The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-11-28
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

The hardest varieties of wood, such
as mahogany, ebony and lignum-vitae,
grow in tropical climates, but their
wood does not season as we'll as that of
trees in the temperate zones.
The EZRA of Julius Caesar" began
with the reformation of the calendar in
l6 B. c. 1t prevailed in England for
civil purposes until 1852, then being
superseded by the Gregorian.
Several substances, whose odor is
to western nostrils exceedingly re-
pugnant, are highly esteemed in the
east as perfumes. In Persia and
Afghanistan, asafoetida is considered
delicate perfume, and many luxurious
persons carry q quantity of 1t in their
pockets or in bag suspended from the
neck.
The door nail in earlier times, says an
antiquarian, was the plate of the door
upon which the old-fashioned knocker
struck to arouse the inmates of the
house. AS the plate or nail was struck
many more times than any other nail
it was assumed to be more dead than
other nails. Hence the phrase; "Dead
as door nail"
The skeleton of an Indian warrior
at least six feet six inches tall was
found in Muscongus, Me-, few days
ago by two men who were digging q
cellar. The body had been buried in
a sitting posture, facing east, and
about it were found iron implements
and spear and arrow heads, while
around the arm bones were copper
bands covered with curious carvings.
"A new bicycle tire, which is said to
be an improvement over those in gener-
al use, has been invented and patented
by Miss e. s. Hutchins, of Big Rapids,
Mich. In the middle of the rim of an
ordinary style pneumatic rubber tire
| is a groove, into which is fitted smaller
tire of leather, which, it is claimed, Is
much more durable than the present
style of all-rubber tires while equally
elastic and light.
several towns and cities in Oregon
and Washington have lately obtained
an excellent and adequate water sup
ply in an inexpensive manner by the use
of wooden pipes. The pipes are made
from common pine logs, ten inches in
diameter, followed out with six-inch
bore. 1t is claimed that the wooden
pipes last as long as iron pipes. One
town has line of pipes seven miles
long that, with all connections, cost but
$4,000.
| Suits aggregating more than $780,
600 will soon be filed by the government
against certain big lumber companies
and turpentine distilleries in the lower
part of Alabama. The evidence shows
that from 1900 acres of fine forest lands
belonging to the government 1884
trees, yielding over 100000 feet of
lumber, had been cut. The govern
ment authorities propose to stop the
depredations by bringing to account
the concerns that buy the moonshine
lumber.
Some patriotic citizen of Prescott,
Ariz., in lauding his town and state, and
descanting on the wonderful riches of
the region, declared that even the build
ings of Prescott were in part of gold.
He was taken up on the assertion, and a
bet resulted. A few days ago an assay
was made of sandstone being used in
the erection of some new buildings, and
the stone showed four dollars per ton
in gold and 20 cents per ton in silver. 1t
wouldn't pay to mine the buildings of
Prescott, but the boomer won his bet.