The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-28
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

"A railway company OF BROOKLYN mas q
special car fitted with a hydraulic jack
by which the car can be lifted off the rails
of the crossings and put on another track
having no connection by switches. They
also have special tower car with an adj
Unstable platform on the roof, enabling re-
pairs to be effected on the up trolley
WIRE while the tower car is on the down"
line. This car is very useful iE stringing
trolley wires
The first gold medal ever given by the
Smithsonian Institution las been award
ed 10 Prof Dewar of che Royal Institu-
ton, London. for his discoveries in regard
to the liqutication of air. The medal is
paid for out OF the Hodgkins fund, part
of which was to be devoted ITO the in
crease and diffusion of a more exact
knowledge in regard to the nature and
properties Of atmospheric air in connection
with the welfare of man."
A curious invention for the protection
of bank checks has recently been patented.
1t consists of a number of disks, so that
any combination of numbers may be form
ed. The characters are heated to brand
ing temperature by means of electricity
and, on being pressed to the surface Of
a check or similar paper, the amount
which defes the usual methods resorted
TO by check raisers. Devices are provided
so that the work can be done quickly
reindeer moss" a lichen highly priced
by the Lapps and which grows abundant
~ in the Arctic regions almost as luxurl-
antly on bare rocks as in the soil. Ii COW
ers extensive tracks in Lapland, making
~ To- Ia Hal nf
snow. The domesticated reindeer are
never as large as the wild ones. The do
mesticated Siberian reindeer are larger
than those of Lapland. No care at all Is
taken of the deer. They thrive best by
being permitted to roam in droves and
and obtain their own sustenance. The
moss can be used as human food, the taste
being slightly acrid. Attempts have been
made to feed hay, roots grain, etc. TO the
reindeer, but they have not succeeded.
-Kallenite is the designation of the
new explosive which has been discovered
in Australia; and great virtues are claim
ed for this substance, which is composed
of eucalyptus and certain leaves, together
with ingredients which are being kept Sc
cret It is said that kalenite is much
more perfect than dynamite No. /, and Is
manufactured at a low cost. Experiments
with it have given highly satisfactory
results. particularly in blasting operations
connected with mining. 1T is said that
the government of Victoria has already
approved of the new explosive and after
certain further experiments. a regular
kallenite mandatory will be started at
sydney. and efforts will be made to es-
tablish an export trade with this sub
stance.
Of
Dayton, O., has notified its employees that
henceforth preference viii be given to
young applicants for employment who
have had a kindergarten training, and
after 1915 no applications for employment
will be considered unless the applicant
has had a kindergarten training The
company has conducted kindergartens for
the benefit of the children of their en-
ployes for a number Of years and has OBJ
served the results. The educational
classes and other enterprises which have
been carried on for the benefit of the
employees have resulted in six years, in
completely Transforming a poor factory
suburb into a pretty residence district II
does not need statesman to see that So
cial disorders, which are liable 10 cost
much in the end, can be cured at the root
by properly educating the less fortunate
citizens.
Elephants wrote Kipling, after wit
Messing wild-beast fights in India, fight
like men and rams like fools, but horses
fight like devils. Starlings one might add
fight like schoolboys. Half a dozen of
them are quietly feeding together, when
suddenly one appears TO have said some
thing which annoys another. In a mo-
ment they are at it, hammer and longs
First one is uppermost, then the other
and all the rest gather round to see fair
play Presently one admits himself beat
en- and manages to struggle away pursued
for a short distance by his victorious enc
my. In five minutes they are ali gobbling
and chattering again as if nothing had
happened. No damage is done, as rule,
because the two combatants clutch each
others powerful feet and are thus forced
to sit down on their own tails, face to
face, but in such position that they
can hardly reach each other with their
bills. Even when one is underneath he
can generally manage to hold the other
off, for any one who has picked up a
live starting can appreciate the strength
of grip which resides in its claws.
Prof. Ewarts last lecture on
| sebras at the Royal Institution
was particularly interesting, Hav-
ing made experiments on his young
zebras at Penycuik he found that thew
were practically invisible to the human
eye at ten yards distance on a STARLIGHT
| night, and even in bright moonlight they
We're out of sight at forty yards. Curious
proof of the invisibility of the striped coat
was obtained by clothing a pony with
ribbons in imitation of zebra. JTnadorn-
ed, he had been quite conspicuous in the
moonlight, his ribbons practically wined
MN out OF sight. OF course, 1t is a great
advantage to the zebra 20 be invisible ar
night TO his nocturnal foes, the lion and
| leopard; but before we admire the.strines
as special mark of natures care for the
species we must remember that she has
dressed the tiger in the same wav CON
lerrlhg upon him the same advantage for
! hisnt-huntng. An Anglo-Indian save
that tiger at half a dozen naces, AZ
lance IN misty moonlight appeared dino,
gray and' as the beast slouched awav
| across wide stretch of sand, it seemed
to literally melt into the night Nstnra
IS even-handed in her distribution of adj
vantages. "u-