The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-28
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

or thirty years ago and earlier the terror of
farmers 100 miles south OF New ork, but it
cuts no great figure now. 1t is a low, hand
some plant with sharD thorns and small
round fruit that when ripe looks like a tiny
orange English folks sometimes brought it
over as an ornamental plant. but were
speedily induced to destroy it when they
came into a region where it was known.
There was strong belief that the farm upon
which the Sodom apple appeared was we'll
nigh doomed.
Occasionally the assertion is heard that the
healthiest Of all occupations is that Of sewer
scavenging says the San Francisco Call.
In large cities, the men in spite of their filthy
work. are proverbislly healthy. Mr.. Laws. a
chemist who has been employed in special
investigations in the sewers by the London
city council has proved in huge report that
sewer gas is all but innocent OF distributing
bacteria of any kind, and certainly not those
which are pathogenic The sewage contains
microbes of various kinds, in abundance. but
the gas Itself IS much freer from these
dreaded organisms than the outer
air OF the street. OF all this he gives most
convincing proof, and so challenges the the
cries which lay to the account of sewer gas a
train OF horrible ravages on health. This is
a startling revelation and suggests that fresh
inquiry is needed into the real causes of so
much illness traceable to drains and foul
Odors
A smoking match was given two weeks ago
by the Giftnudel Smoking Club in its rooms
in Manteuffel street, Berlin. The prize was
solid silver cigar case and 200 cigars. The en-
trance fee was 81, and the conditions were
that the contestants should smoke only the
cigars provided at the expense of the club
and should remain in plain view of the referee
as long as they were competing for the prize
no contestant being allowed to take food,
drink or medicine during the match. The
prize was to be given to the contestant who
smoked down to one-inch butts the
largest number of cigars in two
Herr Kopf, who smoked without pause
from start to finish, was declared winner. He
reduced ten large cigars to ashes ii the al
lotted time, while his closest comp etitor
smoked but seven and a halt AT the end of
the first hour ten smokers retired from the
match and left the room. None OF them re-
turned. OF the seven others three were pale
and perspiring profusely when the referee
called time" knopf felt well and protested
his willingness to negin another two-hour
match but his challenge found no takers. He
says that he Is ready to smoke against any
body in Berlin for 800 cigars a side the
length of the contest to be fixed by mutual
consent between one and half a1d five
hours.
President J. R. Mccoy. head Of the govern
ment of Pitcairn Island. recently paid visit
to California for the purpose, as he expressed
it, of expanding his mind Mr.. Mccoy is
the great grandson of one of the mutineers of
the Bounty who first located on Pitcairn
Y.
ig1nal Mccoy was leader among the sailors
of that famous British ship. Pitcairn is a
pleasant little island just south of the tropi
cal line in the Pacific ocean and is under
British protection. Up 20 two years ago, &C
cordtng 10 Mr.. Mccoy the island was gov
erned by a chief magistrate and two council
ors, but warship arrived from England hear
ing suggestion from the home authorities
that the island government be changed so as to
provide for president and local parlia-
ment OF seven members. After some CON
s1deration this pan was adopted. AMI Mr..
MCCOY was elected president. such q. thing
as an overcoat is absolutely unknown in Pit.
calrn, the climate Of which is so mi that
pair OF trousers and SHIRT Constitute all the
covering made necessary by weather. The
Island Is about i've miles around. the highest
point of land being 1,lC0 feet above tie level
OF the sea- On this little dot on a vast ocean
reside l4U descendants of the mutneers. all
natives of the island At long intervals hur-
rio anes sweep over the place, demolishing
most OF the buildings, and o casiOnally they
have dry season which results dislStrously
to their cocoGnut trees, which furnish the
staple product of the island There is very
little money among the people, their supplies
being obtained in exchange for what they
grow. Except that the life is monotonous IN
the extreme, says MIR. Mccoy, the lnhabi-
tants are cOntented and happy
This has been the gabbiest congress in my
experience extending over quarter Of a cen
tury," remarked one of the veteran stem
W aPLCAo dt inc CdpllOl, 10 writer Tor the
Washington Post and figures compiled by
member of the reportorial corps will fully
corroborate this assertion. Increase of work
for the reporters has been enormous in late
years, and the famous talk congress, as the
torty-thlrd was denomlnated, has been
ecl1pSed already in volume of words by the
extra and first sessions thus far of the Fifty
third congress. During the + orty-third con
gress the total numOer Of pages OF the House
and Senate proceedings printed in the Con
Record only n rod
with 1897 pages of the Fifty bird congress-
up to the 18th of last month. there are two
columns on each page of the Record, and each
column contains 200 words, so that il win be
readily understood how much CAB has
been INDUCED in by the representa-
t1ves OF the sovereign people. In other
words during the extra session Of congress
which convened Aug. Z, 1893, and up to March
H. 1894, upward Of l7,5)0O00 words have been
uttered on the floors of the two houses Of the
national legislature. Owing to the frequent
roll-calls and the obstacles thrown in the
path Of progress during the month which has
elapsed since March II. there has been a de-
crease in the volume of wind on the House
side of the capitol, but the tariff speeches in
the Senate will keep up the average pretty
well. In the Fifty-tirst congress the total
numter of pages in the Record was IL 1913 but
In March OF that congress only 213S pages
had been covered, about e-third of the
number already credited to the Fifty-third
congress, and the end is not yet in sight II
is pretty safe to estimate, however, that up
10 Ine InlQule OF April there nave been uttered
more than 200OJ,000 of words in the debates
of congress"
The development OF aluminium for the CON
struction Of light boats, of which two were
made for the Wellman Arctic expedition in
Baltimore, will lead to further Investigations
by the navy department of the advlsabiIity Of
adopting it in the naval service where iron.
steel and heavier metals are now used saws
Washington dispatch The two boats built
for Wellman were each eighteen feet In length
and with all appurtenances weighed only 335
pounds. The navy department became i'm
pressed with the probable value OF the light
metal for naval purposes, and directed an in
Vestlgatlon OF 1t by an officer of the construc-
ton corps. who has Just submitted his reDort
TO Mr.. Herbert. The report finds that alumni
lum can be used for small boats and steam
launches, under certain conditions OF service.
and recommends that boat be made for tests
IN actual service. The test made of the
Wellman boats showed that by
placing three men aboard, one forward
and one aft and the other amid.
ships, the heel Of the boat was very sIi.i,t
showing that they were unusually stiff and
possessed great stability. The carrying ca
paclty OF the boats was tested by placing
eighteen sand bags. weighing 1888 pounds
and seven men weighing 1923 pounds and
with this total weight of 4 ,461 pounds the
freeboard amldships was reduced to only az
Inches: Examinations showed that the gen
eral stiffness and strength OF the boat was
ample. and the sides were well braced and
stanch The report also finds that it is pos.
Slble to build boats of aluminium Of annie
strength and OF less weight han wo, dan boz Is
of the same size. The belief is expressed
however, that boats cOnStrurted of THE 40