Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-29
paddles to the soles of his feet. The doc
tors say he will sleep himself to death.

paddles to the soles of his feet. The doc
tors say he will sleep himself to death.
A tremendous plethora of novels is re-
ported in Paris. For example, 40, 600 copies
of the latest production Of popular writer
have been returned to the publishers. 1t is
said that another publisher has 5000, 00C
volumes on hand which are unstable.
Leuwenhock has computed that 10000
threads of the web of a full-grown spider
are not larger than single hair of a man IS
beard. He calculates that when young
spiders begin to spin 400 of their threads
are not larger than one from full-sized in
sect. If this be fact, 1000, 900 webs of a
young spider are not as large as single
hair from mans face.
The smallest known species of hogs are
quartered at the London geological gardens.
They came from the southern part OF Aus
tralia, and are known as 'the pigmy hogs
of the antipodes.' They are well formed,
frisky and good natured, and about the size
of a muskrat. They are real hogs, and not
to be COMPOUNDED with guinea pigs, which
are a species of rodent.
An underground lake has been discovered
three miles from Genessee, Iowa 1t was
found by well-digger. At depth of six
teen feet clear, pure lake wat r ran out
over the surface for time, then settled
back to the earth's level. The most curious
part of it, says the Boise Statesman, is that
fish were brought to the surface on the
overflow. They have 4 peculiar appear
ance and are sightless, indicating that they
are underground fish. The spring has at
tracted much attention, and many farmers
in the vicinity fear that their farms will
drop into the lake,
1t is reported that the new process of
making sugar from sorghum by the use of
alcohol, recently recommended by Secre-
tary Rusk, has been put into very success
full operation at Hanover, Ind, by number
of the leading cane growers, and bids fair
to entirely supersede the old method. The
process consists in mixing a certain proper
ton of alcohol with the syrup, and it pro-
duces sugar nearly pure white, testing
over so deg. 1t is also asserted that the al
cohol process yields an average of 200
pounds of sugar to the ton of cane, an
amount double that obtained by the old pro-
cess.
West Africa has spider that throws the
tarantula into the shade. 1t Is dweller in
the woods, but not infrequently makes its
way into human habitations. When its
legs are spread it will cover dinner-plate.
1t is black, and is covered with a soft fur
not unlike cats. Its beak is the shape of
a parrots and the size of q SparrOwS; the
venom is fatal to women and children
often to strong men, as the natives say. Its
paws end in suckers, clinging so tight that
they must be picked off when the legs have
been cut away. They say that the brute
springs 4 great distance. and alights with
its suckers together in bunch: the fright
full beak is inserted quick as thought, and
no human strength can move that hideouS
excrescence until a wound has been inflicted
if the spider alights on the naked skin.
A patent has been recently taken out for
process for manufacturing an artificial
ivory out of the same materials which enter
into the structure of natural ivory. BY this
process quiclllime is first treated with suf
ticient water to convert it into the hydrate,
but before it has become completely ny
drafted or ''slaked" an aqueous solution of
prosphoric acid is poured on to it; and
while stirring the mixture the calcium car
Donate, magnesia and alumina are incorpo-
rated in small quantities at time; and
lastly the gelatine and albumen, dissolved
in water, are added. The point to aim at is
to obtain compost sufficiently plastic and
as intimately mixed as possible. 1t is then
set aside to allow the phosphoric acid to
complete its action upon the chalk. The
following day the mixture, while still plas-
tic. is pressed into the desired form in
molds and dried a in current of air at a
temperature of about $50 degrees G. To
complete the preparation of the artificial
product by this process it is kept for three
or four week, during which time it becomes
perfecTly hard