The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-06-12
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


Scarcity of henlcck bark is reported
TO have caused the almost total extinc-
ton of the once PHOSPHORUS tanning in
dustry in Maine Thoueh there is a large
growth of hemlcck in the ate. it i 20
far from practicable tannery sites that
the cost OF hauling prohibits its use.
The German government. after an tx
tensive series OF chs rvations, has ascar-
tanned that the tree most liable 10 b
struck by lightning is the oak Ceber
srowtts follow VITO varying degrees o.
.,rcbabi lily. the beech being most exennl
from unpleasant visits of the electric fluid
The new administration han IF va.e
University Woodbridge hall it is to be
cslled-is The gift of the Miss 5 Stokes of
NV York aunts of Arson Phe ps S-olI7s
who is secretary of the Vale corporation.
The estimated cost is $4,000, and active
operations will be begun at once.
European capitalists have made ar
rangemsnts to establish a service of trac-
ton engines and wagons across the desert
of China to compete with the carrying
business now done by means of camels
1t is stated that within a year there will
be fifty engines and 5000 wagons engaged
in this work.
DIR. A. NJ. Stein, registrar of the Pun
jab university, has applied for and OBJ
tanned the permission of the government
of India, and also that of the Chinese
government. 90 explore Khoten, in Chi
nese Turkestan, this summer. This is to
be done for the purpose of scientific in
yestiga tons.
1t is rumorod that the Prince of Wales
contempates a visit in the autumn TO
leved make a coasting tour in his yacht
and. having touched at Belfast, he VII
visit Sligo, Westport and Galway, land
ing on Tory Island, Glare Island, Archin
and Arran on his way.
A French expo~er has discovered on
the west coast Of Africa what he regards
as the vainest people on earth. They ara
the Par onins, a warl.ke tribe, whose main
employment is the adornment of their
persons chiefly by means of tattooing.
Great ing unity is also exhibited in dress
ing their hair which in many cases is ar
ranged in astonshngly elaborate fashion.
The confidence in the engineering
judgment of the voter in Switzerland
seems to he greater than in the United
States, for the question as TO whethe,
street railroad in Berne should be oper-
ated by compressed air or a change ID
electricity made was recently decided ly
a popular vote. There were ,964 votes
cast for electricity and LIZ in favor of
compressed air
The tax budget of the city of Paris is
SIS coo, 900 a year, or about s1O00O,G01 less
than the amount to be raised in the city
of New Yo-k from taxes this year The
chme OF taxation would be considera-
bly, greater in Paris but FIR the fact thai
many functi ms which are in New York
chargeable TO municipal expenses are in
the French capital paid for from nation
al appropriations. The debt of the city
of Paris Is nearly sA0,001000.
/ Postal cards are now being used for
the purpose OF foretelling the weather.
They are manufactured in Italy, and are
known as barometric postal cards. On
the back Of each is a small figure holding
an umbrella. When the weather Is going
to be fine the umbrella Is blue. when the
outlook is doubtful 1t is violet. and when
there Is going to be rain ii Is rose co.
ored. These changes of color are pro-
duced by means of cobalt, which an in
genous Italian inventor has thought well
to utilize for this purpose.
Il. NJ. LYDIA of Macon county. Mis-
souri,, Is engaged in an experiment in
growing strawberries. He has a barrel
! filed with rich soil excepting small
! space in the center where there is q wood
! en- box open al both ends. Through the
| slaves OF the barrel be bored 100 holes
with a large auger and in each of these
! he planted a strawberry pant. The bar
rel sits upon blocks off the ground and
! the plants seem TO be thriving. He eX-
| poets to have each plant average one
| pint OF berries, OF total of fifty quarts
| to the barrel.
While the diamond mines at KImber-
icy have been producing about $4,000 900
worth of gems year. the industry in
Brazil, formerly the most important dia-
nlond producing country in the word
| has fallen to a low ebb II is now carried
on only by individuals or small associa-
| tons working in crude manner The
! yield was never much over $1,000 GOO in
| any year, and the product is now worth
| annually less than $1,000 and yet the
quality OF the Brazilian stone averages
| higher than that of the kimberley out-
| put.
There is noticeable increase OF yega-
tarianlsm in Philadelphia At the corner
of Park avenue and Berks street there IS
a church whose attendants are AL veg
etarians. 1t is an evangelical church
and differs in It's creed from other denorl-
| nations only in the fact that its mem
| bers are pledged to forego a diet of flesh
|
| question has become matter of such
! serious consideration that there ore veg
etarians who, when they are asked ont
to dine or sup, carry bread of their own
| baking with them. The members OF the
| congregation referred to are almost with
out exception big, healthy looking per-
sons.
As a result OF a quarrel over some
chickens which refused to lay eggs, two
residents Of Coffeyv!le. Kan, have be-
come involved in a remarkable lawsuit
Jason Brophy. the plaintiff AYERS that
mis- neishbor, Needham Weeks presented
him ten hens and two ROSTERS in Feb
ruary last, and assured him that the
hens would lay upward Of sixty eggs a
week Brophy fed and cared for the
chickens for ten weeks, "devoting most
OF his time to them, to the detr,ment of
other Interests" but the hens failed 20
lay any eggs. The plaintiff alleges thar
ne was unlawfuily deceived by the de-
PENDANT and seeks TO recover s1O0 dam
ages for his wasted labor and for his
expenditures for chicken feed.
In the Laurahutte colllery. in The Kat
lowitz coal district, there is a b zire.