The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-01
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The advantages over coal are stated
as follows: The heat-producing quail
ties of "masut" are said to be one
fourth greater than those of coal; the
oil is easier to handle, it being only nee
essary to open a valve. Very little
smoke comes from the use of the ma
suit" Steam can be produced and full
power reached in less time. The cost
defense vessels of the German navy
are fitted for the use of this oil. Some
of the battleships and cruisers are also
so arranged that they can use both
coal and "masut.'
There are scientists who say the
world should go slow in the matter of
trying to abolish the mosquito at one
fell swoop, says the Philadelphia
Times. They assert that the insect
balance of nature may be thus upset
and something even worse than the
mosquito come in to take its place.
Those who are up in bug knowledge
also state that it will take three hun
dred years at the present rate of prog
ress to properly classify the insects
already known and the field of dis
covery has not been at all covered.
The kissing bug" is pointed out as
post-mosquito possibility and a winged
New Jersey creature popularity entitled
the bald headed fly" might likewise
take it's place. AS it is this fly now
only preys on farm stock and works
exclusiy ely by day, retiring to rest at
shutdown. When it is busy however,
it's industry is so pernicious that in
sections of it's native state the far
mers have to labor at night to escape
it. Consequently, the query is but nat
ural as to whether in trying to avoid
the mosquito we may not be heading
towards at least an equal calamity.
Earthquakes have their pitch, and
if persons living in lands of seismic
disturbances will build their houses out
of tune with mother earth's shivers
they will be comparatively safe, says
the New York Herald. This is what
John Milne or Earthquake Milne" as
he is called, says. Mr.. Milne is the
principal member of the seismic. section
of the Royal Society, and has for long
time been studying earth vibrations at
Newport. Isle of Wight, where he has
intruments so delicate that they auto
matically record vibrations so slight
that it is impossible to detect them in
any manner with the senses alone. His
records show that the whole earth
shivers every fifteen seconds. By means
of his horizontal pendulums," as he
calls them, he has ascertained the pitch
of earthquakes, and so advises that
buildings be out of tune with them to
insure projections; but different por-
tions of the building should have the
same pitch, or our earthquake disturb
ances will be sure to injure them. In
earthquake countries he advises deep
bitches around houses to cut off the
ripples along the earth's surface Mr..
Milne has made yet another discovery,
and says he has demonstrated that the
interior of the earth is neither hollow
nor liquid, but is marvelously rigid.
ever more rigid that cast steel or the
finest glass. He says that his horizon
tai pendulums have registered vibra-
tons that have Travelled through the
very center of the earth, and at a rate
much higher than if the globes inte-
r1or were more dense than the most
rigid mineral known. AS he says, vi
brations do not travel rapidly through
gases or fluids, and very much more
rapidly through dense materials They
travel through glass as quickly as
though any substance scientists know
Of but through the earth's interior they
travel two and one-half times as fast
as through glass.
A plague as horrid in it's way as
any of those from which the ancient
Egyptians suffered has assailed the
south coast of England according to
the London Mail. Countless hordes of
octopi, the devil fishes of Victor Hugo,
have invaded the English channel and
have swarmed along the shores of
Devon and Cornwall in tremendous
numbers. Travelling about in maraud-
ing armies, they have we'll nigh de-
stroyed the local lobster and crab fish
cries by devouring these crustaceans
wholesale. On the French side of the
strait especially in the Department of
Finisterre, they are thrown up on the
beaches by the sea after storms in such
quantities that their loathsome bodies
have been gathered up and removed by
hundreds of carloads to prevent them
from endangering the public health by
rotting. Many of these creatures have
a spread of six feet or more, the ten
tacles being three feet in length and
covered with suckers as big as 50-cent
pieces. But specimens have been seen
very much greater in size, and indi-
viduals are known sometimes to attain
a measurement of 16 feet from arm tip
to arm tip. That the larger ones will
readily attack human beings is well
known, the sucking disks with which
the arms are provided holding the vic
tim with an irresistible force. Once
fairly embraced by the animal, there
is small change for the strongest man,
UNLESS lie 10 luChJ CAOUSh " AoNS @N
big knife or a spear. The most sur
prising point about that plague re-
ferred to is that the octopus has rarely
been seen hitherto in British waters
so rarely, indeed, that during many
years past specimens could be obtained
far aquaria in England only at long
intervals, and half a sovereign was
frequently paid for small one alive.
1t is very numerous in the Mediter-
ranean sea, and ranges as far north as
the south side of the English channel,
which is it's extreme limit ordinarily
Paris is par excellence the city Of
gourmets and cranks, says the West
minister Gazette, and many story con-
corning them has added to the gayety
of the nations. Here is one. of the lat
est, told by a well-known French head
waiter. One of the regular customers
of a famous Partisan restaurant used
to be short, thin, shy and shabbily
dressed man, whose name no one knew,
but who gave out that he was butter
dealer, for which reason he was called
the butterman at the restaurant in
, question. He ate next to nothing, but
his soup tureen, filled with a soup spe-
cially prepared for him, was always
put before him. He took a few spoon
fuls and had IL taken away. Next
came a whole fillet of beef. from which
he cut the tiniest slice. Then followed
four quail or a large chicken, Of which
he ate one mouthful, together with two
lettuce leaves and one radish. His des