The Red Cloud chief., 1877-10-18
THE WORLD OF SCIENCE.
Mythology and the Heavenly Bodies.

Mythology and the Heavenly Bodies.
Students of mythology and folklore
are beginning to suspect thatthe theory
which traced nearly all such traditions
to observations on the sun, moon. stars,
winds and clouds. may have been
pushed beyond the probable facts. A
reaction from these extreme views has
undoubtedly taken place, and the iniu-
ence of native sOrcerers and wizards
among uncivilized races, along with the
tendency to ascribe supernatural at
tributes to everything new. strange, or
little understood. will hereafter be more
fully valued in this line of research
Among misleading circumstances that
make it difficult to trace the origin OF
folklore, The Academy mentions, on
the authority of Mr.. RalstOn. that a
ship wrecked British sailor has been
making a living by telling the nursery
tales of his childhood to the Fijian ISL
anders.-N. Y. Tribnne.
The Whitehead Fish Torpedo.
The Austrian Government Is AID 70
he dissatisfied with the Whitehead fish
torpedo, and a similar complaint finds
utterance in England, notwithstanding
the extravagant praise that was accord
ed to the invention a few months ago.
The chief objection seems to be that,
after the TORPEDO is started under Wa
ter. its direction cannot be depended
upon. 1t is driven along as fast as was
hoped by its screw propeller. but Its
line of motion is likely to deviate if it
passes through water that has a motion
of its own, due to currents. Hence.
there is no certainty where the torpedo
may turn up; it might be so detected
from it's course as to strike a friend in
stead of an enemy. The Lay torpedo is
open to no such objection. as its direc-
ton is constantly under control of An
operator, who manages it by an electric
communication along a wire that is
payed out as it proceeds, like a string
to a kite.
Safety from Fire In Cars.
A new device is reported from Lima,
Ohio, for preventing fires from upset
stoves in railway accidents. In this
continuance the stove is surrounded by
a strong wrought iron cylinder, con-
structed in two halves. The upper half
ID usually elevated above the lower. so
as to leave space for access to the stove.
and for radiation of heat. When the
upper half falls, it closes firmly by
near of spring hooks upon the lower
one, and at the same time shuts and
fastens a heavy damper in the aperture
of the stove pipe. The upper half OF
the cylinder, when W. rests upon a
catch connected with a lever, 50 con
structed that if the a is tilted the
catch is released. The device looks as
though it might be useful, especially if
the lever machinery were more COM
pact. Perhaps nothing less than the
test of experiment would determine
whether, if a Car were upset very sud-
denly, the two parts of the cylinder
would come together before the upper
part had ceased to be above the lower.
Diversity "f Vegetation.
At a recent meeting of the Academy
of Sciences, at San Francisco, Profess
sors Hayden and Asa Gray, and Sir 10
seph Hooker we're present. Professor
Davidson made an address of u Welcome,
and the guests responded in brief
speeches. Among other striking re-
marks of Sir Joseph Hooker wa the
statement that you may travel from
England to Spain. from Siam to China,
without finding so diverse negotiations
as by crossing the Mississippi and COM
pairing the banks one hundred miles
east on one side with those One hundred
miles west on the other" In regard to
the California coast. he declared there
was no section of the earth where so
many singular phenomena can be OBJ
served; hence he inferred the value of
the work of science in that region. He
advised the Academy that three ele
ments were needed to the success of
such bodies, keeping together the ell
derby members, hearty and efficient
work by the Secretary and Publication
Committee, a good management of the
finances.
The Satellites of Mars.
The notion that the satellites of Mars
can be seen without a telescope seems
to have gained wide currency. A cor
| respondent writes from Baltimore that
he and all his family plainly saw the
two satellites, by mean of a looking
glass. The moons were distinct, the
one most distant from the planet being
the brightest" 1t is urged that this
method of seeing the new Orbs ought to
be generally recommended, as 80 few
newspaper readers have telescopes. 1t
is somewhat d~iscOuraging to this class
of readers, but they may a well be told
the'truth about it. If the writer of the
letter from Baltimore can see from his
residence there, by mean of his looking
glass, an object of the size of a ten cent
| piece on the dome of the Capitol at
| Washington, then he may hope to Osee
the satellites of Mars in the same way.
To make the experiment a fairer COM.