Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-26
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

One half of the people born die before
the age of I6.
There are upward of $4,000 earthworms
in every acre of ordinary agricultural land.
There are about 80, 900 arrests each year
in Paris, and of those arrests 35 are assassins.
There are estimated to be 81, ,790 deaths
in the world every q hours, and 104, 500 births,
or about7O every minute.
"A flea can jump over a barrier 500 times
his own height. At that rate man could
jump over wall nearly a mile high.
The number of postofices in the United
States is officially stated to be 6439I, show
ing an increase of 1000 over last year at this
time.
Straight streets are unknown in China.
They are purposely made crooked to con-
fuse Satan, as the Chinese believe the devil
travels in straight line.
The hobby of Bangor merchant was
to collect all the stray buttons that came in
his way. During his life he accumulated a
| barrelful, and no two buttons were alike.
M. Adler, of Paris, after expending
more than 500 O00 on a flying machine, has
! produced one in which he flew about 100
| yards. He says it is propelled by "a combi-
nation of vapors."
1t is a whole days task for two men to
fell a mahogany tree. On account of the
spurs which project from the base of the
| tr1nk, a scaffOld has to be erected and the
| tree cut OFF above the spurs, leaving thus a
| stump of the very best wood from 10 to Is
feet high.
On Cabinet days the President of the
| United States sits at desk which has an in
teresting history. 1t is made of the tfmbers
| of the bark Resolute, which went to the
| rescue of Sir John Fran Kiln, and was pre-
| sented to the United States by Queen Vic
| toria in 1S77
M Jansen, President of the commits
| sion instituted by the aerostatic congress
in 1889, has asked the French War Minister
| to define the status OF aeronauts in time Of
| war. He thinks that aeroStation is sufficient
| ly important in the army for those who are
| engaged in it to be designated as belliger-
ents.
Between the years 1884 and 1888, ae-
cording to official statistics 949 soldiers of the
Prussian army had committed suicide in
| the Twelfth Saxon and Thirteenth Prussian
regiments. The largest number of suicides
occurred IN the company stationed in the
province of Posen: the next was in that Of
the Berlin company.
Guessing parties are quite popular in
Michigan. Invitations are sent to the young
men in "'our set,'' from the young ladies, to
| this effect, "Party in our set this evening.
| Guess where and come there" Shortly
| after o'clock the hunt for the house be-
| gins, and sometimes it is quite late before
| the right house is found.
| Observation stepladders are the latest
innovation in the Belgian field artillery.
| They are intended to enable the command
| er of a concealed battery to better detect
| the fire of the gunners. Every ladder is
| about seven and half feet high, of iron, and
| weighs about 90 pounds. All ammunition
| wagons will carry the ladders.
Fish ought to be very plentiful and
cheap, as most OF them grow and increase
| without any care from man. 1t is said that
| each founder, for instance, produces many
millions of eggs. The sole produces 900 600
eggs. plaice not less than 100000, while Il
large turbot has been credited with the de-
position of II, 900 900 or L, 100000 of eggs.
An Auburn (Me.) business man, one
who is seen upon the streets of that city
every day of the week. cuts and makes his
own clothes. And they are well made and
they fit like good-ftting glove The man
isn't tailor, either. He has cut and made
his own clothes for years, and no one can
suit him as well as he suit himself He
does his cutting and sewing after business
hours.
ALI duels among officers of the italian
army are hereafter to be matters of special
investigation by the corps commanders.
The circular of the italian War Minister to
this effect states the object of the inno-
walton to be the limiting of dueing to affairs
of honor Many duelS of Italian officers are
now for trivial causes Hereafter officers
who fight for such reasons will be severely
disciplined.
1t is the little things of life that tax
ones nerves the most, as q stalwart youth
of Kansas found when he accepted wager
that he could not stand a quart of water
dropped into his open hand drop by drop
n hai1 of foot Raf "A
had fallen into his hand he almost cried
with pain and said he had enough. Aftera q
little water had fallen each drop seemed to
crush his hand, and u blister in the centre
OF it was the result
I'm spite of temperance lectures and
anti-liquor laws breweries and distilleries
continue to multiply, but their increase is
small if compared with that of the patent
nostrum traffic. Thirty years ago Great
Britain derived from patent medicines a
revenue of S2lO0OO. The same tax now
yields $9S 500, 900 q year-in other words the
traffic in proprietary medicines has in
creased more than four hundred fold in less
than third of century.
The Bloomfield (9Io.) Republican, in
looking over a merchants daybook of the
date of 1916 found the following prices,
which will be of interest in comparison with
the prices of the present time: Two pounds
of nails, Is cents;1 pound of tea, 81 %: 7 Yards
OI Calico dJ Genus gttTu anu 1870 NufpS
at 50 cents per yard; So pounds of BCef sG2
cents per pound: butter as low as ard
cents per pound; black muslin 10 cents per
yard; corn l215 to 10 cents per bushel: |resh
pork cents per pound; hogs weighing 240
pound each, at ~ cents per pound; brown
sugar, l2% cents per pound; eggs, cents per
dozen; whisky. 81 cents per gallon.
"A remarkable incident is reported from
Dublin. While three young ladies were
bathing near the coast guard station, the at
tention of some gentlemen on the bank was
attracted by succession of piercing shrieks
from the bathers. One of the ladies appeared
to be struggling in the grip of enormous
and infuriated jelly fish, which the lady's
unaided efforts could not shake of. Fortu-
nately younger lady seized stick which
was on the shore and dashing into the water
engaged in combat with the tenacious in
desperate struggle ensued
but the courage exhibited by the gallant
rescuer finally secured the safety of her
the animal succumbing to the
repeated stabs of the stick. The elder lady
was severely stung, and remains in pre-
carious condition. The jelly fish measured
feet in the length of its tentacles.
LAUGHING WATER.