The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-25
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Baltimore has what Is probably the
biggest push ball in the country Accord
ing to the Baltimore Sun, it Is made.of an
inside bladder of pure Para gum, one-quar-
ter of an inch thick; next a layer of felt
and other materials six inches in thickness;
next two thicknesses of ordinary heavy
canvas and an outside covering of strong
canvas made waterproof by chemical pro-
cess and painted a lead color. The diam
eter of the ball is greater than the hight
OF a man of ordinary size. and it is q feet
in circumference. 1t weighs 1872 pounds. The
ball will be used in Electric park and
there is a likelihood that push ball league
will be formed, made up Of teams from the
various athletic clubs and associa tons of
the city, and push ball is likely to become a
popular sport this winter
Coming down from Vancouver yester-
day afternoon, says the Victoria Colonist,
some Of the passengers on the Charmer
got fright wh5<n they are doubtless
speculating on yet. When half way be
tween the Sand heads and Plumper Pass
whale was seen sporting about in gleeful
rolls, when suddenly he disappeared, and
the next moment the vessel sustained
shock that made her tremble as If she had
stuck hard and fast. Immediately the en-
gines were stopped and for time excite
ment on board was intense. After the vio-
lent conclusion a grating of something
along the keel was noticeable, and the
passengers were fully convinced that
rock had been grazed-a thought hardly
consistent with the fact that the old vet
eran skipper. Capt. Rudlin, was on board.
Those on deck watched attentively the
wake of the ship, until astern the vessel
the rock doomed up in the form of the
big sea monster, who lay on the surface
as if stunned by the blow. He struck, in
rising from one of the dives, almost under
the wheelhouse, and then allowed the
steamer to drag almost its whole length
over him.
Engineering skill is likely to play an
important part at Vladivostock, a promi-
nent Russian port and the terminus of the
Siberian railway, but where for over four
months the port is blocked up with ice,
rendering shipping traffic impossible, says
the New York Sun. For many years the
Russian authorities have been endeaVor-
ing to overcome these natural difficulties,
and some time ago ice-breaking ships were
introduced to break open the ice, an oper-
ton, however, which has proved practi-
cally useless 1t is now reported that "a
certain engineer has proposed a plan for
retaining the narrowest part of the Tar
tar strait between GSaghalien and the Rus
sian mainland. The theory of such an I'M
dertaking is that, if this is done, the cold
current which enters the Japan sea from
the Arctic via Behring Strait will be
checked, and the passage of the warmer
tide coming from the south through the
Tshuma Strait, will make the water on
the coast of Japan as warm all the year
round The expectation is entertained
that this remarkable engineering work
will be entered upon after the completion
of the Siberian railway.
When a vessel recently arrived in Liv-
erpool with a cargo of logwood, says Lon
don Answers, everybody on board, from
captain down to cook, rushed frantcally
ashore, as though pursued by some I'M
seen enemy. AS a matter of fact the YES
sci was literally swarming with hordes of
hungry Jamaica ants. The little pests
had invaded the lockers and dived head
long into the sugar barrels. After finish
| ing the contents of these, they proceeded
| to bore holes through the supply of hard
| tack, and ate everything before Them un-
| til 1t was feared that the stock of pro-
visions on board would run short. There
was a cessation from their attacks when
| the vessel was caught in West India
| hurricane which flooded the cabin and
| drenched everything below. 1t was sup
| posed that the intruders had all been
| drowned, but after the storm had passed
| away they began again with renewed en-
ergy. The captain who commands the
vessel stated that there are millions of
| the insects still on board, and he thought
| that the cargo must have come from the
| vicinity of ant hills, for which Jamaica
| is noted. He stated that the ants were
in all parts of the vessel, and that in all
| his experiences at sea he had never be-
| fore met with an attack like the new
| corners waged against him.
Suicide is quite alarmingly on the in
crease in France, and pre-
| sents as serious prob
! lem to thoughtful statesmen in that coun-
| try as the dwindling birth-rate, says the
London Law Journal In vain to such the
| church refuses its prayers, the army fun
| 70