The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-17

tention say the weak spot of the Japa-
nese navy is it's engine rooms. 1t
seems to be conceded that Scotland
raises more and better engineers than
any other land.
The University of Edinburgh has
conferred the degree of doctor of laws
on Hannis Taylor, the former United
States minister to Spain. The same
honor was conferred some time ago by
the University of Dublin. Mr. Tay-
lar will receive the degree at Dublin,
the last of June and at Edinburgh
early in July. His textbooks are used
in both universities.
w. Jennings, of Hampton Wick,
England, lately received from the ad-
miralty his prize money for services,
rendered while a second-class boy on
His Majestys ship Archer, one of the
Baltic fleet, in assisting to capture
several Russian warships in 1854. The
recipient, who is a general dealer, had
forgotten all about his money, and the
receipt greatly surprised him.
The Bishop of the Philippines, who
was for years a Missionary in Japan
says: To-day the japanese are a ma
ton without a religion. Shintoism is
little more than an interesting historic
ldIlODdl
dition, now a venerable ruin Budd-
hism, the question of its theoretical
value being laid aside, is no longer
able to inspire; whatever it may be as
philosophy, as religion it is dead"
Nine. Emma Calve, the famous
singer, is one Of those people who like
to have their tombs ready for them in
case anything should happen. Some
four years ago the great actress and
singer gave instructions to we'll
known French sculptor to prepare a
design for her monument and though
at first he thought she was in jest and
hesitated to begin the work, he soon
found out she was in earnest. He set
to work, therefore, and modelled a
sketch.
"A La Porte Qnd.) inventor has
been granted a patent for the construc-
ton of an automobile railway. A trial
line will, it is said, be equipped from
South Bend, Ind, to Chicago, and if
successful the road will be extended to
Cleveland. The idea is to operate
passenger automobiles and collect tolls
from private machines. The road,
which is to be of concrete, will be for
the use of all kinds of automobiles, and
the plans admit of high speed without
danger of accident by collision.
A total of ga meteorites was known
up to 1908, of which there was 1S2 irons
and only seventy-four stones in the
Western hemisphere, and 299 stones
and only SeVenty-nine irons in the
Eastern hemisphere. The records show
only the fall of $50 of these meteorites,
dating back to the fifteenth. century.
Prof. Berwerth, of Vienna, despite this
small number of known specimens, CAL
culates that 900 meteorites must fall
to the earth each year, not counting
shooting stars that disappear in the
atmosphere, and that fifty-five of these
at least should come under observa-
ton. Prof. Berwerth finds that me-
teorites have been chiefly recorded in
civilized countries, but that in many
instances there are more numerous in
thinly settled districts, and that they
have an especial affinity for mountains
Gus areas.
-One OF the strangest Wills preserv-
ed, says the St. James Gazette is that
of a Mrs. Margaret Thompson, who,
lin the name of God, amen" directed
that in her coffin should be buried all
her handkerchief and sufficient of the
best Scotch snuff to cover her body
This she preferred to flowers, as
''nothing could be more fragrant and
so refreshing to me as that precious
powder" Further, the six greatest
snufftakers in the parish of st. James,
Westminster, were to be her bearers
Six old maids, each bearing in her
hand a box filled With the best Scotch
snuff to take for their refreshment as
they walked, were TO carry the pail
Before the corpse the, minister was to
walk, carrying and partaking of a
pound of snuff. At every twenty
yards a large handful of snuff was
to be delivered to the bystanders,
while at the door of the testator's
house were to be placed for gratuitous
distribution two bushels of the same
quality of snuff. Several legacies de-
pended upon the fulfllment of the
conditions of the will, and all con-
cerned were hidden to regard the pow
der as the grand cordial of nature.
When coal gas was first introduced
as an illuminant for large towns the
tar which it condensed from the gas
was looked upon as a nuisance, writes
Sir Hiram Maxim in Harper's Weekly.
However,, chemists discovered that
coal tar was an exceedingly compli-
Gated compound and lent itself admir-
ably to the production of great num-
Der of useful chemicals. So we find
to-day that all the various brilliant
and beautiful dyes employed for color
ing various kinds of fabrics are pro-
duced from this substance. Coal tar
also furnishes the basis for several
kinds of medicines, such as trional,
sulphonal, and so on. Saccharine
which is a substitute for sugar, is
also made from coal tar Carbolic
acid (phenoD, the most important and
best known antiseptic and disinfect-
ant, is a product of coal tar BenzoI
clear and colorless liquid resem-
bling alcohol to some extent, is an
other distillate which Is employed for
removing grease spots Then we have
naphthalene, substance which to
some extent resembles camphor, and
is employed like camphor to protect
woollen. fabrics from moths.
That many a Yankee has turned
the matter of artificial fuel over in
his busy brain is attested by chap
ter in Edward w. Parkers report on
The Production of Coal in 1902"
which is about to be published by the
United States geological survey as an
extract from the annual volume Of
mineral resources. Prior to 1902 saws
the Washington Star, about 400 patents
had been issued in the United States
on artificial fuels, but up to the close
of 1901 none had proved a commercial
success. Mr.. Parker gives a list of
United States patents granted since
Jan. /, 1902. 1t remains to be seen
whether any of them will be success
fully developed. The list includes
thirty-seven patents, but contains no
mention of fuels made from petroleum