The morning news., 1891-11-28
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


besides rare Shakespearean library. One of
his hobbies was the collection of TASKS, and he
had them in gold, silver, glass, etc, many of
them coming from notabilities. or these there
are, it is said, at least 200, and among them ex-
amples presented by the Prince of Wales, Sir
John Macdonald, President Arthur, Roscoe
Conklng and others. Mr.. Florences manu-
script diary. covering a period of thirty years
end containing his impressions of all the per-
sons of prominence he had met, will prove Of
great interest. He was once offered SIC, 900 for
the manuscript but declined to accept.
A WALL STREET BROKER of long experience
and marked financial success happened to be in
a communicative mood a few days ago and
chatted entertainly about the milionaires
whom he had met. For several years he was
closely associated with Jay Gould, and he sur
prised his friends by his estimates of Jay
Gould's wealth One gentleman asked: "Is it
true that Mr.. Gould is worth between 500, ,000.-
600 and $3.50 00o, ,0oO?" No, he is not worth any
such amount" was the reply. THE fortunes
of Wall street men are greatly exaggerated in
most instances. | doubt if Mr.. Gould could
clear up his obligations and get out OF the
street with much over S50000,000. l believe
that Mr. Sage is a richer man than Mr.. Gould
1t is not unlikely that Mr.. Sage is worth
S70OOCOS0. Cornelius Vanderbilt is probably
worth between S125, ,000. 900 and $3.50 O0O O00 and
John d. Rockefeller must be worth about as
much. MIR. Rockefeller's interests are so wide
spread and so profitable that nobody except
himself really knows how rich he Is. "
MISS RUssEL's SALARY in the New York Casino
was SOOU week. one lnRenuOuSly LOlu Nr.
ArUnson that she had two better offers as she
had, but she was willing to remain with him for
less than she could get elsewhere. They
willing TO give 800. She wanted $500. Before
that matter came TO a head NJ IS Russell COM
planned that she didn't have the proper tenor
support, and strongly argued IN favor OF the one
| and only Streitmann. They knew the tenor quite
| as well as she and promptly told her they
wouldn't give him S. week. Meanwhile the
| tenor called and intmated that his services
were worth $500 week At this they laughed,
as they knew Amberg had given him $50
month when he first came over and $3.50
month later on. Then Miss Russell acc spted
| $3.50 q week from Mr.. French and Streitmann
4 was again suggested. He asked 800 a week,
| French was willing to give $3.50 and 1t
| finally arranged that Miss Russell should have
| but $500 and the other $50 should go to the
| tenor. Then came Miss Russell's success in
| La Cigale' and the tenors unmistakabe fail
! ure to please.
THE current number of the Electrical En0i-
neer contains an interview with Inventor Edi-
son on the subject of electrical inventions to be
used as q motor for railways The staff writer
of the engineer says that at the request of
| Henry Willard of the Northern Pacific railroad
Nlr. Edison in 1880 devised system Of electric
railways and built models resembling in all es-
sential details that which has been the subject
of recent comment Two years ago Mr.. Edison
began the work of devising a street railway
system applicable to the largest cities,
would not be permitted. The limits
were that the system should not cost more
than a cable road to build. This has been at
last accomplished, and an experimental track
has been in satisfactory operation near Edson's
laboratory for some time. The cost of the sys-
TEN. Mr.. Edison estimates. will vary between
$4,000 and 100000 per mile of double track,
not including stations. The running expenses
will be the same as the trolley system This
great cost shows that the system can only be
applicable to the largest cities and the longest
short roads, where traffic is such as to
warrant such an expenditure 1t is said that
the system can be applied with far greater
economy than cable road. The Third avenue
cable road is now being built at a cost Of $780,
900 mile without stations, and the Broadway
road is estimated to cost not less than $780, 900
mile. The cost of operating the electric system
is also said to be far below that of the cable
Estimates are now being made for the conVer-
sion OF one OF the largest street railway systems
in this city TO the electric system after the
plan of Mr.. Edison.
In the big show-window of New York Jew
elry store rested last week, says the Je1uelLers'
Reuier, q small tray that gathered crowd of
curious spectators to the window. Every time
the sunlight played upon the plate glass the
tray coruscated with prismatic hues of dazzling
brilliaucy. The tray is we'll known to the trade.
1t is designed to display remarkable variations
of the color of the large African mine dia-
monds, aud contains examples of all the
coiors known. 1t possesses great in
terest for noviceS in gems, and
the jeweler is called upon half dozen times a
day to explain the beauties Of the specimens.
The jeweler picked out one sparkler with a pair
Of diamond tWeeZers and held it forward in the
show window. This is a Brazilian gem he
said, like which there is only one other in the
world. in Paris, and the French one is not as
pure or as large as this This is what is called
a black diamond, and is valued at So, 50O 1t
weighs n trifle less than four carats.
It's beauty lies in the fact that it
changes its color in different lights
In this strong sunlight you see il is
almost black, but it gives forth q prismatio
radiance greater than that emil ted by the best
] of the black gems. In gaslight, you observe,
the black hue becomes rich golden brown, and
the play of colors is changed, too. Diamonds
of this sort regarded by the superstitious
miners as gold stones, that is gems possessing
a power of good luck TO the owner in the search
l for hidden gold. This stone was secured in
Paris, whittier it was brought in rough for cut
ting by Rio Janeiro merchant
Here" continued the jeweler, is
another curiosity" He picked up a
three carat white stone with the tweezers
| ut is a specimen that will prove to you that
there is difference of sex in the gems This
is what is called the female, multiplying dia-
| mond." " He held the gem under a strong
magnifying glass, and pointed to four or five
smaller diamonds custere about one of the
facets at the edge Of the table OF the stone.
''The male gen." the jeweler said, lis sharr
{ pointed and never gathers these embryo gems
There is a fine specimen alongside that pink 1t
!; surprises most people who see these specimens
to be told that they of different sex as well
as colors, but such is the fact"