Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-11
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

Musical notes, as now used, were in
vented in 1880.
Coal costs $23 per ton in Venezuela, but
then few people need fires.
"A Nuremburg watch in the form of an
acorn has tiny pistol which serves as an
alarm.
"A giant exhibited in Rouen in 1880,
Prof williams says, measured nearly Is feet
In height.
-Spectacles were invented in the year
1920, but were not in general use until nearly
200 years later.
The giant Galabra, brought from
Arabia to Rome during the reign of Claudius
Caesar, was 10 feet high.
The natives of the Friendly Islands
spend most Of their time in the water. They
are great swimmers and divers.
San Francisco resembles London some
what. 1t has a fog almost every afternoon
and the wind blows in from the ocean at .
high rate.
Wild turkeys are plentiful in the
Southern Mexican States. As many as half
q dozen varieties can be seen in short
hunting trip.
The natives of the West Indies drink
rum and gin, which they can purchase for
u
as wine goblet.
The giant Ferregus, slain by Orlando,
the nephew of Charlemagne was % feet high
and so heavy that no horse could be found
that was strong enough TO bear him.
Melons were first called canteloupes
from being cultivated at Canteluppi, a vii
lage near Rome, where they had been intro
duced from Armenia by missionaries.
The streets of Caracas, the capital of
Venezuela, are so narrow that the street
cars that were imported had to be sawed in
two in order to allow them to turn the cor
ners.
--Chevalies Scrog, while exploring
cavern in the Peak of Teneriffe, found 8
skull which must have belonged to a man at
least 15 feet high. 1t contained 60 perfect
teeth OF monstrous size.
-Pennsylvania has IL towns or postofices
with very peculiar names, viz: Stumptown,
Bullskin, Shintowh, Jugtown. Puckerty, Sin.
Sis, Scrubgrass, Hers. Mans Choice, Maiden's
Choice and Bird in Hand.
On the African shore, near the Gulf Of
Alden, and connecting the Lake of Assal
with the main ocean, may be found one of
the most wonderful rivers in the world.
This curiosity does not flow to, but from,
hake Assal itself is nearly 700 feet below the
mean tide, and it is fed by this parado1ical
river, which is about y miles in length.
Near Horn Head, County Donegal, Ire
land, there is hole in the rocks called Nc
Swiney's gun. 1t is on the sea coast, and is
said to have connection with a cavern
When the north wind blows and the sea is at
half flood, the wind and the waves enter the
cavern and send up jets of water from the
"gun" to height of more than 100 feet. The
jets q water are accompanied by explosions
which may be heard for miles
There is dog in Philadelphia who ap-
pears to have great fondness for smoking.
He is frequently seen promenading South
Ninth street with corn-cob pipe in his.
mouth and, from all appearances, he seems
to enjoy himself immensely. He is often
followed by two Or three canine friends,
who apparently have an admiration for his
him with many expressions Of delight and
envy.
Among the natives of the Philippines
there are many centenarians. Men of 80
years of age are seen working vigorously in
the fields. Even among the Hottentots in
stances of great age occur. 1t is, in fact,
worry among civilized people that kills, and
ALSO from turning night into day, and many,
If not most, of the other follies that seriously
interfere among the civilized nations with
chances OF longevity.
There are seven penitential psalms and
seven, deadly sins. The seven joys and the
seven sorrows of the virgin mother are fire.
quently represented in the art of the Middle
Ages. The first. series comprises the an-
nunciation of the kings, the presentation in
the temple, the finding of Christ among the
doctors in the temple, and the assumption
Tn Tne seven @ sorrows are the prophecy Q,
in the temple, the betrayal of her son, the
crucif1ion, che deposition from the cross,
and the ascension.
The daughter of New York Judge has
for more than two years made her home in
q watla, in Honduras, the walls being
draped with muslin, and the ceiling with
pink mosquito bar in pIaits, radfating from
the center. The watla is cottage made
without nails. The Japanese decorations
harmonize with the walls and the shelves
of bamboo filled with choice books. More
over, there is floor of pine lumber, pictures
on the wall, an easel in the corner, and
tables wherein BASKETS of oranges, mangoes.
bananas and other luscious fruits, in their
season, tempt the visitor. ,
"A curious pile of rocks in the parish Of
st. Cleer, known as the cheesewring, was
noted in days past for the same popularity.
1t was generally supposed, too, that a spe-
cial feature of the rocking stones" which
are more or less plentiful all over the
country, was that they would immediately
rock at the slightest touch of the Innocent,
but still remain immovable when pushed by
the guilty. OCCASIONALLY, however, t0ey
were reported to vibrate when touched by
che guilty a feature which tradition af1rms
is the case with one at Island Magee, on
Browns Bay, which begins to osc1late atthe
approach Of sinners, landlords, and male
factors generally"
in Pembrokeshire there are the we'll
known dancing stones of Stackpool. OF the
many stories told of these strange stones,
one Is to the effect that on Q certain day
they meet and travel to a certain spot to
dance; and at the completion of their revel,
return home and resume their places. Sim
ilarly, there is o peculiar stone with many
rock basins on its surface in Looe harbor,
which is now covered by every tide This
stone" says Mr.. Hunt, in his popular Ro-
mances OF the West of England" "once
stood on the top of an elevated rock near it,
and when in this position, whenever it
heard q cock crow in the neighboring farm
yard Of Hay, 1t turned round three times"