Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-18
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

IN THE LAST CENTURY they really turned
criminals TO some practical account in Eng
land. In 1857 John Benham, under sentence
OF death for burglary, was pardoned on con-
qltlon OF undergoing the amputation of a
! limb. ito test the efficacy of Mr. Pierce's
styptics." The limb off, John was to be con-
sldered free.
THE most satisfactory results have fol-
| lowed the experiment tried a few months ago
at the government arms factory at Spring
Held, in the use of the vapor Of gasoline as u
forge fuel. 1t is found that the expense is not
| more than half the former cost OF coal, and
mat there are many minor advantages. This
success has greatly interested New England
| metal workers, who are beginning to adopt 1t
IN various factories.
DURING AUGUST enormous swarms Of ants
passed over the town Of Solothuru, in Switzer-
land. They came from the Jura mountains
and formed a cloud, consisting of seventy five
perpendicular columns, IN which the ants
| clrcIed around in spiral form. The swarm
| lasted for twenty minutes. the height of the
| cloud being upward OF ninety feet. Millions
| OF them fell TO the ground, however, without
making any visible change IN the phenome-
| non.
THERE IS PATIENT in a Scotch intrmary
suffering from a painful disease in which
every person who uses a cane is interested
| 1t Is a sore Of the hand. brought on by the
| pressure Of a round knobbed stick against the
palm; in this case it has affected the muscles
"A
cure is not probable. The surgeons say that
| a stick with handle, instead of knob on
| which the palm must press, is the thing to
| carry.
THE WINE used long ago was claret and
the quantity of it consumed at a sacrament
was enormous. 1t was at the cost of the city
that the communion elements for the churches
of Edinburgh were in the sixteenth century
| provided. and In the Dean If Guilds accounts
Tor 1881 Inc following entries occur: First
communion. ane puncheon of caret wine,
LOO lbs. Va; nine gallons mar, fl6 l6s.; sec
ond communion, one puncheOn of claret wine,
cost tS5 U.s.. two gallons MAR, Fla G."
A BANGOR MAN, Just returned from the
Chaudlere river district, tells how the people
look at smallpox. He stopped over night at
! French Canadians whose son was foolish
| The native said he was made thus by small
| poX. Sald he: ~ on see, we have all got to
| have it sooner or later, and so last fall, hav-
| ing our work done up early, said to my
wife guess this Is good time to have It. So
| L hliched up went down to the village, and
got it. 1t killed three of my children and
made that boy foolish"
THIS is the heavy season for piano tuners.
| The heating up of house untunes in a short
time It's piano. This is not due, however to
| the expanding or contracting of the strings
under the variations of temperature, but to
| the variations produced in he sounding
| board under the influence of the increased
dryness of the air when furnaces and stoves
! are burning. The sounding board is ALWAYS
made of spruce, because of the superior re-
snnance of that timber; but spruce 10 the
wood most affected by changes in moisture.
sERGT. ELLISON, one of the victims of the
Greedy expedition, was an enthusiastic bota-
mist, and collected some very rare Arctic
plants. two Of which had never been CLASH
| fed. The plants are from inches to feet in
| height, and under a magnifyinG glass pre-
| sent a very beautiful appearance. OF the 80
. | classified specimens all bUt dOxVpr-
| ing plants. At the latitude at which they
| were gathered Isl deg. Al MINI the sun is
quite warm in July and August, and vegeta-
ton, though stunted and short-liVed, Is not
| rarity.
THERE is no aristocratic quarter in the
City Of Mexico, and it is fashionable not only
| to live on business street, but to have sa-
| loon or meat market on the ground floor.
| Everybody lives in flats; the houses are
| usua ly threes stories high, and the top floor
| Is considered the best. 1t will rent for 500
month, while the second floor rents for $40
When house is to be let in Mexico the owner
sticks an old newspaper in the window. 1t
ISN'T very taseful, and seldom improves the
appearance of the house. but it is economical
and understood by the community.
PROF. F. B. DEATER, of Yale, has written
a paper on Town Names in Connecticut"
and says that, Of 100 names given by public
authority before the Declaration of Independ-
ence, at least 81 we're taken direct from
British sources, II came from peculiarities of
location, from the Bible. and only 3 from
names of prominent early settlers and found
ers. He calls attention to the fact that, while
Massachusetts has towns like Hull, Reading,
and Manchester, named to commemorate the
victories OF the Parliament in England Com
necticut has none such. This omission was
studied, he thinks. and indicated different
attitude OF the State toward England from
that OF Massachusetts.
AGRICULTURAL as it was and is: The South
I n 1890 acpunipd 40 of ffo
area in farms, while New England, the upper
half of which is waste of American Alps,
had 81 per cent: the Middle States including
the Aleghanian elevations of Pennsylvania,
occupied % per cent, and the Ohio Valley
settled within the present century, utilized
q per cent of its surface in farms, This is bv
no means full exhibit of the sparseness OF
cultivation in this promising and fertile land.
The area improved is a better criterion of the
measure OF real occupation, and this area is
only IA per cent. of the whole, while New
England cultlyates 80 per cent. the Middle
States 50, and the Ohio Valley 80 per cent.
THERE is a Russian student at q French
academy. His mother naturally had scruples
about his lodging anywhere else than under
the supervision Of hls tutors. He wrote ex-
pOstuiating, and descanted on the unhealthi-
ness OF his quarters to an alarming extent.
The answer came: "At the Academy on are
safe, my son. and at the academy you must
remain" He grew pathetic, but to no pur-
pose. At last he took counsel Of his friends
There Is pestllence which creepeth in dark
ness. and great many specimens were col
lected. enclosed in a small cardboard box. and
directed 10 the Obdurate parent, with these
words "Mo.her, in piiy let me leave this
place. Never 4 wink can I get at night
/ Here are q few. / could send you q bushpl
These my tOrmenters will explain more than
words. ] am greved 10 have had recourse To
such strong evidence. Your discomforted
sOn," The answer was: MY son, 20 where
soever thou wilt, only leave the academy"
A TELEGRAM from Reading, Pa, says: "a
sensation was caused this afternoon by
published announcement that the lady teach
ers comprising the girls high school faculty
had resigned almost IN body. Hiss Bren-
holtz withdrew two weeks ago, and to day
Miss Stohle's resignation was received by
Frank &. Sminck, Chairman Of the high
school committee 81 the school board. lie
says Miss Stnhie assigns no reason for her ae-
ton in her letter OF resignation. She was the
principal Of the school. Laier 10 the day 10
was stated that bliss LOttie Hickman aud
Miss ,rollne Mechener. also lady tea hers
In the high school, will resign or had ALREADY
resigned. Miss StOhle eaid 10 a reporter that
she was simply tired Of teaching, but 1t Is said
by prominent Official that there are other
reasons for the sudden resignation. Those
named are generally regarded as competent
and satisfactory teachers, through whose
efforts the school has been brought 10 a high
standard. IL is understood that misund0r-
standing has taken place. One report is TO
the effect that school official insulted one OF
the instructors, which led them all to resign"