The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-09-12
POPULAR SCIENCE.

The scientist declare that ninety per
cent. of man is water.
The best of rules, sextants, quadrants,
compasses, lances and knives are made
of worn out saws. 4A*
A man at Hartford, Conn, received 9
shock from an electric wire, and was
supposed to be dead for some minutes
but was revived by another shock.
A workman in the Carson (Nev. mint
has discovered that drill points,
heated to q cherry red and tempered BY
being driven into bar of lead, will bore
through the hardest steel or plate glass
without perceptible bunting. -. ~ 8
Analysis of natural gas shows the pro-
portion of each constituent in 100 parts
of the gas to he as follows: Carbonic
acid and carbonic oxide, each oxygen,
g.; olenant gas, L; ethylic hydride, 8
marsh gas, 81; hydrogen, %; nitrogen, s.
It has been estimated by Professor
Kirchoff, of Halle. that the language
most spoken on the globe-for the last
thousand years, at least-is Chinese, for
it is without doubt the only one which 10
talked by over 400, ,000,O0o of the human
race. - "
The use of electric motors as substi-
tute for the steam engine is rapidly in
creasing. In cities which are provided
with an electric lighting plant the dy-
nsmos can be used during the cay to
furnish current for operating motorsin
workshops and small factories at q lsss
expense than that OF steam engine.
In calico printing works it is custom
ary to supply each printing machine with
a separate engine to drive it. One rea-
son for this arrangement is that every
time fresh pattern is put into the ma.
chine it requires to be driven with ,ex-z
ceeding slowness, and is frequently
stopped until the attendant has adjusted
all the rollers, so that the various parts
of the pattern fall exactly in the right
place. ....u s..s
An instrument called the, osteotome
has been invented as an Improvement
over the tedious and clumsy surgical
methods of cutting through bones by
by means of saws and chisels It's
practically ci cular saw revolving at
very high speed by an electric motor.
An ingenious devised sh cid, which
passes around the bone to be operated
upon, protects the surrounding flesh
from injury. 8
A French gardener does not care what
kind of soil he starts with. He would dba
satisfied with an asphalt pavement, be-
cause he MAKES his soil, and so much OF
it that he has to sell it to keep his pace
from being gradually raised above the:
level of the surrounding country. When
q farmer once understands the laws OF
chemistry he has no difficulty in making
| soil that contains all the materials needed
for plant life.
Heavy machinery is now run by. ar.
tesiau-well power in many parts OF
France, and the experience of the French
shows that the deeper the well the great
er the pressure and the higher the tenn
perature. The famous Grenelle well,
sunk to the depth of 1900 feet.and flow.
| ing daily 500, 900 gallons, has pressure
of sixty pounds to the square inch, the!
water being also so hot that 1t is used
for heating the hospitals. z,
An ingenious employe of New Jer-t
sey concrete iirm has invented apaying
composition which has some very re.
markable features. He claims that hla
preparation, the composition of which.
he keeps secret, is just as durable as;
stone, but is soft and elastic to the tread,
so that it is not only pleasant to waf
upon, but actually gives the foot an I'M
pulse like that-in a lesser degrees OF
course-gained from a spring board.
Whether his invention be possibility or
not, something of the kind would GER
tainly be acceptable to tired townfolk
whose feet ache. and blister as they stamp
along on the hard and noisy. pavement.