Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-30
POPULAR SCIENCE.
Dangerous Sugar Adulterant-Ths Old Frog
Nonespnsp-CondItion of Pompeii-Rich
Onyx Quarry-Give Us q Rest.

There is no particular Astronomical
phenomena for this week visible to the
naked eve. On Tuesday evening the
2Sth, Venus reaches her greatest bril-
liancy for the season, after which she
will 20 into gradual decline. Jupiter IS
also declining IN brilliancy, though he
still appears as very conspicuous and
brilliant planet.
Chemists have lately learned to pre-
pare from the refuse Of gas works q new
substance which they call saccharine,
and which is SAID to be by far the sweet
est substance known. 1t is reputed to
be more than hundred times sweeter
than pure cane sugar. As an article of
diet it Is not considered wholesome,
never the less common sugars are being
more or less adultuated with it, they
say, it is employed to cover up less sweet
aduiturants. Germany appears to enjoy
monopoly in the manufacture of
saccharine. There is a movement on
foot to lay so heavy an import tax upon
the article rs shall prevent any very
extensive introduction of it into the
United States. 1t seems to be seriously
iniurng the regular sugar trade IN
Germany. A recent letter received from
that country by Senator Gibson says on
account of sacchasiue adulteration in the
German empire there is already q falling
off in the regular or pure sugar trade to
the extent OF 100 eco cwt. (5G0O tons)
by which the country loses 100, 900
marks in taxes.
The old story of finding live toads in
solid rocks IL being revived. 1t Is now
going the rounds of the press to the
credit OF the Salt Lake Herald, that
workmen engaged in Varley & Everill g
limestone quarry, north OF Salt Lake
City, 'lately broke open a large piece of
rock which had been blasted out, and q
frog hoped out of pocket In the center
of the stone. or course, the occurrence
created tremendous sensation among
the workmen, and operations at the
quarry were for the time suspended and
the movements of the frog were watched
with great interest. The animal was
somewhat smaller than the ordinary
frog and was perfectly white. Its eyes
were unusually large aud very brilliant,
but the frog was apparently blind.
Where the mouth should have been there
was only, line, and on the feet was q
once took charge of the curiosity and put
it in tin can, but the frog died the next
morning. He brought II down town,
and 1t was examined with great interest
by large number of people, and it was
sfterward presented to the museum,
where it will be preserved In alcohol, -
etc.
Now, any one with so much as the
msrest smattering of scientific knowledge
could not do otherwise than know that
all this is simply false. Limestone is
formed only at the bottom of deep seas,
and the frog, il in stone, as claimed,
could have got there only while the lime
stone was forming and in plastic state.
Is there any one so foolish as to suppose
that frog could live in salt water at the
bottom of deep sea?
-.
Science has made more wonderful pro-
gFess within the past thirty years. In
his address to the sixtieth annual meet
ing of the British association for the ad-
vancemsnt of science, the president, Sir
F. A. Abel, reviewed the progress of
science since the last meeting of the as
soeiation at the same place (Leeds) in
1853. The subject to which reference
was made included the transmission of
electric energy, the application OF voltaie
energy to the fusion and Welding of
metals, the discovery of the use of alum
inium in the production of iron and steel
castings, the measurement and control of
the explosive force of gunpowder, the
composition and value of the smokeless
powders. recent Inventions of explosives
for mining purposes, and the develop
ment Of the petroleum and natural gas
fields of the United States.
Fort Worth people are now thinking a