Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-06-05
Haisffl


in Buffalo are suppAed IfOm C,.
made by the water power OF NiAeals
Falls.
According to the latest results Of the
sness Instrumental tests as to the propaga-
t;on of ELECTRICITY an electric signal travels
# the rate OF is 900 miles per second
Two French scientists have investigated,
| nv means of the spectroscope, the light
emitted by the FREELY. They find it. TO
consist of red, yellow. green, and little
blue light.
According to the estimates OF M. Nor
tillett in regard to early man in Europe,
man appeared at the beginning OF the
ouarternary period. at least 23O,OOO to
240. 900 years ago.
In relation to the ventilating of bed
rooms Horace Mann used to say that,
since the atmosphere was 40 miles deep
All around the glote, it was useless
economy 10 breathe it more than once.
Somewhere in the United States or
Canada. Science says. an earthquake oc-
curs once in every II days, exclusive OF
the lighter tremors that do not make an
impression on observers.
DIR. Flint is reported as having said that
many lives are lost by starvation owing to
an over-estimate of the nutiritive value of
beef tea and meat juices. In typhus and
typhoid levers, he says there is no good
substitute for milk and eggs.
The highly priced edelweiss. supposed
to grow only on the Swiss Alps, and an
other Alpine flower called in Switzerland
the mannertreu, have been found in the
Tacoma range, in Washington territory.
the former at an altitude of 5000 feet
above the sea level.
The signal officer on the summit of
Pixies peak, says the highest velocity Of
the wind ever recorded there was ITO
miles per hour. when the instruments
broke and cord wood began flying down
the mountain. The guide adds that Is
miles per hour would lift mule out Of
the trail.
The Medical World reports case now
under observation, in which the patients
hair had become prematurely gray, is
slowly returning to its original color un-
der the internal administration of phos-
phorized cod liver oil. The World had
previously noted similar reservations un-
der the same treatment.
The Lena polar expedition which arriv-
ed at St. Petersburg in the early part of
January, has proved success No one
died or was seriously i'll; scurvy, which
appeared the first winter, was quickly
suppressed. The lowest temperature ex-
perienced was fifty -eight degrees below
zero Fahrenheit, and the highest during
summer was only fifty-two degrees, and
that was reached but once.
Some years ago the island of Jamaica
was overrun by rats and number of
mongooses were imported to destroy the
pests, and they performed the work allot-
ted to them very satisfactorily. Of course
mongooses multiplied rapidly, and now
the burning question for the inhabitants
of the island is to get rid Of them, for the
negroes have superstitous fear of kill
ing the animals.
There are nineteen known metals val
ued at over $1,000 per pound. The most
costly is vanadium which is said to be
worth $4,000 per pound. OF these nine
teen metals only one is produced or used
to any considerable extent, and that is ir-
idium. which is valued at $1,000 per
pound. 1t is sometimes, but very sparing-
ly used in electrical experiments and tor
other purposes where something exceed
ingly hard is called for.
Although the Europeans accepted the
idea of the horse railway from America,
they are wise enough to avoid the form of
track which is so destructive to carriage
wheels in this country. A rail like those
used abroad. that is too narrow to admit
an ordinary wheel. is a simple contriv-
ance, yet it seems never TO have occurred
to americans to save their carriages by
demanding its introduction.
Luminous paint, so-called. continues to
be imported in large quantities by regions
where earthquakes are prevalent. In the
Philippine Islands small metallic plates,
coated with the paint, are so disposed
about the houses as to afford ready guild
ance at the first intimation of an earth
quake for the inmates to reach the street
doors and make their escape from the
buildings in danger of becoming ruins
suddenly.
Among the remarkable trees of Europe,
mention is made of one that is called the
plane tree of Buyukdere. on the banks OF
the Bosphorus, known also as the plane
tree of Godfrey of Bouillon, who is said ia
have rested under its shade when leading
his army to Jerusalem in 1897. It has the
appearance Of single tree, but or close
inspection is found to consist of nine trees
closely joined together. The circumfer.
ence of the united trunks is over 1873 feet
The height of the group is 1876 feet, and
the circumference of the spread OF the
branches is 1854 feet. Part of the trunk
has been followed out by fire. and eight
or ten persons can be sheltered in the
cavity.
A few species of spiders recently dis.
covered encourage the hope that the man.
ufactnre of spider-web cloth may vet be.
come something more than dream. Sir
Samuel Baker describes spider from
Ceylon. two inches long. which spins a
beautiful yellow web two feet and a hall
in diameter, the thread of which is Sc
strong that walking-stick when thrown
into it is entangled and retained among its
meshes. Another spider has recently been
discovered that spins a web strained on
lines as stout as fine sewing cotton. A
still larger spider from Brazil spins web
ten or twelve feet in diameter, into which
the describer, DR.. Walsh, entangled his
head and had to leave his hat in the mesh
es; this latter observation has been sup.
plemented by those of Lieutenant Hern.
don of ohe United States navy. who esti
mates the diameter OF these webs at ter