The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-28

'sides, as it may be completely blocked
by holding q comparatively narrow STRIP
of wood vertically against the walls
at any point between the noise and the
listener.
The use of the Barberie locomotive
appliance was demonstrated recently
on the Long Island Railroad, near Ca
narsie, according to the Brooklyn
Standard The company has
scheme whereby they claim that they
can greatly lessen the loss of lives re-
sulting from failure to stop trains at
danger signals. The appliance is an
automatic arrangement to be attached
to the top of locomotive cabs. 1t is
made of glass, and should the engineer
fail to see the signal the glass viii hit
the signal and break. When this glass
is destroyed the throttle is autouat-
ically closed and the air-brake applied.
thereby preventing the starting of the
train until a new glass is submitted. Il
IS also possible to lower this glass by
merely closing the throttle and open
ing valve. The throttle cannot be
again opened until the glass is once
again raised. The device was patented
by John Barberie of Brooklyn.
When the Suez canal was first con-
templated there We're many misgivings
as to the possibility of preventing the
sand from filling up the channel. and
many suggestions were made as to the
best means of preserving the integrity
OF the banks. But it has been discov-
cred that nature has provided the
most efficient means of protecting the
waterway from injury. and a better one
than the sunburned brick or sandstone
IN use along certain parts of the canal
Ihis natural safeguard is a fringe Of
reeds, which grows thickly on the Afri-
can side below Ismaillia. The Suez
Canal Company are making an attempt
10 raise these reeds for transplanting
to other places; but the difficulty is
that they must be reared in fresh wa
ter although in after life they readily
adapt themselves to salt waters. on
the Asiatic shore of the canal no fresh
water is procurable; but the difficulty
should not be insuperable, and we may
look forward to the time when the
Suez canal will grow its own embark
ment. When this time shall have
come a waving green bulwark of reeds
will mark both banks of the great ship
canal.
A very remarkable case of auto
matte whistling following brain injury
occurred some time ago in Buffalo
The case was that of a Polish laborer
employed in the East Buffalo stock
yard. He was found one morning w.
ing unconscious beside the railroad
tracks, having evidently been struck
by passing train. He was -consid-
erably cut up, but the chief injury
was a depressed fracture of the skull
situated three inches above and one
men behind the left ear The skull
was Immediately trephined, the de-
pressed bone removed, and he was put
TO bed. and seemed to be doing well,
although ne remained unconscious.
About 10 O'Clock that night he sudden
~ began to whistle-the whistle calls
he was accustomed to use in handling
the cattle in the yards. He would con-
unue whistling for about a minute, and
then stop for five of ten minutes. He
Kept this up at regular intervals until
he died four days later. The whistling
was pitched always in the same key,
ana at no time could any melody be
distinguished. 1t was audible over the
whole hospital ward. and attracted
the attention of every one about. II
was impossible to arouse the man at
any time after the accident. and he
remained entirely unconscious to the
end and whistled until a few minutes
before he died.
Looking around for some article
Of frequent personal use which the
psychologists have not singled out for
disinfection and given a bad name to
a German medical editor finds the hand
kerchief, and is sure that in its present
careless mode of use it is great dan
ger to society. Searching for some au-
thofltauVe literary exposition of tbs
subject, he finds that DR.. Calmette. d.
rector of the Pasteur Institute at Lille
has taken up the subject and made a
number of suggestions bearing upon It.
he has also made an invention, con-
slstlng OF q metal case about the size
OF cigarette box. which ladies can
wear as q pendant and gentlemen car
~ in their pockets. The box is divided
in the middle by a partition. on the
left hand side of which handkerchief
made of Japanese silk paper or some
cheap cotton stuff may be placed.
These are only TO be used once, and can
then be put in the right hand compart-
ment and afterward burned up, se!-
Ting the Ease of any microbe concealed
IN them beyond review or appeal. HIS.
tory can point TO a long succession o.
ages in which the handkerchief in Us
old fashioned use did no harm 10 any
body, so far as known, but. It's chara =
ter now being blown upon, with scieI'-
tihc hands at the bellows, there IS NJ
doubt certain number OF people Wn'
win be afraid TO use IL without SOM
precautionary exredient, those sAs
gested by DR.. Calmette being not m1cl
more absurd than the long string ..
them ia medical and scientific iourna.'
and elsewhere which Is sure 20 follow