Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-05
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

The youngest travelling salesman in
Illinois is in the employ of q drug house az
Quincy. He Is l3
/ Nowhere in England can be found so
extended q line of perpendicularly broken
| rock as at Cheddar.
"A woman at Sabinsville, Pa, counted
the stitches as she knitted quilt. There
| were nearly 100000
"A new mineral named sarguinite, dis
covered in South America, has recently ex-
| cited much interest.
| The present rate of consumption of coal
| in London is 100000 tons per annum, which
corresponds to 2660o tons per diem.
| Soho, w. Va, has a unique railroad
| station It is built around giant elm tree,
and the roof is shaped like an umbrella.
| One of the peculiar customs of the East
| Indian coolies called Lascars is the putting
of ring on their great toe when they marry.
Richard Boyle, third Earl of Burlington
and fourth Earl of Cork, reconstructed Bur-
| lington House, Piceadilly, after his own ideas.
The actual strength of the British troops
in India is rather over 1000 men, the total
population of the dependency being 2s6,-
During the past year there were over
100000 pieces of matter Withdrawn from
the mails because of incorrect or insufhciens
addresses.
-Inveterate carelessness in money mat
ters was salient characteristic of the lead
ing ictfonal writer's of France from 40 to 80
years ago.
The italian Government has taken steps
to restrict emigration by refusing to allow
minors to leave the country except under
certain conditions
The Duke of Beaufort upon one oeea-
| sion picked up brace of grouse which had
canoned and killed each other in mid air.
This colliding Is not an infrequent occur
renee.
Lightning played queer freak in
New Hampshire town recently. 1t took Off
| the tail feathers Of each of 20 hens sitting on
| a roost, and affected rooster so that he has
not been able to crow since.
Experiment has shown that when coal is
burnt in an open CRATE from to per cent Of
the coal escapes in the form of unburnt solid
particles, or "sOot," and about 10 per cent is
| lost in the form of volatile compounds Of
carbon.
The President of the Pontifcal Academy
Of Archaeology, at meeting of that institu-
tion recently, announced the discovery ofa
basilica in the Church of Saint Sylvestre,
containing the tombs of six Popes, including
that OF Pope Sylvestre L. who occupied the
papal chair from the year 314 to the year SIG,
when he was succeeded by Pope Marcus
On the 10Th of April E S. Stoddard, of
Monroe City, Mo-, sowed four acres in alfalfa
clover to give 1t test and see whether is
could be raised there. Sunday he walked out
to it to see II 1t had come MP, and was great
" surprised to find that it was not only up,
but that he already had big crop of hay on
his ground. He pulled up bunch OF it that
measured 81 inches in length.
One of the longest and most costly rail-
way bridges in the country is now being
erected in the newest portion of the United
States, almost at its extreme western bound
sry; the great steel bridge which the Union
Pacific Is building across the Columbia river
at Vancouver, Wash. The length from the
Washington to the Oregon shore will be 5000
feet, and the draw pier Will be over 200 feet
"A, 900 900.
-A::device has recently been brought out
for preventing the overlooking of freight
cars. It consists of a vertical bolt attached
to the truck holster in such manner as to
permit of adjustment. As the springs settle
with the loading of the car. the bolt oper-
ates an indicator on the end of the spring
plank, the index Of which arrives at the
loaded mark when the capacity Of the car is
reached. A seal prevents anyone from tam
per1ng with the adjustment.
William Dawsey, an old eolored EN-
ploye Of Culpepper Grocery Company, at
jacksonville, Fla, says he was born In South
Carolina, on the great Pee Dee river, on
March 10, 1911; came to Jacksonville in ls45;
been married twice, father of II children
and has p grandchildren uncle Billy as
he Is generally called, fought in the Indian
war for two years and six months. "Billy'
says he Is the best man in Ducal county, and
can outrun and outjump any man in the
State
"A negro boy living in Georgia met his
death in a curious manner last week. The
boy was subject to fits, and hearing that
rope used in hanging a person would cure
them, the father came to town and got q
piece OF the rope Sam Smelling was hanged
with, and returning home, tied it around his
boys neck. The boy had a fit shortly after
ward, and it is supposed the Commissions
caused the neck to swell, and the boy was
choked to death before the cause of the
trouble was discovered.
Richard Hoops, colored, who claims to
have been born in 177O, is still living in a
dilapidated little shanty on the Cole county,
Mo-, side of the Usage River railroad bridge.
He has occupied the same uninviting quar-
ters for a number of years. 70 all outward
appearances he Is Just the same that he was
20 years. ago. Occasionally he does small
jobs of work, but for the most time he hunts
latter callings. Some people think that crows
are not good to eat, but Uncle Dick differs
with them. He considers crow meat only
second to good fat 'possum.
"A boy, years old, who died at Ste.
Adele, County of Terrebonne, England, a
most marvellous courage in the face of death.
Sitting on chair near the stove, he warned
his parents that his end was fast approach
ing, and then proceeded to dispose of the
small articles which belonged to him. To
one of his little brothers he gave his PEN
knife, to another his pocket-book and his
new boots, and to his sister case for pens
and pencils. The poor little fellow had
scarcely disposed of all his worldly goods
when he fell on his back in his chair and ex-
pired.
At Conyers Will Hogan, colored,
burned hole through the top of the jail
and made his escape. He was locked up
some time ago for breaking in Elliott's store.
No trace could be found of him Wednesday
morning with the exception of a letter ad-
dressed to the "dearr people of Conyers, in
which he stated most emphatically that he
had made his departure, and that, according
to his desire in the matter, he would remain
out of town II they would agree not to
bother him. He confessed stealing the
watches, ETC., and said that some one else
was with him. Among other things in his
letter, he stated that the Lord helped him to
get out of jail, and not any of his friends.