Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-06
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

ments.
"A Frenchman proposes to walk on stills
from Paris to Moscow
The longest single line Of railroad in
the world IS the new Trans-C Caucasian, built by
Russia.
"A Kansas farmer is producing maple
sugar from sap furnished by trees artificially
grown.
1t is estimated that there are so, 900, 900
feet OF saw logs moored to the banks of the
river between Cattletsburg KY, and IronIon.
I'm its half century OF business not
single passenger of the millions who have
crossed the Atlantic in the Cunarders has been
lost.
About the only farm work that cannot
now be successfully done by machinery, is
husking corn. 1t is still done about the same
old way.
When the carpet has been soiled by
ink, Instantly apply bIotting-paper, then milk,
then blotting-paper, and 50 on until the spot is
out, as it will be. Don't rub.
The largest and heaviest building stone
ever duarried in England was taken from the
Plankington quarry, near Norwich, in Febru-
airy. 1889. 1t was one piece, without crack or
flaw, and weighed over 30 tons; it was 10 fees
long, feet high and feet wide.
"A farmer of Carrollton, Ga, while cut
ting wood the other day, found something un'
expected in perfectly sound piece of wood.
He was cutting when three live frogs jumped
out. He proceeded TO examine the wood but
found no decay place, no knot near the resi-
dence of the frogs.
-Flounders replenish the ocean at a very
rapid rate. In season one founder produces
many millions of eggs, scattering them broad
cast through the water. The sole produces
1000. 900 eggs, plaice not less than 2000,0O
while large turbot has been credited with the
deposition of II 200, 600 or 100000 Of eggs.
"A novelty in the washing machine line
has Just been invented. 1t is connected with
child's swing, and after the soiled garments,
with the proper quantity of soap shayings.
have been put in the tub, a child is placed in
the swing, which is set in motion. and moves
automatically. and turns the washing machine.
Salmon generally attains length of
from three to four feet and an average weight
of from II to 30 pounds, but these limits Of size
and weight are frequently exceeded. The
heaviest Tay salmon recorded weighed 20
pounds, and the biggest fish taken with a rod
and line was 69A-pounder, which fell to
former Earl of Home.
The smell of paint may be taken away
by closing up the room and setting IN the con-
ter of it pan of lighted charcoal, on which har
IN the room for day and night, whe'
smell Of the paint will be gone. Some
prefer pail of water IN which handful {
IS soaking. This is also effectual in reno
the odor of tobacco smoke from room.
"A Georgia veterinary surgeon has per-
formed quite skillful operation on mule.
The animals hoofs had grown out about
eight inches long and had remained in
this condition SO long that it was walk
ing on its hind legs something like
bear. The surgeon had three inches of
its hoof sawed of and had it shod in such a
manner as TO straighten it up on its feet again.
--Some writer's in one or two of the En-
gllsh papers have been again pointing out the
fallacy of the very common idea that melted
snow is an ideally pure water. The reverse Of
this is true. So far from being pure snow is.
practically, a great purifier of the atmosphere
from floating particles and no1lous gases.
These the fakes of snow imprison or absorb as
they fall, and, as matter OF course, when the
snow melts 1t is loaded with this rubbish.
The proportions of the human figure
are six times the length of the right foot.
Whether the form is slender or plump, the
rule holds good on an average. Any deviation
from the rule is a departure from the beauty
of proportion. 1t is claimed that the Greeks
made all their statues according to this rule.
The face, from the highest point OF the fore
head, where the hair begins TO the end of the
hand from the wrist to the end of the middle
finger, is also one-tenth Of the total height.
From the crown to the nape of the neck is one
twelfth Of the stature.
The smallest deposit ever made in
Wichita, Kan, was that of the postmaster,
who placed l cent to a special account Of a
Camanche county postmaster, in the Wichita
National Bank, who, in his quarterly settlement
last fall. was found short this amount. The
4, - Is
made. The Second Assistant Postmaster
General will notify the Auditor of the Treasury,
and in turn will demand a receipt from the
Treasurer Of the United States at New York,
who will send this receipt in tripltcate TO the
Postmaster General, the Treasurer of the
United States and the Camanche county post
master. Great is the circumlocution office.
A curious story is told by South
Dakota farmer. During the severe storm Of
February and he lost two turkey hens. He
had long since giyen up looking for them, and
thought he would find them dead when the
snow went away this spring. The snow had
drifted high at one end of his barn. Last Fri
day the farmer, when running over the drift,
broke through and fell into hole, when. be-
hold, there were the turkeys. One of them
was alive and as frisky as a kitten; the other
one had evidently been dead few hours.
They had lived on snow for six weeks. The
turkeys were fat when they were imprisoned,
but very poor when found. The live hen is en-
joying life again, but, on being liberated
from its strange prison, was afraid of every
thing and would run away from any liYe an
imal.
Captain Carrie, of the British ship
Wayfarer, which arrived in Oakland Cal, q
few days ago, l54 days from Antwerp. reports a
weird phenomenon on the night of November
II 1t had been blowing several days, but with
nightfall the air became perfectly calm and the
-Nfh oil IA gkNyv wal
as black as ink from the dense masses of heavy
clouds, and with the barometer at $3.50 rain
storm was looked for. The expected downpour
did not occur, but instead the sea glowed with
a phosphorescence beyond anything the Oldest
had ever seen. The ships surround
ings were lit up so that it was possible to read
on deck. Nobody cared much for reading,
however; the contrast between the light from
the sea and the inky clouds was SO greWsome
that all hands could not help feeling that some
unnatural catastrophe was about to occur.
The crew were much relieved when breese
dissipated the Clouds and the phosphorescencs
disappeared at the same time.