The morning call., 1893-10-08
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Nearly 100000 needles are in use every
day.
Infantry tactics were originated by the
AIhenians.
Half million lives are daily dependent
upon the efficiency of iron and steel wire
ropes.
In 1862 books on geome etry and astronomy
were destroyed in England as savoring Of
magic.
The Norwegian Medical Congress will
| hold its meetings on yacht cruising in
the regions that the midnight sun shines
upon.
1.-The Star-spangled Banner" is an adap-
tation of "Anacreon in Heaven" COM
phsed by DR.. Samuel Arnold of England
| in 1770.
The Dyak head-huntng has religious
| origin. The Dyak believes that every per-
son he kills In this world will be his slave
on the next.
The principality of Ratzebu celebrates
a queer anniversary this year. the twenty
| fifth anniversary Of want OF quorum IN
its represen ntatve assembly.
| The bending of iron piping and bars of
any section without kInking or tiartening
them is now claimed to be accomplished
| by recently invented machine.
| Down to the present century part of
the marriage ceremony in Hungary con-
sisted in the groom giving the bride kick
| to remind her of her subJection.
The weight of a moIecule of hydrogen
| is approximately 0.000. 000 600. 900. 000 000.-
000O4 of a gramme; the atomic weight
OF iron is 0000 000.0 900. GEO. 600. 600. 002.2
gramme.
Bicycles have so far satisfed,the military
authorities in Belgium, where the first trial
was made of them at the maneuvers of
1888, that their more extended use is now
contemplated.
A rare bird in this country Is the "Afri-
can snake, which is owned by resident
of Monroe, La The bird is web-footed,
and was swimming among the finders
| ducks when captured.
| 1t is noteworthy that the old courthouse
at CadiZ, Ohio, which was erected in 1916,
and which is being torn down for more
pretentons structure. has never had
| death sentence pronounced within It's walls.
| A Rochester man has devised plan by
| which trolley streetcar can be stopped
| almost instantaneously. or within space
of three feet. while the car is going at full
speed. His device Is operated by lever in
| the motorman's cab.
| A fish was caught in the lake at He'll
bronn, Swabia. in the year 1897, which has
a brass ring attached bearing record okthe
! fact that the same fish had been caught in
the year 1880 and released after having the
| label affixed to its body.
| w U6u all aTul6Dld0 IUdIU6u aLIaIUS 06r
seven teeDth year, and is not engaged to be
| married, she must undergo strange pun
ishment. She is forced to fast three days,
! then for twenty-four hours her food is salt
| fish. and she is not permitted to quenoh
! her thirst.
| Poisonous snakes are so numerous In
! Venezuela that snake bite is almost as COM
mon there as in India. But there are
| fewer fatalities. for the natives have dis
/ covered that plant known as the
ocumilio, when powdered and applied to
the wound, results in a cure in almost
every case.
| Three cats OF species said to be un-
known were discovered recently in the
spirs of a church at Brighton. Mass The
cats are covered with coat of long shaggy
! fur. Their teeth are long and are almost
! like tusks. On the nose of each is large
| tuft Of hair resembling a tusk. They are
very agile, and spring from rafter to rafter
with the ease of squirrel.
The Emperor Duc-Tu of Cochin China
protects his treasures by placing them in
! followed trunks of trees, which float
about huge tank situated in the center of
the royal palace. There are twenty croco-
diles in the tank as well. When he wishes
to draw upon this bank all the reptiles
are killed, but this cannot take place
without the joint consent of the Emperor
and his Minister of Finance.
Trousers appear to have been introduced
into Rome at a comparatively lale period
apd as a part of the military uniform.
| They are worn by Roman soldiers repre-
sented on Trajan's column as we'll as by
barbarians. The Greeks have never
adopted them. With their instructive
sense of beauty they had recognized that
these are the only garments that cannot
| possibly be made graceful.