The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-14
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

| u
lie Matin, of Paris. writing of Presi-
dent Loubet's visit to the Car. says
that when the Russian peasants pass
before a bust of the French Republic
they make the sign of the cross,
thinking that Russias ally is the Vir-
gin Mary"
The steamer Empress of Japan,
now on the way to Victoria, B. c.,
from Yokohama, bears a party of SO
English residents of the Orient who
are on their way to attend the corona
ton. Several Chinese and Japanese Of
ficials, all bound on the same mission,
are abroad.
When a Zuni Indian lover wants
to propose to his girl he doesn't have
to puzzle his wits making a speech APP
| propriate to the occasion, but just
walks in, sits down with his back to
his sweety, and divests himself of his
head gear If the girl doesn't want
him she sneaks out, but if she does
she runs her fingers through his hair,
| and gives hi ma sort of dry champoo,
as it were. This has its advantage; it
relieves the girl from the necessity of
seeming sorry and from promising to
be a sister to him, and the fellow from
i thinkinS< apout all the tooi Things ne
said and wanting to kick himself for
being Tilted.
"A dispatch from Pittsburg, Pa,
says: The American Window Glass
Company has adopted an invention
which is expected to vastly decrease
the cost of the production of glass by
doing away with blowers, 2atherers
and snappers. Twelve machines, de-
signed by John I.ubbers have been in
stalled in the old Depauw plant at
Alexandria, Ind. For nearly a year
three machines have been secretly
operated here, and all imperfections, it
is said, have been overcome. Should
the operators of the machines be as
successful at Dcpauw as they nave
been here, the window glass company
viii Immediately equip its factories
throughout the country with hem, and
a vast number of skilled workmen y ill
be without occupations.
- The Nivernais Canal, in the center
of France, joins the Loire to the Yonne,
a tributary of the Seine. The canal is
Ill miles long. Its highest level. %
miles in length, is of such a nature
that horses could never be used, and
until recently haulage has been per-
formed by men. On Aug. is last a
chain was laid along the bottom of the
canal and a novel tow-boat installed
in conjunction with it. The cham runs
into this boat at one end, around a
drum of some sort, and out at the
other end. This drum is worked by a
petroleum motor. When it is set in
motion the vessel winds itself along the
chain, picking up at the bow and drop
ping at the stern link after link as it
draws itself along the chain. The
journey of % miles can be made in one
hour and forty minutes with a tow Of
three loaded barges.
The general idea of ancient Baby
lon as a city of stately palaces and
hanging gardens is not altogether con-
firmed by H. j. Whigham who visited
the city as special correspondent of
the London Morning Post. According
| to Mr.. Whigham the citadel of Neb-
uchadneZzar cannot be compared with
the fort at Agra either as regards ar
chitectural beauty or richness of ma
terial used in its construction. In
stead of the white marble and red
| sandstone of Agra" he writes, there
is nothing but monotony of mud bricks
and brunt bricks in Babylon.
AS for as the explorations go there is
no trace of Il romo in the 'kasr' which
would be considered large enough now
adays for a lady's boudoir, with the
exception of the great Hall of the Meme
| Meme Tekel Upharsin incident which
may have been so feet or 60 feet long"
MIR. Whigham goes on to say that
Babylon was much inferior in size to
modern Pekin.
1t is not generally Known, writes
the London correspondent of the New
York Commercial, that even the four
legged inhabitants of the Royal News
or Duo ID1
the busy preparations for the corona
ton ceremony; there are forty extra
pairs expected shortly, in addition to
the one hundred and twenty now in the
stables. The riding school looks Won
| derfully picturesque, for it is hung
with the flags of almost all nations but
with a strong predominance of Union
Jacks; and here the horses are taken
on various mornings to accustom them
TO the aspect of the decorated streets
| on coronation day, even the Kings
own Charm" occasionally sharing in
the exercise. Drums are beaten in the
center of the hall, and, to the great
glee of the obtainable children, young
sters are admitted, with the speci"l
and welcome Injunction to make as
much noise as they CAM" So up and
down the long lines of magnificent ami
| mails the little ones scamper, cheering
| NAlSllHS anu shouting as tney please,
till their "hurrahs' beneath the echo
ing roof sound even louder than will
be the acclamations when The King
comes forth from the Abbey-crowned
There has been much discussion
over the discolo1 ations of the sea,
which are often many miles in extent
due to the presence of free-swimming
animalcules. These discolora lions have
been seen in various parts of the world
along the sh ore and in the open sea,
and deep-Water sailors call them
"Whale-foOd." Last summer, for the
first time, the phenomenon was seen at
San Pedro, Cal, and was studied by H
+. Torrey the University of Cali
fornia, and details given in an article
in the American Naturalist. 1t was
first noticed as a red streak off San
! Pedro harbor. During the next few
days it approached the shore. chang
ing its shape and dividing into sew
eral patches, each many acres in ex-
tent. 1t reached the shore on the ninth
day after it was first discovered and
was the cause of most unusual dis
play of "phoSphoTescence," which re-
appeared many evenings in succession.
Its beauty was conceded by all. bur
none was prepared for what followed
Four days after it had begun to glow
along the shore, everything passing
| through 1t, stirring up waves of fire. a
slckening stencil arose from the water
along the beach, and the next day it
was almost unbearable During the
! night on the 400-feet stretch of beach
a large number of dead animals x.aro