The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-09
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


IT is not often that jail is robbed by burg
lars Such thing happened at Oldenburg,
Hungary. Burglars entered the prison, then
occupied by 500 prisoners, and among other
things stole and carried away 1900 forms and q
quantity of gold and silver bric-a brac.
THERE is some suspicion that a mysterious
disease which has broken out at Lille may be
the old historic plague which has not been
heard OF in Europe west of the Turkish frontier
Tor more than century. The circumstances
are as follows: A brush manufacturer of Lille
imported some bristles from Persia and gave
them to some OF his workmen to sort. Gne Of
the men was taken i'll and died in less than
twenty-four hours, and another died the next
day. Both exhibited symptoms of the plague,
including boils and other characteristic symp-
toms. Some other oriental diseases have some
what similar symptoms, but none OF them Is
apt 60 kill 80 quickly. The brush factory has
been closed and the sanitary authorities are
making an exhaustive investigation. An out
break or plague in connection with cholera
would be particularly unwelcome.
THE geological formation Of Death valley.
Inyo county, California, is paralleled by but
one other spot on the globs-the Dead Sea re-
gion OF Holy Land. The valley 10 about miles
long and IS in length, and Is said by biologists
to be striking illustration Of the condition OF
the world in its early epochs. 1t lies far below
the level OF the Pacific, in some places as much
as 160 feet, and has the appearance OF being I'M
der the ban of some terrible curse Thunder
ever intercepts the rays of the scorchinR sun
that continually beat down upon Death valley
sands until they are hotter than those Of burn
ing Sahara" For week in and week out the
thermometer stands above 1909 night and day
often touching the 100A mark In the afternoons
Moisture of all kinds is unknown; dead animals
dry up and mummify in the sand.
CAPT. JAMES E. WHITE general superintend-
ent of the railway mail service, has submitted
his report of the operation Of that, the most i'm.
portant, arm of the postal service, for the year
ended June 30, 1892. The miles Travelled IN
crews during the year aggregated 149, 25l, 446,
and there were handled and distributed 9, 245,-
994,776 pieces OF mail matter in transit 1925 esq.,
100 pieces prepared for city delivery and IS 49,
US pouches, cases and pieces OF registered
mater, making the enormous total OF {, 589, 662
$50 pieces of mail matter Of all classes handled
and distributed, an increase of 7.T per cent
over 1891. OF the PAS 994 775 pieces Of ordinary
mali matter handled and distributed but 1, 1891, :
3S9 were incorrectly distributed. showing but
one error for every 5,466 pieces handled. This
is the best record in the history OF the service
There were 345 casualties during the year. in
which five clerks were killed, sixty seriously
and III slightly injured He asks for an ap-
preparation for pay of clerks for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1894, of sass 900. and for
S2,914000 for payment for full railway post.
offices.
NTNEvEH was ID miles long and miles wide,
| the whole city surrounded by wall 100 feet
high SO thick as to furnish ample room for
three chariots TO be driven abreast around the
| top. Babylon was 30 miles within the walls
which were rs feet thick and Of the same hight
| as those Of Nineveh. This monster wall had 10
\ openings or gates. which were closed by
enormous brass shutters every evening a. sun
| down. The Tempe OF Diana at EphesuA which
| was about an even 100 years in building, was
| $50 feet to the first support of the roof. The
largest of the pyramids was originally 4s1 feet
| high and $50 on the sides. the base covering II
| acres. The stones which are in POS layers,
average 90 feet In length One account SAYS
1 that 2S0 O00 yyOrkad for VA in 70
| ing the Titanic pile. The famous Labyrinth
| of Egypt" contained 800 rooms or chambers
and IL halls. Thebes. Egypt. at the present
| time, presents ruins "a miles In circumference,
The remains Of many Of the buildings, such as
columns, arches, etc. are OF such gigantic size
| that no known modern machinery would be
| equal to the task Of taking them down, TO say
nothing of putting them in their present posi-
| lions.
ONE of the celebrated characters" OF Not.
| tingham, England, was Kitty Hudson. known
| throughout Great Britain as "the human pin
cushion" She was born In l7G5 and at the age
| of was a sweeper in st. Mary's church, near
Arnold. Pins were raretes among the poorer
classes, and poor Kitty was encouraged to pick
| up those found on the church floor, receiving a
stick Of tatfy Tor every moushfql thus col
| grew on the child till finally she could neither
eat, drink nor sleep without having from six to
| dozen of them under her tongue and around
her gums. She would often go to sleep with
a mouthtul Of pins and awake to find them
gone. The absence OF the pins could be ac-
counted for only in one way: She had swal-
lowed them. Still she kept up the practice.
1 feeling no Ill effects except mum bness in her
/ limbs. Ten or a dozen years later, however.
1 she was in terrible plight, passing sleepless
nights and screaming with pain nearly al the
| time. In 1855 she was sent to the Nottingham
I hospital and remained in that institution a year
| during which time 1000 pins were removed from
different parts of her body, no less than 300 of
them coming out through her breasts, both of
! which had to be amputated. After her dis
charge from the hospital she was married twice
| and became the mother of nine children, none
of whom lived to the age OF 49, Notwithstand.
ing her terrible experience Kitty lived to be over
20 years old.