The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1890-11-15
Correspondence Baltimore County Usat0r.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
pETROIRTM.

PETROLEUM.
Considering the various theories in regard to
the origin of petroleum, Mr. Edward Orion, in
the last report of the U. s. Geological Survey,
finds the following to be the best supported
propositions 1. Petroleum is derived from
organic matter. 2. 1t is much more largely de-
rived from vegetable than from animal sub
stances g. Petroleum of the Pennsylvania
type is derived from the organic matter of BIZ
luminous shales, and is of vegetable origin. 4.
Petroleum of the Canada and Lima type is de-
rived from limestones, and is of animal origin.
5. Petroleum has been produced at normal
rock temperatures lin Ohio fields), and is not a
product of destructive distillation of bitumi-
nous shales 6. The stock Of petroleum in the
rocks is already practically complete.
WORKERS OF THE BODY.
cell, states DIR. Andrew Wilson, is speck
of living protoplasm-animal or plant life
stuff''-averaging perhaps one 4OOth of an inch
in diameter, of rounded shape, bounded by
kind of envelope, and having particle (the
nucleus) somewhere or other imbedded in its
interior. Some cells-as nerve-cells-average
only one 5000th of an inch, or less, IN dame
ter; and between big cells and little cells there
are all gradations in size. These cells are the
workers of the body, They are the poPula-
ton of the vital kingdom. The democrats are
the cells-useful and necessary, and respectable
members of society-which toll and labor to
build up bones, to form muscles, and to make
the various secretions. The aristOcrats are the
nerve-cells, which are by no means an IDLE
plutocracy, however, but which work hard
enough in the ruling. direction, and govern.
ance of the frame. There is perfect division of
labor in the living state. One group OF cells
does not interfere with the work of another
group. Each piece of labor, from the building
of bone to the making of gastric justice; is car
ried out independently and thoroughly by
workers set apart for the given purpose. The
economy of bees hive is not more rigidly or
dered than is the work of our own body IN
respect of its laborers and their specific duties
and in the vast proportion of their affairs these
workers of ours are self-directive, even while
they own the supremacy of brain and nerves
as their controlling power.
SEVERE SEASONS.
Among facts collected by NJ. Willard, of
Valence, concerning unusual seasons OF Eu-
rope in past centuries, are the following: The
winter of 1882 was so mild that corn-fowers
were sold in Paris in February. and new wine
was drunk at Liege on August "a. In laos the
cold was so severe that nearly ali the Paris
bridges were carried away by the ice, ink froze
in the pen near fire, and the sea between
Norway and Denmark was entirely covered
disastrously hot. In the winter OF 1544-45
wine froze in barrels all over France. and was
sold in cakes by the pound. The Rhone and
nearly all other rivers froze in 1858 so that
carriages might cross. In 1885 the winter was
so mild that corn was in ear at Easter, but part
of May was extremely cold.
UNDER WATER FORTY YEARS.
Some Hungarian prisoners of war were
thrown, in 1919, into deep pool near Her
mannstadt, from which the bodies, after an
immersion of Al years, were lately brought up.
Their physiological condition has been made
the subject of careful investigation by DIR.
KONG. The bodies were perfectly preserved,
and their organs remained unchanged in shape
and mostly unaltered in color and consistence.
The most remarkable feature was the presence
of crystals of common salt, clearly showing
that, in the water, particles held in solution
may pass through the skin and muscles, and
find their way into the most deeply-seated
organs. This is considered confrmatory proof
that mineral baths exert in this way their spe-
cific action on the internal economy of bathers.
THE MooN-wEATHER PROBLEM.
From tables made by the use of synoptic
charts, eliminating local disturbances, Dr. G.
Never believes he has accomplished what other
cess-shOwn an influence of the moon on the
weather. The height of the barometer, in the
months of September to January, is lowered at
the time of full moon and raised during the
IlrSC quarter. NO eHecI Cali De LIdCeu IOT OtIler
months.
MISCELLANEOUS.
A capital of about S22, 600, 600 is said to have
been raised for carrying out the plan of making
Paris a port by canaliZing the Seine so that
ships may proceed from Havre. Another
project is for constructing a canal to connect
the Mediterranean with the Bay of Biscay.
The length of the telpherage line between
Buenos Ayres and Montevideo is186 miles, and
it is designed to carry electrically driven letter
boxes, which may be dispatched every two
hours. The two wires cross the La Plata estu-
airy at point where it is 10 miles wide.
A passenger elevator to the summit of Mont
-Blanc-the shaft to have eight compartments,
each six feet square, and each to carry triple
decked elevator for q passengers-has been
proposed by an American mining engineer.
At St. Petersburg the longest day of the year
has 10 hours, at Hamburg II hours, at London
III hours. at New York Is hours, and at Spitz-
bergen 81 hours.
Floors of rubber-claimed to be as durable
as asphalt and cheaper are being tried in
Germany.
German chemist has discovered that
when bottle partly filled with solution of
ozone in water is shaken soft phosphorescent
glow spreads overy the surface of the liquid,
and quickly disappears. A second shaking
gives fainter light, but the appearance cannot
be obtained again until after an interval of
some days.
A simple camera has been produced for
taking panoramic photographs on transparent
films. The pulling of a string rOtates the
fourths, or a whole circle, the film being stimuli
taneously wound in an opposite direction past
aslit one-sixtieth of fan inch wide placed behind
the lens