The Portland daily press., 1893-12-28
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.

Major M. p. Turner of the Florida
Fruit Exchange estimates that this
years orange crop will be between 4, 600,
900 and 100000 boxes The gross re-
ceipts on this years. crop to the growers,
if calculated on an estimate of 4, 900, 600
boxes, will be about 81, 900, coo, while the
shares of the railroad and steamship lines
will be fully 81, 400, 900. According to sta
tistics the Florida orange crop just
about doubles that of California. The
Florida product is increasing in guam
tity every year more rapidly than that of
California, This year exceeds that of
last by a million boxes, if not,more.
= Few collectors in the United States are
aware of the wealth of China in all sorts
of oddities and curios. There is an army
of connoisseurs among the rich Mono
golians, but they display little or no en-
ergy in accommodating art treasures. If
they see something that strikes their
fancy and they are satisfied with the
price, they take it without a murmur.
II it be 10 cents beyond what they regard
as fair limit, they walk off in high
dugeon.
The present year is the most unproduc-
tive in the history of the menhaden oil
trade. Last year the production of oil
dropped off 80 per cent from the average,
and this year further decline of sixteen
per cent. is realized. The total produce
ton of oil this season is computed at 25,-
600 barrels, as against 3d. 600 barrels dur
ing 1892, 10000 barrels in 1891 and 80, 600
barrels in 1880. -fs 800
Prof. W. A. Rogers, of Colby University,
has received from the Smithsonian In
stiUution at Washington. an exact copy of
the original instrument with which
Tycho Brahe made the first exact astro-
nomicaI observations ever attempted.
At the request of Prof. Langley, super
intendent of the Smithsonian Institu-
ton, Prof. Rogers will Investigate the
errors of the graduated circle of the in
strument, which is three feet in diameter.
The lighthouse on the point of Gardi-
ner's Island, which is partly in Long
Island Sound between the eastern end
of Long Island and New London harbor,
is in very unsafe condition, and unless
prompt measures are taken catastrophe
may occur there. A year ago a heavy
eastern storm broke over Gardeners
Island, and pretty much covered the
point with water. 1t was found after the
storm that the foundation of the light
house and dwelling was badly under
mined
Col. T. W. Higginson's roth birthday,
next Saturday, is to be colnmemorated
in several pleasing ways, with presents
and ceremonies. He continues to be an
industrious author and orator, and has
special gift at presiding, AS at the
women's celebration OF the Boston tea
party Of 1773.
Three sisters, triplets, aged IS, were
declared insane by Bellevue, N. Y, Hos
pital physicians recently. It is most
singular that the hallucination enter
tanned by each sister is that she believes
herself the only sane one of the three.
Mrs. Mary Dwight Bowies, widow of the
famous Samuel Bowles, editor of the
Springfield Republican, died last week
at Springfield, aged S. She was grand
daughter of Gen. Henry X. Van Rens-
selaer, distinguished revolutionary
soldier.
The output of steel rails for ten years
ending with 1891 was as follows: United
States, IA, 1856, 900; Great Britain, 9,204,
600; France, 10000 600; other European
countries, 4,00O 600: total, 81, 500, 600 tons.
There was a friendly strife an ong the
hospiuable citizens of Charleston, S. c..
last week as to who should entertain
Congressman William Everett of Massa-
chusetts while he was in that city to at
tend the New England Society Forefath-
ers Day dinner, and it was settled by
the decision that he should be thesguest
Of Prof. W. II. Shaefer of the Charleston
High School, who is graduate of Har-
ward and was an inmate of Edward
Everett's family during his college days.
The neglected Governors graves in this
country are beginning to be looked after
by their Jardy successors. Another to
which attention has recently been called
is that of Thomas S. Drew, once Governo,
of Arkansas, which is in the chl1rchyard
of the little. village of Lipan, Texas. He
served half century ago having been
known among the old timers as "the
New England peddler boy Governor OF
Arkansas" and he died in 1880.
Mr.. Thomas Bailey Aldrich has confid-
ed to writer in The Critic that he may