ARAZOR-SHARPENING LAKE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XX, Issue 2431, 19 May 1893, Page 4

ARAZOR-SHARPENING LAKE.

There is a strange lake in Ireland, whoife waters have the power of petrifying any substance that may be put into it. Of course, it is understood that petrifaction is nottbd actual turning of a substance into stone, but that the material of stone, dissolved'ln water, Is deposited' in its cells, wherefib hardens. A stone is made upon the model of the sub* stances petrified as a casting is made fry filling a mould. An English firm, a well-known cutlery house, heard of this lake, and at once sent a man to examine it. He selected several pieces of hard wood, and, having tied weights to them, plunged them into the lake, and marked their location by small buoys. In two weeks he returned and took up two pieces, which he found to be partly petrified. Two weeks afterwards the rest were taken up and each piece of wood was hard as flint, petrified through. Then the firm made experiments with the wood in different stages of petrifaction, and discovered that unusually excellent razor .bones could be manufactured from it. These hones are now a famous product of the firm, but the razor-sharpening world little knows that the stone is, so to speak, wood, petrified in a few weeks in the largest of the Irish lakes. In several ancient histories there Is reference made to the " hard, woody stone" Which was taken from the bottom of Lough Neaghfor spear and arrow-heads by the early Irish. . ,

At a Restaurant.— Customer, In a disgusted tone of voice: "Why, this milk is turned." M Well, sir," exclaims the delighted vendor of comestibles, •• and what does that ■ prove, sir ? Why, sir, it proves that the article served to you was, like everything else soldkin this restaurant, genuine, and not a deceiving combination of chalk and water, sir."

Common house flies are believed toljiyo lOmetimes as long 'as five yeara._