Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-01-04
Curious Conversations.

OF the 20 tobacco factories in France,
three are in Paris.
Boston, one of the richest cities in
the country, has municipal debt of
$50, 100000.
There are in Boston APPS houses in
addition to 100 hotels and 55S family
hotels.
Lotteries on horse racing are pro-
hibited from the beginning of the year
in Pretoria.
New York city is to have a children's
theater, patterned after one in Bos-
| ton, which pays good dividends.
Electric cab service in Paris has
proved very Improbable. 1t is said
that the loss so far represents 100000.
Two of the largest Rhenish iron
| workers are negotiating with the
japanese government for the supply of
| &c, O0e tons of rails.
Nearly all the silk of Spain is pro-
duced in the province of Murcia. Thls
year its value was about two hundred
and seventy thousand dollars.
An employe in a French tobacco fac
tory has invented machine which
makes the head on cigars after they
are rolled and does the work of about
a dozen hands.
| The first bars of gold from the
Erythrean mines have arrived in
| Rome. The mines are being worked
/ by al Anglo-Italian company. and
good results are anticipated.
The Havana Post announces on the
| authority of one of the contractors
| that the work of raising the wreck of
/ the United States steamship Maine will
| begin in a very short time.
| Generally speaking. Frenchmen are
not chewers of the Indian weed; but in
| the manufacturing districts, where
men work II hours day and cannot
| smoke during that time. they chew
| The 1902 appropriation for the Civil
Service Commission of New York city
| is $50. 900. The state expends for the
same purpose $4,000, of which $2,45O is
| for printing and 81 900 for postage.
The largest number of separate cleo
| trio light stations in any state is in
| Illinois. while the largest capital IN
vested is in Pennsylvania, which also
possesces the second largest number of
| stations.
| The Formosan gold mines are stu
ated in the neighborhood of Kelung.
| The output Of gold in 1898 was about
one hundred and twelve pounds; in
| 1899, 343 pounds, and for the first six
| months of 1900, 1865 pounds. The gold
| is sent to Japan.
Some $50 Scottish fishing boats which
have been engaged in Yarmouth her
ring fishery since October 1, concluded
their operations on the eth inst. The
| fleet earned nearly one hundred thou
sand pounds sterling during its alb
sence from Scotland.
| By the breaking up of the Servia and
the Alaska there disappeared two of
the three famous Atlantic liners whose
appearance 20 years ago was regarded
as the opening up of new and most
important page in the history of At
lantic steaming.
II is said that in France S8,000,000 pic
ture postcards pass through the post
office annually. That country takes
the lead of all others, Austria Hungary
coming next with 81 ,O00.O The total
in circulation throughout the world in
one year is said by experts to be
2.3G0, OO0, 900.
Asiatic Turkey is to be rescued from
semi barbarianism by the construction
of s14NO00, 900 worth of railroads, one
of which will run through Euphrates
valley from end to end. The new roads
will follow the old caravan routes. and
they will touch all the principal cities
and towns Of Bible land.
The three keepers of the lighthouse