The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-01-30
POPULAR SCIENCE.

The great mass of air is concentrated
within five miles of the earth's surface.
The monster Hilton cannon recently
manufactured in Germany carries twenty
miles.
1t is by no means settled that forests
increase rainfall, as is quite generally be-
| .ieved.
A man may lntrust his servant with
;he duty of buying his coal, but he must
engage skill aud science to burn it.
The discovery of deposit of stone
bearing o resemblance to some valuable
descriptions of marble. at Bolton, N. Y,
has excited much interest, and active
operations have commenced.
Among recent camera achievements is
a portrait copy taken by the light of
Cuban freely in thirty seconds. and
photograph of the aurora borealls. 10
obtain the latter had been declared an
utter impossibility.
In machine which has come into use
in France for testing steel railway ties,
o succession of blows similar to those de.
livered by means OF sledgc hammer are
given to the tires in place on their wheel
centres and revolved on rollers.
A cement very much used in China and
Japan is made from rice. 1t is only
necessary to mix rice flour intimately
with water and gently. simmer the mix
ture over a clear fire, when it readily
forms a delicate and durable cement.
The longest period total eclipse OF
the sun can continue to the inhabitants
of the earth is seven minutes and fifty
eight seconds. The conditions under
which such an eclipse would take place
arc 50 rare that it might not occur once
in ten thousand years.
DR.. Paul Gibier, who has been investi-
eating the yellow fever germ, at Jackson.
Vile. Fla, has started for Washington
to offer his services free to the Govern
ment for further experiments, which he
will suggest be carried on in an island
off the florida coast, where they cannot
be dangerous to other localities.
A factory at Leominster, Mass, is pro.
ducing in large quantities asbestos mill
board for steam packing, or use IN other
WAYS. to resist fire and heat, it being alb.
solutely non. .combustible as we'll as a
non-conductor, and is now being intro
duced for packing in kerosene engines;
it is more easily applied and cheaper
than rubber packing.
Among the latest methods rcsorted to
for hardening copper is that of melting
together, and stirring until thoroughly
incorporated, copper and from one to
six per cent. of manganese oxide; the
other ingredients for bronze and other
allows NAV then be added. The copper
thus becomes homogeneous, harder and
tougher.
Building blocks made of corncobs
form the object of new Italian patent.
The cobs are pressed by machinery into
forms similar to bricks, and held to-
gether by wire. They are made water
tight by soaking with tar. These molds
are very light and strong. Their weight
is less than one third of that of a hollow
brick, and they can never get damp.
The deposit of borate of lime in Curry
County, Oregon, proves of much greater
extent than was at first supposed, and
gives promise OF COnSlueTdDle CoululclS"i
importance. The deposit is dry one,
in bluff directly upon the ocean shore,
in locality very convenient for ship.
ment. 1t has already beon traced for half
mile, the width also being found to be
some 300 feet, and the depth 30 feet. 1t
is thought to be the most valuable de-
posit of the kind yet discovered on the
Pacific coast.
A low ledge in western Norway marks
the spot on which an extensive promon-
tory stood until 1717. During a thaw in
that year the creviccs in the rock were
filled with water, which was quickly
frozen by a sudden change to cold. The
result was the rending of the rock and its
projection, with its cultivated fields and
farmstead, from height of 1900 feet
into the neighboring ford. The fall
raised a great wave, which not only de-
stroyed all the fishing boats within two
and half miles, but swept away q
church fifty feet above the water a
mile away from the promontory.