The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-04-10

q. 1875. George Stephenson was the driver.
anu the speed was not more than five miles
an hour.
Australia will send TO the worlds fair
probably the biggest astronomical clock
ever made. It will be forty feet high and
twenty-five feet square. and Is to he bulls
of colonial cedar
1t is interesting to learn that the whole
OF the magnificent brocades. velvets and
silks for the costumes in the Lyceum YER
sion of Henry VIII were woven in English
looms by English workmen.
The original manuscript of the Book Of
Mormon Is now In one of the banks at
Richmond. Raw county, Missouri. in custo-
dy of j. ID. Whitmer. straight and ap-
parent non- poly gamous Mormon.
Mr.. Potter. a visitor to Dade City, seven
ty-iour years OF age. IS one OF eleven living
brothers. Not single death has occurred
In the family for sIxty-fve years. Mr.. Pot
ter resides at Bowling Green. Ky.
Umbrellas are rarely used in Alden,
Arabia. Ram has fallen there only twice
IN twenty-niDe years. Previous To the last
ram. which occurred in lsSS. there was q
period OF dry weather which lasted twenty
six years
Thistles in the pampas grow to q height
OF ten feet. and clover rises four or hive
feet Marigolds and camomiles in North
africa grow TO four or five feet. In India
the rhododcndron grows to the height OF
thirty feet
gold coin passes from one to another
2.OtO.GCO.OO0 times before the stamp or i'm
preston upon 1t becomes obiiterated by
friction. while silver coin changes be-
tween $3.50, 100000 times before IL becomes
entirely effaced.
Mr. Gladstone is the owner of the largest
lead pencil In the world. Ii is the gift OF
pencil-maker at keswick, and 10 thirty
nine inches in length. In place of the
customary rubber cap it has q gold cap. Its
distinguished owner uses il for q walking
stick.
Gold is weighed by troy weight. while
feathers are weighed by avoIrdupois; and
az the twelve ounces In pound troy con-
tains but 5. 760 grains, while the avoirdu.
pois pound contains 1000 grains. the pound
of feathers is ], 240 grains heavier than the
pound of gold.
From an ancient account book. found at
Eastport, Me-. il appears that In 1877 tobac-
CO was sold by the yard In that settlement.
The Limited purchasing power of days
wages at that period IS shown by the price
of nails-ls Dad pound. A days ordinary
wages would pay for about four pounds OF
nails
process for coating iron and steel with
zinc, at ordinary temperatures. has been
developed by the London Metallurgical
Company. by this process the tendency
of iron and zinc to form an alloy. and
the reduction of the temper In steel. due
to be avoided.
Some authorities insist that the great toe
ought to project furthest others that IL
should not project quite so far as the sec
ond toe. while others. again. maintain that
the two should be of equal length. Ii is
well known that in antique statues the
second toe is usually the longer of the two,
while the first Is longer in living men.
The Crystal palace IN London covers an
area of Cos, 072 square feet, is 1.G0S feet long
by 3S4 feet wide. heiGhth 1s7 feet. and, IN
Guiding 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.
Leuwenhoek has computed that 10000
threads of the web of q fuil-grown spider
are not larger than a single hair of q mans
beard. He calculates that when young
spiders begin to spin 400 of their threads are
not larger than one from full-siZed insect.
If this be fact 100000 webs of a young
spider are not as large as q single hair from
mans face.