Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-15
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.


Over /, 700 different kinds of soup are
known.
Chess is taught in all the Austrian pub
lie schools.
The first Sunday paper appeared in
London in 17ss.
The. Gatling gun was invented by Cat
ling in the year 1851
The personal estate of the late Duke Of
Manchester was worth only 81, l65.
Reno, Nevada, has brass band COM
posed of Is beautiful young women.
The South Sea Islanders make an in
to1icating drink from corn and decayed
fish.
The number of deaths in the entire
world in a century is estimated to be $780,
OOO, 900.
The output of the cigar factories at
Reading. Pa, so far this year has been over
100 OOO,000
Beer was the universal drink of the
English until the introduction of tea and
coffee, about 1850.
Both Greek and Roman ladies painted
their faces; for white, using white lead; for
red the juice of an unknown herb.
The battle ak was originally Celtic
weapon. The ancient Irish carried axes as
the men of other nations carried swords.
Cancer has been discovered in Ameri-
can brook trout in pond in New Zealand.
1t was supposed that the disease was un-
known to fishes.
General Sheridan's sword, which he is
said to have used while at Fort Yamhill,
Ore, is reported to be in the possess ion Of
an Oregon Indian.
The proposed underground electric rail-
way in London, If sanctioned, will be Is feet
under the Thames, IS feet beneath Regents
PARK, and So feet below Oxford street.
The profits of the Paris postoffice, which
last year amounted to $4,000, 600 have moved
the postoffice clerks to consider what steps
they should take for getting their salaries
raised.
The big panniers of 1920 were worn with
"creaker," a hustle made of linen cloths
gummed and folded which squeaked out
rageously with the slightest movement OF
the wearer.
"A pie served to Charles IL was made of
sparrows, potatoes, eringoes, lettuce, chest
nuts, oysters, ,citron, ,artichokes eggs, lemons,
baroerrles. pepper, nutmeg, cloves, mace,
currants, sugar and wine.
The production of distilled spirits of all
kinds in the United States in 1891, was H.
1S6, ia gallons. This exceeded the product
OF any previous year, except 1881, when the
aggregate was 119, ,52S,O1l
One of the largest manufacturers of
microscopes in Germany has made an il
strument for measuring the curves of lenses
which is of such delicacy that it will indt
cate the l25O0th OF an inch.
"A freight car So feet long has been bull.
of steel in Manchester for the Mexican Rail-
way Company. 1t is said to be no heavier
than q a-foot wooden car and will hold
nearly three times as much.
"A Manitou, Mich, young woman re-
ceived a letter from q Kansas man, in which
he devoted seven pages in telling of busi-
ness, crops and politics. In a postscript he
said he would like her TO marry him.
There are chicken factories in New Eng
land that are turning out thousands OF
motherless chickens every week more sue
cess; ully than by the old method, In the
incubator art leaves nature in the rear
"A number of remarkable figures of
hammered silver, representing men, womeI
and animals, have been exhumed from a
peat bog in Jutland, Denmark, and placed
in the National Museum at Copenhagen.
The buffaloes in Sumatra, according to
an English traveller, in fear of their enemy,
the tiger take refuge at night in the rivers
where they rest in peace and comfort with
only their horns and noses sticking above
the water.
The common daphne grown in howe'
gardens is one of the most deadly poison
known to the botanist- Three or four of tn.
berries will Kill Il man as quickly as strych-
nine and one has been known to XIII child
in hall an hour.
From experiments made by English
scientists it appears that camphor and
oxygenated water are the most energetic
excitants of growth, not only as regards the
accelerltion of termination but as affecting
the vigor of plants.
German piano manufacturers are re-
ported to be in great distress. Formerly
they sold many instruments in Russia. but
the present duty of SlCO on grand piano and
$50 on upright has almost put an end to
the export of pianos.
The Chinese Empire and dependencies,
Mongolia, Manchooria, Chinese Turkestan,
Kokanor and Thibet, occupy an area of at
least 100000 square miles, or about one
third OF Asia. 1he population is estimated
at from $50, .O6O to 45O,OOJ,O0L
The frizzled glass threads from which
cloth are woven are said to surpass in tine-
ness not only the finest cotton, but even the
thread of the silk-worm's cocoon, their soft
ness and elasticity being even greater than
that OF manu- actured silk lint"
1t is stated that new departure is about
to be taken by the Bank of France with re-
gard to the material OF It's paper issues. Inc
notes have hitherto been made from the
best rags, but ramie fibre is now to be used,
as tits not only stronger but lighter.
-Labouchere recently printed in Truth
the following as record OF Il years doings
of the British clergy: Breach of promise. a.
cruelty to animals, IS; bankruDts, ,254; elope
ments, IL; suicides, l2 drunkenness, d2li as
saults, los; various other charges, 81.
The Uuited States contains 10000 law
yers, 11.O00, of whom are in New York City
making the proportion there about one to
every l6O OF the population. France, with
population OF 40, 900 900, has but 5000 Ia Yyers
and Germany has only 400 out oil a Popula-
tion OF 5O,O00,OO0.
An Englishman has invented rubber
stud for floors and stairs. 1t consists of
small iron plate with nail projecting from
under the surface, around which rubber is
nodded 1t is fixed in place by q blow OF the
hammer, the advantage being that When
worn it can be easily removed and replaced
by others.
Race meetings in India generally In
clude some comic feature, and the latess
novelty is a "white-tie race" introduced at
Kirkee The competitors ride certain dis
tance and dsmount q nd kneel before lad.
while she ties white tie round their neck
in a neat bow, then they remount ana rusI
for the winning post. Much depenos on tns
lady's deftnesS.