St. Landry democrat., 1892-08-27
OLA PODRIDA.

OFFrSfAT, SIANG.-Ottlclal sang ana
political slang have tendency to use the
fewcst number Of words to express an
idea and the fewest number of syllabtes
to make the word There is the use OF
the word "madc' instead of promoted,
''brokc" instead Of dismissed from the
service. "got at to mean that some one
has been successfully induced to do
something, ''pull'' to signify influence,
favoritism and official Friendships;
'pulled" to sum up what happens when
a squad of policemen make number OF
prisoners at once from the same place;
''fell down" to show that there has been
a final failure in what was undertaken.
''done up in the sense Of the demolition
and crushing of some one. These are
few samples. A little thought will en-
able any one to add a number of others.
They show the tendency of one class of
public slang to brcvity and sententlous-
ness.
WooD THAT SINKS IN WATER
There are 413 species of trees found
within the limit of the United States. OF
these, sixteen, when perfectly seasoned,
are so heavy that they sink in water. The
heaviest is the black iron wood (Conda-
liza ferrea), found only in Southern Flori-
da, which is more than 80 per cent.
heavier than water OF the other tlt-
teen. the best knownis the Lignum vitae
(Guaiacum sanctum), and the Mangrove
(Rhizpora mangle). Texas and New
Mexico, lands full of queer creeping
crawling, walking and inanimate things,
are the homes of species Of oak (Quer-
Gus grisea), which is about one and one
quarter times heavier than water and
which, when green, will sink as quickly
as bar of iron. 1t grows only in noun
tain regions, and has been found AS far
westward as the Colorado Desert, where
it grows at an elevation of 10, 600. All
the species heavier than water belong in
Florida or the arid South and Southwest.
CAPACITY OF THE EYE.-ThG capacity
of the human eye for special training
would appear to be even greater than
that of the hand A young woman en-
ployed in Burrelle's Bureau of Press
Clippings tells us of wonderful faculty
she has acquired, which enables her to
see certain names and subjects at glance
at the page of a newspaper. They are
the names and subjects she is paid to
look up through hundreds of newspapers
every day. What the ordinary reader
would have read column after column to
finland then might miss--she sees at
what seems the mcrc2t casual glance at
the sheet as soon as it is spread cut be-
fore her. "They stand right out,' she
i
printed in bold black type and all the
rest was small print. couldn't help see
ing them if | wanted to. When | begin
to look up ew matter and drop an old
one it bothers q, C a littlc-the latter by
being in my mental way all the time and
the former to be hunted-but in a few
days one disappears and the other APP
pears in some mysterious way. Ican'ttell
how. ! used to think bank cashiers and
clerks were remarkable set of people,
but I low find that the eye is much
quicker than the hand, and is susceptible
of higher training"
A LAKE OF Bo1LING WATER.-Thcre
is lake of boiling water in the Island
of Dominica, lying in the mountains be
hind Roseau, and in the valleys surround
ing it are many sofataras, or volcanic
sulphur vents In fact, the boiling lake
is little better than a crater filled with
scalding water, constantly fed by noun
tain streams and through which pent-up
gases find vent and are elected. The
temperature of the water on the margins
of the lake ranges from $50 to 210 de-
grces Fahrenheit; in the middle, exactly
over the gas vents, it is more than 800
degrees.
Where this action takes place the water
rises two. three, and sometimes as high
as four feet above the general level of the
lake, the cone often dividing 50 that the
oriices through which the gas escapes
are legions in number. The commotion
over the gas jets causes a violent disturb
ance of the lake, great waves of the
boiling water continually lashing the
shores, and though the cones appear to
be the special vents, sulphurous vapors
rise with equal density over its entire
surface. Contrary to what one would
naturally suppose, there seems to be no
violent action of escaping gases, such as
explosions and dctOnatiOns.
The water is of dark gray color, and,
having been boiled over and over for
thousands of years, has become thick
and Shiny with sulphur. "The Boiling
Lake of Dominica' is justly rcckoncd as
one of the greatest natural wonders of
the world and is yearly visited by thou
sands of sightsccrs.