The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-08
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

A traveller in the Htmalayan mountain re-
gion discovered that the natives Of that coun-
try cultivate grain hitherto unknown in civ
ilized agricultural operations which has
something the look OF wheat. but has very
much longer ears and which has a peculiar
inward curve. The shiny brown grain, IN
like wheat, is on the other hand. much
smaller than wheat grains should be for so
large an ear. But the interest IS that cereal
OF this character should yield such heavy
crops in so high an altitude, where the sea
sons are necessarily short and the temper
AZURE low.
A theory has been put forth by NJ. Rateau,
in the French Academy of Sciences, that the
crust OF the earth beneath the continents does
not touch the fluid globe, but is separated
from il by a space filled with gaseous matter
under pressure. The continents would, there
fore. constitute a sort of blister. much nat
tened inflated and sustained by gases, while
the bottom Of the ocean is supposed TO rest
directly on the fiery mass BY this hypothe-
sis the author believes that many phenomena
of the terrestrial crust may be explained
which are not clearly accounted for under the
present theory.
A mining expert sent to investigate some
Arizona property for Denver capitalists re-
Gently returned and, according TO the Oregon
Statesman. reports the finding of a most re-
markable natural bidge, formed by a tree Of
agatiZed wood spanning canon fOrty-fve feet
In width. The tree had at some remote time
fallen and become inbedded in the silt OF
some great inland sea or mighty watertiow.
The silt became in time sandstone, and the
wood gradually passed through the stages OF
Undertaking. until it is now wonderfultree of
solid agate In after years water washed and
ate away the sandstone until canon forty
five feet in width had been formed, the
tifnty-like substance of the agatized wood
having resisted the erosion OF the water
flow. Fully fifty feet OF the tree rests on
one side and can be traced. but how far its
other end lies buried in the sandstone can
not be determined without blasting away the
rock. The trunk visible above the canon
varies in size from one feet TO three feet in
diameter Where the bark has been broken
and torn away the Characteristic colors of
jasper and agate are seen. To the naked eye
the wood is beautiful. Under a microscope
or miners magnifyiug glass the brilliant
colors are clearly brought out in all their
wondrous beauty.
The feat of crossing the Baltic sea has at
last been accomplished. The person to per-
form this exploit is S. A. Andree, chief en-
gineer in the royal patent department in
stockholm who has been engaged for some
time in making balloon ascenstons for Scien-
ttftc purposes. Although an aerial voyage
across the Baltic was long dream Of MIR.
Andree he had no idea of performing the feat
on the day OF its accomplishment. On Oct.
10, at As clock in the evening. he assembled
In his balloon at Stockholm for a few hours
scientific study, having with him for food
only couple of sandwiches and a bottle Of
wine. Soon after leaving the earth a storm
came up, and Mr.. Andree fastened to rise
above. Three hours later the cold be-
coming Intense he started to descend, and
when he came out OF the clouds he found, to
his dlsmay, he was sailing over the Baltic,
and the wind was carrying him towards Fin
land at speed of about fourteen miles an
hour. Suddenly he Spied land in the dark
ness, and throwing out an anchor, found him
self near enough to jump to The ground in
safety, and found himself on a barren cliff.
The balloon tore loose and floated away. At
| II O'Clock the next day he was rescued by
some fishermen, and found that the place he
had landed was but a short distance from
the main land. The journey was made in
twelve hours.
The tenacity of life in mollusks is wei illus
trated bv the following, publifhed recently by
Rene Bache in the Boston Transcript: only
| the other day a specimen from an island of
| the coast of Lower California enclosed in a
| drawer with part of the mOlluscan collection,
| was found to be alive. 1t had had no food or
| water for more than six years. When placed
| in box with moist earth, 1t protruded it's
| foot began to move about and seemed to be
| as well as ever Some time ago a few snails
| OF a different species, gathered in Mexico,
reached the Smithsonian Institution and
| were placed in a box. They remained undis-
| turbed for two years and three months at the
| enu OF which time they were put into a jar of
| glass with some chick-weed and a small guam
| tity of tepid water. Pretty soon they
| walked up and appeared quite alive.
Pond sn Ills, which are sometimes found
| alive in logs Of mahogany from Honduras,
| possesses equal endurance. Specimens car
| ried from Egypt to Paris packed in sawdust
| have arrived uniniured. Other kinds have
| been experimental with by shutting them up
| in oil boxes and dry bags for years but have
| survived. The limit of their vitality re-
mains yet to be ascertained. Land snails in
| cold climates bury themselves in the ground
| or under dead leaves in winter; in tropical
| regions they become torpid during the hot
| season. When about to start in on a period
OF sleep they seal up their shells with close
| lifting door, which sometimes is a shield of
| transparent mucous, and in other cases an
| opaque membrane as thick as visiting card
| Behind this the animal constructs other walls
| which serve like so many partitions to pro-
| tect 1t against prolonged cold or dryness."
In recent report on German labor ques-
! tions, Mr.. Bragg gives some facts concerning
| the way in which public works are managed
| to the public profit says the New York Post
| Of the forty-four largest towns in Germany
| tWenty-nlne own their own gas works. The
| largest OF these, measured by the amount Of
| gas produced, are the three for the city of
| Berlin. In Leipsic the gas works return an
| annual sum OF over l,OO0000 marks $3.50 OOOl
| while in Breslau the net profit is 416S35 marks
| (SlOO,OOO). Berlin is especially remarkable
| for the extent of its municipal industries and
the nnanctal results which IL achieves. AS
| early as 1877 the city began to establish its
! own gas works. and for time used all sur
| plus proceeds for their extension In 1888
| when the municipal funds showed deficit of
| about 3,OO0,WO marks, the surplus income of
| the gas works was paid into the treasury
| TIE practice has since been continued and
! the sum thus paid over rose from 863 235
marks in 1858 to 2,382, 594 in 1874, and $50 $40
| in 1891 81. In 1873 the municipality took
! over the waterworks formerly belonging to
an English company. Since that time it has
| greatly improved the supply, and has intro.
| duced greater economy by the system of
| payment according to the amount used
rather than in proportion to the rental OF
the property In 1912 the water works
showed surplus of 1896056 marks ayaila-
Bile for general municipal purposes A like
advantageous result OF municipal manage
ment appears in the financial returns of the
drainage work required a subsidy from the
municipal revenue of 2,712 $50 marks. Ber
lin has also established public disinfectant
house and public baths. but has refused to
establish shelters for travellers, or a munich
pal labor registry, on the ground that this
would be to trench on ground already occu-
pled by private associations. Tramways and
electric lighting are carried on by private
companies under concession from the
municipality, but this concession lapses al
the end of given period and the CITY re-
serves to itself the right of assuming CON
troll Wherever it shall see fit to do So
The days for the use of the primary hat
terry for telegraphy in this country are num-
bered. 1t will not be long before the batteries
that are now used in the various stations of
the New England states will be relocated To
antiquity, says the Boston Commercial Bul-
leIln. AT the main Boston ONCE, where ID OCO
cells were employed for sending messages. the
hrst OF the year occupying one-fifth to one
sixth the space, there are now motor dyna-
mos, which take up but small room in the
n Nrnra furra g,,f4n 49,