Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-22
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

The forest area of the United States ID
estimated at 4s1, ,7ei, ,59s acres.
Louis Wahl, of Newark, N. j., stole
over 1000 chickens in two months.
There were IL, 800, 900 punches of bananas
imported by the United States last year, an
| increase Of 100000.
The 1890 record for British life-boats
shows saving of SO lives, besides Tescuing
| 27 vessels from destruction.
The grave dug to receive the body of
| William P. Weidner, of Lehigh county, was
| IL feet long and feet wide.
The motto of new paper in Georgia,
printed in black type on its first page, is
this: eff you don't like it pour it back in the
Jug" ~
Indians are reported to be leaving
Okanogan county, Washington, owing to
the great prevalence of the grip there. 1t Is
said that at least 100 of them have died.
The wild beast business seems to be
very active. Carl Hagebeck, of London, has
over 700 tigers, and $50 elephants and pam
theirs.
The total estimated circulation of re-
ligious newspapers published in the United
States is very near 1000 900, and Catholics
head the list with l2O papers having circu-
lation of about $50 900.
-Grasshoppers are very numerous in the
northern counties of California, and are
fought by herding. They can be driven like
lot of sheep, so that a man or a boy can
singly defend large plot of ground.
The dull season on the great lakes has
forced freight rates down to an unpreee-
dented level. Wheat is now carried from
Chicago to Buffalo, 800 miles by water and
MO in air line | a huahal Jrhfla
the lighter grains are proportionately lower.
The best coffee that is exported from
Mexico is raised by a colony of Confederate
refugees who settled in Cordona, in the
State Of Vera Cruz, at the end of the war.
They have devoted all their attention to this
industry, and it has proved very profitable
to them.
"A clergyman in Detroit is said to suffer
from a disease that entirely deadens his
sense of feeling. 1t is said that a knife can
be inserted in his flesh without causing him
any discontinue whatever. He Is not pre-
vented from attending TO his duties, but
goes about as though in robust health. --r>
"A most curious clock is displayed in
the window of tobacco store in Philadel-
phia. The frame is made from cigar boxes
fitted together. The round dial is marked
by a coating of smoking tobacco. Two clay
pipes of different lengths serve for the
hands, and the figures are made of cigar
cites.
AT Nice there'is Russian who made
many millions of rubles by railway specu-
lations. He refuses now to go into society
and receives at his house none but the per-
sons whom he knew in the happy. old days
when he had not a sou. To them he makes
little presents of a thousand or two thousand
rubles, and so on.
The following is scale of the average
duration Of animal life. from the most cele-
: brated writer's on natural history: A hare
will live 10 years, a cat TO- goat 8, an ass 30,
a sheep TO- a dog from IA to 20 an OK 20 swine
q, a pigeon 9, turtle dove q, a partridge
25, a raven 100, an eagle 100, goose 150.
Cardinal Richelieu often gave way to
irrepressible paroxysms of laughter after
returning from the secret sessions of the
council If he had been specially clever in
outwitting an enemy, he galloped round and
round the billiard table neighed like q
horse, pranced and kicked out right and left
like charger caraeoling.
R. NJ Dufield, aged 20, a mail carrier
in jackson county, W. Va, claims to have
walked llO, 900 miles in the last ten years.
He thinks no other man has done such an
amount of walking. He is also sort of ex-
pressman. A few weeks ago he carried a
pillow ten miles, and on the next "trip carried
q small cookstove 25 miles.
"A few days ago Mr.. Alvah G. Dorr, a
Bucksport, Me-, taxidermist, received q
strange bird from Orland TO be dressed and
set up. When standing it is about foot
high, and its pfumage Is of many colors. 1t
is pronounced to be q fine specimen of the
purple gallinule, q native of the Southern
States, that is rarely seen as far north as
Massachusetts.
1t has been rather too hastily announced
that the Austrian Government has author
lied lady doctors to practice in the hospi-
tails. AS a matter of fact, one lady doctor
has been admitted in practice to a hospital
at Serajevo, in Bosnia. This has been done
by way Of experiment., but so far the results
are not promising, as it is said the Mussul-
man patients resent her presence.
George Bay and Charles Sund are
neighbors. Bay lives at No. 456 Fiftieth
street, New York, and Sund at No. 454. They
quarrelled Sund being deaf and dumb
couldn't tell Bay what he thought Of him.
Bay owns pug dog, Of which he Is fond.
Sund obtained some paint and brush and
transformed the animal frem q respectable,
mouse colored pug into striped and spotted
brindle.
"A newsboy in the City of Mexico has
taken a partner into his business in the per-
son of large and intelligent dog. The ami
NAL follows his owner about carrying several
papers in his mouth, and will walk up to q
prospective purchaser and present a paper,
wagging his tail in q sociable sort of way
that generally succeeds, and If he makes q
sale he brings back the money to his associ-
ate promptly.
F R. Bennett, the young Chicago Board
of Trade clerk who claims he can have his
clothes made in London and brought over
here free of duty, has incurred the everlast-
ing wrath of the special agents of the Treas
ury Department. Orders were given to stop
all of the foreign mail addressed to Bennett,
and he is to be compelled to go to the Cus-
tom House and open the letters in the pres
ence of inspectors By this means it is hoped
that Bennett's little scheme of sending a
friend over to London to wear the suits
day or two and then bring them over will be-
nipped in the bud.
Little Dora, the 4-year-old daughter Of
Lincoln Hamline, residing near Lafarge. I'LL,
is prodigy. She is able to readily name
the spots ON any set of dominoes by looking
at the backs of them, or she will select from
the set any number asked for. all the dom
inoes being thoroughly mixed up. If one
has been slipped out of the set without her
knowledge and it is called for, she will
quietly reply that the number is missing.
The child cannot count from one to six, but
will announce the spots thus; 1.-TWO and
six" ''six and q four" or any other number
more readily from the backs of the dominoes
than from their faces.