The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-05-28
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

oNtGNSG ANU JNO0S
Efforts are being made in Japan to
supply the street railways with cars Of
home construction instead of importing
them from the United States. Some
elaborate cars have been built in Hita
at cost said to be less than one-third
the price of American cars.
Cores of carbon are now being used
in castings. They are made similar to
electric arc carbons, but are softer and
more porous. They are said to be very
durable, do not lose strength or shape,
and the work from them finishes up
better than that from sand molds.
Prot Rudolph virchow. the great
German scientist, has reached his sew.
cntieth year. Prof. Virchow is the
originator of the cell-growth theory of
disease, which has been characterized
"the most important step in pathology"
Of the period, in that it has ''little less
than revolutionizedp pathological study"
Boston Traveller.
I'm the South Atlantic it rained on
one occasion for over an hour when the
sky was entirely free from clouds. In
the Mauritius and other parts of the
southern hemisphere this is not a rare
occurrence; but in Europe it is, and the
greatest known length of its duration
was ten minutes in Constantinople.
Common wheat bran. or any kind
of mill feed is recommended for extin-
gushing oil fires. Oil burning in yes
sell or on the surface of water can not
be extinguished by sand, as it sinks too
quickly; but If handful of bran be
thrown on it will smother out the fame
before it gets saturated and sinks Even
wood ashes or road dust is better than
sand
-Of the III, 044 miles of railroad now
completed in the United States, 42,653
miles, or SO per cent have been built
since the end of 1885, Placing the cost
of this work at the low figure of $50. 600
per mile, these figures indicate the ex-
penditme of 81. 2sO, 0O0, 900 in railway con-
struction during the last six years. and
an addition of from six to eight times
this amount to the country's wealth
There are two factories in Philadel-
phia that use up in the season 100 horse 4
hides week each to cover base balls ]
They are alum-tanned. One hide will
furnish covers for ten dozen No / balls
and five to eight dozen inferior ones.
Horse hides for this purpose sell from
81. so to 81 each, as to size Kips are
also used. They sell at IA cents a
foot and sheepskins So. so to So dozen.
The best regulation balls sell at Sl.25
m oh A Mo - H.. e.
the center, around which yarn is
wound by hand. Then they are Gov
cred They are dead balls and won't
bounce"
The expedition fitted out some time
ago by Sir Thomas Elder for the ex-
ploration of Central Australia has COM
pleted its task. after many hardships
and discouragcments, and has submit
ted preliminary report, which shows
that nothing has been gained beyond
the qualification of q little geographical |
curiosity. The country explored is
practically a desert, almost destitute of ]
water or vegetation. 1t contains NO
traces of gold, diamonds, or anything
Else worth having. and seems to pro-
luce scarcely anything but spinifex. In |
his desolate region number of "black
as the natives are called, con-
rive to exist and as they have nothing
hat anybody can envy, they are not
likely to be disturbed in the interest of
'civilization."-N. Y. Post.
1t is estimated that the bones of 500
noas were recently found in New Zea-
and. Occasionally charred remains of /
his now extinct bird have also been
ound, which points to the fact, also
tinted at in tradition, that the early in
labitants of New Zealand must have
lunted and eaten it. The moa was an
immense wingless bird of the ostrich
ype which, according to Sir Richard
ovens. stood at least ten feet high.
There was another wingless bird found
n Madagascar, whose eggs have been
discovered. They measure from twelve
o fourteen inches in diameter, and are
hree times as large as the egg of an
strich. Nearly all wingless birds have
cen found south of the equator and on
stands, which latter fact seems to fur
ish good reason for their not having
ooner become extinct
Pleasant Dining Room.
The dining-room should be large
nough to enable person to pass
round the Ia bile comforta blv vvhcn tho |