The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-14
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

A hundred-and- ten ton gun has a range
of fourteen miles.
Morrice (Mich.) has an expert telegrapher
nine years old.
There are in this country 43O colleges
and universities. with S472 professors and
teachers.
There are five islands in the world
larger than Great Britain, counting Green
land as an island.
Inc Scotch herring fishery is now the
greatest in the world, EN- loying 1000
boats and 100000 people.
Chlcago's mortality statistics show that
surprisingly large number of residents
OF the Lake City live to be over 90
music hall on the Boulevard Voltaire,
farls, bore on Easter Sunday afternoon
The sign, CLOSED on account of fine
weather"
In Great Britain it has been reckoned
that there are about 100000 absolutely
homeless wanderers" aud that 60, 600
Of these belong 10 London.
Magma Charta, the great charter of
Engllshmen's liberties, is reserved in the
by time. bat King Johns seal and name
are stlll quite legble at the bottom of it,
one OF the most curious papers in Eu-
rope-prOoably in the worlds publis he'd
In Vienna. Its proprietor is the Emperor
FRANCIS joseph of Austria, who publishes
H.. q
OF the public.
What is reputed to be the largest lump
OF coal ever mined is in England's ex-
hlhlt at the Worlds Fair. 1t is a monster
specimen OF the Lancashire diamond. and
Is what the English call "a cob of camel
coal. The coal weighs eleven English
tons and fourteen hundredweight
The unmarried young people of MeDon-
ough. Ga, have formed matrimonial al
lance" The object of the club is to Sc
cure suitable husbands and wives for It's
members. Each person joining this organf-
cation pays an Initiation fee of SO. which
amount Will be presented 10 tie first mem-
Der VINO secures mate.
A phllosophic observer processes to
nave not touch of selfshness in clergy
men when travelling. and that, too, without
regard to denomination. He finds explana-
ton for this in the fact that clergvmen,
IKE women, are accustomed TO be treated
with special consideration, and so acquire
me haoit OF eXactlng courtesies usually
yielded as mark OF respect to the cloth.
The great armadillo has the greatest
number of teeth. Whereas the normal
number of teeth is 80, this animal has from
81 to 100; "a to 26 in each side of the
upper jaw. and 90 to "a in each side of the
lower Jaw-all m0lars. They increase in
size from front to back, have no roots, but
an individual hollow base, showing con-
~.
There is still widespread belief in the
South that the meat of hogs killed during
the decrease of the moon Will shrink in
the cooking more than the meat of ami
mails killed when the moon is crescent.
and there are hundreds of persons south OF
Mason ana DXon's line who are careful
TO plant potatoes when the moon is right.
lest the increase be small or none.
Christmas Island is one of the most in
terestlng in the world. 1t is 200 miles
from Java, and consists largely of coral,
which rests on volcanic foundation
The coral forms almost inaccessible cliffs,
covered with luxuriant vegetation. In the
day 1t swarms with huge crabs and at
night with rats. Man could not live on
the island. as 1t does not possess fresh
water, the rain sinking into the rock.
The parish register of Ramsey records
that Major William Cromwell, a cousin of
the Protector, died of the plague on the
I'D OF February, 1862 and that he caught
the infection by wearing a coat the cloth
of which came from London. 1t adds:
The tailor that made the coat with all
his family, died of the same terrible dis
order, as did no less than 400 people In
ramsey, and all owing to this fatal coat"
Baden-Powall. of the Scots Guards. has
devised method Of signaling at night by
means OF paper fire balloons, which are
made to lift string of beads of quick
burning composition attached 10 piece of
quick match, so as to spell out words on a
system similar to the dot and dash" or
Morse plan. The balloon is inflated by hot
air, and the message" string is alta ched.
The portability of the apparatus is an im-
portant feature.
Columbus Barracks at Columbus. O.. Is
one OF the army posts especially coveted
by officers. Lie at Columbus is still
simple enough to make it possible for an
army officer with no income but his pay 10
help lead the society of the place. There
is plenty of house room ut the barracks,
dress parade is popular diversion with
the people of Columbus, and no commits
stoned officer, save perhaps the quarter
master. has any very exactiug duties.
We still have on tie rolls twenty widows
and two daughters of the Revolution, the
last Two survivors of that war having died
In 1869. aged respectively Jos and 100.
There are los survivors and 66t5 widows of
the War of 1872 and 1925 survivors aud
1852 widows of the Mexican War This
leaves 6S7, S52 survivors and 15S, 500 depen-
dent relatives of the War of the Rebellion.
with 426.39S claimants for pensions for that
and earlier wars on the list for considera-
ton Mt the date of the last report, October
II. 1892, besides 361, 65S claimants for in
crease of pensions.