The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-04-29
POPULAR SCIENCE NOTES.

ample 10 one that might we'll be followed
and that with profit, By many localities In
this country.
II has recently been fully and satis.
factorily demonstrated that FIRE and water.
proof houses can be built of cotton and
straw. The cotton used is the refuse of the
plantations and factories, and, when ground
up in about an equal amount of straw and
asbestos, Is converted into paste and sub
sequently into large slabs or bricks which
become as hard as stone. The article thus
made is pronounced the best Of architectural
material and will be much used.
Joseph Albert, the renowned Munich pho.
tographer, has invented new process. BY
which it Is said that he Is enabled TO produce
pictures of persons and objects with the
finest shades Of their natural color.
A remarkable bed Of kaoline, covering an
area of eighty acres, and Of considerable
depth, has been discovered near Bremond.
Texas. factory for the manufacture of the
article into porcelain ware has been estab.
lished at New Orleans. and, it Is said, 81
turning out work fully equal to that made
from imported kaoline. and which will com.
pare favorably with ware made In Europe
and other foreign countries.
The laboratory for the John Hopkins 200.
logical investigations, established OF Beau.
fort, North Carolina, some three years ago
has proved a most useful one. Some espe.
cially valuable results in the examination OF
crustacea have been obtained. Four hun.
dred and eight species Of animals have been
found in that locality, which is pronounced
an excellent one for scientific study.
A strange and rare phenomenon of an in.
verted rainbow was observed at Innsbruck
on November 25th last. For some thirty
minutes the end points Of the semi circle,
centre Of which was the sun, rose and moved
westward with the latter, the remarkable
spectacle then vanishing. No satisfactory
theory has as yet been given explanatory of
the cause Of the phenomenon.
A new comet, remarkably large one. was
discovered by Pennuls, at Copenhagen, Den.
mark, on the 10th of December last, In right
ascension Is hours 40 minutes: north
declination, 10 degrees 80 minutes. Its mo.
ton Is northeast something more than one
degree daily, and can be seen with an ordi.
nary telescope quite plainly, but will prob.
ably not be visible to the naked eye.
The manufacture of glass cloth is beeo ming
profitable industry at Pittsburg, Pa. The
thread, which is made any desired olor with
minerals when the glass ls originally melted,
is drawn out Of a molten bar by means of
rapidly revolving wheel at the rate of 1000
yards minute. The weaving Is done abont
the same as with silk, on looms.
The almacator Ia new inys alton for the
determination of time and latitude. The in
strument Is said to be superior to the
transit instrument In calculating the
correct time, and is much more simple In Its
construction and workings, combining as 1t
does time and latitude instrument in one.
The outside fibre of the cocosnut Ia being
manufactured extensively for shoe heels, and
is said to be most excellent substitute for
leather In fact Its wearing qualities are
said to be superior to that of leather, and 1t
is much cheaper
Two hundred and eighty-thFee notices of
the discovery of gold and silver in New
York state were officially entered at Albany
during the last year, the chief deposit re.
ported being in Hamilton county.
Probably the largest astronomical appa.
ratus in the world will be one Of the equa-
torials now in the course Of construction for
the new observatory at Nice. Its focal dis
lance will be about sixty feet, and its aper-
ture thirty inches. Tho observatory will
also be the finest in Europe, If not In the
world, and will cost fully 1000, 900 francs,
while the instrument referred to will cost
$50, 600 francs.
Large banks of magnetic sand have been
discovered in the Isle Of Bourbon, and also
near Morbiban, and Is being imported to
various parts of Europe. Among other
uses in which it is found valuable In in the
reviving of plants which have shown symp-
toms Of decay through disease. Physicians
have also found it beneficial in meny cases
of their practice. and are putting 1t to good
use in various ways.
Celluloid Is reported in 9 new role, having
recently been successfully applied in the
form Of veneer in the ornamentation of
furniture. It makes an excellent imitation
of malachite, or colored marbles, for table
tops; is used for panels IN initiating tortoise
shell and other costly materials, aud its
manufacture is destined to become one of the
most profitable industries of the country,
owing to the many aud varying uses to which
it can be applied.
A new and novel method of manufacturing
artificial stone is being introduced in Ger.
many and other European countries With
marked success. The process consists Of q
mortar containing equal parts Of lime and
sand, which being exposed for few hours
to a temperature of $50 degrees eentigrade,
in the presence of water vapor, is subsequent
~ passed under the cylinders Of machine
like that used in moulding brick. The cubes
or bricks thus formed become hard as lime
stone On being exposed to the air few
hours, and are pronounced excellent build
ing notwithstanding the natural stone in
every respect.
The noted scientist, Mr.. Faye, Of France,
propounds q new theory regarding the in
ternal structure of the earth, In which he
declares, giving as evidence Of his state
ments many illustrations Of his years of
study upon the subject, that the solid crust
is much thicker under the seas than under
the continental Masses Thus he claims that
there is lack Of matter under the conti-
nents, and that under the seas there Is an
accumulation Of 1t above the average for the
whole earth, and accounts for these contra
dictions in the fact that the cooling Of the
earth is going on faster and has taken place
to greater depth under the seas than else
where on the globe.
After many years Of almost fruitless efforts
in Arctic research and the expenditure of
immense sums of money, to say nothing of
the numerous losses Of life incurred, those
engaged in the work are at last taking
measures in the right direction, in adopting
Captain Howgate's plan Of establishing sta
lions in all future enterprises Of that chsrae
ter. A systematic arrangement has been
effected, and preparations are being made by
nearly all the countries Of Europe and BY
America for regular Arctic siege, to begin
in 1882. Germany. Australia, Norway,
Sweden. Russia, Denmark, the United States |
and Canada are ell to take part in this great