The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

-L'Eleveur CThe Breeder), of Paris,
has story of a heron in England, which,
having lost its mate, sought consolation
IN constituting itself kind of shepherd
Tor the village. It brought the cattle 20
the stables, and took upon Itself the su-
perVlslon of the poultry, adjusting all the
quarrels and driving away unruly men,
| bers of the brood. 1t also assumed the
charge of the horses when they were har-
messed, and at the first sign of restive-
ness restored them 10 quiet by Civ
| ing them a pick in the nosfrils. One day
| when two calves had escaped, the heron
having tried unsuccessfully TO drive them
back, remained near them and watched
them till the men came in search of them
-Rome's curiosity is being aroused by
the sight of a sea monster, lately brought
from Porto d'Anzio. where it was discov-
cred by a German student who was walk
ing near ''NerO's grottoes." When he saw
the monster in one of the grottoes he
boatmen ran to him. They soon recog-
nized the monster to be a marine OK, a
very rare animal, and as monstrous as it
is rare. Its head is like an OK and its
teeth are enormous On its muzzle are
two tufts of hair like huge mustaches
Instead of fins, it has hands and feet like
monkeys have with a web between the
fingers and toes The men had to shoot
him twice before he was killed.
One of the most remarkable freaks of
nature occurs in New Mexico. It is a river
that is not a river. says an exchange. No
one has ever seen It. The bed of it lies in
valley between the Rio Grande and Pc
cos rivers, 1t is well defined and many
travellers have followed its windings TO
learn, If possible, what becomes of the
great volume of water which should be
mere II IS not a dead or dried-up stream,
IL is simply lost. Numerous big trbuta-
rles flow into it from the neighboring
mountains. Immedia tely, however, they
reach the bed of the main stream they
son or another a river which should be 300
miles in length has no existence which
could be proved.
1t has been observed that the best lu-
bricating effect is produced when plum
bago is applied in the form of flakes rather
than powder. The minute scales seem to
catch themselves better to rubbing sur
faces than do shapeless particles Flake
graphite is said to be produced only at two
places in the world One is Ceylon and
the other is Ticonderoga, N. Y. These
deposits contain a minute quantity of
| quartz, but the art of removing that OBJ
| Jectionable impurity has been carried to
| a nigh state of perfection A recent re-
port of this subject by experts declares
| that graphite in water is nearly three
times as effective as the best sperm oil
! even when used very sparingly, while
| graphite in grease is nearly six times as
| effective in equal quantities"
"A piano has been invented in Germany
| which overcomes the persuasive effect
caused by the blow of the hammer on the
| strings. The strings are stretched across
! the sounding board as in the ordinary pi-
! ano. but the entire hammer mechanism is
| absent. The pressure of any of the KEYS
! puts in action magnet, which automatic
! ally attracts and releases the wire thus
| producing vibrations without the metallic
! stroke that accompanies the sound in the
! common type. The result upon the tones
/ is described as remarkable. The high
| notes resemble those of an Aeolian harp
the middle and lower notes suggest the
music of the cello or the organ. The
! instrument responds readily to every va
! ration in power, and in expression
| prompted by the performer, and a note
! can be sounded for several minutes with
| out any perceptible varia ton in quality.
1t is worthy of remark in connection
with the recent Klondike discoveries that
none of the correspondents tell us any,
thing about the spiders of the country.
| Three hundred years ago this neglect
i would have been considered inexcusa be
! The goldseekers of that period thought
| spiders well nigh indispensable to a gold
country. There was q proverb: Spiders be
| true signs of great stores of gold" The
! idea arose in the following way: When one
| OF the VoyagerS of the fifteenth century
| brought home a lump of gold, with the
| Information that plenty more could be
found where the nugget came from, num-
| erous expeditions We're fitted out to go in
quest of it. One of these, under command
| of Martin FrObisher, found an island
which yielded some, gold, and the enor-
| ised the ignorant mariners that gold and
spiders We're coincident phenomena.
In enthusiasm for cats the Shah of
Persoa SURPRISES all other royal devotees
He has fifty of them, and they have at
| tendants of their own, with special rooms
| for meals. When the shah goes away
| they go, too carried by men on horseback
| The late Car of Russia was very fond of
| the feline tribe. When visiting the King
! OF Denmark on one occasion he alarmed
nv ehf 1e nrlt Il
| the morning to the gardens. From the
! window of his sleeping room he had seen
big dog attack his favorite black cat,
| ana, without staying TO complete his tot
| let. he fled to her rescue The famous
royal cat Of Siam is large white, short
| culiar formation of ear It's preciousness
| may be judged from the fact that it once
took three gentlemen of influence three
| months to procure one for an English con-
| sui at Bangkok.
&C. P. Warner has recovered the gold
watch which he lost twenty-seven years
ago, says the Syracuse Herald. He re-
| members all the circumstances regarding
| its loss, and said that it was in the town
! Of Taylor Cortland county, in October
| 1870 He said that he looked at his watch
| at 10 minutes to II o'clock, while he and
! his hired man were husl1ing corn Then
he said that he guessed that they would
| musk another shock. The cows had wan
| dered into the meadow and he went to
| drive them off, and then he missed his
| Watcn. 1ney SearChed the field and could
| ind no trace of the watch. Mr. Warner
valued it highly. 1t was made in London
by F. II. Cooper, eight years previous and
was, worth SIS. A few days ago "Willie''
| Parks was digging potatoes, when he dug
| the watch up out of a hill. His folks re-
membered that 1t belonged to Mr.. Warner
| and he at once obtained it. The bearings
were rusty; the glass face and the hands
| were missing, as was the ring. The re-
naming parts were gold and were tar
| nished.
"A big gumbo-burning plant. says the
| Chicago Record, is now in operation at
| Brubaker, III. Gumbo is a sort of CLAW
found in this and other sections of the
| county, the burning of which produces
| in the estimation of railroad people. the
best ballasting material now possible. The
material will not hold moisture. weeds
will not grow in it. and it is almost free
| from dust It makes a solid, substantial
| track bed, and, compared with other ma
terials. it is cheap. me Chicago. Burlng-
! ton and Quincy Company has ben burn
ing and using gumbo for some time. Its
! kilns are principally on the bottom lands
! between Burlington and st. Louis on the
Keokuk division. The Burlington has
several hundred miles of it's tracks bal
| lasted with gumbo. Gumbo as a prevent