The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-21
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

nurses VIII race ahead OF the engine on the
line ana sometimes will run half mile be-
! fore they can be driven OF. Oxen can hardly
! be persuaded TO get out of the way. while a
calf will sometimes stand on the line and
stare at the locomotive in blank astonish-
ment until taken ~ the ears and dragged
| away. Sheep are the most stupid II one at
/ tempts to cross in front of a moving engine
/ the engineer may make up his mind for an
accident for the balance OF the drove insist
| on getting over or dying. Hogs pay very
/ little attention to an engine. they seem ia
regard It as something quits out Of their line,
ana not IN any way concerning them.
The scarcity OF FISH in Lake Erie and the
somewhat inferior variety is causing some
thing of an exodus of dealers from Lake Erie
| to the Northern United states The San
! dusky lsh Company. which consists Of all
| the nrms at and in the vicinity OF Sandusky
/ has decided to remove its entire business ia
| the Lake OF the Woods, on the boundary Re.
| tween the United states ana MANITOBA On
/ this lake 1t is stated that whitensh and stur.
/ geon exist in great Quantities. The company
| expects to catch sufficient to meet the de-
! mands OF trade, and when the rigorous nor
/ thern winter sets in will come back to Lake
Erie and go to work. Numerous compaAies
! along the north coast of Lake Erie will soon
| follow. Lake Erie supplies nearly all of the
! Northern United States with fresh water
| hsh, but excessive netting for several years
back has almost ruined the business.
The weather bureau has once more demon
strated its usefulness TO the public by the
issue of circular containing practical di-
rectlOnS by the observance of which the dan
ger from lightning stroke may he reduced to
minimum. The information is more es-
pecially designed for farmers, builders and
physicians; but obviously its value will not
be limited to any class AS an illustration
OF the value of this branch of research, Mr..
Alexander McAdie, The author OF the circular
says that during i've years, from 1885 TO 1887.
tnere was a yearly average of 206 deaths
caused ~ lightning in the United States; and
Tor Tour other years. up to 1888 the yearly
average was 1856 deaths. In eighty years
with 1892 lightning caused 1916 hrcs, with a
loss OF az, COB, S35, in the United States, for
the most part west Of the Rocky Mountains
During nine years ended with 1892, 2335 barns,
lui churches and 664 dwellings were struck
by lightning.
Clouds are simply form OF water made
visible by the cooling of the air which pre-
viously held the water in the form of invis-
IDLE yapor says knowledge. every cloud
may be regarded as the top Of an invis-
lble warm column or current thrus ing its
way into cooler body of air. The COMPARE
| tive altitude of cloud may be Judged when
there is no time or opportunity to make ex-
act measurements from its form and outline,
Its shape or shadow its apparent size and
movement, its perspective effect and the
! length of time it remains directly illumi-
mated after sunset. BY the last method Mr.
lnwards states that some clouds have been
estimated TO have been at least ten miles
above the surface of the earth. The cloud
| Yelocltles at high attitudes have been care
July noted at the Blue Hill Observatory.
| Mass u. s., and show practically thar AT
about five miles in hight the velocities nre
three times as fast in summer and six times
In winter as the velocites of the currents on
the earth's surface.
That there are still numerous chances for
the interchangeable student and investigator to
make new discoveries may be judged says
the st. Louis Republic. from the fact that the
only known species of four footed bird has
been discovered only quite recently This
curious anomaly which could very properly
De styled an Avis paradoxalts, " is native
OF the Amazo on river country, its PRINCIPAL
habitat being the Islands of Mara o. It Is
only during the period of incubation tat
which time the little embryos extra
best and early birdhood that the four
footed feature is at all observable
Like the baby frog, which either sheds" or
aDsorbs its tail. the four looted / ird rids
Itself OF its useless legs in the same manner,
chicks weeks OF age usually beieg perfectly
free from anv signs Of the extra memt ers.
The ornithologists profess to believe that
this curious creature is a survival of some
past geological epoch. Its scientific name is
Ops hocomus cristatus. The natives call it
the hoactzin, which means the evil
smelling bird" 1t is also claimed that there
is not carnivorous animal known that win
taste its flesh.
A society woman in New York recently
sent out invitations to party at her house.
asking each recipient of card to come rep
resenting some city" Some of the costumes
and designs worn were ingenious and not a
few were far-fetched, but she aggregation
went some distance toward showing that
brains are not altogether lacking among the
400. One woman, whose name is Florence
determined to go as herself. pure and simple
and IN consequence of the fact that she
neither wore nor carried an emblem OF auy
sort, saws the Recorder. no one guessed The
very evident city for which she stood al
though all were quite familiar with her name
n rdi oil
compass, with weather vane
pointing due west, was, of course.
West Point. but not even one thought of it,
An ingenious design was that OF COW with
30 cwt." under it. in connection with which
no one thought of Boston" few guessed
Little Rock. when they saw the extremely
small pebble which one pretty little girl car
rled about her very conSpicuously. Another
| had piece of paper which she doubled again
and again when asked what she repreSented
| and this was supposed to suggest Dublin.
another had pinned on her dress a sketch OF
farmers boy in very wide baggy trousers
which looked so much like a Quaker that one
could only think of Penn City, when thew
should have guessed Toulouse naneT
with lot OF bicycles drawn on it was Wheel
ing"
The opening of the Suez Canal, it appears.
has brought ruin to this historic island of ST
Helena. where the population has been de-
Ginning steadily for years. Formerly about a
thousand ships called each wear at lanes
town, and the population of 5000 souls was
kept in full employment. Although ST.
Helena is apparently little more than bar.
rem rock, ITS interior is extremely fertile and
rich In vegetation, but during the period of
prosperity that preceded the opening nm of a
more direct route for trade with the east the
cultivation OF the soil was neglected and
afterward. with the lessened demand from
ships calling at the island. the incentive To
production was removed. OF late Years the
condition OF the islanders has been
growing worse and worse The main EN-
ployment OF the men is found in the whale
fishery, established under American manage
ment, but each year an increasing number OF
the young and the strong leave for South
Africa or the United States so that in 1891
the population was less than $500 a com
prove the condition of the islanders They
propose TO develop the fisheries and to start
fish, curing industry, which may provide
employment for the women and girls The
waters OF St Helena TEEN with fish of good
quality, but at present only a sufficient sun
ply Is caught 10 meet the local demand
Ihere are COD banks not far from the island
and many other varieties for which when
sailed, there is steady market in South
Africa, the United States and other com
tries. In particular the albacore, or tunnv
is abundant. ''
Everybody lives from hand to mouth in Rio
de Janeiro, buying supplies from dav to dav
in the shops and markets, saws Fannie r
Ward syndicate letter. The houses have
no cellars, and refrigerators are unknown
for, although ice is extensively manufactured
1t costs great deal too much to be freely
used. Therefore, 1t is a matter of economv
as well as convenience, to LET the vandaSS