The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-21
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

L
first heading containing more than
single line ever published in a Rus
sian newspaper. Previously the most
important news had ever been so hon
ored and the death of Queen Victoria
was announced without any heading
Prohibition by constitutional
amendment has been forced more or
less in Kansas for twenty-one years.
In five out of los counties the pro-
hibitory law is not enforced. These
five counties have II per cent. of the
population and furnish over 80 per
cent. of the crime.
w. Austin Edwards of London,
England, has offered to the Worlds
Fair authorities a smuggler's chest
$50 to 200 years old. 1t originally held
twelve one gallon bottles of Holland
gin. Six bottles are still in perfect
condition, while six are broken. The
chest was found in a barn. on the
southern coast of England.
The City Council of Amsterdam
has voted $685. for the extension of
the harbor works of Amsterdam
When the last obstacles in the North
sea canal shall have been removed
the canal will be deepened to such an
extent that the heaviest draft vessel
can reach Amsterdam. Quays and
large storing sheds will be required.
1t is estimated from recent photo
graphs of the craters and craterlets of
the moon that they are over 100000 in
number. Prof. Pickering thinks that
the white patches in some craters and
the numerous bright radfating lines are
due to snow, and the less conspicuous
lunar canals, which gradually appear,
increase and fade away, in the lunar
day, are attributable by the same au-
thority to vegetation.
The annual returns of the British
registrar general show a steady in
crease of mortality from anaesthesin
since 1863. Dr. A. D. Waller of the
University of London says that deaths
due to chloroform, the popular anaes-
thetic in England, are caused by too
much concentration of the inhaled va
por. A pump, invented by DIR. Dubois
OF Lyons, has proven itself especially
effective in anaesthetizing animals, and
has been tried on humans to some ex-
tent with entirely satisfactory results.
in speaking of the probable effect
on New York city's skyscrapers, had
the recent earthquake in New England
extended a little farther south, Prof.
James F. Kemp, head of the depart
ment of geology at Columbia, said:
steel structures are much better cal
culated to withstand an earthquake
shock than buildings composed entire
ly of masonry or wood. The steel
frame of a building would behave
much like wicker basket. 1t would
bend and vibrate if the shock were
strong enough, but the chances are
against it's falling"
"A total of 634 meteorites was known
up to 1903. of which there was 1872
irons and only "A stones in the West
ern Hemisphere, and 299 stones and on
ly IS irons in the Eastern Hemisphere
The records show only the fall of $50
of these meteCrites, dating back 10
the fifteenth century. Prof. Berwerth
of Vienna, despite this small num-
Der of known specimens, calculates that
800 meteorites must fall to the earth
each year, not counting shooting stars
that disappear in the atmosphere, and
that SIS of these at least should come
under observation. Prof. BerwerIh
finds that meteorites have been chiefly
recorded in civilized countries, but that
in many instances they are more
numerous in thinly settled districts.
and that they have an especial affinity
for mountainous areas.
"A Russian traveller who recently
made tour through Manchuria in
the interest of a scientific association,
gives very interesting account of
the business usages in that province.
He says there are in a Chinese bust
ness house neither proprietors nor en-
ployes. All persons employed share
I in the nrnfifG of tho nY6arf a lxincr Dur
| ing the year each member receives, at
| certain intervals, a kind of salary,
which, however, is melted out so spar
| ingly as to be hardly sufficient to sup
| ply the necessities of life. At the close
of the year the accumulated profits
are divided. Very noteworthy, accord
| ing to the statements of this traveller
is the exceptional honesty of Chinese
merchants, who always and most
promptly fulfill the engagements they
may have entered into. Thus, for in
stance, the ten branch offices of the
Russo Chinese Bank, located in China,
have since their establishment no rec
ord of a single protested note
In France the government is ''it."
1t owns the steam railroads and the
city street railways; it monopolfzes the
sale of tobacco and operates the tele-
the Buffalo Commercial When the
fascinating actress, Mile. Sylviac, lost
her temper at the telephone the other
day and called the girls in attendance
COWS" "she donkeys," and many
other epithets, the manager interfered
| and demonstrated. Whereupon Mile.
Sylviac berated the manager so vio-
lently that the authorities took away
the lady's telephone. Mile Sylviac is
sued a writ against the postmaster
| general for abuse of authority In sup
pressing the telephone of a French
citizen who duly pays the subscription
| for the same. The thirty-two Partisan
newspapers are discussing the case edi-
torially, and declare that the telephone
| administration is a modern BastiIe to
| be stormed and torn down. You see.
| municipal and state ownership is not a
panacea and not a joy forever. The
| private company has stronger incen-
| tive to study the convenience and COM
fort of its patrons than has the COM
| pany, manned by public officials.
which depends upon the public treas
ury to make good any deficit.
In the Philippine Islands no white
man drinks raw water-that is. unless
| he courts cholera or dysentery, saws
| the National Geographic Magazine
Whenever possible he boils it or dis
tills it, preferably the latter. In Man
lila is large distilling plant, car
| ried on by the government for the
use of it's civil employees. The natives
| are by no means as careful, and most