The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-08-14
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

English capital has bought large
plant on the Pennington river, Conn,
and will establish a factory for the pro-
duction of plush goods and shawls.
The ambitious little town of Puget
Sound has in view great business
project. There is proposition on foot
in Seattle, Wash, to establish there
plant for drying the Goldfish caught in
Alaskan waters and making Seattle the
great distribution point for fish on the
Pacific coast.
Some forms of shellfish and other
fish are said to exist three miles under
water, where the pressure is not less
than three tons to the square inch.
They are able to do this because the
tissues of their flesh have a sponge-like
character, which absorbs water and
makes them as heavy as the water
where they are.
About IL, 800 acres have been planted
to sugar beets in the territory tributary
to the Norfolk sugar factory, and the
company calculates to pay the farmers
on an average of $50 an acre for the
product 1t is estimated that the COM
pany will pay out this year for beets,
and labor in working them up, S2Ss, 900.
There are $4,000 oil wells in the
United States, representing a capital of
Sl20, 200, 0G0, with an output of 100000
barrels per day. The refining capacity
of the country is 100000 barrels per
day, while $4,000 barrels are consumed
as fuel. A surplus stock is held in
tanks of more than So, 600, 900 barrels.
The location of tumors on the brain
can now be detected by instantaneous
photography. tunor on the brain
causes violent spasms by pressing on u
nerve center, and while the patient is
in the midst of spasmodic attack he is
photographed. the nerves affected de-
termined by the cOntortionS shown on
the picture and the tumor located.
Strictly speaking, the only precious
stones are the diamond, ruby, sapphire
and emerald, though the term is often
extended to the opal, notwithstanding
its lack of hardness, and to the pearl,
which is not mineral, but strictly an
animal product. Popularity, q gem is
precious or semi-prcciOus stone when
cut or polished for ornamental purposes.
Russian scientists are about going
to northern Africa to make u study of
the methods employed by the natives in
resisting the inroads of quicksands.
This inquiry is the result of Intellectual
efforts on the part of Russian engineers
to counterfeit the effect of quicksands
in tranS-CaSpian sections, where thou
sands of acres of the best arabic soil
are annually used mp.
In 1890 the foreign importation of
pruncS amounted to $4,000, 900 pounds,
a trifie heavier than in 1855, while in
1887 the shipments from abroad reached
a total of %, 600, 900 pounds California
produced in 1887 1,So0,O00 pounds,
against $1,000, 900 for 1890. The foreign
importation of figs has increased steadily
for the past three years, and the annual
shipments amount to about $1,000, 900
pounds. In California this production
has increased from 80, 900 pounds in 1887
to 100000 in 1890.
-"Silver thaw' is name applied to
winter phenomenon of frequent occur
renee at Ben Nevis observatory. 1t
consists of rain falling when the air is
DclOW lIccLHlB DOlnG ana COnPcdllnp
whenever it reaches the ground Of
course this points to an inversion of the
temperature, which is lower on the
mountain top than at greater heights,
and being largely associated with a
cyclonic distribution of pressure, it is of
considerable "forecasting" value.
If a strip of gun-rubber be heated,
then expanded and quickly wound
round and round upon metal tube or
wire, and then cooled for a short time
in cooling mixture, it Immediately loses
all of its elasticity and has no tendency
to contract. If, however, it is then put
into hot water it at once regains it's
elasticity, and returns to its original
length Another way of observing this
same phenomenon is to hold the heated
rubber second in an expanded condi-
ton when unvulcanized, wien it will
retain its shape. IT, however, it is now
immersed in hot water, it contracts to
One-fOurth or one fifth of it's length. and
will remain contracted to one. third or
one-fourth of its original length. These
are what are called the secondary effects
Of a1.