The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-24
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

head North Britain, during storm, in
which the wind had a velocity of from 30
to 80 miles an hour, have shown that the
hight of big waves from trough to crest
is about 40 feet. The wave crests WEI 2
22h feet above the saltwater level. with
periods of from 10 to II seconds. If the
troughs had been as far below the still
water level as the crests were above it
the total hight would have been As feet,
but there were indications that the depth
of wave trough is not equal to the hight
of the crest.
The asphalt streets in Geneva. N. Y,
are kept clean by the use of novel
flushing apparatus of local design. 1t con-
sists of a long perforated pipe connected
with the nearest fire-plug by a line of
hose supported at intervals on wooden
wheels When the water is turned on at
the plug. or hydrant, it is discharged
through the perforations of the pipe,
which is dragged diagonally from the
crown of the street to the gutter by a
pair of horses. This flushing is done at
night, once or twice a week, the year
around, except In cold weather in winter.
The latitude of place enables one to
calculate the number of hours that the
sun is above the horizon during the year.
The observations at the various stations
of the United States Weather Bureau
gives the actual number of sun-lit hours.
A comparison of the two numbers gives
the percentage of the sun-lit hours. A
recent report of the Washington bureau
gives Baltimore Sc per cent. of sun-lit
hours, Atlantic City IS per cent, Washing
ton 50 per cent, Vharleston, S. c., So per
cent; Atlanta, Ca, 50 per cent; Chicago.
50 per cent; Cincinnati, 81 per cent; CAL
weston, Tex, 81 per cent; Jacksonville,
Fla, 81 per cent; New Orleans, La. 49
per cent; New York, So per cent; Phila-
delphia, IS per cent. st. Louis, 60 per
cent; San Francisco, II per cent.
Mr.. Bork reports TO the Cologne
Electrical Club that the cost of securing
speeds of 40 to 100 miles per hour will
prevent any construction for some time.
The tests of the Wannseebahn show a
saving of 20 per cent. in operating eX-
penses, compared with steam, and
that the trains attain full speed after
about two minutes, as against three min
utes for steam locomotives. For strategic
reasons electric operation is at a disad-
vantage, compared with steam operation,
as in case of war the service could. be
interrupted much more easily than when
independent units were used, as in the
case of steam roads. For this reason
electricity will not be permitted on trunk
lines, although it could be employed with
advantage on city and suburban lines
Every night" says the Philadelphia
Record, some six or seven sunburned
men come uptown from the water front
laden with hats. They have hats of
straw and of felt, silk hats, caps, bon
nets-everything, in short, that is worn
upon the head in this city. How they
k1f~ e-Nr1 f@
story. They are, by trade. hat finders,
and business begins and ends with them
with the beginning and ending of the
river excursion season. 1t is the hats of
river excursionists that they find-the
hats which the strong river winds blow
off into the water, much to the owners
anger and modification. The finders lie
in wait in boats off shore, and when they
see a hat it is theirs. These hats are
usually in pretty good condition, and sell
readily to the dealers in second hand
clothing
The most delicate instrument of the
United States government is the chronom-
eter in use on ships of the navy, says Les
lies Weekly. There are two depots where
the chronometers are tested, and the work
is one of the most important carried on
under the department. The Naval Observ-
atory in Washington is the general de-
pot for all chronometers supplied to nav
al ships on the Atlantic coast. The other
depot is at Mare Island California, sup
plying the vessels in the Pacific. Four
chronometers are supplied ordinary cruis-
ing ships. Small coastWise vessels and
tugs are supplied with a, less number,
some of them having only one instrument.
Surveying vessels engaged in fixing lon
gitude in unusual localities are frequent
ly equipped with more instruments than
are allotted to cruisers. The experts are
constantly making Improvements in the
chronometers as a result of the continual
examination and tests The importance
of the work may be judged by the fact
that the art of navigation is said to have
been revolutionized by the changes made
in thermometers during the past half GEN.
fury.
The graduation of Miss Eta H. Mad
dox from the Baltimore Law School is
announced. AS Maryland is one of the
states in which women are excluded from
the bar, she will have to practice the
profession in some other state. 1t mat
tiers not how high she may stand in her
class, she is debarred by the stern did
tum of the law that a woman is inhibited
from practicing at the bar Almost every
other field of endeavor, including that of
medicine, is open to her, bus when it
comes to The law, only the male sex has
the call. The Baltimore Sun, in COM
menting on this state of affairs, says:
The old regulations have fingered on
till the beginning of this century, prob
ably rather because there has been no
special demand for their repeal than be-
cause of any determined opposition. II
a proposition for their repeal should come
before the next Legislature. as we trust
1t may, 1t does not seem likely that il
would be opposed by any considerable
portion of the bar or by any member of
the judiciary"
The slot machine has called into ex-
istence in Holland quite a new class of
merchant. namely, the half-penny mer-
chant. The existence of this new kind
of money broker is due to the increasing
scarcity of the 2h-cent piece, a scarcity
which may be termed a veritable famine
OF the slot machines, the automatic gas
meter is the principal delinquent. and
the widespread use of this class of ma
chine all through the country is said to
nave made the business of the half-penny
merchant quite a lucrative one. The NJ
cent piece is the largest of the minor
coins, and although Muhleman says that
II rs provided in abundance" still the
thrifty habits of the Dutch housewife of
paying for the gas as she REQUIRES ID has
upset all calculations, and the demand
for the coin has become greater than the
supply In the meantime the mint an
thorities are doing nothing to ease the
situation. with the resuIt tbat sto,,,..