The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-02
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

All EltIf4dLi-tdlcDeT SotlA1S 70 u
needed in India on the railroad be-
tween Bengal and Assam. AS the su-
perintendent Of the line was making
an inspection trip over il on the night
of July II, last whine passing through
the great Nambar forest, the train
came TO a stop with Jolt that threw
the travellers out of their berths. II
had run into herd OF wild elephants
which were trotting dtwn the track,
the htndmost of which had both hind
legs broken and was thrown into the
ditch. while the engineman counted
seven others which got away. This was
not the FIRST time that wind elephants
had got on the track. and ordinary
fences and cattle guards are no pro-
lection.
What may be called the electric
confidence trick, as recently practioed,
shows that its inventor is a man Of
genius as well as crime. This thief,
says Answers, was distinguished by
the perfection of his garments and
appearance. In a pocket Of ms ele-
gantly fitting coat was concealed the
secret Of his success. II was a pow
erful little electric battery, Joined by
wires to a metallic plate, which he
held in the palm of his right hand
outstretched hand, he would greet
him with the fervor Of an old friend.
Woe betide the unlucky man if ne ac-
cepted the preferred handshake' A
sharp electric shock rendered him
powerless, and with few deft nave
ments he was stripped Of purse and
jewelry- Another use of the electric
wire in thieving has been to use il In
the form of small lasso, which, being
-
pulled around his neck, gave him a
continuous shock. which effectually
prevented him from crying out
The French now have, II is stated,
81 submersible boats Of two classes,
namely, those that are fitted for pro-
pulsion exclusively by electricity and
those which 60 by steam ordinarily
when on the surface of the water and
by electricity only when submerged.
By 1905, according to the official pro
gramme, France viii have altogether
IS submarine vessels. The English. not
believing much in underwater naviga-
ton, are building but five submarines
for experiment. Their energies are CIV
en- chiefly 10 devices for destroying
submarines One of these devices is an
arrangement for blowing UP an ap-
preaching submarine by means of a
dirigible torpedo. A young English
electrician, Mr.. Cecil Varicas, has per-
fected, it is said, an apparatus by
which he can steer a Whitehead or
ether torpedo by means of wireless
biography. Till now dirigible torpedoes
have been steered by means of a gy-
roscope. But its action has been uncer-
tain beyond a short distance. Mr.. Va
ricas proposes TO control the rudder of
the torpedo by means of electrical i'm
pulses that act upon it from q great
distance.
An incident Of a peculiar nature
occurred recently at the Bell Rock
lighthouse. says the Scotsman. At IL
one night the keeper on watch was
startled by the sound of a steamers
whistle in close proximity to the rock.
On going out on the balcony the steam
tug Alexandria. of Arbroath. YVES OBJ
served in the clear moonlight within
hailing distance. A strong westerly
wind and the beat Of the sea against
the base Of the tower made CONVERSE
ton somewhat difficult, but il was IN
derstood that the tug had been sent
out from Arbroath in response to sig
mails which were reported to have
been shown from the Rock that day.
On being assured that all was well
and as no landing could be affected at
the time, the tug returned to Ar
breath The solution of the mystery
is as follows. When signals are made
from the Rock two-feet discs are run
out on poles. which project. horizontal
ly, from either side of the balcony.
Daily observations are taken by the
keeper on shore duty in Arbroath "a
distance Of twelve miles from the Rock
by the aid of a powerful telescope. and
what appeared TO him to be two discs
on the southwest pole, which mean.
Send boat Immediately" were in re-
atty two cormorants. which. tired out
ct the fishing, had made the signal pole
a resting place.
During the Shah's last stay in
Paris, says the Pail Mall Gazette, he
paid a visit TO the Gobelins, where he
showed q most appreciative interest in
ali that he saw. Before a remarks bly,
fine Persian carpet. given to the mu-
scum by N. Goupil. he remained for
some time. interpreting for himself the
symbolical illusions thickly embroider-
ed upon IT, which, however, he declined
TO translate into French. A few days
since the mystery was cleared UP.
There arrived in Paris the manager of
the imperial carpet weaving factory
in Teheran, who stated that he had
been commissioned by the Shah to
study the methods of manufacture in
use at the Gobelins. To him the oi-
rector applied for a solution of the le-
gends of the carpet which had capti-
waited the Shah. Thereupon the Per-
sian began TO read out a running trans
lation; "A carpet for the ruler of the
earth: superiority for his feet; how
beautiful it is; ii is in his cabinet and
knows his secrets II is pleasant as
Paradise and brighter than the Acad-
envy of Mari "a Persian painter. for IL
contains all the colors of China. The
nightingale coming to perch upon il
cannot tear itself away from its love
illness. Neither winter nor autumn
can ever change the tints of this car
pet" This is good deal for one car
pet TO signify. but critics say that it is
justified in holding a high opinion of
itself. 1t is about three centuries old
-Samar. on which the reverse to
Company of the Ninth Infantry took
place, is an island which was never
fully conquered by Spain. Only in the
last three months did the American
troops make their first serious effort
in that direction, Gen. Robert p.
Hughes starting out on a systematic
campaign for reducing the island to
American sovereignty. Gen. Lubkan is
the Filipino leader there. The island is
of about the same size as the state of
Ohio. IL is just south of Luzon, from
which il is separated by the Strait of
Bernardino. Southwest of Saular is the
important but smaller island of Leyte
the narrow Strait Of San Juanico mark
ing the division between them. Balal-