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

"A DtTllHet mas secured Luther s BkDie5
the margins of which are covered by notes
in the reformer's handwriting.
TO dance attendance" is an express
sion borrowed from the medieval custom
which compelled the bride at a wedding
TO dance with whosOever asked her. No
matter how low the cond ton or how OBJ
jectionable the person. the bride could not
refuse.
-Hatpins are prevented from wearing
large holes in the sides of the crown by
using a new guide and protector. compris-
ing plate provided with hole for the
reception of the point of the pin, with
guiding walls extending from the edges
of the plate TO steer the pin into its place.
"A large Pennsylvania tube company has
spent 100000 in installing machinery for
the operation of its entire plant by cleo
tricity. This is said to be the first large
iron mill in this country to adopt electric
ity for power. A thousand horse power
will be distributed to about twenty five
motors, of 40-horse-power each. The esti-
mated saving in fuel will be full Is per
cent. The company is now using 10000
bushels of coal per month, and it is be-
lieved that with electricity il will be
possible to secure the same amount of
power from little over 100000 bushels per
month.
The last report of the commissioner of
patents gives some historical notes on the
influence of patented inventions in the
creation of electrical industries. The man.
ufacturers of electrical apparatus and sup
plies began to be of Importance shortly
before 1880 In that year 1.271 people were
employed In seVenty-six establishments,
producing an output valued at g, $50 036.
In ten years the output, which had risen
to 9,l14,714, engaged the labor of BASS per-
sons in 1S9 establishments Since 1890 the
increase in the output has been proper
tionately large. The exports of instru-
ments and apparatus for scientific pur-
poses, including telegraph, telephone, and
other electrical appliances" amounted in
value in 1897 to So, 0S3, 900, having increased
to this amount from $SS3S3 in 1880 and
81, 429 1855 in 1890. In 1880 there were but
three electric light and power establish
ments in the United States employing 229
persons, and producing an output value
of $45S, 400. The investment in electric
lighting stations and plants in the United
States to-day is estimated at over $500, Co.,
co., The year 1880 also marks the COM
mercial advent of telephony. AT the close
of 1896 there were in this country 967 tel
ephone exchanges and 1872 branch offices.
using 536, S45 miles of wire and employing
IA, 425 people. The amount then invested
in telephone property was estimated at
nearly $1OO,OOO.OOO.
An interesting quadruped has recently
been discovered which has the peculiar
property of bullet-proof skin. 1t was
first seen and shot at several years ago
in the interior of Santa Cruz by the late
Ramon Lista, who heard of the animal
frequently from the Indians 1t was de-
scribed by that naturalist as a pangolln,
without Scales, and covered with reddish
hair, but it was found impossible either
to kill or capture a specimen and by
many it was believed that the observer
had been deceived. Now, however. DR..
Florentino Ameghino has received from
South Patagonia some bony ossicles and
partly destroyed skin which bear out
completely Lista's observations The os-
sicles in question were imbedded in the
skin like paving stones, the skin being
slightly less than an inch in thickness
and so tough as only to be broken with
hatchet. It's surface was covered with
| coarse hair, about two inches in length
and of reddish gray shade. Iista, who
was the only civilized man to ever see
this animal alive, unfortunately lost his
life while exploring Pilcomayo, but on ac-
count of his discovery the animal has
been named Neomylodon listai after him
1t is survivor of the old ground sloths
| and as it wanders about in the night and
| on very rare occasions it will doubtless
! De long time before a perfect specimen
is captured.
The city of Paris each year distributes
a number of prizes, consisting of sums of
money derived from funds beoueathed nv
certain charitable persons for speciic oh
Jects. There are prizes, says Galognani's
| Messenger, for the father of the most
numerous family in a given arrondisse-
ment; sums to be bestowed on promising
young artists unsupplied with funds 10
prosecute their studies and so forth. An
other prize has been added to this list
| 1t is for the best instance of a wife's helm
| ing her husband by work The founder
ls M. Achille Couronne, formerly chief in
| the bureau of the ministry of agrjcultura
whose Woodworking wife was of immense
| help in his career. The sum beuueathed
returns yearly income of over 6 600
francs The conditions necessary for COM
| petition are: To be Partisan by birth and
to have been married ten years to a hus-
band employed in state bureau. and
| earning not more than $500 francs a yeaf
There were 100 applicants for the prize
| and, as may be imagined, some little diff
| fcuity was experienced in assigning it.
| Finally, however, the votes of the commit
tee fell to Mime. Clergerie, who though
the mother of five children, has never
ceased to contribute to the family funds
by working as a florist. Legacie of the
above character. however good their in
tent do not always have the result antici-
pated by the testator, a case in point be-
| ing the Goncourt will, which has done
nothing up to the present but give rise
to fights and dissension. After a series of
! legal battles, the executors of the de-
! ceased Inan of letters have settled their
differences out of court. The net result
is that the relatives get 900 francs and
| the academy a million.
Herr H. Kessler of Vienna, at a recent
congress Of applied chemistry. described
some experiments he has carried on with
view to determining the relative merits
of various aluminium and magnesium DOW
ders in fiash-light photography. Taking
as standard the well known mixture of
one gramme of magnesium to three-ouar
tiers of gramme of peramnganate of pot
Sh he made a Of