The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-12-13
MISCELLANEOUS.

.--Ya1Oo means River Or5SDeatIs, On
allusion to the malarial diseases gen.
orally prevalent along its banks.
An ostrich will never go straight to
It's nest, but always approaches 80 with
many windings and detours in order, IL
possible, to conceal the locality from
observation.
Tho natives Of the Titicaca Basin
In Peru, who inhabit q district IL, 900
feet above the sea, prepare their pofa-
toes by soaking them in water, then
freezing them, then sleeping them In
water and MASKING them to remove the
soluble matter.
The alligator never leaves fresh
water. while the crocodile frequently
travels long distances by sea. It has
been seen 1000 miles, from land, and it
is possible that these sea-going croce-
diles have given rise to sea serpent
stories,
"A country cat can always be kept
ut home by cutting off her ears, or for
a time BY clipping out the hairs in the
interior The long hairs serve to
keep out the drops Of dew that fail
from the leaves Of plants and grasses,
and when the hairs are removed the
cat will stay at home rather than claw
the water out other ears.
THE Bayards used to own Bombay
Hook Island, in Delaware Bay, place
locally famous nov as simmer re-
sort. Pctrus Bayard obtained the title
tpthe island in 1851, and latersone OF
the Bayards, who accepted the Labo-
dist teachings and became deeply i'm
nersed in religion, retired from the
world 70 this island, and lived out his
days in a solitude it no longer affords.
THE 1Trans-Siberian railway, which
is to be the longest in the world, has
now: been opened as far rs Omsk, and
one may go there from st. Petersburg,
Q, 200 miles, in less than five days. The
difficulties encountered have been prodi-
gions; and in draining a bog OF sixty
miles wide engineers and men had to
live. in huts built on piles and accessible
only in boats. Four thousand masks
were bought to keep off the venomous
u.
mosquitoes IA
! $-Gossips on the eastern shore OF Vir-
ginia still point out the spot where
Rachel Donaldson, the wife Of Andrew
Jackson, was born, "a black-eyed girl OF
reputed Indian ancestry. Jackson mar
ried her two years before she was di-
vorced from hes first husband, Lewis
Robardo. a loutish fellow who was
presented to Jackson at Cumberland,
Md, asked him q question about his
marriage, and was almost transfxed
with the gaze that Jackson turned.
upon him as the old soldier said: you
are a very brave man, sir; very
brave man."
Down in eastern Long Island the
people rarely fish with beef forcrabs,
as is done in other parts Of the country.
They spear them, as rule, and when
they want an evenings profitable sport
they ''jack" for them, after the fashion
of deer hunters. With a bright light
over the bow of rowboat they can
see the crabs clearly. and approach as
near to them as may be wished, the
crabs giving no heed, although in the
daytime it is difficult to get within
striking distance of them. A hundred
were recently taken in Peconic bay by
lacking party in one evening.
The sacred cattle of India take
more readily to American ways than do
the people of that land, according to
the caretakers of the national quaran-
tine for cattle at Garfield, n. j., where
there is small herd of the animals,
imported for Oliver II. p. Belmont.
Said one of these men: "AIr Belmont
sent over for the cattle some of the ma
tive feed 1t is a grain or berry which
when ground up resembles ground chic
ory. The cattle Sate it gil right, but
after a, few days here they became
sickly. The superintendent gave them
some Yankee feed, on which they inn
,nediately began to thrive, and now
they won't touch the feed sent over
with Them"
One of the first military incidents
connected with the American flag oc
Cured on August 2, TIT, when Lieut.
Bird and Lieut.. Brant invested Fort
Stanwix of Schuyler, commanded by
Col Peter Gansevoort. There was no
flag in the garrison when the enemy
appeared, bnt pride, patriotism and in
genuity soon avercame the matter
The design for the flag just adopted by
congress was known, and a flag was
quickly made. Sheets were cut up for
the stars and the white stripes. the red
was supplied from bits of scarlet cloth
collected from the soldiers, while the
blue was obtained from a Dutch cloak
belonging to Col. Abraham Swartout,
of Duchess county. The siege was
raised August 90, but what became OF
the i,nproyised flag is not known
The advance of a wave of cold
,weathcr has set the commercial travel
aingsmen to searching for their monkey
ssyrenches, with which they overcome
the efforts of country landlords at ex-
cessive economy in the matter of steam.
Hotel keepers in the smaller cities set
the valves of the steam radiators at a
point which they think will allow suf-
ficient steam in the rooms let to tran
sient guests, and remove the wheels or
handles of the valves. To circumvent
the landlord and secure greater warmth
many drummers carry small adjustable
wrenches, with which they can turn
the valves atwill. Some of the drum.
mers also carry an extra lava tip for
the gas burner, one which will supply
sig feet. of gas an hour, with which
to replace temporarily the landlords
three-foot tip.
Tried by Adversely.
The Saunterer always liked the re-
ply Of an old darby who was unfor-