The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-08-02
81 aeNERAL INrERssr.

IT - r n T~
The phonograph Of SIR. Koeltzow,
Of Dorlin, is said to DO very much sim
pier than the Edison photograph, and
quite as good
Norway is to adopt uniform time
! Tor the whole of that country from
January l next. The mean time will
be that at the meridian fifteen degrees
east of Greenwich. AT present nearly
every locality in Norway has its own
local time.
Russian punishments comprise COM
pulsory labor in the Siberian mines for
life or for term of years, compulsory
labor in fortresses or in factories, the
loss of rank, personal rights and priv
ileges and deportation to Siberia or
elsewhere as colonists.
Those who have tried the expert
ment affirm that large sponge hung
in the room, if it can be behind con-
venient screen and kept constantly
wet, will greatly assist in keeping the
room cold; or cloth hung in the win
dow over the blind will cool the room
as if a shower had fallen.
The craze for old furniture is a
stimulant to a questionable industry.
In the courts lately witness gave as
his occupation that of ''worm-hole
borer." Inquiry disclosed that he was
an expert at his peculiar trade, and
made good living by the slSillful way
in which he initiated worm holes in
oak furniture to give it an antique
effect.
The Heilmann locomotive VRas
tested recently on French railway.
| The locomotive drew special train
from St. Lazare terminus in Paris to
the Seine ct Disc station, distance of
thirty-three miles, performing the
journey in fifty-five minutes. The
| train was composed of five coaches and
dynamometric brake van and at GER
tain portions of the line a speed of
siXty-fve miles an hour was attained.
1t is stated that it has been decided
to use petroleum instead of coal for the
firing of the locomotives of the Riga
railway, In Russia, and that petroleum
reservoirs are to be established for this
purpose at Reval Wesenburg, Narwa,
Gatschina and st. Petersburg, capable
of containing collectively one million
! pools of petroleum. 1t is also stated
that petroleum is to be adopted on the
Dwinsk-Riga railway, but this cannot
take place for some time to come, mas
much as the coal contracts for the next
five years are already arranged.
One of the puzzling things to the
inexperienced housel1eeper is the
Technology of the greengrocer and
the market gardener. The latter sells.
by the dozen, but he always means
the dozen lunches, and his dozen is
thirteen, the bakers dozen, instead of
| twelve. AS to the bunch, its number
is uncertain. 1t may mean five of one
vegetable or three of another or seven
of third, The market gardener takes
it for granted that the customer knows
all about the bunch and the dozen, and
quotes prices without explanatory COM
ment.
In the Observation-Disclosures Echo
Signor Mastracci's process for manu-
featuring petroleum briquettes is de-
scribed. These briquettes (Which are
of the shape and size of the usual coal
dust briquettes) are made by mixing L
liter of petroleum with 10 per cent. OF
rosin, 1850 g, of pulverized soap, and
3.a @ of caustic soda This mixture Is
heated, and after ter minutes it begins
to set, and then is cast into molds and
dried. These briquettes yield three
times more heat than coal briquettes
the same size, produce no smoke, and.
take less room than coal.
Chopin is commonly represented as
weak, siclSly youth but up to the last
ten years of his life the contrary was
the case Though never very robust,
he was fond of athletic exercises; was
always ready for frolics or practical
jokes. His consumption was prema-
turely developed in his system by the
late hours and dissipation of Paris. He
is known in literature by his amour
with George Sand, who lived with him
for eight years left him, and in
"Lucrezia Floriane" represented him,
under the name of Prince Carol, as
q petulant, complaining, exacting and
! thoroughly eXasperating nuisance.