The morning news., 1899-12-30
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

~ NAieN AiC WI " II ~ NC NAS-tSt ~
other deluge.
The pension bills thus far introduced
at this session of Congress VIII, if passed,
increase the appropriations for pensions
over $S0,O000OO.
When the contribution box was return-
ed in an Emporia, Kan, church the otte:
day it was found 10 contain two plugged
nickels and a slot machine chip.
Judge Elmer of the Connecticut su-
perior Court has decided in a New Haven
case that passengers who stand on tie
running board Of open trolley cars do 50
at their own risk.
An analysis of the records In Oklaho-
ma discloses that the average age of
brides there is % years, If the remarry-
ing widows should be taken out the av-
erage would fall below 10 years.
Even as late as August last the yield
of the South African gold mines was at
the rate of $4,000 ounces a month, a gain
of 5000 ounces over August, 1898. The
yield had doubled in three years at the
time the war cloud interrupted the indus
try
"A young moonshiuer is in the peni-
tentiary at Nashville. Tenn, for his fa-
ther The officers found a sti l in his ia
theirs cellar and arrested the old man.
The son thereupon claimed that he opera
cd the still and that his father had moth
ing to do with it.
The annual report Of the New York
State Board of Health shows 13.257 deaths
from tuberculosis and II ,1O5 from acute
respiratory diseases. 1t is estimated that
there are over 1900 consumptives in New
York city who expectorate upon the
streets and spread tuberculosis
American bottles are preferred to all
others for the export trade and especially
in warm climates where American and
| English goods come into close competition
| American glass is said to stand tropical
| climates better than the English, the req
son being that 1t is better annealed.
-Girard College, Philadelphia, suffers
| from the nocturnal visitatons of a myriad
of bats. They have built in great numbers
under the caves of the central hall and
| about the chapel. For several days men
have been digging them out and killing
scores and scores of the creatures.
1t strikes one rather queerly to read
that in Rockland, Me, state wherein
the manufacture and sale of intoxicating
liquors are prohibited by law. there are
have not been more than half a dozen
| seizures by the officials the past two
years"
The Secretary of the Treasury has no.
titled the interior department at Wash
ington that the appropriations relating to
! Alaska under the control of the treasury
are so specific that they cannot be applied
! for the relief of the Alaskan natives on
! Kodiak Island, who are reported TO be
in a destitute condition.
Judge Mcpherson of the United states
district court at Philadelphia has decd-
ed that liquor license must be regarded
| as saiable property to be disposed of by a
| receiver or trustee as other property. The
| judge further said that the license court
| may or may not accept the buyer of a Ii
cense as the bankrupt's successor, but
that is the buyers affair
"A rivalry between two applicants for
gas franchise at Passaic, N j., has
brought out an offer by one of the compa-
nies to pay $4,000 per annum for seven
| teen years to the city of Passaic give So
900 to each of its hospitals, subscribe $2S,O 900
for new school, give the police and fire.
mems relief fund $4,000 each," and fur
nish gas to the city and private consum-
| ers at soc per thousand.
While one group of inventors is at
work on liquid air as motive power. with
a temperature enormously below zero, an
| other makes a claim of remarkable merits
| for superheated water in light and heavy
| transportation. The water is heated in
upright steel tubes to $50 degrees above
the temperature of steam in a locomotive.
| When released into an engine il expands
nearly 1,OO0 times and performs the ser
vice required of a storage power.
|
American factories have manufactured
247S locomotives this year, the largest
number they ever turned out in one year
| and 59S more than were made in 1898 More
| than % per cent. of the number or 5S4
| were made for railroad companies in other
countries. Large as the output was-and
it was fully equal to the capacity of the
| works-it was little or no more than suffi-
cient TO replace those that were worn out
| and discarded. There are about $1,000 To-
comotives in the United States
Oklahoma enjoys the unique distinc
| tion of being the only state or territory
east of the Rocky mountains which pro-
duced more wheat in 1899 than in 1898 The
government statistician at Washington
gives Oklahoma credit for 12lSCOO acres
| in winter wheat and a crop of is 2O2 coo
bushels. Only twelve of the forty-six
| states of the Union raised more wheat
than Oklahoma did this year The prom
| inent grain states which producei less
than Oklahoma are Missouri. Ulino
Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee. Mary.
land and Texas.
The officials of the Delaware. Lacka
wanna and Western Railroad have createJ
something of a sensation by an order in
tended to prohibit poker playing by the
passengers who ride between New Yor,K
and suburban points Gambling in this
form has become a sort of craze with
many of the daily patrons Of the road
Some of them are incensed at TIE orIsr
as an attempt to curtail their liberties AMI
do not believe it can be enforced: others
think the card playing for money on tbs
trains has become a nuisance and are ola
the step has been taken
The high price of steel is encourapin,
a return TO the building oF wooden brIlpes
The Boston and Maine road has with
drawn It's advertisement for bids for a
steel bridge on its line and dec ded to
build one of wood. 4 representative -