The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-03
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


states that 1t can b. worked at very great
depths and holds air enough to supply
the crew for forty-eight hours without re
newai. 1t is lighted by electricity, which
also furnishes motive power for any tools
that may be used. On tipping over the
cases of ballast the bell rises to the sur
face itself.
In India grows the electric plant, OF
Philotacea electrical, says the Philadelphia
Record. If a leaf of this plant is broken
off the hand that does so Immediately
receives an electrical shock equal TO that
produced by an induction coil At a dis
lance of six yards a magnetic needle is
effected, and viii be deranged if brought
close to it, The energy of the plants
electrical influence varies with the time
of day. All-powerful about o'clock in
the afternoon, it is absolutely gone dur
ing the hours of the night, and during
rain the plant loses its influence No
shock is felt in breaking the leaves at
those times, and the needle is unaffected.
Birds or insects never alight on the cleo
trio plant, their instinct warning them of
their danger in doing so. Where it grows
none of the magnetic metals are found
neither iron, cobalt nor nickel-thus prov
ing that the electrical force belongs ex-
clusively to the plant.
1t is estimated that at the beginning
of the present century not more than $780,
900 or 100000 copies of the Scriptures
were in existence in the whole world,
says a writer in the Church at Home
and Abroad. 1 have seen no estimate as
to the number of copies probably in ex-
istence at the present time; but in one
year-1SSS-alone, the statistics for which
happen TO be at hand, the number of
copies issued considerably exceeded the
100000 which were possibly in existence
in the whole world in 1900. In the decade
preceding this year-1S7S-188S-the number
published in various languages is given
as having been about 100000, some six
times the whole number in existence when
the century began. It is certain that the
number of copies now existing must be
numbered by the hundred million. From
the rooms of the British and Foreign Bible
Society in London alone are sent forth
daily from 5000 to 1000 copies, to which
must be added the copies issued from all
their subordinate depots in various lands,
and the issues of the American Bible So
ciety, and of several other lesser bodies
so that the recent statement is quite credi-
BILE which puts the whole number of copies
of the Scriptures issued since the century
began as over 40l,000O00.
AT a recent dinner Of the Tailors' So
clety in London, says the New York Adj
vertiser, Mr.. Skinner of Glasgow graph
cally traced the development of the tail
ors art from primeval times, when they
stitched fig leaves together, until the
present day, when the anxiety of so many
is "wherewithal shall 1 be clothed?" He
said the introduction of the sewing ma
chine marked a new era in the art Of
tailoring. In 1855 one Weisenthal invent
ed double-pointed needle with an eye
in the middle. From this small beginning
progress was made, until in 1890 B. Thimo-
nier patented sewing machine in Paris
In 1S41 there were eighty of these ma
chimes in use for sewing the clothing of
the French army. But a mob of furious
operatives destroyed these machines just
as similar mobs had before that day de-
stroyed the jacquard loom and Hargreaves
spinning-jenny. During the revolution of
1913 Thimonier was again at work with
other machines, capable of making 300
stitches a minute. But once again the
mob got at them and destroyed them, and
poor Thimonier died in direst poverty in
the year 1857. Before that date, however,
Elias Howe Of Massachusetts had per-
fected the sewing machine, but, meeting
with no announcement in the United
States, he went to England and in 1916
sold his machine to a merchant of Cheap
side for ESQ. From that time onward the
history of the sartorial art is largely a
history of the sewing machine.
The cheapest jewsharps come from
Germany and Austria the medium and
finer grades from England, and the very
finest are now made in this country, says
the New York Sun. OF the total produce
ton, two-thirds or more are made in Eng
land. JewsharDs are made In standard
sizes, ranging in length from an inch and
a quarter to four inches. They are occa-
sionally made to order larger than that,
but a four-inch jewsharp is a good deal
of a jewsharp and it may have a very
musical tone. There are cheap jewsharps
which are sold at retail for a cent. A
four-inch imported jeWsharp retails for
quarter of a dollar. An American jews
harp of this size sells for 50 cents. It's
iron frame, or harp is timed, and its
steel tongue is tipped with brass. Be
sides being made of many sizes, jewsharps
are made with the harp part of various
ornamental designs. Jewsharps are not
turned to a key, but harps of a desired
key may be found. Commercially, jews
harps rank not as musical instruments,
but as toys. Many jewsharps are, how
ever, used as musical instruments, ana
are played upon by men, and not infre-
quently in conjunction with musical in
Struments. JeWsharDs are sold more or
less throughout the country. Many are
sold in mining regions of the south and
west and wherever Hungarian and like
LABOR Is employed. IN Sucn places II Is
not unusual to find a man playing jews
harp while others play accordiohs and
so on. The total sales of jewsharps in
this country are not so large as they form
erly were.
in connection with the proposal to es-
tablish a number of government stations
for reporting the phenomena of thunder
storms, says the Pittsburg Dispatch it is
stated that while lightning may be seen
and its illumination of clouds and mist
may be recognized when it is even 200
miles distant thunder is rarely audible
ten miles. The thunder from very
distant storms, therefore, seldom reaches
the ear. Hence, if every thunderstorm has
to be recorded a large number of stations
will be needed probably one for every
twenty-five square miles would not be too
many. few stations would suffice at
least for the night time, for the reporting
of the direction and movement of every
case of distant lightning. The reason Of
the great uncertainty in the audioility of
thunder is not hard to understand 1t de-
Ponds not merely on the initial intensity
of the crash, but quite as much on the sur
roundings of the observer, even as in the
quiet country one will observe feeble