The Opelousas courier., 1886-11-13
POPULAR SCIENCE.

M. Estrada, a French engineer, Ii
building a forty-ton locomotive, whichT
expected to attain a speed of seventy
eight miles an hour. The driving-wheels
are to be eight feet in diameter.
The 600 tornadoes recorded show that
Their whirl is almost invariably in the
same direction, opposite tie hands OF a
watch; and their onward movement with
us is nearly always northeastward. Their
favorite time of day is known; and a
tabulated list of tG2, shows nearly two
thirds between 2 and P. NJ.
The strongest wood in the United
States, according to Professor Sargent,
is the nutmeg hickory of the Arkansas
regions, and the weakest the West In
dian birch. The most elastic is the tam
crack, the white or shell-bark hickory
standing far below it. The least elastic
and the lowest specific gravity, upon
which in general dep nds value as fuel,
is attained by the blue-wood Of Texas.
An ingenious astronomical theory is
that of Mr.. Monck at Dublin, who sug-
gests that as shooting stars are known to
be dark bodies rendered luminous for a
short time by rushing through u at
mosphere, new stars are dark Or family
luminous bodies viii h acquire a short
lived brilliancy by rushing through some
of the gaseous masses visible, perhaps,
as nebula, which exist in space.
l have been asked the question: "Does
friction increase with speed, or de-
crease?n Both. Where the speed i,
slow, increasing it may decrease the
friction Eer turn; but where tie speed is
fast, it may be found that increasing
speed increases the friction per turn also.
There are two sides to almost every ques-
tion, and particularly so in this case.
The more viscous the lubricant, the
greater pressure can be carried upon the
Bearing Grimshaso.
Many think that by cutting the hair
short they increase its growth. But this
is doubtful. Women ra@ely become bald
vet they never cut their hair as do men.
May not their immunity from a shining
pate be partly due to the fact that they
do not patronize the barber, nor wear
tight head-gear? II in early life our
young men would look alter their scalps,
even while they do not appear to need
attention, it might ave them the trouble
| of looking after them in sorrow at
later period, when it will not do much
good. If they do not, the time will
| come when we shall have a race of human
be ngs without hair.
The first storm ever followed day by
day from the Pacific to Europe has beer
described TO the Royal Meteorological
| Society, of London, by Mr.. Harry Har
ries. It originated as typhoon near
| the Philippine Islands on September 81,
| passing over Japan and the Aleutian Isl
ands, entering the United States on Octo
Der TO-, Crossing the Pocky Mountains,
it proceeded through the Northern
| States and Canada to Labrador and
Davis Strait. Encountering two Other
disturbances in its pas age of the Allan
| tic, it reached the French coast on Octo'
Der q, causing extensive de struction
and on November 1, in the Paltic, i
quietly disappeared, after accomplishing
is, 600 miles in thirty-six days.
The Lewiston (Me.) Journal says thai
a curious natural phenomenon that puz'
zles everyday of more OIL less preten'
sions to scientific attachments has oc
CURED in the town of Dubois, in Wash
ington County-just when, nobody
knows. Alarge body of earth, Oh eay
sand, by some action of nature, was re
moved from the side of a dry sandy hill
called the Pineo Field, leaving an oper
channel or hole extending into the hill
about goo feet, being 30 feet deep at thu
head and perhaps ~ or 80 feet wide, a:
near as could be judged without meas
uring After the sand in its course left
the base Of the hi l land here the chan
mel was contracted and quite narrow il
extended a long distance into q piece o.
woods, spreading over u wide space
burying the underbrush and leaving tn
trees standing intact.