The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-10
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

When arc lights were first introduced
for street lighting. there was a very ex-
aggerated idea of their lighting power
says the Engineering News A light of
1,000-candle power seemed such a powerful
illuminator that the idea was very natur-
ally conceived of placing lamps on the top
of tall towers and Lighting the whole
area of a city. Several municipalities
adopted this tower system of lighting of
which the best known example is doubt
less Detroit. 1t was at once found, how
ever that a cluster of arc lamps $50 feet
or more from the ground might be an
excellent plan for Lighting the whole of
large area; but was a very poor plan
for lighting city streets. In the average
streets comprise not more than one-third
of the area. Hence with the tower sys-
tenn of lighting 66 per cent. or more of
the Illuminating power is wasted in light
ing up house roofs, backwards and vacant
lots. Nearly every city of which we have
information that originally adopted the
tower system of lighting has abandoned It,
1t is, therefore, quite surprising to learn
that Des Moines, Ia, proposes to put in
a municipal street lighting plant and to
use the tower system. What considera-
ton influenced the city authorities to
adopt this system we do not know, but
we would strongly urge them to investi-
gate the experience of Detroit and other
cities with the tower system of lighting
before they construct such a plant in their
own city.
James Pinnock, one of the few white
men who have been to the scene. of the
recent Benin massacre, Iecturing at the
Geographical Institute at NewcastIe-on-
Tyne said, according to the Westminster
Gazette: when travelling some distance
inland from the Benin river by different
route to Benin City. 1 came across race
of people, or number of them, with lonS
tails. The tails of these savages are not
provided by nature. Nevertheless, these
people suffer under an imaginary wrong,
not being born with what seems to them
a necessary appendage. They themselves
make good the deficiency by affixing to the
lower part of their back a natural cows
tail, as it is severed from the animals
body, dried, ETC., with all the hair ETC.
remaining, secured to their bodies by ma
tive f1brous rope. 1 first came across a
number engaged in filling the land in a
STOPPING position, without a vestige of
clothing, and the sight impressed me as
weird ard by no means becoming On
making inquiries why they so adorned
themselves-if adornment it can be called
they told me that as it was useful to
cows and other animals for brushing the
flies and insects from the bodies. it was
of equal advantage to them. They at once
demonstrated it by beating off the flies
at that moment settling on one mans
face, and the other being bitten by large
brown mangroVe fly in the small of the
back he went for the same most eff
fectually at once, and, picking the blood
sucking insect from the ground, consd-
cred that the browning argument in favor
of the fashion of his country.
An Englishman whose hobby is the
study of policemen all over the world
says that the Irish constabulary and the
civil guard of Spain are the finest bodies
of police in Europe. The Spanish civil
guards was esta blished in 1916 when high
waymen were numerous in Spain, and the
duty of it's members is still to patrol the
high roads and practically to guard trav-
elers. Their power is almost absolute,
but they do not abuse it. They wear
Gark-blue tunicS and yellow belts, with
knee breeches and old-fashion CATERS.
The Italian police are divided into five
| sections the first being the carabinieri,
who wear dark-blue tail-coats trousers
with red bands, silver buttons and orua-
ments, cooked hats with tri-color COCK
ades gloves and swords The Neapol-
| tan police are especially smart in appear
| ance. The Berlin police were found rather
disappointing, for although g fine body
of men as regards hight, they have a de-
| cided tendency to stoutness. Their meth
most invariably polite. The policemen OF
Vienna are great handles. Russian po-
| licemen are bigger than any in Europe
| and are compared in this respect win
| those of New York, but il is stated that
| the Broadway squad" can give inches
| in size to any body of men in Europe.
The Russia force is divided into three
| sections urban suburban and river DO
| lice. Men of the urban division wear
black, with yellow and red facings, those
| of the suburban section black, with pur-
| pie facings, and the river police black,
with white facings. The Japanese police
| bear the palm for pictureSqueneSs, espe>
| cialiy in their summer costume. They
wear white, with a sort of cape attached
| to their hats hanging down on their Shout
| ders. The Fiji Islands are kept in order
by body called the "armed native con.
| stabulary." Their tunics of dark blue,
with scarlet facings, contrast strikingly
with scalloped kits of white linen The
uniform of the Madras policeman consists
| of a gayly colored turban, dark jacket,
wh!to trousers and sandals.
Mr.. w. lie c. Beard writes in the
| April St. Nicholas of a pet eagle named
Moses. which he caught in the Arizona
| desert Mr.. Beard says: Moses had a
| language of his own, which. by the con-
slant practice he gave us, we soon learn
| ed to understand. 1t consisted of a Sc
| ries of cries, all harsh and nerve-rasping,
but perfectly distinct, each one express
| ing a different emotion Thus rage, en-
| treaty, excitement and pleasure were each
| easily distinguished by those who knew
| him well. His one syllable note of greet
ing was more explosive and perhaps a
shade less disagreeable than the rest: and
he had also a low, grooming sort of muir
muir; but this he used only in soliloquy,
so to us it expressed only the fact that
Moses was talking over things with him
self. He was very fond Of the lizards
| with which these plains abounded, and
one large variety, called "swifts" from
| their remarkable speed In running. SEEM
ed to be especially coveted. Whenever
| one Of these was caught, which was not
often, Moses would be brought out, and
after the swift had taken ten feet start
would be set free. The lizard would
promptly resolve itself into a white streak
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