The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-20

julius Caesar for the passage Of his. army
across the Rhine Trajan,s great bridge
over the Danube, ALTO feet long, was made
of timber with stone piers.
The Escurial Palace in Spain contains a
cathedral, a monastery with two hundred
cells, two colleges, three chapter houses.
three libraries and nearly three thousand
other rooms.
A proverb found in one form or another
in every European or Asiatic language hav"
ing q literature is Familiarity breeds con-
of the Sanskrit.
The richest gold mine in the world is To-
Gated under the thriving town of BaIarat,
Victoria, Australia. 1t has yielded more
than $50, 100000 OF gold since II was opened
thirty years ago.
Gagged lions, tigers, pumas and jaguars
take no notice of the men and women pass
ing in front of them, but if a dog be
brought anywhere near the cage they show
their savage nature at once.
The Pope made eight hogsheads of wine
last year from the vineyard in the Vatican
gardens A small portion Of the wine is re-
served for his own Use, another portion Is
sent to the churches to be used at mass and
the rest is sold.
The Germans have introduced what
amounts to slave labor in their East African
colonies. Each native village must furnish
a certain number of inhabitants to labor for
the imperial government on plantations or
elsewhere without pay.
English girls who are imprudent enough
to marry Cinnamon have a hard time when
they get to China. Four, married to men,
bers of the Chinese embassy in London; are
now destitute in Shanghai, having been
thrown over by their husbands. Il
The sale of salt is a government monop-
oily in China, which yields yearly rev.
enue of 81 100000, as the annual consump-
ton is $500, 100000 pounds, and the importa-
ton of foreign salt is strictly prohibited.
A license to sell salt costs $500 in gold.
In Russia, when collins are covered with
cloth, the color, Of the covering is, to a
fai in 6iGfinRfiUn hoinpr
when the deceased is a child or young
person, crimson for women and brown for
widows; but black is in no case employed.
Korea's first railway, twenty-five miles
in length, is being constructed by Amer-
can contractors. 1t is to extend from Chem
ulpo, on the Yellow sea, to Seoul, the capt.
tai. The eXcavating and rough work are
being done by native laborers, who re-
ceive 50 cents a day.
The little Japs are about as free from the
vice of drunkenness as any people in the
world to see an inebriated subject of the
Mikado The native drink, "saki, Is used
about as tea in this country, and 1t Is but
little more Intoxicating.
The four hundredth anniversary of Waco
da Gama's discovery of the route to the
East Indies by way of the Cape of Good
Hope is to be celebrated under the auspices
of the Portuguese government in Lisbon
from May II to 20. naval review will be
a feature of the celebration.
A year ago, when the Heitz Glass Com
paHy, Oh OF. Louis, lalleu anu TIE Wol No
shut down, the pot was left full of molten
glass. Recently the property was purchased
and now 1t is found that the pot contains
a solid piece of glass Sixty-S1x feet long,
twenty-five feet wide and five feet thick.
estimated to weigh almost 600 tons.
The oldest piece of wrought iron in ex-
fstence is believed to be roughly fash
toned sickle blade found by Belzoni in Kar-
mas, near Thebes. 1t was imbeded in NOR
tar under the base Of the Sphinx, and on
that account is known as the sickle OF the
Sphinx" 1t Is now in the British Museum,
and is believed to be nearly 1000 years old
Levi ChiIds. of Kingston. n. Y, cele-
brated his one hundredth birthday a few
days ago. Childs, who is now a barber,
was for forty years slave Before the
war he purchased his freedom for s., 900,
having accumulated the money by working
overtime and on Sundays. He Is living with
his fifth wife, and is the father Of eighteen
children.
The grand canyon of the Yellowstone
oring, is only from 100 to 1,500 feet deep
The grand canyon of the Arkansas river
in Colorado is 1900 feet deep and very mar
row but neither compares in size or
grandeur with the grand canyon Of Arizona.
which is about 200 miles long and upward
rim to rim measures ten TO twelve miles In
breadth.
1t is a fact not generally known that the
first and the last stands Of the Confederates
were made on land owned by the same man.
part OF Bull Run battlefield was owned
by Mr.. Mclean. After this famous battle
ne decided to move to a locality where
OF war. BY a strange coincidence he took
up his abode at Appomattox. which suisse
quently proved 70 be the dnal battlefield
Of the civil war.