The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-03-25
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

bhOENS aF6 DViuE IDdUc IN Japan 70
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 a cost said TO be less than enc 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, tho great
German scientist. has reached his sew
entieth year Prof Virchow is the
originator of the cell.growth theory of
disease, which has been characterized
1.-THE most important step in pathology"
of the period, in that It has "little less
than revolutioniaed pathological study"
Boston Traveller
In the South Atlantic Il raiued on
one occasion for over an hour when the
sl<y was entirely free from clouds In
the Mauritius aud other parts of the
southern hemisphere this is not a rare
occurrences but in Europe Il 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 cxtin-
gushing oil fires Oil burning In YES
sci or on the surface Of water can not
be extinguished by sand, as Il sinks too
quickly; but II a handful of bran be
thrown on IL will smother out the flame
before Il gets saturated aud sinks Even
wood ashes or road dust is better than
sand
OF the l7l,o4 miles OF railroad now
completed in the United States, 42.0s3
miles, or SS per cent have been built
since the end Of 1883. Placing the cost
OF this work at the low figure Of $50 ooe
per mile, these figures indicate the ex-
pen6iturc of 81, $50, 900. 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
hides week each to cover base balls
They are alum. tanned. One hide will
furnish covers for ten dozen No 1 balls
and five to eight dozen inferior ones.
Horse hides for this purpose sell from
$3.50 to 81 each, as to size Kips are
also used. They sell at IA cents .
foot and sheepslSins S. SO to IS dozen.
The best regulation balls sell at ST. X
to $3.50 each. A piece OF rubber forms
the center, around which yarn il
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 discouragements, and has submit
ted a preliminary report, which shows
that nothing has been gained beyond
the qualification of little geographical
curiosity. The country explored is
practically desert, almost destitute OF
water or vegetation. II contains no
traces Of gold, diamonds, or anything
else worth having, aud seems to pro-
duee scarcely anything but spinifex. In
this desolate region a number OF "black
fellows" as the natives are called, con-
trive TO exist, and as they have nothing
that anybody can envy, they are nos
likely to be disturbed in the interest of
'civilisation, IN, Y, POST
1t is estimated that the bones OF 500
moas were recently found in New Zea-
land. Occasionally charrcd remains OF
this now extinct bird have also been
found, which points to the fact also
limited at in tradition, that the early in
habitants of New Zealand must have
hunted and eaten it. The moa was an
immense wingless bird OF the ostrich
type which, according to Sir Richard
Owens, stood at least ten feet high.
There was another wingless bird found
in Madagascar, whose eggs have been
discovered. They measure from twelve
TO fourteen inches in diameter and are
three times as large as the egg OF an
ostrich Nearly all wingless birds have
been found south of the equator and on
islands which latter fact seems to fur
nish good reason for their nos having
sooner become extinct