The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-03
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


nounced in Paris. The invention is one
that deserves to rank with the telephone.
the submarine cable. or any other OF the
many ingenious devices of man to anne
horate the condition of his fellowman. 1t
consists OF gutta percha oyster to be
placed in the restaurant oyster soup, so
as to remove the accepted idea that the de-
coction contains nothing OF a solid ma
ture.
st. James church, at Dover, is in
want of new organ, and a somewhat
novel way Of providing the necessary
funds has been taken, says the Westmin-
ster Gazette. According to the rector
IN this months parish magazine, a num-
Der OF the parishioners, rich and poor,
nave taken up the sale of tea, which is
sent home by a well-wisher in India, the
pronts going toward the fund which has
already reached a considerable sum.
DIR. Bonavio makes the statement in
his Studies in the Evolution Of Animals
that foals are never born dappled. They
are always Of a uniform color In this
they are an exception to most of the young
OF wild animals endowed with hairy skins,
which are nearly always born spotted. He
hnds that nearly all adult horses, save
the pure white and pure black, are dappled
either wholly or entirely, though this
dappling does not exist in the wild species.
1t is, however, true that the legs of foals
are OF lighter shade than their bodies,
but this gradually darkens with age.
IA suggestive discovery, made by NJ
Henry, and communicated by him to the
Academic des Sciences, states that he late
ly had occasion one evening to place some
glow worms for from a half an hour to
two hours upon a properly protected
Photographic plate, and on developing the
plate, black and white lines were found
which corresponded tolerably accurately
to the itinerary of the subventral light
produced by these insects should be capa-
BILE of penetrating substances OPAQUE to
light, in the manner of the X rays, sug-
gests that the new rays may in some
manner be utilized to produce the glow
light sought by scientists.
Recently a prominent lawyer arrived
in Washington for a consultation regard
ing some patent cases. says the Albany
Journal During the conversation a
match to light a cigar was lacking, and
the Washingtonian remarked that a piece
OF ice would do just as well. The lawyer
laughed and was incredulous, and a
wager was made. The Washingtonian
took a piece of clear ice about an inch
thick from the water cooler. whitfield it
palms of his hands melted its two sides
convex, thus giving the form of a double
convex lens or burning glass. With it he
focused the SUMS rays on the end of his
cigar, and lastly set it on fire.
Many English west-country customs
are not only quaint and old-world, but are
decidedly pathetic, and the calling of the
dead, practiced frequently by Cornish wo-
men who have lost husbands, sons or
brothers at sea is perhaps the most pa
thetic of ALL When hope of the lost one
return has been given up, the bereaved
woman, accompanied by few close
friends, goes down to the seashore. and
close standing by the water calls out the
name of the lost one. Several times she
repeats her call, and then all the party
listen silently till they hear-at least so
they will tell you-the voice of the miss
ing person coming to them in the air,
when they return whence they came, fully
convinced Of his death. From this time
the woman, if she be married, is regarded
as a widow.
In the long coastal desert of Peru,
which is 1000 miles in length, but only 12O
miles broad at its widest part, the rivers.
Maj. A. z. Sears says, disappear in the
dry season and begin to flow again in Feb
ruary or March when rain falls in the Cor
dilleras. One of the most important of
these rivers is the Piura, the return of
whose waters rs welcomed with great re-
joicings by the inhabitants of it's banks
About the time when ".he coming of the
river" is expected, eager inquiries as to
the progress of the water are put to all
persons who chance to come from the
head of the valley, and when the water
approaches the town of Piura professions
go out to meet it, and escort its first
trickling stream down the dry river bed
with music and fireworks. AT the out
skirts of the city thousands of people greet
its arrival.
America does not seem as favorable to
the longevity of trees as are many parts
of the old world, says Meehan's Monthly
1t Is said that pines in the north of Eu-
rope are known to have endured for near
ly 800 pears In Bavaria there is a larch
which is known to be 255. Many oaks in
Germany are known to be over 300 years
old, and many over 200 years OF other
trees individuals are known that have
reached the ages set opposite to them:
Ash 40 years; birch, 100 to 200 years; as
pen, HO years; mountain maple, 225 years;
elm, 100 years, and red alder 145 years. In
our country there are few that are more
than mere remnants. Most of Bartram's
trees are gone wholly or are fading. The
famous cypress has yet a few green
bieNAAShCS' nc llllt silver 1T on the JOhn-
son estate in Germantown, which figured
in the early issues 1.-THE Horticulturist''
and OFTEN elsewhere, is entirely dead now,
though less than 100 years old
An apparatus for delivering to NOV
ing trains such telegraphic orders as do
not require the signature of engineman or
conductor, without requiring the train to
slack up, is being experimental upon ON
several roads, according to the Railroad
Gazette. If the regular block signal indi-
Gates all clear the engineman approaching
the order does not stop, but simply tako(
from the signal post sack containing his
orders by extending his hand as he an
proaches the post. A bull s-eye on the side
Of the signal lamp throws light upon the
sack at night, so that it can readily be
seen. Train orders to be delivered are
placed in waterproof envelopes, and these
in turn are inclosed in a stout cloth pouch
fastened to an elastic strip, which is at
tached by rings al either end to projecting
arms similar to the mailbag catchers now
used. This machine has undergone num-
erous tests with trains running at a high
epead and q