The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-13
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

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Fiume and New York Three steamers
are detailed on the line.
in the everlasting battle between
guns and armor, the latter seems to
have won a new victory NJ. Charpy,
manager of the Montluchon factory
OF the Chatillon Iron Works in France,
announces that he has discovered
method of hardening steel so that
plates of three and four inches thick
ness are equal in their power of re-
Sistance to plates twice as thick. The
application of such armor to a YES
sci would reduce it's weight from 30
to IS per cent. The French govern
ment after the most exhaustive tests,
confirms the inventors assertion.
When the programme of 1900 is
completed Germany will have afioat
thirty-eight f1rst-cIass battle ships,
fourteen large cruisers. and thirty
eight smaller cruisers. But marked
additions are about to be made to
this programme. The present Reich
stag will probably authorize the build
ing of thirteen additional cruisers and
another squadron of eight battlesh9s
1t is planned now to have the pro-
five years before the time originally
set. Germany has now thirty-three
battleships built and building.
The Copyright act of Great Britain
brings to the British Museum so many
newspapers that a special building is
necessary to house them. This new
building at Hendon is making such
progress that II is expected to be fin
ished by the END of June. The number
of newspapers published in the United
Kingdom received at the Museum last
year was 1922, comprising 199,067 single
numbers. In addition to these 221 sets
containing 2S,7S5 numbers of colonial
and foreign newspapers were presented,
and IS sets containing 122 volumes and
1853 numbers of current colonial and
foreign newspapers were purchased.
English medical men attribute the
low death rate of 1908 and of the ear
lier months of 1904 to the abnormal
amount of rain which kept down the
dust, and with the dust pathogenic
germs. From this it will be seen that
dust must be regarded as something
more than a mere inconvenience. And
to do the motorists full justice, it
must be owned that it is even more
| disagreeable to them than it is to
pedestrians and others. An hours
motor ride on a dusty road means that
| the pulverulent soil finds it's way In
to every creVice of the clothing and
mats the hair into a semi-solid mass.
Hence arises the use of defensive ar
NOR. AS a further defense against
pathogenic germs a firm of London
chemists have introduced a form of
antiseptic soap for the special use of
motorists.
Here is something quite new in the
way of a bathtub, and it is the clean
est-looking tub ever seen, says an Ex-
change. 1t is made entirely of glass,
and is said to be much more durable
than the porcelain tub. That is to say,
that the glass, being annealed, it will
resist the action of salts or acids as
| the glaze of porcelain will not, and
nothing will break it that would not
the other. 1t is imported from Ger
many, and probably will be much
used for hospitals, where it is particu-
| larly desirable to have antiseptic furni-
ture, but it is as satisfactory or more
so for the private house. The bath
tub is in the white glass. There are
to be set bowls of the glass, and these
can be not only white, but green and
opalescent. The cost is not greater
| than porcelain. A large glass tub costs
$3.50, and porcelain one would be
about the same.
The Kaiser's first commission for a
memorial to be placed in the Hall of
Fame of the Berlin Cathedral, now
nearly completed, has been given TO
Prof Begas, for the sarcophagus of
Bismarck. One relief represents the
reunion of Germany through the
Prince. The figure of Germania is en-
throned, the genius of Peace is by her
SIDE and a procession of German rul-
ers is approaching. At the front is a
page kneeling who presents on a cush-
ion an imperial crown to Germania
The students of the University of
Missouri have circulated petition ask
ing that foreigners be excluded from
the mems dormitory. The petition fol-
lowed the announcement that an Egyp-
tian student at the university had pre-
vailed upon several of his countrymen
to enter the university next year, and
the students claim that the dorTlitory
should be for the use of Missouri stu
dents alone.
One of the objections to the motor
car is it's tendency to raise thick clouds
of dust from the highways over which
1t passes. Fully recognizing this evil,
the London Automobile Club caused
an inquiry to be instituted, under the
| supervision of Col. Crompton. C. B.
The cycle track at the Crystal Palace
was selected as the theater of opera
lloIS, ana portion or the track was
covered with the sweepings from
! flour mill, which were raked over and
renewed between each test 1t was
sbon discovered, however, that the
eye was not capable of estimating fair
ly the great difference which existed
in the dust-raising proclivities of diff
ferent cars, and the camera was en-
listed as recording officer with the
most satisfactory results. Two cam
eras were employed, and the cars were
photographed past at various speeds.
These photographs show that, while
certain cars are very dusty ones,
others raise no more dust than a
horse-drawn vehicle. From these ex-
periments it would seem that the
amount of dust does not so much de-
pend upon the kind of tire employed
as upon the amount of space below
the car. If this is quite unimpeded
| by hanging gear, or in any other way.
the dust raise is not considerable.
The unique progress of Japan and
the remarkable efficiency of it's people
in everything they undertake suggest
some interesting questions as to the
influence Of diet and personal hygiene
on national welfare. The British Med
ical Journay says that the Japanese
themselves attribute their high aver
age of physical strength to plain
and frugal diet, and the system of
gymnastics called jiu-jitsu, which in
cludes a knowledge of anatomy and
of the external and internal uses of
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