The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-11-10
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

SOsG''O
Scientists say taat four million
rebs spun by young spiders would not
form a strand as great in diameter as
hair from the human head.
in 1880, there were 4,100,9o7 farms
in the United States: in 1890 there were
4.564.on. In 1850. the improved acres
were 2si, III, O42; in 1890 they amounted
to 35I ,6l6,T55.
The direct of the mint estimates
the value of the worlds output OF gold
in 1898 at 1856. 522, Oo0 ii. believes the
o,tput of 1894 and 1895 will amount,
respectively, to Sl6s, 29a, ooo and $751;
S42, 000
in Australia women are generally
employed as railway station agents
In many of the small stations woman
is in sole control, being ticket seller
telegraph operator and baggage mis-
tress. They receive about fifty cents a
day.
Coal tar Yields sixteen shades OF
blue, the same number of yellow tints,
twelve of orange, nine of violet ana
numerous other colors and shades.
I'm 1898, there were brought to this
country diamonds of the value OF Sl4,-
GO, goo. The diamond-cutters OF the
| United States are ranked among the
best in the world. The first cutting
machine was invented here, in 1872.
The great pitch lake of Trinidad
covers ninety-nine acres and contains
millions of tons of so-called pitch.
This is in reality mixture of asphalt
and oil, which is continually oozing up
through cracks and crevices beneath
the pressure of the strata OF rock above.
Water at high temperature cannot
be raised any considerable distance by
suction, as the vapor discharged from
the water so heated follows the re-
ceding pistons of the pump and resists
the entrance of the water; consequently,
to pump hot water always place tn,
supply above the pump, so that it will
be supplied from head.
M. Louis Boutan has succeeded In
taking some beautiful photographs OF
the bottom of the sea by the aid OF
newlv-invented lamp for burning mag
nesium powder under the water. Tie
first descends to the bottom and selects
his views, next has his apparatus low
cred to him, then arranges the same
for several flashes, enabling him to
take as many successive pictures.
The toad is higher animal thar
the frog, because it gives birth to lit
tie air-breathing toads whereas the
frog lays eggs that produce fish-likt
tadpoles. But the frog is in certain
respects the most wonderful creature
in the world. Think of the vegetable
eating fish with gills that turns int
an air-breathing land animal, develop
ing teeth and becoming a carnivorou
quadruped. That is the life history o
the frog.
Snakes have their usefulness il
the world. They are scavengers o
swamps and morasses where other ami
mails of size are unable to penetrate o
exist 1t is in the tropics, of course
that serpents chiefly abound al
: snakes are of tropical origin, but som
species have spread into cooler lat
tudes. In very cool countries there ar
no snakes. Contrary to the popula
belief, there are some snakes in Ire
land, but they are very rare.
"A mechanical fluid is the recent il
vention of an American engineer.
, is mass of hard steel balls OF tw
sizes, one-eighth and one-fourth OF a
inch in diameter, respectively. Unde
: pressure this mass flows and transmit
! pressure in all directions like fiuit
= The device is calculated for use whel
I ever fluid pressure is desired withor
!, leakage, and it has already been en-
ployed for Tightening the brasses I
, connecting rods, pocket at the sic
= = being filled with the balls and pressul
= applied with set screw.