Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-23

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moon has its day and night the &me as
our earth has, but its day is mucfflonger
than ours; in other words the moon turns
on its axis in exactly the same time re-
quired for making its circuit around the
earth. This, as will be readily under
stood, keeps it constantly with the same
side towards US.
Rains purify the air by washing out of
it large quantities of foreign matter that
| it has taken up from the earth. This
| explains why rain water is more stimu-
! lating to plants than well or spring
| water-it is simply a weak liquid fertil-
| izer. In five years of observation ct
| Lincoln, New Zealand, Professor George
| Gray has decided that the quantity of
! impurities brought down depends more
| on the frequency of showers than the ex-
tent of annual rainfall. The annual
rainfall in New Zealand is about the
same as in Northern Texas, and Profess
| sor Gray says it brings to an acre of ground
each year about 179 pounds OF dissolved
matter, including sixty and one-halt
pounds of chlorine, fifteen pounds OF
sulphuric anhydride and little more
than two pounds OF nitrogen. The prob
ability is that our per cent. of chlorine is
smaller, say at Fort Worth, on account
of our greater distance from the sea.
DR.. Ludwig Struve's determination of
the motion of the solar system in space,
as published in the memoirs OF the st.
Petersburg academy, Is derived from
comparisons of the positions for $500
stars recorded in catalogues OF 1855 and
again in 1855. These show that the
solar system is moving towards point in
the constellation Hercules. The motion
for 100 years, it would have been seen
from an average sixth magnitude star,
was 4. sc seconds of arc, a rate CORES
ponding to an actual velocity of about
thirteen miles second. Combining his
results with those obtained by other as
tronomers, DR.. Strive finds the point
toward which the sun and its family OF
planets are speeding to be still in the
constellation Hercules, and the mean
velocity to be fifteen miles q second.
\ first class French authority has
made these comparisons of the cost of
different methods of transmitting the
power of a steam engine: % Compare
tive cost on ten-horse power transmitted
1903 yards: BY cables. l. II per effective
horse power per hour; by electricity.
2.2l; by hydraulics, 80; by compressed
air, 9. J8. (2) Comparative cost on fifty
horse power transmitted 1898 yards: BY
cables, l. 35 per effective horse power per
hour; by hydraulics, 1.S7; by electricity,
2.07; by compressed air, 2.29. (3) Com
psrative cost on ten effective horse power
transmitted 54G5. yards: By electricity,
2.6t per effective horse rower per hour;
by compressed air, 4 .G6;. by cables. SO;
by hydraulics, 5.29. a. Comparative
cost on fifty effective horse power trans
united 5465 yards: BY ele ctricity =. 81
per effective horse power per hour; By
cables, 2.65; by compressed air, 3. 49,
by hydraulics, SOP. For long distances
electricity Is the most economical.
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We look upon the South American
countries as behind US in science and
many other respects, but we are not al
ways correct in that notion. One of the
grandest conceptions OF science we know
of is now in shape in the way of mail
line between BuenOs Ayres and Monte
video. They call it telephargs. II Is
1876 miles in length, and 1t carries letters
the entire distance in less than half an
hour. The boxes or packages carrying
the letters are driven by electricity.
There are two parallel lines, one for each
way. They cross the La Plata estuary at
q point where ii is nineteen miles wide.
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From tables made by the use of synop-
tic charts, eliminating local disturb
ances, DIR. G. Meyer believes he has ac-
complished what other investigators have
sought to do without success-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 first quarter. No effect
can be traced for other months.
There are many theories with reference
to the origin of petroleum, but Professor
Edward Orion, IN the last report OF the
United States geological survey, finds
the following TO be the best supported
l. Petroleum is derived from organic
matter.
2. 1t is much more largely derived
from vegetable than from animal sub
stances.
8. Petroleum of the Pennsylvania type
s derived from the organic matter of
Dituminous shales, and is of vegetable
origin.
4. Petroleum of the Canada and Lima
.ype is derived from limestones, and is of
animal origin.
5. Petroleum has been produced at
ields) and is not a product oifdestruct-
We distillation of bitupinousshales.
o. The stock of gs< leusf in the rocks
: alf)edz
on assl; oas ssasF !"