The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-11-12
TUESDAY,. NOVEMBER II, 1901
FACTS IN FEW LINES


Vast nickel deposits, the largest In
the world, have been located In south
ern Oregon.
London spectators say the supply Of
dried fruit for the coming season will
exceed all record.
The expected increase in the worlds
visible coffee supply this autumn is es-
timatcd at 100000 bags.
Berlin is to be equipped with a Chi
cago telephone system which has been
under test for fifteen months.
Europe has five reigning princes who
are over eighty years old and nine 9th
ers who are more than seventy.
This years harvest in the south OF
ireland Is stated TO be the best expert
enced for quarter OF u century.
II is said that an exchange Of ma
chimes between automobiles has more
fine points than even a horse trade.
Boston has added this year forty
portable schoolhOuSes TO its educational
equipment. making total Of fifty-six.
Two hundred carloads Of steel have
been sent to Supplant the wooden
bridges in the Sacramento canyon. Cal
ifOrnia
Recently one days receipts Of cattle
In the Chicago market was b .372 head.
This is the largest single days receipts
on record.
Before his departure from Divonne
the khedive bought a number of Swiss
cattle. He also purchased two ST. Ber-
nard dogs.
Queensland. Australia, grows great
quantities Of sugar cane and has thou
sands Of acres yielding grapes. bananas
and oranges.
1t is stated that 39,S72 persons per-
ished at the hands of homicldes In the
United States during the five years
ending with 1900
A harvesting machine firm In the
west has made an automobile grass
mower that cut twenty-five acres OF
grass In nine hours. using a five foot
sickel bar.
Boston is fortunate In that an estate
amounting 10 several millions of dol
lars is TO be used within a reasonable
number of years for great hospital
for incurahles.
Secretary Franklin Allen OF the SILK
Association Of America states that the
capacity OF the present silk plants is
sufficient To more than supply the do
nestle demand.
Western Australia has only a small
acreage under crops and grass. In
1898 and 1890 the total of cereal crops,
wheat. barley. oats and maize. was
OIL 423 bushels.
An enterpriSing person in Chicago
has discovered that the bee keeps just
as busy in storing away honey on the
third floor OF home as In a hollow
tree in the woods.
All southern California cities look
forward to be supplied with electric
power from Kern river. where at first
1900 aud later 5000 horsepower will
be obtained from an 500 foot fall.
Greenland and Iceland have the bet
ter Of us IN the way of trade. Last
year we imported goods from those two
countries to the value OF $S2.533 and
sold them only $500 worth in return.
Sweden has 1903 miles OF govern
ment and 1887 miles Of private rail
roads. The government has not yet
succeeded in acquiring the latter, al
though efforts have been made to DO
SO.
In Rhode Island SD per cent Of the
population 10 1900 lived In cities or
towns Of 5000 inhabitants or more,
while this element also constitutes 7G
per cent Of the population In Massachu-
sets. Gs.5 per cent in New York. GIL
per cent In New Jersey and 53.2 per
cent IN Connecticut.
Birds are made 10 take their own
pictures by the ingenious apparatus Of
o. g. Pike. an English photographer.
A bait Of fat Is placed on an electrical
wire which Is so connected with q
camera that when the bait is removed
the camera shutter is released, giving
an instantaneous exposure Of the sensi-
tive plate.
The average weight of engines on
German state railways is 42.G7 tons.
while those in use Oh private roads
average 37GS tons. During the year
1899 446 engines were purchased by the
state railways and fifty-six by private
companies. In the year 1898 $5j6,0OO
was spent for the purchase Of new and
the repair Of old engines on private
lines.
Germany produces a very good quail
ty OF champagne. In 1900 2,045 tons
valued at $4,000 were exported. Dur
ing the same year the imports amount
ed to double that quantity. The duty
on champagne imported into Germany
Is 35 cents a bottle. This high duty
has induced many French firms 10
establish plants of their own within
the German border.
There Is a large number Of profess
sional bee hunters" In the west and
southwest of Texas. Small caves aud
dark recesses formed by shelving rock
abound along the waterways of the
Texan rivers. They are the natural
hives OF the wild bees and take the
place Of the hollow tree trunks Of the
forest regions Of the northern country.
These caves are used year after year
by the bees. and IN many instances
they have been found to be literally
hlled with honey.
The Australian shipping trade con-
tinues to expand In New South
Wales in 1900 1t was larger than in
any previous year. The total number
Of vessels entered and cleared was
lose against 6,400 In 1899. OF the
former 63OS were under the British
flag and 724 under those Of other coun-
tries. Notwithstanding the slgnlH-
canoe of these figures we are daily in
formed of the decadence OF the Brit