The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-03
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

DARK. originally the canine did nothing
else but howl or whine and those are the
only kinds of noises made by wild dogs
even at the present day. The shepherd
dogs in the Wilds of Egypt do not bark
neither do those of Australia, and Column
bus found in his later voyages that dogs
he had previously carried to America
had in the meanwhile lost the barking
faculty. 1t is believed dogs try to talk
and the nearest they can come to it is the
barking sound they make.
The diamond mines of Brazil were dis
covered in a curious way. Negro slaves
in the province of Nimas Geroes had
been using certain bright stones which
they had found for counters in their card
games. One day a traveller, who had
spent considerable time in India, happen
ed along He Immediately recognized the
bright little stones to be diamonds and
purchasing lot of them for a few cents
each, took himself out of the country. A
year or two later he came back with a
strong party, and before the government
knew they were diamond hunters, or that
diamonds existed in the country, they had
taken away large quantities of the valua-
BILE gems. Save for their yellow color the
Brazilian diamonds are the equal of any
found in the world.
Herr L. Frobeen of Berlin, Germany,
has invented and is making new fire.
proof paper BY his process ninety-ive
parts of asbestos fiber of the best quality
are washed in a solution of perman-
ganate of calcium and then treated with
sulphuric acid, the fiber being thus
bleached After treating the fiber in this
manner, five parts of ground wood pulp
are added. and the entire mass placed in
the agitating box, with an addition of
some lime water and boraX. After he
ing thoroughly mixed the material is
pumped into a regulating box and al
lowed to flow out of a gate into an end
less wire cloth. where it enters the usual
paper-making machinery. Paper pro-
duced in this way, it is reported, will
resist even the direct influence of a flame,
and may be placed in a white heat with
impunity.
Jan. a. 1906, was the famous "Day
of the Red Terror" described by medi-
eval chroniclers. The dawn was clear and
beautiful but shortly before the sun rose,
the heavens became obscured in a strange
red blaze. 1t hid the sun and the crimson
glare fell upon the earth like the refec-
ton of some great conhagration. Terror
filed the hearts of mankind everywhere.
The churches of Europe were filled the
whole day long. Anchorites and hermits
came from their retreats and cried aloud
that the Day of Judgment was at hand.
In the afternoon and evening some peo-
pie declared they could see angels and
devils battling in the air and that the
blood of the conflict rained upon the earth
However, about midnight the red pail dis
appeared before a wind and the panic
stricken people recovered their senses.
The climate of the Island of Corsica is
simply perfect. Travellers go into ecta-
sizes of praise about it, and yet singularly
enough, the Corsicans are compare lively
short-lived people. Take, for instance, the
BOnapartes, who were born and bred there.
All have died young, the victims of a IA
tai and incurable disease, which they orig
inally contracted in Corsica. The first
emperor died at 81 years, his father at 80
and his three sisters all under 80. The fol-
lowing generations were even shorter liV-
ed The Duke of Reichstadt died at 81; and
the children of Louis at g. q and 80. All the
members of the Bonaparte family were
afflicted with scrofula. In the case of
Napoleon l, it manifested itself finally in
a cancer, which caused his death. Lucien
his brother; the beautiful Pauline Beau
harnais, and Caroline queen of Naples, are
all said to have died of the same disease.
Acting under orders from the authori-
ties of the town of Bradford, England, a
chemist has just made an analysis of a
testament which has been used in the Ri
pom court for sixty years and which is said
to have been kissed by 10000 people, says
the New York Tribune. The analysis was
made with a view to ascertaining what
danger there is in the practice of kissing
the book" No germs of typhoid fever,
tuberculosis, or diphtheria were found The
chemist reports that he identified seven
species of heterogeneous which in a
very interesting manner cover the three
divisions of the fungi order. The only
germ of a dubious character was one
u hiPb iG II al IN led
skin. Although this germ is not necessa-
rily harmful, there are conditions in which
| it might produce unpleasant complications
| and the chemist said he would not kiss any
surface upon which they were spread. If
salivary germs could be left in that man
| ner other microbes of a more dangerous
| character could be left which was a strong
argument against kissing the book"
The inventor of the jinricksha, Izumi
Yosuka, has fallen on evil days, and a
| project is on foot to obtain for him a.
pension from the government of the mi
kado Less fortunate than the geniuses
| to whom we owe the motor car, he hap
| pened to launch his invention upon a
Japan that as yet knew no patent laws
There are some who say that the fructi-
| Tying idea came from an American mis-
| sionary; but whether this be so or not
| is was Izumi, who, in conjunction with
Two OtHetSs hOSuke ana Iaku1irO, first
| applied TO the government to ply the
| trade of the rickshaw man. Before very
long thousands of people throughout the
east were earning a livelihood by means
| of lzumi's ingenious device. When the
| japanese patent law was promulgated he
| applied for protection by letters patent;
but the law could not be made retro
active, and he therefore gained nothing
| but his bare wage as a licensed jinrick-
sha drawer Now that he is old, even this
means of livelihood is denied him. and
| he is lifted TO the ranks of the men who
have enriched the world and become
themselves impoverished.
One of the little wars which England
knows how to carry on better than any
other European nation, has Just been
| brought to a successful termination on the
frontier of Assam, says the New York
Times A tribe known as the Apatanangs
| had raided tea estate in North Lakhim-
pur, numbering two native servants and
carrying away three others. Immediately
a force of 800 military police under an
| English captain was sent out to teach the
| Apatanangs a lesson. II started on Feb
| ], ana had TO penetrate a region never
1 he fore hrfo III