The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-05
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

bintz, in Silesia, in which the earths crust
has been penetrated to the depth of 2,210
yards. This is the greatest depth ever
attained so far The boring was made for
scientific purposes. No unusual features
however, presented themselves, except that
the thermometer indicated at that depth
the pretty high temperature of $50 degrees
Fahrehheidt.
"A bid for American custom was made
by the Armstrong; in christening a new
armored cruiser they have built the
Fourth of July. She is $50 feet long, 46lb
feet broad, with a mean draueht of II
feet and displacement of AGO tons. Her
engines will be 1900 horse power and her
speed 22l9 knots She is intended 30 carry
an armament of two 8-inch and ten At
inch guns, besides quick firers and five
torpedo tubes.
1t is found that the X-ray shines
through fox terrier as if he were a
Chinese paper lantern. The experiment
has just been tried on an animal of this
species which had swallowed a diamond
ring, the trinket appearing twinking in his
midst-vsble as a fly in amber or a gold
hsh IN glass globe. All the dog family
Will do wisely to lay the lesson TO heart
and look sharp what they swallow
1t is believed that lightning is visible
at a distance of $50 miles, but opinions
still differ as to how far away thunder
can be heard. A French astronomer has
made observations on the subject and he
declares 1t impossible for thunder to be
heard at greater distance than ten miles
An English meterologist has counted up
to 100 seconds between the flash and the
thunder, which would give a distance Of
tWenty-SeVen miles.
The municipal authorities of Venice
have petitioned the Italian government to
take diplomatic steps to recover 5000 pic
lures which We're carried off by Bonaparte
between 1905 and 1910, and which were APP
propr1ated by various Powers after his
fall The city also desires that a demand
shall be addressed TO Austria for the re-
turn of 1875 pictures which We're carried off
by Emperor Ferdinand in 1855 in time of
peace, for the galleries of Vienna.
, The trees of many American cities are
constantly finding new insect enemies
threatening them with complete destruc-
uon. Buffalo is now under the visitation
of one of these recurrent pests. and It's
authorities are at their wits end for means
protect its trees from their devastation
schenectady reports a similar condition of
things of which signs are not wanting in
other Northern and Eastern towns from
Massachusetts bay to the lakes. Ii is evil
dent that perpetual vigilance is the price
of the protection of our urban foliage, and
that new defenses against new enemies
will have constantly to be discovered and
employed. Buffalo's evil plight may be
our own any day, and she is entitled to
our sympathy and help, If we knew how
to render any. The plague which assails
her is more terrible than an army with
banners, and much more difficult to en-
counter and overthrow.
The number of marked salmon cap
tured this season is much larger than is
generally known, says the Portland Ore
gonian. They were Matched in the fall of
1888, and after being marked by cutting off
the adipose fin, were turned into the rivers
in the spring of 1896. The fact of their cap
ture proves that some of the salmon at
least return to the river where they were
Matched in less than four years, the time
IN which scientific men who have made
study OF the matter say that it takes the
salmon to mature. AS the marked fish
We're turned out in the spring of 1896, those
caught this season have been at large only
a little over two years. The first one
caught weighed only ten pounds but the
most of those caught since weigh over
twenty pounds, and one weighed fifty
seven pounds. 1t seems almost incredible
that salmon should grow to this size
in less than two years and a half, but
there can be no doubt that the marked fish
caught are some of those which were
turned out in the spring of 1895.
"A London publisher, whose eyesight
has become SO impaired that he finds him
self able to do scarcely any reading.
warns readers against working their eyes
when travelling in the cars. He says:
For many years past | have been in
the habit Of nd e..
hours in the train almost daily, and my
present trouble is undoubtedly traceable
10 this cause" Oculists are now unani-
nous in the statement that after a Ger
tain time, which varies in different indi-
Viduals, reading in the cars is a positive
danger TO eyesight. The page is in con
slant vibration, and the eyes are strained
in trying to follow automatically the
rapid movements, Too much light is al
most as bad as too little. Reading by
a powerful electric light invariably brings
on eye troubles. People would make
their eyes remain serviceable much longer
If the instant the printed letter becomes
BURY, or the reading matter gets out
of focus, they would seek the best profess
sional skill and prepare to use glasses.
This may be at any age between 10 and 40
one should never read in a reclining posi-
ton, as the action of the eyes is in
measure reversed, and the work on one
eye become greater than on the other.
The Vienese police have reason to
pride themselves on the capture of an in
dividual who is regarded among the light
fingered gentlemen of the continent as
the King of Thieves, says the Westmin-
ter Gazette This man appears to have
possessed a magic power over bolts and
bars, and no less than 800 burgaries have
been scored to his account during the last
few years He affected somewhat the
line of policy adopted by Robin Hood,
Claude Duval, and Dick Turpin, for he
exhibited at times the traits of chvalry
and generosity which are popularity sup
posed in fiction to have marked the char
acters of some of the historical knights
of the highway. He burgled, not always
with the sordid object OF stealing, but
from professional pride which prompted
him to overcome obstacles. The more
difficult the bolts and bars the more he
desired to win his way through them.
When he had succeeded he would leave
a card or a written compliment TO the
locksmith, and so away with empty
hands. But his ambition has overleaped
itself and he has landed II, COLL ,,vl,iol,