The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-20
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

turned out weekly in the area under
their jurisdiction. This is the output
of 100 machines.
Richard Pfund, one of the Marconi
Company experts, is on his way to
Alaska to superintend the installation
of wireless biography stations be-
tween Fort Gibbon and Bates rapids
for the United States Signal Corps
1t is expected that they will be in
operation by Oct. l. A much more ex-
tensive use of the Marconi system in
Alaska is being considered. which will
connect the territory direct with the
United States.
For some years there has been
manufactured in Austria a product
called coffee of figs which is much ap-
preciated in Germany and in Austria
Hungary, says the New York Sun. Its
nutritive power is considerable. 1t is
obtained by drying fruits-especially
figs-and mixing them with coffee. 1t
acts as a coloring agent and dimin-
ishes the excitant quality of the coffee
and corrects its bitter taste. Several
establishments in Algeria now manu-
facture fig coffee. which is already
much used in Europe.
A Vienna dispatch to the London
Chronicle says: "In the Austrian
delegation yesterday the abolition was
discussed of two kinds of punishment
in the army described as medieval
torture. The first punishment consists
in placing a man with his hands tied
backward against a wall in such po-
sition that only his toes touch the
ground. He hangs like that for half
an hour, but generally faints after five
or six minutes. In the second punish
ment the mans left leg and right
hand are fettered in such fashion as
to compel him to remain six hours on
the floor. A resolution was passed
calling on the government to abolish
these punishments, but the war minis
ter, Gen. Won Kreighammer, stated
that the punishments were necessary,
and that they did not injure healthy
men,"
The fathers of the famous monas-
terry of the Grande Chartreuse have
decided definitely to quit France and
transfer their entire plant for the
making of their celebrated liQueur to
Switzerland, says the London Chron1-
Gle. Their rich library, one or the
most valuable collections of books in
Europe has already been sent across
the frontier and is at present at the
Custom House. 1t took four wagons
to carry the numerous volumes. This
decision of the fathers will have the
effect of increasing the price of their
liqueur in England and France to
considerable extent as in future they
will have to pay the customs both
in Switzerland and France, besides the
Swiss tax on spirits, which is heavy.
AS the monks will bring a considerable
trade in their wake, they will be
great acquisition to that country. A
site for their monastery has not yet
been decided upon, but it is likely that
some quiet Alpine resort will be
chosen.
The London Standards Vienna
correspondent writes: There is an old
tradition that the so-called treasure
dome of the Jami ell Kebir mosque in
Damascus contained number of VAL
liable manuscripts relating chiefly to
early Christian times. After years of
persuasion the Sultan was induced 20
allow the opening of the dome, and
it was found that they included
number of fragments of the Old and
New Testaments, in the ancient Syri-
an language and character, together
with fragments of a translation of the
Old and New Testaments into the di-
alect of Syro- Palestine. Among the
latter was found the first evidence
of the existence of a translation of
ST. PauPs Epistles into this dialect.
which was spoken at the time OF
Christ The manuscripts have been
handed over by the Turkish Foreign
Minister to Baron Marschall, the Ger
man ambassador, for more thorough
scrutiny in Berlin.
Some months ago the New York
papers published an elaborate account
of a new method devised by an Amer
lean of cutting the diamond, by which
the brilliancy of the gem was material
ly enhanced. Little more has been
heard of this new method on this SIDE
of the Atlantic, but it seems that the
Antwerp diamond-cutterS have caught
onto the American innovation, and the
new style is being rapidly introduced
AS ordinarily cut, the best diamonds
are cut with fifty-eight facets. The new
method increases the number to eighty
the chief change being that in place
of the large facet which gives the stone
a fiat top there are eight smaller ia
Gets, rendering the top convex, and
that the little facets, or STARS, which
are commonly triangular, are to be
square. The announcement will be as
vinegar to those who are rich enough
or lucky enough to possess diamonds
of any size. To have these recut in the
new style would result in a material
reduction in the size of the gems, and
it is question whether the extra bril-
liancy secured by the recutting would
compensate the owners for the loss in
weight. BE this as it may, it is a dis
tinct feather in the cap of the Ameri
can diamond-cutter to have his new
ideas copied in what is we'll known to
be the worlds principal center of the
business.
speaking of the salt water in
vasion," said an observant man, ac-
cording to the New Orleans Times
Democrat. II have just been wonder
ing what connection there was between
conditions along the coast line at this
time, and the disturbances in Marti-
nique and st. Vincent some time ago.
The report which comes from the
waters around Ship Island to the effect
that there has been an unusual swarm
of sharks there seems to me to present
a very significant fact, and one which
might have very significant scientific
value. Some time ago the newspapers
published a story to the effect that
some of the pomice stone had been
found floating off the coast of Pensa-
cola, some of the same stuff which had
been belched out during the volcanic
disturbances in Martinique. If this is
true, and l do not doubt it, why
shouldn't we find other evidences of
these disturbances along the lower
coast line Mind you, / do not pre-
tend to know anything about the
science of the question, and do not