The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-09-10
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

The worlds "a geographical societies
contain 40, 600 members.
In nine years oaken piles at Mieres,
Spain, have taken on the appearance
of stOne-cOal
The flatness of Denmark is something
remarkable, a recent geographical dis
cussion having shown that the Hottest
mountain of the country Is only 535
feet high.
Two human vertebr;e found at Sara
sofa Bay are regarded by Prof. Ileilprin
as conclusivcly proving the existence of
prehistoric man in Florida at very
remote period.
The largest crystal of alum ever pro-
duced, weighing over eight tons, has
been sent TO the Edinburgh Intcrna-
tional Exhibition from the Manchester
and Goole Alum Works
An Italian physician recommends the
daily administration of about seventy
five grains of borax as preventive of
cholera, his observations having shown
| that workers in borax factories in chOl-
era districts always escape the disease.
| II iOI
restrial gravity was exhibited at late
meeting of the Royal Society of Edin-
burgh by Sir w. Thomson. The appar-
atus is so sensitive that it will Indicate
a variation of n forty-thOusandth part
in the force of gravity.
Surveys made during the past two
years have shown that the river Rhone
has cut for itself channel in the bot
tom of Lake Geneva. through which
it flows, between parallel banks, like
an ordinary stream on the earth's sur
face. The Rhine makes q similar pas
sage through Lake Constance.
About midway between st. Peters
burg and Moscow, Prince Putiatin has
made the important archaeological dis
cOvery of an image of the constellation
of Ursa Major engraved on grind
stone of the Stone Age. A similar dis
covery had already been made near
Weimar in Germany.
An instructive display at the newly
opened colonial exhibition i'm London
is that of the rice of India, which in
cludes ten thousand different varieties,
all belonging to a single species. All
colors are represented, from black to
pale yellow and white. Two species OF
wild rice are known, only one of which
closely resembles the cultivated varie'
ties.
An important experiment has just
been successfully made in transporting
fresh fruit over the long route from
south Australia to England. The fruit
various kinds of apples, pears and
grapes-was packed in sawdust ant
placed in cold chamber kept at g
uniform temperature of forty degrees
Il arrived in London in excellent cOndi
ton.
An ingenious astronomical theory il
that of Mr.. Monck, of Dublin, who sug
gests that as shooting stars are known
! to be dark bodies rendered luminou.
, for a short time by rushing through on
atmosphere, new stars are dark o.
family luminous bodies which acquire
short-lived brilliancy by rushing through
some of the gaseous masses-visible
perhaps, as nebulH-which exist il
space.
A recent photograph of the Pleiade.
shows l42l stars, while CAREFUL,
drawn chart. prepared with about tn
same instrumental power, gives onl,
about 625. Many small objects seen il
the photograph do not appear in direc
eyc-observations. The Importance O
the accurate Photographic method O
star-mapping is indicated by the fac
that the hand-drawn chart gives tel
stars which have no existence.
J A new meunou VI ngnuirrS, .aiIod a.
} pneumatic system, has been describes
: by Frenchman, M. Bender He en-
ploys the fatty rcsidues obtained fror
the rectiiication of crude mineral oils
through which he passes a current c
air. The air takes up definite quaint
ty of this hydro-carbon, and the tlam
produced is very brilliant, giving O
f no smoke Cheapness and immunit
r from explosions are advantages claim
ed.