The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-13
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

deem firm, is of dull red granite, and only
IN one or two small portions have the
stone been polished. There are two lower
base courses and around the upper runs
a finely carved balustrade. Above this are
placed several rectangular dies, which viii
bear inscriptions, the text of which is a
secret as yet to official circles in Pretoria
This imposing structure will be surmount-
ed by a colossal bronze statue of Kruger.
In Southern Mexico the jail prison off,
cials experience great difficulty in trying
10 prevent the smuggling into their institu-
tons or the seductive mariguana> This IS
KIND OF loco" weed, more powerful than
opium 1t grows from seed by cultivation
in Southern Arizona and in Mexico 1t is
a dangerous thing for the uninitiated to
handle but those who know its uses say it
produces moro delightful dreams than OPT
UNI The MeXicans mix 1t with tobacco
and smoke ii in cigarettes, inhaling the
smoke. When used in this way it pro-
duces hilarious spirit in the smoker that
cannot be oqualed by any other form of
dissipation. The governor of the prison at
Yuma mas just unearthed a large quantity
of the weed that had been hidden within
reach of the convicts who work in the OUT
side gangs.
A good letter on the application of the
Roentgen rays at the battle of Omdur-
man has come from one who was in the
Soudan campaign, says Industries and
Iron. There had been brought to Abadieh
12l wounded officers and men, and TWEEN
ty-one of the cases had to be diagnosed
by the help of the Roentgen rays, and in
twenty cases out of the twenty-one the
bullet was either found or it's absence
proved. There was no steam engine for
generating the electricity, but the pulley
of a small dynamo was connected by
means Of leather strap to the rear
wheel of a tandem bicycle and the We
locIty of the dynamo for the necessary
voltage obtained. Having" the writer
says, carefully adjusted the circuit with
tn estorage battery, and also with the volt
meter and ammeter. a warrant officer
took his position on the seat of the bicycle
and commenced pedaling. When fifteen
volts and fourteen amperes were regis
tered the switch close to the handle of
the bicycle was opened, and the charging
of the battery began. As the resistance
became greater a sensation as of riding
uphill was experienced, and the services
of an additional orderly were requisition-
ed for the front seat of the tandem This
bicycle practice was generally carried out
in a shady temperature of 100 degrees Fab
renheit so that at the end of half an hour
the orderteS were not sorry when the
switch was turned off and the machine
brought to standstill."
Few people while enjoying the delicious
sensations of the massage at the hands of
an expert operator are aware that to the
Chinese We probably owe the treatment
While the question as to whether massage
originated in Sweden or China has been
much discussed, the latter country is evil
IDENTIFY a strong claimant. According to
longtime Chinese ideas, life is entirely
dependent on "air currents" which are
designated as the primary aura of the
organism; so long, then. as the body is per-
meated by the air current it is proof
against disease, and the object Of physical
exercises is to circulate the air current
To effect this the Chinese system is divid-
ed into three periods, each period occupy
Ing a hundred days, the first period COM
mencing at the time of the new moon. The
patient must rise at o'clock in the morn
ing and walk outside his house taking
seven deep inspirations, and, Immediately
after this, two youths who have been spe-
ciaily tTaincd commence a gentle friction
all over the body, starting over the cardiac
area AT the time of fun moon a further
set of respiratory exercises are taken La
ter on, in the second period, the various
parts of the body are rubbed with wooden
planks until the muscles are hardened, and
it is not until the hardening takes place
that the real physical exercises are taken
Between the fifth and sixth month is the
period of greatest activity the European
dumbbell being replaced by large sacks
filed with stones. 1t is in the third period
that the back muscles are chiefly exercs-
ed.
In the system of retirement and pen
sions which the Pennsylvania Railroad
is preparing to adopt at the instance. it
is understood, of its new president, Mr..
CaSSett the age for compulsory retire
ment is fixed at 70 years. Employees who
have been thirty years in the employ of
the company, but who have not reached
70 years of age are also entitled to the
Benefits of the pension fund. The pension
allowance will be based upon length
| of service and the average wages re-
ceived by the employe during such serv-
| ice 1t is estimated that the system as
| adopted will require the payment by the
| company of about 100000 per annum.
! The fund will not be put in actual opera
| ton until action has been taken by the
| board of direc tors in the fall This pen
sion fund is not to interfere in any way
with the employees relief fund, but will
work in harmony with this fund, the
| rules governing the pensions being put
in form through conferences between the
| executive officers of the company and
| the managers of the relief fund. The
| benefits sought to be realized by the
| railroad company through the ney sys-
| TEN are not solely in the nature of benev-
| olences to old and faithful employees 1t
| is expected to benefit the service of the
| company, stimulating employees to the
| best attachments and giving them a feel
| ing of security concerning their future
| 1t will also relieve the company of the
| necessity of retiring in its active service
| men whose usefulness and efficiency have
| lessened by the infirmities of age, but
| whose records for faithfuness render it
| impossible to turn them adrift.
Just before he sailed for the east roast
of Greenland a few weeks ago, says the
New York Sun. Prof. Nathorst the geolo-
| glst and Arctic explorer, was asked how
| it happened that the deep sea soundings
| which he made last year in the Arctic
ocean differed so largely from those of the
| Swedish Arctic expedition, made In the
| same waters thirty-one years ago. These
| soundings were in that part of the sea
| known the Swedish deep, between Spitz-
| bergen and Greenland and the expedition
of 1868 believed Il reached a depth of 1850
fathoms. Prof. Nathorst tested this meas