The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-03-19
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.


Prepared expressly for the ENPOKIA NEWS |
1t is expected that electric motors will /
soon be adopted on the street railways of
Berlin.
The most infusible of all known met
ais is iridium, which, as has been just
determined by French investigator,
melts only when the intense heat Of B.
SO degrees Fahrenheit is reached.
The petroleum lands of Peru extend
along the coast distance of one hun
drcd and twenty miles-the tract en-
bracing about 4, 100000 acres. Where
the waters of the Pacific have worn
away the rocks at places along the shore
oil trickles out at low tide, and for nine
ty miles this outcrOp may be followed
along the surface of the ocean.
Just before the recent opening of tele-
graph communication with Zanzibar, an
interruption in the working of the cable
occurred, the cause of which was found
to be Il rupture arising from the action
of submarine volcano, about ten miles
from the Zanzibar landing place. This
is probably the first instance of volcanic
interference with Geographic operations.
A new application of the Ruhmkortf
electric coil has been made in the neigh
borhood of Marseilles. Instead of using
birdlime on the trees which are frequent
ed by birds of passage, copper wire is
wound around the trunk of each tree
and decOy attached TO u neighboring
staff When the flock has been attracted
by the decoy, Il shock is given by the
apparatus, and the birds are more surely
stunned than by rifle. Similar expert
ments have shown that the parasites of
vines and their eggs may he destroyed
by the powerful electric shocks.
According to La Nature, modifica-
tion of Edison's Photographic matrices
has been invented by substituting
stearine for the tin foil and electroiyping
the impressed surface. 1t has been sug
gested that these electrotypes. which can
be made very cheaply, may render great
service in the study of foreign languages,
for they preserve indefinitely and repeat
as often as desired words that are the
most difficult to pronounce correctly.
A veritable pronouncIng dictionary
might thus be made-an undertaking of
which the widest fancy would not have
dreamed of Il few years ago.
"Spence's metal'' is a new metallic
compound, which will probably prove OF
much utility. Chemically considered,
the new substance is one of the class
known US thiates, or sulphur sulphides
and specimens lately exhibited in Lon
don consisted of an ore of iron pyrites
containing both lead and zinc sulphidcs
1t possesses the valuable properties oI
melting at low heat, expanding in cool
ing, great tenacity, and being practically
unaffected by ncids, water or atmOs
| pheric exposure. 1t has the very Impor
tant advantage of cheapness, and is said
to be especially adapted to great variety
of purposes. AS II substitute for type
and bronze metals much is expected of it
DR.. V. Jagielsky asserts that the Tar
tar steppes, Iceland, and the Shetland
Farce and Hebrides Islands, are almos
entirely exempt from consumption
These places being low elevations, til,
fact tells somewhat against the especial
or exclusive value of mountain climates
Dr. Jagielsky is Inclined to the opinion
that the immunity is largely due to thu
universal use of koumiss and similar
drink called bland" 4 large numbe
of medical men share the belief that i
anything will check the progress of lun!
diseases it is koumiss, especially in
warm, dry climate, like that Of the Tai
tar steppes during the summer months
By means of his newly-invented ther
mopile, for the meas Irement of infinites
sinai degrees of heat, Mr.. Edison asserts
it to be possible to measure the milliontl
part of degree Fahrenheit. Nor is thi
all, for the new marvel will show intin
itessimal changes in the moisture of til
tmosphere-changes which are hur
dred thousand times less in quantity tina
those that can be indicated by the pres
ent barometer"
Dr. Delamotte, an eminent savant VIII
Is thoroughly conversant with the geo
ogy and geography of Egypt is of til
opinion that the ancient Nile had its OF
igin in lake much larger and highC
than the Victoria Nyanza and lake Tar
ganyika of to-day. From this lake Ii
thinks the water was distributed throug
various river channels, rendering fertil
great area of the country which is no.
dried mp desert. The wearing ava
of the Niles cataracts gradually forme
one deep channel, into which all til
water was ultimately diverted. CIV
dences of the dried-up rivers are no.
found in great beds of sand, called b
the Arabs of the desert Bahr-el-Abiad, G
"rivers without water" To again di
tribute the water through these ancier
channels and thus restore a great exter
of territory TO its ancient fertility, il
creasIng the arabic land of Egypt tel
, fold, DR.. Delamotte believes may be a.
complished by raising the Niles cat
racts-in other words, by creating a sui
able system of dams and locks. TIL
Khedive is said to be greatly intereste
in. this scheme of restoration.
COOPERATIVE CATTLE RAISING.
From the Denver Tribune.
: 1t is proposed by a number of IL