Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-09-17

tuc HuSSJILLes the Highest peak III the
Alps on Bavarian territory. It's height
is about 10000 feet. The railway will
run to the summit. while a hotel will
be built at the 7,00O-foot level.
W. W. Hilditch, of the Sheffield Sci
entiic School, has by laboratory tests
aScertaIned that the bacteria found on
paper money, while running up into
the thousands for each bill, are not
usually of an infectious or virulent
type.
There are some large profits made on
goods sold in New York City, but the
greatest percentage goes to the retailers
Of jewelry that has imitation precious
stones in its composition. The profit is
often one thousand times as much as
the goods cost. To get $40 for what
cost 40 cents is quite usual.
The Swamp Angel was the name
given by the Federal soldiers to an
eight-inch Parrot gun which was
mounted on a battery built on piles
driven into a swamp outside of Charles
ton, S. c., and used during the siege of
that city. 1t burst Aug %, 1868. After
the war it was bought with some con-
demned metal and sent to Trenton to
be melted, but, having been identified,
was set up on a granite base on the
corner of Perry and Clinton streets in
that city.
Two Odd-lOoking craft are to be seen
at work on the st. Lawrence ship
canal. They are used for removal of
powders which are too large for a
dredge to lift or to clear the bottom
before the dredge is placed to work at
any locality. The litter consists Of a
through which the large sixty-ton ca
pacity tongs or grips can descend to
the river bottom, there to pick up bowl
ders, which can be hauled to the deck
by the hosting engine situated aft.
The new Chinese Board of Education
proposes to establish a Shih-fan
Hsueh-tang, or civil normal college, in
Picking for training teachers for ser
colleges throughout the empire In adj
dition to Chinese classics, says Har-
per's Weekly. English, French, German,
Russian and japanese will be taught in
the proposed college, under the instruc-
ton of experienced teachers. The col
lege will be established in the Chinese
city in the course of the present year,
and the annual expenditure is esti-
mated to be about 100000 taels (about
$70,OOO).
Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria
was rs years old on Aug. IS, but he
is still an ardent hunter. Having set
tied down at Ischl for his summer hol-
iday, the Emperor lost no time in be-
ginning his favorite sport of deer shoot
ing. In the first formal court shoot the
Emperor and his party drove in car
riages as far into the mountains as pos
sible and then took to horses. But
after riding for a quarter of an hour
his Majesty was forced to walk the rest
of the way up the Steinberg 5000 feet
high. An hours climb brought the
party to the hunting ground, and the
Emperor shot four stays.
The readiness of Japan and China
in adapting themselves to Western
methods of identification, says the
Railway News, is to-day amply evil
denced in the work going on in the
large cities of these two countries.
Yokohama has Its electric tramways.
Toxic, the capital of Japan, has a fine
system of electric railways. The rail-
way engineers and directors are Japan
csc. Shanghai has recently completed
a splendid system of tramways, and
Hong-Kong has operated street rail
ways for several years with good re-
suits There are many other cities in
Japan and China which will undoubt-
edly follow the example Of these cities.
Good anecdotes of Saphir, the great
German humorist and editor, are still
In circulation. A young couple, newly
engaged, were favored with a letter OF
introduction to him, which they duly
presented Now, the gentleman was
notorious for his effeminate habits and
ways, and his appearance at once
struck the eyes of the observant jour.
nalist, who had heard about him. He
said nothing, received the pair with EN-.
pressement, insisted upon their being
seated in his most comfortable easy
| chairs, assured them how pleased he
was to hear of their enga cement, and
wound up with: Now, pray, you must
you really must, tell me which of yor
| Is to be the bride"
When Charles Dickens was in Wash
! ington he met one morning on the steps
of the Capitol a young Congressman
from Tennessee. whom the great novel
| ist had offended by his bluntness. That
morning Dickens was in great good hui
NOR. Il have" said he, found an
almost exact counterpart Of Little
Nell" Little Nell who?' queried the
Tennesseean. Dickens looked him over
from head to foot, and from foot to
head before he answered. MY Little
| Nell" oh" said the TeInesseean, 81
didn't know you had your daughter
with you" 81 am speaking of the Lit
tie Nell of my story, The Old Curiosity
Shop sir" retorted Dickens, flushing.
| "Oh," said the imperturbable Tennes-