The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-01-27
Scientific MISCELLANY.

Scientific miscellany.
The largest library of the world, at
Paris, contains many a curious and in
teresting work. Among them may be
found Chinese chart of the heavens,
made about GOO years 3. c. In this
chart li60 stars are correctly inserted,
rs corroborated by the observations of
modern astronomers.
1t has been found by several micro
scopists that the cause of whooping
cough is a peculiar fungoid growth,
which first germInates under the
tongue and then pervades the air pas
sages. Quinine is found to be a val
liable antidote by virtue Of its well-es-
tablished power to destroy microscopic
vegetable organisms.
Near Nerculaneum the ruins of a
once magnificent bathing establishment
have lately been discovered by Prof.
Giuseppe Novi. The remains were
found under layer of more than thirty
feet of ashes and lava, and are said to
eclipse all previous discoveries Of a
similar nature both in Herculaneum
and Pompeii. The fountains and tanks
are made OF oriental marble and adorn-
cd with sculptures, the floors are of
colored glass mosaic, while the walls of
the various buildings are elegantly
ornamented with paintings and stucco-
work.
Dwellings which have long remain
ed empty may become lever-breeders
when re-occupied. 1t is asserted by an
English sanitarian that typhoid, diph-
iheritic and other zymotic affections
have been found to arise under these
circumstances. The cause is supposed
to lie in the disuse of els, srns, pipes and
drains, putrefactive processes going on
in The impure air they contain, while
this foul air gradually permeates the
entire house. Persons moving from
the city to their country homes for the
summer hould see that the drains and
pipes are i'm perfect order, that the Gel
lars and cisterns are cleared Of rubbish,
aud the whole house thoroughly aired
before being occupied. Carbolic acid
freely used in the cellar Is q cheap and
effective disinfectant.
Among the pot-oleum springs of
Baku, on the western shores o. the Gas.
plan, is one COMMIT nicating with the
sea, which produces at times q very
striking phenomenon. The floating oil
that covers the surface of the sea is fire.
quently isuited by accident, turning
the smoo; a water into q vcritable lake
of fire. The most famous Of these con-
flagrations, to which the superstition of
the natives gave the name of "Shaitaun
Noor," or Devils Light, occurred in
1872. 1t broke ont in the middle of the
night, and was declared by a Russian
naval officer, who witnessed it from the
deck of a gunboat, tn be the most re-
markable spectacle he had ever seen.
The sheet of flame moved to and fro In
the wind like flag, lighting up sea and
shore for miles, and throwing . deep
crimson glow int" the sky which was
visible to tho inhabitants of several in
lind districts far out of sight Of the sea
itself
Concerning the duration and char
acter of the Arctic winter. Lieut.. Sch
watka, the Artic explorer, makes these
interesting comments: 'The general.
ly received opinion that the Arctic
winter, especially in the higher lati-
tudes, is L long, dreary one of perfect
Opaque darkness, is not strictly correct.
In latitude % degrees 20 minutes N,
the highest point ever reached by man,
there are 4 hours and AZ minutes of
twilight on December 22nd, the short
est day in the Northern Hemisphere.
la latitude So degrees q minutes N,
tie highest point where white men
have wintered, there are hours and
geographical miles from that point must
yet be attained before the true Pla,onic
zone, or that one in which there Is no
twilight whatever, even the shortest
day Of the year, can be said to have
been entered by man. The North pole
itsel is only shrowded in perfect Dlack-
ness from November 18th to Jan goth,
period of Il days. Supposing the sun
has set (supposins also circumpoler
sea or body of water unlimited to
yision) on September 24th, not to rise
until March 18th for that particular
point, giving a period of about 80 days
of uniformly varying twilight, the Pole
las about 1SS days of continuous day
light, 100 days of varying twilight and
a. of perfect irky darkness (save when
the moon has a northern decline) in the
period of typical year. During the
Ieriod OF little over 4 days the sun
shines continuously on both the North
aud the South Poles at the same time,
owing to refraction, parallax, semi
diameter and dip of the horizon.
At the term of the Court of Common
Pleas in Medina County, the following