The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-30
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

inoculated than among those who were
not.
In study and discussion of dust.
French scientists are pointing out that
the quantity of minute particles rails
ed and suspended in the air has been
greatly increased in urban communi-
ties by the advent of the automobile.
They estimate that one automobile
stirs up as much dust as twenty car
riages, because the motors blow vio-
lently on the roadway and move so
rapidly.
Mrs. Anna Roosevelt Cowles. wife
of Commander w. S. Cowles, U. S. N,
and sister of President Roosevelt. has
been admitted as an elector by the
board of selectmen of Pennington,
Conn Mrs. Cowles can now Jote on
school matters in Pennington. where
she lives when not in Washington. Wo-
men suffragists thereabouts are highly
elated, as they believe the action of
the Presidents sister will greatly aid
their cause.
Electricity is now being used after
the manner of the divining rod to dis
cover metallic veins underground. Ac-
cording to some particulars given in
an American technical paper, wires are
run across the land which is to be sur
veyed, and the resistance between con-
facts placed at the ends of the wires is
measured. A fall of resistance indi-
Gates proximity to a vein. On a GER
tain occasion, it is stated, a resist
ance of $4,000 ohms fell to Sc ohms,
and there was found beneath a rich
vein of copper.
Victims of pulmonary maladies
have heretofore been compelled to
make inconvenient journeys to the
higher attitudes in search of the pure
raref1ed air which is known to be so
beneficial to them, but it has recently
been discovered that the air of lime
stone caves has all the characteris-
tics of that of the mountains. A sani-
tarium has been established at the Lu-
ray Caverns, Va, from which air is
drawn into each chamber that is occu-
pied by a patient. The air is of a uni
form temperature and is free from all
germs and dust particles.
Farmers, so far as actual wealth
is concerned, are the capitalists of the
United States, says Success. The CEN
sus bureau report on the value of
farming property of the country esti-
mates that the 5,739,657 farms of the
United States are worth SIG, 674 $50, 247
OF this amount, SO, $50, 1893 191, or PA
per cent, represents the value OF
buildings, and $13,114, 492, O56, or S7.6 per
cent, the value of land and improve
ments. Farm implements and machin-
cry are worth 1851, PSI $50, and live stock
is worth $3,07S, 050 041, making the total
farming wealth over $40 514, 900 900.
Two years ago. the Shah of Persia
spent about 100000 on his European
tour, besides a large sum devoted to
the purchase of real and sham jewell
ry. Apparently he found himself ham
pered by the smallness of the sum
named. for last February before de-
parting from home to attend the coro-
nation of King Edward he arranged
for a loan of $5,G00,000. Even if he Law
ished this vast amount on his trip,
however, he still fell far behind the
extravaganza of his father, who is said
to have spent S10,000,O0O during a six
months progress through Europe in
1873.
The Agricultural Department has
begun a series of Investigations into
the matter of cold storage There are.
several mysterious phenomena which
takes place in cold storage warehouses;
For instance, it has been noted that
one lot of fruit will keep in fine con-
dltion for many months while another
nearby will decay in a few days. This
is particularly true of peaches. 1t has
also been noticed that some peaches
lose their delicate flavor very quickly
in cold storage, while others are not
affected in that way in the least. Gov
ernment agents are trying to discover
the causes Of these contrary effects.
The Medical Society of Paris has
expressed the opinion that it is neces-
sary to adopt some measures against
the alarming spread of petroleum
drinking. At first it was thought that
the habit had sprung up from the in
creased taxation on alcohol imposed
by the French government, but an in
vestigation showed that this was not
the case; the habit had been prevalent
some time previously in certain dis
tricts and had spread with great rapid
ity. The victim of the petroleum habit
does not become brutal, only morose
Opinions differ among physicians as
regards the effects of petroleum drink
ing on the human system, but all agree
on its harmfulneSs.
The drift of Oriental students to the
University of California has been
marked for the last year as regards
Chinese, Japanese and F'ilipinos. 1t
now seems to be extending to India
Several articles have appeared in ma
tive journals urging young Hindus to
go to California rather than England
for university education, for wider ex-
perience of civic conditions and for the
sake of the agricultural and engineering
courses at the university. An applica-
ton has lately been received from
Prince Sui Nam Rhola, eldest son of
Surajah Rhola, of one of the Siamese
states, for admission for graduate work
in irrigation engineering.
The experiment of treating roads
with oil instead of water as a means
of preventing the clouds of dust raised
by motor cars and other vehicles was
carried out recently on a mile of the
LONDON and southampton highway be-
tween Marlborough and Aldershot.
Crude petroleum was laid by staff of
men with watering cans. The road
absorbed it very quickly, leaving the
surface like wet sand, which, as the
traffic passed over it, became hard and
we'll knit. The quantity of oil used
was about 1000 gallons to a quarter of
a mile. Prince Henry of Battenberg
and other distinguished visitors to the
Empress Eugene, at Farnborough.
were among the travellers in motor cars
who passed over the road during the
day and who noted the agreeable alb
sence of dust, due to the application of
the oiE
The sociological character of African
man is of great interest. 1t has not