Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-04-01
MODERN LONGEV ITl.

slOlOgISt, aud others, nave eAheSNe,
their opinion that. constituted as MAJ
IS, his tenure Of life in this world /:
more than hnndred wears. Although
Flourins himself did not live much be
voud threescore Years and ten, it wou.,
seem he had some grounds to justify
such an assertion from the number o1
centenalians we hear Of on all sides
:. We are not prepared to say that human
longevity has been really increased
but one thing Is certain, that within
the last fifty years, at least, the aver
age duration Of human life has been
considerably on tha increase: for, ac-
! cording to statistical report recently
published. the mean averagein France.
whichsin 1871 was thirty-onc years and
three months, has attained Tie respect
able standard of thirtv-nine years and
! eight months for each individual inhab-
liant. Indeed, for the last five or six
centuries, the average duration of hu-
man life has been slowly but steadily
increasing. But this may be attributed
to combination of circumstances:
First, the intelligent extension and ap-
plication of the principles of the heal
ing art. including vaccination; second,
the general extension of wealth and
comfort; third, better understanding
of the principles and advantages Of
public and private hygiene; fourth,
the dissemination of elementary instruc-
tiOn.-BrUih Medical JOuFHGl.
\ PLEASANT AMUsEMEST.-M Many very
pretty little chemical experiments may
he made by the young people which
will amuse and astonish those around
them. As, for instance, with so sim
rle an article as red cabbage, a very
beautiful effect can be rendered i'll tue
following manner: Cut three leaves Of
cabbage into small pieces, and after
placing them in basin, pour pint OF
boiling water over them, letting them
stand an hour; then pour off the liq-
MD into q decanter. Then take four
wine glasses; into one put six drops of
strong vinegar; into another, six drops
of solution of soda; into the third,
the same quantity OF strong solution
of alum; and let the fourth glass re-
main empty. Fill up the glasses from
the decanter, and the liquid poured into
the glass containing the acid will
quickly become a beautiful red; that
in the glass containing the soda will be
a fine green; tina. poured into the en-
ptv one will remain unchanged. By
adding a little vinegar to the green, it
will Immediately change to red; and
on adding q little of solution OF soda
to the led it will assume fine green,
thus showing the action of acids and
alkalies on vegetable blues.
PAPER CAR WHEELs.-Car wheels OF
paper, though admitted to be superior
to those of iron OF steel, have not been
much used hitherto, owing to their
high price. Ii, however, as is claimed,
paper wheels are more durable than those
of other materials, and if they DO less III
Jury to the tracks, besides being safer
and more noiseless, it may in the end
be found economical to employ them
The Connecticut River Railroad, as we
learn from the Iron Age, is about to
give these wheels a practical trial, hav-
ing ordered a set of them for the for
ward truck of locomotive. The pro-
cess of manufacturing wheels of paper
is as follows: A number of sheets of
common straw paper are compacted to-
cether under pressure of $50 tons.
The mass is then turned perfectly round
and the hub forced into hold in the
center. The tire, which is Of steel, has
beyel of one quarter of all inch on the
inside edge, and the paper filling is
forced in under pressure of 23O tons:
Two iron disks, one on either side, and
bolted together; keep the filling from
coming out; but, as the tire bears on
the paper and not on the disks; the
wheel partakes of the elasticity of the
former. .-Popo,lW Science Noa'hW.