The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-05
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

German railway authorities are con-
sidering a proposal to abolish return-trip
tickets. holiday excursions and all spe-
cial rates thinking by this means that
they will be enabled to reduce the regu-
lar fares one-third with no resulting loss.
One of the most interesting features
of the Paris Exposition will be the restor-
alton of Pompeii Not the familiar ruins,
but the living city will be represented.
Arrangements are being made to have
the finest spectacular performance in the
world, and the work is making remarka-
BILE progress.
Total Russian petroleum production of
the principal districts for ten months of
1899 amounted altogether to 7SS2.447 tons,
compared with S,355,310 tons for the CORE
spending period of 1898 OF this quantity
66i6,972 tons were obtained by pumping
and 1854 tons were received from
spouters.
Mexico is raising more cotton every
year, and consequently the exports of this
product from the United States show a
falling off. They were only $1,000 last
October, against $4,000 in Ostober of the
previous year. Manufactured cotton goods,
however, are gaining ground slowly in
Mexico the exports for last October being
nearly 100000, against $4,000 in October
of 1898.
The twentieth century will have
about $50 echpses, according 20 Mr..
B. F. Yannery, The solar being to the
lunar in about the ratio of four to three.
For the first time in any calendar year
since 1928 the year 1885 will have seven
eclipses, the largest possible number. The
total solar eclipses visible in the United
States will occur in 1918, 1923, 1925, 1915,
1854 1879, 1884 and 1894 There viii be
twelve transits of Mercury, the first in
1907 but the most important transit of
Venus viii not occur before June s. 204.
1t is reported that the Ann Arbor Rail
road VIII put wireless telegraFhy to prac-
teal test by introducing it in connection
with their car ferry business across Lake
Michigan. The contract with the MarcOni
representatives, has been closed and the
system will be established at once. The
station will be at Frankfort and at point
near Menominee, Mich. The spece to be
covered is about eighty-three miles An
attempt will be made by the Ann ArbOr
Road 10 keep this ferry open all winter.
If wireless biography fails cable will be
laid across the lake next year Represen-
tatives of the Marconi system express con-
tidence that they will be able to give salts
factory service.
There was a natural history professor
a year of two ago, when went into the
woods where the gorilla lives and incased
himself in ar iron cage to learn the goril-
la language. Prof. Kollicker of Naples
has lately gone one better than this. He
has let himself down into the Mediterra-
mean, dressed in a diving suit, in an iron
cage lighted by electricity and fitted with
a phonetic receiver, to record the sounds
Of leo anti cd NV hn Ech l.,
appearance Their surprise is natural
The result of the experiment is said 10
be that the sounds emitted by one kind
of fish differ from those emitted by an
other. If the sounds are vocal it is likely
that they would differ in a gurnard and
a sole. The professor concludes that when
we understand the matter better we shall
recognize that fish have a language. In
the present state of our imperfect under
standing all that he seems to have elected
goes merely to show that the fishes, too
have had their Tower of Babel. since diff
ferent languages prevail. An interpre-
ter is needed Perhaps Prof. KOllicker
will take the post himself.
The elephants mouth is one of the
queerest sights in the whole of the animal
kingdom, says the Chicago News. Its
size alone makes it sufficiently remarkable,
but its construction is more remarkable
even than its size. To begin with it has
no front teeth for elephants never eat
flesh nor any other food which requires
tearing apart. They have only eight teei h
altogether, four huge yellow molars Oh
each side, two a boVe and two below These
teeth are about two inches thick and the
width of a man 5 hand. Over these the
animals shift their food by means of an
enormous tongue, hung at both ends and
having no power of movement except in
~ a xyh ogga no l,v a-1 I
forward, up and down like a big, wrinxled
pink serpent. II is the queerest tongre
one can possibly imagine. Elephants like
babies, have milk teeth, which drop our
when they are about IA years old These
are smaller than the permanent teeth, but
they are large for all that. Menagerie
keepers sometimes find them among the
fodder and preserve them as curios.
considerable speculation has been
made as TO the composition of lyddite. AS
a matter of fact its preparation is, says
the Lancet, government secret though it
is generally known among experts in ex-
p,osiVes that it consists largely of melted
pierre acid. That this IS not the complete
story of the composition of lyddite is, how
ever. clear from-oddly as j may SEEM
some evidence given before the committee
| making inquiry into the use of coloring
matters and preserVatiVes in food. In the
course of this evidence one witness ad-
mitted that yellow colofing matters were
largely purchased without the slightest
discrimination for the purpose of giving
richness of appearance to milk and milk
products. As a rule no question was asked
as to the injurious or uninjurious char
acter of the dye used One of the best
coorng matter for the purpose appeared
to be Marius' yeflow-knoNn a.so under
the names of naphtol-yelow. naphthaleue
yellow, Manchester yellow, saffron yellow
and golden yellow. Chemically this sub
stance is o-alpha-naphthol, which is
prepared by a series of chemical opera
tons from naphthelene, The substance
which crystafizes in gas mains. The
principal chemist of the government lab
oratory assured the witness that this was
an important constituent in the making
of lyddite.
Originally the common or domestic goat
was a native of the highlands of Asia.
Naturalists generally regard it as having