The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-07
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

history. The recent blizzard and in
tense cold have forced the animals
from their mountain lairs into the
valleys below in quest of food. 1t is
proposed to have about 100 men en-
gage in the chase, and from different
points they will proceed toward a
common center, which will be some
mountain basin. Into this trap the
lions will be driven and then picked
off by the marksmen.
There is a policeman's college in
st. Petersburg to train applicants for
the force. There is a museum COM
bined with the school where the pupils
make themselves familiar with the
tools of criminals. jimmies, drills, CHS
els and contrivances for robbing col
lection boxes, a special field of Rus
sian thieves. The Russian passport
system is studied in detail The du-
ties of the dVorniks, a sort of assist
ant police, are taught. They keep
watch on the residences, report on the
habits of tenants, their visitors, exam
inc the papers of newcomers and di-
rect them to report themselves at the
police station. The members of such a
clever and complicated system need
careful instruction.
In a recent issue of the London
Times is an interesting letter from ].
]. Atkinson on the use of telescope
sights in the army. He says: When
the Boer ultimatum was first assured l
wrote to the Secretary of War offer
ing to arm a regiment, in which there
were many good shots, with telescope
sights, which. as an old deerstalker, L
knew would put them on an immediate
equality with the best men among the
Nv
will also take up Lord Lovats chal-
lenge, and will show him a telescope
sight on a rife that even an English
man can use without trouble. l saw
a young man. out of an office. who
had never been at ri1e-butts in his life
before, tie some of the best shots at
Risley for the Winans prize at the last
meeting, shooting with the telescope
sight"
Special treasury agents now carry
with them new badge of office which
will admit of no possible mistake as
to their identity, says the New York
Times. 1t is in the form of a card
case, and is made of heavy leather,
with the insignia of the Treasury De-
partment on the outside. Printed on
the inside is a certification of the bear
er's appointment as a special agent of
the treasury, his term of Office, and
the date at which it expires, all of
which is signed by Secretary Shaw of
the Treasury. To complete the identifi-
cation the bearers name is printed in
bold type and his photograph appears
in one corner. The special Treasury
agents have complained on various oc-
casions that they could not satisfac-
torily establish their identity by
means of their badges alone. The new
badges Will remove all doubt on that
score. The only Treasury officials who
will carry them are the special agents.
When Americans make pilgrimage
in the PRECINCTS of Fleet street they
generally have a look at "Goldsmith's
house." as it is sometimes called, in
Wine Office Court. At present they
would find it propped up with strong
beams to prevent it's being disturbed
by the taking down of the building
next door. Goldsmith, could he return
to these old haunts, would probably
not recognize it in its splints. 1t
seems to have been in the year 1850
that he moved to these superior lodg-
ings" at No. 6 Wine Office Court. He
had been writing for John Newberry,
and here he lodged with one of New
berry's relatives, who, perhaps, kept
an eye on his Grant industry. AS we
may read in the Dictionary of Ma
tional Biography" Johnson supped at
Goldsmith's lodgings on May 81, 1851.
He had heard that Goldsmith had
quoted him as a precedent for SLOW
emily habits" and so he came to the
supper dressed with scrupulous neat
ness"
The youngest merchant in this
city, and perhaps in the United States,
is Miss Corinne Snyder, a tot of eight
years, who conducts a successful bus
mess at 1928 Fourteenth street, says the
Denver Post. Mrs. Louisa johnson
owned little store directly across the
street from Corinne's home on Four
teenth street. 1t was this little place
that the child longed to possess, and
as Mrs. Johnson was going to retire
from active business, Corinne and her
indulgent mamma purchased the store,
and Corinne was Immediately installed
as proprietress. The young lady was
found serving a big policeman with
fried eggs, pie, and coffee. 1t is to
policemen and firemen that Corinne is
now catering. Her place of business is
quite near the City Hall, and during
her earlier business career the big.
blue-coated city officials learned to ad-
mire the tact of their little friend and
often stopped to drop a brass button
into her money till" Now that she
is a real business lady, the different
city departments furnish not a few
customers for the little out-of- the-way
lunchroom.
Scientific observation justifies the
estimate that a daily average of
6,5OO,O00 tons of water is re-
ceived into the Dead Sea from
the Jordan and other sources
during the year. During the rainy
season, says the Chicago Record Her
aid, the amount is very much greater;
during the dry season it is, of course,
very much less, but this average will
be maintained year after year. There
is no outlet, and the level is kept down
by evaporation only, which is very
rapid because of the intense heat the
dry atmosphere, and the dry winds
which are constantly blowing down
the gorges between the mountains.
This evaporation causes a haze or mist
to hang over the lake at all times,
and, when it is more rapid than usual,
heavy clouds form and thunderstorms
sometimes rage with great violence in
the pocket between the cliffs, even in
the dry season. A flood of rain often
falls upon the surface of the sea when
the sun is shining, and the atmos-
phere is as dry as a bone half a. nnile
from the shore. The mountains
around the Dead Sea are rarely seen
with distinctness because of this haze.
"A gutta-percha merchant in the
(xuianac in avoroip;pu Tho A,.o