The handy manual: A veritable mine of useful and interesting statistics, information, etc.

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 68711 *** Transcriber’s Note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end. * * * * * MULTUM IN PARVO LIBRARY. Entered at the Boston Post Office as second class matter. Vol. 2. MARCH, 1895. Published Monthly. No. 15. The Handy Manual. A Veritable Mine of Useful and Interesting Statistics, Information, Etc. Smallest Magazine in the world. Subscription price 50 cts. per year. Single Copies 5 cts. each. PUBLISHED BY A. B. COURTNEY, Room 74, 45 Milk Street, BOSTON, MASS. Life of Various Animals. Elephant, 100 years and upward; Rhinoceros, 20; Camel, 100; Lion, 25 to 70; Tigers, Leopards, Jaguars and Hyenas (in confinement), about 25; Beaver, 50; Deer, 20; Wolf, 20; Fox, 14 to 16; Llamas, 15; Chamois, 25; Monkeys and Baboons, 16 to 18; Hare, 8; Squirrel, 7; Rabbit, 7; Swine, 25; Stag, under 50; Horse, 30; Ass, 30; Sheep, under 10; Cow, 20; Ox, 30; Swans, Parrots and Ravens, 200; Eagle, 100; Geese, 80; Hens and Pigeons, 10 to 16; Hawks, 30 to 40; Crane, 24; Blackbird, 10 to 12; Peacock, 20; Pelican, 40 to 50; Thrush, 8 to 10; Wren, 2 to 3; Nightingale, 15; Blackcap, 15; Linnet, 14 to 23; Goldfinch, 20 to 24; Redbreast, 10 to 12; Skylark, 10 to 30; Titlark, 5 to 6; Chaffinch, 20 to 24; Starling, 10 to 12; Carp, 70 to 150; Pike, 30 to 40; Salmon, 16; Codfish, 14 to 17; Eel, 10; Crocodiles, 100; Tortoise, 100 to 200; Whale, estimated, 1,000; Queen Bees live 4 years; Drones, 4 months; Worker Bees, 6 months. Freezing Points of Various Substances. Mercury freezes at 40° below zero, and melts at 39°. Ether freezes at 47° below zero; wine freezes at 20°; sea water freezes at 28.3°. Alcohol has been exposed to 110° and 120° below zero without freezing. Granite decomposes at a red heat. The second’s pendulum, of 39.139 ins. is lengthened by 30° of temperature 128th of an inch, or 3 vibrations in 24 hours. The heat conducting powers of metals, etc., are as follows: Gold, 1000°; platinum, 981°; silver, 973°; copper, 898.2°; iron, 374.3°; zinc, 363°; tin, 303.9°; lead, 179.5°; marble, 23.6°; porcelain, 12.2°; fine clay, 11.4°. 1 lb. of coke melts 94 pounds of ice; 1 lb. of coal, 90 lbs.; 1 lb. of wood, 52 lbs.; 1 lb. of charcoal, 95 lbs.; 1 lb. of peat, 19 lbs. The capacity of the solar heat all over the globe is the ability to melt an icy covering 46 feet in thickness. How Money Accumulates. The following shows how easy it is to accumulate a fortune, provided proper steps are taken. The table shows what would be the result at the end of fifty years by saving a certain amount each day and putting it at interest at the rate of six per cent: _Daily Savings._ _The Result._ One cent $ 950 Ten cents 9,504 Twenty cents 19,006 Thirty cents 28,512 Forty cents 38,015 Fifty cents 47,520 Sixty cents 57,024 Seventy cents 66,528 Eighty cents 76,032 Ninety cents 85,537 One dollar 95,041 Five dollars 375,208 Nearly every person wastes enough in twenty or thirty years, which, if saved and carefully invested, would make a family quite independent; but the principle of small savings has been lost sight of in the general desire to become wealthy. By the way, would you like to get a famous book telling how to get rich? We have published a book of 54 great secrets, and will send it postpaid with 11 other books (12 volumes in all) on receipt of only ten cents. Address your order to Keystone Book Co., P. O. Box 1634, Philadelphia, Pa. Each of the books referred to above is excellently printed and sure to give satisfaction. Interesting Facts. The Atlantic Ocean includes an area of 30,000,000 square miles. Suppose an inch of rain to fall upon only one-fifth of this vast expanse, it would weigh 360,000,000 tons, and the salt which, as water, is held in solution in the sea, and which, when the water was taken up as a vapor, was left behind to disturb the equilibrium, weighed 16,000,000 more tons, or nearly twice as much as all the ships in the world could carry at a cargo each. It might fall in a day; but occupy what time it might in falling, this rain is calculated to exert so much force--which is inconceivably great--in disturbing the equilibrium of the ocean. If all the water discharged by the Mississippi River during the year were taken up in mighty measure, and cast in the ocean at an effort, it would not make a greater disturbance in the equilibrium of the sea than the fall of rain supposed. And yet so gentle are the operations of nature that movements so vast are unperceived. Another interesting fact is that you can get a beautiful garnet and opal ring absolutely free. This great offer is made by a reliable firm to introduce their goods. Send twelve cents in stamps to W. S. Everett & Co., 113 Munroe Street, Lynn, Mass., requesting them to mail you a sample of their celebrated Perfumery, and they will mail free with it a beautiful garnet and opal ring. Send them strip of paper showing size around your finger. Remarkable Plagues. Duration and mortality of some of the great disasters of history. Date. Place. Deaths. Weeks. Deaths per Week. 1656 Naples 380,000 28 10,400 1665 London 68,800 33 2,100 1720 Marseilles 39,100 36 1,100 1771 Moscow 87,800 32 2,700 1778 Constantinople 170,000 18 9,500 1798 Cairo 88,000 25 3,500 1812 Constantinople 144,000 13 11,100 1834 Cairo 57,000 18 3,200 1835 Alexandria 14,900 17 900 1871 Buenos Ayres 26,300 11 2,400 Length of the Principal Rivers. EUROPE. The Danube, 1,800 miles; Dnieper, 1,260; Don, 1,120; Rhine, 691; Elbe, 800; Rhone, 650; Volga, 2,800. ASIA. Ganges, 1,970; Irrawaddy, 2,600; Indus, 2,300; Euphrates, 1,750; Amoor, 2,800; Yang-tse-Kiang, 3,300; Hoang-Ho, 2,700; Zambesi, 800; Yenesi, 3,250; Obi, 2,700. AFRICA. Nile, 2,500; Niger, 2,600; Senegal, 1,900; Gambia, 1,700. AMERICA. Missouri to the Mississippi, 3,100; Missouri to the Gulf, 4,350; Mississippi, 3,160; Amazon, 3,600; River De La Plata, 2,240; St. Lawrence, 2,100; Orinoco, 1,600; Rio Grande, 1,800. Weights in Carats of Six Largest Diamonds. Kohinoor, 106; Star of the South, 125; Regent, 137; Austrian Yellow, 139; Orloff, 193; Rajah of Matan, 367. Their value is not regulated by size, not easy to estimate, but none of them is worth less than $500,000. Largest of Their Kind. The largest ocean in the world is the Pacific. The largest sea is the Mediterranean. River, the Amazon. Gulf, Mexico. Cape, Horn. Lake, Superior. Bay, Bengal. Island, Australia. City, London. Public building, St. Peter’s, Rome. Hotel, Palace, San Francisco. Steamer, Great Eastern. Desert, Sahara. Theatre, Grand Opera House, Paris. State, Texas. Territory, Dakota. Park, the Phœnix Park, Dublin. Highest mountain, Kunchainyunga, Himalayas. Sound, Long Island. Largest railroad, Union Pacific and Central Pacific. Canal, Grand Canal, China. Suspension Bridge, Brooklyn. Largest railroad depot, St. Pancras, London. Largest room in the world under single roof, military one, St. Petersburg. Strongest fort, Gibraltar. Longest ship, the Romsdal. Sailing ship of greatest tonnage, the Three Brothers. Largest Monument, Washington. Largest statue, Bartholdi. The Thirteen Original States. States. Ratified the Constitution. 1 Delaware 1787, December 7. 2 Pennsylvania 1787, December 12. 3 New Jersey 1787, December 18. 4 Georgia 1788, January 2. 5 Connecticut 1788, January 9. 6 Massachusetts 1788, February 6. 7 Maryland 1788, April 28. 8 South Carolina 1788, May 23. 9 New Hampshire 1788, June 21. 10 Virginia 1788, June 26. 11 New York 1788, July 26. 12 North Carolina 1789, November 21. 13 Rhode Island 1790, May 29. Common Errors. Here are a few words that are frequently mispronounced: Acclimate, say ak-_kli_-mate, not _ak_-kli-mate. Bartholdi, say Bar-_tol_-de, not Bar-_thol_-de. Bronchitis, say bron-_ki_-tis, not bron-_kee_-tis. Calliope, say kal-_li_-op-y, not kal-li-_ope_. Conduit, say _kon_-dit, not _kon_-du-it. Conversant, say _kon_-ver-sant, not kon-_ver_-sant. What Six Cents Will Do. Everybody enjoys fun. Our new _prize_ collection consists of a false moustache, comic songs, funny pictures, photos of pretty girls, money making secrets, guide to dreams, etc. We will send the prize collection, postpaid, on receipt of only six 1 cent stamps if you mention that you saw the offer on page 7 of The Handy Manual. Address: W. S. Everett & Co., 113 Munroe St., Lynn, Mass. The Territories. Territories. Organized. New Mexico September 9, 1850. Utah September 9, 1850. Arizona February 24, 1863. Indian June 30, 1834. District of Columbia { July 16, 1790. { March 3, 1791. Alaska July 27, 1868. Oklahoma May 2, 1890. Census of the United States. The following table exhibits the population of the United States according to each census taken: 1st. 1790 3,929,328 2d. 1800 5,305,925 3d. 1810 7,289,814 4th. 1820 9,638,181 5th. 1830 12,866,026 6th. 1840 17,069,453 7th. 1850 23,191,876 8th. 1860 31,443,321 9th. 1870 38,558,371 10th. 1880 50,155,783 11th. 1890 62,622,250 Great Waterfalls. Heights of remarkable waterfalls in this country and elsewhere: Feet. Nile Cataracts, Upper Egypt 40 Tivoli Cascade, near Rome 40 Falls of St. Anthony, Upper Mississippi 60 Passaic Falls, New Jersey 71 Waterfall Mountain Cascade, South Africa 85 Missouri Falls, North America 90 Genesee Falls, Rochester, N. Y. 96 Lidford Cascade, Devonshire, England 100 Niagara, North America 164 Fryer’s near Lochness, Scotland 200 Mont Morency Falls, Quebec, Canada 250 Falls of Terni, near Rome 300 Natchikin Falls, Kamschatka 300 Lanterbaum, Lake Theen, Switzerland 900 Falls of Arve, Savoy 1,100 Cerosola Cascade, Alps, Switzerland 2,400 Values of Old Coins, Stamps, Etc. Are you aware that there are in circulation hundreds of dates and varieties of coins which could be sold to coin brokers at rates in excess of their par value? These brokers purchase the coins to sell to coin collectors (numismatists) most of whom are wealthy, and when anxious for certain dates or kinds to complete their sets, they sometimes pay enormous prices, even offering as high as $5,000 for a certain U. S. coin of 1848. It often happens that coins which seem to be very common are wanted by the brokers, and if the ones who handle such only had a reliable list, they could ascertain their real value. Only a short time since the daily newspapers contained a statement about how a shoemaker took a coin in change, as ordinary money, and happening to be in the habit of comparing his coins with a Coin Manual, he found that this piece was valuable, and sold it the next day for $1,100. Even recent dates are sometimes valuable, for instance, quarters and half dollars of 1853 are worth from $5 to $10, a cent of 1856 brings $3, but we cannot undertake to give further examples as there are hundreds of them. Many people have become rich by keeping their eyes open for old coins, why not you? The best places to find them are in the country districts. Numerous Canadian and other foreign coins are worth big sums. We might also add that similarly high prices are paid for old stamps taken from envelopes that have been through the mails. Even the most common kind are saleable in quantities, and if you get the best book of prices of stamps, you will find that there is no humbug in the oft-repeated story of the “value of a million stamps” or even a single stamp, oftentimes. In order to get fully posted get the two most reliable coin and stamp books. They contain information more reliable than any that you can find elsewhere. Both books are revised right up to this month and contain the names and addresses of reliable coin and stamp brokers with whom you can deal. Although the books may be worth many dollars, perhaps a fortune to you, we will send both volumes, postpaid, on receipt of only ten cents, silver or stamps. Send your order for these books to the U. S. Supply Co., Box 329, Lynn, Mass. Although you may obtain these books any time during the next twenty years, it may be best to send at once so as to lose no opportunities. Statistics of the Globe. The earth is inhabited by about 1,500 million of inhabitants, viz: Of the Caucasian race 460,000,000 Of the Mongolian 550,000,000 Of the Ethiopian 190,000,000 Of the Malay 300,000,000 Of the American Indian 1,000,000 There are about 3,064 languages spoken in the world, and its inhabitants profess more than 1,000 different religions. The number of men is about equal to the number of women. The average of human life is about 33 years. One-quarter die previous to the age of 7 years, one-half before reaching 17, and those who pass this age enjoy a felicity refused one-half of the human species. To every 1,000 persons, only 1 reaches 100 years of life; to every 100, only 6 reach the age of 65; and not more than 1 in 500 lives to 80 years of age. There are on the earth 1,000,000,000 inhabitants; of these 33,333,333 die every year, 91,824 every day, 3,730 every hour, and 60 every minute, or 1 every second. The married are longer lived than the single, and above all, those who observe a sober and industrious conduct. Tall men live longer than short ones. Women have more chances of life in their favor previous to their being 50 years of age than men have, but fewer afterward. The number of marriages is in the proportion of 75 to every 1,000 individuals. Marriages are more frequent after the equinoxes, that is, during the months of June and December. Those born in the spring are more robust than others. Births and deaths are more frequent by night than by day. The number of men capable of bearing arms is calculated at one-fourth of the population. The Origin of Postage Stamps. The origin of the postage stamp had a tinge of romance in it. It was thirty-seven years ago that Rowland Hill, while crossing a district in the north of England, arrived at the door of an inn where a postman had stopped to deliver a letter. A young girl came out to receive it; she turned it over and over in her hand and asked the price of postage. This was a large sum, and evidently the girl was poor, for the postmaster demanded a shilling. She sighed sadly and said the letter was from her brother, but that she had no money, and so she returned the letter to the postman. Touched with pity, Mr. Hill paid the postage and gave the letter to the girl, who seemed very much embarrassed. Scarcely had the postman turned his back, when the young inn-keeper’s daughter confessed that it was a trick between her and her brother. Some signs on the envelope told her all she wanted to know, but the letter contained no writing. “We are both so poor,” she added, “that we invented this mode of corresponding without paying for the letters.” The traveler, continuing his road, asked himself if a system giving rise to such frauds was not a vicious one? Before sunset Rowland had planned to organize the postal service upon a new basis--with what success is known to the world. Wedding Anniversaries. First Cotton. Second Paper. Third Leather. Fifth Wooden. Seventh Woollen. Tenth Tin. Twelfth Silk and fine linen. Fifteenth Crystal. Twentieth China. Twenty-fifth Silver. Thirtieth Pearl. Fortieth Ruby. Fiftieth Golden. Seventy-fifth Diamond. How Man is Constructed. The average weight of an adult man is 140 pounds 6 ounces. The average weight of a skeleton is about fourteen pounds. Number of bones, 240. The skeleton measures one inch less than the living man. The average weight of the brain of a man is three and a half pounds; of a woman, two pounds eleven ounces. The brain of man exceeds twice that of any other animal. The average height of an Englishman is five feet nine inches; and of a Belgian, five feet six and three-quarter inches. The average weight of an Englishman is 150 pounds; of a Frenchman, 136 pounds; a Belgian, 140 pounds. The average number of teeth is thirty-two. A man breathes about twenty times a minute, or 1,200 times an hour. A man breathes about eighteen pints of air in a minute, or upwards of seven hogsheads in a day. A man gives off 4.08 per cent carbonic gas of the air he respires; respires 10,666 cubic feet of carbonic acid gas in twenty-four hours, equal to 125 cubic inches common air. A man annually contributes to vegetation 124 pounds of carbon. The average of the pulse in infancy is 120 per minute; in manhood, 80; at 60 years, 60. The pulse of females is more frequent than that of males. Height of Monuments, Towers and Structures. The height, in feet, of the most lofty monuments and other structures in the world is given in the following table: Feet. Washington Monument, Washington, D. C. 555 Pyramid of Cheops, Egypt 543 Antwerp Cathedral, Belgium 476 Strasburg Cathedral, France 474 Tower of Utrecht, Holland 464 St. Stephen’s Steeple, Vienna 460 Pyramid of Cephenes, Egypt 456 St. Martin’s Church, Bavaria 456 St. Peter’s, Rome 448 Salisbury Spire, England 410 St. Paul’s, London, England 404 Denominations and Sects. English-speaking populations, according to creeds: Episcopalians 21,100,000 Methodists of all descriptions 15,800,000 Roman Catholics 14,340,000 Presbyterians of all descriptions 10,500,000 Baptists of all descriptions 8,180,000 Congregationalists 6,000,000 Unitarians 1,000,000 Free Thought 1,100,000 Minor Religious Sects 2,000,000 Of no particular religion 9,000,000 ---------- English-speaking population 89,020,000 Area of Oceans. The area of the five oceans of the globe is as follows: Pacific 71,000,000 square miles Atlantic 30,000,000 “ Indian 28,000,000 “ Antarctic 8,500,000 “ Arctic 4,500,000 “ Area and Depth of Inland Seas. In the following table are given the area and depth of the principal lakes and inland seas of the world: Name. Size. Depth. Caspian Sea 176,000 sq. miles 250 feet. Sea of Aral 30,000 “ 100 “ Dead Sea 303 “ 200 “ Lake Baikal 12,000 “ 750 “ Lake Superior 32,000 “ 1,000 “ Lake Michigan 22,400 “ 1,000 “ Lake Huron 21,000 “ 1,000 “ Lake Erie 10,815 “ 204 “ Lake Ontario 6,300 “ 336 “ Lake Nicaragua 6,000 “ 300 “ Lake Titacana 3,012 “ 800 “ Salt Lake 1,875 “ 1,400 “ Lake Tchad 14,000 “ 350 “ Lake Ladoga 12,000 “ 1,200 “ Population of the Earth. Inhabitants. Continental Area in Per Sq. Divisions. Sq. Miles. No. Mile. Africa 11,514,000 127,000,000 11.0 America, N. 6,446,000 89,250,000 13.8 America, S. 6,837,000 36,420,000 5.0 Asia 14,710,000 850,000,009 57.7 Australasia 3,288,000 4,730,000 1.4 Europe 3,555,000 380,200,000 106.9 Polar Regions 4,888,800 300,000 0.7 ---------- ------------- ----- Total 51,238,800 1,487,900,000 29.0 States Admitted to the Union. States. Admitted. 1 Vermont 1791, March 4. 2 Kentucky 1792, June 1. 3 Tennessee 1796, June 1. 4 Ohio 1802, November 29. 5 Louisiana 1812, April 30. 6 Indiana 1816, December 11. 7 Mississippi 1817, December 10. 8 Illinois 1818, December 3. 9 Alabama 1819, December 14. 10 Maine 1820, March 15. 11 Missouri 1821, August 10. 12 Arkansas 1836, June 15. 13 Michigan 1837, January 26. 14 Florida 1845, March 3. 15 Texas 1845, December 29. 16 Iowa 1846, December 28. 17 Wisconsin 1848, May 29. 18 California 1850, September 9. 19 Minnesota 1858, May 11. 20 Oregon 1859, February 14. 21 Kansas 1861, January 29. 22 West Virginia 1863, June 19. 23 Nevada 1864, October 31. 24 Nebraska 1867, March 1. 25 Colorado 1876, August 1. 26 North Dakota 1889, November 2. 27 South Dakota 1889, November 2. 28 Montana 1889, November 8. 29 Washington 1889, November 11. 30 Idaho 1890, July 3. 31 Wyoming 1890, July 11. * * * * * Transcriber’s Notes: Punctuation has been made consistent. *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 68711 ***