The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-04
OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

Algeria is the only country in the world
where the horses outnumber the human be-
ings.
The grave of an unmarried woman in Tur-
key is often indicated by a rose carved in
stone.
it is necessary to build specially low bicycles
for them.
OF the II, 900 900 women in Italy about O.
100000 are employed in industrial labor and
over 100000 in agriculture.
Muskets were first used in 1A4, during
the siege of Arras. They finally replaced
the bows and arrows of the British soldier
in 1921.
Notwithstanding centuries of maltreat-
ment and persecution there are to this day
nearly as many hebrews in Russia as in
all the rest of Europe put together.
More men have died and are buried in
the Isthmus of Panama, along the line of
the proposed canal, than on any equal
amount of territory in the world.
The ink plant of New Granada is curios-
ity. The juice of it can be used as ink with
out any preparation. At first the writing is
red but after a few hours it changes to
black.
In Greenland a child is never buried alone;
a live dog is placed in the coffin with it. in
order to guide the child to the other world.
A dog can find his way home anywhere, -
the Greenlanders declare.
A lecturer on the wastefulness of Ameri-
can houSekeeperS estimates that 100 900 fam
away by hotels, restaurants and large pri-
vate establishments in New York aloneg
A large order from Hong Kong for barber
chairs has just been received at Cincin-
natl. These chairs are destined for Manila,
where, it seems, our soldiers and sailors
cannot accustom themselves to the prim-
tive tonsorial accommodations now offered.
Professor Schwab, of Yale, says that the
learned professions absorb 62 per cent. OF
the college graduates nowadays, whereas
they formerly absorbed % per cent. On the
other hand, business pursuits now take 81
per cent, against per cent. in the old
days.
The otter is the fastest swimming quad
ruped known. In the water it exhibits an
astonishing agility, swimming in nearly
horizontal position with the greatest ease.
diving and dart ng along beneath the surface
with speed equal, if not superior, to that
of many fishes
The fact that bicycles are taxed in France
makes it easy to collect statistics as to
cycling in that country. The returns for
1897 show that there were then 4O8, 1853 wheels
in France, as compared with $4,000 in 1894.
The income derived from the bicycle tax in
1897 amounted to about $4,000.
a postal service has already been estab-
liShed in connection with Khartum, and
letters are finding their way to London from
has been introduced for the Sudan. bearing
the name 'Khartum.'' and the superscrip-
ton Sudan Postage i'll English.
The dimensions of the Capitol at Wash
ington are: The length, 751 feet 4 inches;
breadth, from III feet to 324 feet it covers
!i53112 square feet. From base line of build
ing to the tip of statue, 2S7 feet II inches.
The height of the dome above the base line
on the east front is 2S7 feet inches.
A Western inventor has patented a wagon
which will turn around in a small space, the
reach being double and A-shape, with the
ends attached to the aXles by hinges, so
that when one end of the forward axle IS
pulled ahead it draws the opposite end of
the rear axle with it, until they are at an
angle of ninety degrees or over.
A curious volume has been presented to
the Chelsea Public Library 1t is Burmese
book, written, or rather engraved, as no
ink is used, with stylus upon some three
hundred strips of dried palm leaves. The
palm leaves are held together by two pieces
of wood, and the cages of the whole are
decorated in gold and Vermillon.
The. ringing of bells at the new church
at Jerusalem is an interesting new departure
in Christian worship in Palestine There.
are three bells and the right to use them
tan to his friend the Kaiser. For over
three hundred years the use Of bells has
been forbidden to the Christian churches in
the Holy Land.
One of the most beautiful sights in the
world is the annual migration of butterflies
across the Isthmus of Panama Toward the
end of June few scattered specimens are
discovered fitting out to sea, and as the
days go by the number increases. until
about July IA or - the sky is occasionally
almost obScured by myriads of these frail
insects.
Rock island. in the Straits of Macknac,
was recently sold by the register and re
ceiver of the Marquette (Mich.) Land Office
for cents. 1t was put up at auction in
bunch with Goose, Eagle and Haven ISL
ands, and was sold to the highest bidder;
who happened to be William st. James, of
st. Ignace. st. James bid $1:25 per acre for
the Islands, and as Rock island contains
just one twenty-ffth of an acre, it's pur-
chase price was ; cents, Green island. an
other tiny bit of land. which was put up at
the same sale, brought the same price.
1t is generally supposed that the type
writing machine is quite a modern inven-
ton but there is a record in the archives
of the English Patent Office for TIA of an
application for a patent for such machine:
Exactly one hundred years later the firm of
Balm & Wright applied for similar grant,
and the construction of their machine at
forded a basis that enabled a Mr.. Thurber.
at Worcester, to improve the system. In
the wear 1851 a Frenchman of the name of
Foucall obtained an English patent for
very ingeniously conceived writing machine.
which was shown in the great exhibition of
the same year, and created no small sensa-
ton.