Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-09-10
LANCASTER WISCONSIN, TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 49, 1872

SO with these new found isolated
facts; we put them on record and by
and by they may combine and grow
into something of value to the
world"
An interesting debate took place
on the geology of Ohio, regarding
the glacial deposits and the evidenc-
es OF the action of that immense mass
Of ice, that once accumulated in the
Northern regions and forced its way
over much of the Northern States
grinding and crushing the rocks in
to gravel under its two or the miles
deep of solid ice. The fact that
something Of this kind took place in
the glacial period, over most sections
OF the country except the lead re-
giOn, the Southern states, &c, is vel
settled, but the causes OF that age oil
ice, preceded aad followed as it W as
by ages of heat, were too great o
problem for the Society to solve.
Prof. Woodman read an account oil
some Indian mounds in the Dubuque
suburbs, which also evoked q debate
upon the purposes of the Mound
Builders (who evidently lived and
became extinct long before the late
known tribes) in erecting these
strange works. One was sure that
each elevation would yield, on being
dug over, bones and other human
relics; while others contended that,
so far from being sepulchral, each
mound had been prepared as dry,
safe place to erect a tent or hut, and
that collection of them was once a
village. This being to the writer q
new and interesting view of the case,
he privately asked Prof. w. if said
mounds were not very frequently on
the highest ridges, and If their build
ers were apt to pitch their tents for
permanent home, where the keen
est winter winds and fiercest storms
would have full power, and where
water and fish were farthest off; and
whether a nomadic race would prefer
to raise such foundation wherever
they might pitch their tent, or take
their mound with them. The Prof.
supported his theory by the fact that
they usually chose locations of rare
beauty of scenery, commanding a
fine view; and they evidently had a
woadrous taste for fine scenery,
enough to outweigh all our supposed
objections.
Those versed in fossils were inter-
ested in the tooth of a fossil elephant,
lately found in Indiana. 1t was
proved by its peculiar form to belong
to none OF the six fossil species al
ready belonging to this country.
Prof. Hough in his deep discourse
on astronomical calculations, hal
much to say of the great calculating
engine in use at the Albany Observ-
atory; what it would, and would not
do. In reply, Prof. Pierce admitted
the value of the "Scheutz Tabulat-
ing Engine, for making long tedious
calculations accurately with ease to
t. G manager; but gave an ccount of
now one invented by an American
Is years old which was far superior.
He had used cheap wooden model
of it in his Coast Survey work, to
great advantage, and should try
hard to get S. 600 from Congress to
aid the poor inventor in perfecting
bis discovery and building some ma
chimes for the Government
An aged and scientific clock max er
claimed to have found the great de-
sideratum in all chronometry, a self
regulating pendulum, which would be
absolutely free from all variation by
heat and cold. His invention was
handed all about, and seemed impos-
| sible to fail but he was told that til O
same arrangement had been invented
years ago, but had utterly failed.
DR.. Palmer Of Ann Arbor got pos~
session of the Scientific ear and read
a long, tedious, essay on Mental
Disease, said to contain nothing new.
He bored them fearfully.
The subject of the alleged velocity
of electricity had been thoroughly
studied by Prof. Hough, who bad ar
rived at the conclusion that it has no
assignabie velocity; that it is in
Simultaneous, and that he had detected
the error of all former electricians.
An amateur astronomer explained
his great theory of how to construct
telescope of ten or twenty times
the power of any yet made. A vast
fixed concave reflector twenty feet in
diameter, at the bottom of a tower
200 feet wide and 200 feet high open
at the top frame work over the
top at the focal distance, like a spider
web, on which score or two of OBJ
servers, each with his "eye-piece" can
peer down into that vast mirror and
and perhaps watch the daily life OF
the people on the farthest globe oil
the Milky Way. He wanted $780,
900 worth of stock taken in his plan
and the enterprise begun at once,
but no one else viewed it as practi-
cable.
But the wondrous annals of art and
science should teach us to regard
nothing impossible.
What one inventor or one age fails
to do, may be accomplished By an
other in his own time aud way
These few points mentioned by an
unsclentific observer are hardly fail
sample of the real work of the A. A
A. S. We returned from the trip
I 10 IL. Al 4 Id