The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-17
ITEMS OF INTSRRsr.

any WIFE and l." says a travelling man,
''were ouce in hotel where we couldn't get
any boiling water. After we had discussed the
situation my wife asked me If had an envelope
in my sachel / got one out, when she told me
20 I'LL il with water AMI hold it over the gas iet
| hesitated, but finally did it, and expected TO see
the envelope blaze up every nome [. But It
didn't blaze. The envelope took on A little SCOT
but that was all. The water boiled in time and
the envelope was good as ever when the ex-
pertinent was at an end. l don't know the
chemistry Of the process, but try it yourself
ana see II it will not work"
ONE Of the novelties at the national cycle
show in London was starting gear which is
likely to be of great service to cyclists The
gear is contrivance for enabling the rider to
mount and start without pushing Off" or hop
ping expedients which are very trying 10 be
ginners, and especially to ladies'. The gear is
actuated by a powerful spring and can be fitted
to any type of machine and to any revolving
part, preferably to the crank axle or tie driV-
ing wheel. The spring is released automatic
ally as the rider mounts the machine and i'm
pels it a distance sufficient TO enable the rider
to settle himself Tor herselD comfortably and
TO lind the pedals The inventor also claims
that the gear can be made to serve as a tenn
porary assistance in ascending hills,
A NEW drop curtain, raised and lowered by
electricity, has been installed at the Coincide
Franchise. the French national theater in Paris.
Inc innovation is giving every satisfaction. but
rev OF the SOcietdlTeS are said to regret the
majestic slowness of the old curtain. The
curtain is suspended by five parallel ropes
which run over an equal number OF pulleys
fixed above the stage, aud then are wound to-
Rether on wooden drum, capable of turning
IN one direction or the other, in order TO MAKE
the curtain ascend or descend. This movement
Is produced by means of a belt connecting the
drum with electric shunt motor and a
couuter-wet yht attached to the drum by cord
Tie conductors of the current are led to a
swil CHI placed in reach of the machinst, who
~
remarkable ease and smOothnes5 of the opera
ton Of this device is accounted for by the fact
that, although tue curtain weighs 400 kiio-
grhmneS, II Is entirely balanced by the counter
poise SO that the motor has only to overcome
the friction of the apparatus, which amounts to
about 2-horse power.
THERE never were 50 many restaurants as
there are going to be at this worlds fair, says
Julian Ralph in Hdyper'S Young People Along
the promenades around most OF the buildings
| you will see tables and tables and tables-some
| waited on by Americans, others by Freuchmen,
| others by Germans, Others by Cinnamon and
Japanese and Italians. Soma very queer and
pretty buildings are restaurants such as they
| Switzerland, Holland, Paris, India and Turkey
You will see people eat with sticks, v it'll their
| fingers and with knives and no forks. But the
| drinking will be even more wonderful. Uttered
! everywhere out Of doors are pretty little staud;
and booths aud cage-like houses called "kiosks -
| hundreds of these are for the sale of water at q
/ cent q RlASa, others are Eea-0rlnkerS' resorts,
| kept by oriental people; others are chocolate
booths, attended by pretty young girls others
| are coffee stands; at others you can drink cocoa
nut milk from Cuba, or lime juice or sugar and
| water, as the French do. And scattered among
| all these often beautiful little buildings are
| others. literally by the hundred, for the sale OF
| chewing gum, peanuts, candy and mounds OF
| sweet flowers.
| THE growth Of electric traction Ia this coun
| try is one Of the most marvellous Developments
of the century. leading street railway
| journal draws attention to the fact that in the
past five years the mileage OF street railways
operated by electricity has increased from fifty
miles to over 500 miles, which is q greater
mileage than that or all the other street rail
was in the country operated by both animal anc
other forms OF motive power OF this large to
tai nearly one third was built in 1892. No esti
mate has yet been given of the aggregate In.
crease in value OF suburban property that has
been improved by the running of new electric
lines. but the amount must be enormous, as q
large proportion Of late installations has bser
| in suburban districts. particularly in the east
| In July 1890. the street railway mileage of the
country was 1850 miles; at the present time il
reaches total of IL, 555 miles or an increase OF
5000 miles in the past ~ years, During 1892 Their,
| was an additional increase or t,OO6 miles. Some
| of these lines have been introduced in the most
| crowded parts Of large cities, where it is ad
| United chat the cable traction would be more
| economical. The reason for this les probably
| in the fact that it would be far less economical
| to change from electric to cable power simply
| for the short distance than to retain the system
/ already in operation.
THE wel-known electrician, George Forbes
Of England called the attention of the St
| Louis electric light convention to a new method
| OF storing power, which is of interest to the
| general public as furnishing possible means OF
| disposin2 of garbage and the refuse of large
cities 1t has been generally agreed, says the
| Philadelphia Ledger that the safest and best
| plan OF disposng of such mat rails is by burn.
| ing. No attempt, however, has been made to
| utilize for practical purposes the heat thus gen.
| Grated On the other hand the electric lighting
| companies suffer because their apparatus, in.
! Guiding not only dynamos, electric machines
| and engines but boilers well. must be main
| tanned so as to be able to supply the maxi
| mum amount of force, although the
| period for which this maximum OF
| power is required may cover only
| q few hours and often only few minutes daily.
| Prof. FORBES pointed out the advantages of
J using the waste heat from the burning of garb.
| age to heat water confined in extensive reser-
/ voirs to a temperature beyond the boiling
point. These reservoirs could th5n be drawn on
| Tor the production of steam when needed, and
| being carefully jacketed, they would preserve
| the.heat of the water almost indefinitely. The
| original cost of such an apparatus would neces-
| sarlly be nigh, but in the case OF an electric
| lighting plant owned by municipality it would
| doubtless pay for itself in solving at once two
great questions-the economic disposal of
refuse and the economical production OF light