Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-13
ITEMS OF INTEREST,

DURING the past week about l40 families,
aggregatiRg 200 persons, entered North Caro-
lima as settlers. The majority were from the
New England States and Pennsylvania.
SO many valuables were annually stolen
from churches in the South Of France during
the midnight services at holiday time that
those services have been ordered discontinued
in the future.
THE little living worms which have been dis
covered in ice are described by Prof. Leidy as
being white or colorless and from one quarter
to one-sixth of an inch long by one seventy-
fifth of an inch in thickness, the species being
unknown.
IT being shown by test that 2S2.24O pounds
of coal will prOpe a ship and cargo weighing
5000, COO pounds a distance of $3.50 miles, the
Railroad Gdsetts goes to its arithmetic 10
show that an ordinary letter II burned in the
ships boiler will generate sufficient energy to
transport one ton of freight one mile.
THE Upper Appomattox river canal from
Petersburg, Va, to Stony Point, distance OF
eighty-fve miles, has been completed. The
opening Of this canal gives Petersburg a very
important feeder for trade, as it runs through
some of the richest counties in the State. The
canal is owned by syndicate OF capitalists,
by whom it was purchased some months ago
at a cost OF $4,000. a number OF boats are
being built for use on the canal.
NEARLY 100 parents have notified President
elect Cleveland that babies have received his
name, to each of whom photograph was in
closed One pasteboard box Il filled with en-
thusiastic political poems. A lady school
teacher in Michigan regularly sends earnest
advice. in scholarly sentences. Three letters
from Washington threaten assassination, and
there are several cautiOnary epistles from
Democratic friends. A petition for an Illinois
post office was addressed to His Majesty
A TRIAL for so-called blasphemy, remind
ing one of the religious prosecutions in the
Middle Ages, has taken place at Odessa. Tine
Criminal Court has sentenced a peasant, a
member Of tn Bible-reading sect known as
Stundists, to imprisonment for three years
and nine months, and loss of his personal
rights, for having preached against the image
worship OF the Russian Church. The trial
was held with closed doors; and, although
the majority OF the witnesses swore that the
accused mad not used the words imputed TO
him, the jury, composed of four intelligent
men and eight ignorant peasants, found him
guilty. Another strange feature of the trial
was his being deIended oy Jewish Advocate !
whereas, Russian law forblds Jews to hold
briefs IN cases of hercsy or bla -phemy COM
mltted by Christians.
THE members and congregation of the sum
merfeld Methodist Episcopal Church, of
Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, few even
legs ago held a jubilee service to commence
rate the release Of the edifce from all indebt-
edness The Rev. John kantZ, Jr., informed
the large congregation that came there that
the church was clear OF its mortgages. On
table in front Of the pulpit was huge bowl
OF water and a candle. The board OF trustees
gathered with the pastor around the table.
John Parker, who is the oldest living trustee,
lighted the candle, which was held over the
bowl. The Cancelled mortgage was then held
to the candle and lighted. 1t was burned up
and the remains thrown in the bowl. Then
the bond of the trustees that was given with
the mortgage was treated likewise. During
the burning process the congregation sang the
DOxology. A love feast followed.
IN 1879 the discovery of the fish called the
"tile- fish, in deep water south of New Eng
land was widely announced, and Its flavor
and abundance led to the hope that it would
become a valuable food fish. In the spring of
1882 immense numbers of these fish, calculated
in the official report at about 1z,0OO,OOO and OF
an average weight Of 10 pounds each, were
where living fish have before been found.
That this estimate is not an exaggerated one
may be seen from the fact that it was obtained
by dividing by 400 the numbers reported in
given area by the most trustworthy sea cap
taIns. The dead fish were distributed over
more than 5000 square miles. Though many
expeditions have since spent days in search of
this fish, not a single specimen has since been
taken. The theory is that a cold wave of
water from the inlying shallOwer region was
driven by the nOrtherly wind then prevailing
across the warm bank inhabited by these fish.
This theory is supported by the fact that some
few other species disappeared from the bank
at the same time.