The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-05
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

LIE DEW COllcCLcu from the caves OF the COM
mon ladies' mantle often contains not less than
2h per cent. of carbonic acid; the traces of iron
and other metals and nonmetallic elements,
which could only have come from plants have
been identified 10 dews. The dew which forms
over the stunted wild crops that grow on the
salt bearing soils OF Siberia is often perceptiby
saline TO the taste.
IN REPAIRING the ancient ruins of Casa
Grande, near the town OF Casa Grande, Ariz,,
the government party uneartned the following
valuLoie relics, which have been forwarded to
the Smithsonian Institution at Washington:
seven stone axes, one serpent urn. carved stone
mountan sheep. three pieces of cloth, four
large unknown devices of stone q lot of shells
three ollaS painted, a lot Of shell loops, carved
shell devices. decorated and painted shells
The Indians OF the sitkap region, in modelling
their canoes. have, apparently by intuition
solved successfully the difficult problem of least
resistance, buoyancy and requisite stability
properties essentially necessary in a working
boat. but the proper combination of which has
often put to the severest test the constructive
skill OF the most experienced white man. All
the tribes of that region use dugout canoes, the
size or which varies from 10 feet to more than
~ feet in length.
IN that enormous waste known as the Cobb
desert, north of China, showers sometimes fall
during the summer. and the torrents of a day
I'LL the dried up water courses, through which wa
ter seldom runs. 1t Is in these channels that the
Mongols dig, their wells, expecting to find lit
Tie water, when upon the surface OF the plateau
itself the soil has lost all traces of humidity
1t is owing to the fact that part of the moist
ure falling during the few rainy days Is thus
preserved within reach that 1t is possible for
caravans to cross the desert.
In MODERN warships, electricity is playing a
very important part. The commanding officer
who sits in his coming tower has at his dis
posal every electrical device known, and by the
pressure OF a button can make his wishes known
to every part OF the vessel as we'll as direct HIS
movements mechanically. Now, by this new
can oloW away the smoke from their own eyes
and IL may not be long ere some invention lie
patented by which they may blow this smoke
into the eyes Of their enemies.
SAMUEL BUTLER is lecturing in England on the
question, WAS Homer Woman" He believes
the Iliad was written by a man, but he regards
the ODYSSEY as product OF a woman. The
reason he alleges for his belief are not compli-
mentary to the fair sex. He says the poems
show almost incredible ignorance of the detail
OF common everyday matters. The author evil
IDENTIFY knew nothing about ships and displayed
ignorance n other ways. He ventured to say
that if the Odyssey were to appear ANONYMOUSLY
for the first time now there is not a critic who
would say it was the product of a woman.
REMARKABLE application OF the telephone
has been made by DR.. j. Mount Bleyer of Phia-
delphia. In case Of membranous Group in
tubation was successfully resorted to. When
the removal OF the tube became necessary IL had
disappeared. A delicate natalie probe attached
by an electric wire, the other end of which ter
minated in telephone receiver, was passed.
Tracheotomy would evidently have to be per
formed, but the difficulty was to locate the
down through the larynx. As soon as it came
in contact with the tube distinct click was
communicated to the ear through the receiver
The exact position having thus been determined.
tracheotomy was performed and the tube ex-
tracted.
INDIANS in the northwest are decreasing In
numbers each year, and they will soon be ex-
tinct." said Albert Debache of Tacoma, Wash.
to Chicago Post reporter. Mortality Is
greatest among the more civilized Of the tribes
The Occur Alenes have a splendid reservation
They have farms and stock and good houses
but they are dying off at great rate It seems
that they cannot endure the rather cramped
conditions OF civilization. Chief Garry. one of
the warriors OF Alpowa, who fought against
Gen. Steptoe, died last week. When | com
menced trading in the northwest in 1852 there
were immense bands Of Occur d'Alene, Kalispel
Spokane and Columbia River Indians to be found
along the Columbia river. They are all gone
except about 1900 Coeur d'Alenes, and they are
going fast. II will not be many years till the
American Indian will have become an extinct
race. "
The Tarratnes, or Penobscot Indians. who
live on an island in the river a dozen miles
above Bangor, are the most ingenious of all
basket makers, and no chemist has produced
brighter colors than those with which the chill
dren OF the forest adorn their wares. The bas-
kets are made thin strips of ash and maple. the
latter from rims and handles and much of the
work is interviewer with fragrant sweet grass
from the salt marshes along the coast. Alder is
stepped for pale red dye white bircn bark for
bright red, cedar boughs for green sumac for
yellow, white maple bark for black A light
solution of the maple yields purple instead of
BLACK. Some of the Indian basket makers are
very prosperous. One family OF four cleared
$1,000, in addition to their living expenses, last
year, and in the parlor of their mouse is a Brus-
sells carpet, upholstered furniture, S4O3 piano.
various expensive ornaments lace curtains.
Catholic books and pictures, and a set OF
Cooper's novels. There are many lazy and
drunken Indians, but the good Indians control
the affairs of the tribe, and are respected by
the white people. ~