The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-05-20
MAY 20. 1902.
FACTS IN FEW LINES

No less tnan loo species OF butterflies
are found In Mexico and Central Amer
Tea.
Victoria, Australia. ships to London
each year about $S.OOO,OOO worth OF
butter.
There are at present in London 10
200 persons aged more than seventy
ave years
A great fortune has been made from
The wire device and rubber cork for
beer bottles.
Among the twenty-four inhabitants
OF London who are over 100 years old
nineteen are women.
Cotton lands having an area of no.
oOo acres have been purchased in Lou
'siana by Cleveland capitalists.
France is asking for and receiving
more St Louis exposition literature
than any other foreign country.
The freight charges for hauling an.
thracite coal from the PENNSYLVANIA
mines aggregate $1O,oOO.OOO a year
Iridium, which is the hardest of all
metals, is used in the tips of gold pens
10 lessen wear. Its cost is $50 to $50 n
pound.
There are G159 establishments in the
United States. with 40.Gi7 acres, where
flowers and ornamental plants are cul-
tivated.
The tea pills, fourteen to the ounce
OF Caucasus grower are simply COM
pressed tea in a convenient form for
travellers.
The leading industries of California
are in close rivalry as to annual prod.
uct Sugar and Strengthening each nro-
uuce about $15.OO0,OOO, while lumber
100000.
During the past year not n single
case OF smallpox has occurred among
the staff Of the London SMALLPOX hos.
pitfalls. indicating that careful revacci.
nation is an absolute safeguard against
that disease.
Several OF the smaller British tolIac
co manufacturers outside the English
trust have been forced to suspend
work by the keenness of the competj
ton between the American and Brit
Ish syndicates.
Pigmentophagus is n name which
has been applied by NJ. Metchnikoff. n
bacterioiogist. to certain micro-orcan.
isms which he claims. devour the color.
Ing pigments OF the hair and are the
cause OF badness.
During the last twenty years the con.
sumption Of eggs has enormously in
creased I'm Great Britain and now rem.
resents annually an estimated sum of
f13.OOO.OO0. f5.50O.OO0 OF which goes 10
foreign importers.
The new flying machine OF NJ. Henri
Willard OF Paris is a magnificent gyro-
scope. the revolving toy popular some
years ago. The wheel is twenty-five
feet In diameter. and the power is
from gasoline motor.
Chinatown. San Francisco, has four
dailies printed in its own language.
The types are 1000 in number. Set
ting 1000 characters is days work.
which takes twelve hours OF walking
about in the typeroom.
The sugar syndicate of Spain, which
embraces all manufactures of that
commodity. for three years will limit
the output to $4,000 tons, dividing that
quantity between the manufacturers In
proportion to their respective capacity.
Three electric furnaces are to be
built In Tennessee, each with an eight
thousand horsepower electric plant.
They will be independent of the steel
trust, but will work in harmony with
other electrical plants which are pro
Jected in the south and west
The silver coins OF Hawaii are being
retired as fast as they are received by
the federal and territorial officials in
the course of their public business.
These coins were all minted in 1888.
They amount 10 $1,000 900, of which
sum about 100000 is still in circula-
ton.
The ascent of the Weisshorn nv a
young Englishman named Ryan, only
eighteen years old, has created q great
deal of interest in Switzerland. He
was accompanied by three guides. 1t
was so cold at the great height that
the champagne they had brought with
them froze solid, and they had to eat it
instead Of drinking it.
Iceland is about to obtain home rule.
King Christian of Denmark has called
for an extraordinary meeting of the
althing to consider a reform of the con-
stitution. A plan to be submitted is
the appointment OF n minister for Ice
land, who shall be acquainted with
lcelandic and shall reside at Reikj avik
instead of Copenhagen.
The last forest of Paris is about to
disappear. 1t is situated at 40 Rue
St Gervais and is composed of oaks
and elm trees entangled In a network
of impenetrable creepers. 1t is partly
on a slope and partly in a ravine,
through which small stream flows.
The vieux Paris commission has de-
clined to reclaim this curious an
tiquity.
II all the petroleum produced last
year in the United States was put I'm
standard barrels and the barrels placed
In row touching each other, the line
would completely belt the earth.
Enough coal was produced to give
three and half tons to every one Of
the 76OO0O0O Dersons I'm the limited