The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-18
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

ded 10 substitute telephones.
"A device has been lately invented for
use on poles carrying electrical cOnduc-
tors. When a wire breaks and falls, the
current is automatically cut on each SIDE
Of the break at the nearest poles.
The power Of an electrical current TO
produce muscular contraction in a corpse
ceases about three hours after death. Such
fact affords true test TO prevent prefna-
ture burial, in cases OF suspended ami
nation.
A new thirteen-ineh gun. tested by our
navy department at a distance Of 400
yards. sent a projectile weighing 100
pounds through a sheet Of steel fifteen
inches thick and twelve feet into the earth
beyond.
1t is calculated that at the present
time eleven times as much coal is required
to generate electricity for heating q. build
ing as to produce steam for the same pur-
pose. Under the most favorable auspices
electric heating is twice as expensive as
steam.
-Balmoral is the home of Queen Vic
toria each year from the middle of May
to that of June and again from August
TO the last of November. It Is situated
in the very center of the Dee-side High
lands, walled around by the 1rowning
Grampian noun aims.
Or Welch, the bacteriologist, has dem
onstrated that germs will not grow in the
immediate vicinity of silver. His discov-
cry is made use of in the dressing OF
aseptic surgical wounds by placing silver
foil Immediately in contact with the closed
inciSiOu in sheets about four inches
square. The other aseptic dressings are
then applied.
Xmas is an abbreviation for Christ
mas. X is the initial letter of the Greek
name for Christ. xplotoc, and the coin
cidence of its cruciform shape led early
to its adoption as q figure and smybol or
Christ. In the catacOmbs X is frequent
~ found to stand for Christ. The earliest
Christian artists, when making repre-
sentatiOn of the trinity would place either
a cross or AN X beside the Father and
the Holy Ghost
A curious cure is exciting much at
tention in medical circles, as well as
among the general public, in Germany
A year ago a Bavarian cattle dealer was
kicked by a horse, with the result that he
became dumb. Recently he was riding
horse TO it's fate in the slaughter yard,
when the animal suddenly began to plunge
and kick. The man, taken by surprise,
a few moments began to talk, and COM
pletely regained mis- speech, to the as
constituent Of his friends.
"A Manchester photographer relates
that he recently took photograph of
child who was apparently in good health
and had clear skin. The negative show
ed the face to be thckly covered with an
eruption. Three days afterward the child
was covered with spots due to prickly
heat. The camera had seen and photo
graphed the eruption three days before it
was visible to the naked eye. 1t is said
that another case of a similar kind is re-
corded, where child showed spots on his
portrait which were invisible on his face
Il fortnight previous to an attack of
smallpox.
Although the great beauty of the oak
is in it's foliage and habit of growth says
NIeehan's Monthly, a large number of
them have additional charms in the fall
of the year, by reason. of the brilliant
color of their foliage. 1t is remarkable
that nearly every American oak will
change to some peculiar shade of bril-
liancy, from lemon to yellow or deep
crimson; while the species from Europe
all die away of green color. 1t is a
characteristic difference between the trees
of the two countries. In planting, there
fore, for colored leave foliage in the fall
one may take almost any species of Amer
lean oak, feeling sure that it will in some
degree add interest to the autumn color
ing.
The Teredo. gelatinous Shiny mol
lusk, is by far the most destructive of
marine animals. Numbers of them will
attack submerged wood of the hardest de-
sCrption and riddle and destroy ii utter
ly, without giving any external indica-
tons of the injury done. They bore
through the wood in all directions but,
by a strange instinct, however multiplied
may be their burrows or tubes in the
same piece of wood, they never mingle-
there is never any communication be-
tween them. The wood is thus attacked
at thousand different points, until it
is completely Invaded and it's entire sub
stance destroyed. 1t is by secret ravages
of this kind that piles and other sub
marine constructions upon which bridges
are built are often riddled and perfor-
ated.
1t is next to impossible to cite an in
stance in which a dog identifies an OBJ
ect by its hue, and there is little positive
evidence that the larger quadrupeds have
much sense of color, says Popular Science
Domestic cattle are so affected by violent
contrast of white and dark that the pres-
ence of a black, white or very clearly
spotted animal in the herd sometimes re-
suits in calves being thrown of the same
color and markings. But, though red is
said to irritate a bull, and to excite hunt
ers by association of ideas, the latter state
ment rests partly on surmise. The wri-
ter has seen a setter refuse to retrieve a
black rabbit, because it apparently thought
its master had shot a black cat. But a
house-living dog shows no preference for
red carpet or rug over a blue or varia-
gated one, and expresses no surprise or
curiosity whether it's master wears a red
uniform or a. black evening suit None of
the cats, whether wild or tame, show any
Partially for bright hues; and among all
the strategems used from time immemo-
rial by hunters the use of color as a
lure for quadrupeds is notably absent
"A company has been formed in Balti-
more to conduct funerals upon a novel and
economical plan. They will furnish a
combined hearse and carriage for convey
ing corpse and twenty persons, It is built
something on the order of an omnibus
though bearing the sombre appearance OF
a hearse. The front section is set aside for
the mourners. with an entrance on either
side, just back of the front wheels There
will be row of seats on each side of the
doors to accommodate six persons. 1t will
be strimmed in black broadcloth. with
heavy dfapery. The rear compartment is
separated from the front by a solid parti-
ton. The seats are placed lengthwise as
in a street car, and have a seating capacitv
of fourteen grown persons. The friends
of the family and pail bearers occupy this
apartment. the door being at the rear end
of the. vehicle. The hearse or coffin car
riage is on top of the conveyance THE
casket is drawn up an incline into position
in the hesrse by noiseless ropes and pui-
leys. The company agrees to furnish a cot
fin, for an adult. the conveyance, and
hearse as-iow as $40. Higher prices win he
regulated by the quality of the casket. The
conveyance is drawn by four horses.