Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-01
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.


The University of Berlin offers students
their choice of 7l6 lectures.
The manitee, once numerous In Cali
fornia, is now regarded as extinct.
Bombay has population of s21, $50,
and Calcutta with its two immediate suburbs
population OF "a, 40
Snakes are so numerous in Atchison,
Kan, that they crawl into the houses and
play with the children.
Quill pens were first used A. d. 553;
steel pens were invented by Wise, of Eng
land, 1908 and improved by elliott 1922.
The fourth verse of the twentieth chap
ter of Revelations contains more words than
any other verse in the New Testament-6S.
-Artesian wells were known at Thebes
as long ago as the time of Timerion, 1000
years before the beginning of the Christian
era.
The Puget Sound oysters are the largest
known being sometimes two feet across and
weighing, inclusive OF the she'll. as much as
go pounds. n
Though the next total solar eclipse does
not take place until April Is. 1898. astrono-
mers are already astir making plans for OBJ
serving it.
"A dwarf residing at Shigaken, Osaka,
is S6 years old and but II inches high. He
teaching penmanship.
The total acreage of Scotland is 49,
9466s4 of this comparatively small landed
area one nobleman owns 1926, 900 acres and
his wife l49.s79 acres more.
Extraordinary prices were paid at the
sale of the Comtesse d'Yvon's collections in
Paris last month. A piece of tapestry after
Vatican realized S., 200.
The condor scars higher than any other
bird, spending nine-tenths of its time float
ing in the rarified atmosphere at a distance
OF three miles above sea level.
-AIhazen, an Arabian born in the wear
1000 A d., first taught the present theory OF
vison, and explained why we see but one
picture OF an object with our two eyes.
Prof Douglass has succeeded in manu-
featuring miniature cyclones ana tornadoes
by means of electricity, thus proving the
electrical character of the prairie terrors."
In 1774, Maskelyne, the Astronomer
Royal OF England, first calculated the weight
OF the earth. The weight, as estimated in
an encyclopedia is GOO0, 900 900 coo 600 oOO, 900
tons.
John McDarby, of Salmon Falls, Mass,
has double teeth all around, and a stomach
which doesn't rebel when he chews and
bles.
The evidence obtained from the three
enumerations of 1872, 1881 and 1892 tends to
show that the hill and forest tribes of India
are gradually being Incorporated into Hin
duism.
There are still over 5000 widows of
veterans of the war of 1872 on the rolls not +,
withstandinS the lapse of nearly three gen.
erations since the close of that interesting
struggle.
The United States manufactures 65 000
hats every day, while England manufactures
about 10000. The largest hat mandatory
in the world is the Brussels, which turns out
10000 hats day.
1t is predicted that in the course of
time Northern Thibet will become a second
California, perhaps even richer than the
nrst In precious metals lying in the soil over
the vast surface of the desert land.
African travellers tell us that the white
rhinoceros frequently dies from eating
poisonous plants which have no effect on
the black one, probably because the fine
scent OF the latter tells him it is dangerous.
Sometimes porsupine will remain in
hemlock tree q week at time, hugging
close to the trunk at night and feeding dur.
ing the day. This curious little beast Is the
only known living thing that eats the foli-
age OF the hemlock.
The soldering of aluminium, which has
long been a difficult problem, has been re-
Gently solved. By sprinkling the surface to
be soldered with chloride of silver, and
melting down, the soldering is effected SIM
ply and satisfactorily.
The ancient Egyptians believed that
iron was the bone OF Typhon, the enemy Of
Osiris, and tor this reason it was considered
impure. No. one could make use OF It even
for the most ordinary requirements of life }
without polluting his soul.
The finest grades of razors are so deli
cate that the famous Damascus word blades
par1 =,
orally known that the grain of q Swedish
rag or is so sensitive that the general direc-
ton is changed after q short service.
-Lackharabsd, India, is the latest scene
of q school teachers bravery. The young
woman in question was attacked by lion
but managed to keep the animal at bay with
that peculiarly feminine Weapons com,
mon broom-unrn assistance arrived.
After the Salina comfy CKan. cyclone
grocer missed a washing machine which
was standing on the pavement Just before
the storm. 1t was picked up the other day
on the open prairie, several miles from
Sal1na, in perfect state Of preservation.
1t appears that colored or dark pig
ment in the olfactory regions is essential to
pure white they are usually totally devoid
of both smell and taste: and some, the white
cat for an instance, are almost invariably
deaf
In making railroad tunnels, cuts, etc.,
and in sinking wells and pits in Nevada,
Utah and Arizona, salt strata are often
struck at varying depths, sometimes as
much as hundred yards beneath the sur
face. Hundreds of fish, perfectly preserved,
are found in blocks of this pure rock salt.
The gold diggers of Thibst, most of
whom are Chinese, make air do the work of
water. That is to say, they use the same
process by which farmers used to winnow
their grain before tanning mills were in
vented. They lift the baskets containing
earth and gold to elevation and then
slowly empty the contents to the ground
in the Japanese capital there is gigap-
tic image of a woman made of wood, iron
and plaster. The time of its erection and
the name of its designer are in dispute, but
it is known to have been dedicated to Hach-
imam, the god of war. In height 1t measures
"a feet the head alone, which is reached By
q winding stairway In the interior OF the
figure, being capable OF holding q company
OF 20 persons.