Evening star., 1893-10-28

| stone), the finest cave (the Mammoth), the
greatest waterfall CNiagara) and the only
natural bridge Gin Virginia) are all to be
found within the borders Of the United
| states, and here the biggest fortunes are
made, the most energetic commercial enter
prises undertaken, the largest deals are ef-
fected. and the most wonderful inventions
are perfected while the country produces a
| greater amount Of raw material than any
other. 1t Is interesting. however, to note
where the champion examples of natural
wonders and mechanical skill exist and in
the list It will be found that America can
claim many Of these.
Patronage OF Art and Science.
| Young as she Is her generous patronage
OF all arts and sciences can be compared
| with great credit to other countries. Musi-
cians artists and other celebrities ION the
road in America find such financial sue
cess awaiting them that they regard II as
play ground Of delight, and her support to
science Is Just as open-handed. Two ia
nous work houses for scientific purposes are
| also here: the Lick Observatory ON Mt
Hamilton, California. containing the largest
| telescope IN the world, with its lens of thir-
| ty-sfx inches and focal length Of fifty-six
| feet and the laboratory Of Thomas A. Edi-
son at Orange, N. j.. which was completed
| IN 1857, and Ia the largest private laboratory
IN the world. 1t consists Of five buildings,
In which experiments can be made with
speed and precision. In the store room,
| which contains shelves and drawers with
out number, every known article may be
hao from soapstone pencils to lima beans
ana sheep's wool Not only are there jars
ana jugs and bottles and cans Of molasses
| coal oil. quicksilver. &C., but every grade of
| every known material in animal, vegetable
and mineral kingdoms. Men are kept ex-
plor1ng foreign countries, distant forests
and burning plains to find the desired rare
specimen. The man In charge has a mental
index OF this great provision bureau, which
\ Is stocked with sufficient material to supply
hve years experimentation, and days may
| go by without his doing anything whatever
When Mr.. Edison is at work and needs a
| beet root or a candle end or a whip top or
some chemical compound with a Latin title
| ne writes everything down on a list and
sends 1t to the warehouse, and the order is
| fulfilled at the shortest notice.
The largest farm in the world Is situated
| In Louisiana. owned by a northern syndi-
which are threaded by its private railroads
and steamships and telegraph lines.
The longest telephone line is between Chi
cago and New York. while the longest tele-
graph span 5000 feet) is across the Kistnah
| river in India.
In What China Excels.
China owns the longest canal In the world
| which may be traced to a distance Of 1000
miles. The longest wall is also here ex-
| tending 1,250 miles, and the longest stone
bridge near Sangang. known as the Lion
Bridge" This continues for five miles over
an area Of the Yellow sea and is supported
| by three hundred huge stone arches. The
| roadway is seventy feet above the water
and is inclosed in an iron network. A
| marble lion twenty feet long rests on the
crown of each pillar.
Fine as this is. 1t hardly seems so won
derful as the Brooklyn bridge, which is
the longest suspension bridge In existence
being $3.50 feet. and looking from a dis
tance like a piece Of delicate lace held In mid
air. The longest iron bridge Is over Lake
| Ponchartrain in New Orleans. being twenty
two miles, though the highest Is at Garabil,
France. 4l3 feet In the air: the longest SPAN
cantilever over the Indus in India: and the
quickest ever built at Tyrone, Ireland be-
Ing 74-feet span made in eight days.
The longest tunnel Is at Chemnitz in Aus
tria. and the deepest artesian well ever
hored Is at Pesth in Hungary. $40 feet be-
low the surface of the earth, where the
Fahr
The largest fortress is Fortress Monroe,
Va, though the rocky Gibraltar Is strong
er than any other in the world
The Czar of Russia Possesses an estate
OF hundred million acres, which fact pro-
nounces him the greatest land owner Of
all countries; the largest land owner of
Great Britain is the Duke of Sunderland,
who owns 1,35S.OO0 acres, and the costliest
mansion was built by the Marquis of Butte,
who expended more than 5000 900 upon it,
The largest deer park. an area of 1900
acres is in Copenhagen. and in this city is
preserved the heaviest aerolite which fell
in Greenland in 1870. Its weight is 1900
pounds. India owns the largest heather
temples, and Rome the largest church St
Peters, which can seat "a, 200 people The
| tallest tenement is in New York, which
every one knows as the swell Osborne"
which is fourteen stories high.
The Tailect Monument.
The tallest monument is the Washington
I zIoI
lith is in Karnak, Egypt, being los feet.
The highest chimney. 474 feet, is in Glas-
gov. The largest aoueduct in use is the
Croton of New York. which is thirty-eight
miles long. but the longest ever built is In
Peru, $50 miles.
The deepest coal mine is near Lambert
Belgium, S,4SG feet: the biggest dock in Car
diff. Wales. and the strongest electric light
| at the Sydney lighthouse Australia. which
is of 1900 candle power. while the largest
lighthouse is at Cape Henry, Va, les feet
high and eight feet thick. The largest bank
is the Bank Of England, in London; the
| oldest college in oxford, founded in 1850: the
largest library, the National, in Paris. be-
ing 100000 volumes; the largest theater.
the Paris Opera House covering three acres:
1,1Oo tons, in st. Petersburg: the largest
stone statue in Japan. A feet high: the
| largest railroad station, ST. Pancras Lon
don. and the largest college in Cairo. with
| 10000 Mohomedan students and 300 teach
erS.
Damascus has the honor of being the old
est of all cities.
The most costly book In the world Is a
| Hebrew Bible, owned by the German gov
ernment which a few years ago refused
the pope's offer of $l25,OO for it; the great
est price paid for a modern painting was
| for Nfillet's 'Angelus.'' which fetched sl1O.-
900, bought by an American; the most costly
medicine is metallic gallum, which sells
| for 800 900 a pound. and a man would have
| to be very i'll before sending for prescrip-
| ton that bore its magic formula.
Though orchids frequently bring prices
that make the poor man Stagger the highest
| recorded price for a single flower was given
| for tulip in Amsterdam by an enthusiast,
| who paid $250,0O0 for 1t. The Hon. Joseph
Chamberlain always wears a rare orchid in
his buttonhole, sometimes to the value Of
5000.
| The Rothchilds smoke the most costly
cigars that are made-the Henry Clay
| Sobranos." which cost $3.50. These are
wrapped in gold leaf and packed in little
| inlaid cedar wood cabinets. These million
| aire princes buy three cabinets at a time
containing 1900 cigars. 10000 Havanas. and
| one kind made originally for Marshal Prim
| as a present for Napoleon III. at cost Of
| 30 900 francs. Each cigar was tipped with
gold at each end and stamped with the I'M
perial in gold. BY way of acknowledging
| the gift Napoleon sent him a pair of mag
| nificent Sevres vases.
Some Expensive Costumes.
The most expensive dress that has been
worn for MANY q day WAS one lately MR.