Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-20
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

New York has Is national banks
Socks are darned free at some Indian
apolis furnishing stores.
Two hundred Swedes were naturalized
at Rockford, Ill, on Friday.
Utah lays claim to mine Of natural
shoe -olacking, in Rush Valley, Utah Terri.
tory.
in 1841 each individual con sumed 3
ounces of tobacco; in 1891 he consumed2s 70
ounces.
There is an apple tree in Hebron, Conn,
125 years old that still bears an annual crop
OF fruit.
"A recently married Kansas coupls
spent their honeymoon in the depths OF an
old coal mine.
The dorking fowl is the only living
bird that, in the adult condition, possesses
five-toed foot.
The first American flag was unfurled
at the camp of the Colonial troops, In Cam
bridge, Mass, on January j, l776-
In the reign of Henry Will It was en-
acted that no person should keep above 1000
sheep nor hold more than two farms.
1t is one of the peculiar customs Of the
people of Mashonaland that when twin
drowned.
"A rhinoceros has been in the London
Zoo for 2S years. This is stated to be the
longest time an animal of this kind has lived
in captivity in London.
The Norman-English ladies' dressed
their hair in two long plaits, and, when na-
ture was not liberal, heightened the plaits
with braids of wool, tow or horse hair.
In 1840 Europe produced four times as
much grain as this country; in 1887, a normal
year, the United States produced nearly
half as much grain as the whole OF Europe.
News has been received at Liverpool Of
che arrival at Sierra Leone, West Africa, of
a remarkable specimen of the ostrich tribe.
1t is ten feet high and came from Central
Africa.
One of the most interesting exhibitions
in connection with the recent Orientalist
Congress in London is collection of tools
used by workmen in building the pyramids
of Egypt.
1t is pointed out by scientist that the
worlds most precious gems are composed Of
the commonest substances, the diamond, for
instance, being pure carbon-that Is to say,
charcoal devoid of impurities.
The first ice cream venders in England
were Neapolitan peasantry of the poorest
type, but the vendors now come fro IN all
parts OF Italy, many being natives of the
most remote country districts.
"A steamer which lately arrived at New
York had d curious passenger on board, in
the shape of Nova Scotian eagle, which
had lighted on one OF the vessels yards
about leo miles southeast of Nantucket
Shoals.
Among the smallest products of mans
constructive talent must now be numbered
q teakettle which has been hammered by an
ingenious foreign metal worker out of q
small copper coin little larger than q
copper cent.
-Gutta percha was first introduced into
Europe from Malaga in 1872. The annual
consumption now amounts TO 100000
pounds, and the East Indian trees which
supply the demand are diminishing at an
alarming rate.
The leading theologians of the world,
who have been figuring from scriptural and
other data for some time have come to the
conclusion that Christ was cruciied shortly
q ter O'Clock on the morning of Friday,
April 10. A. ID. go
Two thousand daily and weekly jour-
nails are printed in Paris. This is only a lit
tie more than II third less than those printed
in the provinces. They are represented by
8, ls0, Algeria by 123, ana the other French
possessions by 48.
About 1889 enormous head dresses came
into fashion in England, France and Italy.
They had horns standing out from the head
sometimes more than two feet, and from
these a veil depended which foated down
the back of the wearer.
The report of the Flower Girls Mission
states that the trade in cut flowers in Lor
don amounts to $1,000 n day. Although th.
in ncludes the profits of the florists. q lar
amount of this sum still remains to be a.
counted for by the earnings of the flower
girls .--...-.-. ..-----..
The increase of silk manufacture since
1880 has been liz 10 per cent in the value Of
its product cotton manufacture rankh
second, being 1851 per cent, that of wo
ma facture being 26 80 per cent The ave
age increase in the entire textile industl
is 3S. 81 per cent.
An electric recorder for registering the
the output of ore has been installed on the
pithead of q Belgian lead mine. Each load
OF ore delivered at the top of the shaft actu.
ates an electromagnetic mechanism. and
marks red line on sheet or paper moved
by q revolving barrel
When Madame Blavatsky died it was
decided by her chief followers that her
ashes should be divided into three parts,
one part to go to America, another TO India,
and third TO remain in England. The dl
vision was accordingly made, and the ashes
are now in the three countries.
Within less than q dozen years the lit
srary world has lost Carlyle Qss1), George
Eliot 1ssD. Longfellow Uss2l, Emerson
Css2) Matthew Arnold (lssS), Browning
(lSSS) Kinglake (lS9l), Lowell tls9l), Walt
W hitman 1S92), George William Curtis
(1ss2). Whittier CSs2), and Tennyson (lss2).
The restaurant keepers of Vienna have
been in the habit of selling the fancy bread
If that town on commission. Instead OF
,uying it from the bakers they have sold it