The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-26
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

there ~ IlQke OF lanQ In the usage
Nation covered with carloads of ante
diluvian remains. The collection OF
petrfied bones covers several acres
and it is estimated that about a hun
dred carloads of the stony remains OF
prehistoric animals are lying on the
'hogback." Most of the preserved
relics of long past period are larger
than the skeletons of the present ele-
phants. and several of the bones are
still white. A local scientist suggests
that the animals fled to the ridge to
escape flood and died there.
Floyd B. Greenhough, an engineer
on the Great Northern road, did a
brave thing the other day. During a
severe storm the wires at the station
where his engine was'>were injured.
Soon after this was discovered it was
found that nearby railroad bridge
was on fire, and an express train was
almost due to cross it. There seemed
to be no way to warn the coming
train, but Greenhough proved equal
to the emergency. He got light en-
CINE, crowded on a full head of steam,
sent the engine laundering across the
burning bridge and reached station
where the wires were intact in time
to avert a bad wreck.
The Bureau of Forestry says that
sugar culture, the principal industry
of Hawaii. depends on the preserva-
ton of the native forests. These for
ests are confined mainly to the east
and northeast sides of the mountains,
the region of rain, which saves the wa
ter that is needed to irrigate the plains
where the sugar plantations are. The
value of the forests consists not in the
trees, which are, as rule, low and
scattered, but in the dense under
growth, which is so thick that it alb
serbs and holds water like sponge.
1t is composed of vines, ferns and
moses, and is so delicate that cattle
and goats quickly destroy it, and it is
proposed to save it by fencing.
Six months ago the shock of
business failure deprived ]. Stanley
Rice, a dealer in wall paper in Osh-
kosh, Wis, of the power of speech,
and apparently rendered his mind
blank. The family later removed to
Spring Valley, Mimi, and it is learned
that a physical shock sustained by a
fall from a buggy has restored his
senses and made him again a rational
being. The accident occurred during
a runaway and it was thought at first
that Rice was killed. When he recov-
cred consciousness his mind took UP the
skein of thought just where it had left
off six months ago, and he imagined
himself carrying on a conversation
which had been interrupted by his
seizure.
Many places have curious names,
but apparently there is only one place
which has a name without any vowels.
That place is the little hamlet of WIS,
near Paris. WIS being an unpronounce-
able name, the inhabitants of the ham,
let have transformed it into "dUs,"
but this change has not been sanction
ed legally, and on all the official rec
ords the name WIS still appears. The
hamlet has III inhabitants. and its
sole attractions are the Chateau d Osny,
which has been for many years in
the possession of Edmond About's fam
lily, and the Chateau de Vigny, which
is one of the best specimens of the
Renaissance style of architecture. So
far as is known, there is only one per-
son in Europe at present who has u
name without any vowels. and that it
M. Srb, the Mayor of Prague. Strang-
ers to the city who find it necessary to
interview the Mayor take care, first
of all. to learn the proper pronuncia-
ton.
The post of veterinary surgeon to
a wild beast collection must have it's
thrilling moments, and should be COR
respondingly lucrative. M. Dumarl
who holds the retainer in animal sur
gerry for an establishment in Paris
had such an experience. Caesar, the
grandest lion in the show, had bullied
his fellow lions, and one of them had
revenged himself by biting nearly off
about seven inches of Caesars tail
This lacerated remnant. including of
course, the tuft, M. Dumarl had to
amputate The feat was accomplish
ed in this way; Caesar was first lured
into narrow cage, in which there
was just length to stand in, but none
for turning round, the tail projecting
through the bars for almost its whole
length. Upon the tail half a dozen
assistants seized, while the surgeon
went swiftly to his work, which was
successfully gone through, though the
flashing and roarings were awful. And
out of that cage Caesar could only be
got by a fearful sourging with iron
bars. But his glory is gone,
Cheap commercial acetylene gas
was discovered by accident, according
to Harper's Weekly Wilson, a sci
entific experimenter, believed that
nearly all metallic oxides could be re-
duced to a metallic state by heating
them in an extremely high tempera-
ture by the Voltaic arc in the presence
of free carbon. Aluminium had been
successfully reduced in this way. Mr.
Wilson wished to obtain metallic cal
cium. He therefore, mixed a uuan-
tity of quicklime with pulverized coke
and brought the mixture to a high
temperature by the action of the vol
taic arc. He expected to obtain a
white metal, but instead he appeared
to produce nothing but Stag. This was
thrown into the yard, and one day at
noon, while the boys were having their
luncheon, they picked up these bits of
Stag and threw them at each other
One piece fell into a pail of water and
produced a bubbling effect and a
strong odor This attracted Mr.. Will |
sons attention, and upon investigation
he found that the strong smelling gas
was extremely infammable. Further |
investigation revealed that 1t was pure
acetylene gas.
The severest cold has no terrors for
insect life. 1t has been shown by ex- |
periments that insects may be arti- |
ficially or naturally frozen, subjected |
indeed, to very low temperatures. with |
out killing or even injuring them, says |
st. Nicholas. Eggs, larvae, the purpae. |
the stages in which most insects pass |
the winter, are perfectly immune to |
cold. 1t is common idea that cocoons |
OF insects serve as a protection against
cold, but this is entirely erroneous.
Ihey like the summer webs of web
worms, are a protection against birds
ana insect parasites, but not against