Something of Everything.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2128, 29 February 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

Something of Everything.

Every winter, an soon as the Neva at St. J’etersburg is frozen over, a service of electric cars is started to run across it on the ice.

At the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, the. clerks are so export in handing out wages on payday that 18,000 men receive their nay in less than twenty minutes.

Tho biggest leaves in the world aro those of the lnaj pilot, which grow on the hanks of the Amazon. They reach a length of 30ft lo 501’t., and are from 10ft to 12ft. in breadth.

A biologist savs that tho two sides of a face are never alike. In two cases out of live the eyes aro out of line; one eye is stronger than tho other in seven c uses out of ten; and tho right ear is generally higher than tile left.

The rat is such a nuisance in England that it is estimated he causes damage to the extent of £10,000,000 every year. If all the young rats lived, a single pair would in three years multiply to 610,000 rats.

Men in Belgium are not on an equality as voters. Unmarried men over twenty-live years of age have one vote, married men and widowers with families have two votes, and priests and certain other persons have three voter:. Severe pen titles are imposed on those who fail to vote.

His Holiness the Rone lias lace estimated at something like £25,000 in value. It is kept in cedar-wood cabinets in the Vatican, and as it is 'lie custom of the Royal and noble Citho lie families of Italy, Spain, and Austria to present their bridal lace to the Church,, tile collection is an O’ergrowing one.

As showing the enormous interest -taken in Limerick competitions, the Postmaster-Genera I states that during .August, September, and October ofl ist year the total number of sixpenny postal orders sold was 311,000. In the corresponding three months ol this year the number was 5,772,000, or eighteen times as many. This means an immense profit to the Post. Office.

It is stated that on the three tube railways, comprising -1168 miles of single line, controlled by the Underground Electric Railways Company of

London, the number of automitic signals averages 15.85 per mile, and ■that these signals drop and rise 1,038282 times a week. The weekly cost of maintenance it said to be £1 3s 6.63 d. per track mile, 5s 3.22-d. per signal, and 0.J57d per train mile.

Count Tolstoy, criticising Dante for the behoul of an Italian guest, characterised the productions of the Italian pact as cloudy and unintelligible. On *lt:s Italian interlocutor looking astonished, Count Tolstoy exclaimed, “Speaking honestly, do you and your countrymen understand him 7”

One of the most delighted children in New York last Christmas was the infant uon of Air and All's AY. X. Vanderbilt, just two months old. Baby Reginald Vanderbilt became the possessor of a marvellous dolls’liouse, complete in every detail, which cost his parents 1,000 dollars (£200), and which, considering its equipment, is not at all dear at the price.

The Clyde shipbuilding statistics for the year show another record in ships launched and the horse-power of engines constructed; 509 ships were launched, of an aggregate of 620,C00 tons, against 3i2 ships, of 599,000 tons last year. Eleven years ago the highest total reached was -100,000, and six years ago the halfmillion was reached.

Dr Owensbv, chief physician of the Bay View Insane Asylum, Baltimore, has discovered what is iiractically a cure for dementia praecox. Believing the disease to be due to excessive secietioip in tho thyroid body, Dr. Owensbv in July last selected the worst case in llie institution, and removed the diseased portion of tho thvroid body. The patient was discharged in October, and has since boon in t iniiloymeut, doing his. work intelligently. Three other similar operations resulted in the restoration of the intelligence, of the patients.

The genius who invented the sandwich was the fourth Earl of Sandwich, v ho was so fond of the gamingtable tint lie instituted tho sandwich, so as to be able to take nourishment without leaving the table. The following lines were written about him and Earl Silencer; Two noble earls, whom, if I quote, Some folks might call me sinner; Tile one invented half a coat. The other half i dinner.

In the northern liart of Aladagascar is tho most remarkable natural fortress in tho world. It is occupied by a wild tribe who call themselves tiie People oi the Rocks. The fortress is a lofty and xirecipitous rock of enormous size, I,oooft. high and eight squire miles in area. Its sides are so steep tlia it cannot be cbinbed without artificial means. "Within it is hollow, and the only entrance is by a subterranean passage.

In some parts of Hungary it is the custom for the bridegroom to iny a sum to the bride's iiareuts, and m case the narties cannot agree the mover acts "as arbitrator. The Alayor of Volked, who is a cattle dealer, Ins had to decide a case of this kind, .and after inspecting the- bride decidedthat the bridegroom must pay the parents at the rate of halt a crown for e ifh nouiul that the bride weighcd. This" verdict was accepted, anil the woman weighing 861 b. the bridegroom handed over tho equivalent of £lO 155., after which tho wedding ceremony was performed.

In connection with the death of Dr Wilkinson, Bishop of St Andrews, a singular coincidence is established. It is a remarkable fact that all the predecessors of Dr Stubbs as Bishops of Truro have died suddenly. The first occupant of the See, Dr Benson, afterways Archbishop of Canterbury, was" taken ill while at service at 1-Tawarden Church, and died in a few minutes; Dr Wilkinson was second Bishop of Truro, and lie died during a meeting at Edinburgh ; and Dr Gott, the third Bishop, died stiddenlv while giving directions to Ins chaplain in his study at Trenython.

Painted once every six years, the Eiffel Tower claims an average of five victims every time the ojieration is performed. It is the most dangerous job in tile world. A\hen,. after five i>ainters had met a terrible death by falling headlong from the structure, the directors proposed that ropes and belts should be provided for men at work on the tower, the painters rebelled, it was a matter of professional honor and trade vanity" with them. 11l the mininling carried out in 1895 seven men fell, their bodies crashing deep into the earth. In 1900 the director;; endeavored to obtain the services of men who had previously painted the tower, deeming that their experience would diminish the dinger of accident. Tho men were obtained, and agreed to work for the usual pay. provided oulv that they were not required to disgrace themselves with life-saving belts and rigging!