The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

proceed from bergman, on the hoyukuk
river, by the Allen Kakat river, down
some stream to the Arctic Coast, and then
move along to the south and west. Anoth
er party will start from Bergman in
westerly dii ection, and will go down the
Kowak river TO Kotzebue Sound, while
a third party will continue the explora-
ton of the Copper river country.
An American who was sojourning in
Spain at the time says that on the very
day when Dewey was destroying the
spanish squadron at Manila a represen-
atiNe audience, including some of Spain
>ravest and best, were attending a pa
ri. tic bull fight in Madrid, applauding
the words of the famous matador: with
the ease with which / have killed this
,.oble animal. the bull, will che glorious
Spanish nation uphold the traditions of
he past and keep green the laurels of
heir illustriaus fathers by triumphing
over the Yankee Pig
The current number of the American
Journal of Physiology contains an ac-
count of the progress Of Prof. Loeb's ex-
periments in artificial parthenogenesis.
He has been able TO develop eggs of
ChaetopteruS, an annelid or species OF
worm, into free swimming larvae, by
placing them in solutions which caused
them to lose water. Chloride of potaS-
SUM solutions and hydrochloric acid,
when added to the sea water, are effec-
tive in causing the eggs to develop. The
artiicially developed larvae do not differ
from those produced by natural fertiliza-
ton, and it was concluded that the pro-
cesses of augmentation are a function Of
the constitution of sea water. Observa-
tons were also made in the production
of giant embryos by the fusion of two
or more eggs. These experiments have
an important bearing in the theory of
fertilization and other phenomena of life.
From time 90 time mention is made
of the various applications that can be
made of peat, but few realize the va
riety of uses to which this substance is
put. 1t is used for pavements, paper
making. buildings, ornamental work,
aiming leather deodorizers, disin-
fectants and fertilizers. The peat ash
| abounds in carbonate, sulphurite and
| phosphate of lime. BY being mixed with
| coal dust 1t forms excellent fuel, while
| il can be combined with other substances
| n making gunpowder, fireworks, and
| gas. In making the fine candles for the
| Catholic churches of Germany, the par
| ATTN used is obtained from peat. Some of
| It's by-products are carbonate of am
| camphene oil, tar, sulphate of ammonia,
| acetate of lime, volatile oils, fixed oils.
pyroXylic spirits, hydro-carbon oils, and
| aniline colors
The division of scientific inquiry of
the United States Fish Commission has
| carried on an investigation at Lynnha-
| ven Bay, Va, with view to ascertaning
the practicability of fattening oysters by
l Of ~
| study was in the use of a commercial
| fertilizer, which was appropriated by the
| diatoms on which the oysters fed The
| experiments showed that the process
| could be used successfully to fatten oys-
| tiers for the market, but that it was too
slow to be of any considerable value. I'm
| provements have been introduced which
| will more nearly reproduce natural con-
| ditions. Through the efforts of the Fish
| Commission oysters have been extern
| sively planted on the Pacific Coast; in
| San Francisco bay there are obtained an
| nually mature oysters amounting in value
| to about half a million of dollars. In
| Wilapa bay Washington, the conditions
| were less favorable, owing chiefly TO the
| colder water. Beds of Eastern oysters
/ planted in 1894 have almost entirely dis
| appeared. 1t is now proposed to trans
| plant in these Northwestern waters the
| oysters OF Northern Japan.
An interesting building is the new
magnetic observatory of the United States
| Coast and Geodetic Survey, now in course
of erection al Cheltenham, Prince Geor-
ge's county, Nd. There is no magnetic
material used in its construction; copper
| and brass are employed for the metal
| fixtures, and the stove, which burns wood
| exclusively, is of soapStone. The observ-
| atory is composed of two buildings. in
one of which the magnetic influences on
| the compass will be measured. In order
| to keep the instruments at a constant
| temperature-65 degrees Fahrenheit has
| been selected-the building has series of
walls and is sheathed with thick paper.
An interval of three feet in thickness is
| filed with sawdust, and the doors, of
| which there are four sets, are made SIM
| liar to those of a refrigerator. There are
marble bases on which the instruments
are mounted, and a Photographic record
is obtained of the movement of the mag
net by means of mirror and reflected
beam of light. There are no influences
| due to local attraction, trolley or other
electric wires, and the observations made
here will be used in the magnetic survey
of the United States, now undertaken.
"A study has recently been made of the
dwarfs who live in the Congo forest in
the vicinity of the Semliki river, in the
| Uganda Protectorate. These dwarfs are
| of two types. Taose OF one a blll k
| skinned, with conside able stiff b. ack hair
| on their bodies; those of the other have
red or yellow SKINS, with tendency TO
red hair on the head and yellowish- ay
| hair on their bodies. When young, some
| of these dwarfs have very hairy DO lie s,
| while even the women have incipient
gray whskers. The native language has
almost entirely di appear ed, and in is
place the dwarfs speak that of the larger
negroes near whom they dwell Their
| faces are distinguished by their large and
| fat noses, which have sma l. If a y
br dyes, aid ext EN- ly large wings. They
also have long, fat upper lips, ard IL
many ways they show featu es resemb-
| ling those of the ape. However, they are
| quite intel gent, and, though extremely
ugly, they i described as being usually
| of winning and cheer III disposi tion.' .
| Their dances are not only frolics me and
| gay, but are marked by pretty move
m nts-a ST net difference in t Is re-
! spect, from the average negro. BY inca s
| of photogl aphs and measurements con-
| siderable data have ben OF ned cor
the anthropo 6 cal study of these people.
A bujldtpo rising a hupdrad foot aho,,a