The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-28
Current History
Told in Figures

~ My 8 per cent of the capital OF this
country is owned by millionalrcs. The
~ average wealth per inhabitant in the
United States is S10jO. Over 100000
OF cur population are in annual need and actr'
ally receive some kind of charitable assistance
In New York city there are on an average
more than 100000 unemployed persons.
More than 1000 people earn a living in Paris
by fortune telling, their total yearly earnings
being estimated at S2,OO0 900. In London over
100, 900 men, women aud children gain their
daily bread entirely by pocket picking. More
than lj,OOO,OOO visits are paid annually TO Lon
don pawnshopS.
over Sl,OOOOOO worth Of diamonds are stolen
every year from the South African diamond
mines. During the last twenty-five years The
American people Lave imported SlSO,0O0,OCO
worth Of precious stones.
1t requires an average of more than 2O,OOo,G00
pins per day to sustain disocatcd shirt waists,
replace missing suspcnder buttons and meet the
other needs of the American people.
Last year there were imported into the Uni
ted States over l,0OO,0OO,OUO grains of our ma
tional drug -quinine- costing over Sl,j00,OO0
The manufacture and sale of dolls in Europe
exceed 2G,OOO,OOO per year. One firm in Paris
turns out 1900 dolls a day, and many other
houses make even larger numbers. China cN'
ports II 100000 fans yearly
Over 10000 umbrellas are left in London
public conSeyanccs every year. There are said
to be over 100000 cats in London, OF which
half are "unattached." The most common
name for a town in England is Newton, which
occurs no fewer than twenty-five times
OF the $40 varieties OF flowers known and
cultivated in Europe, scarcely 400 have any
cdor, and of these nearly 50 have an odor which
is, ii anything, di,lgrceable
Japan is the largest consumer Of rice in the
world, the average being 300 pounds per person
year The Americans use but four pounds per
capita, Belgium uses more tobacco, in proportion,
than any other country. about 40 ounces per
capita yearly, while Italy uses only % ounces,
More candy is consumed in New York, Philu.
dclphia and Chicago than in the whole OF
France.
4 silver coin is usually in currency for about
twcnty-sevcn years. There are about l99,OOO,UOO
old-flShoncd copper cents somewhere, but no
one can locate them, except that occasionally
a solitary specimen turns up in change.
The first four weeks after the opening Of the
| electric railroad at Cairo, Egypt, no fewer than
eighty persons were killed Since that time the
weekly average OF victims is seven or eight
| This high rate OF casualties is due in part to
defective eyeight-Cyc diseases prevailing in
Egypt.
| The postal service establishment of the United
States is the greatest business concern in the
| world The revenue of the poStofiCe Of New
!
net profit Of s5,Otc,C0O
| In ls9S 6,2lLiijOOO pieces of mail matter
were handled in the United States, of which
| :, 2,s25 900 were etcrA A transatlantic
steamer, carrying what is called "a full Euro.
! pcln mail" usually brings 100000 letters and
800 sacks OF newspapers for New York city,
| to say nothing Of the 500 and odd sacks for
other places. In $40 two sacks Of mail was
| the average brought over by a steamer
In ls0s the United States government printed
Of two.cent postage stamps 9,5O0OO0, Of special
| delivery j,2jOOOO, OF stamps Of all denomina.
/ tions 3,5OOOOO,OOO Massachusetts, uses more
stamps in proportion than any other state
| II is estimated that 25OOOO,OOO microbes can
stand on a postage stamp without crowding,
| The name Of the man who counted them is not
given.
The total number of newspapers Of all kinds
| puhlshC in the world is ~ 500. The United
States comes first, and lar in advance of all
countries with 1890 papers, and Great Bri-
tains comes next with G,0j0, In Russia there
are only 7i3 newspapers, or one to every 10000
people lie Petit Journal, in Paris. has tho
largest daily circulation in the world, averag.
ing 100000 copies; the paper which has the
smallest is the Imperial Review, published for
the sole benefit of the Emperor of Austria, II
is made up from translations of all the priu'
cipal items in European papers, and the daily
edition is three copies.
| The English language heads the list with
the enormous vocabulary Of 26O,000 words, while
the Spanish has only 10000, the German SO, 600
the Italian 5000, the French 10000 and the
| Turkish 800 Shakespeares vocabulary i'
put at 1900. Milton at 5000 and the Bible
| at rather less
When DIR. Murray's new English dictionary IL
completed it will contain about JOO,OOO words