The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

century, the pOpes Of Rome were content
ed with q single crown; in 1893 the first
double one was assumed; and in 1854 the
present tiara, or triple one. was adopted
a species Of frog in Borneo has very
long toes. and these are webbed to the tip.
II can leap from high tree. spread its
toes, and is thus supplied with four little
parachutes which enable il to descend. For
this reason it is called the flying frog
"A curious illustration Of the dernoraliz-
ing effects Of a great war may be found in
a pamphlet. based on official statistics,
which has been published in Berlin. writes
a correspondent Of the Chicago Record.
From it CLEAN that the number of pris-
Oners in state prisons rose steadily from
1870 TO 1852. and that it has fallen as stead
ily since that time. To-day the number of
incarcerated criminals in Germany is Is
2s2. In 1852, with 10000 fewer of popu-
lation, the number was 81, 81. In 1896 it was
S,5T. OF the 25232 in state prisons now
the large majority is made up of men and
women who were demOralized by the eff
fects Of the war of 1901, as shown by
their personal statistics; $3.50 per cent. of
the men and 1914 per cent. Of the women
are hardened criminals, who have passed
one or more terms in state prisons. This
shows that a comparatively small percent
age Of confirmed criminals Of to-day re-
cruits itself from the ranks Of the younger
generation-a hopeful sign"
The Prussian government has for the
purpose of examining the geological con-
dition of ground drilled number of bore
holes throughout the coal fields of Up
per Siesia. The deepest hole so far drill
ed, which is probably also the deepest in
the world, has a total depth of $50 feet.
In its course so layers Of coal were found,
with a total thickness of 29O feet. and be-
sides these practical results the boring
of this hole has made possible scientific
observations of great interest. The rise
of the temperature in the bore hole was
carefully recorded and was found to be
one degree Celsius for each 10 feet ad-
vanced This figure is quite in keeping
with the generally accepted increase in
temperature as observed by Lord Kelvin
at the St. Gotthard tunnel. The work
upon this boring was completed in 399
days, which gives an average of a little
over l6 feet per day. The cost was $4,000,
or almost SO per running foot. During the
past fifteen years the Prussian govern
ment has had about 400 borings drilled
in various localities, for which altogeth-
er more than 100000 were spent. The
total length Of these holes is 425O00 feet,
the average cost being about 81 per foot.
"A Holland sea captain, in speaking of
of ships. says that the wheels usually
employed have handles which project
singly and separately from the periphery
of the wheel. Now it often happens
that when the rudder is caught or struek
by a heavy sea the wheel is violently
oscillated, and the projecting handles
aforesaid get caught in the garments o.
the men steering in such a manner as TO
lnJure treln, or in some cases TO fling
them overheard. The object Of this in
vention is to obviate the aforesaid dam
ger. The arms or spokes of the steering
wheel carry a rim or annular frame to
which the handles are fixsi 4 any suit
able angle or IL clination, the outer eacs
of the handles helng cOnneC to to Il Sec
ond rim The handles may be fixed to
the Spikes, in which case the corners OF
angles formed at the places of attach
ment of the handles to the spokes are
covered in by the rim on the side from
which the wheel is operated by the steers
man. AS a modification two rims may be
used, the rims being equally supported
by the spokes, and each supporting an
equal number of handles.
Those who see the rise and fall of the
tides in our Atlantic harbors seldom think
of the wonderful career of the moon-rais-
ed ocean waves which cause the tidal
ftux and refiuX, says an exchange. Such
pillows not only cross the sea, but flow
from ocean into ocean, and in this way
complicated movements are set going
Thus,as Mr.. Vaughan Cornish has recent
ly reminded English readers, once in
every twelve hours the moon raises a tide
billow in the Southern Indian ocean
When this billow passes the Cape of
Good Hope at noon its successor is al
ready born, and by the time the first bill
low has reached the Azores islands. at
midnight, the second is rounding the cape
and third has come into existence in
the Southern ocean. BY 4 O'Clock in the
morning following its passage of the cape
the tide billow reaches the English chan
mel and there the shallow water delays it
so much that it does not arrive at the
Straits of Dover until 10 a. m. Here the
narrowing channel causes the tide 10 rise
very high and almost puts an end to the
wave. In the meantime another branch
of the pillows runs around the western
side of the British Islands, rounds the
north point of Scotland and moves slow
ly down the eastern coast of England. IN
til 1t finally flows up the Thames and laps
the wharves of London.
"A modern scientist remembering thar
the right side of the brain controls the
left side of the body and vice versa. has
lately claimed that the left side of tho
brain is the stronger, as it results in SUI
perior force and skill in the use of thN
right hand and foot, says the Chicago
Record. According to one theory the evo-
luton of language as a purely human
feature has been the cause of the suDe-
riority of the left hemisphere, and this
because our active speech-center ia
placed on the third left frontal fold or
convolutiOn of the brain. There is Of
course, speech center in the correspond
ing fold of the right brain, but ordinarily
1t is imperative. Still, while that may ex-
plain the superiority of the right hand.
ba
to the question why the left brain is the
seat of the more-active speech center
There is theory offered in explanation
OF this, however, in that in erect ami
mas the arteries that supply the left
half of the brain have a shorter and more
direct course than those which carry blood
to the right hemisphere. 1t is generally
conceded that the left hemisphere is
usually heavier and has fuller blood
supply than the right. That man of ali
mammals is the most likely to use his
right in preference to his left hand is ev-