The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-03-17
Scientific Miscellany.

By means of newly improved pumps,
II is possible to secure vacuum so near
ly perfect that given space will contain
not more than the ehundred-millionth of
its normal quantity Of air.
NJ. Poirot recently stated to the
French A >ademy that wormwood
proves remarkably effective as an in
sectifuge, driving away every kind of
insects, as well as rattlesnakes and other
serpents.
The body of . colossal rhinoceros
was recently found I'm Siberia, a country
most rich in gigantic fossils. Like the
mammoth washed ashore by the Lena
river in 1893, il is remarkably well pre-
served, the skin being unbroken and
covered with long hair.
The effect of alloying certain metals
with Ger tain other metals Is quite re-
markable. The presence of one-rwen-
tieth of one per cent. OF lead in standard
gold will render u bar an inch thick 60
brittle that it my readily be broken
by slight rap with a hammer.
News from Caro- states that to the
north of Memphis, near Saggarah, two
pyramids have been discovered which
were constructed by kings of the sixth
dynasty, and the rooms and passages
of hich are covered with thousands OF
inscriptions. The discovery is said to
be of great scientific Importance.
An invention which must prove of
much Importance in architecture and
sculpture has recently been made by
DR.. Gehring. of Landshut, Bavaria
BY means of an emameling liquid, he
claims to be able to render any kind OF
stone or cement harder than granite,
and gives it the appearance of any other
mineral desired. The enamel may also
be applied to metal, and is said to ef-
fectually preserve it from rust.
A London journal reports that a new
and somewhat remarkable invention
has appeared at Turin. 1t consists in
the application of light-giving materials
to printing ink, by which print becomes
luminous In the dark, so that in future
it will be possible to read at night, in
bed or during journey, without the
assistance of candle or lamp. 1t IS said
that a new daily paper is about to be
printed in Turin with this luminous
ink.
Recent investigations have shown the
depth of the ocean betwern latitudes
sixty degrees north and sixty degrees
south to be nearly three miles, or $500
fathoms. The greatest depth which
has been ascertained by sounding is
five miles and quarter, or ! .620 faith
oms, land occurs i'm the Northwest
Pacific Ocean. This represents thick
ness of the water layer nearly equal to
the height of the loftiest known noun
tain.
An Australian correspondent fur
nishes interesting proof of the provi-
dent and far seeing instinct of bees.
Last year the drought in New South
Wales was of long duration, and the
debizens Of the apiaries suffered much
from il. This year the bees nave made
provision against a similiar emergency
by filing large number Of tie eXter-
nal cells in every hive with pure water
instead OF honey. 1t is believed that
the instinct of the insects leads them to
anticipate n hot summer ard TO provide
against'it.
After a cruise of few months in the
South Pacific O"ean, a French man-of-
war wa recently found TO have speci-
mems of living coral growing upon its
hull, which interesting discovery has
thrown some light on the question Of
the rapid growth of eorals. The evil
| dence tends to show that the vessel on
passing a reef of the Gambler Islands,
against which it hal rubbed, had pick
ell up young funga, which adhered
10 the sheathing of the ship, and grew
to the size and weight it had when OBJ
served-s diameter of nine inches and
weight of two and one half pounds-in
! nine weeks.