The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-08-25
POPULAR SCIENCE.

Recent Investigations by DR.. r. Ton
He,mholtz, with regard to the formation
of cloud in saturated air, are said to con-
firm the explanation given by Professor
Tyndall that the sky is indebted for its
blue color to particles Of dust floating in
the air.
The summit of the great Mexican vol
cano, Popoca:apetl, is l7,S00 feet above
the sea. The crater, which is completely
obscured within by ulphurous vaporu, is
about q miles in circumference and
1000 feet deep. The entire centre Of
the mountain seems to be solid sui phur,
VIII ch is deFo tied at the rate of ton
day.
In the latitude of New Yo.k, Prof. P.
D. Penhallow has fourd the proportion
Of water in trees aud shrubs to vary ac-
cording to these general laws: /. The
water in woody plants is not constant for
all seasons, and depends upon condit ons
Of growth. 2. 1t is in greate>t amount
late in May or early in June, and least in
January j. 1t is greatest proportion in
the sap wood least in that which is older.
+. When plants grow most rapidly they
have most waite.
Professor Lewis NJ. Haupt, of the Uni.
versity of Pennsylvania, proposes to ap-
ply his new system for The automatic i'm
provement of rivers ana hlrbors to the
deepening of the water over the AZ in
Gedney's Channel in New York haroor.
The plan is for a floating dam, anchored
by heavy guys to the oott I'M, with two
or more shields arranged in a direction
either transverse or obli4ue to the line
of the current. The system has the ad
vantage of being com ;arativcly incxpen'
sive and also capable of ready apPlica'
ton.
There is a growing disposition among
Scientific men to discuss the ''sea ser
pent' as a creature whose existence i.
not at all improbable. The discovery
within recent years of the giant squids O.
the Atlantic, som: of which may affair
a length of fifty feet, is cited as demon
stration that large marine animals may
have escaped the attention of science ever
to the present day, Only an ignorant o.
thoughtless individual, indeed, would
dare assert that there may not be som'
descendants of the monsters of cretaceoui
days even now lurking in the oce ~
depths.
The German Parliament has under con
sideration bill that is intended to regu
late the employment of lead in the manu-
facture of cooking and other domestic
utensils, and so diminish the risk Of poi
soning by that metal. The provisions Of
this measure forbid the use of vessel,
containing more than'ten per cent. Of
lead in their composition for the above
purposes. No alloy with over one pei
cent. may be used in cating iron articles
used in cookery. Solder may consist OF
lead to one-tenth of it's amount, but no
more. Enamels into which lead enten
ere treated with equal stringency. Tn,
effect of this bill, if it be passed, will bs
to obliteratc the legal existence of pew
ter and soft solder as at present made,
since these alloys contain from one-hali
to one-fourth their weight of lead.
The tendency to substitute steel fol-
iron wherever possible Vras never stronger
than at present. Throughout Pennsyl.
vania and the West number OF plants
for the pneumatic process have been re.
Gently established, and in Tennessee ex'
tensive preparations are now in progress
for converting the pure magnetic ores
of the North Carolina mountains into
Eessemer steel. The trial of the new
process known as the "dephosphoriza.
ton" or "basic' process by the Potts.
town Iron Company has been very salts.
factory, and it can be proftably applied
to the iron deposits of the Appalachian
system, which contains phosphorus. In
the manufacture of nails, steel is rapidly
taking the place of iron, as steel nail
plates can be produced at cheaper rate,
and tho product is of a superior quality.