The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1893-01-17
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

"The United States" says Prof.
Loew, of the Uoiv rsity of Munich,
sis bound to become in every scier-
,iic braoch tn fist county on earh.
This is my firm Conviction
Like o'her large animals, the ele-
plant is belt 2 ex'ermina,ed. R pro
duction is slow, while ivory hunters
are slaughterlng 5000 year 10
Africa. Mr.. A. G. Poverl, f u 5
suggests an effort to induce the
hunters to capture the animals alive
and .aw off the tusks. The tu-ks are
solid, and the process would be a
humane and painless one.
RECENTLY MADE DESERTS. In his
report of an expedition of 1891, the
inspector general Of Esy plan tele.
graphs traces the present barrenness
Of the country between the Nile and
the Rcd sea to the destruction Of trees
during the last twelve centuries, by
the Arab and his camel The animal
has fed on the caves and green shoots
and his master has gradually used up
stems, roots and branches for char
coal. Even now spo,s in Egy pit are
beir G made desert in this way; and it
is suggested that like cause may
explain the Disappearance Of frankiu-
cense and spices from southern Ara
ba, the former multitude Of horses
and chariols in Palestine and the
greater early fertility and population
of many countries Of importance in
history.
Power FOR ENGLAND's ClrIEs-The
great scheme Of Mr.. B. H. Thuaite,
the pritish engioeer. d ffefs from that
Of the Niagara Power company in
proposing to distribute enormous
electric p wer over q considerable
portion OF Eng ,nd's manufacturing
orea Instead of furnishing it only to
the few who can locate near the
dynamos, His power would be de-
rived from coal instead Of water, but
h. would burn the fuel at the mines,
Where it costs but little. He would
use gas iugines Of not more than 800
horse power each, aud would transmit
the power by high pressure alternat-
ing currents. From one station he
would supply the centres of industry
of Lancashire and the area adjoining
the sip canal; from second, those OF
York hire; and from third, those of
the Midlands and London. With this
system of power distribution com.
pleted, MIR. Thwaite believes that no
other area in the world won]d have
such facilities for cheap industrial
production as that along the Man
chester ship canal.
MAGNETIC SToRMs.-If the infer
epces of Lord Kelvin be true, it may
be necessary to discard the favorite
idea that magnetic storms, or disturb
ances Ct the ear.h's magnetism, are
connected with sun spots. The sun
and the planets are prob ably all per-
manent magnets-the sun much the
mighliest Of all. But if metoric i'm.
pact, or any other possible dyuamlcal
action within the sun or in his atmos-
phere produced, for example, the ter
restrsl magnetic storm of June %,
1885, the recorded changes indicate
that the agent must have worked at
something like $50 million million
million horse power, which is about
1854 times the total horse power of the
solar radiation. Thus in the eight
hours OF not very severe magnetic
storm, as much work must have been
done b, the sun in sending magnetic
waves cut in all directions through
space as he actually does in four
months of his regular light and heat.
This seems to show ccnclusivel, that
magnetic storms do not depend upon
the magnetic action of the sun. The
investigations OF Schuster have proven
that the disturbance is not within TIE
earth, and it is certainly evid mt that
the auror, above the surface of the
earth currents below are in full work.
ing sympathy with magnetic storms
While these facts are known, how.
ever, we are far from having any
satisfactory explanation of any Of the
marvellous magnetic phenomena OF
the earth.
BACTERIoLoGY.- Within the last
score OF years, Pas'eur and others have
given the world the science of bac,e.
riology which has shown a marvellous
dev elnnmenf and be cnn,a Of nn;uarsal