The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-23
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

each 2 by inches. and feet long, both ends
solIdly braced, and the weight applied in the
middle OF the span. yellow fir stood strain
Of 3.O62 pounds, common Oregon oak, > ,92s
| pounds. Fine grained yellow fir from near the
| butt stood a strain of 53j pounds. and best
Michigan oak snapped with a strain of only
2.42e pounds. The tests we're made by the
coma, Wash.
The manufacture of leather is reaching
| what must be almost the highest perfection of
| the art, says the Shoe and Leather Gazette.
| A new process has recently been patented in
France for the production Of q leather which,
both to the touch and eye has a striking re-
Semolanee to velvet. feathers of this des-
| crlptlon hitherto manufactured have been OBJ
| tanned by treatment of the flesh side OF the
hide or skin. The flesh side Of the skin being
alWaVs coarse, the pateEtees claim now to Sc
cure better results by treating the hair side.
Ihey scratch or rub the hair side with rub
Der OF Strong eroSlVe qualities, or with emery
or glass, when working small surfaces, and
use grtndstone for heavier work. In this
manner downy nap is brought out which
they throw and lay in different directions
thereby bringing out varied designs of chang
ing hue and appearance. The velvety sur
race produced is said to be similar to the
down Of peach skin. The fiber. is very fine,
sort TO the touch, and has all the appearance
OF silk velvet shorn very close
The voice of the singers need an occasional
"oiling" and some peculiar remedies have
been in vogue among the singers which ii is
interesting to know, says the Million. When
Gallmeyer, the famous soubrette, visited
England she confessed that she treated her
throat before each performance to good rub
ping with rum and glycerine. This statement
leu TO further investigations in this line with
the following results: LabaUt the great
Swedish tenor, ate two salt pickles before GO
ing on to sing. Wachtel used the yolk of an
egg with sugar. Other noted vocal stars drink
beer, champagne, soda water or punch. Wal
ter, the tenor, drinks cold coffee without
cream. and Geistinger relies on glass OF
grog. Zelta Trebelh the famous eontralto
who died not long ago. always drank lemon
aue before she went on the stage. Kinder
man chewed dried prunes during the intervals
and SOUTHERN Swore by a pinch OF snuff be-
fore each aria. Some singers who are pas
Sionate smokers refrain from smoking on the
days on which they are to sing while num-
Der OF canGatrices believe that their voices
are vastly improved-by the smoking of cl
garette Just before the curtain rises.
There is mountain about fifteen miles
from Tumacacor, but so near the interna-
tional line that it is not known positively
whether IL is in Arizona or Mexico, but it is
believed that it is United States property.
Miners says the New York Recorder, have
always calledit Babel Mountain and it is a
most appropriate name. 1t is Of soft sand
stone and pumice formation, and the work
OF making the road was not difficult task.
The road commences in a canon OF the foot
hills, and rises at an easy grade, corkscrew
1aShlon, going around the mountain fourteen
times before the summit is reached. The
road Is about fifty yards square when it
starts at the base, and gradually gets
smaller until it is only ten feet wide at the
top. In many places the road has been
washed ont by the storms OF years, but il is
still possible to take a horse to the top. In
many places, where the sides overhaug
little, the mark of the builders pick tan be
plainly seen on the wall Of rock. To ascend
the mountain person must follow the road
ana this is two days task, as it is about
thirty miles, as near as can be calculated
without actual measurement. The lowest
road is little over three miles long when IL
goes around the mountain once. However,
this is very irregular and goes around several
spurs OF the mountain. The roughness of
the road is indies, ribable, and a horse Is of no
use for a week after the trip. The top of the
mountain is about 1000 feet above the plain
There is nothing at the top, and the adven-
turer wonders, when he gets there, what the
road was built for.
Among those who have performed great
feats of memory, Cassell's Family Magazine
mentions DIR. Fuller, author of the "Wor-
thieS of England" He could repeat another
mans sermon after hearing it once, and
could repeat 500 words in an unknown Ian
, guage after hearing them twice. He one day
| undertook to walk from Temple Bar to the
! farthest end of Cheapside and to repeat on
| his return every sign on either side of the way
| IN the order OF their occurrence, and he did it
easily. In such feats as this the eye plays a
| chief part; yet blind people, also have good
memories. Rev. b. j. Johns, chap
| lain of the blind asylum, Lon
don, testlfes that large nun
| Der of pupils learn the Psalter and that one
| young man was there VINO could repeat not
| only the whole of the $50 prayerbook psalms
| and large number of metrical psalms and
| hymns, as well as a considerable amount of
modern poetry, including GoldSmiths DE
| serted village, but the whole of Millions
| Paradise Lost with marginal notes and
| biography. Lord Macaulay on one occasion
: repeated to himself the whole of Para
| disc Lost while crossing the Irish chan
/ @ a fTNarr
! bridge coffee house for a postchaise he
| picked up country newspaper containing
TWO poetlcal pieceS-One the reflections OF
| an Exile and the other "a Parody on a
| Welsh Ballad looked them once through
never gave them further thought for forty
| years and then repeated them without the
change OF single word: Macaulays mind,
| some one has said, was like a dredging net
| which took in all that it encountered, both
| good and bad nor ever seemed to feel the
| burden. Very much unlike dredging net
ana more like Strainer, are the minds OF
some other persons who carefully select what
they will retain or have natural facility for
remembering special classes of facts-George
Bidder for figures. Sir w. Scott for versus
Mezzofanti for languages, ....-
Very few persons in Europe or elsewhere
are aware thathuman sacrifices still exist in
part of the Russian Empire. Among the
| Tchuktchis such sacrifices still take place
says the Gazette de Yakootsk. and seem
! likely to be practiced for long time to come.
At the same time no blame therefor can he
attached to the Russian government or to the
orthodox church, for efforts by both to ston
the custom have proved Intellectual The sac.
rltces alluded TO are those OF old people and
| the sick who, finding no pleasure in life. re-
solve to have done with earthly existence. to
reJolu their dead relations and go to increase
the number of happy spirits The
| Tchuktcht who has made up his
mind to die, Immediately notifies his
netghbors and nearest relatives. The news
spreads in the circle of his friends and ALI of
| them soon visit the unhappy person TO inf1u-
ence him to change his mind. PRAYERS re-
proaches, complaints and tears have no
effect on the fanatic, who explains his rea-
sons, speaks OF the future life. of the dead
who appear to him in his SLEEP. and even
when he Is awake, calling him to them. His
friends, seeing him thus resolved. go away To
make the customary preparations Atthe
end of from ten to fifteen days they return to
the hut Of the Tchuktchi with white mortuarv
garments and some weapons, which will be
used by the man in the other world to dqht
evil spirits and hunt the reindeer After
making his toilet the TChuktchi witbdraws
into the corner of the hut. His near.
est relative stands by his side. holding in his
hand the instrument of sacrifice a knife a
pike a rope. After the sacrifice the assist
ants place the body on a sledge drawn nv a
reindeer, which draws il to the place of Inc
funeral. Arrived at their destination the
TchuKtchts cut the throat ofthe reindeer take
from the dead body its clothing which is torn
to pieces, and place the corpse on lighted
funeral nile tluTinp q iuci