The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-01
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Eastern city says that persons VINO peiisi'
in a burning building are Invariably sur
located and that the death is painless one
breath Of heated air and smoke causes uh-
consciousness and the victim has no 1ur-
Their sensation.
The Royal Academy of Science OF Am
sterllm has paid a delicate compliment
to the English-speaking world by ordering
that its transactions shall IN future De
printed in English instead of the native
Dutch, in order that they may be more
available to the scientific world at large.
When William Reed. a farmer of Villa
Park. ". j., after advertisement and cor
respondence, found a young woman OF
Long Branch who was willing TO become
his wife, he set the day for the ceremony
and prepared a great wedding feast in
celebration of the event The bride ap-
peared on time, but while large NUMBER
of unnvited friends were partaking OF the
banquet she mounted a bicycle and rode
away 1t turns out that she was
beardless boy, who, with some friends, had
put up a joke on the farmer. Reed stif
believes the person who answered his let
tiers and came to his feast in skirts IS
woman, bur he has a shotgun if any more
of her" friends come to eat his spreads.
When the San Juan porto Rico News
sets out to praise a man it does 1t Wei.
This is what it said about Secretary Alger
on the day of his visit 10 the city: mac
was the result of Secretary of War Alger :
mastery handling of the situation! Here
it is Hostilities were pushed win Such
vigor and intelligence that Spain was
forced in less than four months TO sue
times like these the war department cas-
lily overshadows all other departments OF
the government, and this short history OF
Mr.. Alger now is especially apropos, as
the Secretary of War is the guest of the
people of Porto Rico. To him more than
to any man in the United States they owe
their thanks for the lifting of the bitter
yoke of injustice from which they have
so long suffered. The results of Mr.. AL
gers unceasing toll are so apparent that
he who runs may read. History will do
him all justice, and will place him side
by side with the Hon Edwin NJ. Stanton,
Lincoln's great war secretary"
In several English towns, says the
London Times, number of cabs are be-
ing supplied with a patent fare-recorder.
The apparatus consists of a registering
dial which IS fixed on the hanson, out
side the right-hand window, and the pas
senger is able to see at his journeys end
the exact legal fare he is called upon 10
pay. 1t also registers for the information
OF the driver and the owner the total fares
earned in the course of the day. the dis
lance Travelled when ION business" and the
number of times the vehicle has been
hired. A red metal flag, bearing the word
Vacant" displayed above the registering
clock, informs the public that the cab is
waiting for a fare" and the instant the
vehicle is engaged the driver is supposed
TO Tower the flag, and thus set the record
ing mechanism in motion. If he failed TO
do this he might be able to cheat his en-
ployer, but he would run the risk of losing
a part of his legal fare, as the passenger
is bound to pay only what the clock regis
ters. 1t is believed that one result of this
innovation will be cheaper cab service, and
already there is movement in some cities
favoring a Cd fare. These taxameter cabs,
as they are called. are quite popular, and
greatly in request in London, where the
drivers wear a white silk hat as a dis
tinguishing badge, and have very smart
and stylish turnouts, both in regard to
horse and Vehicle.
Col Frederick Funston of the Kansas
regiment, who has been mentioned fire.
quently in recent Manila dispatches for
daring deeds, is a modest-appearin man
of medium hight, with a we'll trimmed
pointed brown beard and voice that is
well modulated. Before this country took
a hand in The Cuban troubles Col. Funston
| went down there on a flibustering expedi-
ton and volunteered in the Cuban army.
He quickly earned his promotion to a COM
mand. Several months before the Maine
was blown up Col. Funston, then a major
In tie Cuban army, came to New York on
business connected with the junta. Very
little was known about him here, and
when he called at a newspaper Office and
asked to be made a special cores ondenl
with the Cuban army his story of his ex-
periences in Cuba was doubted at first He
was a well-dressed, conventional-appear
ing man, and the editor to whom he APP
piled said that he did not think thai his
services would be of any value to the
paper. 81 don't suppose that they would
be-" said Funston, but papers showing
that I was a correspondent of this paper
might be of great Importance 10 me. am
going back with an expedition which VIII
leave in a few days, and if I am captured
by the Spaniards it might give me at least
a trial for my life If 1 could show that ]
was a correspondent" He did return to
Cuba, and then, when the fighting was
over there, he started with his Kansas
regiment for Manila. Since he has been in
the Philippines he seems to have been very
busy leading charges, swimming rivers
and keeping well in the van of his men
whenever they were advancing against the
enemy.
1t would seem that certain uses may be
found for liquid air in which considera-
tions of cost are not so important as is
the ability to obtain the effects in view,
says Prof. Elhu Thompson in the Engi-
neering Magazine. In warfare, for exam
Pile, the possession of highly concentrated
| energy stores under control Is very inn
portant. Liquid air can be rapidly con-
verted into compressed air at six tons per
square inch. This would probably be use
full in the projection of high explosives.
| Compressed air is now used for propelling
mobile torpedoes, or fish torpedoes, as they
are called. Dirigible torpedoes either de-
pend for power upon compressed cir or
the electric energy of a storage battery.
Compressed air requires high pressures
! and very strong and heavy containing
vessels. Liquid air can be stored withouy
pressure or at low pressures. and can be
evaporated at any desired pressure. while