The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-12
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

sulphate Of copper.
"A systematic account of all living ami
mails. the first attempted since Linnaeus'
"Systema Nature" has been undertaken
| by the German Geological Society. 1t is
| estimated that $500 species of living an
! imals have been described so far in all
| kinds of scattered publications. The list,
which is to be edited by Prof. F. E.
| Schulze viii consist of at least 12O vol
umes of 1000 pages each.
The recognition given to the so-caned
slot machine" in granting to an individ-
ual a privilege of using it for supplying
| drinking water to pedestrians in the
streets of Chicago is likely to give that
appliance the prominence it enjoyed cen
| turtles ago on the banks of the Nile. When
| the slot machine made it's appearance a
few years since it was described a won
derful invention that was destined to DO
away with the newsboy, the bootblack and
other vendors of small articles. The adop-
ton of the device for furnishing drinking
water at the worlds fair was regarded as
a wonderful appliance of a newly discov-
cred mechanical device to meet the neces-
stiles or wants of the people. And yet the
slot machine was in common use thou
sands of years ago. In Hiero's "Spirita-
| la which was published in the seven
teenth century, a description is given of
a closed vessed in use in the temples of
Egypt, in which the sacred water was
\ kept. The machine had a Slot in the top
and when five drachmas were dropped in
a valve opened and a small quantity of
| the water flowed out. Then the valve
| closed automatically, to await the arrival
| of the next worshipper. 1t is probable
| that the modern machines may be more
| ornamental than those in use in the Egyp-
| tian temples so long ago. but 1t Is not like
| ly that they do their work any better
/ k1a,v. 4
| worshiping followers of the sun god in
| days when cats were divine and dogs were
| believed to have souls
An officer of the English intelligence
| department, who has been making an ex-
animation of the military possibilities of
the famous pass of ThermopyIae reports
that in spite of the fact which is well
| known, that the sea has receded from the
| coast since ancient times, the strategical
| position of the pass is still immensely
| strong, says the New York Post. The
| coast road is absolutely commanded from
| the nights so that a comparatively small
| force would render it impossible, while
| the fiat loWland lying near the sea is
/ marshy and intersected by dykes. The
| course of the Spercheus is such as to COM
| pei an enemy either to cross the bridge at
! Alampa and advance along a terribly ex-
| posed road, or else to keep on the left
| DdHki ana, Dy erecting q military Drl0ge,
| to effect a passage lower down which
would be exposed to an equally severe fire.
! 1t is not certain whether there is sufficient
| depth of water al the head of the Maliako
| Kolpo to allow the fleet to operate as we'll
| The alternative route by Delight which
| crosses the hills a mile and a half north
| OF the springs by Well-engineered zigzagS,
! is equally capable of defense and leads
| into country of a most difficult character.
| 1t is thought that either pass might be
| held indefinitely by 5000 men. The actual
| position to be defended, in case of a re-
| newal of hostilities would probably not
| be Thermopylae itself, but a higher point
| where the Delphi road leaves the valley.
| Here ridge of hills runs covering both
| roads, along which a force could be dis
| posed without any risk of having its com
municatiops severed, as might be the case
if the roads were separately defended
Preparations are making at Charlotte.
N. c., to celebrate on the Goth of next May
the 123d anniversary of the adoption of
what is called the Mecklenburg Declara-
ton of independence, says the New York
Times. They will doubtless find it easier
to hold the celebration than they would
to prove that any such declaration of in
dependence was ever adopted but that is
point which the people of North Caro-
lima have agreed among themselves to ia Ike
for granted, and it is probable they will
listen with seornful composure to the dis
cussiOn which their plan is sure to revive
The question as to whether a certain Sc
ries of resolutions, first published in 1919
was really adopted by the residents of
| Mecklenburg county in 1875 was settled
| years and years ago to the satisfaction of
| everybody. Unfortunately, it was settled
| both in the affirmative and in the mega
| tive, and there is small chance that at
this late day those who believe that the
| legend is history will be moved by those
who are not less firmly convinced that the
history is legend, and rather obviously i'm
| aginative at that The controversy, how
| ever, is one that will have the charm OF
novelty for many of this generation, and
perhaps some of its delightfully."- inconse-
| quental bitterness can be renewed if the
old ground is traVersed again. The North
Carolinians are going ahead as if the
matter were beyond the reach of question
| Al recent meeting of the Monumental
Association ways and means were thor
| oughly discussed and it was decided that
on the anniversary day there shall be un-
Veied at some spot in the city of Char
lotte "a monument worthy to commemo-
rate the deeds of valor and acts of hero
ism of those who first threw to the winds
the yoke of British tyranny and oppres-
slon.' A committee was appointed with
executive powers to solicit designs to be
estimated on basis of $4,000 of expendi-
ture.
Mention has already been made of the
new German process by which it is pro-
posed to make dough directly from the
grain, dispensing entirely with the milling
process by which the grain is converted
into flour, says the Philadelphia Record.
The following additional facts are trans
; lated from the German newspaper Die
, Neue Heilkuns: A factory has been es-
tabhshed at Altoona, and it is said that the
demand Is already so large that additions
have become necessary. The machinery
which is the invention of j. F. Gelinck
not only transforms who.e grains directly
INTO dough, but also at the same time
kneads 1t, no grinding or milling process
being employed at all. After the wheat
is first thoroughly cleaned in the dry state
II Is placed In running water until the
latter Is no longer turbid, and Il is then
allowed to soak for a few hours in a tenn
perature of so degrees to 50 degrees cent?
grade. In the Shiny condition in which Il
Is then found II is placed IN the dough ma
chine, where IL goes through the patent
| ed process whereby the mass Is ,ytgc,.g,,.