Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-10-28
Reported for the Grant County HrRaIp.
Popular Science Notes.

Eleven carrier pigeons belonging
to John Q. Haines, of Toms River,
n. J was recently taken SO miles
from home and released. The lead
er flew the distance and returned in
twentyfour minutes. The remain.
ing ten reached home one minute
later.
In January, 1881, an nter.Nation-
al Sanitary Congress will be held in
Washington under the authority of
the U. s. Government.
Having been engaged for some
time in making experiments and
taking observations, German physi.
clans have come to the conclusion
that railway employees are much
more liable to affections of the spinal
cord than men engaged in other en-
ployments.
The Bologna Geological Congress
which meets in September, 1881,
has offered a prize of 5000 francs
for the best international scale of
colors and conventional signs for the
representations on maps and sec.
tons.
There are said to be two russell ap-
pie trees at Skowkegan, Me-, that
were planted out in 1862. Both are
good bearers. one OF them yielding
from twenty-five to thirty.fve bush
els each year.
Mount Everest, which has been
heretofore ranked the highest in the
world, has had to step aside for
Mount Hercules in New Guinea, a
recent survey making the total height
of the latter 32,7s6 feet, while the
former has height of only 10000
feet.
The "Society of Public Analysts"
in England, claim to have in their
possession q Theoretically sealed lar
of butter believed to be two thousand
years old, which had been found in
an Egyptian tomb. The quality of
the butter is said to be quite unim-
paired, with the exception of faint
rancid smell.
A scientific society in Paris has
condemned Olemargarine as a SUBJ
stitute for butter. 1t is claimed that
the fatty PARTICLES are absorbed in
the organism in state of emulsion,
and that the absorption of the mar.
garine will not be so favorably ef-
fected as that of butter. Another
ground for condemnation is that the
substitute in the hands Of some man
ufacturers is liable to be adulterated
and made unwholesome by the use
OF impure fats and vegetable oils
that are difficult to digest.
1t is authoritively stated that DR..
Golding Bird was the first to find
out the advantages Of gas carbon in
producing electric light.
A movement is on foot to transfer
the meteorological department Of the
Signal Service of the United States
to scientific control. While the in
cumbents, under its present arrange
ment are bitterly opposed to the
transfer, it is safe to say that the
general public would heartily ap.
prove the change and hail the trans
fer with great satisfaction.
The problem how to DESTROY
smoke, is said to have been success
fully solved by gentleman of Gin.
cinnati who has applied for a patent
on an invention for that purpose.
BY means of his apparatus the smoke
is entirely consumed and made to
contribute to the heating power of
the fuel, and it is said that a saving
of II per cent. in fuel is thus eff.
fected.
A considerable number of very an.
cient tombs and objects of antique
art have been revealed by a recent
landslide on the light bank of the
river Simet in Sicily, near the town
OF Catania. Investigations having
been made, it is generally believed
that these tombs belonged to the an
cient town of Slmeatus, indicated by
Pliny and Ptolemy, the situation OF
which historians have never been
able to agree upon. The discovery
is of great archaeological Importance
and will no doubt prove of value in
throwing more light on the geologi.
cal history of the wide valley of the
river Slmet.