The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The biggest price ever given for
horse, says Tit-Bits, was $4,000. when
Ormonde, once the property of the Duke
OF Westminster was bought for that sum
by a California millionaire The famous
winner of the Derby, st. Leger and the
Two Thousand Guineas, in one wear. was
recently sold for $1O5, 0OO-Galtee More. The
most valuable collie dog known is owned
by Mr. Megson of Manchester, who gave
S6'5OO for him. He Is the finest dog of his
kind that has ever been reared, and has
taken torty-eight prizes at various. shows.
Perhaps the most expensive fowl ever
heard Of is a game cock named Peter
jackson, belonging to a gentleman in
plymouth. This bird has been known to
night under a bet of 100000 to a pinch of
snufr Needless 70 say he won IT, His
owner has refused $500 for him.
In the case of admirals and vice ad-
mirals in the English navy eleven are
employed, with pay and allowances aver
aging some 1880, but the half pay is only
about $780, says the National Review. A
senior captain gets 1890 on full pay and
fSOl on half pay; senior commander gets
t4S3 on full pay and 1852 on half pay. AT
the present moment the proportion of Of
hcers employed is higher than it has
been at any time during the last forty
years. In 1871 there were nearly 50 per
cent. of the senior officers on half pay; at
present there are only "a per cent of
captains and about 20 per cent of COM
manders on half pay OF late years the
number of appointments has increased
faster than the supply of officers; but as
the numbers now being entered are going
up rapidly, there will tend to be more
promotions to the higher ranks and more
half pay when there. A bachelor lieu
tenant can live on his pay and usually
does so; but when an officer thinks of
marrying il is a very different affair. Let
us suppose that a senior lieutenant, aged
80, becomes engaged to be married.
very thrifty man might, II a specialist,
save 100 per annum during his last two
years as lieutenant, but his best chance
of promotion would be as first lieutenant,
and then he is bound TO put his hand into
his pocket for painting his ship and
would save little or nothing. lieuten-
ant commander might save $50 per an
mum. At SO our lieutenant becomes a COM
mander, and may look forward to a year
on half pay at f155.
"A new mineral of economic as well as
scientific Importance has recently been
discovered by Prof. w. II. Hobbs of the
University of Wisconsin, says the st. Paul
Pioneer Press. 1t was obtained from the
Gold-Dollar mine at Cripple, Col, by Gus
tavus Sessinghaus, a graduate student OF
the university, and supposed to be a speci-
men of the mineral calaverite the COM
mon ore of that district. Calaverite is a
telluride ore of gold and silver, in which
the amount of silver is only about one
seventh that of gold. but which has never
been found in good crystals. The Hun
garian mineral sylvanite, which contains
equal quantities of gold and silver, IS
found al Boulder, Col, but thus far not at
Cripple Creek. Prof. Hobbs noticed the
unusual appearance of the specimen which
Mr.. Sessinghaus had obtained and was
offered the opportunity of studying it. The
angles of number of the minute crystals
were measured, and twenty-five entirely
new crystal forms were discovered, which
pointed clearly to a new species. Enough
material was secured for analysts, and IL
was found to be compound of gold silver
and tellurium, in which the gold is Just
twice the amount of silver. 1t has been
given the name Goldschmidtite in honor
of Prof. Won Goldschmfdt of Heidelberg.
Germany, one of the foremost mineralo-
gists of the age. The new mineral proves
to be missing link to connect the two
previously known telurides of gold and
silver, and thus is the means of estab-
fishing new group of type which has
only once before been observed.
The story Of the use of iron as a ma
terial for the construction of ships is full
of interest, says the Pail Mall Magazine
Iron was long ago used expermentally for
building. boats; several references to these
crude attempts will be found in the am
nual register of last century Grantham
quotes from publication dated July e.
1877. The writer says: "a few DAYS ago
boat built of English iron by ]. Wiki
son, Esq, of Bradley Forge, came I'D orr
canal of this town, loaded with TWENTY
two tons and fifteen hundredweight of its
own metal, etc. II is nearly of equal di-
mansions with other boats employed upon
the canal, being 70 feet long and feet
S1s inches wide; the thickness of the plates
with which it is made is about fve-sIx-
teenths of an inch, and 1t is put together
With rivets, like copper or fire engine boil
ers; but the stem and stern posts are wood
ana the gunwale lined with the same; the
beams are made of elm planks. Her
weight is about eight tons; she will carry.
in deep water, upward of thirty-two tons.
and draws eight or nine inches of water
when light It is extraordinary that
such hints as these should have fallen
dead. Was there no shipbuilder with an
eye swift to witness the enormous possi
bllltles latent in these little canal experi
ments? A small iron boat was Iauncl ed
in August, 1915. She was fitted I'D in Iiv-
erpool as a pleasure boat Hundreds View
ed her as curiosity. She was sunk ma.
iclously in the Dukes dock, as though
some Daniel Quilp of workman. foresee
ing iron as an issue if this boat was suf-
fered to go on limiting, had put an end To
her. Her owner raised her and sold her
Tor old iron but the loss of this boat
ne says, turned my attention to the prac
tcaoIhty of making an iron boat which
could not be sunk by any ordinary means"
The Harvard Graduates Magazine de-
clares that never before in the history of
the university have gifts paid in and pros
pectiVe been so abundant as now. Among
those that have been announced or re.
celVed since Aug. last the following es-
peclaily are named Henry C. Warren has
iett TO the dental school $4,000 and to the
college about $125,OO0 in securities besides
his valuable estate in Quincy street. Cam
brdge, which is worth at least $50 600
more. The Stillman gift for an infirmarv
is $4,000, already paid over and Sc. zoo a
year for four years. A large fund has baan