Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-07-23
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


mentioned. 1t is called floating
grass" 1t grows on the surface of
the water, putting forth stems and
roots which become SO densely inter.
woven that, even with twenty feet of
water underneath, horses have been
known to cross on the mats thus
formed.
Among the recent discoveries is
natural line" which occurs in
Kansas. 1t is found in large beds.
1t is of clear, white color and fine
texture, and is readily converted in
to a plastic condition by the addi-
ton of sand and water. The mortar
thus prepared has apparently the
same qualities as the best made from
burned lime" It sets and hardens
quickly, and turns very white.
Prof. Thurston, testing pieces of
the wire cable Of the Paramount Sus-
pension Bridge, recently taken down
at Philadelphia, after being in use
about forty years, found the iron to
be fully equal in tenacity, elasticity
and ductability to the best wire of
the same size found in the market.
This fact and similar results obtained
by another experimenter in 1878
lead him to the important conclusion
that iron subjected to the ordinary
strains Of properly designed bridges
does not deteriorate with age.
At a conference in Hamburg, in
October, 1879, Lieut.. Weyprecht's
plan of establishing circle of inter-
national observing stations around
the polar regions was considered.
As q result, several governments
agreed to organize such stations dur
ing the present year, and active pre-
parations are now being made in
various parts Of the world to carry
the scheme into effect. The United
States Signal service proposes to To-
cate an observatory at Point Barrow,
in Alaska, while the Howsate colony
will form, at Lady Franklin Bay, an
other station in the international Sc
ries.
Most of the ferns found in our
woods contain more or less starch,
and when properly prepared are
very palatable and nutritious. An
attempt was recently made in France
to popularize them as an article of
food. The young shoots of the
common brake fern, when exposed
above the soil to the air and sun
light, become exceedingly feshy,
white and tender. The hill tribes of
Japan live on ferns ill the year
round, eating the tender leaflets in
Spring and later in the season the
starch extracted from the roots. A
certain famous French painter is
known to pride himself on his fern
omelets.
The height of tides is augmented
by converging coast lines. As laid
down by Bache. the eastern coast of
North America has great " south
ern bay" between Florida and Cape
Hatteras, a middle bay" between
Hatteras AMI Nantucket, and an
eastern bay" north of Nantucket;
and, while the tide is one or one and
one-half feet at Southern Florida,
two feet at Cape Hatteras, and only
one foot at Southeastern Nantucket,
the height is seven feet within the
southern bay" at Savannah, five
feet in the middle bay" near New
York, and ten feet in the eastern
bay" at Boston. In the narrow bay
of Funday it reaches forty feet, and
sometimes seventy feet at the spring
tides.
The trite aphorism, "There is
nothing new under the sum-" seems
again exemplified by statement to
the effect that the Japanese were
practically acquainted with the art
OF luminous painting nino centuries
ago, thus anticipating the inventor
OF the supposed new phosphorescent
paint. A Japanese cyclopedia cites
an account of wonderful picture of
an OK which left the frame to Craze
during the day and returned at
night. This picture came into the