"TAKES THE CAKE."

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 16, 27 February 1917, Page 6

"TAKES THE CAKE."

' "Takes the cake,” which many cons Wei K vulgarism, originated in the negro " cakt walks,” common in the Southern States of ■ America, At balls given by coloured people, couples, drawn by lot, will sometimes walk round a cake specially prepared for the , occasion, and the umpires award the prize to the pair who, in their opinion, walkround most gracefully, and are attired with the greatest taste. Hence they are said to •• take the cake," an expression which has attained wide currency in recent years. •• PUTTING YOUR FOOT IN IT." •• Putting your foot in it," seems a terra of legitimate origin. According to the •• Asiatic Researches," a very curious mode of trying the title to land Is practised in Hindustan. Two holes are dug in the disputed spot, in one of which the lawyer on either side puts one of his legs, and there they remain until one of them is tired, or j till he complains of being stung by insects ; in which case his client is defeated. In this country it is generally the client, anS not the lawyer, who •' puts his foot in it." SIZING THE PIGS, An American police report of a case of disputed title in pigs which had been suffered to run wild gives the following examination of a deaf witness with regard to them Lawyer—“ Do you know plaintiff's pigs ?" Witness—"Eh?" (very loud). Lawyer (raising his voice) —" Do—you—know—plaintiff’spigs? Witness—" Yes." Lawyer—"Howlonghaveyou known them ?" Witness —" Eh ?" Lawyer (louder still)—" How long have you known them?” Witness—' " Fed 'em all last spring." Lawyer—"Wert they all about the same size ?" Witness — " Eh?" Lawyer(rising on his feet petulantly and shaking his fore-finger, at the conclusion of each word, at the witness) —“Were—they —all—of—a—size?" Witness—“ Some ov 'em wor, and some ov ’em worn’t I" THE BAGPIPE.

The bagpipe is almost universal throughout Asia, though at present not so much in use as it seems to have been in former ages. It is used among the Chinese musicians, and is met with in Persia, where it appears to have been more general in former ages than at present. There is also a Hindoo bagpipe, and in Egypt it was used to some extent, but is now rarely met with. In Italy it is common, It is said that the Italian peasant believes that it is the best beloved music of the Virgin Mary, also that it is the instrumfent upon which the shepherds expressed their joy whm*they visited the Saviour. When the Italian oeasant visits Rome on the anniversary of the birth of our Saviour he always carries his bagpipes with him. The Romans are said to be have been acquainted with this instrument, and most likely the Greeks were also. In Scotland it is the national instrument. Bagpipes are known also in Germany, Spain, and North Africa.

GERMAN BLOOD AMONG EURO PEAN SOVEREIGNS.

There are, indeed, very few reigning families in Europe which are not more or less German. Thus, the Prince of Wales had a German parent, the Queen-Regent o! Spain is of the House of Hapsburg, the Queen and the Crown Princess of Sweden are German princesses, the Queen of Holland was a princess of Waldeck, the King and Queen of Ifcowmania are of German descent, as is the Prince of Bulgaria. The Royal Family of Portugal, the Imperial Family ol Brazil, and the Royal Family of Belgium are descended from the house of Coburg; their members even bear the titles of dukes and duchesses of Saxe. The Queen of Italy is the daughter of the Duchess of Genoa, a Princess of Saxony. The Orleans family have German blood in their veins, the mother of the Count of Paris having been a princess of Mecklenburg. The Greek and Danish families are, strictly speaking, of German origin. Hence all but the Servian and Montenegrin princes have a German consanguinity. THE LARGEST ENGINE, At the Friedensville (Pennsylvania) zinc mines there is in operation the largest stationary engine in the world. Daring the last few months it has pumped dry by underground drainage nearly every ore pit, spring and small stream, within a radius of five miles. The engine is known as the “ President” ; it is of 5,000 horse-power, and is run by sixteen boilers. At each revolution of its ponderous wheels a small stream is thrown on, the number of gallons raised every minute being 17,500. The driving wheels ire thirty-five feet in diameter, and weigh--40 tons each. The sweep rod is 40 feet long. The cylinder is no inches in diameter, while the piston rod is 18 inches in diameter, and makes a ten foot stroke. The engine has a ballast box capable of holding sixty tons, and to feed the boilers twenty-eight tons of coal are required daily. On the mgine is the largest nut in the world. It is hexagonal In shape, and weighs r,600 lbs. To lighten or lower the nut twenty men are required, while the wrench that fits it is twenty feet long. From the end of the walking beam of the engine to the bottom of the shaft the distance is 300 feet. The masonry on which the engine rests is 108 feet deep, some of the foundation stones weighing five tons. MAKING BILLIARD BAL|*S. The process of manufacture is very simple, says an Eastern expert, but it requires great skill. The block of ivory is placed on an irofl chuck, and one-half the ball is turned. Then the cutting is reversed. After the second half has been turned the ball is bung up for a few months in a net to dry. The ball is kept free from any draught, as ivorj cracks when exposed to either a hot or a cold climate. ——

When thoroughly seasoned the balls are turned so as to produce a perfect sphere, and here is where the skill comes in. Not one man in a hundred who has been taught this process for years can turn a billiard ball accurately. After each hall has been tested for size and weight, the polishing is done. This is simply a wash of whiting and water applied vigorously. The ball that is properly made always retains its polish. A ball will not remain perfectly true, however much it is seasoned, because of the continual concussion, which causes the cells to close. If a ball is very much played with, especially in warm rooms, it is very liable to crack and become untrue. ** I have known," says the expert, '*a ball to run untrue in a match of 1,000 points. They, can, of course, be readjusted, and this is one of the principal branches of the business. We never take off more than one-twentieth of an inch unless the balls are very bad. They would be of no use for a match, after readjustment, but for ordinary play they are quite as good, perhaps better,, because they have been consolidated." As to price, that depends upon the quality of the ivory, its density and straightness of the core, besides the perfection of shape, colour, and weight. In making balls for a match, only tljfee or four perfects sets may be got out of 300. That accounts for the seemingly extravagant price which is charged for