The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-22
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

1t is well known 20 jewellers that al
minimum viii mark glass or paste" dia-
mond but not the true gem. provided the
surface is wet This fact has now been
applied In the production Of a mechani-
cal tester, which consists Of a small disk
OF aluminium rapidly reVolved by an elec-
trio motor The stone 70 be tested Is wet
ted and held against the edge Of the disk
By means OF spring clamp When me
talllc marks are found on the stone after
this treatment II is rejected as false.
in a communication to the French
academy Of sciences an explanation is
given OF some Of the hitherto unaccOunt-
able phenomena pertaining 10 fog horns.
II has been found in regard TO acoustic
signals. or sirens that they are surround
ed by neutral zone in which the sound
Is not heard at the sea level-a zone more
or less distant, according to the hight Of
the siren on the coast-and II has mean
width or about 500 feet. on the nearer
side Of this zone the sound IS. Of course.
heard perfectly. but when II IS traversed
the sound Weakens gradually until 1t be-
comes scarcely perceptible, when ii in
creases again, and on the zone being left
behind the sound resumes its fun inten-
stty. Experiments have been made on
this line with a steam vessel, by causing
IL 10 approach or recede from a Hghtship
IN different directions and in straight
line. In each course, according to the ac-
count published. the sound was deadened
almost completely in a zone whose central
line was about 1900 feet from the siren.
"A grand project of pneumatic tubes
for mail service in the city of Paris has
been submitted by Engineer Rouart to
the general director of the French mail
system. The transit of letters and pack
ages between the various postOftice and
railroad stations, which is now carried on
Dy hundreds or one-horse and tWo-horse
mail wagons, Will be entirely performed
through these pneumatic tubes. The
tubes VIII have an inner diameter of 10
inches, and small carts will run on
tracks. hpfnQr a
pumped into the tubes exactly as in the
smaller pneumatic tube systems now in
use in stores. According to the calcula-
ton OF Mr.. ROuhart. ten of such lit
tie carts carrying 1900 pounds of letters
and packages would require but half an
atmosphere OF pressure, and the entire
service would require but 900 horse power
for length of tubing amounting to
about 43O miles. The expense of con-
Structing the entire plant would be $50
900 francs (Sl70OGO while the annual run
ming expenses would amount to but $4,000.
We have heard of tame fieas and per-
forming midges. but, says the Westmin-
ster Gazette. the following authentic story
| OF tame butterfly, told by a French
| lady, has novel clements in it, 1 found
| IN my garden magnificent butterfly quite
| numb with cold. Taking it into the house
| and putting il into a box for two hours
| revived the little thing. Then l dipped
| its antennae into solution of syrup and
| sugar, and continued this treatment for
| three days. on the fourth day the crea-
| ture futtered onto my hand and sucked
/ the liquor OF its own accord, and after
/ this il became perfectly tame. / put flow
/ ers into my room. and it fed on them,
| and was perfectly happy. When it sat on
! the table / could pass my finger down its
! back without the slightest fear the but
| terfiy might take to wing. In fact, il
| arched its back, as does a cat when ii
/ is pleased. After three weeks of perfect
| tameness its colors faded, its wing shriv-
| eled up and it died What next, one
| wonders? a butterfly arching its back
NrrrH1 Lee
| a phenomenon that seems. to give promise
| to all kinds of possibilities. Scientists
and variety artists take note.
| "A system of type-writing for the blind
is in use in the Connecticut Industrial In
stitute for the Blind which enables per-
| son wholly blind to take from dictation
| with great rapidity and overcomes in Il
! great degree many of the disadvantages
| persons of this class are forced to endure,
| says the Hartford Courant. 1t is in ef-
| feet an application of a mechanical de-
| vice to the Braille system of writing.
| which is the standard taught in schools
| and institutions for the blind. The Braille
| system IS made up or a slate, or level sur
| face, which is divided into several cells
| or division. Each of these divisions has
| six indentations in the form of a square,
and to write by using this slate sheet
| OF paper is placed over il, and with a
! stylus punctures are made in these inden-
| tations. The alphabet not unlike the
] Morse alphabet for biography is made up
! by combination of these six indcntations,
which, as they appear on the wrong side
| OF the paper, present raised surface,
! which can be read by the touch of the
! blind. The new device, which is applied
| to the Braille system, consists in the main
! in six keys operated like those of a type
| writer, the punctures being made by the
| mechanism instead of by the stylus The
rapidity of writing by this process is only
| limited by the ability of the operator to
| finger the keys and apply the combina-
| tions. In this connection it is interesting
| to note a recent invention of Thomas J.
| Bennett LYONS a p
| for the blind This is an Arrangement
| of two parallel wires, so arranged that
| they are easily adjustable down page OF
/ letter paper. The writer, who may have
! learned the art of writing before he be-
| came blind, is able by this device to keep
| his line straight and by movement OF
| the wires when a line is finished give to a
! page of his manuscript a uniform and
| handsome appearance. 1t is not intended
! as an aid to those who have been blind
| from infancy.
The Pitt diamond was found bv a
slave in the Partial mines on the Kistna
in 1701, and he escaped to the coast with
| y. Unfortunately, he took an English
| skipper into his secret. The skipper took
| him on board and, having obtained nos
session of the jewel, flung the slave into
the sea He afterwards sold the dia-
mond, squandered the money in dissipa-
| ton, and finally, in a fit of deliriilm
| tremens and remorse. not inappropria te-
| ly hanged himself Meantime the dia-
mond had come into the hands of Mr..
IL.
against whom certain charges were made
| IN connection with it. In an account OF
! ms dealing with it which he wrote, Pitt
said he bought it from a diamond mer-
| chant named Jamchund for something
| over 10000 The diamond was cut in Lon
don, and in the process-which lasted two
years!-it was reduced from 410 to 1862
| carats. In 17l7 the Duke of Orleans mr.
chased it for f135,OOO and as the dust OBJ
tanned in the cutting was valued at from
| $1,000 to fS.G00 Pitt must have netfed at
least 100000 by his venture with this he
restored the fortunes of the ancient house
! OF Pitt, which was destined later on Ia
give to England two of her greatest
statesmen and orators" Pitt must have
peen glad to get rid of the jewel, for he
| knew little rest while it was in his possess
sion He was constantly haunted by the
fear of losing. or being robbed of it. so
! that 1t was with great difficulty he couId
ever be induced to exhibit it, even to his
most Intimate friends. While he had ii.
| Pitt, 1t is said, never slept two nights
running under the same roof. "He NOV
ed about capriciously, or in disguise, and
| never gave previous notice of his arrival
to or departure from town" In 1892 the