Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-11
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.
| Colorado has q newspaper called the
Watermelon.
| Automatic boot blacks will be put on
the market soon by Nurnberg firm. They
will be run on the nickel1n-the-slot plan.
An electric railway is projected which
is to run from st. Petersburg to Archangel,
Russia, distance OF more than 800 miles.
In Germany q, ,4S5 children between II
and IA years worked in the factories in 1s90I
in England, 6.499 under 13 years we're en-
ployed.
| "A Georgia man boasts possession of an
ordinary school slate, which has been in CON.
| slant use for more than so years, and is yet
unbroken.
| -Letitia Cox, who died at Bybrook,
Jamaica, in 1888. claimed and brought evil
dence to prove that she was l60 years old at
| the time of her death.
Bangor had only about four weeks Of
| sleighing this winter, and the streets are
bare now. In former years the sleighing
season averaged 100 days in length.
"A woman who lives at Concord, N O.,
the other night dreamed that she saw her
next day, it is related, her dream came true.
"A curious relic of old Roman life found
recently at Lanurium (Porto Portese) and
now stored in the British Museum, is a thin
| slab of stone that was anciently circus
poster.
The nebula in Orion is fine telescopio
object now. The great black space in this
nebula Is known among unpoetic star-gazers
as the "coal-hole.' No star has ever been de-
tected in this "hole in the universe"
I'm its wild state the elephant feeds
heartily, but wastefully. 1t is careful in
selecting the few forest trees which it likes
for their bark or foliage. But 1t will tear
down branches and leave half of them un-
touched. 1t will strip of the bark from
other trees and throw away large portion
The savages of the Amazon region fed
the common green parrot for generations
| with the fat of certain fishes, thus causing
it to become beautifully variegated with red
and yellow feathers. In like manner the
natives of the Malay Archipelago by pro-
cess of feeding changed the talkatfve Lory
into the gorgeous King Lory.
1t is said that engravers in Germany
harden their tools in sealing wax. The tool
| is heated to whiteness and plunged into the
! wax, Withdrawn after an instant, and
until the steel is too cold to enter the wax.
The steel is said to become after this process
almost as hard as the diamond.
There is a curious thing about the
long, narrow lakes that border the Missouri
river" said r. C. Schultz, of Omaha, at the
Lindell. There is but one such lake of any
size on the west side of the river from
Omaha to st. Louis. while there are hum
dreds of them on the east side. This seems
to indicate that the bed of the river is grad
ually moving toward the west leaving lakes
at intervals to fill the old channel.
The Russian naval estimates for 1892
amount to 17,ss2, ,233 roubles, or 2,99l, ,96I
roubles more than last year, which sum is to
be spent upon the building of new ships.
By order of the Gear q large ironclad
cruiser, of the same type as the RuricK,
of 10, 1923 tons and 50o0 horsepower, is to be
put upon the stocks at St. Petersburg this
spring, in addition to three ironclads OF
II, 900 tons and several iron clad coast ves-
sells of from 1000 to 5000 tons.
The pressure that can be produced by
electrolytic generation OF gas in closed
space has recently been tested by French
scientist The highest pressure heretofore
realized was $50 pounds to the square inch.
In this instance the pressure obtained was
when the manometer cracked without any
explosion. The liquid used was 25 per cent
solution of soda. The electrodes were of
iron, and tine current ~ amperes.
1t is said that at the reception given by
Mrs. Potter Palmer to the Ito Congressman,
even Western etiquette was shocked at the
ITO representatives each brought his wife
and children, and the wife of the "Honora-
BILE member from Texas" came In linen
duster and put her child to sleep in the IL
brary at 10 o'clock. Another offspring OF
this same Texan family amused herself by
skating on the mosaic floor of the drawing
room!
With the exception of Irving carpet
of delicate maidenhair, which attains q
height of from five to six feet, and of ropes
of creeper ferns which swing from tree to
tree like fairies in the castle of giant, the
foyDt of Australia is altogether bare Of un-
defgrowth. In the woods of recent growth,
however, vegetation is more luxuriant. The
long tendrils OF the clematis and rata con-
meet trunk with trunk in garlands of white
and scarlet bloom, and ut their base -four
fshes an infinite variety OF ferns. while here
and there a graceful tree-fern rears its sill
very-lined crown.
Galapagos tortoises are the only sur.
vivors of an ancient race of huge turtles
which lived so long ago as the early part Of
the Tertiary epoch. Specimens weighing
from 800 to 700 pounds have been captured,
and there is authentic record of one indi-
vidual taken which tipped the scales at $40
pounds. However, nearly all of the very big
ones have been caught and devoured, and is
will not be long before the race is exter-
minated-literally "eaten of the face of the
earth by gluttonous man." 1t is reckoned
that 10 900 900 of these turtles have been
taken from the islands since their discovery.
An American missionary writes from
the Yangtse river that he tried in November
last to buy land on which to build houses
for the accommodation of party OF mis-
sionaries who were coming up the river. He
thought he had secured the land. All ar.
rangements had been made except the sign
ing of the deed. Then the man who was
selling the property heard report that the
missionaries ate children. That ugly news
frightened the poor man and he declined to
sign she papers. The missionary hoped the
mans fright would subside, but ut last ac-
counts he had not yet succeeded in buying
the property.
There are many mysterious things
about beetles. Those of Brazil are famed
for their brilliant metallic hues, yet no one
has been able to find out what makes these
colors. Some are of gold, others of silver.
vet others of blue enamel seemingly, and so
on through an endless variety of tints. One
variety is called the diamond BEETLE" be-
cause It is covered with minute points which
reflect the light. Their use for jewelry is IA
miliar They are employed for trimming
dresses, and sometimes a particularly fine
one is kept alive and allowed to wander over
the corsage of the wearer, attached by o
slender chain.
PICKINGS FROM PUCK.
edo thew sing a Recessional at your