The Washington times., 1906-07-15
ABOUT PEOPLE AND PLACES.

Aluminium has suddenly come into
use for so many purposes where cop
per and brass were formerly employed
that the supply is everywhere far short
OF the demand. The automobile mEnu-
facture is largely responsible for the
shortage.
r. P. Peters. who soon will be ninety
two years old, IS a park policeman in
Sioux City. Iowa. Recently he visited
two daughters in Philadelphia. stopping
IN Chester county. Pa. where he was
born. According 10 this veteran Of
fcer, good habits. clear conscience.
and hard work" are the three pre-
requisites 20 long life.
Recent explosions In coal mines havo
shown that the fine dust which settles
on the timber and sides Of roadways IS
an element Of serious danger, The risk
is kept at the minimum when and where
the dust is removed az much as pos
sible and the currents of air forced
into the mine through ventiIating shafts
are made as dry as practicable.
As a rule, with few exceptions. the
surface Of the earth under the oceans
is devoid of striking and abrupt con-
trasts 1t would be mOnotonOus tf II
were brought to view. The action OF
the water and the depOsiting Of or
ganic and other matter settling down
through the sea have smOothed down
the greater part OF the subaQueous
earth and left 1t far from picturesque,
Haberdashers now keep plain ribbon
ties on reels, the way tape is sold;
but instead OF having 20 take the whole
roll, a length OF tie is shipped of for
each customer. The advantage of the
reel is that G tie Will At the size col
lar worn by the buyer. Formerly diff
ferent lengths had TO be kept In stock,
but now thin neCks or fat ones, small
sizes or large, may each be ntted ac-
nurately by outing a piece on the reel.
DR.. Chauvel, medical inspector of the
French army, deals. heavy oIow at
| the popular surgical treatment OF ap-
Dendicitis in a special report OF statls-
] fical nature. He shows that out or ooS
cases Of appendicitis IN the mliltary
HOSPITALS OF France. $50 were operated
mon WhtIe 4SO received only medical
treatment OF the latter there were
only three that resulted fatally, %heteAs
OF the much smaller NUMBER uedit Win
by the use of the knife. tWenty-thTee
were lost =,
Locusts arc devastating southern Al
geria. The swarms are so great as al
rlost TO defy imagination II IS not edsy
20 conceive OF An almost solid phdIahA
OF insects 10 Ll4AtS AOAA6 ~ eA--
wide Unfortunately. the devastation
which such mvriads Of Voracious insects
must create in vegetation is not so dith-
cult to appreciate. Wherever the most
has passed nothing green remains Even
the houses are becoming uninhabltaD pie
The Oran province seems doomed Tor
this wear.
Professor Hansteen. Of the Agricul-
tmai School at Aas. Norway, finds that
greenish-White moss common in that
| country can be converted into delicious
| and nutritious food by being subjected
! TO a chemical process, compressed and
/ cooked. He says that nine ounces OF
moss costing , cents. viii make good
dinner for six persons-which is evi-
| ton. tnasmuch as an ounce and a half
| or FOOD is not enough 10 make sub
stantial meal for a normal man or
woman
missionary recently returned from
the region OF upper Congo in Africa,
/ says that he saw there curious plat
form thirty feet high erected in front of
the head sentry's house. The latter in
formed the missionary that II was a
large stage from which to shoot leon
ards, but natives told him that II was n
torture platform. Unfortunates who did
not bring in sufficient quantities of rub
Der were first beaten. sometimes almost
TO death, and then taken TO the TOD OF
the structure and compelled 70 gaze al
the sun until relatives brought the
necessary amount of rubber as redemp-
tion.
A gentleman travelling in Europe en-