The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-25

A retired officer of the French navy is
said to have invented a new rife of pc
culiArly deadly effectiveness. 1t is not
precisely the sort of invention needed TO
promote civilization. but if it were a trlfle
more deadly it might be merciful to man.
kind. ITS novelty is that it fires two kinds
of explosive bullets which have great
penetrating power, and yet are so light
that 100 weigh only 1900 grammes or fully
two pounds and half. A bullet so small
could hardly do much SCATTERING on its
own account, but if it is made explosive
the injuries would be horrible and almost
certainly fatal. The nations decreed
against explosive bullets for rifles some
years ago as too inhuman even for glorious
war. but tbs advance of rapid-fire weap-
ons carrying shells weighing from few
ounces to several pounds with range Of
miles may have modified that recoil from
too deadly small arms shooting. IL small
explosives are sanctioned for civilized
murder it will be easy to go much further.
The chemist may devise q subtle vapor
poison which by spreading Oh the battle
field would NOW down tile ranks pain
lessly by the dozen. 1t will then be ad-
visable to think of some other method of
settling national querrels than by brute
force, and perhaps there will be more JUS
tice on the earth.
Again the report is current that the
President is affected with some generous
growth in the mouth and that he is going
to sea in a yacht for an operation. away
from public notice and the ken of the In
terviewer. The report was denied on the
occasion Of the last cruise to the extent of
saying that the trouble was not malignant,
but undoubtedly some urgent surgical
treatment was the immediate occasion of
going TO sea at all. 1t is not q matter of
state policy, as In the case OF monarchs. to
keep such secrets from he public. Had it
been known. for instance, that the late
Emperor Frederick was IN She last stages
OF cancer it is very doubtful il he would
have been called to the throne. As it was
he had only a reign of few months and
was most of the time too invaded TO at
tend tn business more than was abSO lutely
necessary. In the case OF President Cleve-
land there is no less reason for cryptic
attitude. 1t is not at all certain that this
time the dreaded interviewer may not in
some capacity go on board the Dolphin
and keep his eyes open for events. AT the
same time there may be no cancer at all.
the trip being only undertaken as relief
from official cares. II there is surgeon
on board the public are apt to conclude
something is wrong.
The cyanide process of extracting gold is
likely to do much for Colorado in the
treatment of ores of low quality. as il has
succeeded remarkably on the Randi in
South Africa. At present on old methods
ores which produce less than one ounce
aud half troy are Improbable, but there
are thousands of tons averaging four and a
half ounces being raised weekly in Colo
RADIO, and there Is now much greater ac-
tivity shown in gold mining than when
silver held the field. The product will be
more than doubled this year. In 1898 it
was IS, SOC, 00O, and it is estimated that this
year it may reach TO S25.000,000 All the
arts of the metalurgist. however. do not
get rid of the high charges for transporta-
ton OF ores. Some other economy is needed
for that leakage.
Unless the story has been yamped the
hardwood OF Mr.. Gladstone is proof
against an Atlantic gale. A correspondent
states that while al bowling storm wa