Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-03-11
Bits of Science.

was StnSlUlN aUtcltu. ne gigantic up
heaval was presumed TO have been caused
by meteor striking the sun.
There are 1,jOO,OOO.OO 600 people in tho
world with very nearly an equal division
of sexes. One-fourth dies before the 18th
year, and the average duration Of life is
about 33 years, 33033, 600 people die each
year, making a total of 81, sol each day,
$40 each hour q Peach minute and about
/ each second.
The chief element in the composition
of tear is water. but with water is
associated minute proportions of salt So
da, phosphate of lime, phosphate of soda
and muCuS, and when seen under the mi
croscope a tear after evaporation looks like
a very small fish bone owing to the sa-
lines forming themselves into heightened
cross-lines.
When a gun is fired absolutely in the
vertical, the ball will fall few inches to
the south and west from the gun, in north
ern md-latitudes due west at the equator,
and northwest in southern mid-atitudes
This deviation of the return ball is caused
by the angular displacement of the vertical
or radiant line, swinging on the earth's AK
is as a centre by virtue of the earth's revo-
luton to a measurable amount during the
upward and downward flight of the ball.
The average level of the solid earth has
been calculated by DR.. John Murray to be
400 fathomS below sea-evel: but more
recent explorations show greater ocean
depths, according TO DR. II. X. Mill, and
a mean sphere level at depth of 100
fathoms. That is, all the land above the
level of 100 fathomS beneath the sea
would have to be filled into the greater
i. Ia. -, .l..rs a
parts of the solid earth
An interesting investigations notes the
Popular Science News. has recently been
conducted 10y two French scientific men
upon the cause of the peculiar and agreed
bic udor given off 10y the earth when moist
cned by a shower of rain. They find that
the essential principle of thi, oior is vol
atile hydrocarbou of the aromatic family
which is carried away with the vapor. The
proportion present i'm the soil is very small
probably not more than a few millonths
The reason for the red sunset indicating
a fine day to come is because the amount
of vapor floating in the air rcfracts the
beams of the sun, and more freely trans
mits the red rays of light than the colured
rays. II is the degree of moisture in the
atmosphere which affects the refraction of
are freely transmitted. the amount Of
moisture does not approach the rain point,
and therefore promises the following day to
be fine.
If the Atlantic were lowered 1864 feet.
the distance from shore to shore would be
half As great, OF 1900 miles If lowered
little more than three milc>-say ~. $50
feet-there would be road Of dry land
Sea-, al.
the plane on which the great Atlantic ca
bles were laid The Mediterranean is com
paratively shallow. \ driving up of G66
feet would leave three different seas. and
Africa would be joined with Italy. The
British channel is more like pond. which
accounts for its choppy waves.
Most people suppose" says an assayer.
that all gold is alike when refined. but
this is not the case. An experienced man
can tell at a glance from what part of the
world a gold piece comes and in some
cases from what part of particular gold
district the metal was obtained The Aus
tralian gold. for instance is distinctly red
der than the Californian, and this differ
ence in color is always perceptible, even
when the gold is 1000 fine Again the
gold obtained from the pacers is yelower
than that which is taken directly from
quartz. Why this should be the ease is
one of the mysteries of mctallurgy. for the
placer gold all comes from the veins The
Ural gold is the rcddest found anywhere
\ new theory of the great pyramid of
CheopS is advanced 10y the French astron-
omer, NJ. Ballore. The grand gallery, he
thinks, was originally intended for a place
of astronomical observation where the
priests might stand for this purpose, the
sides of the gallery forming a rude Suhsti-
tute for the micrOmetre threads, which in
the modern telescope indicates SO precise
ly the passage OF the stars over the merd-
ian. NJ Ballore calls special attention to
certain holes or notcheS in the wall of the
grand gallery, which he considers to indi-
cate the proper place To stand to observe
particular phenomena.
When the earth was Young. saws Sir
Robert Ball, astronomer royal for Ireland
it went around so fast that the day was on
~ three hours long. The earth was liquid
then, and it spun around and around at
that fearful speed, and as the sun caused
ever increasing tides upon its surface, il at
last burst in two. The smaller part he
came the moon, which has been going
around the earth ever since at an increaS-
ing distance. The influence of the moon
HOW raises uueS on the earth, ana While
there was any liquid to operate on in the
moon the earth returned the compliment
Some eminent physicists have believed
that the crust of the earth is at least 800
miles thick. The majority adduce good
reasons for believing that the crust is only
% to 80 miles thick. All agree that if the
temperature within the earth continues to
increase as it does near the surface, at the
rate of i F. for about every 50 feet of de-
scent, all igneOus rocks must be fused at
no great depth. In fact, at this rate of in
crease, the temperature at 200 miles is 49,
600 F., which is Prof. RosSetti's estimate
OF the probable temperature of the sun.
1t is improbable, however, that the rate of
increase is maintained for a great distance,
and many physicists believe that at some
unknown, but not very great depth, the in
crease in temperature ceases.
Prof. A. +. Foote of Philadelphia re-
Gently read paper before a science associ-
alton describing the finding of diamonds in
meteoric iron. The diamonds are small
but plainly visible. They are the hardest
variety known-the black diamonds used
for pointing diamond drills. A small white
diamond was also found. Great scientific
interest attaches to this discovery because
of the fact that it confirms the theory adj
vanced by Sir William Thompson 20 years
ago, that the first germs of life were
brought to this globe by meteors. Da-