Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-18
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

Cosmetics cost the fair Americans s6:
0OO, 600 year.
The capacity of Minneapolis large
Touring mill is Is, 300 barrels day.
The total school enrolment for Il
United States last year was H,2OoO0O
-Oakwood, a Chicago suburb, is boastir
of the only ostrich farm in this country OF
side of California
The region about the Dead Sea is O
of the hottest places on the globe. and
sea is said to lose million tons of water
day by evaporation.
An alligator at the Crystal Palace liv
in perfect health upon nothing for
months. 1t lately took piece of very hi.
mutton with relish.
The largest OF turtles is said to be t
species known as the loggerhead, whi
grows to the enormous weight of ], 600 pounC
These are found in the sea.
"A Philadelphia funeral team did ser
ice at wedding a few days ago, and ii
doing driver allowed the horse to carry Il
bridal couple into the cemetery.
"A Western editor is making a cole
tion of big checks drawn by men who cou
not sign their names. Some of the checl
run well up into the seven-fgure range.
The business of preparing shrimp f
the Chinese market is assuming importa
proportions in California The shrimp
taken In huge nets, and boiled in great 1rt
yats.
An umbrella company has been incc
porated with capital of IS, COO Co., and is
carry on business in all the States and Ter
tories of the United States, and in forei.
countries.
-Dramatists in France get - per cent
the gross receipts OF each play, and a.
allowed tickets to the value of 100 francs f
every performance of such plays as tn,
have written.
"A recent real estate deal in Chicago S.
the citizens of that town a-talking. a sma
lot. 4Ox20 feet, sold for 100000. At this IA
an acre of land in that neighborhood wou
cast nearly sll, l,O0O,O00.
In 13 years the manufacture of ciga
cites has increased from 23S, 276S SIT to 2,S7
799 440. Fully two-thirds of this enormot
number of cigarettes annually made 81
sold are smoked by boys.
"A Washington official believes there
o vast ocean in Dakota There are 1879
wells west of the 9th meridian. More ths
100, 900 acres of land are irrigated from the
ing from single well.
The first Lighthouse built on this cont
nent was at st. Augustine, Fla. Its chi'
use was as lookout, whence the Spanis
people OF the town could see vessels
preaching from Spain or get notice of ii
coming of foes in time to run away.
Some New York ladies were desirous
finding out whether the people who SAM
the streets made a good living The
adopted sufficient disguise, and, taking
guitar, went forth to try their fortune
After singing and playing for an hour al
q half, they had collected 81 IS.
Tablets found in Egypt at Tel-el-Amarl
contain among other curious records Il
letters sent by King of Egypt about L.
B. C. to a King of Babylon denying that
had ill-treated one Babylonian wife and as
ing for another. These tablets are now Il
property Oh the British Museum.
The sunfower is found to be of gre
service in Southern Russia, where it has 70
some time been extensively cultured 1t
grown principally for the bright yelIor
odorless and tasteless oil yielded by i
seeds. The oil is said to be superSediI
olive oils throughout Southern Russia
"A Vienna correspondent reports tn
two ladies who served in the reyolutionaI
army in Hungary in 1S4S, and fought in Sc
eral of the fiercest battles dressed in mi
tary uniform. died recently. One of the
was several times promoted, but an artilleI
major stopped her career by marrying he
In ancient times, beds were simply rug
skins or thin mattresses, which could 1
rolled up and carried away in the morning
At night they were spread on the foo
which, in the better class of houses, was
tile or plaster, and, as shoes were not wol
in tie house and the feet were washed
fore entering room, the floors were clean
than ours.
The noisiest spot on earth is said to
the Pribylor Islands, in Bering Sea, I'll
home OF the fur seals. From the lst of Ma
to the lst of September the fights to a finis
between the seals and the savage wooing {
the older ones create q deafening noise, I'll
laundering of the Falls of Niagara and Ye
lowstOne being as the murmuring of a broo
compared to the tumuItuous uproar whic
may be heard during the summer.
-Anciently, in many parts of Franc
when a sale of land took place, it was tt
custom to have Il adult witnesses accom-
panied by II little boys; and when the pric
of the land is paid, and its surrender too
place. the ears of the boys were pulled, an
they were beaten severely, so that the pal
thus inflicted should make an impressiO
ward, they might bear witness to the sale.
The orohippus, the ancestor of tb
noble horse of to-day, is first known to ha7
existed in the eocene period OF Seologics
epochs. Some of the species were as sma
as the common silver fox of to-day, and
had Is hoofs, four on eacn foot, just like tt
COW brutes of the present age. After Ion
ages had elapsed the creature became
three-foed representative OF animal or
alton; later on he had single split hoofI
eight toes altogether.
in one respect at least Quito, the cap
tai of Eucador, is the most unique city
the world-it is situated in botlsthe Nortl
ern and the Southern Hemispheres, di
tinction claimed by no other place of in
portance on the globe. In one part of tt
CITY the summer season does battle with oil
winter, who is just across the street. Tb
seasons, as far as names are concerned
change almost instantly; but, as the ten
perature is remarkably even, these curIou
points are seldom thought of by the 3OU
people who make Quito their home.
The thousands of tons of rich gold or
disclosed in the Cord on mine, located nea
Leadville, is something wonderful. Larg
particles OF free gold may be seen g!itterln
by candle light in all portions of the ven
pounds of ore taken from tn.
streak recently returned over 73 ounces
gold, more than an ounce of gold to tn
Mound of ore. The streak closely follow
the hanging wall, and gives an average rt
turn of $40. 600 per ton, the very richest assay
ing as high as $50, 90 per ton conserve
tive estimate shows sIoO,Ooo worm Oh OF
already blocked out