Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-30
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.
Harrison has a gold-mounted gun.

Harrison has gold-mounted gun.
Helena has gold brick worth $50, 600
Three times as many herrings are con-
sumed as any other fish.
Only one couple in 1,5O0 live to cele-
brate their golden wedding.
philadelphia is the greatest carpet man.
ufacturing center in the world.
Sixteen of the 80 heroines of Sir Walter
Scott were under 20 years of age.
The new British coinage will bear the
Queen's head without the crown.
"A single swallow, according to an au-
thority, can devour 6.O0J flies in day.
The first postoffice opened its doors in
1462; in England in 1881, and in America in
I7lO.
After gathering in their crops in Utah,
500 Mormon families will move to Mexico in
the autumn.
The great cathedral in theCity of Mexico
is the largest in America and cost to build
nearly 100000.
"A recent invention is shoe with q
hingedsole for the purpose of facilitating
putting it on or of.
-Copper-plate engraving was first done
in 15l1. wood engraving in 1899, etching on
metal with acid in 1872.
Watches were first made in Nuremberg
in l477 and were called by the natives "Nur-
emDerS animated eggs"
The public park in San Francisco re-
Gently received Il cocoanut tree weighing
six tons from Honolulu.
Cannon were invented in 1880, were
used by the Turks at Adrianople in l453, were
made in England in l547.
The harvester was invented by Cyrus
Mccormick in 1881 and has been improved
by many subsequent inventors.
Glass mirrors were known in A. D. %,
but the art of making them was lost and not
rediscovered until 1900 in Venice.
The first electric telegraph line was
laid in Switzerland by Lesage in 1872; the
Morse transmitter was invented in 1881
"A French artist, NJ. Marcy, has sue
ceeded in photographing a flying insect.
The time OF exposure was only l2500th of 4
second.
The great captilever bridge at Niagara
Falls is entirely composed of steel. It is SO
feet in length, weighs 5000 tons and COST
$500, ,0GO
The new imperial crown of Queen Vic
toria has its entire surface completely COW
cred with jewels, several of which are IA
nous IN history.
"A marine biological laboratory is about
to be established on the island of Jamaica
in honor OF the fourth centenary of the dis
covery of America.
Banks and banking were known in
Greece Ss5 years before Christ, in Rome Sj2
B. c., and in Venice 1l57 A. d. The Bank Of
England originated in 1893.
In using what is known as the Canadian
method of boring oil wells, a well 1,OoO feet
was bored in 22S hours, or an average of AS
feet per hour of actual work.
The Gar of Russia has recently found
time to become interested in the game CT
cricket and has organized two elevens
among the young men of his court.
According to DR.. Hansen the red in
flowers is a single pigment soluble in water
ana decolorized by alcohol. but capable o,
being restored by the addition of acids
Recent Improvements in Photographic
plates have been so great as to make it pos
sible to take accurate photographs of a rifle
ball travelling at the rate OF 5000 feet a sec
ond.
On August Mars will arrive at a point
directly opposite the earth, which it reaches
but once in every Is years. when the distance
will be reduced from 14l, 100000 to 35,OOo0O0
miles.
The cartridges of Germany, Austria and
Belgium have a groove at the end instead of
an enlargement at the base, the advantage
of which is that the cartridge is packed moro
easily.
"A match cutting machine is an auto-
matte curiosity. 1t cuts 100000 sticks 3
day, and then arranges them over q vat
where the heads are put on at surprising
rate Of speed.
"A fragment of the "Ho1y Cross, which
Marie Stuart wore during her imprisonment
and on her way to the scaffold, has recently
been presented to the Treasury of the Cathe-
dral OF Mayence.
"A silver dime of 1904 is worth,S4, Of
1871, 1900 and 1902 So, and of 1898 50 50. Silver
half dimes of 1902 will fetch $50 each, and q
value of from 81 to So attaches to these coins
Of the issues of 1874, 1876, 1877, 1901, 1906 and
1916.
Princeton has two trees which were
planted previous to the Declaration of In
dependence. The sycamores in the deans
yard were planted in 1867, by order of the
trustees, to commemorate the resistance Of
the Stamp act.
Five hunters, desiring to rest, laid
their guns on a fiat rock, five miles from
Ironton, Mo. Instantly their guns moved
from the rock. and leaped toward huge
boulder some few feet distant. The boulder
proved to be magnetic iron ore.
"A japanese soldier has invented a gun
which enables the possessor to send "a cloud
of binding DUST into the eyes of a foe at q
distance of twelve feet. 1t is said that the
poor foe is thereby absolutely deprived OF
sight and therefore, of course, at the mercy
of his assailant.
ALL of the Washington coins, both of
silver and copper. were minted in England
as patterns for the American coinage, but
the designs were not accepted, because it
was considered contrary to the principles of
our Government to stamp the head OF tho
upon our coins
The hair-spring in watch is a strip of
the finest steel about 81 inches long, 1-lO0th
inch wide and 27-10,OO0 inch thick. 1t is
coiIed up in spiral form and finely tempered.
The process OF tempering these springs was
long held as secret by the few fortunate
ones possessing it, and even now is not gen.
orally known.