The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-18
THINGS WORTH KNOWING.

London was the first city to use coal.
There are AZ Chinese temples in this
| country.
! The largest blast ever fired was the fam
Gus one at He'll Gate.
The Capitol at Washington will be 100
years old on September 49,
Plinius says that 400 years were spent in
building the Temple of Diana at Ephesus.
The first king to whom the title of Ma
| jesty' was applied was Louis Xl in France,
in 1863.
The Merrimac river is said to move more
machinery than any other stream in the
world.
| The tomb of Mahomet Is covered with
diamonds sapphires and rubies valued at
$1O,OOOOOO.
The first bricks made in this country
were manufactured by the Virginia set
tiers in 1912.
The largest room in the world, unbroken
by pillars is Il drill hall in st. Petersburg,
62OXl50 feet.
The largest ship in the world, u few war
vessels for coast defense excepted, is the
| Campana.
The largest cheese ever made is prob
ably that now at the Worlds fair, though
there is record of other big ones.
The largest bridge ever built is that
crossing the Firth of Forth, though the
proposed Hudson river bridge will surpass
| it,
| 1t is said that the largest piece of mica
in the world was recently taken out of
a North Carolina quarry. 1t measures 9l5
Xl6 inches.
I.,,, l.. a..
ers an area Of 5000 miles from east to west,
1000 from north to south, altogether 3,OO0,-
600 square miles.
1t takes eight minutes to travel from the
sun to the earth. Sound, travelling in the
air, would require about II years to accom-
plish the same journey.
The Victoria Railroad bridge over the
st. Lawrence at Montreal is two miles
long and one of the engineering wonders
of the world, and yet it cost only S5,OOO,-
O00
The royal labyrinth of Egypt was
walled inclosure containing II palaces,
\ each having 5000 rooms. 1t is described by
! l1erodotus, but its remains have never
been found.
Solomon's temple was l07 feet long, So
feet broad and 81 feet high Though
deemed wonder of the world, it was not
larger than many private houses of the
present time.
The largest gold nugget ever found in
Colorado weighed 13 pounds; the largest
in the United States weighed l5l pounds
and ounces largest in the world, 223
pounds and ounces
The greatest natural bridge in the world
is the Natural bridge. over Cedar creek,
in Virginia. il extends across a chasm so
feet in width and $50 in depth, at the bot
tom of which the creek flows.
The largest cask in the world is the tun
at Heidelberg; church, st. Peters, Rome;
government building, the Palais de JUS
tice at Brussels, picture gallery, the
Louvre; museum the British museum, in
London.
The best example of Cyclopean buildings
are at Baalbec There are stones in the
Baalbec walls 30 feet above the level, sew
eral of which are 60 feet long, q feet thick
and 16 broad, each stone weighing over
$500 tons, all cut, dressed and brought
from distant quarries.
Magma Charta, the great charter of Eng
lishmen's liberties, is preserved in the
British museum. Ii Is somewhat stained
by time, but King Johns seal and name
are still quite legible at the bottom of It,
BY simply rule the length of the day
and night, any time of the year, may be
ascertained by simply doubling the time Of
the suns rising which will give the length
of the night, and double the time Of set
ting will give the length of the day.