Title: The handy manual: A veritable mine of useful and interesting statistics, information, etc.
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Language: English
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*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The handy manual: A veritable mine of useful and interesting statistics, information, etc." ***


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.



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