected insects
"A resident OF Middlefeld, Conn.,, makes
the strange boast that he has skinned more
skunks this winter than any politician in the
Nutmeg State. So far his record is 45 skins.
He states that the only drawback to the busl-
ness is that he is compelled to live practically
by himself
The officers of steamship Just arrived
from Naples, Italy report the fall of half foot
of snow in that city recently. The phenomenon
is unprecedented III the history of Naples, and
much suffering has ensued. The vessel visited
number of tropical cities and at all OF them
the weather is much colder than has been
known for many years.
The Bank o. England is the custodian of
a large number OF boxes deposited by custom
ers for safety during the past 200 years. and in
not few instances forgotten. Some years ago
the servants of the bank discovered in Its vaults
Il chest which, on being moved. literally fell to
pieces. On examining the contents. quantity
of massive plate of the period of Charles II.
was discovered, along with bundle of love
letters indited during the period of the
Restoration.
On the dead walls in the cities in all
parts of England one sees staring signs, legible
enough, but unintelligible to the stranger. IF.
Z. 23'' or ''F P 81 they read and the passer-
by who sees them for the first time wonders
why F. P. is % at one place and only s at
another. +. p. stands for fire plug" or
hydrant. and the figures following the letters
show the distance in feet of the hydrant from
the letters The fire plug is never more than
80 feet away from the sign. 1t is sunk level
with the sidewalk.
An East Nashville, Tenn, negro, who
sells poultry for living. recently found him
self without any stock in trade and minus the
money to buy more. He had an old gray eagle,
though, which he had received from his former
master at the close of the war, and this ne de-
termined to kill and sell as turkey, despite the
fact that it was known TO be about 40 years Of
age. He killed the bird of freedom, sold 1t Tor
a turkey and was arrested by the Irate pur-
chaser. who had cooked and Vainly tried to eat
the national bird
Probably the most novel industry In
Michigan is located near Homer. A few years
ago Michigander began to breed polecats.
The first year he made profit of so per cent,
and for the third year he expects his dividend
will reach 900 per cent. His establishment con-
tains nearly 400 of the animals. Some of the
older ones have been given names, and respond
to his call. This season he has slaughtered l02,
which will bring him about sl25. He is very
humane man, and when he thinks one of his
pets ought to be skinned, he calls it into box
and administers cblorofOrm.
A curious instrument of writing exists
in Dunkirk, Ind. 1t appears that two early
lovers failed. for some reason unexplained, to
marry, but married others. Lately a written
agreement has been signed up, in absolute
secrecy, providing for their future marriage to
each other, in the event they survive their
present companions This contract further
provides hquidated damage of 5000 upon
failure of contract, as provided. They set
forth in their contract that, owing to respect
for children, etc., divorce shall be asked for,
but that they shall trust in providence to re-
move present unwelcome Stayers.
"A strange story comes from Anisted, in
the Elk River mining region. Miners have
been at work for over two months driving an
entry through a l0-foot vein of coal. When
over 1000 feet in the mountain they broke
through into room" about 20 feet square It
had no visible signs of ever having been in
communication with the outside world. On the
floor lay the skeleton of a human beirg, the
bones crumbling into dust on exposure 10 air
OF at the slightest touch, while the walls
were many rude outlines of skeletons and what
seemed to be inscriptions. 1t is a mystery
which awaits the solution of the learned.
Every day the needle of the magnetic
compass has been observed to sway first one
way aud then the other upon its pivot with no
apparent cause thus varying from the true
meridian of a place. Scientists have for many
years been trying to account for this One Of
them has just published his theory of the cause
of the disturbance. He ascribes it to eec-
tricity, assuming that the earth is whirling on
its orbit between two magnetic fields and that
the varying intensity of the current one way or
the other produces the disturbance of the mag
netic needle The two magnetic currents, he
believes, are streaming to US from the sun, one
being produced by the corona, the other coming
directly VII b the suns rays in straight lines. In
other words according to this theory, cleo
triclty is generated by the sun. 1t reaches US
the same way as sunlight does. and the conclu-
sion is that it is akin to. if not identical with,
sunlight itself. The revolving earth is the gi-
pantic DYNAMO which excites the electric cur
rents and makes them manifest.