Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-06
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

pOunu.
South Australia has had 10 administers
tions in S6 years.
There will be no performances Of Wag-
ner's operas at Bayreuth next year.
1t is reported in London that another
daily newspaper on the American model 10
to be started.
AN Austrian inventor has devised .
new rifle from which as many as 12O shots .
minute can be fred.
Wolves in Russia destroy annually
upward OF 800 600 head of domestic animals
valued at 100000 rubles.
An apparatus that economically de-
lfvers grains OF corn to poultry only as fast
as used is u late invention.
The value of the honey and wax pro-
duced in the United States during the past
year has been estimated at SO OO0,O00
-Incandescent lamps are ridiculously
cheap in Sweden. the price Of those with all
voltages up to l95 being about 20 cents.
-Herodotus gives an accoun. of priest
ess at Minerva, whose chin regularly budded
with a large beard whenever any great
public calamity impended.
Telephones have been introduced at the
Government rifle ranges at Fort Sheridan,
the firing points and the targets.
-"Gilsonite, variety of mineral wax,
contains 80 per cent OF carbon or asphalt in
its pure form. The Utah vein is almost
three ieet wide and a mile in length.
Gibraltar has been nearly brought into
railway connection with the rest Of
Spain. The railway goes now to Algeciras,
just on the other side or the Bay OF GiDral-
tar.
During the reign of Elizabeth English
dudes wore shoes three feet in length, the
toe pointed and fastened up to the garter
with golden chains, to which little bells
were attached. --.--
The Persians, PhGnicians, Greeks and
several other nations acknowledge that
their ancestors wore once without the COM
forts which fire bestows; the Chinese con-
less the same OF their pro senitors.
DR.. Murray, of the Royal Society of
Edinburgh, estimates the mean height of
the land OF the globe to be 1,9OO feet above
sea level. H1mboldts estimate placed the
same level at only 1000 etabove high water
mark.
The highest place in the world regu.
larly inhabited is the Buddhist town OF
Haine, in Thibet, which is 5000 feet above
sea level The highest inhabited place in
the Americas is at Galera, Peru, l5,635 feet
above sea level.
The balance of a watch gives five vi
brations every second, 800 every minute, Is,-
900 every hour, 4S2, 900 every day ana IA, ,6SO,-
900 during the year. At each vibration it
rotates " times, or, say about l97, lO0990
revolutions year.
The Supreme Court of Michigan has de-
cided that married woman cannot collect
the money she earns unless she can prove
that she is her husbands agent. The carp
ings of wife belong to her husband to do
what he pleases with.
1t is somewhat singular that, notwith
standing the great advances made in chem
istry and metallurgy, no other moro salts
factory silver alloy has as yet been discov-
cred Tor coming and other purposes than the
alloy used $40 years ago.
The Congo's mouth is an extraordinary
marine gully OF no less depth than 1,452 ;eet.
The mouth of the Mississippi at an equal
distance rom shore would only show 80 ieet,
and the Thames 40 feet. The Congos incredi-
BILE depths were traced for more than 100
miles out at sea-
The Sabbath Days Journey of the
Hebrews was 3, COO yards, the traditional dis
tance from the end OF the Ark OF the Cove
nant to the farther side OF the Israelites'
camp, where they had made stop In the
wilderness. the point where the Sabbatical
law was given
1t ispointed ont that Tom Thumb, the
midget, used to eat more than Chang, the
Chinese giant. Any one who takes the
trouble to observe men when they eat will
notice that, as q rule, small men or men OF
ordinary physique stow away more food
than the big fellows.
"A veteran English correspondent and
traveller, after much experience with rail-
way lamps, has abandoned them for a cam
IIa fad vvif thrOuUb q
which he holds in his hand. Tbs holes ab-
sorb the grease, and transform the otherwise
incoHYenieut candle into an almost perfect
illuminant..
-Pliny, a writer of the first century after
Christ, says: Serpent, no odds how poison
ous the variety, can hurt but once, neither
kill they many together, to say nothing how,
when they have bitten or stung n man they
die for very grief and sorrow that they have
done such mischief. as if they had some
remorse Of conscience afterwa-d."
The coolest known spot on the earth's
surface Is on the Eastern Slope, a shelving
mountain thas runs down to near the
waters edge, on the eastern bank OF the
Lena river, in Northeast Siberia DR..
Woikof, Director of the Russian Meteoro-
logical Service, gives the minimum tempera-
ture OF the place rs being So degrees below
zero.
Queen Elizabeth used to carry about
with her, suspended by q chain of pure gold,
n book called "The Golden Manual OF
Prayer" q dainty volume of 800 pages. bound
in Hammered virgin gold" One side OF
this costly volume gave q representation OF
1.-THE Judgment or Solomon" the other the
'Brazen Serpent on the Cross in the
Desert"
In the Jewel House of the Tower Of
London, the place where the British Crown
and other royal insignia are kept, there Is a
book bound throughout in gold, even to the
wires of tho hinges Its clasp il two rubies
act at opposite ends or four golden INKS.
On one side there Is a cross OF diamonds; on
the other the English coat OF arms set IN
diamonds, pearls and rubtes.
AT the opening of the Jaffa-Jerusalem
Railway a curious Moslem rite was OBJ
served. Three sheep were slaughtered and
their blood besprinkled on the rails before
tine first train was allowed to proceed upon
its Journey. This superstit1ous ceremony
had Tor It's object the soaring away OF eva
baneiul influence upon passengers using inc
line.
In Rome the BARRIERS hung ont basins as
the end OF poles, so that wounded soiolera
and gladiators might observe them at a dis
tance and know exactly where to go TO nnd
relief The parti-colored pole or staf is sai9
to indicate that the barber dld pIeeoIhs,
the coIored stripes symboliztng the Strings
or ribbons that were wound around the
patients arm while he was being pnle-
botomized.
ORIGINAL AND JOCOSE
PARDONABLE