Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-09-22
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

The constant discovery of things which
appear strange afford q study for those
whose inclinstions lead them to sift out the
mysterious workings of the natural world
The Cardiff Giant, whose mighty remains
We're represented as having been dug from
the bowels of the earth, afforded an oppor-
tunity to our geological savans to expound
to the world the result of the diagnosis and
prognosis. so TO speak, made by them of
that wonderful curiosity. Each day brings
with it n succession of new discoveries, and
| here, almost within the limits of the Dis
trict OF Columbia, tiller of the soil has
found upon his homestead curious phe-
fnomenon of nature which should engage
the attention of the scientific world.
On the banks of the Potomac, near Fort
Foote. lives one VIM. Durr, by occupation
farmer. and who directs the manage
ment of farm of some 200 acres. Upon
taking possession of this property, some
time during the year 1869, Mr.. Durf found
several Indian relics, such as stone toma-
hawks, arrow heads, ETC., and subsequent
ly has found others, in common use among
Indians, which led him to the conclusion
that either an Indian settlement had at an
early day been located near this farm, or
that an Indian warfare had been waged
| thereon. The eastern end of the estate is
bordered by wooded grove of fine timber
land. Through this grove MIR. DUR had
occasion to pass almost daily in the pros
ecution OF his usual work. His
attention had some time since
lie Ii drawn to what, from all ap-
peGrances, resembled large stone, shaped
almost in the form of mound or grave
Many times he passed it, and seemed
/ drawn by some unaccountaDle means to
/ give it more than passing glance. Coup
! hing the fact that he had already found
many articles of natural curiosity upon the
place with the thought that the stone
might reveal something still stranger, he
last week made up his mind to provide
/ himself with the necessary tools and un-
fathom the mysteries it might reveal. On
Tuesday he commenced operations, and
upon striking the stone, found TO Lis
astonishment that it had an outer cover
i ING of the same substance, which
I yielded readily TO tue hammer, consist
! iDg Of a layer Of white sandstone, vary
IA, from one TO three inches in thickness,
which, after having been removed, lett "A
/ smoother surface, and revealed the compar-
alive distinct outlines ola petrlfied bear,
about seven feet in length and three feet in
height aud thickness After further re-
search was found the distinct outlines of q
female lace and child, and over the forms
4 of which the bear Was a com plete covering.
The head of the animal, from the indics-
tons il the petrified form, had been cleay-
ed open. and rested between the two fore
paws, it lying in that position. The hind
! legs were evidently broken off, no further
outline OF the grizzly" appearing.
The question TO be solved by philoso
piers is: Was the mother ana child killed
Il Ill
| placed over the remains of the human be 3
ings as a vigilant watch over tho dead
! One thing is certain, and thai is, that the
bear Cor what is supposed to DO such) COW
ers the entire forms Of the two bodies.
The discovery is OF such n character as
should engage the attention of some of our
leading scientific men, who, no doubt,
could form O conclusion and ef.lighten
those who may have a desire for m pre- in
formation on the mysterious subject. The
farm of Mr.. Durr is accessible FROM Fort
Foote, being but two miles therefrora.
Discoveries Made by Accident.
Not a few discoveries in tho arts and
sciences have been made or suggested 10y
accident. The use of the pendulum sug-
gested by the vibrating of a chandelier in
a cathedral; the power of steam, intinated
by the oscillatiug Of the lid of q tca-kettle;
the utility of coal gas for light, expert
nented upon by an ordinary tobacco-pipe
of white clay; the magnifying property of
lens, stumbled upon by an opticians ap-
prentice While holding spectacle glasses
between his thumb and finger-are well
known instances in proof of the fact.
Galvanism was discovered by accident.
Professor Galvani, of Bologna. in Italy,
gave his name to the operation, but his
wife is considered as actually entitled to
the credit Of The discovery. She being in
bad health. some frogs were ordered for
her. As they lay upon the table skinned.
she noticed that their limbs became strong
" convulsed when near an electrical CON-
ductor. She called her husbands atten-
ton to the fact; he instituted series of
experiments, aud in 1889 the galvanic bat
terry was invented.
Eleven years later, with that discovery
for his basis, Professor Allessandro Volta,
also an italian, announced his discovery
of the ''volatic pile"
The discovery of glass-making was efiec-
ted by seeing the sand vitrified upon which
fire had been kindled.
Bancort says that the making of plate
glass was suggested by the fact of work
man happening to break crucible filed
with melted glass. The fluid ran under
| one OF the large fagstones with which the
!, floor was paved. On raising the stone to
recover the glass, 1t was found in the form
!, of plate, such as could not be produced
by the ordinary process of blowing.
, Glass pearls, though among the most
beautiful, inexpensive and common orna
|, ments worn by the ladies, are produced by
; avery singular process. In 1866. Vene-
tian named Joaquin discovered that the
scales of fish, called bleakfish, possessed
| the property Of communicating pearly
hue to the water. Hs found, by expert
menting, that beads dipped into this watel
! assumed, when dried, the appearance o.
pearls. 1t proved, however. that the
peariy ceat when placed outside, wa,
easily rubbed of, aud the next improve
r.ent was to make the beads hollow. tn.
making of these beads is carried on to thii
day in Venice. The beads are all blowI
separately. BY means of-a small tube tb.
: insides are delicately coated with the peas
ly liquid, and waxed coating is placei
; over that. 1t requires the scales of foul
thousand fish to produce half a pint OF til,
liquid, to which small quantity of sal
ammonia and isinglass are afterward added
Lundy Foot, tho ce.ebrated snuff mann
facturer, originally kept a small tobacco
mist shop at Limerick. On one night Iii
house, which WAS uninsured, burned to tn.
: ground. AS be contemplated the smoking
ruins on the following morning. ia u STATE
bordering on despair, some of the poo
) neighbors, cropping among the embers fol
what they could find. stumbled upon sever
al canisters of unconsumed but half-bs.kes
5 snuff, which they tried. and found itso pleas
) ant TO their noses that they loaded thei
waistcoat pockets with it. Lundy Foot
d aroused from his stupor, initiated theil
, example, and took y pinch of his owl
property; when he was struck by the su
: perior pungency and flavor it had acquired
from the great heat to which it had beer
: exposed. Acting upon the hint he tool
another house in a place called Blacl
Yard. erected ovens, and set about tn,
+ manufacture of that high dried commodity
: which soon became known as Black Yart
|. snuf. Eventually he took larger hous.
, in Dublin, and making his customers pay
, literally through the. nose, amassed ,
= A - q - ! -.