The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-26
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


to pound of cotton for every man. wo-
man and child on earth.
In the leading navies of the world the
cost Of building, typical ironclads per ton is
as follows United Kingdom. $500; United
States, $3.50; France and Germany $435 to
$50.
The largest price ever asked and paid
for single pearl was $4,000, which was
the value of the great Tavernier pearl.
says Tit-Bits. Ii was originally in the
possession of an Arabian merchant and
NJ. Tavernier Travelled from Paris to Ca
tifa with the express intention of pur-
chasing the pearl. Although he went pre-
pared TO pay any sum between fl 600 and
100000, he concluded that he would be
able TO obtain il for about $4,000 His
hrst offer was 10000 but after the deal
had remained open for a few DAYS this
had risen to $4,000 Finally the transac-
ton was closed with 10000 and pearl
experts state that it is a clear bargain
at that price. 1t is the largest and most
perfect gem of its kind known. and its
Iuster is said to be unriValed. 1t is ex-
actly two inches in length and oval
shaped.
The glow-worms light is said to have
been shown to be due to the emission Of
rays similar to Roentgen's. SAYS the Re
view Scientifique. Three hundred glow
worms were caught near Kioto and placed
before Photographic plates screened from
the light by several thlcknesses of black
paper, together with plates of brass. cop
per and aluminium. A piece of cardboard
with a hole in IL was placed between the
metal and the Photographic plate, and for
two days the arrangement was kept in a
dark chamber, sheltered from all foreign
nights. on developing the plate, however,
it was found TO be blackened, except the
part opposite the hole In the cardboard
The rays of the glow-worm would appear
therefore, to penetrate metal and excite
luminosity in cardboard. When there is
nothing between the sensitive plate and
the glow-worm the rays are said to behave
like ordinary light; but in traversing some
metals and cardboard they seem to ac-
quire properties like that of X-rays or it
may be that the ordinary glow-worm emits
X as well as ordinary rays. This account
savors somewhat of the improbable, and
in regard to the latter part of 1t there may
be a third explanation.
Some remarkable Buddhist antiquities
recently discovered in India have been
Mr.. Vincent Smith. a wel-known an
tiquary, says Chambers Journal Some
years ago the discovery of an inscribed
pillar, erected in the third century, indi-
Gated with certainty the site of Kapila-
yastu, the home of Gautama Buddha who
lived about 500 B. c. The ruins of this
ancient city are now covered by Jungle
but are being eXcavated, and thus build
ings more ancient than any previously
known in India are being brought to light
Another discovery, also in Nepalese terri
tory, close to the British frontier is that
of brick tumulus containing relics of
Buddha himself These are fragments of
bone, in decayed wooden vessel, with
which we found five small vases of soap
stone and very fine bowl of rock crystal
all containing gold ornaments, pearls and
precious stones, besides various objects
delicately wrought in crystal and agate.
This collection was deposited in a mas
sive Golfer of sandstone, buried under
eighteen feet of masonry. An inscription
on one of the vases states that the relics
are those of the Buddha, and indicates
that the tumulus was constructed about
800 B. c.
"A new method Of using electricity for
the stoppage of theft is reported from an
electric light and power station, says the
st. Louis Globe Democrat. 1t seems that
a very little dog was in the habit of drop
ping in from the neghboring street when
ever a chance offered itself, and after nos
ing out a lunch belonging to one of the
men, boiling for the door taking the lunch
with him. Hiding the packages containing
the meal was of no avail The dog found
them out every time, and invariably
brought off his little coup For hours he
would lie in the sun, apparently asleep,
but in reality waiting for the coast to be
clear. When all the hands were hard at
work he would steal in, and when he went
out somebody's grub went with him This
of course, could not go on indefinitely. A
nice juicy bone was prepared and laid
xtrha fha Inn 1,a oil
Around the meat was wound a copper
wire, and the insulation of which had been
removed for a few feet at the end, so as
to make good contact. The wire was
then loosely coiled and laid on the
floor near by, the other end of the coil
being carried to the switchboard, and
made fast to the lead of a live arc light
circuit. The ground just outside of the
station was kept well wet to get rid of
the dust On his next visit the dog
grabbed the bone and made for the door,
the wire uncoiling as he ran. Then the
fun began. There was good deal of
static charge accumulated on the arc
line, and the dog got the benefit of that
as well as of leakage caused by grounds
and poor insulation. He sprang into the
air with a yelp, and as he came down, and
the current cramped his jaws more closely
to the meat, he cut capers, and did novel
stunts with himself all over the sidewalk
broke the wire, dropped the bone and fed
The station saw him never more, and
thereafter the lunches We're safe.
The important question of a sufficient
water supply for London is likely to be
settled for some time to come by the con-
struction of the new reservoirs, upon
which work has just begun at Staines.
says the New York Evening Post The
latest royal commission upon the metro
politan water supply proposed that all the
London water companies should combine
and construct, near Staines, a series of
reservoirs, as required from time to time,
in which the clean waters of a subsidihg
flood should be impounded ana stored
against periods of drought Unfortunately
it was not found possible to secure the
adhesion of all the companies to a Joint
scheme. In these circumstances three of
the companies resolved to undertake the
project themselves with certain modifica-
tons. The reservoirs themselves are a