The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-20
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

| DdS6 I0eb nlRQ. Inc SalL was taken from q
mine $50 feet deep. The English firm will send
1t as an exhibit to the worlds fair.
THE name "bit" for the eighth. of dollar is
Of southern origin and is little known to the
north 1t is sometimes said that It started from
the practice of cutting a quarter into two equal
bits or pieces to make change. But there was
Spanish silver coin Of 124 cents formerly cir
| culating in this country called in New England
| "ninepence,' in New York shilling in Penn
sylvanis, Maryland and Virginia 'elevenpence"
| or levy" while farther south il was called
| bit. "
| Mrs. WILLIAM WALTERS OF Muncie, Ind, is
said TO be the only woman who ever undertook
to shoot a gas well with nitroglyceriI a op
| alton so dangerous that few men care to unuer-
| take it. Her husband is engaged In the business.
and as he was not on hand when the we'll was TO
be shot she undertook to perform the duty for
him. She carefully lowered sixty quarts of the
dangerous explosive to the bottom of the well,
| 900 feet below the surface of the ground; then
she dropped the weight into the well and ran
away as hard as she could. A trembling of the
| earth, muffied roar and puff of smoke from
! the well told that the operation had been sue
| cessfully performed.
ALTHOUGH the savings of the French are very
great, they do not compare, in proportion to
| the population, with those of the people of
| Massachusetts France has enjoyed condi-
tilon OF peace and prosperity since the year Of
| 1871, yet the funds deposited in the savings
banks, municipal AMI national, IN 1891 amounted
to only 1920 000,0UU. In Massachusetts, in 1892,
the amount deposited in savings banks was
1928, 544, orc, while there was &l4620, 275 add
| tional held by cooperative banks. The popula-
ton OF France is between 80 900 900 and IS ,000,
600, while that OF Massachusetts is only about
2,S6)OC0. These figures present very striking
| contrast as to the prosperity of the two
| countries.
THERE is little reptile belonging in NADIA.
gascar known as the scimitar snake, that is, the
curling sword. Running along the back from
head TO tail is blacklist, horny substance,
- md Will N,rffN 49, la
SNAKES body as :adiy as would a well
tempered steel spring; and throughout its
entire length it bears an edge as hard as flint
and sharp as q razor. They are not poisonous,
but when one of them springs on q man, which
he likes very well to do, he will soon have a leg
OF un ess cracked on the pate. Some snake
specialists claim that the presence of this
reptile Oh the island is the reason there are no
large quadrupeds to be fonnd there at present,
the curling sword in back ages having taken off
legs fas or than they could be created.
PITCAIRN Island, where the descendants of
the mutneers OF the county live in secluson
and primitive contentment. boasts CT icing alb
solutely free from the vice OF drinking The
prohibition laws there touch not only liquors
but tobacco. shipwreCked sailor named
Coffin, who was cast ashore there few months
| ago. had managei to save his dearly cherished
pipe and pouch of tobacco. The chief maRs-
tIate of the colony promptly informed him
that he must give up smoking il he wanted to
I enjoy the r hospitality. and when he refused he
| was 80 effectuaily ooycotted that he fed this
ocean paradise by the first passing ship. Capt.
Bailey of the American merchantmen Vigilant
from Japan. brings this stCry. He stopped at
the island and traded tIInkets for food with the
natives, and found them happy and r )sperous
though not crop of rain had fallen there for
two years, and the volcano which their
island lies has been giving ominous indications
of activity
THERE is no animal even to the toad, that
does not show signs of intelligence and reason
l. Here, says writer in the Louisville Courier
+ Journal, is an example reported several years
ago by an Austrian naturalist. schoolmaster
3 at Pichelsdorf for some years watched a singu-
lar case OF intelligence in toad. 1t appears
that this animal, so useful to the farmer in
destroying beetles and other insects, has a
special fondness for bees and honey. One pleas
ant morning the schoolmaster noticed in front
of his beehive gray toad occupied in swallow.
ing bees; with spade he threw 1t away. The
next day he again found toad in front OF the
hive. 1t occurred to him that it might be the
same one and, in order to know certainly he
tied piece of blue thread to one of his hind
feet, and then threw it into small stream at
I some distance. The third day the same toad
! was once more before the hive. This time the
? schoolmaster had it carried far away. Two days
after the onimal had found its way back across
! the field. The schoolmaster himself then car
ried 1t a good many miles away, and after eight
days it was once more in front OF the hive bus
lily catching bees. He then gave up driving IL
away, and was the more willing TO do so since
he had discovered that 1t only ate the sick ones
For number Of years he watched this toad till
, THIS is the time of the year, says the New
J York Sun, when even the poorest Chinaman
} HES himself to the proper shop aud buys a
Chinese sacred lily bulb. The more prosperous
Chinese buy bulbs by the dozens. If the
bulb, when planted, takes good root, sends up
. strong. bright green, waxy shoots and bears
: numerous lilies that is 'faht soy" good luck
If it does not, then all the faint is in the fire. so
! to say. There is something peculiarly Chinese
about the planting Of the sacred lily bulb, be-
tall EiS-of
should put the bulb in water, not very cold, for
two or three days, change the water twice a
dsy, and wash the bulb at each change. When
the bulb is free from its outer skin and is
swollen to the point Of BURSTING you put it in a
/ shallow dish and cover it about half way with
pebbles or large, clean gravel. Cover the
a gravel with clean water and change that once
or twice day. When the plant is started it
a must have sun and fresh air or 1t will not flower
: only grow pale. sickly stalks. In San Fran
! cisco, where most of the domestic servants are
Chinese the women heads of households are
presented with bulbs by the servants The
/ ladies have no care to take Of the gift Though
! the household get no breakfast until dinner
time, and dine ON the following day, that bulb
will be attended to all right If it flowers nicely
the family will get pie seven times a week. The
flower is delicately beautiful white lly with
a rich, sweet perfume.
According to the RdtIt0dy Rev eur, an official
OF the PittsburG and Lake Erie railway recently
returned from Europe, referring to railway
practice in Germany, says: The roadbeds are
about perfect, while the stations are simply mag
ntcent. even 10 the most insignificant places
, very fine. The roadbeds are quite rigid but
this is manly due to the iron and steel crossties
that are used The locomotives are fine pieces
of mechanism, but their capacity is scarcely
equal to those on this side OF the Atlantic Their
/, entire passenger equipment is away behind that
in use here. Their trains however, run like
clockwork, and the connections are perfect
The method of starting trains is altogether
unique and peculiar, and will cause American
: agents aud trainmen TO smile. The agent is an
imposing, dignified and solemn looking official,
attired in elaborate uniform, literally gilt edged
and he acts as master of ceremonies on impos-
ing occasions. When the train arrives at the
station he is standing bolt upright in an almost
military position and he is on dress parade.
One minute before the train starts he reaches
, up and taps gong three times. Then a strange
scene takes place. and il would seem that he
bad pressed button for at the last tap the con-
ductor, who has been at the rear car, comes gal
Looping along the entire length Of the platform.
, shouting in German the name OF every station
the train will stop at. When the engine is
reached he wheels about, and on his return
quickly closes and locks the car doors, darts
back to thA van TO his perch on the rear car,
whistles thrice on a tin or metal whistle. which
| Ia instantly reDeated bV the brakeman a the