The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1878-11-09
PoPULAR SCIENCE.

that the present Indians are remnant
of the same race that built the mounds.
His opinion is based upon . study of
the anatomical structure and modes of
burial of the two races.
IT IS proposed to utilize the almost
innumerable ariesian borings in this
country for an examination into the
temperature Of the earth and the law of
its increase. The work will be done
under the auspices of the Smithsonian.
A WRITER in the Scientific American
says that after the electric light shall
come into general use, the gas COM
panies may probably use their works
in making non-illuminating gas for
cooking and heating.
THERE is really but one kind of tea
plant, and from this both green and
black teas are produced. The equivalents
for the two terms, green and black, do
not signify to the Chinese the color of
the tea, but have reference to the period
of gathering, green indicating, not green
color, but unripeness.
DYNAMITE AND WATER. When
poured into water the nitroglycerine
and sand, of which dynamite is COM
posed, separate, the sand sinking while
the nitroglycerine remains on the sur
face. A slight increase of temperature
explodes the nitroglycerine. This may
account for some accidents which have
occurred in the use of dynamite, par
ticularly when it is used in wet holes.
UTILIZING THE NErrLE. German
contemporary informs us that serious
trials are now in progress in q two-acre
field near Berlin to determine if the net
tie plant can be cultivated with success,
with the view of producing therefrom a
new textile fiber. If these experiments
should prove the possibility of growing
the plant and obtaining therefrom, as
in China, Japan, and India, a useful
fiber, there are many unproductive
fields which could be turned to profita-
BILE account. That this plant does pro-
duce useful fiber is shown by its very
name, for in German it is a term often
applied to calico, thus indicating that
cloth brought from the East has been
manufactured from it.
UNIFORMITY OF AIR.-An article in
the Quarterly journal of Science con-
corning the geological relations of the
atmosphere says: "The respective
amounts of oxygen and nitrogen do not
vary to the extent of as much as one per
cent. even in exceptional cases. Reg
nault's analyses of samples of air col
lected in various parts of the globe gave
very close results, the percentage of OK
ygen being to all intents and purposes
identical, viz, 800 per cent. Air COL
lected by Sir James Ross in the Arctic
regions did not differ in this respect
from that collected at Paris, or at Ecua-
dor in South America; the very slight
differences that have been observed not
exceeding those noticed in air collected
at the same place at different times; and
the same results have been obtained
from air collected at the summit of
Mont Blanc, and even from that taken
at a height of 81, 600 feet by Gay-Lussac
during q balloon ascent. There is,
therefore a marked uniformity in aerial
mixture under all circumstances.
"TAKE the speaking monograph"
continued Mr.. Edison. "Some say it
is mere scientific toy of no practical
use. make improvements on it daily.
1t will take its place in the niche of pub
lie utility in good time. A sheet of tin
foil that will hold 1000 words is now
placed in the machine automatically.
A perfected instrument runs by ma
chinery, and you can stop it at any
time by pulling cord. The registers
perfect, and it does not get out of gear.
While it does net talk as loud as some
of the old machines, it catches the Ia
bials and cOnsOnants perfectly and
throws them out more evenly. Any
man can dictate to it at his leisure, and
his office-boy can run out half-dozen
or dozen words, stop the machine by
pulling the cord, and write out what is
desired. No machine" said the Pro-
fessor, "has ever been got up that did
not require years for Improvement. l
ought to be allowed at least two years
to improve mine. Now, old man, get
out and let me 60 to work. "-NeU York
Sun.
THE CHAMoIN SYSTEM OF DAMS
An experiment which promises an in
calculable improvement to the river
navigation of the country is the intro
duction of the Chainoin system of dams
in the Ohio River, a few miles south of
Pittsburg, Pa. A Government appro-
priation Of about $4OO, 900 is to be ex-
pended on the work, the design of
which is primarily to give Pittsburg a
harbor of navigable depth at all sea-
sons, and further to show the feasibility
of rendering the whole length of the
Ohio navigable at the lowest water by q
succession of these dams. The pecu-
liarity of the dam is that it consists of |
a series of wickets which can be raised |
or lowered at will by hydraulic power.
When the stream is high, the wickets
bend low beneath the flood, and boats
pass over them; when the water falls as
midsummer approaches, the wickets
are hoisted, and the confined waters be-
come of sufficient depth to float the
rive: craft, which will pass the dam by
means of q lock. This dam is French
institution, and is successfully applied
TO many of the European rivers. Col.
Maban, who is experimenting the con-
struction Cf the Pittsburg dam, stakes
his professional reputation on its sue
cess. Such result certainly opens i'm
mense possibilities of increased trans
portation capacity in American rivers.