The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-01-27
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY

"A man was lately Killed Ill Kansas
fall of an aerOlite-a very unusual occur
Notwithstanding the large number of mn
which annually reach the earth's surfaa
An Engl. sh chemist claims to have sun
ed in crystalliZing carbon. Specimens
crystals are said to nave been shown to
Tyndall, who pronounces them undouj
diamonds.
Prof. Proctor expresses considerable y
fidenCe in the success of Edison's oh
light. He thinks it not improbable tbl
heat of the sun may be at some time ut
III driving the electric generators.
A wick for petroleum and spirit lam
now manufactured entirely of glass by
man firm. 1t is said to produce mora
liant light than, the cotton wick. 1t
consumed in the flame, but wastes verys
by fusion.
The metric system has now been ada
by twenty-eisht different nations, inclutI
majority of the civilized world. In Q
countries it is in exclusive use, while I'M
cral, as Germany and France, there
penalties for using any other measures.
The stenographer of the Italian Senaas
devised an instrument which is ciaiIpj
produce speech in ordinary printed cias
as rapidly as it is spoken, a word of sd
syllables being recorded by a single tou]
the keys.
y German inventor has proved, tls
hardening, steel undergoes an increaJ
volume. The thicker the bar is, the leg
increase of mass, and the less it is hard.
BY annealing, the volume is decreased 4
until, at the gray tint, it is about the SAN
i'll the raw state.
Prof. klinkcrfues. the director OF the
tingen Observatory, has taken out a pated
a new invention in telegraphy. The prod
has discovered a method by which up To-
different messages may be sent simultanV
by the same wire, an apparatus at the red
ing end printing the messages separatery
az the same time. The importance Of
invention to telegraphy generally, need
comment.
1t has been estimated that a single pun
seed will yield the first season 100000
tured seeds. Each of these producing
same rate would give 1000, 0O0, 900, 900 d
or enough to put one seed in each squar
of 2S,C0O,OOO acres of land. If Mature
nlsled a way for the perfect Distribute
seeds, what kind Of a chance would the fad
have with weeds? He has a hard fight
them as thi ngs are.
One of the hottest localities on the eJI
along the Persian gulf, where rain seldu]
never falls. At Bahrin the ard shore lad
fresh water, yet Il considerable popuhd
COntriveS to exist there. thanks to the cMl
springs of fresh water which issue from
bottom OF the sea. The fresh water is sea
by divers, and brought to the surface in
skin bags. The source of these subma
springs is thought to he in the green hM
Osnlan, some five or six hundred miles
tant.
III Tie manufacture of Bessemer steel
Cook county, H., has already distanced
ghcMy coullty, Pa. Last year the great cd
of the iron trade, according to VIM. P.S
Esl., manufactured 72,24G tons of Bes
steel rails. Chicago, during the saline
turned out lZ3. 900 tons, and if the NEG +
ing county of VIII is counted IN. IT,, LIN
is increased to l7S,00O n or 33.GOS
more than twice the entire products
Allegheny county. Last year the SlI|
Illinois produced nearly one third of all
Bessemer steel rails produced III the Il
States.
The new Mexican i~nter-oceanic Ia5
across the Isthmus of Tehuantcpec is lei
through the state OF Chiapas, which prod
contains the only population in the vi
which possesses no iron, nor anything Of
nature of an iron industry, even Of
crudest form. For the distance of sol
around Polenque, the capital, not a s.
blacksmith can be found, and the only
clcS Of iron are axes and machetas, lmp1
from the United States. Nails are unkD
all the woodwork being held together byd
or the tendrils of vines ; and even their
tilla, or corn cake, is prepared by grindins
maze between stones. The new rail
ll!iough this territory has clearly
defined cducationa. as we'll as comma
development to undertake.
The mysterious power, electricity, is nd
going every kind of manipulation by en-
siastic scientists in endeavOrs to- adapt
the performance of mans work, and itsl
applications attest its inestimable value
new suggestion, and a striking one, is the
OF electricity as a means OF executing
death penalty. A German writer ImpGs
describes the plan of execution: "ln&
room, draped in black, and which is la
only by a single tOrch-the chamber Of e1
tion--there shall stand an iron image CT
tice, with her scales and sword. Stern Js
is popularity supposed to have no bowels
the German goddess will carry a poNI
battery III her inside; and this battery VI
connected with an arm-chair-the sea
death. In front of the chair shall sIan1
Judges tribunal, and onlythe judge. jury
other officers shall be present with tie Y
hal during the execution. This will 81
in the judges reading the story of the
committed by the prisoner, who will ~
idly manacleu to the aforesaid armchair
when this is done, the judge will breaS|
rod of office, and toss it into M Of the
pans of justice, at the same time exiting
ing the solitary torch. The descent u
scalle-pan will complete the electric en-
and shock the wretch into the next worlI
Marriage is to woman at once the lapi
and saddest event of her life; it is the
Use of future bliss raised on the death \
present enjoyment. She quits her hong
companions, her occupations, her amused
everything on which she hath hitheHI
pended for comfort, for affection, for l
ness, for pleasure. The parents by v
advice She has been guided; the sis1
whom she has dared TO impart every cJI