The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-10

ITEMS OF INTEREST.

"A London medical journal says that
American apples are cored, sliced and
dried, sent to France and there con-
verified into cider. With the addition
Of carbonic acid gas and yeast and
little havoring powder the cider be-
comes champagne, and much of it goes
to England and is drunk under the de-
fusion that it is of the best brand.
Prof. Heilprin and others who
have been climbing Mont Pelee have
made liberal use of the word "arete,"
and persons who do not read French
may be at loss to know what it
means. 1t is a French word literally
used by mountain climbers, and is
probably grated into the English lam
guage by this time, though some of the
latest dictionaries do not contain ii.
Its literal Specification is IAN edge"
and 1T is applied to ridge running up
the side of a mountain between two
valleys, glaciers, or, in this case, beds
of ashes or streams of mud or lava.
1t usually offers the best means of as
cending mountain, and the word is
probably used instead of its English
equivalent, ridge" because mountain
climbing originated in Switzerland and
the climbers adopted the term from
their French speaking guides.
A dispatch from Milwaukee, Wis.
says the largest perfect pearl ever
found in the Mississippi river has been
purchased by Bunde & Upmeyer. The
gem is nearly a perfect sphere, three
quarters of an inch in diameter. 1t
was recently found in the river north
OF Prairie du Chem by pearl fisher
II weighs 121 grains, and the price paid
was over $4,000. Louis w. Bundle
said: THE formation is perfect. 1t
is without blemish, and the shade Is
all that could be desired. 1t will event.
ually go to Europe to adorn the head
piece of some monarch. 1t can only
be used in tiara, headpiece, or clus-
ter. 1t might be used as the center
pearl in a necklace but for the fact
that pearls of nearly the same size
to be used in graduating could not be
obtained. The pearl fisheries on the
Mississippi extend from Hannibal,
Mo-, to Red Wing, Miss. The fishers
average one-half ton a day in hook
ing shells, which are sold to button
manufacturers. They are paid S14 a
ton, and consequently make good
wages if they never find a pearl Of
great size. The shells in which these
are found weigh about four pounds
The supply of drinking water for
the family should be tested at least
once year, says the Health Maya
zine. Water that at one time is pure
and wholesome may become too i'm
pure for use, yet it may be without
color, and have no odor or taste to
show its dangerous qualities. sim
pie test of drinking water is the
Meisch sewage test. Fill a clean mint
bottle three-quarters full of the water
TO be tested, and dissolve in ii half a
teaspoonful of graduated sugar. Cork
1T and set 1t in a warm place for two
days. If during this time it becomes
cloudy or milky it is unfit for domes-
tic use. If 1t remains perfectly clear
it is probably safe. Be careful that
the bottle is absolutely as clean as
you can make it and the sugar pure.
The second test is also a simple one.
! Obtain FROM a trustworthy druggist
about cents worth of saturated solu-
ton of permanganate of potassium.
Add about five drops of this to a pint
bottle of water. This will turn the
water a beautiful rose purple. If there
is any considerable amount of or
ganic matters, the color will give place
in the course of few hours to a more
or less dirty reddish brown. If the
color of the water in the bottle remains
for twelve hours unchanged from the
rose purple it assumed when the per-
manganate of potassium was first add
ed, it may be considered free from or
ganic contamina ton.
Nearly every one has heard of the
tuatara, the curious iguana-like look
ing creature, now found on only one
or two islands off the coast of New
Zealand, and supposed to be the old
est living type of animal on the face
OF the glope, says the Melbourne (Aus-
tralia) Argus. One of the most Curl
Gus features is an organ on the head.
which at one time was spoken of as
the pineal gland, but which DR.. Den5v
discovered TO be in reality third eve
his paper on the subject caused the
greatest interest in the English scien-
tinc circles, and, as an illustration of
the way in which research is special
lied nowadays, it may be mentioned
that while DR.. Dendy devoted himself
10 the study of the third eye, one dis
tlnguished English BIOLOGIST is work
ing out the skeleton, another the kid
neys' and so forth. In a short time
therefore, our anatomical KNOWLEDGE
OF the tuatara ought to be complete
more recently DIR. Dendy has discov-
cred another New Zealand creature
possessing third eye. This is the New
zealand lamprey a favorite article of
food among the Maoris The third eve
Is situated on the top Of the head and
is covered with thin coating of skin.
IL is doubtful whether il is now OF
any practical use for seeing. but DR..
Dendy believes that at one time. far
BACK IN the worlds history, there were
two eyes In the back OF the lamprev's
head. lie is further of the opinion
that enc time the tuatara also had two
eyes where now only one remains. In
INC auatara II Is che left eye which
mas survived while In the lamprey il