Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-15
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

4 SIXTY FOOT mahogany steam launch is
being built in England for Baroness AdOlphe
de Rothschild. 1t is to be sent to the villa
Pregny, near Geneva, and il is intended for
excursions on Lake Leman. The boat is to be
fitted with the electric light.
ARABIANs say that it takes forty days to
purify the mouth that has been puckered in a
whistle. In Tonga and Iceland whsting is
considered to be disrespectful to God. In
North Germany the peasants claim that to
whistle in the evening will make the angels
weep.
CIVIL marriage in South Africa is not
lengthy rite. The Colonies mentions that
happy pair entered the Queens Town House,
the bridegroom paid Is note. signed dOcu-
ment. took his spouse by the arm and walked
her out of the building, saying. Glow do you
do, Mrs. -t' The ceremony lasted just two
minutes.
ZRCoNIA, an extract from a mineral found
in considerable quantities down South, isquite
likely to succeed petroleum coke for the man.
ufacture of electric light carbOns. Recent eN-
periments have been highly successful, and
the discOverer claims to be able to produce
carbon point two inches IN length that Will
last for year.
A PECULIARLY sad accident happened last
week to the 6-year-old daughter of William
Curry, of indianapolis. As She was reaching
up to a closet shelf for something she wanted,
her hands knocked over a bottle Of carbOlic
acid and the liquid flowing over on her up
turned face not only put out her eyes, but in
hicted other injuries which Will prove fatal.
AN apparently timely measure, designed
for the benefit of travellers and their families,
was rejected in the Connecticut Legislature
last week. 1t provided a penalty for any
steamboat company neglecting to keep duph-
cate lists of passengers on It's boats. The
principal lines in the State, since the disaster
at GOodspeed's Landing, keep no lists what
ever.
SOME wonderful exhibitions Of mesmerism
have recently been given in Philadelphia by
prof" Gustave, pupil of prof" Kennedy.
One of his subjects when in trance ate cay
enne pepper of the strongest kind as If it had
been sugar. His control over the sense of
feeling was manifested also bY sewing the
tongue of a subject with an ordinary thread
ard needle to the upper lip, and stitching the
cheeks.
IN Austria Hungary every newspaper ap-
peaung more than twice month has to de-
posit caution money if politics are treated or
mentioned. For Vienna and surroundings
this deposit is fixed at $4,000; for towns of co.,
600 inhabitants, at $4,000; for towns of 10000
inhabitants, at $4,000, and for all other places
at 81 900; but papers only appearing three
times week need only pay half the amount.
BY infringement of the press laws the caution
money may be partially or wholly forfeited,
and all fines are levied on the amount which
has again to be made up to the original sum
if the papers are to go on.
1--WE were pleased to learn" says the
Raleigh On. ca Ne10s, "that the success of the
colony Of silk culturists recently planted in
Moore county is assured. The colonists
already settled are entirely satisfied with
their prospects, and many more are expected
soon to follow them. North Carolina is the
home of the mulberry, and there is no reason
why the State with tO-day's advanced knOwl-
edge of the subject should not gain as great
wealth from the rearing of silk worms and
the manufacture of their produce as New
jersey, for instance, the leading State at pre-
sent in silk manufacturing"
THE stone age need not be very long ago.
The Cossacks who occupied the valley Of the
Irkut at Tunka availed themselves of the
numberless stone implements they found scat
tered on the hills around. There still are
people, says the Russian Is0estid who remem-
Der that their grandfathers used ncphTte
hatchcts; tradition saws that there were Cos
sacks who themselves understood the art of
making jade implements. Thirty years ago
iron was very difficult to obtain in Siberia
and even now it is by no means common. The
late Prof Schapof found the settlers at Tu-
rukhansk largely using stene pestles and
hammers.
ONE Of the toboggan races, which have
lately taken place at St. Mortz, was prefaced
by a sensational announcement that the ewes
of all Europe were fixed upon it. The sixth
prize in this novel international contest hav
cOmpatriots improved the opportunity afford
ed bv the dinner which followed it to declare
with dubious accuracy. that "Old Ireland has
at last indicated her supremacy in the great
international race" Tobogganing has lately
been INDUCED in on the grounds Of the Gov
eminent House at ottawa by the light of bon
fires or fireworks. Though the sport has not
supplantedP old-fashiOned coasting in New
England, the boys of st. Marks school, South
bOrO, have practised it to some extent, and to-
boggans have been in use for one or two win
tiers by coasting parties at Jamaica Plain.
A CONNECTICUT man has perfected an auto
matte machine for making upholsterer's
tacks, and is producing the goods at Torring-
ton, in that State. These tacks have so far
been always imported, and the secret of the
English manufacture is not known. Various
attempts have been made in this country to
devise machinery for producing these goods
but resulting in failure. One firm sunk $2OO 600
in the endeavOr. Another firm. Is years ago,
partly succeeded. but failed financially The
new machine turns out perfect tacks at the
rate of $50 per minute. An average days
work is 10000. One man can take care of four
of these machines. BY using different dies
the heads may be either round or cone shaped,
and several sizes can be made. After shap-
ing, another machine pOl.shes the face of the
metal. The immense quantity used is shown
by the fact that an importer in New York re-
ceives 100000 or 100000 of these tacks
monthly.