Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1884-09-11
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

thirty years, and as result II Is sa'o '''a'
the climate has changed for the worse.
This is especially the case in the districts
round Nishni Novgorod and Moscow,
whose fruitfulness has been greatly i'm
paired. In the Moscow government,
formerly rich in fruit bearing trees, apples
and cherries now have much decreased
in number, and pears have wholly dis
appeared.
An increase Of the proportion Of oxy-
gen in air may be affected, according to
: German authority, by aspirating cur
rent Of air through several layers of taffeta
which have been plunged in alcohol OF
carbon disulphide, and then coated with
thin layer Of cavutchouc. Passage OF
air through four such layers is said to
reduce its proportion Of nitrogen to five
per cent.
Parts Of an ancient human skull have
been found by DR.. NJ. Barcena in hard
siliceous limestone near the border Of
Lake Texcoco, Mexico. The limestone,
whose origin is unknown, is covered with
: deposit made by the water Of the lake,
and it is evident that since the entomb-
meut Of the skull both the rock and the
material shove it have been elevated sew
cral feet-probably by the eruption which
projected an eruptive hill near the local
isy.
A plan Of accurately measuring the
temperature offs distant station BY tele-
phone has been described by DR.. r. LEM.
Two wircs--one OF silver aud one Of iron.
Or one Of antimony and one Of bismuth
connect the observer with the distant
place, and any variation in the end loops
Of the wires as regards temperature caus 8
! sound in = telephone, which ceases
when the temperature at the observer
loop is brought to the same point as that
Of tho opposite end-which may be miles
away.
Some interesting particulars concern
ing the historic hot seasons Of Europe
have been collected BY an Italian savaut.
In 627 A. D. the water supply Of France
Germany and Italy was completely dried
up; in 897 asst numbers Of peasants On
the continent were smitten with sun
stroke; in 993 vegetation was burnt up
a il BY Ere; in 1000 the wells and water
courses were dried up and the decayinp
6sh caused a pestilcnce; in 1872 the earth
was 20 scorchcd that great assures wer'
made 10 it for miles, and this WAS AGAR
the case seven years aiterward; in l26s
1877, 1909 and 1904 the largest river
il Europe-the Rhine, the Seine, th
20, the Tiber--shrunk to tiny strcamlets
in 1918 and 1925 excessive heat prevail
Cd; in 1905 butchers meat was cooke.
BY the sun, and during several hours Gael
day Of the hot period no ono venturr
out Of doors; in 1918 not drop Of raj,
fell for six months; in 1853 the thermom
eter averaged between 100 and 104 dc
grees r.; IN 1879 the intense heat com
PEELED the iphabitants Of Bologna to seek
refuge 10 underground pits and caves Il
escape sufocation; in July, 1893, vege,
tation withered, and furniture in houses
cracked and split; in 1871 and 1922 were
intense droughts, accompanied by earth'
quakes and hurricanes, and millions o.
field mice were driven BY the heat from
their holes TO perish on the earth's sur
face; and il 1882 fearfully hot weather
and = cholera epidemic were coincident
In Paris.
It has been proven by Mons. L. Troost
that pure oxygen and the oxygen Of the
cir are capable Of passing through the
sidss Of : heated tube Of silver, while
only mere trace Of nitrogen penctrates
the metal. Carbonic acid passes through,
but moro slowly than oxygen. It is sug-
gasted that oxygen may be obtained from
The ar On this principle.
A growth forming scum upon pond
near Csmpbelltou, New South Wales,
has bean noticed to have rich green
color in the mornings, turning to deep
red in the afternoons.
Speaking It London recently upon
cholera and it, prevention, Prof. De
Chaumont declared that FIRE is the only
true disinfectant, and that the majority
Of so-called disinfectants are simply de-
odorantA 1.-THE idea," said he, shat
tobacco smoke or the odor Of champion
Is destructive Of contaglon is still exsen.
sively held, though it is simply absurd.
A true disinfectant is q substance that
wln kill the germ or living particle in
which the contsOuou. c-;r..;,,l, .:l