The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-03
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

clan practice OF shaving off the hair in
periods of mourning. But as without hair
there was danger of catching cold, the
men wore wigs upon their bald crowns.
and the women caps.
"A manufacturer of chatting dishes re-
Gently made the statement that he believed
gas and coal consumption in New York
would soon be very materially reduced by
the use of that convenient means of cook
ing light meals Where one was sold a
year ago scores are sold now" he saiG,
land the demand is increasing at re-
markable rate"
TO find the rarest bird in existence
you must so to the mountains between
AMMAN and Loas, where there is a Ger
tain kind of pheasant. For many years
its existence was known only by the fact
that its longest and most splendid plume,
was in much request by mandarins for
their headgear. A single skin is worth
$780, and the bird living would be price
less, for it soon dies in captivity.
-Peuified human remains are made to
order at Crookston, Me. Pheenie Finn, a
co,ored woman of that place, serves as
the model from which plaster casts are
made for fraudulent museum exhibits,
and she has earned a comfortable living
in this way for many years. The average
price of a petrified human body made of
plaster of paris and clay, and so skillfully
treated as to appear 70 be genuine, is $1cO.
"A successful test was made at the Erie
shops, at Bucyrus, O., of the new Debom-
bourg welding machine, railway officials
being present from several lines. The first
test was made with a butt weld of a s.
inch rod. The iron was heated, and when
ready was put into the machine, which
had been set to the proper diameter The
bars were Immediately gripped, and by the
use of a powerful side lever We're squeezed
into each other. The operation required
only three minutes. When put 10 the
breaking test it was found the weld was
the strongest part of the whole bar. The
Tar was also put to a pulling strain, and
when pulled to a diameter of one inch the
weld showed no fracture. "V' and splice
welding were also experimental with, at
tended by equal success. Tht machine is
simple one, weighing only 1900 pounds, and
is capable of handling bars from one to
six inches in diameter. There is no ham
merng required TO complete the weld and
the machine literally squeezes the heated
ends of the rods into each other.
"A writer in the Shoe and Leather Re-
porter from Lynn, Mass, notes this pecu-
liar incident: A manufacturer employ
ing cutters by the piece reduced the prices
for cutting, The workmen accepted the
cut. The manufacturer then gave them
stock to cut that cost him to cents per
foot more than the kid he had been using.
What was the result? The men, under the
reduced scale of prices, using the better
grade of stock, earned more wages the
first week under the new schedule than
during any week for months past The
manufacturer did not put anything into
his pocket by making the reduction He
made it go toward purchasing a better
grade of upper stock, with the result
above noted. Previous 10 the cut the men
hGd to cut spongy and a vey unsatis-
factory grade of skin, but under the new
arrangement they are provided with stock
thar does not require planning and stretch
ing, thereby consuming much time in the
endeavor to get out Satisfactory uppers.
ThIs was case where the men dispaleyd
common sense IN accepting the reduction.
Under the name of ''papyronth," new
flooring material has been put on the mar
ket, says an exchange. Papyrolith, or pa
per stone, is a description of papier macne
hardened and toughened for its special ap-
plication. 1t is a chemical combination Of
vegetable fiber, paper pulp and minerals
from which are produced a very tough
material, which has the advantages Of IL e
hardest wood and of stone, without the
drawbacks of shrinkage of the one and
extreme coldnesS and inelasticity of the
other. 1t is a non-conductor and inner
vious to water. 1t will not swell or dry
up, and neither shrinks nor twists, as 9TH
er substances of the same class will 40
1t is laid in liquid state, and is like
thick paste or cement, so that on sloping
Ia ia
present smooth face without joint or
crack. For this reason it is well adapt
ed for hospitals and school rooms as il
provides no room in which hurtful bac-
terra germs can find Judgment 1t win
take any color, or any combination of col
ors desired 1t is claimed to be fire-proof
and, from its elasticity, has an agree
able feel TO the tread, and deadens sound
considerably Being unaffected by vibra-
ton, it is suitable for factories or work
rooms where engine power is used. 1t is
manufactured as powder, and after be-
ing brought into a semi-liquid state by the
addition of water, is laid, like cement, on
solid foundation of brick, concrete or
wood. A coarse and fine layer are used.
the first being allowed to lie about TWEEN
ty-four hours before the top dressing is
spread and smoothed off with a trowel.
The two applications are about half an
iLch thick when thoroughly beaten down
Some interesting facts concerning lace
manufacture are given by Orlena l.,
Shackelford. in the Woman's Home Com.
panion; The nomenclature of lace is de-
cided by certain peculiarities of pattern
mesh or stitches that belong to certain
localities, and it is retained even when
those localities have long ceased to pro-
duce their distinctive fabrlcations. Valen-
cennes has not for many years wrought
the laces that bear its name, their manu-
facture having long since been trans
ferred to Ypres. Belgium; while the
Chantilly laces are all made at Bayeux.
The finest French laces are made in
Normandy the cheaper ones come from
The Auvergne, which was the first French
province 10 produce pillow lace Bayeilx.
with her tributary surroundings, is the
largest and best producer of black laces.
her Chanully is par excellence" the
finest ever made Caen is also a center
fer black laces. Normandy produces good
black and white blondes. Guipures are
made in the Auvergne but the finest
comes from Vosges. Mlrecourl fur
nishes fine point aud pillow lace. Brus.
sells furnishes most of the Belgian needle
points, though E. Flanders, Brabant