Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-12-16
MECHANICAL AND SCIENTIFIC.

The Swedish Arctic expedition ar
rived on its homeward journey at Ham
merfest, the most northern town of Nor
way, in good health and condition, Sept.
&c 1t passed the Gulf Of Obi and reached
the River Yenesei in longitude SO degrees
east on the 18th of August. AT this place
Profs Nordenskjold, Sundstrcem and
Stuxberg left the party to return home by
way Of Siberia, while the ship returned
coastwise. The expedition has brought
back rich collection illustrative Of nat
ural history and several important hy-
geographic reports.
The Mining Journal reports an cnor-
nous blast of dynamite which took place
at Cauldon Lowe Limestone Quarry, near
Frogall To test the strength OF the
dynamite it was decided to charge a
chamber with eleven hundred. weight.
The fuse was then fired, and IN the space
OF eleven minutes the charge exploded
with immense effect bringing down the
face Of the quarry thirty -four feet back
for long distance, the quantity Of stone
dropped being roughly estimated at 30
900 tons This shot illustrated the great
saving of labor in using dynamite.
1T seems that the practice Of scalping
is not peculiar to the North American In
dian. A query put forth in Nature draws
out the following information on the sub
ject HerodOtus mentions that it was one
of the most characteristic practices of the
ancient Scythians. 1t is said that the Gus
tom still prevails among the wild tribes Of
the frontier in the northeastern district of
Bengal. The Fraend IF India remarks that
:" The Maya tribes use the scalping. knife
with IA terocity that is only equaled by the
American Indians; and the scalps are
carefully preserved as evidences of their
proves and vengeance over their enemies.
On the death of chief all the scalps
taken by him during his waHike career
are burned with his remains"
New sources of india. rubber, or ma
terials characterized by the elasticity and
the other peculiar properties of that sub
stance, are constantly being brought to
light and experimental with, it being well
known that the rubber constituent abounds
in the milky juices of many plants beside
the caoutchouc tree, as, for example, the
dandelon, lettuce, etc, Recently a com
pany has been formed in London, Ontario
Province, for the extraction of caoutchouc
from milkweed, the juice of which is
found to contain some per cent OF rub
Der, In the process OF production pur-
sued in this case the plant is first partial
ly decomposed, steamed, then treated with
coa-tar naphtha, which being distilled
leaves the resi6uary caouchouc in the
solid form.
The most practicable method of OBJ
tanning tube wells is claimed to be that
which is now in vogue in Paris, the APP
paratus for driving the tube being sim
pie arrangement, consisting of common
Quartering set up rs triangle; other
pieces of quartering also guiding ram
mcr, The tubes keep themselves free
from dirt, and when spring is touched
give rs great a supply of water as the
pump can draw, the water being rs clear as
that drawn from n well with reservoir
The tubes used in this case are ordinary
three-inch gas-plpes, which serve the pur-
pose admirably. The bottom end is shod
with solid iron spike, rather larger than
the tube, SO as To clear the way for it; and
for about eighteen inches up from the
bottom II is perforated SO rs 10 admit the
water freely, but at the same time To eX-
CluGe grayel-N. Y. S,ln.