The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-29
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

| In consequence OF the Closing Oh
twelve sulphur mines in Sicily, almost
four thousand laborers were reduced
to the dangers of starvation. In the
mines still open laborers are glad to
work fourteen hours day for twenty
cents.
1t is well known that snakes have
| usually a single lung. with rudinent
Of the other. According to Cope's in
| vestigations. snakes, like the boas,
with vertigial hind limbs. posses two
well-developed lungs, one of which is
larger than the other. In the striped
snake and allies (Colubroidea). the
right lung is generally present, but OF
minute size.
1t has been generally supposed that
the largest lumber mills in the world
were located on Puget Sound in this
country, but such is not the fact. The
largest mill. so far as known. is in
Christiana. Norway. where one million
feet is produced daily. There are abou:
thirty gang saws and six planning and
matching machines, the latter of the
massive Norwegian design, which feed
Mt the rate of eighty to one hundred
feet per minnie.
The coal fields of China. Japan.
Great Britain, Germany, Russia and
India contain apparently, 800. 900. Ooo.-
600 tons. which is enough for seven
hundred years at present rate of con.
sumption. II to the above be added
the coal fields in the United States,
Canada and other countries, the supply
will be found ample for one thousand
years Improved machinery has great
~ increased the yield per miner, and
thus produced fall in price, to the al.
vantage of all industries.
"A mean solar day is the average or
mean of all the apparent solar days in
year. Mean solar time is that shown
by well-regulated clock or watch,
while apparent solar time is that shown
by a well-constructed sun dial. The
difference between the two at any time
is the equation of time, and may
amount to sixteen minutes and TWEEN
ty-one seconds. The astronomical day
begins at noon and the civil day at the
preceding midnight. The sidereal and
mean solar days are both invariable.
but one day of the latter is equal to
onds Of the former.
Nature is full Of hints for the
benefit of the inventor In the tropics
certain trees weave their inner bark
into excellent cloth, the most wonder
full example of this being the "tapa" Of
Polynesia. The hard outer shell of
certain large nuts like the Brazil nut
offers admirable models for vessels to
hold water and food. Bears were the
first cave-dwellers; beavers were the
lumberers; foxes excavated the
earth before there were men; the squir-
rels hid away food for future consump
ton, and so did many birds; hawks
taught men to catch fish, spiders how
to spin, hornets to make paper, and |
crayfish to work in clay.
"A new ''incendiary bomb" con- |
trived by German whose name is not |
known as yet, is to be among the won
ders of the next great conflict In |
Europe. Exploding with tremendous |
energy, it scatters highly infammable |
far and wide. Thus single |
one bursting over town would set a |
whole district on fire at once The
spectacle of , besieged city in cam
paigns of the future will be altogether
novel, Illuminating shells thrown by !
The enemy lighting up its Notifications
1t night with glare equal to one
hundred thousand candle-power for
each shell, while fire-distributing pro-
ectiies exploding overhead sprinkle
he houses and streets with shower
Of diabolical combustibles.
Economy in the kitchen is in using
he purest and best materials. There