Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-03
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

A peculiar phenomenon occurred in
August on mountain In Rhenish Prussia
In the side of the Brennende Berg, pit
of about hundred square yards in area
suddenly opened, emitting great volume
of flame, and engulfng house and its IN
mate. 1t is believed that the cause of the
catastrophe was the ignition of gas rising
from petroleum vein in the depths of the
mountain. -
In Brazil some experiments have been
tried by NJ. de Lacerda, showing that per-
mangana.e Of potash is an almost certain
antidote for the bite of snakes. M. de
Lacerda has not as yet tried its efficiency
on himself, but in the case OF thirty dogs
on which he experimental only two died
under exceptional circumstances, and all
which he did not treat with the injection
of pernanganate of potash died in the
usual way.
The Iron Age says: The cotton seed oil
mills that are rapidly being put in operation
in the South are creating no little stir and
discussion as to their affect upon the agri-
cultural interests OF the country. This is
comparatively new industry, and we al
ready find that no less than 100, 900 tons OF
oil cake, or cotton seed meal, has but re-
Gently been shipped abroad, not counting
the supply sold and consumed in non-cot-
ton producing sections of our own country.
A curiosity in the Gulf of Mexico has
been discovered. II is a harbor IN the
open gulf, fifteen miles from land. A kind
of oil is thrown up by the processes of ma.
ture, and rests npon the surface OF the
water ia thick scum. The effect of the
oil is so great that even in the severest
storms the sea in this peculiar harbor is
comparatively smooth. This is SO well
known that when storm approaches small
vessels run for this oil pond" as it is
called. and ride out the gale in safety.
c. j. Airport, of London, proposes to
use asbestos for making the joints of molds
for casting steel and other metals under
pressure. The method of accomplishing it
is to either use strips or rings of asbestos
millboard, OF asbestos fiber made into q
gaskip, between the bottom of the ingot
mold and the bottom upon which it stands,
and the lid and the top of the mold, and if
the mold is made into more than one piece.
between the joints of the different pieces.
When we were young. said Sir John
Lubbock recently, we knew that the leop.
ard had spots, the tiger was striped and
the lion tawny but why this was so did
not occur to us to ask, and if we had asked
no one would have answered. Now we see
at glance that the stripes of the tiger
have reference to its life among jungle
grasses the lion is sandy like the desert,
while the markings of the leopard resemble
spots of sunshine glancing through the
leaves.
Barometric pressure has very sensible
influence on the discharge of water from
springs Baldwin Latham has ascertained
that whenever there is a corresponding In
crease in the water flowing, and with
rise in the barometer, there is diminution
in the fow The gaugings of deep wells
also confirm these observations. Where
there is large amount of water held by
capillarity in the strata above the water
line, at that period of the year when wells
become sensitive and the flow from the
strata sluggish, fall in the barometer
conceded with rise in the water-line, and
under conditions of high barometic pres
sure the water-line was lowered.