Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-05
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.


in the world that can turn complete somer-
sault.
&C. f. Ruggles, of Manistee, Mich, dis
tributed 1000 pound packages of candy to the
children of that section.
There are in use nearly $4,000 gas
stoves which are let on hire by the gas COM
panies VINO supply the British metropolis.
Two tramps, with more nerve than
usual. sued the Chicago and West Michigan
Railroad for injuries received while they were
stealing ride. The road won.
Grand Rapids leads the world in its
percentage of divorces to marriages. This year
the ratio was to and last year to 6. The
total number OF dissolutions was 2lS
Cleveland owns more vessel tonnage
than any other city in the United States.
Among the lake ports Buffalo, Detroit, Port
Huron, Milwaukee and Chicago follow, in the
order named
-SeYeral ministers of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, south, have been suspended
by their conferences for becoming candidates
to go on the stump.
"A third branch of the Mormon Church
has just been organized, it is stated, IN Iowa.
Il consists of those who accept the Book of
Mormon, but do not accept the Elder Joseph
smith as a prophet of the lord.
Stamp collecting and stamp dealing is
growing to such an extent that good stamp
businesses in London now fetch very high
prices, and an old established business has Just
been sold for no less than f13, 500
"A Grand Rapids man has unique way
Of collecting bill. A man owed him s. and
he called that man out of bed at o'clock
Wednesday morning and was still with him at
midnight Thursday having slept and eaten
with the debtor. He says he will stick until
that 81 is paid.
Rev. Sam" Jones has a formidable
rival in ANDY" Johnson, formerly known as
the "Pineville Terror" who has turned preach
er and is holding revival meetings in the
mountain districts of Kentucky. Mr.. John
fact that he has killed about a score of men
during his wicked pas:.
-Beckey Ortman, who has Government
license to sell beer near Charlottesville, has
adopted scheme to evade the law, which does
not permit the liquor to be drunk upon the
premises where sold. She has erected a small
shanty on an adjoining lot and placed store
thereon, where her customers go to drink the
liquor.
A few days ago when sick neighbor
was confined to his bed at Fairhayen, Wash,
the neighbors made a "bee," furnished the
seed, and put In 20 acres of grain in one day for
their afflicted neighbor, then collected enough
money to pay the sick mans taxes and made
the family comfortable with things they
needed.
Some idea of the penetrating power ofa
1lO-ton gun may be gathered from the declara-
tion that the momentum of the blow which
would be struck by it IS equivalent to that of
two trains composed entirely of 6O-ton Iocomo-
tiveS colliding end on at a speed of loo miles an
hour, but one of Lieutenant Graydon's 15-inch
dynamite guns, throwing 800 pounds of dyna-
mi fhra mill tfnro a ft,.
gest warship afoat would do terrible execution.
The 10-year-old son of Otis Logan, of
Alba. Umatilla county, Ore. has developed an
alarming trait. A neighbor named Gibson has
fondness for all kinds of fancy stock. Mr..
Gibson had fine SOW that had inst had litter
of pigs, and the boy happening to see them
caught four of them to try an experiment. He
cut the throats of two of them and threw the
other two In the creek and then stoned them to
death. He said he wanted to see which two
would die first.
The Peruvians are queer people, and
have odd ways of living. The horse, COW and
other domestic animals of the household live
with the family, and in the same house, but not
on the ground floor, as is the case in most Span
ish-speaking countries. In many cases Lima
COW spends all her days on the roof of her own
er's residence. having been taken up when a calf
and brought down at the end of her life as a
fresh beef. In the meantime she is fed on al
kitchen.
A few days ago Ole johnson. rancher
and shingle mill man, was working on his place
near Stanwood, WASH, with long iron bar,
which he used in rolling logs. At period in
his labors he plunged the sharp end Of the bar
into the ground, and was greatly astonished TO
see the tool quickly disappear into the bowels
of the earth, and stream of clear spring water
spout up from the aperture On Investigation
he found the bar had sunk into the ground
about nine feet. through hole less than foot
in diameter. and which was surrounded by
wall of solid stone
The American flag NAV be an infre-
quent and unimportant one on the ocean-going
vessels of the world. aside from those which
are engaged in the coasting trade of the United
States, but it is fast running the meteor flag
of Great Britain out of sight on the great lakes.
The records of the St. Mary's Canal show that
while the value. OF American vessels passing
through the lock rose from 176S4. $50 in 1887 to
SIS 32s 800 in 1889, the Canadian shipping actual
ly decreased from s. .0S9, 400 to l-597, 800 The
proportion of the freight carried through the
canal in American vessels was SO per cent in
1887 "a per cent in 1888, and 96 per cent in 1889
On the turpentine farms of Captain G,
Nc Kinnon and s. A. Afford. near Statesboro,
N, c., the most of the laEorers are Croatans.
They are about the color of Indians and the
women and children who are not exposed much
to the sun, are real bright in color. The men
and women have straight hair, and are intelli-
gent people. They are said to be honest and
industrious. They stick to each other, and
don't mix much with the negroes. Captain
McKinnon tells us they are distinct race in
North Carolina. where their homes are. and are
supposed to De mixture of Indian and
Portuguese.
A novel door, especially intended for
the economy of space. has just been patented.
The door is an adaptation of the principle Of
the roller-top desk and cover. and consists Of a
series of stats about one and one-half inches
wide and three-quarters of an inch thick. joined
together by wooden spindles. one revolving
within another. In the roller-top desk the Stats
are Joined by ribbons of steel or canvas. When
the door is opened it is wound upon spiral
drum at the top and bottom. and all is 1ncloSed
within the decreasing A three-foot door
winds up in roll seven inches in diameter.
While moving grass on the banks of
Lake Lucerne Fla, some six weeks ago, col
ored man was suddenly startled at finding
large water moccasin clinging to his pants. His
was quickly dispatched, and the coll
ored man, after examining his leg. thought him
self exceedingly fortunate not to have been
bitten. there not being the least sign OF q
scratch anywhere In about one week, how
ever his ankle commenced to be sore and TO
swell rapidly. Upon investigation it was found
that one of the serpent's fangs had caught In
his trousers and this had rubbed against his
Ieo in such manner as to break the skin and
poison him. Medical skill saved the man.