The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-21
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The famous old poison known for two
centuries under the name of Mamma of
St. Nicola and later as Aqua di Peru
gia, was made according to old author
lties) in very curious way. For instance,
the saliva of a human being driven al
most crazy by continuous tickling of the
soles of the feet was said to be one of
the principal ingredients; also the foam on
a rabld dogs tongue. 1t was clear as
crystal and quite taSteess. and was be-
EeVed to have the curious property of act
ing always at the given time--a day.
week, or more, according to the will or
plan or the purchaser.
"A correspondent of the London Daily
Graphic, writing from Armenia, says: One
peculiar feature of life in Turkish city
is the noisy night Waterman. AT Con-
stantinople these men thump on the pave
ment all night with an iron-shod staff; at
smyrna they use rattles, or they rap on
the house steps with cane; while at Mer
slna they blow on moaning whistle, and
this blowing they keep up all night. They
whistle TO each other any they whistle in
answer; they whistle to warn the burglar
that they are on the watch, they whistle
to keep each other awake, and they whis-
tie to keep themselves awake. For several
nights they succeed in keeping the traveller
awake as well.
Nowadays. when one of the ocean liners
carries lot of gold to Europe or Ameri-
ca great stress is laid upon the fact
There are lengthy newspaper articles and
a o %. a
the days of the old galleons and packets
they used to carry as much and often
great deal more treasure than the ships
of to-day. In 1863 a ship-of-war from Rio
to Lisbon had on board 100000 of crus-
AIDES in diamonds and about 100000
crowns tournois'' in piasters making the
whole 2.95Q,CO nvres tournois In 1774
two Spanish war ships from Vera Cruz
and Havana arrived with 100000 crowns,
! besides merchandise valued at q 900
| crowns Such examples could be multi
piled.
Recently we told of the most remarka-
| BILE suicide ever known. Here are few
| curious instances of the kind almost as
| strange in their way as the one previously
| spoken of. jeremiah Clark, organist of
| st. PauPs, London, entered field intend
| ing to hang or drown himself He tossed
| a penny to decide. 1t stuck sideways in
| the mud. He went home and shot him
| self An English subaltern described for
| the sake of science his sensation in suf-
| locating for one hour and five minutes.
| A Frenchman dug a trench and starved
himself to death in the same
| cause. The sixteenth day he
ceased writing, the seventeenth he
was found and on the eighteenth he died.
Another Frenchman tied himself to an
| enormous rocket and went up to glory in
| great style. An heroic suicide was that
| of a young soldier at the battle of Ross.
| He had been desperately wounded and
| had been surrounded by his comrades.
Fly, or you will be captured" he urged
| They would not. Thereupon he drew his
| own pistol and killed himself
Fine pearls are often damaged by too
much haste on the part of the pearl
fisher to get them out of the shells, says
an exchange. Pearl diving used to be
an important and valuable industry off
| the coast of Mozambique. Now, accord
| ing to United States Consul Hollis, the
| industry IS very small. Bazaruto Kafirs
| still continue to fish for pearls, but as
they roast the oysters, instead of letting
them rot. the pearls are always more or
less damaged by heat. The BaZarutO
pearls as well as a few that are obtained
near the mouth of the Rovuma, are ship
ped by the Indian traders to Bombay and
Zanzibar. Some years ago. writes Con-
sui Hollis. a concession was granted by
the Portuguese government for a COM
pany of American pearl divers to exploit
the reputed rich pearl fisheries of the Ba-
zaruto Islands, which are situated a lew
miles from the coast and about midway
between Inhambane. and Beira- An at
tempt was made to work the concession
but it is recorded by the American con-
sui that bad management lack of funds
heavy expenses, and political difficulties
| combined to kill the enterprise" The
pearl diver is gradually becoming extinct
particularly IN the vicinity of Mozam-
bique. There is now no local market fol
pearls in that locality.
Bombay has the grandest railroad sta
ton in the world, and the grandest mod
ern architectural works in India in thu
Peninsula Railway Victoria Termina
building, which was named on Jubilee dal
in honor of the Empress of India, sayl
the New York Herald The execution o
the work occupied ten years. and the cos
} is estimated at $lS,900,000 The total length
of the principal elevation is over 15,00
feet The style is Venetian Gothic, will
Oriental notifications. The principal fea
lures of the edifice is the large central oc
tagonal dome of solid cut masonry, which
has a very fine effect and may be seer
from any part of the city. The figur
GROWING the apex of the dome is a ston,
statue of Progress" Many other colos
sal cfa at 49,
press Victoria, Commerce" Science,
Trade Engineering" ETC., adorn tn
principal gables The interior has beel
most skilfully arranged, and is fitted VI
with marble, granite and fine woods. Mucl
, of the interior decoration has been don
/ by native workmen. The statue of Queer
Victoria in the station was the one coVere
with tar in December last by natives, who
! they Cthe natives) think, are anxious t
secure the lives of 10000 people for tn
recent outrage on the queens statue. The
seriously believe that 10000 innocents ar
to be slaughtered, and are determined no
TO be among the number of victims
; Hence they are hurrying away.
. English postal officials have raised
! curious objection against the employment
, of women clerks instead of men to perform
the lighter duties incidental to the trans
mission and distribution of the mails, say
the New York Times. 1t is not that tn
: women do not perform the tasks assignee
to them with intelligence and fidelity; Of
that point there is no criticism whatever
but, on the contrary, ready acknowledg
ment that only praise is deserved by IN
feminine employees. The trouble lies in tn
fact that, as postofiice fixtures such a
shelves and sorting tables are all fixed a
, a regulation hight above the floor, il
, necessary that the woman clerk should b
, a certain number of feet and inches tall
, in order that she may be equal to the eff
cient discharge OF her duties. 1t seems
, however, that. on the one hand, she ofte
! fails to achieve the lineal measurement
r prescribed for her. and, on the other hand
, she sometimes so far exceeds it as to b
! above her duties altogether Apparently
/ men come nearer standard hight, for n
complaint is made against them on thi
score, and they are not Included in som
! new regulations which have been draw
: up, providing for the measurement of can
didates for positions in postoffices and tn
| | rejection Of those who are either too tai
or too short. This looks like mysterious
= ~ invidious distinction, and it is likely t
result in a lot of indignant comment fror