The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-08
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


whatever, without noise, without confia-
grafton, without risk of explosion. Their
manufacture is simple, easy, inexpensive
Covered with a protecting varnish, they
defy inclemency, even humidity. The
workman of the country as well as the
city, the traveller. the hunter. allured far
from inhabited places, is always assured
with matches in his pocket, of being able
to make fire wherever he finds himself
Is any other substance capable of offer
ing the same advantages? No, assuredly;
there is none which is comparable to ii
There is no substitute for white phosphor-
US. But 1t is a poison; it threatens work.
men with the gravest dangers; il multi
ates and kills them. White phosphorus
is volatile; it diffuses, in the atmosphere
of workshops, where are being made.
acrld and irritating vapors which darken
the air. Penetrating into the respiratory
passages, the vapors are slowly absorbed
by the system, become fixed in the blood
and the tissues, and produce there that
particular state which has been designat-
ed by the name phosphorismus.
"A good deal of secrecy is maintained
by the manufacturers of celluloid as to
their respective methods of manufacture
says the Pittsburg Dispatch. method
adopted by a Berlin firm is to pour 100
parts of ether on so of collodion wool
and % camphor, and stir the covered mass
IN earthenWare vessels with rubber sticks
until a homogeneous gelatinou mass is
obtained, which is then rolled. AT St
Denis, ethyl alcohol is said to be used
Apart from dyestuffs and other additions
the celluloid consists on an average of
two-thirds of pryoxyline and one-third
camphor; more camphor impartS an I'M
pleasant smell and impairs the strength
of the product The chemical constitu-
ton of celluloid is still doubtful. The ma
teridl is generally SllpOlipd in rode Of
three feet lengths, or in plates of 80 inches
by Y inches, of yelowish color, unless
dyed The dyes are generally added at the
time the pyroXyline and camphor are mix
ed. Striped articles are obtained by su-
proposition of plates of different colors
and cross cutting of the compressed
blocks Celluloid cannot be exploded by
heat, blows, nor friction. 1t burns, but
the flame can easily be blown out 1t
leaves an ash skeleton, which continues
to sparkle family for some time. 1t is
soluble ether-alcohol, and is decomposed
or carbonized by concentrated acids and
caustic alkalieS While the finished arti-
Gle is not dangerous unless it is brought
in contact with flame, the manufacture is
highly so. The smaller articles are cut
readily into the cold, dipped into hot wa
ter, bent and shaped and plunged into
cold water again to retain their shape.
Larger articles are pressed in heated
than with hard rubber. The teeth are
stamped with dies by hand or machinery,
and then polished with punice stone and
cold water.
The Anderson typewriter is designed
especially for rapid work, having but a
limited number of keys arranged to be
covered simultaneously by the fingers of
both hands, and enabling the operator to
make a good stenographic report on the
typewriter itself, says the Scientific Amer
lean The characters are printed trans
versely across a continuous strip of paper,
word being printed at one stroke in plain
English letters. An ordinary typewriter
is handicapped in the matter of speed by
the fact that only one key can be struck
and only one finger used at a time-nine
fingers being always idle. By this inven-
ton the keyboard is so constructed that
all the keys can be operated simultane-
ously. The machine has only sixteen
printing keys, arranged in pairs, so that
each finger can operate two; hence six
teen characters can be printed at each
stroke if needed, and, by the use of pair
of shift keys at each side of the keyboard,
the capacity of each printing key is in
creased, just as the use of a shift key on
an ordinary typewriter enables the oper-
ator to print either a small letter or
capital by using or not using the shift.
On this machine, however the shift keys
and printing keys are struck together and
the hands remain substantially in one po-
sition, simply moving up and down, each
finger above the pair of keys assigned to
it, instead of darting here and there over
a large keyboard One downward move
ment of the hands prints the word and
as soon as they are lifted the machine au-
tomatically shifts the paper forward ready
for the next word. 1t is claimed that this
machine can be operated a a speed of 100
words & he otto
and that its possibilities in the way of
speed are greater than those of stenogra-
ply; that it will not only save time now
spent in learning stenography, but will
do away with errors and illegible notes,
and that in courts and large mercantile
establishments d corps of typewriter copy
lists can be kept busy transcribing while
single operator on this new machine is
taking" The machine is already in use
IN several large establishments.
The railway mileage of the world has
during the last sixteen years, increased at
an average annual rate of IA, 600 miles, and
now stands at about 10000 miles. saws
the Pail Mall Gazette. 1t will readily be
inferred that, In regard to length of track
the United states is an easy first At the
end of last year is possessed 1850 miles
of steam railway, as compared with lT6.-
22S miles in 1894. For the whole American
NpAANiAANAN NAlN NOAdt - approximately 81
$40 miles, South America boasting a trite
in excess of 24,0OO miles. Canada and New.
foundland 1920 and Mexico and Central
America the rest-a matter of 1910 miles
In the whole Of Europe there are 161. 800
miles, Germany leading with 292lO miles.
France coming second with 26, $50 miles.
and Russia third with 1850 miles. The
place of Great Britain and Ireland is
fourth on the list. Our actual mileage In
operation, according to the latest return
OF the board of trade, was p, i74 miles at
the beginning of last year. Next after
this country ranks Austria-Hungary with
1880 miles. Asia, as a consequence of
activity on the Trans Siberian railroad.
IN British India and in Japan (Which has
recently had It's railway mania) has In
the last three years seen remarkable in
crease and the total now works out al
= 40 miles, against 5000 miles in 1899.
or this total 1900 miles must be credited
10 lndls' 1850 miles TO Japan, and 200
miles 10 Russia. the others being Dutch
lndia 600 miles,, Asia Minor O.1OO miles,.
Ceylon siam. Malay and Port India. Co
chin China, Tonquin, China and Persia
In the whole OF Africa. which has an area