The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

An extensive ana rlcn deposit OF
chronic iron ore has been found on the
coast of Cuba. thirty miles from Ba-
racoa. 1t aggregates from eight to
twelve feet in thickness.
According to advices from johann
nesburg, the recent petition to admit
Chinese laborers to South Africa had
the signatures of $4,000 men, represent
ing 20 per cent. of the white popula-
ton.
Money is being raised in London
for the erection of a monument in
memory of the 127 Jewish soldiers who
fell in the ranks of the British army
during the South African War. There
were 1000 Jewish soldiers in the army
that took part in that campaign. Their
percentage of loss was very heavy.
In connection with the naval con-
ficts now proceeding in the Far East
1t is interesting to recall that certain
Islands off the Japanese coast are ira
ditionally haunted by the ghosts of
Japanese slain in naval battles. Even
to-day the Chousen peasant fancies he
sees ghostly armies bailing out the sea
with bottomless dippers, condemned
thus to cleanse the ocean of the slain
of centuries ago.
There are more John Browns than
any other name in the new city direc-
tor of Philadelphia, but they lead the
John Smiths by only one. There are
3l6 John Browns and BIS John Smiths.
Among the 5000 names recorded are
1900 Whites, 450 Blacks, 9 Greens,
Red, II Blues, and Lavenders. In
the bird line there are Canary, Robin,
Eagle, Crow. Hawk, Sparrow. Buzz
zard, Peacock and Bantam.
"A remarkable industry of Paraguay
is the preparation of essence of orange
leaves. More than 150 years ago the
Jesuit priests, who then ruled that Sc
cluded country, imported orange seeds
and planted groves, which have now
become immense forests, filed with
small establishments for extracting the
essence which is exported to France
and the United States for use in soap
and perfumery making. 1t is also en-
ployed by the natives in Paraguay as
healing ointment and a hair tonic.
Among other interesting results of
the discoveries regarding argon, helium
and radium, and the popular interest
in them, has been a crop of scientific
jokes, of which the following are fair
examples: We. have all heard how
Sir w. Ramsay ran helium to earth"
and when he was commenting on the
fact that there seemed to be no argon
in the sun-"there is lots of heIium;
where is the argon ?" the prompt reply
was: ITS a'gone!" When the mar
velous properties of radium were ex-
planned to a Frenchman he remarked:
"C'est tres Curi-ux!" These are, need
less to say, of British origin.
According to a recent writer, the
medieval time of it. "At night, lam
tern in hand, he explores the black
chasms of the streets. Packs of dogs
hang around him, baying like wolves.
Their teeth flash and snap, for they
do not perceive the atmosphere of the
faithful. Should the wind put out his
spark of light they would surely de-
YOUR him. The watchman challenges
and holds his rifle ready. Mysterious
houses with barricaded doors hang
their stories over his head. AS he
marvels at their beauty one leg
plunges knee-deep into a mudhole in
the middle of the street. A shower
of slops descends upon him from those
melodramatic windows and he breathes
the very spirit of ,mediaevalism and
the Arabian Nights"
The recent kite observations of
temperatures existing Lat different
heights above the earth's Surface have
confirmed the usual statement. to he
found in the textbooks that an eleva-
ton of 300 feet produces a change of
one degree Fahrenheit. 1t has been
determined in this same manner that
the air on the top of Ben Nevis, in
Scotland, is several degrees cooler than
free air at an equal altitude. During
some seventy-one ascensiohs off the
west coast of Scotland made by kites
carrying recording instruments, small
tug being used to run with the kite
when the wind was not strong enough,
an average hight of $500 feet was
reached. On one occasion hight of
1000 feet was passed and once 49,
900 feet. but this record was lost, as
the highest kite, carrying the record
ing instruments. broke away.
Not less than ninety-three fortified
places of modern type, some of them
being nearly impregnable, guard at
present the French frontier from Dun
kirk to Nice. Most of them have been
built since the Franco-PrusSian War
at a cost of $400, 900, 900. France has
to appropriate annually about 81 ,000,-
900 for the maintenance of these for
tresses. OF late there are not a few
military men, and among them Gen.
Pierron, the former commander of the
Fifth Army Corps, who express grave
doubts as to the value of this chain of
Notifications in time of war. They
point to the fact that it would take
about 100000 men to garrison all the
fortresses, including Paris and Lyons,
an army which would undoubtedly be
of more value in the field. Gen. PIER
ron predicts total COLLAPSE" in case
of a new war with Germany IL the
numerous Notifications are to be re-
tained.
The ex-Queen of Italy also belongs
to the list of famous people who are
superstitious, says Leslies Weekly. She
is so strong a believer in the ill-luck
Of sitting down thirteen to table that
she will not make one of a party Of
that number; and when she held court.
the second aide-de-eamp in waiting had
always to be ready to obviate the ne
cessity of having the fatal number.
For this purpose he was summoned one
evening to attend the royal table, and
did so. but meanwhile one of the in
vited guests had met with an acct
dent and was prevented from coming.
so the number was once more reduced
to thirteen. The aide-de-camp was.
accordingly, leaving the. room, when
the king exclaimed, angriy, Return
to your place! When once any one
has taken his seat at my table he eats
his dinner there!" 1t is TO be inferred
from this that the King did not share
the superstition of his royal partner,
aud flirfaasa ~