The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-12
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

United States Consul warner re-
ports from Leipsic that work has been
begun on the electric railroad between
Halle and Merseburg, permission for
the construction of which was granted
by the Prussian government several
months ago. 1t is expected that the
Halle-Ammendorf section will be COM
pleted before the beginning of the
winter. The total length will be ten
miles. Power will be obtained from
the River Saale. The consul also states
that the projected electric railroad be-
tween Leipsic and Halle has been
abandoned, the Prussian and Saxon
governments having refused to grant
the necessary franchises.
Prof. Starr. the authority on an
thropology, is an Iroquois Indian-by
adoption. Prof. Starr is an enthusiast
in his chosen field of study and re-
search-that of anthoropolgy-and
when he wants to understand an alien
race he adopts the simple method of
going among them and living their life
for period, so far as he can do SO. A
year ago he went among the Iroduois,
I formed strong attachment for the in
telligent descendants of - tribe famed
for their strength, bravery, and rrow-
ess. When adopted by the tribe Prof.
Starr was given the name of Haiye-
sat-ha. which, beng interpreted,
means, ''The wisest speaker in the
council"
The Geological conference now sit
ting at Berlin will, we see, help to
confirm the popular idea as to the wis
dom of the ant, says the Spectator.
Professor Morel, of Switzerland, who
has made that insect his study, says
the ants brain, in the workers at all
events, is well developed; they have
four or five of the senses-hearing be-
ing probably wanting-and they pos
sess reasoning power as well as MEM
ory. They make war and peace, but
after war has ceased individual ants of
DR.. Johnson's temperament still 'go
for" individual enemies" 1t is all true,
we fear; and all rather melancholy,
most of the gifts upon which man
prides himself being shared by crea-
lures whom he only despises. If flea
can reason as well as jump and bite,
what becomes of the innate superiority
of man? He is bigger, but if he is to
die like a flower that Is not much to
boast of. Stay; no ant has yet been
seen to kill another ant with a weapon
at distance. The rife differentiates
US.
Glass is an extremely bad conductor
of heat and the reason why tumblers
and other vessels made of glass crack
when hot water is suddenly poured into
them is that the interior of the glass
expands before the heat can penetrate
through the particles on the outside,
which are consequently then riven as
sunder. Small glass toys called Prince
Rupert's drops, which may be obtained
at a assblower's, show very clearly
the effect of heat and bad conductors.
They are made, says an exchange. by
dropping a small quantity of glass,
while almost in liquid state, into wa
ter, by which means a globule with a
spiral tail is Instantly formed; the out
side of the globule cools and solidifies
the instant it comes into contact with
the water, before the inner part
changes, and this, as it gradually har-
dens, would contact, were it not re-
tanned and kept in its form by it's ad-
herence to the outer crust. If the tail
is broken off, or any other injury done
to the globule, ii will burst with a
slight noise and fall to pieces. In order
that glassware may be durable, it is
an oven, the temperature of which is
allowed to decrease gradually.
The principle of the so-called wa
ter curtain which was proposed quite
a number of years ago for fire protec-
ton in theaters, being intended to cut
off the auditorium from the stage, has
of late been applied in many instances
of ordinary building protection, the ar
rangement being such as to cause wa
ter to fall in a sheet-either all around
structure or down one side or sew
eral sides of it, says Casters Maya
zine. In the case of one large public
building, of which particulars have
recently been given, a seven-inch steel
water main is laid around the top of
the structure, upon the broad stone
table formed by the top of the coping.
This pipe is connected with force
pumps in the basement, and through
perforations properly arranged, in
sures the introduction of a substantial
sheet of water from cornice to pave
ment, around the whole or any imper-
lied portion of the building. The ar
rangement of the system of piping is
said to be such as to permit of operat-
ing in prescribed conditions, and addi-
tional relays of smaller pipe are placed
in position above windows and doors
in order to complete the curtaining of
those points in the most serviceable
manner, should the curtain in the main
be broken by wind impinging against
the building, or through some other
cause.
"A number of interesting expert
ments as to the suitability of alcohol
for replacing petrol or gasoline in
working internal combustion motors
have recently been carried out at the
Psychological Institute, Hohenheim, by
Prof. Behrend, says Engineering. The
motors used were of six horsepower,
and were built by Messrs. Korting
Brothers of Hanover. Prof Behrend's
experiments were, in the first place.
made with ordinary methylated spirit,
next with spirit in which one-half of
the methyl alcohol was replaced by
benzine, and. thirdly. with a mixture
containing a further is per cent of
benZine. Benzine is not only cheaper
than the denaturants generally used.
but has the Advantage of augmenting
the power. Working with the ordina-
ry methylated spirit, the cost of one
horsepower an hour proved to be 1.43d,
while with the mixture containing the
large proportion of benzine the cost
was 1.25d an hour. The cost of one
horsepower an hour, when the came
motors were worked with petrol, prov
ed to be about I'D. so that at present
prices alcohol containing, say, 20 per
cent. of benzine, can, in Germany.
compete commercially with petrol as
a working agent for explosion engines.
The alcohol nsad for fro A ,,,~ro.-o--