Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-11
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS
-Borneo make. beer from pepper.


water and sea salt.
The rent Of laad in England 800 years
ago was about shilling an acre.
There are 7S2 Governmeht Offices vacant
in Italy and 10000 applicants for them
Fish are generally thought to be very
sold, yet their normal temperature is 7'.
Nearly every American village of 900
Inhabitants has its own local publication,
In olden times deformed people were
frequently thrown into prison to De kept
out Of sight.
1t is computed that IL city people die
VIII ere ten deaths occur among dwellers in
the country.
IRELAND has occupied one-half Of the
time OF the House of Commons during the
last u years.
The trial by jury is to be curtailed, or
perhaps entirely abolished, by the Indian
Governments.
The French War Office has provided
for the enrolment OF between 5000 and J,OoO
bicyclists In war.
Sheet iron kites, to enable . vessel
when ! n distress to communicate with the
shore, have been suggested.
Two million pounds of English wal
nuts have been shipped from Whittier, CAL
during the past three months.
Before a thester can be opened for
plays in Dublin @ patent, which lasts %
years, has to be obtained from the Lord
Lieutenant.
"A Chicago paper WAKES cheerful over
the prevalent crime in that city as follows
Drop a nickel in your vest pocket and watch
tt get stolen.
Samuel Ktxdghuttousmystem, tin
peddler," is the legend inscrfbe d upon the
card OF Russian comm ercial traveller in
Connections.
Gray wolves are reported to be playing
havoc among the stock in the Elk Mountain
country and along the Cheyenne river, in
South Dakota
The women of the various csntons Of
Switzerland may often be seen carrying
upon their backs loads of manure to their
mountain farms.
AT the time Shakespeare wrote his
plays there were not in all the world as many
En1lish-speaking people as there are II ow in
New York and New Jersey.
The statistics of life insurance people
show that in the last Is years the average of
mans life has increased per cent, or two
whole years, from 4L9 to $50 years.
Swedish girls at an early age begin to
make and accumulate linen garments By
the time they are OF marriageble age they
have an extensive outfit of such articles.
There is in China secret soc iety called
the Triad" It is capital crime to belong
to it, yet it has more than 100000 of MEM
bers- Its object is the overthrow OF tho
present dynasty.
Numerous expert ments to determine
the best fire-resisting materials for the con-
struction of doors have proved that wood
covered with tin resisted the fire better
than an iron door.
1t is asserted that waterproof sheets Of
paper, gummed and hydraulically COM
pressed, make a material as durable as
leather for the soles OF shoes. 1t also makes
serviceable horseshoes.
George Smith is to be tried at Val
paraiso, Ind, for the third time, on the
charge of having stolen a Scent cigar
pended In lawyers fees.
"A London rat recently opened the door
of q Dlackbird's cage, and entered. evidently
to feast on the bfrdseed. The bird saw q
chance for an excursion and flew out The
door banged 60 and the rat WAS q prisoner.
DIR. Murray, of the Royal Society Of
Edin burgh, estimates the mean height of the
land OF the globe to be 1900 feet above the
sea level. Humboldt's estimates placed the
same level ut only 1000 feet above high
water mark
All Interesting PSElOEuCu
by smearing bullet with vaseIine. and then
firing It from rifle. The course OF its flight
may then be marked by line of smoke,
caused by the ignition Of the vaseline as i5
leaves the rifle.
An eminent physician believes that
savage races have better color perception
than civilized. or 100 Indian boys he found
none color blind; another group OF $50 had
but two, while none of the girls were found
to be color blind.
1T is somewhat singular that, notwith-
standing the great advances made in chem
istry and metallurgy, no other more salts
factory silver alloy has as yet been discov.
cred for coming and other purposes than
the alloy used 800 years ago.
Among curious facts relating to light
vessels is their mode of being moored.
Except on stony ground, they do not ride to
anchors. but 20 "mushroOms," weighing
about two tons, whicn bury themselves in
the mud or sand and form an absolutely
secure mooring.
Copper continues to hold the first posi-
tion as yielding an alloy which, while harder
and wearing better than pure silver. does
not alter its color when present in the proper
and does not interfere with the
working properties Of the metal for manu-
processes generally.
in the Manchester, England, 200" the
machine has been adapted
to the use OF the elephants, and they have
taken to it with great alacrity. When a spec
tator gives one OF the animals q penny the
elephant drops it in the slot and gets q bis.
cuff. The elephants have learned that onlya
penny will do the work, and refuse all other
coins.
"A scheme for the insurance of workmen
against accidents has just been drawn up
by the Russian Ministry OF Finance. The
pensions will amount TO half the annual