Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1884-05-01

Chinese Studying OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Of Lady Microscopists-rh Earth's
History, 40 Read from FossiIs-A Dan.
Eerous Weed-E,c.
Compiled for the woop RIVER TlnEsl
While the work of the International
stations was in progress in the Arctic
region s, a German scientific party was
making mil r obs .rvations in South
Georgia, desoate island containing
about 1000 square miles and lying IN
latitude 81 degrees south and longi.
tude 81 degrees west, directly east of
Cape HGp. The lowest temperature
registered by the party during little
over year was degrees above zero
Fahrenheit, and the highest was Ga
degrees, but the usual range Of the
thermometer in all seasons was from 23
to As degrees, the difference between
winter and summer consisting chiefly
in the length of days. Snow covered
the ground from April to August, and
several snow-storms occurred in the
middle of the summer, as, for instance,
at Christmas. The lofty and inacces-
sible mountains of the interior were
partly covered with glaciers. The
land animals consisted of few species
Of birds and two or three kinds of in.
.sects, and in the sea were found two
mamWals, two fishes and a variety Of
lower snimal forms. Only about forty
species OF land and marine plants were
secp, and an attempt to cultivate
northern food plants failed.
Besides proving that so-called ba-
cilli OF cholera are the cause of the
disease, DR.. Koch has discovered that
these germs are quickly destroyed by
drying, and that they will grow Only
iq alkaline solutions. Even the heal
ihy stomach appears to contain sutli-
g lent acid to resist their development,
infection with cholera probably taking
place during some gastric disturbance.
With a knowledge of these facts some
means of preventing cholera ought
TO be found.
Western cF,emical scenes is being
adopted in China. a large sulphuric
acid factory has Just been established,
and two English chemical tie xt- books
have been translated into Chinese.
Prot. Reinsch states that copper and
silver coins in circulation soon become
covered with bacteria and microscopic
,algae.
At late meeting of the Royal Mi
croscoMcal Society, of London, atten.
ton was called to tie existence of two
societies containing only lady micro
scopists. One Of these was last wear
Incorporated in San Francisco as the
California Microscopical Society, aud
the other comprises students Of We'll
!ssley College.
The manufacture of asbestos rope
for purposes requiring fire proof quail
ties-bids fair to become a thriving
industry ia England. Asbetos has
about onc-four;h of the strength OF
hemp, rope of the former material an
inch and a calf in diameter supporting
about ton.
The Queen of Tahiti lately stated in
Paris that deaf-mutes are unknown
among the Tahitians.
Ina recent lecture Dr. p. II. Car
penter of Elton College, mentioned the
case Of Greenland as an illustration
of the manner in which the earth's
history Is read from fossils, those re-
mains of by-gone life which in the
Middle Ages were regarded as ''sport,
of Nature" Fossils Of four climates,
all warmer than the present icy one,
are found in that county. Remains
of the OAK and the maple tell us that
the climate was once very similar to
tat Of England to-day, and the coal,
found lower down, shows that some,
thing approaching tropical heat pre-
vailed at an earlier period. The fos-
sils OF certain sea creatures appear on