The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-11
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

ing attorney in Buchanan, Mo-, was
fined the other day for sneezing, the
justice believing that the sneeze was an
indication of contempt of court.
The number of daily newspapers
published in Germany has reached ], APO
during the present year. Prussia leads
with ZOO Bavaria, with 21S, is the only
one of the other kingdoms or princi-
palities in the empire which exceeds
100.
"A play introducing the Pied Piper
of Hamelin is about to be produced in
Vienna. Stagard, the actor who is to
appear as the Piper, will have as real
istic accessories a vast swarm of tame
rats-hundreds of them-which are be-
ing trained to follow him across the
stage. 1t is expected that this will be
quite a treat to the women on the
stage and those in the audience.
1t is not generally known. says
London Health. that in many parts of
the world clay is eaten on bread as a
substitute for butter. This is termed
'stone butter" and is used in many
parts of Germany. In northern parts
of Sweden earth is often baked in
bread, and is sold in the public mar
kets on the Italian peninsula as well
as on the Island of Sardinia, Persia,
Nubia, and other tropical countries.
This practice probably had its origin
in the knowledge that all earths have
some kind of flavor, and take the place
of SALT necessary ingredient in all
kinds of food.
From Syria comes the joyful note
of triumph caused by the arrival of
American machinery-a few machines,
but q promise of vast and ever in
creasing numbers. To Chicago belongs
the honor of revolutionizing the course
OF Syrian agriculture. In the late
harvest, says Consul Rayndal, of Bey-
root, thirtySeven American reaping
machines were working in Syria. To
the wonder of the natives and the
glory of America there also came last
year the first steam threShing outfit
Mr.. Kipling'S dictum about the eternal
severance of East from West seems
to have been delivered without proper
regard for Chicago, and now the East
and West are chanting together to
the cheerful strains of the American
steam reaper. 1t is a hopeful sign,
indeed, when in the place of the scythe
war chariot of old the fields resound to
the roar of the American built reaper
There is at least a degree of resem-
blance in appearance.
Football coaches have been trying
ever since the flying wedge" was done
away to invent new formations which
would have an effect upon the oppos-
ing line equal to that of the barbarous
wedge" and have pretty nearly sue
ceeded in the "tacklesback' fornna ton,
says the New York Post. This has
been the cause of most of the accidents
or the present season. Thus it is that
further Legislation by the Football
Committee of all the colleges is neces-
sary to keep the game from again fall
ing into disrepute. The mass plays,
which are embarrassing to the specta-
tors, and which have taken the place
OF brilliant runs around the ends,
should be abolished, and the game
made more open and less dangerous
The way to do it is simple. Change
the rules so that, in scrimmages, seven
men shall always be in the line, and
the tandem and mass-plays become
practically impossible. An even bet
ter way of reaching the desired end
might be to compel the side holding
the ball to make ten instead of Ave
yards on three downs. Massplays to
gain yard or two would then be
useless, and the open game, which is
now played, and not likely to arouse
antagonism, would be the outcome.
One of the most remarkable con-
struction feats performed by the Signal
Corps was the building of the line
from Isabelle to Guljuingan, on the
Island of Negros, over what is known
as the Volcano pass, says the Chicago
Tribune. This work was done by
party of six Signal Corps men, eight
engineers, fifteen soldiers and one
native guide, under command of
Lieutenant Alfred T. Clifton. OF the
eighteen pack animals six died during
the first few days, when the party
was painfully and slowly making it's
way up the mountain side through
an extraordinary dense tropical forest.
Before long the path became so steep
that 1t was necessary to cut footholds
for the animals, and when the summit
was reached Lieutenant Clifton was
Informed by natives that further pro-
gress was impossible. But he was not
to be daunted, and for ten days he
explored the mountains. Finally, after
he had almost given up hope, he
found a way out of the maze of preci- |
pices and ravineS, and before long the
party met the detachment which had
been working from the other side, and
the line was connected. 1t is now in |
daily use. Most of the Signal Corps
men are experienced telegraphers or
electricians, and the average of intel |
ligence among them is much higher |
than among the men of the line And !
as to their bravery, while it would |
be useless to make comparisons it is |
plain that no portion of Uncle Sans !
peacemakers have surpassed them. |
They have worked faithfully, night |
and day. in the most remote portions |
of the Philippine wilderness, and when |
ever there has been need to fight they |
have fought valorously and died like |
soldiers.
There is probably no more pictur-
esque and unique bit of f1nanciering in |
history than that by which Nathan |
Rothschild made 100000 as a result
of the battle of Waterloo, says the |
Cleveland Leader. The story is told by |
Henry Clews in his book Twenty |
eight Years in Wall Street." Roths-
child had followed Wellington during
his campaign against Napoleon, and |
at Waterloo the imam of money sat
like soldier in a shower of rain and
bullets watching the battle. AS soon
as he observed the arrival of Butcher
and the rout of the Fench, Rothschild
set spurs to his horse and rode swift
ly to Brussels. A carriage whirled him
to Ostend. and the next morning he
was at the Belgian coast. The sea was
so rough that he had to pay $500 to a
boatman to carry him across the Chan
mel, and he landed at Dover in the
evening. The next morning he was In
I.nndO0 hnforo "a /