The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-08
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


any case of scarlet fever, smallpox, ty-
plus fever, cholera, dlptheria measles or
typhoid fever occurring in their homes.
Graphite is now being produced in
Alabama, and two factories. which were
recently started in Cleburne county, are
meeting with considerable success. The
anonymous graphite, which is produced,
goes for the most part to Cincinnati,
where it is used in making foundry fac
ings.
The impression that wire nets at the
mouths of the rivers are responsible for
the scarcity of fish in the up-country OBJ
tains, it appears, in North Carolina, also.
The Charlotte Observer says: "A few
years ago thousands of shad We're caught
at the falls of the Yadkin, in this state,
but now the catching of a single shad is
a rarity. The fish are stopped by the wire
nets strung across the river (he Great
Pee-Dee, as it is known, after it enters
South Carolina) and, in consequence, shad
are as scarce in the Yadkin as the men,
haden are along the New England coast.
The wire net obstruction should be dealt
with by the legislature Of the two states"
The meridian of Greenwich is gener-
ally accepted as the startling line from
which to reckon longitude and time all
over the earth. But objections are, from
time TO time, raised against the univer
sal adoption of the Greenwich meridian
for such purpl ses. Recently Italian sa-
wants have emphasized these objections
by pointing out that on the meridian of
Greenwich clouds and bad weather are
frequent, interfering with astronomical
observations. They suggest that the civ
ilized world should agree to adopt the
meridian of Jerusalem as a common refer
ence line, because there the skies are
clearer and the possibility of making
Palestine neutral territory would elimi-
nate political objections
The coast and geodetic survey has re-
Gently completed some very careful level
ing operations which show that the sur
face of the gulf of Mexico lies percept-
bly, higher than that of the Atlantic
ocean. Between the surface of the ocean
at ST. Augustine, on the eastern shore of
Florida. and the surface of the Gulf at
Cedar Keys on the western shore, there
is a mean difference in level of nine
tenths of foot. This is considered to be
sufficient to account for the outpourng
current of the Gulf stream, which, in the
narrower parts of the strait of Florida,
touches bottom. The surplus Of water
which raises the Gulf above the level of
the ocean is apparently received through
the Yucatan channel being driven in by
the prevailing equatorial currents from
the east.
As changes occur in the bodily form
and proportion of fishes Immediately af-
ter death, it has been considered a mat
ter of Importance TO secure correct pho
tographs of them in life and action. To
secure such pictures a number of diff
culties must be surmounted chief of
which are the mobility of the fish making
short exposures, and the loss in actinic
power of the light on its passage through
glass and water. An English photograph
er has recently constructed a tank in
which living fish may be confined with
in a space sufficiently limited to keep 1t
in focus, while the glass sides are con-
structed of the thinnest and whitest plate
glass procurable. The size of the tank,
which is very similar 90 the "animalcule
tank used with the optical lantern, may
be increased or diminished.
Nearly every day in the Swedish CAL
endar has, besides the name which indi
Gates It's order in the week, a special title,
mostly the Christian name of a person,
says the Chicago News Many of these
names are of old Roman origin and are
not used by modern people, while numer-
Gus names used nowadays are not found
in the calendar. Typical Swedes, es-
pecially ladies, celebrate their name days
with nearly as much ceremony as their
birthdays, and congratulations and pres
ents are usually received on such a day.
But the many whose names are not In
the name list have been dissatisfied and
have set their minds on getting the old
order changed The Academy of Sci
ences at Stockholm has made a revised
list, which, if approved, will undoubted-
| ly please those who were not in the cal
| endar heretofore.
French scientists have been making
some very interesting experiments in con-
! LII
| the nervous system. And people who have
| been somewhat scoffed at for calling red
warm, and blue cold, and yellow invigorat-
ing, may now kindly regard themselves
! as forerunners of great discovery Henri
de Parville of Paris, asserts that
| the red end of spectrum excites
! the nerves, while violet, green
"a goes many steps further and at
tempts to cure nervous diseases by the use
! of certain colors. Melancholia, he treats
| with red, violent mania with blue, and ner-
| vous prostratlon, with violet. The very
| grave question arises is to how the woman
| already nervous will stand the prescrip
ton of an unbecoming color. DR.. Dor,
another expermenter, has brought on
vertigo in patients by the use of red lights,
and relieved the symptoms by changing
the ray from red to green. In the photo
gra phic establishment of Messrs. Lumiere,
at Lyons, France sensitive plate are pre-
pared always by green lights. Formerly.
when red lights was used the workmen
sang and gesticulated at work; now
under the soothing influence of
green they are quiet and serious
At the water cure at Nersi-
net patients are put in a violet room to
calm them, and in a red room when they
require to be stimulated. Divested of all
exaggeration and enthusiasm, the effect of
color on the human organism is an in
teresting study.
Prof. Erand Nordenskiold, the son
of the famous Arctic explorer. saw a curl
Gus sight last year while rowing In the
long and narrow channel of Ultima Espe-
rama, on the southwest coast of Pata-
gonia, says the New York Sun. He OBJ
served fragments of slate floating on the
surface in larger or smaller clusters.
There were a great many of them, and
at one cast of the net he gathered in
about 100 pieces. The stones had evidently
drifted out from the beach, which was
covered with similar fragments that had
fallen from the slate cliffs behind. The
surface of the stones was dry and they