The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-28
SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS.

Horse valley, Washia gton Territory
which has been burning for thirty years.
4 Frenchman has jdst invented ma
chino to obtain telephone communi-
cations without the use OF a conducting
wire.
Showers of grayish aud reddish dust
off the African coast aud over southern
Europe have been known from Homors
time.
Experiments have shown that the
skin Of a white person trAnsplanted on
the skin of a colored man, becomes
black, aud that black skin inoculated
on whites loses its pigment and becomes
white.
1t has lately been proven that coffee
is not only a powerful stimulant, but
has even more valuable properties as an
an.iseptic. 1t operates strongly in
destroying cholera germs. Similar
qualities are suspected to belong to tea.
A "blood-rain" in 1775 covered 900
square leagues of northern Italy, max
ing deposit an inch deep in places;
and dust fall near Cape Verde, de-
scribcd by Darwin, was 1909 or 1900
miles wide and reached 500 or 1000
miles from the coast.
Thousands of small pickcrcl have been
thrown up at times recently from an
artesian we'll near Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The opinion Is expressed that they come
from a subterranean stream which prob
ably flows into Lake Manitoba, and
which has evidently been tapped by the
we'll
A precious stone Of much interest has
been discovered in Colorado. 1t is an
Opaque white hydrophare. The finder
calls it 'magic stone," because, as
usual with this mineral, it has the
property of becoming transparent if
water is dropped slowly on it from one
to three minutes. 1t is so porous that
it will absorb its own weight of water.
A new thermometer for measuring
the Temperature Of the air has been con-
structed by r. Assmann. In order to
protect it from the influences of radia-
tion aud other sources of heat, he in
serts the bulb Of the thermometer IN a
metal tube which is open at its lower
end. An aspirator is fastened to the
tube near the bulb, and a continuous
current Of air of about seven feet We
locity passes the latter Thus it as
sumes the true temperature Of tho air.
The tube is made of highly polished
nickel-p ated brass, in order to protect
it from radiation. Experiments show
that this thermometer gives entire sat
isfactIon.
According to Professor Gould's in
vesti cation, it appears that aerial tele.
graph wires on poles transmit ele ctricity
at the rate of from ID, 900 to Is, 00C
miles per second, and that the velocity
OF transmission increases with the dis
tance betweea the wires and the earth,
or, in other lords, with the height oi
! suspension; and that subterranean wires,
like submarine cables, trans nit with
reduced rapidity. Again, while wires
suspended at a feeble height are known
to transmit signals at a velocity of some
12, 900 miles per second, those that are
suspended higher give velocity of from
16, 600 to "a, 900 miles. Wheatstone's
claim Of 288, 900 miles, in his expert.
ments, appear never to have been con-
frmed.
Future ages" predicts the distin-
guished scientist, Professor Langley,
may see the seat of empire transferred
| to regions of the earth now barren and
desolated under the intense solar heat
| countries which, for that very cause,
will not improbably become the seat of
mechanical and thence Of politi cal
power. Whoever finds the way to make
in lustrially useful the vast sun power
now wasted on the deserts Of North
Africa or the shores of the Red Sea viii.
effect greater change in men s affairs
than any conqueror in history has done,
| for he will once more people those waste
places with the life that swarmed there
in the best days of Carthage and of old
/ Egypt, but under another civilization,
whero man no longer shall worship the
sun as god, but shall have learned tc
make it his servant"