The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-12-14
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.
Tho Latest Facts Gathered from LEADING
Mechanical Journals.


The market value Of platinum is at the
present moment nearly equal TO that OF gold,
their respective prices being "a and 81 b
Eighteen months ago platinum was 10 be
had for about 800. an ounce. and six months
ago the price was under 60. Apart from
the question OF a possible "c0rner.' and the
demand for platinum for
electrical purposes, this l66 per cent rise In
price within eighteen months may be at
tributed ina large measure to the increased
cost Of production at the mines In the Urai
mountains, whence We draw our CHIEF sup
ply of the metal. The owners OF these mines,
owing to their large yield OF gold. were able
10 sell platinum comparatively cheap; the
gold, however, is now becoming scarce, and
hence the platinum, which is still plentiful,
can no longer be sold at so low ngure.
Platinum, besides being used for the Lead
ing wires Of glow lamps, Is largely used
tor electrodes in eiectrO-chemical work, and
up to the present no satisfactory substitute
for ii has been found so far as these appii-
cations are concerned.
Shorthand writing will soon be a thing Oh
the past. Heads Of firms and CONFIDENTIAL
clerks now talk their letters 10 the phone
graph, which redictates them To the type
writer The waxen cylinders can be stored
v.
nute than shorthand notes. Indeed, 1t VIII
NOT be long before the photograph pushes
stenography completely In tue backgr0u nd.
An important meeting was recently report
ed at Chicago 10y the use OF two phono-
graphs. The reporter stood few yarus
from the speakers. and repeated tne
speechls into one of the machines until the
cylinder was covered by the mystic iiden-
tations. Then the operator turned To the
other machine and talked into that while
the first cylinder was removed and placed
in the hands of the typewriter. -,
The Irans-s aharan railway, from Alghf7
10 TimbuctOO, is said to present no insur-
mountable engineering problems; IN iact, ~
be less difficult than the construction oi on,
own trans-cOntinental lines. Inc res,
difficulty will lie in dealing with the WIG
tribes of the desert who control all the
contes from Algiers TO the Scudan, who are
nomads whose only source Of revenue Is the
tribute maid by caravans. The French pro-
nose TO give them employ ment, promote
Village life by sinking wells, &c. But the,
are 40 wild that It is difficult tn even ne
gOtiate with them. With railway I'd the
Soudan. where commerce Is most NaiuaOie,
IL would be pos ,ibe 10 reach IlmDuctOO III
six days from Algiers, or say little more
than a week TO pass from Marseilles TO the
heart of the Dark Continent.
Professor +. W. Putnam, the well-known
permanent secretary Of the American AS
ISOLATION, recently made an interesting eis-
coyerv which furnishes fresh evidence III
SUPPORT Of the theory that man In America
was contempOraneous with the mammoth
In a communication TO the Boston society
~ Natural History, Professor Putnam de-
scribes shell found by him in the state OF
Delaware. Upon a portion Of this shell i
scratched the rude outline OF what without
doubt represents a mammoth. The shell
was found under peat, and near Oy "ere
human bones, charcoal, bones oil animals
and stone implements.
The nature and general appearance o.
cancer, more than Of other tumors, sugge5'
a micro-Organismal original, and although
there have been absolutely no successiu
att, mpts at demonstrating such an idea, tnt
question must be considered as still SUI
iudice. The present state OF our knowledge
py no means admits the probability Oh sucl
an origin, but the enticing hope OF Drii
liant discovery is sufficient to maintain tn'
interest of investigators and cllniciahs ii
the subject. Many eminent surgeons con
time TO apply some such substance as so
luton of chloride of zinc TO the exposed It's
.ues after the abatiOu Of canceroui
growth. to destroy possible specihc micro
organism.
Sir Joseph Lister announced IN LONDON
on Thursday Of last week, that DR.. hocl
| has made two further discoy ries OF the VI
most importance; that he has found simple
chemical substances lnOculatlOn WIN WHICH
is absolutely effective both In curing ant
preventing two of the ''mOst terrible OF con
| tagious Diseases" and that the discoverie
| will be made public as soon as certain ex
periments shall be completed.
The Western Passenger Association ma
voted TO advance the rate from ChlcaRO U
| Pacific coast points December l9th, VIA II
| Louis from $3.50 first class to $40, ami iron
81. 80 to $50 second class, In compliance
with the demand Of the Transcontinenta
Association lines via ST. Louis for increased
proportion Of the through rates, but doe
not increase the rate by the direct lines
from Chicago, which remains at Sl2.jO.-
Scribner's Magazine.
In November the clearings outside OF New
| York were SO per cent. greater than iOr IN
corresponding month last year, which II
turn showed a gain Of 10 per cent. over 1888
as the returns for that month were pc
cent. above those of November, 1857. TIT
earnings OF fifty-eight railroads for NOVem
+, Der show "a gain OF "A per cent. owe
| last year, notwithstanding much cutting o
rates. lupOlidul llvElOoo 10 'NiN'N" y
have been made toward the settlement
railroad difficulties.
The long talked Of steamship line between
| Galveston. Texas. and South American
ports has commenced to take shape. /
| has been named the Pan-Amerlcan steam
ship Line, and is capitalized al SJO,DOWO
Several steam vessels will be running EARL
i'm 1891, carving fruit chiefly. and all Othe
freight incidentally. The principal stock
holders reside in Chicago, Omaha, Denver
Kansas City, Des Moines, Topeka. and Gal
weston. 50 far the venture seems to have
been promoted without any idea Of seekine
| foreign subsidies.
The exports Of gold are giving hopes Of &
constantly increasing supply, which vii
| help TO steady the price Of silver, and thai
metal needs il badly, under the constantly
increasing production. The next twelve
months will witness plentiness OF silvel
and moderation OF price that will make
all our silyer-workers and platers glad, ono
relieve them from the approximations raised
by the September high figures. No Oihel
| product contracts 80 severely In volume d
sale as silver goods and silyer-plated goods
on serious advance Of the metal.
The New York Engineering News pub
fishes statistics showing the progress o
railway construction in the far Western
States. Totals which cover ten states ant
| Territories show that there have been 40
miles of track laid since January |, 1890
and there are now 2,6l7 miles under con
structiOn, 3 920 miles under survey, anC
4.917 miles projected for future construction
The greater part OF the active work is con
| fined to the States Of Washington, Montana
and Colorado, and is being carried on by
| the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, ant
Union Pacific companies. over A per cent
of this years track-laying and 40 per cent
f the mileage under construction is th'
work OF these companies.
The estimated cost OF the proposed shll
canal from ROuen to Paris in l25,OOO.0H
| francs. The canal is to be about ll2 miles
| long and little over twenty feet deep. The
duration Of the passage from Rouen Il
| Paris is placed at about seventeen hours.
The southside irrgating ditch, now being
constructed by fhe Lamar Land and Cana
Company in Colorado, will be completed il
the spring. 1t will be fifty miles long, anC
supply water for $4,000 acres Of farming
lands lying near Lamar, Col.
Press reports state that the Florida Ocear
and Gulf Canal Company will begin thi.
month the work Of cutting the proposed shiI
canal from st. Augustine TO Cedar Keys
Fla. The canal will be 1T miles long, q
feet deep, and from POO to $50 feet surface
width.
From an official document inst published