Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-07-12
on GENERAL lNrEREsr.

OF GENERAL INTEREST.
The average number of persons to
a family in this country has steadily
decreased since 1850. At that census
there were 5.55 persons to each family;
now there are 4.93. The greatest de-
crease has been in Maine, from ga to
40.
The New York agents of special
British edition of the Bible gravely
cautions possible purchasers to beware
of limitations, from which it may be con-
cluded- that somebody has been wicked
enough to counterfeit that particular
edition of the Bible by way of a bust
ness venture
Berlin claims the European record
for quickness in turning out the fire
brigade. At test the other day the
company tested was out of quarters.
fully equipped for the fire, twenty-five
seconds after the alarm was turned in.
Amsterdam has hitherto claimed to
hold the record on twenty-six seconds.
Recent experiments by Mr.. Kunz
prove that the diamond emits light
when rubbed on wood, cloth, or metal.
The fact that it becomes luminous by
rubbing on metal shows that the phe-
nomenon is not electric. AS imitation
diamonds and other hard stones do not
exhibit this phenomenon, the property
will be valuable as an easy test OF the
genuineness of the diamond.
Palmer Cox's Brownies have proved
uncommon1y popular creations Not
only have the Brownies been repre-
sented upon the stage with much sue
cess, but at length a manufacturing
jeweler has bought of Mr.: Cox the ex-
elusive right to reproduce the Brown
les in metal, and there are now little
Brownie scarfpins at absurdly high
prices to adorn the garments of the
rich.
i'm Missouri and Kansas the foreign
element, or its immediate descendants,
comprises over fourth OF the popula-
ton; in Ohio, little over a third; in
Iowa and Nebraska between third
and half; in Illinois, Michigan, Wis
consin. Minnesota, North Dakota and
South Dakota, the persons of foreign
birth, or their descendants of the first
generation, outnumber the native pop
ulation.
The eyes of the deep-sea fish are
very varied; some have neither eyes
nor sight; others have greatly en-
larged eyeballs, so as to catch the least
glimpse of light. Their eyes tend
either to disappear or to be unusually
efficient; but since no trace of sun
light can penetrate to any great
depth, and it is probably quite dark
beyond depth of some two hundred
fathoms, of what use can eyes be?
-Tenement-house owners in New
York are not infrequently canny and
thrifty men who have but lately
ceased to be busted in much the same
occupations as their tenants. Such
men often collect their own rents
| They are well informed as to the laws
regulating tenement houses and wa
rily suspicious of strange callers about
the premises, lest they be health in
spectors or other such minions of au.
thority on the lookout for violations OF
the law.
The Electrical Review states thai
number of well known electrical mer
have formed a company to build and
operate an electric scenic theater al
Coney Island, n. Y, during the sum
mer. A handsome building, seating
four hundred people, will be erected
in choice location convenient to the
railroad station and both the iror
steamboat piers. The scenic theatel
will be similar to that exhibited by
the Western Electric Co. at the world:
fair, but will be larger and finer.
Mount Kineo, which rises pre-
cipitously seven hundred feet out o:
Moosehead lake, is wholly composed
of hornstone, and is the largest mas:
of that material in the known world
There is no true flint in the United
States, but hornstone so resembles il
that it takes an expert to tell the differ
ence. This rock supplied arrow head:
to Indians hundreds and thousands o.
miles away. According to an IndiaI
tradition, the mountain is the body o,
a monster moose that was slain by &
| giant.