The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-19
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

Clinton, H., claims to have tho
largest saw-mill in tho world.
Professor Putnam, in his report 10
the Peabody Museum for tho current
year, says man has existed for 10. OO(
years in this country
Tho art of making matches has been
so perfected that 5000, 900 OF the tiny
sticks can be cut into shape, all ready
for dipping, by ono machine in n single
day.
The mineral called turfa, or brazoli.
ma, recently discovered in Bahia, fur.
nishes an oil akin to petroleum, paraf.
fine suitable for the manufacture of can.
dies, and good lubricating oil.
"A new substitute for sulphato OF
Quinine has boon found by NJ. Valude
in the bark OF tho panbotana, a legumin.
GUS tree of Mexico. Either tho alcoholic
tincturc or 4 preparation obtained by
maceration has remarkable effect in
fever cases.
"A report comes from the West of the
discovery of Il process by which iron orc
can be so softcned by tho concentrated
rays'of an arc light rs to be worked with
comparatively small amount Of labor.
If this discovery is confirmed, it may
lead to Il considerable modiflcat ton of the
present modes of treating ores.
Tho iron industry is rapidly getting
into moro satisfactory condition, and,
notwithstanding the fact that the pro-
duction Of both crude and finished iron
is far in excess of any previous record,
yet consumption has so far kept pace
with ii that the market is nowhere bur.
dened with any large accumulation.
ItrippC In NT
the past six months, but arc gradually
becoming tirmer, and as the supply is
absorbed without difficulty, the outlook
is deemed to bc most favorable.-Boston
Advertiser.
In five years of observation at Lin
coin, New Zealand. Mr.. George GRAY
has found that tho amount of impurity
washed down from the air by the rain
depends more on the number of showers
than on the total rainfall. An acre of
land at Lincoln receives annually lin
$50 inches of rainy about 179 pounds of
dissolved matter, including 6O.5 pounds
of chlorine, fifteen pounds of sulphuric
anhydride, and n little moro than two
pounds OF nitrogen. Nearnoss to tho
sea explains the high proportion of
chlorine. -Arkansaw Traveller.
M. do Ia Bastie, n French chemist,
has, during the past fcw years, CON
Quoted seriesoof experiments which
are said to have resulted in method of
rendering glass sufficiently tough for
use in molding many articles hitherto
made of iron. On the strength of this
discovery, tho hopo is indulged that the
huge subAtlantic pneumatic tube for
the connection of tho Old with the New
World, tho suggestion of which was re-
ccived with Indifference and incredulity
some time ago, may eventually turn out
to be not so chimerical as at first glance
it was judged to be.
The death Of DR.. Christian Henry
f. Peters, the celebrated astronomer of
Litchheld Observatory, Hamilton Col
lego, ends ono OF tho most useful scien-
titic careers Of our day. DR.. Poters'
astronomical work was varied and ex-
tcnsivo, including observations on
asteroids, comets, solar spots, and the
mapping of the stellar heavens. IIe
discovered moro asteroids than any
othcr astronomer, the total to his credit.
we believe, being forty-seven. He re-
corded 10000 sun spots and catalogued
$4,000 zodiacal stars. His star charts
were among tho most elaborate over
published, and contained all the known
stars down to the fourteenth magnitude
as far as thirty degrees on each side OF
the equator, throughout tho whole
twenty-four urs.-Rochcstcr Herald