The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-26
OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

The new Ameer of Afghanistan has de-
clared against the admission or mission
aries TO his country.
So ancient is the city of Damascus, in
Syria that there is no record of its origin
in any written histories.
Copper money in France is TO be grad
ually replaced this year by aluminium
bronze pennies of a pale yellow color.
The Agricultural Department now re-
quires n larger appropria ton for it's admin
istration than any other department except
the treasury.
In the United states the number of miles
of railway in proportion to the number OF
inhabitants is nearly double that of any
European country.
Tie Russians, who are supposed TO be
great tea-drinkers. do not use as much tea
per head of the population as do the people
of the United States
4 ton of lead is fired for every man killed
in battle. Statistics of European wars show
that from 5000 TO 10000 shots are fired for
every person disabled
Belgium has a place where alcoholic
drinks are sold for every Sc persons; Prus-
STA one for $50; Austria for 300; Russia for
99l; Norway for 5000.
Moscow has the largest hospital in Eu
rope, with 1000 beds There are ninety-six
physicians and 900 nurses, and about 1900
patients are cared for annually.
Many wealthy and educated families have
left Venezuela and now live in peaceful
Porto Rico Cuba, owing to the political
disturbances and high rate of mortality,
especially in Caracas.
The first year OF the new century was an
all-around recOrd-breaker for the farmers
of the United States. The entire years sur
plus of the products of field and farm sold
abroad amounted to no less than S50OOG0,OOO.
The highest medical fee ever paid became
the property of a blind physician, DR.. Gale,
of Bristol who cured a wealthy patient of
a diseased knee by electric treatment, and
in ha richer
by 95O.O0O
Rodolfus Bingham. of MerchantviHe, n.
j., supports life at the age or seventy-fve
on food that costs ia cents a day. He re-
ports that he is healthy, happy and spry,
and has helped to bury acquaintances who
ridiculed his diet
A. L. Schaeffer, of Edgar county, Illinois,
last year harvested the largest crop of pop
corn ever gathered in the world. From his
102 acres he had 1,SOO bushels, yield of a
little over seventeen bushels to the acre. 1t
cost him 81 an acre TO raise, sort, shell and
pay ground rent.
AT Douglas, on the Isle of Man, the Manx
custom of carrying about the dead body
of wren, which had been stoned to death,
and singing a carol in celebration of the
death of the feathered victim, was observed
at Christmas by the Juvenile section of the
community with great zest.
All the transportation in Venice is done
by gondolas, big and little The freighting
and delivery devices is carried on by means
gondOlas and merchants either send the
goods of their customers home that way or
in panniers upon the backs OF men.
In 1900 there was about boiler ex-
plosion daily on the average, in the United
States, and there were 7S8 victims of ex-
plosions during the year. In Great Britain
during the same year there were only
twenty-four persons killed by boiler explo-
sions and only sixty-five wouhded-S9 VIC
Tins.
The speediest long-distance delivery of
mail ever accomplished in the world was
that of the consignment which left Sydney,
Australia oct. 10, for London, England by
the American route distance OF 15,26
miles was covered in thirty-one days
saving of four days over the Suez canal
route.
Penny-in-the gas meters at Leeds
caused a curious dilemma last Christmas,
tradesmen in the city being handicapped by
the dearth of copper in circulation. Leeds
has 1862 penny-in-the-slot gas meters,
from which between G17O00 and e1S,O00 a
year is collected. and at times nearly $500
in cOppers is locked up in them.
The sewerage system of the city of New
Orleans which is being placed on the basis
of $40 900, 900 cost, will remove the serious
objection to residence there and place her
among the more healthful seaports. The
sewage gathered by the pipes will be
pumped into the river, the level or whose
waters is above that Of the city.
A correspondent says that, as the result
of experiments he has made under careful
timing he finds that the greyhound is the
fastest of all four-footed animals. When
going at full gallop ii can cover twenty
yards a second. about one mile in
minute and twenty-eight seconds-a speed
that comes very near that of a carrier
pigeon.
America leads in the matter of women
practicing medicine. The first was Eliza
beth Blackwell, who graduated as physician
In 1919. Three years later there were six in
Philadelphia In 1889 there were 5, 900 women
doctors i'm the United States; in 1896 there
were 4 sos, and now there probably 5000,
some Of whom have very lucrative prac-
tice
There are 1000 halls and corridors in the
Vatican and 1000 rooms, counting every
thing the quarters for the Swiss guards,
the stables for the horses, the storehouses
for gardeners tools, the mosaic factory and
other workshops and il is said that an av-
erage of 22O0 people are employed under
the roof most OF them being lodged there.
This includes the Swiss guard.
The highest waterfall in the world,
geography tells US is the Cerosola cascade.
in the Alps having a fall of 2 400 feet; that
of Arvev in Savoy. is LOO feet, and the
folls Of the Yosemite valley range from 700
TO 900 feet But higher yet Is the waterfall
in San CuayatOn canyon, in the State of
Durango Mexico. 1t was discovered by
some prospectOrs ten years ago I'm the great
Barranca district, which is called the
Tierras Desconocidas. 1t is at least 5000
feet high.