The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-25
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


over the freehold of the Nice observatory
which he founded, together with 100000
to be devoted to the maintenance of the
establishment. The total value of the gift
is considered to be worth 81, 100000, and the
continuance of the work is assured by
the munificent gift.
An acetylene town lighting plant has
been installed at Halves, Yorkshire, Eng
land. II was built on a capital of s., 800.
There are two large general tors, in which
the gas is washed by passage through the
water. The holder has capacity of 100
cubic feet. About a mile of the mains
have thus far been laid.
An example of patient industry is the
sorting of hogs bristles as it is carried
on at Tientsin. China. Each one of the
hairs of the 10000 kilograms exported
from that place in 1897 had to be picked
out, measured and placed in the bundle of
halrs of corresponding length; and the
dinerent lengths by which the hairs are
sorted are numerous.
Near Pittsburg the owner of a coal
tract is building a model mining town
with view to supplying 5000 workmen
with all possible benefits at a minimum OF
expense. The houses will be built only of
brick or stone and will stand on quarter
acre lot, with flower beds and hedge in
front. 1t is arranged that the houses shall
be owned by the individual miners when
they can pay for them, and the miners
are to run the village themselves; the
stores are to be managed on the profit
sharing plan.
The Christmas-tree business has as
stunned large proportions, and the result
is that considerable injury is done TO for
ests by the cutting of young frs which
serve for Christmas trees and other dec
oratiVe purposes. Some hold that this
thinning out improves the forests, but the
hon. j. Sterling Morton, ex-Secretary of
Agriculture, states that this is not the
case, and forests which have not been
Trimmed out for Christmas decorations pro-
uuce unequaled specimens of the long and
straight coniferae.
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and
Light Company has Just let a contract
for 300 clocks of the navy lever type for
use on the street cars of Milwaukee, saws
the Street Railway Journal Conductors
VIII be expected to look after the clocks,
seeing that they are properly set It is
thought that their use will result in the
saving of possible controversies regarding
the hours when Communication tickets are
available. As the clocks have been in sue
cessful use on battleships, 1t is believed
that they will withstand the vibrations of
the cars.
In the course of the soundings made
by the United States survey steamer Ne
70, Tor the proposed submarine cable he
tween Guam and the Midway Islands a
large number of observations on the tenn
perature of the water were made. At a
depth OF 800 fathoms, or 3O42O feet. a
temperature of 359 degrees Fahrenheit
was recorded and at 5,1Ol fathoms. or 30
QUO rect, &c degrees. These are the deem
est ocean temperature measurements
ever made, as the previous records for
depth temperatures were made by the
British steamer Penguin at depths of a. 700
and 1880 fathoms
In many mining operations metallic
hose is preferred to that made of India
rubber on account of it's greater resist
ance. This form of house is now made
OF metal band rolled up like a screw
thread, the edges being so profiled that a
continuous joint is formed. To make the
joint perfectly tight cord of asbestos
or lndla-rubber is put along the edges.
Inc pipe thus made is very flexible and
strong, being made of galvanized steel
or phosphor bronze and has been made
as large as eight inches in diameter. and
can De used with any pressure up to 200
atmospheres (2,941 pounds per square
inch). The hose is also made double. the
interior and exterior portions being wound
in opposite directions so as to avoid anv
relaxation and consequent leakage. This
double winding also increases its resist
ance to tensile and compressive strains.
making it quite trustworthy.
Feb. II was the one hundredth anniver-
sary of the birth of Henry Fox Talbot
for whom is claimed by many the place
which has long been held by Daguerre in
the estimation of the world. Those in ia
Vor OF the claim say that Fox Talbot de-
serves the position because by his public
announcement of successful photogranh
ic process he anticipated Daguerre NV
some months, and, secondly present-dav
photography is a direct descendant and
modification of the Fox Talbot method
and has no connection with that of Da
guerre, which process is now archaic. Da
guerre has many public memorials in
France England and America, but Fox
Talbot who died in 1877, has never been
honored. A committee has been formed at
his own home. Lacock abbey, near Chin
penham, England, to raise a memorial
fund for the restoration of the chancel of
Lacock church. AS he was lay rector OF
the church this seems to be a memorial
which he would have desired
"A new material known as amianthus
is being used experimentally in Europe for
tagging the boilers on war-vessels as well
as for locomotives For this purpose the
amianthus, which is a mineral OF the sana
class as asbestos. is made into a fell
stuffed with fibre and sewn with yarn of
the same material, so that 1t is practically
fireproof as well as proof against water
and acid. The material is made into mat
ttesses, which, though more costly than
other. insulating materials have nrovaj
most useful, inasmuch as they can be
readily applied and removed \ The cost
of the mattresses is from 20 to AZ cents
per square foot, depending on the thick
ness, and they are used by merely wran-
ping them around the boiler end securin.,
with netting of fine steel wire Amian-
thus is found in the vicinity of Orange
river in South Africa in surface deposits
and 1t Is said that there are also deposits
OF white amianthus in parts of Canada
The African amienthus is blue i'm color ami
resembles as has been said, asbestos.
1t is contrary to etiquette for the Car
or Czarna of Russia or any of the grand
dukes and duchesses to pay visit to anv