The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-04-24
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

The English school at Athens has
obtained permission from the Greek
ministry to eXcavate the Temple Of
Demeter, situated in the territory OF
Gortys. in the Peloponnesus, and the
ancient theater of Eretria, in Eubea.
-England's boast that the south
African gold mines would out-produce
all the gold mines of the United States
has not been verified. The yield for
1890 was $3.50, 900, less by over mil
lion than Californias product for that
year.-N. Y. Saturday Globe.
The greatest railway mileage in
any state of the Union will be found in
Illinois. namely, 1O,197 miles. The in
debtedness against this mileage is 81, 9j5.
Cos, 274, or one-ffth the total railway in
debtedness of the United States. The
net earnings show but 50, 231 per mile of
road, or about per cent. upon the total
investment. The total income for the
year ending June 80, 1890, was 500, 500,
000.-Railway Age.
There are now under vine culture
in America 100000 acres, of which
about 100000 acres are bearing. The
estimated value of the vineyards and
wine cellars is $155, 900, 900. In Califor-
MIA there are $780, 900 acres under vine
culture, and large proportion of the
grapes produced are made into wine.
Most of the grapes grown in New York
state are sold for food. The total pro-
auctions of wine in the United States
during the past year is about 40, 900, 600
gallons.
-'While digging in the side of a
steep bluff, - reports a Nebraska contem-
porary, civilian Isaac, of Scitoria I'M
earthed n portion of a skeleton which
is a reminder of the wondrous forms of
animal life represented in ancient
times The bones and teeth were found
imbedded in solid clay at distance of
fifty feet from the top of the bluff. The
teeth measure across the end fifteen
inches, and weigh twenty-five pounds
apiece. The bones found are proper
tionately long and heavy"
The silver imported in Mexican lead
ores i'll 1890 is given by the director of
the mint as 1852. A? ounces, or about
80. 900 ounces more than in 1889. The
smelters and refners' returns of produc-
ton of silver exceed those made by
them for 1889 by 7.S4l ,526 ounces. 1t
would appear from the mint reports
that the production of gold is nearly
stationary, while our silver output is
increasing rapidly. 4, 800. 900 ounces from
our domestic ores as by the mint figures,
and total of about 7.S+1 900 ounces, in
Guiding all sources, as returned by the
smelters and refners. -Engineering and
Mining journal.
The first sign of the Matching of a
snake, according to DR.. Walter Sibley. is
the appearance of a slit at a part of the
eggshcll which happens to be upparmost.
The young reptiles snout appears at
the crack. and after time the head
protrudes, and may remain thus several
hours before the body and tail are
Matched. If disturbed, the head is with
drawn into the shell, while fully
Matched snakes often seek their shells
as a safe retreat. These infants are
smooth and velvety to the touch, with
eyes open from the first, and begin to
hiss at the age of few days.
In Switzerland Sunday law has
been enacted applying to all railroad,
steamboat and tramway companies and
post offices. Working time must not be
more than twelve hours a day, even on
occasions of increased traffic. Engine
and train men must have at least ten
hours unbrollcn rest, and other en-
ployes nine hours. They must also
have fifty-two days off yearly, and
seventeen of these must be Sundays.
No reduction in wages is to be made for
such rest days. All freight traffic on
Sunday is prohibited, except live stock.
The curious experiment of making
a lens of ice to light pipes and cigars
has been tried with success by skaters
in London. The experiment was first
brought to notice by DR.. Scaresby, when
in the polar regions, to the great aston
ishment of his companions. who did not
understand why the ice did not freeze
the solar rays Prof. Tyndall. when a
tutor in the Royal Institution, on sew
eral occasions set fire to little heaps of
gunpowder with the rays from an cleo
trio arc concentrated upon the powder
by lens of ice. His explanation was
that, although ice absorbs rays of GER
tain waves of light, and is gradually
melted thereby. other waves are not
absorbed, and these latter produce the
heating effect at the focus of the lens.
1t is wholly question of the relative
motions of the molecules OF frozen
water and the motions of the waves of
light.
MENTAL WEAKNESS.
The Poisonous Effect of Oyerwork on the