The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-25
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Old chests and trunks have a high value
as curios, and are largely taken by the deal
ers In the like. AS pape- was costly in the
eighteenth century, many sUc1 articles were
nneo with newspapers then current. and, II
the pleasantrtes Of the period are to be
trusted, even with rejected manuscripts.
curious old trunk with pentagonal ends
recently turned up in the shop of a dealer in
old furniture 1t still bore a weather-stained
card, showing that its last delivery had been
70 somepo in Pearl street. 1t was lined
with Philadelphia newspaper of 1773 and
the pages exposed bore the tax list of that
year In pounds, shillings and pence.
The Khedive OF Egypt is to have a gold
toilet service. His mother has had it made
for him in London. There are twenty-seven
pieces, ls-karat gold, chased in Renaissance
monds the mon monogram am" 0f p. sprmounte TED
by the crown Of the Grand Turk. 1t required
l'ZOO diamonds, two hair brushes, two clothes
brushes two hat brushes. o shaving brush
and two razors, hand mirror, a table mir
ror with sconces. a shoe horn. glove stretch
ers, scissors, knife, two penknives a pin
cushion, two powder boxes, three perfume
caskets and feZ stand and cover. to make
up the set. 1t is lnclosed in a costly ebony
case.
At the birth of his son father placed at
interest at per cent, the sum of $1,000, and
each year invested all the interest at the
same rate, writes the mathematical sharp of
| the Kansas Farmer. When the bow was q
| years old he found himself the possessor OF
| S559s56. Being young man of pluck and
energy, and anxious to try his hand in I'M
alded competition. he told his father to keep
the money, and he would take his chances
with the poor boys Of his acquaintance.
| When the son was 50 years old the father no.
| tined him that his fortune had grown to over
| SIo,42O, using round numbers. At 20 the
| father called his sons attention to his for
| tune OF over $50 C0), and since the son had re-
| celved the rewards of his industry, he did not
| stu take possession OF the fortune. The
| father soon after died, and in his will re
| qulred his executors to keep the principal and
! interest loaned until the son should receive it
or be removed by death. The latter lived to
good old age, and on his sons Tooth birth
| day, besides the accumulatfons of busy and
| prosperous life, was incumbered with for
tune of S339SO0.
| The steam-warping tug is an ingenious kind
of craft now being adopted in the Canadian
lumber regions, propelling itself on land
as Wen as on water, and useful In operations
| carried or among small lakes connected by
| streams of uncertain navigation, says the sun.
| They are built in scow shape with steel-shod
runners for moving overland, are 81 feet long,
| 10 teet beam, decked all over, the bottom and
| up the bow covered with steel boiler plate: an
engine OF twenty-five horse power furnishes
| steam for ten hours work with three-quarters
| OF cord OF dry wood. In the water 1t moves
SIX miles an hour forward or backward as re-
| qutred, propelled by sidewheels; on land it is
| propelled ~ having cable drum on which is
colied five -eiRhthS of mile Of steel wire cable
| which is fastened with puneys to tree or
| other suitable object in front, the boat moving
| as the wire is cOiled up. The boiler is hung
on an axle in the center, and a screw arranged
| on the front enables the fireman to tip it for
| ward or back, and keep it level going up or
| down hill. The mechanism and operation of
| the craft are such that, according to the rep
| reSentatiOn, it will move in the most salts
| factory manner over an elevation Of one foot
in three on land, and draws about % inches in
| the water.
In many museums may be seen, in the
| ST. Of in
! fossilized remains of plants and animals says
the Gentlema1s Magazine. The science of
Egypt in Its highest development did not
| succeed In discovering method of embalm-
ing so perfect as the simple process taking
place in nature. A tree exudes a gummy
reSlnouS matter in a liquid state An insect
accidentally alights in it, and is caught. The
exCdation continues. and envelOps it CON-
pletely, preserving the most minute details
OF its stru ture. In the course of time the
resin becomes fossil, and is known as am
Der The history OF fossil insect is largely
indebted to fly in amber. And to the pre-
serving properties of amber we owe, likewise
our knowledge Of some OF the more minute
details of ancient plant structure The
coasts of the Baltic are, and have teen
from the days Of the Phoenician trad
ers, the great soUrce Of the amber of com
merce. 1t occurs in rolled fragments in
strata known to biologists as Oligocence.
/ These are tertiary rocks of a date little
more recent than those OF the London basin
and equivalent to the Younger tertiary series
OF the Isle of Wight. The fragments of fossil
resin were washed down By the rivers from
the pine forests of the district along with sedi-
ments and vegetable debris. In them are
found most perfectly preserved remains of
the most delicate tissues Of the vegetation of
the period, as well as of insect life Frag-
mentS of twigS. leaves buds, and flowers
with sepals, petals, stamens, and pistn still
IN place, occur. Pullen grains have likewise
| been found A recent genus Deutzia has
| been recognized byits characteristic stamens;
the valves OF the anthers OF Cinnamomum are
seen in others In one specimen the pendant
catkin of species of oak is seen as distinct
| ly through the clear amber as if it we're a
fresh flower. And besides the insect and
plant remains thus sealed up in amber stray
relics of the higher fauna of the forest have
also been met with. Fragm ents of hair and
teatherS nave been caught IN the sticky resin
and preserved. Among others woodpecker
and squirrel nave been recognized in the Bal
| tic amber.
1t has been remarked says the Pittsburg
Dispatch, that one of the greatest objections
to the suppression of hemp cultivation for
| smoking purposes in India is that it wOuld
| drive the natives to the use of more dangerous
sedatiyes One Of the drugs which the cOolie
| is most prone to substitute for his eoved
| hemp, WREN the latter is not available is the
| datura seed, For many years it has been
| known to the police and those engaged in
| medtcO-legal examinations that one OF the
| favorite methods adopted by Indian thieves
| to rob their victims has been the administer
| ing of datura. The Supplying effects of this
| drug enables them to carry on their depreda
! LlOnS, anu NJ Ine same Time TO avoid, in most
| cases. the fatal results which attend the use
| of other poisons. The symptoms present in
! the individuals affected were loss OF conscious
ness, dtlatton OF the pupils picking at the bed
| clothes, attempts to grasp imaglr airy objects
| and from the movement Of their hands thev
| all appeared to be drawing out threads from
| the tips OF their fingers When taken upon
| an empty stomach the effects OF the poison
| are usually discernible within ten minutes
| but in the case Of a well-nourished person
| half an hour or more elapses before its re is
| are perceptible The rareness Of fatal cases
| in connection with the use of tins
= poison is one Of the chief factors in
its selection by the native criminal The da
| tura seeds may be gathered almost anywhere
! in India. and also easily purchased in the ba-
! Zaars; so 1t is hardly to be wondered at that
| such convenient instrument for the further
| ing of nefarious designs should e so popular
| among the Indian criminal classes II tits
| desirable to render any particular Derson
| helpless for given time the administrator
| OF the datura is the main difficulty. and this
| unless servants are absolutely Trustworthy. is
not lnsuperable. The period before conscious
ness is restored after taking a dose of the
| poison, varies in different individuals and is
dependent very much on the state of the
health of the victim at the time il is admins
tered. Thus, in some cases complete reCoy.
cry takes place in two or three DAYS or less
while in others Inconsistencies has been
known to last as long as a week The SWIM
toms exhibited In many cases resemble those
OF alcoholic poisoning or delirlum tremens
In some instances the poisoned persons act |