The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-25
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Under the heading, "a New Ger
man Industry" German papers state
that the manufacture of quartz glass
is rapidly developing in that country.
Quartz glass consists essentially of
melted quartz and is perfectly translu-
cent.
A French soldier has invented a
device which will prevent all sound
and smoke from escaping from a rifle,
according to his claim. The device con-
sists of steel tube thirty inches long,
which is larger than the bore, and at
tached to the muzzle of the rifle. There
are partitions in this tube which have
orifices slightly larger than the bullet,
and the gases are retarded by each
partition in turn, and finally escape un-
noticed
The composition used in gas light
mantles is SO per cent. thoria and per
cent. ceria. The foundation of the
Welsbach mantles is cotton fiber, but
the Lehner fabric, composed of arti-
fetal silk, made from collodion, gives
a more brilliant light and a far longer
life, but such mantles are naturally
more expensive. The experience OF
Buhlman Of Berlin with mantles made
of ramie fiber have given most encour-
aging results.
An old theory is that the earth is
slowly drying through chemical COM
bination of the water with the crust.
A French geographer, M. Martet, has
been investigating numerous caVefns,
and drying valleys, and had convinced
himself that more rapid absorption is
taking place, and that our water sup
ply is being swallowed up at an ap-
probable rate by the assures and cav
tiles of rocks and soil. He urges a
more thorough study, with a view of
lessening absorption if possible.
An explanation of the recent "col-
ored" rains which have fallen in Eng
land is found in the story told by a
skipper of the steamship Sok, which
recently arrived in Plymouth, England,
from South African ports. Off the At
rican coast for eight days the vessel
was enveloped in a sand storm of such
density that speed had to be, reduced,
the fog horn had to be blown and in
the middle of the day the cabin had
to be lighted. During all this time
the ship was navigated by dead reck-
oning.
"A traveller has made the observa-
ton that coffee-drinking people are
very seldom given to drunkenness. In
Brazil, for instance, where coffee is
grown extensively and all the inhab-
itants drink it many times a day, in
toxication is rarely seen. The effect
is not only noticeable among the ma
tives, but the foreigner who settles
there, though possessed of even such
a passion for strong drink, gradually
loses his liking for alcohol as he &C
quires the coffee-drinking habit of the
Brazilian.
Skye Temple, one of Gen. Robert e.
Lees most famous scouts, is sick and
penniless in New York. He was wound
ed half a score of time in the Civil
War; and never fully recovered from
his injuries. His pains are so great
that he has to sleep on pallet laid
on the floor, the movement of spring
bed racking him too severely when he
attempts to turn from one side to the
other. Temple is a member of a Con-
federate veteran camp in New York
city, two members of which are doing
what they can for him.
The Paris gravediggers held a meet
ing the other day at the Labor Ex-
change, and stated their grievances. 1t
appears that their wages amount to
11f. 15c. a day, and that the remand
err comes in the shape of tips. One of
the speakers said that they did not
want tips. "They are an offense to
our dignity, and, besides, we are al
ways having words with the customers
about them" The men propose thai
tips shall be abolished, and that their
wages shall be fixed at Sf. for Paris
and 10f. for the suburbs.
Those ever-ingenious people. the
Chinese, are great at fish farming,
and one of their little lodges for
Matching young fish is most ingenious.
Taking a fresh eggs they suck the
contents through a tiny hole and re-
fl the egg with the tiny eggs of the
fish they want to hatch. The hole is
then sealed up and the egg placed I'M
der a sitting hen. In a very few
days the fish ova are so far advanced
that one has only to break the shell
into moderately warm water and the
little FISH spring to life at once.
The buzzards that have long in
tested Vera Cruz and served a useful
purpose as winged scavengers are
doomed. A London firm is putting in
a modern sewer and water system. The
birds have become so numerous that
they are a pest. The protection OF The
municipality has been removed and
when the new drainage system shall
be completed the city viii be rid Of the
pest, the numbers OF which have al
ready been : reduced somewhat by
catching the buzzards and placing