The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-06-07

dramatist, Arpad Zigamy. TIE play
takes its name from the great English
dramatist. 1t was produced recently at
the National Theater in Buda-Pesth, and
was pronounced sheer nonsense by the
Vienna correspondent Of the London
Standard.
An improvement on the well-known
Spanish Mauser rife has recently been
devised by Capt Gel of The Third Regi-
ment of Italian Sharpshooters, which en-
ables the speed of fire of the gun to be
increased to II shots in one second and
300 shots in one minute. This invention
has been tested at Brescia in the presence
of military officials, and is reported to
have given satisfaction.
The government of Greece is now more
liberal with mining concessions, and as a
result mines are being worked in the
provinces of Artica, Thessaly Milo and
Boeotia. For fuel there is Ignite, which
is obtained from Attica and Carysto,
while coal is mined in Corinth and
large foundres and iron works which
manufacture stationary engines, locoSlo-
tives and steamships.
1t has been planned to establish a SER
vice of traction engines and wagons
across the desert of China to compete
with the carrying business now done by
means of camels, and it is stated thai
within year there will be fifty engines
and 5000 wagons engaged in this work.
Traction engines have recently been in
troduced into Siberia, and two of the
largest machines of the kind ever con
structed have been recently forwarded to
the mining districts of that country from
the United States.
The use of the oil engine is increasing
in Palestine, and particularly for irrigat-
ing and pumping have these machines
been found economical and effective, as
a six horsepower oil engine will raise
double the quaint of water in the same
time that horse or mule would consume,
while the cost of oil is about equal to that
Of maintaining the mules. The owners Of
orange-gardens and the deep wells are
the chief ussrs of these engines, and there
Is thought to be a considerable market
for such machinery in Palestine.
An English company is reported to
have secured a concession for an import
ant water-power scheme on the Dnieper
river, near Kherson, where the river
takes a southwesterly direction, in order
to empty into the Black Sea. There is
here series of rapids, and ID is the plan
of the company to erect locks. in order
to make the waterway navigable and
then use the power in the production of
electricity. The concession is desired for
eighty years, but the government is to
have the option of purchasing the under
taking az the end of thirty years.
LIN discussing Russian red tape a Lon
don paper says that a gentleman in Mos
cow ordered a particular kind of horse
from one of the government breeding cs-
foh1 fElf
weeks he received an official communica-
ton, spread over much paper, 10 the effect
that as he had omitted to forward a
stamp for a reply there could be no on
swer to his request. The document was
signed by several officials. The gentleman
apologized and sent the stamp at once.
In the course of the next week he reeeiv-
ed another communication from the breed
ing establishment 10 say that a horse such
as he required could not be supplied.
A new radioactive substance has re-
Gently been found by NJ. A. Debierne, to
which he has given the name of actinium
The new substance is obtained by treat
ing pitch blende with the reagents used
for the extraction of titanium and thor
ium and IL is said to produce the same
phenomena of fiuorescence, Photographic
action. and ionization, as radium and
polonium. Actinium has the general char
acteristics of thorium, but does not fol-
low that metal through all it's reactions.
II barium or bismuth salt is added to
a solution of the new substance, the salt
may be minated by means Of ammonia
or sulphuretted hydro n without DESTROY
log the radio activity. All the Experiments
of magnetic DETECTION may be repeated
with actnium, and 1t also produces, to a
slight extent the permanent, induced ra-
dio-activity described by Curie 1t is
known that the salts of thorium are fee
bly, radioactive, and it is suggested by
the author of this investigation that their
radio activity may be due to traces of ac-
tinium, and that the latter is the active
principle of thorium radiaions
About 400 Sac and Foy Indians are as
sembled on their reservation in Oklahoma
dancing the religious otterskin dance
This is a ceremony observed by these
Indians every ten years. ID is a queer
doctrine. The adherents trust all In the
white otter. AS they cannot get the ami
NAL alive in this country, they take his
skin. This is placed on a high pole in
the center of the excited Indians. and
they go around it for hours at a time
never removing their gaze. Then. when
they are so tired they can go no further.
the medicine man losses them the otter
skin, and they bury their face in IL
While thus Situated they claim to see all
their dead relations and get glimpse of
the happy hunting ground. The dance
lasts a week. During the first two DAYS
of the present dance only forty-six In
dams had received the otter skin. They
are not given it until the great spirit so
directs the medicine man, and hence
there is weeping and walling at the dance
Those who have prayed for the otter
skin and not yet received il think. thew
are lost. They take this as an evil omen
ano think the great spirit is angry with
them. There are two white girls taking
part In the otter dance this year. having
recently married Indians and become con-
verted to the faith.
Petroleum has recently been discover Il
on the Nile, and syndicate Of American.
English and Egyptian capitalists has he N
formed as a result of the success Of the
recent borings. The discovery OF oil Is
admitted, but the extent and location of
the wells have not as yet been announ ed
Silica is now being extensively used in
many physical investigations. and since
its manipulation in the oxy-hydrogan
blow-pipe has been understood. its value
is the more appreciated. That quartz
could be drawn out into fbres was first
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