The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-02-14
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

1T is calculated that the sugar pro-
duced in Fiji, Queensland and New
South Wales, at the present rate of in
crease, will supply the whole demand
Of the Australian colonies by 1896,
The balloon recently sent up by
French scientists with automatically
registered thermometers and bTrome-
tiers, reached a height of ten miles,
where the thermometer registered 10
degrees below zero.
Sugar beet growing is about to re-
eeive an impetus in the vicinity of San
Bernardino, Cal. Experiments have
been made there which show as high as
1876 per cent. of saccharine matter IN
the beet which is cultivated by the
local farmers.
Frank Mason a Delaware, Lacka-
wanna & Western railroad engineer,
was suddenly stricken blind the other
night while standing by his engine in
Jersey City. His sudden affiiction was
found to have been caused by tumor
which had formed behind his right
ear. Next day an operation was per-
formed, and when the bandages were
removed the next day it was found his
sight had been restored almost as
quickly as it had gone.
DIR. Sven Hedin, a German traveller,
recently assembled the Mustaghata, the
sFather of Icy Mountains" the highest
ak in the Karakorim range, between
Cashmere and eastern Turkestan. In
April he made a first attempt, but after
reaching height of 1000 feet was
driven back by snow storms. In July
he assembled the mountain four times,
and almost reached the top, which is
$4,000 feet high. He brought back a
great many scientific observations and
photographs, On his journey Dr. Sven
Hedin passed the monument to Schla-
gintweit, the explorer, in Kashgar,
and found it badly damaged by floods
The beneficial effects of filtration
of the water supply, says the Medical
News, October 9, seem to be Strikingly
shown by the experience of Girard col
lege, Philadelphia. This is located in
the district which has been for some
years supplied by direct pumpage-
that is, the Schuylkill water is thrown
directly into the pipes. The typhoid
death rate for 1898 was quite high in
that district, although apart from the
bad water the sanitary conditions are
very favorable At Girard college,
however, there is but little of the fever
in population of over fifteen hun
dred. All the water supplied to the
institution is thoroughly filtered.
-Shipbuilding in the United King
dom during 1894 showed an increase of
nearly 200, 600 tons over 1898, although
it does not attain the average of the
years preceding. Steamers We're built
aggregat.ng ,219 tons, and sailing
vessels 100, 1874 tons; this represents 793
vessels in all. The proportion of steam
ers to sailing vessels, which is steadily
increasing every year is now 90.1S per
cent During the year marine engines
were built with total of 971 GIG horse
power. The marked feature of con-
structicn was the effort to obtain enor-
nous capacity for limited gross ton
mage, with nine-knot speed on mini
mum coal consumption. This economy
ciiAiiiN'9s lbs cSCli SoA iSb
beyond the danger point, as such en-
gines are unable to hold fully laden
ship up to gale.
War is being waged in England
against the use of the word scientist
/, The Duke of Argyll, Sir John Lubbock
Lord Rayleigh, Lord Kelvin and Prof
Huxley unrescrvedly condemn the
word; Sir John Lubbock proposes phi
losopher instead; Lords Rayleigh anC
Kelvin prefer naturalist. Prof. Hux
ley thinks that scientist must be about
as pleasing as electrocution to any one
who respects the English language
Grant Allen, while disappearing of the
word, thinks it is pedantry to object t.
new word when it is used by {
majority of persons; after the camel'
of altruis1n and sociology, scientist i!
comparatively gnat Alfred Wallace
is not disturbed by the word; he de
scribes it as useful, and argues that
since we have biologist, geologist
chemist, physicist, and specialist, we
might as well use scientist, and HI
further asks, What is there to use in
stead?" Science Gossip says the wore
was first invented and used by Whewel
in his PHILOSOPHY of the Inductiv,
Sciences" in 1910.