The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1889-01-26
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
IoAs woon-woRKER.

Carpentry was the trade of the American alb
origines-Indians and mound-builders. Mr..
H. F. Mcleod, of the Smithsonian Institution,
states that the tent-poles of the Sioux Indians
even now show pretty specimens of work; and
the Moqui Indians, since long before the land
ing of Columbus, have known how to mortise
timber to make ladders, and to swing doors on
hinges from the top. The chisel they push
rather than hammer, and they work the board
up and down on fixed saw, but the results are
creditable. The Aztecs made a good glass,
which they used for their best cutting blades,
swords, daggers, spears, saws, chisels and axes
They sharpened these by cleaving off the dull
edges.
THE GREENLAND EXPEDITION.
DR.. Nansen, the Danish explorer, and five
companions, have succeeded in their attempt
to cross Greenland, but the scientific results of
the trip cannot yet be told. The party left their
vessel in latitude 650 on July IL, with the east
coast in sight, but were twelve days reaching
landing over the pack-ice. They crossed the
narrow part of Greenland, far south of Norden-
skjold's attempted route, and reached Godthaab
Oct. 4, where, being too late for the last ship,
they will remain until spring.
A REMARKABLE EXPERIMENT.
Mr.. Friese Greene, British photographer,
has actually produced picture with only the
light issuing from his eye. Having stared for
fifteen seconds at g. OO0candle electric arc only
three feet away, he closed his eye and quickly
brought it over a sensitive plate at distance of
one inch. The result was very faint but dis
tinct image of the arc and the carbons, due,
probably, to momentary phosphOresence Ofthe
retina. A second attempt failed, and gas lights
proved too weak to produce effect.
SUGAR IN CEMENT.
The value of sugar in cement mortar has been
carefully tested by Capt. A. Won GrunZweig of
Vienna He finds that mixtures of cement and
sand, hardened in dry place, may be strength
ened by sugar, the maximum effect being pro-
duced when the proportion of sugar reaches
three or four per cent. With pure cement the
addition of sugar does not increase the binding
effect.
CHINESE ASTRONOMY.
Having before us the gradual awakening of
China to some conception of western progress,
it is interesting to glance at the most conspicu-
Gus monument of the time when Chinesescience
ceased to advance. This is the Astronomical
Observatory of Pekin, the oldest in the world,
which Prof. Russell made the subject OF recent
lecture at the Chinese capital. 1t was establish
ed in 1879 The Oldest in Europe-that of Den
mark-was founded in 1876, while the Royal
Observatory of Paris was not opened until 1871,
and that of Greenwich three years later. The
Chinese astronomers first used bronze apparatus
about the year 1850. The Pekin Observatory
originally contained fourinstruments-an equa-
torial armillary, an equatorial or astrolable, an
altitude and azimuth instrument, and celestial
globe. The globe has disappeared, but three
of the instruments still remain. In 1870 six
new instruments-similar to the old but more
accurate-were ordered, and two others were
added in the first half of the last century. But
the land that so progressively nourished infant
astronomy has failed to bring it to the age of
the telescope The Observatory is in charge of
an Astronomical Board, now including total
of 1876 persons, whose chief duty is to regulate
the most important of all Chinese books-the
calendar. Besides astronomical facts, this still
gives lucky and unlucky days, in accordance
with which all Celestials arrange their business.
PROGRESS of CREMATION.
Since the cremation movement was inaugu-
rated, according to statistics up to August col
lected in Berlin, 99S bodies have been burned
N Italy, 554 in Gotha, 2s7 in America, 80 in
sweden, 16 in England Z in France, and 1 in
Denmark. Cremation societies have 3, 012mem
bers in Sweden, 1926 in Denmark, ,326 in HOl
land, CID in Germany, $50 in Italy, 438 in Ham
burg, and 800 in Switzerland. There are 20 ere
mation-furnaces in Italy, in Germany in
England, Switzerland, in France, and 26 %
in the United States.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The extent of the slaughter of fur-bearing
animals in Siberia is indicated by accounts of
the summer fair at Irbit, which is market for
only portion of the fur exported. There were
shown skins of 3, 10000 squirrels, 1000 blue
foxes 1900 marmots 10000 pole-catS, 10000
badgers, 100000 hares, 1900 foxes, and many
bears and wolves. The animals are being so
rapidly exterminated that great regions are be-
ing abandoned by hunters.
The submarine torpedo boat of Lieut.. Isaac
Peral, launched in Spain some weeks ago. is
about 20 feet long and nine feet wide, with
displacement of 81 tons. Its two screws are
driven by powerful electric accumulators, to be
charged from station on shore and it is sup
posed to be able to provide respirable air suffi-
Gent to sustain its crew ofseven men forty eight
hours under water.
Since Humboldt witnessed fish thrown from
the volcano CotOpaxi, in 1903 it has been found
that the phenomenon is repeated from time to
time during eruptions, and that it occurs also
in other volcanoes of the Andes. The fish are
sometimes elected in vast quantities. All be-
long to one species, which exists in some Ofthe
lakes on the sides of the mountains
The work of connecting by canal the two
great arteries of navigation in western Siberia
has so far progressed that boat Sc feet long
and IA feet wide, taking 81 feet of water, has
been lately drawn from the Obi into the Yenisei
with load of 40 tons of flour. The two rivers
are $50 miles apart