The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-18
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

very large vessels of this kind A five
master of 5000 tons now being built
at Rouen will be the largest sailing
vessel in the world.
Over 5000 women are employed in
the various government Offices in
Washington, 2.044 of whom have enter
ed the service after competitive ex-
animation. Nine hundred of them are
paid salaries ranging from 81, 900 to
$500 a year. the others being paid the
compensation of ordinary clerks--$600
to $500 year.
"A remarkable orchid has been dis
covered in South America. From the
center of the trees. a long. fiat, tube
like stem depends. When the plant is
thirsty this tube is lowered to find
water, and as soon as the tip is full
the tube coils up in spiral, carrying
the water through its length to be dis
tributed on the roots above.
An attack of hysteria Stimulating
Inconsistencies in a woman may be
stopped, says Modern Medicine. "by
the surgeons taking a pair of scissors
and regretfully announcing that he will
have to cut all the patients hair off
in order to make application to her
head. It is doubtful whether this bluff
has ever been known to fail.
"A peculiar visiting card, the fash
ion of which would seem 70 be quite
general on the Continent of Europe,
bears the. name and address in the
usual manner; on the other side are
printed across each ocerner the words
Visits" Congo, "Felicitation." Con
dolence," the idea being to turn UP
the corner which express the purpose
of the call.
What is called a railroad grave
yard has been established by the New
York Central at Rochester. Hundreds
of cars, put out of service by wreck or
condemnation, are torn apart and de-
stroyed.. The work requires not only
physical strength, but n1echnical train
ing. The man must submit TO the
strain of hammering, pulling rivets and
untwisting, which is imposed upon
him, without complaint. 1t requires
patience, skill, strength and activity
to be a railroad car undertaken.
Ever since the Forth bridge was
opened-eleven years ACCOMPANYING has
gone on continuously, according to the
Mechanical Engineer. Beginning at
the south end, the workmen take three
years to cover the entire length OF the
bridge, and, as three years represents
approximately the life of the paint,
no sooner are they finished than the
men have to begin again. In this way
every square inch of steel comes under
observation at least once in three
years The staff of men employed va
ries in number from the maximum or
35."
tsr,ho vpav and tha slot ma chine
are modern utilities that have finally
combined their energies to make side
walk show for the curious possessor
of the nickel Indispensable to opera
tons" says the Western Electrician.
1.-THE apparatus includes vertically
mounted microscope, which may be
used when the tube is made active by
dropping a nickel in the slot; The
passerby who desires to see the bones
of his hand or wrist makes his con-
tribution and places his hand in the
proper position; the machine does the
rest. With the exception of the fluoro-
scope, the necessary parts are enclosed,
with suitable openings.
On June 2S, 1776, says the Patriotic
Review, force of less than 100 Caro-
linians, under command of Moultrie
protected by the rude fertilization on
Sullivan's Island in Charleston har-
Dor, made of the trunks of the palmet-
to, repulsed the attacks or British
fleet under command of Sir Peter Par
ker, and when the state of South Caro-
lima was organized, the state seal.
which was first used in May, l111, was
made to commemorate this victory. A
palm tree, growing erect on the sea-
shore. represents the strength of the
fort while at it's base an oak tree,
torn from the ground and deprived or
its branches. recalls the British fleet,
built of oak timber, overcome by the
palmetto.
German papers speak of an annual
belonging to the leguminous class
growing in tropical Africa. which is
largely cultivated by the negroes as
an article of food. 1t has also been
introduced to some extent in Brazil.
The Africans call it woandsu, but its
botanical name is Glycine subterranea.
The fruit, like the peanut, natures un-
der the ground. The eatable kernel has
the shape of an egg, and is dark RED,
with black stripes and a White hllum
like most beans. 1t furnishes very
white -four, the flavor of which, after
cooking. very much resembles that of
chestnuts. Two pounds of this product
would supply the daily requirements
of the human system. This is one or
the very few fruits which, in natu-
raj state contain all the chemlcal
properties of a perfect nuuiment
Jules Roche, who was the French
minister of commerce a few years ago,
writes in the North American Review
of "The National Debt of France" The
French national debt is divided into
three PARASITIC funded debt, the re-
deemable debt and the pension list.
The funded debt was instituted in 1898,
and the government is not obliged to
refund its creditors the principal un
less it desires to do SO; only the in
terest has to be paid. In 1900 692, 157. $50
francs were due for interest on this
norton of the debt, and that sum rep
resented a principal of 21,914 900, 900
francs, the number of stockholders be-
ing very large. The redeemable porti On
of the debt represents an annual ex-
penditure of 319,900,110 francs, and the
pension list calls for the payment an
nually to all those who have a right to
a pension from the government of $780,
s12,202 francs. NJ. Roche deplores the
steady augmentation Of the pension
list. The portion of the debt that has
suffered the greatest increase in the
pension list. The civil and military pen
sions do not cease to augment. II
seems as If half Of the French will
soon have to work in order to pay pen
sions to the other half.
The Bavarian Postmaster General
has just concluded the installation of
system OF wireless telegraphy between
the nnefeorOlonfca1 ohservat ory an fon