The free press., 1899-05-04
INTERESTING ITEMS.

Wooden legs are used by over
1000, 900 English speaking men.
The Sandwich Islanders estimate the
beauty of women by their weight.
Senator Clark. of Montana, was
working in mine in Central City,
Col, thirty-six years ago.
Prof Thomas B. Stillman, of
Stevens institute, says that the i'm
pregnation of wood by fre-proofing
material is complete and permanent, ;"
and he advises that the use Of such
wood in buildings be made compulsory
by law.
Captain Samuel Trott who died in
Florida few days ago, knew more
about the bottom of the Atlantic than
any man of his time. He was cable
layer from his youth, commanding the
Farraday and other steamers.
The number OF cotton spinning mills
In Japan in November, 1898, was
seventy-seven, and the number of
spindles 919,O74. Tho quantity of
raw cotton worked up during the year
totalled 27,343, 900 pounds. and the
output of yarn was %, 773, 900 pounds.
Admiral Dewey's favorite watch is
made of steel from the sunken battle
ship Maine. Captain Sigsbee, who
Commanded the ill-fated war vessel at
The time she was blown up, carries a
,imilar timepiece. Both were made
by O patriotic down east Yankee.
Gibraltar is to be fitted out with
electric light, and the power station
will be placed in one of the best pro-
ected positions on the rock. This is
what is known as the Kings Bastion,
tut out of solid rock, and formerly
ased as an artillery barracks.
An old boat woman on the Seine,
famed Mme Wadin, whose age is 102,
6as just quilted the river boat Pont
a'Arcole to enjoy the remainder of her
days ashore. This "doyenne" of boat
women is retiring to o pretty little
house at Longueil-Aunel, near the
river on which she has lived uninter-
tuptedly for over century.
The residents of Gloucester, Mass,
are to hold a memorial service in the
city hall in memory of the lost fisher
men of Gloucester. Statistics COM
piled by the Gloucester Relief asso-
citation, which provides for the families
of those who lose their lives at sea,
show that in the past twenty-five years
no less than 2,413 seafaring men from
the above named port have been
drowned.
In his eulogy of the late Represent
ative Dingley, Mr.. Dockery called at
tention to the great changes in the
membership of the house of represent
atives since they first met at the open
ing of the fifty-third congress. Ofthe
356 men who then stood up to be sworn
only seventeen remain, and only fifteen
will enter the next congress, namely,
Bingham, Ermentrout and Harmer, of
Pennsylvania; Reed and Boutelle, of
Maine; Cannon and Hit, of Illinois;
Payne, Ray and Wadsworth, of New
York; Henderson and Hepburn, of
Iowa; Bland, of Missouri; Steele, of
Indiana, and Lanham, Of Texas.
No sovereign is SO rich as the emper-
or of Russia, and no sovereign has such
heavy calls upon his purse. The grand
dukes Vladimia, Alexis, Paul Alex
androvitch and Michael -Nicholejevitch,
as the sons of emperors Of Russia, re-
ceive from tho head of the houses an
annual sum of 1872, 900 rubles. which,
added to their private means, makes
them very rich. The wives and widows
of Russian grand dukes receive 40, 900
rubles each, their sons $50, 900 rubles'
each. 1t was the late Emperor Alex
ander III. who mado the rule that
every member of the Russian imperial
family must spend part of the year
in Russia or else lose third of his or
her allowance.