New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-05-03
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

Of many Of the difficulties which perplex the Geologis
The epochs through which the globe has passed are Que
largely wholly he believes, to the fact that tue
earths axis describes circle the northern heavens
and the effect OF this 10 cause the earth to pass
through long Winters and Summers Of 1000 years
each "During its Winter" MIR. Scribner, ." each
hemisphere is submerged under the ocean, It's vegeta
ton compressed into coal beds: its whole surface COW
cred with marine deposits and sediment transported
and scattered by ocean curronts and thus enriched 1t
rises again after long Winter Of 600 years TO be re-
newed In life. clothed with vegetation and beauty, to
become again the theatre OF activity through vast
Summer as long its Of rcpose sxty-fye coal
beds horizontal layers above another with mar
rne deposits between have been opened IN the British
islands which makes probable that at least siNtyvo
of these long have passed since vegetation grew
upon the earth" This wonderful change in the oceans
level is brought about Mr. Scrbner argues by change
the earths of gravity and this again is caused
by the vast accumulation OF ice around the pole OF the
hemisphere which Is passing through its long Winter
1--WE have supposed this centre OF gravity OF the EARTH
lie says be shifted TO the southwark by the causes
enumerated, about two miles. 10000 feet This
would increase the depth of water in the Southern
oceans 10 900 feet and would decrease the depth Of
water the Northern 600 feet, in order to
keep their surfaces equdisant from the eartbs centre
OF gravity upon water level; but TO increase the
depth OF the in the Southern hemisphere by an
additional 10000 feet be submerge nearly all
the depth of the by 10000 feet north of the equa
tor would in draining OF vast continents in the
Southern hemisphere. This is the exact condition OF
things which the earth today presents" Mr. Scnoner
cites various facts which he believes TO be conlimaory
Of these views aud hh"y sums mp rs lVilo"s: IIsl,
the North pole is toward the while the earth passes
the sSfh poo is toward he sun While the earth moves
rapidly abound the shorter portion Of It's orbit
days of warm and four days less Of cold weather
than tie southern hemisphere receives OF each FOURTH
la
the North pole ana produces vast accuhulaOhs OF ice
about TIC South pole Iiih, this changes tDe centre
gravity o. TIC earth the southwark Of s centre Of
bulk Sixth. this causes the oceans 10 flow from the
north. draining off continents. to tie Southern hem
ipere ana there submergiug others Of equal extent;
OF grain ana OF wood 500 miles further north than
varieties found south OF the equator All of
which. n not scientifically accurate, II az least an inter-
esting contribution a most Fascinating subject.
METEomC DUsT.-A writer in The London
Times has been investigating the amount of matter
added TO the earth by the which constantly
falling upon 1t. Phe total downfall, he says, would not
present rate at present rate increased
athousandfod, the earts crust 10 grow apprec
ably in the lapse OF MISUNDERSTANDING by thOus
bnGs Of years II has been shown by Professor Alex
Rnder Herschel that the weight Of shooting
stars visible TO the must be estimated rather 10y
grains than by ounces, and the telescope shOouetars
which form nine-;enhs the total, according to Pro-
fessor NewtOns of NowHayeu estimate. of course
far smaller But assigning TO meteor weight
Of one pOund-an utterly iuadmissibe estimate-let US
consider oarths crust would The
earth has surface OF 2O0OO0OOO square miles, ana
about 100000 meteOrs fall upon it per anuu. That
gives two meteoTs, two pounds weight Of matter
added t. each square mile year. There are more
than 5000 600 square yards In a square mile that
100000 would be required the present rate OF
10 each square ward OF the earhs such added
matter, uniformly spread over the surface, would be ut
tcy napprecabc 80 far as the thickness OF inc eaIts
crust concerned In thousand millions OF years, at
that rate far the real rate, the crust OF
the earth would not be increased III thckness Dy see
foot The OF increase in the Northern hemisphere
would not be one foot in billion of years
SUBMARINE TELEPHONING.-Air. Charles Ward
Raymond c. E., describes III Tan NOStrdnds Engineer
inq Magazne the result OF experiments with the
telephone in submarine operations at depths not exceed
ins thirty feet One telephone (Phelpse Duplex
Placed In the divers helmet, and fastened in such po-
sitlon that by simply turning his head he could place
his mouth his TO the instrument Tho other
telephone placed the which carried the air
pump and divers helpers. Using Edisons Carbon
Transmitter with the addition OF induction coil and
cell of battery, the arrangement perfectly sue
oessful Conversation carried on with the utmost
facility; 1t WAS not necessary TO give the diver
any signal other than simple Aallo" 1t was
also found that the diver could talk IN the
helmet without putting his mouth to the instrument
and he heard plainly, and therefore he could continue
his work and conversation at the same time. The
battery, induction coil and trausmter were placed ON
Shelf ON the divers scOv ana together occupied
more room than would webster's Unabridged Dic-
touary the telephone III the helmet occupied but le
ROOM and of course, was not at all III the way.
New MATERIAL FOR REFLECToRs.-At the
last meeting of the London Royal Astronomical Society,
Mr. Common. who is engaged with Mr.. Calver in CON
structing a 37lnch silgerOn-glass Newtonian re-
Hector, read interesting paper on large telescopes,
and their mounting. The most interesting TACT brought
out 10 the discussion which followed mentioned by
Lord Lindsay the president of the society. lie under
stood that a method had been discovered by which
large surfaces could be covered by perfectly hard
film OF plat num-which would avoid the difficulties at
tending tue frequent resivering Of large specula,
silver film would most last for three years in cOndi
tonfor observing. But the platinum fm would not be
subject 10 alteration. He had himself only small
specimens OF the platinum film which had been kindly
made for him by Mr. Crookes within a vacuum; they
appeared to present better rejecting surface
than silver This would appear to be an important
although Professor Henry Draper of TINS city has been
remarkably successful IN the Manufacture OF these III
IS the best vet published. Platinum ro1ectors would
probably meet Win more favor
SELF-DEFENCE AJONG PLANTs.-In recent
lecture Francis Darwin some curious Instances
of the way plants protected from insects and other
dangers. OPIUM strychnne and belladonna, he said,
three OF the most deadly poisons were all formed by
plants as a means Of defence TO preserve them from
cattle etc A CURIOUS was made Of this poisonous
property recorded 10y Livingstone who states that at
one place in South Africa the natives were IN the habit
Of catching their zebras by MASKING up some poisonous
plant IN their drinking places POppies protected by
poison from the Of goats and probably OF other
cattle The strychnue plant good example Of the
way in which poison was limited TO the part of the
plant where IL was needed Almonds also pro-
tected y poison cutivators generally sowing the bitter
kind as the sweet kind eaten BY mice Other
plants were protected, not by strong poiSons bat by
some aromatic substance. The ennel anise ana cara
way seeds were examples OF this which not eaten
by the birds that account The lime, which was pro