The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-09
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

"A compilation of the merchant
shipping statistics of New Brunswick
shows that there are now registered in
that province 045 vessels, with an ag-
gregate tonnage of 1s0,953-a great
falling off from previous years More
than two-thirds of the tonnage is in
square-rigged sailing vessels, and over
five-sixths of the total is owned in St
John.
"A scientific commission is searching
over Brazil for the healthiest part of
that country. In accordance with the
new constitution of -,Ae republic the
capital must be rem oved from Rio
Janerio, and the government has ap-
pointed body of scientific gentlemen
to select the healthie@S geographical
site.
"A splendid specimen of the file-back
sunfish, which is said to be very rare in
English waters, has just been captured
on the Lincolnshire coast, betweel
Gibraltar Point and Skegness. 1t meas
ured seven feet three inches in length,
and five feet six inches in depth and
weighed close upon three quarters of
ton. The fish has been sent to. London
for preservation.
London scientists have recently
demonstrated that the purest air in the
cities Is found about twenty-five feet
above the street surface. Heretofore it
has been thought that the highest fioorn
in tenement houses had the best air
The Investigations above referred show
that the healthicst apartments are those
of the third floor
Colorado is coming to rank high as
a coal-producing state, and it Is proba-
bic that her coal resources will eventu-
ally prove more important and valu-
able factor in the progress and pros
| perity of the state than her famous sill
yer wealth. The coal output last year
was 3, 770, 600 tons, worth over S15, O0O,-
O00 and the number of miners en-
| ployed in the coal mines throughout
the state exceeds 5000.
Shipments of butter from Victoria,
during the season just ended, amounted
to about 5000 TONS and bonus of two
cents per pound was paid on all that
| sold in London for between twenty and
twenty-five cents, while bonus of
three cents was paid to all that real
lied twenty-five cents and upward. 1t
was estimated that the government
would have to pay 5000. 900 in bounties,
but the public feeling is against this
sort of subsidy, because one leading
butter company has just paid dividends
at the rate of 90 per cent per annum.
In Rome eighty-two miles of new
streets yielded the following ''dugups:"
905 amphor4, 1880 terra Gotta lamps,
1,S24 inscriptions on marble, II columns
rare marble, 3l3 pieces of columns, l57
marble capitals, llS bases, 500 works of
art in terra Gotta. $40 works of art in
bronze, Ill intaglios and canoes, Is
marble sarcophagi, 1872 bas rcliefs, 1872
marble S atues u marble figures of
animals, 266 busts and heads. - pic
lures in olychrome-mosaic - objects
of gold, 80 objects of silver, So, go coins.
Even this astonishing list does not
| cover everything, but embraces only
those objects which were worthy of a
| place in the museums. Scientific Amer
lean.
l
by the Department of Agriculture, of
| Manitoba, of %, 1872. 600 bushels of wheat
| from 9l6,6 1854 acres, IA, 163, 900 bushels of
! oats from 305, GA acres, and lbs, 900
bushels of barley from S9,S2S acres for
| the crop of 1892. These estimates were
realized from barley and oats: but fields
| plowed for wheat in the spring were
injured by frost, and the exposure of a
large portion of the crop in open stocks
| and badly constructed stacks reduced
the aggregate of wheat available from
Manitoba and the northwestern terri
| tories to $1,000, 600 bushels: nor has the
return to the producer exceeded so
| cents per busheL
The first firing was done on the
new proving grounds of the Bethlehem
| iron works on the 18th of July last.
Screens were arranged in connection
with electrical instruments for mcasur-
| ing the velocity with which the shots
travelled. In the test made the object
was to obtain the velocity of $50
pound shot fired from an eight-inch gun
with Il charge of 81 pounds of heyago-
nal prismatic powder The standard
set down for these conditions is /, 700
feet per second, or at the rate of about
| 1900 miles per hour. The instruments
showed a velocity of l, 702 feet for the
first shot fired; this came so close to the
standard that other tests were consid-
cred unnecessary. This is said to be
one of the most satisfactory tests made
| in the history of modern ordnance
| Too Expensive.