Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-05-25
Odd Items Of Interest

Every employe of the Bank of England
is required to sign his name in book on
his arrival in the morning. and, II late.
must give the reason therefor
On the basis of bushel of corn pro-
ducing rs gallons of alcohol, it has been
figured out that last years corn crop in
the United States was sufficient to fur
nish 2O,OOO.0OO horsepower for 10 hours a
day for an entire year.
Louisiana is estimated to waste 75.oOO.-
600 cubic feet of natural gas daily. more
than one-twentieth of that consumed in
the United States, and the secretary of
the interior has withdrawn from entry
$500 acres Of natural gas fields.
A spring at Bad Centnerbrunn. Silesia,
about u miles from Breslau. has been
found to possess distinctly marked ra-
do-activity, leading to the conclusion
that before appearing at the surface the
water flows through strata containing ra-
dunn in considerable quantity.
One of the newly elected members of
the Oregon Legislature announces his in
tertion of introducing at the next session
bill making it crime to shoot any per-
deer or a canvass-back duck.
The name "blue laws" was given to the
first collection of laws framed for the
government of the New Haven colony.
They were published in collective form
in 1850, the volume being in blue cover.
which gave rise to the name that has
chung to the laws ever since.
Magdeburg, Germany, has bought from
ar inventor a sand-strewing wagon built
on the lines of a water wagon. to be used
for strewing frozen streets with coating
of sand The scheme is unusually effec-
tive on asphalt streets, where horses
have hard time to maintain footing
in cold weather.
The word "doldrums' is a name given
by sailors to that part of the ocean near
the equator in which Gains and light buff
feting winds prevail. with hot, suitry air.
local squalls. thunder and rain. In the
doldrums sailing vessels beat about for
weeks, and they were formerly the dread
Of those vessels that had to cross the
equator.
The estimated total wealth of the Unit
ed States is nearly twice that of Eng
lana. ACCORDING W Tic adACSl
obtainable the rating is as follows: United
States, s116,O 900, 900: Great Britain and
Ireland. ST.. 200. 100000: France, s42. 0oo,-
900; Germany. 1900. 100000; Russia. $751;
OOo. 900 600; Austria Hungary, $4,000, 900 900.
Fire in a Chicago barn has ruined a
collection of 5000 negatives of news
boys, with which the owner had won
several gold medals. The owner had
spent many years gathering the news
boy negatives. the types being those
of nawsboys Of almost every country
in the world.
Prominent actors and musicians in
Berlin have been engaged for the
shadow theater" which will soon be
opened in that city. 1t will be con-
Quoted. according to the prospectus
that has been printed. as the Schat-
tenpiel theater in Munich and SINH
lar place of amusement in Paris.
At meeting of the Mendelsham
Sparrow Club it was stated that dur
ing this year 4918 old birds. 2807 young
birds and 3914 eggs had been destroyed,
a total of 1859. The local farmers pay
u voluntary rate. based on acreage.
1Teul WItlCI FoStuCuIS arc AOA
birds and eggs destroyed.
In paper -cad before the Society of
Naval Architects and Marine Engl-
neers Henry Penton states that the old
est iron ship in the world is the United
States warship Michigan, the material
for whose construction was dragged
across the mountains from Pittsburg
to Lake Erie where the ship was
built as long as sc years ago.
Whether warts spread by contact has
been much discussed. Glasgow ply
siclan mentions that maid with many
warts on hands and arms was employed
in a certain family. and warts soon
appeared on the hands of the three
children The youngest. boy of fve,
with habit Of biting the fingers, de-
veloped two warts on the lip and one
in the mouth