Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-01
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS

supports ~ pubic Daths.
Rome is said to be growing faster than
any other European city.
Fifteen closely printed pages OF the
London city directory are filed BY the Smith
family in that city.
"A woman of Augusta, Me-, is 50 years
DID, yet is considered one of the best piano
players in that city.
During fire in Buffalo, N. Y, ease
osi.mp chimneys fell from the third story and
Aot chimney Yas broken
The sister-in-law of a pauper in the
poor house at Glasgow, Scotland, has be-
queathed $4,000 for church purposes.
There are said to be over %, 900 Indians
in the United States who can read English
and over 1000 who can read Indian languages.
"A Yale, Mich, business man whose
sign reads "Undertaker and Photographer" is
said to give photograph with every coffin
he sells.
In the United States SO, ss6, s29 pounds
of tea and 400, 159, 40 pounds of coffee were
used in the last year of record. The value Of
these imports is S9l, ,5iS, ,925.
"A Maine man went sleigh riding with
his daughter who wore bright red wrap. and
they were chased two miles by bull that OBJ
jected to the color of the garment.
"A Partisan doctor alleges that he has
succeeded IN conveying by electric currents to
diseased Internal organs of the human body the
constituents of medicines suitable for cure.
-Four Baltimore negroes have eaten
nothing but chicken for the last six monthsL
AS the fowls deyoured did not belong to them,
they will now subsist on prison fare for some
time.
"A scientist says that the arc electric
light results from the vaporizatlon Of carbon.
1t is estimated from theoretical grounds that to
produce this over 100000 Fahrenheit is re-
qu1red.
The faculty of Harvard University have
permitted Japanese student to enter the Uni
versity. substituting Chinese and Japanese for
the Latin and Greek ordinarily required at en-
trance.
There is woman in Atchison, Kan,
who. sets p chair at the table every day for her
husband, who died over a year ago. In his
plate she never fails to place a little bouquet
of flowers
Some geraniums in California grow so
tall that you have to go up into the window of
the second story to gather the t1cwers. And
woman in Michigan has a geranium feet and
5 inches high.
"A Columbia. S. c., merchant recently
received barrel of croekery from Trenton. N.
J., and when he unpacked it he found a full
grown gray cat alive and moving. The barrel
had been IL days in transit.
An immense mine of graphite dead
pencil lead) has been discovered near the city
of Wladikawkas in Asia. 1t is said to be ex-
cellent, and as good roads lead from the mine
to that city it Will be utilized Immediately.
The custom of keeping birthdays is
many years old 1t is recorded in the fortieth
chapter of Genesis, twentieth verse: "And is
came to pass the third day, which wasPharaoh's
birthday. that he made feast unto all his
servants"
According to a scientist the hourly rate
of water falling over Niagara Falls is 100 900 900
tons, representing 16000,Oc horse power; and
the total daily production of coal in the world
would just about suffice 20 pump the water
back again.
Sturgeon, No., merchants have entered
into an ironclad agreement to enforce the cash
system of doing business. All outstanding ac-
counts have been pooled for collection, and
anyone caught selling on credit forfeits his
share of the pool.
"A number of japanese, direct from
Toxic. have purchased land in San Diego
county. Cal, and will engage in silk culture.
The business annually amounts to 500. 10000
throughout the world, but Americans do not
take much interest in it.
"A young woman teacher of the blind in
Austin, Tex, has invented a typewriter for the
use of those deprived of sight. The new in
vention is said to be a great Improvement over
any writing machine for the blind now in use.
IN that only one hand is necessary for It's sossa-
tion, leaving the other free to do the reading.
"A woman physician in Anna. I'LL, has
lately been permitted to serve as a juror In an
insanity trial. The laws of Illinois require that
in insanity trials by jury the jury shall consist
of six persons one of whom must be physi-
clan. As there was no man physician IN the
town at the time, the woman was pronounced
person and permitted to serve.
Last week the Indian railways leading
to the Ganges were almost blocked with a rush
of pilgrims to the Audhodoz jog festival. This
occurs at irregular intervals, the last having
come in 1854, and the next not being expected
for SO years from now. The chief point in it is
that it provides specially auspicious time for
bathing in the dIndoo's sacred river.
'-Hydromel is a "Polish specially" or, In
other words. drink prepared from honey,
which is said TO be growing greatly in favor in
England. A large consignment of hydromel
has Just been dispatched from Warsaw to
London. If the fact be true that honey as
drink is becoming popular, then we are return
ing to the simple tastes OF our Saxon an
cestorS.
The dollar sign % is not as some sup
pose a corruption of the monogram 70. g."
but is a relic of the times when the transfer
from the old Spanish to the moro modern
for while kept equally in dollars and reals
One dollar equalled eight reals, and amounts
were written: One dollar eight reals. Later
on the was placed between the parallels 81.
and afterward the perpendicular lines crossed
she eight. Then with little changing the
present sign (S) was evolved
There is an enormous tree in the Ocmul-
gee river swamp. near Abbeville. Ga, that
rivals the famous giants of the California for
ests- The tree is of the tupelo gum variety
and is evidently of great age, and doubtless
was inhabited by the Indians in the prehistoric
age of this country. The tree Is hollow at the
base with an aperture large enough to admit
tall man. The hollow extends upward for
distance of 10 feet, affording space enough for
two stories. The hollow at the base Is II feet
in diameter.
Some queer and inexplicable things
happen in the mail service. Here is one that
came to the notice of the postofice authorities
lately. A letter was mailed from the Chicago
Office in May 1885 and was yesterday returned
to the writer. The queer thing about it was
tina. while theletter was sent to Lexington. H.,
it was picked up on the street the other day In
Janesville, Wis. and mailed to the sender in
Chicago. Though mailed over two years ago
the letter was not soiled and was in good con-
dition. This fact proves that it could not have
lain In the street any length Of time Where it
has been all this time and how 1t came to be
found in JanesYille when mailed to Lexington
Is q puzzler.
Srx sTTyDAY sNTTFS