The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-03-16
Useful and Interesting Iniorma-
lion for Children.

We live At the bottom Oh an ocean
forty.aye miles deep. We are not drown
ed therein, bat feel like the fishes. We
are not crushed, although Thousands OF
pounds are heaped upon US. The water
ocean has storms only n the surface, the
depth being in perfect calm. The air
ocean has tides, gulf streams and temp.
ests from top TO bottom.
Bring the nuisance Of a popgun, that
has only served to startle people, and we
will put 1t TO some use by showing the
nature Of our a Observe that the
non comes and the corklA driven out be.
fore the piston gets clear down. What
drives out the cork2 Why, the Air.
Then the air Is q substance. Put II in q
rubber cushion, and you mays sit on air.
Blow It into 4 football, and you ma, kick
It over your opponents heads. Notice
that In driving in the piston the cork
does not come ont at once, as 1t would II
there was a stiff stick or water between
The cork and piston. So the air Is springy
or elastic. How unfortunate 1t would be
for the toes II they hit the football and
found il filed with solid air or Tor
houses when the wind goes fifty miles an
hour, as It does now while l write. II
would be worse than & dozen railroad
trains striking a house at once,
Put the cork in when the piston Is
down; then try 10 draw it out. bow hard
It pulls, and when you let 20, how quick
It dies back Why is that Simply be-
cause the weight Of the air Is on the top
side Of the piston and none on the bottom.
Take out the cork and let the weight be
on both sides and 1t pulls easily enough.
Fill q goblet full Of water, turn q saueer
over the top, hold 1t there and reverse
both quickly. You see the goblet re.
mains iull Of water. Why does II not
run out? Because the weight OF the air
presses on the water in the saucer aud
drives II up into the glass. II you tip
the goblet q little and let some air in,
there will be no empty place to press the
water into and It runs out. Fill q bottle
with water, hold a bit Of paper over the
mouth. Reverse It. Remove the hand.
The water is held in the bottle by the air
pushing from below. You may succeed
with a goblet. II the bottle isamall no
paper will be needed. /,
Fill a plate with water, set a lighted
candle In it. Invert over this a large
glass fruit jar. The candle consumes part
Of the air, making a partially empty
place, and the outside air crowds the
water from the plate up several inches
into the jar. Take q straw or any tube,
put the end 10 water, and suck out the
air. The outside air drives the water up
10 take the empty place. Suck out the
water and more ia driven up. This is
the pump. The air ocean lifts the water
to your lip.
When a cork is put under water 1t rises
because the heavier water gets under 1t
and crowds it up. II has nc tendency to
rise itself, as you see II you drop it it air.
So anything lighter than air is driven up
when lat loose in the air ocean. Warm
air is lighter than cold. Hold q candle
in a warm room at the top Of a door
slightly OPEN; the fame streams out with
the warm air. Hold at the bottom; 1t
streams in with the cold air. Blow your
warm breath into u warm soap bubble
and it riaes, taking It's watery covering
with 1t. Put a whole house full Of hydro
gen, that is only o%ne.sixteenth as heavy
rs air, into a silk bag and it ID crowded
up aloEt, carrying men with it, over land
and sea,
We see that air Is heavy by the way 1t
pushes Us down the street on u windy
day, and drives ships over the ocean,. A
block Of air ten inches on q side weighs
as much as IS cents in silver. Take a tube
Sinches square. Have apiston that slides
air tight therein. Take the air from IN.
der the piston, and the outside air bears
on it US heavy as il . man weighing lS6
lhs stood on il.
Breathe on a cold window. It is Gov
cred with water. The goblet OF ice.water
in summer ia covered with water 1t has
taken from the air.
How much water there must be in so
many miles Of air. Forty-fve inches Of
water falls az rain in Philadelphia every
wear. Three millions CT Ions TO the
square mile. In some places six and a
half times az much has been known TO
fall. Water is SIS times as heavy as air,
yet the nimble air currents bring all the
rain from the sea and pour it on the
land. All the Amazons are kept full,
and all the Niagaras kept laundering be.
cause the air carries equally large rivers
the other way. "All the rivers run into
the sea, yet the sea is not full. Unto the
place whence the rivers come, thither
return they again."-C 6risiGn Uaiou.