St. Paul daily globe., 1892-06-18
ODD BITS OF INFORMATION.

Scientists estimate that every year a
layer equal to fourteen feet deep Of the
surface of all oceans and other bodies of
water is taken up into the atmosphere
as yapor.
A ray Of light which would travel
around the earth in about One-eightl of
a second, takes more than four hours to
come from Neptune. For Alpha Cen
tauri, the nearest fixed star, light makes
the journey in FIVE and half years.
The most beautiful crabs in the world
are procured in the neighbOrhoOd of the
Farallone islands, off the Pacific coast.
They are called red rock crabs" and
specimens sometimes sell in the markets
of San Francisco for from S. to $40 each.
merely for curiositleS.
The Crystal palace in London covers
an area of 603.672 square feet. is 1,60S
feet long by 3S4 feet wide; height 147
feet, and including the grounds, it
covers 2S9 acres of land. The glass used
weighed 500 tons, had an area of twenty
five acres, and if the panes were laid
singly end to end they would extend to
the enormous length of 243 miles.
A novel invention is bran packer for
the use of milIerS who do large export
business and to whom economy of space
is desirable. The apparatus consists of
All augur working in the funnel that
fills the bag. 1t constantly reyolves, at
the same time having an up and down
motion. On the down stroke it forces
the bran into the sack, packing it SOL
idly at the same time.
In ancient times Roman merchants
advertised by criers. who announced the
time, place and condition of sales. The
crier was often man Of wit and humOr,
who first gathered crowd and enter
tanned them, and then passed from
pleasure to business. Papyrus leaves
of ancient Egyptians advertisements
5000 years old have been excayated, and
are now the property OF the British
museum.
There are several instances on record
of the complete destruction Of whole
regiments in one battle. On Sept 8,
1872, Napoleon's Fifty-third regiment
perlshed to man in storming over the
Roman positions. On Jan. 6, 1912, only
siyty-five out of 14,500 British soldiers
emerged alive at battle fought near
Jagdulluek. In November, 1883, the
whole army of Hicks Pasha. II 900 strong,
was cut to pieces near the Fifth cataract
of the River Nile. -
Martinot, French doctor, asserts
that an unfailing test of death may be-
made by producing blister on the hand
or foot of the body by holding the flame,
of candle to the same for ii few sec
Onds, or until the blister is formed.
which will always occur. If the blister
contains any fluid it is evidence of life,
and the blister only that produced byran
ordinary burn; if, on the contrary the
blister contains only steam, it may be
asserted that life is extinct. The test IS
as simple as the proof is conclusive.
Dry blister: death. Liquid blister: :,life.
Any one may try it; there is no error
possible. di 3J.
The workings of the human heart
have been computed by a celebrated
physioIogist, and he has demonstrated
that it is equal to tie lifting of 100 tons
in twenty-tOur hours. PresuniBg that
tile blood is thrown out of the heart at
each pulsation III the proportion of
sixty-hine strokes per minute, and at
the assumed force of nine feet, the
mileage of the blood through the body
might be taken at 2O7 yards per minute,
z miles per hour, 16S miles per day, 6i,
320 miles per year, or 5, l50, $50 miles i'll
a lifetime of 81 years. In the same
period of time the heart must beat
1859, ,776, 900 times.