The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-08
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

covery that the mail steamer Etruria
was disabled before leaving port is said
to have been responsible for this particu
lar omission.
According to tests made by ST. Louis
chemist, a cigar contains acetic, formlc,
vityric, valeriamic, proplonic and prussic
acids, creosote, phenol, ammonia, sulphur
cited hydrogen, nicotine, picolene and sew
eral other subs tances with equally pre-
tentious names. 1t is evident from this
that when fellow pays cents for three
choice cigars he is getting his money s
worth, though he may not know it,
-Phellosene is the name given by a
French inventor to substance he de-
be used for all purposes for which cork
has hitherto been found needful. 1t is an
analogue of celluloid. says an English au-
thority, and consists of cork bark ground
to IAN impalpable powder and agglutin-
ated by solution of nitro-cellulose in ace
tone. This material is made into a doughty
mass, compressed into moulds and dried.
1t contains about 10 TO z per cent of nj
tro-cellulose and is said to be a trihe, if
anything, more combustible than cork I'M
der the ordinary conditions.
The German Crown Prince has just
been created a knight of the Golden
Fleece by the Queen Regent of Spain, who
has delegated the Duke of Veragua 90
proceed TO Berlin as special ambassador
for the purpose of investing the young
Prince with the order. The Duke of
Neragua is well known in this country,
as the lineal descendent of Christopher
Columbus, and was entertained by the
United States government over here at
the time of the Columbian exhibition at
Chicago. He is renowned as one of the
principal breeders of bulls for the ring
in Spain.
Imitation is the sincerest form of fiat
etry, and the latest thing in Paris is the
initiated" oyster. AS the demand for the
delicious bivalve is far in excess of the
supply. ingenious Parisiaf caterers have
beihought themselves of manufacturing
false oysters, which are made of some
harmless gelatinous matter ard served In
real shells, and when properly favored
with lemon-juice and cayenne pepper can
not be detected. To the timorous who
suspect typhoid germs in every oyster
they eat the manufactured oyster will be
welcome, but it is doubtful if connoisseurs
will not continue to prefer the genuine
article.
Tests of the new 1O-inch segmental
wire gun recently completed for the gov
eminent are to be made at the Sandy
Hook proving ground under somewhat
mover CONDITIONS. L MS Dig gun Is 70 Dc
fired daily for an entire month at the rate
of ten shots day, with full charges of
smokeless powder and 575-pound projec-
tiles BY means of such crucial expert
ment, which will cost more than the con
tract price of the gun itself, the board of
ordnance and Notifications hopes to ar
rive at an early and definite conclusion as
to the real value and merits of the new
weapon. A 5-inch gun of the same type
now holds the worlds record for muZZle
velocity-3,2 35 feet per secondhand great
things are expected from the forthcoming
trials of the heavy 10-inch wire wound
gun. If the tests shall prove successful
the way will have been opened for a radi-
cal departure from current approved me-
thods of gun making.
1t is not generally known that Gen.
Sir Charles Warren, now commanding one
of the British divisions in South Africa.
is the same officer who, as a quite young
subaltern of engineers, discovered during
the course of his Palestine explorations
the famous Moabite stone, the inscrip-
lions on which have constituted so valu-
able a contribution to Biblical history,
and to the calculation of the Old Testa-
ment He likewise for a couple of years
directed and may be said in fact to nave
acted as the pioneer of the subterranean
exploration of Jerusalem. l may likewise
add that Gen Sir RedVers Butler was
prior to this on terms of warm per
sonal friendship with Mrs. Kruger, and
that until year ago they were wont to
exchange cards of good wishes every
Christmas, their friendship dating from
twenty years ago. when Butler had reg
iment of Beers under mis- command in the
war against the Zuus, says correspond.
ent.
The work of the signal corps of our
army In the Philippine Islands has re-
ceived most unqualified praise from the
Secretary of War. Since the American
army landed at Manila the corps has ham
| died on an average $500 dispatches each
| day, the maximum being 1900 on Nov. g.
| With the extension of the American lines
| from Manila and Iloilo it has become i'm
perative for the war department to great
| ly increase the force of signal officers de-
tailed in the Philippines. This increase
has naturally been drawn from the force
| stationed in this country or In Cuba and
| Porto Rico. The importance of the signal
| corps of the army is now recognized by
army authorities as it never was before
| and with the great amount of work which
has already fallen upon the shoulders of
| the members of this corps it is imperative
| that some increase be made. Gen. Greedy
stated in his annual report what he thinks
| necessary in the way of an increase, and
! it is understood that Congress will he
|
! present session.
wrestling matches are now greatly a
la mode in Paris. Every music hall and
circus has had or is having its worlds
| championship" and the Partisan public
does not seem to get tired of these exhi-
billions of big fat men, or "poids lourds,
as they are called there. One of the lat
est matches which has now lasted consid
erably over fortnight, and seems likely
to last forever, is that between a Turkish
wrestler, Kara-Ahmed who won the
glorious title of the worlds champion
at the Sacno de Paris a few weeks back,
and Paul Pons. a Frenchman who is also
worlds champion" These two men have
been wrestling regularly for several hours
every day for the past week without ar
irving at any final result, and the public
is beginning TO see that there is a good
deal of "chque," to use an appropriate
French slang word, in these international
contests. The latest wrestler to appear