Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-02
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.


Ships were not copper-bottomed unth
1888
The Mayor of Lancaster, Pa, has Ma
deira wine in his cellar. Of the vintage Of
1898.
The Church of the Pilgrims in Brook
lyn has piece Of the Plymouth rock in its
wall.
On careful calculation it is now settled
that two rabbits in ten years viii multiply
to 70, 100000.
The bagpipe, the favorite Scotch and
italian instrument, was invented by the
Greeks in 200 B. c.
Window glass was used in Italy in the
churches in the eleventh century ana In En-
glish houses in 1857.
Among the South Sea Islanders black
and white striped goods are even now worn
as sign of mourning.
Over $4,000 tons of cottonseed oil are
consumed annually. Not many years ago
cottonseed was thrown away.
The dry land of the globe equals 55-
10000 square miles. and the area OF the
ocean 1S7. 200, 900 square miles.
There are no great woolen factories in
Egypt, but looms are scattered In small
numbers over the whole country.
"A child just born has, on account Of
the softness of its system, less chance Of
living year than an octogenarian.
For the first time the Russian soldiers
are to be furnished with handkerchiefs this
year at the Governments expense.
Mrs. Lucy Jerrell, of Edinburg, Ind, is
SO years old. She has just finished a quilt
which contains 5,69S pieces of cloth.
Rubber heels for marching have been
introduced by French army surgeon. The
infantry have tried them with good results.
The Mullers seem to be the Smiths of
Germany. as there were 629,9 of them at the
last census-or one in every 70 of the popu-
lation.
"A Pennsylvania inventor has devised
pair of eyeglasses with mirror mounted SO
as to reflect objects in the rear of the
wearer.
The first carpets made in Europe were
manufactured in France, in 1854. in imita-
tion of some which had been brought from
Turkey.
The first newspaper in the modern sense
was issued monthly at Venice in 1886; the
first English newspaper was published in
1872; the first American in h04.
-Bibliomaniacs are usually men. Women
have rage for collecting old china, old
lace, FANS miniatures and the rest, but not
often rare and curious books.
Fifty thousand rare trees have been
ordered by the Empress of Au stria to be
planted around the statue OF Heine, to be
erected on her property at Corfu
"A colored man who went over to Ger
many from Boston and got naturalized 10
now reported to be on the roll of pensioners
OF the State insurance for THE aged
In the tactics formerly in use in the
| Italian army there was an order "Look
| ferce!" and when it was given the men all
/ put on an air of implacahle ferocity.
| "A curious judgment has been rendered
| in a st. Louis court to the effect that ali-
| mony in divorce case could not be coll
| lected from a man who was on strike.
| "A lame man while hobbling along on
| crutches in Hartford, Conn.,, the other morn
| ing, was asked by an acquaintance if he
| didn't want to buy a ticket for a dance?"
| -"Elocute,' ''orate," "enthuse," "anl
INVERSE" "philanthrop" and "revolu te" arts
| some of the newspaper verbs now apparent
! ly fully adopted into the American LAM
| guage.
| The Oldest capital in the United STATED
is Santa Fe, which was the seat of Eovern|
| ment in New Mexico as far back as 1870 and
| yet it's population is only 6, ,lS5, according I'd
| Porter's census.
"A tall pyramid of granite is to be the
body of the monument which the colored
| people intend to erect in Springfield, ILL.,, to
| che memory OF the men OF their race VINO
died in the army.
| The sweets of power must be more of
| IN attraction than, the spoils Of office in
| some places in Missouri. The Mayor Of
| Sweet Springs, in that State, receives .
salary OF $50 year.
The Lieutenant Governor of Bengal
| stated recently at q religious reunion in
India that the number of Christians in his
| jurisdiction had increased in the last ten
years from 122, 600 to $4,000.
| Newfoundland exhibits has originality
| in its stamp designs 1t has on various issues
| a seal, a Goldfish, Newfoundland gog's head.
| Her Majesty in a widows cap, the Prince of
| Wales in uniform, and a whaler in full sail.
| The costIiest meal ever served as far as
| history shows was a supper given by Aelius
| Verus, one of the most lavish of all Romans
| OF the latter day, to dozen guests The
| cost OF this supper was 5000 sestertia, which
| would amount to s4S. 500 or nearly s25O,OOO.
The difference between the so-called
chemical" focus and the visual focus of q
| telescope may De little or it may be half an
| inch. In either case the photographed i'm
| age will be decidedly out OF focus If allow
| ance for this difference be not carefully
| made.
| The rate of progression of a storm ID
often so miles an hour, and series has often
been traced in u direct line from North to
| South distance of AGO miles. The average
| altitude of thunder storms has been found
| to be not over 500 feet above the surface OF
/ the earth.
"A careful examination of the cata-
| logues of English dealers in games shows
| that the popular games in England are in
every way identical with those In the
| United States and not single game could
be found in any of them that 1s not "
known and current here.
Some interesting Byron relics
| sold in London next month IT,
| a small silver travelling inksta
with the initial "B" and coron>
| four snuff boxes, the poets patcl
| silver pipe that was once Napolt
Robert Burns tobacco box.
| Among the Slovaks of North Hungary
| the coffin OF o young girl is red. In Spain the
poorer class use no collins. A mule with the
| dead body thrown across 1t, or often two
| corpses, may be frequently met on the way
| to burial, and. though to US such funeral
| seems insulting to the departed, the natives
reverently uncover their heads as it passes.
If IL persons were to agree to dine to-
| gether every day, but never sit exactly in
| the same order round the table, 1t would
| take them IL, O00, 900 years at the rate of one
| dinner q day, and they would have to eat
mora than 47O, 900 900 dinners before they
| could get through all the possible arrange
ments in which they could place them
| selves.
POETICAI AND PIOUANT