Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1896 — CURIOUS FACTS. [ARTICLE]

CURIOUS FACTS.

The longest, largest and strongest bone in the human system is the femur, or thigh bone. ▲ dark, gloomy, blue sky Is windy, bet a bright, light-blue sky Indicate! fine weather. Generally the aoftej clouds look the less wind (but perhapt more rain) may be expected, and tbJ harder, more “greasy,” rolled, tuftedoj ragged the stronger the coming wind will prove. Thumb rings are very common in th* East. These are often made of precious metal, Ivory, Jet and precious stones, but generally they are of fine jade. The cavity Is not cylindrical, but swells out at the base and middle. This enables the owner to wear it lower down, and also prevents it slipping. A foreign scientific journal gives ths results of some recent experiments upon the vocal cords which will prove interesting to singers. A baritone whs wished to become a tenor succeeded bj taking a course of inhalations, begin) ning with benzoin, going on to cafelns and chloroform, and ending with curacoa; while the voice was deepened by using volatilized Norwegian tar. Watch the sky for what are called “mars’ tails.” These appearing after clear weather show the track of ths wind in the sky. A rosy sunset predicts fair weather. A red sky In the morning foretells bad weather. A gray sky in the morning means fine weather. If the first streaks of light at dawn are seen above a bank of clouds look out ft»r wind; if they are close to or on the horizon the weather will be fair. In general, soft, delicate colors In the sky, with Indefinite forms of clouds, mean fair weather; gaudy, unusual colors and hard-edged clouds mean rain, and probably wind. The warm climate of India often makes the ordinary precautions against the undue expansion of rails in a railway track quite useless. For instance, it Is stated that on a portion of the Rajputana Railway several miles of the permanent way were laid with Belgian rails which were all right In the momlng, but exhibited a serious change during the heat of the day, the rails deflecting In and out fully three inches In > length of twenty feet; yet the expansion plates used had been Increased from one-fourth to one-half and even three-fourths of an Inch, but to no purpose. Perhaps the numerous derailments recently reported may be attribt•d to the sane* yause.