The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-09
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

was said that the seconds placed the ad-
versaries at an equal distance from each
other, an arrangement the squareness of
which no court OF honor anywhere would
think OF impeaching.
There have been great rejoicings at
Leslie, in Scotland, over the coming Of
age Of the Earl of Rothes. From 1853 until
the present Earl succeeded, at the age of
TO years, his grandmother in 1898. JheTe was
no Earl Of Rothes, Ehe peerage having
been held in the inteTVa. by two ladies.
The Leslie family is one of the oldest in
Scotland. and was historical even before
the days OF Wallace ard Bruce.
A majority of the generals in our army
are wen along in years, and the ages Of
some of them are given by the Buffalo
Express as follows: Gen. Young is IS,
Shafter %, Wheeler g, Hawkins wiz reach
the retiring age Of 81 this year, Kent is GO,
LawtOn = and Sumner, Bates and Chaffee
each 50. These are the general officers in
Cuba with Shafter. The age of the gen
erals in camp at home is also advanced.
Coppinger is g. Brooke is 60, Corbin Sc,
Sheridan IS, Henry 50. Graham "a. Wilson
81, Butler g and one-legged Lee 50. Wade
is 50, the youngest of the major generals.
Patriotism knows no bounds. Even
tattooing is keeping abreast of these stir
ring times. Speaking of the inmates of a
county jail in Missouri a local paper says:
This time last year nearly every long
term prisoner came out OF Jail with
heart, ring, his sweetheart's picture or
name or some symbol of mis- occupation
neatly tattooed on his breast, arms or
hands. But now the fortunes Of war have
even affected the convict, though dead to
the world and he evinces his patriotism
by submitting to the pricking of the needle
IA iab in rod
of shields, flags, American eagles, guns
and soldiers under the cuticle.'
Chicago chemists assert that they have
discovered a process of vulcanizing oil of
corn, with the result of producing an
India rubber superior to the South Amer
lean rubber, says the Baltimore Sun The
discovery was happened upon by chemists
employed in a glucose refining cOmpany's
works. The artificial rubber is said TO be
admirable for mackintoshes, bicycle tires
and other like purposes. Rubber is rub
Der and its peculiar qualities will long in
sure its retention, even if the corn oil
rubber is success, since the processes
and machinery for working the South
American rubber are already highly de-
veloped, while its competitor has all this
still to gain.
The United States weather bureau Is
about to make the experiment of following
the course of storms and
cold waves, from the Rocky
mountains to the AIeghanies, at an
altitude of a mile from the earth surface,
says the Chicago Chronicle. This is to be
accomplished by means of a series of fif-
teen or twenty high level observing sta
tons. By means of simultaneous obser-
vations made at these stations it is hoped
that important facts may be developed. AT
the hight of a mile the diurnal variations
of temperature felt a the earth's surface
practically disappear and the progress of
a storm at that elevation is free from the
distracting clements introduced by local
effects near the ground.
Russian military authorities for sore
time past have made an effort to employ
aluminium in place of iron, copper and
steel for all articles of equipment carried
by infantry, in order 10 reduce the weight
as much as possible, says the New
York Press With the same
object the Russian minister of
war has ordered aluminium horseshoes for
the cavalry The first trial is now being
made by Finland dragons, and the horses
are shod as follows: A shoe of the new
aluminium model is placed on one foot. the
three remaining shoes being of the kind
now in use. The trial, which has already
lasted six weeks, seems to be satisfactory,
as the aluminium wears out less rapidly
and is less affected by mud ana moisture
than the ordinary shoe. The difference in
| weight is about 70 grams (2l5 ounces on
each shoe The cost is not greater at pres
ent, and will be less as soon as the sys-
TEN of manufacturing the new shoes shah
have been perfected.
BY the beginning of next year, says an
exchange the whole of the vatican viii be
lighted up for the first time by electricity.
which will have the effect of raVaaliDcr mn
merous treasures of art and archaeology,
hitherto almost hidden from public view
4 by deficiency of light. This innovation Is
due to the initiative of Leo XIII the most
: progressive and uD-to-date of all the pom
/ tiffs who have ever 1illed the chair of St
Peter. The Pope is taking very active
interest in the preparations which are be-
! ing made in connection with the installa-
! ton of the necessary plant, and il is at
/ his suggestion that the beautiful Aquilone
! waterfalls, or cascade, in the vatican
! grounds is to be utilized for the purpose
/ of providing motive power to the dyna-
mos. The wafer Of this cascade IS
brought to the vatican by means of an
| aqueduct, from the Lake of Bracciano, sit
/ uated at a distance of some twenty-five
miles from Rome Ii is proposed to event
/ Uany extend the electric lights 10 the Ba-
/ silica of st. Peter, both for interior and eX-
/ terror illumination.
| Count Rocco DianoVitch has made the
| getting into prison the chief business of
! his life for thirty-four of the forty-seven
| years he has Fived. for the purpose of gath
/ ering information for a book he is anxious
! to write on the subject. says Tit AT
/ thirteen he left his home and went into
/ Prussia where he was arrested for tres
! passing and sent TO prison for three
| months, working at chair making. From
/ that time 10 this he has never been free
! from the desire 10 continue his prison OK
/ plorations. From thirteen till he was
| twenty he was in and out of more than
! twenty prisons In Belgium, Prussia, 10
! land and Russia. His first experience CT
/ goal life in England was in Liverpool,
/ which was one of the worst he was ever
! in, filled with drunken sailors from ali
/ over the world. He stayed there six days.
! when he paid his fine and got out, the first
/ time he failed to serve his sentence. Then
| he went to Ireland, France, Spain, Italy,
! Greece and Turkey, then 60 Egypt whe re
IN