The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-23
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Can GNCdVaIe MOTEo
This creature has no English name; its
Latin name is Pholas. 1t is found in
widely separated regions OF the earth, Dull
IS most plentiful ON the coast OF the Meal
terranean, where limestone abounds. 1t
is frequently met with on the coast OF
Italy, where Whole limestone beaches are
honeycombeds with their holes. II Is sun
a disputed point among naturallstS as 10
how this boring is effected Some tnlnk
that the mollusk secretes some acid which
softens the limestone, but others think
that the holes are bored by the simple
mechanical process of grinding. The pre-
ponderance OF opinion appears 70 lie with
-..-e latter view at present yet 1t is said
that no one has yet baen able TO eaten
the Pholas at work.
-Clayton's rat-catching goat again
comes to the front in startling escapade,
says the Philadelphia Record. Mr. Clay
ton went out shooting rabbits on Friday
near Lenni, and returned home with sew
eral cottontails.8 Entering the Kitchen ne
threw his game on a table ana went out
to get shaved. The goat, who had been
RELOCATED to the cellar, managed to climb
the steps during his masters absence, and,
pushing open the door, found himself in
the kitchen. Seeing the rabbits on the
table, he determined to investigate mat
ters, evident installing them for rats
the exception of the heads and tails, he
repaired to the cellar to think 1t over
When Mr.. Clayton returned he told his
wife to go into the kitchen and see what
gaze was appalling. There were three
whole rabbits, with a piece bitten out OF
each, and three heads and tails, Although
the goat has caused Mr.. Clayton no end
of trouble, he still refuses to part with 1t.
"A South American plant known as the
carriso plant is being investigated for
paper-making. 1t grows in great abund-
ance in Venezuela. To convert this plant
into paper pulp is not only very easy.
but can be done very cheaply. Both the
leaves and the stalks may be used, but
when a particularly high degree of clean
illness is required, it is better to separate
the leaves and only use the stalks. The
pulp obtained is too dark in color to be
used as it is unbleached, but it can he
easily bleached to a good bright color,
when it looks like a very superior pulp
for high-class paper. The fibers are very
long in proportion to the diameter, fine,
smooth and straight, with a small amount
of broader hbers. 1t is to be expected
that these fibers properly prepared, win
have unusually good felting properties,
and will give strong, tough and pliable
paper. They will be well adapted not only
to be used alone, but also in mixture with
other paper-making fibers for high-class
paper.
London medical men are extremely IN
terested in the case of what is called
word blindness which has just been
brought to the notice of the faculty by
DIR. Pringle Morgan of Seaford. This lat
est case of an extremely rare nervous
disorder is that of Well-grOWn lad of IA,
the son of intelligent parents, who finds
1t impossible to learn to read. He has
been at school or under tutors since he
was years old, and the most painful eff
forts have been made to teach him what
various combinations of letters SPELL But
in spite of all this persistent and labori-
GUS training, 1t is with the greatest diff
1culty that he can make out even words
of one syllable. In every other respect
he is a bright and intelligent boy quick
at games of all sorts, and apparently in no
way inferior mentally to his companions.
His name is Percy, but he seldom sue
ceeds in placing the five letters comp os
ing it in their correct order. And even
when he has done so by chance, heaiS not
quite certain five minutes later as to what
the letters mean His Schoolmaster says
that If his Instruct Ons were entilCIy Cral,
he would be the smartest boy in the
school, for with arithmetic and algebra
he finds no difficulty whatever. 1t is only
written or printed words which have no
meaning for him. In the time of our
grandfatherS the unfortun ate Percy would
have been thrashed every day of his life
for being unable to do what nature has
deprived him of the power of doing. In
our more enlightened generation he has
attained to the dignity of an interesting
case"
-Hales achievement of 1910 miles on a
bicycle in six days is over three times the
greatest distance ever covered by pedes-
TRAN in the same time. The "Go-as-you-
please" record is 622 miles, made in the
same place several years ago, says a New
York letter in the Philadelphia Ledger
A comparison of bicycle and rum
ming records reveals the fact that
for all distant es the speed of the
bicycle rider is from two and one-half to
three times as fast as that of the pc
destrian. The average walker covers
three miles an hour. The professional
rider has made a mile in minute 80 1-5
seconds. The fastest running time for a
mile running record is "A minutes 40 sec
onds. The same distance has been made
on bicycle in minutes z As seconds.
Rowells famous twenty-four-hour run
ming record of $50 miles stands against 426
miles made in the same time by Hale last
week. Long distance bicycle matches
have taken the place formerly held in
popular favor by the long-distance walk
ing matches. They present the same
features of severe test of physical
endurance. 1t is no greater. achievement
to ride 426 miles a day on a wheel
than it is TO walk $50 miles. OF the two,
perhaps, the latter Is the greater. In the
craze for wheeling, the delights and bene-
fits of pedestrianism should not be for
gotten. Edward Payson WeSton's inten-
ton to walk liz miles in twenty-four
hours, the latter part of this month, may
serve the purpose of reViving the old-tine
interest in walking and running. The dis
lance Weston proposes to cover in a day
will be a remarkable achievement for a
man SIS years old. 1t was said to-day by
doctors and others that these sx-day con-
tests ruin the constitution of those who
compete in them, and vet here is Weston,
who, twenty years ago, covered $50 miles
in six days, and whose professional walks
aggregate a distance of 5000 miles, still
able to make his 100 miles and more in a
day, and is as strong, active and healthy
as he was a quarter of century ago.
Two copies of the message of the Presi-
dent were sent to the capitol and both
were lin writing" as reported by Col.
Pruden when he handed them to the off,
GERS of the Senate and the House, says the
Washington letter of the New York Times
But neither, excepting the signatures, was
in the writing of President Cleveland.
Having some curiosity on behalf of the
| readers of the Times as to what had be-
come of many messages in writing sent
! from the white house to the many con-
| crosses, your correspondent inquired about
| the manuscript of this last message of the
| President. 1t was learned that there prob
ably was not a complete copy lin writing"
| of the message OF any recent President
| There is no file of annual messages of
any of the Presidents. Mr.. Cleveland prob
| ably does as much work with his own pen
! in making his rs nv Of 4 no