The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-21
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

money is spent at home, for AT pen
sioners live in Ireland, 1928 in England,
102 in Scotland, Is in Wales, 610 in Ger
many, Y in France, 9 in Russia, Is in
Norway. n in Denmark, in Spain, 6
in Portugal. S3 in Italy, in Turkey
and IL in Africa.
1t is hoped to make Lafayette
Square at Boston a center for the
statues of distinguished foreigners who
have drawn swords in the cause of
America. The square already has stat
ues of Lafayette and Rochambeau,
and it is proposed to place there those
of Pulaski and Steuben.
To protect the Sultan of Turkey
from possible poisoning the most rig
oorus precautions are taken in the
preparation of his food. Palace OFF,
Gals visit the kitchen to inspect the
dishes. which they first taste and then
seal up with long ribbons, the ends
of which are held by the major domo.
Guards, reinforced by a strong armed
escort, then carry the food to the royal
presence.
1t seems likely that the hum of
the mosquito is produced in a similar
manner to the characteristic sound
made by the locust, the katylid, the
cricket and other insects of that spe-
cies. At recent meeting of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh, two of the MEM
bers announced that they had discov-
cred a hitherto overlooked arrange
ment at the base of the mosquitoes
wings, by which it is possible that the
peculiar hum of the insect may be
made. This arrangement consists of
a bar, slightly movable, provided with
teeth, which, as the wings are moved
up and down, is drawn. across a Sc
ries of ridges. 1t has heretofore been
thought that the humming was caused
by the rapid movement of the wings
alone. ~erE
The solar temperature is investi-
gated anew, in the light of the latest
observations, by Prof. Wilson in a me-
moir presented to the Lodon Royal
Society. Says the Revue Scientifique:
Researches made with a differential
micrometer and published in the Phil
osophical Transactions for 1894 gave
the mean value of $500 degrees c., alb
solute temperature. New observations
made under new conditions devised for
the purpose of remedying certain de-
fects in earlier methods gave a mean
temperature of 5.773 degrees, using Ros-
etti's coefficient of 0.29 for the absorp-
ton of the earth's atmosphere. If
Langley's value of 0.41 were taken for
this, the figure would be 6.085 degrees.
Finally, if the absorption of the suns
atmosphere be aAo taken into account,
according to the experiments of Will
son and Rambaut, we obtain the value
of 6.S63 degrees for the effective tenn
perature of the solar photo sphere"
The German high-speed expert
ments in electric traction, about whose
stoppage there seemed to be some mys-
terry, were, it now appears, suspended
temporarily because the roadbed was
not strong enough to bear such high
velocities. Says Engineering Oondon,
April 25): Eat high speeds great trou-
BILE was had with the tracks. The
rails weighed only sixty-seven and
one-half pounds per yard and
were spiked, for the most part. to
wooden crossties. although a few iron
ties were also used. AS long as the
speed did not exceed 100 kilometres per
hour no evil effects were noticed, but
when the speed went to lao kilometres
(S7 miles, per hour, the carriage began
TO roll little, owing to the lightness
of the permanent way. The expert
ments show that eightyfive pound rails
would be heavy enough for speeds up
to 100 miles an hour. The tests
were finally stopped on account of the
| yielding of the track, both horizontally
and vertically. Heavier rails
are to be put down and the roadbed
improved to permit the equipment to
attain the full speed for which they
were designed"
There are few persons, says the
Family Doctor, who can tell offhand
| just what positions they assume to in
| Vite sleep, and yet there is not an in
| dividual in the world who has not
some trick of distributing limbs and
| trunk to insure slumber's blissful spell
! which he practices unconsciously. This
| is night habit, as perpetual and i'm
mutable under normal conditions as the
| succession of the season. No sooner
| are We really off to the land of nod
| than the night habit asserts it's domn-
ion. Our hands and arms seek the
| same parts of the bed or, the same por-
tion% OF our bodies upon which they
have nightly rested since infancy; our
| feet and legs stretch at the same an
giles OF loosely entwine in comfortable
relaxation. as commanded by uncon-
scious will. 1t is seldom our own
| deliberate volition that we place
our bodies in position for sleep,
as you will find tonight on
going to bed If you remember
/ thSSe words. In truth, II you do not
seek to combat the instincts you will
be surprised at the dispositions of the
| various members involuntarily made.
! If you endeavor to go to sleep by a
new arrangement of the body you will
| also be surprised by the revolt against
slumber which will surely ensue, but
even before the struggle is well be-
| gun you will probably surrender and
| permit, the all-masterful night habit to
| reinstate those little details of position
which long practice has made neces-
| sary to your comfort.
The new Dade county court house.
| just being completed at Miami on
the southeast coast of Florida, is one
of the most unique buildings in exist
| ence-not from the popularity of its
| construction, but from its material
says the New York Commercial. The
| underlying geological formation of
| that portion of the peninsula from MI
ami to Cutler is peculiar, In that it is
| neither coral nor coquina, but spe-
cies of limestone with the consistency
| OF putty and of a dark gray color.
This soft stone may be cut out in solid
| blocks with a spade, and upon expos
| ure to the sun and rain for two weeks
| 1t hardens and gets lighter in color.
| After months exposure it becomes
as white and hard as marble and NAV
be chiselled in the same manner. The
| architects and the contractor for the
| new court house, however, planned
that the carved work should be done
| while the stone was in it's soft state
and the most remarkable results hav
| been secured Solid blocks, six feet nv