The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1883-12-01

OF nave not proved a financial success,
st AMI this in the face of the fact tbs
,e the working expenses per mile ar
y considerably lower than citbe
steam or horse power.
IS Platinum has at last been foun,
J. IN California, after much vain searcl
e and much expense in the interes
J. OF electric companies, who valu,
the metal because it lasts lcnges,
under the intense heat that j,
evolved in separting the light TO,
a Illumination with the least heat,
Five hundred pounds of the ore, re.
!, duce'l at Balbeck's smelling works
I'm Omaha, proved to be rich in
platinum. 1t is found on Wood
river, but it's exact locality is not
made public.
DR.. Litton Forbes, surgeon-major
IN the s.rvain war, discusses the
various changes taking place in the
eve by which the sight is effected,
and proposes to correct defective
vision in soldiers by means of .
+tenopaeic sight adjuster. This
consists of a disk ::of colored glass.
perforated with pin-hole aperture
having a correcting lens Of colorless
glass cemented to its back. The
whole is to be worn in a spectacle
frame.
The results of George Atwater's
of waterspouts in the Pacific are
that they are caused by clouds hes-
vily charged with cool moisture
lrlfting from the high mountains
If Costa Rica coming into contact
with air currents and clouds travel
ling in a different direction and OF
warmer temperature, by which
contact the clouds surcharged with
aqueous vapor acquire a rotary mo-
ton, causing them to discharge .
part of their moisture and making
them assume a cylindrical form as
hey fall.
An Officer in Russian regiment
IF sappers, Lieutenant Kondinoff,
has invented an instrument for the
certain and easy interception of
telegraph messages in time of war.
The wire from which it is desired
t. steal a dispatch is cut and
promptly joined to small box con-
aininy the new machine. 1t then
imsnediatly transmits the message
70 a roll of paper which can be read
upon the spot or sent to headquar-
ters. The box, which weighs only
about seven pounds, also contains
an instrument for sending false an
swers to the enemy.
A Rose farm is new Georgia in
'ustry. Two gardeners in the
vicinity Of Savannah planted three
acres in rose trees. This year they
sold $4,000 trees to parties in the
North, and had orders for $4,000,
which they could not fill. The
rees met with ready sale at from
80 to $50 per 100. Over half a.
million trees are annually imported
nto this country from France, Eng
AMI, and Holland, and the Savan-
lah News says it has been demon
;rated that Georgia has a better
';imate for the cultivation of rose.
rees than that of the South Of
france.
A great decrease has taken place
# late years in the consumption of
trong drinks by the European SOL
liers in India, and there is a cores
'onding spread of sobriety among
he rank and file of the army there.
n the year 1861 the total con-
OF rum among British
roops in India was 253, 3,25J gallons
7hereas in 1881 80 it had fallen to
43,SO1. Comparing the same years
$ regards beer-drinking the figures
re respectively 1914 and 74.747
ossheads. Thus it will be seen
hat though the consumption Of
un has decreased, that of beer has
OF i".cresed.
According to a report just pub
shed, the Company of Jesus con-
nues TO flourish. The order is
ividel into five great provinces.
taly an her islands contain 1853
esuit Fathers; Germany, Austria,
[ugary, Belgium, and the Neither
nls have 2,165. France Gnclud-
y the French possessions) has the
igest number, 2,79S Jesuits.
pain AMI Mexico have 1888 Eng
nd AMI the United States have
S95 disciples of Loyola. In 1882
lere were in all 1l,O58 Jesuits-
RESTS, professors and coadjutors.
, 1870 the or,ler counted 1O,529
embers. In 1880, 1O,494; and in
,S1. 1923.
4 new fuel has been invented in
exico, called 'turbato, consisting
'incipally of bog peat, Of which
ere are large quantities in the
'untry, and which is mixed with
proper proportion of bitumen or
'hapopote.'' The fuel is made Of
re different descriptions, for loco
otives, stationary engines, smelt-
g purposes, smiths fires, and
,usehold purposes. 1t is said to
,rn freely and without much
lDke. giving a higher dynamic