The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-18
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

MeXlco's only woman lawyer, won her first
case recently ia the criminal court in ST
Louis in defending two policemen charged
with having needlessly wounded woman
during an effort to QueIl a disturbance
Miss Sandovars defense was a brilliant
one.
Among those who have made a close
and prolonged study of the effect OF light
on the sugar contents of plants is Prof
Weber of the Ohio State University, and
with results of peculiar scientific interest.
Prof. Weber's investigations show, con-
trary 10 the opinions of many, that plants
with long period of vegetation are not
so much affected by climatic changes, 10
cation, etc, as those Of a short period of
vegetation, and for the latter, therefore,
the conditions named are 10 be specially
cared for in order to secure the product.
Thus, higher ATTITUDES are found to be
better for sugar production than lower
ones, other things being equal and the
proximity of large bodies of water is to
be regarded as most favorable to success
ful sugar production. Further, the topo-
graphical features of the land are not of
inconsiderable importance in locating SUI
gar factories at the most convenient place
to that of production, in order to insure
the greatest success.
The latest data in railway locomotive
construction places at the head, in respect
to proportions and efficiency, the locomot-
i've now added to the equipment of the
Carnegie Steel Company's plant The
weight on the drivers is given as 20S0O0
pounds, and an indication of the power
| exerted is furnished by the character of
the service demanded of it. Thus, about
four miles of the line upon which it is
| operated has the grade of seventy feet a
mile and one stretch of about 1000 feet
up across the main line of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad and reaching to the base
| of a seventy-foOt hill, was a grade of "a
| per cent; the trains of many cars are
! loaded down with iron, coke and mill and
| furnace products aggregating many tons
| to car. The locomotive is now in daily
use, and in the most satisfactory manner,
not only IN the amount of work accom-
| plished, but in respect of economy of fuel
and water required.
One of the most notable results arriv
ed at by experimenters who have dissected
the electric arc light according to Prof.
| Dolbeare, is the fact that practically all
the energy of the light, either in the form
of light heat, or anything else, radiates
| from a small dot, rarely more than one
| half of an inch in diameter, which is in
| varably found in a pit on the end of the
carbon, called the "crater" the radiant en-
| ergy of this dot has been measured and
| found to have a curious correspondence
| with the compound radiant energy of the
| suns surface, viz, at the rate of 100000
| horse power 10 the square meter. Obser-
| walton shows that there is always definite
ratio between the energy of anybody and
! its temperature, so that if the radiant en-
ergy of two bodies is the same so is their
| temperature-that of the radiant dot of
the electric arc is nearly $500 degrees Fab
renheit, hence the probability of the suns
surface being that. in view Of the CORE
| spondence in measure of energy.
Engineers have been particularly in
terested in the Boston plan of adding the
Atlantic ocean to its fire protection facill-
ties in the congested portion of the city,
the tests thus far made of the salt water
system being a complete vindication of
the correct judgment of Its promoters.
The scheme In its present status comprises
a f1reboat, located at a central wharf and
pumping some 1900 or more gallons of
salt water minute through pipes to the
crowded district, where it is used by the
means of hydrants, and thus the boat is
able to do the work of six
or more additional engines. The
installation Of the pipes was at a
cost of about $4,000, or only one-tenth
the sum that would be required for the
same amount of work in the ordinary
manner The plan has been 50 successful
and there is so little waste, that it is like
ly the pipe system viii be extended, and
permanent plants put In to furnish the
power. Indeed, the result in this case
shows that for cities situated close to the
sea and with the business portion closely
crowded, the salt water pipe line system
will more and more become an auxiliary
to the fire engines.
One of the most peculiar of German in
dustres and employing multitudes of oper-
atives is located in the town of Gera,
where the manufacture of the well-known
vegetables ivory buttons is carried on. The
curious material thus empOyed-an civ
ory' NUTS the fruit of a species of South
American PLAN, mainly procured through
Hamburg importers Before being manu-
featured into buttons the nuts are shelied
by means of a rotating sheet-iron drum,
provided on the interior with sharp three
edged irons. There are two methods of
cutting the nuts-in one the kernel is cut
into halves, out of which the raw buttons
are bored by machines, this being termed
the Saxon method and preferred for small
sizes; the Berlin method consists in cut
ting the kernel into small blocks, and
buttons of a large size are made from them
by means of a shaping machine The
process of dyeing requires great skill on
the part OF the workmen, who are care.
fully trained for the purpose and must
possess some chemical knowledge; but al
most every factory has its special comb
nations of colors, which are kept carefully
secret.
In an investigation described by MeIan-
der. French meteorologist, 5000 obser.
VatiOns with an Aitken dust counter were
made in Finland, the Sahara and else
where. It was found that the dust parti.
cles in the air increase in number with
the dryness, being usually at a minimum
in the afternoon. Winds from land carry
more dust than those over water. and those
blowing from an area of high barometer
or down a high mountain, are very dusty
Products Of combustion furnish part of the
dust, causing fog and rain. Dust part.
cles are effective in causing rainfall bu,
whether there can be rain without them
IS an important problem yet to be solved.