Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-28
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

ST.
There are at present nine 110-ton guns
in the British navy.
There are fully 10000 species of flow.
ering plants on the globe.
The dyeing of one piece of linen re
quires Is distinct processes.
If perfectly white cats have blue eyes
they are nearly always deaf.
The first Chinese drama was the ''Death
of Lin Lu," presented B. c. 1900.
The first book stereotyped in this coun-
try was New Testament in 1874
"A cave full of human bones has been
discovered In Tuolumne county, Cal.
Nails can be driven into hard wood
without bending If first dipped in lard
-Tsblecloths and napkins were unknown
in France before the thirteenth century.
About 1000 fishing boats engaged
around the British coast are named Mary.
The weight required to crush a square
inch of brick varies from l. 200 to 4, 800 pounds.
The ancient Mexicans used wooden
swords in war that they might not kill their
enemies.
The natives of Liberia prepare a singu-
larly Intoxicating beverage from a common
mushroom.
During the past three months the num-
Der of visitors to Carlyle's birthplace, Eccle-
fechan, ran up to 300.
The Hoosac tunnel in Massachusetts,,
which is said to be the longest in this coun.
try, is ~ miles in length.
"A fork-tsiled petrelBas recently picked
up by man at Macclesfield, England. Tc
md a bird of this species so far inland is said
to be q rare occurrence.
Charlotte, n. c., boasts of double
faced potato. One side is claimed to be a
perfect representation or r bear and the
other, it is said, is q fair mold of a calf
The clerks of a certain large provincial
bank jointly own a cottage by the sea, 50
miles away. where they all pass their hoIi-
days, occupying it in detachments during
the summer.
The City Council of Vienna recently
suppressed q gymnastic society for adopting
the coIors of the German Empire for it's own
and passing a resolution to admit no for
eigner except Germans to membership.
"A good story is told in Germany of
letter which was returned to the general
postoffice with these words written by the
postman on the envelope: "The addressee
has hanged himself; present address un-
known"
announces the conversion OF 10000 persons
to Christianity in the first six months of
1892. The greater portion of the converts
were in Asia. West Africa and n consider
able number in the British provinces.
The Emperor of Russia recently drove
in the first rivets of the keel of the new
coast defense vessel, Admiral Oushakof
The vessel will be 27711 feet in length 81 feet
beam, II feet deep, with a displacement Os
4, ,l26 tons, ana engines of 4, $50 horsepower.
"A new soldering metal for aluminium
mas been prepared by Mr.. Alexius RAIDER, of
Christiana. Norway. 1t consists in combin-
ing cadmium, zinc and tin mixed in sub
stantially tine following proportions: Cad
MUM, 80 parts; zinc, 20 parts; tin. the re-
mainder.
The remains of all the French and Ger
man soldiers who fell during the siege of
1870 and were inferred in the different ceme-
teries in and around Kronenberg were dis
inferred on the I'd instant and deposited in
a single tomb in the cemetery of st. Urbain
iE Strasburg.
The great high bridge of the Southern
Pacific railroad over Fecos Canon is re-
markable for three things. 1t is the highest
bridge in the country, being 1923 feet above
the river bed; it was constructed in six
months, and only one man was killed in the
course of its erection.
must not speak to his mother.in-law. Not
only is speech forbidden to his relative, but
she mrst be avoided; and if by chance the
lady is met, the son-in-aw must hide him
self or cover his face. Suicide Of both par
ties is the outcome if the rule is broken.
Physicians are now able to wash out
the system through the natural channels of
circulation by means of injected fluid and
DR.. Max Hilderband, of San Francisco,
states that it is possible to infuse into tho
veins, without danger to the animal, an
amount equal to four times the normal
quantity OF blood.
American analyses show that the
oysters flesh and liquids contain from s4s
to 9L5 per cent of water combined with the
nutients which vary from SIS to 1873 per
cent. The average of 81 analyses gave sT3
per cent of water with l2.7 per cent of nutri-
ents. The liquids in the oyster are chiefly
water and sea salt.
"A new saw sharpening machine has
been introduced in England, in which a re-
yolving emery wheel is fixed on a counter
balanced arm, so that it can be brought
down by hand upon the tool to be sharpened.
1t is so arranged that it will top. gullet and
bevel either frame, erosscut or circular
saws, with any form of tooth. The bracket
carrying the saw Is adjustable, and can be
fixed to give any amount of lead to the
tooth.
Probably the smallest painting ever
made was the work of the wife of e Flemish
artist. 1t depicted mill with the sails bent,
the miller mounting the stairs with q sack
Of grain on his back. Upon the terrace
where the mill stood was a cart and q horse
and in the road leading to it several
peasants were shown, The picture was
beautifully finished, and every object was
very distinct, vet it was so amazingly small
that its surface could be covered with
grain of corn.
"A correspondent of Nature offers the
suggestions as to the formation
Of lunar craters. A shallow dish contain
ing layer of damp sand, half-inch, is
flooded with one-inch coating of Paris plas-
ter, of the consistence of cream, and the
dish set to dry over a Bunsen flame. AS
the plaster sets the surface is pltted with
;rater-like holes, formed by the escapes of
steam from the sand at the bottom of the
lish, giving q perfect representation OF 3