The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-07-05
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


held up near Bound Brook by a swarm
of mosquitoes. The motorman was at
tackled on all sides and was compelled
to stop the car, which was delayed for
ty minutes. It is thought that this
trouble will be prevented in the future
if the motormen wear bird cages on
their heads.
August Bebel is the man of the
hour in Germany. He is the leader of
the Social Democrats, who have just
cast a vote of 100000. or one-third of
the entire vote of the empire. He was
born in Cologne in 1910, the son Of a
sergeant in an infantry regiment. He
was apprenticed to a turner, and when
his trade was learned he tramped
through Germany, getting work wher-
ever he could.
The expression bakers DOZEN"
which is in point of fact thirteen, has
a history. For baker in the olden
times to give short weight in bread
exposed him to considerable penalties,
and thus the custom arose of adding an
extra loaf to the dozen as compensa-
ton for any possible deficiencies In the
rest of the batch. The extra article
was originally a safeguard to avert the
chance of heavy fine.
One of the largest families in st.
Louis, Mo-, that of Arthur w. Becker,
is joyously celebrating the birth Of
baby girl. This is the first time in 14O
years that girl has been born in the
family. The grandfather, ]. Becker,
had five boys, and his father, Jacob
Becker, had four male heirs. The IA
Their of Jacob Becker had no sisters
and no daughters, and none of his sons
had any daughters.
-Lyddite. freed from all technical
description, is merely a form of picric
acid melted down and allowed to So
Hdify. 1t was discovered in 1771, and
for century and a quarter served a
peaceful but very useful purpose as a
dye for silk and wooden materials with
out Its explosive powers being dreamt
of. A few years ago a warehouse fire
occurred in Manchester, England, and
the flames spread to a shed in which
plcrlc acid was stored. There was a
terrible explosion and an investigation
took place, with the result that lyddite
was born.
State Treasurer Franklin o.
Briggs of New Jersey has a document
which is believed to be the original
., $780, while Congress was in session
in New York city. The document pro-
Vides for the buying of West Point
as military station and school, and
was given to Mr.. Briggs by Park
Commissioner c. L. Traver who bought
1t number of years ago in an old
Philadelphia book store. The paper
bears the signature of Thomas Jeffer-
son. Secretary of State, F. A. -Mehlen-
hnTcr Of
President John Adams
The Christian name of Peter has
never been fashionable among mon
archs. England, for example, has never
had monarch baptized as Peter, and
in other countries the Peters have been
unlucky. Peter, or Pedro, 1, Emperor
of Brazil, abdicated after an uneasy
reign, and his son, Pedro IL was driven
TO Europe by revolution and died in
Paris in 1891. Pedro the Cruel Of Cas-
Tie ana Leon was slain by his brother
IN single combat. Peter the Great of
Russia was guilty of frightful ex-
cesses; his grandson, Peter II, reigned
only three years and died of smallpox
at the age of Is. Peter III was de-
throned and strangled by conspirators.
Peter l of SerYia has already a brutal
massacre behind him.
For preserving the peace in a part
ly civilized country a railway, accord
ing TO famous statesman, is worth
more than an army corps. Although
the railways which are building from
nara 10 Damascus, in Palestine. and
from Damascus southwark toward
mecca, are primarily for military mr.
poses, they will open I'D a country
Wnlch was prosperous and fertile o00
years ago, but has since become one
Oh the waste places of the earth. They
are already using American harvesting
i t,is,cnIiery on the plain of JezreeI.
w ngll the proFos railways are finish
Gu there VIII be a demand for the ac-
fompanying modern AGRICULTURAL mo
chlnes. Galilee and the country he
rase. 7f0iii as the
1t will perhaps SURPRISE soroa 49,
sons 10 learn that electric RAILWAYS
carry eight times as many passengers
as steam railways carry. There are az
ot1 ~ railway companies, against e.
oS' steam railway companies. Tho
eiectric roads have 12S,64S miles of line
a ae 1Si' 257 miles of steam line. The
a LOT nave 67199 cars, against 1550
900 cars on steam railways, The totsI
StapltaIzatlon of electric roads is 20
I4o'oO0,645, against $116SS, 147. O91 for tbe
steam roads. The earnings are Soa1
0S4,6 S7, against s1,5Ss, 526.O 37. and tba
net income $30955, 233, against s7S1
oiI'Sl8. The electric roads are ahead
also IN the number killed and in i,IraS
the Killed numbering 1875 and the H.
yured 4I,42S, against a record of h,,.
Zo2 Killed and 4,9SS injured on ~
steam roads. The latter have over tar.
Times the mileage of the electric roads
uut ne electric roads run chiaa,,
through the crowded streets of cities
A drunken man stopped a business
man on the street this morning ana
wanted to talk. says the Atchison
Globe. The 'drunkens man had hold Of
the business mans coat collar and ~
could not escape. my time is worth
money" said the business man. ..thia
conversation will cost Won Ok cents
minute. IN two more minutes Won will
owe me a dollar" The DRUNKEN 49, W..
pald the dollar, and, when time was
up he said he guessed he had aoo,,ot
ne experiment was such a success
that the Sober Mans anti-corI,erse
tlon union will be organized at once
anu d scale OF prices fixed. The charge
tor time occupied by a plain drunk
VIII De cent minute; fancy drunk
win Iree lunch breath, double price.
ezra fancy drunk with breath smoth-
ereu IN onions, three prices, and mon
ey IN advance; where drunken man
nolds SOBER man by the coat or con-
IHues 10 shake hands through CONVEX
satlon, double price; all jokes at which
a