The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

tube lfnDeQQeQ IN HQulQ air ana the
hydrOearbon elements in the gas are
liquefied or frozen out and left be-
hind. while the hydrogen passes off.
Prof Twining finds that the vary
ing consistency of ice is due to the
different temperatures at which it is
frozen. If it is frozen at just below
the freezing point it is transparent
while if it is frozen at a much lower
temperature it is porous and opaque.
owing partly to the imprisoned air
bubbles.
The bricklaying machine invented
by John H. Knight, of Barfield, Tarn-
ham, England, is a piece of machinery
that has attracted considerable atten-
ton in that country. Before the ma
chine can be set to work vertical posts
are placed in the ground Is feet apart
and adjacent to the walls to be built.
The machine is operated by two men
and a boy, one to operate the machine,
another to spread the mortar and the
third to feed it. Doors and open
spaces are made by using dummy
blocks of wood instead of bricks, which
are subsequently removed.
"A series of experiments was recent
~ carried out at the Alterburg Colliery,
near Saarbrucken, Germany, with lime,
tar and carbolineum, to determine the
respective value thereof as preserva-
tive of mine timber against rot Lime
was found to be of the least value.
while coal tar, although insuring per-
feet preservation of the surface of the
timber, failed to protect the interior,
which in every instance was found to
be seriously attacked by rot. Carbo-
lineum, however, gave excellent re-
suits, provided the timber coated had
been previously barked and well dierd.
Many people. when they feel out
of sorts, take the great responsibility
upon them of prescribing for them
selves. and at times it is the custom
of Mrs. A. to suggest to Mrs. B. some
drug that is sure to cure. No, there
is mo great harm in doing this, pro-
vided people know all about the remedy
they are employing. For instance, it is
not at all likely that a seidlitz powder
or a little steel drops will do any harm,
even though the individual partaking
of these knows very little about their
mode of action. On the other hand,
there are drugs in everyday use whose
action on important organs is so pow
erful that they should only be used
under direct medical supervision.
-Phenacetin is used by the public as
a remedy for headaches. A large num-
Der of people buy these powders regu-
larly. AS cure for some forms of
headache it is excellent, but what about
its action on the heart? In some
cases it weakens the hearts action,
and may even disintegrate the blood.
If impure. it may cause serious kid
ney trouble attendant with grave COM
plications. In spite of these facts the
public are using it and recommending
it to their friends as if it were harm
less drug. Again, take antipyrin, a
remedy of somewhat similar nature.
This drug also tends to weaken the
heart, but has a special action on the
brain, and may even produce fits. If
a large dose be taken the lips become
blue and the person experiences a sem
sation of cold, while vomiting not in
frequently ensues.
Invention, of London, has the fol-
lowing: 1.-THE possibility of melting
carbon and maintaining it in liquid
condition has been demonstrated by
Dr. A. Ludwig. The heating was eff
fected under great pressure in the
electrical furnace, and a curious phe-
nomenon noticed at 1,500 atmospheres
was a very brief failure of the electric
arc, the current refusing to pass even
when the voltage was much increased.
1t is supposed that as the carbon pass
ed into the liquid and transparent
state it assumed rare allotropic form,
becoming non-conductor. The exper-
iment was too brief for study of this
condition, but was made to include a
sudden cooling of the molten carbon
by flooding with water of the inte-
rior of the pressure vessel. Though
minute diamonds were recognized in
the gray power thus obtained, they
were too small to be of commercial
value.
An extraordinary but we'll anthem
ticated story of a bears freak comes
from the village of Saretschye, in the
district of Gdoff, Russia. The village
lies on the fringe of a forest, whence it
is of frequent occurrence for bears to
make proving excursions both by day
and night into the adjacent settlements
Some ten days ago two young girls
aged, respectively, five and twelve
were surprised by a huge bear at a
short distance from the village. The
animal seized and carried off the
younger child, while the elder terror
stricken, fled home and gave the not
unusual alarm. Toward sundowu three
days later the bear and her booty were
discovered in a dense 'thicket The
child was perfectly unframed, and re-
Ginning in deep messy couch made for
her by the bear. Although naturally
delighted to be released from her
strange guardianship the little girl had
subsisted fairly well on the nuts and
other forest fruits brought to her laa-
ger by the bear.
"A heavy blow for German eleotri-
cal manufacturing companies has been
the failure of the storage battery trac-
ton system for tramways, which is
now conceded to be practically hope
less. When electric traction was in
troduced municipal governments were
t1mid and hesitating. They objected
to the overhead conductor. and in or
der to obtain franchises the tramwav
companies and the electrical man
ufacturers who were behind them had
10 agree to furnish cars that would
dispense with visible trolley. This
meant reliance upon storage batteries.
Al Berlin, where many hundreds of
tnem nave been in service all are to
be abandoned and recourse had Ia mn
foreground conductors for centrally To-
Gated streets and overhead wires for
tne less crowded and suburban sec
tons. The net result was that cleo
lTlcal manufacturing companies of
Germany which had gone on supplying
plants at home and abroad were caugb3
with all sail spread by the turning
tlde ana adverse gale that set in dur.
ing the summer OF 1900.
"A regular occupation for the elao-
trical force at sault ste. Marie e. the
thawing Of frozen water pipes. The