The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-01-12
Scientific Information.


The information we get from some
scientific journals is marveous-ly USE
less. For instance, we find in the Me-
chdntcdt World whole column Of
points on water, from which we make
few extracts.
One cubic foot of distilled water
weighs 673 pounds.
Now, as distilled water is not put up
in parcels, as it is not sold by the pound,
and as no one sends cubic feet of it by
mail, what good can it do to tell wait
ing world that GA pounds is the weight
Of cubic foot of distilled waterP II the
Mechanical World would only tell us
how much water there is in cubic gal
lon of milk, or how many cubic ounces
of it should be used in the manufacture
of whisky sour, there would be some
point to these brilliant statistics.
One gallon of sea water weighs 10 1872
pounds.
We always knew that sea water would
weigh more than distilled water, because
people weigh anchors and things in it,
and they never do that in distilled water.
1t is gratifying, however, to know, on
the authority of the Mechanical World,
that a gallon of sea water weighs exactly
one thirty-second of pound more than
a gallon of the distilled beverage. How
it will soothe the last moments of the
drowning man (who has perused the col
umns of the M. w. when he swallows
cubic mouthful of water and goes down
for the last time, to know that the five or
six gallons of Atlantic Ocean that he will
soon have inside of him, will weigh one
thirty-second part more than the con-
tents of the less fortunate man who may
get drowned in q fresh water lake. And
how full of absorbing interest and clam
bake "reminiscences it will be to the Me-
chanicdL World subscriber when he goes
out on the bay on an excursion, and as
he leans over the rail and becomes es-
tranged from his lunch, to realize that
every cubic foot of every stomach-pump
of briny bllow beneath him weighs
exactly 10 1-32 pounds. The possession
of this information will surely make
him more content with his lot, if he
owns a lot.
The one hundredth part of an inch of
rain weighs one ton to the acre.
When the farmer who is in possession
Va WHO uobOuhtiilS iCNCitIlOu SOCo Out w
his turnip orchard accompanied by
foot rule, and measures the hundredth
part of an inch of rain that fell during
the night, it must fill him with satisfac-
ton TO know that there is exactly q ton
of water to the acre, although he will
doubtless realize that if there was an
acre of water to the ton of turnips, it
would give that tropical bulb more en-.
enlargement on q hot summer day.
When the farmer sees his canned-tomato
vines willing in the sun, his string-bean
poles casting their leaves, and his cold
slaw pants shriveling up with the exces.
sive drought, it will strengthen his hard
shell faith in the benefit of water as
saving institution, to realize that rain to
an average depth of an inch scattered
over an acre of his farm would probably
save some of his crops, and would weigh
precisely 100 tons.
A man can raise from a well 10 feet
deep 80 gallons of water minute.
He may do it. We will not dispute
any of these scintillating gems of fact,
but he will certainly blister his hands in
doing it, and he won't drink half of il
when he gets it up.
Now what we would like to know is
why does the Mechanical World flood
the country with these useless calcula-
tons.
They do not make our homes any
happier; they do not bring single ray
of comfort or hope to the toiling mil.
lions who have water tax 10 pay, and
families who have their water brought
from the creek in blue bucket by the
hired man, don't care continental how
much sea water, or any other water,
weighs. Water statistics will never be.
come popular in the homes of the poor.
You cannot stop II leak in the roof of o
hollow tooth with them, and they are
not receivable for taxes-in fact, they
are utterly worthless, and we would
suggest to our scientific contemporaries
that they drop this brand of literature
and deal with living issues, giving their
readers points on how to broil beef
steak, and receipts that will entice the
grounds out of coffee, and encourage
biscuit to rise up and shove the lid off
the oven. Our American people want
something that they can get grip on,
and they can't do that with cubic foot