Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-07
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

The King of Siam has a house built of
glass.
The wearing of green wells is said to be
injurious.
in South America there is q race of cats
to which "miaowing"i is an unlearned accom-
plishment.
The Turkish Government has forbidden
the importation of all patent medicines into
that country.
of the total working expenses of the
railways over 60 per cent goes in various
ways to the wage earners.
"A merchant has been fined S25 at Frank
fort, Germany, for using Bible quotation
to head an advertisement.
Even the beauties of old had their
blemishes. Grecian women had longer feet
than the average man has now.
If a well could be dug to the depth of
46 miles the density of the air at the bottom
would be as great as that of quicksilver.
The finest emeralds in the world, it is
said, are those which belong to the Spanish
crown, and they were all found in America.
New York has become so cosmopolitan
in recent years that more than one hundred
languages and dialects are spoken in the
city.
The tallest oak tree in Great Britain is
known as the "Duke's Walking Stick" and
is higher than the spire Of Westminster
Abbey.
According to Sappy, the famous ply
siologist, the stomach contains 100000
glands. which are constantly secreting gas
trio juice.
The longest bridge in this country is
the trest1e which crosses a portion of Lake
Pontchartrain, in louisiana. 1t IS nearly %
miles long.
The extreme life of grain of wheat is
Is years. Experiments have made it certain
that wheat cannot grow after that period
has elapsed.
1t is observed that in antique statues
the second toe is LONGER than the first. or
great toe, but in men of the present time the
re, erse is the case.
Rats ate up So, 900 in paper money be-
longing to the late Henry Warner. of Ben
ton, Pa. The money had been hidden for
safe keeping in jar in the collar.
"A turquois mine has been discovered
near the town of Ibrahim-Olga about 15
miles from Samarcand. This is said to be
the third turquoiS mine found in Central
Asia.
People have been known to wear a
potato with a hole bored through it so as to
form gigantic finger ring, as a cure for
rheumatism. while others carry a potato in
1t is not unusual for a green Italian
applying for work to seize and kiss the hand
of the hoped-for employer. The act comes
down from the feudaI days, when laborers
acknowledged fealty by kissing the masters
hand.
I'm the case of a humming-bird the sound
is caused by the beating of the wings against
the air. The hum or buzz of insects is pro-
duced by the underpart of their hard wings
scraping against the edges of their hind
legs, which arc toothed like u saw.
AN old Indian chief, La Pier, has in
his possession a remarkable souvenir. 1t is
q lasso of human hair 50 feet long, and OF va
riegased colors- A priest at one of the In
dian missions says tDat it was made from the
hair OF wives and daughters of pioneers.
The European or American, in order to
sleep well, ordinarily requires downy pill
low, but the Japanese, stretching himself
on Il rush mat on the floor. puts hard,
square block of wood under his head, and
does not sleep well If he does not have it.
Among the most remarkable spiders is
the Dolomedes, which runs over the surface
of water in pursuit OF its prey, and dives to
escape its enemies. Stranger still Is the Ar
gyroneta, which builds its house wherein it
lays its eggs, and rears its young at the bot
tom OF streams.
The Orientals who come to New York
keep up the customs of their country, to
some extent. Two poor Syrians recently
paid visit to an Effendi in his office. AS
soon as they reached the door they took OF
their shoes, salaamed and entered the office
in profound humility.
Extensive coal fields have been discov-
cred north of Ottumwa, Ia. For several
weeks past a gen tleman has been prospect
ing, and on Saturday, at the remarkably
shallow depth OF 80 feet, q five-foot vein OF
bituminous coal OF first quality was struck.
The find is of inestimable value.
"A resident of Terryville, Conn, In
drawing water from an old well the other
day found the rope entwined with water
adder three feet in length. When brought
to the surface its head was erect and it was
about strike when those near saw 1t in
time to jump back. 1t was killed.
"A society has been formed in London
under the title of the Witnesses Protection
Society, The objects of the association are
to protect witnesses from insult by counsel,
to put the matter of contempt OF court into
the hands of jury. and to raise fund TO
indemnify contumacfouS witnesses from
pecunfary loss.
There comes from Sweden news of the
construction of a locomotive steamboat. 1t
was built for use on a chain of small ,skes in
Sweden which are separated BY waterfalls,
and to get around these the steamboat has
been fitted with wheels like those of a loco
motive, and on leaving the water runs
smoothly along on the land on tracks.
Aunt Hittie Strout, of Harrington, de-,
now So years OF age is the daughter of David
Brown, who was three times married and
was the father of 25 children. The last four
of this interesting family were born at one
birth and were named Europe, Asia, Africa
and America, respectively. The quartet
died in infancy, and Aunt Hittie is the sole
survivor of the 20.
The constant recourse of American
dramatists to-day to the French stage makes
notew orthy the reminder that as recently as
1929 there was only one theatre open in
Paris the Hotel de Bourgogne, at which
Corneille was first employed. His great
play "Le Cid" was an adaptation from the
Spanish and gave rise to the proyerb, "AS
beautiful as The CID"
"A commercial traveller, at Kansas City,
recently became suddenly deaf. dumb and
blind Surgeons examined him carefully
and decided that a clot of blood had formed
on the brain. The clot was located. the man
prepared for an operation and a trephtna-
tion performed. As soon as a small button
of the skull was removed Mr.. Gflets senses
returned to him one by one, leaving him as
well as ever.
HARVESTED IN FUNNY FIELDS.