The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-14
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

-Dr- ALBERT X. 1eOOuxf an aSSayer OF
world wide repute, recently undertook
to ascertain the exact amount of COP
per which was available in the entire
world in the hands of metal dealers.
| This amount ne found to be less than
| %. 900 tons. The results were obtained
by correspondence with the dealers and
| others.
Probably one of the oldest claims
ever made against a bank is recorded
as having been made against the Ma
tional Bank of Belgium. An old
peasant woman had laid on the grass
jacket containing bank-notes of
small denomination to the amount of
s24O in the pocket, and while she was
at work her pet nannyg0at had got at
the notes, which 1T had eaten. The
beast was killed and the chewed pa
per recovered from the stomach was
submitted in support of a claim for
compensation, which the bank paid
after verifying the facts by chemical
analysis and other inquiry.
The Worlds Work notes a new use
of photography in railroading. pictures
now being substituted to a large ex-
tent for written reports and tours of
investigation. A photograph tells at a
glance its story as to the condition of
roadbed, bridges, building operations.
wrecks. etc, with the result of saving
time at headquarters. A series of pho
tographs gives the history of any piece
of work better than long manuscript
could. The Chicago and Alton Railway
has photographing department whose
function is to produce progress pic
lures" for the engineering department,
the operating department and the me-
chanical department, to say nothing Of
such scenery along the road as has ad-
vertising value.
John Chalmers, the missionary
friend of Robert Louis Stevenson. and
every inch man, once telegraphed to
England: Getting in trim for next
season. Ask Jones send one gross tom
ahawkS, one gross butchers knives
| Going East, try make friends between
| tribes" London was convulsed over the
missiOnarys peculiar way of promot-
| ing friendship with the New Guinea
cannibals, says writer in the Roch-
ester Post-Express. Chalmers had
| so likely to do this. The knife and
the tomahawk were popular for pur-
| poses CT barter among people who
would have had no use for copies of
| the Encyclopedia Britannica" or cuts
| from fashion magazine. The tele-
| gram was lncongruous only to the ig-
norant. But what shall we say to the
French police department which the
! other day announced the sale by pub
| lie auction of revolvers, jimmies, bowie
knives, knuckle busters, etc, seized on
| the criminals arrested during the last
| twelve months? AS 1t is forbidden by
| law to have such articles in ones pos
session, it would seem that the state
Is aiding and abetting a felony in SELL
ing them to the public.
Where you see a happy, sweet-tem-
| pered child, says the Scotsman, you
may rest assured that it is not a spoilt
| ore. 1t has been taught very early the
lesson of giving up its own inclina-
ton to the will of others, and has
| learned to be useful in its tiny way
| A child who feels of use to it's parents
ard playmates has an immense moral
| advantage over others who live entire
| ly for themselves. Have you ever OBJ
| served the pride and joy with which
| tiny child will perform some little task
| which, is supposed to be beyond its
strength or skill? 1 have seen d sweet
| little maiden of tender years helping
| 20 her mother with such a worldly
| wise air that it would have been sheer
| cruelty to let her imagine for one in
slant that she was rather hindrance
| But her mother was a wise woman and
| encouraged the little housemaid." who
| was becoming fretful and tired of her
| toys. Those who possess a garden
should encourage their children to as
sist in keeping it tidy. Let them re-
| move the weeds from the flowers and
| the grass from the paths. AS they get
| cider teach them how to NOV tha
lawn. This is splendid exercise and
works poth Ways-it keeps the turf in
condition and tends to strengthen the
| muscles. AS soon as you find vour
| children wearying of play set them to
| 90 something useful, not as an order
put because you really want their
help,' and you will very quickly Grad
| lcate the little weeds of discomfort and
peevishness which We're beginning to
take root in the youthful mind
Wherever the American goes in Eu-
rope, it is with a feeling of satisfac
ton that he finds, in the more impor
tant cities, the adaptation of our ideas
for fighting fire. says Scribner's. Our
steam fire engines, our brass poles that
bring men down from the upper stories
OF their station houses, our hinged COL
| lars that snap around the horses's
necks at a touch, are everywhere At
| every important international exhibit
ton of recent years, beginning even
| Win tnat OF Paris in 1867, American
fire engines and ladder trucks have
! taken prizes. At the Paris EXPOSE
| ton of two years ago an American
ire team from Kansas City, fourteen
men under Chief George C. Hale. car
| ried off all the most important honors
at the international fire congress. at
which were represented America,
France, Portugal, Holland, Norway,
Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy,
Germany, Turkey, England, Scotland,
Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, India.
Austria, Mexico and Peru. Nearly 5000
1remen took part in the competitions.
The first contest was made with steam
fire engines, on the banks of the Seine.
About 100 engines competed. The test
was made from cold water in the boil
er. The average time for foreign en-
g1nes in getting a stream from the hose
was eight to twelve minutes. Their
streams reached about half way across
the river. In five minutes and thirty
seconds the American engine threw
stream that wet people on the opposite
bank, distance of $40 feet. The size
of the stream was nearly double that
thrown by the other engines.
The average electric railway man
ager often finds himself confronted with
situation where a certain amount of
traffic could be secured by the con-
struction of a short spur in his main
track, but where there is considerab bile
hAkt ~