The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-23
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Concerning porpoise leather, the Shoe
and Leather Reporter says that ii is peeu-
liar in this that instead of stretching 1t
shrinks when it has been worn. II Is prac-
tically waterproof, and is, therefore, as
hard on the feet as rubbers Would pc
when worn constantly. Ii is made up into
shoes for winter wear. and shoe laces, It's
| strength and other qualities fitting 1t par
! ticularly well for this purpose.
In former days, says Notes and Que
ries. almost every church in this neigh
borhood york. had an official who dis
| charged dogwhipping functions; it was
| in many cases the sexton, though some
| times a person was appointed to the post
| who filled no other office. In the reign of
| Queen Elizabeth, William Dobson was the
| church dog whipper at kirton-tn Lindsey.
At the same place, in 1868, the church
Wardens accounts show a charge of rs.
for whipping dogs, and as late as 1917
| charging similar functions. In plan of
| the seats in Alkborough church, made in
| 1871, a pew near the south door is mark
| ed the dog whipper. The dog Whipper,
| however was not unknown over the sea.
writer in the Ecclesologist for 1852 re-
marks, in regard to the Church of St. Ba-
Won at HARLEM, that "the windows of the
north aisle are of three lights. The fifth
| bay opens into the pretty little Hondens-
| lagerskapel. These functionaries-the dog
whlppers-had similar honor in other
countries. In Portuguese cathedrals, for
instance, a Capella dos EnXutacanes will
often be found.
The following process invented by Mr.
Rubennick for metallizing wood, is thus
described by Les Mondes: 1.-The wood is
! first immersed for three or four days, ac-
cording to its per1neability. in a caustic
alkaline I've (calcareous soda) at tenn
| perature of from Is degrees to 80 degrees.
| Thence ii passes Immediately into bath
! of hydro sulphite of calcium, to which is
! added, after twenty-four or thirty-six
! hours, a concentrated solution of sulphur
in caustic potash. The duration of this
| bath is about forty-eight hours, and its
temperature is from 80 degrees to 80 de-
| grees. Finally the wood is immersed for
| thirty or fifty hours in hot solution go
! degrees to so degrees) of acetate of lead.
| The process, as may be seen, is long one
| but the results are surprising. The wood
| thus prepared after having undergone
| proper drying a a moderate temperature,
| acquires under a burnisher of hard wood
| polished surface. and assumes a very
| brilliant metallic lustre. This lustre is still
further increased if the surface of the
| wood be first rubbed with a piece of lead,
| tin, or zinc, and be afterward polished
| with a glass or porcelain burnisher The
| wood thus assumes the appearance OF a
| true metallic mirror, and is very solid and
| resistant.
| 1t is so seldom nowadays that a king
| transforms himself into an emperor that a
few words of explanation with regard to
| the recent Self-prOmotion of the monarch
| of Korea, which has just been officially
announced to the courts of Europe, may
| be of interest, says the New York Tribune.
| His assumption of imperial dignity was
principally an affair of calendar. In the
! Orient the title of emperor is unknown,
| Heaven" which, in the Chinese and Ko-
| rean language, is styled Huang-Tie. 1t is
1 a religious tradition and belief with the
| Buddhists that the HuangTie, as the per-
| son standing nearest the deity, has the
exclusive right to fix the holy days, and
for thousands of years the ruler of China
sent annually out to his vassals, the mon
| archs of Korea, Anam, Burmah and ia
pan, the list of holy days or calendar edit
ia1 1arr IN, Tpy,1 h,1 .vgafV 9Y,1
pendent, the mikado at once assumed the
| right to make his own calendar, and still
exercises it, and now that Korea has been
| rid of Chinese suzerainty, its ruler in
order to mark his independence has also
| taken the title of Huang-Tie and is go
| ing to make his own calendar and holy
| days, instead of receiving them from Pc
king. That is what is meant by his as
sumption of the title of emperor.
John Hogan, who lives in Angora, has
a peculiar fad, to which he devotes every
minute of his spare time says the Phila-
delphia Record. IL is the collecting and
countries His collection is very complete,
and of good size, considering the diff
Guilty of collecting, and his poultry yard
has always proved point of interest to
the residents of Angora. Many strange
looking birds strut about the Enclosure, but
none were odder looking than a pair that
he received from India about three weeks
ago. They were of peculiar shape, and
had faces that greatly resembled the hu-
attracted a great deal of attention. Now
Mr.. Hogan's little daughter, Mary, takes
after her father to great degree, in be-
ing of an experimental mind and one day
during her fathers absence she tried her
hand on the new fowls from India. Va
rious things were tried with more or less
success and when Mr.. Hogan reached
home he found the valued birds devoid OF
feathers and each thickly coated with red
Mary confessed to having picked the birds
to see how they looked, and then dipped
them in paint to keep them warm. This
last was a suggestion, and as Mr.. Ho-
set his brains to work. The result is
that a brace of stately fowls, with neat
ly fitting overcoats, promenade the chick
| en- run.
Gus Frisch, who lives near Thlrty-sev-
enth and Market streets. is the owner OF a
curiosity for which he has received many
tempting offers from museum managers
but which he refuses to sell, says the Phil
adelphia Record. About three months age
Mr.. Frisch received from his brother, who
is missionary i'm India, two eggs that
were Joined together A note accompany
ing them explained that they were pea
cock eggs and a great curiosity on ac-
count of their strange form Now. Mr.
Frisch has a friend in West Philadel
phia who is a poultry farmer, and the idea
struck him to have the eggs Matched il
an incubator. In the course of a month
the shells fell apart and, instead of two
separate birds stepping out, the pair came
forth Joined together by a thick band OF
what appeared TO De Rr1Stle. by d1nt Of
extreme care and careful feeding, the
strange pair were nursed through baby.
hood, and are now beginning to get pir
feathers of various colors. Their odd ap-
pearance excites no end Of curiosity anC
they are interesting for another reason
Jack, the ,right-hand bird. is very fond OF
Mr. F'risch while Ned, the other shows
an extreme aversion to his master. Wher
Mr.. Frisch returns home from work he
gives a shrill whistle and then a fight en-
sues. Jack tugs toward his master, while
Ned pulls the opposite way. Things are
only settled by one or the other beins
whipped, when the victor follows his in.
clination, dragging the vanquished birC
with him.
The salt wells of China are one of the
most unique industries of that country
having been worked for over two thous
and years with the same apparatus an6
methods now in use, says an exchange
The wells are drilled to a depth of from
1000 to 1900 feet, and supply not only
brine, from which the salt is obtained by
boiling, but also a natural gas which is
burned under the pans. over the mouth
of each well stands great derrick carry.
ing a pulley from which descends the
bamboo rope which supports the bucket