The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-07-12

IOr erection III DuiluifB the SdlhSuAei
of st. John the Divine, in New York
city. The eight columns cost $250.000.
The rough shafts measure 64xS12xT
feet, and weigh 80 tons each Only
one other structure, st. Isaac's Cathe-
dral, at st. Petersburg, has columns
approaching these in size.
The London Board of Agriculture
advocates diminishing the number of
house sparrows. 1t has been found by
hundreds of examinations that from
IS to so per cent. of the food of the
adult birds throughout the year con-
sists of cultivated grain. The aggre-
gate total taken when the sparrows
are unchecked is very large.
"A herd of goats upon which the
scientists at the University of Chicago
had been experimenting was raided
by a crowd of mischievous boys the
other day, and one lad was apprehend-
ed while making off with a billy
whose system had been filled with dis
ease germs imported from India. An
other of the precious animals was full
of bichlofide of gold, which cost the
university authorities $500.
One Of the most extraordinary sui
cides on record is reported from Pesth.
Baron Rela Oluyi, a wealthy citizen,
deliberately poisoned himself by smok-
ing cigars and tobacco to excess. The
baron had lost a large fortune in spec
ulation. Having a wife and six chill
dren, he insured himself very heavily
on their behalf in five companies, and
then proceeded to put into operation
his unique plan for self-destruction.
"A new use has been found for tele-
graph wires. DR.. Laska, Polish me-
teorologist, has studied the humming
sound they emit occasionally, and has
found that it is not caused by the wind,
as commonly supposed. Eydam's OBJ
serVations, extending over several
years, show that these sounds always
indicate the approach of rain, snow or
storm, and Laska inclines to the be-
lief that they are in some way caused
by terrestrial vibrations induced by
meteorological changes.
"A scientist has recently published
brochure on the subject of right and
left handedness. The explanation for
the phenomenon in any person is
traced to the pressure of his blood in
the two halves of his brain. He con-
cludes that for right-handed subjects
there is an excess of pressure in the
left half of the brain, accompanied by
an excess of excitability and of vital
ity in all those parts of the body de-
pendent on the left brain. For left
handed people the reverse is true.
"A kindly man was ramping
through the streets of Logansport,
Ind, Saturday with a revolver in one
hand and a bowie knife in the other,
announcing in a confidential way that
he was the whole thing and created
Adam and Eve 1903 years ago. When
he was not occupied in taking strang-
ers into his confidence about this he
was looking for the man who muir
dered his son 1913 years ago, but as
the double 13 seemed an unlucky num-
Der he had not found him at the last
report.
Amazing" said a scientist, us the
popularity of the belief that toads live
for long spaces of time in rocks. Only
last week a quarryman sent to me
a toad that he had found imbedded,
he said, in solid block of stone. OF
course, there is no truth in the idea
that these reptiles can exist shut up
for years without food and air, but
there is truth in the stories of their
being found in rocks. The rocks,
though, are not solid, as the finders
| incline to think, and the toads have
| only been in them, it is probable for
few hours, instead of for years and
years"
"A Philadelphia genius, according
to the Record, has invented an article
which will simplify the labors of man
kind. II have patented a rubber
| stamp machine" said the inventor,
that will be of use to newspaper
writer's and to business men. 1t con-
tains on revolving paddles phrases that
are in daily use in business cores
pondence and in the press. With my
machine, instead of writing these
phrases, you will only have to stamp
them in. Some of them are: Death in
the flames Yours of even date at
hand, and in reply would say; 'Succu-
lent bivalves;' 1T is alleged We
! have yours of yesterday, and have re-
| ferred same;' Another lynching hor-
ror;' Breathing spot (synonyme for
city park; Regarding your account,
we beg to say Thanking you in adj
vance, we are"
One of the most startling of mod
ern changes is reported from Russia.
The item is found in the st. Petersburg
| Press. The daring innovator is the
widow of chimney sweeper who died
| recently leaving half dozen olive
branches, all of them girls. Necessity,
\ which is the mother of invention, has
now inspired this thoughtful woman to
| take to her husbands calling, and in
order to do the thing thoroughly while
| she is about it she means to form
| whole guild of female sweeps, if the po-
lice grant the needed permission. BY
the way of assistants, or, as Lamb
| termed them, "unfledged practitioners"
| she processes to train up girls between
the ages of and IL years, while the
| full blown members of the guild would
| include girls and women of from IA to
S5. The first appearance of these novel
sweeps is fixed for Aug. /.
The French have some variations
on looping the loop" says the New
York Tribune. The record sensation
is the "deathly circle over the lions
| cage" The cercle de la mort itself,
which is no novelty, consists of a cir
cular cycling track which, while per-
formers ride round 1t, is slowly raised,
the center remaining on the ground.
| Eventually the cyclists are displayed
tearing round what looks like the inner
surface of a basin with no bottom. AT
| Neuilly Fair the circle is to rest on a
lions cage. When the track is raised
the roof of the wild beasts house will
| at the same time slide off Thus the
cyclists will, as usual, be disclosed rid
ing round the side of BASIN but thew
will be worse off than if the latter
were bottomless, for beneath them