The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-04-04
POPULAR SCIENCE.
The mean depth of the whole ocean il
12,480 feet.

The mean depth of the whole ocean is
12,4S0 feet. +
A Providence man has invented fog
horn which can be heard eleven miles. j
A mercury plumb bob has lately been
made. It consists of small steel rod,
bored out and filled with mercury to give
weight. !,
Palladium, metal of the platinum
group, but of far lower density than the
latter, may be substituted for steel in the
manufacture of watches. /,
The weight of air on each PERSONS
body is about fifteen tons. A surface
covering of lead of equal weight of the
air would be little over five feet thick;
Though there are from two to six per
cent. more males born than females, yet
there is an excess of more than six per
cent. of females in the various popula--
tions. -. 1
The area of the dry land Of the world
is estimated at IS, 900, 900 square. miles,
the area of the ocean at 1S7, 200, 900
square miles. The bulk of the dry land
above the level of the sea is 20, ,450, 900
cubic miles, and the volume of the waters
of the ocean is 32S, 500, 900 square miles.
A Belgian entomologist has produced
the numerous color varieties of certain
coleoptera by chemical means, though
he does not claim that his process is that
of nature. Alkalies and acids give colors
varying from brown through red to yell
low, and calcic chloride and heat yield
all the tints from green to violet.
A French geographer, mentions hav-
ing seen on the fanks of high mountains
in Mexico clay strata not deposited by
the waters nor by the decomposition of
the rocks, but produced by the dust
raised flom the plains by the winds and
left on the hills. These deposits vary
from 100 to 800 feet in thickness.
The use of the mosquito has been at
last discovered. Professor Webster says
that "injuricus organic matter in the
water, instead of decomposing and poison
ing people, is changed into 'wiggle tails,I
which in due time become mosquitoes,i
and the winged matter flies away, leav1
ing the water purified to the extent OF
their ability to remove the impurities.
The interest at last aroused in Egypt
makes it probable that the Nile will soon
be admitted to the valley of the artificial
lake Moeris, by canal eleven miles
long. The creation or restoration of
this great artificial lake will give fertility
to wide area, and will reduce the
annual inundations of tho Nile, while
storing water to replenish the river, in
dry seasons. - Z"
A striking confirmation of the theory
of the source of supply of the artesian.
waters has been observed in Tours, where
the water, spouting with great velocity
from we'll hundred and ten metres in
depth, brings up, together with fine sand,'
fresh water shells and seeds in such q
state of preservation as to show that they
could not have been more than three or
four months on their voyage. Some OF
the wells of the Wady Rir have also
elected fresh water mollusks, fish and
crabs, still living, which must, therefore,
have made still more rapid transit. /
The cooling effect Of ice is actually
dependent upon its melting, as in this
process the heat which causes it to melt
is absorbed from the surrounding bodies.
A pounl of ice in melting will absorb
sufficient heat to cool pound, Of water
from 174 degrees F. to'the freezing point
or to cool 142 pounds of water one de-
gree. The heating power Of steam is due
to the converse of this principle. Apound
of water converted into steam, and
passed into radiator will, upon con-
densing, give out enough heat to rise
one pound of water, or about4. pounds
of air, from 80 degrees to 1904 degrees.
A plan recently introduced into Bel;
gium for preserving word from decay
produced by the atmosphere, water, etc.,
IS to fill the pores with liquid gutta-
percha, which is said to perfectly pre-.
serve it from moisture and the action of
the sun. The solid gutta-percha is lque-
fed by mixing it with paraffine in pro-
portions of about two-thirds of guttaT
percha to one-third of rarafine; the mix
ture is then subjected to the action OF
heat and the gutta-percha become. sui,
ficiently liquid to be easily introduced
into the pores of the wood. The gutta-
percha liquefed by this process hardens
in the pores of the wood as it becomes
cold.