Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-08-03
NOTES OF THE DAY.

In ten years American life insurance
companies have doubled their assets,
the amount raising from 1861, 12S,642
in 1888 to $1,344 901 1913 in 1898.
Loses by fire in the United States
this year average nearly 81 100000
month. This is just about what Great
Britain spends on it's enormous navy.
Foreign immigration into the United
States is increasing rapidly. The
number arriving in June was 1880,
or more than double that of June, 1898.
Slate pencils are made in Tennessee
from slate dust and other ingredients
compressed by hydraulic means. One
concern made 25,0O0O00 in year.
The Atlantic liner Kaiser Wilhelm
has made a new record for itself on the
eastern run from New York to Cher
bourg, this being an average speed OF
2262 knots an hour.
The first national census in 1890 cost
less than $4,000 The last one in 1890
cost S11 100000 1t is understood that
the census of 1900 will be rather more
limited than the last one, and it is
cost any more at least.
Science has calculated that an aver
! age puff OF cigar smoke sets free over
| 10000 00 tiny particles, a Whit from a
| pipe liberates over 1900, 000,G COO Of
these particles and one from a cigar
cite starts 900,000,000 of them flying
through the surrounding atmosphere.
It is curious to note that wood tar
! is prepared just as it was in the
fourth century B. c.. A bank is chosen
and a hole dug, into which the wood is
placed, covered with turf. A fire is
lighted underneath and the tar slowly
drips into the barrels placed to receive
it.
The city of New York is made de-
PENDANT each year in suits, claims OF
which amount to about S5,000,000, but
the sum set aside for the payment oi
judgments actually recovered agains
the city in such cases is $250,0O0 this
year, and the greater sum will no
probably be needed.
, The University Of Pennsylvania ha
! eSIdDlISuCu AOS1Ss
: work, designed especially for clergy
men and those who are expecting t.
enter a theological seminary.
covers two years and embraces tech
l nical training in sociology, economics
l history and allied branches Of liber1
culture.
i Philatelists will be interested i
y knowing that five st. Louis postoffic
. stamps of the issue Of November, 49,
. have just been sold N st. Louis &c
: s725. These stamps were part of IL
{ of sevenety-five found by man
Louisville, KY, several years ag
. among some old envelopes he We
y about to consign to a furnace.
On one side of the Kentucky i've
-. lives a man named Joe Curd On Il
other side of the stream lives ma
20 named Joe Curd, he being a nephew
% the Joe Curd living on the opposl
1s side of the river. Many years ago thu
G married sisters; both now have gran
70 children. A man out there offers
g chrome to anyone who can unravel t
IN relationship existing between t
IA grandchildren Of Joseph Curd, Sr., ii
NJ his nephew, Joe Curd, Jr., and vi
ir versa.
va A large idea in forestry is to ma
~ a government park of 7,000,0 900 acres
= . land in northern Minnesota az t
&c headwaters of the Mississippi riv'
nd There are LOO lakes in that regit
20 which is the continental divide for
waters of St. Lawrence, the MississiI
-, and the Hudson bay, with an elevate
cd of nearly 1900 feet above the sea-
, The new convict lease system
Georgia which some months ago ST
ed planted te antiquated and barbara
nd method Of disposing of convicts, is
for ported to be operating most succe
,d- fully. The first quarterly report Of
90. new prison commission just Fl
yo- shows that $4,000 gross profits res
lth from the working of the system.
nv der the old irregular lease system
ons state made about 5000 per annum
tie the labor of its convicts.
The consumption Of quinine
,wn American soldiers suffering from
TO southern fever or another during
pre- past year is said to exceed 123, 900
he grains. In some instances men in
low hospitals Of Cuba and Porto T