The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-12-11
POPULAR SCIECNE.

Experiments made with glrderS by
the dutch government, show that soft
steel is twenty-five and hard steel
sixty-six per cent stronger than iron.
The sawdust and refuse of the saw
mill is now made to yield fourteen
gallons of turpentine, three or four
gallons of resin, and quantity of tar
per cord.
To cut the largest square from a
given circular sheet, multiply the di-
ameter by .7071, and the result will
be the side Of the square that will be
contained in the circle.
The blue color pieces of Starsfurt
rock salt is not due to any coloring
matter, but is ali optical phenomenon.
1t has been mistakenly ascr1Led to
the presence of sulphur compound,
to sodium subchlorate and TO gases.
Two ounces OF SODA, dissolved i'll a
quart of hot water, will make a ready
and useful solution for cleaning cid
painted work preparatory for repaint-
ing. This mixture, in the above pro-
portions, should be applied when warm,
and the woodwork afterward washed
with water to remove all traces of the
soda
The Bulletin de la Societe de Geog-
raphie, Paris, announces that the socie-
ty has awarded this year three gold
medals for geographical work-the first
to Milne-Edwards, for submarine III
vestigation; the second to NJ. Thouar,
for his journey to the Grand Chaco,
and the third to NJ. Charnay, for his
Yucatan explorations and discoveries.
Mercury is firmly believed by the
Chinese to possess wonderful virtues
They hold that it not only prolongs
life, but eXpels bad vapors, poison and
the gloom of an uneasy mind. The
doctrine of the transmutation of mer-
curry into other metals prevailed in
China two thousand years ago. Chin
nabar was known to the Chinese in
the seventh century before the Christ
ian era.
The average specific gravity of
bricks is 1851; the weight of cubic
foot is lis pounds, which absorbs one
fifteenth of its weight of water; the
cohesive force of square inch is 275
pounds; it is crushed by force of 562
pounds on square inch; the weight
of a cubic foot of newly-built brick
work is III pounds; the weight of a
rod of new brick work is sixteen
tons.
Civilization has its drawbacks. 1t
is said that not only has the acuteness
of vision of civilized man fallen be-
low the standard common among
savage nations, but at the same time
the eyes of civilized man often depart
from the normal or approximately
spherical formation, either becoming
| f1attened from front to back so as to
bring the retina too near the surface
or elongated from front to back, so as
to remove the retina too far from the
surface -
In communication to the Physio-
logical society of Berlin, DR.. Falk
stated, as result of his researches or
drowning, that when rabbits are sud
denly plunged into water, having &
temperature of 40 or so degrees F.
cramp of the exploratory muscles
occurs and respiration ceases. Tit
methods of restoring the apparently
dead have no relation to the effect o.
cutaneouS stimulation upon respi-
ration. Cold water dashed upon thu
chest acts upon the heart alone; OF
the nape of the neck it acts upon thu
lower brain.
Two methods are in use in Phila-
delphia to prevent chemical obstruc
tons in water pipes. One is to Goa
the interior of the pipes with Goa
tar pitch, which does well enough TO
large mains. and keeps the passag
tolerably clean for more than quar-
ter of a century. The other meshot
is the one called "bower-barff," whicl
consists in subjecting the pipes at
high temperature to the action o
steam ard air, so that there is a fin
of magnetic oxide acquired by tn
for long time.