Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-26
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

The value of rolling stock in the Unite
States is 81, 500 100000.
The great Hemet dam at San Jacintc
Cal, is the largest dam in the world.
Washington has 466 sswmills with
daily cutting capacity of s.4sl,Ooo feet.
Between 1890 and 1880 3,4O0 wome
were burned in Scotland for witchcrafs.
The philosophers Stone" was a sui
stance which the ancient alchemists though
would change all baser metals to pure gold
The highest railway in the world is tn,
newAIpine road called heBrenzier Rothorr
balm. 1t is 1886 feet high at the SUNNI
and is e23 feet higher than the Pilatus rail
way.
Coral was made use of by the Roman
as protection against the evil eye, and por
hlar superstition had credited the topa.
with the power of depriving boiling waite
of its heat.
Brass wire for brushes used by silver
smiths and jewelers. can be drawn to 300
of an inch-the diameter of hai~. Tn
holes in watch jewels are from 5-l010 t.
l2-l000 of an inch.
Chloride of nitrogen is the most wonder
ful, as well as the most powerful. explosive
known. For n years, from 1911 to lSss tic
secret of the composition of this terrible ex
pioslve was mystery.
"A Japanese gentleman puts box out
side his door on New Years Day. with thi.
inscription: "To visitors-I am out. ] wisl
You happy New Year. \. B-Pleasc pc
your presents into the box"
San Diego bay is 13 miles long, with an
available anchorage of six square miles
The total area of the bay is q square miles
the rise and fall of the tide is five feet. and
the depth of water over the bar at low tide
is % feet.
Leap year has always been regarded
with awe and superstition by the people O
all countries. The peasantry of England
affirm that pease and beans grow the wront
way in their pods-thaI is, the seeds are So
contrary to the way they are in ordinar1
years
The speed of the camel when on a jour
ney OF considerable length rarely exceed.
three miles an hour, and the swiftest drome
daries are rarely known to go faster than a
ten mile gait. but this can be kept up for %
hours in the day and for six or seven days
at time,
When little Patagonian is taken with
any of the long catalogue OF infantile dis
eases, which are equally as rampant in the
wilds of the Antipodes as they are among
the embryo Presidents and milliouaires OF
the United States, "devil exterminator'' is
sent for post-haste.
The most remarkable set of spoons in
Missouri are owned in Richmond. They
were made out of Mexican dollars by a tin
ner named Kaiser, the first of his trade in
Fulton. who also made the first tin lamp in
Galloway county. The spoons after so years
or use, are in excellent preservation.
The burrows which fiddler crabs live in
are nearly or quite vertical holes FOR foot
or more in depth, after which they take
horizontal turn, each ending in chamber
where the occupant stays most of the time
when not looking about for food These
queer crustaceans are vegetable feeders.
1t is a curious fact, and one scarcely
known outside of Russia land there hardly
ever mentionod), that the famous OrIoff dia-
mond was once the right eye OF the great
idol Serringham in the Temple Of Brahna-
This precious gem was stolen at about the
beginning Of the eighteenth century by
French soldier.
Everyone knows that it is not safe to
eat many peach kernels on account of the
large percentage which they contain OF that
most deadly of poisons, prussic acid. Al
monds also contain prussc acid, but the
good kinds have been cultivated so as to
make the percentage of the poison as small
as possible and their shells as thin
may be.
The colors of flowers have been shown
by the researches of Sprengel, Fritz, Her
mann, Miller, Darwin, Lubbock and Wal
lace to be necessary Tor, rather, to have be-
come necessary for the attraction of Ger
tain species Of insects by which the pollen
may be transferred from the stamens OF on9
flower TO the pfstils of another and cross
fertilization effected.
Two kinds of boring sea snails supplied
in ancient times the most famous of all dyes,
known as Tyrian purple, which was consid-
cred too splendid to be worn by any but
kings and mobiles One pound of wool dyed
with it was worth Sl75, the process by which
it was extracted being very tedious. and six
pounds of dye liquor being required for
staining pound OF wool.
Many tribes of Indians, even at the
present day, bury their dead in hollow lo-s,
which are made to serve as coffins, instead
of putting them underground. Sometimes
trees are split for this purpose and the two
halves are followed out to receive the body
1t is known that the ancient people of Den
mark were accustomed to employ hollow
logs in like manner for mortuary purposes
Prof Bragdon, of Laselle Seminary, is
authority for these facts: Since the opening
OF the seminary in September up to date 42
Young women have gained 9 pounds or over:
8, "A each: q Is; l. 10; l. 20; % and the record
breaker has gained % pounds in a little over
iour months. The featherweight Of them
all weighs 81 pounds, the heaviest plump 1G7.
and they are the health1est set OF girls In all
New England.
"A most extraordinary guard takes up
its quarters inside the Bank OF England
every evening at O'Clock all the year round,
rcrnaining there until o'clock the next
morning Its an officers guard. and con-
sists of n drummer, two sergeants and 80
men. all well armed. Each man receives 4
shilling from the bank authorities fmmedi-
ntely upon his arrival. a sAgeant's share be-
ing two shillings. Tho officer is allowed a
supper for two and three bottles OF wine,and
is permitted to invite friend If he sees it
to 90 so.
In some of the Malay Islands, the cocoa
nut is obtained in a curious manner. An
enormous crab is found there that lives on
the fruit, climbing the trees and tearing the
nuts off, either hurlinR them down, or break
ing them by tearing of the husk and then
beating them against the rocks with It's
huge claws. The husk that the crabs take
from the fruit they carry to their holes at
the foot of the trees and make bed of it;
and, knowing this, the Malnys visit and rob
the crabs once or twice o year, using the
husks to weave into mats.
BLITHEsOME TRIFLEs.