New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-12-15
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

NrnRAsKA's CLAIMS TO VoLCANo'-lne
last EARTHQUAKE At the West was supposed W h"'
.tsd from locality in Nebraska that mas oeen Vop"'"
rororded as the site Of volcano Professor sauuei
.-hoy ~ the Nebraska state University has recehuS
,oode an examination Of the ground The scat ol us
ENHANCE is on the banks OF the Missouri In DIXON Oou
Nv about thirty-six miles from sioux Ol'S' p'un
sbout 90 feet long and 160 feet high sopng al az
n NJ coo 10 500 toward the river, is at present Ve
Mace where the phenomena are most e1hioited, ou'
other hints at a few miles distance have been summary
affected Two years ago. portion OF TINS oul' man a.
large as what left broke and fell partly INTO INC
r,ver On the bluff sounds were heard proceeding ''
M interior especially placing the ear to the groonu
FLAMES sometimes broke forth, occasionally at mknt'
steam escaped from crevices on digging into the bln
intense heat stopped the work after proceeding leW
feet seene alum, aad magnesc sulphate In crystals
were abundant Professor Aughey regsruS 'hese Io'.
,urs rs not volcanic in the usual sense OF the tei ou
,inp,v the result Of local chemical action The lorna
lion is cretaceous The bluff is capped by caleic carbon
s.e Bepeath are shales containing ferrc bisulphde IN
CRYSTALS of pyrltes Below the shae is soft limestone
Containing carbonates Of magnesia and aumina. The
% snsked Win water a,ier fan toward the river
been the decomposition OF the pyres the pIou1o
ZION OF sulphuuc acid and the atSk OF me si S of
eIkane csrDonates The heat evolved IN tne nTst 90, o
these reactions is Of course very great inc
part the violence OF the performance mus M onten
iV fhe liberation OF caTbOulc anhydrde Ah INC n.
heated disturbances are tnus easily expalheu nSo
lie thinks the bluff might furnish alum ana osner s"i''
IN quantities kuuicicLt lOt Pioi''N'O "'''''N
THE VIRGINIA METEOR.-Professor j. l..
C.nphell OF Washington and Lee University mas oeeu
eoating and discussing the data for the great meteor
which was in many parts OF Virginia on tue al''i
noon Of November 20 he concludes that its heght was
about 100 miles; but this estimate is merely approx
mate. Its course seems to have been $ or TO- west o
north lis explosion appears have taken place Overtime
southeast corner of Halifax County, about 10 or ~
miles little south Of west from CarEsyille' Ioo mics
from Richmond so from Lexington ana % rom I'D"
lg. 10 meteor OF unusual SIG ana @ I'LL
deionatef loudly when exploded Professor Os.upoIl
facits further observations from people VINO saN inc
phenomenon.
SnIPwRFCks AND METEOROLOGY-Ina paper
recently read before American Philosophical Society,
lv Professor william Basus the Oss Of the naval steam
.iD Huron was ascrbed 10 defective meteorological sci
epcc Professor Blasus argues that the INSTRUCTIONS
supplied to commanders in the navy are misleading IN
rsect 20 the Of he barometer for storm warnings
nd as to that should be selected ID sahS SO
as TO AVOID uc worst Of storm The areas OF low par
onctcr which are usually regarded as representing
ttorms Professor Basius says, should he considered
only ar the effects Two OF high barometer create
an area low barometer between them; but tue STORM
Itself may approach given position with either railing
orrsng barometer, according to the kind OF Stor' inc
state ~ its development and the position OF the on
server in regard 60 tie storm. These factors IN the CA
eia,on can De ascert;aned from observations on The
winds and cuds The rule of selecting course for the
vessel 10 me let 81 tho path of the centre OF storm
tLat IT, toward tho shOIc for storms taEGnuS nou
saI+G mn me atlantic coastPrOie>sOr Basus regards
pe q mistake, based erroneous theories OF meteor
oiosy
A A FILTER TO PURIFY AIR.-At a recent meet
VI ing of tine N.York Academy Of Useful Arts, attention
was called To simple method Of hltering the AIR OF an
apartment The object is 20 free the air from dust eX
ccsyc lumpne-s. and possibly, from the germs o. nal
nrla The cou,rvau"e consists essentially OF ferrous
woven fabric strengthened Oy brass wire IL is 10 DC
applied to windows ana venators, aud may be OF ser
wee on railway cars exclude dust Ii has me merit
ofcheckrc drafts while admitting air It's general use
might tend 10 prevent the spread Of msiaral diseases
r1 modify tGc dangers mat dirty streets occasion 10 Tie
health OF city residents.
CHEAP ELECTRICAL APPARATUs.-Ihe youth
WHO study science now, have great advantages over
1,c~ .athers. Books scientific SUBJECTS are "Ii''o"
1,.r. simply and the experiments suggested are less
costly than the olter ones further improvement mas
no., devised by preparing cheap set of apparatus Tor
4. .l1frau1u OF an entire branch oil science III carry
On. inns pau with respect 20 electrical science the
ooLtnown work Of Professor IyndaH mas beeh oi-
uei aud apparatus provided 90 execute each OF the
esr,rments he describes. Any OF the pieces OF ap-
,7 c7n p, bought separately At AVERAGE Of about
dollar apiece: he whole for that scien costing
g. with such apparatus in his hands student
learns 20 think and operate Tor himself far more ch'c-
t.,v than with costly machines which be is rarely per
u.,,c 60 use The system has been developed IN this
,v nd already has been found Of good service In the
frriiernc, of Intelligent educational WORK; tue appI
d
au .ud helps % interest te scholar III the care ana
Islalcment Of Tie tools of science
NEW Arctic EXPEDITION.-A whaling
s...l slp the Vega, has been bought for the Swedish
h.r Expeitiou which is start next July from Goth
tu7 The vessel IS very strongly bmit, aud can carry
o enough for cruise Of 5000 miles; she Is 10 DC sup
p tb sufficient provisions 10 serve for three years
CI,.ai9 Palsnder viii lie in commands less than thirty
prsas viii be on board in ALL three or four will con-
t.-Y.s the scientific corps The King Of Sweden the
Co.o-umeut. oscar Dickson Of Gothenbure, and Mr.
e,ar4 .koG IA Russau conformity defray the expenses
Tho projected voyage will be eastward from NOvays
univ along the Siberian coast down through BeAring
coming back around Asia and the SueZ Canal.
Tiis VIII ciICumuGyigltc both Europe ana Asia
DEEP SEA DREDGING II THE GULF OF MEX
1coProfcssor Alexander Agasiz starting FOR Havana
WI an assistant, there 30 board the Coast Survey
.s.ner Blake which has just sailed on surveying
e,,,r that viii occupy this Winter in the work Of OBJ
tlug soundngs in the Gulf Of Mexico. As tins work is
cucted 10 is made less useful to terrestrial physics
auI natural history than to navigation. BY study OF
IT, lp nails drclgcd from the bottom Of the Gull Pro
fro~ N.a,s.z viii be enabled 20 make important com
1rus with the fauna Of the Atlantic, aud especially
4. q, growth habits mgrations and changes Of living
forms f1uud ma tire waters the British Islands and
T. scandinavian Peninsula. The expedition is under
tho command ~ Lieutenant Commander Charles ID.
hrsbce L. s. n, who has hat several years ex-
lticuc, ou survey duty, and has been notably
tocs.ful iu deep sOundings. Tho Bake was named
10 tLc la,e Commander George 8 Blake who made tc
tJdudi, tIe Coast Survey charts from fOn JuoI'u
b. C.pc M.5. r'y1yc years ago.
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.
sfI.,,o .r. ,iua+ear Tovvich Dlocps of wOvc hin