The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-06
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

| tty list Of distinguished men, says the Baltimore
american 1t included Tennyson, Renap.
| George william Curtis, Whitehall great
| losses not only to their different countries, but
| to the literature of the world. These four men
were leaders in the best sense. OF the world 8
| living poets, Tennyson was chief and Whittier
| was not far behind him. Renan was the leader
| OF Frances liberal thought, and Curtis was not
| only the leader. but the chief factor OF indie
pendent political reform. Among the churches,
| the most notable deaths were those Of Spur
| Reon, the great pulpit orator. and Cardinal
| Lavigere. Jay GOuld's death attracted the at
| tention Of the world mainly because or his
wealth. William Aston also died during the
year. The death that aroused the deepest sym
pathv in the United states was the affiiction
that came upon the President In the loss Of
Mrs Harrison, whose gentle and lovely char
acter had won the firm esteem aud affection OF
the nation.
THERE is an impression in America that
strikes are unknown in China. My experience il
quite to the contrary, says q writer in the
Engineering Magazine Inc Chinese have in
vented the mariners compass, Runpowder and
strikes, but the only one OF the three which
they have developed fully is the art Of striking.
Whenever they want anything they ask for 1t
by announcing strike. did not appreciate at
first the importance OF their feast day, and
when the first one came round they not only
struck, but 200 of them came up and mobbed
my house. No violence was attempted, but the
Interchange OF views was like the chattering Of
10000 monkeys. yielded. The miners would
II they had bad dinner in this com
pany kitchen, strike for any reason.
Once when mine, mill and furnace
were in full blast the miners all struck for some
insignificant cause. Tired Of expostuation
sent for the head men and told them grsveiy
that had no objection to the strike il the men
wished it, but that the mill and furnace could
not stop They mad TO 20 right on. and it was
very costly TO keep them at work without ore.
/ SAID that did not think il was right to make
the company pay the loss and that should fine
the workmen three days pay for every day they
were off duty. There was a great hubbub. The
miners came 20 know if what the head man told
them was true They went TO work the next
day. and striking was free in that mine ever
after, but each man paid for his own fun. In
the end. however, they devised moro potent
mode OF warfare. They went into the mine
with delightful regularity. They put in their
time, but did not put out their ore, and our
product fell of 70 per cent.
The Philadelphia mint has a very wonderful
collection of COINS. Among other curiosities it
includes what is believed to be the Oldest piece
of metal money ever made, which was minted
in Egina about 100 B. Q. The design 10 in high
reef, representing q tortoise crawling across
the face Of the coin. 1t has no date. Dates on
coins were unknown upto 400 years ago The
very early coins bora designs only on one face
OF all coins that ever existed, the smallest in
value was the mite" sucn as the widow in the
Bible dropped through tho slot of the poor
box. The most va uaole coia in the collection
described is Chinese piece worth $40 It is
simply rec'sngular chunk of gold.
of gold are commonly used in
China for currency OF large denomina
tions A coin Ined In Egypt bears the head
of Queen Arsinoe, who was Cleopatra great
great -great-gre at great great grandmother
QueereSt OF all the coins are those from siam
irregular roundish Jumps OF silver from the big
ness Of a walnut to that Of half q buckshot.
Modern coins, though the mechanical proc 8gs
for producing them have been 10 highly i'm
proved. are far inferior srtistically to those of
ancient times. In Babylon Of old. which fell
| before coinage was invented. gold and silver
| were weighed out with scales for use as money
The earliest form of money is still in uss to-day
| IN Southern Asia, in the islands OF the Pacific
are the favorite negotiable medium. They are
| usually quoted at about 100 for cents. Many
of them are obtained from the Maldive and
| LAccadive islands In the Arabian sea.
-, THE French government has just sold to Mr..
| Chefneux the right to refine and export salt
from Lake Asssl, one OF the most remarkable
sheets Of water in the world, says the New York
Sun. The lake is In the district OF Obock.
| East Africa, only few miles from the head of
the Bay OF Tadjourah The gentlemen who has
purchased the concession agrees to paw into the
colonial onice the sum OF $40 900 year, and IT,
during che fifty years that he Is to have the ex-
elusive right to export salt from Lake Assal.
the annual product exceeds So 900 tons, he IA TO
! pay TAX OF ~ cents for every ton in excess
The government will designate part Of the
1
they want without tax or hindrance. All along
the edge OF this little lake, which conDris q
| only sixteen square miles, is a bed Of
thickness. The water Of the Lake is 40 sn ~
charged with salt that it is impossible to sink in
1t. The bottom Is apparently bed Of solid
salt. The heavy waters lave the bases OF Jagged
ana prectpitous mountains which descend To
the edge OF the lake, making it almost impossi-
Die TO travel around it, Mr. Chefneux will prob
ably carry on his work by floating machInerv
/ ON the lake and dredging in the salt bed al the
bottom. though on the west side of the lake an
enormous quantity OF salt ia in 81 ght when the
lake is at its lowest level. Very little was know
about Lake Assal until seven years ago. The
| few men who mad visited the lake were unable
to tell whence it derived it's water supply. The
| lake evidently had no outlet and nobody was
able TO md single stream flowing into it, The
| question was dismissed with the answer
| that the lake doubtless had sub
terranean sfnuents, and 1t was left for Mr..
henry Audon, seven years ago, to solve
! the mystery and prove u at Lake Assal was in.
/ deed very exceptional sheet Of water Mr.
| Audon spent several days examining the shores
clanoerInR with the greatest difficulty along
| the rim OF the lake He was about To Siva m
| the fruitless search when he heard the mnrmus
| OF little waterfall, and in few minutes ha
| $1,000 on she edge of q large brook running into
| the lake. Much TO his surprise he found that
the water OF the brook was as salt as the OCEAN
sno littie wnlle AFTER 1t was proven beyond a
doubt that the ocean itself is the source Of Iaka
Assars water supply. The lake Is about an
| rect below the level OF the sea, Il il noyr
known that three brooks from the CSubbAt al
| karao, a little lAnd-locked bay at the extreme
| western end OF the Bay Of Tsdiourah conG,,n.
the waters Of the Indian ocean inland about ~
miles to this remarkable depression. The ssIt
| winch the natives have gathered, perhans e.
| ages. along the edge of the lake. is carried -
markets hundreds Of miles inland.