The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-11
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

the Eastern Chinese Railway, now build
ing in Manchuria has been entered into
with American manufacturers. This is
reported to the state department by the
ambassador at ST. Petersburg, Ethan A.
Hitchcock, who also reports that a Rus
sian locomotive, made solely with Ameri
can machinery and under American super
intendence. made a thoroughly successful
trial trip on April Z.
The flag of Cuba Libre is as old as Gu
ban instruction. says the Philadelphia
Times: Its origin dates back to 1920,
when the revolt against the tyranny of
Spanish misrule was in its infancy. The
provinces of the Queen of the Antilles are
represented in the flag by the three blue
and two white stripes; their union in the
cause of freedom being flttingly signihed
in the single white star in the triangular
red field-the star of free Cuba. Yet with
this knowledge of the ensign of the land
of Martf and Maceo it seems that there are
hagmakers who are unfamiliar with the
lone star and stripes of Cuba. In COM
pany with several American flags floating
proudly in the breeze in an uptown street
are two flags, presumably Cuban. The
field is blue, three of the stripes are red
with the remaining two white. But the
flags nevertheless are flying in the patri-
otto spirit of a noble cause.
Socialists are in luck, says the London
Telegraph. One of the leaders of the set in
France is now enjoying comfortable in
come of f15OOO a year, one of the chiefs of
the Democracy in England was able to
amass a fortune of 100000 and now, by the
death in the Soudan of his cousin, Mai.
Urquhart, of Medium, another socialist,
the once well-known Mr.. H. H. Champion.
enters into a revenue of $1,000 per annum
and the enjoyment of an estate of $500
acres in extent. Mr.. Champion commenced
life as an artillery officer, and saw service
in Afghanistan, but left the army to be-
come Democratic propagandist. With
three others he was tried at the Old Bailey
for alleged participation in the socialist
disturbances of 1885, and was acquitted.
Later he quarreled with his qoundam
friends, who accused him of ''aping res
pectability," and he then went to Austria
liza, where he founded a newspaper, which
he still edits.
English papers note that Cambridge
University has just had a remarkable
proof of the mathematical genius of the
Chinese, says the Pathfinder. Some time
ago much surprise was caused among
mathmematicians generally by the discov-
cry among the papers. of the late Sir
Thomas Wade of Chinese fame of evil
dence that in the time of Confucus the
Chinese knew an equation which only be-
came known in Europe during the last
century, when it was discovered by Fer
mat, and has since been known as Fer
mats equation. But the Chinese YER
sion, recently discovered, stated that the
equation did not hold with regard to GER
tain numbers This puzzled the mathema-
ticians and all efforts 10 solve the point
have hitherto failed. Now, however, a
young undergraduate of Trinity College
Cambridge, has demonstrated that the Chi
nese were right and his solution is frank
ly admitted by the experts to be perfect
The correspondent understands the result
is shortly to be published at Cambridge in
an authoritative way.
Probably the Oldest book of arithmetic
was recently unearthed in Egypt, says the
Baltimore Sun, The papyrus, which was
found in excellent condition, dates from
| the period about 100 B. Chat is, about
100 years before the time of Moses or al
most 5000 years ago. 1t proves that the
Egyptians had a thorough knowledge of
elementary mathematics almost to the ex-
tent of our own. The papyrus has a long
heading" Directions how to obtain the
| knowledge of all dark things" etc. Num-
erous examples show that their principal
operations with entire units and fractions
were made by means of addition and null
duplication. Subtraction and division were
not known in their present form, but cor
| rect results were obtained, nevertheless.
Equations are also found in the papyrus.
| Among the examples given is this one:
! Ten measures of barley are to be divided
among ten persons in such a manner that
each subsequent person receives one-eighth
of measure less than the one before him.
Another example given is: There are sew
| en- men, each one has seven cats; each cat
has eaten seven mice; each mouse has eat
| en- seven grains of barley; each grain of
barley would, if cultivated, have yielded
seven measures of barley How much
barley has been lost in that way?
In several cases industry is indebted
to the insect world for unique sub
stances. For many years the cochineal
or cactus scale plant was used as the
basis Of an important red dye until prac-
| tically' superseded by the introduction
of aniline dyes. A single species of lac
insect produces practically all the shell
| lac stick and button lac of commerce.
| In Southwestern Asia the creosote
bushes Gre the breeding ground of
enormous quantities of lac insect. the
commercial possibilities of which hav.
not yet Deen developed. A species of scale
insect in China yields pure white wax
of great value and rarity. The Chinese
wax Is said TO have ten times the illunnin-
ating power of other wakes. 1t is a beau
nful substance, resembling beeswax more
| than vegetable wax in it's chemical com
position, end is clear white in color. Nov,
a discovery which promises to be OF great
economic value comes from Mesa Granda
| Cal. Inc vegetation in this district ~
INFESTED with an insect which, on beina
removed from the twigs of oak on wbico
II thrlves and compressed in quantities nv
| the hand, becomes a more or less pliab1e
lump somewhat resembling rubber. bur
not possessing the same elasticity. Par,
OF 1t has been proved by chemical analvs,s
70 be true wax and part resembles ruh
Der IN its physical properties. The prod
uct is equally interesting from a chem
cal and industrial point of view. and the
supply Is .well-nigh inexhaustible.
The so-called Marmorek serum. discov
cred by DR.. Marmorek. young viennese
scientist now acting at the Pasteur In
stitute in Paris, turns out to NAV a
/ ut in